lostjournalarchives

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Samazuuxx Drachedandion - Found Letter

To my dearest Lilly,

I hope this letter finds you well.  I’ve finally managed to slip away from those old leaches from the order, but that hasn’t stopped them from assigning a caretaker to follow my ass.

You might remember him actually.  It’s Rhogar, the tall one with the long tendrils who used to live near us.  Small continent, huh?

Hopefully, our travels prove bountiful so that I may send some coin back to the family.

I’ll find someone to help you.  I promise, Lilly.  We’ll cure your illness together.

Write again soon.

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Daenzukrius of Beckonshire - Entry 2 pg. 9 (Day 5)

As the party rushed into the now open room, we were surprisingly met with silence.  No ambush, no Redbrands, no nothing.  What we had presumably just found was a crypt.  One that was currently occupied by three coffins.

I guess we had found the previous tenants of Tresendar Manor.

The crypt itself looked like it had been sealed for quite some time.  Dust had built amongst the coffins and tapestry lining the walls. The coffins themselves were detailed with carvings that I assumed represented the member of the family within.

The most peculiar detail about the crypt was three large sets of armour, all being worn by what looked like skeletons.  The three skeleton knights stood guard over the sarcophagi, perhaps symbolising their protection of the family in death.

We were examining the room’s details before I glanced over towards Loopy, who had been quiet since we stepped into the crypt.  I had just assumed she wasn’t particularly fond of graves, but she looked like she had just seen a ghost.

I was almost afraid to ask before I saw her lips mouth “necromancy”.  My eyes widened, I knew Loopy could detect magic, and I knew exactly what this meant.

We were too late; the others were already inspecting the skeleton guards and that was all it took.  I remember seeing my own breath as the room lowered in temperature.  The clacking of bones echoed around the room, I had to block my ears it was so deafening. The three guards clacked their teeth together inhumanly fast as their long-dead corpses animated.

The party tried their best to shake their sudden fear and ready their weapons.  I fear I would’ve collapsed if not for my friends’ resolve. My vision was blurred as I tried to focus up.

By the time I readied an eldritch blast the melee fighters were already pinning one of the guards to the ground, this did, however, give me the opportunity to notice another reanimated skeleton rise from behind one of the coffins, so I let loose the bolt of black energy to blast the skeleton into the adjacent wall.

The skeleton fell to pieces from the impact, but before long the bones began rising and assembling themselves once again.  This is going to be a long fight.

Grigor had the idea of freezing one of the skeletons in place, which gave us time to deal with the remaining few.  And as we found out in time, there was a limit in their regenerations.

The party hacked and slashed, bones littering the floor around us.  Unfortunately, the guards were quite adept at fighting as well, so they were able to block and parry just as well as us.

Thankfully, before too long, we were able to overwhelm them and cease their necrotic magic.  I wonder now if these guards were put there by the Redbrands to stop intruders.

Exhausted, the party all slumped to the ground out of breath.  I passed around a waterskin while we caught our breath.  We may have bitten off a little more than we could chew, but I’m glad we were all alright.

We decided to barricade the remaining doorways with the coffins so we may get some rest before proceeding.  As we did Skro noticed something shining in one of the coffins.  On closer inspection, it seemed that all the sarcophagi contained a platinum signet ring among the remains, seemingly untouched by decay.

I was too exhausted to argue stealing from the innocent, so I simply slumped up against one of the vacant walls.

What an eventful day we’ve had.

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Daenzukrius of Beckonshire - Entry 2 pg. 8 (Day 5)

A quick inspection of the living quarters showed that there weren’t in-fact any other exits, meaning that the other door near the staircase landing was the only way deeper into the manor.

We steeled ourselves before carefully opening the large oak door, which was once again unlocked. Perhaps the Redbrands were so confident in their rule that they didn’t expect anyone to barge into their hideout.

Beyond the door, we were met by a long unlit hallway, which seemed to have been unused for quite some time. Large ornate pillars held up the stone roof above us, and with my dark vision I could make out two large angel statues overlooking the door at the other end.

