[Shrowd Umbra]

My raid against the gnolls failed rather miserably. The smaller party had nothing of value and the large party overwhelmed, despite my best efforts, wounding Tanal and his friend. I know now how to draw them out, make them thin their numbers. When Tanal is healed, they will pay tenfold.

Unther, and I think her name is Fluer, had gathered with others outside Vehl. I recognised Mor Eastleaf, a paladin of Vehl's local diety. Seems he wanted to question Sallaron, one of the men I met in my first grand adventure from Vehl. I thought about hurling darkness as it seemed the paladin wanted a fight, a statement that should be more unlikely I would think. Sallaron simply vanished before anything came of it. Despite all he's done for Fort Vehl in the past, the home of Mor's faith itself, the paladin would turn on him in a heartbeat. I find that disturbing. One should remain loyal to one's allies, not turn upon them arbitrarily. Worse than a thief as a thief turns predictably.

He proved useful in a raid upon the Vehl crypts as did the other paladins. Some half-dozen men of the cloth descended with me to aid a struggling pair of adventurers with the mummy of the crypt. I could hardly keep up with their magic. It was a fever like I felt the night in the swamp. I howled and ran and fought the undead with such lightness in my heart. One of the others, a Rockhead Howling Wolf, was of like tendencies it seems. A dwarven bard with an interest in the Al'Noth.

Our troupe pressed on north into Gloomwood, a place I have never liked much. My newfound magic is helping though. The deathmist zombies that once were immune to arrow and copper now fall like any other. We drove deep into the forest and found another Zamin beast. With the paladins and clerics along though, the fight was hardly a fight. Much like watching ant swarm across a deadly spider. The beast was short lived.

On our way to Silkwood we paused at the Kobold encampment. I required aloe and the others had no qualms about thinning out the bandit population. Seems they were in the process of defending against Goggles already. I gave her my aloe, she was there first. She agreed to join us though not without convincing one of the halflings she was a nightmare to fear. She is deadly in battle but I would hardly call her fear itself.

We arrived in Hlint. The more senior members decided to leave for their big game hunting. I would of liked to have gone along but a promise is a promise. I took Milo, a little halfling druid, to Silkwood instead. While hunting beetles we came across none other than Lyr, apparently chasing a goblin thief. We pursued to the copper mine thinking he may have fled there. With the cave emptied we turned south again, enjoying a nice meal of roast boar and blackberries. Lyr declined, insisting he had to eat a diet perscribed by Toran himself or something. I cannot look favorably on any god that denounces the value of good berries and cooked meat. In our discussion it was decided to look into some honey in the southern forests. I must say, it speaks volumes when a paladin like Lyr can sneak better through a forest in his clanking armor than the Wardens could in leather boots.

A body was found by the pygmy pool. Milo says their wolves are called Thornies. Our pleasant trip turned dark with the discovery of the corpse and very human looking footprints in blood. A bit of serching about and we found little. Lyr insisted we take the body to his temple and I agreed. I hope the Toranites don't flood the woods with their people though. Wardens and Paladins are not meant for Silkwood I am convinced.