This is a journal that I am writing from the perspective of Shadarkhan, a character I will be soon playing in a Pathfinder game. I decided to do this as a way of detailing my character's background (so I don't have to make things up on the spot if questioned) as well as keeping track of what will happen during the game (each new session becoming a new entry in the journal). Since we will start the game at level 3, how characters have already been on some adventures, which will also be written down before the game starts (hopefully).

I have now added Chapter 1 to the story, AKA the first adventure that brought Shadarkhan from level 1 to level 2! The next chapter, as well as a little surprise chapter, will come later.

The PDF contains everything written so far (characters involved and prologue, as well as chapter 1), but down here in the description I only put Chapter 1 (it's already long enough like that...)

Shadarkhan and Nibbler will both be played by me, while Steel-Eyed Tiger and Sweet Berry will be played by my boyfriend,  RobinLeeWright

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Chapter 1

A new world
Area: City of Kibwe, Mwangi
Date: Gozran 25 & 26, year 4725

For 25 years I had lived in the caverns of a mountain surrounded by forest. Kobolds, wildlife and wood elementals were all I had ever truly known. Of course, I had learned from the books and community teachers that other species existed, but until the Kholo attack, I had never seen any. You know, it’s easy to imagine something from a description, but in the end, it never truly compares with experiencing it firsthand. I had no idea how it could be to walk on a street filled with humans, orcs, catfolks and more.

With nothing but a map, I had made my way to the city, expecting… well, to be honest, I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t what I found. Buildings so square, so big, all coddled together like a forest of stone. And, inside of that still grove, such a variety of shapes, colours, sizes. All of the different languages around me, the merchants crying the merits of their products, the scents of different meals cooking, everything felt overwhelming.

But I could not afford to turn back or give up. I had a mission and focusing on it helped to reduce the stimulation. I was aware that cities came with some special things to pay attention to, like pickpockets. Keeping a close grip on my purse, with whatever gold the council had been able to scrounge up for me, I looked for an inn. My first action on this adventure would be to simply get used to the city a little. A day, no more. Then, I’d start searching.

Fortunately, Nibbler didn’t seem so affected. As long as he was with me, he was happy. And as long as I was nearby to keep him in check, the people of the city seemed content enough as well. Most of them treated him as my pet more than my fellow traveller, at first, but apologized to him whenever I corrected them.

The most awkward thing was having to explain why he kept calling me “Little dad”. I asked him, once, and all he answered to me was: “You once said that when someone takes care of someone else from their birth to their adulthood, they are considered to be their dads.” Apparently, that was enough of an explanation, and I couldn’t deny it. I did ask, out of curiosity: “Why the ‘Little’, though?” His answer, just as simple and effective, was: “You are tiny.” I decided not to press the matter. If he was happy calling me that, it was enough for me.

As it would have to be enough for the innkeeper. After a short silence, the patient dwarf waiting for my friend to further explain and realizing quickly enough that no additional information would be provided, I was handed the key to the room me and Nibbler would be sharing for at least a few nights.

The next day, I started my exploration. Having an imposing bear as a bodyguard had its advantages: people stood out of my way, and pickpockets probably didn’t dare get too close. It could be a problem when I’d try to gather information, so I considered a moment to ask Nibs to stay at the hotel the next day. I didn’t even bring it up to him, in the end; he would categorically refuse to do such a thing.

After a good day of exploration, identifying spots where I could potentially gather some information and sampling a few of the local delicacies, I found my way back to the inn, had dinner with Nibbler, then went up to our room to try to catch some sleep.


Cheaters get punished
Area: City of Kibwe, Mwangi
Date: Gozran 27, year 4725

I decided to begin my search at the city’s market. After all, if a large group of Kholos had passed by the city, someone was bound to have seen them. I listened to the small talk of the town folk, asked some questions, bought a thing or two to loosen some tongues, but all I could learn is that such a group did resupply in the city a few weeks earlier. No one knew where they were from or where they were headed. Nor had they seen any of them come back later.

My first idea giving less than optimal results, I changed my angle. Who knew everything about everyone in the city? Most likely the crime organisations. Nibbler tried to talk me out of it, but I determined that trying to reach out to them was worth the shot. How to do that, though? The awakened bear refusing to leave my side and discouraging most ruffians from targeting me did not help, for sure.

After a little bit of thinking, I made my way to the closest tavern. They were just starting to open for the day, but if there was a place criminals would probably hang out every once in a while, it had to be a tavern, right? The problem was that I couldn’t just bluntly enter and ask if thieves and pickpockets usually visited the establishment, and that I didn’t know enough information to properly inquire about it.

