Ophelia

[opheliadnd]

Ophelia’s Journal - Into The Abyss

Today we travelled to the infinite abyss. 

I didn’t want to leave Arkael with the two aasimar women but knowing that his soul was trapped in some sort of hell was enough for me to trust them to watch over his body. Thurid did not seem particularly eager to leave Kinto behind either but her resolve to help save Ark’s soul won out in the end.

Before we left we discussed the creatures we might encounter in the abyss and Alfred shared his knowledge of them with us. I honestly tried to pay attention but it didn’t matter to me what we faced when we arrived in the abyss. Whatever it was, we’d have to find a way to defeat it. We have to get Ark out.

Alfred asked us all to gather in a group and we joined hands. At first it seemed as though nothing was happening but gradually the world around us began to change and everything after that was a bit of a blur. I remember seeing a huge battle raging but then the surroundings twisted again to an endless sky before we were launched into utter darkness. When we finally landed on solid ground, a purplish hue filled the sky and the terrain itself was rough and mountainous. 

In the distance, there was a green glow coming from a black stone structure and Nani told us that it was where we needed to go if we wanted to find Arkael. It did not take us long to reach what looked to be a huge arena encircled by a moat. We crossed the bridge to face massive doors which were swung open wide. I think we were all feeling anxious as we approached, unaware of what lay beyond.

Inside the arena was exactly as Nani had described from his vision. A 60ft wall surrounded us in a huge circle, and atop the wall were cloaked figures looking down into the centre. I recognised the sigil on their cloaks but could not see any of their faces in detail. They barely looked our way as we entered although I got the feeling they were fully aware that we were here. 

My eyes were drawn to motion directly opposite from us and I stopped dead in my tracks at what I saw. Arkael was fighting a demon and we all stood and watched in silence as he dealt a killing blow with a black greatsword that I have never seen before. A moment passed and nobody moved... Arkael was leaning against his sword and had yet to look our way. 

I glanced towards the others and still, none of them took a step closer. With a sigh, I turned my attention back to Arkael and began to walk towards him. In my gut something told me that this was a bad idea. Finding him here alone like this was too easy. I was walking into a trap.

As I crossed the arena to him, he finally raised his head enough for his eyes to meet mine. For one brief moment, it was Ark just as I remembered. He was staring back and I saw happy recognition in his gaze. 

I increased my pace to get closer. 

He looked behind me to Thurid and the others in turn but then his expression changed. He hung his head before tilting it back, eyes filled with tears as though he was about to cry and his arms fell limp at his sides. Suddenly, his skin began to crack and break. His eyes and mouth started to glow brightly and the sword in his hand glowed a deep red. He took one step, launching across the large distance to land before me. The air around him felt hot and I was almost knocked off my feet as he loomed above, all signs of recognition vanished from his features.

Panic set in. I couldn’t fight him.

I could sense the others coming up behind me and in a frantic motion I raised my quarterstaff. I attempted to strike him in the hope that I could stun him or somehow knock him back to himself again. This attack did not slow him at all. If anything it seemed to anger him more and he raised his huge black sword, slashing at me as I stood there defenceless. 

The others quickly came to my aid but Arkael was not the only threat in this arena. The cloaked figures in the stands were healing him so our attacks were basically worthless. I was in a lot of pain and so badly hurt that I had no choice but to flee, leaving the others to deal with Ark whilst I scrambled up the ledge where Yingol and Nitt stood, to safety. 

We began to pick off the priests and eventually the group managed to get the upper hand. Alfred was fighting in close combat with Arkael and I heard Ark yell at him as if he were a demon. Alfred tried to reason with him but it seemed pointless as he did not stop attacking. In all of the chaos, I stood on top of the arena ledge with blood dripping from my wounds watching it unfold and feeling incredibly weak.

A thumping sound came from the tunnels beneath where I stood and I looked to my left in horror as a flaming beast that looked like a gorilla appeared before Yingol. I was about to cry out to the others for help when a second appeared before me and a third before Nitt. I gave my best effort to fight it but every movement made me wince and I was distracted by the others fighting Arkael below.

Slab had joined the fray and was attacking him with full force. I was screaming through the telepathic link to stop before he killed him but he carried on anyway.

Nitt had managed to escape from the beast he was fighting and I was well aware that if I didn’t do the same then I would soon be facing two of them. I threw myself off of the ledge and managed to land unscathed but I felt a pang of guilt for leaving Yingol to fight all three.

By this stage Ark lay unconscious on the ground and Slab had finally stopped with his onslaught of attacks. Someone had kicked the black sword away and I was grateful that it was well out of Ark’s reach. I inched closer to him, taking up a defensive stance in case any of the others tried to come near. I know he had attacked us but it wasn’t really him and they had to realise that. 

He was just confused and it’s clear he needs our help. We are not leaving him here.

Thurid was also close by which made me feel a bit better as I was starting to get a bit dizzy from all the bloodloss. I don’t remember who killed the gorillas but the fight was over and they were discussing what to do about Ark’s weapon. Slab went to pick it up and said he heard a voice speaking to him in his head. Nani checked the weapon over and explained that it somehow had a consciousness? I don’t understand how that works but I want to keep that thing as far from me as possible. We began to leave the arena and Yingol helped support me as I was not doing so good. 

In the distance, a large purple cloud was heading straight for us.

[opheliadnd]

Ophelia’s Journal -  Lost friends

I woke up to the sound of Alfred and Nitt sparring outside and from the sheepish look on Nitt’s face when they walked in, I assumed that Alfred had beaten him at their little duel. Thank God for that. When we were all up and ready, we headed out in the direction the orcs had came from. As we walked, the weather turned and the others started to shiver from the cold. 

The cold has never really bothered me but I was happy to find somewhere to take shelter until the storm had passed so we explored the area for somewhere to rest. We came across what looked to be a large cave and all huddled inside for warmth. It was only then that we discovered that it was in fact a tunnel, sloping low underground. We began to head down but not before Alfred had stopped to conjure some sort of magical horse that would lead the others to us. He has a lot of tricks up his sleeve and continues to surprise me.

