Well, it is again some days since my last entry.  As you no doubt have
	guessed, I survived my night asleep in the woods.  The Rune of Sending 
	I had painted on my head worked well, although I waited till just an 
	hour before I woke up to actually contact Master Nimoyan.  I entered his 
	dreams, and once I figured out how to communicate in that alien realm, I 
	relayed to him the fact that we had been ambushed, and that Vien was slain.  
	I told him where to find the wreckage and Vien's body.
	Soon after breaking contact with Nimoyan, I awoke.  Just as the sun was 
	rising, I set off.  Even though the new fallen snow will slow me considerably,
	and leave a trail that even a blind man could follow in his sleep, I shall 
	travel off the road, for a while at least.  The person or persons who set 
	the ambush knew IÕd be on the road, and if they know I have survived, they 
	will most probably watch it.   So, covering signs of my departure as best 
	I could, I left VienÕs body and headed out into the woods.  I wanted to be 
	long gone by the time the search party that Nimoyan will surely send out 
	arrives.

	The rest of the next three days is of little note.  I walked through snow 
	for many miles, avoiding the roads and humans whenever I could.  Eventually 
	I arrived at the gates to Nvym-dar, and when they opened for the day, I 
	strode in.
	I arrived at the Inn at which we had agreed to meet in the early morning, 
	just in time to catch Shali and Brianna at their breakfast.  I was greeted 
	most joyously by Shali, and Brianna seemed very happy to see me as well.  
	I greeted them warmly, looked around this Inn, which is called the Arrow's 
	Flight and upon deciding that it was not too disreputable, ordered seven 
	pints of their best ale.  Shali then showed me to the room they had taken, 
	and mentioned that Vaquez had caught the dread Wasting sickness.   
	So, for the next hour I drank the ale, which is watery and almost on the 
	verge of undrinkable, but at least you can tell they used hops in its making, 
	and told Shali of my adventure, the dogs, and Vien's death.  Shali then 
	proceeded to tell me of her times in the city, which is cause for great 
	concern, as it now appears that someone is making a concerted effort to 
	kill all of our party.
	Shali mentioned an incident where she had been walking down a somewhat busy 
	street with her two dogs, when a huge pile of masonry and construction tools 
	fell upon her, knocking her unconscious.  Her dogs of course, defended her, 
	and would let no one approach.  Someone who knew where Shali worked had to 
	run and get Felix to come and calm the dogs before any healer could approach.  
	It is a good thing she was not bleeding, or she would have been long dead by 
	the time the healers removed the rubble and carted her off the the temple 
	infirmary.  But a day or two later, Shali was whole and on her feet again.
	She related to me yet another instance, when her and Vasquez had been out 
	drinking at a local pub, and Shali had just happened to spy their drinks 
	being brought to them, and seen someone flip a small object of some sort 
	over the barmaidÕs shoulder, and into one of the drinks meant for them. She 
	of course, tried to get a good look at the man who had dropped the object 
	in the drink, but he left the tavern almost immediately.  They of course, 
	did not drink that drink, but managed to get some of it out of the tavern 
	as they left for home.  The next day they took it to a local alchemist, who 
	said that extracting anything from a substance as complex as ale would be 
	difficult, but he would give it a try.  They paid his fee up front, and 
	returned in the evening time.  The alchemist was very proud of his skill, 
	because he had indeed managed to isolate a substance from the ale.  The 
	substance he isolated, he said, was a very powerful synthetic poison called 
	Heartwrench.  It has a delay time of some 24 to 48 hours, and then causes 
	the victim to have a massive heart attack.  The alchemist mentioned that 
	Heartwrench is very expensive and dangerous to manufacture, so whoever had 
	placed it in their drink, wanted them dead fairly badly.  Vasquez and Shali 
	then went through the same pattern of thought that I did while out in the 
	woods, namely, trying to figure out who would go to such lengths to kill 
	us.  And they came up with the same answers i did, which was... a depressingly 
	large number and variety of people.

