Diary of a Dark One

[Deacon]

Entry - 1

My first day on the surface was one of discovery.  The light that is not present in my former home is a pain to my eyes, and I feel that I may not be as strong as I am supposed to be until the fall of darkness every night.  I also discovered that my heritage alone brings me many enemies, but I care not.  Let them come!

The rumors of war in the town of Hlint, a war being spawned by my Dark Elf brethren does not bode well for future relations with any of the patrons of the town.  However, I did encounter one worthy soul while in the town.  While some human and I were arguing over religion (the infidel did not know the Lord of Spiders), a human named Plenarius set the record straight.  He is worthy enough to know the name of Baraeon Ca’duz.  Worthy, but I do not like it.

After I was done with those humans, I went to the outskirts of town, and hunted down some goblins.  In the daylight the ruffians proved quite a bit tougher than the slaves we had in the Underdark.  It is only a matter of time before they all know my wrath, and the very mention of my name will strike fear in the hearts of all darthir...

[Deacon]

Entry - 2

Today I encountered the first Dark Elf I have seen since coming to the surface.   My joy soon turned to lament after talking to her though, because she has fallen from the path of darkness.  She claimed Az'atta as her goddess, and renounces the ways of our kin.  She is a worthy one, just because she is a Drow, but she is not of like mind.  I must watch my step around her though, for she looked as though she can easily take down a dracholich.  

She has decided to fight against the Dark Elves in the upcoming war, while I will stay neutral.  I do not feel it is my place to fight the war on the surface because the guild that fights the humans and traitors are not to be trusted.  The vile wretches are the same who drove me from the Underdark.  I may find myself driven to assist in the attack, if the price is right.

Also, I encountered a big, lumbering giant while in the sewers underneath the town the surface dwellers call Hlint.  We joined together and killed the Rat Man and returned some trivial book to a woman outside of the sewers.  I do not care for the taxes of that petty town, but I do like the coin she provided when we completed her task.  Perhaps this giant, who called himself Log, can prove useful again sometime in the future...

[Deacon]

Entry - 3

After completing the sewer quest with Log, I encountered a second Drow female.  This individual is also a traitor to our kin.  This one claims Lucinda as her deity, and supports the humans and darthir in the upcoming war.  I still have been undecided in my decision as to where I fall in this war.  But, with the apparent abundance of support for the infidels, I may be convinced to join their side.  However, I still need to know what the incentives are before I make my final decision.

Log and I had another adventure together.  The big oaf doesn't know who he is dealing with, he just knows 'Smash scelatins!.'  And that we did, as we traveled into the crypts to retrieve some bottle of ointment for the Hlint Undertaker.  The final battle was indeed great, and Log once again proved that he can be a good ally to exploit.  He saved my life quite a few times in the course of the fighting.  Lord Baraeon also granted me new knowledge, and I feel stronger and more ready to take on challengers.

After we had returned, I went to the North of town where I collected some cotton.  I figured while I am stuck on the surface I might as well learn some of the crafts of the surface dwellers.  I went to the craft house with my sewing kit and made four rolls of cloth.  I then attempted to make some patterns, but failed to utilize all four pieces of cloth.  I came out with only one pattern, but I am now more renown in the art of tailoring.

After I was satisfied with my work, I went to talk to the quartermaster to see if he had some work for me to do.  I was tasked with collecting the ear of some goblins, and I set out to the west.  I collected the right amount of ears in a short matter of time, and the quartermaster paid me handsomely for so easy a task.  After the days adventures, I decided to lay down for the night, eager to awaken for the next days trials...

[Deacon]

Entry - 4

Today I made it a point to try and craft a cloak.  After collecting many puffs of cotton, I made my way to the Craft House.  I used my tailor's needle and sewed together about eight parcels of cloth.  After I completed the cloth, I made two cloth patterns, and was left with six parcels of cloth, with one pattern for each set of two (I had already had a pattern made from the day before) I went to the dummy across the room.  However, I was unsuccessful in all three attempts to weave the cloak.  I just cannot figure out how to get that last stitch to work correctly...

Today I finally made my decision as to which side of the war I will take.  Even though I am not extremely happy about either alternative I have, I have decided to fight on the side of the surface dwellers for a few reasons. First, the surface dwellers appear to have the most numbers, and I am not one to fight against an army of that magnitude.  Also, even though Baraeon would protect me no matter what side I chose, I feel that I will have a better chance of surviving the ordeal if I fight for the darthir.  Another, and final reason for my decision comes from the fact that these same Drow who are determined to attack Hlint, also drove me from my home in the Underdark, and I am always on the lookout for a proper revenge on those scum...

