Eliam's Journal

a draft because shaedi paid upfront in memes

17 Alin

It's time to go home, obviously. It's been what, seven months now? I'm ready to no longer have to look over my shoulder for orcs and scramble for coin. The situation is ridiculous. Arlan wasn't willing to hear me out last time, but after so long, I'm sure I can come up with a way for him to support me in being able to go home.

20 Alin

That could have gone better.

The evening started off well enough. I decided to get something to eat, sort out my thoughts and plan for tomorrow. The barmaid there was quite attractive, and it was looking like I wouldn't even have to try too hard to share her bed tonight.

Unfortunately, some idiot outside got caught littering or something. His fault, honestly, for getting noticed. Not my problem, either way, but some dwarf actually went outside to confront them. I can't even begin to imagine how completely drunk he must have been. Needless to say this lead to a fight.

I chose to stay out of it, of course, but there were several orcs inside. One of them asked me to play the lute; I did, of course, play wonderfully for them, but it wasn't enough. At least four of them must have attacked me alone, but I was able to take them down with little issue, in the interest of my own self defence.

The bar's a bit singed now, but there looked to be another mage in there who tried to fight as well, some strange fellow wearing a hood indoors, throwing around daggers made of shadows. I'm sure they'll blame him for it instead.

Soon after, though, some woman showed up, spouting some dramatic nonsense about following her if we want to live. She did, however, point out that we'd be framed as criminals for the orc's deaths, unless we followed her to her hideout.

The dwarf, the mage and I left, naturally. She lead us to a stable in the middle of nowhere, using some kind of teleportation glyph to lead us to a secret hideout. The whole thing doesn't sit well with me, but the way she's acting, I could probably share her room tonight instead of the barmaid's. She certainly dresses like it won't be difficult to accomplish.

When asked, I told her group, the Lyriad, that we were legendary heroes and fighters. She was quite quick to believe it and defend us to her more skeptical comrade. She seems to be the gullible type; good to know, I suppose.

The mage insists she's lead us to a cult, and so far, I'm inclined to agree. They've signed us up for what sounds like a suicide mission against some Rorgh lieutenant. Worse yet, they don't intend to repay us in any way for our help; they simply threatened to abandon us to the streets where the police are actively searching for us. This is one of the more brazen and idiotic plans I've heard, and I intend to run the second things look bad. I can't think of a worse reason to be detained than being found to be some sort of orc-slaying cultist. At least on my own, I can get to my brother's office before word gets out about this whole mess.

---

These cultists are idiots. They lead us to a room with several glyphs, and teleported us into an alley. Samson immediately jumped and attacked the first orcs we saw out on a routine patrol. The orc he organized this whole thing to kill, Ish'an, wasn't even there.

The orcs fought back, of course, and he died. I don't know what they expected. The woman who took us here, Minerva, was apparently his daughter. She was quite distraught, and locked herself in her room the second we returned. An older woman, who I assume runs things now, gave us rooms and food, though.

She also translated one of the orc's notes for us. Apparently their goal is to attack a wellspring? I'm not entirely sure what that is, but Oren says it works to repel monsters away from towns. They've tasked us with traveling to and checking up on the nearest one, in Saloria.

If we weren't wanted before, we're wanted men now. Votig seems incredibly capable at fighting. Loathe as I am to waste more time, it does seem like a good plan to stay close to these people for now, at least until the heat dies down and the orcs forget us. Saloria isn't terribly far; I doubt this errand will take long.

21 Alin

The mage woke me up this morning. It was quite strange; he barged into my room, ignored the fact I was still in bed and started asking me about our plans while staring at the floor. Perhaps he's attracted to me? He's not bad looking, I suppose, but his hair looks like he hasn't brushed it properly in weeks. The old cult woman certainly thinks we're a couple now, after she tried to wake everyone up early and found us in the room together. I'm appalled on Minerva's behalf that they would wake us up so early. The poor girl just lost her father, and they won't let her, and us, rest?

The dwarf insisted they pack us some beer, on the Lyriad's coin. I'm beginning to think I like him. Time to get dressed, then, and see what more trouble these cultists can pull us into.

---

Mercifully, we've made it halfway there unscathed. Votig lead the cart, though it was frustratingly quiet inside. Oren doesn't seem much for conversation, and Minerva just sort of brooded and sharpened her daggers.

They lightened up a tad at camp, though. Votig made dinner, and we all told some stories about ourselves. Minerva told a story about her dad, depressingly enough, and I told the tale of how I quite cleverly managed to trick my way into a free lute, though no one seemed impressed.

Oren, however, displayed little knowledge of common terms like "country bumpkin," and seemed oddly reticent to give us any information about himself. I'm beginning to fear he might be somewhat simple. If he is, I don't think I'll follow up on that strange bedroom incident from this morning.

23 Alin

Finally, we've arrived in Saloria. The town is quite nice; if nothing else, I'm pleased we've been sent to a resort town on this ridiculous journey. Better yet, while Oren and Votig are off wandering in the forest, Minerva and I came up with some excuse to hit the town. Naturally, I've invited her to a drink first thing. She's bought us all some in rooms for the night, and so far, things are going well. Perhaps traveling with these people won't be so bad after all, for a short time.

---

Minerva and I proceeded to the bar. I'd been worried she'd be poor company, given the death of her father, but she seems to have perked up, even joking around after I asked her to sleep with me. Unfortunately, we have more dire things to worry about now.

The barmaid was attractive, though. Minerva was mostly uninterested in chatting, utterly focused on this inane mission. The barmaid signalled to us that she was Lyriad almost immediately, which in retrospect was a bad sign. To be honest, I thought her a bit uneducated when she failed to understand my hints to speak about such matters privately, at night. Her motives, however, turned out to be sinister.

She insisted we go to the bar’s cellar that second, despite the crowd. We searched it, and found a glyph that Minerva was able to activate. The woman had sold us out. We found the wellspring, and a platoon of orcs waiting there to ambush​ us.

Why would some Lyriad barmaid even have a glyph leading to the wellspring? It does explain why she had insisted we go downstairs so quickly. Her ploy to sell us out failed, however, when we easily crushed the orcs in battle. I hope she wasn't chasing after a bounty for us. Certainly word and description of us couldn't have reached out here so quickly? Damn Samson and his idiocy.

The strangest thing happened during the fight, however. Minerva was pushed into the wellspring, and emerged unscathed. Oren followed quickly enough, practically bathing in the aether within afterwards.

Votig stayed away from it long as he could. Minerva seemed a bit… touched, after, and he does seem to be quite adept at sensing danger. He got a read on the Lyriad being terrible soon enough. Oren, though, lost some kind of artifact within the aether. He begged me to jump in and get it for him, and though I'm a bit concerned by his general behavior, he didn't seem willing to let us leave without it.

So I jumped in. And survived. I still don't understand it. The others say this is wrong, that we should have died by merely touching the aether. I can't help but feel like this sounds familiar, but I can't imagine from where. I saw a vision, too, of a woman I didn't recognize. The whole thing is baffling.

Votig, though, destroyed the spring. It doesn't sit well with me. Oren said it kept the monsters at bay, but I'm not even sure what monsters he means. Either way, though, it can't be good. We're in enough trouble as is. If the destruction of an artifact like this can be traced back to us… I don't even know who would come after us. The Elyde? Father always said they were dangerous and not to anger them. I can't leave the others now. If it comes to a fight, these people are better than most I've seen. I can only hope no one ever learns what really happened.

But more than anything, I want to know what we learned. The aether destroyed Oren's flower, but not us? It grew back after the aether spilled out though, thank the Maker. I’d be done for if we were found there, no matter how good at fighting everyone here seems. Not even we could take down the best the Elyde has to offer, but I doubt anyone would have let us just leave the mage behind.

And who was the woman we saw? No one knew her. Was it some kind of warning? A sign?

Oren concerns me. The second we got back, Minerva and Votig took to their own rooms at the inn without a word. He looks badly wounded from the fight, but he's trying to hide his work, just bleeding into a bowl while he tends his cuts. He's a doctor, or so he claims, so if he needs help, I suppose he'll ask. At least he's considerate enough to be neat about it.

A part of me thinks I should never have returned to Ushad. The plants grew shockingly fast when the spring broke, though, despite the forest being dead. Perhaps the wellspring was somehow taking the life from the forest, and we did a good thing? I wish I had studied this more when my tutor went over such things. I suppose I can ask Oren in the morning. He seems quite learned in the subject of magic, at least.

24 Alin

Minerva came to wake me up. Given the events of last night on top of the recency of her father's death, I expected her to be more distraught. I suppose she's not the type to dwell on things. She claims to be able to sense heat in the aether now, despite not being a mage.

The more I think about it, the more it sounds like the old legends of the Children, given gifts from the Maker of the elements. I wish I had my old storybooks still. Of course, those were only fables. But stranger things have happened in the world, right?

I can't sense anything in the aether, heat or otherwise. But it does seem a bit easier to sense than normal. Perhaps it's a side effect of breaking the wellspring? We returned life to the forest, and made magic stronger. I would love to see my family's expression when I tell them I'm responsible for those kinds of heroics. Maybe the others will have felt some effects as well?

