Into the wild

We left the Green City heading south. Supposedly there is a large hole in the ground that everyone is all hot and bothered about. Don't much know why, but I have to do something to make folks talk to me. Makes it hard to get info on a bounty if folks don't talk at ya.
 
It's clouding up again. Rothgard, was able to stop the rain for a short spell, but I see it on the horizon. Apparently, that short little cleric can't stop this for long. While I'm grateful for the respite, he might want to stick to bashing heads and leave the magic to others.
 
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A day into the journey, we ran into a sight that was truly peaceful. An elven burial ground showed the true classification of different elves elves in this group. The high elves have a ritual which turns the bodies of the Fallen into Gardens beautiful Lush areas of plants rising to the heavens. The Woodland elves, leave their dad where they lie. Allowing them to be overtaken by the ground around them. What we found, is a location where high and wood elves were buried.
 
However an unsettling quiet came over the group. Some black tar-like substance had covered all of the bones of the Woodland elves. I knew this work, this was the work of a necromancer. Necromancer's use these types of creatures to clean the bones so that they can be used in the Demonic rituals.
 
They disgust me.
 
Now, resting in a graveyard may not seem like the best of ideas. However being Elvin this did not bother him the majority of the party we rested well with very little fear that anything would come upon us however upon wake we discovered that all of our rations both in store and that we were going to have for a well-deserved breakfast, we're all rotten destroyed by some foul presence nearby. Within moments I realized that my wands themselves were molding and rotting. Being natural substances, made of ivory, I assume that made them more susceptible to the light that was affecting the rest of our gear.
 
While the respite from the seemingly perpetual rain was nice, we had to go.
 
The rain that was simply a mist through the elven graveyard was a full-on gail. My entire body weight had to be put against the fury of the storm. Wind whipped my sarape, and my had risked being blown from my head if I wasn't careful. Going was slow - we couldn't take much more of this.
 
"We need to turn toward the Shivering Keep!" I shouted against the storm to my companions, "if we don't, we will all die out here!"
 
The wind treated my words like a child's kite, blowing them against the sky. I held on to them as tightly as possible, afraid that I would lose them in the tempest.
 
"We need to get with Nova" Rothgard shouted, "she won't know which way went." His weariness showed in his voice, despite being one that is used to struggle.
 
We continued on through the day and finally came to the edge of a great forest. Nova waited at the tree line. Large trees flanked us on the Western side, blocking the wind. Large hedgerows of brambles littered the ground. "This place is just lovely" I sneered, my mood as cold as the weather.
 
"We should go to the Shivering Keep and wait out this storm" I reiterated now that the whole party was together. "We'll all catch pneumonia if we stay here. Then, our reputation will the the least of our problems!"
 
Conversation commenced with all in agreement. We were all tired, cold, and ready for a change. One night under a roof wouldn't hurt on on our trek. Our discussions were drawn to an abrupt halt be a noise behind the trees. There, a man burned from the waist down shivered under some brables. He was a pathetic figure, tall and lankey. His eyes displayed a feeling that I knew all too well - pain. The man was completely nude, which further exacerbated his pitiful state. Lucious, being the one of the group with the most straight moral compass, covered him in a cloak. He was mute, at first, until Rothgard stared at him closely. We learned later that there were two creatures there - a wolf and a man. Lycanthopy is a dangerous and deadly bed-fellow. None were two excited to have him around.
 
As seems to be the case with our group, debate ensued about what to do with him. Should we put him out of his misery, or move on and let him live. Concerned for the way this confrentation would conclude, I moved behind him to keep him from getting a flank on the rest of the group. I placed my want to the back of his head, ready to render him unconcious, if needed.
 
Before the situation could "go to Hell in a handbasket", Jack interviened. He moved with a speed that I'm not used to, knicked the man (who was quickly changing).
 
"Great, Jack" I thought to myself, "a papercut is all we need. I'm certain he'll surrender now". The creature reacted with a fierce rage, flailing at the attack. In the tirade, I felt my arm gashed open and blood flow freely.
 
Recovering from this blow, I prepared to fire - point blank, into his back. I couldn't miss at this range. Just as I felt the energy whell up inside of me, and the runes on my skin burned, the creature caught my eyes. The pain within them stopped me in my tracks. The energy subsided and I couldn't force myself to "fire".
 
"Stop", I yelled to to the group, echoing Jack's plee for mercy. "I don't think he is going to hurt us. Look at him, his muscles are limp."
 
Ensuing conversation revealed that he wanted us to leave him be, but I could see the anxiety stirring among members of the group. Cinderclaw, seemed poised for strike. To add additional angst, pelt began acting strangly, and growling at the approaching dark.
 
The premature night was crossing the field of brambles faster than any natural night could. Seizing his opportunity, Cinderclaw pounced, faster than any cat, and reached for the unfortunate lichen. I drew my wand and fired, runes for levitation burning across my back, while my blast struck home on Cinderclaw - doing no harm - he had already latched onto the wolf-man. Both raised into the sky and into the branches of the tree above.
 
Cinder had figuratively grabbed the tiger by the tail, and the tiger wasn't having any part of it. It lashed into him, ripping it's way through Cinderclaw's scaly hide. Blood and scales rained down from below and the smell of burning hair and flesh made me nauseous. I almost fired in amongst them, just to put them out of my misery.
 
The lichen shook Cinder off and fell to the ground, injured and definitely shaken. I didn't have time to be concerned, the darkness and fog was incroching