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Black smoke was rising into the sky, twirling and twisting in the wind, until it finally blended with the storm clouds above the plains. The wind, its every gust stronger and more aggressive than the previous one, was blowing in his face, the smell of burning wood mixed with sickening stench of scorched flesh it carried assaulting his nostrils. And as if it hadn't been enough, it also conveyed muffled, yet still distinctive noises of the happening in the plains; battlecries, orcs' grunts, women's pleading and children's cries... The sky was as dark as the darkest of the nights, with heavy storm clouds covering pretty much all of it, with the exception of the piece above where he stood. There, it seemed, an eye of the storm had formed, and the sun was pouring through it. But it wasn't a soothing light; far from it, actually. Almost searing, it was unnaturally bright and sharp, like only the sunlight just before the storm can be. Across the plains, just above the horizon, majestic lightnings were flashing, illuminating the distant mountain range surrounding the plains. And there was fire... He stood there, as in a dream, his eyes transfixed on the burning village. Most of the houses were burning, their inhabitants either dead or fighting the vain battle with invading orc horde. It was a grotesque, even surreal image; the plains lit by the fire, by the lightning flashes and the sun, all the light reflecting off the snow that was covering the plains. And then the whole image was bizarrely mirrored in the lake; the flashes, the light, the dark of the sky contrasted by the white of the plains, which was, before his eyes, slowly being turned into red... He stood there, unable to move, unable to scream as his eyes set on the last standing house. Its doors would open ajar, and a man and a woman would rush out, facing the orc horde. The man bearing a sword and a shield that would have a certain magic gleam to them in the grotesque light, and woman carrying a staff that seemed to have been drawing energy from the stormy sky itself; she was clearly shouting something. His heart sang as he saw the first group of orcs meet the blast coming from the staff, the surviving ones meeting their end at man's blade. In spite of pain, he felt pride and hope as he saw second group faring no better, nor the third one. And yet, there would be a shadow of fear in his heart as he glanced at the sky that was getting even darker, as he felt the strengthening wind gusts, bringing him a promise of fury and destruction being unleashed. A shadow of fear that grew as he saw the orcs rally, as he saw the last two people of the village make their stand, back to back, in anticipation of the final onslaught. And for a moment, it seemed as if the time had frozen still, and suddenly, it seemed to him as if he was standing next to them, seeing their faces clearly. There was no fear in their eyes, maybe a trace of remorse, but there was a lot of determination, and even – relief? The moment had passed, and he found himself on the hilltop again, at the brink of the forest, facing the plains and facing the massacre from the safe distance – yet so close. And he saw orcs charge, and he saw the man and the woman fight back, knowing their fate, yet standing firmly in the wake of destruction. And they fought, taking down many of the orcs that seemed so tiny, so frail from where he stood, until their sheer number swept them away and left their bodies lying battered amidst the rest of the villagers... And then, the sky closed, and there was nothing but black and void...
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“Roy!” the voice, clearly belonging to a boy, was echoing across the hilltop, bringing a boy that was standing there back to reality. “Roy?! I know you're here!” He blinked and took another longing gaze at the sun that was setting behind the mountains that were stretching behind the far edge of the plains. Not again. He sighed. Stupid dreams... He shook his head, yet his eyes remained fixed on the plains. Ever since he had the nightmare for the first time, the vision wouldn't let go of him. Every time he looked out there... He had felt the plains, the mountains, the forest and whatever's beyond calling to him before, but now... It was hard to explain, but in spite of pain and repulsion he felt every time he glanced out there and went through the nightmare again, the call of wilderness had never been stronger, more alluring. As if everything was beckoning to him... He found himself staring out in the distance again, and moments later, he was found in similar condition by the boy who had been calling his name earlier. “Roy!” The first boy blinked, and slowly turned to face the newcomer. He slightly shook his head to get some of his brown, messy looking, hair out of his face, then settled his dark brown eyes on the boy behind him. They were of same age, both on their way to finish the transition from adolescence to adulthood, and they were of similar build, with the exception of the second boy looking much stronger. There were other differences between them, and a good start would perhaps be the fact that the second boy was blonde-haired and blue-eyed. He also had different facial features, more like those of boys' father (though, to be honest, it didn't make him any better looking... nor any less, while we're at it). And it wasn't so much for their physical differences (after all, nature sometimes works in mysterious ways) rather than their characters that made people swear those two couldn't have been brothers. To put it short, the second boy, as many good qualities as he had, had turned out to be somewhat a bully, of quick anger and thinking that everything and everyone could be made see things his way after having met a club or a wall for sufficient amount of time. This is not to say he was evil or anything, it's just that sometimes he got carried way... especially when booze was involved... And, as the one that had been referred to as Roy observed, he was drunk. Very drunk. So very drunk, in fact, that Roy was wondering how he had managed to come all the way there, but, as he gazed into those blurry bright blue eyes, he decided to leave that mystery unveiled for some other time. “What is it, Butch?” Butch (that, of course, wasn't his real name... but everyone who had pleasure of meeting him had found themselves thinking it was somehow fitting) blinked a bit and after short reflection (which mostly involved fighting the dullness that Old Bert's Brew had brought upon his mind and after that fighting the urge to stumble back to Bert's and have another pint...) his face twisted in anger. “I had a talk with Annah, y'know?” as if simple statement, combined with question tag, explained it all. Except that it didn't, though Roy had to admit it narrowed it down, at the very least.”Said she talked to Lisa, y'know?” His eyes flashed dangerously at Roy, who suddenly felt very weak. One of the few things that remain... “Said Lisa likes you better...” he added with certain disbelief in his voice. Roy sighed. Lisa was a girl both he and his brother fancied... But that was before the nightmare, before the call... It wasn't that he loved her any less, but with the world calling to him, he found himself even less suitable for her than Butch. Sometimes, he had to admit, doing the right thing didn't feel good, didn't feel good at all. He could see where the whole thing was going. There was a silly custom in the village (the whole region, actually) that involved two men duelling over a woman. According to popular belief, the custom had persevered because a) men were hulking brutes who needed to prove their strength on every possible occasion, and b) women enjoyed that sort of attention. (On a side note, it's interesting to observe that there's mutual agreement on the former, whereas the latter point was fervently being denounced by the woman part of village (regional) population). The way Roy saw it, Butch had had a pint and an encouragement from his buffoon friends too many. As it were, the results could be very unpredictable. Once you get the boulder rolling downhill, it's hard to stop it, Grandpa Huyghes would have observed (and, Roy figured, he probably had, upon seeing Butch staggering out of the Inn). He had no intention to fight his brother, though. If nothing else, it felt wrong; there were other things than could have been taken care of that required one's fighting skills... And, the best battle is the avoided one, Grandpa Huyghes had once said, before he was brought pint of Bert's and lost himself in rambling about the epic battles he'd witnessed as a mere lad... “Sooo...” Butch looked between Roy and the hilt of his sword with stunning accuracy. “You can have her, Butch.” Roy said quietly, uttering the words with difficulty. “Think she'd be happier with you, anyway. Good luck” He forced small smile, which contrasted the collapsing feeling in his chest. It took a while for Butch to comprehend the situation (after fighting the effects of Bert's Brew and the urge to get more). “T...thanks?” he stammered and uncertainly looked at Roy, who nodded again. “Yeah, think she'd be happier with you...” Roy repeated again, as if trying to reassure both of them. Butch paused, thought, gave a satisfied nod, then gave in to the urge and wandered off to get another pint of Bert's Brew. Roy stood and watched him leave, feeling as if he were dying inside. He felt bad for lying, and even worse for letting the woman he loved go this way. But, as he glanced at the setting sun, he knew where his heart was. And, he reflected, he hadn't really lied to Butch. And he felt slightly better about it – the curing power of the human reason...
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“Roy, we need to talk” the words of the man he had known as his father were still ringing in his ears as he was leaving the place he'd always known as his home. Soon after Butch had taken his leave, a young girl and a man came hurrying towards Roy. “Roy!” the girl began crying. “I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have told...” her voice trailed off. Roy turned to face them, then forced another weak smile. “Don't worry, Annah... it's settled.” “Did you two...?” “No.” “You...?” “Yeah.” “Why?” He slightly shrugged, not even fully knowing the answer himself. He turned towards plains so she couldn't see a tear forming in his eye. “Annah, go back to house.” their father gently patted the girl on her shoulders. She began to protest, but he gave her a rather stern look, which he rarely did, so she left them. They both stood in silence, watching the sun set. “Roy, we need to talk.” said the man, putting hand on boy's shoulder. “I'm sorry, Da'. I swear, I meant to do all the work you gave me, but... it's every time I look out there...” the words came out of him like an avalanche, but were stopped by man's gesture. “It's not about the work left undone, Roy. It's about what you see...” And he told him; of plains, of village, of orcs. Of the man and the woman, of their fight. The man listened thoughtfully, and Roy could've sworn he saw the man's eyes moisten. “I guess it's the time, then...” the man muttered in hoarse voice. Seeing the puzzled expression on boy's face, he inquired. “The plains, Roy. Do they remind you of anything?” The boy shook head, having been asking himself the same question over and over again. “I... don't know... They... they feel, familiar, and much like ours here. Even the lake, and the mountains. But... it's different.” He helplessly shrugged. The man nodded thoughtfully. “Look like as if you were standing far across the lake? At the brink of the forest you can see over there? Facing the mountain peaks behind us from the distance?” He glanced at the boy whose eyes widened as he turned to look behind them. “With the forest having spread over the hills over there during past twelve years?” He added quickly and saw the boy's jaw drop. That was it! That's why it seemed familiar, yet different. But how...? He questioningly looked at his father. “You see, Roy,” the man cleared his throat and looked at boy “twelve years ago, there was a village over there. It was burnt by the orcs on what seemed to had been a doomsday. Horde of orcs poured out of nowhere, and caught everyone off guard. I... I believe it's what you see...” The boy nodded; yes, it made sense. But still... “There's a house, Da'. And two people. A warrior and a sorceress of a sort...?” His father had sad smile on his lips. “Roy, you know how people always joke you and Butch can't be brothers?” Roy blinked, caught off guard by the unusual question. Then the puzzled expression on his face slowly faded away to give place to the one of bewilderment, as the truth came on to him... Noticing his expression, the man nodded. “Sasha and I aren't your real parents, Roy,” he said simply, not being the man who'd be found beating around the bush. “Ryan and Alex were.” He paused a bit, letting it sink. “It was already too late when we arrived to aid. We fought the orcs off, but there was nobody left. We... we found you nearly frozen in the snow at the brink of forest, in safe distance from the village and the orcs. You were in shock, and the healers who fought for your life said you most like wouldn't remember the events you had witnessed... So Sasha and I took you in. We thought Ryan and Alex would want us to. You see, we were old friends; grew up together, then, when we were your age, we set off together for adventuring...” In spite of all paying heavy toll for all the information received at once, Roy's eyes widened. “So... my dad... was a ranger? And my... mother... was the other bard? From your stories?” The man nodded and smiled a bit. “Aye, the best Sasha and I have ever known. Hmm... now that you mention it.” He reached in one of his pockets and handed a leather pouch on leather cord to the boy. “This was your father's. He'd want you to have it, I imagine.” Judging by the the weight and the shape, there was a stone inside the pouched. “It'll keep you safe.” Roy nodded a bit, then both glanced out at the plains bathing in the twilight. So many things made sense now. The yearning... why in addition to everything his siblings have been taught, he was also sent to train with the local rangers... He turned to his foster father. “So... where does all this lead me now?” The man thoughtfully looked at him. “Your destiny is your own to write, my boy. I'd be more than happy to see you stay here with us, even marry one of my daughters.” Roy considered this. But they both knew... “But I suspect you're too much of your father's son to do so before travelling the world far and wide.” The accuracy of the observation made both smile. “Know this, Roy. You're always welcome here. Listen to your heart, and it'll guide you, for you have your parents' blood flowing through your veins. Sasha and I taught you all we could, all we thought your parents would want us to. But in the end, choices are yours to make.” They gazed at each other, both knowing that the choice had already been made about an hour ago when Roy let Butch win. “Thanks, Roy.” the man said and the boy slightly nodded. “Hey, maybe she'll change him. Like women tend to, according to Grandpa Huyghes' ramblings, eh?” They both smirked. “Thanks for everything... Da'” the boy smiled a bit, but there were tears in his eyes. “I'll go pack my things.” The man nodded a bit, and as they strode down the hill, he couldn't to notice how much of his old friend there was in the boy. “Ryan and Alex would be so proud of you, Roy...” he said because he simply had to, and they spoke no word from then on, for the though of leave taking brought sorrow to both, even though they realised it was unavoidable. And so, after packing his meager belongings, saying goodbye to his (foster, even though he still regarded them as real) family, promising to write every now and then and coming to visit someday, Roy left. He didn't turn around anymore for he knew it'd only make him want to stay, and he could feel he was not meant to do that just yet. No, he would keep his pace steady as he strode along the road southwards, towards the town of Hlint; the same road along which, unbeknownst to him, so many springs ago a band of four adventurers strode, a ranger, a fighter and two minstrels, one of which also also skilled in the ways of the Weave – his parents and his foster parents.
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Alright, finally managed to put together enough gold to buy myself a book to write into. Why'd you want to keep a journal, you might ask (I assume you somehow came across it, and even though it's clearly a private journal, took liberty to go through it. What goes around comes around, as Grandpa Huyghes would put it, so you better watch your back. Well, he'd also mutter something about sarcasm, but let's not stray off the topic, eh?). Well, one could come up with many reasons:
- It's harder to lose your thoughts and memory if you put them down, in case you get really drunk or hit on your head. Not that I plan on doing either, but it keeps the possibilities open, right?
- Ma' and Da' (I kinda have no idea how to else to call them, now that I know they aren't my real parents. But still...) went through a lot of trouble (and I mean it) to teach me how to read and write, so some exercise wouldn't hurt.
- It keeps you distracted on those long, lonely evenings
- It makes you think over things twice, so you might get better understanding and see them clearer
- Guess if something should befall me, I'd like my folks back at home know where I've been and what I've been doing...
I won't go on here with who I am, where I come from and so on, this being my journal and all. Suppose if you want to know, feel free to ask; and if I'm not in the condition to answer, I guess at that point it wouldn't matter anymore anyway. One of the serious remarks Grandpa Huyghes has made (though, it wasn't all that serious in the context it was made...) was that a man is not defined by where he comes from nor his background, but rather by his present actions and decisions he's yet to make. So yeah, I'm at Hlint now. The journey south was somewhat uneventful, and seemed to have happened overnight. The only problem being, that overnight is meant literally. The thing is, I had an odd dream (yes, another one...), most of which I can't remember anymore (but think it involved a dragon). Well, either way, when I woke up, I was lying at the temple in Hlint. I must have been beaten by bandits or something, because all my meager belongings were gone and I had a terrible headache. I found an odd rose in my pocket, though. Maybe one of the bandits was woman and felt bad about what they'd done...? Sounds rather far fetched, so my next guess would be it had to do something with the dreams... and magic. Either way, I don't like it. Done some odd jobs around here, and the payment helped me replace my missing gear; found that rats can bite awfully hard (we never had rats this big at home), that crypts seem to attract lots of skeletons and zombies and I delivered a letter to a distinguishably friendly lady. Also went hunting for goblin ears, which seem to be collected by local quartermaster. Good thing I had someone (can't recall his name, though) watch my back, because I'm pretty sure otherwise I'd be the one ending up without ears.
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Did some more exploring, and been working on the ability to accept blows. Important skill, that. If you know how to do it properly, you'll be able to accept everything life throws at you with a grin, was what Alan and Nyn, the rangers who trained me back at home, always said. Roughly translates into something along the lines of “If you can stand goblin hitting you until you put him (her?) out of fight with solid hit, then you just might be able to crawl out of their cave.” Nasty business, goblins. There's a cave full of them east of Hlint, and they seem to worship red light. Why they do that is beyond me, and I'm yet to come across one who'd be willing to talk and tell me. Which is pity, because even though their ways seem wicked, I don't enjoy killing them. Or anything, as a matter of fact. One of the things I was taught is that one should not revel in bloodspill. Well, putting the undead to rest doesn't feel that bad (except when they hit you). Came into some gold while poking around, and now I consider myself sufficiently equipped. Then again, haven't really made any longer journeys, except to the desert, but more on that later. Reckon it'd be a good idea to list all the people I've met so far and whose names I managed to remember. Just to see how bad I'm with names, I suppose. So here it is, in no particular order (though, miss Starbreeze back at home would claim there's pattern to everything; then again, it's said she spends too much time with her books and meddling with the Weave, so I wouldn't bet my life on it):
- Jaleel: a fighter, I think. One of the first people I've met, and he helped me retrieve tax records for the tax lady (what would a ratman do with tax records is beyond me...). Seen him around, but haven't travelled much together, except the other day when Win took us to look for the missing cow.
- Ark: no idea what his profession would be, though I suspect it would involve gold. Lots of it. He's the kind of person who'd go and flip dead scorpions over just because of possibility of finding gold there. Fun to travel with, from what I've seen of him (raided goblins' cave once, and travelled to desert). Probably because of constant bickering with his sister, and unique sense of humour. And because he doesn't seem to take things too seriously.
- Charlotte: Ark's sister. Fighter, judging from the fact that she was fighting in the first line during the trip to desert. Seems to be always picking on Ark, but reckon it's brother/sister thing, and she cares for him. Nice and friendly. Reminds me of Annah.
- Myrrha: Not really sure what to say about her. Has a panther companion that goes by the name of Mahood. Seems to be indulging in Weave, which makes me feel kinda uncomfortable around her (And I am NOT afraid of magic... it's called bad experience). She's alright and nice, though. There's something with her eyes, but I'm not fully certain; on occasions had the feeling she might be slightly blind, but then again... And suppose asking her about it would be inappropriate...
- Vladdimur: A half-giant, who's also a caster and fluent in elven. Appears to be aware that it's a bit unusual combination, because he kept asking me if I had never seen one before. Well, now I have (and it was actually first time I've seen a half-giant). Has a mephit with peculiar manners, especially after eating goblins.
- Eghaas and Essan: Pair of casters (yeah, I know... lots of those); that being said, they are alright, and I've been hunting with them on several occasions. Rats, goblins, went to crypts with Essan (and barely came out crawling, due to misjudgement on my part), while Eghaas was with Jaleel, Win and me when we went to look for missing cow.
- Win: a brownie (and she ain't even brown... tends to give you a dirty look for bringing up the fact, though. Suppose I still have much to learn). Also thinks I'm an ox thief... alright, I did say her ox'd follow me if I asked it to (ranger training, and all), and she's been giving me mean looks ever since (on a side note, oxen are rather loyal and don't follow anyone but their master... guess I'm not meant to pursue the career of an ox thief). She's also a caster. Turned out to be alright when we were looking for missing cow, though.
- Freida and Bee: two more brownies; the first one's calling herself a barbarian (and somewhat acting that way, too), with him (Bee) following her around. Went after orcs, then lizardfolk. They were fun to travel with, even though Freida kept insisting she didn't care much about anything. Barbarian thing, or something.
Managed to figure out what the pendant Da' gave me (and which belonged to my real father) does; seems I can summon a wolf, Claire, to my aid. Doesn't like goblins much nor the undead, and all in all seems to dislike everything hostile to me. Nice trait to have in a friend... Saved my hide more than once and has been really helpful when poking around. With the aid of undead (though with severe lack of cooperation on their part), I managed to raise enough funds to get a crafter's license. A piece of paper that allows me to use the public crafting house. Expensive, too. But reckon in the end, some skill in different trades can prove to be useful. Been to the desert; a man named Tarradon, unit captain of the Knights of the Wyrm took Myrrha, Charlotte, Ark and me with him. Been rather long and tedious journey, and the encounters we had had proven to be rather hard. Wouldn't have made it if it weren't for Tarradon. Then again, in that case probably wouldn't have gone there in the first place. Suppose it's nice to realize where your limits are, and the trip was beyond mine. It was a fine journey, otherwise, also fun due to all the banter within the group. However, just at the end of it, Ark fell; we had hard time to convince Charlotte to leave the place... It turned out, though, that his time had not yet come, because we came into him at Hlint. Suppose gods do watch over us after all... Some days later, Jaleel, Eghaas and I went with Win to the continent of Rilara; I had been asked to deliver a letter there, and Win said a farmer there would need help with a missing cow. Turned out it was the same person I was supposed to deliver letter to... On the way there, we got nearly killed by a gryphon that was preying over the plains, but in the end we managed to defeat it. And it turned out that off its body Win picked a collar that had belonged to the missing cow. So much for the rescue party. Farmer was grateful, though...
