[Shrowd Umbra]

Arrows are more difficult to make than I had thought. After failing at that I began a trip to Silkwood for supplies. Goggles was on the way, a friend who helped me in the Ire Mountain pass before. Together with Vinden the wizard and Unther Hardhammer we met a trio of Wardens and made a trip to the Spider Caves of Silkwood. The Wardens were a bit out of their element I think, they guard the roads, or as the dumb one put it, they were the bosses of the roads. I figured him new and gave him a few sharp words. I have fought alongside Wardens before and Lyr a paladin of Toran. I felt he dishonored their god and church. One of the first Wardens I met was in their number, an elven woman with good sense but perhaps a little too much dedication to military ranking for my taste. I cannot stand the thought of one holding sway over my course in life. I think the Sisters of Rebirth felt the brunt of that when I was a girl.

The Wardens fell back at the cave mouth, a carrier falcon with a message of impending threat to Mistone. Goggles, Unther, Vinden and myself agreed to investigate, only to see a large gathering of adventurers outside Blackford castle. The captain there charged us with traveling through Whitehorn to Kheldell, a little forest town on the coast. I had trouble in the woods and awoke in the town itself. There we were to board a ship as bait and wait below decks for pirates to board us. The slaughter that ensued was what one would expect of a party bearing three wardens, two clerics, a druid, a wizard, Goggles and myself that I can recall. We were much akin to an army.

Upon taking the ship we found a map leading us to explore the mainland. I had the pleasure of scouting away from the group, a job I very much enjoyed. It gave me a chance to throw my hood back and feel the night air in my hair. The orc encampment north of us we planned to lure out by setting a signal fire and ambushing from the south. The idiot Warden tried to 'save' Goggles who was in charge of setting the fire. The idiot gave away our position then his commander tried to defend his subordinate's actions, never mind one of our clerics, a cleric of Toran ironically enough, fell in the conflict. Fortunately Unther Hardhammer found a scroll of raise dead among the orc camp.

The others fell back to the coast while I scouted about. Sure enough, I found a straggling archer spying upon us. I tried to pick him off but without Tanal I could not stop him. He gave a good chase but escaped. There was nothing to do but return and set up a signal to the Kheldell navy. After giving our report we pressed on west to seek out the orc encampment. We found them, and I found a side way to ambush them from. Their encampment didn't last long and it led us to a cave.

I strongly suspect the others took a lion's share of the plunder. The group turned out to be nothing but a band of raiders. Raiders with giants for allies and cockatrices for pets but still just raiders. By now the damnable wardens were getting intolerable and impatient. I think the female of their group was the only one with any good sense, or any sense of shame for that matter. Maybe it is just my imagination though. I shall have to speak with Lyr when next I see him. Surely she is the rule of what a Warden should be, and her fool companions the exceptions.