Nerys’s Journal.

Not sure about the date. I still seek to understand this calendar. My people mark time by the changes of the Moon Weaver’s light spun across the courses of the sky.

I have found the ocean.

The city was too much, too expansive and crowded. Like the hives of the carnivorous cave crawlers we would stumble across in the deeps. So many people...so many peoples. Races seen only in ancient texts there before my eyes. They are so different, and yet….

They laugh. They eat. They joke and quarrel and weep.

Would they welcome us? That remains to be seen.

But I have found the ocean.

Ninala and Flintril. Brother and sister. Strange beings, they say they are children of elementals, Genasi.

I had never heard of such a thing, but they have taken me under their wing. I rest with my blade close to hand, grateful that the trance does not force us to sleep so helplessly as they must.

We took a journey on a boat. I felt the water thrumming through the boards beneath my feet.

More water than I could have ever imagined existing…

More danger than I expected.

They say the beasts that attacked us were “Sahuagin”. Fish monsters. They stood like people, but came at us like the bloodfish of the underwater salt pools.

We killed them. I had never killed a thinking being before. But I had no choice. I saw what they did to the oarsman whom they struck down. I do not know how I feel about taking lives. But I shall not hesitate again. My new comrades proved their mettle to me. Flintril in particular seems skilled in fighting in close like I prefer. I managed not to reveal all of the Moon-Weaver’s blessing in the fight, but I think that knowing Ninala has a crossbow covering me from the rear and her brother at my side,

I may be ready to reveal to these green and blue lands what the Pallid Grove has wrought of my bloodline.

I really must master this damn calendar…

11 Horisal (dumb name) 836

So.

That was an event. The ship arrived at Alstead, (another dumb name), a much more manageable and not at all terrifying sized village.

So many humans. I saw my first Dwarves too...and the occasional signs of Elven blood.

But the humans were like a swarm as they moved through the streets of their fishing settlement. They pressed around me and stared and stared.

I don’t blame them for that....I was staring too.

They smell a bit...not at all like a stink, far from it. A strange earthy smell...especially when they are at their labors. It isn’t unpleasant, but it presses itself on you when they are in great number.

Ninala smells like salt. Flintril smells like ash and coal. Knowing what I do of their origins...

It makes some sense.

We tasted fruit and wandered into a market. The sights and smells were overwhelming.

Then the charlatan began his show. Then the dying started.

I knew he was lying about the potions he sold, the ‘cure-all’. I almost spoke out and denounced his claims.

Sweet Sehanine, Moon-Weaver.....why didn’t I speak out?

The desperate were gulled.

They drank his curse-potions.

That is what I shall call him now. Curse-Peddler.

The desperate died. We could not save them. What moves their flesh when his potions took hold was not their own minds or souls.

They became twisted, hungering things. They killed....more than just the five who were cursed were victims today.

Some notable ones stood out. I fought alongside a Priest of Pelor, a human. Creston by name, and a girl of mixed elven blood named Daella. They were capable....I admit I was so shocked and afraid I was of little assistance. Ninala and Flintril acquited themselves well as I expected they would.

I did not see them fight, but a Human wizard named Aldeyr and a strange Fiendling , pardon Tiefling named Curiosity also assisted the town militia.

Before I could even blink it was over. A handful of heartbeats for such carnage.

We were gathered by the captain of the militia, Eliander. A human with the most gorgeous ice-blue eyes I’ve ever see...

I hate not being able to scratch out what I etch in this stone. Damn.

Yes. He was handsome. And capable. And it was very hard to find my words.

He took us to the inn and we met Hannah who has a hateful little familiar in the shape of some noxious mewling fur bag. She makes amazing food, and her eyes are like the loam of fresh turned earth.

I never thought the most enticing thing about these lands would be the brilliance of Human eyes....

I begin to see how half-bloods like Daella are made, if I may be frank.

Talk of murder, of strange beasts, of druids and an abandoned house, and Ninala’s mercenary instincts have gotten me involved in an investigation.

Still. I owe her. I will see this path through.

And Eli Blue-Eyes agreed to watch out for my kin if they pass through.

I can still hear the echo of Flintril’s oaths as he found my gift. It felt good to work some mischief in Sehanine’s name.

