Journal of Kira Éibhleann

[Lily]

Tunar, Augra 10, 1559At some point all of us are going to die. Some may have a short life, some are lucky and live a long and fulfilling life. Personally, in my case, I hope for the latter. Will I be remembered? If, how will I be remembered? These are questions unknown to me and I won’t be able to fathom them once I am gone, finding my final rest. This journal will give you, my dear reader, insights into my very life and feelings. You may be surprised by what you find written down on the following pages. Rumours may have a different version of my life and my being, my deeds and my legacy. But I assure you, now that you hold this very journal into your hands and are eager to get to know my true self, you will discover the truth behind my legacy. You will see the world how I saw it at the time. Some of these stories will tell a tale of love and sadness, or victory and defeat.With each story and legacy there is a very beginning. My story, the beginning of this journal will, naturally, start with my birth. I know, it may bore you, my dear reader, but be assured that these pages may prove valuable in understanding my very self. If you don’t want to be bothered with how I grew up in the Sun Kingdom on Alindor then I may suggest you stop reading already or at least skip the next few paragraphs...I, Kira Éibhleann, was the thirdborn child to Edwin and Hazel Éibhleann. My mother gave birth to the oldest of us siblings, my brother Alan, six years prior to my birth. My sister, Sarah, was born two years before I was born. I am glad I was born into this family. My father, Edwin, was born and raised in Lan’s Port himself. As the firstborn of his family he took into his father’s footsteps as a local weapon merchant. While my grandfather, Geoffrey, was still managing the family’s businesses, my father fell in love with a lovely woman, his future wife and my mother to be, Hazel Brooke. From the stories I heard about their early days, it took my father quite some effort to win her over. But in the end he succeeded, obviously. I would not be able to writing down these notes otherwise.Together with my siblings and my parents I grew up in Lan’s Port, capital of the Sun Kingdom in the northern parts of Alindor. Even though my family was not noble born or wealthy we lived a good life. As my father used to say, other merchants may make a fortune selling exotic spices, but as a weapon merchant you will always sell enough wares to make a living. With the constant threat of Milara in the eastern parts of Alindor this is not really surprising at all.But if I had a good childhood in Lan’s Port with my family and friends, why did I dare leaving this all behind me, picking up the work of a mercenary and living a dangerous, but surely fulfilling live? Well, my dear reader, as I already mentioned I am the thirdborn child. In my family it is a tradition that the firstborn son takes over the family’s business. That would be my brother. The firstborn daughter is meant to join the clergy. In case of a second son he will join the ranks of the army. The secondborn daughter, however, is meant to marry into another family to strengthen the ties to another merchant of Lan’s Port. It may not surprise you, but that was not the life that I wanted. I was not meant to be just the wife of yet another merchant. Not in Lan’s Port, not anywhere in the Sun Kingdom and certainly not anywhere on Layonara. As you are reading this journal right now you are probably aware of the fact that I certainly did not agree with this decision being made for me. Now that you are familiar with my family’s background I will introduce you to my very own story…As far as I can remember I have always been a very adventurous child, much to the distress of my dear parents. Instead of playing with puppets and throwing little tea parties with stuffed animals like my older sister usually did, I liked to play with my brother’s wooden swords and axes. We were acting out the stories we heard about heroes who went after Sinthar Bloodstone or mighty dragon slayers. Sometimes even Sarah was part of our little settings. She was the princess captured by an evil dragon or overlord and we then had to rescue her, making our way through its endless hordes of fluffy stuffed toys. Those stories still fill my heard with joy. The early years of an innocent childhood.My parents soon saw that getting stuffed animals or puppets on my birthdays were not a good idea any longer. I usually neglected them and only played with them when Alan and I were on one of our mission yet again. Our opponent? The fierce stuffed badger of legendary doom! On my tenth birthday I got my very first toy weapon, a wooden short sword. It was like the best birthday I had so far. If I wanted to live and act out heroic tales, I always had to rely on the wooden swords of my brother. My father told me that if I behaved and would also play with my sister from time to time, I would get another wooden weapon every birthday from now on. He also promised me that I may help him in his little weapon store from time to time. My mother was not very fond of this idea at first, but knew I would sneak into his shop at some point anyway. This way my father could at least watch over me.My dear father had another surprise for my twelfth birthday. I was allowed to accompany him to a business trip to Nel. I was very excited about this. Sure, my brother and I explored the various districts of Lan’s Port already and even its surroundings, but I had never been that far from home, yet. The trip was a whole new experience to me. Well, I was a child and wanted to see the world, but to my father and brother the trip was pretty much business as usual. Alan turned 18 already and was working with my father already. As Edwin was growing older already he usually let my brother manage the business relations outside of Nel. But he knew my curiosity took me to places I should not wander on my own and thus he could watch over me while my brother was engaged in striking good business deals. Being watched over all the time was not to my liking. I