Tomb of Annihilation: Wyfingrem Hulwir's Journal - Entry 3
My regular Dungeons & Dragons group is playing through Tomb of Annihilation and I am very excited to be doing so. For this campaign, I am playing a Fallen Aasimar Cleric of the Grave Domain named Wyfingrem. Her family are renowned among her people as Resurrectionists. With the world stricken by a Death Curse that has prevented resurrection, Wyfingrem and an odd assortment of adventurers, have answered the call from a mysterious benefactor to find the root cause of the curse and destroy it. Each day, Wyfingrem journals her experiences as a way to feel close to people, especially those closest to her heart.
Day 5
I know it has been a few days since I have written to you, my dearest love, but fear not for my safety. It has been rather mundane these last couple of moons as we paddled deeper into the jungle. While the foliage is beautiful it is also quite ominous, and it has become evident that we are indeed lost.
While Salida won’t outright admit it, the rest of us are convinced of this. We have even gone as far as to threaten a reduction in her remuneration should she not stop immediately and ascertain the proper bearings in order to quickly, and safely, get us to Mezro.
We have set camp for the night and have gained assurances from our guide that while she cannot pinpoint specifically where we are on a map, she knows the general area and is confident she is leading us in the right direction. I am not convinced of this, nor are many of my companions, but what choice do we have?
My prayers tonight to the Gods of Life and Death will of course be for you, my dearest love, and for poor Zilditch, that they may grant me the wisdom to channel their blessings into him, but also for Salida, that she may find proper insight by which to guide us true to our destination. My grandmother taught me much about being magnanimous in order to properly aid my fellow man. I will embrace her wisdom tonight.
Until we are together once more, my dearest love.
All my love.
Day 6
Our journey down the river continued this day and the feeling of being utterly lost in this foreign land is pervasive. And regrettably, it was not a day without incident.
We were set upon by what appeared to be sentient vines on the shores of the river. Their writhing arms reached hungrily for us, grabbing and battering us in attempts to drag us from our boats and strangle the life from our bodies.
I hesitate to tell you of my own perils, my dearest love, for fear of upsetting you but know that the Gods of Life and Death judged my purpose not yet fulfilled and spared me.
Nevertheless, I was caught in the grasp of one such maleficent vine and dragged toward the shore as it squeezed my body. Dimo was my savior this day. He heroically freed me, allowing me to struggle back into the boat. Once aboard, the Gods of Life answered my prayers and let their healing energies mend my body.
With the blessings of the Gods of Life flowing within me, I turned to the Gods of Death to seek internal balance, and with my bow in hand, they guided my aim so that I struck true. We pulled away from that mass of vines only to find ourselves beset upon by more such creatures.
Another of my companions, Immo, a turtle-like humanoid (can you imagine, my dearest love!), was brutally stuck and fell unconscious. But once again the half-orc Dimo, a maelstrom of righteous fury, cleaved the vines in twain, releasing Immo from their foul clutches.
I must admit, my dearest love, I found myself inspired by his primal rage and tapped deep into my own spiritual rage, calling upon the Gods of Death to cast a Bane hex upon the deadly vines. The Gods answered my call with haste, as the vines would touch me not again this day.
Feeling the protection granted me by the Gods of Death, I called upon the Gods of Life to restore my inner balance, and placed hands upon Immo, stabilizing him.
It was then that I witnessed perhaps the most definitive sign yet that our Gods were most assuredly guiding me on my journey. In a most pronounced act of selflessness and bravery I have ever witnessed, Sir McManly, Dimo, and another of our group, a reptilian figure named Rhyaex, actually exited the boats and waded through the river toward the monsters on shore!
My immediate reaction was panic for I knew not how I would protect these men or heal their wounds against these vicious vines! I should have maintained my faith in the Gods of Life and Death however as the three valiant warriors felled the creatures with ease.
I was never more relieved than when everyone was back on board the boats and we had steadily put distance between ourselves and the pursuing vine monsters. With chaos gone, I set to providing greater restorative efforts to Immo.
We have reached a place we feel is safe to camp for the night. I am anxious to get some rest for I am physically and emotionally drained from the day.
I hope you are well. It feels so odd to be so far apart and apart for so long after all the time we spent blissfully together. I am sure father is boring you to death with stories about me as a child! I do pity you this but am also grateful for you to be there as his audience. This curse has struck him perhaps worst of all, and your growing closer while I am away brings joy to my heart.
Even though I shall be the one that carries forth our family’s legacy should my companions and I upend this curse, I as yet do not carry the burden of legacy upon me that father does. He has bore the weight of the Hulwir name for many more decades than I, and I see the emptiness and shame he has burdened himself with now that he can no longer perform the Resurrection Rites. It is not his fault, deep down I know he knows this too, but it has shattered his pride and his spirit all the same. I shall proudly help him retake his mantle among our people when I return, and if he is not will or able, take it up myself!
