Kals Letters
CLASSIFIED! Warning! If you do not have express Library authorization to view the enclosed documents you are in gross breach of law. You and your transgression shall be swiftly and decisively catalogued!
The enclosed documents are a series of ancient, preserved letters. Their origin is indeterminate, and they appear to make reference to present day Arvel, yet the events mentioned within have never occurred in this land. These letters must remain sealed and secret for their very existence would indicate that they originate from an alternate reality entirely!
12. I got you babe...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Grandpa,
Well we’re back out here in the heat and the sand. Hopefully not for too long. We found old big-wig Trellor’s remains down their mine here. Don’t think we’ve really broke the back of that mine. We ought to head back down there once we’ve figured out what we’re doing with Trell. Old Sunshine is doing his thing over the remains. It’s good. The Lady should ought to look after the dead.
Suppose I should tell you how we stumbled across Trellor’s bones. Well after dealing with the big old gelatinous cubes we happened upon a locked big heavy metal door at the end of that room. The key was still in the lock which was handy for us, but a bit beyond them cubes. I unlocked it and took the key putting it on this big keyring here. Drogo had to shove the thing open though, enough for me to slip through. I reached back for light but Minnie just decided to fiddle with my fingers until Benison helpfully passes me his torch. There was only a short tunnel that was pretty empty apart from lots of bits of bone and junk and crap. I passed a splinter of bone back through the door hoping mister Benison might be able to glean something or other from it, but it was too small he said, and Minnie added her two-copper piece worth, or in her words ‘Ewww!’ Also it looked like that tunnel, and the rest of the mine after that we saw, had flooded some way in the past. Place was all dry now but you could tell the floor sloped downwards just cause of the floodwater stains still on the walls. Long time ago, but changes not something that happens awful quick underground without folk like us helping things along. Anyway, I swept the rubble that had piled up behind the door and dragged it open letting the others through. Even with all the bone bits lying about in that tunnel Benison still said they was all too smashed up small to tell what race, or most anything else useful. We soon found him some proper bones to examine though.
The door at the other end of the sloped tunnel was locked too so I had to go through the keyring, trying one key at a time till I found the right one. I wonder if it was actually the same one I took out the first door? It was lighter than it looked swinging it open too. Turns out it was a wooden door clad in metal, but only on the outside cause there was a damn Rust monster on the other side who’d eaten pretty much all of the metal that was covering the side of the door it could get to. Well I’ve not seen one of them in years! I heard they’re pretty common up in the dwarven iron mines up North though. I told the others here to watch themselves. Looking at us lot we don’t got much metal, but them beasties can sniff out a brass tack hidden in your sock! And just to prove it, as Drogo walked in the thing went straight for him making the pathetic little noise they make with them rusting antenna things. Drogo kept his long sword out of its reach and used the wooden shaft of his trident to bash it away. Don’t know what name that trident had though. Drogo’s got metal studs all over his leather loincloth. I’m not sure if they’re for stylistic effect of if they’re actually added protection, but I reckon that’s what old Rusty was going for. Benison, always ready to help, rushed in and stabbed at the Ruster with that little Adamantine dagger he’d palmed earlier. It being a bit of a precious mineral and not exactly metal it ought to be safe right? Sure that’s what the dwarves used to say. Oh, and Minnie there went a little over the top with all the magic missiles she sent at the Ruster! I tried shooting at the thing too, but with Drogo and Benison in the way I missed trying not to get either of them, so I gave that up quick and dashed around Benison, tumbling past the Rust monster’s back leg. I whacked the thing with the back end of my spear right across the top of the neck knocking it flat dead. Carefully avoiding any ooze leaking out of the Ruster we moved on and Minnie spotted a skull-sized diamond at the dead-end of the tunnel. The thing was half buried in the ground and looking all kinds of suspicious, but trust the Halfling to go all googly eyed over the shiny! I told her not to touch the thing, but did she listen!? No. She vanished in a blink, but reappeared a couple minutes later with a purple glowing breast! She said there was something ‘in there’ and I needed to have a look. She handed over her purple glowing ioun stone that was still warm for reason I’ll not go into. With that in hand I touched the diamond and the tunnel became a different tunnel. The main difference being that the air really stunk, but I couldn’t see or hear anything else so I hopped back through the magic diamond.
Minnie couldn’t explain what magic was on the diamond. She said it wasn’t her sort of magic or something, but Benison had a nose at it and goes on about the God’s Table and the crumbs again. I wasn’t following him all that well but I think the gist was that these two joined diamonds aren’t crumbs, but more like something straight off the plate of one of the Gods? So no one, no person cast any sort of magic on them diamonds. The Gods did? Mister Benison follows Lady Sarn, and I can respect that, good choice. She’s responsible for threading veins of precious metals and minerals through the ground. I remember you used to tell us tales about how she helped stitch the world together with her needle and thread, and the thread she left in place is all the mineral veins under the ground. I even used to worry as a nipper watching the miners cart load after load of copper and silver out of the first few mines back home, Won’t the world fall apart if we pull all the thread out? Funny huh? Anyway, point is mister Benison has a good head on his shoulders, for a Halfling, so I trust what he’s spouting, and these two diamonds look like they formed inside of a geode pocket each, but instead of the usual pretty mineral crystals around the edge of the bubble they’re filled with these Godly diamonds. Don’t know about you, but I’ve never heard of nothing like that! Miners who found them probably thought it was a lucky strike, specially as the face of the tunnel just behind the first diamond looked to be a tough unbreakable rock. Looking at the wreckage of this city I don’t know how lucky a strike it was. I had a horrid feeling that the diamond teleporter things tied to an even less lucky place so I told the others to wait a moment while I took me a deep breath and went back through with copper piece in hand. Held me breath as long as I could but the copper didn’t fizzle. At least it doesn’t teleport you straight to the depths of Loerdzhim!
When I reappeared saying we’re all fine showing off the unreacted copper Minnie just looked at me blankly. I had to explain why she had to wear her copper piece mask all the time while underground, and if she can hear it fizzling in front of her face, of if she holds a copper coin that starts to fizzle and bubble it’s time to leave the way we came double quick cause we’d have walked into Loerdzhim air and the only thing stopping you racing to old age and beyond would be the copper gently fizzing away in your mask. So I made it very explicit Don’t take it off! With that sorted we all traipsed through the diamond teleporter and stepped further into the new stinky tunnel. The ground just away from the magic diamond was littered shin high with wreckage and skeletons. Benison, looking around, said there’d been a big old fight. There were a couple of Halflings, a good few Gnomes, but most of them were Loerdzhim folk. I could figure the tallest skeletons must be Drow, but once you strip off most of the flesh it’s not at all easy to spot the difference between Gnome, and Halfling, and Svirfneblin, and even Duergar, cause Benison said there were a few of them vicious dwarfy buggers too, but I couldn’t have picked them out. Benison said many of the bodies must have drowned. Didn’t look to have died of their injuries, and there was a floodwater mark way higher up the wall too. Seemed like Minnie and Benison spotted the shiny at the same time, but Minnie grabbed it first. Although she soon dropped it with a scream when she pulled the skeleton, who’s neck it was around, up with it. Nothing quite like Minnie’s deafening scream to get your ears pricked up though. There was definitely something big and heavy ambling down the tunnel towards us from around the corner. It’s a pretty big mine down there, and they’re well sourced. Seems they got their own Otyugh. Gods know how it got out of its pit! I’m guessing they must have kept it down the bottom of a long shaft to keep it safe and secure. I’ve only heard of one mine back over our side of the mountains that had the resources to capture and install one of them, and that’s only cause they were funded by some rich elves way up North somewhere. Apparently it was a good investment though cause it saves on carting all your junk and waste back out to the surface. Them things’ll eat most anything you chuck at them, but they prefer fresh meat, and there you got the need to keep it trapped down a pit. However the hell the one here got free we weren’t going to join all the Buffet that was the pile of corpses we’d been wading through. Before we legged it I grabbed the gold mayor-chain from the skeleton Minnie had screamed at. Benison said it was a Gnome and we pretty quick came to the idea that fella must be Trellor. With the Otyugh getting closer I said we had to get gone so I grabbed Trellor’s skeleton, but the bones weren’t stuck together no more. Thankfully we had Benison though. He gave a quick worded prayer and collected up all, he swears, all of Trellor’s many bones before we jump back on the diamond. I’m sure I saw a thorny looking tentacle snake around the corner as we disappeared!
We came all the way back out of the mine with Trellor’s bones. He really ought to be in his premade coffin over in the park here, or should he be reunited with his old mate Alleck back in the tomb in East Lexton? Don’t know how long Benison is going to be with his rituals. Bit strange a Halfling doing burial rights for a Gnome, but if any Gnome wouldn’t have minded that I guess it’d be this Trellor. Either way I’m fine here back on the wagon till he’s done then we can figure out exactly what we’re doing with the remains, and how we’re going to get past the trash compactor Otyugh cause I want to know exactly where that diamond teleporter thing really goes!
