Io

Being born with a deformity is not easy, regardless of your abilities as a person. For Iomesah, being born with a withered and stunted left arm, has prompted her to work incredibly hard to prove that she is as capable as anyone else. To her, having a deformity was a challenge - she would find a way to overcome it, or die trying.

Now quite literally armed and (mostly) ready, she has left her adoptive family in Jenov, to travel Henfyd, and hopefully help a few people, while furthering her craft, and learning more of the continent's secrets.

Early Life
Iomesah was born in the year 1292, to unknown parents living in or near the port town of Zamoska, along with her twin sister, Izdaja. The two were raised as foundlings in the old church, by Fra Nezno, the town's religious leader, after losing their parents. Io was never told whether her parents had died, or simply abandoned the sisters.

From a young age, a rift began to form between Io and Izdaja. The "elder" of the twins, Izdaja had been born seemingly perfect, while the "younger" Io had been born with a hideously deformed left arm, that was withered and completely useless. However, it was not the arm alone that caused the rift. Io thought the world of her "big sister", but when Izdaja started manifesting her Aasimar heritage (something Io would not do until much later in life), people began to pay more attention to Izdaja, who could seemingly heal wounds with just a touch. This lead to a bitterness in Izdaja's heart, and a jealousy of Io, who mostly avoided attention because of her arm.

Io was not without her own troubles, she felt incredibly lonely and neglected, her sister seemingly hating her. Fra Nezno was always too busy with his duties to give Io the care she craved, the people of Zamoska seemed to shun her as if she were cursed, and the other children bullied her because they saw her as a freak.

Eventually, this became too much for Io, now 13 years old, who fled Zamoska in the dead of night. Later in life, she would admit that it was perhaps an act of cowardice, but she would also feel that it was one of the best choices she ever made. It was on the road, that Io had the first of a number of dreams that would help guide her throughout her life. Starving in a cave, after a few days without food, the young girl dreamed of a cart taking her across the mountains, to a city where she was welcomed with open arms. That next morning she woke to find the cart from her dream passing her cave. The driver of the cart, was kind enough to let her travel with him to his destination, the city of Jenov, capital of Jenovir - the same city from her dream.

Apprenticeship
After arriving in Jenov, Io felt lost. She had no money, and nowhere to go or stay. While wandering the city, she began to hear a metallic clanging, after she unknowingly wandered into one of the richer areas of the city. Strangely entranced by the noise, she followed it, until she came to a building that was partially open to the air. There she saw a tall, bulky man hammering at a piece of metal, while a girl about Io's age watched.

Despite her attempts to remain unnoticed, as she went for a closer look, the blacksmith spotted her. Initially angry, the forge was not a place for most children, especially ones who were crippled, he eventually softened to the young girl, after seeing her fascination with his work and the spark that would eventually lead Io down the path of the Artificer. He introduced himself as Eral, and the girl as his daughter Lyra, and offered Io a chance to join Lyra as his apprentices, so that she may learn to create items in the forge as well. Io, of course, accepted.

The next five years were filled with hard work, but Io truly enjoyed them, for she had found a family that cared for her, and would help her realize her potential, her way. While she felt comfortable in all forms of artisan work, it was the brewing of potions and elixirs that really stuck with Io, as well as the creation of items infused with magic. Throughout her apprenticeship, she kept working to refine a prosthetic arm, starting with a simple brace.

Not long after her 18th birthday, in the year 1310, Io had to put her apprenticeship on hold. The church in Zamoska had burned down, along with a fair number of buildings in the town. This prompted Io to return, in the hopes of finding her sister alive and, if she was, hopefully reconnecting with her. Unfortunately, Izdaja had disappeared, and the townsfolk who recognized Io, blamed her for the fire, so she returned to Jenov.

Return to Zamoska
Five years after the fire, Io would once again return to Zamoska. In the intervening years, she had grown her abilities, and improved her prosthetic, turning it from an advanced brace, to a complete replacement limb, that functioned almost identically to a real arm. It was around her 23rd birthday, that Io had a new dream, similar to the one that lead her to Jenov. This time however, the dream showed Izdaja, along with scenes of great suffering. The only conclusion that Io could make was that Izdaja was alive, and either in pain, or causing pain. So Io chose to return to her place of birth, in the hopes of reconnecting with her twin sister.

Unable to gather any leads in Zamoska, except for a Trasgu attack on the opening ceremony of the new cathedral, she traveled east, to the town of Silverford, where she met, and soon joined, Theodore, Callianna, Svarth, Noah, and Miska, after a failed attempt on Noah's part to flirt with her.

Physical Traits
Io stands at exactly 6 feet tall, and weighs roughly 160 pounds. She is of a relatively slender build, although, she is not without some musculature, as a result of working the forges alongside Eral and Lyra.

Her skin is fairly dark, and surprisingly unblemished, despite working as an artisan and later artificer since she was about 13 years old. Io's eyes are a striking green colour, much like those of her twin sister, in fact it was one of the few similarities they shared.

Io can easily pass as a half-elf (in fact, until she was informed of her heritage by a servant of Bahamut, she believed that she was half-elven) as she has slightly pointed ears, and bright silver hair, suggesting that she has elven heritage. Her hair is slightly shorter than shoulder-length, and is typically worn loose on one side, and braid into cornrows with sapphire-coloured beads on the other. When the mood takes her, Io will swap which side has which hairstyle.

The most noticeable of Io's physical traits is her left arm. Where once was an arm that was withered and useless, now there is a prosthetic made of dark wood, and silvery metal, with an aquamarine gemstone resting in the palm. Io made this prosthetic arm with help from both Eral and Lyra Ashforge, and eventually figured out how to infuse a small amount of magic into it, to make it functionally identical to the real thing.

Clothing
It is rare to see Io without a very particular set of clothing, consisting of a long leather coat, leather boots, a bandoleer, two belts (one leather, and one of turquoise cloth), a turquoise scarf, and a pair of goggles.

