Pilgrimage to Thrallkeepers

Pharast 5th, 4709 – Just before we set off on our journey I recalled the chest and it appeared. It contained my new shield and war hammer my father purchase for me. I placed in my maul with the note to sell it and to buy 14 gold steeds for the phantom steed ritual with the PP I putting in for him to buy them with. Rizzle asked for only 7 but I thought it might be good if we had more and Carufinwe agreed with me and would paid for them, too. I also placed Andrain and Aggippa PP in the chest, too. I dismissed my chest and went out to join the others for our pilgrimage to the Acropolis of the Thrall Keepers to get the Spherewalker’s Mark. We left the Shoanti with a Shoanti escort to the Yondabarari River. I hope it is not a mistake taking Trinia with us. She is pleasant to have and a breath of fresh air as she is enjoying all the new sights she is seeing. But, I fear she does not realize the danger ahead. I will need to watch out for her but I’m sure I will lose sight of her when I’m keeping Andrian and Aggippa healthy.

Pharast 6th, 4709 – Another nice day in the Cinderland as we travel to the Yondabakari River with our Skoan Quah guides. They told us we should reach the river a few hours before dark and they were correct. We set up camp for the night. I went a little way out of sight of the Shoanti and Skoan Quah guides to call up the chest. It is still a sight to see appear. The golden horses that I quested where there and I wrote a note back to my father thanking him. I took out seven and dismissed the chest. Went to Rizzle and gave him the seven golden horses he had requested. I spent the rest of the night in prayer to Torag for guidance and safety on this quest.

Pharast 7th, 4709 – We are leaving our horses with the Skoan Quah guides. Rizzle cast the phantom steed ritual and created six phantoms like horses for us to mount. It was strange mounting the phantom steed and seeing the ground below them. It was even stranger when we cross the river and actually walked over the river and they fly like the wind. We made great time as both Carufinwe and Aggippa believed we travel about three times the distant a live horse would carry us. They also believe we should reach Akropolis of the Thrall Keepers late the next day. Aggippa believe we have gone well above the Skylar Quah lands that we should not see them. Also, that day we saw what Aggippa said was a stampede of auroch and was glad we could outdistance them with these steeds. Other than that it was a nice ride.

Pharast 8th, 4709 – Rizzle cast his ritual again for the steeds and we were off. We did not see anything on our way to Akropolis. We arrived late in the night because a firestorm was forcing us on to Akropolis for shelter. We arrive just before we were caught in the firestorm. We enter Akropolis of the Thrall Keepers to escape the firestorm but unknown to us at the time into another threat. We sent Andrain and Carufinwe to scout ahead and they only found footprints in the sand going to the right and two pools of black oily water in the center of a large room. When the rest of us came up to go check out the door to the right, I was making noise which alerted the creature in the black water. We were attacked by a terrible giant tentacle. We were able to get into the room without being hit by the creature because it seemed it could not see us and was attacking blindly. Once in the room we look at a hole in the center of the floor and Rizzle put on some magic glasses but could not read the magic just that it was old. No one wanted to check out the hole so we decided to check out the other doors. We once again went out and were able to get to the next set of doors before being hit by the tentacle as it seem to be searching for us. We enter into a hall way and into another room which had strange writing on the walls. Both Andrian and Trinia tried to read them and seem to be caught in a spell thinking they had found some great discovery. We had to pull them out of the room and this broke the hold the room had on them. While I was rescuing Andrian and Trinia, Aggippa had opened a door into another room that had a golden statue like the one I destroyed in Sandpoint but he left the statue alone. The hallway went around the outside of the larger room. It had small peep holes to view the water. We found no other door or entrance in except for the room with the hole in the floor. As we were heading back to that room the tentacle attack and grab Trinia. It could pass thru the wall that we thought was keeping us safe from the creature. But the tentacle could phase through the wall and once it did it grab Trinia it could not phase back out thru the wall holding Trinia. So, we all attacked the tentacle to save Trinia. We were able to cut Trinia free but this caused two more tentacles to come out of the black water. Not sure what to do Aggippa went into the room with the golden statue and Carufinwe decide to run outside thinking they could still not see him to the other side of the golden statue room. This was a mistake because the tentacles were able to attack him and grab him before he could get on the other side of the door. Rizzle and I attack the tentacles from the hole in the floor room to save Carufinwe. Andrian deciding to escape down the hole and Trinia was more terrified of the tentacles than jumping into a hole. With Rizzle stunning one of the tentacles Carufinwe was able to escape the grasp before they pulled him into the water. Carufinwe was able to make his way back to the group with Aggippa and Rizzle already jumping into the hole. I was able to heal Carufinwe some before we both jumped into the hole which brought us into another room like as if we feather fell into it. Just as we got into the room we noticed the tentacle coming down the hole after us. We had two paths to take and Torag was with me as I said, go to the right which brought us into a safe room. There were more magical runes all around the room and the tentacle could not enter into the room. After several minutes the tentacle gave up banging against the magic and retreated back thru the stone. As we looked around there was piles of junk so as we waited until we believe it was save to leave we searched the room. Carufinwe found a golden statue like the one above but smaller, Aggippa found a magical cloak, I found a ritual book with seven rituals in it, Andrain I believe found a magical dagger and I’m not sure if Rizzle and Trinia found anything. We decide to see if it was safe so we left the room and finished exploring the area. There was only one other room and it had a giant sphere in the center. After studying it for a while Rizzle seem to think it was a map because he pointed on it and told us that looked like the statue near Sandpoint were we fought the goblin and have some fire demon trapped. Rizzle said this look like a map of the realm like ten thousand years ago. As Andrain was studying it he suddenly disappeared on us and looked to be in the sphere. We shouted at him but he could not hear us. After a minute or two he reappeared back with us and he did receive the mark of Desna’s and received the Spherewalker’s Mark on his left hand. Andrain did the Sphere Walk by entering into the Sphere and returning safely. We decided to go back to that safe room to rest before trying to leave.

Pharast 9th, 4709 – We spent the rest of the day in the safe room to be sure the creature would settle down before trying to leave. Andrain look through the stuff but found nothing more of value. I talk to Trinia to be sure she was okay from her battle with the Tentacles and try to tell her this is what I feared would happen. She was not ready for that attack she told me but learn a lot and this is what adventure is all about. She still not getting the big picture that death is also a major part of adventure.