Roy Aynsworth

[bytor]

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'.

[bytor]

* 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...

[bytor]

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.

[bytor]

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...)  

[bytor]

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)...

[bytor]

* 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...

[bytor]

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...

[bytor]

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?)

[bytor]

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...

[bytor]

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.

[bytor]

* 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...

[bytor]

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?

[bytor]

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.

[bytor]

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.

[bytor]

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.

[bytor]

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.

[bytor]

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...

[bytor]

* 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?)

[bytor]

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...?

[bytor]

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...