Meadow 8, 802

An air of gloom still seems to hang about the party and the soot-polluted fog gives a depressing look to the city of Freeport. I look forward to our departure. Raven managed to squeeze in some last minute shopping yesterday after she saw the fine vermin boots Stephen acquired and Sister Fara has booked us passage on a large merchant vessel call the Deep Water Darling. She managed to reserve 3 rooms for both our parties, consisting of Sister Fara, her Paladin guard and her two assistants Sister Clare and Bother Charles and us. Our captain Konris seem to be experienced and trustworthy considering the type of operators we have seen and heard about in Freeport. We are prepared well before dawn for the hopefully uneventful last leg of our journey to Bliss.

We arrived one hour before high tide and our departure, and quickly settled in our cabins. As we left port we immediately turned south and after only about 2 hours out of Freeport the change was dramatic; the air cleared and a waters turned a beautiful blue. My mood seemed to lift with the sight of the crystal clear sky and the refreshing clean salt air.

Later that night we spotted an object far off in the sky. After closer study it appeared to be a dragon. I talked with some of the crew and they said you see them once in a while up here by Freeport but they don't bother us much.

Then next day we were again visited by the sight of a dragon in the far distance. I ask the captain if I could use his spyglass to get a better look. He reluctantly said yes. It seemed to be a faded gray color and did not appear to have any jewelry on. Jadon seems convinced it is the same dragon we encountered further north and it is following us or more precisely Stephen. I ask the captain if this is unusual and if he ever had a run in with a dragon. He said that he did, with a small blue but that was many years ago. He also said something about a Sea Serpent but we should not worry that this is a routine passage for him.

As we sail south the water and sky seems to get bluer and bluer it seems our luck for the seas are finally changing. I ask the captain if he has experienced any unusual weather over the lasts few months. He says that it has been a bit stormier than usual but it has been nice lately. On the 6th day out we pass another ship heading north, other than that and some rough weather on the 18th and 19th it has been a remarkably uneventful voyage. On the 21nd we notice a few rock and coral reefs and that the navigator is taking more care that before in plotting our course through the obstacles.

22nd, our first sight of land since we left Freeport, an island the shape of a woman's breast jutting out of the ocean in front of us. Our capstan said it is called "The Tit" and we that we are now 4 days out from Bliss. As we get closer we notice the vegetation has changed and we are seeing trees similar to that we saw on Tholos. The captain said the weather is much warmer here due to a warm southern current.

Meadow 23rd, our first sight of Bliss. Great mountains rise form the sea. They are tall enough to be snowcapped most of the year. We are approaching from the North but we still have to sale around to the South, still 2 to 3 days out. As we come around to the south end of the island we see a very large bay with an island in the center close to the shore. As we get closer we see that the island is covered in large fortifications. Jotork tells us that these are structures were crafted by giants and he remembers seeing such works when he was a child. At the point closest to the island and the land there are two large structures with a chain spanning across the water between them. The size is enormous with each link the size of a house. The chain is lax and does not seem to hinder any ship movement. As we get closer to the city of Bliss the first thing that stand our are the tremendous mountains that form a backdrop for this beautiful city. The mountains seen to touch the sky, we are told that they rise 16,000 to 18,000 feet. The city appears as a white swatch across the base of the mountains filling the narrow strip of land between the short and the foothills. The building seem to mostly be painted white and are about 5 to 7 stories high. The first thing to stand out in the city is the stronghold for it is not white but made of a gray granite with subtle pink streaks running through it. The building is square with a large dome toping it and a forest of towers to one side. It is said that it was built by the Sorcerers of Fire before the wizard wars and eventually was taken over by the Rangers after the sorcerers left. As the Guild grew in size with the advent of trade and exploration the cooperation between the Rangers and the Guild expanded and eventually this became the Guild headquarters. My heart skipped a beat when I first saw the flags of the adventurer's guild flying overhead. At first glance they look like the flags of Seagate, a white Portcullis on an azure field but there is a differences, these flags show the same Portcullis but on a turquoise field. Next to the stronghold is the Celestial Church of Saint Rafael our first stop.

4:00pm Meadow the 24th we arrive at Bliss! We immediately disembark and follow Sister Fara up the steep climb to the church. As with most of Bliss it scale is lager than you would think, the spires of the church are incredibly tall. As I walk the streets I get a sense of higher culture and civilization than we have seen in the more medieval cities and towns we have experienced. We are greeted at the church amidst a scurry of excitement at the presence to the respected Sister Fara. At the entrance is a large statue of a Shepard caring a crook of green stone. Soon a man wearing robes of the church approaches and greets the Sister Fara. We are told he is Father Loadri the head of this church and he will be our local contact. We are quickly escorted into a small ceremonial room with a fount and a small desk. Sister Fare quickly writes and seals two notes one requesting an immediate meeting with the Adventurers Guild Master and the second requesting a representative of the Navigators Guild to meet them at the Adventures Guild. She sent them off with Sister Clare and the Paladin to be delivered. As we wait I have Sister Fara ask if there has been any unusual activity or stories lately but all she finds out is that the shipping traffic has been a little heavier than usual. After 15 minutes she says that is long enough and we head for the Guild.

As we follow Sister Fara up the steep streets to the Guild we see that 3 streets penetrate the stronghold. As we get closer we notice that the stone walls to be amazing in there workmanship. Each stone is individually crafted with interlocking angels that that fit precisely with out the use of mortar. This craftsmanship is reminiscent of the mysterious structures we encounter on Tholos and Otter Falls. The other item worth mentioning regarding the stronghold is its size. As with a lot of the ancient structures we have seen on Bliss it is immense, with walls of at least 50 feet in depth. As we pass through the entrance I get a quick feeling of de-ja-vu and then I notice that the walls are covered with runes that have a very close resemblance to the runes on the Moorwind. We have no problem entering the interior courtyard since Sister Fara is apparently well known, but I notice that there is always a watchful eye on us from afar. We enter through glass doors into an ornately decorated reception room and are meet by a gray haired gentleman in the attire of a Guild Master. We are escorted to a great dinning hall with portraits of rangers adorning the wall. We are finally introduced to Liam Russell, Knight of the Order of Silver, [Commander] of the Rangers in the Isles, and Deputy Guild Master. With the indicial introductions out of the way and us presenting ourselves as survivors of the Moorwind and Trident we ask if we could wait until a representative of the Navigators Guild arrives before we proceed with our story. Master Russell seem a little irritated by the delay but uses the time to call additional masters and a scribe from the Guild to attend our debriefing.

In about 3 minutes a vagrant looking gentleman dressed in very fine furs and the insignia of the Navigators Guild enters the room along with the rest of the debriefing team. Stephen now starts the long story presented in these logs.