We followed the tunnel for a long time until eventually, we saw a bright light at the end. Nitt, desperately wanting to show off, turned invisible in the shadows and crept up to the entrance. More to annoy him than anything else, I also stepped into the shadows and followed along behind him. 

As we peered out of the tunnel entrance, we could see a glade surrounded by trees and a large rock. Nitt teleported into the shadow behind the rock and I followed him with the intention of making him jump. I did not expect for him to react by launching himself at me and trying to grapple me to the ground. Luckily, I managed to slip free but he somehow got a hit on me before I had a chance to yell “Stop!”. 

When he realised it was me he gave a weak apology but he was mostly angry that I dared try to sneak up on him. We spent the next ten minutes arguing about who was in the wrong whilst the others came out behind us and started studying some sort of glyph they had found on the underside of the stone. It was in a language none of us understand but they made a note of it in case it would be useful later.

We discovered that there was another tunnel just across from the glade so we carried on down there for what seemed like an eternity. We had to stop to rest after about ten hours as we were all exhausted from walking so long in the bleak darkness. When we eventually reached the end, it all felt horribly similar. The tunnel was cut into a cliff above a ravine. I recognised it immediately from our journey ten years ago and backed away from the edge in horror. I had nearly drowned that day and I did not want to experience that again.

With some encouragement from the others, I reluctantly agreed for them to spell me down to the labyrinth entrance. I closed my eyes the entire time and focused on the reason I was here. To find Arkael. 

As soon as I hit the ground, my nausea took over and I vomited (almost) across Nitt’s feet. He looked at me in alarm and had the decency to ask if I needed a break so I forgave him slightly for punching me earlier. 

We headed into the labyrinth and I stuck as close to Thurid as possible. I knew full well that this would be bringing back similar memories for her. She gave a rough explanation to the others about what happened last time and how we had encountered a friendly minotaur named Golgathos who had helped us to escape. She seemed hopeful that we would meet him again and it seemed to lift her spirits which made me smile too. Her kindness for others always manages to cheers me up. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad.

We headed deeper into the labyrinth, taking a few wrong turns and dead ends but aside from a few old skeletons, there wasn’t much to see. As the group rounded the last corner, we stopped dead at the sight before us. I have never seen anything so horrific. There was a pile of bodies as far as the eye could see, stacked up blocking the doorway. From looking at the corpses, it was clear it had been a long time since these people had died. I had a niggling feeling in the back of my mind that this was relevant to the last time we were here though we did not recognise any of the dead.

Nani used a spell to move the bodies to one side and unfortunately as he did this, two giant minotaur bodies were revealed beneath the mass of skeletons. I felt Thurid stiffen beside me as we inspected the body. It was Golgathos. He had scratches covering his body and a memory came to me... of him telling us to go on and he would stop anyone from entering this door. From one look at Thurid’s face I knew that she remembered too.

A noise from behind startled the party and we all turned in the direction of the sound. Slab, Arthur, Okja and Yujin rounded the corner. They explained that they had followed Alfred’s magical horse and managed to catch up with us. I was a bit frustrated that they chose to show up at the final hour of this expedition but I didn’t say anything. Hopefully soon we would find Arkael and this would all be done and over.

Once Thurid had finished saying goodbye to Golgathos, we continued up the steps and up towards the dungeons. We were confronted by rows of cells that were empty with doors open wide. It was only when we headed further into the dungeon that we realised there were two cells with the doors closed. My heart starting beating faster and I knew in my soul we were about to stumble across something terrible.

Nothing could have prepared me for what happened next.

In the cell on the left, there was a headless corpse chained up by the hands and when we looked a little closer, there was a head with long blonde hair on the floor next to it. My heart lurched into my throat as I recognised it to be Kinto and on impulse I swung round to face the opposite cell, terrified that I would see...

Arkael.

Chained up. Bleeding. Which meant he might be alive? 

I was just about to leap into action when out of nowhere, the two Aasimar women were in front of me and Okja was forcing the door down. 

I watched in stunned silence as she broke through and crossed the cell to Arkael, falling at his feet in tears. A sick feeling bubbled up in my stomach but it wasn’t even jealousy at this point. I just had to know if he was okay. Yujin walked over more calmly and inspected his body. He was bleeding from one arm which was limp at his side but she used her magic to heal him. 

Above his head was an array of glyphs similar to the one we had seen previously and they looked to have been painted in his own blood. After a moment, Yujin turns to us and said that although this was Arkael’s body, he was not here. Nani stepped forward and touched Ark and a look of terror crossed his features at the contact.

With a grim look, Nani explained that Ark was currently in the Infinite Abyss fighting demons and the only way we could stand a chance of getting him back would be to go there ourselves. 

I just continued to stare blankly as Okja wept in front of Ark and Nitt started rummaging through his things. It was the first time in this journey that I felt completely helpess and unsure what to do. 

Yujin walked towards me with something in her hand and she pressed it into mine. I blink and look down to find that she had handed me what looked to be a sword hilt. She explained that it was a Sun blade belonging to Arkael and that it may come in useful. I mumbled a thanks but could not concentrate on anything whilst Arkael was strung up in the cell. 

Okja suddenly got to her feet and left, we made eye contact briefly and I saw a reflection of my own raw emotion in her eyes. If I didn’t hate her so much I might even feel bad for her.

Crossing the room, I slowly sat down in front of Ark. Somewhere in the opposite cell, I heard the sounds of Thurid grieving Kinto and I felt a pang of guilt that I couldn’t be there to comfort her. I also heard Alfred and the others discussing how we would get to the Infinite Abyss and what to expect when we got there.

None of it mattered as I stared at Arkael, hating that we had spent the past 10 years apart for whatever stupid reason and that I may never get to see him again. All I know is I have to do whatever it takes to get him back.

[opheliadnd]

Ophelia’s Journal - Flying Bears?

We reached The Shattered Isle on the ship today. Well, sort of. We had to leave on row boats to get to shore as the ship couldn’t get any closer. When we arrived on shore it was cold and bleak but we thankfully found a cabin to huddle in for warmth and rest. This barren place immediately made me feel uneasy and I got the feeling I wouldn’t be sleeping much.

