Solia Faolanri
23 Tarsakh, 1502 D.R.

We saw them on the hunt for Orlak. A whole band of them, down below the cliff as we passed on the road to Orlbar. The trail wasn't a good one - we were grasping at straws and found evidence of dwarven tunnels on the journey. Not knowing what to make of that, we pressed forward toward town. It seemed the best bet. That's when we saw them. I was exhausted - too tired from keeping too fast a pace over too many days. We opted to come back and fight another day.

Which... we did. The gnolls had been hunting extensively in the area, and their numbers were many. We rigged the mouth of the cave with traps and a log to create a choke point. It was effective, and we managed to get in without too many injuries. Then, we explored the home and confirmed that these were part of that same underground network of tunnels made by ancient dwarves. How far they extend and where they go, we're not sure. Orlak could have taken them, he could have stayed topside. We know now only that he's stolen a number of material components necessary for a summoning circle. A problem left for us to deal with later.

As for the Gnolls, they're dead. All we could find in the tribe, and the location is noted in case we need to come back to clean them out again. We didn't find the other halfling child, and we didn't find any additional information that is of any use.

The search continues...

Party: Solia, Yashir, Shev, Bri
Place: The Moonsea
Day: 14 Tarsakh, 1502 D.R.

We were engaged by the captain of the guard in this city to investigate a murder he described as… irregular. He offered little in the way of useful context, and less still in explanation for why such a matter required assistance from outside his own ranks. I cannot determine whether this decision stemmed from negligence or idle curiosity. It may well be both.

From the moment of our arrival, I found the city itself disquieting. Its culture appears singularly preoccupied with baked goods—an enthusiasm so pervasive that it borders on the unnatural. I have learned to trust such instincts. Environments that present as overly pleasant often conceal something less benign beneath the surface.

While Bri and Shev examined the victim, I accompanied another to question the neighbor who discovered the body. She presented as a kindly older woman—hospitable, eager to offer us cookies before engaging with our inquiries. I declined.

Her demeanor remained pleasant, but her answers were evasive. When pressed, she attempted to influence us through magic. That alone confirmed my suspicions.

What followed was brief but instructive. The woman was already dead, her body inhabited by a corrosive black ooze. The substance reacted violently when struck, lashing out with caustic force, but we were able to destroy it without sustaining serious harm.

Unfortunately, this encounter proved to be only the beginning.

Reports quickly spread of similar creatures manifesting throughout the city. We moved to contain them, engaging and destroying the oozes wherever they appeared. In doing so, we began to understand their nature. They consumed knowledge—literally. Books were left blank in their wake, stripped of all text. Their victims suffered a similar fate, their minds emptied and their identities assumed as a means of concealment.

This trail led us to the city’s central library.

We found it largely abandoned, save for a single intoxicated young man who provided little of value before we sent him on his way. Within, the infestation was extensive. Smaller oozes moved methodically through the stacks, erasing information page by page, each one progressing toward a common destination.

Following one such creature, we discovered a concealed entrance leading below.

As expected, the source awaited us there—a larger, more advanced specimen. It demonstrated a degree of intelligence and attempted to justify its actions, claiming that its behavior was merely an extension of learning and therefore beyond reproach. The argument was unconvincing.

We engaged it. A second ooze joined the fray from above, but I was able to contain it at range while the others focused their efforts on the primary threat. Both were ultimately destroyed.

With the source eliminated, the remaining activity ceased.

We reported back to the captain, who expressed his gratitude in the form of modest payment and commendation. The matter, for now, appears resolved.

I remain unconvinced that this city is as benign as it presents itself.

Solia Faolanri
39 Ches, 1502 DR

How do I summarize all that's happened? I feel like a different person than when I arrived. I don't know if that's good or bad. I miss my family. I miss waking up to Tara's laughter, and a gruff but genuine good morning from Jaru. I miss bacon over the campfire, hot tea to ward off the chill at night. I miss the sound of rain in the trees while I'm safe, and warm inside the shelter.

But then I found this flyer, and I found these people. At first, I thought it could be something to bring back the feeling. But... I don't think it really works like that. The group I arrived with - Bri, Yashir, Jax, Shev, Thompson and Tem all took root quickly, and I thought maybe the same comfort would settle in. But, it didn't. Personalities clash, trust is difficult to give and to earn, and the road around the Syndicate is dangerous. Hags lurk the forest, making deals with the weak-hearted, goblins lie in wait to ambush tired travellers and yeti descend from the mountains with destruction on their mind.

In this short time, I've made friends and foes. Sometimes they're the same person. We never spent a lot of time around people, Jaru and I. We knew one another, and came to know Tara, but large groups were things to be avoided. That bothered me then, but I understand it better now. Solitude brings peace and balance. But at the same time... I don't know. I fluxuate between wanting to go and wanting to stay. My heart's been hurt as much as my body, and the people and places we've seen and been have a way of making you stop and look at things in new ways.

