[The book is well worn from what could be guessed as many months of use - it's about halfway filled already with many sketches and journal entries. Everything, seemingly, is written both in cheap charcoal and daendroque. The first entry listed here, however, seems to have some significance attached. The start of a new adventure, a new direction in life.]
>-- OOC --<
I've done diaries for characters in the past, and I find them enjoyable. As a fun little project, I'm going to be keeping up with this journal for my character Gawainne. Although I am sharing this publicly on the forums, I ask that people don't meta the information. The only way one would reasonably know any information here is if they stole Gawa's book, read from it, or she mentioned it ICly, as with most things.
|Entries 433 to 434|
-433- 25 Sept. 306 My journey to the Crown Isle begins! I have used most of my coin, but that is no matter. I was alone in those jungles for far too long - perhaps my luck will turn for the better once I am away from the war. Hopefully my homeland will be freed from such bloody grasp before long. Unfortunately, I was unable to bring my loom aboard, it was much too expensive to carry, and I fear the sea air may have warped its wood anyway. It will be waiting for me when I return, I am sure of it. I was, however, able to bring a number of bones aboard. Hidden away in the bottom of my pack, cushioned safely for travel. At least for that much I am thankful.
-434- 27 Sept. 306 Two days at sea already, and the waves make me ill. The rocking never stops - I have been unable to actually eat, for every time I do, I vomit directly after. I have been told there are at least another 5 days ahead of us, if the wind is favorable. I hope the wind is favorable, I am starting to think dealing with encroaching Kathar would be preferable to this fate.
|Entries 435 to 436|
-435- 29 Sept. 306 I am miserable. My ocean-induced illness is getting no better in these days, but it is also getting no worse. A boon, at last. I have heard whispers among crew and other passengers that we are soon to pass an island called 'Etosil'. I have heard little of this place, only that it is rainy and mountainous. Apparently it means that we are nearing the Regalian landmass. Thank the spirit.
I'll never sail again, once this is over. I prefer cart.
-436- 4 Oct. 306 LAND AT LAST. We arrived at night, slipping silently in the docks. I had heard tales of Regalia, how grandiose it is, actual exploration will have to wait for the daytime. I am tired, now, lying in an uncomfortable inn bed. I have much to write about - though for now, I will rest.
|Entry 437|
-437- 5 Oct. 306 Arrival in the city was quiet - as I wrote earlier, we arrived at dusk. The guards were complacent - I suppose they'd had been out all day, i heard mention that we were the last ship the 'dock master', I'm sure there's a more official term for it, was allowing to come ashore. Lucky. I suppose I should have expected expected the guards to check my bag - they mentioned something about smuggling when I asked about it. They questioned the bones I carried with me, but didn't press much further when I said it was for crafts and the such. They were tired, I believe that is the only reason they let me go. I was lucky.
The room I rented is small and cheap, though not particularly cozy. It's tucked away in a run-down inn by the salty-aired docks. Many sailors are about on the streets below, I can see them in the fogged window. For now, though, I am going to stay in my room. The small, uncomfortable chair provided will make do - I have found it easy to fasten a few bones to its back. It will do in a pinch, certainly.
A few of the bones I had carried had been snapped in my travels, unfortunately. I'll have to bury them somewhere. They were good bones, nice, but I'm sure I'll find more. I've been getting this odd itch that's been stemming from being back in my body for so long. I need to relax. A few hours spent away wouldn't do anyone any harm.
[The entry is sloppier than the rest, the words were written quickly, angrily. The page itself was tear stained, the charcoal smudged ever the slightest. The scratchings leave an indent on the pages behind the entry. The date and entry number were added seemingly after this frantic note was written down, as the handwriting is much calmer.]
|Entries 438 to 439|
-438- 6 Oct. 306 THEY TORE ME APART, REMOVED MY HEAD FROM MY SHOULDERS, AND THEY LAUGHED. I CAN STILL FEEL HIS COLD FINGERS ON MY TEMPLES, HEAR THE CRACK OF MY OWN NECK, SEE THE LAST FLASH OF HIS FACE BEFORE HE TORE MY SKULL FROM MY BODY. SPIRIT, HE WAS A MONSTER.
