Anuu Renummus (Janessa's character) has established herself as a
religious zealot, willing to believe anything the elven elders of her clan
tell her. The elven elders have been established as a hastily thrown
together character hook to send two characters to the far north (and
apparently they were necessary, since 20 years of goddess induced portent
holding dreams were not enough to spark any type of adventure from
Anuu).

After five failed fort saves (these mostly being buried in
character history), Falahara (Linda's character) has established herself
as one rather uncomfortable with boats. Boats have been established as wooden
constructions designed to transport people across bodies of water (or so
the elven elders say). Other than that, Falahara has established
Molistead's guinea pig as a source of food.

Molistead (Georges' character) has established himself as a
dolt. His eye color has yet to be deterministically established,
however, it is still hauntingly familiar to the eyes of the poor fellow
who keeps dying in Anuu's dreams. [Annu's dreams have now
established themselves as a purely hypothetical plot hook. I really
need to work them out sometime soon :) ]

When we last left these three intrepid adventures, they were just
setting out on a grueling trek [Molistead found it grueling due to the
lack of large civilized areas where he could attempt to ply his trade,
being a "skilled" performer. We won't mention why others found it
grueling :) ]. To shut him up, and because neither Anuu nor Falahara
really know the lay of the land, the three have chosen the western fork of
the great road, leading north from Cormyr. Molistead is probably pleased
as while this will add a few days of travel, it will bring him rather
close to a heavily populated area [the name of the city escapes me right
now :( but that is what I get for trying to improvise] .

Now that there is some free time and the seas are relatively calm, I
will start the entries in this tiny book.

I have decided to keep a log of the time away from home, since the
elders have asked me oh-so-discretely to do so. But since this is my log,
I will write whatever I want!

...

Why, oh why are we here on a boat?! Are our own two feet not good
enough? It must be of great importance that we reach wherever we are going
as soon as possible if we are to be subject to this endless rocking rather
than a healthy bit of walking. Perhaps I have no idea how far we are
going, or perhaps the elders have some greater reason for making me suffer
through this...

Honestly, I am glad that I can finally do something for dear An, I
cannot count the many years of sleepless nights we have spent together
because of these dreams. She tries not to show how much they affect her,
but she cannot hide such things from me. What a helpless feeling to see
her suffering and have nothing to offer but my presence to comfort her! Ah,
her unhappyness has deprived her of her magics, how could her Goddess do
this? If only we could have known what to do sooner. But now, at least, I
have a way that I know I can do something.

I hope the elders know what they are doing. I hope we know where to go
once we are off this damn ship. I hope Annu may again return to the truly
happy elf I grew up with. I hope these things with a growing sense of
urgency to this mission.

Close your eyes friend, sleep, meet me here beyond sight.

This is where I knew and grew through fear, anger, hope, and self.
This is where you must find in yourself to know your companion, once named Anuu.
This is the grey space only minds eye can reach.

This is the birthplace of dreams.

Years, moments, moon cycles, how long can one guage time spent in a world where it can not touch? Perhaps only by scars such suffering leaves in the forest of those I love around me. None knows better than those who love me, who tired for me when I wake troubled from these unconcious unwanted times. Such love is the roots of my strength, The Bright lady Mystra who gives movement to the world with her magic, my family, my guardian and guide dear vibrent Falahara.
The Elders were wise beyond wisdom to see my need of her. The little they could do in sparing her days to me has perhaps saved my sanity. (Though I ask you not share such words with her else she drive me crazy out of will alone!)

But I was speaking of the Old ones. They who could not help me cast me to the road so they would not have to wake every day to thier own failings in me. I did not dissapoint, only succeeded too clearly, painfully so. They could not percieve Mystra's gifts let alone heal with my understanding of them. So much was I given by the Bright Lady, so little we understood.
To keep me among them in inactivity would have destroyed what Anuu remains in me and so I travel now. At least this world I can feel and change...and perhaps fight.

At the very least I will live long enough to see an end of this cursed boat and my friends constant sea sickness!

