Letters Home!

[Iron Dragoon]

Yo, this is an offline RP thing I decided to run with to go with my character.. If you read on Thaeos' background, he's sending money back to his mother. This goes with that. I decided to write letters to my 'mother', Ahlana Longstrider, telling of my travels and encounters.. These letters will be written at the end of each 'adventure' or at each city we encounter. I also got the idea to send a small trinket/gift with each, as well.. So, here's the first of Thaeos' letters home..
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Mother,

I hope this letter finds you in good health, if it finds you at all.. I'm writing this from Saradush.. But I'll get to that later.. On the way here, I had an.. unusual.. experience..

I was camping out by a lake a few days out from Saradush, and I was down for the night.. I woke up, but wasn't sure why. I felt something in the air, and left my tent with my sword in hand. Outside of my tent were willow wisps, dozens of them, all lined up in two rows, marking a sort of path that led into the waters of the lake. They did something to me, I don't know what, but my memory became fuzzy after this.. I remember steping into the lake, and a few bits of walking on the lake bed, but I don't remember anything until I found myself inside of a room filled with water. I searched around and found a door. While I was going around the room, I realized I was *breathing* the water.

I opened the door, and it spilled me out into a temple. The main room had no markings or trapings of the gods, but the cieling was made of glass! I could look up and see the waters of the lake with the moonlight shifting through them! It was beautiful, and humbling.. As I searched around, I came across a holy book. After reading through it a bit, I found out that this was a temple to the goddess Selune. I offered her some prayers for forgivness and protection, as well as to Fharlanghn.

As I kept searching the temple for a way out, I came across a bow made of solid silver.. A bow I've never seen the like of, mother. I look upon it now and feel it should have a Bard's song hanging over it, and I feel humbled and unworthy of it.. 'What's this? My son robbing a temple of the gods!' you must be saying to yourself.. Heh, I did not rob the temple, mother, you did indeed raise your wayward son better than this. 'But, why then do you have it now?' you ask? Easy to relate, mother, impossible to explain..

As I saw it for the first time, I am ashamed to admit I was over come by it.. My first thoughts were of it's beauty, and I did indeed pick it up, though not without nervousness! After I held it for a moment, I was shamed at myself for desiring this thing.. And I was of a mind to repent, to place it upon the alter of Selune, and pray forgivness of her.. But then, another wonderous thing happened.. I heard a voice.. I know not if it was the bow its self, the spirit of a long past priest, a spell, or the goddess Selune herself, but it spoke to me, told me a task.. I will relate it as best as I can..

"The stars to the traveller- light, map, and comfort in the night. But against those who would blot out the night- the stars craft this bow, for a worthy one. Stars fling themselves- towards their fate, the end of enemies. Find first the string- in sun-scorched land, beyond the drake- you'll know it's there when thirst you slake."

'Ah, now I know, my wayward son is trying to pull one over on his aging mother,' you're telling yourself now, aren't you? I would be of the same mind myself, were I you.. But mother, I swear this on the paths I walk, and on the path of the Traveler, Fharlanghn, this is the truth of it. I, like you must be thinking, was unsure of myself being the 'worthy one' spoken of, and, in my awed state, I actually asked that question out loud.. *That* I'm sure you can imagine, can you not mother? Your son, asking questions of the air, in yet another place only he would be foolish enough to stumble on.

In response to my question, another small wonder happened.. The doors which I came through, previously shut and holding the water at bay was opened! And the water was held back by nothing, yet did not come rushing in! I did the sensible thing for the first time that night and left as quickly as I could.. 'My son, doing something *sensible!* It must truely be the work of the gods!' Aye, I can hear you, mother, laugh at your son all you want. I've earned it, after all, going into lost temples, taking holy artifacts, and running through a lake with no thought of getting the breath to make it to the shore.. But I tell you, I made it to shore, but only because I was once again blessed by the goddess, I believe, for I was still able to breathe the water!

Once back at my tent, I quickly changed out of my wet clothes so as not to catch my death, and wrapped the silver bow in my old cloak. I must admit, I was shaken enough to sleep the night with my sword in hand.. The next morning, though, I returned to the road, heading for Saradush..

When I arrived, I made straight for a merchant and bought a replacement cloak. It's a good cloak, solid and earth-toned. It will serve me well in the low lands and sparse forests, I think.. The merchant turned me to the Mayor, who was looking for help with a task.. I don't know what the task is, yet, but it is for the Mayor.. Hopefully I will make enough to send you money to keep you in comfort for the next month.. And yes, mother, I can hear you thinking, 'Oh son, don't worry about your old mother, she was working long before you and can take care of herself.' Just because you can, doesn't mean you should, and we've argued about that already. I have no great use for money, but you do, so take it and stop complaining..

Anyway, the merchant also turned me to an inn.. Of course, the innkeeper was like every other one in the world.. Cheery, inviting, and agreeable.. And utterly ignoring any requests at all.. I ask for a room with a window, at the least, and I get a broom closet of a room. Bah! But no matter, that is where my path has led me at this moment.. When I first entered this room, I locked the door and again looked upon the bow.. I had a thought to get use out of the bow, instead of just carrying across the lands until I found this string I was spoken to of.. I tried stringing it with a normal bowstring, but alas.. Every attempt I put forth had the string sliding off the bow, and it eventually snapped! I sighed as I wrapped it in my old cloak, once again bothered by how I must hid such a bow in my old, tattered, cloth.. But, that's for another day.

I have just entered into the city, and have yet to really stop and get you anything.. But I have included the broken bowstring in this letter.. It is not much, but it does show the foolishness of your son, does it not mother? Anyway, it is a small thing, and not worth much, but it is a thing of your son, and with it, I hope it is a step closer to our next meeting..

