FORGOTTEN REALMS: THE BALLAD OF AINERA CU'LYRRAN

BOOK 1

Chapter 1

***

15th of Ches, 1489 DR Year of the Warrior Princess (new moon)

I don’t know who I’m writing this to, but I feel the urge to write nonetheless.

My name is Ainera Wrendahl and I’m writing this from my bedroom. I live with my parents, and yes, I’m 56, but in elf years, that’s basically nothing. I don’t look a day over 30 by human standards.

Everytime I look westward from my window, I can see over the little square below where pipe and drum players try to earn some decent coin from passersby alongside the occasional araber or hawker. Beyond the square is the rest of my hometown, Llewellyn, where my adoptive parents, the human druids Maerie and Sheila Wrendahl, were kind enough to take me in. Beyond the roofs and streets is the waters of the Strait of Alaron, beyond which is where I was born: the fey-lands of Gwynneth. I don’t know much about exactly where I come from, but a strange man would come visit my parents every so often and would mention the hidden city of Chrysalis and Synnoria. I sometimes dream of those places, and I was born probably around 1433 DR, since I was a baby when the Wrendahls discovered me on their journey of pilgrimage to the Llyrath Forest Moonwell. I’m 56, which in elf-years is not old at all, but since I’ve spent all my time around humans and watched my parents age, I feel old.

Not much happens around Llewellyn. I sometimes help my mothers brew ale and I learn songs from Mirnan the barkeep. He’s a repository of old songs from all over Faerun since he’s a descendant from the famous Moonshavian bard Tavish. He gifted me an instrument he got from all the way in Neverwinter- a yarting. Me and Mirnan are the only yarting players in Llewellyn, which is pretty cool. I love playing it, it has such a hearty sound.

The first song Mirnan taught me was the Battle of Corwell Road, a tale about one of High King Tristan Kendrick’s many battles against the Beastlord’s forces. It specifically mentions his allies, the “Sisters of Synnoria”, and especially the brave warriorship and skill of Brigit Cu’Lyrran. Sometimes I dream about what she was like and it’s like she’s really there, telling me stories and teaching me fighting skills. I always feel a little guilty sleeping more than four hours but I love the dreams. My mother Sheila tells me that I only need about 4 hours of sleep (or what she calls a “meditative trance”) because of my elvish heritage, but hardly anyone else is awake that late except drunks and revelers. Sometimes I’ll walk around town at night when there’s a wedding or funeral. The Ffolk love to drink and dance, and these events tend to get quite rowdy, many times lasting for days on end. So when I’m restless I sometimes head out and have drinks with the people.

That’s how I met my friend Olynn. He’s a human, and he’s the same age as me. I get sad thinking about how he’ll be long gone by the time I reach the elf equivalent of his age. Makes me want to drink haha. He was a banneret for the High King’s Scarlet Guard who use the Llewellyn Citadel as their barracks alongside the Townsguard, but after catching an arrow in the leg during a skirmish with gnoll raiders who were terrorizing the Stirgewick coast, he’s retired. Now he spends his time helping my parents brew ale for the local taverns and inns. And he spends even more time drinking it with me!

I do love to talk with the various people who live and visit here in Llewellyn. There’s dwarves, halflings, humans, the occasional half-orc, and sometimes elves. But those elves generally are cold toward me since they see me as someone who’s abandoned their home. They also tend to look down on half-elves, which is fucked up, but whatever. I guess the eladrin came to Faerun with sticks up their asses, who knows. Olynn would think that was funny. Dwarves are either hot or cold, and it feels nice to be able to get in their good graces. They say the best way into a man’s heart is with food, but the best way into a dwarf’s heart is with strong drink and a foul mouth. Most dwarves here avoid elves due to their inherent dislike of each other but some of them don’t seem to mind me. I guess I’m not the usual uptight pointy-eared they’re used to encountering.
I think I’ll head down to the Diving Dolphin tonight. Mirnan’s working and maybe Olynn will be there. There’s a new ale I’ve been hankering to try, and I’m sure I’ll be able to outdrink Olynn tonight. Blame it on my “elvish heritage”.



***

16th of Ches, 1489 DR Year of the Warrior Princess

Well, the craziest shit happened last night. Coming home from the bar (I was carrying- actually more like dragging- Olynn home - bastard can’t hold his liquor hahaha) we were attacked by a creature! At first it appeared like a nobleman vomiting into the well. Then, through a drunken haze I realized- it was coming out of the well! It was the weirdest thing. I was pretty drunk and couldn’t land any blows, and Olynn woke up but was still wasted and worthless despite his years of combat experience. This thing almost killed us! It transformed into a hideous and honestly very terrifying creature (presumably its true form).

Right then, several magic blasts coming from an alleyway hit the creature, sending it away from us as it pursued its attacker. A wizard in dark clothing fought the thing, ultimately decimating it with his magic blasts. It was then that I recognized him- the mage who used to visit my mothers when I was young!

He helped me carry Olynn home, who barely knew what was going on. Once he was put to bed, me and the wizard sat on the street outside Olynn’s house, finishing my gourd of whisky and sharing a pipe of Tantrasian golden sea tobacco from some distant country called Vesperin. I dunno, never heard of it! The wizard told me his name: Arrant Quill, and he’d been watching over me throughout the years. He said he couldn’t say more, but he did leave me fucked up with some new knowledge about my past.

