Unbeknownst to them, a new friend joins the danger gang

Parchment Fragments

There must be more fun in this existence than I can find on the empty plane of shadows. Everything is dull and everywhere is solitude. The height of enjoyment is playing cheap tricks on passersby. I’ve found that they are frequently stricken with such terror at these tricks that they will share a great deal of information with me. For example, there are other places with things called colors. I do not consider myself to be a dull entity, yet I find myself unable to comprehend what these things are no matter how often I speak with one of these terror-stricken visitors. I used to just slay those who couldn’t communicate some new thought to me effectively—but now I give everyone one pass. I say: First, try to explain color. If you succeed, I will bountifully reward you. If not, you will have another opportunity to provide me with information that I do not already have. This works to my advantage. Everyone would simply die at the color question and I would learn nothing new.

I have devised a plan to escape this place. The next time a passerby confronts me, rather than posing riddles I will simply poses him or her. I can then leave this wretched place. We will see where things take me after that. I think this to be an excellent plan.

Approx. time of composition--10:00PM June 1nd

Well, my plan worked even better than I could have expected. A wretched clod came by me the other day. He was putrid and seemed something of an imbecile. Lucky for him I had adopted the new strategy or he’d surly have died, for from what I can tell he can hardly keep two thoughts together long enough to see how they relate to a third.

On a side note—colors are difficult to describe, but not all that I had anticipated their being. I should have known better than to take stock in the prattling of passers by who find themselves in a state of mortal terror. Speaking to people who are not trying to barter for their lives may lead to better results in the future.

Inhabiting his body has been a somewhat less than savory experience. However, at the time of possession, he had protection from evil cast upon his person. This led to the suppression of my possession, but not the complete elimination of my faculties. I was able to observe his traveling companions and to discern the best way to introduce myself such that I would be able to maintain possession of this body for some period of time without having to fight. Here is what I have noticed thus far:

One of the persons, possibly the leader, is an extraordinarily charming fellow. I dare say it must be near impossible not to like him. However, he is foolish insofar as he constantly wants to discuss things and avoid violent conflict. I can only imagine that he has some sort of banal respect for life. Still, his existence made my introductions easier.

One of the persons is foolhardy. He takes needlessly absurd risks. Someone like he should by all right have perished by now. That he has not led me to think that his companions care for his preservation—another bit of information that is useful.

There are two extraordinarily competent fighters—persons I’d rather not trade blows with—both of whom are dour and quite tight-lipped, though for reasons I’m not sure about.

There is another cleric who could be trouble, but does not seem unreasonable. Finally, there is a petulant homosexual thief. He appears entirely unhappy at all times. His presence confuses me, except that he appears to have some strange fondness for the addled fool whose body I am now in possession of.

Clearly, such persons would be excellent traveling partners. Were I able to persuade them, they would likely protect me in order to ensure the integrity of this vessel. At the same time, they appear driven, and I would likely see things otherwise difficult to encounter were I to simply take this body off on its own.

I learned all of these things while swimming about in castles underwater. Suits me well enough—I like the dark. I didn’t pay much attention to what was going on throughout this, as I was trying to gauge the character of my potential companions. There were several slimy aquatic creatures, a few foolish religious zealots, some powerful brain and its fearful minions, a great orb of evil, and another king whom everyone appeared to treat with the appropriate level of disdain (a first for these persons).

At one point, the foolhardy one left his body to possesses a gargantuan jellyfish. When that fish fell out on top of everyone, the inanimate body drifted away, and my body left the 10’ radius of protection. I grabbed the body’s dagger and told the charismatic fellow that I’d like to parlay. I explained my situation and they appeared to think it reasonable enough that I would travel with them for a week until I found a more suitable host. When denied a request for a bladed weapon, I kept the dagger.

Unfortunately, shortly after this I was forced into Gershom’s protection from evil radius. However, this was merely a test to determine whether or not Diogenes remained within the body? It was clever on their part, and they agreed not to do it again. I can’t blame them—but I can’t trust them either. We then left the ocean and boarded an enormous boat housed, somehow, on the person of the be-wanged barbarian, where three messengers gave information from a Lao fellow to these companions. Their names: kim chee yang, ser, and Charbishimon.

One of the messengers wanted an account of the life of some friend of theirs. Another provided them with some egg sac. The third told them not to trust the boobs who worshiped that goddess we found under the ocean.

We then wrest information from the contemptible old fish-king. He tells us that there is something of interest in a placed called Africa, and that there is something of interest in the some place to the north. I don’t care much where we go—I just want to see and slay things.

Previous: Unknown men hug the danger gang, Diogenes experiences loss and reunion.
Next: Tying up loose ends and unraveling others