Journal - Kellerot's Twisted Realm

Twisted Isle

We boarded the Saloroc warship at night, the oarsmen making good time in relatively calm water. They swung around to the southwest of the island in an attempt to mask our approach, and then made the run in to shore just before dawn. We could see shapes in the water skitting away from the oars; they were like fish but seemed wrong in some way, deformed or moving oddly, and we only saw them as we drew close to the beach. The ship powered onto the beach, finding the sand to be surprisingly shallow and soft... but as we crossed the beach line and the bow rose out of the water we passed through a curtain of illusion, similar to the one around Ulric's house, and instead of a barren island we found ourselves on the edge of a densely forested region. The forest felt very wrong, again in a similar way as before, and the trees looked dead or dying but nevertheless created a thick barrier, and the sky was dark as if dawn had never come... darker even than the night we had traveled through.

Arad and I both had newly crafted symbols around our necks, mine a form of the Elvrahum burrow I had seen at the temple with a small piece of soil contained within it and set with rubies. Arad's was in the form of a metal basket on a chain with a large glowing diamond within it, which he called the star of life. Arad touched his instinctively as we made the transition from the light sea air to the dark, dank hidden realm on the island. The hill didn't seem to change much, remaining devoid of life and greenery, it was just the surrounding area. The trees were a combination of rotting leaves and dead trees, but all were still standing. It was eerily quiet, with no sounds or animal calls, but there did seem to be a worryingly random rustling from within the dark forest that just didn't seem natural. No sign of dawn could be seen, and it just felt like the sun would never penetrate this place.

I tumbled neatly over the edge of the ship, landing lightly on the sandy beach, followed by Arad who was saying a prayer to the Creator. Falcor jumped down last, drawing his sword instinctively at an unseen but perceived threat.

Orcs nervous, but will stay - Red Skull do run from the dead! We follow beach to ridge and start up towards peak.

Evil bat thing, but bigger and faster than last ones. Utterly silent, gliding down swooping over heads by fifteen to twenty feet.

Passes from behind overhead, this time about ten feet up. We loose arrows (apart from Falcor who stands between us guarding with sword), but don't manage to hit.

Approaches again, but stops in air, hanging without wings beating. Out of each wingtip, magic missiles fly and thud into my chest, hurting. Falcor mutters a quick spell behind me as I jog forward to get a better shot.

I loose an arrow at it, flying true, but veers off at last moment as if protected in some way.

I put bow away as I continue to jog forward. Falcor ran forward and jumped impressively into the air, slashing it with his sword at the apex of (he was almost fifteen feet up) the jump, making a nasty cut and blood splatters out.

I pull out foxfire and call on Karmana's will to guide it onto the creature, outlining it with a soft shining light, making it easier to see and hit. Arad calls on Creator and summons spears that leap towards it, but don't appear to do much.

Creature flys off, still silently - everything eerily quiet. See its glowing outline receding into the night away to our left (roughly north). Falcor landed heavily, due to the height, and suggested drawing bows again and continuing.

Continue for another mile or so, until I notice on the edge of my vision some kind of red dots... like glowing eyes! Whisper to Falcor so that he is aware. As we continue it clearly is a heat source, likely more than one. Predators of some kind.

Loose an arrow the next time I see it, striking true, hearing a thud and muffled yelp, then they seem to withdraw. Continue a little farther until four big cats with glowing red eyes and glow from their jaws bound out of the dark, about six feet long.

They bound across the distance in no time, and I just manage to drop my bow and draw sword before they were on me. Dodge a rake from one's claws, then the other rakes and connects but armour just manages to deflect claws and I feel the weight of the attack. Pass me but turn.

Arad had a similar experience, just avoiding damage due to his armour. Breath stinks of death and rotting corpses. My swing was late and went wide - they're fast!

Arad loosed arrows, hitting with both. Falcor cuts into one of the cats attacking me, then stabs one near Arad in throat, ripping it out - one down. He swings back at the first one, cutting it open - two down.

