Sick and plotting

The quest for the gatekeeper's crystal is in full gear now as the Gondish priests might say. Athena keeps wanting the first piece and Valkryn has shown no interest in the trap I set for him regretably.

About that trap: The third piece of the crystal is in the shadow plane for sure very near to the palace of Numias, a powerful shade lord. So I made a deal with Numias to give the crystals over to him contained in heavyy boxes that wouldnt open for a while. I was hoping Valkryn would notice and then go after them.

And find that the boxes did not hold the real crystals, and that while he was making a ruckus I was using the distraction to get the third piece of the crystal. Athena seemed as though she'd take his place but I couldnt do that to my big sister, especially since her husband Dar just showed up again and they're such a cute couple.

Athena continues to torture me with baths, her latest scheme having been to trick me into dressing in robes she made that would automaticly put me in a bath every few days. There was a passing cleric in the forrests and I had him cast remove curse on me to get rid of them, then teased Athena a bit.

The bad part is that the bath and subsequent dampness gave me a cold. Athena made me take medicine and sent out cousin Dayna to check up on me. Dayna is a lot of fun and not nearly as devious as most of the family, so I definately like her. I introduced her and Marmar and then went on to give Marquie a lesson about demons and devils and such. I want her to know plenty about mage craft since she'll soon have to choose a profession and it looks like she's well on the way to being a sorceress.

After Mar got tired during her lessons I tucked her in and kissed her goodnight. I was looking forward to curling up in bed and trying to die to avoid being sick any longer, but a bat came in to warn me about someone being chased in the woods. I went to save him but perhaps I was a bit too sluggish. Sydel was chasing him but she was opposed by a very impressive hero who was even brave enough to slam the elf witch into a tree.

The man broke the prisoner's neck rather than let Sydel retake him for whatever evil purposes she had, and though I despise killing I could see why he had to do it. Sydel yelled at me when I was found but she was pinned to an oak so I just walked away, letting the man handle her since he seemed to have it under control.

Then today I ended up giving one part of the crystal to Athena cuz she really seemed to like it, and then enlisting her in my plot against Valkryn.

Doubling the doubles

Today I searched for Marquie for a while and got attacked by Athena. She REALLY wanted me to give her one of the pieces of the crystal I have and we fought over it for a while. It got physical and she had me pinned til I showed off my newest invention: I coated the points of my sleeve lockpicks in sleeping poison and with only one hand I was able to tug them out and stick one into Athena's thigh.

I could have just tucked her into bed and been nice, but instead I used magic to make her look and sounds just like Ali so she could be my third or fourth decoy. Oddly enough I havnt found the real Ali yet, which is kinda disturbing...

Censored Version So No one flips out

Today was a super day! I had lots of fun with Athena to start out with! I was in my tower casting wards that would summon puppies and kitties against anyone who tried to enter to be nice to Ali and drag her off to Navere where she would no doubt be fed ice cream and chocolate cake! Valkryn sure is a nice guy, and I hope he comes to have tea and chat soon. I certainly havn't put up any magical death traps for him, because that would be ever so wrong.

Anyhow my really nice sister Athena showed up while I was casting my wards and we had a really nice chat. She interupted my casting and I very politely and in a completely non aggressive way screamed at her for breaking into my impenetrable fortress. Then she told me it wasnt very impenetrable and I remembered she was on the guest list anyhow. She said I should give her the crystal I've gotten and I said no thank you, because that was the polite thing to do.

Then I very kindly turned the stairs into a slide and let her plummet into a very nice bath tub full of cuddly warm water. This certainly wasn't an act of vengeance for all the times she made me take baths, cuz that'd be mean. After that she ended up dragging me into the tub as well, but in a very gentle and nice way.

Then I pounced her nonviolently to the soft floor, so that she wouldnt hurt herself if she fell. We tickled eachother for a while and she tried to borrow my part of the gatekeeper's crystal, but I'd expected that and cast spells on the chain to keep it around my neck. She was kind of sad so she tossed me into the bath again and then made the mistake of falling asleep. I certainly didn't do anything awful to her while she was passed out, because that would be rude.

