Session 3 (2/3/2020)

In this session, the party said their goodbyes to the people of Auriel, receiving a few gifts in the process, and decided to head to Kazholm, the nearest city of any size, in the hope of finding information that might shed some light on the plans of Reuben and co, and maybe locate another gem that they may be able to acquire before Reuben does. Additionally, Kel rather mysteriously acquired a familiar named Gaw, which takes the form of a white-furred ferret.

On their very first day on the road, the party encountered a travelling merchant (?) with a brightly painted wagon. He stopped to try to sell the party some items, ultimately succeeding in selling them a shard of a blade and three healing potions, exchanging the latter for the rings of the skeletal minotaur they'd fought in Kazbarrow.

After making camp for the night, Lyra, Aldor and Gaw took the first watch and detected the approach of a small group of drunken bandits. In a chaotic fight, they killed one and captured another, with the remaining two escaping.

Teldaris date: Saturday the 9th of June, 643IR

## Lyra Grimm

Mother,

I’m regretting leaving already. Do send my regards to Fabio; perhaps even let him read this letter, so that he can know just how miserable he has made me. The old fool. You know exactly what you did, sending me out here with these hooligans.

Oorok, for the most part, seems competent with navigating for us. He found us a small campsite for the night. Bjorn is either very quiet or quite boisterous. It appears he is passionate about slate rocks and insisted on sleeping upon one and using them as tables. Being a lumberjack, I can see him becoming some kind of craftsman. Perhaps he can make us some furniture upon our return.

A weasel. Kel has a weasel, and from what I’ve overheard, it just appeared from nowhere, like it simply materialised before him. Upon closer inspection I realised it is not an animal at all, but some kind of abjured familiar. I am still unsure of Kel and his motivations but I am positive that it is demonic in nature. When it speaks I feel as though it is more than one voice talking and I’ve found it to be quite eerie. It truly is fascinating, however. I would very much like to know what kind of magic brought it into being, and how he was summoned to our plane.

I am beginning to think that perhaps Aldor is not quite as kind as I first assumed. We had an altercation with some drunken thieves in our camp. They were simple idiots, barely able to stand on their feet, and despite myself convincing one of them to leave, almost everyone else seemed so eager to fight.

I don’t understand. For someone who is so vehemently respectful of a body once dead, it seems that Aldor has no qualms with hurting the living. Or perhaps I am being too brash with my thinking. I did not care for those men that were killed, nor did I care if they died. I was simply tired and wanted to rest in a camp without dead bodies around it. It feels as though we’ve barely begun whatever journey this is and I am already having to hold my tongue. If every encounter we face is full of violence with no compromise, I can assure you that I will be home very soon indeed.

Do you think that Fabio has killed men before? I wouldn’t say that he has not at least tried. He has eyes that have seen the world, it would be impossible to not have spilled blood along the way. I would like to avoid that as long as possible, in all honesty.

I constantly wonder if I would be more suited to libraries and courts than adventuring, but Fabio has always said that nothing worth retelling ever happens at a dining table. I disagree with him, however. It depends on whom the table belongs to.

We are heading to Kazholm. When I find lodgings I will send this letter and hopefully know where you can send a reply. Please do respond, a breath of sanity in these last few hours would be appreciated.

Best,

Lyra

## Aldor Stargazer

Hi Auros,

I know this message will never make it to you but for some weird reason, I feel that even if I never see you get this physically. That you will already know what I am writing… Because you are that golden fox! Don’t even try tricking me. You are sitting on my shoulder pretending to just be a sweet little fox but I know the truth!

We finally left home today. I’m finally going on a real adventure. Just like uncle used to tell me all about. Travelling the world with the people you hold closest to you. Protecting them when they are in danger and them protecting me when I find myself lacking. I even think I am making them into real friends. Like Kel even came over to my house last night to chat and have tea. I don’t think he liked the tea though but I really enjoyed talking to him. It has been a long time since our clearing has had more than just my and nature’s voice ringing through it. Made me remember your lessons.

I told mum about *(It seems Aldor’s hands were trembling during this paragraph and most of it is illegible.)* She took it well I guess. Gotta say though, never had a more awkward hug in my life haha.