He revealed to me that I am in fact the granddaughter of Brigit Cu’Lyrran! I couldn’t believe it! For a second I thought that maybe there was something other than tobacco in that pipe of his. What happened next was truly interesting- a song suddenly entered my mind somehow. I had dreamt of Brigit’s adventures and sometimes of the old High King Tristan’s exploits across Moonshae, but what I had forgotten was the appearance of (well, more like an idea of) this dude named Keren. And with that recollection I was suddenly perceptive of an entire ballad’s worth of words that then flooded into my mind. I told Arrant about this and he said that Keren Donnell was the fellow’s name, and that his songs helped inspire the Knights of Synorria and High King Tristan in those days in the fight against the Norlanders. Keren had been completely vaporized in a deadly attack by the Beastlord (which is probably why I can’t visualize him) but when the Earthmother revived his comrades she was unable to revive him, but he lives on through his ballad that magically comes to bards across Moonshae in a moment of some sort of initiation.

Wait, am I now a bard of Moonshae? Had some sort of initiation occurred? My parents, who used to be druids who made pilgrimages to the various Moonwells of the isles before settling down as they got older, had taught me some simple druidic spells and healing magic, but I would have never guessed that my ancestry binding me to the legendary Sister-Knight Brigit would lead me to a path of destiny as a Moonshavian Bard.

We spent a little more time then speculating on the creature that attacked us. A “doppelganger”, he called it, though he couldn’t say why it was there or why it appeared as a nobleman. (I later pieced together that the creature appeared to us as Lord Brendt Cambridge who’s famous for his huge mansion at the edge of town.)

The sun came up and I made it home to write this all down. Before Quill went on his way, he pulled something out from a bag of holding at his hip. “This belongs to you now, Ainera Cu’Lyrran…” and he gave me a circle of protection that belonged to Brigit! I still can’t believe it. I will cherish it until the end of my days. Apparently the lapis lazuli that’s embedded in the front of the circlet has been a family heirloom of the Cu’Lyrrans for millenia and had been enchanted by a powerful archfey on Gwynneth.

I think I’ll strum on my yarting a little bit and then rest.

***

It’s now midday, and I’ve just woken up from the most intense dream.

Before lying down for sleep, I placed Brigit’s circlet on my crown and then totally zoned out while playing my yarting. In the dream, everything turned into a swirl of colors- I couldn’t tell where I was, but it was no longer Alaron. It might not have even been Moonshae for that matter. I then could see Sister Knight Brigit, clear as day, before me! She asked me my name, and we spoke for a while. It was so… real… I told her about my life thus far. She was disturbed by the fact that I’d been separated from my birth parents by fiends possessed by her arch-enemy, the Beastlord Kazgaroth. She then said one phrase before a bright light whisked her away:

“Serve only balance. No man, no nation- only balance, my child. Where there is balance, there is peace…”

Next thing I know, I was riding on golden horseback into the dawn- Sisters of Synnoria at my side, armies of humans and dwarves behind, riding into the light- the light washed everything out, I don’t even know if there was a battle… next thing I know, it’s nighttime. Sune, the full moon above, illuminated the henges of a Moonwell. The forest seemed to writhe and seethe with an uneasiness that made me feel insane. I tried to walk over to the Moonwell, instinctively desiring to venerate the Earthmother. My parents often told me how when visiting a Moonwell you have the overwhelming feeling of the presence of the Earthmother, but here in this dark Moonwell I could not feel Her presence at all. I felt alone and it was as if madness (the kind you get from cabin fever, so to speak) was slowly creeping in. I tried to walk more but it was as if my knees and hips were frozen- but not cold- they felt dry, like rusted metal. The more I tried to move, the less I could, when suddenly- I looked up- there! The appearance of evil! A shadow, in the form of a humanoid, but one I’ve never seen before. It gently guided down to the Moonwell. With some motions of its hands, a pale maiden emerged forth from the Moonwell. The shadow then grabbed her and bit into her neck, spilling blood into the Moonwell. I struggled to help but I couldn’t move, I couldn't do shit! The maiden collapsed into the pool which then began to overflow with blood. The blood seeped out and covered the land, turning into rust.

I then could clearly see all around me a hellscape of blood and rust.

Then I woke up.

I’m going to head down to the docks. Maybe looking at the water will clear my mind and bring me peace.



***

17th of Ches, 1489 DR

Last night when I got back from hanging out at the docks watching the sunset (I picked up some delicious honey mead from a half-orc merchant named Ganarim in the Citadel park on my way- highly recommend) I spoke with my folks (Ffolks- get it? Haha) and told them about the night before. They sat down and explained that they’d rescued me from a coven of green hags in the Llyrath forest. They assumed I’d been stolen from my birth parents in Synnoria, but when they tried to find out who my parents were they couldn’t get any information since they are humans and the elves over in Gwynneth don’t trust humans much sooooo… they had no other choice but to contact an agent of the Harpers. The Harpers are a secret organization of agents who uphold the order of Faerun and fight on the behalf of the downtrodden and oppressed. In fact, they help anyone in need. They have an extensive network of information and spies, and so they thought they’d be able to make contact with my birth parents in Synnoria. This Harper agent was in fact Arrant Quill! He’s been a friend of my mothers for many many years. Sheila gave me a sprig of mistletoe, saying it was for good luck. I seem to remember that the druids used mistletoe to imbue their quarterstaffs and clubs with magic power, turning the staff into something called a “she-lay-whatever”. (I just realized that maybe that’s where my mom got her name) Anyways…

I think I’ll take it easy today and tonight, it’s been a wild few days.

