"Healing Moments" with Alyra Kyne

[Brimshack]

Okay, I’ve been meaning to write up the campaign I am running while we experiment with our own RPG for Crunch-Waffle, but I’ve been too busy writing and rewriting the rules for the game to get anything about the individual games written up. It’s been a lot of fun, but I’ll refrain from describing the system and see what comes through the narrative. Anyway, with a new (relatively complete) draft of the game, and a new group of characters, now isn’t a bad time to try and do a litte story-telling.

I’ll use post # 2 here as a Table of Contents. I’ll be doing this in the first person, using one of the characters to tell the story. Comments and Questions are welcome.

 

[Brimshack]

Table of Contents

Post # 1: Intro.
Post # 2: Table of Contents.
Post # 3: Alyra’s Introduction.
Post # 4: A Meeting with Lord Methgar and Carla has Issues.
Post # 5: …in which several people die.
Post # 6: Requiem for Sir Hockinslots.
Post # 7: Carla's Blade and My Bloody Dress.
Post # 8: A Heartfelt Confession.
Post # 9: An Icky Place.
Post # 10: Auguring the Grapevine.
Post # 11: Louie the Mog.
Post # 12: The Price.
Post # 13: Michael Asks for Seconds (The Brothel, Part I).
Post # 14: Over-Friendly with Axes (The Brothel, Part II).
Post # 15: My Name Was August (The Brothel, Part III).
Post # 16: Dressed as a Schoolboy (The Brothel, Part IV).
Post # 17: Losing My Joy.
Post # 18: Our Inner Selfish.
Post # 19: Seamus Stands Outside.
Post # 20: Hope Left the Room.
Post # 21: Ugly Curtains.
Post # 22: Gable One-Eye.
Post # 23: My Inner Miffed.

 

[Brimshack]

Hey there!

My name is Alyra Kyne, and I am so really, really pleased that you’re reading my journal. I hope you find it to be a nourishing experience and a genuine opportunity for growth and healing. With your help and support, I know I'll become a better person for writing it, and I sure hope you feel the same about reading it.

This is so wonderful!

Okay, I wish I could tell you that the whole thing was all apples and puppies, but I’m afraid there are some real sad moments in this story. But you just hang in there with me and we’ll make the sun smile bright all over everything. …kay? So, you just pour yourself something healthy and wholesome to drink and let’s get started on our healthy-learning kinda journey now.

It’ll be fun!

Alright, we have to start with kind of a frown, but just hang in there we’ll find some puppy-dogs and sunshine moments soon enough. Just remember, you are my reader and I love you. …kay?

It all started with stories of a major brawl up on the north side of town. There is a dingy little inn about a half mile up the coast from the docks. Word was that a group of monsters stomped into town and fought it out with Gable One-Eyes gang. Word has it that the Gable One Eyes boys didn’t do very well at all, and a whole bunch of them weren’t around to lick their wounds when it was all over, if you know what I mean. So, the monsters are supposedly down from the city of Kaenesdovl and they ended up sleeping the night at the dingy inn.

…okay, I would tell you the name of the Inn, but it’s really gross, and I just don’t like to think about things like that. It’s not healthy.

So, anyway the whole city (it’s called “Pflorendrine," by the way) is wondering why a bunch of monsters from a rival city are having a fight with the biggest gang in the dock area on the North side of town, but when it turns out the monsters are allowed to sleep it off in town that really set the rumor mill to churning. Now I don’t normally engage in such things, but sometimes gossip is important work. It’s what everyone wanted to know about, all day and all night for a whole day people were just talking about the big iron creature and the giant and all the other bad things in there. Some folks even said the monsters had been pillaging the whole countryside for weeks. This one guard said there were no farmers left in the hinterlands to the north side of town. They were all killed. So, people were really shocked to learn the guards didn’t try and get rid of these bad creatures. Oh heckles! The guards even protected them. That was waaaaay strange, and everyone in the whole city wanted to know what was up. Were we on the verge of an invasion? Was the rest of the army on its way? And …all of my gosh! What if our own nobility had conspired to surrender. I’m telling you everyone was worried we might be sold into slavery, the whole town. Oh, oh, oh! This whole situation was really for the birds.

Not that I have anything against birds, I mean. We really shouldn’t wish bad things on birds like that, but, you know what I mean. May the gods forgive me, …and the birds! I really was scared when I heard about these events.

So, then there was this huge battle in the center of town the next night, and I know the big monsters were involved, and like at least two nobles from inside the city were in it too. We all heard the fighting, but I didn’t get a chance to learn who was mean to whom and how bad. I did hear something about a little girl… No, you don’t need to read that. That’s awful! I still hope it isn’t true, and I won’t make it happen on the paper, not while there is still hope!

And I do hope! Please gods, please, PLEASE don’t let it be true.

…well, anyway, I warned you that there was a lot of badness and frowning in this story. Sometimes there are even tears. I’m crying right now, my dear reader, and I hope you are with me. That poor girl!

Well anyway, the next day I was summoned to the house of my sponsor, Lord Methgar. Now Methie, …that’s what I call him, Methie isn’t real big on swords and bows and other mean stuff. He’s mostly a merchant. He makes money trading all sorts of fun stuff to other ports and things. He sends balsa wood up North and wheat from the hinterlands out to the islands. He’s a great guy, really, and he helps a lot of us to adjust to this terrible place.

Because you know, this whole world is a really, REALLY, terrible place. Almost nobody is born here. We all just show up sometime, because of some awful magic that brings us from our home worlds. The sun here never gets real bright; it just kinda stays a little off the horizon. Big monsters hunt people in the outer areas and it’s all just one big mean place that everyone wants to leave. Only no-one ever gets anywhere, cause no-one knows why we’re here or how to get back, so we all just make do and live here till something really bad happens and we die.