After that I went to see Star. Her mate is really getting jealous(but in a polite way) and he dosnt even want me around his lair anymore(because I might fall and bump my head). I tried to explain to Star that it was her lair too and she should stand up for herself in a very nice way without using bad words. I think she wants to be accepted too badly to do that and I hope I can make her feel stable enough that she dosnt need to do that.

I left when she asked me to so Onyx wouldnt notice, though I do want to talk to him a bit. I met his brother Acid and he seemed nice enough, though he did call me a fairy, but in a very nice way.

I went back to the tower and started working with the portal. I'd decided to try to search the hells since that was where the keep was linked to when the crystal disappeared. I messed around with the portals til I got knocked out of a window by an imp that came through. I would have died if I hadn't used my sylvan boots to come to a soft landing right ontop of the imp.(I only hurt it by accident, honest!) But I couldn't let the imp die because it would tell every beast in hell(not that theres anything wrong with hell beasts) what I was up to. So before it could fade I caught it in a gem.(but certainly not because of its chosen alignment, because that would be like racism)

Marquie showed up and I gave her a good snuggling. The issue of Zodiac, who I'm sure is a nice person and all, has passed as has that of her pregnancy so we're finally on even footing now which is really nice. We caught up and chatted for a while before I asked her to help me with the portal. She didnt have her weapons on her, which I'm going to have to do something about in the future, so I let her borrow Calysmere.

She stood by the portal ready to slay anything that came out while I used the crystal like a fishing pole, casting it in and watching through a scry spell to see if it reacted. Once a very lovely Nightmare came through the portal but Marquie very politely asked it to leave using the edge of my sword. Finally, with her help, I found the second part of the crystal somewhere in the fourth layer of hell and went in to retrieve it.

It took lots of cunning and I met a lot of cuddly creatures, but I got the crystal and teleported back to the tower to nurse my wounds.

Reunion

It seems I might have been seeing things wrong. Marquie came to me today to tell me that she hasnt forsaken me and still loves me, and Zodiac almost died too! So today's been a pretty good day except for the revelation that she's got triplets. Honestly, what is it with women and multiple births? Ali seems to be the only one staying out of the silly contest and if she weren't Drow I'd expect Gia to pop out two just to best Ali.

Anyhow I'm not as distraught as I sound, just something I find odd. I shall have to encourage Mystra to have words with Chauntea over this if it keeps up, this surely cannot be natural. Oh yes the other bit of news is that I'm working on some enchantments and items for Gia's child, who should be appearing soon. I don't know the sex, but then again these are drow and I dount they like pink or blue much anyhow. Black will suffice I'm sure.

Oh yes, and Starshine nearly killed me by releasing a sword that was a heartseeker, I believe. The blade went after my living flesh like a starved creature to water, dragging her along with it. I gained a wound on my arm before I fianlly had the wit s to lure it back into its sheath by creating a funnel and holding the sheath infront of my body.

In the good news though Star was very pleased with the treasure I brought her, and her smile brightened my day as always. Mystra has truly blessed me to allow me to help both her and Marquie.

Lonely Road

I've had a lot of time to think on my journeys throughout the planes, and I think I'm starting to figure out this whole heroing thing. At first I figured it would get easier with time, that things would become simpler as my power grew. But now, Mystra knows how many years later, here I am. A chosen one of my Goddess, having been imbued with the essence of a red dragon, a knight of various realms, archmage, and so forth.

But the personal struggles, the will power to stick to the path, that never gets any easier no matter how much momentum there is driving you on like a runaway team of horses. And the words from others cut more deeply now than ever before. I used to go to aid in battles for realms I'd never been to, to lead men to fight and die against foes I scarcely knew. Now I often find I only find reason to battle when my friends are threatened.

And in doing so I've gained a worse reputation than I ever had before. I've saved countless thousands, but one bit of bad advice, one misjudgement of a person, or one failed attempt to save everything as if I were Mystra herself, and all of that comes crumbling to dust. To my accusers I have become a meddler, a stubborn fool obsessed with my own image or my supposedly misguided ideas of virtue and justice.

I try to brush it off as if it dosn't hurt. The Harpers practically take meddlers as their second official title, and any true hero is accused of meddling in things that do not concern them. I can take that from evil doers like Valkryn, it's actually part of their proper speech as I've come to realize, but from people who's opinions I care about...