---

Morale couldn't be lower, it seems. The stress of our actions has broken everyone. Votig spent the night and morning getting drunk, and started loudly and openly yelling about our involvement in the Lyriad. Oren, it would seem, is not actually simple, just completely fucking insane. He started going on about reaching Thirshalon. I agreed with the plan to leave, obviously, given our recent disaster. I assumed he knew what he was talking about, given he seems like an accomplished mage, until Minerva reminded us that Thirshalon doesn't exist. How could Oren forget that? He made me look like an idiot during our discussion. If he's truly a doctor, remind me to never rely on him for treatment.

Minerva seems to be holding it together still, despite everything. Between the wellspring and her father’s death, though, I expect her to snap at any moment.

Alarmingly, though, a man died at the inn since a healer's magic stopped working. It makes little sense; I can feel that the aether is stronger here now. It seems like a bad sign, but Minerva has suggested we travel to Fallowfield for answers, at least. Any place is better than here.

Votig even got attacked, by some other dwarf. Apparently they knew each other. Votig was passed out, but the other man took his silver. He seems unstable enough as is, so I replaced the money before he could notice it's absence. The last thing we need is another incident drawing attention to ourselves.

---

Despite all reason, we're staying here. Oren wants to help the townsfolk, and Minerva seems to agree. They claim some monsters have been sighted in the bramble, and given that no one's magic is working, they need our help. The odd thing is, I checked, and I can still definitely cast.

Spending the evening here did allow me to give the barmaid who got us into this mess a piece of my mind, though. She claimed she had no idea what I was talking about with regards to the orcs, as though I'd fall for that. If she's actually Lyriad, the organization is more screwed than I thought. Minerva should seriously consider a new line of work.

---

Naturally, defending the town was simple. To say we were triumphant would be an understatement. I managed to take down a score of monsters alone, with some backup from the others. Several of the townsfolk died, though. Minerva planned to spend the night digging graves for them, for some reason. We didn't even know those people. But if she wants to waste her time, who am I to stop her?

The dwarf seems to have tamed one of the monsters that attacked us, though. It's some kind of horrifying lizard beast that I swear must have at least three rows of teeth. It hasn't attacked us, at least. Yet. The second it does I'm putting it down. He's taken to calling it “Chompy.”

I, of course, had the best plan for after the fight. I went to that barmaid’s house to get a meal and some drinks since, to be honest, I’m not actually sure where else to go in this town. The woman got hysterical for a bit when I arrived; apparently her friend died in the battle. However, the same friend left her the bar upon his passing.

Her demeanor quickly changed once she realized this. She invited me up rather quickly to spend the night and celebrate. Given I'm one of the only mages in the town, apparently, I doubt she's a threat. She can hardly trick me into an ambush twice. And honestly, after what happened it was the least she could do.

I can't stop dwelling on the wellspring, however. Obviously it keeping away monsters was true. I had hoped the wellspring’s destruction was somehow a cause of good, but… And even though my magic seems slightly stronger, one of the fellows we fought with nearly had a heart attack when he saw I was able to heal Oren. Mysteries to worry about on a less happy night, I suppose.

I only hope Oren and the others will be willing to leave this time. Though we defeated the monsters tonight easily, we can't be expected to keep defending this town. Even if, _if_ we caused this to happen, this town isn't our responsibility.

25 Alin

Another day, another betrayal by the Lyriad. The barmaid I slept with immediately went crazy in the morning and started ranting about babies. Needless to say, I left immediately. I don't even know what her name was, and she wanted babies? Now, though, we _definitely_ need to leave this town. Immediately. Minerva has a plan to evacuate the town; given the woman inherited a bar, I doubt she'll leave with us. I just need to go along with things and wait for everything to work itself out.

We went to the mayor's house later that day. The man, it turns out, founded the Lyriad. Or so he claimed, anyways. He spiked our drinks with some kind of truth serum, though only Minerva was affected. While the others followed him through a glyph to fight him, I stayed behind to make sure she was safe, of course. Surprisingly, the man had nothing worth taking. Despite being mayor and head of the Lyriad, he kept very few valuables in his sitting room, unfortunately. More unfortunately, I didn't have time to check the other rooms before the others got back.

We did, however, get what was left of the truth ale. Who knows when such a thing could be useful?

After the mayor's attack, we’re leaving today, evacuation be damned. Given the sheer amount of trouble we've had here, it might be for the best. I'm sure most people are already leaving of their own accord after the monster attacks yesterday, anyways. Votig did apparently make a friend he's planning to bring along with us though, a leatherworker. One could be useful to have, honestly. I think we all wear leather armor here, after all. Once they arrive, we'll be setting off for Fallowfield.

26 Alin

Well, I can't say I expected that from our new travelling companions. The leatherworker, Heather, is quite cute, though she's brought along her kid sister. We're only taking them to Ushad, at least, so we won't have to deal with them long. Maybe. Oren pointed out that the kid is the girl we saw in the vision from the wellspring. Which is… confusing, to say the least. She doesn't look much older than twelve.

Oren had a brilliant plan to discern their motives, though: we'd give them some of the truth ale and simply ask a few questions. Unfortunately, the girl refused to drink, and her sister followed suit after Minerva shouted to the world what the effects of the ale were.

For all his cleverness, though, I'm worried about Oren, insane or not. What I thought was just tending to an injury was apparently him cutting himself on purpose. I asked him about it after he drank the ale, and he said he needed blood to make the flower bloom, whatever that means. He claims it's normal, though, at least for a blood lotus. It seems to be his magic focus, so I assume he knows what he's doing.

Of course, he immediately took advantage of the truth ale to ask me how many women I'd slept with, which was frankly unfair. That question is obviously poorly phrased, causing the answer to be incredibly inaccurate.

To add insult to injury, he acted like I was insane when I pointed out how similar our adventure was becoming to the fairy tales about the Children. _He_ thinks I'm crazy? The man who believes Thirshalon is real?

He did choose to fall asleep in my arms though, confusingly. I think perhaps he does like me. It would explain why he was so interested in how many women I'd slept with. Trying to see if I'm interested in men, perhaps, by seeing if I'd clarify my answer when he specified women? I suppose I wouldn't say no to him, insane and unkempt though he may be. Heather seems a much better option right now, though, if she's not upset with us for trying to drug her.

---

Despite the well’s vision, we've decided to leave both Elise and Heather in Ushad. I suppose we don't truly know if we are the Children, or if she's one of us as well. It's the obvious assumption from the vision we saw, trying to bring us together… but it could just as easily have been the wellspring warning us not to trust her. Who can say? I suppose if we truly are the prophesied heroes, things will work themselves out. However, her sister did heavily imply that she'd been to the wellspring, like us.

I do hope the fifth of us isn't a literal child, though. The girl doesn't seem entirely all there, either. She's obsessed with staring at the clouds, and tried to get me to play with her. She looks young, physically, and somehow manages to act even younger. Despite this, she claims to be nineteen. As though we'd fall for that.

Oren did have another good plan to trick the two into a drinking game to try to learn _something_ from them. Elise and Heather both failed to give us anything​ truly useful, but Elise did seem to have heard a similar legend when I told them we'd walked into the wellspring. Their reactions are incredibly suspicious, if nothing else, and I'm almost certain we're all a part of _something_ together. If not the Children, what happened to us at the wellspring was clearly extraordinary in some way.

Perhaps it's not just that enough time has passed to go home… if I truly have some sort of truly incredible abilities, or better yet, if I _am_ a Child, there's absolutely no way my family could reject me. To turn away a legendary hero would be unthinkable. And given that we touched the aether itself and lived… it's not so crazy, is it? We'll go to Fallowfield to learn more. They could have answers there, and better yet, a definitive way to prove what we are. I could be able to see everyone again soon. I could be able to go home.

27 Alin

Well, we made it back in one piece. Heather and Elise unfortunately got roped into the Lyriad rather quickly. First thing Minerva did when we got in was usher us all there, and those two decided to tag along. Elise seems rather enamored with Oren, a fact he seems quite uncomfortable with. I teased him a little over falling asleep by my side last night, and he did get flustered, though he claims he did it for no reason. I suppose he's just very shy.

Elise is following him everywhere like a lost puppy, though, when she's not pestering Votig and I for tales of our heroic deeds. It's almost endearing, in a way, though looking at her makes me feel somewhat homesick. I can't imagine having to travel with her for so long, if we _are_ the Children…

Though if we are, what in the world is our goal? Minerva, of course, wants to kill the Elyde and the orcs. More power to her, I suppose, but I doubt we were given gifts from the Maker to take them down. Something to worry about later, I suppose. More pressingly, if we _are_ the Children, does the Maker expect us to escort a 12 year old girl? Why??

Linea, surprisingly, declared Minerva the new head of the Lyriad. Despite the girl still grieving over her family… presumably, I guess. She has held it together well, but I certainly wouldn't trust an entire organization to her so soon. Why didn't Linea just remain in charge? Perhaps she's going senile. She did seem not to believe my story about the wellspring though, which is concerning. And she was rather quick to tuck those samples of aether away. Maker only knows what she wants them for.

