Journal, this is a big story and I feel I should rite more than 3 sentenses about it.
After months of searching and waiting it activated. I telled the Map to search for it after we lost the Tear on Muk's Island. I waked to the sound of the spinning target reels on the devise. I runned in my nite clothes to the Lab and jumped to the Map Room. There it was on the Map. Very accurate measurement meaning it was not moving. This was good because I am knowing where it is. The coordinates showed it being near Beregost and under the ground surfase. But this was bad news also because it was not moving which is meaning it is active.
I jumped back to Candlekeep and runned from the Lab. The guard was sure to beleve I am crazy running past wearing only my nite shirt and socks! I knocked on the First Reader's door calling out "I finded it. It is activated!" He did not answer soon enuf so I runned to the Guide's Quarters and waked him. He thanked me then told me to become ready. We would move against it soon.
Hours later... it seemed to be days... we meeted in the Library. I was ready for battle. Guide Wendel, Seeker Lillith, Acolyte Hoihe, Seeker Laitae, Scribe Teo, Reader Elycia Acolyte Louise De'LaValiere, Acolyte Kestral and myself was there. We talked for many minutes. We learned many Flaming Fist and Amn soldiers were sleeping and not able to wake up. This confirmed in my mind the Tear was sure to near, probably under them, in a cave.
Journal, the Tear of Talona is what we were searching for so many yestermonths past. It is a cursed thing caused by magik to please evil Talona, goddess of poison and sikness. When it is active it causes the souls of persons sleeping to become trapped in the Dream plane. Their bodys cannot be waked up. So days later they die because they cannot eat or drink trapping their souls in the Dream plane forever. I do not understand how some person can become so evil and twisted in their minds and ideas to create a such terrible artifact. But it is real (or was real, but I am jumping to the end of this story). It was near to us. We must destroy it!
We all enter the lab then jump to the The Map Room. We were not sure what will happen to us when we traveled there. The Dream plane is similar to your own dreams. It is not a place your material self can be. It is a place where the ideas in your mind take your sleeping self. Wendel telled us to ready our minds. I aim the Map at the Tear then activate my devise. Brite lite covers us. I feel myself moving...
The brite lite fades around us. There is foggy glow all around us. I look down to my hands. My empty hands. I think to myself, Where is my bow?! I look down at myself and see my naked skin in the foggy glow. I try to cover myself with my hands but then I see my armor covering me and my bow appearing in my hand. My feet continue to be bare and I am feeling cold dry dead weeds between my toes. My mind focus on why we are here.
I can now see the others who seem to be as confused as me, exsept Guide Wendel. Louise says she is naked exsept for wearing her blessed ring. But I see her wearing her robes. I also see things floating around us in the distant glow. Dark things. Some are shaped similar to persons. Others are complete persons wearing armor of the Flaming Fist or the armor of Amn. They must be the sleeping soldiers trapped in this Dream plane.
No time to talk. Fortunately we all know our true mission. We begin searching the area for the two spirits we must destroy to turn off the Tear. Soon we find a yound human female trapped in a big krystal. Elysia and I sing breaking her free from the krystal.
The girl is knowing me. She is Tamara. We meeted during the Bhaal Siege at what is now the Friendly Arm Inn. She is remembering me from there. I remember her. She was maybe 14 years old then. Similar age to my sister Q'ehleyr. Pretty girl. But not now. She is dirty and cold and most of all, afraid. Wendel ask me to guard Tamara. It is easy task sinse Tamara taked my hand in her hand and will not relese me. She sayed many times, "Are we real?" and "Do not leave me here." We explain to Tarama why we are in the Dream plane. She is understanding us and is knowing where we should search for the two spirits we must destroy.
We lead the others forward into the foggy glow. Tamara is close to me. I see ragged clothes on her but I feel her dirty skin. Tamara is saying poem* over and over again:
Is this truly what it seems?
the land made of my dreams
A world where all is entwined;
in the deepest recess of my mind.
Oh feel the fabric; oh feel the steel
keep dreaming because none of it is real!
you better keep your focus
or else you will lose your trousers!
I wandered over dreamy meadows
through nightmares foreboding shadows
All has been dwarfed, in my travels,
by the Arch Wizard's large castle!
Some glowing creatures attak us but we quikly defeat them. Soon we find a gate guarded by giants. They tell us the "speak the true names" if we wish to pass. Elysia is understanding and tells them the names. The guards allow us to pass. We see a big dragon ahead of us. And simply walk around it. Tamara continue more of her poem:
The only true power here
is in your head!
The focus must be narrow
use your mind like an arrow
More glowing creatures attak us. Stronger kreatures. We must be nearing our true enemys. We defeat them in honorable combat.
Then a giant floating beholder creature appear above us. Journal, a beholder is sure to be one of the horible creature of the abyss. It has not body, but only big round head. It flys in the air. On it is big mouth with tooths the size of a sword and one big eye above the mouth. On the top is are many more eyes on the tips of many arms similar to oktopus. Very ugly creature. Very scary creature. Very dangerous creature! Why? Because it creates strong magic. It uses the Weave similar to ten mages all paked into one creature.
Forturnate for us, there are many of us for it to attack. We quikly destroy it before it can cause big injurys to any of us. Then a portal opens above us and we hear a voise taunting us. Tamara tells us more of her poem:
Call yourself an Archmage?
you're not even a stupid page.
Fancy yourself a God?
you were brought low like a dog.
Victory is ours on this day
now let us find our way!
We quikly heal our small wounds then jump into the portal following the taunting voise. Next I feel my bare foots standing in water up to my knees. Tamara is holding onto my arm. Standing near to us is giant ugly creature. Her skin is green and sik. The smell around us remind me of the smells on Captain Muk's island. Truly awful. Worse than dead smell. Tamara continue more of her poem:
May the Crying Lord lend us aid
in the name of all you hold dear, have faith!
The Goddess of Disease,
it is from fear she pleads!
Metzi we bid you goodbye
because on this day you DIE!
We attak! The battle is quik. The evil creature wounded. Then Louise calls magic from her blessed ring which destroys the creature into 1000 parts. Seconds later the wind is blowing very strong. It begin to pull us upward. I feel myself moving similar to when I use the devise. I hold tite to Tamara's hand as we are pulled up into the dank dark sky.
The darkness fades around me. I am standing in a cold cave in knee deep water. I am wearing all of my armor. Tamara is next to me continueing holding my hand. She is wearing rags for cloths. I put my cloak around her. I see the others in the darkness cirkled around a pedestal and on it I see a gem thing. We moved out of the Dream plane into the Material plane.
I try to comfort Tamara. I am not sure what happened next. There is magical sounds then Teo is throwed against the wall. Maybe he used his cursed magic of the abyss on the Tear? I am not sure. Then Louise used her blessed ring on the Tear. Magic power rushed away from the Tear breaking it into 3 parts.
The Tear of Talona is destroyed. The treat of the Tear of Talona is ended.
Journal, we soon learned who activated the Tear and why, but that will be my next story. Nut guided my path. Seqmet guided my arrows.
/s/ Valqis Sanejmeh, Reader of Candlekeep, Navigator of the Sea Searcher, Defender of Nut, Daughter of Martoq and Ghilqa'
* I writed Tamara's poem in the days after we returned. She repeated it often.
PC1 = Nerys, Emissary and Skald of the Greyfox tribe, roaming north near Secomber
PC2 = Valqis Sanejmeh; far away cartographer, Oracle of Nut at chaltin QulDaq, former navigator of the Sea Seeker, Reader of Candlekeep and sometime performer.
