Tomb of Annihilation: Wyfingrem Hulwir's Journal - Entry 4

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.

My dearest love,

We have continued our trek upon foot through the truly awesome biome that is this jungle. There are flowers, bulbs and roots aplenty all about us - far too many to count - and it makes me wonder who maladies they could be used to cure in the hands of a proper herbalist. Among our people, Veomnime, one of my closest friends, is among the most talented apothecaries. I know she in particular would be awestruck at the sheer possibilities proffered by our surroundings.

After some time we did come across something not of nature, however. A massive statue sits in this jungle, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. It was covered in vines and spoke of neglect. We postulated that perhaps a civilization rose and faded away on this very land, and nature over time did its majestic work of reclaiming the land.

I learn from our Inete that the statue is of one of the Chultan gods who goes by the name Uptau. She tells us that this Uptau became angry with the Chultans for fighting among themselves and so he left them.

Can you imagine? A god leaving his people over squabbles! I should not be so surprised that the gods of this strange land are every bit as odd as the land itself, but I cannot help myself. What kind of god must this be? A true god would help his people to solve their differences and bring peace to his or her believers. 

Even now our gods have not abandoned us, my dearest love, despite what some among our people may lead you to believe. They indeed are with us and I believe fight as I and so many of us do to destroy this cursed veil that prevents them from touching our lives completely. Have heart and faith though, my dearest love. For as long as we do in them, so shall they in us.

If faith be not enough for you though, I shall instead regale you with tales of the gods’ glorious deeds! 

My companions and I stopped to take an extended rest after hiking across this difficult terrain all day. I spent my time as I most always do during these respites praying to the Gods of Life and Death for their wisdom and guidance. It was at this time that my most earnest of prayers of late were finally answered!

Rejoice, my dearest love, for I came out of my meditation with the sudden knowledge of how to cure the blindness that had afflicted poor Zilditch since he contracted the Mad Monkey Fever! With the glorious will of our gods coursing throughout me, I approached the small goblin man and by laying my hands upon him, restored his eyesight! The Gods of Life and Death are truly just and right!

The liar Salida gathers us and purports to know where we are now. In fact, she claims we are but a day’s walk from the city of Mezro. 

We began again our peregrination through the foliage but were assaulted by a pack of gigantic reptilian beasts! They struck at us with tooth and claw, viciously rending the flesh from Immo and slashing at me as well. Worry not though, my dearest love. Once again Sir McManly came to my aid and assured my safety. I came away with but a scratch thanks to his heroism.

He is a silly man despite his machismo. I doubt not his heart or bravery, and I think you would find him quite amusing were you to meet! It would do my soul well to hear your peals of laughter.

The Gods of Life and Death assert their judgment of Immo through me and decide his life is meant to go on, and so their healing energies flow from my hands into the turtle man. My companions once again answered the call as always and before long we had beaten back the lizard creatures to win the day.

We thought it prudent to take a brief rest before journeying forth and it was well that we did for the most offensive of all occurrences would happen before this day came to an end.

It was not long after we restarted our march when my senses were suddenly and savagely assaulted by the presence of the most sacrilegious abominations of existence - the undead. Their offense toward the law of our gods and offense toward me as well. 

My dearest love, I must tell you that my senses told me true for there were many more of these foul monstrosities about. It is my sworn duty to our gods to destroy those who would endeavor to defy the almighty balance of life and death.

Sir McManly performed a majestic act, summoning a glowing orb of sorts and sent it out to scout. While this is occurring I find myself in a debate with Immo about the place of the undead in our world. He expressed that he is of the opinion that these creatures that neither live nor die are part of the balance of life and death rather than an unholy mockery of it. Can you imagine? 

Fortunately, I did not have to deal with his nonsensical and utterly unjustifiable ideals as we found ourselves to be surrounded by the abominations.

Smallish and pale and somehow driven by a leader who spoke the dwarven tongue, they charged us with murderous intent. But fear not, my dearest love, for our gods know the purity and devotion of my heart, and through me, they focused their awesome power. I rebuked the sins against humanity with the full force of our gods’ will and sent them scurrying away from the truth that shall unmake them.

My senses told me the leader must possess an aura that steels these beasts against the word of our gods and so my companions and I focus our energies on it. Dimo crashes into the leader with reckless abandon but falls to the paralyzing touch of the monsters who serve it. Zilditch masterfully laces arrow after arrow through the crowd and into the leader’s flesh. And Immo, despite his misguided views on the undead, calls forth a column of searing light that burns the flesh of these evil brutes.

The Soulless One somehow conjured a ball of acid from seemingly nowhere and hurled it toward the leader, destroying it once and for all. Her actions, I must admit, most likely saved Dimo from a terrible fate.

Nearest me, Sir McManly stabbed and blocked masterfully but we found ourselves becoming overwhelmed. I called to the Gods of Life and Death for their favor, and feeling their strength filling my soul, I placed my hand on the brave warrior and pushed the gods’ will into him, surrounding him with their awesome aura so that no evil creature may harm him.

Immo directed his magical shaft of radiant moonlight through the remaining monstrosities and just like that, we had delivered the just judgment of our gods upon those that would defy and pervert the natural balance of Life and Death.

Though I admit these sacrilegious creations were stronger than those of their ilk I have faced in the past, they certainly could never hope to be stronger than the will of our gods!

We are spent now though and some of us are injured as well, so we think it best to make camp for the night with expectations to reach Mezro tomorrow.

Pray or the gods’ blessings upon us, my dearest love, for tomorrow will be a great day in that it brings us closer to my completion of this quest and thus that much closer to having you in my arms again.

All my love.