30 Alin

It's been decided: we're traveling to Fallowfield tomorrow. I'll have an answer to this prophecy business soon enough, I suppose. Elise insisted she join us, though. Without Heather. Given how protective her sister was, it's a bit surprising. She was oddly dismissive when Oren asked if Heather was coming; she assured us she had chosen to stay here and let Elise travel on her own. I recognize a bluff when I see one. Undoubtedly, she'll be found out by morning though, and her adventure will come to an early end.

Apparently Votig’s secret project he hired Heather for was a belt. Not just any belt; he sawed off a rhino’s horn from a monster in Saloria, and mounted it with an inscription. It's the most fabulously gaudy thing I've seen. Truly, only a dwarf could pull it off, and he's taken to wearing it with pride.

4 Lora

I no longer have any doubts. We're the Children. It's the only explanation.

Elise forced her way onto our wagon, despite Votig’s efforts. She hadn't been too much trouble until now, at least, spending most of her time fawning over poor Oren. Today, though, some Orcs stopped us on the road, looking for a bribe. Votig claimed I was a famous bard, and they bade me sing for them. I sung an old dwarven song I heard ages ago. Minerva, of all people, actually looked confused I could sing. Honestly, just because I'm new to the lute doesn't mean I'm musically inept. Oren, at least, looked appropriately impressed.

They wanted Elise's staff, despite my performance, but she pitched a fit. Despite the fact we can just buy her a new one in town. They bickered for a bit, then Elise cast some sort of spell that let her just… run through the orc, and take her staff with her. I've never seen such magic. Of course, I haven't seen that much magic period, but even Oren looked shocked.

It makes sense, however, if one assumes we’re the Children. Elise would have touched the wellspring before us, allowing her to master such feats as those… Minerva, I expect, would be the Child of Fire, given her comments at the Lyriad… Oren cast several water spells at the wellspring after jumping in, so I assume he's the Child of Water, then. That leaves Earth, Wind, and Aether for the rest of us. Elise's spell did seem wind-based… and I haven't noticed any sudden talent for earth magic. I suppose that leaves me with aether.

I'd always been particularly talented with fire, though, so it's not what I would have guessed for myself… of course, this is all idle speculation. But if we could find answers anywhere, it would be at Fallowfield.

7 Lora

I was right. We _are_ The Children. I'm one of The Children. I can't stop repeating it to myself. It just doesn't even feel real yet. Of course, I'd assumed, but I didn't _actually_ think… well, no matter. We're The Children.

We arrived without incident, and Minerva sent me to get the monk a letter of introduction from Linea. Of course, it turns out she's terribly unorganized, and somehow I mistook a letter for Elise from her sister for the correct one. Votig parking the wagon in the deepest shade he could, of course, also didn't help.

Oren was incredibly excited to use the library, so I handed the monk the letter so he could set to work. I don't see the appeal in staring at books for hours, frankly, but there are worse places to nap than a library. The monk locked us in, however, and summoned the Holy Seat herself.

The letter sounded like it revealed that Elise survived touching the aether in the wellspring, just like the rest of us. The Holy Seat was beside herself with excitement that we were The Children. She brought forth some orbs for some kind of test, that allowed only us to touch them to prove definitively what we were. My assessment was correct; I am the Child of Aether. A hero! Like in the legends.

What will my family even say? Shera, of course, will be incredibly jealous, but excited for me. I can't wait to tell her. Arlan and Micah will both be proud of me and the opportunities I now have… Cyrus will probably be upset I'm better than him, but such is life. Mother will probably cry with happiness. And Father… well, I'm certain to be accepted home. And maybe if I can be _that_ useful, he’ll invest more time into helping me master these powers…?

Minerva and Votig were speaking about the ales the monks brew here. Apparently they're quite well renowned. I think I may just join them for drinks. If ever there were a reason to celebrate, it's this. And within the month, I can be home again. Assuming my new duties as Child of Aether don't keep me too busy, of course.

8 Lora

The morning passed with no issue. But midday, the orcs caught up.

Not only were they looking for us, they sent an army. I didn't see it myself, but Minerva reported a shocking sight. Apparently they bolstered their ranks with reanimated dead bodies; Oren calls them “zombies.” More worrisome yet, Minerva’s father was on the front lines, most likely in an effort to get to her in particular. Judging by her expression, even now, it seems to have worked.

Prilla, however, chose to open the doors and meet them. I don't understand it. An army doesn't mean peace; why in the world allow them into a fortress? I only hope she's okay. The army wanted us, not her, and she was the Holy Seat. Even the Rorgh wouldn't just openly kill her.

They attacked us, though mercifully we didn't face the zombies. Orcs began spilling in through the windows, but we held them off until we reached the library.

Oren told us to grab what books we could carry while he found an exit. And we did find an exit. In a way. Prilla gave him a locket before she left, and it reacted to a glyph we found. So we took the books and our orbs, and followed the glyph wherever it lead.

I had some sort of… vision, of lights and the skyglyph, and traveling. I can't even begin to try to describe it. But I woke up alongside the others in some kind of mudlands. Most of the books were scattered when we awoke, though my journal is fine, mercifully.

Oren is convinced we teleported to Thirshalon. He has some book he took from the library that claims the mud we've been struggling through for the past two hours is a swamp, and Elise keeps saying the sun is going backwards. Minerva’s let us take a break from hiking, at least, though now she's yelling at me that it's time to go. Haven't we walked enough for one day?

I don't know where we are, but… if Prilla is captured, how do we prove we're the Children? My family will think I'm crazy if I just claim that out of the blue… Minerva proved it to Linea by summoning flame, but what can a Child of Aether do? She's rolling her eyes at me now. I'll write more later.

---

Minerva and Elise are gone. Oren gathered us all to talk after a few more hours of hiking, so we could decide what to do about Elise. I still don't know that this _is_ Thirshalon, but it certainly isn't Iquai. If we've been dropped in another country, it makes sense to leave her somewhere safe while we scout out the area. We have no idea what kind of danger could be here, and though she keeps saying she's 19, she neither looks nor acts it. We can't watch over her in these conditions.

It's a sensible enough argument, but Elise disagreed when she revealed she could hear everything. All the time. She'd been spying on us ever since she met us, as some sort of ability from being the Child of Wind. It's why she knew not to drink the truth ale. But in a stunning display of childishness, she only ever used it to see what we were saying about her. She never once mentioned the army following us, or anything like that.

And finally, as if to prove our point, she stormed off by herself in the middle of Maker knows where. Minerva left to take care of her, and hopefully calm her down… my sister used to do the same thing when she got mad, storming off and refusing to speak to me for hours. I'm sure Minerva can calm her down, and they'll meet up with us then. We're setting up camp on the road, so they can find us easily. Chompy is finding us some fish in the river; it's adorable, in a creepy way. Maybe the lizard isn't all bad.

---

After dinner, a woman we didn’t know drove by. She was gorgeous, with an accent I've never heard before. I tried to invite her to camp out with us (well, me) in case we could learn some information, but she acted incredibly strange. She was obsessed with Oren, but wouldn't let him go near her. And all she cared about was Chompy. I enjoy a challenge, of course, and Oren is hardly competition, but Votig chased her off with some racist comments about elves. I've heard they're obsessed with beauty; she certainly fit the bill.

Oren keeps asking why Elise was​ so mad at _him_ though… he says he's not good at social situations. That wasn't hard to figure out, but he really does seem abnormally awkward around others. I explained it to him the best I could, but I am dreadfully curious how someone ends up so incredibly unaccustomed to speaking with others. And how someone ends up so obsessed with (possibly​?) mythical destroyed countries.

Minerva and Elise are still gone. To be honest, I'm surprised, and a little bit worried. Surely Elise should have calmed down by now? There's only the one road; they can't have gotten lost… but then, it is dangerous to travel at night. Perhaps Minerva is simply waiting until the sun is up to reunite with us.

Oren is _still_ reading. He's been reading the books we brought every single time we have a chance; I don't know how he isn't bored. He's been poring over a tome called “blood magic" for hours now, whatever that is. For all his awkwardness, he is kind, though. I certainly didn't pack for this weather… he offered me his cloak, but I hate to see him suffer in my stead. Of course, the simplest solution is to share a blanket, but he seemed mostly just confused by my offer.

Votig volunteered to keep watch for the night… do dwarves sleep? He doesn't seem to, and is always quite eager to volunteer for the duty. It's convenient, I suppose. I only hope he keeps his wits about, especially if this _is_ Thirshalon.

9 Lora

We met a merchant on the road, who was kind enough to give us a ride and answer our questions. Still no sign of Elise or Minerva… but Minerva is competent enough. I'm sure she can handle herself.

There was a… small bit of trouble with the merchant, though. I guess they've don't like dwarves here. Votig and him got into a bit of a fight, and well… he ordered us off the cart, but no one wanted to do yet _more_ walking. Votig knocked him unconscious, and Oren gave him some opiates to keep him out. He was apparently travelling to pick up goods for a festival called the Judgment. A merchant is sure to have plenty of coin, so I traded clothes with him; his were far warmer, and he can surely afford new ones.

