| Latest Posts | Zaelia - Journal of Eric
Before we set off today, I met with Liza
She said that she wanted to adventure more, and since I am going to be gone for a while, i said that she should take up my business of trading between towns. I'm glad that she jumped at the opportunity, for her own sake; I'm sure she will enjoy it a lot. I hope that once I get back, we can work together as partners...
The Black Evil.
That must be why we were ordered to stay away from the main roads; from what the monsters said, it seems like they are luring in people... but why? does it even have a purpose? Castiel also got hurt today. Bad. I got lost in the moment beforehand and used too much of my magic... I need to be more careful in the future, although the Soot Knight is being cooperative, I'll reward him tonight by reading him his favourite story. I am worried about Castiel though, his arm was broken badly, I hope I can find something to help it heal faster in the next town. Leo seemed to be taken by... something. He was acting strangely and ran off, could it have been the Black Evil? In any case, Annette and Harry rushed off after him; knowing them I'm sure they have the situation under control. On a brighter note, I have come into possession of a strange item. An axe that I found in the cinders of the tower (it burnt down, oops!). The blade seems to be constantly red-hot, much like my gauntlet. I think I'll hold onto it for now, it might have something to do with Essence; plus, it would come in handy if I ever use too much of my magic again.
Kidnapped. Forced to watch the slaughter of innocent people... and to top it off, my own friends don't trust me.
I don't even know what to do anymore
It's been a long time since I last wrote in my journal.
I've had a lot to think about. We've finally reached the Keep, and it is beautiful. At least thrice as large as Giblund, and the buildings are taller than I even could have imagined! However... The King has asked us to be spies in the clans, I'm not afraid of the danger, and I'm not going to talk away. I guess... I never expected to be doing this. I've also found a temple of Vargen, they seem to be interested in me. My familiar seems to be more powerful in there, he took on a new form; but Azra saw... We had a big argument. I went back to the temple and as it turns out, when I was a child Vargen spoke to me! and I am apparently something called "A Red", there are only two others that are known, so that's interesting. But don't feel comfortable with the people at the temple wanting to "tend" to me, and the head priest said that it's best for me to go out and learn. Which is good, because I was going to leave anyway; I can't abandon my friends. It also turns out that my familiar is... different to how I thought. The priest said that he is actually a part of me, and can't make decisions for himself, because he's just a reflection of myself... Even if this is true, I don't feel comfortable treating him (my familiar) like a slave, I wouldn't want to be ordered around so I refuse to order him around. Also, if he's a part of me, he must be a part of me that I don't really understand, so it's still like he's a completely different person... I think I'll keep on treating him as I have been, so what if he's supposed to be me? He still "likes" being read to, and eating things. The thing I'm most nervous about, though, is if my friends are going to be okay. We've been split into two teams and are going to two different clans. If any of my friends gets hurt, or even killed, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself for not being there...
So! enough moping!
The others have set off of their clan, which leaves me alone to go to Goernel. So what could go wrong? - Killed/eaten by bandits - Robbed and left for dead - Food poisoning Okay... so, a lot could go wrong. But it's not going to go wrong. Why? I have no idea.
so, I'm in Goernel with Annette. Sort of
She has been taken to the Jarl, I'm with the "Thralls". slaves, forced to eat once every three days. It's immoral I have made some acquaintances, they seem nice and I'll stick my neck out for them. I *need* to make sure Annette is alright though, I hope to talk to the Jarl, get a job as his cook...
So! I have my job as the cook. Strangely... I think one of the people in the kitchen might be Hadwyn... I know it sounds strange, because he's a scarred man with a bag on his head; but based on his story I think it is him. I want to talk to him, but I don't know if I should risk it.
Also, strangely, I have found that the stables were once a Crusader Sanctuary! And stranger still, the mural was changed. [There is a sketch of both murals] It seems it was changed from helping mystics to murdering them... I will have to ask about the history of the clan and its attitudes towards mystics
[The writing is a little sloppy, as he couldn't hold the page steady]
Minne... Is dead Balrik... is dead and I have been run out of the clans... Reela is on the run too it seems. I was [a word is crossed out because it was messy] forced to use the spell to return to the keep, with the champion Buriq... I ran into him and the Jarl while I was fleeing, the idiot wouldn't listen to reason... and I almost died. The strange thing is... I didn't really care. I was angry that I was going to die, of course, but I was determined to not go down panicking... I'm back at the keep now, although Buriq stamped on my left hand and broke some fingers. At least I get to write a letter to Mum and Dad. This all could have bee avoided if some bastard hadn't stolen my cart. If I ever find them I sincerely hope that I don't go too far...
