AAR (2/5/7 Event) Liberation of Grakor (2020-06-13@20:00 GMT)

[Aegharan]

Liberation of Grakor
Time: 2020-06-14@20:00 GMT
GM: Aeggy/Branden/Dvarim/Icarus
Circle: 2/5/7
Difficulty: Medium

Player Rewards:
Dubhan: 3 TIPs, 13,000 Legend, 775 Silver
Dvarim: 3 TIPs, 13,000 Legend, 775 Silver (No alternate rewards)
Jael: 3 TIPs: 13,000 Legend, 775 Silver, (no alt reward)
William: 3 TIPs: 13,000 Legend, 775 Silver (No Alternate Rewards)
Karl: 3 TIPs, 13,000 Legend, 530 Silver, to step 7 Perception Training
Vlolkir: 3 TIPs: 13,000 Legend, 775 Silver (No Alternate Rewards)

Norg: 3 TIPs: 4,000 Legend, 235 Silver, TOU Training (245sp)
Daldorer: 3 TIPs, 4000 Legend, 475 Silver
Icarus: 3 TIPs 4,000 Legend, 475 silver
Zivilyn: 4000 Legend, 350 silver, step 5 toughness training.
Moe'uhane: 3 TIPs: 4,000 Legend, 475 Silver
Kain: 3 TIPs: 4,000 Legend, 475 Silver

Fort'seti: 3 TIPs: 800 Legend, 200 Silver
Azurea: 3 TIPs: 800 Legend, 200 Silver
Sek'Thi: 3 TIPs: 800 Legend, 200 Silver
LaShana: 3 TIPs: 800 Legend, 200 Silver

Journal Rewards:
c2: 40 Legend, 50 Silver
c5: 200 Legend, 118,8 Silver
c7: 650 Legend, 193,8 Silver

Downtime Actions Available:
Jael: Animal Training Talent (Rank 7) Step 17
Dubhan: Research Step 24 (Don't bother with Library access)
Dubhan: Alchemy Step 10 (Booster Potions, Small Light Crystals, Kelix' Poultice) (2 Days Downtime, can create 2 Boosters or Poultices in that time @ 25sp each).
Dubhan: Creation of Spell Matrix Objects: 5 days Downtime, 1,000 sp for Standard, 2,000 sp for Enhanced (Craft True Pattern Step 28). And yes, that's the 1/2 off price.
Dubhan: Design Enchanting Pattern: Minimum 4 TIPs, 2 weeks Downtime, contact for details
Dubhan: Craft True Pattern (i.e. create Thread Item): Requires a Pattern. 3 TIPs minimum, 2 weeks Downtime, contact for details
Dvarim: Item History Rank 4 Step 15
Dvarim: Forge Weapon 7/18, Item History 4/15, Forge Armor 8/19

Further Information:
The town of Grakkor has been liberated, but could not be saved from the ravaging fires.

[Icarus-Wolfswift]

Icarus Wolf-Swift

This weekend I got was on a terrible drinking binge and ended up getting so drunk that I blacked out. upon waking up I found myself tied up in a wooden shack, surrounded by torture tools and human remains. This wasn't the first time I had been drugged and kidnapped, I assumed it must be the ork scorchers I wronged when trying to claim jump their herd and killed their leader. after a few hours of struggling with my ropes I found that I was about half way to getting out, when a hooded man entered the shack. He informed me that I was at Grakkor and that he was going to sacrifice me and then use my body as a undead servant. Me pretty much being a baby seal at the mercy of a drunken sailor with father issues, resorted to my last ditch tactic; Buffing. I informed him that I wouldn't make a good undead because I have a rare bone condition that causes my bones to turn to dust when I die. We went back and forth until he finally was done with my shit, as he was coming at me we hear a large commotion outside. It sounded like a army was raiding the Town, and they were getting closer. When the robed man was distracted by the sound, I broke free and started to grapple with the man. several minutes of fighting occurred as I tried to wrestle the knife out of his hand, when I did I managed to kill him and found my stuff in a near by chest. Upon leaving the shack I found that many adepts I know and have heard of were outside fighting some kind of large Flesh Monster and a guy named "Ph'teve" I joined in and helped finish off the man while the other people killed the monster. We celebrated afterwards and I met alot of new friends, Mainly a Large Troll named "Norg" who informed me that he wanted to train to be an Air Sailor! I thought that was neat.

