(On inside cover, in charcoal) "puggys bok"

[Honora]

More later on Explorers group.

Been training the kids at Hope House.  Most of them are great.  A few are having problems adjusting but Jil is so patient and for an older kid it's so hard to think about not having your parents anymore.

I'm working with Aubrey more than the others.  She's a little firebrand always moving and strong but serious as well.  She's lightening up though.  It's possible her family is still alive since she said that the dwarven guards took them and thank the gods she didn't have any brothers or sisters.  I'm going to take her home to Center.  I think Inirine and Heinrich would be good for her not to mention the kids and Lily.

Jil is opening up for adoption too.  I'm home a lot now...  

Can't seem to find Maev anymore, so I'm not holding the room.  Aubrey'd like her own space she's almost that age now.  And Shar'yn would be good company she could still help her and Jil with the other kids.

I'll ask her.

[Honora]

We had a long talk. Aubrey is so excited that I would give her a home I had to hold her back. I had to tell her some cavat caveats to the deal. Going to write them down so I don't forget.
  1. I'm not your mom but you have to listen to me like I was because I'm responsible for you. This means I'm going to tell you no and even discipline you sometimes. It's part of "being responsible".
  2. I'm away sometimes. This means you have to go to the House of Hope and help Jil and Shar'yn while I travel. No arguments and no you can't stay home alone.
  3. You are not to run around Prantz by yourself. If you have to go to House of Hope you go to Jil's first and travel with her and Daren. Or if you are alone for any reason you go to Caniel's or Exodus's or Jil's or whoever is home. You do NOT run around by yourself.
   That was a hard one to explain. She kept saying that there were guards on every corner and how safe the city is. How do I explain that it's not? How do I explain what a young full-of-life girl without a family would look like to a city that hires people to do demonic summonings? I finally got her to listen when I reminded her how many of her little friends from the time between her parents disappearing and Jil getting her have just vanished. She said she understood.
  4. Jil has to approve this. She is Aubrey's Warder and I have to get permission to adopt.
  5. If her parents are found of course she goes back to them.
  6. Toran has no church in Prantz and bringing his name up is not a good idea so worship at home. Toran will understand.
   I need to find Maev. I don't know if she still believes but she can help Aubrey maybe since Aubrey's parents were or are Toranites. Oh, Lucius too.
  7. No snooping. You have your own room with your own chest and your own books. If it's in my room, or if it's hidden, it's there for a reason and keep your little freckled nose out of it.
  There I think that's all. She's asked me a dozen times when she can come to the house and I've never seen her smile so much. The kids just need someone to care for them to love them and to give them guideance. I've been rewarded and also so torn up when I work with them. I hope others adopt them and I really hope some of their parents can be found.
 
  Oh and about the MAF. Snuck back to the castle after some of us met with Drogo and Daniel and searched more and got caught by the castle guards who let us go and I got killed by a snake. So did Galen and his pal Chumley. Thank the gods Quillwem was there. We didn't find anything new except Ferrit found a book with that crest on it. So we've split up and are doing some stuff independantly and Quillwem is holding a couple meetings of the groups to compare notes. Freldo and I are going to investigate bishops and clergy from that time period.
  That's about all nothing new at work. Filing and more filing.

[Honora]

Well.  Let’s see.

First, before I get into the whole thing with the priest.  Talked to Jil, found out I have to go through Prantz government to get Aubrey as a legal ward.  Ugh.  I told Aubrey this and she was crushed.  She’s only just going on 12 but she picks up stuff fast and knows what Jil went through to get the orphanage started.  So she knows how long it might take.  I told her she can come visit often and I’m going to apply and continue to teach her.  I know it made her unhappy but it’s all I can do until I can make it legal.  I’ll get the paperwork tomorrow.

Second.  Heard that the high priest of Rofirein was going to speak and went to see along with a large group.  I saw Jil, Jennara who was really interested in this I can imagine, that guy I bought cat’s potions from, Rhynn, Michaelis, Caid (the biggest human I’ve seen ever; tall as Mikey was, taller even!), some brownie who kept scribbling stuff nonstop, a few folks I don’t know, Jharl’s wife, Ferrit, Yardislan, Preacher was there, that’s about all I remember.

We went to listen in front of the courthouse.  And this guy came out and talked and as soon as I heard his voice I knew.  It took a little bit to put it together though.  Wyleth.  The one was supposed to kill Kat.  Not good.

The priest, Hiruman, came out after and said that basically it takes some things to find out what you’re made of, and that despite his trying to argue and convince Broegar they had “come to an agreement” and while I was studying Wyleth and he was talking apparently some excitement happened.   We never found out what the agreement was; next thing we know the priest has a knife in his shoulder and Wyleth is covering him with his body and folks are yelling and guards are everywhere.  I used the commotion to slip away and around to watch Wyleth and the priest since I didn’t see where the assassin went but I saw Jennara take off like someone lit her tiny halfling buns on fire.  And she’s faster than I am!

I watched and I didn’t see Wyleth do anything to the priest but he did put on a good unhappy face.  Yelling orders and what, acting all upset and concerned.  From what I know of him this got me curious.  So I waited until they took the priest away and followed Wyleth into the courthouse.  I saw his face alone in the hall.  I saw all sorrow just fall off it.  He got a totally blank look, went into his offices, shut and locked the door and I heard some furniture move then him writing.

Interesting.  

Caught up with the group a little bit later apparently Yardislan had deflected the knife and then the guy ran and they chased and Jennara and the cat’s potion guy caught him.  But he drank some poison or something and was stone cold dead.  He was really unremarkable and no one recognized him, I didn’t either.  But he had a note on him that I’ll get a copy of from Jil who found it.  

Got to wonder here.  From what I heard Yard was on the leftish of the guy and deflected the knife to the right.  It hit the priest.  What if the knife was never meant for the priest?  What if it was meant for Wyleth?

Poison makes me think thieves.  Knife throwing and assassins too.  Got to talk to Ferrit about that.  She’d maybe be able to find out if Broegar left any guilds working in Prantz though I doubt it.

Time to go to work.  Keeping my ears open now.  After work:  Hope House!  Going to work on tumbling with the kids they love that and Aubrey will be my assistant.  She’s almost as strong as I am when I’m not wearing my jewelry!


*tucked inside is a hand copied slip containing the information on the note*


Abram Cove's Almanac
for the Everyday Upright Man
Your lucky number is 4

Todays Brain Bender

  r   s     t   is    i             i s

T P M K M Q I   D K   D Q   Z R Q Q D K T A P I


Recent Deaths: Alleal Esilurd, Petra Peliarsi, Ladluir Donanr, Hobert Coir, Fli'gar Olodare, Meli Broedleau


Recent Birthdays: Corletta Criang, Elldor Atronkin, Gralash Ironblood, Wyleth Rothbak, Staad Dalewind, E'lenya Volraen, Darien  March, Alana Nieves, Carmine Ellison, Hagur Foecrusher, Latdial Nis'heas


More lucky numbers: 84 7 20 70 63 42

Advert: Many have pondered the question, what if?  The end of the Bloodwar, The takeover of Prantz. Weather patterns and climate changes have swept across Layonara from corner to corner.  Many new things have come into our world lately, many for the worse.  These changes touch more then just the ones we love and care about.  Our forests are getting thinner, fewer birds fly the skys.  No longer are we safe from this ever changing world.  It doesn't matter if you're from Mistone, or Hurm, next time you get the chance, please

[Honora]

Couldn't have been a stranger day.  And here I thought I'd be just dragging a corpse outside the city, finding a way to get rid of it, then wandering back to the house to get ready for work and maybe visit the kids later.

Right.

So right about the time I scribbled the above entry we were done talking and standing around "Fred" and ready to move.  Jil noticed guards watching and told us to get moving.  I hoisted Fred and right about then a bird came for me to report to the courthouse.  So I dropped Fred onto Galen and went on over to see what I was needed for.  I'd be lying if I didn't say my mouth was as dry as the Great Desert and my stomach was knotting around those pears I ate.  Was directed to the same room I've been in twice before, and same voice hidden in darkness.  Wyleth.  He told me that the persons responsible for attacking the high priest had to be caught and their skin removed from the mortal coil.  I told him I'd find out and "disappear" them.  Note to self that I technically didn't agree to kill them.  Cause Jil was pretty certain that Wyleth was the target like I thought based on the note we found.  Irony, more on that later.

