Pythor’s request

So after we got back and sent Corinna and Loreus and the kids on their way we were met by a bunch of soldiers who said my dad Pythor was looking for us!! He wanted our help apparently. Oh and before that we saw that some people had it rough with their cows, there’s like not enough food apparently. But Pythor didn’t ask for our help for that. Well kind of.

Apparently an group of centaurs wanted to make a sacrifice to Sydon because of the food thing and of course it had to be Pythor’s daughter Anora (my half sister which I apparently also have!! well they say Pythor made a lot of kids so I shouldn’t be surprised but still!) that they needed to sacrifice. What does she have to do with anything!! Sydon just wants to make a joke of Pythor. And if he doesn’t agree they attack the city. I don’t get these political things, it’s like, like they’re back at school bullying each other! Grow up!!

It was really weird to see Pythor. I was so scared and excited and curious at the same time. But he’s not like my foster dad at all! He’s so strong and so drunk! Kyrah already told me about that last part. I don’t know, I think it’s not good for him to be like that. At least not when he has to take care of his city… But I don’t really dare to tell him, I mean he’s a GOD apparently. Plus he said he didn’t trust me yet. Well we didn’t know each other so. BUT!! He did tell me about Ophea!!! Apparently she wasn’t taken by Sydon, but by some dragon named Hexia. From which I have to free her. GREAT. Did he take a good look at me??? He’s been working on some kind of super weapon though which I can use but I had to promise to keep her daughter safe from the sacrifice. Well she seemed nice so sure!

In the end we did have a play fight which was NICE!! I mean he could have whacked me down any time he wanted but at least I whacked him hard a few times as well!!! And Pachinko secretly healed me up a couple of times which helped. Man I was exhausted after that but I hope I can do it again some time. Pythor  said I had to work on my defenses a bit so I bought some armor, not sure how much that helped.

Oh yeah I think that night Falios had some kind of date?? I didn’t get it, but he went there secretly with Pachinko and they saw that at the ritual site there was a sacrifice where the cow was turned into stone by some creatures. Then Falios got some smoky book from his date I think? I should probably ask him about all of that some time…

Facing evil

So uh, to Estoria then! I still didn’t really think I’m supposed to be part of this whole prophesy thing, but at least I could finally meet my dad! I was a bit scared but also excited!! Plus I’m sure he knows something about Ophea at least.

Along the way we met some wolves who were nice to us and they had a puppy but Astria said I couldn’t keep it. So we kept going until we were in Estoria finally, were we could sleep at the tavern. Dardanus and Pachinko got drunk and Dardanus was arm wrestling with everyone, also with Torag. Astria and I went out to find animals, that was much more fun. Well until Astria kept staring at a cat weirdly for aaages. It was so weird! I was just going around town but when I got back to her all I found was another cat which apparently WAS Astria. That was weird and amazing. She does more weird stuff like that and also likes to cook.

Oh yeah that night’s when we had that stupid dream probably from Lutheria. It sucked!! I can’t remember the dream so well anymore but I do remember feeling trapped, like you can’t escape. It was really like a nightmare. Well honestly if Sydon and her want us on their side they’re doing a very bad job!!! Dardanus smashed a stable over it.

Then we went to the dragon temple and apparently the horn was stolen. The head priest there (forgot his name) told us about dragonlords. He says they’re like heros that have a dragon NOT as a pet but as a friend. I don’t know, I just knew them as the scary soldiers from our songs that destroyed whole villages and could only be defeated by the bravest knights. It was weird to hear him liking them... Anyway they’re gone now but the temple’s still there apparently.

Torag could follow the scent of the horn so sadly I had to wait a bit before meeting my dad the god. So we were following it through the forest, the trail I mean, and came across some weird things like a cyclops and an annoying satyr that just wanted to make us sleep?? That was weird. He got away.

Uh but then we came up to the temple, where we found a girl Corinna chased by some stupid goatlings. They climbed all on Falios’ face!! I got two of them, uh.. I guess it became a bit easier to kill creatures then… But they were really mean!!

That’s also when we met this weird squirrel, and a shiny bird! It was for Torag apparently even though I found it first. That was stupid. I’d like a bird too because it sucks a bit that I’m the only one that can fly.

So we went to into the temple which we were at to find the horn. I don’t like dark spaces like that and I was right! I touched a statue and it began to attack me!!! I mean what is it with all these things that want to kill us. We got rid of it easily and then Astria tried to swim through and got attacked by vines! Maybe because she was naked?? Anyway I managed to save her and that was really awesome!! I felt like I could do something good for the group after all. Maybe if I’m not a hero I can at least help the ones that are?

Ah but then we found more of those stupid goatlings chasing a kid, it was so mean!! We got rid of them, and found Loreus and some official people from the forest. Apparently Demetria was taking children and turning them into monsters!! By having them EAT THEIR BOYFRIENDS. WHAT!!! Who does that??! She made a trap for us with those monsters and man it was really rough but we got rid of her. Well good riddance!! There was a Gygan there too which I killed and now Torag calls me “Ikai the Finisher” haha. I like it.

