An Aesthetic shows you to a small reading room.

Stories of Ansalon from the view of Acaydon.

A little gully dwarf runs by and says 'Wordwrap is at 65. You change? Off 65 80.'
The gully continues 'Eyes hurt? Turn Color OFF!! (regular story dates)

Astinus says 'Enter the main library here to view only the author list.'
Astinus gently places a beautiful hard bound book on the table in front of you.
You note the spine bears the word 'Acaydon' scribed in light purple ink.

Author:    Acaydon        
Date:      Wed Nov  5 02:29:46 2008
Subject     The hatred within...


I do not know where to begin to combat these accusations  I
hardly
believe I even have to defend my actions against this man.  What
makes
this common thug an expert on priesthood? What could he possibly
begin
to understand of the complexities of prayer? I've come from a
long line
of worship in my family. I am not inherently evil by nature, I
thought I
had put this behind me, after forgiving such a vicious and
completely 
unwarranted attack not so long ago. I had thought a dwarf could
make
an honestly living as a masonry worker. That a dwarf could
worship out
in the open, free of persecution.  Anyone with the slightest of
knowledge
on this subject would've known I was going over some prayers to
call
out a healing for the blind.  I was praying to cure the sickness
of a beggar
I'd found in the darker alleyways on my travels through the fair
city of
Palanthas.  I cannot begin to wonder what hatred has overcome
this being.
Perhaps he doesn't like hill dwarves, this is the second time in
not so many
days that he's attacked completely unprovoked. As he came upon
me, my
prayers caught in my throat as I was about to offer a greeting.
Yet again my
miss guided trust and forgiveness was thrown in my face, yet
again my good
name thrown into the mud for no reason.  And as for that artifact
that was
stolen from my belongings, I had come across a curious fellow
that goes by
the name of Brim, he'd been fortunate enough in his travels to
obtain a pair
of these curious items. Knowing of my priestly talents and that
I'd also done
a fair bit of travel, he asked my opinion on what they could
mean. I fear I
may never be able to return the item he entrusted me to study. 
Again I ask
for none of this, a peaceful priest, offering words of prayer for
the sickly, 
out in the open, freely praying for the good of all, in a
beautifully built city.
It saddens me what these dire times can bring upon even one of a
holy order
such as mine. So I first, offer an apology to Brim for losing his
most curious
of items, and secondly I ask again for forgiveness to this miss
guided man
who seems so filled with hate, I will pray for you.

Signed with a surprisingly elegant script: Acaydon RavenClaw

Author:    Acaydon        
Date:      Thu Nov  6 04:03:04 2008
Subject     Blood on the road to Solace


after reports of violence in the area around Solace, I was
contacted to
conduct an investigation on the murders. I found that all the
people slain
were on the roads in and out of Solace, in fact, right along the
trade routes.
This was a curious coincidence as they were also all of dwarven
heritage.
Upon cooperation with the local authorities, as I was acting on
their behalf,
albeit independently, I was able to examine the corpses of the
massacre.
After looking over the casualties it only confirmed my earlier
suspicions
that the two were connected. The area of attacks were right along
the two
main caravan roads. Most of the victims seemed to be related, and
indeed
of the same band even. They were mostly mountain dwarves, which I
admit
left a foul taste in my mouth and grime on my hands I could not
wash off for
several days after the incident.  I came to a quick, and in my
opinion, natural
conclusion that these deaths were caused by two warring factions
of mountain
dwarf caravans. Apparently these two clans were in a heated race
to establish
a new route to the city of Solace, they stopped at nothing to out
do the other
and this did result in quite a few deaths. Not that the world
would miss a few
petty mountain dwarves, good ridden I say, and may the world be
better off
for it.  In the end it was nothing of major concern and I alerted
the watch of
my findings, they concluded much the same to my satisfaction.

Author:    Acaydon        
Date:      Wed Nov 12 02:50:05 2008
Subject     Faith lost... (part 1)


You can feel the heart beating rhythmically beneath you. You hang
from a
finely crafted chain swaying comfortably as you generally do when
the
priest walks about.  Gently a hand reaches up to clasp you
tightly beneath
his robes. His touch is firm but pleasant as it brings you closer
to
communion with your creator.  You feel the energies surge within
you as he
chants a quick prayer and begins moving again, releasing you to
your
swaying once again.

It is dark when you are finally hung upon your well worn peg near
the small
cot in the cramped room, a pang of loneliness over comes you as
you wait
for the cold night to pass and the sun to rise again, heralding a
new day
and morning prayer, your favorite part of the day.

Morning comes quickly and afore mentioned prayers warm your
insides, it
fades quickly as you are placed around his neck causing him to
flinch with
your cold, tender caress. His shrugs it off and dons his robes,
hiding the
daylight from you, allowing you peace and comfort in the darkness
once
again.

