The Avalonian Calender

š The Avalonian Calender ›

A How To Guide

The Avalonian Calender was established the same year that Avalon was established. We refer to all dates after this event as A.E. or Avalon Established. Historians now use B.A. (Before Avalon) to reference any dates before Avalon was established, in a reverse chronologial order.

The calender is set up as follows:

v  There are 360 Days in a Year

v  There are 45 Days to each Moon

v  There are 5 Days to a week and 9 Weeks a Moon

v  There are 8 Moons in a year

v  Days of Rest are 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, and 45 (Any multiple of five)

v  And citizens receive all major holidays off.

Moons of the Year are named for the spirits of North, South, East and West, who played a large role in the establishing of Avalon. The seasons of the year are divided into the Moons of Fire (the growing and harvesting season), and the Moons of Ice (The season of frost). The moons were named as such, because during the warmer months, the moon has more of a red or yellow tint, and during the colder months the moon gains a blue or purple tint.

The Moons are as follows:

v  Fire Moon of Rosalan (North)

v  Fire Moon of Pahep (East)

v  Fire Moon of Costzar (South)

v  Fire Moon of Tohak (West)

v  Ice Moon of Rosalan (North)

v  Ice Moon of Pahep (East)

v  Ice Moon of Costzar (South)

v  Ice Moon of Tohak (West)

You will notice that the moons repeat, going around the compass twice in a year.

w  METAGAME NOTE: Just as clarification, the temperature change between “Winter” and “Summer” is gradual, just as it is IRL. They just split their seasons up into two instead of four.

Dates written out formally have all date information contained in it. The numerical day is usually written out.

w  Second Day of the Fire Moon of Rosalan, Year 657 A. E.

w  Twenty-Second Day of the Ice Moon of Costzar, Year 547 A.E.

Or the same dates can be written short hand as such:

w  02.FMR.657

w  22.IMC.547

In short hand, if a date took place before Avalon was established, there is a BA added to it. All short hand dates are otherwise assumed to be A.E.

w  13.IMT.280.BA

š Important Dates and Holidays ›

(more will be added as they come up)

v  Avalon’s Birth Day (The start of the new year): 01.FMC.00

w  Avalons Birth Day Is always a big event, there is a parade and a huge festival, citizens of Avalon get both the day before and the day after off (to recouperate)

v  The Current Queen’s Birth Day: 44.FMC.717

w  Citizens always receive the current queen’s birthday off.

w  METAGAME NOTE: Queen Azura has always scheduled her birthday right before or after a usual day of rest, so that citizens get a 2 day “weekend”

v  (Azura’s Real Birth Day): 32.IMR.06

w  METAGAME NOTE: This is not a holiday that citizens get off, as it is historically only the birthday of the second queen of Avalon.

v  Anzanis’s Birth Day: 14.IMT.36.BA

w  Anzanis was the first King of Avalon, and it’s founder. His birthday is always a holiday.

v  The current Kings birthday is also a holiday

w  There is currently no King of Avalon

   v  The day a new queen is inaugurated is taken as a holiday, so that citizens may observe if they choose

         v  Likewise, the funeral date of the old queen is also given as a day of rest, so that the country has time to mourn.

   v  The Queen’s wedding day is a holiday

Mementos : An Excerpt From Io's Journal

š Third Day of the Fire Moon of Pahep Year 749 A.E. ›

(03.FMP.749)

This morning at around 6 in the morning we set out for the mountain.  A little later than I would have liked, but some were up late last night and needed a bit of a wakeup call. I provided that with the same song I sung in the Catch of the Day tavern at the wharf. Mego did not appreciate it very much, Phrenk mixed him up a pick-me-up though, and he was pleasant in no time.

Along the road I was telling everyone the story of what happened to Sonlan in the feywild, when we heard cackling in the grass Next thing we knew we were being attacked by hyenas.