By your light I pen this, Moon-Weaver.

By your light I shall be guided.

12 Horisal

What a cavalcade of missteps.

We are most definitely not used to each other, though I can with some satisfaction say that these children are not at all helpless.

We left the town and sought answers from the Drunkard in the Druid’s grove.

I felt useful for once, I was able to utilize some knowledge the others lacked by leading them to the grove by following the Druidic signs.

The drunk was a waste of time however, though we learned a bit of information on the cliff house.

We used that to plan our explorations.

Along the way we saw a ship anchored off the coast a ways, and a sea cave was spied by the casters in our party who look through the eyes of familiar spirits. Perhaps there is more to this house than just a basement.

Ninala proved adept at moving with stealth and speed to scout the house...the rest of us managed to get inside as well despite brief encounters with oversized serpents and some large bugs.

The Tiefling Curiosity showed some strange abilities I do not quite understand. Somehow with strange tools several small stones were turned into sources of stealthy , dim light for those of the party who could not see in darkness.

Coupled with the bag that seems to have...

No. I’m jumping ahead.

In the basement however...rot grubs. I have never been afraid of anything that crawls before...but seeing those monstrous little crawlers swarming my body made me panic. We managed to kill them as a group...and found that the bodies they had been eating were worshippers of a goddess I am unfamiliar with, Raei, a goddess of compassion.

A merciless end to good men. Ninala found a hidden door to a secret set of passages, when she did, the human priest Creston was loud and bold enough to set a ruse to any who might hear in the next chamber that we were leaving.

Some of us stayed below and hid to lay in ambush.

The sneakiest of us made a mistake however, and when one came to investigate he almost spied her. I did not hesitate. Whether he was friend or foe was irrelevant after the battles we had just faced. The corpses in the room belied any innocence on the part of those who dwelled here. Magic sped a stone into his skull and dropped him.

We moved on, into a dining hall of sorts, well lit, and several doors leading from it. One was a bedroom warded by magic, which the wizard Aldeyr recognized as some form of alarming ward. We wisely chose to visit that later. I gave the journal of the dead Raei worshippers to Creston. The priest would understand such things better than I.

After Ninala found a secret passage, she and Daella chose to explore the other door first.

Would you believe me when the rot grubs were not the worst we faced below?

I had never met the undead. Rumors and stories only. To see skeletons rise and lift ragged weapons to attack....

Unnerving. Daella fell into the room when they forced the door open. The first any of us knew that something was wrong was hearing the rush of flame and seeing her back from the room with swiftness. She and Ninala moved for cover as the rest of us pushed forward.

The priest, Creston, earned my respect in that moment. He took to the fore, and for a moment he swelled with his God’s power. More than half of the foe were sent fleeing from the divine force he displayed, and I moved to stand by him, as in that moment I felt as if Moon and Sun must stand together, so lifted were my spirits by the sign of a god working through their agent.

I may have swore at him to get away from the door however, as I caught a glimpse of what still came.

Two of the skeletons were still active and assaulted us, as well as their master: a skeletal magus of some kind, hurling magical acid from its clawed hands. My allies made short work of the skeletons who surrounded me, and blasted at the undead mage with great force, so that I was able to get close enough to end it.

With its death, the remaining undead who were still held at bay by Creston’s power finally fell.

We looted the undead magus’s laboratory that we found, and now we gather our breath and prepare to seek what lies behind the last and hidden door.....

12 Horisal

The bleeding has finally stopped. Some of the end I don’t remember...

I came very close to dying today.

We descended into the hidden caves below the cliff house. I felt confident heading below ground again.

Perhaps arrogant is a better word.

I was so damn sure of myself....this was my element. I could see in the dark, my senses were keen, my comrades were of the younger races and oh so much like children.

I think I proved quickly that I was the child.

I fell prey to a trap in an instant, engulfing myself and the stairs in flame and looking quite the fool in front of Flintril. I felt slightly redeemed when I led the party away from a group of slimes lying in ambush in a cavern ceiling,

But my keen senses were no help at all in spotting a trap that wounded Ninala and Daella.

When the box they were searching exploded, that’s when the foe that had awaited us in ambush struck.

Archers attacked from hidden nooks, one of them leading me right into an ambush led by that bastard Curse Peddler. Like a fool I followed.

