Xon's Entry 5

Ah, yes. After defeating the orc cleric, we spent a few hours gathering up what supplies we were interested in, hiding it, and striking off to town.

What can I say about the town?

Let's see. Depressing. Run down. Depressing. Afflicted by plague. Depressing. Most of the people were dead. Depressing. Under quarantine.

Did I mention depressing?

We arrived in town in the evening. We found out that the town was under quarantine due to a horrible plague that had started about a month ago. The undead creatures we found in the mine had similar sores to the plague victims.

I jumped to the (correct, as it turned out) conclusion that the plague was caused by the orc cleric in the mine. I also figured that the plague would quite likely stop now that we had killed the cleric.

Of course, I could not let such a prime opportunity to rescue a town (and make a lot of money in the process) go by.

We then went to the local temple to consult with their priest. After a few conversations, we got permission to leave the town, travel to the mine, and attempt to stop the plague.

So far, so good. Our plan was to go to the mines, wait a short while at the mine while we "cleared out the monsters and stopped the plague", and then return as heroes.

Would've worked, too.

Then I met Him.

*Sigh*

We had arrived with some material from the town that we wanted to sell. There happened to be a merchant who was stuck there due to the plague. We haggled a bit over the price. When that was agreed on, we also discussed converting the money we had into several large gems.

More portable, you know. Remember, I was on the run at the time.

Very funny. I wasn't on the run the ENTIRE time I was undertaking this grand quest.

Just most of it.

Anyway, we were introduced to a gem merchant. This merchant was... Excited to see me.

No, I didn't know why. Not yet, anyway.

We agreed on a price that was more or less fair to all concerned. The gem merchant also told the party that he had some other items we might find interesting. So we agreed to go to his shop and have a look at his wares.

This merchant apparently had an extremely wrong impression of me. You see, this mark on my back apparently marked me in some way that I didn't fully understand. It marked me as, er...

Well, I'm not entirely sure. One of the bad guys, I suppose is the best way of putting it.

After a brief discussion, in which he showed the party his wares and made several veiled hints to matters that nearly made Falahara blanch, the rest of the party left me alone with the man, it being obvious the gentleman wanted to discuss private matters with me alone.

Why did I allow this? I was hoping to get some more information from him. I've found it fairly easy to get information from people at times, and I was hoping this was one of them.

First, the merchant gave me a crossbow. One I had certainly never seen before. It was of incredible quality, and had a reservoir on it to put liquids on the bolts.

And I don't mean holy water.

In any case, the gentleman then mentioned something about nests-

Yes, those nests. My first hearing of them. I dearly wish it had been the last.

He mentioned something about nests and then gave me a-

a...

Sample... Of... What....

What was in store for me with my newfound 'powers'.

He showed me-

He showed me Hell.

No, I don't mean that in the metaphorical sense. At least, I don't think so.

I saw... I saw red rocks in all direction. Fires spewed from vents in the ground. And near me, I saw...

Something. A demon. A devil. I know not what.

I took my leave of this... Gentleman... Very quickly after that. With the intention that I travel as far away from this accursed place as soon as I possibly could.

The rest of my stay in this town was quite anticlimactic. We found a old drunkard guard who went along with us to “help”. What a laugh.

Anyway, he went along with us. We kept him drunk, and when he passed out, we went back to the mine, got the rest of the equipment, and woke the guard up, telling him about what a mighty victory against the orcs he had helped us with!

Why? It should be obvious. We had already saved the town. We needed 'proof' that we went in there and killed the orcs. The guard was perfect for it. With some coaching on our part, the guard was more than happy to take most of the credit for saving the town.

Why did I do that? Quite honestly, it wasn't my first plan. I originally wanted to go back to the town as heroes, lie on a nice bed-

Well you don't think I'd sleep, do you? I after all, would've been the hero!

But then I met that damned merchant. I was afraid to stay in that town a minute longer. So we left.

Quickly.

Xon's Entry 6

Of course, it's never that easy.

Oh, sure. We left the town easily enough. I just wanted to get to the monestary as soon as possible.

Really, that was all. Meeting that merchant certainly put a spring in my step.

And everything was going fine, too. For about three hours.

Then I heard a voice yell out my name. In a very loud voice.

So I went to investigate.

You know, I really do that far too often.

I saw this... Thing. It was as tall as I am, had orange fur, and for all of me looked more or less like an upright talking dog.

Yes, I'm serious. I was told later they were called... Ah, yes. Celestials.

As in good guys, yes. He wanted to kill me.

Remember, I was still wanted for the supposed murder of the high priest of Mystra.

