The Evans' Fortune Recovered and a Body Found

We found the Evans brothers, or one of them, at least.  We made our way out to Duckley's farm this morning, and spent a few minutes watching the place before moving in.  It seemed to be deserted, so we weren't expecting what we found.

There were no guards in the farmyard, and we burst into the farmhouse; Kenner lead the charge.  There was a little bit of a scuffle, as one remaining bodyguard attacked him, but he and Daran (who was right behind him) overcame the guard very quickly.  The short, stocky man inside was starting to make a break for the back door.  He didn't get very far as I'd already stepped in the way.  He was Graham Evans.  We had a little 'discussion'.  From what he told us, his brother Brian had gone out to the Ambrose farm two days ago, he'd gone to meet Wilson.

Our search of the farmhouse turned up some money - it seems the Evans boys have been keeping their cash stashed here.  We confiscated it, and carried it with us back to town.  There must be upwards of ten thousand gold crowns in there.  We left the bodyguard on the floor, but took Graham Evans back to town with us.

The local traders were very interested in receiving the 'donation' of money that we brought them.  They were also quite pleased to take custody of Graham Evans.  We didn't hang around for long, but we went out to the Ambrose farm, it was already getting towards lunchtime and we wanted to avoid being out there at lunchtime.

In the end we needn't have hurried.  The farm was still in operation, the farmer was happy knowing nothing about the barn he had rented out.  The rent was paid for another four months, and he didn't go out there.  We did, though.  We warned him what had been going on with the Evans brothers, and he was quite shocked.  We had to break into the barn - there was a lock on the outside.  Inside the smell was terrible - we'd finally found Wilson.  He hadn't come here to die after the beating we gave him - he'd come here to recover, but someone else had found him.  That someone had locked his dead or dying body in here.  He'd been beaten again, the bruises on the body were far more than we'd given him, but the cause of death were two stab wounds in his back.  He'd bled to death.

It's a horrible way to die, but he'd been involved in this world for many years.  It is, in many ways, a fitting end for such a scumbag.  We found no more money or stock stored in the barn, so we left the body and returned to town.  We didn't even ask what the local traders had done with Graham Evans.  We think Brian Evans has run off northwards.  We're now washing our hands of this matter - the rogues guild has been smashed, their money has been returned to those it was taken from, and half the masterminds behind it have been captured and handed over.

Personally, I'm really just looking forward to a good nights sleep with no watch duty.  It's been quite a tiring couple of days.

Reporting and Planning

I think I've managed to impress the others, they have been slowly coming round to my point of view anyway - but perhaps they were enjoying the rest they were getting while sitting in this inn.  I sat there while they gave Mullory and Elenhugh a bit of a ribbing for his plan of sitting and waiting.

I relayed all I'd learned about the two farms, and I suggested that we go there.  The only objection I had was that, with one being a couple of hours out of town that we couldn't do them both this afternoon.  I agreed with that - there seems little sense going out there and then having to make a camp, or try and sleep in someone's barn.  We want to check them both out if possible and in the shortest time.  We might find they're both occupied, and we don't want one raising the alarm at the other.

So we decided that we'll head out there tomorrow morning, and we'll drop into the closer farm first.  The only worry about our plan is that my investigation this morning could have let them know we've been looking for them.  This doesn't really worry me - the worst they could do is try to attack us here at night.  That isn't gong to take us by surprise, we've been prepared for days.  If they run off, leaving town then we'll have utterly won.  They probably won't be back.

I hope tomorrow we can finally flush out the Evans boys.  I do not believe Wilson is with them, I think he's scurried off elsewhere.

My Investigation in the Town

I was up just before dawn this morning, I knew I'd be doing my stint on watch during the night, so I'd been tucked up in bed quite early.  I had a light breakfast - and the inn specialises in early food for the traders that are stay here, and I ate with them.

I made my way to the north of town where the businesses that were suffering from the Gallam End gang carried out their trade.  I began talking to some of the market traders and some of business owners in turns.

Whenever I raised the subject of the gang, there were several different responses I received.  There were rumours floating about of the gang's demise, and of disruptions to their operations for many reasons.  Most folks thought it was temporary disruption, though, just like last time, and they were expecting the gang to be back before very long.  Some were keeping cash to one side to pay the thugs off when they turned up, some were really scared and refused to talk to me at all, and others were just happy for the respite from the extortion.  One even mistook me for one of their heavies.

I got a sense of how utterly fed up everyone is about the tactics their heavies used and the drain on the businesses resources.  There is a desire to see the back of these guys once and for all.  I think the only justice here would be to catch these Evans boys and hand them over to the traders to be dealt with according to their own preferences.

I picked up several rumours, some of which will be just made up stories, but such rumours usually have some basis in truth.  The rumours about the Evans boys being killed seem unlikely, but there are some strong rumours about them leaving town, either after their heavies deserted them or after being so badly hurt that they can no longer protect them.  There were some rumours that their heavies were seen fighting with 'local heroes' and 'local ruffians'.  Fortunately, nobody appears to have recognised my friends - or, at least, none of the rumours named them.

I heard the story that Wilson was badly beaten (which I know is true) but after that there are a couple of rumours about what happened to him, and both have the air of truth to them.  He either returned to the Evans boys and went with them out to some hideout, or he met with them, told them where to shove their guild, and left town.

It took me some time this morning to gain enough trust with people who were still reluctant to talk.  It was a long job in some cases, and I even used a few coins as bribery - but I do not like to do that, as it can encourage some folk to make stories up and tell me what they think I want to hear just to get the money.

As lunchtime passed, my luck changed - I managed to get a couple of hot leads.  The Evans boys were known to have a secret hideout outside of town, nobody seemed to know where it was.  Except one member of the Kings Guard who'd had reason to track them down six months or so ago.  He reported that there was a farm that they'd been to, he visited and knocked on the door but there was no reply.  He told me the name of the farm, it used to be called Duckley's farm, but it had been unused for a couple of summers.  He didn't go back because he caught up with the Evans brothers in town.  He told me where the farm was.

I'd also heard that the Evans boys kept small supplies of stock (they couldn't say what the stock was) out at a farm a couple of hours out of town away to the north.  This farm was in-use by its owner, the guild just hired storage there.  The owner was a farmer called Ambrose a while ago - who owns it now is uncertain, but it's likely to be the same person.

I've had quite a fruitful morning really, and now that afternoon is here, I'm returning to the inn to make a report to the others.  I think we know where we're going to be heading, whether we do it this afternoon is still to be decided. I'm not sure going there after dark would be all that sensible - but I'll find it easier to decided what I think is best after I've had some lunch.

Two Days in the Inn and a Minor Disagreement

We kept a watch overnight both last night and the night before.  And we've hung around the inn all day yesterday and today.  Barr has been out to the tavern and around the north edge of town mid morning and again at dusk.  There was still no sign of our enemy - not at their own former headquarters and not here.

After enjoying the hospitality of our inn for the last couple of days, the futility of our current plan was starting to challenge my patience.  My intuition about these rogues was screaming at me - there is no way they'll either attack us in the inn or come back to their old haunts, especially while we're in town.  I raised these points with the team - I needed to stress to them that I know what I'm talking about here.  They didn't disregard my input, but the consensus was still that we should continue to sit tight - they still think the Evans boys will act.  And the thought is that even if they don't, they'll be losing money every day that we're here and preventing them from extorting money out of anyone.

I dropped my argument there,  my friends weren't ready to consider any other approach.  But I picked it up again over dinner this evening.  The longer we've sat in that inn suite the more convinced I've become that the Evans boys are keeping an eye on us and waiting for us to move on out of the town.  We have to go and find them - and I don't think it will be all that hard once we start looking.  Finally, they began to accept my point of view, but they're unsure how to progress.  I told them I could probably do most of the investigation - I am, after all, trained and experienced in this.  And it meant they could continue to do what they'd planned to (i.e. wait in the inn).

Eventually they agreed enough to allow me to go and do this.  They were discussing whether Daran or Kenner should go with me just in case, but I don't think that's necessary.  If I were to take anyone it would be Barr, and I'd only take him if I needed some assistance twisting arms.  If my suspicions are true, there will be no encounter with any of the gang, and the clients they've been extorting will have had some peace and quiet for two days.  I'll go on on my own initially and see how it goes.  I'm going to start looking at first light tomorrow.

Back at Weller's Coach Stop

We've been back in the suite at Weller's inn, but it's very quiet in the room.  We've been having a regular patrol, which includes us taking a look around out the window and a walk down to the ground floor and around the secure coach compound.  The others are expecting an attack of some kind, they keep telling me they just don't know when its going to happen.  I'm not so sure.  I think that they've gone to ground, these Evans boys need to regroup, and gather some more heavies around them.

As darkness fell, Barr put on his dark cloak and went out to take a look around the north of the city.  He was only gone for an hour, and his report was that both locations were empty.  Wilson seems to have been shut down as a problem to the community - his bloodstains were still on the floor from where he was beat up, and if he'd still been working, he'd have been back in his office.  Barr had been inside the office without anyone else in the building knowings.

Perhaps we have to change tack and go back on the hunt.  I don't think the Evans boys are very far away.

We Found Wilson

We knew that the Gallam End ruffians were looking for us, but we couldn't work out why they hadn't been to our inn - we'd not been quiet about where we're staying.  We'd eaten quickly and moved out to try and get close to their base in the evening.

We found getting to the bar was quite easy, we'd expected there to be groups heavies.  But there were none.  As we approached the north entrance to the town Elenhugh told us what he'd been thinking - that we'd actually hurt this group badly over the last two days - today we'd done a group of four and another group of six, and at the same time Kenner had done another group of six of their armed heavies.  That's sixteen  of them just during the day.  It was about now that we began thinking that we might not meet as much resistance if we could confront Wilson.