I miss my Daddy.

Well anyway, Methie is one of the people that tries to help. He says, what the heckles, if we’re gonna live in this dump we might as well try to live large. Okay, he doesn’t say it quite like that, but you get the idea. So, he makes money and then he uses the money to help those of us really-really new to this bad place adjust and get along. He’s been paying my room and board for a couple months now while I learn how to find my smile again. Let me tell you, the transition was really rough, but I’ve been working on the whole vision thing. I’ve been trying to vision my happy place here. Usually, I think my happy place is home where I used to be, but that’s just stinky to think about, so I find this nice little tree that grows in the main park, and it’s even got a couple flowers near it sometimes, and I think about that being my happy place, and I’m a little better. I’ve even been learning to share my happy thoughts with others.

Just like you!

So, anyway, Methie summoned me and, it turns out, a few other people to his big house. I guess he figured I was ready to help others. You know how you start with yourself and then you learn to be a bright light shining rays of warmth on everyone about you. Well, I guess I was starting to flicker a bit, and he wanted to see if I could help.

Big smile!

Okay, it’s more of a hope than a happy ending, but you take your happy places where you find them. I’ll write more when I have time. Till then,

Warmth in your soul and health in your heart!
Love
- Alyra.

 

[Brimshack]

All of my Goshes! Did she just take that candle stick? Right in front of Lord Methgar, she did this. She tried to take the candle stick without him seeing it. Only, like EVERYONE saw it, including Lord Methgar. He’s sitting there trying to explain to us why we have all been summoned, and giving us an important save-the-world-or-at-least-the-city kind of mission. And this woman that I have never met before decides to steal a candle stick from him. Can you imagine! …and I have to work with her now. I couldn’t even figure out what to say. Neither can Methie. He just stares all blank for a minute and then tells us all good luck. You could tell he was still thinking about it as we left. And the crazy girl walks out with the candle tucked in her pants and shirt, like she actually managed to get it there without anyone noticing. Most of us were in shock, except thankfully, the two knights, neither of whom seemed to know what had happened. And we file out into the street with all 6 of us, and a gosh-be-frowned candle stick. I mean, WOW! The nerve of some people.

…okay, so fine. We all have our issues. And my new friend obviously has hers. We’ll just have to work with her a little I guess. Her name is Carla Dane. Carla is a really beautiful woman. She has the most spectacular body. She carries some light weapons, doesn't wear armor, and her dress is just a little revealing, but I mean why not. "Bless others with what's been blessed of you!" That's what I always say. Such a beautiful body, and such a wounded spirit! To want a candle stick that badly. It's just sad.

I think there is hope for her yet. Carla just has to find her inner niceness just as I had to find my inner strength. We’ll just have to give her time, and I’ll be sure and help her with it. And when we get done dealing with her whole stealing thing, then maybe we can work on her fear of dirt, because let me tell you it was tiresome. We go into a bar and first she cleans the chair, then she cleans the table, then she cleans herself, and then the chair again, because something fell on it when she cleaned the table. And then she cleans herself again before sitting down. Do you know, she made the waitress bring her four dinner plates so she could select one? Then she told the poor dear to clean that one anyway. And all this before she tries to steal something from the place and gets us kicked out before we can eat our dinner. Oh My Rumbling Tummy! That woman is going to be a handful.

But first we have to work with the gnome. The gnome is beautiful inside and out I tell you. It's just amazing what that little body can pack. Between her and Carla I have to say, and yes I'm a little ashamed of this, I was double checking myself in the mirror this morning. I mean thay are just so awesome, and me a plane jane in a 2-year old dress. I mean, I clean up nice, but I don't look anything like these women. They are just soooo beautiful. Especially the gome. Did I tell you, her name is Patty?

Anyway, I tell you Patty is REALLY terrified of water. When we went to the docks, Patty couldn’t even go near the water. She didn’t even want to look at it. But at least Patty has some signs of spirit. She’s a vegetarian, you know. She doesn't even like to look at meat, and she certainly doesn't eat it. I admire that. I mean, I really, really, REALLY admire that about her. I think she is onto something. Why burden your spirit with dead animals? It has got to be a healthier way of living. I just may have to follow in her footsteps one day. Short girl but a big soul. I hardly know Patty, and already I am so proud of her.

I hope you are too.

But I am getting ahead of the story. You probably want to know what Methie told us don’t you? Well, he said that there was a great evil coming to the city and he wanted us to look into it. There were 6 people in that room (including the Carla and her new candle-stick, myself, and Patty, the veggie-Gnome). There were also two fledgling knights (Seamus O’Seue and Sir Leugenteufel den Hockinshlots, IV) and a little furry guy. We asked the furry guy his name and it just stuttered a bit, and didn’t say anything at all. So, like all 6 of us are kind of new and not very powerful, so you might wonder why they chose us, you know, because like somebody more powerful might be more effective than a bunch of young upstarts.

And actually, I am wondering that too.

Well, anyway, for the moment were just supposed to be investigating. We were told that a ship that had come into the harbor recently was carrying something evil on it, so we were sent to the docks to check up on the whole thing. …and to work with the Gnome on overcoming her fears. The poor thing! Bless her little pointy-eared heart, she really did try to go to the water, but I’m afraid she just couldn’t do it. Well, save that victory for another day. With all the love I’m going to give her, she’ll do just fine.

…and I know, you love her too. Don’t you?

I mean, with all of us in her corner, how can she fail!?! I see her swimming one day. Really I do. I’m already proud of that.

