Post by Bandgoat on Oct 12, 2014 17:04:17 GMT -6
Abadius 18, 4708 – Early Evening
My Dear,
After wrapping up our investigation of the tunnels below Sandpoint, we made our report to the town’s officials and stayed in a local inn for the night. This morning, we gathered together to discuss our next moves. Through her extensive knowledge of Varisian geography, Lai’Ki suggested that “steaming mirror” could be a reference to Lake Stormunder in the northern part of the territory. Upon further reflection, she acknowledged that there is supposedly a mysterious circle of seven stone heads near the shore of the lake and it sits at the base of Mount Rimeskull, so named due to its resemblance of a human skull. Deciding these geographic features were too similar to the description in the poetry to be a coincidence, we resolved to make preparations to investigate the area. Wanting to gather more information, we later took some time to take a closer look at the Old Light, but after decades of people picking over the ruins, we found nothing of any more interest.
Since our intended destination was far to the north, remote, mountainous, and we would arrive in the middle of winter, we prepared for cold weather – and hostile creatures appropriate to the climate. Therefore, Soril transported us to Magnimar to collect a few useful items. We then went back to Jorgenfist to confirm our findings with Brodert Quink. We informed him of what we found under Sandpoint and asked for his opinion. His findings agreed with our own. We took the opportunity to destroy the Scribbler’s weapon and infuse one of our own with purified magic. I then borrowed a scroll from Soril and teleported him and Lai’Ki to the outpost of Crying Leaf on the outskirts of the Mierani Forest, the most northern part of Varisia with which we have any familiarity. After making himself familiar with the surroundings, Soril went back to Jorgenfist to fetch the remainder of our group. After requisitioning some steeds and a couple of ponies for the Dwarves, we started on the road north.
We made camp just a little while ago, having made a good start on our journey. We figured it would take us several days of travel. Hopefully the weather will cooperate with us. This region is known for its unpredictable winter storms.
- E
Abadius 20, 4708 – Early Evening
Dearest Husband,
We have made good progress, despite the short days. It has been cold, but not unseasonably so. Gorm and Tolgun have generally announced our presence everywhere we go with their raucous, constant chatter and jocularity. Tolgun nearly fell off his pony one time because he was laughing so hard. It is rather agreeable to see that usually unsociable dwarf have a good time. While they rode at the front of our group, Soril and I rode in the back, discussing strategy and trying to piece together a clearer image of what to expect upon our arrival at Runeforge. He possesses a marvelously astute mind, and his powers of evocation are nearly a match for any Elven wizard. It is good to have him on our side. Ryll and Lai’Ki rode together, but said little. The ranger seemed to be more interested in examining the local flora and rock formations than anything else. Meanwhile, Nala, who has been having some trouble controlling his mount, was busy doing his own thing: probably just trying to stay on the path or keep his horse from bucking or charging.
As we rode through the Velashu Uplands, we saw a few of your Sczarni brethren weathering the winter encamped by the side of the road. It reminded me of the time we first met. You were so roguishly uncivilized, you could not pronounce my Elvish name. I thought it was cute and very endearing, I laughed when you finally settled on “Epshi” as a close approximation. Now, I cannot imagine being called anything else.
- Love, E
Abadius 22, 4708 – Early Evening
Dear Illya,
The weather turned on us before dawn this day. Our pace slowed to a crawl as we were beaten back by strong winds and relentless snow and ice coming down from the Kodar Mountains. Occasionally, we would find the road covered in a deep drift of snow, turning only a few feet of movement into sheer drudgery. We finally had to call a halt to our labor when we found some natural shelter after only a few miles of progress. The storm seems to be easing this evening, so I hope our trip will be easier on the morrow. However, the land is now covered in a thick blanket of snow. The road we had followed was due to run out soon, but navigating through the white expansive countryside will be difficult.
- E
Abadius 24, 4708 – Early Afternoon
Illya,
We found it! – but what a harrowing adventure this is! It matters not how prepared you think you are, something always finds a way of surprising you. “Exhausted” is inadequate to describe our state, and yet we must press onward. We are spurred in our pursuit by a mixture of duty, curiosity, vengeance, and desire. Of course, right now, a respite from the furiously cold weather would be nice.
We arrived at Lake Stormunder yesterday afternoon and camped on its southern shore. It is just as Lai’Ki described: There are many hot springs and geysers in the area and there is a constant steam emanating from the still waters of the lake, making the sobriquet “steaming mirror” all the more justifiable. It makes me question what forces lie under this ground that can heat those waters even in the dead of winter. Perhaps some answers lay within Runeforge itself.
