It has been 7 days since I lost my dear friend and companion Logarth. Food has lost its flavor and the only thing that brings me comfort is the beauty of nature around me and the reassurances of Gozreh that I shall not be alone. I am still conflicted as to what to do…should I continue to hope for Logarth’s return or should I seek the help of Gozreh to find a suitable replacement…I think I will think on it for a few days more. As for my other companions they have since burried the tatzlewyrm corpses at the edge of the forest about a quarter mile from the shore of the lake. I am still a little in the dark as to what they want to do with those corpses, but I am not really sure that I want to know. I make daily journeys into the forest to try and make a decision about how best to confront this bandit castle that is a few miles off. I think that perhaps the best strategy would be to look for a way around the back of the hill and then over the top of the hill and down into the castle from the rear, but such is only my opinion and I don’t yet know what my companions think on the matter. It is late…I grow weary of the burdens of the day. I shall retire for the night and turn my thoughts to Gozreh for clarification.

From the journal of Absolene the Large:
“This has been an interesting week that has involved teleportation, a talking squirl, and giant draconic worms. It has been an insightful time to spend with my companions. I think I am starting to understand Etter, while still cryptic he is very ambitious and hopes to re-establish the true religion of Zyphus and make that the religion of the state we aim to establish. He also is trying to create an undead army to defend our new nation. This action, while unnatural, is done to an end to benefit us, so I will hold my tongue and sign off on this army. Then Aldrick made it known that he aspires to be the general of our armies. Klegzeg aims to set up a monostary and be in charge of martial law for our kingdom. Tatianna will be our spy master and develop a network to keep us constantly in the know. It was decided that should we be a monarchy that I would be the advisor to the king, but if instead we form an oligarchy I would be the chief representative. That will allow me to help to fortify our location by communing with nature and having nature build us some natural fortifications.
While all this happened to lift our spirits we had a massive battle with two worms that dripped my spirits to rock bottom. It was in the middle of combat that I lost contact with Logarth. While my mind says he is dead, because he did not resurface, something inside of me says that he may yet live. I cling to hope that we should be yet reunited. My companions say that I should go into the forest and bind another to me, but this would release Logarth, should he yet live, and I don’t think that I am quite ready to give up on my friend. We have grown up together as we were bound together when both of us were yet children. We have shared many adventures and have gotten into our fair share of trouble and scrapes. Oh Logarth, where art thou? I only hope that you too are seeking to find me as well. I will set out fresh meat for you each night at camp, but seek to enchant it so that you and only you can smell it and that the smell would travel a great distance. I only hope that I find you before my companions decide to storm this castle we have found.”

Dearest Friend Duma,

I know it has been a while since I last wrote you. A lot has happened since I won the tourney that granted me a position in one of the parties headed down to the River Kingdoms. I’m excited to tell you of the things that have befallen me, but first I need to tell you of my companions.

First there is Etter Fallenbridge. He is a cleric of Zyphus, but dont hold that against him. He has not once tried to preach to me of his god nor has he made the mistake of trying to chastise me for some decision that his god doesn’t approve of. He also doesnt seem to be nearly as cruel and vicious as most of the followers of Zyphus are. He says this is because they have the god all wrong, but who knows with clerics anyways. They always seem to be arguing over the interpretation of some hugely important piece of religion that no one has even heard of.

Second is Klegzeg. He is exactly what his name suggests, an orc. Or half of one at least. But here is the more interesting part: he is a monk. Who ever heard of an orc monk? He fights well enough and isnt nearly as blood-thirsty as one would expect. I dont know much about him though, as he spends a large part of his time just sitting with his eyes closed. He calls this meditating, but from what I can tell that is just a fancy word to disguise napping. I have repeatedly tried to catch him sleeping, but every time I throw something at him to wake him up, he catches it. But with some investigation, I am hopeful I can uncover this technique.

Third is the tiny Absolene. He is a gnome who rides a frog. Yes, he rides a frog. A strange creature to be sure, but he has proven useful a few times with some magical tricks. He also has a pet panther which fights with us. He calls himself a “druid” and cares immensely for nature and “balance in all things” or some such gibberish. I think he may say these things in an attempt to appear wise. You know how wily those small people can be. Especially the magic ones.

