4th & Dragon : Dungeons and Dragons...and stuff

This is a story I’m particularly proud of, if I will be allowed to blow my own horn.

Twelfth day of Spring Dawning (March)
Modern Era Callander Year 1727
Praise be to Azurath!  After my years of schooling at the Academy of Arcane Arts, I have been apprenticed to Sergi Andolini of the Council of Seventy.  He is the most skilled transmuter in Vasellio and rumors say he will one day become the Crimson Tower’s supreme chancellor.  To think that I, a poor farmer’s son, would be accorded such an honor as this.  It is a dream made real.  No! It is a miracle of the god of magic; even in my dreams, I could not have dared wished for such a thing as this.
The only blemish on this otherwise perfect day was running into that bully Luigi.  At least, after this, I will never again have to hear him say, “Look out, he’s going to turn you into a newt!” It was a mistake that any new student of transmutation can make – and the kid got better - but he never did let me live it down.  Oh, but now, I’ll have the chance to show him now.  I’ll have the chance to show them all what a skilled transmuter can do. 
Sergi Andolini!  Thank you, God of Magic.
I can hardly sleep for the excitement.  I wonder what kind of man Master Andolini will be.

Thirteenth Day of Spring Dawning
The initiation ceremony was the most boring thing I have ever experienced.  Supreme Chancellor Caroli is even more dry than my old Abjuration teacher back at the Academy - a thing I would never have believed possible before now.  As a part of the ceremony, I was given a special ring which authorizes me to enter the Crimson Tower and also allows me access to my master’s laboratory.  Master Andolini also gave me a book containing all the spells required of a tower initiate and also a few he personally feels are important.
For the rest of the day, Master Andolini showed me the tower grounds, or at least all the parts of it I am authorized to visit, which does not account for much yet.  My new master is everything I expected him to be.  His knowledge is remarkable and I am certainly blessed to be his student.  I can hardly wait to begin my studies.  Tomorrow, I will give a donation to the church of Azurath in thanks for this wonderful gift.  I know it is only a small amount, but it is all I have to offer now.

Seventeenth Day of Spring Dawning
Master Andolini taught me some of the basics of advanced shape changing today.  He was quite impressed with how quickly I learned the subject and with so few mistakes (I feel so sorry for that poor ape, but that’s why we experiment on animals, I suppose).  The studies were exhausting and I will sleep well tonight.
Master is meeting with Councilor Rosilino, an associate in the Council of Seventy, right now.  I wonder what they are talking about.  I don’t know why, but something about him makes me uncomfortable and I am loath to be around him.  Of course, I dare not say anything, lest I offend him; they say he has a terrible temper.

Twenty-ninth Day of Spring Dawning
“Change is the only constant.” That is what Master Andolini told me today.  At first, I didn’t understand, but then he told me things I would never believe were it not he who was telling me.
Vassellio was not always like it is now.  Once, long ago, all men were equal, regardless of their magical power!  And the Crimson Tower was founded as a place of learning for all mages. It was only five hundred years ago that it became a political organization.  When it became our kingdom’s government, no one exactly knows.  How strange, to think of our kingdom as having no special considerations for those of The Art.
Everything changes with time and we must be adaptable, ready to change with the times.  Rigidity is death.  That is the lesson Master Andolini wanted me to understand.  He is truly a man of great wisdom.
Next week, after he finishes the lessons in advanced shape changing, he is going to teach me a little bit about alchemy.

Tenth Day of Storm Breath (April)
I misread the measurements in the alchemic formula and ruined the experiment, not to mention half of my master’s laboratory.  The explosion caused almost six hundred crowns in damage.  Master Andolini was furious and I feared he would punish me as Councillor Rosilino insisted, but no, he merely instructed me to clean up the mess and took the damages out of my allowance for the next several months.  I escaped this disaster relatively unharmed, all things considered.
Except that now everything I eat tastes like vinegar.  Master Andolini tells me it will wear off after a couple of days.  Or at least, he believes it will.  I hope he’s right.

Nineteenth Day of Storm Breath
I caught Councilor Rosilino in my master’s lab today.  He said he was waiting for him so that they could discuss matters of importance, but all the council knows that he has gone to meet with representatives of Bladespell for continued peace talks with Adun and will not be back for three more days.  What was he really doing?  I don’t trust him, but I’m in no position to state my concerns.  I will have to keep an eye on him.
I wonder who that stranger in the tavern was.  He seems to know a lot about the Crimson Tower Council for a man not of Vaselliano blood.  Perhaps I should make some inquiries about this Viktor Morden.

