Journal Entry Three
"Encounters of Another Kind"
After finding refuge in the small barn within the last couple days, I continued my exploration. I furthered my attempts to scourge the "forest" of the local mercenaries, and successfully removed a small party of them, but not with ease. I was finding the small barn comfortable, as I was never disturbed there. But I eventually came to find the path nearby to be well traversed. I avoided contact with two women, a halfling, and a man I would later to come to know a "Sallozzo".
Mean while, I managed to retrieve a small hood, thus allowing my travel to be less impeded by the locals. I could now travel freely in fort Vehl, should I keep my distance, and pass through some small towns without much suspicion. On one of my travels through a town next to my haven, I caught the attention of a lone man. Noticing his approach, I took off through a small alley and slipped into the shadows, stopping his search short. I circled around the walls, and while avoiding several adventurers, I made way to the back gate. The man stood outside, waiting. I ran off to the side, finding myself trapped, and so I hide. close by, he circled the rock I hid by, while I shifted away. once satisfied that he wouldn't find me, he left. while he, like I, was hooded, he didn't seem to mean harm. What odd creatures, these surfacers are. I decided I would follow him, for he seemed easy to hide from, and I could learn more, maybe make contact. Survival was hard alone.
I found him outside, near the barn. He was prepping for a battle, it seemed, and so I hid, and followed. He walked boldly into a camp of kobolds, and from my experience, I didn't expect him to survive long. He made way, bashing in their skulls with unspeakable strength. As he smashed his way through, He finally made way to the center of the camp. They swarmed him, and much to my regret, I let loose an arrow, striking nearby creatures. He didn't seem to notice at first, but it wasn't until after I had already slipped back into the shadows did he notice the arrow filled corpse. Once again, he searched, and I shifted along the wall, into a corner opposite of where he was searching. Bad mistake on my part. He pointed at me, speaking again. He stopped as soon as he noticed that I began backing away, and rose his hands in a friendly gesture. Where I was from, this was a clear sign of a trap, but I was trapped already as it was. He spoke to me in his language, and not understanding, I spoke back harshly in the Elvish tongue, being the closest language any surfacer might know. He simply stared.There was a mutual respect at this point, for I could not best this being after witnessing such prowess, but I was in good standing, so it would seem. At this point, I had no better chance of making contact, so I made a camp fire, and offered a seat. If he threatened me, I could always make a run for it. I kept a close eye on him as he slowly approached the fire. Slight wounds ran across his body, but seemed not to bother him. we sat in silence, both contemplating our next moves. He pointed to himself. "Sallozzo..." I took this as his name, for obvious reasons and stared. "Sion..." I said in the Elvish tongue. He mouthed the word, then mimicked it. At this point we became mutual companions at best. He seemed interested in his new companion, and could tell I was very unfamiliar of my surroundings, so grudgingly, I followed him around for the next few days, learning more of the land despite the obvious lack of communication. A few times he set me on guard as he offered an item, or in one peculiar instance, brought me to a city, which I have learned did not take well to the my presence. I refused to enter at first, but I remembered that he did not know my identity, my heritage. Against my better judgment, I entered the city gates. I never felt so awkward. I left in a hurry as soon as our, or rather, his, business was done. It continued on for a few more days, until finally we split our ways. He continued much further north, and I would not go on. I was far enough from my haven as it was and a noticeable change in temperature occurred as we traveled, so I decided to turn back.
My odd encounter today made me remember that woman. The one who healed me back in the "forest". I decided that I should seek her out, as it was time to make my presence known.
~Sion