A Land Far Away

*Quiet and unhurried, Vale Clearwaters begins to Journal within an empty tome within the Font of Knowledge. He does so with silent focus and visable concern upon his face as his hands go about thier work of putting ink to page.*


Kythorn 22nd, 1399

In recent Rides there have been several times in which members of the Adventurering Community have encountered Demons in both the City Sewers and The City Streets.

It is suspected the sudden increase in Demonic activity and encounters within the the City is related to a curious artifact that was recovered from the wreckage of a site along the Long Road between Amphail and Red Larch where what appeared to be a family traveling south from Triboar was slain. Myself and several others first investigated this scene during the early weeks of Alturiak, four months prior to the time of my writing this.

What we found appeared to be a family's wagon burnt from an unexpected fiery explosion, the corpse of who we believed to be the Matron of the family was found near the wagon along side the corpse of a child to young for us to determine a gender. Both bodies were badly burnt by what we suspected was the same fiery explosion that destroyed the wagon.

The animals and the two men we found dead and suspected to be the Patron of the family and an adolescent were all found savagely mauled near the scene by what we suspected was perhaps some maliciously motivated clawed monstrosity. We suspected such because the wounds they suffered appeared to have been inflicted by vicious claws, and yet there was no evidence of the bodies having been used as a meal by that which slaughtered them.

Among the wreckage a metallic bottle covered in the runes of several languages was recovered. Initial examination pointed towards the bottle potential being an Arcane device used for banishing other Planar beings. In light of research conducted since then, it now suspected the bottle was used to contain a Demon of some potency. Potentially potent enough to be responsable for summoning the recently encountered Demons to this plane.

Eleasis 19th, Highsun 1399

It has been sometime since I have made my last entry here, and in that time the Demon has been active.

The Demon I speak of appears as a performing Gnome draped in colorful silks and wearing a goatee upon his face, and often uses the name Ryzz.

In recent days I have learned the weight loss of the Adventurer known as Smokey Holtzgrund was nothing more then an illusion provided to Smokey by the Demon Ryzz. In exchange for the illusion of fitness, Smokey was asked to burn down the Adventurer's Guild. When Smokey failed to do so, Ryzz took Smokey's Wife and she is presumed dead.

I have learned the Demon Ryzz aided an Adventurer by the name Logan Castill in his quest for revenge against the bandit and mercenary known to me only as Turain. After Logan failed to find Turain on his own, Ryzz offered to intervene in exchange for Logan's aid at a later date. Upon having Turain delivered to him by Ryzz, Logan Castill tortured Turain to death.

The Demon Ryzz has been lairing within the Warrens community where he has been making regular performances as an entertainer, and has appeared to earn not only the trust but also the favor of that community.

When Laird Briarbrush, Logan Castill, and myself sought to confront Ryzz within a long abandoned section of tunnels, the Demon gloated about it's accomplishments and took pride in it's misdeeds before ultimately summoning forth Vrocks and Darkness in which he escaped.

I Know not where this Ryzz now lairs.
I Know not how many others have entered into pacts with this being.

I know well the strong smell of Brimstone of his Demonic Magics.

Dare and Beware reader, for you may get what you ask for and not fully understand the price you and others may pay.

Eleint 22nd 1399 D.R.
Fading in the Year of Fallen Friends,

Through the death of one I have known since my earliest remembered days in Waterdeep, more has been learned of the one known as Ryzz. The one who has passed, was known as Kal.

Kal was a companion of mine, a friend, rival and at times an enemy. He was survived by his wife Sarenna, who was and has been every much a companion, friend, rival and enemy at times as Kal was. The pair of them had accrued debits and made enemies, often their choices brought suffering upon themselves and others.

Some months ago, one such debit was to the Undead servant of the Dark Sister, a being known as Vanrak Moonstar. Kal's left arm bore a cursed mark through which Vanrak hounded and hunted him, and in time after Kal proved resilient to Vanrak's manipulations, Vanrak came to reclaim his mark by severing Kal's left arm from his body.

Initially Kal and his wife Sarenna searched for a means to replace the arm that had been lost. They turned to the House of the Moon, where the servants of Selune were either incapable of replacing what Kal had lost or unwilling. In time Kal came to work around his handicap, learning to rely upon a sling instead of wielding a bow, as well as fighting one handed be it with a Mace or short sword.

Ryzz though has a talent for preying upon those with wishes they do not know how to achieve upon their own, and so he approached Sarenna who wished for her husband Kal to feel powerful again. Disguising himself as the Gnomish Crafter of the Warrens Gwafiner, Ryzz set about creating a clockwork arm infused with magic to replace the one Kal had lost.

In time the arm was attached to Kal, and not long after his life was lost combating the Yuan Ti of the Salt Marshes.

It was after his passing that I learned Ryzz was the creator of the Arm, and that payment was expected in the form of service. A debit Kal perhaps escaped paying through his death. I know not what service Ryzz expected, though I do know that efforts were made to see Kal's corpse retrieved from the Selunite's who were responsable for seeing to his burial rites.

His corpse was returned to the Salt Marshes and feed to the beasts there, while the Arm of Ryzz's making was reclaimed to and taken to a location warded well against scrying.

Much and more of this entry has been nothing more then a telling of a cautionary tale, though what I want to share in regards to Ryzz, is that I suspect he may not be a Devil nor a Demon.