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Got another companion to watch my back; Claire and I were exploring the woods and came upon group of ogres that were surrounding a wounded panther. As we attacked, the panther sneaked up behind the ogres and helped us defeat them. She's been following me ever since; not sure if it's not because of the pendant, but I suppose it doesn't really matter. Named her Nalee.
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Rather uneventful couple of days, mostly because of rather severe that resulted from getting too brave. Suppose I need to be more careful in the future; my life's my own to risk, but Claire and Nalee... they'll follow me everywhere, and they shouldn't get hurt by my folly. On a more positive note, made some progress with my woodcrafting skills, and came across nifty looking bracers.
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Met some new people, most notably Karn the bard and Lalaith the elven warrior maiden and an arcane wizard. Been mostly hunting with them these last days. Great company, those two. He's a bard, a sailor and Xeenite; with decent sense of humour and sarcasm that surpasses mine. The kind of person I don't have to worry about trying to make jokes at, and can always count on getting some witty reply back. Lalaith's nice, too. Somewhat arrogant and moody at times, but otherwise alright. Somewhat flirty, too, judging from my limited experience with women (which, unfortunately, mainly consist of Grandpa Huyghes' advice to be careful with them because they involve lots of jealousy). We were mostly doing the tasks that needed to be done around Hlint. Delivered another letter to Rilara, then was asked by the farmer there to look into scarecrow problem in his field. Awfully unpleasant things, those scarecrows. Had some hideous magic to them, because Claire, Nal and I got scared of them for some reason. I mean, why be afraid of bunch of sticks and straw stuffings (aside from the fact that they move and hit hard)? Luckily managed to get away... Saw Essan again. Did some more exploring, and came into possession of another pair of gauntlets. Got the first pair identified by Karn, and they seem useful; allowing to cast camouflaging spells in addition to offering some protection. The enchantment seems a bit too strong for me to handle yet, though. The second pair looks awfully similar... Also found a walking stick of some sort. Need to get someone to look at it, because around here, everything and everyone seems to be either magic or dabbing with magic. So why not the walking stick, too? Met a beautiful woman named Aylse in the crypts (I meet lots of people in the crypts...) and together we cleaned the place. Said she was just a healer, but was full of tricks; from turning undead to protecting your mind against evil spells. Gave me idea how to get vengeance upon those scarecrows; find a caster and get my mind protected against fear. Karn introduced me to miss Rhynn, who went with us to those fields and helped us deal with the scarecrows. Actually did most of the work, to be honest. That's why I think outcome of the encounters depends much on the luck; once you figure out your skills are pretty much matched against those of your foe (or, if you're really out of luck, outmatched), you're lucky if you had brought along someone who can deal with it and save your hide. Of course, sooner or later you run out of luck, and then it doesn't really matter where and when... He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword, said Grandpa Huyghes; that's why he's chosen to live by the ale. A man I've met and hunted with on occasions, Celith, has shown me how to make raw parchments. Now I can try making sandpaper and try improving my woodcrafting skills. Been also working on sewing (well, gotta keep the armor together, you know) and some cooking. And fishing and some occasional gem crafting. Busy days, all in all.
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Met a whole bunch of clerics (seem to be as numerous as the casters around here... sometimes I wish there was a fellow ranger or a druid around; you know, just so I wouldn't feel that badly outnumbered): Serissa, Sala, Muireann and Dora. Good people to know, clerics; they can make you healing potions (now I know what skeleton knuckles can be used for) and keep you in condition to fight. (Plus, most of them happen to be women.) Also met Ark again, when Eghaas and I were taking a man named Yoshi down to crypts. Serissa also came with us, so the undead stood no chance (those spells, as effective as they are, take all the fun out of it... and skeletons are one of rare entities I don't feel guilty about hitting...). Was rather funny to see Ark making passes on Serissa, and them arguing about the Golden dragon. Later that day I met Dora; was at the crypts again (well, you know, to get some practice with my morningstar). We cleared them together; or should I say she did? As she did most of the work... with the spell. Took her to the witch of the swamps, whom Serissa had taken me to earlier and who collects skeleton knuckles. After that, we headed west for Fort Llast. Serissa also joined us. We thought of going to look around Grey Peak mountains, but Serissa said it would be a suicide and went to the temple. Was thinking of going fishing (had to buy some dried rations earlier, and gods they taste -bad-), but then Dora said she'd be going to the mountains anyway. Was one of those things that seem awfully bad idea at time (and even worse once you get a chance to think them over), but what was I supposed to do, let her go there alone? Nal, Claire and I already nearly got killed there... So we went to push our luck together, and we actually did quite well; up to the point where a bear showed out of nowhere while we were fighting the ogre, and after some running around I finally managed to calm it so it helped us defeat the ogre. Figured I had used up all my luck for that day, so we went back. Was a nice journey, though, and I find Dora a very good travelling companion (even though she seems to have a strong dislike for fishing).
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Seems my good luck has betrayed me; how else to explain the recent events? Met Dora (and no, this isn't a bad thing and I'm going to whine about this) while collecting some cotton and hickory. The day before she showed me her new sword, and I said I'd be interested in buying a similar one. So she introduced me to the man named Quilus, who sold me the sword for 1800 gold pieces. Were in the middle of discussion about possibility of getting an iron morningstar as well, when some other adventurers showed up. Apparently, they had been defeated by ogres, and had to reach their tombstones... Went with them, just to find an awfully lot of ogres there. But luckily, Quilus has been secretly following us and took out most of them. After that, Dora and I joined them and some more experienced adventurers on a journey to Haven mines. Full of ogres, too. We actually fought well, as a group I mean. Stuck together, hit together, and all that. Took the head of the ogre leader to local guard... Even more ogres after that; went to Blood desert. Again, interesting experience. Came across an eerie temple on the way back, and nearly got killed by something that looked utterly evil and was wielding a schyte. Made a mental note about the location of that accursed place, so that I don't wander in again by mistake at some point in the future. So far, so good; went with Dora back towards Hlint, and in Fort Llast we met Essan. After arriving to Hlint, I had to get some rest... and this is where it begins. Had my ox's pack full of knuckles, so I figured I'd get rid of them. Nice trashcan being conveniently placed next to the road, and all. Except that in the rush, I somehow managed to toss in my new sword. Yeah, imagine that. What kind of idiot would mistake a sword for a knuckle anyway? Note to myself: fully wake up before doing something like that in the future. Must've been a magic trashcan, because the sword disappeared immediately (...and then tell me magic doesn't hate me?). Oh well, if you can grin at your own stupidity, you'll be able to live through anything, grandpa Huyghes had said. And awfully right he was. Met Dora again and showed her where spider silk can usually be found. Once we returned to Hlint, we came into a man who introduced himself as Garath. Said I definitely looked like a ranger (well, you certainly can't mistake me for a bard in that brown armor, can you?) and that he was one as well. As we began to talk, I learnt that he was also from the High forest... and imagine this, his village has been burnt down by orcs as well. Good gods, that did bring back memories, and pain, and I could almost see that accursed vision again... I have been able to get rid of that image, and been sleeping rather well recently; reckon it was because of moving around and doing different things. But when I was talking with Garath, it was like the whole thing had caught up with me again. He said he has been tracking the orc tribe that had destroyed his village and that his way has led him to Hlint. Was about to go with him to stalk orcs north of Hlint, but then Dora came back (suppose she got bored by our talk; I should have thought of that before...) and said she was going mining. I figured it might have been a distraction I felt I so badly needed, so I went to get the ox; Garath also joined us. All was good until we reached the lowest level; after mining some copper and moving further down the cavern, some goblins crept out of nowhere and killed my ox. We had to carry all the ore and minerals by ourselves... After that, I spent my time honing different tradeskills, just to keep busy and keep my mind off the orcs and home and everything...
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Learnt a bit of tinkering; now I can make arrowheads. Might try fletching, too. Bought a new ox, and named it Tay. Will make sure this one fares better than the previous one. Went to goblin's to mine some copper, and ended up with so much of it that both Tay and I had to carry it. Suppose now I know how he feels... I swear I'll never put too much burden on him. Been told that Karn prefers men. Hehe, wonder what the poor sod did to Muireann and her friend that they spread such rumours about him. Muireann insisted he told her he does, though. Doesn't really matter, I guess (though, I thought that odd taste for colors and that hat were actually part of being a bard...) To each their own, whatever that might be. Figure if it's true then more women are left for the rest... Went to swamps with Muireann. She's a cleric of Mist, but considering what I've been told of that particular deity, she was rather nice. Asked if Ark was really as much a ladies' man as he seemed to be. Also told me a bit about herself and her past. Went fishing after that. All in all, she turned out alright. Reminds me to try refraining myself from making judgements based on stereotypes. Not that I'd consider myself zealous and prejudiced (well, except maybe against magic...) or something; I do follow Katia's teachings, and Alan and Nynn taught me about her enemies, Mist amongst them. But on the other hand, they taught me to live with the nature and defend it, but in the way that makes my following of Katia more due to the dogma and my personal views than because of the goddess and her divine relations per-se. So I'd rather not go hostile on anyone just because of their religion, unless they give me a good reason for it... (And even then, where does one draw the line? Like the other day, when a deer was struck down while it was standing next to me, calmed and trusting me to protect it; I told the person who did it not to attack it when she asked me if she could, and it felt like I betrayed the animal and its trust when it got killed. Reckon it's hard to explain it to most of the people though... even harder to make them understand) But I have strayed off the topic (yet again)... Muireann said she thought Ark's trying to win her heart, and she wasn't sure he really meant it. So she asked me for an opinion... Well, to be honest, I'm not really sure what to think when it comes to Ark. I mean, when I was with him and Serissa and others at crypts, I thought he was making passes at her. Though, it seemed more a joke than anything real. Just like that joke about two hundred women. I definitely hadn't bought that one... To draw a bottom line, I've never really needed to judge people from this perspective, and I'm rather bad at judging people's personalities and intentions anyway. And I don't even know Ark well. So guess it's for Muireann alone to find out what his intentions are.
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Seems Muireann and Karn have been busy getting into fight with Jaleel. Gods know what it was, but I bet it was something stupid. Apparently Jaleel has called Karn aberration. Silly elf probably had a laugh at his expense with one of his flirting jokes, from what I could gather. Yeah, he told me he loves a man who's out in the sea somewhere. As stated in one of previous entries, to each their own. But I should make a note that just because I find something hard to believe doesn't mean it can't be true. Should save me lots of trouble in the future. Jaleel and some others were setting off to look for the oil miss Juanita had lost – a task I was given as well. Karn was rather mean, wishing them pain on their journey, and such. Never seen him like that before. He wasn't really working on improving the situation with his comments... Later went with him and Muireann to Jasmin in the swamp – they had knuckles for her. Muireann said Jaleel was publicly announcing her as a woman of loose morals, or something along those lines. Don't know... from what I've seen of the man, he's a good person. But I suppose different upbringing and different customs might have heavy impact there... I mean, in all honesty, first time I saw her I thought her outfit was rather... loose... too. Powerful force that, customs and views that one gets bestowed upon as a child. Like when Muireann asked Karn and me if we wanted to go dance naked in the rain with her. I mean... Alright, I understand it's a way of experiencing her Lady's blessing and it doesn't have to do with anything else. But then, it does sound tempting. And ultimately, nobody's immune... And she has said she's seeing Ark now. So it's one of those situations where moral bounds and principles kick in, and the whole thing just feels wrong to me... Don't ask why, I probably couldn't figure the answer even if my very life depended on it.
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Stupid. Stupid. STUPID. Got Essan killed when Karn and I went mining copper with her. I should've said stick to left, we're going into left tunnel, not in the big cavern where two groups of savage green buggers usually lurk. So before I realised the mistake, the archers already took their aim at her... There's a thing with goblins; no matter what the odds, they'll stick with their original target. So who cares if Karn and I come running upon them with swords; no, they'll keep shooting at the first person they saw. And then there was a flash of lightning bolt, but I thought it was hers, because the goblin went down. Only that once we got the cavern cleared, she was lying dead there at the entrance. That's why Alan and Nynn always said it's for the person who's supposed to be leading to walk in first; so that little pricks would have shot and tossed their spells at me. I don't care what Karn says, it feels like my fault. Someone once said seeing your friend go down like that is far worse from it happening to you. Couldn't agree more... Then back at Hlint, Tay started acting odd. Gods, almost gave me a heart attack. Jumping around like mad, probably much to the amusement of the crowd there. And once again, I could do nothing. I swear, there's nothing more frustrating... A woman named Lee helped me calm the poor animal, and she's really good with animals. A follower of Katia, too. I suspect someone was lurking around and scaring the wits out of poor Tay, but then again, could've been anything.
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Been keeping myself busy with trying to make arrows. It's good for practicing different skills, and it keeps me busy. And distraction was what I needed to keep my mind from thinking about failing to protect my friends... Also went with Jaleel and some others to mine topaz (and fight ogres... these seem to be everywhere); didn't mine topaz in the end, because Beli, who was organising the journey, had to attend to something else. But did get to fight ogres. And lots of them... Good to know where the mine is though, might take Tay there one day. Had a rather long talk with Muireann, about Ark. Not going into details here, because it's really none of my business, much less yours. In the nutshell, I think she cares more for him that she'd like to admit, and she's afraid it might come into conflict with her Lady's interests. I guess it's something for them to talk about and sort out... As I left her by the lake, I came into Karn and told him he should talk to her... Figure he's better at the whole talking thing than I am. More convincing, too. Because in the end I figure I'm not really the one to be discussing these things; after all, who's away from his home, striding his path all alone? Who left the woman he (thought? he) loved, to follow the call of wilderness? Sometimes I wonder if it wasn't just plain running from it all... So yeah, relationships and women aren't really my field of expertise. Plus, I guess Butch was right when he called me naive and always trying to look for good in people. But it is funny, how much easier it is to look for good in others, to believe they can change for good, to believe things will sort out for them. At the bottom line, I guess it's easier to do that for others, because when it comes to yourself, you pretty much know what you're stuck with...
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The New Haven, I
Well, that was... interesting. After that talk with Muireann, I met Quilus and bought new sword. I swear, if I manage to lose this one as well... Been wandering around Hlint a bit, then came into Karn. Said we could go look around the swamp, and having nothing to do, I agreed. Came into Dora when we entered Hlint, and she said she'd come with us as well. Also picked up a mage, Animous, on our way through Hlint. Said he was looking for Wisp's essence... Nothing really special about the trip, except that I've never seen so many lizardfolk in the swamps. Seemed they were just pouring out of nowhere... And there was lots of bickering between Karn and Animous. Casters... After returning to Hlint, Dora suggested we go wandering. Fair suggestion, that. So we went, the two of us. Karn and Animous didn't follow. Suspect they might have killed each other or something. Turns out she was thinking of visiting Port Hampshire. Fair enough. Except that it was via Leilon. Yay, boat ride for me. My favorite... (though, I guess it's safer than running from the griffons... in spite of me getting seasick every time). There was some talk of unrest in Port Hampshire, but it looked quiet and peaceful. So we went sightseeing. Rather nice place, for a city. Lots of trees and all. Figure if you think out all the houses and cobblerstone, you might even mistake it for a forest... I got a bit distracted by it, and managed to take a wrong turn. Yeah, I'm a ranger. Getting lost in a forest would be silly, but getting lost in a city is excusable (except that I tend to get lost in both, but nevermind that). So I headed back towards docks. Came into a clerk and group of people there (out of everyone there, I could recognise Ami and Lee). Figured I should check what was going on, so I got closer. Turned out they were signing up for going to some new community. Well, seeing new places is part of what I left my home for, so I figured, why not. What the clerk was promising sounded rather too good to be true. A community with no crime, no violence, with everyone being happy and well-provided for... heh, sounds a dream come true. Of course, it would involve lots of hard work and nine tenth of everything one would produce would go to the community, it being non-materialistic society and all. So far, so good (except it sounding rather impossible for various reasons). When clerk asked why we were interested in this New Haven, it seemed most of people around me were looking for new start, or a better place to live in. Ohwell, let's be honest. It was sheer curiosity on my part. Never even heard of the place before. But, it didn't seem to bother the clerk. We signed up for a tour to the island; we'd get to take a look and decide whether it was the thing we were looking for, and in turn, 'they' (whoever that was - 'the community'? (whoever that was)) would decide if we were what they were looking for. Kinda odd, if you ask me, considering there would be no questions asked about one's past. The clerk said mutual trust... We asked questions then; they were mostly centered around arguing that such a community was impossible to exist. I found myself agreeing with those who argued this way, but we drew the bottom line that the place was worth visiting nevertheless, and seeing it with our own eyes. So we boarded the ship (yay, would be second boat ride for that day... Har!). Captain said we wouldn't leave before dawn, so we waited... and waited... and waited... and suddenly, there was a girl in the water. Some swam towards her to help her, but it turned out she was actually trying to run away from the ship. Lee intercepted her at the docks and calmed her down. She's as good with kids as with animals... Turned out the girl (I'd say she was about twelve) was indeed running, not wanting to go back to the island. Said all her friends were 'old'. That they sent them to school, where they do boring things... hehe, Butch and I never went to school. Didn't have one back at our village. But yeah, we did find some things Ma' and Da' were teaching us somewhat boring. So can't blame the girl for not wanting to be there, where there's so much of the world to explore... Except that the whole thing seemed deeper than just that. In the end, it was established that „they were all the same“, men, women and children on the island. That "they think all the same". Suddenly started to sound awfully like a mind spell to me (and no, I'm not paranoid about magic). Lee seemed to think the same. So she offered the girl to stay at her place. Sounded a nice place for a kid to stay at... But it kinda figures. You can't have a society without crime and violence. People are people. Especially when one's background is irrelevant. While 'bad' can change into 'good', it can go the other way around, too. And there's bound to be jealousy, even though everyone's provided for. As Grandpa Huyghes would have put it, where there are women, there's jealousy... Joking aside, the only way to really make such a community work would be some sort of magic manipulation... While we were talking to the girl, our ship had set sail. Well, we'll board the next one. And we'll see what it is all about. Meanwhile, it's good to know that the girl has a nice place to stay at, normal peers to play with and caring people looking after her.
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Been mostly doing things I'm terrible at lately; giving advice on relationships and stalking ogres. Had another long talk with Muireann, the kind of talk at the end of which I really had no idea what my point was nor what it was supposed to be. Despite my best effort, it's beyond my imagination what really bothers her. And as she said herself, she had no idea either. There are things you don't doubt, be it either because of past experience – you learn that you indeed won't be getting any other food until you eat that spinach... Or in this particular case, because of the way it's told – she looked dead serious when she said she'd kill Ark if her Lady demanded it (that's when I thought she was afraid she'd be giving Ark preference over her Lady... guess not). Another piece of information I was better off not knowing. (Note to myself: If you absolutely must fall in love, try to make sure it's not with a priestess...) Met a Queen and High druidess. Must've made a fool out of myself, too. But that's kinda bound to happen (even Alan and Nynn would understand that on such occasions, in spite of their lessons, one simply forgets who Hierophant is). She was really nice, though. Insisted I called her Bris and said there was little room for formality. She hunted down some ogres with me and cleared the road to Fort Hope of deadly vines that were lurking there. Wish I met more people like that... Almost went fishing with Dora. Now that I think about it, she'd probably go only so she could say she tried it and found it boring. And I'd have to come up with another thing to annoy her. So in the retrospect, was it a bad thing we never really went? Bought some magic trinkets; between dislike of magic and dislike of being clubbed/axed/hammered down, I'd go for the lesser of the evils. Oh, and I learnt how to summon another animal to watch my back – a huge bear, whom I named Bytor. Went stalking ogres together, honing both fighting tactics and scouting skills. Made some progress with my tradeskills, too. Suppose there is light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to gem cutting. I'm pretty sure I'm about to master every possible wrong way of cutting greenstone and malachite. A new approach; instead of trying to cut it correctly (which is somewhat hard and can be frustrating when bad luck kicks in), I'll try to learn how not to do it. More chances to succeed, and if bad luck kicks in, I actually end up with cut gems. See the brilliance of this reasoning? Well, after putting it down this way, neither do I.
