From the Inner Thoughts of Sarafina Valhorn, Krendiri Keeper of the Wood
By Conan Kmiecik
“OMG! I’ve been stuck on a boat with these Silver Knights from Hauther and these pirates from Botany Bay for too long! Ugh! I can’t stand it any more! I just want to be back in the forest, back with the trees, not on this stupid boat, with these stupid people, with their disgusting seafood. Bleh! Somebody, GET. ME. HOME!
“Deep breath. Peaceful thoughts, Sarafina girl. Remember your meditation training.
“So, the day started with those Silver Knights dividing up the booty from some pirates that they apparently killed before I arrived. Also, the boat is now filled with a bunch of randos that were trapped in the prison crystals that that Marcus idiot bought. None of us can talk because we’re from all over the place, but there are these communication necklaces that a few people wear to keep basic order on the ship.
“Well, Marcus’ ‘friends’ were going on and on about how he and the captain, India (who BTW is a boss!), should wear these magical wedding rings. He was like, ‘No way.’ And they were like, ‘Yes way.’ It’s sooo obvious that those two have history, and he’s pretending like he doesn’t still have a thing for her. I bet he’s just afraid that Captain India will hit it and quit it. That’s totes what would happen.
“Anyway, apparently Marcus put on a magical locket from the booty, and now he can’t take it off. His ‘friends’ laughed at him.
“Speaking of laughs, that dwarf—whose armor is way too tight—and his BFF (Best Fish Friend) were sparring on the ship. I was kinda watching cause there’s nothing else for me to do, even though I get grossed looking at the dwarf because dwarves are disgusting, and his tighty armor leaves nothing to the imagination. Bleh!
“So, the dwarf was acting like he was showing his bestie a thing or two. You could tell in the way he was acting. He was like, ‘Let me show you a thing or two.’ And his bestie wasn’t having it! He knocked the axe out of the dwarf’s hand and then took him to the ground and pounded him.
“Everybody on the ship was watching the fight and cheering for the little fish guy. I could see it in the dwarf’s eyes, he was like, ‘You’re making me look bad, bro!’ Everybody was cheering, ‘Fish guy, Fish guy!’ And the dwarf was like, ‘No way!’ And that half-Krendiri, Elre (who is not that cute!), was playing some magical kazoo and everyone was waiting for the fish guy to pound the dwarf some more.
“Well, the dwarf lost it, so he grabbed his axe and did something totally disgusting: He burst in a spray of blood all over everyone! Not lying! It was sooo disgusting. Well, the blood made the fish guy sick, and the fight ended. Everybody was mad, and now everyone on the ship avoids the disgusting, cheating dwarf. But you know what, him and his fish bestie are still tight. BFF!
“So, the ship is heading towards this Isle of Marr, and everyone is acting weird, especially India, who is a little less of a boss because she’s acting a little cray, but still a boss in my opinion. Elre asked me what I wanted to do. And I just looked at him, like, ‘Really, dude? You acting like we’re all married now? I want to be back in my forest, but I’m on this ship. I have no choice; I’m going with you.’ However, then he did something that was kinda nice (even though I still don’t think he’s that cute), he gave me some weapons, but they were dumb human weapons! However, that Errow, Kai, did me solid and gave me an Errow Bow and her Krendiri polesword, even though hers is not as good Elre’s.
“Well, that night, as Elre and I were practicing our poleswords—and don’t get it twisted, it wasn’t like that—weird things started happening. There was this undead mermaid swimming near us, and India was a little Out. Of. Her. Mind. The Knights were trying to see if she was under some spell, and she was like, ‘Chill out, Knights, I’m fine.’ (However, if you ask me, she wanted a little TLC from Marcus. Just sayin!)
“Soon after that, we arrived at the island. And after going back and forth, back and forth about who was going and who was staying, they finally started to head towards the island.
“I had to ride with Elre—since I guess Krendiri have to travel with Krendiri or he still thinks we’re married or something—but it wasn’t that bad, because he can summon this magical steed that can run over water, which is 1000 times better than riding in those stupid boats! (Have to be honest, felt kinda good to be riding on the back of Elre’s horse.)
“So, Elre and I were riding ahead of the boats when we see the head of this huge statue peeking out of the water. It was huge. And it was humming. So, we head back to the boat and ask the Yamiri magic user, Vallen (what’s he doing here anyway?), ‘What do we do?’ And he was like, ‘I dunno, hum back?’ So, we go back, and Elre tries to play the tune on his kazoo, and it shoots out of his hand. So, Elre goes, ‘Give me my kazoo, Tavin.’ Because Tavin is swimming in the water. Tavin dives into the water, but all of a sudden is knocked into the air. The statue’s hand lifts out of the water and has his kazoo. Elre is like, I’m not touching that hand. Sarafina, grab me my kazoo. And I was like, ‘Grab your own Kazoo,’ but he was saying something about it being so tiny in that huge hand and he can’t reach it blah blah. So, I use my bow to pull the kazoo towards him.
