Evan's Journal
From Rathe
This is a collection of Evan's journal entries, as well as his letters.
Posted 10/6/2005 to the Metagamers boards
Today was a wonderful day. We started the day off adventuring into the Mizeri family crypt to help Uncle Phillip in sealing the crypt from the evil that plagues our family. We ventured into the caves and met a large snake and 4 Drugals who came very close to slaying my cousin Shard. Luckily, as we were bringing him back to town, Uncle healed his wounds. We stopped in town for a short period of time, to sell some equipment and for reasons I can't very much remember, then ventured down once again into the depths with my niece Sylvia. We marched for several hours through the winding tunnels until we came upon a tower. We climbed to the roof where we were attacked by two savage lizards, and I nearly fell in battle, but lucky for me Sylvia was there to heal me, and I feel better than ever. Strangest thing happened though, when Petrov tried attacking little Sylvia! Why would you do that to loving family? I stepped in and defended her, and incapacitated him. No harm done, because soon enough, we healed him and he realized what having a family is truly like. I think that's enough for tonight, as Moby is giving me odd looks. He seems very nervous, he doesn't need to be, we all watch out for each other here. If he falls in battle, I'm sure Sylvia will help like she did with me, Shard, and Petrov. -Evan
Posted 1/24/2006 to the Metagamers boards
Letter addressed to Shaun and Lillith Durran
Dearest Mother and Father,
I apoligize I haven't written in the longest time, but I've been out of contact with what I guess you would consider civilization for a long while. I have finally broken free of the pox that chased me from Lumerox and have settled in with a good traveling group. It's strange in a way, as you always used to say Mother, I had the spark of an explorer in my heart. You'd say I'm a traveller, and would get sick of people and places very easily, never satisfied with who or what was around me. All that has changed now. I have finally found people that I trust, that I relate to. I have found a group of companions who respect my abilities, and whose abilities and talents I respect. I have found those I would lay my life down for, and I am of the impression that they would do the same for me. I wish I could tell you the story from the beginning, but I fear it would be too long for this post. I fear the best I can do is summarize our recent outing. I do hope you're reading this Father, as you will most certainly be proud of me and my troop. My travelling companions and I were fortunate enough to be the spearhead of a major attack on a fortified temple, which housed great evil within. Our group was given the opportunity to plan and help execute the attack, and I believe we did so with great valor. We, along with a number of allies, breached the walls, where our group battled a Hydra. Yes, Old Man, I said Hydra. We pressed onwards through the fortress, with Siegfried (picture Donovan from back home, but slightly dimmer of wit and a nearly unparralled warrior) taking the lead through the corridors. That is not meant to shy away credit from my other party members, as all of us, our wizard Ardana, our rogue Moby, and a new ally, a cleric named Shake, and myself displayed equal amounts of conviction in pushing our way through that massive fortress. Eventually, we came to a large auditorium that I had previously seen before only in dreams, and were attacked by a dragon. Siegfried advanced to the rear, apparently trying to draw the dragon away from us. At least thats what he tells us, however, I am not so sure. The dragon escaped, but we were able to utilize that which he had been guarding (if he truly had been) to help restore our friends and companions, including my great friend Shard. We did not escape unscathed however, I was almost struck down several times that day, and I fear that with my amount of battle scars you all may scarcely recognize me anymore. We are now safely back in Heildregch, resting from our long journey. I assume that we will set out once again relatively shortly, so I have enclosed the name of the inn where you can write to me. I miss you all dearly, but do not worry about me, Era has been keeping me company as he always has. He is a trustworthy horse, and I guarantee you will see us both again one day. I hope that soon I will at least be able to visit, if we happen to be passing near or some such, but I cannot say anything for certain. Do not hesitate to write, I will try and do a better job of keeping you updated on my travels. One request however, do tell Sheila that I am sorry, and please ask her to forgive me. Your son, Evan
Posted 1/25/2006 to the Metagamers boards
Letter addressed to Shaun and Lillith Durran
Dear Mother and Father,
