Correspondence Log

This page serves as an archive of various correspondences conducted during the travels of the Champions Valoris. These correspondences include letters as well as communications via the Sending spell.

Session 13
Glasny's Letter to Kilwin: Dearest Kilwin, How goes the adventuring? It nears the halfway mark of your journey as I write this, but I hope it reaches you safely and soon. Ideally you&rsquo;ve been able to take time to reflect during your prayer, but in case you&rsquo;ve been unable, allow this time for it. Alethus resides within us all; some small part of us, that is – that is why we have the power to create. Of course, the opposite is also true. K&rsquo;thalios stole some part of his immortal essence into us when Alethus wasn't looking. Thus the terrible mortal power of destruction. Surely you&rsquo;ve seen the result of both on your time away. You might be thinking, &ldquo;Why are you telling me this, Father Glasny? It&rsquo;s been quite a few years since I learned this.&rdquo; I know more than most how aptly you paid attention to lessons. You most definitely took them to heart. However, I&rsquo;m not sure you ever considered why. I think that is the most purely good part of you. Without wavering on why, you followed the path of your heart, and here you are, questing for the common good throughout the world. If you feel yourself wavering now for any reason, think on that. Just something to keep in mind. Glasny PS. Remember you always have a home here. I know we agreed six months from now, but if you have time, stop in for a visit! I&rsquo;m sure the rest of the clergy misses you, not to mention a fair few folks in Cowersby.

Session 14
Kilwin's Letter to Glasny: Dear Father Glasny, I just received the letter you sent. Hopefully I can find a courier to send this out before leaving Quadroad. I apologize for not writing home sooner! Hopefully, this letter reaches you well. The world outside of Cowersby is certainly exciting and wondrous, even if it is a bit overwhelming at times. I feel as if I&rsquo;ve learned much in just these first six months. Seeing so much of Alethus&rsquo;s creation with my own eyes has been enlightening. You were certainly right when you said my world had been a bit small! As you guessed though, I&rsquo;ve also seen a fair amount of K&rsquo;thalios&rsquo;s work, which has been disquieting to say the least. Right now, I&rsquo;m traveling from Port Valor to Falas to deliver a letter from Count Corvus to the Emperor. It&rsquo;s certainly something I never expected to be doing! I&rsquo;m in the company of a group of adventurers- some of them are certainly characters, but mostly they&rsquo;re just good people. I think you&rsquo;d really like them! I do have some bad news though. Part of the reason the count entrusted us with this letter was because we informed him that one of his advisors was planning to kill him. It was a whole mess how we got into that position, and I&rsquo;ll admit I didn&rsquo;t think everything would work out as well as it did, but Alethus was watching over us. The bad news is, when we confronted this man as the count asked us to do, we wound up killing him. I&rsquo;m not sure if we could have avoided it. We tried to leave him alive, but he was trying very hard to kill my new friend Erak and it was quickly becoming a matter of ending it before he could succeed in that. The man was also responsible for a lot of troubles in the city and my touch seemed to burn him without my trying, so I&rsquo;m not sure what kind of case could really be made for him at this point. Still, evidently this man, Tyrian Vordt, bears a grudge because his revenant is tracking my friend Reides, who certainly does not deserve to be pursued by a revenant, and I doubt he plans to leave the rest of us unharmed. I&rsquo;d love to return home early for a visit, but I&rsquo;m reluctant to potentially bring a revenant into Cowersby and just as reluctant to leave Reides and the others behind. I hope I don&rsquo;t sound too prideful, but I&rsquo;m concerned about how they&rsquo;d do without me. Hopefully, the situation will be under control in six months, but any advice you have would be deeply appreciated. I hope that everything in Cowersby is peaceful as usual. The farmers must be sowing their seeds by now. Hopefully, they have a bountiful harvest this year. I may not have written before now, but I do think of all of you often, especially everyone at the temple. Please tell everyone I said hello! May Alethus be with you, Kilwin

Session 22
Kilwin's Letter to Glasny: Dear Father Glasny, I was planning on writing home more frequently after I sent my last letter, but I didn&rsquo;t think it would be so soon! I just wanted to let you know that the situation I wrote to you about roughly a week ago is mostly under control now. The revenant definitely still exists, but we&rsquo;ve managed to trap him. Reides has ideas for some further precautions, and I suppose something could always go wrong, but we&rsquo;re safe for the time being! I hope I didn&rsquo;t worry you too much. As relieved as I am that all of us survived that experience, I&rsquo;m still a bit troubled by the whole ordeal. You know I&rsquo;m not prone to anger, but the circumstances were pretty extreme, and I&rsquo;m afraid I lost my temper and said some pretty harsh things to Tyrian before we trapped him, some of which were a bit unfair. It&rsquo;s a bit late to apologize to him now, though. Now that I&rsquo;m out of the situation, I can maybe understand how he could think we wronged him by breaking up his gang and stopping him from assassinating the Count. Sometimes, when I&rsquo;m in prayer, I even find myself feeling sorry for him. Even when he was alive, most of the people working for him seemed to be doing that because they were afraid of him or their situations didn&rsquo;t leave them with many other options. I can&rsquo;t really say for sure that he had no one he cared about, and we did actually meet someone who cared about him, but two of the three people closest to him were willing to sell him out, and he certainly didn&rsquo;t seem to care about the third. I guess I just can&rsquo;t understand it. What drives people to seek power for its own sake? Especially at the cost of other people&rsquo;s lives? On one hand, I&rsquo;m glad I don&rsquo;t get it, but on the other, maybe we could&rsquo;ve reached out to Tyrian earlier and stopped some of this from happening in the first place. I write this letter from Vilais Watch. It&rsquo;s a nice town with good people, even though there&rsquo;s been some troubles here recently, and I&rsquo;m really glad I can stay here another night. This is actually where Tyrian caught up to us, so we had to leave it in a hurry at first. The people here may not be especially pious, but it&rsquo;s clear that the light of Alethus shines within them. They certainly don&rsquo;t deserve having their lives interrupted by the undead attacking their town. Tyrian killed a woman here, and a man was injured by his ghouls. (I&rsquo;m not being mean, he had literal ghouls with him.) I feared it would be worse, and I&rsquo;m glad I did what I could to stop it, but between this experience and the fact that I&rsquo;m still not convinced Tyrian rose naturally and some disturbing things I&rsquo;ve heard out of Port Valor... I&rsquo;m reasonably sure someone (something?) is out there, and I don&rsquo;t think I can just ignore it. I know I only have so much time, but I want to do what I can to stop more of this from happening while I&rsquo;m still out in the world. Anyway, this &ldquo;brief&rdquo; update on my situation ran a bit longer than I really intended. I apologize if I rambled a bit too much. I hope we can discuss some of this in person once I&rsquo;m home. I&rsquo;ve been seeking guidance from Alethus, of course, and trying to work the rest out myself, but I&rsquo;ve always appreciated your willingness to listen and your advice. I&rsquo;ll definitely write to you again before I&rsquo;m back in Cowersby, but probably not quite so soon as this time. Hope you&rsquo;ve been well! Alethus watch over you, Kilwin