***

Okay, I know I said I’d take it easy, but Olynn just showed up to my door. He was holding a flyer. Apparently Lord Brendt Cambridge is missing! I’m going to go with him to the Cambridge manor where the Townswatch are going to investigate. There’s a 300 gold reward for finding him or any information as to his whereabouts. I’m sure there’ll be swindlers and con-men vying for the gold so I’m gonna try and beat them to the punch. Plus I’m DYING to know what happened to this Lord Cambridge, especially since the doppelganger we encountered the other night had assumed his appearance at first glance. My guess: Lord Cambridge’s been replaced! But why? Guess I’m about to find out!

***

18th of Ches, 1489 DR

Oof. I don’t know what to make of what happened yesterday. I’m not even sure where to begin. I feel dizzy with all the excitement, but shit was pretty scary, too! It was actually my first real battle. Me and Olynn teamed up with some of the Townsguard to investigate Cambridge Manor. A sizable murder of crows crowded the tree in the small square out front of the manor. The Townsguard were able to deactivate all the traps and the other fortifying knick-knacks of the mansion, and so we went in. On the first floor we discovered another one of those weird-looking doppelganger guys. I used the mistletoe that my mom Sheila gave to me as if I instinctually knew how- and my quarterstaff given to me by my other mom Maerie suddenly had a certain vibe to it… I felt strong, as if there was added momentum or force to wherever I wished to move my staff. (Now I remember! Shillelagh! That’s what it was called.) We killed the doppelganger, who scared off one of the Townsguard. Actually he struck fear into both of them but Olynn was able to snap one of the dudes out of it. Eike, his name was. (I’ll get to that in a second.) The three of us defeated the faceless creature. I didn’t mind the fighting but the part I loved the most was witnessing first-hand a veteran legend like Olynn put his greatsword to use! Made me want to write a song about it or something. I did actually bring along my yarting and used it to enchant our actions the way I had seen Keren Donnell give inspiration to my ancestor Brigit and her Sister-Knights over a century ago.

I began to notice a horrid smell, the undeniable odor of death, now that we were inside the house.

We cleared the first floor and found nothing so we ventured up a spiral stair to the second floor. There we found- and this is the part that has me left feeling gross and weird- zombies! They were eating the corpse of an elderly woman. SO fucked up. I can barely hold my hand still enough to write this (thank goodness for rum). I don’t really remember the details but we ended up putting down all three of the undead creatures, which was tough cuz they wouldn’t STAY dead, especially this one asshole. They appeared to have formerly been Callidyr Roadsguard, patrolmen from Caer Callidyr who watch over the High King’s Road. I guess someone or something brought them back to life, but how? And what are they doing in Llewellyn? (Especially Cambridge manor, of all places! Well, I’ll get to that as well…)



To my horror, Eike, the Townsguard who accompanied us into the manor, was lying motionless on the ground. He’d bled out. I couldn’t cry or feel sad about it, not yet, though now as I write this, I’m struggling to choke back the tears. He fought bravely alongside us. I said a prayer to the Earthmother for him, that he rejoin the earth and enrich the soil. Oh yeah, and for his soul to be at peace, of course.

We searched the other rooms of the second floor and found a severed hand clutching a black onyx stone with a strange etching on its surface: a tower made of skulls. (I have no idea what it means, but I’ll ask around town.) The hand came to life and attacked me and Olynn. Another crawling claw also tried to attack us, but we easily dispatched both of them. We then moved on to the roof where stood (guess who):

Lord Cambridge.

Although it wasn’t Lord Cambridge. Olynn immediately spotted the tell- it was of course another doppelganger creep. I crept around the ledge and saw a bloated corpse (later on determined this was the real Lord Cambridge- R.I.P.) As I came back around to where Olynn and the creature were exchanging blows, I became overcome with fear. Something about this creature’s presence could get inside your head- I’d felt it before but I guess I was maybe a little too “gung-ho” about squaring up in my first fight. Or maybe it was that seeing Lord Cambridge’s rotting corpse let my mental guard down- I don’t know what it was, but I was totally freaked out. I looked over at Olynn- he too was bugging out. Without even noticing I’d been doing it I was already headed for the stairs back down into the mansion. Olynn looked like he was gonna jump off the roof! But something inside both of us helped snap us out of it- and together we fought the creature.

Well, I mean, Olynn landed most of the blows, being that he’d been in the High King’s service for decades, but you know what I mean. It was great witnessing him hack and slash, two hands round the hilt of the greatsword, deftly motioning up, down, and side to side, the featureless gray-blue flesh of the doppelganger carved and slashed. It was as horrifying as it was exciting, that I was witnessing a part of history no matter how small. This would be a tale the folks of Llewellyn would tell for years to come! And I was the one who wrote it all down! (Although I guess it doesn’t matter who wrote it down, so long as it gets written in the first place!) Anyways!

With the doppelganger defeated, Olynn and I warily returned to the first floor where he told me that while he was facing off with the doppelganger (around the moment I’d discovered Cambridge’s corpse) that the doppelganger (still disguised as Cambridge) revealed his motivations. Based on what Olynn and I could piece together, the doppelganger basically had been told about Cambridge manor and was in fact encouraged to steal the identity of Lord Cambridge and take over his manor. I asked Olynn if he knew who told the doppelganger to take over Cambridge manor but he said he didn’t know (he’d diced the doppelganger to bits at that point).

