Session #6 as told by Inez

 Session #6 as told by Inez

 Session #6 by Inez

Dear diary,

We’re stuck again, I went down again and still it feels like we, perhaps even I, are doing better. Let me tell you all!

This early morning I was sitting lonely in our campement, shivering from the cold as the campfire was low. Fulfilling the Winders Watch, I had enjoyed a short night sleep until Finn had woken me, and the last part till dawn felt quite hard. While I shivered, I spotted a flicker of movement in the trees; too fast to place, too strange to ignore. Not sure if it was something I imagined or dreamt dozing off, I took a few steps in the direction of the tree where it had ended. Passing the Owl Bear cubs, who were still sleeping like babies, not impressed by this all. Therefore I slept myself in the face; was I awake, dreaming, imagining stuff? 

The fog that had filled up the patch in the forest where we had set up camp had thickened. As dense as our maids pudding, but with none of the cheer. It did not help getting a good sight on any of this either. Doubting whether or not to alarm and wake the halfling men, I moved closer. Once more a flash of movement; hard to pinpoint, but I was sure there was something! And to prove my point, our surroundings went dead quiet. This was not something to handle by myself, so I snuck over to Jonathan’s small shelter. Reaching under the canvas I found one of his feet and started pulling and poking: “Jonathan, wake up! There’s something in the trees!”

Though it took me a while to get through to him, when it did, he rushed into Finn’s tent, trying to wake the rogue as fast as possible. Since I did not dare follow him there, I could only try to make out what was going on inside. It was all too clear that waking up Finn is not without risks when Jonathan came out with a cut on his arm and Finn with a bloodied knife in hand. But both awake and alert, as my mother would say: “They fit like threaded gears; bite each other and still turn smooth.”

Pointing towards where I last saw whatever I thought I saw, I gestured towards my companions to remain quiet. From where I stood, a few paces out of our camp, I could see Jonathan grab his axe from the ground. Then I moved  towards the campfire, to light up the torch I had just picked up. The three of us now formed a triangle around the tents and campfire, as if we were performing a strange ritual. As my torch lit up, there once more was a fast movement, this time augmented by a rustling noise lower in the trees, heading towards Finn. Quickly he took a few steps backwards, using his tent as a bulwark between him and the ‘thing’. And that ‘thing’ then went on, quick as a pixie's prank, circling us, passing by Finn and Jonathan. Only to end its movement right where I was standing! Dear diary, for two seconds I thought it was Zephyr Lightfoot, one of the sons of a gnomish high standing family, who would pop up at the most peculiar moments and places to try to grope a girl. I almost wished it was him...

As the ‘thing’ approached me, I pointed the now burning torch towards it. This gave us a first look at its head, adorned with a collar like my father would wear in court, and like my father would do at court it produced a loud screech and charged! But here all resemblances ended! From underneath the collar, tentacles appeared, some even carrying a weapon! As it moved towards me, its skin color changed, matching the environment, explaining why I had not seen it when it first appeared. Using two of the tentacles more or less like legs, it was taller than any of us three, more or less the size of a long shanked human male. And here I was, standing alone in front of it!

Just when it charged in, I lowered the torch further, bringing it to its head and maw that were getting all too close. One of its feelers whipped past me, tearing my dress. Trying to help out  from a distance, Finn took a shot at the creature, missed it, just to damage my dress as well. Dear diary, things were not going well for fashion and looks! My other companion used his magic spell to create water to create a focused stream. This hit the creature so hard, even from as far as he was standing blasting the monster right into me! From nearby I had to see and feel that the tentacles were covered with little fingers! Feeling these on my skin was far worse than having to waitress drunk dwarves and halflings at my fathers office!

Luckily for me, Jonathan's blast had knocked the creature out or at least inactive! Four of the limbs were padlocked into a strange knot, allowing me to get loose. The two halflings, seeing the monster assaulting me, dashed over and joined the melee. Like a kettle with no whistle and too much fire, Finn steamed in and cut a long, deep wound into the thing, freeing a stream of purple blood. Myself, I managed to free my two knives from my dress, and tried to stab the creature. Only to annoy it in such a way, that one of its tentacles attacked me, resulting in another rip of my dress and me losing one of the knives! And moments later, Jonathan, who also had entered the fray, lost his axe. We were better at arming the creature than in wounding it! 

