Tales From The Road

DnD IRL Hammer---January Alturiak----February Ches-------March Tarsakh----April Mirtul------May Kythorn----June Flamerule--July Eleasias----August Eleint-------September Marpenoth-October Uktar------- November Nightal-----December

My old friend Imoen has rescued me from imprisonment. I don't remember how I was brought here, and neither do I know who would wish us locked up. My mind aches, and my memory is a haze… what has happened? Where am I?

She's prepared to break the rules for the greater good, and more than proven her bravery. It's good to see another of Gorion's ward's blossom. - Yuze

In the time between the following entries, and the previous, my family was kidnapped, experimented on, and tortured. A wizard named Irenicus ran the operation, dealing in misery to achieve a madman's machinations. This marks the beginning of Aurelia's independence. She will spend the most time away from her fathers that she ever has. It marks a major turning point in Ferrum's faith. We defeated the crusader Caelar Argent with the help of holy magic on Ferrum's part. Estranged from Helm, the mystery of which god helps him and why still hangs in the air. This marks the year I meet the triplets for the first time. So much was changing, and still is! I might indulge in some divination cards. Let us tell you of how we left home and were taken to the southern nation of Amn. Hear of the amazing people we will meet and places we will go. Hear of betrayal, commitment, sex and grief. Have a seat, we've plenty of time. - Yuze

Scroll all the way to the opposite end to start from the beginning.

We parted ways with the rogue at the beginning of a verdant cave system, coated in moss, and a thick green haze. We were reunited there with Minsc, Dynaheir, and the mastermind of our rescue - Imoen! I hugged her so hard I thought I would break one of her ribs. She assured me she didn't believe that I killed Skie, I told her what I knew, how I was terrified that it was true, that perhaps my blood made me kill and then black out? Imoen would tell me more later, but for now we needed to escape. We traversed the cave, and exited into the night, looking through the moonlight to our next adventure - Aurelia

Corwin visited me at my cell to impart some choice words. "your mongrel fathers can't protect you anymore, you're all stuck here together. Filth rolling with filth." I considered this our platonic "breakup", and was glad to be finally rid of her, if upset that we were locked in a cell. Later in the night we got visited by a hired thief, he'd been sent by Imoen to break us out! - Aurelia

SENTENCE: Imprisonment until permanent decision.

I write this quickly as I can, I need to get up and move. A Duke's daughter is dead. After we escaped Avernus, Caelar closed the portal like she promised. We arrived at Dragonspear Castle to find the Dwarves of Dumathoin, good to their word, were assisting the Coalition's forces. Not that there was much left to do - half the castle was in ruins, and the remainder of Calear's army had largely fled when the building collapsed. The crusaders who did get captured or killed, were the more fervent believers. They were rowdy prisoners and chanted prayers for Caelars returns at high volume The duke's daughter was dead. I couldn't focus. M'Khiin has left the group, she wasn't let in and decided to bid her adieu. Jaheira and Khalid were checking in at a Harper stronghold in the city. Ferrum and Yuze were here with me. I don't know where Minsc, Dynaheir or Imoen are... The duke's daughter was dead. She lay crumpled at my feet, partially hidden in the darkness. My hand was balled around a shaking knife, slick with blood. What have i done? - Aurelia

M'Khiin inspired me. She was hanging there, seemingly helpless, but found a way to fight back. Ghostly figures tore the scaly devil to chunks, and while momentarily distracted I came at Belhifet. From somewhere withing me I felt a change. A familiar warmth, yet different somehow. When hammer met devil, silver light flooded the room, originating from my hammer. The impact tore a hole in Belhifet's middle, and cleaved him in half. As the white flames guttered, we turned our attention to the cage beyond our battlefield, and the uncle and niece that spoke with eachother. Caelar had finally got what she wanted. The cage door crumbled at her touch, turning to mist, releasing the tortured man. Aun Argent was gaunt, with sunken eyes peering out from a pallid face. The subject of how to close the circle came up, and Yuze confirmed what Aun informed us: That someone would have to stay behind to close it from this end. Caelar volunteered. No one stopped her, it solved our problem of how to get back, and was a form of justice in a way. I don't have faith that the powers that be, that the mortals who make decisions will be able to use their power responsibly. I do have faith, that I have the power to intercede on behalf of those in need without Helm's help. If it wasn't Helm whose divine light flooded my weapon... whose was it? - Ferrum