Ryzz enters pacts with others, though they are informal agreements that do not appear to require lengthy oaths or signed contracts.

Ryzz appears to have a connection to and power over those that have entered into pacts with, that does not exist with those that have not entered into a pact with him.

In the wake of the news of her husband's passing, Sarenna claimed that she had to repeat the words I Wish, three times to Ryzz to enter into pact with him.

I will interview the others who have made pact with Ryzz.

It maybe Ryzz is some variation of Wish granting being of old, such as a Genie.

Eleint 24th 1399 D.R.
Fading in the Year of Fallen Friends,

I have interviewed Smokey Holtzgrund, another who has in the passed had dealings with the one known as Ryzz.

According to Smokey, he does not remember having to say the words "I Wish" in his dealings with Ryzz, though he confesses his memory is not the greatest and the events I questioned him about are some months ago.

Smokey though claims that after he refused to pay his debit to Ryzz, by burning down the Adventurer's Guild of Waterdeep, Ryzz appeared before him in what Smokey says to have been Ryzz's true form.

The form was described as follows, in Smokey's own words.

"It wuz a demon! no genie nosiree."

"Well it wuz reel tall and red I thank."

"I ran so fass and a peed ma pants."

"I wuz so scared sir."

"Picture tha most scary thing eva, okay, ya picturing it? that's it!!!! thats tha demon!"

When asked if the Form he witnessed had Legs and Wings, Smokey expressed to me that he believes it did.

After or exchange of words, Smokey offered his steel to any efforts to confront and stop Ryzz.

Now Know that Smokey Holtzgrund is not an expert in matters involving Infernal nor Demonic beings, or Genies. His testimony is as reliably as any of the others who have dealt with Ryzz and been emotionally damaged and scarred by the experience. I will try to interview Logan Castill next to see if his memory better aligns with the telling of Sarenna or Smokey.

Regardless if Ryzz is a Demon or a Genie, by Smokey's testimony I would advise all who would brave standing against Ryzz in what was described as his true form, do so with the aid of mental warding and shielding to help prevent the over whelming terror Smokey experienced from crippling them in battle.

Marpenoth 12th 1399 D.R.
Leaf Fall in the Year of Fallen Friends,

This maybe my last entry in this Journal, for as of the moment the Glabrezu Demon has been once more imprisoned within the rune covered flask he escaped from so many months ago.

I now share with you what came to pass and how, incase Ryzz returns in time you may known how we imprisoned the Demon.

High Seeker Clariana Gardner of the Font of Knowledge was granted access to the rune covered flask by the one known as the Dragon Mage of Waterdeep, Maaril. The agreement between them was that the High Seeker may use the Flask in an effort to imprison the Demon, under the condition that the Flask afterwards be returned to Maaril with the Demon inside if it.

Armed with the Flask a band, united in their effort to see Ryzz's time in Waterdeep put to an end, gathered within the Seeker's Vault beneath the Font of Knowledge where they intended to invite Ryzz for a final confrontation. Once the gathered were prepared and in place to defend their chosen battlefield, a sending was used to invite Ryzz to come and try to reclaim the flask.

Ryzz, refused the invitation and instead demanded the Flask be brought to him within the Warrens.

Note there were varying degrees of surpise at the Demon not going along with the plan the gathered had agreed to, ranging from surpise and frustration, to not surpised in the slightest.

Together the united left the Seeker's Vault beneath the Font of Knowledge, and hailed a cart driver to deliver them to the Adventurer's Quarter where they used a nearby sewer entrance to begin their descent towards the Warrens.

Those that descended to confront the Glabrezu Demon Ryzz
along with myself, where as follows.

The Gnomish Arcanist and Seeker Wyk Whitehorn
The High Seeker and Cleric of Oghma Clariana Gardner
The Warrior of Lhuvenhead Trading Company Logan Castill
The Widowed Bard of Lhuvenhead Trading Company Sarenna

Along our route to the Warren's we were harrassed by members of the Slimey Goblin Tribe who claim the Upper Sewers as their own, as well as a pair of Succubi who tried to ambush our band from the rear. The Goblins were left for dead face down in the filth of the Sewers and the Sucubi removed from this plane of existence through methods of violent application of force of arms.

Upon reaching the entrance to the Warrens, Ryzz awaited us to reclaim the Flask. I suspected that what appeared to be Ryzz in the form of a Gnome, was in truth a decoy deployed by Ryzz so we might squander the power of the Flask of Imprisonment upon a lesser demon in disguise. To expose this ruse I approached what appeared to be Ryzz in Gnome form to knock his cap from his head and ruffle his hair in a humiliating manner. It was my thought that no Demon would willing suffer such demeaning, and would use their true form to lash out.

I was wrong that it was a ruse, and I was correct about true form being assumed to lash out.

The tunnels darkened and what appeared to have been a Gnome grew to reveal itself as a Glabrezu Demon while a pair of Vrocks emerged from side tunnels to surround and encircle the band of us. The power of the Imprisoning Flask proved true and Ryzz was swiftly trapped within, and then delievered to the Dragon Mage Maaril.

The only artifact of Ryzz to remain upon this plane of existence outside the Imprisoning Flask is the Magical Mechanical Arm that was once worn by Sarenna's now deceased husband, Kal. The Arm was recovered from the battlefield by the Widow Sarenna, and I do not know what became of it afterwards or what may come from it in the future.