Astria got hurt badly though but Pachinko got something from his family he’s looking for and we got the horn too! And saved a lot of kids and took them back to Estoria where they came from.

We didn’t see any weird creatures anymore and the forest was quite nice until Gaius showed up on his dragon. He wanted to scare us by sending a bunch of centaurs for us but we got like three of them before they ran away. I don’t know, I think if he came with his dragon he could easily have stopped us? I mean we’re not that strong.

A measure of heroism

Okay! So apparently I have to keep track of stuff that’s happening so I guess I’ll just write things down.

It started a while ago, uh… I was coming home from my messenger job because I got a break and apparently there was a message for me. For me! I never got one, aside from my messenger friends everyone I knew was lived on those cliffs so what’s the point. But it was exciting! Apparently it was from auntie Kyrah who I didn’t know then. And she didn’t know me. Apparently she just knew I was magical somehow (still don’t know how she figured that out??? Who talks about me behind my back???) and asked me to join. Oh also she knew about my mom who I was looking for! Well that’s not a big secret, it’s why I wanted to be a messenger in the first place.

So uh, since that was what I was doing anyway I decided to go. My family was all excited and also a bit scared for me, they gave a bit of money they had, my brother lent me his spear. Only later I recognized it’s probably a soldier’s spear, don’t know how he got it. But it was nice to have something.

It was quite a while to travel but I got to the tavern thing. Hahaha, it was so weird meeting everyone! But Pachinko and Astria were nice from the start and Kyrah too. Ehh but then we apparently had to go kill a boar thing that was being bad to everyone… I was a little scared but it was cool that I could use my fire for something useful and no one minded that I was being magical for a change.

It was a shock though, a friend of Kyrah died there… I mean, it’s not that I never had people around me die… Sometimes the storm gets someone, or they become ill, or just too sad… But this time I actually saw it right there, I..

Also it was supposed to be a test to prove our worth somehow, and um… I didn’t actually hit the boar. Not once… I don’t think the others noticed, I actually got a golden arrow as a reward as if I did anything. I felt like I shouldn’t be there, like Kyrah made some mistake. The others really knew what they were doing too. Well, most of them.

But at least I got to go to the Oracle. Along the way we met a nymph whose name I forgot, she lives in a tree and was really nice.

At the Oracle’s temple Sydon apparently sent some soldiers and they just flat out attacked us!! Well Astria attacked first I think but I’m pretty sure they wanted us dead anyway. I remember it was so horrible there too, with all the soldiers and temple people being killed… I actually had the chance to kill a one but I couldn’t. I guess it sounds noble, but I don’t think that had something to do with it really, I just couldn’t. And there was also a door that attacked us and then also a carpet that was attacking me??? Like trying to choke me to death?? That thing doesn’t know sirens apparently! It wasn’t really a problem, just really weird. Dardanus made us these scarves out of it.

Oh and then the Versi the Oracle told me I was apparently Pythor’s son! You know one of the Five, the one about war and stuff. Ehh that was weird! I mean, I’m supposed to be on Sydon’s side, at least that’s what I’ve been told. I mean I never really liked the guy because so many sirens are sad because of him. I’m not supposed to be cheerful and drink and stuff, but it just feels wrong that we aren’t supposed to? So I don’t mind for myself that Pythor’s my dad, but uhh, I don’t know about my parents. My siren parents I mean, the ones that took care of me. It’s like, they love me a lot I think, but they also follow Sydon a lot. For now I just try not to think about it..

Anyway she also said we have to do three things for the prophecy. So we did a test and now there’s more tests or something??? Well it didn’t seem so hard, like drinking from a horn and lighting a fire somewhere. Oh and then we did something nice: We agreed officially to an oath of being a group!! Like we always will help each other and stuff. We had a little party over that, that was really nice. Well. It’s not like I really know them very well, at all, but at least we want to be friends? I think that was the point.

Well that’s enough for now bye!!!

About these notes

Hey folks, Nerean here. As you’re aware our son Ikai has gone on a journey. He’s been sending us scrolls with the explicit request not to open them, but especially Avirea has been so worried since he left… She couldn’t keep herself from reading the letters. As it turns out, our son has gotten himself in far more trouble than I’m sure any of us thought back when we waved him goodbye. I’ll post the letters here as they arrive to keep you updated. 

Obviously we don’t understand all that he talks about, especially who some of his companions are. I’m sorry if some of this is confusing, and I’d also like to apologize for his personal take on punctuation... I didn’t want to correct the letters, they are posted here as they were sent to us. Only the titles are my own, as Ikai didn’t provide any. 

Upon reading these notes I’m sure some of you may be very worried, as we are. Had we known this we wouldn’t have let him go. For now it seems he’s under the guard of someone that, well, at the very least should be capable of keeping him safe, and seems to intend to do so. For that at least we’re grateful. But let’s pray for a swift and safe return.