Surely as described, one end of the room has a tattered curtain with a spare, straw-stuffed mattress leaning up against the wall and a threadbare blanket folded atop a simple, wooden chair. It’s tidy, if not clean. There are eight more mattresses arranged in two rows on the floor of the room. Three other men show up over the next… Read more →
As I watch townsfolk and traveling merchants gossip and haggle and scurry about, the feeling I used to come to these places for is noticeably absent. I would enjoy seeing their trite existences and letting it hone the blade of my mind. I let it bring the truth of reality into harsher and crisper relief. Today, disappointingly, I feel only… Read more →
I am surprised with punctual arrivals by the party in the morning. Corporal Level is, as always, happy to see us. “Glad to see you all in one piece. Are you ready to give your report or do you need to rest. It’s pretty busy today—lots of new recruits—so you could always come back tomorrow.” I’d rather not burn time… Read more →
“How much?” Rakatha asks through clenched teeth. She laughs, then says seriously, “Two thousand.” Vong can’t seem to help himself and imposes in the conversation yet again, “He doesn’t owe you anything!” “This is between me and him,” the woman says curtly, her gaze fixed menacingly on Rakatha. Rakatha’s thoughts are plain to see. He’s thinking about fighting, rather than… Read more →
Still half a mile or so from the entrance, a pair of travelers—a human man and a woman—intercept the group. “You there, you’d better stop right now!” the woman points at Rakatha and speaks with an accusatory tone. As often is the case, Rakatha is not paying attention and doesn’t heed the woman. As is often the case, Vong is… Read more →
“I am out of healing,” announces Ralith after tending to the party. Rakatha and Vong still bear visible burn marks and flaking sections of skin on their faces and hands, but many of the blisters are gone or reduced. Twitch’s hair is not affected by Ralith’s healing blessing, but her peeling skin is looking merely raw now. Pil’s arm received… Read more →
The fireball from the explosion is aimed at the staircase and sweeps over the party. I close my eyes automatically as the immediate sensation of roiling heat from the fire rolls over my body. I don’t feel the fire at all, just the vacuum left in its absence and the memory of its heat. Several members of the party scream… Read more →
No effort is made to track or locate the escaped prisoners and, as an added bonus, no one thinks to bury the dead goblins either. Our burden miraculously lightened, we make good time toward the tower and camp within a mile of it the next night. In the morning, camp is broken and we hike the last mile to the… Read more →
From this escarpment, Endolkin Farmville is indeed visible. The freshly-ploughed southern fields are black against the verdant landscape. The barn, which is still standing I note, is a faint impression against the trees. The burned-out houses and granary blend in with the ground. I can see that there is an outbuilding at the edge of each field—probably the extents of… Read more →
I enjoy nature. It feels still and vivacious at the same time. It is quiet, but not silent. Serene, but not dull. I think back to the nice hilltop hut I lived in when I took up post as tribe shaman in Solmienya. The tribe I administered to were very particular about where I lived. The hut had been where… Read more →