Perhaps even long enough to reach the troubled one who haunts what little rest I hold too...
My suffering is nothing to what will come for him...
Mystra can not, I will not lose him to it... it's in his eyes, my reflection.

Ok, so we have completed session II. This session saw the introduction of Xon, our parties rogue and general man of mystery (also known as wanted criminal and filthy murderer, but what the hey). I guess he deserves his own introduction, but I wanna see how much he will reveal to his new "friends" (seeing as how they've already "robbed him blind", ain't color spray fun) :)

The fun started when our intrepid band entered the garrison town of Tilverton. Two inns were recommended, The Troll's Head Inn and that other one cross town, ah, yeah the Prancing Pony. The party briefly stopped to eavesdrop on a conversation that the city guard was holding, and found that there was a murderer on the loose, whose description was vague at best.

Anyway, the Troll's Head, being a little more lax in its entertainment hiring policies was soon found to be a perfect place for Molistead to ply his trade. After mediocre attempts to impress the Inn's owner, he established his right to make noise that evening. Possibly even in exchange for a warm mug of ale.

While Molistead became better acquainted with the watered ale of the Troll's Head, Annu and Fala took off to the local temple of Mystra, where they got the low down on the town's gossip. Apparently, the high priest of Mystra, Cen'yar Gothspoddin, was laid low by a mysterious fellow. While the house had undergone some rummaging, nothing was stolen. This nasty do-no-gooder was seen standing above the body of Gothspoddin as he lay dying, after which he fled the scene of the crime. Rufus, an elderly and slightly portly gentleman, has taken over the position of high priest for the time being, and services were scheduled for tomorrow morning.

Returning to the Inn, Fala and Annu were graced by the music Molistead was performing. The beauty of his art was such that the entire inn was transfixed, brought to an almost dream-like state of existence. The otherworldly beauty of the music was lost, however, on three occupants. Annu heard the anxious warnings of a female, cut short abruptly as the song ended. Fala overhead a conversation between two male voices, cut short by a third. Xon, upstairs, overheard what he took to be people planning his capture. We really need to get Xon to introduce himself. Molistead continued playing, unaware the whole time of what has transpired.

Fala and Annu speak of the voices they heard, and during the conversation, Fala notices a man in a black cloak with a feathered hat reaching the top of the stairs and heading down the hallway. Becoming suspicious, and not trusting Molistead, Fala brings Annu up the stairs a short while later, hoping to discover the whereabouts of the man in black (whom for some unbeknownst reason, Fala suspects of being the filthy murder who is at large). Reaching the top of the stairs, she spies a man in a dark brown cloak bent over the lock of someone's door. Shouting, she draws his attention as he draws a dagger.

Inside the room, Xon clearly hears the goings on at his door. Readying his hand crossbow, he unlocks the shutters of his window. As he is already in fear of his life, he prepares to shoot the next person to enter the room and leap to safety via his window (and a 15 ft drop on the other side).

Fala prepares to follow the dark clad man, and asks what he is doing. Molistead is blissfully unaware and continues his music in the commons room below. The dark clad man takes his turn to burst through the door, to see a bolt neatly thunk into the frame near his head as his mark jumps out the window. The dark clad man follows his mark and jumps out the window, but lands poorly.

Fala, rushing after him, reaches the window in indecision. Below her, two men are regaining their feet, while a third (also clad in brown) leaps from the roof, landing with blade drawn. By this time, Molistead has picked up on a ruckus, and rushes out of the inn (the patrons are so drunk that it will be a while before they realize that he is missing) wondering where he should go.

Xon skillfully skewers the first assassin, dropping him as he offers the chance to surrender to the second. At this point in time, Xon notices the dark liquid coating both men's daggers. The second assassin offers Xon the chance to surrender the amulet and waits for his answer. Confused, Fala steps away from the window and prepares to follow Annu's lead. Annu fails in her attempt to get the black clad Xon to explain via magical compulsion, and so the combat continues.