I have... terrible news, worse news and awful news that is exciting
first of all, it was Annette who took my cart... Then, the keep was monitoring everything... they know of the treason Finally, there is a DRAGON under the keep! Which tried to kill me... but I'm alive. I think I might be the only person that knows about it
We stopped the war.
Cas, stopped the war. But at what cost? Riordan attacked, and Llewyn banished him, and Castiel too. I almost killed Llewyn on the spot. I want my friend back. Can you read this, Vargen? I want him back! And I don't care what I have to do to get what I want.
[There are five years of various entries. From tried and failed experiments and research to try and bring back Castiel. To various recipes and sketches]
War.
War has come to Bulund [there are some smudges from rain drops and smears of mud on the pages] Renth has decided to invade, we thought it started with Watercrest... but it seems like Westmount has fallen... or is falling too. I've found another Gnome though, she's called Nora. It's nice to work alongside another Gnome, it's different to being with the others; things make more sense than with humans or half-elves. At least it's easier to tell how she's feeling, with humans they don't have the ears. In any case, like my other journal entries these past few years, I'll be copying this onto the parchment... just in case you receive them, Cas.
[the pages have a couple splotches of dried blood, and some stains from a mysterious auburn liquid. The writing is slightly sloppier than usual]
Sooooo I got shot. With a crossbow, it hurt like a -barsa- no, wait. like a Bastard. Oh, and by one of those punch gun things, that sucked too. We destroyed a bunch of ships though, and sent Conrad-Harrydad to the Bastion Isles, which was bloody amazing. Anyway, goodnight Mr Diary... This analgesic tincture I made is making me sleepy...
[There is a sketch of Riordans Black Blade]
It seems that Cas was in possession of Riordan's sword. He doesn't know how he got it, but it is evil... Well, that's what Annette sensed from it, to me it seems like a boring old sword, but I know what it can do. It took control of Cas, and I had to wrestle it out of his hands. [the page is covered in beer stains, the writing is sloppy] Ahhhhh yesssss! finally! Drinking with Cas and the others! It was the best! We need to do it mo- more often. probably without the Renthanites inva- atta- no wait... invading. Without the Renth invading us. [there is a large ink stain on the opposite page with an imprint of Eric's face. Evidently he fell asleep at his desk]
Dragons! on the Snow Owl road!
Smallish Ice ones... I should really give them a different classification. They're different from... well, the *other* dragon There also is another massive dragon under the ruins too... This is deeply worrying, hopefully I can find more information on them at the Keep
Ruins, ghosts and a strange sword...
We encountered an odd cave on our journey across the snow owl path. When inside all sound felt muffled, the cavern filled with graves with strange text (I copied some down, I should really continue working on translating it!) at the back was a massive sarcophagus with a huge sword. When Cas pulled it out... well, long story short we were attacked by ghosts! who knew! Ghosts *are* real! I wish they were more friendly, and less explosive. I would have loved to have studied them some more, even try and communicate with them. Nevertheless I'm going to research the cave some more when I get back to the Keep. I've also come to a bit of a dour realisation... Harry, Castiel, Azra and Annette are all humans. We've all been friends for so long I sometimes forget that they're not like me. Well... I mean, it's obvious that I'm different, but I meant moreso that they don't have plans for what they'll do in a hundred years... [the next few lines are scribbled out] In other news, I'm thinking of visiting the Vargen temple in Taurus Keep. I'm not sure what it'll be like, the head priest and I didn't leave on great terms, and some of the tenets of the acolytes there... well, they don't particularly suit me. I've always wondered what Vargen thinks of me... well, that is if he does think about me, I imagine he's got other things on his mind... Side note, I wonder if Vargen and Bjornen eat... what would they even eat anyway? Planets? Sandwiches? Either way, I'd like to know someday although I don't think it'll happen.
