Heard that the nomads in the desert move about lots. Shrug. Apparently they also know which of the water holes they lay claim to.
Anyway, we met a seer today, one of those Yvardom people. In appearance they look like darker Sindi's. They're a fairly primitive looking bunch, but then, it was only a village that we appeared in.
Interestingly, the seer had somewhat pointy ears. He said that all the good seers have some elvish blood in them.
Didn't really get much out of him. He just said that they occasionally see omens, and often have ideas as to when the weather will be bad. Supposedly the better seers in their culture observed many bad omens about the time of the god war. Fortunately, those omens have settled somewhat since then, but the omens indicate that the danger is still present. The more powerful seers have predicted that something still isn't over yet, that the threat has not yet receded: it is still present in the omens as background noise.
Quite possibly this is all due to this Glantri doomsday device. It does still seem to be humming away one day of every year.
Yav is the immortal patron of the Yvardom folk.
The fellow we spoke to did not want to organise a meeting with any of the more powerful seers. I guess these are yet another bunch of private people, these Yvardom folk.
Well, may as well try to rescue this Jenarl fellow.
Got Leo to identify Jenarl's physical description.
Performed some sendings to him. He sounds like a bouncy fellow, perhaps a bit carefree in attitude. Hmm.
Well, there's some kind of ward preventing him from casting spells. That's annoying. He indicated Monzag is far north of the Gulf of Hule, and northeast of the baronies. He's located at Fort Zamgulak.
Also performed a sending to Jose, with the hope he can arrange for some information on Monzag.
Finally, we also communicated with with the Enduks. Their little war is going well, and they have recovered much territory. At the moment there is a ceasefire agreement. The star device has been useful.
Wow, it's been a pretty informative day.
We met Jose and Martin, had a good chat, and they gave us a little information. Apparently Monzag is a really cold, rebellious, province of Hule. They then asked around Slagovich for information, and turned up with a group of merchants who actually trade within Hule. Moreover, they had some magic items for sale with them.
Since they didn't really know the value, we got some good deals from them. Apparently they had defeated a bunch of bandits who attacked them. We had T'zaz surreptitiously identify the items for us.
Well, Gurzurk picked up a warhammer +4 for a mere 10000 gold, and I picked up a scimitar of speed +4 for a mere 50000 gold. I'm reselling my item: I want lots of profit that can then be used to help Sind. I've arranged T'zaz and Nemon to sell it, for a small cut. They're advertising in Harath, the Baronies, Slagovich, Darokin, Alphatia, Glantri, the Ylaruam, Thyatus, and whatever other places they can think of. If I keep doing this with them, they're going to start getting pretty good at this advertising business.
The merchants then continued by informing us of Hule.
The merchants trade in red steel, something Hule places much importance in. It's apparently very profitable for the merchants. However, Hule is dangerous.
Hule is made into regions. The central part is controlled by the Master of Hule (the Dark Forest). Don't go there, as it's not safe. The different regions often speak different languages, but everyone generally speaks Hulean. However, in the northwest there are three regions that have been recently conquered where Hulean isn't quite as commonly known as elsewhere.
Anyway, the local peasantry and general populace are typically fairly nice people. It's just the authorities that are unpleasant. Moreover, as we already know, their religion is based around lying.
Hule has a secret police, people who are dedicated to finding wrong thinkers. The Hulean priests are fanatical, but the general populace is ok, although they do support the fanaticism.
In order to travel within Hule, one needs documents. In order to get documents, and in other situations, bribery is acceptable. Bribes of red steel work best: for a sergeant, a red-steel weapon is appropriate.
The merchants have never seen any flying ships.
Other deities are worshipped within Hule. These deities vary from nature deities to rather unpleasant ones (especially the humanoid ones).
Most important people within Hule are priests, although there are non-priests with positions of power. There is a standard currency, although it varies from province to province. The highest currency is gold.
The merchants believe Hule probably has gold mines. They export gems.
