Penthos log:

We will escort Ruenr's body and Asja far east to find his tribe.

Teleported to Remsha Naftha.

Took 2 sleds run by Zarin.

Asja not eating.

A sentient tree seemed annoyed by the snoring from a Zarin and shook snow on it to wake it up. Didn't work so tree walked away.

Stopped by Balinsdale Hold, Baron, cousin of Archie gave us food, guards to watch us and 2 kegs of dwarven wine.

Stopped by Cobbles' Haven, Valerian, a Custodian, mentioned that Lake had frozen over and the route there now had roads and is patrolled by many Custodians since the event when we were last here and so should be safe.

Crossed the frozen lake, met the Kohrgard tribe Gnolls, Ruenr's people.

Met Ferrick (unsure of spelling), "brother", very close friend and litter mate of Ruenr.

Shared stories of Ruenr's life and death.

Ferrick idolised Ruenr who saved his life and is skilled in so many ways.

Led to a lake with thousands of Gnolls from 2 tribes.

Told that Kohrgard tribe will be weakened by the ritual and therefore a second tribe will provide protection.

Met Matriarch Ylva.

Helped gather roots, vines and flowers needed for the ritual to bring back Ruenr.

Potion made by Ylva.

Feast that night, dancing, singing, drinking. Ferrick does not drink.

Next day ritual at an old temple with twelve pillars in a circle.

Matriarch Ylva tells us that if we partake in the ritual we must see it through no matter what or we and all the tribe will die.

A magical dome covers us, the gnolls singing and sending arcana to us.

Abyssal runes part of this.

Lethe told by Matriarch Ylva to make Asja drink potion. Asja falls unconscious laid next to Ruenr.

Ferrick kneels beside Ruenr, painted with blood by Ylva.

Matriarch Ylva states that Ferrick has volunteered willingly to die to save Ruenr and that we must finish the ritual no matter how he begs.

Ferrick fed potion by Ylva cup by cup over and over,

Ferrick cries and pleads to not be sacrificed.

Penthos gives words of encouragement that he is doing a brave and heroic deed and will be remembered by Ruenr and all of the tribe for his sacrifice.

Ylva orders that we kill Ferrick. Ferrick's wrists slashed and an arrow to the heart later, Ferrick passes away.

Ruenr wakes! We group hug, very emotional moment.

Ruenr explains that he had to choose between Asja and his friend Ferrick.

A dragon is heard off in the distance…

Penthos, Richard, Rio, Lethe, Whimsy, Aeros

Day 1

• Port Chalmers
• Team meets in Goliath's grace.
• Many imperium soldiers at the Port, Sullivan dealing with them.
• Teleported by Mors to Remsha Naftha, a tornado of ravens! Mors can also fly?!
• City of the trees, very high up! They seem to be in some sort of war.
• Met Han of the Siasau elves, warned to not lend anything to anyone here especially our shadows.
• Fall 200ft down from tree, wards slow our fall!
• Travel by horse.
• Warned to stay away from nearby lake, details not given as what may be in there, but stories of travelers entering and never returning.
• Made camp off cross roads (5, -15).
• Camp in 'Hans Good Yurt' – what an amazing item!
• Aeros has great skills and cooks up a storm for the team.

Day 2

• Followed road east.
• White rabbit crossed road, Lethe followed into a burrow, shrunk down in size. Strange smiling cat reported by Lethe. Treasure dug up and uncovered.
• Camped at (7, -19), good weather, no hostiles.

Day 3

• Travelled to (8, -20), advised friendly to pass through, but to stay out of dwarven hold.
• Seemed to get lost, doing a full loop of area. Forced to camp here.
• Camped out, calm night.

Day 4

• Morning on watch we feel like being watched, but nothing seen.
• Travelled.
• (8, -21)
• (9, -22)
• Weather worsening, forced to camp, near hill to avoid wind, rain likely in next 24 hours.

