Wayfarers of Veeshan

These are the stories of Xandamir the Brave, Cleric of Tunare. Her words are posted here as record of the past. I have entitled this verse "A Cleric's Tale, Chapter 1" in the hope that many more of Xandamir's writings can be posted here.

Make no mistake, the cleric is NOT me -- no no I have not the talent for prose of this fine young priestess. Although signed by me in order to transfer this missive that the knowledge not be forgotten, these stories are most assuredly written by another.

Humbly,
Kithrana Lifeweaver
Cleric of Tunare



From Befallen to Najena
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After the complete and utter destruction of every living and unliving thing located within the bowels of that dank dungeon Befallen, I, Xandamir and my companions decided to track down and confirm other rumors alluding to the presence of vast amounts of undead located in a place named Najena. Najena, for those of you too young to remember, is the ancient home of a twisted dark elf magician by the same name. She has long been rumored to be experimenting in things best left forgotten.

Once again accompanied by my trusted companions Thunderhart and Drexxell, we recruited two more adventurous souls, Shilena (a Bard and Mistress singer of no small skill) and Talinoth (A keeper of the wilderness from my home continent of Faydwer) to aid in our endeavor. Fully armed and protected by the Might of Tunare – The Mother of All, we trekked through the loathsome Nektulos forest which is guarded by the Teir’Dal and their minions and into the Lavastorm mountains. The entrance to Najena was easily found, as it resembles a large crypt with one of the doors blown off (No doubt by some experiment gone awry). Najena apparently is so impressed with her own ability that she has nothing to fear from the forces of the good and righteous.

We entered the crypt and discovered that Najena had also recruited the living to aid in her cause. It always seems to be that way, people wanting power without regard for the desires and feelings of others are always subverted by the powers of darkness. We found numerous ogres serving as guards and keepers of those she has imprisoned within her realm. We carefully destroyed all creatures on the first floor, disposing of all manners of walking skeleton types, ogre guards, a pyramidal creature whose arms resembled tentacular ropes and three or four types of summoned elemental-kin. Most seemed quite easy to dispatch and I am afraid that once again we underestimated our foes.

We had reached a point in our downward progress, where a certain room was inaccessible due to a locked door. We discovered that the key-holder was an undead froglok name Bonecracker, and proceeded down to lay siege to his chambers. When we burst in upon him, we had thought we had the element of surprise on our side. Sadly we were mistaken. As soon as we opened the door, we discovered that not only was this Bonecracker waiting for us, but that he had enlisted the aid of not one but three necromancers and their pets. Thunderhart and Shilena jumped in and valiantly began to pummel Bonecracker, while Drexxell sent his familiar to aid them. Drexxell summoned the forces of Darkness to fight fire with fire as it were, while Talinoth unleashed the forces of nature in all her might. I simply tried to keep everyone alive as best I could.

Alas, Bonecracker was much stronger than we had anticipated. We saw Shilena failing and Drexxell valiantly attempted to save her by training all his attacks on her opponent, as well as sending his familiar to her aid. I called for Talinoth to attempt to evacuate us as I was rapidly running out of strength and could no longer continue to heal our brave warriors. Talinoth simply could not cast. He had earned the enmity of one of the necromancers and one simply cannot cast when they are being kept off balance by the sheer ferocity of those attacks.

Poor Shilena was the first to go down, followed almost immediately by Drexxell’s familiar and then Drexxell himself. Thunderhart yelled for Talinoth and myself to retreat but it was too late and we were too outnumbered. I am not sure which of us went next, but at this point it makes little difference, we were all dead.

Again it was Drexxell who volunteered to attempt corpse recovery. He was succeeding very well up to a point. He ran into a minor snag with Shilena and paid for it with his life, again. He tried once again and died a third time. Dying three times is about anyone person can be expected to undergo in one 24-hour period without the loss of sanity. I am happy to say that Drexxell appears unharmed by this horrible experience.

Tunare must have heard our prayers, because I had a vision of that great and noble druid Billings transporting Mistress Kithrana to our rescue. Kithrana being a highly regarded priestess of my order, arranged for not just the one wanderer, Billings, but a second wanderer named Nealyn to come to our aid. Billings and Nealyn walked right down to Bonecracker’s lair and proceeded to pull our bodies out to a safer place. I had a glimpse of Billings’ power as I saw him dispatch Bonecracker without even breaking a sweat. Nealyn walked into the room and pulled each corpse back out to Kithrana, while Billings protected her.

I see that once again we were unable to defeat the heinous creatures on our first try but we are undaunted. Be ForeWarned O’ Ye Forces OF Darkness, We Shall Cleanse Your Lair As We Did Befallen !!!!


Edited by: Nealyn at: 4/10/02 10:12:22 am

[As written by Xandamir the Brave, Cleric of Tunare]

Najena is ours
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Well so far so good.... The destruction of that heinous dark elf known only as Najena, along with all her slathering minions is coming along nicely. We have managed to map out the upper portions of her lair as well as learning the hunting habits of her mislead followers. After many weeks and much carnage, we are slowly moving into her lair and soon we will have her cornered.

We are no longer bothered by the lowliest of her creatures and have settled to date on making sure that one of he lieutenants - Bonecracker - remains among the dead. Surprisingly, our strategy for success has come from the most unlikely of sources. Our brave (but not too terribly bright seeming) barbarian guardian Thunderhart, will have to be credited with our sucess so far. He had suggested that prior to entering her lair, we should make sure that all of our defensive spells be in place, we enter the lair and head straight forward to a secret room that contains the stairs lead down into the bowels of her chambers. From there we destroy all her minions that dared to attempt to stay our hands.

