Upon hearing the news of the Dawnbringer’s approach, Alornek’s heart began racing. It was said that a Dawnbringer could look upon a person and know the Darkness within them. Alornek looked to his elders, hoping for any excuse to be far away when the Dawnbringer arrived. While his gift was encouraged in studies, he did not believe a paladin of the Sun would look with eyes of understanding, only those of swift judgment.

Cupun was the first to speak up, thankfully. “Alornek, go with Harald and tell Takret of the approaching Dawnbringer.”

Harald smirked as he looked at the boy, “Can you keep up?”

Alornek knew that the wings on Harald’s feet meant there was no chance, but he nodded all the same when he considered the alternative was to stay and await the light of the Sun.

Harald ran ahead, and the boy followed. He was panting and drenched by the time he made the rest of the climb to the Rook. Harald had clearly given the news, as Takret was already at the gate, waiting on Alornek.

“Boy, go to Panik and tell him of the approaching Dawnbringer. I need his help to hide the things which must remain hidden. Go… now!”

Alornek ran with all the haste he could muster. Harald disappeared in an eyeblink to warn others. Alornek gasped out the elder’s instructions to Panik.

Panik rocked a bit on his heels, “Well, it looks like I have a chance to call in the debt you owe me.” Alornek caught his breath and his gaze turned inquisitive. “In what way?” he asked.

“There is someone I need, and you will go and fetch them,” the old crow smiled.

Alornek looked puzzled, “That’s it?”

“Yes, that is it.” Panik chuckled inwardly. “Just go and summon Tanaraq. Just a few things first.” Alornek winced at the word summon, but listened intently.

The elder Crow held up fingers as he rattled off the instructions, “Go to their door, knock gently and step back. You will then wait in stillness. Finally, when Tanaraq emerges, you must Steel yourself. Do not panic and do NOT scream.”

Alornek felt his stomach lurching. If something could make one scream in the Rook, then it must be horrible indeed. But his pragmatic side won out. Cancelling a debt was nearly impossible with nothing but rocks in your pockets. He listened on.

“After he emerges, Tell Tanaraq that a Dawnbringer is coming and Takret needs a portal to hide everything.” Panik turned and started packing things away. Alornek ran to find Tanaraq.

Alornek approached the strange hut. It was adorned with symbols and totems. Some Alornek recognized from his training, most he did not. He reached a hand up to knock, not knowing when it had started shaking. He knocked loudly and stepped back, waiting. Moments later, the door began to creak open. Alornek studied the ground. The whispers were the first thing he noticed, they spoke of things dark and unknown. Alornek could feel the piercing gaze upon him. He waited without speaking. The whispers surrounded him, they spoke in a language he couldn’t understand, but he knew they were speaking of him.

“Speak, boy.”

“Tanaraq? Panik has sent me to find you. Takret needs a portal to help hid everything from a Dawbringer.”

He couldn’t help but bring his gaze up. He was struck by the strangeness of the person before him. Deformities weren’t uncommon among the Crow, and Alornek might have recovered from the sight with little reaction, were it not for the creature that followed behind Tanaraq. It was an enormous, feline creature. It stood upright with four arms ending in sharp claws. It had no mouth, but Alornek knew the whispers came from this horror. Somewhere in his mind he knew that he should not scream, so his mouth took the shape of a scream, but no sound emerged. Instead he stared, dumbfounded.

“Very well,” Tanaraq said to the insensate boy. “I will create the portal. Follow if you wish.”

It was several moments later when Alornek came to his senses again. He saw just the tail of the creature disappear down the street, then went about telling others nearby about the coming Dawnbringer. He saw a purple light and heard a sound like tearing fabric. He did not want to know what it meant. Some sights were better left unseen.

The Dawnbringer continued to climb the switchback road as if he had not a care in the world. The Crow met him and held the pass, speaking with the Dawnbringer and allowing those in the Rook to make whatever preparations they needed to make. Takret later joined Nils, Tulok, and Cupun while they spoke to the Dawnbringer, Antti.

The Dawnbringer was asked not to approach the Rook, instead, the Crow would send a group to meet somewhere more neutral. So many decades of seclusion would not be doffed so easily. Tulok’s hatred of the Dawnbringer was not veiled, which was appropriate for the discussion in the light of day, if a bit inconvenient. They would meet the next day, at high noon, so that the sun could look down on their conversation.

That conversation was not to be. As they approached the camp, they found the Dawnbringer dead. Could it be another Crow’s doing? Could it be Roden from the surrounding hills? Could it be the Restless spirit that Alornek and Tulok summoned the night before?

Alornek had asked for a spirit that could look upon the soul of the Dawnbringer to learn his true intentions. The Great Seer answered, and a bargain was struck. Alornek’s talent for summoning was on display, he even struck a bargain that was cheap by comparison. Only a bedroll for the truth of a man. But Tulok had other plans. He attempted to capture the Seer for his own purposes. Alornek followed along, hoping to find a new master to learn from. Tulok failed to capture her. The Seer took the attempt in stride. She displayed no outward anger. She even returned later to tell the pair that the soul of the Dawnbringer was the most honest she had ever seen, though it was no longer in his body. The pair had no idea what that meant until they viewed the body of Antti the Dawnbringer laying unmoving next to the last embers of last night’s fire. Had they caused this? Was this the price of betraying the Seer?

I don’t know why I’m writing this as we trek up the damned mountain. Probably because we’re just as likely to die going back up as we were coming down. I feel like a Raven with its wings clipped walking around with these inexperienced, loud, unguided fools. Between the whining of the man-child Alornek, the stomping and clanking of Cupun, and the staggering in pain of Tulok, we are more likely to draw the attention of more Roden than we are to scale the mountain successfully. Oh well, let’s assume this note will be found on my corpse at some point, and that what I am sharing will help those in the Rook pick up where we died.

It’s only been a handful of hours since we made it to the Dawnbringer’s camp. What follows is an accounting of what we witnessed there.

When we arrived at the small hollow where the Dawnbringer had made camp, it was immediately clear that he was dead. Even from a short distance I could see that he had been splayed open, something having rent his armor and carved out his innards. We approached carefully, and I examined the body more closely. He carried few valuables, but we secured what he did have in order to have it returned to his people when the time comes.

All evidence suggests that he made camp easily enough. He had a fire, managed to pitch a tent, and settled in to wait for us. It is unclear when his death occurred. If Alornek, Tulok, and the Seer spirit are to be trusted in their visions, the Dawnbringer was alive well after the Sun ceased its vigil for the day. This means that he was attacked sometime after nightfall but before he had retired to his tent. My skills in anatomy are lacking, so I was unable to tell the time of death any more precisely.

Upon examining the scene more broadly, I was able to discern that the attacker resembled a large insect or arachnid, based on the size, spacing, and shape of the wounds and tracks. This was confirmed through sorcerous means by Alronek and Tulok, who were somehow able to summon the restless spirit of the Dawnbringer. (This fact should be removed from any form of formal report to the Dawnbringers, as it would likely cause undue strife in our already fraught relationship. See the formal written histories of the rise of the Sun House and the banishment of the Crow for more context here.) The Dawnbringer’s spirit demanded payment in the form of an accounting of his deeds to be made to the Sun House proper. In return, he described his attacker in more detail, which further strengthened my theory of its insected nature. Though it is unclear whether the attacker was an aberration of nature, Crow sorcery, or Dvergar malignance.

Upon the release of the spirit, Alornek and investigated the Dawnbringer’s tent. He immediately fled in terror. I would later learn that this was due to the siting of “floating eyeball,” as described by both him and Tulok. Aside from this additional horror, the tend held little of interest or value. The source of the “eyeball” remains unknown, but Tulok claims that it vanished into the mountainside. I do not have enough information to make any sort of educated guess as to its nature, source, or purpose. This is an academic dead end, but it might be worth mentioning to more skilled sorcerers in the Rook.

As an olive branch to the Dawnbringer(s), Cupun and I made a pyre to match our understanding of the Sun House’s Rites of Passing. I believe this to have been successful, but I have no way to confirm my observations. There were brief words said to mark his passing, but as none of us were familiar with him, aside from his bravado, stature, and confessed need of House Crow’s wisdom, the words were without much weight.

The remainder of this account is a bit of a blur, due in part to the chaos and in part my limited perspective.

As we finished the ceremony, we were ambushed by the creatures known to us as Roden. There were four of them, I believe. They moved with speed and stealth and attacked us in close quarters with knives. Though they are small by the standards of men, they were fierce and tenacious. Within a few breaths, they managed to mark injuries to some of us, and do significant harm to Tulok, who did not appear to have any skill with blade or bludgeon. Once we got our bearings, we were able to force their retreat.

These are my conclusions from the encounter. First, the Roden seem to be venturing farther west than was previously known. All previous incursions had been east of House Fox’s southern outpost. Second, they are masters of stealth. For though it was daylight they managed to sneak in quickly and quietly. Third, they appear to be opportunists, seeking only for quick gain from easy targets. They were quick to flee once there was chance of harm to them.

After the fight, we patched up Tulok the best we were able, and we now move slowly back toward the Rook to him tended to properly.

Growing up in Owl lands never prepared me for the…wonders of the Crow.

Trekking our way up the mountain, I decided that it would be best to attempt to get a healer to our location rather than further injure Tulok. Alornek attempted to do so, and apparently talking to himself was enough to get Tanaraq to come to our aid - this time joined by a large, lithe, creature (not the feline beast from before). We implored Tanaraq for help, and he bade the creature help Tulok.

The creature cut out a piece of his own flesh and applied it to Tulok. He gasped for breath and was once again amongst the conscious. It seems to have fully recovered him. Unclear what the long-term effects of such methods will be, but I will have to keep a weather eye for any changes.

We returned to the Rook to determine next steps and to get Tulok some armor. I attempted to get an audience with Takret to report on what happened.

We need to find the creature that killed Antti. The Crow cannot be blamed for his death.

---

OOC notes:

Tulok asked the creature & Tanaraq what was owed, the creature said “The price is paid” in a soft, breezy, cold voice.

The skin graft is a trait and counts as 1D armor for torso (does not stack) and also opened Reach at B1. Tulok is now a Vector. (Reach 2). In addition, the Metamorphica rolls from Reach level identified another flaw and trait: that Tulok must bathe the graft in water from the fabled Deepwater Spring every two weeks, or become weak (lose a cumulative point of Forte). The fact that the Deepwater Spring is in the Rook area was unlocked by a great Wise test!

