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Found in the depths of the Underdark this text is largely unknown to man.

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Published by Help Me, 2019-03-29 21:38:05

The Unmarked Journal of Xolkin Alassandar

Found in the depths of the Underdark this text is largely unknown to man.

I don't know why I let Kanye talk me into this plan. He said the
place would be full of riches, but I have yet to see even a single
gold coin. To make matters worse, I think the other priests are
beginning to suspect we aren't who we say we are. If they discover
we're posing as priests of Alastor, I'm sure they're not going to
simply ask us to leave nicely. I'll have to watch my step.

As an "acolyte of Alastor," I've been assigned a mentor. Old dwarf
fellow by the name of Ghelryn Foehammer. Maybe if I act the
part, I can pry some information from him about the Tower of
Zephyros. Anders swears to me that all of the temple's wealth is
stashed within their inner sanctum, which supposedly sits at the
end of the path, so my job is to get us through the obstacles alive.

Ghelryn was easier to coax than I expected. Gave me a wealth of
information on the castle, but he was speaking in riddles. I'll try
to record what I remember here and share it with Kanye after he's
done with his mentor. The only thing Ghelryn seemed clear about
was that there were five "tests" on the path. This is what he said
about each

"The journey is complete, the Gods' embrace awaits the fallen.
Hesitate not if you wish to gift your eternal devotion."

He also mumbled some nonsensical phrases like "night is the new
day" and how he was the "ghost of the sun." I have no idea what
these cryptic sentiments mean, but hopefully during tomorrow's
ritual, Kanye and I will put everything we've learned to the

Today I return from my journey. I long to see my son and wife
again. The moon beckons me to set out for more adventures in the
name of gold and glory. Although life has been rough, these trips
give me vigor and a sense of meaning.

It's only been a day and I already miss the charred edges of my
tent bed. I thought it would be a little more fun to explore, but so
far it's just been fighting spiders and getting to view an occasional
rubble pile. Hopefully we get to the main ruin soon so we can set
up a camp and I can start cataloguing some of the items I've been
able to find. This has been unlike any adventure I’ve ever been on.
This is pure agony.

As I begin this new phase of my life, I have decided to keep my
journal. So much has happened to me thus far, both within Triboar
- when I think there is no record of what has transpired, it almost
seems an affront to Temeluchus himself. So I am determined to
make amends.
What a disaster. We haven't seen a caravan in a week. We
actually lost ground in the tunnels- Thal and his team were
crushed when their section collapsed. I've heard word of a mutiny.
If next week isn't any better...

Two new recruits- a dirty defaulter and a bartender, what an
unusual bunch. Hargs said she did time in Phandelver Mine, down
in Eisenmauer, and it shows- she's got more experience than all of
us put together. I've put her in charge of the dig. Cat's good with a
blade, so I've sent him topside with the raiders.

Tunnel's going well. Eisa made our first big find just yesterday-
buried chest with a couple hundred gold. Topside, Ra'jirr and his
team have hit five merchants this week, in and out faster than the
guard could respond. Looks like things are finally going my way.

The tunnel broke out into some kind of giant cavern. There's whole
forest down there- found a nice sword all laid out on some kind of
monument and everything. But this is just strange. Eerie. What is
this place? Not like any tomb I've ever seen.

I think the cat's gone crazy. All of a sudden, he can't focus, keeps
muttering to himself. He's gone from our best raider to our worst-
botched two jobs just today. Eisa's trying to cover for him, but
she's not fooling anyone. Lately, he keeps asking to see my sword,
begging to borrow it. Like I'll let him get his paws on it- it's
beautiful, perfectly balanced, better than any I've ever held. Sure,
he can have it- right in the gut.

It's been about two months since the mining incident. I can never
return to that line of work. The mental scars of the horrors that
happened there haunt me to this day. Every night the visions come
back. The only thing keeping me sane is my writings in this
forsaken journal.

It has a tail, a side and a head
I call it what I call a snake
It has no body and it is dead

It must be a drake

It never ceases to amaze me how many fall for my simple trap. I
may have to consider tweaking it a bit though. Many of them, in
recent months, have been dying the second they hit the cage floor.
Putting a foot or two of water in didn't help either. In fact, it
may actually be making things worse. The last one to fall in broke
both his arms and legs! He proceeded to float there and eventually
drown. If it weren't for the water I would have had a great time
twisting his mind until I decided to end him. These goblin bastards
have been tormenting me and my deprived camp for days.
Nephilim’s mercy has no bounds.