So, anyway, we head over to the docks and the gnome starts to sweat, poor little sweet-heart. We see the boat out there; it’s called the Slolem, and it looks pretty harmless. But Methie said he knows there is something evil on board. So, we talked a bit, and no-one wanted to row on out to visit them, least of all our sweet little gnome. So, Carla decides to talk to the Harbor Master and she goes over and tells him we’re here to investigate the boat, because it’s bringing evil into the city. She asks if they have been trying to unload anything bad on the docks.

The Harbor Master says; “You mean like cotton?”

“…because they were unloading cotton all day yesterday. If only I’d known the cotton was evil, I’d have called out the city defenses.” Carla asked if he had noticed anything unusual, and he told her aside from nefarious thread fiber, he hadn’t noticed anything particularly alarming, but he did suggest that we take our investigation inland and be on the lookout for any malicious textiles that could result from the cotton of terror. As we were leaving, he called out something about needing help protecting the harbor from the Bananas of Chaos on the ship next over.

I don’t think Carla wanted to talk to him anymore.

So, we ended up at an Inn for the night. I paid for the lot of us, because Methie was uncharacteristically tight fisted and didn’t give us a budget, and because my new companions need to work on visioning their generosity a bit more. So be it.

I don’t mind.

Well anyway, so we come down the next morning and order breakfast, and that’s when Carla decides to try and take home a souveneir and we end up out on the street. She tried it at the next place too, but I caught her before anyone else did, and (thankfully) I was able to smooth it over without having to leave early. I was hungry, and the furry thing was beginning to gnaw at my dress and chew at Sir Hockinslots boot. It just makes me so mad that she couldn’t at least wait until after the little yarn boy had eaten before she decides to get creative with her cutlery placement. I was going to say something to her, but I just couldn’t find the words. So, I spent the lunch visioning myself as a courageous and forthright person. Hopefully, I can one day find the right words to reach my new friend’s inner respectfulness.

I can heal her, I know it.

We tried to listen to the grape vine for info on the Slolem and its crew. We even tried shaking the grape vine, and all I can say is that our gossip gathering skills were most certainly lacking that morning. Not that gossip is ever anything to brag about, but my goshes, it sure would have been handy at the time.

We tried, but we just couldn’t learn ANYTHING.

Till we got our tip.

Oh, I will tell you all about it next time.

Warmth in your soul and health in your heart!
Love,
Alyra.

 

[Brimshack]

Okay, I really really, really, truly believe that we make our own worlds. Whatever you think, fear, imagine, or hope for, those are the things that will eventually happen to you. It’s true. You create your own reality, just by imagining it. I know it’s hard to accept, but once you grasp this very important fact, everything is just so much more clear.

That’s how I know that someone in our party must have been afraid of an ambush. That’s right. Someone hadn't been keeping it positive in the noggative, if you know what I mean. When the guy we met on the street told us to come to the abandoned warehouse off pier 3, we thought maybe we’d gotten a big break, but, well you know what happens when you let fear rule your thoughts. I mean I suppose it might seem gullible just walking in there like that, but hey, I believe in giving people the benefit of the doubt, you know. Sometimes you just have to give people a chance and hope for the best.

I’m not angry about this; I’m just disappointed.

First they let the Gnome inside the warehouse. So, Patty slides through the door and then they opened the door just wide enough for all of us to slide on in. You could only see just enough because of a couple torches ensconced in the wall. What the light revealed was a dusty dingy building. It had a dank fishy smell, which was all the worse because the windows had been recently boarded up for some reason. Hoestly, you could almost see the stink it was so bad, just hanging in the air like that. The only other way in or out of the building was a door at the opposite end. And there are these two guys just standing there, asking us if we’re the ones who want to know about the Slolem. One of them had a sword and the other just had this big cudgel.

The place stank so badly. It was aweful!

After the door closed, the two guys started getting kinda rude, and I could hear someone rustling just outside the door behind us. There was this soft kinda sound like a ‘clunk’ near the door you know, and my heart just decided to visit the bottom of my feet. It was a really bad feeling, you know. I tried to force the thoughts from my mind, but I’m afraid I already knew in my heart it was too late. Oh, I hope that moment of fear didn’t bring it about! Honestly, I think it was already happening. A bunch more people started to come though the door on the other end of the warehouse. One of them was an archer and the rest were thugs with various edges, points, and heavy things. One was a gnome, but not like ours. This one was mean, and he had a spear. I mean, why would they need all those guys just to talk to us about a merchant vessel? This was not a happy moment. It was a fishy-dust-and-a-mean-guy-kinda-feeling- claustrophobic moment.

I really don’t like moments like that.

We talked a bit more, but everything was so negative from that point foreword. The main guy wanted to know why we were asking questions about the Slolem, and I tried to envision a happy peaceful ending, but I just couldn’t make it happen. In the end, the main thug-leader said a bad word and told his people to kill us all. So, everyone drew weapons real quick.

I was so scared. I’m just standing there wondering if I really heard what I think I heard and everyone else is pulling out all these weapons and things. I wanted to cry. And I wanted to wake up sooooo badly.

The leader of thugs was a little slow getting his own weapon out and our stuttering stringy creature got to him before anything else could happen. Man that little muppet-guy can move. We have to work on visioning his words a bit, but he was really, really, REALLY fast, and got the drop on the mean man with the potty mouth right quick. The little furball scratched him up a little, and then Carla knicked the same guy with her own blade. Then one of the knights, Sir Hockinslots, hit him real hard with a sword. The bad guy was weaving and holding his side. There was blood everywhere. I knew big boss thug wouldn’t be much danger at that point, but all his other guys were like getting big in their boots and coming for us.