However, being attacked by three different opponents at the same time, was confusing the creature seriously. As Finn wounded it again by throwing his knives at it, the thing switched focus towards the rogue and advanced on him, bear-hugging my poor companion! Trying to set him free, I by some means, succeeded to plant my remaining knife in its back (if it even had a back?), wounding and distracting it. The three of us desperately keep on striking the creature, or at least trying to, while the thing itself also struggled hitting us (too small a target?). But when it did, it seriously hurt, and I felt battered and exhausted. Much more used to and suited for fights in cours, this little lady, sweet diary.

By hook or crook, Finn got a grip on one of the wounds of the creature, and it howled in anger. For all that, Finn’s hand got stuck in the wound, to the annoyance of both him and the thing. The monster now began buckling like a clockwork goat set off at the spring fair. Finn, still being stuck, hung on for a few pirouettes, only to be thrown off and crashing onto the field. Now freed of its rider, the creature turned its attention once more to us. And unfortunately for and to me, as a hit of one of its arms had me knocked out. Gone cogs and wheels! Dear diary, once more I had to rely on my companions to get me out of this situation.

Sometime later I felt myself again, coughing and aching, sitting on the ground next to a puddle of purple fluid in which the yellowish remains of the thing was sprawled. It looked a bit like something out of the books that doctor Vexora let me read when my parents were not around, and a lot like the creatures that haunted me at night. Even Finn and Jonathan were engrossed. While seated I was told the story of how Jonathan saved the day, first by beheading the creature with a heroic strike, like Arvoreen reborn! On top of that, he accomplished to bring me back to senses, like Sheela Peryroyl herself. Bruised and still confused, I entirely forgot to thank him properly. So much for my lessons in etiquette, dear diary. To compensate I courteously thanked Finn for finding my second knife back, what he mistook for me mocking him.

In the act of pulling myself together and getting myself up again, I could not miss noticing the damage done to my dress during the fight. Several rips and tears were visible, added by splashes of violet and purple where blood of the creature had landed. Under the wrong or right circumstances (depending on the judgement of either a gnome lady or that of two halfling men), the dress provided now a clear view of parts of my thighs and even the buttocks.If my parents would have seen me dressed like this in public, I would have been grounded for at least a year! Though I managed to fix things provisionally, the halflings had no trouble spotting my and my dress’ discomposure. As Jonathan inquired ‘if my dress had just surrendered’ and Finn wanted to know if ‘moonlit cheeks‘ were the new fashion trend in Nook. And you say, ‘I should just bare it?’ Very, very funny, dear diary!

Fortunately the halflings, being halflings, shifted their attention to food. With breakfast missed due to the fight, a small coffee snack was definitely needed. Giving me the chance to check on the cubs, who had so bravely ignored us fighting the thing. One was chomping on the piece of meat the creature had been carrying in one of its tentacles. The other two were busy finding their own eats, walking in and out of the now very thickened fog, occasionally disappearing from sight. Before I even could get worried about the gloom closing around us, I was invited by two enthusiastic companions to join the second breakfast.

With the three of us sitting together eating, I noticed Finn’s right hand had taken the purple color of the thing’s blood. According to him it did not hurt or bother him, in fact, he wore it with pride, like it was the key to a dragon's hoard! Back in Nook I have seen stranger tattoos, dwarf fighters covered in runes and elves with magically moving ones, but not with halflings. It somehow seemed to fit him, adding rogueness to the rogue. Would it have happened to me, dear diary, I would have probably worn evening gloves for the rest of my life! Which would have been such a disaster for my collection of rings.

