It turns out neither ingenuity nor bravery are adequate shields against a conflagration. We learned that the hard way when we ran head first into that forest fire. Sometimes you should just follow a rat's instincts. Sometimes, you just walk around the trial by fire. We got out of it well enough - with our hides well singed - but, most importantly, alive.

I won't lie, we were still hurting when we ventured down those cursed tunnels. And they damn well almost became our doom. The tinker got dropped first. Rat opened a door to a pair of archers waiting in ambush. The rat barely got out of the way. Tinker? Not so much. Caught a pair of arrows, went out cold. Me? Opened a door, pile of living bones jumps me, darkness. Next thing I remember is a desperate squeak - and something dropping. Heavily. Wetly. Turned my aching head - made out the silhouette of the rat, swaying in the tochlight. Panting heavily, his claws still cramped around the throat of what seemed to be the last of the bandits.

I owe Rattnar for that one.

We returned to Gloomhaven to lick our wounds, delaying the treck into the dark passages that led deeper into the earth. The city was in a bit of disarray as the construction workers were on strike and negotiations stuck in a midden. Tried to reason with the foreman. He wouldn't hear none of it.

We ran into a group of riled up Inox horsemen. Tried to negotiate safe passage to the Barrow. Eventually managed to get past them, but not without their chief cursing us and our unborn grandchildren.

There wasn't much of the Bandits left to take back to town. But the merchant was happy enough to get her stuff back. So we one payment richer and a followup offer later we found ourselves back at the Sleeping Lion. Tankards dripping on the other scribbles we found down in the Barrow, mostly worthless, some notes of more undead summoning filth. Worth checking out.

The tinker didn't agree. Took off just afterwards, haven't heard from him since. Rattnar was keen to get a look at the place, didn't think much of at at the time. He suggested we boost our numbers. A few tankards later we had a Scoundel and a Spellweaver joining, for their sins - I assumed.

Spotted the city guard putting together a logging expedition, looking for hands to help. Small detour for some coin didn't sound too bad, so we agreed to guard their loggers. We ended up chasing some Vermlings away, I have been paid less for worse.

We ran into Inox again - caught up in a skirmish with a city patrol. Not too fond of Inox at this point, we helped the patrol drive the bastards off. Got us a pat on the back from the guards - and more cursing from the Inox.

The place was foul, bandits and cultists mingled with walking bones, keen on keeping the demons in the closets hidden. There was treasure. Half of it was treacherous, Spellweaver still regrets opening that lock. We took the other half to the town smith. Said he could make a ring off it, might give the wearer some bones of himself to protect him, the smith said. Rattnar seemed interested - sounded like uncouth hogwash to me.

Got another lead to a lair of undead from the crypt's head lunatic. Maybe there we'll get a pointer to the hole they are crawling out of.

"Everyone needs to eat" - some people make an art of it, others challenge you to a pie eating contest. We won, but I think none of us will be able to look a pie in face for weeks.

Came across a wounded soldier out in the woods. Handed him a potion to get him back to his feet. Maybe not the smartest of moves.

I could smell the rot from a mile away. The crypt was crawling with the undead. I expected walking bones and animated flesh, easily crushed with the stike of a warhammer. We found more - ghostly apparitions, foggy horrors that would just blink out of the way of a boulder thrown at them.

We prevailed - Spellweaver's fire and Scoundrel's blade made sure of that.

Then someone found us, awarding is a dark commendation and pointing us at the head of Jekserah. He claimed her to be the source of the undead - a necromancer, but can a shadowy figure from the gloom of a crypt be trusted?

Over a tankard in the Sleeping Lion I was still contemplating the encounter, and then drifted off to the motives of my makeshift companions. Rattnar had been rummaging around in a sarkophagus down in the crypt, looking for who knows what. Pretended to have seen some coin in the dust. Still unsure what the Spellweaver and the Scoundrel are up to, but they have proven reliable, and useful.

Then the lights went out. In the tavern, that is. When they came back on, Rattnar and Triple B were grinning innocently. They paid the next round from purses that looked suspiciously fuller than before.

We decided to check out this marauding Inox camp the merchant paid us to disrupt. Still unsure what to make of our encounter back in the crypt. Triple B had to dodge the flying contraption of an enterprising Quatril. We escorted the agitated fellow and the remains of his engineering back to town. Better than him accidentally dive bombing us on the way.