The way Alornek got aid was by summoning an ancient crow…actually in crow form…that carried the message.

One other update:

Alornek also summoned Antti the Dawnbringer again, but this time found his spirit smoldering. Antti was furious that he was trapped on the earth, cursed, and incapable of soaring to the sun. Negotiations on the price failed.

I was drawn by the raised voices and gathering crowd to find Cupun facing off against Takret Qaaqlax in an attempt to gain help in hunting the horror that eviscerated the Dawnbringer. Cupun appeared to have begun the debate well, strongly inciting Takret into making a mistake. However, the leader of the rook quickly composed himself and his rebuttal was without fault, but he was not without some understanding. In lieu of sacrificing much-needed resources necessary for defending Crow lands, he offered the assistance of the mountainous and voracious Elk Man to our cause.

Soon thereafter, I felt the gentle pull of the whispered mystical spring and, with Alornek’s help, summoned a spirit servant to help search for the spring. The casting took its toll and the summoning, while extremely successful, was too much. The last thing I remember is instructing the spirit and watching it drift away. I woke to the bemused and questioning looks of my new comrades who apparently had brought me home to recover.

Nils, Cupun, and Alornek apparently made it to the spring and Nils may have gathered some of the spring’s water. If I knew them better I would reveal the pull that the spring and its waters have for me, but I barely know this small gathering of outcasts. However, they’ve already saved me twice: once after the Roden attack and now, again, after my weakness during the summoning. Bah! Enough of this malding.

Nils assured us that he could track the jewel-encrusted beast and, armed and armored, our little group - joined by Elk Man, were eventually led to an outpost near the southern border. The lives of those manning the outpost have been threatened and it seems our group may tip the scales in their favor…

From Nils Kaarne’s journal

Here I am, sitting in what passes for a tavern in this backwater outpost. My boots smell like the shit that seeped out of the Dvergar construct. Strangely, my breath smells worse. I think it’s the grog that passes for ale in this shit hole. At least the views are nice.

We made our way into town just an hour ago or so. Cupun is prepping for the trip back. I’m supposed to be trading these gems in. The ale seemed more pressing, but I might as well update my notes while I finish this last drink.

We left home a few days ago, following the trail of the strange creature that killed the Dawnbringer. It was easy enough. The creature didn’t seem concerned about stealth. We came upon it around midday, watching as it plodded mindlessly toward this very outpost. I was familiar enough with the area to know the topography and the route it was moving. This made setting an ambush a fairly straightforward task.

We decided to attempt destroying it without engaging, by dropping a large boulder on it from the slopes above. Beforehand, though, Tulok and Alornek crafted another one of their summoning circles; this one to trap the creature if it came too close to us. Once the preparation was complete, our companion Graak did the hard work of pushing the rock from its perch above the creature.

There are few things more satisfying than watching the inevitable come to pass. As the stone gained speed, it proceeded down the soil-covered slope with the steadiness and ponderousness that only nature can provide. It slammed into the creature with improbable force. I was reminded of the cracking of an egg…

My satisfaction was short-lived, however. This particular egg’s shell was made of stern stuff. The creature wobbled and toppled. Its carapace seemed to shudder and crack a bit, but it was soon to recover. We did not give it much time to do so, as we began raining arrows down upon it. Cupun’s aim was faulty on most shots, but the creature was large enough that even he couldn’t miss every time. I managed to land a few good shots between the creature’s chitinous plates.

After several moments it made a full recovery and began ascending the hillside. We maintained a safe firing distance for a time, but eventually closed the gap. Cupun and Graak attempted to draw its attention as Tulok and I stayed at bow range. Its central eye, which appeared to be similar to the one in the Dawnbringer’s tent some days earlier, seemed to fixate on the two, causing the two some confusion.

This distraction was all I needed to fire a felling shot. The creature took a final arrow between the armor plates in its front quarter, which must have hit some vital organ. A few moments later, we were upon it with swords and antlers (from Graak, of course).

After removing the creature’s central eye and head, Tulok seemed to call its spirit (souls?) just as it was passing. Though I know little of what it is that Tulok and Alornek do with their sorcery, it seemed obvious that he was somehow preventing the creature from dying. Its spirit, which was really more of a misty amalgamation of ghastly voices, was forced to remain behind.

Tulok spoke to it audibly, and at my urging, asked, “who created you?” It responded with a cacophony of muffled and strange voices. It was indecipherable. He followed up, demanding “how do we put you to rest?” This time, a single voice seemed to hush the rest, and it said, “we are now released, but to put us to rest you must kill those that created us and destroy the method of our creation.”

I couldn’t make this up if I tried.

After that, we examined the corpse. It was little more than a skin of chitin, a tarry goo, some loose organs, and strange metal and gemstone ornamentations. It appeared to me as if the Dvergar had taken the corpse of a giant arachnid, stuffed it full of other living things, then armed it like a warhorse.

Cupun and I then made our way to the outpost (this town really needs a name) to warn them, get some supplies to help us transport the creature, and get a drink.

Cupun and Nils went down to the Outpost , while Graak, Tulok, and I waited behind in the foothills. Our time passed rather dully. Graak is a voracious eater and rarely has anything to say. He ate every nut and berry we could find while we waited for the others to return. Tulok stayed with the… thing while I went to forage for more to keep Graak satisfied. It was an uneventful evening, which was a welcome change from the day before.

Cupun and Nils told me a little about their visit to the outpost. They bartered away the gems for an ox and cart, so we were able to take the beast back. Nils bartered with a Seal, Kallik Natchik, and came back with his soul, so he must have done well. (Other notable meetings were Thain Raev and Sigevi Lox). They apparently attracted some attention because we were followed on our trail home.

We continued on our way, but when it was clear that they were trying to follow us when we started the climb into the mountains. Cupun thought that he would stall the interlopers to buy us enough time to escape without giving away the location of the Rook. Nils talked him out of that. We were low on options that didn’t involve turning and fighting.

I summoned another spirit. I know its dangerous, but sometimes it seems like the only option. Maybe my former master was right, if I just took the time to master some of the other skills, maybe I could be of some use without so much risk. It worked out well, though I’m fairly certain that Altrax slaughtered the lot of them behind us. Maybe that’s for the best, though it weighs on me a bit. And if the bear spirit didn’t kill them all, do they come back with more next time?

We made it back to the Rook to find others in the middle of packing. Apparently the death of Antti was somehow signaled to the rest of the Dawnbringers. They are on their way here, now. Takret has asked Cupun and the rest of us to take those that need to stay hidden, away from the Rook, and establish a camp for them. It may be temporary, but it sounds like we’re being asked to form a colony, a safe haven for those that can’t blend in the rest of society any more. Now we’re supposed to make preparations for the journey. Tulok has barely spoken a word the whole time.

Oh, Cupun is a Captain now, and I’m officially a member of the guard! I even got a set of armor, though the stuff is heavy an uncomfortable. He and Nils said they would work on my training while we travel. I have to talk to Tanaraq before we leave, though. Takret said that the wizard could help me with Pana’s essence. Some day I’ll be able to look Tanaraq in the eye, but for now I just need to keep my knees from shaking when he shows up.

[Through Tulok’s eyes]

The itching on my chest had increased quite dramatically. Finding a shadowed area, I opened my tunic to peek at the once-mortal wound Tanarak had healed for me and immediately recoiled. The greyish skin was pulling away at the edges. I thought - for a second - that I saw the edges of the newskin moving actively trying to pull away, but it must have been my weakened state.

I remembered that Nils had mentioned finding the mystic spring and, while he offered to give me some of the water that he previously had taken, I knew this wouldn’t be the last time I’d need that water; I needed my own reserves. Alornek and Nils generously bought me four skins and agreed to take me to the mystic spring. I was surprised to find that it was both so close and beneath one of the town’s buildings.

Splashing my chest with water, the skin immediately readhered, feeling supple and fresh. What a relief. Only then did I notice my surroundings, so focused was I on the spring itself. Nils and Alornek were looking at some of the people around the area, but one specifically caught their eye: a caged and raving man spouting what one might call prophecy as venom dripped down his fangs. Another had that dead stare and didn’t seem to respond to anything around us. We cautiously exited and made our way back up.

<><><><FLASHBACK

Alornek was speaking with Tanarak about the settlement and protecting those who would come with us. He held what initially appeared to be a staff. Alornek took it and began to quiver, tossing the staff in my direction. I caught it and inspected it further feeling the wrongness within. Some caged organ - still working - sat atop a long, sharpened spike. It had an effect on me, but I have yet to discern the impact of holding such a thing up close.

<><><><><END FLASHBACK

Cupun was busy organizing some sort of rear guard and, in his absence, Nils took charge of gathering the inhabitants together and planning the settlement’s location. He wanted something secluded, protected, and away from roads, trails, and possible discovery. It was a good plan and we set out.

Roden! Again.

Nils asked the group whether we should attempt speaking with them, but I wanted them all dead. I still have night terrors in which the nasty little things attack and I always wake right after one of them plunges its knives in my chest hilt-deep. Alornek was gone. Nils and I looked around, but both he and the spike were missing. Echo was growling beside me in warning as Nils was ordering the townsfolk into the wagon.

Nils was a crackshot and absolutely routed the beasties single-handedly. One fell nearby and I felt compelled to raise his corpse, startling the rest of them away. Surprisingly, even Nils was a bit startled. I kept that thing walking beside us as a warning, but Nils also wanted to skin the other dead, using the bones as a warning. Graak, to our horror, approved of the plan provided he got to eat the meat. Not a single objection was raised. However, what I remember most was Nils telling both Alornek and I that we needed to get better with bows. Now that is an interesting concept…

We eventually found a secluded spot, with a cliff overlooking a wonderful view. Bordered - and protected - on another side by a snowcapped mountain wall, it was a well-chosen spot. A wooded area was nearby and, to Alornek’s delight, so were mountain goats. That boy and his goats.

He summoned everyone close to what would later be the center of the encampment and, raising the spike above his head, began summoning Pana’s spirit. “Ancestors of the Crow, Mother Pana, Secret Keeper, keep us safe from outsiders…” The boy used both hands to slam the spike into the ground. We all felt it. Nobody’s spoken about it. A shudder passed through us all. One of the townsfolk pointed at a bird in distress, one that hadn’t been in the protection of the spike; it dropped dead in midflight.