So I agree to investigate and "disappear" those responsible and he's going to want a report.  I wandered by his office again before leaving.  He was in and the door closed but I heard the well-oiled hinges of another door (I think; could have been a drawer) and then a "thud" from across the room and a draft of cold air from under the door.  It wasn't until I was sitting here in front of the nice fire in Sallaron's cozy guild house that I figured out what I must have heard when I first listened.  Wyleth was penning the note to summon me.

In the quiet of this rustic room I am thinking a few things that I need to keep in mind.  Wyleth may know about the rest of them.  I was stealthed most of the time so if they can see me I've been a dead woman since the beginning but if not, they don't know I know these people.  And they sent me after them on purpose.  Or, Wyleth might be involved in something else against Broegar.  If they know about my sneaking; if he does; then he's given me a free pass so far.

This makes my head hurt.  Anyway, snuck out of Prantz and followed the drag marks to this guild hall.  I'm no ranger but they weren't even trying to hide their trail.  I scuffed it up as best I could to make it look like just lots of feet.

Got to the house and found them arguing about what to do with the body and that's when Galen yelled HE'S NOT DEAD which got everyone's attention right quick.  Turns out Preacher tried to raise him, but he's not that good yet so Fred was breathing and whatnot but no mind upstairs the soul wouldn't come back.  So after that shock and no one knowing how to bring him back and Jennara leaving upset and Michealis and Pyrin going to talk to her Galen said we had to kill him again so he could be raised proper.

Well, that put a bee in some bonnets.  Now I'm not cold hearted especially since I think this guy could help us and killing him was hard.  I agreed but didn't participate which is the same as being there in a Law sense but it's not the worst thing I have done knowingly.  A certain slaver comes to mind.  I'm surprised I can still sleep at night sometimes.

Anyway.  Pyrin did the deed and Galen assisted along with Kyle and Ferrit.  In the kitchen of all places.  Remind me not to eat dinner there.  Michaelis came in right as they finished apparently and was just furious that we didn't stop it or tell him but he'd have prevented it and we had to know what he knows.  So Pyrin finished before Michaelis could stop him he drowned the guy but with no mind did Fred even know?  And we took Fred along with a fuming Michaelis to the temple of Prunilla for a raising by someone who had experience in it.

Bout this time too Jennara and Caighd left and the little brownie reporter was gone too thank gods because he kept asking questions that I couldn't answer in case they ended up in print.  They headed to Prantz at least Caighd and Jennara did don't know where the brownie went.  I gave Jennara a key to my house in case there was trouble so she could portal out.

So Fred is alive. Again.  He won't talk to us just to Ferrit and Pyrin who he must have recognized as kin.  So at this point we're back at the guild house and two things have happened that make me very uncomfortable; I find myself agreeing with Rhynn who for once was lucid and making sense and I was trusting my life and more to two rogues one of which has tried wheeling and dealing me before.  Trust isn't easy on a good day for me.  This was a very hard day.

But I told them as much as I dared.  Not about the first test but about what I did and what I saw.  They agree that there is a secret passage and it should get looked in to.  Michaelis says the Tornaites are doing something about Broegar and that's something I'd like to know more about as well.

Pyrin came back after letting Fred go and none of us saw him leave.  I copied what he said exactly:

"First and foremost, Fred would not give out his name. At all. And precious little about our friend, Abram Cove, the Naked Man... But Fred said he didn't know more, and there wasn't any budging him. He didn't respond to threats except through professional courtesy after a fashion... Confirmed all that we already knew, though. The man he was to kill was that Wyleth fellow, with weapons and poison he picked up in Lannisport - that's our next stop, by the way, and I'll explain why soon - but that went foul, as we all know. Turns out that the "Flying to Hurm" was right on the money, and my doubts were wrong... If things went bad, there was a contact waiting there, and probably will be for some time.

I tried getting more information out of him, but he wouldn't budge, and it was either kill him or let him go. I'd already killed him once, today, so I wasn't too keen on doing it again... If, in fact, I could've done it at all.

Now, though... As to why we need to go to Lannisport, first. The man who made Lucky Number Four's birthday present should still be there. However, I'll at least need to speak with him without a parade of paladins at my back first, if we're to get any useful information from him. I'll gladly have along anyone who is or can seem shady enough to not be amiss in speaking with a poisoner. He'll not likely be there long, though, so we'll have to hurry, which means heading through the Swamp of Lost Souls."

Okay that's not bad, pretty good transcription.  Couldn't get his accent though.  So that's where we are now.  Fred is gone, and I've no doubt he'll disappear just fine.   And we're onto the path of those that don't want the dwarf in power any more so good for me.  Now how do I spin this to Wyleth?  And how do I find out whose side Wyleth is on anyway?

I've got to send some notes to Aubrey telling her I'll be gone a little while.

[Honora]

I’ve heard about things like fainting spells and vapors and attacks that leave a person unable to act, paralyzed within their own mind.

Sometimes I think that’s happening to me.

So much so soon.  We looked deeper into the Wyleth thing.  The more we hunt, the more convinced I am that he’s not Broegar’s man.  Whose man he is remains to be seen because we can’t find him.

Let me back up.  Pyyran pretty much decided it was his investigation when he took Fred into a back room, stuck Ferrit as guard and interrogated him without letting anyone else have a say.  And Fred got away without anyone’s say either which really started this mess we’re in.  Jennara wanted to put him in jail for what he did and is deeply suspicious of Pyyran (I am too he’s kind of like a used ox merchant sometimes) but this was flame to tinder.  Now Jennara is convinced that Pyyran will be keeping whatever suits him from the party and things kind of split up along loyalties from there.  It got uglier later on but I’m getting ahead of myself again.

We went to Lannisport and checked around and I saw the “white-haired lady” (it’s blonde really, just pale and its Sophia Jharl’s wife but that information is better left unsaid) in a bar.  Started to talk to her but got distracted by what was obviously a thief talking to two men in a corner.  Don’t know what twinged my ear tips but I excused myself and followed him.

Lost him, Pyyran and Jil and Ferrit were following too.  Things kind of got chaotic from there until the two men from the bar came out and introduced themselves.  At this point I stayed hidden the whole time.  Seemed prudent to listen rather than talk.

We followed them to their house outside Karthy.  Barnard and Percival I think their names were, brothers by the look.  A lot of talking took place and mostly they stood around; I hid by the kitchen.  No idea if anyone saw me.  Again Pyyran did all the actual talking and we managed to find out a few important things.  Wyleth was once Branderbackian.  They are not pleased with him for turning “traitor”.  And likely they commissioned the hit and for sure Barnard made the poison.  At that point Elohanna was really wanting to leave and seemed to have good reason even though Pyyran wanted to stay and eat.  Ferrit was able to sneak over by a table and get a look at a note and we got out of the den alive.  And their mother…interesting woman.  Scary.

Ferrit she managed to get a good look at a note that was lying on a desk in the dining area.  It said that a white haired woman knowing the code words was found in Hurm, but she eluded pursuit and fled somewhere else.  Apparently Sophia avoided them and the mission was a failure, guessing that means the hit on Wyleth.

So then we end up meeting in Lorindar.  This was after a break; I went to work and listened to the chatter, seems the officials of the government are not as cocky as they were.  They scuttle back and forth from building to building as if a volley of knives were aimed at them unless they move fast enough.  I also got to take a bunch of folks out on a romp around Dregar and the Berhagens, mostly younger kids who haven’t seen much of the world.  It was a blast.

Oh, my eyes started glowing purple.  This was in Karthy, after we left the thieves den.  Strangest thing, just like Jennara told me, my skin which has been feeling tougher and tougher finally just felt like iron underneath.  And my eyes glowed.  I dyed my clothes to match it looks pretty good.  Kind of girlie, I’m sure Kat would approve.  Aubrey came over and I had fun explaining to her why.  She seems determined to follow the monk’s path and I’m glad to instruct her.  She stayed overnight and we tried to bake pie but I’m so bad at it we ended up eating the cooked fruit from the shell because it didn’t set up right.  Still tasted good though!

Then Lannisport and that was a mess.  Everyone was first all clotted together (this after attracting attention in Karthy for the same thing).  I went sneaky to avoid prying eyes the the others scattered after Jennara and Pyyran got into it, she being even more obstinate on the side of law and he getting even more smirky and smarmy on the side of his objectives.  Rhynn went off to gather information, I heard her saying hello to folks and saying she was going to sell food or something.  Which would give me a chuckle except that she has posted a food list on the Surge.  Rhynn a baker…who’d have thought.