Lastly is Tatianna. She is an elven ranger and so aloofness is to be expected. She gives trees the strangest looks and every time we encounter some monster or another she is always looking for a tree to climb. I half expect to see her hugging trees when she thinks no one is looking. She has proved herself a very helpful companion though. She has slain quite a few enemies with her bow and is very adept at warning us of upcoming traps when she returns from her scouting trips. She has not told us much of her reasons for being here, but I have caught some things said under her breath about her people and some confrontation. Maybe she will reveal more to us in time.

So that’s the group. As you can see this page is almost full, so I will write again soon to catch you up on some of the exciting experiences I’ve had. Hope all is well with the gang.

-The Whelp

From the journal of Absolene the Large:
“Today while exploring the Skunk River we came upon a wonderful hot spring. Almost with out thinking Glubbert and I jump right into the pool. It was warm and wonderful, but in an instant two sets of eyes popped out of the water. I recognized them as giant frogs much like Glubbert. While talking with these creatures their wrath became subdued towards me, but was quickly turned on my companions. Who two of them were actually pulled inside of the frogs and left in their bellies. Poor Logarth before I could help in directing his attacks accordingly he jumped in the spring and for reasons unknown to me tried to rake them while trying to swim….seems to not be a very intelligent thing to do missed with both claws. The monk defeated his frog from the inside while all of the rest of us (including my massive fire spells) took down the second frog. What can I say I thought fire works well in water right??? Once all the frogs were killed I decided to see how well the monk could see from the inside of the frogs belly. I conjured a magic stone and flung it toward the monk, but he was able to catch the rock and catch it in mid-air. That is too bad I would have blame it on perhaps on the tricky fey, but alas nothing ended up happening. I feel that perhaps we should return to Olge’s and talk with people there and see what that cleric has had to stay about these ruins before we decide what to do with them.

From the journal of Absolene the Large:
“For the first time in I can’t remember I found myself back in the swamp. The smells, the undergrowth, the bugs, and the creatures it was very refreshing and I was once again able to re-attune myself with Gozreth. It was almost against my nature to befriend that Boggard as they are a hated enemy of mine, but he proved very informative and beneficial for us in the end. Perhaps one day I will return and make the swamp stop swollowing his home. Maybe Glubbert will be able to able to befriend his “pet”. Upon leaving the swamp we headed to a set of ruins. There was a strange rankness to the air and water as well as the forest and swamp around the ruins. However when we saw the cave I immediately recognized it. This was the cave described to me by the cleric at Oleg’s. Tatiana let loose a few arrows into the cave known to me as containing a foul and deadly monster. One shot struck true and the creature inside bellowed in anger. Before anyone else could do much of anything out of the cave came charging a giant grizzly bear. He was easily 4 times my size (which is saying a lot because I am after all large). Aldrick happened to be the object of the bear’s desire and was almost killed before we knew what had happened. I being incredibly stout and not one to be fearful of anything became so startled at the bear that I actually caught myself on fire. But with luck that strange monk (whom I have not yet figured out) stunned the bear allowing me to regain my composure and allowing Logarth to flank and inflict even more damage. With a nicely placed curse from the cleric a nice hack from Aldrick and two well placed arrows in the neck of the bear, the bear died. Much to my shagrin he died before I could redeem myself from the whole fire incident. Then something even more interesting came about and the bear transformed into an old man, then again to a skeleton and finally to dust. I am not sure if Arastil approved of this action, but immediately the sun broke through and the foulness and rankness of the area dissappated. The cleric at Oleg’s would be interested in knowing this and perhaps it will end his nightmares and in the end I can be rewarded."

3rd day of Pharast 4700, year of our Lord, Noleski Surtova
Late in the day after the hero’s leave Oleg’s to explore the Greenbelt region for the first time, A group of 4 men arrive at the trading post. The group is led by a man who goes by the name of Kesten Garess (human fighter lvl3). The other three men are warriors under his command. After a brief and formal exchange with Oleg, he introduces himself as a noble (albeit a lesser one) from Brevoy, sent to protect the trading post, granted in response to numerous requests & pleas made by Oleg over the past couple of months.

