Sorry these are turning out to be little novels! I promise I don’t start out with that in mind. I just love getting into detail, and I really put everything I (as a player) remember into these entries. It helps me remember things when I go back to them later. So, if you guys hate them, at least I get some satisfaction out of them

Rusty

P.S. Yes, there is a nod to Star Wars in there. If you don’t catch it you need to go back and watch it. NOW.

I couldn’t be more happy that we are finally out of that miserable hole in the ground. It’s funny that I never cherished the sky until I had been without it for some time. I thank the Goddess that I was born a Seraph, and not a Gru’ Dwar. Surely I wouldn’t have happiness if I didn’t have flight. Ah my mother! Kiefieh keep her.

How we got back out to the open air is still somewhat of a mystery to me. After the blessings of the Goddess poured themselves out upon our little band, Bingo was finally able to open the chest that had fascinated him so much before the battle. As soon as the hinges started to give, an arc of lightning flew from the chest and collided with Bingo. I rushed to help him but as soon as I could get to his side he was already regaining consciousness. I examined the chest and opened it warily, but nothing further occurred. I couldn’t concentrate any further and sat down while Bingo rifled through the contents. Was that Kiefieh’s test? Should I have opened the chest instead? And I know the power of the goddess. Couldn’t her test have been more… Deadly? Hopefully she isn’t trying to kill us, but Bingo was barely harmed at all. I suppose I should be grateful! None of us were hurt.

I finally stood and looked over at Bingo. He was clutching his right hand like he’d been bitten but I couldn’t tell by what. I checked the chest and saw nothing more than some equipment. Nothing dangerous at all. Maybe he was suffering aftershocks of the lightning? I grabbed one of the long, elegant blades and joined Bingo in his misery. As soon as my hand closed around the hilt, the blade began to tremble. In fact, it shook so violently that it became impossible to keep my hand shut. I dropped it! Bingo looked at me like I was stupid for trying but all I could do was shrug. How would I know that’d happen? Gi’ Kar bent and effortlessly picked up the blade. It seemed made for him as he swung it through the air to test the weight. He seemed extremely satisfied, but still grunted. I assume it was directed at us - weaklings… I have no idea why it didn’t shock him, but I almost wish it had. Just to be fair!

With his hand still stinging, Bingo rummaged through the chest, avoiding the other blade. He picked up a book and examined it; tossed it over his shoulder. I picked it up, but I figured out why he tossed it. I couldn’t read what was written. The only legible words were “(something) Sarkil ‘Kai” If you call that legible… Mykal was looking over my shoulder and grabbed the book right from my hands, looking at it with great interest. I wonder if he can read it? Maybe he’s a scholar. I could learn much from a scholar! The next item to be discarded was a silver pile of metal. I picked it up and it smoothly flowed from it’s bunched-up shape. It unrolled itself in my hands and after I turned it about, I discovered it to be a shirt! Fascinating! I’d heard of shirts made entirely of metal, but I’d never seen one before. No one in my tribe owned one, because they were too expensive. Plus, that much silver would probably be more useful to trade than to wear. The back of the shirt had two slits, placed just so… Perfectly. In fact… To my amazement, not only was the shirt a perfect fit to my chest, but the slits were in a perfect position to push my wings out and use them! Truely, I have rarely seen something so incredible! This armor is so light I feel as though I am wearing a cloth shirt, even though it appears to be made of pure silver. And though it appears to be very tough, as armor should be, I still have a complete range of motion! It’s as though the shirt and my body are one. How is such a thing possible? Surely Kiefieh had a hand in it’s creation. Something so beautiful and incredible could only have been her doing. And yet she’s no smith. The Gods have surely favored me! I just wish I knew why.

Looking to my other companions, we had all found marvelous items, each seemingly attuned to each individual. We are so blessed! And I don’t think it’s a coincidence that these things all came from Kiefieh’s Box. I am starting to believe more and more that it is not chance that I am here. We have been chosen by the Goddess as her champions, and I must lend all the help I can to her cause.