A cold shiver ran down my tail as I passed through the threshold of the hall.  I got the feeling we weren’t welcome here.

The party cautiously stepped into the hallway and began stepping towards the stone doors at the other end.  I helped Grigor navigate as he wasn’t gifted with dark vision like the rest of the party.

We had almost reached the end of the hallway when Dave, who was leading the way, suddenly disappeared. It took us all a moment to realise a pitfall trap had just engulfed our friend.  A large THUD followed by some expletives echoed up from the deep hole that now blocked our path.

The quick-thinking Skro’Tum quickly unravelled his rope and tied it around his waist, before throwing it down to his friend.  I’m thankful I have other more strength-inclined members of my party to help out in such situations.

With the hazard now clearly displayed in front of us, we were able to skirt around the pitfall with ease.  Or I guess we almost did before I lost my footing on the way over.  Thankfully Grimmdong grabbed my arm and hoisted me back to safety before I fell into the trap myself, as I don’t think I would have brushed off the fall like Dave did.

Two large stone doors now stood between us and our progression through Tresendar Manor. Grimmdong and Dave pushed the doors inwards while the rest of us readied ourselves.

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Daenzukrius of Beckonshire - Entry 2 pg. 7 (Day 5)

Skro once again used his large half-orc frame as a basis for interrogation through intimidation.  And unfortunately, once again the three Redbrands couldn’t recognise the name “Gundren”.

I wanted to try my hand at probing for information so I blackened my eyes and deepened my voice with thaumaturgy.  Thankfully they weren’t particularly knowledgeable of demon-spawn, so I was able to have them shaking in their britches with ease.

They confessed that the Redbrands were actually hired to terrorise Phandalin, a detail that was rather intriguing.  They said they didn’t know who exactly it was that hired them, but they’d heard the name “Black Spider” spoken about them.

Surely whoever hired them is using this as their pseudonym, and a giant sentient ‘black spider’ hasn’t been wanting to bother Phandalin.

In any case, we had a lead. The Black Spider.

Grigor made a note of wanting to make an example of the Redbrands we had currently captured, given they had given us everything they knew.  I agreed to this not knowing by “example”, he had meant throwing them all into the water feature and freezing it over so they would drown.

I realise these were bandits and raiders we were dealing with, but boy what kind of a party have I gotten myself into.

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Daenzukrius of Beckonshire - Entry 2 pg. 6 (Day 5)

Our first steps within the manor were thankfully unmet by any traps or hiding enemies. And just within the entrance, down a flight of stairs, was a small water feature that was currently running.  Peculiar, though this surely meant the manor was still in use.

We stealthily crept down the ornate stairs, which even given the amount of dust and damage they’d sustained, still kept a beautiful elegance about them.  Our eyes were divided equally between the two doors we could see below.  One beside the water feature, the other directly below the staircase.

Before we reached the landing of the stairs we heard the creak of a door opening.  A Redbrand had unknowingly entered the room without noticing us. Dave quickly tried to capitalise on his obliviousness and let loose one of his javelins, unfortunately missing the bandits head by an inch.

The spear twanged as it stuck deep inside the wooden door, obviously alerting the Redbrand.  Before we could sling any more attacks his way, the bandit reopened and slammed the door behind him.  A loud scraping sound echoed around the lobby shortly after.

At least we knew which door to check behind first.

It took a combination of the three muscle-heads to push the door open before we got even a glimpse of what was inside the doorway.  I could only make out a slight shadow of what looked like a bed, so it seemed like it might be living quarters, meaning there’s a good chance this is the only door out.

This made the ensuing combat a cake walk with pot shots being lobbed into the cramped closet of a bedroom.  When Grimmdong finally carved a hole through the bookshelf that was blocking the door, three Redbrands all but cried out for their surrender.

Dave marched them out in single-file while Grigor, Loopy and I all focussed on the other unoccupied door, just to be safe.