Those of us present - goats included - as the spike was planted can pass and return without ill effect, but the weight leaves you as you get beyond its influence. The Burden falls back into place as we return to the encampment, but protection is worth it. Or, it seems to be.

I walked to the cliff edge, gazing out over the wondrous landscape, and summoned the roden who slowly walked up next to me. After a few seconds of peaceful contemplation, it stepped over the edge at my command. I never once glanced in his direction…

It’s time to work.

---

OOC notes:

Alornek’s handling and usage of the device opened Reach for him. Both Alornek and Tulok are now at Reach 2. Alornek received no change at each level. Tulok got a negative (addictive need for the Deepwater spring water) for his first and a positive (mental aptitude for learning technical skills) on his second roll on the table.

The device’s effect is to drain 1 point of Fortitude a round, from among those that enter the 30 yard radius. It’s a horrible necromantic craft item in the Dvergar style. Did Tanaraq make his own, get it from the Dvergar, or get assistance from Atlat (the alien creatures that seem to follow him)? That remains to be seen.

From the Notes of Nils Kaarne

Day two without a drink and it’s getting intolerable. Maybe I have a problem… but who can know these things for sure? At this point, the Deepwater spring water is starting to sound tempting. Surely it couldn’t hurt matters? Not yet… not yet.

I am nearing 100% certainty that Alornek is already in his last season. The boy is going to end up on the sharp end of something very soon, despite my (best?) efforts. Tulok isn’t much better, but at least he has the sense to stay out of harm’s way most of the time. I guess this is all Cupun’s problem now that he has caught back up to us. I wonder if he knows that? I should probably just tell him. First things first. I’ll find a drink or six, then tell him. I’m more palatable when I’m drinking.

Enough about my trials and tribulations. The matter at hand… I am scrawling these notes quickly as I prepare to head into the tunnel ahead of me. Surely the other three are wondering why I’ve taken five minutes to take notes. Oh well, let them wonder.

We’ve spent the better part of a week trekking along uncharted goat paths across the highest mountain range in all of the north. We left the “camp of the unfortunate,” as I have taken to calling it when only in my own company, with high spirits, much vim, and two full wineskins. (By the spirits I hope one of the others has more.) After a few days of climbing, frayed ropes, fraying nervous, rocks in boots, and at least one significant toe-stubbing, we actually happened upon something other than birds and bugs.

To everyone’s surprise, we came across what Tulok believes to be “goblins.” Yes, the strange little creatures once thought to be the fodder of takes told to children who were out past dark. Well, turns out the more recent tales propagated by House Fox and Wizened Ones about the little monsters are true. Though they seem less like monsters and more like short, disfigured, stinky people. They would fit right in at the camp of unfortunates, actually.

Long story short, they are clever and territorial but we managed to barter three barrels of whisky worth of gold in order to proceed unmolested.

Long story long, we thought about fighting them, then noticed there were at least eleven of the little buggers. Then we noticed they were skinning something large, but we couldn’t get a clear look at it. Curiosity and a desire to spare lives (theirs or ours?) forced us to approach and parlay. We were fortunate that one of them could roughly speak our tongue. Cupun asked if we could pass. It (he?) said “no.” It was protecting whatever they were skinning. We negotiated, gave them a gold ring, and got them to let us be on our way. In the process, I may have flashed a bit too much of my Dvergar daggers. This caused them to want to renegotiate, which resulted in us finding out that they had felled a troll, which apparently they hunt for their parts. They tried to give us troll parts in exchange for one of my prized daggers. Absurd! I talked them down and we made a commitment to return in one month to negotiate further. Most of us will be dead by then (see above notes about Alornek and Tulok), so it may not matter much. To be foot-noted: as part of the deal we struck, I was smeared with some paste by one of the goblins that gave me a bit of a… something. I’ll have to find out more about this particular substance, as it was quite nice, particularly in the absence of dear, old drink.

With the goblins behind us, we made our last camp before getting to our destination – the former camp of the formerly living Dawnbringer that start all of our current woes. BUT, we were not yet ready to adhere to our stated mission. NO, not us, the leaders of the unfortunate! We are far too clever to just tackle the mission head-on (except maybe Cupun).

Instead, Alornek decided to hunt for a goat which I believe he and Tulok intended to transmute into an engine of war. Walrus-fucking sorcerers… If I’m lucky I’ll die in this mission and not have to worry about any of the bastards anymore. No more Tanaraq. No more Tulok. No more Alornek. No more Ragna. Anyway, well, Alornek failed to find a goat… on a goat path. Instead, he stumbled upon the bear spirit he had summoned just a few weeks earlier, and apparently, it was on a rampage killing caribou that it couldn’t eat because, well, it’s a spirit. I’m not entirely sure what happened with the bear spirit and Alornek, but he made it back to camp and we managed to have some caribou to eat. Not exactly a win, but it beats some of the other likely outcomes.

A few hours later and here we are. We made it to the once-camp, which now appeared to be a bonfire with a one-Dawnbringer audience. We avoided him, golden plate mail and all, and headed for our true purpose, finally. Just to the north of the camp, in a craggy section of the mountain pass, was the trail that the spider-like automaton had made so long ago. It wasn’t easy to find, or follow, but I managed not to mess it up. So now I am staring at an unnaturally smoothly carved tunnel into the face of a mountain, pretending to take very important notes so that I can steel myself against the coming onslaught of disheartening darkness and disquieting silence that awaits me ahead…

You are still a fucking coward, Nils, after all you have seen, all you have killed, and everyone you have abandoned. Cheers.

Master Tulok and I waited in the dark for what seemed like forever. Nils said that if we lit torches it would alert all the things deeper in the cave. I can only imagine some of those horrors, though at this point, I may have seen worse. Nils returned to tell us about the passage forward and where it opened up to a place with running water. He also talked about the skittering he heard. So there are more giant spiders? Are they all creations of those Dvergar? Captain Cupun joined us back at the mouth of the cavern. After a brief discussion, he and Nils left to get help… from the Dawnbringers of all people. I suppose there is a logic to letting them find where the creature that killed Antii for themselves so they can stop blaming us, but Master Tulok did not seem pleased at all. In the meantime, we worked on a circle to summon something or someone to help us in the depths. Of course, that’s when the Captain and Nils brought one of the Dawnbringers right into the cave with us. Master Tulok and I scrubbed away our hard work so we wouldn’t arouse too much suspicion.

Marja is her name. She seems ok, I guess. Though I don’t doubt that if she dies here, we are all in real trouble. She came and lit a way through the caves. Nils tried to warn against it, but the Dawnbringers are stubborn about the power of the sun over the darkness. It’s hard to dispute, really. I could feel the power coming from her sun shield. All the elders were taken aback by the strength of it. For all the times they chide me, I wasn’t the one cowering or begging for mercy… at least not this time. We made our way to the point where Nils turned back previously. The sight was something out of a nightmare.

The deep cavern was like an alien world. Spiders were clearly skittering in the darkness above. Then boulders started flying in our direction. We ducked out of the way, but maybe the boulders weren’t intended for us at all, but for the spiders above, because they didn’t descend to eat any of us. In the meantime, we saw one of the Spider automatons across a chasm, and what looked like a stout man firing a catapult. Nils swears he was speaking Dvergar. All the stories have pointed to their existence in the past, but this may be the first evidence that they are still alive and still making deadly contraptions in the depths. Maybe the old religious fervor about the deep and the darkness were based on more than superstition. Anyway, the elders debated with Marja about how they could possibly defeat one of those monstrosities. I might have been a little hasty, but the debate was taking a long time. So I walked back into the cavern and struck a deal. I knew that Altrax wasn’t far away, based on all the kills it had made recently, so I called Altrax the Mighty. I figured he might be able to destroy the beast. All he wanted in return were some goods being held on the other side of the river. I figured that would be fine with everyone. Of course, Nils and the Captain didn’t see it my way. I’m sure I’ll get yelled at for single-handedly destroying a spider creature of death. How dare I, right?

I didn’t see much of the battle between Altrax and the beast, but the others saw. Marja swooned from the sight. I guess the Sun priests don’t prepare their people for what really lurks in the dark. For all their talk about how brave they are, maybe it’s really fear that causes them to fight against the dark so hard. The little man retreated after Altrax destroyed his pet. Nils and Marja eventually navigated their way across the chasm and the river below. Master Tulok summoned something of his own to keep the little man busy until we could follow up behind and dislodge him. I’m still shaken by the form, or lack of form the summoned thing took. Maybe one day I’ll be able to face these things down fearlessly, but not today.

Now the little man has locked himself in some compartment. Nils is sure that there are traps all down the corridor. I don’t know what the next steps are, but Master Tulok seems really keen on sending the Dawnbringer first.

---

OOC notes:

Marja the Dawnbringer used a minor miracle to get the shield glowing.

Boulders were coming from a Dvergar catapult.

Many many steel tests this session!

Very abbreviated OOC update of two sessions this time, as the crew is busy and we are preparing for the last session of the chapter as well as trait/social vote!

The PCs tested the corridor the Dvergar had ran down by throwing rocks, finding that spikes shot out of the walls when spots in the floor were pressed, and then making a deft path down the hall.

At the end of the hall, they found the door the Dvergar had gone through was covered in geometric Dvergar script. Nils could read the item enough to tell that it was a puzzle, but didn’t know enough how to solve it. They debated trying to bash the door down, or even wheeling the ballista up to try to shoot through it. They even considered going around the “other way” in the cave to come through another path, but didn’t want to work through another series of traps.

Marja of the Sun was adamant that she would stay and fight the Dvergar or die trying. The PCs felt they weren’t getting far enough and didn’t want to risk further forays without reinforcements. A great Duel of Wits ensued, with some major compromise. In the end, Marja agreed to go back with them, rather than dying alone in the dark. She made them promise to get more help and come right back to defeat the denizens of the Deep. On their way out, Tulok and Alornek pushed things (the Dvergar construct remnants (minus what they looted from it) and siege-style weapons) into the river.

In town, we met a new PC, Mako Lox 2, who will be replacing Cupun Ookpik, as the player wanted to make a change. Mako is an enchanter from the group that traveled to the new Crow outpost, and he’s moved his shop to outside that outpost from the Rook. We’re using house rules that apprentices can “finish” enchantment work after the PC gets it started, so that they don’t have to be around all the days of enchanting. (Of course, the GM can include the workshop and apprentices in challenges, too.)

