3. Diary of a Fuzzy Sorceress

Diary of a Fuzzy Sorceress


  • Entry 91

    It took a few days, but Shana and Maria eventually did start talking to me again. I'm not exactly sure what Tojan said to convince them that I'm a "nice kitty," but it worked. I'm glad for it. The days felt longer with that uncomfortable silence.

    We have just another day's travel to go until we reach town. I forget what Sullivan said the name of the town is. We should be staying there for a day or two, as Sullivan sells some goods and acquires other goods. After that, it's onto a chartered boat and across the Moonsea.

    ((OOC: Holy crap, I've written over 100 posts!))


  • Entry 90

    Up until today, our trip has mostly been uneventful. There were some kobolds, which weren't much of a threat. A few brigands too, but they were a small group who wisely ran away. Today, however, we were besieged by orcs.

    It was no small attack. These were orcs who obviously were expecting a sizable caravan guarded well. I started off by using my magic to protect myself and make Shana and Maria invisible, then started to launch arrow after arrow at the oncoming orcs while Strom charged ahead with some others. The orcs were numerous though, and our counter assault only held back half the group. As the orcs were closing in on my wagon, I ordered Shana and Maria to stay hidden and quiet no matter what, then made myself invisible and shapeshifted and waited for the right moment to strike.

    I must say with satisfaction that the sudden appearance of a large werecat surprised the orcs. Others who had stayed with the wagons also charged out to engage the beasts, though many stayed away from me. A shriek caught my attention while in the melee; one orc got close to wagon and scared Shana. At that shriek, my rage boiled. I let it take over, strengthening me. I can't say I remember much more than just constantly ripping into orc after orc without pause for several minutes. I only stopped when I found no more were standing.

    A few of us guards fell in the battle, but the priest of Waukeen was able to revive them. Strom seems to be showing me a little more respect, but Shana hasn't said much to me for the rest of the day. I think she may have watched the battle and realized I'm a werecat. I hope the rest of this trip isn't filled with the awkward silence I felt tonight.


  • Entry 89

    The merchant, Sullivan, is a decent fellow. He's a bit on the short and round size for a human, but that suits his jovial personality well. I was a bit surprised that he wasn’t bothered when I flat out told him that I was a werecat (I figured it'd be better to be up front about it). It sounds like he's hired other odd people like saurials as caravan guards in the past.

    Each of us guards were paired up and assigned a wagon to stick with. We are free to wander or scout about, as long as one of us remains with our assigned wagon. My partner is a dwarven warrior, Strom Thunderstone. He's as gruff as you'd expect a dwarf to be and as loud as his clan name suggests. He specifically volunteered to be my partner so he can keep an eye on me. He doesn't trust my being what I am. His waraxe looks blessed with symbols of Moradin, so I think I'll prove he doesn't need to use it on me. We worked out a good plan though. Since he's got a steed to ride, I'll ride in the wagon so he can move about and keep an eye on things around us. When we stop, I'll scout about since I can more easily move about undetected and he'll stick with the wagon.

    Our cargo looks like it's typical stuff. Clothing, some spices, wines, furs. Also in our wagon are a couple of passengers, a mother and daughter. The little girl, Shana, is nine summers old, and is quite adorable. The first question she asked me is how I got to be so pretty. Both Shana and Maria, her mother, have been pleasant company on the journey. I think Maria is especially glad thankful that I'm not a male guard. Whenever Shana has gotten bored, either I would entertain her with some small cantrip or Tojan would start playing with her. The pixie really likes Shana, or "Rosey" as the pixie has dubbed her.

    Sullivan told me that we should be traveling through Damara to the Moonsea and then charter a ship across it into Cormanthyr. And while the caravan will move on to human settlements, I'll hopefully be breaking off and trying to find Jynai's people. I honestly didn't expect Cormanthyr was as close as it is. For some reason I expected I'd have to cross all the way to Waterdeep or something. Hopefully, this trip will be short.


  • Entry 88

    A little voice has been nagging me the past few days. I can't ignore it either. I trust my instincts and they are telling me I should see Jynai. Why? A couple of reasons, I think.

    First, I never did have a proper goodbye. It is something that bothers me, not having that goodbye. Ever since being exiled from my tribe without the chance to say farewell to my mother, it's always bothered me when I don't have the chance to give a final farewell to somebody who is leaving me. I would have had to hunt down Rith for that same reason, if she didn't come back.

    Second, I suppose it's harder to put to words. I just feel that she might need me. It's like how Rith can instantly tell when something is bothering me. It's something that comes from being a big sister to another.

    I told the others of my decision to take the trip to Cormanthyr. At least things should be less dangerous without Jynai's father leading things. It still won't be completely safe there. Jerrick doesn't want me taking fey paths like he did, not with my nightmare issues. So I'll be going by caravan.

    Jerrick, Fadia, and Rith of course worry for me, but they support my decision to go. Rith even gave me her necklace, a holy symbol of Lathander. I almost want to sneak it back into her room. She told me it's okay for me to keep it, to help guard me. I know that it's very important to her though. She's a priestess, this holy symbol is like a weapon of faith in her hands against demons and undead. But I know her reasons to give it to me. It's not just to help guard me against my own nightmares. She's giving me a physical reason to return. She expects me to come home and give it back to her. Honestly, there are times where I do wonder how I've come to deserve a sister like her. Of course, she'd go and say that I'm a beautiful person inside and out and deserve the best in the world.

    Everybody else seemed to just be ambivalent about me leaving. Maybe that's simply because I kind of sprang this on them last moment. And they also were busy working on investigating that Oscuran mage that is dumping waste in the Rawlinswood. Thorn was a bit surprised and joked that he should go to and wondered if his portal sword would allow him to cut a portal to there.

    Tomorrow morning I'll be up in Peltarch again. I talked to a merchant who has arranged for me to help guard a caravan in exchange for travel to Cormanthyr. I must admit I'm a little excited. I've rarely traveled outside of the Narfell region, and in each case it's never been by such mundane means. Tojan seems excited about it too. May Selûne's guard us in our journey.