It started out just like any other day, a walk around the
monastery and
even a walk to the market, nothing unusual. Then it happened, a
quick jerk,
a rough tumble, the priest stumbled out of the way of an out of
control
horse and cart. Was he alright? It didn't matter; you felt a
falling
sensation, something not unlike being taken off for the evening.
However it
was still light, and then...

There was a metallic sound as you hit the cobble stones hard,
splashed into
a puddle and sunk slowly into the mud. The dirt and grime was
repulsive,
dark and dirty, cold and wet. You tried to protest but it was
inevitable,
you were lost, alone and afraid.

*                           *                             *

The priest was pacing frantically as he met the dark figure in
the
courtyard. "What do you need from me to find the
medallion?", the
priest pleas helplessly.

Acaydon says, "If I can just examine another like it and
perhaps your
living quarters that should be enough, along with another
personal item I
should be able to locate it relatively quickly for you."

The priest quickly escorts the man to his quarters and explains
the
situation, handing over a similar medallion borrowed from another
priest
along with some other personal affects.

*                           *                             *

The warmth of a hand surrounds you as you emerge from the murky
waters of a
long settled puddle. With great care it wipes you off, paying
particular
care to your gem encrusted etchings. You feel joy at being found,
but
instant dread as you gaze upon the being holding you up. Before
you can
gather your surroundings you're quickly stuffed into a small
pouch hidden
from view once again.

Before long there is another violent jerk and you become beaten
and
scratched by the many coins in the pouch as you fall to the
ground once
again. You are quickly lifted and rushed off again by what sounds
like a
pair of small running feet. Instantly you feel a small flight
before you
can gather your wits and you slam once again into the ground
gathering even
more nicks and cuts. With another quick fall and a splash you
begin quickly
becoming wet once again. At the same time, a feeling of movement
roughly
rushes you along to a louder, splashing sound. Yet again another
fall and a
loud 'KURPLUNK' sound as you land hard on the bottom of what you
can only
guess to be a deep pool of water.

*                           *                             *

Acaydon quickly recites a few prayers and prepares a spell he
adapted using
some of the materials and information gathered at the monastery.
Once the
spell is cast he is urged to move east towards the sewer
entrance. After
several attempts, yielding various other trinkets and amulets he
was
confident this was the one he was searching for.

(to be continued)

Author:    Acaydon        
Date:      Wed Nov 12 02:53:09 2008
Subject     Faith lost... (part 2)


As he approached the entrance the gentle pull of the spell grew
stronger.
He wandered through some tunnels and eventually came to a vast
network of
pools and tunnels in the sewers below Neraka.  After an hour of
searching
he found a pool where water was rushing in from a grate about eye
level.
The lay of the tunnel network gave him hope as he waded into the
pool,
first feeling around with his feet for what he was searching for.
Then,
after he found something hopeful, he dove down and quickly
grabbed it from
the bottom.

*                           *                             *

The darkness wasn't so bad, but the sense of hopelessness and of
an
eternity of loneliness was bitter. The sense of abandonment, and
it was
suddenly much colder among your fairly inadequate company of
mixed coins. 
Suddenly in the silence and stillness there was movement and a
rush of
watery currents came over you. Hope at last, something has come
to save
you.

The snake slithered out one small pipe, brushing up past the
pouch pushing
it further into the corner before moving into another small pipe
across the
way. Never considering the value of what it had just
inadvertently brushed
up against in its quest for another meal of slimy fish.

The time passed much slower after that initial burst of hope,
until finally
it happened again, only it was different, there were several
currents as if
someone was walking near you, and then it did happen. You were
being lifted
up out of the water. Finally, someone has come for you. You can
feel their
power, an instant connection to your creator, but it was
different some
how, similar, but ultimately not the same intimate touch of your
own
master.
 
*                           *                             *
 
He came up quickly, coughing up some water and muttering all the
while
about his distaste for sewers and water in general. Spitting out
some
particularly foul stuff he looked down into his hand to find a
small pouch.
To his surprise and utter delight the amulet was there, as well
as a
sizeable amount of copper and even a gold piece.

With a quick snap of his fingers and a prayer to his own deity,
Acaydon was
back in the courtyard before the monastery. He quickly found the
priest and
just as quickly collected his reward before departing to check on
his manor
in the very same city. Shortly after he departed for Palanthas
without
another word or even a look back.

Acaydon RavenClaw

Author:    Acaydon        
Date:      Sat Nov 15 01:55:21 2008
Subject     Goods for Travel


There I was, looking over some papers and requests for various
jobs in the
main quarters of the complex. I found nothing of interest and
decided to do
some much needed prayer instead for guidance I've long been in
need of.
Part way through this prayer session a servant dropped a newly
delivered
request on my desk.  It looked authentic and had an interesting
seal upon
the outside in a red colored wax.

Curiousity got the better of me and my prayer session ended
prematurely, I
picked up the note and broke the seal. After skimming the note,
nothing of
too great an importance, I did finally respond with an accord.

