Post by Moni on Jun 9, 2019 11:41:12 GMT -5
what was Khamet??? doing during downtime??? find out in this shiny new journal!
warning: 9001 IQ ahead, guest featuring the 9001 IQ other paladins
warning: 9001 IQ ahead, guest featuring the 9001 IQ other paladins
Khamet's journal is filled to the brim of various factoids about Ur Zaihar. They seem to be written to be as accurate as possible. Also included are some reviews of Dyventain's food, dorms, and clothing. Khamet is of the opinion that they're not very high-class, but you can't very much complain about free lodging and free food. Besides, it's rather fun to see people going to school and being all studious.
Following this are a few small accounts concerning some people Khamet had met. They are not very interesting.
I have to say, I do like working here way more than I liked working back home! I think you will be proud to hear that people really like hearing my stories, both fictional and non-fictional! Both commoners and guards paid me a good amount of gold for my storytelling services, which means that I can finally tell my brother that he can stop being so smug about being ever-so-eloquent! And I will budget my money better than him, too!
You know who really liked the stories of Mankarah and his friends? Crezonis, of course! I visited him and talked to him and had a reasonably okay time, but he was getting tired, so I decided to read them to him! His favorite character is Mike, the human bard who loves Zotyl very much and manages to woo her! I feel like I have created very relatable characters, because he seemed to like all of them, really! I mean, he probably didn't like Weylin, because Weylin is a lazy jerk and also a... well, I can't spoil the story yet, but his character will surprise you greatly!
And Athenos... was there, watching Crezonis, just as the "fey spirit" wanted! I have to say that I really appreciate his dedication, because he was still watching Crezonis even then. He was too focused on him, alas, to really listen to my story, but he didn't complain, so it's a good sign that my stories have mass-market appeal too. He seemed to be eating fine... and sleeping... and going to the bathroom in the appropriate places, because I did not see any bird poop, so it seems he is not so unreasonable as to abandon his basic bodily functions. That is reassuring.
Did you know that Athenos speaks Sylvan? So does Crezonis, and in fact, all the centaurs. So I imagine they had a few conversations between each other. For example, Athenos knew that Crezonis was married, which he was kind of circumspect about, because he was afraid that the elves would use her as leverage! I don't think that he has a very good relationship with her, though. Or maybe he has the sort of relationship that Tally has with Alyzraena, I don't really know. I should have asked more about his culture. At least I wrote some of it down.
You did, in fact, read a bit about centaur culture a few pages ago. The centaurs wear a band that signifies their family ties, and this includes their spouses; when centaurs marry, they exchange their family colors. As for the pantheon, there are seven main gods, called the Septet, part of the Theosyne:
Kaizek and Veldros are brother gods that welcome new spirits to the Eternal Plains, and Veldros is the one that curses the exiled--those that did badly in life--to live alone in the Eternal Plains forever. Eunassa is the fertility goddess, wife to Kaizek, and Erilene is the law goddess, wife to Veldros. Sometimes, Erilene curses people together with Veldros. Only three of the gods have anything that resembles contact with the living, because they oversee animals and seasonal patterns. These three are Androna, Vasydos, and Evetrius. There are also two mysterious gods, The Beginning and The End, twins upon which there is no consensus. The centaurs worship all the gods and are focused on the afterlife.
Khamet notes that it is possible for an exiled person to be un-exiled after death by having somebody named after them. If the person that bears their name does enough good deeds, they may be redeemed.
Anyways, Athenos was very sweet and helpful, and I enjoyed chatting with him! Did you know that Amani and Meallan speak Sylvan, and that Amani speaks Sylvan a lot worse than Meallan? I did not, but Athenos did! How interesting it is that it seems to be a very prevalent language in my travels, because Sylvan is also the language of the fey--though obviously it is not exclusively spoken by the fey, so a fey may speak Sylvan, but not everybody who speaks Sylvan is a fey.
The people around here have to deal with them a lot, so they know quite a bit about them, especially the star student Rauliso had assigned to guard Crezonis! She was very nice and wore a fox mask, which was really nice, actually! It suited her well and the artistry involved was very artistic!
Khamet dedicates a whole page to drawing out the fox-mask. Apparently, the student told him something like it would be available at the market, which he plans on going to to pick up a new one.