Xon offers surrender again, as he backs away. The man in brown is having none of it, and sticks on his man, once again asking for the amulet. Fala, getting impatient, jumps out of the window, and in a stunning display, lands weapon drawn, and ready for action. The man in brown was commanded to surrender by Annu, and this time, her magic took hold. Dropping his weapon, he stood there motionless.

Molistead chose this time to try out his magics, sending a spray of dazzling colors dancing amongst enemies and friends alike. Both Xon and Fala were unaffected by the magics, but the poor man in brown, having already dropped his dagger, falls to the ground, stunned, blinded, and whatever other horrible things color spray does. Fala easily disarms Xon, the man in black, after which, the most preposterous interrogation session followed.

Information gained includes: Xon lies, and holds back anything he can; both Fala and Annu fail to give time between questions for them to be answered, horribly confusing their captives; molistead can make pretty lights dance around the blade of a rapier; Malak really wants the amulet, and the men in brown are more than deathly afraid of him; Xon had the amulet, but now Annu does; Xon might not have murdered the high priest, and the party would rather question him in the privacy afforded by the forest, than this particular alleyway.

And so, leaving their vanquished foes unconscious and bound in the back of a dark alley, our intrepid heroes set off, over a low spot in the wall while the guards are not looking, slinking off into the forest in a southerly direction.

Yes, yes. Take a seat by the fire. Would you perfer the wine or the brandy?

The wine? Excellent choice. It was bottled almost five hundred years ago. You like it?

Good.

So, where shall I begin? I remember the time I snuck into the major's mansion... The gentleman had fifteen guards patrolling the grounds alone! But his paranoia didn't stop there. He had a wizard magically lock the door to his daughter's bedroom. I had to spend ten solid minutes picking the lock before we could-

Oh.

You want me to start when I met the rest of my cohorts.

Very well.

I suppose I really should start a little before then-

No, really. It all ties together. Trust me!

Okay, that never works, but it really all does tie together.

Anyway, I was in the Temple of Mystra one fine evening--

You know, this would really go faster if you didn't interrupt all the time. Besides, it doesn't really matter WHY I was there, anyway. Oh, if you must know I was paying my respects to the diety. Admittedly the temple was closed at the time, but I always felt that the so called "business hours" were more of a guideline. Besides, I feel far more pious in the evening than the day. I can think of several times I've prayed during the evening. For example one time when the guards were a mere five inches from my nose. You see, I was stuck in the sewers after-

Oh. The temple. Right. So I was there, PRAYING, when I happen to spy a rather elderly gentleman at about the same time he noticed me. He opened his mouth, no doubt to congradulate me on my piety when I happened to notice another figure.

Who was the figure? Well, the person was hanging from the ceiling-

Yes, really. Stop interrupting.

The person was hanging from the ceiling, wielding a crossbow. He shot the old man three times. The old man fell to the ground and I rushed to help him.

I did! I'm not a murderer! In fact, at the time I had never killed anyone, human or otherwise, thank you very much.

In any case, I rushed over to see if there was anything I could do. The old man, whom I later learned was the high priest of Mystra in these parts, pressed a medallion in my hand and said "Keep this safe."

He did! Quite frankly, it annoys me that you keep questioning me. These are my memoirs, after all.

So he pressed the medallion into my hand and expired. I looked up to see six guards had just rushed in. The guards, being the typical brutish sort I've had to deal with over the years, leaped to the entirely wrong conclusion and assumed that just because I was standing over the body holding his hand that I had killed the high priest.

So I ran.

Well, of course I was innocent. I've always felt that it's easier to run away than to try to explain things to guards. Guards never understand my theories on economics anyway.

I went to one of my hideouts, The "Trolls Head" inn. I figured it might be best to lay low for a while until the guards hopefully completely forgot about me.

Yes, yes. I'm coming to them. Just be patient a little longer.

So I slept that day and got up the next evening. After I woke up and had a brief meal, I went back upstairs. I sat around mulling my possible options when around midnight I heard someone at my door. A brief fight ensued. I wound up outside the hotel (I jumped through the window in an attempt to escape) and dispatched one of my attackers. I was about to dispatch the other one and make good my escape when a burst of light struck my attacker unconscious. Immediately after that, a rather attractive elven woman lept from the window (the same from where I had been) and disarmed me. The wizard who had cast the spell grabbed my rapier and pointed at me.