Stoic made a very impressive attack against a charging one right off the bat and knocked it right on its back. Mia then swung her flail right in the face of the other one. Tilly was pounced by a lioness, but Stoic threw himself in the path of the lion and took the hit instead. Suddenly a lion flew right behind my back with blood pouring out of one of its eyes; I think Badur hiding in the grass was responsible for that one. Tilly shot the first hyena, killing it. Mego blasted divine energy out of his body which didn’t seem to do anything, but it sure looked pretty. I was distracted by the blast however, and my arrow which was meant to be headed for the lioness missed its mark.  Mia and Badur were beating on the other hyena; it didn’t look like it stood a chance. Stoic gave Gem a chance to slip away while taking another attack from the lioness himself. Then I heard Mia behind me growl right at the hyena, enraging it, he snapped at her but missed. She lit it on fire, and it ran off into the field, and before we knew it the field was ablaze.

Suddenly roaring came from my left, a corrupted lioness came out, and then we heard a very, very loud roar come from my right. The corrupted lioness charged right at Mia. Then a gigantic dire lion came out of nowhere and charged me, he chomped down on my left leg. I must admit I became a little distracted from the rest of the battle at that moment, I mean, I did have a bit of a situation going on. I called out for Stoic in my distress, and I heard his footsteps behind me and my heart felt relief. Stoic slammed the lion and it was pushed 20 feet… unfortunately with me still locked in its jaws. I managed to not sustain any damage and in the confusion got away from the lion. I stood up and shot it right in the face, it looked like it hurt.  The foul creature snapped at me but Stoic hit it and shoved it another 20 ft.

Gem used bloom scroll to put out fire, and then cast disorientation on lion. It became very confused and roared loudly, at the sound of which the lionesses all attacked. Suddenly I was pushed back towards my allies; my leg was bleeding quite a bit at this point. I took a moment to compose myself and shift next to stoic. I shot at it with my bow; it stuck right in the creature’s leg. Revenge.

Stoic stepped in front of me to protect me and shouted at it. The Lion charged him, but Stoic was ready, he slammed the lion and pushed it 10 feet. Though it was knocked onto its back it immediately stands up. I could sense Badur behind me, moving to attack and kill the other lioness. The dire lion lunges in anger at Stoic but its blindness seemed to still be in effect, and it misses. ?Who Killed LION? The lion appeared to be dead, but suddenly lunged an attack at Tilly, hitting him hard. Mego blasted the lion with holy power nearly 30 feet. In the blast its front right leg was completely blown off.  It didn’t faze the lion though, he charged Stoic on three legs yet missing him once again. I missed my shot and Stoic knocks it over again but it gets right back up. Mia took off the lions left foot with her mace. Lion made a final attempt to lunge but crumpled and fell apart.

Stoic made sure it was dead by obliterating it and stomping on it.

Loot: Tilly skinned the two lionesses and took some bones and claws. Mego took the dire lion’s heart which was corrupted, but he performed a ritual to preserve it. Mego also took a paw from a severed limb, and a paw from one of the lionesses. Mia took 13 claws from various paws.

We then had a picnic lunch in the bloom area, and stocked up on rations for the journey ahead. J

Ï POEM: STOIC THE HEROIC & CO. VS THE LIONS

I saw the great giant man of stone

Face off with many lions, but he was not alone.

His party would make quick work of their pride,

And soon they would all be decked out in hide.

Then a terrible roar, fear cut to the quick,

A dire lion with teeth dripping death necrotic.

It lunged for his friends but he swat it away.

“None of my friends will be injured this day!”

Over and over the lion charged at his foe,

Missing time and again his anger did grow.

A snap and my leg was caught in the beast’s jaws,

My life but a swipe of the great beast’s claws.

Suddenly the field was set aflame by Mia’s Mace

Blaze was smothered by Gen, Berries grew in its place

After great struggle I did get away

And Badur slew the beast which began to decay

Rejoicing was short, there came another growl

The lion, undead, was back on the prowl.

When Mego blasted the beast with radiant light

And we finally put an end to this long worn fight.

The lions in pieces we were finally safe

And in the bloom I sat happily stuffing my face.

