25th Day of Garmensis

Hogar’s Journal (Translated from Giant)

Year 781 of the founding of the City

25^th Day of Garmensis

The King’s Road – En-route to Winterhaven

The rain falls more persistently now and no longer from a clear sky.  There are evil portents in this land.  Something grows in the shadow.

As I survey the ruin of the King’s Road, now more mud track than Imperial Highway, I fear the effect a manifestation of Orcus may have on this region.  Scarcely three generations after the destruction visited on Nentir Vale by my grandfather, the march of an undead legion would drive civilisation from these lands indefinitely.

Diefenbaker has discovered corpses lying on and around the road.  Russet lizard-men they are known to me as kobalds.  There has been a struggle here and these creatures came off second best.  Stripped of most of their clothes and possessions, their black blood stains the land.

There is also a pool of red blood in the road that looks like bad news for whoever it came from, it has the odour of Elf about it.  Vic agrees, crouching over the scene like one of the Emperor’s watchmen investigating a murder back in Nerath, he can sense the aura of his woodland cousins.  He believes that the wound would have been fatal.  Truly a shadow forms over this place.

We make good time and should reach Winterhaven tomorrow or the day after.

aV c p �T� �� ss=MsoNormal style='text-indent:36.0pt'>We make steady progress despite the poor condition of the road and the worsening weather.  Diefenbaker pads over the moor land.  Off into the distance and back again, sniffing for interesting scents and scouting ahead as a good hunt-wolf should.  Minron is his usual quiet self, as determined to see this through as I am, the tall minotaur strides out before us resplendent in his scarlet cloak and gleaming armour.   He has little use for words or actions that will not further us in our hunt for the Demon Prince.  This leaves Old Vic to make the conversation as usual, a position he relishes.  Our commander can go on for seemingly indefinite amounts of time about the exploits of his younger days.  Some people do not realise the benefits of quiet introspection.