The "encampment of marauding Inox" turned out to be a small village in the forest. The moment we noticed, there was nothing other to do but fight. Inox are not known for their diplomacy and we were trespassing on their grounds.

We did deliver Jekserah's "message". But the sight of the terrified children hiding behind their frightened guardians in the main tent haunted me into my dreams.

My guess is that Maelstrom was similarly shaken, as she was gone the next morning. Without any message.

It might have been the conscience getting to us that made us run after the guy that snuck out of the tavernkeeper's garden as we passed it at night. Handed him over to the guard - model citizens, the lot of us. Hah.

Still torn about what to do about Jekserah, Rattnar proposed we check out the other crypt we found mentioned in the cultists hideout.

So we dove right into a cultist ritual and smashed their unholy altar along with the demons they had called into our world. Triple B seemed awfully excited to get her blades stuck into apparitions from another plane of existence - I think she even kept a bit from each of her kills, for whatever purpose.

I didn't have time to contemplate this, as Rattnar triumphantly pulled some dusty tome from another sarkophagus. He had found the location of the last resting place of a guy named Xorn. Apparently he had been digging to quite a few crypts until this one.

I figured I owed him, so I agreed to help him find that guy he was seeking. If nothing else, it would buy me some time to think.

We got separated in Rattnar's crypt. Rockfall, never seen anything like it. So I was on my own against the Vermlings that skittered down in the cellar.

We got out alright, whomever had built that place had a very odd sense of humor and an even odder sense of taste. We now had a piece of a staff adorned with maggots and place to find the rest of it.

I am now certain that the Scoundrel is collecting trophies from her kills, and she must have "found" Vermling ears while we were down in the cellar.

I no longer wonder about the motives of my companions. I now simply... question them.

The handwriting on this page seems irregular, written with an unsteady hand.

Triple B took off the same evening. Another trophy to find? Sick of digging through crypt moss? Didn't ask her.

This paragraph gap seems somewhat wider. A deep sigh - written onto a page.

Should have joined her. Found us some extra muscle instead. Inox brute, brick wall with boots. Calls himself Igorh.

Got ourselves talked into a game of bone dice the same evening. We lost. Of course we lost.

Came across a wretch that built himself a harem out of scrap and rags. Attacked us with broken broom handle. Failed to calm the lunatic down. Swear we could still hear his raving screeches as we stepped down into what remained of that crypt Ragnar led us to.

Appartition in the crypt repaired the blasted staff. Took it sweet time too. We holed up in one of the side rooms as the rest of the basement filled with ooze and corpses. Hate to admit I was glad Rattnar got that damned ring. Those bones took almost as much hits for us as did the Inox.

When I opened my eyes after that green light flushed the crypt emtpy, Rattnar was standing in the room holding that abomination of a staff.

Should have ripped that thing out of his hand and smashed it with a hammer.

A bit of luck goes a long way. Have tossed my share of coin towards the sanctuary. Seems like others were in need of some luck as well. They buffed up the place quite a bit. Got an nod from the priest as we walked by and spotted a few new merchants in the market.

Came across a boy bawling about his missing cat at night. Tried to get us into some forsaken alley to fetch it. Wasn't going to get knocked over the head by his cronies on their turf.

We set out for place Rattnar wanted to take the staff the next morning. Somewhere up in the mountains. Hidden in the ice.

Path to the mountains was blocked by trees, opted to crawl through the brambles to get up. Never a tinkerer when you need one.

The handwriting gets worse at this point. Part of the page is stained by ink stains and scratches.

Can still hear the wind howling through the icy halls. Masters of ice must have carved the building many lifetimes past. Chest ached at the sight of the halls of my ancestors. Monuments to their skill, and to my failures. Something foul had taken to nesting in this place. We would rip the taint from this place and return it to the elements.

Had only ever heard of Harrowers in tales to scare children into eating their medicines. Found three of them in the inner sanctum. Huddled around the source of whatever plagued these halls - drinking from the taint - protected by fouled elementals.

