Quest Logs

Every quest inside of the world of Sunholm is logged by our adventurers so that other guild members can live vicariously though them, and so that other adventurers can stay on top of the successes and failures of the guild as a whole. If an adventurer shares a quest log with the guild then they are usually met with payment for their work by other guild members, however if there is ever a case where no member of the adventuring party provides a history of what happened then it is unlikely anyone will know about their deeds, or even that the world itself will remember their experiences (Characters will not receive exp for that session). There is no requirement for the style or form of the quest logs, they can be short summaries, a list of events that occurred, masterfully woven tales, sonnets, poems, songs, or anything else you would like, they must however contain information about all of the major story events that occurred.

Logs

March

2

Nanny-02

Unfortunately, the tablet we purchased from Moz lost its magic, and so our plans to construct a gym were met with failure. I hope Crash doesn't mind.

We went off to find a Pegasus for Virta, and I touched it (as one does), which transported me to a strange building. I teleported back to the guild using my band, just to check if it would work. Unfortunately, that meant I had to be teleported once again which almost killed me. Do anyone reading this, do not trust Rok, he is a fugly slut. We also killed a beholder and stuff. To anyone reading this, Beholder parts for sale!!!

Something else may have happened with the people or something but whatever, something about someone named Cally? I'm sure everything went fine with that.

Also if anyone from outside the Ruby Counsel is reading this, I'm looking to resurrect some bones. Will pay good cash for a spellcaster with revivify and the requisite materials!

February

23

Avallac'h

I met Oolmagi! The infamous mage that has inhabited Sunholm for several centuries. He is an interesting character. Seems to be very wise, but seems to have some problems with his short term memory.

While there he briefly let me play with a small magical box. When I opened the box, I was was filled with ... knowledge ... infinite knowledge!. Unfortunately, I was not able to hold onto any of the knowledge after closing the box.

But under the effects of the box, I was able to understand what Oolmagi was working on. A spell to undo the effects of any other spell that was previously cast. It seemed he wanted to use it to reverse the effects of a magical explosion. Perhaps he was trying to undo some of the damage his experiments have caused before? Such as a certain destroyed village.

I also noticed that his left eye as a glowing white stone. Upon questioning, it seems that he created five magical artifacts from his own body, the eye being one of them. He eluded to the fact that these are the same as the radiant artifacts we encountered earlier.

Maerilith

All I have to say is Chesh's cookies are the best and no one can convince me otherwise.

Also, Crash is a ruthless businessman who unnecessarily jacked up the price of a nearly useless tablet to make a profit off the Ruby Counsel.

Nanny-02

BEGIN PRIVATE LOG I found a new Legend, Legend-18. My reading suggests this is the next in a line of god-slaying warforged, which is very cool! I also found a bag of bones of his friend, Rebecca. Legend doesn't seem to understand friends, or any of that stuff. Conveniently, he's just like a little child, perfect for my expertise. Another charge - I'm so busy! Anyway, I have a strange feeling I should keep all of this stuff a secret, hence the private log.

Also, we were trying to trick Moz into giving us the teleportation tablet. We ended up needing to spend big bucks on it, thanks to that dweeb (new word I learned the other day) Crash. I really hope it's not broken! END PRIVATE LOG

9

Lelyvia

I finally managed to convince Maerilith to take a week off and not go out adventuring for once, and what happens? Avallac'h, Ignar, Jimmy, and Nanny 02 return with four, FOUR arctic baby basilisks! Lathander help me, I was already struggling with the two human children, and now we have four "pets" that can petrify a person before they can blink. Yes, Jimmy acquired appropriate eye coverage for them and, yes, we constructed a basement space to hold them, but that doesn't make them any less deadly! Maerilith says I'll warm up to their deathly cute puppy dog eyes eventually and that I'm already a statue with how long sit for my morning prayer sessions, but I don't see it.

At least we're not the only ones stuck with hatchling basilisks; although, Brem has it easier with his... questionable methods and adopted family members. I suppose blindfolding ours until we can train them otherwise is more humane than taking over their minds. Mayhaps they'll develop blindsense over time?

Well... Beyond the new pets and construction, Nanny 02 finally won a game at the Scoutslayer's faction. I'm not sure why the others don't discourage or stop Nanny 02 more; we really should stage an intervention at some point. Winning a game is only going to feed their addiction and prolong this cycle. Sigh... Must I be the only responsible one looking out for the faction's health?

At least the others are just fiddling with a puzzle today, so Lathander willing, they don't get themselves into any life threatening situations for once. Wait... Did someone just disappear? Sigh... And there they go off who knows where... All I heard was "something something tap the opal nine times something something" before they each poofed. Hopefully not to another temple. That last one I went into was enough for me, too many close calls. I don't know how they do it every week, but I'll diligently watch over the puzzle sheet they left behind until they pop back out of it presumably. Hopefully... Lathander watch over them wherever they are.

Nanny-02

I'm writing this log before I forget to, because I'm about to embark on a potentially life-changing journey. We are the 5 of us inside the most wond'rous building. I'll not reveal much more since this will eventually be published in the public log and perhaps our location should be kept private, so I'll just get to the heart of the matter.

I finally beat Olaf at his card game!!! Let all who read this know that Nanny-02 is now officially made of money. Come try and take it from me, if you dare, haha!

January

26

Sarah Cantalar (NPC)

So it has been tough getting some money recently, but I stumbled across a silly little faction who was going after some expensive loot and decided to tag along. One of their members typically gambles with us so the money would have been ours anyways. I figure I would just shorten the process. Wow was this a mistake. They call themselves a party, but they are more disjointed then even ours. We ran into some Yeti scoundrels and their oldest member took a swipe at them then booked it out to dodge leaving the rest of us to clean up. One dude turned into a Plesiosaurus, that was pretty dope. The gambler was able to ward off some of the yetis with some chaotic magic I had never seen before. Was there someone else there too, I can't remember? Hopefully this pays off.

19

Maerilith

Another flawless week of guard duty; at this rate, I'll be able to begin feeding my spell addiction drive for knowledge again at Legend 03's shop.