  • Entry 87

    I don't think I can put to words just how bizarre my recent little trip was. Eluriel asked me to help her investigate something related to the goblins who have been disguising themselves as Divine Shield members. Her investigations so far pointed to some Thayan wizard. The wizard disappeared while visiting her lover. Said lover being a creature of the Underdark, a "Mind Flayer". I've never seen one. Barely have heard of them before. And all that people would tell me is that they are like men with squids for a head and can control people with their minds, or if that fails they crush foes' minds with the power of their own.

    We gathered and eventually five of us went to Oscura and then chartered a boat to find out what happened to that wizard. There was Eluriel, Aelthas, Fadia, Ronan, and Vash't. And myself, of course. The boat captain told us we had three paths he could sail for us, each with dangers. Option one had the Hive brood, Abby's brood. Option two was driders. Option three was… unknown. Sometimes ships make it through, sometimes not. Since I recognized the Hive, us druids having helped Abby before, we decided to try that path. Well... that worked out sort of. They attacked first, until a stronger one came who guided the rest to stay away. But she did ask we not return via the same path. Considering how nasty the fight was until that higher brood showed, we agreed.

    We got to our destination and boarded on a dingy to get to the cave entrance. As soon as we stepped off the boat, we found ourselves in... A desert. No cave behind us, just a desert with a hot sun and the hell with making sense. We walked around and got attacked by various creatures, the most numerous being werecats. It hurt when the werecats were killed. Maybe because I'm one myself? At one point I even felt a bit disoriented by the heat. It felt so real, yet made no sense. We all started to wonder if the Mind Flayer somehow had a hold of our minds and we were in a dream. Especially when the desert vanished we found ourselves in a cave.

    In the cavern, we crossed a bridge which led to a tower of a strange design. I don't think I have ever seen anything quite like it. Not the material, not the patterns. Inside, we found much of the same. We were attacked by these strange little creatures the others called Mind Eaters. They were like Magic Eaters but ate minds instead? I also happened to fight Magic Eaters for the first time. They were ill timed, I had just cast spells on myself. And they just pulled the spells right off me, getting larger as they did. I did examine one of the bodies after and found a crystal growth in it. Ronan later confirmed what I thought. I had a spell crystal, a perfectly formed one as well. I hope to have Rith put a Death Ward in it for me. We also encountered this strange plant creature that lashed out at us with rope-like vines that grabbed tight and pulled us close so it could try to eat us. None of us were seriously injured, thankfully.

    Things took a bit of a turn for the worse soon after. Ronan suddenly became very certain and convinced that we all weren't real, that it was just a dream. Now, I have to admit, I think the same thought crossed all of our minds, but he really took to it. And then turned into a Balor. He ended up attacking us and probably would have killed somebody if he didn't turn back into himself after a few minutes. Aelthas was sure that Ronan wasn't real. And then we saw a familiar Red-Haired Devil appear and disappear several times. We all felt confused and tired, and unsure of what was real or not, yet we kept going. Upstairs we found a locked door. Eluriel fiddled with the lock as the others got ready for a fight. I was around the corner waiting since there wasn't room for me to stand with my comrades. I am so very, very, very glad that I was not around that corner.

    Inside the room was the wizardess, alright. And her lover. The rumors were true. Her lover was one of those Mind Flayers. And we caught them in the act. I was the only one who didn't see it. At least we did get some information from the wizard. Seems it's another wizard in Oscura who is the problem. He's got some kind of teleportation device that he uses to dispose of waste from his experiments and that's what we are having problems with.

    The Mind Flayer was kind enough to teleport us out of his home and back to the ship. We returned to Oscura via the drider path, which wasn't too nasty of a fight. Back to Peltarch and to Norwick for me after that. Glad to be home. And very glad I am not mentally scarred from our trip.


  • Entry 86

    Uljas is back. And the first thing he does of course is pick me up. Hah! I suppose it's good that Jerrick wasn't there. That's fine though, I did tell Uljas that Jerrick and I are together. He's happy to hear that I'm happy.

    After spending some time with Uljas, I ran into Rith, Troff and two felines. Druid felines, Fadia and Adriell. We had fun talking, eating some food by the south gate, listening to Aramuil drone on and on and on… At one point, somebody came to Rith and I and asked to help take care of a ghost wolf who wandered into the hobgoblins territory. We took care of it and made sure others weren't getting too close. After we returned to town, we found some people were brought back to town, killed by goblins. And another person mentioned there was another lass in trouble out in the woods west of the lake.

    I know I make Rith very worried when I ran off. Simply put, I'm a guardian of these woods. Especially in a section of woods that is so near to my den. Sure enough, we found a dead body there. I knew it would be too late, but... I still had to try. Sune was a kind goddess though. Rico, that Sunite fellow had tried to protect those people by covering their escape. Unfortunately, none listened to him when he told them to run. Sune decided to show that she at least approved of his actions by bringing all three of the fallen back. It was nice to see there was a happy ending.


  • Entry 85

    Rith revealed something about herself yesterday that I really didn't know before. Well, she did mention before that she was once held captive by the drow for a year. They tortured her… Made her blind. What I didn't know before, is what other tortures she went through. So she decided to tell me and Fadia, because she wanted us to know why she finds it hard to be with others. I mean be intimate. Even be asleep with another.

    The things she's been through, and yet she's strong and full of life. She's so optomistic. So... "Sunny." Everything bad that happened in my life just seems to pale in comparison to what she's been through. And yet she has pulled through with a grace that I could never match.

    For some good news, Jerrick is finally back. It was such a relief to see him. I know I've been getting antsy without him. He's quite tired from the trip, which is no surprise. And his ear has a nick in it. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I mean, I'm glad that it's only a nick. But it makes me wonder what happened.

    He's back though, that's the important thing. I was running out of ink after all. I almost had to switch back to the pixie ink!


  • _~Interlude~
    ~Pixie Quest 3: The Sparkly Lion Tamer~

    Tojan watched as her pet finished finished putting on her black armor and tossed on her cloak. Even though the armor was not as form fitting as her old green and black leather suit, Tojan noted with pride that Dark Kitty still managed to look very pretty. She noticed that her pet's hair was a bit longer; was she trying to look more like Sunny?

