15 Tarsakh, 1502 DR

A lot has changed in a month.

I have gone on several missions for the Syndicate, now, with frequent trips between the hub and Loudwater proper. The road is a dangerous thing, something I knew from the time I arrived over a month ago, facing the metal bull. But there are hags. And fairies. And politicians so corrupt it makes my toes curl. But I smile, and show my tusks are not a dangerous thing.

Someone called me 'the leader' yesterday, after I berated them for a foolish choice. Coranzen, a drow with more sword that backbone. He is strong, and brave, but he is new. I do not know how to take this, as I do not consider myself a leader. Maybe I do. I feel as though people listen when I speak, and respect what I have to say, but I do not believe that is what it takes to be a leader. I stand up to injustice, and advocate for a nonviolent solution, as I have proven with the bandits near Secomber and protecting the Graylings when they came out of the woods and surrounded us, but a leader is more than this. A leader is...

A leader is--...

Not me.

On one of the first missions, I ruined the reputation of the Syndicate, and spent days repairing it with Ivor and Surx, two members I have come to enjoy. Ivor is a warlock with a pseudo dragon named Agrate, and Surx is a fey with a knack of changing his form (a trait that he utilizes to my agitation on occasion). We have returned multiple times since then to the city of Parnast, where we are getting plenty of missions. But I allowed a boy to join us on a dangerous mission. I made that choice, and felt the weight of it on my shoulders. I still do.

The Syndicate, itself, has expanded. Many members are buying homes and businesses, as I have hardly seen Yashir in this month. I am trying to do the same, especially since it is getting crowded around the Syndicate. I have taken up painting, and recently have been selling my series of paintings of Loudwater to get one step closer to that goal. Painting is different than dance; more permanent. I am trying to get comfortable with this forever quality...

Mimsy died yesterday. That felt oddly permanent, too. I nearly died the other day. That felt permanent.

I do not like permanence. I live for the ephemeral, the intangible and impossible to contain and hold down. This is what dance is for, the power of a moment, a movement, a gesture... But, I have found that I cannot save everyone, despite my best effort. I try. Gods above I try. Everyone around me needs to be permanent so I may flow freely around them. When they shift, when they fall... I feel stuck.

I feel rooted.

I am not a leader. I am not a rock for others to rely on. I am a reprieve from the weight of the world.

I am here to ensure everyone gets home, no matter what it takes.

I hope to continue to do so...

Until next month
Na'ima

Back to Parnast! Arriving rather late, Jax, Fenris, Surx, Ivor, Agrate, and myself headed to the Golden Tankard to speak with Raggnar. He was speaking to a very handsome elf, but greeted us with enthusiasm as he invited us over for a drink and a meal. Immediately, he started off telling us of the plights that currently effected the town. Apparently, a Kagrota Threeteeth, Mother of Bones, and her army of orcs and ogres had attempted to slowly starve out the city. Two watchtowers had to be constructed, and that was also why there was the new stranger, the hot elf named Tove, who operated as a scout.

If this wasnt bad enough, apparently there was someone in town attempting to undermine it from the inside. Carts were breaking, and someone tried to burn down the new construction. Raggnar was quick to blame Gundalin for these occurrences, to the eyeroll of his lovely daughter Elsbeth who seemed in good spirits despite the recent parting of her lover. Of course, there was then a knock at the door, and Wallace himself arrived! The town had apparently pitched in to bring him back to life, a beautiful thing, and he, of course, said he has sworn off adventuring.

The lovebirds were dismissed by Raggnar, and they snuck off.

He said he wanted us to investigate these occurrences, and solve any issues. We agreed, and after a lovely meal, headed towards the stables for a good night's rest. Tove was there, complaining about a crying baby inside making it difficult to sleep. He also was worried about Goddard, Tove's equally handsome brother, who went missing a few days ago. We said we would mention something if we heard.

Jax, Fenris, and I got ready for bed, while Ivor and Surx went out looking for trouble. They spotted Goddard, and through the mind link, told us. I woke Tove to inform him, and he went rushing out shouting his name. There was a reunion, and Tove seemed very happy to see his brother, who was incredibly out of it. Surx was suspicious, I told him he was just jealous of attractive people.