We made our way around the southern edge of the lake this morning, arriving on the eastern shore around midday. From this rocky shoreline, the ground rises into the craggy, snow-dappled roots of the foothills of the Kodar Mountains. Once we arrived at the foot of the mountains and with a little searching, we found what we have traveled to discover: an area on the eastern shore of the lake on a circular plateau with a circle of seven standing stones, with the nearest mountain, Rimeskull, portraying the shape of a human skull. Rocks and tenacious shrubs poke through the scattered clumps of snow here, but they are inconsequential compared to the ring of seven ten-foot tall stone heads circling the hill’s edge, their faces angled inward at each other, their mouths agape. To the east, the shear mountain side of Rimeskull rises, icy and wind blasted. Two hundred feet above leers a carving of an ancient face, its gaping mouth forming a large cave entrance in the mountainside. A ten-foot wide stairway of stone descends from the cave to the ledge only fifty feet to the east of the circle of stone faces. I thought it was interesting that no one had ever reported exploring such an obvious geographic point of interest before. I later found one possible reason for this: the Guardian.
We began our investigation, examining the nearest stone statue more closely. We climbed atop the flat tor overlooking the lake and crowded around one stone head. It appeared to be a corpulent man with a few patches of rotting flesh carved in the rock. From our research, we identified the depiction as Zutha, the runelord of gluttony and associated with the school of necromancy. While I went on to the next statue, in order to identify all of them before further experimentation, Soril, correctly assembling what clues we have found, went ahead and cast a spell designed to damage the walking dead upon the first statue. As he cast the spell, it did not result with its normal effect. Instead, the necromantic energy seemed to have been absorbed by the stone head, which issued a loud boom and glowed brightly with energy. The ground around it vibrated as a piercing trill emanated from the head. Soon, the glow and the sound faded completely, at which point a golden key appeared in the mouth of the stone head. While Soril and I debated about who should then cast a spell to collect the key without touching it, Ryll exasperatedly walked over and grabbed the key out of the mouth. No ill effects seemed to have occurred. The next statue was of a balding man, mouth agape, long braided hair, with stylized jewels on his head. We thought it was our nemesis, Karzoug, the runelord of greed and associated with transmutation. I cast a small cantrip designed to collect small objects on the depiction of Karzoug, again resulting in an unusual effect, leading to the exposure of another key. I tried to cast the spell again to collect the key, wanting to take possession of it, but the stone face absorbed my spell again. Nala then reached in and grabbed the key.
We moved over to the next statue and identified it as Krune, the runelord of sloth and associated with conjuration magic, pictured as an overweight, balding man with beady eyes and a crooked nose and smile. As we were looking at it, something weird happened. Some of the steam blowing off the lake toward us started to get intensely cold and the air became thick with fog, which, in turn, made the ground slick and icy. Wanting to avoid any undue exposure to the elements, we began placing protective spells on ourselves. The fog soon obscured our sight and we lost track of each other. Soril tried to summon strong winds to blow the freezing fog away, but it did nothing. Suddenly, a large wall of ice sprang out of the ground, bisecting the ring of stone statues and separating our party, with Lai’Ki and Ryll on one side and the rest of us on the other. The next thing I noticed was another loud boom, the ground shaking, and a glowing statue in the vicinity of Nala, who had apparently triggered the conjuration of another key. Seemingly panicked, Soril started moving off the hill top. As soon as I lost sight of him in the fog, a spine-tingling roar emanated from his direction and a lethal spray of icy cold breath struck me. At that point, I recognized the tell-tale signs of a white dragon. Luckily, our defensive spells caused the dragon’s breath to deal no real harm. Since I could not see our foe, I continued to prepare magical defenses and I tried to coordinate with the others, though the wind and fog made communication difficult. The slick ground also hampered our tactical movements. Suddenly, the fog lifted, and before I knew it, the dragon landed right next to me. I was able to move out of its way in time to keep from being chomped to bits, but Tolgun, whom I had heard near me, was not so lucky. He slipped on the ice and was trapped between the dragon and the ice wall. With visibility restored, we were better able to coordinate our attacks. Being trapped, Tolgun went on the offensive, but was unable to damage the dragon’s thick hide. Lai’Ki, too, had difficulty piercing its serpentine scales. What did seem to harm the dragon was intense heat, of which Soril was a magical specialist. He created a wave of hot, dry air that had a noticeable effect on our foe. Unfortunately, it was not enough and the dragon took out its frustration on Tolgun. It reared up and caught Tolgun square in its gaping maw, nearly biting the dwarf in half. The cleric tried to heal himself as best he could, but it was not enough. The dragon’s powerful claws dashed him against the ice wall and he slumped to the snowy ground. Gorm belatedly rushed over to take some of the pressure off his relative, and the dragon kindly obliged by savagely attacking him. Ryll took command of the situation, calling out with a loud voice for us all to redouble our efforts. In response, the dragon breathed its icy spray on us again, but our defenses held. Taking a cue from Soril, Nala splashed down fire bombs, Lai’Ki grabbed some of my fiery ammunition to use, and I concentrated on striking the creature with flaming rays of magic. While Ryll charged in to engage her enemy, Soril put up a defensive wall to save Tolgun from any more damage. Nala was then able to render some aid to the fallen dwarf. Due to the ferociousness of Ryll’s attacks, the dragon turned its attention toward her, but amazingly failed to do anything more than scratch the paladin’s armor. Sarenrae must have truly shown favor on her champion this day. After a few more seconds of us all concentrating our most damaging attacks on the beast, it finally saw that it could not prevail against us and flew away. I wonder if we have seen the last of the cold cantankerous creature.
