17 April, Hyne's Casting 943
Afternoon
Warm sun and light breeze
Timber Inn
Have arrived in the Town of Timber after three months at sea.
Would that I still had my journal from those long days onboard the good ship Siren, yet the wind is cruel and all of my pages have been lost to some malicious zephyr. I confess that my knuckles were whitened on more than one occasion by unruly waves, though I dared not mention my concerns to the crew.
It pains me to know that my careful observations and sketches are now gone, but it is a small matter. I need neither parchment nor quill to recall salt and darkness and the ever-present mocking sigh of the ocean. Such a wearisome journey. No ship should be without women, and no man should ever go so long with only one temperamental mistress for company.
As it stands, I shall begin my chronicle anew, though I find the quality of these pages purchased in town far inferior to my dear lost journal.
Were it not for the pine-rich forests here and all the promise of valuable pitch within, I doubt I would have found passage to this particular village. The crew, though quite willing to load a small raft with provisions and weapons, including a very fine rifle with bone inlay, refused my entreaties to visit the town. It would do them good to see that a small gathering of determined individuals united in the service of Hyne can overcome even the most fierce wilderness, I told them, yet they would have none of it. Their work lies not in this cursed forest, and they are determined to return to the arms of the lady that holds no love for me. Alas.
The captain ordered one of his lads to accompany me, a nervous youth of fifteen summers with a weak constitution, though I now wonder if he meant it as courtesy or insult. The boy never speaks without muttering over some illness or another and it is likely he was driving the crew to madness. He would be handsome enough were it not for the almost womanly wringing of his hands and the pallor of his skin. A few good meals and a night with a kind woman would do him more good than all the tinctures and tonics he carries with him. The weather since our landfall has been blessedly calm, though I fear the first storm, as it will likely send the bones of my young charge rattling as loudly as any rain.
I was pleased to discover that the earth here is fertile and black, and the area around the town, though indeed heavily forested, is open enough to grow such crops that will sustain the town until proper fields are cleared. My reading tells me that the forests are full of game and the rivers boiling with great numbers of fish, yet the hunting is dangerous. Foul creatures live in these woods, lending their snarls and wicked names to the legend of this place. I wonder that my new servant did not faint in fear when we left the shore and made for the shade of the trees. Of course, his might be a fear of the sun rather than darkness, as peculiar his habits are.
The gates of the town were solid and well-made, though they seemed unnecessary. Any fool enough to attack here would need to face the forest first, and if a man and a boy with a few packs between them struggled in mud and briars and gloom to find this town, then an army would be better served inviting the town to tea by the ocean. She is far more welcoming than this dour wood, at any rate.
Having had my fill of molded barley soup and the thin, bitter ale that seemed to brace the legs of the Siren's crew, the bread and fish provided to me by the good townsfolk have given me new strength. It is... humbling indeed to see such a fine people work so hard in the service of Hyne, though their piety and propriety seems quaint to my way of thinking. Imagine my shock to discover their house of worship had but a single candlestick!
The innkeep's daughter insists that I stay with them at no charge, as it is not often that they meet outsiders and she enjoys hearing tales of the world. She is a kind girl, surely, though I paid my gil like any honest man would after seeing her father's eye turn toward me. Stories lose some of their luster when being shouted to pretty girls from outside city walls... even those that are decidedly superfluous.
I noticed construction on a small tower upon my entry into the town and wonder at its purpose. I hope to meet with town elders on the morrow, perhaps to arrange a day's hunting or fishing. I would very much like to bring down a few rabbits with the fine gift given to me by the good crew.
I also hope to find another room for young Master Zone. He quakes and trembles even in his sleep. If I mean to regale the lovely daughter of my innkeep with a tale and discover how far her kindness extends, then I need to make arrangements for his comfort elsewhere.