Day 4,559

This morning, we had our first attack.

I guess it was to be expected. We were forced to set camp on a small woodland nestled between two mountains. And while it gave us some protection, it was also the home of an Ylkar colony.

The giant insects were said to be as tough as rock trolls, and we were given a taste of that when fifty of them swarmed all over the camp. Their chitinous armor was tough as dwarven breastplates, and we had to use hammers and maces, as well as explosive spells, just to break it. Worse, they can fly and was as large as a man, so they were also quite nimble.

Thankfully, the expeditionary force is well-trained, and we only suffered a dozen casualties. Even so, at least fifty have been injured, with some losing a limb or an eye, and they are now being tended by our best healers.

Only four days since we began our mission, and almost a tenth of our force is dead or wounded. At this rate, we might not last a month.