wanted to explore Nel on my own, just like I wanted to explore Lan’s Port on my own. My only chance to explore Nel on my own was during night time when my father and brother were asleep. And that’s what I did on the second night in Nel. I grabbed my wooden blade and shield and climbed out of the window. Well, I was not much of a climber back then and I would lie if I tell you I successfully climbed down the whole way from the second story. I climbed down like half of the way before it was decided that I would rather take the fast way down. I am just glad I fell into a shrubbery and not the rock solid pavement. So I muttered, got up to my feet and pretended this did not happen, all while rubbing my behind. But here I was, all alone and on my own, ready to set out for my very first adventure in Nel. I sneaked around buildings, pretending to avoid evil monsters which were hiding in dark corners. Then I saw it. The ultimate evil. The foe which was behind it. Eyes glowing in the dark, sharp fangs, black fur and hissing at me. Even though it was rather small, it sure was furious and about to take my life away. Uttering the fiercest battlecry I could think of I engaged and tried to attack this monster. It dodged my blow and ran away. I just stood there, still in a battle-ready stance, and looked after the black cat which was escaping. Let me assure you, my dear reader, I had no intentions in smiting a poor innocent kitten.With a heavy sigh I turned around and was about to continue my exploration. Just as I turned around I jumped into something or something. I looked up. In the low lights I saw two persons grinning down at me. I jumped back one step, startled. Who were these men? They certainly did not look friendly at all. They looked more like thugs and I sure did not like the way they were grinning at me. I was shocked. What should I do? Run? Scream for help? In the games I played with Aland and Sarah I was always the hero, a shiny knight, helping those in need and danger. This was different though. This was not a game. This was reality. And I was not a shiny knight with a keen weapon, I was but a little girl. A little girl with a wooden blade, but a little girl nonetheless. My first instinct was to run, and so I did. I turned around and ran. Just that I ran into two other thugs. I was trapped. Startled I backed away a little, trying to scream. I tried to, but I could not. Just as I was about to scream I felt a hand wrapping around me from behind, muffling my screaming. Truly desperate at this points I tried kicking and whirling my fists around, but to no avail. The thugs exchanged a few words. Apparently they were kidnapping me for a sweet ransom. Blindfolded and tied up they took me with them. They did not get far, though.“Well well well, who do we have here?” – That was a woman’s voice!“I am not sure, Tyrith, but it seems like we ran into some thugs.” – A voice of another woman.“Apparently, Lea, and they are about to deliver a package, don’t you think? A package which will certainly get them some True upon delivery.” mused the first woman who apparently was called Tyrith.The other woman, Lea, chuckled, “Now this is an interesting situation. Are you aware, dear thugs, of the bounty there is on your little group? And you were pretty much caught in the act right now. Don’t you think?”“Watch yer foul mouths, women! Ye ain’t gonna take what we claimed. Now bugger off or…” mouthed on the thugs who kidnapped me.“… or what?” Lea interrupted, giggling, “Make us regret we stood up to your pathetic little group of thuggy thugs? Do you really think we will let this slide away?”“I have warned ye, ye silly women. Ye’ll pray ye never bothered us.” exclaimed one of the thugs, probably their leader. “Ye really think two women could face us and leave unscathed?”I heard the women sigh simultaneously. Then I heard various blades being drawn. I was put on the ground and the sound of battle arose. Weapon’s clashed and I heard curses being thrown. I cried. Soon the battle would be over and those thugs would continue kidnapping me. There was nothing I could do at that moment. I was helpless, fragile. Sooner than I expected the sounds of battle faded away and I heard steps closing in. I was scared.“Oh come on, Lea, these thugs looked more promising than they really were! Just one strike and one of them was down already!” exclaimed one of the women.Lea chuckled, “Well, you’re a big girl after all, knowing how to fight. Those were just some thugs. They certainly did not enlist to an army at some point just like you did.”They were joking around for a little longer, but eventually were addressing me. They told not to be afraid while they gently untied me and removed the blindfold. I fell into Lea’s arms, sobbing and crying. She held me close, whispering comforting words. It took me a while to come back to my senses and wit. While Lea had been comforting me, Tyrith securely tied up those thugs, making sure they were alive. You would expect your saviours being knights in shiny armour, but this was reality. Not one of my games or heroic stories I heard in my childhood. Tyrith sure was a tall woman, easily sporting up to 6’4”, had an athletic build and wore a black, shiny plate made out of platinum. As for her weaponry, well, there was for one a great sword and a scimitar as a sidearm. Lea on the other hand was a rather small woman armed with two short swords while wearing a light leather armour. Lea comforted me and explained that they meant no harm to me. Seeing my miserable state Lea offered escorting me back home. In the meantime, Tyrith would guard the thugs and wait for Lea’s return with the guards. After all there was still a bounty to collect for them.On our way back to the inn where we stayed for the business trip I asked Lea about all their adventures. I did not want to think about what happened a few moments ago and heroic stories always used to calm me down and distract me a little. Apparently Lea and Tyrith had been travelling companions for quite a while already and have seen quite a good portion of Layonara already. As we arrived at the