This is the journal of Sir Woge and his (kind of) lands, Snakesfreckles. Page 2The Baron permitted me several days in his library, during which I spent most of the time scouring maps and geological surveys of the land I was to travel to. The library contained a wealth of knowledge about the area, and I was able to compile many valuable notes about the Shady Swamps:
In a broad view, the Shady Swamps are located in the South West of the Land of Seas.
The immediate region is known as the Everseeing Planes. The Shady Swamps are centrally located in the region, just beneath the foothills of a vast mountain range. Make note of the
two goblin towers located in the foothills the Shady Swamps rest against.
The charter clearly mapped out a very large span of land for the mission in the south of the Shady Swamps.
The land allocated in the charter can best be described as a temperate freshwater swamp. It is a generally warm climate with calm surroundings. The brook Hogstunts the New Bog runs North to East.
The Shady Swamps appears to consist of three primary biomes. I have parsed the mission's lands on a map to show the approximate flora and geographical traits below.
The majority of the mission's land (the green shaded area) can best be described as a woodland area with moderate vegetation. Surveyors have found white sand, clay, gabbro, granite, and diorite in the area.
The Western reaches of the allocated land (the blue shaded area) is similar to the central area on the surface. The geological features are likely to vary though, containing silty clay, silt, limestone, phyllite, and diorite.
Lastly, the South and East of the misson's lands will likely be similar to the central area in geological features, but is much more heavily forested, with thick vegetation.
The topography of the area is well documented.
Based on the maps and discussion with scholars and travellers, I determined the area to be easily accessible by humans, goblins, elves, and dwarves. The proximity to two goblin towers will surely prove to be trouble and the ongoing war with the elves will need to be taken into account as well...
As a part of my petition to the King, I requested permission to bring my best friend, Sor Kamcapuc, with me to aid in establishing the sanctuary. The King's charter granted my request, labeling Sor as the estate keeper for the mission. Sor was my kitchen ledger master, among other things, and a capable swordsman to boot.
The King's charter assigned five other men and women to accompany us:
A woodsman, a carpenter, a ranger, a farmer, and a soldier. The charter did not specify the circumstance of the assignments. I could only hope they were not all banished exiles or convicted criminals serving some form of punishment... Whatever the circumstance of their involvement, I was assigned the role of expedition leader and I expected them to follow my orders obediently. I was a knight, after all.
The King's charter dubbed our group Monthaguk, The Holy League. We were authorized and endorsed by the crown to establish the mission Roshaicop, Snakesfreckles, in the honor of the glory of Egu, to provide sanctuary, aid, and protection to refugees and worshippers alike. I could only hope the experience proved more rewarding than life in a military kitchen.
I already knew Sor quite well, but our five companions were all unknown to me until shortly before our departure from the capital of the Severe Union. Introductions were quick and to the point, but I managed to compile some notes about each member of the Holy League shortly after meeting them:
Sor Kamcapuc, my best friend and trusted companion. He was under my previous employ as ledge master of the kitchen's stores. He is one of the smartest men I know and he has saved me many a head ache with his administrative skills. There was never a time when the kitchens ran out of stock or were overstocked. Sor managed to keep a steady supply of meats, cheeses, breads, and drink in the stores at all times. I will hold comment on his opinion of being assigned to the Holy League...
Ad Desliramul, our woodsman. My first impression of him was one of disappointment. His attitude was far from positive. He really came across as a pitiful little man. Ad came across as the type you would normally feel sorry for, but oozed so much overwhelming self pity that it becomes hard to feel anything but contempt towards him. Regardless, his skills with an axe against tree were appreciated.
Ina Etelaslem. If I had not known any better I'd have thought Ina to be a virulent new recruit in the military. She came across as the perfect soldier; an obedient, dutiful, simple young woman. Her father was the personal carpenter to some Baron or another and apparently she followed in his footsteps and learned the trade of carpentry. While I would certainly would have appreciated her as a soldier, I did not discount her value as a craftswoman.
Mete Gethdazcek. Guardsman Mete was assigned to the Holy League to serve as our enlisted military man... or... woman. I was quite surprised when I found out her skills and assignment. During our brief introduction it became apparent that she was attempting to prove herself in life, primarily to her father. I actually knew of and had met her father previously. He was a knight and champion for the Baron I served. Apparently Mete was his only child, and somewhere along the line he took to taking his disappointment in not having a strong military son out on her. As such she had been trying to prove herself as a soldier for much of her life. A pity, for she immediately came across a lovely woman who one might expect to find in the court. But her up front beauty would have been the downfall for any man that tried to take advantage of her; Mete's squad leader told me she was deadly with the sword and stronger than most of his squad, possibly even stronger than himself.
