Finally dragons

Yes, this month has started with marvelous news: I have met not one but two dragons.

I proclaimed my loyalty to the Rabbit Slayer and promised to avenge the other's death.

Lady Optometry I shall have your eye.

State of the Syndicate: Tova

I have not been here long, but the Syndicate has already proven far more interesting than expected.

My first days have been spent mostly in the feast hall, which seems to be as good a place as any to learn who is worth knowing. I have met Dahlia, who has excellent taste in tea and a talent for asking questions with a smile; Vincel, whose interest in magic may yet prove entertaining; Zaerius, who arrived with a three-eyed raven and speaks of the Raven Queen with admirable certainty; Mimsy, whose entrance alone suggested this place does not suffer from a lack of personality; and Solia and Fenris, both of whom have been remarkably welcoming.

I learned rather quickly that the Syndicate already has trouble of its own. Solia spoke of a goblin called Orlak, stolen artifacts, infernal dealings, and the attention of a Red Wizard of Thay. Apparently, being new does not spare one from being immediately invested in another person’s dangerous problems. Unfortunate for Orlak, I have decided I dislike him already.

Some conversations became more personal than I expected. A few here now know that the markings I carry were not originally made by my choice. That is as much detail as I intend to offer freely. They are mine now, and I have no interest in anyone treating them as wounds to be erased. Fenris, to his credit, understood this with more grace than most would.

Speaking of Fenris, I asked for training and he was kind enough to provide it. Twice.

I lost. Twice.

In my defense, he is enormous, heavily armed, capable of healing himself, and surprisingly quick once he starts moving. I did manage to make him say “ow,” which I consider a modest victory.

More importantly, the sparring taught me something. My magic is changing. Growing, perhaps. When pressed, I felt the spellfire answer more strongly than it has before, rushing through the lines on my skin with a force I could barely hold steady. It was exhausting, occasionally painful, and entirely exhilarating. I have a great deal to learn, but I am less uncertain of myself than I was when I arrived.

So far, I have found good tea, dangerous rumors, kind people, an irritatingly durable training partner, and at least one problem involving a Red Wizard that I would be very pleased to help solve.

All things considered, I believe I shall stay.

~ Tova ~

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Temoren Cairnwright Adventure Notes

State of the Syndicate

This month has been quieter for me, at least by Syndicate standards. No worgs. No desperate roadside rescues. No sudden wings in the middle of a fight. I am choosing to consider that progress.

Most of my time has gone toward smaller work: maintaining my tools, refining my maps, checking over Fetch, and continuing to build a better understanding of how the Syndicate functions when no one is actively bleeding on the floor. It is useful information. Less exciting to write down, but useful.

Although, I did get to fight off some giant as well as a couple of cyclopes and owlbears. That dropped me. Solia slid right up valiantly and saved me. It was an ordeal and I found these very strange bolts with dried leaches. I hope to gross someone out by using them in the future.

New faces continue to arrive. That seems to be a pattern here. The Syndicate has a way of collecting capable people, strange people, and people who are both. I met one white-haired woman with very striking markings across her skin. I do not know her story yet, and I have learned it is usually better not to assume. Still, she is difficult not to notice. Some people enter a room and become part of the room. Others enter and make the room rearrange itself around them a little. She may be the second kind.

Fetch remains helpful, occasionally too helpful. He has taken well to his tricorn hat and appears to understand that it gives him a certain amount of authority. It does not. I have told him this. He disagrees.

I do not have much else to report this month, which is not the same as having nothing to say. Sometimes quiet months are when the lines settle into place. I am still here, still learning the shape of this place, and still waiting for the next interesting door to open.

Preferably one that is not trapped.

Temoren Cairnwright
Getting stronger

State of the Syndicate: Mirtul 1502 D.R.

It has been, once again, quite a month.

Our efforts to deal with the goblin Orlak have met with more frustration than success. A long excursion to Orlbar taught us that he had committed many murders, stolen a spellbook and many possessions from a Thayan Red Wizard, and acquired the services of a powerful devil. The pursuit of that information indebted us to the wizard in question, who now scries and spies upon us at his whim -- in addition to sending petty, dangerous packages when we displease him. Moreover, the Syndicate has been invaded by spying imps, sent by Orlak; we captured one, and forced it to lead us to Orlak's meeting place. Orlak was not present, and an imp encaped to give warning, so apart from what intelligence we gleaned from the captured devil, we are no closer than before we began.