Then we were there; outside Bucks Tavern.  It's quite a large building, and it was very busy inside.  We walked in, unnoticed.  I nodded to a group of Dzarraf sat by the entrance door, and they greeted me, but we had a job to do.  There was only one way into the back room, and Kenner was leading us that way.

A couple of guys tried to stop us going down that corridor, but it was impossible - Kenner pushed them both back, and they tried to square up.  But Barr was there - very discretely pushing the tip of his dagger into the flesh beneath one of the guy's ears.  I clearly hear him say to the guard 'Go home.  Now.'  The guards went pale, and scurried out of the building.  We kept walking.

As we went down the corridor it was clear that there was shouting in the corridor - someone was angry, we guessed it was Wilson, because he was shouting about being too inept to find something that was absolutely obvious.  Kenner flung the door to the room with the shouting, and marched straight in, and we filed in behind him.

There were three of the heavies here and the guy doing the shouting.  It was clear that this was Wilson.  Kenner called him some pretty unpleasant names - I shall not repeat them here - and he tried to use these heavies to defend himself.  Daran, Barr and I just overpowered and sat on the heavies, while Kenner and Mullory lynched Wilson.  They gave him quite a going over, but they didn't kill him.  Elenhugh went through some of the papers on Wilson's desk and selected several to keep.  We left him in a bad way, but we also left the heavies to deal with him.  Then we went out to the bar, where we sat drinking for an hour.  We really expected a visit from the Evans brothers, but it didn't happen.  We concluded that we'd have to go out and find them.

As it happens, Elenhugh and Mullory had been looking at the papers they'd been given and they had spotted an address that came up a couple of times.  This was an address where they'd had equipment and supplies delivered.  We asked one of the locals, and the address was very close to the tavern we were in.  We finished our drinks and went off to find it.

We were disappointed - when we arrived the building was deserted.  The front door wasn't even closed.  Whoever left this place did so in a hurry.  We even asked one of the neighbours, and there were people here this morning.

As it looks like the Evans brothers have fled, we decided to head back to our own inn.  We don't know what damage the brothers will try to cause, and we know nothing about them, of course.  But if they've gone into hiding somewhere, they may well be trying to keep a low profile until we've left town.

Overnight we had no disturbances again, although we kept a watch.  We discussed the issue over breakfast, which for once was at a normal time.  We will struggle, at the moment, to find the Evans brothers.  They've either run away or gone in to hiding.  If they're anywhere close they'll either try to cause us some trouble, maybe try to put us out of the picture, or they may just wait until we move on.  Either of these situations is not acceptable - if we don't deal with them now, they'll be back to causing trouble within a month.

Our plan now is to spent the next couple of days laying low in the town.  We will keep a watch in our suite overnight and we will be vigilant during the day.  If they send someone to attack us, then we want prisoners we can ask questions of, and if they return to their activities we want to catch them in the act. We're going to keep an eye on the empty building and on Wilson's office.  I think Barr is the expert at covert operations, so he'll be doing most of that.

It's Like a Red Rag to a Bull

Or, at least, that's how the saying goes.  Our encounter last night seemed to have ruffled a few feathers, and the effect was very predictable.  We took an early night, turning in as soon as we got back to the inn last night, and even posted a watch in the room - although it's much harder doing that indoors, the cold air keeps you awake or you can walk around if you're nodding off outdoors.  Walking around on wooden floorboards just wakes everyone up.

We were out of bed before first light too - and we ate breakfast as early as they would let us.  We were expecting trouble, but Daran and Kenner seemed excited, not apprehensive.  They were really looking forward to settling some scores, I think.

We went out to meet the morning traders and split into two groups.  I tagged along with Barr and Daran as we went around the market traders.  We wanted information about Gallam End gang, and we were prepared to bribe people - with real gold - to get the information quickly.  Barr is the natural talker among us, I think Daran and I were really only here to provide some protection.  We ran into two separate groups of heavies - they were definitely out hunting us, too.

The first group were the easiest.  We didn't really suffer anything from them - Daran faced them down and was quite belligerent when they tried to attack him.  Of course they didn't manage to keep tabs on where Barr was, and the four meat-heads were so intent on beating up the people they'd been sent to attack, the also missed that I was there.  The rather limply started off by pushing Daran around.  They surrounded him, but the slicing sound as Barr sliced through the tendons in the back of one of heavies' knees was revolting.  They pulled long knives out to Daran, so I swept both the legs from underneath the one in front of me with my axe.  Daran disarmed the one who started the pushing and shouting, and stuck the knife into its owner's kidneys.  We left the injured writhing on the floor here, as the unhurt one ran off.

The second group was much less subtle.  We'd actually moved up a side road to talk to some of the back-street shop owners.  We were surprised by the presence of three heavies stepping out of an alleyway.  They already had their swords drawn, and behind us were another three.  A fight broke out.  I actually took a blow to my arm from one of the swords, and Barr had to do some proper hand-to-hand fighting instead of what he normally does, which is put them out of the fight before they know it's started.  It took a little longer than we expected, as Barr and I are not experts in this kind of fighting - but Daran is.  He waded into, and through them.  As we walked off, it turned out that Barr had also been stabbed, but like me, his pain wasn't serious.

We regrouped late morning at a place called Wray's Grill where they serve some excellent fried food.  The place was quite busy, and I had my first encounter with the little race, the Hznamen called them 'Halflings', I think their name in Dzarraf is Hulbitwain, but that seems something of a mouthful.  They're very lighthearted, and in the brief chat I had with them I found myself laughing quite a bit too much.  We had another breakfast in this grill, and the Halflings insisted this meal is called 'second breakfast', and is only really traditional (in their terms) if it's served with extra mushrooms.  How can they be so small yet eat so much?

Anyway, after Mullory had patched us up, our two groups swapped notes.  We think the Gallam End gang are run by two brothers, Brian and Graham Evans, and their organisation has been milking the northern end of town and some of the countryside for ten years.  They're well established, and in the last two years have been upping their activities and the income they've been extorting.

Many of the traders didn't want to talk to us; they were very coy about grassing the gang up - the consequences must be terrible.  I've never seem Mullory so angry.  Normally he wouldn't advocate violence, but he knows that he can make a real difference to so many people here by taking this group out of the local equation.  We'd even had a tip-off about where some some of the senior members of the so-called guild meet.  One of their 'generals' is a guy called Barry Wilson, and he hangs around the back room of Buck's Tavern by the north entrance to the town.

So, guess where we're going later on.  We needed some supplies first - we want to hurt these people with no collateral damage.  We spent the afternoon walking around the northern parts of town - Elenhugh though it may pay us benefits if we know a little of the layout of the streets.  We've spent an hour before our evening meal deciding how we're going to approach this tavern and what to do when the heavies bolt and try to run away.

A Bizarre Evening

Last night we had an interesting evening.  The second tavern we went into was, I think, called Melton's Tavern, but inside were some of the people we were looking for.  Fortunately we didn't have to look too hard, they seemed to recognise Kenner and Daran.  Elenhugh asked us to finish our drinks quickly and make it look like we wanted to leave in a hurry.  He thought they'll follow us and try something, so I and Barr went outside first, to lie in wait - I went because they wouldn't recognise me, Barr went because they'd never see him until it were too late.

I waited across the street in the gloom - I still have no idea where Barr went, he just vanished.   I was pretty cold, so I was glad I didn't have to wait long, it was just a couple of minutes until the others came out.  From where I stood I could see the other entrance to the tavern down the side street.  The targets came out, there seemed to be three of them, two were very burly but the third was a small wiry guy.  The little guy sneaked off the other way, but the heavies headed towards my friends, who had by now begun walking down the street.  I kept in the shadows, but slipped along behind them.

We'd gone for fifty yards or so when the enemy began the fighting,  The launched themselves into the backs of the group - it was Mullory and Daran at the back, but they just bounced off.  My friends, in their armour, were pretty impervious to the punches.  This wasn't the main thrust of the attack, though.  I saw two rogue-like men slip across my path.  A melee had broken out between the heavies and my friends but the rogues closed in.  One made a lunge at Kenner, there was a glint of steel in the darkness and I saw blood pour from his back.  Kenner is pretty tough, though, and he didn't fall.  Now that they'd used weapons against us, we had our cue to defend ourselves more fully.  The other rogue fell as he was moved up to Elenhugh and Barr stepped out behind him.  In one move Barr grabbed him and ran his blade around his throat, then he let him fall.  The blood gushed from his neck, spreading through his fingers as he clawed at it, desperately trying to hold it together.

The other rogue, the one who had hurt Kenner, was in my sights.  I took a quiet step forward, right behind him, and hit him between the shoulder blades with my axe.  He collapsed too, although I did get an unexpectedly accurate blow in.  It was at this point that Barr and I backed out of the fighting.  Daran and Kenner handed out quite a beating to the heavies.  They continued to pound them heavily.  One of the heavies was killed with punches and kicks, a horrible way to die.  The other was left in serious pain - the idea was to leave a message to the gang that attacked and tried to kill us.

We casually waited around a moment or two while Mullory took care of Kenner's injuries, then we walked back to our inn.  I feel quite bad about attacking Hznamen like this, but this was self defence.  This mob were intent on killing us all.

Helping the Locals

Last time my friends were here in this town they managed to upset a criminal organisation by landing heavily on some of their operatives.  The gang are known by the odd title 'Gallam End Guild', which tells me that they've set themselves up as a guild in some bizarre attempt at legitimacy.  Eight months ago they were causing problems for some of the local traders and a couple of the farms just outside of town, and my friends happened to be in town and were asked to help out.  The gang were demanding protection money, which meant they had several large men using intimidation and harassment tactics, so in return for a small fee my friends turned the tables on the heavies.  They were all badly hurt, but none were killed.  The gang were not pleased, and fought back - using violence, of course, as this is the only tactic they understand.  Elenhugh and his companions thought they'd dealt with the problem, so as they packed up and moved on.  As they were leaving Saltley, they were attacked, this time it was some of the more senior members of the guild.  They were hurt lightly, they turned back their assailants and left the gang with another bloody nose.