Hule is lush with natural resources, such as timber, metal, and gems. They mainly export raw materials.
The attitude towards women varies based upon what part of Hule you are in.
We had Kalemi pop in, so we could tell him this information. He indicated he's willing to loan us an item that renders detect magic's non-functional, in the event we wish to sneak in with illusions cast upon ourselves.
First we will circumnavigate Hule. We leave tomorrow.
Lightly populated areas mostly, from what we've seen. Saw a group of armed orcs that we've decided to follow for a while.
Found a human occupied village called Garnovo. Still in Hule. Head southwest.
Starting head north'ish now.
Flying along a series of Hills. On the west side is the odd band of humanoids, and the eastern side seems to be populated with Hule people.
Had been flying along a forest earlier. Decided to backtrack and follow the southern side of the forest rather than go northwards.
Now heading east.
Reached the southern edge of the forest. Now heading east over hills.
Found a road that lead to a human-occupied town today. We followed the road further north, and found more towns.
Keep heading north.
Found a large body of open water, extending as far as the eye can see.
Not really sure where we are.
Did some sendings to Jenarl to figure out exactly where he is. The fort he's located at is south of the middle of the big forest we just flew past.
We've decided to go there and get him.
Found the fort.
Roland scouted and has drawn some maps for us.
We tried to pinpoint Jenarl's location by getting him to make a unique item for us, which Gurzurk then tried to locate using a spell, but unfortunately the guard took it off of him. He was loud after, and banging a tin plate into a mangled shape is a bit weird.
We'll come up with a plan for rescuing him tomorrow morning, after having rested and rememorised.
Well, Gurzurk had no difficulty rescuing Jenarl. Fortunately.
Unfortunately, if we had of known at the time, we could also have rescued an important prisoner from the barbarian north. Pity. I guess they'll have somewhat improved the security following Jenarl's escape. Oh well, nothing to be done. The fellow is named Boris, and I've obtained a physical description.
Fortunately, Jenarl is a goldmine of information. An arrogant goldmine, but a goldmine nonetheless.
Apparently Jenarl was imprisoned for having pissed off the local ruler: he had ma de a few uncomplimentary comparisons between Glantri and Monzag. Somewhat of a mistake, really. However, having spoken to him, I'm not surprised he was so foolish.
Which makes it all the more interesting that he's actually an explorer and book writer. I guess the only reasons he's survived this long is because he's a decent mage. I'm guessing the latter, but it seems reasonable.
He's been in prison for six months to a year.
He's been around a fair bit. He's seen much of the Known World, and has even explored as far west as the Savage Coast. Apparently he got a spell that keeps the red curse at bay. I'll have to nab that sometime.
Anyway, he says some of the people of Hule are friendly, others aren't. He has little experience with Hule mages, but knows they have some sort of hedge wizards. Jenarl says the authorities suck.
Making himself useful, he filled out a map for us.
Not unusually, he doesn't like the humanoids, presumably partly because they aren't that friendly.
The recently conquered Hule provinces are referred to as the conquered lands. These include Olgar, Bulzan, Sandjah, and Monzag. Apparently the conquered lands don't seem to care: apparently fights are not uncommon within their own countries. No wonder they were conquered. Hule controls the leaders of each area.
The place where the Master resides is called the Sanctified Lands.
The province called Janizarg has been declared as humanoid lands, or so says the Master.
Traditional Hule, that is the remainder, is essentially a single country. They are still broken up into their traditional provinces.
Yes, he too related the rumour that the comet was sent against Darokin by the Master of Hule. It was said that the Master of Hule cursed Darokin, and shortly after that the comet fell.
More importantly, there's only one pass on the way through the mountains from Sind to Hule. It's meant to be well guarded by a big fort. This is the route by which Jenarl entered Hule.
Jenarl says don't drink the beer in Hule.
We continue with our circumnavigation.
We visited a non-Hule town today. It's got similar customs to Hule, but the guards didn't demand papers.