Twenty-second Day of Tree Blossoms (May)

Master Andolini joined me in communion at the temple today.  His donation made mine seem small and insignificant, but when he sensed my feelings, he said this to me:
“For all its size, my donation is hardly a drop in the bucket compared to my great funds.  Yours, though much smaller than mine, is a great sacrifice to you and thus caries far more weight in our Lord’s eyes.  Remember, my young apprentice, it is not what the world sees in the wealth of your coffers, but the wealth that Azurath sees in your heart that is most important.”
I received word that father has fallen ill today.  I wonder if I should go visit him.

Thirtieth Day of Tree Blossoms
I had another encounter with Mr. Morden today.  I was accompanying Master Andolini on some Tower business and I had been instructed to wait outside.  Morden came out of nowhere and asked if there was anything he could do for me.
A curious question.  Obviously, there was nothing he could do for me.  The only thing I really want is more opportunities to increase my knowledge, but that’s no business of some outsider.  I told him as much and then bid him leave me.  He makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck and I like him not at all.
I also ran into Luigi again.  He hasn’t changed a bit since I first met him at the Academy.  He still insists I’m a fool for specializing in something like transmutation, when there are far more powerful forms of magic.  He is an idiot and a braggart, but he is skilled in the arts of elemental magic.  And he is going to take the test of the Seventy next week.  Damn!  He always said he would be an archmage before me and now it appears he will.

First Day of Sword Point (June)
Increased border disputes have prompted the Tower Council to send Master Andolini to speak with Adun’s representatives again.  He will be meeting with a Colonel Jurgen Krieger for these latest peace talks.  Master has met Krieger before and says he is a noble and even-minded man, if mistaken in some of his beliefs.  He expects the colonel will be most reasonable.
While he is away, I am to continue my training under the tutelage of the enchantress Maria Giacolone.  Though I will miss Master Andolini’s lessons, I hear Mistress Giacolone’s is an excellent teacher.  Perhaps this will give me a chance to learn some new skills.

Fourteenth Day of Sword Point
Father died today.  Mistress Maria will let me return home for the funeral.  She is such a caring woman that when I told her the news, she actually wept for my loss.  She even offered to pay for the trip home.  Of course, I couldn’t possibly have accepted money from her - that would have been most inappropriate - but I was nonetheless grateful that she would offer it.  I think I will enjoy being her student.

Eighth Day of Summer Flame (July)
Maria is absolutely amazing.  Her power to influence other’s minds is unbelievable.  She can make a man dance naked on top of a table without ever questioning that it was his own idea - a lesson in showing proper respect to a woman, she said.  I must be sure not to rouse her ire.
I received a letter from my master today.  The negotiations are not going as well as planned and he will be gone for a few more weeks at least.  Though the news is distressing from a political standpoint, I’m glad to have more time to get to kno to study with Maria.

Sixteenth Day of Summer Flame

Councilor Rosilino is under inquiry from the Council of Seven today.  He is being called into question about his unusual activities over the past few months.  It seems I am not the only one who has seen him in places where he does not belong.  I know I should have proper respect for my superiors, but it will be most satisfying to watch him wriggle like the worm he really is.

Twenty-first day of Summer Flame
Every time I look at Maria, I feel my heart race.  My every waking though is of her beauty, her grace and her wit.  Even though such a thing is not appropriate for one of my position, I cannot deny my love for her.  How torturous, that our relationship must remain as teacher and student, that I must endure the fires of passion for someone I am always near, but can never get close to.  Have I somehow offended Trivia, that he would weave such a cruel fate for me?  Or is this perhaps some twisted game of the trickster?  Whatever it may be, I do not know how long I can endure this pain.

Twenty-Eighth Day of Summer Flame
A curious thing happened today.  Mr. Morden came to me while I was running errands and asked how I was getting on with my new teacher.  He even called her by name!  I was so shocked that I did not know how to answer him.  Then he said, “If there is anything else I can do for you, you need only ask.”
I asked Maria if she knew him somehow, but neither his name, nor his description had any meaning to her.  Who is this man?  And what did he mean by “anything else?”
Councilor Rosilino’s inquiry was concluded today.  I can’t believe that the Tower Council could find no evidence to convict him of anything.  After all I know he’s done, he escaped trial with no more than a verbal reprimand.  It’s intolerable.

Fourth Day of Low Rivers (August)
Maria postponed our lessons today. She seemed a little odd, like something was bothering her.  And she was so pale, like a ghost.  I wonder if she was ill.
I wish I could help somehow.  I don’t care if my feelings are inappropriate, I only want her to be happy.  I want to see her smile.  Such a lovely smile; the goddess of beauty herself does not hold a candle to that woman.  There must be something I can do.
Perhaps he could help?
No.  What a stupid thought.

