January 28, 2021

We are free now, though we may have done...something. It's hard to tell what exactly we did. I have a bad feeling about what has transpired in the labyrinth that is the cyclops lair. Of my companions, I think only Ellis shares this sense. But, we shall see what transpires.

We found or Cyclops friend deeper in the cave. Other than crossing a cavern or ravine, it was rather uneventful to get there. We did see evidence that the cyclops civilization was grand. This was a magnificent temple. I almost wish I could see it in its full glory.

I tried to cast charm person on the cyclops. I was hoping that he might fall under my spell and then just let us out. No need for violence or anything like that. But, no luck. I felt my cast was good, but...perhaps the cyclops was resistant to magic? Unsure. Must find an older version of Hoyle's Book of Games to become stronger.

The Cyclops tells us we are in the Temple of the Holy Eye, which has not been used in 300 years. He himself, (or I guess "I" as that is I's preferred pronoun...so I's self?) came across it. Picham buried it, apparently.

With that done, the cyclops gave us a task, to retrieve something interesting from down below. We went back the way we came to the cavern and climbed down a ladder to a door. With a key the cyclops gave us, we made our way inside. It was very bright in there, something reflected a lot of light. But, there was nothing of interest in the front room, so we moved on. 

As we pressed on, we found what looked like a desk. Pushing some buttons on the desk gave us paper that crumbled upon contact and dried pens. We didn't think this was of any use to us, so we pressed on. 

At the back of this chamber, there were four hallways. We chose one at random, and we find crates with a cloak from an ancient grey cloth. Virgil gave me the cloaks, I still have one. Just past that, we found a door with some sort of writing on it. It was a language unknown to me, but I cast Comprehend Language and could read:

“Stop. Five level entrance. Personnel. Halt. Guidance Seek. Check with Lord.”

Unsure of what it means. I'm wondering if syntax got mixed up a little. A level five entrance? Wondering if check with lord was telling whoever was here before to get permission from their commander? Master? Unsure.

Further on, we found a metal stairway that descended into a larger room. There was a large green tube in the center. It hummed with some sort of magic, though not a magic I was familiar with. It pulsed with light. It also had messages. These trouble me, so I will put them down as best as I can remember them:

3115 11 test 1 complete 

3115 12 test complete 

3115 13 test complete 

3115 14 test complete 

3115 15 test complete 

3115 16 test complete

run secondary level plus lord. split and divide. recombine.

3115 17 test complete

sensory plus double good. recombine.

word pass lord plus five

3116 18 test pause

pause cycle

pause cycle

pause cycle

pause cycle

At this point, Virgil and Val began pushing buttons. The machine, though no machine I've ever seen stated:

3116 19 test complete

3116 20 test complete

3117 20 test complete

3118 20 test complete

recombine double plus good lord check

cycle complete

section A B C activated

Section A B C D Activated

Section A B C D E Activated

Tube pressure released. lord check

lord check

lord check confirmed

3118 test commencing

Exit hatch encumbered pause test?

Exit hatch encumbered pause test?

Section A B C D E Activated

Lord Check Confirmed. Test continuing.

3119 test continuing.

3119 Test failed.

3120 Test Start.

3115 16 Test A15 Start

3115 16 Test A16 start

The light began to pulse. More button pushing from above. I didn't know what was happening. I told the to stop, this didn't feel right, but they continued.

3115 16 Test A17 Complete. Success. Launch?

Launch commencing.

Sector A3165 Communciation with Lord check complete

Sector A3165 In communication.

Sector A3165 Booster activated.

Sector A3165 Booster launching.

Sector A3165 Launch Success.

Upon this, Virgil said "We won!" Reflecting on it now, that seems like a simple minded thing to say.  Launching something you don't know what it is does not make for winning.

Slim was not as bothered by this and we continued our examinations of the other tunnels. Down another was a big black screen. Button pushing from Val revealed some sort of map. It looked like a map of our world, but not quite. It also looked like some sort of war game was displayed.

Down another hallway were sleeping chambers full of skeletons. It was a dreadful sight. Someone in the group commented that they appeared to have been sleeping, as it looked like they were in beds, but the never awoke.

In another hallway we came across the Diary Lord Personal Aesmith (at least, that's how I read it. I assume that it meant the Personal Diary of Lord Aesmith) I read the first few pages.

“My dearest Laevial, Long have I been locked here in war. I long for you but fear you might have perished...

They not will tell us how the war fares on surface.

I keep troop morale up but sad they are saddened too. our connection with machines above are not alive.

Our fight is lost - what use are scientist military personal in this world?

I have been told by lord above that the fight goes well and we will be our secret weapon. I don't think thats true anymore. I will order the soliders to hide in the tube and prepare to sleep.

