“What’s all this?” she asked.<\/p>\n
“I think we’re going to need some mementos from this trip, don’t you? And what better way to start than with some maps of where we’ve been, and where we’re going? Pick out what you like from these; I’ll keep the rest.”<\/p>\n
She looked up at me, astonished. “You’d give<\/em> these to me?”<\/p>\n “It’s much less than you’ve done for me over the years.” Which was an understatement. Ameiko had a talent for finding healing potions, but she couldn’t mend clothes. Koya could do both.<\/p>\n As she started leafing through them I added, “There’s a mixture in there of practical, artistic, and fanciful. Some are city maps, some regional, others are wider. And we’ll get more along the way, of course.”<\/p>\n My next stop was\u00a0Sandru,\u00a0who I found tending to the horses not too far from Koya’s wagon. “I was thinking that we need a little celebration tonight. Some special food and drink to see us off on our trip.”<\/p>\n “A fine idea!” he beamed, “What did you have in mind?”<\/p>\n “Well, that’s why I wanted to see you: I need a little help. The food I can manage. Do you think you can help me pick out some spirits?”<\/p>\n “Of course! I would be delighted!”<\/p>\n Here’s a tip: if you ever find yourself with too much money, teaming up with Sandru to buy alcohol for special occasions is one way to solve the problem super-gods-be-damned-fast. It sure was fun, though. And we got personalized service everywhere we went.<\/p>\n W<\/span>e broke out our celebration last night after making camp a few miles out of Riddleport. Though it certainly wasn’t on par with the dinner Ameiko threw back when this all began (I had less to work with after all) it was still the surprise I was hoping it would be. I admit that I splurged a little too much, but honestly, how often do you get to try things like a 40-year-old brandy or a cheese made from buffalo’s milk?<\/p>\n It will take us roughly two weeks to reach Kalsgard and the first half of that will be through the\u00a0wilderness\u00a0and the Nolands. The experience with the trolls over a month ago, and I guess with Zaiobe more recently, is why I pursued the spell Thadeus had grilled me about. I admit that I don’t like it, but what are my alternatives? I am just not any good outdoors otherwise. I can’t get close enough, fast enough, and\u00a0many of the effects I can manifest? You can just walk around them. Easily. It is one thing to be in a city, but another to be in the open plains of the Uplands. But then again, I never thought that this is where I would end up.<\/p>\n And as for the Nolands, they have a nasty reputation that is well deserved. Rulers in the Lands of the Linnorm Kings have used it as a dumping ground for centuries, sending the worst of their worst into exile there. Given that the\u00a0natives, and I use that term loosely, are known (or at least suspected) to have such pleasant hobbies as cannibalism, it makes for a proving ground for aspiring warlords. I won’t endanger myself or my friends. Sometimes ideals have to give way to reality.<\/p>\n On a more pleasant note, I’ve been learning some Skald, courtesy of books (of course) and some time in the wagon Kelda is driving. I was not the only one with this idea, either: this morning I overheard Sparna talking to her about the very same topic. So, it seems Kelda has quickly become one of the more popular members of our group.<\/p>\n This clearly hasn’t sat well with everyone, though, as one of us has taken to messing with her food. Hopefully, whatever the hell\u00a0that<\/em> is about, it will end soon. Or at least not spiral out of control.<\/p>\n L<\/span>ast night Ivan was talking about magic items and how they could be created while we were traveling. His idea was quite ingenious. The process, as I understand it, takes several full days of work depending on the item, which is, of course, hard to do while traveling. He suggested that a shortcut would be to buy<\/em> an item (he said they are typically rings) that allows you to go with minimal sleep and rest, thus making it possible to work most of the night. Of course, the catch is that you must first find and pay for such a thing, but it’s an interesting idea and I’m going to pursue it.<\/p>\n W<\/span>e’ve crossed into the Nolands. The landscape and the wildlife are radically different\u00a0north of the river (which I guess should not be surprising) and we’ve even seen\u00a0a few bears. So far, though, we’ve been left alone and there’s not even been any sign of Nolander tribes. Our only company has been flocks of birds probably scavenging for scraps of food. Nihali says they\u00a0are mostly ravens and she is “not impressed” (that is an actual quote).<\/p>\n Someone continues to mess with Kelda’s meals.\u00a0I am beginning to feel a spiritual bond with Sparna and Olmas.<\/p>\n O<\/span>ur first encounter on this leg of our journey was not what I was expecting. When Nihali landed on my shoulder this morning, she was pretty agitated. I asked her what’s wrong and she said, “Just a raven. But I’ve never seen one that big before.”<\/p>\n When Nihali is concerned, I am concerned. “How big is it?” I asked.<\/p>\n “It’s right there. You can see for yourself.”