When: The afternoon of 6.25.06
Where: The outer reaches of the Ilshenar territories
Commanding Officer: Vince Valentine, Senior Grenadier
Guardsmen in attendance: Deveriath Fae'al, Guardsman Recruit
Drake Reilly, Guardsman Recruit
Edward O'shea, Guardsman Recruit
Hoagie, Junior Dragoon
Matthew, Guardsman Recruit
Sheena, Guardsman Recruit
Vlad, Regular Grenadier
A call was put out for volunteers to man an expedition to one of the dark corners of the Ilshenar territories. I, personally, had never traveled to the region before, but senior-grenadier Valentine, leader of the excursion, assured me that I would be acquainted with it. Our destination: Kirin Passage, part of the greater complex referred to as the Ankh Dungeon. Within it's stony veins lurked the fabled Nightmares, the target of our hunt.
After the intrepid volunteers assembled, there was an immediate forced march to the Cove moongate. We hustled through familiar territory before traveling to strange lands. Everyone crossed over safely, finding themselves on the brick platform of the Ilshenar shrine of humility. We surveyed the surroundings for only a moment before stepping down into the midst of the mire.
The local wildlife was no threat to our band. The terrain, however, was a muck of decaying flora and rancid slush. Some strange after-effect of the swamp gas caused hallucinations among a few of us, as we could not see some of our fellow Covians. A moment was spent collecting our heads, and we continued.
As we approached the cavern entrance to the Kirin Passage, we came across a grim monument assembled by the sub-human locals. I noticed the stacks of bones to ward off outsiders, right alongside scare-crows to ward off... crows? Regardless, we would encounter the lizardmen on our departure. Around this portion of the journey, Regular-Grenadier Vlad caught up with the party and joined our force.
Traveling to the cavern required brief passage through a forest whose trees seemed to have been twisted by some decrepit influence. An assortment of elemental spirits were called up by the forest to dissuade our march, but we felled these as quickly as they arose. We did not creep into the entrance of the Kirin Passage, we took it by force, moving steadily towards the dwelling place of the Nightmares.
Shortly before our destined encounter, we were confronted by vile manifestations of acid. Though their toxic touch degraded our equipment, they were cleanly dealt with. At last came the moment when we approached the beasts we had traveled to slay. I was struck with a sense of majestic horror as the midnight equine figure reared up and let out a cry you would never hear from any natural creature. Though it's maddened fervor caught a few of us newer recruits off guard, it was eventually subdued.
No sooner had that monstrosity been overcome when an even greater iteration of it's kind appeared before us: a Nightmare with a coat of unearthly gold. It was an icon of beauty and lethality. It could take away your fear of death in the same way that a work of art might take your breath away. A volley of magick and the velocity of it's charge were aimed at us; it bucked and scattered enchantments amid the circle of our weapons. A few of us recruits were trampled to the ground, though the stolid valor of the senior members present carried the day. All members were healed and the exquisite creature was killed, bringing glory to Cove.
After lingering to bring down a few more of the creature's kin, the Senior-Grenadier decided that we would progress to the cavern exit and return to the barony. The trek back through the marsh was mostly uneventful. Vlad, taken with the exotic landscape, decided to part ways with our expedition and forge on into unknown parts. The rest of us hiked back to the outpost of Humility and eventually to the steps of our own barracks.
Valentine congratulated us on our service, remarking that the feat we had accomplished was not an easy one and that we should take pride from such knowledge. A sum of 4,989 gold pieces were recovered in the outing, which was divided evenly among those who participated.
Drake Reilly, Guardsman Recruit
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