From the journals of Kenari Sanura

Goddess protect us, I didn't know such creations existed. Mindless mounds of flesh doing the bidding of their master… I'd almost feel sorry for them if one of them hadn't tried to kill us. I would almost thank the flesh creature that came so quickly to remove the broken one… but something tells me I would rather not have to see it again.

I must remember to purchase some of this fire in a bottle next time I am able…and what exactly is a "Mordant?"

Travelling caravans… at least this is something I am used to. Unfortunately… they don't seem to be used to me or my companions. Honesty, openness and a willingness to carry one's own weight can go far, however. I will try my best to help these people while the strange one sulks and the mage and priest bicker.

Note to self: be careful touching anyone if Vedis ever "excites the atoms' around me again; the shock was quite irritating to the both of us. For that matter…I should dry in the sun next time if we ever get out of here.

The Gods have not abandoned me completely, it seems… for the hunt was fruitful and I was able to bring back food for the people. I only hope this will help ease the fears of the one with the guns who looks at me so warily. While I am eager to try my skills away from home, my father taught me well enough to respect those who offer aid.

The old woman in red… she seems to be a spiritual leader of sorts for these people. Do the gods talk to her through the cards? It must be nice to have such a simple ritual. It makes me wonder at the pomp and circumstance of the priests of Gheldeneth. Do they complete the rituals for the Gods or for their own purpose?

Apparently our people are not the only ones having trouble communicating with the Gods… for her cards have told us little more than that voice in the mist; this is all a mistake.

Goddess please forgive my thoughts… if you even hear them anymore.

How was I made… and to what purpose? From out of the mouths of babes comes the question of the ages. I am no priest, little one… I can only tell you that I come far separated from the lair of the strange alchemist who built the pitiful Adam and set him on his course of destruction.

I was made out of love… and this place will either temper my steel or break it to pieces.

It's growing late… I must try and get some rest before the caravan moves in the morning.

My father told me stories of fighting the Anhur in the dunes… but I don't think they'd compare to these strange wolf creatures that raided the Vishtani camp. While some seemed normal enough, the two who changed and invaded the camp circle made my skin crawl. They must have been cursed by the gods if even their own appearance reflected their conflicted nature. Curses or no… they thankfully still died the same when impaled on the end of my claw.

I think I need to rest for a minute… my head is still fuzzy from the priest's droning. Heh… I'd have thought I was still a kitten listening to the priests with the morning litany to Thoth if I wasn't in the middle of a battle at the time.

I can't believe he shot me! To be fair, though, I don't think this Ef Utan has seen someone like me either. It's a shame, as I had a small hope that someone not from my world might know of more like me. For whatever reason that his bow broke, it was nothing difficult to fix; I only hope that my repairs will improve his aim next time.

The priest keeps finding the pretty things… I wonder if she'll let me see that strange token she found.

I can't blame the Vishtani for having enough of us; signs are signs, after all… and these werewolves didn't come till we did.

I don't see why Sephira and Lenata have to bicker so much; it seems common sense to me that we should head to this Borovia… it is the only town around here after all. Hopefully by first light they will have made a decision.

Really? After all that we went through the night before, he wakes me up for a ball of light? I see that the morning hasn't stopped the bickering… but this time it seems to be about smoke and sea creatures. Who am I to know the minds of such strange companions… as long as we keep moving forward I have my purpose.

When is a door not a door? When it's a portal, it seems.

Ef Utan's curious lens seems to let him see writing that my eye cannot; apparently the priest isn't the only one with pretty things that I must know more about.

Oh my aching head… remind me to never ask strange wisps questions again. Upon investigation, it seems that if you ask a wisp a question they give you a tattoo and scarper.

We all have one, apparently. Could this be a part of the key they were looking for? Seems to make sense, considering the question of it inspired the giving. Ef Utan mentioned something about actions that activate a portal…

"Maybe we should all stand in the ring and touch tattoos together?" I mention as the bickering continues; and here the warrior says I never shut up. They mutter and plan so much… why can't we just try something and see what happens?

Eventually Lenata and Vedis touch their wrists together and come to the conclusion that I had what feels like hours ago. Priests… they always have to take the long way to do things.

Now THIS is a bar! No music, though… tis a shame. I haven't had the chance to dance in so long. I thought I'd seen a strange mix of people living in a port city… but nothing could've prepared me for this! That bartender especially… he seems jovial enough, but his beard hisses too much for my tastes. Thankfully Sharinda was helpful enough to point us to this Sigil place. Sephira and Ef Utan seem eager enough to go there, so it must be interesting at least.

Wet and smelly again… but at least it's a city! And what a city it is when it stretches as far as the eye can see into the sky and back again. I don't understand how Sephira says it can function without a Sun, though. If day and night just happen… perhaps they have a god that keeps it so for them?

Lenata and Vedis want to find her temple to Celestian. I have to wonder that in a place such as this… would my gods be here too? When they left they must have gone somewhere…

At least there are cats here, so this place is not totally forsaken.

Apparently lodgings are in order more than spiritual matters with Sephira. She claims this place is her home… so I guess I will follow the one who knows where she is going.

What is a changed lock when you've got a universal key? Sephira's fathers place is quite the mess, full of parchment and junk. Now that she's taken care of those strange mushrooms, I must explain to her the benefits of finding a messy home; it's a lot harder for them to tell when something has gone missing…

I decided that after hearing the screams of rage and explosions that came from upstairs when Sephira went to her room, that perhaps staying at her place wasn't the best idea tonight. I said a quick good-bye to the Tiefling and made my way back to the Celestian temple to see if I could find a cot or something with Lenata.

I didn't want any of those mushroom things creeping up on my when I tried to sleep anyway.

