And so it begins ... an deagh air a 'bheag

Friends,

It began on a night not long ago. When a deed most foul was acted upon the Lord of Tivook and his entire family. The assassin, or assassins, struck seemingly by total surprise, nowhere in the house were a corpse found with weapon drawn, but many were the bodies, and not just the nobles but also their retainers encountered by the assassin(s) along the route of their entry. Each body was eviscerated, and later examination revealed, the liver and heart drawn out via the laid-open bellies.

The priest who maintained the family refuge and shrine was in the courtyard with his most trusted guards when Helthan arrived. The discussion between the two quickly arrived upon the nature of the crime, and the need for a champion to undertake the quest to discover and bring justice to the assassin(s). Helthan was willing and the priest spoke the words of the Quest spell over him. Helthan - suddenly taken in a sweat and somewhat dizzy, heard in his head a second voice echoing the words but continuing after "and free me!"

Helthan was troubled by these words, in a feminine voice, that none other seemed to hear. But the voice was gone and so too the assassins, so Helthan set out in pursuit of the killer(s). Along the way he was fortunate to gain two allies, Fei Yan Shu and Mialee. The three followed the faint trail and discovered at its end, a Rakshasa in a remote old temple, the columns of which were smeared with smashed livers and shredded hearts.

Fei Yan Shu later confessed he overheard the Rakshasa address some unseen 'Carol' but there were no further details given.

The Rakshasa was overpowered by Mialee's magic after a mighty battle, and the party split-up again to pursue their own goals.

Friends,

Recently, as Helthan was in contemplation of events of the last month as he lay back against a tree somewhere in the Feylands - he was suddenly accosted by a group of giants. A battle ensued and Helthan and Autumn Russet (a nymph of the Feylands) bested the giants, but the encounter put Autumn into something of a panic - declaring that the "an deagh air a 'bheag" had begun, and telling Helthan that she would take council in the "Land of the Long Spring".

Helthan began hunting giants and soon found more moving within Tivook provinces unchecked.