Breeze moves through the Tower that appeared in the Hedge maze of the Rook and Rose to Viktor's study. She stands in the doorway, looking at the desk where he had once sat, writing in his journals. The pain in her chest is acute, both sharp and dull. The Tabaxi feels as though her chest will collapse under the pressure of her grief, as though the Lord of Blades is trying to squeeze the life out of her once more. The office becomes blurry through her tears, but she steps forward, approaching the desk. She reaches out, touching the wood, looking at the letters neatly stacked there. There are letters from most everyone. Most of them are from her. They are letters of goodbye. Letters of apologies. Letters that declared love and expressed regret.

A sob rises into her throat and shakes her chest, breaking the silence.

She sifts through them, finding hers to Viktor,, her perfect, beautiful script writing out his name. She turns it in her hand, checking the seal. She hopes that he read it. But it is intact, and for some reason, it hurts more than anything else she could have found.

Another long, painful moment passes before she sets it down among all the others.

Like a a ghost, the bard moves around the desk until she is sitting before his chair. She touches the back of it, running the soft pads of her fingers over the leather. She pulls it back and sits. She stays still for another long, agonizing moment, letting the feelings wash over her. She spent so much time trying to stay separated from them, trying not to fall apart, but now she was home, and it is so difficult to keep it all together.

She wipes her eyes and pulls out some paper and sets up the ink pot and quill. She takes a deep breath and stares at the paper. This will be the last letter she ever writes to Viktor. It seems a waste of time, but it will join the pile of letters she never actually shared with him. Writing him was more a journal than communication. Of course, now maybe he could read them. She had no idea what he could do.

Dearest Viktor,

I do not even know where to start. We both knew that after all of this, we would never see one another again, but I have to write this, even if you never read it. It is the closing of our chapter. The end of an era. A brief, vicious era, that brought me joy... if only for a moment.

As you know, I have emotionally detached myself from the others for various reasons. I have tried so hard to be considerate and consistent. I have done what I can to uphold my values and not lose myself and what grounds me. I knew that I would be saying good bye to everyone after this. Red planned on taking Green and Dawn off into the country to retire into a quiet life of the mundane. Rocio and Gunne can never return to society, not after what they have done, and I planned on returning to Sharn to resume my goal in working with others to protect Eberron or, if I could not clear my name, return to Xen'drik to live my own version of a quiet life.

We prepared carefully. We spent almost every gold we had and exhausted ourselves. We had scrolls, potions, items, and deals with entities we had no business speaking with. We found an empty plain that had already seen more than its share of death and destruction and then we waited. We waited like the exhausted adventurers we were. Once, I would have called us heroes. Sometimes, I imagine that we were, in that moment, but it was simply resignation. The Lord of Blades would never give us peace. He would chase us down into other planes of existence if he could. Why he despised us in particular, I have no real notion. Red revealed that she had the ability to offer help. Help that would make us faster, more resistant to the Lord of Blade's attacks, and so much more.

He appeared. One moment we were waiting and the next the world was vibrating with power none of us could muster and he was in the sky, looking down on us. I cannot remember all he said, but he called us roaches. He condemned us for opposing him and disrupting his plans. He called us roaches. He said that if we gave him the Eye of Syberis that we had, he would kill us quickly and not desiccate our corpses with his madness. He didn't refer to it as his madness, though. He simply said he would not turn us into warforged. That was his mercy. His compromise.

We refused. Rocio said something along the lines of, "That is a lot from someone who is basically 3 years old."

That seemed to infuriate the Lord of Blades more than anything else we had said or done up to that point. He descended quickly, flying down at an alarming speed until he landed with a heavy thud to the ground. The entire world felt heavy then. I fell to the ground. I lacked the strength to stand up to such magic. The others, however, stood their ground. The oil of slipperiness we had all used kept him from keeping us still. Rocio, Gunne, Green, and Dawn clashed with him. Gunne and Rocio were giants. Beyond giants. All I could do was take one laborious step after another and do my best to keep them healed. Gunne took the brunt of the assault. He was a tatter of blood, mostly coming from his nose and ears, by the time I got to him. Red gave me the ability to move faster than time. I used beacon of hope and healed Gunne, though it was a drop in the bucket to what he really needed.

It was enough to keep him alive, though.

