Czukays Journal

[pelordaes7]

Journal Entry #1
I woke up in a pool of blood this morning, whose blood was it? Oh no not again! Always hungry I reached for the blood stained armour sitting in the corner, I lick my lips. There is nothing like the taste of rotting monster flesh from the battle I stole their very soul with. The house in Prantz has acquired quite alot of bones as of late, tumbling around in a drunken state late of eve I frequently split my own skull on the sharp shards. Good thing I have my lantern, it talks to me you know. It feeds for the blood of the enemy, I have waking terror of it as I can't seem to stop the voices.

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Last eve something came over me and whilst not paying attention to whar' meh was swinging my schimtar of doom I killed a good freind by the name of Farros Galdor. I apologized to his lifeless body on the ground realizing what I had done. After catching up with his ghost I was later told that I knocked him down to the ground then continued to hack at him still having a bit of his song in my head. I do regret this , and send my regards to his family in Krandor if he has one left there.

On another note, I ran across some venturers outside of the Forest Giants at lake Corax. I could tell my presence was not wanted there due to the mumbles over their breath. As they insulted me, I noticed that there was one of their dead friends laying on the ground. Instantly the skull spoke to me and insisted I scoop up what remained of the fallens blood. I did just this and felt what remained of the soul surge through me as the skull burned ever so brightly. However, one of the venturers was not so happy with my actions and demanded I step away from her dead friend. At first I did not, then decided that I had once again made more enemies with my actions. Note to self, try to be a more bit discrete on your collection of blood for the skull.

I met with Bjornigar Irongots to possibly coax him into making me a shield in Hlint later that evening. I gave him the Iron necessary and he went to craft it for me, upon returning he demanded I put the ones symbol of whose faith I follow upon it. I gave him back the sheild and said you can go sell this instead. No hard feelings, I just refuse to be told what to do by anyone for I am the master of my own domain, besides I think the shield designs for the varying dietys look rather childish. I much rather prefer the dark webbed sheild of the Drow. Not that I like the Drow, although I have had some acqaintances with some, but I do admire their designs of darkness and patterns they work with from within their culture.

I was very happy to have rid myself of the Gloves of Athus for a noice' 30,000 trues to the Hilarname individual, I beleive that was her name, for I had heard of her mentioned in passing before. I would say she got a good deal, and am pleased she took those Holy gloves from me. The skull was not very keen of them.

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Journal Entry #3

Mental note - Do not feed the skull in public, the souls blood can wait until others have had a chance to pass by before I scoop the blood into the skull. The Lich must be fed or my skin begins to crawl like a sock filled with rotting maggots. I had some others over for dinner the other eve' it was rather nice, although I noticed some of the guests couldn't stand the sight or smell of the piled bones of rotting victims. It brought me great delight when some of them ate the stew I had been preparing for them as I then motioned my hands towards where the meat in the stew had come from.

I occasionally have run ins with people in Hlint who claim to somehow know I worship the nameless faceless dark sun. How they could know this is beyond me, for that is a secret that I keep to myself , a name only to be whispered alone in the darkest of crypts in early hours of the morn' This makes me wonder how people are finding out about my secret life with the god, for it has always been certainly just that.

I wonder what ever happened to my family in Krandor, perhaps I should go visit them, it has been years....I have a grave feeling I might not like what I find. I also have been being attacked by the messengers of my god. Ravens.....why this is is unclear to me, the messengers are killing themselves, perhaps I should go investigate the source of their flight....the temple of Corath. Next time I pass by that area I will certainly do just that, alone of course.

I have made quite a few conquests with many new faces in town, my goals in Hlint are to do just that. I do maintain decent relations with as many of the Hlintites that I may for I still feel the drawing of a balanced life. As I see it now, despite my horrid habits of flesh rending, I have managed to remain completely neutral with my connection to the heavens and the hells. I am surprised the gods hath not yet allowed me to ascend towards more the darkness as the emptiness there is what is so hungry. I will continue to try to find my path towards that of unbalance and chaos. As it were meant to be.

I have been selling ever sort of iron blade and ax I have in stock.....several thousands of Trues have rolled in over the weeks. I feel I may have what it takes to already craft some very nice admantium blades....it is just the matter of me getting to Firesteep. I shall have to look into this. It seems I will be getting a nice shipment in from Goldwin of blade enchantment 4th circle magicks as well as an admantium schimtar. I am tired of waiting for my other accquantaince Boon to come through with the order. I am also purchasing a noice cloak that Hrothgar found from him. It is that of the Glorious Mantle. I shall certainly hold onto it for a friend or some other higher bidder than what I paid.