And then the bad guys closed in. One of them got to me before I could react. I tried to prepare some healing magic, but the man was swinging an axe at me and all I could do was try to keep my staff in the way of that thing. He hit me several times. The first strike was really nasty. He opened up a wound in my hand completely splitting it from between the middle and index finders half way back to my wrist. I have never felt anything like it in my life. Honstly, it hurt all the way to my little toes. Really. I am getting tears in my eyes just thinking about it. I would have screamed if I could, but I had no breath. All I could do was to try and block his next attack with my staff, but now I was doing that one handed. I thought about casting healing magic, but that would have given him a chance to hurt me again. Besides, I couldn’t concentrate at all just then. So, I just tried to fight him through my tears. By ‘fight’ I mean ‘block’ of course. That’s about all I could do at that point.

I remember seeing the gnome casting tricky spells out of the corner of my eye and I’m told they worked. She convinced some of the enemy to attack each other, if only for a moment. And I remember the little stuttering fur-ball chasing the enemy archer around. That was actually kind of funny. I was in so much pain and danger, and I still couldn’t help but laugh watching our angry bundle of lint chase that poor guy around the battlefield. It’s ironic that anything could be funny in a situation like that, but I guess you just had to be there. Not that I would wish that on you, but, well you know what I mean. The Archer shot at me once when he had a chance, but it got stuck in my spell pouch and only cut me a little. Next to my hand, the arrow wound made little impression. Carla fought hard, as did the two knights.

Sir Hockenslots was in trouble, I remember that. He had about 3 guys all over him (a swordsman on either side and an axe-guy in the middle), and they just kept cutting him a little at a time. Finally, one of them opened a great slash wound in his right side. He could barely defend himself. I noticed this as I tried to fend off my own attacker. But Sir Hocklinlsots only had a great big sword; he didn’t have any Armor (I did say that he was a fledgling knight), and now he could barely swing the blade around around. Poor guy, I just loved him so much, fighting bravely like that through all that pain.

The axe man cut me again, you know. This time, he got his axe into my shoulder. It cut really deep and I could feel my bones breaking apart, and it hurt SO bad. Fortunately, it was the same arm as the hand that he already maimed, so I could still use my one hand for defense, but I could hardly move at this point and there was blood everywhere. This time I screamed. I screamed so loud the man hitting me actually winced. I think I hurt his ears. I didn’t mean to, it just hurt so much (…not that he didn’t deserve it. I mean, it really was his fault). Goshes, it just hurt so bad! I couldn’t even see for a moment, just stars, and when my vision was back in its proper place I could see that all my companions were off helping the gnome.

Can you believe it?

I really like Patty, which is why I’m a little ashamed to say that I resented her for a moment there. But honestly! I was about to die, and everyone was over there making sure not one enemy got anywhere near little miss short and curvy. I thought for just a moment that they were going to let that basta... guy with the axe (I’m sorry, I will watch my words better in the future) ...kill me. I mean, he was really really really going to kill me. I could hardly defend myself now, and nobody was helping me. I just, I felt all somehow!

…anyway, the guy with the axe, it seemed like they were just going to let him kill me while everyone took care of Patty. You can understand, I’m still feeling just a little negative about this. It’s not nice, I know, but sometimes you just have to own up to your bad places. I have them too. Yes, I do.

So, anyway, they were all helping Patty.

Everyone except Hockinslots, I mean. He still had 3 enemies, and they kept chipping away at him. I saw it all, because he was just a couple feet in front of me. The swordsman on his left was hurt from the first part of the battle, but the one on his right decided to finish him off with one big shot. I saw him wind up for a big nasty blow, and I just knew that was the end. The swordsman reared back just a little too much, I guess he wanted to hit really hard and Sir Hockinslots managed to get his sword around just in time. Hockinslots didn’t just block the strike though, he jabbed his sword right into the man’s chest. He didn’t penetrate too far, not enough to kill the man, but it completely stopped the attack, and you could tell the swordsman was badly hurt. He wouldn’t be quite so effective in the future. Unfortunately, the Axe wielding thug was perfectly healthy. He managed to take a chunk out of Hockinslots thigh, and that looked really bad. Poor Hockinslots, he cried out for just a moment there. I felt so bad for him. But there he was, actually faint from loss of his own blood, facing three terrible bad guys, one of whom was perfectly healthy. I just knew Sir Hockinslots wouldn’t last long.

And all our friends were busy hacking away at the single opponent who almost got a little near Patty. I just couldn’t believe it. It looked like our companions were going to let Hocky and I just die. I was so mad at them!

So, a couple enemy were already down, and that included the really rude leader-guy, but apparently he wasn’t that important, because the rest of the bad guys didn’t blink an eye when he went down. They just kept coming. I thought maybe we were going to win, but I didn’t think ‘we’ would include Hocky and I by the time it was all over. I was just on the verge of giving up when suddenly a bunch of my friends rushed over and joined me against the guy with the axe. I saw Patty trick one of the fighters into finishing the swordsman on the left side of Hockinslots, so he had a better chance. And within just a moment, the axe guy (the one on me) was in so much trouble he stopped attacking me and just tried to defend himself. It took a moment for me to realize this, but I actually had a chance of seeing the sunset for myself that evening. I felt so ashamed of my earlier thoughts.

They care about me. They really care! Oh things were looking up all of a sudden and I felt like things might actually come out alright.

I looked up and saw the axe wielding thug directly in front of Hockinslots take a big wind up swing. The thug was healthy and Hockinslots was suffering a lot of pain. Still the axe wielder couldn’t quite handle the weight of his weapon all that well, not like a skilled fighter. So, he moved a little too slow, and Sir Hockinslots actually managed to block it. Can you believe that!?! Our beautiful young knight, hanging on by a thread, actually managed to fend off that attack. I thought surely, he was done for, but my beautiful new friend just had too much heart to go down like that. “Hang on Hockinslots,” I thought, “Little Patty will save you if you can just manage another minute.”

