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Viento’s Journal Part 2 By
Andy Shuler Day 42. One step forward and one step back. I have raised the warrior called Etrigan, but to have this party
full is not the will of the Wind. The
warrior priest called Xeos has now perished.
My old party, or rather my former captors, are dead, Falrinth and the
rest. I hope the loot is payment enough
to this party for my rescue. They even
took that strange eye-pyramid pendant that the insectoid Thri-Kreen warrior,
El-Kax, was always wearing. Anyway, It happened when they
examined the altar (the one upon which Falrinth may have been planning to
sacrifice me, a fate from which, by the Mercy of Air, I was delivered). Suspecting that it had some import other
than a convenient table for bloodletting, but yet finding no buttons or levers,
Etrigan smashed it to bits with that big hammer he carries around. There was indeed something hidden. A pool of water was revealed before us. Our triumph was short-lived, however, as
Xeos was promptly swallowed by an aquatic serpent. Probably he could have lasted longer if he hadn’t been gripping
that trident of his. Etrigan dove in
after him, apparently in a rescue attempt.
When he returned, he claimed that he had dropped his sword and was
unable to save Xeos. Quite
convenient. With the cold stares that passed
between the Xeos and Etrigan indicating mutual distrust, I cannot help but
wonder if Etrigan dove down merely to make sure that Xeos was finished off. A professional warrior should not lose his
weapon so easily. In any case Etrigan found a portal
under the water. We hoped it was
Falrinth’s shortcut. It appeared to be
a pocket dimension of some sort. A
stone giant’s corpse was there, as well as some Nagas that we dispatched. The former lair of the giant held much gold,
a huge shield, as well as a rotting fleshy wand. Hardly appetizing. May
the fresh breeze disperse its foul odor!
A deep hole led to a large body of water where there dwelt a Kraken and
a society of Kuatoa. We parlayed with
the huge beast, using the shield of the fallen giant to prove that we were enemies
of his enemy. The Kraken agreed to
ferry us to the shore, providing that we slay the stone giants in their
encampment. I am to be geased to ensure
that half the loot is brought to the Kuatoa.
I hope all goes well. The denizens
of Sister Water have helped we followers of the Wind in the past, and the Great
Air Prince is certainly no friend to stone giants, I believe this adventure is
the right course, even if this does not lead to the Vecna artifacts (as it now
almost certainly appears it will not).
Something lit up in Riatha’s eye when we were told that there were stone
giants to kill. Does she worship the
air and wind as well? Day 43. Well, I seem to have been dead briefly. The stone giant expedition was largely a disaster. We did kill them all eventually, but at
great cost: my life! The last thing I
remember was a huge paw coming toward me…
In any case, we were in no shape to hunt for the giants’ treasure,
especially with myself not being alive, and after our rest we found that the
Kuatoa had absconded with the hidden loot while the party slept. Dejected, the party returned. Fortunately, the Kraken agreed to revive me
in exchange for the fleshy wand. The
party is now richer by one priest of air and poorer by one hunk of rooting
goo. I would say that is more than
fair. I remember little of my time beyond
the grave. I was floating. And I could see my love, Lyanna, and two women. My daughters? Have they grown so quickly?
Just shadows without meaning, I suppose, phantoms from a home I fear I
shall never see again. Day 44. This world is strange indeed.
We have come through another portal, this one also accessed through the
power of the maul. The statue in the
sand filled room had some sort of magic hole, that, when exposed by another
beating by Etrigan, sucked all the sand from the room. I am sad to say that the body of Xeos, which
was temporarily buried in the room, also disappeared. It is interesting that again Etrigan made certain that Xeos would
be out of the picture. Probably simply
another accident, but still I wonder. I
must be sure to stay on the good side of this Etrigan. Once the sand drained, we discovered a
portal on the floor. Beyond the portal, we found
ourselves in the Underdark. This then
must be the shortcut that Falrinth was searching for. Inside we encountered some Drow and some spider-like
creatures. There was a ferocious
battle, but we prevailed and got a chance to take stock of our
surroundings. A new party member, too,
has joined us. His name is Wen, and
though he looks somewhat flustered by his surroundings, seems to be a decent
enough fellow. He fights with his bare
hands and feet. Remarkable, and
certainly more effective than Xeos’ trident.
This was a place that it seemed had not been blessed
with fresh air for a very long time. It
mostly consisted of a semi-vertical series of caves and crevasses,
interconnected by giant strands of spider web.
Our next encounter was with a strong Drow party, led by a priestess of
some spider god. We fought them,
killing some, but they also claimed the life of Emjod. They called a truce as the battle began to
turn our way. The spider god they
worshipped had waned in power some time ago, and this group represented what
remained of her followers. A sect that
was just a cult before had come to power and had overrun their temple. They worshipped a god of undeath that served
Vecna. The priestess proposed we work
together toward a common goal. This
seemed favorable enough, as the artifacts that we sought were most likely
sequestered somewhere in the temple.
And we would need all the help we could get if we intended to steal
something out of a Drow fortress! After some bargaining, we got Emjod
and Kaylo (the corpse they had been dragging around since I met them) raised to
life by the priestess. Kaylo is a
wizard, an illusionist, with a sort of a crazy look in his eye. I am told he can turn into a minotaur. Anyway, if he can keep us from being
detected early, it could make all the difference in the temple. Just the same, I cannot really trust
him. I have had bad experiences with
spellcasters before. Tonight (if it is indeed night… I have lost track of time) we plan our
attack. Knowing we are against
creatures that hate sunlight, I have for my part prepared some spells that
mimic its effects. I pray that we
prevail, and if not, may the Great Wind and Gale find a way to scatter our
forgotten ashes to the Heavens. Note: I found this journal amongst the ashes of the
priest Viento. I am hanging onto it as
a source of information of what happened while I was dead. Strange this paper survived, it was almost
blowing free from the stirring remains when I grabbed it… -Kaylo
D’Corum |