I am recording these moments in my diary to help collect my thoughts. And to preserve our discoveries for those who may carry on our quest in the event of our deaths. Please, if you find my notes, make every effort to prevent this disaster.
If, on the other hand, you are the fools responsible for the failure of our errand. May your ancestors haunt your dreams, May the water wear you away, May the wind cut to your heart, May the fire burn your bread and hand, and May the earth close up your grave. Until you see the error of your ways.
The following notes describe the remarkable events that befell us these last weeks.
– We were staying with Oc’s uncle in the capital city Voneer. On the way to the city gates to renew our visitor’s pass, we were attacked by a group of local thugs, whom we soundly thrashed as the players learned how to use their dice. Then during an interrogation of two injured miscreants, we found they had been persuaded by an agent of Oc’s brother to attack us. The whole event was a plot to get us to stretch out our necks and visit “The Drunken Unicorn”. Quick thinking on Oc and Da’s part persuaded us to avoid this scenario, and get ourselves registered at the city gates, the original purpose of our outing.
– On the way to the gates, Tiboh transformed into an owl to scout the way for us. Nothing transpired. At the city gates we encountered a brother dwarf from the Mountain tribe. Kur, as this exceptional person was known, was an agent of the king of the mountain dwarves. Exceptional in that he was regarded as insane by his tribe, a solo traveller from an insular people, who were never apart from their own kind. And a person in the royal line of succession.
– Kur, was relieved to see a fellow dwarf. And we quickly persuaded him to return with us to Oc’s uncle’s home. We retrieved little information from him on the way, but as we spoke to him of his travels during dinner, he opened up and told us of his quest to Centaur Isle.
– Kur was concerned about the activities of an evil wizard. The wizard Pol was near the end of his natural life and attempting to gain immortality through a complex and unnatural plot. This plot was due to culminate in one year.
– The plot involved one tribe of orcs [also known as the people of the oak or PotOs for short] that sought dominance over all orc kind. These orcs were pawns to the wizard, clearly to be discarded when he no longer found them useful.
– Also, involved in the plot, a floating island that was leaping and drifting inland toward his citadel. This island was to be offered as payment to a tribe of dragons who held some secret to the wizard’s quest for immortality. [Was it to be transformed into a dragon?]
– Finally, the wizard was searching for three segments of an artifact of the orc god Grumssh. One of which we currently held. The wizard held one segment. One of the other segments was lost in the bay of Voneer, where the wizard’s minions were ceaselessly searching. So far, they had no success. In part due to the resistance of an unknown undersea people.
– The centaurs of their namesake island held a vast library where information could be found on the powers of this artifact and the wizard’s plot. Kur also told us how another group of adventurers was battling the wizard as well. And of the two citadels in opposite parts of the continent between which the wizard frequently travelled.
– Impressed by Kur’s story we offered to join him on his journey, and he gratefully accepted. The next day Oc’s uncle sent out servants to prepare a boat for the 2-month voyage. Our hope was to find a faster route home through the portals that linked disparate locations in our world.
– That evening our party each left the house in a secret and quiet manner. Tiboh flew as an owl. Da merged into my flesh to travel with me through the earth [an eerie sensation]. And Oc spider-climbed over the wall and stealthily slipped through the city streets. We left the port and harbor without incident or remark.
– Following our long voyage we arrived at Centaur Island. There we persuaded the centaurs to help us in our research. We soon learned that each segment of the artifact held a distinct power operated by a key word. Our segment could allow an orc to switch places with any other orc they had once physically contacted. Another segment could shoot streams of blood and flame. The third [I don’t recall this one at the moment]. When combined these three segments would enhance each other’s power. Our segment would grant additional powers of movement to vast groups of orcs. The second would generate even greater and more devastating streams of blood and fire. The third would [not sure]. And lastly together they would grant command of the people of the oak (the orcs). [I am not sure what else may have happened at the island. It would be nice to roleplay some of it to get more details or potential help]
– Following our research, the centaurs aided us further by finding us a portal that brought us near the city of Voneer. So our return journey took only two weeks. [I think] we returned to Oc’s uncle’s house to report on what we learned. We have yet to decide on our next course of action.