inn I asked her one last request. I asked her if she were to drop my off to my room by the window. You see, I did not get any bruises and had no visible marks of the ties on my wrists and ankles. My father sure would have been furious and my mother would not have allowed me to ever venture out on my own again, even less accompany my father or brother on any business trips until my coming of age. Lea refused at first, but eventually sighed and climbed up to the window with me. Unlike me she did not fall down on her way back, but casually jumped out of the window, catching the force of the jump down with a graceful roll. She turned around, winked at me and darted off into the night.After that fateful night I knew how fragile I really was. I was no knight in shiny armour, rescuing maidens and princesses from evil overlords or dragons. I realized that I, the girl who always played the hero of the stories, was actually the one needing the help of others. I was kidnapped, just like these princesses in tales. Sure, I may have been only twelve years old at that time. But if you are confronted with the harsh reality of the world outside, outside of the safety of your home, you sure mature up a little bit. Now here’s the important thing. There are one things you may do in such a situation. You try to hide from the harsh reality or you confront your fear and toughen up. You, my dear reader, certainly know what I did in this situation. I chose the latter. I did not want to be the princess, waiting for the hero, her knight in shining armour, to come to her rescue. I wanted to be the one who is the one who rescues the princess, or rather prince in my case. I know, a twelve years old girl telling you she will toughen up sounds rather cute and you would probably don’t take her serious at all. You would just pat her head and nod, thinking it is but a silly phase and she will grow out of it, eventually.The tricky thing was though, how do you change your attitude ever so little so no one will suspect anything was caused by some drastic event? The change had to come in a slow but steady stream. Mind you, I was but twelve years old. I tried assisting in my father’s weapon shop as many times as I was allowed to. My father and brother were delighted I took great interest in the wares we sold and how to settle deals and the like. In the following few months I was able to learn the one or other thing about weapons. I also helped restocking the weapon racks. There was no way I could even lift those great swords or axes, but given my strength and height I was at least able to help with smaller weapons like daggers, short swords and the like. Restocking them was not my only duty. At some point I was trusted with polishing the weapons. With the passing of months Alan got more and more consumed by his responsibilities at our father’s shop. But from time to time we managed to take out our wooden blades and were play fighting like in his younger days. I asked him if we could focus more on the duels itself. At some point you just don’t want to fight against fluffy toys any longer.Those were the days, but sometimes life wants you to take a path you did not expect. As time passed I grew stronger. Puberty hit me as well and my body was going through some changes. Some for the better, some for the worse. Well, my older sister usually teased me about silly things. In her eyes I was not acting like a lady. Excuse me, my dear sister, but not everyone is as well behaved and situated as you are. She sure was charming and attracted quite some boys. Me on the other hand, well, I sure attracted quite some trouble back in the days. To this day I still don’t know if I attract trouble or if trouble attracts me. I got more bruises in one month than she will ever get in her entire life, but that’s a different story. What I expected of life was becoming a strong and independent woman who could watch over herself. My parents however saw my future in the hands of the son of another local businessman. I got to know about it shortly after my 15^th birthday. I was shocked and trembling when I heard about these ‘good news’. I tried to protest, but to no avail. A date was arranged a few weeks later. My mother and sister were helping me into a lovely looking dress, getting me ready for my first date.I don’t want to go into too much detail here, but the date was a disaster. He sure was looking nice and he sure has been working on his physical appearance, but his character, well, his character did not really match up to his appearance. For whatever reason he seemed to be interested in me. I, however, was not attracted to him. I was only allowed to talk when granted and had to smile the whole time. That was so not me. But as I had promised my parents to behave and at least give him a chance I had to play along and smile at him like the whole time. He walked me back home and we said our good-byes. Just as I intended to turn around and gently close the door behind me, he leaned forward, trying to kiss me on my cheek. I did the only natural thing every other girl would have done in this awkward situation: I made it even more awkward. Stunned as I was I quickly slammed the door shut. I heard his nose meet the wooden door and shortly after some cursing. Still heavily breathing I stormed into my room. I guess I don’t have to tell you I was grounded for like weeks after my little stunt. From that day on some of our parents were always around, watching if I behaved on our weekly dates.This went on for some months and I rather resigned to my new situation. If meeting Damien, that was the boy’s name, were always supervised, I could not be mean to him. After all I somehow had to try breaking the feelings he held for me. Those were at no point mutual and after the little incident with the door his nose was slightly crooked. Whenever we were together I got reminded of my little stunt and misery. There was not an easy solution to my misery, though. I tried talking to my parents several times, but they were very traditional about their traditions. Those were passed down from generation to generation