	Then Brianna told me her tale, of being out alone one night ( I did not ask 
	what she was doing out alone) and having a man with a dagger accost her and 
	demand her money.  Well, Brianna would rather flee than fight, so she turned 
	and ran down a side street, where she saw another person with dagger drawn, 
	waiting for her.  She then turned and bolted down an alleyway, right into the 
	arms of yet another person armed with a dagger. It began to dawn on Brianna 
	that perhaps these people did not just mean to rob her after all, but were 
	intent on a nastier business.  So, instead of turning and fleeing yet again, 
	she continued running, straight into the fellow with the dagger.  They went 
	down in a heap upon the ground.   Now, Brianna may prefer not to fight, but 
	that is not due to lack of ability.  She may not be a brawling champion, but 
	she can hold her own in a knife fight.  After rolling around in the alley for 
	a while, Brianna heard the manÕs companions coming at a run to help.  So, with 
	a good stroke she stunned her attacker, then rolled him off her and ran away.  
	Then followed a chase through several streets and alleyways, until Brianna was 
	finally cornered and flanked by her pursuers, of whom she now counted seven.  
	In panic, Brianna threw her weight against the nearest door, and after a try or 
	two, managed to burst it open and dash inside, just as her pursuers caught up 
	with her.  
	Since Brianna is a Celestial mage, she can see almost as well in the dark as 
	in the day, so she had no trouble realizing that she had just burst into a 
	fishmongerÕs shop.  She could also tell by the yelling and shouting coming 
	from upstairs that she had awakened the fishmonger and his wife.  Hoping that 
	her pursuers could not see as well as she, Brianna upended several barrels 
	that were sitting near the walls, discovering as she did so that they contained 
	salted fish.  She then bolted for the nearest door she saw, as the swarm of 
	armed men were pouring through the wrecked front door.  This door, fortunately, 
	was not locked, and Brianna dashed into the room and slammed the door shut, 
	just as she heard the first of her attackers curse and slip on the salted fish 
	a few feet behind her.
	When she looked around this new room, Brianna figured that she would have to 
	fight her way out, because she had just shut herself in the cold locker, and 
	was surrounded by blocks of ice, and large dead fish of every description, and 
	there was no other exit from the room other than the door she had just entered 
	through.  After a minute of searching however, she found the set of fillet 
	knives the fishmonger kept, and so prepared one of those, figuring that it 
	would be more effective than her dagger against the leather armor these men 
	wore.
	Her attackers gathered themselves, and proceed to try and batter down the 
	door to the locker, and one of them managed to get his arm around the door 
	in an attempt to grab Brianna.  She however, wounded him badly in that arm 
	with the fillet knife.
	After a few minutes of this, Brianna heard much yelling outside of the door, 
	and running of  feet.  Then she heard a loud voice demanding the she come out 
	in the name of Ishtar.  It seems that the yelling of the fishmonger and his 
	wife had awakened their neighbors, who had also started yelling.  All this 
	yelling had eventually summoned the town guard.  The town guard dutifully 
	took Brianna's statement, and said they had seen a large group of armed men 
	running  from the place just as they arrived, but were not able to catch any 
	of them.  Brianna paid the fishmonger for his door and spoiled fish, then 
	came back to the Inn.   
	I listened to all these tales, and grew very concerned.  But now my ales are 
	finished, and I am weary and still wounded from my adventure.  So I shall to 
	bed.

	Several days have passed since my last entry.  I have stayed at the inn and 
	healed my wounds and tended to Vasquez.  Shali has gone off to work every 
	day, and Brianna has either slept or practiced her spells quietly to herself.  
	The one thing I have done was to retrieve my armor!  I figured what with all 
	that's been happening of late, it might come in handy.  
	What a piece of armor this is!  The helmet is shaped in the visage of a 
	rampant boar, and the suit as a whole fits like a second skin, Bron Trovo 
	even added some decorative brass links to the ends of the chain mail, and 
	a small bit of scrollwork to the knee and shoulder pauldrons!  I happily 
	gave him the balance of the monies I owed him.  I also purchased an armor 
	stand and polishing/oiling kit.  Then it was back to the Arrow's Flight in, 
	for I do not like to leave Vasquez unattended for long.
	The Innkeeper has demanded that I either pay for my lodgings, or go elsewhere.  
	He does not mind people having guests for a few days, but my period of grace 
	is up.  Since the fee for a room is only is about 3 silver per day, I pay for 
	several weeks.  This makes the Innkeep very happy, but me less so, as I now 
	have but 1 Gold Shilling and a few paltry silver to my name, and I have as yet 
	to buy runesticks.  I have some that can be refashioned, but I would really 
	prefer to use gilded runesticks now, as the strength they add to my castings 
	outweighs the difficulty of casting in my new armor.
	