We ran to the appointed room and turned around to face the enemy. This was momentarily disconcerting as it appeared that we may have pulled the entire entry way with us. The Chaos was astounding. Both Ogres, multiple elementals as well as skeletons were now present. Thankfully Thunderhart was well prepared and kept their attention long enough for Talinoth and my self to heal him when necessary. We had little to fear as they were all dispatched with little blood loss. We rested a bit and allowed Drexxell the opportunity to summon his familiar (odd that he calls it a pet... he hardly feeds it. It seems like all skin and bones to me but who am I to try to understand the ways of the Necromancer).

The next step was rather rudimentary. We headed down the stairs and fell upon Bonecracker and his underlings en masse. Thunderhart of course, with the aid of Drexxell's pet, stormed right up and began flailing on Bonecracker. Drexxell started laying about spreading disease and death throughout our enemies ranks. I, with the help of Talinoth, did what we do best. We healed. We were very fortunate that Bonecracker fell quickly. Talinoth and I were able to keep Thunderhart afloat, which in turn allowed Thunderhart the opportunity to help Drexxell when the necromancers turned on him. I am not quite sure exactly how it happened, but at this point the enemy started to get the better of us. Each one of us now had an enemy of our very own and neither Talinoth nor I could heal anyone anymore. He wisely chose to cast Succor and he spirited us away from the carnage back to the entrance of Najena's Lair.

We rested and then decided to head back down in an attempt to catch those necromancers unawares. It worked like a charm. When we re-entered the room, it seemd as if those poor souls were lost without their leader. We quickly dispatched them in order to end their misery and sat to rest. It wasn't too long before we were all astonished by the reappearance of Bonecracker. He was truely undead and it seemed as if he had risen once again. He was quickly laid to rest a second time. Soon after that, first one and then a second necromancer came into the room. It appears as if Najena is still recruiting. Again these were dispatched with little to no difficulty. We waited to see if Bonecracker was down for good this time, but to our dismay he reappeared yet again. It looked like it was going to be a long night. Bonecracker fell, followed shortly by 2 more necromancers.

Thunderhart decided to scout out the nearby area a bit while we rested and recovered, just in case we decided to move further in. We then hear a shout from our large friend saying he was being harrassed by the accursed ogres that inhabit this lair. He comes rushing into the room followed by the ogre, as well as by two walking skeletons. These proved easy for our combined might. About the time these foes were vanquished, Bonecracker reappeared and was put down yet again. We seemed to have a pattern developing. Once when Thunderhart was scouting, he returned with a magician named Trazon.. Trazdon...Trayzon something to that effect. I cannot remember his name clearly as he did not last long. As near as we can imagine, this magician must have been another of the misguided underlings of Najena.

We had planned on staying there longer, however we had nearly run out of supplies. We decided to leave and acquire more supplies and return at a later date. We have no doubt that the evil that infests that place will be waiting for us when we decide to head back in, but we are confident that we now have their strengths and weaknesses appraised. We WILL find that Tier'dal Najena. They WILL fall to us. We WILL be victorious.

Edited by: Nealyn at: 4/22/02 7:07:50 am

[As written by Xandamir the Brave, Cleric of Tunare]


Returning to Najena to finish the job we started.
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Journal Entry - Xandamir Cleric of Tunare (May She Bless Us and Keep Us Safe From Harm).

Time draws near once again to head into Najena. I will have the definitive back up of my closest friends and allies, Thunderhart, Talinoth and Drexxell. With our combined might, we hope to enter into that accursed place and scourge from it all remaining taint of evil. It is a long and arduous task but one I feel that my comrades and I are exceptionally well suited for. We have worked with each other now for many cycles and feel confident that we should easily be able to overcome anything that Najena feels fit to throw at us.

We have well learned the folly of underestimating our foes and we will not be so easily lulled into a sense of complacency that has been our undoing in the past. I will update this journal following our latest foray into the depths of that iniquitous den ... Najena.

Edited by: Nealyn at: 4/24/02 1:01:09 pm

[As written by Xandamir the Brave, Cleric of Tunare]


The latest from Najena
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We have once again returned from Najena, scarred but whole. I arrived at Najena to begin my incantations of warding to find my good friend Shilena waiting nearby. That girl had heard that we had planned on heading in there and she stopped over to help us out. She just couldn't wait to get in there, so in we went to clear a path and await the coming of our remaining members. It was not long before Drexxell, then Thunderhart and finally Talinoth arrived.

We did seem to have a minor difficulty last night with poor Drexxell, however. It appeared that Najena has learned who we are and she must have sent a minion to attempt to twart our plans. Drexxell seemed to act in slow motion. His actions and reactions were always a few steps behind the rest of us. I can only guess that she had placed a spell on our companion to cause him to be at less than full capacity. He was constantly disappearing and this in turn actually lead to his untimely demise, but that will be told much later.