Barr had been visiting some of the people they helped after he met one of them in the common room last night.  It turns out they'd had some respite from the problems, but the gang was back in a few weeks.  We're going to try and deal with them more thoroughly, and this time we'll be hitting their senior leaders directly, and maybe even taking them out of the equation permanently.  I don't fancy that, but people's livelihoods are being hurt.

Barr and Daran have been out gathering some information about the gang this afternoon.  The rest of us have been out around town, just trying to have a high profile.  They wanted the gang to note our return to the town, and perhaps try to take some action against us.  Nothing happened to us today, and we've all returned to the inn for the evening.  We're going to eat here and then spend a little time in the popular taverns near to Gallam End, where the gang are based, and they'll try to find anyone they know to be a member of the 'guild'.

The plan is to quietly deal with any members met tonight, then tomorrow to go after the big fish.  Barr has a couple of leads for places where they're based.  We might have to hurt several of their operatives, but its the leaders we really want to get.  I just hope that we're helping in the right way, that we're not opening the door for another gang to come in and start hurting people.  My suggestion that we go to the Kings Guard for help here was laughed at.  To become as established as this guild are, they've either acquired contacts in the Guard already, or are skilled at avoiding their attention.

A Day in Saltley and Potential Work

After the chase to the city yesterday and a late night in the common room, we rose late this morning.  After breakfast we went to the city to buy some more supplies.  I had my first real look at a Hznaman town, the streets seem quite narrow, especially near the centre of the town.  The buildings are largely wooden, packed together, and much lower than I'd imagined they'd be.  Barr explained that this is a smaller town - cities tend to have more space, and have much more sizeable, and stone-built buildings.  We wandered around the market - where there was a surprising variety of food available considering the time of year.

There is a smell to the town, it smells of an open sewer.  While wandering around the marketplace, I chatted with a couple of the red-breastplated guards about this.  They could tell that I was a newcomer to the land of the Hznaman, and I think they were sort-of proud of their land.  They said that the sanitation in the larger towns is easier to manage, as the greater prosperity means they can afford better drainage.  In Saltley, however, the town is not big enough, yet, to afford the drainage that bigger towns enjoy.

We've purchased some salted pork and some dried beef for the journey.  We've also bought some dried fruit sealed in leather pouches.  We also bought a few clay jars sealed with wax, Mullory spent some time trying to find particular ones.  I didn't know what was inside them, so he opened one when we were back at the inn.  I was quite surprised - it was some kind of freshwater fish that had been salted and sealed into the jars. These, he says can be eaten cold and have saved him from starvation on several long journeys before.  They can also be eaten warm - you just sit the jar on the top of or just to the side of a camp-fire and  the fish will cook through while the wax melts.  You pour the wax off and then eat the fish.  Once they're open, the jars contents have to be eaten with then day, so we finished this jar off.  They smell a little strongly, but they taste great.

It was only at this point that I realised Barr wasn't with us.  I asked the others where he'd gone, and only Elenhugh knew.  He'd slipped off to see someone he met at in the common room last night; there is a potential for work here, but he didn't want to say anything at this time because there are some complications, so it may not come to pass.  We'll find out later when he's back.

Fast March to the River

We were up before dawn.  Barr had a small batch of firewood and we had a hot breakfast, he had some salted pork that he's bought in Gora - he told us it was the 'emergency ration', and it was most welcome.  We broke camp as the sun came up, and the last act was to pour lamp oil onto the bodies of the Oggar and set fire to them.  They burned slowly, but we didn't hang around to watch them.  We hurried away from the camp.

We marched quickly along the road.  By lunchtime we'd covered many miles, in the five hour march we probably went as far as we would normally cover in a full day's walk.  The march did come at a price, though.  We were quite tired by lunchtime, and I had blisters on my ankles.  When we stopped for a rest I pulled off my boots and the blood stains on my socks raised eyebrows among the others.  "I thought you Dzarraf were a hardy folk", Barr quipped.  Cheeky bugger.

Mullory used the power of his faith again and healed the pain, but it didn't make my boots chafe any less.  He told me he didn't like to do this - the pain and chafing will heal on its own, and it grows back stronger.  As we'd made such good progress, though, we knew we could take it easy this afternoon.  The weather was clear and we could see the river away down in the valley, snaking its way from the mountains to the west out to the east.  Saltley was still out of sight, but it was no more than ten miles away.

The afternoon's march went well but more slowly.  We reached the river only an hour after stopping, and the road we were following turned and tracked alongside it.  Down at the river the roadway was in better condition - it seems to have been used much more, and has been maintained in places.

Our good progress continued, and the afternoon became warmer and warmer.  By evening we'd turned away from the river a little and the road reached the main highway.  We turned south and there ahead of us, across the plain was the town of Saltley.  The road wiggled its way towards it, through a rolling plain.

We reached the town's entrance just after night fell, and we slipped quietly inside.  There were guards on the gate, Hznaman wearing bright red breastplates and brown cloaks trimmed with gold.  They are quite an impressive sight, but they seemed quite bored as we passed them.  We've stopped in a tavern called "Weller's Coach Stop" which looks like it's aimed at the better off traders, those who can afford large shipments.  There is a huge coach yard, and a (comparatively) small inn.  As usual, Elenhugh has hired a suite of rooms, and we're on the top floor.  This is a new experience.  We're off down to the common room to share stories and sample the local brews in just a few minutes.

Overnight Fight

We were struggling to keep warm in this open camp site, the frost had bitten hard.  As usual, I was doing the mid-night watch, when the world was at its darkest.  I can see so much better than the Hznaman in these conditions, and it was good that it was me watching - I saw four Oggar approaching.  They were clearly trying to be quiet as they closed in, they were almost 'sneaking'.  I think they planned to hit us with surprise.  Quietly I roused my friends - starting with Kenner and Daran.  When Barr climbed out of his slumber he was instantly alert.  The low bushes here kept the others out of sight - which was a good thing, it allowed my friends to prepare, although they couldn't really see very much in the darkness.

As the Oggar were creeping up to our position, Kenner whispered his plan, which was to wait until they were right upon us, then Elenhugh and Mullory were to throw light into the area to confuse the enemy and make it easier for the Hznaman to see.  Just as this happens Kenner, Daran and me were to leap out and set about them with our weapons.  After that, Mullory was to join in the hand-to-hand fighting while Elenhugh had some very special magic he wanted to use.  We'd be turning their surprise attack right back on them.

This would be my first opportunity to test out my new axe.

I hoped I wouldn't be testing my new armour.  I though it odd that nobody had mentioned what Barr was to do, I turned to ask him and he wasn't there.  He was not in our camp any more - I've seen him in action so I knew he'd be off in the darkness somewhere waiting to pounce on the enemy.

I could see the Oggar moving closer and closer, and I gave them the countdown.  Elenhugh and Mullory began chanting, a few seconds later the front two Oggar burst into light, they glowed!  This was our queue.  Shouting as loudly as we could to emphasise our surprise, we leapt from the camp area into the enemy's path, two swords and one axe swinging into them.  The Oggar have pretty tough, thick hides, and were wearing more leather patches as crude armour.  But my first swing of my axe bit deep into the side of the opponent I'd chosen.  It didn't stop him, though.  He lifted his huge club and swung it at me.  I dodged it neatly and swung my axe again.  This time I hit him only a glancing blow on the upper arm, but I'd bitten him again.  I wasn't aware of what was going on around me until this point, the Oggar at the back fell.  I assumed that he'd been hit by Barr, and I was right - even after he'd been stabbed in the back, the Oggar still had enough energy to turn round to retaliate, which was his undoing.

At this point a shaft of pale light thudded into my opponent.  It came from Elenhugh, and I later learned that this weakened them.  I could see my opponent's shoulders sag and his huge club seemed to become heavier to him.  When he swung it again it caught me full in the chest, and I was lifted off my feet.  I landed several feet away on my backside, and I struggled to get up.  He'd knocked the wind out of me, and I was bruised and in pain.  I looked up to see my Oggar take a step forward towards me, then fall.  Behind him was Barr, just turning away to face one of the two remaining monsters.

I now had a few seconds to recover my composure, but I could only get to my feet slowly - the bruises around my chest and lower torso were aching.  I made my way over to the fight, but I was too late.  The last two enemy fell just as I arrived.

Both Kenner and I had taken hits.  I think I'd been hit the hardest, but I think he'd been hurt more seriously. He took a blow to the right shoulder, which had meant he couldn't use his sword very well at the end of the fight - but Mullory used his clerical power and healed him.  He was fine in just a few minutes.  Then it was my turn.  When Mullory was finished, the pain had gone - all the bruising was gone and I could move freely.

We moved the dead bodies away from our camping site - it took four of us to move one of them - we piled them up and then we returned to our beds.  We had surprised them by being ready to defend ourselves - if they'd been able to catch us unaware, we'd have struggled in that fight.  Any more that four of them would also have been a tough test for us.  I hope we can reach Saltley tonight.  Mullory thinks we'll be safe if we can get as far as the river.