I've nearly fallen in the past days. Alais is ignoring my every attempt to help her as if I were too inept to be of any use. Never once has she even thanked me for my efforts, never once has she acted as though I was doing anything but interfering. Perhaps it was selfish to think to use the artifact I'm gathering simply for the benefit of a friend, perhaps her path will always lead her to Navere. But she dosn't want my help, and so our paths must diverge.

Hopefully I'll be rid of Valkryn's meddling along with her. That prospect dosn't dull the pain though. Especially since it always brought me such fits of giggling when I made him shake his head in utter disdain for all that I represent. Ah, if I could but have recorded that image in a crystal so I might play it whenever I feel sad, which is often lately.

Marquie as well has turned from me, and now I finally feel as though I can try to explain some of the pain that came from that. She was angry with me because I didn't accept Zodiac. I found him to be creepy because he's far older than her, and though I won't bring it up she'll outlive him by nearly a millennium. And of course theres the fact that he's shoving her into bearing his children and marrying him and becoming part of his royal house, all as she just barely is becoming an adult.

I couldn't help but be saddened when she told me she was pregnant. Had this new shock come later, had they waited, I might have accepted it. When I showed my discouragement verbally, without even trying to kill Zodiac as I wanted to, she fled from me. Because for once I had been disappointed by her actions, because for once I didn't approve. She isn't coming back, and wants nothing to do with me. She has Zodiac now, and she's all grown up, older than me most likely. She'll no longer have time for a meddlesome brat mage. The betrayal, the abandonment, that hurts terribly, and seems to be a common theme lately. I'll let her go like all the others, though it pains my heart to do so, because I know she's still my sister and I can't stop loving her.

Siona and R have both lost all interest in me as they found other males, in Siona's case quite a few. I broke my ties with Siona already because we would be on different sides of the battle to help Alais. I cut away one of the few anchors I had to this world in order that I might do the right thing and not aid my enemies. Hell of a lot of good that did.

But I begin to realize now that, though I regret the way things have turned out, I couldn't have done it differently. Could I have been so heartless as to ignore Alais' plight and not attempt to help her? I doubt it. Would I feel like a man, or even a person at all if I hadnt spoken out against Marquie's romance with such an untrustworthy braggart? I'd have thrown myself from a bridge the first time he hurt her. And had I not forsaken Siona every ill that befalls Alais would have my tacit approval and be upon my head. The momentum is pushing me forward, but it's my own heart that guides me, my conscience that I can't deny. There will be other battles, other interferences, and these missteps will not once give me a second thought before I charge into battle in defense of innocents or friends.

I am, after all, a stubborn meddler.

Fun with the planes 2

Lately I've been checking out the elemental planes and visiting with Alais. She was really nice today for some reason. Also I think I found the other piece of the crystal in some future dimension with vampires, more on that later.

Planar play time!

So, there's been a lot going on the past three days. Only now do I really have the will to set it all down. To start off with I began my quests to hell gate keep, freeing a few imprisoned sun elves and getting some intelligence and a place to stay when I was there.

In the bad news though, Marquie abandoned me, something she said she'd never do. She acted as though my disapproval of Zodiac was based on jealousy or something. She never even considered that it hasn't even been a month and she's already engaged to the bastard and pregnant with his worthless spawn. I wish I could have asked R to kill him when she offered, it would have made things so much simpler, but I knew Marquie would be sad, and there's no more point anyhow. She's grown up now and too old for me, just as I figured. She actually said that Starshine could replace her, as if it was that simple.

One thing Star has done is bring some light into my life, even though everyone else seems to be mad at me. She really is an incredible person and I hope she remains as she is for a long time. It's no fun when things change. She tried to get a job at the tavern and ended up cursing like a sailor, I tried to get her to take a job in a somewhat more respectable business but it's her choice. I think she'll do all right regardless..

Then again maybe I was wrong. After my second foray into Hell Gate Keep to steal an item of some minor importance just to see if I could do it I found out she'd been kidnapped. I lost the trail soon after the river and sent my familiar to find her. I saw Athena and asked her for help but she had to disappear. I decided to try to focus on my main mission and check back in later that night.

