28 Flamerule, 1502 D.R.

Orlak is dead. Those three words are all the epitaph I will give him, and more than he deserves.

-- Yashir adh Rumahr

Rising after our nightlong respite in the lair of the beholder, we were not bothered through the entire evening. I had placed an abjurative ward around us, of course, but it proved unnecessary as we all eventually rose and prepared for the bloody work ahead. Traversing down to the formally barred entrance, Surx made themself known to us; a surprise, for certain, and I am loath to say a welcome addition, but he was an addition never the less. They have talents that should not go unmentioned, though I assumed we could have completed this journey without them.

Entering the next room, we were immediately reminded of just the kind of tricksy target we were dealing with. Glyphs and traps galore exploded in our faces as an illusory Orlak taunted the rest of the group. The building around us began to fall, and we had to descend into the dungeon's depths or be buried beneath the rubble. This funneled us further into the jaws of the beast as more traps and wards greeted us. One such charm made it impossible to communicate with one another, and suddenly we were hardly effective as a team. Every adventurer for themself, I booked it through the path, setting off as few traps as i could and flipping a lever that I assumed would assist the others as they followed behind. The cave ins continued, and we just barely managed to get through the last door before we were squashed beneath it all.

We were greeted by Orlak and common sense seemed to vacate Bri and Solia's mind. A red dragon, fully grown from its size, began to strike, and it seemed as though Yashir, Surx, and myself were the only ones focused on that target. The other two rushed towards Orlak, and Bri took quite the barrage for it. We just barely managed to take out the dragon, before insults and claims of who would get the killing blow were shouted across this lair. Squabbling over who deserved the kill? Why were they doing such a thing?

I unleashed a barrage on the caster, but he was quite hardy, even for a caster. It was then that Solia noticed his necklace, and after a few words, she pulled it off of the goblin, and he withered away like an old paper sack.

I wish that was the end of it.

But when Solia tried to take the body, I implored her to wait and let me deal with it. Conflict arose, then, as everyone claimed I had no right to do what needed to be done, and that she should have the body. A corpse to mutilate? Hang on her wall as a trophy? To stare at, put holes in, skin and dry and mangle? That is not healthy, and a friend would not let revenge sink another's soul so low as to revel in the brutality of the dead. I stand firm in this belief, and as the conversation reached a breaking point, I turned to the corpse and turned it to dust. There was no more Orlak, no soul nor body nor bone to revive him with.

Yashir did not agree with this. Neither did Bri. Surx said I did the right thing, but Solia... I took away her ability to choose, for fear of her making the wrong one. That was selfish of me, in a sense. But, I know I did it for all the right reasons. I think she knows this... I hope she can let go, and start on a path of healing, rather than brew in the pit of deprecation she has occupied since the attack on the Syndicate, if not prior.

For now, all can rest easy, as this threat has been neutralized.