The next morning, we heard commotion as horses had been poisoned! We immediately rushed into action, well, Fenris and Jax did, healing the two horses who still lived. Ivor spotted Sylas worried in the crowd, and I went to him and asked what was troubling him. Apparently, tensions were so high that he was concerned that he would be blamed for this poisoning, simply because he was the apothecary. I reassured him that wasnt the case, and we went back to his to ask about what he knew. Fenris cast Zone of Truth, so we knew he was honest. After Jax and Surx determined the type of poison, we also discovered that Sylas grew it in his backyard. And recently, some had been harvested...

We went to Gundalin, who was working on a cart. He didnt enjoy seeing us, but we started questioning him with the Zone of Truth. He obviously had no hand in the goings on, and only wanted what was best for the city. But it was clear someone was sabotaging the carts, and with the horses this morning, it was clear someone was trying to starve out the city. We did some digging into Wallace's room, fearing that he was in this nasty business, and we found some of the poison clippings and a set of shears in the workroom. It was clear something was up, and we went searching for Wallace!

He was easy to find, rushing out of town. Surx tackled him, asking what he was doing, and he revealed a letter reading:

W,
I have a surprise for you, I think you'll really like it. Meet me in the usual place this afternoon.
E

Fenris spotted someone in the treeline, looking at us. He and I followed it, and were able to track Tove. Something foul was afoot, and after a quick hold person, we tied him up. He revealed that he and his brother had tried to frame Wallace for everything going on in town. Suddenly, Screams and smoke rose from Parnast, and Tove started freaking out. We rushed back, and while the others put out the fires, I held onto Tove. He said he had something in his pocket, and I read this..

I will give you a second chance because I am kind. Ogan, however, isn't. He will feast on one prisoner each day until you cripple the village and return home. If we run out of prisoners, your mother's blood will sate his thirst. Work quickly and some of you may survive. Cross me again and Illyna's fate will be far worse.
Kagrota Threeteeth, Mother of Bones

The group decided to nip it in the bud and take care of Kagrota. We had Tove lead us there, and combat broke out! Kagrota was a powerful caster, an orc I could almost respect, but after she insulted my jewelry, well, I was pleased to see her dead. We let some orcs flee, and saved some prisoners, but there was no Illyna. Tove and his brother fled, as well, so something nefarious was going on... Not that we could do anything about it.

Well, with that mystery solved, we returned the captives back to their homes, and informed Raggnar of the plot conducted by Tove. He was thankful, though, I doubt this the last time that the Syndicate will deal with him or the city of Parnast.

To be entirely honest, I do not know what the purpose of this attack was. Keeping the Syndicate safe is a noble endeavor, certainly, but as I am writing this I am not sure that was all that we were doing. Tensions were already high as Yashir, Bri, Solia, Surx, and I headed out to the location that the first three saw a large collection of Gnolls. I didnt know the first thing about them, if I am honest, but apparently they are quite the threat.

As I mentioned, though, tensions were high. I dont know what happened on the previous trip, but it made the whole mission... weird.

Despite this, though, we were an effective team, arriving at a cave where they last saw them. We decided to set up traps, leading them to us. This was the wise decision, it seemed. We had a close call, nearly alerting them to our presence before we had finished laying our trap. Thankfully, when I shook my hips and brought them out, they were caught in bear traps and nets!

The combat went rather well, although rather short... This was obviously not all of them. I recommended a rest, but that wasnt possible as we saw corpses littering the interior of the cave. I checked for any survivors. A fruitless search. These gnolls were obviously capturing and killing people. During our search, a second wave came into the cave, and combat resumed once more.

Their leader was a monstrous beast, and the fight nearly drained me of all I had to offer. It drained practically everyone, it seemed, as we took out gnoll after gnoll... The threat had been taken care of.

I hope this was the right thing. I dont know if I believe in preemptive strikes, or if they are morally correct. Too much to think about, there...