The coat serves two main purposes in Io's mind, the first being practical - it is fairly resistant to damage, being made of toughened leather, and it has many pockets inside and out, perfect for carrying various chemicals and tools that she might need quick access to. The second purpose of the coat is cosmetic. While Io is a fairly shy individual, she does does take pride in her appearance, and she absolutely loves the way her coat looks.

Worn over her coat is her bandoleer, which is crucial to her work as an alchemist, as it holds a number of vials containing chemicals that she uses in both elixirs and spells. Additionally, she has a small quiver attached to the bottom end of the bandoleer, which holds bolts for her crossbow.

The first of Io's belts is a simple leather one, with pouches and hooks, to hold various ingredients for potions, as well her mace. The second, much like her scarf, are primarily a stylistic choice - both are dyed a turquoise colour, which happens to be Io's favourite.

Personality
Io is a fairly reserved person, though she is not unfriendly. Being bullied at a young age did serious damage to her confidence, and as a result she has little to no social skills.

As she has grown older, Io has come to realize that Fra Nezno did not deliberately neglect her, and as such has more or less forgiven him. However, she has been left with a distaste for authority figures, especially nobles and priests. Despite her dislike of priests and religious organisations, she is a follower of Kreinto, the Arcanian god of craftspeople and creation. In Io's eyes, an entity should earn their authority through their own skills, not by demanding it because of blood or faith.

During her time in Jenov, Io spent many of her spare moments in the city's libraries, studying any and all information she could get her hands on, with botany and material sciences being her preferred subjects. This, combined with an innate desire to help people, lead to Io's learning the arts of Alchemy and Herbalism.

Despite putting a lot of effort into the creation of her prosthetic, Io has also fully embraced her asymmetry. In fact she doesn't understand people who strive for perfect symmetry and order in their lives. Io sees nature as asymmetry and chaos, and to strive for perfect symmetry is to defy the balance of nature.

Io is a very light sleeper, having been prone to nightmares for most of her life.

Journal
Io is a meticulous note-taker, and tries her best to record her adventures, travels, and experiments in a journal as often as she can. Here are some excerpts from her journal, as written since she joined Calli, Svarth, Theo, Miska, and Noah on their search for Izdaja.

5th of Heyar 1315
''Nearly a week since I came back to Zamoska, and I already miss Jenovir. I can't stand the place.''

A few days ago, I left the city, and traveled east to a town called Silverford, following her trail.

''While I was resting, and going over a few notes, this strange band of people came in, consisting of a goblin, a half-orc, a human, a half-elf with a fairly adorable dog, and a red headed woman whose race I'm not certain of. The half-elf came over and started trying to chat me up, or something, but tripped and nearly spilled his drink over my book. Unfortunately for him, he's not my type.''

His human companion eventually bailed him out.

6th of Heyar 1315
''I woke up fairly early the next morning, and overheard the strange party from last night talking about Izdaja. It seems they're following her too!''

''The Half-Orc (who I learned is named Calli) noticed me listening and invited me along, and I joined her, the human (Theodore), Half-elf (Noah), and the dog (Miska) on their cart, while the goblin (Svarth) travelled behind on a rocking chair strapped to a donkey. I've got to admire the ingenuity.''

The red-head (Aleen, I think it was) was apparently their (I guess ours now) guide, who was leading them to Izzy.

Before we left, I managed to brew an elixir that I believed would be capable of giving the imbiber the ability to fly for a short time.

''We travelled for a while. There was a slight incident involving Theo, Noah, and Miska seemingly passing gas, although due to the lack of smell, I suspect that Svarth may have used some kind of magic to play a trick on us – after the short while I've known these people for, he seems the type to do that.''

Our progress was eventually blocked by a large growth of thorny hedges.

''My earlier hypothesis was correct – the elixir gave me the ability to fly, and I was able to find a path through. As we entered the thicket (following Noah), we were attacked by a few groups of purple goblinoids (Trasgu apparently) who were supposedly being employed by Izdaja (has she really changed that much?).''

''After the encounter with the second group of Trasgu, we found a bridge over to this ruined manor(?) where Izadaja has apparently based herself. Getting over the bridge was certainly entertaining – it was rickety, and Theo convinced Noah to take off his armour to cross the bridge. I thought Noah's idiocy was an act, but I'm beginning to think that might not be the case.''

There were more Trasgu outside the structure, but it seems they're not particularly difficult to defeat.

''As we entered the first room, there were all sorts of grisly trophies. I had a sort of breakdown. Did she really do this, have she really changed that much? I mean she was always bitter, but vicious and cruel, that doesn't sound like Izzy.''

Hopefully I'll be able to keep it together going forward.

''Further in, we found a courtyard, with a group of dog-like creatures, which (after killing the first one) Svarth managed to intimidate into a corner. Theo also found a stable with a horse that panicked and ran around the courtyard until he calmed it down.''

While this was going on, I found a passage way further into the structure.

I chose to wait for the others to finish, which ended up being a mistake – I stood too close to one of the dog-things, and it seems that I'm allergic to them.

''After this the rest of the group barged past me into the passage that I found. This passage lead to a small room, and a set of stairs.''

''The room smelled like it was where the Trasgu go to relieve themselves after eating, and seemed to have never been cleaned. Theo convinced Noah to enter that room. This seems to be a common occurrence – Noah doing something stupid because Theo told him to. Anyway, the smell gave me a chance to try an experiment. Taking a ball bearing out of my bag, I pushed a little bit of magic into, making it smell like lavender – which seemed to work.''

''At the bottom of the stairs, Svarth found a room that had what looks like a baby Trasgu. Noah sped off on his own through a number of rooms, coming to one with a number of crude drawings showing Trasgu causing trouble, a more sophisticated one showing a large wolf-like creature at the centre of a map of this building.''

''I doubled back to the rest of the party, who'd found a chapel to a god of some kind. I feel like I should know what it is, but a can't place the memory.''

