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Reflections of Galahad
We have experienced tragedy and strange times. We have made enemies. We have gotten a glimpse into a wider world. We returned successfully to Deeptown. I am mistrusted for my appearance. I expected no
less. The Father knows the truth. Some have called us heroes, some have dismissed our triumph as rumor. Nothing will convince the latter of their misconception. Kessan has sponsored strong cheese. I mention this
trivia for its later magnitude.
The Temple of the Celestial Sai has declared us their enemy. They shall strike in our most desperate hour, they have told us. Their mad brother who knows the weather has announced the sky is falling. I mention
weather as winter does approach and my irregular companions and I have made plans. We shall see to the remainder of the ruined monastery. En route we shall gives thanks to the Dabbers for their monumental aid. With
careful preparations in place we depart.
The Monks of the Celestial Sai wasted no time in action against us. Mere miles outside town we are set upon by Blood moths. Kessan destroyed them all with a single blast of his dwarven mind. Evidence of the moths’
origin is plain in the two jars with their symbol. There was more. That night beings of insects raided our campsite. They had host bodies, innocents the monks cared nothing of. They proved a difficult foe. Then
Kessan drew forth his cheese. They all fled. But they would keep haunting us.
The Dabbers were found in dire straits. Due to an herb, they had eaten their stores for the winter. We thanked them for their aid by ours. After three days they had enough fish to last the cold season. Their wisest
one also predicted the sky’s fall, as she predicted the Mook would keep them safe.
At the ruined monastery we found it had been adopted. Orcs. Chanting, preparing for – something. There numbers were unknown. We attacked anyway. It was a choice of destiny. Our first attack went well. We killed
many orcs and drove more back. They returned. So did the insect beings. We drove them back again but the tide had turned. The orcs, inspired by their leader, attacked again. Now we were driven back. Now we began to
hear a womanâ’s screams. The battle flowed as battles will. When we had advantage we made the hard choice to exit. Outside we were pursued. A trio of orcs, elated by their twisted faith into over-strong monster,
fell upon us. We began to fall. Fair praise to The Red God for the miracles granted Grolsch. The leader came out, with the woman hostage. We concluded he was Baghtru, and that we had decimated his Chosen. He did
fall, but after Kessan and I.
My next memory was a weight upon my chest. My irregular companions had hauled myself and Kessan, whose breath had not stopped, to Deeptown. Father Cassius, though still grievously suffering from demonic
wounds, had agreed to perform the rites to return my soul to body. How I wish that had not been done. Better to remain dead in body than breathing at the cost of that finest of men. He had returned me at the cost of
himself. Sister Elijah’s first words were hopes I was worth it. I do not ever see the scales balancing. All I might do is try. I spent many hours in depressed prayer. We had fought so hard, we had eliminated a
threat to the region. We had gained nothing. We had lost so much. I was adrift.
My irregular companions conducted the business that needed to be conducted. It seems much worthy equipment had been left at the battle site. They would not leave it to rust and be claimed by others. Others have
struck up a friendship with Maze and Kessan and Kracken. A pair of men Yakov & Brennar described as interesting, interested, and everywhere. I found that the woman hostage was an artificial with an attachment to
Grolsch and a connection to the Quasqueton site. Very odd.
The funeral of Father Cassius was well attended. Most or all set blame on my shoulders. I could not tell them otherwise. The Sect of Sixty celebrated. Word came that they plan a new festival -- of Fire. Word
also came through whispered trickles that the Monks might be responsible. That had been our most desperate hour. I saw glimpses of them in the street shadows as I heard mocking words toward me. My mind, my emotions
are their target. That angered me from my depression. We shall see to the temple of the Celestial Sai. They are large and they are mighty and retribution will come neither soon nor easy, but it shall come. They
shall not remove a bastion of the Creator and not receive justice.
Then was the epiphany. I shall take my best humble steps to follow the path I never expected to walk. I shall be a Priest of the Creator, the Good Healer. I shall be a Warrior for the Creator, the Adjudicator.
The first step in seeing justice to the monks is securing resources. We made the decision to return again to the ruined monastery. It was then fate took hand in our actions. The sky was falling. One impossible
boulder was floating in the sky. Then it grew closer. Fringe boulders were beside it.
Deeptown became a panicked bed of chaos. Grolsch went to his temple, I to the Church. We made plans too with the others to regroup at the ruins. It was not to be.
At the Church, sister Elijah led prayers and organization for evacuation. The sky boulder was nigh close enough to touch. The sky was darkened by the enormous boulder falling toward the city. Buildings were
catching fire. Our prayers grew louder. The Creator was listening. He turned the sky boulder away. At the last moment it fell northwest, slashed into the lake, and began to bounce its way through the Forest of
Shadow.