Our fifth and final bond-brother arrived at this point, and unsurprisingly, there was an item in the box for him as well. What was surprising was the fact that he is a Sol’ Kal. Three in our little band so far. And I can hardly tell him from Gi’ Kar, as he is pure black: Another Lobite. Well, I guess telling them apart won’t be too hard. This one talks. His name is Kan’ Vi’ Don Lu. So many syllables! But he had a tragic tale to tell of betrayal and a nasty burial in sand. I definitely don’t envy him! But I wonder who would be so cruel? Even the thought of being buried alive is torturous! Regardless, he’s here and in a bad mood. It seems Sol’ Kal come in nearly as many personalities as they do colors.

Also in the box was a little bag filled with crystals. There was one for each member of our party, so we each took one. I started to put it around my neck, but this started to annoy me, so I wrapped the crystal around my left wrist and tied it so it sits against my skin. The amulet went to my right wrist. Much better!

We learned what these crystals were for as the door opened up and led us to the room with the mural of Orb on the wall. Curious. I’m sure we didn’t travel in a circle, and yet we’re at the same place. There are mysteries to unfold here, yet. The ghostly man appeared and gave much the same speech as last time, except he added a bit to the end about holding the crystal and saying something to go somewhere if we need to rest. It’s probably extremely important, but for the life of me I can’t remember what he said. I was distracted with the mural on the wall. It was the same as before, but this time the giant black blob on it was moving. A moving painting! Incredible! I took out my journal and added a few lines to my sketch and was able to add some detail here and there. The detail was so beautiful that a giant blob on the surface could only be a bad thing. I know the guy said we’d need to find someone before someone else does, and the bad guy has an army. Maybe the blob is his army. I’ve marked the blob on my map. It seems to be roughly in the direction we’re going. This doesn’t look good.

We exited the cave without any other interruptions and continued our journey across the sands. The time passed mostly uneventfully, with one exception. At one point, a giant beast erupted from beneath the sands. It looked roughly like the wampworms we hunt back home, on the grasslands. But those aren’t much bigger than two meters - This was bigger. Way bigger. It came up nearly under my feet, and my first reaction was to take to the air. Unfortunately I was looking down at it and a flash reflected from the sun off my new armor right into my eyes. I’m going to have to learn how to deal with this. I was blinded for a moment, and as I flew higher and higher until I regained my senses, Bingo was apparently able to kill it. I’m not sure how, but he put three arrows in as tight a cluster as I’ve ever seen, even from the Kalim’ Dor’s best archers. He must have a hidden talent. Or just some extreme luck. Either way, he killed it. The worm was ugly. Our only injury was Kan’ Vi’s camel. It got eaten by the thing before we could even think. Kan’ Vi’s sour attitude recieved a generous squeeze of lemon juice. Personally, I think that our own personalities will be harder to overcome on this journey than anything we might face.

After a bit more travel, we slowly made our way into some sparse grasslands. I feel so much more comfortable with grass under my feet. We approached a cliff overlooking a valley. In the valley appeared to be a huge commotion of men. An army. I feel fear just writing those words. There’s got to be a way around them. We headed on a path around when we were accosted by two… Men? I think they used to be Kaa’ Jah Kushani. But they weren’t any more. Whatever they were, they were dangrous. Our group spilt into an admirable battle formation, taking these two creatures on, with our teamwork. We landed blow after blow, tearing their flesh apart with our weapons. But no matter how hard we struck, they didn’t fall. I have no desire to learn what dark power fueled these men. In frustration, we tried more unconventional methods. Fire, arrows, slicing their tendons. They pushed each attacker back, unscathed and unfazed. Desperately I grabbed the one I was fighting in a bear hug. If we couldn’t kill them, then I’d pick them up and drop them from the cliff. At least they’d be out of our way. But this plan didn’t work either! As soon as I touched his moldy flesh, his entire frame seemed to crumble. Before I could even leave the earth, he was dead (again?). Seeing him fall, the rest of my companions tackled the other en masse. They completely pinned him to the ground and he died in short order. I can’t believe we didn’t think of it sooner. And yet, who of us had faced an opponent that no weapon could harm? I think if this and more like this is what the enemy has to offer, we’d best be on our toes.

I was thinking that we should come up with a tribal name of some sort. Or at least a name for our brotherhood. Aquila will propose this in the next game, and I’ll have an idea for what the name might be myself. I just wanted to give you all a heads up so you can have a name ready to suggest if you’d like. I didn’t want to catch everyone off guard with this.

