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DarkCloud
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of Lists
Jul 2000
time: 05:36
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The Histories of The Forgotten Realms LXII: Chapter IV- Death by Drow
15-Nerul-13733
...The next morning, searching for clues, both Octavius X and Urban Ranger discovered some startling evidence in the acid pools of the Kuo-Toa. Indeed, in their searches, they discovered a short piece of parchment paper, seemingly torn out of a journal and long kept in a pocket, one that had fallen from it and lay on the edge of a pool, reflected in its eerie light.
Picking up the message and reading its contents, the rangers were baffled.
--
Dearest Friend,
I write this for posterity's sake.
I write this asking for atonement.
I write this in cipher so that only those with time and those far from this place may read the secret therin.
I am too ashamed, much too ashamed to admit it to all others.
~May the Gods have Mercy on My Soul
4-Nerul 13733
Ji vz sjncihz pj bujni'l yjncp,
d wml mvanloht az lhqhcmf hfqhc... poh tcjw.
mi’ ldiyh pomp pdvh, d’qh omt ij yojdyh. d’qh omt pj tj pohdc w-dff.
dithht, d wjnfi ihqhc thdgi pj b-dff-
de d omt ijp ahhi yj-hc-yht.
hqhi poh gjft vmth vh ehhf lj wc-hp-yoht.
anp womp yjnft d tj wohi poh hfe pochmphiht vz fdeh mit pojlh wedyo d ojft thmc?
d wjnft lpjk.
anp pohz tj wmpyo.
d vnlp tj vz ahlp jc mff wdff ah fjlp.
mo, d mv poh vjlp wchpyoht je onvmi-ajci ychmpnchl!
~poh vmi thlhcqdig je ij imvh
And the message was in no language that any of the group could recognize as existing. It was neither Elven, nor Common, nor Drow, nor Svirfneblin, nor Gnomic.
After a long time spent in deliberation, Urban Ranger posited that the message was in code.
But, everyone realized, how were they to decode it? What mysteries could the message hold?
The Forestry and Adventuring Log of The Half-Elf Octavius X
After discovering the strange message, we all stood around, attempting to decipher its contents. Lady Anita Blake and the Gnomic Sorceror Chaunk immediately offered their assistance, but then, the Paladin Spacéd C’owboy loomed over us all like a demon parting the mist, his chest notably clean and open without his Amnian cross of Helm to grace it in its majesty. Parting the two and striding into the center of the party, he read the votes and announced who “Helm had determined” must perish for their crimes. The Lady Anita Blake screamed out in outrage when she heard that her name had been chosen. Before collapsing in a faint, she prayed to her Gods and to her Lady to save her from this travesty. Nevertheless, as she was unconscious, Spacéd grimly instructed the Bard Jon Miller and the Monk Joncha to lift her body and throw it into the acid pools. Everyone averted their eyes and warded off the splash.
Then, the woman was dead. An eerie silence prevailed over the group. The Paladin shifted uncomfortably, nervously fingering his neck where the cross had been. Jon Miller put an arm on his shoulder and bent to whisper something in his ear. The Paladin shook his head, his eyes fixed on Jon’s cross, then turned and left. Jon shrugged.
After that traumatizing event, we packed up camp and dismally continued on our journey into the Underdark, less a sorceress, a barbarian, a bard, a fighter, and two wizards.
The Histories of The Forgotten Realms LXII: Chapter IV- Death by Drow
15-Nerul-13733
Later that evening, the party did battle with a group of drow from Sschindyrlryn, slaughtering the six drow to a man. DrSpike and Zopperoni, sneaking up on two Drow Wizards in the midst of battle, backstabbed the fiends and sent their souls to the Abyss, thereby making it easier for Spacéd C’owboy’s sword, Urban Ranger’s axe, and Octavius X’s bow to finish off the survivors.
Resting after the incident, Octavius’ trained eye caught DrSpike counting coins. Grabbing the Doctor and looking at the coins, he demanded where he had gotten them. The Good “Doctor” denied he had acquired them illicitly, but Spacéd C’owboy did a truth check and determined that the good “Doctor” had stolen them.
Turning the coins over in his hands, C’owboy noted that the majority of coins not from Sundabar depicted a group of six rulers surrounded by a turning wheel. Fixing Spike with a glare, C’owboy began to lecture him when a shout came from Urban Ranger. Turning, C’owboy found Urban Ranger holding a sputtering Zopperoni by the scruff of his neck. As he shook the halfling around, coins fell from his pockets.
“D-mn you fiend!” The Ranger shouted. “You’ve a been robbin’ us all blind while we adventured.”
“Eep!” Zopperoni squeaked and pedaled.
Spacéd C’owboy sighed and ordered The Ranger to put him down.
Siddiqui, holding back from the group smiled at the interplay and turned, intending to walk off and answer as it were... a call ‘of nature.’
As Urban Ranger, Octavius X, and Spacéd C’owboy stood around interrogating the two thieves, Jon Miller gave a hoot, pointing down the cavern. The others, save Trokair T’Shanbar who was mumbling to himself and studying his books, raced after Jon and looked at what he had seen.
Looking out, they saw spread before them, the plains of the Underdark, the mushroom trees, the black forest and the blind creatures walking around, eating fruit and shining forth unnatural light from their bodies. Everyone stood in awe of the sight. Jon Miller even comprised an ode to the event for the party to remember their first sight of it by.
The coin-robbing forgotten, the party moved down the hall, further away from the tree and set up camp for the night.
During the night, all was silent.
In the morning, they returned to the grove and witnessed a ghastly sight- their Druid- Siddiqui Il-Artir, the elf who had so loved trees, was dead- his throat slit and his body nailed to a black tree at the edge of the copse.
Spacéd C’owboy, seeing the murder, crossed himself and clutched for his cross of Helm. The Bard painfully put an arm on his shoulder to soothe him.
Chaunk, the Gnomic Sorceror looked at the corpse and mused- “Hmm... with that direction and the way that the wind’s blowing, we had best move lest the body begin to stink.”
Spacéd C’owboy glared at him. “We will bury the elf.” He declared.
“Do what you will.” Chaunk stalked off. “I’ll be working on that rock-breaking machine I’ve been telling you about. I think we can drill to the surface if you just give me some time to rest.”
“Wind?” Octavius commented, feeling a strange gust. “Wind in the Underdark?”
He thought he heard a voice calling to him. Closing his eyes, he put its call out of his head and moved to take the elf down from the tree.
“Damn.” Zopperoni said nervously, shifting uneasily and watching his fellow thief take the elf down from the tree. “I guess this means we’ll be voting again.”
Eight other faces stared at him, their gazes both pained and haunted.
Let the voting begin
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16-06-2004 09:18
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