Thalen's Journal
Clutched in the hands of a Thalen's skeletal hand is a tattered and torn journal.
Entry #1
I know the Wildmother says we should love all her children, but right now I want to kill Aric. Thrice damn that boy, he's too old for these kind of antics! I know he took my journal and plans to read it after I leave with The Order of the Violet Path. It seems such a petty thing to do in light of all that's going on. I need to focus, and these journal entries help me do that, so I'm starting this new one and taking it with me.
We head out tomorrow as soon as morning devotions are done. Asha says The Invoker himself is going to see us off. Probably because we'll be taking The Ways. I still don't know how good of an idea it is for us to attempt traveling The Ways with how much they've changed, but what other choice do we have? We don't have the months it would take to get to Lathandrís over land, let alone how dangerous that would be. It's been months since Sah'Ruun was destroyed and you can still see the dust covering the sky to the east. The refugees that arrived say they were constantly being attacked on their way here… once by a pack of demons, if they are to be believed.
Whatever the risk, we must be successful. Hopefully this, and the work The Invoker is doing, will heal the rift with Karathoryx the Ember-Sovereign and restore relations with the dragonkin back to the way they were before The Breaking. If we fail and lose what's been entrusted to us, I fear what Karathoryx will do in retaliation. We can't afford to lose what brittle alliance we have with the chromats now, although I can't imagine how it was any better given their disdain for us now. I've heard rumors they blame us for the destruction of Veskaryn, but nobody knows why.
Entry #2
We've made camp outside the entrance to The Ways. In the morning, Branik will enter first and do some scouting. He says both leaves were put on this side of the Waygate after Prydeon Kelmar came out stark raving mad. He told us The Invoker himself hasn't been able to help him, that he just stares at nothing whispering "Machin Shin" (which means "Black Wind" in the Old Tongue)… the body lives, but the mind and soul are gone.
Asha told me that The Ways have darkened completely and that's why we've brought so much oil for the lanterns and poles to extend them from the horses. One pack horse is dedicated to the fuel for light alone. I should try and get some sleep, I have a feeling I won't be resting easily the coming nights.
Entry #3
I almost broke my ankle coming through the Waygate. They could have said something about stepping through and feeling like you are being shot forward. Looking back through the Waygate, it was like Sister Elowen was moving in slow motion until she came through. I wonder if that's how it feels like you get to your destination faster than you should?
I wasn't prepared for what this place is like. We learned The Ways are actually alive, although no one understands or remembers how this was originally achieved, beyond the use of a Talisman of Growing. Because they are grown from the Astral Sea they do not share rules of space and time with the world outside. The pathways exist as suspended platforms, bridges, and stairs. Every pathway I can see is connected in ways that defy logic, with no visible supports. Branik says we can travel for a few days and emerge hundreds of miles from their starting location in the outside world. He says we'll find these "islands" where pathways meet and each island contains a navigational marker; a large slab of stone covered in The Old Tongue called a Guiding. The Ways used to be well lit by a 'sun' set in cloudless skies, with food-bearing trees on the islands. There was grass on every pathway and all the traveled routes were beautiful in the manner that druids loved. It's hard to believe that and no evidence of these comforts now remain. Now The Ways are completely dark and the stone of the pathways have begun to pit and rot. The darkness is oppressive.
I can't help but think about Prydeon's words "Machin Shin" as I stare out into the darkness.
Entry #4
The Egg seems to be reacting to this place. Where it was oddly effecting objects around it before, the effects have gotten stronger. I know the others from the Order said it seems to be able to levitate an object or have it gain unnatural weight, mostly at random, but it lifted the packhorse today. I wonder what effect a place like this will have on the egg? Hopefully the exposure will be short enough not to have any lasting implications.
Entry #5
We reached the first Guiding today. Branik can read the Old Tongue enough to make out which direction we should be going. Says we'll see several Guiding by the time we get to where we need to go.
The darkness is oppressive, it shouldn't feel like it's squeezing the light from our lantern poles down so much but it does. I can't wait to get out of here.
Entry #6
We lost Brother Fenrik and Asha yesterday. The thing came out of nowhere. Nothing we cast at it seemed to stick. I should have known something was wrong when that light breeze started… there hasn't been any stirring of the wind the entire time we've been in here.
And Wildmother, those whispers… I still can't get them out of my head and I was the furthest from it. Asha's screams as the thing tore her apart will haunt me forever… if Brother Thalen didn't sacrifice himself for us, we might all be lost. I'm not even sure what he was doing was slowing the thing down as much as it stopped to… play… with him. We had to go the wrong direction though, that… thing… came from where we were supposed to be heading.
Branik says he can still get us there, that we'll have to take a longer path to do so. We are only stopping for a short rest, then we will continue on. We don’t know how far back that thing is or if it can follow our trail.
Entry #7
Wildmother preserve me. I'm the last one. It caught us and devoured everyone. They held it off and yelled for me to go… and I ran. Wildmother, I'm a coward, but I couldn't take those whispers in my head… flesh so fine, so fine to tear, to gnash the skin; skin to strip…. My sweet screams, pretty screams…
I don't know where I am. I have passed two Guiding, choosing a direction at random. My lantern is almost out of oil. I hope I've chosen a path that leads to another Waygate… I want out. My blood wants out. Bitter blood. Blood so bitter. Drink the blood and crack the bone. Crack the bone and suck the marrow…
Entry #1
I know the Wildmother says we should love all her children, but right now I want to kill Aric. Thrice damn that boy, he's too old for these kind of antics! I know he took my journal and plans to read it after I leave with The Order of the Violet Path. It seems such a petty thing to do in light of all that's going on. I need to focus, and these journal entries help me do that, so I'm starting this new one and taking it with me.