In town, Nils worked with his sister (a Crow plant within the Wizened Ones) to angle in on favorable negotiations for the party who would be descending back into the depths to defeat the Dvergar and his madhouse of traps. Agreement was made that the Sun only desired destruction of things of the Deep and the Crow were satisfied to take from those they killed, leaving other loot to the party.

The group to descend back into the depths included the leader of Lene Raev (a Wizened One: think Maesters from SoIaF), two Dawnbringers (Marja again and Fasalt), our party, and two more Crow (Rika, an archer, and Hord, a scout).

Lene had Nils and Hord scout out the two “entries” to see the current status. There was a mass of rubble in the river near where the party had pushed stuff in. A ballista had been reset but was unmanned by the Dvergar, who was out of sight. No other signs of him were showing. Hord identified the state of the traps on the “other” entrace: swinging items that would knock trespassers into a spiked pit.

They made a plan to sneak the party across the river, have Lene and Nils work together on deciphering the door, and ambush the Dvergar inside. But as the rest of the group was crossing the river via rope bridge, the mound in the river rose out of the water. It was a hideous creation consisting of parts of giant spider and the Dvergar’s defeated construct. The Dawnbringers rushed it while others got by and got to work. They cut the net in the river, letting it come downstream and tangle it up and away with the current.

With surprise gone, they went to plan B. Going to the other entrance, they shot the trap device ropes overhead, causing the trap to activate and it’s parts to fall across the path. The Dvergar came out of the door ahead and fired a ballista at the crew as they were working their way to the door. It flew true through the mess and pinned Marja. Mako stayed to see if her life could be saved while the rest of the crew ran (as much as they could through the trap remnants) after the Dvergar.

They got through the door, and found a forge workshop inside. Out of Crow legend, there were two Mahaha 2 there, tall sinewy mannish things with bluish skin. But…their mouths were sewn shut, their clawed hands were replaced by a grafted pincer on one side and hammer on the other, and their chests were pried open with coals visible inside. They turned to the party with their eerie white eyes…

and that’s where we pick up tomorrow.

trait vote results!

add: 1D Affiliation for the PCs with the Camp of the Unfortunates

add: 1D Affiliation with Rook Sentinels for Nils’ being deputized

add: 1D Reputation for Alornek as “Sustainer of the Restless” (orders/summoning reputation)

remove: Deferential (Ch) for Nils

change: Drunk (Ch) to Pickled (Dt) for Nils

add: Resigned to Fate (Ch) for Nils

change: Feared (Dt) and Spooky (Ch) into Dreadful (C/O) for Tulok

change: Bitter (Ch) to Vengeful (Ch) for Tulok

add: Extremely Respectful of One’s Betters (Ch) for Alornek

add: Lifting Heavy Things (Dt) for Alornek

add: In Over His Head (Ch) for Alornek

add: Figurehead (Ch) to Takret (NPC)

add: 1D Reputation for Graak (NPC) as “Will Work for Food”

add: Easily-Winded (Dt) to Mako due to a failed Severe recovery test from this session, affecting Forte

Also, they had to cash in some of the Dvergar loot, but they all met their low lifestyle costs.

Excerpt of a conversation between Nils Kaarne and Ragna Lox after the most recent delve:

“I’m fine. It’s just a sore elbow. Not as spry as I used to be,” Nils complained. He kicked his feet up on the pile of logs as if to drive home the fact that he was able to complain and remain casual at the same time.

“Well, you need a bath and a good night’s sleep at the very least,” replied Ragna in that tone that reminded them both of their mother.

“I’m not sure the stink of the Dvergar and the Mahaha are ever coming out, but I’ll give it a go after I get a few more nips in.” He smiled as he raised the flask to his lips. “Those Dawnbringers brought some tasty mead. I trust they won’t miss the barrel I, well, uh, borrowed.”

“But enough about that. We don’t have a ton of time. Eventually, Lene or Marja will notice we’ve been meeting, and we can’t have you blowing your cover after so many years. So, uh, what do you need to know,” asked Nils, clearly enjoying the conversation but aware of the danger.

“I want to know everything, but let’s start with the Mahaha. No one credible has seen one in thirty years,” Ragna whispered excitedly! Now she sounded more like her ten-year-old self than their mother…

“Ummm, well, I can’t say for sure that what we saw were Mahaha, but it fits the stories. You’ll see what I mean when you get a good look at the body. They were mutilated… dead and altered by the Dvergar’s… errrr, death craft I guess is what they are calling it. It had Orichalcum fused into its body, and some sort of sorcerous furnace in place of its organs. It was filled with ichor, like the automata spiders.” Nils took a second as if realizing he forgot something.

“Our attack was poorly coordinated, mostly because we all stood dumbstruck when we saw the creatures standing in the workshop. They barely seemed to care about us, and instead, they turned toward their machinery and began demolishing it. The only one who stood a chance of stopping them was the Dawnbringer… um, whatever his name is. Not Marja, the other one.”

Remembering he doesn’t actually care what the guy’s name is, Nils continues. “I’ve not had much time with the Dawnbringers, admittedly, but this guy was at least smart than most from what I’ve heard. He didn’t just charge the Mahaha without backup, he actually tried to rally us first. Maybe they don’t all have the tactical acumen of an angry toddler…”

“So you all just stood there like idiots while the Mahaha destroyed the forges and smiths,” asked Ragna in disbelief? “Even Hode? He’s not easily shocked.”

“Well, yeah… for Crow’s sake, they were dead, mutilated creatures from childhood nightmares! Worse than anything I’ve seen Tanaraq bring to bare. Seriously scary stuff, Ragna.” Nils was visibly still shaken, and he took another swig of his mead.

Ragna shrugged, “Yeah, I guess so. Go on. We’ve got ten minutes at best.”

“Yeah, okay, so once we were able to engage the creatures, we had a bit of luck. The Dawnbringer barrelled into one of them while Hode and I attempted to flank it. The heat of the dying forge was too intense, so we had to back away. We quickly re-engaged with bows while… Faval, yeah, Faval is the Dawnbringer’s name, I think… kept the Mahaha at bay. We put a few arrows in its torso with little effect before Hode finally put one in its head. That did it. The luck came in because the other Mahaha never managed to make it out of the side room with the other forge. It seemed to have tripped into the molten Orichalcum. Crow must have been looking out for us.”

Ragna made the Sign of the Black Wings in front of her face, giving Crow his proper respect. Nils nodded pensively.

“With the Mahaha taken care of, we went back to the main corridor where we heard shouting. The Dvergar had snuck around to attack Mako and Marja. I didn’t see how it all went down, but it looked like Marja was recovering from the ballista shot to her chest plate, and that Mako had been helping her when the Dvergar returned. There were a few crossbow bolts littering the scene, and Mako had one in his chest. He was out, but Marja was covering him with her shield. She may be hard-headed, but at least she cared enough to keep Mako alive.” With that, Nils inadvertently looks up at the sun before catching himself.

“Strangest of all, the Dvergar was crawling along the wall while shooting at Marja and Mako. Yeah, crawling, with its plate mail armor on and all… It was like a spider. Actually, I’m just seeing this now, but that seems to be a recurring theme. Giant spiders in the ruins, magical-mechanical spiders, now the Dvergar moving like a spider…” Nils drops his flask and pulls out a small leather-bound notebook and quickly takes a note before continuing.

“Anyway, well, this Dvergar keeps shooting bolts down at us as we fire a few shots back with our bows. Its armor deflects most of the good shots, and it scurries away. Unbeknownst to the rest of us, Alornek has spent the last minute or so summoning his Crow-forsaken bear friend again. Suddenly Altrax the Mighty comes barrelling past us and charges after the escaping Dvergar. I’m not sure what the goal was, but I think Alornek asked Altrax to recover or kill the Dvergar. As you know by now, it wasn’t successful. The Dvergar seems to have gotten away in the underground river, and Altrax never returned.”

Picking up his flask, Nils takes one last gulp before putting it and his notebook into some of his many pockets. “From there it was just a matter of stabilizing Mako. Seems like he’ll make it, but he’ll likely have permanent damage. I hope for his sake he is willing to pack it in and set up shop somewhere. He doesn’t appear to be cut out for this life anymore, if he ever was.”

“I think you saw most of the haul we brought back for Crow. Orichalcum weapons, a shield, some engineering plans, tools, and most importantly this…” Nils reaches into his backpack beside him and pulls out something oblong and heavy, wrapped in cloth. “This, sister, is perhaps the most important historical find in a generation.”

Nils unwarps the piece and sets it on the logs carefully. Ragna looks confused at first but soon grasps what it might be. “Is that a stone tablet map,” she asks? “Is that THE Mauragaaqtug route?”

Nils smiles, but not with his eyes, which seem more worried than happy. “Yeah, I think it might be. The stone seems right. The carvings are old… very flocking old. The geography seems accurate on the southern part of the map. This could show us the route the First People took to get here so many centuries ago. I’m not sure who I should share this with. I’m not sure I can trust anyone with it.”

Ragna quickly covers it back up and pushes it back toward Nils. “Keep it safe, and on your person at all times. If the Sun Cult gets it they will distort it. If the Wizened Ones get it, well, we’ll just catalog it and hide it away probably.”

Nils stows it back in the bag. “We need to go before someone spots us. Let’s plan on some food and drinks tonight before you have to head back. I’ll set a camp at our old spot.”

Ragna stretches out and hugs Nils, which he accepts, but with false apathy. “Be safe, brother.”

Well diary, it’s been three months since our foray into the caverns. Three months of disapproving looks from Nils, and Mako lying in a bed. Three months of trying to get “Master” Tulok to teach me anything with no success. No sign of Altrax either. I never really thought about what happens if a spirit fails to accomplish their task, or maybe something worse. That Dvergar was able to bounce crossbow bolts right off, so maybe he can shrug off a spirit bear. The old bear might surprise us yet. Maybe he’s still hunting. I don’t know.

It’s the not knowing that bothers me most. Knowing is everything. Knowing is why I reached to the spirits in the first place. And knowing too much is exactly why Master Vilig kicked me out. “Alornek, there are things that are beyond our reach for a reason,” she would say. It was when I told her that they weren’t beyond my reach that was the final stone on the cairn. Is there really such a thing as knowing too much? Anyway, Master Vilig said that keeping a diary would help me improve my writing skills, so at least I learned something. I guess I need more practice, since no one was willing to pay me for scribing.