I was worried Gunne would not make it, but they managed to cut the Lord of Blades down, making him stagger. He reached into the ground and a fissure cut across the landscape and from it poured an army of warforged and siege equipment and metallic nightmares with fiendish energy. Green had been flung afield, but he managed to rejoin us. I made the best use of my healing that I could as we took hit after hit from the army. The others fought valiantly, but we were barely hanging on.

Then something unexpected happened. Vextrix was over us, golden even in the odd light. Red protected us with a wall of force as Vestrix decimated what remained the forces. Then he was plucked from the sky and flung far afield. I could not believe he came to help us. I wonder if he came to help Rocio. I wonder if some sort of familial guilt brought him... or maybe he knew something we did not.

Either way, the Lord of Blades was back and he threw a meteor storm at us. We weathered it well. Gunne came out better off than how he went in. We stood there, resolute and ready. I cannot remember what he said. Only that he was even more angry with us and he seemed to be initially. He pulled us into a demiplane. It was black and red and confusing. We existed in a space that seemed to be darkness, but we could see each other perfectly. The Lord of Blades surrounded himself in a large shield and made it so that shrapnel flew around him, slicing us when we got too close.

We quickly discovered that our spells were not working on him and that Gunne could not scratch him. We scrambled. Rocio became the target of his ire, and for a terrible moment, I thought that Rocio would die. We bent time and reality to keep them alive. The Lord of Blades cast me back onto the battle field and away from everyone else. I had no idea how long I would be separated, not that I could think straight. But I knew what I would do. When I appeared back, I pulled out a subtle spell mind crystal and cast wish. I healed us all completely, but it left me weak and barely able to move.

Dawn was the one doing the most damage to the Lord of Blades and she was also the most frail out of all of us. I kept being banished from the fight, but I did my best to bolster and heal her. Still, it was not enough. Nothing was enough. His power was simply too great and we could not hit him hard enough often enough.

He cut off her head.

Red screamed. it was a terrible sound.

And then she did something foolish, but expected. And it saved us all. She wished for Dawn to be alive. And then Dawn's head was back on her shoulders. She was barely clinging to life, but she was alive. We healed her. We gave her everything we had to give her just enough life to continue.

And then she finished him. And it was over.

The Lord of Blades seemed surprised and he laughed before collapsing. i could only stare. I didn't know what to say. Part of me wanted to comfort him. To promise him a better life than this one.

But then Red collapsed. We ran to her, and I knew that wish had demanded something from her. It was taking her life. She coughed blood and grew weaker and weaker. She spoke to Dawn and Green, telling her she loved them. They told her she promised them retirement, told her they couldn't go on without her, begged her to stay. They demanded I help. They demanded I summon Viktor. I took the watch, telling them that there was nothing to be done. She didn't belong in Eberron. Her time was borrowed. It had always been borrowed, but they didn't want to hear it.

The watch vibrated in my hands and I opened it. Alec came out in a collection of blue light. It was bittersweet seeing him. In our brief adventure, I had grown fond of him. But he simply said goodbye to Red, told Green that Borovia needed him and that he could not stay as he was still hunted. He said goodbye and left with his watch.

Then you and Albane arrived. You had the eyes in your hands like they were nothing more than blue marbles. A storm gathered so quickly and only your voice could be heard. I wanted to hug you one last time, but i was frozen in place. I was scared that if I held you, I wouldn't be able to let you go. You said your goodbyes and departed in a storm. The rain was oddly fitting. You even healed the land, getting rid of the necrotic mists over Cyre and Argonesson.

All I could do was fall to my knees and cry. I couldn't even be bothered to listen to Dawn or Gunne. Gunne left a rabbit foot on Red's body as a goodbye gift and left. I have no idea where he is. I have no desire to look for him. So long as he stays away from Chell and their children, that is all I can hope for.

It took a long time to clear our names, but at least we were given the chance. I still don't know what I was accused of exactly. Convincing people that I am not actually able to control people was rather tiresome.

But you left me the guild. You left me your son. Our son. He is a human, but I should still think of him as such. I have named him Zephyr Khorad. I wish to honor you, but I also wish to honor my late brother. I hope you like it.