I tried to break the ambush by shifting into a larger form and rushing them, but found myself swiftly surrounded and wounded close to death.

The rest of the fight was a haze of pursuit through tight passages and ambushes, as we tried to stop them from escaping in a boat through the sea caves.

Flintril, as well as Ninala’s......companion showed lethal effectiveness in the battle, even if Flintril skirted death before Creston managed to heal him.

Everyone acquitted themselves well, even that venomous Tiefling , Curiosity, who burned the Curse Peddler’s boat before he could escape.

The few survivors of our foe chose surrender over death. I am undecided on how I feel about letting that monstrous magus live.

I was just a stumbling, bleeding wreck by that point. When I could I tried to focus on helping the others plan and collect ourselves.

I find Curiosity so abrasive and snide that I had planned a little stink jar for the bag they carry.

It found a better home in the breeches of the magus. He deserves worse, but my companions are intent on bringing him to justice. They even sent a message to Blue-Eyes to bring his guardsmen to gather the prisoners.

Maybe I can find a comb and wash my face before he gets here...

Maybe I can ensure that the Curse Peddler suffers an accident in custody.

After all, I am now in possession of a great deal of poison.

It will have to do, unless the research we took from him leads us to more of that curse potion he fed to the desperate innocents in town.

I can think of no more fitting fate than to give him the form he forced upon his victims.

And then setting him loose upon whatever monster among this pirate “Revelry” is his master.

......

....

I almost died today. Sweet Sehanine, it has made me cruel.

Let us hope the information Ninala gained from the lackey she questioned is useful and true.

I have seen enough of my own blood that now I am afraid nothing will satisfy me until the ledger is balanced.

Moon-Weaver lend me thy light.

I shall wield it as a spear to pierce this unseen foe which defiles Life. No more curse-potions. No more warped abominations.

Just no.

STILL 12 Horisal

Captain Blue Eyes doesn’t look at me the way I look at him.

I look around, and perhaps it is the height. Or the curves. Humans and half elves and dwarves are so....round.

I look like a little human boy in comparison. One whose testicles haven’t dropped. Washed of all color, none of the myriad hues and shades of skin and hair that surround me as I walk through these strange lands. So much light. We all look like my kind in the darkness, but the sun illuminates how beautiful and varied these surface dwellers are. Sometimes I feel like a cave worm when they stare at me, colorless and skinny and shying away from the sun.

Enough with the shite body image. There will be no romance here. It is a mild infatuation at best. But it’s good to know that I like blue eyes and scars.

The Captain brought some guardsmen and the wizard that Aldeyr is so eager to meet with, to help us get our prisoners back to Alstead. Ninala, Daella and Creston finished scouting the house, which is good. I was eager to put the place behind us.

I did the guardsmen left behind to watch the place a favor...I took some time to convince the living serpent in the well to find a different home. I took her babies with me...perhaps that druid can be of assistance in finding them a safe place to grow.

We returned to the city and met the council. Alstead’s council did not impress me. The moment I realized that a youth, a boy-child sat among them ,because his mother had before him ,soured my impression instantly.

Of all of them only the dwarf could have possibly been as old as I, or older. To put a stripling in a position of authority galled me. My mother is thousands of years old. She led our people through the Calamity. She taught my sisters and I her wisdom every day under her care. None of us and none of the Elders of the Pallid Grove would ever put us in a position of authority simply for holding her blood in our veins.

Respect is earned through deed. Not the circumstances of birth. I have tacitly agreed, with the rest of our little band of misfits, to remain in Alstead while the Council investigates the smugglers and their ties to this pirate Revelry.

But I will make my decisions on my own as to how to proceed. I have known my comrades for less than three days, save for Flintril and Ninala, whom I have known for little longer.

I still trust any of them more than this Council.

Even Captain Blue-Eyes, though his judgement seems sound.

So many factions, so many names to consider.

Clovis Concord. I know nothing of them. Merchants? Diplomats? We seem to have gained some small favor by Ninala returning stolen goods to them. What could that favor mean for a race of Refugees from the Pallid Grove?

I must choose my alliances carefully. I must weigh the nations of these lands against each other. Who do I approach? Who do I avoid?