''While in the chapel we were attacked by some large fire-breathing dogs. They almost called Svarth, and badly burned myself, Calli, and Theo, before we were able to kill them. Noah then came running in, claiming that he saved us. I was tempted to hit him, see if it knocked some sense into him, but instead resorted to scraping soot off of my arm into his hair. Petty revenge, I know, but he looks like someone who takes a lot of time to keep his hair in good condition.''

After that fight, we decided it would be best to take an hour or so to get our collective breath back, before moving on.

''In the next room after the map, we came across what seemed to be plans for an attack on Zamoska, that made mention of “the beast below” and “he who dwells below the town”. I'm honestly unsurprised that Izdaja knew about such things, she always was good at finding secrets.''

''In the next room we came across a scholar, who later introduced herself as Kashrin. She'd been employed by Izdaja to locate a being called Nawazombya, but had become alienated from my sister, so she directed us to where she was.''

''Kashrin also mentioned that the various artwork we'd seen around Krakus Head depicted an ancient race that may have built the structure. I then remembered reading a book in the library at Jenov, which mentioned a race of owl-like humanoids called the Syrinx, although I couldn't remember any mentions of them settling northern Valejo.''

''Further down, we found a room filled with statues of what were definitely Syrinx. Noah recklessly ran ahead as seems to be usual. Theo stopped me from following, say something about “letting the canary do its job”. Of course, this resulted in Noah activating a trap, which after he “described” what happened, I managed to help him out of it. After this, I managed to figure out how to permanently deactivate the trap, which I convinced Noah to do, allowing the rest of the group to easily catch up.''

''In the next room we finally met up with Izzy, who confirmed that the rumours were true. Her armed had changed becoming reptilian, and she was talking about burning the world. She really had turned that bitter. I should have stayed to help her all those years ago, maybe then this wouldn't have happened.''

My rage and guilt did reveal one thing to me, I seem to be able to summon spectral golden wings, when suffering from emotional stress – I'll have to research this at a later date.

Theo delivered the killing blow to my sister, and myself, Noah, and Calli, took her outside to bury her, while Svarth and Theo continued to explore.

''As we returned past Kashrin's study, we found that she was with a man, who introduced himself as Wilhelm. While they have never met, apparently he and Aleen do work for the same person or group.''

''Once we got outside, Svarth caught up to us, wearing Theo's hat. While they'd continued exploring, Theo had gotten himself killed, while defeating some kind of monster. This caused Noah to get incredibly angry at Svarth, as he didn't trust that Svarth was telling the truth. As Calli went with Svarth to retrieve Theo's remains, myself and Noah began to dig graves for him and Izdaja.''

''Strangely enough, both myself and Noah felt guilt over Theo's death, as both of us could have helped, if we'd been there. When Kashrin came out of the building with Wilhelm, she managed to help with some of my guilt, over both deaths, as she said that I had become a much better person than my sister. Wilhelm also told me that nothing I had done was the act of a coward.''

I'm not sure of him, but he seems to be a decent person.

Calli and Svarth returned, proving to Noah that Theo had indeed died the way Svarth said.

As we buried Theo, Svarth lead some kind of dance, which I assume is part of the way goblins do their last rites.

Afterwards, Calli helped me cremate Izdaja, partly to reduce the chances of her resurrecting, after which I buried her ashes, beneath a gravestone that reads:

Here lies Izdaja

Even the brightest of lights can succumb to darkness

I wrote it in common, then again in another language which I believe to be Celestial, although I don't really understand why or how I know it.

We then set off in the cart, back to Zamoska along with Wilhelm and Kashrin, a journey that should take us about four days.

7th of Heyar 1315
While we started travelling back to Zamoska, I began experimenting with some of the chemicals that power my spells, and I managed to increase the potency of one that, in the past, I could use to stabilise a dying person, so that I can instead use it to quickly heal an injury.

''Hopefully this will help prevent another Theo. ''

10th of Heyar 1315
Upon returning to Zamoska, the gate guards directed us to go straight to the mayor, it seems that something has happened and that it is linked to the group.

Wilhelm left during this period to go meet with whoever had been paying him.

Entering the mayors office, we met with a woman named Danika, and a dwarf named Kordus, who was currently acting-mayor.

Apparently there's been a string of murders, all of whom have some link to Noah.

The first was a dockworker named Pijan, who the murder had left a note reading:

He is but the first and will not be the last,

His death is upon your head...

Catch me if you can.

''The second was a merchant named Childeric Bramblethorn, who'd sold a suit of armour to Noah. He was left with a note reading:''

While you're away, the cat will play.

You could have prevented this,

But of course we ordinary people are beneath your notice.

The third was Mayor Vlado, who also had a note reading:

Locked doors and guards cannot stop me...

Maybe you could if you cared enough,

But you don't...

''The final victim was the innkeeper of The Gorgon, Lepota, whom Noah was seemingly close with (or at least thought he was). Her note read:''

I thought if I struck a little closer to home,

I might catch your attention.

I pay attention and saw the way you looked at her.

You could have stopped all this...

''Each of the notes were addressed to Noah, suggesting one of two things to me. The first is that the murderer really hates Noah for some reason (probably a quite understandable reason, his ego, flirting, and general idiocy are starting to erode my patience). Alternatively, whoever the murderer is, they have obsessive feelings toward Noah, and are jealous of those he interacts with. I honestly think the former is more likely, though.''

Danika also told us that a man named Tobia Ambin di Ordeto, was the prime suspect, which is quite possible because apparently he'd felt slighted by Noah (unsurprising), and had hired thugs to kill Noah a few days before I met the party.

We were given permission to search Lepota's room, were she had been killed.

''There was a large amount of blood on the bed, but Calli spotted a smaller pool on the floor nearby. Between us, me and Calli managed to find a trail of blood leading to another room – Tobia's. It seems that Lepota managed to injure her attacker.''

Under the bed was another note from the murderer:

Catch me if you can.

