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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ExDis" data-source="post: 888672" data-attributes="member: 10799">Adventures Beyond the Edge - Marigold’s JournalMarigold’s Journal - Prequel EntryWe found some wreckage from the ship this morning washed up on the beach. There was some bodies, some pieces of the ship, and some crates. In one of the boxes were some oilskin packages which we unwrapped and found books and quills and ink. Mikayla were very happy to find them, but the books was empty, so I didn’t understand why she were so excited. She told me that she were goin to start a journal of our travels. I asked her why, and she told me about how when she were little her mam and da traveled a lot. Her mam wrote about their travels and would give Mikayla the books to read when she came home. She said she were gonna to do the same, so that if she ever found her mam and da again they could read about her travels. Or maybe her children would. Or she could read them again when she were old and grey and sittin by the fire. If it was all writ down then she would be able to remember it all better.She let me read some of what she wrote that first night. It had nothin to do with what has happened to us, but told a little about her when she were young. When I asked her why she had wrote that she told me every story has a beginnin, and that this were hers. Then she told me everyone’s life is a story, and every story is a little bit different. She said I should take one of the books and some of the quills and ink and write my own story. She told me even the parts that I wrote about what happened to us would be a little different from what she wrote because we was different people and see even the same thing a little differently. One of the merchants laughed and said he doubts I can write, but I can read, so why not able to write too? It do take me a while, and my letters aint near so pretty as Mikayla’s, but they can be read. And maybe one day I will have children who will want to hear stories of when their mam went on adventures.So I took two of the littler books and now I am writing the beginning of my own story.I were born near the village of Crossways, in the fief of the Earl of Markley. Me da were undergardener for the squire, and me mam the underhousekeeper. She knew her letters and ciphers because her grandda had been a priest. She taught my da, and then she taught Rhoddy and me when we was old enough. Rhoddy were me older brother. We had a nice little cottage on the squire’s manor and we was very happy until the squire died. Then the manor were sold and the new owner came. He were a great lord and had bought the manor to be a place for parties for his friends to hunt and have orgies, or so me mam says. He brought other men, and changed the grounds, makin the homewood bigger and the gardens smaller. There were no need for an undergarder no more, and he said since he weren’t gonna to live there always that he needed no underhousekeeper either and mam so too old for a chambermaid. But mam said it were because she was no whore. But we had to leave our cottage and find a new home anyways. Lucky the squire had left all his servants 25 gold pieces each. Since mam and da both worked for the squire that meant we had 50 gold plus what mam had put away. So we went to the city to stay with grandda at the temple while da and mam tried to find work at the fall hiring fair.Da were offered a job at an apothecary tendin the greenhouses. Mam found a job in one of the big inns as the head laundress. Sos we was even better off than afore. They gots us a nice little house in the city, in an area with lots of other halflings. Of course it weren’t really a house. The building were many houses put together. But it were nice, and there were a little garden in the back that everyone shared, and even a stable for those as had a horse and buggy but we didn’t. Things was real nice, til the Fever came. Rhoddy got it first, cause he were always playin in the stables and one of the grooms were who brought the sickness to the city I think. Mam sent me to the temple so’s I wouldn’t get sick. I didn’t, even though most everyone else got it too even the priests. One day grandda told me Rhoddy had died, and that mam and da was sick too. Then grandda got sick with the fever and I went home to tell me mam. When I got there the building had been fired. One of the neighbors tole me that the city were burnin it and lots a others cause everyone there had died and they didn’t want noone catchin the Fever later from anythin left in the buildins. I went back to the temple cause I had nowheres else to go, but I was pure scart. Five days later me grandda died. He was the last of the priests. The city burned the temple down too and I had nowheres to go atall.There were lots of kids left without parents though no sos many after that first winter. We learnt real quick to run and hide when the city guard came round cause if you gots caught you was next seen on the slave block. It were hard for a long while cause food weren’t easy to find nor shelter from the cold. But I managed until the city got back to normal. I came up with a idea to keep me and me pals fed. On market day I would take the gang to the nearest market square and go to each a the farmers. We would post a lookout in exchange for the slightly bruised goods the farmer had. Our lookout would keep kids away and warn the farmer if any known thief approached his stall.There weren’t but a couple takers the first few times and that were pity for us I think, but it didn’t take long afore most of the stallholders was hirin us. Even the butchers wanted one of us lookouts, and paid with good meaty scraps and bones. Bakers paid us with black bread and sometimes white bread or rolls as was burnt a bit. Wasn’t long afore we had us a snug little kip in the local thieves holes. They stayed away from the stalls we guarded and we got food enough to feed most all the thieves in our territory. Even now, the same stew pots bubble alla time. Aint the best tastin food, but it be fillin and warm and there always be enough to eat without us havin to pay a lotta money. Even when we does buy we gets cheap from our merchants.Twere my idea sos I ran the gig for a couple of years, til one of the thieves decided to take me fer his apprentice. Ole Scarface weren’t the first to make me an offer but he were the first as interested me. I never learnt to work a crowd cause I didn’t think it were worth it. Too dangerous and I be real little, always will be and not so strong. But Ole Scarface were a housebreaker and that seemed less risky to me. Sos I learnt to case a place and break in and snatch what I could then hightail it outta there. He were a good master, Ole Scarface were and knew his business. He taught me all the common hidin places and how to pick a lock and spot a trap, even how to tell if it be likely to be a magical trap.It be a shame I dinna discover me sorcery sooner or Ole Scarface might notta swung. It were a magical trap as done him in. Almost caught me too, they did cause the trap made so much noise I weren’t able to get away without bein seen. They as chased me was real smart too, knowin all the tricks I did. It were magic as finally threw them off my scent and I been practicin ever since. Now I can sees if a trap be magical an I be teachin meself to make them harmless. Its been a interestin year, targeting just mages homes and workin ta take down their spells. I only been completely successful twice, but boy were it worth it! I figger I be gettin good enough at this and I won’t need but two more years afore I can retire.And I do wanna retire. Thievin is a no-win job. The onny ole thieves ye’ll meet are those as don’t work no mores, just teach. Too risky and too easy to be caught. Or betrayed by another gang. Or even by a rival in your own gang. Nope, I just wanna earn me enough gold to buy a little cottage n the country, with a great big orchard and a big garden sos I can raise apples and cherries and pumpkins and get fat and lazy. And maybe get me a husband and have a coupla children afore I get fat and lazy. Kids is fun, and too I’d have someone as to look after me when I gets old. Hope my stash is still safe in its hidey hole down in the sewers. If not, well, mayhap I’ll be earnin enough on the journey home.</blockquote>

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