[Deacon]

Entry - 5

Today was another day of discovery.  I found out how to modify my armor to my liking, and it also has some usefulness to it as well.  The sleeves that were hindering my freedom of movement have now been removed, allowing my movements to be much faster.  Then, I added a cape around my shoulders, which will aid me in becoming one with the shadows because it masks the shape of my body when I hide in the shadows.

After I had my armor suited to my liking, I ventured to the middle of Hlint to see what trouble I could stir up.  I was about to cause mischief to some humans, when a Drow shot me in the back with an arrow.  Luckily the arrow just grazed by me, and I was able to alert the others to the attack.  Soon, the Inn was crawling with the wretches, but they were soon cleared out.  Many theories abounded as to why this attack was launched, but I know the reason for this attack.  The Drow sent this group as a probe, to see how the defense of the town measured up to their skills, allowing them to know the proper number of warriors to bring with them in a much larger attack.

Moreover, some human was trying to figure out the meaning of some letter that was left by a Duergar Mage.  I had little care for this trivial matter, but I stayed with the group while the Priestess of Ilsare and this human deliberated.  Apparantly, the Drow are after some worshipper of Ilsare, or they have some vendetta against Ilsare herself.  There must be some kind of insanity driving these Drow to attack, because there is no reason for them to leave their home to attack the darthir on their own turf.  I have prayed to Baraeon, and I know that he is not with them, and this war will be a hard fought one, but the Rogue Drow Assassins will not prevail...

[Deacon]

Entry - 6

Today started like any other, after collecting my cotton, I went to the Craft House to try and make some cloaks.  After all, I have decided to open up a shop selling cloaks to those who cannot make them their selves.  Anyways, the first thing that happened was my sewing kit broke.  No problem, I go and buy another and get back to work.

After making 2 cloaks, I decide it's time to make something different.  So I venture to the east side of the darthir town Hlint, and hunt down the badgers who call the forests their home.  I collected two of their skins, and went back to the merchants to purchase the required materials to make the skins into leather.  I successfully made one of them into leather, and then made some pouches.  However, finding no use for the pouches I just threw them away.

After this happened, I went back to the forest to collect more cotton.  When I made it back to the Craft House, my Tailor's Needle broke, and by this time I was angered.  I went to the Merchants, and discovered that the bloody Dwarven merchant by the name of Semli charges way too much for replacements.  Only one thing kept me from slitting the short pestilence there on the spot, and that was an oath I made between Baraeon and I to not strike down any citizens of Hlint, at least until the Rogue Drow group was taken care of.  

Maybe another day Semli...[/b]

[Deacon]

Entry - 7

It's been a few days since I last wrote in this book, but thing have gotten kind of hectic around Hlint.  The war last weakened was an easy victory for the darthir, as Baraeon told me it would.  The darthir are oblivious to my true intentions in joining their futile war, so all was a huge success.

I have gained more knowledge in my travels, and feel much stronger than before.  The goblins who reside outside of town are quickly becoming trivial when I go out to attack them.  The only thing that keeps me going out there is the coin they drop.  After buying some tanning acid to make some leather, I have gone all but bankrupt.  I wish there was a way to brew my own acid.

Also, I finally made contact with one of dark descent like me.  This worthy one's name will remain unknown, but the news told by her brings a fire to my heart.  There is going to be some dark business going on deep in the shadows, and I'm am eager to be a part of it.

[Deacon]

Entry - 8

It was time to see what this letter I received was all about.  I ventured into the Crypt to find a single individual waiting for me.  The words he spoke were in riddle, but simple enough to decipher.  I followed the instructions he gave me and was met by the Dark Priestess, of whom I have already spoken of.  She invited me into a house where the meeting was to be held.

Once Inside I noticed I was not the only one who had solved the riddle.  There were two humans and one Drow, who I find more worthy than any of the others.  They spoke of a renewal of the olden days, back when the Drow could walk freely on the surface.  With those words I allowed myself to be included in this meeting, instead of striking them all down for wasting my time.

Once everyone had been let in on why the meeting was called, the human who gave me the riddle, whose name will never grace my lips unless it be in secret, summoned me and the other Dark Elf into another room.  This new room, had blood on the center of the floor, telling me this was a room of ceremony.

Next the two humans were brought in, and they underwent a conversion ceremony to the Lord of the Undead.  Corath and Baraeon are once again working as cohorts.  The darthir had better watch themselves, for we will reveal ourselves soon enough.