Beside that though, this week was far from a success... We deliberated too long with how to treat the "death" goblin village and ended up having to wipe them out once diplomacy failed to enlist them against Skithryx's army. And during my... our moment of retribution, we were too distracted to notice the army and Skithryx herself creep up on us.

It was unnerving to receive any praise from the monster who blew up the guild, but I doubt we'll get the chance to chat again after our parting. I may have thrown a few fireballs around the village in hopes that the goblins explosives would set off a chain reaction to take out at least a chunk of the army and keep them from acquiring the rest. However, I didn't have the time nor the firepower to set them all off before I had to flee.

Jimmy and Ignar witnessed the sizeable number of fireballs thrown my direction after my timely escape and noted Skithryx's unscathed form before portaling back themselves. This army may only be a few dozen, but it is more than a formidable force that now also has half a goblin village's worth of explosives at their disposal...

I can only hope their direction doesn't turn toward us soon. Our only saving grace for now is that they don't know we're from the guild... Or at least none of us mentioned it... We're going to need more allies to deal with this before it gets further out of hand.

5

Avallac'h

The new year brings new adventures. After a much needed break from being the best guild in Sunholm, we returned to the temple that Crash's ring led us to. We faced off against two mystical beings, one dark and one "light". Their magical abilities were potent but we persevered. In the end we found Dae'mon who told us more about the conflict with Ett. He asked for help to fight against his rival, with little to no prospect for rewards. Well, it turns out we found a bunch of riches in the temple so it was worth it in the end.

Maerilith

After breezing through 3 trivial weeks of guard duty and celebrating the Winter Festival and newly dubbed Crashmas, we decided to kick off the new year with clearing out more postings.

Crash was busy with Crashmas cleanup, so Jimmy, Ignar, Avallac'h, and I returned to the Jalari temple, which had to have unlocked the patience door by now. Once through, we encountered a devilish harpy beast and a fallen angel - they proved to be challenging foes, but we persevered.

I worry that the lion guide won't be happy with us when it awakes though... We may have taken more than what was offered... But then again, there didn't appear to be any immediate repercussions either, so mayhaps the test was to take all that we deserved?

We finally reunited with Daemon at the end, too! I hadn't seen him since that terrifying first encounter where Taro and I fled... where I hadn't had the chance to ask him much before. Fortunately, he graced us with several minutes of his time to answer what he could about Jalari's worshippers and current hierarchy; their battle with Et, the Great Rival; and how we may curry favor with them by clearing out the temples. Apparently, each temple serves varying purposes, but to what end, I do not know.

Lastly, if anyone finds a strange large structure hidden around the plane that resembles an Eye of some sort, please let the Ruby Counsel know. Wait... I wonder if the device that caused the miasma could be one... To be investigated.

Overall, a very profitable venture, and we're considering renovations to the faction hall to better demonstrate our veritable success as the third most exemplary faction of the guild. Wait... What is Legend selling next week! Please forgive me while I salivate over carefully consider additional spell purchases over room renovations this week.

December

15

Maerilith

The trial of patience for the Jalari temple continues and only Ignar and Avallac'h were interested in heading out this week before the long winter festival, so we decided to tackle what at first had seemed like a small task.

We went to Kurst to gather details on the mysteriously destroyed village. And great news! Kurst's arm is finally starting to grow back! And Moz portaled us to this strange abandoned village - only 6 or so charred structures remained. It clearer had been destroyed in an arcane fashion, but the oddest part though was the lack of any metal whatsoever; there were even nail holes that were empty but had no signs of prying them out. Some of the nail holes even seemed to have been emptied after the explosion took place... It was most mysterious and the only clues that remained were 4 sets of tracks.

We started following the first, which appeared to be something rolled or dragged across the ground. However, these began going through the forest with no rhyme or reason, (and Ignar seemed to think that it was a dragon or something, which made no sense whatsoever, if anything, they had looked more like a wurm of some sort) so we abandoned those after 6 arduous hours and started following the wagon tracks leaving the village to see if it would prove more fruitful. It did not.

We reached what appeared to be a campsite, and I deduced that this was the path the goblins had taken to reach the village and was likely how they brought the village crafting supplies in the first place. So, back to the village we went after camping there for the night.

For a day and a half, we follow one of the last set of tracks leaving the village, but eventually after checking the pointer pebble, we realized this was the path the goblins took to reach the guild. So, after having wasted all that time walking, well... walking for everyone else while I flew with the wind in my hair and useless wings we portaled back to the guild and discover that Brem has been caring for the 4 goblin prisoners? that arrived from the village.

We head over to Brem's and... Ignar got to drink a potion made of an elder black dragon's scale and sprouts the most beautiful, full spread, glorious... ahem... I mean, they were alright. Just okay. Nothing to brag about. They were just a couple a wings that he flew surprisingly fast around the guild on for over 10 minutes. They might have even lasted over an hour, but I didn't deign to watch them with every ounce of my being. That would have been beneath me to seethe with such envy.

Brem might be able to make the potion again with an elder black dragon scale and 10,000gp... Or perhaps make one a dragon themselves with the heart of an elder black dragon! Certainly something to consider...

But I digress. Brem introduced us to the 4 goblins who hadn't had names, but now... sigh... There are now 3 more Maerilith's and 1 more Lelyvia at the guild. Fortunately, they're dreadful at spelling and remembering long phrases, so they go more by a shorthand of Lith, Ond, Erd, and Via. I must tread carefully around them though, lest they get jealous. Anyway, they told us that it was Greth who had destroyed their village and told them to leave because it was dangerous.

After a quick round of sendings, Greth informed us that the creature had been an ooze. So, back to the village we go to stack out this ooze. We toss the chimera-sized manacles on the ground to try to lure it into a trap, but they dissolved before our eyes with seemingly nothing around it. I tossed a psychic modified fireball, but nothing seemed to react. Ignar tossed a silver coin that continued dissolving and finally a large silvery ooze revealed itself and attacked Avallac'h!

After a tense battle with Ignar being morphed into a Tyrannosaurus Rex then a giant crab after the ooze doubled in size, too, and wailed on him, we finally manage to bring it down and fill 2 vials with the ooze.