And where are my sisters? Alys. Anni. The priestess and the poet. Where are you, where are any of you?

We should never have separated. I am too cold and too abrasive to be a diplomat. The fate of our race should be in your hands, not mine.

But maybe, maybe by traveling with these others and watching them I can learn something that will help you. Make allies that can help us all.

Sehanine knows that three hundred odd years underground has taught our kind one thing.

Patience. The cave worm knows how to wait until the sun sets, and it can emerge safely under Sehanine’s light.

If I am to be a cave worm, I will bide my time.

The Moon-Weaver has sheltered us and kept us safe since the world was torn asunder. She will bring us back together, my sisters, and I will not be found wanting. I will make you proud.

20 Horisal

Why do you test me, Goddess?

Soon, we return to the house upon the cliffs. The caverns where I came so close to death. And from there we must trek across the waves to assault the smugglers upon their vessel.

The plan is sound. I feel more confident now that I possess knowledge of the form of the great Bayr. But I feel a shiver of expectation as this battle nears. I feel a faint patina of fear.

In five days we attack unknown odds.

Still....I was able to bring myself to lay out terms before the Clovis Concord’s representative. I can leverage the capture of these smugglers into something more for my kin.

As a group we are meeting tonight to discuss our plans, away from prying ears. I shall hunt for a special treat and find a suitable spot, close to the water so we may all speak without fear of eavesdropping.

I think I shall see what lies in the swamp..

20 Horisal

I have seen darkness.

We gathered to discuss our assault on the ship.

And the wizard, that human Aldeyr, showed me something new. Not what I teased him about showing , either.

Beings of shadow and malice, colder than when we faced undead, horrible and profane. A darkness tangible and accursed. We fought it off, slaying the darkness, but it is a part of him. Somehow it is a part of him, he tried to explain, but I did not know of the forces he speaks. How can a man have a piece of the Shadowfell within him?

I tried to calm him with my words, to gauge his control. And I watched his sleep, followed him about his days.

Something evil sits within him, antithetical to life.

And if it ever gets out again,

Or worse,

I will be prepared to stop it.

Sehanine, let your gentle light guard us from true dark.

I have seen it. Felt it’s claws in my flesh and my soul. It nearly killed me. Poor Aldeyr. So ashamed of his own shadow and it’s actions.

Aldeyr, awkward boy. Stuttering as he speaks to women, but brave enough to shout down Curiosity. Brave enough to fight. Clever tongued and yet insecure in his own voice.

If I have to kill him, I will not hesitate. I believe I may be the only one of our newly formed little group who could bring myself to.

But if I have to kill that bashful boy,

I may never stop weeping.

New Moon.

I do wish I could have felt my lady’s light on my skin this night. But even though her face is shadowed, I can feel the weight of her gaze. We embarked upon the task asked of us by Eliander and the council. Through my own shape changing, some unnatural magic on Daella’s part, and subterfuge with a boat, we made for the ship.

Something felt wrong, though to his credit Aldeyr did not give away that he was only disguised as the Curse Peddler by speaking aloud. And once we were all aboard the ship it became quite apparent that they were prepared for us.

The battle was not going well, at first. The larger part of our party was surrounded in tight confines with the enemy, and Flintrii paid the price, nearly dying again as they all fought to the last. Daella had managed to clear bowmen from the birds nest on the sail stick, and her magic from above assisted better than our foe’s arrows would have.

I did my best. I was far from the others when the battle started, I threw myself into the fight to try and engage the captain and one of the other pirates who wielded magic, but I could not take enough pressure off my allies. Curiosity suffered grave wounds, and combined with Creston was hard pressed to spend their magic to keep themselves alive and the rest of us fighting

Though I could have sworn I saw the image of that sun-worshipper’s god striking at the foe, so maybe he and I both carry some light with us even in this utter dark.

All too soon the fight was over. The scaled ones, the Lizardfolk, three were aboard to purchase the weapons these Revelry had been stealing, and selling to both sides of a war to come against the Sahuagin. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Flintrii spoke their tongue. I will curry favor with these Lizardfolk, as I cannot bring myself to trust the Devil-fish, and perhaps Human-dominated realms need not be the only ally my people will find. They agreed to travel to Alstead to meet with Eliander and the council.

