Letters Home penned by a halfling

[Diamondedge]

Dear Ma and Pa and Gaffer and Nanny and... (A rather long list of names follows)

I am terribly sorry that I did not write earlier. I have been far too busy in Hlint fixing it up and making people happy. It's interesting, isn't it, how different some place can be when you're not at home eating one of ma's scrumptiously baked apple pies, but instead out and about looking for a suitable farm and looking to start a family of your own.

Hlint has it's troubles, I'll admit. A bunch of scary people running around with biiig axes not meant for cutting wood and bigger swords than our family's own sword running around bossing people around. Why, just the other day, I was stopped by a big orc. I had nothing to do, since there are no farms to tend, and it was a slow morning. The orc got right up in my face and started threatening me, and so it bonked me on the head. I fell to the ground, but then scrambled to my feet and booted it away from him! I thought I could escape but he started following me and chasing after me! He was waving his axe wildly and shouting how it was going to eat me for breakfast!

And then a miracle happened! Acacea stepped up! She made the orc stop chasing me long enough for me to jump into it and try to knock it down. That failing, we both ran away. She tried throwing a stinkbomb and some sticky stuff, kind of like spiderwebbing, but nothing would stop the savage orc!

We barely escaped with our lives, and I was scared. Acacea, though, is a very interesting and brave halfling. Anyways, I better go now. It's time for bedtime-snack, my favorite meal of the day!

Sincerely,
Tiran Tentoes

[Diamondedge]

Dear Ma and Pa and Gaffer and Nanny and... (A rather long list of names follows)

Sorry for not writing for a while, but things got kind of crazy. I met another cute halfling girl named Jennara, but she doesn't speak. I don't know why, I bet she has a beautiful voice! Oh well. She bakes bread even better than Ma does! It is very yummy and fills me right up!

Me and Jennara went out because she needed someone to mine copper for her, and she can't hold a pickaxe herself. It was just like holding a hoe, I think, except instead of digging it into the ground, I was beating rocks with it! I think we may actually have a little dwarven blood in us after all, Gaffer! But only just a tiny little bit. I was doing quite well! But the mines were filled with goblins...

Jennara can hit harder than my rascal little brother Giffy! She was walloping those goblins left and right, beating them down into the ground. And I threw rocks at them to knock them out too. When they were unconcious, we tied their arms behind their backs and took away their weapons! It was the smart thing to do.

On our way out of the cave after my pick ax broke (I guess I don't know my own strength!), a goblin managed to break free of it's ropes and chase after us!

I didn't even think, and acted purely on instinct, like when a bull starts charging you down. Except instead of leaping and diving and rolling over a fence, I dodged it's swing and drew our sword.

I killed it, Ma and Pa... I killed a living, breathing, person. I feel sick about it too. I hope I never have to kill another goblin as long as I live. I keep thinking of it's family and how they probably feel now that it's dead and I cry sometimes because I'm a murderer.

Well, at least I can keep my family safe from robbers... But I don't want to ever kill any!

Sincerely,
Tiran Tentoes,  Hero of Hlint!

P.S. I am now the Hero of Hlint, too. I've been saving the town from skeletons and rats and bad things, nasty things that would never endanger a farm. And I've been helping out the townsfolk with their errands! I think you guys raised me right! I hope so, anyways.

[Diamondedge]

Dear Ma and Pa and Gaffer and Nanny and... (A rather long list of names follows),

Today, I was bored. I had nothing to do, it was all very easy. I just patrolled the town, but it was very safe. Sometimes, though, I think the guard captain, Garent, is a joke. I don't think he really knows how to guard at all! Why, if those goblins stormed into town, all that would be saving the townsfolk would be me! Of course, that isn't so bad, because I am, after all the Hero of Hlint.

So, I told Jennara my problem, that I was bored. And she took me to the town's barley garden. I started pulling weeds! I spent all day at it, and wasn't bored. I hummed a tune while I worked and kept going. Jennara watched me work and smiled, and then she started praying, I think, I dunno. So, after the day was done and I was finished pulling weeds, I picked a few barley grains. Not many, I didn't want to upset the gardener, but I took enough to make some barley flower and some barley meal!

I am not nearly the baker that ma is, but Jennara helped me, and I made a bunch! And when I was finished that, Jennara took me south and east of the town to Haven. We climbed up a really REALLY tall mountain, like taller than twenty giants! There was a peaceful pond there, and a bench and flowers and it was calm and I liked it. I sat down by the pond and dipped my feet into the water. Jennara started swaying from side to side and then started moving like she was in a fight! She moves really gracefully, as if she was made of wind. I dunno if that made any sense or not.

Anyways, Acacea came by and we all watched the sunrise together. I definitely like all my new friends here in Hlint. The sun rose and we started skipping and sliding down the mountainside. It was a lot of fun, rolling down that hill and climbing back up. Soon, we were all exhausted. But Jennara showed me a whole bunch of wheat growing in a fenced off area, where I think they pile dirt. So, we picked some wheat grains and went back to try and make wheat flour. It was an eventful day!

Sincerely,
Tiran Tentoes, Gardener of Hlint!

[Diamondedge]

Dear Ma and Pa and Gaffer and Nanny and... (A rather long list of names follows),

Well, it's been a while again since I wrote to you, I know. I am sorry, but it's been a busy time now that I weed the garden for the gardener. I even got a fishing pole and started fishing in the pond in Hlint. Wow, there's a lot of fish there! It's a halfling's paradise it is!