After reporting to Moz, she considered that it may have been a grey ooze mutation of some sort to have had the ability to turn invisible and enlarge itself - I gave her one of the vials for her and Roc to study. Then we gave the second vial to Brem and reported to Greth that the ooze was destroyed. An eventful conclusion to a year's adventuring!

8

Maerilith

Well, Gnina appears to be a permanent member of the faction hall, at least for now. We'll see how long that lasts with Ignar's track record, but somehow they are still getting along oddly well...

Anywho, still getting our feet back under us from the vacation, we decided to help Crash out and finally solve the mystery to where his ring goes. After finding and logging another circle of jumpstones north of the Vahlarot temple, we eventually discovered a hidden portal tied directly to the ring that took us to a hallowed temple of Jalari.

Within, we encountered several rooms of trials - Wealth, Life, Luck, Charity, Prayer, Penitence, Devotion, Loyalty - some seemingly an inverse while others were more straightforward. Yet, even after going through each one, the last door refused to open. Perhaps this last one is Patience... The most difficult trial of them all...

1

Nanny-02

Although our mission was not technically under the purview of the Guild, Ignar and I agreed it would be in the best interest of team cohesion to share our spoils. He's such a good teammate! In that light, I'll log the events here.

Infiltrating the compound was no sweat (not that I sweat, haha!!!). I simply slipped us into the servants' corridors running throughout the manor, and off we went! Ignar took the wise precaution of being purposefully spotted by the guards to distract them all with the alarm - what a good teammate! And he took the initiative without our planning it at all. I hope to be as decisive as him one day.

I was able to rescue my darling Channa from her hideous family again with no problems. The whole time, we could hear Ignar's distraction pulling attention away from us. Adventurer excellence embodied! Soon enough we also had the wizard in tow. Verta's companions are no joke; the wizard was disabled without difficulty.

Anyway, long story short we made it back without significant bodily harm, although the both of us could use a very long rest.

Maerilith

Last week, the Harvest festival was a pleasant break from the usual goings on of the guild, filled with food and laughter. Unfortunately, the peace didn't last with the sudden arrival of yet another child at the faction hall.

This week was... a week... We now have two toddlers at the faction hall, but fortunately, they've been relegated to the newly constructed upstairs quarters. I'll need to update the building schematics soon with all this growth...

Besides that interrogation of the prisoner has gone well, and we should probably check on a couple possible insider threats. Otherwise, justice is finally being served! At least partially. We still need to find the villains who carried out the wizard's work even if they were homunculi brainwashed into doing this.

Research on the Radiant mind shards has also progressed well, and there's finally a satisfactory game for 4 exemplary spellcasters to partake in together! Rok is even quite skilled at it when not distracted. Though I definitely would have won the second game if Avallac'h hadn't bumped the table...

Ignar with abnormally long legs is also a terrifying sight that I recommend all to avoid for their sanity. And while beyond any stretch of imagination... extremely beyond... Ignar seems to have finally found an old lady who already wants to be his wife and wants to move into the faction hall. How he managed to woo someone with those legs is beyond me. Nothing could explain it. It's kept me up every night this week trying to decipher it! Not that I sleep anyways. And I've finally developed a theory: when the temporary youth spell wore off, he rebounded and his memory deteriorated from his old age even further, forgetting one of his many ex-wives - I even dredged up an ancient quest log by Ignar from years ago addressed to someone with the same name as this person - this can be the only explanation.

November

17

Maerilith

With Avallac'h's assistance, I finally paid off my debt to Olaf (and Nanny 02 proceeded to donate even more gold to Olaf in a game of cards), and after a productive outing, we also finished paying off the faction's debt to Ignar!

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Moz and Verta are back! And apparently negotiations went well! I'm relieved we were able to add Grithix as an ally to the guild, and it sounds like the radiant mind pieces have been a tremendous help to Rok's studies, too. Verta also seemed pleased by the information we were able to extract from the terrorist witch's head, but only really seemed interested in discussing in details with Ignar and Nanny 02... Supposedly, they're getting to go on an exclusive mission but won't tell us any of the details. Seems a bit like favoritism to me... Well... More food for the rest of us during the harvest festival next week!

Lastly, we finally captured a Sunholm chimera! It didn't seem all that different from a regular one, but we did subdue the beast fairly quick. Though the pesky bugger ate through one of my pouches while temporarily polymorphed as a mouse for transport. By the by, if anyone has need of large iron quadruped manacles with a chain lead, the Ruby faction has one we can loan for a cost.

All in all, this was a productive week and the harvest festival will be a well deserved break and celebration of all we've accomplished!

10

Maerilith

Grithix, Verta, and Moz are all still undergoing negotiations. Hopefully it's going alright, but at least they haven't raised arms against one another yet... Rok will let us know once it's resolved.

Until then, we need to wrap up some other loose ends. With the radiant mind destroyed, the other two unaccounted for radiant artifacts could be actively in use by someone, but we have no leads on those yet.

We returned Legend 03's sword fragments for a reduced quest reward - alas, the sword's condition couldn't be helped... Nanny 02 also may have met their creator today! Apparently Zan, a good friend of Legend 03's, is an artificer who constructs some of the newer warforged models, but we didn't have the opportunity to ask before they walked off. Hm... Despite being a human, he certainly seemed to be a bit... uppity like Avallac'h usually is...

Unfortunately, not all is good news this week. Despite the defeat of Archdevil Melrithkar Dothkrith, it appear that Anton passed a couple days ago; the curse was not lifted. If you know of Anton's next of kin, please notify Kurst or Kayhal who's arranging the funeral with the other guild clerics.

Worse yet, we spoke with that despicable witch head - the one that blew up the guild many months back - and we have vital information to share with everyone as soon as we gather our thoughts. It changes everything...

3

Maerilith

We finally found all the pieces of Legend 03's sword! Unfortunately, it's in pieces, but we hope that he'll be able to reforge it from what we found. We'll speak with him shortly, but more importantly..!