So in we went. All seemed to be going well, granted we were fighting multiple beasts and they were hitting very hard, but it seemed like we were going to emerge victorious. I was monitoring everyone's health and while Thunder was being soundly thrashed I had no doubt that he would live through the battle. Much to my dismay however, a very large and dangerous skeleton had decided that we could not be allowed to heal our compatriots and had selected myself as a target for his aggressions. I had to stop healing my friends and turn my attention to the one attacking me. Shilena was mixing battle cries with supporting songs for the rest of us. Talinoth was healing others as needed and blasting at the undead that surrounded us. I looked over at Drexxell to see how he fared and alas, the poor gnome was DEAD. He had gone from half health to DEAD in a matter of mili-seconds. Poor Drexxell he had apparently succumbed to a combination of whatever malady had been inflicted upon his body by Najena, as well as the physical damage being inflicted by the undead hordes we were battling. He had even valiantly left his familiar to aid Thunderhart as opposed to pulling it back to defend himself. I am constantly having to reasess my feelings for that little man. He follows one of the most abhorrent paths in life and yet his true goodness often shines through like a beacon on a cloudy night.

As for the rest of us, I had failed yet again to protect one of my charges from the evil that besieged us. Talinoth with the wisdom of the forest, wisked the rest of us back to the entrance of the lair to allow us to rest. We rejoiced in the quick thinking and acting of our wiley druid and in the fact that Drexxell's reincarnation was waiting for us when we arrived.

As we were resting and healing, a young man by the name of Bewary arrived in the entrance way. He remarked that he also followed the path of the Wayfarer and that he had heard that we might be fighting n the vacinity. Seeing as he was in the area, he decided to see if we would need his aid. We welcomed him with open arms and continued our fight. We decided to try the same strategy that had worked so well last time we were in the area, and ran straight to the secret room and turned to fight all that was following us. The fight was ugly but short. Bewary was a master at the art of Magicks and very little escaped his notice. With his aid we were more than confident that we could take out that undead creature Bonecracker. That is where we were headed next.

Well we had little to fear from that vile beast, as a matter of fact he was already dead when we arrived. Apparently while we were resting a wandering Paladin had sliped in and wiped him off the face of the planet for us. We applauded his efforts and moved in deeper to a guard room that was nearby. The elementals, Ogre guards, officers and Captain all fell like wheat before a scythe. I suppose rumor had spread that we were nearby, because soon more ogre's arrived along with Officer Grush. Again they melted like ice in the warm spring sun. Grush apparently was a shaman of some sort, he dropped a spear that not a one of us could actually use. we had to leave it behind, hoping that someone who followed us could use the weapon.

We had intended on staying for another round but decided that discretion was the better part of valor, it was getting close to the magical hour yet again and we grew tired. we make more and more progress each night and soon we will have the wench cornered. Her days are numbered.

Xandamir - Humble servant of Tunare

Edited by: Nealyn at: 4/26/02 5:57:23 am

[As written by Xandamir the Brave, Cleric of Tunare]


And the Battle Continues...
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It shall come as no surprise to anyone that, my stalwart friends and I journeyed back to the vacinity of Najena last evening. Prior to beginning last nights activities, Talinoth, Drexxell and I bided our time waiting for our burly friend Thunderhart by embarking on a side quest to destroy Hykallen. Hykallen is a lacky of Najena who also happens to follow the necromatic ways. She has a small camp out in the mountains of Lavastorm, which she shares with a small group of fire goblins. Earlier in our careers, Hykallen was more than a small thorn in our sides, but last night she fell very easily to the three of us. We must be progressing in expertise for her to have been so easily vanquished.

Thunderhart arrived and back into Najena we went. We have been pleasantly surprised at the amount of progress that we having been making against the minions of evil in that place. We are definitely progressing further and further each time we enter. Our progress last night was aided in part due to the presence of a Paladin known as Gypsee Soulforger. She had travelled to Najena in the hopes of recovering a rare herb, whoresbane, which she said the ogres in Najena use for their own dark purposes. She was much more experienced in the ways of battle than the rest of us and she was more than kind enough to aid us when the battle was going against us. We promised her that if the herb should perchance fall, she could claim any and all sprigs.

We entered the Ogre captain's ante chamber and proceeded to disperse the rabble that was presently housed within. It may have gone poorly for us had Gypsee not been there to help. When all the enemy corpses had been accounted for, we sat and rested a bit while Gypsee went about her business. In a short while we had recovered enough to tackle the Captain himself. Of course no worthy captain is ever alone and he happened to have two very large ogre guards with him inm his room. We cast spells of warding and attacked. At this time Gypsee was no where in the vacinity and it appeared as if the battle was going to be lost. I was without casting strength and Thunder was rapidly dying. I called out for our hardy druid to Succor us to safety but he didn't appear to hear my plea. I defaulted to helping Thunder fight, something I am not terribly well suited for, and kept asking for Talinoth to rescue us. As the captain finally fell, Thunder was hardly breathing and could barely stand but we still had 2 ogres to deal with. At this time lo and behold the druids Magicks enfolded us and we were all transported safely to the entrance. Talinoth HAD been listening. He knew that we could at least remove the life from the captain and then we could retreat. He had more faith in our abilities than I had, but to my mind he played it a bit close.

Again we rested and healed the poor battered barbarian. I do not understand how he can withstand the punishment that he does and then head back in for more. His constitution is truely astounding. I would be laid up in the infirmary for months if I had to endure that type of trauma. As soon as we were able, we ran back to the captains rooms in an effort to catch the replacement militia before they were fully ready for us. Again it was Gypsee that saved us as we went from room to room. She seemed to have the knack of jumping in at a time when we still were able to gain the most benefit from her aid as well as continuing to hone our own skills.

