The first in a selection of entries from Kerath’s private journal (1 of 4):
I’ve heard tell of a “bogeyman” that inhabits children’s nightmares, a demon known for hunting them in the night and spiriting them away to some torment. This is just a tale to frighten children into good behavior. Its power increases with belief in the thing, as though feasting on their fears strengthens it. Most children outgrow this belief, but I know the truth. Such creatures exist in this world, and their power is very real.
The demons that burned my forest and butchered my family were only orcs, but I was only a feral child. I could not comprehend their intentions or estimate the limits of their power. They tossed me into an iron cage, and I only felt fear, like a prey animal caught in a trap. They laughed boisterously while I howled through clenched teeth and tears after seeing them flay and eat my kin. One of the cruelest released me and tried to force-feed me, but instead I took a bite out of his nose. I was lucky he didn’t kill me right then. Instead, he locked me up again and furiously bellowed threats at me. I couldn’t understand his foul speech, but since they all delighted in seeing me shake with fear, the others did their best to convey through gestures that my punishment would be worse than death. I took their meaning to be this: I was to be taken to someone or something the orcs revered and feared, something known by the name of “Shagol”.
Fortunately for me, the iron bars of my tiny cage were already rusted, and after only a few days in captivity I escaped back into the wild. Though I would not be captured again, I have ever since had nightmares of being dragged back by Shagol’s bogeymen. Shagol would appear in one hellish form or another, seemingly all-powerful, and would consume me and then the world. Only when I began to grow into a man did I begin to fight back in the dreams and imagine revenge might be possible. And when Keeva returned to me, Shagol’s power no longer seemed absolute. Keeva is a reminder that I did not lose everything that night. The orcs may have destroyed the world I knew, but we both survived! And so I resolved to put an end to my recurring nightmares.
After nearly 30 years, I heard Shagol’s name spoken aloud once again by the orcs in Khundrukai and learned she was their queen. I was disappointed we didn’t find her there, but I think she’s still nearby. Xavier’s wife and kids are being held captive by more orcs to the south, and we are heading that way now. I welcome the chance to kill more of them, and hope I’ll find her there too. I believe our paths are destined to cross now. I am saving one final magic arrow I picked up in the Sunless Citadel for her black heart. And I look forward to watching Keeva bite Shagol’s face off!
A later entry in Kerath’s private journal (2 of 4):
A second time Keeva has been taken from me. Jade tells me that horrible beast killed her. Though we slew it, it nearly killed us all first. We could only flee to save ourselves when more orcs were approaching. We didn’t even have time to find her body. I swear if they touch her… I never told her what I learned about Shagol. Now I wish I had.
Was that thing merely Shagol’s guardian? Her pet? How much worse still must she be? Could she really be as dangerous as I imagined as a boy? Should I heed my dreams as omens of what will befall us if I keep seeking her?
We intend to return to the cavern tomorrow. I need to retrieve her body, and we still need to find Xavier’s family. But I just don’t know anymore… For the first time since I left Faranthalas I have people I care about. They are becoming like family to me now. What if we run into Shagol? I can’t watch my family die again!
The next entry in Kerath’s private journal (3 of 4):
I hope this will not be a day I regret for the rest of my life…
Where Jade recalled last seeing Keeva’s body, we found no trace of her. We did find Xavier’s family, unharmed but unresponsive, imprisoned in a deep sleep by some powerful enchantment. As the others were looking into that matter, I was on high alert. My heart was racing. Dark magic pervaded the room, and I suspected Shagol could not be far away.
Soon enough she revealed herself. She was no fiend—just another orc, alone and unarmed. Despite her apparent vulnerability, she made a ridiculous proposition, seemingly to provoke us into making the first move. She said she needed to replace all the orcs we’d slaughtered through breeding. All could leave and take Xavier’s family if one man stayed behind as her consort. Otherwise, she would kill us all.
I’m not exactly sure how I remained composed in those first moments, but once I saw her confidence and intelligence, I realized we were right where she wanted us. This was her domain, and she knew we were coming. She left her prized hostages out for us to find and placed no greater barrier to our entry today than a single monster, which we easily killed and I raised as my servant using my whistle. A token resistance. She was in total control, and she was toying with us. I fully believed her when she said she’d destroy us.