Footprints at the Camp-site and a Night in the Open

Our route through the mountains followed a little-used trail that seemed to wind its way gently down from the heights behind us to the foothills ahead of us.  It seemed to pick its course to make the journey easy, rather than take the shortest route or try to keep out of sight of any of the (clearly lower) peaks around here.  The sunshine this morning soon washed the frost away, and by the time we stopped for food at noon, it was quite warm and bright.  The sun stayed low to the south, Mullory explained the changing seasons to me - of course I understood the difference between winter and summer, but the practical effects of this on travellers is something I need to understand to help survive out here.  It's currently mid-autumn, and down in the plains where there are trees, the leaves are turning golden brown and falling from the branches.  Up here in the mountains, though, it's a little colder, and there are far fewer trees.  It's also slightly colder this side of the mountains - to the west and north there is more shelter, and wind that passes eastward along the plain and up into the hills and mountains.

I nodded as though I was following this.  I understand quite a bit about the 'what it is' side of seasons, I've just never experienced things first hand.  I know that while I'm with the Hznaman I'll be reasonably safe - they know all the precautions to take against elements - but if I become separated it could help save me.  I think I just need to pay attention to what they're doing in response to changing weather and land, and learn all I can.

As we passed further down the road we spotted more Oggar tracks.  I still find these quite unnerving.  It was worse at the end of the day too.  There is a clear camp site here, prepared by traders.  It has a low wall around it on three sides, and it nestles under some low trees.  It is clearly not a winter camping place, but for us it wasn't the lack of protection from the weather that was the problem.  It was the Oggar tracks that criss-crossed this area.  There are lots of them, and they seem to have been here for only a few days.  It's like this place attracts Oggars.

We looked around for somewhere else to camp - the problem here was that this place was selected for a reason - it's the best camp site within an hour's march from here.  We had to march on well into dusk to find somewhere to stop.  And then it wasn't perfect - we're huddled up under a low cliff with a brambles and other mis-shaped bushes around us.  It's very cold, and we are not having any fire again.  As the day drew on, cloud bubbled up along the eastern horizon ahead of us, but not enough to bring some warmth tonight.  I'm expecting a sharp frost again.

A Bitterly Cold Morning and Some Tracks

We awoke in the cave this morning to a pale sunrise.  The sky had been clear overnight and outside our little cave there was a heavy frost.  The ground crunched under our feet as we gingerly went out into the frosty air.  We'd not had a fire last night, but the cave had protected us from the worst of the frost, and we'd hung a blanket over the entrance way to keep the cold out.  As a result of the six of us crammed into this space it was quite warm - there was condensation on the walls of the cave that had started to freeze by the doorway.

As the sun was now up, and there was light around, Barr quickly got a small fire going in the mouth of the cave.  He'd set up some snares down the trail that lead up to the cave, and a couple of them had a result.  He'd caught a couple of hares, which we cooked over the fire for breakfast.  Barr and I went together to check over the snares, and as we passed along the trail he stopped to look at some tracks.  I'm definitely no expert at tracking, but I could see these large footprints.  These, he said, were Oggar prints.  He did reassure me that they weren't fresh - they were not made last night, but probably two or three days ago.  That helped me relax a little, but he showed me how he knew about the age of them, how they'd weathered, and he also showed me how he knew there were at least three of them, and they were only passing through.

It's nice to learn a few new tricks, I found most of what he was saying quite confusing, if I'm honest here.  But at least we know that these particular beasts are not in the immediate vicinity.  The prints look awfully big, half as big again as my own feet.  It's quite an incentive to get through this country as quickly as possible.

Reaching a Turn Off and Camping in a Cave

The east road has been much easier than I expected.  We reached our turn-off by mid morning, and despite an objection from Daran, who considered this a risky route, we headed down the road to Saltley.  The day has passed with little incident, unlike the main trade route we hardly seen anyone along here.  The only people we've seen have been a small contingent of mounted knights that moved quickly past us back towards Gora.  They called a greeting to us as they went past, but said nothing more, and they certainly didn't stop.

Mullory thought them rude, and seemed more incensed than the others.  These were church knights, from a rival church to his.  It was Elenhugh that pointed out that they bore the symbols of the church of Anbartae.  This is the church that holds some of the sway at this time in Caldonacia.  The Hznaman King, despite being in a foreign land away to the west, is a follower of that church, and it gives them a degree of kudos and social rank that is denied to the priests and knights of other churches.

I'd never really considered the religion of the Hznaman before.  I'd assumed they were all followers of Danethrae, much like us in the delve.  It seems this is not so.  The churches do, for the most part, get along, but they do teach different philosophies.  Anbartae's position seems to be to promote establishment and order, which contrasts Danethrae's position which promotes honesty and mutual support for each other.  I asked Mullory how many churches there were in the Hznaman lands, he said he could name another four, but there were many others, and some that worshipped and practised evil.  He would not speak of these at all.

I suggested that they try and teach me a little about these kinds of social structures of the Hznaman people, so that I didn't upset anyone or cause problems for people when I arrived in the first town.  They said they would help, but that it didn't really matter.  It would be quite difficult for a Dzarraf to offend anyone in that way, they assured me.

We spent over an hour this evening looking for a suitable camping place.  Barr was quite insistent that we find somewhere both defensible and well hidden.  We eventually found a dry cave, but it was getting dark when we went inside.  He lit a lantern to illuminate our way, but didn't really need to.  The cave is quite small, and it's quite easy to see all around inside it, even in the gloom of dusk.  I think that if the lantern were off it would be just as easy to see in here.  We're having a cold camp tonight, they're worried that a fire might attract unwanted attention.

A Day from Gora and Travelling

As we left the beauty and majesty of the ornamental entrance to Gora this morning and turned left we walked along a well made roadway.  It had all the hallmarks of a Dzarraf road - the paving was precise and the surface level.  I noted this to Mullory, and he confirmed that this section of road is maintained by my people.  It's part of a wider highway which runs to the south, and off to the nearby Dzarraf realm of Riviga Kiziph.  My people have a long history with Riviga, more so than the other great delves of this land, we've stood shoulder to shoulder in war against common enemies, and we've co-operated with each other wherever we could.  He did point out, though, that the Hznaman also make roads much like this one.  He believes that many Dzarraf think they only use cobbles to make roads but this is not true.  Some of the finest highways in the country are made by the Hznaman, using stone they cut and laid themselves.  He thinks his people are no better and no worse at this kind of masonry than the Dzarraf - but did agree that there is a kind of snobbery among his people where there is a craving for the exclusivity of Dzarraf-worked stone.

As we moved along the road, taking it a little easy as we were in the company of other traders and enjoying the flat and easy road surface, we discussed the detail of this journey.  Mullory seems to have planned out our route carefully.  We followed the road southwards for the best part of a day, before we reached a small and quite new settlement.  This place used to be just a series of camping sites that the traders used, he told me, but in the last few years solid structures have been built.  The trader's stopover has acquired the name 'Pinnell Camp', he was unsure why.  We will reached here an hour ago, and both the local inns were full.  For tonight we'll be camping among the traders.

The camp sits on the road's turn-off.  The main Dzarraf road continues south, but is less well maintained from this point, and a second, well worn road leads off to the east.  This runs down to the plains of Caldonacia, the Hznaman land beyond.  This road runs eastward for several miles before gently curving away to the north.  It eventually it meets the main trade route down to Scourt Hills at the eastern foot of the Gora mountains, but we're not taking that route.  Just as the road starts to turn north, there is another turn-off that heads south-east, one that is less well used, and it is the route we shall be taking.  This will be much more secluded, and it runs through an arm of lower mountains and eventually meets the River Jallar, which it then follows until it meets the main road north of the town of Saltley.

When we go along this road, Mullory warned me, we must be vigilant.  There are known to be Oggar that live here, and we may also run into Ogruks too.  The traders do not like to use that road because of the danger of attack.  We have no trade goods, so we're expecting to be left alone - although it does no harm to take care.  The road from that turn off to Saltley should take us three days to walk.  It makes the journey at least one whole day shorter than taking the north road through Scourt Hills and then south once again down the highway.

Once we're in Saltley the plan is to spend a day or so replenishing supplies and to look for any work that may be available to a team of our ability.  After that we'll head out along the southern route, a road that leads to a town called Sparren Marsh, which is in the wetlands, but the road is quite dry, he assures me.  The highway here will allow us to pick the pace up considerably, it would take three days for traders with heavy loads to make the journey from Saltley to Sparren Marsh, but we should be able to do it in two with a brisk pace.  We may even purchase some horses to speed our progress.

The north-east road out of Sparren Marsh leads to Fornan Bay.  If we're on horseback by then we'll make this last leg of our journey in a day.  What happens after that is unknown.  None of the others have made any plans that far ahead, and we may be delayed on the road by any work that we pick up.

I've overcome my fear of the outdoors, and of Hznaman traders and of camping in the rain.  So I'm pretty sure I can master my fear of horses.  I've never worried about sitting in a cart behind a mule (I've often not enjoyed it, but I've never been actually apprehensive about it) but sitting on the back of a huge horse is an intimidating prospect.  Well, I'm here to experience more of life, so I'll go through with it if the others do.

The Ornamental Entrance

The ornamental entrance is a bustling, busy trade centre.  It's pretty cosmopolitan and packed with people of all kinds.  It's the show-piece of the Gora delve; I find it thrilling and spectacular in equal measure, and I feel so at home here, yet I also feel I should have come here much more often.

The main entrance hall is lined with pillars, the tops of which reach an arched ceiling.  The chamber ceiling is pretty high thirty feet at the peak - as a youngster I often wondered how the arched shapes were made.  I've since learned how the techniques work, but it has made it no less thrilling to look upon.  The tops of the pillars are leafed in gold, and when the sun sets to the west it shines in through the entrance and falls upon the tops of the pillars nearest the huge entranceway and a golden fire spreads over the threshold.  At each side of the main entrance are two larger columns like the pillars inside.  These stand forty feet high and are thirty feet across.  They're actually a trick to make the entrance look larger, the opening is only twenty five feet or so high, and the ceiling rises into the room.  The pillars are carved on the outside of the mountain to make the entrance look larger.

