We began our trek up the mountain towards the temple. We decided to bring Savantha along to see if the seers at the temple might be able to discern her spirit. The three of us (Bingo, Gi’ Kar, and myself) were accompanied by 7 other warriors. Good men, all. The first was a shaman of Com Durak named Ajax. He seems strong of body as well as spirit. And it’s refreshing to have another shaman in our ranks. One who knows the touch of the Gods. Although even he will admit he doesn’t yet know much about his God. He was only chosen a day before we left! I look forward to being able to spend time with him on this short trip. There were also 5 other Gru’ Dwar soldiers as well as one Kaa’ Jah Kushan.

The first few days passed without incident, and the only thing of note on the third day was that Bingo and I spotted a mysterious archway starting in the forest. We checked it out but chouldn’t find any way to activate it or anything. Stepping through produced no effect at all. Bingo thought I was crazy for not giving up, but I swear there was something strange about that place. It seemed to be a *one-way* door from somewhere. There were plenty of footsteps on one side, but none on the other. Definitely unusual.

We made camp that night, and I elected to take the first watch. I was chatting with the other guard we had posted (the Kaa’ Jah Kushani) when we were jolted by a terrible screeching coming from up the mountain. We awoke the others and suddenly battle was upon us. There were ten of those “Necrogoblins” as Gi’ Kar and I had taken to calling them. Our men performed well, and we put them down quite handily. But I must take a moment to point out that Gi’ Kar is a walking example of the Lobite reputation as battlemasters. It seemed that whenever his sword flashed, and enemy fell. And his sword did quite a lot of flashing.

The fourth day we finally arrived at the temple. The sight that greeted us waas not pleasant. There seemed to be an entire party of Gru’ Dwar soldiers who were, for all intents and purposes, dead. Yet they were not. I’m sorry, but I have no better way to explain it. They were walking around the front of the temple as though keeping guard. We saw them before they saw us, though, and had time to prepare. We decided that a firing line would work the best. We had all 7 of our soldiers and Bingo standing in a line with Gi’ Kar slightly behind, while I protected the child behind him. I took to the air so I could survey the field and shoot my bow from above. When we felt prepared, we all moved forward as a unit. When the dead soldiers saw us, they charged. We held our line admirably, and our men fired as soon as the enemies were in range. A large battle followed in which our troops were more than doubled by enemy numbers.

Once again, I must point to Gi’ Kar’s exceptional battle skills that carried the day. He waded through the enemy numbers as a Black Whirlwind, dealing death to all he touched. Once, one of our Gru’ Dwar companions fell. Before I could even get to him to heal the fallen soldier, Gi’ Kar had jumped into the breach, spinning. He took down three enemies in just seconds, using his blade, claws, and even tail to cut them down. He wounded a fourth, but it took a second blow to kill it. I walked among our men, healing them, and shouting encouragement. And to my amazement we came away with a stunning victory. None of our men fell, while we won a battle worthy of song.

I immediately felt like an apparition upon our entering the town. True, any Seraph is an unusual sight, especially in a Gru’ Dwar colony. But this was different. People were watching me from all angles, inspecting me; as if trying to decide whether to run or riot. We were quite a ways into the village before two of the tribal leaders came to us. One was a Kushani, Kim Talemain by name (and a shaman by trade, I spied his symbol). The other was a very large Gru’ Dwar named Kru’ Degar. They halted us and demanded to know - of all things - why we traveled with Savantha. It turns out that the tribesmen were not in awe of me or my companions, but the girl! They called her a Demon, a term I took offense to. She is most definitely NOT demonic in nature. But they did spin a strange tale.

She had apparently been missing from the village for 14 years. When she heard this, she pulled me aside and whispered that she’d only been gone for five days. Who do I believe? Even the shaman claims this strange tale. He said she is, in fact, his daughter! But I cannot help but rely on the innocence of the little girl I rescued. I’m not sure what’s going on here, but I intend to find out.

Thanks entirely to some smart and quick talking by Bingo, we were granted an audience with the tribal leaders; and spared a fight. In talking to the elders we discovered that the same evils which had attacked us had also been attacking the village. Our journey is on the right track! The Elders at The Gathering had asked us to find out why the Kon’ Te Kel’ tribe had not been to the Oasis in some time. They’ve been held up here for three years. Three years! What a hardy people. Staying in any one place for three years would drive me insane, I’m sure of it. They had just finished the outside walls that I noticed on my way in and could finally start committing manpower to other endeavors. They had, however, sent a few parties up to the temple of Com Durak, none of which have returned. They were hoping that they could contact Com Durak to get help against the Necrogoblins and other evil creatures, but since no-one had returned, they feared none even made it there. Since Gi’ Kar and I wished to contact the seers in the temple to divine Savantha’s true nature, we agreed to head up a small party to the temple, four days up the mountain.

I also want to note that among the elders was a very large Cha’ Or named Bora ‘Tak Kal. It warms my heart to see a Cha’ Or. I’ve missed my Kalim’ Dori brethren, and seeing one now, even though we do not know each other does much to lighten my spirits. He carried a massive metal thing he called a “rifle”. I’d heard much concerning these guns, but I’d never seen one before. He also carried a much smaller version of it called a “pistol”. He even offered to show me how to use it, and after some practice, I was granted a pistol of my own. It’s heavy, but I carry it with pride.

It is also interesting to me that right in the middle of this town sat a large statue. I appeared to be the shape of a man, also he was half-buried in the earth. It looked as though he was climbing out of the earth. In one of his hands he carried a massive red stone. Knowing that this settlement is governed by Gru’ Dwar, I wonder if maybe Com Durak himself had a hand in the construction of this statue. Whether divine or not, it is still an impressive sight to see.

Before we left, I asked the chief if he could have my armor inspected by an armorer in town. The Kon’ Te Kel’ tribe are reknown for their metal work, after all, and I’m eager to learn the origin of my armor. When the armorer arrived, he asked if I had runes on the inside of my collar. I’d never look before, but sure enough, there were runes in the language of Kiefieh ringing the shirt. How marvelous! He told me that if his suspicions were correct, the armor once belonged to a legendary Seraph general named Ben-something who was a great leader, and was known for walking among his men, healing them as they fell, as well as fighting valiantly. He was well beloved and respected by his soldiers. I have truly been blessed by Kiefieh to have recieved such a marvelous gift from her. Praise be to the Goddess!