    "I'll hopefully be back by nightfall, Tojan," the half-elf called back as she turned to Tojan. "Tawny's been looking a bit stir crazy. Maybe you could play with her some? I'm sure Sunny would appreciate it."

    "Sure, no problem! Anything for you and Sunny," Tojan replied.

    Dark Kitty picked up her belongings and left the Fuzzy Den with a wave back to the pixie. Tojan fluttered in the air for a moment after and then her smile faded. She liked Tawny, as she liked all animals of the feline kind. The cub was adorable and had a lovely golden fur coat. Tawny was also a young cub who was very playful and energetic. She loved to pounce. That by itself would be nothing, except that she was bigger than the pixie… and will only get bigger.

    "Oh, the things I do for my kitty."

    Tojan flew over to Sunny's room and slowly opened the door. She landed down and peeked around the corner. Over on the plain bed, the pixie could see a little lion tail haning over the edge. Gaining a little confidence at the possibility the lion cub was sleeping, Tojan tiptoed into the room and slinked over to the bed. The tail swayed from side to side for a moment, and then hung still. Tojan fluttered her wings and slowly lifted herself to the top of the bed.

    Tawny lifted her head up, and looked over to the pixie. "Mrrrawr?" she inquired curiously.

    "H-Hi, Tawny. I guess you're awake, huh?"

    "Rrrawr!" the lion cub happily exclaimed and lept at the pixie. Poor Tojan barely had enough time to squeak out a cry for help before the cub crashed into her. Both pixie and cub went down to the floor with a thump. Tojan opened her eyes to see a triumphant Tawny standing over her with one paw pinning the pixie to the floor.

    "Ow. I hope you're satisfied."

    Tawny replied with a happy purr.

    
"You're too slow, Tawny! You can't catch me!" Tojan buzzed around the room laughing back at the lion cub who was chasing her. She had to admit, she was starting to enjoy this game of cat and mouse... er, pixie. Unlike a mouse, Tojan had wings which helped keep her out of reach. She zipped around the bed with a giggle and looked back to her pursuer.

No Tawny.

"Tawny?" she asked worriedly. The pixie stopped and hovered just above the ground. She slowly turned around, trying to find where the lion cub went. And yet, she didn't see Tawny anywhere. She scratched her head and called out louder for the lion cub. Tojan started to worry now, as there was no answer. Sunny and Dark Kitty both would be upset if Tawny got hurt, the pixie knew. She was sure even Violet wouldn't be happy at her.

A happy little growl called out behind her, prompting the pixie to turn around toward the bed. "Tawny! You had me worr-" The rest of her sentence dropped unfinished as she saw a leaping lion sailing through the air at her. "Oh, fudge," was all that she could say before getting a faceful of lion paw.

    Tojan floated high in the air, nursing her bruises. Below her, the lion cub paced around and looked up at her expectedly. While Tojan had fun when Tawny was chasing her, it was most certainly not fun to be pounced. It was especially not fun to have been pounced for the sixth time. "That cub is getting smart, I'll say. Smart and smug. I gotta do something to put her back in her place. I am not a cat toy!"

    She thought, and thought, and thought. A devious idea soon came to mind, and the pixie grinned mischiviously. She looked down at Tawny, who gave cute little purring growl back up at the pixie. "Oh, don't worry, Tawny. We're still gonna play." Tojan giggled and then vanished from sight.

    "Mrrawr?" Tawny blinked in confusion. She looked around wondering where her prey went. How could the big bug move so fast? She sniffed around the room, trying to find Tojan, but there was so much pixie dust in the air all around she just cound't tell. The cub walked about the room quietly. A giggle in the air made her perk up and bound over to one corner, only to find nothing. She heard another giggle and ran over to another side of the room and again found nothing.

    "Behold!" cried out Tojan as she dropped down from above. "I declare that I, the Sparkly Lion Tamer, shall claim you as my mount!"

    The pixie landed on Tawny's back, as a person would ride a horse, and grabbed on tightly. Tawny, jumped and bounced trying with all her might to shake the pixie off her back, but Tojan gripped her fur tighter and kept on riding. The cub bounced around for a few more moments until giving up.

    "That's right, you'll be my trusty steed and we will sally forth to cause mischief and mayhem for all who stand in our way." Tojan said with a giggle. And then with a "Yip! Yip!", she dug nudged her feet into Tawny's ribs. With a growl, the lion cub took off, running around the room while trying occasionally to shake the pixie off. Tojan still held tight and laughed harder, deciding this was a lot of fun. She now knew why Sunny liked riding on Fang's back when coming home after being convinced to stay.

    Tawny ran faster and faster, which was to Tojan's enjoyment. She giggled and laughed more as the lion cub carried her all over the room. They went around the bed, past the goblin skulls, through the books, under Kitty's old scratching post, by the shrine to the Moonmaiden, and back to the bed to start over again. Tawny finally had enough and started to run real fast.

    "Whoa, Tawny, I think you are going too fast. Whoa. Whoa! I said WHOA!"

    Tawny stopped in an instant, crouching on her front paws while kicking up with her back legs. Tojan lost her grip at the sudden stop and momentum flung her from off Tawny's back and flying right into the shrine. The pixie slammed into the shrine with a loud thunk, and then her world went black.

    
As she slowly regained consciousness, the first thing the pixie noted was that she hurt a lot. Nothing felt broken, but she knew she was going to have some nasty bruises for the next few days. Then she realized the ground felt awfully soft and comfy. She opened her eyes and looked around. She was lying on the bed, with two golden furred paws on either side. She looked back and saw the cub staring right back at her with a worried look in her eyes.

"Mrrawr?"

"I'm okay, Tawny. Thanks."

Tawny purred in reply and nosed the pixie as she set her head down on her front paws, being careful not to hurt Tojan.

"Yeah, I think we're done playing too." Tojan replied and layed back against Tawny and closed her eyes. Moments later, pixie and cub were fast asleep._

  • Entry 84

    So not only does the Dark Enchantress want me, but so does that necromancer, Quintin. For a different reason, of course, but it's still troubling. Rith had a talk with Lillia, and Rith and Fadia both were confronted by Quintin and almost got him. He underestimated the two. Wish he didn't get away, but we'll have another chance I'm sure. The two weren't in a happy mood afterward, when I caught up to them. Even Ronan had trouble getting them to smile (and his antics are usually good for a laugh or two, he's a bard at heart).

