YilshahisJournal

The scribbling of Yilshahi of Red Sable, Initiate of Orlanth.

Wildday of Truth Week of Fire Season 1619?

The night at the Darkwater proves useful to the party. They list their many quests.

  • Locate the Wind Sword - Manover seeks to use to slay the Crimson Bat. By the time the party do this Yilshahi thinks they will be well able to use the sword themselves without giving it up.
  • Locate the Shaman of Brother Dog, Voring Trollkiller. This task was agreed to the Giffin clan by Polonthi & Bulwine.
  • Save Lank Beris and the Dankfold from the Zombies which have risen. Yilshahi can't help but think that Bulwine's borrowing of the spirit gem from abandoned manor seems tied in with this. Clearly the party have been drawn here to cleanse and renew the area, he sees it as bringing the Orlanth's wind of change to Dankfold. This they have done in spades.
  • Solve the murders that have occurred since the party entered this land. Yilshah hopes that these will solve themselves or are tied with the Zombies.
  • The party's final task is to better themselves especially as fighters. The sky fills with the pyres of middling swordsmen.

Colarnis allows the party to reequip themselves from his armoury. They thank him and fill their boots and grieves with new trinkets of war. Sadly Colarnis generosity does not extend to spending the time of this men training these wanderers in sword craft. Indeed the Chosen of the Savior of Lank Beris will have to be content to merely shake his new sword at his enemies hoping they run in fright, without need of being smote.

Colarnis suggests the party scout the road to Lank Beris. He has sent word to Ghulan, whose master is Julianus who is at Lank Beris to gather available men to raise a war party to relieve Lank Beris. If Beris falls so will the whole of Dankfold.

Going back to Beris also meets with the party\'s plan of speaking again to Julianus of these murders and asking more questions of him. What time he will have for this matter remains to be seen. It will also be good to meet up with Lump and Ravena again, who should be healed by now.

Godsday of Truth Week of Fire Season 1619?

They set off shortly after breakfast. The travel along the causeway to Lank Beris is uneventful. Eventually they see plumes of smoke in the distance. 

 They proceed with caution.  Heading over a low rise hill, they see the fort/temple/library of Lank Beris besieged.

The outlying villages smolders. Zombie hordes attack the giant gates to the fort. Defenders man the battlements. As they watch they see the gates to Lank Beris emit a white flash, like a bolt of lightening and waves of the zombies fall back. But the attackers have a reply of their own. From a wreck of a dwelling, which is bathed in a red glow, like spitting embers from a brazier, red torches arch up, over and deep into the fort. But a number of these fire spits change direction mid flight - heading towards the party.

Shocked, the reaction from the party is mixed. Some flee and others put up their shields. When they impact the party is braced for the blow but it is not physical. Their minds are assaulted by horrific screaming phantasms. Those weaker of mind, Yilshahi and Polonthi succumb to the nightmares.

These two haul themselves into the water to down themselves. In a classic bout of incompetence the rest of the party attempt to knock them out and mostly end up missing and ending up in the water themselves. They are restrained but Yilshahi has a broken arm. This is quickly set with a kind healing spell.

In these red spits, Yilshahi thinks that they have discovered the Zombie maker.

Polonthi is all for heading back to Darkwater to tell Colarnis of what he has seen. Yilshahi persuades him that they should make for the back gate of Lank Beris, by swimming across the slow moving river. It is agreed.

They follow the ridge round. The party laugh at Yilshahi attempts to band his heavy scale armour together so that he can float over with it.

Near naked he swims over with his short spear in hand. Bulwine attempts to swim over. He bobs and splutters in his armour and akes his way back to the bank.

Acanthus steadily starts his swim.

Polanti starts out but seems not to be making much progress.

Yilshahi make it over to the jetty by the gate. He hauls himself up onto the jetty, as do two zombies following him. He stabs the first in the head; it is little inconvenienced. The other is up onto the jetty. Leaving the first Yilshahi, bowls into the second, knocking it back into the water. It does not reappear.

The first zombie is up on the jetty now and onto Yilshahi. They fight and the zombie is eventually put down.