Session 23
Kilwin's Letter to Rilineth: Dear Rilineth, I hope you&rsquo;re feeling at least a little better by the time you&rsquo;re reading this. Sorry to have to leave this note for you! We waited until this morning, and I was hoping you&rsquo;d have come back to the tavern by now, but it makes sense that you&rsquo;d need more time to yourself. We really needed to get back on the road to Falas, so we headed out. We&rsquo;re all really hoping you&rsquo;ll catch up with us though! Actually, Erak, Reides, and Jorah came looking for you to talk and offer you some alcohol a while after you left. So they definitely want you to come back when you&rsquo;re ready! We hopefully shouldn&rsquo;t be too hard to find- We&rsquo;ll probably stay on the main road, and we&rsquo;re sticking to normal walking, so it shouldn&rsquo;t be too difficult to catch up to us traveling alone. In the meantime, safe travels. I know you&rsquo;re very self-sufficient, and like Reides said after you left yesterday, you always seem to show up when we need you the most, but to be honest, I&rsquo;m going to keep worrying about you while you&rsquo;re out on your own anyway. We&rsquo;re all hoping to see you again soon, and we&rsquo;d really prefer it if you were in one piece! May Alethus watch over you, Kilwin Firstlight 15

Session 32
Kilwin's Letter to Our Fellow Adventurers: Bloomshower 4 598 Dear Fellow Adventurers, Hi! I hope your recent travels have gone smoothly. If you&rsquo;ve come here looking for Blighthorn the dragon, though, I also hope you haven&rsquo;t spent too much time searching. You did find Blighthorn&rsquo;s lair! It was in this tower. Our group already came here though and managed to defeat him, but apparently dragons fade away when they die? So there&rsquo;s no sign that he&rsquo;s dead and not just somewhere else at this point, and we might not be able to get back to the guild to get the bounty taken off the list for a while. Anyway, we thought we&rsquo;d leave this note so you don&rsquo;t waste too much time searching for the dragon. We&rsquo;re sorry for any inconvenience! Sincerely, [there&rsquo;s a few drops of ink here where Kilwin hesitated on how to sign it] The Dark Oak Companions

Session 44
Kilwin : Sorry to pester you, but Port Valor was destroyed. Terrible things happened. They're still happening! We're on it, but I wanted to know you're safe. Be careful. Erak : Caugus&rsquo;s balls! Kilwin, keep safe. My visions are rough to follow, but I&rsquo;m doing the best I can. It sounds like we both are. Good- - Reides : Viglis. It&rsquo;s Reides. On surface. Things aren&rsquo;t good. Demons, cities dying. Is everyone okay? Be alert. I know you&rsquo;re angry with me but please remember – Viglis : What in the- Is that you, Reides? Please listen, you must come back home. It's safer here than there with those attacks. We can talk - - Reides : Hi. I&rsquo;m the blue person you helped. In the net. Name is Reides. Sorry for telling you like this. Are you okay? World is scary. ??? : Eadro's bloody beard, I wasn't expecting to hear from you. All's fine in Atemcester. We just sailed here from Davenport. By the way, my name -

Session 45
Kilwin's Letter to Grinlief: Sunpeak 7 598 Dear Grinlief, It&rsquo;s been a while since our paths crossed, so I hope you still remember me and my friends! I&rsquo;m also not sure if I actually introduced myself to you when we were in Vila&rsquo;s Watch. If I didn&rsquo;t, I&rsquo;m sorry! That was awfully rude of me! My name is Kilwin and I&rsquo;m the cleric from the party of adventurers who helped find out who killed Bertram Rhastur. I hope you&rsquo;ve been well! We&rsquo;ve had better weeks, but that&rsquo;s neither here nor there. I&rsquo;m writing to apologize because Reides (my blue friend) and I offered to go get drinks with you, and then we left town while the tavern was closed. We&rsquo;ve gotten involved in a variety of problems since then, and honestly, they just seem to be getting worse. Unfortunately, they&rsquo;re also taking us even farther from Vila&rsquo;s Watch. I&rsquo;m giving this letter to someone teleporting to Falas, but I&rsquo;m actually in what&rsquo;s left of Port Valor right now, and I think we&rsquo;re traveling to the Exeter next. It&rsquo;s still going to be a while before we can visit again, but I wanted to make sure you knew that we haven&rsquo;t forgotten about you. We&rsquo;re looking forward to seeing you again when that&rsquo;s possible! Also, I don&rsquo;t want to burden you with our troubles, but there&rsquo;s a lot of dangerous things happening around Alethustria. Like I mentioned, Port Valor has more or less been destroyed. Demons were involved. We&rsquo;re still hoping there&rsquo;s a way to reverse some of the damage, but I can&rsquo;t help but worry about a lot of people we&rsquo;ve met in our travels. Vila&rsquo;s Watch should be safe as far as we know, but we&rsquo;re not sure about Falas. It might be a good idea to steer clear of there for now, if you have the choice. We&rsquo;re trying to do something about it, and we&rsquo;ve given the information to the right channels, so it&rsquo;s hopefully not anything you&rsquo;ll have to worry about, but please be careful. The people who care about you would much rather see you again than hear that you made a heroic last stand against some awful demon. I would be very upset if we didn&rsquo;t get to meet again! Hopefully it will end up being sooner than I expect. My friends and I miss you very much. Please stay safe, Kilwin - Kilwin : I haven't given up. We're going to meet again and we're going to bring you back. That's a promise as your friend. Slumberjack : &hellip;