Anyway Galen tried very very hard to convince Pyyran to back down, and he was absolutely convinced that we needed to find Sophia.  After listening to him talk I could see his point so I snuck off to a temple and sent her a bird.  It was long and I had to really thing about what would bring her here.  I was pretty sure she’d refuse but she agreed to meet me at the Inn in Lorindar and I’m super glad she did.   We owe her; the Rofireinite Church owes her which is funny because she’s a Xeenie.  I can see what she’d demand in payment for her contribution…and she was eyeing Caighd earlier in the investigation…

Anyway.  Sophia found out the nerve toxin in the poison used on the priest.  It’s some plant from Vanavar.  She let me copy her information and she took a big risk in coming because of some guy she was on the run from that she met in Hurm and she wasn’t giving me any more details than that.   But thanks to her we got something to work with.

After the group wandered around asking every living soul in Lorindar if they’d see Wyleth by his description, pretty much making sure he won’t surface for air for weeks, everyone kind of just left.  Some information was found though.  Ferrit found out that a man who looked like Wyleth bought a boat ticket to North Point.  So now they want to go there.  

Here is moral quandary one.  Caighd is pretty clueless to what’s going on and said so.  So I invited him to the house to fill him in on what’s been happening.  Kyle and Ferrit were there and they’ve been curious too about what I’ve been doing and they’re my first and oldest friends so I invited them along.  Jennara was still miffed and close by and her input is always valuable plus I figured she and Caighd both would like to hear about the poison so she came with.  Jilsephonie I looked for but could not find.  I sent her a bird earlier today anyway.

So we get to the house and talk it all out and I tell them about the poison and my role in this and my suspicions about Wyleth.  We had a good long talk; so long that Caighd fell asleep in Mikey’s old big chair by the couch.  Jennara flopped on the cushions, which made me feel good she felt comfortable enough to relax.  She even raised her voice to a normal speaking voice but this is obviously hard for her and she only did it once.

Everyone had excellent thoughts; Galen wondered if the poison was meant to incapacitate rather than kill, Ferrit expounded on the properties of poisons and agreed to do some research on a cure, and Jennara, Galen and I discussed a bit of a ruse based on something Ferrit noted.

Wyleth was never seen leaving the city.  He was never seen boarding the boat.

We may just let them leave; grab Jil out and send Caighd and maybe Kyle with if they will help with the ruse, and let the rest go unknowingly.  Then we’ll smoke out Wyleth if he’s even there.  It’s a gamble, just because he wasn’t seen boarding doesn’t mean he didn’t make a break for it.  But it’s a chance I’m willing to take.  Jennara and I had to discuss it though; deception does not come easy to her.  And she’s not fully decided if she’ll do this or not.  But it would be convincing if they didn’t know.  And we’d need Kyle and Caighd to make it more so.  We’ll see; Jennara has to decide and preparations have to be made and I need to buck up Galen’s sneak gear since he lost his bag with his cloak and armor inside.  He’s still paying me back and I can tell he’s sick of making patterns and gathering silk but that’s tough.

I got a letter today from Inirine; well, it’s from Heinrich actually.  Most of the family is well but Inirine is sick and he’d like me to come visit as soon as I can.  I’m making plans now, I’ll travel as soon as I can let certain people know where I’ll be.  I hope it’s nothing serious.

But all this; all the intrigue, which isn’t in my nature either, and Inirine being sick, and not knowing if I’ll be allowed to adopt Aubrey, and not knowing if I’ll be able to get the house in my name, and just feeling older…this morning, I work and didn’t want to get off the futon.  I just lie there, covered up, not moving, not wanting to move.

I don’t know if I should keep working for Prantz or not.  It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

[Honora]

I saw Inirine.  She's very ill.  I'm more worried than I ever have been and Heinrich is too.  I'm so glad Ninya has taken a job with the local seamstress (now that I did not see coming).   I visited Ninya to compare sewing styles, it was comforting and we grew closer.  That leaves Alfend, with Richy out on his own.  Alfend is kind of wandering but Heinrich keeps him busy but I can feel the tension.  Inirine can't even get out of bed.  It's like I'm losing my mother, or the closest thing I have.  She gave me a letter to read if she dies and I cried like I have not cried in years when I thought of that happening.  She's so much braver.  She was like "Now Puggy, it happens, Ilsare will take me home and I'll be at peace".  I never not until yesterday even knew she followed Ilsare.

Gods anyway.   Like they care.  Blood tries to take over the world and it took some gold dragon - that was NOT Rofirein, god of justice or whatever - to care enough to prevent it from happening.  They give their clerics enough power that they can suck on the belief, I guess it makes them stronger, but they don't care.  Inirine has had four healers look at her and they all said the same thing; wasting sickness, no cure.  So what good are gods if they can't help the sick?  

My heart is breaking and I should be happy.  I got the house almost as soon as I put in a claim to it.  Funny that, but Derrick was okay with it.  I sent him a bird.  So I'm a home owner and I amended my adoption request to add that which will hopefully make it look better and still I'm crying as I plan my renovations.  I'm getting the drawing parchment all wet...


Guess I should mention that the investigation into the curse on the royals of Erilyn has heated up, Ferrit got a reply to a letter she sent, Galen lead a group of spellslingers into the tomb to do some tests on the mirror portal, and we've consolidated the two groups investigating to move faster because we are running out of time.  The Vine is involved and possibly Milara too and we need to break this curse.  I had the idea that gems of the same colors as the schools of magic might be involved to use the portals and so we are heading out soon to try and find the central tower.  I think the portals all lead to the central one, and a gem is needed to get back to the one you came from.  Imjam is also closest to the battlefield and the least cooperative, so she bears looking at along with the history and some of the stuff Freldo got from it about her looting the tower.  Too much to write now, my hand is shaking, more later.

Ferrit lead a small team to find a cure for the nerve toxin affecting the high priest, Jennara sent word that they have some more information.  We gather tonight.  I hope I can concentrate.

[Honora]

I've had some downtime and it was good.  We broke for a while on the hunt for the cure and Wyleth, not for long, but Rhynn says the priest is stable and we were all frazzled.  So I went and put in my remodeling request with that gnomish group, Winktiddle, Cogsproket and Nobwidgit.  They've been very helpful in planning the changes but wow do they do a lot of drawings and I had to nix some of the crazy things they wanted to add.  Just a shuffling around of walls, some more bedrooms, and fix the plaster and add more wood is all I want.

Oh, and new rugs.  And a fountain.  That's all I want.

Spent the weekend at Hope House, keeping company with Aubrey and the kids, teaching some more defensive techniques.  We had fun, Jil got a break for a bit and some lanky skinny boy came around for Shar'yn a couple times.  When Jil came back I told her, probably shouldn't have but Shar'yn isn't a grown-up yet and Jil just smiled and seemed kind of proud.  She said her girl can take take of herself so I can only assume she followed them and the little twit tried something with Shar'yn.  Serves him right, that girl can probably kick his teeth in.  And it's good that Daren doesn't know because if anyone messed with his little girl, Blue would put his big green axe to good use so I'm sure Jil must not have told him.

Nothing from home yet.

Galen is happy as a pig in mud since he got a new house.  He's south of me and cleaned out all his chests and thanked me and even swept the floor before he left, good man.  I'm considering doing a will now that I own.  If I can legally adopt Aubrey then she'll inherit but I need an executor and neither of my Voices can do it because of Stubby McEvil.  So I'm thinking of Galen, he's pretty even-tempered and has his own nice house and has been a good friend.  Mave would have been my choice but she's...she's on a learning curve to a new person.  It's hard to watch her drink, smoke and flirt and not be a little off center.  I hope she finds her balance soon but I gave her a key anyway she can always stay here.  

So Galen it probably is to hold the house in trust until Aubrey can run it herself.  If I get the adoption papers through.  Bueauracracies!  

I need to think.  And sleep.  So tired.