We head out tomorrow as soon as morning devotions are done. Asha says The Invoker himself is going to see us off. Probably because we'll be taking The Ways. I still don't know how good of an idea it is for us to attempt traveling The Ways with how much they've changed, but what other choice do we have? We don't have the months it would take to get to Lathandrís over land, let alone how dangerous that would be. It's been months since Sah'Ruun was destroyed and you can still see the dust covering the sky to the east. The refugees that arrived say they were constantly being attacked on their way here… once by a pack of demons, if they are to be believed.
Whatever the risk, we must be successful. Hopefully this, and the work The Invoker is doing, will heal the rift with Karathoryx the Ember-Sovereign and restore relations with the dragonkin back to the way they were before The Breaking. If we fail and lose what's been entrusted to us, I fear what Karathoryx will do in retaliation. We can't afford to lose what brittle alliance we have with the chromats now, although I can't imagine how it was any better given their disdain for us now. I've heard rumors they blame us for the destruction of Veskaryn, but nobody knows why.
Entry #2
We've made camp outside the entrance to The Ways. In the morning, Branik will enter first and do some scouting. He says both leaves were put on this side of the Waygate after Prydeon Kelmar came out stark raving mad. He told us The Invoker himself hasn't been able to help him, that he just stares at nothing whispering "Machin Shin" (which means "Black Wind" in the Old Tongue)… the body lives, but the mind and soul are gone.
Asha told me that The Ways have darkened completely and that's why we've brought so much oil for the lanterns and poles to extend them from the horses. One pack horse is dedicated to the fuel for light alone. I should try and get some sleep, I have a feeling I won't be resting easily the coming nights.
Entry #3
I almost broke my ankle coming through the Waygate. They could have said something about stepping through and feeling like you are being shot forward. Looking back through the Waygate, it was like Sister Elowen was moving in slow motion until she came through. I wonder if that's how it feels like you get to your destination faster than you should?
I wasn't prepared for what this place is like. We learned The Ways are actually alive, although no one understands or remembers how this was originally achieved, beyond the use of a Talisman of Growing. Because they are grown from the Astral Sea they do not share rules of space and time with the world outside. The pathways exist as suspended platforms, bridges, and stairs. Every pathway I can see is connected in ways that defy logic, with no visible supports. Branik says we can travel for a few days and emerge hundreds of miles from their starting location in the outside world. He says we'll find these "islands" where pathways meet and each island contains a navigational marker; a large slab of stone covered in The Old Tongue called a Guiding. The Ways used to be well lit by a 'sun' set in cloudless skies, with food-bearing trees on the islands. There was grass on every pathway and all the traveled routes were beautiful in the manner that druids loved. It's hard to believe that and no evidence of these comforts now remain. Now The Ways are completely dark and the stone of the pathways have begun to pit and rot. The darkness is oppressive.
I can't help but think about Prydeon's words "Machin Shin" as I stare out into the darkness.
Entry #4
The Egg seems to be reacting to this place. Where it was oddly effecting objects around it before, the effects have gotten stronger. I know the others from the Order said it seems to be able to levitate an object or have it gain unnatural weight, mostly at random, but it lifted the packhorse today. I wonder what effect a place like this will have on the egg? Hopefully the exposure will be short enough not to have any lasting implications.
Entry #5
We reached the first Guiding today. Branik can read the Old Tongue enough to make out which direction we should be going. Says we'll see several Guiding by the time we get to where we need to go.
The darkness is oppressive, it shouldn't feel like it's squeezing the light from our lantern poles down so much but it does. I can't wait to get out of here.
Entry #6
We lost Brother Fenrik and Asha yesterday. The thing came out of nowhere. Nothing we cast at it seemed to stick. I should have known something was wrong when that light breeze started… there hasn't been any stirring of the wind the entire time we've been in here.
And Wildmother, those whispers… I still can't get them out of my head and I was the furthest from it. Asha's screams as the thing tore her apart will haunt me forever… if Brother Thalen didn't sacrifice himself for us, we might all be lost. I'm not even sure what he was doing was slowing the thing down as much as it stopped to… play… with him. We had to go the wrong direction though, that… thing… came from where we were supposed to be heading.
Branik says he can still get us there, that we'll have to take a longer path to do so. We are only stopping for a short rest, then we will continue on. We don’t know how far back that thing is or if it can follow our trail.
Entry #7
Wildmother preserve me. I'm the last one. It caught us and devoured everyone. They held it off and yelled for me to go… and I ran. Wildmother, I'm a coward, but I couldn't take those whispers in my head… flesh so fine, so fine to tear, to gnash the skin; skin to strip…. My sweet screams, pretty screams…
I don't know where I am. I have passed two Guiding, choosing a direction at random. My lantern is almost out of oil. I hope I've chosen a path that leads to another Waygate… I want out. My blood wants out. Bitter blood. Blood so bitter. Drink the blood and crack the bone. Crack the bone and suck the marrow…
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