These chronicles are written by Sahiusa
Pre-Campaign
Day 1: (3-5)
Cast off at Limani.
Day 7: (9-5)
After sailing along the coast for a week we are now entering the open ocean.
Day 22: (24-5)
Feast of light.
Day 28: (6-6)
We arrived on the small island of Pai’na today. The church arranged for a resupply and lodgings for the night. This will be the last batch of fresh food before we arrive on Arcadia.
Day 46: (24-6)
Flower Festival.
Slavers & sheep
Day 70: (24-7) (start of campaign)
We neared the island of Arcadia, celebrating the Feast of Light on board. Feast was less abundant than hoped. Captain Kingsley suggested landing at the River delta on the north side of the Island.
Day 71: (1-8)
Bad storm today. half the ship is gone, turned what is left into temporary lodging and foraged for additional supplies to make up for what we lost. Leonid and Maya got hit hard, and are currently recovering. Found some of the gone ship, used to repair what we could of the ship. Tomorrow an expeditionary party will visit the nearby village to initiate contact and trade whilst the others attempt to further secure our new base.
Day 72: (2-8)
After a decent night’s rest we marched further inland towards the wormwood, to the hamlet of Hamlet. The people here feel off, and all resources are brought by forest people who sound like fey. Met a crew member of the HLS starseeker, Alfred, who seems to have lost some memories (in his diary too). Crew improved shelter and hunted crabs. Bill and Amelia noted a small patrol of frogmen, who live in a nearby town.
Day 73: (3-8)
Today part of the group has set out for a town to the east of the landing site. This town is called Rana and mostly populated by frogmen and fishmen. As soon as they entered the city the party felt uneasy. We were escorted throughout the town and many remarks were made and answers given that gave the impression not all was as pristine as it appeared. After scouring the markets for tools and such that needed to be replenished (and being ripped off in a way that made us spend regular price) we went through the harbour, where the conflict with goblinkind was visible. It seems a group of goblins with explosive and flight capabilities has been raiding this town and its agglomeration for a long time. Murray has sent his pet familiar on an exploration mission of its own to observe the parts of the town they would prefer we remain oblivious about. We visited the local temple and its Archpriest Iploosh. Based on the conversation there (some of which was not for our ears) and the familiar’s report we have deduced that these people use tricks similar to the fey to bend the mind of humans and turn them into slavery. Hopefully averting a tracking attempt we returned to base to weather an incoming storm.
Day 74: (4-8)
Faced with a potential enemy near our temporary base we have decided to form a caravan and move to a new location as a group. Three of us would move into the warmwood to scout out a safe path whilst the others escorted the caravan to the hamlet of Hamlet. The scouting party decided to move towards a tree explicitly marked on the map first. halfway through the journey they set up camp. They were surrounded by a fey circle of mushrooms during the night but quickly broke this circle allowing for an uneventful night.
A court of trees and fungi
Day 75: (5-8)
Whilst the caravan waited near the Hamlet, the scouting party managed to find the marked tree. They found that this tree was in fact the fey governing this forest together with a three headed council. Further queries revealed that they did not mentally alter those in the hamlet or anywhere else on the island. The true culprit was the island itself. It seems those not from the island will slowly have their mental capacity degrade with each new moon, entering a full breakdown of memories around the end of the seventh cycle. There is much unknown around this curse, including where it comes from and if those affected will continue to degrade after leaving the island. For this reason our best course of action is to further investigate this phenomenon and attempt to halt or even reverse its effects.
After finishing our conversation with the forest council we investigated a ruin we chanced upon earlier. We found it was a high tech picnic location built in an earlier age, but with technology that seems to surpass our own. On this site we found what used to be a map, with one location still discernible. Further investigation will be done in the near future.
Whilst the scouting party was on its way back the people of Rana made a move against the caravan in the hamlet. Fortunately the scouting party came back as full scale combat started and together the team managed to eliminate the kidnappers. None of the team has taken significant wounds and after spending the night in the hamlet we shall move through the forest.
Day 76: (6-8)
The team has decided to investigate the location marked by the ancient ruins as they move through the forest. While travelling we entered a small town with a large group of both fey and curse victims. These victims appear to be in the later stages of the curse. Whilst scouring the town for info and supplies we met an anthropomorphic dog by the name of Bjork. During the conversation it became clear that the island’s locals do not dream, or at least not to the degree and effect people from Lux do. It is possible dreams and dementia might be related on this island.
The next location we visited appears to be where those who passed away are processed by fungi. After quickly asking for directions we sent the caravan back to the previous town and started our investigation of the cave. It is an ancient underground ruin. Although proper investigation was made difficult by the dark, it appears to be an underground train station. It even included a map activated through divination magic and a (deactivated) iron golem as clerk. Unfortunately one side was closed off, likely because something made the rail unsafe before abandonment, and the other side appears to lead to the city of Rana. Although we shall travel on foot for now, travelling through a train network appears to be possible. After rejoining the caravan at the town and spending the night there we shall continue our travels.
