GM: SludgerIvor, Cyrus, Azrael, Jueinuma
Our assignment was to establish a teleportation circle in Bryn Shander. Unfortunately, our teleportation went a wee bit wrong, and we arrived on the Eastway in the middle of a battle between town guards and some rather nasty frozen spirits.
We managed to save two guards, Emma and Hemrick, and learned they were investigating missing caravans from Easthaven. I mapped our location, and we continued along the road, eventually discovering several remorhazes responsible for the disappearances. Their stomachs contained remnants of caravan supplies. We dispatched them and found no further threats nearby.
Back in Bryn Shander, we met Sheriff Markham Southwell. He was receptive to establishing a Syndicate teleportation circle, though the cost and construction still need consideration. He also expressed interest in future assistance from the Syndicate.
Outcome: Caravan threat resolved, contact established in Bryn Shander, teleportation circle pending.
Reward: 370 gp and a Spellwrought Tattoo of Passwall.
Note to self: Always verify teleportation coordinates. And rebuild Fetch.
GM: EzraBefore taking this job, we knew the old Northlander tales of Joturr: a legendary serpent so vast it was said to have once stretched around the world. The stories claim Joturr devoured ships and churned the sea into storms so violent that the gods sank the city of Ithal to ensure the serpent was trapped and its power sealed away.
There is also a prophecy that one day the sea will swallow the world, and Joturr will return.
More recently, the pirate Kint Uazi, leader of the Dark Tide, is said to have sailed into Joturr’s Fury, the constant maelstrom where Ithal once stood. Uazi used an ancient orrery to guide the way and returned changed.
The settlement we arrived in was built around the ribcage of a dead leviathan, which is not something one sees every day. We were directed to the Kelp and Kraken, where we met Thalia Moonshadow and Erlan Fleetfoot. Captain Aurora was not with us at the time, though we could see the Cutlass in the bay.
Erlan was hunched over an intricate bronze orrery. It was etched with runes, moving with ticking gears, and carried abyssal magic strong enough that I could feel it. He had stolen it from Uazi. Erlan also had scars along his neck that looked too much like gills to ignore.
When I touched the orrery, I saw a flash of a city beneath the sea: a tall spire, coral, and a vast serpentine shadow coiling through it. Then I came back to myself.
Erlan told us the Dark Tide are not just pirates anymore. They are becoming something else. He and his sister joined for coin, not for whatever this has become. He said brine was forced down his throat until he changed, and that his sister “joined the chorus.” From what we gathered, the chorus is part of the transformation. Erlan stole the orrery to spite them and to stop them, but he believed they were coming for it.
Thalia believed the orrery, called the Tidewheel, was the key to navigating the storm. Her map was less a normal chart and more a living equation, tied to ley lines, stars, and safe passage through Joturr’s Fury. The problem is that Erlan may be the only one able to help unlock its secrets, because the knowledge is tied to what the Dark Tide did to him.
Then the seawater came in.
The town began flooding, and we had to get to the Cutlass. Thalia led us through a cliffside passage and onto a bone bridge in heavy mist. Ranged attacks were difficult in the conditions. We were attacked by a drowned assassin and other creatures, which we dealt with before pushing forward.
We also found a family stranded on crates in corrosive water with volatile bottles nearby. Shev saved them. Vincel used Mage Hand to retrieve one of the bottles, and I helped him with a bit of quick guidance at the right moment. That worked, somehow.
Shev then made us a bridge so we could keep moving toward the water and the Cutlass. In the distance, Captain Aurora was fighting something with serpentine tentacles. People were throwing themselves into the water. The Tidewheel sent out a beam of light that struck Thalia, and Erlan dropped to his knees as the transformation tried to take hold again. His veins turned black, his gill scars bubbled, and the Dark Tide knew where we were.
We had to stop Erlan’s transformation in stages. We only had one chance at each phase. Vincel used his sword to interfere with the spreading markings, and together we managed to keep Erlan from becoming whatever the brine was trying to make him.
After that, Yashir’s enormous snake carried us toward the docks. We still had too many problems at once: innocents needed saving, the Cutlass had to be reached, and someone needed to get the Tidewheel to the spire and lighthouse to place it in its slot. Yashir handled a great deal of that, and we eventually made it to the Cutlass.
I used nearly all of my spell resources, mostly keeping Shev alive. I am not saying this to be unkind, but it is not sustainable. He needs better defenses, better caution, or both. Preferably both.
We survived. We helped the Mistbourne move closer to their larger goal. Erlan lived, which matters because he may be the only person who can help them understand the Tidewheel without becoming part of the Dark Tide again.
That is all I have for now.
GM: 𝔍𝔞𝔡𝔢|Vincel²⁰|Bisky⁸|Lief¹⁵Temoren Cairnwright - 26-27 Kythorn, 1502 DR
*Party: Sylk, Arlis, Sal, Temoren*
Our party was sent north toward the Nether Mountains on behalf of Nahaungloroth the Sky Surge, of the Blood of Morueme. His messenger, Hario, delivered the assignment through a sealed letter. The task was simple in wording: remove an infection from the Sky Surge’s territory and return with proof.