As to the why, well… I just don’t know. I’m feeling a little bit too fucked up right now to think about it more. Boy do I need a drink right about now.

We talked with the Townsguard outside of the manor and told them everything. They asked us if anything was missing or out of the ordinary- well, I’ve never set foot in that boujee joint in my life, nor so much ever had said a single word to Cambridge in my life, so, I wouldn’t have known. The Townsguard made good on their promise- 300 gold (split between me and Olynn). Thanks, Lord Cambridge. Or should I thank the doppelgangers? How does fate work again?

All of this is making my head spin. I mean it- I need a drink.

Time to visit my favorite halfling Mirnan at the Dancing Dolphin…

***

19th of Ches, 1489 DR

At breakfast this morning, my mothers spoke with me about the recent goings-on. They said that the Earthmother was most likely calling me. “You must visit the Moonwells and make offerings, that way the blessing of the Earthmother will always be with you.” my mother Sheila said. I told her that I knew I’d be leaving home someday which made my other mom Maerie start to cry, but eventually she put her chin up and said she was proud of me. She said I’d shown such bravery driving out the doppelgangers from Cambridge manor (which, honestly, was mostly Olynn, but I didn’t run away and I was there, so…) and that I’d be wasting my talents just drinking my life away in LLewellyn. And honestly, that made me a little sad in a weird way. I’m comfortable here, but at the same time, it’s a large world out there and I must see it. I must write songs about it. I must connect with my ancestry, with Brigit. I mean, there’s something happening here! I need to know what it is!

I asked them about druid spells. They said they could teach me a few more before I set out. I told them I need a night or two to think about what I’m going to do.

And what better way to think than drinking!

I think tonight I’ll go to the Old Sailor Tavern tonight, see what’s happening in that place.

***

Just got back from the Old Sailor, and geez, those Norlanders can DRINK. I mean, I out-drank all of them, duh, no problem. But still, they can sink suz-ale like the Stormwreck Isles can sink ships! Whoops, good thing I didn’t use that line tonight, cuz otherwise I would have been accessory to a bar fight this evening. Which honestly wouldn’t be the worst thing, just don’t need my moms to have to bail me out of the dungeon at the Citadel right before I skip town.

Speaking of which, I’m so conflicted about leaving. On one hand, it’s the adventure of a lifetime, and I know I keep saying this, but in elf-years I’m mad young. On the other hand, I could fucking die, fuck elf-years. So I should probably sleep it off and think about it again in the morning.

Oh yeah, I should probably write this down, but I overheard a Ffolk sailor talking about some kind of crisis, something about “rust”? I don’t know what that means but I’m writing it down because I am drunk and definitely will NOT remember later on.

Also I heard that everything of value, all of the jewelry and family heirlooms, that belonged to Lord Cambridge in his manor are indeed missing! What’s a heist got to do with zombies and doppelgangers?

***

20th of Ches, 1489 DR

Well, I couldn’t forget about the “rust” even if I wanted to, because last night it was basically all I could dream about. Everything, the entire world, was covered in rust. What does that mean? Who the fuck knows.

I think Olynn should be fully recovered today, the clerics have been taking good care of him. There’s a Temple of Angharradh, I don’t know, some elven deity threesome-thing. Weird. Not sure how one of those ended up on Alaron, who knows. Doesn’t matter. I should check in and make sure everything is in order for Olynn to be in tip-top shape to see me off!

***

Well that sucked.

I stopped by the temple where the priests and clerics were nearly in a frenzy. I guess a lich has been discovered nearby? As I was collecting some healing potions for Olynn I heard them mention an old Llewyrr tomb had been taken over. The fey protectors had been corrupted and turned into “dretches” (what the hell is a dretch?) and skeletons, zombies and ghouls have been spotted around the High King’s Road attacking travellers. (I’m curious if this has anything to do with the zombies we encountered in Cambridge manor?)

I then headed over to Olynn’s house where one of the temple clerics was with him. Olynn’s been cursed by some kind of evil! He was sweating profusely and kept rambling and mumbling about fire everywhere, everything’s on fire. The cleric, a shy half-elf named Elxian, had been casting restoration and cure spells but to no avail. I tried to speak to Olynn but he just looked right through me and shouted “Alaron will burn!” Fucking creepy. It kinda fucked me up, seeing the mighty Olynn like that. Elxian put him to sleep and we spoke outside. He told me about the lich, which I’d just heard about at the temple of Angharradh, which is where he serves. He said that it’s most likely that Olynn was cursed by coming into contact with an item or something that belongs to the lich. I told Elxian about the whole Cambridge manor and doppelganger affair and then showed him the etched skull onyx. He swore: “Oh fuck…” (which i guess worshippers of Angharradh are allowed to do?) and then proceeded to tell me about “spirit jars”. He casted a spell to try and detect if a lich’s soul was present in the onyx, which there was none. Which can only mean one thing- there’s a fucking lich out there somewhere.

But why was this stone in Cambridge manor? Why were there zombies? Reading back through a few of my own journal entries, I remembered: the doppelganger, just prior to being made into a pile of chopped weird flesh, told Olynn that he and the other doppelgangers had been told about Cambridge manor. Who would tell them that, and why?

Elxian was able to sorta answer one of those questions: doppelgangers have been known to take over wealthy people’s houses out of greed, wishing to live a lavish lifestyle and have all their avarices fulfilled. But someone specifically told them about Lord Cambridge’s mansion, and the question is who, why, and what the fuck does this have to do with a lich?