Session 46
Slumberjack's Letter to Kilwin: Kilwin, I had a dream where my Guide appeared and told me that I do not fit in with you all. Although you have all shown me such kindness and relative acceptance that says otherwise, I cannot help but feel their words do ring true. They said that someone will come for me in the near future and I should accept their invitation, and I fear that this upcoming excursion may be the exact opportunity they warned told me of. I am sorry, Kilwin. I truly am. I think I will be going with them if not to free yourselves of travelling with a wanted criminal and a bad person an abomination  a mistake someone who prefers a sword over diplomacy, to find out more about my Guide and what my purpose is here. My mother told me my birthright was special and I had something to do in my time here. They say what I am is a gift, but I fear it is more a curse than a blessing. Please do not mourn for me or look for me. My Guide telling me of this invitation tells me it is tainted and written in blood. Only a horrible thing would accept someone as twisted as myself. Thank you for everything you have done for me, your attempts to help were more than anyone has ever done for me, and I will remember this until my death. Pass along my well wishes to the others and please take care of yourself, you are so selfless I fear that without me to corrupt your path you will give so much of yourself to others that you will lose yourself. Fondly and forever your friend, Slumberjack (Rilineth) P.S. I hope that one day I can return and teach you Celestial.

Session 48
Orrin's Letter to the Party:

Dearest Adventurers,

Though this you know, it was at the behest of Clan Stormshield your party was able to gain entry to the hallowed halls of the Exeter. As recompense, I humbly request you bring the recovered arcane focus to me at my estate the day following your arrival.

In the meantime, I invite you to explore the wonders the city has to offer. As you are the only adventurers or even travelers to be admitted in quite some time, I am sure the shops along the Ancestor's Course may interest you.

I would also request you arrive no later than one hour before noon. Once the time comes, the estate is located in the Diamond District. You can find it quite easily heading toward Bannsun Palace and making a left at the statue of Audha Wyrmaxe.

Please arrive no later than one hour before noon.

Orrin Stormshield

Master of Clan Stormshield

Session 56
Ashara : Kain. [long mental pause] Goodnight. Kain : Ashara? ...Goodnight. I hope you have dreams of a bright tomorrow. - Ashara : I miss you. Sweet dreams. Kain : I miss you too, Ashara. - Ashara : The Library Date... you know it isn't a friend thing, right? Please Send to me to sometime. Goodnight for real. Kain : Oh... A work thing? Wait a second... You mean... I didn't realize... Ten preserve me. That makes so much sense... The beads. I'm the dumbest- - Ashara : Also, look into extending your lifespan. I am over 2000 years old, and I will be pissed if you die at 90. Love you. Kain : Ashara... Let's go on another date next time you're here. No promises about the lifespan thing, but... Okay, we'll see. - Ashara : /Love you too/ was the proper response. Or at least an acknowledgement. I also still might die this may be your only chance to say it. Kain : Oh my god... I didn't even realize. I was too busy thinking about how dumb I was being that I did it again. I love- - Kilwin : It&rsquo;s Kilwin! Would you like if I said hi like this sometimes? Not super often. You can talk back in your mind if you want! Grinlief : Oh my! Hello, Kilwin! Feel free! A little late, but no matter. Did you see they made me mayor? Oh, still on for drinks sometime? - Kilwin : You're really mayor? That's exciting! We're defintitely still on. Also sorry but it might be hard to reply sometimes. I&rsquo;ll try. Great to hear you- Grinlief : Indeed I am! And I can't wait! I suppose my stellar deductive reasoning made me a great candidate! Great to hear you too!

Session 57
Ashara : Hi honey bunny, we're out of prison. See you soon, hopefully. We're ok for now. Update you soon. Love you bunches and forever!! Kain : I'm glad to hear it. Perhaps we can meet up again in Atemcester? Oh, did you manage to secure the Crest? - Ashara : Crest secured. I will Send to you when in the next village, we've got a lot of lost time to make up for. Love you. Kain : Wonderful! You're brilliant, Ashara, in every sense of the word. I'll be in touch. And I hope to make up for that and more. - Ashara : Does this mean you will send to me? We're in danger until we leave this place, so we may lose contact if not. Love you Kain. Kain : If I can. Things have been tough searching out the mole and securing the crest. It's basically been consuming all our time. Please stay safe. - Kilwin : Please be careful. Something really big and scary might be mad at me and it might know where I'm from. Maybe not! Could be nothing! Crys : Kilwin... I have to say this is quite an alarming message to receive randomly at 5 o'clock. The Order of Cowersby will be on alert. - Reides : Hi! It&rsquo;s Reides again! The blue person. I want to see you. Want to meet? Going to Atemcester. Still quite far away. Please say yes! ???: Hey, Reides! Sure, I'd love to see ya. One small notch in the rope, though. We're leaving in about a month in half, can ya- - Reides : You know, this spell has a limit of 25 words. You keep getting cut off! I hope I&rsquo;ll get there in time. What&rsquo;d you like? ??? : Oh, really? That kinda sucks. Anyway, I was saying we had to leave in a month or so. Can ya make it in time? - Reides : Again: I hope so! Try not to rush off though, okay? We&rsquo;ve just left the Exeter. ??? : Well, I sure wish it were up to me! The Kraken isn't quite one to let us rest too long. Miss me that much, huh?