    And then Fadia noticed that was had a nice group gathered, counting Ronan, Sy, and Vash't. Good for an adventure. That actually seemed to bring some happy excitement. Fadia wanted to find a nice feline to copy the form of, and Rith loves to explore. She's often curious to check out new places. If she someday sprouted cat ears and a tail, I wouldn't be surprised. So off we went to Peltarch. We explored the farmlands west of the city, which see some trouble by feral cats. Fadia happily copied one of their forms, and then we decided to go further north to face giants. Fadia wanted to try to copy a manticore shape too. She wasn't able to copy the manticores, they (and we, I suppose) were too aggressive to effectively calm down enough to sit still. The giants posed us little trouble. So then we entered the ogre cave.

    That required a bit more effort from us. The front of the cavern is a huge open walkway through water, with skilled axe throwers guarding across the frigid waters. They guard the entrance and toss axes at any foolish enough to cross. Like us. After that, there was a long corridor with many flame traps scattered through, with some more ogre guards. From that point on, it was just ogre after ogre after ogre. We fought them just fine, but Rith kept charging ahead. I suppose she felt as if we weren't in grave danger… and maybe she really was just venting out her earlier frustrations.

    The cave was cleared out, so we returned to the surface and rith asked to see the orc lands. After a quick rest, we headed west. We fought a few orcs, but mostly ran into wolves of various types. Plain ol' wolves, worgs, big alpha wolves, trained worgs with orc handlers, winter wolves of varying sizes... We only found a lot of orcs when we went into a cavern. The orcs actually gave us some worry. Their mages loved casting that black tentacle spell. It's a nasty spell if you get caught in it. The tentacles grab you and won't let you go, squeezing with enough strength to break bones. Funny that a few of the mages got caught in their own tentacle spells. But again, Rith kept charging ahead, and it probably got us into a dangerous situation. She pulled back when we complained though.

    My own blunder in all this? I got curious seeing one orc's boots, they had nails in them at an odd place, I wondered how the orc could have put up with nails through his feet. As soon as I grabbed the boots though, some latent magic was triggered and I found them on my feet! And then the nails bit through. That <g>farking</g> hurt. I could tell there was some other magic that could be triggered, but I by then my curiosity had gotten me in enough trouble and I decided not to try it. I just wanted the boots off, but their magics kept the nails stuck in my feet. Sy asked his god for a spell to remove curses and that was able to loosen the magic that held the nails in place and I was finally able to take off those damn boots. Well, my lesson was learned. Don't touch orc boots. That and there's the saying about curiosity killing the cat…

    Rith felt awful about her behavior when we left the cave. I noticed she feels disheartened when she thinks she has done something to jeopardize trust in her. Fadia and I both tried to reassure her that it was alright. Nobody is perfect. Fadia was eager, too, with the manticores. And look at me, letting myself pick up cursed boots. She appreciated our words, but I could still tell she wasn't happy with herself. I guess, though, we all have our insecurities. Rith feels bad when she doesn't meet what she thinks are expectations of her. Jerrick seems to have a hard time handling rejection (not just in love, but from others). Myself? I think my big insecurity has been fearing my past would somehow catch up and haunt me. Not necessarily the Dark Enchantress reclaiming me, but I more fear slipping into the mindset I had while I was her pet. That's why I try so hard to be nice to people.

    Fadia, Rith, and I returned to my den, where we had a nice long bath. Rith also showed a present Fadia gave her earlier. A painting from Lucidious's old office when he was Chancellor. I remember hearing some rumors about the man... And the painting certainly did not disappoint. A woodland scene, with Fadia and pink-haired Penny both posing tastefully in the nude. Honestly, it was more tasteful than I expected, I think.

    Too bad Jerrick hasn't come home yet. He'd have probably found it cute if he had seen me as a panther curled up in bed with Rith and Tawny.


  • Entry 83

    That damn mad mage showed up again. Well, an illusion of him at least. He never shows his real self. Izakiel I think his name is? Apparently, some little girl illusion showed up too and taunted the mage. After both left, a number of us started to change into random creatures. Fadia turned into some kind of slaadi right in front of me. The hilarious change was seeing the Sunite turn into a succubus. Everybody turned back to normal after some time and nobody seemed to be worse off for it.

    After that, Eluriel asked me to try to use a wand with a polymorph spell in it. She wanted to turn into a pixie. I ended up turning myself into a pixie instead! Funny, now that I had decided I didn't want to be any other form than a feline, I turn myself into a pixie. I made the best of it though. I have to say flying around is quite fun! I think maybe I should try it again. I think next time I'll be more mindful of how long the effect lasts. I sat on Thorn's head to talk to him and the magic faded a moment later. I'm not a heavy person, but I can't imagine that felt good at all. I hope I didn't hurt him. He seemed okay.

    Horlamin found a lost member of his tribe. Or rather, I should say another surviving member. Up till now, I think he believed he was the only one left. She seems just as fierce as he can be, and certainly wasn't afraid to stand up to him when they argued about something. I don't know what the argument was about, but I could tell it was a tribal matter. He ended up slapping her and then that Sunite stepped in and got beaten down by Horlamin. I think Thorn was able to get Horlamin and the woman to at least see eye to eye. Rary couldn't help but make a few snide remarks about humans though.

    That bothered Rith, who confronted him and the two had a heated exchange of words. Rary proved himself to be a jerk for it. Fadia was pissed off. She cares a lot for Rith, like I do, and didn't like what Rary said to her. I managed to make both feel a bit better later at least. It helps that I make an adorable feline, right? Rith commented that I seem to be a bit recluse without Jerrick around. I suppose I am. It's not because I miss him (which I do, I miss his presense a lot). And I defintely don't mistrust his motives (I know Jerrick and Jynai both better than that). I worry for him. He's didn't leave just to see Jynai. He left with a mission; stop her father. I doubt that will be an easy task.

    Fight Night was at the Legion Tower instead. I don't exactly know why, but it was still fun. After the festivities, Rith nudged Vash and Fadia together. Vash had made some compliments to Fadia about her nickname given by Tojan (which is Violet by the way), and she found it flattering so Rith and I encouraged the two to spend some time together. Now to find somebody for Rith. Maybe Vash't?

