From the Journal of Kodik Wolftamer

24 Riag 1508 TH

Arkayz's letter raises more questions than it answers. The meaning of that young man's cryptic statement -- I still hear it even now -- was beyond even his ability to decipher. "Blood and madness infect the halls of the dream."

According to what the messengers told me, they had found my letter among the papers of a mysterious organization they had uncovered in Bartertown. How it came to be in their possession and what became of young Devon is unknown. They delivered the letter to Arkayz, and brought his reply to me earlier today.

It is a curious lot. Three humans and a dwarf - all clearly from different backgrounds. How they came to be traveling companions is quite a story, I'm sure. But other concerns weigh on my mind at present.

There has been no word from Cliffside for several days. Rumors of ogre raiders have been filtering down from the higher villages. As unlikely as it may seem, the ogres seem to be organizing for some reason. I fear it is connected to the young man and his strange dying words, but until I know more, all of my guesses are worthless.

Our sleep has recently been troubled by unsettling dreams, but nobody has been able to remember them on waking. Even the normally unflappable M'rowr seems to be on edge. Whether these dreams have come about as a result of recent events or whether they forebode something larger troubles me as well.

Tomorrow I journey to Cliffside, accompanied by the messengers.

25 Riag 1508 TH

The mystery deepens.

We arrived at Cliffside this afternoon to find the village abandoned. There was evidence of an attack, but there were no bodies, no broken weapons, nothing lying about at all. Aside from the damage to the wall, there is no sign of anything wrong. All of the residents' possessions are still here, but the residents themselves have vanished.

Or so it seemed at first. We spread out to explore the village, but nobody found anything of consequence. The damage to the wall seemed to indicate an attack by ogres (as I had feared), but there was no sign they had broken through the wall.

It wasn't until we decided to perform a house by house search that we uncovered anything. In one of the larger homes -- one with a storage loft above it -- we found all the broken weapons and damaged goods meticulously arranged into piles. Also in the loft was the only villager we could find. He wouldn't give us his name. When asked where the other villagers had gone, said they were dead, but they would be back for him.

The young man was clearly mad. He was convinced that his arrangement of all the junk he had accumulated would keep "them" at bay -- whoever "they" were. He claimed we were all dead, we just weren't aware of it yet. I found his ramblings very difficult to follow, as did anyone else who tried speaking with him. He refuses to come down out of the loft, so we have left him up there with food and water.

Given the lateness of the hour, I have decided against returning to Chimney Rock tonight. Given the signs of ogre activity, it is best not to wander around the mountains after dark. We have set up camp on the ground floor of the madman's house, and will keep a watch tonight just to be safe.

26 Riag 1508 TH

We were attacked during the night. I was awakened by a blood-curdling screech coming from the direction of the mine shaft. The madman, who I noticed had descended the ladder, and had been staring out the window towards the cliff where the mine was. He quickly scampered back up the ladder, slamming the trap door down over it.

The screech repeated itself, and Bearclaw -- who was on watch at the time -- reported that there were several figures moving slowly towards the house. We prepared ourselves, uncertain of what we would encounter.

The attack was much swifter than anticipated. The figures appeared to be Name-givers, but had been twisted into mindless creatures intent on tearing us apart. Their skin was stretched tightly on their bones, and their fingers had stretched into bony claws. Crooked fangs stuck out from their jaws in several directions, and their eyes were little more than black holes in their skulls. They carried a rather fetid smell along with them, and reminded me in many ways of the foul undead creatures known as ghouls.

Fortunately, we were able to deflect the worst of their attack, having taken refuge in the house. Had we been caught in the open, I have little doubt the creatures would have made short work of us.

After driving off the attack, we boarded the door and tried to get some sleep. When we awakened in the morning, the bodies of those we had slain had all vanished.

Tomas suggested that we had found the missing villagers. I fear he may be correct. If they are the missing villagers, what caused their condition? And what is to prevent it from spreading to other villages in the area? Each discovery raises more questions.

We are returning to Chimney Rock today. I intend to send a message to the local cavalry, telling them of the situation at Cliffside and asking their assistance in clearing out the mines (if the creatures are hiding in the mines as we suspect). Many of us are suffering painful wounds from the fight last night, and need to rest.

27 Riag 1508 TH

Ogres attacked Chimney Rock this afternoon. With the help of Arkayz's messengers, and the timely arrival of the local cavalry, we drove the creatures off. It was a hard fought battle, and there were many wounded, but Chimney Rock is safe for now.

The ogres went north, following a trail that leads higher into the mountains. They should not be difficult to follow, but I am torn between tracking them to their camp, and guiding the cavalry to Cliffside to rid their mines of the poor souls within it.

After some discussion with the messengers, they have decided that they will follow the ogres' trail. They will be accompanied by Silar, a t'skrang archer adept who was traveling with the cavalry. I will accompany the cavalry to Cliffside. We depart in the morning.

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