Then I thought: wouldn’t the best place to gather information on the criminals be the taverns? Offering a drink to a patron, playing games with them, chatting while making observations, never asking directly but reading between the lines. I’d spend the day doing that and preparing the next step. With the limited funds that I had, I couldn’t spend carelessly, so I’d have to pick my targets, which meant that my first order of business was, once more, visual intel gathering.

Going from one tavern to the other, looking around as discreetly as I could to find someone potentially affiliated to crime that could know where and how I could meet those who knew what I needed, the afternoon passed without bringing any luck to my plate. I was beginning to feel frustrated, irritated, and I was about to start interrogating anybody at random.

That’s when I saw him. A dark-furred Kholo, looking similar to the ones that had attacked Cliffburrow. He was sitting at a table, playing games of cards with other patrons. An opportunity that felt too good not to be a trap, but in my current emotional state, I bit the bait.

“Have some room for one more player?” If he was part of the attacking group, he didn’t seem to recognize me. His glare did change when he looked at me, losing some of its friendliness. Despite the inviting smile, it felt even more like a trap. Too late. I sat down, put my purse on the table, and tapped on the wood to request a hand. Poker, eh? I had not played much of it, but I knew the rules, at least.

The Kholo won the first two hands, which did not surprise me. Wanting to use his confidence boost to bypass his attention to details, I asked my first question. “Ever visited the mountains south-east of Kibwe? I heard they offer a beautiful scenery.” I was expecting the kind of answer that would betray the fact he did, in fact go. Something like ‘Oh, it’s not that impressive, actually.’ But instead, I got: “South-east? No, I haven’t.” It was impossible to say how sincere he was.

Then, to my surprise, the Kholo asked: “And you, ever visited the cities in the east of the jungle? I heard one of them is a jewel of knowledge.” What did it mean? What did he truly want to know? Defensive, I answered an honest, but careful: “I can’t say that I have.”

The game had shifted. It wasn’t only a money game anymore. It was a mental one. As much as I was trying to get information from the Kholo, he seemed to be trying to get information out of me. Both of us were brushing a subject without naming it as we asked questions to each other, and both of us were careful with our replies, remaining evasive. An information dance, and no one was getting the upper hand.

When it came to the money game, though, the Kholo was definitely winning. He was losing every now and then, just enough to make it look real, but I quickly caught on the fact that he could win whenever he wanted. How did he have so much control over the game? I didn’t know. But if I didn’t say anything, I’d lose all my gold to him without getting any information in return.

I could have simply quit, but he was my best lead so far. When he said: “Looks like I win again!”, I couldn’t resist the opportunity. With a casual tone, I stated: “It’s easy to win, when you know what cards your opponents have in their hands, isn’t it?”

I had not considered the other players in my calculations. Both of them started to insult and yell at the Kholo. One of them even jumped at him, punching him right in the face. The city guards that were relaxing with a beer at the nearby table grabbed their weapons.

I barely had the time to tell Nibbler to stay put and not draw his own that I was pushed down against the table, blade pointed at me and guards shouting not to move, or else they’d not hesitate. Keeping my bear friend in check was a bit difficult, but he understood when I told him that I’d be fine, that they’d probably release me in a few days.

Irons around my wrists, I was pushed out of the tavern and towards the local jail, alongside the other three gamblers. Nibbler tried to follow, but when the guards told him to get lost if he didn’t want to join us in jail, I made him a sign with my head that meant “Don’t. Get back to the Inn and wait for me.”

My heart lighter knowing that my friend would be alright on his own for a few days, but also heavy that we’d be apart for the first time in years, I walked to my designated cell in silence.


A common cause
Area: City of Kibwe, Mwangi
Date: Gozran 28 to 30, year 4725

After the most uncomfortable night I had ever spent and being hit by the reality that I was, indeed, in a jail cell, I was trying to analyze my situation. Sitting with my back against the wall, I was staring at the Kholo who had, of course, been put in the same cell as me. Gambling was not a cause enough to punish us. A bar brawl was worth maybe a few days in jail, at most. I’d be out soon. I only hoped that Nibbler would be patient enough to wait for me without causing any trouble.

For the time being, I had nothing to do but to wait and potentially talk with the Kholo. That was a chance to get some information out of him. The indirect approach had not worked, so I had to change my angle. And I could tell that he was having similar thoughts, which was confusing me. If he was part of the Kholos that had attacked Cliffburrow, he should know by now that I was one of them. A black Dragonscaled Kobold with an awakened bear? That’s not a sight you see often.