So, I saw the last swordsman lunge at Sir Hockinslots. Now Hocky was pretty hurt to be sure, but he had pulled out some real miracles, so I just thought maybe, just maybe, he’ll pick this one up, just one last time and then everyone can help him like they were helping me. The only problem was I could see Hockinslots was still tied up with the axe man, and I wasn’t sure he could block this one in time. But our noble knight was so brave and so strong, I just knew if anyone could pull it off Sir Hockinslots could.

I just closed my eyes a moment and sent him all the good thoughts I could.

Parry that sword, Hockinslots. PARRY!!!

 

[Brimshack]

Sometimes bunnies don't hop and kittens don't play.

That's all I have to say, I don't think I can write anymore about it. Thinking about this has me in a very dark place right now.

 

[Brimshack]

Alright, I think I can do this again. I’m sorry, I just felt all somehow. I can’t dwell on what happened to my friend right now. Some day I will have something to say about that, but right now let’s just concentrate on getting through the rest of this fight okay?

So, after…

…well, anyway, after, you know, the axe-man in front of me was still trying to defend himself and the remaining Knight, Seamus stabbed him once in the chest. And Karla descended upon him with a vengeance. I saw her look at the wound a moment, then she switched hands with her short sword. She looked so focused, and I wondered what she had in mind. What she did next took me by surprise. More importantly, it took the axe wielding thug by surprise. She actually reached out and grabbed the top of his shield with her free hand, forcing it down. She then jabbed straight over the top of his shield with her blade. Her face was so close to him and so vulnerable. Her opponent immediately moved to bring his axe blade up and across his body. He meant to sweep her up and off him, probably doing damage in the process – she was so exposed to that blade. But the man’s body would not cooperate. He got his arm about half way there and then something stopped him. I saw the man’s chin dip slightly toward the wound on his chest as he flinched in pain. His grip loosened on the axe for just a moment, and he just stood there. It was only a moment, but you could see the man’s death in his own eyes.

Karla’s blade traveled unopposed to the man’s throat. He stood there for a moment, adding his own blood to the stains rapidly accumulating on my own dress. Then, his knees buckled. His axe bounced a bit as it struck the ground at our feet.

As I looked around I could see the remaining foes trying to run out of the building. Some made it and some did not, because a few of us need to work on visioning our compassion. I think it’s safe to say that, yes I do.

And that was the end of the fight. I was standing there in a pool of blood, mostly mine, some from the axe man. As the spirit of battle subsided, I suddenly realized the extent of my own injuries. My left limb hung useless at my side and the broken bones were exposed in both my shoulder and my hand. I suddenly felt sick to my stomach. I was till crying like a small child, but I did have the power to help myself. …somewhere deep down I knew I had the power. I had to lean on my staff as I summoned the healing powers. Several companions with smaller injuries gathered around me. Taking my time, I deliberately spread the healing magic about us all. In one spell, I quickly had the others up and running, but for myself it took two more spells to finally heal up.

I could do nothing about my dress of course. It was completely ruined.

And then the city guard showed up, and let me tell you some people just really have to focus on the negatives. They wanted to know who swung first and who hit whom with what weapon, when and where and why. They asked all the questions over and over again. And when you’d satisfied one of them, the other would walk up and ask you all the same things over and over again.

I tried to work with some of them on understanding why they felt the need to go over all of this disgusting filth in such detail, but they just weren’t in a therapeutic mood it seems. My friend Karla tells me that we were actually in danger of going to the local prison for a bit there. I couldn’t imagine it myself. I mean it must have been obvious. We were ambushed. All of my goshes, how could anyone not realize it wasn’t our fault. Cheese and crackers, some of these people need to work on visioning their own common sense, I tell you!

Foo!

I mean, I’m just standing there drenched in my own blood, and someone else’s too, and I have a river of tears flowing down my cheeks and these men have a hundred questions to ask a hundred times each. It’s just not right.

Priorities people!

Well, anyway, theguards did let us go eventually. So, we limped back to Lord Methgar’s place. All we had of my friend was his sword. The guards took his body off along with those of our enemies. Something about that didn't seem right, but so be it. The rest of us had made it. We were a little frazzled but essentially intact. I’ll tell you all about our visit with Methie later. For right now, let me wish you well as I should have all along.

I am so sorry for my rudeness in the previous entries.

Warmth in your Soul my dear friends and Happiness in your Heart.
Love
Alyra.

 

[Brimshack]

Oh my!

It has been awhile since I shared any Healing Moments with my journal. That is wrong of me. Honestly though, we have been just so busy, what with the assassins, and the random ambushes, and then the whole trouble at the whorehouse, I mean the bad place. It's no excuse, I know, but we really have been busy. Plus, I have been having such a hard time with the death of my friend, Lord Hockinslockits. I know, I didn't know him that well, and people die all the time, especially in this place, but I think the whole thing just had me thinking all somehow.

So, I am going to take a minute to sort a few things out, before I resume the day to day events.

First, let me make one thing very clear, and on this I am absolutely unequivcal. The death of Sir Hockinslots was absolutely my fault. That's right. It was me. I'm the one that got him killed. I know that, and I accept that. I wish I could change it now, but I just can't. So, the only way that I can begin to heal the hurt is to at least admit it to myself.

