It is not the purpose of this chronicle to attempt to exert political influence. Far removed from the Core Provinces, with no way of knowing even if the emperor yet lived, such concerns had a minimal impact on the decisions made by the Dragon Expedition. Erun Nassah and Tomad Murad were men born to rival clans that operated at the highest levels of power in the Sanid Empire, this is true, but the divide between them that emerged during the course of the journey had little to do with this origin. Rather, it derived from fundamental incompatibilities between their personalities. Erun was a deeply martial personage. He had dreams of glory and was entirely prepared to sacrifice everything to fulfill the imperial command that had been given to him. Tomad was cold and calculating, a creature of numbers and ledgers. He weighed benefits against costs in all things and rated the maintenance of his own well-being very highly. Shdustu's harsh weather, especially the lengthy, bitterly cold winters, and the prospect of increasing the number of those winters he would need to endure, weighed upon him far more heavily than any distant political consequences or rivalries rooted in Crisremon politics. It was the winter, I firmly believe, that served as the primary instigation.

Upon returning from the third mission out onto the Cracking Void, Erun received my conclusions regarding the location of the dragon's lair. His response was a simple one. He determined that the expedition would proceed east, across the Shdulus River, and head north through the mountains where we would locate a pass through the Ice Ridges, and launch one last effort to locate the dragon before autumn came to an end and winter closed off all possibility of searching further. It was an obvious move, logistically, but Tomad raised equally inevitable objections. No Nikkad settlements existed in proximity to the eastern extent of the Dumum Mountains. It was not until reaching all the way east to the Mumum River that any could be found, and this required crossing a significant distance across the steppe. If the expedition carried out Erun's plan it would be flatly impossible to reach such refuge prior to the onset of the winter snows, and highly unlikely that we would even manage to exit the mountains at all. This meant that the winter would necessarily be spent living among the Bahab, a move he counseled against in the strongest possible terms.

Not unreasonable, such advice. The villages of the Bahab are small, and no single one could house the whole of the expedition for the many months of winter. Even in the best case, it would be necessary to split the expedition up into smaller groups to survive, something that would render us deeply vulnerable to our hosts. Considering the dubious restraint of the Snow Banes and the likelihood that they would provoke a conflict with the mountain dwellers, the risk was considerable. Further, Tomad calculated that even a successful sojourn among the Bahab would deeply impoverish the expedition, making it difficult, perhaps impossible, to secure the return to Crisremon without some sort of windfall of funds. He counseled instead that we should return to Dumumshtu, work through the winter as before to stabilize our finances, and loop around the mountains to conduct the search come spring. Erun countered this with a simple statement that the dragon was presently before us, but there were no guarantees at all that it would remain for another year. If it left the region or went into hibernation, as such creatures are widely written to do, then the opportunity would be lost, perhaps for centuries. He overrode all objections, giving the order for a single day of rest and preparation, and then departure upon the day after. Neither I nor the Princess Romou were consulted for our opinions regarding this decision. In truth, I cannot say which course I might have supported in that moment.

Though officially recorded as a day of rest, the next day truthfully included quite a great deal of business as the expedition prepared to break down a camp of months and move on at last. Temporary structures were disassembled, traveling harness repaired, and everything was made as ready as it might be for the hurried embarkation come the dawn. Excess supplies were traded to the Bahab loggers and all meat not cured and dried was added into the pot that night as part of an impromptu feast. Considerable alcohol flowed that night, accompanied by something else. Though few were aware at the time, plans were already in motion. The scheme was engineered by many, but implemented by Master Apothecary Francand Olon, who drugged a considerable portion of the company insensate using his arts.

During the dark of night, the Dragon Expedition was permanently divided. Its first true and irreparable failure, one sourced in cruel betrayal. A betrayal ordered by Tomad Murad. Those loyal to him took advantage of the scheme of the apothecary after they were awoken using antidotes in the dark. While all loyal to Erun lay in unbreakable slumber, the traitors gathered their possessions and departed. Tomad Murad, the Snow Banes, Master Lam and the majority of his caravaneers, the apothecaries save Apprentice Amanili, and our healer couple. Even Lord Udrand departed with the traitors. The remaining company, when we finally roused well toward midday, numbered a mere thirty-four.

Strangely no attempt was made to kill or even rob us. Even the warhorses of the Imperial Guard, which would have been extremely valuable in trade, were left behind, as were a number of other valuables. The drugged drinks were the only physical element. This choice, though it spared us, has long presented a puzzle. Cowardice is surely one of the factors behind such hesitancy. Tomad was not a brave man in his own right, and there would have been those who joined with him: the healers, Lord Udrand, and Master Olon, who likely argued against violence. The reason for such division is simple: the authority of mystic orders resists that of the inspectorate. They could survive being associated with this betrayal, but not if they had blood on their hands. I do not think Tomad found the will to override such objections. Additionally, while slaughtering caravans, guardsmen, and even a scholar are within the realm of high-level scheming, putting a blade to a sorcerer and a priestess born of the Imperial House are not. Princess Romou's presence, I believe, extended a layer of protection to all who remained. The truth, however, will never be known. The voices of those who betrayed the expedition vanished from history from the moment they left the company behind without a word.