The open sea; a place of salty dogs and piracy. We, that being Yashir, Surx, Bri, Shev, and myself, all boarded the ship known lovingly as the Cutlass in Waterdeep, where Surx and I were introduced to the Captain Aurora, her first mate Cirrus and Bartholomew. Apparently, the others had previously worked with the Mistborne before??

They informed us of a strange cult, The Dark Tide, that wanted to bring back a giant sea snake god like figure that would devour the world I think? It was trapped beneath the long gone city, and also might have a never ending storm somewhere near here?? The rumors were countless, mostly hearsay I think. But, the truth of the Dark Tide was that they were spotted near the Salty Mast, a pirate tavern that was exclusively for pirates. The Captain wanted us to gather any information we could, so, this meant we got TO DRESS UP AS PIRATES AND PLAY PRETEND!!

I was thrilled by this.

The rest of the party was less.. enthusiastic, Yashir especially. Apparently, he doesn't like lying, but I told him performance wasn't a lie, it was pretend. There are differences. We all had pirate personas we had to undertake; mine was The Boar, Bri was Redblade, Shev was Shiv, Yashir had one but quickly abandoned it, and Surx was Crimson Cuck or something. The party approached the tavern, where we saw a new sign that stated, NO DARK TIDE. Their message was clear, and we tried to enter.

But, were stopped by a quite handsome boar man with a lovely septum piercing named Rommy Goldsnout, who wanted us to prove that we were pirates. Oh, I proved something alright. He tasted like cheap ale and hardtack. I never felt more alive.

Inside, there were plenty of pirates, all with very tight lips when it came to the Dark Tide. Except for one group, that were... incredibly dangerous, by the looks of them. Not that I consider myself particularly soft, but when compared to them? Well... There really isn't a comparison. They were tasked with 'taking care' of a room upstairs by the proprietor of the establishment, Red Mags, and they wanted to bum the job off on us. I gladly took them up on that, and informed the others as we took a trip up the stairs....

We needed a crowbar to pry the boards from it. It was nailed shut, because apparently they viewed it as cursed. The Dark Tide, a week or so ago, entered the room with 4 men. A Captain leader and three others. But, after their time in the space, only he emerged.... We entered a room in disarray. There were papers scattered around, all with runes of conjuration to travel to other planes of existence? There was a coral throne, and a horn atop it. As soon as Yashir touched it, though, we were teleported to the beach, where people were running screaming.

When we turned to look at what they were fleeing from, we couldn't quite comprehend. A massive snake, this Jottaur, miles away and extending up into the sky. The rest of the party wanted to go and fight it; I brought them back into reality and we followed everyone towards the city. We came across three members that seemed to be calm amongst the panic, and quickly reasoned they were the Dark Tide that didn't leave the room. Apparently, this was time travel, and we were stuck in a loop unless we could ensure that a horn was made, the very same horn that brought us here. It was being crafted in a tower near the beach, and we had to defend it from monsters that they had failed to kill... multiple times, apparently. They knew this was the way out because their captain did the same, but abandoned them to this fate.

We went to the beach, and held off water elementals and a hydra. When the horn was constructed, with one mighty blow, warriors swept in, fighting back the hordes of beasts that remained, and carried us back to the future with the three missing members. They were ever thankful, and when we gave them over to Captain Aurora, I think she took them into her crew? Unsure.

Either way, I am officially a pirate, and can't wait for the next mission on the open sea!

After a week, without the assistance of Surx as he considered himself 'too good' to help out anymore, I, Ivor, Coranzen, and Loderr were approached by the golden pseudodragon representative of Seer, who we discovered was named Hising (though, that might not be the correct spelling as the pseudo dragon does not know how to spell), who informed us of our mission. We were to go back to the Wizard's tower, and are tasked with searching its interior and bring back as many books and scrolls as we can. After some preparation, and a very inspiring dance if I do say so myself, we were teleported back to the top of the tower in the swamp south of Parnast.

