Letter #1:
Kingsday, 8 Grimander
Dear Rowan,
I miss you!!!! It's so weird traveling with just Grumble. We bought a pack mule in the next town up from Brindinsford, a small place called Pothietown. It was nice enough, I suppose. I was just happy no one needed saving or anything bad was happening. But Zook can't carry me and all the gear we need, and neither can Brunhilde, so we got a mule. I named her Socks. Grumble doesn't like her as much as I do, so I feed her most of the time.
Sometimes I almost wish there was some problem or crisis or bad guy to deal with... nothing much to do on the road but think and remember. I think Grumble worries that I'm drinking too much, but he always worries about me. I saw him staring at a suit of gnome-sized full plate armor with a weird look in his eye; it make me laugh so hard imagining myself clanking around like one of those wind-up toys my father used to make us when we were little. Anyway, he did get me something much more practical, though... a set of super-durable thieves' tools made from adamantine, but they're the most intricately made tools I've seen. They're really pretty as well as functional. I gave him a big hug. I wanted to give him something. I found this empowered spell shard, and it totally works with Grumble's axe! He was pretty pleased that his axe now does even more cold damage.
Anyway, we're resting and resupplying in this mining town called Chapel Crest. It's the last primarily human mining town in Pythia, we'll be entering dwarven lands in another week or so, weather depending. Grumble says that'll be for the best, and we can go a lot faster moving underground, since the weather up in the mountains is getting bad pretty fast. We're already in the foothills of the mountains now, and there's frost on the ground every morning. Kartharine gave us a map of the lands East of the Dwarven Mountains. The whole place is just called 'The Blasted Lands.' Explorers and other folks go there from time to time, but Kartharine says it's not a safe place; even she doesn't have all that much reliable information about that area. She gave us a recommendation for a few dwarven loremasters who would probably help us. But she and Grumble talked for a long time, and they seemed to think the soul gem of the last dwarf king would be out in the blasted lands.
I wonder if we'll hire on more adventurers to join us? It would be nice to have other people to talk to, and some new faces, but on the other hand, I don't know that I'm ready to trust anyone new, either.
Oh, man! I've been writing Grumble all this time... he's going by Morkalek now. He's been a bit different ever since Brindinsford. I dunno... he seems a lot more sure of himself. He's growing out a beard, too! It's so weird.
I wish I could scry my family again to see how they're doing, but I don't think this town has any wizards or sorcerers who'd help me out. I'm writing letters to my brother as well as you. Well, Grumble's muttering something about turning down the light so he can get some sleep; we're setting out at first light. I'll write more again soon, I promise! You keep well, Rowan. Good luck with whatever new adventure you're mixed up in.
Love,
Badger
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Letter #2:Godsday, 23 Grimander
Dear Rowan,
Well, I got my wish, kind of. We are now a party of four. We were traveling in the same direction as some other folks out of that last town, Chapel Crest. One was this dwarven girl, a cleric of Moradin. Her name is Hanna, which is short for something that I can't pronounce without hocking up something in the back of my throat. I don't even think I've seen a dwarf as pretty as she is. Then there's Elody. She's a human, about my age, and is something called a candle-caster. She seems to be pretty good at magic, whatever it is. They're looking for a friend of theirs named Sir Oko or something like that, and Kaden, who is Elody's twin brother.
We weren't rude to these girls (well, Grumble was, but that's just him), but both of us kept our distance at first. We set up separate campsites a ways away from each other on the road, and all of that. Finally when some really stupid gnolls jumped us a few days later, Hanna and Elody came to fight with us. Grum- I mean Morkalek maintains that we didn't need their help, but Socks got hurt pretty bad, and who knows what would have happened if Hanna hadn't been there to heal her. I was suspicious of the two of them for the first few days after we started riding together. It's taken me a while, but I can't always be seeing Bel and Scarlet Claw assassins everywhere. They're both really nice. I think Morkalek is just annoyed that he has to travel with another bunch of girls. Elody is a wizard with braiding hair, she's taken to doing mine every morning. I turned her hair orange and red one day just as a joke, and she loved it! I've been turning her hair a different color every day ever since.
Hanna said she had a dream that her god Moradin told her to help Morkalek and me, and that she would find what she sought. I don't know... I really want to believe them, but I think it's just going to take time before I can really relax around them.
But a few days later, we entered the dwarven tunnels, and there was an ambush by some ogres! Can I say that I hate ogres? I hate ogres. They caused a cave-in, trapping us for most of a day until we dug ourselves out, tracked the ogres down, and kicked some ogre ass. I think I started trusting Hanna more after watching her frantically dig Morkalek out from under the rocks that got him, and healing him. As much as it pains him to admit it, it's a lot easier to get by with a cleric and a wand of cure wounds than it is to get along with just a wand. And Elody is pretty useful as well, for a magic user. She's definitely not Heidiana. I think she's younger than I am. She's shy around people, but she never complains and always does her share of the work. I want to like her, but I still can't forget how people have gotten under our guard before by seeming so helpful and good. I wish I could cast one of those spells that lets you see things the way they really are, or detect lies, or anything that could prove that they are who they say they are.
Being underground for days at a time is weird, but I'm getting used to it. We've got at least another month of traveling before we can take some older tunnels east and out the other side of the mountains. I'll keep mailing these letter to you as long as we're in dwarven lands; we've been stopping in these underground towns a lot, and they almost always have mail service of some kind. They're really... different. You kind of have to see them to understand, I'm not sure I could describe it well enough to do it justice. Elody says she just pretends she's in a regular city at night. One thing that is nice is that everything is so much closer to gnome size here! There are also quite a few gnomes around, I haven't spoken this much gnomish since I left home! Oh, the gnomish food... Evidently it's really popular over here, though of course no one makes a fricasseed apple cake like mom. The gnomes here have actually heard of Turen locks! I bought one of the most expensive ones for myself; it was one of my brother's designs, though not one of his newest. I pick it once a night before going to bed.
So aside from being the most homesick I've probably ever been ever... I'm doing okay. It's nice to have people to talk to, even if I don't trust them completely yet. I hope you're doing well too. You're probably out on some excellent adventure somewhere, killing things and breaking hearts. Morkalek hasn't killed anything in days... it's like watching him go off alcohol all over again. Midwinter Night is coming up in less than a month! Hard to believe that this time last year I was still trying to be a locksmith, and never thought I'd ever need to set foot outside Blackreach, except maybe to go to the Addunhome to visit family.
Okay, I should wrap this up. Morkalek says to tell you “hi.”
Love and hugs,
Badger
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