after all and are not easily to be overthrown.One day, as I was polishing weapons in the back room in the shop, I heard familiar voices. Alan was just praising his wares to some women. I peeked through the door. By their looks and equipment, they were mercenaries. And their voices and appearances felt familiar to me. I knew these two! These two were the ones who rescued me back in Nel! Lea and Tyrith. It took me some time to recognise them. After all I only met them in one fateful night some years ago and mind you, it was night when I met them. What should I do? Should I just walk up to them and introduce myself again? My brother would sure ask questions if I did so. No, I decided to follow them when they eventually leave the shop again. After a while the two women agreed on a deal my brother suggested and left the shop. Luckily the shop had a back door and I followed them for a while. Apparently they still had several errands to run and I followed them around Lan’s Port for quite some time. The sun was already setting in the west as they eventually left the town southwards. Close to the town there was a camp. This was no ordinary camp at all. I knew camps from business trips within the Sun Kingdom. This was not a camp of merchants, but mercenaries. Tyrith and Lea joined a group of like four other mercenaries. Two men and two more women. I wanted to approach them right now, asking them about any of their adventures they had certainly been part of in the past few years. Alas, I was not able to approach them. How would I introduce myself? Would they even approach me? And even worse, I completely forgot another date with Damien. So I decided to hurry back to town for now. It seemed like they were making camp for some more days here. I would just approach them tomorrow.Ever since I was to start dating Damien my life turned rather dull and boring. I had to neglect some of my physical training as it was my duty now to act and behave like a grown up woman. Seeing Lea and Tyrith again brought back old feelings, both good and bad. Sure, those thugs back them were just after a nice little ransom which my parents would have paid, but the women who freed me showed me how strong and independent women may be and I wanted to be like them. I wanted to live my own life, not live after the traditions of our family.The next morning approached and I was very nervous. How would they react? Well, there was only one way to find out. On my way towards the camp I bought some groceries. Some roasted salmon, bread and wine. A few years ago I would have never thought about such a thing. Guess I really grew into my role of what my family expected of me. Lea and Tyrith did not remember me at first. It had been some years after all and they certainly met several other folks during their travels. And I was no longer a little child. After I introduced myself and explained how we got to know each other they recalled our meeting in that fateful night. I spent the whole day with these mercenaries. Lea and Tyrith introduced me to their comrades: Lydia, an archer from Katherian, Dwennon, a scout from Hlint, Fiona, a sorceress from North Fort and Duncan, a bard from Port Hempstead. This band of mercenaries certainly visited many places all over Layonara already. Unfortunately, Tyrith’s scimitar shattered during their latest confrontation and had to order a new blade. From what I understood she was surrounded by a mob of bandits who were after her for personal reasons. I knew I had to ask them an important question and after sharing some wine I took all my courage and asked them if they could teach me the ways of a mercenary while they were still waiting for the delivery of the blade. My heart was racing and my face probably flushed brightly. Tyrith arched a brow and sighed softly.“Being a mercenary takes more than just a few days, Kira. It is a dedication and it is hard work. You have seen with your own eyes what happens if you are unprepared. It takes years of hard work and as you grow older you will still gain more insights. Just remember those thugs. They had weapons. A weapon does not make you a mercenary, or a fighter for that matter. “Kira looked down, “I know, Tyrith. I was helpful back in that night and I am still helpless to this very day. I don’t want to be helpless. I don’t want to be pushed or ordered around by my family.”“Kira,” Lea joined the conversation. “We all follow orders. We have to abide laws and the public order. The better you are the more responsibilities you have. A mercenary is not a cutthroat and does as he pleases. Some may think about it that way, but to be blunt, it is hard and tough work.”“Furthermore,” Tyrith continued, “If you travel around in a group you have to abide its inner structure and cannot do as you please. Everyone in our group has their places and follows orders of the others. We function as a family, Kira. Take Dwennon for example. He is the scout of our group. We depend on him and he also depends on us. We rely on his eyes and he knows we will be there in case he somehow screws up and gets caught.”“Oh come on, Tyrith!” Dwennon made a face and pouted, “That happened like what? One or two times and I was only spotted because you stumbled against a tree!”The whole group bursted into laughter. I just sat there, not really getting what they were laughing about.