BOOK OF PAGES OBTAINED IN DRIZDEN first page
[notation made in brackets indicates languages written on each page, any numeration
is also in numbering system used by writers of that language
]
[Common Man]
Book of Pages
[Common Elf, "Selah"]
[1/2ling] 1
Ah finally, my book. So many thoughts I have had, and wished to record. So long I
have wanted to write for the joy of literacy itself (so many languages yet to discover
!). Such things I have wanted to describe and ponder very slowly. All is passed now,
and I dare not to contemplate scribing them for fear I will do such incompletely or
inaccurately only to later believe them whole and truthful.
Such joy! A book! My book. My thoughts and knowledge recorded as the only remainder
of me once I am scourged from this place.
[Kettich] 2
Such a strange dream that it has inspired me.
Danger was his name and he walked with me speaking in a low voice of death and hopelessness.
I would not have remained with him, but he did intrigue me.
It was night, and the territory was unfamiliar. A kind of plain with heavy clouds
above, ripped only so slightly to reveal blue stars. There was a black forest far
off in the distance behind, and ahead ther was only horizon. To port of me formed
a mist of not quite black color -- more of a mirky black and darkest green -- to starboard
were the mountains I have come from, distant (oh so distant).
As I have written, we walked. The horse was not present, and I had nothing but my
skills and common dress. His words did not meet me as words precisely, but he had
a voice into my mind which allowed him to express.
His statement to me changed as I realized that I would not separate from his company
voluntarily for awhile. It reminded me of something I once heard or thought or had
contained in another dream:
It's a web like a spider's web
Made of silken light and shadow
Spun by the moon in my room at night
It's a web made to catch a dream,
Hold it tight til I awaken
As if to tell me that dreaming's alright
I will try to find a dream speaker to have it explained. And, if I can, I will learn
to speak dreams for myself (and/or others). I am inspired to dream. I am inspired
to read dreams. To catch my dreams in such a web and learn them.
[Common Elf] 3
Danger walked with me once again. It was through the plains of war, and I was fitted
into the position of a dwarven general in a mountain dwarf civil war. A dwarf...about
the only thing I am not
. And I was hopelessly outmatched, not to mention ignorant in the ways of war against
another half-elf who had been like fitted (into the position of a dwarven general),
he reminded me alot of Elgin the not-priest. He whipped the tar out of my legion,
until I finally gave them the order to kill themselves. I truly believed that we would
rather kill ourselves than be taken prisoner.
Danger told me that we would not become prisoners, that we would become part of the
overtaking army. Danger must be a powerful man (though he is not silly enough to
be a god) because he suspended the battle once he realized that my men were following
my order, to give me time to rescind it. He seemed confused/amused when I took only one
second to repeat my order. My men died beautifully, and I lost with an extreme lack
of grace. Danger left me then, and I awoke.
I recognized nothing of the territory we were in, though we were surrounded by mountains
(must have been a valley, rather than a plain). Why is it these mountain dwarves
did not fight in the mountains? Perhaps they were all others who were placed there
only for Danger's convenience.
These dreams are interesting and strange. I still do not think to wonder why Danger
is with me. He seems to wish to guide me to his own scenarios.
Now I go to sea. Will Danger follow me here?
[Minotaur & 1/2ling mix since she is, at this point, still learning Minotaur] 4
We are at sea, which I am finding interesting. Much different than land, even though
our course is fairly easy, I find I had gained no real impression of it by learning
to swim. Very enlightening to know beyond doubt that one must experience a thing
to have knowledge of the way or indications given through the actual experience (to necessitate
experiencing instead of the delusion of empathy/sympathy for/of the experience).
Ah, my thoughts are confused. I hope I can understand them later. Anyhow, one important thing which is NOT confused that I have definitively
learned is that the sea is at least as complex as the land; there is MUCH to be learned
here.They say river travel is different, and I can imagine how, but I will save myself
delusions now and experience the thing later.
Danger appears to be only at sea because of my gross ignorance. I shall be attempting
to fix that ignorance on this voyage.
[Written Sign] 5
And finally, Danger has come to me at sea. He brought another stranger named Grief
(though Danger is no longer a true stranger to me, & I suppose that, though he is
not real, I should consider Danger as my friend), and I became closely acquainted
with Grief.
Grief told me many things; he seems to be much of a talker. And he showed me a few
of the tricks of his trade. Grief and I played (it has been a decade or more since
I have felt the need to genuinely play), where he did something very out of place
to throw me off guard or perhaps establish some advantage over me, and I would counter with
equally unusual or inappropriate things. Danger stood aside for this episode, as
though respecting Grief in it, and to introduce me to Grief seemed his only purpose
in this dream. Grief seemed to mean to teach me through the things he said and did (therefore
causing me to react inappropriately --though appropriately-- to him). It would seem
to imply that Grief is an object lesson brought to one by Danger...but I may be beginning to treat these dream too literally.
I am getting the urge to hack something/someone to bits. I will need to learn more
about swords VERY SOON.
[Minotaur] 6
The voyage is almost over. I wring my hands nearly constantly to catch non-existent
swords in my left hand and stowed-away sword in my right. The learning has helped
to ease my mind of this (what must be) caged feeling I have that makes me want to
do violence with both hands. Pete is the kind one who pointed this "nervous habit" (?) of
mine out to me. He suggested hard physical labor, which has not helped (pulling ropes
and scaling fish is not quite the same as thrust and parry). As I write even now,
my left hand fights the menacing mists of time to the death.
Another thing which helps me to know that I must feel caged, is the dreams....
For his second actual visit at sea, Danger introduced me to another of what I am thinking
to be his work-associates. This one Danger introduced (Grief introduced himself to
me) as Destiny, and Destiny then immediately ordered Danger to change our course.
It is intereting to note that I have not dreamed of Danger in the setting of being
on the ocean. Destiny ordered Danger --not me-- to change course in Drizden, the
city I have come from (and it is true that I met Grief just outside the walls of
Drizden). Destiny, Danger, and I walked North toward Bentley, Danger again keeping what seemed
to be a respectful silence from us. This time, though,
[1/2ling]
Danger was near at hand, when at my tutelage with Grief he had gone off a way. Bentley
was the option I did not take as a course to seeking a dream-speaker.
I found Destiny to be a rather boring individual, though he undoubtedly controlled
Danger who is interesting if not outright attractive to me. Destiny prattled like
a priest, of things which should be and things which are right because they are.
However, it felt very satisfying to follow Destiny and be unconfined on the land (whereas on
the sea us landbairn must use machines to support, stabilize, and maintain our course).
Oh, the sea is intereting and eventful, but I simply cannot wait to get off this oblong
sponge-in-a-box named the Vulcan. Pete would not understand.
And still, though I have switched writing hands, I clutch and slash.
next***back