Nani took the first watch and it felt like I had attempted to close my eyes for all of two minutes when I was awoken to a shout from outside. Nani explained that he could hear the sound of drums and many feet approaching in the distance. We quickly abandoned the cabin and headed out into the trees, except for Yingol who chose to climb atop the cabin for a better view.

Before long, a lone orc appeared and once he spotted us he began to call out for others. Nobody seemed to want to make the first move but I soon got bored of this so I shot a bolt of light in his direction in an attempt to silence him. The others helped to finish him off but we could still hear the sound of drums and feet getting closer. 

Alfred tossed the body out of view and amazingly managed to transform himself to look exactly like the orc. When the other orcs turned up, he acted like he was one of them and they seemed to believe him easily enough. Nani performed an awesome spell which lifted most of them high up into the air. We picked off the stragglers and then he dropped the rest down with an almighty slam. It was pretty gruesome to be honest. But efficient.

We heard the sound of drums getting closer once again and more orcs appeared in the clearing. There were warlords leading bears into the battle which was a terrifying sight. Thurid was quickly surrounded so I left my stealthy spot in the trees to come to her aid. Nitt also joined the fray at this point but Ojka and Yujin were still nowhere to be seen. I really don’t know why we bothered bringing those lazy aasimars with us at all. 

It took us a long time to defeat the warlords and bears as these orcs were a lot stronger and kept commanding the bears to bite at us. Nani and Alfred both got bitten and although we managed to heal them once the fight was over, Alfred complained that he had an odd burning sensation in his arm. I’m a bit worried about him if I’m honest but hopefully a good nights rest will sort him out.

After all that, I was exhausted and ready to sleep. I’m worried for what tomorrow will bring considering this was our first encounter on the island. If Arkael really is out here somewhere, he could be in serious trouble.

[opheliadnd]

Ophelia’s Journal - Journey to The Shattered Isle

After the chaos of defeating the elemental, we were all tired and ready to reach our next destination. Nitt conveniently turned up after the action in good spirits. He had somehow found Okja, Yujin and, most importantly, Obsidian. I had been worried and was grateful that he had located him for me. 

Once we had all taken a short rest and collected ourselves, we continued on our journey and soon arrived at a port fortress known as The Bridge. The group split off into two with Thurid, Nitt and some others heading to the shop. I really wasn’t in the mood for shopping and just wanted to relax with an ale so I followed behind Yingol and Arthur to the tavern. 

There were a group of sailors drinking over in the corner and we discovered that they would be manning the ship to take us to our destination of The Shattered Isle. Soon the others showed up laden with what looked to be the entire contents of the local store. Nitt in particular looked like he was about to buckle under the weight of it all but I was impressed when Yingol threw an empty tankard at him and he managed to catch it. 

We’ve found that Nitt has a real problem with spending money and I was too happy to encourage this. He bought everyone a round of drinks and food so I jokingly asked him to get me some food for Obsidian. Next thing I know, he’s returning with 10 days worth of rations for him. I can’t tell if he has a kind heart or is just an absolute doormat with a spending addiction but either way, he is growing on me.

We were talking and someone asked about creatures we may encounter when we arrive. Yujin or maybe Ojka (they’re both the same to me...) mentioned that there were two dragons, one of which lit up purple flashes in the sky. I glanced at Thurid and could tell by her face that this was bringing back a memory for her and somewhere at the back of my mind I recalled seeing a similar thing. I was surprised to hear that Alfred had also encountered this dragon although he was hesitant to share much information with the group.

For the rest of the evening we relaxed and drank, I played a few card games and won so went to bed with a smile. When we woke up the next morning we headed straight to the ship called The Wavebreaker to begin the crossing. 

On the ship, I finally had an opportunity to properly catch up with Thurid. She told me what she had been doing over the past few years and I was glad to hear she was able to answer a lot of the questions she had about her powers. She was eager to speak with Alfred about the dragon so I introduced them so she could ask all her questions. 

Nitt also turned up to speak with Alfred though I could tell that Alfred was not too comfortable with the conversation. He cut it shot and left quite abruptly and I was left feeling a bit sorry for the poor blue guy. I humoured him for a while and asked him about his home and his job. He told me he helped kingdoms with their money...it all sounded a bit odd but I didn’t press him on it. We all have our secrets. 

As we headed out to sea, my stomach started to feel queasy and I don’t think it was just from sea sickness. We are getting ever closer to finding Arkael and I don’t know how I am going to feel when I see him after all this time. I’ve lost some of my anger now but I refuse to just forgive and forget that he disappeared and didn’t try to contact us. I just hope he’s okay.

[opheliadnd]

Ophelia’s Journal - The Tempest Elemental

After our day at the festival, we headed out on our mission to find Arkael. We set off with the group I described and the two aasimar women, Okja and Yujin came along as well much to my displeasure.

It was a bit awkward to start with as we don’t really know anything about each other and nobody seemed willing to offer much up. I’m grateful Thurid and Alfred were there at least. We stopped off at a small dwarven village called Helmingr and it was practically deserted aside from a few villagers and a group of guards, if you can call them that. They were sat around getting drunk at 8am and looked like they hadn’t picked up a weapon in a long time. 

Yingol, the wood elf is quite a funny character. He seems to survive on alcohol alone and has a real issue with besting women at things. I’m not sure if he’s overcompensating or what but he certainly can’t fight the urge to show off wherever possible. This was proved once again when we reached Spor, a guard outpost, where we slept for a night. The rest of us were happy to just relax and play board games but Yingol couldn’t resist challenging a dwarven woman to a duel. He won by the skin of his teeth but was very proud of the fact. 

Thurid and I had a chance to catch up and she asked me why I was acting strangely toward Okja and Yujin. I didn’t want to talk about it too much as you never know who might be listening in. I explained to her that I was angry that these two women show up to help even though they haven’t seen Ark in over 20 years. Why didn’t he ever tell us about them? And why should they care? Then again I probably shouldn’t care this much either but here I am.