My cellmate took advantage of my hesitation. “My name is Steel-Eyed Tiger.” Confused, I kept staring at him. Was he expecting a reaction? Did he expect me to know that name? Was it even his real name? For a second, I considered giving a fake name in return, but what use would it be? The raiders did not know my name, so true or false, it didn’t matter. “I’m Shadarkhan.” I saw a glimmer of curiosity in his gaze, but no real reaction. Was it good, or bad? At the time, I couldn’t tell.

Once again, the Kholo surprised me, this time with a direct question. “Why are you looking for Kholos?” So, he also had decided to change the approach. But how had he picked up that I was looking for a group of Kholo? I had not said that in our previous discussions. And his victory grin revealed to me he had just guessed and had been confirmed to be right by my reaction.

“They wronged me and my community, and I have reasons to believe they will come back. I am trying to find out why they did so, and how to stop them.” Telling the truth was perhaps not the best idea, but my other ideas had failed. Sometimes, a sprinkle of truth was the best way to gather more information. From the frown on Steel-Eyed Tiger’s face, I deduced he was not expecting that answer, and that the idea of it being true troubled him.

Using this second of slip-up, I counterattacked with my own deduction: “And you? What do you want with my kin?” A nonchalant smile followed the most frustrating answer he could have given to me. “They wronged me and my community, and I have reasons to believe they will come back. I am trying to find out why they did so, and how to stop them.” Was he mocking me?

Before I could comment on it, or press further, the Kholo brought his finger to his lips in a silent sign for me to keep quiet. He then carefully got closer to the door of our cell. Curious, I also got closer, listening intently to the voices coming up from the end of the corridor. I could barely make out what they were saying, but I could get the important bits clearly enough.

“What about the Kobold and the Kholo? No one knows them, they are both outsiders. They’d make perfect scapegoats.” My heart skipped a beat. Tiger and me where the only Kobold and Kholo in the prison at the moment. The answer came after a few seconds of thinking, from the voice that I recognized as the prison warden: “If we do that, we need to forward the execution. I don’t want the mayor to step in. That should at least keep the citizens calm for a few weeks.”

From the somber look on my cellmate’s face, he had understood the same thing as me. They were talking about pinning onto us crimes we had not committed and executing us so that the people would believe they had found the culprit, and stop being angry. Until the true culprit would strike again. That was a short-term only solution, to buy time and avoid a potential riot. And it seemed like they didn’t have the agreement of their own leader for it, having to do it before the mayor came back from his trip to Usaro.

“We need to get out of this cell. I’m not dying here to buy some time to a corrupted jail warden.” As much as I thought the same thing has the Kholo, I didn’t think that was the best thing we could do. “We’d only become fugitives. We need to find a way to delay the execution until the mayor comes back.” Tiger’s look showed he did not think I was right in the slightest, but he nodded.

The days that followed were not relaxing. Putting aside my quest for the Kholos, I focused on finding a way to stay alive. Any idea I discussed with my cellmate was immediately countered or rejected. His arguments were good, but I still didn’t think that evading was the correct course of action. At first, Tiger tried to convince me to do so, but he quickly understood I would not budge on it and resigned himself.


A kind man
Area: City of Kibwe, Mwangi
Date: Desnus 1, year 4725

I had not slept well that night. Having not found anything to convince the warden to postpone the execution we were not even supposed to know was coming, I was wondering when exactly it would take place. Having been 3 days in jail already, it meant we had just entered a new month. The mayor was due to come back, from what we had overheard, in 2 days. The voice of my companion of misfortune pulled me out of my thoughts.

“What are you going to do once your head’s on the chopping block? Just let them cut it? You know, it’s gonna be any moment, now.” I sighed in frustration. That was the kind of comment he had been making, instead of providing valuable help. “Oh, so we should just break out and fight the entire guard on the way out with no weapons? Think we can survive that? I don’t.” He shrugged, with his nonchalant smile that seemed to say: ‘We won’t know if we don’t try.’ At least, he didn’t actually say it.

I sighed. Maybe it was our best shot, after all. But I didn’t get to consider it any longer than a few seconds, as the voices of the guards rose in the corridor. We both went silent, looking at the door of our cage as our escort was amassing in front of it, weapons in hand. It was time for the show. I had prepared a few lines, a few ideas to toss at them, but I didn’t get to speak any of them.

“Say a single word, and your head gets chopped right here and now.” I had no doubt they were serious, from the determined look in their eyes. They could easily find another scapegoat or knock us out to finish us off on the scaffold. They didn’t need to keep us in good condition. With a bit of frustration, but unable to find a way out of it, I resigned myself and followed in silence.