    Sir Shannon then showed up with a couple of Helmites interested in Rith's investigations of Jiyyd. Helmites… Okay, yes, they are good at defending the weak and such, but I still find them to be too stiff, too formal, too stubborn, too... unfun. Kanen, I respected though. He had a bit of a sense of humor and could take a joke.

    So Benji and I decided to help Rith clear a path to the Helmite temple, as that is what the Helmites were interested in. Okay, Rith is good at demon-hunting, but frankly I am very much unsuited for the task. I don't have the weapons. I don't have the divine strength granted by faith. But she is my sister and I will be there for her. I assume Benji felt our similarly. He considers us friends and is willing to help as much as he can. So, what did we face right away? A glabrezu. Not quite as bad as a balor, but still a very deadly foe to fight. It shouted a word at me that left me blind and dazed. I couldn't see, I couldn't move. I felt tentacles rise up and crush me. My last thought before I blacked out was to hope Rith and Benji weren't joining me in death. I felt a sudden rush of energy flow through me, healing my crushed bones and restoring my senses. Rith saved me from the brink of death. I'll be saying a prayer of thanks to Lathander for her.

    We retreated to heal ourselves and had Sir Shannon grant us some further blessings. Between those and the fact that the fiend used most of it's offensive spells, we were able to eventually bring it down. We found little resistance after and the Helmites inspected the wards of the temple and made prayers to Helm. Apparently, the wards not only keep demonic influence out of the temple, but it's guarding something inside the temple. It's important enough that Helm does not wish the wards breached now. We left, but not before facing another demon, a hezrou. It wasn'tas bad as the glabrezu, but again I was hit by that damned word of power. At least I wasn't beaten down this time. Oddly enough, I'd have to say that fight would have gone worse if not for Benji. His crossbow was punching through the beast's hide like it was a pin cushion.

    Benji was a bit shaken up over the whole thing after. He explained later that the Legion tower was attacked when they went to fight the murderer, Jay. Underdark gnomes and some unknown army. He died in the battle, and was upset at Aelthas and Albry because they were there but seemed to just watch and not do anything. Honestly, that surprises me. I'll have to hear their side of the story sometime. Anyhow, I think our flirting of death in Jiyyd made Benji realize something, but I'm still a bit confused as to what. I think he sorted it, but I'm not sure.

    Rith and I decided to head back to my den for a nice long soak in the hot tub and some sleep. We found Fadia with Vash by Sam's Hole. Rith and I couldn't help but grin. And guess who else I ran into while heading south? Eli! I heard her voice and turned to great her. She was surprised that myself and one other person recognized her, and I could see why. She looked thin, too thin. I hope she's been well. She seemed concerned about something said between her and Thorn. I'm sure it'll work out though. Those two are siblings in spirit like Rith and I.

    Our long bath turned out to be quite short. Rith and I were just too tired. I only wish I was too tired to have nightmares bother me.


  • Entry 82

    My den is covered in grass. From wall to wall, door to door. Why is it covered in grass? And why is there an absolutely adorable little lion cub in my room? I came to find out from Rith that she was praying to Lathander and he decided to give her a sign. So he filled the den with sunlight and made grass grow. And gave the cub too. We let Tojan name her. "Tawny."

    I finally got Badger to tell me what happened with Jynai and how he came to be involved. It surprising to hear that she's a leader of her people. A queen basically. That was why she returned, her father was killing off her people. Why did she go alone though? Why did she not ask Jerrick or even me to help? Why leave us behind?

    I don't think she left because Jerrick mistreated her or such nonsense. And I don't think she left because she didn't love him.

    She did ask for Badger though. Like Jerrick, I'm curious why. I didn't bother asking him why she specifically chose him, I doubt he knows. They formed a plan to kill one of her brothers, who was helping her father. It involved giving one's live as a sacrifice, which Badger was willing to give. Jynai didn't want that, but she must have relented and accompanied him to wherever the sacrifice was to be. Mielikki intervened and let him live, though. And out of that, Jynai and Badger reached out to each other for love.

    I am glad to know that she found somebody. No, I'm not saying that because I'm selfish and want Jerrick. Alright, maybe there's a little bit of that… But more importantly, she deserves love too.

    I also found out that Ronan has an adorable snow leopard for a familiar. And it loves attention, which Rith was all too easily swayed into giving.

    The big thing that happened though, was Thorn getting abducted. He disappeared in front of my eyes in a cloud of black, acrid smoke. Tojan was able to find a stray hair of his, so Rith and Ronan performed a scrying and found him to just outside the Temple of Helm in Jiyyd, the prisoner of demons. The scrying came with a price though, it left Rith blind for a bit. That must have been hard on her, she was blind once for ten years, due to the drow. I wish I was with her when it happened, to comfort her. At least Fadia was there. Me? I was downstairs with Soliel waiting for the results of the scrying.

    The five of us set out for Jiyyd to rescue Thorn. We were joined by a paladin of Tyr, Chasen. Our plan was to get in, get Thorn, and get the fark out. Two sorcerors, two druids, a paladin, and one half-blind priestess. Not the ideal group for an excursion into demon infested lands. Thankfully, Rith's faith can turn demons like undead. We fought a few horrors, and various other demon spawn. They didn't hurt us much, but on the other hand it was hard to actually hit them. Either they dodged out of the way, or the armor would deflect our blows. The incubus and succubus were dangerous though. And then Ronan found Thorn... guarded by a balor.

    Ronan, Chasen, and Rith moved to distract the giant demon while Soliel, Fadia, and I planned to get Thorn. That didn't work out as planned though, because Rith tossed her "wall of blades" spell at the balor and almost blocked Thorn from getting out. Once he was free, I turned to see how Ronan and Rith were doing. And saw the demon plunge it's sword right through Rith. Fadia and I charged forward as Ronan flung more spells at it, he looked in bad shape though. Fadia went to see if anything could be done to save Rith while I tossed some spells at the Balor too. My magic fizzled as it hit though. Ronan's was able to strike the final blow and the balor collapsed.

