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Author: vince
Date:Feb 22 2005

From edge of the world to the other - a carpenters adventure
  The reason I left was a letter from my family. I had a new brother
so I was quite much forced to travel home to see him. Unfortunately
my home was quite a way from Rilynt'tar where I worked as a carpenter.
True, I could have gotten a job nearer my home, but I had wanted to see
the world a bit, as all young men do, so here I was, on the other side of
the world and I had to get back.
  The idea of going by ship was a bit risky since the southern seas were 
in turmoil due to the winter storms, so I'd have to go overland. A week or
so on the road, give or take a day depending on the moods of the sea gods
of north, because you couldn't get to my home, the village of Red Tides, 
without a boat unless a pair of wings could be aquired.
  So I notified my master that I would be gone for about three weeks and
since he was a family man, he understood my predicament quite clearly.
Almost scolded me due to on the reason that a decent son would already be
running half a mile from the city at this time. So I decided to heed his 
advice and take my first steps on the road, since it wasn't much past noon 
then.
  The northern road was my choice, even though it was a bit risky going on 
it alone when the winter was drawing near. For some reason, there always 
were orcs southwards, and kobolds northwards from the mountains the road 
traveled along. Even though they normally didn't bother the city much, 
except when they came drinking and carousing there, some young orcs might 
be just without a thing to do, except waiting for the crops to grow, and 
theyd sometimes get in fights with the single travelers. The kobolds on 
the other hand weren't much of a threat, but a wise person would still 
keep his distance from them since they were mischevious and often played 
pranks on the travelers. And I was in a hurry, so no time for them.
  So I took a brisk pace along the mountains and across the desert road. 
Mosquitoes were getting noticeably fever on the swamps so the trek was a 
quite pleasant and as it was my first day on the road, my feet felt quite 
light and I walked a few whiles past sundown, reaching the lake southward 
of the pass and camping there for the night.
  On the second day I slept late, found that my rushing had made all my 
places stiff and that my nose was peeling from the sun. Stupid of me to do 
such things really. But onward I went through the pass, took a turn to 
the southwest and walked all the way through the valley, ending up at a 
camp site a passing traveler had told me about. The site was a half an 
hour past a walled city, but those were always built by some great 
adventurers, and the rumours told that many a coin was needed to buy a 
room for night and a small fortune for a house to live in one, so I 
thought better not to use what money I had to sleep in a bed fit for a 
kings moneypouch.

  The third day dawned, a quails beautiful song pierced my sleep and I 
smiled to a new day on the sunlit road. The good thing was that there was 
enough water to fill my canteen, the bad thing was that I could have 
filled it from the brook near, and the help of the sky would not have been 
necessary. But it gave me help, and a lot. The road was as muddy as a 
cattle market from all the downpour and my first hour on the road was 
quite frustrating. I almost turned back for the walled city, but then the 
forest turned to a jungle and the thick canopy eased my travel somewhat. 
Thank the gods of nature for these kind of things. Near noon I passed 
yet another walled city, and bought an oiled leather cape for the rain. 
This was an excellent solution, since now I didn't have to hop in to the 
river every now and then to dry off.
  The sun was setting when I happened to get my sights on the famous Inn 
of the Four Winds and thought that this might be a swell night for a warm 
bed and a room to dry off my clothes.

