Well, we'd burned Rooden's house to the ground, and our next obvious step was to go back to Port d'Elhour. So we turned around, only to realize that none of us could quite recognize the way (these swamps change remarkably fast!). Fortunately, Prihelm and Leighla were able to get us as far as the lake, and from there, all we had to do was follow the river. Unfortunately, that's not what we decided to do, largely because none of us really wanted a second run-in with that vampiric moss. So we went around the lake's other side - I'd found what might be a path, and Leighla confirmed that it would lead us straight to Port d'Elhour, so off we went.

Now I'm not sure what Leighla was thinking, but it eventually became apparent that we were lost, that this path didn't lead anywhere interesting at all, and that we were being followed. When we ran into a pool across our route, we decided to stop and wait for our pursuers. They, alas, decided not to cooperate; I'd had a suspicion that it might be a trap, but I hadn't exactly expected what happened! A pair of ghouly type things came straight out of the pool and went after Pri and Dogboy! The others fought them off while I watched the direction we'd come from, and my intuition was confirmed correct as another pair of the things came from that direction. So there we were, tired, wounded, surrounded by a pack of ghouls, with Dogboy already paralyzed. Fortunately, Leighla and I were able to save the others while Haley used some kind of nifty spell to make a couple of the ghouls run off. We almost lost Dogboy, since he'd been paralyzed and left under water and none of us had realized the first part, but fortunately, Prihelm got curious as to where he was and pulled him out of the brackish pool in the nick of time. Personally, I'm amazed that he showed so much sense, but it just goes to show that you never know, huh?

We made it back to town without further incident, although the driving rain (had I mentioned that) had long since lost its charm even for me, and I like rain! In strict point of fact, we were all cold, wet, and miserable, and I can only imagine how much worse it must have been for someone like poor Haley, who doesn't have the resistance to temperature extremes that Leighla and I do! We went straight to the inn, so that we could eat and sleep and so on (bathing was an especially high point on the list; Leighla doesn't seem to like the civilized luxuries as much as I do, but even she was eager for a good hot bath). Afterwards, I had a few errands to run, and Leighla and Haley came with me.

The first stop was the shaman; I figured that since we were all wounded (and probably infected from our trip through the swamp, too), and these wounds had come in the course of saving his town, that perhaps he would be willing to heal us in preparation for our descent into the sewers. After all, if we were all half-dead already, it'd be much easier for the golem to defeat us all! But the little punk didn't buy it at all. "For a small donation," he said, "I'd be willing to give you what aid I can." Leighla and Haley had to give all their money, and even though I have as much as those two combined, he didn't do much anything for me! Bastard! And Leighla wonders why I don't like religion. Here's a hint, my friend: it's all a big scam. Faugh!

We next went over to the mayor, having first directed the rest of our companions to the shaman if they wished his healing. After reporting on our progress to him, I made the thoroughly reasonable request for a small expense account to pay for our healing; no luck. Then I asked for the loan of some heavier armor than what I wear now (leathers are great, don't get me wrong, but not the kind of thing that really saves you when the sewers' giant alligators take a bite at your leg, ya know?); again, the man was unwilling to help. I personally am beginning to wonder if he cares about our success at all, but then again, he is a politician, so while he probably knows all about taking money from those who have more right to it than he does, he's not so hot on the giving money to those who deserve it thing. Politicians run even bigger scams than the clergy; a sad, but true, fact of life, and one which has led to my vow to never take up residence in a theocracy. Can you imagine how bad it'd be if the priests were the politicians?

Well, we're going to enter the sewers in a few hours, and hopefully I'll be able to report success in my next entry.