"You scaly shit!" M'Khiin hung upside down, able to move nothing but her face. Hephernaan gloated "Good, you're mouthy. I like to hear mortals scream-" M'Khiin's face began to do something very strange. Her eyes looked about in circles, clockwise, then counter clokwise, then clockwise again. Her nose scrunched and relaxed to a quick rhythm and she sang her rousing song in goblin. Both devils stared at her incredulously, our party paused too, bewildered. M'Khiin stopped making faces, looked at Hephernaan and opened her mouth. Blue light shone bright from the back of her throat and through ghostly blue flames she grit her teeth and said: "I hear when devils die in hell, they die for good." Azure flame spirits erupted from her mouth and engulfed the devil mage. They restrained him, grabbing his arms and legs, taking his staff from him. Before his master could turn to save him, the phantom warriors tore Hephernaan limb from limb. M'Khiin fell out of the air, Hephernaan's magic released. - Aurelia

"The Aasimar is mine!" The towering devil launched into battle, going straight for Caelar. We all stepped back to watch. Should we save her? Caelar ducked and dodged the devils enormous hands. Then, past the devils, her eyes focused. Off to the edge of the plateau was disturbed earth, ground up in a path that ended in a rusted cage. There was a living man in it. "Uncle!" Caelar cried Belhifet smiled, the edges of his mouth curving back, back, back, to reveal rows upon rows of jagged teeth. "Bow to me Caelar. If you give me yourself freely, I shall free our Uncle. He made the deal with me the first time to set you free, it's only fitting you return the favor." Hephernaan looked back and forth between his master and Caelar, waiting to see what would happen. His scaled hands gripped his staff, his posture exuding vigilance. "We could do this the easy way." The lackey hissed. "Caelar... You've hurt a lot of people up to this point. It can end here. I cannot speak for the gods - but any sacrifice you make here would be one small step to making amends " Caelar looked in her peripheral at Ferrum, gears turning in her head at a furious pace. "Are we going to play by the rules of a devil who held a child hostage, stole away your family? Or are you going to take whats yours? You can free your uncle with a contract Caelar, yes it's true. Belhifet's death will also nullify your Uncle's existing contract." Caelar looked at our group, back at our foes who waiting, coiled, ready to spring into action. They were more afraid of us than they let on. We had numbers. an Aasimar, and me, a Baahlspawn. "And you all would aid me? Whatever my sins, whatever the consequences I face, you would save my uncle?" Belhifets smile vanished, he saw he had lost. His face contorted into a snarl, and before Ferrum could respond, the battle had begun. We fought furiously, bruised and battered as we were. Ferrum's strikes were relatively feeble by now, and Jaheira had exhausted her ability to change into a wild shape. She now spun and danced with her scimitars gleaming in the red light of hell. M'Khiin imbued her sword with glowing blue spirits once again, and danced with sword swinging around her as if by some invisible rope. Her hands pulled and turned the blade, but from afar, never touching the hilt. The goblin spun her whole body, somersaulting at Belhifet's flank while her sword orbited her body. Currently engaged with Khalid and Jaheira, the great devil took a gash to his left shoudler, roaring out in pain. "That's enough from your feral witch Aurelia!" Hephernaan flew away from the fray, hovering several feet above the ground. He spun his staff with a smug grin, and wrenched M'Khiin off her feet, shooting her backwards to his side. As suddenly as she launched, M'khiin stopped. Her head whipped backwards painfully during her stop. I felt my throat closing in panic, she was only here because of me! - Aurelia

