Scrolls from Soen - Part III

My Dear Brother William, Gruwald was beyond our worst nightmares. I fear we barely escaped there with out lives, and we have definitely chosen a side in the coming battles. May Obad Hai have mercy upon us all, we fought the Inquisitors. I think we made the right choice, but by the gods, there is an enormous difference between continuing the clandestine practice of magic in defiance of the king's edict and taking up arms against his very soldiers! We are quite out of our depth here, and fleeing as I write this to the city of the elves. After what we witnessed this day, our only faint hope may lie with a people who live and breath magic. The abbey and all of Goyem Valley no longer need protection solely from the kobolds; they also need a sanctuary from the Inquisitors.After discovering the kobold infestation at Cowick Abbey, and eventually fighting our way though them to seek help for the abbey and the town of Meadowcroft, we finally arrived at Gruwald. With us was the merchant Markam, recently a prisoner of those filthy vermin, grateful for his rescue and return home. As we dragged into town, intent on finding the head of their militia and requesting aid, we were woefully unprepared for what we did find. The Inquisitors arrived at the same time we did, dragging with them an young woman who was to be put to death for using magic. Her crime: wearing a minor amulet to hide her scarred features. As you can well imagine, my heart went out to her. I've long wished for such a charm myself to shield me from the looks of disgust and pity I receive from those around me. As it is, I still wear the hooded cloak to cover the visible burns. The injustice of the situation outraged us all, most particularly Kay and Seifer, with their strong (and sometimes less than flexible) sense of justice. But we were soon to see that not one of us could hope to prevail in an open confrontation. The mayor of Gruwald, a powerful sorcerer and master of illusions himself came forth from his tower at the center of town to confront the lead Inquisitor. The Inquisitor's magic was far more powerful, and it seemed like a mere matter of seconds before the mayor lay dead, and the Inquisitor was securing his tower. The Inquisitor's men wasted no time in scouring the town for magical items and charms of any kind, destroying them all in a bonfire at the center of town. By some miracle, we managed to avoid detection ourselves. We remained quiet and aloof in the inn, and hoping to remain safe through the night. It seemed unwise to draw attention to ourselves by leaving in the night. We were able to arrange for horses for the remainder of our journey, and secured a few other supplies we needed, and we met with the head of the Gruwald Guard, a tough man named Blackheart. Upon hearing of the Kobold menace in the valley, he agreed that a force was necessary to clear them from the land, but the price would be high indeed. There was no way he could prevent the Inquisitors from accompanying him, and they would definitely take control there. It was finally agreed that the threat of the kobolds was too great to ignore, and the valley better off under Inquisitor control than with the vermin. We've seen no evidence the Inquisitors harass those who observe the kings edict and stay away from magic, nor do they appear to torture and eat their prisoners; kobolds are less discriminating. At the inn, Orien discovered an old acquaintance, a mapmaker by the name of Osaran who used to stay at his father's inn in Ashdod. We gathered what information we could from him, and he kindly provided us with a map of the surrounding area. We at long last had a reasonable idea of where Alalia lies, though little information as to the hazards of a cross-country journey there. We deemed it best to leave first thing in the morning, as soon as the stable is open for business, and head due north from town, avoiding the roads, for they may be covered by Inquisitors. Paranoia is paramount at this point, if we are to complete our mission. In the morning, we were surprised to be awakened by Orien's friend and a stranger, who turned out to be the mayor himself, looking surprisingly healthy for a man we'd seen die the day before. Clearly his magic is stronger than we, or the Inquisitor, suspected. And he was the first to show any semblance of trust toward us and give us any real information about what is happening. He himself is a member of an underground movement of those who believe the king's edict against the use of magic and his heavy-handed enforcement of it are wrong. Unfortunately, he can no longer hide in plain sight in Gruwald, so he will have to go into exile, along Osaran the mapmaker. Our own fate, for the moment, looked promising, as the Inquisitor had left town with Captain Blackheart to offer aid to Goyem Valley. They would return, of course, but we would be long gone by then. The mayor hopes Blackheart, whose sympathies seem to lie with the resistance movement, will run the town now. He warned us away from the city of Ashdod, but did tell us the new master of the thieves' guild in the northern city of Nioro could be worth seeking out. The worst came as he was taking his leave of us. A violent explosion rocked the town, destroying the upper levels of the central tower. In the town square, we found the king's men facing off against the townspeople and the town guardsmen. And it was here we made our conscious decision to become part of the resistance, to defy the king himself, and take up arms against his men. We split up; the more physical of us joined in the fighting on behalf of the townsfolk, while the rest of us ran to the stables and began preparing our horses. My own skill with animals decided my actions, but I don;t mind admitting I did not want to face those hardened warriors sent by the king to quell any resistance to his edict, not out of any question of right or wrong, but out of fear for my life and those of my companions. As I began to fear this would be the end for the people of Gruwald, if not our own, another explosion shook the town, killing many, but enabling the townspeople to overpower the kings men. They day was won, but at such a cost. And I fear for their fate when the Inquisitor does return. And with that, we took our leave, trying to put as many miles between us and the remains of the town before nightfall. We made good time, and all seems quiet this night as I write this during my turn on watch. I've let the fire burn down to mere embers in hopes of avoiding detection out here, for I know we've left an easy trail to follow. Our only hope now is to get to Alalia and to see if, in addition to taking in the boy Elian, they are willing to provide any assistance to the people we've left behind. I wish there had been some way you could have prepared me for this. I never expected to be taking part in a rebellion. All I;ve ever wanted was to be able to fade into the woods and commune with Obad Hai. My prayers have been little help of late in seeing my way clear of this path. As you told me, when the gods are silent, men must decide their own fate. Would that I could discuss this with you in person. Yours in Nature, as always, Randall