Coldeven 10

By the will of Heironeous, we have at last found what we were looking for. My bones are still chilled, and I find it difficult to write, but I have sworn to put down the account of what has happened.

We had been spent the last week searching for the hidden room beyond the crypt, and it was my erstwhile elven companion Eleon who found the secret door behind one of the crumbling sarcophagi. Beyond was a narrow passage of rough stone, which opened into a small chamber. The room was somewhat circular in shape, and empty except for an archway of worked, black stone, built into the very wall of the chamber. Of more immediate interest were the two skeletons on the ground before the archway. They must have been centuries old, for whatever clothing they wore was rotted, and they were covered in cobwebs. One wore the tattered remnants of what looked to be a tunic, while the frayed scraps of what looked to be a robe clung to the other. The skeleton with the tunic was missing one arm, but the other grasped the hilt of a longsword, whose blade was buried in the ribcage of the other skeleton. We carefully brushed away the cobwebs to get a closer look.

I was naturally drawn to the longsword. It was a fine blade, preserved all these years without a hint of corrosion. It obviously bore a strong enchantment, and should serve the might of Heironeous well, despite the poor fortune of its previous owner.

The wizard Dutomus was more interested in the other skeleton. As I drew the sword from its ribcage, the cobwebs parted to reveal a glint of purple. It was that which Dutomus had come here to find, an amulet worn on a chain around the skeleton's neck, with a purple stone in the shape of a spiral upon its face: the artifact he called the Stone of Years.

Hesitantly he reached out to grasp it. We held our breath, recalling his warning of the consequences of touching this artifact, should we find it. However, he must have been prepared for this moment: the Stone seemed to pulse slightly at his touch, but that was all. He crouched motionless for a long while, seeming to stare into its depths, then abruptly yanked the Stone free of the skeleton, beheading it in the process. He then put it around his neck, wearing a strange smile that I did not quite like.

I hope he knows what he is doing.


Coldeven 15

It has been three days since our return from the crypt, and things have not gone well. Dutomus has been acting more and more strangely. He keeps muttering to himself, and has developed the eccentric habit of staring off into space for long periods of time, as if seeing things that others could not. I am convinced that the Stone he found is the cause of his behavior. I had thought that his obseesive behaviors would end upon the finding of the Stone. Instead, he seems more feverish than ever in his studies. He made a trip to Verbobonc lately and came back with a wagonload of dusty books. When I asked him of this, he replied curtly that he had discovered a new avenue of research. I didn't ask where he obtained the money for the books and the wagon... I didn't wish to know.


Coldeven 21

Dutomus has grown more and more reclusive, and no longer joins our party for our evening meals. When he is not in his study, he is off traveling; his trips to Verbobonc have increased in frequency. I discreetly journeyed there myself yesterday, to find out what he had been up to last week. Though he has been seen about the city by many, I learned the most from the sage at the Library there. It appears Dutomus had stopped in multiple times, inquiring after the records and history of a family bearing the name "DiRiccini". Since the materials cannot be removed from the Library, he spent his last few visits there reading and scribing all he could find. I shall go there myself tomorrow, and try to learn what interests him so much.


Coldeven 22

Something is not right. Before departing for the city this morn, I asked Eleon where Dutomus was, not wishing to alert the mage to my suspicions regarding his behavior. Eleon seemed surprised, saying that the mage had asked the very same question of him late last evening. Being a guileless soul, he had told Dutomus that I had been planning to go to the Library in Verbobonc in the morning. He said that the mage seemed grimly pleased with this news, and immediately departed. I know not what this means, but I think I shall forego my visit, and lie low for a bit. I do not trust Dutomus any longer.


Coldeven 25

Eleon has gone missing. He was last seen at breakfast, and then left for town, saying he had errands to run. Dutomus has not been seen since the 22nd, and I suspect he is involved in the elf's disappearance. If so, he surely must have learned of my suspicions of him. The unstable wizard must have finally lost his sanity. I must leave the party right away, so that they are not endangered; hopefully he will only look upon me as a threat, and will leave the others in peace. I must go to my church and seek their aid; surely they will know how to handle this. May Heironeous be with me.