At the outpost, they informed us that some sort of elemental had been blocking the path to The Bridge for a while now. We set off with this knowledge, knowing full well we would encounter it and have to try our best to stop it. Sure enough, after a few days travel the weather started to change dramatically, with high winds and storm clouds above us. We had to shuffle along in a line holding onto a rope so that we didn’t lose each other. At one point I tried opening my eyes and got a blast of thick snow in my face, it was horrible. 

Suddenly out of nowhere I started hearing the others voices in my head and once I’d calmed myself that I wasn’t going mad, I realised Nani, the wizard, had cast some sort of telepathy spell so that we could hear one another. He is quite resourceful and I’m glad he came along on this expedition. I can’t remember who saw the huge elemental Tempest first but things happened very quickly and everyone jumped into the fight. I was immediately stunned by lightening. I was immobilised for a long while, unable to do anything but look on in panic as everybody else launched their attacks. 

Once I could move again I did my best to help but as the stupid thing was floating 30 feet up in the air, I was pretty useless. All I could do was use my cleric magic to try and deal some damage but it took us a long time to defeat it. At one point some of the others who were in the air got knocked back by a strong wind and got caught in the trees. Okja and Yujin were knocked so far back that we couldn’t even see where they’d gone. 

When the fight was over, the elemental fell down and crash through the ice. The fog and snow started to die down. Alfred peered into the freezing water and said that he could see something glinting and then Yingol dived in like an idiot to retrieve it. I’ll be honest I was pretty impressed when he resurfaced with the items, some sort of gem and cog. Alfred and Nani immediately started analysing what he’d found so we left them to it. Yingol mentioned that we should go and look for the two clerics but I personally think we should just carry on without them... 

[opheliadnd]

Ophelia’s Journal - Felenheim Festival

I arrived in Felenheim today. I had taken the long way around, giving myself some time to process my thoughts about Ark being alive. I decided that I’m going to go into this whole thing with an open mind (Dont laugh, I’m really going to try...) and that I won’t cast judgement until we’ve found him and I’ve heard his side of the story. I’m angry and hurt but those feelings will just have to wait until I’ve heard him out. I won’t let my emotions get the best of me this time.

Taking it slow may have seemed a good idea at the time but it did mean I arrived to the meeting much later than I had planned. When I walked in there was already a large group gathered and I felt a bit embarrassed. I’m not usually one to shy away from attention but even I felt awkward as they all turned to stare at me.  That was until I noticed a few friendly faces of people I knew - Alfred and Thurid.

I have no idea how Alfred managed to get here before I did. He always jokes about still having life in him despite being “old” and I guess there must be some truth to that if he got here that fast! I didn’t get a chance to properly catch up with Thurid but it was so nice to see her and she pulled me in for a hug/threw me up in the air with the force of her undying love. I’m really glad we’re together again.

The rest of the group I did not recognise. 

My eyes were first drawn to Nitt, a very tall, blue man who I later found out to be a Vedalken. I had never met someone like this before but he seemed friendly enough and took a liking to me due to my equally blue skin. I think we’ll get along well.

Next there was Arthur, a human man in half plate. I later discovered that he was something of an alcoholic as he spent the afternoon at the pottery tent making the biggest wine jug I’ve ever seen. I just hope he isn’t going to the the Agar of the group. 

Perhaps the strangest one there was Nani, an enormous bugbear wearing a cloak and holding a spell book. I have never seen a creature like him before and he was more than a little intimidating. I think he has quite the temper too so I’ll try not to get on the wrong side of him. 

There was an interesting looking grey skinned fellow who is an Earth Genassi. He’s called Slab and apparently it is normal for his race to have these types of names. He was fairly quiet but from what I gathered he had been in Felenheim for a while so I will have to ask him if he knows anything about Arkael. 

Lastly I was introduced to Yingol, a wood elf. He was very keen to shake my hand and had an overly firm handshake which he seemed very proud of. Good for him I guess?

At the back of the room there was a dwarf who welcomed me, I didn’t recognise him but he knew about the letter Signimar had sent me. There were also two aasimar women which was a bit of a shock to see. It made me think of Arkael and the reason I was here. The women were both beautiful in white and gold robes with long dark hair. It was hard to tell their age as with most aasimar but they looked to be mid twenties. I felt a pang of jealousy as I looked toward them. I’m confident in my skin but it’s hard not to feel insecure against women like that. 

We did not stay in the room long. The dwarf told us of our mission and what he expects us to do over the next few days and then sent us on our way. There was a summer solstice festival going on in the city and we all grabbed some drinks and decided to get stuck into the games. I’m not going to lie, I had a lot of fun with this new group and we had a good laugh trying out the axe throwing and archery games. I won Thurid a small wolf toy and Nitt gave me an eagle toy he had won. He is quite sweet.

After a while we headed back down the street and a satyr passed by us playing some music. He stopped and turned towards us whilst he played, appearing to take particular interest in Thurid who was, as expected, utterly horrified by this. Her reaction fuelled me on to encourage the satyr even more and I began throwing coins at him and cheering as he really got into the song. He really wasn’t that bad but the others seemed less than impressed. Once he had finished he came up to me and kissed my hand, changing tactics to show interest in me after Thurid had ran away somewhere in fear. I’m not sure why a woman of her size and abilities is so terrified by social situations but it never fails to amuse me. 

After I turned down Mr Satyr Twift we headed to watch the lanterns be released and then some of the group played the ring toss game. Yingol in particular was awful but he just couldn’t seem to stop spending money on it which was both hilarious and a little sad. Finally, we headed to the tavern and managed to get some rooms for the night. Despite everything, I enjoyed myself today and look forward to what tomorrow may bring.

[opheliadnd]

Ophelia’s Journal - 10 Years On.

Hello, err...Hi. 

It has been almost 10 years since I last wrote in this thing so be patient with me whilst I try and arrange my thoughts. A lot has happened in the past decade and my life is very different to where I left off before. Yep, I’m getting old. I’ve started going grey. Just kidding. That’s the perk of having naturally white hair...Anyway, back to the point.

A lot has changed. I am no longer with the group I was travelling with before. Something awful happened which I will get into in a moment but long story short, our time together came to an end and everyone gradually went their separate ways. Thurid and I continued to stay at the Guild Hall for a few years. For a while it was great living together just us but over time things started to fall apart and we had to find our own paths. I was down and grieving and Thurid started becoming more distant too, losing herself in books and research. In the end I was the first to leave. Thurid and I swore to stay in touch and visit each other often although sadly that hasn’t been the case. We send each other letters when we can but she has yet to find time to visit me. I miss her a lot. 