There was a crowd around the scaffold. Visibly, the citizens were happy that the murderers had been caught. If only they had known… Among the people in the first row, I spotted a familiar shape: a black bear, standing on his hind legs, and staring right at me with fury in his eyes: Nibbler. He had certainly heard that a kobold was about to get executed and showed up to see if it was me. Even with his help, though, we couldn’t hope to win against the 20 something guards that I could count among the crowd.

After a quick head sign telling him to stay put, I resumed looking for anything that would allow us to get out. If we didn’t have chained bracers holding us back, we could try to grapple a weapon out of a guard’s hands, break through their lines at the weakest point with Nib’s help, then run away and find a place to hide. Being fugitives would still be better than being dead. As I thought that, I looked at Tiger, only to see his mocking smile again, as if he knew exactly what I was thinking and was telling me: ‘I told you we should have broken out.’

I should have done something, tried at least to do… anything. It couldn’t be any worst than just letting them kill me. But what could I have done? One of the guards forced me to kneel and pushed my chest against the wooden block that had been placed there to stop the axe when it’d go through my neck. In front of me, I saw my bear companion grabbing the hem of his hammer. If he acted, he’d just get himself killed with me, but nothing I could say or do would stop him from throwing his weapon at the executioner.

Just as Nibbler was readying his arm to throw the hammer, I saw confusion on his face. Then, I heard the sound of something metallic falling on the wooden floor, followed by the thumping of someone falling to the ground. A hand grabbed my shoulder and pulled me up while turning me around. In front of me was Tiger, free of his cuffs. As he was swiftly relieving me of my own, seeing the confusion on my face, he simply stated: “I won’t let them kill a kind man for no reason.”

Something shifted in me, just like it did when the village got attacked. Maybe some sort of survival mode? I felt my body steel itself. I noticed blood on the Kholo’s face, but I didn’t have time to investigate. Turning around, I pointed towards the stairs of the scaffold and shouted at the awakened bear: “Nibs! Block the stairs!” He was already on the way, having started to move as soon as I had pointed.

As Nibbler was jumping on the stairs, shoving a guard off with his hammer and taking position right at the top, to ensure no guard could get on the scaffold, Tiger knocked out the executioner and I took a dagger from the other guard that was unconscious on the wood. It wasn’t my favourite weapon, but I knew how to use it.

With what little time my massive friend had bought us to think, I tried to figure out a way of breaking through the civil guard’s ranks to flee the city. The civilians were stepping back to give some space to the guard, we had to act quickly if we didn’t want to be overwhelmed.

Seeing one of them climbing on the scaffold and setting foot on our level, I pointed and shouted: “Nibs: push! Tiger: pommel!” The bear’s hammer hit the guard right in the chest, sending them back towards the Kholo, who used the pommel of his own weapon to knock them out. I then pointed towards the back of the scaffold: “Jump and run for the alley!”

It was our best shot. We’d be able to lose them in the labyrinth of alleys, then find a safe way out of the city. To my surprise, my cellmate didn’t argue, running to the boarder of the scaffold and jumping down, quickly followed by me, then the heavy bear.


The ‘honorary’ investigation team
Area: City of Kibwe, Mwangi
Date: Desnus 1, year 4725

Before we could make it to the alley, the guards surrounded us. They ha laid a trap for us, and I had sent my little group right into it. Still, we’d be able to defend ourselves easier with our backs against a wall, so we retreated to the foot of the scaffold. There was no way we’d win this. They were aiming to kill, and we were aiming to knock out only.

Nibbler, Tiger and I were getting exhausted and slower, and I didn’t know what to do. The only idea coming to my mind was to rush and push as hard as we could in a direction, but that would expose our backs. We were about to die, killed in a foreign town for crimes we had not even committed.

But suddenly, a voice came shouting from above. Standing on the wooden structure, someone dressed in simple but chic clothes, with a look of anger on his face, was ordering the guards to… drop their weapons? And they did? It was certainly the mayor, the one who was supposed to be away. Without even thinking, I dropped my own weapon, motioning at my companions to do the same.

A few minutes later, the human was approaching us, no weapon in hand and no sign of hostility on their face. After looking at us for a good 30 seconds, they looked at the prison warden and asked: “What are their crimes?” To which the warden answered: “They are guilty of the murder of some of our citizens. They are affiliated with the local crime lord.”

