Underdark - Journal of Jaraaste

[Karond]

Jaraaste

Biography: (Link not in use yet)

Journal Entry 1

I have arrived in Sshamath once more, my home and origins. The city is not as I remember it, the ravages of war fully visible in its outlying caverns, but the conclave stronger than ever. I hear words that they have ceded power to the Llothians and the 7th Circle post-war, yet I suspect that is a well calculated move in giving these organizations the illusion of participation at the seat of power. Many of them are walking the streets.

This is an opportunity. Many schemes are no doubt in motion from the upstarts, and the conclave rewards informers. With no standing or even a place at the circle of mages, it might be a profitable career to use my powers in this endeavour.




Journal Entry 2

Curse me, for I am a fool! I encountered a secretive gathering in the ruins of the dead, and after answering their questions, I did a bit of an inquiry myself as to whereabouts. There where 3 females, one drow, one hooded but surely not drow and one whom appeared as Imaskari. Two of them where wizards of note. I would have let them be had they not been led by the Imaskari, but they proved hostile, at every moment studying my weaknesses like a hungry predator gazes at its prey. They would not answer anything in spite of the manners taught to me, and all of a sudden they did attack seeking to prevent anyone from knowing that they were there.

I knocked one of the wizards unconcious and left the other whimpering and bleeding heavily on the ruin floors, calling out for mercy and their immediate surrender. The last one fled never to be seen. I foolishly accepted their surrender, having spared them for a proper interrogation by the threat of death. The hooded one appeared more able that I thought, however, and summoned with her last strength a teleport spell sending them away from my reach. To make matters worse, they know of my name and will surely begin a search for me.

[Karond]

Journal entry 3

I've begun taking precautions against my assailants, by recruiting several drow I've come to known to find information for me. My plan is simple. The attackers know of my name, and they are searching for me. My lack of reknown and a valuable career will for once prove useful. I've instructed my informants to mention me by name, mainly in a negative manner. In doing so, I'm hoping my assailants will take note and inqure about it with my informants, thus revealing themselves for suspicion. My name is worth little, hence anyone knowing of it and despising it is very likely to be one of these recent 3 females. It is a simple trap, but it may prove effective.

I've also given the situation some more thought. There is one key element I'll begin to investigate myself, that of the Imaskari leader. The acceptance of her leadership by at least one other drow in that gathering limits certain possibilities. The hierarchy is strong here in Sshamath, and its citizens are well learned in its hegemony. I can only think of one organization that deviates from these laws to possibly put an Imaskari in leadership, and that is the 7th Circle.

I best be cautious.

[Karond]

Journal Entry 4

My informants have found little. All but Shur has been useless, since he has provided me with a name; Skadi. Female, pays good coin, no description. I'll need to find more, but a name is useful in the right circumstances. I should take precautions against mentioning it less I invoke suspicions. If Skadi is indeed one my assailants, it should not be hard to persuade her as to the location of the others.

I've also encountered a group of Elistraeeans, a very secretive group. I won't mention them by name even in my private journal, but contact with them may prove useful as they're a constant thorn in the side of the Llothians. I hold no love for the Llothians myself, but either side can be moved to usefulness.

Lastly, I've made some suprising gains. By chance, I encountered the spymaster of the 7th Circle, Valshar the phantom wizard, and one of his accomplices Zilv'eari. This was a great opportunity to widen my small network with a much larger one in the hunt for my assailants. Valshar took notice of my information and capability, and has made me his new apprentice after his last one serves in a prison cell regularly visited by Zilv'eari. Thus, I'm now an agent of the 7th Circle, which I find interesting but also highly dangerous. I still do suspect that my assailants belong within this organization, and I'm unsure as to if I'm really the apprentice of Valshar, or just using that title as a cover for my investigations. The politic opportunities are there though.

