A Letter Home

[Rasterick]

Retrieved from the body of an Orc found near the Zhainge River, North of Krandor by a wandering bandit.

My Dearest Mother and Father

I pray to Katia that you are well, and that mothers illness is no further advanced. I can only apologise that I have not written before, but things have been hectic here. I feel that there is some strange happenings afoot, something that I beleive, I am in some way a part of, what part I do not yet know.

Since arriving here several weeks ago, I have met many fascinating people, and I have even seen a Drow and a Ogre wander through the town of Hlint. Even stranger, I have had a rather pleasant chat with a Goblin; what a strange fellow, constantly talking of food, and what he was going to eat next.

I am afraid I am no closer to finding the wherabouts of Maver, the trail has gone cold here, and I do not know where to look next, I will continue have no fear.

The other day I bumped into Garic Tegangand, he was in a right state, his father had passed away recently, and I feel that he is on a suicide mission, he accompanied me and some friends on a mining trip, his reckless disregard for his own saftey was most disconcerting.

If this letter precedes me, then the postal service is better than I thought. I hope to be able to vist you both very shortly, how I look forward to that so much. I have so much to tell you, and the written word would not do the fantasic stories justice.

Missing you both dearly

Your ever loving son

Ulver

The bandit, having read the note, screwed it into a ball and cast it into his campfire. "Mummies boy", he muttered under his breath. The flames took hold of the the note, the ash, caught by the updraft of the fire fluttered upward and there, caught by the breeze, scattered themselves across the world.

The bandit settled back against the tree with his head on his pack;  looked at his three comrades, closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

[Rasterick]

Sent four years ago to Calum and Kiera Arndt - Six months after Ulver left home with Llurial Yanteryl

Mother and Father

Forgive me, I must have caused you much worry. Leaving at the break of day as I did, six months ago. I had to leave, I needed to find myself, to answer those questions that bounce around in a young mans head.

I am well, and think that the choice I took to come here was the correct one, my life lacked direction and purpose. That is not to say that I have a direction now, but I am better equipped to find one.  Llurial agreed to train me in the ways of the forest. I was overjoyed, my felling of closeness to nature here is truly remarkable.

Being trained as a ranger is not what I expected, there are long periods of inactivity where we just sit and observe the way of things. Only the other day, we sat from dawn to dusk watching a pride of lions.  I had never realised that the males could be so lazy, the females seemed to do all the hunting, caring for the young and  even brought food back for the males. But just when I thought that the males would never stir from their slumbers. A  Amost remarkable thing happened, a large wolf like creature; which I later discovered to be a hyena, tried to sneak up and steal the rememants of their last meal; a large male deer. As it was just about to clamp its jars on the carcass, the male closest, sprang to its feet, locked its mouth on the hyenas neck, shook the already limp body from aside to side, and then with hardly an effort tossd it into the branches of a nearby tree.

That evenning, sat around a fire Llurial asked me a question about the days events, "Why did the the death of the hyena shock you so much? " he asked. I sat a thought for a moment, my answer when it came. made him smile. "Even though they appeared lazy, aloof and just content to sleep in the sun, they are still capable of demonstrations of great strength and speed". Llurial smiled, "From that lesson, one can learn many things, never take what you see on the outside as the true nature of the beast. Inside may lurk a strength or power that will suprise.  As the unfortunate hyena found out to its cost".

And so it continues, Llurial uses the nature of the land to demonstrate a point, to convey a meaning to a question or just re-enforce a simple truth. I take it all in, and with it becoe emore confident and relaxed with myself.

A question I am afraid to ask, and one that burns away in my mind; Is why does he do this, why did the events that  lead up to my being here seem so contrived and orchestrted?

Maybe one day I will find out, but it seems to me that there are more questions than answers, no matter how much you search.

Take care both of you.

Your Son

Ulver