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Daenzukrius of Beckonshire - Entry 2 pg. 5 (Day 5)

Skro took the reins on intimidating the remaining member.  An easy task given all his other companions were ash piles smouldering behind him.  The only useful thing we could seem to get out of him was that there were, in fact, more Redbrands hanging around Tresendar Manor. We ceased the interrogation when Grigor stepped in, saying he believed the poor snivelling bandit had told us everything he knew.

While this was going on, we didn’t seem to hear the crackling of fire behind us.  And when we finally turned around, the Sleeping Giant Taphouse was already ablaze.  I felt the pains of guilt against my heart as we’d just arrived in town and had already set alight one of their establishments.

We all panicked and attempted to find a water source to try and put out the growing flames, but once the fire had found the alcohol reserves it was all over.  A small fiery explosion echoed out of the taphouse as the walls caved inwards.  It was earlier in the day so I sincerely hope we didn’t harm any innocent bystanders with our antics.

There wasn’t much of a taphouse left to salvage after the explosion, so we regretfully pushed on to Tresendar Manor, but not before Skro slit the remaining Redbrands’ throat.  I didn’t quite agree with executing a defenceless foe, but we didn’t exactly have much of a choice.

As we approached the manor I did my best to try and look out for any footmarks or obvious signs the manor was in use, but from the outside, the manor looked remarkably abandoned. Windows boarded up, damaged walls, collapsed roofing, even the door lay wide-open for us to walk right in.

Loopy warned us all of the obvious, this may very well be a trap.

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Daenzukrius of Beckonshire - Entry 2 pg. 4 (Day 5)

Hearing the laughter of my friends downstairs had given me the longest night’s sleep I’d had in weeks. I must remember to thank them somehow.

Sildar had payed for our breakfast as thanks for saving him.  A simple meal of fruits and berries, but a welcoming one that didn’t go unappreciated.

He’d also asked around about the so-called Redbrands and found that they’re often seen around the long-abandoned Tresendar Manor, which he noted might be important given that the rumours of Iarno mentioned this very manor.

During breakfast we decided as a party to try and rid Phandalin of the Redbrand threat, hopefully gaining useful information on the whereabouts of Gundren along the way.

We started towards Tresendar Manor and rounded the corner to the ‘Sleeping Giant Taphouse’, another place Sildar had mentioned might house the Redbrands.  Seemingly waiting for us, a group of men, all brandished in scarlet scarves and cloaks, sat around a table drinking and talking to one another. I didn’t quite expect them to be putting on display their group’s ‘branding’ so flamboyantly.

Since we had a slight tactical advantage over them, that being they have no clue who we were, Loopy suggested we try and scope the place out first and give us an idea on who we’re dealing with.  Unfortunately, this conversation was only held by Grigor and I, as our three larger companions had already begun their intimidation dance towards the group. Dave especially, seemingly giving in to his primal urges, begun flexing and posing in front of the muscled posse.

Obviously, this didn’t give us any real element of surprise.  Before I could speak up, one of the Redbrands spat at Dave’s feet, obviously disapproving of his mating dance.  It was then that I discovered Dave takes his pride quite seriously, as he responded with lightning reflexes by throwing his sickle directly at the perpetrator.

Or I guess that’s what I assume he was trying to do, as the sickle instead clanged off the awning of the taphouse.  Which acted as a signal for everyone to jump to their feet and ready their weapons.

Even given our lack of reconnaissance or surprise, it still seemed we had a one up over the bandits, given their movements were quite limited.  The close-quarters meant they were all bunched together, attempting to swing their swords over one another.  Dave and Grimmdong, however, were in perfect range to swipe at any legs they could reach, and bar them into the porch area.

This proved incredibly helpful when Grigor let loose a devastating wave of fire from his hands, catching all our foes within it.  I couldn’t help but let a smirk form from admiration.

It was no sweat to dispatch the remaining Redbrands as they hobbled around alight.  We did leave one alive, hoping he knew something about Gundren.