We are currently resting in New Doarg. I hope all is well at home, and we are not too far from Alabaster, so I hope to visit you soon. Maybe I can convince my companion Siegfried to ferry me there on his Hippogriff when we are done with our current mission. We made the long treacherous trip from Heildregch in around two days, and I swear to you, I believe I am cursed. I was on watch shift for part of the night, and we were attacked 3 seperate times. I was nearly slain, but with the help of my compatriots pulled through. I am quite proud of myself, as I nearly took on a Wyvern on my own! Me and the Wyvern squared off and most of my companions were asleep, save for Siegfried, who awoke late in the fight, and he felled the beast with a final blow. Another skirmish involved these horrible geese-like creatures. They had the ability to turn those they bit into stone, and our friend Moby was affected in such a manor. We were able to continue on to New Doarg however, and we are all resting. Moby is fine, and I recovered from a poisoning I suffered while fighting that blasted Wyvern. Luckily I had Sera with me, or I would not be writing you today. No, Sera is not a new love or flame or the like, Sera is my Deinonychus. Yes Father, you read right, I have trained one of the great lizards. It still amazes me to this day that I pulled it off, but a little while back we stumbled upon an animal trading market, which had been stealing all sorts of poor creatures from the surrounding area. Our party managed to raid the area and release a majority of the creatures. Along the way I acquired Sera, and Siegfried acquired his great, yet oddly amusing and pecuiliar Hippogriff, Hyperion. I have worked hard with Sera, and she has become as close of a companion as Era. They both also seemed to have bonded, and have no qualms about being in close proximity to one another. Speaking of Era, you would barely recognize him anymore! All the travel we have done has made him quite strong, and I recently acquired armor for him. He now truly looks the part of a warhorse! I thought you'd get a kick out of that Old Man, as you'd poke fun at me for having such a hard time training Era, when you could barely train the dog! I hope you are all proud of me, as I feel that I have grown stronger not only as a person, but as a ranger. I no longer purchase nearly as many food rations, as I have learned to effectively trap for not only myself, but a majority of our party, and many times I am in charge of handling the large number of animals we travel with. I feel I have also improved with my bow, remember when I left I was mediocre at best? I feel that now I may even be able to beat Richard! I apoligize for bragging, but I just feel that I've improved so much. I have no shame in saying that I am jealous of Ardana though, for she was able to spend the day with her family. I promise I shall return for a short time soon, I must see everyone, and I hope that I will make you proud with who I have become. If we approach closely I shall have my hawk Chester bring messages if possible. And hopefully I will be able to convince my party to seek refuge in Alabaster for a few nights at the least. Also, please tell Sheila that if I return, I hope she'd be willing to see me again. I... can't say I'm sorry I left... but I am sorry that it has driven such a divide between us. For as alike as we are, we are both two different people. And though I love her dearly, I could not spend my whole life in Alabaster. I know she has felt the same way of me and my nearly nomadic ways. I hope she can forgive me for this. Love always, your son, Evan
Posted 2/7/2006 to the Metagamers boards
Yesterday was quite possibly the worst day of my life. My horse wasn't injured, I didn't lose a weapon, nothing like that. I was swallowed whole, by some fireworm from Hell. Luckily my companions slayed the beast before I was completely crushed by it's gizzard, and proceeded to cut me out of the thing. The worst part was having to travel the rest of the trip covered in blood and stomach acid, so not only did I reek, I also was covered in a light burning sensation until we reached the Dwarven stronghold. It was a wonderous combination, let me tell you. Anyways, inside the hell-worm (I refuse to dignify it by using any other name) we found the body of a dwarf, who turned out to be part of the royal family, so at present I am taking a break from cleaning my sword, contemplating what excactly to wear to his funeral, as I've never actually been to a Dwarven funeral before. I guess I'll have to either just kind of judge by the dress of those throughout the small town, or even find a friendly dwarf to help me better understand the traditions and the occasion, of course the odds of that happening are slim, but there's always a chance I guess. I think the one benefit of this leg of the trip was getting to know my fellow party member Petrov a little more. Petrov and I spent our time in the Elf city eating a little extravagantly, but I have to say that White Dragon steak and 1000 year old wine? Absolutely worth the however many 1000-gold we spent on it. Not