Rusty

I met the fourth of our company today - At least I think it’s today still. we are still in this infernal dungeon. Cave, if you will, but it feels like a dungeon to me. I’ve scarcely had room to stretch my wings. And with the ceiling mere feet away, I feel cramped as though I were in Ka’ Lieth’s cage… But back to our new companion. Mykal is his name, and he’s a Kaa’ Jah Kushan. It’s strange how reassuring it was to see a Kaa’ Jah among us. Not that I bear any ill will against my Sol’ Kal brethren. In fact, I have great respect for them, as they’ve proven themselves far more worthy of the bonding year than I have. Of course, it’s still early in our journey, but I have a feeling I’ll be leaning on them much for support. Still, it’s good to see Mykal. Jathan, my best friend from the Kalim’ Dor was also Kushani. In a sense, it’s like his spirit has returned to support me. I don’t know Mykal yet, but I’m looking forward to bonding with him as I have with Bingo. Gi’ Kar still seems distant, even though he did open up a bit after the last battle. Battle! I can’t believe I’ve left it out this far. But it will have to wait longer yet.

Since my last entry, much (and at the same time, little) has transpired. We left our families and set off across the Kim-Seth desert. I’ve never seen so much sand and lifelessness. The barren-ness of it all left me feeling rather tired and weak our second week into the journey. I recovered a bit when we came across the well the Elders spoke of. It does me good to know that we are still on track. I have almost no ability to retain my bearings in this endless desert, but I trust in the others’ guidance. After the third week, a giant “Keevah” swept the face of the land. I heard the others say this word, and inferred that it meant the sand storm. I’ve never seen Kiefieh’s fury displayed in such a manner. I can only imagine that she meant to guide us to our destination, because I can’t imagine a reason she would cause such havoc. When I saw the maelstrom of sand on the horizon, I uttered a prayer to the Goddess and she heard me. She directed my gaze to an outcropping of rock to our left. We sought the shelter and found a sizable cave. I praised Kiefieh for her foresight and got set to write about what had occurred. I never got the chance though because Bingo couldn’t sit still for too long. He discovered that the cave was no cave at all. Indeed, it was a man-made thing, hewn right out of the rock. He beckoned us towards him so I stowed my book in my pack and went. In the next room we found ourselves face to face with the spirit of some long-dead man.

He spoke to us about how we were the heroes of Koreb or something. I wonder if all of the bonding journeys start this way. Not that I doubt the old man, but I don’t know what Koreb is, or that we’re heroes. I guess time will reveal all things. There was, however, a really interesting design on the wall. It seemed to be of our planet, but different. It was crisscrossed by sizable rivers and green valleys. Forests seemed to be in some parts of the landscape, where now there are none. I caught a quick sketch of it on the back page of this book. Hopefully I’ll be able to study it some more sometime.

I couldn’t at the moment, though, cause Gi’ Kar grunted his way through a door at the far end of the room, and found himself in trouble. I’d like to say I rescued him, but really all I did was get hurt. He found himself surrounded by four fiends wrapped in bandages. I don’t understand the significance of the bandages, as I can’t imagine anyone being that injured. Maybe they had religious meaning. Either way, Bingo found that bandages burn exceptionally well. I admire his ability to improvise so effectively and think quickly. I must try to remember skills like these for when I need to lead these men. The thought of leading anyone still scares me, but I think I can learn. Meanwhile, I’ve got to learn to take care of myself. It wasn’t until I saw one of the creatures close up that it appeared to be a man - A dead man. Only Ka’ Lieth would create something horrible like that. Bingo took some spoils from the last’s body, and I tried to call upon Kiefieh to heal me. I mis-spoke the power word though, and all I got was a resounding nothing. It was here that our bond-brother Mykal appeared and we said hello. He seemed hesitant to speak to us. I can understand why, I suppose.

We didn’t get to speak much. Gi’ Kar once again pushed ahead and found himself surrounded - once again. This time, he was beset upon by flying metal. There was armor made entirely of metal (a rarity in and of itself) suspended in the air as if being worn. They had helmets and bracers, and their gauntlets clutched swords. My Cha’ Or brothers would have been proud of me, as I quickly maneuvered my way behind one of the foes and ripped it’s helmet off. As though all life had left it, the entire suit fell to the floor and didn’t stand again. The others looked to my example, and helmets flew through the air from my brethren’s blows. I found a medallion tucked in the armor of the one I beheaded and put it on. It had a symbol on the chest, which I assume to be the symbol of Com Durak. Only the god of the earth could have made such suits of metal. I don’t know what the symbol stands for, but my first kill in the bonding year will always be a thing I wish to remember.