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Daenzukrius of Beckonshire - Entry 2 pg. 3 (Day 4)

We decided to retire to Phandalin’s lone Inn, Stonehill.  Sildar had graciously booked us rooms while we unloaded our cargo at Lionshield.  While we made our way over there I asked Sildar if there was any more information about Phandalin that might help us in our quest.

He mentioned not having visited Phandalin much before, but he may know someone that could help us. A nobleman by the name of Iarno Albrek of the Lord’s Alliance is supposed to be upholding order within Phandalin.  He had heard rumours that Iarno went missing sometime back, and said he hopes to find him to ensure the protection of Phandalin’s people is being upheld.

As we entered into the Stonehill Inn we found Grimmdong and Dave already deep into drinking, I’m glad they found friendship so quickly.  If we are to go on this quest to find Gundren I fear we’ll need all the help we can get, so Skro’Tum and Dave are welcome additions.

Skro met us, just as we passed through the door, a grimace on his face.  While talking with the owner of Lionshield Coster he discovered Phandalin was being terrorised by a bandit group calling themselves the “Redbrands”.

This furrowed Sildar’s brow, as Iarno was supposed to be upholding order in Phandalin.  Perhaps something had befallen Sildar’s companion.  Yet another thread to tug was presented before us, it would seem.

Still tired from the days before I stepped past the rowdy duo at the bar, sliding a gold piece their way to enjoy.  I found one of our rooms and locked the door behind me.  I hope they let me sleep tonight.

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Daenzukrius of Beckonshire - Entry 2 pg. 2 (Day 4)

The walls of Phandalin were the most relieving sight I’d seen in a long time.  I just wanted to deliver the cargo safely and begin looking for Gundren.

We swiftly unloaded all Lionshield Coster merchandise before heading over towards Barthen’s Provisions, where we were to meet Gundren upon arriving.  Unfortunately, the hope that he might be there was dwindling.

Before entering I disguised myself as a human, wanting to appear a might friendlier.  Standing behind the counter was a tall, human man who introduced himself as “Elmer Barthen”.

Sildar followed us in and explained that we were the ones owed the transportation reward, though as expected Gundren had yet to arrive.

A helpful detail that Barthen could provide us was that Gundren had previously told him that he’d found “Wave Echo Cave”.  Perhaps this is where we could find Gundren… or maybe his knowledge is what got him kidnapped.

Barthen also told us that two of Gundren’s brothers, Nundro and Tharden, have been camping just outside of Phandalin, but he’s not seen either of them in at least a week.  I mentioned to steer them our way if he saw them, and to report any information to us regarding Gundren.  

We’ll find that dwarf yet.

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Daenzukrius of Beckonshire - Entry 2 pg.1 (Day 4)

Dearest family,

I had that nightmare again. Not a week goes by, it seems, that my fear and loathing don’t creep into my psyche and put on show that horrific night all those years ago.

Fortunately, I was woken by the sounds of conflict so the nightmarish play was unable to reach its crescendo.  I sat myself up in our caravan just in time to hear a loud battle cry of something ahead.

My party members had already advanced before I got the chance to don my armour, so I took the opportunity to ensure Sildar’s safety and check our surroundings.

I could only make out the muffled death cries of goblins before Grimmdong, Loopy, and Grigor began returning towards the caravan, now with two large fellows in tow.

They introduced themselves as Skro’Tum and Dave.  Both looked rather scrappy in appearance but seemed to give off a friendly aura.  Skro the half-orc easily towered over me, in fact, both of them did, and seemed to have quite the array of weapons and tools equipped on his person.  Dave, on the other hand, seemed rather bare save for his larger weapons strapped to his side, presenting his bare chest for all.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t intimidated by the two, but they both seemed to want to help us, so who were we to deny them.

We started back on our trek to Phandalin and got to talking with the newcomers.  Apparently, they were sent by “Lionshield Coster” to retrieve a missing shipment that had assumedly been raided along the Triboar Trail, the shipment that we happened to stumble upon.

Thankfully they believed that we’d found it amongst a goblin hideout, even though we planned to return it to Phandalin regardless.  With new found companionship we headed towards Phandalin, hoping to arrive before dark.

