By Beth Griese

Date:   September 2, 1995

Quote of the Day:
"We could call ourselves A Thousand Pricks of Pain.'" -- Stu Collins
"Oh, I'm not even gonna say it..." -- Beth Griese

To Garen Thundersson, cleric of Mielikki. From your faithful servant, Jade.

Morning began on a disastrous note after our successful retrieval of Iske Nevermumble's book. When we awoke, the grass in a perfect circle around us had died, withered overnight as if it had gone through a drought. As we began to get our bearings, we realized that everything within that circle that had been once plant was now decayed and rotten. Our clothes were mostly in tattered rags, our ropes frayed and useless, wood warped and brittle. My first concern was for my new bow, but thank the gods, the magic of the bow seemed to have staved off most of its damage. A day's drying in the sun and it was as good as new.

I paced off the circle of death around us and found the hoop from the castle at its exact center. I have no idea what the purpose of such a horrid thing was, but Telaran shattered it with an axe, destroying it. Borreau said that the hoop was not actually evil in his god's eyes, but I have no doubt what Mielikki's opinion of such a thing would be; it was an abomination, and I'm glad to know it was not left behind at that castle.

The road back was not difficult. The horse's blankets and saddles were, of course, leather and wool, and so were fit and ready for travel. The greatest hardship on us was losing our clothing. B'rinth had survived it best; he had a black silk bodysuit he had worn beneath his clothes that now offered him perfectly modest protection. He gallantly offered me his spare, which saved me from a lot of chafing from my leather armor. The others, though, had to suffer through the ride with as much dignity and as few blisters as possible. I found out more about gnome anatomy than I ever cared to learn. I have to admit to taking more than my fair share of peeks at Borreau, but it seemed only fair since I also caught quite a few glances at my bodysuit during the ride, and not just from the cleric. Fair's fair, I think you'll agree.

That evening, luck was on our side and we happened upon a caravan camping for the night.Borreau managed to dice for some clothes, and some of the others got some supplies, too. It was enough to keep us going and gave us pleasant company for the evening, and it was that night I finally hit on the right name for my horse while I was on watch. I'm going to call him Trellant, after the top star in Trellant's Spear constellation. It looks enough like the star on his nose to be a match. He's responding well to me by now, seems to know my voice, and we're learning each other's habits well.

The rest of our trip back to Arabel went smoothly. We returned Iske Nevermumble's book to him and received our reward, then promptly headed over to Thond's trading house with credit slips in hand to replenish our supplies.

After finding that my bow was safe, my greatest sorrow was over losing the beautiful cloak Borreau had given me a few weeks past. It was ruined now, much to my dismay. He had seemed upset at its loss, too, so after we all had spent the better part of the afternoon outfitting ourselves all over again at Thond's, I returned to my friends at Elhazir's Exotica. I found a fine silk tunic shirt, one that would never fall under a curse like that hoop's again. The woman at Elhazir's had a patch with Tempus's symbol on it that she sewed over the heart on the shirt. It would be the perfect thing for Borreau to wear under his armor.

That night we ate a fine dinner together. I miss your cooking, master, and being on the road with nothing but our own best efforts and dust to eat makes returning to towns a simple pleasure. Everyone seemed to take particular happiness in eating that night, since we were scheduled to be on the road again at sunrise with Matthias Cooper's caravan. Even Nory left off needling B'rinth for most of the night.

But after we returned to the Murdered Manticore, Borreau knocked on my door before I had a chance to steal through it with his box. He had also been shopping that day, even though the man still has problems finding his way through town. He gave me a stunning broach, a bow and arrow to clasp my cloak. He said it would have to do until we could replace the cloak I had lost. I was touched by such a kind and generous gift, and he seemed happy with the shirt. Nothing more than a kiss passed between us before he returned to his own room, but I must say my mind was buzzing with so many thoughts I had a difficult time going to sleep that night. You would like this cleric, master, I'm sure of it. I can't wait for the day you'll meet all of my companions. I miss your counsel, especially on nights like that one.

The next morning we rose with the birds and joined Matthias's caravan for Immersea. We helped with the guard duty for the road, but the trip was quiet. I've never been to Immersea; it's probably just a little bigger than Eveningstar. We headed immediately for Redstone Castle, the town's fortress. We first spoke with Geldroon, a servant at the castle who, it seems, holds the responsibilities of the city in his hand.

Geldroon presented us with the charter we were promised in exchange for this duty, which sparked a new, long debate between us. What would be our company name? After a great deal of discussion, we settled on "The Wayfarers." It seemed fitting for a group of travellers without a home base like us. And so I signed the charter, master, and became part of an adventuring company. I've told these men before, though, that at your reappearance, at your requirement, I will have to leave this group. They understand that, as always, my first loyalty must be to you. But I also admit I felt a great deal of pride when we officially sealed our pact to band together.

So after we had finished with the legalities, we visited Lord Sudakar, the ruler of the town. Lord Sudakar was fishing in the stream that goes through the castle grounds and was busily re-living the battles of the past barbarian invasions. All in all, he seemed largely disinterested in us or our mission. It was Geldroon who made all the arrangements for our assignment.

And so, we've found lodgings for the night at the Five Fine Fish Inn, a simple place with prosperous business. It's quiet for a tavern, and the room is pleasant. Tomorrow, we will investigate this haunted house with the first light, and The Wayfarers will fulfill their first job as an official company.

Your faithful servant,

--Jade

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