It was really neat because Acacea gave me a lute today. Remember how I always used to mess around with the lute at home? Well now I have my very own well made lute to mess around with! Acacea has even agreed to give me music lessons! It is lots of fun, and I think if I practice and fish and cook, I'll be a real busy halfling for quite a while now! It is turning out to be quite the life here in Hlint, but I guess I should get to looking for a place to settle down, hmm?

It was fun playing the lute with Acacea and I hope she teaches me some songs and things and stuff to play. It will be fun one day, maybe I'll even get to perform WITH her... Well, maybe not, I doubt I'll ever be as good as her.

Oh well, nothing to do now but practice, practice practice!

Sincerely,
Tiran Tentoes, Minstrel of Hlint!

[Diamondedge]

Dear Ma and Pa and Gaffer and Nanny and... (A rather long list of names follows),

Wow, what an eventful few days... I can barely remember how it all began...

Well, I was walking through town practicing my lute, and I bumped into a real tall wizard (That's right, a real live wizard!) named Arimill. He was new to town so I said I'd show him around, and I did. I think he has potential to be one of the greatest wizards of all time! Of course, I think he's the first one I've met. There are even elves here, too, and dwarves and gnomes and all sorts! And wizards!

Anyways, we went down into the crypts and beat up some zombies. They are walking corpses, Ma, and very scary to behold. But I bet a priestess like you could set them all right by wrapping them on the head and telling them to lay back down! Oh well, it was an act that needed to be done, because they can always swarm out of the crypt and start massacring the town, and the Hero of Hlint that I am would never let that happen!

When I got out of the crypt, Arimill disappeared. Just left, I guess, to rest somewhere, probably sleep in the inn. I walked by Acacea and exchanged scary faces with her. Hers is real scary when she wants it to be but is real pretty too! So, after she was done scaring me, I went to pick some barley and head to the inn.

I was about to go grind the barley into barley meal when I overheard a conversation going on. Being an expert sneaker, I walked around the crowded inn and sat down in the corner, listening to what these people were saying. They were saying mean things about my best friend Acacea!

Remember that time when Jen was out, and that man asked her if she'd like to sit in his lap and called her a really mean name when she didn't, so when I heard about it, I walked over and pounded the man into the dirt and got an extra big piece of pie that night for dessert? Well it almost turned out that way this time, too. I got right up in his face and jabbed him with my walking stick. He was very rude!

He acted like he hadn't done anything wrong when he was insulting my best friend. So I was ready to take him outside and smack him around! And then Acacea turned up and said not to. So I stormed out of there, ground my barley and left! Later on, while I was practicing my lute and selling fish fillets, Acacea turned up and said that the man was sorry for what he said about Acacea. And rightly he should have been or I would have pushed him into the pond!

Oh well. Acacea told me about some more wormholes where I could dig up good bait for fishing, and so I left. I dug up a bunch of them and got to thinking. I come from a long line of farmers and cooks... why shouldn't I try to make a living off of selling the fish that I cook so well? Helping Ma certainly taught me a good many things about fishing!

So, that's how I've been spending the day, so far. Travelling abroad, trying to fish as much as I can so I can sell my fish fillets! It is possibly the easiest, most simple job there ever was. I relax all the time and spend a lot of my afternoons napping with my fishing pole nearby, waiting for a bite on my line, or else practicing my lute. I think I'm getting really good!

This is definitely the easy life!

Sincerely,
Tiran Tentoes, Fisherman of Hlint!

[Diamondedge]

Dear Ma and Pa and Gaffer and Nanny and... (A rather long list of names follows)

Wow, I'm really really sorry about not writing forever! I've been really busy fishing and stuff. Lots of fish to catch, but I don't think it's the life for me. I'd rather just settle down and be a farmer, really. Find a good wife and get a good place of my own. Yep.

I've been spending a lot of time playing my lute, too, while I've been fishing. But I don't know... I think I can always get better. One day maybe I'll be as good as Acacea! She's really good! Oh. Mama, I'll have to sing you my apple pie song that I wrote, it's really good! Oh. And "The Way Loon". But I'll never forget "When Tom Met Tom". I like it best when papa plays the Fiddle and we all sing and dance... Heh. I miss those days.

But I don't think I'll be settling down anytime soon. I don't want to alarm you or anything, but apparantly there's a real big war going on! And I'm going to be in the military that helps fight against this real mean man named "Bloodstar" or something. I don't know, but he's a real mean one. Y'know that guy that took Jenny home? He's even meaner than that. Don't think I can just slap him around a little to make him walk a straighter path!

I've been getting really good with the sword, too, not just the lute. I went ogre-gutting the other day. My new nickname is Tiran the Terrible, Ogre Basher and Hero of Hlint! Isn't it catchy?

And then, today, I met this girl named Shiani. And we went out because there's a witch in the woods that makes there be these ghosts and zombies. She even hires ogres to help protect her, and tries to turn people into trees. But we couldn't find her. And we almost turned into trees!

And so, we went to a tavern in Port Hampshire, the really big town, and had an ale. Yep. I'll try to keep you more informed in the future!

Sincerely,
Tiran (The Terrible!) Tentoes, Ogre Basher of Hlint!