[Honora]

Rest has been good to me.  I took Aubrey to see Inirine, they just loved each other.  Inirine is still in bed though she's not looking very good and Heinrich is just getting older every day because of it.  It's breaking my heart.  I never thought of Heinrich as "Dad" I guess, any more that I think Inirine is my mother.  But he's been the closest thing and I remember him helping me learn to swing an axe for wood, and teaching me all the trees in the forest when we sometimes went for walks.  And he would get really mad if kids threw rocks at me and even threatened to cut off a supplier and blacklist him if his rotten little monsters didn't leave me alone.  He cared that much and to see him so miserable hurts.

Aubrey was like a summer breeze for them though she's my little Miss Sunshine.  She told them about herself and her folks and her hobbies and Toran, and for a little while everything seemed alright.

We didn't get to visit Richy because they were out of town.  But it was good and Inirine wished me all the luck in the world adopting.  

Well, the gnomes came and went and I have to say they did a fantastic job.  I mean the house is perfect every cornor as flush as can be and the walls all done right and I think a dragon could hit the house and it wouldn't budge.  I have a fountain like I wanted near the front and of all things they even left a rug by the door with my initial on it!  I was so happy.  I have not unpacked a single thing I keep walking around looking at all the craftsmanship.  And I was worried!  

Got to unpack soon though and put up flyers; two rooms for rent.

[Honora]

We messed up.  Badly.  I learned a lesson I'll never forget and once again shame.  That crazy monk Belidil could not leave enough alone and neither could Rain and neither I will ever trust again.  Blame was everywhere and yes they and Drogo shoulder most of it but if you come down to it I'm responsible.  So is Galen.  So are Jharl and Jil and Kyle and Ferrit and Galen and anyone who didn't stand right in front of that mirror and say OVER MY DEAD BODY.  

Hope Imjam likes her new rift.  

But leave it to me to be more upset about what followed.  Opening up a rift is bad enough but inside I might be able to live with it if we lifted the curse.

But no.  We made a complete hash of it with argueing and stupid decisions and to beat all we now every single ONE OF US are indebted to some powerful Mistie who picked up our mirror shards ahead of us.

That's all she had to do, pick up some shattered glass and put it in a bag.  And we all owe her a favor now.  

Oh, and kill Jharl with a gesture and kill Mave because the new hard-fighting heavy drinking sod could not keep her mouth shut.  What happened to my Mave?  Did I ever know her?  Is this who she is?  I thought she needed to be grounded was all.  Now I know she does but only if it means she doesn't leave the stupid house.

I owe Mist.  That means a few things I think.  First I will find out who that woman was if she exists.  Middle aged beautiful and those eyes should trigger some memories.  And barefoot too.  I will teach myself about this and I will fix what I have done.  I will find the chalice and mend the rift if I can and lift that curse. I have to.

I am going to need help and I know who might answer the call.  I trust Jil with my life.  Same with Kyle and Ferrit.  We'll need Jil's eyes and Ferrit's skills and Kyle's martial training.  And Galen.  Boy, do I need Preacher now.  I don't think he'll let me down.  

And Jharl.  He was with me every step on the first trek and I with him.  He can't be left out.  We've got to do this.

I have already gotten some books to research and I'm transcribing copies of what we learned below.  I'll write more later on everything that happened in that...place we went.  But for now, I need to plan and to learn what exactly I've gotten myself into.  Not every Mistie must be a snippy murderess.

What was the name of that girl from years ago?  Miriam?  Meriann?


Story Mave found:

When I was but a wee lad of not quite 10 summers my father and I traveled north from Homestead to deliver a load of cheese and linen to the elves of Faroth. We’d got not but 2 days journey into the wood when a great bear happened upon our wagons. The elven ranger that was guiding us tried in vain to calm the creature but it was to no use. It was it seemed out for blood and our guide perished that day. My father was nay a woodsman but a farmer and we were in dire straights. The trees seemed to close around us as we continued along the faint trail. The horses were uneasy after the encounter with the bear. It weren’t but a day later when we spotted another elf. Tiny she was and she was a bare as the day she was born. She took no notice of me but my father got all soft in the head. She was laughing as he chased her though the trees and then I never saw him again.
Alone with two pack horses and our merchandise I was stranded in the forest. I tired to recall what the rangers had taught us about being lost in the wood. It was not much use as the thick canopy of branches all but blocked out the sky. I could not tell where the sun was traveling much less guess east from west or north from south. Aimlessly I walked and I hoped that sheer luck would bring me to aid.
Twas about the third night on my own when I saw it. I had made my way to a small clearing and set up a camp hoping that I could discover where the sun was rising in the morning and make for that direction. I had supped on some of the cheese meant for the elves and was checking the lines to the ponies when I saw the lights. Red, yellow, purple... every color of the rainbow they were. They danced and floated in the grove. It seemed like hours that I watched them, and then I saw her.
I saw another elf. I was excited at first, thinking I had been rescued, but then I notices I could see the trees right through her. She walked across the grove and looked in my direction. Her eyes were sad and she was the oldest elf I had ever seen then and still now. Her dress was all flowy and had strange patterns on the sleeves that glowed. She seemed not to notice me as she walked past but when she got to the far edge she stopped and turned toward me. She motioned for me to follow her and I felt my feet move as if I had no say in the matter. When I approached she turned and walked a few steps into the forest, then she outstretched her arm and pointed. In the distance was a tower. It glowed like the patterns on her dress. The colored lights danced all around it as mist from the water surrounding rose into the air. I turned my head to ask what it was but … she was gone. When I turned to look where the tower had been it was gone as well. A voice in the wind whispered “A season of dark, A season of hope ,A season of fear, A season of reason, A time will come to begin again, A time for past renewals, A time will come when wings rush past, The wards will fall, The orbs will glow, The weave travels on, The rivers flow”
Then a bright light burnt into my brain. I covered my eyes as it hit me and fell to my knees. When I looked up I was sitting beside a small well. The horses were grazing just a few steps away and I could hear people. I was in Gellion. I was a full 2 weeks journey from Homestead.

Folk tale: origin: Alindor, Region of the Wolfswood forest: Date and original author unknown.


Something Kyle got from Kat:

Dregar: Days Past - A Discussion

The Great Desert is an ocean of sand that fills the belly of the Dregarian landmass. Once though, many eons ago, this ocean of sand was cut with a river of life. Said to have it's origins high in the mountains ro the northeast, this river, whose name is lost in time, cut a meandering path thru the sands to deliver its waters to the great Sedarian Gulf.

Peoples of the desert relied on the river for water for themselves, their livestock and to water their crops. Farming villages grew to towns and towns grew to cities. Of these cities, few rivaled the great city of Zxar.

It is hard to imagine, when one views the landscape of Dregar, that a great port city existed miles inland from where we see the ocean today. Exist it did, if one believes the tumbled pillars, broken limestone walls, and the rare but exquisite artifacts that surface from time to time.

What we can piece together from the knowledge left behind is that the city was indeed quite large. It would rival Pranzis in its complexity and area. At the center of the city, were three structures. The royal palace home of the ruling Janair family, the Mazaraj, a complex devoted to the study of magic, and a temple to the Water Goddess. Each of these was a grand affair. Arrainged outward from the center were the various structures, all leading down to the all important port. Barges brought cattle, fine desert horses, food, marble and gemstones from the desert for trade around the breadth of Layonara. The homes of the nobility flanked the palace, then the villas of the powerful merchants. Slowly spreading across the desert landscape were the various streets and avenues of markets, theaters, public baths and houses, as well as the limestone abodes of the common folk. Stockyards, warehouses and places of revelry crowded the riverside. Present within the city were also temples to other gods and goddesses. We know one existed to honor the golden dragon god Rofirien, as its remains were reclaimed from the desert by the Mistone Archeological Foundation well over 30 years ago.

What happened to cause the downfall of the city is unknown. Most likely it was the effects of the great cataclysm that caused the landscape to change thus shifting the balance of power in the area. Some, however, think that there were other forces in play before the landscape changed and perhaps it was not the cataclysm that caused the Great Desert to reclaim Zxar into the sands. The Rexari River no longer exists. Nothing can be found of its source or even its exact route. If the river were to have failed, this would have spelled disaster for the peoples of the region. Water from the river was their lifeline in the harsh desert climate.

There has also been speculation that the damage seen on the ruins of Zxar may not be contemporary and may be the result of some grand battle in the city. Should the capital have fallen, it would stand to reason that the vaccum of power in the region may have created enough chaos to topple the entire civilization. Had the two events, the decline of the river and the loss of the city coincided, the effects would have been quite decimating to the peoples.