Regardless the motive, Kesten appears to be an ambitious fellow, and it doesn’t take a Perception check to know that Kesten hopes to either make a name for himself as the defender of a remote fort, or to find honorable death among the bandits and other dangers in the region.

Moody, and at times morose, he can be found sitting at one of the market display benches, sharpening his sword, or giving mundane orders to his men. However, the four men are lawful and hard working; even within the first couple of days of their stay, improvements at Oleg’s can be seen.

Unfortunately their arrival brings two other changes: in answer to a challenge from Oleg, as to their “meddle, courage, and loyalty to the king,” Kesten orders Happs Bydon’s execution within 15 minutes of arrival at the post. One of the warriors pulls out a knife and slits Happs’ throat. The body is then strewn up like a scarecrow on a makeshift post the soldiers erect, about half a mile south of the Trading Post. A crude board sign is bolted over the beam’s top that reads, “Deth to Bandts.”

The second change is that the Post’s guesthouse is once again full.

4th day of Pharast (same day as Radish Patch encounter)

A day after Kesten Garess arrives at the trading post, another traveler comes to the area. This is a priest of Erastil named Jhod Kavken(male human cleric 4). He is a traveling cleric and hunter who claims to have heard of the exploration charter and came to Oleg’s to offer his help. He seems to be a well experienced traveler, and his stay in Brevoy was a brief one. Upon arriving at Oleg’s he is first questioned by one of the guards posted as sentry, and upon being let in, he is greeted by Oleg, who seems to be in a cheerful way. Jhod learns a lot over a hot bowl of stew, made at Stetvana’s hand, as she tells him of everything that has transpired, leaving out hardly a detail. It is from her he learns of the charter, in fact. Oleg complains a bit when the food is brought out, wishing she could make him Moonradish stew, but he stays quiet during the course of the meal, content to let his wife do the talking.

Jhod does not mind sleeping under the stars: he pays Oleg as if he were receiving lodging, although he sleeps on the ground. He makes over the next few days a soft canopy of leaves, branches, grasses, and flowers to sleep upon, which he where he does most of his praying and meditation from as well. He sets this up in one the unused watchposts on the pallisade. After the third night of his stay there, Svetlana, having compassion for him, goes to Kesten and asks him to clear away the rotted wood of the now useless catapult remains. He has his men do so right away. Two days later, ivy begins to grow from that spot over the south-western pallisade wall. Two days after that, beautiful ivory blossoms dot the ivy, and wood beams of the fort around it grow stronger and healthy, beginning to take root after a miraculous fashion.

(15th of Pharast) From the journal of Absolene the Large:
I have finally arrived at this place called Oleg’s Gultereg my poor mount is weary as am I. It is nice to be closer to what I would call home. The weeks I spent in Brevoy were draining not only to me, but also to Logarth as he is much calmer now that we are out of that cespool they call a city. When I arrived at this Oleg’s I was taken back by the oddity of Oleg compared to his wife. One being very gruff and a little grumpy while the other is very how shall I put this….noisy. The elf seems distracted and maybe conflicted over something. The half-orc monk is stand offish and seems a little self absorbed. The human fighter is well a human fighter who has all of the ‘city charms’ that I love so much…Now the oddest of the group seemed to me to be this cleric of whom I had heard of before arriving here. He worships an odd God and acts even odder. I think I shall observe them for a day or two before making my own introductions to them…"
Two days later:
I have observed their interactions with each other for close to three days now and I am still confused over the cleric, but I cannot wait any longer to figure him out. I need to start adventuring (as a side note Logarth is much happier now that he can go out and hunt for himself at night.) I have just gone and made my introductions to this group of adventurers and got a snicker out of the half-orc and the cleric upon my introduction as “Absolene the Large”. I quickly shot them a look that should have told them to not start, but I am not sure the message was received as it was intended. If they don’t shape up perhaps I shall play a few pranks on them until they learn to look at me as an equal, but I digress. Upon introductions over a pint of ale I bought them another round and asked that they inform me of their adventures to this point and perhaps what they intend to do. One day I will find out what drives them all, but for now I have to be content with the goal of the whole rather than the goals of the parts. Tonight I hid the equipment of the cleric outside and had the grass grow to cover it…I wonder when he will figure it out. Now that my fun is done for the day I will retire to my bed and let Gultereg and Logarth out to hunt."

