The Attack on Gandara

I write from somewhere below the Kourna desert in this sanctuary the Sunspears have made. So much has happened in the last couple of days and I need to write it down while I have this respite.

It turns out that I was confused about my role in the upcoming attack by the Sunspears. I was not just to direct a small squad of champions in the battle, I was placed in charge of the entire Sunspear army. That came as a bit of a shock to me, but I took to the challenge and lead the charge as best I could. My personal cadre acted admirably, though their inexperience lead them into some folly during the fray. Nothing a good resurrection spell could not handle.

Speaking of resurrection spell, the Sunspears have this marvelous variant of the trusty resurrection signet I was given upon first arriving at Ascalon Academy. This Sunspear Rebirth Signet actually becomes more effective as one rises through the ranks of the Sunspears. Evidently it's powered by the expression of one's own majesty. The things some people will think of astound me.

All was going reasonable will during the battle until we reached the heart of Varesh Ossa's defenses. There the damnable woman summoned enormous demons and completely routed the Sunspear army. I must admit that I tucked tail and ran in the face of that horde. Along the way, Spearmarshal Kormir was lost and Koss, one of my cadre, was captured.

So I have gathered what Sunspears I have left and set up a temporary headquarters in the Kourna desert. It is an underground oasis overrun with overgrown termites. The cleansing of the shrine was not overly difficult. And now we have a base of operations from which to strike at Ossa and her demonic horde.

As one last item of note, I would like to thank Midshipman Morolah, a corsair raider on the Marga Coast. I learned from him the technique for firing a single Burning Arrow. And though he did not survive the lesson, I will remember his ability for a long time to come.

Ahai, Sunspear

Much as I feared, the coming of the Elonans coincides with the growing darkness we've witnessed before. Just after being approached for aid by Kormir, Spearmarshal for the Order of the Sunspears, chaos forces boldly attacked Kaineng Center. It was those same enemies that destroyed the Tomb of the Primeval Kings and disrupted the Dragon Festival in Shing Jea earlier this year. It seems the source of all this darkness is to be found in Elona and so I have sailed there to lend my support in the fight.

Based on word of my prior exploits, Kormir granted me a novice rank in the order upon arriving in Kamadan and placed four other heroes under my direction. Heroes they were called, but they are more like rank amateurs to me. There will be some time before I can shape them into an effective fighting unit. But though there experience in shallow, they take to every skill I can teach them like a fish to water.

For now, Spearmarshal Kormir has called me to rally the Sunspears and lead them in an attack on the Kourna army, lead by Varesh Ossa. I go now to the Consulate Docks to face this new challenge.

Keeping Myself Amused

Here are some of the things I've been doing to keep busy.

• My little sister has been giving me all the keys she's been finding while ridding the Shiverpeaks of mountain trolls. Why trolls need to horde keys I don't know? I'm been taking them into Grenth's Footprint to raid the treasure chests of the Stone Summit. Why do dwarves keep their treasure chests out in the open, exposed to the elements, for me plunder? It is a mad world, I tell you.
  
• While doing all this, I've left my precious bows at home. Instead I've been playing with the assassin's daggers my friend, Jondalyn, gave me. I did recently modify them to make them more effective while using the dreaded Temple Strike method. I guess I just need a challenge.
  
• I finally stopped shirking my duties and infiltrated the Am Fah assassins who congregate around Wajjun Bazaar. We had a strange relationship for a long time. One of the villains, Bujo, has set up a meeting between me and Brother Tosai, a leader of the Am Fah. As such, the assassins left me alone while I travelled through Wajjun. They probably expected I was there to keep my meeting. So of course, I never did that. No one ever asked either. Very kindly assassins, at least up until I finally kept that meeting. They don't like me much anymore.
  

Rumors of Istani Rangers

A learned sage once remarked that the only true power is knowledge and I believe him. So I spend hours consulting the great library of Wiki so that I might learn all that I can about the world. Wiki is so vast that I doubt I will read all it contains. But there are certain sections I am drawn to time and again. More specifically, I study the abilities of rangers from around the world.

One day recent, Wiki received an influx of documents related to Elona. Most likely the came along with the loosening of trade restrictions with that distant shore. I, along with many others, rushed to survey these new scrolls. And while the others read and moved on, I fell in love.

Somewhere in Elona, there is a ranger who has learned how to fire an arrow with such velocity that it literally burst the eardrums of the target. They call it the screaming shot. I feel a little warm just thinking about it again.

So yes, some magnificent evil will probably reveal itself just as I set foot on the Istani shore. I'll have to gather heroes and henchment together to drive it from the land with little or no reward. But I must learn that skill.

Down In The Dark Places

It was a shock going from the blasted Ascalon of my youth into the snow-capped Shiverpeaks. But it was exhilarating to explore a land that seemed only a distant horizon for so long. There were a number of sights I will never forget.

Out in the frozen wastes of Anvil Rock is a small outpost cunningly hidden in the mountainside. I came upon Ice Tooth Cave from the east. My companions and I stood high above that entrance taking in the view without knowing what was just beneath our feet. The cave itself has a transitory population, with only a couple merchant and the ubiquitous agent of the Xunlai as permenant residents. But having arrived at Ice Tooth Cave, I became a member of that informal cadre of true adventurers. It was there I learned of the lost temple of Balthazar in the distant Maguuma, another destination for the daring.

I spent a lot of time running to and fro through what the dwarves call Iron Horse Mine in the spirit of cooperation between our peoples. I was asked to assist a Deldrimor scout by the name of Rangil Ironbow with his one-dwarf skirmish with the Snow Summit. In truth, I did the dirty work while he sat in the safety of Traveler's Vale. But since helping my people meant helping the dwarves, I bit my tongue and did what I was told.

Grooble's Gulch stands in the middle of Borlis Pass, the route through which we lead the refugee to Kryta. We did not rest there long as there was a growing desire to take the Frost Gate and escape the cold and snow. Maybe we should have stayed to rally our forces first, or maybe beg greater assistance from the dwarves. Maybe I could have done something that would have saved our good prince, Rurik.