    I ran back to Rith, fearing in my heart that she was dead. Fadia's a good healer, but that sword thrust had to have been through Rith's heart. But when I looked at Rith, I saw she was alive. Her armor had a hole in it, evidence of the killing blow. Yet her body was whole. She spoke of seeing Lathander, that he was pleased with her and chose not to let her die that day.

    I'll be saying another prayer to Lathander in the morning. This time one of thanks.


  • Entry 81

    Things have been mostly relaxing the past couple of days. Jerrick is in a better mood again. It's a relief to me. I hate to see him beat himself up over his past relationships.

    I will break that cycle, Jerrick.

    He had something he wanted to tell Rith and I so we all started to head to my home for a nice relaxing soak in the hot spring. Nicahh and Aelahearn wanted to talk to him also so Rith and I went ahead by ourselves. Fadia soon joined us and we had a fun time waiting for Jerrick. Fadia asked about Feather so I started to tell the whole story about Jerrick, Feather, and I. I only got half way through it when Jerrick walked in. I didn't want to spoil Jerrick's mood by continuing, so I'll have to finish the story later.

    Jerrick's news both was both expected and surprising. He told us that he was going to head to Cormanthyr. That I expected completely. What surprised me was his reason. It wasn't, "To talk to Jynai." He was going to there to kill her father and stop him from doing more harm.

    Yeah, Badger definitely needs to tell me what's going on out there.

    Rith and Fadia seemed shocked. Rith didn't want him to go risk himself. And while I'd rather he stay here too, I know he needs to do this. He can't live with the idea of letting a person he cares for suffer if there is something he can do to stop it. And he cares for Jynai very much. More importantly, I think, he needs to do this to give himself closure. Jynai left us so suddenly. No explanations. No goodbyes. Jerrick needs to be able to say goodbye to her. Hell, I do too, but with things as they are it's best I don't go. Maybe after I'm fixed.

    At the very least, she's getting a letter from me. I better do that now before Jerrick wakes up to leave.


  • Entry 80

    Next time Jerrick and I are in the bathhouse, I think I'll refuse to let friends drag us out. I've got the feeling this day could have gone better if we just stayed. Maybe.

    I went up to Peltarch for one of the few reasons I go there. The Dancing Mermaid sells my favorite wine, Silverymoon Ruby. It's not cheap, 31 gold a bottle, but it's sooooooooo damn good. Both of us, Tindra and I, love it. Much to my surprise, Jerrick was there too. And Rith. Fadia. Rasuil. Dash later. Crazy, eh? A number of us Norwickians up in the city. Jerrick asked if I'd like to go to the bathhouse with him. He needed a break cuz he and the others had a run in with a vampiress called Lilia (I think) and that necromancer, Quintin (the one who killed all those Damaran soldiers). And he smelled like he was toasted; courtesy of the vamp.

    We were having a relaxing time, he was telling me about the whole trip. Ran into the vampiress, who has an amulet that lets her walk about in the day, and had a rough battle and she got away. Then Quintin appeared, sent by some woman named Rhyla. She convinced him to try to get the amulet back for her? Something quite odd with that. I wanted to stay there in the bath with Jerrick. But Rith wanted to go into the Norwick crypts to follow a lead on vampires which she got from that same Rhyla… and Fadia was going too. Business before pleasure, as the saying goes. Right?

    So we headed back to Norwick. When we got there we started to recruit people to go into the crypts with us. While we waited, I pulled Rith aside because she wanted to talk to me in private. It was about Ronan and Jerrick. She noticed that I seemed bothered when those two fought. She's absolutely correct, it does bother me. They were very good friends, and now seem so angry with each other. We all were the "Suicidal Five", right? I miss that. Rith apparently talked to Ronan about it and he says he'd be willing to try to work things out with Jerrick, but that he feels Jerrick won't listen. And sadly, he's probably right. So Rith and I planned to work on that.

    But the crypts needed attention first. Have I mentioned I hate crypts? Really hate them. This trip doesn't make me like them any better. I fell through some trap door almost immediately after we entered. But I got stuck in the trap. Like there was one door up above which dropped me in and closed, but the second door that should have opened to dump me at my destination was stuck so I sat in that chute for a bit. I wasn't sure what to do. I'm sure Jerrick was going crazy, worrying about me. I needed to do something, I didn't want to stay trapped. So I made myself invisible and jumped on the stuck door. After a few times, it let open and dumped me onto the floor. Instead of being surrounded by undead like I expected, I dropped down into the middle of my friends. They had fought their way to the second floor to try to rescue me. I could hear Jerrick shouting for me. And by me, I mean Lorelai. I probably should be worried at a secret being let out, but... I'm not.

    The rest of the crypt was much as I dislike crypts to be. Full of undead. We even (after a long series of attempts) got that glowing purple door to open. And all we found was more undead, but no vampires like Rith was hoping. Some of those undead were really nasty though. Spirits that were obviously skilled wizards in their mortal lives. A big half-orc, Pugor, almost died to one of their spells. Lucky for him Jerrick was right next to him to heal him back up.

    It was after we returned to town that the day really went to hell for Jerrick. Badger wanted to talk to him about Feather, but Rith and Fadia weren't letting Jerrick be. So I turned into a panther and provided the perfect distraction for Rith. Fadia got the hint, I think and let the two guys have some space. I kinda wish we didn't let Badger tell Jerrick what he needed to. But then, I don't think there would have been ANY good time for Badger to. So not only is Feather in Cormanthyr (which Badger told me some weeks ago, I forgot to mention that here with all the other crap that has been piled on me)... but she apparently asked for Badger to go help her and the two ended up together. Like a couple. Like Jerrick and I.

    Jerrick didn't take the news well. I can't fault him, I'm not sure I would have if I was him. I mean... she left suddenly without a word, and instead of seeking him for help she called for another, and now those two are an item. So many questions run through my head; I bet Jerrick had twice as many. The biggest question for him, is what did he do wrong? I don't think he did anything wrong. And I think she did love him.

    This all showed me how much it hurts him, all his past relationships not working out. He's tried so hard, and they didn't happen. And then Ronan and Aelthas just toss salt into those wounds by saying he's not good for a relationship with me. I know they probably don't mean to sound so insulting, but to Jerrick... it hurts like a stab wound to the heart.