''I lost my temper with Noah at this point. All throughout the investigation, all he'd done was make stupid comments, so I lashed out and hit him. We decided that we'd go pay a visit to this Tobia, and see if he had anything to do with this.''

''First though, Aleen wanted us to meet a contact of hers in The Gibbet. When we got there, I noticed a carving of a raven on the doorpost.''

Inside we met the bartender, a Half-Orc named Arkun, and a Kobold named Scree, who lead us up to the attic where we met Rodava, who owns the theatre, but also is the local representative for the White Ravens, as well as being the contact that Wilhelm had gone to meet.

I'd heard rumours, but I wasn't sure if they were real, which was a nice surprise.

He seemed to know a fair amount about us, and gave a positive summation of all of us, except Noah.

''He then offered us all a chance to work for the Ravens, as long as we kept it secret. I wonder what would have happened if we'd turned him down, but after confirming that we were still independent and could step away at any time, we all accepted, and were told to go to Genofels in Ostmark (at least we're leaving Zamoska), and he paid us in advance as this will be our first job.''

''We decided to stay the night in Zamoska before leaving, and I managed to get a letter sent back home to Eral and Lyra, explaining that I'm going to keep travelling for a while. I also managed to pick up a couple potions of healing, and a flask of alchemist's fire.''

In addition, I tried out a modification to my spear, now when I throw it, it will immediately reappear in my hand.

11th of Heyar 1315
The morning before we began heading toward Genefels, I managed to make an elixir, that would most likely heal the imbiber.

''Additionally, Svarth had a conversation with Arkun, that ended with Svarth being dropped on the floor. No idea what that was about.''

''We travelled for the entire day, then stopped for the night. Noah took first watch, then Calli.''

''Then came my watch. During my watch, I saw a short thunderstorm, and silhouetted against it was a line of flying horsemen, reminding me of the Wild Hunt.''

Near the camp I found a Gnome in the bush who also saw it and was panicking.

Admittedly, I can't guarantee that I saw any of this, I might have just dozed off – I haven't been sleeping well, again.

I woke Wilhelm to take the final watch, and like an idiot, told him what I thought I saw – I'm fairly certain he doesn't like me, and sees me as a liability.

He might be right – I'm starting to miss my home.

12th of Heyar 1315
I managed to make an Elixir this morning that should, theoretically, improve a persons skill for a short time.

We managed to arrive at the place where this Tobia person is supposedly staying – it's a ruin, the garden is rotting, the metal work is rusty.

Svarth scouted ahead, and we entered through the door, which was slightly open.

The entry hall was lined with paintings, however none of them were of any actual quality – suggesting that the owner of this place wanted to appear rich and high class.

''The first room we entered was a study if some kind. I lifted a painting on the desk to see who was on it, it was of a woman.''

When I touched the painting everything went cold, and some kind of apparition of an old man, who then had his throat cut.

I really think we shouldn't be here, and maybe I shouldn't have stayed after Izzy's death, I really unprepared for this.

While the others investigated the other rooms, I found a blood splatter in the hallway, suggestive of a person falling (or being pushed) from the balcony on the upper floor.

Wilhelm, Noah, and Svarth found the kitchens, which were full of some kind of animated corpse, but we managed to defeat them fairly quickly.

In the next room, was a dining table, with Tobia at the head, seemingly also undead.

He confirmed he was behind the killings, and when I asked him why, he answered “why not”.

How can anyone, even someone dead, have so little regard for life?!

I lost my temper and threw my spear at him.

''He attacked, and did a real number on Wilhelm, before Calli killed(?) him with a spell. I was so angry, I didn't see what. I also think I tapped into that power from before again.''

I really need to find out what that is.

Tobia's last words were something about a person or thing whispering to him from the attic.

I think after a rest, we'll be investigating that.

Half of me wants to stop this threat, the other half wants to leave this place, and get on with our job for the Ravens.

I'm seriously considering heading home, after we finish this job – I miss Eral and Lyra.

''After clearing the dining room, we finished checking the ground floor, and finding nothing, we went down into the basement and wine cellar. In the wine cellar there was some kind of presence. It kept throwing wine bottles at us, trying to push each of us, and even threw Calli out of the room. It was also accompanied by a quite ominous chuckling.''

There was another room off the other side of the cellar, and after we passed through the door, it was slammed behind us.

''Wilhelm went first, and in the next room found a desk, brazier, and an altar, which was being tended by a hooded figure. I came forward to assist, and it shrank away from me when I spoke in Celestial.''

''I can't remember who attacked first, but the party ended up fighting the thing, which I believe was some form of undead, as it seemed less affected by strikes from our weapons than it was by spells, and my spear. It was also surrounded by an aura of what felt like rot or decay. Weirdly, I seemed somewhat resistant to this aura.''

''Noah and Wilhelm were knocked unconscious during the fight, and while I may not like either of them, I refused to let people I can save die, not after Theodore. I managed to bring Wilhelm back with a spell, and gave Noah a potion.''

''The five of us decided it would be worth taking a short rest in the room, once the undead thing had been destroyed. Svarth went and retrieved some of the alcohol, which even had he offered me some, I would have refused – I've never like alcohol. Calli found a bracelet made of bone on the altar, which Svarth identified as defending against the energies that the undead creature was generating. Calli ended up putting it on Miska, like a collar – at least the cute puppy will survive.''

''While we were resting, Calli took a look at a diary she'd found in the library on the floor above. She found mention of the Syrinx in it, and let me take a look at it. The diary mentioned Iremian, a city supposedly lost in the Sighing Desert, that was the centre of an empire.''

There were also references to The Dark – a dwarven legend that's basically a prophecy for the end of the world.

''I shared these findings with Calli, but not the others. Noah wouldn't understand, and I don't think Wilhelm believes in, or even cares about, old legends and prophecies, and I honestly believe he'd either mock or berate me for believing in them. I'm not sure Svarth would particularly care either.''

