Tag: gwen

A New Book and Another Degree

Nymm – Aryth, 999 YK My return to Sharn was nice. Kat had graduated and was gone but she had left a letter and a couple more had piled up since her leaving two months prior. It was unlikely she’d be returning to Khorvaire for a few decades (elves) and we had both discussed the fact that we would likely move on without one another for a long while. No surprise there but we are still friends and write when we can. Gwen was still at Shava House but was setting to leave for Valenar within the week. Sid and…

I Get a Degree and Then Get Convinced to Go for More

Vult, 997 YK With the end of my final semester coming up I was deep into studying for finals and had gotten a little put off my search for Ja’shaarat (it’s a wonder what getting stabbed can do to your resolve). I was thinking about finding Jhazaali but didn’t really have the time, so I just hoped she’d still be around after graduation. Finals went well and graduation night was a blast. Kat had another year left at MU but Jhanni and Sid graduated as well. The whole area of Upper Menthis Plateau (where MU resides) was opened up and…

Shava House, Speaking, and Studies

Barrakas – Sypheros, 994 YK The first week is a whirlwind tour of the Morgrave University (MU) campus with speaking engagements at some of the lecture halls there and even one evening’s “talk” at the Ten Torches Theater in the Torchlight district. This was fun, embarrassing, and a great introduction to one of my favorite places to go in Sharn on a weekend evening. It turns out that some theater students at MU put together a musical comedy based on some of the more story-like entries in our book, which apparently is closer to what my writing is like as…

To Sharn and Beyo… No, Just to Sharn

Lharvion, 994 YK The University is happy about Gwen’s decision and arranges for our transport on a Lyrandar galleon (a non-flying one this time) and has rooms prepped for us at Shava House. I briefly mentioned it before, but a little more info: Shava House has developed into more of an intentional community: the residents share meals heavily laden with academic discourse, and generally share an interest in the history of Xen’drik (Baker & Wyatt, Sharn: City of Towers, 2004). Two weeks and some sad goodbyes to friends and family later and we’re off to Sharn. Unlike on the airship,…

Professor Gwendolyn and I Write a Book

Aryth, 993 – Nymm, 994 YK Over the next few months Gwen and I work on getting our notes together and writing a few papers to be published and I actually get included as a coauthor due to my “creative and intellectual contribution to the work.” The first three were huge successes (Gwen is a much better writer than I am, but I do take extensive and detailed notes) and she’s asked repeatedly to return to Sharn to speak. She says no for now but it’s now on her future agenda. As we start on our fourth paper Gwen decides…

Back to Stormreach and Back to My Studies

Near the end of day three, we make it back to Stormreach. This is also cool to see from above and we proceed to dock at Falconer’s Spire. The Winds Pleasure was going to be in town for about a week for the crew to get some R&R and for them to get their cargo loaded before heading back to Khorvaire. Gwen, Jerrold, and I head to the university to lock up our notes and several little artifacts that we’d gained (various mineral and flora samples from Khyber). That done, we all say our goodbyes and start heading off to…

As Below, So Above — Xen’drik is Dangerous

The next day was going smoothly until the late afternoon. I was enjoying the scenery with Gwen and Jerrold and the skies were just opening up from the daily rain shower. That’s when we hear a shout from the crow’s nest “Sun-side attack! Looks to be two wyverns!” Oh boy. I run over to that side and can just make them out as one crashes into the crow’s nest and quickly sends the watchman flying out with a slash of its claws. The crew quickly takes up arms and begins to defend the ship as best they can, but the…

An End to the Darkness, and Our Time with the Umbragen

Not long after that invasion our time with the Umbragen comes to an end. We take the days long trip out of the underground and see true sunlight for the first time in almost a year. It’s so bright it hurts the eyes, but I can’t help but stare around at the giant trees and ferns until my eyes water. The sound of the birds and wind are a blessing you never even think about. The underground world of the Umbragen is fascinating but I will forever prefer the aboveground world of sunlight and wind, moonlight and rain. Shortly before…

We Prove that We are Not Completely Pitiful

We were into month eleven and there had been Daelkyr incursions getting closer to the area where we were housed. One night (yes, they do have reference to night and day and it actually corresponds to time above ground at the Ring of Storms) one of the incursions broke through the sanctuary lines and we became involved. As it turns out, Prof. Ren is quite good at spell-slinging and even the Umbragen were impressed with his skill. Jerrold is good at what he does, but he’s not heavy on the combat-oriented spells. He did have a nice little cantrip he’d…

So, this is Khyber

Nymm – Aryth, 993 YK Finally, about six months in, we are transported deeper into their holdings. We enter Khyber proper and this gives all of us the chills to a degree. Being underground all the time is bad enough, but once you pass whatever serves as the border to Khyber things get oppressive. The screams of Daelkyr can be heard sometimes (at least that’s what they said it was) and there is a pervasive sense of dread that permeates everything. They take us all the way to the Sanctuary of the Qabalrin and here the sense of dread recedes…

I Befriend a Lyrandar Bigwig

Vult, 992 – Nymm, 993 YK So, we “inferiors” are initially allowed very little space to roam around but it’s new and different so I’m okay with it. For a while. It does start to wear on me. We were underground and there were not a whole lot of people other than us. It did mean I got to know Professor Ren’dall, Jerrold, and Gwen fairly well. However, the information exchange with the Umbragen was mostly one-way initially. Usually, they would show up to our living area, ask a bunch of questions, pull Prof. Ren’dall and Jerrold away and then…