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* The following excerpt is written on a page that is not bound in the journal, but rather just put between the rest of the pages. It would seem that while its time of origin is about same as of the rest of the entries, it doesn't necessarily fit their chronological order... *
The New Haven, II
Land ho! Finally arrived in New Haven. It wasn't a very long ride, but still... There's something about boats and sea that I just can't seem to stand (though it seems to be getting better), and knowing that there's at least one potentially angry Mist priestess out there who might call to her goddess to sink a ship at random just for the sake of it, well it doesn't really help much... Left all the weapons at customs; well, fishing pole, skinning knife and chisels don't count, do they? After all, if I was that intent on killing somebody, I might start picking up rocks and throwing them around. It took a while before we passed the customs, though – ten people, with some having already wandered off to talk with children that were nearby the docks. I guess if it had been an official anywhere else, we would've been shipped back to where we came from with the first boat available. Not here in New Haven, though. People here are... different. We were kindly asked to behave appropriately and in accord with Law while visiting, then Lee asked some questions. Seems there's little religious practice here on the island, even though there is an abandoned Mist shrine near the docks. As said above, there was a group of kids nearby – studying weather. To each their own, even though I wouldn't expect kids to be doing that... There was no guide or anything; we were free to roam around and see what we wanted to see. Some talked to people around docks, some to the guards in front of town hall. I guess those versed in magic were looking for signs of the people being manipulated... Having absolutely no idea about that, I just poked around a bit. Found nothing, except gallows. First thought – they're lying about this being no-crime community. But upon closer inspection, it turned out the gallows were old and unused, probably like that Mist shrine just a leftover from past, from days before the island became the promised land... School started for children and some of our group went to see what it was like; in the retrospect, it might have been interesting to see that. Alas, I remained outside with the rest of the group. Lee said this wasn't a normal farming community; Ami agreed that something was amiss, but she was convinced it wasn't a spell. As we were waiting outside the school, we heard an 'ouch' coming from down the hill. Turned out that a calf had stepped on farmer's foot – no bones broken, luckily (wish I could handle the pain with just an 'ouch' all the time...). We talked with him a bit, and he pretty much confirmed what we had found out already – that there was no laughter, play nor joy among kids, simply because there was “no need for it”. They were content, as were the rest of the people – content with their simple lives, simply wishing nothing more. Asked him if his son was laughing and having fun before they came to island; he looked puzzled as if having hard time to remember. Unfortunately, his attention shifted to others' questions, and I was left wondering if maybe their memories haven't been altered. Back at home, there was a proverb, that a bird raised in captivity doesn't yearn for freedom (though whoever came up with that clearly hadn't spend that much time around animals)... In this particular case, since nobody had been born on the island, I suppose having their memories altered would be a possible explanation. Was proven wrong, though – after everyone left, I asked him where he was from, and he was able to answer that... Went to town hall after that, where we met Father Ignatious (cleric of Roferein from Pranzis, as Cym had told us) and, later, mayor Parsathan. There, the mystery was unveiled a bit – it's all about mental discipline and emotional control. 'The Gift', as mayor had put it. Seems those who decide to stay on the island receive it through a ritual or blessing or something along those lines. And it all seems to be voluntary, more or less. There was a question asked, whether the Gift involves losing one's emotions. It was followed by Father Ignatious' quick 'Oh yes!', whereas the mayor said they don't really see it that way. Father was given a sharp look, and shortly afterwards (not immediately, though, that would be suspicious...) they both left us to have a short 'talk'. Not before inviting us to dance and dinner that'll be held tomorrow, though... We talked a bit among ourselves while we waited for Father to return; the discussion was mainly about whether parents can make a good choice for their kids, themselves being happy with their 'simple' and 'unburdened' way of life... Kymar's case clearly shows that it might not always be so. Then Father returned and told us the Mayor would expect us tomorrow midday, and we can continue the discussion. He also confirmed the dinner and dance invitation. Yay, free food. And dance. I hate dances... Waaaaait, a dance? Why would people who let go of joy and happiness and laughter need to dance? (And while we're at it, if there are no emotions left, do they just marry and have kids out of duty?) Might be interesting to see... And dangerous, if it proves to be a trap. It seems many members of our group are interested in seeing the ritual of Gift giving, so we could learn more of it. But since we are the latest group of possible new citizens, it inevitably means it'll have to be one of us. That simple fact has been pointed out, but it hasn't been fully addressed yet. I suppose we'll deal with the issue when it comes to the time? We'll see... And now, staring into campfire and writing all this, I cannot help but wonder... People I talked with, they look happy. No, happy is not the right word... content... yeah, content. Because clearly if one was to get rid of one's negative emotions, one would have to let go of the positive ones, too. But, is that too high a price? To be finally free of the nightmares, to be able to close my eyes without fear of seeing orcs and my home burning? To be finally able to leave past regrets behind? And fears, and contempt of oneself? Isn't that what I had been told to achieve? The state of being at peace with myself, and with the world around me? On the other hand, aren't those exactly what drives us? The memories that remind us who we are? The need to better ourselves so that next time same mistakes are not made? To prove ourselves that we can live up to our expectations? Ma' and Da' always said it's the journey that matters, not the destination... So should I choose to receive the Gift and stay, would all that be gone, too? And if so, what would there be left to live for then?
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Not much has happened since the last entry... Alright, I'm lying; lots has happened, but I'm lazy and don't feel like putting everything down. In the group of rangers Alan and Nynn belonged to, they had a man whose responsibility was writing the reports. I suppose he had drawn the shortest straw when the chore had to be bestowed upon someone... Either way, he used to say that nothing's worth reporting unless it's so serious that it kills you. In which case you wouldn't have to bother writing up the report anyway... Seems Muir has a new guy following her around, who goes by name of Donnchadh. A ranger who follows Mist. So yeah, I guess it kinda makes sense he's around her all the time; people spending time with cleric of their deity, and all that (incidentally, how come there's no cleric of Katia around?). Wonder how Ark's taking it, though? If it was me, I know I'd be jealous. But then again, I'm not the strongest of persons... Haven't seen Ark nor Muir much, but Karn has told me they finally got everything sorted out. Met an elf druid lady, Ranewen. Went with her, Serissa, Gruwlz and woman named Corba to Rilara; Ranewen and Corba had letters to deliver. There was really fat (and even that's put very mildly) griffon hovering above the plains... managed to defeat it, but it got Ranewen down. Luckily, Serissa prayed for her and brought her back. Note to myself: cleric is always nice to have around in case something like that happens (unless she's follower of Mist - in that case I suspect it'd make little difference (at least for me)). After coming back to Mistone we went to mine some topaz. Travelled more with Ranewen (fun to travel with – seems to be always looking for trouble and has decent sense of humour). Went with her, Dora and Gruwlz to some mountains I've never ventured to before. Fought some strange people in the forest, then reached an eerie valley... turned back after Gruwlz said he'd seen a lady with snakes for hair. And we all know it's better to steer clear from women with bad hair day. After that, Dora, Ranewen and I crossed the desert. Was a nice journey, all in all.
That'd be more or less all... unless you're dying to read about how I bought new chainshirt, how my arrow making skills are finally getting somewhere, and such...
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Hmm... time to reflect upon a question that has formed in my mind over the last few days. If there were a male and a female adventurer, both needing help but you could help only one, who'd be given the preference? And looking past the imaginary wall of what I'd like to be and the ideals I've been taught to uphold, what would an honest answer be? Yeah, think it's rather obvious, bar all the thoughts about treating all the people equally... And then tell me again women are not born adventurers.
Though, to be fair, so far everyone that has asked for help has received it. Reckon there's also the that other thing; I'd expect it to be harder for a man to ask for help... Know it applies to me... and it used to get me in lots of trouble, until I got Claire and then also Nal and Byt to cover my back. Or maybe it's just me – aren't really people's person. But anyway...
Went to Haven mines with a group; Rane, Karn, Ne'er, Tahless, Nixx the brownie and her bodyguard, half-giant druid Kargoth. Don't really want to talk about that...
After that, and after licking my wounds, been staying around Hlint for couple of days. Met an elfmaid named Ayslynne; Karn, Ne'er, Eghaas and I showed her around Hlint a bit and helped with the tasks she was given. Mined some copper, and discovered that there's tin in kobold caves (meh, need to start observing better... walked past those rocks numerous times). Managed to assemble together bunch of arrows with bronze and iron arrowheads (after the usual chore of smelting and tinkering...). They are more powerful due to heavier metal (and particularly effective against animals and constructs respectively), but they also fly in a bit different way than copper ones. Will take more practice before I'll be able to comfortably use them...
Nixx has been teaching me some basic brownie words:
- 'nihmmy': hello
- 'nihmm': hello without o; also 'dy' means 'to'... so dy nihmm with fragile tools being sold by craft vendor...
- 'kyttpuih': goodbye
- 'Dnearg uyoa eamm': thank you all; in that word order
Might be able to eavesdrop on brownies' conversations one day. Har! (Though in retrospect, might be more useful to learn elven phrases? Seems to me 'specially elves love to talk elven knowing some of us can't understand a word. Hmmm... might ask Karn about some basic phrases, too).
Joined a large group with Nixx and Kargoth and went to Berhagen mountains. Never been there, and feel absolutely no remorse for that; huge constructs, giant tigers and whole horde of rock-hurling giants. Luckily we had a host of experienced fighters with us, coupled with competent casters, so in the end we prevailed. Also, learnt that Cym is really good cleric. Suppose after this journey, some of that dislike for magic of mine is gone; being replaced by dislike for flying boulders. Alas, complaining against magic remains... have to live up to people's expectations and all that.
After returning from mountains the group scattered; those who remained visited topaz mines. Heard about undead lurking around before we went to the mountains, but found no such things. Just more ogres...
What else has happened... oh, Muir said Ark was threatened by someone named Kiva. Turns out it's the hooded one whom I've often seen sitting around Hlint. Sometimes with Muir, too. She said he's a friend and was threatening Ark because he had seen her upset because of him... but later a man named Jareg gave her a smirk when she brought the topic of Kiva up, so I figure she didn't really tell me everything.
Went to Krandor crypts and recovered ashes for Nikki; with Tash, a woman others called Fin, Eghaas, half-giant Zug and Cym. Once more been awfully glad Cym was with us...
After some striding around, I came into Jaleel and Ark on the road to fort Llast... talked about Kiva and Muir, and just as Ark was saying that she had told him she had little to do with Kiva nowadays, she showed up. In the retrospect, it was rather stupid to stand in the middle of the road... Seemed in awfully bad mood, too. Poor Ark... Argument ensued (in the middle of the road), with people coming by and watching with interest. Poor Mercas stopped by, and got snapped at by both Muir and Ark... decided to leave them and sort out whatever they had to sort out...
Tried meddling with alchemy a bit, then met Ayslynne who had letter to deliver to Rilara. Having nothing better to do, I went with her... passed Ark and Muir on the road (still arguing, or so it looked...), then stopped a bit at fort Llast. Met Karn who went with us to Leilon, then Hampshire, and finally Point Harbor. I ever mentioned how much I hate boats? Lost Karn somewhere in the Dinin forest (bloomin' bard in bloomin' nature...), but made the delivery nevertheless (and in spite of griffon)...
Been mostly staying out of trouble after that...
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Har! Brownie and ranger saved the day (well, actually... make that ranger with bardic knowledge or the other way around... and no, it wasn't me). Woke up at Spellgard (the city south of goblin bay... not entirely sure what I was doing there in the first place; think I travelled with a group then decided it was time for rest...) and went back to Hlint. And there, by eastern gate, I met Nixx and Bee.
Nixx said she'd like to track down a wounded hawk she'd heard. So the three of us went north, towards High forest. Must have awfully good hearing to have heard a hawk from there, I thought, but then again, there were stories Ma' used to tell, about voices being carried with the wind... Found nothing, though. Asked at Katia's grove, and were told we should look further in forest. Which we did. Came across a bear, which indicated we should be looking for hawk in south, around Grey Peaks... Bee had to attend to something else, so my favourite brownie and I went to the mountains alone. After some looking we came across a well-hidden pass we've never seen before. Had a feeling it's what we're looking for, so that's where we went... Came across some bugbears. After dealing with them, we went further west, and eventually came into a clearing... with a pentagram in the middle of it, and four bugbears standing around it. And in the middle of it, some magic sphere with a hawk trapped inside it.
It wasn't until after we dealt with the bugbears that we noticed a cage... inside which Tahless and another man (who later introduced himself as Gel) were trapped. Nixx set them free with some spell (which involved smashing the lock in many pieces that flew around and hit us), then we looked at the sphere and the hawk inside it, and the ways to set it free. Another hawk was hovering around, apparently trapped one's mate. After Nixx and Gel inspected the sphere (being savvy in magic and all), Gel started to sing. Male hawk joined in, and the sphere began to shimmer, and turn solid, crystal-like. Once or twice Gel missed a note, and the hawk inside the sphere was hurt, and the sphere itself resumed its former form. We all started to sing then, in hopes we might get the sphere to solidify so we may shatter it. In which we were partially successful. And for the one whose both mother and foster mother were bards, I'm awful at singing... Anyway, the sphere did turn solid, but we couldn't shatter it. Tahless tried, and the sphere shocked him when he did so. And while we were trying to set her free, the trapped female hawk was growing wearier and wearier, and it would seem its demise was near... Then Gel, while singing, shot an arrow... and he must've somehow imbued the bowstring and the arrow with the notes we were singing (or in my case, trying to sing), for when it hit the sphere, it shattered... And the hawk was free. And guess what? The female hawk turned out to be a winged archer lady! Gel got kissed and was given a magic arrow, then she thanked us all... She said she and her friend were soaring above the clearing, when bugbears pinned here down with a magic arrow. Good thing Nixx had heard the cries, and good thing Gel figured how to shatter the sphere. Was an interesting experience, least to say.
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Haven't seen many of my friends lately, but I got to travel and fight alongside many others instead. Been with Dulan, Karn and Vuger at topaz mine in Velensk, and Jaleel joined us too. After that, some others joined us, and we journeyed to a place called Dragon Isle... incidentally, it was an isle and involved boat travel. And there was a dragon there, albeit just a wyrmling. But where there are wyrmlings, there must be adult one(s), too. Though luckily none crossed our path. Just lots of minotaurs, some treants and harpies... Hit the ogres in Haven mines again; with Ferrit, Tahless, Lindel, Tyeaan, Aeryn and Taislin. I've been at Haven with Tahless some time back, and it didn't go well. Back then, I thought I'd never go there with him again, for he ignored the common sense tactics of fighting in narrow spaces and such. This time, however, I was proven wrong. Alright, the group could've been a bit more organised at times, but that can be said for almost every group that has never fought together before. It by far wasn't the least organised, though. We hit as one, we fought in narrow, using the tunnels to our advantage. And consequently, we all made it out alive. Good one, that. Must say my sword and bow skills have improved. Kinda sad thing to be happy and proud about though, eh? Think I should really think about having crossed the line should I find myself priding on entries such as „I'm getting good at killing“... On a more positive note, I managed to craft myself a nice oak longbow. Huzzah! And I feel strong enough to wield enchanted sword now, so I ordered an enchantment for my blade from Karana. Still not sure if that's a good thing, though, or whether it just gets me closer to the line, but guess only time will tell. Suppose it's up to me to make sure I don't become a monster by fighting monsters... Crossed the Blood desert with Nixx, Gel, Shamur, Zak, Room, Raine and someone whose name I either didn't catch or it has slipped out of my mind. Seen manticores, huge snake (which was avoided), scorpions and some smaller snakes. Surprisingly enough, dunes that are usually beset with ogres were eerily empty... After we came back, we ventured into Haven... Nixx and Lindel had left us, though. We did well on our way down, and defeated the ogres' leader. Didn't get hit as much as I usually do. But had to put up with Zak's urge to enlighten us in ways of tactful tunnel warfare every time before we hit a group of ogres... Hundred years of fighting experience down there and he still hasn't learnt people might get agitated if you keep pointing out the idea everyone had gotten the first time... Then again, I know I'm sometimes prone to stating the obvious, so it's not really for me to rant about it. Way up, as usual, proved more problematic, though. We were ambushed as we were leaving leader's chamber, all caught off guard, and Zak was struck down. Then, we fought our way out, and did quite well, up to the point where there's a huge cavern with narrow entrance on one, and wider entrance on the other side. The problem being, we were on the side with wider entrance. Decided to use magic darkness and go for the narrow entrance... Seemed like a good idea, but then the darkness faded out as we were half our way... In the end we managed to defeat the ogres, but at price of Raine's life... Luckily the soul mother decided it was neither his nor Zak's time yet, for they were both waiting outside when we finally got out. Some went to turn the head of ogre leader to Haven authorities, and I went for Hlint. Need to rest, need to resupply, and need to think whether shedding blood has become too easy, even though it was ogres'.
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* The following excerpt is written on a page that is not bound in the journal, but rather just put between the rest of the pages. It would seem that while its time of origin is about same as of the rest of the entries, it doesn't necessarily fit their chronological order... *
The New Haven, III
Figure there's just enough time for another entry before the dinner starts. After meeting the Mayor, we were directed to the local Inn, where we were to spend the night. Did a mistake of trying an ale I've never tried before... far too strong for me (especially considering I don't drink often), so the first portion of night was somewhat blurry. Well, lesson learnt there... We were talking with the friendly hostess, Rana. About the island and living here in general; did she like it, which part was her favorite (meeting new visitors and the harvest), and so on. Then there was a question about the Gift; how does one receive it. She said it's a big party at the Town Hall (not a dance such as we'll be seeing, though... incidentally, she said they don't throw dances often), then people go to the hall and talk with Mayor, and there's an oath (about helping community, or somesuch) and fireworks... Ami was trying to convince Rana that 'community' was in fact Mayor, and that he was living off the hard labour of others and that they've been brainwashed; however, Rana said that they could vote him out on the next elections. Regained my senses by then, and asked her about the marriages; she said that only two people have married since she came to the island. Last month, and they took the Gift right after wedding. Yeah, figures... Then the discussion was about managing taverns (since Lee owns one) and hard work... Then Rana was saying „Nothing wrong with hard work... if you play as well“ and winked at me. Grandpa Huyghes' advice on dealing with unexpected situations always stated: play dumb (not a really hard thing to do, I've found, and it sometimes doesn't involve much playing at all) and/or play along. She seems nice and all, but she somehow doesn't fit the general impression I've gotten about the island. Too cheerful... Anyway, seems I might have a date for the dance... and I hate dances. Suppose it might be a good opportunity to learn more, though; because like I said, Rana's behaviour didn't seem to fit the image of emotions-bereft citizen of the promised land. Lee seemed to think the same, because she told me she had inkling about her; that they're trying to pull stops to keep us on the island... We went out then, and in front of Inn, we talked with a sailor. He had lost his son and daughter to Blood, but as he was telling us about it, there was no trace of emotion neither on his face nor in his voice. No anger, hatred, not even remorse. So it would seem that the Gift helps people forget whatever part of past might haunt them. cope with their past, by rendering them passive and emotionless. Wonder why Rana has come to the island? Then we met a boy, Cole, who was looking for his cat. Said it's his twelfth birthday, and he wanted to give it a fish. Twelve... so he's just about to receive the Gift. No wonder he was different from other people we've met (save Rana). After short discussion we decided to talk to the Mayor about the Gift giving... To make him consider pushing back the age at which kids get it, because it's a big decision... and at the age of twelve, kids are most likely too influenced by peers and parents to make a 'free' choice. And, kids (in most cases) have no past to run from. So while the Gift might help the adults who seek shelter from their past, it could be (and probably is) more harm than good to a child... It's getting dark, and it seems preparations are going on in front of the Hall. Guess it means it's time to go...