I pray this time spawns an unbreakable bond between you, and that your time together shall be the salve that heals any pain from my being apart from you both.
It is time for me to slumber, my dearest love. Tonight my prayers shall be for you and father. But I shall also reach out to my Gods once again and ask for the wisdom and power to innoculate Zilditch, and others, against this strange jungle illness.
All my love.
Day 7
Hello again, my dearest love.
My heart remains full with unending love for you even though my note to you will likely be short.
It was a long and blessedly uneventful day today, save for poor Zilditch. It seems his illness, the Mad Monkey Fever, as it is known, has progressed with most dispiriting results. This morning he awoke robbed of his sight, and there is nothing I can do!
I have prayed with the utmost earnestness to the Gods of Life and Death that they might deem me worthy to irradicate his sickness, but my entreaties have gone unanswered. Perhaps they are consumed with granting healing to those in need. Perhaps their work is constant to prevent unearned and unjustified death while this evil curse plagues us all. It is not our place to question their wisdom. We can merely prepare ourselves to receive their just boons when they feel us worthy.
Inete has assured us Zilditch’s sight will eventually return. I have no reason not to trust her. This is her native land and she is infinitely more knowledgeable of its nuances.
Nonetheless, I shall pray again to the Gods for their grace upon me and through me upon the Goblin man. And of course, I pray for you.
All my love.
Day 8
We seemed to have found ourselves in the middle of the jungle this day. It is unclear where exactly or how much further our travels will take us, however.
The jungle rains we had heard so much about started today and I admit those tales were not laden with exaggeration! Indeed, it was a heavy rain but not a chilly one, and fortunately, we were well equipped for just such an occurrence. We collected much safe drinking water from the rains, and so the Gods’ blessings have once again revealed themselves unto us.
Much of the rests of the day, however, was alternatively frustrating and disturbing, my dearest love. We managed to disturb a sizable group of bats native to this jungle. I lay the fault of that entirely at the feet of the Soulless One.
When one is not truly a living being and therefore devoid of any reason to sustain their own life, it is curious and maddening how careless they become. It is like a hollow tree come to life and dancing near a roaring bonfire. Except in this case, once it finds itself ablaze, the hollow tree runs into the forest and spread its damning flames about the living trees as well.
The Gods were with us however and we managed to beat back the winged devils that spew forth from the cavern one the Souless One decided it prudent to explore it unannounced and unsupported!
Others among us chosed to explore the cavern at that point hope of finding treasure. Treasure! What coin or bauble could they possibly find within that would remotely appraise in value akin to that of restoring life itself! These tangents and distractions are trying, my dearest love. Truly it is the thought of being with you again that rescues me from spiraling into the depths of despair.
Worse yet, we found the bats to be acquiring their sustenance from zombie abominations! Appropriately insulted by their very existence, the Gods of Life and Death granted us the will and ability to destroy these bats and the sacrilegis corpses they fed upon.
At last we have camped for the night. What progress we have made, if any, is unknown to me. But as one follows a map, I continue to follow my faith, for it shall never lead me down a path of regret. Until we may gaze into one another’s eyes again, my dearest love.
All my love.
Day 9
Morning greeted us today with renewed enthusiasm. I began the day in fervent prayer to the Gods of Life and Death that today be the one where we find the fable city draped in vines. I must advance this quest the Gods have set me upon, and I must find my way home to you once again!
Once again, however, the fervent perils of this land made themselves known to us with deadly intent. A group of small, amphibian like beasts Inete and Salida named to be Grungs ambushed us, and we quickly found ourselves overrun.
One such creature plunged its poisoned blade into my flesh, but Ryaex came to my aid and I managed to get away from further harm.
Although we were outnumbered, the Souless One, who somehow calls upon power from places I cannot see or fathom, put several of the beasts to sleep.
Sir McManly fell and so I called upon the Gods seeking their judgement on his behalf. To my relief, they deemed the odd but brave man should live to fight on, and so they allowed me to spare his life, even at a great distance. It was then that I noticed the Soulless One had succumbed to her wounds as well. The Gods seemingly felt she deserved their grace as well and so they channeled healing into her vessel through me as well.
The powerful wisdom of the Gods was evidenced before me though, my dearest love, as I got Sir McManly to his feet. He then in turn was able to resusciate the Souless One enough to get her up and moving again. And through it all, Zilditch, despite being robbed of his sight, fired his bow with such accuracy, it could only be the gifts of our Gods guiding him as struck and fell beast after beast. I have seen the miracles of our Gods today, my dearest love. They are good and they are just and despite everything, they are with me and you.
We survived. It was fighteningly close to disaster but we all still stand. In some ways the fates seem to challenge us at every step and turn, but each day my faith grows stronger, my resolve more solid. I know the Gods will see me through.
It is time for me to pray for continued blessings for us, for you, for father and for all our people. I will hopefully find slumber with you in my dreams.
All my love.