Well, I guess we’re going to find out. Elxian asked me to tag along with him to investigate the lich to see if we can put it to rest and stop these attacks, all the while finding out the answer to this larger mystery!

Sheila is going to teach me a few more spells before I take a quick power-nap (that’s my joke-name for elf trance). We leave at nightfall.

Suffice it to say, this definitely wasn’t the send off I was hoping for. But by the tits of the Earthmother, Olynn, please hang in there, buddy… I’m coming back for ya…

I’ll put down this lich and solve the mystery.

Then drinks are on me once you’re better.

***

21st of Ches, 1489 DR

What a night! Turns out when an inveterate warrior like Olynn isn’t around, zombies are pretty fucking tough! Me and Elxian almost got our asses handed to us. Those fuckers don’t stay dead! I don’t know what it is that keeps them getting back up, but it’s pretty annoying. I… I fell in battle, not once… not twice… not three times… but four fucking times Elxian had to stabilize me. I guess it hasn’t really hit me yet how dangerous this adventuring life truly is… Anyways, what really saved us were these random arrows that kept coming from the woods. That’s how we met Lalta. She’s a former Scarlet Guard who was, er, dishonorably discharged from service. She didn’t say much else but that now she spends her time taking the odd job here and there, sometimes even doing mercenary work. Spends a lot of time outdoors. Some kind of ranger. Who am I to judge? You know to be honest I thought that Elxian would be a little judgey, what with him being a priest and all… but I guess Sehanine is pretty cool. (Sehanine’s one of the trio of goddesses that make up the triple-goddess Angharradh. I had no idea…)

Anyways, we camped out overnight, taking turns keeping watch, and now we are looking around for this damn lich den. I hope to have something cool to write about tonight.

***

We found the den! How did we find it? There was an animated skeleton, a dretch (oh yeah, found out what a dretch was!!! Smelly shitty demon thing, DISGUSTING), and a general sense of evil at the mouth of another Llewyrr tomb. We went in and all of the sudden darts started flying out. Thank goodness Lalta was in the front of the line cuz she dodge the hells out of those (presumably poisonous) darts! Can’t believe ancient traps still work all these centuries later, even in obviously-placed tombs that would’ve HAD to have been raided in the centuries since the Ffolk took over Alaron. (Sidenote: Elxian is a fount of knowledge!)

We continued in and guess what- another skeleton! We held our own but the big blows were dealt by this crazy scary cleric spell that also exists in druidic canon- some kind of spiritual bell is tolled and whoever is targeted by the spell, well… so long! That’s all she wrote! Only took one such spell cast by Elxian and our new pal Ciddis to flatten the bones.

OH of course! Ciddis! Okay so this was kind of funny.

As we approached the mouth of tomb, it was a beautiful sunny day, blue sky, maybe some clouds, grassy plains, the green mound right in front of us, vines and moss grown over the stone entrance, gross-ass dretch attacks, eldritch-ass skeleton attacks, BOOM, a door from NOWHERE opens, a couple ravens and an eagle (I coulda sworn one of them was singing the same melody as something I’d heard before…) fly out, and this beautiful, and I mean beautiful… (I promise to control myself while writing this, the weirdo’s right next to me), elf woman with crazy hair and crazier raiments made of plants, furs, skins, honestly I’m having… trouble… just jotting all this down, gimme a sec

SO ANYWAYS (boy do I need a drink! Olynn’s gonna die laughing when he reads this) this elf broad comes out of the previously aforementioned NOWHERE and we all just shrug and she joins the fight. The dretch fart-stenches on her and she just takes it… even says “I’ve smelled worse…” OUTLOUD… WHY DOES THAT AROUSE ME… WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME…

We killed the dretch and put down the skelly and became acquainted. Ciddis is a roaming druid from Gwynneth, my homeland… Well, not really my homeland, I grew up over here on Alaron, but somehow I feel obligated towards a land I’ve never really been to… and all I’m left with is an acute case of insane curiosity about the place where I was born but never really been to. Maybe Ciddis could show me some day…

But before I get carried away again, I’m writing this during a short break because we came to our senses and realized that going up against a super powerful lich is probably the stupidest thing we could do. Sure, taking out some skellies and the occasional fart-demon is a walk on the docks, but a lich… yeah, I don’t know. Elxian seems mad distracted but even he concurs: liches are super powerful and it’s probably a bad idea to fuck with them without like, an army, or a dragon, or an army of dragons, or something.

So we’re trying to decide if we’re gonna just head back and let the Llewellyn townsguard know that we’ve located the most likely place where the asshole lich is shacked up or if we’re to try and seek help in fighting the lich. It’s scary, and honestly I’m unsure of either option, but hey, we’re out here…



***

22nd of Ches, 1489 DR

On our way home last night we were ambushed by highwaymen. Their captain, this stunning dark-skinned bandit named Fidelia apparently knows Lalta from some former business meeting. Lalta squared up with her and told her:

“Our deal’s complete, I owe you no allegiance. You shall not have our belongings. Off with you!”

Well that started a whole thing. It was a bloody battle, almost fatal. In fact it was. I watched in horror as Fidelia cut Lalta down. Lalta then bled out, dead. It sucked.