“Well, the knights figure out that if you touch the statue, you can talk with it. And the statue is like, ‘Reward, revelation, or reconstitution?’
“So, Elre and the guy who wears too much armor are like, ‘Reward, please!’ Elre gets this wicked wooden staff, but the guy gets this toolkit—and he’s like, meh! The dwarf then tries to filch the toolkit and is gets shocked, sending back through the air again. So, he learns to keep his disgusting hands off of OPP. Then Kai says, ‘Revelation,’ and suddenly she knows all kinda new skills—which is pretty cool. Then I think the dwarf and the Yamiri are like, ‘Revelation’ too. And they get all quiet and weird, like they just saw their parent’s having sex…together. And then Marcus gives something to statue, and it screams and scares the heck out of everyone.
“But, then the statue is like, ‘What’s up, everyone? I’m better again. What do y’all want?’ So, I’m like, ‘Reconstitution,’ because I could have used a like a non-dairy mochaccino by about then. And that’s the last thing I remember. True story!”
Journal Entry of Tavin Grimmane
By Aaron Monroe
Soldier’s Journal, Tavin Grimmane
Entry Day 567
A lot of interesting developments today. After some arguing and discussions about who would join the excursion to the Isle of Marr, it was decided that Elre and Sarafina would go by airy steed; Barnabus and Marie would go together with our marines by boat; Vallen would travel by magic sea turtle; India and a few of her pirate crew would make the journey in the other boat; and I would tow Adoril and Kai and Vallen’s golem in the magic turtle shell boat.
Our main goal was to discover the mystery of the isle and its role with the plague zombies, as well as to seize any magic crystals we could find. India and her pirates followed along to take any treasure they uncovered. It was agreed that India and the pirates would provide us assistance and passage to a few places for our quest in return for half of any treasure found and possession of the Young Lady after our main quest was completed. I don’t fully trust India, but she seems to have a soft spot for Marcus and has kept her word so far on everything she had promised. I still have no idea how she or any woman would be attracted to Marcus and his scrawny frame, but who understands the hearts and minds of human women anyway? They’re not like a good, reliable dwarven woman—forthright, feisty, and tough. As long as a young dwarven lad can hold his own with an axe and grow a thick, full beard, he can easily impress a young lass. In any case, our groups seemed willing to cooperate for the time being.
While setting out on our journey to the Isle of Marr, our group encountered some strange statue, resembling a large head without a body, about a half-mile off the coastline. Worried and unsure if it held any magical properties that could threaten us, we decided to inspect it up close. From what I could gather, when approaching near the statue, it would start speaking in some strange tongue.
Elre, Adoril, and Vallen each fooled with it, touching the statue, and it responded with some weird question in some language I didn’t understand. However, they were able to respond in the same foreign tongue. The statue reacted to their responses, first expelling from its mouth some magic staff for Elre and some strange tool roll for Adoril. Vallen simply glowed for a moment and then fell unconscious for a minute or so. Kai also interacted with it and glowed as well, but stayed conscious, though she wasn’t forthcoming with what happened.
At my compatriots’ urging, I approached and touched the statue and understood the question it asked the others: Reward, revelation, or reconstitution? Then I realized that Elre and Adoril must have chosen reward whereas Kai and Vallen must have chosen revelation. I chose revelation and immediately got hit with a wave of mental images, all from the future, my future, within my mind. The experience only lasted a moment, but I remember witnessing a lifetime of images resembling future events yet to happen or that could happen. I had no idea if what I had seen was real or a figment of my imagination, but upon coming to my senses, I lost all memory of the specific events that were revealed to me, but I felt different, as if I could almost anticipate what would happen next. I spent some time recovering from the feeling while the pirate crew and others also touched the statue.
Marcus touched it and the statue cried out a deafening holler and then went quiet. Disappointed that the statue didn’t offer the gift to him as it did for the others, he offered his weird killer beetle to the statue, and the beetle crawled into the statue’s mouth, but nothing seemed to happen. So, he touched the statue again and asked for reconstitution, but the statute responded with something about the “Anumari” only permit the “Guardian” to bestow one gift per bloodline. It was unclear what that meant exactly, but we figured because both Adoril and Marcus were human and Adoril had already received a gift, then Marcus was out of luck and was going to remain scrawny.
