Restraint

I report from Fairwind Isle, where we toil to copy biological information from the library here. Knight Captain Dawes should be well-pleased to learn of our expansion into the wilderness west of Bonevale.

I recently distanced myself from the Holy Rollers and left them in the care of Fr. Cassian due to the unpleasantness around the burglary. I have prayed with the Father and found a path to forgiveness. Their efforts, while misguided, were taken from a good place. It still makes me angry but with time we should be able to continue our efforts to tame this wilderness together.

They reported some exploration taken on behalf of expanding the domain where they discovered pegasi and some intelligent tree. We departed to convince these creatures that it was in their best interests to work with us or move on. I had no desire to destroy them but we were settling that land one way or another.

We spent some time gathering potions to communicate with the creatures then headed out. Zimon had also procured some peppermints for the pegasi from Whole Foods, despite my disapproval of patronizing that clearly Chaotic establishment. The pegasi were willing to cohabitate as long as we did not bother their colts and fed them peppermints. Easy. The tree, I cannot pronounce its name or what it called its kind, agreed to exchange its cultivated bee honey for fertilizer and a peaceful grove. Easy. We planted our flag and carried on to the north.

After confirming no further threats remained to settlers, we collected some magic goo allegedly used for potion making and planted our flag there, too. We quickly doubled our territory and began planning a new coastal fortification to improve our trade.

An request had been made recently to rescue a scholar from captivity in the Sea Princes, coincidentally around the area where we had earned some renown for our heroism. We thought to investigate and see what could be done about it. The travel by sea was complicated a few times, but our captain was a stalwart example of his profession and got us to Fairwind in one piece.

Our experience on Fairwind was always an exercise in restraint as we were beset by injustice and corruption on every corner. For some reason, the rest of the party looked at me as though I would strike out at every petty criminal with my blade. I was certainly troubled by the culture we found ourselves in, one built on the backs of slaves and the cruelty necessary to maintain order, but I was also certain that I could not solve every problem in every land, particularly one without resources to support me. We were "behind enemy lines", so to speak.

Our regular inn and tavern welcomed us as heroes and Zimon got to work tracking down the scholar's missing texts while we sought to learn more about the scholar himself. It turned out he had been sold to a fighting ring run by a Mr. Candie, some aristocrat-coded arena boss, in order to run his books and was quite valuable. We witnessed a few fights, brutal affairs the details of which I shall not repeat and have confirmed all the worst things thought about the Sea Princes. Candie is a foul creature, deserving of any misfortune that comes his way.

Zimon tracked the texts to a local library owned by the Prince of Fairwind. When we were finally able to get an audience, we renewed our diplomatically friendly acquaintance with the ruler and got permission to copy the texts which we began immediately. Unfortunately, the Prince saw Candie as a valuable asset to the island. Diplomacy is a delicate and distasteful practice, where one must smile and nod and shake the hands of a man that in other circumstances would find himself holding the wrong end of your blade. We navigated that scenario as well as could be expected and found ourselves waiting on our scribes to finish their work.

The scholar is still a captive and I pray for the wisdom to find a way to set him free.

Knight Paladin Percival
Lord of Horizon
Fairwind Isle

Bloodfall 16

 

Grading:

Raylan: Excellent. Tracked, pointman, bold

Kirk: Excellent. Sought justice, honored the gods, combat medic.

Cathbad: Excellent. Engaged with what naturey stuff there was.

Gunnbjorn: Excellent. Bold, front line, led his men

Broderick: Excellent. Sought justice, honored the gods, bold

Ojisan: Excellent. Effective use of spells

Ormr: Excellent. Bold, front line

Lars: Excellent. Misunderstood benefactor, wrongly imprisoned. (no calculation in XP, missed delve while locked in the stocks)

Combat
Total XP:	1977
Cuts:	14
PC:	282.43

Zoos are Evil

Volnir the Skald's retelling around the crackling fire at a nameless drinking hole in Horizon:

It is our duty to honor the gods. I revere the Lawful pantheon, as all men should, and avoid the others, as wise men should. Only a fool antagonizes any of the gods without the power to back it up. So anyway, I joined the Holy Rollers as they sought to investigate The Order of the Enchanted Liopleurodon, a cult of liberal arts majors with pool noodles on their heads and strange notions of how much a mythical dinosaur cares about their devotions.

It was good fortune that brought us together. I was curious about this cult and encountered Fr. Cassian, Zimon, and June at the same festival. The solstice is a holy time for many of the gods, our blessed Pelor chief among them, and apparently this cult was aping that same behavior. One might consider it offensive to draw attention away from the true gods on the holiest of days, but I will leave that consideration to the holy men.

The veteran adventurers seemed convinced of the cult's evil nature, implying child abduction and worse, based on their experience with the Candy Mountain atrocity. Despite many attempts to uncover some hidden plot or machinations, they were eventually forced to admit that while goofy and misguided, the cult did not seem to display any overtly Chaotic tendencies. The most evil parts of the event were the unnatural performances the ensorcelled aquatic creatures were forced to give and the brainwashing of Zimon's hirelings that caused them to mutilate themselves in their fervor.

