Hexblade Diary

[Mike Garrison]

To whom it may concern, I'll probably be dead, or worse than dead, if this is ever read. But I want somebody to remember who I was.

I'm Desdemona. Des, I usually go by to my friends. Those I have. Which isn't many. I'm a drow. Not one of those spider-lovers, though. I've actually always hated spiders.

I have always been weak and clumsy. It made childhood hell. I got beat up over and over and over. Although, it did teach me to talk my way out of fights. And, whatever else it did, it toughened me up. I probably would have been "culled" if I had grown up with the spider drow, but my parents didn't like that. They're gone now, though. I'm on my own.

Well, sort of. Because I met ... someone ... else. Someone or something. It promised me that it could help. It could give me a blade that I could use with my wits, not my feeble strength or clumsy fingers. And so I jumped at the chance.

And things were just starting to get better for me when ... this happened. And now I'm going to die.

I'm not sure how it even happened, but I ended up the prisoner of a mindflayer. After I awoke I watched it put a THING into the eye of some githyanki woman. And then it -- I can hardly write this -- it did it to me. I know that thing is inside my head. It's going to turn me into one of them. And there is nothing I can do.

==========

Des is a female drow. Her left eye is purple, but her right eye is kind of washed out in color. She has some facial scars from her rough childhood, but she got some tattoos that mostly let the scars blend in. She wears her hair short and has it magically colored a sort of teal with pinkish highlights. She's about 30. Like most drow she's messed around a bit with people of both sexes, but she prefers other women. She doesn't mind non-drow, but it gets tiresome that either they fear her or they think she is some kind of exotic animal.

S:8 D:8 Con:16 I:12 W:14 Cha: 16

[Mike Garrison]

Day 11:

Scratch gave me a bone! Thank you, Scratch.

Back at the goblin camp. After our little talk, Lae'zel says she'll let me start the fights. For now. Anyway, I chatted with a goblin. She said that a Flaming fist had taken a chunk out of her arm when she was part of a raid. My "drow pals" had carried off some duke. Ah ha! Ravengard.

Another guard outside the warg pens said, "Don't worry about the wargs, cavey. They won't eat anything that growed out of the ground." OK, now I was grinding my teeth. I didn't want Lae'zel to think I didn't have any self-control, but ....

So we went into the warg pens. They had a bear locked in a cage. Hmm. Didn't people say Halsin was around here somewhere? Some goblin kids were "juicing it up" by throwing rocks at it. So I said, "How would you like a taste of your own medicine?" The bear suddenly broke down the fence, killing a goblin, and the fight was on!

One of the goblins conjured a spider. I hate spiders.

Yup, the bear was Halsin. One of the gobs shot a fire arrow at us that reverted him to his druid form.

After we killed the goblins, I asked for his help. He detected my parasite, but realized I was ... different ... from other "true souls". He said the infection was coming from Moonrise Towers, so that confirmed the Dream Drow's message. Then he said that before he could deal with it, he had to kill Gut, Minthara, and Dror.

I pointed out that he was asking me, a drow, to kill another drow. He said drow kill each other all the time. Racist much? Although ... well, also true. Humans kill humans all the time. Elves kill elves. Gnomes kill gnomes. OK.

So I said I would do it. (I also told him about Kagha's attempted betrayal. He said he was not all that surprised.)

So I headed off to kill a drow.

[Mike Garrison]

(Oh, and the goblin who called me "cavey"? He died in *my* cloud of daggers. So yeah.)

[Mike Garrison]

And then I saw her. Minthara. I suddenly shouted to my crew. "Don't kill her! Please!" Even though I knew she was unlikely to extend to me the same offer.

She cast hold person on Lae'zel, and before I could do anything to stop it, she had killed Lae'zel. I was in shock. Had I caused Lae'zel's death? Minthara was ferocious, nearly killing me with one attack.

But then Gale saved the day. He hit Minthara herself with hold person, and the three of us were able to batter her unconscious.

Next Gale pulled out a scroll of revivification. "Let's get Lae'zel back up on her feet." And --she was!

{level 5}

Everyone looked at me. Looked at Lae'zel. Looked at the unconscious Minthara. "I ... just didn't want her killed. Please. We'll tell Halsin she's dead. We'll kill the hobgoblin and get out of here. OK? For me? And Lae'zel ... I'm sorry, OK? Please?" Lae'zel nodded.

We healed her wounds. We took a short rest. Now for the hobgoblin.

