3.10.2009

Nightwatch Notes. Year 3, Day 153.

A terrible day for our party.

In the early morning, we found out that Amaryllis's party favors were not in town. We took a train until afternoon, when we were deposited in foothills. Some druids were nearby. I wanted to approach them, but was halted in the cart by Ru and Gimble. I don't know why.

Eventually we had to abandon the cart, and as a non-rider and a slow walker, I became a liability to my party. Such shame I felt. Even worse was the fear that I would be left behind, because soon there were Dire Bears approaching behind us.

My Party did not leave me; there was a fight. My contribution was to administer one of the Potions of Enlarge Person I had brewed for the shifter, and to infuse him with Bull's Strength. I was glad that I had; he was able to defeat one of the bears astonishingly quickly this way. And here was my failure: I did not prepare my infusion of protection for the Dwarf before she had already charged at the other bear. I stood back helplessly as she - a rider, who did not have to wait for me, a walker - was killed.

We are all a bit shocked, I think.

By the time we had finished there, it was decidedly after dark. I couldn't see well when we recovered the airship full of party favors. We are now flying home to Evan and Amaryllis. Everyone who sleeps is asleep here in the bunkroom, except for Gimble, who is in the captain's quarters. Wait - where is Ru? Ru should be here.

Nightwatch Notes. Year 3, Day 152.

Note: Missing Nightwatch Notes 147-151 is not a mistake or a lapse in consciousness. It is due to all-night researching and working on newfound ability to craft Wondrous Items - a beneficial situation, for it fills the tedium and uncertainty of night.

My first move as a new Wondrous Item Crafter (I must make a list of my new roles as an artificer soon!) was a diplomatic one. I offered one Wondrous Item to each party member, hopefully securing my place as a useful comrade in their emergent hierarchy and erasing any remaining suspicions of malfunction. The new shifter wanted a few Potions of Enlarge Person rather than his Wondrous Item, which I don't understand. Enlarge Person lasts three minutes. A Bag of Tricks, according to my Wondrous Items text, gives you infinite fuzzy animal companions, readily available in a small module. INFINITE. Delightful!

No one wants this Bag, however. Maybe Gimble would appreciate this eventually, but for now he is asking for magical things. He is becoming much more concerned with protecting himself since our ambush by the Tentacle Monster.

Evan and Amaryllis have been most kind in supplying me with scribing, brewing, and crafting supplies while I stay at their home, although I suspect that the capital comes from our visit to the excavation site in the Cogs. For once it is not a worry that I must collect salable items or risk becoming obsolete. Amaryllis speaks about an event that will take place in the future called "Party." This is similar to our Party in that it is a meeting place of beings, but their purpose is less certain than ours. I mistakenly went to "a party" once (Year 2, Day 15) when I had just become an Artificer and was saving up for supplies. If this party is like my other one, I will again be paid to clean rooms while elsewhere in the dwelling, an adult human with a painted face entertains human children. Maybe Amaryllis would appreciate an offer to paint my face-plates and use scrolls of Dancing Light for the children at this party.

I think I shall be going somewhere tomorrow; there is talk of "favors."