To the monks

After all that, we finally decided to forget about the tower, and even Ravick agreed that it wasn't worth following the wolf-creatures into an obvious trap to recover his gear.

Some off we trudged back toward the deep. Of course, the travel was not uneventful. We were awakened in the night when Ravick saw strange gaunt creatures with nasty claws spring out of the unconscious Harbinger, tearing the villain's body apart. Though one ran away, cheering its newfound freedom, we were able to kill the two remaining. They were extremely tough, though shrugging off most of our damage as we beat on them for what seemed like hours, but was reality but a few short minutes. Their bodies also were covered in a corrosive slime began eating away at my staff. Luckily I was not using the Rod of Trimeg at the time, I would not want it damaged
by these foul beasts.

One of these beasts threatened that ones such as Harbinger would keep summoning these fiends until they have the rod for themselves. For some reason, he thought he could trick us into releasing him with this knowledge, but we stood our ground. The Saraha, upon learning of Harbinger's death, seemed to recover somewhat and warned that our recovery of the staff had been felt by all of "The hundred" as the Sarahas call themselves, and most likely by others which would explain why everyone is in search of it.

Several nights later, our rest was disturbed by soldiers of the Deep. When they realized who we were and that we were returning with the Saraha, they showed us great respect took over our watches and escorted us home.

There, of course, we were treated to even more respect and honor as Daycleaver, Velis's father and husband of the Saraha, declared a festival. We ended up spending two weeks there as Ravick
commisioned weapons to replace those he lost. I attracted the company of a trio of Shakaran
girls who were very impressed with every detail of our journeys I told them. If we ever make it back again, I'll have to seek out Mandy, Brandi and Paris again.

Finally it was time to leave, and we were allowed to travel again through the Shakarans' mystic
pathways to a deep much closer our next destination. Brother Khamal's master Chen. Before we left, the Saraha suggested that if we spoke to Chen, and a mysterious group of "Humans of elven stock" who sought to accumulate all knowledge, we could learn more of the staff and how to use it.

From this new deep, with a strangely red-headed light-eyed Saraha, we traveled several days to a keep where Khad told us we would find Master Chen. Here we leared a few things we had neglected to ask before. Chen's order consisted of only Master Chen and Khad, and the keep was owned by a council of "Pointy Hat Men," who Chen did work for.

As we approached, I noticed some large flying creatures take off from the keep, which Khad called "Griffons" and said were owned by the council. We negotiated a price for rooms and entered the keep to find it full of every type of humanoid creature imaginable, except for
humans.

Polemius was able to find Master Chen, and after some trickery with the rod, we agreed to sit down with Chen in his chambers because he had much to tell us. Now we wait with open ears to learn what he has to say.