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Words of a Feather
Engaged- So it ever is with the Imperials. We capture the evil Farouk and they insist that we waste our time by bringing him here to uncertain justice rather than disposing with him as we know should be done. Now that we are here we wait more while they tend to their business.
While we wait, the dragons and their minions do not. I fear for the future and I fear for the silencing of the voice of my people who were meant to see the end of the World.
Still, I wait for the Imperials to be ready to march again.
Death of Secrets- Long have my people spoken of the dark terrors that are the root of the Imperials, but I do not know if any knew the truth 'ere now. Elders speak in hushed tones of dark secrets and strange rituals performed in the past, but always in the past.
Now I have seen them, or at least signs of them, in the now. I have seen that the Imperials harness the tear for their own dark use. I have seen how they treat those not of their own race as animals to be slaughtered, flayed and harnessed.
I do not know what power or knowledge they gain from these strange experiments, but I know that it stinks of evil. I know too that many knew of it, for the outpost was part of some chain which stretches across our world, or so the Captain said.
I look upon this and I wonder, deep where I do not like to dwell, if those who would end the reign of humans might not be right.
Homecoming- We retook the tear with less difficulty than ever before, partly from experience but mostly by the will of my people. We saw the caravan across the pass and many of our allies left. Returning to the mine it was as expected.
The imperials argued, both those within the wall and those within our group. In the end, we snuck in and blew the place up, freeing the women and children. Many brave Kordan died when a dragon appeared and began killing indiscriminately, but our mission was accomplished and at least some of my people were freed.
Now the voices speak strongly, though they are not all those of my people. We have learned that when the tears are opened to the forces of endless winter the one who opens them becomes immortal. We think there are five now and two have been killed by our hand. We believe four more could be made. Our goal now is to sieze the tears of the north and thus force our enemies to retreat from the pass to save their own supply lines. It is our hope that the Kordan can help us in this. Only time will tell.
Reunion- It is a strange thing to speak with a god. Stranger still because the Kordan do not believe in gods in the same way that imperials and many others do. We know they exist, but do not believe they value our worship. They have set us a task and it is up to us to accomplish it.
It was strange, no sooner had the god said to ignore the voice of my people than I found myself in a position to help them. I could tell the sentinel wanted something more from me, but I do not know what he sought. I can do nothing but my best, which did not seem to meet his standards. Still, it is my best and I will do it. If it is not enough, it will not be the first time I have failed, nor will it be the last.
We found ourselves back in the tear of the barrow, the first we ever cleared. Much was changed and the place was a fortress. We snuck in this time, so I guess we have learned something. I only hope that the sneaking will help us, for I fear we may be overmatched. It may be this place - for some reason it makes me feel even more inadequate than usual. I only hope that I am strong enough for my people, for I am certain the imperials will not help without being forced.
Gods' Day- From the first Tear we proceeded quickly to the second, our footsteps dogged by wolves the whole way. Finally we set them an ambush but the terrain did not aid as much as we had hoped and, though we defeated them, it was not as smoothly as we had hoped.
From there we made our way further into the underbelly of the keep eventually contending with more undead, some sort of blob, and a troll. All fell before us and we made our way to the Tear. It was not like any other Tear we had seen. Someone had bound it with two silver tusks in a nearly finished circle and in the gap there was a hole.
It was a strange hole, hanging there in mid air and feeling vaguely cold. Behind us we could here the guards and above and before us the howling men tried to trap ys like rats in the sewer.
The imperial worked his art and the tear was remade in the image of his god. We were still trapped and in the end the odd hole was all there was. Steeling myself and commending my spirit to my ancestors I leapt into the hole first.
I fell forever in a field of stars landing with a start on a large rock. It was there I beheld the god. He spoke with me and tried to set my mind at ease about the voices I hear. I did not understand him or where I was and I fear I was less grateful than I should have been. I can only hope that my actions in the coming months will serve as the apology no words could hope to speak.
The others also spoke with gods and some were given guidance before we were dropped into the North in a place closer to the resting place of the gauntlet of Shar. From here we will do our best.
Last Day of Mourning- As we drew nearer the strange imperial wein city of the boar clan, the song of the tear was clear and loud in our hearts. I continued practicing grounding and now can feel the connection sometimes.
We snuck in beneath the guard tower heading for the tears. It was somewhat comical as the big Imperial Captain in his platemail made his stealthy way in.
Rather than our usual strategy, we stayed calm and focused (grounded some would say) and managed to make our way nearly to the larger tear before the first combat. Of course, the first combat was protracted and difficult. We fought snow demons, undead children, a polar bear, and some imperial fairy tale named Father Frost.
Despite the difficulty, we were triumphant and soon had the tear rededicated and headed for the second one.