Fifth Day of Low Rivers
Mr. Morden found me again today.  Though it sounds impossible, I think he knew I had been hoping to run into him.  I told him what I wanted and he said to meet him again tomorrow at the tavern.  What a fool I’m being, to trust this stranger I’ve only met a couple of times before to help me in such matters as this.  What could he possibly do to help me?
I guess I’ll find out tomorrow.  After all, I’ve gone along this far, I may as well see what comes of it.  What could be the harm?

Sixth Day of Low Rivers
I received a letter today.  The peace talks are concluded and Master Andolini is returning home.  It will be good to see him again, but it does mean that my studies with Maria are finished.  On the other hand, perhaps now that I am no longer her student we can pursue a relationship of a different sort.

And Morden seems to have proven reliable.  I don’t know exactly how, but the rare magical components he gave to me were of great importance to her.  I fear to wash my cheek and lose the feel of her lips against my face.
I wonder what else I can gain from Morden.

Eleventh Day of Low Rivers
Master Andolini has returned and he’s been nominated to become First councilor to the Supreme Chancellor for his diplomatic accomplishments in Adun.  Unfortunately, Rosilino has been nominated for second councilor.  Something is very wrong with that arrangement, but I have no proof of anything to bring against him.
My master has arranged for me to take the test of the Seventy.  I must face one of the archmages in a magical duel and at least end it in a draw.  If I pass the test and am raised to the level of archmage, I will finally be in a position to court my beloved Maria.  But how can I beat one of the great archmages of the Tower Council?  I am but a simple farmer’s son.  Perhaps it is time for another visit with Mr. Morden.

Fifteenth Day of Low Rivers
Morden tells me that I already know all I need to pass the test of the Seventy, if I only remember my lessons.  What is that supposed to mean?
Master Andolini was elected today, as was Rosilino - I swear there is foul play there.  When I met him in his office to congratulate him, he gave me a special gift.  The device is a magically prepared miniature cage of pure silver.  It can be used to amplify the magical power of specific transmutation effects and, though it is a simple spell that he does not expect me to ever need use, he said to keep it as a reminder of something I must always be aware of if I am ever offered a position of power like he now holds.
“Power can bring great prestige and great titles, but with such things also come great responsibilities.  Leadership is like this cage; it looks nice from the outside, but only from the inside can you see just how much freedom you loose in accepting it.”

Twentieth Day of Low Rivers
I was nervous before taking the Test of the Seventy today.  My opponent was to be none other than Luigi from the Academy.  I was not sure if I would be able to hold out against his powerful elemental magics, but before I was about to go into the Room of Preparation, Morden slipped past me, pressed a scroll into my hand and was gone as quickly as he had come.
The scroll contained a few simple notes on the nature of magic taught to all first year students of wizardry, but the specific points that he highlighted, along with the words “change is the only constant,” scrawled on the bottom, made me think about the knowledge in a way I never had before.  Suddenly, I had a whole new understanding of magic.  This new approach allowed me to best my opponent with ease, converting energy from the simplest spells to be used to counter his.  Even when he realized it was a simple matter to deflect his magic, he continued to barrage me with fireballs or lightning bolts, pouring everything he could into them.  Once he had tired himself out, I offered him the chance to yield.  He refused, thinking that since transmutation spells were mostly for support of more powerful magics, I would have no means of defeating him, thus the match was a draw.
To this I answered, “Your problem, Luigi, is that you can’t understand the value of adaptability, so you don’t know what to do when your plans aren’t working.  You need to learn how to change.”

I will forever treasure the memory of his expression as I summoned the last of my power and turned him into a newt.  As a last bit of justice, none of the Tower Council could quite understand the way in which I shaped the flows of magical energy to do it, so he has stay in that shape until I replenish my magic and can undo it personally.  Given how exhausted I am from the duel, it may take a couple of days.

Twenty-First Day of Low Rivers
Once again, I had to sit through another boring initiation ceremony with Supreme Chancellor Caroli droning away all day.  He seems to have gotten even more boring over the last few months.  Fortunately, he’s old and when he dies, or retires, Master Andolini will take over.  Perhaps then, the ceremonies will be a little more interesting.
After the ceremony, Master Andolini and Maria joined me and my family to celebrate my accomplishment.  We went to the most expensive restaurant in Liore and ate until we were about to burst.  I must have eaten four plates of fettuccini alfredo.  And such wonderful baked zucchini.  To think that less than a year ago, I was little more than the son of a poor farmer, working two jobs just to make enough to afford my tuition at the Academy.