After seeing to our worst wounds, we quickly returned to our task of gathering all of the keys from the stone heads. The fourth statue was a heavyset, sneering woman. We identified her as Belimarius, the runelord of envy and associated with the school of abjuration. I cast a defensive spell on it and after the initial pyrotechnic display, a key appeared that I then took. The next statue was of a very attractive woman with a seductive look, large eyes, and long flowing hair. This was Sorshen, the runelord of lust, associated with enchantment. Tolgun cast a divine spell and grabbed the key that appeared. The next one was a strikingly handsome man adorned with a close-cropped beard and a charming expression. It actually reminded me a bit of you, dear husband. It was in fact Xanderghul, runelord of pride and a practitioner of illusion magic. Nala cast a disguising spell on it and Lai’Ki took the key. The last one was a Gothic beauty with wild hair and a somewhat insane expression: Alaznist, runelord of wrath and a powerful evoker. Soril cast one of his many evocation spells and took the key that appeared. Ryll then suggested going after the dragon and eliminating it as a threat, not wanting to leave an enemy behind us, but we were not able to track it through the air back to its hidden lair. So, having gathered the seven keys from the seven statues, we now look toward the stairs leading up Rimeskull. We are resting a bit while we tend our wounds and we are about to start heading up Rimeskull to find the gate to Runeforge.
In the aftermath of our nearly fatal struggle with the white winged wurm, I can now observe a few oddities about our friends I had not previously recognized. Tolgun, who had been very talkative on the journey north, had returned to his dour rigidity, saying very little since his brush with death. Soril, who is usually the most clear-headed and even of the group, was almost in a rage during the fight, spouting threats and expletives as he furiously cast spells. He now seems anxious to continue our exploration, spurring us to continue even before we have fully recovered. The usually quiet and stalwart paladin was unusually commanding during the fight, and even now is more talkative than normal. She speaks of the thrills and moral dilemmas of taking another life. Nala, who was unusually helpful and friendly during the fight, is now off by himself, speaking to no one and examining the key he gathered closely. He may have uttered the word, “precious,” but I cannot be sure. Lai’Ki, as usual, has said very little the entire time. She, too, is off by herself, seemingly pleased with herself that she escaped any harm from the dragon attack. Gorm seems tired after the battle and has said nothing, even when I approached to discuss his tactics. I believe he is purposefully avoiding me. I, too, seemed to have done things differently. I first noticed when Blackthorn mentioned that she missed out on tasting dragon flesh, a sensation she has craved ever since being lost amongst a dragon hoard in her past. I believe my sword would like to find a little more glory on the battlefield. That got me to thinking that I tried to keep my distance in the fight and adopt the tactics of our mage. If I am honest, I wish I could command the elements as easily as he does.