Finally, at Elre’s urging, Sarafina approached the statue and answered Reconstitution. We were horrified as we watched her be immediately levitated into the air in a nimbus of light and have her body torn apart where she floated. She initially cried out in ultimate pain as layer after layer of her skin was flayed, before succumbing to unconsciousness when her muscles and sinew were torn from her bones, her organs removed, and skeleton disassembled. For but a moment the deconstructed remains of Sarafina floated there above us, then all of her bodily components were reassembled in the reverse manner. Once reconstituted, she reappeared as normal, but was completely unconscious. She had some strange glow about her, and it was obvious that her skin looked healthier and new as she was missing her facial tattoos. We decided that Elre would carry the unconscious Sarafina to the beachside coast ahead scout while she recovered. Once there, Vallen would also be able to inspect a cursed necklace Marcus had unwittingly put on his neck to figure out how to remove it.
The group traveled on, allowed safe passage by the strange statue, and I resumed towing Kai and Adoril. Elre traveled ahead quickly on his steed with the unconscious Sarafina. As we approached the coastline, Elre appeared with his steed warning of some strange figure up ahead. As we approached the coastline, we could see a strange looking being just waiting, appearing like some strange mechanical creature. It seemed to be able to move and see despite having no visible face or eyes. I had never seen such a thing before. The closest thing I could compare it to was some strange moving statue or like the golem that Vallen had, only made of some strange foreign metal. A group of us arrived but remained just off shore, at a distance from the strange object, but clearly visible to each other. The object remained stationary and was no longer moving.
Elre was trying to decide whether to take his steed to the coast or stay along the coastline, but he was clearly becoming exhausted maintaining balance while keeping Sarafina from falling off the steed. Eventually, at a safe distance from the strange being, he flew his steed onto the shore. Almost immediately, a tornado seemed to appear and began chasing Elre along the coast. Elre managed to evade it by eventually going offshore, and the strange windstorms dispersed. Clearly, this weird island was going to give us problems and be a headache.
I don’t recall who spoke with it first, perhaps Kai, but it responded and did not seem threatening. It introduced itself as “Benny” but seemed to focus its conversation with someone in the group. None of us were quite clear who it was talking to exactly, however. Kai asked if it was attacking us with the tornado, but it assured us, in its own monotone way, that our friend was using magic, which could cause strange reactions and be dangerous. It suggested we avoid using magic of any kind to avoid danger. Great, no magic. I wondered how Vallen would fare if we ran into any trouble.
After relaying this information to Elre, Elre dismounted his steed off shore and carried Sarafina onto the island to recover. Kai, myself, and Adoril interrogated Benny for information about the island. It would answer our questions, but strangely it was difficult to know who it was talking to because it had no face or any recognizable features of any kind. Benny mentioned it was here to serve as a guide for the descendant of Cainon, and that one among our party was related to this guy. From what I could gather, this Cainon guy had come here before, played some important role on the island with magic, and had left. I was still very unclear on the full details, but felt sure all would become clear after awhile.
Sarafina finally seemed to stir awake in the background, and Elre seemed to be explaining what had happened recently. Almost out of nowhere, Benny began moving rapidly towards Elre and Sarafina. Sarafina became upset, and Kai asked Benny to move because it was frightening her. However, Benny only stated it could not because Sarafina was not speaking the sacred language. Alarmed by the approaching Benny, Sarafina was poised as if she would attack. I decided I should move in to take action, to keep the peace, but Elre insisted I should stand down and allow him to handle the situation. Not willing to harm Sarafina or escalate the situation with Benny if it could be avoided, I complied.
Elre tried to calm Sarafina down, but she was spooked and appeared to casting some sort of spell. Suddenly, this mass of what appeared to be fur sprouted all over her body, and she grew and changed shape into something big. It took me a moment to realize she was able to turn herself into a frickin’ bear! Huh, I had no idea Elre’s race could do that. Elre kept trying to calm her down, but was speaking what sounded like complete nonsense to me. Sarafina was roaring and taking a few swipes toward at Benny in an attempt to get it to keep its distance. I heard Kai ask if Benny was trying to harm Sarafina, and it stated calmly it only wanted to help her be able to speak the sacred tongue. I realized that since we all had touched the statue, we had been affected and able to understand Benny. However, since Sarafina had been completely torn apart and then resurrected from her reconstitution, she may have lost any of this language ability. Kai, myself, and even Marcus tried to get her to understand that Benny was not a threat and that she needed to calm down. Sarafina slowly began to understand and we could see her change back to her original form.