6th Day of Mourning- The voices call, sometimes stronger, sometimes fainter, but always they call. I realize that I am ignoring the calling and the mission of my people, yet I hope the mission I am called to now is more important.
The Imperial makes us go to a special place where he calls his god and we are each allowed to ask a question. I am amazed both by the directness of the answers and by the need to travel to a certain spot - it seems the imperial gods are not everywhere.
Armed with the wisdom of the Imperial's God, the elf girl puts ember the witch to death and we head further east and north to sheep dip. Along the way an ill wind blows and we are attacked by three sleet demons. At first I called it but ill-luck, but they exploded and became mist when they died, which is not the normal way of sleet demons. I believe now they were summoned to stop us.
The young shaman tell us that some of the templars could bond with the tear and draw forth strength, but they do not understand the method of this other than that concentration is needed. I listen well to their words and try it, concentrating until I hear only the voice of the tear, but it is very faint. As soon as I move the sound of my own heart beating drwons it out. Still, I have heard this voice and now I can listen for it again in hopes of attuning myself to it.
We finish our trek to sheep dip and there find many wein huddled together for protection and for warmth. We ask, but they have more questions than they do. In the end they tell us that many of those at the keep have left. We recruit a deranged barrowmaster as our guide and he takes us north to the edge of the barrow.
From deep inside it I hear voices which cry for the death of all which lives. I pray only that if we die we die quickly and well.
3rd Day of Mourning- The voice of my people still calls and somehow I know I must ignore them for now, that the purpose which I serve in travelling with these kokrin is greater. Still, my judgement is called into question as our quest continues.
We travel by day as quickly as we can with the few of us who know something of winter and the wilds in front. Far behind us lag the imperials with their horses and carts. There is a joke here at which I can not laugh when they have three times the things to carry as any of us and yet have not one snowshoe between them.
We are in front, scouting when I smell the remains of a cookfire. I signal a halt, only to be surprised by a strnage Wein not 200' from us. He hails us, I motion for silence. Together we move up on the fire only to find it a smoldering ruin at the feet of three dead villagers.
It is decided to go to the village, though I feel we should move on. We arrive in the village and I am not surprised when the imperials there have ignored not only the rules of the Wein, but also their own rules. A scuffle ensues, a man or two is killed and now we have freed the village and left ourselves with even more imperials to guard.
We make our way to the swamp but we are too late. A horde of undead has arrived before us. We redouble our pace in the thick swamp and catch them. They are arrayed before an ancient stronghold. One man mocks them as he and untold goblins hold the fort. They lose patience and signal the attack.
We set fire to their palanquin and I move forward to see if I can find the item which will put this place in the sway of cold. The fight continues, a gray render does and there are fewer skeletons. The battle continues.
A druid appears and the skeletons are held fast by the grass of the swamp, as if the land itself defied winter. The undead die and their leaders, Lord Necrotic and a woman, flee.
We banter for a time with the human only to realize he means to feed one of our number to a hag. We chase the woman and find her intricate pattern in the snow, calling forth a dragon for succor. We find and defeat her siezing her things and ruining her circle then hiding before the dragon finds us.
Still I hear the voices calling and each time I wonder more which way holds my destiny.
1st Day of Mourning- The last few days have been bittersweet. Three days ago, I returned to the North and gained my freedom. Since then my friends and I have been locked in a struggle with a great evil and it has cost us dearly.
We were able to pry the icy grip of Grayscale and his minions from the Wein barrow and free this land to at least a normal winter, but not without great cost. Kedrin is dead, once by the hand of Grayscale and once by our own hands.
We fought our way through the wolves and came upon the place where Grayscale and his men were hid. We slew a few Wein who were loyal to his cause and a great many more zombies were sent to the long dark as well, their souls finally freed from the frozen chains of Winter. His pet magician fled from us, becoming naught but smoke on the wind.
We fought on and found Grayscale waiting for us in the upper level with a great force at his side. In addition to himself, he had three ogres, a small dragon, and an undead priest of some sort. They were waiting for us and there was little we could do but beard them in their den. Delvin and I took one side, Kedrin and Kormac the other. At the signal, we charged the doors.
I did well enough against my two ogres and the priest for a moment, but it couldn't last and they left me wounded and dying. A few moments later Grayscale was slain by Kedrin only to be felled by the blow of an Ogre. Delvin fought longer before he fell, but again to no avail and he too went down.
Things seemed bleak for Kormac as he stood alone against two ogres, the dragon, and the priest. From somewhere deep in his faith he summoned a strength none of us knew he had and was able to fell one ogre and earn enough respite to heal Delvin. The two fought on and were joined by the archers from outside. Even so Delvin was knocked out again and Kormac carried the day and earned us a victory.
Delvin and I were healed by the power of the two priests, but Kedrin was beyond their aid. He rose as a zombie, but he was different than most and we gave him time to escape before we rededicated the tear.
