14 Alturiak, 1502 D.R.

On a routine mission to escort a merchant caravan from one place to another along the Stojanow River, myself, Jax, Kervae, Shev, and Bri were accosted by a dog that was not a dog. The dog's collar indicated it to be the companion to one Leonardo. Despite our misgivings -- well, some of us -- the dog was convincing enough to induce us to leave the caravan behind to follow it.

(Not to worry. We received letters of indemnity. The merchants *insisted* upon it.)

The dog led us to a great cave. Somewhere nearby, if I recall my historical geography, a mighty dragon was slain in battle some fifty years ago by an adventuring party, led by a wizard called... Leonardo. The site still remembers its passing, it seems, for it was stricken with unseasonable heat and eruptions of steam. Shev was able to engage in telepathic communication with the dog, and learned that her "friends," a number of woodland creatures, had been taken captive in an effort to draw her out.

We passed through the cave, navigating steam geysers and pit traps and assorted hazards. Bri succeeded in solving a puzzle that opened a door, and through that door we encountered goblins and hobgoblins in the service of a creature called Torch. It perhaps goes without saying that Torch is the creature who captured the woodland animals in the first place. Those animals were present in the chamber, and we were able to cow the goblinoids into submission.

Departing the cave with the woodland creatures (and the not-a-dog) in tow, we pressed on toward the nearby tower of the wizard Leonardo, to return his companion. Along the way, Torch descended upon us with fire and fury -- all packaged up in the body of the tiniest, snot-nosed little wyrmling that ever held a grudge. The game he talked was substantially bigger than he was himself. His ego was boundless, but we brought him low and emerged mostly unscathed.

Upon returning to the caravan, we were met by the wizard Leonardo, who thanked us for returning his companion. We then fulfilled our original purpose and escorted the merchant caravan to their ultimate destination. Very accommodating folks, these.

-- Yashir adh Rumahr

This day we were hired by a merchant caravan to escort them along the Stonajaw river, and overall the actual escorting experience was rather peaceful. But of course, there will always be a hiccup with these contracts. Along the way, about 3 days in, a golden retriever approached our caravan and after a while we somehow realized it was trying to lead us somewhere. After we got a writ ensuring we would not be responsible for any damages that happened to the caravan while we were gone and dealing with this (they were oddly going along with this? Like, very adamant that we followed this random dog).

The dog led us to a large cave system which we explored, with steam vents coming up and burning us. After some slow exploring, we found that the dog was leading us to a group of goblins and hobgoblins that had kidnapped a group of animals (apparently the dog's friends. Also the dog was a person I think?) under the service of a supposedly terrifying dragon.

We freed the animals and left, but were chased down by the dragon. Which was.. a tiny one. No taller than any of us. We ambushed it and took it down, and scared off the bugbears that had followed it. Then we returned to the caravan and were greeted by the dog's... I don't even know what their relationship is. A wizard in the local area that had killed the parent of the dragon we had killed. We were paid, finished the caravan, and returned to the Syndicate.