Daymond's Journal

[Jerico Do'Lantul]

(As suggested, this thread will include all of Daymond's notes that he deems important for future reference. You will be able to find various post about the creatures of Darkness, as they appear, as well as various bits of history of the area the party comes across, as they come across it. Daymond already knows most of this information, and will be more than happy to impart to anyone who asks him ICly. He will only write the information down if he is asked, or if it is relevant to the quest. I ask that no one else post in this thread, as it is reserved for Daymond's entries, only. Should you wish to have a thread for your own character, I will be more than happy to accommodate you.)

A plain notebook rests in your hands. The cover is bound in a fine leather, it's pages made from delicate papyrus. It is clearly very old, but the pages within have only recently been written upon. On the front is a symbol of a hammer with the same crest as The Foehammer, laid across a shield identical to Daymond's.

This is Daymond's journal, and written within are various notes of the world of Alva, and of the creatures of Darkness. There appears to be no predetermined order to the notes, but the entries seem to follow the band of heroes' journey across Alva.

[Jerico Do'Lantul]

The Royal Families, Nobles, and The Derelict.

The world of Alva was home to many royal families, as well as several sets of noble families, all loyal to their particular king and/or queen. Unfortunately for these families, most of the royal bloodline has been lost, as many of royal lineage refused to accept the rule of Gansend and were, ultimately, destroyed.

As for the many nobles: many families perished with their lords, being loyal subjects to the end, as it were. Several families fled to other nations adjacent to their own, where their tightly-knit families broke apart. For those families, nearly every trace of noble blood will have been lost throughout the years, due to the lack of "pure blood" in their chosen community.

And then, there are The Derelict. These are the families who chose to forsake their lords when Gansend as his legions of Darkness fell upon the lands. Instead of taking up arms, these families embraced their fate by siding with Darkness, in an act of self-preservation. Gansend saw this as an opportunity, and pretended to accept these men and women with open arms. For many years, they would serve as a facade of the old ways; treating Gansend and his minions as a kind of royal family. Over time, Gansend slowly began the practice of taking those members of the noble families away to a secluded part of the kingdom, where they were never heard from again. From what little that can be gathered from the others of The Derelict, this was the point in time when the first of the half-human breeds of Darkness began appearing since the first of the half-goblins.

To this day, there are still several families who serve Gansend and his Lords of Darkness. To the people of Alva, these men and women are traitors; lower than dirt, and despised for their families' cowardice in the people's time of need. The practice of taking members of noble lineage still occurs, but at a measured pace, so that the families are not driven to extinction.

Daymond's Notes:
It is possible that these men and women will be invaluable to our cause; they've been closer to Gansend and the other Lords of Darkness than anyone else, meaning they might know more than they're telling. Treat them with caution, as they could just as easily turn you in as give you pertinent information.

[Jerico Do'Lantul]

About Alva

"What can be said of our home that she cannot say of herself? Her mountains stand ever tall and proud, faltering not against frigid winds, nor bowing to man's insatiable need to conquer and dominate the world. Her rolling plains, spanning as far as our eyes can see, and rife with beautiful wildflowers, give credence to our existence, lest it's wonder and majesty be lost. Within her forests, abundant wildlife coupled with an abundance of fauna and flora unrivaled by any world.

And let us not forget our brethren, the elves, the dwarves, and even our goblin neighbors, without any of which these beauties which we take for granted would, otherwise, be lost. This world of ours, 'O Alva, may she live on in everlasting glory and splendor."
~Florend Koltengard, human poet from the Third Age

Daymond's Notes
The world, today, is very different from the Alva that the author knew.. Would he still be alive, the Alva in which we live, now, would likely be the end of him. The mountains that once stood so majestically have been quarried beyond reckoning, the forests milled beyond repair. The valleys, too, have been abandoned, leaving them a spawning ground for Darkness, as well as a testing field for Gansend's horrible experimentations. The land has been rent asunder by war and famine, to which there appears to be no end, so long as the Darkness remains prevalent. I fear that, unless something drastic is done, this world will, one day, be destroyed..

[Jerico Do'Lantul]

City Guards

These are your typical, run-of-the-mill soldiers of Gansend's army. Although primarily human, there have been reports of elven and dwarven guards, as well, more common around their homelands. As of yet, there had never been a reported sighting of a goblin guard. These men and women remain untainted by Darkness, and still maitain their free will, although they are forced to obey Gansend through fear and manipulation. Each one has recieved specialized training, making them formidable opponents, on their own but otherwise unremarkable. The armor they wear is fair quality, light, and protects them from most physical harm, though it's joints are a serious weak point, being protected only by leather or thick cloth. Their helms cover all of their face, giving them a ruthless appearence, by design, and also add a metalic echo to their voices, further seperating them from regular society.