Love
Kal X
11. Your love is thick and it swallowed me whole...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Grandpa,
You hear the tales off the old-timer deep-miners, but I’ve not seen anything like this before. I’m looking at some nasty looking grey ooze that’s been walled up in a corner down here and just left to bubble away to itself. What’s that all about? I mean when you get the damp from underground springs and stuff you got to be careful there’s not the odd Gelatinous Cube come floating up from who knows where, but we just came across a couple of huge ones down here. Luckily they’d grown too big to move out of the scoope they was in. Standing nice and safe with a few rock pillars between us, Minnie wanted to acid-wand the first Jelly. I had to point out that, that wasn’t such a good idea seeing as the whole thing was basically made up of acid itself. Her next choice was fire – Much better. She goes and calls up a nice big flaming sphere that chased the Cube around, bouncing off its edges making it fizz and bubble some, while the rest of us just shot at the thing. I felt a little less useful that the others, what with Cloak firing off arrow after arrow with his snazzy looking longbow, and Benison with his ‘proper’ crossbow. And there was me with my little pea-shooter of a crossbow! Minnie got herself a bit too close though once the first one splatted all over the floor. Think she was trying to control that flaming ball of hers cause the second jelly cube pinned her against the wall before sucking her right in itself. Cloak had already ran off across the room by then, pretty sure he’d got himself a sliming on the way though from the look of him now. Well we just kept shooting the thing from all sides. Only way we could figure to get Minnie out but I didn’t think we were getting very far with that so I whipped out my oil lantern, lit it, and smashed the thing right next to the Gelatinous Cube. It didn’t like that, but it seemed to be enjoying digesting Minnie more, so Cloak went and charged right at the thing! I thought he was going to go flying right into it but he skidded to a stop right next to it and started slashing furiously with them tortoise shield blades of his, or whatever he calls them. They might look a bit weird but he did the job with them. The jelly cube collapsed into a puddle with Minnie lying the middle of it. All the sludge waved over the smashed lantern putting the fire out, and that reminds me; I’m going to need a new lantern now! Minnie was all paralysed when Benison pulled her out of the slush, but she’s come round now and old Sunshine is still sorting her out. First thing she did when she could move was sort her dress and hair out of course. How is it that she’s the one that nearly got ate, but we’re the ones what look like it!?
Anyway, while we wait for Minnie to get over her fun I got to tell you about what mister Benison did earlier! We unlocked the padlocked door back down the tunnel to find an active diggings where the miners had been working over the rock face. There was a step up of worked rock around the edge of the scoope, about shoulder height, but there was kind of a distraction to the mining stuff; that was a bunch of skellies! There was a couple of gnome sized ones, but also a couple of dwarf looking ones and a couple that were human big. Before I could even react to the things Benison stepped up into the room out of nowhere, bellowing; ‘Oi! You, dead people. Lay down!’ I swear the skellies all looked terrified and went more pale than they already was before they just collapsed into piles of bones. That was very impressive by mister Sunshine. He just casually set about checking them over. They was all from down below. Don’t know what they was doing hanging around up here far out of Loerdzhim. With them all not moving so much anymore we could check out the mine proper. They’d been working pre-magiced Ioun stones out of the sandstone layers in the rock. I gave Minnie one of my pitons to use as a chisel to chip away at the wall to get at some of the shiny colourful pebbles, until she got bored at least. Kept her occupied for a few minutes anyway. I tried to twist one out myself, but you’d need plenty of work to prise one of them free. Tucked away down a little corner was a nice big old bowl of already freed Ioun stones. It was full of all sorts of colours and shapes. Minnie explained that they was hugely expensive things once they’d been all magiced up, but that was a hard thing to get done. She told us what each colour meant too, in magical power as well as fashionable usage. She grabbed herself a good few handfuls of the blue ones and purple ones which she stuffed into her bustier. One colour to each side. Can’t imagine that makes for comfy padding really. I grabbed me one of every sort there was for interest. Think old Sunshine did too, but I also pocketed me a good 15 of these iridescent ones. Minnie reckoned they let you not have to breathe at all! Why’ve we never heard of one of these? Even though Minnie says they’re stupid expensive, they’d be life savers down our mines! I’ll bring them all back, but we got to get them magiced so as they work properly though.
The Gelatinous Cubes were through the other bolted door, just sitting around waiting for something to wander into them. We stuck to the safe side of the rock pillars and snuck down some little narrow tunnel off to the side. Seems the miners round here had some tough rock to cut through. That tunnel was a bit on the narrow side, but it came out on a pretty big scoope that had been mined clean. Reckon that’d been a right little glory hole, but it’d have been a long hard job carting it all out back through that awkward tunnel though. Just asking for all sorts of accidents, but sometimes you just can’t get round the tough rock.
Anyway, little Minnie is looking a bit less pale that she was a bit ago so we ought to be getting on the move again soon.
Lots of Love
Kal xxX
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
10. Come play my game. Inhale, inhale, you’re the victim...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Grandpa,
Well now. Not never been gladder to be back down a mine. Just can’t beat the smell. Like you’re breathing the rock! And the fact that the brutal sun can’t get me down here is just Bonanza! Anyway, you might of guessed, but we found the diamond mine that made this city. Well, I did anyhow. The others were mucking about in some trashed library. I mean it was an impressive looking building and all, but we’ve not come all this way to renew a book loan. Besides, the door was all smashed in, and Minnie did some magical detecting and it turned out the whole section of magic tomes was gone. Well if you’re gonna loot, you might as well do a proper job of it I guess. Jase went off to look up recent history on this city while Benison was eyeing up the religious texts. He learnt himself some more about the Table and the Gods, and the ‘chosen’ people, who he said, are considered fit to clean up under the Table, but possibly not much else. It was after his rambling on about it for a while that I figured I’d go stand outside for a bit. Good job too cause I spotted the headgear looming in the distance down the road. I told the others I was going to go check it out, mostly cause it took me a while to figure out exactly what I was looking at! They had some weird design ideas here, I can tell you that much! Anyway, Jason decided he was going to come with me. Like he don’t trust me going off on my own or something. We checked out the main shaft. Seemed sturdy enough although the drum didn’t look up to much work, and I don’t think I’d trust any machinery what had been left lying around this place for who knows how long anyway. That shaft was a pretty respectable 100 feet deep too. Just handed Jason the end of my rope and I climbed down 40 odd feet. Had to lower some twine weighted with my pulley a further 50 feet before I found the bottom! Jase of course was being nowhere near useful. Reckon he was doing it on purpose. I climbed back up and went and grabbed Drogo’s rope to tie to mine so as it was long enough.
Jumping straight back down with me double length rope, I hit the bottom and there’s only a couple of mummified corpses lying waiting for me! A Gnome and a Dwarf. Looked like they’d had a bit of a fight too, and there was a second Gnome further down the tunnel with a key loop around his belt. Guessing maybe he was the foreman. The Dwarf I figured didn’t belong so I tried to tie him to the end of the rope; was going to get Jase to hoist him up for a bit of an examination, but I couldn’t manage holding him up and tying the rope round him. Dwarves are bloody heavy, even when they’re missing most of their vitals! I climbed back up the shaft, with Jase pulling me up some; don’t know why he thought I needed his help! I told him about the dead folk and that I needed a ranger’s eye to see what went on down here, and a cleric’s to see about how the dying happened. So we off and went back to get the others from the library where Minnie had been doing not a great job of cheering Drogo up. Me, Jase, and Sunshine climbed back down the shaft, but we should have brought Drogo over to the mine sooner cause we left him having fun in the drum hoist. With the ropes snapped it could spin free and with the middle mostly hollow he was happy as a hamster running round in the thing last I saw of him! Minnie of course was adamant that she’d not be shuffling down no rope into a dirty hole in the ground. And Cloak, the only other Gnome, wimped out of coming down too! I mean I explained there wasn’t like to be any danger. I couldn’t exactly let them come down completely in the dark so I explained about Loerdzhim deep below, and their poisonous air, although Jase needs to clean his ears out; he kept saying Loerdzhim wrong, come to that he can’t pronounce skelington either! I mean it looks as though there had been a break-through here, but it’s likely as not been sealed and the poisons long gone. Even so I made sure all them coming down wore a makeshift mask stuffed with what copper pieces we had. Maybe I ought to have shown them the Loerdzhim-copper vein? Tried to explain what’d happen if we come across Loerdzhim air with the masks on. I mean it’s better than old age chasing you down more damn quick than it ought, but I still don’t like talking about it outside the mountains - outside of them that know. Ain’t no reason to worry really, not like we’re going to go dig us a new break-through while we’re down here.
Anyhow, them three dead folks; Jason said there was a big old fight, more than just them three scrambling around. And the Dwarf was ‘not your normal dwarf’ he reckoned, and he was killed by the gnome next to him. Both the gnomes were dead of old age too! I’m sure you’d have got there before me, but the clincher was Benison finding them vicious weapons on the dwarf. Definitely not standard issue mining equipment. No doubt about it that thing was from Loerdzhim! I been checking the copper regular since we been down here. The airs fine, but you got to be sure right. Well a bit further in we came across two dry boxes. They was pretty big spaces too, well shored up, reckon they’ll still be serviceable for another hundred years. This one on the right’s got an ingenious well built into it. No pump or nothing. They’d dug a channel what plugged straight into the lake. Meant they had a constant easy supply of water. Clever. Jase said it looked like lots of folk had jumped through the well-tunnel to escape though. There was no Gnome corpses about, so I’m sure no one drowned. And there was no mine documentation in either of the drys too which was a damn shame. Figured they’d be organised around here, or maybe they was organised enough to take all the important stuff with them when they up sticks. Old Sunshine Benison though, bless him, bloody Halflings see a bit of sparkle in anything. He was checking out the shiny specks in the rock pillars holding up the roof. He actually thought they was diamond shards or something! Ha!