So, how do you occupy three months? Apparently with lots and lots of training. Nils said that he thought it was unsafe for us to venture into dangerous situations again unprepared. Never mind that I defeated that monstrosity by myself. No, only my failures count in his eyes. So now I sneak around in the woods, behind the huts, in the rocks. I have to toe walk everywhere or Nils just sighs and shakes his head at me again. I don’t know why I even put up with it, really. Master Tulok does it too. I don’t see him get those withering glances.

Oh, I almost forgot. Before we left the rook, I did get some promises from the Wizened One, Lene, and from Fasalt, that they would take care of Aanti’s story. They didn’t even want anything. I thought that, since they were being so helpful, the least I could do was return the dagger. I’m sure Master Tulok would disapprove, but if he can’t or won’t teach me anything, I guess he’s not my master anymore. Now if I can just find a way to help him reach the other side, maybe I can cross him off the list. Nils likes to tell me how unwise it is to indebt myself to spirits but forgets that I was able to tell them exactly what happened to Aanti because of that debt. I just wish that old drunk would use some of that biting insight on himself. Maybe he would put down the mug once in a while.

We did stop training for a couple of days to go and visit those Peikko from some weeks back. Shirklek, I think, was the name of their leader. He was really interested in the Dvergar dagger. He and Nils were able to make a trade. We got some weird brews and some troll horns. Mako seemed very interested in the horns. One of the brews might help Mako heal faster, but I guess we aren’t in any hurry, so Nils and Tulok said we should keep it. Oh, and Trklek said that there was a giant nearby. A real giant, like the fae stories?! I think we should definitely check that out.

Nils did eventually say that he was at least confident that Ma Tulok and I wouldn’t wake a sleeping troll five miles away, so the training stopped. Maybe we could even sneak up on a sleeping giant. Nils, Tulok, Mako, and I all started talking to each other. Right now it’s just about what we can do to help with a mission, but at least it’s something.

Tanaraq came to visit a few days ago and has been lurking around waiting for something. I can almost look at the man without cowering. I know that the Crow experiments sometimes end with unpredictable results, but I have never seen anyone with his deformities. He has a feathered tail, more like some Southern bird than a proper Crow. It looks like he has fungus over half his body, and those voices. I can never make out what they’re saying, but it always feels like its about me and it is a threat. Then that thing follows behind him. Lesser men might run screaming. At least I can keep it to hiding around a corner. Anyway, it sounds like we have another visitor, so I should wrap up for now.

Oh, Mother Crow shelter us! It was Takret that came. He and Tanaraq argued, eventually stepping away from the camp. I only saw it from a distance. It looked like they were really getting heated, though the echoes through the rocks didn’t tell me what about. Then Tanaraq reached through the veil. He opened a rift on his own, only it must not have gone as planned, because the rift mutated him into something else. His head was like some sort of reptile with too many teeth. His body was like a huge wolf from legends. And his arms were like tentacles from the Deep. And then, just as he was reaching towards Takret, another rift opened, maybe the size of a skipping stone, and sucked him right through.

I know I wrote that knowing was everything, but I’m not sure I want to mess with those Riva. But I don’t know if I can stay away, either. There’s a part of me that wants to find what’s on the other side, even if it kills me.

We joined the enchanter at his workshop in the Camp of Unfortunates. It wasn’t like any I’d been in before, but Mako Lox was in his element. Each of us approached him, in turn, having requested enchanted items and his willingness to prove himself, and simply to create new items to help the band, was a sight to behold. We each offered to assist where we could, Nils hunting wolves, Alornek offering advice on where to find them using his inexhaustible knowledge of goats, and I with the antecedents. It was the first time we truly acted in concert - each of us having a moment to shine - and, I felt, it foreshadowed things to come.

After a bit, Alornek, proudly wearing his wolf-skin Creepers, began dramatically hopping from shadow to shadow illustrating his newfound stealth skills. I was just as pleased with my Stalkers and both sets are sure to soften the sounds of our passing. Nils commissioned a Superior Great Bow from Klinark, offering to pay handsomely for a worthy weapon. I foresee that man shooting one of us in the leg if he continues to drink as much as he does, but he now has a drinking partner in MakoLox, so I doubt that trend will change anytime soon.

After ensuring everyone else was taken care of, Mako Lox turned his attention to the damaged arbalest retrieved from the Dvergar cavern, coming to the realization that it was beyond his skill to mend. Word of his need eventually reached the ears of a new addition to camp, Sakari Varg, an atillator of the Wolf House, who agreed to assist with working the orichalcum. He eventually managed to fix the arbalest, pushing Mako Lox out of the way as he focused his full attention to the task at hand–his ring glowing as his intensity increased. A curious item for certain.

There was something odd about Sakari. He immediately started fawning over Alornek and, when I confronted him about this, turned his attention to me as well. He was insistent that it was our band specifically that drew his admiration, not the Crow themselves, admitting that his desire for power was his primary motivation. I sent him off on a quest to investigate the rumors of the giant about which the Peikko warned us and he immediately leapt to the conclusion that we would teach him powerful secrets if he successfully completed this reconnaissance.

Alornek eventually approached me requesting my assistance in helping him summon a spirit to take with us through the Riva. I immediately agreed and the discussion began regarding whether what type of spirit we should summon and how best to bring it across. A discussion that must continue another time as we ultimately decided it would be best to speak with Takret first. We were all curious about the Riva and, more immediately, what the argument between the two men could have been about for it to escalate so quickly and chaotically resulting in that monstrous transformation and subsequent disappearance of Tanaraq.

Nils approached Takret and was immediately combative, attempting to put the elder on the defensive, but Takret took it in stride and, when questioned about Tanaraq, offered vague warnings of what happens when one dabbles in Riva magic. Apparently, Tanaraq used Riva to store things accessible only to him, also bringing things back from beyond without following proper convention. Takret admitted to using Riva himself, not having yet gone through, in the search for knowledge. He seemed to have gained some knowledge, mentioning that “the intention you have when seeking an answer, and the set and setting you’re in, seem to have a large impact on the results you receive.” This is definitely worthy of further thought. I will speak with Alornek on this.

The lad began questioning Takret about the spirits from the other side, inquiring as to whether they can be utilized and communicated with the way he speaks with ours. Takret believes that one could assume that strong spirits would follow similar rules regardless of their origin. Alornek, I believe, has the potential to surpass us all in this and I long for him to gain a teacher worthy of that talent. His ability to summon spirits could truly provide us the edge necessary to succeed in our future endeavors.

Further discussing the Riva, Takret believes that each tear created is unique in regards to what/when/where it reaches. He alluded to a desire to know more about how these Riva work, but wants to reduce the research into them as they’re a threat to the Crow and that we’re stretched too thin as a people to continue this research without more preparation. Takret provided three observations from his viewpoint:

• We must reveal what dangers each of the Riva poses to our people.

• We must discover what threats could come through.

• We must gain knowledge about the Riva and the potential they hold without exploring for exploration’s sake.

“The Crow are at risk of being extinct.” Takret believes we must - as a people - bolster our numbers, establish better practices and learning, build on our community. Takret specifically called out the Roden and Peikko Riva as targets of opportunity. However, he strangely downplayed the Dvergar threat, implying that a single Dvergar is all they’ve seen or heard of in so long as not to matter and, while this single individual must be found and the threat eliminated, they’re not a primary concern.

Young Alornek questioned Takret on whether closing the Riva near the Camp was possible, which it indeed is, but it’s also currently beyond our capabilities to do so. Nils pressed Takret, questioning the elder’s leadership and willingness to rein in our exploration in exchange for the safety of inactivity. We all began understanding that Takret’s words were too self-serving and challenged him on this.

OOC: [Duel of Wits]

Nils pointed out that he’d like our band to collect items that could increase the power of the Crow and serve to raise their standing among all the houses and recruit people to join the Crow in lieu of building population through slow, natural means. Our band immediately agreed with him, but Takret defended his position arguing that he only wanted to protect & grow the Crow while expanding too much too fast would bring further trouble. Exploration beyond the Peikko Riva, and his contacts, is excessive and dangerous. The Roden Riva is an acceptable secondary option.

Feeling an urge to discern more of his motives, I opened my third eye. Immediately shocked by the revelation discovered this way, I informed the others that Takret may have been leaking sensitive information about the Crow to others and may not be the most trustworthy. It’s clear that his motives are not ours, but the argument continued with our band attempting to take the conversation off track to distract the elder, speaking about how we look to him as a leader, but desire a visionary leader that respects the risks the Crow have always undertaken for our advancement. Takret responded harshly, attacking our intelligence, and questioning our involvement in matters above us.

It was a well-spoken message and I fumed in impotent rage as we, as a group, were stunned into silence.

Takret hammered home his argument about our incompetence, unleashing his upper hand and, while Nils - with our support - attempted to dismiss these arguments, it was Takret who dismissed us. Offering no room for us to immediately continue in our exploration beyond the Riva outside of murdering the fool. It is safe to say that more questions were created than answers found and while this began as a mundane discussion on our next steps, it became clear that Takret may not have the interests of the Crow first and foremost in his mind.

Our curiosity is piqued, our band is forming stronger bonds, beginning to work together, and, while our investigation into Takret has just begun, we must now focus on this side of the Riva as we ponder what this could all mean.

An excerpt from the Journal of Mako Lox, enchanter extraordinaire:

Alornek seems to have difficulty holding onto a teacher for his studies. It’s unclear that he actually requires one, but given that he thinks he needs one likely speaks to a deeper issue. His calls for help were “answered”, but not in the way that I think he intened. In any case, Ikiaq Qaaxlax came forward as a willing teacher, but I’m not sure that Alornek will be happy with her methods.

Good tidings and supplies arrived from the Rook via Halvar Elge. He was happy to share with our camp, which was well received. I introduced him to Alornek, but we were unable to locate Tulok. Perhaps the time with Alornek wore on him and he needed a small respite.

We continued our investigation of Takret, and learned some new things on a mundane and mystical front. First, the mundane - it seems like there are more and more topics get a non-starter with Takret these days and he is growing more and more isolationist. Second, a stone-speaker (yes, really) named Launo told us that there is a “rock” inside Takret, and the only other person he’s met with a rock inside is Sigevi Lox - who had some of my friends followed back to the Rook. If these two are coordinating, or under some other influence, it bears investigation.

