The Lute is Gone!

(Crossing, Zoluren: 100 Lirisa 355)

It is with a sad and trembling hand that I write what I am about to divulge. We, a dozen or so bards and non bards had gathered in the Crossing sewers to commemorate the first anniversary of the Lute Watch, when a group of us braved all to guard the holy lute of Faenella against teh depredations of the Gorbesh.

We sang songs of hope and inspiration to the lost bardess Wren and Faenella, hoping that Wren would hear our choruses and take heart and be uplifted, as had happened in the past. All was going well and we were anticipating an omen or sign from Faenella that she was pleased with our songs.

Then a S’kra Mur named Ponlakh and a Moon Mage named Leynar strode up the rubble mound into the lute room. Ponlakh began berating us and our efforts while Leynar stood silently and fidgeted nervously. I noted in the glint of our lights that Ponlakh wore a tailband, and upon it was engraved the visage of a dragon’s talon crushing a wren.

Immediately, I guessed at Ponlakh’s true nature and purpose and, as I was the only one behind the S’kra Mur to see the band, I called forth to my companions to ware the S’kra and note his tailband. With this Ponlakh reached out and picked up the holy lute! This lute had been leded into the floor of the room since as long as even elves can remember!

Ponlakh laughed at us mockingly and produced a Pyi Pya, which belonged to Wren, and said "I guess I will not be needing this anymore."

With that Leynar gestured and a fierce blue moongate ripped the air before us. Ponlakh also gestured and out of the shadows sprang Adan’f warriors, a bony fylgjia, and, horror of all horrors, a snaer hafwa.

Ponlakh leapt through the gate, Alishana, me, and others hot on his tail, but through the gate also came the creatures, and in the town square of Crossing Alishana was slain and Ponlakh made good his escape. As I cried for help and the doughty warriors and mages of Crossing assembled to slay the creatures who had accompanied Ponlakh, I ran back for the lute room.

There I found that scoundrel Leynar and shot an arrow into his throat, stunning him so that he could work no further magicks. He pleaded pitifully for mercy and told us that he had been duped by Ponlakh, paid to lead him to the lute and to cast the moongate, but that he had not known Ponlakh’s purpose or nature.

At this I scoffed, for his story had holes enough to pull a gittern through, and I told him as I nocked a black shar arrow to my bow, that he would either cooperate fully with us or die by my hand. Alas! As he considered his fate, the snaer hafwa materialized and slew him … obviously to keep him silent. I grabbed Leynar’s body in the hope that he could be resurrected, but the hafwa grabbed him from my grasp and took the corpse into the very earth at our feet … gone forever.

This is all I can write on this matter currently. More was said later on by an elf named Rianalee … but these matters are weighty and I leave the details of that meeting to others. It has been a long, hard, and sad night and I wish nothing more than to return to my cottage at Chelsea and to drown my sorrows in Glythtide’s Favours until blessed sleep overtake me.