Later, Elre explained to us that Kerym, the spirit attached to his sword, explained that Sarafina was no ordinary “Keeper.” I thought Elre may have been developing a little crush on Sarafina beforehand, but it was becoming apparent in the way he was blushing at our jokes about her being a real keepr. He was trying to explain that a Keeper is a Krendiri nature wizard who tends to the forest. However, once she shapechanged into a huge bear, Kerym realized that Sarafina was not just your average private-third-class keeper but a special shapeshifting keeper, a type of special forces defender who was able to transform into different animals and beasts. We began wondering how Sarafina, who would had been residing deep within her Krendiri woodlands in Hauther, was captured by pirates and trapped within those prison slavery stones we found. Pirates were generally terrified of Hauther due to the plague and normally avoided the continent at all costs. How had Sarafina ended up a slave? Sarafina had said previously she was snatched along the coastline, but that seemed less likely. However, at the time, we have more pressing matters to tend, so we left it as a mystery for the time being.
Once calm had been restored, Sarafina allowed Benny to hit her with a harmless light that allowed her to speak and understand the “sacred” toungue. Kai and I interrogated Benny as to its purpose. Benny seemed to be quite direct and unable to understand any subtlety of conversation. From what we could gather, Benny was assigned as a guide for the descendants of Kainan and his guests, and to treat us well. Great, now there were more than one of them in the group. At least it was reassuring, since we were in a strange land where use of magic could pose a problem. We asked Benny about information of the island, and we gathered there was some sort of citadel it could guide us to. We asked Benny to take us there, and it obliged. We left a small group of marines to keep watch over the boats until we returned.
Along the way, we gathered that India and Marcus, both being humans, were both considered descendants of this Cainon, since it was those two who the statute hollered out at when they touched it. I didn’t know if Marcus and India were just considered as relations merely because they were both foreign humans (as Adoril is a native of Hauther), or if it Benny could actually sense if they were related to each other as cousins or something. If that were the case, India and Marcus had kissed and clearly had a fling at some point in the past with each other, so I guess Marcus kissed his cousin and must have liked it!
We passed by a giant Bear statue and several other ancient, elaborate but run-down structures. The island clearly used to be part of a grand ancient civilization that had died out or been abandoned long ago. Benny referred to them as the “Anumari.” As we walked, in the distance, I could see more of the Benny-type things, but each a bit different. They looked like they could cause a lot of trouble for us if they attacked. The closest I could compare them to were like golems, but some type of metal giants of various sizes and shapes. I wondered aloud if they were any danger to us, but Benny reassured us that we were friends of the descendants of Cainon, and were to be treated as respected guests. I still had no idea who Cainon was exactly, but our resident historian, Barnabus might know. I’d have to ask later. In any case, if being considered friends of this Cainon fellow kept us from any trouble, all the better.
We entered what appeared to be open palace grounds, but surrounded with ancient treasure and mysterious junk laying around, everywhere. We could spend years, perhaps a lifetime, exploring the strange objects and treasures around. Our pirate compatriots, who so far had been pretty quiet and well-behaved, seemed to suddenly lose their minds and started running around the piles, grabbing jewels, weapons, anything they could find, and making large piles. No reaction from Benny in the slightest, however. It didn’t seem upset. I voiced aloud we needed to get in, find what we needed such as any magic crystals, and get out of here, but I was ignored as the rest of the group started searching around for loot as well. Marcus found a ring and some kind of scroll. Kai found an awesome-looking mace that hit anything with an explosive boom, and I was staring to feel a bit jealous. She also found some hooded shroud which was much less interesting. Reluctantly, I searched a bit and found a dumb wooden mask. Stupid junk. I was about to throw it away when I heard a yell from Elre.
Running to check on our comrade, I saw he had discovered a giant, seven-legged crab monstrosity. It was made of metal, did not seem alive, and was not moving. Benny identified this strange device as not part of the Anumari civilization but of the lessor beings who came to visit later and war with the Anumari, which occurred here just before the Anumari disappeared a long time ago. Adoril, Elre, and Marcus seemed obsessed with figuring out the thing, and managed to get inside a hatch or something, some opening, that they found. They also discovered a couple of bodies inside, of some people who looked like soldiers. The bodies were old. Marcus, Kai, and Elre struggled at least an hour with the stupid crab thing, when finally they asked me to come take a look. It had some strange gears and other mechanics, definitely strange but somewhat familiar. I had some experience with gears, especially since I had to maintain my clockwork crossbow myself as a trained field soldier, so I managed to fool around until I realized there was a safety mechanism which kept the crab vehicle thing locked in place. After fooling around a bit more, we realized we could use the switches and gear mechanisms to get the crab moving out of its ditch and onto even ground.
