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Excerpts from the DM's Journals
Ras 5, 12877
Our story begins in the City of Amn, in the Kingdom of that same name. Far, far to the
north, in those most north-western reaches of the Continent of Irendi. There near the lands
of Bethdezra and the warring kingdoms surrounding is where this adventure begins. Like many
great adventures, this one too begins in a tavern on a hot summer evening.
Things were not calm for long. Our soon to be adventurers were gathered at their
individual tables - blissfully ignorant of each other for the most part - when outside there
was a loud scream and many shouts. Before anything could be done the earth shook. Sarcos and
Gerhalt rushed outside to see what was happening as a second small quake shook the earth.
There outside in the ground was a dark hole in the road, leading downward. A reptilian
like tail disappearing down into the hole and screams issuing from within. Jaquen, the amazon
warrioress seized upon Zaknafein - a tall fellow who stuck out of the crowd - and promptly
fell to the ground asleep. Zack set a beer beside the warrior and went to see what the fuss
was about. Meanwhile, Sarcos and Gerhalt had gone down into the newly made hole already.
At the bottom of the 20' pit was a rough dirt passage which traveled away. Soon Jaquen
had recovered her senses and awoke. Zaknafein descended by rope into the pit, following Sarcos
and Gerhalt, and last came Jaquen who was not to be left out of the action.
Following the short passage we came upon a small room with a second hole with a
ladder descending down into it. Hearing a racket below we observed a strange scaly, frog-man
creature heading up the ladder. Gerhalt shook the ladder and soon the rickety thing broke,
sending the climbing creature back down into its depths. Gerhalt then leveraged himself down to
see how deep the hole was while Jaquen prepared a rope to climb down.
At the bottom was a smaller room with an old iron door to one side. Sarcos quickly
overcame the pathetic lock that secured it but by then Jaquen had gotten down the rope. Jaquen
heartily kicked the door off its hinges and in the silence that followed we could hear the
sound of receding footsteps and the metal clang of something closing. On the floor was a piece
of red cloth which we kept.
Beyond the door was a stone passage of hewn flagstones. Before going far we found a
small indentation in the floor, running from one side to the other with a tiny hole in the wall
at either end. While we debated about what it might be we heard voices nearby speaking in a
gravely tongue none of us knew. Gerhalt's sharp ears picked up that the voices were coming from
the other side of the wall to our right. Soon after he mentioned it we heard the *plomp* sound
of a cork being undone and then the smell of sweet kerosine and the sound of liquid trickling.
Gerhalt, thinking quickly and having previously noticed the smell of some kind of oil in the
indentation, rapidly ripped a piece of his clothing off and stuffed it into the hole in the
right-hand wall. Lighting it aflame we all stepped back as there was a loud explosion from
the other side of the wall and smoke filled the farther end of the corridor. Continuing on
without pause we found a second, bloodier piece of red cloth which we also kept. There were
arrow-slits in the right wall, but the smoke was thick so we quickly passed by un-noticed.
At the end of the passage was a set of portcullis with a banded wooden door beyond.
While pondering how to get through Gerhalt noticed a strange black sunburst painted on the
ceiling above. Mentioning it, Sarcos seemed to recognize the symbol - though he did not
comment. Just as we were going to examine the symbol painted above, we heard the sound of
stone grating on stone and then the rapid advancement of heavy footsteps on our position.
Readying our weapons we met two strange crocodile-men. One armed with an axe, the other with
cesti. After a brutal, but quick battle, we triumphed over the crocodile men. Looking down
the new, secret passage in the wall which they had left open we could see the city sewers -
their floors covered with several inches of water and a dank mist filling the air. Gerhalt
noticed and mentioned that the crocodile men also had black sunburst tattoos on their
shoulders. Harmed and weary from battle we decided to retreat to the surface before probing
further.
We reached the top just in time as guards brought a heavy iron plate to place over the
hole. Then two guards were posted there to keep watch. Perhaps we will return back and somehow
pursued the guards to let us back down for a closer look into the sewers.
That evening, after the others had gone to bed and the cities curfew had left the streets
empty, Sarcos and Gerhalt sneaked out from the modest Inn of Quotale. Out in the streets they
first approached the two guards that remained at attention, guarding the entrance to the hole
in the city street which led down tot he sewers. Posing as city officials come to fix the hole,
but unable to produce written authority to prove it, Sarcos and Gerhalt left for other
entertainment. Looking for a weapons shoppe they came across Og's Axes and Blunt Things. After
finding a lone window on the second floor of the buildings backside which could give them
entrance, Sarcos climbed up to peek within. Inside was a small room with a couple crates; a
pitcher of water resting on a small table; and a giant, ugly man sleeping in a large chair with
a monstrous spiked club nearby. They snuck downstairs where they found a variety of clubs, maces,
axes, and other things laying about on racks and tables, but no sign of what they were after -
money.