It appears there was some sort of festival occurring. Moreover, the men here are frequently armed. Not surprising, since it seems to be a vaguely Jarldom-like culture here. I'll have to tell Thora. Thor seems to be the primary deity.
Unfortunately, the people here are fearful of mages, as I discovered. I didn't exaggerate this issue when I discovered it.
Apparently this country is several hundred miles in various directions. Neighbouring them to the north is Douzbakjian, inhabited by good solid people with a similar culture. They also have tribesman as neighbours.
To the south is Hule. They do not like Hule.
The beer here is strong, and I'm really glad Jenarl didn't have tongues running. If he had of caught on they didn't like mages much, he would have flaunted his abilities.
Turns out that even as far east as we are now, we're still in Hule. Big country.
Well, we're following mountains south now.
Sent Jenarl off to Darokin for the diplomatic core to question him. Hopefully they'll get more out of him than we did.
Found the pass Jenarl talked of. A very large fortress occupies it. The fortress pretty much fills the pass. At full capacity, there'd be room for 10000 troops or so, but we guess there seems to be 5000 or less at the moment.
Gururk also discovered some tunnels down there, so we've decided to hang about, both to let Gurzurk investigate the purpose of the tunnels, and to see how busy the fort is with caravans. Oh, there's two tunnels, one extending into the mountains northeast, the other heading south.
Observed a caravan today, consisting of perhaps a hundred or so people.
Gurzurk has come to the conclusion that the tunnels are probably meant for escape, maybe supplies. They are trapped.
Well, head north again.
Found a town on the opposite side of the mountains today.
Heading vaguely south again, trying to follow the mountains.
Saw a trail today, heading south. It doesn't look too well used.
We're back in Sind.
The invading Humanoid army in the initial conquest of Hule must have used that trail we saw earlier. That is the direction they originally came from. This is good to know. Our information is certainly improved over what we knew earlier, at any rate.
I have had three meetings recently, the first two being with Sir Garan, a mercenary captain and Paladin of Lighthaft. A fascinating combination. Whatever the case, the fact he is a paladin makes me feel far more certain of his humanity and trustworthiness.
I must confess to being very impressed with this interview. His men seem to admire their captain, and also seem to be of better than average quality. Sir Garan also has a commanding presence, and appears to be quite reassuring, no doubt a valuable asset on the battlefield.
Sir Garan also appears to be quite the lateral thinker. He certainly came up with interesting uses for our friendly dragon. However, since he appears to run a successful mercenary company, it's not surprising he'd have a quick grasp of military tactics.
Moreover, since the cause for which I would be hiring him is a noble one, and since his deity, Lighthaft, probably doesn't like Bozdogan too much, he's even willing to be hired at close to cost price. I am very impressed with this offer.
All in all, even though we are not yet ready to hire Sir Garan, I feel that it is a certainty that I will at some stage do so.
My only concern would be the number of troops he employs. I feel that they may be too few. At present he has only on the order of 1500 troops, a number I feel may be too few, although Sir Garan exudes confidence. However, he did indicate he is likely to be increasing the size of his company. And he does have other assets, such as his own flying ship.
I really wish I had more money. I shall have to pursue various avenues of gaining income, not that I see many that are open to me.
My third meeting was with my resistance contact in Gola Keep, Gola Davinda Daya. Fortunately Daya is well, although he indicates he will be better when Sind is again free.
Of great use is that I have now gained several resistance contacts, in cities throughout Sind. I of course will not ever speak to them directly, but only via sendings, and the occasional message drop and pick up. I have already started communicating with them to determine more accurate military figures. I am also acting, to a limited degree, as a means of quickly relaying messages between cells in geographically distant locales.
The resistance is also using the benefits of organizations to better coordinate their attacks.
