Numont 1^st New Year’s day (?)
I have no way to tell if today really is New Year’s day. But Adriana, Fulric and I decided that we would try our best to keep a semblance of normalcy. If for no other reason than to keep our sanity. Fredigar was surprised to find his box of decorations still stored in the basement. I am sure it was not there before, but I am guessing that the enchantments on the Inn have arranged for these boxes to be there.

We decorated the Inn up in festive decorations, and shared tales of our different cultures. Apparently, the beginning of the New Year in DeepSwamp is a day called “Kissing Day”

On this day, people dress in colorful clothes and extravagant masks and head outside for citywide street parties all over the North. At the stroke of midnight, but more often much earlier, complete strangers take off their masks and kiss each other. Fredigar says that kings and queens also go out in disguise and mingle with the common folk so they too can partake in this festival.

This is a lovely idea, except we have no streets. So Instead we all agreed to dress up for this New Year’s Festival. De’ath seemed horrified at the idea and locked the door to the room he had claimed.

Nuwmont 2^nd

We all slept late today after the drinking and festivities we set into motion last night.

When Adriana and I finally did get up for breakfast we were shocked to see someone sitting in the Common room waiting for us. It was a short, dark haired lady. She had piercing green eyes and a familiar face, though I could not place it. She wore a strange outfit with clashing colors and patterns. The style I had only ever seen on Denethix, the Flying City that started all our troubles.

She quietly watched us enter the room, and a slight smile crept on her face as she waited to see. “My, my, my” She said, in her own language, which was instantly translated by the Inn’s enchantments. “I was not expecting to see you all here.

It was then that I remembered, but before I could say anything Adriana called out her name, “Mercy!”

Mercy was a Quickling. She was in fact the very same Quickling who had helped us 4,000 years ago in the past. She was there at the battle against Dentiata’s pirates. She was thrown in jail with us for saving the city from the Warlock.

It is great to see her.

Mercy had been tinkering with the oard systems 3,000 years ago. When they stashed Bella in the Pod. She thought Bella would be the last survivor, but she was wrong. The magic of the Inn and its protective enchantments prevented the Oard laser fire. The oard that had broken through the back had lost their advantage and were forced to fight hand to hand.

After the battle, Mercy and the survivors had begun to change the codes on the Oard Pods. Any Oard recharging in the pods would now regain their individuality. Mercy was quite proud of this. Unfortunately, she had not realized that the original programming also meant that Bella would be Oarded when she entered the pod.

So here we were with Mercy telling us we had a Good Oard out with our team. I wonder how they will react when they find out, I hope nobody gets too hurt.

Mercy’s team then made it their mission to find and destroy any Oard Bubbles they could and study that technology. She went silent at this point.

Eventually my charismatic little tinker convinced her to talk again, and we heard a story about how Mercy was the last. She had come to collect Bella. Mercy showed us some armor she had placed together from Oard parts that allowed her to use the Oard Tech, and stay alive. She could not replicate the armor yet, but had used it to travel through the Mirrors of her era to ours.

Numont 5^th
Today De’Ath re-emerged from his room. Fredigar was on Mirror Duty today, and around noon, we heard him scream. The team had arrived in a city. We all rushed to the common room to watch. The city was a city of metal, slightly similar to the Buzzard. But different, almost organic. There were no living things around, but there was a lot of smoke. At this point We could see Bella’s Illusion Medallion short out, and she appeared as shocked as everyone else that she was an Oard. We all watched in horror as the entire team turned on her and extremely quickly cut her in half before she could defend herself.

Fang, Ko’Ar and the rest then rushed back to what looked like a mirror. And dashed through. The same type of Mirror that we have in the hidden rooms.

Mercy was mortified at what she had just witnessed. I didn’t know what to say, but I knew that De’Ath should not be the one to talk to her next, so I ushered the vulture man out of the room. I hoped Adriana would know what to say.

That night we learned that Mercy had left. She left a note for us. Unfortunately, I cannot read it. Adriana could with a little of her magic. Mercy had hoped to collect Bella before this tragedy happened. She was certain that Bella didn’t even realize that she was an Oard. Mercy was determined to “fix this”

Numont 9^th
I thought today was going to be a relaxing day. It has been a few days since Mercy left to “Fix” everything. I don’t know what that means for us. However, as I was training today, the gate opened in the basement. The mists that emanated from it were a dark forest green. Fulric called for us all to join him, and as we watched the gate, a group of creatures ran out of the gate yelling like they were ready for battle.

These creatures were hideous Green skinned men about a head taller than me, with large horns coming from their heads. I don’t believe they knew our gate opened into a small cave, and this worked to our advantage, as they thrashed their large swords around, they hit more rock than anything else and we were able to defend the Inn’s basement. Fredigar took up sword as well, and fought beside me. De’Ath, Fulric and Adriana all used their magics to defend the caves.

Tonight, Fulric and I are setting protections near the gate.

Numont 13^th
Apparently, the War has begun. Tharks & Kali burst through the gate today. They KNEW somehow that their lighting guns would not work and came in with crossbows and swords. These people fought bravely against us, and our precautions, but the lack of space for them to move around in great numbers combined with the blade traps we set, meant that the fight was hard, but short lived.

Numont 17^th
We had just finished repairing the damaged traps and were working on new ones when the gate opened again today. The mist was a purplish grey. Three, only three creatures came out. One looked like a human-barbarian with a strange green helmet on his head. The helmet had a rotating Visor, the visor had 3 distinct eyes, that allowed him to see in all directions.

Another one had orange fur covering his whole body. The third was a lady in a dark cape & black headpiece.

Fulric fought the orange, beastly man, while I battled the 3 eyed man. The lady nearly pulverized De’ath & Adriana. It wasn’t until we had forced the men back through the gate that the lady backed off herself, seeing that we had the numbers now.

I don’t know how else we can fortify the gate. Every day the traps need to be rebuilt, as the Inn’s enchantments are there to welcome guests, not bar them from entering, and so every night the traps disappear at midnight.

Numont 21^st
Today we had an attack enter the Inn from the main entrance. A group of 10 humanoid badgers burst in through the main door and attacked us. These ferocious creatures wielded large clubs. The battle was intense and lasted most of the afternoon. I am so happy that we have been able to fight in the light this time. But I am even more happy that somehow, De’Ath was able to “find” a stash of healing potions for us after the battle.

I am not looking forward to badger meat but am sure De’Ath is.