Of course, Nibbler didn’t know when to keep his mouth shut. “My little dad did not kill anyone in this city!” I put my hand on his thigh to let him know to calm down. My cellmate seemed to have understood the same thing as me: the mayor was not buying it. As if no one had interrupted their discussion, they asked: “And the bear? Also guilty?
- No. The bear attacked when we were about to execute them. It must be one of their underlings.
- When did you catch them?
- A few days ago, they started a brawl in a tavern. We thought best to execute them as fast as possible not to give their friends a chance to try to save them.”

Throughout the whole exchange, the mayor’s gaze had been alternating between the three of us. They remained silent for another half-minute, before finally saying: “Put them back in chains and take them to my office. Also, give the basic care to that Kholo’s eye.”

It only dawned on me at that moment that the blood I had seen on Tiger’s face was from a blow received to his eye socket. But, when I looked at him, feeling guilty about it, all he did was shrug with the nonchalant look that seemed to mean ‘Don’t sweat it, I’ll be fine.’

After throwing water at the Kholo’s face and calling it ‘good enough’, we found ourselves back into cuffs, walking towards the city hall. This time, Nibbler was also chained. Fortunately, the bear stayed calm all the way into the office of the official managing the city. Their first request was for the warden to leave, leaving us alone with them, as well as half a dozen guards.

“You are foreigners, and you did not kill any citizens, am I wrong?” I shook my head, unsure weather I was allowed to talk or not. “I will get those chains off of you, but I can not absolve you on your words alone. You will help me track the true culprits. Find them, bring them to justice, and you’ll be free. Until it is done, if you so much as try to leave the city, you will be executed where you stand. No trial. Do we have a deal?” I nodded, and so did Tiger.


Around the edges of what can’t be said
Area: City of Kibwe, Mwangi
Date: Desnus 2 to Erastus 12, year 4725

I hope you’ll understand that I can’t write all of what happened next in great details. We have been asked to keep secrecy on a lot of it. What I can say is that we spent the next weeks tracking criminals. There were many challenges that forced us to develop our social skills, as well as our battle ones.

Thanks to all the information gathering I had to do, I got a lot better at gleaning the contents of a document with just a quick gaze. This skill has been very useful to quickly learn the information I needed when I only had a limited amount of time to go through a room without being noticed.

Tiger found himself in multiple situations where he didn’t have a weapon on hands and had to manage with a deck of playing cards. He became quite skilled at throwing them or using them to parry enemy attacks. So much so that he had special playing cards made to use as his actual weapon. Deadly and unassuming, the kind of weapon he’d be able to sneak in gatherings and then use to protect himself or take down a target.

As for Nibbler, you may think that a burly bear like him would not have been a great asset to have for social or discreet missions, but you’d be wrong. Thanks to his stature and his protective anger, he mastered the art of intimidating other with just a gaze, dissuading them from causing trouble, or sometimes inciting them to talk, as the mere thought of a savage bear going wild at them would scare them enough to untangle their tongue. He was also very useful in fights, because of his natural weapon: his claws.

Through the investigations, our small team managed to catch the head of organized crime in Kibwe, proving our innocence in the process and regaining the trust of the city’s authority. Not so much that of its citizens, but I do not intend to ever come to live in that city, so it doesn’t matter. Our bonds also grew. I understood that Steel-Eyed Tiger was not part of the Kholos that attacked my village, and that he doesn’t know who they are or why they did that. He also seemed to trust me more. Even Nibbler stopped growling at him.

The time was approaching to leave the city. With the money given to us as payment for the capture of the criminals, we bought ourselves some new equipment in town and got ready for our imminent separation. Even though I barely knew the Kholo, after the intense weeks we had spent together, leaving him behind was also leaving my heart heavy. His skills had been good complements to my own and I felt like we had unfinished business together. I still owed him for saving my life at the execution ceremony.

We had both decided to stay a few days and enjoy a short break before getting back on the road. I decided to spend some of that time with him. We had a few drinks together, walked around the city, discussing what was coming next. I didn’t really know where to look to find what I was looking for, but of course, my reliable cellmate had an idea.

He told me about a city named Nantambu, a capital of knowledge with a university. If someone knew about groups of Kholos and where I could fin the culprits I was looking for, they’d certainly be in that city. I decided to make it my next destination. Tiger had travelled a lot of Mwangi, he was very knowledgeable of the roads, and I took mental notes of all his tips. He also helped me to buy the provisions I’d need for the trip. That evening, I said goodbye to him, offering him one last drink, and went up to the room I shared with Nibbler. The next day was going to be the beginning of a new adventure.