Of interest is that the acolytes of the new god Garath have indicated their interest in assisting the resistance. Daya is in fact in contact with Sitara, who's located in the south somewhere. It is good that these new followers have decided to assist. I had my doubts, but perhaps I should contact them again, more directly, and determine whether they could be of more direct assistance. He doesn't know where Sitara's companion is.
Daya indicates the resistance grows day by day. This is good.
Interestingly, it appears that the Huleans transport caravans with a considerable number of guards across the desert, toward Hule, and vice versa. They sometimes have as many as 500 guards, a significant number. It is Daya's opinion the probably transport gold, but he is not completely sure. Hule most assuredly has added to Sindi taxes though. It used to be a rate based upon ones social status, but now it is a flat rate, which the poor have considerable difficulty meeting.
The guarded caravans are sent every month or so. There are also other caravans, but they tend to be transferring messages or troops rather than raw materials.
Daya is most certainly aware when the big caravans are about to pass through. Apparently the guards start to get more careful, which tends to give it away. However, a point to note is that Hule probably sends fake caravans.
Whatever they are transporting, there is a woman named Shahnaz, a member of the resistance, who is trying to get into the big caravans to determine what exactly they are transporting. It is not hard to think how she intends to do this. We honour her sacrifice.
With respect to booting Hule out, Daya is of the opinion that making life uncomfortable may be enough. However, after some discussion, he admits that this may not be enough. Although trained soldiers would be useful, soldiers cannot be trained underneath the eyes of the Huleans.
He does indicate that money is useful for bribing Hule troops, both to look the other way, and to obtain information.
Whatever the case, Daya believes that demonstrations of Hule incompetence will gain converts for the cause of the resistance. Interestingly, he also believes that acts of reprisal by Hule will also gain converts. I hope on the latter that he is correct, for there may well be reprisals once we begin our activities.
On the peasants within the resistance, apparently they are enthusiastic, but not good with weapons. They are better for other activities than fighting, although Daya's group has not had much combat.
I asked Daya of where the good places of recruitment are within Sind, but he is unsure. He does know that Gola Keep, where he is stationed, is an excellent source of recruitment from the warrior caste, as they feel their honour was besmirched by their brethren to the north, who openly allied with Hule from the very start, and as their own failure as defenders of Sind. However, their own honour as members of the new Hule army prevents many from joining. A great shame.
However, should we defeat these divisions in combat, it seems possible that they may sign up to assist.
The last matter I discussed with Daya is the procurement of a hero. He performed a divination on my behalf, and Daya said to me: ``I have the wisdom of the gods. They wish you to know that heroes are made, not born.''
I feel that my friends are probably just going to put me on the podium now. Admittedly, it's probably easier that way. I am also willing to act as a spokesman, but I hardly think I would ever amount to a hero.
It is early days yet. It will be a long, hard fight for Sind's freedom.
I find that it is increasingly occupying my every thought. I do hope I'm not driving Turia to anger. Ahh, but I believe she can be a patient person, when needs be.
In other news, I purchased a number of potions, and arranged for T'zaz to manufacture some others, including potions of speed and invisibility.
After having spoken to Legionate Kalemi, we have agreed to place a master gate in Fort Fletcher, located in northwest Darokin, on the border with the humanoids part of Glantri. It's out of the way and secure. It's a good location from which to base operations.
Finally, it appears the gate to the cage in Glantri has shut down. Perhaps Melany will perform a divination on this matter at a later date, if the Gate does not reappear.
We have deposited Gurzurk in the pass near the Plain of Fire where the trail that Hule originally used appears to be located. Gurzurk will scout the area with the objective of determining whether it is still in use.
Oh, as a side note, it appears tha Darokin, a while back, had trade with the Atruaghin plateau, but at one point it just stopped. Apparently the spirits had told the Atruaghin to cease trade. It turned out these spirits were ex-Alphatian mages who pretended to be spirits. The real gods told the Atruaghin this, and after a small revolt, matters returned to normal.
We have encountered the road leading between Sind and Hule. Large boulders that occur every 12 miles mark it; one can always see the next boulder, so one always knows which direction to head.