Back to the awful thing that happened: We went to the castle of Deranduil to try and save Zara from a ritual. We weren’t able to stop it and sadly she died and as a result a demon was summoned. Ark being his usual heroic self decided to step in and stop the demon on his own. He had made up his mind before we’d even started the fight that he was going to sacrifice himself and what could we do to stop him? Everyone else was thankfully saved but Arkael was just... gone. 

We returned to Felenheim and everyone claimed their rewards and left. They moved on. But I couldn’t just forget as if he had never existed. He did so much for us and saved all our lives and I couldn’t forget that. It took me a long time to find my way after leaving Thurid. I had quickly spent the reward money and was down on my luck again. I took whatever work I could get and lived meal to meal for a while, until eventually I came across an orphanage. I had been doing my best to avoid slipping into old habits and when I met the kids and the owner of The Refuge, Alfred, I knew that I had to do what I could to help. 

Fast forward to now and it has been a great few years. I finally feel I have found a sort of peace, surrounded by my new family. The children are great and I love spending every day helping them and playing games together. Working here gives me so much purpose that it’s easy to forget about my past and all the things I regret. That all changed last week. 

A messenger turned up with a letter from Signimar Mortarbeard in Felenheim. He told me he had a lot of respect for how I had been helping people and that he required my help with some issues up beyond the Yeti’s Jaw. I decided pretty quickly that I wouldn’t be going. Why would I sacrifice the life I have finally found? Especially if it means returning to the place that caused all this pain. As I continued to read the letter I discovered that this was not the only reason he was writing to me. According to him, Arkael is alive. He had been working in secret with the intelligence officers and missed a scheduled rendezvous which Signimar is concerned about.

In all honestly, I don’t know how to feel or what to do. The thought that he could’ve been alive all this time, all these YEARS and didn’t find a way to contact Thurid and I makes me furious. I shouldered so much guilt and blame for what happened to him that day and even more than that, I mourned him and the friendship we had. I suppose I will have to go to Felenheim. As much as I love the life I’ve made here, I know I will never forgive myself if I don’t go and find out if he is okay and what happened all those years ago. And if he doesn’t have a good excuse as to why he’s been silent, I may just kill him myself. 

[opheliadnd]

                                             Ophelia’s Journal - 5th Entry.

This morning I was rudely awakened by Thurid throwing a pillow at my head. She claimed I had been mumbling in infernal whilst I slept which is an amusing thought. Clearly nobody has ever warned her to let sleeping tieflings lie - there are not many things I hate more in life than early mornings.

After this lousy start to the day I allowed Thurid a chance to redeem herself in the form of cooking me breakfast. Biiiig mistake. She would’ve probably done a better job if she had called down her lightening to fry the eggs for her. I have never been particularly adept in the kitchen myself but after seeing this display I was forced to be the one to make breakfast and, shockingly, it didn’t turn out half bad. I can officially heal people AND cook, who knew?!

It was nice spending time together just the two of us without any of the others about. Thurid is very intriguing to me and I do value her opinion above the rest of the group. She told me that she also disliked Agar which is no surprise really, she also mentioned something interesting about Arkael and questioning his motives for enlisting us in the guildhall. I hadn’t really considered this before but I have no idea why he asked us to help him and he IS very secretive about a lot of things. I hope we can get him to open up more because I want to be able to trust him, otherwise I fear I will have to move on again.

Just as we had finished this conversation, Arkael himself arrived and asked us what our plans were for the day. Personally I had intended on heading back to bed for a nap but Thurid volunteered us to run about town on errands for him much to my horror. I don’t know how I always get roped into these things but I begrudgingly agreed as it was a chance to get to know Thurid a little better if nothing else.

We had just left Meln’s shop, a tailor with a hilariously bad attitude, when we bumped directly into Aeonir. The elf always seemed to pop up from nowhere at the strangest times and this was no exception. 

I have not had much experience around elves before this so Aeonir is a very interesting character to me. It was funny to watch as Thurid finally plucked up the courage to ask the question we had all been wondering - and we discovered that Aeonir is in fact female and also realllly really old despite looking younger than all of us. I feel a little sheepish knowing that I have been quite judgemental towards the elf, in all honesty she doesn’t seem so bad.

Arkael’s annoyingly long list of items he required proved to be too much for the three of us to carry back to the guildhall so we went in search of an alternative method of transporting these, leading us to the stables. There was a dirty young girl sweeping outside that Thurid of course took a shine to, offering her a silver piece and to visit us at the guildhall in exchange for pointing us in the right direction for a horse and cart. Thurid’s constant need to take in strays is very peculiar to me but it seems to make her feel good. Part of me wishes I could have met her when I was younger and alone, it might’ve saved me from a lot of the bad decisions I’ve made.

Anyway... we headed back into town to collect the rest of the items and ,most importantly, I got to ride a horse! I am wary of most animals as they are wary of me - I think my demon side must put them on edge. For some reason it has always been different with horses and this one was no exception. Once we had returned all of the goods to the guildhall, we headed back to the stables and I had made up my impulsive mind that I would be buying a horse that day. 

The old man who owns the horses, Martin I think his name was, showed us the horses he had for sale. One of them in particular caught my eye straight away, he was pitch black and strong looking and Aeonir’s attempt at interacting with him was met with disinterest which made me like him even more. After some bartering, we agreed a price and I will go back tomorrow for him. I have decided to call him Obsidian as it seemed the most fitting name.

After this exhausting day of riding horses and Thurid carrying everything, we headed back to the guild hall for a well earned drink. I don’t quite know how we managed it but we pulled Arkael away from his desk long enough to share a brew with us which was nice. I learnt a lot about the others throughout the evening (I will explain more of this once I have properly sobered up) and I shared some things about myself too. I am not usually so open with my past but I have to admit I feel safe here with this group and it helps that they all have secrets too.

