"Captain's" Log, Sixteenth Entry

Been a while since I cracked this little thing open. It's been a busy few days. I shan't waste much ink going over everything in detail, but in short, we found a girl named Shai'la, Krendror's child, near wasting to death by the road. We helped her recover, nearly lost her to some bandits, reunited with Caeli, went toe-to-toe with the cutthroats and their dragon (A true dragon, with scales gleaming like gold! Just like the tales! What a glorious rush it was!), and somehow managed to survive the encounter by the skin of our teeth. We arrived in Fah Shan Grag, the fortress city on the border with Hontatha, and got a little more information about the bounty. It seemed they were holding up in a temple that the local authorities just couldn't gain access to, and they were haranguing caravans carrying magic items.
 
Shai'la is a good kid. She's run away from some... convent(?) out in the desert, even younger than I was when I left home. She's already been through a lot these past few days, but she has the look of a survivor. And no matter what, we're keeping her safe. No more fuck ups like last time.
 
We went out in search of the raiders, tried setting up an ambush for them, and finally tracked them down to their holdfast. It was Caeli that managed to open the enchanted door, and inside... I'd be lying if I said the statuary inside wasn't some of the most beautiful art I'd ever seen. Glib as I am, I'm not sure my words could do the place any justice, so I won't even attempt it. When we talked to Bhakeel the Bashful, the arcanist, they said they served no purpose beyond their aesthetic appeal, and honestly I don't think they needed to. Their existence justifies itself.
 
We crept further inside, through their camp (seemingly abandoned) and past the slumbering dragon. When the dragon awoke, he didn't seem terribly interested in killing us, but the skeletons of a couple of giants(!) certainly did. After a pressed fight, we had a bit of a talk with the drake; his companion, the bandit leader named Lyessa, was still recovering from out earlier fight, and the dragon had suspicions of her partner in crime, a rogue Araxian mage named Devann. He was willing to leave us to our work if we left Lyessa be and went after the wizard, and when a creature of legend offers you an ultimatum, it's wise to take it.
 
What greeted us farther into the ruin gave me a bit of a shock. The missing bandits, numbering eighty four, were heaped in piles in a chamber, drained of their life by magic. It's rare for me to feel so unsettled by corpses I haven't made myself, but all that death... what kind of monster wearing human skin could be responsible for that? Thinking about it sickens me.
 
Everything ran together for a bit after that. We came upon the perpetrator, Devann, but the craven disappeared before we could avenge the folk he killed. He left his notes, which is how we found out he's been researching the Pieces of Eight... and a collar that housed Chuck's old friend, Kellach. They didn't seem to pleased with what the wizard had been doing to him. We're not letting that bilge rat get away so easily next time - he'll dance with the Pale Lady soon enough, mark my words.
 
We waited a bit for Lyessa to come to. She wasn't pleased to see us, unsurprisingly, and it took a bit of convincing to get her to believe Devann would betray her. I don't know what was going on between those two, but... she wouldn't be the first to be blindsided by someone's true nature like that. I can empathize. She and the dragon flew off to find answers, and I pity whoever is unfortunate or dull enough to stand in their way. I somehow doubt her disposition will have improved if we ever see her again.
 
We got proof of what transpired and made our way back. On the way, Chuck wanted to try and bring Kellach out of his collar in the morning, and they invited us to see it. The beast is... beautiful, in a way. Seems almost like he's composed of pure energy. The way the two of them interacted... I don't think I've ever seen Chuck be so tender, so sentimental. Seldom has cold stone ever seemed so alive. I'm not ashamed to admit the display brought me to tears.
 
We're in the city now. The cave is finally done being shaped, and we're waiting for their scouts to confirm our story before they'll pay us. I'm just glad the ordeal is over. We have a schedule to keep, but I'm sure we'll see more trouble before we make it to our rendezvous at First Wedding. Danger seems to hang over us like a cloud these days.
Best make the most of this respite while we can before we sail back into the storm.