Thank you, Viktor. Thank you for everything. I know you blame yourself for all that happened, but it wasn't. Not really. You were just a young man living a awfully lonely life. I am glad that I could make it bearable, if only in brief spurts. I know I was in and out of your life so quickly. You had to spend such long stretches of time without me. And yet, I feel like you were never too far away in time. Moments apart from you... for me were just blinks of an eye. For you they were years.

But thank you for loving me. I wanted to be loved by someone as much as I loved them. You surpassed that. It was a brief time, but it was ours, and I will cherish it forever.

I love you, Viktor.

Goodbye,

Peaceful Breeze of Chime Valley

Do, Nox, Orinimar, and I answered the call of a local lord to investigate a mysterious entrance to a previously unknown location revealed by one of the mudslides the endless rain. After making introductions and tipping the kobold who delivered the mission details we made our way to the entrance’s location. As we entered Nox and Orinimar slipped on the wet mud and tumbled down the slope leading to the entrance while Do and I gracefully made our way down. Once we were inside we took a look and saw what appeared to be ancient ruins or some long forgotten hold. A ways inside we found a mosaic of various people that looked horrified. Later we found out why when two mysterious dragon like statues attacked us. Within a few seconds they nearly caused me and Orinimar to fall unconscious which would likely have resulted in us joining the mosaic if what Do translated from the Dragon like statues was anything to go off of. Once we had made our distance and gotten better footing we quickly dealt with them and moved on, but not before taking a small breather with the help of Orinimar’s magic.

When we got further in we encountered another Dragon-like being that was skeletal in nature and blew poisonous breath that seemed to be capable to petrifying those unfortunate enough to be hit by it. Surprisingly it was easier to deal with and the previous guardians and we later pieced together that this used to be the hoarding place of a dragon from way back before the dragons fucked off the Arggonessen. I have no idea what kind of dragon would make it’s home here or why its traps seemed to be so… art installation focused but a part of me is glad that whoever used to call this place home is unlikely to ever come back again. We found inside the hoard a Magic Jar that creates various condiments, a dragon vessel, and necklace that helps it’s user breathe in less than favorable conditions. We also found what looked to be diary entries of some poor unfortunate soul trapped by the dragon that used to live here. Needless to say the full story of this place is likely lost to time and can never be revealed, even by storms… One thing is for certain though… I won’t be asking to be “immortalized by art of myself” anytime soon knowing that it can happen in strange and undesirable ways.

Arabella Thistle's Report to the Guild:

We were hired by a priest to hurriedly go to a coastal village of the Principalities in order to curtail a disaster. Or at least that is what I thought we were going to do. Raahim, Lilith, Aerandir and I went off to try and save the day only to find a village in shambles. Dead animals were everywhere, torn to shreds. We investigated and poked around. We found a terrified woman who had watched her children kill and eat her horse, Buttercup. She was not terribly desirous of going with us. I can't blame her. I was the only human there, and I can look a little scary. I stood outside as well. Listening to her story was a little too much for me at the time.

We looked around more, but we only found survivors in a church that Lilith could not enter and a merchant that thought the Prince had sent someone to save him. He refused to go to the church. He was too worried about his wares being robbed. Honestly, he is kind of stupid. But who am I to judge?

Who am I kidding. I'm judging.

He had some of the creatures in the basement. They were kind of like vampire spawn, but also a bit like ghasts. Only they didn't stink. They also reminded me of the thralls of the abolyth that I had to fight. That hit a little close to home since I almost fell victim to it. They were clammy with wet skin, as though they were supposed to be in the water rather than on land. But these people were villagers, and no one could tell us of any sort of creature that had turned them, and the water didn't seem to be the culprit.

We couldn't find any corpses of people. Turns out the survivors threw the corpses into their well. Which, as far as I know, is the dumbest thing you could possibly do. Why would you poison your water source?

That's besides the point. We went and spoke to them again and found out there was some strange rain or something and were directed to a hill or some sort. There we found some ancient wood and signs of some profane ritual. I'm not going to pretend to understand any of it. My understanding of magic is rather simple. I want to use magic. I use magic and it works most of the time.

Then we went to the beach since all the undead villagers wen there and saw some ship really far out into the distance. We thought about teleporting there, but decided that might not be the wisest course of action since we had no idea what would be on it... other than a bunch of undead villagers. some of which are children.