Alornek wants to start a mine, as the stones spoke to Launo wanting to be released. However, if the stones that Launo speaks to are part of two suspect individuals, I don’t know how keen I am to digging them up.

---

OOC other notes:

Under Ikiaq’s monitoring, Alornek sent the sanctified spirit of Hedda Lummiko through the Riva that Tanaraq was sucked through, to see if he could be reached in his new form. There was much bargaining, but she will need to be given fine jewelry and clothing, befitting her station, for her service.

This was the last check needed to bump Alornek’s Reach 1 to 4.

Our rolls indicated that over the next couple days, Alornek will be developing enlarged arms:

Troll Arms (Dt): grants +1D Power to Brawling & Boxing IMS, and +1D advantage to the Lock, Push, & Throw Person actions in Fight!

This was a particularly interesting result because Alornek also received Lifting Heavy Things (C-O) during last trait vote.

As with all these mutations, they may add +1Ob in certain situations (particularly social ones).

From the journal of Tulok Torngarsuk

The Camp

The dawn broke and, after my morning meditation, I stretched my legs and discovered Alornek and Mako approaching. Apparently, much has happened since I last spoke with them. Launo, a stonespeaker of some renown, felt that Takret had a stone “in him” that Launo had only seen in one other. Mysteries within mysteries.

I was surprised to see Halvar join the camp. Apparently, he brought both able bodies and supplies and has always been in good standing among the Crow.

Before more than re-introductions could be made, a wisp began coalescing from the riva and formed into the ghostly apparition of Hedda who had news for Alornek. She found Tanaraq on the other side and returned with a message from him. “Call my name and pay the price. I will come.” Hedda described a scene of abandoned buildings in an overgrown land, overshadowed by a citadel standing tall in the distance. Forest everywhere with the moon and stars shining sublimely in the sky.

It seems Hedda has the makings of a poet.

The camp needed leadership and our band has other plans, but that didn’t mean we wouldn’t assist in finding the right leader. We brought together a group of potential candidates. Between them, Mako selected the one most likely to succeed in our role. We benefited from Halvar’s experience immediately. His knowledge of estate management ensured that our initial selection was capable. Who knew that such things were worth investing in?

Finally, it was up to me. Opening my third eye, guided by Halvar’s astrological reading, and relying on Alornek’s dark intuition, I looked deep into the aura of one Kanaaq Ukpik. What I saw was someone intent on ensuring the success of the camp.

Kanaaq’s Story

He began life on the streets, an urchin among the Crow, known for his shriveled leg and incredible way with people. He was blessed with a silver tongue that allowed him to get by on his wits and charm. His good fortune seemed unnaturally blessed, but his empathy for those without means was well known. There is a rumor that his motives for joining the camp involved a lost love–an Owl.

We sought out Launo and found him deep in conversation with a unique rock, bulbous and smooth, unlike anything I’ve seen before. It’s his belief that the stone within Takret feels as if it’s “fed upon”. Alornek, once again reaching out to the darkness for help, Mako, and I pieced together an ancient story from the Pekko about the Dvergar machines that enslave users–linking them by the backs of their necks.

It was clear that we needed to help Takret unburden himself of these hidden mysteries. Halvar’s skepticism of the source of the knowledge taken into account, we decided to take a more indirect route. Ikiaq Qaaglax, her visage discomfiting to some, counseled against using spirits for the mundane during our investigations.

The Rook

Alornek quickly gathered our resources to buy finery as payment to Hede and was sure that the finery and jewelry he found would please her. Halvar found his mining equipment to provide the camp and I separated myself from the band. My chest has been drying and I quickly washed myself in the mystical spring, filling plenty of waterskins as well. The relief I felt was overwhelming and concerning, but everything has its price.

This done, and after discussion, we planned on gathering the people of the Rook together to offer our findings as proof. Alornek, once again calling upon his spirits, requested their aid in finding information and evidence that Takret has other masters. Lӧpa, a rabbit-eared spirit, answered the call…

Halvar Elge

The Rook, Seventh Moon, Days 9 - 13, Year of the Great Joining

Ledger of Events, Interactions, and Expenses

9/9 - Great Joining

• The return of Alornek’s Lopa spirit with unknown document (note 1)

• Request for insights into Takret’s affairs (note 2)

• Expenses: 9 Dronar worth of goat hair and meat

9/10 - Great Joining

• Introduction to “Ragna”, Wizened One (note 3), via Alornek Qaaglaax’s channels

• Meeting with Eikili, steward of the Fledge Hall (note 4)

9/11 - Great Joining

• Lopa returns with Bound Peikko (note 5)

• Meeting with Ikiaq regarding Tanaraq’s disposition (note 6)

9/12 - Great Joining

• Summoning of the spirit once known as Tanaraq (note 7)

• Meeting with Councilor Uki (note 8)

• Expenses: 3 Dronar worth of sorcerous materials

9/13 - Great Joining

• Gathered evidence and prepared comments for Council meeting

• Council meeting held at Dusk (note 9)

Notes

1. Per previous entries, Alornek had summoned a Lopa spirit and gave it the task of locating physical evidence of Takret’s potential treasons. It seemed a long shot at the time, but it may have paid off in the form of some written document. Issue number one: it is written in a language we cannot decipher. Issue number two: it appears to be part of a larger volume, and it may be worthless without a way to validate its authenticity.

2. I made an inquiry with contacts and friends within the Rook, hoping to find someone with access to the affairs of Takret, and who might be disposed to assist us. I made every effort to remain secretive as to why, but it is possible that Takret could catch wind if we do not move quickly.

3. Sources pointed us toward a young woman named Ragna as a potential linguist to assist us with the document’s translation. She was cagey on her affiliations, but seemed earnest in her willingness to be discreet. She was able to translate the document, which was written in some form of the Peikko language. I have provided a paraphrase of the text in addendum 1. Ragna, for her part, was capable, and is somehow connected to the Wizened Ones. She will likely be a good partner in the future.

4. My search for a contact with access to Takret’s affairs yielded an unlikely result. Eikili, the Steward of the Rook’s Fledge Hall, was willing to meet us privately to discuss some strange behaviors and activities from Takret. These include regular trips away from the Rook alone, during nighttime hours, during which Takret would slink away, sometimes for multiple days. Also of note is a potential new form of sorcery being practiced by Takret involving the torture of subjects to strengthen his use of other sorcery. Could this be the rumored empowering “sacrificial magic” practiced by the First People many generations ago, or something different? Either way, it bears investigating.

5. The Lopa surprised me yet again by returning with more “evidence.” This time it was in the form of a bound and unconscious Peikko; the same one that had written the previously discovered text. This Peikko was kept unconscious for the the next few days, but not before we found that it had a particular gemstone protrusion from the back of its neck. This aligns with previous stories (see entries dating back to Sixth Moon, days 25 - 28, and Seventh Moon, days 1 - 3) indicating that Takret and one Sagevy Laax both likely have something similar. I have provided a diagram of the stone herein, addendum 2.

6. We met with Councilor Ikiaq today. She continues to be a stalwart ally in the training of Alornek, but more importantly in the struggle to hold Takret to account. It is good to know that the core of the Council is likely still intact, despite Tanaraq and Takret being… as they are. Ikiaq has agreed to lead the summoning of Tanaraq, or whatever he has become. Mako, Tulok, Alornek and I will assist as we are able using our combined skills in Circination, Symbology, Astrology, Emphrylea and the like. The cost could be great, if we are not able to dominate the spirit outright during the bargaining. It is all fascinating, but developing the skills to Summon is likely something to save for a future incarnation, Mother Crow willing. It was determined, after much negotiation and some clever thinking by Alornek, that the best way to leverage Tanaraq was to have him dispel the magics influencing Takret. It seemed the best course of action, provided success in the bargaining.

7. Once all of the preparations were made, we set about summoning Tanaraq in his Atlat form. The brunt of the work was conducted by Ikiaq and Alornek, of course. Be it luck or skill, we were able to make contact, and Tanaraq made himself known. He was more horrible than at any other horrible moment in his life. His spirit form had forgone almost every vestige of humanity, save his bare feet. His legs and torso were that of a starved dog, standing upright. His head was an oblong reptilian thing, with rows of eyes on either side and a maw of sharp teeth. His ams had split into numerous tentacles, each several feet long. I could not help but swoon upon sight of him. Within a few moments I was back on my feet, and I witnessed nearly everyone else in a similar state of horror. Ikiaq and Tanaraq had begun bargaining, and we joined the effort. After all was said and done, Tanaraq seemed happy to be involved with bringing his old rival down, and he would do so during the Council meeting the next night. The cost? He would have to possess Ikiaq for the coming day, and could leverage her form as he saw fit.

8. Mako is somehow closely tied to Councilor Uki. This will be good to know for future negotiations. Councilor Uki was willing to meet with us to discuss the pending Council meeting, and the ramifications for Takret. As expected, she required an accounting of our evidence, scant as it is. We After seeing what he had gathered, she agreed with the likelihood of our conclusions, and will be a help in the Council meeting.

9. For details on the entirety of the Council meeting, see the notes taken by that body. Herein is a recounting of the results of the interactions with Takret. Takret appeared before the Council unawares of the events to transpire. I led the presentation of evidence and the arguments for accountability, assisted most notably by Tulok, who in his own thuggish manner made it clear that weak-willed dissension among those loyal to Takret would not be tolerated. The presentation of evidence was underwhelming, as we knew it would be. That said, Takret was also unable to make reasonable excuses. In the end, it didn’t matter… Ikiaq, bearing the spirit of Tanaraq but touched Takret and was able to easily break the device hidden behind his locks. Takret fell to the ground, disoriented, and having lost significant time in his memory. This will require further interrogation and investigation to suss out the details of his unwitting betrayal.

Addenda

1. The Peikko text made reference to instances of meetings between the Peikko and Takret during which Takret would provide information about the goings-on at the Rook and Camp. These reports were then taken to some other entity, the name or description of which was untranslatable. While not damning in and of itself, it certainly casts doubt on Takret’s discretion and wisdom.
   2. [Marginally adequate drawing of a cut stone device]
   3. [Receipt for the sale of goat meat and hair]

---

OOC notes:

In this session, Tulok Tongarsuk hit Reach B4. He gained the trait:

Sight of the Owl (Dt)

In addition, the first Deeds was handed out for this Mauragaaqtuq campaign, for removing the influence from Takret at great risk.