Igorh's blade wouldn't bleed them. My rocks couldn't bruise them. As long as some of them remained intact, they would just go on. Igorh managed to crush most of one in a mighty body blow. Scattering its writhing mass across the room. But there still were two left, and the Inox' eyes betrayed his exhaustion. He wouldn't have had the strength to repeat the feat.

Where raw strength failed, the staff did not. We could only distract and watch as Rattnar swung at the Harrowers. As the cackling, screaming Vermling tore into the Harrowers, feeding their life to the Staff. Accompanied by sound of dessicated insects dripping to the floor and the ungodly hum of the foul altar as it seemed to call for the staff.

Then.

Everything fell silent. The staff had been sated. A triumphant howl - drunk with power. The Vermling lept for the altar. Returning the staff. A last glimpse into Rattnar's eyes. Glowing with anticipation. What reward had he been promised? What reward did he expect?

The world disappeared in blinding green light. When my vision returned. The three of us were alone. The Vermling lay on the floor, like a discarded ragdoll - unmoving - at first. Watched as his form dissolved. Slowly, disturbingly. Could see maggots dripping from his cloak, centipedes crawling from his sleeves. The soft sound of hundreds of mandibles clicking filled the room.

A Harrower's birth.

The entity rose upright, wrapping a sleeve around the staff on the altar. A voice born from legions of chitinous extremities addressed us.

Thanking us for its freedom.

Don't remember whose idea it was for it to join up, but we returned to Gloomhaven, Harrower in tow. You'd think an anthill in rags would raise some ruckus in town.

Guards didn't even blink.

Ran into the Tinker and Triple B back in the Sleeping Lion. Shared a tankard or five over Rattnar. Didn't notice Igorh taking off somewhere along the line.

Woke up from the handover to a lynching. Mob caught a couple of Vermlings. Wanted to sting them up on the market place. Somehow we wouldn't have it. No lynchings in this town. We punched out a pair of the loudest bastards. Harrower ought to have scared the rest.

The Vermlings got off with a scare. Merchants will be looking at us funny for a while.

Decided to end the pondering. The necromancer must be flushed out. So we go after Jekserah. We're hitting her warehouse. Triple B was delighted.

Hit the nail on its undead head. Damned building was crawling with bones and corpses. Never heard a more satisfying crunch than bones splintering on shelves full of ill gotten wares.

Jekserah got away, damn Inox Bodyguards made sure of that. Pair of them locked us in a brawl. Until Triple B jumped one from the shadows. Dropped him on the spot. Didn't take much to drop the other.

Guard was happy to have her shady business gone - once they saw the pile of corpses she stashed in the warehouse.

Trail had gone cold by then. Had to get creative to find her again.

Lurkers on the pier. We rushed to help and found them strangely non-hostile. Assumed Zeck could talk to them, foolish notion. Lurkers returned to the sea, apparently frustrated.

Now we are the mercs that talked the sea monsters back to the abyss.

Guess there is worse reputations.

Found a lead to a all-knowing seer that answers questions. Given you are deemed worthy. He's up in the Watcher Mountains. Going to ask him where Jekserah creeped off to.

A flock of birds passed overhead as we scaled the walls. Heard no single call. Just wings flapping in the howling winds.

The temple wasn't happy to see us - or answer questions. Dropped a quartet of stone golems on us. Triple B was happy to get another chip for her collection. Thanked the light for Weck, his devices kept me going through quite a beating.

Seer was out to get us, dropped another dozen beasts on us after we scrapped his golems. Must have blacked out after taking down half of them. Woke to a cloak and half a dozen concernedly clicking mandibles vividly discussing medicine with Weck.

Noone should ever have to wake to a medical discussion between a Harrower and a Quatril.

Temple gave in, since we wouldn't just leave. The light demanded answers - and answers were given.

The Sanctuary of the Necromancer is finally within grasp.

Stumbled over a bloodied corpse in a back alley. Then a guard stumbled upon us. Good luck that the guy knew us. Being upright pillars of the community and all that has its perks. Was easily convinced that someone else cut up that bloke.

Pack of hungry wolves tried to make us their next meal. Convinced them otherwise. We took a few scratches, Wolves were not so lucky.