The others were incredulous and began demanding she release her prisoners immediately. It was clear the situation would soon escalate into violence, but I could not watch my family be slaughtered again. In one impulsive moment, I stepped forward and offered myself in exchange for the others’ safe release. My fate was tied up with Shagol’s, but theirs need not be.
I doubt Shagol actually thought anyone would take her offer because she seemed pleased that something so unexpected happened. The others tried to stop me, of course, and even attempted to strike at Shagol, but I took the blow instead. I was sure the only way they could get out alive was by accepting this trade, so I urged them to get going before she changed her mind. As Shagol led me away, I commanded my undead servant to stand guard and prevent anyone from following.
Recalling what I saw and how I felt minutes later—I am shaking as I write this. I had almost no plan other than to stall long enough for the others to escape. She led me several hundred feet away through total darkness. My body was numb, and I just followed her footsteps blindly. We entered a dimly-lit room, and at first I did not take my eyes off her. When my nose told me something foul was near, I looked and saw a massive pile of bones and animal carcasses along the far wall, with a bed in the center of the room. And then I learned for what purpose those orcs skinned my kin so long ago, and where Keeva’s body had gone. Shagol stuffed and mounted her like a trophy near the bed, along with several other members of our pack.
Suddenly I was that feral child once again, silently howling on the inside. Shagol saw I was perturbed and asked, “Are you afraid?”. I couldn’t have lied if I wanted to. “Yes, very,” I replied. “That’s disappointing, only someone fearless and powerful can father my children.” After this she began chanting slowly in some tongue I did not recognize. As I blinked back tears and reached for my bow, she stopped her chant and cast a Hold Person spell. I was instantly paralyzed, and she continued her slow chanting. I struggled and broke free, and with shaking hands fired an arrow but missed. She stopped her incantation again and spoke a single word, instantly stunning me, before taking up the chant.
I don’t know which god was looking out for me today, but incredibly I snapped out of the stupor and still had time to act before she finished her spell. I knew that I couldn’t defeat her, and though I was willing to die trying I feared she might find a way to use me against my friends. Perhaps this spell would force me to betray them. As a last resort, I grasped the pendant bearing Black Regina’s gem and spoke its command word. I had not used it successfully since the day I stole it, and I had little hope that it would work then. But again luck was on my side, and I was instantly transported out of that room and into the Feywild. When I looked down, I realized I had been clutching Keeva’s fur, and she had traveled with me.
When I saw the power in the gem was exhausted, I realized I could be here for awhile. This place smells just as I remember it. The soil here must be somehow sweeter, scented like rotting fruit, but not unpleasant. I buried Keeva under a large willow in the soft earth just before dark. The sounds of animals at night would frighten anyone, but from my previous time here I know that there are only a few you really need to worry about. Now I need to rest. I will try the gem again in the morning. I only hope my friends got out of there in time!
The next entry in Kerath’s private journal (4 of 4):
My efforts were wasted, and another of my friends is dead, but there is still hope for him. I have to believe there is still hope!
After I vanished to the Feywild, Shagol returned to the room where we met. Ten minutes had elapsed since I left my friends, but they hadn’t moved fast enough. Instead of being long gone with Xavier’s family, they were apparently distracted by some object in the room when she entered. “You didn’t hold up your end of the bargain, and now I’m bored,” she said, before casting some powerful spell over the entire group. They all fell under her sway—except poor Blumf, who the others said looked terribly confused—and she commanded them all to fight one another to the death. They could only agree.
From the sounds of it, Qeew and Argora got a little competitive about winning this battle royale. Charlie, Blumf, Durgeddin, and Jade were eventually all knocked out. When it seemed Qeew might prevail, Shagol grew angry, saying “Stupid girl! I can’t mate with you!”, before attacking her. This broke the spell for Qeew, so she healed all of her fallen allies with Mass Healing Word. When they awoke, they too were no longer under Shagol’s power. Only Argora remained under her influence, and though the others collectively tried to stop them, Shagol and Argora took down Charlie, Blumf, Durgeddin, and Qeew before Jade fled, with Charlie falling to Argora’s javelin.
