Ildan and I returned to the manor from some business in town to find a hastily scrawled letter affixed to the door with a dagger. "The Bird is telling the truth" was cryptically penned onto the paper. J was arriving at the same time and gave us a look that said don't ask me. Without needing to say a word, we tramped indoors and began our search for our feathered friend.

Unsurprisingly, we found her in the library. She seems to have become quite enamored with the space, Nurzhan knows why, and has adopted it as her own. She spends many days cooped up inside that musty room surrounded by decaying books. Which begs the question, can she even read? I have caught her looking at some texts and charts but perhaps she is only admiring the pictures. I will have to ask her another day. 

After talking in circles for some time, we finally divined that the group had left on some asinine quest to save a dwarf from a box. Yes, that most certainly sounds like something the TIP would do. I quickly realized that having a mostly-empty house would allow for certain opportunities to present themselves and I tried to convince our small band that there was no reason to rush off. Honestly, Vani, Ren and Dorian are not children (even if they act like children on many occasions) and they can mostly handle themselves. Nonetheless, no one would heed my words. Much like sheep, they were all to eager to rejoin the rest of the flock. Curses.

Worth mentioning... something odd happened as I was leaving the library. I am still not sure what it means but I will write it down here in hopes that I can determine its significance later. I saw some papers on the ground that did not seem as old and rotten as the rest of the texts in the library. As I approached and bent to pick them up for further inspection, Bird Girl flew in and swept them up in her arms. I attempted to extract them from her grasp but she puffed up her feathers in a way I had never seen before and gave me a glare that showed she was not going to back down. I graciously ceased my interrogation and let her alone. This bares looking into sometime in the future, as right now I must prepare to depart. 

-   -   -

The blood is still pounding in my head and through my veins. Every part of me feels aflame from the fight and from my devotion to my deity. Sacrilege! These bastardized mutt-creatures dare worship Nurzhan?! We showed them their folly... 

Last night we met up with the group as they were singing some off-key sea-shanty that went on much too long. In the morning, we began travelling and was not long before we encountered the mongrels. The fight still fresh around them, it appeared they had just massacred another team of travelers. We should have remained undetected thanks to J's spell. However, Ren barreled in, true to nature, and began taking on the lot of them on her own. It was then that I saw some trinkets and religious garb on them that bared the sign on Nurzhan. The anger pierced my insides like a white-hot dagger and I quickly began casting a warding spell between myself and Ildan, strengthening our bond and preparing us for battle. It was a glorious fight. Nurzhan favored me and the TIP with victory and the pretenders were cut down. I have left but one alive. I do not know if these mutts talk but I will get what I want from it. It will see my face, know my name and know whom I serve. It will tremble and beg for forgiveness. It is time to begin...

Narcel'Uss Tanorthal

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BONUS CONTENT:

Narcel'Uss will not be present during the next adventure, as she has found her true calling... tending to her Grandfather's farm! (Reality is not as fun - I will actually be helping to host Kindergarten Information Night at my school next game night. However, you can all choose to pretend Narcel'Uss is on a farm, planting seeds and bothering townspeople.)