Garrick the Warrior

It would seem that I was right in that we would find some job protecting from Avvar raids. One of the arls hired us to track down his daughter who had been kidnapped and so we went to do that after some time in this small town of Elmridge where I acquired some light leather armor and another axe. The arl has promised two gold pieces for this job if we bring back his daughter alive and one if we bring back her body or something similar.

Somewhere along the way to the place where his daughter got kidnapped we misplaced Pierre. I am not sure what happened but the five of us examined the site of the abduction and Brakor found that it likely was not an abduction. Rather odd. We took our newly acquired horses courtesy of the arl and started to follow the trail made into the mountain to see what had become of the daughter.

It wasn’t long before we came across what appeared to be a sky burial of some Avvar at the site of a fight. It is uncertain as to what happened there beyond several people dying. Where our target went from there is uncertain. After an attack by a red lion we went westward to investigate what was an excessive gathering of carrion birds to discover a site of slaughter. Some investigation revealed that our target was not there but someone else was as soon seven darkspawn emerged from the mists of the early morning. They were easily dispatched through the group’s effort in working together. Brakor took the center, with Zerenor taking his right side, I his left side, and Tin and Cerridwen providing support. It went quite well and we proceeded on our way, eventually coming to an Avvar village next to a mountain.

The Thane of the village welcomed us, with intentions to talk to us later, and then handed us off to someone else to talk to for a while. Shortly after that the local shaman called for us and we chatted with him for a little bit before he bid us farewell but not before pointing out a place to have drinks. It is odd to be in an Avvar village. I wonder if this is the one that my mother was from but I think not. I believe she was from a place called Frosthold and I think that this place is called Redhold. The elf is suspicious of me as well I think. I must be more careful with my spells.

Garrick the Warrior - Dragon Age

Coming into the Chasind village was an odd experience. Brakor had to negotiate with the leader of the village and it went over quite quickly as the leader of the village, Zorya, drank some wine along with Brakor and went down hard from one cup. Rather odd, considering that is apparently what they export here. In addition, there was a circle mage present apparently looking for poems. This is good and bad as it means that one of them might recognize when my spells but there is someone to blame magic on.

Regardless, after our clothes were dried we continued on, following the raven and quite quickly came to a spot where the raven just died. This was quite clearly the spot to be and so we gathered some fire materials and it was here that it became apparent to everyone that the girl we had picked up in the village was a mage as she just set on the wood on fire. Brakor did not take this well.

A bit of time passed as we argued and then it became apparent that something was coming and it was not the firesprites we wanted. A giant crab appeared and despite the threat it clearly presented it was quickly dealt with. Brakor crippled it by tearing off one claw and then Zerenor took off the other claw. It quickly scuttled back to where it came from and so we returned to waiting. It wasn’t until dawn that the firesprites appeared and started to return to where they came from.

Showing little regard to us they turned and started back, the firesprites moved quite quickly. Fortunately they were quite bright and were singing some kind of song so it was easy to follow. Some of the group, Brakor, Zerenor, and the Orlesian had some difficulty following but we all arrived in the end at this grotto that was most likely a building at some point. We followed the sprites into the grotto and through a tunnel into a cavern.

There we found the guardian of the cavern, a massive snake. It was a close battle and the snake almost took down Brakor but we were victorious. It was then that we split up into various caverns to find the shadowmoss. Brakor, Tin, and I stumbled across a pit that had some treasure in it while the mage and Zerenor found their way to the shadowmoss. The smell in the room where the shadowmoss was was a bit too much for most of the group however and so only the mage was able to enter. She quickly collected the shadowmoss and so we left to go back to Southmere as soon as possible.

We came across a group of Chasind who questioned us about the disease but we were able to lie to them about our purpose in the Wilds and so the interaction was quick. There was not much after that. We reached the edge of the swamps and came across another Chasind who required assistance with two of the diseased. Brakor and Zerenor went off to deal with them and after that slight adventure, we continued north.

It was then that we ran into one Ser Vilja, a knight of the next village to the west of Southmere. Apparently they had been attacked as well and were searching for the cure. Piere killed one of the militiamen and our mage took out theirs. With that done and the roar of Brakor, the rest fled in terror or as they saw their friends fleeing. The rest of the travel back was much easier. Wichford had been repaired somewhat and so we were able to take the ferry across the river. We then went and retrieved Zerenor’s sword and headed back to Southmere through the hills.