<\/p>\n And I looked up and there it was. A raven. A huge<\/em> raven, about the size of a small dog<\/em>. Just hanging up in the sky, lazily following us much like the flock that had been with us since we crossed the river. It was still with us when we stopped\u00a0for lunch, and I discreetly started spreading the word.<\/p>\n Unsurprisingly, a couple of the others had seen it, too, but it hadn’t reached the level of “alarming”. But they aren’t Nihali. This is what she does.<\/p>\n Then Ivan pointed out something interesting. “I saw a flash of red. Maybe red feathers on its wings.”<\/p>\n Ravens with red feathers? Etayne and I talked it over. It’s not unheard of, but the peculiarities were starting to mount. So I went to see Koya for\u00a0her opinion. I mean, this is precisely why Varisian caravans have fortune-tellers, right?<\/p>\n At first, I got the Varisian answer: blood feather ravens are an omen. Specifically, an evil<\/em> omen (are there any omens that aren’t?), and it’s bad luck to have one following the caravan. And so on. But I pressed her on it because I wanted something more concrete than spookism.\u00a0“What should we do<\/em> about it?”<\/p>\n Koya pulled out her cards and I let her work. After a few minutes, she said, “The cards are hard to read. We should continue our journey, but there is evil stalking us.”<\/p>\n Right. That’s what I needed to know. We were probably being spied on, and that would not do<\/em>. I went to the others and, speaking in Elvish, suggested that we get rid of it. Permanently. It was flying too high up for weapons, but I could send an air elemental after it. But when I went to find it in preparation for the spell, it was gone.\u00a0I told the others, “I can be better prepared for it tomorrow, anyway. I can send several\u00a0<\/em>air elementals at it.”<\/p>\n We reached Jol late in the afternoon. Mom actually knew something about Jol, as it was built on top of the ruins of an old Thassilonian city called Torandey. That fact officially makes it her business, and one of the bits of trivia she shared with me is that new construction (and reconstruction) occasionally breaks through into some previously-unknown\u00a0vault down below, unleashing whatever random magic or horror lay dormant inside. Must be fun to be in the construction business there.<\/p>\n It’s also densely packed. The southern expanse of Southmoor, in particular, can be quite dangerous and Jol’s walls are arguably the main reason why the city has a reputation for being the safest (human) settlement in the region. But rather than expand its borders, it has stubbornly increased its density. It is the most tightly packed city I have ever seen, and I have seen a lot<\/em> of cities. And, it stinks. I mean it literally<\/em> smells bad. Fortunately, we aren’t staying inside the city walls.<\/p>\n F<\/span>or two days we didn’t see the raven with the red feather, and when we emerged from the northern edge of the Grungir Forest to make camp\u00a0it was there, waiting for us.\u00a0It flew off as soon as we spotted it, far too quickly for me to take action.\u00a0This thing is pissing me off.<\/p>\n The forest itself was pleasant enough, but only because we knew to stay on the road, or if straying from it to at least keep it in sight. Grungir is the domain of the fey. This far to the east there is some human\u00a0encroachment and it is well-traveled, but it’s still best not to tempt the descendants of the First World. When asked what we might find here, Kelda replied, “Fey. Gnomes. Wild animals. A linnorm if you’re unlucky.” And I think that about sums that up.<\/p>\n Tomorrow morning we’ll take a side trip across the river into Losthome, a brief visit to trade, find updated maps and get some information about the way ahead, but we’ll return to the road by early afternoon.<\/p>\n Oh, and I suspect that Etayne is our prankster. I don’t know what she has against Kelda, but as long as it’s just stupid tricks?\u00a0I am staying out of it. For one, Kelda can take care of herself. For two, Kelda would probably just get pissed off if someone intervened on her behalf, anyway. It sure does bring back some shitty memories, though.<\/p>\n W<\/span>e haven’t seen the raven since the forest. If it holds to its previous pattern, it should appear tonight or\u00a0sometime tomorrow.<\/p>\n OK. I was growing really concerned and starting to fret\u00a0over this, so I just now went to ask Koya for advice. “What is it you want to do if you see it again?” she asked.<\/p>\n “I’m going to summon air elementals and send them after it. To attack it, and kill it if they have to. It’s spying on us, I’m sure of it.”<\/p>\n She thought for a moment\u00a0and then pulled out some cards of a design I had not seen before. “I have something I can try…if you are willing?” I said yes, and she cast a lengthy spell I did not recognize and then drew some cards from the deck.<\/p>\n I can feel the effects, and they are strange, almost as though a blessing of Desna is on me.<\/p>\nErastus 28 (Velashu River below the Celphiac Mountains, Evening)<\/h4>\n
Erastus 30 (Noon, Velashu Uplands)<\/h4>\n
Arodus 2 (Evening, The Nolands)<\/h4>\n
Arodus 3 (Evening, Jol)<\/h4>\n
Arodus 5 (Evening, Grungir Forest)<\/h4>\n
Arodus 7 (Noon, Thundering River, Eldentre)<\/h4>\n
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