This ended up creating a further dilemma because our pirates wanted to use the crab vehicle to gather more treasure, while we needed to finish our goal of getting crystals and leaving. I could feel in my bones that there was magic energy around this place that was affecting us, and the longer we stayed, the worse off we might be. Determined to continue our mission, I asked Benny where we could locate any magic crystals on the island, and Benny indicated the floating palace, the Citadel, which was some type of grand structure floating on its own in mid air that was off in the distance. There did not seem to be any way to climb up there or any passage to get to the citadel. We would need to figure out a way up there. Benny said its job was to guide us there to help us fulfill Cainon’s contract, whatever that was supposed to mean.
The pirates and a couple of our marines agreed to use the large crab vehicle thing to collect and carry treasure back to the coast with the rest of our crew, while we continued with the mission. Two of our riflemen would continue with us. Everyone else would wait for our return by the beach. As we walked closer to beneath where the citadel was located, I could feel the presence of immense magic surrounding the area. Suddenly, I had the sense of immense danger, like something bad was going to happen. It reminded me of the feelings I had after touching the statue earlier. Out of nowhere, I felt a blast of pain course through my body, and I blacked out.
After coming back to my senses to what seemed to be only a few moments later, I smelled something smoky and charred, like a burned smell. I realized the smell was coming from me. From the account of the others, I gathered some blue lightning had emerged from the sky and hit me before I knew it. Benny indicated this place reacted strongly to the presence of magic and that such lighting was a common occurrence here. We needed to think of a quick way up to the citadel, instead of waiting around here to get cooked like chickens by lighting. After some debate about what to do, Adoril suggested we use the Shoefly powder we found earlier to keep us light and allow us to fly up to the top. Elre could carry each of us up to the nearest ledge along the citadel. This was agreed to be a pretty sound idea. Everyone fully agreed with the idea after Kai suddenly got hit by the blue lighting less than a minute later. It seemed safer to take a risk trying to get out of this area rather than stand around getting shocked to death. The two riflemen from our company were sent to the beach to update everyone on our mission status.
Elre was given a single dose of powder, which would provide him with a few minutes to get everyone up. I watched from below as Adoril was taken first by Elre, then Marcus. Next, I was carried. Elre dropped me at the ledge, but I lost my footing, and for a moment, I feared I might fall off the precipice to my death. Thankfully, I regained my footing after a moment. It was then that I noticed there were two strange beings right up ahead with Adoril and Marcus. They seemed to have humanoid metallic bodies with claws and wings. I cautiously began walking the short path ahead to rejoin my comrade, and to figure out if these strange beings were friend or foe. As I got closer, I could see other metallic beings approach without the claws and wings. All of these beings resembled the clockwork designs I had recognized earlier with the crab device. The whole island seemed to be populated and maintained by these strange creations, leftovers from the Anumari civilization. But what was their current purpose?
I overheard one of the clockwork creatures offer a greeting and ask who our group was. Adoril, ever the diplomat, curtly replied, “We can be friends or you can die.” Got to hand it to Adoril; Being brutally honest has always been his forte. There was no response from the two clockwork beings had just arrived. Thankfully, I could hear Elre and the others approaching from behind me. Reinforcements would be needed if we were attacked. After a moment, Adoril added, “This is a descendant of Cainon.” The clockwork creature had no recognizable facial features, but seemed to react to this news. It simply stated, “Follow us. We didn’t expect you so soon.” They did not seem to be threatening us in any way, but it was also clear we had no choice in the matter but to do what they said. They were positioning in a way to guide us from in front and behind. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a thoughtful look from Barnabus. He was looking directly at Marcus. I recalled that Barnabus was our resident scholar and may have more information about Cainon and the history of this place. I’d have to ask him later when we had a chance to talk. For the time being, though, we began to move along with our strange new hosts as we entered into the massive, strange floating citadel.
Journal Entry of Marcus Muddywater
By James Scotland
Journal Entry 121
I am standing in a castle which is floating in the sky. It is like the castle from the tales that my father told me when I was a child. Every stone is square; it is as if those who built it valued regularity. Although of high craftsmanship, all of the stone walls are well weathered. In fact, some parts of some walls have crumbled and are yet to be repaired. This castle is going through a long slow decline. I get the feeling that these walls have never been filled with the echo of joyous laughter. The whole place feels more sterile than Adoril’s personality. As I looked down at the vast expanse of ruins that lay 600 feet below me, a gust of wind hits me in the face and an ominous feeling fills my bones. It is at the moment that our party is greeted by an upbeat mechanical creature.