We arrived to see the barn that had held those infected gone and enjoyed the quick trial of Bogdan for his murder of four of those infected. The old Chasind woman was able to make a cure for those who survived.

Given that the sheriff’s daughter was amongst the dead, he had retired due to grief and that Ser Vilem, the military commander, quite clearly hated us, we collected payment for the cure and left town quickly. We are heading north now for there will probably be work along the mountains protecting from late Avvar raids.

Hail to the Queen - Call of Cthulhu

First Entry

We are stuck on this island in the middle of a storm for a while it seems with little hope of leaving until it all blows over. This is perhaps my best time to strike to wipe out those who have become cultists. It will be hard killing the five of them along with the other four who live here but the task has been made easier by the knowledge that they have a statuette of the other god we have met. I have already struck, taking out the nun which accompanied us to this island.

As a ruse I have stabbed myself so I will not be suspected. When I wake up I will see how effective the ruse was.

Second Entry

Joy of joys, my ruse appears to have worked fabulously. It would appear that Mayor Palmer attacked someone else due to his suspicions regarding who had “attacked” me. In addition, the only two without blame are the priest and the hiker we met on the mountain but they messed that up by apparently doing something really stupid.

I woke up at 4am and conversed with the man of the house and Tim about my “attack” and they learned little as I was quite able to convey that I had been tired and more than a bit drunk when whoever it was stabbed me. They questioned me about the knife and I pointed out that we had found more in the monastery so perhaps one of the others had picked up one there. They asked my opinion of Palmer as I got some water and I suspect that if what had happened next had not happened he would have been arrested whenever the storm passed, assuming one of those damnable gods did not intervene.

I went back to sleep to get more rest and slept until the time when breakfast was to be served but it appeared that only the man of the house, the hiker, and myself were interested in food, food that was non existent. I am not sure where the staff is. It was at this lovely minute that the hiker informed the man of the house that he had found the dead nun in a room during the night but had not told anyone about it. Supposedly someone else had been with him during that moment but still it is fairly damning.

The three of us stormed upstairs, gathering the others who were having a lively discussion in the lounge on the second floor before proceeding to the body. The nun was quite clearly dead when we got there due to stabs and as Tim bent down to investigate the body we heard shouts from the bathroom where Mayor Palmer had gone.

A very fortunate event then occurred.

It would appear that while I was unconscious due to my “attack” the Mayor had come across a vial of some green liquid. (It might have been the priest who found it, the telling of the story was a bit jumbled due to the circumstances.) Regardless of who found it the Mayor had injected himself with it with the assistance of the priest who had for whatever reason stabbed him with it. Whatever was in there had dire consequences now as the Mayor’s left arm was expanding at a terrifying rate.

In an apparent panic and with the blade that had killed the nun and stabbed me the hiker cut off the growing arm. Attempts to move the still growing arm did not go well due to its increasingly gelatinous nature and then it changed from green to red. Tim and I moved then and were the only two to avoid the explosion that ensued. The Mayor and the young girl died while the man of the house was severely wounded. The hiker and the priest took some superficial wounds.

The hiker has killed more people than I and it is my objective to kill everyone. What insanity is this?

The hiker attempted to run outside then and I followed and after a brief tussle I dislocated his arms as he has proven himself to be a threat to everyone. My path is now clear. Everyone is separated or wounded. I shall strike quickly and quietly.

But afterwards… What happens then? I do not know. One thing is for certain though, I will be burning this place down.

Entry Three

The way forward was chaotic. The hiker threw me off and hid inside the building. My plans to end him outside were foiled and thus it took longer than expected. I trailed after him but found only Father Tony inside. Tim joined us shortly and the three of us conversed on matters before calling out to the two servants. Betty and Wallace joined us in the atrium and we discussed our problems. As Tim remembered a noise from downstairs and had not seen the hiker upstairs we tried the Den first and there he was. Tim, Tony, and I all rushed him after some talk and it did not go well.

I went through the window, Tim hit the wall, and the hiker ended up eating some glass in the tackle. Furthermore, the hiker escaped although he did leave behind the knife so he did not have a serious weapon anymore. Tim picked up the knife as Tony chased after the hiker and then Tim and I followed and we found him upstairs in the bathroom curled up in the shower. Wallace displayed great anger towards the hiker as we restrained the hiker in one of the bedrooms. A search of his body revealed that he had twelve lighters and ten candles.