At that point the great dragon Winter returned and froze all the barrow to a block of ice. As we lay hiding from his wrath he began to dig, so we ran. He dug to the pit, but could not find us and eventually left. With him gone, Kormac was able to rededicate the tear, but doing so robbed the area of the magic which had given Kedrin life.
We found a few baubles and some notes telling Grayscale to head west to join with Ember. We go now, with heavy hearts, to keep that appointment.
Epiphany- Even as I stand, bathed in blood from my battles, I hear the voices of my people whispering to me, calling me to do my duty. It is a great swirl of confusion and it is not made any easier by my pounding heart and aching body.
Suddenly, one voice speaks out loudly and clearly and I understand. My masters had always told me that wisdom could come at the most unlikely of times, from the most unlikely of sources and I know now what they meant.
I feel a sudden euphoria at my newfound knowledge, the voices in my head are quiet now and I can think. More importantly, this wisdom gives me the will and, I hope, the strength to carry on.
Perhaps today will not be our last failure.
1st day of New Freedom- We headed to the tear making good time despite the snow. We had left behind many of those who did not understand our mission, so those who remined had a sense of the urgency of our task. We arrived at the barrow to find a strange structure. A giant pit with 8 towers coming from the bottom to the top cut into the rock and projecting a dozen feet above. We used my cloak to capture a mephid, then leapt into the fray as the half-ogre (known as the Ungrateful Son) exited the cave.
Things did not go well for me. The others attacked with ranged weapons, while I had only my bare hands. The orcs died quickly enough, but the battle of attrition would clearly be theirs. We pressed hard and they retreated into the darkness of the barrow. We followed and were nearly undone.
There were about twenty orcs, a half-ogre, some kind of dragon-thing, and a pack of wolves. There may be more ere the day is done. We acquitted ourselves well against the orcs and half-ogre, but our battle is far from over and I fear that this tear will be the last we fail to seal.
Transition- Today I have achieved as much freedom as any Kordan ever does. We crossed down into the other side of the pass in a group of about twenty. A few of those with me hear the voices as I do, others do not and seem to care less about our mission.
I think those who entered the tomb know more of what is expected of us, but they have chosen to share very little. From what I can gather, we are of the blood of an ancient line of heroes and it is our job to protect priests and other things which can put "tears" between our world and that of the Gods. If we fail, then monsters of legend will enter and destroy the world.
We left the pass headed for a Wein village and the barrow beyond it. On our way we encountered three Wein men and a woman who were hunting a bear. The Wein with us, who is of bear clan, considered for a time before we sided with the humans. We helped the survivors take the bear back to their village. They were alive, but hungry. They took us in, though it was clear they would have prefered not to. In the morning, we journey to the barrow, which we believe may be a tear.
215th day of Captivity- The pass was a trap. We all know that now, though none could sense it until it was too late. We were struck by a sudden storm and most of the Phalanx is gone. Knowing that I could save a few, I tried to convince the others in my unit to dig in against the storm and I think they would have had not the Dragonnes arrived.
With the Dragonnes present, digging in would not suffice. Alone of my unit I heard a strange voice, not the voice of my people, but it called to me and showed me a narrow defile where I might hide. Others heard the voice too and made their way to the trail and further through a crack in the rock to an old temple of men.
Even from outside one could feel the evil of the place and I said we should but wait out the storm and then leave. Of course, to those of the empire I am but another slave and they ignored me. Luckily they took my caution for cowardice and, though the voice still called I was able to resist and stay outside the temple. Those inside fought a horrific battle against something so terrible not even the bravest of them have named it.
Though the voice was insistent, I am glad my own instincts of survival won out. I can only hope I remain strong enough to withstand the power of the voice even as it sweeps my comrades to their doom.
212th day of Captivity- Humans never cease to amaze me. We travel North, but are ill-equipped and ill-supplied. Almost nothing I have been given is of any value and the men in my squad feel the same way about their gear. We have been given permission to take things from the homes we pass and some were abusing thier right until I counselled them on a wiser path.
We are at the foot of the High Pass. I can see that our journey will be difficult. I can only hope the humans will see their folly and turn back while letting those who are capable scout the pass. I hope this, but I do not expect it.
200th day of Captivity- Always with the empire things move too slowly. I am not a hasty man, but a week just to start on a trip seems too long. Still, we leave in the morning and I am eager for the journey to begin. The voices call and I believe we are needed to guard the obelisk. I would join my people for what could be the end of this world and the beginning of the next.
193rd day of Captivity- It was a dark day when I was captured and made a slave of the Empire, but at last some light appears. They have made me a member of their army and I will march North in a mixed group of citizens and slaves. Thus far my orders say only that I must go North of the pass. From there, I should at last be able to heed the call of my people, for I have heard their voices more strongly these last few weeks and I believe I am needed.
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