Road to Kiev, Chapter Eighteen

A Battle Averted
Tuesday, November 15th, 987 AD

We heal up as best we can after our battle with the Squid-Man in the water tunnel and then walk a mile. Reynaldo notices men walking on the bottom of the ocean (not in the tunnel) and we all panic. We run as fast as we can down the tunnel and these men give chase. Edward convinces us that we cannot outrun them, so we brace for a battle. When they near us we notice they have fish heads with big bulbous eyes that constantly move. It made me very uncomfortable. Edward started to sign with them about how we were just trying to leave the area. The Fish-Men seemed to be okay with this and so we walked away while their rotating eyes followed our every move. We made it into a regular tunnel (with rock and earth around us instead of magic) again. We rested near the entrance to the tunnel.

Lots of Traveling
Wednesday, November 16th through Friday, November 25th, 987 AD

We mostly just walked a great deal during these dates. Some things of note or importance:

Wednesday the 16th: We divided up Gunther's things amongst the party. Reynaldo got the water-breathing tooth and put in his mouth, Edward got the magical Roman shield, and Ivan got the magical Roman spear.
Tuesday the 22nd: We find a door in the side of the tunnel that leads out into the ocean. Reynaldo goes and sees that our rock and earth tunnel isn't actually in a lot of rock and earth. It's a small mound and magic is probably still protecting us. During the night, the Fish-Men, rotating eyes and all, come up from the behind us. Edward once again communicates with them and we let them pass after Edward sets off a Glyph of Warding on himself.
Wednesday the 23rd: We find a room off the side of the tunnel. Thalia tracks and tells us the Fish-Men were here. We continue on.
Thursday the 24th: We find another door into the ocean. We augury to see if anything of note is nearby. God apparently answers in the negative and we continue on. Also, Conrad gets paid.

The End of the Tunnel Has Another Crazy Elf
Saturday, November 26th, 987 AD

After eighteen miles of walking, the tunnel opens up into a room with three other exits. We explore for awhile and find a room with a mound of skulls in the corner. Reynaldo starts to break down the mound in hopes of finding something interesting. Catarina hears something under the pile and then a large elven warrior, young and strapping, appears. He spoke only elvish, and this exchange took place:

Elven Warrior: What are you doing?
Reynaldo: Uhh... nothing. (places a skull back on the mound).
EW: I did not know that other elves still existed.
Rey: I get that a lot.
EW: Has she sent you?
Rey: Who's she?
EW: You know who she is. Why are you here?
Rey: I don't know who she is and we're here because we're traveling.
EW: Do not lie!
Rey: Who's under here?
EW: My... friend. (moves to the mound of skulls) Leave now!

We all walk out of the room and Rey turns and finds he did not follow. The conversation becomes a shouting one.

Rey: So, who are you?
EW: You know who I am. She sent you, after all.
Rey: Who is she?
EW: You already know.
Rey: Gah! We don't fucking.... Okay, let's start over. My name is Reynaldo. What's yours?
EW: Cirallim.
Rey: And what is the name of this woman you keep speaking of?
EW: The woman I loved. She has spurned me for another.
Rey: Okay, good, but her name.
EW: Why do you ask for something you already know?
Rey: Oh for fuck's sake. Alright, asshole, get out here. I'm gonna beat the crap out of you.
EW: I knew she sent you!
Rey: Who the hell is she?!
EW: You already know!
Rey: Oh, it's fucking on now. (to Ivan, in Norse) He called your mom a whore.

Ivan rushes in and sees that the elven warrior is nowhere to be found. The party comes in after him. Reynaldo and Catarina start to tear down the skull mound and the warrior reappears, seemingly out of thin air.

EW: Stop that!
Rey: Make me.

The battle commences and we quickly realize that this is a formidabble foe. Magic does not seem to harm him and he is much faster than our warriors, seeing as how he can attack many times while the warriors can only attack once. We are victorious nonetheless and Reynaldo quickly descends into the trapdoor found beneath the pile of skulls. Edward and Catarina join him. They find an old, old elven man in his bed who coughs up blood.

Old Man: What are you waiting for? Finish it.
Rey: Now, don't you wish you hadn't pissed me off.
Old Man: Fuck you.

Reynaldo quickly slits his throat and they toss the room, but find nothing of any real value. We all rest upstairs.

The Surface Contains Nicer Elves and One Sketchy Human
Sunday, November 29th, 987 AD

Anna and Edward speak with the dead elf with *ahem* God-granted powers. He says that the woman's name was Thanalil and that the soldier was a magical projection that he could naturally do. Reynaldo mutters something about how stupid inherent magic is. We rest and then finish exploring. We find a door with the same crescent shape on it that the first door into the tunnel. Reynaldo tries to pick it and fails. Edward tries to stone shape the rock around the hinges, but finds it to be magically protected. Suddenly, a girl opens it from the other side. She is startled to see us and tries to close the door, but Anna jams her foot in the crack. The girl runs away and we walk through the door into a room with clothing laid out on an altar. We walk out of the room and are greeted by an old elven woman and a tall thin human. The woman's name is Thanalil and the man's name is Hercules, but he prefers to be called Slim. We talk a lot and learn that the reason Thanalil has not gone to the Gray Havens is because she wanted revenge on Cirallim for betraying her, her lover, and her people to the Romans. We tell her we've already killed him and she asks to see his head. We also learn that Slim works for a Lord Vladimir collecting antiques and relics, and he knows things about Igwolf. For example, he knows that in Russia, she was known as Baba Ikkulu and was good friends with Baba Yaga. We show Cirallim's head to Thanalil and she gives us a reward of two boxes that can teleport things between them by placing a small item inside one of them and then closing the box. The item immediately and magically appears in the other box. She says she doesn't know what the range is, and that sometimes, the item doesn't appear in the other box. We help her up the ladder into a cottage and she leaves for the Gray Havens. We all get dizzy breathing in fresh air after many weeks.

End Chapter Eighteen