Votig is driving now; there's a town nearby called Meadowgrove. We can find out more information there, if nothing else. Oren keeps talking about a wellspring where some flowers grow up north, so we have a destination, at least. The wellspring may well be the key to getting home, after all; we just need to wait for Minerva and Elise to meet up with us.

---

The merchant woke up, and told us quite a bit. He confirmed, unfortunately, that this is Thirshalon. Which… wasn't destroyed, I guess? Stranger yet, he's not actually an elf. He's an orc. But he looks more… humanish. It's uncanny.

Apparently, the Judgment festival is some kind of mass trial for criminals. A creepy thing to have a festival for, but if this is a world full of orcs it's hardly out of place. Oren studied the map, and assuming Minerva couldn't get Elise to come to her senses, they'll have continued on to Twaingate, where the Judgment is. I'd prefer to avoid it, but if we have to search them out to go home, it's our most likely bet.

Votig, apparently, hates elves with a particular passion? I've heard people say they're not exactly friendly, but he looked about ready to kill the merchant when we all assumed he was one. When he called himself an orc, Votig immediately calmed down. He's a strange fellow, but… in all honesty, I'm glad he's here. It's good to know you have someone looking out for you, especially here.

Oren revealed he was raised in a very small town with his master, presumably the mage who taught him? More importantly, the town was small enough he was confused at the very concept of a man sleeping with another man. I mean, I know it's not exactly common, but how sheltered must you be to think the very idea is impossible? In retrospect, I really should have made some kind of bet with him about it… oh well. It certainly does make his actions confusing, though. He offered me his jacket when it was cold, for the Maker’s sake. The man is absolutely perplexing.

13 Lora

We made it successfully to Meadowgrove. We left the merchant with a letter for Elise, with an apology and a message to meet us in Twaingate. We'll check out the wellspring first, scout it out and make sure it exists, and then regroup.

I do feel somewhat bad, I suppose. Elise is incredibly frustrating. But if she truly is desperate to be treated like an adult, I suppose I should have given her a chance. Still, though, she'd have a better time convincing people of her age if she didn't insist on acting like a small child. It's a discussion to have when she returns, I suppose.

In the meantime, we're getting some shopping done. I sold off the books Oren deemed less useful to us. These are books that are rare on Sylvatir, let alone Thirshalon, so obviously they're worth a fortune. Even the shopkeep recognized this; I walked in expecting silver, and the man offered me actual gold! We split it, though naturally I took a bit extra, since I'm the one who got us the deal.

I decided to pick up some armor, but I've made a mistake. This man… orc, whatever, he's horrible. He’s making me wait for absolutely no reason. There's no one even in here! He's not even doing anything. I walked in here with _gold_ and he treats me like this?

I'm tapping the chair as loudly as I can while I wait. I hope it bothers him. I feel like I've been sitting here for hours.

22 Lora

It's been a while… I don't know where to start. The beginning, I guess.

The shopkeep cheated me out of the coin… those books were worth gold, but they were worth a _lot_ more gold. Oren and Votig decided to go back and get what we were properly owed.

Things got… a little violent, in the shop. We left without doing any real harm, but he accused us of being thieves when we took the money the books were worth.

We booked it to the ferry, but got attacked. This… cultist summoned some kind of cat monster that tore my face up. It was horrible. I confess, I did panic somewhat… I should have healed myself immediately, but the battle and escape were so chaotic. Thankfully, Oren bandaged me up, but… there's a scar on my cheek now that's not healing as quickly as the other cuts. We didn't have time to dress the wounds properly, and they did something that took away my magic.

Which is the next bit, I guess. They arrested us for suspected murder, when they found the cultists body. Chompy fell in the river when we tried to get free, and well… I haven't seen him since. I expect the worst.

We drove for a week to Asle Lenor, for the Judgment. The merchant did say it's where criminals were tried. The conditions were deplorable, though… last night was my first proper meal since then. They barely gave us water, and there was no way to rest. I feel sick again just thinking of it.

We set up for the worst, planning to fight… we’re the Children, right? Despite everything, surely the Maker would help those He gave divine gifts to, right? He wouldn't just let us die in this forsaken country. It should have been fully destroyed. The people here are monsters.

Minerva was there, though. Apparently she's made a habit of freeing innocents from the Judgment. It certainly does sound like her. She led us to freedom as well… I've never been so happy to see someone in my life.

But Votig… wouldn't go. He said he had something to find that the guards had taken. They took everything of ours. Minerva helped us get our things back though, at least… but he stayed. He said he'd rather fight and be guaranteed his things back. He knows he can win.

Oren and I spoke, while escaping. He's had a harder life than I thought. He said his family sold him to a wizard, as a child, and the man was a monster. I don't understand how you can just buy a person. It seems incredibly wrong. And he's terrified the wizard will just kill him when he goes home. The wizard is also why Oren is the way he is, I guess. He said he wasn't even allowed to go outside, most of the time. I can't imagine. He can't go back to that. There's no way. When we get back to Iquai.. we can all find a place to live, maybe, together. My family… I mean, even if I went back… it wouldn't be the same. I don't know. What happened to Oren just seems unfair. And we're clearly all bound together anyways by all this Child business.

We have a plan to save Votig, though… Oren wants to move the river, to drown his opponents. It's just crazy enough to work, right? To be honest, I still feel dizzy… it's hard to think sometimes. I want to keep eating, but every time I try I just feel sick. I want to go back to sleep, but we have to save Votig. And then go home. I never want to see Thirshalon again.

---

Elise came to speak with us. I think things are okay there now, at least. She apologized for not telling us about her power, and I apologized for treating her like a child. I can't promise I'll treat her fully like an adult; she does seem a little more focused, but it could just be she's as tired as the rest of us. Still, it can't hurt to give her a chance to prove herself, I guess.

We'll be leaving soon to save Votig. And then we're going home. It won't be much longer now. We just have to save him.

---

We changed the plan. It wouldn't work… the river would flood the arena, sure, but… he was going to be in an underground room, when it did. He would have died no matter what. So we wanted to warn him, so he could be ready.

Aether isn't a good element, really… I can help others, and make their magic stronger. And find things, if they're magic somehow; if I close my eyes, sometimes, I can almost see the aether itself, in things. But… I'm not good at making others stronger yet, I guess. I don't know. Elise tried to send a message to Votig on a card, but we weren't used to those powers yet, not really. So the Patriarch got it. So he left. And Votig died.

So he's dead now. Oren flooded the entire arena… he almost drowned us, too, but we stopped the water together. So we're okay. But everyone is dead, and Votig is dead. I carried Oren to the inn… Minerva locked herself in her room for the night. It was just Elise and I, and she seemed almost… happy that everyone is dead. Even though Votig is dead too.

I think maybe I can fix her though. I mean, if I can make magic stronger, then I can weaken hers so she can't hear anymore, right? She was crying, she was so happy everyone is dead and it's quiet for her now, but that's insane. But I can help her at least, right?

Oren looks so pale. He overexerted himself, I think. He moved an entire river, after all… I've never even heard of magic that strong. When Votig died, a part of the skyglyph just… faded. So… I don't know. If we even can just die like that, are we even the Children? Why would the Maker just let Votig die here like this?

I'm going to make sure we all get home. I don't want anyone else to die here. Not like Votig.

23 Lora

Everyone is… okay now at least, I think. Oren is acting a bit strangely, even for him. The first thing he did when he woke up was join me in bed to ask cheerfully if everyone was dead. It was incredible magic, I'll give him that, but… it's not a reaction I would expect from anyone, even him. Within minutes he was already back to talking about the wellspring, too. I suppose he's just trying to focus on the task at hand to take his mind off Votig, but…

A woman showed up today as well, from Iquai. Shockingly enough. Lady Gwendolyn Oberle. She's from the church of Fallowfield, and claims she was sent to help us… I want desperately to believe her.

Though I'm not sure I made the best first impression… the one person sent from Fallowfield to aid us, and it's the cousin of the woman my family was furious with me for trying to sleep with. She took the news well, though I really wish it hadn't come up.

She's taken a lot of news well, honestly. She's met us at our lowest point, and well… I assumed she'd hate us, or at least decide not to help us. But she's been nothing but kind. More so than the others, in some ways. It's refreshing, I guess, especially with the way the girls have been acting today.

To be honest, it was nice to have someone to talk to… Minerva is only interested in the mission, and Elise and Oren both seem to have their own problems. But the one time I could sit down and talk with Lady Gwendolyn, Elise started throwing a tantrum upstairs and nearly killed us all with a sudden hurricane.

Worse yet, both she and Minerva turned on Oren when we ran up to stop them. I was able to break Elise's connection to the aether and stop the storm, at least, but he pointed out (not incorrectly) that it was Elise who stormed off and split us all up when we first got here, and both she and Minerva just went crazy. It might not have been the best time to discuss it, but Minerva looked about ready to kill him. Despite us being probably some of the first people he's really spoken to, besides his master. How can she expect him to know how to word things delicately? Especially after being attacked?