Session 58
Kilwin: We just left the Exeter a few days ago. Heading west. We had kind of a crazy time there. Glad to leave. Hope you're doing well! Grinlief: Doing fine, thank you very much Kilwin! I deduce you might have crazy times everywhere you go, but I hope you're doing quite well yourself!

Session 61
Ashara : Died (?) and came back. I think we killed the source of the memory plague. I love you so much. Please reply. May die on journey. Kain : What? You died?! And the memory plague...? What the hell happened there? Are you okay? I love you. Don't die on me.

Session 62
Kilwin: I sent a letter but don't know when you'll get it. I'll be late coming home, but I'm not sure how late. A few months? Glasny: Take your time, Kilwin. Alethus is patient, as you know, and I'm sure you're doing righteous work. - Reides : Still on the way, at Raven Rock. I want to help someone, how much longer are you in Atemcester? ??? : No worries, Reides! We're delayed out of Atemcester for a while because of a vortex over the North Eadrenan. You've got time!

Session 63
Kilwin : I just realized I don't actually know where you're from. I'm from Cowersby, by the way, near Laketon. Grinlief : Ah! My goodness, you spooked me quite good, Kilwin! I'm from Falas, of course! My parents live on the High Terrace!

Session 64
Kima : Kilwin, it's Kima. I'm not sure what happened, but a few of the afflicted just died. Kilwin : Sorry, a lot going on right now. Can you tell me if more pass soon? I'm sorry. Not sure if things are related.

Session 65
Ashara : Raven Rock's gone, friends are unconscious. Slumberjack working with demons. Please send help. We have an even bigger target on our backs. Also summoned black holes? Kain : Gone? Like Port Valor? Slumberjack... We'll try to send help but we don't have teleportation right now. And... black holes? - Kilwin : How are things? Did many more pass? I know what happened. It&rsquo;s not Good news but there&rsquo;s a chance we can get them. Kima : Kilwin! I've been trying to reach you. I'm glad you're okay. And... yes... Quite a few passed. If you can save them, please... Please try. - Kilwin : I understand if you're angry, but I still haven&rsquo;t given up on that first promise I made you. We know something&rsquo;s wrong. Til next time. Slumberjack : &hellip; - Reides : Hi! It&rsquo;s Reides again! A lot happened, but I&rsquo;m alive! Close to Atemcester now. We need somewhere to stay. Where would you like to meet? ??? : If you need a place to stay, the Fish and Spell at Portside is as good a place as any. We can meet there too.

Session 67
Kain : Hey Ashara, it&rsquo;s me. Can you meet me at the Teleportation Nexus in the center of Atemcester? Ashara : Yes, I&rsquo;ll be there as soon as I can. - Ashara : I&rsquo;m here, there&rsquo;s just a lot of wizards with books. Kain : Just head inside and wait for me. I&rsquo;ll be there soon! - Kilwin : We made it to Atemcester. It&rsquo;s very busy! Did you know there&rsquo;s floating towers and bridges here? It&rsquo;s incredible! Hope you&rsquo;re well! Grinlief : Quite incredible indeed, my dear Kilwin! Have you been to Falas and seen their airships? I bet that would be quite a treat for you! - Kilwin : I have! Falas was a bit overwhelming, but it was amazing! I&rsquo;d like to go back someday&hellip; Maybe, uh, we can meet up there someday? Grinlief : That would be quite lovely! We can visit good old Saint Vashreen's and see the sights! It would be nice to see you! - Reides&rsquo; Letter to Aske: Good morning, Aske! Sorry to rush off! You were sleeping so soundly. I already feel bad for keeping you up so late, so I didn&rsquo;t want to interrupt. :-) I had a wonderful night. I have to say, I like the bad-mannered side of you quite a bit. I have some very important things that I must do with my companions, but I&rsquo;ll be back later on. I hope the Kraken doesn&rsquo;t work you too hard. If she throws another fish at you, be sure to dodge.  I&rsquo;d also like to talk to you about something on the more serious side, at some point. It&rsquo;s nothing bad, I promise! Now that I think about it, I probably shouldn&rsquo;t have even mentioned it here. Now it&rsquo;s going to bother both of us all day, isn&rsquo;t it? But if I scratch it off, it&rsquo;ll be a waste of ink. Not to mention, it&rsquo;ll look even more suspicious! So, it&rsquo;s fine. Again: Nothing bad!   xoxo, Reides

Session 68
Ashara : Circle summoned us, please advise. They might expect us to represent the Empire. Love you lots, kisses. Kain : Er... why do they think you're representing the Empire? Just be on your best behavior. Don't let Kilwin say anything just in case. Love you.

Session 70
Reides' Letters to Lathendria & Dillan Hello, Lathendria! It&rsquo;s been a while since you&rsquo;ve heard from me, hasn&rsquo;t it? I hope that things are okay for you over at Port Valor, and that the rebuilding effort is progressing swimmingly. My companions and I are still hard at work on our journey, which is taking us all over the place - but I&rsquo;m sure that I can speak for them when I say that we&rsquo;re all keeping Port Valor in our thoughts. Times are worrying, but rest assured: Hope will always prevail. I&rsquo;ve been a bit worried about Dillan, so I wanted to send a letter to him, too. He may need assistance with reading some of it – I&rsquo;m aware my handwriting isn&rsquo;t the neatest, my apologies! – so if you could please help read it to him and pass along the candy, I&rsquo;d be grateful. Thanks, Reides -

Hi, Dillan! How are you? I&rsquo;m so glad that I could FINALLY send a letter your way! I&rsquo;m sorry that it took me so long. Pepega and I have been on all sorts of adventures with our friends. Pepega wants me to tell you that she got a new ribbon in a place called the Exeter. Have you heard of it? You can look for it on a map, if you&rsquo;d like. It&rsquo;s very deep underground – so deep that there&rsquo;s lava out in the open! I felt like I was getting melted into a soup! Anyway, Pepega&rsquo;s looking very cute now. I&rsquo;ll draw a picture of her for you. I&rsquo;m a real artist, aren&rsquo;t I? A while ago, we saw some fae creatures, too! Did you know that Pepega is a fae? I summoned her myself! The spell I used for that is called &ldquo;Find Familiar.&rdquo; Pepega is my familiar! Those creatures weren&rsquo;t cute like Pepega is, though. Some were like giant dogs, with faces that looked like angry old men. I&rsquo;d draw another picture but they were very ugly, so I&rsquo;ll spare you the sight! Don&rsquo;t worry, though – we sent them running off far, far away! At any rate, we hope that you and Monka are doing well and staying safe. Be a good kid and listen to Lathendria. But don&rsquo;t be too good. Make sure you have fun! Reides &amp; Pepega P.S.: Enjoy the salt water taffy – it&rsquo;s a favorite of mine!