However, I don’t wish to remember what happened next. The ever impatient Gi’ Kar forged ahead. I rushed into the next room, not wanting to miss the action and saw a life-changing sight. Three giant beings, similar to my beloved Tauren, yet with the body of a man and much taller (I guess they must have stood about seven feet tall - and they were muscular too! Truly terrifying things), came out of the walls carrying giant axes. But what was more entrancing was Gi’ Kar. When he saw the one in the middle, which was even bigger than his comrades, he let out a ferocious battle cry and hurled his spear at him. The spear went clear through the giant’s chest, and the force of the hit threw him into the wall, where he was stuck by the spear. If Gi’ Kar can do such damage to a giant, what can he do to a man? I don’t want to be on the receiving end of his spear. I got courage from seeing the leader fall so quickly and formulated a plan myself: slide under the legs of the one closest to me and fly up behind him, slitting his throat from behind. I ran with gusto at the beast and executed my plan to perfection. Almost. He saw me coming and took a mighty swing at me with his axe.

My next conscious thought, I was lying on the ground, lying in my own blood. I almost panicked, but I thank Kiefieh that she granted me the presence of mind to speak the words of healing before I died. After I was sure that she mended all my wounds, I rolled onto my feet and saw that the giant that had attacked me was the only one left standing. The other was beheaded, and the biggest one was somehow lying in the middle of the room, far from where he died on the wall. The floors were slick with blood as my friends battled the last one. None of them looked to be healthy at all, so I decided against joining the fray and instead healed my brethren. I just thank the winged Goddess that we lived through this fight. I know that were it not for her power, my party would be short one Seraph. On considering, I suppose these must be creatures of Du’ Al ‘Sol Ter, as he loves to instill terror in others. I wonder if this isn’t some test from the gods to see how worthy we are. I cannot imagine what my Goddess has in store for us here. I just pray we prove worthy.

We got into the Oasis this morning. I always forget how massive this city is. It blows me away every time I see it. And so many people. I know that many of the older tribe members like to stay in the camp outside the city just because there are so many people. But I can’t keep myself away. It’s just amazing! That anyone can have the vision to see these buildings complete before the work even begins… And there’s so much stone. And yet, while the buildings stick out from the earth as though they were mountains, they fit right in to the earth too. It’s like they belong there. The craftsmanship is just incredible. The Cheraph who own this city certainly have gifts that I could never have. Everything moves so quickly here too. I’ve hardly had time to breathe since I got here.

*****

I don’t have the words to describe how I feel right now. I have no idea who put my name in the drawing, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t supposed to be there. I’VE BEEN CHOSEN FOR THE BONDING YEAR!!! How did this happen? I’m the only shaman in our group (so far… They chose five names, but only three of us were there at the ceremony) and I have no idea how to lead a tribe. I’m still learning from my mother. But I guess you learn while you’re out there, don’t you? And I guess no one said I was the leader. It just seems natural for the shaman to be the leader. What if there had been two shamans? I thank Kiefieh that it worked out the way it did. However, this will be kind of a shift of me, since I’ve never even been in really close contact with a Sol’ Kal at all. And the other two members are Sol’ Kal, so It will take some getting used to. Man, I’m so excited. What am I excited for though? I’ve been trying to figure it out. Nervous might be more like what I’m feeling. And scared to death. The elders announced we had to cross to deserts to the North and find a tribe of Gru’ Dwar which has not been heard of for some time. It only begs for me to ask where are they? And what is so important about them that we need to find them? I know the elders mentioned something about the new gunpowder weapons and something else, but honestly, the whole afternoon is a blur. All I know for sure is that my neck hurts - alot.

But I’ve gotta go, cause there’s supposed to be a feast for us tonight. I can’t get these jitters out of my stomach.