Shortly after I was invited to a formal meeting between the 7th circle and their rivvil allies, who called for our aid. There are however issues, which I did humbly point out to my master. He informed of a group known as the Baleful Maw, whom have been responsible for surface raids and murders. Possibly, this group may damage our operations and connection with our allies, less they are checked for. We decided they should be encouraged, as long as they stayed far away from our plans. Thus, the Baleful Maw would draw rivvil military forces towards them, easing our own operations and minimizing the risk we'll take in the aid of our allies. As I left, Zilv'eari and Valshar stayed behind, possibly discussing how to do this.

I need to make myself more useful and influential.

[Karond]

Journal Entry 5

Recent events have taken quite a dramatic turn. I was part of a larger drow patrol that after being harassed by mindflayers in the outer regions, visited one of their hives for trading purposes and investigation as to why these Illithid and their thralls where so hostile to citizens of Sshamath. Despite no permission to enter the restricted areas within the hive, we went in searching for information as stealthily as we could, dispatching anyone we caught by surprise.

Eventually, we got lost within the massive maze of portals and seemingly living organic matter, and the battle was turning more grim for every step as we slayed them in their dozens. Stumbling around we encountered the elder brain, heavily protected and possessing great magical powers. Seeing no other way out, we confronted it in what was to be a most gruelling battleground. Initial confrontation went very well, and I was able to take down one of its massive tentacles while my allies fought around me, distracting it as well as its minions. But it was a losing cause.

Our warriors were paralyzed, their minds broken, and chaos ensued quickly turning into a bloodbath in which our patrol was bleeding the most. The elder brain caught notice of me, and we duelled for some time but it was too strong in the current situation. I was nearly touched by the hand of death itself, when I called out for aid in the chaos. Some of us where beaten into bloody pulps, and I made my decision for everyone to gather quickly, but they heard not. The elder brain was about to finish me off, and as a last resort, I teleported away leaving my former allies behind to die at the mindflayers will. I arrived at the outskirts of their city with Suliss, the only member of the patrol who heeded my call.

I returned to the Hive city, posing as a trader, and had some cause for enjoyment. I could see my allies below fighting desperately for their lives, as Illithid patrols roamed by, scattering them across the maze each fighting for themselves. I can see the entertainment value and I highly enjoyed it. After the inevitable death of my allies, I humbly asked to buy their bodies from them, which they agreed upon. I resurrected the only one worth the cost, intending to use the others for my experiments. However, the one I raised insisted to return the entire group to life as well. Such pity.

Among those was Shur, whom saw me as a traitor despite having just saved his life, if unwillingly at that. Like a furious animal, he would not listen to reason nor did he know proper fear, instead he blamed me for the patrol's misfortunes and tried to kill me. He had to be dispatched off. I did not take his life however, since Velve'lin, a deathsong bard, intervened claiming Shur to be property of the Llothian Temple. Shur was healed, and ran away yelling something humorous about a revenge we both know he is incapable off, while I rightly demanded the debt to be settled. After much arguing and threats with the bard, I made my offer not for Shur's life, but for a vial of his blood as sufficient payment. Velve'lin would bring this proposal to the higher ranks, and I was keen to notify him that my offer has an expiration date, or I shall claim what is rightfully mine.

[Karond]

Journal Entry 6

Astral Projection of a hazy Jaraaste

I've been highly commended for my efforts by the spymaster Valshar, who has given me free reins in my dealings as long as they further the cause. My gamble has paid off in the last few days.

The reason for this result was my recent and elaborate operations concerning the Baleful Maw. Our intent is to promote their actions and cause panic amongst the rivvils, forcing the gathering of their military forces and draining them from elsewhere securing the circle's own operations from being revealed.

My plans consisted of hiring a group of Sshamath street thugs, which I dressed up as a pack of the Baleful Maw with careful instructions handed down to them. I then infiltrated a few elven groups for short periods of time, trying to find the right targets and that I did. Travelling under cover with a rivvil known by the name of Elethineth Teu Tel Quessir, I gathered enough information for my plot before constructing a force barrier preventing her and her allies from attacking me. I then revealed myself as a drow, and told them about the operations of the Baleful Maw.

