From the journal of Lythande Syldorei
3rd Neth, Oathday
We brought Bokken's brother back to Lorewynd with us intending to arrange for him to be sent to the asylum in Ustalav, and then to return to the Narlmarches to visit Tiressia in her grove and investigate the reports of trolls to the south. But of course the needs of Neotellus would not allow us to leave at once. Already we have heard more tales of trolls, as well as of a dangerous beast eating livestock and if the tales are to be believed, people. Yet we cannot shirk our responsibilities here, so we must remain and see to what is needed.
15th Kuthona, Fireday
The time has passed so swiftly it seems to me I have been here only a week, and yet it is another month by the calendar of these lands. Yet much has been accomplished in this brief while. We heard of a threatening monster troubling our citizenry and Chahana sent a platoon of our guards to deal with it. The people had grown anxious during our absence but their worries have subsided since we returned. We must plan to be gone for shorter periods in future if we can.
Jubilost Narthropple has sent us messages reporting sightings of orcs and trolls in the mountains to the west. He believes there is a pass over the mountains that leads to the region known as the Dunsward and would reduce the time required to travel to Varnhold. But this territory lies outside the limits of what we have been granted, and we have sent messages to Jubilost advising him to continue exploring the plains between the mountains and Lorewynd rather than attempt to find the pass.
25th Neth, Toilday
An emissary has come from New Stetven to report that an enchanted cloak Reislin sold there was affected by a curse that harmed the purchaser. Reislin has had to make a bargain with the emissary to maintain good relations with the city.
Other omens have been more favorable, though more reports of monsters have required us to send guards to deal with them again. But our granaries are well stocked, and Chahana has taken on a human woman named Fabrize to act on our behalf when we are away so that the burden of dealing with every detail of the territory's affairs will not have to await our return. This is no grand kingdom where swarms of courtiers look after the running of the kingdom while the king goes hunting.
We have also begun building defensive walls for both Lorewynd and Leveton, though it will be some time before either community is entirely encircled. Because we have found ourselves responsible for prisoners on several occasions of late, we have ordered the building of a gaolhouse near the burial ground. We are also considering setting aside land for a place where visitors from other lands may reside when they visit, as Zander's family are visiting us now. Leveton has acquired a tavern to serve its residents and visitors as well.
29th Neth, Starday
Though we suspected from Bokken's remarks about his brother that he would not show any interest in what had become of his sibling, Chahana chose to send him a message to notify him of our encounter. As expected Bokken stated in his response that though he once had a brother he had one no longer. He also sent us a curative potion and a supply of his beloved squash. It is difficult for me to imagine showing no interest should something so unfortunate befall my dear brother, but perhaps human relationships are different because their lives are so brief, or perhaps there was some terrible disagreement between the brothers that could not be forgiven.
28th Kuthona, Oathday
With the year 4711 almost at its end, we have at last departed from Lorewynd to visit Tiressia's grove. Zander has remained in Lorewynd to spend time with his family. There are patches of snow on the ground in the Narlmarches, though the overhang of the trees prevents much accumulation on the forest floor. Before making our way to the dryad's grove, we decided to visit a cabin we found near the site that has been proposed for the new village of Tatzlford, which will likely begin settlement in the spring. The small cabin proved to be the home of Roi Rezbin, the human man who first sought our agreement to create Tatzlford. We were welcomed by Roi and his wife, and given welcome cups of tea. Roi came to the door with spear in hand, but did not mention any dangers that worried him. Perhaps it was only the caution of wisdom when living in such an isolated place. Before the light faded he showed us where he wished to create the village. He described it with much enthusiasm and dreams of it becoming as large as Lorewynd or even larger. We did our best to persuade him to pursue less lofty goals, at least in the beginning. By the time we finished speaking with him the sky had grown dark, and we remained there overnight, though we slept in Reislin's magical hut rather than impose on Roi's humble home.