[ottdmk]

From the journal of Dubhan Goronich:

Well, the problem of Grakor has been dealt with... at least as far as we're able to tell. We pretty much had to depopulate the entire village. Seems they were all cultists to the mad passion, Raggok.

Most of the battle is a blur, even now, as these things usually go. With a few friends (Karl, William, Vlolkir, Jael) we focused on taking out the necromancers raising an army of undead. Then we ended up facing off against the head cultist and their nasty, murderous creation: a patchwork undead with several heads and multiple limbs. We lost Karl in the fog of battle but Dvarim showed up to help out. Anyways, we were ultimately successful. I actually used Razor Orb for the first time; it did a decent job of helping the others hack away at it.

Back to Throal. I need to find an eighth Circle Wizard to train under... I think I'm ready.

[Xzandrate]

The kingdom of Throal has had rising concerns of the recent settlement of Grakor. They were overt followers of the mad Passion, Raggok. They had hidden inside Throal throughout the Scourge, and had duped a group of adepts into helping them found their settlement. They then attempted to sacrifice the adepts and some additional settlers in the night, thought the adepts were unaware they were the perpetrators.

Since that time, the cultists of Grakor have continually shown up in various locations trying to hamper and kill adventurers from the kingdom, as well as neighbouring settlements and kaers, like the Cloister of Silence. As such, a large contingent of adepts and supporting allies have decided to mount an offensive. Monks from the Cloister, gladiators from the Amphitheatre of Roba, t'skrang from Kampung Gajah, all the allies Throal could muster.

Grakor was prepared, we were met by a fearsome arangement. To the left of the battlefield was a large siege tower, and we could see the mundane inhabitants of Grakor moving machinery towards the tower. We sent a small stealth team with a junior weaponsmith to intercept them and try and either dismantle or take charge of the siege weaponry. Sek'thi, LaShana, Azurea stealthed ahead of Fort'seti claiming bodies and collecting siege gear.

There was a familiar windling nethermancer to the right of the battlefield with some other casters raising a series of undead. This was the closest thing to Vlolkir and he leapt towards it with weapons raised. You could see the inaudible sigh as William, Jael, Dubhan, and Karl followed after him. Striding into the shadows, and leaping in to the air. Their shapes disappeared into the writhing mass of undead.

As the remainder of our allies attempted to hold off random cultists the battlefield cleared a standoff between myself and a small, familiar group. Norg stood in front of myself, Daldorer, and Zivilyn, as we stared across the field at a large troll and a series of mounted riders. We reacted by covering the field in fog, a large group of the horses and riders were feared away, another group that was driven away by the voices mocking them. This left the troll, two allies on foot at his side, and a pair of riders who had maintained control of their mounts. Finally, Zivilyn and I spotted another familiar foe. The 'wizard' we faced off against in the pre-scourge fort for the Worlds of Arcana book. We acted swiftly, thanks to Zivlyn's wizardly powers prepared earlier in the day. The large troll spewed some threat, obviously unaware of what he faced. I spat back a taunt, advising he would 'cry the tears of the revealing river', and loosed a Phantom Fireball catching the troll and his immediate allies. Daldorer tore his face off and feared the troll. The 'wizard' attempted to sneak around us, quite ridiculously. While the mounted enemies have charged towards Norg and Daldorer, knocking down Daldorer, the enemies on foot moved towards us. Our group circled up defensively with a knowing familiarity and the spells began to fly. Zivilyn enhanced our combat prowess some more. Finally Norg took down the nearest horseman with a studied blow. With enemies surrounding us the impact of phantom fireball multiplied greatly and we continued to do the same as we had. Norg took down the troll who stepped up to him petulantly, and the 'wizard' started to flee. I flung a fireball at his allies and gave chase with a fair bit of excitement. He turned as I gave chase, muttering that 'he would need to deal with me'. While I felt like revealing the true nature of my spells, a quick calculation made me distinctly aware that Norg was close enough to make it to me with Zivilyn's buffs. I took a step away from him and advised I was merely Troll bait, and loosed another fireball, calling to Norg. The pain train engaged and the poor wizard was a smear on the ground.