Aboard the ship we found much....I leave the looting to Ninala and Daella when I can. They have the skill to find mechanical and magical traps, and the knowledge to know what is most worth taking. I took a strange, crippled bird, Cuppa, and will learn what I can from him, as Curiosity works through and copies the maps these pirates had. Knowledge is wealth, after all.

I briefly saw a prisoner that had been rescued. Something about her seems....familiar. Tales from before my time, before the Calamity. Tales of Elves who lived beneath the water. Maybe I will take the time to learn from her, though she seems most comfortable with Ninala. And if she won’t speak to me...well. I haven’t spoken the tongues of the Elemental planes since I first met the siblings. It is possible that they have forgotten that I can, and I can learn from her anyway.

I write this as we wait for Eliander and the others to arrive. We lick our wounds and we harvest the dead for coin and gain.

A good hunt. I’m keeping the hat.

26 Horisal

I am beginning to wonder if Flintrii is secretly one of yours, lady Sehanine. The boy was quick to dump arranging the care for the Lizard folk on me, when we returned to the city. His smirk irritates me. I will shave him in his sleep, very very soon. But as for the scaled folk? I will keep them safe as we await word of the council.

I am growing comfortable with these creatures.

.....but I will not forget my priorities.

Ninala took great care to assure that the sea elf, Atollia is safe. She stayed separate from us, but later rejoined once she found a way to take the princess to safe harbor.

Now the summons and time has come. We head to the Council, for reward, and perhaps for information.

I will do my best to keep my allies from being drawn into some mad pirate hunt. The lands of the Menagerie Coast are where my mission lies,

And these allies I have found....

I am loathe to give them up.

26 Horisal. Evening

Weaver’s breath I am exhausted.

Alvita, of the Clovis Concord, met with us and the Council to offer their reward.

I do not think she was pleased that we saw through her secondary offer. She tried to chain us with contract to the ship we had captured,

Crewed by her people, to serve in further conflict against this Revelry.

It was not an offer I would have ever accepted. Luckily I think my comrades felt the same, as we agreed after brief recess to take the money instead.

I would have hated to leave them, but I cannot be out upon the waves while my sisters are still out there somewhere.

I like to believe that, as we shared a womb, rare and magical as it is among Elves for such a thing to occur, I would know if one of them died.

I have to believe that.

I raised my suggestion to the group that we use our good impression with the Lizardfolk as a bargaining chip. They suggested I present it.

It was possibly a mistake,

Ninala managed to prevent me from making Alvita openly hostile to us, and I think I squeezed out an apology in time.

And then I found out she is staying at Eliander’s house. And I stupidly asked to visit and speak with her.

Stupid , beautiful, tall humans and their stupid pretty eyes. I don’t know what I was thinking. I indulged in frippery, spending money on my looks. Foolish and stupid. I still looked like shadow and chalk in a pretty dress. Daella and Ninala tried their best.

I wanted to impress. I even pushed magic into my bearing and my appearance to try to steal the scene.

Dinner was a nightmare. That food.....Like they were trying to burn my tongue from my throat.

And then I did it. I tried so hard, Alys....

I forced myself to speak, forced myself to try my pale imitation of your words.

I tried. Hopefully the Clovis Concord can help. I will do everything I can to make sure that I have a bankroll of favors saved up. I want the people of the Menagerie Coast to owe me.

I will extort our people’s future if I must. If I have to be a monster, I will. If I have to be a legend, I will. That was ever as it was between us, right, Sisters?

Alystyrra, you always know how to shape events to your whims, how to influence with whispers and suggestion and secrets.

Anniyesta, you have the right words. To inspire. To entertain. To advise.

I am not like you, Sisters. I am like Great Mother in the stories of her youth, not like the wise and admirable woman she has become.

I am Nerystina the Beast, after all.

You may have tried to keep that title from use, but I always heard it whispered. I know what our people think of me. Uncultured. Dirty. Insulting. Cruel. I care nothing for their fear or disgust.

But if there can be no Nerys the diplomat, or Nerys the orator...

The Beast will do what she can.

Sometime after being raped of will

Do not speak to me of Illythyia. Ever.

I have been trying for some time to find the words for the events that have been transpiring....

I have no more to say upon this subject. Steps were taken. They were better than the alternative, but softer and weaker than the steps I wanted.

