Session #4: The Destruction of Redorn  8/14/21

Day 5, ????? 41: I’m writing this while sitting at a campfire on the side of road back to Redorn. How did I get here, you ask?  I’m not really sure I can adequately explain it, but here goes nothing:

I woke in the middle of the night, still slumped against the wall in my kitchen/workroom.  Everything was dark and quiet and Squish was sleeping next to me on the floor, curled up in a ball of black feathers.  I could hear Morchid snoring loudly in the other room.  I thought about moving Squish to the bedroom but I decided against.  Waking a sleeping rogue was likely to get me stabbed.

After writing my previous entry of yesterday’s events, (dear Ioun, was it only yesterday?) I set to work on several projects.   First, I needed tools, woodcarver’s tools to be precise.  I consulted my notes from school and the lessons from Professor Zorhaan.  She has always said that in a pinch, we would always have the right tool for the job.  I concentrated on each of the tools I needed and soon I had a set of semi-transparent saws, chisels and drill to begin my next project.

I pulled out my book of designs and retrieved my crossbow from its usual resting place.  Pulling out the planks of wood that I had saved for this project and consulting my notes, I created another crossbow with a few very important differences: it was a 1/4^th scale replica of the original; it was still a little rough around the edges and needed some detail work; it had no string or cocking mechanism; and most significantly, it had a set of four bronze segmented legs attached to the bottom.  The initial stages of my Eldritch Cannon were complete.  I decided to name it Caleb.

Next I turned my attention to Callie.  She was my final project at the TDA before I graduated and I had always planned to do more with her.  Consulting my notes, I knew the time was right.  I had purchased a large ruby from Anna weeks ago for just this purpose.  It was the size of a large marble, but the imperfections and rough angles had rendered it useless for jewelry.  I spent hours of free time smoothing it and polishing it until it was a near-perfect sphere.  I set to work, carving a series of runic circles around the sphere and when I was complete, the runes pulsed softly.  I placed Callie on the table and carefully peeled back her wings and the covering along her back before working on a cage of silver wire inside her chest.

Then I woke up in darkness on a stone floor.  My hands were shackled with heavy iron manacles.  The air was hot and I was sweating under my clothes and I could see with my darkvision, that they weren’t my clothes.  There were barrels along the wall behind me and a table in the center of the small room. I could a strange rhythmic chanting from somewhere outside the room.  The chanting stopped and I heard shuffling footsteps approach and then move away. 

Morchid was lying on the ground near me and I nudged him until he was awake.  Elairiel and Squish were there as well, still sleeping.  Morchid woke them up while I examined the room.   The door was thick steel, with a single 1ft square window with closely-spaced bars and no handle or keyhole on our side.  The barrels were heavy and the food on the table was spoiled, just bread and cheese.  Morchid tried to eat the cheese anyway (of course).

Squish and I were able to pry a nail from one of the barrels and use that to pick the lock on our manacles.  Then we got the others free and tried to find a way out of the room.  Without any light, Morchid and Squish were having some trouble.  I had him smash open one of the barrels and … something spilled out.  I can’t seem to write what it was!  All I can say is that it was dangerous.  Morchid changed into his catlike form and we all backed up as he tried to bash open the door.  Unfortunately, it proved to be too strong and we convinced him to stop before he seriously injured himself.

Through some creative and careful uses of my flame creation magic and Squish’s extremely useful and dexterous Mage hand magic, along with the … stuff in the barrels, we were able to blow open the door and escape.  Though, I did get caught by some shrapnel in the shoulder.   The room beyond was filled with crates and barrels of … other stuff that we left alone.  We explored the area and found no other living beings but there were some very important things that we did discover.  In the first room we found there was a table with some parchment filled with writing that none of us could understand.  There was also a blank piece of paper with a quill that began writing on its own.

The person directing the quill could obviously see and hear us as it responded to our questions.  It started off with cryptic one-word answers and they even identified themselves, but like the contents of the crates and barrels, I can’t write or vocalize the name.  Finally they began writing normally and we were told that we were in the Core of Arkivorida and that we had been brought there to “prevent our destruction” or something to that effect.  They stopped talking and sigils on the walls started to glow, which allowed Squish to finally be able to see.  We also found some short swords so that the three bipedal members of our group could at least be armed.

With Morchid and Elairel leading the way, we moved through the hallways and rooms of this place and found more crates and barrels of … stuff.  One room had a large statue of a one-eyed muscular humanoid.  I recognized this as Gruumsh, god of the violence and the orcish people and the primary deity that was worshipped during the earliest days of Veer.  There were some books there, written a great variety of languages, detailing the worship of the god and I took one written in common.

Another room had a glowing ring of sigils on the floor.  The writing was the same as that on the papers written in the first room we found with the magic quill.  (Why didn’t I take that quill with me?)  There was also an alcove there with a book written in various languages.  There were six entries, each written in a different language.  Between the three of us not in animal form, we could read three entries, in Common, Elvish, and Infernal.  Each had a name (again, I can’t write or say them aloud) and a list of ingredients and materials used in some kind of ritual.  We examined the circle again and Elairiel was able to detect the actual nature of the magic, Evocation and Necromancy.   I was also able to determine that the circle wasn’t finished yet.  There was room for three more rings of sigils.