- E
<OoC>
Table of Characters and the Keys They Possess
Character Key School Virtue Sin Metal
Epshi Belimarius abjuration eager striving envy noqual
Gorm Krune conjuration rest sloth abysium
Lai’Ki Xanderghul illusion honest pride pride horacalcum
Nala Karzoug transmutation wealth greed adamantine
Ryll Zutha necromancy abundance gluttony inubrix
Soril Alaznist evocation right. anger wrath siccatite
Tolgun Sorshen enchantment fertility lust djezet
</OoC>
My Dear,
After wrapping up our investigation of the tunnels below Sandpoint, we made our report to the town’s officials and stayed in a local inn for the night. This morning, we gathered together to discuss our next moves. Through her extensive knowledge of Varisian geography, Lai’Ki suggested that “steaming mirror” could be a reference to Lake Stormunder in the northern part of the territory. Upon further reflection, she acknowledged that there is supposedly a mysterious circle of seven stone heads near the shore of the lake and it sits at the base of Mount Rimeskull, so named due to its resemblance of a human skull. Deciding these geographic features were too similar to the description in the poetry to be a coincidence, we resolved to make preparations to investigate the area. Wanting to gather more information, we later took some time to take a closer look at the Old Light, but after decades of people picking over the ruins, we found nothing of any more interest.
Since our intended destination was far to the north, remote, mountainous, and we would arrive in the middle of winter, we prepared for cold weather – and hostile creatures appropriate to the climate. Therefore, Soril transported us to Magnimar to collect a few useful items. We then went back to Jorgenfist to confirm our findings with Brodert Quink. We informed him of what we found under Sandpoint and asked for his opinion. His findings agreed with our own. We took the opportunity to destroy the Scribbler’s weapon and infuse one of our own with purified magic. I then borrowed a scroll from Soril and teleported him and Lai’Ki to the outpost of Crying Leaf on the outskirts of the Mierani Forest, the most northern part of Varisia with which we have any familiarity. After making himself familiar with the surroundings, Soril went back to Jorgenfist to fetch the remainder of our group. After requisitioning some steeds and a couple of ponies for the Dwarves, we started on the road north.
We made camp just a little while ago, having made a good start on our journey. We figured it would take us several days of travel. Hopefully the weather will cooperate with us. This region is known for its unpredictable winter storms.
- E
Abadius 20, 4708 – Early Evening
Dearest Husband,
We have made good progress, despite the short days. It has been cold, but not unseasonably so. Gorm and Tolgun have generally announced our presence everywhere we go with their raucous, constant chatter and jocularity. Tolgun nearly fell off his pony one time because he was laughing so hard. It is rather agreeable to see that usually unsociable dwarf have a good time. While they rode at the front of our group, Soril and I rode in the back, discussing strategy and trying to piece together a clearer image of what to expect upon our arrival at Runeforge. He possesses a marvelously astute mind, and his powers of evocation are nearly a match for any Elven wizard. It is good to have him on our side. Ryll and Lai’Ki rode together, but said little. The ranger seemed to be more interested in examining the local flora and rock formations than anything else. Meanwhile, Nala, who has been having some trouble controlling his mount, was busy doing his own thing: probably just trying to stay on the path or keep his horse from bucking or charging.
As we rode through the Velashu Uplands, we saw a few of your Sczarni brethren weathering the winter encamped by the side of the road. It reminded me of the time we first met. You were so roguishly uncivilized, you could not pronounce my Elvish name. I thought it was cute and very endearing, I laughed when you finally settled on “Epshi” as a close approximation. Now, I cannot imagine being called anything else.
- Love, E
Abadius 22, 4708 – Early Evening
Dear Illya,
The weather turned on us before dawn this day. Our pace slowed to a crawl as we were beaten back by strong winds and relentless snow and ice coming down from the Kodar Mountains. Occasionally, we would find the road covered in a deep drift of snow, turning only a few feet of movement into sheer drudgery. We finally had to call a halt to our labor when we found some natural shelter after only a few miles of progress. The storm seems to be easing this evening, so I hope our trip will be easier on the morrow. However, the land is now covered in a thick blanket of snow. The road we had followed was due to run out soon, but navigating through the white expansive countryside will be difficult.
- E
Abadius 24, 4708 – Early Afternoon
Illya,
We found it! – but what a harrowing adventure this is! It matters not how prepared you think you are, something always finds a way of surprising you. “Exhausted” is inadequate to describe our state, and yet we must press onward. We are spurred in our pursuit by a mixture of duty, curiosity, vengeance, and desire. Of course, right now, a respite from the furiously cold weather would be nice.
We arrived at Lake Stormunder yesterday afternoon and camped on its southern shore. It is just as Lai’Ki described: There are many hot springs and geysers in the area and there is a constant steam emanating from the still waters of the lake, making the sobriquet “steaming mirror” all the more justifiable. It makes me question what forces lie under this ground that can heat those waters even in the dead of winter. Perhaps some answers lay within Runeforge itself.
