User:FJH/fjh frtrss/str nishsigunkokeb/150felsite

Felsite in the Age of Heroes, 150

4 Felsite
I still don't recognize where this map indicates; going on the vague instructions of "to the northeast of Äkimkulet" is hard to do when the only way to have gotten this far is to go all the way west, north, and southeast.

I came across a mountainhome in a land called Neathäe today and was eagerly anticipating some delicious Dwarven Ale. It'd be easy if there was another party at the entrance, so I could just grab a tankard without bothering anyone, even if I couldn't ask about the map. There was no party and it turns out there weren't even any Dwarves! HUMANS were living in the mountainhome of Bisäsoxunen'pëmupïgí! When I finally found someone in charge, an Elite Spearman, he had said they were going to settle in the area, discovered the fortress abandoned, and decided to make the best of it. Huh. They couldn't help me with my map, but said there were more formal human settlements to the east which might be able to. Since they didn't have any other problems I could help them with, I went on my way.

Good natured but strange sods. They were living in a Dwarf fortress and didn't even think to refurnish the place. It still lacked most of the essentials, like tables chairs and beds.

12 Felsite
By the time I stumbled into town I realized I was without my falchion. I must have lost it when playing with those werewolves back in the haunted moor a while back. They were surprisingly happy to see me and came up to pounce. As much as I like dogs, such weight would probably wind me badly so I had to dodge and decline them their initial hug. That didn't stop me from returning their hug and ... actually it doesn't matter. I wonder if this will be like one of those instances where you make friends with the animal and it comes to your rescue in the future; I've heard those things do happen in this world. I left them when they were tired enough to fall sleep so all went well, save for my sword. Fortunately, I was an Axedwarf by nature so all I had to do was pull out the replacement weapon.

Anyway, the town. Lershicasot in a place called Bopûnühìlpëdû. Bopûnühìlpëdû. I wanted to tell them they missed making that first "o" in the name special, but thought it might be too snide. I found the mead hall easy enough - it was near the temple - but just after entering there lots of strange sounds come from outside: stuff falling, mostly, and people swooning. I stepped back out to watch a group of children move past and, to my surprise, there was a whole lot of fish-related food stuff dropped along the ground. Right at my feet was a mussel. I couldn't understand for the life of me what it was with people and wasting food like this. I collected all of the strewn food from he ground, following a trail that went all around the temple, with the intention of putting it on the tables in the mead hall.

While doing that, I found the source of the swooning. There was a priest lying on the ground, barely conscious, but he got up and started walking away soon afterwards (I heard another thud after that, indicating he collapsed again, but I didn't see it). There was also a priestess nearby who was having trouble keeping her gloves on and was falling down all the same. I asked her if I could take her to a bed so she might rest. At first she asked me a bit closer because I thought she was hard of hearing, but even right next to her and asking if I could be of Service, she instead did some kind of laying on of hands thing and pronounced me some kind of servant of Nato now. She completely misunderstood what I was talking about--and then collapsed again.

She didn't look hurt but I carried her over to the mead hall anyway and put her in a bed there. It's at this point I'm writing now and it's at this point I'm going to retire until the morning.

13 Felsite
The next morning I went and found someone in charge, an elite crossbowman named Dacap Kaspisha. He identified himself as a "Servant of War," which seemed a bit intimidating, but less intimidating than the children from Bisäsoxunen'pëmupïgí and High Elves of Naturelight who called themselves "Servants of Death." I swear the world was getting far too violent for my tastes despite all evidence pointing to me being an Axedwarf now off to kill a dragon.

Dacap said that he didn't recognize my map but there was a cartographer in some town to the east that would surely be able to help me. Also, we had a brief discussion about the priestess (and the priest). The priest just wants attention apparently, but the priestess faints due to her patronage of Nato. It turns out Nato is a god of war, which would make me a Servant of War. That must mean there must also be a death god to which other people were Servants? No wonder this world is too violent. Where's the god of good Dwarven Ale? Dacap also helped me come to terms with my least obvious problem.
   Dacap: "So you're here to kill a dragon?"
   Me: "Yeah."
   Dacap: "But you don't know it's name or where it lives?"
   Me: "Not precisely, but that's what the map is for."
   Dacap: "The Dwarven King gave you this quest."
   Me: "It could have been his cook."
   Dacap: "And you don't know why the dragon needs to be killed--"
   Me: "Isn't that the sort of thing you do to dragons? I think the King said something about it killing someone else ..."
   Dacap: "Killing who else?"
   Me: "I don't know. It just sounds like something a dragon would do."
   Dacap: "Half way across the world?"
   Me: "I traveled half way across the world to get here and I'm no dragon."
   Dacap: "And they didn't give you anything more than a blood-covered axe to do it with?"
   Me: "Oh, no. I already had the axe. It just wasn't blood-covered at the time."
I needed a bath. Thanks, Dacap; I think I might have not realized how badly I was presenting myself to other people. I must look like a barbarian right now, covered with such gunk. Dwarves pride themselves with how deeply they get in their work, but I do understand how outsider races value being well groomed. Actually, if it were a normal Elf, he'd probably be muddier than me, well-dressed for him. I vowed to take a bath the first stream I found.

16 Felsite
I came across a town named Malstralulu. It was an odd sort of place as it had no population, save for one person up in the mead hall who couldn't help me much anyway.