I would love a mask like it. But did you know that these masks had a very practical use for the students, as well? Apparently, each student wears a different animal mask to prevent Arcaito from learning their identities, because fey can be very vengeful! I must admit, it is a rather creepy thing to think about: that Arcaito may have been watching me and Crezonis as we spoke--and that any warlock's patron could see me speaking to their... well, "slave" would be the word Raia would use, but here I shall adopt the more neutral "servant."
Which does seem the case with Crezonis. He agreed to give himself entirely to Arcaito. That does not sound like a very equitable or sound arrangement, but he very much distrusted the elves encroaching upon the plains, the centaurs' rightful territory. Arcaito, Lord of the Wild Spaces, also disliked the elves encroaching upon the plains, though that has certainly less to do with any desire for justice and more to do with the fact that Arcaito probably dislikes settlement in general.
It seemed like a natural enough alliance, though I'm not sure that burning Ur Deyn really helped with any of that. Did Crezonis intend to scare the elves away from ever making another settlement ever again? Perhaps. Elves do have a particularly long memory, one that lasts generations, so perhaps he hoped it may deter them for a few centuries, to stop their "invasion." But that seemed rather counterproductive; he is known and wanted among his own people, who did not, for the most part, agree with him. Not even his wife appeared to agree with him! Perhaps that is why he may have felt betrayed by her, and instead sought another partner in Arcaito.
Now, you may say that this is outlandish, but he did say that he and his wife were only "technically" married, and he spent some time describing how handsome Arcaito was. It's almost as strange as Meallan's devotion to his "lady," except Crezonis doesn't seem to be as deluded as he is.
Khamet does not approve of cheating on one's spouse, and thinks that Crezonis should have instead sought counseling instead of running off with a fey. He launches into a diatribe about how dating otherworldly people may seem exciting at first, but it is, ultimately, a terrible idea compared to somebody who truly understands you. You sense he has maybe too much experience with this.
I suppose when you can't make others care, you have to make them care, or at least, that's what he felt like, right? The elves and centaurs would not be so blase about their agreement to keep to their respective lands if a fey-powered being was able to do anything about it. I don't really think Crezonis actually accomplished what he set out to accomplish, though. Perhaps he could have used the fey magic to rally the centaurs to his cause instead of... whatever it was that he could do.
Maybe Arcaito doesn't really know a lot about how society works, because I feel like mass collective action would probably be better than banditry to accomplish his goals, too!
Khamet writes at length about society. He ends by making the extremely obvious observation that social institutions are more powerful than any individual, an observation that's perhaps more obvious to a human than to others.
If you were curious about how my party members fared (you were not), I know that Talsindra was challenging people to athletic feats and that Anthony was busy performing for people! I still have not seen Basil or Amani and I don't know what Meallan has been doing. He's probably eating grass or worms or something, I wouldn't put it past him. Basil was probably doing... Basil-y things, like thievery! He does like it quite a bit! I hope he does not get himself into trouble.
I also got some new letters from back home! The innkeeper very kindly keeps them for me, she is very sweet. I know I usually do not tell you about this, because I want to preserve their privacy! But I feel like they may elucidate things that I would not initially see.
Stapled to the next few pages are two letters: one from Raia, one from Cepith. Raia's letter is only partially in common, while Cepith's letter is entirely in a language you cannot comprehend. Each letter has its little quirks. Raia writes in short, snappy paragraphs while Cepith's letter resembles a great wall of text, broken up twice by what seems to be verse.
Luckily for you, it seems as though Khamet has directly transcribed parts of their letters into his journal, just as he said he would. First, from Raia:
[...]
I must say that your traveling companions certainly proved to be more... interesting than I previously had thought. I do not think you should get comfortable around them.
[...]
The drow--Talsindra--seems to be of good repute and has exceeded expectations. Granted, my expectations were quite low, so do not take this as a glowing endorsement, but she seems trustworthy enough. It is rather strange that she would attempt lying to you so brazenly, but it would be extremely suspicious if she acted like everybody else, given her cultural background. And given her cultural background, I would still exercise caution.
[...]
Basil does seem to have a big heart, at least--relative to his size, anyway. but he'll quickly get you into trouble if you're not careful, intentionally or no. Intentions are not everything, and trust can be dangerous. Thievery is not a victim-less crime, especially if he has such a voracious case of kleptomania, as you seem to imply.
[...]
Ah, Anthony is a strange specimen indeed. Traveling through time is a novel idea, and hardly the type of novel idea someone of his caliber would be able to make up, but then again, maybe I overestimate his caliber. Either way, I have never encountered anybody like that elf and that tiefling, though I would urge you to look at their side of the story, however possible. People are biased toward themselves, after all.