We noted the location of Gola keep on our map, and proceeded to head down the road, to see where it heads. There was some small dissent as to whether it was worth looking down the road, but we are, so that's that.
Zim had a divination performed regarding the old Falcon. He got a priest of Garel Glitterlode to do it for him. Apparently the old Falcon is in the coastal city of Jahore. The Huleans are currently trying to fgure out how it works. This is bad. We cannot let that happen.
The road heads quite southwest. We've seen three groups so far.
This I think is about the extent of my patrols, which I performed when I was stationed at Gola Keep.
We've come across the place known as Oasis: the patch of green, and source of water situated in the middle of the desert. There are a number of people here, perhaps 600. There are also some caravans here, mostly Sindi by the looks of it, although there are some baronies ones. It's also possible I'm getting the Sindi caravans confused with people from Tyjaret and Kladanovic.
It is a nomad meeting place. There seem to be 400 nomads, where 200 of these are semi-permanent or other miscellaneous nomads. It's quite intriguing seeing open pools of water in the middle of a desert.
The primary purpose of Oasis seems to be to refuel on water supplies.
There are three paths out of Oasis: northeast (where we came from), north (Hule), and northwest (Slagovich, presumably).
The Huleans here are very well behaved. They are acting quite nice. Deliberately so, no doubt. They certainly do not run or own Oasis. However, there are lots of Huleans here, with their caravans. Perhaps half the people here are of Hule. There are no humanoids visible. It appears that there are nomads working as guards for the Hule caravans.
Melany popped down, since she can do know customs.
The locals: water is very important. Polluting water is a capital offence. They overcharge on goods when possible. Oasis is a neutral area. No fighting is permitted. Those who live here are still somewhat nomadic. They are indifferent toward the Huleans. The nomads are kind of violent, but are not very mercenary.
The other groups had the customs as one would expect.
Melany actually saw an elf there. Unfortunately, they resisted the know customs.
We are heading toward Hule, on the northern trail.
Yes, the trail leads right to the fort in the pass.
The round trip distance from Sind is perhaps 1000 miles. Including Oasis, we saw perhaps eight Hule caravans in total.
We're flying east now, back towards Sind.
Had quite a scare today. A bird went through the windscreen. We all thought we were under attack, for a while there.
We're installing the Alphatian vase now. At least if anything bad happens with that installed, we can easily keep the ship flying.
We had to land to perform repairs.
Found Gurzurk today. He's been busying himself, investigating old dwarven watchtowers that have long been abandoned. Their original purpose appears to have been to watch the pass.
We helped Gurzurk investigate a more substantial underground dwarven complex today. The entrance was actually quite cunningly hidden.
Gurzurk summoned an earth elemental, the result of which meant we didn't have to raise a finger to deal with the humanoids that turned out to be occupying the tunnels.
Gurzurk's original plan involved slaying all the humanoids without talking to any. Fortunately, we convinced him otherwise.
In the end, we were left with one surviving Gnoll (having already, unfortunately, slain the rest), and one captive Orc, the apparent commander of the 150 odd orcs that were resting in this area.
The Orcs are, or were, from Hule. I guess they may be looking to control this area more solidly. Either way, I'll soon be taking the orc captive to Legionate Kalemi. He can do the interrogation, then we'll ask what he found out.
The Gnoll is named Ghira. He's from the Plain of Fire, and lives underground, in caverns and tunnels. He speaks the Graahalian language.
We had absolutely no idea that there were any tunnels of any description underneath the Plain. According to Ghira, nothing could live on the surface. This is shockingly surprising news.
The Gnolls do not like the Orcs of Hule. Unfortunately, the Hule orcs have the better tunnels, as there are more of them. Food is scarce, so the Gnolls are having a hard time. There are perhaps 30000 orcs, but only 15000 gnoll troops. The gnolls are supposedly better fighters, but the odds are not in their favour.
