Book II: Burgeoning – Summary

Journal of Tristan Winterbloom

Thirtieth of Harvest Season, the 1,240th year of the Second Age.

I have finally been able to sit down once more and write down the events of the past few Seasons. The days have been long, filled with excitement and trepidation alike. These moments where the tumult dies down and I can actually chart out the recent events of the past are fleeting but welcome. So, let’s get into it.

Last of my line…the Winterbloom side, that is. The Anorox bloodline is still going strong. After my awakening and dealing with…the situations in Bhant, I departed and went south. Tracking down Bertram to deliver the mark of the family head. Into the Sapphire Coast; a region built upon mercantilism, where coin is king.

Felicity and I, along with Onyx and Midnight – the pair of destriers I took from Fawkes’ stables – had several weeks of pleasant travel. We spent our nights in the Fey Realm, and our days traveling along the slightly mountainous hills before reaching lowland plains. Oh! It’s worth noting that I went by the alias of Markus Anorox, and used Disguise Form to change my appearance.

It may seem foolish to still use the family name, but the assassins who killed so many so close to me were looking for Tristan Anorox – a half-breed, or full-on, white-haired Elf. Not a swarthy Bhant Human. The guise worked for a while – but I’ll get to that in proper order.

We had our first encounter after reaching the Sapphire Coast’s borders. A performing troupe, a group of bards, who were heading to find fortune in Bhant. We shared information, I warned them away from Bhant, gave them coin, and was going to part ways. But they were attacked by bats from the Demon Realm in the night. I saved them and gave them succor in the Fey Realm.

Shandra Fallthorn, the only Elf in the bardic ensemble, gained an essence crucible, and after a…tense series of conversations, she finally acceded to my demands. Returning to The Mortal Realm with the group enchanted to prevent discussion of the Fey Realm, what they saw and heard there, and information about me – I departed.

Shandra chose to follow me, and I allowed her to accompany me to the next town before giving her monies and thinking I’d seen the last of her. Oh, it should be noted, Felicity became extremely upset at the idea of a female Elf snaring my gaze. I know I’m inexperienced when it comes to romance and love (that does happen when you’re the half-breed and have no prospects at court)…but I think there may be something there with Felicity.

Anyways, back onto the main events of the recent past. After leaving Shandra at a town called the Crossroads and heading off, I encountered a group of bandits. Instead of attacking them, I heard them out and was able to bring them to the Fey Realm as new craftsmen and women. My Realm is expanding in populace, and I feel…right, giving shelter to those who are in an unfortunate situation. I’m definitely living up to mother’s teaching, and thus far being kind and charitable has paid off.

Then, back in The Mortal Realm, I was contacted by Obadai Grimtome, the Archon who served the king of Bhant as an advisor. He teleported (across kingdoms!) to my location, and explained that he was the one who summoned the demon dragon to destabilize the kingdom, in an effort to bring about an opportunity. He was a spy, working for an empress from across continents. And his goal was to weaken Bhant enough for her empire to invade and take the croplands.

Obadai was desperate, and I owed him. He went above and beyond to help me in Bhant during the whole assassin situation, and so I gave him refuge and let him travel with me. But, not for free – he had to teach me more about essence-weaving. Fire elementalism, in particular. The ability to hold a flame in your hands and manipulate it is…inspiring and terrifying. I’ve seen what fire can do to a person in conflict (I’ll get into that), and its beauty is only matched by its ferocity.

A few more days and we discovered where those demon bats that had assaulted Shandra’s group came from. Something called a Sympathetic Incursion – theory, Obadai assured me, but a theory now proven correct. Once an initial incursion is made (Obadai bringing the demon dragon through a rift in the north), other “shockwaves” or “ripples” can happen, piercing the veil between Realms again.

We were in a medium-sized town when the occurrence happened, and we fought. I stood on the wall, fighting demon wolves and bats alongside the town guards, while Obadai tried to close the rift.

And then…a Demon Lord came through. Not an essence-weaver, thank the gods, but still a potent combatant. I knew we were going to be overrun, and took a gamble – challenging him to single combat. I figured that if Bhant was based around the Demon Realm and its politics from its founding, perhaps their idea of honor would be present as well. Thankfully, the gamble paid off, and we fought.

I thought I had the upper hand, but I was injured and Felicity intervened to heal me with elixirs…she was…she was wounded. I felt so angry, so enraged, that I threw caution aside and slew the Demon Lord before using my lingering essence to activate my cloak’s stored Thrice Command spell – sending the demonic creatures back to their Realm. Obadai shut the rift, and then joined me at Felicity – healing her and keeping her from death.

We headed back to the Fey Realm, recovered for a short while, and then returned to the town. I got a few spell primers and spell books for my efforts, along with some herbs that are useful in potion-crafting to plant in the Fey Realm. A fair reward.

Continuing from there, we found something called a Delve, which Obadai explained was the entrance to a Lost Realm. A Realm without a Realm Protector, that had died and was filled with husks of its former inhabitants. A place that could be Grafted onto a living Realm. Outside of the Delve entrance was a camp; Pathfinders had arrived before us, but were nowhere to be seen. Signs of struggle were on the ground, and so we entered the Delve with caution.

Inside, we found a Pathfinder named William; heavily injured. Obadai healed him, and we learned that his fellows were dead deeper inside the Lost Realm. Going down the tower we arrived upon, we reached the corpses of his fellows – killed by an artificial species carried by some mercenary to cover up their tracks.

We went deeper, and found a husk – a massive, hulking creature that looked like what grandfather would call an ogre. It had killed the mercenary responsible for killing the Pathfinders and releasing the creature that helped to cover up the true cause of the deaths. I used Frost Flurry to slay it in a single blow.

Obadai opened up an Incursion to the Fey Realm, and The Matriarch was set to Graft the Lost Realm onto mine – granting the residents new abilities. Obadai, drained from the feat of essence-weaving, and William, stayed in the Fey Realm while I headed back into the Lost Realm, to the Delve entrance.

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On the way up the tower we had descended, I encountered a small group of Beastkin. One of them died on the ascent when a rope snapped, and after getting out safely and collecting Onyx and Midnight, we returned to the Fey Realm where I granted the two remaining survivors the option to stay in the Fey Realm.

The next day I headed out with William and arrived in Jewel’s Point – the current capital of the Sapphire Coast. He took me to the Pathfinder Company Lodge near the docks, and I was given a sigil to present to other Pathfinder Company members if I were to need an audience with a local leader. They also promised to look up where Bertram had gone to after his visit, and so I returned to the Fey Realm to prepare for the next day.

A few of the new residents joined me back in Jewel’s Point, and we made amazing profits in the markets up near the wealthy citizenry. I was introduced to the Queen of Jewel’s Point – not actually a Queen, just the richest woman in the whole of the Sapphire Coast, and therefore the lead of the merchant council that ran the huge port city. During that audience, I revealed my true name and nature; and we cemented a trade alliance.