It was a simple matter and the pay was more than ample, I agreed
sending a
message off right away, knowing it would get there much faster
than myself.
I had a few things to pick up along the way to the meeting place
anyway. In
just a few days time I traveled from the complex to Gerighelm, to
Palanthas
to meet my perspective buyer. I had a few things in stock he was
looking
for. After a quick meet and greet we walked along for a while and
I brought
him to my storage facility with the items he was looking to
acquire.

It was a simple trade, item for coin. Just the way I like them.
Quick,
descrete and fast. Before I could count my blessings I was on my
way back
to the complex to again resume my much needed prayers.
 
Acaydon RavenClaw

Author:    Acaydon        
Date:      Sun Nov 16 19:39:21 2008
Subject     Whispers in Tantallon (part 1)


He strikes a pensive pose as he contemplates the most recent news
from his
network. After a moment of consideration he nods to himself,
producing a
wicked smile on his face. Walking over to his newly acquired
desk, of fine
oak, he gathers up a parchment and some scribing materials. Just
before
sitting down to write a clever note, he calls for a messenger and
takes a
seat at the desk to write what was on his mind, all the while
keeping that
delightfully wicked smile upon his otherwise cherubic face.

As he was penning the last of the note, feeling quite content
with his
choice of wording on the note, he read it over just once more
before
sealing it. That process itself took considerable time as he
looked over
the many signets he would use. Finally after a long pause he
chose one with
just the right history. Not too subtle, no direct ties, just the
right
amount of influence, it was perfect. He sealed the letter just as
the
messenger announced himself and approached the desk. Without
permission,
the dark figure made note to himself absently, though that didn't
matter,
not today, not with such promising news unfolding.

"This must be delivered to the local authorities in Tantallon,
be
discrete, and be quick," the dark figure said with a wave of
his hand.

"Oh yes sir, right away sir,"the some-what nervous messenger
said with
a too gracious bow. He paused for only a moment before turning on
his way
and running out the door.

The figure at the desk began writing another note, casually he
called out
to the curtain behind him and to the back, out of sight. "Make
sure he
delivers it then slay him just outside the city. Make it look
like theft
gone murder."

*               *               *

Two days later the messenger arrived, making quite good time so
he thought
at the city of Tantallon. He was quick to scout out the local
authorities
and quickly found a barracks with the symbol of the Solamnic
Knights
hanging on high. With a nervous step he scanned the area for
immediate
threats and tried to casually walk toward the barracks. He was
stopped with
a quick "Halt!" and two guards appeared promptly from the
entrance.

"State your business," one gruff fellow said.

(continued on part 2)

Author:    Acaydon        
Date:      Sun Nov 16 19:45:03 2008
Subject     Whispers in Tantallon (part 2)

After a moment of fumbling the messenger produced a letter and
handed it
over with great care to show the markings in the wax seal. He
stated it was
urgent and made a big fuss about having orders to deliver it
directly to
the captain of the guard. After a few moments of deliberation and
upon
further inspection of the signet stamped a guard gave a quick nod
to one
back in the doorway and within a few moments an obviously higher
ranking
officer did appear. That was more than enough for the almost
trembling
young messenger and he quickly handed the note over before giving
a bow and
explaining yet again the important of it. He ran off without
another word,
stumbling once and turning the corner of a building to quite
chuckles from
the guards.

The higher ranking officer was not a captain, was nothing more
than the
lead watch of the men on duty. He just happened to be dressed in
his more
formal uniform for the day, having had some other business with a
noble
family earlier in the day. He unceremoniously tore open the note
and began
reading it before he gave a quick gasp and looked around quickly
for the
messenger that had left. Finding no one, he gave a curt nod to
the other
men around him and dashed into the barracks.

The real captain of the barracks took his time reading over the
letter,
carefully inspecting the script and the signet symbol stamped
again at the
lower left corner near the elegant signature. A signature he knew
surprisingly well. With a great sigh he rose from his desk and
paced around
the room a bit as he gave his orders.

"It seems our original suspicions are true on the attacks that
have been
taking place recently. It is just as we suspected. A band of
thugs at work.
It looks like it is a small group, so we should be able to deal
with them
swiftly. Take four and investigate this further to be sure," 
with a nod
he turned and walked back to his desk to inspect the letter
again. 


Author:    Acaydon        
Date:      Mon Nov 17
16:26:04 2008
Subject     An Audience Requested


 He
was sitting at his desk, as he'd been doing more and more
lately,
shuffling through reports, he gave a sigh as he stumbled
across a pile he'd
completely over looked. Just as he was about
to look through those reports a
courier came rushing in,
unannounced he noticed. It must be urgent for
such
insolence.

Some what annoyed he responds, "A knock would
be prudent next time."

The messenger bows and begs forgiveness
but indeed exclaims his urgency,
"Word from Neraka sir, there's
been attacks, the manor has sustained some
heavy damage to
the outer wall. They are requesting your presence at
once."