I will sleep too - i hope it does not come to that....

We decided to give this to the Cyclops, and for it he gave us our freedom. Still, I wonder if that book might have been some handy research for us to have. At least maybe I should have skipped to the end. Probably no sense in asking the cyclops for it, but I know it is here, and perhaps we can revisit this issue again. I know pushing some buttons releases the stone wall. So, if it comes to that...

At any rate, we will journey out of here soon. I don't know what will come of us or what we have launched into the world. (If anything...a lot of what were in those chambers was old. Though, the tests were successful...)

In lighter news, I have pants again. They are even magical to some degree. 

January 1, 2021

There is a chance that this will be the last entry I make. We are currently trapped in a cave with the threat of cyclops to eat us. This is connected to our fight with the wargs that we had at the end of the last entry.

Shortly after the last entry, Virgil and I noticed a storm coming in. There was lightning n the sky and a heavy rain. Very unusual for the desert. Given that we were in a low-lying area, we thought that it might be a danger of flash flooding. Virgil and I awoke the rest of our party, and began to evacuate camp.

We headed south, as there were some foothills there. The heavy rain though caused the sand to become muddy and the horses lost their footing. Ellis slipped off of his horse and I had to save him. The tables were turned shortly and I fell from my horse. In the mud, I found myself stuck. At first just a boot, but later I sunk into it fully. It took the rest of my companions their full effort to get me out. I have lost both my boots as well as my pants.

Ellis asked if I had extra pants, though I believe it was Slim that pointed out that I do not. My clothes are worn, unlike his. I am unsure of how I will acquire another pair. Perhaps if we get out of this mess, I will be able to bring that town back into this realm and be rewarded with pants. Imagine the look on the townspeople when they are brought back to the realm of the living to find their savior pantsless.

Oh journal, I should not laugh at a time like this. After I got out of the mud, we climbed a hill and found a cave. It appeared safe and so we camped there. The rest of the watch passed peacefully, or so I thought. When day should have begun, the cave stayed dark. There had been a cave-in or a boulder had been shoved in. How I did not hear this, I do not know. Cyclops don't have magic, none that I know of anyway. Ours does not appear to be particularly stealthy. Whatever the reason, we found ourselves trapped in the cave.

The cyclops the wargs had discussed lives here. Its name (do cyclops have genders? Unclear) is Parthas. Parthas was fairly intelligent. He could sense that we are not a harmonious group and our attempts to bluff our way out of the situation were rebuffed. Not that the truth sated him any more. I told him about the town and the magic and he scoffed at us for getting involved in these sorts of things.

The cyclops is from the south and may have even been from around Picham. His names for the cities there do not match my own, but upon me mentioning Picham he seemed to know it. Apparently there is a tower that disappears at times there. If we make it out of this, I hope that it will come in handy.

Our parlay went on too long and Slim and Ellis both took shots at the cyclops. Virgil hid during this, to gain an advantage. But, Slim and Ellis could not hit the cyclops because the storm had made their guns dirty. Neither had cleaned their weapons. I believe mine is lost to the mud.

Now that I think about it, I wonder if that storm was the work of a shaman. I believe we will need one to bring the town back...or perhaps I can muster the spell by myself. Still, if it was a shaman, hopefully, we can escape and find him.

I tried a bluff of my own, sensing some apprehension on his part about the magic in the south. I said that I was a powerful sorcerer that knew of the magic there and would use it to reign hellfire. I felt convinving to me, and I think even my companions were a bit taken back by it. I can't do that, of course, not yet. I know a few attack spells, but nothing that major. Still, it did not work. I think Ellis was less shocked when I claimed to be a powerful sorcerer than when I had told the cyclops that I was committed to ending the practice of slavery in my lands. That much was true, and I was hoping the cyclops had an altruistic bent to him. Not the case. Wonder why Ellis looked so concerned about me wanting to free people.

The cyclops laughed at our attempts to kill him, or even to harm him. He seems overly confident, and left us to our own devices for awhile. We have tried to hatch a plan. I am unsure if there is any way out of this cave other than the entrance that is blocked off. So, I don't know that we should kill him. I offered to blind the cyclops with magic. Val has sai we could hide amongst the sheep the cyclops has while he's blinded and run out. My spell though only lasts a minute, so I'm not sure it would work. Ellis wants to kill it I think. He is intrigued by the gold that is down in the cave. The cyclops doesn't care for it, it seems. I wonder...

The cyclops seems unworried about us. I wonder if we might discourse with him more, try to stretch this out while others in the party search for a way out of here. Maybe we use the cyclop's hubris against him.

Of course, the cyclops said the wargs were here as well. Would they recognize us? Things to discuss with the others. Until then...




Edward.