I ended up calling an extra planar being, using a time stop spell, and almost creating a low grade mythal just to find the gatekeeper's crystal, but I did get it and after a protracted battle with one very determined demon elf I got on Star's trail and found she'd been taken by a black dragon.

He claimed her as his mate and I told him I'd kick his ass, you know, the usual stuff. He let me take Star home which was kind of odd so I didnt end up fighting him, though I did sense Valkryn's presence, plotting something strange no doubt. I just hope he dosnt find out I have the crystal.

I ran into Baeryne and R as well, but Baeryne let me run away in amusement and R seems somehow broken. All in all it's been a productive, though sad, period for me.

Chilly

It's been a chilly day, and not a very pleasant one. Marquie revealed that she was with child, and that it belongs to that fool Zodiac. I was terribly disappointed, but I knew there was nothing I could do. It had been her choice to rush into this and trying to stop it or slow it had only ever pushed her further from me.

And so I told her she could do what she wanted and then started off. I found Starshine bathing in the river and chided her as it was quite a chill day. With a fellow called only Nameless I kept her company and warmed her up. The man seemed very interested in Mystra, perhaps a future convert. I am one of her priests, after all.

Starshine has fast become one of the great sources of light in my life. She's truly a special creature, though I can already see she's much older than me and has been through many painful tragedies, she still has the pure and innocent heart of someone far my junior, and that is one thing I cherish above all. Her soul flaw is something that, in the wrong eyes, might be construed as greed, but in truth is simply a dragon's desire for a horde and a girl's desire for pretty things. I say again that she is a source of light in my life.

Soon after I left her I got a call from Marquie and appeared to see R feeding from her. I could have rushed in, but that might have prompted R to bite down deeper, to the wind pipe. That in turn would have caused me to take silver to R's heart, the one sure way to kill her, or at least put her out of comission for a time.

I approached carefully, seeing some other girl, an apparent relation of Zodiac, off to the side bleeding. I had no time for her and focused on Mar. R released her after a bit and we looked to eachother for a moment, although R refused to answer any of my words. She can still hurt me, regardless of how well seperated we've become. I saw to Marquie and then her friend, leaving the girl In Marquie's care and then slipping off after givbing Mar my love.

She was hurt by my disappointment in her but I know it will heal, as will my pain at what she's done with this disagreeable fool. But that will take time, and so in the mean time I slipped off to one of my various hidey holes. It was cold, as I stated earlier, and so I gathered a blanket about myself and read, a quite good plan when the very walls radiate the icey chill outside. Winter is such a cozy time and I mean to enjoy it while Mystra yet allows me to remain indoors.

Not much

Today was pretty uneventful. Once again Zodiac proved to be utterly useless. Alais stuck me with a sleeping dart while Zodiac went off to find the wizard that attacked mar and killed him despite my orders to the contrary. Despite my determination to accept Mar's choice Zodiac is still kind of creepy.

Anyhow I helped Marquie to regain her dragon even despite his interference, she regained the orb and I helped with the spell to return her dragon half. After that I left her with her friends to go see the young dragon I'd rescued. She had taken some jewels from my hoard in good faith when she went on an excursion so she was easy to locate.

I found out that her family and mentor were all murdered by hunters or by other dragons and I'm trying to help her deal with her fear over that, as well as teach her how to act human. She's so naieve its adorable sometimes. When she cried she said that her eyes were broken and I had to explain ti to her.

The horror... The horror!

Today I woke up and was being carried to a bath by Athena. I kicked and screamed and did my best to escape but she just kept dragging me along til she tossed me in the tub and I barely escaped before she could wash behind my ears. We got into kind of a fight after that cuz she said she was going to take away one of my spells, so I cast it on her and stuck her in Imoen's play pen of doom, which I think will be the official name of that spell henceforth.

I eventually had to let her go cuz she was being all pouty, but not before I exacted a promise that she wouldnt take any of my toys away. We made up once I let her out, or so I thougth. We were hugging when she stuck a drow sleeping dart in me and then chained me down to my bed while I mumbled curses at her.

Ali eventaully showed up and after a VERY drawn out process of teasing me and threatenign to leave me she did release me, but to my horror she made me come into a bath with her in my bathroom. We used up some of the bathy stuff people have sent me over the years so we both spelled good, and we splashed around for a while and got along again.