''After this, we returned upstairs to check the second floor. At the top, we saw the ghost of what must have been the maid fall off the balcony, which explains the blood splatter that I found before. The apparition affected Noah and Calli quite badly. Calli curled up in a ball, I think as a fear reaction, while Noah temporarily lost the ability to speak coherently – not a big change, but at least it stopped him bothering us with stupid comments. They eventually both snapped out of it though, Calli was faster because she got help from Miska.''

''The rooms on the top floor were mostly unused bedrooms, suggesting the owners hadn't fully moved in. Svarth seemed strangely obsessed with the carpets.''

''There was also a room with a desk and a suit of armour. The notes on the desk talked of a whisperer in the attic, and a presence in the cellar.''

''I had a look over the armour, as Noah and Wilhelm both seemed interested in it. However, it was fake, and just there to make the owners look rich. I'm not one to speak ill of the dead, but I really don't like whoever the owners of this place were.''

''We entered the attic, where we encountered some kind of dust spirit, which seemed to be the “whisperer in the attic”. Svarth killed it fairly easily, before finding an altar with a small statue of Kulkan sitting beside some skulls, bones, a bloodstained bowl.''

''Afterwards we set the mansion on fire, and camped outside to ensure that it burned properly. Wilhelm didn't allow me to take a watch that night – I really don't think he trusts me.''

13th of Heyar 1315
This was one of the quietest days we've had since leaving Zamoska, with the only highlight being us passing another group on the road.

I took the dawn watch that night, but saw nothing.

14th of Heyar 1315
There was a light drizzle this morning, and we arrived in Esper in the evening.

''Calli and I suggested that we stay in the Green Drow rather than the Velvet Mace, as the Drow seemed quieter. However, it turned out to be a guild location, but the proprietor informed us that they did not conduct business in the inn.''

''Svarth convinced Noah to do something stupid, I didn't catch what. Noah proceeded to fall flat on his face as a result.''

15th of Heyar 1315
I remember falling asleep at the table last night, but someone must have moved me, because I woke up in one of the cots near the fire.

It seems that Wilhelm bought some scrap armour in order to repair it, while I was asleep.

When we stopped for the night, I offered to help him repair the armour, which he accepted.

I took first watch this time, but again nothing happened.

16th of Heyar 1315
''While we were preparing to continue this morning, Wilhelm made some comment about flying horses, and hallucinations. I made a show of triple-checking the stoppers on my ingredients, just to try and show him that I'm careful.''

''About midday, we met a man on horseback, who spoke posh, and dressed overly gaudily. He made mention to the Wild Hunt.''

The rest of the day, and the night that followed were quiet.

17th of Heyar 1315
''We had a quiet day, before arriving in Lieben, just as it was getting dark. We decided to stay the night in the Peddler's Inn, where Noah, once again, failed to flirt with the woman behind the bar.''

''The other decided it would be a good idea to get as thoroughly drunk as possible. After a few rounds, Calli passed out, so me and Wilhelm took her up to the room, where I stayed while Wilhelm went back to drinking.''

18th of Heyar 1315
''Noah must have passed out from the alcohol last night, because it seems that either Wilhelm or Svarth dragged him out into the stables. I may not like him, but I don't think he quite deserved that!''

''After breakfast, I went with Noah to restock our rations. I had to help him, because it seems that having a hangover makes him act as if he's still drunk. The idiot tried to pat my head, but forgot that I'm a good 2 inches taller than him.''

We left Lieben, and when we decided to make camp, Calli used her magic to make some kind of tiny hut for us to sleep in.

19th of Heyar 1315
''Today passed mostly quietly, with the only highlight being a short debate with Wilhelm on the merits of Ostmark against Jenovir. We both agreed that, regardless of which is better, both are better than Valejo.''

20th of Heyar 1315
''As we continued this morning, a person crossed our path giggling about “what's coming” and he mentioned the Dark. I explained to the others (mainly Wilhelm – I'd already told Calli, and I don't think Noah understood and I doubt that Svarth cared), before admitting that I hope Wilhelm is right, and I've only been imagining the signs. Before he left, the fellow mentioned (giggled about) darkness in Austadt.''

''We arrived at Austadt about midday, and I was immediately uncomfortable, to the point that I had us back and forth between the two taverns a few times, because of it. The Red Triangle was too clean, and the Duelling Devil too dirty.''

''We eventually settled on the Duelling Devil, where we got a room (there was no furniture), and a meal. The meal was rancid – the cheese was maggot infested, the drink watered down, stuff like that. Thankfully, I'd recently figured out how to purify food and drink using magic, so I ensured that the food was edible, and not poisoned. Svarth seemed disappointed at this.''



21st of Heyar 1315
''Before we left Ausstadt, we bought some supplies for the journey, primarily some rations and blankets. I also bought some climbing gear, just in case we encountered trouble while crossing the Grey Mountains. The morning was cold and wet, but warmed up about midday.''

''By evening we reached a pass in the mountains, where there was a wooden hut – evidently some kind of resting place for travellers in the mountains. Coming from inside was some really quite horrible music. Of course Noah seemed to like it. As we approached, the door opened, and a “bard” came out. Apparently, he'd been expecting us, and he invited the party inside.''

Wilhelm and Calli stayed outside to tie up the horses and Feo (Svarth's donkey), while I followed Svarth and Noah inside to keep an eye on them.

There was food, which I cast my purify spell on (I couldn't trust that it wasn't poisoned or rotten, not after the Duelling Devil), I can't remember the exact foods, although there was some kind of lamb stew.

''Calli came in after a while, and came over to the corner where I had sat to make notes for a possible future project. Unfortunately, I'm still not certain on how to power it, although I'm starting to think that I might need a gem of a particular quality, or perhaps some kind of crystal that's been imbued with magical energy. That's a question for the future though (see my notes on Homunculi, future me). Anyway, Calli told me that she and Wilhelm had seen the flying horsemen, which the “bard” confirmed was the Wild Hunt, and a sign of The Dark.''

