It has been long since I have written in my journal and told the story of our fellowship and the perils which we have faced. In fact I have not picked up my quill since I had been captured by the Night Mother. It is now many many days later (It seems like years) and I am finding it hard to put into words what has transpired. Everything seems to be a sort of blur in my memory.
Right now, I am sitting beneath one of Akkiir's magic domes listening to the thunder and rain pounding off the dome. Janlynn has been teaching me special prayers to the Morninglord, so that hopefully he will hear my pleas in this forsaken place. I would give all I possess, even my life should he need it, to bring my best friend back to the world of the living. Nothing else is important.
Here are some notes to fill in for now until I find time to write about these events in more detail:
While I was captured by the Nightmother, I spent most of my time in a stupor and have little memory of the experience. My friends have filled me in a little on the story. They worked desperately to get me back, tracking down the Night Mother and her army of Lost Children. The terrifying giant animated stump was the worst of all as it continually tried to stomp my comrades into the ground.
After that horrible experience we have just continued to be chased by Dark Riders constantly, and have had to go back to Krezk several times to try and heal ourselves of curses and blackvein poison. We've managed to completely lose Ireena. Strasni is dead. We've liberated Vallaki from a death cult and killed the evil Wachter family who was behind it all. Most importantly - we destroyed one of the Dark Riders and proved to ourselves that it could be done! We took it's dark blade and ring (Which will become important later).
We've journeyed to haunted Argynvostholt and learned of the Grim Order and the Dragon, fighting our way through waves of restless undead. We must find the dragon's bones and return them to their proper crypt and this will activate the beacon which will work towards reducing Strahd's power in some way.
We've traversed the frozen peaks of Mount Ghakis and explored the deadly Amber Temple there. We found a powerful artifact, a holy symbol of light, which has been invaluable in our fight against Strahd and his minions. We found queer tombs beneath the temple that offer cursed powers to those whose thirst for power overcame their better judgement. There was a crazy wizard who seemed to have been trapped in that place for a long time. Hags on flying broomsticks assailed us as we came and went along the mountain passes. We managed to defeat a great Yeti creature and brought its pelt down the mountain and presented it to the First People.
We were ambushed by multiple dark riders and their antler horned leader at Krezk, while trying to heal from the shrine there. They attacked with vicious hooked chains and managed to drag Nim and Uphir off with them into the Ether! Nim avoided capture there, but was stuck in that border plane with no way to get back to us. We went to the Dusk elves as they proved to have the solution to get Nim back. The walls between worlds are weaker there, in their vale, and we managed to pull him out.
Uphir was lost to us. No doubt taken to Castle Ravenloft and thrown in the dungeon. Well, we were half right. Strahd had taken her to the castle, but he had killed our beloved friend and turned her into one of his vampire minions, and we were forced to fight her and a horde of vampires. She truly died in that battle and now we have been forced to drag her magically preserved body around as we desperately search for a spell component that Janlynn can use to raise her. Tragically, we lost our trusted ally Sir Gregor in that battle as well. Two comrades paid with their lives so we could win a sword of light and a shiny helmet. The cost was too high.....
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