[...]
As for the half-elf, well, their association with the warlock is deeply troubling. They seem to want to learn from him, but a sorcerer does not need a teacher that neither has proper knowledge nor natural talent. Poor judgement all around, much like you! Amani reminds me of you, and you two seem to be around the same age; if you'd have grown up near them, you'd have probably been friends.
[...]
Is that... is that what the warlock looks like, in your drawing? That thing? He looks like the unholy result of a farmer messing with demonic magic to create a homunculus of all his barn animals. It's fitting that he relates so much to animals, since only they would so be so complaisant about accepting such a pact. I suppose, however, that animals are used to being chained, so this is no surprise.
Well, that was... unduly harsh. You could almost feel the hatred burning from the original letter and onto the transcribed page. You get the impression that she doesn't like warlocks very much. Next up is whatever Khamet decided was of note from Cepith's letter:
[...]
You always do seem to attract the most colorful of people, Khamet. I expect nothing less out of you.
[...]
Talsindra seems all right, and there's something to be said about a drow fighting against their deity, the Shadow Queen. It's doubtless that she must be under some personal pressure. Very kind of you to to try calming her down like that, but don't open up your own wounds too much, especially to somebody who would not trust you with something so frivolous as the identity of her partner.
[...]
I see you gravitate still to your family tradition, and I do not fault you for that! If this Basil is a good thief, then he is a good thief, and there's something to be said about that, but don't let him take a single inch from you, because he'll try to steal a mile, and then some.
[...]
Anthony's tale is intriguing indeed. Not that I doubt you, but his assertions are too far from my knowledge. If anything, the strangeness of a space-time continuum does lend credence to the notion that someday, they will discover so many things it will seem like gibberish to us. If he is not simply spinning a yarn, perhaps you should try learning something from him. Even if Anthony isn't a genius, the knowledge he would have would likely outstrip our own.
[...]
You're correct, Amani does seem to be rather sensitive about, well, everything. You said they were from Varentar, and a sorcerer as well? It's possible then that they have some... deep-seated issues stemming from sorcery, from what you've told me in the past. They would have not been well-respected there, and this may leave them to be a bit, shall we say, over-sensitive about their abilities. You really should tread more carefully around them.
[...]
I would not trust Meallan as far as I could throw him. His care for animals above people is quite telling: he prefers the company of those whose perceptions he can easily control, those whose minds are so simple as to be unable to sniff out his true nature. I have a feeling he may not want that to happen. I do not like the strange energy you describe about him: that alone would be justification for putting him out of his misery.
Following this are a few small accounts concerning some people Khamet had met. They are not very interesting.
I have to say, I do like working here way more than I liked working back home! I think you will be proud to hear that people really like hearing my stories, both fictional and non-fictional! Both commoners and guards paid me a good amount of gold for my storytelling services, which means that I can finally tell my brother that he can stop being so smug about being ever-so-eloquent! And I will budget my money better than him, too!
You know who really liked the stories of Mankarah and his friends? Crezonis, of course! I visited him and talked to him and had a reasonably okay time, but he was getting tired, so I decided to read them to him! His favorite character is Mike, the human bard who loves Zotyl very much and manages to woo her! I feel like I have created very relatable characters, because he seemed to like all of them, really! I mean, he probably didn't like Weylin, because Weylin is a lazy jerk and also a... well, I can't spoil the story yet, but his character will surprise you greatly!
And Athenos... was there, watching Crezonis, just as the "fey spirit" wanted! I have to say that I really appreciate his dedication, because he was still watching Crezonis even then. He was too focused on him, alas, to really listen to my story, but he didn't complain, so it's a good sign that my stories have mass-market appeal too. He seemed to be eating fine... and sleeping... and going to the bathroom in the appropriate places, because I did not see any bird poop, so it seems he is not so unreasonable as to abandon his basic bodily functions. That is reassuring.
Did you know that Athenos speaks Sylvan? So does Crezonis, and in fact, all the centaurs. So I imagine they had a few conversations between each other. For example, Athenos knew that Crezonis was married, which he was kind of circumspect about, because he was afraid that the elves would use her as leverage! I don't think that he has a very good relationship with her, though. Or maybe he has the sort of relationship that Tally has with Alyzraena, I don't really know. I should have asked more about his culture. At least I wrote some of it down.