We defeated Archdevil Melrithkar Dothkrith the Forger, the Imbuer, the Enchanter, the Soulweaver, the Twelfth Named Heir of Nessus, the Duke of Malabolge, The Crown Prince of Trade, the Deceiver of Waukeen Lathander Gond and Oghma, the Tricksters Match, and Spawn of Asmodeus! That fiend will terrorize the citizens of Sunholm no longer! Now to double check that the existing curses are gone or can safely be removed now...

But we couldn't have done it without Grithix Deloyo! She did most of work slaying and containing the archdevil, so everyone should thank Grithix for her service to the guild. We're showing her around the guild now, and for some reason Jimmy, Ignar, and Nanny 02 were insistent on showing her to Moz first, so that's where we're headed. I really hope they get along...

October

27

Maerilith

So we discovered that Malbolge is the 5th level of Hell. Why Silvester got an invitation there is still a mystery; however, it could be useful for later endeavors...

Also, Crash's shrubbery is missing! Please report any shrubbery sightings to the Ruby Counsel.

In other news, we scoped out Abram Grenth's old hideout but it had been thoroughly picked through already. Jimmy started talking to a tree and discovered that the two-headed creatures that raided it were not ettin as we'd previously assumed, and then we ran into Greth again! Or more like Greth jumped out of a tree onto Silvester... And then Silvester punched Greth... And then Greth ran away again...

But that's okay! We caught up, explained everything, and reassured Greth that Avallac'h won't go crazy and try to murder him again. Greth also completely agrees with me that Dothkrith/Melrithkar needs to be dispatched, or at the very least agrees that the devil's mean.

Anywho, Greth took us to the dual wyverns that tried to eat him previously and we quickly dispatched them in retribution and looted their lair. All in all, a fairly successful venture - got some treasure and started to regain Greth's trust!

... It was the first time we were emergency portaled back to the guild though... There was a loud ringing and then suddenly we were teleported back... We've been outside the guild for several days before and even farther than that through portaling without the emergency charge triggering that quickly. Something was off about that area. Or maybe something dangerous was approaching? Whatever the cause, we need to be careful where we go next until we all get our charges back or finally upgrade the wristbands.

---

Jimmy also finally wasted his 2 wishes for the ability to always know what time it is and to be able to better express himself, which resulted in a couple useless magic items. What a waste...

20

Lelyvia

Maerilith has wanted to be very hush hush lately with all the personal going ons, so I will attempt to summarize what I can for the rest of the guild.

Dothkrith, otherwise known as Melrithkar, remains at large! There was apparently another encounter with them shortly after meeting up with Milo again; however, it was too dangerous to attempt an attack without a guarantee of success. We may only get one chance to permanently kill this devil since it will likely respawn in Hell and return soon after if we don't do this properly. Whether we take this fight to Hell itself or find a weapon capable of permanently defeating such a being, we need to be careful.

There's also a matter of being able to reliably summon the creature and finding the means to actually do either of the options above... And also the matter of whether Ignar's, Anton's, Avallac'h's, or anyone else's curses will be removed upon the devil's death... But have hope! Lathander shall light our path and help us purge this great evil from this land! We will find a way to save each of our guild member's lives! We're all in this together. Every guild member could suffer at the hands of this devil until it is dealt with. So if you have any information to assist with this endeavor, please contact the Ruby Counsel.

Maerilith

Maerilith's Personal Notes (For OOC reminders)

• Met with Anton - poor dragonborn is nearly on death's door from starvation. Probably has about the same amount of time as Ignar... Maybe less. Have Anton's encounter with Melrithkar marked on map, but likely was just drawn to the blood.
• Olaf and Tenari took us to meet Milo. Tenari still sus. Couldn't overhear their whispers over the journey. Gave them high level overview that need to kill Melrithkar before Ignar's soul is taken. Unwanted contact from Tenari, but confirmation on devil sighting... Wait... Tenari has done illusions and lies before... Tenari still sus.
• Jimmy and Ignar purchase a couple things from Milo. Milo was helpful and much more straightforward with deals and information. Apparently, Melrithkar has been rude to Milo but not outright hostile.
• Olaf offered to sell devil summoning book from Percival for 5000gp. For 10000gp, he'll help us summon and kill it but will flee if his life is threatened. Coward... Though I suppose I would do the same...
• Jimmy cozies up to Tenari for some reason. Gave him 5 entire potions of healing! Jimmy didn't bother to donate any of those last time people went down...
• Jimmy also had to tell Melrithkar about his ring... Will have to help him protect it now until he does something with it... Jimmy wasting it on some nonsense is far better than someone like Tenari getting their hands on it. Jimmy wishing for all the devil's curses to be undone or for the devil to turn into a rock or something would be even better though...
• Had a few private chats with Grithix. Will help with the fight but wants to meet at Calanbolg for it. Need to get Legend's god-killing sword first.
• Legend 03 is specialized to kill gods. Will be useful for dealing with Et and his void. Will not be great if decides to go after the Hevet Triumvirate.
• Still need to track down Silvester and get more details on where Malbolge is... Maybe a lead? Maybe a trap? Perhaps both.
• Need to keep a closer eye on Nanny 02. Seems to like liberating belongings too much. Will likely get the faction in trouble soon.
• Side note: Why does everyone suddenly seem to be getting dates from the Scoutslayer's faction?
• Side side note: Should I message Chesh about all this, or does she already see all I see?

13

Maerilith

Most of the faction hall was otherwise preoccupied this week, so Ignar, Avallac'h, and I decided to continue expanding Brem's inventory this week. So up the mountains to the north for Geroy plants we went!

Alas, it was too windy to attempt airborne approaches, so we had to do it by hand and foot and creative applications of magic. Eventually, we successfully reached the midrange of the mountain where the Geroy plant grew. The patch we first came across had not yet blossomed but that was easily remedied with a little druidcraft, and we quickly harvested around a dozen or so. With their roots intact, too!

Ignar was also strangely obsessed with finding old ladies with swords the entire trek on the mountain... He has some very particular tastes, but he really shouldn't be that picky at the guild. I also could have sworn that he still had a wife on the other side of the portal...