I can’t remember whose idea it was but before long we were in the midst of a drinking game and the elf was out cold on the table. She may be a fierce opponent in battle but it appears she cannot hold her drink in the slightest. Arkael seemed impressed by my ability to not vomit my guts up at the first taste of alcohol, which I found both sweet and rather insulting... Liquid courage pushed me to challenge him into buying me a drink if I could hold my own for a bit longer. A decision I would soon to come to regret as this is the last thing I remember before face planting the table.

[opheliadnd]

                                              Ophelia’s Journal - 4th Entry.

Today started out like most days. I woke up and headed outside to warm myself up on some training dummies, I find that imagining them with the face of Agar helps me hit just that little bit harder. I then headed back inside to find the group speaking with Arkael and that strange Kinto character. He seemed happier today but his erratic persona puts me on edge in all honesty.

We were tasked with investigating the Orc presence in the north which is something we have all been preparing for since our last encounter with them. I would’ve been happy if it was Thurid, Llewellyn, Ivan, Aeonir and I but unfortunately the pirate and the mage tagged along yet again despite my protests that they would be of no use.

We headed into the forest and walked for a few hours until we came across large footprints in the snow. We followed these footprints until they stopped abruptly and it seemed as though we had reached a dead end.

Out of nowhere, orcs started dropping from the trees above. I was unfortunately caught by surprise between two of them and their attacks left me quite badly wounded. I managed to defend myself enough to disengage from the fight. Agar had ran off with his tail between his legs so I headed in his direction for aid against these two hulking creatures.

Of course the little weasel chose this opportunity to ignore me completely and left me to defend myself alone. If it hadn’t been for the help of the old archer, Ivan, I would’ve most likely been knocked down. I swore to myself in that moment that I would get revenge. And you know I keep my promises where revenge is concerned.

Thankfully we managed to defeat the orcs and after looting the bodies we took a much needed break. I chose this time to meditate, partly to regain some strength and also to distract myself from unleashing the built up rage I wanted to direct at the mage.

One of the orcs had managed to get away so we began to track him, it did not take us long to discover a huge orc encampment further to the east. We had to use every bit of skill and cunning that we had, particularly once we discovered they had a shaman AND an ogre in their midst. 

Lazarus came in surprisingly useful for once and actually worked together with the rest of us to push back the enemies. Aeonir is smart and I have a lot of respect for them, although the way he attacks and hides can be infuriating whilst the rest of us are face to face with orcs on the front line. Llewellyn is by far the best asset we have in a battle as his ability to shape-shift stops even the bravest warrier in their tracks. 

I did get my opportunity for revenge in the form of Agar being knocked unconscious. I had already used my healing powers to help Thurid which was the excuse I gave for leaving him in the dirt. He survived, barely, but I like to think he think he learnt his lesson about abandoning one of the few people that can offer heals and support during a fight (I doubt it though).

There was so many weapons and loot after this battle that we had to pile it on top of a tent in order for Thurid to pull it back to town. We also found a map of the area which the orcs may have been using the plan their strategy. Being the fastest of the group, I ran ahead back to the Guildhall to share the news with Arkael. Unfortunately he wasn’t alone and Kinto was still hanging about. They were in a deep discussion about the orc presence lately and I don’t think our news helped matters at all.

I did manage to pass on to Arkael how useless Agar has been and I feel like he agrees with me that we’d be better off without the mage. I like having him on side, at least someone can see sense. Now I just need to convince the others and maybe we can lock him in a dungeon somewhere...

[opheliadnd]

                                          Ophelia’s Journal - 3rd Entry.

This morning I woke up feeling renewed and ready to put my new abilities to the test. I joined the paladin dwarf and the mage for breakfast in the tavern, a choice I grew to instantly regret... particularly when Agar started to vomit all over the floor. I don’t have time for drunks on most occasions but immature sexist ones are by far my least favourite kind. It appears he could not even poison himself properly as after a word from the dwarf he soon came round and seemed back to his usual obnoxious self.

Thankfully Thurid turned up at this point which was a fantastic excuse to venture elsewhere. We visited the Guildhall and Arkael introduced us to a pocket-sized man named Finnan. Apparently this tiny gnome had noticed a malicious disturbance in some catacombs outside of the city and requested us to assist him in investigating the area. 

I agreed to help as I am convinced two unusually small people and a drunk would certainly get themselves murdered in no time at all, perhaps that would be easier for me but it would probably upset Thurid. As we were leaving, Arkael handed me an amulet which would allow me to use my new powers and connect with Helm. It was nice that he thought about me enough to do this and I want to prove to him that I am worthy of this gift.

We set off for the catacombs and I started to get a sick feeling in my stomach. I tried not to outwardly show my fear as we entered but my shaking hands and twitching tail had to be a dead giveaway for how much I despised the small underground space. It did not take long for the group to disturb what appeared to be an entire nest of undead, otherwise known as a great opportunity for me to practise setting things on fire. I liked this almost as much as I enjoy punching things (A lot).

The wood elf, Aeonir, has an incredible knack for sneaking around which I admire greatly. He scouted ahead and reported back that the skeletons were in fact the least of our worries - a group of cultists were performing some sort of ritual which must have been the presence Finnan could sense.

We headed to investigate as a group and for once Agar did not rush in headfirst. Finnan turned out to be incredibly resourceful against these cultists, he is also able to heal and wields a weapon that he doesn’t have to, well, wield? I’m still not too sure how that works but I’ll be sure to ask him. Thurid was just as fierce as usual, although this time she brought a second hammer along too. She really is a great friend to have around in a fight.

Defeating the cultists was sadly the easy part as once it seemed all was taken care of, shadows appeared out of nowhere attempting to weaken anyone who came near. We found that most of our attempts at hurting them did nothing. It was only when Finnan and I began to use our powers that we realised this was the best way to destroy them. 

Once it was all over, I grabbed the cult leaders dagger and ran out of their faster than my legs could carry me. The fighting was a great distraction but as soon as it finished the claustrophobia set back in and I was desperate to get back out in the fresh air. I think Thurid probably noticed my unease with it all but she did not say anything which I am more grateful for than she knows.

