I am back in the barracks at Ft. Vindimar. I left these walls just this morning, but have traveled far in the intervening time period. The Winged Foxes have learned much since our late arrival just last night.

This morning opened with breakfast and a briefing from Sgt. Jeffers. The Foxes wandered in after completing various morning rituals. As for myself, I needed extensive stretching to loosen the magically healed muscles from last night. Going toe-to-toe with a giant is not a healthy way to lead a living, but I kept him occupied long enough for the others to pepper him with arrows, magical bolts, and a errant fireball Jaden called down on us. But now I pay the price, still sore from being pounded with the tree the giant used for a club.

Raven was surprised but pleased to see us. Her flight had gone well and she quickly was able to mobilize the guard. She mentioned that she had seen the giant laying in wait on the bridge, but figured that we would be able to handle it with out her intervention. As I quietly nurse my sore ribs, I am glad that we did not prove her wrong. The spell she had cast on me the evening before in the Bore seemed to have hardened my fists and heels and really allowed me to deliver punishing blows on the giant, so in a way she had been with us.

Jeffers delivers the troubling news that the battle at Bore had been successful but at a terrible price. The entire heavily cavalry detachment met its fate repelling hobgoblins, worgs, ogres, and three eye tyrants. The floating terrors escaped slaying friend and foe alike.

Jeffers went on to inform us that Lawrence would be leading a patrol to Spruce Bluff to reinforce the town that had been raided the previous evening. We will also likely encounter the commander returning from his pursuit of the raiders. We are also free to reequip ourselves from their stores including a heavy warhorse for Stephen.

Before we set out, Jeffers rushes to inform us that Cymric was able to reseal the Bore after a fierce battle with Hobgoblins and Umber Hulks, that was finally ended when a contingent of Gnome Paladins cut a path through the hearth of the enemy forces. With the Bore sealed, the Hobgoblin force fled into the mountains. There was still no word of Dorian or the Apprentices.

With that mixed bit of news we set out. The Glimmermoors is a bog-riddled morass of strange beauty. The scenery is picturesque but it is as if one cannot focus entirely on the scene in front of one’s eyes due to another image, darker, floating just beneath the surface.

The patrol proved uneventful but unsettling until our first break. Much seemed to move within the vegetated marsh but identification of individual creatures proved to be impossible. We came to a ruined tower and decided to water the horses. Lawrence informed us that this was the site of a scene of tremendous devastation where thousands lost there lives as a result of horrible spellcasting. He points to some drifting lights out over the marsh. He calls them pyreflies, immaterial spirit lights likely associated with the terrible act that took place at this sight. They seemed to congregate near where there had been death or items of power.

Some party members express interest and awe in these lights, but I sense that they represent something much darker than should be admired. I set out to envision the fateful day when so many souls were slain. I traced out the limits of the towers foundation and tried to call the spirits to battle. I then tried to settle their unsettled state by reminding them of their eventual reward awaiting them. I am not sure how much good I was hoping to accomplish, but some sense of piece seemed to settle over the land. Raven added in a prayer for the lost souls and we set out again.

We set out under a constant flitting of pyreflies. We try not to draw attention to the fact that an unusual amount of them seem to congregate around Stephen. Eventually we come upon a stream cut bank that seems to possess an inordinate amount of pyreflies. Blackhawk and I at the front of the column decided to investigate. Blackhawk tied himself off with some rope and stepped off the path. He immediately sank to his waist and required me to tie off the rope to his horse and pull him back out. He emerged back to the road muddy and without his boots.