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Daenzukrius of Beckonshire - Entry 1 pg.5 (Day 3)

We ended up besting Klarg, even given my absence during the fight.  Mutilated goblin corpses, a shattered wolf, and a crumpled Klarg gave me high hopes my party members can definitely hold their own.

We returned to the goblin holding Sildar captive and threw Klarg’s head before us.  Pleased, the goblin seemed to be ready to let Sildar free, unfortunately, some bickering between our party made him antsy.

The goblin in his haste threw Sildar down towards us, who only barely survived the fall.  In an act of quick thinking, Grigor let loose a frost blast that froze the goblin in place.  So much for negotiations.

With Sildar now “safe” we escorted him outside the cave.  Before leaving we emptied the cave of anything worthy of keeping.  Thankfullly we did as we found what looked to be quite a hoard of stolen goods.  A shield emblazoned with a lion was stamped on several of the boxes, leading us to believe a merchant was raided and the contents dumped here.

Thankfully there was room on the caravan to stow the stolen goods for the time being, and we thought we may get some answers to where they were heading in Phandalin.

Sildar was able to confidently, though regretfully, tell us Gundren wasn’t taken to the cave with him.  And in fact, he doesn’t have any leads on the current whereabouts of our employer.

Regardless, our party pressed on towards Phandalin.

Hopefully, we will find some answers there.

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Daenzukrius of Beckonshire - Entry 1 pg.4 (Day 3)

How life had teased us with this fateful encounter.

Holding Sildar’s life in his hands, the goblin gave us a choice.  Help him rid the goblin hideout of its current chief ‘Klarg’ the bugbear, giving him leadership over the goblins, or let Sildar drop to his potential death.

Still, after the fact, I’m not certain whether this goblin truly understood the weight of his actions further than his own personal gains.  If Sildar died we’d lose the only lead to Gundren and the city of Phandalin we had.

Begrudgingly, I convinced the party to go along with the goblin’s plans for the time being, given we couldn’t afford to lose our only tie to Gundren.

Wary of the new objective to end a bugbear’s life, we pressed deeper into the cave system.  Thankfully a bridge connected us towards the supposed landing where we would find this ‘Klarg’.

The next few moments all come back to me as a blur.

One second I was talking to my party members to prepare themselves for a fight, the next we all found ourselves in the midst of a brutal conflict.

As soon as we laid eyes on the large furry beast known as Klarg my legs went weak.  In all my travels I’d never been this close to something of such raw power.  

I tried my best to gauge the scene before me and support my allies, but suddenly everything went black.

I felt cold............................

Lonely................................

Lost.................................... 

I’d never felt so frozen at my core than I did in this instance. But then...

I heard a voice.  Calling my name.  Calling me back.

And just before it felt like my flame was about to be distinguished, my eyes opened.  Met by another three sets belonging to my party members.

I was back.

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Daenzukrius of Beckonshire - Entry 1 pg.3 (Day 3)

We pressed on further into the dense forest, hoping we’d find Gundren.  I’d be lying if I said the thought of Gundren’s death didn’t cross my mind.

I hadn’t known him long, but I thought I could find a resourceful ally in Gundren.  I do hope he hasn’t been murdered.

Not long into our trek, we stepped out into a clearing finding a cave entrance. As we approached, yet another goblin party revealed themselves, now alerted by their companion that fled earlier.  With the number of goblins, this cave could very well be a hideout for them.

Grimmdong confidently leapt into action and began hacking away at the small green nuisances while Loopy, Grigor, and I supported him from afar.  Our party synergy was already showing!

We entered the cave in haste, fearing that every lost second could be Gundren in danger.

Upon entering it was immediately apparent this cave was well used.  Torches lined the walls, paths were beaten down by numerous footprints, and the faint smell of death loomed over the dank cavern.

The first room we found was home to what looked like three well-fed wolves.  From what I’d heard it’s common for goblins to train wolves to do their bidding, and given the dried blood around their mouths it was safe to assume this was the case.  Not wanting to wake them and further alert any goblins within the cave we decided to leave them be.