Slamming his fists on the table in frustrations Acaydon
gets up quickly and
rushes around the desk, "I don't have time
for this, not now." he sighs
angrily. "Gather some men
we've got to make a trek to Neraka."

The servant left in a
rush and Acaydon sat back down in his newly furnished
chair to
think on the situation at hand. Before long, and well before
the
preparations were in order for the journey he was in fine
spirits once
again. Once the courier arrived he gave the order to
move out at once, a
slight spring in his step.

Once in Neraka,
Acaydon didn't go directly to his manor as the company
expected.
Instead he made a more direct route to the local headquarters
of
the Dragonarmy. This was unexpected but upon arrival it became
clear.

Acaydon spoke privately with the guards, showing them
various symbols and
documents and even slipping them a small
bribe to ensure the message was
delivered to the Baroness. With a
quick wink to his new friends he turned
about with a wide grin on
his face.

Upon returning to his band and giving the order to
move out, he turned to
his advisor and said, "I've just
requested an audience with the Baroness
personally, it was too
sensitive to send a messenger for these delicate
matters. Let us
check on the manor while we wait for her reply. She is quite
busy
I hear, but we shall see..." 

Author:    Acaydon    
   
Date:      Fri Nov 21 00:41:18 2008
Subject     A
Quick Coin

 Acaydon writes in his logs:

During my
travels I came across a couple curious fellows, one was
looking
for a lost item. Upon his rather simple request I was
able to use magical
influence to guide him to his lost dagger. It
was a trivial matter but the
pay was well worth the inconvenience
it caused in my travels through the
Solamnic Plains on my way to
Palanthas.

While staying in Palanthas I was contacted by another
fellow, not quite as
curious just in need of a good sword. As
luck would have it I'd just picked
up a fine sword in a game of
dice (yes, the game was rigged) and was more
than willing to part
with it for a price, naturally. After hefting the
magnificent
sword he was so impressed he rushed right out to slay
some
beasts. Just before doing so he handed me quite a bit more
coin to my
delight and asked for my blessings. It was a simple
matter of well rehearsed
prayer before he was on his way. Woe to
whatever beast he was to slay that
day.

Acaydon pulls a lever in
his desk and a small compartment slides out, where
he places a
small pouch of coins before resetting the drawer back in
place.
He says to himself, "I'll have to deposit that tomorrow
morning but that
should hold for now."

Acaydon RavenClaw


Author:    Acaydon        
Date:      Sat Nov
29 20:34:55 2008
Subject     Field Report


Field
Report:

The battle is well in hand, we've decimated the villages
surrounding
Thelgaard Keep and have begun a full on assault. I
must applaud the
efficiency of these brute force attacks at first
it seemed a siege would be
in order to harrow their formidable
defenses. I sorely underestimated the
sheer strength of will the
Dragonarmy exudes in its wake. It is inevitable;
we will take
this keep for our own. 

I've laid waste to a few pockets of
resistance with my band, securing the
outer perimeter after
completing a circuit inside the keep itself. It is
much easier to
move with a small band in the chaos of battle for
scouting
purposes. They've got a few white robes on the walls, I
was fortunate enough
to eliminate the captain of the guard upon
the eastern wall on my short
excursion into the keep
itself.

Everything outside the walls seems quite secure
considering my own efforts
and the complete destruction of any
meager resistance from the villages. I
did have to reprimand a
few young upstarts to restore the chain of command,
nothing
serious but they won't be causing any further trouble amongst
the
ranks.

Acaydon RavenClaw 

Author:    Acaydon     
  
Date:      Thu Dec 11 04:52:28 2008
Subject     Knife
of Dracart: A Merchant Caravan

 After a rush through his
manor Acaydon ended up in his private quarters.
The road was
rough and the travel quick and far too light, not the way
he
usually would do things. Apparently haste is of the utmost
importance in
this most recent turn of events. He sat down at his
desk in a comfortable
chair and pulled out the message given to
him as he recalled the
conversation just two short days ago at
the camp just back from the battle
lines of the current campaign.
It was an audience with the head of the camp
regarding a message
delivered earlier that same day. There was hardly a
conversation
just the pleasantries and the message was handed over to him.
He
left within an hour of reading the message.

Hastily written on
some elegantly decorated parchment:

We are in need of council in
Neraka. We have received word of an important
matter regarding a
lost artifact. We need to utilize some of your other
talents in
this matter. Come at once. 

Upon returning to the city he was
summarily greeted at his manor shortly
after arriving with an
armed escort and was lead toward the temple. A brief
and rather
uninformative meeting had him on his way to his manor once
again,
muttering all the while about wasting time and pointless
meetings and the
need for couriers and urgency and a dozen other
things causing him agitation
at the moment, to prepare a small
contingent of wagons for the road.