[This entry is different from the rest. While still in Daendroque, the handwriting didn't seem to match the rest of the entries. There was no date attached, nor entry number. It was written in the corner of the page.]
Sorry for filtering through your shit and invading your person but, if they were going to drag you off, I thought I'd make sure it wasn't for something you had on you.
|Entry 440|
-440- 7 Oct. 306 My wits are about me once more, and now I write again. Many things have happened to me in this city since I have arrived. Many great and horrible things. Too much to write down, almost - my entries haven't done everything justice.
I have come to enjoy a 'Teahaus' building - the food there is decent, and the people are strangely kind. There is a woman of red hair there who plays the violin so wonderfully it nearly brought me to tears. I spoke with her briefly, but I do not recall her name. She is, however, of noble blood. I doubt I will have the pleasure to speak with her again. The nobility here is prissy, uptight - nothing like that lavish fun-lovers of Daen. Another man spoke with me there, one by the name of Molvi. I thought him kind and simple - he could speak Daendroque, to my surprise, though it was... rough. Our conversation ended quickly - he accused me of vampirism. A terrible disease, vampirism is. A guard warned me of its presence in the city after docking.
The people here are oddly charitable, as well. Something I don't entirely trust. A few have stopped me in the street, and expressed concern over how thin I appear - most of those few offered to buy me food. A pair gave me roughly seventy regals. It is very odd, I think. Nobody would give regals in Daendroc without expecting something in return. I should be wary, I do not want to accidentally subject myself to any debt of some kind.
I have discovered a few things while encased in bone, as well. There are others like me in this city, I have seen their constructs as I was in mind. That is both a comforting and unsettling notion. Perhaps bone will be harder to come by, but similarly, I have others in the same situation as me. And while I could not speak as a construct, the jaw was among the few bones that were damaged by my travels, I did come across a few other interesting peoples. A woman with golden eyes and fair ginger hair hair who goes by the name of Elisef, I believe. She claims to be a vessel of Vinella. I am not sure what that means, but I intend to ask her about it if I were to ever cross paths with her again.
Unfortunately, I had misfortune befall me. It is still rather difficult to write about, I find, but my constructed body was savagely destroyed by vampires. I remember their faces still, forever will they be burned in my mind. They broke pieces from me first, laughed as I struggled - they tossed me about, kicked me around. It ended when one of them pulled off my head - the feeling still haunts me, I saw the man's face in dreams the night after.
I had foolishly tried to return to where I had been broken after my sobbing had stopped and i had recomposed myself into at least some presentability. I was wrong to expect the vampires to move on. They, initially, did not take note of me and I could have gathered my bones in peace. Though, a kathar shouted as I came near - he called me a coward, pushed me down. he was large, imposing, angry. The only real detail I remember of his face were his vibrantly gold eyes and imposing horns. He was, truly, a devil. Born of the void. He seemed to know I was possessed, he seemingly tried to push me to do something, but I do not know what. He eventually threw me away. From that point on, everything was a blur. I re ember being fed off by one of the vampires present - but after that, nothing. I awoke in a ditch, and immediately made my way to find medical attention.
|Entries 441 to 443 |
-441 - 10 Oct. 306 It has been a few days since I have picked up my journal to write. Many things have happened, I do not feel like recounting them in detail. But, I have a loom now, gifted by a reverend. A woman by the name of Izanagi wants me to make silk cloth for her, and I learned the name of the Kathar whom had called me a coward is Hagmer.
-442- 11 Oct. 306 I met the High reverend today. He is a stern man, from what I could tell. People respect him and his authority. He was kind to me, with what few words we had, and invited me to a unionist mass. My madness has been festering, perhaps it would be best to attend.
-443- 11 Oct. 306 I have seen a new horror in this city. A gladiatorial match between men. I stood in the back, yet, even distance would not staunch the morbid smell of blood, or ease me from the sight of twisted bodies. Surely, the sights, sounds, and smells will haunt me for days to come.