	Today is the day Merlaine was supposed to have returned from her sojourn at 
	Collage, but though Shali waited and waited at the reading room of the Enchanters, 
	no carriage showed.  I think the tolling of the bell signaling the closing of 
	the city gates for the night is one of the more ominous sounds I have ever heard.   
	Shali has loaned me 100 Gold Shillings, and so on our way to meet Merlaine's 
	coach, we stopped by at the Rune MageÕs Hall, and ordered 60 runesticks of 
	gilded metal.  They shall be done in but a few days.
	One other thing we did, was to engage the services of a seer.  We have sat 
	and wracked our brains for day on who might be behind these attacks on us, 
	and come up with no concrete answer.  Shali thinks a seer might help.  So, 
	we inquired at the AdventurerÕs Guild, and got the name and location of a 
	reputable seer.  I tended Vasquez, while Shali and Brianna went to visit 
	this person, whom the guild had said  operated out of a small tent in the 
	Thief's Market.  
	When Shali and Bri returned from their visit with the seer, they had most 
	interesting news to relate.  They had indeed had a seeing done, and Shali 
	had written it down verbatim as the seer had spoken it.  The method the seer 
	used was tarot cards, and what she said was this:  "You approach a crossroads.  
	Standing in the center of the crossroads is a man who carries a skull within 
	his skull, he is the keeper of the key and the pointer of the way.  On his 
	right hand, lies the path of war, darkness and death, where waits a foe past 
	and present, the sender of serpents and scorpions.  On his left hand lies 
	the path of mists and shadows, where waits the cold chill of the grave beyond 
	the grave."
	This is not the most optimistic seeing I have ever had, to be sure.  And like 
	all seeings, its meaning is not at all clear right now.  One can only hope 
	that it becomes clear in time to do us some good.
	
	Another day has passed, and still no Merlaine.  We did not think that things 
	could get much more ill, but it seems as if they have.  Today was the day 
	that Bob was returning from his stay at the Collage of earth.  So, because 
	of the heightened threat to us, Shali went to wait at the Enchanter's Collage 
	in case Merlaine should show up, and Brianna went to wait for Bob at the 
	reading hall of the earth Collage, while I stayed here and watched over Vasquez.
	A while af ter the tolling of the bell, Shali came back disheartened, for 
	Merlaine had not shown up.  We ate supper, and began to wonder where Brianna 
	and Bob were.  When the bell tolled midnight, Shali could stand the waiting 
	and worrying no longer, and set off into the night to the nearest guard post, 
	while I again stayed watch over Vasquez.  Within a few hours, Shali returned 
	with most dread news.  Both Brianna and Bob were dead!  The town guard said 
	that their bodies had been found at the base of a tall building some few blocks 
	from the earth mageÕs hall.  It appears as if they fell to their deaths from 
	the top of that building.  Robbery is not suspected, for both Bob and Brianna 
	had all their possessions with them, and the gold on their person was still 
	there.  The guard told Shali that the bodies had been preserved until the next 
	of kin could be notified, and were in the morgue at the temple complex.
	This is news most grievous, for that means that in all probability, it is just 
	Shali and I left now, for Merlaine is missing, and Vasquez sick.  With luck 
	Vasquez will recover, but with the way our luck seems to have been running, 
	who knows.  At risk of stating the obvious, I do not believe Bob and Brianna 
	fell from the top of that building.