“I see your point, Tyrith. But what would you do in my position? I mean, you all seem like you love what you are doing. And then there is me, bound to a life I do not want to live!” I exclaimed.Tyrith and Lea exchanged looks and after moments Lea spoke up, “Let me put it this way, Kira. You do not seem all too fragile and if I compare the younger you with the current you then let me tell you, you really blossomed up. You’ve grown into a fine young woman. You seem strong and willing. But let me assure you, you have to stand to your decision and may have to face consequences. Tyrith and I think you may have got what it takes to be strong and independent. We will make camp for two more weeks here and we will start training you by tomorrow. Not melee combat, no. We’re far from being there. But we will test your physique and will. We will only do it under one condition, though.”I looked straight into her eyes, “Name it then, please.”Lea nodded slowly and continued, “After these two weeks we will judge your progress and form. You may not like our judgment, but it will be an honest one and you will accept it. If you don’t, well then you are but a spoiled little selfish child. And if we were to say you have got what it takes to follow our path then you have to come clean with your parents.”I nodded slowly, gazing into the roaring flames of the campfire, “Thank you.”I got a chance to prove myself. I was filled with joy and sadness at the same time. I had a chance to finally change my life. I did not know whether it was for the good or bad at that time. But I knew their judgment would change my life in either way and no matter the outcome, I would accept my fate. The following two weeks were tough. And if I mean tough it really was tough. All six of them tested me on different aspects. I had sore muscles even where I did not know I had muscles! Long distance running, sprints and strength exercises were only some part of training. Every night I fell exhausted into my bed. Sometimes I did not even manage to slip into my nightgown. After the two weeks my whole body was aching during exercises I almost passed out from exhaustion the one or other time. All the hard work paid off in the end, though. Their judgment was overly positive. They saw my strong dedication, even though I looked pretty miserable after these two weeks of excessive physical exercises. I proved that I was able to follow orders and not putting my personal wellbeing above others. There was one thing still left to do for me: I had to tell my parents about my decisions and my dreams and somehow come clean with them.I will spare you the very details about the discussion with my parents, my dear reader. Thinking about it still fills me with sadness, even to this very day. It was a heated discussion and words were said that were not forgivable, by both sides, mind you. In the end an agreement was made. I was allowed to leave my family and Damien behind, but I was to be disinherited as I disgraced the traditions of our family. Also I had to send a letter home every month and let them know I was still alive. And this is how I escaped the life that had been planned for me by my family’s traditions. I was free, but at a cost. I thought about what Lea and Tyrith told me back at the campfire. Everything comes at a cost and this was mine.I said my good-byes. Before I left Alan handed me my old wooden blade. I had almost forgotten about it. My eyes were filled with tears and so were my brother’s eyes as we hugged each other farewell. I knew I would miss my family and the innocent days of my childhood, long lost. But I had to deal with the consequences of my decision. And so I left and joined this fine band of mercenaries, my second family.At first I was shocked about how the life of a mercenary really is. I did not expect it to be like what I experienced. You don’t travel from city to city, slaying mighty overlords or dragons. I guess I was still a bit naïve with my 16 years. And then there were chores. Chores everywhere. Washing clothes, preparing meals, you get the idea. Mercenaries are no shiny knights who have their entourage. We had to do all of our own. And well, since I was their newest member, and to some extend their ‘squire’, it was my duty to organize their daily chores. I was used to comfort and my warm and cosy bed. The two weeks of training certainly did not prepare me for this, but I had to adapt to my newfound life and freedom. But let me assure you that I grew more responsible during the following months and years. The upside was that I got to train with them. But before they started my training I had to choose a personal mentor. A tough decision. I was young and wanted to learn everything there was to learn from everyone in the group. Naïve, I know. After testing their different disciplines, I eventually chose Tyrith as my mentor. Her blade work still impresses me to this very day.Tyrith was proficient with every weapon I knew from my father’s weapon shop. She knew of their advances and disadvantages. That’s why she always carried around at least three blades. A dagger, a medium sized blade and a great sword. A heavy sword may cause fatal wounds, but you cannot really make use of it in smaller areas. That’s where a dagger comes in handy. It might be less lethal, but can be very effective. Her favourite weapon, however, was a scimitar. As I asked her why she chose it over dozens of other weapons she told me that I will get to know about it on my own sooner or later. But before we even got to my melee weapon training I first had to undergo physical labour. It was not as intense as I experienced it in those two weeks, but that might have been because I slowly got the hang of it. In my spare time I also practices various aspects of my apprenticeship with Lea. I was still impressed by her jumping out of my window back in Nel. She also taught me how to pick locks or set traps. Lea told me that while I was way stronger than I was nimble, these skills might prove useful one day.The weapon training with Tyrith was tough. She expected a lot of me, but I guess she did it in my best interests. In order to rely on and trust each other in a fight you have to know about their strengths and weaknesses. I was trained in heavy and light armour, practicing with heavy and light weapons. To become a good mercenary and fighter I had to be versatile. According to Tyrith you have to train with a lot of weapons, but everyone has a favourite weapon. In Lea’s case those were short swords, in Tyrith’s case the scimitar. I soon got to know why Tyrith favoured the scimitar over all other blade. It may not be as devastating as a great sword, but it had a good balance and grip to it. You can strike fast and strong and the blade it light enough to change directions during a strike as well.On my 17^th birthday I ventured with Lea and Tyrith to the