But... Something had drawn me there. A desire I am familiar with and fearful of. The carnage was enlightening, in a way. I cared less for the fight than I did the aftermath. It was almost artistic, the death. The sights of those sand-covered men, once living, twisted and broken in the dirt was terrible - yet I could not look away. I've forgotten what it was like to watch men die, and now those twisted, damnable memories are rising once more. That otherworldly madness possessed me, commanded me, to drag away the corpse of the ginger combatant after all others had left. I, too, took the mutilated corpse of the first fighter. Their rotting bodies sit safely stowed in the poorer districts, for now. I will return for them later.
I am getting sicker. I can feel it. My face is yet again sunken, ribs visible. I am losing more weight by the day. I've stopped eating entirely, now, it's becoming too laborious. I do not want to return to solitude, not entirely - but that malign force ever tugs me, ever pulls me towards that insidious chair. I should destroy it, toss it from the docks late in the night. Forget the bodies I have taken, let them rot away, as they should.
I need help.
|Entries 444 to 448|
-444- 11 Oct. 306 I saw the Hagmer man I had been looking for these past few days. He sat near me during some lecture, to which I wasn't entirely listening anyway. I had thought about just leaving, not saying a word. He is frightening, very much so, I find just looking him in the eye difficult. His stare alone is enough to slice a poor man open. We did end up speaking, in the end. He declared hatred for 'my kind' - I had thought he meant gypsies, but he clarified on meaning 'Defilers'. I am thankful we spoke in a full room - I feared he would strike me down, at some point. He seemed hateful. Though, what he said stuck to me - "Why live a life snivelling and licking boots", I recall. he claimed I was "Living wrong". I don't agree with him. Although I am not content with my life, I am alive, and that is all that matters. There are plenty others who I've known that I could not say the same for.
-445- 11 12 Oct. 306 It is nearing midnight - the half moon is nearing its zenith, and I am restless. The ocean is pretty tonight - but I cannot stop thinking about those dead men that I had dragged off. their twisted faces... Their bent arms.
I must have their bones. I've decided. I'll set out at once.
-446- 12 Oct. 306 The guards stopped me upon entering the slums. We chatted briefly before they demanded a searching - they found a skinning knife and a handful of my carved bone trinkets. I managed to convince them that I needed the knife for protection, and the carved bones were currency from Hallonq. In hindsight they were stupid lies, but I was too tired to think of anything better. The guards bought it and let me through, in the end. Thank the spirit.
Carving a fresh corpse up was... troublesome. I'll admit. I am used to dealing with the long dead, and even looking upon the twisted faces of the recently deceased causes my stomach to churn. I couldn't bring myself to gut them like some sort of animals. I said a short prayer for their warrior souls before departing once more.
I found a man, a varran, willing to aide me in retrieval of bone. He is unskilled, but he is the only one I could find this late that was willing to help me with such a gruesome act. He didn't seem to mind it under the promise of pay for me. I can't watch him do it - the freshness of the corpse bothers me, but he is nearby. I can hear the tearing and rending of human flesh in vivid detail. It'd be a quiet night, if not for this crescendo of gore.
What a terrible sound.
-447- 12 Oct. 306 There is something out there in the darkness. It slinks just out of sight - a terrible malformity. Malignant, and ever watching. I can feel its stare. The Varran still works - It's been near an hour now. He cannot finish soon enough. I am growing sick of the sound and smell. I've already vomited once after glancing at the Varran's work - he'd torn one of the men's faces off. I tried to be discreet about it, but I'm sure he noticed me based on the sounds he made.
[The page is plagued by vague smudges of what was once blood.]
-448- 12 Oct. 306 The Varran, I never learned his name, charged more than I had anticipated for him to ask. Perhaps I should've known - Varran have always been greedy, from my experience. Especially those from Ssil. But, he did an alright job, with only a few ribs unrecoverable. I'm home now, preparing to clean them in full.
Returning home was an ordeal. It was well past the middle night, the moon was starting to dip dangerously low. Unsure on how to proceed, I didn't wish to be caught by guards with bloodied bones in arms, I ended up asking a small gathering of vampires - they were the only other living souls I could find out so late in the night.
To my surprise, they were rather helpful. There was even a dead one among them, he showed distaste at first, but seemed willing after time. I was directed to a tunnel of sewage that led into the main city. It was a horrid, festering tunnel of rot and waste. I'm certain I'll come down with something because of it. Regardless, I managed to make it to my inn room, smelling of blood, piss, and shit. I will rinse myself with the Harbor's water the best I can - my clothes may finally be ruined from this, covered in gore from the bloodied bones and defecate waste from the tunnel.