Song from the Shindy temple:

Spirit touched and adwenth becon
oceans boil into cracks
magics ancient released
Tides betray hearts
hearts betray blood
blood splilled , great ones lost
Bounty broken and never renewed
Magic of Mother protects one but not all
Jarhrid swims lost
That which blesses bounty frees
blood scatterd
Hope gathers



Poem Jil found in the tower bedroom:

Perched high on the breast,

A badge of honor,

Envy’s the one,

Who gets to don her?

 

The keenness of edge

Picks up on its glow,

Fiery light,

Means death to a foe

 

Like a circlet of stars,

Pale shimmer of light,

Drip down from the gold,

That carries its might

 

It shores in a drop,

A tear for the ocean,

Lay nestled in neck,

To protect it from motion

 

Dangling from lobes,

Like droplets of wine,

Paled in the fall,

They shimmer and shine

 

A portrait of vanity,

A sun in a shell,

The image of beauty,

For those that can tell

 

A cold stone of passion,

Caps the scepter of fates,

Plain in its purpose,

It steadies the gait.

 

Mystery and power,

Reflect the raven’s feathers

Bands of white gold,

The fates, they do tether.


King Briant's journal found in the tower:  Readable bits.

… How could we have been so foolish? We thought ourselves in the position of power at last over the evil that has long plagued this land and in our pride we face the very real threat of being not but servants to that evil….

…. Adwneth was livid upon her return to the palace.  I had ignored her warnings that something was amiss.  I doubted her council that has stood by this family for more that 10 generations as the musing of a paranoid old elf.   I have never in my days seen her that angry.  I am not sure to whom her anger is directed more to us or to Milara for desecrating the holy Chalice of Bounty?

…. Nadia visited my chambers today. It was good to see her smiling face though it pains me to remind me of my Catherine dead at an assassin’s blade. She and Nadia were so very close, almost as sisters.  I could see the pain in her eyes as she looked upon the terraces that once listened to the laughter of our trio. She said that Adweth was working on the curse and not to give up hope.  We would overcome that devil Milara.

I feel as tired as my Kingdom.  Long has war ravaged our people. Those who once were our allies have turned the cheek to us.  I know that giving into this evil is wrong yet I find it difficult to muster the will to fight on. I will speak with her in the morning. Perhaps once again she can find a way.  This truce, however grisly the outcome may be just what my people need.  A chance to sleep and maybe to dream of a time when evil does not walk in one’s shadow.

… I send the decree.  I wait now to see who will respond.  Layers and layers, with secrets and secrets.  She is still suspicious of one corrupted within our midst. She says the stones tell her one’s heart is undecided. One will undo all if given the chance.  By the waves I know not if she is just a crazy old elven witch that is wiser and luckier than any I have ever met or if she is just crazy.

… The tide was as full as Ausir and Orn when they arrived.  At first I could not believe what I was seeing.  Good Mother preserve us all, I walked in the wake of a legend.

We will tap the power of the ancient well. It will require every minute of the time we have remaining but he says it can be done. The course is laid before us.  We begin in the morning. The portals shall ensure the secrecy; the guardians will protect us…

…I held the first of the stones in my hand. The corruption done to it burned my very soul. How beautiful it was to be so deadly. The gross intricacies of the complex designs seemed to boggle the mind. We count ourselves as above those that came before us, as more intelligent, more learned and more wise. I am beginning to see how foolish we stand.  The ancestors tapped into veins of power and wisdom a mere mortal of a man like I will never understand.  As I handed the stone back to the makers I indeed could understand the intoxication of such power. I pray to the Mother I have the soul to resist it when the time comes to face the test. … She has given me the first key to the ancient door.  This one shall be mine.  I look upon my own reflection in its plain design and I see the beauty that exists within. On the morrow I shall depart and make my pilgrimage to the well.  I know in my heart what I shall ask of the ancients.

… The pilgrimage went well.  I was surprised to see Challum there though. Saeeda does not take well with his choice of patrons. Long has that old contention been a thorn in the side of this family.  We are blood of the sea, and the sea has many faces. Challum walked with me for a spell.  Something troubles the youth.  I woman I think has his heart in her clutches.  I pity his heart.  Not a day goes past I do not see her smiling face then the twisted pain of the poison that took her from me. I will avenge her murder.

… Adwenth spent the entire day staring into the facets of that orb.  Her sanity I question these days.  She mutters about darkness lying within while all the while we make progress on the chalice. It is almost complete I am told.  The taint is slowly being siphoned away.  Time is of the essence. I feel no change in my being, but I have come to dread each sun setting as that puts us closer to the abyss of eternal breathless life.  

… It is almost time.  The artist arrived today. He seems a good natured soul to accept the task placed before him.   We gathered at the palace for the sitting. The spell was cast, none will remember.  It was for the best. That is what she tells me. She is certain all is not as it looks.

… The missives have been sent.  The Rofireite proctor measured the distance. We marked the spot. The field will begin to assemble.  There will be no breakage of our word but we will assemble and defeat this menace once and for all.  When we assemble in our glory and hold aloft the restored chalice, Milara will feel the wrath of a family wronged.  Our lives for Alindor and hells take back that devil and his minions.

…Oh the Gods what have I done? Ruins… it lies in ruins… One whose blood runs ……

[Honora]

So.  It's quiet, Aubrey has gone back to Hope House.  
 
So.  That place.  
 
It was dark, at first.  Magic didn't work.  When it became light we could see pockets of wild magic; different things appeared, and many of the group heard "whispers" that seemed to affect them badly.  I heard only one, which was something along the lines of "doom doom doom" and I ignored it.  Nonsense.
 
Some of the others couldn't though...Kyle told me that he kept hearing how Ferrit didn't really love him, and after she died in that awful place, how he failed her.  Mave...
 
Mave.  I'll come back to her.
 
Anyway many people heard many things and everyone was shaken.  The native life looked normal but wasn't, horses and badgers were powerful and hostile and tried to tear us apart.  There were men shaped things too, that fought like demons.  And everywhere there were shafts of color, which we figured out later were the different colors of magic.  Someone; Clarissa?; said maybe it was fragmented magic, but I don't know enough to say.
 
Three people had shards of the mirror stuck in them.  We kept them, didn't know if they'd be useful or not, and glad we did later.  We kept finding them.  It was like the mirror portal had imploded and we got sucked in, along with the pieces.
 
Eventually we had all but 5.  And we came to a hill and on that hill was a headless man, standing in front of a shattered mirror and wearing the livery of Erilyn.  We think it was King Briant.  There was a tower beyond him, the second tower?, and Jilsephonie said there were sea creatures inside, ready to fight.  But before we could investigate that further a woman showed up.
 
I must describe her since I must find her.  She had long dark blonde hair with lots of silver and grey, and grey eyes that
 
that were like looking into the eye of a storm I was going to say.  Grey.  Shifting from light to dark.  You could see her power in them.  And she was wearing a simple robe of blue and grey and she was barefoot.  For some reason that stuck in my mind.
 
She had a bag with the last five shards.  She was very pointed and nasty to those of us wearing Shindy's gifts and killed Jharl simply for calling her Adwenth by accident.  Just like that, she lifted her hand and he died.  Then Mave got
 
Mave, you stupid hotheaded fool.  Gods woman why?  I loved you like a sister and here you are wrapped in magical shrouds and half-rotted on my floor.  WHY??
 
 
The woman took a boon from us.  The thought is she's an avatar of Mist but I don't know.  Now every person in the party owes her a favor; her personally, I got the feeling; in return for the five shards.  And we did it, because we knew we needed them to get home.  We put them in the mirror and were transported to the temple of Mist in Leringard.  And that was that.  I left; I will take care of this in my way on my time and the hells and all their heat with certain people who don't have the common sense Rofirein gave cabbage.
 
Now to write what I don't want to write.  Mave is dead.  She's an eyeless green corpse on my floor.  I've cried myself dry, or so I think.  I don't want to belabor this.  So here's what happened.
 
Went exploring with Galen.  Saw body near Orc's Watch.  Saw shield with Mist's emblem on body.  In fit of pique, ignored body.  Went out again a few days later with Galen and Jennara, to walk, talk, and Galen wanted to see the horses in Orcs Watch to perhaps buy.  Wanted to look at body again; guilt?  recognition?  I don't know.
 