Ghira is an adventurer: quite a tough warrior, by all appearances.
It also appears that Hule does not send troops through these tunnels anymore. That only occurred in the initial invasion. Instead, they send money and other valuables out of Sind. They do not use the pass much, but instead go from the west side of the Plain, to the east side, where they exit relatively close to the Hule proper border.
Ghira actually seems to be quite reasonable. He figured out we killed his adventuring companions, and seemed quite sad at the fact. He buried them, and said a prayer to them. He has indicated he is willing to put aside his differences with us, since an alliance could be quite beneficial to both sides.
Interestingly, the dead Hule orcs had absolutely no valuables. Ghira indicated that the orcs in the Plain of Fire are seeking wealth, except there is none to be found there. Ghira does not seem interested in the pretty metals that they so desire.
Very fascinating. This changes matters quite significantly. But it is very good to know this in advance, rather than when it is too late.
We have let Ghira go untied, if a bit reluctantly. We're not sure how far we can trust him. He is, after all, a Gnoll, and they don't exactly have a reputation.
For obvious reasons, Safranna hates Ghira, simply because he is a Gnoll.
Complications, but any ally is valuable at this point, even if they are of dubious reliability.
Got some more information from Ghira today. The orcs under the Plain do not have spell casters among their number, or at least not very good ones. We'll fly Ghira to the Plain of Fire, from where he can go to talk to his elders, and discuss with them the possibility of an alliance. He says he needs perhaps a month before we should get back in touch with him.
I explain the magical means of communication that I will use to do so.
I teleported the orc to Kalemi, for interrogation.
Speaking of which, Kalemi has gained some further information from Jenarl. The Master lives within the Sanctified Lands at a big temple, situated by a lake. Virtually the whole forest is reserved for priests. The Master has turned over the southwest part of the forest to the humanoids.
Hule is, clearly, very expansionistic. It has, in fact, been expanding for several hundred years.
In Hule, troublemakers are made into priests.
>From the perspective of the priesthood, humanoids have been completely integrated into Hule society. This is not the view held by the non-humanoid locals.
Interestingly, it appears that the humanoids that overran this part of the world a long time ago may have originated from the region now known as Hule. The estimated human population of Hule is one or two million people.
At last census, the population of Darokin was 1.26 million people.
Kalemi's four kids and wife are all well. His oldest kid wants to join the diplomatic core.
Kalemi was interested in the information that we have managed to uncover. He was also justifiably concerned.
Well, wonderful thermals over this plain.
There is not a living thing in site over the plain. Fire elementals would probably have a wonderful time here.
The ground is littered with big black rocks. After having flown down with Ghira, when dropping him off, it appears that these rocks are what cause the plain to be so hot. They radiate lots of heat. At night, sufficient heat was radiated to cause paper to smoulder when placed against it. Ghira calls them firestones.
The stones are not magical, but I would guess they are of a magical origin. I have obtained a sample for Gurzurk's people to analyse. I'll have to obtain a sample for myself sometime.
Ghira indicated they continue to radiate heat for up to a week after they have been removed from the suns rays.
We shall speak to Ghira again in one month.
Now it is time to start to seriously consider the old falcon. Zim had another divination performed, by his priest friend, and it turns out the old Falcon is not in a flyable condition. That means they've taken it apart.
We'll have to investigate more directly. However, it is close to no magic day, so we've decided to go to Darokin first.
Bad news. Zim had a powerful divination performed, and discovered the situation with the Falcon. There are detect invisible wards, antiteleport wards, and others around the area. There are also a fair number of troops guarding it. There are six mages that are attempting to reverse-engineer the old Falcon.
They are doing this in a warehouse located in the docks.
I suppose the good news is that they don't have engineers working on it, meaning their progress will hopefully be slow. Also, given it's a gnomish contraption, it's bloody complicated! The bad news is, they take it very seriously, and they've had quite a long time on it.
