Tag: ren

Time for a Vacation

That’s right! As fun as the trip back with Jhazaali was, there was still some overthinking about the nightmare that is the Wastes going on in my head. MU definitely wanted me to take a position as an Assistant Professor now, but I decided it was time to take some time away from academics and just go experience the real world. Yes, Umbragen, Dhakaani, and Ghaash’kala are very real, but they are not day-to-day Khorvairen or Xen’drikan real. I did take an adjunct professor position and taught one short-session class before I left. Since I’d also made a decent amount…

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…

I’m Flying! Well, I’m Riding in Something that’s Flying

Aryth, 993 YK True to his word, the Professor’s airship was there waiting. Not that I’d really know, but The Wind’s Pleasure (the airship in question) was a beautiful-looking craft. Prof. Ren greeted the captain, Captain Sora’vel, as an old friend and introduced each of us in a way that was actually respectful (not that it should be anything else after our time, but I sometimes wonder about how the rich and powerful may act when around others of their status). Obviously, I had no reason to worry about Professor Ren’dall (and I’m a little sorry about calling him an…

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…