Trills Journal Session 9

[Matt Nickolette]

Flamerule 22

We entered Longsaddle around noon, and headed toward the Temple of the
Rising Sun with Rodericks corpse in Kierans magic bag. Ingvar,
Rodericks friend opened the chapel doors for us asking about Roderick.
We didn't have the heart to tell him the somber news of his friends
death. The Dawn Lord Tankred approached us asking Rodericks status.
Kieran retold the brave story of Rodericks death. We reverently
remove Roderick from the bag and place him on the table in the
basement. We retell the story of the shining white to the Dawn Lord.
We head off to our own places after. As I approached my families farm
I came across a small viper. Remembering killing snakes as a boy I
draw my rapier and poke it. I mean the only good snake is a dead
snake, no? Well this Sharmuta snake is a Yuan-ti! It shifted into
its true and vile form in front of me. I stab into him again and
again. Pulling a piece of pork rhine from my pocket and muttering a
few arcane words I placed some grease under it which caused the fool
to lose his footing. Then seeing his disadvantage he forms a globe of
darkness around him and runs off towards the Crazy Woman river. The
Yuan-ti have an uncanny ability to run and hide with their tail in
between their legs and hide well. This trait proved true and he
evaded his death. I hope Oghma will guide him to his downfall.
Kieran was approaching me in the distance, missing my entire encounter
with the bastard snake. He was kind enough to hand me back my rapier
that I dropped during my serpent tango. We rush to find Amrielle to
track down the snake. Kieran and I approach her home and if I did not
see it in my own eyes I would not believe what I had seen. Amrielle...
wearing a dress! I didn't even know she owned one, hells or even knew
what one was. Kieran seemed to appreciate it much though. I can see
in Akhoyas eyes that he has a thing for the ranger.
May Oghma bless him. The three of us head back towards Crazy Woman
river as the last light of day burns. Amrielle was able to find the
tracks of the snake head down the river, but the tracks ended at the
water. We all headed back to my families home. I told father of what
I had seen but he did not believe me. Hells if I hadn't seen it I
wouldn't believe it. I'm talking about the Yuan-ti, not Amrielle in a
dress. Anyways, I asked him where my drum head would be. He gave up
my room a while ago, which I can not blame him, I do not use it much.
He told me that all of my belongings were in the shed. I rushed to
the shed and tore through my belongings. Neik! No drum head! I went
back and asked who had known about my belongings in the shed. Father
said Hespan put my belongings there. So I went to talk to Hespan, but
he told me he knew nothing of the drum head. He probably never even
looked twice at it. It was just a piece of hide to him. Kieran,
Amrielle, and Clayton all stayed at my families Ranch tonight. It was
nice to have my family finally meet Kieran in person after all of the
stories I have told them about him.


Flamerule 23

So as we all are about to leave the Ranch to head to the Harpells to
seek advice I see my Mother and Father in the distance waving goodbye
to three riders. I ask mother who she was saying goodbye to and she
tells me Hespan and two other ranch hands are leaving. I always knew
Hespan was a no good dirty sharmuta pig lover! So I saddle up with
the others to go have a friendly conversation with them. Kieran has
become very resourceful. Akhoya has a spell that is able to read the
thoughts of others. If I could get my hand on that spell… the
possibilities would be endless! Anyways, he cast that spell so that
when I would talk to Hespan we could find his real intentions. Hespan
was being a bitch of course when we tried to talk to him. I asked him
to come back and have a drink with us so that we could talk more.
Well I more of insisted on the drink but hey, I offered to pay! He
reaches for his whip and tries to grab a hold of my drum. This is
unforgivable! He tries to pull it from my grasp but instead pulls me
off my horse. I’m sorry, but this drum is never going to be out of my
sight. The two others that were riding with him, so and so, and
what’s his name, hopped off their steeds and shifted into their true
forms. Amrielle was entranced by one of them. That is why my family
has a rule about snakes, they see you, you kill them. It’s simpler
that way. So as I am knocked off my horse I use my pork rhine and
words to create grease under Hespans horse, knocking him off and
pinning him down. I’m becoming a big fan of that trick. Hespan gulps
some invisibility potion and disappears. I try to place grease over
the horse again to find where he is, but it is of no use. Clayton
sees that one of the Yuan-ti’s arms and legs don’t go well together,
so he decided to separate them by way of his great sword. A fitting
divorce indeed! Kieran blasts the other with his Horse Missles as it
charged towards him. Amrielle seeing this lassoed the Yuan-ti to
protect Kieran. She’s very protective of him you know. Clayton then
performed his second divorce of the day. Now comes searching for the
illusive Hespain. Amrielle tried some spell that is supposed to
detect animals, it didn’t work. Probably because the Yuan-ti are from
the bowels of the hells, and are nothing but dung and dirt! He
finally forms again and attacks me stabbing me in my spine and almost
taking my life. I managed to hold to life long enough to use my wand
to heal myself a little. Amrielle sliced Hespan with her longsword
but held strong from ending his life, which he would deserve, to
question him further. We put his unconscious body in Kierans bag.
Apparently its primary use is for holding the dead now. We found my
Drum head and some other valuables in Hespan’s saddle bag. Kieran
told me that while he was reading Hespan’s thoughts, he found out that
Trump was his contact! That bastard Trump will pay for all of his
deceit! I headed to my families Ranch to warn them while the others
took Hespan to the Harpells for questioning. I told father to lock
the Ranch down and let nothing in, then headed to the Harpells to meet
up with the others. The wizard Morrister Harpell placed Hespan in a
Resilient Sphere as Kieran called it. Morrister began to toy with the
Yuan-ti and we asked it question. We found that Hespan is working for
Nhyris D’Hothek! The same damned Yuan-ti that enslaved my family!
Hespan has been working with my family for years, and all this time he
has been working towards their destruction. It took every ounce of
will power for me to not end his life right there. He told me that he
would see my family in chains again. He will not live to see outside
of the sphere in which he is held captive. We learn from Hespan that
the iron Ring Consortium still exists! I had always thought that
Skullport organization was all but forgotten and disbanded. To know
that I am wrong will give me many restless nights. How can I ensure
that my family will be safe? I must have them move within the
confines of Longsaddle under the protection of the Harpells. Father
will not like this conversation. The Harpells also tell me that they
cannot repair my drum head, but a new one will need to be created. I
do not know how I must do this, but I feel that this drum is the only
way to insure my family’s safety. I only hope that my friends will
feel the same way and accompany me on the journey to restore the
Zelorrgosz Drum to its original state and keep the Yuan-ti at bay.
None of us are safe until this Drum beats true again…

--
You received this message because you are caught in The Crimson Grasp.

[Jeremy (Kieran)]

Awesome as always, Matt. Some of the events were out of sequence, but
this is often true of great tales.