Alejandro's Reports

    

 

   
Alejandro's diary is again one of the few journals to exist in game, as it consists of his reports to the Knights of the Black Cross. It doesn't follow all of his exploits, but certainly marks in important episode for the organisation. While lying unconcious in a coma, Alejandro became rather lax in his reports. Interestingly, upon awaking he discovered the same trinket that Fionn was wearing now encircles his own wrist.

Journal Entries - Attack on El Morro

Attack on El Morro

[Report sent to the Kreuzritter in Altamira by Father Don Alejandro Rodrigues de Rios del Castillo]

Vaticine City
28th Coratin 1668

I have heard from a contact in the Hierophant’s Guard that we lost some good Knights trying to repair the damage caused by events which took place at El Morro a few days ago. I may be able to shed some light on the cause of these events and dispel any false rumours / exaggerations that might be circulating, as I was there! I only wish I had been able to do more to prevent what happened.

Before I get into the story proper I need to fill in a couple of bits of background. The first thing you need to know is that some of my travelling companions, namely Axel, Francine and Roberto (who is actually Viola and very definitely a girl – I will explain more about that when I get to Altamira) have become quite involved with El Vago. Secondly, but most importantly we were recently joined by one of Francine’s old associates, a pirate by the name of Fionn O’Connell. It seems O’Connell has had a run-in with an insane(ly powerful) fate witch called Lucrezia. Lucrezia is manipulating this situation somehow for reasons I can’t begin to fathom, and O’Connell seems to be the focus of her meddling. She has given him a bracelet with six pearls on it and a prediction. He can’t get the bracelet off, and as the parts of the prediction come true (and according to O’Connell they all have so far) the pearls turn black.

When we arrived in Vaticine city I had some of my own business to sort out, and by the time I rejoined my companions I found out that the Vargonauts had been hard at work hatching up a plot to rescue the disgraced Admiral Orduno who was due to be executed by the Inquisition at El Morro the following day. They had arranged a meeting between El Vago and Orduno’s wife and servant, which we all ended up going along to (except Roberto/Viola - I’ve no idea what she was up to or where she was). There shouldn’t have been any reason for either me, O’Connell or his Vesten ship-mate to go along with them, except that this meeting was foretold by O’Connel’s prediction: “The lying wife will come to the smiling masque to plead for the heretic…Help the smiling masque to help the sleeping Eisen. But do not follow him into the abyss.” There was other stuff in between about ‘the light bringer’ and ‘the seekers’ , and I’m not sure what it is supposed to mean, or the ‘sleeping Eisen’, but “do not follow him into the abyss” was to become perfectly clear.

(The full prediction is as follows: “A man without chains that you've seen before will tell you tales. Careless talk not messages long sent will lead you to her that you miss. But run from the crimson wave or it will crush you. If you do, you'll meet your lady again when the man with a smiling blade comes calling. The lying wife will come to the smiling masque to plead for the heretic. The light bringer will cross ships as the seekers join and fight. Help the smiling masque to help the sleeping Eisen. But do not follow him into the abyss. We will meet again when my sisters come with shears, and if you have the courage then, you might call me a liar.”)

Everything had been arranged in advance, but it appears they wanted El Vago along as a sort of figurehead/diversion. There was a ship all prepared to set sail downriver for El Morro. The captain turned out to be an Eisen known as the General and described by O’Connell as, “the most bloodthirsty pirate-hunting shark on the seven seas and short of Reis the man I’d least like to meet. If he clocks me I’m a dead man!”


There were Porté sorcerers on board. One of them, Timothy Le Beau, seemed to be the General’s ‘right hand man’ and it turned out he was to play a large part in the events the following day.

The plan went like this: Once we were in cannon range, they were going to fire a blooded coin into the fortress. Timothy Le Beau would then take El Vago and the rest of the rescue party to it, thereby getting us inside. We were to save the Admiral and come back to the boat via the same means, then escape to the open sea if we could avoid being smashed to pieces by cannon fire beforehand. They said they had a plan in this regard, but were reluctant to say what it was ‘in case it didn’t work’. I wasn’t entirely happy with the use of sorcery in the rescue, but couldn’t see any other way of getting into the fortress in time. My refusal to participate would not have served to reduce the damage, and I wasn’t in any position to attempt to stop them.
The cannons in the fortress had a longer range than ours and they started to hit us before we reached firing range of our own cannons. There were far more Porté sorcerers on board than I had realised. When the cannons started, they ran about the deck ripping open holes for the cannonballs to go through so they didn’t damage the ship. I can’t fault their bravery – one false move and they’d have a cannonball in the face, but this wanton destruction of the barrier and the rushed and careless way they were ripping pieces out of it was sickening. The deck was awash with blood.

Then we were in cannon range. The shot was fired and we were ready to go into the fortress. Le Beau tore a hole large enough for a person and told us to hold hands and walk through in a crocodile, eyes closed. I had Le Beau on my right and El Vago to the left, and it should have felt ridiculous if we hadn’t been about step into the very abyss itself. This is the first time I have ever travelled this way, and I was expecting it to be bad, but nothing could have prepared me for the reality of it. There are creatures in there that whisper to you. They try to trick you into opening your eyes or letting go of the others. The air is warm and filled with the fetid stench of blood, death and decay. I found myself wondering… what is the ground under my feet like? Perhaps I should take a look and see. How do they know you die if you open your eyes? What if the ones who don’t make it don’t open their eyes either? What if they did something else, or nothing at all and were just unlucky. How would we know? None of them have come back to explain what happened.


