Journey to Kylock
 

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July 2, 2008

• The Widow, Anna of the Sword, sent out notices that those wanting to apply for work requiring delivery of goods through hostile territory should meet with her at Nia's Tavern at 6:30 on the evening of Midweek.
   

• The Queen and Alexander, having received a warning that an object of tremendous power, especially for those with evil intentions, that has been thought lost to the world may in fact be in Crusadia.  They send out notices offering rewards for information or capture of parties involved in moving the object.
   

• Angelita, Bart, Edward, Frederick, Jithruil, LaShawna, Tarlach and Winfred attended the meeting held in the queens own tavern with the queen downstairs.
   

• Anna announces that anyone working for her will have to stand on her family crest and swear loyalty to her family, warning them that betrayal will trigger a curse. "Snakes, not of this earth, and of the most deadly type, will set upon that poor idiot, who will die a most horrible, and slow death."
   

• Anna refuses to tell the people anything more about the job until they take the oath.
  As a result Angelita and LaShawna excuse themselves from the group.
   

• As the others start to take the oath, Winfred James, the smithy realizes this group is full of people with no love for the good king and good queen.  He makes a break for it, only to be stopped by Bartholemew.
   

• Bart knocks the smith out, taking a knife and holding it against his throat until a crimson circle of blood forms, the offers to get rid of him.  Leaving the rest of the group in Anna's care.
   

• As Bart comes down the stairs, the queen sees him dragging Winfred. Bart tells her Winfred had a fit when he wasn't  hired, and others attacked him.  He says he is going to take the man home to the man's own bed, but the queen tells him to bring the smithy to a room there in the tavern.  Bart quickly changes the circumstances of the story, calling out about the blood on the man's neck, as if learning of it for the first time.
   

• Below, in the tavern proper, a Bard has arrived and is singing a sea ditty for the bartender.  Whether this is his only purpose in being here this night or not only he knows.
   

• Also below, a peddler tries to sell his wares claiming they are triangles of magic.
   

• Outside the tavern a woman waits, a servant, whose master has sought the tavern to seek out work.
   

• Upstairs the oath taking progresses, and then Frederick turns on Jithruil, accusing the man of spying for the queen, based purely on the fact that he has noticed the man is an elf.  Jithruil denies knowing what the man speaks of.  Anna tells them all it doesn't matter. The elf has already taken the oath. If he betrays her, he will die from the curse.
   

• Outside, on a hill, General Falcree and Millicent watch the travelers coming to and exiting from the tavern.  It is clear he plans to be the one to deliver the goods to Kylock, but he tells Millicent that he sees no reason to take it too soon, as waiting will give the cost of transporting the chest to Anna.
   

• A healer arrives at the tavern, but his trade is not known to any therein, and he does not hear the call from Bart and Nia.
   

• Upstairs, Anna tells her group that she will send the four in the room ahead of others she may hire; Frederick, Jithruil, Edward and Tralach will take the package to Dragon's Spine.
  There, Anna's contact will find them, and trade an object for Anna's chest.  They will return the object to Anna.

  END OF JULY 2, 2008 Game.

• Jithruil paused outside the tavern door to purchase one of the strange triangle of magic being sold by the peddler when he happened to meet a woman who he later learned was the bladesinger, and chosen of Corellon, Lavania Amarantha de la Dulcenia Goldenshield.  Nia asked Jithruil to keep his eyes and ears open about the possible movement of stolen goods, specifically good that might be related to the Map of Karolis and the Chest of Rezart.
• Nia questioned the peddler about where he was from and how he, not a mage, came by his triangles, but she got no answers as she was interrupted by others.
• A centaur name Clovis arrived in the region, and made himself comfortable outside the tavern window, befriending patrons inside.

• Lord Donovan, a stranger in the land, arrived searching for his squire.