We gathered the remaining horses that were around and quickly assessed the battlefield. The strike team had captured the tower and assembled a ballista, Vlolkir and crew were climbing out of the grave pits and moving towards the center of the settlement. We could see a large commotion at the temple at the centre of the settlement, and an elementalist to the side concentrating on a storm above. Zivilyn moved to assist the combat squad coming from the graves, Daldorer frightened the remaining horses in the direction of the elementalist to distract him and the remaining cultists around. I pointed to the elementalist and told Norg to help me get close, as we bulled through the minimal resistance I re-attuned and began to thread, and as we stepped in range I scratched my head and clouded his mind with fog. He began to wander quite lost.

At this point we heard a series of crashes, the loudest coming from the centre of the settlement. A large undead beast broke out of the temple, and we had ghouls breaking out of the buildings around us. As an illusionist, I could never recreate the giddy expression on our Obsidiman's face, even if given the lifespan of an Obsidiman. I quickly returned the giddy expression as I prepared to follow up his Ashes to Ashes with more Phantom Fireballs. Around this point Icarus stumbled out of a building with a mug of ale, and in a single astonished motion, downed and tossed the mug while drawing his sword. Sensing that the mind fog would not hold long, he and Norg layed into the elementalist.

We could hear the repeated mechanisms of the ballista let loose into the giant monster repeatedly. Lucky Icarus hadn't fully assessed the battle yet, because that strike squad moved with the oiled efficiency that would put any air crew to shame. Great screams and impacts came from the melee with the great beast and his handlers. The later being cut down quickly, allowing the beast to rampage. We could see cadavermen moving in from the far side of the battlefield. We would try and quell the advance of ghouls to assist if we could. As the last of the ghouls fell and we turned to deal with the cadavermen the beast on the steps lurched to one side, toppling and crushing a number of cadavermen, disorienting the rest long enough to be cut down by the victorious combatants. Norg and Icarus put a final skewer into the elementalist as he let loose a lightning bolt with his last gasp.

The day was won. We scoured the village for any other 'survivors' and gathered our fallen and wounded and tended to everyone at the centre of the settlement. Tales were exchanged, feasts were started, lives were mourned. Tales from each group flowed. We were told of how the stealth squad barricaded themselves in with the axe of a recently fallen comrade, apparently granting the protective blessings of Garlen. Vlolkir and Jael shared how the fury of battle overcame them, the spirit of Thystonius granting them powers to overcome the challenge the great beast posed to our mission. Daldorer and I gave a knowing glance as we recalled the revelry of Floranuus, before meting out the judgement of Mynbruje upon the ghouls. The celebrations moved back to Throal, and spread further. Our groups got to sit and learn more about one another. We shared stories and tips, knowledge and most importantly the talents to the improvement of us all. Once again the river of truth has slowly eroded another bastion of evil. We must be move vigilant in the future, someone must keep a closer eye on these threats.

[bronzemountain]

The Greatest Weapon is Community
Or, Sometimes the Path to Creation Begins with Destruction

Even villains can stumble onto wisdom.

The cultists of Raggok - and what possible reason could there be to Quest for a ram-headed Passion of frustration and general uselessness I will never know - stumbled upon one of the great truths of the world. The best way to get anything done is together.

