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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Eccles" data-source="post: 678834" data-attributes="member: 5675">Miles' JournalPart 3------------Uktar 5th to 6th - Despite remaining on our guard during our travel south, we saw no more sign of the werewolves, though the hobgoblin that leads them clearly carries a grudge against this group and will try to attack us again at some point in the not too distant future. We made good progress, and the nights were quiet. Uktar 7th - We arrived in Clearwater in the early afternoon to find the town fortified, the church of Kelemvor ransacked and burnt out, with the corpse of Sister Patricia nailed to the doors. From reading Jared's journal the towns defences were far less complete when he left. A 14’ rampart and palisade fence, with sturdy gates, now surrounds Clearwater. There are also elevated walkways behind the fence for archers. The hills around the town are littered with slaughtered sheep, which were the town’s primary economy. A strange bell was ringing loudly, and many monks were standing guard, arms linked, around the town. It turns out that while the bell rings, nothing can harm the monks in their trance state. After hearing this I pointed out the sheer stupidity that not one of the monks is not in the trance so as to explain matters. Stedd did not look kindly on me at this observation, but could offer no counter argument as to the lunacy of what his fellow monks were doing. We talked to Mayor Butterstone (Jared's comments ring true, this man should not be running a pig sty let alone a town). We learned that a bronze clad dwarf-sized figure and a pair of fire beings (most likely elementals from the description), arrived here about 15 days ago and killed Patricia, raised the dead from Kelemvor's cemetery and attacked the town. They were driven back and then headed to the Monastery. A day later the monks arrived with their bell, having deserted the Monastery to defend the town. The monks have been instrumental in defending Clearwater from subsequent attacks by these beings and their undead troops. Stedd, Rand and Taeghen then headed off to the Monastery to find out what these creatures might want with the area. They returned after nightfall in the early hours of the morning. I had already slept as much as I need to. I am staying in the only Inn in this provincial backwater. I've been here less than a day and I hate the place already. Uktar 8th - We met up at the Inn and exchanged information this morning. It turns out that a powerful vampire lord is staked and buried under the Monastery’s cemetery and this dwarf-sized thing (possibly a derro, there’s rumours he uses magic, after all something had to raise the dead from the Kelemvor cemetery), might well be trying to unearth him as there are zombies stationed all around the cemetery. Since the initial attack on Kelemvor’s church came from the north we have decided to investigate Traya the Forsaker's tower (which this group got slaughtered at by a Troll, the last time they went there), as it may well be where this dwarf-thing came from. Equally disturbing is the possibility the Gran'Rath Tendathaloth (who is still alive, I've discovered after reading the half-drow’s journal, the party just pissed him off by killing his son), might well be behind this as some sort of revenge on the group, directed at their hometown, possibly in an effort to lure us into the open. We set off right away as it is a long journey through hostile terrain to the tower, especially since we are following the trail left by the undead as they left the area. Uktar 9th - Around noon we caught up with the army’s vanguard, a large group of skeletons led by one of the giant fire beings. We charged forwards, with them charging towards us too. Taeghen all but annihilated the undead single-handed. I was of little effect in this fight; I am not equipped to fight magical foes as my blades are useless against such creatures. The elemental was a tough foe, inflicting severe burn wounds on both Rand and Braddoc, yet the dwarf, tenacious as ever brought him down in the end. I found a shelter for us in the lee of a fallen tree, and we decided to make camp and tend to our wounded. We were lucky to avoid any further confrontations during the day. I grabbed my usual two hours of sleep and then went on watch. Uktar 10th - The night was uneventful, I spent most of it on watch with Taeghen who also needs little sleep, he being an elf. We set off towards the tower once more at first light, and by the time the daylight was fading we reached the approximate area where this group fought an owl bear, the last time they came this way. Some strange plant creature then attacked us, its tendrils lashing out at Rand as he passed it. The creature, whatever it was, damn near killed Rand and also Taeghen's horse, but Braddoc finished it off, pulping it with his flail. While Taeghen saw to Rand's wounds, I looted the creature’s strange leafy body and recovered a few items, along with some money and gems. We set camp some distance away from the corpse, and the night went without incident. Uktar 11th - I hate winter! This morning started with frost and then we got rain, driving icy rain that gets everywhere, and soaked us all to the skin. Five lone, very wet hours of trudging later and we reached the vicinity of the tower and approached cautiously due to the group’s previous disastrous encounter with the Troll who guarded the place. Myself and Stedd went to scout out the tower and discovered that the Troll is still there, and its magical restraint which prevented it from chasing the party last time has been removed as it sniffed me out and uprooted the tree I was hiding in, giving chase after me for a while before I guess it got bored and loped off back to the tower. We made camp and while Stedd and Teaghen claimed to see a giant bat-like creature flying overhead several times during their watch, I saw no sign of anything like that as I sat wrapped in my damp blanket and shivering during my watches. I really hate winter! Uktar 12th - We scouted around the tower and discovered that the undead army was indeed here, and has since left, heading northwards into the mountains, or in other words on a direct course for Gran'Rath's lair! We decided to deal with the tower and its Troll guard, determined to find out what is inside that might give us a clue as to whatever the dragon has planned. Using Rand's lightning wand, we enraged the Troll and then handily defeated it, my blades bringing the beast low, Rand then bathing it in fire to ensure that it could not regenerate and would stay dead. A spell then caught all us of off guard, cast from the top of the tower, and it turned Stedd into a rat! We looted the Troll's body and headed into the tower whereupon we found a pile of packs, taken from the bodies of other travellers who encountered the Troll. Braddoc also found his backpack, taken by the werewolves on our travel to Clearwater. It would seem that they are no longer a random foe, but are allied in some way with the master of the tower, who in turn has ties with the dragon. Our foes not only multiply, they also conspire together against us it seems. Heading up through the tower we encountered the wizard who dwells here and battle was joined on two floors of the tower simultaneously as the wizard had changed his familiar into a small dragon and summoned a vargouille to his aid also. As if this was not enough he encased Braddoc in a force bubble, thus preventing him from taking part in the battle, much to his consternation. Though none of us were unwounded at the end of it, we defeated the wizard, sending him and his familiar fleeing, and slaying the vargouille. We took from the tower what we thought we could use and then set the place alight and headed back towards Clearwater. Uktar 13th - During the night we heard what we assumed to be the towers utter collapse, but on checking in the daylight of this morning only one wall had fallen in. Still, as Rand says, time & weather will do for the rest of it. Nothing else of note happened today, even the weather held off and we made reasonable progress back towards the town. Uktar 14th - A bizarre giant bird ambushed us with an antlered stags head around mid afternoon today as we marched along. None of us knew what the beast was and it took a fair amount of beating before it went down. Still, on cutting it open we found a tidy sum of gold in its belly. Not an experience I'll soon forget. Uktar 15th - Nothing important happened today, apart from it rained pretty much non-stop the whole day long. I am writing this in a brief break in the weather under moonlight, as there was no dry wood anywhere for us to make a fire from.</blockquote>

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