The rest of the evening was spent with Gypsee finding and rooting out our enemies for us and bringing them to us, allowing us to heal and meditate, while we took care of the occasional guards that appeared to replace the ones that had died. She returned on numerous occasions with that Bonecracker character, a visitng priestess and once with Trazdon. Upon killing Trazdon, Drexxell was able to recover a Dark Circlet. This hideous head adornment was something that could and should only be used by someone who is intimately familiar with the ways of the Necromancer. Any other use I am sure would only lead to insanity if not worse. It is rumored to enhance the wearer's intellect. I personally think it should be destroyed but Drexxell was esctatic and immediately put it on. Thunderhart seemd to remember a quest that has on occasion been given out by a Centaur by the name of Ulan Meadowgreen in the plains of South Karanas. In exchange for a Dark Circlet and 2 gems, he will make a set of leggings fit for any warrior to wear.

We were very lucky last night. Trazdon was reincarnated and just as quickly dispatched a second time. I believe he must know the scret of making that horrid item, because he was again wearing it when he was defeated. Thunder took the second circlet with the intention of travelling to Karanas and having the leggings made.

We fought almost the entire night without finding one of the leaves that Gypsee was looking for. We parted ways and she decided to look elsewhere for the herb. We must have stayed a bit longer when the cavernous lair reverberated with a shout from Reka. Reka, who also coincidentally follows the path of the Wayfarer, entered into Najena for something to do. Unfortunately he was not terribly familiar with the area, he was injured from a previous battle and he stumbled upon the Tentacle Terrors that infest the upper reaches of the lair. I am sorry to say that he was calling for us to come up and guide him but we were in the midst of a huge battle with a group of guards and couldn't tear ourselves away. Sadly the shout we heard was Reka's dying gasp as the Tentacle Terrors ripped away his life.

The night was fast approaching the time when we should depart from Najena anyway, so up we headed and virtually tripped over Reka's body. Of course in the trip out we had succeeded in gaining the attention of various ogres and skeletons. While my protectors held the enemy at bay, I resurrected Reka. He was of course sick from having been torn away from the Grim Reaper and we stayed to protect him until he was able to travel. Then it was off to the exit and home for the night.

As a couple of side notes, upon our trip up and out if Najena, we just happened to come across three sprigs of the herb that Gypse was looking for. We will keep it and look for her in the future. It is a more than fair exchange for her help.

I also wish I had not have run off so quickly last night. Talinoth's gift of speed, the Spirit of the Wolf, would have been very helpful in my next journey back to the human city of Freeport. I have a bit of shopping to do. <sigh>

Xandamir - Humble servant of Tunare

[As written by Xandamir the Brave, Cleric of Tunare]


The Najenian Conspiracy
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I am beginning to see a trend here now. First Shilena is waylaid and held from us against her will. Then Drexxell is cursed with a malady that makes his presence in our world undependable. Finally I am forced by circumstances beyond my control to absent myself from my valiant companions for the greater part of a week. Our home temple has been relocating and I was forced to set aside my personal business and aid my family in the move. As a result it has been over a week since my stalwart companions and myself have been able to thrash Najena's minions soundly. It must be Tunare's will that the evil nether-realm be purged, for I was freed from my temple duties last night to continue the scourage. No matter what dark gods and demons that foul wench beseeches, she will pay with her life for her misdeeds against all life and light.

When I arrived from the temple, Drexxell, Shilena and Talinoth were waiting for Thunderhart and myself impatiently. Apparently they too had felt the pain of their collective consciences for the shirking of their duties in cleansing that horror. A passing Ranger by the name of Nugguns happened upon us and asked if we intended on entering Najena's lair. We acknowledged that we were and he asked if he could join us inside when we got there. We told him that of course when Thunderhart arrived that we would come find him, but alas, I guess we should have just begged him to stay and wait with us instead of letting him venture in without us. As soon as Thunderhart arrived, we entered into Najena and looked for the hapless ranger. I am sorry to say that we found no signs of the poor lad. I can only hope that Tunare guided him to a safe place and that he did not fall prey to her minions.

We proceeded to the secret room as was our normal hunting strategy and down to the ante chamber of the orge officers quarters, when we heard a shout from our beloved friend Bewary, that Master Harnesser of Magicks. I would dearly love to have his ability to channel the greater powers of the universe, but I should be and am more than happy with what my Mistress provides. Bewary, with the keen eye that only one truely learned in the art of Magick can have, had observed the sorry state of the equipment that our brave warrior Thunderhart wore. I am not really belittling what our barbarian friend wears, as he has had little time or resources to purchase better, but Bewary had just returned from Luclin and he had acquired some small items that might be of interest to Thunderhart. These he gifted to Thunderhart and refused payment for the same.

Some small difficulties occurred regarding actually getting all of us comminicating. Bewary still consented to accompany us even though he would be essentially separated from us. I again feel Najena had played more than a small part in this lack of communication. As a result I had to divide my attention between my mates and still watching Bewary to make sure he stayed with us. Thunderhart began the nights activities by entering the officers room and taunting them into chasing him back to us. (He has gotten very good at that. I believe he has the edge there due to his upbringing, but that is another story.) The first wave of ogres was easily dispatched and we waited and healed. The next wave was a bit harder as Thunder neglected to remember the that there was a visiting priestess who was allied with the ogres. She healed them as fast as Thunder hit them. One of the ogre guards must have run for reinforcements for in shor order we had a whole room full of ogre gurds and assorted elementals. I tried... Tunare knows I tried, but Bewary fell and I curse myself for not reacting fast enough to save his life. After the subsequent resurrection, we regrouped and continued to thrash the guards.