Fr. Cassian was disapproving enough for everyone and declared the cult anathema to his doctrine. I stuck by him as we left so as not to catch a stray excommunication. Zimon, on the other hand, swam out to speak with the magical dinosaur. Now, one does not simply call a hero of Zimon's stature a liar, so I listened with interest as he recounted that the creature did not seem to care about the cult's activities, held no interest in Law vs. Chaos, and indeed claimed to predate such things which of course is false as what could predate the Cosmic War? It was a wild tale nonetheless and I will learn from Zimon's flair for the theatrical.

Equipped with free merchandise like shirts and a foam octopus tentacle that June was waving energetically around, we set out to destroy evil. Now this is what I was hoping to witness, the famous party clashing against the wilds and imposing civilization on land lost to time. The hero Percival was not in attendance but I was assured that he was simply tending to matters of state as Lord of Horizon. What a great Lord we have here in Horizon, eh folks? Just the best.

Zimon on his fabled steed Springer scouted overhead, the horse's hooves clopping through the air as though on cobblestones. I hustled along in the wake of the mounted party, even their lowliest henchman on a steed of the finest birth. Oh, wait, no. I was now their lowliest henchman. But fret not, my time to display my value was at hand and I would earn my keep. And a horse!

Corpses, animated by foul magicks and stinking of the grave, sprang from the bushes nearby and attacked. Our first blows and arrows had no effect, their flesh protected from such mundane efforts, but Fr. Cassian employed a power above such petty concerns. With a bellowed command, half of the monsters' force fled, unable to withstand Pelor's holy light.

With my incredibly accurate crossbow fire rendered useless by their heinous unnature, I drew June's magical short sword from her belt and charged, joining the melee and striking down first one then another of the wights. Zimon and the rest made quick work of the rest and I returned the borrowed blade with shaking hands. I was truly a member of the party now, tested in combat and shamed only by the plainness of my armament.

The fantastic nature of adventure would rear its head repeatedly, our next encounter that of an aerie of the fabled Pegasus, beautiful, winged horses, majestic and exemplifying Law. The party's standard practice of destroying everything in their path was unacceptable here, and Fr. Cassian suggested we leave the creatures until we had the means to communicate with them. What wonders of the world, when you can speak with magic horses?

We camped beneath the branches of a massive tree, serene and tranquil under its canopy, and came to believe that it too was a fantastic creature of the woodlands. Again, Fr. Cassian kept us from anything rash and suggested we find a way to communicate with it at a later date.

Our continued travels brought us to an elven monastery, their strange symbolic script written over many of the walls and columns within. It was a formidable structure at one point, beautiful and impressive, but had fallen into such ruin as to be lost. My eyes could not have seen Fr. Cassian lick the wall thick with verdigris, that would simply be beneath one of such stature, but however it happened a magical secret door was revealed by a glistening, glowing outline on a nearby wall. I volunteered to strike a torch and descend the stairs beyond, discovering a storeroom of rusted and rotted remains of weapons, provisions, and the like. Tucked away in the debris was a shining steel and silver mace. I recovered it and passed it off to Fr. Cassian.

We left the monastery behind and headed for home. The field of floating blossoms nearby was declared a valuable magical component so we spent some time gathering as much of them as we could. I struggled to keep pace with the mounted group and hoped that my share of whatever we could get for the blossoms at market would get me a horse and a massage for my aching back.

And that's where you find me, friends, here with you now in our holy home. For another drink, I'll tell you of the wonders of...

Bloodfall 15

 

Grading:

• Cathbad: Excellent. Spells to aid scouting, cleared abomination from nature.
• Kirk: Excellent. Honor to the gods, combat medic, spell use
• Lars: Excellent. Risky scouting, saved lives by preventing surprise, good use of skills
• Dinklage: Excellent. Risky scouting, good use of skills, chasing hooks
• Pius: Excellent. Honor to the gods, spell use
• Broderick: Excellent. Bold, caller, thwarted evil
• Gunnbjorn: Excellent. Bold, leader of men
• Thorgal: Excellent. Bold, stood on honor

Combat
Total XP:	1020
Cuts:	14
PC:	145.71
Hench:	72.86

Bloodfall 14

 

Grading:

• Dinklage: Excellent. Scout, thief skills, dangerously curious
• Thorgal: Excellent. Scout, track, combat effective, caller
• Raylan: Excellent. Scout, track, combat effective
• Bud: Excellent. Scout, track, combat effective
• Kirk: Excellent. Sacrifice, heal, combat medic
• Gunnbjorn: Excellent. Frontline, combat effective
• Magnus: Excellent. Bold unarmored charge of trolls
• Broderick: Excellent. Bold, frontline, caller
• Ojisan: Excellent. Creative, cautious

Combat
Total XP:	8606
Cuts:	18
PC:	956.22
Hench:	478.11

Betrayal

It is with regret that I report an abject failure on behalf of my party, the Holy Rollers. Not only has their betrayal shown their weakness of character but also my ineffective leadership. It will take time to right this ship but such are the trials set in our path. It is through the crucible of life that we become harder, better, faster, stronger, more able to endure the pain of existence and ready ourselves for the after. I pray for the Light to guide us through the darkness ahead.