I do not understand.

I changed clothes then as mine were thoroughly ruined again and those that survived went down to have breakfast. There it was agreed that we would try to clean up the mess this green stuff had made by Tim and Wallace so they went off to the laundry room. Tony and I went to check on Moriarty and there we found that he was dead, exploded just like the Mayor. I am not certain as to how we all missed the noise of it. Perhaps the room is soundproofed?

Regardless, Betty did not take this well and ran off screaming despite my words to calm her. She was clearly beyond them. Wallace and Tim arrived soon afterwards and they could quite clearly see what happened. Knowing that the hiker was responsible Wallace went to throw him off of the cliff and none of us felt any obligation to stop him in that task. Tim and I sent Father Tony off to find Betty. Tim and I went to the laundry room then so I could get my parka and thereafter we went outside to see if there was a boathouse.

Instead we found a shed wherein I acquired some weapons and from there it was easy to deal with those who remained. The high priest of Retribution fell, the screwdriver I picked up in his back. I returned to the house then and met Father Tony. He died in the same way as we headed up the stairs. I continued up the stairs and made sure the hiker was gone before proceeding to where the Father had told me Betty and Wallace were to finish this.

Using the gasoline that Tim and I had found in the shed I burned down the mansion to the ground and waited until the storm passed at which point a ferry arrived. It took some convincing but I am now on the boat heading to… somewhere.

I am not certain as to what comes next. Retribution is somewhere out there. I will have to keep a knife close by just in case. The black one should do the trick in a pinch. There are no cultists left alive but this Melissa person, she is clearly involved somehow. I will find her and I will finish what I started at the monastery.

To whatever comes next,

Bianca Solange

Garrick the Warrior

In many ways the blight hitting this land was a blessing. The templars and the chantry are so focused on rebuilding they have little time to search for people such as me. Local authorities are next to non existent as well in most lands for the time being. Lots of people are traveling both into and out of Ferelden, mostly refugees who look as poor as I do. The templars are also busy with the new group of uppity mages in the Circle due to the freedoms they enjoyed during the Blight. Reasserting control will take up most of their attention as well.

The lack of authorities is a slight problem as well though. There are quite a few bandits now roaming the area and there are still darkspawn about doing… whatever it is darkspawn do. It has required that I travel with other people. I’ve found some capable companions though. Interesting companions, but very capable. One of those qunari is in the group but he says he is not qunari. Apparently he grew tired of being a qunari and is now something else? I had no idea that such a thing was possible. There’s also this really tall elf. He always is looking around for something like he is being hunted. He doesn’t have any hair so probably a former slave or convict. A dwarf fellow who seems to like picking up things and then there is this Orlesian Noble. I have no idea why that guy is here slumming it with us all. Perhaps some cheap thrills?

So we’ve all been together for a few months now and here we are, coming up to a small village that we were told was going to have a celebration for the planting season/building a new fort against the Chasind. All was well going into the village although the elf split and went north into the hills while the rest of us went to the festivities. There I think the entire village was amazed as the Orlesian sauntered up to the axe competition alongside the not qunari and dwarf and proceeded to win it handily! You wouldn’t think that one of his kind would have those skills. I wandered over to the tent and chatted with the local wise woman as the others found some amusements around the area. We chatted about local herbs and healing while locals got drinks and the dwarf, Tin, and not qunari, Brakor, joined them to chat. The Orlesian had apparently opted to stay outside, something that turned out to work well for us.

After some time the sheriff of the area started to give a speech only to find himself interrupted not once but twice by the baying of dogs. All of a sudden someone came through the tent walls at him. Fortunately his daughter intervened but suffered because of it. Tin, Brakor, and I quickly dealt with the attacker and the other two who joined him. During the fight Brakor and I noticed that their weapons were poisoned, in particular their daggers and Brakor took a blow from the unfortunately. The elf, Zerenor, also took a blow at some point during his heroics outside. Tin, the Orlesian, and I are fine for the moment but it is likely there are more out there.