The concept was quite simple
after a bit of thought, which he'd gotten
plenty of on his walk
back to his manor. He figured it all out quite nicely
and had a
plan set by the time he reached the front gates. He sent
servants
scurrying across the courtyard to send word to the
appropriate people he'd
be taking with him.

Shortly after
arriving home he had a detailed route planned out and had
already
dispatched several agents to various target locations. They
would
naturally arrive weeks before him and have gathered any
pertinent
information on this mysterious artifact. That is if
there was an artifact to
be had, and if there was any information
floating about in the taverns and
on the darker streets of the
cities.

The route was simple enough starting from Neraka he'd
head north and west
eventually arriving in Palanthas. It was the
perfect cover for gathering
intelligence on this delicate matter.
His long history with merchants and
caravans would aid him well
as he conducted this faux expedition. That in
its self would be
quite profitable from his past experiences with such
dealings,
let alone any profit to be gained from information gathered
for
the Dragonarmy agency which he was currently heavily involved
with at the
moment. 'Ahh but they do pay well.' He thought to
himself.

Acaydon RavenClaw 

Author:    Acaydon       

Date:      Sat Dec 13 02:58:35 2008
Subject     Knife of
Dracart: Profit from the Naive

 The wagon rolled along
the road coming from Telvan at a steady pace
bumping and thumping
along. Acaydon sat at the head of the second wagon, the
most
secure place of the three wagons in tow. He was a bit distracted
at
first but before long he realized the driver next to him was
talking to him
not the horses this time. "So that last town
wasn't bad eh?" the driver said
casually.

Acaydon looked
curiously at the driver, a bit suspiciously at first
before
stating the obvious, "Aye, we sold quite a few of those
trinkets didn't
we?"he said with a wink and a nod. "We've got
plenty o' stock left to sell
that's fer sure. We'll make quite a
good profit whether we find th' damn
thing're not I say."


The driver smiled wickedly, "We'll be in Kalaman before
nightfall for sure."
That evening Acaydon met secretly with his
informant located in Kalaman. It
was much the same, however,
which didn't surprise him in the least.

"So no word of the
artifact then?" Acadyon asked quietly after glancing
around the
dimly lit tavern common room. The fire had all but gone out
and
the figure across the table from him was cloaked and hunched
over.

"Nothing, there has been increased activity, but that
doesn't confirm
anything we don't already know. The docks have
been swarmed by new comers in
search of the great knife and
there have been countless fights and brawls in
the taverns around
the city. It is much the same in other cities I would
imagine.
They are all false trails so far I fear. Word has come of
some
activity in Gerighelm and Lemish. I've even heard a few
stories from as far
off as Palanthas." the shadowy figure
said softly.

Acaydon took a great swallow of the now warm ale
wondering how he'd let it
get to that state in the first place,
before he shrugged and offered, "Aye,
much the same, world has
gone mad I say, and over what? An imagined knife.
Th' durned
fools I say." he slurred a little more than usual with the
ale
thick in his blood and his agitation showing clear on his
face. "Guess we'll
stick to th' plan then and sell these durned
things, the whole lot of 'em
eh? We'll make good for sure th'
durned fools!"

The wagons were set up in a semi-circle right
near the docks almost herding
the crowd in a narrow passage right
past. Mixed into the crowd were a few
pick pockets he always kept
on hand with a caravan such as this. No harm
taking from both
ends was it then? A select few merchants wore elegant and
fine
robes, and they were the true success of this grand scheme. Each
was
loaded with a fine array of 'magical' daggers; all enchanted
with minor
spells of little importance or significance. The usual
reports of what the
dagger was capable of and some other less
dramatic spells thrown on for good
measure. Each dagger was
fairly unique in stature so as not to confuse it
with other false
replicas. 

It was a rather ingenious plan he'd concocted shortly
after the original
meeting with the louts back in Neraka. He
preferred dealing with intelligent
beings whenever possible and
he'd heard little from the Baroness of late.
That thought
reminded him at the moment, she was well past due to intrude
with
some obscure orders again. 'Oh but it was worth it most days'
He
thought to himself as he often did.

This wild goose chase
wasn't working out so poorly after all, he'd made a
small fortune
peddling these counterfeit daggers with his little operation
and
the general intelligence reports coming from the informants
were
actually drawing a pretty clear point of reference as to
where the dagger
might have been or likely still is. True, these
were all stories, lies and
rumors, but that is often the case
with outlandish rumors floating about and
a craze that captures
the pathetic beings too dim to realize it's all a
hoax. At least
Saragonnas could appreciate his efforts to feed the flames
of
this ridiculous endeavor for the hunt of some imaginary knife.
Acaydon gave
a soft chuckle to himself as he considered that it
may all have been planned
by Sargonnas himself. How sweet that
would be if it were true.