They then proceeded to question me. After that, they found the medallion and took it from me!

Yes, the people who disarmed me were my earstwhile companions. I didn't know who they were at the time, of course.

Tell you more about them? I'm getting to that.

Nonsense! Utter complete and total Nonsense!

Well utter, complete, and amusing nonsense at the very least,
but completely besides the point I was getting too.

Never agian will I travel in the company of human men or partially human men and the fuzzy things they carry with them.
Why must Mystra guide me too such trials?

Not that I'm complaining mind you!

(I'm still alive at the very least which is more than I can say for the her poor servent in Tilverton. May Mystra bless him the memory of those who knew him.)

Besides good has come from this meeting of sorts, at least our reputation shadowed thief snores
HEAVILY
so I have been unable to sleep let alone dream of late.
Besides the night lights our charge creates to accompany Xon are nausiating at thier best.

I only hope my beloved Elminster is not cursed with the stupidity accosting the rest of his gender and race. Not that I will ever know, but I care not, I have a lifetime to lust.
Mystra knows I will never tell him and if she ever did I would quit her service and abandon my charge once and for all!

In all my dreams I never expected such a child in my protection. Auron is talented but so unlearned. Better than that Xon fellow who seems to know too much and exactly how to use it to suit himself.

Agian my mindseye wanders to Auron, it is so hard to trust myself and my lifespath to the boy with the eyes I dream of. But I could not bear to see one so young come to pain. I will humor him and his "entertainment," if nothing more than to hear the words his songs evoke and better use the knowlage to help us. Though I grow weary of what he calls magic. Mystra! Did he learn nothing of his wizard school? Will he learn nothing from my influence?

Oh, Falahara I meant not to startle you. Come back to the warm embers and I will take the watch for you.

How I miss our placid forest Fal, I am so sorry to bring you so far from it for such strange company. Rest while I take watch, tonight I am too troubled to study my spells. Instead I will rest my mind in our protection.

No, friend, your snores are soft not vulgar like his, worry not another thought about it!
Just rest yourself.

May Mystra Guide you to dreams in worlds without boats.

By the Gods I hate the outdoors.

Give me a clean city any day of the week.

I mean, in a city you can sleep in a bed with sheets, preferably with someone young and beautiful with you to keep you warm at night if the sheets don't do the trick.

I spent a lot of time in the wilderness after that evening in the temple, but I never got used to it.

Trees. Mountains. Bugs. Faugh.

Yes, yes. I know. You want me to get on with the story.

Well, after we left the city, We wound up spending several days (and more importantly, several torturous nights) outdoors. We were heading towards another city, Travensburg by name, when we came across a patrol of knights. I retired to a nearby grove of trees to-

Must we keep going over the same thing? I generally try to stay away from the prying eyes of whatever serves as the local police of any land. These were the typical brutish sort I was used to seeing in my career. The type that ask far too many questions of things that are none of their business. I mean, really! I never go up to THEM and ask them things like "Where were you yesterday?" or "Where did you get that?" live and let live, I always say.

Now, where was I when you interrupted me. Oh, yes. The knights.

It appears that some cur had been spreading false rumors about someone who had killed three people and stolen a precious artifact. The artifact in question sounded similar to the one that had been given to me several nights ago, though the discription was woefully inaccurate.

Given this new news, we decided to make our way through a mountain pass to avoid the patrols. After many hours of climbing (Have I mentioned I don't like mountains much either?) we stumbled across a kobold.

I had seen them before. Not often, but I knew what they looked like.

She launched into a long tale about the keys and how we would need them, as others were trying to collect them to unleash an unspeakable evil upon the world.

Yes, she was talking about THOSE keys. You must remember, this is the first we had heard of them. Granted, I knew far more than I would have ever wanted to know about the keys before my quest was finished.

Yes, she gave us the second key.

What did the keys do? Ah, now that is most definately a long story.