Inside, the pillars run six abreast, from the entrance deep into the chamber beyond.  It's a huge chamber, and towards the back of this is a market area.  Goods are traded here, people coming in with supplies for the delve and people wanting to buy the output of the mines meet and exchange gold.  The trading can become loud and frantic at times, and is a spectacle that has to be seen.

At the back of the huge entrance hallway there are dozens of inns set into the back walls and down the numerous corridors that lead off the main hall.  They do a brisk trade here with all the visitors.  Most are reasonably priced and provide a reasonable service to the buyers and sellers, some are aimed at Dzarraf, some at the taller races.  But, as always where there are lots of traders gathering, there are some inns catering to the more well off among them.  What is also apparent is that the more expensive the inn is, the bigger its rooms are and the fewer number of guests they can house.  Elenhugh has negotiated for us to stay in a suite in one of the most exclusive inns.  I've always wanted to stay in a place like this here; whenever I've visited in my official capacity in the last few years I've been granted board in one of the standard places that has a contract directly with the delve.  They were never anything like this one, though.  Inside it is wonderfully quiet, and so comfortable.  We've dropped by many of the market stalls and purchased food supplies and other bits and pieces for the journey, so we can be away again first thing in the morning.

As we approached this place, I felt no nerves about once more being out of the under-land.  I only truly recognised this as we dropped our packs in the inn this evening.  It could be that I was so excited about seeing the ornamental entrance again, but I believe I have overcome my fear of the outside.

Commercial Traffic is Increasing

All morning as we've headed along the highway the traffic has steadily increased.  We're still over a day from the ornamental entrance, but there are already plenty of traders moving in both directions - some with large carts and others leading teams with trains of smaller carts.

I believe the handover of these goods, whether export or import usually occurs on the flat, level plain just outside the entrance, but the deals are done on the trading floor at the back of the entrance chamber.  I've only ever been to the back of this hall - I never had the urge to explore under the sunlight at its western end.  Whenever I've been in that hall, I've found the trading to be exciting - it's interesting to know that the output of my brethren here in the delve is so valued.  I found myself once more wondering what lay outside, and being somewhat apprehensive about it.  Not, this time, because it was outdoors, but for more practical reasons - once we move out of the ornamental entrance I've no idea where the route takes us.

As we sat eating our lunch at one of the village inns along this route, we ended up chatting with some of the traders.  Business is booming from what I gather.  The lands of the Hznaman are expanding and they seem to be going through some kind of expansion in construction.  If I don't make it as a mercenary, perhaps there'll be call for me as a construction safety expert?  Perhaps not - I'm just thinking out loud - I'd return here of course, and resume my work as a safety investigator for the delve.

There is quite a call for stone and ore exports from the delve - from what the traders tell me, the market for Dzarraf-produced stone-works is particularly strong.  They charge a premium price - the Hznaman seem to value its quality higher than their own.  I'm not sure if its true that Dzarraf quality is higher, or whether this is a marketing triumph for our people.  I suspect I'll find out when I visit their cities.

A Last Day in Enzknn

Once again we arose late after a night spent drinking for far too long.  Mishrune took it very easy with the beer, I was only a little more adventurous, but as always it was Kenner that took the lead in quaffing.  By the end of the night he was also ready to lead us in a round of singing. I joined in enthusiastically even though we Dzarraf are not equipped to do justice to Hznamen drinking songs.  There is a multi-level humour in the songs, but I found them to be lacking in humour altogether.

Both Daran and Barr tried to explain.  I think they called it 'doppel verhandlung', where normally there is one or more dull dull meaning to a phrase and at the same time there is a more obscure second meaning that relates to the act of reproduction.  That's hardly something to find humour in; it's a purely functional activity, as un-funny as most other bodily functions, such as going to the toilet or having a bath.

Through the evening, in bits and bobs, we discussed the plan for our upcoming journey into the lands of the Hznamen.  My friends are looking heroic tasks that they can achieve that have a good chance of financial return, and so the plan is to head out to Fornan Bay.  There may be work with the caravans heading south from here, or there may be work aboard ship - they seemed to think that would extend my experience of the world significantly.  But the main objective, they said, was to find work along the way that pays well.

We'll be heading out of the ornamental entrance and heading south, and following the route south and then east until we reach the passes of the mountains.  There are two routes from here, the main one heads back north and joins the main trade road that leads east again and out to Scourt Hills.  The less travelled route is the one that we'll be taking , it is a longer road, but it joins the main road out just north of Saltley.  It's a longer time spent in the mountains but it's a shorter route to Fornan Bay overall.

My new friends told me that the last time they were in Saltley they were hired by one of the craftsmen's guilds to protect them from a local thief guild that had been causing problems.  They dealt with the leaders of that thief guild, some were hurt, but they were made to pay compensation.  That was a couple of years ago now, so they're not expecting any repercussions from the surviving guild members.  They've also done little jobs around the area of the town there for several of the farmers - dealing mostly with bandits, but there was a problem with wolves once, which was a surprise in these parts.

The evening quietened down after that.  The journey had clearly taken its toll upon us all, and we drifted off to bed.  I went back to my own home for the night's rest.  It smelled like it hadn't been used for a while, so I'll be asking Mishrune to pop into here every week or so just to open the place up and let some fresh air through.

Today will be an interesting day too.  I've already been back to the inn to see how everyone else is, and they're mostly fine.  I'll be spending the day with Mishrune running through the last parts of my handover, before we depart first thing tomorrow.  There was general agreement that there'll be no beerfest tonight, as we want an early start.  It can take two days from here to get to the ornamental entrance, and as you draw closer, the traffic can become heavy.  There is another delve entrance to the south of the main one.  It's normally used just by heavy traffic, and so isn't as attractive or as epic as the ornamental entrance - and I want to show off a little of the Dzarraf craft to my friends.

Finally, a Meeting with Mishrune

We arrived back in Enzknn mid-afternoon, and I left the others in the inn while I went into the office where Mishrune was waiting.  I went here even before going home as I was keen to meet with my old friend.  The meeting was a joyous reunion, we embraced as old friends and spent a couple of hours just chatting about our adventures.  I think I did much more of the talking, as he was keen to discover every little detail of my trip.

Mishrune's report was far less adventurous - the work with Bhraz had moved forward a little for his new dig, the collapse in Bizham's mines had caused some problems - it took them an extra week to get through to some of the miners.  There have been problems with the security down at the museum near the ornamental entrance, and letters had been exchanged following requests for advice on how to improve matters.  We had one axe-related incident where one unlucky Dzarraf lost a few fingers and a big chunk of his beard, and that called for an investigation - but it was an open and shut case, and Mishrune was away from the office for three days.  And we'd had a broken sheep pen, and forty sheep had run off through the tunnels.  Mishrune had been involved in tracking them all down - this wasn't really our work, but as always he helped where he could.

I sat in my chair, savouring the comfort of it for just a little while longer.  I eventually broached the subject of my leaving.  Mishrune told me that he had received an official note asking me to keep things moving while I spent time away.  Again they'd quoted the official 'year-and-a-day' rule, but I told him what Bekzham had said to me.  He tried to say that he's not up to the job, that they should consider someone else.  But, of course, I didn't pander to his feelings of inadequacy.  I told him straight that he was doing it and that was that.  If he wasn't good enough then he'd better become good enough pretty quickly, because he was the one I'd recommended keep things going in my absence.  And I stressed, pretty bluntly, that he'd already been doing that for a couple of months.  Sometimes he just has to be told; I don't think I'll ever need to be doing that again - a couple more months doing this and he will sort his own confidence out.

Eventually, as no work had come in, I suggested that the office be closed an hour or so early, and that he come to the inn this evening and meet the Hznamen that had helped me in the wilderness.  I told him that we'd have plenty of time to chat about what we're planning to do next, and to share a meal.  At this he jumped up - he'd almost forgotten.  He scurried over to the closed at the back of the room where the papers are normally kept, and took out a large parcel.  It was shaped like an axe.  I opened it and took a good long look at the runes along the head; it was a prayer that the axe not be lost but be used.  He'd gone beyond the call with this.  I asked him how much I owed him, and he said there'd been enough in my house where I said, but that it cost four hundred gold coins.  He'd paid extra for the lettering.

I took it outside and gave it a few swings.  It was slightly heavier than my previous axe, but was very well balanced and seemed to fit comfortably into my hands.  I will not know for certain how good a match it is, of course, until I swing it in anger.

Arrival in Raskna and a Reunion with Bhraz

We arrived in Raskna late this afternoon, after a journey that seemed to fly by (despite us not using the cart that had been hanging around for us in Zanna).  Bhraz was here when we arrived and it was quite a reunion.  We're staying in a local tavern, and he's joining us for a meal and some beer later.  I hope he's not in the same mood as last time, it took me two days to shake off the hangover - and I had a meeting with Harik during those days too.

I suppose it'd be easier this time around, though - I have Kenner to keep up with him, and I don't have to try and do anything stupid.  I can sit quietly and enjoy a beer or two with the others.

Were off next to Enzknn, where my home is.  I'm quite looking forward to seeing Mishrune - I've really missed him.  It was really great to receive a letter here in Raskna which he'd sent recently.  Like me, he's looking forward to seeing me again, and he's been told by Harik that I'm taking a break and that he'll be running things in my absence.  I get the impression from his letter that he doesn't think he's ready.  He's only been doing the job quite successfully for two months - if he doesn't think he's ready by now, I'll have to have a good talk with him.