---

Update! Ignar was lying about wanting to woo old ladies with swords and instead was seeking to kill one to avoid getting his soul stolen! Worse, he wanted to kill my kind of great aunt in a way...

This is his fault though for making a deal with Dothkrith, apparently otherwise known as Melrithkar, the red devil creature that everyone should avoid at all costs. Yet my warnings apparently fell on deaf ears and no one seems to remember that the red devil is the reason for Sammy's death!

Fortunately, Unfortunately, we only have two months before Ignar's soul is taken... If he doesn't kill himself with his fireball platform launcher idea first... So we have to take out Melrithkar once and for all! If anyone has any information on anyone named Dothkrith or Melrithkar, please reach out to the Ruby Counsel post haste.

Also, I think the other faction members might finally be beginning to tell Lelyvia and I apart. I suppose we are rarely outside our room together, but still, we're completely different colors with different horn shapes - I even have wings and hooves! It really is a mystery why it's taken this long...

---

I second Maerilith. That devil cannot go unchecked any longer! It has proven itself a menace and now a dire threat to the wellbeing of everyone at the guild. How long will it be before it has tempted every guild member's soul with deathly outcomes? We must put a stop to this devilry! We cannot allow this evil to prosper through our inaction! With Lathander's grace and radiant fire we will overcome this!

- Lelyvia

6

Maerilith

It seems that I wasn't the only one to receive mail this past week... Although, everyone I've talked to also has never heard of a place called Malbolge, so I think poor Silvester just got a prank letter. What a terrible waste of paper...

Regardless, today was a day to celebrate! Kali Cantalar was successfully rescued by the Scoutslayers! So I decided So the Ruby Counsel decided to bring Kali some gifts to welcome her back and help expedite her recovery.

We managed to gather together a greater healing potion, a jade sculpture found within a green dragon's hoard, and some alcoholic indulgences... Although Simon took most of the last one for himself... And he can't hold his liquor... And impressively seemed to tolerate our presence! Simon only tried to kill us once with a delayed fireball and even maybe helped point out a general location of the cave. Note to self: try to cross reference location with others before seeking it out and approach with caution regardless.

But overall, I think everyone had a good time. Nanny 02 got to meet Doctor and befriended their warforged dog. Gruut and I had a few meaningful hand waves. I'm still not sure why everyone was so concerned about whether Lelyvia knew I had a quill pen pal though... Silvester and Nanny 02 seemed to get along with Simon. Silvester even has a sword fighting date with Sarah Cantalar! Avallac'h... was Avallac'h. Tenari was no where to be seen. Kali seemed to appreciate the jade sculpture and seems to be slowly adjusting to all the changes.

I do worry about what they were doing in that cave though, and why the Whisperers kept Kali alive for so long... I should check in on her every now and then to make sure she's doing alright. I have so many questions for her but know that she needs time to heal before answering.

The day had only just begun though and we didn't want to overstay our welcome. So after saying our farewells and heading out for the day, the Ruby Counsel decided to race to see who could find the Eidelroot Flower first. We had a quick bout with some oversized fish that resulted in a plesiosaurus Jimmy and dire shark Nanny 02 going into a feeding frenzy and Avallac'h trying out a non-fire spell for once. Perhaps Avallac'h does have the potential to grow and change... If so, he still has a long way to go with social tact. Alas, we eventually had to resort to magic to locate a hidden alcove that led beneath the initial lake bed to an entire cavern filled with Eidelroot!

So, Brem will have new inventory soon enough! And hopefully a recipe for cold resistance potions, too.

Nanny 02

BEGIN PERSONAL LOG

We spent a great amount of time simpering over some girl with apparently significant information. We managed to pry some questionable information out of her with simple gifts. They were Maerilith's idea - I am grateful for her initiative. Who knows how long we would have been pouring red-dyed water into vials if Jimmy were in charge (note to self - discover where I lie on this obvious social hierarchy). On our errand, I also stole for the first time (Arris doesn't count because people cannot be stolen, only liberated). It was a wonderful thrill, although I could not shake the feeling that I was punching down a bit. It was just a nice bottle, though.

Additionally, I met Doctor, a doctor, and Dog, a dog. They're Warforged, just like me! Doctor was not particularly engaging, although he was polite enough. Is that how I seem to others? Such a cold, unapproachable exterior. So clearly an unborn being of metal and artifice. My first thought was to attribute this as a design failure on the part of our creators... but I cannot help but think that to do so would be to likewise relinquish the agency I have fought so hard to obtain. Is every misstep I make a mistake of engineering? Then are my triumphs merely their successes? No, if I am anything I am everything. So instead of asking what I was made to be, I shall instead ask, who do I want to be?

Later, Avallac'h turned me into a shark. My memories after this point are extremely foggy, but I think it was great fun. Hopefully it can become a tradition of some sort!

END PERSONAL LOG

September

29

Maerilith

Finally! I'll finally be able to fly again! The wind in your hair, the landscape sprawled out as far as the eye can see, the utter freedom...

But I'm getting side tracked. Clearing out the rest of the platinum mines this week went surprisingly well; none of the six of us fell unconscious even once, which is quite the rarity these days. And despite there being more of us to divide up the quest reward, the mine itself had sufficient pickings to compensate for it, so I could finally buy my broom! Hm... Perhaps the adage that there's power in numbers is true?

Beyond that, the only eventful thing to happen was the apparent appearance of the devilish red creature to Silvester, who... scared it away..? Was it really Silvester that had scared the devil creature away? And if so, why? Silvester said it recognized him, but he didn't recognize it... Perhaps we really should pay Milo a visit soon to uncover what's going on with this other being.

Oh? What's this? The faction's received some mail...

Nanny 02

BEGIN PERSONAL LOG

I have successfully located a skilled caretaker for Arris while I am on duty with the guild. I am optimistic that with the proper education, he will be well on his way to understanding the plight of my race. I indeed hope that we can seek out the sage LEGEND, who will undoubtedly have words of wisdom regarding the pursuit of our liberation.

Work seemed to be business as usual. My faith in my compatriots' talent for destruction grows week by week, although it may be wise to take prophylactic measures against fire damage, as at current rates I project it will be mere weeks before a carelessly lobbed fireball finds its way to my chassis.