LIlith thought about going to the undead city that we had heard about. I cannot recall the names or details. It all sounds so foreign to me and I just can't recall it. I do remember them though. I met them when we were chasing after some vampire actress who had the Prince of the Principalities in love with her. I cannot believe some of the things I have seen. Honestly.

So then Lilith gave me the skull she was given and I got us there. Because like.. I could have figured out how to teleport or make a massively dangerous storm of acid. Look at me making responsible choices.

They city was dark, of course, since there are vampires and other light sensitive creatures. For some reason there are a lot of humans. But honestly, humans have dealt with far worse from less threatening creatures. I would know.

It was also cold. Not ideal. I wasn't exactly ready to be in the arctic reaches of Khorvaire. Lilith lead the way. After all, they like her. She's their sort of person. Raahim was itching and Aerendir shut down at some point. Usually we're fighting for our lives against the creatures running this city. I can understand why they struggled. But honestly, I just wanted to figure out what was going on.

Turns out there is some undead guy that they gave a chance to, and he did not deserve the chance, because it turns out, he's a massive asshole. What was his name? Something Red? I don't know. Anyway, he's going around doing this retiral and collecting an undead army for some reason. I'm sure we'll have to deal with him eventually. We'll have the help of friendly undead. They're really pissed at him. I got to see some of their secrets. I couldn't even begin to explain them. And I'm also not supposed to say.

Crazy how that works out.

As it is, we're just waiting for the word, and I suppose we'll go take on some sailing undead with a nefarious plan for power.

Report Concluded.

To Whom it May Concern

We were hired to help Guiford Montegomery with his potato stall. Nikai, Kelsier, Squash. I am River. We set up the stall. We did well. Kelsier painted a potato tower of Sharn. I think. He also made a dancing potato. Montegomery did not appreciate the dancing potato.

We then were supposed to try the potatoes from the various stalls. There was a warforged with a potato and raw fish. It was good. There was a human that blended raw patato with a variety of equally raw ingredients. It was awful. Kelsier and Nikai went to other parts of the festival. Squash stayed with the potato man.

Before I could sample more potatoes, Montegomery accused the Boromar stall of swapping their salt for chalk. After our guildmate returned to his stall, the Boromar one was crumpled. Little feet ran from the scene.

Then Nikai and Kelsier became ill. One of the judges passed out with a bloody nose. She had no poison that I could determine. Kelsier and Nikai vomited worms. Kelsier said they were mind flayer tadpoles. I have heard of these creatures, but never seen one. I thought they were a myth.

We changed the little feet and red hats into the hedge mage. They had stolen much of Boromar's things. They claimed the family were criminals and were cheating. They passed out a powder in a purple jar to the others to make it fair. Kelsier said they were the tadpole eggs and would turn everyone into monsters. They were going to dump the rest of the jar into the fountain and taint the water. They would not listen to reason. They wanted to blame the Boromar. I believe them framed by these mindflayers.

The people started to scream in terror at Union Square. Kelsier and Nikai ran to help the people. Squash and I stayed to stop the crazy gnomes of the Hedge. I stole the jar and ran. Squash and I both ran. I took a beating, but we made it in time to see Nikai and Kelsier had taken care of the mindflayer threat.

We told the authorities what happened and gave them the jar.

Why would the gnomes hurt so many just to hurt one family?

Report from: River

Brother,

It has been a few days since my last correspondence. I hope all is well back home. How are efforts going with father? I am sure he is still unhappy with me. I trust you can smooth things over in time.

Things here at the mines have been slow, so I took up a job posting from the Rook and Rose for the first time in a while. Turns out people have been going missing in the lower tier. The trend of them being “attractive” was the first clue to how nefarious this was going to turn out to be. I accompanied a hodgepodge group to investigat as we headed to a halfling’s place of residence to get an idea of where to start looking. (Seriously, why must their homes be so small? The poor Bugbear gentleman that was with us had such a hard time getting out of there. I was wise enough to stay outside.)

Anyway, I digres. We were handed a list of people that had reported missing loved ones. All parents of children, though it is definitely suggested mire than children have gone missing. Unfortunately those lost in the Lower Tier tend to be unmissed. Only parents care to cry out in such tragic circumstance… most of the time, anyway. It was suggested we split up to cover more ground in the investigation, which I agreed with but the others pushed back with the assumption we could be dealing with considerable forces enough to overwhelm our little band. I proposed a compromise as too many of us together would draw attention far quicker if we were dealing with such an enemy. Only a couple went out to speak with the families while the rest hung back from a distance and kept watch, ready to jump in if things got hairy.

