Morgaine's Journal - Sunken Temple II

*1 Leaffall*

Travel to the Sunken Tower has been easier this time around, in part thanks to our prior journey, and the rest thanks to our excellent navigator, Fixer the Kenku, a man of potentially many words, if only he'd heard them before. Our party was more or less completely different to before, with only myself and the wonderful Dougal knowing what was ahead of us. We were joined by Knaw, an excitable but nevertheless observant little Ratfolk who really ought to be in the water as much as Dougal and I due to his odour, prior mentioned Fixer, Zillin the Minotaur, who seemed to be baring the weight of some kind of hideous mechanism sprouting out of his back. I'd been curious about it from the moment I saw it, but considered it impolite to ask when we had only just met. Finally, there was Abigail and Siberius, a daughter and father respectively, travelling together, something I found most sweet. To have my own little ones to teach and explore the world with...

During the mostly uneventful journey, we informed the rest of what we might come to expect, and that while I very much wanted to make peaceful contact with the Bullywug and perhaps make allies of them for Hope, I wasn't about to protest them doing what was necessary to keep us all safe.

*2 Leaffall*

I lost him. I lost my little Grung. I lost Dougal. I held him in my arms, even as the arrow stuck out of his still, unblinking eye. Things had been going so well. We'd found our way back inside, and found the halls mostly empty, which I found strange given that the main floor should surely be guarded at all times. Sure, there were guard frogs, one of which was big enough to, and did, swallow a Minotaur whole, but there were no patrols or even idle toadmen in the chambers we'd already searched. Moving further in, we found their stables, where things got hairy for some time. With us all crammed into the halls, the enemy was able to encircle us and try picking at the edges. Zillin did a sterling job keeping the hoards of animals at bay, mostly made up of large turtles and a particularly large lizard of sorts. There was a single Grung in the room by the time we were done, and I'd *hoped* to capture him alive, but Zillin got overenthusiastic and put them down before I could stop him. Zillin turned out to be a rather slow and sensitive sort. I wonder if whoever put that device in him also did damage to his brain, he seems very child-like in nature and I had to comfort him a few times while we travelled.

The upper floors were where we met disaster. We failed to surprise the Bullywug, even as they slept, and they were quick to retaliate. I did all I could to keep them alive, but things were made hard with Siberius, capable of becoming some beastly tiger, taking up most of the space we needed. I hardly had a straight shot at anything, and spent much of the battle pulling others to their feet. When most of them had fallen, one toadman made a run for it, and Dougal and I couldn't let him get away. I was sure, *certain*, that Siberius and Knaw had been behind us, but instead when I turned to call for the rest to get into position and help us, we were alone. And before I knew it, an arrow was loosed from the dark and Dougal fell. Gone before he touched the ground.

We regrouped once the final foe was down, and left for Hope before anyone else could die. I took him into the waters to be buried, as he should be, and left with his notes in hopes to find another who would help me realise his dream.

Dougal the Dreamer, you will be missed and never forgotten. I'm so, so sorry.