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The latest ventures didn't go very well... not at all. A sign that my good luck (provided there is such a thing in the first place) has finally left me? Or that I've grown overconfident in my skills, thus leaving better judgement and tactics behind? What doesn't kill you make Soul mother get you, makes you stronger. Or something... let's try to remain positive... Been with Lee to Rilara; met her and Raine on their way to fort Himlad. Once Raine made his letter delivery, he decided to stay there. Lee gave me a quick tour to the surrounds then; there's really neat fishing spot there, and the apple trees by the river... Also got to see Karthy, or Sin city as Serissa had called it. Not really a place I'd visit again in near future, unless it'd be absolutely necessary. Learnt a bit of Lee's story; been wondering what's troubling her... about her children being stolen, and her vision of ritual... wish there was something that could be done; she's so nice and caring, she deserves better... Accompanied Serissa, Jaleel, Ark, Erik and Gruwlz in cleaning part of High forest; I can't really bear myself to see the orcs there, not now that I know what'd happened to my real home... We did well, and decided to explore the ruins inhabited by diseased rats. Fought our way to the lower level, where we found ourselves overwhelmed by some sort of slime... and as if that hadn't been enough, a wyrm leaped on us from around the corner. Was paralysed by the slime by then, so there was not much that could've been done... Jaleel and Serissa managed to retreat, but they came back for us. They defeated the wyrm and she brought us back. Next time someone badmouths either of them or Rofireinites... There was also a failed attempt to retrieve beholder eye stalk for the Sielwood witch. Mille, Tallia, Jaleel, Shamur and myself, lead by miss Ireth... the frontal attack on group of huge elementals didn't go well... Tallia got killed after she rushed into melee, and Jaleel and miss Ireth fell while we were falling back (one of the rare advantages of fighting alone is that when you decide to fall back, you don't have to worry about others doing the same... usually in groups, everyone waits for everyone else, which is as it should be, except that it usually results in nobody moving at all...). Got new gloves and a belt from Ferrit, in exchange for two boxes of silk. Collected some in Silwood, and some on Rilara near that fishing spot Lee had shown me. Blasted big blue snakes... lurking there, waiting for someone to step on them. I swear, I've never been praying so fervently, praying that they're blind... Even stepped on one of them at one time; been an odd day, was feeling somewhat dizzy and all, and all of a sudden it was lying there. Luckily it didn't follow. Figure it must've been too cold for it to move, or something. Larissa, halfling necromancer (as she calls herself) was nagging me about brown again. Sounded like an inquisition against brown-wearing folk (or maybe just me). Fashion disaster, color blind, blah blah blah... Last thing I need to worry about is whether my armor is fashionable. Beauty and style not exactly needed here... Plus, lack of style is a style in itself. She did make a valid point, though, that I'd never get a lady in that brown armour of mine... though, figure 'proper' clothes wouldn't boost my chances very much, either, so why bother... Been to Grey peaks with Muir and Ark, trying to reach Lar. At Hlint, before we started, Muir asked an odd question; if I'd die protecting her life. Heh, I hate hypothetical questions. I mean, I can say 'yes' now, play the hero. Would you sacrifice your life in order to save the world? Sure. Yeah right, would probably be among the first to run and try to save my life... There's no way I can possibly answer such a question truthfully, no matter if I choose yes or no as an answer, not until the situation arises. It's actions then, not words... And few are who can see where their paths lead... But I suppose I'd like to think I would; leaving my selfish self behind, and all that. I guess that's what my parents would like, both real and foster ones... Muir seemed to think the answer was fair, because she buffed me before we entered the battle. Really hope it didn't get her in trouble with her Lady... The encounter didn't go that well... at some point the elemental protection faded just as we charged, so the ogre mage didn't have very hard work... Bris and Karn helped me reach my grave. Hope Muir and Ark are alright... And there was incursion into Haven mines (after loooong discussion bickering about killing, ethics, magic, and many other things). Five casters (with additional skills in cases of some, I guess) and a ranger: Animous, Zak, Rain, Eredel, Larissa and my sorry self. Shamur decided not to join as soon as Zak joined the party. Coincidence? I don't think so (and he later confirmed it wasn't, not that I can blame him). Good thing Rain decided to turn back before anyone got killed. I'm actually surprised he didn't stop the whole thing before it began... With only me in melee (and some summons, but those can sometimes rush ahead and all of a sudden you have whole cavern of ogres over you), it was pretty much pushing the luck (and when doing that, I'd prefer to have Dora watching my back). I have my hood and those two amulets to protect me, but after that, I doubt I could last very long. And I'd like to keep at least one amulet for the way out, just a precaution. And it seemed everyone was saving their spells, both offensive (understandably) and buffs (wonder if it had something to do with Zak's advice, stemming out of hundred years of experience in tunnel fighting...). Credit to whom credit is due, though, I got my sword coated in flame, and Eredel did stoneskin me... After that I've been sitting by my favourite trash can in Hlint and listening to some women fight; one of them, dressed in red (and in Xeenite-like manner, as Serissa had observed earlier), seemed particularly witty and merciless in her replies. The kind of person who loves to have the last word, I reckon. Better not cross her path, unless you like verbal fights. One venture that went well was the last one, exploration of Direwood with Gel... guess it had something to do with the decision that we'd call it peace day and avoid fights unless attacked. So we fought only a harpy who didn't know about the peace day, and a bunch of ghosts that managed to spot us and wouldn't let go. Learnt that Gel fancies the afore-mentioned witty lady, and that her name's Vellucia. Saw her again at Hlint later, seemingly trying to pick a fight with everyone else that was there. She's really good at it, though. Very sharp... Can't really imagine Gel (or anyone) getting along with her, though, but then again, just because it's beyond my imagination, it doesn't mean it's impossible.
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Been at Grey peaks with Dora. Just like the first adventure we had together. Well, except that there were far more ogres. And Dora had far more spells up her sleeve. And that Vulkas oil for miss Juanita was retrieved. But just to prove that some things never change, ogres still hit as hard as they used to... Funny, though; I was told an army is needed to push your way through the mountains. Maybe a larger group would attract more trouble, thus more people'd really be needed? Or we just did really well? Either way, it was nice to travel with her again... No matter what Larissa Rissa says about Toranites, she's fun to travel with... Just wish I got to see her more often (guess she's busy now that she's joined that new merchant group, Angels). We also made our way to Lar, where we were asked to get plans for reinforced chair from dwarven fortress in Berhagen mountains... Met a man named Amon, who joined us for the journey. I'd been to those mountains only once before, with a large group... We did well this time, too, though. Very well, in fact (to great extent due to all the protective spells, I figure). Reached the fort and got those plans, then parted our ways at Fort Velensk, as we all needed rest. Some time later went back to Lar with Dora and Elgon... Been leaning alot against my favourite trashcan in Hlint, too. Listening to that woman, Vellucia (yet to ask her what her name is and see if the one I get from her is different than what Gel's told me...) fight the rest of the Hlint. It actually surprises me how many people are bothered by her... Ma' used to say it always takes two to argue - of course, that was always when Butch or I picked a fight and defended ourselves with mandatory 'They started it first'... still, she had a valid point there. If you don't feel like fighting, you simply ignore her and her comments. She's not like an ogre or a goblin (not by the outlooks, anyway... though I guess some might disagree when it comes to her manners and attitude), who'd follow you around with their sword or bow drawn until you decide it's not a peace day anymore... Grandpa Huyghes used to call it game, the verbal fights. You can stop at any point you want (usually when things start looking bad for you)... But, he also said that once you get to insult the way people speak, or go for the racial superiority/inferiority, it means you're running out of fresh ideas... (and that is what I've seen the lady in question do more than once). Think she'd beat Grandpa Huyghes at his favourite game, though, and not sweating much at it. Not even his usual rounds of ale would help him... well, unless maybe if somehow she got to drink it all... Went to Dregar for the first time. Large group, with many of my friends in it: Rissa, Shamur, Sallaron, Bee. Also some of more seasoned fighters and casters. Stuck to my bow during that trip; since I still hadn't had enchantment on my sword, I figured I wouldn't have been much of use in the front. We cleared a forest clearing and a cave full of giants, and there were also some dark rangers and a druid in the clearing. Most seemed worried by that; seems those rangers usually keep themselves to other areas. At the end of the journey, at Pranzis, miss Sh'anda looked up the sword I had been talking about with Karana; iron one, with same enchantment as the one I wanted for my sword. Guess all I have to do now is find Karana and give her my old sword and the gold... After that, been following Rissa around; she was acting a bit odd, trying to hit everything with her spells. We went into Haven mines, but nearly got massacred by a group of ogres on the first level. It was really odd... as if some curse was bestowed upon the whole land. Couldn't focus, couldn't hit... (and usually I can deal with such a group alone). Luckily we got out and went to pick up some mineral greenstone instead. Did some more travelling in order to collect materials for my attempts at alchemy. Went to fort Himlad with a brownie named Roggin and half-giant named Bog; a mercenary named Tomas also assisted us in crossing the plains. Will have to practice alchemy alot, though... Learnt some more of the brownie (Nixx said she'd teach me more in exchange for oak shortbow I made her):
- 'Uyoa lbiheag yoac dyoarkoaih?' - 'You speak our language?' (actually got that one from Roggin... understood only uyoa and yoac, but figured the rest from the context... a genius, eh?)
- 'O eas fihcu bmihealiht.' - 'I am very pleased.' (Nixx's comment on the bow I made her)
- 'Zihmm tyrih' – 'Well done'
Oh, and think I also picked up an elven phrase; been eavesdropping (accidentally... not my fault benches are that close to the trashcan) to two elves and caught 'Veew semlelv', which I suspect means 'Good morning' (considering it was morning and they both said it when they met). So yeah, 'till next time and Veew ... (and whatever the word for night is... come to think of it, can't say that in brownie, either...)
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Hmm... let's see what has happened since the last entry... (note to myself: start making entries more often... harder to forget things this way) There was an incursion in Haven mines, organised by Ani... among the people in the group were Praylor, Shamur and Muir. People I'd travelled with before and whom I'd come to trust... So I figured, it'd be an effective party, without unnecessary bickering and without unnecessary risks... Except that I missed a small detail; we had a Toranite and a Misty in the group. Praylor wasn't making a big deal out of it, though... it was Muir. She kept hissing at him, challenging his every decision, his every move. For example, when we were about to charge into first group of ogres, which weren't really in our way, he got accused of being bloodthirsty. I wonder, if he had chosen to avoid them in the first place, would he have been accused of being a coward and of risking our party being struck from behind, or somesuch...? We fought our way down, and eventually defeated the leader of the ogres. Someone took the head, then we decided to go out... Praylor first, casters in the middle, me and Shamur guarding the back... And it got Praylor accused of running ahead and leaving everyone else behind, vulnerable to the ambush. I told her to shut up... It wasn't really my place to do so, but she wasn't in position to be preaching to anyone, either. After all, it wasn't Praylor who had rushed ahead, leaving the narrow point and consequently causing us to fight whole group of ogres at once... nor it was his elemental who had rushed ahead and tipped the mages off... It's not any of my concern what she does in order to annoy Shamur or flirt with him or whatever (and by the looks of it, it's not any of Ark's concern anymore, either). But I hate to have the group beaten because of it. She later told me she didn't expect anyone to follow her... Too bad, she should've known Shamur and I would... You've forgotten about the question you asked before we went to Grey peaks with Ark, haven't you, Muir? Picked a sort of argument with that Vellucia woman... And I'd like to think she didn't get much of an upper hand in it... But in the end, it didn't really feel like winning (nor losing, but still...). Guess arguing like that isn't really my thing... it's different when you banter with your friends, because then you know they know you don't really mean it... Been also undead-hunting with Nixx. First we travelled to Dragon Isle to help the community there with their problem of few angry treants, then we returned to Velensk and proceeded to Dire wood. We fought well; getting the area rid of many spectres, and Nixx took down the bone ogres with her spells, too. Couple of times we got badly outnumbered, but Nixx got us out with invisibility spells. So in the end, we both got out of it alive, we cleaned the forest of some of the undead, and none of them followed us out. Made some progress with alchemy; managed to mix up some cure and some cat grace potions. Went to Rilara to collect more almonds and met Muir at Point Harbour. Went together towards Fort Himlad, but that journey went bad... Griffon got us by surprise, and it hit really hard, too. Luckily neither of us met Soul mother... Went the same way with Nixx and Bee some time later; I'm really coming to believe travelling with Nixx works as some sort of good luck charm. She delivered letter to farmer at Himlad, then we looked for a missing cow. All clues pointed at the griffon we fought in the plains... Nixx seemed devastated; firs that horse, now cow... But I guess sometimes things are just beyond our control. After informing the farmer, we went for Thalos river, where we dealt with magic scarecrows gone rampant. It was a good journey, all in all. Learnt new brownie phrase, too: 'Uyoac zihmmysih', which means 'You're welcome'. Some days later I ventured to Haven mines again. This time the group was... different. Bee, Tomas the mercenary, Rakan the half-giant and me. In other words, no casters. We did well, though. Tomas, Rakan and I fought melee, while Bee was felling ogres with his arrows. Got to the bottom, and got out alive. Think that tells it all. After coming back from that, I went back to Hlint, which was surprisingly empty (not that it was a negative kind of surprise...). Watched a woman fish there with bow and arrows and suggested her to use fishing rod. Turned out she was trying to catch some food for the less fortunate, and it was her first day at fishing, too. So I helped her a bit with advice on what I've learnt about fishing. She said her short name's Iz, and by her built I guess she must be an elf. She's wearing elven mask all the time, too, but I figure it'd be impolite to ask why (besides, she didn't ask why I wear hood all the time, did she?). And she seemed to think sun was harsh that day... but all in all, I find her nice... Asked interesting question when I took her to Blackford castle to fish there; if travelling with stranger didn't bother me and if I wasn't worried she might be something else. Guess it never crossed my mind (and yeah, back at home I was oft told I'm too naive and trusting sometimes), but I guess with Byt and Nal shadowing me most of the time, I don't really have to worry much. I asked her the same question, and she said she trusted Toran'd protect her. Finally a Toranite that likes to fish... Then there was a day when Hlint was in uproar. Everyone seemed to be looking for some 'Mith', promising immeasurable amount pain and such if they managed to find him. Serissa said he had allegedly sold three women, Rhynn among them, into slavery... Met Lee who asked if I had seen her ex-husband. Described him as ugly tall mage in green robe – sounded like a man I'd seen at tower north of Hlint. Turned out that was Mith everyone was looking for. I've never seen Lee like that; she looked furious, and as if she was ready to kill him any moment... I left after she challenged him to the arena for bringing up the topic of their children... there was a big enough crowd watching, and it felt like it wasn't any of my business at all (which it wasn't)...
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* The following excerpt is written on a page that is not bound in the journal, but rather just put between the rest of the pages. It would seem that while its time of origin is about same as of the rest of the entries, it doesn't necessarily fit their chronological order... *
The New Haven, IV
Seems getting off the island just got harder... Don't get me wrong, it's not like we're forced to stay. In fact, mayor Parsathan announced there should be a ship ready to take us back tomorrow morning. But then again... In spite of my usual self, I actually enjoyed the dance. Was surprisingly good at it, too. Suppose I owe it a bit to Ma's insistence that dancing should be among my know-how, but considering I didn't really believe her at that time, I guess it was mostly because of Rana. Or the music. Or the magic harp... I'm pretty sure the harp was magic, because it kept playing even after Rana let go of it to dance with me... I've never seen a night pass so quickly... and I'm beginning to believe that the void that's been with me ever since I left home and Lisa behind can be filled. Except (there's always that, or some 'but' or something along those lines, eh?) that I'm still puzzled by some things. For example, while townsfolk were actually dancing, they seemed to be repeating same movements all over again. Fair enough, I shouldn't be surprised about that... Then again, where does Rana fit in, since she's a really good dancer and she seemed to be enjoying the dance as much as I was? Or how to explain that when harp's music stuttered, her smile faded for a moment? Were townsfolk under influence of harp's spell and she was part of the scheme? Or was she under its influence as well? There's another question that's been gnawing me ever since the morning, when Rana winked at me for the first time and Lee told me of her suspicion that she might be part of the plot to keep us on the island... Suppose for a moment I fell in love with her and decided to stay and become a citizen; would I still feel for her after receiving the Gift? Or it simply wouldn't matter anymore if she was used as a bait to get more people to the island? Yeah, that's me.... Getting suspicious when things start to look good (a trait I really wouldn't mind getting rid of...). But I do wish we simply had been given a definite answer about how exactly the Gift affects one's emotions and personality... We retreated to the Town Hall when it started to rain. Mayor came to see us, and asked us for the opinions. Not surprisingly, many answered they found the place odd... There was discussion about some Rofireinites (since Lee recognised the statue in the middle of the Hall) and then the issue of Gift being bestowed upon children was brought up, and Mayor said that the age when a child received Gift might be a subject to change. Good... except that as the discussion went on, it became apparent he had aspirations of spreading the Gift throughout the land. Forcing it upon others, even though he didn't say it. He did say it was for greater good and to prevent suffering, though. Now, who said that road to hell is paved with good intentions again? Oh, right... it was grandpa Huyghes when we tried to make him cut his drinking... Mayor claimed bestowing Gift upon children is to free them of fear, whereas we argued it's what instils fear in them (considering Kymar's case). I also began to wonder to what extent can one get rid of their emotions and feelings without hindering their survival instincts; I mean, fear and pain also serve to arouse one to either fight or flight in case of danger? The mayor didn't seem to appreciate the question, though. Said it was getting late and that we'd discuss it next time. Also, to quote him: „They will react. The desire to live does not go away. We are still people, not golems.“ Good to hear, except that in my mind the image of townsfolk “dancing” was conjured by these words... also, note „we“ - thought he and Father did not receive the Gift? He also said some of us clearly weren't suited for the life on the island and that ship would be waiting in the morning. Sallaron and Lee said they'd stay until next council meeting and try to make them consider pushing back the age at which the Gift is bestowed upon children. Rana, who turned out to be a councilwoman (is that sufficient explanation to why she's different? But even so, council is supposed to be formed from townsfolk, which should all have received the Gift, no?), said I could stay at least a while as well (even though I was under impression mayor's words were directed at those of us who kept asking unpleasant questions). So yeah, why not. It'd be interesting to see the council, and I wouldn't mind learning the truth...
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Ever wondered how bad a fuss can get at Hlint? Well, today certainly wasn't uneventful... A wolf appeared seemingly out of nowhere (I noticed it on the road, coming in direction from west gate, but never seen it enter through the gates... so as far as I'm concerned, it could've been summoned from within town walls... note to self, though: be more observant), looking hungry, and it went after the two brownies that were around (one of them being Rog; I've travelled with the other one too, but don't think I've caught his name), as if to eat them. I told it to stop, and tried to stop it myself when it showed no response, but it just ignored me and continued to pursue the brownie. Great commotion ensued... brownie climbed the tree, shouting for help, Karn was singing his silly song about Hlint... you get the idea. Then, it suddenly disappeared, obviously being someone's summon. Iz commented on magic (seems she's not too fond of wizards and magic, either), then a drow with his blades drawn appeared before us. We drew blades as well... Don't get me wrong, both Ma and Alan and Nynn always said I shouldn't make assumptions based on one's race. But the attitude you give is the one you get (in most cases anyway), and if you appear out of nowhere with blades drawn... (though, probably if he wanted to kill either of us, he would've done it while still invisible... or unnoticed... or whatever). There was excited brownie chatter, mixed with Grib's comments, Karn's song, Ani telling everyone to shut up and fussing about putting swords down in the same breath... and then you wonder why I hate crowds? To worsen things, someone brought magic darkness upon us, and as it faded I found myself standing next to fire elemental... Drow (whom Lee once referred to as Nepp) said Hlint should be burnt down as it annoys him, and the elemental seemed to agree. It placed its hand on the traschan, which was quickly turned into heap of smouldering ashes. Ani kept going on about putting weapons down and summoned his wolf, “to protect us” (so we could put down our weapons). Yeah, like it'd be that hard to get rid of a wizard if someone was really intent of starting a fight, not to mention that presence of another wolf seemed to further scare the brownie... You'd think Garent's arrival would relieve the situation... but it seemed he either had a really bad day or he just doesn't think very highly of brownies, because I could've sworn he was sneering at them when they tried to report the wolf. In the end, he listened to me, but we didn't get much further than “Where did the wolf come from?” and “Where did it go?”. I think he was told more than four times it was clearly a summon, before it was decided nothing could be done... Could've seen that one coming. No wonder people do as they please... (not that I'm big fan of rules, but seems you can't really rely on people's common sense around here, either) And, to conclude this long-winded entry, the quote of the day (courtesy of Garent, of course): “This is Hlint. You want ordinary, go elsewhere”. Sounds like an idea... I definitely don't want to be around when someone decides to summon a dragon...