6:30pm 2 hours till sunset

We came to the forest path, going through the forest can be a little risky, but we did not have the two days’ time it would take to go around. A vote was taken and it was decided that we would go through the forest.

Nightfall. We were all fatigued. We came across a small clearing with a waterfall and a beautiful babbling brook.  Mego purified the water, while Mia and Azi warmed the pool. Unfortunately Badur chose one of the non-heated areas to jump into, “Oh that’s cold on the piercings!”

I sat in the pool bathing and relaxing for a while. Tilly while searching the pool saw something glint in waterfall. While to everyone’s surprise Mia and Mego started getting frisky. They decided to head off to one of the tents together. I could hear the demoness claiming to know some clever tricks as they walked away.

Tilly stood on Stoic to help him grab shiny thing in the waterfall. He removed it, but an eel crawled up his arm. At this he freaked out and dropped it into the pool. I must admit I found this whole thing highly amusing. Tilly, though, without missing a beat dove off of Stoic into the pool to grab his treasure before it even hit the bottom. He rushed out of the water without saying a word to anyone to examine his find in his tent. Goblins.

Meanwhile, Stoic the Heroic crushed the eel in his fist, and we cooked it up for dinner. 

Suddenly everyone heard bear growls coming from tent. Before I could stop him, Stoic charged in, grabed Mego and threw him out of tent. Mia, who was halfway through orgasm, suddenly found herself with Stoic instead. She was a little confused but didn’t seem too fazed. Mego, meanwhile, was outside of the tent bear ass naked and his fur was quickly disappearing. He ran back into the tent quick as could be…. I think I need to introduce this guy to Finn.

Ï POEM: MIA AND MEGO, UNLIKELY LOVERS

Mia and Mego, an unlikely pair

One a little short, the other most fair.

Mego devout Halfling, does as he please

Mia of demons, swings her tits in the breeze

The couple while getting it on in a tent

The beast inside Mego growled to vent

Stoic Heroic did hear the beast’s call

Rushed into the tent ready to brawl

An awkward situation for me later that night

When Stoic asked me about the two lover’s “fight”

Tilly then came to me at the pool with two potions to examine; I identified one as a poison and one as a potion of regeneration. He thanked me by letting me keep the potion of regen, although I think I will give it to Stoic, as he has more use for such a thing.

Then we heard a rustling in the bushes. Stoic rushed over to check and we were all startled to see Serene fall out of the bushes. It seems she had been following us since we left the city. Stoic scooped her up and Azi ran up Stoic like a tree to play with her. Gen reprimanded Serene, “you’ve been taking those illusion lessons to heart haven’t you.”

I gave Serene a once over, she looked a little beat up, but none too worse for wear. I took her to the pool to get cleaned and bandaged up. We gave her some food and I took her to Stoic’s tent for bedtime. I tried to leave her there but she implored me to sing to her. I obliged… I mean, how can you resist that face?

Ï SONG: SLEEPY SERENE

Serene, Serene you are still very young

The world is so big and the road is so long

You will have plenty of time when you’re older to see

All the worlds wonders with stoic and me

But for now you must stay home where you’re safe and sound

When you grow up many monsters you’ll pound

But for now sleep softly with stars in your head

And we will all be grateful that you are not dead.

Stoic: “I’m proud of you, little one.”

Mementos : An Excerpt From Io's Journal

š Second Day of the Fire Moon of Pahep Year 749 A.E. ›

(02.FMP.749)

In the morning we came to the conclusion that we had exhausted the resources of the library, and we decided to take a walk down to the town center to see if we could come up with anything. After looking around for a bit we stopped at an antique book store. I was flipping though the stacks of books when something caught my eye.

It was a battered looking book called “The Complete History of Pandon”. I bought it for 1000 gold plus that chunk of amber that I was sick of carrying around.

Sonlan and I decided to pop into a small café for lunch, and while eating we decided to try scrying again.

This time we saw much blood and suffering, we saw the orcs getting ready for battle, we saw demons attacking dwarves and drow. But then suddenly, a pair of eyes were staring at us, great red eyes engulfed in flame. It was as if they knew we were watching and were staring right at us.