''He also called me an “Aasimar”. According to him, I'm not actually a half elf, instead I'm “born of angels”. Perhaps that's why I can understand the Celestial tongue, as well as why I can summon those wings and magically produce light. I wonder if I can heal wounds like Izdaja used to.''

''Calli and Wilhelm (I didn't even see him enter) must have noticed something off about the “bard”, because they started asking him suspicious questions, such as how he knew we were coming. He told us that his liege had informed him that we were heading this way.''

''After some persuasion, he told us that he served The King of Dragons (I decided not to write his name, as the “bard” said that He doesn't like His name being spoken). He then transported us to meet the King, telling us that no time will pass during this meeting.''

The transport method left us in pitch black darkness, I couldn't even illuminate it with my magic.

''When the darkness cleared we were in a large hall, at the centre of which was a triangular table made of some stone that I didn't recognise. Seated at the corners of the table were three beings.''

''The first was an elf-like male with long white hair, wearing white robes and a silver circlet set with a diamond. The second, appeared to be an old man with a long white beard and white hair, wearing silver robes. The third and final, was an insanely beautiful woman, with long dark hair, whose clothes kept changing colour – going between black, white, red, blue, and green. The “bard” approached the old man, who I figured was the King of Metallic Dragons, making the woman the Queen of Chromatic Dragons, and the “Elf” the leader of the neutral dragons (I can't remember his name or title).''

''The King then spoke. Apparently, the three rulers of all dragonkind wanted to meet out party, because “ so much depends on us”, and there is a battle coming, which they were unable to fight, because they've lost power on our Plane (I guess I need to do some research into Planar theory next time I'm in a decent library). He told us that the Dark is the greatest evil, and even the Lord of Hell will join the fight, although more to protect his throne, than anything else.''

''According to the King, our first steps will be in Genefels, and that we will meet allies along the way, and that we can trust the Abbess there. I was sceptical, but apparently Abbeys are different from Churches, so I'll keep an open mind.''

''They also told us that we can trust the Autumn One. I thought at first that it might be Aleen because of her hair colour, as well as the fact that elves tend to be closer to nature than most, but they also said that we will “meet the Autumn One outside the gates in a time of great need”.''

The final bit of information we were told was that “The Book is not the cause, it is a symptom”.

Svarth (being Svarth), then asked if what sort of reward we'd get, to which the King responded that success would mean survival, and failure would mean the death of everything.

''There was then a bright light from the table, which showed the shadows of the three's true forms – confirming my suspicions. We'd just met the Draconic gods/rulers.''

''We then woke up back in the cabin. As a group, we started to debate what we'd just learned, but it quickly devolved into a three-way argument between Noah, Svarth, and Wilhelm. Noah wanted to tell literally everyone about everything, Svarth being Svarth wanted to see if the Dark would offer better rewards, and Wilhelm wanted to just tell his contacts in the Ravens, and see what they said to do. Eventually, I used a bit of tinkering to make a loud bang, getting the others attention. I explained why Wilhelm's plan was probably the best at the moment (ironically, because of how I felt Wilhelm was judging me), and tried to explain to Svarth that the Dark can't be bargained with, because its nature is to destroy everything – I think I got through to Noah, but not Svarth.''

''After a quick meal, where there was each our favourite foods and drinks (finally some decent tea), we decided to rest for the night. We decided to set a watch (I suggested that we use Calli's magical hut, but the others disagreed).''

Noah took the first watch, I took second, Calli third, and Wilhelm took the dawn watch as usual.

22nd of Heyar 1315
''Wilhelm woke me near the end of his watch, telling me he found the events troubling, and that he felt that my seeming insight into recent events would be more useful than his own skills. I think that might have been him trying to apologise, in his own way. He reiterated that we need to “tell the boss”, then our conversation got a little philosophical, talking about strangeness vs “normal strangeness”. I also remembered seeing Eral marking items with raven iconography – I wonder if he might have ties to the Ravens. I know he was an adventure/mercenary at one point – that's how he met Lyra's mother, but beyond that he never talks about his history.''

''After waking the others (more or less – Wilhelm had to carry Calli to the cart, she's that heavy a sleeper). About midday, a copper dragon flew past us, and did a funny sort of roll – I wonder if that was the “bard” trying to communicate something to us. I made a small drawing of a dragon, just to pass the time.''

''After this the terrain started to level out, and by evening, we were out of the mountains. We made camp, and Calli set up her magical hut. Before resting for the night, me and Wilhelm continued to work on his scrap armour, and a remebered that a very weak acid could clear the rust much faster. I should get some, next time I get the chance.''

23rd of Heyar 1315
We packed up and left the campsite fairly early in the morning.

''It was only a few hours before we reached a bend in the road that took us toward a forest. There were a few hills around, but ahead we could hear the sounds of a battle.''

''Svarth went to scout ahead, and came back really excited and demanding that we get involved. Approaching the battle, we saw that a large group of orcs were attacking a dwarven caravan. Svarth seemed to want to join the orcs, but they attacked the five of us as soon as they saw us.''

Noah being the absolute Duzakh-damned idiot that he is, charged forward on his horse, dragging Svarth with him.

''I'll admit that I lost my head slightly, and tried to get to a position to heal the Idiot, as well as any dwarves who were wounded, but I was cut off by a large brute of an orc, who managed to hit me fairly hard. Retreating back, I let Calli and Wilhelm deal with the orcs, while healing myself and them.''

''The orcs retreated before we could reach the dwarves, and I did my best to patch everyone's wounds. Unfortunately I wasn't fast enough to save any of the dwarves.''

We then agreed to travel with the dwarves, whose leader offered us 50 gold for our services.

''After we began travelling with the dwarves Svarth rode up to one of their carriages, and while I didn't hear or see what happened, I did hear some shouting and laughing. Wilhelm then told Svarth to wait until we'd been paid before settling scores. My response to that was to ask them to keep me out of it.''

''By evening, we arrived at a stockade a little ways out from the city, where we stopped for the night. The dwarves served some form of stew that had a distinctly pork-like flavour to it.''