Naturally I exaggerated the threat they posed by a vast amount, but they bought the story and I proceeded with strengthening this misinformation. By a sending spell, I contacted Elethineth a day later and warned of a pack from the Baleful Maw and that I had located them. She quickly gathered a sizeable force of elves to her side, and I appeared once more before them well protected, and told them of this one and only chance to get at the Baleful Maw and prevent their spread. Meanwhile, my Sshamath street thugs was slaughtering humans in a forest far away performing wicked and distasteful rituals, carving out the hearts of the dead humans and praying to dark gods. I personally thought that was a nice touch to how I choose to portray the Baleful Maw.

By the use of my own life essence and the spilling of my own blood, I conjured an image before the elven warparty of what my Sshamath thugs where doing and told them I could transport them there quickly for intervention by sending them through one of the drow scouts. This part was true, I had taken a sample of blood from one of the drow scouts and told him it was so that I could keep track of their location. I omitted that I would use it in other ways, and persuaded the elves to get transported. I sent them through my own body by this use of magic and had them burst out of the poor drow thug I hired, showering the elves in blood and intestines as they arrived. My thugs skirmished with the elves and then retreated back to the teleporting glyphs I had setup for their escape so that they could not be questioned.

The end result was extremely satisfying. Not only had the elves found the threat to be real, failed at intervening and been contaminated by the dark arts, but they would also spread the information further on to gather more military forces to deal with the threat. I appeared after their defeat by astral projeciton, and continued to spin the story to that effect of the Baleful Maws vast numbers and methods of recruiting. Another nice touch, I told them they could recruit from the local wildlife, making their threat exponential with time. I also told them that the Baleful Maw was connected to "The Fear", some orcish invasion the elves informed me of and which I was quick to use to my advantage to strengthen their beliefs in the threat.

As an added bonus, our enemies the Baleful Maw would be in for quite a surprise on their next visit to this sunlit realm, facing forces far beyond theirs that are actively looking for them. I've already begun aiding them to send most of their forces there from Sshamath to speed up this inevitable result. Of course Valshar and Zilv'eari, upon hearing of this information, still did not let me attend their secret meeting and sent me away after learning about my operations. But in time, as I prove myself even more valuable...

Jaraaste telling Mealir Ostirel, Laya Jyne and Mendel about the horrid ways of the Baleful Maw

[Karond]

Journal Entry 7

My network is expanding, and already my agents are at work infiltrating the Llothian temple and the Baleful Maw itself, for information gathering. These agents are very expendable and detached from any relevant information to either me or the 7th circle, only asking for gold like any common street thug would. They could play a large part in furthering spymaster Valshar's cause. Priestess Lillith of Sshamath has also agreed to my demand for a sample of Shur's blood as compensation, and has extended their offers for other vials should I please it. Lastly, by aiding the Baleful Maw reach their unknown doom on the sunlit realm, I've discovered whom Skadi is, supposedly one of my earlier assailants. Things are moving along at an excellent pace.

I've also begun setting up new contacts on the sunlit realm for the spreading of the information about the Baleful Maw. They do not know of my true intent. It seems the elves are harassed by this "Fear", and have failed to cause enough panic about the Baleful Maw as it is, something my rivvil contacts is set to remedy. I'm particularly interested in one capable individual, whom I met by chance spying on the elves. After some tense conversation, and shortly before being discovered by adventurers, I teleported us both away to a more secure location to reach certain agreements.

"Jaraaste meeting a rivvil contact"

He may prove highly useful, as he will begin sowing the chaos needed by my misinformation in return only for my aid in his battle against the elves sometime in the future. I have persuaded him for a vial of his blood, telling him that I'll need it to aid him directly in such a matter. Of course he does not know what else can be done with the blood bond I've setup, but this allows me complete control by having the upper hand in whatever information he comes by should he try to lie to me, as well as giving me the opportunity to cancel my agreement once his part is fulfilled if I deem him no longer useful. After all, I cannot be summoned under the current agreement, only choose to comply to his summon should I want too. I've also given him a method to summon me by Astral Projection should he feel the need to communicate with me.