After we had finished the meeting, it was decided to go search out some sapphire from the caves of the north.  We set out, four of us did for the north where we crossed a huge ocean on a boat and came to the Barbarian Islands.  We traveled many miles until we finally made it to the caves where we were confronted by a great number of kobolds.  They were easily dealt with; however we failed to find the sapphire we so desired to find.

On our way out, we were ambushed by the wretches, and they almost overtook us all.  Luckily the Dark Priestess was there to revive me after I had fainted, for I would have surely frozen to death in the tundra.  We made it back to the docks of the Barbarian Islands without any scratches which is where I write in this book now.  I wonder what adventures tomorrow will bring...

[Deacon]

Entry - 9

Today I had a talk with the Dark Priestess and two kinsmen of mine.  We discussed happenings of the Alliance that was made in the shadows and also of two who should be watched.

A new kinsman of mine came to Fort Llast, one who goes by the name of Albert something.  I do not trust him, he spies.  I do not know who he spies for, as he might be spying on us just like he spies on those we want him spying on.  He did have information that I needed to know however.  He told me of our motivation in this Alliance.

I grow tired of waiting, sooner or later I might have to do something drastic to jump start this war...

[Deacon]

Entry - 10

Turns out living with these wretched humans has some good effect on me after all.  I can now speak in the common tongue with no worries about messing up the sentence structure.  This makes it all the better so that the humans in the Alliance can understand my words.

With that being said I issued an open warning to a group of citizens talking about the Dark Sun and a red fog that had appeared around the crypts.  Using their confusion to my advantage,  I came in under the shadow of darkness, to mask my approach then I spoke in the most fluent accent of common.  The warning stated that the followers of the Dark Sun also have the support of the Lord of Spiders, thus the ridicule and hatred towards them is also directed at the Dark Elves, a much more dangerous enemy than the humans.

Whether or not the warning did any good to spur the fear into the humans hearts I do not know, but now they know where my heart lies, and it is only a matter of time before the minions of the dark are unleashed on them all...

[Deacon]

Entry - 11

I have come to realize that the life I had been living was not what the Lord of Spiders wanted for me.  Through hours of meditation and prayer, he has revealed himself to me.  He has instilled in me the love of all poisonous things, also called the Lethal Arts.  I must learn more about this craft.  It intrigues me to know that my own Lord's chosen minion carries the vary thing I so desire.  How things work like that...

My appearance has even changed to match this change in demeanor.  I have stripped down the leather on my armor to only the torso and shoulders, and I now wear a kilt which allows a greater freedom of movement than before.  The cape, which at first seemed to be a good idea, has been replaced by a pack, the same pack in which I carry all my belongings.  I crafted a leather hood from the skin of a deer that I killed and skinned myself.  And I wear no shoes.  This change comes at the notion that on floors inside and in the grass outside, bare feet makes less noise than the squeak of leather shoes.  The most striking change is the new choice in color.  While black still rules the majority of the coloring, a dark green hints at my poisonous desires...

I also met another worthy one today.  Calls himself Barravelve and he serves Baraeon.  He will never be trusted, yet I told him of the Alliance.  Now I must pass his name on to those who so desire to get more allies in the Alliance.  I told him a dear secret, and still, my eyes will ever be on that one...

[Deacon]

Entry - 12

Children, a bane to me.  Nothing would make me happier than the run my blade through them all.  Yet, the Lady Chanda requested counsel with one of them, and a Dark Elf even.  Anayama was her name, and she had been going through some troubles.  

Aeridin, the weak one, has abandoned her, and it is not a surprise, since he is not strong enough to compete with the forces now at work in Hlint.  Chanda could not speak the Undertongue, and that was all Anayama understood.  I acted as a translator, a profession I find tedious and boring.  Chanda tried to convince Anayama that the Black Sun would not abandon her as Aeridin had, and that through him she could learn power and strength.

When they were talking Kit, another Drow of influence under Baraeon joined in the conversation.  Since he is more learned in the ways of the humans than I, he was chosen to tutor the child in history and in the common language.  Perhaps with time, she can come to join us in our cause.  I find it a waste of time, because children are not strong, but Chanda senses much power within her.  Humans...

[Deacon]

Entry - 13

The New Year has come, and the old has passed.  I guess it's a time of joy, but I fail to see any joy in spending a whole new year in a world that is strange to me.  This world is not the Underdark, and I miss my home.  The yearning I feel inside of me has only gotten stronger as the days pass, and I fear that I will soon need to go into the darkness again.

I have recently been traveling with Kit, and Nethro who have both showed me a lot of what they know of this Surface.  The Dark Elf recently took me to Fort Himlad to deliver a letter.  He wants me to open a door for him, to retrieve some mushrooms.  I am eager, because he is not the only one who seeks these mushrooms, perhaps I can make a profit from retrieving those blasted fungi...