Day 5

• Travel, found road that we had not seen last few days.
• (10, -22)
• (10, -23) Found cave with dead Gnolls, remnants of explosives to collapse cave.
• Gnoll clan markings.
• Abyssal writing on cave walls, mad writings of Gnolls struck with Abyssal curse the Black Hunger is returning. Those inflicted eat everything in their path.
• They collapsed cave to kill themself to stop their clan from roaming south Asru, so they will all die and with them the curse.
• Dedicated chieftain or someone already lost to madness?
• Last thing written before cave was collapsed was "Warn Ruenr"
• Many dead in cave, many souls.
• A Gnoll soul taken to inform the Matron.
• Plan to head to Cobbles Haven.
• Camped at (9, -23)
• Weather getting really bad, thunder in distance, horses needed soothing throughout the night.

Day 6

• Storm in distance.
• Half party notices Dragon in the sky in storm.
• Aeros identifies a team of five flying people fighting the dragon, one large humanoid with dragon wings cuts off the dragon's head, swoops down, takes the head and the five teleport away. The body of this golden topaz falls somewhere to the North East.
• Aeros and Whimsy affected by this.
• Whimsy feels sick.
• Aeros knocked out.
• Aeros wakes up saying "They're here".

---*Private note*---

Richard asks about this, Aeros states she said "I am here", seems to deflect each time asked.

---*Private note ended*---

• Made it to Cobbles Haven.
• Met a custodian, Rhylorian?, told us stationed here to defend against the undead, has only ever seen zombies and only few at a time. Almost like clockwork they appear every two days trying to eat any life. His companion stated they arrive around midnight at the Gembeard cave across from the town.
• We travel to this cave (12, -24).
• Setup camp up on a ridge above near where zombies are expected to pass.
• Zombies came around midnight.
• Whimsy on watch alerted the team to assemble, we engaged the zombies.
• Zombies were dressed in armour from different battlefields, different styles of armour and different time periods.
• They seemed resistant to the effects of my Eldritch blast and Rio's Starry whisp magic.
• It seems these zombies had little intelligence, likely doing only what they had been commanded. It is possible they are not after the living but rather something specific at Cobbles Haven.
• Bodies burned in funeral rites.
• Continue to rest for the night.

Day 7

• Entered the Gembeard cave, smell of decay, many bodies.
• Gembeard dwarves, gems for hair and beards. All dead decaying.
• 10 – 15 other bodies of travelers, lured in and killed or killed and dragged in? Looked to have been killed by zombies.
• Gembeard children killed quickly by a dagger?
• Gembeard corpse, look like intentionally killed (not by mindless zombies),  back of their necks have abyssal runes carved into them. Translation of the word is "Vessel" as if the bodies were to be used for something else, but seems nothing further happened.
• Such a rune could empty the body of the soul, to put something else in, but looks like this did not occur. Their souls did not seem tainted by the abyss as if they may be resistant to such effects. Other souls also in cave.
• A Gembeard with diamond hair looks like he was tortured and later killed.
• Gembeard bodies burned and funeral rites performed to stop them and other corpses there from returning as undead.
• Rune circle in cave, abyssal runes, not necromantic. Appears to be a temporary teleportation circle used every 2 days.
• Whimsy attempted to call the Gembeards with a tuning fork he created hitting it on the crystals in the cave, he believed this should call them. But nobody came....
• The abyssal threat runs deeper than originally thought, Mors was certain they had dealt with the big threat here in the south east but this does not seem to be the case anymore.
• Penthos recovers Diamond Gembeard soul, Lethe recovers gem dust and ash of Gembeard bodies from the funeral rite to return to the Matron.
• We used the amulets to send the horses and ourselves home.
• Sullivan Prime was there, showed us that the Topaz Gem Dragon's head, that Aeros saw, was here, dagger in it with note "Your move we wait".
• Aeros performing rites on dragon head to prevent it being turned undead for 7 days.
• Prime mentioned to Mors about retrieval team.
• Prime states had previously cast Speak with dead and asked the dragon "What would you like done?" The Gem dragon replied "To be free".
• Richard left to speak to the Sullivan in the office.