I have no more to say of vampires for now.

I am more eager than ever to finish our business in Alstead and leave.

This place is poisoning me, I need the quiet of dark tunnels and cold mountains.

The Beast needs to remember who she really is.

Concerning my Companions

It comes to me that I have not written enough to describe this collection of children I find myself wrapped up with.

For starters: they are young, yes, but they are not inept or ignorant. Some of them are quick witted and cunning, some are of seemingly noble purpose. All are powerful in their way.

Where to begin?

The siblings I have written more about, if only because I have known them a handful of days longer than the others.

Ninala is some manner of criminal, by my estimate. She opens locks with ease, and she seems to be quite comfortable moving unseen and shares tendencies of mine to ignore “civilized” laws when convenient.

Her brother Flintrii does not talk much. He’s a good warrior, but too withdrawn. I am doing what I can to force him to pull down his walls. Time will tell if great mother’s tricks work when plied by my hands.

In the first battle we all shared I stood near the priest of the sun, Creston. He has tragedy in his recent past, an easy to see faith and a will to do right. His jokes are usually terrible. With rare, shining exceptions. The moon stands with the sun, as ever.

Daella I witnessed in battle for the first time during that fight as well.

Secrets upon secrets there. Power without spellcraft, seemingly pushed from within. Scent of brimstone and the feeling that there is fire beneath her skin. And that trick with her ring, and her.....companion.

I am moving ahead with my plans for her. There are powers learned and powers granted from many sources. The girl is kind, and good-intentioned. My plan proceeds, regardless.

Aldeyr and Curiosity I must speak of together, because they are bound in some way. Who is the real prisoner, and who the real jailer? More must I discover of this empire. Both are intelligent, but with a kind of cunning that speaks of politics and cruel voices in high chambers. What have these two magic-wielders been wrapped in? And why is it do I think that the shadow living in Aldeyr’s body was somehow put there?

I like them both. I shouldn’t. I have my reasons to suspect and fear all of my companions,

But these two, despite Aldeyr being some kind of barely-alive shadow sleeve, these two I like as people.

And the Beast?

You know me by now, stone. I carve my soul into you.

Don’t ask for more than I’ve already written. I have no stomach for it.

After the river journey.

All things are revealed one day.

The more they are watchful for pranks and tricks,

The less attention they pay to how I delve into their own secrets.

I shall play the fool.

But in the end, I will know what they hide even from themselves.

For those of them I respect and trust, I will use that knowledge to support and heal.

If my trust is betrayed, if our lives are out at risk.....

I will know whose secrets are ultimately to blame, and act accordingly.

Self-Reflection

I am a fool.

It was simple enough. I should have waited. I should have worked with everyone better.

A plan should have been formed.

Make no mistake: we emerged victorious. The troglodyte threat purged from the upper area of the mine.

But I spent too much of my power. Flintrii nearly died, Again.

And I felt the tickle of fear.

Had there been another wave of foes, we would have all been hard-pressed,

And I would have used too much power to aid my allies.

Something needs to change, and I am afraid it is me.

I need to apologize to Flintrii. Somehow. I sought to learn more about his inner mind by using pranks and tricks to spark emotion. He continues quietly taking the worst of the violence from our foes. He can be as silent as he wishes, I will let him be.

I need to apologize to Creston. Somehow. The Moon has given me power to heal and support, power I often forget. The Sun should not have to light the world alone. I can aid my allies as well as face the foe. Already he faces much. I should not add to his burdens.

I need to apologize to Ninala. My rash attack started a melee where her brother almost died, again.

I need to apologize to Daella, Curiosity, and Aldeyr. My suspicion and paranoia are unfounded. Simply because I do not understand them does not mean I must fear them.

They have given me little direct cause to doubt their intent.

I.....I have some thinking to do.

I am not used to this.

7 Misuthar

As the massive vessel , (called Perseverance. A strangely comfortable name) , pulls out of Alstead’s harbor, my eyes drift back in the afternoon light towards the place I left them.

Maybe I should have taken a moment to truly speak with them, those motley allies I had found.

But I think that my swiftly etched words are perhaps more honest than if I had time to make a more formal exit.

I am shit at goodbyes.

Maybe I’m just a shitty person, in general.