(1st day of Pharast) From the Journal of Etter Fallenbridge, Cleric of Zyphus~
(written the night of the bandits at Oleg’s encounter)

“The days on the wild roads of the River Kingdoms were a nice rest from the leering eyes of the civilized lands. Could one only truly be free in the wilderness? Even on the road there was danger, but bandits attack for much nobler purposes than ethnicity or belief, albeit the fact that they are still trying to slay you and make off with your hard won gold and gear. In spite of the danger, I take the good and the bad the wilderness throws at us, Klegzeg continues to be dour about the whole affair. Perhaps his unwelcoming party in the lands of the Sword Lords is still sitting sour with him, in any case Kleg, myself and Aldrick all have grand ambitions for these “Stolen Lands.” The other fellows in our troupe laze about somewhere behind us, casually plodding around on their fine horses."

“Finally we have reached Oleg’s Trading Post. Oleg is unwelcoming and gruff, just as his wife is naive and prodding. We like to keep to ourselves, and I especially dislike the Oleg couple’s incessant prodding into my affairs. You’d think they’d be wise enough to have brought guards with them to this wild land, but alas, we are meant to fix the local bandit problem for the disastrously incompetent Olegs.”

“Aside from two small fires, one of which was thankfully doused by throwing myself into the Post’s drinking water, we have successfully separated the first wave of bandits from their bodies. Save one, the leader, who we interrogate as soon as our doddling companions arrive.”

“Finally, we are all together and might plan to explore into the dark forest of this land’s southern reaches. Tatianna will be good to have with us as we explore the wilderness, and the barbarian, well, what can I say besides that he’ll be good in a fight and not much good doing anything else but cause trouble? Off to bed, hopefully tomorrow finds us in good fortune.”

_{this takes place around the 13th of Pharast, year of our Lord N.S.}

Once word of the heroic feats of Pandin the barbarian and his companions reached Brevoy a single messenger was sent with the other piece of the locket, that Pandin was given hinting at whom his mother may actually be. This messenger also carried a summons from Pandin’s mother for him to come and join the ranks of this aristocratic family. It appeared that he had proven himself worthy of his mother’s affection. Eagerly Pandin set off to Brevoy to take his place in his noble family. Pandin felt a twinge of guilt for leaving his companions in a lurch, but was excited about finally meeting his mother. Once in Brevoy Pandin met a large curious gnome named Absolene who was remodeling his mother’s house. One night over a tankard of ale Pandin found out that Absolene needed to find adventure or die. Out of pity for the gnome Pandin talked of his companions and the vacancy that was left when he headed to heed his mother’s call. The gnome’s interest was peaked and Pandin saw this as a way to ease his guilt and still stay with his mother. Pandin let the gnome think that he had swindled the summons from the barbarian, but in reality it was Pandin that was pulling the strings. So thus ends the journey of Pandin the barbarian and his quest of reclaiming the Lost Lands.

From the diary of Pandin the half-orc barbarian…

“It was late in the afternoon on the fifth day of our journey, on the 6th of Pharast, that we finally happened upon the bandit camp of which we learned from our intimidation of the prisoner at Oleg’s Trading Post. When we arrived we overheard an argument between who seemed to be the bandit leader and two of her cohorts. Quietly we sent the ranger into the trees to scout a little more before we decided upon our course of action. While I tried to contain my anger, eventually I was overcome and my beastly nature came out. The first action was that of our brave and slightly odd cleric who cast a spell while the rest of us got ready to charge. Once my rage started I remember little else, but within a few minutes the entire camp was slaughtered. It happened as a matter of bad luck that one bandit escaped from me. While I settled myself down the camp was looted, and the silly warrior got himself caught in a bear trap. I had to laugh at him for a minute before freeing him from the trap. In the end this pocket of bandits was dealt with and I am sure that this is not the last we will see of the bandits. I look forward to finding and killing the bandit leader in the metal stag helmet…But for now I tire and shall rest for the night.”