Udda Kadotir, ranger. Udda came across as a 'to the point, no non-sense' woman. I had trouble reading her emotions and could not successfully pry much personal information from her. She was very forward with business related discussion, but had little desire to participate in small talk. She was previously a sanctioned hunter for the Baron. I joked that perhaps my kitchen had served her meats. She did not laugh.
Ulum Eripiral. As a child I met many 'Ulums' before. It took no more than the sight of him to determine he was a field hand or farm worker of some sort. He carried the classic outdoor field worker's demeanor and attitude and I could hear his paced but determined voice before he even opened his mouth. Ulum was the classic farmer in appearance and attitude. Many of my childhood friends grew into Ulum's.
Shortly before embarking on our journey, I had Sor file my notes about our expedition members with the other documents I had packed away. Sor read through my notes, chuckling most of the time. He then sat down with a pen and added some notations of his own. It was not until he was nearly done that I approached and read what he wrote. Sor made his own observed notes about me, Woge Lecbeduqueh.
The King was generous in supplying us with a reliable amount embarkation equipment and supplies. I owned few personal belongings, a side effect of being a military man. The few items I did have to my name, I packed up and sent to my father, along with notification of my new post as leader of the Holy League. I wanted to enter the Shady Swamps as a new man. Technically, the charter released both Sor and I from our military duties. As such, I wanted to start my life anew. Tabula Rasa.
Mete, being a soldier herself owned few personal belongings and as such did not have anything to bring along. Interestingly, the charter made no mention of her responsibilities as a soldier. Being a knight, I figured I would still maintain military superiority over her, but the conditions seemed very vague. Ad, Ina, Udda, and Ulum all for the most part sold their assets and sent the proceeds to their families. They knew coinage would be of little value on a small fledgling mission and their assignment as being under my charge was based on duty and not pay. Mete, Ina, and Udda all embraced that idea easily. Ulum just didn't seem to care, but Ad immediately proved a little more difficult to control. Sor was Sor... he knew he was bound to me by duty, but we also had a bond of friendship and respect. I knew I could rely on him and I hope he knew I would maintain my respect for him.
During the journey the ledger containing our initial supplies was lost while forging a stream. As such the only records of our initial supplies is the full listing of what was on hand when we arrived at the Shady Swamps and unloaded our gear.
The journey proved to be rather simple. We traveled by wagon and boat for differing parts of the journey, making good pace. Perhaps the abundance of military experience amongst the crew made for a better march pace, too. Udda provided for us fresh food during the journey, supplying meat of a variety of different animals encountered along the way. This permitted us to save many of our foodstuffs that we had packed away. She would have made a great scout or markswoman in the military. Ina and Ad were a great addition to the march as well. Between the two of them they could whip up a wagon or small boats in a matter of hours. Their skills afforded us a much better range of travel options than just sticking to either land or sea.
During the journey I managed to get to know my travel companions much better. I am quite proud of my character reading skills, for all but Ad are exactly as my first impressions portrayed them. I must admit that Ad is not nearly so pathetic as I initially thought. He is still rather pathetic, though. Udda also managed to open up a little more. I suppose she just lacks some social skills, having been alone in the woods much of her life.
Traveling as an expedition proved to be more pleasant than marching as an army squad. Being able to socialize with Sor passes time when walking nicely.
I can tell that my authority will hold out over this lot. They seem to be obedient but still possess the self-will that can be expected of people free from military obligations. Mete maintains a level of civil obedience towards me, but she has made it clear that I am
not her commander, as I am technically not in the military any more. I fear I must accept this situation, for I cannot just go to her squad leader back at the Baron's keep to have the situation clarified.
You are now nearly caught up with my life to this very point. Today it is the 29th Obsidian, 203. The new spring is soon to come and, if my navigation skills prove to hold true, so is the Shady Swamps. I have had much free time to write during the journey, during which I wrote most everything you've read so far. Now you are caught up and I will attempt to give a more presice account of what is going on, on a day to day basis. Hopefully the next time I write, it will be in the Shady Swamps at the future location of Roshaicop. Snakesfreckles, prepare to meet Monthaguk, The Holy League.
[con't]
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Topic: The Journal of Sir Woge and his (kind of) lands: Snakesfreckles (Read 26397 times)