You see, all my life I have tried to be kind and gracious, and the truth be told it comes naturally to me. When my brother put those kittens down way back when we were children I cried and cried and cried. For weeks, I cried. I just couldn't imagine doing anything so horrible, even if Daddy did say that they have to go. And finally my beloved brother just said I should get it over with and hit him, but you know I never did. I even felt awful that my poor brother must have had that terrible memory of those dying kittens in his mind, and it had to be tearing his soul apart, even if he didn't seem to feel any regret himself. I knew the dying kittens must have been a load on his...

Well, the point is that I never in all my life ever wanted to hurt anyone, even when most people would say it was understandable. So, when I came to this strange place and found that magical powers were really effective here, I thought to myself that much at least is wonderful. I can set myself to do what I've always wanted to do and that is to learn how to heal people. I studied really hard and I learned how to make the magic work for that purpose, and I was even getting real good at it.

And I guess, ...I guess, that's all I thought I needed to do, but it wasn't. It hurts me to say that, I mean it really hurts, but healing isn't all there is to know, even if you just want to help people. You see, I never learned how to fight. I didn't exercise, and I didn't once learn how to strike at people with my quarterstaff. I thought it was for spell casting and that was all. And that's why I was so useless in the fight down by the wharf. I moved so slow, I couldn't even get anything done once that bad man came down on me with his axe, and I wasn't getting anywhere defending myself. Everyone had to help me. And I was so glad they did, I just didn't think.

Because no-one helped Sir Hockinslots. He was up there fighting all those bad men, all by themselves with no-one to help him. They were all helping me.

And that's why he died.

It was my fault.

 

[Brimshack]

Okay, I know that was a heavy thought to lay on you, and I'm sorry. Sometimes you just have to own up to things like that though. It's part of healing. I can't bring Sir Hockinslots back, but maybe, just maybe if I can get myself in a smarter place, then I can make sure it never happens again. And maybe, just maybe, I can help others after all.

Since the incident at the Wharf I have been doing a little exercisesize, and I had Seamus teach me a bit about how to handle my staff. Just defensive moves mind you; I'm not about hitting people. But next time, hopefully, it won't take an army of my friends to save me from a simple grunt with an axe.

Okay, so when we left the whole scene by the warehouse, we could see the Slolem sailing out of the harbor. It was strange. ...and frustrating.

...

You know, before we take this any further, I think I should tell you a little more about this world and how I got here. Maybe you're new to this strange place, or maybe you live somewhere else. Either way, I think you deserve to know a few things about where all this is taking place.

How did I get here?

Well, you see where I come from magic is hard to see work. Sure there are stories, and everyone knows a pink flower makes the bad spirits stay away. But you don't usually see it happen so fast like that, ...you know, like a big energy bolt, or when someone heals a broken bone in seconds by casting a powerful spell. I've heard of trolls and dragons, but I'd never seen any beforecoming here. I Still haven't really, but I know lots of people who have now, and I hear tell if we leave the bounds of the city we will most certainly see such things. Anyway, the point is that one day I was walking home from the county fair and instead of getting home I ended up in this strange place where all the magic and all the monsters are so much more real than I ever imagined.

I didn't realize it at first. It just seemed strange. My home village should have been just around the bend, and if I hurried I should get there before the sun finished setting. But I didn't. The sun never quite set, and I never quite made it home. I just kept walking along the same path I had walked a hundred times before, only it got stranger and stranger, and I was tired, and I tore my dress, ...and then I started crying.

And then I heard screams in the forest arund me. I saw a man running across the road, and he was chased by some horrible demon. So, I thought I must be dreaming and I just stood there rubbing my eyes. But when I opened them, I was looking down at the ground, and there was blood all over the place I was standing, and I could see someone had been dragged off the road. I followed the trail with my eyes and then I saw...

It was horrible. I mean it was really horrible. And there were still people screaming in the forest around me, and I could hear horses charging down the road towards me. I was so scared. I am crying again, just thinking about it.

So, I fainted. Honestly, I just fell over right then and there. I know, some save-the-world-or-at-least-the-city kind of hero I turned out to be! But I need to tell you this so you'll understand. I'm not supposed to be here. I'm not supposed to cast magic (thought I'd like to think I might havd learned some good herbal remedies in my home town), and I am certainly not supposed to be involved in any of this violence, because you see I really am not cut out for it. I should be courting Robin Cawmistiger from down the way and planning out my own garden for this coming Spring. I should be learning to make plum pies and sewing my future wedding dress, not fighting angry axe-wielding thugs in the bad side of a big city. I should be at home for cricket's sake! But instead I am here, and if I don't always do the right thing, well then people will just have to understand.

But of course, no-one is really supposed to be here, except for the monsters of course. The monsters were usually born in this place, but the rest of the people in this land got here just like I did. They come from all sorts of places, usually ending up on a road or out on the sea when they were travelling themselves.

It is a dark place. The sun never quite sets and it never quite rises either. The brightest day in this strange land is just a little less sunny than it should be. And the darkest night is just a little brighter than it should be. How the crops grow is a mystery. ...maybe, the magic.

Anyway, when I came to, it turned out the riders I had heard down the way were some men from the city of Pflorendrine come out to save people. They said the monsters call it a jubilee. It's a strange event that occurs sometimes, when dozens or even hundreds of people all show up at once in about the same area. So, you can just imagine the lost souls, all wandering and tired like me. Most of them are unarmed. And almost all of them are unfamiliar with the ways of a world like this. They have never seen an orc or an ogre before. Most will see one and that will be the end of them. I was lucky. Very lucky, fainting like that. If one of the orcs had found me, I would have been stew. ...or worse.

There are all sorts of theories about the nature of this place. Some people say it is the land of the dead. We have all already died, so these people say, and this is the afterlife. Gosh, I hope those guys are wrong, because I spent a lot of time praying to the Lord, and I was a good girl, and if this is all I get for trying to be righteous and kind, well then I want a second chance to go out behind the barn with little Robin. ...oh, I miss him so much. I know, that's a petty thought, but sometimes I just get so depressed.