Seeing nothing else and no sign of our equipment, we headed outside the structure into what felt like a blast furnace.  Molten rock and lava pooled on one side of a rocky path which led to a glowing circle ringed by six statues, all human-looking figures in robes.  There were names on each statue and yet again, I can’t repeat them.  Elairiel was able to determine the magic of this circle, Conjuration, so I felt this would be safe to use for transportation to someplace… not there.  Morchid ran through first and we followed after.

We appeared on a path leading to a modest house in a wooded area.  We spotted a cat, sitting on top of the roof and Morchid immediately leaped up onto the roof to give chase.  Though the cat looked like a normal house cat, there was a surge of inky darkness around the animal and Morchid skidded to a stop and ran away.  The cat resumed its normal appearance and went inside the open door of the house.  A voice called out and beckoned us inside.  Behind a large table was a striking woman with vibrant red hair.  She knew us all by name and seemed very familiar with Morchid, who decided to channel his cat nature and attempt to knock glasses off the table.

She confirmed that we had been sent to the Core in order to save us from some kind of destruction.  She wasn’t the one who transported us but the name of the person that did is another one that I can’t say.  However, during this conversation, we realized that her name was one that had been on the statues and the names were the same as the months of the year, which were named after the witches that created Veer thousands of years ago!  She was month Three!  Two was the one who spoke with us via the enchanted quill and according to her, One was the person that sent us to the Core. 

Taking us outside, she showed us what we were saved from.  Using frighteningly powerful necromancy she forced the trees to the west of the house to wither and disintegrate. In the distance we could just barely see the outline of Redorn.  A massive surge of energy swirled into the shape of a hand above the city.  The hand dropped down and lifted an enormous ball of earth and stone into the air where it was held in place.  We were all too stunned to speak.

She also revealed that Four was the person responsible for the kill order with the assassins!  She said it was a “prank” meant to prod us in the “right direction”.  She then offered to make it up to us and conjured up a cart with a pair of horses.  Inside the cart was ten sacks full of platinum!

The last thing she did was cast some form of memory modification on each of us, which is why none of us can speak the names of her and her associates. While we were recovering from everything that had just happened, she walked into the house and the entire structure disappeared.  We were left dumbfounded by everything that had happened so far.  Then Morchid gave us something else to be concerned about.  Back in his Firbolg form he explained, sort of, how he didn’t change into animals like a normal druid.  He swapped places with the creatures which is why the forms were so odd.  Because of this, his appetite was quite alarming and if he didn’t get enough food, his “friends” would be hard to control.  We were just thinking of how were going to hunt for food without our equipment when a cow fell from the sky.  Other rubble began to fall from the sky as well, along with a light rain of… blood.

Collecting the body of the cow, we moved on with the cart, being led by Morchid (who could talk to the horses) and Elairiel who was skilled with handling animals.  As we traveled, we saw other debris, rock and stone mostly, and I shudder to think of the power that can hurl debris a hundred miles away.  Eventually we settled down to camp for the night.  I am writing this at our camp and unless something else happens on the trip back to Redorn, I probably won’t write again until we reach the city.

Day 8, ????? 44: I don’t think I can adequately describe what happened today, but I will do my best.  We entered the city in the late morning, to find it people wandering around in a daze. Rubble filled the streets and the clean-up was still in progress.  The entire Northwest portion of the city was in shambles around five long furrows in the ground radiating outward from central pit one hundred feet deep.  We guided the cart to the shop and went inside.  Anna ran up to give me a hug since we had just disappeared three days ago.  She and her family were okay, but the city was still in shock.

We brought the bags in from the cart and Anna was worried about what we had.  I told her and her fear and worry changed to shock and amazement.  Everything in my apartment was exactly as it had been when we were spirited away.  I was able to quickly finish up my modifications on Callie and she came to life, a fully formed Homunculus Spirit.  We all got changed and moved the massive amount of platinum coins into our bags of holding. I had to remove some of the bulkier items (like my rations) from my bag to accommodate the extra weight.  Little did I know how much I would regret this.

Our next order of business was to pay off the assassins and cancel their kill order. I transferred 300 coins to a large pouch and we made our way down to the Cistern again.  Gregori was surprised to see us and even more surprised by the coins.  He said it was the first time anyone had ever paid off a contract.  We left soon after and went back to my apartment where we discussed what we would do with the rest of the vast amount of money we now had.

Then all hell broke loose.  A tremendous explosion rocked the whole building.  We rushed outside to see that the city to the south of us had been smashed flat by a gargantuan green hand.  As we watched in horror, another impact rocked the city to the west of us.  We ran to our cart and headed north to the bridge.  Just as I was ready to head over to the Vareshi house for Anna and her family, we spotted them running toward us.