End of July 7, 2008 Game

• Alexander Goldenshield showed up at the tavern looking for his wife who had not returned home the previous night. He found her in an upstairs room of the tavern with Winfred James and Bart. Nia explained that Bart's attack on Winfred had all been staged to save both men from swearing Anna's oath.
• Saryn Goldenshield noted a stranger (Sedoke) watching the world, and offered to pay him to watch for the crown.
• Bart joined Jithruil, Edward, Frederick and Tarlach for the journey, despite objections from Jithruil who questioned the man's sudden appearance.  The others, assuming he had murdered Winfred, and that he had been cleared by Anna, welcomed him.
• LaShawna Lee Dennon tried to pay the party to let her journey with them.  A vote was taken, and with Jithruil casting the final vote, she was told no.
• The Centaur Clovis requested work in the realm. The queen offered him a chance to teach non Centaurs about his people.
• Lord Donovan continued his search for his squire.
• Star Dawn visited the tavern again, encountering Coryn Hawksbridge.  The knight and the warrior elf seemed at odds, the reason known only to them.
• An elf, Ryska, came to the tavern as the others set off on their journey.
• The strange creature, Saffron, who often seems to mold the shadow themselves, appeared at the tavern, saying little, observing much.
• Kurt Fyremane woke up with a hangover, and thought he was imagining things when he found a Centaur staring back at him, but as he often does, Kurt struck up a friendship with the stranger before heading off to bed to sleep off the rest of his night.
• The group finally hit the trail, heading off first toward the Elfin woods, at Jithruil's request.  It seems that the elf has natural leadership abilities.

End of July 8, 2008 Game.

• Sirius, the Knight of Leone, had lost his way on his journey to Crusadia, and found himself in the elfin forest, out of Nia's Tavern when, while musing "where am I?" a strange creature appeared, answering him with, "dead if I have my way."  This creature, though she had many of the attributes of a beautiful woman, also had large ram-like horns growing from her head. 
• Kylasael Riverblade, one of the bladesingers in training who was set to watch the woods that day revealed her presence by hopping down from her tree.  When Sirius said he was not a citizen of Crusadia, Kylasael almost chose to leave him to the mercy of the creature, seeing as how in her opinion they were both trespassers in the forest, but then the old hermit, Durwin, appeared and informed her that he knew that the chosen would want the knight protected.
• Durwin stated that he was looking for a source of a disturbance in the field of magic that rested over the region. 
• Kylasael was not convinced at first, and warned the old man that if the chosen later denied knowing him she would surely kill him, but she stayed for the time being.  Still, the demonic looking creature had spoken hostile words and had the appearance of danger.  It seemed logical that if the elf defended anyone, she defend the human.
• The creature informed the human and the elf that she was not a who, she was a what, and firmly denied the accusation that she was a demon. She explained her appearance as "misdirected" magic, stating that she feeds on magic itself.  She implied that she meant no threat with her greeting to Sirius, saying it was the way people greet her, so she assumed it was the proper way to greet others.  She spoke of defending a tower while Sirius tried to explain to her what a knight was.
• The magic eater (Wolff) asked to be taught friendlier greetings, but Ky refused, stating that until she knew the thing wasn't a danger to those that walk upon 2 legs, she wasn't going to make it easier for her to get closer to them.
• The magic eater insisted that she only ate magic, and only from the tower.
• While the others tried to feel out their danger or lack thereof to one another, Durwin again asked about the strange pulse in the field of magic, and Kylasael, disturbed by the talk of magical towers near the woods, and by humans in the woods, decided to use her magic to send a message to to the chosen, casting the spell "Message" she asked the chosen to come to the woods.
• The magic eater, trying to absorb Ky's magic, and failing, used her own magic to send the message "Master, please come." Beside her a strange man appeared, asking, "What is this, Wolff?"
• Nia was at Lion's Keep, on her way to Saryn Goldenshield's office when the message, sent by magical means, arrived.  Not one to take chances, Nia changed her path, moving to her own rooms within the keep, and using scrying to examine the situation before leaping into it.  Realizing she had to examine the situation, she made haste to reach the elfin woods.
• The stranger identified himself as Phyr'ean Loraldhon.  His distrust of the others seemed to equal their distrust of him. He asked Durwin if passage from his tower to the lands in or near Crusadia were open to all, or only when it was willed.  When Wolff spoke of sealing off the tower, Durwin objected, and Phyr'ean Loraldhon told Wolfe he wanted Durwin to come with them to Kyrell's Tower.
• At the threat of the two tower creatures to kidnap Durwin, Kylasael steps forwad, demanding they hold, her mind racing for some spell that will help them, but before she has need to cast it, the chosen appears among them.
• Deciding to try diplomacy first, Nia, as calmly as she can, asks for an explanation of what is going on, and why weapons are drawn. Everyone seemed to talk at once, giving their side of the story, and prompting Nia to sigh in frustration, and ask Wolfe, "Why did you threaten to kill Sir Sirius? And Ky? Why are you brandishing a weapon? And who had a weapon at whose throat? And.... Durwin? What do you mean there is a disturbance and a familiar presence? Are you talking about my arrival?"  This resulted in more accusations and explanation.  Nia decided a different tactic was in order and instead suggested they all agree, that at least for a few moments, none of them were going to kill or harm each other. 
• Durwin told Nia that he had been sensing someone trying to reach the minds of Nia or Alexander, from somewhere far away, is if they were trapped by a magical field.  The news was alarming to Nia, her first thoughts being that some enemy was once more trying to attack the Lion, but Alexander's mind was not something one easily dallied with, given his control of pscionics.  Durwin assured her that he sensed nothing hostile in the voices. He told Nia that he thought someone was trapped in a magical field, and that Wolffe's tower must have opened up a crack in the field, letting this message through.  He agreed to investigate and provide more information to Nia when it was possible.
  