closest town. They said they had a special surprise for me waiting there. Once we arrived in Mariner’s Hold we were heading to one of the local weapon smiths. I was told that I was to pick one blade for myself. My first own blade! Joy filled me as I tested several blades. Finally, I made my decision. I tightened my grip on the hilt of the weapon and proudly held it up. It was but a scimitar. Smiling I hugged both of them and thanked them like a thousand times for this present. This was the best birthday I had in years!In the following months Tyrith and I focused mainly on my training with the scimitar. I got to know that even though many fighters have a favourite weapon, only few really focus on mastering their chosen weapon. That was what she wanted me to focus on. She explained to me that a favoured weapon is not just some steel, but the very extension of my sword arm, it has to become a part of me. At first I did not really get what she meant by those words, but then I had seen her fight. She truly mastered her chosen weapon. Lea was very skilled with her short swords as well, but she just did not reach a mastery of her weapons like Tyrith did.Even though I mainly focused on tactics in heated situations with Tyrith, I got to know some tricks of Lea as well. Lea was usually fighting in leather armours or reinforced clothing, whatever was most suited for her missions. As she could not rely on heavy armour as Tyrith and I did, she relied on her agility, dodging and evading blows. Not only when it came to melee ranged combat, but also when I accidentally ran into one of her traps. It was a rather unpleasant training. I was weighted down by my donned heavy plate, but if you get used to it, it certainly is doable. While Tyrith’s attacks focused mostly on strength, Lea’s attacks were more cunning and sneaking, always striking at your flanks und unprotected areas. Even though I was usually wearing my plate, or at least some chain mail, she always found my weak spots. I wanted to incorporate her skilful attacks to the fighting style Tyrith had been practicing with me. It took me quite some time and bruises to do so, but I eventually managed to adapt something from both of them and combined it into my very own style. I still wanted to master the scimitar, I still wanted the scimitar become the very own extension of my arms, but at the same time I also wanted to rely on more agility based manoeuvres in combat.Venturing through the lands together with this fine band of mercenaries certainly was a time I will always remember. I learned a lot in all those years and I certainly grew up to a better person. Looking back at my early years as a teenager I really know I used to be a bit chaotic and selfish. My training sure formed me into a more considerable and affable person. I still follow my own rules and codes, mind you, leaning to neither side.At some point our ways departed, though. Lea, Tyrith, Lydia, Fiona, Duncan and Dwennon accepted a mission they considered as too dangerous for a rookie like me. When Tyrith told me I did not want to accept it at all. Sadness filled me once again. Over these two years these kind souls welcomed me into their family and I loved being one of them. They set my path for what was to follow. Without them I would not be who I have become. I always feared this day might come one day. I just did not expect it this soon. I was still in training and just grasped the basics of combat, but deep in my heart I knew I had to set my own path at some point. I had to live on my own, I had to prove myself to the world. On our way to Mariner’s Hold we celebrated my 18^th birthday, a birthday of dear memories. I still felt sorrow in my heart, but with the days passing, I accepted the truth more and more. Naturally, I also received presents this birthday, the last birthday we would celebrate together. But before the celebrations started I just had to undergo one last test. A fight against Tyrith. I had to prove I was worthy of their time and worked hard on myself. The fight was intense. I managed to strike her a few times, but in the end it was me who was knocked down and felt her blade on my throat. We both chuckled while she helped me up again. I might have lost the fight that night, but I proved myself worthy having been trained by her and Lea.For my 18^th birthday I received three important presents that I still own to this very day: The first one, a drawn picture of our group. The second one: a blackened pendant displaying a lion’s head. This pendant was crafted by using some platinum out of Tyrith’s armour, so she’s always with me in moments of joy or grief. The third one, my dear reader, well, you are holding it in your hands right now. The third one is this very book, the biggest treasure of my whole life. All of what my life was and is about is written down on the following pages. This truly is my legacy.There I was now, saying tearful good-byes to my family at the docks of Mariner’s Hold. Where was I sailing? Port Hempstead on Mistone. Destination: Center. Center, the location where my very own adventure was about to start…

[Lily]

Freas, Augra 24, 1559

I arrived in Center, at last. The route from Mariner’s Hold to Port Hempstead was not all too pleasant for me, though. Everything still looked great when the vessel left the harbour on Alindor and set sail towards Mistone. The weather was warm and the air smelled salty. I have been on board of a ship before, but this time was special to me. It was the first time I set sail to another continent and certainly the first step towards my new life as a mercenary on my own. I was excited to see how my new life would turn out to be, but at the same time I already missed my family and friends. Where were Tyrith, Lea and the others heading? It must have been something rather dangerous, else Tyrith would have demanded I fight back to back with her. I hope she is doing alright. Wherever she may be at the moment, whatever she is doing at the moment, I will always be with her even if only in my thoughts and fond memories of the times we ventured through Alindor together.

