We travelled all day, stopped to camp, and I finished healing Areon from the battle the night before. The next morning, we saw a large caravan on the road, headed our way. We discussed moving off the road to let them pass, but it seemed wide enough at this point to accomodate. We carefully ignored the large Z painted on each wagon, and the wagoneers ignored us right back, thank Tymora! Tyan, I fear, was unable to resist taunting “Theona the great Zhent hunter” - I mean, she knows where he sleeps! At least we are still in separate wagons.

The fourth day out, the road passed between a rocky plateau and a moorland. As we set up camp that evening, we could hear wolves howling on the moor. The fifth night out, we were awoken by the sound of Theona screaming as something burst out of the ground in the middle of the camp! I rolled out of my bedroll and grabbed my staff, as the thing leaped upon Ebin and Tyan cast a scintillating sphere upon them both. I hit it but found it to be both huge and covered with armor plates - and then it bit me. Tyan was casting spells at it while Areon entangled it and Theona actually got in front of me while trying to enfeeble it with her wand - I must have looked pretty bad!

Theona hit it with an enfeeblement spell, then was bitten, but Tyan cast lightning bolts and I got off a couple of searing light spells, which seemed to stagger the beast. Ebin charged in and bounced his sword off its armor while Theona and I took turns pulling each other out of harm’s way, and Areon finally finished it off with his bow. He skinned those armor plates off for our own use later, while I healed everyone and we all collapsed back to sleep. Whew!

The next day we finally reached the desert. Theona warned us to watch out for a floating city or castle in the region (sounds like a mirage of some kind, but I’ve heard of stranger things, I suppose). We changed to the desert gear we’d bought, and decided to wait the day out in order to change our travel schedule; sleep during the hottest hours and travel at night. I prayed for many water spells to carry us through. Evening came, and we set out side-by-side across the desert, chatting quietly and watching for trouble. Tyan was sprinkling salt on me and I was pretending it burned and Ebin was laughing when - the elves caught sight of humanoid forms approaching from the darkness!

I cast light, then Tyan cast acid at them. Grey-skinned humanoids came out of the gloom and we were being charged by ghouls! As we whipped the camels into a run I climbed to the back of our wagon and held up my holy symbol... called to my goddess and dusted the lot. ALL of our attackers. I was so shocked that I fell out of the back of the wagon for laughing! Theona seemed to think that implied I didn’t have faith in my goddess - but that’s not true, it’s simply never worked so well and I am deeply grateful. We waited a little while for Areon and Theona to backtrack the ghouls, searching for treasure or trouble, I’m not sure which. They returned empty-handed, so we traveled on through the night.