The vision ended and we were back in the café, but only for a second. Before I knew what was happening I was sucked back into the orb, the eyes smiling at me. They showed me a vision of Avalon… burning. Whatever it was was destroying the mountain and it was coming for Avalon next. And it was happy.

I heard a voice in the back of my head chanting something, and as the voice grew louder the visions got darker. It was Sonlan, he was pulling me out of the orb! I arrived back in the café exhausted and distressed, tears streaming down my face.

“It’s coming for us.”

Sonlan quickly covered the orb with cloth and tucked it inside his bag.

I regained my composure and wrote another letter to Azura. This was far worse than I could have ever imagined.

On my way back to the Inn I ran into Nargash, they were back! I told him to round up everyone and meet me at the Inn in 15 minutes. It was urgent.

We met everyone at the Inn, and I explained what had happened. They had picked up a new member of the company, a halfling named Mego. Then Orion arrived to bring me my chattering stone, and helped explain what was going on. Bromung decided he was going to stay behind with the captain to scout and lead the backup into the mountain when the time came. Nargash decided he wasn’t going back in the mountain, and I agreed that he was better off here. “Help protect Serene and the city, should things come to that.” Nargash left and headed out for the docks.

Luckily our number held fast, as a man in a dark cloak in the corner of the inn overheard our conversation. It seems he worships the raven queen, who is strongly tied to the drow. He agreed to help us on our quest to save them.

We agreed to gather whatever provisions we needed now, and then leave at 5am the next morning.

Mementos : An Excerpt From Io's Journal

š First Day of the Fire Moon of Pahep Year 749 A.E. ›

(01.FMP.749)

I woke feeling terribly well rested at around 11am. I called for Saffron, but there was no answer. I looked out the window and immediately realized how late it was, the sun was already nearly halfway up the in sky! I put on my clothes as quickly as I could and raced down the street towards the library.

Upon arriving Sonlan asked me if I felt strong enough to use the orb again. I consented, and we sat at a small table in the corner to scry.

This time I saw Ulvrain on the ground, she was burned and bloody. I saw Ifgar rushing to help her up. I saw a mansion, with screams of terror coming from inside. I saw the faces of my comrades, locked in the heat of battle. I saw the great mountain collapse, and many dwarves being crushed under the falling rocks.

“This looks very bad; I don’t think our little company will be nearly enough to save these people. I am going to go visit my contacts in town and see if I cannot gather up a few additions to our party. If the city cannot help, surely its people will.”

After writing Azura another letter to keep her updated, I left the library and headed straight for the adventurers guild.

On my way out I ran into Saffron, who looked a terrible mess. “Oh thank goodness I’ve caught you, there is terrible news! A huge section of the mountain has collapsed in on itself! Everyone is in a panic!”

“By the gods! When did this happen?!”

“A scouting party just came in this morning they said it happened yesterday!”

“This is not good at all. Please, go back to the Inn and alert me the moment our company comes back. Do not let them leave the inn. There isn’t much time.”

The adventurers’ guild was nearly empty when I arrived. Godrick, probably the oldest (yet spryest) human I have ever met, greeted me in the main hall. I asked him if there were any members of the guild who would be interested in going on an adventure deep into the mountains. There would be adventure, possible death, and best of all, great amounts of treasure.

“You mean the mountain that collapsed rather recently? There is something sinister going on in there.”

“Uhh... Well, yes… that’s the one…”

“Well of course I’d love to go, but my bones are too weak. I’m afraid I wouldn’t be of much use. Most of the members of the guild heard of the orc war going on and went to check it out for themselves. I’m sorry but there is no one here who could go with you dear.”

We said our goodbyes and I set off to see my new friends at the bard’s guild.