I must get beyond the door in the Nameless dungeon....perhaps the Lich that I hear that lives there can give me some insight into the fate I have with my bloody burning skull. For what I understand is that it was a gift from a Lich, and a curse at that. That filthy Drow Unthuz! What has he condemned me with. Ack! It calls to be fed once more!


~Czukay

[pelordaes7]

Journal Entry #4

(Written with blood)

My daily toils have been steady. I have collected massive amounts of iron to work with for sheilds and armour. My skill has greatly increased in just a few days. Going into Haven mines is no longer a challenge , and from top to bottom I usually resurface with quite a haul of iron as well as on average 2500 Trues. The coffers are being filled with many iron tower sheilds. Just today I managed to make my first Iron Full plate. I am rather disgusted that I have dropped my Admantium sheild once again. Those certainly aren't cheap. I will have to talk to Lillian again about that.

The skull yearns for the blood of the fallen. Where does the blood go once I pour it into the crack atop the head. What made such a sever of the bone on the poor creatures head that I carry around with me now? Why does the skull make me feed it? Today, again I  was able to feed it fresh blood of someone by the name of Trill. I know not who the person was, but the voices and the patterns in the blood spurts have calmed for the time being.

Rane'win and Drogo are two who seem to think they can intimidate me. I challenged Drogo to the arena as he spurt his filthy elven mouth off at me. I told him how I feel about him speaking with me and also advised the smug swarmy buggart that it was unwise. He claims that I shouldn't stand near the trees in town with my vile skull. Had I done anything wrong a'fore he shot his mouth off to me, then I would have understood. I mixed up a nice batch of blood known to kill plant matter and hastily poured it on the tree trunk in town next to the bank and the benches. I hope the blood mixture will kill the tree effectively. I am not usually one to care much about gathering energy from nature and using to my advantage, but I might just have to start just to see to it that Drogo will hear the screams from the natural network he seems to be entwined with. It will be a glorious day, the day I scoop up his blood and roll around in his entrails. Perhaps I will scoop up what is left of him off the arena floor and spread its remains upon the depths of the Nameless Dungeon. A place I still have yet to see further into and meet what great evils lie beyond the vampires.

Rane'win decided that she would push me out of my chair whils't I say there in town. She did effectively. P'raps I let her though just because I wanted her close, her touch near me. I have powers I believe (or so tell myself) that allow me to steal energy with out killing. This is frowned upon by the nameless and faceless one, but if I am to remain subtle and develop my business in Hlint, my true life and calling must always remain a mystery. I merely suggested from the ground she pushed me unto that she ask me to nicely put the skull away, this took some time from her I noticed, she must have sensed an ulterior motive. In the end she gave in to my wishes by asking me in a fairly nice tone, and I was able to see that as a truce for the pull of power. I put the skull away, for I had already cursed the tree as it was. This was what I laughed at to myself. Chaos works in mysterious ways.Yet how much of a mystery is it really one must ask? *cackles a dry laugh as he coats the inside of helm with the blood of the fallen*

I have helped many these pasts weeks, was it to watch the weak die and perish? Or , was it so that I may gain something from it in the longrun? I ask myself this question. I still feel the need for great balance. How does one define this balance? The way I see it is Do as much Good as ye' doeth Evil and ye shall walketh the line of great balance. For, where there is dark somewhere there is light to maintain the opposites. I try this in ways of helping people in town by showing them the great splendors of the surronding lands, not being greedy with my Trues, and even going as far as healing them with my belts that I have obtained. In turn, I am able to collect many a giant heads and scoop out their brains and use the inner sanctum as a sort of cauldron to cook their eyes in. It works wonderfully, the eyeballs turn to a nice gelatin ooze over time, ye can even sew the top of the head back on after loading the head up with many delightful meats and toss several of them into a pot for quite a tasty broth I might add!

Me and Farros and have been gathering quite the amount of Topaz, Silver, and Gold Ingots for the Great Ozy. Just thee other day alone I managed to fill the Dalanthar mansion with many raw materials for Ozy. I see this as fair trade for use of his portal and also hope that it may in time turn into quite a profitable side trade of blade enchantments and many other various sources of income.