But what do ya know? At the last minute a cloaked figure entered the fray and kept Fidelia busy as myself and Ciddis occupied one of the bandits. Elxian did his best to keep everyone healed but then fell unconscious, having taken too many hits from one of the other bandit’s curved blades. Ciddis was able to summon vines that entangled one of the other bandits who tried and tried but couldn’t break free. I may have fallen myself but Ciddis was able to get me back up. What a gal…

So this cloaked figure, she was able to actually revive the dead Lalta. It was crazy. I’ve never seen something like that in all my 56 years, although I’d heard about such things. Magic is crazy. “The Weave” it’s called by some. (Learned that from drinking in bars)

Anyways, the cloaked woman, she convinced the bandits to fuck off, and fuck off they did. She lowered her hood and she too was an elf, although she had some gnarly looking gold-colored scars on her face that kinda looked like she’d be struck by lightning. I didn’t ask. She’s a Harper named Adwyn who’d been keeping an eye on me though she wouldn’t say why. When I asked if Arrant sent her she went quiet. Weird.

So now we’re back in Llewellyn. Olynn’s still mad with an eldritch fever and there isn’t enough beer and liquor in this town to make me feel better. I wish I knew what was going on.

***

Adwyn agreed to join me at the Dolphin. Mirnan was working and seemed a little spooked by this Adwyn customer but soon joined me in gulping down some Elminster’s Choice and changed his attitude. Adwyn told me a little bit about Arrant. I guess he went missing. She wouldn’t say anything else about it. She did say that she was now the Harper in charge of searching for my birth parents. What’s it to the Harpers to look for my birth parents? Surely they’re not out there looking for every orphans’ parents, are they? I love my moms, they’re my parents. Adwyn wouldn’t answer that question either. The last thing she said before leaving was that at a certain point I would have to answer the call of nature. Well, if she means I need to take the piss, mission accomplished. I guess I’ll find out what that really means when–

Fuck, there’s ghouls. Outside. What the fuck.



***

23rd of Ches, 1489 DR

It was the battle of a lifetime! Also very scary!

So as it turns out, the lich ended up coming to us, bringing his horde of undead with him. I was stuck in battle with a ghoul when the Townsguard and Citadel soldiers came swarming in. There was fighting all over Llewellyn, the streets swarming with clangings and clashings. Ghouls were getting diced up, soldiers were being eaten alive, it was pure madness.

My mates were scattered throughout the town so it took ‘em a little while to convene but we held 'em all off! The first wave was all ghouls, which seem to require a lot to put down even though they’re pretty easy to hit on account of they’re slow and dumb. The next wave was skeletons- hard to hit cuz they’re all bones and can dodge well. Eventually priests of Lathander and Angharradh came to help, their arcane blasts of radiant magic reducing the numbers of undead in the streets. I used my shillelagh spell to enchant my quarterstaff with a little extra oomph, which definitely helped. Here and there I was able to pluck a few magic notes on my yarting which helped keep everyone feeling eager and willing to decimate these creatures.

Naturally, because I’m not too familiar with all of this fighting and therefore fairly squishy, I fell unconscious AGAIN, although this time there was no Elxian to get me back on my feet (he apparently had his hands full with a skeleton). During that time, I don’t remember much, but I could hear a voice in my head: “Give me the stone… your life is meaningless! All shall burn!!!”

It was kinda like what Olynn kept saying. When I came to, the fucking lich was standing over me. Yikes. Ciddis was charging at it, and the lich fired a burst of some kind of dark energy. It barely missed blowing her head and torso off. That would’ve been the WORST THING EVER. She’s so lucky. And reckless. And hot. I think I’m in love. The lich took the etched onyx from me. Good riddance! That thing was probably what cursed Olynn (why then didn’t it curse me? Am I that cool?)

The battle raged on all around, complete chaos, but I knew my friends were hanging in there. I wish you could’ve seen it, Olynn (who’s doing fine now, by the way. Spoke to him this morning. Barely, he needs a lot of rest. He was alive but very tired. Elxian said it could be a few days before he’s awake enough to chat.)

It was fucking wild, to say the least.

BUT not as wild as this next part.

A freaking dragon showed up. A DRAGON. A motherfucking GOLD DRAGON. I never woulda thought. It shattered everyone’s eardrums with an insanely loud roar (what an experience that was!) and then said something to the lich. It then picked up the lich and flew away… like that. Boom. The fight was over. Well, sorta. There were still a few ghouls and skeletons left, which we did our part in finishing off as the rest of the townsguard and soldiers went to put down the horde in other parts of town.

What a freaking day. Goodness. After the sun set, the whole town drank. We partied. I didn’t quite understand what happened, but I was happy to help defend my hometown. Me and Ciddis hooked up. I’m embarrassed. But I guess she’s cool, because she said she’ll accompany myself, Elxian and Lalta for the Moonwell in the Rushdown Wood (just north of Dorset) tomorrow morning. At least, that’s the plan.

Whew. Okay that’s all for now. Gonna do some shopping for supplies and maybe some better armor.

Til next time.

***

Chapter 2

***

24th of Ches, 1489 DR



Last night was relatively uneventful. Had a few drinks after visiting an enchanter. Spent most of my gold getting new enchanted armor. Then we stocked up on weapons. Earlier in the day I spent some time with my moms and they taught me a couple more spells. We sat quietly and sipped tea (and beer) and just enjoyed each other’s company. Ciddis was acting distant most of the day but then sat with me at the bar. She did actually hold my hand as we silently listened to Mirnan play his yarting for us. I think something might be happening between us. Elxian got drunk. I don’t know why that surprises me, he’s a priest of a pretty chill deity. I like this Sehanine chick, she’s an elven deity, maybe I should learn more about her. I like the Earthmother, too, I was raised around her veneration with my parents being druids and all. But I want to know more about Sehanine.

