It is with a great deal of pleasure that I am able to continue my journal. After I awakened everyone at dawn, we headed for the half covered door to the unknown structure. It took us a while longer to finish uncovering the door in it's entirety. I studied the door frame to see if I could find any message in the scroll work, but to no avail. It appeared to be decorative. The door itself appeared to be wooden with a metal plates attached. In all, it was in good condition. As we could see no hinges, we surmissed that it opened inward. I tried to push it open, but the door was either barred or stuck.

Jaden and Blackhawk both stepped up impatiently to try the door. I stepped back and out of the slight depression we had dug. The two of them pushed and felt a slight movement. They then pushed again, with more vigor and we all heard a loud >SNAP<. Suddenly, I felt naseous and staggered a bit. As I shok my head clear, I realized that the rest of the Company had fallen to the ground. Unsure of what exactly had happened, and fearful for their lives, I endeavored to pull them to safety. I was momentarily torn as to who I should move first. I decided on Raven as her healing skills far outshine mine. It was my hope that if everyone was sorely injured, I could revive her and she could nurse everyone else to health.

I pulled her up out of the depression and she came to almost immediately. It seemed that the condition was at least temporary. We pulled the rest of the Company out of the depression with similar results. The general hypothesis was that some bad air had rushed out of the doorway and overtaken the Company. I believe my position higher up and nearer to fresh air helped me avoid passing out as well. It is a compelling lesson. In the future, the entire Company should not cluster immediately around an unknown entrance. We should have also checked for traps. Fortunately, it was a lesson that we learned without great hardship.

We let the air clear for a while longer and then re-examined the portal. It still appeared to be barred, but the bottom had broken somewhat. We pried the metal plates back and MacGyver looked inside. Fearing the worst, he tossed a fish inside and we all listened intently for the sounds of anything munching on it. Hearing nothing, MacGyver reached inside and felt around. He was unable to determine what mechanism was holding the door closed and we all debated about the wisdom of him crawling in alone to examine the door. I used a cantrip to evoke light onto yet another fish and we tossed it into the opening to get a better idea what was inside. Our first glimpse inside was enough to interest us and feel that MacGyver was relatively safe. He scampered inside and quickly discovered what was holding it closed. A simple bar across the door. With it removed, we were able to open the door.

I could go into volumes of description on the contents. Everything appeared to be quite old, and in remarkable condition. It would have been a dream for a student of historical studies. Unfortunately, we were not prepared for such an examination. After exploring the structure, we decided it was some sort of outpost. The most useful thing we found was a large table. It appeared to have been made from a single tree. This tree must have been over 20 feet in diameter as the table appears to have been cut across the grain. The table was still set and had partially eaten food on it. It appeared that whoever had lived here at one point had left in a hurry. Around the table were very ornate chairs and at each end were extremely elaborate chairs. One chari was raised above the others and had very elaborate carvings. The logical conslusion is that this was the seat of the ruler. Laying on the seat was a golden torc and golden arm bands were on the arm of the chair. We left these while we explored the remaining structure. The inside was also adorned with a large tapestry with a green dragon motif.

After exploring the structure we determined that we were in no immediate danger. Jaden and Blackhawk tried to unearth part of the collapsed tower. MacGyver was searching the bundles of fur that we had found and Raven had stepped outside. Blackhawk periodically joined her. I decided to examine the torc and arm bands. I was initially reluctant to actually touch them. I studied them as thoroughly as I could. The torc appeared to be thicker than normal and the inside looked to be Mithril! Just to be sure, I took out my Guild Pin and compared them. It was carved so that two dragon heads came together at the throat. The arm band appeared to be solid gold and were elborately engraved with scrollwork. The culminated in engravings of eagles on each armband. I was unsure of what to make of these items. The torc probably belonged to the lord of the structure. The thickness and the fact that Mithril had been incorporated into the design seemed to indicate that it might have been more than decorative, perhaps even protective. The dragon heads might be representative of power and the right to rule. Because eagles are often considered regal, the arm bands might also indicate a lordly stature. Since we had also seen large flying shapes, it briefly crossed my mind that these might be devices that would help control flying creatures. Since I am often given to flights of fancy, I shook this from my head.

Thinking that any protective device would be an improvment on my silk toga, I decided to try to torc on. I was half hoping for some magical affect to occur. Instead, nothing happened. I picked up the arm bands to try them on as well. As soon as I put the second one on my arm, it disappeared and I felt a chill come over me. Fearing that something had gone awry, I headed for the door. I wanted to get out in the sun to see if it dispersed the chill. Stepping outside, I noticed that Raven and Blackhawk were both staring up into the sky. I looked up to see what they were looking at. Immediately, I realized that an enormous dragon was swooping down on us. Fearing that I had triggered this mishap, I quickly stepped back inside, headed for the throne and sat down. I was hoping that I would be able to communicate with the dragon, or control it, or drive it away or something. In the meantime, I could hear Blackhawk scrambling at the door to close it.

Apparently my efforts were in vain. The dragon swooped down and missed Raven by a few feet. She came inside and reported that it was wearing some sort of jewelry. I hastened outside to see if I could talk to the creature. It was already flying away and I could clearly make out that it was wearing some sort of girdle on one of it's claws. I tried to call to it, but it had already passed from earshot. It was heading northwest. I joined the rest of the Company and we discussed the days events. Blackhawk had discovered a lump of crystal in the remains of the tower. MacGver had discovered a shield embossed with a green dragon and an ancient coin. I attempted to remove the torc and the arm bands, but was unable to. I demonstrated that they were still on me, even though nobody could see them. As it was getting late in the day, we decided to concentrate on locating food and begin planning how we could best turn the table into a raft so we could get off this sand bar.

I slept during the first watch then got up quietly to go meditate on the torc and arm bands. I'm not sure what I expected to discover, but I have seen others enter such a trance and come out with new knowledge. Nothing really happened except that a raven flew down to look at me. At first, I thougth I was imagining it. A raven in the middle of the night? It studied me for a short time, then flew off towards the west. It did occur to me that I was able to clearly see some of the jewelry on the dragon, whereas Raven only saw that it had jewelry. Typically, she is more apt to spot such things than I am. She has exceptional eyesight. Admittedly, she was trying to avoid being caught by the dragon, so she was somewhat distracted. Still, it makes me wonder about the affects of this jewellry.

In the meantime, I am wearing a veritable fortune in gold and Mithril, but nobody can see it. I guess it wouldn't really match the ruined silk ensemble anyway. I can see the sun starting to rise on the horizon. It is time to put away quill and parchment and pick up my pipes. Let's see what everyone has come up with after a little sleep.