No one has been willing to sell me their firstborn children, nor is anyone willing to donate to my lie. The lie being that I am collecting for the orphans. This only brings questions, ones which I seem to have trouble bluffing. I need to come up with a way to gather children, the skull is demanding it! I am beginning to think that monster blood and the rarity of humanoid blood is nigh enough. It thirst is becoming insatiable, perhaps it is time I see beyond the great central continent....but I wonder if I am ready to even set foot on the outer eastern edge of the worlde. I think not.

I was discussing with Ozymandius the pillaging of a city, the overtaking of one. He asked me if I could have a city as mine, which would it be? I told him Arabel.He found this humourous and said he would like to see that one day. For that I would need an army. Perhaps in time, I will have such an army to follow me there.

The other day I bullied the dwarf that sells me my Hlintite crafting goods. I was quite drunk from the inn and had wandered over to pick up a few pick axes. He got smarmy with me, so I punched em' I very much so wanted to see his patterns of blood on the wall, but decided perhaps that was not such a good idea. That filthy dwarf has been over charging me for goods since I first set foot in that town, perhaps it becuase I am a human. I gave him a nice amount of business the next day for the black eye I had given him, he seemed more than gracious, and his prices were still the same.

I heard word that Unthuz the Drow had returned to town briefly and caused quite an uproar, if only I was there to get my hands around that filth mongers neck! I understand he threatend to steal some peoples lives there and "deliver them to the silent lorde"
Those wouldn't necessarily be my choice of words, but I must give the Drow commends for living as a true Drow should. If I were there I would shake his hand.

I now have to go prepare my famous stew, it is better the older it gets. With the right ingredients the putridness of the contents  can be masked. By ingredients I mean that of fingernails, eyeballs, brain matter, and a wide variety of guts and entrails collected from the realms. I look forward to my house party in Prantz soon, the stew has been brewing , yet still no guests. *Pours what remains of Trill into the Prantz mansion Cauldron, the smell is sickeningly sweet*

[pelordaes7]

Journal Entry #5

I awoke this morning with a mouthful of bone fragment dust clogging my air passages. I told that Skabot to gather the majority of the dead inside the house and keep them nearer the cauldron. I will have to dock my squires pay if he doesn't adhere to my wishes. I also need to discuss with him the preparation of the giants heads. He doesn't seem to understand that you must sew the scalp back on after having added the other ingredients of the other monsters entrails. The trick is to let the heads sit in the backroom where I breed the flies. I also might note that this is my bedroom. The flies lay their eggs inside the hollows of rotting giants' heads and create maggots in a few days...a favorite midnight snack of mine. Once there are enough maggots , the broken part of the upper giants skull is to be replaced nice and snug then the skin is to be pulled back up and over the skeleton. It is the sewing of the scalp that Skabot is leaving out and the juices are running out in the cooking process becuase of this. This will not do. I am docking my squires pay due to improper cooking procedures. He shall now receive 7 Trues a month for his work.

I had a vision of a force of power that will come to rise in Layonara. Our dealings will be that of power and destruction through the guidance of my own intent. I will stock its warriors with the weapons , shields, and armor of which have been crafted of my own hand...but what they will not know is that these items have been forged with the tainted ritual blood of the good fallen heroes of that of which I have collected with my ever so beloved burning skull. This will keep our mission true at heart and blacken theirs as well in the process. In the beginning there will be only my most trusted comrades who know of this brotherhood. Already I have a few in mind who will be able to see this vision turn reality through wealth. This wealth will be obtained from the lands resources and selling it back to the general populous via the market. This process has already begun. When we are ready, "The Brotherhood of Destruction" will do just that. Our goals will be none other than to undo all that is structured and right....all that is sweet and fuzzy....all that is living and breathing....all that is balanced and just. First, Arabel must be destroyed and I will require the treasures that lie within its coffers. Killing the Corathites will represent the epitomy of destruction at its heart. I do not know the consequences I will suffer, but in the killing of my own I will steal their souls and rend them for my own sick needs. Will Corath favor this, or be appauled at my actions? There is only one way to find out...and I am sure I will be able to fool many into following me into that battle. I am sure many out there would like to see the town fall...but they must not know my ulterior motives. All I wish to gain is favor in my gods eyes...I live to see the killing of my own.