Daymond's Notes
If faced by a squad of city guards, do not think lightly of them. Their swords can cut just as easily as yours, and they know how to use them. Underestimating them could very well be the last thing you do.

Despite being servants of Gansend, most city guards are well-mannered, albeit weak-minded. Most have the people's trust, and do not seem to be corrupt, which is a breath of fresh air, what with the world being what it is, nowadays. Because of this, killing a guard will not be a very popular move, and may pit the citizens against you and, through you, us. Do not make the decision to take a life so casually.

Confronting each and every guard you come across is a sure-fire way to get yourself killed, so learning what drives them is key; if you can find a way to convince the guards to follow us, we may find a few strong allies, amongst them. Once the Lords of Darkness begin to fall, it will become easier to sway their judgement.

[Jerico Do'Lantul]

Human-Darkness hybrids


Also known, by the people, as "Wraiths". These unfortunate souls have been striped of everything they were, in life, rendering them shells of their former selves. Although there have been experimentations with all of the races of Alva, only humans have recieved the Darkness well enough to be replicated. The armor worn by the Wraiths is thicker and heavier than that of pure-blooded guards, but the added weight doesn't seem to affect their performance. Each one of the hybrids are ruthless, by nature, and will stop at nothing to destroy their enemies; the enemies of Gansend. Unlike the being of pure Darkness, these monstrocities will not attack at random, but their rules of engagement have never been clear. Each Wraith posesses no particular powers, but are slow to tire, and do not respond to physical pains, nor are they subject to human emotions or vices. As such, in a straight fight, a hybrid will always hold the advantage over a pure-blooded being. This fact also alows hybrids to be put through rigorous training that would kill ordinary humans, making them faster and stronger than all but the strongest pure-blooded beings.

Daymond's Notes
Hybrids are few and far between, outside of the inner city. Should you ever be faced by one, do not let their reputation and their off-putting demeanor lead you to believe they are invicible; they can be killed by anything that destroys their human bodies. That being said, nothing short of a killing blow will stop a hybrid. Even things like broken bones will only slow them, and only for a moment. They feel neither pain nor fear, and will survive to lop off your head even after suffering an injury that would incapacitate any pure-blooded human.

If you are ever faced with more than one hybrid at a time, do the sensible thing; run.

Over the years, it's been discovered that the hybrids possess some sort of a hidden talent that allows them to communicate with beings of Darkness, as well as other hybrids, from great distances. This ability is silent, allowing them to formulate plans between themselves without giving the enemy a chance to eavesdrop. If you happen upon a lone hybrid, you had better be sure to slay them in the first few seconds of battle, lest every hybrid and dark creature nearby be alerted to your presence.

[Jerico Do'Lantul]

Honor Guard
These twisted souls have been bred from elves, exclusively, because of the elven people's slim and limber frames. Because of elves fortitude, it is next to impossible to set Darkness within their bodies and souls, making these abominations increasingly rare. Training regiments are unknown, as of yet, but are rumored to be the harshest among the hybrids. They are faster, stronger, and more dexterous that any human or goblin hybrids, by a landslide. For how few of them there are, their abilities are matched by none, save for the Lords of Darkness, themselves. As such, they have, nearly all of them, been tasked with being the Lords of Darkness' personal guards, sometimes doubling as special assignment units. Uniquely among the Honor Guard is their inability to speak; elves' speech had to be disabled during the transformation, as they would continualy mutter spells during the process, greatly hindering their efforts. For whatever reason, Gansend has allowed these creatures to maintain the sensation of pain, albeit to a far lesser degree than normal. It is speculated that, because of their rarity, it is better that they know when to retreat than to give their lives to every endeavor, as the human hybrids do.

Daymond's Notes
Fighting these atrocities will be second only to the Lords, themselves, in terms of difficulty. Luckily, they only ever travel in two's, otherwise our encounters would be very short-lived.

If you are ever confronted by one, be wary; it's partner will never be too far away. Even so, were they not capable of running you down in a matte of seconds, the best course would be to run. Unfortunately, it has been proven a futile effort, in nearly all cases. If you are cornered by one, your only hope is to fight for your life, and hope that you can wound it enough to slow it's pursuit, or to force it to retreat.