Gil, a very naughty satyr and leader of the bard’s guild, greeted me. “Aye what a pleasure it is seeing your fine eyes around here so soon. Please, tell me what use I can be to you. My dear, I’ll try anything if it makes you cry out. ”

Sigh… Gil always has a way of making me blush. I tried my best to ask him for help in the mountain, but he said most of his bards were big pusses that wouldn’t care too much for the dangers of a recently collapsed mountain. He did mention that his son might be interested in going… but he hadn’t seen him in several days. “Probably down at the docks wetting his willy again. That boy gets more like his old dad every day.”

I had seen Finn down at the docks several times before. He was always singing bawdy songs and getting kicked out of bars. He was quite the chap, that’s for sure. He wasn’t someone I really cared to have along, but I was planning on heading down to the taverns on the docks to see if I could rustle up a few adventurers who found death laughable.

I made my way down to the docks just as it was starting to get dark. As I approached the tavern called Catch of the Day, I heard a crack of thunder and then saw a young man thrown out of the door. “Finn you stinking son of a horse, how dare you grab her like that in front of me! You salty little bastard, I’ll kill you!”

The satyr stood up quickly and pulled out a pan flute. He started playing a soothing tune on it, and though the woman was fighting it, she began to calm down.

“Finn!” I shouted. “Finn! I’m so glad I found you here.”

She spotted me and her rage was peaked once more, “Is this wench another one of your 2 copper whores you keep bringing to MY pub Finn? I’ll have you know he’s mine you sea wench. I’ll knock you so hard……”

Finn played a little louder and she started to appear sleepy. At his request she walked back into the inn.

“Wow, you certainly know how to pick them. She was quite feisty, eh?”

“Well, she was a decent specimen, but now you on the other hand. My dear, I don’t believe we’ve met.”

“Ahh, yes... My name is Io, I am a bard like yourself, I was sent by your father to find you. He says you’ve been shirking your duties at the guild.”

“Well I suppose I have lost track of the days, is it the Moon of Pahep already? Time flies when you are having fun… Now, my elvish rose, what kind of services can I please you with? There is a little inn nearby that is quite cozy if you know what I mean…”

“Uhh, no. No thank you. You see I am actually looking for adventurers. Your father said you might be interested in a quest.”

“I’ll go wherever you want me to buttercup.”

“Yes, well that being said, my company and I will be delving into the mountains in the east. There has been some trouble there the last few weeks, and I have friends there that need saving.”

“Oh, well, you didn’t seem like the type that was into orgies, but I suppose I can work something out…”

“NO! You misunderstand me sir, I am not the least bit interested in your bedroom antics. I am completely serious.”

“Well if you want me so badly perhaps an arrangement can be struck? It’s been weeks since I’ve been with an elven girl… I do like them tall…”

“Sigh… Why must you be so difficult? Stand aside, I am going into the tavern to try and find some REAL adventurers.”

“Well baby, you always knows where to find Finn when your loins are in need of some servicing.”

I entered the tavern, which had a stage at one side of the room. I wasted no time in getting on stage and singing the following song, which I made up on the spot:

Ï SONG: TO THE CRUMBLING MOUNTAINS

Come with me to the caverns below

Where adventure waits, come on and let’s go!

There are dwarves and drow

And they are out of control

The mountain is crashing

And pain we must dole

All you strong warriors come on with me

We must stop the mountain crashing into the sea

There are slugs and bulletts under the ground

They are causing mischief, their skulls we must pound.

So let us take off, on our feet we must fly

Or all of Avalon will surely die.

Unfortunatly, everyone was so drunk they didn’t take me seriously at all. They loved my song however, and I made about 100 gold. Not bad I suppose.

It was getting late, so I went back to the inn where I found Sonlan, I told him that I had had no luck recruiting people for our adventure. We were sharing one of Phrenk’s specialties when Orion, the captain of the guard, entered the inn.

“Io, the Queen and I have gone over your letters, we want to help but as I said before we are already spread thin, and if what you say is true, we can’t jeopardize the security of the city. However, if you are still planning on entering the mountain, please keep us updated, and we will send help as soon as we are able. We have some chattering stones, so even when you are in the mountain you will be able to contact us. Your companions will be welcome to anything from our armory. If there is anything else we can do to help please let me know.”

