Horror, depravity, sickness, and death.  All of these are just words that fail to explain what I just experienced, experiences I shared with this mixed group of companions I have somehow bound myself to.   My previous entry was almost my last, and given the indescribable horror in that cave, it would not have been a wasted death in defeating such an unholy creature.  I am thankful to all the spirits of the Valar that we emerged victorious, if not unscathed.  The horror of the creature’s words ring in my ears, continuously in memory as I lay here on the battleground, tended to health by Eldan, a young priest of Pelor.  

I am unsure if I wish a written record of this nightmarish event, in case you should receive these entries without me there to explain them.  I certainly will not ever forget this event, for it may be the closest anyone has gotten to clues about the purpose of my quest, and that creature with such knowledge is now dead, and that knowledge ventured to the afterworld with her.  I lay recovering from near death by poison and magic, and I am torn by the emotions that I may live to see you once again, and a furiousness that my quest may be rent asunder, compounded by a depressing sense of failure.  Emotions are roaring through my mind, and while I know this snake queen’s death was required, my anger overrides my knowledge.  So I lay in stoic silence, saying nothing, smoldering within, and yet thankful for life, and sorrow for the loss of the quest, and sorrow for Azguld and his friend’s death.  It is probably of great benefit that I am too weak to move, because I know not what I would do.  Perhaps recounting the events in this written form will allow me to quiet my mind, and provide some peace to my spirit.

The path lay into the hills surrounding the keep.  By mid-morning we had approached what we thought was our location.  Surprisingly, at least to me, we arrived shortly after a family from the community, and we saw them obviously begin to lower their infant child into what must be a dark pit. Xyerius sprang into action, and the couple failed to heed the admonishments of her and Adelaide.  They continued to ignore us and prepared for the sacrifice of their child.  – I paused here because I am not sure that writing this is quieting the rage I feel for a society who cares so little for their children.  Terrified of the monster they were sacrificing their child too, the parents argued and despaired, and eventually fled, leaving the child behind.  It astounds me that any parent would leave their child after help had arrived.

Unknowing what creature we would be facing, we planned to quietly descend into the open pit, through a simplistic wench and bucket contraption, similar to a basic well, although of course over a much larger opening into the ground.  I say planned, because Azguld has the patience of those annoying mites that surround the swamps to the south of home, that buzz and buzz.   Instead of thinking anything through he took a running leap, trying to jump to the center rope and bucket.  Here I pause in suppressed mirth.  Thankfully he missed, or else the whole structure would have collapsed leaving us no way to easily drop down.  I really should not have laughed, nor even be amused now, but the incredible impetuousness and stupidity of the move overwhelms me.  I was truly stunned at the time that he survived, as it was at least a ten meter drop, in full plate.  The Valar certainly protected him in this case, although he was badly injured.  Null quickly descended after his friend, and I followed as it seemed best to have the best fighters into the pit quickly to cover for Azguld, and the noise had to have alerted any creature within.

Shockingly, there was plenty of time for the rest to join us, including the baby.  As Null and I investigated the pit, it became obvious that at one point, this was a temple to the gods, and not a single god, although the god given the most prominence was the human sun god Pelor.  Broken pillars ranged in a circle around what once must have been a glorious temple, and a large engraving of Pelor’s face on one wall, so large that it appeared as if the eyes and mouth were small caves or alcoves.  No doors or other entrances appeared, and it initially seemed as if the cave was vacant, vacant except for the hundreds or thousands of bones littering the entire floor, tiny bones indicating the skeletons of an unknowable number of infant children.  The horror of that discovery batters at my mind even as I write that, as I still lie here too weakened to move, to weakened for the group to even move me from this eternal mass grave.  

I believe Null actually discovered the beast first, although I also saw it slowly rise above one of the fractured pillars.  A truly hellish creature, a female human upper body conjoined with the lower half of a monstrous snake.   Null and I instantly charged for the attack, and we worked pretty well together. The pillar was at the upper most of my reach, and Null’s strength allowed him to boost me into attack in a variety of ways, although the creature’s tail proved dangerously strong. Shortly after the shock wore off, I could tell that Xyersis and Adelaide were shooting at it with bows, and it seems initially that Azguld was protecting the baby.  Eventually I could tell that there was combat behind me too, and a quick glance showed two monstrous snakes had emerged from the caverns in the Pelor sculpture.  We pressed the snake queen hard, and eventually she vanished, but not before we severely wounded her, and offering me the location of the quest, if we were to let her live.  After she vanished, I know not what came over me.  I should have known she was not dead, nor gone.  However, Azguld was hard pressed and I rushed to assist him in dispatching these.  It was nearly a fatal mistake.

The snake queen was not dead, but during the skirmish with the monstrous snakes, I took a massive bite of soaked in venom.  I have no idea how I survived, weakened instantly but Azguld appeared in even worse shape, and at the time I knew not if it was magical or more poison.  Null also joined the battle, and we eventually dispatched the snakes, but the queen returned, pleading for her life, and also joining the battle with her magic.  Finally, Adelaide killed the queen, destroying the magic that had been affecting Azguld, and probably saving us all, while I took another venomous injury before placing the final blow to the last snake and collapsing to what I thought was my death.   All the while, as I lay there dying, I raged inside against my failure.  For the briefest moment, an intense flash of aharana flooded my mind, and it was not directed against our most recent enemies, but instead, at the one who took the killing blow.  A killing blow that must have been aided by her magic, because such a perfect shot could not have come from such an inexperienced archer, which makes me wonder what else she may be hiding.  

I write these words, and I am ashamed, but if I am to be truthful, it must at least be here in these writings.  Depression sets in intermittently with relief, sickness as the priest helps to heal me of these noxious poisons, anger that clues have been lost, satisfaction that I am potentially on the right track.  I know not what comes next, and it distresses me more than anything in the last decades, almost as much as the loss of Keliendiel, or any of the others in the past years under my command.  

I know not what to do……and I have always been certain of what to do.  I long for you to help ease my burdens, to share these frustrations with you in person, to hear of your own activities.  Even another command if it brought me home to you.  And I am ashamed that I feel that way as I cannot give up.  

I must rest, I believe we will try to return to Saker’s Keep in the morning.  Hopefully my companions will find some evidence to aid my quest as they search this soiled and defiled temple.

Vanimle sila tiri ar lissenen ar’ maska’lalaith tenna’ lye omentuva —–Elyrienne