Drexxell was the next one to pass on into the afterlife. This had come shortly after Bonecracker and his clan decided to come and see what all the ruckus was about in the officer's rooms. We easily defeated that undead ghoul and his hirelings, but we were a bit unprepared for the ogre guard reinforments again. Najena must be tired of hiring new lackeys all the time, because this time they put up a good fight. Drexxell must have really irked one of the officers, for he had it's undivided attention. He made a valiant effort to try to run back to the entrance and lead the ogre away as opposed to staying and putting us in greater peril. Unfortunately due to his speed, I was unable to catch him and he expired just beyond our secret room. I returned him to our cause, once again aided by My Lady, Tunare, and we continued the fight. The rest of the evening was a tad uneventful thankfully, but we are still plotting and planning our move further into the depths of that cespool of vile putrescence and slime.

I must rest now, my heart is heavy at the thought of my recent failures to protect my companions. I know this is but a test of my faith and skills, but nonetheless it still weighs heavily on my heart.

Xandamir - Faithful follower of Tunare

Edited by: Nealyn at: 5/10/02 12:29:13 pm

[As written by Xandamir the Brave, Cleric of Tunare]


Thanks to Franklyn for aid in the fight against Najena
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The conspiracy to keep us from Najena must have deeper roots then we first thought. Last night Drexxell was again absent from our company under extremely suspicious circumstances. Word had reached us that he was pampering a female friend of his, which is totally uncharacteristic of him. I will need to pool my contacts and look into this issue in the future. Thankfully however, Shilena, Talinoth, Thunderhart and myself were still able to continue. Shilena, perhaps in a bout of mystically enhanced foresight, brought with her a distant cousin of Thunderhart from the frozen waste of Halas. Her friend, Franklyn was a purveyor of nature’s magic, somewhat akin to the druid already within our midst. Oddly, Franklyn also follows the path of the Wayfarer, and maybe that is the key to his fortuitous appearance. Some would consider his magicks primitive as compared to others, but regardless, it was effective and very welcome.

We met little to know resistance from the front rooms while we waited for our little gnome friend that would not be joining us. Finally we decided to head down and lessen the ogre population. We heading in slowly as Franklyn was new to the area and we certainly had no desire to have him get lost. The ogre officer antechamber was again populated with an assortment of elementals and the lone skeleton. It appears as if Najena has little to no imagination and is rigidly fixated on restocking her guards with almost exact replicas of the previous ones. The ogre officer and his lackeys were also easily dispatched. Apparently without the aid of the wandering priestess, they cannot stand against so powerful a force as the one we present. From there we naturally moved on to the Ogre Captain. This is where the fighting began to heat up. I really think that Najena is sending the captains to further training now. While they still fight with the same outdated tactics, they are now just a little bit more powerful and quicker to jump over onto us healers. Maybe they have heard the stories about the demise of their predecessors and are trying to take steps to insure that they do not succumb to our might. Try as they might however, they still fell after a short and very ugly battle. I will admit that I was a bit on the edge for a short while, as I have keenly felt the loss of each party member from time to time and I dreaded the thought of losing Franklyn.

We rested, healed and sure enough, after a short time had passed the changing of the guard occurred yet again. We cleaned out the elementals and the officers and then went back to waiting. We cast spells of warding and enhancements and continued to wait for the reinforcements that we knew were coming. (Franklyn’s repertoire of spells is extremely useful in that capacity, by the way. Additionally he is an excellent healer. His aid along with Talinoth virtually can guarantee our success in anything we do in the future.) Then it was time to rid the world of one more Ogre Captain. Talinoth cast a protective barrier of thorns about Thunderhart and the Captain was taunted out of his little room. The captain had been in deep conversation with a visiting priestess and I guess he was more than a bit miffed at the interruption. He came roaring out of the room with his guards and the priestess and immediately proceeded to pummel Thunderhart and the little bardling Shilena. I admire both Shilena and Thunderhart’s stoicism, they continued to hit and be hit, trusting us to make sure that they remained among the living. Only once did Thunderhart cry out, and I am sure it was because he had looked over and seen the battered and bloodied bard fighting feebly next to him. She has a great heart, but her constitution is just not as great as his is and she was hurting badly. It was almost immediately after I informed them that I could no longer cast and that I would have to meditate for further heals, that Thunder called for Talinoth to wisk us away from the fight. Unfortunately, Thunderhart had been so focused on his fight that he missed the conversation wherein we decided for Talinoth to use his mana to heal instead of reserving some for the evacuation spell. I am not sure how it happened but we all managed to survive that battle, Thank Tunare. We sat down and wearily rested and healed. We took out the officers one last time and moved on.

Someone mentioned that Bonecracker and his bevy of necromancers was in their room, plotting to do whatever it was that they did. That had to be stopped, so that is where we went next. A simple enough task, and one that we easily accomplished. We conquered them so quickly that we felt we had plenty of time to head back to the officer area and take out the captain before his officers were replaced. We entered the antechamber with absolutely no resistance. That should have been the first clue that something was amiss. The second was the fact that the priestess was back in attendance. We didn’t see it coming and we almost paid dearly for our lack of observations. We pulled the captain out into the open and were promptly set upon by the entire squad, the captain, his officer and two guards and the priestess. Just as the battle was beginning, the officer and three guards that had cunningly hidden themselves from our view in the antechamber joined the battle. Don’t ask me how they did it either. It was like they “popped” up during the fight. There was no help for it. I couldn’t cast a single spell. Both Thunder and Shilena were driven to their knees by the onslaught of the Captain and his company. Franklyn was struggling with 2 guards and I was beset by an officer and an underling. Thankfully Talinoth was only being attacked by a lone ogre and I shouted for him to evacuate us. He timed it perfectly. In between one hit and the next we all reappeared at the entranceway of Najena’s Lair.

