12 Rova 4719, night

Ekujæ Treetop Village of Akrivel

We spent all day preparing for our exploratory trip into the jungle and to coordinate with when Renali can get here.

We are taking boats because there is a river that we may need to cross. I am opposed to this extra burden: rivers can be crossed without carrying watercraft with you through a dense tropical jungle. But then others in the party are not as adept at swimming or just surviving in the wild and for them the presence of the boats provides comfort, which has its own value.

Renali is to arrive tomorrow morning and then we can get started.

13 Rova 4719, night

Jungle South of Akrivel

With Renali leading the way we set off into the jungle, retracing the path we took from the gateway that brought us here. We were planning to head south and cross the river to get to the settlement of the “Elephant People” — a village of humans who live near an elephant herd (hence the name). But at the temple/gateway we followed the tracks of the Cinderclaws, which veered to the southeast.

We found an old Cinderclaw camp but other than verifying we were indeed following back along their trail we found little of interest.

Renali asked if it was okay for her to revert to her normal form, to which we all agreed. As Iskyrin said early, Renali’s people are amazing.

We’ve set up camp for our first night on our own in the jungle and begun our scheduled watches.

14 Rova 4719, night

Jungle South of Akrivel

Yeah… so, no. I’m not much in the mood for recounting the day’s events. And this alone should be enough to tell you just what an awful day it was.

I was charmed into abandoning my friends right when they needed me the most. Qantrip quickly recognized what happened and tried to counteract the spell, and seeing her act, Marcus also tried, but both were unsuccessful.

This is my team. My family, and I abandoned them. Sure, the spell robs you of your will, but this sort of magic doesn’t work if you are compelled to do something against your nature. And so apparently my nature is to leave my friends when they need me.

Qantrip spent years under such a compulsion. I simply cannot imagine what that must have been like.

And yet she was the one who cleverly realized how to break the enchantment when she called out, “Gath, Tarsius has been killed. We need you now!” That was enough for me to cast off the mental malaise and rejoin my team.

That I was able to make the killing blow against the fiendish kishi was satisfying, but I was still left pondering what happened to me.

The kishi had captured an angle that it was going to eat, or something. To be honest I was distracted and don’t recall much of what happened until we were some distance further into the jungle and set up camp for the night.

Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.

15 Rova 4719, night

Jungle South of Akrivel

Nope.

We found another of the Cinderclaws’ pillar/totem things. This one was green and very much active, with wisps of smoke wafting up from the dragon head’s gaping maw.

We approached cautiously to the edge of the clearing where it had been placed and peered out from the cover of the under-story. We saw a pair of drakes attempting to hide in the trees at the far side of the green.

But our caution and stealth were for naught and a ghastly beam of green light sprang from the totem’s eyes and I instantly felt… less healthy. It felt like some kind of poison and it kept working its way through my blood stream, stealing my health and making it harder and harder to resist.

All of the while there was a battle going on with the drakes — a battle in which I actually fought, but the details are hazy. One died and one fled.

I vaguely recall dropping to my knees as the entire party rushed over to help. Finally with all of their efforts they were able to stem the cursed poison and I lived, but only just.

Marcus had also been poisoned, but by the sting from one of the drakes, and he slumped to the jungle floor, too weak to even stand.

I have some healing skill and tried to assist, but was ineffective. Fortunately my other team mates were able to stop the poison from stealing more strength.

We then turned our attention to the totem. Renali had become invisible during the battle and was able to approach it, and so Qantrip was made invisible and used a sack to cover the thing’s head. The rest of us then nervously approached it where I discovered that it could be disabled and did so.

I then hacked away at its head with a dog-slicer and pounded on it with a mace until it was unrecognizable. But like killing the kishi this retribution did little to make me feel much better about the day.

We made camp some distance away as I tried not to think about the past two days.

16 Rova 4719, night

Jungle South of Akrivel

Today was a day of rest. Our magic users devoted much of their spells to restoring Marcus and I and so tomorrow we can continue with our exploration at full strength and health.

Thinking about the previous day I am not sure what I could have done differently. Clearly there are magical devices that would have helped in both encounters, but these tend to be expensive and we are not wealthy.

It is maddening that such small turns of fate can yield such dramatic changes of fortune. But then hiding away to avoid all such risks is no way to live.