Editing Game-Summaries:7/3/2017 Recollections (section)

==Recollections by Tallulah==

I went on my first mission today.  I embarked from the Magistery along with [[Amon]], [[Kaylorr]], [[Stanford]] and [[Zalmann]] to investigate increased activity approximately 2 miles from Solace.  I don’t like to stand out in a crowd, so when Amon volunteered to lead the way I was content to hang back, sort through my nerves and experience the adventure with my companions. 

It took us quite some time to reach our destination which was frustrating at times but we did so safely and with ample daylight to continue our exploration.  Upon arriving at the mouth of the kobold lair it was clear that I had skills that were great assets to the team and I decided to put my trepidation aside and take charge of the group. 

I left my companions and ventured ahead to scope out what lay before us.  The lair was situated in the side of a hill and while I have heard of kobolds I had never seen one before today.  There were only two of these ugly, little creatures guarding the door, and while I could have taken them out easily with my bow, in an effort to include my team I returned to them to come up with a plan.  Zalmann and Ford snuck up behind the guards to take them by surprise.  In his eagerness Zalmann decapitated his target whereas Ford was less successful.  I silenced the shocked kobold with an arrow from my vantage point but I was terrified his screams had given us away! 

We gathered near the entrance to plan our further progress.  Zalmann and myself, with our advantages in low-light entered first and signaled to the group when it was clear.  We avoided triggering a booby trap and continued our exploration.  One of the first things we discovered appeared to be a work site that is connected with the sewer system of Old Solace.  We also happened upon a pile of dead kobolds—which certainly did not help the stench.  Reaching a dead end we decided to try another path. 

Here, we encountered more kobolds armed and ready to cause us some trouble.  My companions and I fought well, despite our inexperience together, until two horrible snake-like yuan-ti joined the battle.  I could feel my heart beating in my chest and bile rising in my throat but adrenaline and instinct kicked in and we defeated both monsters but not without casualty.  Ford and Zalmann were injured badly I was grateful for Kaylorr stepping in with his healing powers to revive them. 

After recovering from the fight we explored the area more thoroughly.  While searching the bodies of the kobolds, Zalmann found a list written in a language none of us could read.  Ford made a copy of the note and we ventured on.  The only way forward appeared to be a very narrow, dark passageway so we decided to go back the way we had come and try to find another path. 

Unfortunately, we were unable to find another path further into the caves.  We did however, find a ladder that led back out to a different section of hills from which we came.  We returned to the narrow passageway and, because of the darkness, I scouted ahead, hearing a noise that sounded like very deep, heavy breathing.  I remained quiet as I inched along, careful not to alert anyone or anything that might be lying ahead.  The breathing got closer as the passageway opened up into a large cavernous room.  I froze—there was a large statue of a dragon—never a good sign, and standing on either side of it were two enormous trolls.  This was far beyond what our small group could handle and seeing as our mission was simply to investigate, I returned to my fellow initiates and we decided to report back to the Magistery with our findings. 

Once we had all reached the surface we began the brief trek home.  It felt good to have the sun on my skin once again.  Along the way we noticed an indentation in the ground running from the kobold lair for about a half a mile.  It appears as though the kobolds may be excavating the old sewer system to head towards Solace.  In case the effort of their progress continues, we decided to mark where the indentations currently stopped.  We did so with a piton and a coil of rope that we deemed inconspicuous enough not to draw unwanted attention but also easy to find again. 

Upon our return to the Magistery we reported to Grandmaster Aetheres with our findings including the note that Zalmann had found.  The grandmaster is a curt man and our interaction with him was brief.  Ford's quick thinking to copy the note certainly paid off.  We then attempted to find someone in the library to translate the note.  We ascertained that it had been written in Draconic and was a list of tasks that read: 

Cut West 

Don't cut into pipe 

Don't cut into sky 

None of us having any idea what that could mean and being sufficiently spent from the day's events we went our separate ways. 

The significant evidence suggesting the involvement of dragons this close to the city is concerning.  I am proud of what we accomplished today and I eagerly await the next opportunity to prove myself and earn my place at the Magistery.