I thanked him, and after he left Sonlan and I retired for the night.

Mementos : An Excerpt From Io's Journal

š Forty-Fifth Day of the Fire Moon of Rosalan Year 749 A.E. ›

(45.FMR.749)

I woke around 8 in the morning, and left the inn to seek an audience with the great Queen Azura. However, when I arrived at the citadel, the doors were locked tight and there were guards at the door. They informed me that the Queen was not taking visitors at this time, and the citadel was closed until further notice. I informed the guards of the urgent nature of my business with the Queen; however they were only foot soldiers and knew not what to do with the information. I resigned myself to write a detailed letter to the Queen, and hope that she would receive it and take action.

On my way back to the library to write my letter, I ran into none other than the captain of the guard, Orion. I explained the situation to him, but Orion said that there were many problems going on in the outskirts at the moment and his forces were already spread thin. There are people going missing from the towns, and there seems to be some trouble with the orcs as well. He thought it was a good idea to write Azura a letter, and to do more research and keep him updated. He would help however he could.

I arrived at the library to find Sonlan deep in study, I shared with him what I had learned, and he revealed some rather curious information:

v  There is some strange concentration of fey magic in the mountain, which may be a sign of a rift in the fey.

v  This is likely linked to the war of fiends years ago, and could provide a reason for the strange behaviour of the dwarves in the mountain.

Ï STORY : SONLAN IN THE RIFT

I asked Sonlan about the fey rift and he said that one of these rifts was the explanation for his appearance and supposed misconceptions about time.

Sonlan had been using the scrying orb, which showed him a cave filled with goblinds and a rift in the fey. His curiosity was piqued by this rift and set out to find it with a team of adventurers. They set off to the southwest where the cave was located. However, upon reaching it, Sonlan warned the company that goblinds were far more dangerous than they seemed, and it was folly to take them head-on. They scoffed at his warning, and rushed into the cave. They were all brutally killed by the creatures, but Sonlan managed to sneak past them all in the chaos.

Sonlan delved into the caverns and found what he was looking for. However it was not a full-fledged portal, merely a rift in the fey, which makes it much harder to locate. Sonlan was successful, and passed through the rift into the fey.

Sonlan wandered through the fey realm for days, letting the scrying orb lead him where it would. Eventually, he came upon a ruin, inside of which was what appeared to be some sort of alchemy lab. On the table was a vile of strange black liquid, which swirled and flowed, almost with a mind of its own.

Just as Sonlan was about to pick up the vial to examine it more closely he had a realization: This looked an awful lot like a phylactery. A phylactery is an object used by a lich to contain its soul, protecting it from death. He was lucky to have realized this, for touching the phylactery would have released the lich from its vessel, and I’m sure that wouldn’t have been much fun.

Sonlan thought for a minute of how to transport the phylactery back to the mortal realm, for he knew a friend that could turn such an object into a potion for immortal life.

Then Sonlan had an idea. He took from his satchel a tiny ochre jelly which he had slain earlier, and ever so carefully slipped it over the vial.

Sonlan wandered through the fey for weeks, scrying constantly to try to find a portal back to the mortal realm. During his scrying he saw visions similar to what I had seen in the orb. He started looking for familiar faces, and saw those of Gen, Tilly and Saffron, who he had shared in an adventure with. As a result he saw all the members of our company, which caused him to seek me out when he returned to the mortal world.

The scrying orb saved Sonlan many a time, warning him of approaching foes, and advising him of places to hide. After wandering on the brink of starvation for nearly two months, Sonlan finally found his way back to the rift. He snuck past the goblinds and made his way back to Avalon.

In Avalon he found it to have been merely a week since he set out on his quest. Time, as you see, passes differently in the realm of fey than it does here.

Sonlan met up with his alchemist friend and showed him the curious object he had obtained in the fey wild. They worked tirelessly for days, the fruits of which was a potion that was not quite immortal life, but close to it.

