The last several days have been quite a blur.
We arrived in Ossel, a town not unlike Granmere, in time to deliver our counsel before the goblin roaches had attempted to infest this small town. The Mayor heeded our warnings, and began taking precautionary measures. He also sent craftsmen to Granmere to aid in reconstruction, and fortification, I hope.
Afterwards, we visited Andina's uncle, who then sent us off on a quest to discover Dina's destiny. I must confess, a part of me hoped that this was some elaborate ruse constructed by the halfling family to discourage such a young child from taking up the adventurer's mantle. Dina is a warm and convivial youth, and I would see her grow to womanhood in more mundane circumstances that might allow her to mature, marry, and have her own family. It is already unfortunate that she is familiar with warfare at all, if nothing else I would have chosen to save her that burden until adulthood.
Sigh.
My newfound companion insists that at this point I should mention how remarkably attractive Andina is. He also refuses to be quiet until I do so. I have done so, and now he (it?) will allow me to continue, though he insists on balking at the uninterested manner in which I describe her.

Alas, such a ruse was not to be found. While I regret the burden this places on young Dina, I rejoice that Ioun has seen fit to deliver us to a source of information about our destiny! A Deva, no less! Apparently, there are three artifacts, all from the days of the Tiefling Empire, that the villain of our story is attempting to collect. His goal is to become a deity, after which surely evil shall reign for a thousand years, and the civilized races shall know only slavery, death, and destruction. While we all agree that there are several fronts on which to confront our villain, the most obvious course of action is to collect the artifacts and ensure that they do not fall into his hands. I am certain we will be required to kill this man at some point in the future, for even if we keep him from his demonic artifacts, he is still a powerful agent of evil, and requires redress in his own right. If the legends and history I have collected are to indicate any truth, it is that rarely do men so dedicated to evil ever
reform. I do not wish to include any further details of his plot, for surely if my companions and I fall, it will be to some form of evil. Evil has enough creative force of its own, it shall not have my journal to inspire it further.
After we departed the Cave of Destiny (pardon my lack of poetry, but I do not know what else to call it), we returned to Ossel, where we were able to turn back a force of orcs that had organized and decided to attack the small town. Thanks to our forewarning, and our timely arrival, the orcs were turned back with minimal damage to the town. Unfortunately, Andina's uncle paid the ultimate price for our knowledge. It would seem that he had been working with The Enemy for some time, procuring some knowledge regarding the artifacts and the prophecy. It is not entirely clear whether he was acting as a spy during his service, or if his conscience and love of family turned him towards the light. Regardless, The Enemy's agents, creatures of necromantic origin, stood about his house, searching for information and summoning the uncle's spirit for questioning. We were able to turn
back the fiends, and allow his spirit to rest. A little more searching turned up more information about the nature of the three artifacts, one of which little is known, though it is apparently the most important of the three, as it may allow the user to ascend to godhood. Again, I will not enclose details of these artifacts for fear of delivering information to The Enemy in this, or a future age. Perhaps, as time passes, and opportunity permits, I will place a more complete record of events into the hands of the Priests of Ioun for safekeeping.

Sigh. Yes, I was just getting to that part.
In preparation for our journey, I chose to visit my counterpart in Ossel, a man I've never met personally, but have exchanged correspondence with, as well as traded goods with, through Andina's family: Mr. Holmeswood. Mr. Holmeswood has a reputation for having a fine collection of ritual magic, and I wished to avail myself of the opportunity to peruse his shelves. Among other purchases, Mr. Holmeswood insisted that I accept as a gift a rather morbid curio: a human skull carved with arcane writings. Mr. H made claim that he had little understanding of the object, and that it mostly served as a object to promote, as he called it, "The Atmosphere of Mystery" that a magic shop should have. I am certain I do not know what Mr. H speaks of. He also expressed a desire to know what purpose this skull with it's peculiar lettering might serve, and hoped that I might discover this on my journeys. In the interest of cordiality, and I must admit, a certain amount of curiosity, I accepted the gift. It would be several days before the nature of the gift made itself apparent. I had thought that Mr. H and I got along well. Perhaps I was mistaken. I shall have to recall our dealings in the past to ascertain if I have unwittingly offended Mr. H, or if he truly did not understand that which he gifted me with. The skull is possessed by a spirit. A spirit of knowledge to be sure. And while I have learned a number of historical points of interest, I have also learned about the creatures carnal interests. He, I assume for no genitalia are apparent, thank Ioun, seems to have no prejudice towards race, creed, or culture, as he has expressed his appreciation for every single female member of my companions (why he insists on chuckling slyly whenever I mention the word "member" is beyond me. . .). Still, in spite of his obsessions, he does seem to genuinely want to help me in my endeavors, though he doesn't exactly know what our goals are at the moment.
We continue our journey towards Adelaine. I pray Ioun will provide guidance in our mission once we arrive.