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Last friday's quest was an intresting one to be sure. I suppose I have as much information to write about it as anyone, but I might mix (fabricate) a few things up in recollecting. Actually I'm pretty sure I will botch it. Sorry.

Evidence mounted in the days preceding the quest from a few notes looted. I don't know the details of all the notes, but I think some were reported earlier. One thing I do know is that shabooli, trolls and other hostiles were joining forces, racing for something of great importance.

It all started on friday when Linder the ancient approached our forces with the horrifying discovery. The shaboolis were searching for an object of great power, one that would let them rule the world. Linder believed it to be the heart of a the great undead dragon Smiga, and with it Smiga could be revived, a near invulnerable jauggernaut of destructive unleashed on our world.

We all agreed we had to find the heart before the shaboolis did. Linder had a few leads we could follow as per the previously mentioned notes and his investigation. First, we knew the shaboolis were trying to find Bartock in Trinsic who might lead them to Smigas heart. We had to get to him first!

We gated to the Trinsic graveyard to find Bartock safe, but unaware of the important role he played in the battle for Brittania. He said his father had buried a treasure in the area, but he had lost the map to the cheating gambler Giles in say, um , Magincia.

We headed out on Giles's trail and helpful citizens pointed us to Minoc. Where else in Minoc did we find him but the inn, probably looking for easy marks. We asked him about the map and ventured to gamble for it rolling dice. Luckily for Giles Nia won, since Ariadne would have the map from Giles one way or another. He didn't cheat, even with his own dice.

With map in hand it was back to Trinsic where Bartock still wandered for his father's treasure. As we dug up the map however we saw just how perilous the situation was. Shabooli spys sprang into action killing Bartock and wounding those in our force. Even after they fell we couldn't be sure more weren't hiding, watching our every move as we lead them to the heart.

Looking inside to worm nestled chest we found not the treasure itself, but a book. The book was long, covering years of rumors in a search for an object of great power. Nothing was certain about the object, but it gave us a few hints on our search. Where to now?

[by the way this book should find its way to a museum (if it hasn't already) but I hope whoever took it can post the contents here for all to read]

Now Linder thought it was best to confront the shabooli directly, to slow them down and get them off our back hopefully. They had joined forces with the mountain trolls in a new fort east of Ice. (Anyone been back there yet?) We gated to Ice, but our numbers were almost as great as theirs and so we met no obstacle. Linder, who joined us for that battle, did pose a small threat however, as his summoned bees didn't know which side to attack.

Inside the the fort was a wooden chest, inside the chest a book, and inside the book more theories on power objects of old. What was inside the rumors we did not know. I hope this book can be recorded here, it was also intresting. It seems all the stories are about some fantastical item, but one that never stayed in one place long and came from one hand to the next. There was no solid explanation. I'm not certain if the stories were true, or if they were about one object or several different items.

Where to go now? Both books mentioned stories originating from the island towns of Nu'jelm, Magincia and Occlo. A fisherman in Nu'jelm might have had the item at one point so we headed there to ask around. "Aye it was here the fisher who had it sailed south and never returned" a townsperson told us. Something like that happened anyway.

We went from town to town looking for names in the chain of possesion. We met a man who had supposedly had information and a key, but he had lost them to a "bad woman".

OOh its past my bedtime. Someone please continue the story or I will try to finish it tomorrow at least.

*Covenant Atei*

I will try to recall what I can, and I have the books that Lyl speaks of in my possession. I will add them in later, and I would appreciate any direction on how I can place them in a museum.

(One minor correction, milady: Bartock was dead when we returned to Trinsic, and I couldn't resurrect him.)

While in Maginicia we killed the lady scoundrel Lyl spoke of and from her a magic key was looted. It is still in my bank box.

As Lyl said, we "island-hopped" from Maginicia to Nujel'M to Occlo, but as the old saying goes, all roads lead to Buccaneer's Den.

Linder decided to stay behind and do some research, so after making the necessary preparations, we headed to Buc’s knowing full well that we would have to deal with the “friendly” inhabitants of this tropical isle—pirates, Sisters, marksmen and giant serpents. (By the way, I HATE the jungle). Pleasantries were exchanged in the form of lightning spells, e-bolts, and the like, but in the end, we went through them like a hot knife through butter.

