The Desert of Desolation is Desolate

Fy sure did us a favor by spying on the Sand Voyager's Guild. I can't believe they are keeping all of those people as laborers, and to what end we don't really know. They seem somewhat willing and desperate. This must be something big though. Sekuh told his friend that if any slaves escaped, Al would kill them all. We also learned that they don't trust us. Now I'm really glad we didn't offend Al, and it explains why Al was so hesitant to let us come along.
 
To add to all of that, on Merosh's first watch, he saw two men dragging a third behind them to the laborer camp. He might be unconscious or dead, we don't even know! At least the other two watches weren't as crazy as all of that. Fy said hers was wonderful and Thallan said he got to spend his time playing chess with one of the guys. I guess that guy did mention something about how they guide through the desert using flags to mark the path. It's their third time through. We probably won't see that guy Jaimis again anyway, especially if we journey away from this caravan.
 
We filled our water supplies and set out into the desert. I remember the heat smacking me in the face, and I still feel the dried sweat as I'm writing this. The shimmering illusions were disconcerting to me, and I'm glad we had a guide. A glimmer of something in the distance flickered on and off, like a star pulsing. It was probably just one of those flags Jaimis told us about.
 
The Gates of Sulih loomed ahead, peaks touching with inscriptions worn by sandstorms marking their pocked faces. This is what I live for, to see sights like these! Squinting, I could just make out some of the ancient text. I remember how scared I was when I deciphered it, "These are the gates of Sulih, and the gates curse those who enter unbidden." It's a good thing that Merosh can detect magic, as he was able to put me at ease by not finding anything of note. I'm guessing our association with the caravan marked us as bidden. They must have had some secret up their sleeves.
 
We arrived at this nearby signpost for the evening. There's a fallen obelisk nearby, with its top fallen towards the southwest. The runes on it say something to the effect of, "Here lies the road of the kings of the Garden City of Pazar, whilst there lies the road of Tur-Bakaar, keeper of the pyramid." I guess that studying paid off.
 
Merosh and I questioned Sekuh about Pazaar. Maybe we tricked him by having Merosh read his thoughts. It's a gray area. Anyway, he pointed east when asked about Pazar, and his thoughts were that anyone going that way is foolish.
 
I'm exhausted and it's cold. I'm going directly to my tent tonight.