[Mike Garrison]

We walked in and he was (inadequately) trying to cast speak with dead on a mindflayer. We connected minds, and his mind revealed that "an armored elf" had commanded him to find a weapon. A weapon that SH realized was her ... our ... prism.

We were going to kill him anyway, but now it was even more urgent. Attack!

Lae'zel teleported directly to the hobgoblin and swung the Sword of Justice. Once, twice three times, four. He responded with a vicious blow of his own. Gale dropped a fireball right on top of me, but sculpted the fire so it only hit our enemies. Shadowheart called up her spirit guardians and killed two enemies just by walking past them.

My turn, and I called upon the magic of my pact to open a void to the Hunger of Hadar.

Our enemies were falling, but still the hobgoblin fought on. Lae'zel was battling him fiercely, but the final blow came from a spiritual hammer that SH had summoned. The goblin horde had been decapitated.

We found the goblin treasure chamber and filled our packs. Now, back to Halsin!

[Mike Garrison]

I looked at Minthara as we walked back to Halsin. Yes, still breathing. Something eased in my mind.

We returned to Halsin, and I lied my ass off. "The leaders are all dead."

Halsin was ecstatic. He promised to tell me more about Moonrise, but first he wanted to get back to the grove. Then he turned into a rat and ran off.

OK then.

We stopped to see if the Zhent were still there, but they had slunk away when the fighting turned open. However, they had left some stuff there, and we grabbed it. They had also sold the cultists a huge supply of smokepowder. Whatever the cult wanted that for, I didn't. So Gale blew it up.

Not being able to turn into rats, we walked out of the place. I hoped that the gate guards wouldn't know what we had done. No such luck.

We started the fight by Gale casting a fireball that brought down the entire gate. They never recovered.

The goblins in Moonhaven, however, didn't know what was up. They let us walk right through the ruined village. And then we were back.

Zevlor's scouts had already brought back the news. The tiefs were packing up and moving out. I wished them well, but I do remember SH's prediction that "half or more will die before Baldur's Gate". But first, they plan a party at our camp.

We found Halsin expressing his displeasure to Kagha. It seems she is to be broken in rank and made to learn the ways of balance once more.

Rath gave us what he had promised ... the key to the druid vault. He said anything we find down there is ours. It was ... less full? ... than I had hoped, but I guess druids don't fill treasure vaults like drow cities do.

And finally, I think we are ready to celebrate.

[Mike Garrison]

At the party:

A guard named Ikaron was unhappy that people were drinking like they had the right to be happy. I told him to lighten up and try some himself, but he said no. {critical fail}

Rolan the apprentice wizard was casting light shows.

Bex was too drunk to dance. Though later I heard her trying to entice her man to "go look at the water" with her. Hopefully he wasn't too drunk to "look at the water"....

Gale was missing his cat. He told me all about her. Tara this, Tara that. But he was happy (and buzzed).

Alfira promised to write a raunchy ballad about me. Lakrissa called me a hero and gave me a friendly smile. Later Alfira said my song *was* coming along, until "things began spinning".

And Shadowheart invited me to share a bottle with her in private later on. So I did.

She offered a toast, but I reminded her about the *last* toast we teamed up on. So she raised her glass and said, "To not being poisoned!"

Then she admitted that she was a little jealous of me being a drow, and having such an affinity for the darkness. Anyway, eventually the wine and the company had its way, and we kissed. But even as I was doing it, I suddenly ... thought of Minthara.

[Mike Garrison]

Day 12. The tiefs have moved on. Halsin finally told us what he knows about Moonrise. It seems that long ago a man called Ketheric Thorm raised a Sharran army from there, but Halsin was part of the group that defeated him. After that, Shar placed a curse of shadow upon the land.

Shadowheart, as you might expect, was *quite* interested to hear this. Lae'zel, less so. She thinks only of the creche.

Anyway, Halsin suggested that maybe we could get there via the underdark instead. I was inclined to do that, of course, and we already know at least one way to access the local underdark. But Halsin described a different way, one that was supposedly accessed from the temple of Selune that the goblins had taken over.

Maybe we'll try to find that path next. Or maybe we'll try finding Lae's creche. I'll think about it as I prepare my armor and weapons.

[Mike Garrison]

========
I'm about to go to bed tonight IRL, but if anybody is interested I'll explain the party as they are right now.