I rallied the faithful. There was work to be done. We could not waste the miracle in celebration. The city needed relief. There was much damage from fire. Many of the citizenry took punishment of the Sect of Sixty,
deserved or not, into their own hands. A new temple, claiming all gods were false, was destroyed. The temple of the Celestial Sai was slightly damaged. There is still no sign of their leader, not since the funeral.
Three days we worked to bring some order to Deeptown. We seem to have all, individually, become respected again.
Kessan told that sky rocks have diamonds. That, concern for the Dabbers, and that it is in the general proximity of the ruined monastery, prompt out attention. We shall investigate. If the dwarf’s proclamation
is true we shall have the funds we shall need.
The devastation was incredible. The lake had been hit, throwing rafts of refugees around as toys. The great thick woods of the Shadow forest has a path cleaved through it, marked by burnt stumps and scattered debris.
And footsteps. We were not the first with this idea. Maze realizes there’s been no sign of Yakov & Brennar since the sky boulder was spotted. Do we chase them? The tracks lead around a ruined village. We hear
groans and submit to the better side of humanity. This village of gnomes had been hard hit and could use aid. Maze snuck forward to spy. So did Kessan. It seems he has learned to turn his mind powers to make himself
invisible, and to fly. I am greatly impressed by the dwarf’s power. He confirms Maze’s observations. The rest of us entered to help. Kessan flew on to investigate the place where the sky boulder settled. As we gave
our aid we made our discovery. These were no gnomes. These were Spriggan Giants. And they attacked us at once. The battle was short and deadly. We took our damage, but soon the living giants of the village were no
more. Our investigation found that they had already raided the battle site of the ruined monastery. The treasure of that place, masterwork weaponry and more, had come to us. There was more mundane loot to be had as
well. It was a fine clean battle with just reward. Far better than our last.
Kessan returned to report many footsteps at the site of the sky boulder. And no diamonds. Our conclusion: We should chase those that have already taken what was worth taking. If their goals are as ours, for the good,
all well enough. If not, the good is the higher goal. The next morning we were on the trail. A trail of blood caught our eye. We followed. The trail suggested desperation. We caught up with the maker at a
large clearing with a gorge in its center. Maze made her way from the trees and went to her. She was near death and hiding, desperately clinging to a crystal. Movement on the far side of the clearing caught our eye.
Kessan performed his trick of flying invisible. He was midway over the gorge when a ray shot from the far trees and knocked him to the ground. At the unprovoked attack, the rest of us sprang into action. I dashed
from the wood, the long way around the gorge. A ray hit me and I was slightly injured. Grolsch headed the other way. From there, confusion reigned. We found there were some three attackers, hobgoblins we later
found. They were equipped with bizarre magic devices. The ray shooters, flowing armored coats, headpieces that let them peak with one another. They also controlled a massive ape. These were all a challenge but were
overcome in time. Kracken made great use of an image spell, fooling two of the hobgoblins into chasing a false image of their target. I used one of their own ray wands against them, but after indulging in a few
moments of studying it for it appeared more like a tiny crossbow with no cross piece than any wand I have seen. Then we found a second group of attackers. Bounty hunters with large wands that emitted a
web-like, entangling mess that harden quickly. Kessan was trapped in one and Kracken in another. They only wanted the woman, dead or alive. Alas she had died during the battle. Her wounds were far too much for
her. Maze reported that she kept muttering strange ravings about a far flung evil empire, resistance, and a prophecy that I seem to play into. The purple eyed beast with the heart of a man. The crystal has something
to do with it. Apparently there are more pieces. She died leaving us with a great mystery. And not only her words. Her very clothing and equipment. Bizarre and strange like nothing I have ever seen. Her clothing was
light but hardened like armor. She was an elf, but had been speaking the common human tongue. She had her own ray wand-bow. Between she and the three hobgoblins we had a menagerie of bizarre equipment. A diamond
edged sword. A ray casting rod. Strange metals. And much much more.
Grolsch had cached an arcane scroll with a critical spell: Speak with Dead. It was time to expend its power. The woman said she came from another planet. She said she was a member of a desperate resistance to an evil
emperor. She said there was a great dragon that must be overcome. That much I could understand. To overcome the dragon, the crystal she had must be reunited with the other two pieces. One is on this planet. Then
where in the world would the other one be? Are we to leave this plane to solve her death mystery? We can call aid. Near her ship there is a magic beacon we may activate. I believe we shall have to. For I understand
almost nothing of what she said. Were she not already dead when she gave us this information I would dismiss them as death ravings.
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