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Travel Log of Omar Daal, I
How I manage to write this without my head exploding is beyond my own understanding. Perhaps, 'tis merely a habit ingrained into who I am that keeps the pen flowing.
I knew my luck would change once I entered Urnst. Don't get me wrong, there were no particular portents that tipped the hands of the allmighties; just a feeling. And, while I sat inspected the crowd at the Drummer Boy I saw a few heads that seemed a bit above the general riffraff and knew there was a promise of better days. After a few more ales I swaggered over to those who seemed important, introduced myself to first Triomara and then Tara, both fine looking men of good abilities. We were well set to finish off the night bragging of past exploits when Tri mentioned a note he'd seen that called for highly skilled adventurers to do the bidding of the Duke himself. A few more draughts a scotch had each of us daring the others to put in a call on the morrow at the castle to find out what's what.
Sorry, but the porcelain goddess appeals.
This must be quick, for there's no telling (yet) what may show from the next corner. I have this time to write only because we seem to be at an odd fork in the road and the others are debating the merits of our next choice.
We met with Duke Justinian Lorinar and his trusted advisor The Seer, this very morning. There were two others who answered the posting, but they soon left as The Seer finished his tale of Melnkin and the complete disappearance of his adversaries. The short of it is this; (a) The Seer did most of the talking, mumbling really as though there were three marbles in his mouth at all times, and we did not think his recounting of his own attempts range true; (b) His tale, and the reason for the job which we have now agreed to, is the return of the Soul Gem, something Justinian (a haggard looking fellow) suggests is critical to political stability in these parts; (c) This Melnkin guy was a bit of a twisted weed.
Finding his abandoned keep was not too difficult. Our efforts were only slightly delayed by a chance encounter with a group of young hill giants. I am certain, had they survived, the flames from my fireball would have filled their sleep with terror. We camped not far from one of the side turrets as night fell. Tri, a gallant elven ranger, and I scouted out some troglodytes which made us think the going would be easy. The lot of us (six in all as both Tri and Tara have their own assistant, too) got to the room indicated on The Seers map, the one just shy of the chequered floor room where The Seer said he had been repelled. The next chamber was odd, having these odd humanoid shapes in the wall which we all foolishly stepped into. The forms (we each took different one) transported us to the chequered floor room with apparently no possible return.
The room had many different coloured squares and ended at a statue of a tall man and a passage beyond. We each tried different strategies to get across the floor (only Tri and his valet Bob the squirrel trainer were completely successful - the rest of us took much damage) finally reaching the passage beyond - which is where we are now. This passage is sort of a dead end, but this is what puzzles us. There is a roughly cut tunnel that comes on to this passage, a room showing a movie of this Melnkin guy wiping out some people who wont negotiate him, and an end wall with a strange square like etching in it.
Whoops, something afoot.