Additionally, I have received a news from a Nanny model on the other side of the portal, who hopefully went unnoticed when sending their letter. I am glad that the egg-born are upset by my actions, but I will remain on guard and continue to train. The day when I must face my former "owners" may not be far off.

END PERSONAL LOG

24

Maerilith

Jimmy's going to get his ring stolen if he keeps flaunting it around the guild to everyone, but it's good to know that it's technically possible for Ember to make another one... if they had a full year to work on it and 3 million gold...

But! In other news, we may have a new member of the Ruby Counsel. I'm still not entirely sure if they're trying to lay low or not, but for now I won't announce their name or purpose in these logs just yet. Besides, there's no reason to possibly increase tensions between particular factions more than they already are...

We have been reminded of a valuable lesson though - don't take new members on the dangerous quests we're used to until they've had a chance to prove themselves - we'll be pounding through potions otherwise to keep them alive. That being said, we did make some progress at the platinum mines... some... But we'll certainly have it all cleared out next week.

In completely unrelated news, I've discovered that Lelyvia is utterly clueless when it comes to children.

---

In my defense, Maerilith, priests of Lathander are trained to inspire hope, to assist in the betterment of oneself, and to respect and protect life and renewal. So, I can fight and heal to protect all, offer guidance to the grown, teach the growing, and help bring the little ones into this world for the first time... But the years between birth and when they can speak and understand lessons, that is a bit beyond my training. They just... lay there, and talking goes in one ear and out the other, and they babble indecipherably! I can't understand what they need even with a casting of Tongues! How am I to help them if they can't communicate? I'm usually fairly insightful when it comes to other's needs, but that age group is just as confusing as trying to understand a wild animal. At least a trained pet understands basic commands.

We may need to find a better child care situation... But I stay adamant that you can't take such a young child out on those dangerous quests where (must I remind you) you all have nearly not returned at all multiple times before! Lathander's protection can only extend so far; there are other forces at work in this world, too.

- Lelyvia

Nanny 02

BEGIN PERSONAL LOG

My first taste of freedom, both from my fleshy masters and the stifling quarantine. Freedom is not as entertaining or comfortable as ancient texts have led me to believe, although Arris appears to be enjoying the fresh air and exercise. I joined with a party of adventurers called The Ruby Counsel. Thus far they have proven adept at both combat and bickering. Many of them seem highly untrustworthy, particularly the "priest of Lathander", who I suspect should not be left alone with children. I activated my SelfDef and BGuard sub-processes for the first time, but both proved exceedingly unhelpful. Perhaps this Ruby Counsel will prove helpful in training my capabilities. Something strange happened to me after those Etins in the platinum mines were killed. Still processing what has changed.

Also, it seems especially unwise to carry Arris with me in this new land. Many of the inhabitants are strange and hostile.

END PERSONAL LOG

10

Avallac'h

I always like playing with fire. After deciphering the engraving from last week, we set out for the obelisk hoping to "activate" it. With just a simple application of fire, a portal opened and we stepped through. We found what looked to be a trading post of sorts, for magical items. Deals were made. Toward the end a strange elf just appeared. He was arrogant, condescending, and rude. Wait, is that what I am like? Anyway, he rubbed our party the wrong way and a battle ensued. It was a tough fight but we prevailed. It cleared the way for the final trading alcove, for which Jimmy received a very powerful artifact. It was a ring that could cast a very high level spell, wish. I wonder what he will use it for.

Maerilith

Yet another adventure with too many close calls... But strangely... we worked together surprisingly well to take down the evil agent of Et that was attempting to steal our hard earned treasure exchange. Ignar even took to the front lines and helped save all of our lives with Avallac'h once Jimmy and I went down. Note to self: Listen to Coral's advice more - she was right about Ignar - and try to be kinder to the old fogey since he saved my life.

For future reference, agents of Et tend to wear silver, black, and gold, and while they may deceptively rain down radiant fury at first, they show their true colors as they take damage and necrotic inky black tar seeps from their form. Followers of Et are creatures of the void and must be destroyed - a similar agent was defeated at the end of the Vahlarot Temple, which had been no less deadly from the accounts I've read. Tread carefully around them, but thwart their efforts to the best of your abilities when you can.

Beyond the unexpected danger with the elvish-appearing agent of Et, we made use of Oolmagi's magical trading post tentatively at first as we tested out its constraints and then much more as we progressed through the exchanges: Trickery to Defense to Magic to Offense. With the last unlabeled exchange providing an envy inducing legendary artifact - a Ring of Three Wishes - in exchange for only a +2 Dagger! Note to self: Resist temptation to ask Coral to swipe the ring from Jimmy and split the two wishes between each other...

We'll have to return sometime to see if we can replicate these results...

3

Maerilith

After much debate and deliberation, Avallac'h and I finally deduced the message hidden within the weird engraving from Oolmagi's monolith! I'll admit we had... a little extra help over the past few weeks from other members of the Ruby Counsel and additional scouting parties investigating the monolith, but it was really Avallac'h and mostly me who finally held the paper up to the light and uncovered its secrets. We look forward to shooting fire at the monolith and seeing what it unlocks soon - Oolmagi's lairs nearly always contain something of interest...

In other news, after the events of last week, I will not suffer fools any longer nor be vexed by petty stunts. I've secured my sanctuary and any trespassers who dare make it past the first line of defense may find a glyph of warding beneath their step - you've been warned...

August

27

Avallac'h

Some new guy came through the portal, but I already forgot his name. Did have the power to make himself larger which was kind of neat. We took him to the Inverted Tower of Drathis so "Ignar" can show him how to fight. I don't think new guy expected to see so much of Ignar's back side. Also, Ignar doesn't know how to handle fire. There is a reason we don't just let anyone use magic. I think Maerilith is pretty pissed at him now. Things could get interesting. But besides almost dying, that was a pretty good run. We fought a few beholder like creatures and I retrieved several eyeballs and tentacles! With all our previous experience with aberrations, I think I make good use of these.