Regardless, we took care of it. Minerva and Elise will be down soon to tell us why the hell they're acting so insane. If they want to be upset about not knowing how to approach a situation delicately, maybe they should consider not causing hurricanes inside and attacking us the day after Votig dies.

I am honestly too tired for this. I'd thought Elise somewhat more mature after she handled her task in the Judgment, but evidently I judged wrong. And Minerva has apparently taken to enabling her. We just need to keep it together long enough to get home. Then everything will be fine.

What Lady Gwendolyn said about the church being destroyed though is… worrying. I suppose it makes sense enough, that they would kill Prilla. But they were looking for us, and I don't think any of us were particularly subtle about who we were. If one of the monks shared my name… they wouldn't go after our families, right? But then, they did go after Prilla. But if we can get home, we can make sure everyone is okay.

---

Turns out the girls’ big secret is that they’re Noctyr. Apparently it’s some sort of… nocturnal, infected human that gets energy from blood, instead of food. I’m trying to give Elise a chance, but though she did well during the Judgment, she’s being absolutely terrible to Minerva about this. She said she made her keep watch the entire night, despite her not being a dwarf, despite her being just as caught off guard by being stranded on Thirshalon as much as any of us. I understand that this was the night Elise was already acting terribly, but rather than show remorse, she’s _actively upset_ with Minerva for daring to fall asleep that night. Why wasn’t Elise helping her? Her actions suggest she’s been cruel to Minerva this whole time over it. To be honest, I feel for her, losing her dad and being stranded here with the rest of us.

And honestly, our getting captured only proves that _we were right_. If Elise and Minerva had been with us, they would have undoubtedly been thrown into the prison right along with us. I’m not even sure Elise could handle not having food or sleep for a week. I wouldn’t wish those conditions on my worst enemy, let alone her. If anything, she should be grateful to us for looking out for her.

Minerva seems to be taking her frustration out on us as well, though, if that weren’t evident enough from their attack on Oren. They have somehow decided to blame _us_ for sending the Noctyr who bit them in their direction; they claim it was the woman who pulled up to our camp that night. We told her absolutely nothing, except that we had been traveling with two women. It’s hardly the same as giving her directions to their campsite, the way Minerva and Elise have been implying.

Regardless, they claim they can be cured by taking them to the wellspring, conveniently enough. It’ll get us home, too, as long as we don’t do anything as bafflingly stupid as split up again.

Which will be a challenge, along with keeping us together. Elise is by far the greatest threat to our survival, in that regard. She revealed that on the same night Votig died, she took some of Oren’s blood while he was sleeping. I’ve been trying to figure out when she could have done so… when she sent me downstairs? Is that why she did so? She tried to paint it as an act of passion, but honestly, that suggests she planned to take his blood and knew it was wrong. Worse yet, she could have just taken some blood from the horses in the stables. But she chose to take it from an unconscious man? Was she just planning to keep stealing his blood in his sleep without telling him?

And Minerva didn’t even say a word about it. She’d apparently been finding orcs to steal blood from ever since. I hardly care about them, but it’s different to take blood from one of us. Especially Oren. And with the way she’s been treating us… she’s acted like we’re more of a burden to her than anything, despite what we’ve been through.

Lady Gwendolyn has asked me to help her search the arena for Votig’s body, to put him at rest. Oren’s given me a list of items to look for while we’re there as well, mostly items of significance to us like his books and orb from Prilla. I’m not looking forward to seeing the aftermath of the flood, but I’m not sure I can continue to speak to Minerva and Elise without losing my patience.

Oren, too, is worrying me even more. He did seem more… focused, today, noticeably so. He said that using his powers like that and being so close to the river has made him better able to think. As well as being away from the flower he’s been bleeding on. But most importantly, he asked me to make sure I didn’t let him trick me.

I’m not entirely sure what that means, to be honest. But he said that when we got to the wellspring, he would need blood, and he might hurt us to get it. He suggested bringing a sacrifice, which seems cold, but… I don’t want to get hurt, obviously, and I don’t want anyone else to get hurt. It’s not as though there’s many people wandering around though, at least from what we’ve seen… except for Lady Gwendolyn, anyways.

He did promise though that once he gets the flower to the wellspring and does what he has to do, he’ll be normal again. Which would be good for him, I think… he’s led such a hard life, and honestly, I’m starting to feel like he’s my only real friend here. If it makes him normal, we’ll find a way to do what he needs to with the flower.

He certainly seems to have a poor opinion of me, though. He said he was happy I’d have someone else refined to speak to, now that Lady Gwendolyn will be traveling with us. Of course, I expect it will be different to be in her company, but Oren referred to himself as a peasant, as though I didn’t enjoy his company at all. Which is ridiculous. I mean, if nothing else, even if he is a peasant, he’s the Child of Water. And he was apprenticed to a wizard, which does bring a certain amount of prestige, even though the conditions while living with him were horrible. Honestly, though, Oren is much too hard on himself.

He also warned me not to seduce Lady Gwendolyn, as though I would do that to a Lady. He was worried I would simply run away and leave her if she fell in love with me, which is obviously ridiculous. I think maybe, he’s just worried about losing me? I’m worried about losing him too, but we’re going to be fine, now that we’re all back together. We just need to keep everyone’s tempers down, and it will be fine.

First of all: to go get our things back.

---

I’ve never actually seen a flood before. I mean, the river was close, and certainly it happened on occasion, but… the aftermath of what Oren did was different, I think. The ground was covered in bodies and debris. Even if we’d have managed to dig through all of them to find Votig… when I tried to find him by the aether in his body, there was just… nothing. I’m not sure he left a corpse, to be honest, at least not one in one piece. Most of the bodies were like that, anyways. I’ve never really seen bodies either, to be honest, at least not torn apart like that. I mean, I’ve seen animals after a hunt, but… these were different. Even if they were orcs. I know it’s just Thirshalon, and after what they did to us, they deserve it, but… it’s a lot of people dead.

We found Prilla’s locket, at least, and the book on Thirshalon, but that was it. Everything else is gone. Even if our orbs and everything are still out there, I don’t want to look again. Not with that many bodies to go through. We’ll have to make do without.

Gwendolyn has asked me to meet her in the stables at midnight. I have no idea what for, to be honest… but she was incredibly kind while we looked through the wreckage of the arena. I trust her.

Oren was asleep by the time I got back in, but he was kind enough to spend the afternoon collecting clothes and other items for us from around the inn. To be honest, these clothes are nicer than any I’ve worn in a long time. It’s gone a long way towards feeling better about this whole thing. He found me a new lute, too, since I lost mine. It’s nice, honestly, just needs a bit of tuning. I’ll have to play it for him when he wakes up. He apparently spent the afternoon drinking… I can’t really blame him. We’ve all needed some drinks the last few days.

---

I think that went incredibly well, honestly. She’d set it up as though we were having a date… though unfortunately, it was only an illusion. She had us pass notes, a rather ingenious way to ensure Elise wouldn’t overhear us, and poured us some of the best wine she could find in the inn’s cellar.

She asked about if Minerva and Elise had always been this unstable, for lack of a better word for it, and honestly… I don’t know. Minerva’s had a short temper all along, of course; and honestly, given her dad’s passing, it’s surprising she held it together as well as she could. But… this morning she attacked Oren with Elise, and later threatened to burn him alive for trying to comfort him. And honestly… throughout this whole journey, she’s mainly just kept to herself, hiding away in her room. I understand she’s distressed, but… if we weren’t the Children, would she even stay with us? She’s certainly never really shown an interest in us.

And Elise, of course, is wildly unpredictable and violent in her immaturity. She shows flashes of improvement, like at the Judgment, but stealing Oren’s blood without asking? And that’s only the latest in a line of questionable actions.

Of course, regardless of how they act, I have no intention of letting them strand themselves here. They came too close when Elise stormed away in unfamiliar land. I’m not letting them die the way Votig did. The wellspring should have some clue on how to get home; we just need to get there, together.

Gwendolyn, in this regard, truly is our protector. She declared that no matter what, she would guard Oren and I, at least… and I’m sure that in time, she’ll warm up to Elise and Minerva as well, despite their faults. I’m sure she’ll help us all stay together and get out of this nightmare. She’s incredibly kind.

I told her that after all this is over, I’d like to open up a healing shop with Oren… I don’t really know what else to do when we get home and are finally safe, honestly. I want to make sure everyone at home is safe, of course, but I'm not sure I can really go back at this point, and he’s my best friend here. He’s already a doctor, anyways, and I can heal with magic anything he can’t cure. It’s a more modest lifestyle than I’m used to, but… it’s better than continuing to wander from town to town, anyways. I think it could work.

24 Lora

They have me driving the cart now. I’m not sure how Votig did it. It’s a bit boring, not being able to talk to everyone. And honestly, the horses pretty much walk themselves down the road.

I’m optimistic about things, though. Everyone seemed much improved this morning. Elise made an odd comment, of course, though I think she may have been trying to make a joke about being a Noctyr? It could certainly be worse, though. If nothing else, I’ve never seen Minerva happier. She even cooked us breakfast.