These acolytes of Celestian definitely have a different feel about them than the usual temple dwellers at home.

Home…I have no idea where that even IS anymore.

But anyway… these people seem much more reserved than the priests I know. They don't dress in the flashy way of the Osiran priests, and they seem to prefer keeping to themselves more than far-reaching political machinations. Then again, I haven't exactly gone wandering too far around here to find out. Unobtrusive as they may be, they do have a tendency to stick to you like burrs once you pass through their territory. Maybe once this one gets me to Lenata I can find a chance to explore?

Heh… I think the acolyte was just as glad to get away from me as I was from them.

I may have traded one mess of books and papers for another… but at least Lenata isn't screaming about the many ways she's going to torture her father. They were rather creative, I grant her… but I'd rather take notes when Sephira's not so eager to demonstrate them.

The priest still seems wrapped up in finding this Spelljammer thing, apparently. I don't know how a flying fish carries a city on its back and travels the stars… but the Gods have made stranger things in their time. Maybe it's the strangeness of it that keeps them from wanting to talk about it? Lenata claimed it traveled to ports in the stars. I wonder… are there cities like my home where many such ships from all over the sky reside?

As much as I wanted to hear more of her stories of these ports… I couldn't help but notice that the priest has found yet another shiny wonder… a gold skull she called a… Mimir, I think. What really interested me, though… was how she said it answered questions. Would IT know why our Gods left us, or where they went? Even if she says it hasn't helped her, I will never know unless I ask it…

Humph. I was truly hoping it could tell me what I wanted to know instead of making me actually consider delving into dusty tomes like the priest. There must be something better to do around here…

… ah yes… I know just the thing.

Lenata was more than eager to show me this strange device she found on the werewolves. Seems to me the Gods like their games of chance too, if they would make a gambling die that can change the rules with a roll. I prefer to create my own escape plans rather than rely on their whims, however. I had to stop her just so I could ask about what I really wanted to see… those shiny noise makers hanging on her belt.

Apparently the priest was getting bored of books too… because it didn't take nearly as much cajoling as I thought it would to convince her to let me it. I know I promised I'd only look at them while she tried out my bow… I just want to look at these "guns" firing at least once.

Oh what a joyous noise that was… and what a rush! It kicks like a camel and fires with such speed! I must get myself guns like these. Perhaps if I learn this…poker…I can win some too?

Apparently the noise wasn't appreciated by the acolytes too much. Seriously…I just think they need to loosen up around here. What happened to worshiping the gods with joy and passion for life? Perhaps the elders teach them to keep it hidden here… because unless my eyes deceived me, some of the younger ones appreciated my efforts.

Speaking of hidden passions, it seems Vedis has finally returned from visiting her sleeping gods. Did we find anything interesting? Oh yes, stony one… I found something quite wonderful!

From the journal of Vedis Valentine

Note to self: alcohol makes one lose control of one's emotions, but not disastrously so. I was worried about that. I have seen enough people in their cups to warrant caution when approaching the stuff. Having a few glasses of wine in a temple seemed the safest way to experiment.

I never would have considered it on Bral. One drunken misuse of my abilities could have found me launched from the city before the hangover fully wore off. Much to Devon's chagrin, it proved almost as destructive: feathers and a broken vase, but no fire.

I daresay the others benefited well enough from my experience around those who had overindulged. You would think they had the presence of mind to down the jugs of water I left beside their pallets before succumbing to sleep, but I am beginning to think they are unfamiliar with the drunken state as I was, previously.

My dreams continue to elude me, or perhaps my distance from the one piece of home keeps the memory of them from finding me. I am, however, undeterred. Morpheus sent me a waking sign and that was much more than I had ever hoped. No matter the resistance, no matter the cost, I WILL see this through until the end, however fate may deem it to conclude. It is, after all, the journey–the dream–that drives us onward, not the waking.

I feel, though, that my companions misunderstand me horribly. Kenari's surprise that I would play with her troubles me somewhat. Her barb that I would only sing dirges stings, too. I would think that such a playful soul would take good-natured teasing in stride, but I suppose her passions rule her as much as anything. I shall endeavor to be more… 'emotional'… in my dealings with her in the future, if it would put her mind at ease. It goes against everything that I have ever learned. Overt emotion is reserved for the zeal of pursuing the dream, for the rage that fuels the powers of the mind, for the tenderness in crafting a song. I cannot remember the last time that I observed an easy smile from one of my kind in the village.

Ef Utan breaks the mold of any humanoid male that I have met. He has yet to proposition one of the ladies of the party for favors of a delicate nature. Perhaps he finds us not to his taste. A Tiefling, an Asimar, a Catperson, and the amazing psychic sparkly barmaid. Yes, I can see how a human would find that just a bit too much. Or perhaps, it is only that he has learned a sort of control of the urge through his profession. He remains an unopened book in so many ways. I do hope that I might know him better in our journeys ahead.

Sapphira is… well, more tight-lipped than even I am. I suppose it is merely her way. Anything she says may be used against her at some later date. Or maybe she just doesn't like people very much. Who is to say?

Lenata is a friend although there is only so much you can glean about a person while constantly hearing what they wish to drink in their thoughts. It is for this reason that I proposed a different venue to continue our conversation. Little did I know that our trip out for drinks would turn into such a journey. But we had that drink finally!

Whatever our feelings on the matter, we are all linked by the brand of the Spelljammer. Although we come from many different walks of life, it is the tie that binds our motley assortment together. I only hope that we may come to know the deeper bond of friendship that seasoned adventurers speak of, rather than the almost painful politeness we employ. I can already tell that taverns will be making lots of money off me if only so I can slip the bonds for a bit and get to know them all better.