Mission Log - Entry Six
Thirteen days have passed since I have seen my home in Heaven's Reach.
Though our journey is far from over, our mission is a success. Zoraisis is defeated, Castle Denmok is rid of its wicked infestation, and Locklear is recovering.
Our day began with Valor magically interrogating Tree Gazer and Sehl as we prepared to continue our search of the castle. A divine aura shrouded us all, and I recall feeling compelled to speak only truth. Though is it not in my nature to be deceptive, this was an odd sensation that, strangely enough, Valor did not leverage. He instead focused on Tree Gazer and Sehl, and only yielded Tree Gazer's regret at fleeing and hiding when demons and kua'toa came and took her friends. She also shared that her people are sensitive to iron, which nullifies their inherent magical abilities.
Lady Almareth sent her familiar, the tiny dragon named Pip, outside to scout the castle from above. She reported that the host of kua'toa and other creatures which inhabited the castle were fleeing, heading to the northwest mountains where distant smoke was seen on the horizon.
Sehl explained the teleportation effects he blundered into during our battle with Zorasis via the floor mosaic in an adjacent room. After some experimentation by throwing rocks and other debri into the room, Sehl felt confident that he could utilize its properties, leaping into the area where he briefly grew in size and then turned gaseous, much like Zorasis did during out fight. He then flew out a window and down into the floor below.
Rather than make this same attempt, the others and I instead lowered ourselves out a window onto a balcony below us and began our search, reuniting with a corporeal Sehl.
A dungeon of sorts was the next room to discover, lined with cells containing various creatures each in a comatose or fugue state of sorts. Dangerous beasts and creatures of wicked design say motionless or paced their confinement. A dwarf stood out among these prisoners. Wild-eyed and seemingly delirious, he acted as if he could not see us beyond the bars. Thinking myself his liberator, I shattered the lock to his cell while the others deliberated on what to do with the captives in this room.
This may have been an unwise decision, for the dwarf rushed out, swinging a broom stick as if it were an axe. Valor momentarily distracted him with a holy word of command which the dwarf thought came from Moradin. As his delirium returned, so did his anger, and Sehl attempted to pacify the dwarf with a punch to the face, which went as well as could be expected. It wasn't until I offered some brandy that he calmed and told us his name was Varrick before falling asleep. He has more bravery than wit and he seems content to follow us out of the castle, expressing no further hostility.
A scared young woman, calling herself Shelaria, paced another cell, so Jessicat saw that she was also freed. We asked questions of her which she evaded, and seemed very eager to leave us. Finally, after continued scrutiny and pleas to stay with us for her safety, her patience was exhausted and she attacked, her features twisting and morphing into a demonic countenance after failing to charm Sehl with seductive words. I understand she was a creature born of evil, but I am deeply unsettled by freeing someone only to strike them down. We left the rest of the captive creatures in their cells, which also caused me discomfort. The danger of their release was too great, but I fear we have condemned some of them to a slow and painful demise.
Pressing on, we worked together to overcome an illusory snake pit which lied in our path along a hallway leading to a lounge or den, decorated with morbid taxidermy mounts of demonic creatures and what appeared to be the head of a guard captain by the insignia on the hat atop the head. Several vials were discovered; one of L'larna blood, as Tree Gazer informed us; one of water, which refills itself after it is depleted; and one of a mist-like substance. Meanwhile, Valor was aided by Sehl in escaping a room with a creature disguising itself as a pile of gold.
Another gold-imitating creature lodged itself in Lady Almareth's arm as she inspected the corpses of several castle guards. In desperation, she allowed Pip to use its stinger to attack the creatures making their way up the inside of her arm. Valor came to the rescue with a quick incision and extraction of the creatures whilst his healing magic sealed her wound.
In another dungeon, a man hung shackled by his arms from the ceiling of a barred cell, a blackened sword running through his midsection. Our suspicion was that this was Zoraisis's patron, Olman One-Eye, because he had an eyepatch. As I entered the cell to investigate the scene, a voice called out to remove the sword. I took this opportunity to ask the voice, telepathically, of a cure for Locklear's poison, but its responses were elusive and I suspected it lied.
The others set upon the corpse. Jessicat first removed a green gem hidden in the corpse's socket behind the eye patch. Valor then burned the body with a divine fire before attempting to retrieve the sword, but neither he nor Sehl could stand to be its bearer, for they felt an evil force within. I elected to keep the sword in my care. I suspect, when the time comes, I will be able to destroy it if it contains the essence of Olman One-Eye, which I believe it does. The voice returned as I took the sword into my possession, telling me the poison was blended with l'larna blood, which makes it resistant to magical cures. While apparently true, the sword cannot be trusted and all are safer with it in my care.
We backtracked in our search to a room with many bats resting in the ceiling, but our focus was on a door with demonic images carves upon it. Beyond the door was a chamber containing an altar where we found a strange staff which had one end carved to look like a withered hand. The staff possessed a curse to which Sehl fell victim when he touched it. The young elf claims to have been aged nearly two decades by the weapon, but it was not evident to we who are not as long-lived. It was offered to me, but it wasn't until later in the day that I mustered the courage to attempt combating the cursed implement. 10-20 years is nothing to an elf. It may mean death for those with my affliction. However, when the time came, I resisted the magic and now I will wield it in combat.
The most important discovery of the day laid in an arboretum we located within the tower. It was here we found 7 other l'larna, among them Silver Fire and Golden Eagle. After Tree Gazer's reunion and our introductions, we discussed the urgent matter at hand. Silver Fire informed us that, since iron disrupts their race's innate magic, a toxic dose of iron would allow for magical healing to cure the poison.
Another of the creatures, called Night Breeze, told us she was able to travel great distances in a short time through a magical network of the forest, so we gave to her one of the sending stones and asked her to travel to Carse and give the stone to Sagrath. After detailed directions were given, the creature disappeared into the trunk of a nearby tree.
We hurried to the poisoned elven woman upstairs to begin administering the cure, which Valor prepared from some iron detritus laying about the tower. Lady Almareth was able to make contact with Sagrath and relayed the instructions for curing Locklear as well. Both of the victims showed immediate improvement, with our patient regaining consciousness. It appears that this was not Zoraisis's wife, but Estria Denmok, half-sister to Alyana, ruler of the Denmok kingdom! Before falling into a restful sleep, we learned that she had been in this suspended state since the fall of Castle Denmok many years ago and knows nothing of our current time.
Hearing the tales of our experience so far, Silver Fire offered to thank us by performing a resurrection on Sehl's Scoffer friend, Rosalie. Amazingly, partly due to the preservative magic of the cabinet in which her body was stored, Silver Fire returned Rosalie's soul to her body much to Sehl and Bastillion's mirth.
With that, our mission has completed. We have accomplished much in these few days. An assassination attempt was foiled. Locklear and Estria were saved. Lady Almareth is unharmed. Zoraisis is defeated and his castle liberated. The mysterious l'larna, who have agreed to take their remaining people and hide within the mountain forests near Heaven's Reach, have been rescued. While we mourn our losses, we celebrate the friends we have made and will begin our long travel to Northwarden tomorrow. Perhaps now we are safe, the killing can end, and we can return home.