Further on there was a good old sturdy padlocked door with what sounded like a dry raspy voice on the other side. Well I knocked, as you do, but there wasn’t much of an answer apart from Jason giving me grief about it of course. There was also a door that was only bolted closed, and this one had a wet slurpy noise coming from the other side of it, maybe that’s where the lake got to? Well we didn’t open either, and now I’m sitting here back in the dry box with the well-tunnel waiting for Jase and Benison to come back with the other three, just in case we come across any danger. Wouldn’t fancy bumping into any Loerdzhim folk that have set up shop down here on me own. The poison air has long disappeared now, but I’ll still be using the ‘copper-on-a-string’ technique when we get moving again just to be sure. The others should be traipsing in through the dried up well-tunnel soon. Should be easier on Minnie’s cleaning that way.
Oh, don’t think I ever got round to telling you about them sarcophagi did I? Well with Drogo all upset about smashing ‘Missy’ we left Minnie to console him. Don’t rightly know how sensible that was, but there you go. Rest of us go strolling back into the park. I had to explain the whole Trellor / Alleck names to Jason. He wasn’t all that impressed. The sarcophagi were all covered in writing, mostly Common, but some Gnomish, or Halfling depending which sarcophagus. They got to be Trellor and Alleck’s intended resting place, but the whole massive epitaph of their ‘heroic exploits’ is not finished. Says ‘reserved for our hero’ in the appropriate language followed by their names. That mean they’re empty? We didn’t check for fear of upsetting the statues again. Was about then that Jase suggested finding the town hall or library for information.
Anyway, I can hear a noise or something. Think someone’s coming. Must be them lot coming down the well-tunnel.
Lots of Love
Kal
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
9. I’d like to see the world for once all standing hand in hand...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Grandpa,
Well we finally arrived at this ‘city of diamonds’. It’s not all we been led to believe to be honest. The place is a ghost town, although back in the day I reckon it would have been something to behold. Now it’s slowly being eaten by the desert. We’ve not seen a single person for weeks, and the only sign of life in this dead city are a bunch of moving statues!
We followed a quiet street heading for the centre of the city but we stopped at a crossroads to get some bearings. There’s what looks like a dried up lakebed and marshland to our right, beside the mountainside. To the left there’s a park, or what looks like it might once have been a park. Any grass is long gone now. There’s a whole stone fence all around the park, made of statues holding hands like them paper-chain-people they put up all over town during the summer festivals. They’re kind of worn down, but you can still tell they look like Gnome next to Halfling next to Gnome. There’s two huge statues marking the entrance to the park too, one Gnome, one Halfling. A definite ‘brotherly love’ thing going on.
Drogo, not one to admire masonry work I guess, just marches right on through. Not before relieving old Sunshine of his crowbar – he’s well tooled up that Cleric. I swear the big statues were watching him as he went in. No one else seemed to noticed so I called after him to tell him but he waved me quiet over his shoulder. Right in the middle of this park there’s a couple of sarcophagi with a single statue over looking each. One Gnome, one Halfling it seemed. Drogo got all the way to them unharmed so I dashed on over to him cause I know just what he intended to do! Wonder if the statues watched me too, and if anyone noticed them. They definitely had keen eyes all over Drogo though, despite, not appearing to have much in the way of eyes at all. I tried to convince Drogo not to do what he meant to, but I figured this whole place is long past it, so who’d really care if he desecrated the odd grave. Besides he was working on the Halfling coffin anyway. Told him to leave the other one be. I watched as Drogo drove the crowbar into the sarcophagus. The lid definitely wobbled a bit, but Jase chose that moment to start screaming for him to stop. He was shouting about the statues moving, and looking around I could see two out of the stone-link fence were ambling towards us from opposite sides, and even worse; the two huge ones from the entranceway too! Might have been afraid at first but that gave way to a familiar warm glowy feeling – that’d be good old Sunshine Benison blessing us. I told Drogo to stop and tried to snatch the crowbar but he just handed it over anyway, just so as he could launch ‘Missy’, one of his remaining Tridents, at the nearest moving statue. ‘Missy’ didn’t miss, but shattered against the stone statue’s chest, throwing up stone chips and wood splinters. Minnie turned up then and grabbed at Drogo, but he pulled out of her grasp wailing over his fork. I grabbed him from the other side, but he just peeled me off saying we should just ask if we wanted him to move! So we did. With all of us back out of the park the statues ambled back to their places in the fence. Drogo is still circling between sulking over us spoiling his ‘fun’, and bawling over poor smashed ‘Missy’.
I want to track down the diamond mine that this place is supposed to be all famous for. If it’s as big as I’m expecting it oughtn’t to be too hard to spot. Hopefully it’s not just a collar blown over with sand. Underground structures ought to be better preserved than out here so there might be something useful down there. We’re just figuring out where to go now while the camels have a bit of a rest. Oh yeah, we got camels now. Had to get shot of the reindeer cause they were getting a wee bit uncomfy in the heat over here. Jason said they really wouldn’t cope and they should be back on the ice. Bit of a dilemma for old Jason as I suggested they could be shaved to keep them cool. He did a good job without any help, although he took ages about it. They still looked uncomfortable once he’d sheared them, but for different reasons. Luckily four dark skinned humans in pyjamas and dressing gowns on camels slowly ambled over to us from the horizon way over to the West. They said they had ‘crumbs’ to trade, which turned out to be diamonds. Seriously underpriced diamonds too. Would have snatched them up if we had the gold! The humans seemed pretty interested in our shaved reindeer and they eventually agreed to swap two of their camels for three of our deer. Jase was adamant about keeping one. Must be a favourite or something. The Western humans said they were from ‘under the table’ and didn’t fail to make it clear that we were forbidden to go there. They said they often traded their ‘crumbs’ to Halflings yearly, but they always turned back after buying their fill of diamonds. Us wanting to go further North was apparently pretty unusual. They did seem to know of this old city though. They said it was long abandoned, and looking around, I’d say they was not wrong. The ready-for-bed humans warned us to watch out for Guardians; that’d be them twirly-whirly wind guys, and Sandworms; I guess a bit like Frostworms but, you know, in sand.
We’ve been travelling North for weeks now. Been hard going, but these camels have been pulling the wagon pretty well so we made good time. The weeks seemed to fly by like minutes! And Drogo made a decent job of hunting down random little critters, but even with Jase and Cloak on the hunt too we’ve been short of grub. Deserts – not exactly known for their abundance of wildlife don’t you know. We ate what wolf and deer we had left before it went off and mouldy long ago, and I hope the camels have been enjoying the pony feed we’ve been carting around. It’s all we’ve got for them, but at least they seem to enjoy the sand and the heat. If we’re spending the night in this shell of a city my vote is we sleep in the dry box. There’ll be no sand down there, and with no sweaty miners it ought to be nice and cool and quiet.
Oh also, mister Cloak was snatched into the air by his pet giant eagle, I guess to get a decent lay of the land. This was weeks before we got to this city so alls he could see of the place was a dark patch in the sand to the North. Meant we was on the right track though. He said he could see an ocean way, way out to the West over the huge stretch of desert. He also pointed out the mountains to the East, but I think most of us had spotted them already.
Tell you what – I’ve just noticed an old, worn sign outside the park. Think it says it was ‘Trellor-Alleck’ Park! Now that right there can’t be no coincidence. Must be them in there. Or at least one of them. The mummified corpse, Dead-Ghost-Trell’s mate; skeleton-Alleck and his crew brought back to East Lexton might well have been lifted from one of the sarcophagi Drogo was trying to pilfer from. Think we ought to check out them bodies after all. Damn it! If only someone had, had the foresight to scribble all this important information down on something durable back in East Lexton, like a wall or something. Who’d not notice something like that!? I wonder if this place is was called West Lexton. Don’t know how far North we’ve gone. Mule’s Trail could be right over the other side of the mountains right there. If I yelled real loud maybe you’d all hear?
Anyway, love to everyone.