Giants near body.  Giants picking meat off bones.  Went sneaky and took a look.  
 
Mave.
 
Went nuts, Jennara distracted and I took down some giant with a huge axe that had been picking at her; this just in my mind Sunset's Dawn?; and then we finished them.  I was in a rage.  I killed and took pleasure in it.  I think I scared Galen.
 
Took her home.  Cleaned her up and got magical shrouds to keep her from rotting further.  She'd been there a while.  Suicide by giant?  Whatever.  And she had MIST'S EMBLEM ON HER SHIELD!!!!!
 
WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY!!!!!

[Honora]

It has been a long week.  Mave has been in my chest, the one that keeps food fresh, for all this time.  I locked it so Aubrey wouldn't find her.
 
Mave, dead in a chest in my house.  I think only now can I appreciate the black humor of it.
 
I won't be using that chest again, though.
 
Had a little chat with a Mistie.  Found one through Galen, of all people.  And another irony is it was the one I was orginally looking for.  Murianne.  
 
She was reserved but willing to speak to me.  We went to the temple of Mist that I marched out of, Mave's body over my shoulder, not two months ago, and  we sat in a corner near waterfalls, in the rain.  
 
My first impression is that it's not as unpleasant as I thought.  The rain was not hard but gentle and the winds didn't chill to the bone, and I never got hit by the lightning.  I half expected to.  More than half, actually.
 
She told me about Mist, about self-sufficiency, about overcoming obstacles.  More, she told me that Misties are expected to revel in the power of the storm.  To respect it, not to control it or prevent it.  Now, that's chaos, in a way.  But as I listened I heard a voice in the back of my head.  That tenor, quiet but firm, when Aubret would say "Use your orc blood.  Respect it.  There is a time and a place and don't be ashamed and try to hide it.  It will save you at times."
 
There is a key issue here of control.  I had to tame that side or I should say learn when to express it.  When I found Mave's body and was faced with a giant who clearly was better trained than the others I just let it go.  I harnessed it then, but didn't control it, and beat that giant with the shimmering axe to a bloody pulp.  But it was that unleashed bloodlust that carried me.
 
So as the cleric talked I heard things that I could understand.  Perhaps I should have done this sooner.  Does this change my mind?  I don't know.  But while Shindy still feels "better" to me...I no longer feel a blind hate toward Mist.  She was a powerful woman, as her story goes.  She took her own place in the Heavens.  I can respect that.  I only wish there was a way to get Shindy and Mist to stop warring...
 
So anyway then Jeran shows up and he's her boyfriend apparently.  They started getting cuddly and I had heard enough so I left, and tithed the church in Murianne's name before I left.  So much learned.  I chickened out on asking her about what Mist looks like, and if she's a silver-blonde haired lady with stormy grey eyes who goes barefoot.  Maybe next time.
 
I told her my need was based on a eulogy for Mave and I wasn't lying.  So now I will write one and then think on it to edit.
 
For Mave.
 
We knew her first as a paladin of Toran, strict but kind, reserved but passionate at her core.  We loved her then, because we could depend on her.  Because we knew she would defend us if we needed.
 
We knew her as we adventured and investigated with her; we knew a sharp mind and an inquisitive wit.  We knew she cared and would stand by us until an end was reached.
 
Along the course of her life she felt the call to cleric, and we saw again how special she was.  Some of us saw too, that she was changing.  That her passions were greater for living and her emotions stronger.  All this we saw together, whether clearing spiders from a dark forest path or exploring the past.  Perhaps we think it was change; I say it was a peeling away of years of expectations.
 
For some of us life is an easy path.  You decide what you want to do and you do it until you die or the Soul Ma comes and snaps you up.  For Mave, it wasn't so easy.  I stand here and tell you that there is a part of me that will never forgive not rescuing her sooner from the Vine.  Would she still be Mave, if I had?  
 
But.
 
If I had, then she would have never known the fullest part of her.  The part that liked beer, that laughed long and hard at jokes, that knew love in all its glories.  Those shackles of her childhood that put her in the talberd of Toran would have kept her firey soul hostage.  We all worried when what we knew; control, reserve, narrow focus; went away.  But it was for us that we worried.  For her part, Mave was happy...delighted...free.  For the first time perhaps in her life, she was herself, and not the image of her father.  And most of all, her core didn't go away.  She still stood by us, dedicated, loyal to the end.
 
You see this shield, with the emblem of Mist on it.  There is a story there.  I confess, as some of us might, that I did not understand why she would pick THAT god, THAT way of life.
 
But now, I do.
 
Mave only ever wanted to be free.  I understand now, that Mist represents that.  There are other reasons...many more than I'm sure I even know.  But in the end, her soul was hers, and she died on her terms and understanding the risks.  As we put her into the earth, next to her father...let us understand that a lifetime spent trying to please a ghost, a memory, in the end is not worth it.  Live for yourself.  Overcome your adversities, and live free and true to your ideals.
 
 
 
I think that will work.
 
Oh I have a renter now.  A gnome, fast and green.  His name is Zup...Zupsupandsway?  Zupsup Answay?  I don't know.   He paid for two months, and agreed to my terms.  He's a tailor though and a good one, so perhaps we can hunt for skins sometime.  I can't wait to introduce him to Aubrey, she likes the gnomish people.
 
Time to think.

[Honora]

We rest somewhere in Vanavar and I have so much to write my hands cramp just thinking about it.
 
 I'll catch up the basics.  Two renters; Zup and a gent named Lions who is one of Jennara's Rofie boys.  Seems a nice guy though and very polite.  Zup paid up two months and Lions paid the same I guess I'd better note when they paid.
 
 Zup was a couple weeks ago so he's due again the 16th M. and Lions the 24 M.  I don't see them much but there was hot tea on the table the other day so someone is in and out.
 
 Much to write about Wyleth.  Much.  Prantz let me go anyway so it's good because I have the time to persue this and I will.
 
 Oh, there is much to write.  Life and especially death.
 
 Mave is buried.

[Honora]

We're camped and this book will do until I can transcribe it.
 
 We have the antidote.  Plant-men and snakes later, the whole time with Wyleth smirking in our ears, we have it.  Been a lot of discussion about what to do with it.  Three doses, one to Jil bless her brave heart, and two left.
 
 One has to go to Barvath or whatever his name is that I keep messing up and getting suffering looks from Jennara.  One to hold on to in case the cure does not get to him.
 
 Let me summarize, some day I'll need this when I can't remember whether I put tea on let alone what I did when I was 32.  Oh, and I just had a birthday again.  Danged things keep coming.
 
 We witnessed an attempted assassination of Barvath.  Wyleth was there too as an assistant, lying scum.  Yardislan the Righteous Prig tried to deflect the knife and it hit Barvath but we now know the knife was intended for Wyleth.
 
 Jennara and a few others chase "Fred" the assassin.  Fred dies.  We all stand around his body wringing our hands until the guards start to come and I pick him up along with others and play "he's not dead he's dead drunk" with the body.  Get him out of the city.
 
 Galen tries to raise him.  Galen can't raise an eyebrow and we get a zombie.  I feel slimey writing this but we end up pretending not to hear Ferrit and Pyyran re-killing him so we can raise him proper at the Prunilla temple.  Michealis comes to investigate and the whole smashing irony of the situation left me laughing.  But it was funny...I wish I could be all smug and good about it but it was funny.  The way he marched down the hall and he got to the door just about the time Pyyran was pulling "Fred's" head out of the water...
 
 So we raise him and find out he's a rogue type (Pyyran and Ferrit interrogate alone, rest of us hang out in Sal's front hall).  Get a name and location and go there.  Find another name and location and go there and long story short it was this family of Branderback types, Barnard was one and there were a few others and their mama in the kitchen.  Barnard planned the assassination with poison he made himself and something about Wyleth being a dog or a curr or something.  Apparently Wyleth decided to drop his assocation with Barnard's "family" and they didn't take kindly nor to the new rules in Prantz.
 
 Okay.  So now I think we need to find Wyleth and then the cure.  Some folks decide not to get involved with this mess and we end up with just a few.  Jennara only agrees because Wyleth might help us get the cure.  We head to Lor and Sophia and Jil scry on Wyleth with some clothes we get there of his that he pawned.  Sophia gets the attention of the Oom Karik and that's bad; they are apparently magical bloodhounds and terrifying to boot.  Sophia also sees the monument in Prantz to the fallen and North Point which is where our boy is.  Oh, and Miko (?) is hunting Sophia and I see him once he's headed to Prantz with another one of those Alindor Branderback family theives.
 
