New Veras Vengeance: The Prologue

[Note: The New Veras Vengeance series will be the title and tag for the chronicles associated with the current D&D4e campaign being run, and as such will be the in-character writings of my character. Hopefully they'll be entertaining even if you're not a part of the campaign, but they are mainly meant for those who are a part of it (and the DM's who are now desperate for someone to record the happenings :-P)]

I sometimes wonder why I bother to commit my thoughts to paper, as I now do. I would normally associate diary writing and the sort with people who either lack self-confidence or are too full of it; but seeing as I know my strengths and limits, and I don't believe this will become some prized piece of literature in the future (although one can only hope) obviously this isn't the case.

I think the main point is this scribbling allows me to better consider the events that have taken place, especially during such a turning point as I am experiencing now. Veil employment is far far different than the last few years of my life, to be sure, and that's just from the standpoint of being in training. However, it seems we have finally proven our worth, and today we had our final test of sorts before setting out into the field. I think it's only fitting I recount the occasion.



As had been my practice for the last few days (curse the Veil for not providing rooms for their initiates) I made my way from my paltry room at the inn and made the trek to the HQ in time to meet my new teammates. I've still yet to get a handle on any of them; Asunder, the quiet tinkerer and builder of arcane machines; Tyr, the subdued warrior; Frug, the taciturn psionic. As you can tell with my choice in adjectives, we seem to be a rather introverted group, and at that point I was still somewhat wary about marching into potential trouble with them.

Regardless, we met up with our Sergeant, a half-orc by the name of Strom. My initial impression of him had been somewhat sour (as I noted earlier) and his behavior was no less condescending than I had become accustomed to. He did, however, offer us a single choice; as our closing training, we could either do more practice, or face a practical challenge. We unanimously chose the practical; I cannot speak for the others, but I've learned my lesson that assuming theoretical knowledge does not translate into actual practical skill. Although Ahriman has proven more useful than annoying (although barely) the Grizglaw Skull incident is not something I suspect I will ever forget.

Before we continued on, though, we met a couple of the senior figures at the HQ, although keeping with what I'm realizing is a trend, none of them are the paragons I had always imagined Veil agents to me. Rather disappointing and frustrating, I must admit.

Eventually we reached our destination, an old abandoned tunnel which had been overrun by an ant infestation we were to cleanse. Strom opened the rock blocking the entrance, ushered us in, and then we were alone. We carefully advanced, as a team, and entered a large chamber made of rock. We were searching around for the bugs when we suddenly felt a rumbling, and suddenly three large holes exploded out of the ground and some number of ants began furiously assaulting us. Realizing the dangerousness of being surrounded by such emergence holes, I began a calculated retreat towards the more controllable passageway between the two rooms (a natural choke point) and sent Ahriman to scout down the holes; apparently, in hindsight, I should have better communicated my plan to my teammates, since they chose to remain in their rather untenable position. They suffered slightly for it, and while I cannot take blame for it, I still feel slightly guilty.

We continued to hold out, facing larger and more ferocious members of the hive. I thought we were close to victory, when suddenly a gigantic queen appeared. Although we were all rather drained by then, we renewed our assault, and it was only during a pause to begin focusing for another attack that I noticed the rock had been moved again, and several senior Veil agents were standing in the doorway. Our sergeant and another even seemed to be betting on the outcome of the fight, and I felt my blood begin to boil. Another senior, one I later found out to be the librarian Libragamos, came forward and mockingly asked if we required assistance. The affront not lost on me, I denied him and continued my attack.

Unfortunately, my team believed differently, and eventually retreated and allowed the seniors to attack. They wiped out the beast seemingly effortlessly, and we finally ended the fight. After a brief debriefing and an announcement that we were now active, we were dismissed, and I headed back to the inn with a sour taste in my mouth.

I cannot say my initial view of Veil employment is all that positive, but it is still an improvement, and I shall reserve further judgement till we are actually out in the field.

We shall see.

[-HTMC]