Our clues led us to the Bloody Dagger, a tavern in the Den itself. Edison and I had been there recently on a rescue mission, but as often happens in these forays, the group got “scattered.” I stayed with Edison and Cloudchaser.

When we all met up at the Dagger, we found several of my all-time favorites: spectral dragons. Take a drake and make it magic resistant and you have a spectral dragon. They were guarding the place along with some of the other “friendly” inhabitants. We fought our way through them and discovered a hidden staircase in the back of the Dagger, which led us down to the catacombs beneath Buccaneer’s Den.

Normally safe and not a bad place to rest and recover from the “welcoming committee” above, the caves this time were home to Wyrms, including Royals and Ancients. The group we had should have had no trouble with these oversized eels but the narrow, twisting corridors made it difficult to keep everyone safe. Unfortunately my brother’s wife, Nia, fell in that battle, along with one other person (sorry, can’t remember the name).

We fell back and regrouped, then pushed on. In one corner of a chamber we discovered a wooden chest, and inside was the prize we had sought: Smiga’s Heart. Our group again got separated—some stayed beneath Buc’s, some went back outside. We finally did all manage to get back together and left that infernal place.

We met up at the Brit Bank where we discussed our adventure and split the loot. Linder showed up and told us that Smiga’s Heart was far too dangerous to be left out and could not be used. The evil it contained was just too great. We decided to place the Heart in the chest behind Queen Lissar’s Throne.

I still have the books Lyl mentioned and I will transcribe them here later. Also, I have the magic key in my bank box, which makes me think that this adventure may not be done.

The first book, entitled "Investigative Notes," was written by Zardan the Elder.

"Many stories are told of hidden powers in the world, as many as there be listeners I sometimes think. Some of these stories bear listening to, however, and these be my notes on some investigations I have begun into such matters. Many who knew the truth of such things have perished over time, but some tales remain.

"Wilst at port in Vesper, I happened to talk to a local fellow there named Donovan. I asked him about local legends and he let me know that his very own grandfather had once partaken in a grand quest to find a hidden power of great repute. Many said the trolls held this power, but his grandfather didn't believe that, else why were they beaten back to their caves so frequently by the human heroes of the land? His grandfather had heard other tales that led him in a very different direction. Young Donovan did not know if his grandfather ever found what he sought, but no great artifacts were passed down to him. He only knew that his grandfather used to sail South whenever the winds were favorable, and he would often return with riches he had retrieved from pirates, sometimes he would return with terrible wounds and a dour countenance and would not speak of his adventures. But he never stopped looking, and one day he never returned. *chuckle* Young Donovan says he may yet be out there, searching...

"Yet another story concerns a sailor named Donelly I chanced upon wilst visiting Nujel'M on that same voyage. One moment, someone knocks at the door. I must go see who it is..."

The other book is called "The Hidden Power" and it was written by Sage Adolphus.

"It is said there is a hidden power, buried, kept safe. Many tell the tale and each, it seems, tells of a different object. I have spent my years searching for it. It is said that the trolls once held this power, and it made them grow in stature and become stronger. Some say the dead held it for a time, others that it was lost at see...

"Long and long have I searched. I have traveled down many dangerous roads and through more dark, infested caverns than I care to name. This is all that I could find: the object may be a sword or a staff. Some say that it can change form but this I tend to discredit. It is said to make the wielder invincible, although it has passed through many hands over the years, so perhaps some curse follows it also. The trolls, if they did possess it, do not have it now. They may still know something of it however, I was not able to get them to talk to me. I met one person in Vesper who claimed the vampires that infest that place once held it, but whether they still possess it, he could not say.

"I heard one story from this fellow on Occlo, and this I believe. In the old days, when the land was young, a great hero retrieved this power from a dark lord. He took it for his own and sailed away. But his boat was overtaken by a severe storm and though the crew fought desperately, all hands were lost. The object was retrieved, however, by a humble fisherman. I heard tales in Magincia and Nujel'M that he showed it off to many in both places, although strangely none could describe the item exactly...What became of the fellow is uncertain, but I am afraid he may have been waylaid by pirates.

"That is all I have been able to learn these many years. It may be that the object lies even now in the hands of evil once again. For the sake of Britannia, we must all hope not!"