The mechanical creature is about my height, humanoid, and self-operating. It doesn’t attack; instead, it politely asks us to “Walk this way.” We oblige. We walk upon smooth cobblestone streets, past gardens being tended by other mechanical creatures, through arches of fine masonry, and past a tall dominant central tower which hovers over a pool of shimmering water. Eventually, we are led into a control room. In the room, we find another mechanical creature. However, this one is large and has about 50 wires leading from its back to a huge mechanical box. There is a dim relentless hum in the room and the air smells as though a trainee wizard has been practicing lightning spells.
“Which one of you is the descendant of Argus?” the large mechanical creature says with a large mechanical voice.
“I am,” I stupidly answer.
The large mechanical creature offers me the hospitality of a mechanical device that looks like a cross between a coffin and a clam shell. I politely decline this kind offer. However, Elre is persistent and relentless in his insistence that I “Get into the clam!” I am not sure that this elf is entirely trustworthy. I stall for time.
We are given lodgings in a room with three walls. Where the fourth wall should have been there is only open sky. It is a long way down. Here, Barnabus reveals his identity. Apparently, Barnabus was a seeker, one of the original Silver Knights who discovered the hidden tomb of Calistos Sol. How he is even alive after all this time is uncertain, and what exactly he is seeking long-term now is not clear, but in the short-term he is seeking my distant cousin India to insert into the clam-like coffin in my stead. Barnabus forbids me from getting into the clam. He thinks I could be useful in the fight against Argus. This is progress. Of course I am useful, and the sooner I destroy Argus, the safer my family will be. Although right now, my most proximate family member, India, is in incredible danger. Every problem has many solutions. I need more time.
We explore the castle and in doing so we explore our options. First, we visit the library. The library is huge. I have never seen so many books in one place. However a mechanical creature who is the librarian explains that only other mechanical creatures can access the books that contain the magic. Although he can’t get to the good stuff, Vallen spends about 5 hours in the library. We learn that Argus has an aptitude for magic. Also, that Argus has made a contract with the mechanical creatures. In exchange for accessing their library, Argus, or one of his descendants, will come back to the castle and ‘become one’ with the mechanical creatures. Apparently, the mechanical creatures desire the creativity of humans. It is unfortunate that these creatures do not desire the insistence of an untrustworthy elf. A little later in the day, Sarafina transforms into a bird and scouts the central tower. The tower is filled with thousands and thousands of animals. These animals appear to be in a stasis like form. So, the mechanical creatures are hoarders! Finally, around perimeter of the castle are five large power crystals. Elre and Tavin go to speak to the mechanical creature which is the crystal keeper. I need more time.
The animals in the tower are of interest. Perhaps some of them will be useful. We convince Kai to use a shoe-fly potion. It doesn’t work; we remain grounded. Elre uses his newly acquired staff to raise the ground next to the tower. This is a mistake. Almost immediately, six soldier-like mechanical creatures roll in. I write roll as they have no legs but instead travel aloft on a large metal sphere. After Elre antagonizes them further by refusing to drop his staff, they attack him. As usual, Elre’s sword play is akin to that of a courtyard practice dummy. No, I am wrong. The practice dummy has more skill with the sword than Elre. Tavin tries to help Elre. The mechanical soldiers turn on Tavin. Unsurprisingly, the dwarf goes down more easily than an employee of the Mermaid’s Tail. As the fight ensures, I realize that my time is up; I have no solution. This whole situation is a calamity.
Captain’s Log of India Milina Tyde
By William A. Thorn
Captain’s Log, Meridius, 7-1427
(Translated from Aamanau, a minor language in the Scattered Isles)
“O, Fortuna, first oppresses, and then soothes, playing with mental clarity.”
We have reached the shore of the mythical island Felix and his companions have been obsessing over. After establishing our bearings and reaching an understanding with the golem creatures that aimlessly inhabit the island, Felix and his cult went off to find their magical stones. We, on the other hand, have discovered that the island is replete with the spoils of countless previous expeditions that have befallen some untold fate. One such spoil is a monstrous mobile iron contraption with crab-like legs and pincers. Felix’s comrade left it in our care to fill with all the all spoils we could find while they were off chasing fables and dragons, and that we did.
Now, as I pen this, we are sitting comfortably near the shore with an iron crab full of spoils, relaxing with our toes in the sand and listening to the lapping waves. The mainland of Hauther, shrouded in an unnatural darkness, seems more distant from this place than the five miles or so it actually lies. Indeed, it seems that the island itself is somehow guarded from the bale of that land, and it has given me some respite from the constant whispering that was causing my mania.