Though… Gwen implied we’d slept together last night, and she immediately dropped a plate in surprise. I mean, me getting with a girl is hardly surprising, so I am forced to consider that Oren was right when he said she found me attractive… if that _was_ true though, she has absolutely no idea how to show it. I’d have happily slept with her if that were the case, honestly. I suppose there’s still time for that, though. I did make it clear Gwen and I didn’t _actually_ have sex, though Minerva keeps teasing me about it.

I do think Gwen likes me, though. She’s certainly pretty; I wouldn’t turn her down. But…  Oren warned me not to seduce her, and I do think he’s right. At least, not until we get home to Sylvatir, anyways. If we’re to stay together, we really can’t risk that kind of drama. I hate to inevitably turn her down, but… I’m sure she’ll be okay, in the end. And the option is always there once we get to Iquai.

The girls weren’t lying about needing blood, though. They fed from a horse this morning, which was… disturbing, to say the least. But horses have a lot of blood, don’t they? So I mean… if they both need a horse’s worth, how can Oren possibly supply enough?

I hate even thinking about it, but I’m not going to let them kill him from blood loss. Their plan as it is isn’t exactly sustainable. I’ll tell Minerva that they can take some of mine… if they truly need it, anyways. I only hope Gwen doesn’t find out. She seemed less than thrilled that they were Noctyr at all, and disappointed in Oren for allowing them to feed from him. And I don’t want him to start having to worry about me, either.

---

I talked to the others about Oren’s focus today. He’s said it makes him crazy, but when Minerva had it, he started to feel better. I’d hoped she could just hold onto it for a little longer, to give him a break, but apparently he’d already taken it back. I thought maybe I could offer to hold onto it for him sometimes, just to give him a break, but he refused. He did say it was fine though, and above everything, I trust him.

Gwendolyn is worried that he’s lying to me about it being fine, though. But honestly… she doesn’t realize how much we’ve been through together. We talk every night, and we survived the Judgment… he’s taken to sharing my bed at night, too, though he hasn’t slept with me. He says he enjoys the company, and it makes him feel less lonely. I can’t really complain about that. It’s sweet, in its way. He really is quite shy; I’m not going to force him to move quickly on such a thing. Regardless, though, he’s my best friend. I trust him. And if this helps him to be normal…

Even if she _were_ right, though I sincerely doubt it, this isn’t the time to be turning against each other. We’re a boat ride away from the north side of the river. Once we get there, the wellspring shouldn’t be too far after. To risk tearing the group apart when we’re this close to home would be absurd.

We played the same drinking game from before, though. And it mostly went well, but… Gwendolyn won’t let up on him about the flower. And more concerningly, she wouldn’t give me an answer when I asked if she was still planning to hurt any of the other Children. Overall, though… I’m sure she won’t. She’s too kind to ever hurt them, I think. She’s not wrong to be wary of them, necessarily, but to actually hurt them is another thing.

25 Lora

I asked Oren about the healing shop idea, and he agreed it was a good plan. I’d thought we could maybe start it up in Westbridge, since despite everything, he misses his master. Which… isn’t good, I think; he sounds terrible in every possible way, but I’m sure I could keep Oren safe, if worst came to worst. He suggested we go elsewhere entirely though, to avoid being in competition with him, which is reason enough. As long as it’s not near Glenhaven, I think… maybe somewhere in the south?

It turns out he does that to his hair on purpose, as well. It’s… an interesting look, but he says it’s so he doesn’t have to brush it every day. To be honest, I think a different hairstyle would suit him better, but I suppose it’s his choice. Still, maybe I’ll bring up him giving it a try one day.

We met Gwendolyn for breakfast, and played that game again to get to know each other. Thankfully, it seems she knows how to cook. Oren never had to thanks to magic, he says, and I never really learned; it was easier to just go to the kitchen and ask the people there to make something.

It’s nice to spend time with them, though I do wish Minerva and Elise would join us. They’ve returned to hiding away in their room, though at least this time they’re together, I suppose. If they won’t spend time with us, I suppose at least they’re spending time together. Minerva seems almost motherly to Elise most of the time now. It’s funny, she gets mad if we so much as think of treating her like a child, but Minerva helps her with her clothes and she doesn’t mind at all. It’s baffling.

Honestly… Oren keeps saying not to seduce anyone, that I keep making girls crazy. And honestly, maybe he’s right. I mean… not forever, just while we’re on Thirshalon. The last thing we need is another barmaid trying to trick me into staying, or something like that. And I already know it’s a bad idea to seduce any of the girls.

Of course, I know Oren isn’t truly concerned with keeping us together. The way he insists on making sure I won’t leave him, and sharing my bed every night… well, it’s not hard to discern his true motives in insisting I don’t seduce anyone. He’s adorable in his transparency. And to be honest, I do hate to let him down.

27 Lora

Of course, trouble caught up with us. The second we landed in Ariglodo, an extremely flirty woman detained us and took us in for questioning. I mean, I know I’ve decided not to flirt with anyone while I’m here, but… this girl is just easy. And Oren doesn’t seem to really care, anyways.

We did at least have time to sit down and decide what to do; we chose not to trust them. They claim to be the Children… I suppose Thirshalon has it’s own set. They split us up, and took each of us in for questioning about what happened at the Judgment.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t the woman who questioned me. It was a rather serious man who seemed oddly hateful against humans. A little flirting seemed to make him less inclined to mistrust me, though, at least. He didn’t go for it, but at least he finds me ridiculous. Mostly. If it didn’t work… thank the Maker the arena for the Judgment was destroyed. But, they may yet have other barbaric punishments in tow. I don’t know if I could take more of such treatment, though.

It’s… interesting, to meet the other Child of Aether. It’s such an odd element; I can strengthen or weaken other’s magic, which is strong, and find things, which is nice, I guess, but… Oren can move entire rivers; Elise can hear everything. I wonder if there’s some application of my power that I haven’t figured out yet. If I can find a way to ask him without revealing what I am… it could be nice, to finally have some guidance. We were given these powers, and yet compared to these people, we seem quite unorganized.

I don’t have a problem thinking up some story for these people, obviously, but… I’m the first one back here. I hope Oren and the others are okay. Minerva and Gwen can handle themselves, at least, but Elise… I’m not so sure about. Still, she’s smart enough to not tell them everything, at least. I hope.

---

They took Elise. She didn't tell them about us, at least, but somehow they found out about her ability to hear everything. Officially, they have her on suspicion of trying to kill the Patriarch, but it's fairly obvious that isn't true. We know where she'll be though, and we already have a plan to break her out.

I didn't really follow all of it, but for now, I just have to seduce Sarina and plant a blood marked coin on her, so we can track exactly where Elise is. Oren gave the orcs money to make sure she has what she needs, so she should be okay. She just has to survive. Minerva said that after 48 hours, her curse will make things get bad for her. But I'm sure we can rescue her before then. She's not going to die here the way Votig did. We're going to get her home.

Oren wants us to go to the wellspring first, though. I want to help him, truly, but we can't leave Elise behind. He brought up a sacrifice again, though, for when we get there. He said a horse _might_ work, but I don't want to risk might. But it can't be Gwen. And it can't be one of us. We'll figure something out when we save Elise.

Gwen apologized as well, for the times she said she's willing to hurt Minerva and Elise. She's dedicated to saving all of us, and I'm grateful. It's good to have someone else helping to make sure we all get home. And when Oren gets better, it'll be even more of a certainty​ we'll all make it.

Now, to do what I do best.

28 Lora

Well… I think I seduced her. Sort of. The evening went well enough. She took me home for a drink, and I got the coin in her bag, at least. But it turns out she didn't have a single sip of the rye she brought out. I was tricked into drinking the whole bottle… my head is pounding, to be honest. I only hope I'm not sick again.

All she wanted to do was ask about Elise. I managed to avoid her questions well enough, but after, she sent me back to the inn. She was… nicer than I expected, though. All the Children have been, even the cold one who questioned me. I'm not entirely sure I can just kill them.

And it would be nice if we didn't, wouldn't it? I mean… they could help us, maybe. I think they would. We could get training for our powers, and answers about what exactly being a Child entails. We just… got these abilities one day, and we've been on the run ever since. So it could be nice, to get to ask them things, once the misunderstanding with Elise is cleared up.

Oren isn't handling this situation well, though. Last night was… he was more affectionate than I've ever seen him be with anyone. He was stroking my hair, and when he helped me upstairs…

But he was intent on convincing me to take him to the wellspring. Without telling anyone. And also, without a sacrifice. I don't think he would hurt me, of course, but… I don't want to risk it. I don't know if that was him who was trying to sleep with me, or the flower, but it felt wrong.

I like him. I do. And I want to help him. But… not like that. When I think back to last night, it's mostly bits and pieces. But I don't think we did anything together. I told him I'd take him to the edge of town and try to get a more solid read on where the wellspring is, but I'm just not sure it's okay to leave with him alone like this. Or if it's okay to leave and risk Elise taking a turn for the worse.

Minerva was downstairs at least, thank the Maker. I wasn't sure how to tell Oren no and not have him panic while he's like this. Once Elise is safe, we just have to make him normal again.