In the wake of Ferrum's sparring match, we stopped to clean ourselves up. In the watchful gaze of the portals flaming eye, we passed around healing potions, Ferrum took some time to massage my wrists, and we geared up to chase after Hephernaan. The party was alternately confused and frustrated at the information I gave away, but Yuze and I pointed out that we now knew that Caelar's uncle was likely being held wherever Hephernaan was. I also explained Hephernaan's plot, and that regardless of what happened to Caelar, he also needed to be stopped, before he brought a a fiery horde straight to Faerun. "But how can we kill a devil here, if we can't even kill them on our own home turf?" M'Khiin rasped "An interesting fact Yuze taught me about devils..." Yuze smiled at his daughter "Is that if you kill them in hell, they die for good. "She must have gone off to slay the mage then! She's a nut and a murderer, but a righteous nut." "After that speech she gave, I doubt she would put killing Hephernaan over saving her Uncle." Yuze countered. M'Khiin nodded in agreement, and became silent. Her face smoothed out into a contemplative expression somewhere in the mid-distance. The reality of where we were finally started to sink in. Jaheira looked displeased if calm, but it was M'Khiin who stood out. Her dragonscale armor shone in orange streaks from the hellfire around us. She walked up to me, and took both my hands in hers. "Congratulations god-child. You're the first person I've walked into hell for." ------------------------------------------------------------------ We made for the plateau I had pointed out to Hephernaan, me climbing as gingerly as possible. Ferrum also seemed worse for wear. He confessed to pain in his arms, the weight of Caelar's powerful blows sending reverberations up his bones. On the plateau we were greeted by the self-satisfied smile of Hephernaan, and the excited grin of a massive devil. He towered over his human lackey, armored and crimson skinned, thick horns balancing an impossible amount of heft on his neck. Caelar climbed an adjacent slope up to the plateau, throwing a flying imp off her back and spearing it into the ground with her blade. "Hepharnaan! You treacherous snake!" "Snake? No, but you could call us cousins..." Hephernaans face seemed to peel back, his scalp sliding up and backwards, his limp hair falling back. His skin shed like a lizard's skin, burning away as it separated from his body. Amidst the embers and motes of smoke, stood a red scaled devil, lizardlike in appearance, barely taller than Ferrum, and with scaly wings. "That explains the stink of your magic! The smell of Avernus." "Rude little wormling - you will not speak to Belhifet that way!" "Enough prattle!" boomed the larger devil. "You have made your good on your end of the deal. I will give you your army to overrun the Faerun - but first, my prize!" Belhifet charged forward, clawed hands outstretched towards Caelar. - Aurelia

This woman took hits like an ogre! The party ran in to attack, but would not make it before Caelar swung her sword in retaliation, catching my hammer and wrenching it from my hand. In a fluid movement, she pulled my arm behind my back, and put her sword to my neck. "Tell me where Hephernaan went Aurelia! Tell me or your guard here loses his head. Every battle i have spied you in, he has always been by your side. So don't try and tell me the orc isn't important to you." "That way" Aurelia pointed an outstretched finger to a plateau in the near distance. Calear threw me to the ground and sped off in the direction Aurelia pointed, sprinting with all the efficiency and speed of a royal messenger. - Ferrum