After finishing our meal, more than enough for a gnome lady, a bit on the small size for my companions, we broke up camp. Over our coffee and snacks we had decided to continue to Magki, despite the fog. In spite of that, when clearing up our settlement, Jonathan found a stone structure on the ground. This edifice was evidently uncovered from under the leaves by our encounter with the creature. After further unearthing by the two men (well, I contributed too by brushing off some leaves and twigs, dear diary, since you ask), an elongated floor was laid bare. Contained within it was a metal door, as if there was living a very secluded gnome family who wanted to make certain that visitors stayed out. Mole-friends tend to dress a bit old fashioned, but I know them as polite and friendly customers, who would welcome visitors, and I would have welcomed a bath. But I’m afraid there would be no gnome family here, inviting us in...

As I sat watching the men further exposing the gateway, I tried probing the rusty pin the creature had dropped during the fight. It was more or less an attempt to do something with my skills, a bit frustrated with the ease and power of Jonathan's casting. To my surprise, investigating the old piece of metal did result in the appearance of  a strange purple aura around it. All of a sudden I came to the idea of using my opera glasses. A gift from my father, fully foldable and very useful for spotting nice looking specimens of the male gnome population of Nook. They allowed me  to focus and now I could see that this was not my imagination. The pin was actually radiating a small amount of purple light persistently when I cast my spell. Dear diary, am I truly becoming a wizard?

Not that my companions were much impressed with it, as one of them (you can guess which one, diary) commented: ‘Well that was shiny. About as useful as butter on a burning log.’ With the gate finally fully exposed, Jonathan called out for ‘Adventure!’ Though Finn opposed his proposal to find out what was behind the closed doors, I seconded the priest. Not only did I owe him for patching me up, it also gave me an opportunity to annoy the rogue. Which made me feel good, much more than I had thought it would. As soon as the decision was made, the halfling men started trying to open the gate. And failed miserably. Grabbing my chance, I took my booklet and laid my hand on the stone surface, probing magically into the structure. To my own surprise and that of my companions, a small spot lit up. Using the glasses I found the exact light source on the floor and positioned the pin into it. A loud click could be heard, followed by Jonathan trying to open the hatch. When both halflings failed at lifting the iron construct, I summoned an unseen servant. Though it was hard to cast the spell in quick succession, a magic being was summoned and succeeded in lifting and opening the gate. Dear diary, I am truly becoming a wizard!

Priest Jonathan then also cast a spell, illuminating his shield and stepped onto the stairs. Seeing Finn’s displeasure I smiled at him, then followed Jonathan downwards. Groaning and moaning the rogue dragged behind, like good old Dame Velindra Tockwhistle would have done at home. The stairs led us down into a corridor. Not a gnome house or building by any standards, strange heigh ceilings, but well crafted and in good condition. Our path was blocked once more by an iron gate, this time conventionally vertically placed. And once more both men were not able to open it, and it was the small gnome lady who had to use her magic skills to help us pass. Yes dear diary, I’m aware that I’m gloating. But as my mother would have said: “While they were still fiddling with the cogs, I had the clock chiming.”

The next room was smaller, with an even higher ceiling and two doors on the opposite side.Illuminated magically and greenish this one felt radiating with magical energies. Not entirely unpleasant, certainly giving goosebumps, keeping you on the edge. Finn must have felt the same, I saw him kissing his medaillon before opening the first door. And we were right, as a dart was shot by a hidden mechanism as he lowered the knob. Missing him and Jonathan, grazing me, adding another rip in my dress. Luckily nothing painful or revealing. Letting out a hiss of discontent I looked at him, seeing that he was clearly unhappy and ashamed, I waived it. The rogue then tried opening the door, found it locked and after his attempts at lockpicking failed, we moved to the second door. Checking the door for traps, then once more trying to pick it, then trying the grip. The door opened smoothly, no darts shot out, and Finn took a step back, gesturing us to step through. 

We were now standing on a small platform in front of stairs leading down to a floor some meters below. Then Jonathan took the lead once more, placing one foot on the first step, and the floor fell away! Leading to a poor deja vu of our first adventure, ending up at the floor below, the three of us together forming a bad imitation of the creature we killed this morning. With the nice distinction that this time no halfling man had his nose sticking in my dress. All in all, we were stuck in a dungeon again.

Dear diary, have to break off my writings, hope to update you soon!