Cautious at this point we decided to be as sneaky as we could, fearing an ambush if we simply rushed deeper into the cave.  Luckily, we found a steep ramp that seemed like a less conspicuous way to traverse further into the hideout.

It quickly became apparent that none of our party members were particularly dextrous, failing to climb the dirt incline even after we threw Loopy up to give us a hand.  Eventually, through trial and error, we were able to clamber up the ramp which led us to yet another room.  This one, however, was populated by quite a few goblins.

Thankfully the goblins were asleep so we could get the drop on them.  Wanting to impress my new companions I went all out, conjuring forth a large arc of flame towards a grouped bunch of goblins, d̨isint̶e͠g͟r̶a̷t͝i̧n̛g ͞t͜h͡em ̴a͜ll̛ ̡i͡ns͘t͜a̕ntļy̵.

Unfortunately, we hadn’t considered the raised plateau within the room, now host to a more mature looking goblin holding a hostage by his restraints.

“Stop now or I drop him!” 

Yet another misfortune.  This goblin held in his grasp Gundren’s bodyguard, Sildar.

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Daenzukrius of Beckonshire - Entry 1 pg.2 (Day 3)

It’s now been a few days since I joined Gundren’s caravan party and I think it’s safe to say we’re all getting along quite well.  We exchanged stories over a fire during nights passed and got to know each other a little better.

Unfortunately, a grave misfortune has seemed to present itself in our path.  During our travels to Phandalin, we discovered two horses with arrows still stuck in their lifeless bodies on the trail leading towards our destination.  Cautiously we approached, only to be ambushed by a small party of goblins.

Equipped with a new fondness towards one another, we dispatched the group with haste.  Before we slaughtered the last of the group I attempted to threaten the goblin to give us any information regarding the morbid scene left on the trail.  Unfortunately, the goblin fled before succumbing to my threats, trailed by Grigor’s wailing frost blasts.

We then investigated the scene left in front of us, taking care not to be ambushed once again.

It was then that we realized, these two horses matched the description of the two that were carrying Gundren and his hired guard only days before.  And given the state of the dried blood, it seemed the horses weren’t too many days dead.  Another curious detail left at the scene was an empty case, looking to have held a large map or scroll.  Whoever did this was not careful.

Flattened grass lead off further into the dense forest surrounding the trail towards Phandalin, the same direction the lone goblin escaped to before.  If we were to find Gundren, that was our best bet.

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Daenzukrius of Beckonshire - Entry 1 pg.1 (Day 1)

Dearest family,

From now on I’ll be trying to keep track of my travels using this journal.  It will give me an excuse to reflect, and hopefully, remember the steps I’ve taken to get where I am today.

I’ve recently accepted a job from a portly dwarf known as Gundren, a fellow I met in Neverwinter.  We got into an argument over mithral armour compared to his precious adamantine, but I got him to settle over a night of drinking.

I now find myself writing this as three other adventurers and I help transport Gundren’s caravan along the road towards Phandalin.  The adventurers seem friendly enough and introduced themselves as Loopy, a short bardic gnome, I do hope she plays for us on our journey.  Grigor, a human magic user.  Definitely on the quiet side, I’m not sure whether I should try and pry any further into his person.  And Grimmdong, easily the most intimidating of the lot, though I’m glad we at least have some muscle in our transport and a half-orc at that.

I certainly hope we get along for our journey to Phandalin.

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Daenzukrius of Beckonshire - Found Letter

Dearest family,

It pains me to write that I am no longer on the streets of Beckonshire.  I apologise that I am unable to carry out your legacy of blacksmithing, though I may yet spread your kind, helping nature to others.

It may be due to my infernal heritage, but I cannot simply forgive what Lord Noske has done.  I will make him repent for his sins against Beckonshire, against the townsfolk... against you.

Forgive me Irgus, Askith.  I will not forget you.  And Noske will be made not to forget me.