In the meantime, Gwen and I can look around town for supplies. Oren gave us ten gold, which I think should be enough for the day, at least. It'll be nice to​ put all this insanity behind me for a bit and spend time with someone sane.

---

Just in case Thirshalon wasn’t bad enough, every shop here is closed. Every single one of them. Gwen mentioned that the Children would likely be able to open one of us, but I doubt we can really ask them. I mean, if they have any goodwill for us whatsoever, I’d prefer to use it to make sure Elise stays sane, given her condition.

Oren did manage to somewhat cure Minerva though, at least. He filled a tub, and infused it with aether to try to make a sort of… pseudo wellspring. Minerva said his bit hurt her, but she managed to get rid of it somehow, and now her hunger is lessened.

He’s terribly distraught over it, though. I don’t blame him. She told him directly that his trying to help her hurt her, and it seems he feels terrible guilt over it. She confessed her attraction to him the other day, and though I’m certain he’s more attracted to me, he does seem to be paying her a bit more attention now. I’m sure the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her.

It does prove that we could use the other Children’s help, though. We really don’t understand these abilities at all. While we could certainly master them over time with trial and error, it would be far more effective to simply work with them and have them teach us. We just need to ensure that this whole misunderstanding with Elise is cleared up, and get her back with us.

We’ll be attempting to visit her tomorrow. Even though Sarina only invited me to her home to trick me, it does seem worth a try to appeal to her kinder side. She was oddly concerned with my well being as I left. If we can appeal to that, I’m sure she’ll give us a few minutes alone with Elise. And maybe, this could be the start of building trust and getting them to help us.

27 Lora

We had to kill the Children. We made it to Elise; as I predicted, Sarina was nice enough to trust us, and led us to her. But what we found was… disturbing, to say the least. She was locked in a small cell in solitary confinement while they waited to test her. She had food, at least, I suppose. I don’t know what the older man, Herb, did with the money Oren gave him to make sure she wasn’t kept in conditions like this. He laughed when he took the money and said it would be difficult to get her things. Did he think this was a joke?

She wasn’t even charged with anything; they only suspected her. And honestly, they probably didn’t even seriously believe she would do something like that; they were curious about her abilities, and suspected she was the Child of Wind, somehow. That much was obvious.

We tried to stop Sarina from leaving so we could figure out exactly what the hell was going on. Gwendolyn tried to take her glyph necklace, and she retaliated and attacked us. We tried to convince her to surrender, but… she was convinced we were pretenders, when I cut off her magic, and refused to stop fighting. We didn’t have a choice. I know she was nice, but… in the end, I couldn’t just let them mistreat Elise like that. And I’m not risking her dying here for anyone, no matter how kind.

They almost killed Oren, too. Right at the end, Herb rushed him and he just… fell. I healed him as quickly as he could, and thank the Maker, he woke up, but… I don’t know what I’d do if I lost him.

We found several magical artifacts on their bodies; gifts from whatever organization they worked for, no doubt. I confess, I took her bracelet. It’s important to get what power we can, especially now that we’re officially on the run, again. Though Minerva and Elise were almost… too gleeful when it came to looting the bodies. Elise, in particular, fished out some earrings from what remained of the Child of Wind’s body and gleefully tried to wear them immediately. I’m not sure if I’m okay with what Thirshalon is doing to them. More reason to leave and get home as soon as possible, I suppose.

Oren, if nothing else, seems thrilled we’re on the move. We took Herb with us. The others believe it’s to interrogate him on the way for answer, and to provide blood to Minerva and Elise as we travel, but in the end, it’s for whatever Oren needs to do to become normal again. It feels strange, to just… plan this man’s death, but at the same time, he laughed before condemning Elise to solitary confinement for Maker knows how long. And he almost killed Oren. So maybe he deserves it. I don’t really know. If nothing else… I’d rather him die, than any of us. I’m sure Oren would never harm me, and I doubt he’d harm Minerva, given the way he looks at her sometimes. But Elise and Gwendolyn, I’m less sure about. I’d rather Herb be killed than them.

1 Jolice

Somehow, the Saints found out about our mishap immediately. Apparently they’re the organization the Children were a part of. They’ve been on the lookout for us ever since. We’ve been keeping watch in twos, making sure we don’t get ambushed, and so far we’ve made it unscathed. Maker, it’s cold up here though. We took some coats from the inn, but I feel as though I’d need another five of them to make up for the weather.

Surprisingly, no one has asked about Herb. We haven’t interrogated him; Oren’s kept him drugged with opiates, and he’s just been… carried along, I guess. Maybe they’re just happy to have a reliable food source, and Gwen… well, I suppose she’s just happy they’re not feeding from us. He looks a little worse for wear, but he should make it to the cave, I think. Then Oren will be normal again, and everything will be fine.

3 Jolice

We succeeded. We planted the flower… Oren is okay now, though. And no one seems too mad, I think. Oren tried to kill himself for it, but we stopped him, and healed him. And then he killed Herb. The important thing though is that he didn’t kill any of us, and it was enough.

And then the flower… bloomed, into some kind of monstrous plant snake. It called itself Kunalchusi, and said it had been sealed away by the Maker. It thanked us for freeing it, and vowed to kill the Maker. I don’t know what we did, or what we unleashed, but… I think it’s bad. Seriously bad. But we didn’t know. Oren had absolutely no idea what would happen, and neither did I. So we can’t be blamed for this if we didn’t know what would happen, right?

We walked into the wellspring, after. I mean, we might as well become stronger. There was no reason not to. It showed us a vision of the Patriarch, next to a glyph. I desperately want to believe it’s the one that will take us all home.

After that, a strange man showed up, the one who attacked us all those weeks ago at Meadowgrove. He claimed he was the leader of everything here, controlling even the Children and the Patriarch behind the scenes. Honestly, I don’t care. What is there even left to control, here? The cities are empty; everyone is dead. He told us to join him, and attacked us when we refused. We left him alive to question him, though. He told us nothing of import, then insisted he speak with Gwendolyn.

Everyone is upset, I think. Minerva’s just sort of… sitting alone, I suppose. If she had a room in this cave, I’m sure she’d have locked herself in it. Elise isn’t much company either. Minerva is mad at us, I think… we lied to her, but it was to save both her and Elise. Oren would have killed her in his madness. I only hope she understands that.

Gwendolyn though… the man summoned some sort of wraith in that fight that ate memories and stopped us from using abilities. Gwendolyn protected us, but was affected temporarily by it. She seems… disturbed. I don’t know what it did to her, but she isn’t handling it well. I told her I’d listen if she was willing to talk about it, but she seems the stoic type.

Oren is normal now, but… he revealed that he’d been somewhat leading me on, I suppose to manipulate me into helping him. I know it was the flower, but… I don’t think it was all a lie, was it? He’s still sleeping against me, and he sounded uncertain when he said he wasn’t interested in me in that way. I don’t know. I suppose I hope he does like me, but… if he doesn’t, he’s still my best friend. We survived the Judgment together, and honestly… Minerva and Elise are no less standoffish than they were before. And Gwendolyn is kind, but… I haven’t known her for long, really. In the end, I suppose I just want Oren to be happy.

The important thing, though, is that we stick together at this point. To be honest, I’d been so focused on fixing Oren that I hadn’t truly considered what would come after. Thankfully, Minerva and Elise haven’t left again… Maker willing, they’ve realized how easy it is to die here, and our best odds are sticking together. Especially when we’re this close to the end. I only hope they’re not too upset with us. They asked what next, and we agreed to find the glyph. If we can just get there, they can be as mad at us as they want.

Though in a way, their refusal to acknowledge what we’ve done for them is frustrating. If they try to kick me out, I’ll be furious after all I’ve done. I offered my blood to them, and killed Sarina for them. And now I’ve killed Herb for them, after dragging him all the way here through the cold. And yet somehow, neither have said a single word of gratitude. I can’t help but give Elise some leeway, of course, given what happened to her, but Minerva? I’m surprised.

Something… odd happened in the battle, though. During the fight, I was able to just… stop time itself around me. No one else noticed, I think. I brought it up with Oren, briefly, and he said a power like that could be used to change everything, even meeting each other. As bad as things have been, if I could learn to use this power to that effect, I wouldn’t want to have just not met everyone. I consider them all friends, for better or worse. Even just being able to stop time is amazing, though. If I could learn to do it on command, well… Aether might just not be a bad element to command after all.

9 Jolice

We made it back to Ariglodo without incident, at least. We decided to skip the pleasantries and simply stole what we needed from the shops. The Children are dead, and there wasn’t exactly a police presence in this town besides them. Though Elise insisted we leave some of the money we took from the bank at the shops, in case some survivors manage to make it back. I don’t see the point, to be honest, but if it makes her feel better, I suppose it can’t hurt. Especially after what happened to her.

Perhaps more importantly, we found a shop with proper clothes. Of course, my outfit was fine before, but these are a bit closer to what I wore back in Glenhaven. It feels like forever ago, after everything we’ve been through. Everyone was able to get new clothes; if we’re going to avenge Votig and make it home, it’s nice to look like proper heroes of legend.

