We took the road less travelled. It was long, muddy, and full of surprises. We crossed through some huge ominous gate, and not far on the other side of it we found the body of a man that had been ravaged by wolves. Some may think that taking supplies off of a dead body may be disrespectful, but material possessions get redistributed similar to your life force. Naturally the dead provide for the living in the circle of life. We did bury the body in as much approximation to a ceremony as time would allow before being challenged by a pack of beasts for encroaching on their game. The cloak I found appears to be very well made and possibly magic in nature, but more on that later. Further down the muddy path we glimpsed a settlement and a large manor atop a cliff. I petitioned nature for a scouting aid, and it heard my call as it has so many times before, but this time my little helper had come back from the dead. The warning I read on the way here comes to mind "He is the land. He is eternal." HE... I fear, is so tainted that it has twisted and corrupted nature itself. When we arrived in town it was apparent that the residents had fallen on hard times. There were extensive signs of aggression from local beasts, and the people were afraid to leave their homes, or even approach the windows as we passed. While attempting to gain a better vantage point Tate overestimated the structural integrity of one of the buildings, and fell through. When we rushed to ensure his well being we discovered that even the typical scavenging creatures were openly hostile and aggressive to people. They must be so hungry. Thankfully we were able to drive them off without having to kill them all. After extracting Tate from the rubble, we encountered an elderly female pie peddler claiming to sell miracle "dream pies." I bought one out of curiosity even though it took my last remaining gold piece. Victoria also bought some pie, but immediately ate one and succumbed to the promised dreams. Tate was strong enough to load Victoria onto Pauli's mule while she rested. The peddlers next customer we observed apparently trading a child for pies. Their own child!!! This was quite disturbing to me. What suffering must one endure before they discard that which they have given life in exchange for a pie? Winks also seemed to be upset by this. We questioned the peddler as to her intention for the child. It did seem as though there was a chance for a better life for the child, Lucian, but Alvarwinks was not so convinced. She traded gold for the child and reprimanded the peddler and the parents for the exchange. Further into town we found a tavern and I had a brief conversation with a wise and locally revered raven. He advised me to find a man called Ismark the lesser, and also warned me about some of the creatures that had been assailing the town. After acquiring the aid of another undead (shiver) scout to assist with creating a sketch of the towns layout we proceeded inside and were able to converse with some of the patrons. three Vistoni women, and the Lesser that had been previously mentioned. They both were helpful enough to give us descriptions of people and places we should visit. Ismark brought us to his well fortified house that had been covered with various religious symbols .He introduced us to his sister Irena and they asked for our assistance with different tasks. First of which was making funeral arrangements for their father, Kolyan Indirovich. We left the house and headed to the church. We found the derelict building, and the priest. He had trapped his former son turned vampire, Doru, in the basements and pleaded with us to save him. We obliged. It was surprising how difficult it was to cleanse the young man of his affliction. Tomorrow we will have two funerals. We returned to the Indirovich house with one less task on our to do list, and I was finally able to go inventory the items provided by the dead man we found along the roadway. Some of it was distributed amongst my traveling companions and some of it I hope to use to finally be able to cast some spells I've been practicing. I also had time to truly study the acquired cloak. The souls of two children, Rose and Thorn, are somehow tied to the cloak. It is well made and the fabric is enchanted to provide additional protection beyond what such a silk garment could typically provide. I took last watch and when I awoke Tate and Pauli relayed to me that my concerns about being out at night in this land were not without merit. All manor of unnatural beings roamed the night. Zombies, specters, and more. Victory apparently overheard their reporting to me, and as she is always seeking a challenge, she and Tate rushed out to test their strength. I begrudgingly followed. We again prevailed. It occurred to me that Victoria's brash fighting style will likely bring her to great harm, and that I should afford her additional protection however I am able. I was concerned about her ability to care for the children of the cloak, as she likely treats care taking with a sentiment of survival of the fittest. The decision to pass along the cloak apparently was not mine to make however. I believe the children shared my concerns and took matters into their owns hands. One of them took possession of my vessel against my will, and did not return control until the threat of separation from me had passed. This will not due. I must have a stern discussion with the children about personal boundaries.