Kal XXX
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
8. My little Texas tornado, blowin’ me away again...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Grandpa,
Well now, we’re definitely making progress! We’ve rounded the bottom of the Spina Armagada! We’re now officially on the wrong side of the mountains! And it’s much warmer. It’s only been a couple days, but we’re already well clear of the snow, and the further North we go the more this place looks like a desert. We’re trying to stick pretty close to the mountains but stretching out for miles looks like mostly sandy desert. I mean there’s even a whole Hazy mist going on, on the horizon! I hoped it’d get warmer, but this is getting crazy! We’ve all stripped off our cold-weather gear, which basically means Drogo’s back in the skimpiest loincloth imaginable, and Benison’s back in his armour. Poor Jason though, I don’t think the fella has ever owned anything like a pair of shorts. He’s not going to do well if it gets much hotter! Although, him and the cleric seem to be enduring the elements pretty well somehow. I’ve been sweating plenty today, I mean Drogo’s seen the copper-vein of course, but the others haven’t, we’ve been all wrapped up for weeks, but now I’m putting off even just rolling up my sleeves, and I’ve taken to wearing my hat again now we’ve packed away the big fleecy hoods. There’s only Minnie in her nice summery dress, and Cloak in his ruggedy outdoors get-up, that look remotely appropriately dressed!
I find myself think back fondly on the cold days behind us. We camped pretty much right down the Southern reaches of the mountains. I remember, we ate most of the last of the wolf meat. We’d been eating that cause it’s a bit better than the reindeer. Also the live reindeer we’ve got might be watching. In the morning as usual I made a fire outside, on Jason’s orders, and I heard wolf howls in the distance. I’m not exactly an expert, but I reckon I know a wolf howl when I hears one, but Drogo, Jason, and Cloak said there were Winter-hare tracks around, not wolf tracks, so they go off hunting all stealthy-like. Well Jason went off singing a little ditty that went very similar to that famous bear hunter-come-bard wrote. You know, the one the little kids are always singing; going over or under or something. Anyway, me, Minnie, and Benison sat around the fire eating the last wolf legs for breakfast. It’s weird but there always seems to be legs left over, don’t know why. We just sat watching the others up in the distance up the foot of the mountain. They looked to be having a right game with their rabbit. Benison was watching with his eyeglass thing, so he could see better, once he’d figured out which end to look through.
Apparently a lady-wolf beat them to the kill so they arrowed and tridented it. Don't ask me who, or how, or why they checked it was a lady-wolf! There was a second wolf though that ripped into Cloak some, but I saw the state of its head and neck when they brought back the body. Think he must have ripped it some back with them spiky shields of his. Even so the three of them took so long Benison went up to check they hadn’t got stuck or something. Good job too as he did a good job fixing up old Cloak who was in a bad way. They brought the animals back down and skinned and steaked them replenishing our wolf meat larder. We had the hare for dinner. Not much to go round, but it wasn’t bad. A change from wolf anyway, and Drogo made a slipper out of its fur when we stopped to camp for the night. It oddly suits him, we just got to find him one for the other foot now.
Oh, it was that morning, with Drogo showing off his stylish hare-wear, when some weird wind-twirly thing came to greet us. It spoke Gnomish and Halfling, and according to Benison some mix of Celestial and Infernal. He’d mumbled some prayer again and voila, he could understand the bastardised language like his own ma taught him! The thing was called Bleal or something. Benison said it meant guardian, although there’s nothing much round here worth guarding as I can see. The wind-thing was demanding to know our business. Jase told it he was just doing his job – guiding us up round the mountains. Drogo said we was after some big hole, and Minnie wanted to know who the wind-man thought he was asking us who we was, but he buggered off. Seemed he was a bit annoyed with our lack of respect for his all-powerfulness. We're currently employed by an ancient dragon us lot, so windy man wasn’t all that in the scheme of things. He turned up later that day though, blurting that ‘the table is forbidden’, and that we’d all die. Benison explained all about the ‘Table of the Gods’, and we pointed out that we weren’t going anywhere near such a place. Minnie explained the whole ancestor thing around the bad-blood between our races. Drogo brought up the little nugget of wisdom that we were after diamonds. Windman called them ‘crumbs’, and flew off again. He likes to make an exit that one, I give him that!
Last time Windy-man came back, he came twisting and twirling from the North-West, way over deep in the desert and he was holding a beefy looking scimitar. Defiantly looked more Guardian-y that time. We told him we was travelling North, that we’d be following the Spina-Armagada till we got to a city. He implied there was no city no more, but said our journey was fine by him, but he warned us again about going for that table, or even just going under it. Makes you wonder if it's not worth a look-see just to see what all the fuss is about. Brought to mind that crazy Alice woman that we passed way back when too. This desert might be where she got all her bags of sand. Minnie asked gust-guy where we could swap the reindeer for more appropriate animals, what with the rising heat and all. He just gave a right confusing answer, but gave us his ‘permission’ – Like that’s what we were asking for!? – to find such animals.
Oh, we had a right game getting the wheels back on the wagon too. Hope they stay on. I had to be quick while Drogo held the whole wagon up at each corner. Still took ages though. Now we’ve got large sleigh ski-feet spare now. Don’t know what to do with them yet. Although it's a good job we’re not planning on going west, cause I might have to put them back on, they’d work better than wheels over all that sand I’d reckon.
Loads of Love
Kal.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
7. Goodbye to you, my trusted friend. We've known each other since we were nine or ten...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Grandpa,
Jason and Drogo built us another nice igloo this evening, but that guide of ours keeps demanding we eat more blubbery animal fat. I might actually puke! And I don’t think he’s going to let us cook breakfast properly tomorrow morning either. Not inside the igloo anyway. Hope the weather lets us get a fire going outside in the morning. He’s not been impressed with us melting down the igloos and now he’s gone and put his foot down.
Considering we’re way down South it’s pretty crowded. We’ve picked up a couple of new folks out of nowhere. Turns out old Father Shadwick sent them. But what he gives with one hand he takes with the other it seems. Last night Garrick was out in the dark looking like he was arguing with himself when suddenly he vanished without a trace in a ball of misty bronze light. Don’t like to think what’s become of him now but at least he wasn’t taken home in a Black Maria.
Anyway, the new fellas seem decent enough. ‘Cloak’, the gnome ranger, at least has got some style in his feathery cloak and mask. He turned up carried by a giant eagle and dismounted like a pro. The other fella arrived a little less showy on foot. He’s a Halfling Cleric of the Lady Sarn apparently. He turned up offering all sorts of spiritual guidance, but what I really need is more warm blankets! He’s a smiley, chirpy sort of guy though, that Benison. Between him and Minnie it’s a matter of time before a migraine sets in though.
They’ve settled into our little group quite nicely these two and we got a good day’s journey done. Pretty much passed the mountains now. Just got to skirt round the foothills tomorrow and we’ll be heading North on the other side. It’ll be weird seeing the sun rise over the mountains instead of setting, but at least the weather ought to start getting warmer soon. We’d already be over there now I reckon but we was set upon by a massive Frostworm! Jason said we had to get up on higher ground – onto rocky ground sharpish. That meant leaving our wagon-come-sleigh behind. At first I said we couldn’t leave all our stuff behind, but when I actually looked to see what we could take, there was nothing but junk and frozen meat/fat on the back of the wagon. Oh, and pony feed – Why we still have sacks of that I don’t know! I just grabbed my rope and lucky pulley and stuffed them into my bag with my other tools and we abandoned the sledge. Cloak sped off up the slope with Jason and the reindeer close behind and I somehow managed to slip on my ass at the first sign of an incline since we began this journey! When I scrambled back onto my feet Minnie, Drogo, and Benison were all frozen stiff with fear. They wouldn’t budge when I told them to, but Jason yelled down I ought to shake them out of it so I shook Minnie and ‘Sunshine’ Benison awake but couldn’t get Drogo to snap out of it. Sunshine mumbled some little prayer over Drogo and he suddenly awoke. That was quite impressive or it could have been a coincidence. We all legged it up the hillside to the rocky ground. Drogo stopped and turned, and a few yards further on so did Jason and Sunshine, and Cloak even ran back down past me. I thought the idea was to get as far away from the flesh hungry giant worm as possible, but I guess the plan changed. When I passed Minnie, who had stopped higher up the slope to look back, I heard a horrible screeching noise which stopped me dead in my tracks. Seriously, never been more frightened! You might laugh, but I tell you if you’d heard it your hair would’ve gone more white than it already is! I could hear the fight going on behind me but really couldn’t bring myself to turn and look, or even get back to running. I did recognise the familiar howl of pain that meant Drogo was getting a beating of one sort or another though, and I also heard Benison’s voice bellowing out a cheerful blessing for us all too, which was nice. I guess they didn’t kill the thing though cause Drogo’s been swearing revenge on the beast and mourning, and I do mean mourning, the loss of one of his forks since the fight.
Even when the monster had gone though the others couldn’t stir me from being all frozen. The thing could have come back at any moment and I just couldn’t shake that feeling! So for some damn reason Jason decided to tie me to the mini sled he’d kept and had one of his smelly deer drag me back down to the wagon. Even then I couldn’t pull myself together. I never actually saw the Frostworm but it sounded insanely scary and the hole it left was wider than most adits! Don’t know how these lot fought the thing! Jase went and tied me down in the wagon where Minnie just constantly pelted me with snow until I eventually snapped out of it. And to make the whole damn thing worse I couldn’t untie Jason’s knots! He ties weird. I was stuck for hours cause I wouldn’t admit defeat and let Jason untie me and I couldn’t get Cloak or Drogo’s attention to help me out. Jason did eventually untie me, but not before making me promise we’d have no more morning fires in the igloos.
