The musings of Jez Geddin

[Rebo]

Yes. Hempstead does seem to be the perfect place to start my new life. There is work available, enough people that I can blend in, and surely more than a few marks in the bunch. And the woman, at least one helpful soul in the bunch.

Rose it was. She helped me find work. She certainly didn't expect a thing either. As far as she's concerned, I'm just another young hopeful. If only she knew! But then, it's better that she doesn't. Her friend, Fehriel I believe, didn't seem too pleasant, but he was helpful as well. Even if it was only for her sake, I still appreciated it.

She brought up a good point though. I need a hobby. A hobby would certainly keep anyone from questioning what I do with my free time. I'll have to look into something useful, perhaps herbalism. That would be useful.

Oh yes, it would indeed...

[Rebo]

I need to steer clear of the sewers for a while. I bought a sling, not unlike the one I used to have, and wanted to try it out on a few rats. I wasn't looking for a nest though!

Thankfully the folks at the inn helped out. Well, I guess they didn't have much of a choice after I led the rats there, twice.

I should probably steer clear of there for a while too. I'll have to spend some more time looking into this alchemy bit. The tinkering looks like fun too. Between learning about potions and traps, I should be all set.

[Rebo]

I wanted the truth to remain a secret, but it's already out to a few. Rose, Fehriel, and Malina at the least. I suppose it would have come out eventually though.

But now I'm a bit more competent. And now I know what kind of situation can bring things to light. This won't happen again. I can pass for a weak fighter now, or at least I should be able to. I'll just get a sword and something better than this sling.

Fehriel is not what he seemed at all. According to him, neither is Malina. I should know better than to let my loins get the best of me. I may need to just steer clear of her. But Fehriel, I can't believe he is someone I can actually relate to. I'll have to try to keep track of him. And Rose for that matter. The both of them. I need to be careful of what I say from here on out.

So what do they know already? Well, I told them about growing up on the streets. I did tell Fehriel that I am greedy, although he didn't seem to notice. And they do know that I'm not out to hurt anyone, so that's good.

Here's the question though. Am I a thief? I hate the word. I snapped at Malina when she used it. It had stung more than I thought it would to hear it. We may have stolen to get by, but I never considered myself a thief. We never took anything from anyone who couldn't spare it. I may not need to do it any more, but I still want to.

Is it wrong that I enjoyed it? I really need to think about what I'm doing and why. I need to keep my nose clean for now, regardless. Now that these few know what they do, they may be watching. I definitely need some time to myself.

It's a good thing I decided to keep a journal. I could easily get lost in thoughts like these!

[Rebo]

I should have just told him they were too heavy. I could barely carry that gear. How could he expect me to use it? I have to think before I speak...

This has never been an issue before. Why am I having this problem now?

Get a hold of yourself Jez!

[Rebo]

Today was an odd day. I happened upon a cleric and a monk traveling together. They were both quite helpful, although Unther, the dwarven cleric, may have stiffed me on some copper ingots. Maybe I can get an extra out of him when I see him... I don't think he meant to take off without making delivery. But maybe he did. I'll definitely mention it when I see him next.

[Rebo]

I think I will stick to tinkering for a while. Fighting and exploring just haven't been working out for me. And as far as any 'acquisitions' go, I don't even have a set of tools! I'm sure I can make a set after I get better at working with the clay. I'll just need to buy ingots from someone.

The smaller molds aren't that difficult to make, although I still manage to mess up a bunch of them. At least I'm not dropping as many of them when pulling them out of the furnace! That's a relief...

Things should go more easily now that I bought that ox as well. It will cut down on my trips back and forth to the lake. And that means more time that I can use for tinkering in the workshop!

[Rebo]

At least I seem to be getting back on my feet. Good thing I haven't been too proud to beg!

I ran into Unther again, finally... He didn't have the ingots on hand, but offered to take me to get more. I managed to get some greenstone out of the deal as well. It turned out to be a pretty good haul.

So let's see. I need the greenstone for the essence as part of the curing potion. That stuff is tough to come by. I'll just have to keep a chisel on hand and grab it when I can. I guess I'll have to spend more time around Hlint and tag along whenever someone decides to venture into those caves.

Lucky for me that most of the folks I've met in Mistone have been pretty helpful. No one really asks too many questions either. It certainly makes it easy to keep up appearances! If it wasn't for that one slip...

That's an idea! Maybe I should look into making some bandages in the meantime. Those are useful, and shouldn't be that tough to make. Yeah, bandages...

[Rebo]

He's been putting out a call for those trained in 'the art of stealth'.

I'm not sure if it's a good idea to show up or not. I feel like I'm getting a bit rusty, but then, do I want to expose myself? I guess there could be plenty of other reasons I could be sneaky. It doesn't have to be for the reason that it is. I'll have to come up with something before I arrive.

Then again, it doesn't have to be elaborate at all. I'm small enough. It can just be because of that. I go unnoticed enough as it is, when I want to be noticed even!

Alright, I'll go. And if anyone asks, I just tell them why I'm there, not how I came to be skilled.

[Rebo]

Great idea Jez... see how sneaky you are... see just how far an ogre will chase you... At least you know now! Lucky you were able to ditch him too...

I need to find where that comfrey was. I know I saw some... Just can't remember where...

[Rebo]

To say I was outclassed would be an understatement. I'm still not sure how I got out of that mine. The only thing I can figure is that Gork must have carried me out of there.

That was nothing like picking pockets in the market crowd back in Dalanthar. Not at all. Getting in there and setting the traps was easy enough. I wish I had saved one, now that I think about it. But after I bumped into one, well... everything went downhill from there.

The rest of the group, they were obviously professionals. They were talking about their traps and their poisons... It was unreal!

I'll have to try to remember who was there, in case I run into them again. I'll certainly remember Drexia and her friend. I'm not sure I could forget Gork if I had to. He'll probably haunt my dreams! There was Tim, and I'm pretty sure I've met Tod before. The others, I'm not sure of...

I certainly have no business in those mines though. Not by myself anyway. Not for a while.

[Rebo]

I'm not quite sure what is going on with Mak and his... acquantince. Why would he be dealing with a vampire? If he is dealing with a vampire, why did he need to send others to deliver a message. And he has a "master" as well? I'm not sure if I really want to know. Curiosity is a strong force though...

Again, I had a chance to acquire a trap or two and I passed it up. Of course, if something had gone wrong... well, playing it safe is safe. That's all there is to it.

I did manage to come out of it with an enchanted ring and a wand though. I wonder what they're worth... Or maybe I could hold on to them for a while.