The fact that I didn't do it was quite possibly the only thing that saved my life.

I explained my current situation. Somehow, the thing believed me. I don't know why or how. I can only say that such things are... Well, beyond my ken.

Which I perfer, personally. The mysteries of women are more than enough to keep me occupied, thank you very much.

The Celestial then left. To go check on my story.

It's disheartening, really. People rarely believe anything I say. I put it down to a loosening of trust.

In any case, the following night we set a fire. This was fairly normal. Shortly after we did that, A dwarf and Anuu lept out of it!

This wasn't normal.

Anuu had quite a story to tell. Pity I never heard most of it.

The dwarf? Oh, he had a story to tell also. He just took his time telling it to us.

In any case, the next day we continued our trek towards the monestary.

Along the way, we stumbled acorss a major battle between several dwarfs being attacked by nearly a dozen spiders.

Naturally, we went to help the dwarfs, and defeated the spiders rather quickly. The dwarfs, being quite pleased with our help, took us to their city, Hilmdell.

What happened there? Let me refill my glass first. It's quite a tale.

Xon's Entry 6.5 ('tween games)

Dwarfs.

I like dwarfs. They imbibe large quantiles of various alcoholic beverages, sing a lot, and mine lots of precious metals which they just love to bring into the city in bags that are just aching to be picked. I mean, the bags must be extremely heavy. They should thank me for helping me ease their burden by a few pounds. Do they? Rarely. Why, I remember one time-

Right.

So we wound up in this dwarven city by the name if Hilmdell. Biggest city we had been in a long time. I truly missed being in a city.

My only regret was that dwarven women tend to be bearded.

I was still a little jumpy over my recent involvement with things from beyond this mortal coil, so I decided to pay their temple a visit. I figured that they may be able to tell me some things about what's been happening to me.

Oh, they were able to, all right.

After a quick check, they informed me that they had a ceremony they could perform that would help reduce the influence of the CREATURE GROWING INSIDE ME and-

First I had heard of it, too.

Anyway, they could not destroy the creature, that had to be done at the monestary. At least they hoped the monks there could do it. What they could do was help reduce it's influence over me. The whole drinking blood kind of thing. They warned me it would require my “full and willing cooperation”.

Ha.

I hate those words. Always have. “Cooperate!” people say “Go for the common good!” people say. “Stop taking things that don't belong to you!”.

And so on and so on and so on.

This time I agreed.

I was in a bind! I really didn't know what to do. They tell me there's some creature inside me that's likely to kill me and certainly send my soul to some place I certainly don't want to be. What would you do?

So I did everything they told me to do.

You would think I would know better.

They started off by questioning me about everything that happened to me since I met up with the man who had cursed me. They then confiscated the gems and the crossbow the merchant gave me.

That was just the start.

Then, they cast a number of spells on me. That took several hours.

Then I was brought to a room. There were three pentagrams on the floor, each drawn inside the other. One copper, one silver, one gold. In the center of all three pentagrams was a altar. I was placed on the altar and shackled to it. (For my own protection, they told me. Ha.) They then began to cast several more spells.

This took about an hour. I then felt...

I then felt SOMETHING. Something inside me. Moving. It wasn't happy about what was happening to it.

Not at all.

I felt it scream.

Excuse me a moment.

After a while, they told me to meditate every night. They said that should help.

For a while.

Ha.

Xon's Entry 7

After that, I was released back into Himdell proper. After being cooped up in that temple for three days straight, all I wanted to do was to get very, very drunk and sleep.

Of course, it was not to be.

Molistead managed to meet up with some dwarf that was convinced our party was destined to slay some dragon. How he knew this wasn't exactly clear. He kept insisting that we would meet this dragon and slay it. It was foretold or somesuch nonsense.

Normally, I give such people a wide berth. After all, most of them spout such things in the hopes they'll get money off of you. Why, I've done it myself. I remember one-

Ahem. In any case, the dwarf managed to convince Molistead of his veracity. The fool even signed some sort of contract stating that when we found the dragon we'd give him some book or some such nonsense.

At least I thought it was nonsense at the time.

Shortly thereafter we left Hilmdell, still bound for the monestary. We had not gone very far when we met a monk on the road.

He had drawings of us. Including me. Quite a good likeness, too.

He were about to question him when we were beset upon by two panthers and a lycanthrope.

Oh, I knew what lycanthropes were. Beings that are cursed to change form. This one, into a panther.

They tried to get the drop on us. I managed to get the drop on them. We severely wounded all three of them.

Unfortunately they escaped.

I really, really wish they hadn't.