-

Ermos: Hello, Ashara? The Circle is ready for you if you're free! Ashara: Yes! I'll be on my way there, as soon as I can! Looking forward to it! - Ashara: kilwin meet me at the teleport place love u  Kilwin: I'll be there soon! I have bread

Session 71
Reides: Viglis, it’s Reides. I’m coming home. To help, not to stay. I hope everyone is safe. No matter what, we will protect Aquos. Take care.

Viglis: Reides? Now isn't the- Just stay away from Laverathia. It's no longer safe... Aquos... Persana help us, Aquos has fallen. The family, fled... The storm…

Reides: Viglis, where are you? I'm coming to help - no matter what. There's no use telling me not to!

Viglis: ( Primordial ) Reides, stop... No. A beast has taken the capital... Taken Lotlyn. I know you want to help but... I can't let you get taken too.

-

Paisodos: Ashara. Come sit by the booth in the corner. Don't alert your companions.

Ashara: (No reply; goes to sit by the booth in the corner.)

Session 72
Kilwin : We&rsquo;re sailing! Long story. Might be in Falas in a week or so. Timeline&rsquo;s fuzzy. Do you want to try meeting? Fine if you can&rsquo;t. Grinlief : If I can make it out of the office, dear Kilwin! As you may very well know, the office of mayor comes with many responsibilities! - Ashara: Hi honeybunny, love and miss you lots. Hope you're taking time to rest and relax. We'll be in Aquos soon. Love you so much. Kain : Be safe dearest. Resting in Falas now... for the first time in a while. I love you too. - Kilwin : Sorry for leaving you hanging like that. That&rsquo;s fine! I thought you might have a lot going on. I&rsquo;ll keep you posted, just in case. Grinlief : Not to worry, Kilwin! I'm sure we can work something out! - Reides : Lotlyn, it&rsquo;s Reides! This is a messaging spell. I heard about Aquos. Everything will be okay. It&rsquo;s my turn to save you, now. Love you. Lotlyn : Who... Reides...? It's you... I... Come quick. Please... Please. I- I'm really scared. - Reides' Letter to Aske's Father:  Mr. Relius Chales, Hello! You don’t know me, and I, technically, don’t know you – but I wanted to write to you regardless! So please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Reides and I’m an adventurer. On account of all the adventuring that I must do, I’m on the road quite a bit with a rather unpredictable schedule. However, your son Aske is very, very, very important to me, and so I wanted to meet you! This manner of meeting you is far from ideal, but I think it’s better than just being a mysterious person that Aske tells you about. Or, Pers Gods forbid, he might even keep me entirely secret! If he did, I wouldn’t be too offended. He is a little bit shy sometimes, I think!

Occasional shyness aside, Aske is an incredible person who has helped me so very much during the course of my journey – you must be so proud of him. Everything that he’s told me about you has been so interesting. He said that you make things out of wood and such! Including ships! That’s amazing. I’ve always regarded ships as fascinating, even when I was child. Aske also told me that you live in Davenport, and that Davenport is rather cold, and that it’s getting even colder at this time of year in particular, so I do hope that you’re keeping warm. As for me, the cold never bothered me all that much, so it sounds rather lovely.

I suppose I should tell you a bit more about myself. I am amphibious! A triton, in fact! And I’m a wizard. Don’t worry, though! I’m not like those stuffy wizards over in Atemcester. If you don’t like them, I understand – not many people seem to, and they even scare me, as much as I love magic, myself! I’ve taught myself a variety of spells, including one that lets me conjure up a familiar. She is an owl named Pepega, and she would love to meet you too, but, alas, she can’t write, so that will have to wait! I enjoy conducting research and reading and learning about all sorts of things. I like salt water taffy a lot, and shells, and my favorite colors are purple and green.

Anyway, this is getting quite long, and I’ve been told that it is “weird” to write a letter to you, but I don’t see the harm in it, personally, so I hope you don’t either. I also hope that I can visit you someday soon. Maybe we can drink a nice tea or something together and exchange stories about Aske. You can tell him I said that if you want.

It’s very nice to meet you! Stay safe!

- Reides

Session 73
Reides: Viglis, I talked to Lotlyn with this spell. She’s scared, but there’s hope. Where are you? Please, don’t be stubborn. We need to meet up.

Viglis: Persana below, Reides... I told you not to come... Fine, then. Remember the old tunnels in the castle? The one behind the throne?

Session 77
Kilwin: Wanted to check in. I know I was supposed to be back by today, but we’re on the Eadrenan Sea right now. How are things?

Glasny: All is well, Kilwin. ...You know, you've never been a good liar. That said, I trust you're doing what's right. Be safe.

-

Ashara: Hi lovebug, hope you're able to have time to relax and rest these days. Tomorrow may be my last. Love and miss you darling.

Kain: Um, what?! Ashara, please try to limit how ominous your messages are! Can you explain? I'm worried for you. I care about you.

Ashara: P.S. don't have a will but if I die, all my things are yours. We are underwater. Why did Emperor give wreath back?

Kain: Aren't all your things down there with you, then? Do you mean Karseidon? He spread them around to be safe.

Ashara: Aquos under attack, kraken and abalor control city who said you may die that. I'm away from what I love and makes me happy. Kisses.

Kain: What? Should I be worried about an attack? Please don't fight any krakens. Please. What is an abalor? Aboleth? Be careful. I love you.