Metal Clothing for Me and a Helmet for Mullory

After a night spent eating and drinking in the homely surroundings of Porzakk's tavern, we arose late this morning.  I think you could say we'd overslept - but it was our first night away from the troops in a week.  It seemed very quiet, there was no military drill to wake us, and no structured regime forcing us to be ready for breakfast when everyone else says its time.

I'll give the others credit - only Elenhugh wouldn't eat the badger.  He did taste it, but he made it clear he just couldn't bring himself to eat it.  Barr had two of them, though.  They are as delicious as they were the first time I tried them which was when I met with Bhraz two months ago.

Despite our late start, we still arrived in Kazaral long before lunchtime.  Mullory and I did the tour of the armourers while the others spent time in the restaurants and bars.  I ended up purchasing some light leather under-armour, and a heavy chain-mail shirt that fits neatly over it.  The long sleeves on the shirt are a little baggy, but the cuffs tie with leather fastenings, and there is a brown leather belt that sits around it.  The shirt is long, it reaches down to my knees.  I did buy the 'extras' though - there were a set of plates that attach and give additional protection to the shoulder and neck areas.  They weigh very little, but they provide much more protection when worn over the mail.

Mullory purchased a new helmet to replace his which had been lost during that last fight we were involved with.  He told me he'd found it later on when helping to clear up, but he didn't want it as it was badly dented and was covered with a mix of Gurgam and Dzarraf blood.

We carried on shopping together while I bought some normal clothes, too.  I have purchased an especially fine set of new undergarments.  The wool used on these is very finely woven, and promises to be chafe-free.  I have now a couple of changes of outfits, although I think I shall be spending more time in my mail than I might previously have planned.  Daran and Kenner both seem to keep their armour on whether they're planning to be fighting or not.  Come to think of it, they slept in it while they were out in the wilds.

We dropped in on Bekzham and Harik in the afternoon.  They invited us all in for food, and then they embarrassed me by stressing to the others the importance of ensuring that I'm protected when I leave the delve.  This was quite an informal meeting - it was the first time on the return journey that I've been able to spend any time with these two important Dzarraf leaders with none of their military generals hanging around.  I made sure I enjoyed it.

We're heading back to Porzakk's to stay an extra night.  The cart-owner has been hanging around waiting for us since we arrived here, although I did tell him not to.  Perhaps I was a little generous when I gave him a tip.

Back In Kazaral

We arrived in wonderful Kazaral this evening.  It's quite a busy place, and has a quality of architecture that I find most pleasing to my Dzarraf spirit.  Vamm Harik offered us lodgings in the civic building, but we couldn't accept.  I want us to press on for an extra hour to reach Zanna for the night; I want to introduce my Hznamen friends to the hospitality of Porzakk's tavern.  I'm not sure what they'll make of the wonderful Badger he served last time I was there.  Perhaps they'll be willing to try it if I don't tell them what it is.


I met with Geshr Bekzham when we arrived at the civic building with Harik and the troop contingent.  We had a brief chat - and he was very complimentary about our achievements.  Bekzham was most interested in my new friends - and seemed enthusiastic about a break for me following my trauma.  He was keen for me to be rested and focussed when I finally return to work.  He said that the year-and-a-day rule applied, but in his eyes there will always be a place working for him, I'd been so effective over the years.  I felt proud to have achieved such recognition from someone I've looked up to for so long.

He and Harik will be in the city for at least the next day, which is good as I really want to bid then farewells when there is enough time - things are a little rushed this evening.  Their next destination will be westward to Harik City, whereas when we set off it will be to the south-west down the Long Eddon highway.  We will be in and around Kazaral tomorrow as I have some important shopping to do. I really hope I can purchase good quality chain mail without having to wait for it to be made.

I've organised transport for this last step of tonight's journey.  We will ride out to Porzakk's in a large cart I've hired to take us there.  As we loaded the cart, Barr had one last surprise for us.  There were six bottles of cider left that he'd been keeping hidden on one of the supply wagons that had journeyed with the troops.  He stowed them carefully; he seemed pleased with himself.

Why This Route? For Rezuhz!

It's a little clearer now why we've come this route rather than the one I took to reach the lands of the Gnaeblin. It's hard going in places, some of the floors are cracked and holed, and the floor at times becomes quite steep. But Harik has chosen this route for a very important reason.  Late this morning we passed a boarded off section of tunnel.  It seemed unusual to close down a section of the delve in this way, but it slowly dawned upon me where we were as senior soldiers in Hushmaz's team slowly and carefully removed the boards.

Inside was the humbling sight of the fight for Gora-Rezuhz which was a massive battle between the people of The Underdark and the people of the under-land that took place ten generations (a thousand years) ago.  It was a fight which was won, but not without terrible losses.  At the time we had already sent a huge fighting force to aid our brethren at Riviga, and had it not been for the arrival of the forces from the mighty Kathron delve, on their way to the war at Riviga, we would probably have lost the Gora delve.

This end of the halls where the fighting took place is now a monument.  The battles went on for miles and miles into the deep from here, but these have since closed themselves, keeping our separation from the Underdark intact for a millennium.  It is very seldom that we come by this site - but occasionally military units or individual Dzarraf soldiers have passed this way on pilgrimage.  That's what we did today.

The outer chamber is piled high with the skulls of our enemies, and the glittering stone caskets of our important leaders.  Also in here are many more much simpler caskets of the fighting men.  They line the back of the corridor and extend into the halls beyond.  We did not go there.

Harik read a passage from the Nizchamak-Mahabr, the 'Call to Peace', and said a few words of his own.  Oddly enough it was Mullory who stood forward.  This group of soldiers travel with no Priest of their own, but he had been fulfilling that role for all during the last few days since the fighting ended.  He read some words from the Danethrae book "Wisdom and Soul" which is written in the common language.  It was very moving.  The poignant message was of the frailty of our existence yet the ability within each one of us to do deeds which can make a difference, deeds that stand throughout time and are not just here for this fleeting moment of today.  Deeds that can be measured against those of our ancestors, yet which echo on through the generations to come, helping, inspiring and moving those that follow us.

Dzarraf seldom shed a tear - it's certainly much harder for us than it is for Hznamen.  But I think there was no dry eye left in that room after we'd heard this.  We were in there for only an hour before carefully replacing the boards and moving on until we found a suitable place to stop for a break.

Familiar Tunnels

Well these tunnels aren't really that familiar.  I remember very little of my journey out to Sanvell, other than a few really picturesque halls, and we seem to be returning by a different route.  I've not seen anything worth stopping and wondering at yet, but there are several days of this ahead of us.  There are plenty of these historic lands to travel through here yet, though.

The feeling of the delve is the familiar part.  It's good to be back in the dimly lit Dzarraf-made tunnels, although it seems extremely warm down here.  I've stripped back a couple of layers of clothing, but I'm still sweating.  I'm not sure if I feel as at-home down here as I did before.  It's as though I've changed, as though I've become much more than the contented Dzarraf that I was before I embarked upon my journey.  Actually, I like the change.  I've experienced much already, and I really hope that when our new adventures on the surface begin in earnest that I'll continue to grow and develop in ways that just haven't been open to me deep in the under-land.

I'm both keen to be back at my my home, just to relax back into my old life just for a few hours, and excited about the prospect of earning gold in the land of the Hznamen.  I think I've become accustomed to the outdoors, this is, perhaps, because of my captivity.

Packing up to Leave

We've had a really quiet afternoon.  My woollens that I wore in the Gurgam prison have been laundered, and they look really tatty.  They've not managed to get all the blood out of them, either, although I don't mind that - it's a little memorial of my adventure.  I'll be packing those away when I return to my home.

I feel a little torn over my time here.  On one hand I'm really proud of what has been achieved, and I know that my contribution to it has been valuable.  I've come to really like the Gnaeblin and their ways.  They're normally such a peaceful people.  If the Gurgam weren't so aggressive towards them, I just know that the Gnaeblin would be happy neighbours.  They have such a practical, inventive streak to them, it's a source of wonder some times.

On the other hand, of course, my time here has been filled with a personal trauma, and for that reason I'm glad that we're not staying longer.  I need to get back to the delve, to spend some time in the deep with solid stone both beneath me and above.  It'll only be a week or so, though, before we're out into the open world again.

Elenhugh has been talking a little about the lands of the Hznamen, how he and his friends have hired themselves out to various factions, even working for one of the minor barons in the lands near to where he grew up.  They've always looked for the most interesting work, and have often been well rewarded.  It's good to know how the currency we use in the delve, the Kathron coin, is accepted universally in their lands.  I'll be taking several hundred gold coins with me, and that should tide me over nicely until we receive our first pay.

Earlier today I sent a note ahead of us to Enzknn where, I'm told, Mishrune has been keeping things working smoothly in my absence.  The dispatches that Harik had received suggest that he's more than capable of picking up my work for as long as is necessary.  I asked Mishrune, in my letter, to find for me a replacement axe for the one that was lost on the battlefield.  I hope he finds one that has the right weighting - although he's pretty familiar with the one I had before.  I told him where he could find funds to cover any asking price, although there is some money owed to me by Bekzham if needed.

I also need some new armour because mine, like my axe, went missing when I was captured.  Before I had simple light leather armour, but now for my new challenge I think I need some made of sturdy Dzarraf chain links.  There are plenty of armourers on the route back, so I'll buy that myself.  I was also thinking carefully about having my beard plaited professionally.  When I mentioned this to Daran, though, he told me that there's a thriving industry supporting these kinds of services among the Hznamen, so it will be better to leave it until later.  Elenhugh explained that the Dzarraf living among his people tend to wear chain mail, but most never use for what it is intended.  It seems such a pointless weight to wear if you're never going to need it.  I, of course, fully intend to exploit mine.