  End of Morning Game

EARLY EVENING GAME

• Rain poured down outside the tavern, and as Nia paced the room impatiently, Willie complained that business would be down, then went into a long rant about how silly land dwellers were for fearing a little rain.  As he went into a story of how sailors would stand on decks in storms, welcoming the sea washing over them, a stranger stepped into the room, delighting Nia, simply by proving Willie wrong.
• The stranger identifies himself as Seingen ap Gaeroes, son of the House of Tallon.  His father, Chieftan of region several hundred leagues away, his brother next in line for his father's role, Tallon had set out to find his own fortune. He seemed to take an instant fancy to the barmaid, Francis Broadshire, who was equally taken with him.
• Heather Wells dropped in, probably looking for Zach, but making the excuse that she wanted to purchase pies, as her brothers had brought home guests.
• Durwin stormed in, loaded down with books. 
• Angelita came in, furious that Willie had not delivered a message to Clint that she needed to see LaShawna. Willie proclaimed his innocence, passing the blame on to Clint.
• Durwin informs Nia that he thinks he has found the connection to the strange tower, the disturbance in magical fields and whatever is trying to reach Nia and Alexander. He thinks it is Reno Starhopper, a strange man from the future, whose time travels had brought him to Crusadia.  Reno, trapped in the strange world of swords and shields, had become friend to Alexander and Nia and many others of the realm, and had vanished during the great battle against Sarvion.  Nia and the others had assumed that he was one of the many who died that day, his body lost, no doubt to some terrible magic cast by the forces of Belasco and Sulieman.
• Durwin explains that Reno had a well on his property that was some type of magical portal or magical field.  It was that field which originally spit Reno into the realm, and was a field that he used from time to time like people sometimes use scrying glasses.  Durwin's theory was that Reno was trapped in that magical field. 
• With spells supplied by Durwin's research, NIa made her way carefully to Reno's property, and waged a magical battle against the forces of the well to draw Reno out. 
• Reno explained that the night before the great battle he had thought to use the well's magic to gather information to help Alexander's armies flank Sulieman, but instead, the well had pulled him into it, trapping him in vortexes of time that spewed him out in many strange and terrible worlds.

End of Early Evening Game

LATE EVENING GAME

• Coryn Hawksbridge makes a late night trip to the tavern, and encounters the half-elf, Star Dawn, who he had exchanged words with previously.  He learns that Dawn is a friend of the king's, and when Dawn tells him that she once saved Alexander's life he chuckles and says that Alexander often needs his life saved.
• Coryn explains to Dawn that his father was considered a rather notorious individual when it came to relationships with the throne.
• A visitor, who identified herself as from a place known as Dragon's Island stole her way into the tavern.  She introduces herself as Saphira.
• Sirius, having found his way to the Tavern, runs into Saphira, discovering she is not at all the typical fair maiden.  When the man gets too drunk to hold his seat, Saphira Elam helps get him to a room within the tavern.
• In the mean time, Diamonde, the run away, who has no desire to marry the man her father intends for her to marry, runs into Seingen Tallon.
• Though drawing a sword on Coryn, Dawn tells him she is not a killer, but rather a healer, and asks him to teach her to use a sword.
• Nia explained to Reno that the evil dragon Tiamat's scepter, long thought lost forever, was now rumored to be near rediscovery.  The scepter capable of freeing the Dragon Goddess.  Rumor had reached them all that the Map of Karolis, which lead to the scepter, was inside the Chest of Rexart, and that the chest, long missing, was somewhere within the boundaries of Crusadia once more.

