Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Paka" data-source="post: 1299288" data-attributes="member: 100">Chapter XThe Tisgood Letters[His handwriting is simple, used to putting marks in a ledger, keeping track of the Tisgood Sheep. He wrote love-letters to his wife long ago when she lived in the next county and still writes her love poems from time to time. Sometimes he would show them to you and ask advice on their compisition. Even his love poems seemed mundane to you but you helped him. It was one of the rare occasions wherein Randal bit his tongue and kept his word-hoard shut. His simple handwriting has just a touch of romance, a swirled capital letter here, a tilt there. Thank the poetry to his wife for that.The words are drawn crudely, by Silver City Bard standards but he reminds you of home and for a second you ache for the more urbane and rarified Elvish company of the Silver Cities and even a Hobbit of the High Court Shire will do.]Dear Randall,I have sent a letter every time I have had to take the herd or the wool to the city for a merchant festival.I don't like the cities, too many shiftless artists about. You know how it is here in the Silver Cities. I hope the Jade Forest, a humble, hard working people, have had a good effect on you.I could use a good hand when i get home.I can only hope that my brotherly jibes translate with a smile over my face on this parchment, as i never had any gift with words as you always did.I can only hope that the shady looking men who I gave all of my letters to have reached you. They were particularly smelly humans with ink shoved under their skin but they said they were going to Goldleaf and that was close to the Jade Forest and so my missives have travelled with them along with some gold to ease their passage.I am giving this letter to a strange old coot. He is called the Rilion Mandegar Nihilowen [Strange Owl Man] by the Elves he travelled with. It seems an odd title for Elves to give a Man.He is waiting for me right now. Doesn't seem to be doing anything much. Just sitting there.Still, I like him well enough and trusted my instincts on the matter.He wouldn't accept my coin, though.I'll slip a wool sweater into his bag.Ma is the same as ever. She bakes and cooks enough for the Tisgood family and the dozen or so cousins it takes to shepherd the flock and then she bakes some more. I don't know where she get's her strength but we could all learn something about strength from her.Leslie Cherryling asks for you often and tells anyone in listening distance how you sang her a love ballad in Draconic one night and how she didn't understand the words but literal understanding is over-rated or some such sheep hooey.I didn't have the heart to tell her that you sang her an excerpt from the Wedding Epic of Tiamat and Bahumat because I only heard it in Halfling tongue once and the ending was hazy to me.I see to remember it not ending well at all.Silly girl.Pa's gout is worse and he can't ride at all and can barely walk the pastures anymore. He still runs the books as his mind is still sharp as a tack but he has tons of free time now and drove Ma mad for a time.He has decided to write his memoirs. I have enclosed a copy I made of what he calls, "his most adventurous moment," because he thought it was a good idea whwen i suggested you had a copy of it. It isn't Dawson Hightree facing down the Troll King but it is our Da's finest hour, or so he says.The title of this memoir changes everyday. We await the new title he has dreamed up at dinner. Tonight it was, "My Time With the Sheep" but Ma thought it was too dull. A few weeks ago she hit him with a wooden spoon when he announced to the table that his new title was simply, "Flocked for Life."I hope all is well with you in the Jade Forest. We hear all kinds of rumors of Dragonic madness, war and strife, Troll Nations and Dead Gods.I'd hope your stories will keep you well away from all that nonsense.Love,Alex Tisgood156 Silver Reckoning1224 Gold ReckoningDear Alex,I hope you get this letter. I did get the letter you sent with the "strange owl man" as the Elves called him but I’m sorry to say that I received none of the others. I believe the man was a Paladin of Ulula, a benevolent Owl God worshipped in these lands – the mightiest of their Paladins fly upon the backs of giant owls in battle. Quite amazing, actually. He might have heard about me or somesuch, or maybe Ulula brought that letter of yours to me. I’m not much a fan of the Owl God, or most Gods in general, but if they get my brother’s mail to me maybe they deserve a song or two. Anyhow, we are under a blockade from the Gold Empire so everything basically has to be smuggled in.So I’ve got a gig playin’ soupchin. I hooked up with our cousin Thane. Best keep that under your hat – Trumbles and all. He really does have a problem with promises. Miranda the Green Night and Skier Jasmyn fill us out. Sometimes the ex-sheriff of Hightree plays with us, Dustin (dirtier than a goblin, but does all right with the dogs). We call ourselves The Green Heralds and we’re wintering in this little hole called Ladiemyst. We even played for the Duchess a few times. I’m making good money and even getting a bit of a name – there are all kinds of rumors that you might hear. Probably easiest just to answer them with a polite nod if it’s a foreigner type, but feel free to set any family straight. It was really nice to hear about Ma’ and Da.’ Somehow, I didn’t receive the story of our Da’s finest hour with the sheep and all, but wondering about what that could be is makin’ me more bonkers than the smell of Auntie Cinnamon’s cookies. Please send me another copy when you can. I gotta’ say that mentioning Leslie Cherryling really brought up some old memories. Most folks thought Alison Berrymuffin was the cutest, but Leslie Cherryling had eyes that could charm a Dragon and a nose to match. And that chin! I remember that night you were talkin’ about. She must be married and baking pies for the cutter ceremonies by now. I’ll bet her kids are A-dorable.The whole thing nearly brought me to tears to tell you true. Not Leslie, really, but the whole thing about home. The choices we make… I often miss the Silver Cities – the folks here just aren’t the same. There is Hightree, but, well, it’s Hightree. We don’t even get up there much. Sometimes I get homesick terrible like. On the other hand, here I am novel. Special. A big fish for a "half-man" (as the longlegs call us); while at home, there are dozens of bards just like me, or so it seems. Here I have a chance to be somebody, while at home, I am just anybody.Anyhow, on to better things. This small time huckster here, Smallgus is one of my better fans. He’s a snappy chap and but he has the ugliest crow of a familiar you never saw. I think the bird is part wolverine. One thing they do have here are really excellent pies. If I could only send you a bumbleberry by owl… heh then I’d know I really lived in a kingdom.Take care Alex. Your letter will keep me warm all winter.Love,Randall</blockquote>

Verification