Session 78
Reides: Viglis - Dhudus working with aboleth! Don't trust him!

Viglis: Persana help us, Reides, I know! He's stabbed Dharsus and nearly slit my throat.

Reides: Viglis - we killed the kraken and the aboleth. How are you? How is everything? By Persana, are you okay? And Dhudus?!

Viglis: Dhudus is unconscious. Heavy losses, but they're routed now. I'm injured but will make it. Are you okay? Meet at entrance hall.

-

Reides: Lotlyn – keep on being strong… We killed the beasts that took over the capital. We’re looking for you, now. Do you know where you are?

Lotlyn: Reides! Please come quick... I'm... really scared. I don't know where I am... it seems kind of familiar... There's chains on the wall…

Session 79
Reides: Aske, what’re you wearing? Just kidding! Killed a kraken and an aboleth! Aquos is safe. My family is, too. Are you okay? I love - !

Aske: You were the one telling ME about the limit? I'm fine. I love you. I'm glad you're all safe. I'd like to meet them someday.

-

Kilwin: We’ve been in Aquos. Reides’ home underwater. It’s a big secret but I got permission. I’m sorry I felt like I couldn’t tell you before.

Glasny: I suspected as much, my dear boy. No harm done, Kilwin - I'm sure your friend respects you very much for getting that permission.

Session 80
Ashara: Jorah found me, oh fuck, meet at Ruby Eye in Crafts District or meet me at the elevator for the crafts district, how the fuck?

Kilwin: I thought we were meeting at the Holy Terrace elevator?? I’ll go to the Crafts Terrace instead, hopefully I’ll find you.

Ashara: Hi again, please meet us at the first elevator out of the Market Terrace. Thanks. Love you.

Kilwin: I think I know the one you mean- I’ll head there then. Love you too?

-

Ashara: Hi Reides, we will be meeting at 6pm at the gate to the palace. Please be there and let Briar know, please!

Reides: Okay, sounds good. I’ll try not to get lost! And I can let Briar know.

-

Reides: Hiiii Briar. Hope all the leaves are looking nice and pretty. We’re gonna meet at the gate to the palace at 6pm. See you soon!

Briar: 🌲🌲 Ah, perfeect! I'll see you then!

-

Ashara: Hi, we are outside the palace gates please come fetch us. Love you and see you soon.

Kain: Be there in a moment! Your rooms are already. I love you too.

Session 81
Reides: Biglis! I did research. The aboleth’s control shouldn’t be able to reach Dhudus anymore. Please tell everyone; he should be free. Have a good night!

Kilwin: Reides! I'll speak with him... and see him free. Also, your cleric friend - the healers have taken to calling him the Deeplight in thanks.

-

Jorah’s Letter to Julia

Julia, I know you said you wanted more than letters but this will have to do for now. Just got back from our trip at time of writing and everyone is ok. It was a bit close at some points and one guy got eaten but we all made it out with all of our limbs.

Cant say too much about what we did and where we were in a letter as its not really my secret to share but ill try and get my wizard friend's permission to share it next time i visit. Safe to say, it was a hair worse than I think any of us expected and we had damn low hopes to begin with. I think we are going to spend some time in the capitol and de-stress after that.

In any case, I know ive said this before but keep an eye out for any strange shit going on up there. things have been crazy just about everywhere lately and if some shit come up feel free to take out carriage and Gin and get yourself and the brats out of there.

On that grim note, stay safe and ill do the same till next time i can visit.

- Jorah

-

Ashara: We have more to share, can you please arrange a short but urgent audience.

Kain: I can look into it, but she's in an audience at the moment. What should I tell her?

Ashara: Divine revelations about our current situation. Extremely important and time sensitive.

Kain: I'll talk to her. You sound serious... This must be important.

-

Kain: Make your way to the throne room now - the audience is over.

-

Kilwin: This is Kilwin, sorry to bother. The ruin- was it on the mountain north of Bastion or one west of the road? Jorah's well, also!

Julia: North of Bastion, of course. Dwarves'll tell you. Don't ever do this again.

Session 82
Briar's Letter to Reides

Reides.

Before all else, I’m so Proud of you. Truly! You’ve overcome so much since I tagged along on your journey, and there’s so much that you do to inspire me. Even in this short period, you’ve grown so much that it flabbergasts the mind to see it! There are often times when I wonder, if I had any of your burdens, would I be able to weather it? To keep moving forward? Truthfully, I don’t know.

But maybe I’m being unfair to myself. In fact, that’s a thought I’ve had on multiple occasions since adventuring with you all! Yall are really so special, so inspiring, so fun to be around! Even when there’s a crisis looming around a corner, it’s easy to take heart knowing that I can rely on my party. My Family.

Because you are family to me. You know that, right? Maybe I’m a coward for only daring to say such important words here, ink whispering vows of love and bonds and concerns on paper, afraid to speak aloud in case a jealous God overhears. Maybe I’m scared to see your expression when I say that. Which is silly, really. I mean, we slayed a bloody Kraken together. An Aboleth too! We literally reclaimed your city, a place usually barred to outsiders, and yet, I doubt that my affection might be reciprocated by the people who’ve rapidly become most important to me?

It’s funny. I tried to convince you that words, titles don’t have as much power as people think when you were agonizing over returning to Aquos, the place that dubbed you the Storm Prince. But here, I’m proving the opposite! Every time I whisper “family” aloud, with every pen stroke (or whatever this thing is) that acknowledges our connection, I feel a thrill course through me. Maybe…maybe titles do have power, but it’s up to us to define how much.

Erak’d laugh at me for agonizing like this, you know. “Ah, little moon, my favourite overthinker. Do you have such little faith in yourself? Do you think that the ones you hold in such a high regard would look at you poorly?” He’d say something like that, probably.

I can wax on and on, but truth be told, I think I’m just putting off finishing this letter since it’ll feel final. So, with bravery inspired from you, I’ll dare to conclude. I have learned so much ever since meeting you all, and I hold you dearly in my heart. I promise you this. If this destination is what it promises to be, I’ll be back. If it’s not, and I must continue traveling, I’ll return here when it’s all done.

