*whew* (wipes brow with relief). I thought for sure Naggor was a goner, yet he managed to cheat death not once, but twice! Did you instruct him to retreat if he found himself facing the enemy, or did he do that on his own?
Hopefully all those archers that you've been recruiting will be able to take care of that hydra. Too bad about the talisman (it's one of my favorite low-level items also). Hopefully it wasn't found on the battlefield by one of Pythium's forces. That may come back to haunt you. Unfortunate also to hear that Shamballac is home to Inkpot End. I once had a commander get diseased and eventually die from that place.
Thanks again for an entertaining evening!