Several others had been hurt by these attackers and so the Sheriff gathered everyone who was still alive after the bodies had been burned in the town hall to discuss what to do next. The local military commander, one Ser Vilem, argued that those infected should be put to death and was supported by a man named Bogdan, the local blacksmith. Needless to say, as several of my friends are infected I spoke out alongside them with the sheriff, whose daughter is infected and we managed to persuade the others that we would search for a cure that the wise woman I had chatted with earlier told us all about.

Admittedly, the cure might not work but it is better than nothing. I shall not let Brakor or Zerenor die in such a terrible fashion. Whatever this poison is, it clearly addles with the mind and turns one into a being of rage. Perhaps it is a demonic poison of some kind or maybe something left over from the blight? I do not know.

The five of us set out the next day with some supplies given to us by locals. The old woman told us to follow a crow she summoned and we are to burn something to attract these things called firesprites who will lead us to the ingredients that we need. There is also a guardian of some kind. We followed the crow until noon and reached a cliff which we climbed down with the assistance of rope. Crossing the river that was next to the cliff was not possible and so we had to go to the town to the west to get across.

There it became quite apparent that those who had attacked Southmere had come through here and made more of their kind who had followed earlier this morning through tracks I spotted and a conversation with a dying man we found. The situation is bad. We proceeded onwards, the need for a cure even stronger now possibly. Crossing the river was easy despite the missing raft. Zerenor tied a rope for all to use to cross and we proceeded on, as wet as we could possibly be. Fortunately the map shows that there is another village coming up. I shall attempt to get the others to stop for a short while so that we might dry our clothes.

As we neared the Korcari Wilds we came across a trapper and chatted with him about events. He did not know much and so we moved on after he gave us some food only to run into a Chasind ambush. However, it was quickly dealt with as I managed to cast a walking bomb spell on one of the Chasind which Brakor immediately killed. Needless to say, the Chasind exploded and the rest of the ambush is now running away from us. I hope we reach this next village soon. I would rather like to have dry clothes again.

Call of Cthulhu - Agent Solange

I do not like this situation anymore then I did before though I am satisfied with what I accomplished today. My brain also hurts a bit. I… met two gods today, both of extremely different temperament. But lets start at the beginning.

The five of us were in the church and so we investigated what was in the area. In the room off to the right of the entrance I found it to be a kitchen with another dead nun in it due to a knife like the one I acquired in the maze. Naturally I took it and then investigated the room some more with Tim, the surviving cultist. We found a lot of food and then moved off to investigate the other room at the entrance while the rest of the group went upstairs. We found winter coats and thus went off to explore the smaller building next to this one in comfort.

There we found two snowmobiles and a group of dogs designed for sleds. I was able to befriend them and we determined that the snowmobiles were workable. Tim and I discussed what to do next and decided that the best plan of action was to wait to see if the people in the other building started screaming if they found Melissa, our elusive target. After making a fabulous stir fry with ingredients from the fridge the predicted event happened though not as planned. She was up there it turned out but the reason there was screaming was due to the man in the suit losing his sight somehow.

I suspected it to be a trap and thus I forced the two of them or rather, the blind guy to go open the door behind the pair as the hiker we had met jumped away. My guess turned out to be right as the blind man went into the room and instantly closed the room only for the sound of someone dying to reach me. I went through the door then and as Melissa fled the building I shot her in the shoulder above the heart.

Unfortunately, she set fire to the building as she slid down her ladder so I could not pursue her that way and the next few minutes were spent by everyone running out of the building in a bit of a hurry as this fire spread far too fast to be normal. I do not understand it. As the cultist and I had a similar purpose we took a snowmobile in pursuit of Melissa and discovered she had snowmobile as well. Following her trail was easy and we were closing in when out of nowhere… something appeared.

It was a bluish thing that had three hands and was rather odd, just floating around us. It gave us a name but I do not remember it due to what happened next. The cultist and this thing had clearly already met at some point and had a bit of a conversation before the two of us found ourselves flying off into the distance at high speeds. Fortunately we did not die and somehow we quickly met up with the others who had been at the monastery along with what is most likely the only surviving nun of the place.

It was then that another being showed himself to us. This time it did not hurt to look at but several members of the group, the young girl and the nun did not take it so well and have apparently succumbed to his influence. They are now cultists. I am not sure how the nun will take that. It is fortunate the priest that is now accompanying us appears to have succumbed to sleep due to the cold. All of a sudden then the being was gone and we found ourselves stuck in some kind of ice that took off to lead us somewhere.