The weather changed while our ship set sail to Port Hempstead. The skies turned darker and the wind blew with more and more force. Lightning flashed through the sky and the following thunder let even our vessel tremble, as large as it was. The captain was shouting orders to his crew and they hurried to secure its sails and the rigging. For the first time in my life I felt seasick and powerless as the same time. There was nothing I could do. I was no sailor and it was hard to even see anything in the heavy rain. Then it struck me. I had been catching some rays of bright sunshine while she ship was leaving Mariner’s Hold. I still left my equipment laying around on deck! Gods help me! Adrenaline rushed through me as I darted towards to where I left my belongings. Just as I got there a wave struck over the deck and with it most of my belongings were gone. Everything on deck was gone. I fell on my knees, sobbing. My armour and blade were gone, taken by the stormy sea. I felt miserable. My blade! The scimitar I got from Tyrith and Lea for my 17^th birthday. It was but a copper blade, but high in personal value. The rest of my personal possessions were securely locked away under deck, so I still had my other valuable possessions. If I learned something over the past two years then that life will go on. If I ever set foot on Mistone I will buy myself a new blade and continue my journey in these foreign lands. I stood up and slowly went back under deck.

The rest of the ride was rather pleasant and some time later we arrived the port of Port Hempstead. I restocked quickly there and left with a caravan towards Center. After a few days travel I securely arrived in Center. Center is a really interesting place. It is not much of a town like Lan’s Port is, but it is still full of life. The reason why I was heading toward Center was that Duncan told me it is a place where many adventurers and mercenaries linger around, so a lot of opportunities to prove myself. Still without armour or a weapon I started wandering through this very town.

It did not take me a long to find my first opportunity to prove myself. A young man stood close to the town’s centre and was looking for some help. Apparently he was looking for someone who was able to wield a blade and work as some sort of bodyguard for him. I told him I was proficient with blades of all sorts and offered my help. Michael, that’s his name, has an interesting taste in his wardrobe. Lavender and pink do not really go well together, but it does not seem to bother him at all. However, as I was short on money he offered me a loan of 200 True so I could by a new blade and some armour. After successful fulfilment of my job I’d have to pay him back. We agreed and he showed me around Center a little. After all I had to seek out the local merchants for weapons and armour. I also had to take care of food and water supply. The local armour merchant wanted more than 2,000 True for a simple copper plate. I protested, but to no avail. Copper blades were less expensive and thus I settled for a copper rapier and scimitar for now. I also purchased a large copper shield. As plates were way too expensive, judging the cost for a low quality armour, for me, I decided to stick to my old leathers and postponed my armour purchase for a later time.

Before he would take me along with him I had to prove my worth. Michael is a wizard, proficient in bending the Al’Noth to his will, and offered my some protection so I’d stand a chance against my future opponents. To prove myself we headed to a kobold encampment close to Center on the way to Port Hempstead. Kobolds are fierce creatures, that’s for sure! I was nervous when I first encountered them. So far I always fought alongside Tyrith and Lea and knew I could rely on them. But in this specific situation I was on my own and if I failed I’d not be hired by Michael. After a few strikes with my blades they already fell before me. Well, they looked tougher than they were in reality, at least when facing just one or two of them. We ventured farther into a swamp which really was infested by kobolds. Some of them even know how to bend the Al’Noth to their will and engaged us with magic. Together we managed to press on and defeat our opponents. I was still wearing my old leathers so I was hit many times. I really had to invest in some plate armour for better protection!