Stripping off extraneous gear, I took one end of Blackhawk’s rope and took a running leap for the opposite stream bank. Clearing the 20 feet, I came to rest on the opposite bank. Slowly I worked my way into the stream and under the cut-bank. With a shovel I discovered a metallic clink in the wall. With some effort I was able expose a suit of chainmail. During my efforts a giant axehead dislodged from above my head narrowly missing me in the confined space. The muck washed off the unhafted axe and revealed an edge still extremely sharp and covered in Dwarven runes and designs. Two small chunks of debris also freed themselves. These I take to be possible rings but will need further cleanup. Finally the chainmail was free, its last owner long decomposed. Jaden tosses me a rope and I tie-off the suit for Jaden to retrieve. With Blackhawk and his horse I am able to make my way across the stream. I come out a bit more free in nature than when I went into the marsh, but I required ministrations from Raven’s create water spell before I am able to redress.

While I am reequipping and securing the Dwarven equipment I recovered Stephen, Blackhawk and other start to feel something is wrong. We see nothing but the sense of foreboding continues to build. Finally Carlotta comes into view, she is bent over retching, blood covers her hands. She is obviously upset by all the death that occurred. Her appearance is obviously upsetting more than just us as cries go up among Lawrence’s men. We decide to get out of the marsh as quickly as possible. I send out a final call to the fallen to reassure the fallen Dwarflord that his sacrifice has not been in vain. Raven adds in a silent prayer and we set out.

The road eventually climbs up and we enter a forest. Soon trees give way to a grassy valley bottom. Scattered farm fields come into view, but they are all abandoned and damaged. Spruce Bluff comes into view, a scattered collection of farmsteads, what appears to be a Raphaelite church, and a large fortified house. The damage from the previous night raid in evident everywhere.

Children seem to be manning the guard posts around the village, as no men under sixty appear to be in the vicinity. Lawrence leads us to the fortified house, informing us that this is the Mayor’s house. We enter to find a funeral wake in progress. The Mayor’s wife, Susan Killdar, is presiding in the parlor with her husband’s coffin in the center of the room. Elvin traits are visible on the corpse. Obviously distraught she still holds herself with poise. She takes our money delivery, and Jaden expresses our condolences. We are escorted out and offered a selection of activities to perform until the commander’s force returns.

Stephen and Raven enter the church and help those still in need. Lady Tora and elderly Father Peter have been overwhelmed by the victims and welcome the healing help. They each start by healing the two worst cases. Raven then gets the idea that she has the means to heal all the wounded as once. She has the wounded gathered around her as she strikes her staff upon the church floor. A healing essence emits from her and heals all those in her presence.

As Raven continues to check on the status of the recently healed, Stephen makes his way into the basement at Lady Tora. While in the basement, Stephen encounters a huge bearded man wearing robes and a huge mace at his hip. He introduces himself as an itinerant wandering Friar and refuses to give his name. He informs Stephen that all is not fate, and that free will is still available. He does not have to follow the path to fame and power. As he makes to leave, Stephen notes his holy symbol, a looped cross. Stephen attempted to follow him, but he could not be found in the church and no one recalls seeing him.

Out in the town, Blackhawk climbed the church tower. From his vantage he saw an army coming, hopefully the Commander’s force. He continued his watch as Jaden set out on a patrol. Both pass the time with no major events. Meanwhile, I made a round of the village itself assessing damage and defensive positions. I spotted an elf on the forest edge. He passed along info that Dorian was alive and apparently tracking the Hobgoblin Spell casters. Roscoe was also on his trail. Back at the church I informed the Foxes of this good piece of news.

Commander Tiberius comes back into the village leading a troop of disciplined soldiers and a motley assortment of peasants. The peasants soon fan out into the village going back to their families. He rides in on a big back stallion. After introductions he informs us that he know of Max Fox and was sorry to hear of his demise.

Lawrence’s troops take up posts in the village as the Commander take the remaining troops with us in tow back to Ft. Vindimar. On the trip, we inform him of our news of the Bore. He sees this attack on Spruce Bluff as an obvious diversion. The goblin army only did random acts of destruction and fell back at the first sign of stiff resistance. Strange that they would not make an effort to reclaim the area as this area is rich in resources and has only just recently been resettled by humans.

With such a large force present, we experienced no encounters on the way back to the fort