Acaydon RavenClaw 

Author: 
  Acaydon        
Date:      Thu Jun 11 23:54:37
2009
Subject     Captured

 The wagon rumbled along
steadily on the god forsaken piece of road.
Grumbling to himself
about the things he'd do to whoever commissioned such a
stretch
of garbage, the wagon sudden came to a halt. Now what, he thought
to
himself and climbed up to the hatch before the driver seat and
pulled the
hatch open violently. 

"I don't recall giving the
order to break camp!" he shouted through the
hatch. 

A quarrel
sliced through the air just nicking his ear and the limp form
of
the driver tumbled off the side of the wagon. Acaydon backed
up cursing
wildly for the delay. He flew to the door uttering a
prayer of defense and
kicked it open, roaring all the while at
the no doubt petty highway men
attempting to rob him. He shouted
orders to his men behind in another wagon
and out to the flanks
but heard nothing. He swung around the door and was
just about to
launch into an attack when he realized he was the only one
still
standing. Cursing his luck he ducked back behind the wagon, but
not
before the forward advance noticed him and yelled out his
position. He
quickly went through a spell of invisibility and
stepped clear form his
original position. The pathetic fools were
befuddled at what had happened to
their victim behind the wagon.
Acaydon took a moment then to scrutinize the
group, a rather
large contingent of men, most well armored,
disciplined,
organized. This was not a chance meeting, this was
definitely planned
carefully. Upon that realization Acaydon began
to slip back into the woods
away from the scene, carefully
backing up, slowly so he wouldn't make any
noise, he didn't even
notice the ring of men circling behind him, or the
fact that he
was no longer invisible. With a loud crack and a sharp pain
in
the back of his head, the world grew dark and strangely
peaceful

Waking with a splitting head ache, Acaydon found
himself in a cell, quickly
surmising he was in a dungeon of some
sort. It was dark and he had to let
his eyes focus, his mind was
swirling. It took several moments to focus and
he instinctually
surveyed the cell and the exit, noting two guards,
dwarven
guards. He sniffed the air, noticing a bit of sulfur in
the air. 

A gruff voice spoke into the cell, giving a laugh
before unlocking the door
and shuffling into the cell. The guard
was carrying a torch and it stung the
prisoner's eyes. "Get
up scum!" the guard said with a swift kick. Acaydon
growled
something about the guard's mother, earning himself another
kick
right in the face this time. After a minor scuffle and the
help of two
additional guards the prisoner was escorted to a room
even deeper in the
mines for questioning. 

(To be
continued)

Author:    Acaydon        
Date:     
Thu Jun 11 23:59:50 2009
Subject     Rescue?

He wasn't
sure how long he'd been working this pathetic excuse of a
mine.
Surprised to be alive after what had happened with the
attack on the wagon,
what was that several months ago now? It'd
been so long he couldn't keep the
days straight any longer. These
wretched dwarven scum hadn't seen it fit to
slay him, he was much
too valuable as a slave apparently, one with intimate
knowledge
of how to work a hammer and pick. The whip marks were more
than
convincing the first three times he'd gone through the
ordeal of refusing to
work. After that it came back to him
quickly. The days of youth in the
village, working with the
occasional smithy; it was natural for just about
every dwarf.
This group of hylar scum would pay. He'd already convinced
a
couple his guards to have a game of chance from time to time;
the louts did
love to gamble. That was definitely a way in, he
just had to wait for the
opening

Finally, one day, the old
mining camp was just about obliterated by a
marauding band of
goblin-kin. They were beaten back quite quickly but
the
casualties were immense to the hylar scum. Within a week they
were
completely overrun by a small contingent of the Dragonarmy
hordes looking
for supplies. With incredible luck, there were a
few commanders in the group
that had recognized him from previous
encounters. With not so great luck
however, he was not greeted
well, having been thought a deserter he was
summarily thrown in
chains. Considering the usual treatment of deserters he
had high
hopes, most never even got to see a set of shackles. After
some
time in the chains, there were some heated discussions among
the chief
commanders and as Sargonnas was his own witness the
very commander he had
healed from the brink of death came over to
him. With as warm a smile as
he'd seen in ages he gave Acaydon a
meager apology on how things were
supposed to be done and some
other jumbled phrases muttered far too softly
for anyone to hear,
and just like that he released the shackles to drop to
the
floor.

Acaydon quickly saluted and resumed my original
'position' in command as a
priest in the service of these
ingrates. The meal he shared with them
allowed Acaydon to express
his intimate knowledge of this network of mines,
proving his use
ten-fold when he was able to detail a map and give estimates
of
how valuable the captured mine was. Things were looking up until
he
finally asked what month is was and realized he'd been in that
hole for
quite some time. A minor set back to be sure, but no
real worries, having
placed several competent personnel in place
to run my facilities just in
case. He was in complete confidence
he would return home to find everything
as it was before my
departure those many months past. 