A Tale of Goblins and Nobles
Day 77: (7-8)
After Packing up we left the town to continue our southward travels. We soon arrived at a battered but sturdy outpost led by the dryad commander Oakleaf, who explained the situation beyond the outpost and all the dangers ahead. Although the people of Rana Do not dare to enter the forest, the Goblins to the south regularly sent raiding parties this way. they have control of the southern forest and are trying to extend their reach. With these warnings in mind we set off towards the edge of the forest.
Further south we encountered another fortification, goblin made and manned. guarded by roughly twenty goblins, Armed with shabby but effective weapons and armour, this outpost worried the party. If it proved hostile it would have made travel onwards all but impossible. Luckily they seem to be fairly friendly to outsiders that do not hail from the island. The commander assigned us a security detail to escort us to the edge of the forest. During this walk we had a very informative conversation. Led by the great inventor Garron one-eye the goblins merely look for land to live freely, or so the sergeant a claims. They fight the dryads and Rana, using the inventions of Garron to even the odds. Rana also seems to be performing a ritual nearby, which could have dire repercussions for the party.
We were led to the city of Mosshelm, a former dryad city inhabited by all forms of goblin, halfling and gnome. Here we replaced some of the lost supplies still missing and inquired about the list of potential destinations. Eventually we settled down in the Grilled Gourd inn to prepare for the travels ahead.
Day 78: (8-8)
Today the party left for the west. Not long after setting off we encountered a walled garden in arcadian style. We decided to travel together with a halfling trade caravan we encountered there. A trip full of halfling cooking wisdom later we arrived at a large arcadian city. The city was entirely isolated, except for a small trade post. We talked to the overseer, who we found out went by the name Hamon Aeqenmar, a Luxian name. Upon further questioning we found he had no knowledge of being luxian, and he was seemingly unaffected by the curse. The prevailing theory about this is that he was born here, but his parents are Luxian. Learning that our party was also Luxian he invited us into the city. It seems he is the only reasonable inhabitant, living there together with a group of about 20 mindless cursed. He showed us a glimpse of how the city operates. Automatons sweeping the streets, charging stations refilling the magic inside the gems and to brighid’s delight a relatively well maintained bathhouse. Hamon also mentioned that the language of these people would automatically change to the language of the reader, that most of the texts he had found were fictional and that a large spire in the middle of the city was well protected and could house some knowledge about what happened. We have decided that would be our aim for tomorrow.
Mystery & Mythology
Day 79
Well this has been one clusterfuck of a day. It started off quite well when the exploration party infiltrated the central tower. We quite aptly managed to avoid the guardian constructs, picking up a magic sword in the process. Once inside we got blocked by an electrified door for a bit. Luckily one of the desks still had a key to unlock the rest of the building. After being run over by a cleaning construct we made our way up. At the top was a rather disturbing sight. A mummified man floating inside a strong magical current. At first we thought he was dead, until he started looking directly at us. Luckily the large amount of magical runes and screens showing all kinds of numerical data seemed to keep him locked in place. on the top floor we found A large ball of magic being reflected back into itself by a whole host of mirrors. the sheer power of this magic ball was too much for us to handle long term, but in our cursory examination we managed to find the mummified remains of yet another arcadian. Investigation of personal belongings and a diary we found on his person suggested he died trying to repair a defect in the magic core as he called it. Having explored all there was to find within the tower we left to report back.
Murray felt something sinister in Hamon’s house and wished to investigate. Whilst the Pavet sisters brought Hamon out to the noble quarters Murray managed to sneak into the house. There he found a room with many answers:
It would seem that Hamon was a member of one of the Luxian expeditions after all, and not immune to the effects of the curse. However he did find a way to halt the curse. Unfortunately this ritual included giving up his arm, his faith, and all memories of Lux. We will consider this option as a last resort should all else fail
Another rather shocking discovery was made by the Pavet sisters during their tour. Whilst most of the noble quarters had been void of anything useful, their curiosity made them ask about the literature within the city. Upon further inquiry they were led to a school within the resident quarters, where they found a Book of the lantern. This version however described how Ashling and Usen arrived on Arcadia searching for something vital and how they worked together with the arcadians. Merging this story with our own version and the events upon this island we have come to the conclusion Ashling and Usen faced off against the shadow on Arcadia. The curse is likely corruption emanating from said shadow, though the speed at which it achieves this suggests it is either imprisoned here, still locked in combat with Ashling or it has infected and corrupted Ashling. regardless of the situation it is likely that killing the darkness is our only hope of removing the curse. We will continue exploration tomorrow, but for now we will be drinking ourselves to sleep.