Addison's Journal, Entry VI (Pathfinder RPG Game Session)

~Date~

My head still reels from the past few days. I've not done this damned land any favors by coming here and have in fact done more harm than good. I am barely back to myself, having lost who I was for some time… my head still throbs with those whispers… they sung such horrible things to me. I cannot remember what they said, I fear if I did, I would lose myself once more, I just know the alien, destructive thoughts behind those awful words. I do know this… two unspeakable things have been unleash 'pon this world. I may have the power to reseal one of them and must find more Elder Signs to send them back to whence they came. THEY MUST NOT AWAKEN……

I, I am sorry… I must explain.
I rode with Fleer and Potter to investigate the ruins where they innocent were being slain to try to bring over a demon lord, there was a tunnel we'd left alone. The tunnel itself looked like it had been clawed-through, made by the talons of ghouls and within were many broken and shattered sarcophagi. All but one were destroyed, it seemed, or the occupants bashed and destroyed by the hungry undead. The last one left lay in an ornate, warded sarcophagus. Fleer wanted to peek in, I supposed I did as well, needing to ensure it was not the sleeping spot of a cursed vampire. Inside was a fairly well preserved body, the inside and outside of the lid were covered in wards. I was against opening it further, but Fleer noticed the horns on the helmet were made of Dragon horns and wanted it badly for the Smithing Twins. With much convincing she had me agree, reluctantly, to open the lid further, but not slide it off, as it would be impossible to replace. The lid shattered, breaking the wards and a foul burst of energy blew Fleer and Potter away, I gripped the side of the sarcophagus to not be swept up myself. The interred Jarl's eyes opened, blazing with a fierce, icy cold that chilled me to my bones. I took a few steps back, the stake in my hand, lest he'd been a vampire, forgotten on the floor. He grabbed the lip of his resting place and swung his feet out, standing. His hands gripped an axe that iced over in his grip and he swung at me, hitting me and cutting deeply, though the wound did not bleed as it has frozen shut. Fleer charged from her spot, attacking the Draugr with her hellforged axe, hacking deeply into it. Potter hit it with an array with arcane darts as I finished the Nordish undead with the blade granted unto me by the Fey. They looted the body, Potter declaring the boots his without seeing what made them special. I just wanted to leave… this place made me feel ill. As I went towards the exit, alien whispers wormed their way into my head and... something broke within me. The tunnel had sealed somehow… the whispers became louder without ceasing to be whispers, I grabbed the mage, holding him before me, SURE that the tunnel was still there, hidden by illusion. I guessed wrong and Potter has been attempting to punch me ever since, I think… he keeps jumping and swinging a fist towards my head. He doesn't get quite high enough to connect, you see, but the intent is clear. Fleer tried tapping the wall with her axe, all that did was make tiles move, arrange themselves on the walls and ceiling a little differently. It wanted us to solve the puzzle… would not let us leave without solving it. We labored to free ourselves until finally the tunnel returned. The walls pulsed a sickly green and I knew something had been set free. We fled. I am not ashamed to say that, we fled as if chased by the ancient unknowable things in my head. I lost track of time, hiding with Fleer in the forge, not trusting her or Potter, letting her pounding on the Forge try to drive out the whispers in my head. It took months, it seemed… or days. Somehow only three had passed. I've named my new blade Guiding Light, as it now lit up in a merry flame when I grasped it's hilt and held it aloft. We returned to the Bottle and Blade, where Potter found IT, the damned statue in his chambers. I stole into Viktor's room and grabbed the Rod of Ruin, tying the statue to it, taking it to Father Matthias. I asked his help on dealing with it, he denied us, claiming he could do nothing. I then told him to ask his Lady for guidance, surely she, who fought those of the Pit, would know what to do. He refused to keep the thing with us and bade us toss it in a river. Fleer was furious and when Seraphim suggested using the Rod of Ruin on it, she took the suggestion before I could stop her. She barely tapped the statue and it fractured, shattering in a wave of sickly energy that flung us all away. A dark energy escaped the confines of the statue and pierced the heavens, clouds parting in its passing, only to close after it, immediately starting to rain heavily. The rain was cold and heavy and has lasted for many days now. I've been doing research on it and discovered the things released are likely Eldritch Horrors, the only known way to deal with them is to seal them up or send them back through a portal they use, sacrificing an Elder Sign to do it. Luckily, we have one such sign, one of a very few known to exist in the world and now.

I have so many horrible tasks ahead of me, I do not know if I am strong enough to do them. I feel failure grasping for me each day, I have to fight to do the right thing and I do not know if it's enough.