Third Day of Autumn Breeze (September)
Today is the happiest of my days.  Maria has accepted my proposal for marriage.  Her father has provided a generous dowry, far more money than I ever thought that I would see; I did not even know her family was so wealthy.  It almost makes me feel unworthy of being her husband, so little do I own, but her father assures me that my display at the Test of the Seventy is proof enough that I deserve his daughter.  I wish I could afford to pay for the wedding she deserves, but my family simply doesn’t have the means to afford such a thing.  We will have to settle on a simple ceremony.
I saw Luigi again today, as well.  I smiled and waved to him, but he turned away and stormed off like an angry bull.  I may have shown the value of my specialties to him, but it seems the experience has done little to improve his personality.  It’s sad to know a man who made a better amphibian than a human being.  Oh, well; it’s not a perfect world, after all.

Seventeenth Day of Autumn Breeze
The ceremony was today.  As a wedding gift, Master Andolini gave me an amulet with a spell of protection on it, as well as a staff made from petrified wood, topped with an amber gem; his prized Staff of Transmutation - a wonderful gift indeed.  He’s done so much for me, I can’t imagine what my life would have been like had I never met him.
Rosilino was also at the wedding.  He gave me a cloak empowered with a spell to make my enemies think I am standing a few feet to the side of where I actually am.  While he certainly spared no expense on the gift, I wonder just how many enemies he thinks I will run into to need such a thing.  Some say I was wrong about him, but I still do not trust him, and I never shall.

Eighteenth Day of Autumn Breeze
How could I not have seen it?  All the signs were there.  Her pale complexion, the shudder in her voice, all those times she had to cancel our lessons; how did I not realize?  My beloved Maria has Grey Blight, the dreaded magical disease created by SeMildric’s foolish actions during the Age of Empires.  It’s been dormant for years, but in the last few months, it’s resurfaced and is slowly killing her.  She tells me she has only a few years to live, five at most.  Those special components that Morden gave me were the ingredients for a concoction that can ease the pain of the disease, but there is no known cure.
Of course!  Morden!  He’s helped me before, perhaps he can help me now.  I must find him.

Twentieth Day of Autumn Breeze
I met with Morden again today.  It was strange.  Always before, he only asked me what I wanted, but today, he had more to say.  He asked me if I was sure that a cure to Grey Blight was what I wanted, which, of course, it was.  He also asked me what I was willing to give up to get it, to which I told him I would sacrifice anything if only to end the pain it causes my dear wife.
He pressed a book bound in leather made from human skin with the words, Whispers in Darkness scrawled in an unsteady hand across the front.  He tells me that the information it contains will lead me to the cure for the horrible disease.  But before he let me take it, he said this to me:
“I will not send you in blind.  Know this, Archmage Javier, before you open this book.  In saving that which you love, you risk something equally precious.”
As always, Morden proves himself useful, though very strange.  What could possibly be as precious to me as my wife?  Certainly, to save her is worth any risk.

Twenty-Third Day of Autumn Breeze
I should have known from the title that Whispers in Darkness would be a terrible read.  The knowledge contained in it is horrifying beyond comprehension.  There are secrets contained in these words that in my darkest nightmares I never dreamed possible.  Even more terrible is the knowledge that the evil experiments recorded in this manuscript were actually performed.  How could any human being do these sorts of things to another human being?  It is a blasphemy against all the gods.  Had Morden not told me that it contains the only means of saving my wife, I would burn it in an instant.
I must keep this manuscript from the eyes of my dear Maria.  Surely she would rather die than allow such evil to exist in the world, but I will not lose my wife.  I will not!

Tenth Day of Golden Trees (October)
Blast this infernal book!  I have read it over and over again, but still I cannot see how this knowledge is to be used for any good purpose.  I simply lack the experience to comprehend the meanings behind these unholy words.  I need the knowledge of magical schools outside my field of study.  I need the secrets of necromancy.
But I dare not ask any of my colleagues for aid.  If they knew of my work, they would surely destroy the text and possibly execute me for not doing the same earlier.  There’s no one in the Tower Council I can trust.  I must find another, someone who would have no qualms with experimenting with this knowledge, though I shudder at the thought of associating with such a man.

Thirty-First Day of Winter’s Heart (January)
Modern Era Callander Year 1728
After several days of insisting, Morden has introduced me a man who has sufficient knowledge in the field of necromancy to help me in my cause.  He is a powerful vampire sorcerer and the services are not cheap, but there is no price I will not pay to save my wife.  Even if I must give this foul creature a bit of my own blood to drink every few weeks, it is a small thing compared to the thought of losing her.

Twenty-Second Day of Thawing Rivers (February)

Adun is making trouble again.  Their soldiers are pushing into the borders of our kingdom and attacking villages, trying to claim more of our land for their own.  Why can the damn fools not be satisfied?  They already have the largest kingdom in the world.  Why not just be satisfied with their lot and let us be about our own business?  Between giving aid to the kingdom and searching for the cure, I have little time to spend with my wife.  Sometimes I think I should spend less time searching for the cure and more time with her, but when I see how much she suffers, it strengthens my resolve and I continue my research.