Hario was worth noting. His skin had a subtle scaled quality to it, not immediately obvious, but present. Given who he serves, I recorded it.
We traveled along the Delimbiyr River route. The map provided was poor. Trails were misplaced, markers were strange, and the land did not match the page in several important places. I corrected my copy as we went and began drafting a better version.
We passed near Glaurachyndaar. It is large, fortified, warded, and empty. Not empty in the ordinary ruin sense. Empty in the “someone made sure this place was sealed, protected, or abandoned for a reason” sense. I do not know enough to state more with certainty.
After parting from Hario, we entered the mountain territory and found a ravine. The first fight was against swarms of stirges and giant scorpions. I was swarmed early and repeatedly stung, but stayed functional enough to heal, support, and place Faerie Fire where it would help the others.
Farther in, we found a cave with poisonous dragon-like creatures and wyverns. The fight was dangerous, but controlled. Salviron’s magic helped keep it from becoming much worse, and I focused on keeping Sylk and Arlis standing where I could.
We completed the work, collected proof, and signaled the Sky Surge as instructed. Payment was received. It was light for the amount of venom, blood loss, mountain travel, and recorder music involved.
I did get a better map out of it.
P.S. Fetch was disabled near the start of the first fight by friendly fire from Salviron. This is not a complaint, only a note for accuracy. He can be repaired. I have the tools.
~Temoren Cairnwright~
Temoren Cairnwright - Adventure Notes
Tarsakh, 1502 DR
Another month in the Syndicate, and I am starting to feel… established. Not settled. That would be dangerous. But established.
The most notable development: Fetch.
I have refined the Homunculus Servant spell enough to properly bring him into his own. He is no longer just something I built—he is a companion. Capable, responsive, and far more useful than most people would expect from something his size. He now wears the tricorn hat from the Goat Mayor (long story), which allows him to understand everyone. He still speaks through me, which is probably for the best. One of us should sound coherent.
I have continued sparring with others in the Syndicate and have improved significantly in how I manage my tools and wand together. There is a balance to it—positioning, timing, knowing when to act and when to let others take the lead. I am getting better at it.
My cobbler skills proved unexpectedly critical during travel through the Ice Spires. Long distances, harsh conditions, and not a single member of the party suffered exhaustion from poor footing or damaged boots. I will say this plainly: good boots save lives. People underestimate that.
I have also learned to scribe spell scrolls. I can produce them quickly now, though I would not yet call the process refined. There is still inconsistency in the work. That will improve.
The roads between Loudwater and Shining Falls have proven increasingly dangerous. During one patrol, we recovered a young boy named Milo from some displacer beasts. They were not acting out of malice... just hunger. The situation itself was… unclear. Milo claimed his friends abandoned him. His father claimed he had none. The truth is likely somewhere in between, and not a comfortable one. Either way, the boy is alive. That is enough for now.
The Syndicate continues to grow. New faces arrive regularly, which means new skills, new variables, and new risks. The kobolds remain as they are. Thrax is still… Thrax.
As for me, my atlas work continues to develop. The connections are stronger. More reliable. I am beginning to see how it could scale beyond small groups.
There is still a great deal I want to build.
I am looking forward to whatever comes next.
It has been a little over a month since I signed up with the Glassfang Syndicate back on the 25th of Hammer. I expected travel, contracts, and the occasional interesting problem. So far, it has delivered exactly that.
Our patrol toward Shining Falls was the most serious work yet. Goblins riding worgs had been harassing travelers along the runoff. We managed to deal with most of them, though not without some close calls. Bri went down hard at one point, but Solia and I managed to coordinate getting her back up while I worked to keep Jax from doing the same. I also discovered that keeping myself mobile is sometimes the best way to keep everyone else alive. Somewhere in the middle of all that I apparently sprouted radiant wings. I have no explanation for this yet, but they were helpful.
There have been quieter moments too. I have made a little coin in Shining Falls selling some of my maps and doing cobbler work for the halflings in town. Boots wear out quickly around here, and it turns out people are happy to pay someone who can fix them properly.
I have also been sparring regularly and getting stronger. Strong enough now to fully maintain my homunculus servant, Fetch. He has technically been with me all along, but he is considerably more capable now. Being short has its logistical challenges. Fetch solves many of them.
Not everything has been smooth among the Syndicate members. Solia and Thompson have had a bit of a rift after a hag apparently tried to bargain with Solia to break his heart in exchange for removing her feelings entirely. I told Thompson what happened. I am still not sure if that was the correct choice, but those two seem incapable of simply talking to each other like reasonable people.
Aside from that, everyone has been good company. New faces seem to arrive every day. The kobolds remain enthusiastically kobold. Thrax is still Thrax, though Na’ima insists he is not a proper orc since he apparently cannot speak their language. Na’ima herself is a fascinating person and I suspect I will learn quite a bit from her.
All things considered, the Syndicate has been exactly what I hoped it would be: a place where capable people gather and interesting work finds them.
Here’s to more adventures… and hopefully a few treasures along the way. I am still very glad I signed that contract.
Temoren Cairnwright
Artrificer Cartographer