29th Kuthona, Fireday
After leaving Tatzlford we made our way to Tiressia's grove, where we found the dryad resting out of sight within her tree while Falchos serenaded her with his music between gulps of wine. When Chahana asked him about his visit to the old woman known as the Beldame, he told us that she was still not favorable in attitude toward us after our previous encounter, for which I can't fault her. When he said that she wanted to acquire black rattlecap mushrooms, which are found near Lake Candlemere, we all agreed we would try to provide these to her as an offering of friendship.
Falchos also mentioned a kingdom to the south, which he described as a kingdom of monsters ruled by trolls. The troll who calls himself their leader is named Hargulka. When I remarked that it seemed unusual for trolls to band together in this manner, Falchos agreed and commented that Hargulka appeared to be unusually clever for a troll. We will have to look further into this, as it seems related to what the troll we fought last winter spoke of, and that troll was also not only much stronger of wit than any troll we have heard of but was also resistant to the fire that trolls are reputed to be especially vulnerable to.
Falchos showed Maria a great deal of attention as we sat companionably drinking wine with the satyr. I began to suspect that his attention to her was leading to something more, but none of my comrades noticed this. Perhaps it was only my imagination.
30th Kuthona, Starday
On this penultimate day of the year, we visited the ruined tower once again as Reislin wished to recover the statue and the water clock we had abandoned on our previous visit. There was no sign that anything had been disturbed since then. We had asked Falchos what he knew of the tower, but he knew it only as the ruin we had seen.
Once we had taken the desired items, we set off to the south again. It wasn't long before we came upon the tracks of a horse-size clawed beast which had clearly been dragging prey to its den. We followed that spoor until we found the area where the beast had made its lair. There were broken branches everywhere, marked by the beast's long claws. These formed a kind of passageway into the den. We all readied our weapons as Maria took the lead with a spell of light on her shield. As she moved toward the large den area, the edge of her light's reach fell upon a lizard-like beast with a spiked tail. The den was thickly scattered with the bones and other remains of the beast's meals. Maria realized that it was a hodag, capable of using its teeth, claws, and tail to attack its foes. Reislin added that it was capable of understanding our speech as well, though it couldn't speak itself.
Annoyed by our intrusion, the hodag roared and charged toward us. Chahana swiftly drew her bow and fired on it but her arrow went wide. The hodag clamped is jaws on Maria and tossed her to one side as a playful hound might toss a bit of knotted cloth. Maria regained her feet at once but suffered a slap from the hodag's tail for her trouble. I could hear Reislin intone the familiar incantation that would grant us all a temporary burst of alacrity. I stepped in toward the hodag and stabbed with my boar spear in both hands but it slid out of the spear's reach before the point could touch its hide. Chahana darted across to the far side of the den and fired several arrows into the hodag. Seeing that she was close to the creature it had been in the act of devouring, the hodag turned toward her. I moved to its side, prepared to flank with Maria, and after my spear scored its flesh twice it directed its full fury at me, though praise the Guiding Light it struck me only with one claw. Maria then dealt it two heavy blows of her blade and it slumped to the ground, bleeding out with her second slash.
We found evidence in the hodag's den that it may have slain people as well as animals, for there were several hand axes and a great axe among the detritus, as well as an enchanted spear and suit of studded leather armor. The spear we anticipated, for a man named Stass had told us of the hodag during the previous year and had offered that if we found a spear we should keep it as reward for slaying the hodag. My comrades have agreed to my taking both spear and armor, as I have come to use a spear with almost the same frequency as my scimitar and this spear has an enhancement to allow it to deal more damage than an ordinary spear. The armor has also been enhanced so that it provides more protection that typical armor of its type without increasing its weight.
After we left the hodag's lair, we came upon signs of trolls farther to the south near the banks of the Shrike River. We at first intended to cross the river at that spot, but it is quite broad at that point and lacks any ford. We thought we might be able to swim or wade across but soon found that too difficult in the cold of winter. We will now head back between the two lakes and build ourselves a raft of logs to carry us across.
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