After all, is the best part of traveling not returning home?

With Love, Little Moon

PS I’ll bring another spirit fruit for Pepega when I come back, Erak and I were experimenting with the idea of making an orchard! :)

-

Briar's Letter to Ashara

Ah, Ashara, my friend.

Is it weird to say that I think of you as a kindred spirit in many ways? Having to come to terms with saying farewell to all that you hold dear, your memories providing the sweetest pain you’d ever know. After all, even if the memories themselves aren’t good ones, they’ve become just that, memories. And that stings as much as it affirms yourself.

It’s hard to verbalize honestly, but I often take solace in the fact that you’re probably the closest person to understanding my experience. Of course, our paths and lives diverged, but the end result…it’s fairly similar, no?

It’s part of what makes this departure so painful to me, to be honest. I’ve finally found companions–no, family. I’ve finally found a family that I want to stick with, but yet must leave. Ah, paradoxes.

This may be a bit preachy, but please. Before something similar happens to you, or something happens that makes you operate separately from the rest of the party. Please make sure that the party knows what you mean to them. You have many reasons to live with your anger. You’re justified! Just…the more you carry your anger just beneath your skin, this subcutaneous fury and hurt, the easier it boils over. And the thing with it is, the ones who get hurt the most from this tend to be the people you care about the most.

BUT ANYWAY!

I didn’t spend hours learning to write in these bloody membranes underwater to do nothing but preach at you, so enough with that. When I’m back, I demand we kill a bottle of brandy or something alike. Just…make sure it isn’t deepcoral wine, huh? I love you and the gang so much, and I hope to return some day, so keep your tolerance high!

Until next time,

Briar

-

Briar's Letter to Kilwin

Kilwin, my friend.

Just writing these letters brings me a little pain, knowing that I'll soon be separated from you all. It’s funny, that even while I’m here, looking at you all, that I’ve already begun missing everyone.

Truth be told, I’m hoping that This plane will be the last I have to travel to. An unending journey wears away at the soul, moreso when it’s done alone, and I think I finally found somewhere that I’d like to return to.

Adventuring, talking, even cooking! Everything feels new when I’m with everyone, and I hope you know that you’re a big part of that. Even from the first, you’ve been welcoming, something that I deeply appreciated. To be by you is to be comforted. Wounds I didn’t even know I carried within me being soothed is a regular occurrence once I’m in your presence.

Ha! I made you blush a little bit, didn’t I! Maybe the tips of your ears burning a furious red? But seriously, you’re such a good person, Kilwin. It may be hard for you to say about yourself, so let me say it for you. The way you constantly put others before yourself, always trying your best to be helpful. It’s no wonder you’re so beloved by Alethus.

Again, mind your blush! I’ll ease up on you to spare your overworked capillaries, but just know that I deeply value our connection, my friend. In a party filled with so many different personalities, all leading in so many different directions, it’s as true as it is trite to say that you’re the heart of the party. We would simply not be able to function without you, and I hope you know how highly loved you are.

From me too! I truly think of everyone here as well..family.

So, I may be going, but I refuse to say farewell. After all, that allows for the slightest of possibilities that we won’t meet again, and that won’t abide. All I ask is that you keep a seat warm for me! Maybe I’ll have some new stories to tell you.

Burn gently,

Briar

-

Briar's Letter to Jorah

Jorah, my inscrutable friend.

Although…it IS ironic that I’d say that about you when I never did give you my full story, huh? Something, something pots and kettles?

I’m warning you, I’m not the best at writing letters like this, mainly because I’ve never been in this situation before! Pretty funny really, all my traveling, yet barely anyone to write to. Not even a “wish you were here” thing. But hey! I’m not here to bemoan my life, I’m here to celebrate finding such a fantastic group of friends!

I guess that’s another thing to thank Erak for, huh. Remind me to tell you my story with him one day.

But yes, my ever reliable friend. Some unsolicited advice for you, with regards to your blessing. Don’t be afraid to let those closest to you know how you truly feel. Divine journeys have a way of splitting you up from the people you love, so it’s important that the people you walk with know how you feel, know the depth of your journey, and more.

Besides, I know from personal experience how lonely being taciturn can make you feel in the long run, trust me. It’s not healthy. The only reason I’m even bringing this up is well…You’re nowhere as good at deflection as you seem to think, my friend. Everyone’s waiting for you to open up to them! You’re surrounded by people who love you–I humbly request you reciprocate by being more honest with them. If not for your well-being, for theirs.

You’re not doing them favours by holding back. Of course, even while here I’ve seen your development in this aspect, so I’m not really worried, but I simply wished to add some direct encouragement your way.

ANYWAY.

Any more preaching and I’d be a wandering pastor, and if there’s one thing I hate, it’s an uncomfortable robe. And let me tell you, considering that they’re called people of the cloth, their clothes are usually really good at chafing.

But yes, if/when I return from my journey, let’s swap stories. Take a drink with me when all of this is done, yeah?

Briar

-

Reides' Letter to Briar

Dearest Briar,

It’s going to feel so very odd to travel without you! There is going to be a big, Briar-shaped hole following me about everywhere! But it’s alright, because I know our paths shall cross again someday. Some things are just fated like that, don’t you agree?

All joking aside, best of luck on your quest. I know it couldn’t have been easy to accompany me even when you had a much-desired lead on your personal endeavors… But I am so very happy that you did. I cannot possibly thank you enough. Without you, I doubt that I would have been able to make peace with my family. Your wise words taught me that there is power in chaos, and that sentiment gave me strength when my own mind sought to tear me apart. I can only hope that I offered a similar reassurance to you. If I didn’t, allow me to do so now. As a wizard of the evocation school, I study many natural elements. I know of nature’s raw power; I respect and admire it, for it is as grounded as it is whimsical. It nourishes and it protects, but it is not to be underestimated. Its impact is inevitable; it encompasses both life and death. It bonds us all together. And when I think of that bond and the sheer strength it represents, I think of you.