    "Damaged goods." That's how it makes him feel. Like a rusted weapon tossed aside for something better. Why would anybody want it?

    He's not to me. He never was "damaged" to me. Sure, he's a bit rough around the edges, but if you look closely, really look, you'd find a masterpiece under all the scuffs and scratches.

    And I want so much for him to see that.


  • Entry 79

    The day started off quietly. Maybe too quiet? I was sitting talking to Fadia, enjoying the peacefulness. Kinda dozed off, probably to Jerrick's disappointment. El started to organize a group to go out for some wood for her to work on. I noticed Rith and Jerrick seemed to be avoiding each other and Rith whispers to me as he walked away, "I think you should go with him."

    And that's when my instincts gave me that "impending sense of doom" feeling. Not "you're gonna die" doom. It was "friendships are going sour" doom.

    It was like there was this cloud of discomfort around Rith, Jerrick, and Fadia. Especially the first two. And then Soliel comes up to me while at the gate to talk to me as I waited for our trip into the woods to start. She didn't have anything surprising to talk about. It was the same "I'm sorry for the way I've been acting, I'm not used to people" story. After talking with her I noticed people left without Fadia and me. So I bid Sol farewell and we ran to catch up with the others.

    I'm not sure how they heard the North Gate alarms from so deep in the woods. They must have echoed just right. We all ran back to find gnolls attacking the town. It was a nasty fight, the gnolls had brought seige weapons and dropped rocks from the sky as they fought us. We drove them off though, with only one casualty on our side.

    After things calmed down, Rith commented to me that she thinks she hurt Jerrick. The two were definitely trying to stay away from each other, like they didn't want to upset each other more.

    It bothered me a lot. I hate seeing my family breaking up, over what I assume was something stupid.

    Rith didn't seem like she wanted to share what was the problem so I went to Jerrick. Except that I couldn't get him alone, there was Benji. And then Fadia and Soliel. Finally, I decided to just toss caution to the wind and asked Jerrick what was up in quiet tones. He didn't seem to want to elaborate either. I got the impression that she hurt him and vice versa over something. I still don't know what.

    I told him that he should talk to her, that she's upset that she hurt him and yet he just was stubborn about it. Compared it to El even, that if she wants to avoid him then fine. I bit my tongue, I really wanted to yell at him. But then Fadia came over, looking exasperated because Sol's been giving her the same "but you aren't my friend cuz you avoid me" routine I've gone through. So I kept quiet.

    And then that's when I decided I was fed up with it. I will not see a beautiful friendship ruined over something so inane! I flat out told Jerrick "Don't lose a friendship over something so stupid." Something like that, I forget my exact words. And then I told him that I will say the same to Rith, that I'm not just picking on him. And then I went to find Rith to do just that. I didn't get the chance. As soon as I found Rith and asked if we could talk, Jerrick walked over and did the same. I guess he took my words to heart. Thank Selûne…

    I let the two walk off on their own, and sat with Fadia and Soliel and waited. And waited. And waited. Benji and Val joined us too. What a test of patience, my curiosity was clawing at me inside. After a while the two came back, smiling like friends again and handed us all flowers. "Enough drama" I think is what Jerrick said.

    And that's when we all got silly. Us ladies dazzling men by imitating Val' "flick the wet hair back" move. Rith showing off with holding spells. Rith and I tickling an imobile Jerrick. Val making everybody invisible. All of us running around after each other. Jerrick turning into a big tiger and pouncing us. Me being a panther (which got me lots of hugging from Rith, naturally).

    The only one who didn't seem to be having fun was Soliel. I don't know why she didn't join in. All she did was whine and mope.

    After a while, Jerrick and I started to feel like playing "other" games, so we ran off. Mmmm, and we did have a lot of fun. That feather Rith gave me saw a lot of use.

    I thanked Jerrick that night. He wasn't sure why I thanked him, but I do hope he realizes the reason later. Family means a lot to me. I don't want to lose any of them, especially if it's over a stupid argument.


  • Entry 78

    I snapped a bit at Ronan today, which I do feel bad for. But I hate it when people try to guilt trip me. Just because I don't tell him something right away, that doesn't mean I don't trust him! Usually it's because I hadn't gotten to sit down with him to tell him about whatever. Is that really so surprising? He's a Senator of the city, while I'm a woodsy werecat who prefers the forest and small town. And of course, I think part of his problem is that he doesn't like Rith. He seems jealous of how much Jerrick and I trust her.

    Why doesn't Jerrick trust him? Probably the bad mouthing about Jerrick's past relationships behind his back. That's the start of it at least. I wish Ronan would just take a step back, realize that I KNOW what the hell I'm doing, and stop worrying. Jerrick isn't going to leave me hurting. But even if Jerrick isn't getting along with Ronan, does that mean I have to be dragged into the middle of it? I guess it does, much to my displeasure.

    There used to be a time when I could be friends with whomever I wanted and nobody gave a damn. I miss that.

    Speaking of friends, I really wonder what is up with Arlinn. Throwing food at people, claiming she just "trying to start conversation." I guess I just don't see the humor in it.

    Some interesting things going on. Fadia was killed by a beholder the other week… I think I forgot to mention that here. She's still a bit shaken up about it, I think. Rith and Vash't... Well, that night she was drunk and Jerrick and I left her with Vash't? I guess the two started to get cozy but then he backed out because he didn't want to take advantage of her being drunk. And I guess that upset Rith, like she thought she wasn't pretty enough. Of course she's pretty! Otherwise she wouldn't be able to pass herself off as me well enough to fool Jerrick, right? Don't tell me I'm not pretty.

    So Jerrick set Vash't straight and had him give Rith some flowers and an apology. That worked well, I guess. But I gotta say things looked interesting last night as we hung out in the inn again. I'm starting to wonder just who is going to snag Rith first.


  • Entry 77

    Arlinn is back. I'm not quite sure how I feel about that. She was a good friend, but I did hear that she murdered some Oscuran guards in cold blood and that was why she ran away. She seems to be doing alright, I guess. She's a mother now apparently. Something felt a bit off though. Ah well, maybe it's just motherhood giving her a new outlook?