	Oh Joyous news!  Two days have past since my last entry, and this morning 
	Merlaine strode in the door of the ArrowÕs Flight!  She looked much the worse 
	for wear however.  She looked around the inn, ordered many glasses of wine, 
	and upon drinking it, began to curse most inelegantly in Elvish, although 
	weather she was cursing the wine, or the attack that had befallen her, I 
	could not tell. 
	After a glass or two of wine, Merlaine related her story to us.  She was 
	headed home from Collage, when her carriage suffered a broken axle.  Both 
	her and her guard were not badly injured in the wreck.  Upon climbing out 
	however, they were set upon by ghouls!  A large number of them according 
	to Merlaine.  The undead quickly overwhelmed her guard, while Merlaine 
	attacked and dispatched several of the horrors.  Then, the ones that were 
	left, having killed her guard, set upon her.  From her telling, it was a 
	very long and nasty knife fight, for the ghouls dragged her to the ground.  
	But eventually, the ghouls lack of any real combat ability, and Merlaine's 
	skill with her main gauche won her free, and all the ghouls were dead, again.  
	It was as she was examining the horses, to see if either could be saved, 
	that the dead body of her guard rose up and started toward her... as did the 
	bodies of the ghouls she had just slain!   No fool she, she ran.  She easily 
	outdistanced her pursuers, and then set a good pace and headed for Nvym-Dar, 
	not stopping to sleep as had I; but then, she is a healer and could give 
	herself the medical attention she needed after her fight.  Perhaps someday 
	healer is a craft I should learn, if only to patch up my own wounds should 
	no one else be around.
	We informed Merlaine of Bob and BriannaÕs death, and she was as grief-stricken 
	as we all were.  We also informed her that tonight was the ceremony of 
	Placement.  She was happy that she had not missed it, and bade us a quick 
	goodnight even though it was morning, for she badly needed her sleep.
	I spent the day making runesticks, and Shali and Brianna set about seeing 
	what was involved in getting Bob and/or Brianna returned to us from the 
	land of the dead.  What they found out was disheartening.  It seems as if 
	there are only eight people in all the Northern Kingdoms who have that 
	ability.  And even though all but two of them are here in Nvym-Dar, the 
	chances of them turning their attentions to our plight any time soon are 
	not good.
	The only people who can return life to a dead person are the High Patriarchs 
	of the four Quarters of the Church of Ishtar, the High 	Priestess of Ishtar 
	herself, and the High Priest of the cult of Dianchecht.  The Patriarchs and 
	Priestess of Ishtar are of course concerned with the welfare of their 
	followers first.  I doubt if the Goddess Ishtar would look kindly upon a 
	priest who used his abilities to save a non-worshipper, while the needs of 
	the faithful went untended too.  The same goes for Dianchecht.   Since none 
	in our party swear any following to either of these religions, the prospects 
	do not look good.  Also, there was a hefty fee mentioned as well..over 700 
	Gold Shillings Shali said.  After our sojourn here in Nvym-Dar, none of us 
	could afford that kind of outlay.  I suppose Shali could sell that magical 
	Boomerang we have been carting around for years without knowing how it works, 
	but I am loathe to even suggest parting with the only magical weapon we have 
	ever found.

	In the evening we dressed for the ceremony.  We bathed and donned our black 
	matching outfits.  Shali feels these to be very appropriate, for the military 
	look about them will mesh well with the other people in attendance this eve.  
	We were pleasantly surprised when an Ishtaran Guard came to escort us to the 
	Church.  On the way to the High Chapel, this guard explained the nature of the 
	Ceremony of Placement to us.