Please know that, should you ever need my aid, you need only ask. In the meantime, I will do my best to be the best Little Storm I can be. I will study the cookbook I bought and make you a great big meal for our reunion. If it ends up tasting awful, we can always go to a tavern, right?

Much love,

Reides

P.S. Here’s a drawing.



I drew it on something else for you but Jorah had to go and change it. Can you believe him?!?! The audacity! So here it is again. You know what it is, I’m sure!

-

Kilwin: We're in Falas. Leaving soon but coming back! Do you like dancing? Also, any chance you could get away in a month? It's okay if [you can't.]"

Grinlief: I daresay I have two left feet, my dear Kilwin! However, I'm quite sure your companions and yourself miss my presence, so I accept! See-

Kilwin: I’m not a good dancer either, but I’ve definitely missed your presence! It’s on Chillbreath 12, I’ll check if you need an invite before that.

Grinlief: Thank you, lad! I'm sure it'll be fine - let's just hope word doesn't get out I'll be attending or we might get swarmed!

-

Reides: Hi. Have you ever talked to Persana? Tell him I say hi. Also, surfacers don’t wear armor to their formal functions. So funny.

Viglis: Um... I haven't, but his influence is always in the waters around me. I sorely hope the surfacers don't get attacked during the functions, then.

-

Reides: Aske, do you think you can get the Kraken to come to the ball? Maybe Jorah can take her, since they’re both legends and all!

Aske: Ah, about that... She's headed off toward Port Valor now, I hear. Dropped me off in Davenport. Might need to try her yourself. Good luck!

-

Reides: Hello Captain Kraken. It’s Reides. On Jorah’s behalf, I wanted to invite you to the Emperor’s Remembrance Ceremony in Falas on Chillbreath 12. Please come!

The Kraken: Don't much like this method of communication, wizard. He does owe me a bottle, though. Put me down as a maybe... If he's lucky.

Session 83
Kilwin: Hope things are going well! Are you allergic to anything, by chance? Sorry if that's a weird question. I promise there's a good reason!

Grinlief: Ah, Kilwin! I daresay I'm quite immune to allergens! Though shellfish does make my throat scratchy, so I avoid it.

Session 86
Kilwin: How are things? I forgot if I said it already, but the ball is on Chillbreath 12. I'm really looking forward to it!

Grinlief: Ah, Kilwin! Nice to hear back! I'll be sure to be there. Wearing my best dress, of course!

-

Ashara: Hi, just woke up. Long night. Wink. Where are you guys now? Also need me to bring anything? Love, Ashara.

Reides: I'm sure you had fun! Wink. We're going to the cathedral now! We can meet there. Can you bring some porridge? It's okay if not.

Session 87
Ashara: Hi honey bunny, we are home and are wondering if we can drop in to see you. Love you lots and hopefully see you soon. Kisses.

Kain: Certainly. I'm almost finished with my work for the day. See you soon. Love you.

Session 88
Reides: Just so you know, I'm staying at a place called the Outer Wall in Falas. If you arrive early, come find me! Love you!

Aske: Gotcha! I'm still on the ship over now. Might have to shop for some more decent clothes while I'm there. Love you, too!

-

Reides' Note to Urli:

(Written in a very messy scrawl, cramming as much information onto the scrap as possible, with hearts dotting most - if not all - of the i's)

Aske is a very handsome half-elven man. He has longish brown hair which is very wavy and nice, and he's quite tall, and his skin is brown and sun-kissed because he's in the sun very, very often (I told you this before but he is a sailor). He has freckles and the most lovely green eyes. I don't know what he will be wearing but he seems to really like billowy shirts and he looks great in them, so he will probably be in one of those along with nice pants and boots. He will also probably have two silver earrings on one of his ears and a silver pendant on a chain (I gave him that and he LOVED it!!!). He always smells a bit like the sea (because he is a sailor) and he likes reading a lot so he might have a book with him. Just so you know, he is very smart and funny. PLEASE give him firewhiskey if he arrives early because he loves it and he's traveled here from very far away. I swear I'll pay you back!!! DO NOT LET HIM PAY FOR IT URLI, I will pay for it. Oh also he can use two swords at once, isn't that impressive?!?!

-

Kilwin's Note to Urli:

His name is Grinlief, he's a human man, tall (like very tall), has straight brown hair, about shoulder length last time I saw him, and he's kind of pale. He has a nice face, high cheekbones, very smooth-looking somehow. He wears a monocle but I don't think he needs it to see so I'm not sure if he'd be wearing it. He's a bit flamboyant and very passionate about things. I'm sure he'll introduce himself! He's very friendly!

-

Ashara: Hi, wanted to know if you're free right now. Got some things to discuss.

Kain: I can meet during my lunch walk! Going to have to talk and walk (and eat) though!

Session 89
Kilwin: Hope you're having smooth travels! I'm staying at a tavern called the Outer Wall if timing works and you want to meet up before everything.

Grinlief: Indeed! We can discuss various goings-ons and suchlike beforehand! I am honored! I'll be there in a few hours!

-

Kilwin: Hope things are peaceful at the Guest House! Some of my friends’ friends are in town now, so things might be getting busy.

Grinlief: How nice to hear that! I'll be sure to greet any if I recognize them!

Session 90
Ashara: Hi, we are staring at balcony doors, the one with no guards posted by it, what's the layout beyond it? Love you.

Kain: Those are gathering rooms, but they should be locked up for the ball. What's your thought process here? Love you too.

Session 91
Reides: In the meeting room upstairs with Jorah and Kain. We're unharmed, but someone was murdered. Can you help? Don't tell anyone, bring Ashara if possible.

Kilwin: Murdered?! Coming up now, I’ll look for Ashara on the way.

-

Kilwin: How are you doing? Can’t find you, but things happening. Good idea to not be alone tonight. Aske can probably shield you from your dad.

Grinlief: Whatever could be the reason why, Kilwin? Well... If I must, I can seek him out. If you need me, let me know."