 So we head there and catch him trying to hide out while Stubby's boys hunt him.  I help him get to our ship and we take off and all's well for about five minutes.
 
 Then we interrogate him.  He's a smug son of a dog, he is.  He tells us a lot of what we know, very little we don't.  I fail to see the use of him after he says he was going to use Aubrey as a hostage to make me kill Katrien.  Pretty much that's when I decided to kill him.  Lex the Cleric of Aeridin That Would Rather Talk About Preserving Life Than Actually Do It protests and I swear is about to throw himself in front of Wyleth to "save" him from bloodthirsty me and Galen who I never appreciated more and then it's decided by a majority to leave him alive and so I relent.
 
 For now.  I have a little trick they don't know about.  
 
 Anyway, so now we go to Vanavar to find the cure after a brush with a "pirate" ship that turns out to be just a regular ship and Kyle visits his family and we throw Wyleth in the town jail and go hunting.  Find the leaves at cost (couple of deaths, but the healer types are able to set them right) then the venom.  Who under the heavens of Layonara names a snake the "four-eyed lemon snake?"  I think the druids are smoking too much nature.
 
 So we pick up Wyleth, head back to North Point, get the antidote made and here we sit.  So many questions.  How to get the antidote to Barvath who is inside Broegar's castle; well, Jennara says the acting head of the Rofireinite church will help with that.  What to do with Wyleth; seems we're kind of for giving him up to the Rofireinites quiet like, without telling the Prantz government.  And I'm going to kill him but that's later.  
 
 I just want Barvath to be cured and for the gods sakes tell us what he was going to announce that day months ago.  I've been away for months.  Letters to Aubrey, home briefly to say hello and take on my renters and that's it I'm back on this again.  No time to be her friend, no time spent listening to her thoughts and troubles and trying to teach her to be the best she can be.  What kind of mother spends all her time away?  I'm no better than Ash was with her kids.  For that matter I need to check on them, see how they're doing; Ty has them I think.  But I need to get home and stay home and be her mom even if Prantz can't decide if that's okay or not.  Hells with them she needs a mother.  For that matter Jil's been with us the whole time and I know Daren can't be happy trying to run that orphanage with Shar'yn.  He's going to pop when he finds out she got poisoned.
 
 Need to send a letter to Kat about the cure when we get closer to Prantz.  And as soon as I get some time with Aubrey I head straight to Inirine and check on her.
 
 I want to go home.

[Honora]

Things have settled down, some questions answered.  Aubrey is out practicing on the pell I made her, but it won't last long, I'm no carpenter.  I'll have to ask Kyle if he can make a better one.  

Things I won't forget.  We set sail for Audira after a false start over land and met a really strange halfling on a stranger ship.  Robert, I think that's what he said his name was.  And a LOT of halfling sailors and some humans.  They snuck up on us before dawn and even Jil couldn't see the ship in the fog and dark because the whole dang thing was painted black!  Even the sails, the oars, the ropes, the mast.  Everything.  Turns out this Robert wanted Wyleth, who by this point was insufferable smug and way beyond not worth the trouble, and we ended up having to pay 25,000 True to prevent what would have been a really nasty battle.  Us, against over a hundred crewmates.  With the crew of our charter hiding downstairs.  Interestingly, they ran below decks when the black ship first showed up visible, so they must know who it is.

Anyway, Kyle and Ferrit both had Angel money on them from business transactions, so we lucked out there.  And even better luck, after all that I went down and looked through everything Wyleth brought with him and found a really shiney sword with some sparkly to it.  Gave it to Kyle and he said it was worth a lot, he sold it later in Audira and got most all his money back.  So that worked out.

We traveled from Audira to Corax, Lake, desert feels hotter than it has before.  Then Jennara went to talk to Reus and I snuck behind to check out Wyleth's office.

Okay, going to summarize here because so much happened.  

1) Office secret passage found.  Bad news for Wyleth.  I sneak up give Jennara the key to my house and go get the others and we head to my house to wait.

2) Jennara talks Reus into trying her prisoner separately but does not mention it's Wyleth or she did and Reus didn't hear her.  Most likely second option since she's always whispering anyway.

3) Meanwhile we all agree to take Wyleth who is still chatting away to Sophia to Vehl, but something about this sits wrong with me.  I don't second-guess group decisions but I wonder about Reus.  After all, Wyleth fooled the Rofies once.  I ask Jil to go check on him.  My idea is to get Wyleth tried elsewhere by the Rofies and turn him in to Prantz dead, more on that later.

4) Jil comes back and Reus wants Wyleth turned in to Prantz.  He didn't know it was Wyleth we had.  Hours of discussion, again agree to take him to Vehl to protect Jil, her kids, and myself.  And sometime while all this is going on, Galen leaves.

5) We're getting ready to go.  Knock on door.  Galen with the Prantz guard.  Half of us were in shock, Jennara had already left to go talk to Broegar with Reus or she'd have arrested Galen on the spot I think.  Some dwarf named Taggert marches in with a bunch of guards behind him, into my house, and grabs Wyleth and drags him out by the hair.  He orders us to follow and we do.  Galen does not look at anyone but the anger was as thick as stew.  We follow Taggert to the castle.

6) Get inside, Broegar is hearing Jennara and Reus who I found out later turned Wyleth in anyway from his conversation with Jil.  Reus and Jennara are dismissed, Wyleth comes up, tries to turn me in as a known associate of Katrien, and Broegar tells him that he was never supposed to kill Kat, just watch her.  I wonder because Wyleth was pretty surprised, and Broegar was all condescending then about how orcs don't make good espionage agents.  That makes me laugh a little.  Then Wyleth's activities that Broegar found out about after the fact get brought up, and he's sentenced to death in the morning which by all the information I can gather actually happened.  We are commended and given a small sum of money, I don't even know how much since I just had them give Jil mine for Hope House.

A couple things occured to me over the course of this mess.  One, I tried to kill Wyleth, so I'm not quite as nice as I thought I was.  He was such a smug, smirky wanker, always laughing at us even as he made his plans that Sophia was trying to tease out of him it turns out.  Don't underestimate her, ever.  But on the road from Audira to Corax, I had enough and tried to death smack him.  Insufferable child of an unmarried mother just laughed, although I did hurt him some.  Embarassing.

Second, and I need to tell Kat this; oh, and I did get a note off to her and her latest Voice has the scoop; I don't think Broegar has clerics.  At all.  He hates religion, hates it.  No religion, no clerics, and I wondered why they could not cure Barvath.  I mean, poison is tough, but clerics can raise dead even.  Curing a poison isn't that hard, I've seen demon poisons be wiped away by a god-man's touch, how can a terrestrial snake's venom be so hard?  He doesn't have them, I'm sure of it.  I'd bet only healers.   This is important for anyone who tries to stop him to know.  And I know it won't be me directly anymore, the third thing I've decided is that I have too much to lose.  And I know people with more to lose.  Jil, Daren, Shary'n, Ferrit and Kyle, any of my friends.  I won't put them at risk to play spy.

I'm moving on.  I've done a part, but the rift on Alindor needs my attention and so does Aubrey and Inirine.  And speaking of that, she wants me to help her tie the head back on the pell...I really need to find Kyle!

[Honora]

Answers from Galen.

I saw him running to his house while on the road to Lor.  Dashed back and got Jil to come with me.  I will need them both to fix this Rift puzzle with Kyle, Ferrit and others too but Galen had some explaining to do.  So we ambushed him.

I went in and Jil sneaked in after me and I told him we needed to talk.  We sat and I basically said WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!!  The Prantz guard IN MY HOUSE??  I got pretty mad.  He got smug for a second, saying he saved us all, and then Jil stood up from behind the couch he was on and stuck an arrow in his ear and her fingers were quivering on the bowstring, I wonder why she didn't just let go.  She was beyond mad.  He jumped up and she was forcing him back step by step yelling about the dangers, her name and her families name and the House of Hope all being in Broegar's sights now and I may be ugly but she actually scared him.  

I'll admit this here and only here.  That was pretty priceless to watch.

