The first few miles out of town are nearly as safe as being within Nodkis’s walls. I observe all the travelers we come across—identifying marks, distinctive gaits, how perceptive they appear—and take note of who in my group they seem to consider. Many linger on Vong, which surprises me at first. My suspicions about their intentions are soon diffused by… Read more →
Passage 56: The Pretense
This squireship business seems like a extremely ill-advised plan. I still don’t get the connection either. It is bugging me, so I give into my curiosity and ask, since no one else has, “How have you come to know that man?” I motion to Rakatha.\ Pil looks at me, perhaps actually seeing me for the first time through the tunnel-vision… Read more →
Passage 55: The Understanding
After exiting the west gate, I get the feeling we are being watched. Not just looked at, as from the myriad travelers, town folk, and guards in the vicinity. I glance around surreptitiously and spot a young lad, maybe fifteen, boring a hole with his eyes into someone in the party. He is sitting on a log near the gate… Read more →
Passage 54: The Reunion
On Wednesday morning, I am sitting. Not at the spot a hundred feet from the Adventurer’s Corps. Instead sitting at the Adventurer’s Corps waiting for the others to show up. We had not agreed on a meeting time, and I haven’t seen those idiots for three days, but we were told to muster at eight the first time and I… Read more →
Passage 53: The Vision
When I stir, I feel the fingers of a dream I was having still grazing against my awakening mind. The events of the dream are distinct, like flavors, but fleeting. I have a difficult time recording and evaluating the fragments I manage to capture. A pervading sense of purpose is the most tangible piece of the puzzle, and something with… Read more →
Passage 52: The Bargain
When their whispered discussion comes to an end, the leader stays put next to the table, but the man sitting in the chair continues to be the only one to address me. “My man says it was obtained in the capitol, Malscheme, but came from the city of Malnus. No house was declared with it.” A clever answer. Most things… Read more →
Passage 51: The Volume
“It was conveyed to me that you’re in the market for some spells, eh?” He gives me a smile that is clearly meant to be welcoming, or perhaps just disarming. “Well, I just so happen to have come across an item that may be to your liking.” He motions to the bearded man, who pulls a large, leather-bound tome from… Read more →
Passage 50: The Underground
I want a clear head for the meeting so I scan the street, looking for a sign, and soon find what I seek: a hermaphroditic figure that is the symbol of Ard Agdawn. At least, of the aspect I care to give patronage to. Stepping into the temple, I am greeted by priestesses and choose the ugliest one to worship… Read more →
Passage 49: The Grasp
I spend my remaining day working on the new spell I purchased. Learning new magic is no small feat and there is some chance of injury or death. I do not attempt to cast the spell—to do so would consume it. This scroll is prepared to be used by anyone, not only magic users. The spell is no different than… Read more →
Passage 48: The Line
I step into the pawn broker’s shop that sits where my apothecary shop had once stood. It’s an entirely new structure, the previous buildings all having been burned to the ground during Nodkis’s occupation by the Orc Hordes. While interesting magical items, spells, or relics do sometimes find their way into pawn shops, the likelihood of stumbling upon exactly what… Read more →