Toilday, Pharast 4

Jakardos and Vale have gone to check on the dam while we stay at the fort to begin repairs and purge the place of any signs of the ogres’ occupation.

We are all exhausted from the fighting of the past two days. Despite our superior numbers and considerable talents, our foes were very nearly a match for us even when divided into small groups. Without the care, caution, and deception that we used to infiltrate the fort, we would have quickly found ourselves overwhelmed and forced to retreat, if not killed out right. Fortunately, our planning was sound and we were able to prevent the ogres from alerting one another so that we could dispatch them two or three at a time. How the rangers were ever able to keep these creatures in check was something of a mystery to me at first until it became clear that they never had to contend with more than a couple at a time. The ogres have never had this level of organization before. Individually they were tough but easily dispatched; organized under the guidance and influence of Lucretia, they were significantly more deadly.

The biggest coup was, of course, finding and destroying Lucretia on our very first night. I took a great deal of satisfaction in delivering the killing blow. For you, Olithar.

The plan to use her image to lure others in was crucial to our strategy of divide and conquer, and it worked so well on these simple creatures that we could probably had kept it up indefinitely (in the end, the opportunity to fireball the mess wagon was too good to pass up). Oh, how they were terrified of her. It never occurred to them that she might be destroyed, or that anyone would even dare to impersonate her.

Of course, this also served as a reminder that there are other sisters, and that Xanesha got away from us in Magnimar.

Fireday, Pharast 7

We are leaving now. As Tekkad had feared the dam has been breached. The river is rising quickly. Turtleback Ferry is in danger.