And there we are. It’s pretty late now, and that worm is still out there and we’re expected to sleep? At least I know I won’t be the only one having a restless night. Drogo keeps mumbling about the monstrous thing and I think he named them damn tridents of his and I’m pretty sure he just referred to the huge scary Frostworm as ‘wiggly’!
I’m never going to get any sleep!
Kal. X
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6. We’re after the same rainbow’s end, waitin’ round the bend, my huckleberry friend...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Grandpa,
By the Nine Bells it’s damn freezing down here! You know how hard it is to write with thick gloves and numb fingers!? And you don’t want to know how long I’ve been sitting on the ink pot to keep it runny! We’ve been travelling south for weeks now. Honestly there can’t be that much South left!
Days back we came across some crazy Halfling woman name of Alice. I didn’t see much of her apart from she was pulling a sledge. I said we ought to have swapped it for our wagon, but apparently the thing she was pulling was a right wreck. Drogo, Pinto and Garrick when over to have a chat with her. She was talking to imaginary folk and she gave Drogo some sand. She also said she’d been under the table of the Gods or something. Reckoned she’d got the ‘crumbs’ too. There’s another one of your tales isn’t it? Aren’t the crumbs of the Gods supposed to be diamonds? Well all Drogo said she had was sand, plenty of sand, but just sand. Drogo said she’d find her way to East Lexton safe enough so they let her on her way and we got back on ours.
Later we bumped into a bit of a tiny settlement. A bunch of Halflings living way out here in the snow. Think even you’d be impressed how they survive down here. Of course you’d likely also point out how stupid a place it is to live. Anyway, Drogo disappeared off in the snow while Pinto went to talk to these snowy Halflings. Don’t know where he went, but I bet he found something to stab. Pinto though was striking up a bit of a deal by the time I trudged over. We gave them I think most of the wolf meat we had and they helped me turn the wagon into a sleigh to get over the snow easier. We gave them our poor tired pony and they gave us four big strong reindeer and a mini sled. Two of them have been pulling our converted wagon, Garrick got one of the others hooked up to the mini sled and he pretty much took that as his own. That leaves us a spare deer. Each day I think Pinto swaps the reindeer round so a different one gets to be the spare, having a rest not having to pull nothing.
We hung around with the snow loving Halflings for a couple of days while we worked on the wagon so we got to know some of the locals well enough. Think Pinto even went hunting with a few of them too. Drogo paid a Frank five gold pieces for some frozen reindeer meat and his son, Jason, agreed to be our guide if we sent him home with diamonds. Think that’s a fair decent Grubstake if you ask me. Jason even taught Drogo how to make a snow house like what they live in and them two have been making us one every night since. It’s only a big dome thing made of ice, but it’s actually kind of warm inside the things. Who’d have thought? Although Jason kept making poxy little fires inside. Couldn’t cook a Kobold turd on them, so we soon stepped that up a bit. Jason said we only allowed one big fire at breakfast though, when we don’t need the ice hut thing no more, cause a decent fire melts them see. One night we even found an already built ice house, so that was a bit of luck.
Pinto also seems a bit of a natural with her new rides too. Spends most of her time on one or other of them reindeers. Garrick’s not as skilled though. He been riding his little sled, but he definitely not the one in control. Jason even showed us how to steer the mini sleds too, and he let me have a go first. Great fun! But mostly though, me and Minnie spend our time on our own wagon/sleigh. With Pinto riding one of the reindeer pulling us, Drogo walking next to Jason, who’s been pulling his own mini sled all this way! And Garrick on the other one, we got a bit more room on the main one now, even with all the frozen meat, fire wood, and other crap.
We ran into a bear one day too! Drogo just stepped right up and stared the damn thing down from less than 30 feet away. Pinto jumped down telling me to come too just as Drogo chucked a couple of his forks at the bear. Me and Pinto managed to fire at it as it roared. Don’t think it was best pleased cause then it charged right at Drogo who stabbed it with another fork, but it still got him in a nasty bite. Me and Pinto ran up and slashed at the beast as it clawed and bit. We even had to take care not to chop into Drogo as he was dragged about. The bear smacked him to the ground as Garrick ran over. He skidded over Drogo and didn’t take long at all sorting him out cause Drogo jumped back on his feet all in a rage and skewered the bear right through the throat. Jason checked for more bears, but he said there were none. He said we oughtn’t to waste the bear meat so Drogo set about skinning the thing and chopping it into meaty strips. He was still fuming, and the way he was hacking away at it I’m pretty sure Pinto or Jason would have done a better job, but no one was going to interrupt Drogo, the mood he was in. He calmed down eventually though. Jason hung the meat on the rib-bone frame work the Halflings had set up over our wagon-come-sleigh. He said we ought to leave them over night to dry and freeze so we stopped to camp early that day. Drogo was shattered so I helped Jason build the ice house that night. Hard work carving them ice blocks! I only made three!
Yesterday Garrick said he heard a noise, but it must have just been the wind. Jason said it definitely wasn’t a Frostworm, which was a bit of a weird thing to say I thought. He kept listening out for more signs of something or other, but Drogo was making more noises behind him when he wasn’t looking so he just gave up. Pinto told me all about Frostworms. Pretty knowledgeable she is. They’re like five times bigger than our sleigh/wagon, and they breathe icy fire! Where’s a worms mouth anyway? Don’t need to worry about that thing now cause the Spine is coming to an end! The horizon just doesn’t look right with the mountains going like that and Jas says tomorrow we’ll be over on the other side. Wonder what it’s like over there. It better be warmer!
Love Kal.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5. And I'm hungry like the wolf...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Grandpa,
It’s really cold way down this way! We travelled a good long way yesterday I think. It was still raining for most of the day, and I think Drogo was getting antsy sitting in the wagon. He started moaning about wanting his forks back. I’d used two of them to keep the canvas cover up over our heads. It looked like the worst of the rain had gone but he just couldn’t wait. He and Minnie decided to find a couple of replacements to hold up the roof! Of course not a one of us had an axe so they managed to ‘chop’ down a couple of the short trees that we passed with a mix of Minnie’s magic missiles and Drogo’s full-body tackles! When the next Cnapan contests start with the Dwarves we should have Drogo on our team! He’d smash through even their scrummages no problem! I carved the twigs and branches off the two trees the wannabe foresters brought back. Pinto, that’s the cute little ranger. She’s tiny, even for a Halfling, but apparently she’s got ears sharper than a diamond pick. Anyway, she wants the sticks kept for fire wood, so they’re piled up in a corner of the wagon now. Drogo got his forks back and we now have two fairly sturdy wooden posts strapped to the front two corners of the wagon. Of course, it was about then that the rain stopped, so Drogo hops out of the wagon walking again. A good while later we reach a pretty fast flowing stream that Pinto said we couldn’t cross. The rain had swelled it. Pinto turned the pony left following the stream away from the mountains, but I think she thought better of it and quickly turned around to travel up stream. I held my tongue.
Pinto stopped the wagon further up stream and pointed out a group of bears ahead. A family she said. The dad looked massive compared to the mom and baby, but they didn’t seem to care about us so we followed them at a good distance for a while. Big daddy tried to swim across the stream, but he was washed down towards us. Good job he didn’t see us as he swam back to this bank and lumbered back to the other bears. Pinto said it had red fiery eyes, and the only other Gnome here, Garrick, pipes up declaring it to be an evil abomination of some sort. He’s a cleric of one of the proper old Gods! Lady Maia! Don’t think I ever met a worshiper of her before. Anyway we followed them bears further up stream and Pinto let us know when they finally found a place they could all cross. Wasn’t for a good while after that before Pinto found a spot she was comfy leading the pony across though. Drogo didn’t climb back in the wagon, he just waded in beside it, but I guess the water was deeper than he thought cause he was washed off his feet into the side of the wagon. We knew cause we felt the thwack from inside. As he swam to the opposite bank he was washed downstream kind of like the bear was. We in the wagon crossed safely and back-tracked down the stream again to rejoin the road. Drogo tagged back on as we passed by. Pinto turned us South again before we reach the dirt road. Not sure why. Maybe she can find her own way and save time by not travelling back so far.
Did you know there are wild pink rhinos roaming around down this way!? Pinto pointed out the tracks. Very distinct they were, she said. She’s damn good at reading tracks that one. I’ve got no idea how she knew it was pink just by looking at its footprints, but I guess that’s why she’s in charge of driving the pony. I mean I’ve heard of rhinos but I didn’t think they lived anywhere nearby. Amazing! If we weren’t already in the middle of something we could have gone tracked the thing down, but I don’t think Pinto’d be up for the detour.
