Kairon Starcaller – “A Letter To Sister From The Wilds”

Dearest Sister,

I apologize for not having written sooner but in fact the day after I sent my last letter I was chosen for an intensive training at the academy.   Today I am writing from an outpost guarding the North Fork Bridge. I have been, for the past few days, travelling to Richter Keep which lies to the southwest of Ancor. I will explain more on that later.

Perhaps I was a bit too hasty in referring to Master Isston as a fool.  As a master of astrology he was uniquely suited to advance my training as a warlock.   It was arrogant of me to believe that only I could gaze into the void and discover its secrets.  Master Isston has heard their whispers and knows far more than I had given him credit for.   I digress however these past six months has been almost full time intense study and I barely had any time to find more information about the group that I had told you about before.  Apparently the Magistrate was putting together a party for a special quest.   All the members of the group had been conscripted into their respective specialties.

The Moon Sister Eladrin was taken to the House of the Holy and apparently they do more than just chant and look somber.  I still don’t understand how so many faiths are able to exist in a place like that without constant battles breaking out in the courtyard.  Then again the holy men do enjoy hearing themselves talk and there they can do it ad infinitum.  Apparently she was trained in combat and the ability to assist wounded in the midst of said combat with an elegance that reflects the vintage of her race. Her name is Kalamitee and I wonder if that was not intentional.

The Tiefling woman is called Zerkorza Zaidai.  I am not familiar with her family name; I must remember to check the record hall perhaps I can discover more.  It turned out she is an admirable fighter besting some of the strongest and most cunning warriors in the city guard.   Most of the time that is not truly an impressive feat, she does have a fierceness that brings honor to our kind.

The Halfling was a bit harder to track down which is apparently his way.  After the first night when I tried to find more information about the group he had disappeared without a trace.  I actually took me weeks to find out what had happened to him.  I was of course engaged with my own studies but that does not mean that I had to forgo some of the barest essentials.  I had taken advantage of a short recess and intended to make contact with one of my contacts that assist me with procuring some of the more exotic wines and leaf. I arrived at the location off the beaten path of course and he was there with my usual contact it appeared he was playing the part of the idiot servant so I never spoke directly to him and of course these transactions need to be done with the utmost discretion.  I don’t believe he recognized me when we were brought together again.  I don’t think I would have recognized him if my own training was not often focused on memorizing small details for reproduction.

The human I never actually saw I believe he may have been taken to train with the game wardens that manage the wilds surrounding the city.  Since only their elders truly come into the city and that is rare enough. It is my opinion that they prefer it that way.

So after six months of this training we are called before the magistrate.  He says he has a quest for us which is exciting since I have been hoping to get out of the city for a while to really test my powers on the evils of the world.  I donned the leather armor I had specially made for when this day would arrive.  The leather especially made, black as night yet gleaming as a midsummer night starfall.  He said that Richter keep which lay 2 days to the southwest had been infested with kobolds for some time and the last party that had been sent had not returned.  Kobolds, after six months of intense training and study he was sending us out to destroy a band of kobolds that have made a nuisance of themselves. Surely a squad of common soldiers would have been a much better option doe such a mundane task.   Though myself, not being one to complain, graciously accepted this quest and praised the wisdom of the magistrate.  My new companions were at a loss for words so I reluctantly accepted the mantle of leadership and received the map of the area with the keep and roads marked on it.

The magistrate did not send us out empty handed however each of us did receive a gift.  I removed the velvet wrappings discovered I had been given an iron rod the runes etched into the crown and shaft identified it as a Rod of Corruption.  The name of such an item is misleading as it allows my own influence to grow exponentially on the battlefield.  I humbly accepted the gift and made preparations for the journey.

On our first day we made it to the South Fork Bridge and small trade post that had grown there.   I immediately found a local merchant and began to negotiate for passage down the river which of course would have been the fastest and easiest way to make it down the river and would have cut our travel time in half.  The captain of one of the larger barges which would have carried our party easily was a rather large man and of course quite unwashed.  Yet he was very shrewd and told me about other trading vessels that would not come back from a journey near the keep and how most trade that way had completely dried up since almost no barges made it through.  I was distraught we had not been give horses or any quicker method of travel.  A barge would have been perfect yet it appears that an easy journey was no in the stars for me.

We traveled on to nightfall and spent an uneventful night under the stars they were beautiful as always it was exhilarating to sleep outside the city on the ground near the campfire.  The morning came quickly, as it always does. Kalamitee and Morobunce, which I discovered is the name of the Halfling, had awoken much earlier and prepared a porridge breakfast.  It is nice not haven’t to delegate every little thing being the leader of this party had me worried that I would have to give instruction at every turn.  So as we were eating and preparing for the long journey ahead of us a loud crash startled everyone and into our clearing come scrambling a bear.  That is right a bear I had never seen one up close but this one was frothing at the mouth and running as if for its life.  Now humans do tend to be clumsy and slow but Alek, the ranger drew his weapon faster that I had ever seen.  He surely would have dispatched the bear for mad if Kalamitee had not called out.  He stayed his hand and I noticed this bear was more diminutive than I had expected.  It was then a pair of rather hungry looking orcs burst from the woods.  Weapons were drawn and I tried to reason with them yet they must have been crazed with hunger and they immediately attacked.   It was all a blur or motion and sound as my companions sprang into action.  I myself dispatched on of them, it is amazing what just a hint at the vastness of the void will do to such a simple mind as these.   It was almost intoxicating the feeling after the battle then two of the largest bears I had ever seen also appeared in our clearing. I was about to begin to strike them down when Alek stayed our weapons. He of course knew what had happened these dire bears, as he later identified them to use, were only trying to protect their cub.  Now that we had saved it from the orcs that has tried to take it they would do us no harm.

We traveled to the North Fork Bridge shortly after that and were welcomed graciously by the garrison stationed here.  I shared a bottle of wine I had secreted into my travelling pack thankfully they accepted.  They are an amicable lot not quite refined but civil.  We engaged in a few wagers and Zerkorza even bested the captain of the guard here. They should not have underestimated her.  Alas I need to get some sleep and stop writing before this letter gets too heavy for even the strongest messenger bird. Luckily the guard here will be able to send it.  Tomorrow we will continue to the Keep so I do not know when I will be able to write again.   I look forward to hearing from you soon give mother my love.

Love Always

Kairon