To that end, they had founded the village of Grakkor, right under our noses, and from there organized all manner of mischief and generally unacceptable behavior. For instance, assaulting a historic site full of all sorts of decent people who just wanted to sleep undisturbed for a few centuries. Also, creating undead. Also, killing people to accelerate their undead production line. And because they worked together, they did rather well for themselves, the rotters.

Of course, it's one thing to realize the power of community. It's quite another to wield it expertly.
We showed them how it was done.

Adepts from all walks of life, from Throal and its new neigbors. Adepts of many disciplines, many races, all came together to put an end to this unsavory business. And what an end it was! And I say that because I missed most of the beginning. So, really, what I saw was the end.

It seems a group of stealthy and sly Adepts had taken Grakkor's watchtower, and from there aimed and fired a great ballista. Another group, Journeymen by and large, harried and slew an Elementalist and multiple ghouls.

As for me, I set myself with some of my staunch allies - Dubhan, William, Jael, and Vlolkir. We took on Joranka Bloodletter, the leader of this poisoned community, and the monstrosity they had created. It was a thing of many bodies fused together. Many legs and many arms and a dumb gaping face. Some fifteen feet tall and two tons, it was a monster's monster.

It took all of us, working together, each contributing what we do best to the common good. Now that's the way it's done. The Sharp Edge of Civilization sang clean tonight!

[Sharkforce]

From the Journal of Zivilyn, Windling Magician: Liberation of Grakor

At long last, the time has arrived that the kingdom of Throal has decided to do something about the blight on the world that is Grakor. For over half a year, there has been a festering wound to the north of Throal, poisoning the land about it and bringing much sorrow and pain to all nearby. They have been responsible for many murders and attacks on innocent lives, both Namegiver and Beast alike, and of creating perversions from the bodies and spirits of those they kill. And now their corrupt buildings are burning, the undead have been put to final rest, their followers have been scattered and destroyed, and their leaders have been sent to Death's Sea. A fitting end for those who follow a Mad Passion.

In addition to a number of Adepts, there were also representatives from the various communities nearby joining in the fight, for all have suffered at their hands who come in contact with them. Of the adepts, many of them I have met before, but a few I met for the first time; joining in the group I was assigned to were Norg, Moe, and Daldorer (and of course, my dear companion Howler), all of whom I am familiar with. In the group assigned to attack the tower there were LaShana, a Windling Thief, Azurea, a Troll throwing weapons specialist who said she was a Shadow, Sek'Thi, a T'skrang who was also a Thief, and Fort'seti, who was also a T'skrang but a Weaponsmith. I do not know too many details of their work, save that they did their job well, captured a tower that the cultists had built, and turned it upon the monstrous creation the cult had wrought. In the group assigned to prevent the cultists from creating foul undead from the graveyard were Jael, William, and Dubhan, who I believe I have journeyed with before, and Vlolkir, a Troll Skyraider who I met for the first time on this journey, and they too did their job well it seems, as the graveyard ceased from vomiting forth the hordes of undead that we feared we might face, and some monstrosity made from a former Windling was slain. In due time, Dvarim, a Dwarf Weaponsmith and Elementalist, and Icarus, a Human Air Sailor, joined us as well, having had important work to do before they could join in the fight, I am sure. Perhaps I shall get to know them both better later on.

For our part, my group were sent to deal with some cavalry troops that were preparing a charge against our war party. Daldorer terrified some of their mounts away from them and Norg advanced to absorb their charge, but sadly my own talents were not enough to calm their steeds into placidity as the foul magic of the Mad Passion must have gotten into them as well. Fortunately, we were mostly unharmed by their initial retaliation, and we got into position to bear the brunt of their assault before they could get into anyone else's flanks.

