Tuesday April 21, Soulblighter's camp, west of the Cloudspine

Deranged, arrogant, self-serving... none of these words can fully describe The Deceiver. No wonder his army has always been made up of bewitched men and the walking dead - no thinking being would willingly follow him.

The Deceiver dropped us in the middle of Soulblighter's camp, hoping to attack him by surprise. King Alric said nothing of a sneak attack before we left Muirthemne - it is obvious The Deceiver was acting on his own. We were captured instantly and thrown into rude cells with other prisoners from some unsung battle in the west. The Deceiver was caught in the claw of some elemental beast commanded by Soulblighter, but not before he had struck down more than a dozen of the enemy with his magic.

We have been imprisoned for only nine hours but already can tell that something is afoot. The whole camp is alive with activity and even our guards seem preoccupied with some greater purpose. According to the men captured before us, Shiver has returned after crushing all resistance in the west. Perhaps Soulblighter now seeks to recapture Muirthemne.

If we cannot devise a plan to free ourselves soon, there will be no one left to carry it out. Many of our comrades have been beaten, stripped and dragged away. We hear them being tortured, and their screams of agony are slowly eroding our morale. The longer we wait, the more difficult it will be just to escape, let alone free The Deceiver.

I have yet to mention our jailor. It is the devil Phelot, the shade who decimated Avon's Grove during the Great War. It is a wonder he has not yet sought vengeance upon us, as he was sorely injured by The Deceiver upon our arrival.