The new Scarlet Brotherhood converts were true to their word, working diligently to smuggle handfuls of slaves out of Port Julio in exchange for the fabulous gem in their possession. Unfortunately, we had many many handfuls of slaves to rescue and the longer we waited, the better the chance of interference from the locals. We sent pleas for aid out to our allies, receiving responses from the heretic BalaSoto in Bastia, Sheriff Kai Lan of Bonevale, and the smuggler Bandit.

BalaSoto volunteered to help us and sent ships immediately, Pelor bless him. Kai Lan refused aid citing concerns over starting a war, unsurprising that an uncivilized elf did not have the fortitude to do what is right. Bandit sold us berths on Cledus Snow's strange motorized sailing ship. Between them, we were able to much more rapidly account for the high head count and get underway.

The ghost ship The Shadow harried us as we sailed, heralded by the supernatural mists that roil in its proximity. It chased us and the much slower ships of BalaSoto's until I began to formulate plans on how to challenge it. By all accounts a futile effort but standing idly by was not an option. We hatched a scheme to draw it away from the slower ships and hope we could outrun it. Bandit reported "Smokey" up ahead, by which he meant the pirates that pass for the law in Monmurg, and we hoped to lure the two antagonist forces together and escape in the chaos.

After a daring bit of seamanship from Bandit and Snowman, our plan worked and The Shadow did indeed become satiated by the destruction of the two Monmurgian ships. Good riddance to them all. 

Some of the devout followers of Procan in the crews insisted that we stop to give offerings at a colossal statue in the middle of the ocean in thanks. I was glad to allow them to recognize a legitimate member of the pantheon when we were so often confronted with heretical petty "gods" during our adventures.

The rest of our travel was swift and uneventful, which the crews attributed to Procan whose domain is the sea, after all. That is all well and good but of course I know all thanks belong to Pelor. Kai Lan did not want the slaves moved through his village so we relied on the smugglers' knowledge of the coastline and they came through with a little cove sufficient for our needs. Coincidentally, it was the same location at which we were duped by the seamonster during the Candy Mountain fiasco. Zimon looked fiercely around for the creature but could not find it.

A short march saw us arrive in Horizon and I set my right hand Abraham to organizing the settlement of the new residents. Meanwhile, we needed to inform Danconia the Khajit that we were not going to sell him the gem that we recovered after all. It was clearly sent to me by Pelor to aid in his glorification and would be used as such. As soon as I could figure out how.

There was some complaining from June and Zimon, distasteful greediness that I attempted to sate with a frankly absurd offer to buy out their interests in the gem. They declined under veiled accusations of it being "cursed" and needing to "get rid of it", but I could see through the subterfuge. They simply wanted it for themselves. Danconia accepted my decision to keep my gem but demanded that I supply the gem's name. An absurd mockery from a skooma-addled up-jumped peddler.

We retired to our tree-top villa and rested after our long travel, the others' slitted, covetous eyes bothering me enough that I sought seclusion in my chamber. I awoke in the early morning hours and reacted to imminent danger, throwing my pillow in my place and drawing my sword from concealment. Finely honed adventurer's instincts saved me from being murdered in my sleep by a magically silent and concealed figure, hard to see in the darkness, creeping up to my bed.

I charged it, bellowing for the guards, and struck a mighty blow only to find that it was Zimon the bounty hunter, my friend! Betrayal! I was both angry and disappointed, but above all, cautious, as he is a capable warrior in his own right and had the upper hand what with me in my underwear and all. When June the Heathen rushed in to join the combat I knew the treachery was deadly serious. She grasped at me to take the gem and in the scuffle I sought escape through the only exit available to me. I dove out the window, the savage little fighter clinging to me and clawing greedily at the gem, and we both dropped the long way to the ground.

Stunned and bloodied the both us, she recovered first and struck out with her sword. When I awoke I was in chains and the thieves had handed over the gem to Danconia the Khajit, piss on his monstrous form, to get their blood money. Kai Lan arrived and correctly acknowledged that I was the wronged party. In my anger I demanded trial by combat, but settled for release to Horizon considering that I could not trust either of them to abide by any rightful laws of men.

I arrived to find an unusual welcome orchestrated by the magician Boblin, a choreographed dance routine by dozens of townsfolk. Clearly a distraction, I had him removed from my presence and retired to my quarters. Zimon and June both have contributed to the restoration of the fortress at Horizon and I have not yet decided upon an ultimate course of action. Until then, I have banned them from the headquarters and my immediate vicinity. I will focus on administering my rapidly growing domain and pray for guidance on how to heal from this betrayal.

Yours with heavy heart,

Knight Paladin Percival
Lord of Horizon