Thirteenth Day of Spring Dawning
A new general has risen up in the ranks of Adun’s military, Hubert Von Housan by name.  He is causing considerable trouble for us with his campaigns.  His attacks come as staggering losses, while he is able to repel our attacks with astonishing success.  It is almost as though he knows where and how we mean to strike.  Perhaps a spy in the Tower?  No, impossible.  It must simply be that he is a brilliant tactician.  Or lucky.

Tenth Day of Sword Point
When Sargas named this month Sword Point, he must have been having the same sort of military success as Gen. Von Housan is now.  The man is trampling our defenses, while we can’t seem to do anything to fight back.
A silver lining to the dark cloud, I think we’ve had a break-through.  I have made an interesting discovery through my studies of Whispers in Darkness; a means of combining my skills of transmutation with my partner’s skills of necromancy into a single form of magic.  Though I shudder to think of what sort of terrible things might be done if this knowledge were to fall into the wrong hands, it may hold the key to the cure.
Master Andolini is worried about me.  He fears that I may be a little too obsessed, but he doesn’t understand.  He’s never had to watch a loved one suffer from Grey Blight, how could he possibly understand?  Still, I wish I could take back many of the things I said to him today.  He’s been like a father to me and he deserves much better from me than that.  But the research must continue and I will let nothing stand in my way.

Twenty-Eighth Day of Sword Point
Through our studies of the evil book, we’ve been working with various sorts of supernatural diseases and, if my what partner says is true, we’ve found a means of suppressing lycanthropy in its advanced stages, so that those afflicted do not transform into wolves against their will, nor can they transform when they wish to.  For all purposes, it is as if they had never contracted the affliction.  While this isn’t what I had hoped for, it is an amazing advancement.  I will present this discovery to the Tower Council at my annual report.  I still have several months before then, so there is plenty of time to concoct a reasonable story behind how I came by this knowledge.

Thirteenth Day of Summer Flame
Two lab animals had to be destroyed today, poor things.  It was simply horrifying to watch; instead of curing them of their afflictions, the spells turned into living blobs of amorphous goo.  My experiments are theoretically sound, but in practice, they don’t work so well.  I wonder if it has to do with the differences between ape and human anatomy?  I shall have to factor these into my equations and try again.
We seem to be losing the war.  Between Gen. Von Housan and General Krieger, we simply don’t have the military capabilities to defend ourselves.  The last battle saw forty casualties on our side, with only six on theirs.  Damn those accursed rifles!  If this keeps up, we may have to send our wizards to fight on the front lines.

Tenth Day of Low Rivers

Maria was very ill today.  I stayed with her and left the research up to my associate.  I’m doing everything I can to ease her pain, but the disease is getting worse.  Thank Azurath she has not yet reached the advanced stages.  For now, there is still a means of relieving her pain, though where and by what means Morden is getting such rare materials I do not know.  I think he would tell me if I asked him, but I am afraid to ask that question, afraid of the answer.  I am also afraid of what price he may suddenly ask of me in return for his services.  I wonder if I may have sold my soul to a devil without realizing it.
While I was at home, I borrowed one of the Ayuran translations of the Book of 1000 Doors, hoping that it may provide some clue to the cure and I’m placing inquiries into finding a copy of the Book of All Creation.  I wish I could get my hands on the Adaemic copy of the Book of 1000 Doors, as it would have more complete information, but if I tried to remove that book from the library, they would surely notice its absence.

Thirtieth Day of Snowfall (November)
We are losing the war.  The battles have ceased with the snow, but we have lost a lot of our food stores because of this damn war.  We have enough to survive, but only just barely.  If anything should go wrong during the winter, many people will likely starve.  We’ve sent some representatives to the elves to buy food, but they seem to have problems of their own right now and may not be able to offer much aid.
It is a prick to our pride, but we have no choice.  The Supreme Chancellor, along with Master Andolini and Rosilino and several other representatives, will meet with the new leader of Bladespell, a martial sorcerer named Dieter Hess, and Gen. Krieger and negotiate the terms of a new peace treaty.  Though I would hate to see it go that far, the option of surrender, under certain conditions, has been left open.  They will meet in three days at the city of Orphenheim.
I lost another group of lab monkeys again, seven altogether.  The means of their demise was simply fascinating to watch.  At first they seemed to be getting better, but once the symptoms of the afflictions were gone, they began transforming into random creatures every few seconds, which then changed to a sequence of incomplete transformations, which further degenerated into bizarre mutations and finally, they simply exploded.  This mistake cost us three hours of work.  I will have to be more careful in the future.  I simply don’t have the time to waste cleaning up such messes.