Back at the Guildhall, Arkael offered us two days of board in exchange for helping out. I will be sharing a room with Thurid, I’m hoping if we bond enough she’ll let me use one of those amazing hammers she carries about although the likelihood of that is probably quite slim. Still worth a try though.

[opheliadnd]

                    Ophelia’s Journal - Meeting with Arkael.

I cannot believe the day I have just had. Something amazing has happened and I have never felt more alive, it is as though I have a new purpose.

I plucked up the courage to brave speaking with Arkael. I found him as usual, in the guildhall surrounded by papers. I do not know what he is writing but it all seems very important so I chose not to pry...well not about that at least.

He told me today that he is an aasimar, a part-human, part-ANGEL. This definitely explains that initial feeling I had towards him when we first met that there was more than meets the eye. Sometimes when he looks at me I feel like he can see everything I am trying to hide, I don’t think I could ever lie to him and get away with it.

He also shared with me some stories about his past and previous encounters with my kind. I did not expect him to be so open and it has shocked me that he can want me around at all after the things he has experienced. I asked him if he could help me to become a better person. I don’t know why I say these stupid things but with both Arkael and Thurid, my guilt regarding my murderous past has never been stronger. Maybe it is time for a change.

He told me about his god, Helm, and how he can help me to wield healing abilities. The way Arkael saved us all on that first day can only be described as a miracle and it was too tempting for me to miss this opportunity.

After we spoke a little longer I agreed to the ceremony which would align me to Helm and Arkael helped me to do this - and it worked! Trust me when I say I have never been more surprised in my life than when I healed my first open wound. Can you believe a tiefling could be worthy of such a thing?

Arkael and I spent the entire afternoon together. He showed me how to heal, create fire and even heighten my senses to detect creatures. I don’t want to speak too soon but I feel a strong connection between us and this helped bring us closer still. I don’t know what he thinks of me, I am younger than him and naive in a lot of situations we face. I hope we can spend more time together soon.

[opheliadnd]

                                              Ophelia’s Journal - 2nd Entry.

It has been a few weeks since I last updated and in that short time much has happened. I have began to work for Arkael, the soldier from my previous entry. He has been requesting us to help around the local area in exchange for coin. Along with the rest of the party and a few new faces, we have dealt with wolves, thieves and even an Ettin - a horrific creature with two heads.

Most recently, I assisted on a mission to get back some stolen items. It was supposed to be a subtle task but unfortunately it did not all go quite to plan. Especially when that ridiculous pirate decided to slit the throat of the thief we were questioning. Sure..I might have done the same not long ago, but I am still trying to keep a low profile and I am tired of running for the moment.

I have gotten to know Thurid a lot better. She is probably the most law abiding person I have ever met and there may have been an occasion regarding a stolen ring where she decided to swing her hammer at me. Thankfully it missed but it’s safe to say I have learnt my lesson there. No more thieving for me. At least not in her presence. What she doesn’t know can’t hurt her, right?

There is an obnoxious mage who has been hanging around the group like a bad rash. His name is Agar and he is a sexist idiot. I have considered breaking his neck on more than one occasion. Although, even I must admit that he can be useful in a fight with his fire spells, .if he can avoid getting knocked down two seconds after rushing in that is.

I still have not had much of an opportunity to speak alone with Arkael but I am desperate to... He is unhappy with me at the moment after the utter travesty that was our last task, I think i will go and speak with him tomorrow to apologise. 

[opheliadnd]

                                           Ophelia’s Journal - 1st Entry.

I have spent the last week in a place known as Weatherfront, it is a fortified city in the freezing mountains which seemed like a good place for me to lay low for a while. All in all, the area is pretty bleak but when I headed to the tavern in the city I was not prepared for what would happen when I arrived.

A man burst into the bar claiming to have been attacked by bandits and a group of strangers banded together to go and help him. I have to say that I was intrigued by this, particularly as the party did not seem like a group that would usually work together. One woman in particular, I know her name as Thurid now, was working in the tavern at the time and volunteered to help this strange man.

She is like no human woman I have seen before, incredibly tall in stature with thick red hair. I decided to follow along and see what would occur, of course staying far back to avoid drawing attention to myself.

An elf who appeared to be proficient with a bow also followed the group silently beside me. We did not talk much but I had the feeling that they were as intrigued by this party as I. When the man finally stopped it appeared that the whole attacked-by-bandits scenario had been a ploy to lure people out of the city.

This was when things became very interesting. The party prepared to fight together against the bandits. I stuck to my shadows under the cover of the trees and observed. Thurid’s weapon of choice is a hammer and if I had not witnessed it with my own eyes, I would not have believed the power she can wield. The very ground shaked and the sky flashed as she faced down the enemy and I have to say I am glad I was not in their shoes. Another elf, I think his name is Llewellyn, surprised everyone when he turned into a bear - yes that’s right - a BEAR mid fight.

Unable to resist a chance to use my fighting skills, I stepped into the fray and did my best to help out. As the battle wore on, we began to tire and some members of the group sustained bad injuries. For a time it felt like hope was lost until out of seemingly nowhere, a soldier in metal armour appeared.

I was engaged in a fight with a bandit, bleeding and exhausted when I felt someone move beside me. As I turned to face this newcomer, he places his hand on my shoulder and it felt like nothing I have experienced before as my energy was renewed and my wounds healed faster than could be possible. His eyes glowed fiercely and he moved on to help the others but (despite being in mid-fight) I could not tear my eyes away from him.

I am not a person of faith, but I could tell that this man very much was and I felt safe with him there despite the obvious power he displayed. All I can say is that I am very relieved he joined the fight on our side.

After his arrival, the battle was quickly won and we were left to deal with the aftermath. This I found quite amusing as some members of the group, Thurid included, did not want to loot the bodies. I do not understand this practise, the dead no longer require their belongings and the living could certainly make use of them in these difficult times.

Anyway, we returned to the city and I hoped for an opportunity to speak with the party further. Thurid seemed incredibly reserved but I did manage to have a small conversation with her. She seems like a very good person and I would like to fight alongside her again. I do not think we will see eye to eye on all subjects but perhaps we can learn from each other.