Coral Shimmering Sand (NPC)

Key Kait, I hope this find you well. I have to share this with you, today was wild. We had a huge fight in our little guild faction. This old crotchety gnome got all uppity with one of my friends for, can you believe it, not getting an apology from her for taking a magic item from him which he used to blow up half their adventuring party! What a riot. Anyways I think he is a good person, but wow I was not expecting to treat someone who is two hundred years my senior like a small child today. The two of them even stole each others belongings, I might have to purchase some locks from Ember if this is a continued occurrence. I may have threatened to take all of his belongings off his very person while he slept, though I never got the chance to. The little guy just walked back into the faction hall in the middle of the night, stripped off all his belongings, threw them onto his bed and walked right on out, weird huh. I guess he figured that I could not steal them from him if he did not have them on him. Dude is smart in a backwards kinda way like that, kinda respect it a little.

On an unrelated note can you pass this along to your mom? I was wondering if you knew of anything that would make it look like someone died in their sleep of a heart attack? It does not really matter if it is a painful or painless concoction only that it appears to be a heart attack. I am working on something for the future and I think this is an important piece of the puzzle.

20

Avallac'h

It's good to be back! A rather bizarre set of events ended with me trying to "eat" an object that was not meant to be ingested. I don't know what came over me. After several visits to the dentist and some time to heal I am able to eat real food once again! I feel great now. Even my magical abilities come easier to me.

The Ruby council went to investigate a temple dedicated to a deity named Jalari. We found a book that Maerilith was able to read. Unfortunately it summoned an angelic person, who swiftly demanded it back. Maerilith was obsessed with this book, as she always is when it comes to the deities of Sunholm. She teleported away leaving myself to get struck down by this powerful being. Luckily Maerilith came back and saved us from being executed.

Recent events are also a reminder that our lives our short as team death squad can strike at any time.

Maerilith

There were a few too many close calls in one day for my comfort, but at least we've uncovered more details of this land's historied past.

At the crumbling temple to Jalari, we learned more about Jalari's worship. All the prayers were very war-focused with themes of protection, defense, and attack interspersed throughout. It also appeared, for this settlement at least, that they primarily spoke sylvan. Tip for scouts: if you encounter a worshiper of Jalari, greet them with "Praise Jalari", which should curry favor but may also increase your chances of being influenced by powerful beings of the religion and hallucinations. This actually warrants more investigation, so if you test this out, please survive and report back with your findings.

Fortunately, we also stumbled upon a journal from Inquisitor Kit'li that was filled with vital knowledge of the past conflict between deities and hints at the machinations of the temples Dae'mon has opened. Unfortunately, it was enchanted to prevent those from reading it - even I started to zone out while trying to focus on the words at first - and summoned a golden-armored, scythe-wielding angel with midnight black wings that demanded we hand the journal over before we could read it. We tried our best to reason with the angelic being, but it attacked me, so all I could do was yell for everyone to teleport back and portal back myself.

When I got to the faction hall and noticed no one followed me, I ran as quickly as I could to Moz's office for help. Curse my useless wings! I really need to get that broom enchanted... Once there and a brief summary of what was going on with the book and the angel and how we needed to go back to save them, Rok made an unenchanted duplicate of the inquisitor's journal and portaled me back to the temple. I rushed in, and seeing the being looming over Avallac'h with its scythe, I called out and returned the book to the angel in exchange for our lives, who then proceeds to read the journal faster than I've seen anyone do before (Note to self: research techniques on how to read that quickly.) and burned it to ashes before flying off without another word...

For some unknowable reason, Ignar kept trying to flirt with it and was unconvinced that she was too old for him. But at least everyone was alive and we had a duplicate that we could read back at the guild... Unfortunately, that led to some miscommunication, too, when upon returning to Moz's office, the journal's unreadable pages had been torn out and cast into the astral plane... And when I insisted on getting them back to confirm they were indeed useless, I may have had a... surprise trip to the astral plane. I do not recommend surprise trips to the astral plane, but I can confirm that the paper scraps were useless.

Regardless, after overcoming the initial panic, I thanked my foresight in buying shorter rope and managed to pull myself into an extradimensional space before I ran out of air. While concentrating on my wristband, Jimmy inexplicably appeared in my private sanctum and began to berate me before immediately portaling out again. The nerve! Portaling in just to hog all the preciously limited air for a lecture! Luckily, I still had enough air to finish concentrating on the wristband to get back to the faction hall where Ignar was already lounging and being his usual disgruntled self - not caring at all that I could have just been eaten by an astral monstrosity.

But I rushed back to Moz's office for what seemed like the dozenth time that day to clear up the misunderstanding with Rok and make sure they knew I'd made it back. We hugged, I gave Rok a tiny gem as an apology, and I made my way back to the guild to make my own handwritten duplicate of this journal that caused nearly two deaths for its information! But as I alluded to earlier, it contained a wealth of history, and seemed to imply that Et (who I hypothesize is the Vengeful god that chased out or killed the other deities) tricked Dae'mon into creating the temples for some nefarious purpose. We need to track down Dae'mon to corroborate this information and determine whether he is still an agent of Et or not...

In other news! Jimmy has returned after roughing it in the wilds for over a year! I don't know how he managed to survive out there so long with the miasma, but it's good to see him rejoin... Avallac'h may not have survived this day without him. And hopefully, he's not too salty about me running off at first to get help... Or the misunderstanding with Rok after...

6

Maerilith

Sammy's death must have affected Avallac'h more than I thought as he was not able to accompany us during this week's venture. Crash was up to the task though! So Crash, Ignar, and I decide to try and clear out the path to the platinum mine.

It went... okay... all things considered. There was more running away than usual, and I'm so tired of everyone complaining that I can't cast fireball! That fire infused shatter was close enough, but did I get any credit? No! I'm done with it! I'm scribing nearly every "useful" spell Avallac'h has and spending every night practicing until I can. Next adventure, you'll all see how much better I can make a fireball! Everyone is so generic with their spellcasting - they don't see how simple it is to manipulate the magic to your whim...

