It feels like I'm always findin' time to be writin' in this book, and I've probably said a lot of things I was not meanin' to be sayin' when I first started a'writin' in this thing.
We found another hostage a minute ago and I can sense that as a group we're beginnin' ta learn to work together. This room, I had been a'peakin' into it to see what was ahead, and I saw this lady tied some altar thingy as well as some statues of these displacer beasts and a whole pack of dire rats. Nasty fellas I'll tell you that.
Arel and Bassha took the lead and protected the rest of us from the rats while magic boy Arnie and And blasted away from a range. I got in close and tried to do as much damage as I could but I think Arel and Bassha were far more effective than I. If it were just the rats I don't think it would have been any problem, but there were these two gnomes skulkin' 'round trying to pin us with their crossbows. I took one solid hit but that was it before we dispatch'd the lot of 'em. Arel done did well, smashing away the rats with relative ease. He has a funny style, but he's sure good in a fight, I'll tell ye that much.
The lady had been bit pretty bad by the rats, and I think she had contract'd something from the rat bites so we took the time to carry her back to the newly-fortified holding place the other rescued hostages dun set up. I swear, if we left that dwarf alone in this fort for a few more days he'd probably rebuild the whole darn thing.
We're gonna head out to try to find that human boy now, we thinks we have an idea where he might be. Everything seems to be falling into place and gettin' better and better, but I can't help but worry that the worst is yet to come. Usually when things start a'lookin' up a bird comes by and poops in yer eye although sometimes ye get a lucky break.
After I found my family dead in the Witchwoods long time ago and had calmed m'self down, I set off again tryin' to find some others who had survived. I figur'd that if the one refugee convoy had got away from Cendrianne there must have b'n others too. Luck was with me and about two days later I found another convoy, or rather, it found me.
I had made camp in a tree near this waterin' hole, hopin' that I could catch something to eat, but not havin' slept for a few days I was plumb exhausted and soon collapsed and fell from the tree. Lyin' there for a while I heard some rustlin' bushes and figur'd some predator had come to finish me off. I was so tired that I almost welcomed an end to my misery. But instead of the sharp teeth of a wolf or the claws of a bear, it was the hand of And that touched me.
Everything after that felt like some kind of dream. I heard the voices around me and felt their hands carry me to their convoy where I was given food and clean water, but I felt unable to do anything but stare blankly at those around me. I was grateful to them, but my lips could not form the words to say nuthin'. As the convoy carried me away and out of the Witchwoods it always felt like I had died at that spot by that waterin' hole but my body just kinda liv'd on regardless.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Emtih's Journal
It was a restless night for me.
I have a recurring nightmare that dun seem to ever go away.
The night after the massacre all those years ago, the hobgoblins had for the most part gone pick'd themselves up and had moved on towards some other settlements in the area. They loot'd, plunder'd, and butcher'd their way through the Witchwoods heading towards the human settlements.
I came across one of these settlements while I was trying to find the rest of my family. The hobgoblins had 'parently taken their time in killin' the people of this particular settlement, their faces were all twisted an' contorted in awful, terrible ways. I guessed that the hobgoblins had tortured them. Probably just for fun.
There was this young human man tho'. He was wandering around the dead bodies picking through them, lookin' for stuff the hobgoblins may have left. At first, I felt relieved to see another survivor and ran over to him. He started screaming at me an' waving this fancy longsword all about thinkin' I was going to steal the stuff he had looted from other dead bodies.
It was then that I saw a pendant hanging around his neck. I knew the pendant because it belonged to my sister, it was a gift for her from my parents when she turned 10. When I asked him about the pendant he said that he found it on some young 'long-ear' and pointed me in the direction. I ran as fast as I could towards where he pointed and found what must have b'n a refugee convoy. Hobgoblins had attack'd it and kill'd pretty much everyone, including my mother and brothers, but I found my sis barely alive hidd'n under a cart. I tried everything to save her, but I was too late and she had lost too much blood.