It has been a light month for Syndicate work -- another, I should say -- though we continue to get new members, who seem to have little trouble receiving contracts. I find myself frustrated with this -- why do I continue to pay Thrax my Syndicate dues, if no work is forthcoming? -- but it has at least afforded me time to devote to Shining Falls. There, business is booming, and I have expanded and fortified the premises considerably. Optometry's lapdogs continue to plague me, but one batch has been amenable to a new contract. I trust these barbarians no farther than I can kick them, but they have agreed to serve as guards and to lead me to Optometry's castle in the sky, in exchange for a fairly unsustainable amount of gold. We shall see how it goes.

Solia and I have grown... closer. She is still at odds with Shev, though they each have worked somewhat to repair that relationship; I would characterize it now as merely "deeply strained" rather than "overtly hostile." She has had her issues also with friend Bri, but they seem on relatively stable footing now -- friend Bri has even moved into Stillwood, the homestead Solia built, and set up a forge there.

I know not what the future holds, but I am hopeful.

-- Yashir adh Rumahr

Arlis the Shade.

I haven't been as active lately so this is gonna be a fuckin' short one.

Starting off with the Greengrass festival, helped Solia plant some trees. That was a wild fuckin' ride. A bunch of us went with her all around the area planting some special saplings. At some point got ambushed by a horde of fuckin' goblins. It almost went real bad, but an owlbear came through and helped us out. We managed to make friends with it and we helped heal it back up.

Later that day, I went on a job and ironically, it was to look into a fuckin' owlbear cult. We stopped the ritual and saved the owlbear they were using for the ritual. Hope the big guy's doin' okay. I should probably check on it...

The next job I had, Thrax sent us out to fuckin' Daggerford to make some money. Ran into a situation where some asshat merchant was rallying up the farmers sayin' there was some giant destroying the farms and stealing cattle. We looked into it for 'em, and found there was a storm giant that was just trying to deliver an important letter to the city, and that the entire thing was made up to stop the storm giant. Come to find out the merchant guy was a Red Wizards spy and has been trying to keep the storm giant from delivering their letter. Fuckin' shit.

This month was slower for me. I spent much of it attempting to earn coin but I was alsy able to create an item that will assist me in combat situations. The few jobs I went on were interesting but it was less chaotic than before. Times passes by quickly and I find myself enjoying my time well enough.

Na'ima

It is no big surprise that I have spent a majority of this month, as last month, painting. In fact, I did not undertake a single mission in my entire Mirtul, and barely stepped out except to sell my paintings and visit the Syndicate on a single occasion. This has been for the better... I hope. Certainly pays well enough, and not needing to risk my life has been a blessing I never thought I could afford. I can afford a great many things these days... peace, quiet, serenity. These are quite expensive, in my experience.

I have had nothing but peace, quiet, and serenity. Mimsy has helped with that. I have found his charm to be quite the comfort, and I am pleased we are able to enjoy the Club without quarrel.

I did have to resurrect Surx and another. I can bring back the dead. That is also something I never thought I would be able to do. My control of magic has expounded beyond my wildest dreams, and I know I can learn so much more... But, I refuse to do it at the expense of my heart. I cannot become callused to the world, and kill for no reason. That is not who I am.

I am an artist, first and forever. I am a dancer, a painter, a singer, a writer... These must be my focus, or... my hands will become more bloody than I care to admit.

Vincel

This past month of employment was exactly what I anticipated it would be, and more. The Syndicate has afforded me the opportunity to make new magical items, adorning myself with their lifesaving boons, as well as use them to their full potential. I have already enchanted more in the past month than I have ever in my time since learning magic. I have plans for more, so so much more.

There are also so many combatants here to fight. The Syndicate is full of potential, as we are all learning from one another and through one another. I have yet to be bested, not once, in the ring. Despite my death, or perhaps because of my death, I fight with my full capability in every encounter. This has not made me many friends. Any friends. I dont know if I could consider Arlis my friend, as I have barely seen him, or Salviron., as I have yet to see him in my entire time. Perhaps this is lonely. Perhaps this is how it will always be.

But, I have already seen the growth of those around me, and I have grown along with them. So much to learn, so much to refine. I plan on doing so.