Third Day of Yule (December)
Curse that Von Housan!  Curse all of Adun!  May the devils take their souls and confine them to the deepest pits of Kadhul!
It was supposed to be a mission of peace.  We were going to discuss the possibilities of a peaceful solution to this war, but they betrayed us!  As soon as our people were inside, Gen. Von Housan marched on Orphenheim with a hundred men.  Most of our representatives were slaughtered, the Supreme Chancellor and Master Andolini among them.  They killed my master!  I hate them!  I hate them all!
I suppose it is some consolation that we captured a few of their people, Gen. Krieger among them.  I have already taken the bastard’s eye, ripped it clean out of his skull.  I think I can use it in my research.  At first, I thought I wanted him dead, but no, death is too good for him.  I want him to suffer for this outrage.  So, I have requested that the prisoners be turned over to me for experimentation.  Perhaps by studying on actual human subjects, I can finally unlock the secret to curing Grey Blight. 
And if they should die in some unspeakably horrible manner as a result of my experiments, so much the better.  It’s a much kinder fate than they deserve, but it’s the best I can do.

Twelfth Day of Winter’s Heart
Modern Era Callander Year 1729
Morden came to me today, though I had no need of him.  He asked another question, a different one from the usual.  This time, he asked if the sacrifice was worth the gain.  I told him yes, though I don’t see what sacrifice I have made.  Considering that I have paid nothing in so far as I can tell, I have made great discoveries.  I’ve yet to find the cure for Grey Blight, but I have learned many other useful secrets.  I’m close to unlocking the secrets of creation itself.  Once I do, I will end all suffering in the world.  None will have to endure the pain my beloved Maria now suffers ever again.  That alone would be worth any price.
I am beginning to think I can no longer trust my partner.  This vampire is simply too excited by my discoveries - and in all the wrong ways.  I do not like the strange, unnatural glow in his eyes when I show him my new secrets.  I have all the knowledge of necromancy that I need to continue the research alone.  Perhaps it’s time I did away with him.

Twenty-Second Day of Winter’s Heart
I sought out Morden again today.  This time, I want revenge.  Experimenting on the prisoners is simply not enough.  I want the one who led the attack that killed my master.  I want Gen. Von Housan.  He said it was difficult, but that it could be done, but that doing so might cost the lives of many of Vasellio’s people.  I don’t care.  I will see justice done upon the man who killed Master Andolini.  Vengeance will be mine.

Seventh Day of Thawing Rivers
The issue concerning my partner has been resolved.  While I was with my wife, he was careless in handling the subjects and let them escape.  When I returned, I found him lying on the floor with an iron rod driven into his heart and some my equipment smashed to pieces.  Fortunately, they didn’t know anything about magic, so they damaged nothing of great importance.  I finished the job with the vampire, cutting off his head and stuffing the mouth with holy wafers.  The ashes of the remains I scattered over a barren field.  A fitting end to such a vile creature.
Now the only problem I have is the need for more research specimens.  I was making such progress with the prisoners, it will be a shame to go back to using apes again.

Nineteenth Day of Thawing Rivers
I believe I have found the cure to Grey Blight at last!  There is only one problem.  To create the cure, I need a powerful amplifier for transmutive magic, a Philosopher’s Stone.  No man alive has ever seen such an artifact.  Not even the elves have lived long enough that any of their generations still living remember a time when one was known.  Once again, I had to ask Morden for a favor.
He told me that no such artifact exists in the world any longer, but that it can be made by those who have the knowledge.  He tells me the means of creating it is found in the G’noptec scrolls.  He will get them to me tomorrow.

Twenty-Eighth Day of Thawing Rivers
The G’noptec Scrolls which Morden gave me are pair of scrolls sealed with wax made of newborn lamb’s blood and hornet’s honey.  Thanks to their unsettling secrets, I now know how to make a Philosopher’s Stone.  But there is now a different problem, one even more difficult than the last.

In order to create the stone, I must sacrifice the souls of ten human beings, fusing them together and transforming them into the magical energy that gives the artifact its power.  As much as I wish to save my wife, this is something I cannot do and I know that my wife would not want to live knowing that ten others must die for her to do it. 
I have wasted two years of what time I have left with her on this fool’s errand.  No more.  I will give up this endeavor and spend what little time remains with my beloved Maria.  It is better this way.
Isn’t it?

Thirteenth Day of Storm Breath
The attacks that began again last month are intensifying.  We have sent in some of our wizards with the troops to attack Adun, but that damnable Krieger must have learned more from his time here than we realized, for he is able to hold off our advances.  Meanwhile, Gen. Von Housan is rampaging throughout our kingdom with five hundred men.  Word is, he is planning to attack the Crimson Tower itself.  Good.  No army has ever survived an assault on our greatest stronghold and none ever will.  And if he comes here, I will have the chance to finally kill him.