The Kalim’ Dor hail from the plains of the vast Southern Expanse. They are a nomadic people, never staying in one place for a very long time. In fact, they don’t bother to set up even temporary homes wherever they stay. All of their tents and equipment are carried by beasts of burden. Camels aren’t very easy to come by on the plains, so the preferred beast is the Quillboar, which are about the size of a Shetland Pony. They are essentially glorified hogs, with a thick furry hide. The name Quillboar comes from the dart-like quills that project from it’s face (they look like whiskers on a cat).

The tribe is unique in that it is composed mostly of Cha’ Or, and yet it is led by a Seraph shaman. The tribe officially worships Kiefieh, but sorcery is utilized in regular day-to-day living by most members of the tribe. This occurred because the tribe once captured a shaman of Kiefieh and her husband (Aquila’s grandparents). She slowly converted them to believe in the ways of the air goddess, but many members of the tribe have still clung to the old words of power. However, they are a rarity among Cha’ Or tribes in that infighting is almost non-existant, also, they refuse to take prisoners, and, in fact, as part of the conversion process have also freed all of their former slaves, many of whom chose to remain as part of the tribe.

The demographics of the tribe are roughly 70% Cha’ Or, about 5% Kaa’ Jah Kushani, 15% Tauren, and 2 Seraphs. There are also smatterings of other beings, with the exception of any of the other major races. The tribe is extremely well-versed in combat, due to the large Cha’ Or population.

The tribe generally has very little of value to other tribes, and don’t ever have much to offer when trading with others in the Gathering. In fact, the raids they conduct and The Gathering are usually their only outside contact. As such, they are a very close-knit group.

*****

The Tauren are also a rarity to find in large groups on Orb. They are almost another race in and of themselves, except that no god in particular claims them. Plus, they aren’t numerous enough to be considered a full-fledged race. They only inhabit a few small villages around the southern plains. The Kalim’ Dor has quite a few of them because they raided one such village, and kept many of them as slaves. When they were all freed, they chose to stay with the tribe. Now, the Tauren and Cha’ Or work extremely well together, complementing each other quite nicely. The Tauren look something like minotaurs, except that they have the entire body of a bull, rather than just the head. They stand on their hind legs like the other races and are about 6 feet, 3 inches tall. The men have horns much like a bull. They have four-fingered hands, rather than hooves, but their hind legs do end in hooves. They tend to grow their hair out long and braided (Similar to a Gru’ Dwar). The Tauren are a very spiritual people, seeking the blessings of the gods in everything, even before battle. 

*****

My reason for including that segment in the tribal history is that Aquila had several close friends among the Tauren, one in particular whose name was Marn. They were very good friends, and if I ever get Aquila to the point that he can have a sidekick, Marn will be joining him on his journey.

*** Sorry this is so long. It’s meant to be a kinda of character background. The next ones won’t be so long. Plus, I’m still trying to catch up to where we are now.

This morning I was woken pretty harshly as sunlight burst through the tent flap and pierced my eyelids. My best friend pushed his way into my room. He was ectatic and his boisterous voice hurt my head - alot. I urged him to go back to sleep, and the absence of pain told me that he took my advice. Sometimes, the threat of bodily pain can make a person think twice. Especially since he knows I’ll follow through with it. I’ve never hurt him, of course, but I really don’t think he knows that I wouldn’t. Of course, he does know that he just woke me up. And he knows he robbed me of whatever sleep I would have gotten. Jerk. Jathan’s my best friend, but sometimes his over-eagerness and just general zest for life has gotten him — and me — into trouble. He’s the curious, inventive one. His schemes have gotten us caught between a rock and a hard place more than once. I’m the smart, cool-headed one. I’m the one that gets us unstuck. Sometimes, though, he makes me think too hard. Like now, when I should be sleeping instead. Whatever… I needed to get up anyways. The tribe is on the move towards The Gathering, and the morning hunt is going to start soon.

*****

The morning hunt was routine. I don’t even know why I go anymore. They say they need me for my eyes. Whatever. But it does give me time to fly and not feel like everyone’s watching me. I hate that. Being the only winged Seraph in our tribe, I guess it’s still a little new for people. In the hunt at least, they expect me to fly; it’s my job. After I’ve spotted our prey, I usually hang back and let the real hunters move in for the kill. I know how to use my bow, but it’s not the hunt that I love. When my part is done, I ride the back of the wind and let Kiefieh speak to my mind. There’s nothing more relaxing and yet so totally taxing as the thrill of speaking words of power as they’re being whispered to your soul. I’m only 19 years old, but Kiefieh has chosen me to represent her will in this tribe. It was designated as her tribe long ago, and now the mantle has fallen on me to carry us. I’ve even taught a few things to Jathan that she’s taught to me. I guess it’s considered sorcery but it’s all the same to me. My mother used to hold this honored position… But that’s a different story altogether. As for me, I’m so glad she’s chosen me. I can’t think of any better blessing.

