My journeys found me in Therendry on December 26th, of year 603. I was not ready for what was I was to find there. Therendry is a very dangerous land that is harsh to the younger adventurers. Do not let that warning stop you from traveling there though.
On the eve of my arrival I found myself going with the townspeople to battle
it out with some Purists. The Purists are a group of humans that think all other
races are lower than them and that humans are completely supreme. The battle
was long and hard. I approached the complex following Caliphar going up along
the left side. I thought being in a flanking position would be safer than the
front lines of battle, I was almost dead wrong. Soon a group surrounded all
the townspeople and I was surrounded. I fell almost instantly and was only half
a minute away from visiting the resurrection circle. Luckily for me the Purists
appear to have thrown me back to the group and someone gave me a life spell.
We ended up winning the battle and before it was over I fled, having fallen
many more times after that first encounter. From what I heard they then burned
the fortification only to find out later that the Purists had an orphanage located
near the bottom. Many children were burned and died that night. It was a sad
plight.
Due to this sometime the next day, Lord Zugg, gave his life for the action.
He felt that his decision to burn the place was not well thought out enough.
It was an honorable act to punish oneself for an error in judgment. I do not
feel he was to blame, however, I blame the Purists that housed them there.
Saturday was filled with many different things. Most of which I have forgotten,
though some memory remains for me to tell. I try to be as accurate as possible
with the information that I scribe for others to read.
It seems that there was some kind of vile with a cure of some sort for the disease
that has plagued the wild elves. We all went to retrieve this antidote, though
it was very volatile. One drop spilled could have meant an explosion that could
have wiped many of us out. So we scouted and then approached the domicile of
some crones who were guarded by an imp and big beastly dogs of some type. I
fell many times in battle here as well. One that I come to know as Kimper picked
me up off the battlefield many times. Finally after a long time in battle, we
retrieved the vile and began making our way back to town. It was at that point
we were ambushed by fallen elves. I kept myself away from the battle and close
to the vile, as I knew a life spell or another cure would be wasted on me. Luckily,
the vile was returned to town safely. At that point I thanked and paid the one
that helped save my life so many times in battle. I then learned that Kimper,
the one who helped me, was a student of Seronia’s from Avendale.
Later in the day I encounter a bard who told a few others and myself a story
of an elven Lord Hightower, who lived long ago. His men went to fight a liche,
I believe the story goes, and fought down till 6 of them remained standing in
front of the liche and his faithful death knight. Three fell first including
Lord Hightower himself. Then in an act that sacrificed their own lives, two
knights grabbed the arms of the death knight as a squire cleaved off his head.
With just the squire and the liche remaining, the liche raised Lord Hightower
as an undead and had him kill the squire. Time passed and the liche made the
elven Lord his new death knight. Later on however, an elven lass came and destroyed
the liche when the death knight Hightower was out. Then he returned and eventually
the elven lady fell because she grew weary of the long battle. When she was
ran through with the sword, however, her blood, the mortar, and an enchanted
jewel mingled with the water in the cave and at that point Hightower could see
himself as he was. The elven lord then was able to battle the darkness in him
while remaining in the water. Hearing this story we went out in search of the
cave where the Hightower dwelled. We found him and spoke with him a long time
trying to find ways of freeing him. We studied every item around him and found
no hope. We then removed the jewel that the elven lady had left behind. Come
to find out that was not the answer, he returned to his evil form. A battle
then raged as we fought until we beat him down. Then a miracle happened, after
we beat him down, one was able to harness his spirit. He returned to his true
elven form and Lord Hightower was free of the curse of the death knight. He
offered to give us aid if we needed it in the future for freeing him. Then he
went on his way to reflect. I felt glad for him that the curse was lifted, though
there was much agony in his heart for the years past and what he had done in
his death knight state.
Many more events went on throughout the day. Mindflares made their presence
known all through the town as they watched us. The night before they had actually
mingled in the tavern just watching, not acting aggressively. My opinion is
they are merely scouting us to gather and idea of our strength and numbers.