Le Beau’s hand was getting so slick with blood that I wanted to let go and get a better grip. I fought the instinct and just held on tighter instead. I don’t mind admitting that I’ve never been so frightened in my entire life. I don’t understand how these sorcerers can be so casual about what they do. It scared me so much I didn’t want to open my eyes even when I was sure we’d arrived in the fortress. I simply didn’t trust my senses. I thought it was another trick and I almost screamed when El Vago let go of my hand. Then something nearby exploded and I knew for certain we were through.


The appearance of El Vago threw the guards into confusion. Unsure who’s side they should be on any more; they began to fight amongst themselves and drew a lot of attention away from the rest of us. We managed to free the Admiral and make our way back to Le Beau who cut a way back out again. This time he showed none of the care he had on our way in. He tore great chunks out of the fabric of reality and tossed them contemptuously aside in his hurry to get away. I am pleased to say I was not the only one to disapprove of his uncaring and destructive methods. O’Connell appeared to be equally horrified and disgusted!
Same thing again on the return journey: fetid air, whispers, the almost overwhelming temptation to open the eyes or let go of the others’ hands.

Once we were back on the ship I told Le Beau, “Sorcerer, may Theus damn you to the darkest pits of the Abyss!” His reply was simply a smug, knowing smile…

We sailed immediately. I thought we would be heading out to sea. Instead we turned off into a tributary too small to take a ship the size of ours very far, but waiting for us around a corner was a sight so unexpected I could scarcely believe I wasn’t imagining it. Five Porté sorcerers were holding open the most enormous portal I have ever seen or even heard tell of. It was large enough to take the entire ship. The sorcerers were visibly exhausted and straining under the effort of keeping it open and even remotely stable. It rippled and warped at the edges, threatening to collapse in on itself. There was so much blood the river appeared to be made of it.

I could only stand and stare in horror as the ship sailed up this river of blood straight towards the portal. I saw something immense moving slowly in the darkness beyond. All this, I thought, all this damage, just for one man. No-one is that important, no matter who they are. It was insane.

One of the sorcerers suddenly screamed as a huge claw tore out of his abdomen, then ripped its way upwards towards his head, which seemed to turn inside out before disappearing, followed by the rest of his body. The remaining sorcerers were finding it even more difficult to keep the portal open.

O’Connell’s shouts of, “The Abyss! Don’t follow him into the abyss!” brought me to my senses. I tried to persuade the admiral to leave the ship with us (after all, I thought, I might as well attempt to save the object of this entire fiasco, or the whole thing will have been a complete waste from the outset). I tried to grab him and drag him off the ship with me, but the General intervened and pulled him back. The only solution left was to persuade the General to let go, so I took out my knife and stabbed the ruthless, scheming bastard. Well, I would have done if Le Beau hadn’t opened up a portal right in front of me, so that instead of skewering the General, my knife disappeared into the void followed by my hand and arm up to the elbow.


Neither the Admiral nor the General were particularly impressed, and made it quite clear that I was no longer welcome on the ship. Like I was going to stay! If the Admiral couldn’t appreciate that I was only trying to save his worthless hide, then to Hell with him! None of this would have happened if it hadn’t been for him. As for that General, he had obviously planned the whole thing, and for what? Just because he has some gripe against the Montaigne? The rescue could have been achieved quietly and efficiently without the need to use Porté at all, let alone to such a degree that it causes irreparable damage to the barrier. His solution was out of all proportion to the problem, just because he wanted to show off. And they accuse me of acting dishonourably!

I have no idea whether the ship re-emerged anywhere, but I hope it didn’t. It would serve them right to be stuck there with the monsters in that fetid, rotten void. If, by any chance they are still somewhere in Théah, then that General is dead meat if I ever see him again.

And that’s about it. I am angry at having been dragged into this thing and annoyed that I was powerless to do anything about it.
On my return to Vaticine City I made contact with the Hierophant’s guards. It was suggested that the Hochmeister might want me to report to him in person about this. I will be leaving for Altamira tomorrow, and hope to arrive within a few days. If it turns out the Hochmeister does want to see me, I can go directly to Tannen from there. If my travelling companions insist on going elsewhere I will just have to make my excuses and meet up with them later.

On a different subject: during my travels over the last six months I have encountered two obscure forms of sorcery. The first and most frightening is the Eisen sorcery known as Zerstörung, which rots things. The second is the Castillian fire magic, El Fuego Adentro. I will explain more about these when I get to Altamira.

Finally, while I am curious to see how O’Connell’s fate witch problem works out from an objective point of view, I also have to admit to actually wanting to help him. He’s a pirate and a scoundrel, but he’s a good and trustworthy man beneath all his Innish blather. Though he doesn’t know it, short of a fellow Knight there’s no-one I’d rather have fighting by my side or watching my back in a crisis. I will have to watch him closely, but if my instincts prove to be correct, he may be a possible candidate for recruitment.


Don Alejandro Rodriguez de Rios del Castillo
Knight Assassin of the Order of the Black Cross