Journal Entries

### [ Zlata , session 1]

Another day on our quest is never simply another day. Today marks a major goal in our vow the circle and capital Woodhope. Always known as the main trade route of this new world, a divider between the developed areas, controlled and maintained by the various Circles and the still developing zones. The Capital was more populous than any other we have seen to date, we plan to stay a week to have Tenua and Denua map the area. Everyone went on their own ways for the night to explore. I myself am going to head to bed early, after all we agreed to meet early the next day to set a schedule for the coming week.

Another day on our quest is never simply another day. At the meeting this morning everyone arrived promptly, everyone except for Morell. After waiting for what seemed like 2 hours, we decided to check his tree hollow for him. No one was there. Coming to the conclusion that he was lost yet again, I had Caleb, my trustworthy hound search for him yet again. I offered his scent to him to help him track, however at this point he may just be able to track him on command.

"Oh Gods dammit." As soon as we arrived to our destination I knew we were in for it. The Woodhope Poleece Headquarters. That idiot has gotten into it again, now we have to find out what it is and get him out of this Troublesome mess, and so we Vowed. Ghalen and I entered the headquarters without Siorra, who seemed to have an aversion to the building, for reasons that would not be clear to me if not for my eyes, ears, and having the common sense above that of a potted plant.

Unfortunately the scoundrel was completely correct to have that aversion to this unworthy set of brutes. Upon inquiring Morell's location, they expediently apprehended and delivered us to Morell to be his new roommates. Morell recounted to us his helpful night out with some new friends. He spoke of their friend, who they claimed was an amazing individual, who knew The Firstborn. In response, Morell stated we were on a quest to map the world to disprove The Firstborn exist. Upon hearing this, his new friends offered him more appropriate accommodations and even got him a guard escort.

 The accommodations although vibrant and in a central location within the Circle, was lacking in two aspects. First, the room was small and uncomfortable for the now "tree of us here", but maybe even more pressing was the fact it was a jail cell and the idiot had gotten us arrested.

> Oh Gods Dammit!
>
>

> We're wanted men.
>
>

> We're wanted men.
>
>

> Oh Gods Dammit. We're wanted men.
>
>

As we ran from the station the memory of what had just occurred, was fresh in my head. Siorra came in and promptly liberated us from our would be captors. With the help of his crow, and some quick thinking, we were able to leave without issue. With the exception to one key fact, which is the Poleece was assaulted! We left them in the cell! And we are on the run! So with that I return you to my mantra:

> Oh Gods Dammit!
>
>

> We're wanted men.
>
>

> We're wanted men.
>
>

> Oh Gods Dammit. We're wanted men.
>
>

"Another day on our quest is never simply another day"

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### [ Siorra , session 2]

I used my connection to the underground here in Woodhope to find an answer to our whole "being wanted criminals" problem. The Fallen Branch is a well-known area to people of lesser morals, and that's exactly where we need to be. I got info on a guy named Solana. Apparently he has a reputation as being a sucker, and his home is often empty and used for a safehouse. I fashioned disguises in case anyone was looking for us before heading to Solana's house. He was home when we got there, so I fed him some bullshit about being down on our luck with nowhere to stay, and he let us in just like that. What an idiot! I think he and Morell must have gone to the same school. He was really digging Ghalen's vibes, and asked for a blessing from Aen before he leaves on another trading job. Hope it serves him well, because based on this dump of a house he really does need some help. I sent a message with Seren to let Tenua and Denua know that we are alright, and at this point we all considered our vow to Morell's safety to be fulfilled.

Speaking of help, we set back to The Fallen Branch the next morning (leaving Morell at home. The idiot still thinks we're on vacation...) looking for some work. A man there said that he belongs to a group raiders that are having a problem with ghosts, and seeing as we have a man of god with us, we might be the right guys to help. Hell yeah, we're the right guys! How bad could it be? Ghalen talks to ghosts all the time and he's not dead. Yet. We swore a vow *to deal with the ghosts at the raider's structure*.

Arriving to the accursed home, I couldn't help but ask, "so what do these ghosts want from you?"

"Blood," the man replied, "they want revenge for their lives being taken."

Oh shit. Maybe I shouldn't have been so quick to swear that vow. Well, no going back now. As we get to the door, Zlata does his salt thing, and Caleb won't even get near the building. That's a bad sign. Well... a vow's a vow. I open the door and right there in the hallway is a ghost, whose body(?) was torn open and guts were spilling out. Bad way to go. I shudder and freeze for just a second before Ghalen pushes past me. He surmises that these ghosts are resisting the pull to the light, and just need to be convinced to stop fighting the inevitable. He says some spiritual mumbo jumbo about "letting go" and "moving on" and the dude actually bought it! (compel | strong hit with opportunity) And he's so relieved from the weight taken off his ghosty shoulders that he's letting Ghalen assume ownership of his old farmhouse. What the actual fuck. Ghalen really *is* the right guy for this job. At least two more ghosts remain. We'll see if we can't get out of this with a boat and a few women by the end of it.

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### [ Ghalen , Session 3]

Going off from the fantastic start of ghost busting, our troupe marches straight on towards the next ghost in this adventure!

We come across another closed door and I immediately pop it open to meet our next otherworldly acquaintance. However, we are greeted with a blast of stinging hot air that knocks all of us down flat on our butts. Wasn't quite what I expected but hey, nothing fun comes from knowing everything! I didn't get a good look inside, but before I could poke my head in, my silly buddy, Siorra, lobbed his entire water canteen inside, which for some reason caused the heat to die down. Now that's just wacky nonsense!

But hey, the heat went down, we can finally head inside, and you won't believe what we find...

**There was a broken heater in here!**

.

..