There is no time to think on that. The sun is starting to rise again, my night is spent, and fatigue pulls readily at my limbs. I will sleep through the day - come night, I'll set to fully cleaning the bones and reconstructing them into a usable form.
[The entry is written lazily, sloppily. The writer was tired seemingly. Perhaps she cared little for usual neatness in her groggy state. There wasn't a date attached.]
|Entry 449|
-449- I had a strange dream in my daytime slumber - I'm not totally lucid as I write this, I just woke up. I'm not sure what time it is.
But! The Mateo man, who I have yet fully write about, met me as I slept. He fought off a woman with a knife with only a broom - he is skilled, it's like he dances as he fights. He is from Daenshore, too. A true Daendroque
In my dream he did not fight a woman with a knife, instead, he fought some unseen beast. It was indescribable, but left me awake suddenly and with cold dread in my heart
Mateo seems like a nice man. I should find more reason to speak with him. Though, maybe he'd dislike my continued company. Most do.
|Entries 450 to 453|
-450- 12 Oct. 306 The creation of a new construct was a wild success. I couldn't yet get the bones un-stained and completely cleaned, though, I'm sure they'll bleach with time. I slept through the day, and the sun is starting to set again. I'm going to try and explore in my new body, get used to it.
-451- 13 Oct. 306 It is morning again - I only explored shortly before returning home and sleeping once more. I came across the Varran that had helped me again, though did not yet learn his name. As well, I came across a number of curious individuals - some even seemed frightened by my mere presence. I met a new Varran, who strangely enough wanted to see my hand, despite my initial caution, he remained friendly and introduced himself as Vas. I also re-met with Nevarth, another possessed like me, and we have a very pleasant conversation.
I also found the terrible, terrible man who had first pulled my head off. While he was hostile, he still apologized for what he had done. I will forgive him, for now, but I do not trust him.
-452- 13 Oct. 306 I walked around some more as my constructed body again today. While the citizens often react with fear, disgust, or curiosity, the guardsmen seemed alright with me. They only brushed me aside when I tried to return home from my venture, it was strange.
I learned more today - a few odd notes to add. There was a very forward Chi'en-ji man, he was very aggressive, shouted a lot. It frightened me, just a tad. He wanted to know who and what i was. I told him so he'd go away. The Slums of this city are much like my home in Hallonq, I have come closer to realize. I saw a gate-man in the slums, and we stopped to talk. He was hostile the whole time, but when I questioned his presence, he said he was not on patrol. Apparently people of the slums don't pay taxes, so guards do not regularly patrol there, if at all. Instead, gangs run the streets. I do not know why he was there, nor did he seem to recognize me, and he left before my question was fully answered. I didn't see need to bother him further.
I have also had a wonderful idea come to me. I'll need a bottle of rum for it, however, and that has proven difficult to get. There is a tavern within the Slums that I know is popular, but they do not sell bottled drinks. I'll have to continue my search.
-453- 13 Oct. 306 I have been in belief that the man whom I am renting room from is suspicious of me, in some way. He's always looking to me, sending me odd glances when I pass him by. I don't know what he knows about me, but I am sure it is nothing good. Maybe he's realized the bones I had brought back. Whatever the case, It is time I left my cramped room.
Since my first day in this city I've been looking for a home of my own - cheap, preferably, since it would likely be temporary. I've found one. It's in the docks, the same as the run-down inn I've been staying in. I bought it just today, after finally working a relatively cheap price out - unfortunately, I am nearly out of money once more. I doubt I can rely on any more charitable donations.
The home is small, shoddy, but cheap. It's placed directly under another room, and its only window is at the ground level of the street - the last who lived here seemingly left some furniture behind. A half - broken bed, a collapsed bookshelf, and two chairs. I've attached bones to one of the chairs, I left the other by the door.
The house is falling apart - the walls aren't sturdy, it doesn't keep heat well, but I'm sure it will do, for now. At least it offers some sort of privacy and protection for my body.
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