While we hated to leave on a negative note, after all no one likes to flee the scene of a battle, we decided that perhaps it was time to turn in for the evening. We had not escaped unscathed, but at least we had our lives, which was more than we could say for those that followed Najena.

Xandamir – Battered but Whole, Humble Servant of Tunare


Edited by: Nealyn at: 5/13/02 8:16:47 am

[As written by Xandamir the Brave, Cleric of Tunare]


Our attack party was routed
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Well, again I MUST emphasize the fact that there are forces at work here that have been meddling with our cleansing efforts. Having personally been trapped and withheld twice from my Holy Quest to purge the land of the foul evil that lurks beneath in that vile place known as Najena, I know this counter force (whatever it might be) must be brought to justice. An entire week has passed since we have been able to make the followers of Najena think twice about their chosen alliances.

This time we were without the aid of our wood dwelling friend Talinoth. It is truely amazing that you only come to realize how valuable a person is when they are absent. If only he had been there I am sure we would have fared better. As it was I was the sole heler again, something that has not been in quite a long time, but I am getting ahead of myself.

We waited for a short while before heading in, waiting for our missing members. Finally Drexxell, Shilena, Thunderhart and myself headed in. The halls of that thrice cursed place were actually crowded with hunters for a change. I am sure that these additional hunters were trying to rid that realm of those foul, misguided creatures for their own purposes. Regardless of the reason, they were making our task much easier. The fighting during the initial flight to the secret chamber was short but fierce. We knew that we really couldn't hope to have as much success during this outing as we had on previous days, so we decided to stop by Bonecracker's room and bolster our enthusiasm by a quick and easy scuffle. That scuffle was extremely easy considering the fact that Bonecracker and his bevey of necromancers had already been soundly thrashed. Their rotting corpses were still lying about on the floor as evidence when we entered the room.

We cleaned up the mess and sat to wait for their inevitable resurrection. Soon enough we heard chanting and then a puff of smoke filled the room. When the smoke cleared, there stood Bonecracker. Thunderheart jumped up and proceeded to beat him unmercifully. In the space of about 5 heartbeats, two necromancers joined the fight to aid that foul ghoul. With the combined might of the agile bardling, Drexxell and Drexxell's familiar, Bonecracker went down quickly. He was followed in death almost immediately by his wenches. The necromancers had been unable to summon spirits to protect themselves. Seeing that the battle had already been joined, they made the fatal mistake of failing to animate their skeletal familiars and instead waing right in to trade blows with our capable barbarian defender.

With spirits soaring and our heads held high, we went in and just as easily cleared the Ogre officer's antechamber and quarters. All that remained was the captains chambers. He was apparently sleeping or occupied, otherwise I am sure he woulld have come out and attempted to aid his officers during their death struggle. When we finally did muster the courage to take him on, we found that he was more than we could handle. My first couple of heals succeeded in gaining me the attention of one very enraged Ogre Officer. Thunderhart, apparently tiring of hearing my cries of pain and realizing that if I passed on he would get no further healing, left the Captain in the capable hands of Shilena and Drexxell's pet and came back to aid me. The Officer fell, but then so did Drexxell. Apparently Drexxell's pet and then Drexxell himself had done enough damage to the Captain that the 2 remaining ogre guards decided to remove Drexxell from the fight. After Drexxell's death, his pet lacking direction, committed suicide, leaving Shilena with the Captain. She didn't last long at all I am afraid. I yelled for Thunderhart to run, but I knew he wouldn't, he never does. He lapsed into a berserkers frenzy and held them back while I, (Tunare Help Me) ran like a coward. I survived thanks to the selfless loyalty of my comrades.

As I crossed back over into the Lavastorm mountains I realized that Drexxell had returned and was attempting to retreive his poor battered body. He had a plan to enter the lower levels while invisible and drag his body back and then returning down below to get the others. He didn't realize that the elementals within Najena were able to see through his invisibility spells, as a result he soon found himself dead a second time. I decided to tackle the fire elemental alone and pave the way to enable Drexxell to regain the corpses lost below. I am not sure why I did that. Perhaps it was an extension of my chagrin at the realization that I was truly a coward at heart. Maybe it was due to the fact that the horror of watching all my friends perish was still very fresh in my memory, but either way, I vanquished the fire elemental, allowing Drexxell to continue his corpse removal.

Down he went to the Officer's chamber where they had died and brought Shilena's body back with him. Thunderhart's body unfortunately was further in. He didn't think twice about it though, but went back to get it. He again found out the hard way that the higher level ogres can see through his invisibility. He was dead again. By this time Thunderhart had returned from whence his soul was bound. Even though he did not have the benefit of his armor and weapons, he was still a force to be reckoned with. He still managed to protect me from the various creatures that happened upon us while we were resting.

I was hesitant to resurrect Shilena at this time, since the other hunters were having their own share of difficulties. Each time we tried to rest another group of hunters ran by yelling for us to clear the way as they were being followed by various undead and assorted henchmen. Finally I cast the spell and called Shilena to join her soul with her body just as some magicians returned from below with a cluster of enemy skeletons in tow. Shilena barely made it back to Lavastorm with her life.