You know some people who say that this is the land of the dead figure we just stay here until our souls are eaten by the monsters. Others figure we are reborn when we are eaten, but most of us don't want to try that. And then there are these people who live out on the plains, and they all say that we should simply find our way North and go to the real final resting place. That might be, but North is a really scary place (I'll get to that later).

Others say that this world is some kind of alternate uni-place or something, which to me just means they know how to make up funny words. "...alternate uniplace"? Saying silly stuff like that has no healing power at all!

Now, I hear there is a dark lady that lives in the Northeast, and she says that we're all just crazy. She says, we've all been tricked by a spell (kind of like the spells the gnome does, but a really big one), so it's all a big illusion. According to her, her name is Adisa, we just need a great big healing spell, and we'll all be better. Because we just share a common sickness, kind of like a fever, but only caused by bad magic. I'm guessing this Adisa lady is onto something. I don't even know this lady, and already I love her. Well anyway, if that's the real source of the problem, then hopsefully I can learn to help. One day maybe, I'll meet Adisa and I can help her make the big healing circle that we all need.

Oh well. There are all sorts of other theories, and people have different ideas about what to do about it. Lord Methgar figires it just doesn't matter. He says if we can live here, then we can just make the best of it. He has actually lived his whole life here, so he doesn't know what a bright sun is. I guess that's why he doesn't want to go back so much, and he doesn't have a back to go to. That's how nobles happen in this land, you know, they are the ones who are actually born here. It's so rare for humans anyway, because people don't survive. So, many die right after they get here. Others go mad. And so many others are killed, because there is so much war. There isn't enough food or lumber or anything really, and the monsters just hunt us.

That's why a city like Pflorendrine is so important. I know it's a terrible name, really, but it's the only safe place I've known since the jubilee. In the city, you are almost safe, at least from the monsters. To the North and West, there is the city of Kaenesdovl, and to the North East there are fishing villages. I guess you could say that we are at the end of a kind ...pointy thing, I forget what the geo-sage called it. It's a kind of thing where the land points out into the see like a finger out at the ocean. ...anyway, and there is a forest directly North, that used to belong to Elves, at least until it was overrun by orcs, and something else. Now they say that the forest is cruel. I'm told there are also mountains to the Northwest. Unfortunately, I am also told that a great army of bad things is travelling south from those mountains toward Pflorendrine. I wonder why they don't attack Kaenesdovl. ...unless, they are in league with the city of Kaenesdovl.

Okay, well that's all I have to say about this world. Funny thing is now that I have written all this, I'm not sure I want to help save this world. I mean it is a rather icky place. Still, if we breathe life, we breathe it here I suppose, so it is best to keep it safe.

Oh well, so much for my thinking. I have lots of events to tell you about next.

Warmth in your Soul my dear friends and Happiness in your Heart.
Love
Alyra.

 

[Brimshack]

Okay, so the meeting with Lord Methie was uneventful, but honestly, I think he was busy. Both the hallway and the room that we were shown into had been stripped bare without so much as a carpet. I think maybe, he was planning on moving or something.

But we had a long talk and eventually we decided to try to learn more about the ship. We figured that we would just go hang out in the bars and work the rumour mill, you know, just to see what people had to say about things. So, we left. Again, Methie didn’t give us any money for some reason. It was very unlike him.

Lord Methgar did promise to see if he could find a replacement for Lord Hockinslots. He seemed to know where we were staying, and he said he’d send someone by. We mentioned that we could use someone handy with a bow. And off we went for a well-earned night of rest.

We took two rooms, one for the boys and one for Carla, Patty and myself. I cried myself to sleep. I don’t think Carla was very happy with me for the noise. Patty went right out, bless her tiny little heart.

I was awake and trying to get the blood out of my dress from the day before, when we heard someone pounding at the boys door. Both Carla and Patty were sound asleep, but they rolled over a little and we all listened. There were voices, and then the door closed, so I went back to my dress. Then there was a really loud knock on our door. Carla got up and answer it.

I could see when Carla opened the door, there was a man standing in the hallway. He was dressed in chain mail, and he was carrying a great big club. That’s pretty much all there was to the guy, and he says; “Guten Tag! (Whatever that means?) I am August. August Schnell. I am sent here to be your archer.”

Carla closed the door, and patty rolled over to go back to sleep.

About a minute later, the silly guy with the strange accent began knocking again, so we answered and just told him to meet us downstairs for breakfast.

I stretched a bit and told myself it was going to be a happy day.

...and I believed me!

Carla and Patty aren’t really morning people, I don't think. They didn’t like it when I told them it was going to be a happy day.

On my way down I knocked on the boys room, because they were still asleep. I told them too it was going to be a happy day, and someone threw something against the door. I think it was a shoe. Oh well. So I went downstairs and joined August at the breakfast table. Well, it was going to be a breakfast table, just as soon as someone came and joined us.

We were joined by more people than you would have thought. In addition to all my former companions, there were two elven brothers, named Michael and Tom. Both of them used bows, and they were ever so polite, ...to each other anyway. There was a definite chill in some of their responses to others. And then were was Kristen. She was another elf, and she had a bow, plus she used magic. That was way wonderful! And then there was a human guy who didn’t give his name, but he too cast spells. So, between the five new people Lord Methie sent to help us, we suddenly had 4 new archers and 2 new spell casters. That was really great! I was a little worried about that guy, August, though. He had a quiver and about a dozen arrows, but we couldn’t see any signs of a bow, none at all. He just kept telling us he was an archer, but it didn't make sense at all.