Arad smashes one with hammer. War cry from behind as orcs charge at us, bearing a panther symbol on their shields. Not connecting thankfully. I slash one of the cats, opening a decent wound but it keeps its feet.

Cat rakes Arad, pulling him in closer, but fails to bite... stench is terrible though. Arad swings at it, landing a good hit and follows up with sword swipe, finishing it off.

Scimitar slides off Arad's armours, but one bites into Falcor. I finally connect with the cat with my long sword, and it fell with a sudden howl that ended in silence.

Falcor strikes back, landing good hits, but they stood firm. Arad also landed a hit. Falcor stabs again, and drops one like a stone, then slashes at another and dropped that too.

Arad took a nasty hit from a scimitar. Falcor moved to help Arad. I tried to stab one attacker, but he blocked with his shield, and Arad was also blocked with shield, but second swing gets past and staggers foe.

Scimitar cut Falcor, but only just. I was hit twice, with one penetrating. Arad crushes one of the wounded foe with his hammer, then stabs another foe deeply. Falcor stabbed it in the back, finishing it. Just the two left fighting me.

My swings still blocked by shield. Falcor cuts the head off one of the bodies, so Arad copies and does the same for another.

Falcor comes to aid from their rear, cutting deeply. One gets back up from being slain, moving to attack Arad! Arad puts it down again quickly, and also finishes off one of my attackers, leaving just the one (for now).

Falcor stabs the last one from behind, but mainly because it was busy slashing me with a deep wound. I managed to stab it back, but not enough to finish it. Falcor finishes it, though, with a powerful swipe. Cats start to get back up, clawing me from both sides!

Falcor cuts a head off and I slay one of the cats AGAIN. Arad cuts a head off as well. Falcor cuts another one off, but points out that the heads are moving even when severed.

More cats start moving. Arad decapitates orc body and one cat body. I finished a cat again, and Falcor removed its head. Arad clawed and bitten by a reanimated cat. Falcor stabbed it, killing it again to get it off Arad. Falcor decapitates the cat, as I try to call on Karmana to heal me... very faint signs of life so doesn't do as much as usual.

Lob heads away as much as possible. Arad calls on Creator, using his new star and it strobes with light and my wounds melted away, feeling hale again.

Manage to continue to top unmolested, finding a depression in the top about a hundred and fifty feet across and about fifty feet deep. Rocky with dried mud and dead grass, a couple of dead trees below us. As we descend it's clear that there is something, although low to ground, in the centre. We circle around first.

After skirting around we reach the bottom, finding a circle of protrusions almost like a stone circle, but low - at most two feet high.

As we approach a ghostly apparition appeared about thirty feet in front of us, and Falcor screamed in fear, turning and jogging away in terror. It seems like an animalistic, wild orc - stocky and advancing.

More phase into sight, now four, seem to be screaming but no sound at all, ready to strike. Arad calls on Creator to drive the unnatural creatures away, and his symbol strobes with light. No discernable effect on them. I don't believe that they're real, so walk forward confidently ignoring them, brush through one and no effect so still confident.

Falcor sprints off in fear. One envelops me completely as more appear, and I am looking through it! Arad swings hammer at one, but passes straight through.

Continue straight through it, to edge of circle, obviously once masonry and embedded in the ground, probably once the tower.

Falcor still fleeing into the darkness. Arad jogs into the circle, and tried again to turn, moving out of clutches of ghost first, knowing that there are new ones now. Flash of bright light again, but again no obvious effect.

Arad and I meet in the centre, and Falcor finally comes to senses, turning back to hopefully join us. Apparitions close around circle, but don't come inside. Can't see anything on the ground except the stones.

I swim through the soil, locating a trapdoor, and emerge on that point for the others - tell them that this is the right spot and it's ten feet down.

Falcor warns to stand back, brandishing a wand, and spoke a command word, at which soil throws itself away around the edges of a perfect hole revealing the trapdoor.