As part of the plans for the journey we have bought a crate of the Cider that was imported from the Hznamen city of Keenalan, the bottles are quite fancy.  We're also bringing some Gnaeblin beer (and this is in much plainer bottles) to enjoy.  It is odd that the others did not allow me to contribute to the cost of these crates - they implied that they consider my contribution to it already paid.  I'll also be buying some new woollen clothes when we reach Kazaral, these clothes that I originally borrowed from other Dzarraf have been given to me, but they're a poor fit.  I need something a little more comfortable to travel in.

Meeting Harik and Breaking the Bad News

I met with Harik yesterday afternoon.  I had to be quite blunt with him, but I didn't want to upset him.  I told him that I'd been considering taking a break after the trauma of my captivity, and he thought that was a good idea.  I told him that I'd discussed it with the Hznamen, and they'd proposed that I spend some more time on the surface with them.  I didn't mention the rewards, or the mercenary activities, and he agreed that some time away would help.

He told me that he'd been thinking of enforcing a break upon me anyway - he'd been concerned about my welfare after the reports of Hushmaz when he met me on the battlefield.  I was effective, but clearly settling a scores with the Gurgam, and that passion may interfere with my objectivity as an investigator.  He also pointed out that, as I'm on the payroll of the delve, I'm entitled to invoke the 'year and a day' rule, where I can take a break after such suffering.  The rule means I'm allowed to take a year off to 'recover', and the delve will hold my station for me.  That's really useful, because if I'm no good as a mercenary, then I'll be free to return.

The Dzarraf contingent is preparing to leave, we'll be away from Sanvell first thing in the morning.  Harik will be coming with us, but he's expecting to be back in a week or so when the other force returns from the eastern mountains.

Overnight Discussions and a Big Decision

After finishing my evening in the common room yesterday, I went back out to the suite that we've been given.  It's a warm and well furnished place.  I sat in the main chamber pondering what direction my life would lead next - I was mulling over whether the experience I had should lead to me taking a small break, or if, perhaps, I ought to throw myself into work, immerse myself to try and drive the memory of the Gurgam gaol from my mind.

I must have been mulling that over pretty deeply, as woke with a start when Daran and Kenner returned to the room.  I didn't know it but Barr was also resting in his bedroom, and he was woken by them too.  Kenner was quite merry.  Almost falling down merry.  But Daran was quite lucid, he seems to have been keeping an eye on his compatriot.  A moment after they returned, Mullory was back too.

Once Kenner was rolled into his bed (and the snoring started immediately) Daran asked if they'd woken me.  They had, but I said I was trying to think through my next options, and may have nodded off, I wasn't  intending to be asleep, so they'd done me a favour.  Mullory was next with the plans - they talked through some of what my formal day-job is, what I actually do, not what the title says.  They couldn't believe that someone so gifted with a sword could be contained so easily in a mundane job.  I told them it was vitally important to the safety of the delve - and it's the chance to preserve the lives of many of my kindred Dzarraf.

I told them I was considering my options, whether a month or two off would be a good thing, or whether I should throw myself into my work.  I couldn't decide.  I left that hanging, and after a few seconds Barr just said "Well, neither sound any good.  How about doing something else?"  I didn't understand, and I said so.

"Take the gold out of your purse", he said, "the stuff you got earlier today."  I obliged, it sat there in my palm, gleaming in the candlelight.  It felt good against my skin.  "Take a long look at it" he continued, "now, how does it make you feel?"  I closed my eyes here and wrapped my fingers around the coin.  "You told us earlier that you were well paid for the work you did.  Does your regular pay feel as good at that.  That's real gold."  It was warm and relaxing.  It stirred desires deep within me.

Then he knocked me sideways with his next comment.  "I think you're drastically underpaid.  If I'd been subjected to what you went through in that cell I'd want ten times the salary you were given.  From what I can see, you've been giving to your kin for far too long - it's time you rewarded yourself.  When you've earned your fortune, you can easily return and help your neighbours some more."

I looked at him; I could barely believe what I was hearing.  "You can come with us, you know.  We're mercenaries really, but we always try to do good works.  I'll be honest, your skills would be very useful to us, and likewise I think we can help you achieve your own goals in return."

It's a tempting offer.  After considering it for several minutes in silence I said I'd sleep on it.  As I headed to my bed and closed the door, I heard Barr saying "It's the gold, I never new one of them little buggers that weren't affected by it".  That was it, that was what made my mind up to go - 'little buggers' means he respects me, 'shortarse bastard, no offence' is how he referred to the Dzarraf soldiers that he didn't like.

I told them what I'd planned as soon as I awoke.  I only have to tell Harik now.  And I have to go home one more time, I'll be needing my proper armour and a new axe.  The others are coming with me this time, and we'll be heading out of the oriental entrance.

A Formal Party

I felt quite humbled; and quite embarrassed if I'm honest.  The formal backslapping at the banquet was quite a sight to behold, but once the thanks to each of the leaders was handed out, the personal awards were made.

My Hznamen friends were held in high honour indeed - there seemed to be quite a bit of guilt on the plate of Harik, but he mastered the situation with the deftness of a time-served politician.  He lauded my achievements, and my suffering, and the huge help my new friends had given me.  He was genuinely relieved that I'd come through the whole mess, despite the suffering, with my dignity intact.  I was, he said, something of a hero back in the delve.  I blushed profusely - not something that a Dzarraf does with any ease either.

After the meal, the physical rewards were handed out.  Many speeches were made, and everyone hung on the words of each speaker in turn relating their experiences in the military campaign.  No one was missed, and especial praise was held for the troops that had set off to purge the mountains of the Gurgam at source - troops that were still out there enduring hardship and laying their lives on the line for the safety of the delve and the lands of the Gnaeblin.

When it was my turn to speak, I arose to polite applause.  My story I told as accurately as I could and to silence.  Everyone seemed to hang on my words.  At the end there was rapturous applause - I really was seen as a hero.  I'm not sure I'll ever become accustomed to the adulation or attention that brings.

The meal, too, was exceptional.  There were Welfen wines alongside the Dzarraf beers, and drink from the lands of the Hznamen away in the east and north - something they called 'cider' made from the juice of apples, and as clear and refreshing as anything I drank from the cold mountain streams up in the mountains.  It really helped lubricate my mouth during my speech.

After the meal, I spent an hour in the company of Harik and Hushmaz.  Both were gushing with their compliments even then.  We talked about all kinds of political matters, and I pointed out to the rebellious talk I'd heard among the Gnaeblin during the early part of my mission.  Harik was surprised, but Hushmaz less so - he's met many of the same Gnaeblin I have, and he's heard the same stories.  He promised to investigate.

I'm off back to the suite in a few minutes.  Daran and Elenhugh have been in the very plush common room in this formal palace, and I'm starting to tire of the luxury.  I think I was happier when I was hunting the Gurgam.

A Banquet in Honour

It was an odd morning.  I think that the arrival of Harik mid-morning was the event that prevented Banneghenn from handing out the awards last night.  He visited me, and my Hznamen friends, this morning with a couple of his councillors.  We've been issued a suite of rooms, and the comfort is exceptional.  I'd already suggested that my new friends visit the Dzarraf realms to receive the thanks of Harik and Bekzham, but we'd not really discussed it in any detail.

Now, Banneghenn was telling me, Harik was coming to Sanvell.  It's an official visit, so the Gnaeblin state silverware will be rolled out, although in truth it's really a chance to thank each other - the Dzarraf want to thank the Gnaeblin for the chance to have a go at the Gurgam, and the Gnaeblin want to thank the Dzarraf for making a sacrifice to defend their neighbours.

While he was here the Gnaeblin leader told us of his plan to offer us all seals denoting the freedom of the city of Sanvell.  He's also brought a bag of money - he's fulfilling the cost of the bounty that he'd previously offered the others.  In fact he'd doubled it and put another bonus on top.  There's quite a bit of gold being handed over here.  Suddenly, life in the delves looks less interesting.  I get paid barely a fraction of this, although - lets be clear - I'm not underpaid by any stretch.

Elenhugh was insistent that I'd played my part and am entitled to a chunk of this money.  But I don't think that's wholly true.  After all, they saved my life, and the Dzarraf continued to pay me anyway.

We had little time to discuss it, though.  We were being whisked into the formal dinner with Harik.  I accepted a small payment, just to keep them quiet.  But the gold feels good in my hands.

Sanvell in Glory

The arrival in Sanvell should have been in the early evening, but it was mid afternoon when we started meeting the city's inhabitants.  The next big surprise was the honour guard that were waiting for us.  I thought at first that it was all for Hushmaz's troops, as they'd done most of the fighting.  I was wrong.  The honour is for everyone that's been involved with the fighting, they insisted that my name was the one singled out for special praise by Banneghenn.

Hushmaz and I rode at the front as we approached the city, and right behind us came Gallanarre, Hushmaz's senior officers and the Hznamen, all arriving in Glory.  I told Hushmaz and the honour guard that I wanted to ride with the Hznamen, but Banneghenn had given them orders.

Banneghenn was waiting for us at the gates of the city.  He was keen to honour us personally and publicly, and he rode with us back to the civic building in the town.  The leaders were brought inside but he left us with the members of his committee while he spent an hour just meeting the troops who were busy building bivouacs in the courtyard.

When he returned, we went into his beautiful dining room where a celebration meal was served.  It was all very formal, and I had to point out to Barr that the silver knives should be left behind after the meal.  Banneghenn was very complimentary, and was full of praise for what we'd done.  He also had special words for me - I don't live in the lands of the Gnaeblin but I'd put myself in a position of extreme risk while helping the people of those lands.  I think he feels guilty about putting me through it all.

