Zup's private journal

[Nyralotep]

[SIZE=16]*written in very small Gnomish letters*[/SIZE]
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   [SIZE=16]I left the land of my birth to adventure and then returned there to learn more from my clan as I felt I had learned enough about the art of sneaking and remaining unseen. I have been with my clan since then learning what I need to move to the next season of my life. I spent many days telling tales of the world outside the forest of the many adventures I had with friends and the sights I had seen. I had slipped back into the life I led before leaving the forest but still did I long to see my friends again.[/SIZE]
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   [SIZE=16]Word has come to the elders from another clan of Forest Gnomes in the forest of Mists asking for help with the large numbers of bugbears, gnolls and goblins that are in the area. The clan elders have pledged assistance to the other clan. I was asked to help since I was the only one to leave the clan and wander the world outside of the High Forest. The elders have sent me to learn from a ranger in the forest who is kin. This I have decided I will do and with much enthusiasm. I have always liked animals…well the ones that don’t try to eat me. I have found that there are ways to talk in a way that the animals understand what I say and sometimes respond to me. It seems only to work with small ones like birds and squirrels right now but maybe one day I will be able to talk with a bear! I would like to have one to be a friend on day…. For now I am working on learning more on tracking the various animal tracks that I come across on my treks.[/SIZE]
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   [SIZE=16]I also learned more about how to use other weapons and shields, but I don’t think I can use many of them…they’re just too big for me to use. I spent many days practicing more with my Bow as well as with a short sword…but I’m not very good with it yet…maybe with time I can learn from others how to use it as well as my bow. [/SIZE]
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   [SIZE=16]I have also learned the importance of protecting the forests from those that would seek harm to the forest. Such as keeping out those that seek to exploit it’s wealth as much as keeping it clear of rampaging monsters. The balance of the forest must be kept for the forest to survive and thrive. These are the principles I agreed upon before I would be trained in the ways of the Ranger, to be a protector of the forest.[/SIZE]
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   [SIZE=16]The elders want me to investigate in the Forest of Mists and see what I can learn where these beasts are coming from and how we might be able to help the clan there to defeat them. Hopefully some of my friends will want to come along and help, but if not I can at least look into the problem by myself…..[/SIZE]
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[Nyralotep]

*written in very small Gnomish letters*

After spending much time getting to know my kin in the Forest of Mists I’ve decided I need to get back in touch with friends and meet new people.  There is still much for me to learn of and I can learn much from watching others too.

I met a group of adventurers that call themselves the Explorers.  They like to help out in areas that are having problems, like ridding Hlint of a problem with a lizard man.  We also went to the Berhagen mountains and killed a LOT of giants!  It was fun but some of those giants can make electricity come from the clouds too!  I met some new friends too, Sala, Pyrran, Sallaron, Kinai and lots of others I can’t remember right now.  It was a fun time!

Later on Dregar I managed to go to firesteep a few times as well as the rift.  I don’t like the rift much, to many fall there to the nasty things that live there.  I met Tegan there and we had to come out because too many fell to continue.  Firesteep was a lot more fun!  I got shoot a lot of  lizardish types in the eyes!  They even needed me to open a door cause no one else could do it.  On the first trip I fell because nobody really was watchingt what was going on.  On the other trips only one person fell and that was Sal.  He didn’t seem to happy with Hawklen when he brought him back…something about being too expensive or something….I don’t know.

I also met another group, one of them had a funny looking skull thing that he kept on feeding blood to it!  He didn’t seem too friendly though but he didn’t seem mean either.  He was pretty tough too and could take on the ogres in the hills pretty well  Anyway we went into the dark forest and most of them fell to big rubbery troll things there and only a few of us managed to run away and stay alive.

Some of us even went to Roldem but there were lots of scary bad guys there and we ended up leaving after a few people fell there.

Through it all I was able to go with Sallaron and he seems to be pretty good a calming animals down, in fact his rule is for people to not kill animals, but most don’t seem to listen.  Anyway I watched him and I have grown some in my ability to calm them down too.  I even managed to calm a tiger down!

But it seems that Pyrran doesn’t like Sallaron drinking too much of something and it’s not water since he refused any water I offered him.  

I’m going to see if I can travel with the explorers more since I have fun with that group!

[Nyralotep]

Saw Lots of Neat Stuff today!  Got to go to Firesteep but Abi died in the mine there and so did Beasty and I had to run to stay alive.  

Then we met up with some others like that big giant looking guy and Kinai and Krys and Ard and some others I didn't know.  We went back into Firesteep and went to the bottom of the cave and someone got too close and Fisty (Ithink that's it's name) saw them and ate Erk, Clarissa, Krys and Ard from what Beasty said.

That's when we ran out of there!  And when we got to the boat the whole mountain started shaking like that Dragon was mad!  Gotta be more careful next time!

[Nyralotep]

*blows the dust off of the journal*
Well, it's been too long!

Lot's been happening too!  Valeria sometimes give me odd looks, something about Folian something doesn't like the trickster.  Well I can't say the tricksters done much to help me out anyway, so maybe I will listen to what she has to say about that one.

Been helping Quill too with him making Stone all new again.  He's got a lot to do and needs help so I said I could help him out.  I bet it's for Beryl that he's doing all this.  Oh well at least I can shoot a few dumbheaded giants too!

[Nyralotep]

I talked more with Valeria about Folian before we went to firesteep.  She says that Folian doesn't have a temple that the whole forest is Folian's temple.  We're going to talk more later about him later.  I haven't thought of the trickster since I was a little gnome who wanted to make good traps....I dont think I owe that one anything and not many seem to like him anyway.

I made a lot of good stuff for Quill that will help him rebuild a whole lot faster and I got a lot of blisters on my fingers but learned a lot too!

[Nyralotep]

I Talked with Valeria about Folian.  She said Folian was different things do different people because as in a pack of wolves each has a different part to play.  
 She says we all have a part to play in the pack.  Some will be good at healing wounds, some will be good at defending the forest lands, some like me will be good at sneaking in the land and helping out those who might be lost find safety.  QShe said we need to give something back for anything we take from the forest.  She has had to take care of orphaned animals whose parents were killed by people killing for sport instead of need.
 She said that many Rangers follow Folian so that would be great to follow him instead of that other one I dont want to mention anymore.
 It's something I need to think more on....for so long I relied on myself alone instead of others helping me.  And I've started down that road....I just need to keep helping out more.

[Nyralotep]

Back to writing more.

Beasty and I have twice defeated some evil dwarven slavers from the underdark.  We barely managed to rescue Peanut this time.  I need to talk to Lal more, she can show me how she uses the shadows to hide.  That way I can help even more against things like them.  Maybe Bee can help as well learning about how to use the shadows.  That's what I need to do!

[Nyralotep]

Wow!

The other day Lal used the shadows and moved a bunch of us to where she was at.  That's neat!  I want to learn more of that!

She went with us into Thurnder peaks but had to leave before we went to the maze which was fun but long.  nasty things there in the maze but we managed to make it down there and back out with a good amount of stuff for crafting.  Ket, Lillian, Krys, Clarissa and me went into the maze and then back out and not a one fell in there!  Much better than last time!

[Nyralotep]

A few days ago I went with a group to find out why there were so many burning men status near port Hempstead.  We went a long ways, all the way to Spellgard and still didnt find any clues.  Eventually we made it to a city a long ways away and had to fight a lot deaders.  I dont like those things!

I'm waiting until I can find Lal again and talk more to her about the shadows.  I may never do what she does but maybe I can learn how to move in them, that would be fun and helpful, especially for scaring people and playing jokes!  And good to scout with too I think.