Somehow, it smelled worse than it did before. The corpses we left had begun to rot and melt away, and I recounted to those who weren't at the battle between the Syndicate and Mother Fingers how everything went down. We then began exploring, as the entrance to this place was not clear. I went to the statue to the northeast, casting prestidigitation to clear of the years of moss and muck. Others began to explore, and Cor came to confide in me that he was thankful to see me. We had a nice moment, as he admitted he felt like a fish out of water in this circumstance. I assured him he was needed, and I noticed the arm of the statue could move. I told him to give it a try, and it operated like a leaver, opening a divot in the stone table near the center of the roof. I also revealed the face of the Gargoyle, and a plaque that read: Earth Remains Strong Protecting All.

We approached the opening, and noticed it had prongs perfect to hold the amulet we looted off Mother Fingers. Placing it in its slot, stairs opened to the tower. After making our way down, we saw our first puzzle. A combination of 4 god's symbols, Candle and Eye for Deneir, Hand with a finger pointing up for Aezuth, an open scroll for Oghma, and a seven star for Mystra. Ivor gave us each a religious lesson, ordering them alphabetically, as a new door opened. We were greeted by a level with a plethora of puzzles and statues to each of those four gods. I was interested, but Ivor practically lost his marbles over it. We split up, solving the riddles around, or, in my case, disabling the traps to retrieve the items that each held. When it came to a door, I tried to disable it with Cor's help, but didn't have any luck, triggering the trap as it shot poison darts at us.

THIS MUST HAVE INCREDIBLY ANGERED HIM TO THE POINT OF LOSING ALL REASON, AS HE KICKED DOWN THE DOOR!

A gargoyle came to life in the room inside, and he and I took care of them quickly before the others could arrive. However, this inadvertently broke the abjuration spell on the tower, as it started to shake. It would undoubtedly fully sink into the swamp now, but not for a few days, at least. We checked out the north portion, and each, after pairing each offering with an elemental corresponding to the primordial the offering bowl was dedicated to, felt oddly blessed. We then continued on, further down into the tower.

Another puzzle, with colored doorways. There was a message about needing to sing their praises, and I suggested we all sing. It was a beautiful quartet, but did nothing. Still really special moment, in my opinion. We then realized that the poems on each of the offering bowls above were connected to each of the doorways, and went back to memorize them. We made our way through them, with some damage from one that none of understood, before we came across a workshop. Ivor touched a book, and started another encounter. It was over quickly as the magma babies were weak. Then, there were three doors, one hidden as we uncovered a treasure trove. I looted quickly, shoveling it into a chest, before we went to the other doors.

A library was behind it, with 5 undead watchmen standing guard. They didn't seem to move, just... watch. Loderr started to negotiate, but the main one at the desk held a boney finger to its lips. We walked out to discuss. Coming back in, we asked if we could take the books; it shook its head no. We left to discuss. I went back and noticed it was writing, since it couldn't speak, we got paper and let it communicate that way. I asked if it was cursed with eternal life, it wrote yes. I asked how to free it from this academic prison, it wrote death.

We walked out to discuss.

Ivor suggested a quite convoluted strategy involving doors and ambushing them as they rushed out in retaliation. It was... a plan. We started it, and the skeletons didn't rush after us. I peaked in, took an arrow for my troubles, and cast cloud of scimitars, and ran back. They shut the door.

A foolish plan, to assume that they would follow. They were told to protect the books, so that is what they would do. We all rushed in, and managed to take them down. Gathering all the books and scrolls we could possibly carry, we were paid handsomely after climbing a staircase that led to the ROOF SOMEWHERE??? HOW DID WE NOT NOTICE THIS BEFORE?!

This was, perhaps, one of the more unique journeys I have attended in my time at the Syndicate. We were requested by Raurus Thane, a gnomish astronomer from Secomber, who said that he had a Revelation that there are 'special runes' somewhere nearby. Apparently, the 'stars' showed him this. I am not one to question someone who was willing to pay us, so I, Tapioca, Fenris, Ivor, and Loderr lead him on a journey into the wilderness.

Ivor tracked our progress with cartography tools, making a map on the road. Raurus was a rather talkative companion, describing his dreams and his life work with fervor, which made stealthing a futile effort. I didn't mind as much, until, of course, I noticed someone hiding up the road. I stopped the group, and called out to them, letting them know we could see them. A bickering back and forth between the pair, they revealed themselves and their fellow bandits, identifying as Frank, Jenny, Paul, and Kepner. This made the leader, Captain Maelis, quite upset, chastising with a, "Why am I paying you this much money?!"