	It seems that long ago, a High Priestess of Ishtar received a vision, a 
	prophecy of sorts.  Her prophecy was that one day the High Temple would 
	fall, and be ruined, the city of Nvym-Dar would be engulfed in flames, and 
	all the ChurchÕs defenders would be slain.  Then, would all the fallen 
	heros of Ishtar rise up, their souls released by Ishtar for one last time, 
	to do battle with the enemies of the Church and the Light.  Weather or not 
	these returned heros were victorious or not was not revealed to her.  So, 
	this ceremony calls IshtarÕs attention to the soul for whom the ceremony 
	is performed, informing Her that this Knight is worthy of returning, and 
	preparing a vessel for the soul.  That is why a slain Knight must have 
	either their weapons or armor by their side.  An unarmed and unarmored 
	Knight would be of no use in a battle.  This guard told us that being 
	placed in the Hall of heros was the highest honor a Knight could hope for.
	Once at the High Chapel, we began to realize the importance of this 
	ceremony, for not only were all four of the High Patriarchs in attendance, 
	the High Priestess was there as well, along with the slain Knight's family, 
	and his knightly order, the Order of the Silver Gryphon.  We made a silent 
	and solemn procession through the Sanctuary, and through a small door in 
	the back of the Main Chapel.  The feeling of being on consecrated ground 
	was overpowering, very disconcerting, yet somehow comforting at the same 
	time.  I cannot explain it better, only that we knew our magic would not 
	work here.  Not only would our magic not work here,but  magic could not 
	touch us here.  This was a place for divine magic, and divine magic only.  
	Then we wound down a spiral staircase cut completely from malachite.  We 
	must have descended well over a hundred feet before we stopped.  With great 
	reverence one of the High Patriarchs opened the huge bronze door before us 
	and quietly announced "The Hall of Heroes."
	I admit, my knees nearly gave out at the sight.   Before us was a great hall, 
	hundreds of feet in width and breadth.  Every twenty feet or so a huge pillar 
	of marble stood, reaching to the ceiling, at least forty feet above us, lost 
	in the haze of incense and candle smoke.  The base of each one of these pillars 
	had four statues around it.  The statues were of warriors, exquisitely wrought, 
	and clad in armor of the most wondrous design, silvered to the last, set with 
	gems and covered almost completely in fine scrollwork.  The armor worn by the 
	least of these statues put my newly bought suit to shame.  And many of them 
	had weapons to match.   Gilded weapons and armor worth more than the treasure 
	house of any kingdom winked at us as we proceed silently between the rows of 
	stone warriors.
	Eventually we reached our destination;  a pillar with four statues around it, 
	but one of these statues was covered with a shroud of black silk.  Then the 
	High Priestess and the four Patriarchs started chanting, singing the praises 
	of the fallen.  The priestesses words rang doubly in my ears, for I could not 
	but help think of Bob and Brianna, now walking the paths of the dead, as was 
	this Knight, Aenor.  Tears formed in my eyes, and I let them flow, for to 
	raise my sleeve to wipe them would have been a disturbance beyond forgiveness 
	in this solemn time.
	The Priestess and Patriarchs lit candles as they chanted, and swung braziers 
	full of myrrh and other incenses.  All in our party at least, were aware 
	that magic was being done here.  We could feel it flooding the room, causing 
	our spines to tingle, and that odd feeling of pressure behind the eyes.  At 
	the height of the ritual, for ritual magic it surely was, the Knights of the 
	Silver Gryphon drew out and presented the sword Foehammer, the sword we had 
	recovered.  With tender words and a loving gesture, the High Patriarch of the 
	Church Militant placed the sword in the hands of the statue, and the black 
	shroud was removed, a symbolic gesture signifying that Aenor's spirit was now 
	free to see his way back home when Ishtar needed his service once again.

	After the ceremony was complete, we proceeded back up to the Chapel, where 
	each of the Knights of the Silver Gryphon thanked us in turn, some by shaking 
	our hand, some by hugging us tightly.  Last came the boys parents.  They 
	poured thanks on us for recovering their sonÕs weapon, not only taking it 
	out of the hands of evil, but giving it to the Church, so that Aenor could 
	take the place he had earned in the Hall of Heroes.  They said that if there 
	was ever anything they could do for us, we had but to let them know.  The 
	time seemed right, and we knew weÕd probably never get a better chance, so we 
	told Aenor's parents about our two dead companions. 
	They looked very grave as we told our story, and when we were finished, they 
	went over to the High Patriarch of the Church Militant, and asked him if there 
	wasn't any way he could see fit to attempt to return our companions to us.  
	They pointed out that Aenor was the second son of theirs who had given his 
	life in doing the ChurchÕs works, and that surely, two lives given was worth 
	two lives returned. 
	The Patriarch discussed the matter with the High Priestess, and they agreed 
	that the request should be granted.  The High Priestess herself would attempt 
	Brianna's resurrection in a few days!  The Priestess went on to add that there 
	was no way however, that she could waive the fee for such a ritual, and that 
	fee was 1000 Gold Shillings.  Aenor's family told us that they would pay half 
	of the fees.  Still, that leaves us with having to pay 500 Gold Shillings each 
	for the rituals.  Our party may now be on the verge of bankruptcy, but we gladly 
	agreed to pay whatever was required.  The companionship of Bob and Brianna is 
	beyond price, and Ishtar willing, they shall be returned to us in under a week.