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Instead of moving against us directly, Tomad allowed for use of a different weapon. I do not believe it was his own idea, but instead emerged from the violent impulses of the Snow Banes. Under cover of darkness, while the caravaneers gathered the animals and began the slow walk south, these cruel mercenaries descended upon the logging camp and slaughtered most present. Despite surprise, the victory was not bloodless, for two bodies were found belonging to the attackers, a testament to the stubborn valor of the Bahab. Worse, footprints in the muck indicated that at least a handful of youths had been allowed to escape.

Word of this massacre would surely rush to the Black Spruce tribe and they, lacking any easy means to differentiate between groups of outsiders, would strike back at us. By the time this calamity was discovered, Tomad's traitors were already a full day to the south. Flight along that path was therefore impossible. Even if, by some great feat of speed, we managed to overtake the traitors the resulting battle would surely leave few survivors and the Bahab would easily destroy all that remained. No escape could be found in that direction.

These horrible realizations shook the expedition to its core. It appeared that none among us had recognized this internal discord and the threat it presented. Now we were stranded deep in the mountains with enemies on all sides. We retained our personal possessions, but Tomad had custody of both all stores and wealth belonging to the company and taken everything. We were destitute and mere days from the edge of starvation. This reality left us paralyzed, and we deferred the question of our next course of action repeatedly, despite the present crisis. Erun did not want to give up on the dragon. Who would? But these developments had stolen all possible prizes and accolades from his hands. It took precious time for him to achieve recognition of this new circumstance and understand that he must reorient toward a new goal. It was not until late at night, a full day after we put tainted liquids to our lips, that he came to a decision.

Princess Romou had remained among us. She was, as always, a member of the Imperial House. Erun determined that her survival and return to Crisremon must be the new priority. While we traveled among the Kharal and Nikkad there had been no great risk to her person, for they were suitably faithful people conscious of the rules and respect due to those sworn to the Divines. The Bahab, as witnessed by the countless marriage proposals, were not. If left along among them, the Princess would surely be forced into servitude as the prize of some chieftain's son. Combined with the few fragmentary bits of dragon we had recovered, a return to Crisremon was an acceptable goal. In this regard, the immediate need was to evade the vengeful impulses of the Black Spruce Bahab.

Though most counseled for it, flight southward was impossible. Erun, instead, asked me to choose the route that would allow a possible escape, claiming it was the cartographer's role. East, I told him. We needed to cross the Shdulus and reach lands controlled by a Bahab tribe not allied with the Black Spruce. This demanded a mountain crossing, high and terrible, but it was the only viable path I could see. Once the peaks were placed between us and our pursuers, we could push east all the way out of the mountains and across the steppe to the Mumum River and winter among the Nikkad there. From there, a slow return to the Core Provinces was possible. It was a course that offered great risk, especially given the few provisions we possessed and the lack of a known route to the east, but it offered the hope of evading the blades, spears, and bows of the Bahab. The Princess agreed to this plan, and Erun gave the order, reluctantly, to depart for the river at first light. A single modification was made, only thirty-three proceeded eastward. One went south.

Yomat, the secretive member of the Inspectorate, departed in the night to travel south on foot. The choice of the traitors to leave this man, far beyond any other, alive, was a grave mistake. In truth, the magnitude of this error was such that it suggested that in the long absence from the Sanid Empire Tomad and Master Lam had forgotten the nature of his true role and perhaps reached the conviction that he simply was the servant he claimed to be. Regardless of the reason, it was a most final mistake.

The traitors who progressed south never returned even to Dumumshtu. All perished in the mountains. Most died due to a mid-autumn wildfire that claimed a huge territory including half of a Bahab village. Others seem to have fallen at various points along the trail. Master and Mistress Adnol, the healers, were the last to die. They managed to escape the mountains and take shelter with a small Kharal herder party guiding their sheep among the high hill meadows. Though they were welcomed, as healers always are, they were found on the third morning with their throats slit and the traitor's mark branded upon their faces. A cruel fate, given that it is unlikely they wished any in the expedition ill and that it is likely that their mercy told heavily in sparing my life and that of the others left behind, but mercy is a trait long ago discarded by the Inspectorate.

Restraint too, is likewise forgotten. Yomat did not survive this final act of vengeance. With nowhere to hide in the open steppe, the herders found him, put arrows through both legs, and dragged him before their khagan tied to the saddle. Though the steppe ruler expressed sympathy regarding the inspector’s need to claim vengeance and commended his devotion to duty before his full court, he made it equally clear that to murder those granted the hospitality of his people's yurts came with only one punishment. Yomat was executed by strangulation via a cord, which is considered an appropriate death among the steppe people, and then exposed for consumption by predatory birds as is the proper Kharal custom. His inspectorate seal, which he had concealed throughout the course of the expedition, was found on his body and sent via merchant caravan back to Crisremon. The inspectorate later officially ruled that the khagan had behaved perfectly honorably and there was no resentment. A miserable business for all involved, but the traitors were punished, the inspectorate fulfilled its purpose, and the Kharal handled the incident appropriately. Perhaps not a satisfying end, and one I certainly find hollow feeling, but it is at least a clear one.