Their mission was to grab Raurus, and as they enclosed on us, I offered them twice whatever she would pay. This had no effect on them, and suddenly, with Kepner's whistle, dire wolves appeared. Combat broke out, and we started to take them out one by one. We ensured to not kill any of them, except for Tapioca, who ruthlessly killed two of the dire wolves. They tried to flee, but thanks to Loderr, he held firm to Maelis, and we were able to capture an interrogate them. They had orders from one Hadrik to bring Raurus back with them. Might’ve been false, might’ve been one of several. She described him as "human, as far as I could tell. Medium height. Lean build. Kept himself covered, hood up, gloves on. Dark hair, maybe. Nothing loud about him."

We don't know much about him, but this is a starting point should we wish to investigate later.

We left them hogtied and continued to the runes. Upon a perils plateau was a massive sundial, with intricate runes around its circumference. Approaching, three harpies revealed themselves and began to sing. I managed to maintain my focus, but the rest of the party was not as lucky. The battle could have gone far worse, leading to a long drop and a sudden stop off the stoney edge. Swarms of Stirges, too, made an appearance, but we managed to slay all the creatures.

Raurus was ever thankful, assured that he made the right choice in hiring us. We explored around, and I found a Ruby of the War Mage. I kept it as compensation. The others found items of their own, but that is for them to share, as I am not claiming anything on their taxes for them. Potentially, we might return to discover the truth of this Hadrik...

After mending the relationship with Parnast, Surx, Ivor, and I made our way back with Sal and Mila, as the infamous Ragnar Redtooth had requested help from the Syndicate once more. It was... a rough meeting, as both Ivor and Surx utterly fail to play nice with people we hate. Subtlety in the Syndicate? Unheard of.

He, however, was worried about a war band of Hobgoblins to the south, fearing their mission to uncover some 'wizard's tower' would end up with them aligned with Badfrual, a female hill giant who already had a sizable army of ogres, trolls, goblins and the like. Frankly, I found that this could have been negotiated, especially with Mila the Hobgoblin accompanying us. Wishful thinking, on my part.

Making our way south, we were stopped by a golden pseudo dragon with clouded eyes. Blind, one can only assume; but the most blind of us all was Ivor as he immediately agreed to do whatever the tiny creature asked without a single question as to the intentions behind its request. It served 'Seer", a name I read somewhere, but Seer needed us to find this Wizard's tower. Since Ivor agreed before we could discuss, we added this to our to do list.

We came across a dead platoon of hobgoblins. They were half buried in the swamp, and as we were inspecting the bodies, mud mefits and a water monster attacked us. It was no issue, despite how much Sal protested to the smell and the conditions. A pudgy mud mefit came out and congratulated us for our victory, saying that he would align himself with us. Feetor was his name, and he smelled... unique. I sprayed him with perfume. It didn't help. But, he was a massive help, telling us of Mother Fingers and her Boys, another powerful faction in this swamp. When pressed on it, Feetor informed us that she was near that Wizard's tower, so we had him direct us to her home.

It was a dreary 6 hour march through the swamp. Imagine if we didn't have a guide.

We came across ogres, and I told Surx that we should approach and start negotiating with them. Surx, of course, is incapable. We started combat, and whittled down their numbers. Mother Fingers was, of course, a hag, and I nearly killed her. I nearly killed her. That conniving pixie Surx had the audacity to take the kill from me, standing right in front of me, smiling like the smug bastard he is. This has utterly soiled his reputation in my mind. I am utterly enraged, even now, writing this days after.

One ogre escaped. I think Mila, in a moment of pride, voiced who we were to it as it fled. A foolish decision that is sure to have concequences. But, who is to say? They could have been too concerned with their life to listen, running breeze could have filled their ears, or they could be too stupid and forget. It was an ogre, after all.

Upon further inspection, the area was the top of the wizard's tower. Apparently, it had sunk so far into the swamp that it was utterly underground. I must return, and see to the end of this endeavor.

