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Message: <blockquote data-quote="arwink" data-source="post: 1002542" data-attributes="member: 2292">Zalich's Journal, Entry SevenWhen the trauma's of the ruined monastery began, I wondered if there could be anything more frightening than the half-orcs that had accompanied my fellow survivor to the sure.  Between the worship of nature's fury and the devotion to the discipline of Hextor, it seemed as though no other member of our small group could surpass their imposing sense of danger and bloodshed.I'm not afraid to admit that I was wrong.  As Troilan scampered from the doors, squealing about the suddenly moving statues, Brodnak drew his great sword and leapt forward.  He screamed like a wild animal, specks of spittle flying from his mouth.  For a moment I thought he'd uttered some war-cry I wasn't familiar with, but the incoherent ranting continued as he hammered into the statue with a blow that would drop any ordinary man.  I have seen men fight for their lives before, but nothing prepared me for the unceasing savagery of the warriors attack.The foolishness of our actions in exploring further is only highlighted by the fact that only Kull and Troilan leapt forth to aid the barbarian in his hand-to-hand struggle with the statues.  The animated creatures were impervious to most of our weapons, and Kull had to drop his shield and most of his defences to even stand a chance of punching through the statues hardened surface.  I did emerge from the stairwell with my rolling pin clenched in my hands, but the strength of a halfling is meaningless against a living statue and the only other weapon I had available, flasks of acid I kept handy in case of scrag attacks, would likely do little beyond burning my new comrades.  It was a gruesome fight to watch, with mortal flesh being bruised and battered by fists of stone, but soon the savagery of Brodnak and Kull won out.  Their claims of victory were heartfelt, but the reality of their wounds was hard to ignore.  The locked doors were attacked once again by Troilan's lockpicks, and this time her skill was enough to beat the mechanism.  The room beyond was plain, filled with what remained of an Abbot's chamber.  More importantly, when we peered through the door it was the first chance I'd had to notice the storm had abated during the turmoil of the fight with the statues.  We were free of the ruined monastery as soon as we dared explore further.It will never surprise me the narrow focus that the tall folk have when they set their mind to it.  While I was still marvelling at the sky clearing above us, they set their mind to looting the ruined chamber as thoroughly as they could.  They turned up a small amount of treasure, as well as a cloak of elven make.  The quality of the workmanship was unmistakable to the trained eye, and it was quickly taken by Troilan as an aid to her scouting and stealth.  There was some stitching along the hem that identified the cloak as a gift from the elves to someone important, but none of my comrades thought this detail important enough to pursue.  It would appear that adventurers embrace the laws of salvage with more gusto than the common sailor.  Not until the last of the loot had been distributed and the speculation of its value finished did they notice that the path to freedom was now open to us once more.Tall-folk.  Sometimes you have to wonder at their priorities.  Where they thought we'd spend our new-found wealth if we died in the ruins is beyond me.Still, this wasn't enough to dishearten me.  The storm was over, and on the morrow we would search for some sign of civilisation or transport that would return us to civilisation.  Then I would be free of adventurers and their foolishness, ready to sign on to a new ship with a new destination of the horizon.Of course if I'd known that our discovery of a boat and escape from the island would lead us to the town of Saltmarsh, I'd likely have burned the vessel before the others found it and take my chances with the corpses in the monastery for the next few months until help came.If nothing else, the dead would have shown more common sense.</blockquote>

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