T<\/span><\/p>\n oday we confirmed that Kimandatsu killed Silverskorr. Qatana used a spell to speak with the dead, and the ogre mage\u2019s eyes opened and stared blankly into the distance. The whole thing was a macabre puppet show. Her eyes and mouth twitched as she spoke, and we saw unnatural flashes of her tongue as she answered Qatana\u2019s questions in a rasping, lifeless voice.<\/span><\/p>\n This is what our lives have become.<\/span><\/p>\n I sent word to Lute in case it would help. Not that it was proof he could use, but at least he could make the claim with confidence.<\/span><\/p>\n On the way over, I also stopped to send a letter home, and to hire a solicitor to deliver a small package to Helva. I am sure she\u2019ll appreciate the contents. I have had enough of Kimandatsu, Snorri Stone-Eye, and the Rimerunners Guild, and right now I just want to watch it all burn. Part of me wishes we could witness the fallout from Lute\u2019s little meeting with the Crown, but of course it would be foolish to stay here too long. It is just a matter of time before the Five Storms figure out what happened and come looking for answers. We need to disappear long before that.<\/span><\/p>\n The Five Storms. Who comes up with these names? That is what Ameiko, and by extension, <\/span>we<\/span><\/i>, are up against. Apparently the divine right to rule is taken fairly literally over there. From what we could piece together from Kimandatsu\u2019s answers and Suishen, they were responsible for a widespread, and highly successful, assassination campaign against the five royal families of Minkai. Ameiko\u2019s grandfather had the foresight to see what was unfolding around him, and got his family out before the oni caught up to them.<\/span><\/p>\n Whatever puppet government rules there now is apparently unpopular, and more importantly, suspected to be illegitimate. The return of an Amatatsu, someone with that divine right to rule, could serve as a catalyst for a genuine uprising. We just need to get her there.<\/span><\/p>\n We\u2019re going to make the crossing <\/span>now<\/span><\/i>, at the worst possible time. The idea is, if we wait until the right season, we\u2019ll probably not live to see it. If we leave now, on what looks like a suicide journey across the Crown in the dead of winter, and take our time getting there, it will look like we ran off in a panic and died in the attempt.<\/span><\/p>\n The trick will be surviving our own cleverness.<\/span><\/p>\n A<\/span><\/p>\n meiko joined me at the Shrine again today. She has been playing her samisen while I practice with Shiro. Which is actually kind of amazing. Dancing to her music is very inspiriting and also kind of nostalgic. It recaptures some of the feelings I had when we were growing up.<\/span><\/p>\n We had a long talk on the way back to the caravan.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou know, I never thought I\u2019d see the day when you swung a weapon. I mean, <\/span>really<\/span><\/i> swung one.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI prefer the dance. And I know. <\/span>Please<\/span><\/i> don\u2019t remind me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n She grinned at me. \u201cMaybe <\/span>I<\/span><\/i> should have tried music back then.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n When the bullying turned violent\u2014genuinely violent\u2014Ameiko didn\u2019t teach me to fight: she taught me to <\/span>avoid<\/span><\/i> fights. How to be alert for trouble; how to get away if I was cornered. It worked most of the time. When it didn\u2019t, she was usually there with a potion lifted from her dad\u2019s storeroom.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m glad we did it the way that we did,\u201d I said.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYeah. Me, too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n We walked in silence for a bit and I could tell she had something on her mind. She gets this faraway look when she is deep in thought. I decided not to press her on it. She\u2019d tell me, or not. You didn\u2019t force things with Ameiko.<\/span><\/p>\n After a couple of blocks like this, she finally said, \u201cWhen we left Riddleport, I was a nervous wreck. I didn\u2019t know if I could do this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n I smiled. \u201cTell me about it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNo, not the <\/span>trip<\/span><\/i>, Kali. The <\/span>whole thing<\/span><\/i>! The \u2018ruler of my empire\u2019 part. At first I didn\u2019t even want to say the <\/span>words<\/span><\/i>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n What do you say to that? There were no secrets like this in my family. No one was hiding their past from anyone. I had no idea what she was going through.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBut now\u2026\u201d She was quiet for a moment. \u201cI don\u2019t know. The closer we get, the less strange it feels.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBeing empress?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n She made a face at the word, though not nearly as much of one as she used to. \u201cAll of it. Going back. Doing something about what happened. Maybe even\u2026\u201d She hesitated. \u201cMaybe even ruling.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n This actually took me aback. The first time Olmas had a conversation with her about her role and importance, I thought she was going to lose it. Like, it might actually come to blows. Even Suishen had stopped baiting her on the topic, and baiting people is all Suishen seems to do.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis is a long way from almost punching the last person who called you that,\u201d I said.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYeah.