Thennek, entry #4
- KL Forslund
- Jul 5
- 5 min read
Forces unseen, like gravity, move us toward something. Is it the Eye? Maybe.
Did it all start with my parents? Technically, yes. My mother, a sage, and father, an alchemist, served the court of the ruler of EastFair, a district in the North Kingdom. Mother worked closely with the leader of House Torquan. Close enough that when she had me, servants cared for me, schooled me, and generally ensured she had time for her duties. When I turned sixteen, the Torquan even sponsored me to attend Grey College in the city-state of Greyhawk. Just in time, because I learned later that the government was overthrown.
This first effect of unseen forces, powers to moved my fate to greater learning, while dooming my parents, set me on the path to study greater movements through time. Not history, but that of the stars. That put me in collision with fellow student Lapu Droust, who kept booking the observatory such that other students couldn’t get enough observation hours in. I got around that by simply showing up early and suggesting we work together. At first he was cagey, but I’d always had a way with people.
We’d managed to secure fellowships at Ilian Observatory, farther outside the city, which was good because that’s when we discovered the Eye. Well, Lapu noticed it first, I was charting planetary movements at the time. We’d spend nights staring into it, listening for insights that came easier as night progressed. When Lapu left for some place called Salt Marsh, I continued the research. When his letter came, implying he’d died, the weight of the stars moved me to follow his path, to seek the answers to the Eye. But also, not to die.
Which brings me to the present. Salt Marsh sent sailors to take control of the ship once we took control. They arrested the lizardfolk, and politely invited us to a city council meeting. Wherein, heated words and closed session meant somebody who ran a smuggling ship from the council would be unemployed soon.
By the time we entered the town council chambers, Ander Salomar, our would be sponsor and councilman was ranting about smuggling and slavery and how he had proof councilman Galen Crinewater owned it all. Ander said there were slaves on the ship and then turned to the party and asked us to describe what we saw. In keeping with my resolve to not step up and make an ignorant fool of myself, I kept my mouth shut. The party rogue Penelope said, “there were no slaves. But we did find a lot of smuggled brandy and silk.” Since they found out the ship belonged to Crinewater, that was enough. More arguing and the settled on continuing that topic behind closed doors. The council leader, Etta Owlan shut down that discussion and shifted to asking us to pursue an urgent matter in the Dark Wood. Yes, that’s what they called it. Very descriptive naming here in the Salt Marsh region.
Siblings Tagen and Sherwin Hukril headed into the Sunless Citadel in the Dark Woods to get their hands on a special apple. I lost track of some details but it wouldn’t surprise me if this magical fruit was called Special Apple. The townsfolk loaded up our packs with rations, gave us bargain deals on potions, and we were off by lunchtime through woods that grew ever darker.
I should note how I know that the elf in our party named Penelope is a rogue. Lockpicks. And the number of traps she found and disarmed. And the doors she opened with the lockpicks. True, anybody could do that. Except me. Or the paladin. Or artificer. Or druid. Maybe the bard.
But the real clincher is how quiet she is. Sure, she’s an elf, but even the other elves make some noise. She sat watch next to me while we slept. When the violent shrubbery tried to club me, it didn’t even notice her. And then she stabbed it. Which missed, but she was very quiet about it. I rolled over and used a few new words I learned the night before on the ship.
The shrubbery vaporized.
The rest of the party fended off the remaining three killer shrubs and soon the interruption to sleep died. I may have disintegrated a few more, perhaps revealing too much of my power. At least the injuries were limited and minor. The only other thing to report was that I felt a strange surge while killing our attackers. I don’t know how to explain it.
The next day, the woods grew darker and a band of hobgoblins came at us. We traded arrows and blasts of eldritch might from a distance as the paladin charged. That’s when the bard let loose with sleep spells. In short order, half of the attackers were snoozing, and we took out all but one. who ran off, so we took off on our course before the rest woke up. No sense making more trouble for ourselves.
An hour later we arrived at a dark ravine. I’m certain that’s what the sign in dwarven writing said, but I didn’t learn that language in Grey College. We climbed down a rope ladder and found an entryway into the Sunless Citadel. It was dark, but the artificer gave me a stone that glowed. Helpful, since everyone else could see in the dark.
What did we find in the dark? An underground structure, maybe a former castle or something. Alright, a sunless citadel. A trapped entryway, skeleton goblins, a live, crying kobold. That was unexpected. I think his name was Meepo. Maybe. It’s not like anybody has name embroidered on their chest. He was supposed to care for the kobold clan’s baby white dragon. But goblins took it. So, we made nice, promised to find the dragon, and get to sleep in a room the kobolds made up for us.
Which brings us to where I am now. Journaling all this. The town sage encouraged me to come here. I’ve felt a few of those odd twinges on the way and in here. It’s dark everywhere my little light doesn’t shine. And I think Anders is up to something. There’s obviously town politics involved. Much like what we experienced at the colleges. Lapu relied on me to navigate that, a prime reason he let me share observatory time with him. All of those things pulled me here, into this town’s drama, which also includes references to the Eye, and the coins with the eye. It is just a matter of time before we are drawn ever closer into the center of this darkness. Both literally here in this place, and figuratively, in the blank spot in the canvas of the night sky. And hopefully not beholders. Or dragons. That would be bad.
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