However, they decided together that instead of one of them gaining the full benefit of the potion, they would split it and drink together. After downing the potion they each found that they had grown about 40 years younger.

With his new found strength and energy, Sonlan sought me out.

It was then that I was struck by inspiration, remembering the symbol we saw in the mountain caves, the dwarven insignia that I did not recognize before. We started to search for a history of the dwarven tribes in Pandon, eventually finding a scroll detailing the lineages of the dwarven tribes surrounding Avalon. This scroll was dated to be about 400 years old. From it we learned the following:

v  There were four dwarven tribes who lived in and around the mountain in question (The Eternal Mountain)

w  The Sons of Crag Valley

w  The Granite-Fists

w  The Iron Tides

w  The Stone Foot Tribe (the tribe Bromung’s people used to trade with.)

v  The dwarves that are now below the mountain were likely a part of the Granite-Fist Tribe, which was a very prominent tribe indeed. They were actually responsible for the stone that built the citadel in the center of Avalon.

v  I was able to place the tribe as the Granite-Fists based on their insignia, which we saw while in the caves. The symbol we saw is greatly similar to the Granite-Fist symbol, but has been changed ever so slightly.

w  The Granite-Fist symbol is a helm of some sort

w  The symbol I saw was that same helm, but with an eye carved into the forehead.

We then managed to find a more recent document regarding the area, from which we gathered the following:

v  The Granite-Fist tribe disappeared without a trace 300 years ago, around the same time as the fiend war.

v  These events are almost certainly related.

It was nearly 4AM when we decided to call it quits for the night. I wrote my letter to Azura with all the information I had gathered and gave it to Saffron to make sure it was delivered. I had so many thoughts running though my head that night that I could not sleep. I asked Phrenk to make me something strong, laughing, he obliged.

I somewhat reluctantly drank the fiery brew he made, and after the initial shock, I began feeling very warm and cozy. I slunk off to bed and slept very, very soundly.

Mementos : An Excerpt From Io's Journal

š Forty-Fourth Day of the Fire Moon of Rosalan Year 749 A.E. ›

(44.FMR.749)

Saffron, Serene and I had spent the early part of the day touring the city, and getting acquainted with some of the guilds. We then headed out to the library, for I had some research I desperately wanted to do, and Serene wanted Saffron to read to her.

This was where Sonlan found us. He introduced himself, and pulled Saffron aside to say something to her. He briefly explained his situation, and at my order, Saffron took Serene back to the inn.

I should at this time like to make note of the fact that Saffron had previously told me of Sonlan, whom she described as a ‘wizened old man’. This is curious because when he came to us he could not have been more than 45 or 50 years of age. Also rather curious was that he claimed to have been away for 2 moons; however his adventure with Saffron took place merely 2 weeks past.

Sonlan asked me if I would be willing to see what was in his scrying orb, and I agreed. I have never done such a thing before, and my, was it exhilarating. 

After strange feeling of being pulled into the orb, I saw many horrific things, I saw a town called Blue Star Hollow, which I believe is in the valleys to the east. I saw dwarf and drow alike running in fear, a shower of arrows, and much screaming and suffering.

Upon returning to the library, I was out of breath and very distressed. Sonlan informed me that sometimes the events the orb shows are in the past, sometimes in the future, and sometimes are of things that are happening in the present. “There is not really any way to tell which is which.” “Then let us hope these are merely premonitions of what may come to pass, should we do nothing.” 

I explained that my friends were out on another mission, and I did not know when they would be back. Time was short, but there was not much that we could do on our own. We resigned ourselves to research the situation so that when the time came to venture into the mountain, we would be prepared.

We went down into the bowels of the library (where all the really exciting scrolls are) and started digging in. While there we learned the following:

v  There was a war of fiends and devils in the general location of the mountain some 300 years ago

v  This war was likely being fought over territory.

Saffron came downstairs with some hot tea and cheese, and told us that it was nearly 3AM. We decided to call it a night, and meet back at the library in the morning. I told Sonlan that I might be a little late, for early in the morning I was going to go to seek an audience with the Queen.