\u201d She was quiet again. \u201cIt won\u2019t be like the old days, will it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s an understatement if ever I have heard one.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cDo you think they\u2019d let me sneak off for an adventure, or a night of singing in a tavern?\u201d She gave me a wry smile, but I knew she was only half-joking. I played along, anyway.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOh, <\/span>Gods<\/span><\/i>, can you imagine? You\u2019d put the entire country in a panic! I don\u2019t know what would be worse, you disappearing, or them finding their empress in a common <\/span>tavern<\/span><\/i>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n We had a good laugh over this, imagining the possibilities. Then the laughter stopped as abruptly as it started. I looked over to her and saw that her face had gone completely pale. She looked nauseous.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAmeiko? Are you OK?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI almost ruined everything.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHuh? What do you mean?\u201d Genius that I am.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI really screwed up, Kali,\u201d she said, in a shaky, faint voice. There as a small park up ahead and I steered us over to a bench as she spoke. \u201cI just wanted to get out to the Jade Quarter, you know? To learn some more about\u2026\u201d Her voice trailed off.<\/span><\/p>\n She sat down on the large, wooden bench.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI even disguised myself, you know? I am still pretty good at that. And I thought I had done really well and could just\u2026blend in. Not be noticed. Like I used to do. And instead\u2026\u201d Her voice broke then. \u201cI am <\/span>so sorry<\/span><\/i>, Kali. You all are doing this <\/span>for me<\/span><\/i>, and I almost wrecked everything!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n She buried her face in her hands. I put an arm around her and she leaned into me. We sat there for I don\u2019t know how long. A few minutes, I think. I knew better than to say \u201cit\u2019s OK\u201d because, well, because it <\/span>wasn\u2019t<\/span><\/i> OK, and she knew it, and patronizing her wasn\u2019t going to help. But neither would lecturing her.<\/span><\/p>\n I finally worked up the courage to say something.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAmeiko, when we raided Ravenscraeg, we went in there without any protection against poison. <\/span>None<\/span><\/i>. I mean, that very morning before we left, they put that arrow into the side of the wagon, and it was coated with the most expensive, most exotic, most deadly poison known to man. You would think we would have gotten the message.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Ameiko looked up at me, her face red and a little puffy, and said, \u201cThis is not making me feel better, Kali.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n I ignored her and went on. \u201cThe <\/span>point<\/span><\/i> is, we <\/span>all<\/span><\/i> made mistakes. Mistakes that could have gotten us killed. Ours almost got <\/span>Olmas<\/span><\/i> killed. No one blames you. <\/span>I<\/span><\/i> don\u2019t blame you. We all ended up in over our heads.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n She thought about this and I watched a tiny smile appear at the very corner of her lips. \u201cThat <\/span>was<\/span><\/i> pretty stupid of you all.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the spirit,\u201d I said. \u201cAnyone who wants to give you a hard time over this needs to look in a mirror first. And, they\u2019ll have to go through <\/span>me<\/span><\/i>, too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Her smile became a tiny snort. \u201cGods, Kali, <\/span>I<\/span><\/i> can go through you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMe and Qatana, then.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n I got her to laugh, which was a good sign, I think.<\/span><\/p>\n Her voice was steadier now. \u201cLet\u2019s get back.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n W<\/span><\/p>\n e had a going away party for Etayne tonight. Is that the right word? Party? It didn\u2019t feel like a celebration. Or rather, it did until it didn\u2019t. I guess it just really hit me, right then and there, that she was leaving. I got up to get another drink, but instead just kept walking out the door.<\/span><\/p>\n Qatana found me several minutes later, sitting out front.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIs everything OK?\u201d she asked.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d was all I could muster for an answer.<\/span><\/p>\n She looked at me and then, in what I can only describe as classic Qatana fashion, asked, \u201cDoes this have something to do with your hair?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n I had given it the first of several growth spurts the day we left Kalsgard. I didn\u2019t expect it to go unnoticed, of course, I just would have preferred better timing for that conversation.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNo, it\u2019s not related to my hair. I am just growing it out. I am <\/span>literally<\/span><\/i> growing it out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n This is not what I wanted to talk about, but it\u2019s Qatana. You have to answer the question. Thoroughly.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just a spell I learned,\u201d I added.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOh. So what\u2019s wrong, then?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cPeople keep leaving.