Rojo's Journal

[Rojo]

Well after some time living on this continent called Mistone, I have decided it is about time to create a journal, but where to begin? My father had always stated that I should always start at the beginning, but my memory is somewhat lacking at the moment but I will try to do my best to capture what has transpired since arriving here.

From the time I left home, I was in constant worry about my well being. I had very little on me at the time, and the wakening of the Dream (or summons) by the dragon, found me in a strange place. A war is being fought and while the thrill of being part of something epic excites me, I am terrified that I will not be able to play the part of the heroes I have always heard about. I remember little of how I wound up in a town called Hlint, but suffice it to say that it was an interesting experience to be found in a strange land, with no idea of where to begin.

My first order of business at the time was to explore the town and find a place to stay. The Wild Surge Inn is in Hlint proper and is now the place I call home. Next was to see if there was work to be found as I was short on funds, but from talking to the townsfolk, there were plenty of errands that could be performed that would pay well and would allow me to survive here. My initial attempt of trying to obtain coin was to see if I could get the Innkeeper to allow me to pay for my room and board through me entertaining the variety of clientele that frequented the inn, but that met with disaster as I found that I still could not hold a tune. Also I found that I am quite shy performing in front of people so needless to say the combination did not work well and after 1 night of work, the innkeeper reluctantly had to cancel his arrangement with me. I spent that first night in miserable contemplation as my dream of trying to entertain people was shaping up to be one of wishful thinking. However, over the next couple of days, I found out some interesting things about myself. I had decided to venture in the sewers in order to help out with keeping the rat population down, when I encountered another person doing the same. This person was happily singing away and was casting what he later referred to as arcane magic to help him. We talked for awhile and the more we did, the more I became excited as something about the way he talked and explained his life, triggered something deep inside me. It was as if a window had opened up in my mind and made clear what had been bothering me. When he mentioned he was a bard, it evoked the memories of my childhood and I was eager to hear more from him. We later had gone up to the Inn where he was quite willing to explain how he became one and after hours of describing his life, I knew this was my destiny. Unfortunately, in my excitement, I had forgotten his name and had not seen him around since, as I had wanted to thank him for his time as it and helped me become the person I am today. Through the observation of him while in the sewers and trial and error, I found that I had an ability in the arts of arcane magic as well, and while very limited I was able to cast minor spells. The second thing I found out was that while I could not hold a tune, I loved to sing while clearing out the sewers, and that my singing inspired me in my conquest of those filthy rats.

[Rojo]

Over the next few weeks, I continued to practice the arts and happily sang on my errands, when I noticed something peculiar. I had ventured with some others to help them out in various quests, when someone had mentioned that they were thankful that I had come along as my singing inspired them in battle. I had never looked at my singing as being beneficial to anyone but me, but this was great news indeed, as it filled me with sense of being able to do something worthwhile. As my confidence grew, I started to explore the country side more often and was able to perform a variety of quests on my own. My skills at singing and spell casting have increased as well, and I feel that there has been a slight change in the way I have looked at things. My childhood dreams of being an entertainer has slowly been replaced by adventure, not in that I want to change from being a Bard, but on how I use my skills. From that special moment back at the fair, all I had ever wanted to do was to entertain and write ballads, but I have found that my social skills lack, I can barely hold a tune in public, and I have been having trouble writing the epic adventures I had dreamed about. Instead I have noticed that I have more a sense of belonging by adventuring, inspiring others in battle, that I am more inclined to go out on quests than to write ballads, or entertain in an inn. I know deep inside me I am a Bard, but not as I thought I would be in an entertainer and teller of tales, but as someone who likes to first live them by using my skills and exploring new places and enjoy what this world has to offer. In time I am sure once I have seen more of this place, I shall start to write those ballads that we bards are known for.

[Rojo]

I have met a variety of people, ranging from Dwarves and Elves to Goblins and Drow. How they all manage to co-exist in this town amazes me especially concerning the Drow. Are we not at war with them? How is it that these folk can be trusted? While I have a very open mind when it comes to meeting people, I cannot help but be somewhat distrustful of them. While most appear very genuine in terms of their offering friendship, I wonder if there might be an ulterior motive and maybe a few spies amongst them. I will need to keep watch and be careful who I befriend…perhaps I might know more as to what is going on by socializing with them…something I need to think about.

I have made some friends or at least I think I have and they are too numerous to name here, but 1 person I will mention is that of Fnor Ravenclaw. An Elf he is and somewhat of a quiet one at that. While he can be abrupt and to the point, we have hit it off and have noticed that we compliment each other very well in our adventuring and gathering of resources for my crafting which I will mention a bit later. He also likes adventure and is fearless in exploring new places. Where I am more of the cautious type, Fnor is willing to try anything and will plunge right into any situation.

[Rojo]

I recall our quest for cougar pelts in how that we had managed to cross the Blood Desert and survived. In my inquiries around Hlint, I had found that cougars could be found outside of Fort Velensk , near the southern tip of Mistone. I was directed to make my way to Leilon and take a boat down there. Not much more was offered in directions, but being the adventurous sort that we were, we did precisely that. We both knew of Leilon as we had frequented the area while scouting the countryside, so that first leg of our trip went quite easily.