  The feeling in the inn was nice, a magnificient bard was holding a 
performance, and a fairly hilarious play it was. I even bought a drink to 
the fine performer and chatted for a while. Ah, the tales he told me. A 
life of music and song must be truly filled with delight and wonder.
  A new day broke and I put on my nicely dried clothes, paid the room and 
left for the road again. And a good thing it was because just as I walked 
out from the inn, I was pushed down by a raging group of battle-frenzied 
rangers and a wizard running into the inn. I took the advice of my feet 
that had alredy formulated a well thought escape plan that consisted of 
moving them extremely fast for most of the time, and not looking back 
unless I wanted to see what a rangers axe did to the lower jaw of a 
luckless carpenter.
  It was nearly noon when I arrived at the Seabird Inn, which is funny, 
because it was supposed to be almost a days walk from the Four Winds. Fear 
does give you wings then I supposed. So I took a room, ignored the 
opportunities of gambling and luscious young ladies due to the fact that I 
needed help from Sven, the bouncer, to get up to my room.The reason being 
that my feet seemed to have gotten tired of their bones and switched them
to porridge.
  The fifth morning of my journey wasn't even upon me when I woke up and 
left the inn with shambling steps. Since I couldn't get much of a speed to 
aid my journey, because my feet had gotten bored with porridge and seemed 
to fancy lead this time. So I had to do with time on the road instead to 
get onwards.
  The northern world was said to be full of excitement and happening, 
which I found almost immediately upon leaving the inn. In the twilight 
before dawn, four trolls jumped me when I was walking on the bridge.
  A few thoughts went through my head, but they all seemed to consist 
mainly of different bodyparts that the trolls could eat first. Luckily the 
thought I kept in my mind was "do not soil your pants".
  I could tell of the marvels of secret arts of carpentry, how to saw a 
trunk in three swipes, how to cut a giant redwood with a single stroke and 
how much blood does a troll let out when these skills are used to 
annihialate four of them. But since I'm an honest person and those skills 
don't excist, I shall recite the truth that is far more incredible. The 
trolls weren't going to eat me at all. After explaining that since the old 
days the troll bridge had been a concept and they were very much 
traditionalists, I realized that every race has it's own cultural customs, 
and trolls pouncing on unsuspecting travelers could also be a nice 
folkway. Unimaginable. It's a good thing that the ages have civilized the 
different races so much.
  So upon leaving the joyfull company of my trollish would-be-assaulters, 
I trekked onwards through the forest, passing the fabled adventurers city, 
Orion, the majestic ruins of the old Bat City, rumoured to be the greatest 
township of its days, and I finally made it to the capital of Bat City.
  Before setting off to find a ship, I once again walked the fine streets 
of the largest of our cities and marveled how the place always made me 
feel so small. The smells of exotic spices from every corner of the world, 
fine shops, craft the likes of one can only dream to make once a lifetime, 
people and things so many, so different. It always overwhelmed me to be 
here, all the races, all the wonders. A dwarf was having a drink with a 
giant, best friends from the looks of things, a lich was conversing with a 
valar, an elf haggling with an orc. The marvels and tolerance that the 
city gave unto everyone. This was the true Bat City, a place where 
everyone smiled to each other, a place where none feared and all could 
live along, side by side. After seeing it again, I knew what I would say 
to my newlyborn brother, how I would bless him with the hopes of seeing 
people for what they really are, not for their appearance.
  As the night was setting in, I found a ship that would make a quick way 
to Rendenburg, spend the night there and carry me to home. As I sat on the 
deck watching the sun set, I felt that special tingling that comes from 
anticipation and knowing that the end of you jorney is near. A taste 
tinged with home-sickness, a hint of weariness and a happiness almost 
unbound.
  As the eve rolled to night, night to dawn and dawn change to afternoon, 
the shores of my island came to view. The crew put out a longboat, rowed 
me, a few people and some supplies to the shore. I was home again. The 
people coming along asked if I cared to show them the way to the village, 
I quickly told them the route and ran for it, for my anticipation was 
about to burst out of my chest lest I see my family and my new brother 
soon. Less than an hour it took for me to reach the village throught the 
paths and passes I had ran along as a child.
  The door seemed to burst open 
to my touch as I sped through it to hold my dear mother in my arms for the 
first time in almost two years. And all the adventures I had experienced 
on the road, seemed like a boring afternoon as I laid my loving eyes upon 
my new little brother and held him in my arms. The greatest pleasures 
really weren't from adventure, but from the smiles of our beloved ones.


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