You did, in fact, read a bit about centaur culture a few pages ago. The centaurs wear a band that signifies their family ties, and this includes their spouses; when centaurs marry, they exchange their family colors. As for the pantheon, there are seven main gods, called the Septet, part of the Theosyne:
Kaizek and Veldros are brother gods that welcome new spirits to the Eternal Plains, and Veldros is the one that curses the exiled--those that did badly in life--to live alone in the Eternal Plains forever. Eunassa is the fertility goddess, wife to Kaizek, and Erilene is the law goddess, wife to Veldros. Sometimes, Erilene curses people together with Veldros. Only three of the gods have anything that resembles contact with the living, because they oversee animals and seasonal patterns. These three are Androna, Vasydos, and Evetrius. There are also two mysterious gods, The Beginning and The End, twins upon which there is no consensus. The centaurs worship all the gods and are focused on the afterlife.
Khamet notes that it is possible for an exiled person to be un-exiled after death by having somebody named after them. If the person that bears their name does enough good deeds, they may be redeemed.
Anyways, Athenos was very sweet and helpful, and I enjoyed chatting with him! Did you know that Amani and Meallan speak Sylvan, and that Amani speaks Sylvan a lot worse than Meallan? I did not, but Athenos did! How interesting it is that it seems to be a very prevalent language in my travels, because Sylvan is also the language of the fey--though obviously it is not exclusively spoken by the fey, so a fey may speak Sylvan, but not everybody who speaks Sylvan is a fey.
The people around here have to deal with them a lot, so they know quite a bit about them, especially the star student Rauliso had assigned to guard Crezonis! She was very nice and wore a fox mask, which was really nice, actually! It suited her well and the artistry involved was very artistic!
Khamet dedicates a whole page to drawing out the fox-mask. Apparently, the student told him something like it would be available at the market, which he plans on going to to pick up a new one.
I would love a mask like it. But did you know that these masks had a very practical use for the students, as well? Apparently, each student wears a different animal mask to prevent Arcaito from learning their identities, because fey can be very vengeful! I must admit, it is a rather creepy thing to think about: that Arcaito may have been watching me and Crezonis as we spoke--and that any warlock's patron could see me speaking to their... well, "slave" would be the word Raia would use, but here I shall adopt the more neutral "servant."
Which does seem the case with Crezonis. He agreed to give himself entirely to Arcaito. That does not sound like a very equitable or sound arrangement, but he very much distrusted the elves encroaching upon the plains, the centaurs' rightful territory. Arcaito, Lord of the Wild Spaces, also disliked the elves encroaching upon the plains, though that has certainly less to do with any desire for justice and more to do with the fact that Arcaito probably dislikes settlement in general.
It seemed like a natural enough alliance, though I'm not sure that burning Ur Deyn really helped with any of that. Did Crezonis intend to scare the elves away from ever making another settlement ever again? Perhaps. Elves do have a particularly long memory, one that lasts generations, so perhaps he hoped it may deter them for a few centuries, to stop their "invasion." But that seemed rather counterproductive; he is known and wanted among his own people, who did not, for the most part, agree with him. Not even his wife appeared to agree with him! Perhaps that is why he may have felt betrayed by her, and instead sought another partner in Arcaito.
Now, you may say that this is outlandish, but he did say that he and his wife were only "technically" married, and he spent some time describing how handsome Arcaito was. It's almost as strange as Meallan's devotion to his "lady," except Crezonis doesn't seem to be as deluded as he is.
Khamet does not approve of cheating on one's spouse, and thinks that Crezonis should have instead sought counseling instead of running off with a fey. He launches into a diatribe about how dating otherworldly people may seem exciting at first, but it is, ultimately, a terrible idea compared to somebody who truly understands you. You sense he has maybe too much experience with this.
I suppose when you can't make others care, you have to make them care, or at least, that's what he felt like, right? The elves and centaurs would not be so blase about their agreement to keep to their respective lands if a fey-powered being was able to do anything about it. I don't really think Crezonis actually accomplished what he set out to accomplish, though. Perhaps he could have used the fey magic to rally the centaurs to his cause instead of... whatever it was that he could do.
Maybe Arcaito doesn't really know a lot about how society works, because I feel like mass collective action would probably be better than banditry to accomplish his goals, too!
Khamet writes at length about society. He ends by making the extremely obvious observation that social institutions are more powerful than any individual, an observation that's perhaps more obvious to a human than to others.