only did we get a fine dinner, but we also purchased noblesman garb from the local tailor, and I have to say they look great. I always thought that the idea of Elven craftsmanship being finer than Human was a biased lie by the Elves, but the clothes really are far superior in some cases to what I've seen local nobles wear. (It was kind of funny to watch Ardana come into her element around the rest of the Elven people, although I know she loves our party, I could still feel her looking down on us when surounded by the rest of her 'superior' race, but then again, with people like Siegfried, I guess Humanity doesn't have much to show for itself... can't blame her actually.) Tomorrow we set out once again, I hope that it will be the last of our journey in the mountains, as I'm more of a forest-plains type of person. The mountains severely mess with my judgement, and its becoming harder and harder to judge weather conditions, directions, and even something as simple as breathing the farther we get into the mountain ranges. Oh well, what can be done. Here's to hoping we'll make it through the tunnel in one piece. I'm horrified of tunnels after that weird melting rock creature attacked our party and nearly wiped us out back near Heildregch. -Evan
Posted 2/14/2006 to the Metagamers boards
Letter addressed to Shaun and Lillith Durran
Dear Mother and Father,
We have recently arrived at the Gnomish settlement we've been seeking. Since I last wrote to you we were tasked with searching out a small Gnomish military group and ask their assistance in dealing with the threat facing Heildregch and the surrounding territories. I'm sure that both of you can feel the tension in the air, even from so far away. We were initially ordered to escort a man named Jack Wheatfield to New Doarg, and then we were to proceed into the mountains surrounding the area, and try and locate the Gnomes settled somewhere in the area. We began our trek with little problems, but this soon changed as we reached higher altitudes. It started becoming horribly cold and dangerous, as avalanches and snow storms are very common in the region. On our recent journey our part came across a Druid named Foyle, well, actually he came upon us. It is good having another member of the party who can navigate the terrain as easily as I can, and he seems like an interesting fellow. After much searching we came upon an Elven settlement high up in the mountains and spent the day there, before setting off in search of the Dwarves who could lead us to the Gnomish encampment. As we traveled we were attacked by a large worm who actually devoured me whole! Luckily my companions felled the creature, and cut me out, I was pretty badly injured, but as of now I am healed. Inside the carcass of the beast we discovered the corpse of a Dwarven nobleman who turned out to have been part of the Dwarven city in the area. We searched and searched and finally stumbled upon the encampment, and returned the body. They were grateful of our deed and invited us to the funeral, promising us access to a tunnel that would lead us to the Gnomish city. Our party chipped in for a funeral gift, and attended the procession. In the morning we set out through the tunnel with Ardana and I leading the way. We were the forward scouts and had very little backup aside from several of the animals I was trying to lead through the tunnel. We came upon a small alcove set into the wall, and as soon as we passed we were attacked by some sort of undead creature. It looked like an animated pile of bones, yet the intestines were still present, and it had a long whip like tongue in its mouth. The battle is somewhat hazy, but I remember it attacking and grabbing onto Ardana, so I drew my sword and charged it. I knew that I had a much better chance alone in melee with it than she did, and she would be infinitely more powerful than I at a range. Also, she is one of my most trustworthy party members, and I could not let the creature harm her, so I grabbed onto the thing and tackled it, allowing her to escape. I released my grip on the creature and readied my bastard sword as it struck me with its tongue. At this point, I became paralyzed. The next thing I see is the creature readying an attack that would surely have killed me! Dromm must have heard my prayers as the creature stumbled. I could not see it from where I was lying, but apparently the creature had paralyzed Ardana also. What happened next though... when we thought all was lost? Ardana's owl managed to speak with a giant eagle we were travelling with, and convinced him to come to our defense, the eagle then summoned my raptor, Sera, to assist, and together they felled the evil beast. Luckily the poison or whatever it was wore off soon after that, and we were free to continue, this time with our party members in close support. We soon came upon a corpse, and cautiously approached the body. It was payday loans that of a Gnome, and as we neared it his skin started quivering. We