Meanwhile Acanthus, is swimming across and feels a pair of hands grab his ankles and pull him under. He thinks to himself that that these creatures are much advantaged in the water - not needing to breath. Aided by Polonthi, Acanthus wounds the undead creature, biting into it's arm with his sword. It lets go, going who knows where. The party with ropes, get across with little further incident. They bang on\r\nthe gates, shout and are eventually let into Lank Beris.\r\n\r\n-----------------\r\n\r\n\'\'\'Inside Lank Beris\'\'\'\r\n\r\nThe party enter what seems to be a boat house. The guards know little and are unwilling to leave their posts and join the party on their journey into the fortress library.\r\n\r\nThe party press on - up the stairs to the top of the citadel. They go through many rooms, encountering guards who have been possessed. The party dispatch them. They eventually meet with more guards. This time the frightened guards agree to join the party. They are awed by the fighter \'\'Bulwine\'\' who wields the fabled sword of \'\'Andaris\'\'.\r\n\r\n\'\'\'The Infirmary\'\'\'\r\n\r\n\'\'Bulwine\'\' ask the guards where the Infirmary is. This was where the party left the injured \'\'Ravina\'\' and \'\'Lump\'\'. Fortunately, it is not far away.\r\n\r\nThe Infirmary resembles a abbatoir. Zombies wait to leap out from each room. \'\'Bulwine\'\' demonstrates his inability to hit a barn door with his prized sword.\r\n\r\nA wave of relief hits the party when they meet with \'\'Lump\'\' and \'\'Ravina\'\' again - holed up in a room.\r\n\r\nThen suddenly one end of the infirmary collapses. There is dust, masonry, wood and blood everywhere. Zombies seem to be coming up the stairs in the opposite corner of the wing. \'\'Polanthi\'\' and \'\'Yilshahi\'\' hold the tide. But massive numbers are coming their way. The Zombies seem happy to let the fighters hold the door without using their weight.\r\n\r\nThe reason for this becomes apparent. A cadaverous priest enters the room.\r\n\r\n\'\'Lump\'\' launches at him. Augmented by \'\'Ravena\'s\'\' spirit magic it is the greatest attack the party has every seen \'\'Lump\'\' launch. A greedy attempt to finish the fight at one stroke.\r\n\r\nThe liche like priest is more than up to it, parrying both Lumps strikes and returning with awesome blows of his own. Knowing he is fantastically out classed the wounded \'\'Lump\'\' slumps to the floor, pledging allegiance to this Dark lord.\r\n\r\n\'\'Bulwine\'\' suddenly turns round and strikes at one of the submissive guards. Shouting that he recognizes the guards as the true enemy and the dead Priest as their friend. The party are thrown into confusion.\r\n\r\n\'\'Polanthi\'\' and \'\'Yilshahi\'\' stay attacking the zombies. But the priest, who they think, might be a rune priest of Vivimort, turns to move towards the heroic pair. The Zombies they can face - but the rune priest would end it very quickly. The party break for the door. They grab confused \'\'Bulwine\'\' and follow the sprinting guardsmen. The priest of Vivimort turns to take blood from the willing Lump. Lump having bought time for the party, but paying with his devotion to the dark one.\r\n\r\nRunning down into the temple the group encounter little sign of resistance from\r\nthe defenders. Looking for a way out they come across the body of the Rune Priest of Humakt - Julianus, lying with many fallen man - clearly a massive fight took place here. With him dead the defense of Lank Beris is a lost cause. With intention of honouring the dead Julianus, \'\'Ylishahi\'\' takes his iron rune sword.\r\n\r\nSighting the zombies and the Rune Priest the party throw tables into the river, and follow their makeshift rafts into the river. Boarding the tables, they make their escape from Lank Beris.\r\n\r\n-----------------\r\n\r\n\'\'\'To Arbelatris\'\'\'\r\n\r\nFreezeday of ((IllusionWeekFireSeason1619|Illusion Week of Fire Season 1619))\r\n\r\nOnce away from Lank Beris the river does not follow the direction the party want to go in, namely to Arbelatris.\r\n\r\nSo despite risking further attacks by the zombies the party set out walking again. Word of Yilshahi\'s martial prowess has now reached even the marsh crocodiles - who would sooner die at the hands of the rest of the party than trade blows with Yilshahi.\r\n\r\nWindsday of ((IllusionWeekFireSeason1619|Illusion Week of Fire Season 1619))\r\n\r\nAfter a couple of nights the group happen upon Arbelatris. It is a primitive and backward place where men and women are denied the Orlanthi given right to carry a spear or sword. The two sailors know these customs and Yilshahi accepts their word that this is normal in these parts.\r\n\r\nSo to the main business of finding Voring Trollkiller, priest of BotherDog. Most of the party head to the market, keen to laugh at Polonthi\'s attempts to fatten his coin bag. Yilshahi stays with the two sailors whilst they talk endlessly to men in fine robes. He picks up a few words of their tongue, but satisfies himself with being their eye\'s against an assailants knife. Ironic that not so long ago it had been Yilshahi fighting these two.\r\n\r\nAfter much chat, most of which passes over \'\'Yilshahi\'s\'\' head, the three are shown to an under floor place where the shaman Voring and a young clansman are held.\r\n\r\n--------------------------------------------------------\r\n\r\nWhile journeying through swamps and Lank Beris \'\'Yilshahi\'\' is concerned to have lost track of the days, so is carrying out Windsday and Godsday rituals most days just to be safe.