''I actually got around to performing some maintenance on my arm – I can't believe I'd been forgetting! Thankfully, all I really had to do was tighten some of the joints. The Idiot kept going back for more stew. I swear he eats like a halfling.''

''Svarth noticed that there were more guards than would be expected, and relayed his suspicions to us. Wilhelm suggested that Calli set up her magic hut, and that we set a watch. Svarth went first, then Calli, and neither of them reported anything. Calli then woke me up for my watch. I overheard some of the dwarves talking about the signs of the Gathering Dark, as well as a possible cult in Genefels. I went and spoke to them, they revealed that they were transporting an item to the ruler of Genefels. The main one I spoke to conveyed that the group was impressed with my arm.''

''He also mentioned that he knew I wasn't an elf, and I explained that I don't know for certain what I am, but that I had heard the term Aasimar in reference to me. This shocked him, and he actually kneeled to me, before suggesting I visit the Abbey in Genefels to find out more. It seems that being an Aasimar means something.''

I then told Wilhelm what I found out about the dwarves to Wilhelm, when I woke him up for the final watch.

24th of Heyar 1315
''The next morning was nice and clear. The dwarves made something called a Full Albanan for breakfast – it consisted of bacon, eggs, sausages, some kind of potato, beans, tomatoes, and some other items that I didn't recognise.''

After we packed up, our cart left first, leading the way down the road, which was fairly well maintained.

We turned a bend, not long after seeing the city walls, and it went dark and misty.

''Looking around, we noticed that the sun had become obscured by some kind of eclipse. Wilhelm and Svarth managed to convince The Idiot that he should have been performing a ritual to keep the sun rising. I remembered that eclipses are considered one of the signs of the Dark.''

The mist started to thicken, and The Idiot started to charge in, but FOR ONCE IN HIS LIFE, he listened to myself and Wilhelm, and actually stayed with the group.

Some undead came out of the fog, scaring the horses, although Wilhelm and The Idiot managed to keep them calm.

''I cast a spell I had been working on, that increased the resiliance of Svarth, Calli, and Wilhelm. Wilhelm then proceeded to join Noah in close combat with the Undead. Unfortunately he passed me the reins, and I lost control of the horse.''

Wilhelm managed to kill the undead, which dissipated the mist, revealing a horde of zombies.

An elf in autumnal colours rushed out to aid us, but we (mainly Wilhelm and The Idiot) managed to kill (re-kill?) all of them before she caught up.

''After the battle, she introduced herslef as Anastrianna, the Princess of Autumn, an emissary from the Queen of Gwlad niwi Euraidd, who wanted us to deliver a scroll to the Abbess in Genefels. Anastrianna told us that she would come to our aid when we need it.''

''Before she left, she warned us about something that Svarth is carrying. If no one beats me to it, I should ask him about it later.''

The dwarves then caught up to us, and we were allowed to enter the city, with no trouble.

''Upon entering the city, everyone was (understandably) panicking over the eclipse. Noah went off and started trying to calm a guard, while Svarth (in typical Svarth fashion), tried to increase the panic.''

I tried to use a tinkered ballbearing to get peoples attention and calm them, but it didn't help.

Noah managed to get the guard calm enough to take him to the barracks, while Wilhelm took the cart around to the Abbey.

We were allowed throw the gates (Noah caught up to us just in time), and were lead to a dining room, where we met the Abbess.

''Wilhelm handed her the letter, and she said something (I don't recall what) in Celestial (I asked) after reading it. She then proceeded to ask us to investigate the disappearance of a bookseller – the same one we were sent to meet. She also suggested that we start by meeting a gnome who apparently makes Svarth look respectable.''

''We travelled to the bookstore. I actually managed to pick the lock, but before I could move or open the door, Noah charged forward, pushing me out the way, and bounced off the door AND he broke the bloody handle!''

''He fixed the handle, and we entered the dark bookstore. I cast a light spell on my arm, so we could see, while Noah had Calli use a firebolt, followed by a light spell to light a lantern. I had to stop Calli from casting another firebolt, reminding her that we're in a bookstore.''

''There was an open door to outside that had been kicked in. Noah and Svarth went upstairs, while I searched downstairs.''

Finding nothing, I joined Svarth and Noah upstairs, where they found diary – after a stupid amount of convincing, Noah let me look, but the diary was written in a language none of us could read.

We then went to find the gnome – Herrol – but he was at the Shoulder of Mutton, rather than his home – specifically he was passed out under the table.

''We managed to get out of him that the bookseller had been consulting with an Astrologer. ''

Callianna
''Out of all of the group, Calli has proven to be the hardest to interpret. She seems kinder than most of the group, and is definitely more reserved than the others. It's quite possible she is equally as shy as myself.''

Calli is the member of the group that Io feels most comfortable around, and while they haven't known each other for very long, Io has hopes that she may eventually form a friendship with the Half-orc wizard.

Io seemingly works well with Calli, such as when between them, they managed to find a trail of blood leading from the late Lepota's room to that of Tobia, providing the group with another clue as to the innkeeper's murderer.

Svarth
''Svarth was difficult to get a read on at first. However he has quickly proven himself to have an impressive, if very crude sense of humour. Also, I do NOT want to know where he keeps those sausages he always seems to have.''

Io has nothing against goblins and similar, having met a few in Jenov, but something about Svarth makes Io a little uncomfortable. Maybe it's just that Svarth seems to have some habits that could be considered uncivilised, or even just plain disgusting. Despite this, she does respect his skills, and appreciate his sense of humour, even if it is a little "crude". Svarth seems to be fascinated by Io's abilities, although it is due to his obvious love of magic. Io hasn't yet had the chance or the heart to explain that what she does isn't really magic, just clever use of chemicals and herbs, with a small burst of magic to increase the potency.

After the meeting with the dragon gods, Svarth's opinion that they should consider working with the Dark has made Io suspicious of the goblin. She and Wilhelm agreed to keep an eye on Svarth.