As she slipped from this life onto whatev'r lies beyond my grief turned to rage. I was angry at the hobgoblins fer killin' my family, angry at the soldiers who assur'd us we were safe in Cendrianne, and angry at that young human for stealing my sister's jewellry and leavin' her to die. The hobgoblins were gone, the soldiers were dead, but that young man couldn't be far away I figur'd.
It didn't take me long to find him. An' when I left him, his screams for mercy still lingerin' in my eardrums, he looked worse than those elves I found at the settlement. The only things I took were his fancy longsword and my sister's pendant, both of which I still carry on me.
I've had nightmares about it ev'r since.
We found a human soldier who was tortured to death by the hobgoblins today. He was one of the seven we were suppos'd to be rescuin' but we also found two others alive an' well. They were hidd'n in this crypt guarded by these spider things and a whole pack of hobgoblins. We then set off and attacked another room filled with hobgoblins.
And did well today, blasting a number of hobgoblins to teenie bits, and so did magic boy Arnie. He done used his magics to fry a whole number of hobgoblins before I had the chance to fire my arrows. I'm warming up to this Arnie, he may have funny ideas about the world, but I hope he makes it through this alright.
-Emtih Tnod, 15 Freyja
I have a recurring nightmare that dun seem to ever go away.
The night after the massacre all those years ago, the hobgoblins had for the most part gone pick'd themselves up and had moved on towards some other settlements in the area. They loot'd, plunder'd, and butcher'd their way through the Witchwoods heading towards the human settlements.
I came across one of these settlements while I was trying to find the rest of my family. The hobgoblins had 'parently taken their time in killin' the people of this particular settlement, their faces were all twisted an' contorted in awful, terrible ways. I guessed that the hobgoblins had tortured them. Probably just for fun.
There was this young human man tho'. He was wandering around the dead bodies picking through them, lookin' for stuff the hobgoblins may have left. At first, I felt relieved to see another survivor and ran over to him. He started screaming at me an' waving this fancy longsword all about thinkin' I was going to steal the stuff he had looted from other dead bodies.
It was then that I saw a pendant hanging around his neck. I knew the pendant because it belonged to my sister, it was a gift for her from my parents when she turned 10. When I asked him about the pendant he said that he found it on some young 'long-ear' and pointed me in the direction. I ran as fast as I could towards where he pointed and found what must have b'n a refugee convoy. Hobgoblins had attack'd it and kill'd pretty much everyone, including my mother and brothers, but I found my sis barely alive hidd'n under a cart. I tried everything to save her, but I was too late and she had lost too much blood.
As she slipped from this life onto whatev'r lies beyond my grief turned to rage. I was angry at the hobgoblins fer killin' my family, angry at the soldiers who assur'd us we were safe in Cendrianne, and angry at that young human for stealing my sister's jewellry and leavin' her to die. The hobgoblins were gone, the soldiers were dead, but that young man couldn't be far away I figur'd.
It didn't take me long to find him. An' when I left him, his screams for mercy still lingerin' in my eardrums, he looked worse than those elves I found at the settlement. The only things I took were his fancy longsword and my sister's pendant, both of which I still carry on me.
I've had nightmares about it ev'r since.
We found a human soldier who was tortured to death by the hobgoblins today. He was one of the seven we were suppos'd to be rescuin' but we also found two others alive an' well. They were hidd'n in this crypt guarded by these spider things and a whole pack of hobgoblins. We then set off and attacked another room filled with hobgoblins.
And did well today, blasting a number of hobgoblins to teenie bits, and so did magic boy Arnie. He done used his magics to fry a whole number of hobgoblins before I had the chance to fire my arrows. I'm warming up to this Arnie, he may have funny ideas about the world, but I hope he makes it through this alright.
-Emtih Tnod, 15 Freyja
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
The Currency of Baden Part 2
For the first hundred years or so after adopting the residium economy each individual kingdom/region of the empire still used it's own currency. Electrum was used for trading and banking to stabilize the economy but it's value was inappropriate for every day transactions. When traveling to a new region one would have to trade currencies. In the year 335 RM a counsel was convened by the current high priest of Shinare, Kefrum Holember. The topic of interest was the current state of the empires economy, it was at this time that a unified low currency was first proposed. It was rejected as the empire was formed by the joining of many smaller kingdoms and they did not like the idea of giving up some of their history.