The work that the Syndicate brings has been pretty diverse. I've visited cities and rural towns to hunt Griffons and Goblins, and all the way to the Ice Spire to rescue Frost Giants. I've even been sent to the Hells. I've met real, actual members of the Emerald Enclave, and we've had dealings with Harpers and Zhentarhim alike. Each job seems different, but at the end of each, we all end up a little stronger and little wiser.

Groups of other people have trickled in slowly, too. One by one, the Syndicate grows and so do I.

Solia Faolanri
30th of Ches, 1502 Dale Reckoning
Where: Ice Spire
Who: Shev, Yashir, Tem and Solia

The mission was to find and recover - dead or alive - the son of Scövja Thurfurst. She was a giant that had lost her son Burleigh. He'd been taken by Blood Riders, who are hunters of Giants. The trek was difficult. I'm not used to moving through deep snow and mountains, but we managed well enough. We encountered some polar Owlbears near their territory and had to put them down. Eventually, we came to a wrecked camp and I found a woman's finger frozen to a massive axe with a signet ring attached to it. I kept them, not knowing what to expect to find, really. We determined that something large had been dragged off, so we followed the trail.

That led to a huge camp of Blood Riders, and a certain young Frost Giant that had been shackled and caged. We came up with a plan. I spoke to one of the warhorses and convinced them to go for a run and rally their friends to do the same. The chaos was enough to get the whole camp stirred up, which made it easier to break Burleigh out of his imprisonment. He didn't want to help us fight them... there was a treaty that he was worried about violating if he incited the violence despite his capture. We fled, trying to escape a fight.

That worked, until we ran into a Blood Rider commander who wanted to take Burleigh back. I realized who she was... she told us to give back what belonged to her, so I tossed her the finger in my pocket. She didn't like that much.

After the fight, we took him back to his mother and made a bit of a name for ourselves in the area. That felt pretty good. Jaru would have been impressed, I just know it.

There are still a lot of questions unanswered. I think it'd be useful to research some of the species in the area in the meantime... it can only make the hunt more successful in the end.

11 Ches, 1502 D.R.
Solia Faolanri
Location: Avernus

Well, I'm pretty sure this was supposed to start out as horse racing. But, that didn't happen quite the way we expected.

It was a lot less racing and a lot more portal-to-Avernus-and-Soul-Coin-recovery. Which we were all a little worried about, until we actually got started. We were told that our host's cache of soul coins had been stolen, and we needed to get them back. The best way to do that was to use an Infernal war machine.

We found an encampment of... things... that we observed and then ended up attacking. We found some soul coins on them, and knew we were at least on the right track. Then, we stole their war machine and went to find some more. We did and there was this snake-haired lady that was trying to turn us all to stone and we ended up just kind of driving by her a bunch of times and the swords on the side of the war machine did her in. I unlocked some new skills myself and figured out how to sneak aboard one and stole it, too. Then we were attacked by this giant flying horror monster.

We finally had eyes on where the largest stash of coins was, so we ended up chasing a group down in our new war machines. We fought them, too, got them back and returned them to their owner! That's probably fine!

Anyway... I would say I don't want to go back to Avernus, since it's generally not a great place, but I'd be lying if I said that wasn't a lot of fun.

Party:
Yashir, Shev, Cal, Solia

5 Ches, 1502 DR

The Far North

We met with Seer and Amelia. Amelia was a dwarf that had been with a party of her kin that were beset by ogres and an avalanche uncovered what looked to be a holy site for Giants. She and her people were there for three days before a few of them escaped to find help. Ogres had couched in, setting up an elaborate camp and Giants were expected in the coming days.

We rushed through the mountain passes and encountered owlbears. It was a mild fight, and we pushed through to find the camp. After stealing a few of their horns, we were able to blow a false alarm and then sneak past and into the ancient temple. We found most of the dwarves had survived. There was a brief but brutal fight with a small party of ogres that seemed to have attacked them a few times in the same way. Then, the rest of the camp erupted in a ritual of fighting. We managed to rescue not just the dwarves, but also recover a huge ancient tablet of Giant magic, and take it back to our employers.

There is more to all of this, I believe. For us, I made sure to make a copy of all the runes and language on that tablet for our own research.

Party:

Kervae, Chappo, Shev, Yashir, Solia

We were summoned to Longsaddle to assist with a gryphon problem.

Juvenile gryphons attacked a settlement and were attacking the horses. They had also been responsible for killing local livestock.

We followed them to their nests on the cliffs and encountered the bodies of climbers that had previously tried to deal with them and were thrown from the peaks. We ascended, located the nests and dispatched them. Kervae claimed an egg as her own though I’m unsure what ended up happening to it.