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. The Saloroc were clearly nervous at the stark transition, probably not having seen anything like it before. Despite this they swore that they would stay as agreed, saying that the Red Skull Clan would not run from the dead! We left at once, deciding that trying to finish what we had come here to do as quickly as possible was all that we could do to assist our allies. We followed the beach east until it met the ridge of the hill, and started up towards the peak. None of us wished to enter the forest if we could help it.

After about an hour of gentle climbing an evil looking gigantic bat thing, bigger and faster than the others we had encountered, glided over our heads utterly silently, perhaps twenty feet above us or lower. We readied bows, looking around but unable to see anything in the complete darkness. Then it passed overhead again, this time from behind and lower - about ten feet up. Falcor stood between us and prepared to swing with his sword should it get closer, while we loosed arrows... but there was no indication that we had hit it. The third time it approached it stopped in the air, hanging without ever beating its wings, then out of each wingtip, magic missiles flew and streaked into my chest, which caused great pain. Falcor muttered a quick spell behind me as I jogged forward to get a better shot, loosing an arrow straight at it... but the arrow veered off at the last moment as if were protected in some way.

Realising it was useless, I put my bow away as I continued to jog forward, whereas Falcor ran forward and jumped impressively into the air, getting just high enough to slash at it with his sword at the apex (almost fifteen feet up!) before coming down heavily and crying out slightly as he was winded. The cut was good, though, and blood splattered out. I pulled out some foxfire and called on Karmana's will to guide it onto the creature, outlining it with a soft green shining light, making it easier to see and hit in the pitch darkness. Arad called on the Creator and summoned spears that leapt from his hand towards it, but they didn't appear to affect it. Still, it seemed unwilling to stay and suffer more, for it flew off, still silently, and we saw its glowing outline receding into the night away to our left (roughly north). The whole thing had happened in strange silence, almost as if unreal, but Falcor broke this feeling with some quick commands to draw bows and keep moving.

We continued for another mile or so, until I noticed on the edge of my vision some kind of red dots, pairs of them... like glowing eyes! I whispered to Falcor so that he was aware, and although we continued I kept a careful watch. The things became bolder and it was clear that there was at least one heat source coming in and out of our vision range, and most likely more than one. They were predators of some kind and they were hunting us! The next time I saw it I loosed an arrow, and I got lucky as I could barely see the shape of it but I heard a thud and a muffled yelp that confirmed that I had struck true. They seemed to withdraw after that, but we were not so stupid as to relax. Sure enough, a little farther on we were charged by four big cats with glowing red eyes, and an unnatural glow from their jaws as well. They bounded out of the dark straight at us, about six feet long apiece.

They closed the distance in no time, and I just managed to drop my bow and draw a sword before they were on me. I dodged a rake from one's claws, feeling another pass behind me and its claws raked at my armour, but thankfully didn't penetrate. I could feel the weight of the powerful blow, though, and turned to keep the cats in front of me. Arad had a similar experience, just avoiding damage due to his armour. We both noticed that their breath stank of death and rotting corpses. My own swing was late and went wide... they were fast!

Arad loosed arrows, hitting with both, and Falcor cut into one of the cats attacking me, then stabbed one near Arad in the throat, ripping it out and dropping it. He swung back at the first one, cutting it open and halving their numbers. Arad smashed one with his hammer but then we heard a war cry from behind us as some pale looking orcs charged at us, wearing a panther symbol on their shields and wielding scimitars. Thankfully Falcor had removed enough of the cats from the fight that we were able to shift and not expose our backs, so their attack was either dodged or parried and it became a mess of a melee. I slashed one of the cats, opening a decent wound but unable to finish it as it danced away. The other cat raked Arad, keeping its claws in him and pulling him in closer, but he managed to block its attempt to bite him (the stench was terrible though). Arad swung at it, landing a good hit and followed up with a thrust of his sword to finish it off.

The orcs continued fighting, and a scimitar just slid off Arad's armour as he escaped from the cats claws, but one bit into Falcor's thigh. I finally connected with the last cat with a swing of my long sword, and it fell with a sudden howl that ended in silence. Falcor struck back at his attacker, landing good hits and following up with another stab to finish it off. He then slashed at another wounded orc, putting that one down too. Arad stabbed one, but was slashed badly by a scimitar in return. Falcor moved over to help Arad, one blow being blocked by its shield, but allowing Arad to swing past its defence and stagger it backwards. I was struggling to connect as well, not quite having the reach to get around its shield as easily.

Falcor was cut by another scimitar blow, although not badly, but I was not so lucky and was hit by two blows, with one getting past my armour. Arad crushed one of the wounded foes with his hammer, then stabbed another deeply. Falcor stabbed that one in the back, finishing it, which just the two left fighting me. My swings were still blocked by their shields. Falcor took a moment to cut the head off one of the bodies, so Arad did the same with one near him and then they moved to assist me (priorities?!). Falcor cut into one from its rear, and Arad finished it... but then he was attacked from behind by one of the slain foes that got back up from the floor!

Falcor stabbed my last attacker from behind with ease, but mainly because it was busy slashing me with a deep wound! I managed to stab it back, and Falcor finished it with a powerful swipe. Just when I thought I had some breathing space, though, the cats awoke and leapt to attack, clawing me from both sides! Falcor cut another head off and I slayed one of the cats AGAIN. Arad and Falcor cut more heads off, but Falcor pointed out that the heads were moving even when severed... we had to get away! More cats started moving, and I was able to kill the other reanimated one. Arad decapitated both an orc's and a cat's body, and Falcor removed the head of the one I had just felled. I ran up the slope, trying to put some distance between me and the bodies so that I could tend to my wounds. Arad was clawed and bitten by another reanimated cat, but Falcor stepped in and stabbed it with a killing (if that was really the right word here) blow to get it off Arad. Falcor decapitated it to slow down its recovery. Meanwhile I was trying to call on Karmana to heal my wounds, but there were only very faint signs of life in that place so it didn't do as much good 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.