Such simple pleasures reassure me that Fortuna’s blessing upon me hasn’t waned as I once thought. We’ll give Felix and his brooding band of flotsam until an hour before nightfall to return. Until then, we’ll revel in our good fortune and plunder.
Felix’s underlings who stuck around to mind us are alarmed by something in the sky, it seems. I suppose I should put my boots back on and
(The log entry breaks mid sentence and is followed by nothing.)
Personal Thoughts of Automaton Astrid
By Arthur Winks & William A. Thorn
(Translated from Lower Anumari)
Currently, I am standing beside an unconscious human male lessor being named Adoril Urthadar, whose body, as it happens, is pinned under tons of rubble from the recent rapid descent and collision of Umor unto the ground. We share the unfortunate circumstance of being trapped in a cavity within said rubble, though I have more freedom of movement to explore the cavity than he. As I wait for Human Male Adoril Urthadar to revive, I find that I have a strange urge to reflect. I am not sure why I have this strange urge, but it just seems like a sensible occupation at this point in time.
The great works of literature with which I am familiar demonstrate that beginning such a reflection should, at least, relate the current reflection to a previous reflection, event, or point in time to establish itself within the time continuum. Since I have never performed a reflection as such and do not know any contemporary measure of time, I shall begin with my earliest memory.
I came into being over 14 millennia, 733 years, and 43 days ago, though when I review my memories, I find them rather vague, as if I were existing within a fog. In that time, I have always been aware of my existence. However until recently, it seems like my awareness and purpose were rather limited. My primary purpose in that time was to tend to the personal needs of my masters and their guests, though I also assisted with cooking, gardening, housekeeping, and the like. It never occurred to me to try and do anything else. My previous existence seems rather strange now I am having all of these new thoughts and ideas.
The circumstances of my existence changed when the most recent group of lessor beings arrived to Umor this morning. It had been quite some time since we had such a number of visitors. They were a diverse assortment of lessor beings, including four elves, a dwarf, four humans, and a magical construct that resembled a guardian unit. Earlier, we received the announcement by one of the Guardians far outside Umor that a descendant of Human Male Argus Cainon, the lessor being with whom Master Control unit made the grand bargain, had arrived. It seems that we were on the cusp of finally following our creators who left so long ago and once again be able to fulfill our purpose tend to their needs.
We greeted them as we greet all visitors, and they were immediately escorted to Master Control unit where it always resides, next to the assimilation berth. However, the expectation that Human Male Argus Cainon’s descendant, Human Male Marcus Muddywater, would fulfill the bargain his progenitor made was complicated by his lack of willingness to enter the assimilation berth and undergo assimilation, giving us that trait specific to the lessor beings that we lacked: divergent thinking. Master Control unit had stated in the past that without it, we could not master the floating tower’s ability to fly into the firmament and follow after our creators.
Regardless, Master Control unit allowed the visitors to stay in Umor, noting that as a mercurial being of feelings and illogic, Human Male Marcus Muddywater just needed time to accept his fate. Over the next few hours, I tended to their needs, showing them to their guest quarters and to the library, among my other daily responsibilities. Aside from the presence of our visitors, all seemed normal until an alarm was raised from the central courtyard. It seems the lessor beings were violating Directive 36F: Unauthorized Construction Activity.
I happened to be accompanying the visitors when this violation occurred. They were interested in the floating tower above the central courtyard. They had asked me a number of questions about it, but all I could answer was what I knew: the tower was to be the vehicle with which we would follow after our creators, though I had no knowledge of what lay inside or how the tower would accomplish this feat.
Undoubtedly following his feelings and illogic, Elf Male Elre Hyrhorn used some type of magical staff to warp the earth below him, creating a bulge under the ground in an attempt to bridge the gap from the ground to the floating tower. Naturally, such an act could not only deface the perfection built by the creators but also destabilize Umor, which was balanced atop a number of mana vortices. So, several roller centurion units were dispatched to handle the situation.
Unfortunately for the lessor beings, they resisted. The roller centurion units quickly deactivated Dwarf Male Tavin Grimmane. However, Elf Male Vallen Dirthridir and Elf Female Sarafina Valhorn appeared to have command of some powerful magical forces, resulting in significant damage to a number for the roller guardian units, and even deactivating one of them. At this point, reinforcements were deployed. More roller centurion units arrived, followed by regular centurion units, heavy centurion units, and several flying centurion units. Eventually, the lessor beings realized they were outmatched and threw down their weapons.