Norg stood bravely, and Howler stood bravely at his side, as their warriors advanced. Moe rained down illusionary fire upon them and weakened their will to fight with his sharp wit, while Daldorer made them fear to approach us. I called upon spirits to aid us as well, as they struggled to land too many blows on us, but alas, it seems that the Mad Passions are all that can be favoured in this place. For all of our efforts, the wretched fiends struck down poor Howler, wounding him severely. It was thanks to Daldorer's efforts that he was able to be snatched from Death, although had they not held me back with the assurance that I had hours to apply it should his magic fail, I would not have hesitated to use my last chance salve to save such a trusted and brave companion as Howler has been. In the end, the leader of the cavalry (a Troll who I was later told led the forces of Grakor in their siege on the Cloister of Silence) was struck down by Norg's fists of stone, and the T'skrang that played the organ at a fortress in the wilderness to conjure ghouls and sent silent warriors against my companions and I some months ago when we went to retrieve a lost book entitled "Worlds of Arcana" was also slain by Moe's cleverness and Norg's crushing blows. The thief had thought to run, until Moe started chasing him; he returned, thinking he could deal with a magician as he had me before, but this time we were not so wounded, and when he came back it was only to find that Moe had been covering the approach of Norg from his view. It just goes to show that caution is advised in trusting your senses when you have made an Illusionist your enemy.

With Howler safely resting from his wounds in the care of some of those we had brought with us, we set off for our next objective, another familiar face. This time it was an elementalist who I had met on my journey with Temur to secure horses for his intended's tribe (I do wonder how that is going; I shall have to visit him some time to see). I do not know his real name, but he had been leading a group to Grakor, under the obviously false name "Steev" or some such nonsense. His Questing ended this day as well, as Norg slammed him to the ground before he could summon up clouds to protect some ghouls he was leading from the sun, just as Moe sent his mind reeling, unable to recall what it was he intended to do. I quickly sent some assistance to Vlolkir at this time, who had some serious wounds that were making it hard for him to fight; the spirit of the Boar entered him, and in his terrific anger he rained down many blows upon the leader of the cultists and their abomination, for while my group dealt with the elementalist and his ghoulish minions, turning them to dust with Daldorer's nethermantic spells and scorching them with false flames from Moe's illusions as I sped up our warriors once more to battle "Steave" (Icarus had joined us, and just in time since Howler could not), those who had ended the threat in the graveyard charged the leader of the cult and some putrid amalgamation of corpses she had fashioned into some manner of foul thing that walked on many legs, saw with many eyes, and bit with many jaws.

She, too, fell to the weapons and claws of brave adepts, her and the hideous thing spawned from the mad rituals of a mad Passion. At once, the remainder of the inhabitants of that fetid place shrieked out their rage to the heavens and charged at us, to be cut down one by one. All the better, I say; let them come to their own funeral pyre so that we do not have to drag them there. Their monstrous and foul deeds have been avenged, and no more shall they trouble the living and the dead. That place is now scarred by cleansing fire, and nothing but ash remains. Let the land reclaim her own, that time can heal the wounds wrought by the hands of Raggok.

[Shokunin]

From a loosely tied stack of papers titled 'Vlolkir'

I hear of a place called Grakor. I hear of cultists of horrors and mad passions there. I hear Throal has taken notice too, as emissaries are dead. I am found in the place I go for training in the hills above the great gates, and I hear that many are going to Grakor. I am told that we will end this infestation. Good. A problem like this will be solved with fire and steel.

We go, and there are many of us, more than I have ventured with before. There are more than 10 adepts, some are my companions and are grown mighty, some I know from the battlefield afore, some I know not but claim to be of the second or third circles of their Discipline. I do not know what they will do. I have been to Bamor, and one day I will go back, but I have seen taint and I have seen the strength it takes to cleanse. I hope none die. Death among the tainted leads to corpsemen and I do not wish to slay them. We march long, but make Grakor.