End of July 10, 2008 Games

Games in the tavern on July 11, 12, 13, and 14, while involving some of the people in earlier Kylock games, were more about character advancement than about Kylock. 

 

• As Bart kept watch over the chest, and the others slept, Jithruil took a stroll to think about the possible conflict of the request from the chosen, and the oaths he had sworn to Anna of the Sword.  He used the time, as well, to seek a higher vantage point to survey the regions, and while there, ran across an Orc that was already covered in blood from a raid.  The Orc, still high from his earlier victory, thought the elf would be an easy match for him, but soon learned that Jithruil was no normal elf.  In fact, Jithruil is a bladesinger by trade, one whose second skill, rather than magic, is pscionics.  The battle was a short lived one, with the Orc falling quickly, his arm cut off, his blood flowing into the ground.
• Back at the camp, the howls of the Orc woke Frederick, who took the watch from Bart, and tried to break into the chest using his skills as a thief.  Jithruil caught him at it, but did not take offense, rather asking him if he had any luck.  Unfortunately, though Frederick tripped no traps, he noted that the chest was lined with them.

• Nia Goldenshield, Reno Starhopper, Kurt Fyremane and Kylasael Riverblade began a trek to find the group that Anna of the Sword had hired.  With rain falling in the mountains, the group rushed to cross the rivers in the forest before the runoff made them river impassable, but on the way they ran into a group of Dryads who tried to lure Kurt and Reno with their magic, hoping to entrap the men.  The group was being stalked by Antumbra, who had taken the form of a lemur.  Antumbra's rustling above them, and Nia and Ky's interference, helped free the men from the magic.   A group of Satyr appeared, Kurt and Reno provided them with drink and food for their party, so they let the group pass without incident, however, a young woman, trying to make her way back from a visit to the tavern found herself on a run away horse. Reno lassoed the animal and rescued the Aurelia..
• Antumbra informed the group that he was going to follow them, find the chest, and if then sell the information to the highest bidder. This infuriated Reno, Ky, Nia and Kurt.
• The Satyr's informed the group that there were Orcs and Kobolds in the forest.  The group decided to return to the city and report what they knew, with Nia determined to issue a warrant for the arrest of Antumbra.
• Bart tested Jithruil by suggesting that they sneak off alone, and take the chest without the others, but Jithruil refused to help him with his plan.
• Things got wild back at the tavern when Darien Moonglow tried to make friends with Leena Windsong, while the brownies Jean Paul and Locke tried to create havoc for Saryn Goldenshield, to the delight of Tevros Hardstone.  The vampire, Yvonne, tried to get someone to invite her into the tavern, but no one allowed her entrance.
• The next day Nia tried to make her way alone, having asked Alexander to meet her in the woods.  On the way, Alexander was ambushed by four kobolds.  He made quick of the first two, and was working on the next two when Nia arrived, and accessing the situation decided Alexander didn't need any help.  As she stepped back to watch him take care of the kobold problem, Rory arrived, and without hesitating to examine the situation, fired lightening at where he assumed kobolds were. Instead, he hit the queen.  Alexander rushed to Nia's side, and insisted on taking his wife back to the city to be examined by healers.
• Reno decided that the best way to handle things was to go undercover in the woods, using disguise and his brownies to gather as much information as he could from various wanderers in the woods.
• Frederick and Edward launched a plan to steal the chest, deciding they would murder Tarlach, frame Bart, and hopefully manage to shake the elf.  Waiting until Jithruil went for his nightly scouting mission, they launched their plan, without realizing that Reno, hiding in the woods, had overheard their plot and sent in his brownies to disrupt things.  The two brownies caused enough commotion to wake the entire camp.  Jithruil arrived in time to prevent the plan from being carried out, and to prevent Bart, who was sure they were trying to murder him, from murdering Frederick.

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