The strange solider with the unusual eyes from the fight spoke with us afterwards and asked if we were interested in helping out around the city and that there would be rewards for this. When Thurid agreed, I did too but I am still wary of many of the other folk. There was a pirate who I am sure I recognised from my previous travels, no doubt a thief and perhaps even a murderer like myself. Only time will tell.

[opheliadnd]

                                  Misguided Youth - Ophelia’s Backstory

Ophelia was born into a small family in a tiefling village. Her home was an isolated spot in a deep forest and up until the age of 5 she did not have any interaction with anyone outside of her own race, with only the ability to speak in her mother tongue language of Infernal. The prejudice and hatred towards tieflings had been growing consistently throughout the region and her parents were concerned for Ophelia and her siblings. Humans began raids on the tiefling villages in the middle of the night and the violence became so bad that her parents had no choice but to flee their home along with their children. This did not stop the humans from hunting them further and eventually at the age of 7, Ophelia was left in the care of elderly monks in a distant monastery in the mountains. Her parents knew that they could no longer keep her safe and entrusted the monks to raise her to be strong, away from those that would hunt her. This was the last time she would ever see her family.

It was difficult for Ophelia when she first lived in the monastery. A long way from home and unable to understand the common tongue the monks spoke, she felt isolated and frightened. It took her a long time to trust the quiet and practical monks but eventually she discovered that they were kind people who did not wish her to come to any harm. She was raised in the monastery and in time was very happy to call it her home. This was the most relaxed and warm time of her life. She learnt to fight well with her bare hands thanks to the teachings of those around her. She learnt to manipulate energy within herself and others and to use it for good as well as to her advantage. She was taught to brew beer and to laugh once again. She saw the monks as family and for the first time in her life felt secure in who she was.

Unbeknownst to her in her safe mountainous home, the intolerance towards tieflings had not improved since her parents had left her, it had in fact become a lot worse. Tieflings were no longer welcomed anywhere, the other races of Toril would cower in fear at the sight of their unusual eyes and horns and in particular they feared the tiefling connection to darkness and evil. A group of soldiers on a long journey between cities, stopped at Ophelia's monastery for a break in their journey.  When they discovered her, a young tiefling woman of just 16 living amongst the monks, they reacted with outrage.

Her very life threatened and any hope of a future hanging in the balance, the monks begged Ophelia to flee and for the second time in her life she was ripped from those she called family. Alone and with nowhere to go, Ophelia headed from the mountains with a heavy heart. But she was no longer a child and years of physical training had taught her to be strong and resilient. When she came upon a town, the darkness was her friend. Sticking to the shadows and the dark underbelly below the city, she came into contact with others like her. Orphans, outcasts and criminals.

Ophelia had always been an optimistic person despite all that happened to her and she refused to be beaten down by the cards life had dealt her thus far. Instead, she focused on staying hidden and learned to use her strengths in stealth and pick pocketing to earn money for food and shelter. Although she had some acquaintances, she no longer had a friend or family network and this resulted in her becoming quiet and withdrawn from society. It was not unusual for her to be stereotyped even amongst the thieves and murderers she broke bread with and eventually she had had enough. It was only when she encountered another tiefling named Akmenos, that she started to really give in to the darker side of herself.  Akmenos was a criminal mastermind who was paid in secret by nobles to recruit assassins and spies to defeat political enemies. He encouraged Ophelia to join ranks with him and delighted by the idea of spending time with someone of her own race, she was more than happy to oblige. Before she knew it she became brainwashed by his ideas that tieflings should not trust anyone and that nobles and humans in particular were the ones to blame for all the problems.

It is not surprising that the first person she killed was a high ranking noblewoman.  Akmenos had created the perfect scenario for Ophelia to sneak in and slit the woman's throat whilst she slept. His aim was to use Ophelia's dexterous fighting skills along with her ability to stick to the shadows as a deadly weapon in return for hefty rewards, but he first had to convince her that murder was the only answer to the problems she faced.

In the middle of the night, Ophelia entered the noblewoman's home and discovered that the guards and personal staff had already been "taken care of" in order to make the job as easy as possible for her. Infuriated by Akmenos' lack of belief in her abilities, Ophelia slit the throat of the noblewoman and preceded to drag her body through the streets leaving a trail of blood straight to Akmenos' door. Once there, she dropped his dagger upon the body and left.  The next morning, she watched in pleasure from the shadows as the city guards rained down upon his door with blows and arrested Akmenos for a crime he did, for once, not commit. With a confident smile, she turned and left the city to venture elsewhere, this would be the last time she would let anyone attempt to use her for their own gain.

Years later, Ophelia is now on the run. Her thieving and murderous ways are by no means behind her but she has learned to adapt and to pick her battles accordingly. During her most recent encounter with the city guards, she was recognised as a tiefling and a hunt for her head ensued. Cloaked in black, her eyes downcast and travelling in dim light, Ophelia made her way across the land, until she came across a tavern with a fighting arena, where criminals and strong fighters are pitted against one another for sport.  In exchange for a room and food, Ophelia agrees to fight in the pits, and from then on, she uses her new found talent to pay her way across the land. As it stands, she remains an undefeated opponent for any adversary that dare step in the pit before her.

[opheliadnd]

Ophelia is a tiefling monk with a secretive past. Abandoned at a monastery as a child, she has learnt to fight and to survive independently - she has not always made the best decisions and has some big regrets. A victim of racism and being hunted all her life, Ophelia is very slow to trust strangers but if someone can prove to her that they are good and worthy to be around then she is fiercely loyal and will look to them for guidance. Quite naive and insecure, she can come across as abrupt and a little cold when you first meet her.

Faith: Never really having much interest in faith previously, Ophelia is now aligned to the god Helm. Fear: Claustrophia - in particular being restrained and unable to break free. Motivation: To be free, to be equal to other races. Effective Event: Being cast out on her own at 16. Personality Trait: I am incredibly slow to trust. Those who seem the fairest often have the most to hide. Ideal: Freedom. Chains are meant to be broken, as are those who would forge them. Bond: I’m guilty of a terrible crime. I hope I can redeem myself for it. Flaw: An innocent person is in prison for a crime that I committed. I’m okay with that.