Well I'll take the bad with the good. During my travels from the mountains I've been robbed, nearly mauled to death by cougars and savaged by dog sized rats. The robbers got nearly everything while I was snoozing; My holy symbol of Dorand, my crafting certificate, my armour and my hammer. Just outside of Center I was set upon by viscious cougars with nought to defend myself but some flimsy leather armour and a measley mace. I would have met my death if not for a timely rescue by a wee halfling named Quenton. Before I could properly thank him he tossed me some healing potions and was off like a shot.Subsequnetly, I spent time looking for work in Center and was hired to do some extermination work at the craft hall. Truly this was a task sent by Dorand himself. How else can it be explained? And it was no mean feat. These rats were like ravenous wolves. My good fortune held however and a presumptuous halfling named Thorn aided me for three quarters of the reward value. I'm quite certain his parents named him after getting to know him for at least a year. But the reward for me was in seeing that the crafting hall was free from pestilence. In addition to the rats there were beetles the size of your hand and some unnamable, bloated queen insect. These were dispatched without difficulty but from the rats I contracted a sickness lasting several days and lay in convalescence in the bushes on the edge of town.The Lord Forge saw fit to add a further trial upon my recovery. While chatting with yet another halfling (there seem to be a fair few in this part of the land) named Kenzie, a human woman named Mary proposed that, for a fee, we might help her to gather ingredients for her craft. I knew this to be a test of my resolve to further the pursuit of crafting in our world. This fine woman needed cooking ingredients that required treking half way around Mistone. It seems awfully dangerous to confront lizard men, trolls and enraged, moving trees in order to gather a few cooking ingredients but who am I to question the will of Dorand? It happened that the wee halfling was more than she seemed and although I had to protecct her by throwing myself in the way of rampaging trolls several times, she proved a worthy companion. I've replaced some of my personal effects now but I must purchase a set of armour and a crafting certificate. Most importantly, I need to locate a holy symbol of Dorand.