Journal of Artyom's Expedition - Day 5

Gods grant me patience, but I hate this place.
 
Eloria, Silvertongue, Moshe, Sadon and I have gone off into the canyon in advance of the caravan, per the plan we drew up last night. Everything seems to take far longer than anticipated up at these altitudes, between the snow and the constant assaults by the undead, or outsized wolves, or trolls, or murderous spirit fog. The mist makes it hard to navigate the canyon, even in daytime, and it will be at least another half-day before we can reach the crypt. I hope the hobgoblins and what remains of their battlegroup have had at least half the difficulty we have, or catching them in Whistlewind will prove yet more difficult.
 
Moshe's magical prowess has proved exceptionally useful this past day - he seems to have developed a knack for shapeshifting and levitation, and it has proven exceedingly useful. He also took some time to reassure me that he holds much greater control in his relationship with Hexus than I had previously thought, which is comforting. Still, I am concerned that Hexus might attempt something untoward in the coming days. We will have to deal with that possibility as it occurs.
 
Silvertongue's communion with his ancestors seems to have convinced him that the spirit in the crypt we are going to is beyond our ability to fight. He also seems convinced that we can instead seal the crypt to break its power over the pass. I will need to seek clarification that the undead here will be released from their servitude to the afterlife as a result of this, both for the sake of their own souls and for the practical concerns of getting the caravan to safety, but if that is the case I think he may well be correct. We simply do not have time to waste, and the sooner we can lay these undead to rest and get through this blighted pass, the better.
 
We are currently resting at an obelisk, which Sadon has said is a Tilnic trail-marker corrupted by the same forces that have corrupted the rest of this place, at a natural chokepoint in the canyon. We will likely stop here for the night, especially if we can break the desecration's hold on the marker. This seems as safe a campsite as we are likely to get.
 
The stars remain distant, and Her presence feels distant with it. The sooner we get this over with the better.