Theodore (deceased)
''My first thoughts on Theo were "rich idiot", however he quickly showed me that he was actually quite intelligent and capable. At the same time, something about him made me feel uneasy.''

Io never really got to know Theodore, after all she knew him for less than a day. Her first impression of him was that he was some kind of noble/merchant who lacked any real intelligence or skill. It was during their exploration of Krakus Head, that Io began to respect Theo's intelligence and strategic abilities, as he always seemed to have a plan. Although, the way he seemed to always convince Noah to take stupid risks, made her feel uneasy. Unfortunately, it was in Krakus Head, after the death of Izdaja, that Theodore died. While, Io, with help from Calli and Noah, was carrying Izdaja's body outside to be buried, Theo and Svarth continued to explore, and the swashbuckler died of injuries from some kind of monster.

Theo's death hit Io fairly hard, spurring her to focus more heavily on protecting her companions, so that she never has to bury a person who she could have saved.

Noah
''My first impression of Noah was this man is an absolute fool. So far, he's done nothing to prove me wrong.''

Noah did not make the best first impression on Io, when he drunkenly tried to flirt with the young woman. Later, while exploring Krakus Head, Noah did frustrate Io, as he constantly ran ahead, although she was too shy to tell him to slow down.

After Theo's death, Io gained a small amount of respect for the ranger, as he showed an inherent sense of morality that was fairly similar to Io's own. However, her annoyance with Noah was later increased as, while investigating a series of deaths in Zamoska (all of people who'd interacted with Noah), the ranger kept making stupid and unhelpful comments - leading Io to strike the man.

After the encounter with the orcs, where Noah foolishly charged ahead, Io began to refer to him as "The Idiot" in her journal out of annoyance.

Miska
Miska is adorable - enough said.

Io is very much an animal lover, dogs especially. So it stands to reason that she likes Noah's Samoyed dog companion. This was further compounded when, during the exploration of Krakus Head, Miska did her best to comfort Io, who was in the early stages of a panic attack.

Wilhelm
''Wilhelm joined us after Theo's death, and I am really unsure about him. It might be a result of his age, but I don't think he trusts me, or my creations.''

Io feels like she is very much the opposite of Wilhelm. While he is a professional, she's very much not. She doesn't particularly like his seemingly close-minded, seen-it-all attitude. She also feels that he is constantly judging her. Whether because of her arm, or because if she told him that she thought she saw the night of the 11th of Heyar (even though she admitted she wasn't certain if she saw anything), she doesn't know, and his (possible) judgement is eating her up on the inside.

One thing that they can both agree on, is that their homelands (Jenovir for Io, Ostmark for Wilhelm) are far superior to Valejo.

After meeting Bahamut and the other dragon gods, Io supported Wilhelm's plan to start by informing the White Ravens about what they've learned. They later had a conversation where Wilhelm admitted that Io was better suited to investigating the Dark. Io felt that this was as close an apology as she was going to get from Wilhelm, and believes that they may be starting to respect and trust each other.

Eral Ashforge
''I owe (heh, Io) a lot to Eral. Since he took me in, he has been like a father to me, helping me to grow and teaching me how I might best use my talents.''

Io considers Eral to be her father, and respects him more than any other person she has met. The Jenovian blacksmith has only ever shown Io kindness, and she hopes to one day be equal in skill to him, despite the different paths they have followed.

For his part, Eral sees Io as a second daughter, and while he won't admit it he is very proud of how she has grown since he found her. Additionally, he sees many similarities between Io and his late wife, Sera, who died the year after Io arrived in Jenov.

Lyra Ashforge
''Lyra is my best friend, in fact there's nobody I trust more. She's definitely a bit more on the reckless side than myself, but that could just be because she doesn't lack for confidence.''

Sisters, even adopted ones, will always quarrel, and this is true for Io and Lyra. Despite this however, there is nobody Io trusts more than the daughter of her adoptive family, a fact which is further increased by the two of them being the same age and sharing similar interests. Lyra is more confident than Io, and as teens she would often give support to Io in social situations. Throughout Io's time in Jenov, the two would often collaborate on projects, combining Io's talent for alchemy with Lyra's skills as a smith. Lyra has helped Io with at least one past version of the prosthetic arm.

Izdaja (deceased)
''Izzy was my twin sister. We didn't get along, although I always had nothing but love for her. I blame myself in part for her fall to darkness.''

As children, Io did her best to show kindness toward her twin, although as the two grew older, Izdaja responded to these acts with a bitterness born of jealousy. The two were very different even outside of their physical differences. While by no means stupid, Izdaja was never able to equal Io's intelligence, but on the flip side, she was always braver and more charming then her deformed sister. Io was never jealous of her sister, she just wanted Izdaja to return her sisterly affections. It was an argument between the sisters that finally lead to Io fleeing Zamoska. During their final encounter, Io admitted that leaving had been an act of cowardice on her part, but with Izdaja planning to burn Zamoska and it's people, Io became enraged, unlocking her Aasimar abilities for the first time, before attacking Izdaja.

After Izdaja's death, Io felt guilt over what happened, and blamed herself in part for what her sister had become.

Fra Nezno (deceased)
''As a girl, I hated Fra Nezno and felt like he'd neglected me. Later in life, I realized that he hadn't been able give me the affection I wanted, he'd had to care for the entire community."''

Fra Nezno raised Io and Izdaja for the first years of their lives. Unfortunately, he was unable to give Io the love and attention that she wanted. This bred a feeling of hatred in the young girl, who felt that he didn't care for her, and that he saw her as a burden, especially when compared to her sister.

Later, after she had fled Zamoska, and began her apprenticeship with Eral Ashforge, she realised that it wasn't that he didn't care, it was simply that his duties prevented him from focusing more than a token amount of time on his daughters. This revelation allowed Io to forgive the man who had given her a start in life, although it did nothing to change her overall feelings toward priests.