*****

Ok, three journal entries in one day is a lot, even for me. But I couldn’t just leave a story untold like that. It’s not an easy story for me to tell, being that it’s no story at all, but honest truth, and that it’s so emotional for me. But it needs to be told, just for posterity. I’m sure if my children end up reading this journal, they’d like to know what happened to their grandmother, and why she has no wings. I’d rather them hear it from me than from some other source. But I guess to understand my mother, you’d have to understand my tribe; so I’ll start there.

My tribe, the Kalim’ Dor, are plains-dwellers. We never settle in one place for long, and for the most part, we’re content. We’re also mostly Cha’ Or. It seems strange, I guess, for a Seraph to live in a tribe of Cha’ Or. But the truth is, they’re a very honest, hardworking, and respectable people. They’re deeply sown in tradition and honor. My mother told me that my grandmother and grandfather were on the move away from their own tribe (she never told me any details about why - I never cared to press her about it) when a group of huntsmen from the Kalim’ Dor ambushed them. My grandfather didn’t even have time to draw his weapon before they were surrounded. The Cha’ Or are notoriously bloosthirsty, but the warchief stayed his hand when he caught sight of the platinum feather on my grandmother’s neck. Although their respective Gods were the bitterest of enemies, the warchief had been taught to always honor the platinum tattoo, no matter whose symbol was displayed. They took my grandparents into their camp and treated them as equals. I’ll ever have respect to my tribal elders for that act of compassion. They had a daughter, my mother, who was also eventually chosen by Kiefieh.

It’s important to understand that while the Cha’ Or and the Seraph are technically polar opposites as far as pretty much everything is concerned, the religious practices of the Cha’ Or at the time they found my grandparents  had perfectly represented their deity. Utter chaos. Even the elders bickered on almost every point about the religion. No one knew what was appropriate and what was not. No one could agree, even on how to worship Ka’ Lieth properly. So, even though our Gods hate each other, the elders were extremely eager to learn from my grandmother the proper way to worship. Of course, she taught them all she knew, which happened to be worship of Kiefieh. It seems strange to say that the tribe rather liked the organized way she did things. They found that when all of the elders applied her teachings, the tribe ceased the endless in-fighting that tore them apart. They experienced unprecedented growth and peace. I can only imagine the smile on Kiefieh’s face as she watched a tribe predominantly made of Cha’ Or slowly change from a fierce and bloodthirsty people to one that lives in harmony with each other.

My mother eventually became the shaman as my grandmother passed away. I came into the picture when the elders of my tribe and another arranged a marriage between my mother and father. He moved in with our tribe since my mother was slated to become our shaman. Then he died in a hunting accident. My mother always said he wasn’t much of a hunter.

But that’s not what I’m writing about is it? I started out writing about how I’m the only winged Seraph in camp. I guess I got sidetracked. Anyways, Since my tribe is predominantly Cha’ Or, sorcery is big. I don’t practice it myself, but I don’t need to. It’s more or less accepted as common practice among our tribe members. But some other people around Orb don’t feel that way. Quite a few years ago, we were camped at the Oasis for the Gathering. My mother was travelling from the market back to camp, when she was seized by a bunch of men wearing white cloaks. She found herself gagged, bound, and crying. For a shaman of Kiefieh, there is no greater shame. The men spat poisonous words as they brandished their weapons and brutally cut each of her wings off. The next thing she remembered was waking up in the street, with a searing pain across her back. Back in camp, she found that they had added insult to injury by not only clipping her wings, but also branding the symbol of sorcerers across her back. She’d been tattooed with a spider from shoulder to shoulder, and down to the small of her back. I can’t imagine what animals would do something so brutal. But I promise if I find them, I swear I’ll unleash the fury of the sky upon their heads for the crimes they’ve committed.