Des: Level 5 Hexblade Warlock (PotB). Her feat was an ASI increase in CHA.
SH: Level 5 Death Cleric of Shar. Her feat was an ASI increase in WIS.
Gale: Level 5 Evocation Wizard. His feat was an ASI increase in INT.
Lae'zel: Level 5 Eldritch Knight Fighter. Her feat was Alert. (Planning on STR ASI at level 6.)
Wyll: Level 1 Fiend Warlock. Has not been an active member of the party so has never leveled up.
========

[wtiger27]

How are you liking the Cleric Death Domain?

In my current play run, I also have Shadowheart a Death Domain. Not impressed with it....yet. Almost of the abilities are basically just like any other casting Domain. But she is only level 4.

[Mike Garrison]

Publicado originalmente por wtiger27:

How are you liking the Cleric Death Domain?

In my current play run, I also have Shadowheart a Death Domain. Not impressed with it....yet. Almost of the abilities are basically just like any other casting Domain. But she is only level 4.

I like that "Toll The Dead" spell. It does good damage for a cantrip and she can use it on two targets at once. And her Channel Divinity power can turn a single hit from Inflict Wounds into a massive blow. (Only once per short rest, of course.)

[Mike Garrison]

This morning I sought out Shadowheart. She told me that she could not recall a more pleasant evening ... and that was before the kiss. Although, with her memory, I don't know how much to make of that. Nevertheless, and I felt very bad about this, I told her that the kiss had been a mistake. I like her, a lot, and the wine and the party....

But I can't stop thinking about Minthara. I may never see her again, but for now it would be unfair of me to try to use Shadowheart as a sort of substitute.

Then I went to Lae'zel and told her the same. Well, in her case it was more like "the sex was great, but I think we've had enough". She was haughty about it. "Your loss, not mine." But I hope she wasn't too hurt behind that shell.

Anyway, enough of this. I'm starting to sound like the human heroine in one of those vampire romance novels. It's time to go out and kill something. Maybe that will make me feel better.

[Mike Garrison]

So we went back to that swamp. Something vile to kill there, no doubt.

We went into the house we found there, and it was Ethel. Potion-selling, farmer-killing Ethel. She was talking to a human girl with a bun in the oven, as they say. "Eat up, Mayrina. You're eating for two."

So THAT was Mayrina. We ... let slip ... that Ethel may have murderized her brothers. She was horrified. Ethel was angry. And then she transformed into a swamp hag. Oh ho! Now I understood that "lady of the house" stuff. (And I really, really hope the favor he wanted hadn't been a sex thing.)

I was in a BAD mood. And she was the convenient target.

She tried to do a runner on us, but we were ready for it. All those hyena ears had given us lots of speed potions, and we all made use of them. In only about six seconds, she was dead. My hexblade got the final blow, I am happy to say. It ... likes ... when it gets to kill things.

Her corpse was willing to talk with me. In fact, it seemed eager to talk with me. None of this "sister ... dowry ... barn" stuff, either. Talking like a living person. Living hag, I mean.

She said death and she were old friends, and that she wouldn't be a corpse forever. Her only regret was that she wouldn't be able to watch as I turned into a mindflayer and ate the brains of all my friends. And she said she didn't want Mayrina at all. She wanted Mayrina's child. She wanted to "gobble it up" and turn it into a "hag daughter".

Huh. *Some* of us have taken care *not* to have kids, but I guess that's not a universal desire. Anyway....

So now what? I guess we explore this place after our speed buzz wears off.

[Mike Garrison]

The place was full of potions and baked goods. And I found a letter from "M". Minthara? Oh, I hope not.

There was an illusory fireplace, and behind it was (of course) a creepy secret cave. With creepy murder trophies. Like a creepy serial killer.

We found an unpetrified dwarf. I mean, OK, most dwarfs could be described that way. But this one was petrified and then, before our eyes, he wasn't. He said he had some deadly disease. I looked him over, but I couldn't see one. He said, "I guess I should count my blessings." And then he ran off.

We found a dead, eyeless elf. Her corpse told me that her family had taken "baby girl", and then Ethel had taken her eyes because of a poorly-phrased request to "never lay eyes on my family again".

We found a cowardly elf who ran away when I said the hag was dead.

We found some people walking around. One of them seemed sane, but the others were wearing strange masks and would not believe that the hag was dead. The sane one said that the masks are how the hag controls them.

We found Mayrina in a hanging cage. When we let her down she cried at us. I told her she was a fool to have offered to trade her future child for her past husband. She tried to offer me some little trinket as a reward, but I told her to just get going and try to make better choices.