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n I don\u2019t know why it was affecting me like it did, but it was. I didn\u2019t really expect Kelda to stay on with us, of course, but then Helgarval announced it was time for him to move on. Then Spivey was next. And finally Etayne, who had been with us since the beginning.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI saw some mice in the building out back. Do you want to go try and catch them?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n And, believe it or not, that actually sounded comforting. \u201cYeah. Yeah, I\u2019d like that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n We returned to the party a while later with several in tow.<\/span><\/p>\n T<\/span><\/p>\n he last few weeks have been a grind. The days are all running together, and the landscape has barely changed since crossing the mountains, just like the routine. Each day we get up, break our fast, travel 5 hours, stop for lunch, travel again, and then stop for the night and for dinner. (Well, the others eat. Thanks to the ring, I only nibble here and there for the tastes.)<\/span><\/p>\n My day doesn\u2019t end there. I spend the next several hours enchanting one in a seemingly endless string of items for myself and the others: earrings that protect me from the elements, boots so Sparna can keep up with us, a huge extra-dimensional storage bag, beads to make campfires, even a halter for Kasimir. As I said: a grind.<\/span><\/p>\n The catch? I can\u2019t <\/span>really<\/span><\/i> complain because we <\/span>need<\/span><\/i> all this stuff. You know, if we want to live. Gods, that sounds so trite. But it\u2019s true.<\/span><\/p>\n I need a change in scenery. I am trying not to think of what it will be like on the ice.<\/span><\/p>\n S<\/span><\/p>\n kygni met up with us in the foothills of the Rimethirst Mountains. So far he seems content to simply shadow the caravan from a distance, disappearing from time to time to hunt. It\u2019s only been a couple of days, but I have to admit I feel less trepidatious about his presence than I did back in Ravenscraeg. The few times he\u2019s interacted with us, he\u2019s actually been polite.<\/span><\/p>\n What does it say when the winter wolf has better manners than the sword?<\/span><\/p>\n I<\/span>s this what our journey is going to be? One sad and depressing scene after another? The frost giant that attacked us wasn\u2019t just old, he looked haggard. Worn down. One of the others, Sparna I think, inspected his axe and said it was so rusted and decrepit that it wasn\u2019t worth repairing. W<\/span><\/p>\n e spotted a silver dragon today. At first I was scared to death, because it was a <\/span>dragon<\/span><\/i>, but then once we figured out it was silver instead of white, most everyone, including me, relaxed. It shadowed us for a while, doing lazy circles and loops in the sky above us.<\/span><\/p>\n Dragons are quite beautiful once you stop being terrified.<\/span><\/p>\n Ulf wants to visit a small village off the main path before hitting the ice. He has never traveled during the \u201coff season\u201d (as he calls it), so he wants to get some more information on the road ahead. Fair enough. We have a guide for a reason.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Arodus 18 (Kalsgard, Evening) T oday we confirmed that Kimandatsu killed Silverskorr. Qatana used a spell to speak with the dead, and the ogre mage\u2019s eyes opened and stared blankly into the distance. The whole thing was a macabre puppet show. Her eyes and mouth twitched as she spoke, and we saw unnatural flashes of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_import_markdown_pro_load_document_selector":0,"_import_markdown_pro_submit_text_textarea":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[32],"class_list":["post-2511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-journal","tag-kali"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dungeonetics.com\/gamediary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2511","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dungeonetics.com\/gamediary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dungeonetics.com\/gamediary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dungeonetics.com\/gamediary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dungeonetics.com\/gamediary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2511"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.dungeonetics.com\/gamediary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2511\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5653,"href":"https:\/\/www.dungeonetics.com\/gamediary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2511\/revisions\/5653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dungeonetics.com\/gamediary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dungeonetics.com\/gamediary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dungeonetics.com\/gamediary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Arodus 21 (Kalsgard, Evening)<\/h3>\n
Arodus 26, 4712 (Turvik, Night)<\/h3>\n
Rova 14 (The Path of Aganhei in the Middle of Fucking Nowhere, Noon)<\/h3>\n
Rova 20 (Path of Aganhei, Rimethirst Mountains, Evening)<\/h3>\n
Rova 23 (Path of Aganhei, Urjuk, Night)<\/h3>\n
\nWe tracked him back to the cave where he had been living with his winter wolf companions (what a tense moment that was: my fear was that Skygni was not going to take to us fighting others of his kind, but it was clearly not an issue). This was about what you would expect. Rags, bones, and not much else. He was living the dream.
\nNot too far from the cave entrance was a wrecked caravan wagon. Inside we found the remains of a man that, amazingly, Ulf recognized. Apparently he was another Crown guide. We asked Ulf if he would like to bury the body and he said yes, so we held a small ceremony and put him to rest.
\nWelcome to the Crown of the World.<\/p>\nRamashan 6 (Path of Aganhei in the Hoarwell March, Evening)<\/h3>\n