Eleasis 25, 1373 DR, edge of Anauroch Desert

I divide my time between wanting to protect the humans in our party, and wanting to flee with Areon from this quest. Drinking seems to help squelch most of these ambitions.

Our days are mostly uneventful. We passed a ten-wagon Zhentish caravan heading west; my friends seemed surprised I didn’t try to take on all forty of the drivers and guards (I admit, I did some quick math and decided it wasn’t worth the attempt). I take my cues from Areon’s reaction to such things.

Watches during our downtime are another matter entirely. He doesn’t seem to panic when we are assaulted, so I do not get the “sense” that there is anything amiss. Well, if my emotional response to an attack on my watch doesn’t wake him, my screams do. Two nights ago I felt a rumbling coming up through the ground, and had the entire camp alerted before the thing erupted from the ground. It was a bullette, a huge armored creature that appears to be mostly mouth. I could not hit it with bolts, but Tyan’s magic easily wounded it, while the bulette itself was attempting to eat Ebin. I used the wand of enfeeblement on it, which may have weakened it, but the armored beast then attacked Deitricha, so I spent the rest of the brief battle trying to keep myself between her and the creature, while also trying to push her back from its threat range. Darn thing bit me once too, but by then it was staggering. It quickly expired from its wounds, and, ew, someone suggested skinning it for its naturally-armored hide. I’m sure that will be smelling wonderful in a few days of desert heat.

I decided a stiff drink was in order at this point, but once again, I found a big blue rat butt and tail sticking out of my mug. If we survive this trip, I may have to purchase an “everfull thimble” for this creature. I am suspicious that Glitch does not sit watches with me for the stimulating conversation.

We’ve decided to try traveling at night so that we are not exerting the camels (and ourselves) during the hottest part of the day. This also means that we are all likely to be awake when attacks occur, such as the ghoul attack we just survived. Areon and I tried to keep our wagon between the undead creatures and our human companions, who would easily succumb to the paralyzing claws of the ghouls, but we needn’t have worried, as Deitricha summoned some divine power and turned the things into dust without so much as a by-your-leave. She then rolled out of the back of their wagon onto the dusty path, laughing uncontrollably. Areon and I did a quick search of the area from whence the ghouls shambled, but thankfully found no amassing undead army.

Of everything out here though, so far, our own human companions are the scariest things.