He passed on lots of public praise and thanks for the help that Elenhugh's team had provided.  He said he had a special reward for them, but he was going to deal with all that in a special ceremony tomorrow.  Tonight he's told us all that it's a full on celebration, and we're just to enjoy the evening.  If the celebration quietens down later, Barr has suggested I might like to try out some of the tricks he's been teaching me.  I don't think I'm anywhere near ready - but he seems to think I am.

First Familiar Surroundings

Late this afternoon we reached the entrances to the Gnaeblin under-land.  As we passed inside, though a very welcoming entrance chamber, the light drew in and I began to feel properly at home once again.  I'm not sure if I imagined it, but I thought I could sense the copper ore as we went in deeper.  Within ten minutes or so of entering this place we were down into the proper dark.  How comforting it felt.

We stopped at a first familiar place - we'd reached Bilerren a town in the Borders where we'd passed through on the way out from Sanvell.  We were welcomed by Vachney the senior elder of the town, and he seemed very pleased to see us.  The mood in the town had changed.  Several of the young Gnaeblin who'd been off to fight had returned, and the youth unrest we'd encountered on our first visit had dissipated; the veterans have swayed opinion in a very positive way.  The town also seems to have lost very few of its young in the fighting, and is in celebratory mood.

They wanted to host another feast for us this evening, we couldn't disappoint them - but Gallanarre did have a quiet word about keeping the celebration somewhat low-key.  He asked that the town celebrate its own people's victory, and remember the young who would not be returning.  That call went down well, and Mullory offered to join the local religious leaders in praise and worship before the feast began.

We've been given more real beds to sleep in too.  I'm sure our tales will be told again during the feast - and Barr has promised that I'll be able to see some of the tricks he taught me today and yesterday being played out for real.  One of the most important tips, he stressed, is to keep the beer drinking to an absolute minimum, it's much easier to do the mathematics if your mind isn't trying to do it through a beer haze.

An Easy Day's Journey

We've spent the day walking back towards the under-land, and the closer we've come the more I've realised that I really have missed the place.  I'm excited about the prospect of returning to my home.  We're not making quick progress, though, and that's probably a good thing.  My legs still ache after the exertions of the past two days chasing down that Gurgam column.

On the journey I asked Barr if he didn't mind explaining a little of his 'special' dice techniques.  It's not the winning of money that is interesting to me, but the challenge of understanding the mechanics of it and knowing things that others do not that I have such an interest in.  He agreed, and we dropped away from the main group a little while he began instructing me.

Before he started teaching me he made me swear on oath to not go blabbing about the methods to all and sundry.  I easily obliged him - if I can become only half as good as he is I'd just throw my knowledge away by telling everyone the secrets.  I do not think it would be helpful to leave too much here in the record of my adventures.  All I will say is that the methods do not relate solely to the dice, that is just one aspect of it.  And it revolves around mathematics, which is something that I've learned well from my dealings with the Dzarraf engineers over the years.  He's promised to give me quite a grounding in the use of playing cards, dice, and a couple of games of rigged chance involving some cups and a pea.

Tonight we're staying in a small Gnaeblin town called Burrussina, and the Hznaman and I have been given proper beds to sleep on.  It's luxury compared to what we've endured recently.  I am going to have a bath!

An Invitation to Sanvell

We has a good celebration last night.  These Hznaman were something of an attraction.  The Gnaeblin do not often see visitors from their lands, and they were full of questions and calls for stories and songs.  They did not disappoint.  Kenner, once the beer had kicked in, was entertaining in the worst possible way - and he is paying for it this morning with an almighty headache.  He was quite a draw for many of the Dzarraf, whom he insisted on trying to out-drink.

Barr seemed to drink very little, and in the end of the night he was running a dice table.  Several hardy Gnaeblin and a couple of Dzarraf were in good spirits despite being fleeced quite badly by the gambling expert.  The others seemed keen to try and keep their profile a little lower, especially Mullory who seemed at pains to keep his beer intake to a gentle level.

Hushmaz and Daran took turns at telling tales of their battle, and at one point I was called upon to relate my time spent at the hands of the gruesome Gurgam.  I'm not normally a storyteller, but there was silence when I recounted my tale of suffering and final joy.  I let Daran relate the end, of how we assaulted their lair and defeated them.  He and Mullory shared this part of the tale between them.

We all rose late this morning, and I sat with Elenhugh and the others over breakfast.  We were discussing what to do next; in the heat of the battle Barr hadn't claimed enough bounty ears and he was a little concerned that their income was going to be less than they'd hoped, so they were discussing a plan which lead them back east to try and pick a few bonus Gnaeblin up.  Right in the middle of this, Hushmaz came to join us.  He was accompanied by Gallanarre who had arrived only a couple of hours ago, while we were all still asleep.  I was overjoyed to see him again.  He had been riven with guilt since my disappearance, he had been blaming himself, thinking that he shouldn't have left me there on the ground when we did badly in the fight I fell in.

I forgave him everything - I really do not know how he could have done more.  But he wasn't just here to renew his acquaintance with me, he was almost grinning when he told me of an invite me back to see Banneghenn who is rewarding his most faithful friends in this whole dirty matter.  My Hznaman friends were invited too.  When Barr explained what they'd been planning, Gallanarre pointed out that Banneghenn is the one paying their bounty, and he was in a very generous mood.  He suggested that it may pay them to talk to him directly.  They quickly changed their plans.  This is good news, I will be able to spend much more time in the company of people I've become very fond of.

The overland route is only two days journey from here to the gates of the under-land, and from there only another day to Sanvell.  There's no need for any night watches, either - we'll be journeying with Hushmaz's troops, and these, he said, will be an honour guard for heroes.  I think he's playing this up far too much.

A Mass Battle

We tailed the Gurgam column as it marched down the hills towards the Gnaeblin village.  Elenhugh kept us a mile from the column, and down wind of them as we were taking no chances.  We heard the fighting start up ahead, and we closed up behind the ranks of the enemy.  There, at the back, were the Ogruks, driving their slaves on into battle.

The idea was not to become involved straight away, we wanted them fully focussed on their enemy when we joined in.  We sat back for ten or fifteen minutes, and watched them slowly press on into the village.  Half the Ogruks had departed off to the west, round to the side of the battle away from us.  Elenhugh carefully picked his moment.  Barr went in first, he sneaked over to the Ogruks, as he killed the closest one Daran and Kenner ran screaming at them.  We caught them on the hop a little, another two fell to the brutal attacks of the warriors, while to the side another fell to Barr's nifty blade.  That was four Ogruks taken care of, there were only three left, but now we had the attention of the Gurgam just in front of them.  But with fewer Ogruks to control them some of the Gurgam had ideas of their own, a dozen or so turned and tried to flee back up the track where they'd come from.

The Ogruks tried to keep the Gurgam on course and at the same time defend against Kenner and Daran.  It was at this point that Mullory and I marched forward and engaged the Gurgam from the side, under the cover of Elenhugh's magic as i passed overhead and into the rank of Gurgam closest to us.  I'm not an advocate of violence but it was wholly fulfilling to be chopping away at these horrible enemy. I might have become a little carried away, I picked up a couple of hits that I ignored (and which were mostly deflected by my new armour anyway) but I think I finished off half a dozen of them before I backed off again.

Mullory and I had pushed a big gap through them, and we had gone a long way in.  I could hear Kenner and the fighting that surrounded he and Daran to my right, but they were out of sight behind a wall of Gurgam.  Some of the enemy were giving up and trying to run away, but I gathered by breath and went back to the fighting.  Then we were through, we'd pushed through the entire column, and ahead of us we could see the Gnaeblin and Dzarraf pushing them back towards us.  Then I heard a voice that I'd not expected and it was filled with surprise.  It was Hushmaz.

It was really good to see him.  For a moment we forgot about the fighting, which was dying down around us, and he came over and we embraced.  He was truly pleased to see me, he couldn't believe I was fighting in my woollen day clothes.  But I think I went up in is estimation once again.  We returned to fighting, which was now looking like it was almost over.

It took just a few minutes more - we soon had the Gurgam scurrying for the hills; our scouts reckoned that only twenty or so made it away alive.  There is to be something of a celebration tonight, casualties on our side have been light, and it's a good victory in military terms.

I introduced my new friends to Hushmaz, and I told him of their spectacular help in aiding me as I escaped the Gurgam and in attacking their lair only a few days later.  He told me that he'd used my disappearance as a rallying call back in the delve, so it's only fitting that my new friends should be invited to join in the feast in honour.

Hushmaz and I broke away from the main group and walked separately for a while.  The first thing he said to me was that he thought I'd lost weight.  I looked fitter and sharper than I had when I left.  I took that as a compliment, but it's a result of my constricted diet and heavy effort, especially in the last few days where we've covered a huge distance.  He really wanted to talk of the recent military happenings, though.  He told me that 5 days ago, in response to the news of my disappearance and a new call for volunteers, we had 500 new Dzarraf troops on hand.  The day after they had arrived, he joined them up with a thousand Gnaeblin who had gathered from the towns that has beaten back assaults, and they've gone away to the east, up into the mountains to slaughter as many Ogruks and Gurgam as they can find.

His assessment is that, with the huge losses inflicted on the Gurgam over the past few weeks, any current immediate threat appears to have abated - this column that we'd just fought was the last big one they've seen.  As far as he is concerned the main fight is now over, and with the attack pushed back onto the Gurgam, the war is considered won.  The fighting will officially be over when the troops return, until then everyone is staying on alert but he feels there is nothing more to be worried about.

We'll be joining in the my new friends in a few minutes, and I've managed to find some clothes that might fit me.  There are a lot of Dzarraf here in the camp from whom I could scrounge.  All the twenty mercenaries that the scout told us of survived, and there is Hushmaz' own column of troops who it seems arrived at dawn this morning.  It's almost like being at home again.