Back upstairs they spied a small safe-box sitting underneath the giant man's chair.
After a moment of consideration, Gerhalt picked up the spiked club and swung it down from
behind the sleeping giant - and missed. The giant awoke with a start and lifted up the club
from where it had struck the floor. As he began shaking it about to free Gerhalt's grip from it
and all the while advancing upon Sarcos, the giant and Gerhalt suddenly fell to the floor as
Sarcos finished casting his sleep spell upon the two. Slapping Gerhalt awake the two
quickly disabled the lock on the box and took the gold and silver that lay within.
Returning back to the Inn of Quotale the two rested for the night and then awoke early
the next morning just as the sun was rising.
Ras 6, 12877
First, after breakfast, the two returned to Og's
weapons shoppe to see if they could sell the axe they had recovered from the crocodile-men that
they had encountered down near the sewers. Unfortunately, and to Og's puzzlement, Og did not
have enough money to purchase the axe from them and so instead traded them an axe for it.
Gerhalt bought an expensive spiked mace, but it was stolen after he threw it into the street.
While hanging out at Og's they met Alathazer, a friendly warrior of religious
background. Who proselytized the benefits of using blunt weapons and pointed them towards
the temple of Arden, found at the Tranquil Rest in the South Temple District.
Later, with Sarcos still looking for a place to buy a serrated dagger, they found
Gregor's Fine Weapons and Repairs. Gregor didn't have what they were looking for so they
continued on to the bazaar. There they found a merchant with a tray slung over his shoulders,
selling daggers. Sarcos bought one that had a heavy golden pommel shaped with the appearance
of a long face, the blade protruding from its mouth. The merchant said that the dagger was
told to suck the life from its victim and give strength to the wielder, but later, upon magical
divinations, Sarcos determined that it was non-magical even though the quality was exceptional.
Departing from the bazaar, and thirsty, the two entered into a quiet and empty bar that
had not opened for the day. After getting their drinks, Sarcos studied some spells. The bar
tender sent them back onto the streets after they had finished their drinks and as they left
two cloaked men who hid their faces entered the bar. Once outside the two adventurers stuck
around and tried to listen in on the conversation, but the noise outside was too much. Soon
the suspicious individuals left the bar and Sarcos and Gerhalt followed.
The two figures entered into an alleyway. Gerhalt posed as a beggar and approached the
two while Sarcos kept watch. Suddenly a beggar bumped into Sarcos and as the beggar wandered
off Sarcos realized his pockets had been picked. The beggar fled away with Sarcos giving chase.
Meanwhile, the two clocked figures had just finished inhaling something as Gerhalt
approached, asking for money. The two, being rather blood-thirsty and brutal quickly began to
attack Gerhalt. Gerhalt threw mud into the face of one but quickly fell after being stabbed
twice. Sarcos on the other hand had just chased the beggar into an alleyway when suddenly he
found the point of a short-sword at his throat. The thief holding the sword demanded money, but
Sarcos was faster and in the blink of an eye drew his own short-sword and plunged it into the
thief as the beggar who picked his pockets disappeared into the next street and out of sight.
Cursing, Sarcos took all the belongings of the cutpurse, shredded the fellows clothes, and
returned to where he had left Gerhalt. Of interest was a copper-chained necklace with a white
fang hanging from it which he retrieved from the cutpurse's belongings.
Returning to Gerhalt, Sarcos saw that his friend had been overcome and was about to
get his throat slit by one rogue while the other sat rubbing dirt from his eyes. Sarcos threw
his dagger and though he missed it got the attentions of the thieves. His second dagger didn't
miss though and struck the thief in the back who knelt over Gerhalt. Suddenly two guards were
present. Barely listening to Sarcos' explanation of the events they began roughing up the
remaining rogue who was still getting dirt from his eyes. Sarcos took Gerhalt and the two
quickly left.
Seeing that his friend needed help and recalling that Alathazer had said to come to the
Tranquil Rest if they wished to learn something of the god, Arden, Sarcos carried Gerhalt
there. The inn keep, an older fellow by the name of Robert, quickly had help brought and Gerhalt
was lain to rest in a soft bed. A red haired and tall man named Samin arrived and after a
moment of silent meditation he laid his hands upon Gerhalt's wounds, causing them to close and
heal while everyone looked on in astonishment.
Leaving Gerhalt in the care of Samin, who paid for their room at the Tranquil Rest,
Sarcos returned to Gregor's Fine Weapons and Repairs to buy a sheath for his new dagger. It was
just getting on towards the early lunch hour.
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