Hm. After finding a book on dragons in the Taurus Keep Library, I've noticed a bunch of odd things. Namely the missing sections for "Illusory" dragons and "Ancient"
Also the classifications seem to be all over the place! I think that I shall start a new book of my own classifying dragons. I need to think of a title, but the dragons shall have classifications based upon size and if they adhere to any elements. Perhaps sub-classifications on whether they have wings or feathers, or even any sort of elemental familiarity. For a draft of my first entry: "The Frostfeather": A wyvern-sized dragon encountered in ruins on the snow owl path. Clad in scales in the hues of ice and feathers to presumably aid in warding away the cold or to perhaps [the words are crossed out] like birds they are to aid in mating. furthermore, they seem to have a strong dislike of fire due to their icy nature perhaps? I've also learned some things about Spirits: "For better or for worse, Zaelia has decided over time to imbue certain objects or individuals with magic of her own making. The Intelligent Races have lumped these known creatures under the vague label of "Spirits". Some are members of the Intelligent Races, taken into Zaelia's hold and given wildly fierce powers of elements or time. Others are animals or even inanimate objects, given enhanced life, speech, and purpose; they often appear alone but will occasionally group together when on "missions" for Zaelia, stomping out anything the planet has deemed unworthy. There is not much known about the extent of a Spirit's powers, or how much the Spirit itself knows about its limitations. The lifespan of a Spirit is also unknown. There are, however, several unsettling excerpts from the text that mention Spirits 'removing themselves' from Zaelia's calling. Individuals or creatures who gain seemingly unlimited power, then decide not to obey their master. A deity-like monster that abides neither the Gods nor Zaelia. Creatures on a war path, or set on domination. There are a few names - Gabilis the Defiled. Oxmund, Scourge of Tabix. Saint Azod, the Worm King. Julianis, Bloodqueen." I have the feeling that Vargen is annoyed at me...
Negotiations with The Spear
[a disdain-filled splotch of ink sits on the middle of the page. Evidently he was a bit too annoyed to continue writing]
The battle of Poerth!
Brothers! It will go down in history! Or... well, I sure hope it does. Or at the very least I'd like a ballad or two. For anyone composing the ballad, here's how the battle went: First we charged in through the farms! Bulunds forces clashing with the Renthian Horde! Right out of the gate I opened with a blast of flame [There is a drawing of a gnome holding his hand out, fire spewing from the palm] Then I switched to my dagger, Cas said he had a plan and normally I don't listen to what people tell me to do, but it's Cas so usually him and I agree on stuff. But oh man! All of these soldiers clashing around us, you should have seen Harry! Dodging and blocking punchguns and Annette casting to keep him safe. Azra did something, I couldn't really see her I was focused on fighting this big guy with a shield. After that fight we scared off the Renthians and made for a small bridge across a river. This was amazing, and scary if I'm honest, but don't put that in the ballad. Seriously, don't. But it was a small bridge, with lots of Renthians on the other side and the soldiers just waded in through the water. Azra and Harry took the fight onto the bridge as Cas strode into a crowd of Renthians! Now, I'm not just going to let my best mate do something like that without backup. I can't really wade through water, short legs and all that, nor could I get across the bridge. So I stayed on the bank and tossed bottles of this chemical I brewed myself. I called it "Bottled Mawfire" back then, but it's sort of misleading... I need a better name for it... perhaps "Devorantis In Aqua" or uh "Devouring Water" for non-alchemists. I should perhaps work on an even stronger version... ANYWAY! After the bridge battle we took to the streets of Poerth, to fight on a *huge* bridge. That's when Cas revealed his plan to me and I summoned the blaze Knight with everything I had. He showed up on the bridge, taller than most houses! Acting like a beacon through the fog it inspired everyone to fight. Percy wants me to swear my allegiance to him again to follow him into future battles... The problem is that... well, like I said, I don't like being told what to do. The power and money is tempting, *really* tempting. I could upgrade my cart, help mum and dad out with the shop, build a proper heroes guild with Cas... Overall the problem is though that I have no intention of leaving the others, where they go I go. Although chances are, we're going to be sticking with Percy for a while. Same goals and all that... Oh well, I'll have to talk about it with the others. Oh yeah, I also killed a really powerful Renthian mystic, the Eye of Slate and learned that I can sorta stop time. I got a cool looking cloak from him, I used it to replace the lining of my coat. The ashy grey colour actually goes well with the red, and it's suuuuuper comfy. Smells kinda "Renth-y" still, but nothing some perfume can't fix.
It has been some time after the Battle of Poerth and I am pleased to report that my experiment with using maggots to consume necrotic flesh in order to mitigate illness has been a success!
It was admittedly... difficult to get the conscious wounded to agree to the treatment, but I believe that it has saved many lives. I am, however, still observing my experiment with honey to see if it can also prevent the festering of wounds, as I have seen things stored in honey never go rotten; my hope is that the same thing can happen with wounds. Furthermore, just yesterday Percy asked me to design him a banner. He seems to want to relocate the capital to the Fertile Plains and establish a uniting force for all of Bulund. I agree with him, but I will hold him to his promise that his plans were noble. [There is a sketch of the banner, annotated to show that it is a rich green with a golden image of Vargen's Belt and a golden border] Please log in to add a comment. |
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