Once I proved myself worthy in these swamps we ventured to a place where undead creatures roamed the lands. It was a horrible experience as I never fought against undead creatures before. They don’t seem to feel pain which makes it hard to aim for their weak spots or strike a devastating hit. A dark place, that’s for sure. After we defeated Michael wanted us to travel to Krashin, some islands up in the north as we required sapphires for his alchemy. Krashin sure is a rough land and trust me, it is way too cold and icy over there. I almost tripped several times. The veins were to be found in some icy caves beneath the surface. The cold was the least of a problem there, though. These caves were inhabited by even more kobolds and on our trip up north we even spotted kobolds which were riding wolves or even spiders! The fights were very challenging and I also passed out one time when I was surrounded by kobolds. They really know how to hit with their spears. I still do not really know what struck me as I went down. I felt the last spikes of adrenaline rush through my body as my vision darkened and fell to the ground. Heat surrounded me. Was I dead? I felt pain rushing through my entire body and all of a sudden I breathed violently for air. I was alive again. Micheal knelt beside me, pouring a potion down my throat. He seemed very concerned and let a sigh of relief escape him as I opened my eyes again. The kobolds were slain while I was slowly dying. We took shelter in a corner of the icy cave before we continued our journey. My fingers already fell numb from the harsh cold down here. Next time, he promised me, we would venture to a warmer, more arid place. We securely made our way back to Fort Vehl where our ways departed for now. I managed to pay back my loan and with a pouch of True I headed back to Center.

Michael told me about two major stores on Mistone. Luckily both of them are located close to Port Hempstead. I was just browsing through the various chests of the Angel’s Guild store as a proud man introduced himself as Daniel Poetr, Knight of the Golden One and member of the Angels. I politely introduced myself and told him about how most of my equipment was lost in the storm. I bought an iron scimitar and Daniel offered me a discount for a copper full plate if I helped him gathering the resources needed for crafting a new one. For the duration of the trip I was allowed to borrow a half plate. On our way to Hlint we stopped at Krandor. While we restocked supplies there we were approached by a little girl who was looking for some help. Her name was Nicky, I think. Apparently she was wandering around in a crypt with her grandfather’s ashes when some skeletons jumped on her. While she managed to flee, a green glowing skeleton managed to take the ashes. Naturally we offered our help and ventured into the dark crypts. The crypt really was eerie and I felt watched the whole time. Together with Daniel I managed to take down many of these undead creatures. What is dead should stay dead and if they don’t then it is on me to put them back to their rest again. Daniel told me that there is something more sinister beneath these crypts. It is believed that there may be a hidden temple of Corath somewhere. Some evidence down there supports this thesis. Whether the rumours are true or not I cannot say at the moment. I just arrived here a few days ago after all. Once we managed to get the ashes back we made our way back to the surface where Nicky gladly took the ashes back and happily strolled off.

After our short stop in Krandor we continued our way to Hlint. Close to Hlint we found some caves which are inhabited by fierce goblins. We had to enter the caves for raw copper ore, though. Together we managed to mine enough ore for a new set of armour. Luckily for us there is a smithy in Hlint. While Daniel was working on my new armour I spent some time with his lovely wife, Lana, in Hlint. She offered me a short tour through the town. According to her Hlint was once a town full of live and adventurers, but the all moved on to Port Hempstead and Center and thus Hlint appears to be somewhat sleepy. I asked how they got to know each other and this is where things really got interesting. Apparently Lana was the wife of Daniel’s father. I did not ask whether Lana was Daniel’s real mother or not. I got to know that some people are not fond of their love and do not understand them. It is not for me to judge them by it, though. It may be common on Mistone for all I know. I don’t. And isn’t it better to be with someone who you love instead of a forced love by others? I know I had no feelings for Damien back then and I did not want to spend the rest of my life with him. However, Hlint is still a lovely place and has a nice garden. Daniel managed to make me a very well fitting piece of armour and did not want any True for the making as I helped him in Krandor and also got the ore together with him. We said our good-byes and I spent the night in Hlint to rest.

Later I took a portal back to Center where I worked on the design of my new armour. Using portals feels rather strange and I still don’t know how they really work. But every part of my body tingled and tensed as I stepped through the portal. Still a feeling I will have to get used to, I guess. While I was in the craft hall to work on my armour and blade and was also looking for any job offers I overheard a conversation by a hooded man and a small man. A halfling or gnome I guess. The man was filled with eternal sadness and performed a lovely, yet sad tune on his violin as he sang along. As lovely as the tune was, the story was not and after his performance I felt a depression creeping into my very bones and heart. I was trembling with tears. The name of the performer was Farros. If I ever meet him again, I may ask him about his sorrow. I would have done so after the performance, but I was struck by it and besides that, he vanished right in front of my eyes after the last tune.

Well, I guess I should rest for now. The past two weeks really have been interesting. I still have a lot to see and I already know that I will look forward to all these new adventures that await me here in Center. These adventurers sure are interesting folks….