I don’t even know if this is real or not....

Alyss...Anni. I’m coming.

——————

8 Misuthar

Perhaps my exhausted rambling last night wasn’t the best. I would almost think I was still dreaming as I stare ahead of us as we pull into port.

A ship. A boat as big as this one, with all the sails,

Flying.

There are Magics in this world I cannot comprehend. A sailing ship that plies the clouds as others ride the waves. Mooring itself to a spire on a tower that reaches high above Port Damali.

I should carve what I have neglected to mention, as my body now calms, slightly.

I received some sort of magical communication, a voice I did not recognize that mentioned my sisters and their travels, spoke in my mind and shook me to my core.

I know where they are going, if the voice spoke true. If it lied,

Well. Someone knows enough about the Essesseli sisters to be able to speak in my mind.

There are many ways to slip into and out of Gwardan , for many a clever beast.

It will take me perhaps three to four days to make that distance, using the form of a horse as much as possible.

I’m growing quite comfortable in it by now.

I sometimes wonder how the others fare without me, but I dismiss the thoughts. They are weak thoughts. When I left my Motley, they were working together better despite their mistrusts. And they are each powerful in their own right.

I will go to Gwardan and find the truth. Find my sisters.

I will bring Alys and Anni before the courts of the Menagerie Coast, and let my beautiful mirrors play their games of intrigue and diplomacy.

Then the Beast will be free again, and she will find her Motley once more.

I will make it up to you, my friends. Port Damali lies before me. Gwardan awaits.

But I am coming back to fulfill those vows I never spoke aloud. I owe you all.

——————

10 Misuthar

Gwardan is closer than ever, I move swifter than I thought I could, and I thrill to the race. The form of the horse is so free and powerful, all of its frame and build focused solely on one thing: running.

Had a brief and humorous encounter along the road, a pair of Human merchants who played a game of tag with me for a time. They assumed at first that I was simply a lost and riderless horse,

And it was a great deal of fun keeping out of their ropes.

When I managed to break line of sight with them during our little chase, I dropped my form, as I was exhausted, and helpfully directed them off towards some brambles I had noticed earlier.

Moon Weaver, Sweet Sehanine.

I have not forgotten your wiles.

——————-

13 Misuthar

Well.

That was an interesting development.

I sit beneath the hollow of a small stand of trees overlooking the road into Gwardan. I await the arrival of my kin, if the message was not a lie or a trap, safely outside of the city.

Soon I will know if the voice that spoke in my brain was lying or telling the truth.

Meanwhile, in the ever-expanding tale of how Sehanine tests me, I met the shadow-boy’s sister.

Well. Perhaps she was Aldeyr’s sister. It is hard to say if she was lying. Little resemblance that I could discern, unfamiliar as I am with humans. The boy in the picture she showed me was undeniably my wizard acquaintance. I managed not to let on that I had met him.

Family aren’t the only ones who seek.

And it is an easy lie to make.

15 Misuthar

Speaking of the boy….

It seems the little wizard has found some kind of magic to help him communicate at distance.

A fascinating new development, and it at least confirms that the little motley are still well.

Good.

Their deaths would hurt.

I doze away my days in my little hidey-hole, napping and eating when I must.

Soon.

My sisters will be here soon.

Unless, of course, this has all been a trap. But more and more I am convinced that if this is some sort of ruse, then knowledge of me could have only come from one who has gained it from my sisters, or the others who left with us.

And that would mean that any who would seek to use my sisters to trap me…..either have them, or knowledge of them.

I am the hunter here.

And all roads and possibilities lead me to my prey.

21 Misuthar

It has taken me some days to put my thoughts in order,

Easy to think since my days have been spent in long running.

The Moon Weaver’s blessing remains strong in my people! All of my kin, led by my sisters, survived the trials set before them, and more than that, they seem firmer and stronger than ever. Sweet Sehanine, they were beautiful to behold, a band of my people walking the road to Gwardan unbroken.

But even in those moments of reunion I felt unease. The nagging guilt that had brought me running back to find them replaced by another.

I sent them on to the Clovis Concord.

I have embraced them , my Alys and Anni, and promised that I will return to them again.

I…..

Think I might know how a mother feels,

How Great Mother felt when we ran from her in the Grove.