It is important to note that the context by which we were sent to this mission were incredibly rushed, and, frankly, Thrax did very little to inform us of the circumstance that we were being sent into.

However, even with proper forewarning, I doubt that we would have been able to fully prepare ourselves.

Elturel was where we were teleported. What remained of it when we arrived, however, was a crater. Answers were few and far between, but, despite this, a child named Dara, maybe 9 years old, Ghorin, a priestly man, and Clyde, a goat, were already seeing to evacuation and relocation. This is what humanity is; even in utter hardship, people rise to the occasion and help their fellow neighbors to see everyone survive. There were three other places we needed to check, to gather supplies, lives, and weapons for the long refugee trip ahead. Whillum at the Smithy, Ippon the General Supplies, and The Inn called the Fabled Faun.

Mimsy, Surx, a new member Cor, and myself, were joined by a pink trifling named Dahlia. The first stop was to the Blacksmith, who was on edge. Apparently, the other side of humanity was already at play, too, as he was recently robbed of all his weapons. A elf woman ran in, and informed us she was attacked by bandits on the road. We went, following the path, grabbing a cart for supplies, and came across an abandoned temple. With a secret side door, We found a cultist group that summoned a demon after a brutal sacrifice. Something truly inhuman was happening here. But we didn't have time for this. Taking the weapons back, we picked up Whillum (Willem?) and headed for the inn.

The inn was on fire. Immediately, we leaped into action, and had to fight off sludgy face abominations. We saved the innkeeper and his wife, though, nothing could have been done to save the building. We were sent home, but, I think we did good. Saved as many lives as we could.

15 Ches, 1502 DR

I debated whether or not this diary entry would function better as a piece of prose or poetry. I considered the greats, such as... well, considering I do not know of any greats in either of those genres of artistic expression, I am left with the fact that I, alone, must regale those who turn their eye to it with how my life marches on. Form remain formless, as it will undoubtedly blend both prose and poetry. I am no good with words, and thus, will not be limited by literary critique or the shackles of tradition.

I am a dancer. I wouldn't quite consider myself a musician, despite my understanding of rhythm and melody I am not the best performer. I just like to dance. I like to feel my body move, and use that movement to get what I want. Most of the time, that works. Here, at the Syndicate, however, they speak a different form of dance, as Yashir puts it. The dance of battle.

And, while the few sparring sessions I have had, with him, Mimsy, and Temoren were certainly educational in this new way of dancing, nothing opened my eyes more to the terrifying reality in which I adopted than running into three metal ox. They were easily three times my size, with horns of steel the length of branches. Monstrous, killing machines, they turned one of our own to stone with a blink of their eye. A few of us barely survived the encounter. Despite taking one out with my scimitar, I do not feel confident I would be able to do so again.

Then, there was the man on the road, whose body became a beast. It was unnatural, a horrible ailment that I was happy to have avoided catching. Both of these fights, I managed to remain unharmed. This is unlikely to continue forever.

I must get stronger. I must use what I know to survive. I am not someone who uses weapons- this is a possibility for the future, but I am floundering at this current crucible. I am a dancer, I know all the steps. I will use these to progress. No amount of training with others is going to teach me what I already know.

I am a weapon all on my own.

I have my first mission in a few days. I must be ready for it.

Na'ima

This adventure was certainly one for the books. Faulken, a shorter male representative from the Emerald Enclave (an organization that I did not believe existed), took us to the home of Teela Hodgkins, an elven female farmer. She reported strange sightings in the night; howling, things stalking, shingles from her roof, and the disappearance of many animals. I assured her that we would handle anything that would threaten her or her livelyhood.

My companions were all strange, except for Fenris. Chappo, an anthropomorphic... chappo? Sal, a standoffish wizard noble, and Astra, a prissy divine wielder. They all had their talents, but we certainly were a rag tag group. Chappo spoke to a variety of animals, Fenris checked the parameter, Astra complained about the mud, and Sal located magical symbols. These were strange symbols that attracted whatever these monsters were, to which I was quick to break all those that were found. If they were the cause of these continuous attacks, then they needed to be removed.

