Goblin Diaries, Vol 4: The Alchemist in Azurith

 (From the 10/20/2023 newsletter) 


14th Day of the Harvest Moon, 1218th Year, Human Age of Magic ...

I've been busy--too busy to keep up this journal as I had hoped. It has taken me nearly a year to bring my plan to fruition, but I'm finally on the verge of retrieving the Eye of Ellindrell and Ka'il Idreth. 

I arrived in Azureth almost a year ago. I sought out the Alchemist and was able to persuade him to employ me as an assistant, convincing him of my ability to translate and otherwise interpret most of the Fae manuscripts he has accumulated. At first, I was little more than a glorified housekeeper--and let me tell you, some of the chores around here are thoroughly disgusting. When I first came on, he had me collecting hundreds of frogs daily from the marshes around Lake Marin and then cleaning the messes he made using them in his experiments with spells. Thank the gods I've been able to discourage some of that experimentation with more accurate translations of the manuscripts.

In the poor mule's defense--sorry, sorcerer's defense (I've been working on not using the pejorative, somewhat unsuccessfully, I'm afraid)--I've found him to be a man with his heart in the right place. Unlike so many other sorcerers (See? I'm getting better.) he's not just seeking to line his pockets with gold, but to accumulate knowledge he feels may help his fellow man. Yet he is far too willing to try something truly bizarre with little concern for the consequences.

But that defect of character is working to the benefit of my mission. The local ruler, King Palatus, in an effort to purge the local judiciary of corruption, has approached my employer with the idea of invoking their god of justice, Vale, to make official rulings in court disputes. The Alchemist jumped at the chance. He's come up with the idea for a spell to channel Vale through a golem of his making, and I suggested he procure the Eye of Ellindrell as a power source. I further suggested the mercenary, Tsing, might be the best candidate to find the jewel and deliver it to us.

He was rather easily convinced. This morning he dispatched several agents to seek out Tsing and commission him for the task. If all goes as planned, the renowned swordsman may soon arrive bearing both of the Fae artifacts I seek, for I believe he already has Ka'il Idreth, The Sword That Sings, in his possession. Let us hope for the best.

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