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There's been a wedding I attended... even though I really knew neither groom nor the bride. Well, the groom was mister Barion, a man I've met before, but I've never met the bride before – miss Sa'kura, as people called her. The ceremony was held at the Gnoll watch tower in the Sword Rust mountains. A nice and serene place that I've discovered some time ago, and it seems others find it this way as well. All in all, it was nice, even though I barely knew anyone... there were people I see around Hlint, but whom otherwise I hardly can say I know. There were many people, though, showing that bride and groom had a decent amount of friends... But even though it was a nice change from usual everyday, part of me wishes I hadn't gone there... there was Dora, with Mercas... and they seemed to be, as Valdemar would put it, on very friendly terms. Suppose I should've seen that one coming; laws of nature, best man winning or something along those lines... I kinda wish grandpa Huyghes were here though, with his unsolicited wisdom. „You can't lose something you didn't have in the first place, lad“, or somesuch. Yeah, that's right... so in the end, none of my business, really. In other news, it would seem the fires of racial dissent are burning bright these days... remember the wolf incident? The involved brownies posted a protest note against Garent's attitude, and now whole lot of people have jumped on the bandwagon, protesting against presence of drow, goblins and half-giants in Hlint. Nepp, the drow ranger who drew his blades on Iz that day, was challenged to duel by some dwarf. I don't know, even though I don't approve of Nepp's attitude, there was no proof that the summon was his, and furthermore, the issue of drawn blades shouldn't really be settled by some third party. Especially since I suspect it's the same dwarf that almost strangled Gribb few days prior, and then gave me a lecture about letting goblins wander around... In all honesty, most of half-giants I've met at Hlint were far more civilised than some people... and same would go for those few Drow I've interacted with. Doesn't mean all of them are that way, though. So it doesn't mean I completely let my guard down, either. Ma' said it's best to reserve any sort of judgement until you're presented with facts... or until people give you a reason to judge. There can be good apples in a bad bunch, just like there can be bad ones in a good bunch, but it's hard to tell in advance which one you'll come across (and yeah, I do realise it's safer to assume those of bad bunch are bad until proven otherwise... but is it just as safe to assume those of good bunch are good?)
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Finally looked into the bugbear problem for Ashley, the guardswoman of Point Harbor. Dealt with it, too, though at the price I never would have been willing to pay had I known it in advance... It began as a simple plan between Nixx and I; go there and hit some of the bugbears to see how strong they are, and fall back should they prove too strong. Dora overheard our planning, but when we told her of our destination, she simply wished us good luck. Bad sign if even she'd rather avoid it, was my thought at the time. Then Daniel and two other men came, and they decided to join us. By time we set off towards Port Hampshire, Dora joined as well... So for the first time, I visited the Bear Island... and it lived up to its reputation. We fought well, but once we attacked the second group of bugbears in the temple, their archers picked Nixx as their target, and I noticed it too late. Managed to take them out, but not before she was lying dead on the ground... Dora managed to bring her back, but meeting Soul mother could not have been prevented. We went on, a bit more cautiously, and reached the entrance to the lower level when Mercas caught up with us... In next encounter we bit a bit more than we could've chewed without problems... we managed to defeat the group of bugbears, but when the battle was over, Dora was lying dead on the ground. Show no fear, show no pain... And let go of the anger, it does you no good... I did agree with Mercas that they'd pay for it, though... So we went on, and defeated the chieftain and his guards... The one to one encounter with a bugbear isn't something I plan on trying again in near future. But I did manage to defeat the last one just in time to rush over and help Mercas who'd been struck down... And now I'm thinking about that, and I find it somewhat ironic (and fitting; nothing seems to fit my life more than a decent deal of irony)... And in the end, I'm just awfully glad there was no time to think about it down there; gods know if I'd be able to look at my reflection again had there been...
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Hmm... a second caster to be added to the list of the people who (seem to, at least) know what they're doing and whom I'd travel with again without much of a second thought. Comes right after Nixx... Her name's Tre, and, according to Karn's description, she's a „suicidal sorceress“. She has that aura of overconfidence around her that also gives impression she considers herself above the rest; and even her voice and attitude tend to suggest it. But hey, she leads only as long as we follow... so not such a big deal. We met her at Hlint, or rather, she met us; looked like she needed help to reach her stone in goblin cavern. In the retrospect, I can't really imagine how goblins got her; I mean, considering all I've seen, I guess they must've gotten extremely lucky... or I'm just being extremely naive again. Either way, after we came out of cavern, brownie cleric Perpus joined us. Tre decided she wanted to hit some ogres, and led us to Sielwood. So far, so good... Except that then she decided to venture further south; up to that point, I avoided the area as a rule of thumb because I got chased out by werewolf once... That was before I got my enchanted sword, though, and now I feel stronger, too. So we dealt with the werewolves, spiders, stag beetles and ogres. So far, so good... Except that we ventured straight into that eerie area called Broken forest right after that. Those vines definitely aren't something I like to see... Didn't seem to bother Tre, though; she threw a fireball at angry treant before I could object, and after that, what choice did we have? We fought... and much to my surprise, we lived through it. Tre did most of the work with her spells, I did some of it with my sword, and Perpus did excellent work with keeping me alive. It was a valuable experience; when the vine hit me, it got sprouts all over me, but for some reason, they didn't really hurt me. Whether it was elemental protection or Johan's cloak, I cannot tell (unfortunately; I'd really like to know... some time back, I got ambushed by the same kind of vine and it dealt quickly with me, in spite of the cloak...). Even when it actually started to wound me, Perpus was standing next to me, healing the wounds until the vine was dealt with. Funny, it didn't seem to hurt him at all... said he was too small for it to be able to really hit him or something. So all in all, what seemed a reckless venture in the beginning turned out to be a valuable experience, at least for me. At fort Hope, Perpus had to leave, but Shamur joined us; we went to topaz mine – Tre, Karn, Shamur and I. We did well, except that Shamur and I were also falling victims to Tre's spell that involved dazzling colorful light. Upon complaining, she said we shouldn't stand in her line of casting, and went ahead. Unfortunately, a group of ogres managed to take us by surprise, and before we knew it, they got her. It elicited comments about all-knowing casters from Shamur and Karn, but as I've written before, she did seem to know what she was doing (well, compared to some people I know, anyway)... We helped her reach her stone, then went back to Velensk, paying a short visit to the swamps on our way there.
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* The following excerpt is written on a page that is not bound in the journal, but rather just put between the rest of the pages. It would seem that while its time of origin is about same as of the rest of the entries, it doesn't necessarily fit their chronological order... *
The New Haven, V
Just finished discussing the events of previous day, impressions and possible courses of actions with those of us who have remained in front of the town hall (guess the rest have either gone for the ship that leaves in the morning, or are looking around on their own). Mayor and Ignatious have retreated to their places, and Rana's not around either. I suspect they're all setting up the stage for the next act of this charade... Lee told us the story related to the statue she has recognised in the town hall. About Krispin, a Rofireinite stationed in some town with odd name. About bandits that kept attacking it, and how Krispin had been in charge of a successful campaign against their raids. And how they kidnapped his young wife out of vengeance, giving him two options; to continue defending the town, or to go out to rescue her and thus leave the town vulnerable to yet another raid they were coming up with. How he had chosen the duty and broke the raid, and had his wife murdered for it. It made him a hero to many, and he's said to have lead a glorious military career. Yet Lee said he has died a lonely death, with his wife's name on his lips... In her opinion, Krispin is some sort of idol to mayor Parshattan, who's trying to come up with a Rofirienite paradise on the island. I asked if anyone could tell me what exactly the Gift does; after admitting she's tempted by the whole idea, Lee said it's more than just feeling suppression, that it helps them cope with their trauma... But how? By rendering them indifferent? She said that binding can have a loss of feelings as a side effect... it's happened to her before. And Ifion confirmed that later with story about early soulstones... But still... The mayor insisted that the will to live does not go away when I asked him about survival instincts of the people. How can he draw the line between emotions he want people to have and those he doesn't? Even more, how can he draw the line with a ritual? After all, it's not emotions and feelings that are 'twisted' and 'negative'; that's their relation to the given situation. What might help you to survive in one situation, might be in your way in some other... And then there's Rana being different. Lee said Ignatious is different too, but she believes he has taken the Gift. So it was observed there are at least two different classes of people on the island; but that doesn't fit the idea of everyone being equal, does it? The other possible explanation I was offered was that the effect of Gift is proportional to one's trauma and negative emotions one bears. And the children? There's whole trauma of Gift and pressure from parents... so it seems the mayor's trying to mend something he's causing in the first place, eh? So, we should try to achieve pushing the age of Gift receiving back, so that kids can make choice on their own and not due to their parents' pressure. But still, would that really be a choice? If one's growing up in environment that cherishes the Gift... I mean, we're all susceptible to the teachings of our parents, no? So children might simply come to believe Gift is their passage into adulthood. And with all the adults being Gifted, they wouldn't really have a chance to get to know the alternatives? So yeah, maybe people need an advocate, someone who's not Gifted. But I suspect that wouldn't work out, either... As Cym has put it, there's no really good answer to the dilemma here. Because by fixing one thing, you break another. He seems to favour the idea of preventing the rituals from happening in the future; should there be an artifact needed for the Gifting, we could steal it, destroy it, or something along those lines. Might work; but what happens to people here there? Like Lee said, “ Bindings are funny like that. It's like balancing a feather on a knife's edge. Requires perfect balance.” And, we'd have to witness the Gift giving – but how? It inherently means one of us would have to go through it, ans what if it's not bound to an object, what if it can't be disrupted? And, who says others would be allowed to witness it? We agreed we should work with the council first, leave the extreme measures as a last resort. Lee said her concern were children... But, I don't know... I'd like to know the truth about the Gift and its effect. I'm beginning to believe it's impossible that the people have been given the full picture of it, considering it's still in experimental stage, and even mayor seemed somewhat uncertain in answering some of our questions. Anyway, Lee said she'd ask mayor and Ingatious, and I'll try to get some information from Rana... On topic of that, Lee told me “Be careful then. It's rather obvious how she thinks she feels about you.” I suspect this is the primary reason why I'd like to learn the truth... even though truth is usually something that turns out to be anything but what we'd like it to be... Lee's considering to stay (makes me feel kinda better in a way... means I'm not the only one partially lured into the trap – but then, guess she's been through alot more than me). Nyya said she'd stay with her, but then brought to our attention that there are only humans and half-elves on the island. So Gift works only with human blood? Due to lack of magic resistance, or because it's human way to run away from problems? (I guess races with greater life span must have developed a better way to fight bad memories and trauma... the memories of human lifetime can be a burden too great to bear – now imagine having a lifespan of an elf?) So at the bottom line, should we disrupt the ritual if everything else fails and we find out how to do it? We seemed to agree on that one... I dislike the possibility of people here getting harmed during the conflict that might arise, though. And there might even be riots or somesuch, if people's feelings come back crashing on them (yeah, my pessimist imagination kicking in again). And finally, we'd have to get back to the mainland on our own... Lots of questions, with answers to them being about as abundant as surface water in Blood desert...
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Alan and Nynn, if you somehow happen to be reading this, skip this entry. Or at least the first part of it. Or, take a deep breath, count the arrows in your quiver, and read the whole thing before cursing my naivety and lamenting how all your lessons have gone wasted on me... That being said, lately I've been travelling around with a drow lady, Miriel (by the way, how do you call a female that could be your grandgrand...grandmother by age and yet not considered old within her race?). Yeah, yeah, I can hear your angry protests... Alas, I assure you, your lessons have not gone wasted on me. I remember what you taught me of drow and of their ways. Of those I've seen around Hlint, I have decent amount of trust only for Cym and now Miriel; as for the rest, while I do not assume hostile stance, I keep my guard on. Suppose if they are scouts for a forthcoming invasion, the easiest way to let them reveal themselves is to keep an eye on them, on their activity, the places they visit and the questions they ask (and possibly provide somewhat misleading answers). And if in the process, the suspicions are proven wrong, that much better. Anyway, she usually wears a hood, so I couldn't tell her race until she revealed it herself. It was before we set on our first journey together, and although my thought was reaching for sword, I quelled it; after all, she didn't have to reveal herself. She risked being shunned or attacked or driven out... I guess it would've been much easier for her to keep herself hidden, and if she was to hit me, do so while I was unprepared. It seemed like an offer for trust, and I chose to accept it (though, if someone else comes up with similar scheme now, I'll suspect they've stolen my journal and read this entry). Had Nal keep an eye on her, though, but thus far, she gave me no reason to distrust. To be fairly honest, she has many traits I look for in my friends... I've also taken portal to Pranzis, and explored Dregar on my own. Lee and Nyya have been nice enough to provide me with directions to find the rye, which I need for a beer recipe, which in turn I need for beer bread (I swear, you so don't want to know what I put into that brew... and it's not even the oddest of the recipes). Managed to get lost in Pranzis (after all, I'm a ranger... forest is my area, not a city). Managed to get lost outside Pranzis, too (after all, never been there before). I wished Nixx had been with me, to make us invisible in case something had gone wrong. But with every step I took, there was more excitement... Remember when we were kids, when everything was new and the world held endless possibilities? I found a small part of that again while exploring... Relying on myself... that's what my first lessons from Alan and Nynn were about. Sure, you're stronger with your friends, but what will you do when you're left on your own, for whatever reason? Relying only on my stealth skills (and of course fighting skills as well, as a fallback), finding my way past bugbears, past vampires, and not knowing what might be lurking around the next corner... All in all, it was a great practice in moving through the unknown terrain. All the lessons, from the earliest ones on, brought back and applied... I guess if I had been that way with a strong group, possibly of more seasoned adventurers, it might have been a safer journey. And we would have probably cut our way through the creatures I walked around. But in the end, would it be the same?
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Just returned from Berhagen mountains, where I've been with a group... It began with a woman named Rihana, a man named Sanu, and myself going after werewolves in Sielwood. Eventually we went south, to Fort Velensk, where we met Sallaron, Rao and a man named Kas. Together we hit ogres at topaz cave; the incursion went really well, even more so considering we had neither a cleric nor a caster in our group. After cleaning a bit of Dire wood, we decided to go to Berhagen. The first encounter with golems there didn't go all that well; we managed to defeat them all, but Rihana had fallen. After she recovered at the site, we went on. I found the group to be a really good one; we all hit the same giant, thus giving them little time to hit us (except with the boulders). We reached the dwarven fortress, and went towards giants' cave, but decided to go back once there, due to running low on supplies. On the way back, we met the Angels... that's the merchant group Dora's in; Rain, Mercas, Ferrit, Elgon, Daniel and some others. Turned out they were going to the cave, and asked if we wanted to join. Low on supplies, I would've rather gone back. Besides, the group would have gotten much larger, and I'm not comfortable with the whole 'safety in numbers' thing. There's no such thing, as far as my personal experience go... Alas, I joined them with the rest of the group I was in, but decided to leave after the first encounter. Mercas was supposed to do the luring, but people followed him, and we ended fighting both giant bashers and mages at the same time... Daniel fell... The rest of giants were dealt with quickly, but I had made my mind by then. The way I saw it, the Angels travel often together, therefore they know how to operate as a group... they know who lures, how luring is done, and who protects whom with their spells. And don't get me wrong, I'm not saying our group couldn't have worked alongside them... I just simply felt that with the way I usually get hit, I might have taken up too much supplies (having little left myself) and contributing next to nothing. In animal world, an animal that would burden its pack too much usually leaves... Sure, there might be safety in numbers when you go blade to blade. However, when you take magic into the account... the people that couldn't be protected against let's say cold get injured, and their wounds must be taken care of, thus cutting the supplies low. It's not the lack of skill... it's simply that different tactics would be employed was the group smaller. Or unprotected. Half-protected groups I find at greatest risk, because the protected fighters can rush into the battle, and usually the unprotected ones feel compelled to follow. It's part of reason why I dislike too large a group, too; I get uncomfortable when I feel like a fifth wheel. Sure, it gets you the experience, you get to see how to hit the enemy, you might even learn something from it. But it's the small groups where tactics and discipline are forged, and in the end, those are what makes the difference between a good group and a dead one.
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Another group I took part in that's worth mentioning... even though the foray wasn't the most successful (alright, let's be honest... it could be described as verging on disaster...), there's a lot I can learn from it; especially considering I haven't learnt much from my own ranting about large groups (which, ironically, is what previous entry was all about, more or less). Sallaron was forming a group in Hlint... Now that I've actually bothered to read the notice board at the Inn (note to myself: do that more often), I know it's called Explorers of Mistone or something along those lines. Went to Rilara, though. At first, we were considering Dregar, but I guess the party wasn't strong enough for that. So we settled for Kenku occupied gold mine in the hills whose name I can't remember right now... I've been there with Nal and Byt before. Kenku are a sneaky sort, the kind that go invisible once they see you, then make a wide circle around you and attempt to stab you in the back. Or, sometimes they don't even bother at all and settle for stabbing in front. Ma' once said Drow have a proverb about getting stabbed in front if you watch your back too much – I suspect the proverb might as well be a Kenku one. Even so, we usually can deal with the fighters lurking around the hills, and with decent amount of those in the cave as well, provided we don't rush ahead... So a group should be able to clean the whole cave without any greater problems, right? I should've known better. It was a large group (and by large I mean really large), it was bound to have tipped every Kenku scout off as we were approaching the hills, so I should have expected more resistance... But I definitely wasn't ready for the what they greeted us with. And considering how the encounter went, nobody really was... It took but three volleys of some sort of flaming arrows Kenku shaman had conjured, and a decent portion of our party was put out of the fight, with ever-vigilant Soul mother doing her vulture thing. Even though we prevailed in the end, it was at way too high a price... We retreated, rested, regrouped and returned to retrieve the graves... we fared better this time, with Kenkus losing the element of surprise, even though they offered no less resistance. We stormed the cave and dealt with Kenkus lurking there. I can't really remember much of what followed; there were huge dogs, and everything was somewhat blurry. Blood loss or the shock due to all the spells that had hit me, I suspect... I recall barely coming out of the cave alive, with others faring not much better. Went for a safe place, where we regrouped... I was running low on supplies again, so I parted my ways with the group in order to make a trip to druid shop and resupply there. I know it's easy to be a general after the battle... especially a failed one. It was a half-protected party; volleys of fire arrows and cones of cold took heavy toll on those unprotected. But, with that many people, it was impossible to protect everyone... And it wasn't a lack of skill, in my opinion. It was simply that group was too big and attracted too much trouble... So I think that's the lesson to be learnt from it. More often than not, there's no safety in numbers.
