10th of Shesti 2783

We arrived at Eastwatch to discover the remains of a different camp of bandits. The wounds on the bandits and in the stones of the ruins of Eastwatch themselves left me with a feeling of unease. I had always heard tales about the rumors of druids roaming the North during the Great Northern War but I hardly believed them to be a reality. I suppose that a more natural explanation is possible but these strange happenings leave me with a feeling of unease as their is likely something magical and sinister afoot in the north. We were able to craft a makeshift ramp that allowed us access to the remains of the camps after the Trask, Krull and Azar failed at an attempt to vault up to the camp. Once inside we were able to find more dead bandits, a letter requesting more picks be delivered to the mine and a second note referencing The Balding Goat Tavern and a woman of ill repute named Clover.
We were also able to recover an astounding number of weapons bearing the makers mark of Eastwatch within the fortress. We were unable to effectively carry these with us and so we hid them within a pile of rubble within the fortress. We then decided that we had enough information to return to Myrkan, turn our prisoner over to the authorities, and report to Thiran Vonthal. We set out along the Kingsroad and made camp at a location off of the road that we found suitably defensible.
Shortly after making camp we were attacked by more bandits. They must have been following us for some time and chose to attempt to ambush us while we made camp. We made quick work of the bandits and their leader though during the melee I had a simultaneously odd and upsetting experience. Near the end of the fight I had implored a clearly outmatched and outnumbered bandit to lay down his arms and surrender. He refused only to be viciously cut down by Trask mere seconds later. I can't help but wonder why the bandit didn't make the clearly obvious decision to lay down his arms and live. Perhaps these bandits have something to fear more than death. I was hoping to see some small vestige of the North from before the Great Northern War but what remains is perhaps too violent and harsh for a man of my age or perhaps my commitment to peace and justice is exactly what the North needs. Only time will tell.