We ultimately discovered the primary suspect was a goblin puppeteer with a shop in town and went to confront him on the matter. There isn’t enough room on this parchment to go into the details but I will say, the culprit was found and dealt with. Many of the children were rescued and many dolls recovered that we are sure are the victims of this foul creature’s cruelty that angered him. With time, maybe they will all be returned to their homes in safety. If by chance you can aid in the finances needed to remove these curses, I am sure the people here would appreciate it.

Until next time we speak,

Mulahey

((Please keep in mind that this is OOC knowledge))

Dearest Viktor,

As I often do, I struggle with how to write this. After all, you will not read them. I have no idea what will come of it.

We spoke to Calliope and she was difficult. She did not want to answer our questions, but i feel as though she did at points. She tired of our ignorance and our constant grasping. We captured her, but what resulted with our knowledge changed our plans. We will not be combining the parts of you and Albane.

In some ways it is worse.

It has been revealed to us that the Lord of Blades is not just your son, but has been your son since you started to walk upon the mortal plane. You fell in love with a woman long forgotten and had a child with her. The child was lost to time. He had no great achievements and never caused the problems you did when left unattended. But he did find you again while you were in Cyre and you were reunited as father and son. You... but not you.

Still, you have some obligation to him.

I struggle with how to convey this. How to accept it. Calliope took away my ability to bear children. You would think that I would have no true issue with this. After all, I never intended to have my own children. I never thought it a possibility, or wise. After all, I plan on returning home to my people. How could I split a child between that world and this? I'm also vain and conceited. How could I destroy my body to bring new life into this world I'm so desperate to save?

You told me that you felt as though you had no connection to your previous lives. You are so different in each one, and having met three versions of you, I'm inclined to agree. I told you I would have to restore your complete divinity to break the cycle and have you return to your proper place. You said you would stop being selfish and go. I will not be selfish either.

Oh, why is this so difficult?

You asked me to find him after we have killed what he is now. After I take his divinity and make him a simple mortal. You asked for me to find him, raise him, be his mother. I told you I would if it was needed, but I would watch him. I cannot in good conscious kidnap a child that is loved from his family. I'll help him, though he might not ever understand why I would be his benefactor.

You said you thought I would be a good mother.

What kind of mother could a person like me possibly be? I'm willing to sacrifice so much so that people that hardly deserve it can have a tomorrow and freedom. I am willing to let you go.

Before I left you, you gave me a box that you had locked away. You told me not to open it until I was with the others. I did as you asked and found a deck of cards. I knew what it was without identifying it. Nothing else could warrant the security you had it under. The Deck of Many Things. A cursed object if there ever was one. I snapped the box shut and tried to take it away, but the others insisted that they draw. They even pressured me into it. Green's sword transformed into something more powerful and gems were had. Our bodies were altered. I had to fight some spectral reaper. I have very little ability to fight anything, but I managed to survive. I did get physically stronger though, I suppose. Not by much, but it was something.

After that, Rocio approached me and asked if I could cast simulacrum on them. I asked what it was for and they would not answer me. I knew then it was for their quest to kill the bloodline that slaughtered theirs.

I understand the drive for vengeance to a point, but I lack the stomach for it. Perhaps if I were the one that lost all of my history I would be driven to such a point. I do not know. But I cannot. All I could think of was a child looking at me, terrified and innocent. I cannot make them pay for the sins of their forefathers.

Rocio enlisted Gunne and Dawn to help them. Green refused to be completely helpful, from what i understand, and I refused to assist in any way. I would not take them and I would not bring them back. I would have no part in such a dark act. My magic would not be involved in any way that I could help it.

They came back successful, but Gunne is different. He's darker. More terrifying. The man I knew him as is turning into something I cannot stomach. I cannot look at Rocio without feeling profound sadness and disappointment. Dawn has returned broken and despondent.

This journey is breaking us. The bonds that held me to them are fracturing. We're supposed to be heroes. We're supposed to save the world from the machinations of the Lord of Blades.