We made our way around the southern edge of the lake this morning, arriving on the eastern shore around midday. From this rocky shoreline, the ground rises into the craggy, snow-dappled roots of the foothills of the Kodar Mountains. Once we arrived at the foot of the mountains and with a little searching, we found what we have traveled to discover: an area on the eastern shore of the lake on a circular plateau with a circle of seven standing stones, with the nearest mountain, Rimeskull, portraying the shape of a human skull. Rocks and tenacious shrubs poke through the scattered clumps of snow here, but they are inconsequential compared to the ring of seven ten-foot tall stone heads circling the hill’s edge, their faces angled inward at each other, their mouths agape. To the east, the shear mountain side of Rimeskull rises, icy and wind blasted. Two hundred feet above leers a carving of an ancient face, its gaping mouth forming a large cave entrance in the mountainside. A ten-foot wide stairway of stone descends from the cave to the ledge only fifty feet to the east of the circle of stone faces. I thought it was interesting that no one had ever reported exploring such an obvious geographic point of interest before. I later found one possible reason for this: the Guardian.
We began our investigation, examining the nearest stone statue more closely. We climbed atop the flat tor overlooking the lake and crowded around one stone head. It appeared to be a corpulent man with a few patches of rotting flesh carved in the rock. From our research, we identified the depiction as Zutha, the runelord of gluttony and associated with the school of necromancy. While I went on to the next statue, in order to identify all of them before further experimentation, Soril, correctly assembling what clues we have found, went ahead and cast a spell designed to damage the walking dead upon the first statue. As he cast the spell, it did not result with its normal effect. Instead, the necromantic energy seemed to have been absorbed by the stone head, which issued a loud boom and glowed brightly with energy. The ground around it vibrated as a piercing trill emanated from the head. Soon, the glow and the sound faded completely, at which point a golden key appeared in the mouth of the stone head. While Soril and I debated about who should then cast a spell to collect the key without touching it, Ryll exasperatedly walked over and grabbed the key out of the mouth. No ill effects seemed to have occurred. The next statue was of a balding man, mouth agape, long braided hair, with stylized jewels on his head. We thought it was our nemesis, Karzoug, the runelord of greed and associated with transmutation. I cast a small cantrip designed to collect small objects on the depiction of Karzoug, again resulting in an unusual effect, leading to the exposure of another key. I tried to cast the spell again to collect the key, wanting to take possession of it, but the stone face absorbed my spell again. Nala then reached in and grabbed the key.
We moved over to the next statue and identified it as Krune, the runelord of sloth and associated with conjuration magic, pictured as an overweight, balding man with beady eyes and a crooked nose and smile. As we were looking at it, something weird happened. Some of the steam blowing off the lake toward us started to get intensely cold and the air became thick with fog, which, in turn, made the ground slick and icy. Wanting to avoid any undue exposure to the elements, we began placing protective spells on ourselves. The fog soon obscured our sight and we lost track of each other. Soril tried to summon strong winds to blow the freezing fog away, but it did nothing. Suddenly, a large wall of ice sprang out of the ground, bisecting the ring of stone statues and separating our party, with Lai’Ki and Ryll on one side and the rest of us on the other. The next thing I noticed was another loud boom, the ground shaking, and a glowing statue in the vicinity of Nala, who had apparently triggered the conjuration of another key. Seemingly panicked, Soril started moving off the hill top. As soon as I lost sight of him in the fog, a spine-tingling roar emanated from his direction and a lethal spray of icy cold breath struck me. At that point, I recognized the tell-tale signs of a white dragon. Luckily, our defensive spells caused the dragon’s breath to deal no real harm. Since I could not see our foe, I continued to prepare magical defenses and I tried to coordinate with the others, though the wind and fog made communication difficult. The slick ground also hampered our tactical movements. Suddenly, the fog lifted, and before I knew it, the dragon landed right next to me. I was able to move out of its way in time to keep from being chomped to bits, but Tolgun, whom I had heard near me, was not so lucky. He slipped on the ice and was trapped between the dragon and the ice wall. With visibility restored, we were better able to coordinate our attacks. Being trapped, Tolgun went on the offensive, but was unable to damage the dragon’s thick hide. Lai’Ki, too, had difficulty piercing its serpentine scales. What did seem to harm the dragon was intense heat, of which Soril was a magical specialist. He created a wave of hot, dry air that had a noticeable effect on our foe. Unfortunately, it was not enough and the dragon took out its frustration on Tolgun. It reared up and caught Tolgun square in its gaping maw, nearly biting the dwarf in half. The cleric tried to heal himself as best he could, but it was not enough. The dragon’s powerful claws dashed him against the ice wall and he slumped to the snowy ground. Gorm belatedly rushed over to take some of the pressure off his relative, and the dragon kindly obliged by savagely attacking him. Ryll took command of the situation, calling out with a loud voice for us all to redouble our efforts. In response, the dragon breathed its icy spray on us again, but our defenses held. Taking a cue from Soril, Nala splashed down fire bombs, Lai’Ki grabbed some of my fiery ammunition to use, and I concentrated on striking the creature with flaming rays of magic. While Ryll charged in to engage her enemy, Soril put up a defensive wall to save Tolgun from any more damage. Nala was then able to render some aid to the fallen dwarf. Due to the ferociousness of Ryll’s attacks, the dragon turned its attention toward her, but amazingly failed to do anything more than scratch the paladin’s armor. Sarenrae must have truly shown favor on her champion this day. After a few more seconds of us all concentrating our most damaging attacks on the beast, it finally saw that it could not prevail against us and flew away. I wonder if we have seen the last of the cold cantankerous creature.
