Letter to the Janissary Barracks [PC/DM]

[Vlaid]

Janissaries,

I write to you with heavy heart and somber spirit to, as requested, give my testimony of what occurred.

It began at the stocks, where I, with some distance, observed the charming young woman Mirit getting pelted by camel dung for her unforgivable crime of holding a sling in her hands. Naturally many of the locals were ignorant as to just how much pain a bullet hurled from a sling can inflict. Regardless - I took to higher ground as she was released and began hugging the crowd and frankly I was in no mood to get my fresh Rose cloak cleaned.

It was at that point that the villains emerged from a a nearby hatch from the Gutters and laid your Janissary  Scarbork down in a flurry of steel and spells. I could not name them all, only two I could name as Sadie Well and Itaja. There was at least one more, a man I suppose in armor, that I can recall but the battle was too chaotic to remember much more. I was some few cups deep at that point I confess.

Nevertheless, I rallied my most powerful potions and began quaffing, hoping their mystical powers might dillute the wine in my veins as I gave chase into the Gutters and into the Creep. There Agarily and I harried them and we lost sight of each other.  I ended up battling them alone at one point but was wounded heavily and forced to retreat, a sole swordsmen against their several I was outmatched.

So it was there that I retreated to the Krak after making a bellow announcing my return. Fortunately an Astronomer, I think his name Tellariel, tended my wounds boonfully with blessed waters. Feeling invigorated and unwilling to leave things as they were, I ran out the Krak and through the Gate of Sand hoping I might find them, the villain always believes they are smarter than the hero and so hoped they would be taking an erratic path away from the Gutters. This proved true and I discovered them. We fought a long and bloody battle, potions quaffed and trinkets expended. An ash storm began as we battled, testing our resolve and supplies even further. It was here, when we fought to what seemed like a standstill, our honed offenses unable to pierce each other's defenses, that I realized that the Janissary was dead....slain either by their mage or the Ash storm, I am unsure, my attention was lost in my attempts to win the battle outnumbered and outmatched. They fled through the Ash and I lost sight of where, though drained as I was pursuit would have been of little purpose.

As I kneeled to gather up the dead Janissary some foul sickly fog gathered around the corpse, whispering the name of the Sixth Spoke of the Wheel three times. I was advised by the Acolyte Afsana to neither repeat nor speak the name I heard out loud and that you would know what this meant.

And so, the last movement of the story, I hauled the corpse of the Janissary through the Ash storm, battered by creatures that meant for me to meet an end so similar to Scarbook. Until at last I delivered him to your garrison.


Student of the Balladeers,
Velan Volandis

[Blue41]

[Received]