We continued on, destroying more of these symbols as they came up. We found fur, tracks of larger humanoids, a variety of signs as to what could have came through here. Of course, this did not prepare us for the cold chill that came down from the mountains. Two massive wolves, and flying icicle men, intent on killing us. Fenris and I immediately took to one wolf, as the others dealt with the other monsters. It was a long fight, nearly a full minute of strikes. The wolves could breathe cones of cold, and the icicle men exploded when they met their ends. But, after taking care of the two wolves, the icicle men created thick fog clouds, and ran away before we could take care of them, as well.

I skinned one of the wolves, as a trophy of our battle, but we returned to let Teela know that we had taken care of the issue, and that she shouldn't be bothered again. She was grateful, and gave us compensation for our troubles.

Fuck the Fey.

Rules, stipulations, 'blood will be met with blood'? Their backwards mentality and absolutism has ruined the Glassfang Syndicate's reputation with the town of Parnast, despite my best efforts and intentions to keep things non lethal. A courtesy that they did not extend back to us, nor the common folk of Parnast.

I will explain.

Naten Natenson (or, who he introduced himself as upon meeting him. Real name is Surx, a changeling novice to the Syndicate), Ivor, and I all arrived to Parnast after receiving a letter to rub some more elbows in Parnast from the Zhentarim. I was immediately profiled by a human guard, who I eased tensions with by explaining our purpose in the town. Philip Philipson, that is the guards name, told us that Raggnar, the town's leader, was a controversial figure. He previously aligned with the Cult of the Dragon, under the pretense of 'keeping the city safe,' though, Philip was quick to point out it lined his pockets despite the hardships the town still faced. Raggnar also is in charge of the guards??? A fact that slipped my mind until writing this, and one I shall touch back on later.

We went to the Golden... something, a tavern, where we met Raggnar and his daughter, Elsbeth. He, a portly man, greeted us warmly, and gave us ale and food before we were to discuss business. I gave some flattery, which he was happy to repeat very loudly to all in attendance, but we got down to brass tacks. Food was minimal, and they needed 'big game' if they were to have a proper feast that Raggnar was planning on throwing. That is where we would come in, and he told us of some being spotted in the Weathercoat Wood. This is a dangerous forest, but nothing we couldn't handle.

At this time, Gundalin Cartwright and his son Wallace, entered, and Gundalin accused Raggnar of bringing in more outsiders for his nefarious plots, and immediately the two started bickering. Wallace and Elsbeth kissed, a cute display of affection, as I asked if their fathers were always like this. They both said, "Yes", in unison, which told us all we needed to know. Wallace insisted he come with us on our hunt, saying he longed for adventure. Though we were hesitant, and upon seeing his makeshift armor, we acquiesced. Mostly because he could provide a horse and cart: two things we would need if we were to hunt three large elk and bring them back to town. I am not strong enough to carry one elk, and my two compatriots are.... just as fragile.

We set off the next day, and arrived to the Wood where there was a thick mist of Blue Smoke.... Hard to breathe, but manageable, we tracked down an Elk. Plotting how to take care of it, Naten knocked an arrow and I prepared a starry wisp. A voice told us to leave, and that we 'couldn't do that', to which we all launched our strikes against the elk. The beast fell, which was the start of something far fouler than game. Sprites attacked, as did a tree itself. Wallace was crushed, in the blink of an eye. The sprites targeted the horse, too, but I insisted that we do not kill any of them. My previous experience with sprites tells me how territorial they are, but they do not deserve to die for such a thing. Ivor did not listen to this. His fire magic is great, his foolishness is far greater.

Barely surviving, we drug the cart and elk back to Parnast, and were met with sorrow. The feast turned into a wake. I spent all night comforting Elsbeth, but the damage was already done. A boy was dead that did not deserve to die. I hoped this was the end of it. But hopes are not truths, and they do not always become them.

At the wake, a sprite came with three giant wasps, attacking all. I barely clung to life, their stingers were laced in a vicious venom, but some civilians were not as lucky. Nature ran its course, we were helpless to stop it. We did try to take care of them as quickly as possible, I managed to down two and knock out the sprite, but the common folk and Raggnar blamed us for this. Us?? Where were his guard during this time? How were we responsible?