Twentieth Day of Storm Breath
It’s true!  Morden tells me that Von Housan is marching on Liore even now!  He should be here in a matter of days and we will be ready.  Oh, the things I will do to him!  I will delight at the sound of his screams.
Maria was feeling much better today than she has for a long time.  We took the opportunity to enjoy the day.  We visited her favorite place in the city, Liore Central Park, and had a picnic.  I made sure that everything was perfect.  Ah, she is so beautiful and so strong, that even in the grips of a terrible disease, she can still smile.  Truly, Azurath has blessed me to have known her, even if it is only for a short while.  The memory of that smile will sustain me through anything.
I wish we could have had children to share this moment with, but unfortunately, Grey Blight sterilizes those who contract it, so we are all we will ever have.  Still, I will never regret loving her.

Twenty-Second Day of Storm Breath
This month is quite appropriately named.  The storm will indeed soon be breaking.  Our spies tell us that Gen. Von Housan will attack Liore tomorrow.  He is approaching from the north, through the foothills.  We have set up a surprise attack for him there.  Sixty chosen from among our most powerful wizards will surround him as he enters the bowl and bombard them with storms of elemental spells.  He will be forced to retreat through the pass, where two hundred of our best troops will be waiting to ambush them.  Luigi is leading the group and though we’ve had our differences in the past, I am fully confident in his abilities to drown our enemies in destructive magical power.
I can only hope that they take Gen. Von Housan alive.  I would give me great joy to tear his soul from his body and store it away for my own personal amusement.

Twenty-Third Day of Storm Breath
The attack went as planned.  Three hundred died in the first assault and many were later killed as they attempted to retreat.  We lost twenty of our mages in the attack and we’re still counting the casualties among the mundanes, but we’ve won.  Gen. Von Housan survived the attack and he and about sixty men have fallen back to the caves in the mountains to the north.  We are attempting to flush them out even now.  It won’t be long - soon my revenge will be complete.

Thirtieth Day of Storm Breath

I’m afraid I must abandon hope of getting my hands on the general.  We’re losing too many men trying to extract him from the caves.  He’s simply too skilled a tactician.  Though I should have liked to be the one to kill him, at least I’ll have the satisfaction of knowing he’s paid for his crimes with his life.  Tomorrow, the Council of Seven will link in a circle outside the cave and pool their magic to make the caves collapse on the remaining enemy soldiers and that will be the end of it.
News of Von Housan’s defeat seems to have reached Adun.  Their armies are withdrawing from our kingdom.  Some think that we should take this opportunity for a decisive strike against our enemies, but no, that would be unwise.  We’ve suffered heavy losses as well and we need to recover.  Adun will not attack again any time soon, of that we can be certain and we need to tend to our own wounds, to make sure that if those damnable fools ever try to assault us again, we won’t suffer near the casualties as we have this time.

Nineteenth Day of Low Rivers
Gen. Krieger has been elected as the next Fuhrer of Adun.  It turns my stomach to think that a man who betrayed an envoy of peace is rewarded with a position of leadership akin to being a king, but there is nothing that can be done for now.  I punished him considerably for his crimes against my people, so I suppose he has not escaped wholly unscathed.  Still, if he should ever send his soldiers against Vasellio again, I will see to it that he regrets it.  I think he would make an excellent thrall.

Thirty-First Day of Summer’s Flame
Modern Era Callander Year 1730
Maria’s family came to visit today.  Thankfully, she was feeling well enough to meet them.  This is the happiest I’ve seen her in what seems like ages.  Today, life is good.

Second Day of Spring Dawning
Modern Era Callander Year 1733
Morden continues to supply me with the ingredients I need to ease my wife’s pain, but they’re beginning to loose their effectiveness.  She’s going into the advanced stages of the disease and she’s become bedridden.  Every now and again, Morden asks me if there is anything he can do, but I think he’s done enough already.  I only want to spend what’s left of our time together in peace.  I am eternally grateful to Azurath that she came to me.  It is a joy that I can never repay.

Twelfth Day of Thawing Rivers
Modern Era Callander Year 1734
(This entry is hard to read.  Some of the words are smeared, probably from tears falling on the page)
I (inkblot where the quills tip was left touching the page for too long)
I don’t know what to live for anymore.  Maria died this morning.  It was hor(smear) to watch.  Her flesh turned a dull greyish color and began to flake away, then the same happened with her muscles and organs.  It (smear)pened so suddenly that we didn’t s(smear)ming.  One moment she was telling me that she love(smear) then (inkblot)
She screamed in terrible agony through it all.  When it was over, all that remained were her bones, bleached white as though they had sat in (smear)un for days.  Everything else was a pile of grey powder and a pool of blood.  How cou(smear) How could the gods allow such a terrible thing t(smear).  It’s too horrible.
I
I just don’t know

First Day of Spring Dawning
For the last couple of weeks, I’ve thought about suicide, but now, I’ve made a decision.
No one should have to suffer through the terrible agony of the Grey Blight.  I don’t care the cost, I will complete the cure.  If some must die for others to live, so be it.  There are criminals in our prisons, terrible, cold-hearted murderers who don’t deserve to live.  I can use them as the materials I need to create the Philosopher’s Stone.  The gods would never fault me for this.
No one will have to endure the Grey Blight ever again.  I will eradicate the disease from this world.
This is for the best.  I am doing the right thing.
Aren’t I?