Shagol dispelled her charm and beckoned Argora to follow her, saying “You, my champion, have proven yourself worthy to father my children.” He did not refuse to follow her to the bedroom. As he passed Charlie’s limp body he reached to heal him, but Shagol’s glare stopped him first.
Blumf came to on his own, and though Qeew and Durgeddin stabilized, Charlie died on that stone floor. If I’d been there, how differently might this have gone? If I’d fought alongside my friends, would Charlie still be alive, or would I have just accelerated our deaths?
Blumf attempted to drag Qeew and Charlie back to Stone Crest’s entrance, but before he got far Argora returned. He healed Qeew and Durgeddin and urged they leave quickly. Together they carried Charlie and Xavier’s family out, stopping only to grab a pair of copper coins to cover Charlie’s eyes from the kraken’s treasure hoard.
When they emerged from the cave, Jade fired on Argora from his hiding spot in the trees, taking him down. The others were upset by this, and Qeew healed him. Jade explained Argora was still spellbound when last he saw him, and this was simply a precaution. They questioned Argora, asking what happened after he left with Shagol and whether he’d seen me, but he told them he could remember nothing. Jade did not trust this answer, and after Qeew did her cleric thing and detected no memory loss, I don’t either. If he truly doesn’t remember what happened, then Shagol’s influence may still be upon him somehow. If he’s lying, he may not be trustworthy. We need to watch him closely.
They headed for Blassingdell and tried to put as much distance between themselves and Stone Crest as possible. During Jade’s time alone outside the cave and again during Argora’s night watch, Flav hopped back into their lives. After explaining that he was “super fuuuuuucked up right now” and that he was still looking for his boat, he warned that orcs were hunting them and approaching quickly from the west, and they would be killed if they didn’t move immediately. On very little rest they traveled east as fast as they could while carrying four bodies. Though the orcs got near enough for my friends to hear them, they managed to escape. They traveled through the night, eventually turning north again toward Blassingdell before collapsing at dawn.
It was that morning that I tried to return using the gem. I wasn’t sure where I would arrive if it worked. Fortunately when I appeared in Shagol’s bedroom again, she was not there. I sneaked back down the hall and found only blood stains where I last saw my friends. I feared the worst, but I also noticed the family was missing. I figured that if they survived they would be traveling back to Lyra and Xavier in Blassingdell, so I proceeded north as quickly as I could. This journey took a few days, and since we were still fugitives I waited outside of town at our last meeting place with Lyra.
Eventually the others arrived, and I couldn’t be happier to see them. But as soon as I saw Charlie, my heart sank. I can’t stop wondering what I could have done differently, how I could have prevented this. Shagol, though less fearsome than I expected, was a more powerful magic user than I could have imagined, and she got away. Will I ever get another chance to avenge Keeva and the rest?
I explained to them how I escaped Shagol and arrived here. Not only does Jade not trust Argora, but he seems to suspect me of disloyalty as well, questioning my motivations and the power of the gem. I think that one may be projecting.
Qeew spent last night memorizing her Sending spell so we could contact Lyra this morning. She met us here, and we showed her Xavier’s wife and daughters. His wife still wore a necklace bearing what appeared to be a chunk from the Founderstone. Xavier is still in hiding, but through Lyra he was able to confirm our suspicion. Argora removed it from her neck, and though this did not revive her, Argora’s shield of Pholtus began to glow, vibrate, and levitate around his body. We were all in awe of this spectacle, the meaning of which—like several prior incidences—is still unclear.
Xavier thinks the necklace’s stone needs to be returned to the Founderstone. However, “Lord Kane” is still missing, and Lyra tells us the city is under lock down. Many of Monfok’s guards are stationed around the Founderstone, so restoring it will be very difficult. Jade is against taking such a risk, but I think most of us believe we will have to try if Xavier is ever to be restored to power. Besides, Lyra says his wife is a powerful cleric. She might just be able to save Charlie, if only we can wake her. Qeew’s preservation spell should buy us some time, but we could all die in the coming fight if we don’t devise an intelligent plan.
What kind of monster does this? (I’m looking at you, Joe.)
2018-02-26