Cade's log: Winterapex 13th, 29ACD
Conditions:
Dark with unnatural fog, 20% chance of rain.
Waxing gibbous moon.
The rest of the
party had run forward as I attempted to defend our rear flank with no party
members in sight. The undead horde
attacked me so fast with blades and magic I felt as if I might fail a few days
sooner than anticipated. I knew Lotty had
fallen in the next room because of hearing a goblin scream over the sound of
battle, likely from the same attacks overtaking me. While I have a deep friendship and respect
for our leader, Flynn's devotion and reverence for her does not seem normal.
As I was
bracing for the next volley of attacks Silas burst into the room. I had thought he stayed behind to deal with
preparations for the future attack, but I was happy to see his fiery form
enter. From a few well-placed strikes,
the battle, at least in this room, had turned.
Null brought
Lotty’s body back into the room we were in and someone with some magic got her breathing
again. I could not see Flynn, as he was
still in the other room, but from the look on Null’s face he was still fighting
there, and it did not look good. Null
dashed forward then quickly returned and was very bloody. Did she take a hit defening Flynn? Contrary to what Flynn says, I never thought
Null would eat any of our souls, but her protecting Flynn was a good sign that
there is some connection to her “innocence” still.
Berrick popped
out of nowhere, was he here the whole time?!?, and sent some magic Flynn’s way
also. And ultimately, we prevailed and
the evil aura over this place dissipated, and we found it to be a nice tavern.
Everyone was a
little melancholy after the battle as we rested by the fireplace, even though
we just had a victory against a powerful foe, everyone, myself included, felt
oddly guilty. They all claimed
everything is their fault, however, we know it is mine. I tried to help Null’s guilt by sending Innocence
another message that we are her family and we love her.
Flynn checked
in with the magic ship. Her real name is Shoshana and she wanted to sail on her
own for a bit but will come give us a ride if we ask. Hopefully she will stop hurting us if we
touch her now.
We searched the
tavern for treasures or clues and found a pile of papers in a private party
room. There were navigational charts, a
map of Altisha, dossiers of the Ashen Company, and a rum-stained note in
Abyssal. Null tells me that the note
says to "Continue to observe the tower - let me know when they move. I
will prepare the harbor." The note
is signed "S.S." which Null thinks is Sarni. We will need to watch out if we enter Sierrona
through the harbor as it is likely a trap.
The dossiers:
These discussed our capabilities and also our mental strengths and weaknesses:
Flynn: A
powerful caster, chaotic and unpredictable. His arrogance can be used against
him, to isolate and trap him.
Null: Can move
unseen. Ghost Walk gives lots of mobility. Really powerful in single combat,
but she has no AoE. Attack with force to overwhelm.
Cade: Wildshape
and other druidic abilities make him a formidable opponent, but his lack of
prowess with social cues and skills can be exploited. (Personal note: these
clearly are not accurate as the person who wrote them obviously has never met
me)
Silas: The
paladin wields Flare and is dangerous up close. Keep at a distance. He lacks a
keen mind, so he may be vulnerable if given a lot of saving throws.
Berrik:
Prolific caster, especially skilled at spell placement. Not effective in melee.
Get in close to overwhelm.
Lotty (as
interpreted by Flynn): Perfect, no notes. Literally the greatest person ever to
exist. (Personal note: I am not sure Flynn reads Abyssal and may have made this
up)
We discussed
settling down there if we survive the upcoming fight with Calitrax. It was nice to hear us talk about it in those
terms, but I could hear some fear in people’s voices knowing what we are up
against. No matter how that fight goes, with
my current state of deterioration I am not sure I will be around.
To keep him in
that upbeat mood, I tried my hand at making some drinks. My first concoction was Faerie Fireball. A delicious cinnamon whiskey made with a
touch of Fey magic. Although I am
worried that if anyone hiccups, burps, or farts, as organics often do, that
they will emit a small shimmering cloud.
By the time I
get to the main bar, it is clear that Null and Flynn have already got into the
darkest rum they could find and are very intoxicated (although once again I am
not sure if Flynn is pretending or not). Null asks him if they are friends and Flynn
opens up to her that she is the only one whom he feels he can really talk
to. It was a sweet moment that I think
Flynn was being genuine with. Then they
started talking about ways to scam people by making wigs of Null’s hair, and I stopped
paying attention.
I noticed that
Lotty had left and recalled she did not like to see people drink. After passing off the Faerie Fireball to
Flynn and Null, I made Lotty a new non-alcholic drink just for her: The
Goodberry Sprits! This bubbly concoction
tastes great, heals you, and you won’t get those drunk munchies I expect Null
and Flynn to have soon.
Just as I am
ready to bring it out to Lotty, I see Silas sneaking out the door to go talk
with her.
