5th Amerysday of High Autumn, Second Age 1854: We marched out from the village of the Bri'Oir to confront the mammoth herd, as their chief demanded, to prove our worth. The task was clear, and I was ready to dive into the challenge, eager to test our mettle against these beasts, although putting down some crazed animals shouldn't be too much of a trouble. By the next day, we tracked down the mammoths, their massive forms thundering across the plains. I've read about these creatures before, but the reality didn't prepare me for their sheer size, what's more, the matriarch towered over even the other massive creatures. Lady Aria ordered us to keep them alive if possible—a tougher call, but the Archon's command is to be followed.
Drawing on my resources, I wielded one of my wands, enchanting our fighters’ weapons to strike with non-lethal force, allowing them to not hold back their attacks. The magic held true, allowing us to subdue the creatures efficiently while preserving their lives for inspection, though one of the smaller mammoths took the brunt of Lady Aria's wrath, exploding into chunks as a streak of magical lightning blasted through it. It was a hard-won victory, proof that precision and action can align even in the heat of battle, with a few more near misses than I would've liked, and that could have likely been avoided had we not held back. Talindra's discovery of the strange stone that was causing a disease among the mammoths raised more questions, and I'm glad I had the extradimensional pouch to safely store it in as it calls for more research. We returned to the village, our task complete, and were met with another feast, this time in celebration of our victorious return. The Bri'Oir seemed particularly pleased that we didn't kill the entire herd, and chief Ceann agreed to let us venture into the mountain in the morning.
In the meantime, I hope to learn as much of these people's knowledge of alchemy as I can, perhaps sneak away something of value before we leave, though we would immediately be prime suspects and I think we can benefit more from a standing trade agreement.