Excerpts from the Journal of Hrogar

(The following is written on the way back to the mine)

We will soon be going back to the mine, to route out the evil from its depths. Apparently it is part of the greater evil that was revealed in the dream I wrote of earlier that apparently the entire group had.

Removing the evil from the mine will aid in my atonement, although some of my allies would be surprised to learn exactly what I am atoning for. I have told Marion the truth, but I suspect that both Alcander and Arcadius would be aghast to learn the truth. They believe that my atonement is for my failure to attack with them, but had I done so, the gods would be far angrier with me, for to have done so would have been to betray everything I have been taught and believe in. No, my atonement is for my lack of action in the ways that would have been acceptable for me. Had I thought of trying to keep the fire going around the tree earlier, or had I followed them to act as healer, the gods would have no problem with me. It is for this failure, and this failure alone, that I must atone for.

It is a failure I have known to be a potential weakness for some time, and I have only myself to blame for not ridding myself of this problem of inaction. I take too much time to think, time that I can not afford to lose. I hope that while in the mines, I can overcome this flaw.

I also worry that another such situation will occur similar to that with the Ranger. If it does, I will have to act in a way similar on the surface to the way I did before, much to the chagrin, I’m sure, of my allies. While Arcadius has already written me off and will have nothing to do with me, and Alcander seems not far behind, my primary worry is how the others will see such an action.

Still, I must be true to who I am. If such a situation occurs, I will do what I must, even if it means I will no longer travel with the group I started out with.

My plan is to slowly explain the full situation to the others, one at a time. First I will speak to Ryan, who has been chosen as leader for the group. I will explain to him exactly what I am and am not willing to do, and see how he reacts. Eventually, I will do the same with everyone (with the possible exception of Arcadius and Alcander, as the former seems unlikely to care, and the latter unlikely to understand).

But for now, I focus back on the mine. There is much evil there to defeat, and I can only hope we are up to the challenge.