Pressure from the church of Shinare, and some say from the goddess herself, over the next 10 years eventually wore down the sub-kingdoms and the steel piece was officially adopted across the empire in the year 345 RM. Since steel is keyed to the value of the electrum, unlike the older floating currencies, prices where stabilized across the empire and a new sense of unity began to take root.
The steel piece is a representitive coin worth 1/100 of an electrum, it contains no residium. Steel coins are made out of Dark or Deep Steel which comes from iron veins found in the middle underdark around adamantium deposits. This iron has trace amounts of adamantium impurities which are impossible to completely remove from the ore. Dark steel is much harder than normal steel but is also very brittle making it useless for weapons and armour, ideal for coins.
When the empire fell in 792, currency was in a very bad shape. The war effort had a terrible toll and many regions became very poor. Steel which was once worth very little became the primary form or currency and the electrum became scarce and valuable. Bronze bits where introduced to subdivide the steel piece into more manageable denominations. Most of the world still holds on to the steel piece as their primary form of currency. This means that even through the world consists of islands of light in an ever encroaching darkness, trade can still exist.
Pressure from the church of Shinare, and some say from the goddess herself, over the next 10 years eventually wore down the sub-kingdoms and the steel piece was officially adopted across the empire in the year 345 RM. Since steel is keyed to the value of the electrum, unlike the older floating currencies, prices where stabilized across the empire and a new sense of unity began to take root.
The steel piece is a representitive coin worth 1/100 of an electrum, it contains no residium. Steel coins are made out of Dark or Deep Steel which comes from iron veins found in the middle underdark around adamantium deposits. This iron has trace amounts of adamantium impurities which are impossible to completely remove from the ore. Dark steel is much harder than normal steel but is also very brittle making it useless for weapons and armour, ideal for coins.
When the empire fell in 792, currency was in a very bad shape. The war effort had a terrible toll and many regions became very poor. Steel which was once worth very little became the primary form or currency and the electrum became scarce and valuable. Bronze bits where introduced to subdivide the steel piece into more manageable denominations. Most of the world still holds on to the steel piece as their primary form of currency. This means that even through the world consists of islands of light in an ever encroaching darkness, trade can still exist.
Bassha Writes
I don't like writing. It is tedious and I have training to do instead. I train to be sure I am ready for the next fight. Not to write on pieces of paper. If I do not train I will get soft, but Emtih told me to try this writing. He writes a lot, but he is a good fighter, but he does not understand self-preservation yet. He is much smaller than me and got really beat up in the last fight we had. I was very worried. It was good that we were able to sleep in the preist's room. Emtih was good at planning how to take down the two crossbowmen we found outside the next morning. He also thought to disguise their corpses, in case any other goblins came. But he should let me and Arel do most of the fighting. He is good at spotting dangers and moving fast. I can spot dangers too, but he has keener senses. I think this makes him a strange little fellow, always watching for hidden danger. And he likes to jump into things fast. He must learn to size up the ennemy first. In Sword-dancing we try to understand our opponents before pressing them into defense. Some opponents toy with you so you must be able to learn from their moves. Whenever I fight I try to learn from my opponent. It has been good to fight in a group. Before, I fought alone against one person in the circle. Sometimes there were bar fights with more people. Sometimes they were fun, but sometimes not. In a group you can rely on your allies because they have different ways of fighting. Corrin is small but he is like a good shodo. When we are getting beat he drives us to do better. The spellcasters can attack from far away while Arel and I keep them safe. The others also have much knowledge on some of the strange things we have seen. Like the strange glowing writing that kills on touch and the strange glowing painting that the oozey creature came out of. I think we should avoid other glowing things we find. They are a lot of trouble. That is all I want to say now.
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