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, just bumpy. Pinto pulled the pony up and told us we ought to stop there for the night. She goes off hunting and foraging and comes back with plenty to eat. Minnie breaks out some make-shift cooking stuff and cooks up a stew. Damn fine stew too, even if it was done to a Halfling recipe. Drogo also finally ate that damn rabbit! I made a sturdy spit for him to cook it. Pinto foraged so much, it seems she had plenty of mushrooms left over. I hope she saved some good ones. And she doesn’t waste time that one. She ate, threw up her tent, and was asleep before I’d even finished eating! Minnie did similarly, putting up her quaint little tent and climbing in, and Drogo and Garrick seemed to be messing about with their own stuff, so I had plenty of time to reposition the canvas sheet off the back of the wagon as our make shift tent. I guess it ought to be known as ‘the boys’ quarters’. Drogo warned he’d do the first shift but he was going to wake me up for the next one, and he did! Nothing much happened. I didn’t even see the ferret. When I figured I’d done enough I went and shook the side of Pinto’s tent. It sounded like she’d woke up so I whispered through the tent it was her go to stand about in the cold, and then I went off to my own bed. I guess she must have got up and kept us safe cause she woke us all up bright and early the next morning.
The air was bitter cold, but the sky was clear, so I didn’t bother putting the canvas back over the wagon, but Minnie moaned that she wanted it back on again. So to shut her up I strapped it back in place. It wasn’t an easy job with the wagon bouncing around along the imaginary track Pinto seemed to be following, but I got it done. No sooner had I finished and sat back down than we heard a wolf howl. I say ‘we’, I mean Garrick and me. Minnie wouldn’t shut up so I doubt she heard anything but her own voice! I guess Pinto and Drogo heard it too though cause the wagon stopped and Drogo stuck his head in under the canvas spouting his usual ‘tactics’ of us taking the one on the left and him dealing with all the rest. So I guess that meant there was loads, but I only saw the two. We three all clambered out the back of the wagon just in time to see Pinto sneaking back out of the long grass. She looked a bit worried and we soon knew why. Drogo told us to protect the pony so I went and stood in front of the animal and the bugger only tried to eat my hat! Then of course Drogo charges off, which is how he deals with most everything. He disappeared into the scrubland, but I could just about see his head and all his forks sticking up. Pinto fired a couple of arrows in Drogo’s direction, and then out of nowhere this huge wolf pounces at her. Apparently it had already ripped Drogo a new one! I went running towards Pinto cause I didn’t fancy just watching her get ate, but the wolf was brutal! It smashed her to the floor and bounded towards me! I skidded to a stop and stood my ground, and I thought I did quite well side stepping the beast and taking a chunk out of its rump with my cutlass, but I don’t think it was even going for me. It kept charging towards the pony. Guess that was the tastiest thing around. But don’t worry, Minnie protected our pony. She unloaded a few of those magical energy missiles at the wolf and it went down a few feet from her and the pony, which was lucky!
Garrick was already over Pinto, who was back on her feet, and looking more than a little unsteady, but Drogo was nowhere to be seen. I called out, but no answer. Garrick was still fussing over Pinto, but it looked like she pushed him away. Guess he took the hint cause then he went running over towards where Drogo had gone. Pinto, after getting her balance, went off into the scrubland too. I guess she was looking for Drogo, but she’s so short she just vanished in the undergrowth. Garrick found Drogo, and sorted him out. I know, cause he damn near knocked me on my ass when he came charging passed out of nowhere. He was screaming and spitting, and I couldn’t tell if it was blood or anger that had make his face so red. Seconds later Pinto came running past too. She grabbed my arm and dragged me with her. Strong for a little thing she is. Think she said something about more wolves too. She stopped, drew back her bow, and snapped the string! Think she was too busy trying to make sure I stayed nearby, but just then Drogo came trudging past with another dead wolf on his shoulders. This one was a lot smaller than the first big bastard though. Pinto said the big one was a Winter Wolf. Apparently its bite is deadly cold. Whatever little Pinto’s excuse, it took her and Drogo down like it wasn’t even trying, and only Minnie stopped it in its icy tracks! You really got to hand it to the crazy Halfling!
We’re just tapping it light now, after the wolf thing, so I figured I had time to write a letter while Pinto skins the big winter wolf. Apparently its pelt is pretty good stuff, and she is going to use its innards to make new bow strings! How disgusting is that!? I offered her a roll of twine instead, but she just looked at me funny. Drogo is skinning the one he killed too, mostly out of revenge I think, but I made them both a frame thing, cause apparently they need to stretch the pelts while they dry or something. I think Pinto wants Minnie to do her magical thing and clean the blood and guts off too when they’re done. She might not seem it, but that Minnie ain’t half useful! I thought she was the cackler in this little scheme, not pulling her weight, but I might have got that wrong. Down here in this wide open flat-land I’m feeling a little lost my own self.
Hope to see you soon,
Love Kallkin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4. Just walkin’ in the rain...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Grandpa,
Well once more we’re on the road south again. I’ve never been this far before, and the rains been pouring down all day, and you know we saw an actual Owl-Bear a couple of hours ago!? Drogo said he heard something and went bounding out the back of the wagon. Minnie and me had to jump out too to keep an eye on him. Minnie let off a couple of her energy balls, but I couldn’t see anything but them in the howling rain so I followed where they exploded to find Drogo fighting the Owl-Bear. I darted under its legs hoping it hadn’t spotted me. A few more energy missile things came flying at the beast and I think it even tried to take a swipe at Minnie, she was hidden in the rain though so I couldn’t see. I guess it got the hump then cause it started to stalk away. Me and Drogo took a swing at it as it went, but Drogo wasn’t half done. He goes and chucks his fork at it pinning the things wing to its chest! I didn’t fancy chasing after it so I quickly whipped out me little crossbow and buried a bolt somewhere in its fur feathers. Drogo launched his other fork at the thing and it toppled over. I give it a couple of seconds to get up, but when it didn’t move I figured it was dead so I told Drogo it was his mess and legged it back to the wagon out the rain. Minnie was already inside, looking a right state. Couple waves of her hand and a bit of mumbling and her dress looked fresh out the store again! Not a bad trick really. I didn’t want to tell her that her hair was still a right sight though. When Drogo came back he just stripped off! – I’m really only writing this letter so I don’t have to look anywhere else!
Before we left East Lexton yesterday we took a visit to Trell-Trell’s while Father Shadwick arranged a couple more people to join our trip. So Drogo bought more giant forks, Minnie bought a couple of wands. We suggested the acid-making one instead of the blinding one, and she also bought a cleaning one! I wonder how she’d cope down a mine. I bought me my very own cutlass too. Feels a little heavier than the standard issue ones they give us while exploring mines and caves, but at least I don’t have to hand this one back in at the end of a shift or anything. Although I’m not sure how useful the basic training for fighting in tunnels the Foreman sorted for us’ll be out here.
Anyway, we soon got on our way. Lexton seems genuinely accepting of Trell’s revelation. We saw a few Gnomes and Halflings being pretty friendly. None of them funny looks came our way for being a mixed group neither. Fancy that! Gnomes and Halfling’s best of pals! This could work out good after all. Although it’s nice to know something’s don’t change – out on the road a mob of idiot kobolds tried to mug us. We out smarted them and they buggered off. Not before Drogo skewered one dead from 30ft though! And Minnie even slung a bullet with her slingshot but missed all of the twenty odd kobolds she could have aimed at. Bless.
A while later we found plenty of slaughtered kobolds, apparently by goblins. Think I spotted something way out on the horizon. Might have been a surviving kobold. Or maybe the last of the goblins chasing the surviving kobold. Either way who cares as long as they’re bothering each other, not us.
We rolled right on passed Grumpkin, and soon got to old ruin-original Grumpkin. I saw something move behind some rubble and Drogo swore he could hear big old spider scurrying somewhere so I pointed him in the right direction. Made a funny joke about the shoddy Halfling architecture and he hit me round the head with the back of his oversized fork! Have to work on his sense of humour. Was a pretty big spider though, Drogo caught a couple bites before Minnie and me had to come save him. Minnie let off some of them energy missiles at the thing. I ran up and took a swing with me new cutlass and missed. Told you it’s just taking a bit of getting used to. Drogo got well pissed, never seen him get so angry. He only dropped his fork but he went right off on one, screaming and growling and slobbering everywhere and then he punched right through the spider’s body with his bare hand and pulled out a load of gooey slimy insides. Got to say that was pretty impressive!
When Drogo calmed down though he was looking a bit peaky, those spider bites had done a number on him. He was laid out on the back of the wagon spewing over the side. Our new cleric, never did catch his name, he did his best to sort Drogo out while I nipped down the crypt where we found old-dead-Trell, just to check all the stuff we’d left there was untouched. It was, so I legged it back to the wagon and we got gone for new Grumpkin quick as we could.
When we got there we asked if they’d heard the news. They hadn’t, and I didn’t want to have to explain the whole thing to another village, couldn’t be sure they’d be as accepting without Father Shadwick’s help, so I figured we’d find the village healer, turns out Grumpkin’s got its own cleric in their little chapel. Being a Gnome village, as yet unenlightened, I figured it’d be easier to convince the guy that I was in need rather than risk him refusing to heal a Halfling. He mentioned an antidote for them particular spider’s bites, but Minnie goes and pipes up telling him practically everything, although the mention of Father Shadwick’s involvement was more than a little interesting to the cleric. He was more than happy to heal Drogo, especially knowing he’d been dealing with the spider problem. Once Drogo was up and the right colour the cleric took us all to the tavern. He said we was to be feed and watered and the Halflings ought to be treated as equals as by Father Shadwick’s word. Was a fine meal, and Drogo had himself plenty of beer. Guess he’d earned a drink and some. Before he left I asked the Cleric about getting more of his antidote. He reckoned he only had one vial left, but he went and got it for us anyway provided we sorted out all the spiders back in the ruins. He said he could make more if he needed it, it’d just take time is all. Felt a little bad about taking his last bottle so I gave him a few little diamonds, hopefully that’d cover the cost of re-brewing his stock or however it’s done. I wonder what ingredients he uses. I think I saw Drogo hand him some gold coins too, so I think he made good on this deal really.