    Rith is being considered for being a Protector of the Circle. I think she's a good ally to have for sure. And of course, I trust her with my life already. My only concern is that we have Talos followers, and I do worry that we'd somehow offend Lathander by having her join. For obvious reasons, I don't have any desire to offend Lathander.

    Sometimes it hits me that I'm a popular person. I'll be talking to somebody, and another person comes over asking if I can spare some time for a talk. And then another person comes over. And another. I hope Soliel wasn't getting too discouraged. Speaking of whom, a friend of Soliel is worried about her. Asked me to talk to her.

    Oh, and Benji's got something planned for his girl. I must admit I'm rather curious how he'll pop the question, but I'll be nice and not pry. I'll just wait patiently and ask him the details after he does it.


  • ((OOC warning: Swears a plenty in this diary entry.))

    Entry 76

    Gods-damned, evil, fucking BITCH!

    Calm yourself, Lorie. It'll do no good to get worked up right now. Figures that I have a mostly good day, but can't end it on the nice note. Instead I get the Dark Enchantress promising to take me back.

    FUCK YOU, BITC__

    Dammit, broke my quill. Using Rith's now. Taking a moment to calm down

    As I said, the day was going good. I met this elven soldier from Silverymoon, Jadin. He was quite lost and asking if anybody knew where the rest of his platoon were. They had all been ambushed by bugbears and it seems that Jadin is the only survivor. He was quite gracious for my offering to help, and offered his services as a body guard.

    I did find it rather amusing. Not that I mean to dismiss his skills (which aren't bad, actually, I'd find out later). It's just that I'm far from being a defenseless damsel in distress.

    Another thing that lifted my spirits was seeing Aelthas and Rith talking together. They looked like they are getting to be friends, which is a relief. I just wish that Rary and Aelthas didn't insult each other and then start fighting outside the gate. That was rather distressing. I mean, they just kept going and going… using I don't know how expensive potion after potion after potion after spell-reagent after... I'm glad Ronan stopped it with his giant-green-hand spell.

    I did end up shocking Jadin with the revelation that I'm a werecat (and Aelthas a werewolf). He's had bad dealings with lycanthropes so was very nervous and scared of me at first, but I think I did prove that I am not one to worry about. It was funny seeing Ronan join in the monster fun by turning himself into a zombie with a spell, and then Rith tried Turning him with her god's grace and it worked! Though I have to be honest, the ugly-zombie look doesn't suit Ronan.

    After the silliness, Rith and I took Jadin out into the woods and showed him various places and warned of various dangers. He does seem to be a capable swordsman. And he throws knives very well. That's a skill you don't often see. Maybe I should introduce him to Yana? She's the only other person I know of that throws knives.

    Coming back to town is when things went nasty. That's when the Dark Enchantress showed up.
    I will not be her pet again. NEVER.


  • Entry 75

    Today was mostly relaxing for myself. Sadly, it wasn't for others. Jerrick wanted to go see if he could find the "Burning Man" and so a large group including Rith, Ronan, Thorn, Vash't, Badger, and others went with him. From what I was told, they fought their way to where the remains of the elven camp lie. The battle was quite fierce. The tainted bugbears and banshees proved to be formidable foes. The tentacle spell is especially nasty. Vash't died, which Rith felt terrible about. Everybody kept telling her that she shouldn't fell bad about herself, because if it wasn't for her healing powers and quick thinking, more would have been dead. Thankfully, Vash't answered the call to return to life.

    I met an elf fellow who claims to be both a woodsman and a wizard. I found it interesting to see another mage who also was a woodsman. I'll have to talk to him more. I do wonder why he thinks I'm familiar though.

    And I met this half-orc who also claimed to have known of me before. He kept asking if I knew various people who have long been gone. Something's not right about this fellow though. My instincts say not to trust him.

    After leaving the half-orc I joined Jerric, Rith, Vash't, and Fadia at the inn for some drink and merriment. By Selûne, did Rith and I get drunk. We had a lot of fun though, and Jerrick ended up carrying me over his shoulder to a bedroom for some other fun. So now that is two men I have gotten carried away with. Literally.

    We left Rith with Vash't. I wonder how the rest of the night went for them.


  • My heart still trembles even now, the morning after. She returned! Thank Selûne and Lathander both, she came back!

    As I was writing, I heard voice call out, "Lorie!" I honestly thought I was just hearing things, that my sorrow was playing tricks on me. The door to my room then burst open and standing in the doorway was Rith! I scrambled to my feet and jumped into her hug with so quickly I almost knocked the two of us over! She babbled on about being sorry and such, and I just held her tight unable to say a word, crying tears of joy.

    And who do you think strolled in with a silly grin? Jerrick. And Tojan.

    Selûne, I can hardly believe those two. Tojan snuck into Rith's backpack as she left, thinking that she could stop her. And Jerrick took off as soon as he got her goodbye letter and stopped her in her path. He literally blocked off the road. If I wasn't so overcome by Rith's return, I think I might have been tempted to slap their smug faces.

    Rith and I made a promise to each other, as sisters. "Don't ever go away."

    We spent much of the night enjoying our reunion. Ronan and Fadia then stopped by and things started to feel normal again. However, Rith was completely tired out and fell asleep. And then I started to feel sleepy. I guess all that crying tired us both out. Jerrick helped me get her to bed and then I soon feel asleep too.

    Not even a nightmare dared to shake my happiness last night.


  • Entry 74

    I feel like my world is falling apart somehow. Rith left. I hoped and prayed that she could stay. She wanted to so much. I'm not surprised she left though. It tears me up, but I promise I will see her again. Even if I have to hunt her down, I will see my sister again. Dammit, it's just not fair to her…

    Jerrick's disappeared too, but that's not really surprising me. He deals with Fae, and sometimes they whisk him away for some task. I became used to that before we declared our love for each other. Something feels off though, like his vanishing was too sudden.

    I'm worried sick about Tojan. She's usually here at the Fuzzy Den, or at the druid glen chatting with her pixie friends, or at Jerrick's house. I can't find her anywhere. I think... hope she's okay. I can't even feel her through our bond, so she must be really far away.

    Selûne, help me. I can't take this. I feel so alone right now. Why is this hap-