So, Michael asked August if he can actually use a bow and he says yes, so Michael went and bought him one. Micahel also bought me a brand new dress! Can you imagine that? That was really nice of Michael. I like Tom and Michael, really I do.

But then of course Carla has to try and take something, and once again she gets caught! So we end up paying the innkeeper a whole bunch of extra stuff to keep from being thrown out. I mean it was really strange. We finally just made an arrangement where we could pay for anything that turned up missing, so we figured we were finally okay with Carla’s whole issue.

And that’s when we headed out for the morning, just to ask around and see what we could learn. We split into two groups; one went down to the docks to see if anyone had seen anything, and the other went around talking to merchants (to see who was buying loads of cotton from the Slolem). So, what did we find out?

Well, it took a couple of days working the rumour mill, but we found out three things.

1) All the normal guards were mysteriously sent away from the docks when the Slolem unloaded its cargo. At least one dock guard had been blabbering all about the mysterious gap in the nightly rotation.

2) There were some beggars on the shore when it happened. At least someone actually saw the crew of the Slolem unload something one night, presumably during the gap in the guard rotation.

3) There was no cotton. It’s a strange fibre in these parts, and people would have noticed if a load of cotton had been taken off a ship recently. But odlly enough, No-one had purchased any cotton in the last week or so.

So, finally we had something to go on. Now that’s progress!

We split up again. About half of us started looking around the docks for the beggars, and the other half started looking around the seedy side of town to see if we could locate the guard that was talking about strange dealings on his shift.

Someone else found the beggars, and apparently those guys wouldn’t say much, except that a recluse named Louie the Mog had been watching the whole time. Louie was supposed to be a spell caster of sorts, and the beggar said maybe we could talk to him.

Okay.

So, then we found the guard drinking at a dingy inn on the North side of the dock area. I was with that group, as was Carla, and Patty, and the strange human spell caster who never did give us his name (yeah, that’s kinda creepy, I know). Eventually, I guess the whole party gathered around outside aways to protect us if anything went wrong. But inside we were just focused on trying to talk to the man. Carla and the strange human - (I’m just going to call him Bob, okay?) So, Carla and Bob stayed at a table of their own and kinda laid low while Patty and I went over and tried to get the guard’s attention. He had someone with him. So, it was two guys and two gals.

Neat huh?

Well, we walked up and Patty did the talking; “Hey boys, they gave us a couple extra cups of ale at the bar. Do you think you can help us drink them?”

That was so silly. I almost rolled my eyes, but do you know it worked? I mean, the guard we wanted to talk to, his name was Aelred, he invited us to sit down. His friend, Ardest, looked at us a little suspicious, but he took a drink and nodded at a chair for me to sit in. After a couple rounds, everyone but me was getting tipsy (I was deliberately taking it slow), and Patty finally starts moving in for the kill, ...so to speak.

“I’ll bet you guys have some great stories to tell.” She put her hand on his thigh. And that’s when I realised for the first time that my little friend is kind of a hussy. I mean, who knows what she would have done if I wasn’t there?

Oh cheese!

Well anyway, he didn’t get the hint at first, and his friend Ardest was suddenly very suspicious, but Patty just keep trying; “guarding the docks of the city; that’s such important work. I’ll bet you see all sorts of excitement.”

She was practically sitting on his lap!

“Well, odd things do happen down there. Just a few nights ago, for example, we were ordered off the docks before our shift was over, and a couple bells before the replacements showed up. It’s not the first time, but I tell you there is strange business down there.”

“Really?”

Oh my gosh! I am not even going to tell you what she was doing with Aelred at this point. And Patty was too drunk even to remember what he was telling her. I had to stay sober, just so we could actually use the information!

“Who ordered you off the dock?”

“It was the Harbour Master, not the first time either.” Aelred ordered another round of ale. By now I was drinking water. I told them it was so I could find our way home safely.

“And what about you, Ardest? Have you seen any big goings on?” (...I really didn’t like the way she emphasised the word big. Apparently, neither did Ardest.)

“No.”

“Are you sure?” Patty started scooting over Aelred’s lap to get to Ardest.

“Not a thing. Nothing ever happens down there.” Ardest scooted just a little closer to the table, so there was no space on his lap for the little gnome. Patty sat back down on Aelred's lap and continued working him.

At this point, Carla walked over and tried to join us. Ardest was really irritated, but Aelred was ready to take all of us up to a room if he could manage it.

“Well, we have a room” Patty was on Aelred’s lap again. “ Would you like to come with us?”

Aelred was about to answer, when Ardest said flatly, “No!”

So, Carla suddenly grabs Ardest’s bag of coins and runs out of the Inn. I mean it; she just suddenly takes the bag and runs!

Now, I have to admit, that I thought she was just showing her issues again, but I learned later on that she was hoping the two of them would charge out of the building to go after her. Then apparently, she hoped all the rest of our friends would converge on them and we could question them more directly. It's a little heavy-handed, I know, but at least it isn't as silly as just stealing something for the sake of stealing it. ...again! The problem is that Carla was just so fast, and they were so fat and slow. They both just gave up at the door and came back in shouting and saying bad things. They called for the city guard and the whole place was in an uproar.

Bob (remember that’s what I’m calling the mysterious spell caster who wouldn’t give us his name). Well Bob just sat there like he didn’t know anything. And we were all going to leave while the two of them explained to some other city guards what happened. But the new guards came over and started asking us questions. I honestly thought we were going to get out okay, when suddenly the innkeeper says something.

“That girl was with You.”

He was pointing right at Bob.

“...and since she obviously knew the two of you (Patty and I), that means all four of you were in this together, whatever this is.”

Sometimes Inkeepers can be a little too perceptive.