Eighteenth Day of Storm Breath
It was a beautiful day today.  Maria would have loved to see it.  I left flowers at her grave; roses, like she always loved me to give her.
The cure is complete.  I have begun administering it to the those afflicted with the dreaded sickness and it heals them in a matter of hours.  Already, the Crimson Tower is deciding if they will to raise me to the Council of Seven.  Rosilino even thinks that I will one day be the Supreme Chancellor - when he dies, of course - but Master Andolini was right.  Leadership is like a cage.  With all my responsibilities to the Tower, I won’t have as much time to spread my cure.  The council wants me to share the secret with them - so that they can help do good in the world, they say - but I dare not give it to them.  They would never understand what I have done.  They could never understand; they haven’t seen what I’ve seen.  I pray to all the gods that no one will ever again.
I only wish Maria could still be here with me.

Nice, a perfect example of how the desire to do good no matter the price leads to the darkest evil.

As a character writer, I think this is probably my best work.  This was actually the diary of a NPC villain from a D&D campaign I was running sometime back.  I started writing it as a prop, something one of the characters found while escaping the evil wizard’s tower, but I thought it was good enough that I made it into a story.
I think the best villains are the ones you feel sorry for, the ones who became evil simply because they were trying to do good, or because so many things were stacked against them.  If the end of a story boils down to a fight with some megalomaniacle monster who has no feelings, then there’s nothing to it but a brief and largely uninteresting action sequence, but if you can make the audience sympathise with the villain, it gives a final confrontation a very dramatic and emotional impact.
I mean, think about it, after reading this journal, how would you like to be the one who has to kill Javier before he commits a far greater atrocity than what’s already mentioned here?  In the campaign, Javier became so obsessed with his lost love that he was going to attempt to use his knowledge to resurrect his wife by using the power of the philosopher’s stone to tear a rift in the planes and pull his wife’s soul out of Azurath’s plane against her will.  Even if he succeeded, the side-effects of his actions alone would be litterally world-shattering.
Now put yourself in my PC’s shoes.  It’s clear that Javier has to be stopped, but knowing his motivations and his past, it’s not an easy thing for any character with half a heart to just kill him, but it has to be done.  It was one of my finer DM moments.

When I played my lawful evil cleric I tried to ingrain some depth into the villain. It was his belief that tyranny
was not evil but only its harsh control and rules could bring safety and security to the world. He came from a land
ravaged by extra-planar monsters, one of the few safe refuges was the city state controlled by the church to the god of tyrants.

He would sacrifice anyone to further his goals and the goals of his church. However back home he had a wife and kids who he loved very dearly though he’d never admit it. He’d never kill or torture someone for the fun or just because he was angry. If he killed you it was either in self-defense or your death furthered his goals (beyond monetary, money was not enough motivation to kill people in his mind).

In a few acts charity he saved many peoples lives because it required no real effort on his part, a break enchantment, a few words, targeting that blade barrier a few inches to the left missing one enemy but also the hostages, or a heal spell to cure a man who had been brain damaged sense he was a child.

Each of these actions required little of him, but had some minor chance of gain, Be it possible information, a travel guide who isn’t mentally unstable.
He actually got the townsfolk of this village to elect the dummy as their new mayor as he wouldn’t be smart enough to exploit them. (the dummy being the guide he cured with a heal spell). The man kept up the guise of being brain damaged while my cleric Christof rewrote the town charter giving the mayor absolute power. He then got the mayor to declare the village would sing a hym of praise to keep the restless spirits at the haunted monastery the party cleared out earlier. The hym was in the native script but a foreign language, it was actually a prayer to the god of tyranny.

For him the ends justifies the means. But evil for evil’s own sake had no purpose.
He was devout in his belief that the order provided by tyranny was necessary for the greater good. The way his mind and his church operated was all who submit to their rule are granted every courtesy except freedom.

But still he rounded up a group of beggars to fuel his greater consumption field spell for the battle against the Paladin Jaro. (A wonderful ambush he planed out, the DM an I agreed simple farm animals shouldn’t work for that spell).