The mages need to be dealt with, and their notes destroyed. The Falcon must be returned to us.
First, we need more information. I will see about organising this.
The population of Jahore is around 15000 people.
We have landed for New Years.
Leo explained to us that the reason he helps us is because he's doing penance. He doesn't know exactly what he did wrong (he can't remember), but he knows that helping us was better than the other group he had a choice of helping. Apparently this is a typical punishment for bad immortals.
I spoke to T'zaz. She suggests getting some presence enhancing armour, if I want to be better at speeches and such. I've asked her to keep an eye out for me.
Lani's sister has also agreed to help school me in the skill of Oratory. Quite necessary if I'm every to try and recruit crowds of people to my cause.
I'll also go to the cage, in the search of the armour T'zaz describes. Hopefully Melany will perform that divination.
It has been an interesting couple of days. Melany did perform that divination. There is a gate to the Cage in Glantri city, where the key is a contradictory thought. Curious.
The gate is located in the attic window of a porter. We paid the owner of the building 100 gold, enough to pay some of his debts. We get use of his attic on an indefinite basis. We'll also get the key to the attic, and he's said that once he's taken his stuff out, he won't use it anymore.
The other side of the gate is in a window four stories up in a relatively calm area of the Cage.
I never found my armour of command, but I did manage to get some potions, and Turia will try to arrange for someone to keep an eye out for the armour I want. Good.
What was interesting was the offer of an everful potion of healing for half a million gold. Quite a bargain really. It can be used on any number of people, but an individual can benefit only once per day. Imagine the benefits for an army! Go in to combat, then heal them all afterwards!
Pity it was stolen property. It really belonged to the clerk of the courts. It would not have been good to have him on our tail. Bad indeed. So I got Turia to go get some of the Harmonium to arrest him, whilst we kept him busy.
We only have a favour from the clerk by way of reward. Could be useful if we ever get into trouble though. Get out of jail free pass, really.
Hmm. Melany seemed a tad upset at me not having warned her of this. Oh well. Admittedly, T'zaz and Melany did look rather panicky when they saw the Harmonium had rocked up.
Well, Roland would be proud!
Oh, it's a good thing I got T'zaz to come in. She's quite keen on the Cage now. Seems she can buy whatever she wants. She says she'll be coming back. I've asked Turia to explain the Cage, and its dangers, to T'zaz. It's probably best if T'zaz always go to the Cage with someone experienced, like Turia, lest she get herself in trouble.
Oh, Melany purchased a unicorn that T'zaz noticed was on sale. It was going for 10000 gold. Wouldn't be good to have had it cut up for parts. Not good at all. It'll be delivered to Serraine in a number of days, at which point I imagine Melany will see about setting it free.
Spoke to Serraine about the Hollow World. Apparently their nonmagical flying craft project isn't going too well. Their current plan is to make a giant catapult, and use that to launch people into the Hollow World.
The Serraine gnomes there actually came across a group of Alphatians leaving the Hollow World. They had their flying vessel towed by a group of Golems. How the golems worked in the anti-magic area, who knows. Maybe they were artefacts, maybe they were natural somehow, perhaps even they were but illusions of golems. Apparently the gnomes pestered the non-too-happy Alphatians quite a bit over this point.
No magic today.
Roland and Safranna held a big party, which lots of notables attended. Can't say my heart was truly in it, but it was a good opportunity for some networking with Serraine politicians. It was an opportunity to meet some which we had not met before.
The unicorn was delivered today. A demon in lvery, looking very bored, delivered it. The terrified housekeeper of our mansion had to sign for the package.
The unicorn looks quite mournful. It's from Arboria, so it would really prefer to go back there, rather than stay here. I imagine Thora would be interested in this. I'm sure she's around somewhere.
I wonder if the unicorn knows any friends in Arboria that may be willing to help my cause. I don't expect so.
I believe Arboria is where the Diva's are from, although that may have been somewhere else. I can't quite remember.