Pilgrimage to the Warzone

Saturday, Rob (Bat in the Attic) and I went travelled to the mysterious city-state of Eerie, built upon the shores of a massive lake from which the city-state took its name. Knowing the reputation of Eerie of allowing the undead to roam the streets unfettered, we slipped into the southern edge of the city where the merchants gathered. Disguised as locals we found our first stop, Books Galore. We'd heard the merchants were giving away wares. And so they were. I managed to get a six sided die with the engravings of the event on one side and also obtained information left behind by a Pathfinder to warn us of the Master of the Fallen Fortress. The merchant became suspicious when we did respond to a praise given to the local gods. Luckily, others seeking the merchant's wares allowed us to sneak out of the merchant quarters and slip out of the city-state.

The next leg of our quest to us the brutal barony of Cleave Land. There we traversed the well worn roads of the barbaric land until we reached the infamous cave called the Warzone Matrix. It had been nearly a year since we last found the notorious cave and amazed by the treasure inside. Although we came away with our favorites last time, this time we were prepared to explore thoroughly. Again. there were so many treasures, but our backs could carry only so much.

The first trinket I collected was tome of Dark Folk unveiling the secrets of the foot soldiers of evil. Then high upon a shelf, among the thick dust I uncovered a sheaf of pages that describe various Country Sites where creatures could be found and conquered. I quickly slid it into my bag and continued to search the mounds of tomes. A soft bound, peculiar looking book, I swear its cover is made of kobold skin, tells of Sages & Specialists. There were three such books so I took the least worn. The final volume was expansive, one I owned, but needed a cleaner more concise version of A Magical Medieval Society: Western Europe.

We'd spent too much time searching the cave and the native ogres awakened from the deeper sections to begin their night's hunt. After two close calls, Rob and I managed to escape once again, although Rob suffered a minor wound. He tried to reason with one and learned never to attempt to speak with a hungry ogre. Our trip out of Cleave Land needed to be quick. Our time on this quest was quickly depleting.

The third leg of our journey found us at the Temple of the Golden Star. There Rob and I were able to relax and with some of the silver remaining in my pouch I decided to purchase a few more interesting items. I'd heard much of the Swords & Wizardry book and Adventure Design Deskbook, both exquisite copies to add to my collection. After the purchasing the wares, Rob entertained us with a story about adventurers, bandits, orcs and a lost elven village. When the fires burned low we parted ways promising to return.

The last leg of our journey returned us home. Exhausted and satisfied, arms heavy with our treasures we parted ways. The day, the quest had been a success. Though it was good to explore the strange realms it is always best when I return home and share the stories over a warm meal with my wife.