We set out this morning at sunrise. I got to say goodbye to my mom's and Olynn. It was pretty emotional. I'm going to miss them. I promised them I'd come back to see them.

We are headed to Dorset, where we can rest and prepare to set out to visit the Rushdown Wood Moonwell. I’m so excited to finally see one!

Took a short detour not long after leaving Llewellyn. While it was still morning we figured that since the lich’s spell on Olynn was broken AND a fucking dragon (I’m never gonna get over that) carried his ass off during the battle in town that maybe the tomb we tried investigating a few days back would be empty. Well, we were mostly right. Fought a giant spider and a couple skeletons (I guess they stayed animated despite the influence of the lich’s presence being gone? Curious about how that works…) The spider was a little tough. It spat webs out at Lalta and me and Ciddis helped cut the webs from her as Elxian launched fire bolts at the thing. Apparently Ciddis tried to communicate with the giant spider but I guess since the lich had set up shop in the tomb the beast was pretty disturbed. The corrupting influence of evil, Ciddis tells me. She’s so wise.

Afterward we burned the webs and pushed deeper into the tomb, coming to a crypt room with two sarcophagi. (Sarcophaguses? What’s it? I should ask Ciddis how to spell…) and naturally were ambushed by two skeletons. But we made quick work of them because, well, we’re professionals… no big deal.

We found some copper, silver and gold around the chamber in urns that must’ve been offerings to the dead. Whoops… maybe we should have left it. I’ll say a prayer to the Earthmother apologizing for that when we get to the Moonwell. Oooh better yet, we can throw some coins into the well for good luck! (Is that allowed? Again, another question for my hero Ciddis…)

I found something really weird… the dais where the funerary rites are presumably performed was in a sort of side chamber. As I entered the small chamber I found a weird slot in the center of the altar. And the thing is, somehow I knew that it’d fit a sword in it perfectly… I simply HAD to try it. So I dipped my longsword (that the Townsguard gave me when me and Olynn investigated the mansion) down into it and it got stuck. I tried to grab it but it was too cold to touch- so cold that it burned. Then I tried to pull it out again- this time it was too hot! I then noticed sigils on the sides of the altar below the surface that began to glow all sorts of different colors… and then I could see energy being gathered up from the ground. Could the dais have been pulling energy from the earth and doing something to the sword? Well, I have no idea, because it suddenly stopped and I was able to pull the sword out easily enough. The blade seemed dull and the entire sword had a faint gray energy swirling about it. It still does. It won’t slice anything and it’s kinda hard to wield. I might wait for an opportunity for someone to identify it with magic or knowledge of arcana or something.

We made it to Dorset with no troubles. Took until about sunset. Dorset is a small little fishing village and there can't be more than 15 buildings here. We’re currently having drinks at the Rockside Inn. Juhn is our host, he’s a slightly overweight Ffolk with too many fishing stories. Ciddis seems to not like him, probably because he harms fish. (I probably shouldn’t tell her that I eat meat haha) She’s been very avoidant today and hasn’t spoken to me. I wonder what is up with her.

***

25th of Ches, 1489 DR

What a day! I’m writing this from Caer Calidyrr in- get this - another tavern called the Dancing Dolphin! Apparently the person who opened the Dolphin in Llewellyn is the same person who opened this one. I guess they couldn’t think of a better name? I don’t mind it.

It’s my first time in a big city like Caer Calidyrr. I’d always heard of it and I’ve wanted to come here for quite some time. What’s even more impressive than this colorful and busy town was the manner in which we got here: a fairy trod! I’d heard them mentioned by strangers at the taverns as well as my mothers back in Llewellyn but I never thought I’d see them so soon in my journey!

Okay, so kind of a lot happened today. Back in Dorset we ate a big breakfast and set out for the Moonwell in Rushdown Wood. Two scouts were blocking the road north into the forest, stating that there’d been reports of vicious creatures. Not a single person who’d gone into the forest to investigate returned.

We thought maybe we should do something about it but the guards insisted that the creatures’ strengths were undetermined and presumably quite tough. Their scouts that went to investigate apparently were very experienced and skilled and for them not to return indicated that something was horribly wrong. We decided to leave it alone. I was bummed- I really wanted to see a Moonwell! I guess there's others that I can visit.

We went back to the tavern and started drinking and tried to come up with a new plan. According to the barkeep the next nearest Moonwell was in the Dernall Forest, all the way up in Calidyrr. Calidyrr is half a tenday’s journey from here. (If only there was an easier way to make the distance…)

As we were drinking in the tavern three strange looking people came in with a big-eyed human mage woman. They sat around a table on the other side of the bar. I didn;t think anything of it at first except that Lalta was literally glaring at them. I asked her what was up and she said that she could’ve sworn that they looked like Zhentarim cronies. (The Zhentarim are a world-wide organization of Bane-worshippers who control merchant routes and deal in nefarious things like black-market stuff, assassinations, political shit, weird stuff. They fit right in among the bandits and thieves of Kythyss. No offense, Kythyss; you kind of have a reputation…) Anyways, she ended up not being sure and went silent. I tried reading the mage woman who was with them, she seemed so different from them. She had mostly white, gold and grey robes on and big eyes like an owl’s. Kinda cute. She seemed nervous but trusting of the people she was with. The whole thing was weird; something was DEFINITELY off about these people. But other than that I couldn’t really tell exactly what was up, so I tried eavesdropping but it was too loud in there and I didn’t want to risk drawing attention to myself trying to get within a better ear’s shot of them.