From the Journal of Alornek

I still can’t believe that I got to be present for a Council of Elders. I would say that everything that happened there was so wild and out of the ordinary, but that just isn’t true. It seems like I should just get used to wild and bizarre.

Anyway, Takret was placed under guard in Tanaraq’s old shack. Eikili is watching him along with some of the other sorcerers. It looks like he was pretty banged up by Tanaraq/Iqiak, but he seems fine now. Halvar and the others allowed him some time to recover before questioning him. It appears that Takret’s last memory before waking up in the Council meeting was a trip to Elvoya, where he went to meet a contact among the Owl. Takret says that he went to check on the transition between the kingdoms. On the way, he was met by a young Laax and his friends. It sounds like he described Sigevy. He ate with them, made camp, and had some very strange dreams. He tried to relate them to us, but it seems like Tanaraq’s removal of the device may have messed with the memories. Halvar tried something to unlock some of the memories.

Takret had a nightmare about being sucked into a large coffin and was crushed by it. He remembered receiving a ring from someone. It was placed on his thumb. He remembers traveling through one of the Riva. (I’d guess the one he tried to get us to visit, in the Dvergar caves). It was a land of giant mushrooms. He walked into a mountain, filled with various clockwork devices. He also remembered meeting with Sigevy multiple times, along with a Peikko, and telling them about what was going on with our people. He sees the image of someone else, but can’t make out their face, like it’s been erased.

Eikili says that he’s heard of people that can work in the dreams of others and that this may be what’s happening here. I did ask about the blood magic, but Takret said that the blood of those that have done evil can help with sorcery. I guess that’s just the background level of weird. As a guy that summons the dead, I probably can’t say much.

Oh, speaking of that, Mistress Iqiak said that she will help me gain some measure of respect among the spirits. All she wants in exchange is for me to be possessed by a spirit she wishes to summon, the Spirit of the Rook. Just possession by a spirit of my home, no big deal, right? I told the others about it, since I figured they might be affected by me being possessed. They were less than thrilled. I mean, I get that it could be dangerous, but I don’t know any other way to strengthen my ability to summon. She does, and she is the only person willing to teach me anything.

Lastly, that Varg, Sakari, actually came back with an item he claims is a Giant’s hair. He still seems to want information on our abilities, so I let the others do the talking. Halvar said that he would help Sakari seek a master, but that he would need to have his abilities tested. So, Tulok sent him to find his former master, Atiqtalik.

I guess now we just have to figure out what we do with this new information. Do we try to dismantle a Dvergar plot ourselves? Do we alert the rest of the kingdom? Do I let the spirit of our home possess my body for a month in the hopes that I can better use my abilities? I just don’t know the answers, which seems to be my whole problem.

Tulok's needs brought us back to the springwater, where we continued our conversation with Eikili. He is full of useful information, and willing to help us. Two traits that I can appreciate. We procured a barrel of springwater, which will help us with our future visit through the rift.

After some conversation, it is determined that the rift near the Camp of Unfortunates will be our point of entry. While there are downsides (bad things will hit the Crow first), the area is firmly under our control, and we will be able to access it discreetly.

Halvar took the liberty of speaking for the council as to our plans, which the council seemed ok with. Maybe his plans co-incided with theirs, or maybe their attention is focused on the fallout from Takret's intervention. It matters little.

Alornek is determined to summon a new spirit, and this time a giant spider answers his call. In return for the spider's services as a watcher, it asks Alornek to "wear" a mark of a spider, which apparently meant his face needed to be carved. Tulok was happy to oblige. I think his exact words were:

"This is no different than working with a corpse, just stand there and act like one."

I, for one, and glad that my magical persuits take me to enchanting objects and not making deals with spirits.

When traveling back to the camp of unfortunates, we ran afoul of undead. Too many undead - and heading towards the Rook. The Dvergar have some truly dark magic, if they could re-animate this many. After finding our way to a hidden goat path (thank you Alornek), and blocking their path with a felled tree, we rained on them from afar.

As if a horde of undead Peikko and Roden weren't distressing enough, it seemed as though their bodied were stuffed with some sort of explosive. When our arrows and fire rained upon them, they exploded.

This is a problem.

Tanaraq bent forward like a teetering serpent, his many eyes fixed on the tree stump next to him. Though he did not need to move his reptilian jaws to speak, he did so out of a not-quite remembered sense of what it was like to have a real body. He spoke to the stump just then...

"The veil is much thinner than they know. Each time we wrinkle the veil with our intrusions, it becomes thinner still. It is only a matter of time before they are like me... all of them."

When the stump didn't respond, Tanaraq looked toward a small, blackish-red rodent in the nearby tree and continued.

"It seems like mere moments ago that I was watching my peers and my children from within the Rook. Now I look on and see them as strangers, limited by their flesh, yet happier for it. The young sorcerers toil with trinkets, and even the elders flail to make sense of what is so obvious."

Tanaraq began gesturing in the air with each of his strange tentacles, the mass of ephemera seeming to swirl in unrecognizable patterns. Moments later he was hovering beside the crater where the Alva had just apprehended the intruders.

He focused his uppermost set of eyes on Alornek, the second set on Mako, and the lowest pair of eyes on Halvar. Describing the effect to a person is nearly impossible, but from Tanaraq's vantage point, he could see not only what was happening with each of the observed at the moment, but also the events that had led them to that moment. As his eyes followed them at the crater's edge, they also followed each of them backward in time and space. It was almost like seeing six different acts in a play progress simultaneously. There were three protagonists, each with two timelines. Each story started from the same place—what a person would call right now.

Right now, yet another fiery projectile is hurtling toward the forest between me and the citadel on the hill. This will be where the Alva eventually travel, with or without my brethren. It is from this arbitrary event in the meaningless lives of people who once meant something to that time unfolds.

_________________________________

Alornek

As future-Alornek plodded through the thick underbrush quietly and confused, past-Alornek scooped up a small piece of steaming rock from the edge of the crater and secreted it in a pocket. He was completely unaware of the danger nearby.

Then, further backward, he was struck by a disquieting sound. It was both alien and comforting; strange and beautiful. He did not yet know it, but that sound was all too real, and it came from the enemies he would soon meet.

Hours before, as he stood atop the ruin-pocked hillock, he looked out over the landscape. Forest, everywhere... it did not look any more tamed in the morning light than it did in the light of the stars without number. He refocused his attention on the roots he was digging and the berries in his pouch. They would suffice, his eyes promised his compatriots.

Earlier, during the night, Alornek briefly nods off while he and his companions struggle to press on through the night without falling asleep. He does not know it yet, but the song he is about to dream is real, just like it was in the future, though the melodies are different.

Alornek watches in awe as a piece of the Sun, fiery and loud, tumbles from the sky. Though it is night, and though they have just arrived in this new land, the Sun welcomes them... at least that is what he finds himself hoping. It lands with a bone-rattling impact in the forest below.

Mere hours before, Alornek is recovering his senses after shrugging off the emotional afterbirth from passage through the veil. The fresh decay slowly falls from his mind as his body rises, no signs of harm.

Just then, in the moments before his crossing, Alornek is watching with some awe and trepidation as Takret kneads the fabric of the veil, pushing and pulling it like as much dough. The oblong, translucent substance offers Alronek a view beyond, and the Riva itself becomes him to come.

In the hours that precede the crossing, Alornek is drawing protective circles in the rocky soil, dotting it with rocks and crystals. He does not know it yet, but he will be calling forth something that hungers infinitely, and once called it will never again rest. The process culminates with grasping, clawing, rending hands ripping through the soil inside the circle. They push upward to tear at the age-old parchment they have been offered. The Eaters of Words have been fed, but they hunger still. Where will they go now?

Mako

Just as future-Mako is tripping over a raised root in the dimly lit forest, past-Mako is tripping over rubble at the side of the crater. He perches atop the edge, looking down at the shack-sized pile of stones at the bottom of the canyon-deep crater. There are still signs of the fire that raged here some hours earlier, but Mako's attention is focused on the strangeness of the stone that fell from the sky.

Sometime earlier Mako examines the bark of an enormous tree as he catches his breath. He believes it to be an oak of some kind. It does not matter if he is correct. He knows right away that the wood beneath would make for exceptional crossbow stock. It is dense, yet flexible somehow. It smells faintly of lilac, even through the wafting scent of wood smoke in the distance.

At morning light earlier that day, Mako rests against a ruined stone slab. Nearby he hears Oydis and Geir laughing about something as they watch Echo and Tulok play. He is struck by the happiness in spite of the potential danger that lurks around them. It is then that he realizes that he has untied his own boots yet again, without thinking. One of the laces is fraying. Had he done that, too?

Just then, Mako is laying on the dry ground at the top of the same hill. It many hours earlier, during the night. He struggles to stay asleep. Then he wonders if he was asleep after all, roused by the sudden silence of a distant song reaching its end. It was beautiful, as if sung by a choir of Sylphs and Dryads from myth. He looks up to see that the others have heard it too. Yes, it was real, as you found out in the future.

Before that, Mako is struggling to repress the sick that wells up inside his stomach. This has been his first brush with the sensations of his future self. In the end, just as with all of us, he too will join the Atlatl. He takes his first step, even now, as he lifts himself from the ground on the other side of the veil.

Many hours earlier, and unfathomably far away, Mako is across a veil. He works at his bench, rapidly taking materials from Halvar. Mako moves quickly and deftly despite pudgy fingers. Halvar struggles to follow the training as Mako shows him how to imbue their herbal concoctions with a bit of sorcery. After several moments, what they produce is trifling, and likely of no use to them.

Halvar

Just as future-Halvar is searching for words to speak to his captors as they trod through yet another dense copse of trees, past-Halvar is spewing forth strange tongues while laying on his belly in the rubble. He has little idea what he has said, but he trusts the unknowable wind to help him speak true. Luckily, no more arrows fall. Was his plea of surrender heeded? Yes, it will be.

Moments earlier, Halvar is shouting to his young allies, telling them to duck and cover. He is the only one who notices the archer in the trees, readying a shot. Though they can all hear the strange music of the Alva, none are able to attend to it, and thusly they are as salmon in a net. Halvar's warning comes just in time, though, as the others are roused in time to fall prone. The single arrow slides off of Halvar's shield, narrowly missing his gut.

