'Pon Leaving The Keep
They tell me that Adrik's dead. That somewhat takes away the relief upon first waking to discover that I'd survived Kelarel's final strike.
We may not always have seen eye to eye - and I never really understood why the others sniggered when I used that phrase either - but seeing his body, all bled out into the drying lake at the chamber's centre, is certainly a sobering sight. Along with Jovial - dead less than a week in that kobold nest - and Serath - slain facilitating our escape from a goblin prison - that's three heroes that have given their lives to end the cult's threat. Why Bahamut saw fit to take their lives and spare me after my pitiful showing against Kelarel's familiar delayed me for so long, I don't know.
Whatever it was on the other side of the portal, it seems to have ceased its struggle to break through. The others tell me that it finally vanished after Kordell's magic threw Kelarel bodily into the rift. A fitting end for the fiend.
With the cult's leaders dead, out journey out should be a lot easier. The goblinoids and undead that plagued us earlier are all dead or returned to their rightful rest by the rift's sealing. We can only pray that that accursed statue trap and fear runes have also wound down, or else our tired litle band may be in for a bit more danger before we get out of here.
Of course, I'm getting ahead of myself - we still have fifty foot of rope to climb just to get out of this stinking 'temple', drenched in the gore of the sacrificial victims. A thorough cleansing will be in order, as well as repentance for my martial failure - I must check with the others to see if we have time to stop by the shrine to Bahamut on our way out.
The sword Aecris served Valeria well against the undead, but I'm not sure if it's right to leave the holy blade in the hands of the devotee of another god, no matter how worthy. Yet no weapon should be hidden from the battlefield in some musty old crypt or temple.
Sarah squeaks from nearby, eager to lead the way back to Winterhaven. As eager as I am to follow the squirrel, and get myself out of here, there are other actions to be taken first. I must bestow Adrik with a gentle repose, that he may return to the village triumphant, and less bedraggled than his living comrades.