[geloooo]

Journal Entry Number Twenty-two

I set off to hone my skills on top of the hill near Haven, and upon crossing the Stormcrest Crossroads I saw a familiar sight, one that I have not seen in a long time. It was X, and he has been gone for quite some time now; I didn’t bother asking him why he disappeared, but rather I was just pleased to see him again. We conversed much, and I informed him of how I was faring on the surface world. He was the first human to have shown me such camaraderie, perhaps it’s because we both think alike, and come to think of it, it didn’t even bother him that I was a Dark Elf. If ever I was to rise in power, he could be my majordomo, provided that his skill will be of use to me.

X taught me a few trade skills that I may be able to use that way I won’t have to spend as much money. He taught me that chickens yield eggs, and that eggs are a valuable commodity, they’re used for alchemy or so I’ve heard. Purchasing a few fishing rods as well as a few necessities, we set off to fish, regardless of my disdain for such a minuscule task. We were about to leave when a person caught my attention, he was clad in ominous robes and sported a simple staff; X went on without me while I stayed a while and conversed with the man.

He said he was interested in me, and that he wanted to learn more about me. He was the person whom Skabot mistook me for, and his full name was Daralith Del’Mar. Fresh off of the debacle in West Gate, I was still weary and fearful of everyone around me, especially Daralith whom I saw as someone who would not hesitate to kill me for satisfaction. He kept on asking me abrasive questions about myself as if I was being tried on court, and eventually he asked me what I was, what was underneath my hood. He seemed powerful and I willingly indulged him, taking him to the docks, behind the mausoleum, I showed him my face. He was not bothered at all but rather, he was amused, and he even spoke in the Dark Elven tongue! He was another Dark Elf, and I presumed him to be as powerful as Alantha, but I might be mistaken. He was pleased and kept on asking questions about me, and with a slight show of resistance he would threaten to use “other” means of getting information. A malevolent force to be reckoned with, I played along for now and answered all his questions. In the middle of our conversation, a spider crawled from his sleeves and entered my satchel. I scoffed at him and I presumed him to be a servant of Baraeon Ca’Duz who has come to root out all the Dark Elves on the surface. As always, my rage consumed me and controlled my tongue, and I was wrong, he did not come to kill me. The spider was his servant, a means of communication between him and I, and whenever I needed help, his servant will deliver my message of need to him. Someone as powerful as him would be beneficial to my survival, but siding with him would me forever amongst my other surface companions. This is hard, I do not know what to do, my allies are dwindling, and my enemies seek to destroy me. Where are my supposed allies anyway?

Parting ways, I decided to try my hand in trying to kill a few Goblins near Hlint. Approaching the camp, I was joined by a number of people I’ve accompanied before, and together we made short work of the Goblins with efficiency and speed. We were about to leave the caverns when another party led by Azaionna joined us, and this time we were to venture down a harder cavern, the mines in Haven. We were about to leave when Fehriel’s consort, Emry, joined us; She wasn’t too fond of me, and only saw treachery with my every move, she’s not that different from the lot of them. The mines were very dangerous and the Gnoll shamans were capable of unleashing Cloudkill spells which slew a couple of our companions in one instance. We managed to kill their leader, and we were on our way to the surface, I was saving my spells and I only casted support spells on my companions as well as spells that hindered enemy advance on us, but apparently, it was not enough for Emry. She kept complaining that I was not doing anything but rather I was just watching from the sidelines. It was the perfect time for her to divulge that I was a Dark Elf, and her hatred towards me fueled her even more; I was overcome by rage as well, and I threatened to kill her. She was empowered within the mines because she had the approval of most of the people who accompanied us as well as the protection of Fehriel, and by revealing me, she has damned me.

I was alone and insecure within the presence of those people, people I healed, people I enchanted with my spells, people I fought with, people I protected, and she shattered my image in front of them. Fehriel defends her with unrelenting vigilance; he defends me from people that judge me by my looks, and yet he lets her scoff at me and slander me in front of everyone, how hypocritical. He eventually scoffed at both of us for bickering, and it did not matter for she still has the favor of the majority. If she gets in my way again, I shall show her what real magic is and without any remorse. A flurry of thoughts and emotions overwhelmed me, fear and hatred for the most, and I fled the mines under the Invisibility spell and left before experiencing further persecution and harm.

I stayed in Prantz for a few weeks or so, and from time to time I went to Mistone to visit the Card Emporium. While staying at Mariner’s Hold, I’ve heard rumors about automatons wreaking havoc at a small town called Lan’s Port. I decided to pay a visit to the town in hopes of learning about the automatons and maybe even improve my knowledge on golems. Melana accompanied me, and to our surprise, “goggles” was there along with her friend who tried to knife me. Fehriel was also there, and he was a drunken mess, something must have happened between him and his consort. Melana and I were clinging on to our lives, and we concluded that so long as we help the group and keep our input to ourselves, we were safe. From time to time we would get piercing glances from “goggles” and we would just mind our own business and focus at the task given to us. We laid waste to the automatons and apparently, they weren’t really harmless at all, but rather they were harvesting in the fields. We found a door near the hills, and examined it with all our ability. Examining it too much, “goggles” fell into the door and was trapped, and in an attempt to free her, the various users of the Al’Noth attempted to destroy the door with destructive spells and devices. Eventually the door didn’t last too long, and “goggles” was spat out, she came out injured, probably because of the destructive magic; it was very amusing, Melana and I watched in amusement as “goggles” was nearly killed by her own companions. Leaving the door alone, we found another device near it; it was a pedestal that had letters on it, most of which formed different words, bickering amongst themselves on which word to choose, they eventually came to choose one and another door was opened. We ventured inside and examined all the rooms, we fought powerful golems as well as other constructs, and we found the bodies of two people, killed by a golem called the Juggernaut. Moving onwards, we discovered another golem, this time it was capable of partial speech, and was damaged in its attempt to protect its master from the Juggernaut golems. Only two Juggernaut golems were created, one was destroyed by the golem we were speaking to, while the other was dispatched by us. We spent a long time conversing with the golem, “goggles” was constantly trying to aggravate it by trying to elude it, and it kept us from conversing properly. Eventually, the wizard Timulty fixed the golem and we were able to move onward. We found ourselves within a small library, and we met a peculiar old man who kept on phasing in and out as if he was a ghost. As always, “goggles” was being as rash as ever, and it kept us from having a straight conversation with the stranger. Partially, we learned more about the stranger and the realm we were in; he was a master golem crafter, and centuries ago, he was developing a new kind of golem, the Juggernaut golem. Apparently, the Juggernaut golem became faulty and killed him as well as his apprentices. Aside from golems that were used as weapons, he also developed automatons that would tend to farming. He showed us how to de-activate the constructs, and Fehriel willingly volunteered; it was a simple task, he just had to press a rune, but as he pressed it, he was struck back, and apparently something was wrong. The stranger finally realized that he was dead, he mentioned something regarding The Source and why he still lingered on, but before he was able to say anything, he phased out completely. I left Lan’s Port disappointed, but at least Mel and I managed to leave safely, but with sufficient information for the time being.