Of course, this did not work out and we met that blue thing from before but this time he was purple. Clearly he changes a lot. He sent us on a different heading and then we found ourselves on an island in the middle of a lake. I am beside myself with rage at the lack of an opportunity to revenge myself upon the women who kidnapped me. I will need to relax myself soon or this will end poorly. As well, I must ask the cultist fellow what that scroll we looked at contained. It hurt my eyes just to look at it and that is not normal.

There is a mansion or maybe a hotel here. I hope they have fishing equipment. That has always calmed me and it does mean some tasty food assuming they have fish in the lake.

Call of Cthulhu - Agent Solange

I find myself to be in a bit of an odd situation. I was driving through the countryside in response to a problem when all of a sudden I blacked out and awoke handcuffed in a cell with two other people apparently nowhere near where I had been when I was last awake judging by the city on the officer’s uniform who was with me. Little time was wasted by myself and the officer in freeing ourselves and the other person in the cell from captivity. We did find the door to be slightly barred but we forced our way out of the cell room and encountered several other people in serious disarray. One person had lost an arm, another a hand, and two of them appeared to be cultists of some god they had met.

This is not in the agency training but I am dealing with it. They told the three of us in the cell that we were in a bunker in a cornfield and that someone named Melissa had kidnapped us all. They did not say why. We proceeded together and went downwards for the others said to turn back was quite impossible. As we went down a floor we turned to find out we were being followed by a… thing. I don’t know how to describe it. An ogre perhaps?

The one armed man took off fast so undoubtedly this thing was the cause of his missing arm and the rest of us quickly followed suit as there was no other way out of this situation. Dashing around turns the group got quickly separated and the ogre followed the police officer eventually. I came across a room that I could not cross and turned back only to meet the other woman that had been in the cell with me. We went back to the room that was not crossable only to see that the officer was now dead. We took off and easily avoided the ogre thing this time.

The two of us met up with the other three, now two, as alas, in their attempt to jump a pit the one missing an arm had done poorly and died in the fall. The two cultists and I left the body behind while the other woman stayed there for some reason. We attempted to go back to the stairs but some rat creatures came down them and so we had to flee. They were easily avoided and so we made our way back into the maze hoping to avoid the ogre.

After some exploration we found ourselves at a door and then another door behind which we found a lounge of some kind. There were ribs in the fridge and as we were all a bit hungry we ate some. I destroyed a bit of the carpet as revenge for this kidnapping and then the other woman arrived. The four of us proceeded upstairs where I found a gun inside a chest along with a note asking someone named Matilda to clean the place. We proceeded into the next room and found someone who was presumably Matilda and after she shot at us we killed her though she did something to the man who had all his limbs as he stabbed his fellow cultists. After I killed Matilda I patched up the handless man and we had some more food so as to all feel better.

We then found ourselves at a crossroads for there were two… portals? of purple material in the room that Matilda had been in. There was a bit of discussion and then we all proceeded through one of the portals. When we appeared on the other side of the portal we found ourselves on a mountain top in front of a hiker. Another portal opened and then someone in a suit appeared saying something about an oddly dressed fellow which the cultists appeared to be quite jubilant about. The man in a suit, the head cultist, and myself all roped down the cliffside to get to a house off in the distance as it was quite cold while the others decided to walk down for some reason. The man missing a hand did not make it.

The man with a suit left us as soon as we were inside and it became clear that this church that we had apparently found ourselves in was not so good as there is a very dead body in the entryway. I do not like what I have gotten myself into.

In which Steve was killed by a god

Master Sergeant Steve Holt passed away on October 23rd, 2014  at the age of 42 years. He was a resident of New York City, New York for the past several years, being one of the many soldiers stationed at the Army Base Fort Hamilton. He died while on an impromptu vacation to the Grand Canyon and its surrounding areas in an accident. He was visiting a police station while assisting in solving a crime and had the building fall on him.

Steve Holt was born on March 23rd, 1972 in Savannah, Georgia to George and Eve Holt. He dropped out of high school to join the army at the age of 16 and served with distinction in Afghanistan. He is survived by two brothers and their children. A funeral service will be conducted at Arlington Cemetery on Friday November 7th, 2014 at 11am.


Long live Steve.