If you were curious about how my party members fared (you were not), I know that Talsindra was challenging people to athletic feats and that Anthony was busy performing for people! I still have not seen Basil or Amani and I don't know what Meallan has been doing. He's probably eating grass or worms or something, I wouldn't put it past him. Basil was probably doing... Basil-y things, like thievery! He does like it quite a bit! I hope he does not get himself into trouble.
I also got some new letters from back home! The innkeeper very kindly keeps them for me, she is very sweet. I know I usually do not tell you about this, because I want to preserve their privacy! But I feel like they may elucidate things that I would not initially see.
Stapled to the next few pages are two letters: one from Raia, one from Cepith. Raia's letter is only partially in common, while Cepith's letter is entirely in a language you cannot comprehend. Each letter has its little quirks. Raia writes in short, snappy paragraphs while Cepith's letter resembles a great wall of text, broken up twice by what seems to be verse.
Luckily for you, it seems as though Khamet has directly transcribed parts of their letters into his journal, just as he said he would. First, from Raia:
[...]
I must say that your traveling companions certainly proved to be more... interesting than I previously had thought. I do not think you should get comfortable around them.
[...]
The drow--Talsindra--seems to be of good repute and has exceeded expectations. Granted, my expectations were quite low, so do not take this as a glowing endorsement, but she seems trustworthy enough. It is rather strange that she would attempt lying to you so brazenly, but it would be extremely suspicious if she acted like everybody else, given her cultural background. And given her cultural background, I would still exercise caution.
[...]
Basil does seem to have a big heart, at least--relative to his size, anyway. but he'll quickly get you into trouble if you're not careful, intentionally or no. Intentions are not everything, and trust can be dangerous. Thievery is not a victim-less crime, especially if he has such a voracious case of kleptomania, as you seem to imply.
[...]
Ah, Anthony is a strange specimen indeed. Traveling through time is a novel idea, and hardly the type of novel idea someone of his caliber would be able to make up, but then again, maybe I overestimate his caliber. Either way, I have never encountered anybody like that elf and that tiefling, though I would urge you to look at their side of the story, however possible. People are biased toward themselves, after all.
[...]
As for the half-elf, well, their association with the warlock is deeply troubling. They seem to want to learn from him, but a sorcerer does not need a teacher that neither has proper knowledge nor natural talent. Poor judgement all around, much like you! Amani reminds me of you, and you two seem to be around the same age; if you'd have grown up near them, you'd have probably been friends.
[...]
Is that... is that what the warlock looks like, in your drawing? That thing? He looks like the unholy result of a farmer messing with demonic magic to create a homunculus of all his barn animals. It's fitting that he relates so much to animals, since only they would so be so complaisant about accepting such a pact. I suppose, however, that animals are used to being chained, so this is no surprise.
Well, that was... unduly harsh. You could almost feel the hatred burning from the original letter and onto the transcribed page. You get the impression that she doesn't like warlocks very much. Next up is whatever Khamet decided was of note from Cepith's letter:
[...]
You always do seem to attract the most colorful of people, Khamet. I expect nothing less out of you.
[...]
Talsindra seems all right, and there's something to be said about a drow fighting against their deity, the Shadow Queen. It's doubtless that she must be under some personal pressure. Very kind of you to to try calming her down like that, but don't open up your own wounds too much, especially to somebody who would not trust you with something so frivolous as the identity of her partner.
[...]
I see you gravitate still to your family tradition, and I do not fault you for that! If this Basil is a good thief, then he is a good thief, and there's something to be said about that, but don't let him take a single inch from you, because he'll try to steal a mile, and then some.
[...]
Anthony's tale is intriguing indeed. Not that I doubt you, but his assertions are too far from my knowledge. If anything, the strangeness of a space-time continuum does lend credence to the notion that someday, they will discover so many things it will seem like gibberish to us. If he is not simply spinning a yarn, perhaps you should try learning something from him. Even if Anthony isn't a genius, the knowledge he would have would likely outstrip our own.
[...]
You're correct, Amani does seem to be rather sensitive about, well, everything. You said they were from Varentar, and a sorcerer as well? It's possible then that they have some... deep-seated issues stemming from sorcery, from what you've told me in the past. They would have not been well-respected there, and this may leave them to be a bit, shall we say, over-sensitive about their abilities. You really should tread more carefully around them.
[...]
I would not trust Meallan as far as I could throw him. His care for animals above people is quite telling: he prefers the company of those whose perceptions he can easily control, those whose minds are so simple as to be unable to sniff out his true nature. I have a feeling he may not want that to happen. I do not like the strange energy you describe about him: that alone would be justification for putting him out of his misery.