Travel to Quillshire Lake Day 3 – This journey to destroy an atrocious artifact of ultimate evil is turning out to be a real downer.  The first all that business with corpses raising from the grave seeking to feast on blood and bones, then yesterday that poor broken fool filled with fear and doubt?  It’s enough to make someone lose sleep, but then I never sleep well outside anyway – all that nature is distracting.  As I was turning restlessly in my bedroll I noticed that there was a massive bear-like humanoid creation sitting not far from me, looking at me thoughtfully – you know, for a bear monster.

“Are you here to kill me?

“No, at least I don’t think so, it’s my job to watch over you so that doesn’t seem like something that I would do.”

“Is this a dream?

“Maybe.  How can you be sure everything isn’t a dream.”

“Oh Gods, don’t give me that bullshit.  What are you, a teenager getting high for the first time?  Next you’re going to be asking me if I ever really looked at the stars, I mean REALLY looked man.”

“Have you?”

“Don’t start with me bear.  So what?  You’re my guardian angel then?

“Something like that.”

“I thought angels were supposed to be androgynous ladyboys with big white wings or the really weird ones that no one thinks about like a glowing circle of mouths and hands or just like a big wheel of fire with an eyeball in the middle.”

“There are all kinds of angels.”

“Hmm, well regardless I have a bone to pick with you.”

“Why’s that?  You look hale and hearty.”

“No thanks to you!  I mean where the Hells have you been?  I’ve been fighting for my life these past few months and I don’t remember you pitching in at all.”

“Doesn’t mean I wasn’t helping in my own way.”

“Don’t give me that working in mysterious ways bullshit, how about showing up and using your bear-paws to slap some fools?”

“That’s not really a good idea.  If I manifest and start throwing my weight around then all these other angels are going to come out of the woodwork to protect their charges and then you have angel on angel violence – it’s just not workable.”

“So what do you do then guardian?”

 “It’s complicated.”

“Okay, but the thing is, it’s not.  Just name me one thing you do for me.”

“I watch over you.”

“I hate to think what you’ve seen at times.”

“Don’t be rude Ela.”

“What are you doing here anyway?  Did you just appear to wind me up or what’s the reason for this religious vision?”

“I’m worried that you’re heading down the wrong path.”

“Absolutely I am!  That much is obvious.  And where were you when the Duke’s wife was having me drugged and left for dead in a provincial backwater?!  What are you going to do about it now?  Let’s get some angel magic going and fix this thing!”

“I don’t mean that Ela, I’m more concerned about you.”

“In what way?”

“Liar, I name you.  Killer, I call you.  Fiend in flesh doesn’t seem so far off the mark.”

“Don’t be dramatic.  I’m just trying to make my way, same as everyone else.”

“Okay, but the thing is, you’re not.”

“I may be better at it than some folk . . .”

“Better at what manipulating people?”

“For one thing.”

“Do you know what a sociopath is Ela?”

“Don’t pull that on me, I did what I had to to survive.  If you really watched me all this time you know what I’m up against, I’m lucky I’ve made it this far!  People have been hurt along the way but that’s life.  If you don’t like it help me out!  I’m all alone here, nobody is on my side.  The world has had a boot on my neck since day one and I’m just trying to get loose.”

“You know what your problem is Ela?”

“What I just said?”

“No.  Your problem is that you’re such a good liar you can’t even tell when you’re fooling yourself.”

“Most people can’t.”

“I suppose I can’t argue with that.”

We traveled that day without incident.  At one point I asked Arastra if there was a kind of angel that looked like a bear.  After going into way too much detail about the differences between angels, archons, azatas and agathions she said that several kinds of agathions look like animals but that she had never heard of any that looked like bears.

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Funds: 7,530 gold

XP: 46,203

Inventory: Ring of Many Garments, Bag of Tricks (rust), Cap of Disguise, Secure Pocket, Resplendent Diplomat’s Palette, Secure Paypack, Skeleton Key, Brooch of Shielding, Pouch of Magic Stones, Masterful Grey Gloves, Black Marketers’ Bag, Biting Bracelet (Endless Ammunition), Boots of Escape, Bracers of the Glib Entertainer, Ring of Animal Friendship, +1 Falchion, +1 Greatclub, +2 Commanding Light Crossbow, Headband of Alluring Charisma +2, mysterious Korrok gemstone, 4 potions of unknown wickedness 

Signet ring, noble’s outfit, candlerod (9), masterwork dagger, succubi carving, Domiel family ring, walking stick, masterwork playing cards, spinel and peridot holy symbol of Kralten, diamonds (14), silver crown

Potion of Invisibility (3), Potion of Spider Climb, Potion of Eagle’s Splendor

Silver ring, gold bracelet, gold and pearl pendant, gold ring, platinum necklace, mithril hair clasps (3)

Revenge List: Duke Eaglevane, Piltis Swine, Rince Electrum, watchman Gridley, White-Muzzle the worg, Percy Ringle the butler , Alice Kinsey , “Patch”, Heroes of the Lost Sword, Claire Conrad, Erist priest of Strider, Riselda owner of the Sage Mirror, Eedraxis,  Skin-Taker tribe, Kartak, Królewna & Bonifacja Trading Company, Hurmont Family, Androni Titus, Greasy dreadlocks woman, Lodestone Security, Kellgale Nickoslander, Beltian Kruin the Splithog Pauper, The King of Spiders, Auraluna Domiel, mother Hurk, Mazzmus Parmalee,  Helgan van Tankerstrum, Lightdancer, Bonder Greysmith, Pegwhistle Proudfoot, Lumbfoot Sheepskin

Rumors : Exiled noblewoman (Reoccurring), vigilante “Litheria”(Reoccurring), murderous Halfling (Reoccurring)

Graltontown Buildings – Mill 

Behind the curtain – Made the monthly lifestyle payment.  Not sure it makes a ton of sense anymore but I’ll stick with it for now.