How is it that my friends are turning into villains before my eyes and I cannot stop them?

We cannot waste anymore time. They may not want to fight him any longer if we do.

I wish I was stronger. I wish I was smarter. I wish I could make it end the way I envisioned it.

Yours,

Breeze

((Please Note the Following is Out of Character information to those that read it other than the people involved. Mostly))

Dearest Viktor,

I struggle to start this letter. One day, a version of you will read it. Which one, I do not know. This particular entry into our life together seems to be the perfect one to mention such an eventuality. After all, you expressed to me that you often feel like a different man entirely. Having met 3 versions of you so far, I cannot help but agree. You are not the same. I'm sure over the hundreds of existences you have endured, there have been similarities.

But I digress.

We had to pull Calliope out of her realm and subdue her in order to rejoin the halves of you in her realm. We debated and argued and planned. I hated it. I never wanted to fight her. She was someone I respected and feared since I met her. She was always an enigma. I felt sick. I still do.

We bought the same armor we once sold so rescue Red. Antimagic plate armor. Rocio wore it. We knew we had to stop her from casting. But we had to draw her out.

And the only bait I could think of was myself. She has been eyeing me warily since she realized we had feelings for one another. I promised her that nothing would come of it. We could not have children. But when I told her that, you were merely a human man. A tabaxi and a human could not have children together without serious magical intervention. I had no intention of going to such lengths.

But it turns out you aren't actually a human. Not really. You're so much more.

So I made up a lie. We married. I was pregnant. I made an awful bump to trick her and Bim. My poor sweet Bim.

Can they ever forgive me for what I did? I am crying again just thinking of it. The pain I caused them. I cannot forgive myself.

But you pulled me into the pantry as everyone was setting up the display of celebration. I confessed to you that I had dreamed of a life together after we defeated the Lord of Blades. I could barely get the words out, I was so emotional. I had thought we could clear our names and live a stable life. I told you I never expected children. When I left home, I accepted that as my reality. But I thought we could form a family in a fashion, and I that was my dream.

Then you told me that you wanted to live what we had left together to most. After all, the whole reason we have to draw Calliope out was to meld you and Albane. And what will happen when that is done? I do not know and neither do you. But I can only imagine the worst.

And so you proposed to me. With a platinum and diamond ring of all things. The irony is not lost to me. But I will cherish it until my last breath. I feel like a dragon myself. Hoarding treasures.

After a private moment, I called Bim to join us and tried to subtly tell them that I am pregnant. I didn't want to make it too obvious. After all, Bim couldn't let it slip that it was a trap.. but I suppose she still knew it was. Or maybe she didn't. I don't know. Not yet. Maybe I never will.

We then waited and waited until exhaustion started to wear on us. I wanted to just go to bed with you, but the others insisted we stay. Eventually I was too tired to care about life or death or plans and I want to join you. You were snoring, you were so tired.

I had trouble sleeping. Then you were no longer snoring. You weren't there. I went to your study and you were behind the table. You seemed cold and distant. I couldn't understand. You had just proposed and told me you wanted to live what we had left together to the fullest. We spoke and then you rebuffed me. I suppose there is something to say for my confidence. I knew it wasn't you. I demanded to know who.

I suspected something when you called me Breezy, but I didn't think Bim could be you. But you were Bim and the dream wavered.

How can I live with myself. My poor sweet friend was so sad and guilty. I hugged them and stroked their wild hair and apologized. I didn't realize she would hurt Bim like this. She could have used anything else. But she used my sweet Bim.

I am a monster.

Bim begged for forgiveness and I told them I wasn't angry. I wasn't mad. How could I be? I didn't tell them it was my fault, but I apologized as we cried together. I begged Bim to keep my painting of us safe. It is my favorite. And you won't remember me anyway.

I forgot to mention, Bim promised me that Calliope promised not to hurt me. But she will, won't she? I'm going to anger her so much. Funny. I wonder how long it's been since she's actually felt something. I can't imagine giving people any power over your feelings is something a practical immortal can stomach after so long.

I told Bim I wished that we could have more time together, but that I had to wake. But I couldn't. Calliope's hold on my mind was too strong. But then, I was awake. Bim must have broken the dream. I woke to silence. Complete silence. The sort where you can't even hear the blood rushing past your ear drums or your heartbeat. I was trapped in vines and you were completely out of view. I could see her over me and I was awash in a sickly green light. I saw Bim, sobbing in the silence and looked back at Calliope.