While we were all debating our course of action, I realized that only Thunderharts body remained below. I took steps to remedy that however. I knew the path was clear to the officer's room. I snuck down, prayed to Tunare to protect me from their foul blades, cast invulnerabilty and then ran in and collected Thunderharts body. I made it all the way back to the secret room before my spell expired and the frustrated ogres were finally able to hit me. I was within site of my comrades when I finally succumbed to the blows of the ogres. With my dying breath I yelled for them to run because I had brought the entire basement back up with me. A detatched part of me noticed that Officer Gruush was present in the pack and it was he that dealt my killing blow. My friends scampered to the Lavastorm mountains and hid.

Tunare released my soul and allowed me to return to my comrades, no doubt to perform penance for my previous acts of cowardice. We cleaned up the carnage and decided that enough was enough. We would need to regroup and try again at a later date. I will be have to sit and ruminate upon my my unworthiness as a healer and lack of fortitude.

Xandamir - Humble and Unworthy Servant of Tunare

[Written by Shilena, Bard of Tunare]


Our Desperate Search for Xandamir
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I, humble bard of Tunare, feel it is my duty to try to weave this tale of desperation, friendship, pain and suffering. You know the topic, dear reader. It is the foul Najena, whispering her words of terror and humiliation hoping to lure for sacrifice the souls of the young.

She found a way to steal Xandamir from us. It will not be tolerated -- this is the last straw.

I suspected perhaps Najena had worked some magics on Xandamir. The only way to find out for sure was to go into that vixen's lair and try to find our dear cleric. Our heavy hearts only aided her and perhaps helped fuel our desperation, but I digress.

Drexxell, Thunderhart, Talinoth, a powerful shaman by the name of Vanalcar and an enchanter called Zan all banded together to try to battle evil and discover what had become of Xandamir. We entered Najena's lair and set out to the secret room.

After battling some of Najena's finest, we realized that Xandamir couldn't possibly be inside. There must have been some other nasty scheme Najena dreamed up to keep our dear cleric from us. The fighting became so much more difficult without Tunare's armor and her powerful healing. Fortunately for the hunting party, our new allies Vanalcar and Zan were quite a force to be reckoned with and helped us greatly.

There was really only one place left to check ... the officer's chambers. Here is where Najena has defeated us time and again. I didn't want to go. I was afraid. But, it was for Xandamir and we had no other choice.

Thunderhart valiantly called to the Guard Captain, Guard Officer, Visiting Priestess and the two Ogre Guards inside. He swore they would give us information as to our Xandamir's whereabouts or meet their doom. Najena has taught them well not to negotiate, and they came at us with all swords blazing. We tried to slay the priestess first, as we know the power of a healer. Our mighty druid, Talinoth, had evacuation at the ready, so we knew we could get out if we had to.

Thunder fought valiantly and spells were blazing throughout the room. I think Najena's power, fed by my fear, when combined with the loss of Xandamir must have finally overloaded my young senses. I broke from battle, close to death, and with my last breath I pleaded to the casters for help. What I didn't know, is that I may have been the very cause of my own death and that of others. I brought the ogres toward our most defenseless members and the ogres responded, perhaps even interrupting Talinoth's evacuation spell. I fell almost immediately and Thunderhart fell shortly after, but not without taking a few of Najena's criminals with him. Talinoth was able to evacuate the remaining party members, but not before they snuffed out Vanalcar's life as well.

I went blind with grief and rage. I couldn't bear that Najena had beaten us down again and that we still didn't know Xandamir's whereabouts or how she had been separated from us. I cried out to the Wayfarers of Veeshan for help. Pain and humiliation at my own weakness overwhelmed me. I could hardly stand the sight of myself. I wondered if my cowardice would turn Tunare away from me. I wondered if I'd ever see Xandamir again.

But I had forgotten what a mighty force I called on to help our little group. While Talinoth transported to West Commonlands for a coffin for Drexxell's spell to summon our bodies to the lair entrance, the Wayfarers of Veeshan came to our rescue. A powerful cleric, Aaramis, agreed to come at once and help return our souls to our bodies. A fierce rogue, Irodanes, hunting in nearby SolA appeared out of no where to sneak thru Najena's lair and help recover our bodies. Shelaabe, kind and noble druid, was on her way to rescue me on the moon and return me to Lavastorm and my friends. From all areas of Norrath, Kunark, Velious and indeed Luclin, the Wayfarers of Veeshan were asking how they could help and sending us strength.

Finally it was Minalcar who came to rescue me in the Nexus, a frightening place that I hardly knew. He returned me to Lavastorm and I headed back to Najena's lair. Thunderhart and Vanalcar's souls had already been restored and now it was my turn.

A sad end to this tale. I confessed my hurt and frustration to Drexxell, pouring out my heart to my old friend. I told him I didn't have the constitution to go back into Najena's lair. I told him I was afraid. He told me to rest, get some sleep. He asked me to return to the group in three days time.

The next morning I woke up and again realized how I had let Xandamir down. I didn't know what to do. Perhaps the Wayfarers of Veeshan could again come to our rescue? What in all Tunare's realm were we going to do?

I tried contacting Xandamir. I fell on my knees and praised the name of Tunare when she answered my call. Her calm and gentle voice soothed the pain in my soul and I felt the spirit of Tunare in my heart. Najena had called a massive thunderstorm that kept Xandamir from reaching Lavastorm. She was safe. Tunare protected her from the storm and she spent the night in prayer.

The story poured out of me like a confession. Like Drexxell, Xandamir told me to get some rest. She said we would work it out.

I slept well that night, slept well indeed. Perhaps there is hope for a little bard like me. At least I know my friends are all safe and intact .. for the moment, anyway. I've also learned that we have a powerful force behind us, helping us, teaching us. That force is the Wayfarers of Veeshan. Turns out I'm quite a lucky bard, after all.