	Several day have passed, and both Bob and Brianna have returned to us from the 
	Paths of the Dead!  It was wondrous to watch life seep back into what had been 
	a lifeless corpse.  Both Bob and Bri came through the experience only a little 
	the worse for wear, and they both need many days of bed rest, but they are alive!
	We were also able to get out of them the story of what happened.  It seems that 
	as Bob stepped out of the carriage that had conveyed him from his Collage back 
	into the city, a thief grabbed one of his belt pouches and was off into the 
	crowd like an arrow.  Bob and Brianna of course gave chase, and came close to 
	catching the rouge.  The thief however, ducked into an unused warehouse, and 
	after a merry chase up stairways and down corridors and through rooms; Bob and 
	Brianna found themselves at the end of a long corridor, the thief having just 
	slammed and bolted a stout door in their face.
	It was at that moment that a crushing pressure forced them flat against the 
	door.  According to Bob, they could not see the source of this pressure, nor 
	could they move their arms much, and their cries for help went unheard.  Just 
	as they were both on the verge of death, the door gave way under the pressure 
	and they tumbled into an empty room.  Bob was unconscious from the assault, 
	and Brianna was hardly better off.  Brianna then watched helplessly as a man 
	walked over to her and raising a desert style dagger known as a Katar, brought 
	it down upon her, ending her life. 
	Brianna was taught well by her father in the ways of observing things, and 
	before her life was ended, she got a good look at the man who did the deed, 
	as well as his dagger, and she also noted that he had a red scorpion tattooed 
	under his right arm ( she only saw this as his arm was raised for the deathblow).  
	We have spent the past few days inquiring as to the meaning of this tattoo, 
	but so far no one has been able to tell us its significance.
	The other thing of interest that happened recently was that we got the results 
	of our various Collage's reports on the attacks upon myself, Merlaine and Bob.  
	The Collages take it very seriously when one of their own is attacked while 
	under their care, so naturally they sent out investigators.  They found that 
	the carriage which had carried myself and Vien in it bore the residual traces 
	of having had a Warp Wood spell, which is Necromantic in origin, cast upon it.  
	The road in the area of the carriage's wreck bore traces of having had a 
	Ritual of Warding laid on it.   The same spells and rituals had been laid 
	upon Merlain's carriage, and her Collage also found traces of a Ritual of Summon 
	and Binding lesser Undead in the area, as well as a Raise Dead spell on the 
	corpse of her driver, and the ghouls which she had slain.  In addition, the 
	Collage of Earth said that Bob and Brianna had been subjected to a Ram of Force 
	spell... also Necromantic in origin.
	So, it appears as if someone, or some number of someones ( for the thief who 
	nabbed Bob's pouch bore little resemblance to the man with the scorpion tattoo), 
	is seriously set against us, and that they are a Necromancer, or have a 
	Necromancer in their employ.  This is cause for worry, for they have 
	demonstrated their profiency already by killing two of us.  Who knows what 
	they shall try next.  Needless to say, I will be glad when we are well away 
	from this city and back on the trail, on our own turf of mountain and woods, 
	rather than the crowded streets and narrow alleyways, which are the home to 
	assassins.
	And that is all I shall write in this missive for now, as I must finish two 
	runesticks this night, and then to bed.

				By My Hand This Twenty Eighth day of Marech
					In The Year of Our Lady 540

						Drashak Khea Malari