When we see Grakor we see taint. The whole village, corrupted. It must all be burned. We are spotted and charge the corrupted. The adepts which I do not know run for a tower and battle their way inside. Those I have seen meet with tainted warriors on the field. This is the last I see. I see more corpsemen raised by a windling, I think. I have not seen this windling before, others say they have. I follow wisdom and lead the charge toward this thing. We reach a burial, from where the corpsemen come. The corpsemen charge and Jael is hurt but more when changelings come. I have never seen them but I will see more, and hunt them all down. Filthy winged devils. Our bones are broken and made into weapons against us. The Path makes my soul armored but not enough. The windling raises a mound of bone into a thing that walks. It charges towards me, but I will not be felled. Others with stones and arrows kill changelings hiding in trees like cowards. The thing of bone is killed, and I am free to sate my steel on the foul Windling. Crush is pleased. I am pleased.

We see the adepts I do not know have the tower, and a great bow the like of which the dwarves make. The ones I have heard of lend us aid before more corpsemen or such come. Then, the head cultist comes. She brings a thing, it is massive. It is made of many many men, I do not know how, other than horror filth. A few seconds then to battle again. I charge the horror cultist and fell her rightly. She is slain helpless on the ground. This is fitting. The thing strikes and its blows are mighty. I have seen little else with this strength. I go to strike it in the back but it has none. A great arrow strikes it in the chest and others attack it from the front that I cannot see. It is too large. The thing strikes at me and I must leap quickly to not be slain. Striking back the thing is killed once more. Flesh and dwellings and shrines of filth and madness are fired as is the way.

I share ale with the others and remember the things that I must do.

[Montaugh]

A large group of us set out today to liberate Grakor. There were some novices, and two large groups of journeyman adepts, so many that I really couldn't keep track of them all, T'srang, windlings, trolls, humans, beastmasters, wizards, shamen, thieves, archers a wide assortment of capabilities and talents for us to pull from. This was one of the largest displays of power I have seen walking towards a town that I wasn't on the opposite side of. It feels weird to be the invader after you have been a defender in battles such as these before.

The groups split up into three groups. Group one made of the weakest of us assaulted a tower to take control of a ballista ontop of it. Group two attacked mounted warriors before they could charge our lines, and finally the group I was with.. we got to assault horrors bringing the dead back to life.

My group consisted of Dubhan, Karl, Jael, Vlolkir, and myself. Vlolkir charged the enemy with his usual tactics, Dubhan took to the skies, attacked on Salene, I hide in the shadows looking for targets of opportunity, and Karl used his tactics to good effect. We engaged the enemy in a fierce battle soon after, the little old who who I once lent my pure water pot to was back as her changeling horrific self.

We engaged Lyrliant, her ghouls and three more changelings. I clipped the wings on a changeling that later killed itself thinking it could fall out of the tree and survive the fall. Sadly both Vlolkir and Jael got the worst out of these creatures as both had their skulls folded. Jael grew horns and Vlolkir lost his horns. It was a frantic fight but Karl, Dubhan and I are fine, Jael and Vlolkir not so much.

We then engaged our final adversary and his giant patchwork creation with multiple heads and limbs. We focused our attacks on the mage first and brought him down quickly, then we turned attention to the patchworked creature and brought it down. After that cleaning up the remaining ghouls was easy.

We succeeded in liberating Grakor from the foul cultist that had infested it, but there is still much work to do, much land around the settlement will need to be rebuilt, that is for another day and for another challenge. We did out duty and now I am going to go spend some time at the cabin with Charlie, Trym and Holly.

[LadyDragoon]

Greeting my loving family,

Thank you for sending your prayers and energy to my departed best friend. I felt it the moment the clan join to wish him a farewell. It moved me and I can feel the energy seep into my bones and help me push forward. I feel honoured to be a part of such an amazing loving family.