Temple spoke true. Wouldn't have found the place without it. The den where she holed up in. Had to cut ourselves through the walking dead. The axe was stashed in the vault. Where the light pointed to. Jekserah died soon after. With one of Bethania's daggers hilted in her ribs. All that remains is to cleanse the remains of the necromancer's work from the realm. Returned to Gloomhaven, delivered Jekserah's head to the guard. Got a bag of coins in return - a hero's reward.

Next day "Big Bag" Bethania bid her farewell. Said something about a trophy collection - ear of the necromancer had completed the set. Didn't say where she was off to before she just vanished into the market crowd.

Caught a nod and a grin from Igorh as she disappeared. Saw him walk off towards the city gate at dusk. Don't think he'll be back.

Didn't even have time to have a drink on them in the evening. Now that people know The Charred, the rookies start knocking on the door. Had to slap sense into a few kids. Got an Inox looking to put his blade to use. Tried to get rid of the raggedy looking vermling that insisted to join up - that was until his pet bear started gnawing the bar stools, then the bar, then the bar keeper.

Looks like we have new recruits. Inox calls himself Raghar. The Vermling insists on being called a Tyrant. Tyrant's name's Kroaxs, bear apparently is called Roaaris.

Guards asked us to tag along on another logging expedition. Good opportunity to get to see how the rookies handle themselves.

Came across a stranded Merchant. Cart's axle broke. Tried to help, but none of us was any good as mechanics.

Remembered the hooded figure that offered a bounty for the necromancer. Decided to pay him a visit. Was happy the necromancer is dead. Was not so happy we also took out some of his brethren on the way there. Was even less happy after Roaaris gnawed off his face.

Now something that calls itself the Gloom invited us to its lair. Don't mind clearing out some demons along with the undead filth.

This book me keep remind. Me Cranior. The Vengeful. Me Special. Me only vermling from tribe. Come to human society. Because Me clever. Me Mindthief. Me write in general language. Me special so tribe chief me teach writing.

Me hungry and thirsty. Tribe chief say food in inn. So me go to sleeping Lion. Much people in Inn. Much people eat. Lots of food. I use mind to get food from inn chief. Valrath see me and inn chief. Valrath Me stop. hE say Me need money. No stealing. This society. Me no money. Then One Man say has seen vermling on bear. People does not believe. Me believe. Tribe chief tell me about special vermling. This vermling no rats. No mouse. But bear. In vermling language called squeak squeak squeal. Other people don’t believe. But Valrath believe. hE says hE interest. HE also ask to Cranior about Cranior thinking. We somehow partner. hE ask Me to go to Corpsewood. Corpsewood has food. no Money need from Cranior. Food. and Monster killing. Me like killing monster. Me like food. Me go too.

Valrath name Voozhee. Voozhee nice. Not human. On road found human man. Pooping and want help. Good smell. Rat like that smell, so Me also like that smell. But Cranior not like human. Me not like to help. But nice Voozhee. Voozhee help man get more tree leave to clean butt.

Valrath and Vermling arrive in Corpsewood. Valrath says wrong stuff. Corpsewood no food. Only tree and monsters. And lot of Oozes. That why no food. Too much monsters. Valrath Voozhee tell me that Chief of food wood Greymare want help. We fight. Me like fighting. But too many Oozes. And we no food. Me too hungy to fight. Me exhausted. Voozhee exhaust. But before we both sleep, Valrath takes us back to Gloomhaven.

In Gloomhaven we sleep. And eat. Us getting better. We see lot of stinky humans. After one day, me again full of energy. I see Inox. Big Inox fighting in Sleeping Lion! Me join. Funny. Valrath too kind to fight. But I say to him, let’s fight. We both fight. Me very happy. Cranior strong now. More experience in fighting Inox. But Voozhee lose money.

Voozhee bored now. Voozhee has friend Hail. They want to close a rift full demons. I go help. On way we hear Vermling singing. Songs from home. We listen to nice music before we go to ruinous rift. Hail happy to close rift. Me happy to fight demon. Voozhee a bit happy. Hail strange lady with smoky thing. Voozhee says things called Stonebreaker’s censer. Stupid human thing. But helpful against monster. But Hail weak against monster. Voozhee and Cranior both protect Hail. Hail shouting. We fight demons, flame demons. Very fire. Valrath very much light. Stone demon very big. Me running and shooting. Cranior getting tired. Demon hit Hail. Voozhee help Hail to be tough. Hail almost dead and we fight. Voozhee makes big light bubble around us. Demons cannot hit us. Then Hail success. Rift closed. Demons disappear. Hail happy. She likes adventures with us. She go home and learn more. Voozhee and me go back to Gloomhaven. Cranior tired but more strong now. I hit and can do poison. Voozhee is happy and tired too. He is more strong now.