Here I am, in a small cubby of a room, looking at a bow of solid silver and writing a letter to my mother so she knows of her son.. And most likely worrying her more than if I was to keep silent. None the less, mother, I am well, and not unhappy with where I am.

Keep well, mother. I will stop in for a visit, though I'm not sure when.. But I promise you to return.
-Thaeos Longstrider, son of Ahlana Longstrider

[Iron Dragoon]

Second letter home! Woot!
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Mother,

Not more than a night has passed since I finished my last letter, and already I have things to write about. At this rate I will be old and graying back at home with you before the year is out! I met with the Mayor, and was more than slightly surprised.. When I arrived there were people waiting as well.. A muscular man who seems to be a Monk of some sort.. Don't know anything about their 'orders' but he seems a solid man.. I'll be happy to have him with me.. Two of the others are women.. This is most welcome, obviously, but they are an odd pair.. They seem to not know each other, but they have things in common.. And are also very different. They both share pale skin.. Like they haven't seen the sun in months, but they don't show the discomfort that would go with it.. Their eyes are also strange.. One has eyes of red and the other blue. I'm not certain, I haven't looked too hard.. Don't want to be rude about it, but I think they also have fangs.. There are plenty of odd races in the lands, but I haven't seen those features together before.. Ah well, might just be my imagination.. It runs wild after being out for so long. The fourth was a huge... man, sort of.. He's a half orc.. I'm not too sure about working with him.. My time spent in the militia often put me face to face with orcs, so I know what they're capable of... I'm not sure how far I can trust this one.. He seems unlike any other orc, though.. He's cold and quick with his mind, it seems.. I'm not sure if that makes him more dangerous or not..

Anyway, seems the Mayor had a job for us. Some rich little girl was kidnapped, and he wanted us to bring her back.. Not bad work, I must say, so I agreed.. Have to keep an eye on that orc, though.. No telling if he's a part of it or not.. Never can tell.. Anyway, we leave tonight, so I'll write more after I return.

Well, the rescue went well, but not as well as I could have hoped.. And I'm the cause for that, sadly.. How I made such a simple mistake, I don't know.. I was moving up to a fence to get a clear shot to the house where the girl was being kept, and I stepped straight into a hole in the ground. Completely lost my balance, fell flat on my face, and made such a ruckus while doing it, I might as well have called out to the bandits... Well, turns out there were a fair number of archers in their group.. Heh, no match for me, of course! Anyway, we got a nasty surprise. There was some sort of demon-beast there! Thrall, the orc, made a horrible mess killing it. He beheaded it in a single blow! Seraphin, one of the women with us, is quite the sneaky one, too.. She was able to almost totally hide from me as well as the bandit guards.. Kethean, the Monk, impressed me as well.. He was quick to fight and concerned for all of us.. He has some magic, too, I think.. The last one, Maz, the other woman, is quite handy with her crossbow.. She's got skills with it I can respect.

After we defeated the group of bandits, we found the girl.. In a bad shape.. Naked and in shock.. I don't even want to begin to imagine what they did to her, and I imagine my face didn't reassure her too much.. Either way, I wrapped her in my cloak and brought her out of the basement we found her in.. I handed her over to Kethean, who seems to have a pretty good bedside manner. We got her talking and moving, and back to the town. Her father was waiting for us with the Mayor, and while he was polite, he was like every other rich man. His daughter seemed, oddly, reluctant to go with him, though.. Makes me wonder just how she ended up with the bandits in the first place, and why a demon kind would be with them.. Though I'm more annoyed the girl took my cloak when she left. Granted, she had nothing else.. But still! My cloak!

After our 'exemplary' service with the rescue, the Mayor asked us to check out some odd happenings in the country side.. Battle sites from many groups, none known to the locals. We leave in the morning to find what we can..

Well, we found a group.. After shadowing them for most of the night, we camped out hidden from him. In the morning, we tried to get close enough to find out about them, Seraphin and I, but -again- I was spotted.. I don't know.. I think the land around here is too unfamiliar to me, maybe. Anyway, I came up with this great, believable story for their camp guards... Which they didn't believe for a second.. Again we ended up in a fight. We managed to take down the group, but there were some iffy moments.. They had a mage, a fairly powerful one from what I could see.. But then, *all* magic is powerful, isn't it? Seems both Maz and Seraphin can toss magic around too.. Not too strange, considering they do look like they spend most of their time indoors. Apparently, the groups are fighting over some item or something, the way mage-folk do. They tried to explain it, and while Maz and Seraphin seem to have understood it, I was lost. Seems the mages were hiring mercenaries to fight it out, and were tearing up the land while doing it. We brought them back to the Mayor, who sent off to the kingdom for orders.. After that, he had nothing for us except to watch the mage..

Anyway, with this letter you should get a workman's hammer. It'll have the seal of Saradush on it. It's nothing impressive, but it seems to fit the strength of the townspeople, rebuilding after the war that almost destroyed it.. They're hearty people, here.. While guarded, and with good cause having just been through a war, they're not getting beaten by it. They still greet people on the streets, and they're dedicated to rebuilding.. They have my respect, that's for sure..

I'll write to you again as soon as I have more news for you..

Be well, mother, and keep safe.
-Thaeos Longstrider, son of Ahlana Longstrider
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The hammer is a heavy workman's hammer, the equal of a three pound sledge. On the head of the hammer, the seal of Saradush is imprented into the iron. The grip is typical; a solid wood handle wrapped in leather.