Upon reaching his manor in
Neraka, oh how nice it was to see the city again.
And realize the
comforts it had once provided him. He was certainly excited
to be
home and -nearly- forgot to send a courier off to the Baroness
for a
debriefing request.

Acaydon RavenClaw 

Author: 
  Acaydon        
Date:      Sun Jun 14 14:57:37
2009
Subject     New Blood

 Sitting in his office
reading over some recent reports, Acaydon began to
consider the
organization a little further. He had been gone a while, and
it
was good to be back for sure, but something was missing. He
had taken full
count of the current members; it was far less than
before his capture in the
mines. Those vermin would pay in time
to be sure he thought with a clenched
fist, damn hylar!

He
hadn't heard word from his associates in the Dragonarmy, the
Baroness
must be on holiday or some other such nonsense, he
thought to himself. She
was probably prancing around with her
dragon pet showing off to the
loyalists. Oh well, a matter for
another day he supposed, shuffling some
other papers on the desk.
He was thinking more about the current task of
finding some new
blood when a knock came to the door.

With a sigh he called out,
"You may enter but be quick about it."

The messenger came
in, bowed, approached and left the letter on his desk
before
turning and rushing out. He looked over the seal, looked up at
the
messenger noting his hasty retreat, so hard to find good help
he thought. He
almost called the man back for to berate him on
the proper edicate of
delivering a simple message but thought
better of it. He tore open the note
and surmised from the
scrawling letters it was from an associate in another
band of
business men working within the complex. Honest folk, he muttered
to
himself. The letter detailed some contact information and a
name. He would
have to follow up with this promising recruit in
due time to be sure. He
arranged for a small sack of gold to be
delivered off to his associate as a
finder's fee of sorts and to
ensure the information would keep flowing as
needed between the
two groups. More so from them he noted to himself with
a
satisfied, smug grin. 

Things were in motion once again, he'd
send out some feelers and look for
any promising new blood in the
area. He did have to replace the caravan, he
took some good men
with him, highly priced men he thought to himself, who
failed
him. At least he didn't have to shell out any further coin,
serves
them right for dying he chuckled to himself.

In a better
mood he decided to take a stroll out of the compound and
walk
around the woods, feeling particularly well off considering
the recent turn
of evens and he was still in good spirits over
his recent encounter with
that troublesome knight in Palanthas.
Yes, things were coming together just
as before. It wouldn't be
long now. 

Acaydon RavenClaw

Author:    Acaydon      
 
Date:      Sun Jun 21 19:59:47 2009
Subject     Account
Logs

 A request for a particularly valuable sword
enchanted with thunder was
put in with a sizeable finders fee
upfront was written on a note in a stack
of papers on the newly
polished desk. This request was a simple matter of
finding the
captain of the guard in Garnet and having a quite chat with
him.
I was able to convince him to hand the valued sword over to
me as a favor to
a good friend. It was short work to drop the
sword off and collect the other
half of the fee before heading
back around to the head quarters. 

On the way to my main office
I ran into a courier with a curious message
about a particularly
interesting Minotaur recruit I had met with once
before. I
decided to personally visit this fellow again and personally
go
over a few things about the close-nit band he was about to
join. I went over
a typical contract and other such information
he would need to know about
the organization. Shortly after that
meeting he was sent along his way with
his first contract in hand
and a good idea of what was expected. He
undoubtedly had no idea
he was being followed by another higher ranking
member of the
organization. It was always good to keep tabs on the
new
recruits. 

After that brief meeting it was a relatively
quiet day until later in the
evening when I got a curious request
delivered by a curious little creature,
at first I was going to
fry it with a bolt of lightning but I noticed the
scroll tied to
its foot before loosing the deadly bolt. The creature
landed
awkwardly as such a creature might and I quickly took the
note and read it.
Apparently a known mageling was in need of some
healing not too far from my
current position, I had just arrived
at the manor after spending much of my
day near the Solace
headquarters and was about to retire when the
creature
approached. So without much effort I decided to stop in
and greet the young
wizard and offer some minor healing, for a
price naturally. Soon after that
I returned home for my evening
meal, of which I was looking forward to after
such a tiresome day
of hard travel. 

Acaydon RavenClaw

Author:    Acaydon
       
Date:      Sun Jun 28 17:59:15 2009
Subject    
Unexpected Contacts

 "Finally, some decent work", he
muttered to himself after reading the
most recent contract to
arrive on his desk. He'd given several lesser ones
out to some of
the other members in the band lately since it had been slow
but
this one looked promising. He read over the contract again to be
sure of
its origins.

With the Dragonarmy lying low as of late
and that goblin contact that had
fallen through, the work was
hard pickings. A few simple item retrievals and
some basic
healing was all that was to be had of late.

He was beside
himself with such an extravagant request before him. He
would
oversee this one personally he decided right there, no need
to send an
underling and risk the chance of a foul up. He made
some hasty preparations,
as the note detailed an underlying
urgency and was off to Solace.