Back in Gloomhaven we met more people. Sunkeeper is friendly, so he many partners. He introduces us. One is Orchid Spellweaver, a “squeeeeak” in Vermlingese. Name is Maelstrom. Talks very little, but with long and difficult words. Me not always understand long words. Other guy same size as Cranior. Quatryl Tinkerer Wack Rubberneck. This guy not very focused. Always plays with metal things. Tinkerer knows a lot. Voozhee tells me these guys called “The Charred”. They are similar as a tribe. These guys say they heard a voice in the mountains. And they want find something in shrine to fight this voice. They ask me to join. Me also search for something. Me join.

On the way out of the city we met Savvas. They don’t work. Maelstrom said this is called “strike”. Cranior not understand “strike”. Maelstrom said they don’t want to work. They want to talk to manager. To get something. Me still not understand. Why ask? Why not fight? Tinkerer, name Wack Rubberneck, said do not talk to manager. Manager difficult to talk with. Me agree. Me said. Let’s fight. Maelstrom and Voozhee both said, no fight. Talk. They tried, but manager got angry and we go away. As me said they should have fight.

On way to shrine we see waggon. In waggon a human man. Man tried to escape from city guards. Me don’t like human in freedom. I said let’s fight! Get man back! We do. Man back and city guard happy. They say “thank you”. No word in Vermling language for “thank you”. Society thing. Valrath says this word a lot. And said that Cranior should use it too. But Cranior not yet understand when to use word. Anyway, Cranior did not know that the shrine was that far. It is on little island. They want to find big stick. And use big stick to keep the voice inside. Inside what Cranior do not understand. But Cranior do not care. Cranior smell dark water and is excited. Inside there are lots of oozes and deep terrors! Murder! Kill! Blood! Let’s fight!! But Maelstrom strange fighter. Always careless. Always at her limit. Almost exhausted, but still standing. Wack also bit strange. Voozhee told me that Wack fought like engineer. A bit unfocused. Only interested in metal things and bomb. Me very happy. Me jump into middle of turret! I hit and got hit! But no care, I got stick (Maelstrom said it’s called scepter). When I got stick, I was so tired. Turret hit me too much. Cranior almost dead, when Voozhee, Wack and Maelstrom killed all monsters and helped me go back to Gloomhaven.

They found their scepter. But Cranior did not find or do his mission. Needs to be careful now… Should not forget tribe...

The Charred told me lots of new words. Especially Maelstrom knows a lot of words. She told me that Cranior use too much “me”. There is another word. “I”. Me don’t understand difference of “I” and “me”. In Vermling language same word! Sssssqueak.

Maelstrom and Wack said that they go to the “library”. “Library” has no Vermling word. It is a place with lots of books. “A place full of wisdom and knowledge”, they said.

So Voozhee and me waited at the Sleeping Lion for new partner. The Charred had more people. Then they appeared. First I only felt them. Stomp stomp stomp. My heart was jumping with those stomp sounds. It is Raghar, the Inox brute. One Raghar is as high as four Cranior. And as wide as four Cranior together. The other guy... I liked very much. Dark hoodie with humhum sound. I see and smell insects. And decay and poison. Me liiiike! Squeal squeal squeak. His name is Psiicoughvic

These guys want to find reason for poisoned water in Gloomhaven. And want to go have a look in the sewers. Me immediately like this idea! Me like sewers with rats and mice! Like home.

On the way to sewers we see Vermling woman. She tried to sell stuff. Stuff she found in the gutters. Me did not trust. Me warned others not to buy. Me know Vermlings! But Voozhee soo interested in new things. He wants to buy. Me and Psiicoughvic said okay, but you pay. Raghar had no money anyway. So the rich Voozhee went forward and bought dark thing from Vermling woman. It turned out to be okay. It was a strange curious gear. Me bet that Tinkerer would be interested in this ancient technology.