retreated a ways, and Siegfried told us that it was pure evil. The corpse erupted, and a swarm of wasps attacked Siegfried. We did our best to fight them off, but to no avail, the creatures swarmed him and started to invade his body. I put myself between Siegfried and Moby, hoping to shield my companion from one of Siegfried's devastating blows had he been taken over by the creatures. Luckily however, the combination of efforts by Shard and Ardana destroyed the swarm and saved Siegfried (and most likely ourselves.) We finally pushed our way through the tunnel to the Gnomish fortress, and presented the body to the guards. They gave us a family name and instructed us to bring the body there while they attempted to arrange a meeting for us with the ruler of the city. We arrived at the modest house and knocked on the door. The woman who answered was clearly under great duress, as apparently her sister was the one whose husband's body we had found, and worst of all he had perished while looking for his lost daughter. As she was still missing, I gathered what information I could and immediately saddled up Era, as I did not want that family to lose two members. I told the other members of the group I was going searching, and they could speak with the ruler if they wished, but they postponed the meeting to accompany me. That is why I cherish my companions. We set out and I immediately began tracking, we found that her tracks led towards a series of cliffs below us, and we found the tracks of several birdlike creatures where the footprints of the young Gnome ended. We deduced that the animals would be using the cliffs for nesting in lieu of the mountains further away, so we approched cautiously. As we peered over the ledge we could make out a nest, with 3 of the sleeping creatures and the young gnome girl. Shard gave me his Slippers of Spider Climb, as I was the stronger between Moby and I. I slowly walked down the wall, making nary a sound, and slipped between the 3 creatures, and snapped up the little Gnome. As I started climbing again, one of my supports gave way and I began falling. Luckily I have a Ring of Feather Fall, so I was in no real danger, that is until the creatures woke up. They saw me and began panicking and firing some sort of sonic bursts everywhere. I shielded the girl from the blasts and was hit, but Siegfried rescued me with Hyperion. We could see the mother approaching however, so we had to do something fast! Luckily, I had prepared a spell that granted me the ability to speak with creatures of nature, and I informed the mother that we were only bringing the girl back to her family, and meant her nor her children any harm. She accepted this and ignored us, and began tending to her young. We swiftly rode back and delivered the girl to her family, who were so overjoyed that they invited us to stay with them. The look on her face when I lowered the girl off my shoulders... it made me glad that something came out of this tragedy. Later that night our party went out to eat, and heard people telling stories about us. It was quite flattering.
Now I come to the close of my letter, which is something I regret. I pride myself on being a good, compassionate person, but the world has been wronged and I feel this injustice needs to be set right. I was not going to mention this in my letter, but I have to in respect for our fallen comrade. While we were in the tunnel... a Lantern Archon approached our group and informed us of a great tragedy. Jack Wheatfield... Jack Wheatfield had been murdered while travelling on his diplomatic mission. The attackers not only stole his equipment, but decapitated him and left his body for the creatures that live in the area to feast upon. I can only hope that the Archon summoned a party to retrieve what was left of his body and give it a proper funeral. Even more disturbing is the group that did this... They were people we knew. I know not of many of the others, but one of the confirmations was that Spheresword was a member of the party. He is a person who has no regard for the lives of others, and his previous actions nearly killed me and the rest of our party. He was the one who went against our party's will and provoked a group of Ragamuffins, leading me to become posessed and begin to attack our party. I have included this last part of this letter against my better judgement, because I feel it neccesary to let you know what has happened and what I must do. As soon as we are finished on our current mission, I will set out on my own if need be to bring these villains to justice. May Dromm guide me in my travels. This tragedy though... it has instilled a great sense of mortality upon me. If something is to happen to me in the near future, I want you to know that I have money in a lockbox in Heildregch I want you, as my family, to have. Also, in a stable in New Doarg I have boarded Chester. Please retrieve him and care for him. I love you and treasure you both, Thank you. -Evan