All of a sudden though I got a bad feeling from the forrest and had to rush off real quick. I arrived to find some mage attacking Mar. I chased him around and cast a few spwlls to protect Mar but Zodiac distracted me constantly. The mage finally flung a powerful spell at Marquie that broke through my spell deflection. He absorbed her draconic half into a crystal leaving her with -sigh- amnesia and no draconic powers. When I find this guy I'll make him pay, cuz I hate amnesia as much as people messing with Mar.

Zodiac and Star were all gathering around her, which was a horrible idea, but I calmed her down and evnetually things got situated. I had the good sense to go get her diary so I could read it to her tomorrow. Zodiac just dragged her off to his silly kingdom and she went to sleep.

I went to find Ali and give her back her sword since Mar had used it to fight hte mage, who escaped by the way. Ali and I talked for a long time about her son and keeping him safe and I discussed my plans with her: my traverls to hell gate keep in search of the Crystal of the Gatekeeper, as well as my dealings with the fae and my simulacrum spells. I'm going to focus on the crystal since that might allow for negotiations.

Goblin time

Today was really nice so far. I met up with Siona expecting to give her a present I'd gotten her and then get clobbered, but she seemed really nice for some reason. After a bit of making up I gave her her gift. At first she was really mad that I'd used the essence I gathered from her before I returned it back to her, but when she saw what I used it for she seemed really happy.

I'd found a goblin in the wild that seemed fairly intelligent, too young to have become truly evil, and as mischievious and crafty as any of its kind. I trained it to speak common but other than that left its mind untouched so it wouldnt be a broken servant. I then attuned it to Siona's essence, thus making it her familiar without her even knowing.

It was quite happy to finally meet her and they seemed to get along well. I'd named the little guy Gyshal and as soon as Siona got her new toy she went off to play with it and left me alone, so I went to go find someone else to hang out with. I found Jae, a long lost part of my family by the Legantis (moms husbands family, and also Myths.)

She dosnt speak hardly at all, and I almost thought she was mute though she proved otherwise. She only talks when she wants to. We caught up a bit and then I took her to see Ali and Cel. Ali was cranky cuz of my fight with Zodiac and she chased me off and I ended up hiding behind Jae. I even begged Ali to just stab me and get her anger out but she knew it hurt me more to just be mean to me constantly rather than all at once.

Jae and I soon got into a tickling contest and I ended up chasing her around after she tossed mud at me. Thankfully there was no one around to make me take another bath! After that Ali and Cel kept being mean to me and Jae wandered off before I could get her back, so I just slipped away into the woods to sulk. I really wanna help Ali but she's been so cold lately.

I noticed a presence in the woods and smiled as I recognized it to be a silver dragon. This one was very young and frightened, especially when she saw I was a red and there was a black approaching. I calmed her down and the black kept his distance. He claimed to be a chosen of the dark blade, which put me on my guard thinking he meant cyric.

Luckily he wandered off, I suppose he thought I'd claimed her. She was much more at ease after that and only then did she show how tired she was. She wasnt just physically tired either. She was cold and barely knew the first thing about her human form, and she was terribly lonely, she clung to my youch when I picked her up as if she hadnt felt a warm touch in years. I ended up taking her to my tower and letting her sleep on my hoard with me. Hopefully I can help her, she seems very nice and it'll be good to have another younger dragon around with Mar all busy now.

escapey time

So I woke up today and decided to try to press Chiarna for information, but instead Athena found me. Instead of freing me she just teased me a bit and took my lockpicking kit. I tossed all my blankets and stuff at her but she was gone too quickly.

Ciarna soon reappeared and we fought for quite a while. She really wanted to know aboutStar but I wouldnt tell her. She seemed to be nice enough though, she even fed me and gave me cookies and stuff, and rubbed my tummy once more. But in the end she broke into my mind and found that I actually didn't know anything about Star.

She forced me into a bath after that and I tried to kick her for it and generally threw a tantrum til she finally let me go. Mar even itnerceded on my behalf but I got her to leave before her and Ciarna could fight. When I did escape I went to find Mar and we talked for a bit. Someone was messing with Mar's mind and I helped her calm down before we went and had some cocoa. It was just like old times as we finished our drinks and she curled up in my lap while we both fell asleep.