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A great deal of adventuring has been done since the last entry. Be it either „alone“ (I'm never really alone as long as I have Byt and Nal watch my back...) or with a group – and they were good groups, too, as if to defy my previous ramblings about group disadvantages. Let's face it, I'm failing to live up to my image of the lone ranger, aren't I? And the irony is that I can't really decide whether it's a good or a bad thing... With adventuring tends to come fighting, and consequently killing; you don't think about it during the encounter, it's a do or die. Unfortunately it seems we live in times when knowing how to wield a blade (or cast spells) is as almost significant to one's survival as knowing how to breathe... And yet, there are times when it all catches up with you... I'm still unconvinced that slaying an 'evil' creature makes me a 'good' person; more likely, it only takes me a step towards the line... or a step away from it, if I'm on the other side already. The question is, would I notice the difference at all? Went to Haven mines with Rihana, Mylindra, an elfmaid named Supin and a drunken dwarf with golden beard. We did quite well and managed to get quite deep, but eventually had to turn back. Also one of the ambushes took us by surprise, but once for a change, everyone lived through it. Returned to Hlint to resupply and by the time we left, the party got strengthened by Avar, Gel and Grib. Went to ruins in High Moors, and in spite of my unspoken doubts about facing lizardfolk slashers and the increased size of the group, we did well and brought chief's head to Garent at Hlint.
Trip with brownies to Lar... Nixx, Bee, Wym, Rog and a druid brownie whose name I have missed, accompanied by Mizu, a skirt-wearing man that goes by name of Strogar, and myself. We reached Lar in one piece, but on way back, Rog and the druid brownie got killed my ogre mage's death spell... So that one didn't go that well...
Swamp of the Lost souls, revisited. I've been there with Nal and Byt before, but in spit of our initial success, trying to pick on two shamans at the same time nearly left us lying face down in the muddy waters... This time I was with Bee, Nixx, Shamur and a dwarf named Ketil. First we went to Sereth fens; big blue snakes and fierce little green folk. Their shamans had those fire arrow spells, and the first volley took me by surprise and got me down. Luckily I was bound at Point Harbor, so I caught up with the group... Then we came across a cave full of orcs with acid axes; was really glad we had the dwarf with us, because those were fierce... and one of shamans got Nixx with his spells. In the end, we dealt with all of them. Then the swamp... entered from a direction unknown to me, and after what seemed like an endless stride (and getting nearly killed by trolls few times; blasted shamans with that searing yellow light!) we came across a dungeon. Full of iron golems, and their master, a mad mage. Another place added to the list of One-visit-is-more-than-enough-for-a-while places. Boy, I'm glad I've learnt those elemental protection chants – it seems they are a must these days. From there, we went to Karthy, and then back to Point Harbor. Then another dungeon, again with golems. And black pudding, and HUGE leeches... Sallaron organised the exploration of the dungeon we found below the tower by the river Thalos. The party comprised of Sal, Buppi, Cym, Xandros, Godim, Pyyran and myself. It started innocently enough; few big ants, some giant scropions, and bunch of big odd creatures. „Empty“, as someone had called it. Then there was a trap I stepped into – a strong fire one. And then there were leeches.... The kind that drain your stamina and leave you bleeding... And lots of black pudding. We fought, and prevailed. Then clay golems, more pudding, more leeches. Bunch of levers that kept the wall moving out of our way. And then, finally, a chamber... with more golems. Iron ones. Two fell easily, but the third one turned out to be awfully disagreeable when it came to crumbing into a pile of mangled iron. In other words, it took what is seemed eternity before it was taken down... We found a door that lead further down, to bridges over the void, and ghosts looming over them. Then, at the other side, skeletons with acid spells, much like the ones in Krandor crypts. We took another descent, this time into some sort of labyrinth. With flying books. And flying swords. Which proved too much for me and some others, taking us down. Cym brought us back... It was then we decided to head back. Luckily the way back remained clean, so we encountered no problems... Either that, or the rest of the party cleared the way... I can't really remember, things always get blurry after I'm struck down and brought back. That adventure really was something. We agreed we'd return some day, when we'll be stronger and better prepared for perils that await down there... And last, but not the least, cleaning of the Dire wood with Nixx, who now announced herself protector of rangers, especially me. We hunted down spectres and bone golems that infest part of the forest. Then visited swamp with trolls, but things went bad there; Byt decided to rush too far ahead (and we've been through that countless times...), I got nearly killed by fire bomb (third time that has happened... I swear if I find the one who sells trolls those fire bombs...), and while retreating, Nixx went invisible but must have been stomped by one of the trolls. I tried to go back, but couldn't see her and got chased away by the trolls. However, she stabilised and recovered in the meantime so it was all well in the end. We returned to forest and hunted down some more spectres, then went for topaz mine (since Nixx said she'd need decent supply of topaz dust for a spell soon)... Funny, I've always thought it takes a band of adventurers to push through that one. Nixx and I had been there before on our own, once; we prevailed and secured one topaz deposit, but I suspected it was more luck than skill. This time, however... In addition to buffing me, Nixx made Byt's and Nal's talons gleam. And combined with her spells and a bit of caution, ogres stood little chance. It was the smallest group I've ever been to that cave with, and yet I don't think I've ever received less beating from the ogres. So all in all (except the swamp part), a good foray.
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You know what I usually tell people when they ask me how I've been? Had my ups and downs... gods, how accurate description of an adventurer's life that seems to be... I did some travelling with Maple, across Rilara. I like travelling with that halfling... seems so energetic all the times, and I like her bantering. Also, she makes good pies. Been to Dregar again; travelled across the forest of Mists on my own. Learning what herbs grow there, what creatures call the forest their home, and practising stealth. I figure I need to start trusting my skills. I've learnt a chant that camouflages me, and one that makes me almost one with the land. Both seemed to do the trick, even though my heart started racing every time a random creature randomly jerked its head in my direction or randomly took a few steps towards me. But eventually I figured I'm doing well in travelling unseen. Well, except around worgs – seemed I couldn't have passed a single of those beasts unnoticed. Luckily they can be tamed, and they can be fought. While on topic of fighting, I did some probing on fighting prowess of bugbears and giants there. Byt, Nal and I can handle them, though facing a larger group of them would most likely end up with us running... or worse. Oh, also got couple of jobs there; one of them was „Go and get me twelve heads of Kuo Tao of Deepening pond“. All nice and fine, but what exactly is a Kuo Tao? And where can I find them? Would be awfully inconvenient if they turned out to be some sort of a giant, or even a manticore... Went with Nixx to Dragon Isle; we decided to hit the harpies there. Unfortunately, harpies are, in spite of their looks and awful, shrilling voice (which sometimes does have certain charm to it, though), rather smart: unlike most humanoid races, they don't bear any insignia marking a harpy to be an elder, a leader or an exceptional fighter. Take into the account getting charmed by their voice (I swear it's some spell!), and when I noticed some of them were tougher and should've been taken care of first, it was already too late... We both fell, and had to retrieve our graves. A lesson learnt there, I suppose. After that, been staying around Hlint, where a sort of an impromptu performance took place. Gel sang his song, which Maple had titled “Posting Dischords”, I read (the only) poem I've written, about werewolves, and Karana recited a poem as well. It was rather nice, and the audience seemed to enjoy it... a peace day, all in all. Well, except that when Maple had to leave, an orc commented we should have checked our belongings. I'm slowly getting agitated by that one; he's one of those who had (literally) thrown Grib out of Hlint on the basis of him being a goblin. I mean, was it only me or it wasn't really his position to go stereotypical on either goblins or halflings? I met a druid lady; I want to be able to treewalk as well! Seriously... (gah, been spending too much around Maple!) Was talking to Muir near north Hlint gate... Oh yeah, seems it's over between Ark and her; and it seems they both thought it was for the best - not that I can't really agree with that (and not that I'm to judge)... Anyway, a green-clad lady appeared out of a tree, looking overly confused. Turned out she was supposed to get to the Great Oak in the Great forest... which is on Belinara. Embarrassingly enough, I didn't know that... Anyway, she didn't seem to have much luck with getting to her destination, but she said the same thing as Ma' used to say; that it's the journey that matters. She was nice, pity she had to leave so soon. And I hope she got to her destination... Then an adventure with Bee and Nixx. Which went really bad, though I suppose we did well. I guess it was one of the occasions when no matter how well you do, you simply run out of luck. Or something. Anyway, we decided to visit those harpies again. This time there was no element of surprise, and in spite of their shrilling cries, we defeated them. Pushed on through the valley and came to a forest. There, we encountered some satyrs... had some problems with their spells, but nothing we couldn't have handled in the end. Then a werebeast hideout across the river... I've never seen a werebear before. Sure, there are werewolves in Sielwood. But a werebear? I could tell their presence was making even Byt uncomfortable... We entered the tunnels, and once for a change there was scouting done right, just like Alan and Nynn had taught me it should be done. Bee went ahead, asserted the enemy numbers and strength, then we attacked... They were fierce, particularly the werebears, but we did well. Until we came to what it seemed like a big room... Bee reported a large number of them inside, so I went to take a look. Some of them spotted me and ran after me... Nothing we couldn't have handled, except that when we made our stand, a group of them came from behind... It took me but a moment to turn back and see what was going on... enough for the werecat to leap past me, go straight for Nixx and get her down before I could reach them. It seemed Soul mother had her eyes set on us as well... Bee and I made it out alive, even though it was a close call. And it definitely didn't feel good... Some time later, I joined Sall's explorer group again. Went to Anarouch desert on Dregar, giant-hunting. Maple, Falon, Sall, Mercas, Shamur, Pyyran/Logan (whichever his name is...) and myself. It was an interesting venture, with a strong group, so we didn't have much problems with what we came across; HUGE scrorpions, ants, antfolk, snakes... We explored the caves, dealt with giants there and picked up some topaz. Heard there was a dragon lurking down in those caves, but we avoided it. Thankfully... At the fort in the middle of desert, we got decent bounties for those heads. I decided to stay there and rest; all the heat and the sand had been getting to me... After coming back to Hlint (boy, that was a long stride...), I've learnt what those Kuo Tao are... was bugging people at Hlint about them, and Ireth said they're some sort of lizardfolk. Then we went for a sparring 'practice' to Velensk arena, where she totally shattered my ego (not to mention bones...). Said Kuo Tao give her problems sometimes, so I guess I'm not going to face those anytime in near (and even not so near) future.
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The Bloodhunters
by me Roy
Green on green, the foe unseen, with touch of brown; they blended in. You can't see them, cannot hear, but does that mean that they aren't near? Out of mind and out of sight, yet they are ready for a fight... Green on green, their talons gleam, silently they cross the stream. Leaving not a single trace, they move swiftly; deadly grace. Holding breath, their instincts free, eyes are filled with feral glee... Green on green, at your dismay, you've been turned into a prey. Hunt's a game, you've always said, when this one's over, you'll be dead. Closing in at steady pace, fresh blood smeared across their face... Green on green, and vicious cry they've tightened long ago their tie. Dancing, leaping back and forth, arrow, sword - your last resort. Soon on your flesh they shall feast, is thy foe a man or beast? Green on green, with streaks of red, there's no requiem for dead. Pack is fed and all around stretch the woods, their killing ground. Soon for shadows they shall set, forever there, forever threat...
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* The following excerpt is written on a page that is not bound in the journal, but rather just put between the rest of the pages. It would seem that while its time of origin is about same as of the rest of the entries, it doesn't necessarily fit their chronological order... *
The New Haven, VI
Failure... nothing more to say here, really. Still, for the sake of completeness, or something... not that it really matters (gods know I just need a distraction right now)... The council meeting and 'negotiations' went wild... We proposed that the age be changed... which mayor agreed to. Except that he shocked us by saying people should receive Gift upon birth. It caught us off guard, and as the result, everything our group agreed upon a night before was forgotten. Everyone on their own, arguing in their own way, voicing their own accusations... Eventually, some had given up; Lee first, then others, and in the end, it was only me and Ifion with the council. Without much thinking, I asked mayor why he hadn't been using his own remedy to heal his pain... it had never occurred to me that it might not have worked on him, like on some others (Rana is was such a case...). We managed to upset him, and he left for his quarters... We were waiting in the main hall... Lee and Nyya went to talk with mayor. Ami went invisible after them, and upon coming back, announced they were talking to him about staying. When they came back, Lee said she was trying to get to talk to mayor in private, as we had agreed... Then Rana came after us, saying that the council wants us shipped off right away, but that she'd try to talk to them... and that she'd find me later... Once outside the hall, we went each on our own; Ami seemed angry with Lee, Lee didn't seem to happy with Ami, and so on. We were brought together by the storm; lightning came flashing about the town hall, and those versed in magic (basically everyone but me) said there was magic energy building up... So we broke in at the backdoor... During the storm, there were raised voices coming out of the town hall, but with all the thunder ringing in my ears, I couldn't have told what they were saying. Just as the lock was dealt with, the storm calmed, and the voices were gone as well... So we entered, and found ourselves in the storage room. From there, we slowly went towards the stairs, since Ifion said that he sensed the magic energy coming from the upstairs... I came to the stairs last, kinda thinking someone had to be watching our backs, listening every now and then to make sure someone didn't walk into us... by time I got there, I couldn't see anyone... Turned out everyone could make themselves invisible or was made invisible... I'm a ranger; I can pass unnoticed in the forest, I can camouflage myself or become one with the land... but building interiors aren't a place where any of that will help you. So what choice did I have when I heard the guards standing in the corridor? I remained in my place and listened... There was a scream, guards wondering what had caused it, and eventually Sall, Cym and Ifion came back. We went downstairs, their invisibility wearing off... Said Ami had stepped into a trap which killed her. Then guards came down and demanded the explanation for our presence. Sall and Cym tried to talk them into letting us pass, with somewhat mixed results... In the end, we didn't get to go upstairs; Lee, shortly followed by Ami, came down... Said mayor had asked us to leave... Then Ami said she needed some rest, and the guards eventually left us. Sall got casted some spells at, in order „to help Ami“. Heh... Once outside, Lee said that Rana had taken the Gift again... and that it worked. Ever been through that sequence? Disbelief, denial, anger... Where was I when all this was taking place? Downstairs, trying to argue our way past the guards... She was also saying something about orbs stored upstairs, which presumably contain what's taken from people upon receiving the Gift... Then Ami said she had conked Rana on the head, made her body invisible and that Sall or Cym brought her out. Explains Ami's rest in the corridor, the effort to get rid of the guards, and all that casting... So essentially, everyone knew but me... She didn't look any different than when I last saw her... except the swelling on her head... She regained her consciousness just when I finished examining the wound. Even at her first words, my heart sank. There it was, that placidity... No concern over why she was there with us, only the unconcerned acceptance of the situation... Ami was telling her mayor was upset with her, probably trying to elicit some reaction; a futile attempt, however. Then we spoke about music and dance. She even played a tune for us, and while it was played perfectly it was hollow at the same time. There was a painfully striking resemblance to what she'd become – while her looks hadn't changed, what had been taken from her was what made her... her. Lee said one of us should go to Velensk... she was writing letters to inform the prominent people in Rofirienite church about this place. Seems I should be the one to do it. Yeah, might as well make my sorry self useful once for a change... So it seems I'll be taking Rana with me as well; suppose the Rofirien temple can help her? (Though I think getting those orbs are better bet... however, I had already been proven how awful my infiltration skills are, so...) I'm also unsure how to get Rana to boat... I mean, it does seem she'd follow me (it seems she'd do anything she's told, though), but I hate lying to her. I mean, how can I tell right now what's the best for her? Certainly, staying with mayor is not, but then, how can we know the journey won't harm her? And while she can be taken on board invisible, invisibility doesn't last forever, does it? And there's the matter of coming back, should it be needed... guess we'd have to catch the same boat and stow away? But as I look at her, and remember what she was like a day ago... it's worth trying. Just hope Lee and Ami know what they're doing... (and I wish I had gotten to talk to Rana and asked her why she came to the island in the first place... didn't strike me as one bearing great pain, but you can never know?)
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Seems Hlint is a bad place to be around these days... if you don't like trouble. I've met a priestess of Grannoch, Tera. A bit big for a human, but she explained that's because of giant blood. Nice one, though. Went with her, Supin, Karana (from whom I bought a platinum chainshirt), Q and Sall to Battle fens. Yeah, those slashers are nothing to worry about when you have Karana and Q around... nor are the trolls that dwell deeper in the marsh. Visited a cave with more trolls... Karana said a dragon once lived down there. Can easily believe that; even though the dragon had been taken care of some time ago, the aura of evil was still looming about... Few days later, I met Nixx at Hlint... gods it was good to see her. Haven't seen her since that trip... Tera found us talking near the well, and after some talking we decided to visit Lar. Just outside Hlint, Mercas joined us. We were just about to pass the goblin hills, paying as little attention as usual, when arrows came flying at us. Well-aimed, too. Nearly took me down as I was trying to protect myself with the wards I usually bear in the battle... and there were goblins. Different clan from the ones which call red light cavern their home. Their skin was paler, even blue-ish, and they bore different markings. And they were well-equipped and well-trained. And they had an evil looking shaman with them (uh, make that even more evil than shamans usually look). We dealt with them, though. Looked around the hills, until we discovered that the shaman had been standing in the middle of a rune circle. Those versed in magic (everyone but me) said they were necromantic runes. Just as I was about to ask if that was necromantic as in undead, a skeleton appeared in the middle of circle. And then another. And another... We bashed them, but it became clear we had to close the portal that the rune circle was. Tera did it, with holy water and a prayer to Grannoch... Nixx went to Hlint to inform Garent, but he wasn't around (is he ever around when you need him?). Talon said he hadn't seen him lately, but some time later he did show up anyway. We reported to him, then Tera went to put up warning notes. As we were waiting, Gel came and asked if we'd be up for expedition to Barbarian Isle. It turned out to be a cold place, where kobolds and goblin worg riders dwell... We hit the cavern where more goblins were found, guarding deposits of alexandrite and, at the very bottom, sapphire. As a side note, the goblins bore very similar markings to those we found on goblins outside Hlint (wouldn't bet my life on it, though, because I forgot to draw a copy of those markings for future reference...)... It was a rather powerful group; Nixx, Tera, Mercas, Daniel, Gel and myself. We even defeated the ice drake that was hovering above the snowy plains... Couple of days later, I met Falon at Hlint. Said she found a book for rangers and gave it to me. We talked about this and that, and eventually I asked her if she could treestride. Explained her about that druid lady and the tree, then we went north of Hlint to see that tree. As we were standing there, a bear came running from the east. Falon's summoned bear didn't seem to like the idea of someone trespassing the territory, and hit the bear couple of times before I managed to calm it and tried to take it away. However, an orc jumped at the wounded bear, finishing it with a single blow... After dealing with the orc and muttering the prayers, I spotted a wolf running from the same direction. This time we calmed the animal, and dealt with more of the orcs who came to see what all the noise was about. Falon went to look for clues towards orc camp, but found nothing. A man who introduced himself as Enoch and Maple came by and stopped to see what was going on. In the meantime, the wolf had run off... Then a panther came running, from the east as well. So we went east, to see what was scaring the animals off. Came across badger holes and badgers, who told Falon that a clawed beast was around, then ran for the safety of their burrows. It was then when we saw it... the huge, insect-like creature whose form many wizards take. A digger or mumber skull, as Maple called it (side note: don't trust Maple with things like that too much in the future; Bee said the creature in question is called umber hulk...). Never seen a real one before... It howled at me or something; the next thing I knew, it was lying dead before us. Some mind effecting spell, I guess... Hoping we solved the problem, we went each our way... There are also reports of Storan coming out of his crypt with army of undead minions... With the undead not being my field of expertise, I'm kinda glad I wasn't around... Is it only me or does all this leave one with an uneasy feeling of something sinister brewing around here...?