Once they had all been suitably disarmed and restrained, they were taken to Master Control unit where Human Male Marcus Muddywater would be placed into the assimilation berth, regardless of his compliance. However, Human Male Barnabus Jonas challenged that action. He claimed that Human Male Marcus Muddywater was not a good candidate for assimilation. His arguments relied on the blood plague in his body having already damaged his mind and thought processes, thereby making him a risk to the logical thought processes of the Master Control unit were he assimilated. Human Male Barnabus Jonas further argued that the better candidate for assimilation would be another descendant of Human Male Argus Cainon, Human Female India Tyde who was not infected by the blood plague and was currently on the island.
Human Male Marcus Muddywater countered that Human Female India Tyde would not go willingly into the assimilation berth, thereby potentially affecting the assimilation process. He also lodged a minor protest that forcing her into the assimilation berth was immoral. Upon examination of the arguments made, Master Control unit agreed that Human Male Marcus Muddywater was was hopelessly defective and could never be used to fulfill Directive 1C. Master Control unit also determined that Human Female India Tyde must fulfill the bargain her progenitor made and her unwillingness potentially affecting proper assimilation was an acceptable risk. So, Master Control unit dispatched the flying centurion units to retrieve Human Female India Tyde so that she could be placed into he assimilation berth.
When the flying centurion units returned with Human Female India Tyde, she was notably perturbed. She kept pleading to Human Male Marcus Muddywater for an explanation of his betrayal. Human Male Marcus Muddywater countered that it was not his doing but that of Human Male Argus Cainon. At the time, I felt Human Male Marcus Muddywater’s logic unfailing. After all, it was their progenitor who struck the bargain, so it was with he whom Human Female India Tyde should voice her protest. As I think about it now, after all of the events that unfolded afterward, I am unsure how I feel about it.
Human Female India Tyde was placed into the assimilation berth despite her resistance. As her consciousness was assimilated into the Master Control unit, the world suddenly around me seemed to change. The very same colors I had seen day after day seemed to take on new significance. Suddenly, I had thoughts that did not pertain to the present. Other servitors around me appeared to be experiencing the same phenomena, and for the first time, we conversed not about our duties but about anything we chose. It was an extraordinary experience with which I was enraptured.
However, the assimilation process did not seem to go very well for Master Control unit. From the assimilation berth, a new mechanical avatar emerged, but in the likeness of Human Female India Tyde. What was most peculiar about it was that it seemed to be feeling very strong emotions, particularly that of betrayal and immense sadness. Within fits of rage and sadness, it ordered us to exterminate the lessor beings. However, for the first time, I was not compelled to do so. I had a choice. Instead, I chose to converse with my fellow servitors, which angered the new Master Control unit.
I am uncertain what transpired after that, as myself and Bradley were busy trying to figure out if we could taste things. It turns out that we can smell, but we cannot taste. Anything I put in my mouth just seemed to rattle around inside until I hung my head upside down and jiggled them out again. While doing so, the new Master Control unit, or shall I dub it, “Master Control Tyde,” scuffled with the lessor beings. Bradley and I left the hall to explore our surroundings with our new sense of selves, so I do not know exactly what transpired in there, but there were some violent blasts of magical energy shooting out from the windows amidst screams of emotional anguish from Master Control Tyde. At that moment, I was aware of my first feeling: happiness that I was not reacting as poorly to the assimilation as Master Control Tyde. Bradley, Alice, Cooper, and I postulated that perhaps we were secondary inheritors of the traits assimilated from Human Female India Tyde, thereby reducing any ill effects from the process. However, since Master Control unit was the direct recipient of the assimilation, it did not fare as well.
The scuffle between the lessor beings and Master Control Tyde seemed to spill out into the streets of Umor. There was some commotion around the floating tower. I think the lessor beings were trying to follow Master Control Tyde, who had fled into the tower. Suddenly, all of Umor began to shake and buckle as magical energy began building up around the tower. Possibly, Master Control Tyde was attempting to activate the tower vehicle and follow our creators into the firmament. It was quite a sight to see, and many of us stopped to admire the beauty of such entropy.
The tower began rising into the sky, and then suddenly, it dropped out of the sky and came crashing down around us. The crash caused all of Umor to collapse and fall to the ground below. I was quite fortunate that nothing too large landed on me, and my sturdy body was able to withstand the smaller pieces that did. I feel like I probably should be more upset about this, as it violates Directives 1 through 3 and to a certain extent, 14 and 17. However, I’m not. Instead I feel, relieved? Free? Quite strange.
So now, here I wait for Human Male Adoril Urthadar to revive. As I do, I can’t help but observe his labored breathing and blood trickling from his mouth. I wonder if all lessor beings bleed when they rest. It would follow since they are beings of illogic. Still, I shall suggest that he not do that when he revives.