Who will join forces with me? How will I decide who is worthy of being accepted into the Brotherhood? As of now I can think of ones I can trust and must approach them with the idea....that would be that of Skabot, Farros Galdor, Az-ptol, Alice Marshall, and Demitri Shadowstep should he fall ill to the insanity that burns within the rest of us. That would leave 2 more openings for the septagon force. Through that number will the mystery unfold and dark magick flow unto the world. We will unlock the gateway and unleash the demons and may the world suffer the dark ones wraith! *Cuts himself and draws seven pointed stars all over the walls for the next few hours mumbling to himself seven seven seven, the blood flows and the maggots wriggle and squirm there in the dark room of his Prantz mansion*

On another note, I have been very pleased with the pristine platinum full plates which I have been producing, this should make me alot of wealth should I find the potential buyers. I have asked Kinai Kensei to help me in the selling of these goods to the general populous and promised her a decent cut. Hector I have offered this as well, but I need to watch that Hector for the last dealing was a promised 25% which then turned into 50% . I was not pleased with this and this might affect  our future dealings.

And then there is the matter of the firstborn children, no one will sell me their firstborn children. I need them as slaves in the kitchen, as well as their blood in small doses for the rituals that lie ahead to unlock the 7 star. Perhaps I am not offering enough Trues.

*Licks lips at the smell of the giants head stew brewing*

[pelordaes7]

I have decorated my halls with manly fallen adventurers as of late. The walls are covered in their remains and this brings a quite a lurking sickeningly sweet smell to my homes. Kinai has been brining me some nice snacks as well, such a s forest of mists giants fingers necklaces, and recently a finely made new necklace of  gnoll toes. The gnoll toes are certainly more a delicatessen snack , preferred over the giants appendages. I find them both delectable however, and Kinai has found a way to my darkened heart through my stomach. I have decided to give her a key to the Haven house for use of the portal and also access to the chests there. I would hope she will be able to sell some of my platinum armours, iron shields , and iron weapons that lay in abundance there. Otherwise they just gather dust and the skin flakes that float around the those from the monsters I slew.

Tath has also offered me some smashed giant heads which he truly has turned into his own artform of punting and crushing under his boots. I once saw that buggart lop a giant head clear across a whole cavern, when it hit the wall its blood made a beautiful pattern of demons faces sneering and grimacing in the gloom of the cave. The heads he has offered me tasted quite good from the soup recipe the witch had taught me in the swamps outside Hlint.

Hrothgar has given me quite a treat from the blood of Millan which he collected for me down in the Haven mines. There were even chunks of flesh which he managed to mix into the brew inside his canteen. I feel I owe him a favor, perhaps something nice in return for the blood I was not there to collect. A weapon, or shield , or some armor perhaps.

I have met my soul mother in the great rift along with Praylor, it was quite a misfortune. I am never travel again with those that watched me fall and merely sat there while I was stunned in the drow priestesses green cloud. I counted to 16 at least stunned on the outer edge while 7 to 8 archers stood right behind me watching me bleed to my death slowly and surely. Perhaps they did it on purpose? This I shall remember though and will not forget. This is my sixth time now visiting with the soul mother and this means I will not be leading any more expeditions for quite some time. I will only travel with those I know and trust very well such as Skabot, Azptol, Demitri, Bjornigar , Kinai, Dur’thak, Tilli, and Gilli, Hrothgar, Gimli, Cassandra , Alice Marshall, Bakee, Celith, and Daralith and a select few others who I know will get my back in a situation where they know I would do the same for them.

There was a matter of me going to war with Arabel in hopes of becoming one of its great leaders, I was even thinking of killing my own kind in hopes of gathering favor with my dark god. I no longer wish to pursue this due to dreams I have been having. He would not favor me killing my own kind, but would prefer I remain in acquantaince with others who share my faith. I will not however join the church there in Arabel, and never will. I merely wish to continue keeping my faith very private and never talked about, my connection with my god is one that only I know and I alone. Never is his name to be mentioned for he is faceless and eternal, not even written about something which I am straying from now. Perhaps one day I will buy a house in Arabel and somehow find favor within the church by donating many wares , weapons, and shields, and armor in mass quantity. It is true Count hood I seek and maybe the high priestess of Corath would grant me this and overlook my unwillingness to worship there within the church. Hopefully we can come to some sort of understand through barter or the such.

I am now crafting admantium weapons, and small admantium shields…not yet tower though….one I need myself in fact. Hector sometimes I think takes advantage of my salesmanship and wants things sometimes that I had to go great extents to to get. I hope Hector understands that I can longer offer such amazing deals. I have equipped him with enough stuff now where I shouldn’t feel pressured to offer those deals again. I am debating over giving a thief like Hector a key to my house, I don’t know why I feel this way, but something about Hector is very shady…and people I give keys to my house should only be those I truly trust. I will have to think about this some more….enough people already have keys to my house, should something go missing, I would freak and walk out into town and kill an innocent myself in anger. This cannot happen. If hector wants a key, he will have to earn it, or offer me something of great value to obtain it.