With Drogo sorted and our bellies full we soon got back to the ruins of old-Grumpkin, keeping an eye out for big nasty spiders. After his dance with that spider Drogo had dropped his big fork so we left him messing about looking for it, while the rest of us loaded our stuff back on the wagon. Everything accounted for including Drogo’s fork we went looking for more spiders like we said. Drogo pointed out the massive nest down the crypt. Looked like a massive mess of cobwebs to me, but apparently it was full of millions of baby spiders. Drogo said fire was the way to deal with them. He got some cloth, poured a bit of lamp oil on it and sparked it on fire. Using his trident he flicked it up at the nest which went up, well, just like he said it would. He knew what he was talking about that Drogo. Bet he’d make a decent Powder Monkey.
Once that was sorted we headed off South proper this time. Rest of the journey was pretty boring, but when we stopped to camp for the night Minnie pulled out this dainty little tent! Don’t know where that came from. One of them easy erecting ones. It flipped open and she was soon snoring away inside. Drogo and the ranger, I forget her name, think they were chatting about taking shifts on watch. I was trying to concentrate on strapping the canvas sheet to the back of the wagon. With both spears secure in the ground pulling it taut it made a pretty decent tent. Was bigger than Minnie’s; got three folks in there nice and cosy. Didn’t get to enjoy it too much though cause Drogo woke me up in the middle of the night saying it’s my turn to do guard duty or something! Seems I had the last one as I was up then till the sun popped up, but it wasn’t so bad, nothing much happened, although just as it was getting on for dawn Minnie’s ferret came strolling along, apparently he/she’s a bit of a morning animal, although I couldn’t tell it’s sex and I thought it a bit rude to ask. A curious little bugger that one. We had a nice little chat for a couple of minutes before it went off for a nose about. Guess he/she went looking for breakfast.
It pissed down when morning came proper and it hasn’t stopped since. Probably why that Owl-Bear seemed like it was in such a mood! I borrowed a couple of Drogo’s tridents and with my spears, me and Drogo tied the canvas sheet over the wagon. It seems to be keeping the rain out mostly. Drogo wanted some meat for breakfast so I managed to convince a little rabbit out of his burrow for Drogo to skewer, but the randy little sod went straight for my foot! Drogo got him before – well, Drogo got him anyway. I felt kind of dirty tricking a rabbit like that especially when Drogo couldn’t start a damn fire to cook it cause the rain was pelting down! Doesn’t plan ahead that one! He said he’d save it for later. I can see it slumped in the corner all soggy and pathetic and dead. If he doesn’t have it soon I’m going to give it to the ferret!
Give my love to everyone.
Kal XXX
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3. Now we’re standing face to face, isn’t this world a crazy place...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Grandpa,
I reckon you should have heard about what’s gone on by the time this reaches you, but what the heck, I’ve got to sit here and get my head round it somehow!
After my last letter we had a pretty easy journey back to East Lexton with Trell and his body. Coming from the South we came in through the Halfling quarter and Minnie only goes and tries to tell some random Halfling going about his business, all about Trell, and Alleck and all the rest of it! No patience! Well we let him on his way before Minnie confused his head anymore. Couple minutes later we’re all back looking up at the big old temple of St. Cuthbert. I didn’t fancy going in much, so instead of standing around like lemons Pickles up and volunteers to go get Father Shadwick, the ‘Keeper of the Records’ who soon trots out to meet us. Turns out him and ‘Dragon-faker’ Trell are old friends. Or something near enough anyway. And poor dead-Trell looked real guilty about the whole goblin thing too, and Drogo – well, he’d been in a right mood most of the journey so he wasn’t making the ghost feel any better, but then you can’t blame him. Chances are dead-Trell’s pretty much directly responsible for Drogo’s lack of family, friends, and fixed abode.
I don’t think Father Shadwick was getting the attention he wanted cause he did a whole revealing trick, showing off his grand dragoniness to the lot of us. Drogo nearly dropped one of his massive fork things, and Minnie damn near bust my ear drum screaming the place down. She soon shut up though, Father Shadwick has a knack for calming people down, and he made a throw away comment about you and dragons or something, I didn’t quite catch it, and I damn sure wasn’t going to press him on it. We and Trell explained the whole thing to Father Shadwick, and after a bit of an awkward moment when we thought we’d lost the massive diamond we found on Trell’s body Drogo handed the thing over. It’s more than enough to pay to rebuild the villages Trell’s goblin pals levelled, and plenty left over to build a statue of Trell and Alleck’s team like Minnie suggested.
Mister Dragon-gnome set us on another little errand too. Just literally can’t say no to the bastard! He has us split up to round up the locals to come by the temple later in the evening. I watched Minnie follow a couple Halflings around a corner. She can’t half talk! Hate to think what gossip she spread to get people to come. I headed straight for the market square, plenty of people round there. On the way I passed Drogo holding another couple of Halflings up against a wall. That’s one way of making people do what you want. Got to play to your strengths I guess. Although when I looked back over me shoulder Drogo had gone and the other two Halflings looked more confused than intimidated, but what can you do. I figured I’d go for the blanket approach. Why say the same thing twenty times when you can yell it from the nearest rooftop! So I climbed one of the market stalls near the middle and top of me voice told everyone they ought to get to the temple. I might have mentioned a buffet and some entertainment, you know, just to sweeten the deal.
Father Shadwick had told us everything would be all fine and good cause even though it’d be Gnomes and Halflings turning up at the same time, he said he’d set up some magic illusions. Said he’d sort it so people’d only see members of their own race. So as like if you was there you’d have seen a big crowd of Gnomes, but a Halfling would have seen the same crowd as all being Halflings. Confusing huh? But at least it’d stopped every bugger rioting! Or so I thought cause he, that Dragon-gnome tricked us! Once the temple square was as full as it could get he went and dispelled that illusion. There were Gnomes and Halflings mixed up all over the place. Right next to each other! Practically touching! Was all I could do not to climb the temple to get away before the place went up like a keg of blackpowder! But it didn’t. Told you that Dragon had a knack for keeping people calm. Although not a single face I saw looked anything like happy, they all left alive and not beaten to death, which is something of an oddity I’m sure I don’t need to tell you. Anyway, dead-ghost-Trell tells his tale to everyone that’s there, with a little help from ghost-Alleck who’d turned up out of the blue, with all sorts of convenient timing... That Dragon’s got more tricks up his sleeve than there are silver lodes in the mountains!
Trell told them all about his grandpa and Alleck’s grandpa. How they were all bestest pals, and founders of a big old diamond encrusted diamond mine of diamonds sort of city. I got a good idea what the place might look like when I saw the eyes of every single Halfling there twinkle in unison! He explained how this whole feud between our races was based on a lie and that it ought to stop and just when I thought the whole thing was nearly over Father Shadwick gets us three up in front of the whole gathered crowd. He tells everyone that we – me, Minnie, and Drogo, we have been hired to go off and find more proof! That was news to me! And what does he expect us to find? Might as well bring him Pyrite for all it’s worth. The other two, Minnie and Drogo seem more than willing to head off on a diamond hunt! But that’s Halflings for you. Have to admit though. The place does sound like it’s worth a look. You never know, I might pick up a few ideas for our own mines. Sure the Lander'd be interested if it makes his job easier! If only getting there was as simple as hopping the mountains! Ha!
The crowd eventually petered so Father Shadwick lifted Trell’s body like he weights nothing, and dead-Trell follows him close. The three of us follow the pair of them down into a crypt where the other dead ones from Trell’s long lost group are all arranged just as we found them down in Trell-Trell’s basement. I couldn’t see the point of that but dead-Trell explained that that was how they’d travelled, something about protecting the body they were carrying back, just their way I guess. Father Shadwick placed Trell’s body where he pointed out it ought to be and then he steps into himself. Minnie said goodbye and got a kind of spooky fading-on-the-wind ‘bye’ in reply, and dead-Trell was gone. Minnie nearly cried. Trell’s body though was still wrapped up, and the rope we used was a particular fine specimen. The braiding was firm and uniform and you could hardly feel the yarn of the strands. I don’t know where Trell-Trell gets his supplies. Anyway I asked about getting the rope back and the look Father Shadwick and Minnie gave me said I ought to leave it. I think I broke the mood.
That was a while gone now. I’m not sure what’s going on now. Everything seems a little quiet. Sat here on the temple steps I don’t think I’ve ever seen the square so empty. A lot for people to take in I reckon. Telling everyone best not have been a mistake. If we just been spitting the round I don’t want to still be here when the whole thing goes Boom!
