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Darkness Rising
A Collection of Exploratory Accounts and Discoveries
By: Daemisus Bane
Campaign: Darwin's Realm; Game Master: Dave P.
Journal Written by Kelly, June 2006
Entry 11 – Earthday, Flocktime 27, Common Year 613
This most recent venture was a misfortunate one for me, and as I sit in solitude I think
it may be time to slowly reveal to the others who I really am.
After resupplying that morning, we headed out once again in search of the Flind camps. We
soon encountered another scouting party, and attempted to position ourselves in front of them
to set an ambush laying in wait. Our actions however were not synergistic and we did not have
as much time to prepare as we first thought. We had nothing in order by the time the Flinds
came upon us.
It proved a long hard battle. At the start, Shandala, Melissa, and Cylix took serious
arrow wounds, rendering them useless. Apparently one of them was able to cast a spell on a
group of Flinds before falling, because they dropped like heads from the chopping block.
Unfortunately, Grunter did as well. This left Jackson and I to defend against the remaining
eight mongrels ourselves, two engaging in melee and two hailing us with arrow fire apiece.
These were not impossible, but also not favoring odds. To emphasize the point, the fingertips
of my left hand were sent spinning into the brush amongst the chaos. I ignored everyone else
around me and focused my mind on my task at hand, survival. I had no choice but to call upon
the Power to quickly knit my wounds. My aggressors were briefly taken aback by my body’s
ability to quickly heal itself before there very eyes, and I capitalized on it. After
cleaving the head from the shoulders of one of my attackers and beating the other to his
knees, I taunted the remaining Flinds around me by licking at the blood of their fallen
brethren that soaked my scythe. It was then that I heard something that gave me pause…the
sound of a dwarf snoring. Someone had merely put the dwarf and the Flinds that surrounded him
to sleep, while I thought they had all been killed outright. Though I was irritated at the
weakness of the magics used, I was also relieved when after striking Grunter soundly with
the butt of my scythe he immediately came to and joined the fray.
Jackson and I continued to fight for our lives while the dwarf roared, laughed, and
hollered as if he was enjoying himself. At some point he had lost his hammer and shield and
had resorted to grabbing up the leg of a Flind he was engaged with while throwing a haymaker
to its nether region. If nothing else, Grunter showed just how tenacious he could be. He
continued to scrap with the dog, though it did not look as if all was in his favor. I had to
resume my battle with yet another of the beasts, but looked back at the sound of a
blood-curdling howl. Somehow the dwarf had managed to get his fingers logged deep in the
Flinds’ eye sockets rendering it completely inept. This brief distraction cost me the grip
on my weapon, though I was quickly able to focus my dark energies, sending a blast of
flesh-shredding power into my attacker causing him to flee. Meanwhile, Jackson, though I am
not sure how, was still managing to simultaneously fend off his attackers and dodge the
arrows that were sent his way. He looked a bleeding ruin, a mass of near misses in rags;
what remained of the clothing he had be wearing at the onset of the battle. Grunter charged
over to Jackson’s aid with a laugh, tackling another Flind to the ground. It wasn’t long
before we were able to claim victory and finally snuff out the lives of nine of the original
ten Flinds.
After the battle we surveyed what remained of our allies. Drained of the God’s unholy
energies, I once again resulted to healing the others with the Power. This was the most I
had ever used it before at once. It left me slowly, and I immediately ached to once again
bathe in its ecstasy. In the end, there was nothing we could do for Melissa. When we found
her it was obvious that the wound she received had caused her to bleed out. A pity. That one
definitely had potential. After telling Jackson that Melissa, “would be missed,” and healing
the man, he nearly turned and attacked me. If I had not just healed the man, I may have
finished the job the Flinds had started. No matter, Jackson too has his uses. I curbed my
anger by relishing in the decapitation of the Flind corpses. Let the heads serve as proof of
our deeds and the headless corpses as a warning to any other sentient that would stumble
across them.
Keenly aware of the now level fingers on my left hand, though still feeling the tips as
if they still remained, I had many things to consider on the ride back to Fitzgerald’s Keep.
If I had not been so cautious as to hide my true identity, perhaps something could have been
done to ensure my body remained whole. I will keep my fingertips as they are to serve as a
reminder that hesitation can be just as deadly as recklessness and that one must find a
balance between the two to truly succeed. It is also questionable if using my abilities to
their fullest would have prolonged Melissa’s usefulness. After giving this all a great deal
of thought I have decided that here out I will do whatever is necessary to keep my tools
from breaking, though at the same time I will also do what is necessary to guard against
any future insolence.
Entry 12 – Freeday, Flocktime 28, Common Year 613
We were paid for our recent deeds, resupplied, and asked to accompany one of the Lord’s
hired men, J.B Cole on our next outing. I remembered J.B by his advice that I was, “on my
own,” concerning any dealings I had with Zolana. I spent the remainder of the morning
scrounging together supplies to begin the brewing of restorative potions; one of my new
initiatives to ensuring my tools remained in good working order. When I returned from the
task, a woman wood elf that could only be described as wild and brawny, yet compact was
having words with J.B as if to accompany us. Why were some people so intent on throwing
their lives away for naught, as this woman appeared to be? It would require some study, so
I resolved to keep an eye on the wild elf that calls herself Crystina.
We rode out of town in the afternoon and soon came upon the site of our last grizzly
battle. J.B. insisted on setting up camp a little ways off from the location. He seems to
know a great deal more about this sort of work then he lets on. Cylix has seemingly taken a
liking to the man, though he tries not to broadcast it. What is it that they seemed to both
have in common? Enough for tonight, for now I must rest.
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