***The intricately covered
ice blue journal contains a single
blue crystal on the centre, with the simple gold lettering below it
'Lazulin' ***
Page 8
A T'skrang by the name of A'horangi had sent out invitations to an adventure to some of her acquaintances, with an additional request to bring other interested allies, a very polite and scholarly gesture. LaShana showed this to me, she was rather excited. But also embarrassed as she felt she had not been doing it correctly. She asked that I attend with her, she felt more at ease with a troll around. Her normal selection of troll comrades were not around, and apparently I reminded her of another friend. With my agreement, we attended the invitation to adventure. We were met by the hostess, a Monk, as well as another Windling named Elisen of the Cavalryman and Troubadour disciplines, as well as an elf named Sandrin of the Air Sailor and Troubadour disciplines. A rather academic party again.
A'horangi had been summoned to the Cloister of Silence by a woman known as Iron Head Zenghu, a follower of a reclusive discipline known as a Bodyguard. A'horangi had been requesting training in the most 'politely determined way' as she described it, and be rebuffed each time. It seems her husband had fallen to the ravages of the mind, the Cloister being a former stronghold of followers of Rashamon. His brother Banick appeared touched as well, but Zenghu had restrained him to try and save him. Her husband, Feug, had accused her of stealing his things and fled into the wilds. She provided us with the charred remains of his charts and logs. We poured over the battlefield data and Sandrin was able to extrapolate a pattern in the husbands expeditions. We would set off in the morning.
Zenghu was an obvious leader of the community, respected by the honorable, feared by the cowardly. Her husband as well prior to his condition. This was most apparent by the militia formation that greeted us in the morning. 20 men strong, led by a man named Dreggs. They instructed that they would accompany us and we agreed, for the assistance would be beneficial. Throughout the journey, Sandrin and I both prodded the resolve of these men. It wouldn't be long for them to prove themselves.
A number of days into the journey, we were climbing a cliff face to a higher plateau. Once we were atop the plateau and preparing to bring up the militiamen. Shouts went up from my allies about movement, as we turned and weapons were drawn, rockworms ambushed us. The first one hit me hard, then a cry from A'horangi knocked the monk back and unconscious. We were suddenly outnumbered and in a bad spot. Sandrin jumped into the fray drawing some attention as LaShana got some altitude to provide covering fire, and Elisen tried to maneuver to charge. I defended as best I could, downing a healing potion to soothe the pain a bit. We were slowly getting whittle down, at one point my head snapped back and I faded to black as I heard the shattering of a crystal. The Death Cheat saved me and allowed me to stay in the fight and absorb some more damage so our windlings could put damage on the beasts. Unsure as to what was occuring, Dreggs had made his way up the rope and called for the militia to launch arrowfire twenty yards beyond us. A cunning plan, knowing the beasts were drawn by vibrational motion they would either be drawn to the arrows, or afraid of it being something much larger. The ploy ended up working and we were victorious thanks to the militia. Dreggs quelled any notion of turning back, and the militia continued with us as we mounted this peak over the next four days.
As we approached the summit we encountered a strange procession coming down from a stone opening on the other side of a glacial lake. As we moved forward to assess the situation a sense of dread descended just before Dreggs cried out in agony as shards of crystal emerged from his chest. The men started to break, Sandrin provided encouragement and directed me to take charge of the men. A horde of gnashers seemed to flow down from the stone opening now. I stepped forward lifting The Point of Triumph into the air and inspired the men to fight for one another and keep these foul creatures from taking Dreggs or any others. They turned and fell into formation preparing to hold back the gnashers. We turned our attention to the source of the magic that had affected Dreggs, a palanquin borne aloft by four mutated beasts of various namegiver forms.
The group fought like a strike force, with LaShana providing pinpoint sniper fire while the rest of us battled up the field, Sandrin's encouragement pushing us all forward. The brutes, one wearing Feug's face, were cut down one by one, as the windlings pushed onto the palanquin's rider, ceasing the magic spikes from occurring. We turned to reinforce the militia and spent a great deal of time grinding back the gnashers. As the last of them fell, the mountain began to rumble. It sounded as if something within that cave was coming out, and that something was not a something we could deal with currently. We retreated back down the mountain with Dreggs and healed on the way back to the Cloister.
Zenghu was appreciative and understanding of the situation. Addiitonally we learned that Banick had regained his sensibilities. As it turns out he is touted leader of the Cloister and a member of the Sun Herald's. Having heard the stories of what the militia faced and how things were handled he agreed speak on behalf of Sandrin and myself for induction.
From a very polite beginning, what could be perceived as fragile by some was forged and tempered into a fine weapon of war. LaShanna's marksmanship with her bow (though it may be more accurate to describe it as the bow's marksmanship with LaShanna) was consistent at finding the critical point for the diminutive arrows to do the most impact. A'horangi, when able to read the flow of battle around her, could keep opponents disoriented and off-balance. The best defense is to not be where the opponent has swung, and A'horangi has begun to perfect this. Elisen and Jacint dive and dash across the battlefield bringing to bear a force greater than their mass would endorse. As a sun rises, a sun sets, but they are both a sun of the same day. This is Sandrin to my own goals. A leader and a warrior-poet, I look forward to taking the field with him again.
***A great
Iced Claw adorns the bottom of the page ***