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Reflection time, I suppose. So incidentally, you might want to skip this entry and save yourself some time, eh? Nothing but rambling ahead... (You were warned....) I've improved my skills... My skills with sword and bow have been honed to the point where the amount of blows I lay upon the foe is up to par with that of the ogre berserkers... I hit harder, and my blows have gotten more precise as well... I can accept more blows, too. And I've learnt new chants to aid me in the battle. I've travelled the land with Byt and Nal, working on our group tactics. And I have worked on the whole self-sufficiency thing – I've even attempted scribing some scrolls with ranger chants, for the situations where there's no time for proper prayer... But to what end? As I look at my reflection in the water, in those eyes that stare back at me – is this really me? Is this what I was supposed to find, what I was meant to become? I guess the killing still bothers me... I know, it sounds stupid, even hypocritical, considering all the blood shed since I have left home. There's no glory in it, no honor, in spite of the bard tales I've grown up with. Sure, I can say I've taken no more lives than those who have tried to take mine. But is that the whole truth? How many of those who tried to take my life were merely defending their territory? Or what they deemed their territory? And how many were on what we deem ours? Does it boil down to the battle for resources, in these dark times when everyone is trying to find their way? Kill or be killed? There's no place for virtues and ideals when survival is put under question, Grandpa Huyghes has said... But is that really a justification? Or the good and evil excuse I've come across all to often? How valid is that, if those doing the division usually deem themselves good and the other side is unconditionally evil? I suppose some things are better left unquestioned, and some unanswered. In the nature, there's no good and evil. Nature is both cruel and kind, it's the way it is. No remorse, no morals. And yet I know I couldn't completely abide by that way... Always left wondering if things couldn't have gone differently, in a better way... And it is not something I would (even could?) discuss with people I travel with, either... even those I consider my closest friends seem to have settled for the black and white division. Either that, or they don't seem to be asking themselves pointless questions. Maybe it'd be better that way... I remember Ma' once read us a song which said that there's no prayer for the dying foe, no tears shed for those fallen... Both her and Da' got odd look in their eyes... I think I might understand that now – both them and my real parents must've gone through this. But how did they cope? And deep inside, I feel the need to pray... To whom? To nobody in particular... Because at the bottom line, I still believe that with every life I take, a part of me goes as well... And even if it's just a tiny part, alot of tiny ones makes alot in the end...
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Untitled
by Roy
The snowy crests are glimmering in rays of morning sun, Entwined in wind are whispered songs of the eternal slopes, Rocks' rumbling, and the steps of fleeting mountain antelopes, As with the dawn a new day in the Grey peaks has begun. Out of the depths the calls emerge, ascending one by one, Faint rumbling in the air that's sent to those few who can hear; Grazing 'cross the mountains range, they travel far and near, Returning back to mountain's womb – in moment, they're gone. And as in dream, on rocky ridge, there stands a maiden fair, No foe nor woe could stop her heart from heeding to the call, Nor she has faultered as she braved the trials of her soul; On ground she kneels, and to the Mother offers she her prayer. Calm and harmony upon her, she feels like she's reborn, Her oath's complete now; to the way of Sacred fist she's sworn...
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Muir's going to be a mother; the news was a shock to both me and Eghaas, but at least I didn't shout “What?!”, eh? She was sitting on the bench in Hlint with a man named Enzo, who happens to be second-in-command of the Wolfswood rangers, a group that crier decides to shout about once in a blue moon. Seems they're together now, and that he's father of the child. I have hard time picturing her as a mother, if I'm honest. But then again, people can change, right? And if I think about it again, Muir and I have talked about her chaotic nature once... and maybe, she doesn't really need to change at all. I guess time will tell... She seemed happy about it, and all in all, as much as I consider Ark my friend, she seemed much better than when she was with him... Ark, however, didn't seem to be taking the news well. He was joking about it in the beginning, but as soon as he learnt of Enzo's position, he started with petty insults. About climbing the ladder, about many partners, and so on... Muir surprised me, though, because she wouldn't let herself sink on his level, and remained calm throughout it. I had to agree with a hooded woman that was at benches at that time, who observed that 'the male' (Ark) was jealous and in his mind just couldn't get over it... even though, it seemed the lady in question was holding some huge grudge against men in general... Later, after a short stride, Muir and I sat in hills outside Hlint and talked about this and that; eventually she asked if no lady had caught my eye... Heh... love, yeah... one of those things that seem to work for everyone but me... Seriously, every time I find myself falling in love, a) the woman in question disappears b) the woman in question turns out to fancy someone else c) the woman in question turns out to be fancied by someone else, preferably a friend of mine and/or a person I'd consider a better match for her anyway So, at the bottom line, why even bother, eh? Suppose there are people who are meant to remain alone...
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* The following excerpt is written on a page that is not bound in the journal, but rather just put between the rest of the pages. It would seem that while its time of origin is about same as of the rest of the entries, it doesn't necessarily fit their chronological order... *
The New Haven, VII
Port Hampshire... gods, it seems I've aged a century, even though it's been only a bit more than a week since our boat for the island set sails from here. It's not a good time to whine about myself, though... even though we're waiting for the boat's captain to get his crew from the Inn and take us back to the island. But, yeah, first things first... After getting kicked out of Town hall, we were spending night in front of the Inn; surprisingly enough, nobody came after us, so nobody discovered we had Rana with us. She played a song for us, a daunting and sad piece, yet it was overwhelming... (think it's needless to mention that while she played it perfectly, her expression remained blank). Next song was a happy one, and even though her expression remained blank again, the fiddle she was using began to glow... Seeing that, we got her harp from her room at Inn, and she played another song for us; again, played perfectly, and this time, she accidentally summoned a book... We figured her magic was resisting the Gift, trying to break free... Lee said she thought she knew why Gift didn't work on Rana at first, or on the Mayor... she believes that the gift of Weave is resistant to certain kinds of 'use' and attempts to being sucked away from one. And in Rana's case, since she's a bard, her magic is tied to her emotions... All the playing and magic left Rana exhausted, so she left for her room at Inn to get some rest. Just in time, because as soon as she was gone, Cuddles came waddling down the hill, looking for her. Grandpa Huyghes once said that if you don't lie, they can't catch you; so true to that piece of wisdom, we told Cuddles Rana'd left us and we were waiting for the boat to ship us back to mainland. He left us with two of his guards to keep us out of the trouble... By the time the boat arrived, Cuddles must've turned whole island except the Inn upside down, because we saw him enter... Ami, who was invisible, followed him in to get Rana. Ifion and I decided it was a good time to go to Inn as well and buy some supplies for our voyage... Much to our dismay, the bartender was nowhere to be found, so guess whom we had to pester with out questions about buying some food? Poor old Cuddles looked like he was going to snap any moment... In the end, we caused enough commotion for Ami to get Rana out of the Inn and back to the boat... and we got pie for free. Once everyone got to the boat, we found that 'everyone' wasn't the right word – Lee was still waiting to talk with Mayor. After some waiting and then some more waiting, Nyya went to get her. She came back alone, though, saying Lee was staying. Heh... „We had a plan. Let's stick with it.“ was what Lee said when we were discussing our course of action and as she handed me the letters she had written for Rofirienite church. Don't think any plan involved her staying, but I figured she knew what she was doing? She asked Nyya to go back with us, to make sure we'd come back for her... or something. I don't know, I suppose it was her choice. And I'm not to judge, since I've no idea what's on her mind... But others didn't seem to think so – particularly Ami looked like she was going to explode any moment, and after we finally reached Port Hampshire, she let out a scream that would have certainly earned her a leading position among harpies on Dragon isle... We went for Velensk, to the Rofirienite temple... on the way there, I finally asked Rana why she went to the island in the first place... „I wanted a change... and after I killed that boy, I needed to lie low for a while.“ certainly wasn't the answer I was expecting... She said it was an accident though, that he'd snuck on her... I suppose the upside of the Gift is that people don't need to lie anymore, right? We delivered the letters and were told we might have to wait a week before getting reply... so we had Rana's health examined by the healer, and we told the story of the island. The healer, Reus, didn't seem to believe us, and I think he was even sneering at us a bit, but the other one, Delida, seemed more understanding. In the end, Reus casted one of those divination spells on Rana, frowned and pulled Delida aside for a short discussion. Of which I managed to get only „... no reaction. As though she had no soul...“. When they came back to us, Delida said she'd like to have Rana stay with them, and that if we were going back to the island, we should make sure we didn't get Gifted... She said it was too early to say anything else, only that she'd kill to avoid getting it herself – that told alot I think... And that she'd get Lee back from the island as soon as possible... So we asked Rana to stay at temple, and she agreed. We told her we'd come back soon, then rushed back to Port Hampshire, where we managed to catch our boat. So yeah, we're going to sail back. As soon as the captain and his crew show up... (or as soon as we run out of patience and try to sail the boat ourselves)
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* The following excerpt is written on a page that is not bound in the journal, but rather just put between the rest of the pages. It would seem that while its time of origin is about same as of the rest of the entries, it doesn't necessarily fit their chronological order... *
The New Haven, VIII
Right, this is not the way things were supposed to happen... or was it? How can I tell anyway...? Right, try again... I'm sure Ma' and Da', Alan and Nyyn, and perhaps even Grandpa Huyghes would be choking in shock if they could see me now... under arrest... with charges of assault and murder. And you know, deep inside, there's a gnawing voice telling me those aren't completely unfounded... I can tell myself over and over that if I had been in charge, I would've had things go differently... But do we get to choose? I didn't condemn what we did, so if there's a guilt upon our group everyone is to bear equal portion of it... And if I think about it, there's a line... a line I'd probably cross as well if a friend who's as close to me as Lee is to Nyya would be in Lee's place... So yeah, as you probably could've gathered by now, we were too late... When our boat returned to this accursed place, we disembarked under the cloak of Ami's invisibility spells. We swept through the Town hall, trying to find Lee, but in vain. Overheard conversation between Cuddles and Father Ignatious, though, who said they doubted they could've gotten 'them' (us, I would assume) all, but that one is still better than none... With the invisibility spells wearing off, we quickly left the building... We came across Lee in the village; she was standing by the house, and everyone rushed towards her. First mistake, I'd reckon... why did we bother to keep our presence concealed at the town hall, if they openly walked up to her and talked in raised voices? At this point, it doesn't bear any significance, though. Never underestimate anger and rage... Never seen Nyya like that... snarling, shouting, and when a guard showed up to see what all the commotion was all about, aiming her bow at him, and then simply storming off to the Town hall, swearing she'd kill the Mayor... closely followed by Ami... and the rest of us, together with Lee and the guard who looked puzzled, but otherwise pretty much nonchalant... We found them upstairs... facing Cuddles and two of his guards. Trying to force a pass through the hallway with threats... and then, as Ami did some movements as if she was about to cast, and Cuddles raised his sword as if to stop her, Cym casted a hold spell at him... and then the guards charged... Nearly cut us down, but after getting through initial shock, we did the only thing that was left to do – we fought back. Father, Mayor and more guards showed up and joined the fight, but we prevailed... They weren't bad people, the guards... just following the orders, one of those people who find themselves at wrong place at wrong time... We tied up Mayor, Father and Cuddles, and dragged them to the big room with the chair that is used in the Gift giving and the orbs... Lee took a place next to the Mayor, eyeing us with distrust... Ami was trying to make the Mayor talk with some threats, asking how the Gift can be reversed. It shouldn't have come as a surprise that he doesn't know... Why would he ever need to reverse it anyway? He seemed to object to the idea of smashing the orbs, though. And frankly, I agree with him. It's too risky, and who are we to play gods with the lives of the citizens... 'specially in the wake of what just happened... Then the boat arrived... Rofirienites from Velensk... Reus the Healer among them, and someone named Caighd, who seemed to be in charge... What do you think they saw when we took them upstairs to meet with the mayor, through the hallway with dead guards and blood all over the place? The story through our eyes? Through Mayor's? They started an investigation; Ami had to recap the whole story, and Mayor and Lee were asked to confirm or deny parts of it. I kinda wish they had sent Deida instead of Reus... when I tried to bring up to their attention the worries they had when they examined Rana at the temple, I was told to shut up and that it's not important... They were focusing more on the storming the Town hall part (understandably) and I'm still under impression that Reus doesn't really believe the whole story about Gift... Ironically enough, the church we had to contact is the one who's most likely to see things black and white, and to which Mayor's ideals are not that foreign at all... far less than ours, I'd imagine. And yeah, we might've broken the Law (as if -that- is what's important, who cares about morals and one's conscience...), but then again, is there a Law stating you should not steal one's soul? And if not, how come? Because so far there has been no such case so there has been no need for one? And hey, it's all for the 'greater good' in the end, no? So yeah, we're all under arrest now... Even though the Rofirienites didn't seem to fully appreciate Mayor's means, we're all to be shipped back to Velensk, where a trial will be held. By those who know even less of the whole story than we do... But I guess that's the inherent weakness of the human law... And in the end, it doesn't even matter; I think no sentence they can bestow upon you can beat the one you bestow upon yourself... I hope Rana is alright, at the temple, though, and I hope Deida can find a way to reverse the effects of the Gift on both her and Lee... And I hope those guards can be raised by Cym and Rofirienite clerics...
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Revenge of the goblins, I
Advice of the week: Never, ever (ever ever ever...) trust when it comes to shortcuts and swiftest ways into the heart of goblin territory. Or, if you have to (because he pays good, because it's a she, because someone just has to or becaue the rest of the group does), make sure there aren't snakes around. And if you and luck aren't on the best terms, and if - heaven forbid - your group picks a fight with them, make sure you aren't one of the foobrave sods holding the frontline when the big one shows up... Alternatively, make sure you have a cleric and/or a bunch of skilled healers with you... Shortcut... the shortest (travelable?) distance between two points, which somehow: a) takes the longest time to travel (except in case when it involves free fall) b) involves the greatest health hazard (even in cases when it doesn't involve free fall) And what's this all about you might ask? Well, remember the reports of new goblin clan sightings in the hills? Faster, stronger, meaner, better equipped, better trained and an annoyance all the way around? It would seem it has come to Garent's attention that they are causing commotion a tad too close to Hlint for his liking, so he put forth a call for people... Our mission: get deep into goblin territory, find out what's going on, and try to find out how to put it to an end. Since it was assumed that a new clan was attempting a hostile takeover, it was suggested we use a shortcut to the lowest levels of the Red light cavern, so that we might have a word with goblin chieftain without having to slaughter his minions on our way down (which tends to be an awfully inconvenient starting point for negotiations). And this is where the funny part starts... it turns out there's a secret passage, leading from an abandoned and locked up well in the middle of Hlint to the Red light caverns. The one goblins don't know about... And hand on my heart, even if they did... I doubt any decently sane goblin would use it... and hopefully the same goes for majority of people, though, considering we went that way, I wouldn't bet my life on it... Ma' ever told you how all sorts of vermin would start to breed in that pile of junk you were keeping under your bed? Well, it turns out that such is the way with the abandoned wells... Seriously... Green and black jellies, huge leeches, and last but not the least, snakes... There was this particularly huge and nasty one; all I remember was making our stand, then everything went dizzy, and then everything went black... When I opened my eyes again, my arm was bandaged, and I could tell someone has been doing the cutting around the wound to get rid of the poison... I felt weak; it was almost as if a certain someone had thought my time had come and reared her ugly head, not reckoning with the healing skills of Jacee, the woman who was leading us. And the irony? We were going the wrong way... The place was also full of traps (for which I could but wonder about who had set them...), which significantly slowed our progress. But eventually, we managed to overcome all the perils waiting for us on our shortcut, and found ourselves in the cave with goblin overlord. After some initial banter, he agreed to cooperate... Told us about the tablets, which make “goblins stronger, but goblins no more”. He said that a shaman and about hundred of goblins had gone to the Grey peaks to retrieve the tablet (which was hidden in the cave behind waterfall by goblins, due to its bad nature), and they had been changed... We were asked to destroy these tablets, and were promised a decent payment for it. Right, I'm no mercenary – but these changed goblins are a threat I'd like to see an end to. So we agreed... We were warned that spending more than a day in tablets' vicinity would change us as well... And then we were given an amulet signifying our temporary alliance, so that we could leave the caverns by the longer (and quicker) way. Made our report to Garent, who asked us to investigate further... Those of our initial group who are still at strength to undertake another journey have been reinforced by a fresh group of adventurers that has been gathered while we were at the caverns, and now everyone's making last preparations. Should be leaving soon... Let's just hope there are no shortcuts this time.
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* this journal entry seems to have been torn out of the journal; judging by the handwriting, it has been written in haste and at points verges on being unreadable, partly also due to stains of mud and blood and apparent exposure to the rain *
Revenge of the goblins, II
Right... I'm writing this as we are making 'progress', during the rests we are taking... Why? Because I'm a pessimist and I might not live to the point where I could write everything down... We're at the edge of the Peaks now; on the way here I warned people of ambushes, but most just sneered, 'specially because a badger came charging upon us, and acting upon my reflexes, I shot it... Yeah, keep laughing – we got an ambush waiting for us around next road turn, and we got first casualty there. Fortunately, Garent has supplied us with decent amount of scrolls with raise spells, so we brought him back. But I have a bad feeling about this... *
Cavalry... spider and worg riders, but nothing we couldn't have taken care of so far... One of the mages we have with us, Rose (or so others are calling her), keeps going about examining the goblin bodies, and about different magic schools... mage-talk... Seems as far as buffs go, everyone's on their own, mostly. Fair enough, I can live with that. Thank gods we have Godim with us, though... *
Ogres... look normal, at least something... imagine ogre being changed the way these goblins are... their mages have death spells, though, and nobody seems to have wards against that. Risky... Right, let's wait 'till everyone's climbed up... Someone has to keep the rear guard in case more ogres show up... *
Came across two groups of goblins up here on the ridge; cavalry, elite warriors, and shamans. They have death spells, it would seem. Or those were traps, can't really tell... There were some ice storms upon us, and that death spell... more casualties... wonder how long before we're out of the scrolls? Seems people don't have soul stones with them, so the cleric we have with us is swearing he'll stop raising them... And group tactics... ain't... Gnh, suppose a quick rest would be in order... one of the shamans got me with the spell that drains your strength earlier... *
Bloomin' mages! We're still standing on the bloody ridge, with them examining the bodies... Casting random spells at them... Seems they are trying to figure out something with opposing magic schools? Don't think it's safe here, though... it's in the open, and the lights from the spells are bound to be seen well in the twilight... Only a matter of time before we have more goblins upon us... *
Hey! They managed to turn one of the bodies back to normal! And we also have spider riders gathering at the base of the stairs... *
Good gods... we clashed with the spider riders, and more came onto us... we fought them back into the plains, which turned out to be rigged with traps... death spell ones, again... or were those shamans... I still can't tell. After the clash was over, half our group was down. Guess it was my turn to use the scrolls Garent had given us... Now I understand all the fuss our cleric is making over soulstones... When raising the red-armoured warrior who had been shouting battle cries to Vorax as we entered the battle, it felt as if part of my soul was ripped from me... And he wasn't the only one... Uhm, if I raised someone I shouldn't have, forgive me, eh?... Seems we'll be retreating to Lar to regroup and reorganise... *
Right... I feel we're just wasting time here. I mean, resting and all was in order, but sitting at the Inn and drinking ale while an army of goblins might be on the move towards Hlint? And don't get me wrong, I'm not in a hurry to get killed... But we're doing nothing, not even discussing tactics... I think the problem with this group is that we've never been together before... As such, group tactics... simply ain't. It seems to me that once the battle starts, everyone's on their own... Godim and the cleric go ahead to meet with the shamans, because they can ward themselves against death magic, and we get the cavalry and infantry. Wouldn't be such a big deal, if we weren't too scattered... So essentially we're doing one on one fights, and in my experience, those are for heavy-armoured or very nimble fighters... And of course, when it becomes three on one fight with odds favouring worg riders... Bah, I'd tell the people to form up, but why should they listen? I'm no pally, I lack the authority and charisma... I'm a ranger – I don't lead, and I don't follow. And if you hear me issuing orders, it usually means situation's really bad... Bah, ranting again... let's see if we're ready to move... *
We finally made it to the waterfall... the fight with the last group went a bit better, though the way I see it, it might as well be just good luck. I don't know, everyone seems to think spreading out is a good idea... Sure, it has its merits, especially because if a death spell is cast upon us, only few if not only one person gets hit by it (kinda hard to find solace in that if you happen to be that one person, though). However... if we had taken some sort of spearhead formation, with everyone aiming at the shaman with their bows or spells, we would've taken him down before he could've casted at us. Everyone shooting at him, until the cavalry had hit the frontline, and by then hopefully they'd be the only ones left to worry about... The way I see it, it'd increase the effectiveness of our attacks while reducing the amount of injuries on our side... But hey, listen to the mage, she knows what she's doing... And the quote of the week, courtesy of our mage, who was complaining all the time about us not leaving a single goblin alive for her to experiment on... so the cleric suggested her to have one of them raised... “No... no, that's too dangerous . The magic will mix... We don't want that...” Yeah, in the wake of all the death spells we've gone through, and all the fighting prowess we've witnessed in these goblins, that's why it'd be dangerous... Now, short rest before entering the cave... A scary thought here: all the death spells, and I got through all of them unaffected... I have a strong suspicion that if I had been sitting in Hlint instead, I would've met the woman of my dreams, made a fortune, figured out the meaning of life and lived happily ever after. As it is, though, I figure that by now my account at the bank of luck should be finally depleted. So I dearly hope either the cave is empty (yeah, very likely...) or that our tactics improve, because lack of those in the tunnels tends to yield very unpleasant results...