Then we found a sort of magical workshop. It reeked of death. It was full of very dodgy potions that I figured only an idiot would drink without knowing what they did. I thought about testing them on Mayrina, but she had already gone.

There were more letters between "M" and Ethel. It seems "M" is Ethel's sister? Oh gods, this really better not be Minthara.

And then we took a trip with some magic mushrooms! A short trip. They teleported us outside.

We found Mayrina again. She was staring at a coffin. She said her husband Connor was inside it. "Connor". Hey, we found a wand in Ethel's workroom that said "Connor". Mayrina wanted us to use it, so we did.

And Connor rose from the dead! Well, sort of. Rose, anyway, but not exactly "from the dead". More like "as the dead". Mayrina whined again. I asked her if she wanted Connor or not, and she decided she did. I handed her the wand and she set off to Baldur's Gate to get her husband unzombified.

I wonder if this counts as "making better choices"? Probably not.

[Mike Garrison]

So, I felt a little better now that I had killed something. But I was still feeling guilty about dumping Lae, especially after I had gotten her killed (well, temporarily killed) when trying *not* to kill Minthara. So I owed her one. "Let's go find that creche!"

We knew from Zerru (Zorro? that guy) that it was somewhere out past Waukeen's Rest.

And yes! We saw a dragon. We met a tiefling who called me some kind of insult, I think, but then sort of apologized and said she was just worried about the situation. She sounded interesting, so I asked her is she wanted to join me, but she scoffed. She figured she would do better on her own. Well, we'll see. Maybe she will.

We watched as some gith warriors confronted some Flaming Fists, and then the dragon obliterated the Fists. Lae'zel thought this was a *good* thing, and rushed down to talk. Oooo-Kay. Here we go...

Lae was mouthing off, as she does, and this time it nearly killed her. A mighty gith warrior decided she was not being respectful enough. But she hushed up in time. He commanded her to take her slaves (us, I guess) and seek a weapon -- our prism!

Oh, this did not seem like it would end well. I tried to give the sign to Lae that she should just play along like the good little soldier. And ... she did! The dragon knight bought it, and flew off. The gith patrol left. Leaving us there alone.

Lae'zel was hopping mad, but she admitted that my choice had been correct. But she was absolutely determined. No one would keep her from her purification.

We found a dead tief there. He said his name had been "Yul". Wait, didn't Zulro say he had been with a "Yul"? Yes, this was Zulu's friend. Except it turns out maybe not, because Zuru ran away and left him to fight some githyanki all by himself. Lae was not at all surprised that they had killed him. But he didn't know where the creche was.

Damn! This was supposed to be our best lead. And the dragon rider had ignored Lae'zel's question about where to find the creche. All he wanted was for us to search for "the weapon".

Dead end. And now the bridge is gone. Maybe ... maybe the underdark? Well, we could try.

[Mike Garrison]

We knew one way in to the underdark. But it seemed to be infested with minotaurs. Maybe that "poem" the dwarf had been carrying might be a clue to a better way? Halsin said there was a way through to this "Nightsong" via the old Selune temple.

We found a back room that opened to a key Gut had been carrying. As we often do, we started ... appropriating ... any loose items we came across. Then an ogre accused us of thievery. Well, accusations like that can not go unanswered, so we killed her.

After we had stolen ... um ... rescued everything she had been guarding, we found a passage that led down. Down is good when you are looking for the underdark. We found a sort of puzzle that Gale recognized from the dwarf's poem. It was easy to solve, and a hidden door opened. A ladder to the underdark!

(After my quads started burning on the way down, I was rethinking things. Maybe that Zhent elevator had been a better choice, even if it was infested by minotaurs. But we made it down the ladder.)

We found some sort of fortified outpost. Selunite, judging by the big statue of Selune and the fact that it had a ladder to a temple of Selune. It was also minotaur-infested. But the minotaurs were on the other side of some sort of moon laser. We watched it kill one.

Unfortunately, where we wanted to go was past the moon laser, so I had to disable its focusing crystal with a gentle DOUBLE BLAST of eldritch energy. Boom! Always fun. Thank you, my hexy friend.

The other side of the gate was littered with skeletons. Either someone had attacked the fort or defended the fort or both. A long time ago, though.

Then we found a beautiful drow sword, impaled directly into a block of stone. At first I wasn't sure how to get out, but then I realized it would take a blood offering. {inspiration, but I immediately earned it back again}

This blade seemed worthy of being my new pact weapon. A drow blade for a drow warlock. Nice.