17 Felsite
Another town, this time Batowocgi, TradedGuards. On one hand the town had a population, a fact for which I was grateful as I had started getting very lonely. On the other hand, I was irked that they were all Children! The whole population of the town were adolescent High Elves and Bugbears! Even the lone shopkeep was a Child. I didn't understand who such a society worked and, for that matter, I doubt they did either. They weren't very talkative or helpful but a single Bugbear Child who did give me a bit more than just laughs and skipping away claimed to be one year old. I hoped he wasn't the cartographer I was looking for and I was quite happy that, despite his ability speak at one year of age, he didn't know what cartography was.

Come to think of it, I hadn't seen any wagons for quite some while. I couldn't and didn't want to leave this town of children on their own, but I had to tell someone in the civilized world about this place. Mass adoption in the works, I guess.

In my boredom, I tried talking to this Nato person. I wasn't quite sure how I was going to go about this and ultimately decided I would address my axe, since a weapon is a symbol of war. Nato wasn't much of a talker and didn't reply to anything I said sadly. I eventually stopped trying, hoping that I might coax him into inquisitively saying something first to see if I was still listening. I couldn't trick him. He was very good at playing this game.

20 Felsite
You'd never imagine how happy I was when I stumbled across a cave today! Dragons live in caves! Perhaps my journey was finally coming to an end, but I still didn't feel prepared to face a dragon. Even so, I went closer to search.

There were trinkets and inexpensive jewelry all around the ground near the entrance. Earrings and amulets as far as the eyes could see. I thought for a moment that this might be a home being founded by some well-to-do Dwarves. They were rather sloppy people though leaving all their things in the ground, not even in a stockpile, outside the entrance to the cave. I proceeded to pick up everything I could find, including some berries that weren't attached to plants and some food and fish, hoping to help them a little. I drank some Longland Beer I found out of temptation and hoped they wouldn't mind. It tasted great. It's been two months since I had proper alcohol that even the bits of dirt that had gotten into it wouldn't spoil my enjoyment.


Update: Never mind me, this place isn't any future Dwarven mountainhome. And it's no dragon cave either. The walls are too sandy and the passages too narrow. It's the home of swarming Cave Crabs as far as the eye can see. It's just a mess. I explored the whole place in hopes of finding a dragon's den - whatever they look like, mind you - but was lacking in all my expectations. The crabs wouldn't let me be so I had to knock most of them about until they ran away. I met another intractable--something or other down there named Aleæaæaädöa. Really ugly thing thing, whatever it was. It lashed out at me from around a blind corner and nearly took my arm off. Caught my axe into its flesh for quite a bit and struggled with the thing as its claws bounced off my steel armor and I tried to get my axe out of it. Eventually I maimed it enough that it bleed to death. I still don't know what it was. It's terribly terribly ugly, that's all I know. I stuffed the corpse into my backpack and planned to ask the next Butcher or Ranger I met what an Aleæaæaädöa is and how you can get away with more than one "æ" in your name.

The caves were a bust. The beer's good though.

21 Felsite
I came across the ruins of a town. Just the gutted remains of house with no one living in them, really, most of the walls and roofs taken down and the floors ripped away. I couldn't tell if this was caused by a pillaging or a drought or famine leading to everyone moving away, but I think I was starting to understand what those humans in Bisäsoxunen'pëmupïgí meant about making the best of things.

22 Felsite
I've found yet another abandoned, rundown town. The only difference between this one and the one yesterday was this still had furniture, though it was all broken nonetheless. The good news is no one to bury.

23 Felsite
I returned to Lershicasot after having turned back from the cave. The first point of order was to rush to the temple, catch the priestess before she collapsed again, and carry her to the mead hall. I didn't see the priest but he probably collapsed somewhere too. Then I ent upstairs and talked to Dacap again, telling him about the other nearby towns I had been to. Apparently, one of the two towns I had found abandoned was intentionally abandoned a long time ago, but the other definitely shouldn't have been abandoned like I had found it. He said he'd get some guards together personally and go to Batowocgi to help the children, but he didn't know what was up with Malstralrulu and it's lone occupant. Somehow two bustling communities had vanished under his nose and the third was supplanted by children, some of whose names he recognized. I volunteered to give more assistance but Dacap said it'd be alright.

He also confirmed that at least one of those abandoned towns should have contained the cartographer I was looking for, a Trade Diplomat by profession, and not being able to find him like this put me into a serious pickle. Dacap didn't know of any of places east of here personally and he didn't think anyone else in town did.

He did tell me a bit about the corpse of Aleæaæaädöa that I was carrying around. Not much mind you since he didn't like the thing, I think, but he said it was a Deinonychus and that they were very dangerous normally. Now that the ichor has crusted a bit, it kind of reminds me of a Lizardman but not as upright walking and with a longer snout. Dacap was quite surprised that I had killed it so easily, and commented that, if I were interested in selling the corpse, it would be paid for very well by the local shopkeep Aredas Ramul. I think I'll hold onto it for now that it doesn't bleed badly or smell as poorly, but just for a while longer. Maybe until I explain how an eleven foot corpse can be folded into such a tiny backpack.

Dacap was rather worried about me the first time I had left in search of the dragon. He looked much more confident as I left town this time. He even un-pinched his nose while I was around.