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Revenge of the goblins, III
The goblin threat should be over now... Figure I must've had some of that good luck left, because (as can be evident from the fact that I'm writing this) I lived through this adventure. Though there were times when I thought we were done for, like right after I finished writing my previous entry... We entered the cave, and it immediately became clear we were going to face far more goblins than anticipated... Hundred, said goblin chieftain back at Red light cavern... But from the tracks and the voices coming from below, and from the quick scouting we did, we gathered that we most likely have stumbled upon an enclave hosting around thousand of goblins. So we did the only thing that seemed appropriate – we got out as fast as we could, and sent a bird to Hlint, asking for reinforcements... As we were waiting, goblin patrols came pouring out of a cave, and we had to fight them... then there came goblin groups from the mountains, the direction where we came from. And suddenly, we found ourselves surrounded. There was no tactical advantage to the position we were forced to hold, because as soon as we took a bit more favorable position, the one that'd allow us to fend off their cavalry attacks more effectively, their shamans began casting at us from across the lake... So as we held our ground as best as we could, we figured that the waves of goblins coming from the mountains might've been due to our reinforcements arriving... the goblin groups might've been retreating to warn the rest, and as we were in their way, the warnings they might've been bearing were in vain... Eventually, our reinforcements arrived; led by a red-haired woman who introduced herself as Melanna. She said Garent has sent them and told them to look for me; he told them of the tablets and the danger they posed, so there was not much left for me to tell, except that we found the cave and that there were lots of goblins waiting for us. Melanna seemed to have a decent amount of experience leading a group and a decent concept of group tactics, so she was put in charge of the group... We did well... compared to the way we were fighting our way through the mountains, anyway. I guess it's not just the issued orders and tactics, but you need to have people who are ready to go by those. That's not to say we were in total chaos, but at times, I found the group too stretched, with the front line pushing forth maybe a tad too fast for my taste. 'course, I was in the front line as well, but if you see others pick a fight ahead, you can't really stand still and watch them getting hit... I suppose that's what being a part of group is about – if someone of the group picks a fight, you help them with it... and it's your responsibility to make sure the people you're fighting for are worth of doing so. There were some nasty traps laid for us, and warded doors... and lots of goblins... and since our advancing was slowed by all that, the vicinity of the table was also taking its toll, causing strife among the group... But in the end, we managed to get past all the perils (unfortunately, with casualties, but such is the way we tread...). We came into the cavern with giant stone, and goblins' leader standing next to it. We dealt with his guards, but when we tried to fight him, we couldn't harm him. Then, as we were keeping the goblin busy, a druid we had in our group called to his Lady (which, surprise surprise, turned out to be Mist) and asked her for strength, and eventually, he managed to destroy the stone. And with the stone's destruction, the goblin was quickly defeated... The druid was lying on the ground, exhausted, and the rest of us were not in much better shape; so after making sure no goblins were left lurking around in a cavern, we rested... and we're ready to head out now, to inform Garent and the Red light goblins of our success... So I guess I owe Mist a prayer of thanks, eh... I'm pretty sure I know some people who'd love the irony of that...
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Hmm... It would seem the skies are growing even darker, and the overall impression I get is that things are going to be even worse...
There was a meeting at Hurm arena, held by some Bard, with the purpose of shedding some light on the recent events, which have, since I have been mostly spending my time in the remote parts of the forest, slipped my attention. It was a rather large gathering, of people whose skill are far beyond mine and who have probably seen more than I ever will... There were druids and rangers and there were Rofirienites and Toranites, and other prominent figures... It turns out there are four seeds in existence, also called Seeds of Seasons. As the ranger standing next to Gel and me told us, they could be used to restore the balance in the Broken forest. The Bard asked everyone to share the information on the seeds, and offered a reward for those who would bring the seeds into custody of the Library. Didn't say why Library'd want them, though... Nor could I fully see why Rofirienites and Toranites were interested in them. When Bris, in whose possession is apparently one of the seeds, talked about restoring balance in the Broken, Serissa said the seeds could be used for 'greater purpose'. I had to agree with the ranger who was standing next to us that there were different parties with different interests present... It turned out that the witch, called Selian, and the one responsible for the current state of the Broken, was also after the seeds... summoned a Balor, who was chasing the brownie outside Hlint... and a party found notes which seemed to be instructions for finding the seeds... or something. A kind of argument ensued; Drogo was saying that if seeds were to be gathered, they were to remain in the hands of the druids... of course, you can imagine that such claim didn't go that well with Rofirienites... But in the end, it was established that a seed that's located on Firesteep should be recovered before Balors sent by Selian find them. And so two groups were formed; druids and rangers, who were to retrieve the seed, and the rest, who were to clear the way for the nature folk. At first I thought of joining Bris' group... but then she said that those who wouldn't be able to protect themselves against Selian's power should bow out at that point. It seemed everyone there could have, but I figured I might've just gotten in the way. Ma' once said that not everyone can be heroes all the time, and that knowing one's place is the beginning of wisdom. So I wished them luck... Suppose there are better ways to help the cause than getting myself into clutches of Soul mother due to not knowing (or rather accepting) my limits... Some time later I came into Daniel and asked him how the trip went; he said that the Balor had beaten the groups to the seeds, but seemed willing to negotiate. So anything could happen... He also said that he feared the strife arising due to conflicting interests. He admitted that his church would like to get the seeds as well, but that he had sworn to help Drogo retrieve them for the druids... There've been more reports of Balor sightings across Mistone, but luckily, so far I haven't come across any. Also, there are dire news coming from Hurm... it would seem that since the afore mentioned gathering there, a party of adventurers has poked around black dragons' lair too much, and the beasts have decided to deliver a warning... Reports have it that half the city was destroyed, and that there's plague and sickness taking their toll in the aftermath... There are rumours of ships being turned back, of complete bar on incoming and outgoing traffic... And there are calls for help and donations put up at almost every notice board... Which reminds me, I should be off to brew some potions of cure, antidote and restoration...
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* Another of those journal entries that seem to have fallen out of the journal at some point - so it may not fit the chronological order of the entries on the pages it's been put between * Another of those expeditions that leave me wondering where I have left my sanity and common sense... but then again, are those two really something I could ever claim to have anyway? So as the journey leaves you sitting on one of the highest summits in the Berhagen mountains, freezing and wishing for nothing but a warm, cozy place to sleep and have a decent meal at, you realise that the 'sacrifice in the name of science' is more than a bunch of fancy words... or something along those lines. This particular story (eeek, 'story' makes it sound like all those bards' tell-tales in which ranger eventually ends up married and lives happily ever after in spite of it...) begins in Hlint, some time back now... by the Hlint benches, there was an odd hissing individual with an even odder way of speaking, being interviewed by some scholarly-looking person, who claimed to be Dean of University in Spellguard... there was lots of mage-talk, so I didn't really pay any heed to it and went my way. A day or so later, I found Rissa, Mylindra and some others staring at what seemed to have been a gnomish contraption of a sort, accompanied by an angry gnome. Who claimed one of those gathered had tampered with his device (which turned out to have been sabotaged by a bird who must've mistaken it for a place to relieve itself...). As the conversation went on, we learned that he was a master tinker of a man named Arthur of Spellguard University and that they were working on this device which they called SEARCH engine... Standalone Elemental Attraction and Resonance Confinement Heloscope, whatever that's supposed to mean... Essentially, its alleged purpose was to amplify an attraction of a certain element, thus drawing near the elementals of that element... it would also project a binding circle made up of energy of opposing element, so that there'd be no way for the elemental to escape... While it sounded fascinating (in it's own particular way), we thought the whole thing was too dangerous to be performed in the middle of Hlint. But the gnome assured us they'd be taking it somewhere isolated in few months and that help of adventurers would probably be sought for. And then, as the time went on, and with all the things going on, the whole thing slipped out of my mind... Now, imagine my surprise when, couple of months later, I am on my way to Fort Velensk to pick up corn and come across a device that looks suspiciously like that SEARCH prototype? The people standing next to it – Brielle, Corba, a pale-looking woman called Yu and Galen – apparently heeded a call for help in expanding world's knowledge. And it turned out it was put forth by Arthur, the Dean of Spellguard University and his master tinker, Gimbol (who was generously given a decent stack of alternative names by Arthur...). So we agreed to help, for one reason or another (there was a talk of being accepted to the University, with Arthur being Dean of Admissions there... how does a degree in being a ranger sound, eh?). Arthur had a map which lead us past the golems' territory, into a valley with hidden entrance. There, right at the beginning of it, I managed to step into a trap - a fair warning to trespassers, I reckon... After some more scouting, Yu and I discovered a campsite, which was inhabited by group of people who bore striking resemblance to isolated ancient tribes Ma' was once talking about... Brielle said she had heard of them; they had been a tribe of giant hunters, that had been thought to have been wiped out by a rockslide... We were discussing how to proceed (whether to show ourselves or try to remain unnoticed and hope their trackers don't pick up our trail), when Brielle and Yu openly went over to greet them... And then the commotion ensued (after all, decent amount of that is always about women, no?)... the man who was apparently their chief simply grabbed Brielle and pushed her in his tent, while the male part of our group was being given dirty glances. The tribesfolk didn't appear to be speaking common, but they were grunting and showing teeth in animal-like fashion. So I tried speaking to them using the animals' language, and I think they at least partially understood me. I was thinking of telling them that the women belonged to us, but then figured it would've been presumptuous... so instead I warned them that the women were dangerous, which wasn't really far from truth, considering all the threats Yu making... The whole commotion ended with the women who were pushed inside the tent (first Brielle, then Corba) casting invisibility and getting out, and we simply went on, with Gimbol assuring the tribesfolk that Arthur would send them a harem of women at later point... if only they had understood him... but luckily, we weren't pursued, so we went on. It'd be nice to know the story behind that tribe though, because we hadn't seen any women or children there... no wonder they were all over those of our group, eh? We went on and reached the base of our mountain; pulling the SEARCH up the slopes had nearly costed old Arthur his back, though... Up in the slope we came across the hermit and tried to get help from him. It was a rather silly approach, if you ask me – I mean, hermits live in remote places to be away from the people and aren't likely to be bribed by things that common folk would be, right? If I were a hermit, I'd make sure I'd be as self-sufficient as possible anyway... But eventually he must've grown tired of us pestering him there, and he agreed to lead us along the mountain trail. And we walked... and walked... and walked... And the device had to be carried, because the trail had gotten too narrow for the ox... But eventually we reached the summit – boy, what a view! And then it turned out that Arthur hadn't really figured whole logistics out – we had to make huge leaps to reach the other side, and it took Gimbol's magic to put the device to its final destination... Then the experiment finally began; Gimbol pushed some levers and buttons and the device made some sounds only gnomish contraptions can come up with, and all of a sudden we had to defend ourselves from a group of angry fire elementals. Luckily, we had the foresight to protect ourselves from elements so we managed to fend them off... Same with a group of dazzling smaller elementals that must've been lighting ones... and then the device finally got it right – a -huge- lighting elemental appeared, and it was trapped in there. It was a really awesome sight... up to the point when we figured by the way it was looking at us that it wasn't all that fond of standing in front of an audience. So we asked Gimbol to send it back... to its credit, his device complied, although there was a loud bang and we were swept to the ground, and when we came back to our senses, Gimbol was lying unconscious next to it... but we fixed that using an ancient cure for unconsciousness – worn-out ranger's boots under one's nose... So here we are now, trying to regain some strength after everything that's happened... and wondering what's coming next. I mean, I'm not sure if the experiment's over or not. And some of us have seen odd sparks appearing around the device... Might be a good idea to dig up that bunch of elemental protection scrolls I've managed to scribe. Note to self: once you're back in the lowlands, make sure you clear your backpack...
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* yet another of those misplaced entries... *
Revenge of the goblins, IV
Right... you'd think destroying the stone would mean the end of the trouble and that we would be able to go home, eh? But there's some news for you – maybe bards' stories work that way, but the real world doesn't. And if there's one stone that makes goblins strong through necromancy, there's nothing in this world that would prevent two of such stones from existing... and them being placed in the same cavern complex. We just recovered from the battle that resulted in destruction of the stone we'd come across in the huge cavern and were considering our next course of action, when more goblins showed up... We dealt with them, and after forcing our way further through the tunnels, we came across second stone. There, for a moment, the stone's influence got to me – luckily I didn't kill anyone... After we destroyed it, we thoroughly swept the tunnels again to make sure there wasn't a third stone hidden somewhere. But it seemed there wasn't, and goblins we came across after destruction of the second stone were much weaker... Buggers managed to trap us into the cave, though; we were about half the way out when we heard explosions, and when we finally reached the entrance, we found out it was an entrance no more - it was blocked by boulders... At that point, a question has occurred to me for the first time – what if the whole thing has been a ruse? What if Red light cavern goblins were working hand in hand with these goblins, and the whole foray to Grey peaks was but a clever design to get us into a trap? We dug our way out... in as disorganised way as there could've been. Inevitably, people ended up slipping, and dropping boulders they carried on each other... As a result, Hawk had to raise Erik before we made our way through the opening we had dug... We were greeted by group of goblins outside (stronger ones again), and after defeating them, we had Uilliam look for the tracks. They lead us to a narrow trail, which brought us to the hills on the outskirts of the mountains. We were waiting for Uilliam who was scouting ahead, when suddenly he came running back with two bears pursuing him. Needles to say, they were slaughtered... I tried taming the bigger one, and even succeeded in doing so, but then some of the group kept hitting it... You know, I usually try to stay calm in such situations, telling myself it won't happen next time. But you know what? It always does... There was an awfully similar situation back at the tunnels when I tried to tame a shapeshifted goblin shaman for interrogation (fact of the day: they can be tamed while shapeshifted) and some people just kept hitting it even after being repeatedly told to stop... It's actually funny how little it takes for one's respect of another to be plummeted... Some of the people in our group I call my friends, and some of them have earned sufficient amount of my respect during the foray... When I complained about bears being killed, I got the usual and expected response – they attacked first. Right, no big surprise there... What bothers me was all the sneering and taunting those of us who follow the path of Nature were receiving every time we came across an animal, though. Only a fool mocks what they can't understand... For some reason, I expected at least our leader, Melanna, to be different... Think I've heard her name mentioned in relation with an allegedly peaceful group of ogres from Haven mines that were seeking new home; so yeah, I probably thought she'd understand better how needless killing out of ignorance and fear should be avoided. Instead, we got provocations and the usual excuse – self-defense. Self-defense and greater good, the two most abused excuses that we hide our actions behind... Sure, you can't see that bears would rise up to force trespassers out of their territory, but you can see why ogres are upset when people invade their home? And I somehow suspect you'd be more willing to give benefit of a doubt to a man or an ogre for that potential of the intellect you deem in them than to an animal whom you clearly deem inferior, yet you expect the latter to act in the accord with our 'common sense'? Bah, ranting again... But seriously, I guess this is just a remainder that maybe Grandpa Huyghes was right when he said that thinking better of people is but a waste of time... Further ahead we came across two bear cubs – the ones whose parents we'd just slain. They were too young to take care of themselves, so after some thought and ignoring the rest of the party (I told you to go ahead and that we'd catch up with you, but no, you obviously find it more fulfilling to stand there and rant about having more pressing matters to attend to...), I summoned Byt and Talen summoned his bear companion and we left them with the cubs, so that they might've taught them what their parents hadn't had a chance to... After leaving the hills behind, we found ourselves in High forest... and here, the goblin tracks stopped in front of a rock wall, which seemed way too smooth... So we tried everything, from casting at it to hitting it with a pick... I went to ask the boars that were watching us from the distance if they had seen the goblins, and got a positive answer there. They said that „goblins went into the rock“, after waving their hands... I tried to learn whether waving hands resulted in a secret cave entrance appearing or whether there was a portal, but as I expected, the boar didn't understand my question, and insisted that they went into the rock. However, I suspect that if there had been a hidden cave entrance, boar would've said so – after all, it should be familiar with caves... but its insistence that they went into the rock makes me believe it must've been some sort of portal... But that's just my thoughts... Others seem pretty happy trying to bash the rock, so why spoil it? Talen went to ask Legodia for counsel, and since it seems the rest of us aren't really making any progress here, I guess this is a good time to tend to my wounds and put down these thoughts...
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* And yet another of those misplaced entries... or this one might actually be in its place... *
The New Haven, IX: The end
And so the conflict on New Haven came to the end... with a positive outcome for everyone – well, almost everyone... After a decent deal of arguing and trying to make Rofirienites see things our way and trying to learn more about Gift and the spheres from the Mayor as a part of Rofirienites' questioning of everyone it seemed that most of our hope had gone away... and then, Lee decided to use the chair again, to show us what'd happen. Caighd and Reus wanted to see it done, and so did the rest of us. Even the mayor, who for some time insisted that he couldn't tell whether the Gift can be reversed, said it could be done. With restoration spell being cast at the person in the chair... It did work, the emotions did come back to her... unfortunately, predominant one was pain, and it overwhelmed her... There was nothing we could've done as she was screaming in agony, and for a moment I regretted our decision... I guess she knew what she'd been running from when she took the Gift, we didn't. Caighd picked her up, and then we all had to move out of the room and out of the building, as the whole ritual seemed to have caused mass release of the energy; there were lightning bolts jolting all over the room, destroying the chair and breaking the spheres. Just as everyone made it out of the building, its roof collapsed and we felt an odd wave of energy rippling out of it... Then the screams began echoing throughout the island... suppose everyone's emotions caught up with them, like an avalanche, and they were overwhelmed by the pain, just like Lee... We split and went to check on them... We found people sobbing or blankly staring in front of them; but slowly, they seemed to recover, children the fastest, laughing and playing. Everyone was returning back to the normal... So, have we done a good deed there? For some, no doubt. But there were people who were really escaping from whatever haunted them, and we brought those back as well... At the bottom line, I suspect only few should've really been Gifted in the first place, and maybe those should be left Gifted now. Alas, there was no choice neither before, nor now... And so we shattered one man's dreams... Granted, Mayor's means were definitely wrong, but the idea was a good and noble one, as far as I can tell. Then again, the road to hell is paved with good intentions, no? At the docks, Mayor told us he'd been talking with Caighd and that he'd decided not to press charges against us. That he wouldn't bear to have us hanged, because of Lee. Whatever the reason, I'm not the one to argue about it... Reus said that they'd send help to the community, to help them rebuild. We were also asked to spend some time helping and some of us agreed to come back sometime... Then we went for the boat... After arriving back at Hampshire, and after our group had disbanded, I went to Velensk, to check on Rana whom we had left at the temple there. Gods, was I glad to find her safe and sound... and her old self – she was just like on the day we first met... Her emotions had found her in spite of the distance between the island and the temple, which was one of my concerns... Delida insisted to check on her health once more, and then she was dismissed from the temple's care... We made a camp outside in the woods, and talked... about the island, about the events that led her there, of her time at the temple and her emotions coming back to her... and most importantly, of her our plans. She said she'd like to travel a bit, then perhaps go back to the edge of Sielwood where she had lived before... She looked at me and gave me the same smile as back at the Inn on the island, and then she fell asleep in my arms... And now, as I look at her, I cannot help but wonder... Could that even be? A happy ending? The fate being bereft of yet another chance to bring me down and toss me around? Honestly, I can't tell... but Ma' once said that happy endings are the matter of where you end the story anyway. So I'm willing to give it a try. For this one time, I'm letting go of my pessimism and fatalism (good riddance!), and see what happens... I was told that everyone's time comes once – if anything, I think this is it.