Then, Halvar is singing the way men do, failing to understand, nonetheless reproduce, the sounds of the song they have all just heard in their half-waking states. The darkness is subtle with the light of the stars as bright as it is. So too is the song a subtle sound, carried on the smoke-laden breeze.

Hours earlier, Halvar is kneeling beside a series of toppled stone pillars. He traces his hand over the curved engravings as he mumbles softly to the sky above. As he finishes, he tells his companions that the language belongs to that of the legendary Alva, and Sister Wind has aided him in translating. The Alva have dedicated this place to the Mother of Night, and thusly these interlopers should pay her tribute by allowing her children, the stars, to be the only light as they hold vigil until morning. He does not know that Mother Night has no care for his actions. I do not know if Mother Night has cares at all.

At some point, Halvar is wheezing, trying to catch his breath, laying next to Oydis and Geir on the ground. They have all just emerged unceremoniously on the other side of the veil. They are feeling the tug of the Riva for the first time, and it is a pale thing compared to what they will feel in the months to come.

Just a few minutes earlier, Halvar wrestles with his own understanding of the cosmos as he attempts to discern the proper moment to cross the Riva being torn by Takret. His understanding is flawed, even after so many years to develop it. The spirits pay him no mind, just as I did when this happened the first time. It matters little, however, because in the future he has already traveled through the Riva, ignorance in tow.

__________________________

Tanaraq's eyes refocus on a single moment. He is watching from a distance as the Motley Crow stumble over the parts and pieces of exploded corpses that little the goat trail they are no forced to tread. Tanaraq notices the orichalcum, bone, flesh, and fluids that constitute the Dvergar death constructs, but he cannot see anything more than what they are now. He knows they have just arrived to harm his former brethren, but his sight does not penetrate the cursed automatons. It is then that he knows without a doubt that the dangers that mount against the people of the North began far too long ago to be stopped now. The breadth of time and space that has accumulated around these events is impenetrable, and the momentum is too forceful to be stopped... and yet he hopes that all will be better for what is about to transpire.

4 May 2021

From the journal of Tulok Tongarsuk

Camp of Unfortunates: Riva-Side

Alva Camp

The Alva had the drop on us and we were all forced to lay down our arms. For a split second I contemplated leaving them to remain in hiding, but there would be no point. I joined my comrades, but this is the tale of our journey to the Alva citadel and what befell us immediately thereafter...

The Alva

A heated argument amongst the Alva was taking place and - oddly - it seemed as if Halvar understood some of their language. However, there seemed to be a droning gaining volume which quickly transformed into a buzzing that made my hair stand on end.

Halvar quickly spoke up with a handful of words [“Not Dvergar. Hate Dvergar. Bugs come to kill.”] which earned a quick retort from the Alva that eyes us with open hate, but one word hung in the air: Faernych. Alornek leapt, attempting to hide behind the Dvergar shield which earned yet another harsh rebuke from one of them before the Alva assumed battle stance and wrapped themselves in their cloaks which, surprisingly, was enough to hide them from sight.

As the others began preparing for the oncoming battle, I dashed toward our wardens to keep myself safe during what I assumed was an upcoming battle. Halvar raised his hands, apparently cupping a ball of air, releasing a blast that downed some of the Faernych before a flurry of arrows laid waste to the rest of the swarm.

Mako’s eyes gleamed with longing as he approached the dead beasts and was quickly challenged by the Alva. After a quick exchange, he lifted another off the ground and it was as if an arrow sprung into existence from the beast between Mako’s fingers. His reaction told me that I wasn’t the only one to be surprised.

With Halvar roughly translating, the Alvaen acknowledged both the existence of the Dvergar on their side of the riva and their belief that we were Dvergar allies. They threatened to take us to their citadel “for judgment”, a term that was up for interpretation.

Quickly breaking camp and separating the Dvergar shield and Mako’s arbalest into their own bag.

The Sky Fire

Halvar’s intuition predicted the impending arrival of another “sky fire” rock, which he quickly related to everyone within the vicinity. Taking the Alvaen’s lead, we dash in the same direction putting as much distance between us and the assumed landing zone.

Forced off our feet from the impact--all of us, including the Alva. As I was regaining my feet, I hazily remember the one near me beginning a song. The next thing I knew, I was looking up at the sky as his song came to an end.

Halvar once again cast a spell of understanding. He quickly engaged in a conversation with the Alva which ended in his insistence that we follow them. Halvar assumed that the sky rocks were somehow targeting us because of the Dvergar items. His man agreed to take them from us, but both Alornek and I - for vastly different reasons - chose not to let them go. As the Alva walked away Alornek went for his shield and the Alva immediately drew on him.

Alornek quickly grabbed one of them and, through a bit of convincing, released the Alva who quickly swept him from his feet and drew on him, an arrow pointed directly at his heart. Alornek, in a moment of supreme sacrifice, agreed to leave the shield with Halvar’s friends. That boy and his trust. I rip my bag from my shoulder and demand the same sort of protection for my bag - and instruct them to guard it as they would the shield and not to open it.

The Alva quickly bound Alornek’s wrists, and he allowed them to do so, before we were led to the citadel. Along the way, Alornek seemed to turn inward, eventually revealing that he seemed to remember something about the Alva. Whispers once heard led Alornek and Halvar to share that bundles of herbs may earn the Alva’s ear, which came in handy.

The Clearing

We came upon an unnaturally defined clearing, but it’s clear that the land wasn’t cleared--an oddity for certain.

The Alva leader disappeared and the remaining two offered simple food and drink that turned out to be anything but. While we were each delighted, it appears as if each of the rations was made of different stuff as none of the food tasted the same to each of us. While most of us were satisfied with the offering, Mako asked for more and was rewarded with more as he devoured his second helping of both. During our respite, Halvar warned both Alornek and I of the Alvaen skittishness regarding the dead.

Halvar offered the herbs to the Alva which resulted in an elaborate ritual that saw them offering their swords, bowing, and raising the herbs to the sky.

Alva Citadel

The tower is much more militant than it seemed from afar. The white stone is decorated with Alvaen script. A masterwork of engineering, even to my layman’s eyes, the tower was hollowed out and had become one with the natural surroundings and flora. Every single thing we laid eyes on was an education in elegant simplicity.

We were left, along with all our belongings, in a room to ourselves, guarded only by two of the Alva who seemed to ignore us. Our band agreed that an exchange of ideas with the Alva would be to all of our benefit, including our new acquaintances. We all agreed to rest and reserve our strength for the trials that were to come.

Triumph through Catastrophe

The singing began once again, but this time it was even more unfathomable than before. I was once again lost to the song as guards rushed in, grabbing us and yanking us from the room. It was soon clear that the entire citadel was being evacuated and we barely escaped before the sky fire slammed into the tower, decimating the top of it as it teetered and fell off.

More concerning was that Alornek was hammered by rubble, knocking him unconscious and severely wounding him. Even in the chaos and avenues of escape readily presenting themselves, our band stayed by the boy’s side. It seems that he’s the lodestone for our band, regardless of who makes it up. Halvar jumped in and began working on him, but it was the presence of a writhing black tentacle.

Mako joined the healing effort - as did one of the Alva singers - and the three of us Reached for the darkness in our need to help our fallen friend. Halvar attempted to heal him, but appeared to be unsuccessful as disharmony crept into the Alva’s song and a sense of guilt crept into his efforts through the darkness. However, Halvar took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and exerted exceptional effort, kneeling and drawing power from nature around him to amazing effect. Mako quickly removed his armor - which turned out to be enchanted - and had us help him strap it on Alornek.

Alornek seemed to breathe easier immediately, though he was still in a serious condition.

Cataclysmic Results

Once our friend was safe once again, our attention was ripped away to the chaos around us as singers sung, Alva lay dying, and the swordbearers held their ring around us.

A new, elegantly robed Alva came to us and, with a new song, explained that we were now comfortably, but irrevocably in their care as they seemed to hold us accountable for the day’s events.

From the Journal of Alornek

So, here we are. This entry is going to take forever if the letters continue moving around so much. My head is killing me. I'd chew some bark, but I don't know if the bark here would kill me. Maybe just pulling on some bark will make the moon fall out of the sky or something. Anyway, one of the Alva, Gorluin?, took us away from the shattered citadel and told us to camp nearby. He used one of those songs to help us understand his speech. We aren't supposed to hunt any beasts that don't have cloven hooves. Not that I'm going to be hunting anything. The others talked to Gorluin at length about what we should do while we await a trial. Apparently the stars falling from the sky is all our fault. But maybe not, according to Tanaraq. My mind isn't really in the right space to consider the mysteries of the universe. I'm pretty sure I'm not even writing this down in a way that makes any sense. Yeah, we called Tanaraq to talk to us. It wasn't a proper summoning. It was more like that barrier of filth being breached so he could come through.

Anyway, the trial. We are being tried for trespassing and bringing down the sky. Halvar seems to understand a lot about the Alva, and he can speak with them, too. He says we shouldn't use our abilities, because it might make the Alva angry, but it doesn't seem like they can get much angrier than trying you for the deaths of dozens of their friends. The Alva live forever, unless they're killed by falling stars or stone, apparently. Apparently a broken heart can also kill them, so I'm guessing a bunch of them are dealing with that right now. They worship the moon and stars, so maybe we can appeal to them with our heritage.

One of the Alva tried to steal from Tulok, just to test us. Her? name was Yalanue. She seems to have a more cynical view of eternal life, but it may be something we can use to our advantage. Even if we can't convince these Alva to help us, maybe we can get some equipment, or at least a way out. She wants to come with us when we do finally leave, but she doesn't seem willing to really help in any way.

Right, we also called Tanaraq to ask for help or advice. He isn't really confined by time any more, so most of what he said didn't make much sense. He said that we will blame him for the falling stars, and that it may help change some minds if we did. They don't want us to risk bringing more people back, so killing us is their most likely plan. He saw images of Alva and man fighting back to back. He seems to think there is room for us to negotiate with them, but not by trying to act as equals. They seem to think that they could just stay here and ignore the Dvergar. Tanaraq also said he would give us his boon with some hand-signal. I'm hoping the others caught that, because I was still a bit out of it. Oh, and he said that he thinks only the one Dvergar is near us causing all of this trouble. If that's the case, I'd hate to see what happens if we catch the attention of more Dvergar.

I'm going to rest now. Just a couple of weeks until we are likely sentenced to death. I might be healed enough help by then. I still think I may have to summon us a solution, but I have no idea what will actually show up on this side.