So I guess it’s time for me to tell you about my newest adventure. Well to tell you the truth I am not sure how to explain what happened because I am not sure exactly what happened. All I remember is that I was sharing a drink with my friends in the honour of our fallen and I guess the night got away from us. I guess I must have agreed on going on a quest to rid the town of some sort of creature and its followers. So there I was following and chatting with my fellow adventures and my old friends. I was not told to much on what the job was but hey I had my friends and I had the chance to make new friends along the way. As brother Dugnug use to say, “Can’t have too many friends now can we?” To my amazement, I was surrounded by so many experienced adventures and the stories they had to tell made the journey a welcome distraction from my loneliness. Mind you their stories were not as good as when I first arrived in town and met the guy who almost wounded a Dragon. I still can’t get over that.

Once we reach the area, I was very surprised to see that we were not just taking out a monster but there was a whole battle in front of us. I will not lie at this point I was so scared I thought I would have to use the “Soap” after this battle. So my job was to make sure that the evildoers did not get to the tower and put together a really really…. REALLY large bow. You should have seen me. I ran across the field, used my daggers to make room and as soon as everyone on my team was in the tower, I fortified the door so no one could come in. The spirit of Axie (Ursal) was with me cause there would be no way I could hold the door if his axe was not there to wedge it closed. Not sure what happened outside but I heard a lot of shouts and bangs. The tower would shake a few times when my team used the giant bow to shoot something but I was so busy holding the door closed I didn’t get a chance to see anything else. I guess we were successful cause when everything went quite my team came down and we join the rest of the adventures. From what they told me afterwards at the celebration they had their hands full. I wish I would have seen it.

So not much to say this time around. I guess some adventures you are the one out there fighting and some adventures you are the one holding the door closed. At least they didn’t know the password. Remember its “Orange”.

I will write soon. Miss you all,

Azurea

[spencer4hire]

From the journal of Fort’seti T’silvar:

I was just getting my bearings in the frenzied expanse that is Throal when I heard a call to arms for what was being touted as the “Liberation of Grakor”. Nearly a score of adventurers had gathered for this task and I am not one to say no to good-hearted name-givers.

After about a week’s travel, we came upon the ruins of Grakor. It was clear to everyone that foul magic (or worse) was afoot, as masses of cultists, undead and the like were forming under what I could only describe as an unnaturally ominous storm. After a brief survey of the land, we formed into groups to divide and conquer in hopes of stopping this unholy congregation before they became too entrenched.

A group of us went off to the tower located just west of the town center. I found myself accompanied by LaShana Tumblesprout, a pointy windling rogue (I didn’t know name-givers could be so small!), Sek’thi, a fellow T’skrang who claimed to be a thief, but I believe is truly an assassin and Azurea, a shady troll.

A stream of cultists was working to piece together a ballista at the top of the tower. We ambushed them (well, my companions ambushed while I maneuvered to put myself between them and the enemy). Sek’thi was swift of hand but also swift of foot as he dispatched his foes with a bladed boot, sometimes giving himself enough time to take on a second foe. LaShana riddled the cultists with arrows and while the effect could be put into question, she did not make it easy for them. Azurea manifested shadow-like replicas of her weapons (a truly astounding feat) that inflicted damage as though they were true as steel. We managed to not only dispatch the cultists, but I was able to ply my trade by facilitating the assembly of the ballista on top of the tower for our own purposes!

Our attention turned back to the main battle, where our compatriots were pushing the enemy back to the main buildings. It was then that we saw the true nightmare of what this place was. An enormous creature comprised of twisted and mangled parts of other beings made its way towards us. From the top of the tower, we loosed as many bolts as we could while the main group held off all manner of mages and ghouls.

Thankfully, the patchwork creature was slain, and the waves of enemies came to a halt. We licked our wounds, but it appeared that we had made it, though some not quite in the same way as they started. I am thankful that we made it back alive and now that I’ve had a chance to get my tail wet in this new world, I look forward to getting to know these brave name-givers more as we work towards coming together for the future of our new world.

Through Upandal’s guidance, we create.