The guest gave me their condolences and some assurances that Orphelia surely didn't leave me standing at the alter today, but that she must have been called to duty at the last minute. Vladimere offered to sail me back to Nujel'm, but I have studied magery just enough to get myself home, and help a few of the guest back to their cities. I decided to retire here tonight, and visit the Palace tomorow to find out what has happened.

Orphelia's room looks as if it hasn't seen her in several days, and she has left behind a short journal entry that she left for Moonglow to defend against some orc attack. She has always put Duty before her own life, as any Guard would, so I realize now why she missed our wedding. I am waiting on some supplies to come here from the Provisioners, and will be leaving to Moonglow to assist in any way that I can.

Moonglow isn't the most hospitable place at the moment, I have discovered, and I have been forced to camp outside the city. Thankfully some of the Guards let me sleep in their barracks tonight, and have given me some information on their missing brethren, including Orphelia. They await the arrival of the Royal Guard, which I am told is the King's sanctioned citizen-based Militia to venture into Moonglow to deal with the orcs, as the Guards here are overwhelmed. They tell me Orphelia took up her Halberd, and rushed out with several other guards to deal with the Orcs in an attempt to save some people cornered near the Farmer's Market.. That was six days ago - and they have not heard anything back. It's too dark to enter the city now, and I will take advantage of this time to rest up.

It is very good I brought my Wizard's hat of Invisibility, for indeed Moonglow is in serious trouble. I have slowly been able to venture into the the city as the denzieness of the orcs and the Royal Guard are more than I can stomach -- and the smell of death here is overwhelming. However, I am now halfway through the city and searching slowly. nightfall crept up on me today as I lost track of time searching in rubble and in buildings, while avoiding confrontations of any sort. I am afraid I will have to retire soon here in the Carpenters Shop and start again in the morning.

I am back in Nujel'm now, and can barely see straight. Oh how I can't believe what has happened, but I saw it for mine own eyes. I don't blame Orphelia for doing her job and upholding the Virtues, but I do blame the Royal Guard. Where were they when they were summoned? Why did they take their time? Perhaps if they were there sooner she would still be alive. I blame them for Orphelia's death. The King was a fool to rely on those incapable of doing the job of our own well trained Guards.

It's been over a month now, and my craving for revenge is still here. I no longer blame the Royal Guard, they were merely following orders of their Commander, Gabriel Kirsan. Death is too good for him in my opinion, he took more than a person away from me, more than a wife - he ripped my heart out of my chest, and let it rot there in Moonglow. Whatever revenge I seek will be far worse than anything he has ever done to me and my love.

While working in the store today, I overheard some of the Guildmasters talking about lost and forgotten magics, like they normally do when remenincing about the old days. One spoke of something called Ethereal Magics, which was only studied by a few mages a long time ago, and once the mages died, so did their secrets.

I have heard them tell this story before countless times, however today they spoke of the reasons it was not taught to other mages - extreme difficulty and in many cases, lack of control over the Ether was a very high risk. Apparently with great power comes great danger, and they mentioned an Ethereal Demon, who is primarily summoned to take someone from our world into the Ether! The person they take can not survive in the Ether like we do here - they are not living, nor dead. From the sounds of it, it is a fate worse than death -- a fate worthy of Gabriel Kirsan.

I have quit my job and left Ocllo behind, and started visiting as many libraries as I can to find what seems to be the single book written by those few mages from long ago. "Summonings from the Ethereal Planes" is the only title I seem to have to go on, and have put it on the Special Order list in some of the more common Libraries. I fear that maybe none are left, and will have to seek out the sources that those wizards drew their information from.

I left my journal home when I left over a month ago, so I can only recollect some things here and now. I have succeeded, against all odds, in learning more of the Ethereal Arts. I can understand why the mages let their magic die with them, who would want to share the power that is available from the Ethereal Plane?! I have everything I need to practice the magic myself, and will begin in the morning at a secret location.

I have succeeded in opening a gateway to the Ethereal Plane, and have seen only a fraction of what is a very powerful and deadly force at my disposal. As I stood atop the tower with the gate open, I was able to peer in and see so many sights no living mortal should gaze upon. For a brief moment, I felt I could control some of it but I could not focus, and the gate closed. Before it closed, I was able to send small blast of ethereal energy upon the animals in the pen below. They died instantly, without pain, horrific indeed. Tomorrow I will work more on controlling the gateway.

I had to travel to and back from Ilshenar again, for now I realize the odd trinket I found and left there was a tool to help control the rift I have created. I had the Necklace with me as I began to open the door again, but this time it persisted longer. I was able to summon small abominations from the Ethereal Planes, and send them down into the houses below to slay a few of the evil wizards. Their years of experience and power were no match for these creatures. Death is not my objective though, I still seek this demon that my old co-workers talked about.

I write now, thankful that I can, as I nearly had a heart attack when it stepped through. The Necklace is the key, the reigns, and the baton all in one. It crawled through the opening, it's body clearly larger than the hole but yet it fit. It stood between me and the sun, and yet did not block it. Then it stood, spread open it's wings, and fixated it's empty eyes open it. It took me a few breaths to realize it was awaiting to do my bidding.

I threw some stones at it, and they passed through. I cast fire, ice, and electricity upon it, and it dissipated. I even took the time to bring back a few well trained drakes to attack, but they could not see it. If that wasn't enough to belittle my presence before it, it also can speak, which I learned when I gripped the Necklace I forgot about. It asked to know what bidding I desired, so off the top of my head I ordered it to take what animals were left in the pen to the Ethereal Plane, and it did just that - without question, without remorse. Then I told it to bring me the body and soul of Gabriel Kirsan, and deliver it to the Ethereal Plane just the same, and then stay there with him. It turned, and silently as a calm wind, flew off the ledge of the tower and out of sight towards the north.

It's been well over a day, I don't know what has gone wrong. The gate to the Ethereal Plane is weakening, and the demon has not arrived back from it's single task. I don't know what to think or say. I will wait some more.

The gate has collapsed early this morning, I don't understand. Maybe the demon finished it's task and I just don't know? Perhaps it failed somehow, however unthinkable as that is. I can not get answers here, I am packing up my things and will return home this evening. It has been days since I visited my Orphelia at her grave, I can't wait to tell her of my progress.