[Deacon]

Entry - 14

I do dislike most humans.  But I am desperate for gold.  Rufus Coldfinger, the patriarch of the Alliance, has agreed to sell me a particular set of leather armor and a couple rings.  The price he set is a fair one, at the cost of 5000 for the whole package, but I am a poor dark elf.  I had just a few coins when I found this group and traveled with them.  Most of them human, and all of them, save for Nethro were humans I do not care to travel with.

That being said, we went on a long and dangerous journey.  We came to the Dire Woods, and killed the spiders, whose poison I vowed to Baraeon to use against those who struck them down.  Then we came to a place called Berhagen, which was infested with giants.  The giants proved no match for these who wish to be considered worthy.

We then made our way back to Fort Hope, and came to the Far Reach Forest.  There were more giants in that forest, and I will never forget the cries they bellowed out on their last breath.  We also encountered a creature that I would like to have as a pet, but know will never be possible.  The Werewolves we killed there were quite acrobatic and I consider them to be a creature of grace.

I also found some spotted fungi with Kit, he seems to need them.  Getting in was no trouble, but the minions inside seemed pretty strong, however Kit used a spell to shield us from their eyes.  He gave me a vial containing the poison from a Dire Spider, and it will certainly prove to be useful in the months to come...

[Deacon]

Entry - 15

Murder.  The word holds little meaning to me, especially since I made my living killing others in the Underdark.  Some kill for fun, some for revenge, other times to defend myself.  But none of the times I felt remorse for those who I slaughtered.  That is why I am wondering why these humans consider it such a vile thing.  The value they put on life amazes me.

Maybe the value comes out of something that is rarely felt in Drow, at least those who grow up in the Underdark.  The feeling I am talking about strikes at any moment, and it takes no prisoners.  The feeling is of course something these humans refer to as 'love.'  I do not care what it means, nor do I care to feel it, but I believe love is why these humans fear death.  The fear that they feel for the eternal rest is the motivation behind their value in the life of their peers.

That is why I viewed today's happenings with minimal interest.  The humans were concerned because there appears to be a murder in the city of Pranzis.  The whole ordeal struck me as almost ridiculous, and I saw some of the investigative work as tedious and time consuming.  Time that could have been spent sharpening my swordsmanship or mastering the Lethal Arts.  However, I was intrigued by one thing.  This 'Dark Figure' that was seen in the town shortly after the murder occurred.  I am interested in this one, perhaps we can come to some sort of agreement against these humans, or perhaps I will just kill him to gain more power.  Only time will tell what will become of the mystery in Pranzis...

[Deacon]

You turn the page but something falls out of the diary.  You bend to pick it up and notice it is a page of the diary that has fallen out.  You check the date and realize that it was written shortly before Caldiir came to the surface.  You continue to read:

Trial by Fire

The traitors had finally done it.  House Eo'wyn has finally been removed from the Underdark.  I am the only one remaining, and that is as it should be.  I was a lieutenant of the Patron Father, but he is dead as well.

The sheer surprise of the attack was a shock.  They hit with such force that we were caught totally unprepared to counter.  I will detail the events that transpired on this night here, that when the House Eo'wyn returns to power we may learn from the mistakes:

It started like any other day; I awoke to the feeling of crawling on my forehead.  The spiders of the Prince of Hate awaken me every night now, reminding me of whom I follow.  Even though the night, if you can call it that, was still young, I dared not sleep.  Baraeon does not like it when his agents are called and fail to answer.

Within seconds I was atop the roofs, looking down on the buildings belonging to House Eo'wyn.  Nothing seemed out of place, but Lord Baraeon does not make mistakes.  I continued through the shadows until I came to the main house.  The roof was unusually warm this night, so I cut a hole through, and peered in.  

There were the agents of Az'atta, dressed in their armor burning the altars to Baraeon and the most powerful of our wizards on the ground, slain before he could chant the first of his spells.  The stealth they used surprised even me, knowing that the females of Vierdri'ira were known for their strength in battle and not their graceful movements.

This made little sense to me.  The females were certainly followers of Az'atta, the carvings on their armor made that clear.  However, they would never openly attack an establishment of Baraeon, they are often on good terms with each other.  Then I noticed the source of the confusion…illithid.  The tentacle-faced mind-controller was watching from his floating perch.  