I grabbed a mason jar and tucked the little vermin in it, taking her broach for good measure. When she woke, the sprite, she told of the Prince of the Pixies, and how he was angry at us for hunting in his wood. Despite everything, despite the lives that were lost, we were blamed. Blamed??? After all we did? The sprite tried to make a deal with her backwards fae speak; I did not allow it. If peace was to be reached, we were not the facilitators. Raggnar was forced to make that deal. However, this, atop of the common folk who passed, lead to us being practically banned from Parnast. Our... reputation was soiled.

We did all we could, and get all the blame for it. Innocents die; is this our responsibility? Even as death comes knocking at our door, we are to put aside our lives for them? They, that could not see that we were guiltless in this? I cannot see it.

I will drink my sorrows now. Perhaps I will make amends one day. Perhaps it isn't worth it.

*Na'ima*

16 Ches 1502

My first mission was a resounding success. Perhaps the Glassfang Syndicate, despite the connotations that the name might suggest, is capable of doing some good in this world, and bringing balance to those who need it most. I assumed that all who joined would be bloodthirsty fighters, mercenaries with no regard for life other than their own; today showed me that this was anything but the case.

Initially, we were sent to the Duathamper forest to investigate strange occurrences involving travelers being accosted on the roads by grey/green creatures. We were to handle them, by any means necessary. Coming through the forest Fenris, Mimsy, Tapioca, and myself were accosted by these figures, who I was quick to recognize of Orcish heritage. Speaking in my mother tongue, I learned that they were here begging for help, and we were all eager to provide. Well, I was, at least. I cannot speak for the others' emotions, considering they were concerned by the other grey orcs encroaching and encircling us from the tree line.

These concerns were unfounded. No harm was intended, as they were truly desperate for help.

We were taken to their community, the Graylings, where we spoke to the Chieftain Dhahzukk, a grey orc with clouded eyes. Two shamans came up to treat our wounds, of which we had none, which surprised them. Others they brought back to their simple camp must have gotten... violent. I told them we were not of that sort, and were here to provide assistance, with whatever they may be needing. The Chieftain told us of two tusklings, Georgie and Anak, who went off into the forest one day and came back incredibly ill. This sickness had spread, with seemingly no cure. We were tasked with venturing to where the little ones had, and finding the source to this illness. I agreed, but not before Mimsy asked about compensation... writing in orcish ||Greedy Penny Lips||

Heading off into the trees, Fenris did an expert job following the tracks to an abandoned and run down farmhouse. Inside, we heard little cries for help. Tucked away were three sprites, Caliphe, Lumiona, and Jarrah. They said that there were screams in the night, and that no animals had found rest or peace during this time. They had followed a "swamp creature" to this place, which I discovered webbed tracks to back up their story. They wished to save the creatures and put an end to the screaming. Mimsy secured us another payment for this mission, but I see it as excessive. Caliphe joined our troupe, with a magic lantern, said to reveal all hidden things.

Following the sprite's lead, we came across two elks fighting each other. Caliphe morned them, as they were fighting through sleepless exhaustion. I gently put them both to sleep, but even through that magical enchantment, they still twitched. Mimsy determined, that whatever this was over them, it wasn't magical. Just... exhaustion.

A scream in the distance. Our party rushed to find its source!

We were lead back to the Graylings' camp. Where, bursting out of one of the huts, came a massive sickly toad, trying to swallow the sprite whole!

Battle ensued, and while we dispatched of the thing quickly, an angelic presence arrived. Beautiful, regal, time stood still as she passed by each of us. This was, of course, until her true form was revealed, and she screeched at us. The same screech that plagued the nights in the forest!

This hag was strong, but not strong enough for our troupe. I, emboldened to protect a Tribe, made it my personal mission to eradicate the witch from existence. My magic blended her into nothing but cloth scraps, which released the curse over the tribe.

We received payment, though, I argue that seeing each of them safe was payment enough for me.

Don't mind 55 gold though...

Na'ima