There was no escape for me. I could not use my magic and I felt like my brain was wrapped up in the vines as much as my body. I simply surrendered to whatever it was that she was doing. There was no point in trying to fight, and whatever she was doing didn't cause me pain. Whatever it was, it wasn't meant to kill me.

So I had to take what small victory I could. I had failed. Hardly a surprise, all considering.

I closed my eyes. I felt a strange vibration, but I didn't look. And then there was the sound of combat. The sound of metal against metal and the vines were gone and my mind was back. I could see the others surrounded Calliope and the fight was on. It was a dance of Antimagic. I managed to contain the situation as I did with Lucatiel. Unfortunately that and some poorly placed walls of force were my only contributions.

Rocio, Green, Gunne, and Dawn fought her, and despite crippling her by taking away her use of spells and magic items, it was a long slog. After all, druids can still do druid things. But in the end. We did it. They did it.

But the worst is still yet to come.

Your Wife,

Breeze

The Red Line

The events of this mission were witnessed by the following members of The Rook and Rose Guild: Dove, Nox, Osh and myself. We were hired urgently by The Sharn Watch after reports came of a House Sivis facility came under the attack of some terrorists. We made our way as quickly as possible, people were panicking, and as soon as we made our way in the sight of dead bodies permeated our vision. As soon as we familiarized ourselves with our surroundings and attempting to find survivors in the lower floors of the tower did we find the sign of the perpetrators. A warforged was lifting a gnome by an arm blade, and quickly we found ourselves in a fight with Warforged. Any attempts to knock them unconscious shad apparently resulted in their deaths. We later discovered that this was due to the presence of a magical item named The Band of Loyalty on each of their fingers, preventing any form of interrogation as soon as their bodies reached an inability to fight.

We quickly found there were no visible survivors, not at first. We searched around to find the only living victim hiding in one of the offices on a cupboard. When I asked her name, she identified herself as Fara. We tried to convince her to come out, but she was unwilling to face any danger outside... as well as to avoid the sight of the carnage. We tried to then find the reasoning behind the attack. Why specifically a House Sivis facility? Why kill everyone indiscriminately? As the answer came to us, we quickly realized that a message had been sent. After clearing out the scene for the most part, we managed to convince Fara to give us access to the last sent messages sent through one of facility's stations.

We quickly found that the reason was to send a message to an outsider for the assassination of a woman named Talda who was to depart by rail at noon. They had been instructed specifically to kill everyone in the facility to prevent the message from being intercepted after they had sent it.

As we came about this information, almost a minute too late. We made our way to the lightning rail station to intercept the assassination attempt. We would be forced to catch up to the rail while it was starting to accelerate into full speed. As we managed to enter, the commotion had already begun. A lanky warforged in the shape of a stiletto was currently wedging a poisoned blade through Talda's stomach. I moved in, and began to flourish blades against the assassin. Talda jumped off the rail, and had to be rescued by Nox.

It's poisoned blade made short work of me, I survived the fatal injuries through Dove's healing. Nox was apparently causing some kind of commotion with undead summoning or something similar, causing widespread panic aside from the terrorist assaulting the cart. Luckily, we managed to save Talda's life.

I explained the situation as best I could, and made a report to the nearest Watch precinct. They seemed willing to let Nox go only because Talda's name, whoever she was carried some manner of weight.

I am Kester Pavull, and I attest to the results of this mission, and this report.

