In Joven- problems caused by a wizard

To sum up the adventure involving wyverns, we did finally defeat them and ended up with a good deal of treasure including three rings and some potions with the symbol of Apollo on them (healing potions, hopefully). Khrom-Vel was pleased and this is what he said to us:
"Friends, you have done me a great service, and even though I have granted you gifts I remain in your debt. Know that I will be watching your progress, and keeping an eye out for foul dragons and other creatures. Should I see anything, I will find you and tell you. Should you need assistance, you will know where to look. Additionally, I shall grant you this last service." At this point, a shiny dragon tattoo appeared on our wrists, but then faded away.
"This is the Mark of Khrom-Vel. My friends will know it, and I hope that it will serve you in your time of need. I declare you Khrom-Vel's Champions. Bear your title proudly, and I shall see you again." Our guide, The Breeze, was injured and stayed behind in the town at the foot of the mountain.


Nothing exciting happened the rest of the way to Joven, so I'll continue this narrative there. When we arrived we found that the duke (our old friend Dwight) was out of town on a task and would be back in two days. We decided to stay at the Diamond Dog Inn and Tavern and sort through our wyvern earnings to pass the time; while there, we met the newest member of our travelling party, a half-elf druid named Dorrmags. After meeting Dorrmags, a familiar face entered the tavern- Cornwallis the Conjurer, who, if I remember correctly, we last saw in Woodland. He invited us to his show for free, then agreed to help us identify the rings we found recently.

After we ate, Ghost and I headed to the local Mosque to deliver the plans for the Gate. The Mosque had been freshly whitewashed, so it looks like the Messengers are doing well there, too. We met with the High Messenger and I delivered the plans and let him know where the previous three Gates were being worked on (Port Town, Woodland, and the Walled Valley), and he gave us a little bit of information, such as the Gates having to be recharged after each use. We also lent him our recently acquired potions to see if he could identify them; he is going to get back to us about them.

On the streets, Caleb decided to fight a strongman and actually managed to succeed and win a good deal of coins (I wish I'd been able to see this! A gnome taking on a strongman and winning!). Ghost sold the scalemaille armor to the armorer and gained a little extra money for the party.

Later the party (minus Linora) attended Cornwallis' magic show; there were two of the duke's guards at the pavilion, which seemed a bit odd, and the audience was full of both commoners and nobility, all dressed nicely. During the show something seemed to be not quite right with Cornwallis' magic; it was as if something was affecting his spells because things kept going wrong with each of his tricks and Cornwallis certainly seemed confused about it. The reason for this was soon revealed- Roger, a man Ghost had spoken to before the show, walked up on stage and, with the backup of twelve orcs from the magic show, demanded money and valuables from the audience. Obviously we wanted none of that, so Ghost climbed on stage to let him know that would not be accepted. In response, he pointed his wand at Ghost and threatened her.

He then shot a fireball into the audience, badly injuring and killing many innocent bystanders. I sent my fox to fetch Linora, figuring that we'd need her assistance, and used my Rod of Beguile on Roger and a few surrounding orcs in the hopes of getting him to stop what he was doing; unfortunately, he was able to shrug it off. Luckily Ghost did get in a good hit with her poisoned dagger, causing his ring to turn red and shatter. He then vanished, leaving us to only have to deal with the orcs for now. While the rest of the group fought, I started pouring my water rations (luckily I hadn't left my gear at the Mosque yet) on the poor individuals who were aflame and Ayman tried to use his cloak to put the fire around Caleb out.

SwampFox put one of the orcs in a headlock at Ghost's request, and he asked the orc where Roger went; the orc wouldn't say, and all the orcs vanished. Ayman informed us that the monster summoning spell wore off. At this point Ghost and Dorrmags assisted me in healing the victims, but we were too late to save many, including Caleb. (Ghost made plans to send his body back to Treehome; I don't know what she did exactly, so I'll leave that for her to add.)

After the battle we realized Cornwallis was missing, and after some searching found him and his wine steward hiding, terrified, in a costume trunk. Ghost informed him that Roger had been countering his spells, and Cornwallis said that Roger's ring could have been a talisman of poison resistance. The group looked for fragments of the ring, but I am unsure if anyone found any. Cornwallis then cast a spell to see if he could find where Roger vanished to, but only was able to find out that it was a spell of teleportation and evocation (which the shattered ring triggered), and that Roger could be at least a mile away.

Needless to say, after all this Cornwallis was very upset (and subsequently drunk), but the next day he surprised all of us at dinner by both being extremely humble and not eccentric, and by having figured out what our rings were; none of us expected him to have even thought about our rings after all the excitement the day before! He informed us that the ram's head ring was a "ring of the ram" and that when an activation word was said, it projects a force like a battering ram. He did not know what the activation word was, however, but did say that the ring uses charges and that it was mostly full. The other two rings were rings of "feather falling", but the stone ring was strange and not like one he'd seen before.

That day Ghost had been tracking and asking around about the possible whereabouts of Roger, but only found that he was in town "on business", but that he hadn't been seen all day.

As I am writing this journal, we hear fanfare; the duke must have returned.

~Cyneric Conroy, Order of the Fleet Fox
May 1, 1st day of Gladmoon