*Walks over to the wall and peels off a week old rotting layer of flesh that was pinned there and begins to rub it over his flesh* Ah yes this should attract the monsters to me and the blood will run red into the ground as they scream in agony and I make them wallow in their own gutted selves. *An eerie wide smile reveals his sharpened blood stained teeth* Muwah hah hah hah Guwah hah hah hah Heh Heh Heh Heh.

[pelordaes7]

I write this last journal entry in my own blood and I also consider it my will. It has been the 7th time I have met the soul mother and know that there is no way I am every truly to become a Count. I should have listend to that dark voice in my head telling me not to venture with others you know not. but alas once more I have died to much and my soul is weak now. I leave all of my possesions to my squire Skabot Redwolf....both the Prantz mansion and the Haven house.

To all my dear freinds, this is goodbye forever. So see ye' in the next life ye swarmy buggarts! Think I will take up painting in the meantime.

[pelordaes7]

I hath fallen out of my legions with my deity. I know not anymore what it means to be a follower of Corath. My visions of darkness have turned to that of strange humanitarism, helping others in need, leading others to victory, giving what I can to others in hopes that it will strengthen them. My visions of dark granduer are no more, yet my own ill maggot of a brain still hungers for oddity. I dine on the strangest of things, tasting the blood of the world around me. I have become obcessed with collections of skulls which I continue to decorate my lovely abodes in...yet the haunting dreams of the dark nameless and faceless god hath vanished from soul leaving me to my own demise. I am lost and wandering in search of nothing and everything only seeking out an occasional fallen soul with this cursed skull I can't seem to pry from my grip. What is this burning skull of putridness? How do I unlock its powers, becuase I know it must carry a power of some sort for it glows when I smother it with the remains of fallen adventurers. *Laughs to himself thinking of all the Paladins whose mortal remains are mixed with maggots and rotting flesh of monsters within the confides of his beloved treasure*
I follow nothing , and in that void I find my piece of mind. *Czukay holds the skull high and cackles* I am never one to submit, I am never one to fear. My journey ahead to greatness shall be a path of my own choosing and not that of Corath...a god I never truly did get to know in its fullest. My dealings with the cult were of great interest and intrigue and I will always treasure them, yet I will never fit in to such a thing of great mystery...I wish now to obtain that which seems ever so attainable now, my Counthood, so my comrades can call me by such. Whatever I must do to gain such a title, I will do. I look to my companions now for their support and may their stomachs grow ever so stronger as they venture with me and my strange appetite for destruction and chaos...and GLORY!

[pelordaes7]

Journal Entry #8

*Written in the blood of many different types*

* He gets up to go pour some more blood into the hole atop the burning skull lantern aside his bedlike coffin of bones and rotting flesh. There in the candlelight he grabs his trusty blade by the name of Blackbeards Revenge and begins to sharpen it ever so carefully whetstone and fresh blood of todays kill at hand.*

At first there were rats and skunks then goblins then lizardfolk and ogres..spiders....The crunching and the crackling of their legs as the blade let fly....it wasn't then that Czukay knew his power he shared with each cut...each sliver....it wasn't until much later in his life of slaughter and battle that Czukay began to feel some sort of connection or pull....a yearning of such to connect with every cut of precision as yet the finest artisan yeilds thee brush, or thee most talented of bards woes the crowd in awe with such tune...Czukays outlet of soul was that of his scimitar....that was becoming his art...his life, his passion. The passion of every cut....the cleanest and deepest cut.

It wasn't until meeting Kurn Blackwater that Czukay began to really understand the connecting of oneself to ones blade....a way of extending the soul beyond the flesh.  Czukay would always listen ever so carefully as Kurn explained the techniques involved with honing oneself and focusing the energies to each strike.

Many nights camping in the regions surronding Dalanthar did Czukay venture with Kurn listening to descriptive details about monster and humanoid anatomy....knowing where to put the blade is knowing part of their weakness....knowing how to focus oneself unto the blade and the cut is yet another...he explained...

Czukay could only hope one day to to learn such tact for himself....he continues to ponder this idea countless nights, finding himself waking up at odd hours of the day to disrupt his rest....almost as if Blackbeards Revenge is singing something to him, telling him how to find the deepest cut.

* The lantern wafts out and Czukay falls into a deep slumber with his blood stained blade strewn across his heart *