The journal of Detheriel (full of spoilers)

[Sillara of the Tamari]

It is not a bug. I know that many people rush to find Imoen, and I did not want people to just get creamed! So, no, you will not get further directions to the North Forest. Just wait until the North Forest pops up in the regular course of the game. Then go there!

And I am looking forward to the next installment! More, more!

Sillara

[Kyrvias]

Yay!

[Sillara of the Tamari]

And I have been waiting patiently. [img]tongue.gif[/img] Anything?


Sillara

[lost prophet]

It's been almost a month now Shamrock!. I dont think I'm alone when I say I eagerly await the next installment. Hope you get to it real soon.

[shamrock_uk]

Heh, sorry guys. I've been sent back to college until the middle of March which equals late nights, lots of work and commute. I'll be back in the office sometime around the 23rd and should be able to produce installments at a better speed then!

I'll see if I can manage one installment before then, but I'm struggling with the course at the moment so no guarantees!

Very sorry to keep you all waiting

[ 03-17-2006, 06:46 PM: Message edited by: shamrock_uk ]

[shamrock_uk]

Chapter 14

On the lonely road once more, I find myself compelled to put quill to parchment and speak awhile. Somehow in the hustle and bustle of the city there never seems to be enough time to devote to simply thinking and ordering your thoughts. If there's one lesson I ever took from Gorion's airless study, it was the importance of self reflection, so it's a shame I don't have time to do it more often.

Our recent business has been gruesome indeed and has affected most of the party I think. It certainly provided me with an incentive to leave the confines of Athkatla with all possible speed!

We began the day by returning to the Bridge district to finish helping the good Lieutenant in bringing the murderer to justice. We met with several residents of the area, including a particularly helpful girl who had a close encounter with the fiend. We eventually realised by deduction that the local tanner, one Rejiek Hidesman, was a prime suspect.

Wanting to get this over with quickly (and also thinking it would be no bad thing for the city garrison to be indebted to us) we confronted Rejiek in his home without informing the authorities. Saerileth expressed all our feelings when confronted with the grisly sights inside his walls:
"I look upon horrors no eye shouldst see!"

I must say that we were in complete agreement. Even Tsujatha was unusually subdued whilst exploring the building which must say something of the horrors inside!

The tanner ran for his life when he realised our intent. We followed as quickly as we were able; Jan frantically disabling the veritable maze of traps that had been scattered around to ensnare the unwary intruder. We ventured downstairs and were confronted by assassins bearing a distinctive rune-like symbol on their sleeves. With some difficulty we dispatched them but by the time we were free to turn our attention to our prey, he had fled in a boat along some sort of underground river.

We did discover a note with some sort of riddle on it, but it proved beyond us to decipher it. Word games have never been my strong point! I stuffed it into my scroll case for further use and made sure I got a good look at those assassins - hopefully we'll be able to recognise this foul group of people should we encounter them in the future.

Needless to say, Lietenant Aegisfield was most pleased with our work and his good opinion does seem to be echoed by the general populace. I know I shouldn't be bigheaded, but it is certainly pleasant to be able to walk about town with so many admiring faces watching on.

Having had quite enough of the deprivations of 'civilisation', we headed out to the wilds again on the long walk back to Trademeet.

Incidentally, Mazzy and Kelsey had a conversation on our journey that has raised my spirits considerably. I often walk slightly ahead or behind the group, preferring a little solitude, so I think that sometimes they forget I can still hear what they say!

I shall try and recount the conversation:

Kelsey was expressing his relief about Mazzy's constant attention to her weapons and this sparked off a discussion between them concerning how worried Kelsey was about his morality. He made the point that he had been in harms way
before but somehow the stakes just seemed a little higher when I was around.

I couldn't resist a chuckle at his words - they certainly seem high when they turn my life upside down, that's for sure.

Mazzy made the point that whilst I do seem to have a talent for attracting powerful enemies, I also have an equal knack for recruiting allies who are capable of holding their own.

She then said something that I found quite touching:

"Doubt is..not something I am accustomed to admitting to, but I do sometimes wish I had the same aptitude as Detheriel. My company..and my patrick..might still be alive today."

I must admit to being rather surprised by her admission - Mazzy had, after all, always been something of a beacon of righteousness to the group. Seemingly indomitable in fact - the idea that she is a creature of doubt just like the rest of us had somehow never occurred to me before.

I found myself lifted by her words, especially on the back of my most recent failure of leadership, and am glad that I can move on to Trademeet with such support from my party.

Incidentally, I find the similarity between Mazzy and Saerileth quite striking sometimes. Both are courageous and proud creatures, utterly devoted to their respective deities. In many respects Saerileth does have, despite her convictions, a certain vulnerability (largely due to her innocence) that the more experienced and hardened Mazzy lacks. It seems a little strange that to observe Mazzy may well offer a glimpse into Saerileth's future.

Are people such simple creatures that we can plot and chart their futures though? A few years ago I might have scoffed, but considering how much I have been touched by the fates maybe such thinking isn't so far fetched after all...

[Sillara of the Tamari]

Excellent! I am enjoying this as always. Keep it up, Shamrock!

Sillara

[Sillara of the Tamari]

*Bump*!

How is it coming, Shamrock? [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Sillara

[shamrock_uk]

Hey Sillara,

Having just built a new computer I've been completely captivated by Oblivion, hence the delay

I've just got to reinstall it all and the next installment will be out. Will try not to make it too long!

[Kyrvias]

Not long? Oh, the anticipation!