Elxian heard it though- I don’t know how, he only has half his elf ears, but I guess they work! He leaned in to the center of the table and whispered what he could hear:

“Extremely valuable… inside Dernall Forest… Library… Myrna may be onto me…”

Very interesting! Especially because I had just been thinking about Dernall Forest because of the Moonwell! It felt a little like fate.

And so did Ciddis’ foot touching mine under the table. We made eyes at each other and left the bar, walking down to the moorings overlooking the Sea of Swords to the east. The waxing gibbous moon was shining over the sea, it was very romantic; we were totally going to make out until a completely random halfling fucking conch-blocked us. It was infuriating, but what the halfling told us made me all but forget the rude interruption.

The halfling introduced herself as Marelle from the country of Sembia in central Faerun. She’d been sent to spy on the owl-eyed woman we saw in the tavern and noticed us take an interest. Marelle asked us a few questions about us and where we came from. I hadn’t actually heard from Ciddis what her deal really was before she joined us (other than that she was in the woods being chased by what she referred to as werewolves, fell into a hole at the base of a tree, and wound up on the plains of Stirgewick where we were fighting the dretch and skeletons while looking for the lich).

Anyways Marelle then told us that her employer, the wizard-scholar Myrna Nor (the name Elxian overheard them say!) had begun to suspect that her research partner was selling information they’d unearthed to the Zhentarim (so Lalta was right after all). Or at least was going to sell them something of importance. Myrna had to confirm this suspicion before she could secure the “object of importance” and now will most likely need help in doing so. Elxian and Lalta approached from the tavern and met Marelle who caught them up on what was happening. I asked Marelle if she knew anything about what in the nine hells was going on with the Rushdown Wood, to which she said that she didn’t know but that Myrna could certainly find out while we recovered the object for her. Also there’d be a reward.

We didn’t take long to deliberate before deciding that we’d help her and Myrna. This next part’s pretty cool: Marelle said she knew an expedited way to travel back to the city of Caer Calidyrr.

We went back to the Rockside inn, gathered our stuff from our room and left town, careful to not garner any attention from the strange men of professor big-eyes (apparent her name is Powell “the Owl” Niccam- no joke, they really call her “the Owl” back in Sembia.) We then met up with Marelle outside of town and followed her to some small wooded areas about thirty minutes outside of town. It took her an hour to find this one specific tree- at the time I’d begun to regret agreeing to tag along with her. But she found it- a fairy trod: a secret magic path that is somewhere between the Feywild and here. Fairies use it to travel between the isles of Moonshae. I’d heard about that happening but it was exciting to know its name as well as see it with my own eyes! Marelle made some sort of offering of herbs and food and burned incense.

From the area that Marelle had searched a swanmay- a fey protector of nature- appeared! At first she appeared as a swan and then transformed into an almost humanoid swan-person with a human face. It was also so cool to see one in person! The swanmay responded to each of us as if she could see into our souls. Ciddis, being an elf druid of the Moonshaes, gave off an aura that made the swanmay trust her. Lalta’s connection to nature as a ranger I think also garnered her trust. Apparently she already was acquainted with Marelle. Elxian’s connection with Sehanine Moonbow, fey-aspect of the elven moon goddess, also passed the test. But me- though I come from a fey-touched ancestry, my upbringing by the human Ffolks made her hesitant to allow me to pass. Ciddis was able to convince the swanmay to let me play my yarting for her and let her decide based on what she can tell about me from how I play. All those years drinking and strumming in the taverns of Llewellyn I guess paid off. The music carried me away to something distant in my ancestry, so distant that I was in a place where everything came from, the original point of origin for not just me but all creation. It sounds kooky and weird, but that’s how it felt. Suffice it to say the swanmay liked my song and let us into the fairy trod.

We entered through a tangle of vines and roots that at first looked impossible to pass through, but soon we were walking through what appeared to be a shadowy forest path. After about thirty minutes of walking through these mystical woods we somehow suddenly emerged into moonlight shining over an expansive walled-in city.

The castle of Caer Calidyrr loomed above a busy and colorful (even at night) town, the lights of lanterns, torches and sconces glowing copper and bronze under the blue moonlit night skies. A sensation filled my stomach with warmth like I’d just knocked back some of Mirnan’s moon rum.

We entered the city and made our way through the streets. Even at night it was as if a hundred Midsummers in Llewellyn were continually happening- drunks, revelers, performers of all kinds (I think I’m just as good as some of these lute-strummers, if not then better!) It was delightful madness! I wanted to disappear into the night but something about the way Ciddis’ eyes wider than the full moon made me want to curl up with her somewhere far away from everyone. It was like being pulled in two different directions. I figured I’d take the path of least resistance and just go with the flow and see where the night takes us.

Marelle showed us the way here to the Dancing Dolphin Inn where I’m writing this. Ciddis is silent and seems a bit avoidant; I think she hates this place. Lalta is acting sketchy- her hood won’t come down and she immediately went to bed. Elxian is downstairs sitting at the bar. I might go join him.



***

26th of Ches, 1489 DR

I’m too tired to write about today- I’ll jot it all down in the morning—

TO BE CONTINUED...