I've spent a portion of my life now unraveling the mystery of the
hateroot and yet I still feel unfulfilled. The trilling sound this
strange herb emits seems to taunt me, to push me even harder to
discover its secrets. Even after a generous and indomitable traveler
became a field collector in my stead, and provided me with five
score of the hateroot, I was only able to muster what I consider a
mediocre alchemical creation at best. This only served to
strengthen my hunger and whet my appetite for the solution.

It wasn't until over five years later that the answer to my prayers
was carried into my basement workshop at the Darkmoon Inn.
The first thing I heard was the familiar tone - that unmistakable
warble unique to the hateroot. But when I turned around, my
heart leapt and a chill ran down my spine. This was indeed a
hateroot, but of a variety the likes of which I have never seen. The
herb was awash in a spectacular array of red hues, each leaf
seemingly emblazoned with innumerable variations of crimson. I
couldn't move - I was completely transfixed. Never in my wildest
dreams could I have imagined a species of hateroot with such a
unique property.

After an awkward silence, I finally managed to stammer out a
few questions to the traveler who'd brought me this treasure. He
told me his name was Corvo Ventura, a doctor from a far off land.
Apparently, he'd been exploring a vast network of grand caverns

in the Underdark and had stumbled across what he dismissed as "a
noisy red weed." His expedition was largely unsuccessful and he
didn't want to leave the caves empty-handed, so he picked one of
the crimson hateroot to bring home. He said that it took some time,
but eventually he was pointed my way and that perhaps I'd pay a
fair price for it.

Before I could gather my wits and ask anything else, Corvo offered
to sell me the crimson hateroot sample, a map showing me how to
find the Underdark and what equipment was needed. It took me
mere moments to decide. Corvo left Darkmoon a thousand silver
richer, but I would have easily paid ten times that amount to
obtain the sample alone.

It took a year of planning, but I was able to pack up and sell my
belongings and make my way into the Underdark. Before delving
headfirst into the Underdark, I knew I needed to set up a new
observatory, but wished to do so in seclusion. After making
inquiries at the Elven Council of Magic, of which I was an
honorary member, I was directed to speak to Lotus, a student of
magic who had a small garden near the southern border of the
Elven Forest. By bartering my knowledge of hateroot cultivation,
I was able to secure a farm as a launching point for my field
research. I kept the knowledge of the crimson hateroot a secret
from my beloved, but imparted everything else I knew to her in

exchange for her hospitality. I haven’t seen my son or family in
over 10 years, but to their knowledge my current whereabouts
included far off lands of bewilderment and adventure. I can’t go
back now.

A few months passed, but I was finally ready to enter the
Underdark. I used the knowledge that Corvo had provided and
descended into the depths. My goal was to gather enough crimson
hateroot to produce my greatest alchemical creation to date - I was
certain it would take at least thirty of them to provide the
necessary catalyst.

This brings me to the present. My initial research seems to indicate
that the crimson hateroot has a similar affinity for moisture as the
garden variety, but also maintains some sort of symbiotic
relationship with the enormous fungi that inhabits the Underdark
and it’s guests. It's my guess that the fungi itself is a source of
water, absorbing it from the moist subterranean air like a sponge.
This provides the ideal environment for the hateroot to grow.
Unfortunately, the crimson hateroot appears to have a vastly
shortened lifespan, and they are in no way plentiful down here.
Gathering thirty of them will be quite the challenge, but hopefully
the denizens of the Underdark will allow me to gather my samples
unhindered.

My endeavors with the hateroot have been permanently ceased.
My work is gone.

I have no words as I return to my family. I have nothing for them.

This damned root, I spent years trying to unlock it’s mystic power,
but alas nothing.

ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME
ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME
ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME
ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME
ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME
ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME
ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME
ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME
ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME
ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME
ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME
ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME
ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME
ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME
ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME
ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME
ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME
ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME
ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME
ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME

ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME
ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME
ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME
ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME
ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME
ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME
ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME
ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME
ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME
ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME
ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME
ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME
ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME
ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME
ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME
ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME
ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME
ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME ITS IN ME


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