Secrets of LIghthouse 13
A very concerned halfing merchant by the name of Benji approaches the Rook and Rose Guild. He offers a reward of 200 gp each for a party to investigate a merchant ship of his, the Jade Lion, that was reportedly carried off during a large storm to dangerous waters near an old abandoned lighthouse, Lighthouse 13. He has heard rumors about sea monster attacks in the area. Myself, Nox, Agasophea, Kester, and Goric sign up to help Benji and learn that this Lighthouse 13 is an old lighthouse in the bay area, that has since been decommissioned.
We go to speak to Coppertree, a captain who can help get us to the area of Lighthouse 13. We head off to the ship’s towers waterfront district to meet with this captain. On the way, we can see a faint lighthouse light in the distance. We end up getting dragged into a skirmish between a couple of ruffians assailing Coppertree. We help her out of the water after the scurry off.
She agrees to help us as a colleague of hers, Erin Hest, was also on the Jade Lion.
We learn Erin Hest is not a member of this crew, but the captain of a different ship. Most of the crew doesn’t know much about him. We learn from the captain that Erin Hest is human with a gold tooth and a pot belly. He has dark brown hair and is the captain of the Jade Lion. She describes him as a friend of hers and a bit of a shit, but a good person nonetheless.
As we travel, we are assailed by a sea creature, which damages the ship a little. We dispatch it and carry on towards the Lighthouse on a lifeboat, where we encounter some Sahuagin and Ice Mephits who are not helpful. We head down a passageway in the lighthouse and come across a hidden cove…and the Jade Lion is inside this cove. We head towards a storage area nearby and encounter more Sahuagin. These Sahuagin have captured the surviving crew of the Jade Lion, including Erin Hest. Erin mentions that there were four locked chests still aboard their ship that they are concerned about and that Benji would really like. The sahuagin were looking for the censer and had it secured behind the captured prisoners in another room. We recover that and return to Benji, delivering the remaining crew and supplies to Benji.

The Secrets of Lighthouse 13

The events of this mission were witnessed by the following members of The Rook and Rose Guild: Burst, Nox, Agasophea, Goric and myself. We were hried by a merchant named Benji to seek out one of his missing vessels The Jade Lion which had apparently been forcefully dragged to shore into the spiked rocks of an island bearing the abandoned Lighthouse Number 13, and recover its crew and cargo unharmed. We were told to meet with Captain Coppertree on the docks of Sharn at a certain time, but we were not given many more clues about her appearance other than her gender. Our party reached the docks at the accorded time, but it seemed it was our task to find the captain and speak with her, making it seem as though transport had already been paid. It was then that an incident occurred during our attempts to find her. Two men were harassing out captain due to a gambling dispute, and apparently believing she had been responsible for one of the men losing his job.

Goric settled her debt if only to settle these miscreants, I must report that one of them had a knife and was utilizing it to threaten her during our conversation, and intervention. Regardless, due to times of war we are only able to bear weapons and not draw them... though I would have been glad to utilize my rapier to properly disarm him, we were forced to abide by their game... Eventually the conclusion that was reached was simply them pushing her into the dock waters... laughing and leaving. A bad taste in the mouth, but at least we can be sure to report them and get our payback. Whether The Watch will intervene is yet to be seen, but I am certain it will be harder for them to acquire work. Now more than ever.

We spoke with the Captain finally, and after clearing out our purpose. She expressed a willingness to help, though with some concerns about one of her sailors seeing some type of unnatural wave carrying The Jade Lion into its fate.

When we were getting closer, we were quickly assaulted by some sort of water elemental in the shape of a dragon. It overwhelmed me, and Nox initially... but we would manage to bring it down with The Captain's aide. We were then given a rowboat to make our travels to the shore of the Lighthouse's location. It was barricaded, and we quickly met the new inhabitants that had made their home in the abandoned tower. Sahuagin, no less. We made ourselves acquainted with them, and explored the first floor of the Ligthouse.

We encountered a door with a hole on its frame, Goric decided to peak on it. Then Nox. Both acquired a bit of a surprise as some kind of mephit would poke their eyes. I also peaked through the door, but was spared due to my goggles. After a brief interaction, we managed to make our way in. Found a hatch inside... and found The Jade Lion in stable condition. I also found 4 rather suspicious lumps on the sand, I decided against investigaitng them while the rest of the party made their way into the pier's storeroom. 2 Sahuagin awaited inside, some kind of mage and a heavily armed Sahuagin. We dispatched both of them, with only me receiving an injury through the mage's spell.

We were able to find the crew and cargo they were supposed to be delivering, but not before finding out that the Sahuagin had made their homes there, and had been utilizing some kind of elemental to bring ships over. At the end the captains, and our contractor were able to reunite safe and sound.

In conclusion, some rumors tend to be more truthful than others. Some carry lies, of course... but I fear we may encounter more incidents.

I am Kester Pavull, and I attest to the results of this mission, and this report.