An Old Dwarven Journal

[hollowflame]

An inscription on the inside cover:

This be the diary.. NEY. Journalof Gorrin Ironguts, Son of Borrin Ironguts, Son of Achin Ironguts. Burly manly dwarves do not keep DIARIES.. that is for beardless little girls.. like the elves. Oh Look at me.. Im keeping a diary! maybe i should write poetry about leaves! NEY. That is the sort of emotional rubbish that a solid dwarf doesnt tolerate. So let the skinny long-eared Blighters have their 'diaries'. This be a mighty Dwarven JOURNAL. Anyway. If you should happen to read it and you ney be Gorrin Ironguts, Shame on you. What sort of man reads the diary..err.. Journal of another without their permission? And furthermore, Why you be reading Dwarven anyway? Unless you happen to be a dwarf. In which case, it might be okay. Depending on the sort of dwarf you are, and how you got me diary. In any case. You should really figure out where i am and give it back to me. I could use it you know. Where else am I to record me personal thoughts? Not that a stout and Mighty dwarf needs to record his thoughts. Dwarves be like elephants you know. We never forget. And.. oh to the hells. What was i saying.. OH YES. If ye should happen to find me journal, return it to the nearest Inn or Tavern. Chances be good that i will wander in there eventually.

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Aye, it has been a long time since i have had a reason to write, but now seems as good a time as any. I have settled in a little town called Hlint for the time being. It be strange that so many different sorts of people meander through this little town, but it right fine by me. Within a short little while, i settled on a park bench beside a lad dressed for his own funeral. A downright glum lad he looked, all pale and clad in black. Schimzo? Something like that. He invited me to go with him to study the goblins.. "But lad!" i asked him "wot would ye be studin goblins fer? goblins are fer killin, not fer studyin.. unless a course ye need ta disect somethin" But the strange lad had it in mind that he was teaching the goblins somthing. WHY WOULD YOU TEACH THE GOBLINS? It isnt like they arent a pain in the arse enough without edumacational skills.

Later on that day, I ran into a strange lad named Halen Kross.. somethin. I be horrible with names. We and a friend of his.. likewise whos name i dont remember.. Went down into the goblin caves and I got to spend some quality time with my noggin-cleaver. We were goin for their king apparently though while down there i couldnt help but notice. The goblins have a shack with the legs of a chicken!!! NEY a GIANT CHICKEN What be that all about? I really hope that hasnt anythin to do with the Schizmo lad's "teachin". Goblins ridin giant chickies into battle.. there would be no end to the carnage.

A while later we emerged and hung around the crossroads in the middle of town. It is interestin to watch people pass. A healer came up, Ward Ferrier i found out later his name was. He offered to patch me up and i told him ney.. i could just sleep it off.. not to waste his magic weegies. He didnt seem to understand what i meant.. Everyone knows what be weegies! All of the waving of your arms, and the big voice that comes when ye cast a spell. Weegies. Simple as a half-orc dropped on his head too many times as a lad. But ney.. he didnt get it.. And I'll be ...ed if while i was tellin the lad not to heal me, a lass came by and did it herself. AND THEN on top of that, he still didnt get it.. he thought i was tellin him wedgies.. and i say "ney! a wedgie is wot ye get as a lad, when yer kin pull yer trousers upn yer arse" AND THEN the little blighter started castin magics on me pants! I wasnt makin a request!

I took off into the woods and threw my pants away. I found the lass that healed me earlier and ran up to her, me arse flappin in the wind "Lass! lass! Ye 'ave ta 'elp me! Me pants! They be possessed!" she tried to dispell them, but it didnt work. Finally i sulked back to the priest and demanded he reversed it. Meanwhile an elven lass.. and a snobby one at that.. was talkin to one of her friends and happen to overhear the conversation..and fell off a nearby building laughing. I  have the urge to pee in her wine. Finally Kross and I ran off.. him too busy checking out the lasses across the road from us to be payin attention to what was a transpirin.. took off to the Inn before i went and did something downright violent. The priest was a good sport though. He bought me a drink or two and we was fine.

The next day, i ran into two of me kin. Members of the Stonecutter clan. They took me into their homes and we talked for a bit. It was nice to be among me kin after such a long while.. and i think i get along with them better than i ever got along with me own clan. They took me out giant-hunting as well. Something i had never been good at afore. I think practicing with them though really helped me out.. even if we did all get turned into floaty spirit things by the end of the evenin.

All in all it has been an interestin first week in Hlint. Mayhaps we shall see what the next might bring.

-GORRIN

[hollowflame]

Aye. Another couple days pass an I find meself writin again. Ney much has happened lately. I ran into the stonecutter clan once more. Xain and Exodus, along with another bloke named bloodbeard or the like. More and more i find my best company be that of me kin. That carries a certain irony with it me thinks, givin me history. But, i ney look a gift horse in the beard.

We went back to the desert once more, hunting giants again. I collected a minor bit of gold this time, but i think it is just the action of getting out there and doin something that gets the blood flowin in me again. Bloodbeard spoke to me of Vorax. I was never one for spirits and gods and magikin, but if he and his kin.. aye, all of me kin i have seen since i arrived. they all wear the colors of Vorax. I even have seen a half-giant or two bearin his symbol. If so many hardy and proud warriors carry the banner of vorax, mayhaps there be somethin to it all. Next i speak to the Bloodbeard preist, maybe i will talk with him further about it.

I spent some of me earnings for the eve and bought a rod and line. I figure a dwarf has got to eat, an the fishes be ney as likely to tear me arm off when i try to catch an eat them. It be a real shame the cursed grubs keep runnin from me shovel, or i might catch somethin worth eatin.

But me thinks now i will go an catch a bit o shut eye for the eve.

*the page ends abruptly here*

[hollowflame]

Another day i suppose. I thought i might go an get a bit of exorcise, so i went down into the crypts. The shamblin dead down there make fer decent foe to practice yer swing upon, an me trusty noggin-cleaver didnt fail me. Unfortunately though, the grave seemed to be a bit occupied and i ran into others doin the same thing i was. A pair a humans as near as i can reckon in the darkness down there.. though one of them sounded like someone be steppin on his jimmies.. so it may have been an elf. They didnt sound interested in company, so i went topside again and wandered for a bit.

I saw the Human priest..ferrier again today as i left. He walked face-first into the gate he did.. or perhaps it shut in his face. Doors around here have a habit of shuttin of their own accord. He didnt have much time for words, tho he stopped to chat fer a bit. He is a polite lad, even in a rush.

I also ran into the quartermaster who asked me to do a bit of goblin slayin for him. I guess a lot of people dont like the goblins around here. I still need to kill their king. But i brought him a handful of ears and he payed me for it.

I went fishin for a while. I think i be gettin a bit better at it. Soon i will be even able ta feed meself ye know. An feed the pawnbroker as well. He has been buyin most of what i cant eat meself. I can turn a fair bit of coin if i fish long enough. Heh. All i have to do is catch a few hundred thousand carp, and i can get me a little house to call me own.

I had meant to keep me eye out for the bloodbeard priest. I had been thinkin more about Vorax and all that. Maybe it would be a good thing fer me to look into, but i didnt see the priest today. Maybe the morrow will bring better luck. It has been a long day..Perhaps i shall write more later.

-gorrin