All the moisture was sucked out of the air, I was spinning, and tasted sulfurous dirt. Finally able to speak, I moaned in pain. I was in Hell. Red-brown clouds dominated the sky, and red cracked earth extended in all directions, cluttered with rock formations, hill and valleys. The portal flared, and spat out Hephernaan. I limped to my feet and attempted to flee, my arm in no condition to fight. I feared the man had pierced tendon. Before I could go a meter I was slammed to the floor again, face down, unable to breathe. Hephaernaan flipped me up, using his staff like a conductors wand, and threw me back into a flattened rock formation. "I need you to stay here." Shackles sprung from the rock, binding me in place. "That should hold." Hephernaan released the crushing gravity from my body, and I hung freely from the chains, gasping again for air. Hephernaan grabbed my face, and held it up so my eyes met his. "Your blood will help me build an empire, and an army of hellspawn will fight for it. We will make great partners indeed." The mage let go of my face, and walked away disappearing into the landscape. Panic began to rise, our mission! And Hephernaan's plans! Yuze had taught me a little about devils while I was still at Candlekeep. If they invaded the material plane, they could fight recklessly, because a mortal blow there would only teleport them back to Avernus. They could be unstoppable! I began the careful and painful task of dislocating my left wrist. Using the shackle as a fulcrum of sorts, I did what was needed and slipped my aching hand free. With a sickening pop it reset. I frantically reached into my picket, pulled out the remote rune detonator, and set it off. Once the rune disintegrated, I repeated the process with my right hand. I picked up the trick from Safana, while cleared out the last of Sarevok's followers. Slowly I slid down the rock, and crumpled into a squatting position. I hung my head between my knees, and said a prayer to Helm while I gathered my strength. No sooner had I finished my prayer, I heard the portal activate. - Aurelia

"Now!" Ferrum swung, and created an deafening gong sound. The barrier came crashing down, raining green shards that turned to smoke upon contact with the floor. All 6 of us, friends and foes, threw ourselves into the portal. - Yuze

Following our failed parlay, we began one of the last steps of our plans. Attempt to kill Caelar Argent. Jaheira took a wildshape, a large horned bovine of some kind, and charged into the table straight for Caelar. Caelar moved with shocking speed. Her glowing aasimar eyes flared, and she drew her sword, cleaving through the table, and sawing off one of Jaheira's horns. M'Khiin locked swords with one of the guards, and Ferrum dented the others with his hammer until they stopped moving. Retreating through a door behind her, Caelar fled into the joining room. The low ceilings sprang up into vaulted panels painted in faded and peeling scenes. Carved into the tiled floor, two to three inches deep, was an enormous ritual circle, with Hephernaan, Caelar's mage at it's head. "Shit! Back up! Get out! Get out! It's a trap!" Yuze yelled frantically, recognizing the infernal writing on the floor immediately. We were too late though. Hephernaan raised his staff, and a translucent green barrier coated the perimeter of the room, sealing us in, and Caelar's surviving soldiers out. Yuze was already raining fire down upon the pair of foes, but quick counters from Hephernaan canceled out his barrage. Hephernaan motioned at me with his staff, as if to pull me, and pull me he did. I flew across the room end over end, clinging to my weapons for dear life. I slammed back down into the floor, in the center of the ritual circle. I gasped, the wind knocked out of me, and struggled in vain to move. It was as if I was made of lead, too heavy to lift my own limbs. "AURELIA" My fathers ran after me, but slammed into a new, second barrier, keeping them in the narrow strip between the circles edge and the wall. The whole of my party attempted to break through, even Jaheira, back in her normal form, chanting some kind of ritual. Yuze spewed white hot flames at the glassy green surface. The barrier discolored but did not budge, the red stain receding as the barrier mended itself. Hephernaan phased through his barrier, walking with slow intention, Caelar did not follow, standing back, with a conflicted look on her face. Hephernaan approached me, producing a knife from his waistband. Kneeling down he seized my wrist, lifted it effortlessly, unaffected by the spell that crushed me. He cut surgically, making a line two inches long down the length of my forearm. Red streaks dribbled down my arm. "I can't cut too deep you know, your blood is too valuable to just let you go even after this is said and done." I gaped at him, barely able to breathe, unable to make a sound. "Pathetic really, to be milked for your blood like a common cow." Hephernaan grinned, and then squeezed my forearm as hard as he could and slammed it back into the ground. I would have screamed if I could. Blood gushed out of my arm and splattered over the sigils Hephernaan had carved into the ground. Suddenly the room wash rushing away from me, flying into the air as I tumbled backwards into hellfire. - Aurelia