... I jest, it was a ghost and it was the cause of the heat blasts from before. I tried to make conversation with him like the last one (maybe get a boat or some girls idk), but this fellow was just not having it.

"A little hot and bothered aren't we?" I say, while Siorra, like a ninja, teleports behind an old beaten couch like it was nothing personel, but damn, a bit on edge aren't we?

Zlata comes bursting in, crossbow fully loaded and "nailed the fucker" with not one but two bolts (that conveniently can hurt ghosts I might add), Siorra took this as an opportunity to ~~counter attack~~... er, I mean jump into it's mouth.

I simply stare at this amazing sight and smile in silent laughter, Zlata fires his last bolt straight into the ghost's, um, chest(?) At which point Siorra wriggles away free and manages to pin the ghost down (somehow) while I decide that now is the time to make me a nice little trinket. Hahaha.

While I was giving him his last rites, we find out the man had died by being burned alive. He passes on peacefully, or in a blaze of glory, I mean, it's all in the eye of the beholder really right? No? Okay whatever.

Any-who, while Zlata patches us up, Siorra sends his bird friend out to scout for the remaining ghost. While he scrounges around for some whatever stuff he can find, not too long later, the bird comes back a bit worse for wear. Zlata surmises that it must have encountered some leftover raider traps in its little mission.

"DAMN DUDE, YOU RIGHT," I said ~~aloud~~ in my head.

Then, this guy randomly takes out two tent pins and holds em up like divining rods.

.

..

...

I smile.

Zlata smiles.

The divining rods ~~smile~~ moves.

Siorra: 0w0 ?!?!?

So we did what any sane group would do, we follow them, to some stairs. Siorra scurries up ahead and spots a trap annnnnnnnnnd triggers a spike to his arm.

"Hmm, you know what they say, a spike in the arm is worth two in the bush"

"Welp, I guess birds of a feather get stabbed in the arm together"

We dis(arm) the trap and head up the stairs to the attic where the last ghost lies. Siorra slips into hiding and sneaks up to the ghost to access the situation. He gives us ~~the bird~~, er ~~the finger~~, I mean, ***the signal***, to let Zlata and I know it's safe to deal with this last ghost.

We approach the ghost and unlike that last asshole, this one was nice and docile. He started spouting some random ghosty mumbo jumbo about "not being the first" and how "we were being fooled."

However, before I could start doing his last rites, he drops this on us.

"Leave Woodhope now. It is not safe here. The cult is not naive; they are on to you. They know your faces, they know your friends. Swear upon the iron to leave town immediately"

Well damn... Guess we aren't getting that boat any time soon.

## [ Siorra, Session 4 ]

Leave immediately. Got it. Doesn't take a lot of convincing to get me out of this damn haunted house. I'll send Seren to give Tenua and Denua the retreat orders. Meanwhile, Zlata is leading the way to Solana's safe house where we left Morell.

The coast is clear; those cult assholes are no where to be found. This should be a quick in and out. Morell can't understand the urgency of the situation, and the dumbass starts packing bags. I tell Zlata to hurry him up and just jam his shit in a bag and let's go. Also, Seren should be here by now. It's not like her to take so long... Unlike Morell, though, I know we don't have a minute to spare. This house is probably targeted by The Children and we need to move NOW.

Zlata asks Caleb to find the scent trail that will lead us to the sisters. Good news, he found it. Bad news, they are in the heart of the city. In case you forgot, we are kind of wanted criminals... It's too risky to go in together, so I cloak myself and shadow-walk-the-dog until I spot Tenua having a cup of tea. I can't walk up to her, so I toss a few items out of my bag to get her attention. She recognized my gear, and could tell that I needed to meet her in private. She heads through the kitchen area and out the back door, and I sneak around to meet her.

"Hey, I know you and your sister are super into traveling to new places, right? Well, Ghalen has a cool new house in the hinterlands and we need to travel out there and throw a house-warming party! No time to lose! Let's go!" She totally bought it. She and Denua follow me back to the designated meeting point with the guys. When a hear a shout from behind. "Hey! It's you!"

Fuck fuck fuck they got me. Either the cultists or the po-lice... half the people in this town want me hanging from a noose it seems. The voice continues, "Siorra, right? How's my home keeping up?" It was Solana, the sucker who owns the safehouse. I don't have time to fuck with this guy right now. People are starting to look at me, and I really hate that feeling. I realize that he has only seen my face in disguise. I can shake him.

"Sorry sir, you have me confused with someone else. Please leave me alone."

"Oh... it's just you look so much like him from the back. I'm sorry to bother you."

Phew. That was wayyyy too fucking close. That old bastard nearly got me ki-

"Siorra, why does that man know your name? And why did you lie to him?" Denua is too curious for her own good. Didn't she hear what happened to that cat?

"Nevermind that. We're almost to the others. We can't slow-" I hear a weak raven cry. I respond, "Seren! I'm coming baby!" Seren is covered in tree sap and cannot fly. I guess a city built from a forest has its own unique dangers. I literally cannot get out of this gods forsaken town any sooner. Now the trees themselves are fucking with my shit. I carry Seren in my arms and reach the others at the agreed upon rendezvous point.

"What happened?" asks Ghalen, "And why is your bird so sticky?"

"I'll tell you on the way. Denua marked a small path on her map that we could use to slip out behind cover. That's our best chance of making it out unseen." Good riddance, Woodhope. Smell ya later.

The journey to our first destination, Stormcrag, is uneventful. Except for that one night Denua walked off to explore on her own. We might have to nail her to her bed. When we arrive at Stormcrag, we head straight for the Inn. Before we could open the door, I hear a booming female voice, "Well well well. If it isn't Ghalen. You couldn't hide from me forever!"