Loads of Love
Kal. . X X X
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2. ... and a quick about turn.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Grandpa,
So my last letter might have implied I’d be gone for quite a while, but turns out we’re on our way back to East Lexton. There’s been a bit of a goblin rampage going on less than a day’s ride South! Not that’d you’d care, but they’ve been terrorising Halfling villages. Remember Drogo coming to Mule’s Trail looking for kobold’s cause they’d destroyed his home? Turns out it might have been goblins. Kobolds just there picking the bones. You know what the scaly sods are like!
Don’t really explain why we’ve turned this wagon around though. Reason for that is cause we managed to put an end to the whole thing. I know, I can hear you already – nothing more than a bunch of snivelling Halflings deserve, but it ain’t happening any more. Sorry. Turns out the cause was a Gnome, pretty damn old Gnome, even by your standards gramps! Been dead for more than a couple hundred years I’d reckon, and the bugger’s ghost still going strong! Trellor. You like your old legends, the name mean anything to you? Must be a relative of old Trell Trell back in East Lexton I figure. He’d been messing with the goblins in the head, got them all worshiping him like some god. Had them all on a holy quest or something, wiping out Halflings all over the place. He even had a pretty neat illusion all up and waiting when we turned up. He’d set up a whole fake Gnome village to hide inside, took a while to see through it. Minnie spotted something was up, got to give her credit she knows her magic, architecture though, she ain’t so hot on. She thought the illusion was of a Halfling village! How the hell do you make that mistake huh!?
We seem to have a knack for stumbling over plenty dead bodies. Remember the other three I mentioned in my last letter? Well chances are they’re friends of this Trellor, so we’re carting his corpse back to be buried with them all proper. Pretty damn weird journey now. We wrapped the body up nice and tight and now Trell’s ghost is just kinda sitting up inside himself chatting away. He’s a nice fella though, but Minnie couldn’t hold her tongue! Got no grace that one. She had to keep pointing out that the poor sod was dead. I don’t think he really knew his self, and you got to be careful breaking that sort of news! He seems right enough though, for a dead guy, and we convinced him to tell the Goblins to bugger off, so he saw sense, seems he’d been waiting all this time for his friend to come back – A Halfling called Alleck, and we’re pretty sure he’d be one of the real old skeletons we found, so I think dead Trell understands now why he never got round to coming back. Main reason right there for why he had the goblins go Halfling bashing! Oh, there was a big spider or something too, I don’t know, Drogo splatted the thing before I got a good look.
This Trellor guy told us an old story of his own, you’d like him I’d bet. Says he knows where the diamonds come from. You know, The diamonds. Says he’s been there. Was pretty much the place we was headed first off too. Trellor says there’s a whole city of diamonds, like a huge diamond mine! Love to have a nose down them shafts! But that’s not the whole thing. The place was founded by Trellor’s grandfather, and Alleck’s grandfather – that’s a Gnome and a Halfling. Gnomes and Halflings all living together! I know you could think of nothing worse, but it ought to be known, and dead Trell tells us he thinks the whole Halfling / Gnome thing is crap! He reckons it all started with Alleck’s grandpa killing his grandpa over something or other, but Trell, Alleck and their team found grandpa Trellor and he’d not died of murdering. He was the mummified corpse we found too apparently! So what’s that mean!? We should all be friends, playing happy families? I reckon there’s people about who’ll like this news even less than you. I think we got to be careful with this news.
Anyway, probably won’t have time to swing by home, but I’ll let you know what’s going on once we’ve buried old Old Trell here.
Loads of Love Kal x X
P.S. -–
Oh crap, I almost forgot. Well I did forget, but was just sitting here on the wagon with Minnie and dead Trell talking about the clouds and there’s one looks kinda a bit dragon like. Reminded me see, before we found Trell and his body, we stopped off a nice little Gnome village (A real one, none of that illusion rot) for a little bite to eat, rest the ponies, you know, and we bumps into that ‘keeper of the records’ fella I mentioned in my other letter. Think the others were a bit cufuddled as to how the old guy beat us there, but you remember me telling you he’s a bronze dragon!? Was he put us on to the whole Trellor and the goblin / Halfling thing, and I helped him get his flying away thing done without people noticing. You know I feel like I owe the guy something cause of that damn legend of yours! Like I got to make up for something I didn’t do! But thinking on it. He’s burying our evidence, well Trellor’s evidence, but still, I mean literally. He’s had the bodies slammed in a hole faster than you’d seal a 'break-through'! I don’t know if there’s something up with that...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. On the wagon south...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Grandpa,
Hopefully we’ll pass a caravan or someone travelling north that I can hand this letter to, otherwise I might end up giving it to you in person when if I get back, but either way I’m writing it. Although this damn wagon won’t stop bouncing around, so I hope you can even read this! How’s old Hodgebiddle? I heard he’d breathed himself a nasty case of Loerdzhim-Copper vein! Has it condensed yet? You know how us sufferers like to compare.
Anyway, you might have noticed I didn’t come home with the trade caravan. That’s cause me and the Halfling – you remember mister Toe-Chomper, he had the massive fork thing and wanted a ‘word’ with the local kobolds. I know what you said, but he’s a decent enough fella. But anyway, the pair of us are traipsing South with Minnie and Skwig. Don’t know if you remember me mentioning them, and yes they’re both Halflings too! But don’t worry cause Pickles is here as well. I know you remember him cause you were mouthing off about spending too much time with Halflings before I had chance to point out that he was actually a Gnome.
I guess I ought to tell you the reason we’re disappearing off the ‘ass end of civilisation’ as you like to call it. Well as usual I stopped off at Trell’s place just in case he had some interesting stuff in. Turns out he’s discovered the shop's got a basement! I think Minnie had, had Skwig and Pickles on shopping detail for longer than they’d have cared for so I’m pretty sure they were glad to be dragged off to take a look-see. Anyhow, in amongst the rats and cobwebs and dust down in Trell’s basement we only went and stumbled upon a couple of skeletons and a mummified corpse! Turns out one of the skeleton’s was a Cleric of Corellon St. Cuthbert just like mysterious old Pickles, so while Drogo helped me expertly take care of the rat problem down there, Pickles and the other two Halflings went for a chat with someone at the temple. They brought back a Gnome fella who was apparently the ‘Keeper of the Records’, honestly, the old guy was more mysterious than Pickles! But he is the reason we’re on this road trip to where there aint no roads. Well I’m pretty sure the Halflings have their own ‘shiny’ reasons, but I don’t need to tell you about that do I.
Well now, mister ‘Keeper’ had Pickles bring the dead fellas to the temple for a proper send off, so me and Drogo, gave him a hand with that. Told you that Halfling was a decent sort. Anyway, after the service, the Keeper of the Records – yeah, he took the service too, I don’t think there’s anyone else in that temple worth a damn – the old guy did something pretty damn strange. He’s a dragon! A Bronze dragon! Now you know what I think of that old family legend of ours, but he hasn’t half got me thinking. Oh and draconic sounds soo much better when it’s not spoken in that god-awful kobold dialect! Skwig reckoned one of the skeletons had koboldy-dragon features or something too. I couldn’t see it myself but I think I trust what the ranger says. Draconic Gnome crossbreeds? Interesting huh? So now we’re following the map we found with the bodies. Hopefully we’ll find some sort of explanation on the wrong side of the Spina Armagada and I can sort your damn legend out one way or some other.
Oh, you might also like to know that Kobolds are still annoying to the South! And as usual they run off before you can give them what for. And we also bumped into a couple of goblins. Minnie caught an arrow in the arm and hasn’t shut up about it since! But Pickles and the Halfling guys soon sorted them out.
Anyway, I’ve got to stop writing now cause I’m getting travel sick!
Tell everyone I’m fine.
Love Kal xxx
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Contributors to this page: Charlie
.
Page last modified on Monday 26 of September, 2011 00:00:44 BST by Charlie.
Sidebar
East Midlands Roleplayers
Gaming Group
278 Registered Users
Our Sponsors
| Handmade Software |
|
|
Handmade Software provides web services for the group
|
| Savage Mojo |
|
|
Savage Mojo offer members an extra 10% discount on Savage Mojo PDFs.
|
| Games Sesh |
|
|
Games Sesh offers us 10% discount using the code found in the Members Only Forum.
|
| Spirit Games |
|
|
offers members an additional 5% discount with a membership card.
|
| Chimera |
|
|
Chimera offers a 10% discount to members on all non-food items.
|
| Mondo Comico |
|
|
Mondo Comico offers 12% discount and gaming space to members.
|
| 6D6 Fireball |
|
|
Members get £5 off all online orders of £15 or over. (Use our Code)
|
Sidebar
Coming Up
![[toggle]](pics/icons/module.png "[toggle]")
![[toggle]](javascript:icntoggle('mod-upcoming_eventsr3','module.png'); "[toggle]"){kind=small}
No records to display
Past Events
![[toggle]](javascript:icntoggle('mod-upcoming_eventsr4','module.png'); "[toggle]"){kind=small}
No records to display