We finally managed to find a boat willing to go as far as Port Hampshire where I recalled from people, was along the west coast of the Island and further south. Since it was in the general direction of where we had wanted to go, we booked passage. From there we managed to find a boat to go to Fort Velensk so we were set and figured it would be just as easy making our way back, but little did we know. We scouted around Fort Velensk and managed to gather some pelts and planned for our trip back, when we found out that none of the boats was willing to go to Port Hampshire or any place that we had heard of. We had little funds and found our self in a situation of having to make a long trek across the continent.  

After ensuring we were well provisioned, we headed in the general direction of where we thought Hlint would be. The initial phase of our trek was easy enough until we hit a desert, which we later learned was the Blood Desert. What a bleak place this was! There were Sandstorms galore and a very foreboding aura around it. We decide to brave the desert as we had plenty of food and water on us and figured we were going in the right direction. To make a long story short, we encountered Giants, fantastic creatures which we were told were Manticores, and snakes. We spent most of our time trying to find a safe route around these creatures as we were still very inexperienced and found ourselves hiding behind various terrain every chance we got. I never realized how wide a desert could be, as it was an endless sea of sand and at one point we seriously decided to head back to Fort Velensk but kept telling ourselves it had to end soon and so we trudged on.

After countless days and nights we finally arrived out of the desert but not before having to battle the giants and snakes. While Fnor had fallen a few times in combat, my skills which had been improving, helped nurse him back to health. While running out of supplies, we eventually made our way North to Haven Castle much to our delight, as we were in familiar territory. After all this, we both agreed that the trip had indeed been most foolhardy and that we had been very lucky to survive such an outing. In any case, I have mapped out where we have visited for future reference and have made note of the desert with a little side note to avoid this area for the time being.

[Rojo]

Crafting – what can I say about it. Awhile back I had noticed many people with ox in tow, heading towards one of the buildings on the eastside of Hlint. Casual inquiry and investigation led me to the Craft Hall which opened my eyes to another side of my self. People were happily working away on various items, some unusual in nature, others very ordinary, but all wonderfully crafted. I was taken in by this and was drawn instantly into this world of creation. Ilsare knows how I love to create and the thought of being able to craft something and bring into this world, got me hooked.

I was drawn immediately to tailoring, for I had often seen my mother make wonderful garments and saw the uses for it. With all the traveling, I saw that various items on me were starting to wear thin due to their use. While I knew I could simply buy what I needed, I felt the desire to create these things on my own.

I also enjoyed the idea of working with wood, both for trying to see if I could eventually craft a musical instrument for myself, but also for supplying myself with the much needed bolts for my trusty crossbow. Just one problem; I am all thumbs when it comes to wielding an axe. After my first attempt at chopping wood nearly resulted in me taking off one of my legs, I realized I was better off to have someone collect the wood I needed.

This is where Fnor came in. He is very handy with an axe and also with a pick which helped in the mining of ore which was required for arrowheads. I help him gather his necessary materials by keeping watch while he mines or chops what is needed, as most of these raw materials are in the vicinity of vile creatures and so we are an effective tandem. You will often see the two of us wandering the countryside collecting what we need so that we can both craft what we can use, Fnor more on weapons involving metals and heavy armor and myself on light armor, clothing and anything related to wood

[Rojo]

I have spent a great deal of time on crafting and have forsaken adventuring for trying to create items that will help protect me while out in the wilderness. I have improved greatly and my sense of accomplishment when I have managed to make something is beyond belief. The first time I created a set of fine gloves, I was overjoyed as it required much practice and patience before I was able to craft something useful.

I recall one day when looking at my hickory crossbow, I had the desire to upgrade to one made of oak. I was not yet experienced with working with this wood, so I decided to post a notice at the Hlint inn and see if someone had one for sale. I was lucky as I found someone who had one available, and so I bought the oak crossbow for many a coin. The odd thing was, that while I was pleased with my purchase of this fine weapon, I was also at the same time disappointed in myself, as given enough time and practice, I myself could have created this piece of work, and so I decided that from that day forward, I would strive to first make things myself. I know I will not be able to create everything I want, but at least I will attempt it, and if I feel it is not within my skills to do so, only then will I seek someone out for the item.

[Rojo]

Much has transpired since I first arrived here and while I have not managed to capture everything that has taken place with me, I have endeavored to put down the main points of my involvement in this world so far. It has not amounted to much, but it is a beginning and as I become stronger and more confident in myself, I am sure that I will start to explore the more mysterious and exotic locales on this continent and perhaps start to write some tales. For now though I am content to roam the surrounding areas and become familiar with them, as well as continuing to improve on my crafting skills. I still try to help out others whenever there is a need and I am often willing to join a group of people on their own quests, as these have often inspired me to think how I can better myself.

I have finally caught up to the present time in my journal and I now find myself sitting on the floor of my newly purchased home in Leilon. Living out of the inn in Hlint served its purpose but I was starting to feel confined to the room. Also with the travels to date and the crafting, I was accumulating a fair bit of goods with no place to store them. Wherever I had ventured I was always looking for a place I could call my own, but very little was available especially so within a price range I could afford. I had often passed through Leilon and had managed to find a house for sale, but I had nowhere near the money required to buy it.

With much thought, I had asked Fnor if he was interested in splitting the cost of a house, and he said he definitely was so we worked together, as we always seem to do, towards the goal of raising enough coin for the house. It took some time, but we finally managed to accumulate enough funds for the purchase. I close today’s chapter of my journal with my sense of finally belonging somewhere. It is sparse with no furniture of yet, but at least I can truly call it home.