Well, a lot of talking got done but he basically said that we could NOT have taken Wyleth (am I sick of writing his cold, dead name yet?  Oh, yes.) out of Prantz or we would have been in way more trouble.  Aiding and abeitting or somesuch.  And I did some checking and it turns out when I asked Jil to talk to Reus, he was going to mention Wyleth to Broegar so if we had moved him we'd all have been sunk.  So he was right, he might have saved us all.  We had the same motive, different methods.  I forgave him, Jil as well but much more grudgingly.  Well, she didn't kill him.

So that's got potential to be fixed.  Now to get Kyle and Ferrit back on board, if ever I need their skills, brains and level heads it would be now.  Ferrit sent me a message that she has some information for me, I need to meet with her soon.

[Honora]

Heinrich sent me a letter to come.  Nothing more.  I have a really really bad feeling about this.
 
 Shoving that aside, I've decided after talking to Clarissa that if she'll do it, I'll ask her to train Aubrey.  My little monkey is a teenager and almost a woman and wants to follow the path of Toran.  Clarissa reminds me so much of when Mave was happy with her path, but she seems...like...she's going to follow it, and her past won't hold her back.  And Aubrey wants to get some training as a warrior to her god then try to join the holy warrior ranks.  I think Clarissa will be an excellent teacher and most of all she's kind of fun, not all stiff and self-righteous like some holy warriors.  All that frowning they do.  She laughs and I like that.
 
 Beyond that I've asked Annalee and Storold to help with the Rift and the curse.  I need to get everyone together, meet, talk about what we want to do.  It was good to see Annalee, and Ferrit has been spending time with that funny Abiorn and got some really good information that puts a bit of a rush on our work.  So we needs to start this ball rolling.  Let's see I've invited Ferrit, Kyle, Galen, Jil, Annalee, and Storold.  Jharl was invited but Kat tells me he's back in the cold lands spending some tribal time or something.  Don't even know where to look for him.  So time to get moving on this!
 
 *tucked in the page is a letter on plain ivory vellum, with meticulous penmanship*
 
 Honora,
 
 Please come home as soon as you can.  Send a letter telling us when you're expected.
 
 Heinrich Bethelman

[Honora]

Watched Clarissa with Aubrey the other day.  Clarissa is as patient as I figured she'd be.  Aubrey was just eating it all up and getting the moves and turns right half the time from the get-go.  Every once and a while the little girl in her would come out and she'd yell "MOMORA!  COME SEE THIS!" and do some move.  

Momora.  That's her nickname for me.  Wonder why I never mentioned it before.  Most of the time now she just calls me Mora even and for some reason I like it.  I call her Aubbie but she doesn't like it now, only in the house, not in public.  

I live in a Kingdom now.  City's been buzzing for days about this, now I find out Broegar has installed the Rofies as the new courts in town and claimed the southern part of Dregar as his own.  Wonder when he'll try for the world?

Inirine is dead.  I went home.  Everyone was there.  Heinrich cried the whole time, I've never seen him do that.  And Inirine was all kind of pale grey and already in a box ready to bury.  I haven't cried yet but my shoulder got pretty wet.  Ninya was the worst she always was Mommy's girl I think I held her for hours the first night.  I've told Aubrey and she's upset but not devastated so that's good.  I think she's more worried for me.  I just haven't felt it yet.  I've that envelope in my hands and I can't open it yet.

Whups she wants to show off again.  She's really getting good.  Clarissa seems pleased.  More later.

[Honora]

*Tucked into the journal, on pale yellow vellum, the handwriting unsteady and slanted*

Puggy, Honora.  

I dont now how to rite this so let me say this first I am prowd of you.  I hear abowt the things you do and I think how lucky I am to have a dahter like you.  You are my dahter.  I was afrad to tell you and so I never did.  But you are my litle girl my first child.

If you havnt torn this up in anger let me explain.  I was just a girl and my papa wanted to mary me off.  I now you wont understand but if I had not done what I did then it wuld have been bad for both of us.  The world is not kind to you baby girl and I didnt want you to ever be hurt.

Apart of me died with pain that I culd never tell you the truth.  Please please understand how much I love you and I kept it secrit so they wuld not take you away from me.

Take care of yor brothers and sisters.  I have alredy given Heinrich a leter so he nows to.

Be strong Puggy.  You have big things left to do and I will watch you from Ilsare's arms.

Love your mother

Inirine

[Honora]

Lots of stuff I can't think about so let's not.  Haven't been home yet.  Since.

Meeting coming up with Jil, Storold, Rowana, Kyle, Ferrit, Galen, Clarissa and Jharl.  Well, Kyle is coming down with something according to Ferrit and Rowana said she might be busy so they will join later.  But it's time to fix the Rift and the curse.

I've been busy with family

Family lately.  Family.


This is harder than I thought.  Much.  Aubie's been close since.  Clarissa is still training her and she's begun to want to earn a place as a holy warrior of Toran but she stays around and goes out with me rather than head to Tilmar like she should.  I should push her but I've been enjoying her company because I haven't had to think when she's around.  But it's time, she's grown, even Clarissa says she needs to go to the Temple and get her hands dirty with those who will train her.

I will give her enough to get her there and a little as backup.  She knows the armor, sword and shield are hers when she can wear them.  I will miss her, gods I will miss her.  I can't stop crying now.  But she's grown and it's time.

A moment of joy yesterday and unexpected.  I bought one ticket to Kali's raffle for Stone.  One ticket.  Number 73.  And, the neat but noisy gnomish raffle thingie seemed to have lost that number.  Which is okay it's for a good cause and it is gambling after all.  I was happy to donate.

And after all the numbers were picked there were two of us who had watched the machine wander past ours; some guy in green, someone called him Ren, and me.  73 and 76.  So Kali calls us up, then calls Lillian who had shown up later, and has these two little gems in her hand.  And by gods they are ioun stones which I've always wanted and she had us roll dice for them and I won.  Well, I won my choice and Ren got the other and neither of us was unhappy mine makes me stronger his gives him protection.  A nice touch for the losers; I should lose more often.  Kali and Quillwem are good folk.

But after.  Walking out, content, happy with my new toy, Lillian runs up behind me.  Presses something else small and shiney green into my hand, all sparkly.  I was speechless and still am.  And she was laughing at me and saying "don't say you'll never see one now!"  I actually hugged her, no one's ever given me such a gift.  I know we spent time together in the sails of ships and solving the first part of the Zxar mystery and we've always been friendly but wow.  

So some good, some bad.  I can't even say the word yet but maybe I can write it?


Mom

[Honora]

The Freelancers is warm, it's cold today.  I haven't seen the inside of my house for a month.  But, it's nice to be here.  I never knew Annalee as well as I'd have liked and now I have had a chance to.  I was not wrong; she's got a core of pure gold, warm and lovely.

The hunt for the King and Chalice continues.  We're close, so close, only one thing left to do before we enter that rift.  I won't let the others know but I'm nervous as cats in a dog pen so much could go wrong.  But we have come this far, and so many of them have gone so far out of their way to help.

So I won't forget:

Ferrit, taking a job at Imjam's to get information.  Putting her life; and her children and husband; on hold to help me.

Annalee, running all over Layonara in search of information to help us fix this mess, and she didn't even help make it!

Kyle, speaking to the human-hating elves of Wolfswood, finding out that there is someONE inside the rift corrupting it...he seems to think he didn't do anything but that little tidbit tells much.

Jilsephonie, adding her thoughts, leaving her orphanage to come along, keeping the books from the tower safe all this time.

Galen, speaking to the Lucindites and getting all that information, arranging for portal keys in!  Brilliant he is...

Storold, researching ways to fix the portal, finding and learning the spell that might allow us to do that.  Another fine mind.

Clarissa, offering her sword and her willingness in the face of what we did.  Speaking to the Baroness Nadia, and her mind is sharp as a tack's as well.

Jharl, my rock, offering a stable hand, his knowledge of all we went through together, and his turn researching the many libraries that might have information.

Daniel.  Dear Daniel, leaving a comfortable retirement to put on his armor; he's still as handsome as ever in it; and help us solve this.  He feels so close to death, real death, and he's still here regardless.  His faith I really hope to one day understand.

We go into the rift soon.  Some of us might not come out whole, we all know what's in there.  I prayed to Shindy for help, maybe she'll listen.  

People here.  I will write more after we visit Baroness Alathia Imjam.  Gods, watch over us.