Humbly submitted,
Shilena, Bard of the 20th Song
Faithful Servant of Tunare


[the next passage written by Xandamir, Cleric of Tunare]


Re: Our Desperate Search for Xandamir
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Ahhhhh My Dearest Friend Shilena, thank you so much for keeping my journal up to date. If nothing else it may help guide those who come after us.

Have no fear, for I have, with the help of our Mistress Tunare, defeated that horrible, horrible set of circumstances. I had nearly driven myself mad at the thought of my deaest friends attempting to enter that woe-begotten realm without my powers of healing. Imagine my dismay in finding that not only did they enter therein without my support, but they entered in the hopes of rescuing ME from Najena's foul embrace.

Alas, while I applaud and even welcome all future atempts to safeguard myself, I am sorry to say that your search for me was unnecessary. Yes the inclement weather was more than I was capable of overcoming.

Incidentally, I have scouted her lair recently and I am beginning to wonder if perhaps our time might be better suited in hunting other quarry for the time being. Then we may re-enter her lair when we are stronger and our psychologial wounds have healed.

Rest Dear One... the time will come soon when we will no longer be routed by that foul vixen and her cohorts. We WILL overcome all obstacles... Tunare has fortold the outcome of that battle.

Xandamir -Humble Servant of Tunare_


[the next passage written by Shilena, Bard of Tunare]


Re: Our Desperate Search for Xandamir
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I have seen your power, Xandamir. I would follow you .. yes even into hell.

You need but say the word.

Shilena

[As written by Xandamir the Brave, Cleric of Tunare]

Leaving Najena
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I would like to take this moment to first thank My Mistress Tunare for all the strength and encouragement that she has provided to our ragtag little band of adventurers as we have striven to free all those lost-godless souls that have been trapped interminably beneath Norrath in Najena. She has provided us with no end of willing compatriots to aid us in our struggles.

Last night for instance, we had the pleasure of Nuras' company for the duration of our battles. Nuras a fellow Wayfarer and an accomplished Magician of some 20 seasons, had heard rumors of a fiercesome band of adventurers who have been repeatedly attacking Najena in all her glory, week after week. He was so intrigued that he needed to see the battles for himself. I am sure he was more than a little let down to trek all that way only to find our humble little band of scappers licking our wounds out in the Lava storm mountains.

He did however, quickly accept our invitation to join in the fray. We decided to enter the area and to clear the way down to Bonecracker whilst we waited for our Barbarian friend Thunderhart. This was very simple which is not surprising since we are growing in skills, but it did pass the time. Thunderhart appeared shortly after we entered Najena and Bonecracker fell quickly. We heard Trazdon calling out to his mage friends nearby and decided to take him out also. This led to the only Tragedy of the evening. I had suggested that we head over to Trazdon’s lair as opposed to waiting in Bonecracker’s room, since I was concerned that Bonecracker would rise from the dead at the wrong time. Besides if we all stayed together, we could protect each other easier.

We entered Trazdon’s lair and let me remind all those fledgling adventurers out there that it is a foolish person that chooses to confront the enemy in his own home. They are strongest there and for this novice mistake, I lost my life. Talinoth did manage to succor the rest out immediately after I died, so at least they were safe. We rested and healed while Drexxell summoned my corpse to the entrance and I donned my armor. The rest of the evening passed uneventfully and it was nice to actually have a semi-restful evening. I know that the simple addition of a magician was probably the reason for this ease with which the enemy was defeated. Nuras may have been a bit younger than most of us, but his skills at damage dealing were astonishing. He even had his own pet running about harassing the enemy.

Soon it was time for Nuras and Shilena to set up their camp for the evening and we decided to follow suit. Our core group did however come to one conclusion… it’s time for us to leave Najena for a bit. While I am loathe to leave Najena only half cleansed, I feel in my heart that it is time for us to depart and search for alternative hunting grounds. We need to grow and see the world a bit, I think we will be heading to the Plains of Karanas for a while.

Xandamir – Humble Servant of Tunare-


[The following was written by Talinoth the Mighty Druid]

Re: Leaving Najena
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By the gods! What were we thinking. The lair of Najena may have been dusty and dark, but it favored the senses in comparison to the foul mires and vapours of Runnyeye. Nor am I comforted by the gnome Drexxell's shared preference for the former hell over the present. Yet I will bide my peace as none of my compatriots have thus faultered and complained. Brave Xandamir and Thunderhart care not where the foe be found so long as the foe, in time, be found dead at their feet. And many are thus found. Alas, despite these victories, the sweet sparrow melodies the bard Shilena teases from the strings offer me my only true solace.

--The Birchbark Memoirs of Talinoth, pg 26.

Dear Xandamir,

Your stories have been an inspiration to all who follow the path of Tunare. I have posted them here from temple records in the hope that this truly is only chapter one of what will be many adventures that bring glory and honor to our godesses name.

May Tunare always keep you safe,
Kithrana Lifeweaver
Cleric of Tunare of in her 42nd Season

I had intended on replying to this a while ago, but I was side tracked as usual.

I wanted to thank you for carrying over my writings, Kithrana, sloppy and haphazard though they are. I am glad that they have not fallen by the wayside and that they are in fact following the Wayfarers as they move throughout Norrath. I know that many can surely do better than I in recounting the past, but I do strive to keep them at least as unbiased and truthful as possible.

Xandamir - Humble Servant of Tunare-