Kel has a weird new pet though. Its obviously magical in nature and more than likely a fiend from the other side. I think Lyra knows more but that doesn’t mean that I will know more about it any time soon. I don’t like the little shit. Sends shivers down my cute spine. I reckon it would make a good baseball if it ever turns on us though. I feel like I’m the only one that sees it that way though. Creepy little shit… I’m meant to be the weird little dude of the group. Trying to take my spot. It’s just plain rude.

I reckon Kel had a stroke though. He was speaking nonsense to his gauntlet and then he had a vision. I might have to keep an eye on his noggin. Better not let him knock it too hard from now on. Lest he has a relapse.

The cave of Secrets and Darkness won again today. Still, dunno what this ready is meant to feel like but Kel says it’s like hungry but not really. So… I still don’t get it. I’ll come back one day when that ready feeling pops up though.

I named foxy after you… **BECAUSE HE IS YOU! IT ALL FITS. HE DOESNT TALK, ALWAYS SILENT…. A FOX, but you may have been one the whole time I can’t say you weren’t and HE RADIATES OLD MAN VIBES!!!. You can’t trick me, old man. For now, he travels with me. I’ll keep him/you safe. I promise.**

We were attacked on our first night in the wild. Oorok found us an awesome cap and Bjorn seems to share my love for rocks which is neat. Lyra and I were taking the first watch and I wanted to talk to her about things, she even said I can read her book. She is basically my idol right now. She knows so much stuff. So many things that others don’t even question! I hope she will teach me one day. Even if she seems to think I was too rough when we were attacked. I don’t really get it though. I was always taught to protect my friends from threats and I have always done that with my mace or this weird magic. I didn’t even kill anyone. I just wanted them to stop. She says talking can protect us too but… I find that whenever I pick talking I just get hit first and then I have to try even harder. I healed the fool I hit though, but that itself is super weird. Do I get to choose who lives and who dies now? That doesn’t make sense. It feels like that shouldn’t be the choice for a creature like me. Maybe I’m overthinking this…. Maybe the others can tell me more about this stuff. I dunno.

I’ll find you one of these days old man.

-Aldor Stargazer *(Your Pupil, in case you forgot from being senile)*

## Kel'Nazir Shadestone

Finally someone useful in this town. It seems my hunch about the gauntlet was correct. Father Lief proved to hold answers that I myself have been seeking for months. I am an idiot. I use my heritage constantly for my own gain and yet it never occurred to me to speak to the stupid thing in Elvish. However I am scared of it. What am I connected to? What pact have I struck? This rabbit hole goes deeper and deeper with every day. If something unholy came through, I needed to be prepared.  And what better way to fight insanity than with insanity. Aldor was my only protection.

Settling in and speaking in Elvish I was shown gruesome images. A great obsidian pyramid, bones strewn before it. And hunger. Greater than any primal lust I have encountered. I still feel it today, deep down within me. Whatever it is, I must not submit to it, I will not submit to it.

One lesson I
did learn from the experience is to never accept tea from that minion of Polaris. Little bastard spiked it with some kind of hallucinogenic herbs that he takes when he studies the stars.  If it were not for the miracles he can produce I would safely assume all of his worship and star talk stems from this need to get high. He still confuses me to no end.

But whatever he gave me has given birth to something far more sinister. Something has come through from the other side.  Waking from my wild ride, a small demonic creature stood before me. Unsure if it was real or some sort of hallucination, I immediately took it to the source of my trip, Aldor.  The creature alleges that it is here to serve me but time will tell. I have asked it to take the shape of something a little less...unsettling as it has already rattled Aldor and his fox. Not knowing its name I have christened it Gaw, the Elvish word for Void. It has proved quite resourceful so far.

The professor must be stopped and to do that we need more knowledge; but I fear there may be a hidden greater threat. If the Fey are indeed meddling in the
mortal world, no good will come of it. We need to find any remaining gems as fast as we can.

There is unrest in the party though. They do not seem to trust me and stay fearful of the magic that I can wield. I must try and be more careful with it. Just last night I tried to peacefully diffuse a situation with some bandits and I failed miserably. As a result I very nearly used my magic on a human. What would happen? Would their soul be consumed? Enslaved? Condemned? I must conduct some experiments to figure out what is happening but I fear I cannot do so without the morality weighing too heavily on my soul. Perhaps Bjorn's positivity is rubbing off on me too much. For now I will avoid fatal blows with magic