That still made little sense.  Certainly the illithids were not allies of the Drow, but never would they openly attack a Drow establishment unless there was some gain of their own accord.  The mystery is one beyond my sheer understanding…

That is all I can remember from that night.  After I reached the revelation that the illithids were helping the females, I was hit with a fit of spells from the very creature that I considered equal to me.  When I awoke, I was far from the city, and alone in the Underdark.  Why had the illithid let me live, but even more important, why had it attacked the House Eo'wyn…

[Deacon]

Caldiir opens the dusty book, after not using it in a while.  Some recent developments must be written down, and he jumps at the opportunity.

Entry - 16

The faces.  They are everywhere.  Faces I have never seen before, humans are eager to adventure but know nothing of what they need to fear.  They threaten those who need not be threaten, and they act as if they are epic heroes summoned by their gods to save the world.  I am here to keep that from happening...

These humans do not have the power to stop me, and I will not allow them to threaten me any longer.  I will act out as I feel necessary to keep these darthir in their place.  Baraeon has sent me this task, and I will not fail him.

[Deacon]

Caldiir digs through his pack and pulls out a book that has a considerable amount of dust on it.  He opens it to find his own handwriting lining the pages, and discovers that it is his old journal, a journal that he decides to write in again, after a long spell away from the surface lands.

Entry - 17

I have come to understand why these humans fear us.  It's a sense of the unknown and a lack of control.  They do not fear the oxen they control, because they know that the ox will do their will.  The Dark Elves are by no means controlled by anyone, except perhaps their deity, and sometimes even they decide not to follow their own god.  It is that sense of control, or the lack there of, that drives the fear the humans have for fear us.

It is this reckoning that leads me to believe that the humans might one day make perfect slaves for our people.  They are able to think and adapt for sure, but never will that fear leave them, since the control they so desire will never come to them.  The humans fear us, yet they do not understand that the fear they exhibit also keeps them alive.

My actions of late have been very trivial, I have collected a set of rings and a suit of armor from Rufus, a most worthy human.  He was feeling generous one day because of the actions of his agent and decided to give them to me instead of forcing me to pay for them as we had previously agreed.  The price was hard for me to match, since the humans fear me so as to refuse to buy anything that I had to sell.  I have spent most of my time dyeing, and sewing the armor to my liking, but I have finally made it the way I want it.  

There is a meeting of the Alliance this eve, I do not know what the meeting will bring, but I look forward to attending...

[Deacon]

Entry - 18

It is amusing.  It amuses me that the humans base so much upon appearance, that they do not realize the truth that stands before them.  This holds true when I created a new identity that I call El'barand, a ranger in the service of Folian S'pae.  The humans do not doubt that he does indeed serve that weak deity, and it allows me to move freely among the darthir.

It is as this guise that I acquired my new bow.  I was told to seek out a man named Enzo, because he was a master bowyer.  I met him by the well in Hlint and we discussed how I might purchase a bow from him.  The price was a trifle larger than I think it was worth, but the humans have no sense of value such as the Dark Elves.  However, I do have a new bow, and can't complain.

I am worried though.  Not out of fear, that would never come into my heart, but worried that my charade might be cut short.  There is a man, whom the humans called Celgar that sensed that I was a Drow, even though I was covered from head to toe.  This is interesting, perhaps I can learn more about him to prevent his prying senses from giving me away...

[Deacon]

Entry - 19

The image of slaying undead suits me well.  They are the minions of Corath, but I do not trust that one.  His followers in the Alliance are tolerable, but I would betray any of them should the opportunity arise.  I would expect nothing less from them.  That is why it was with such delight that I met up with my brethren Ktonosrosin for some undead hunting in the forest the humans refer to as broken.  

The undead proved no match for either of us, especially since Ktonosrosin could transform into a troll.  My new bow was working to perfection, and the zombies were taken ot rather simply.  I thoroughly enjoyed piercing their bodies with the arrows I shot at them.  My aim has improved to the point where I can hit within a pin hole from several paces away.

After a bit of rest, we parted ways having done away with the remaining undead.  On my way back to Hlint, I was approached by the Drow who calls himself Albert.  He reeks of onions, and it is unpleasant to be around him.  I should have killed him then and there for making himself so obvious, but I restrained myself.  He requested that I give him back the key to the Alliance safe house.  I gave it back to him, even though it would have been delightful to see him suffer.  In return, he gave me a bag of red sand.  I thought it was an ordinary bag of sand until I noticed a glow emanating from it.  I sprinkled the bag over my leather armor, and noticed that the glow remained.  I am grateful that the glow is a dim light, or else it would jeopardize my ability to sneak around.

I have heard nothing from the Drow that approached me in the sewers so long ago.  I do not care much, since I was not interested in seeking him out in the first place.  I wonder when I will be able to return to the Underdark, I do grow weary of staying on the surface...