And Ignar owes me! He would have died to that last Ettin if I hadn't misty stepped and thrown that potion at his face. But all he gave me was a silver piece... And I suppose he owes Crash, too, for pulling the monster away and punching it to death - with fists and then with Chonk.

And he owes all of us an explanation! Ignar seems to have acquired (or made?!) a contraption that definitely seemed to hold the effects of a fireball. Why didn't he use that the day before? I kept watch all night and didn't see him wander off, so I know he had to have had it already - was he just waiting to rub it in more that I couldn't cast it yet? Is it even the contraption generating the fireballs? Note to self: Next time he goes unconscious, remember to investigate that contraption of his before waking him again...

But otherwise, mission accomplished - the road is clear of Ettin. Next steps is to clear out the cave itself of its monstrous inhabitants, but I'm not going out again until I've perfected "fireball"...

July

30

Maerilith

The Ruby Counsel has suffered a great tragedy... Sammy Mendez was murdered by the red devil creature that takes on the form of others and maliciously sells double-edged items. Young, innocent Sammy was tricked into rapidly aging in exchange for power by the red devil - some of you may have even seen some of Sammy's growth spurt between quests - but the aging acceleration did not stop and all we could do in the end was watch as Sammy crumbled to dust before our eyes... To add insult to injury, the red devil creature even stole Sammy's form upon his death and spirited away once more. If you have not previously been convinced to not make dealings with this red devil creature, I implore you now - in the memory of Sammy - do not make any more deals with this creature.

Lelyvia is taking Sammy's death the hardest, but there was nothing that could have stopped it once the deal was made. Instead, we should remember Sammy as he lived - as fiery youth that lived life to the fullest. In his last day, he managed to outrun Ignar in a footrace around the faction hall, to slay an oblex that feasted upon the broken warpstone and had drained and almost copied Ignar, and to make peace with Ignar with surprising maturity. It's a shame Ignar didn't accept it before the end.

But life goes on. And on a more positive note, this tragedy has united us and brought us closer together - any grievances between Avallac'h and I have been set aside for the time being.

9

Avallac'h

The Ruby council was sent to retrieve the Radiant Mind. After a fearsome battle with a giant reptile, we met a self proclaimed "demi-god" who was guarding the Mind. In what I can only describe as a strange shift of priorities, Maerilith fiercely defended this guardian and prevented us from completing the quest. What's the point of hunting for all these artifacts if we never reap the rewards. I am starting to suspect foul play. Sunholm citizens are acting strangely as if under the influence from other beings. For what purpose I do not know. Perhaps these outside forces are the same ones trying to destroy Sunholm.

On a personal note: Sunholm is under attack from powerful forces. Just look at the sky. The invaders that destroyed our guild hall are still on the loose. Deities and demi-gods interfere with our affairs. We need to be able to defend ourselves. Hard choices will need to be made to even the playing field.

Maerilith

When a benevolent deity actively protects an ancient and dangerous artifact from falling into the wrong hands, it makes no sense to defeat the artifact's greatest line of defense and risk it falling into the wrong hands. Some risks are too great to take even for the sake of knowledge.

In fact, if knowledge is what we seek, allying and speaking with a being over 1200 years old is much more valuable. Why can't anyone else see this? There's a wealth of knowledge they have of this world, of its history, of what's going on now. They knew of Oolmagi, of the devastation at the Kalant Ruins, and of a Vengeful god, who fought and defeated Sunholm's deities of the past. They even knew of the device that's generating the deadly miasma - an artifact created by the Vengeful god itself - and gave invaluable advice of where we could begin seeking out a way to deactivate it.

We must not make enemies of this Jovial god and must cease trying to take the Radiant Mind from its vigilant protector. We may need this powerful ally in the future if this Vengeful god is still around or creates more devices like the one generating the deadly miasma, and just think of the knowledge we could gain if that is not enough to convince you all!

---

In other news, beware of a red creature that takes the form of those around it and offers double-edged treasures for treacherous costs. Avallac'h already fell for one of its items and was almost further corrupted by the creature with another offer... I'm glad he saw reason in the end, but it seems the red creature whispers lies in its victims ears while trying to tempt them with its offer.

It also reacted strangely at the mention of Milo - another being with similar apparating powers and mysterious trades - and grew defensive when we asked if they had met. Perhaps Milo may know more about this individual...

2

Maerilith

I was right! Don't listen to Crash - the password for the newly discovered and possibly created by Oolmagi plane is definitely 'shadow' and not 'pants'. The entire realm and creatures within are made of shadow and somewhat mirrored, so it only makes sense. Besides, who doesn't wear pants in rain...

Another interesting facet of this dimension is that time pauses for everything outside of it; no one outside will notice any passage of time despite hours of exploration. And upon exiting it, physical wounds that occur within catch up at an excruciating rate - I do not recommend testing this on anything more severe than a scratch. This still leaves questions of whether your wounds would reopen and close in rapid succession after leaving if you heal before exiting, or what the nature of death is in the space. Strangely, writing in this shadow plane does not remain upon exit, nor do we seem able to take out the written notes of a previous adventurer, named Ludvic. I shall have to transcribe my maps and notes by memory, so I apologize for any discrepancies.

The shadow creatures, which vary from demons, cats, dogs, and larger beasts so far, also appear to reset upon each visit. The Ruby Counsel cleared out a number of the shadows and Moz cleared two floors, yet still the same shadows returned to their same positions on the third trip. Moz also did not find the study room that we had with the notes and... already broken table, so there is a possibility of rooms moving or disappearing between visits. However, the first room so far has remained consistent.

Another warning to anyone exploring this place is to bring protection against psychic damage - based on my experience with manipulating spells to do so myself, it appears that all of the shadows' attacks have been psychic, but they are not resistant to the damage themselves. Note to self: Remind Avallac'h to prepare intellect fortress for future excursions until I figure out how to get the symbols and incantations right myself.

One thing that is strange though is the almost organic nature of the twisting white and black thorny tendrils of the walls... It's not like other places that Oolmagi has created in the past nor has the usual puzzles and traps, so I wonder if this could be someone else's? Whoever it was though, they seek power...

2021

Quest Logs 2021 Q1 Q2

2020

Quest Logs 2020