A mile from Leilon we found the population gathered, evacuated. Nothing is ever simple. The Talos cult was already there, a faction that seemed to lean towards wielding water. They had a small ship that sailed on conjured water while on dry land, moving faster than any ship I have heard of. I reminded Siax of the name of the leader in the region we had found from the orc camp, Gadrille the Reef Reaver, and while I had intended on dealing with them, as I have been tasked with stopping the cult of Talos from succeeding, I had thought we might at least make it to the town's walls and get a feel for the place before that inevitable confrontation followed.
In the end we dealt with those on the ship without too many issues, although there had been two riders on horses made of water that ran back to the town. I will say that both the green elf and the half-elf have proven themselves in battle, yet I still do not know their true allegiances. They are not bound by the agreement with the Three as Siax and Idris are, and that worries me when there is so much at stake, and so much is unknown. I never had to worry about allegiances and politics before, and I am honestly not suited to it, especially not now that I am even more unsettling to others.
In the aftermath of that battle, I questioned the corpse of the cleric who had seemed to recognise me in battle. She knew a fair amount, which was heartening, but also interestingly I found out that the cult has orders to capture me, unless 'the dead hand' got to me first. Along with the other answers, I can only assume that 'the dead hand' is the Three's person or people of power in the Mere, and my aligning with them will negate whatever hope they have of subsuming the power I carry. I need to prioritise getting to this person, or group, if it will solidify the Three's power better in this way.
The exhaustion I have felt since returning to life, something that has only grown as time went on, and greatly worsened by whatever the wraith did, continues. It makes me wonder whether I was incorrect in my assumption of longevity. Was this new life only a temporary thing that would last only a short time, rather than stretching on into the future indefinitely so long as I didn't get killed? I was given no guarantees of the span of time, after all. Perhaps the Mere is to be my resting place, rather than the mountains. Another set of bones to add to their collection. Either way, the Mere is my goal, and I can only hope that unlike the wraiths, the Dead Hand proves a better ally of power.
We entered the town to find it deserted, but we soon found the cultists at the docks and combat ensued as their leader attempted to summon waves to sacrifice some townsfolk on the islands. The green skinned lady, Arya, has proven herself an interesting and powerful healer, and the half-elf Effie has also shown determination in battle, as well as a good set of priorities in going after the caster. She and Idris balanced on the cusp of death during the battle, and I cannot help but think that it is the will of the Three that kept them alive.
Our group managed to, astoundingly, save all those villagers, with Arya's powerful spell keeping those in her vicinity on the very edge of life as a tsunami summoned by the cult's spellcaster crashed into those islands. I saved myself from it by melding into the stone, as I had done to avoid the avalanche on the peak.
Now in the aftermath I will seek out the corpse of that same spellcaster, for there are questions I feel could be useful to know, especially as someone such as her might have better knowledge of the cult than the cleric earlier. I do not have decades of experience in tactics, but it seems to me that getting thoughts on the cult's weaknesses, from those who live within its shadow, is a decent plan. After that, there are a great many bodies to be put to rest, mostly of the cultists, and if nothing else that needs to be done before I move on. Now the townsfolk are safe, I will keep my distance from them, as I do not wish my presence, which most find uncomfortable and intimidating, to undermine the trust we will have won from them after the battle and rescue at the docks.
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Next entry: Journal entry 2_04 - Theft by the Undeserving