The Honor Role

After Ox's tragic death at the tenticles of the Mind Flayers, I found out something a bit gruesome about Galranwyn. I know it is her love of order and knowledge that had this result, but still, it chilled my blood to see it. The life of adventurers is indeed a hard one. There is no better proof than her List.

As the party was taking a few minutes of time to heal their wounds and catch their breath after the second and most deadly encounter with the Illithid and their Githyanki minions, Galranwyn pulled a battered notebook from the outside pocket of her backpack. As she had me (the Amulet) around her neck at the time it was easy for me to see what she was doing. She flipped the book to its starting page where was written a list of names. I recognized the names of the Local 509, but there were more names than that I did not recognize. As Galranwyn readied her pen, I quickly read the page. It consisted of names only, some with a line struck through them. I realized (with a shiver) that this was the list of those who had traveled with Local 509. The ones struck through were those that had died. As I realized this, Galranwyn struck a line through Ox's name and noted next to it "Mind Flayers". The horrible nature of Ox's death at the hands of the brain-eating Illithid rose before me and I thought that each name lined out on her list had an end at least as sad.

The ink used in the list changed color and the strike through often was in a different color than the writing, but in several cases, this was not so. A life so short that the bottle of ink had lasted longer! In some places, the ink had bled where water drops had fallen on it. Tears perhaps over lost comrades? I made an effort to push such speculations from me.

I believe this list was a possible inspiration for one of Stalin's most rousing songs, called "On A Roll". As this epic details some traits of the party members, I think it may have been written as a sort of counterweight to this list.

Someday, if I become inured to this life-within-death I may ask about the stories of their ends. But for now, all I can force myself to do is to commit it to paper from memory. However they ended, all are at least worthy of mention on the Honor Role.