They have me driving the boat now. It’s a little nostalgic, and thankfully they haven’t noticed the mistakes I’ve made. I mean, when I was forced to learn, they mostly just had me tying ropes and whatnot, though of course I learned to steer just in case. If nothing else, after the events with Kunalchusi, it can’t hurt to make myself look even more useful, in case they get any ideas about kicking me or Oren out of the group.

---

Oren and I had a talk in our room, after we dropped anchor. He thinks I should be king. He’d suggested such things before, of course, but it was when he was at his worst while being controlled by the flower. I don’t… think I should be king, though, honestly. There’s a lot I don’t know. I’m sure I could learn, of course, but… I feel like a king should be more qualified, maybe. I don’t know. Oren said I would have advisors for those things, and the Lyriad at my beck and call. He’s right of course, but… I’d be curious what the others think as well.

He’s right, if nothing else, that I would be better than the Elyde. We could do a lot of good in Iquai. And I’m charismatic enough it would be almost no problem to win everyone’s support, not to mention, one of the legendary heroes, the Child of Aether. It’s doable. I just don’t know if it’s right.

We’re going to ask Gwendolyn, at least. She’s had a rough few days, but regardless, she’s always been sensible. If it’s a bad idea, I’m sure she’d say so.

---

So… Gwendolyn agrees I should be king. I mean, anything is better than the Elyde, obviously. Oren said Minerva wants to hold an election for a leader, but it’s patently ridiculous to let the common folk decide like that.

I accidentally told her Oren wanted us to marry, though. I mean, he mentioned it a bunch while trying to manipulate me. She’s obviously pretty, and from a far more prestigious family than mine, but we barely know each other. To be honest, I thought she’d find it amusing he thought we should marry simply because we’re the only people here from good families.

She… took it a little seriously, though. And told me that if I planned to become king, she would accept my offer, and provide her family’s support with it. I mean, I obviously wouldn’t be able to get my family’s support, most likely. It would be the only way to feasibly accomplish ruling.

But to be honest, I sort of… panicked. I barely know her, but I think I accidentally proposed to her. A fact she made more than clear, and she grew insulted when I said that wasn’t my intention. But honestly, I can’t romance her right now. If we split up again… last time, it was disastrous. To even think of risking something like that happening again is absurd while we’re here. I have no intention of being thrown in a prison again, or having Gwendolyn run off hurt and become a Noctyr or something. Perhaps later, maybe, but for now…

I only wish she’d not been so hurt. I suppose I could just… agree to it for now, if nothing else. Just to make sure nothing bad happens to our group before we kill the Patriarch and go home. We’re far too close now to risk throwing our chances of success away. And honestly, if Oren is truly planning to pursue Minerva… it was lonely, before I met him. And Gwendolyn _is_ nice.

11 Jolice

We reached the Patriarch’s town. This town was still guarded, unfortunately, but we made it inside with only a minor setback.

We’ve certainly resupplied ourselves well enough now, at least. Elise was surprisingly useful at the weapons shop. The shopkeeper tried to rip us off without us knowing, but she was able to negotiate the price down. I suppose it’s not too much of a surprise that she’s so good with money, since her sister was a shopkeeper. I suppose she might have had to help her every once in a while. I’d assumed she was bad with money, given her age, but Minerva refused to explain it to her when I asked her to, unfortunately.

I’d tried to avoid Gwen, for obvious reasons… but she was really quite kind, when she finally got us alone together. She gave me her old sword, since she’d upgraded hers, and said it made me look regal. I’ve never really used one, to be honest, but she is right. And it does feel quite imposing to carry it around. I suppose she wasn’t quite so hurt by my words last night as I’d feared.

I also got a new bow, though I suppose I don’t technically need one. Still, we’re going to storm the Patriarch’s castle to avenge Votig and finally go home. I should certainly look the part.

Oren had a brilliant plan; we figure out where the guards keep their drinks, and poison their ale. It will make tomorrow’s job much easier. Minerva immediately suggested she seduce the orcs inside to distract them, though, which made Oren obviously uncomfortable. I volunteered for the part in her stead; I didn’t plan to seduce them, but I have a nagging feeling Minerva actually was.

Our distraction worked perfectly, of course, with only a small problem that I easily fixed. And even better, we found the aqueduct that supplied the castle with water. Maybe we’ll poison the Patriarch himself, and we won’t even have to fight our way in.

But perhaps the best thing of all tonight: we finally have proper lodgings. With the gold we took, we can afford to buy out the whole city, I’m sure. Needless to say, we went to the finest inn in town and got the best suite they had. There’s an entire floor for just us. There’s only two rooms, but Oren and I are able to share as always. I’m not exactly complaining about it.

He’s hogging the bath, though, annoyingly. Though I suppose it’s good he’s finally taking care of his appearance. He combed his hair right after the incident with Kunalchusi, and I have to say, it’s a massive improvement. He wasn’t necessarily bad looking before, of course, but finally combing his hair certainly helps.

Oren’s talked me into practicing my lute, and to be honest, I’ve gotten quite good at it. I miss playing the harpischord, but those aren’t exactly easy to carry around. This instrument really is more convenient. And now that I’ve gotten the hang of it, it does sound quite nice. Oren does like when I sing; perhaps I’ll play for him before bed.

---

Oren ordered the whole menu to be delivered to us. It’s like having a feast, with all the food they brought. I have to admit, it’s not half bad, either. Gwendolyn did both Elise and Minerva’s hair, and I have to admit, they’re both much improved. Especially Elise. Oren’s tied his hair back as well, and it does look quite good on him. In general, he’s improved quite a bit, not just in looks; he seems much happier, now that the flower is gone.

I brought up being king to Elise and Minerva after dinner. I’ve given it some thought, and well… if they think I can do it, I don’t mind taking up the mantle. Elise just took it to mean I was some kind of secret prince, but I don’t expect her to have knowledge of politics anyways. Minerva, though, seemed oddly… not bothered by the idea. She was distracted flirting with Oren, but… even still. She only said I’d need to study, but I’m more than capable of learning.

To be honest, it’s surprising how enamored she is with Oren, given what only just happened. I mean, I’m glad she’s not upset, but… it’s not the reaction I expected from her, after Kunalchusi. But then again, it’s not like there’s many human men to choose from here, if she’s looking for sex. Though to be honest… I’m not really sure I would want to sleep with her with how mean she is sometimes, even to Oren, who she claims to like. I am surprised she didn’t pursue me, though; perhaps she’s intimidated?

Gwendolyn pushed some suits into our hands, and left to go get her and the other girls changed before we could discuss the matter of being king further. I think she’s really in her element, preparing for a nice party. It does remind me of being back with my family, a little bit, and I’m sure she feels the same, in some ways.

Oren, however, is adamant about not wearing the tie. He said he can’t breathe with it on; I think it’s possible he’s actually never worn one before in his life. He doesn’t look bad without it, I suppose, in a rogueish way. Unfortunately, he’s also adamant about bringing a book to read. I can’t talk him out of it. I’ve tried. Minerva has her work cut out for her tonight, honestly.

---

Tonight, I suppose I accepted Gwendolyn’s offer of marriage. No one seemed truly opposed to the idea of me being king… and it would mean we would be secure in our future, at least. We wouldn’t have to worry about money again, any of us. And I mean… we’re the Children. It makes sense.

Gwendolyn and I spent the night together. I mean… if we’re to marry, if she’s a lady, it’s not a problem, necessarily. It’s not like our families can find out while we’re in Thirshalon. And honestly… I understand Oren’s point, about not seducing anyone and tearing the group apart. He’s right, obviously, but that didn’t stop him from leaving the dance early with Minerva. I suppose he’s come to the same conclusion I have; we’re leaving for home tomorrow. The group can’t fall apart in a single day.

12 Jolice

The sun is up... I suppose I’m not used to sharing a bed with someone besides Oren. Try as I might, I can’t fall back asleep. We were supposed to be leaving to kill the Patriarch at dawn, but no one’s come to get us yet… I can hardly leave Gwendolyn here alone. But though I tried, I can’t wake her.

To be honest, given the drinks and our late night, I’m not exactly feeling completely ready to fight either. I’m sure the others feel the same. It might not hurt to try for just a bit more sleep, and anyways, I’m sure they’ll come to fetch us when they’re ready to go.

---

Apparently everyone slept in, except Minerva and Elise. But for some reason, they chose not to wake us, or get us. The new plan is to attack at dusk, but we’re not completely sure the poison will still be effective by then.

Apparently I misjudged Minerva’s ability to get Oren into bed, though. Oren was overjoyed that she kissed him, but apparently she left it at just that. It’s… certainly not what I expected of her. Apparently she told him to just read during the night? I expect she was being sarcastic or something, and he took it literally. I suppose now at least she’ll understand she has to be more direct with him if she wants him to do something.

Though she apparently also asked him to live with her. At least Oren hasn’t really agreed to it yet, though he’s already planning their wedding. It’s… fast, to say the least. And Minerva made quite a fast turnaround from being upset about Kunalchusi to… this. I’d assumed she just wanted a one night stand, but… I hope she doesn’t have other ulterior motives.