After seeing to our worst wounds, we quickly returned to our task of gathering all of the keys from the stone heads. The fourth statue was a heavyset, sneering woman. We identified her as Belimarius, the runelord of envy and associated with the school of abjuration. I cast a defensive spell on it and after the initial pyrotechnic display, a key appeared that I then took. The next statue was of a very attractive woman with a seductive look, large eyes, and long flowing hair. This was Sorshen, the runelord of lust, associated with enchantment. Tolgun cast a divine spell and grabbed the key that appeared. The next one was a strikingly handsome man adorned with a close-cropped beard and a charming expression. It actually reminded me a bit of you, dear husband. It was in fact Xanderghul, runelord of pride and a practitioner of illusion magic. Nala cast a disguising spell on it and Lai’Ki took the key. The last one was a Gothic beauty with wild hair and a somewhat insane expression: Alaznist, runelord of wrath and a powerful evoker. Soril cast one of his many evocation spells and took the key that appeared. Ryll then suggested going after the dragon and eliminating it as a threat, not wanting to leave an enemy behind us, but we were not able to track it through the air back to its hidden lair. So, having gathered the seven keys from the seven statues, we now look toward the stairs leading up Rimeskull. We are resting a bit while we tend our wounds and we are about to start heading up Rimeskull to find the gate to Runeforge.
In the aftermath of our nearly fatal struggle with the white winged wurm, I can now observe a few oddities about our friends I had not previously recognized. Tolgun, who had been very talkative on the journey north, had returned to his dour rigidity, saying very little since his brush with death. Soril, who is usually the most clear-headed and even of the group, was almost in a rage during the fight, spouting threats and expletives as he furiously cast spells. He now seems anxious to continue our exploration, spurring us to continue even before we have fully recovered. The usually quiet and stalwart paladin was unusually commanding during the fight, and even now is more talkative than normal. She speaks of the thrills and moral dilemmas of taking another life. Nala, who was unusually helpful and friendly during the fight, is now off by himself, speaking to no one and examining the key he gathered closely. He may have uttered the word, “precious,” but I cannot be sure. Lai’Ki, as usual, has said very little the entire time. She, too, is off by herself, seemingly pleased with herself that she escaped any harm from the dragon attack. Gorm seems tired after the battle and has said nothing, even when I approached to discuss his tactics. I believe he is purposefully avoiding me. I, too, seemed to have done things differently. I first noticed when Blackthorn mentioned that she missed out on tasting dragon flesh, a sensation she has craved ever since being lost amongst a dragon hoard in her past. I believe my sword would like to find a little more glory on the battlefield. That got me to thinking that I tried to keep my distance in the fight and adopt the tactics of our mage. If I am honest, I wish I could command the elements as easily as he does.
- E
<OoC>
Table of Characters and the Keys They Possess
Character Key School Virtue Sin Metal
Epshi Belimarius abjuration eager striving envy noqual
Gorm Krune conjuration rest sloth abysium
Lai’Ki Xanderghul illusion honest pride pride horacalcum
Nala Karzoug transmutation wealth greed adamantine
Ryll Zutha necromancy abundance gluttony inubrix
Soril Alaznist evocation right. anger wrath siccatite
Tolgun Sorshen enchantment fertility lust djezet
</OoC>