From the journal of Lythande Syldorei
When we had rid the island of the giant flytrap and searched the island thoroughly, we left that area behind us and returned to Lorewynd. After we arrived, we were quickly ensnared in the necessities of managing our territory had no time to go out exploring.
Month of Abadius, year 4713
A new year has arrived, the third since we first took up our charter to reclaim the Stolen Lands. We've set Jubilost Narthropple the task of exploring a great circle from south of the Little Sullen River to the Narlmarches to the north of Leveton. At one time we saw the river as our southern border, but as conditions in Brevoy have changed and we've re-examined our charter, we've concluded that we don't need to stop our expansion there, though we do need to ensure that we don't come into conflict with Mivon. We n0w have an embassy in Mivon, represented by Chahana's former chatelaine Fabreze. Chahana has a new assistant, Odanost.
We've incorporated some of the area along the foothills of the Tors into our territory, as well as that part of the Narlmarches surrounding Tiressia's tree. An orchard has been planted near Tatzlford and we've given leave for another farm to be started. There was some trouble with bandits over the winter but our patrols dealt with it.
Our greatest challenge has been maintaining the good relationship with our citizens. Some folk were disgruntled by the recent spate of illness plaguing Neotellus and felt that we hadn't done enough or acted quickly enough to prevent more people from falling ill. There were also several disputes over land when some folk claimed they had a right to start farms in areas we have yet to incorporate into Neotellus. But some carefully chosen words were able to ally any fears or anger.
Throughout the winter we kept adding improvements to our lands, constructing a granary near Tatzlford and adding more houses there, and establishing a formal graveyard in Leveton. Reislin purchased a menagerie of beasts for the entertainment of the citizens. We have drawn up plans to create a second district in Lorewyn, where we intend to build an arena, a temple, and a school or military academy. We've also started construction on a waterfront area on the east side of the river opposite the mills and foundry that already exist on the western bank.
Jubilost sent us a message that he found an unusual and fortuitous discovey on his journey to the south. After hearing some disturbing sounds, his troop sought out the source and found a hillside penetrated by holes that were emitting the odd sounds when the wind blew into them. When the gnomes looked through the holes, they discovered that these led into a source of gemstones. We must manage this discovery with as much care as we've used in managing the gold mine we discovered. Though the mine is south of the river, we have made it part of Neotellus.
Early Gozreh, 4713
Spring thaws came with a great deal of rain this year, washing out some of the roads we've had built. This inconvenience aroused the arguments over land once again and we had to sooth troubled feelings. After the rains decreased we granted permission to establish more farms, and also ordered the building of a monument to the gods of goodness and mercy in Tatzlford, as the town lacks a shrine or temple.
Disturbingly, we have received a message from Restov that they've lost contact with Varnhold. They sent a small patrol to check on the town and lost contact with the patrol as well. We'll have to investigate that ourselves. We've decided to take Zander's wagon and horses on our journey. It should take us four days to reach Varnhold through the pass. Goldwing will accompany us, but I am still waiting for a response from Iadara about a saddle for him.
As we were passing below the abandoned watchtower over the pass, we encountered trouble. Reislin spied a person up above us, then realized that based on the distance this person must be a giant. Just as she shared this with the rest of us, a large boulder came hurtling down from above, directly at her. We all pressed ourselves up against the cliff face to get out of range, but the giant threw down another rock and crushed Reislin's magically summoned horse. Reislin took flight and avoided being injured herself.
The giant had shouted down at us when he attacked. Zander translated his speech for the rest of us, telling us that the giant was threatening to kill us just as he had killed someone else. We didn't know who he could be speaking of, but worried it might be the patrol from Brevoy, though we had expected them to skirt around the northern part of the Tors and approach Varnhold from that direction. We decided that we were not willing to stand a giant attacking travelers in the pass, so we made our way around to the path that led up to the tower, leaving the wagon and horses at the bottom as we ascended to the abandoned tower.
As we approached the tower, Goldwing circled around it and by means of head motions and wing flaps communicated to me that the giant was behind the tower. I shared this with the others, and Reislin gifted us with speed. Maria ran to the rear of the tower immediately, while Chahana climbed up the ladder to the tower entrance, thinking she might be able to shoot at the giant from within. Zander had taken flight and disappeared around the cliff side of the tower.
Maria, Zander, and I converged on the giant, who was indeed awaiting us there. He took out a huge club and swung it at Maria but it only struck her armor a glancing blow. I rushed forward and thrust my spear at him. Zander appeared behind him and stabbed with his blades, while Maria's sword slashed the giant repeatedly. Reislin had determined that it was a cliff giant that could withstand some harm from acid and fire but otherwise had no special defenses or offensive abilities. While the three of us pitted our blades against the giant, Goldwing swooped down from above and attempted to claw his head. The giant bore many scars on his legs, showing that this wasn't the first time he had been attacked by beings of our size.
Zander sank his blade into the giant's hamstring, hampering its ability to move. Maria dealt the giant several severe wounds, so much that he went down on his knees. With his torso now easier to reach, Maria thrust her blade into his chest and Zander stabbed him in the heart at almost the same moment. I jumped back as the giant toppled over.
When the giant was dead, we went into the tower to examine his victims. They didn't appear to be from Brevoy. There were several bags containing items such as silverware with them. At first we thought they might be the thieves who had troubled Neotellus during the previous year, but it seemed unlikely they would have gone into the pass and climbed up to the tower. could they have come from Varnhold?
The giant also had a much larger bag, which was full of various things including the corpse of a pig. Along with the pig remains we found a small potion, a set of armor similar to what Chahana wears but designed for jousting, a ring imbued with a protective charm, a garment that according to Reislin is called a spectral shroud, and a vest that will allow the wearer to access any tool they need with a thought. But the most curious item in the giant's sack appeared to be a large loaf of bread, though Reislin revealed that it is actually a club that can be made to assume the form of anything the wielder desires!
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