The rain continued today, Bromar and I set arrangements for the pyre, interesting, seems some magics were put to use for the day also as the rain fell but glanced to the sides keeping us and the nearby area dry like some unseen roofing. Bromar said something about an air elemental but I didn't quite catch all of it. My mind kept wandering to Alyona, poor sweet thing, her head must already be astew and then I go and add to it. My original thoughts that Alyona was in her room sorting her feelings was dead wrong. Marina seemed quite distraught that Alyona was not in attendance to the pyre. From appearance of her room and belongings she was sorting out her feelings all right, but certainly not in her room. At least she had the sense to prepare for journey. It was really quite awkward asking for payment from Marina with the pyre still furnace hot, but I couldn't spare giving Alyona any further head start. Smart girl, made it evident where she was heading without giving too much away. I was glad that Animosus and the others followed in my haste to catch up with Alyona. Bromar must have had a real itch to get out for a bit, I understand he was pretty commanding when it came to obtaining mounts to speed our travel.
I nearly got bounced right off my horse with all the rain, the wet slippery leather and the highspeed riding, barely managed to keep hold of the horse, let me tell you, shoeing a horse is a bit different than riding one in a downpour.
After a bit the woods got thick, very suddenly. Not very far in we found a goblin with scorch marks in his chest and another horse, my guess was that Alyona slid one out the back door when the stableboy wasn't paying attention, rode up to near where we are now, came across the goblin and then who knows what. I got jumped by a couple of wolves, but they were smarter than wolves, really smart, hit and run tactics, an eriey look of knowledge in their eyes. The one got a good bite on my right leg, found a gap in the armor just behind my knee. They also got Slyl, really badly, he dropped and was bleeding a lot. After he was revived, he had the look of hate in his face, cut the wolf thing's head clean off, crimeny man, the thing was dead, cutting its head off isn't going to make it any more dead. In midst of battle a few arrows came in, I initally figured it was Corim, but it was another goblin, I'm still not sure if the goblin was aiming for us or the wolvish things, I understand they are know as Wargs? I guess we'll never know what that goblin was aiming at because in the heat of battle Animosus cut the goblin in half, not through the gut in half, stem to stern in half. Damn, he is formidable in that armor, its like it was made just waiting to find him. I tried to apologize for being so abrupt with him before, he was kind of quiet. I also told him that from a woman's eye he's a lot cuter when he doesn't walk around like he has a four yard staff riveted to the seat of his armor. I don't think he took that very well. If he'd loosen up some he could probably land as many women, maybe more, than Skippy Leafjumper the Bedhopping Heartbreaker. I'm glad that Leif hasn't tried anything stupid with me or has treated me like some dingbat tart muse, I might miss hearing his music after I broke his arm, no on second thought, I would miss his music. Great now I'm thinking I should probably protect him and his lute or I may be stuck listening to Bromar recite Dwarven poetry to pass the time. Very well, I'll protect pretty boy as long as he keeps his fingers on his lute, I should probably convey that to him when we have a watch together.

Arrrrghhh.... so much has happenend in such little time. It was so simple, guard the funeral parade, be visible, be courteous, get paid and I would be on my way. How did it get so fouled up? First we completely missed seeing an archer in the bell tower of the building we were in for the services, repugnative bastard that has to shoot an unarmed woman from hiding. How pathetic. Fortunately Animosus carted Marina off and I covered Alyona while Corim and Slyl cornered and caught that spineless bowman. So the music pipes back up the crowd calms and we march on over to the Three Torches. The viewing goes smoothly until a couple of unsavory fellows show up stuffing some paper in Marina's face spouting off about a legal writ of seizure. Corim asked to see the paper saying he knows something about these writs. Really rather odd, but maybe he was an apprentice to a publican somewhere or something, maybe even that older fellow he was traveling with. Well we convinced them that now is not the best time, they very reluctantly left. Animosus was really concerned about the townsmaster who supposedly wrote that document and went to check things out there, I took the time to impress upon our spineless bowman who was being detained in a local cell my opinion of cowardly ambushes. Well Animosus comes back and we find out the townsmaster had been beaten about and forced to write the letter of seizure. We were trying to figure out why all this was happenening, what these Cloaks of Mulmaster wanted with their forcibly obtained writ and what could possibly be so important in the strikingly beautiful tomes that Unther wanted burned. I can still remember the sheepish look on Bromar's face when he showed me the page, Oh Gond, why did he show me that page, why did I read it? Some of the others got really itchy when I didn't want to show them, I should have just burned it right then and followed Unther's wishes, why did I read it? I gave it to Marina, to let defer to her, her husband's rights. She ordered Alyona to her room, then allowed the others to read what they'd be safer not knowing. I caught up with Alyona and did the only thing I could think of to keep at least one other safer. Dinner was interupted by some animated skeletons that caused a huge brawling ruckus and they seemed to enjoy causing mayhem and getting dashed to pieces in the process of doing so. Leif, yes Leif, even sprung into action, literally, hurling himself at a skeleton crashing to the floor and slamming it into the table legs and chairs until the bones went still. I think he may still be shaking from the experience. I suspect the skeletons were a decoy as before the last one crumbled we noticed, well rather Corim noticed, that the door the Cloaks of Mulmasters wanted past was forced open. One guess who was inside those forced open doors once the confusion subsided. My own blade seemed almost hungry and glowed with a green speckly glow, never seen it do that before, just before slicing deep into the mage still cantling his arcanes. Slyl delivered a spectacular blow that sent bottles and pouches skittering across the floor. The two swordsmen that accompanied these Cloaks wisely opted a peaceable surrender. Much more to write about but my eyes grow heavy for tonight.