I stand staring at a new town and know that my children wait for me within. They will never know that they have become such in my heart, and too often , the roles we are to one another are much more complex than that. Not to mention I lack every physical, emotional and moral qualification to be considered a mother.

Still.

Mommy is home. Time to see what trouble they have gotten into in my absence.

22 Misuthar

Returned and needing to head out again.

My feet hurt. I get the nagging itch from time to time to knock my hooves against a stone to clear them of mud and gravel, even when I’m not wearing hooves.

A fortress to clear, I have missed some of what led us to this path. Captives taken, dark men and dark deeds.

A difficult fight ahead, one we will have to use great strategy and focus to succeed in.

I look forward to seeing how far my companions have come.

And….there is a place inside me,

a hungry place. The Beast wants more than I have been giving her. Perhaps I will have a chance to correct that lack.

24 Misuthar

Moon Weaver, even the Beast is horrified.

I am hiding around a corner from my comrades and as I scrub my own sick from my boots I am crying.

I cannot remember the last time I cried like this.

I am not unused to killing, I am not moved by violence. But that is against foes moving against me and mine, killing creatures and people who seek death from us.

Tonight, in the quiet and the dark, I killed five women. Brutally. Swiftly, In their sleep. The wet sounds they made as the acid…..

No. I can say no more or I will vomit upon my boots again.

The worst part? If I had waited, if I had made sure that more of us could have been in that room? Perhaps we could have captured them. But I was sure it would all end poorly. I was not prepared for the skill with which my companions managed to capture so many.

And so, horrified by my own deeds, I hesitated.

The man who is somewhat like our Ninala, this Shoalar, the rapist, he nearly escaped my sharks because I hesitated. I could not keep him from escape, he swam on too fast for me to follow….

Ninala went after him. He is injured by the sharks and by her blades but he is a spellcaster and she is not…and she chased him alone.

I await her return now,

She has to return soon.

She has to.

Because I have nothing wet left in me if she does not…

Not for tears, or for this urge to vomit.

If she doesn’t return….I killed her.

26 Misuthar

Ninala lived.

One day I might be able to tell her how important it was for me to see her come back out of the water, how relived I felt that I hadn’t killed a friend with my failure.

Not today. Today I have no energy left for emotion. I must be as pale and cold as Sehanine’s light.

We managed to pull information from some of our captured foe. We stripped the fortress of its valuables, made sure that our rescued hostages were safe.

And now…..now we drift down this river. Back to negotiate surrendering our captives and delivering their captives to freedom.

After that, decisions must be made. And I will not hesitate to steer my allies towards helping me win a prize that cannot be compared to paltry wealth.

A city. A homeland.

If I must do it alone and if I must shed the blood of every one of these cultists in their sleep…..

Even if the scars I lay upon my heart must be worth the price of a kingdom…

I, Nerystynia Essesseli, vow this dark Oath beneath a moonless sky. I feel Sehanine turn her face from me at the bloodshed I am planning.

Even if I vomit and weep until I have nothing left,

My heart will not stray.

I have written this oath in stone.

28 Misuthar

I write this particular entry in the Aquan tongue, for Ninala to find, and leave this behind the privy along the street in front of the Marquis’ home.

If worst comes from my actions, she deserves to know why I broke into the Marquis’ office and was killed or arrested doing so.

Since returning to this city, victorious in our excursion , I have confronted Curiosity and Aldeyr in turns regarding their loyalties and secrets.

Ninala, they are of the Empire, yes, but more than that: they are being controlled. Their minds spied upon, their lives and possibly even their memories manipulated and under the thumb of some terrible force. Whomever holds their chains is powerful enough to nearly break Aldeyr when he spoke to me.

I want to help them. I hope somehow I can. I am also slightly afraid of both of them….Aldeyr more than Curiosity. Fear is a powerful motive for betrayal.

Ninala, I have discussed some of my suspicions with Creston, whose charity and goodness I respect above the rest of us. I haven’t had a chance to share all.

I have already been writing too long. No time to talk to you and your brother about the scent of primal , living fire that clings to Daella and scares me almost as much as Aldeyr does.

I must move swiftly now, in my smallest and quietest form.

I can’t let them face the Marquis with no one to witness.