We got a good distance away from the city and looked back to see more giant green hands smashing the buildings to rubble.  There was a booming sinister laugh echoing from the ruins, but I could also hear a low rhythmic chanting, the same chanting that I heard earlier in the Core.  It would seem that the same people were responsible for both attacks.

We spotted other refugees from the city and gathered them all together to make the trek north to Vorin.  It was the only decent city within a week’s travel and judging by the state of these people, we needed to get there as soon as possible.  We’re camped now as the last rays of sunlight are dwindling.  The cold is already setting in and though Morchid and I have been using healing magic as much as we can, I am already afraid that we might lose some of them along the way. I don’t now how much I will write during our travels.  I suspect that I won’t have much time or energy.

Day 12, ????? 48:  We lost our first traveller this morning.  Bressus, a human fisherman, succumbed to the cold and wouldn’t wake up.  We took the body away from the camp, but we didn’t have the time to bury him.  The others are handing it well but many are looking desperate.  Morchid and Elairiel have been outstanding at hunting but they are already worried about the lack of game.  Fresh water won’t be a problem as I’m able to melt the snow and purify it with magic.  I’m even able to warm and flavor the liquid which has helped raised spirits slightly.

Stella Morningbrook, a halfling, and her two children, Victor and Dilly are another source of amusement.  Though they are only 9 and 5, they are eager to help in any way they can.  I am already setting aside some of my food for them and making sure that they travel in the cart where it’s warmer.

Day 13, ????? 49:  Another lost this morning.  Clovis, a farmer who had already given in to despair over the loss of his cows. He refused to eat and sometime during night, he must have wandered off and never come back.  Normally, the walk to Vorin would be ending tomorrow, but this large group and the lack of supplies is forcing us to go slower.  The nasty weather hasn’t been helping either.

Squish has joined the hunting parties and their keen eyes have also managed to spot plants to forage and wood for the campfire.  My companions have all been amazing throughout this ordeal.  Without a group this large we would have already made it to city.

Day 14, ????? 50: Two more didn’t make it through the night: Strex, a gnome cobbler and Vassar, an accountant.  Anya had known Vassar, not well, but she is taking his death hard.  I’ve worked with her and Anna to reuse the clothes of those we’ve lost so those who have survived have a few more layers to keep them warm.  We’ve altered them enough that they aren’t easily recognized.

Day 15, ????? 51: Two more this morning: Dovia a weaver.  Anna had worked with her numerous times over the years.  Also Feldar, the only dwarf in our group.  It seems he had been wounded during the escape from the city and kept it concealed.  Infection did in the hardy, but stubborn fool.  We lost one more during the day.  Bridges, one of the two Commerce Guild guards had been out hunting with Morchid when a large wolf attacked.  They managed to take it down, but Bridges didn’t make it.  The wolf pelt is keeping a few others warm during the night.

Worrell, the other guard (and also a halfling) has been spending more time with Stella and the kids.  I’m glad they’re finding something good in this tragic and difficult time.

Day 16, ????? 52: In the middle of the night, the watch called out.  We awoke to find that Bartild, a young human stable worker had been murdered and his killer had fled into the night with the man’s cloak.  In the morning, the hunting parties tracked him and found him dead in a scraggly tree.  Wolf prints surrounded the base of the tree, a fitting end.  I decided I won’t even write the killer’s name.

Food has gotten scarce.  We could have used some wolf meat to stretch our already meager supplies.

Day 17, ????? 53: We lost Poppy and Gramps.  The two eldest members of the group had been so brave and kind the whole trip.  They were holding each other in the morning, smiles on their cold faces.  I will not let anyone else be lost.  We are so close to Vorin now, just one more day of travel and one more night.  Then the city should be in sight.  I will use every ounce of magic I have to keep everyone warm through the night.  No one else dies.

Day 18, ????? 54: Eleven days.  Travelling by cart it should have taken five.  By foot, I’ve usually made it in seven days.  No one died last night or today and I swear that no one will tonight either.  We will reach Vorin tomorrow.  Everyone is sleeping in a group by the fire and I will keep that heat going throughout the night.  I will burn every twig and root we have so everyone is safe.  Morchid doesn’t seem as affected by the cold and he keeps ranging out into the night and dragging back would to burn.

These people have all become like family to me.  Morchid, Elairiel, and Squish have supported me like no other friends I’ve ever had.  I’ve known Luther, Anna and Anya for almost a year and they accepted me like one of their own.  The rest of the refugees have become as close to me as the siblings I never had.  Stella, Worrell, and the children.  Drev Marn, a friend of Luther and member of the Commerce Guild. Siellis, a sly elf who might have been a member of the Ivory Faces.  Marla and Rendel, a young couple just trying to make a life together.  Zyanne, a half elf with warm heart. A trio of dockworkers, named Butch, Wick, and Biscuit.  And last was Deever, a gnomish bartender.

Tomorrow we reach Vorin and they will finally be safe.