They should all be destroyed once found! That is my opinion, however, and I’m
sure that the nobility knows what they are doing, as they have more information
of the situation and the land than I do.
That night Lord Zugg was made promoted to Baron and some others whose names
I did not catch were promoted as well.
Later, after I returned to the tavern from a rest in my bed, I was told of a
blue hordling that was inside the tavern. I was warned not to go in. I could
see the hordling watching over a table of people. One of the persons at the
table, I recognized as the minstrel, so I went in anyways. To my surprise I’d
never seen any of the others there. I was ordered to join the poker game they
were playing and remarked that I knew not of the game nor did I have any money
to bet with. It was at that point I realized I was in danger and made an unsuccessful
run for the door. I was beat down and then brought back up. It would seem those
playing were vampires. I cursed myself for my stupidity. They forced me to play
their game though I had no money, and I was informed when my gold ran out, so
did my life. The tavern keeper, hearing my plight, offered me money to play
with, so I did. The first three hands I folded, having been dealt sorry hands.
The next two I racked up and took the majority of everyone’s earnings.
I thought at that point I was safe. They continued to talk of killing me and
I continued to try and think of every reason I should remain alive, from their
perspective. It is a good thing that I am a scribe and have a way with words,
if not I believe my life would have been forfeit or even worse. Suddenly, someone
rifted in and rifted out the minstrel who served as our dealer. One of the vampires
took the money he left and then started for my stash. In a bold move I stopped
his hand from taking my gold and exclaimed that we were not finished yet. A
dark elven lass had just joined our game and I intended to play as long as I
could to buy us a little more time. He began to stare at me with his beady eyes
and I looked away. It was then in my lack cooperation that the hordling charmed
me and forced me to look into the vampires eyes. Then they had me to empty out
my pouch and then I was stripped of all my clothes and sent running through
town. Soon as I left the tavern I was cut down by something as I ran, and someone
came to my aid. That is the last time I go anywhere near a blue hordling or
the tavern when warned not too. I hope the vampire awakes one morning to a stake
in his heart, I hope they all do.
The feast was wonderful though we had Mindflares joining us for the event. We
returned to find that Peppercorn had been robbed of her belongings and set out
to find the one who committed the crime. We indeed found him huddle behind a
seat in the woods and quickly dealt him justice. I helped gather coins to return
to Peppercorn, who had to return to the cabin due to injuries. Then Ranger and
another fellow I’d seen many times came up the trail after sounds of a
battle. Ranger had apparently been jumped by something. We came to find out
later, after his claim of missing memories and having them restored by the newly
titled Lady, that he was robbed and forget it welled by the man with him. He
was swiftly executed.
My journeys found me also going on another small quest to help a person from
another village go and try to give antidote to some of his friends whose mind
had been polluted by mind flares. The adventurer lady wielding the staff, the
raven scavenger, a female feline, and a dark elven lass, and the minstrel accompanied
me. We all fought bravely and were able to free a few of the savable men, and
smite some more.
Then we returned to the tavern. Most of the townspeople went on two other large
battles that I did not attend too. I figured myself too weak to be of any importance
to them.
I am sure I left many things out here and there, but those were the bigger events
that went on. We did encounter a new vampire like creature called the Maestro
and the sought the entertainment of the minstrels music. Other adventurers sought
to run him off and were fairly successful I believe.
As far as my stories of adventure go, that is about it. It was a very busy weekend
and I found myself on the wrong end of a sword one too many times. I did make
quite a few friends though, Ranger, Peppercorn, Kimper and others. I was able
to see Seronia again; it was good to see a familiar face in all the chaos that
was going on. He imparted some wisdom too me one night in the tavern. He told
me I should never nap in the tavern lest I wake to find myself alone and in
the presence of a monster. One thing I have learned is sleep is a hard-pressed
thing to find in Therendry. You always rest with one eye open and sword by your
side.