Upon arriving, he quickly met
with the fellow, a man dressed in black robes,
which was typical
of one of his stature, and they began to go over some
details of
the adventure. It would require some blessings and clerical
work
to be sure as it did involve some undead in this little
excursion. The mage
had already gathered some forces together and
was well prepared, he didn't
say as it was understood what was to
be done by myself and of course he
already knew his own roll.
With another addition to the party, another mage
to be sure, we
were off to seek some local contacts.

It was a bit rough going
at first once we finally got into the manor over
run with undead
but we managed to clear out some of the foul creatures on
our
first foray of scouting and we quickly returned to town to
collect
ourselves and plan a second more focused attack. I had no
idea what the
mages were looking for and with the purse they'd
given upfront I had no need
to ask such foolish questions.

The
encounter went out without a hitch, we had to spend some time in
the
building and we killed quite a few of the undead vermin, some
of our guides
did perish but that was of little consequence to me
personally. After a few
days we'd came as far as we were going to
go in this expedition and having
been paid for my services I
quickly returned to Neraka and some other
business that had come
about since my departure.

I have no doubt the man in the black
robe will seek out my services in the
future, that was made clear
with the second pouch given, containing quite a
bit more than the
agreed upon price for the original services requested.
I
considered it an extended, open ended contract at that point
and gave a
sincere nod before heading out.

Acaydon RavenClaw


Author:    Acaydon        
Date:      Sun Sep 
6 15:13:47 2009
Subject     Quick Coin

It was a boring
morning going over some paper work when I got a message
from
someone requesting an escort. It seemed simple enough and I knew
the
area well enough to pretend. A matter of a few quick spells
took me ahead of
the 'already on the road' fellow to be met. I
quickly found his desired
location and summoned him without much
warning. He was a bit startled to be
walking down a completely
different path but once that wore off he was more
than happy to
continue. I gave him a courtosy protective spell incase there
was
any hidden danger and was off. After some time and his little
excursion
was over I met him at Palanthas where he gave me a
nominal fee for my
services. 

Always one to help I am, where
coin is involved that is. It was a simple
request, from a simple
fellow with a bit of coin to be had. All and all an
easy job,
just the way I like them. 
 
Acaydon RavenClaw

Author:
   Acaydon        
Date:      Sat Feb 27 18:11:12
2010
Subject     Escort to Skullcap

'Journal entry 4457
- Skullcap'

"Alright listen up, if we're going in there we do
it my way." the surly
dwarf barked out the order gruffly. He
had no time for insolence going into
a place like this. He though
back to the beginning, when he was first
approached for this job.
He had spent time in this desolate place before and
had plenty of
experience dealing with the undead monsters inhabiting it. He
had
also made contact with several of his scouts who had recently
visited
the location as well. After some reconnaissance and a
little legwork the
dwarf had all the information he needed for
the expedition.

He had just come to an agreed upon location just
south of the pathetic
dwarven stronghold, these louts were worse
than goblins at making a
respectable defense. He hated most
dwarves with a passion. As usual most of
the party he was to
accompany was late and he had to use powerful magic to
summon the
group and speed up this hopefully profitable journey. Within
a
few hours the party had set off into the mountains to find the
entrance to
this all but abandoned area. To his surprise even the
mage kept up with his
pace. There, thankfully, was little talking
along the way which was a
blessing in itself. Once they arrived
at a deep decent along the rocky
mountainside he began to direct
the group on how to precede...

So again he stated, "Alright
listen up" he barked out the orders detailing
the general
layout and what to do if you got separated from the group
and
just general instructions. He was hired to keep the group
alive and intended
on doing so from the start. The pack was made
up of a weak mage, a
disgraceful looking warrior and some annoy
kender fellow by the name of
Daksarai or something. It wasn't
long before the kender landed himself in a
spot of trouble,
naturally. It was on the climb down the cliff face, no easy
task
in and of itself, however, at the bottom lurked a dragon lair.
Usually
the dragon was quite harmless if you could slip past
unnoticed. Which was
what made the climb down so tricky, it had
to be done in complete darkness.
So, to his surprise the mage
made it without any incident and the warrior
was reasonably adept
with the climb as well. Of course Acaydon, the
escorting dwarf
had no trouble what-so-ever. And then came the kender. After
much
encouragement he did manage to join the group some time later but
he
had a run in with the beast and had to flee for his life (a
rather
satisfying twist to the journey) down some hole in the
underground.

After a quick regrouping they ventured into the
tunnels beyond and with
little effort located some of the
creatures they were searching for. It was
a long expedition and
resulted in quite a bit of combat. It took a long time
to train
the fools into a presentable group but eventually after some
harsh
words they began functioning with ease. Time passed quickly
as they searched
for the weakling kender and soon they came to a
location where magical
summons worked once again. Acaydon quickly
used the spell to bring the
kender to safety.

(the journal entry
was cut short, ending here) 

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