In the sewers there was water puddles everywhere. Me like the sound of dripping water… and the sizzle and noises in the dark… The origin of this sound we want to confront to find out who poisoned the water. The origin of this sound were oozes, giant vipers and other monster. Luckily, we had Raghar. Raghar was so big that he stood at the front and protected us. Psiicoughvic gave everyone poison. Made me so excited. Me like him more and more. But there are more and more oozes. Oozes difficult to kill. Voozhee tried his best with making light in the dark. Everyone was getting tired. Then we found other Vermling. Is this their nest? I don’t care this is my enemy now. We fight until they are dead. But Oozes do not die. They double and double. Difficult. Then strong Raghar reached his limits. He collapsed. One harrower, one Sunkeeper and one Mindthief tried to hold on. Then Harrower collapsed. Voozhee and me only had one attack left. And with this last attack, Voozhee made light and killed all Oozes… We almost all collapsed here in the sewers… Me go look at Vermling. But me did not find poison on them. Who is poisoning the water in Gloomhaven? We have to search more...

Back in Gloomhaven Psiicoughvic and Raghar went to sleep and eat and drink. Me was stuck with Voozhee. Voozhee still talked and thought about battle in sewers. He thought it is mysterious. Me also wanted to go sleep and eat. But Maelstrom once said to me, me should be “polite”. “Polite” important for society. That’s why me stayed when Maelstrom and Wack came back from library.

Maelstrom smiled, when she saw us, and tugged along Wack, who had his head still in his books. Again some books about difficult stuff. Me not understand, but Wack understands and makes useful things. Sometimes.

We went to market and Cranior bought new weapon. New big axe. Three times as big as Cranior. And also bought Volatile bomb. One hand big axe, one hand bomb. Voozhee told me, me look like king!

Suddenly, we heard a pounding at the city walls. City guards ran towards the wall. Me was getting excited. I felt blood and rage in the air. We also run towards city wall to see what was happening. We saw a lot of Vermlings attacking the city. Me thought that they were true Vermlings. They did not think, they did, what they wanted. They wanted the city, so they attacked, not minding whether they stand a chance or not. Me think, me slowly start to turn into a strange Vermling… Me should hurry up and complete my mission and then go back to the tribe.

In the meanwhile, Maelstrom, Wack and Voozhee joined battle. They helped a lot and especially Wack. They succeeded to fight the Vermlings back. Wack learned a lot in the library and even constructed a new weapon making him more powerful than before.

When things had calmed down, Maelstrom suddenly wondered about the dragon that was seen by some merchant. She is interested in that and wants to investigate, while Voozhee was being side-tracked and wanted to wander off to some strange, unimportant place. But Wack and Maelstrom persuaded us to follow the dragon’s rumour, so we headed to the Icecrag ascent.

The Icecrag ascent was a windy plateau where furry wolves were guarding the entry into the cave. We fought our way through. One hound after the other we killed to make way. Partners were fighting hound when Cranior thought, that Cranior was smart and opened door. Opening door was mistake, Cranior was surrounded by drakes! Me small Cranior and they big drakes. Voozhee came to help Cranior, but almost got eaten by them. He smelled a bit smokey, but still stood at the door. Voozhee strong and brave man! He tried to use the “Curious gear” from Vermling woman, worked quite well. Maelstrom was no big help, she was on mana drug, very strong attacks, but a bit wobbly on her feet, so attacks not very focused. Luckily, she didn’t hit us.

We fought with drakes. Tinkerer was very slow. He carried too much gears and instruments. Cranior said that the gears are too heavy, but Wack did not listen to Cranior. Voozhee got angry, told us, we useless! We should speak less and do more damage! Me think not fair, we working very hard. Maelstrom even got bitten, so that she could not jump anymore. At this moment, Wack used his famous Ink bomb to make kaboom! Very effective. Me proud of Wack. Showed Voozhee. Voozhee sometimes like Vermling Elder in tribe. Too demanding.

Somehow we made it to the end of the cave. We heard big voice with a lot of echo. We heard the dragon. Dragon was very eloquent, Maelstrom said. Dragon said, we should help him retrieve his treasure from the Savvas… Or attack him…

Maelstrom ignored him and went shopping.