17/01/82 - Year of the Opal

Fourteen years in Thirmir, and this is the first time I've thought putting pen to paper for sake of a journal. But, some of the greatest men and women in our history kept journals of their exploits, and I've even had the esteemed opportunity to view them.

Not that I aspire for greatness myself. Hugh Justice Ignar said it could be helpful in my studies, or perhaps a place to keep private notes not meant for the public eye. Either way, this journal begins.

My name is Markus Frude. At the time of this writing, I am fifteen years of age, and am living in the household of High Justice Ignar in the Camaden capital city of Thirmir. I stand at an even one-point-eight-five meters, have wheat-golden hair, and eyes the color of the stormy sea, or at least that's how High Justice Ignar describes them.

I am originally from a village with no name, and am in training to become a Justicar.

23/01/82

Already, I have fallen lax in my effort to keep a daily record, but truth be told, not much happens here in the ways of excitement. Today was an exception.

I had a conversation with High Justice Ignar, discussing a possible time I might be able to join a Justicar circuit for my apprenticeship. He assured me that he would bring the topic up next time a circuit was to be made. However, it will not be for some time, seeing as it is the middle of Winter.

High Justice Ignar also made the comment about my Truthsense. "To be able to discern not only those who were telling obvious fallacies, but even those who had bent even the slightest of truth to their favor, your gift continues to astound not only myself, but all of the Justices. I have never trained someone who had such an adept feel for their Truthsense."

I am hoping this puts me in a more favorable position for a circuit, when it comes time.

24/01/82

In attempting to keep a daily record of my dealings, I find I am at a loss. I have sat here in the Hall of Vigil, where history, lore, and the tales of Justicars past are kept, staring at the journal before me. I am unable to find any daily topics of notoriety about which to write. I have spent a majority of the day, and also a majority of my studies, in this Hall, reviewing the written history of the decisions handed down by the Justicars.

When I was younger, I asked High Justice Ignar why I was to learn of verdicts derived from more than three centuries ago. He sat me down, and said, "The Camaden people often see the Justicars as a symbol of light, and a balancing force, in times of crisis. This brings them a sense of comfort, and we must remain consistent in our decisions to foster this belief. If we were to begin making decisions that went against precident, the people would become confused, and lose faith in the Justicars abilities to bring an unbiased resolution to the case."

He then asked if I understood, and I said yes. I then devoted as much time as I could to reading the tomes in the Hall. Many times, High Justice Ignar would test me over decisions I had reviewed. These exams have stopped as of late, and I cannot ascertain as to why.

25/01/82

Another day passes, and I am here in the Hall, left with nothing about which to write. I do suppose I can take this space to write of my beginnings.

As I said previously, I came from a village with no name, to parents I have never, and will never, know, save for the few scraps of information I have been able to piece together. This village, which laid on the southernmost point of Camaden, was a haven to those who engaged in nefarious activities, namely piracy and smuggling. It was known, at one time, Camaden was the largest source of Dust in all of Remnant, and even though the mines have gone barren and their labor force long gone, a few enterprising souls venture into the abandoned sites in hopes of discovering a new vein or two. Often, they recover only specks of Dust, but four years ago, one of these parties discovered an entire untapped geode.

My story took an unusual detour. All of the following information has been told to me either by High Justice Ignar, Retribution Justicars, or the survivors of the "passing of judgement" incident.

My parents were pirates, illegitimately seizing the booty of passing ships that ventured too close to the Camaden Cape. On one such occasion, my mother boarded a light schooner and "met" my father. He had been defending the vessel, but became so infatuated with my mother at first sight, he threw down his weapon and surrendered to her.

This surprising display only confused my mother. She took my father prisoner, taking him back to the village, and had planned on ransoming him off. Unbeknownst to her, that was my father's plan. As the months went on, she became smitten by my father's charm, eventually releasing him. Nine months to the day of his release, the Earth Mother bore a mother new, as I entered the world.

One year later, an early Fall freeze kept my parents from making port when they were out on a run. The next Spring, word came back that they had tried to make for Atlas, only to come under fire from the Atlasian armed forces. Most of them perished in the ensuing firefight, including my parents, while the three survivors returned to Camaden in chains, as part of Amendment XV, Section XII, subsection six of the revised Northern Accords. The prisoners were then questioned, the village was found, and a team of Retribution Justicars were sent out to "pass judgement" upon it, destroying it.

In the chaos, I was found. I was returned to Thirmir, my lineage was discovered, and I have been here since, under the watchful tutelage of High Justice Ignar, the one who ordered the village's destruction. I have undertaken the Justicar's path for punishment of the sins from my father.

For anyone reading this who is unfamiliar with Camaden tradition, or if it falls from favor, the transgressions of those who came before are passed onto the following generation, and they will seek to rectify the sins of their fathers and mothers, should they not be able to do so themselves. This practice has been in place since the Great Blending, and is said to help bring the spirits of those who have passed back into balance. Most transgressions are petty, and can be balanced by a small act of charity. But, with someone like me, whose parents were both associated with piracy, it's a life sentence.

Not that I mind. The life of the Justicar isn't glamorous, but neither do they go hungry. All settlements throughout Camaden respect the Justicars, even those above the Ice Circle. It may seem harsh, but I'm ready to serve.

28/01/82

I have received the news for which I have been waiting! I will be following Justice Sventen for the first circuit of the year, come Spring! I'm still so stunned from the news, I can barely keep my hand steady enough to write!

It may still be a month away, but I still cannot contain my excitement!

05/02/82

I have come down from the high of my circuit apprenticeship selection, partially due to time, but also due to a trading caravan that passed through with news most disturbing. One of them came up to the Hall, saying they had just come from a southern village when they claimed to have spotted a creature of Grimm. Those who were in attendance seemed skeptical, but my Truthsense didn't detect any deception, and I could hear genuine fear in his words.

I had no choice but to believe him. A creature of Grimm, this far north? There hasn't been a sighting of such a beast since before the Camaden Revolution. Theories suggest that it might have to do with the northern latitudes, whilst other more superstitious people say it is because of our devotion to the Earth Mother that keeps us safe from the Grimm seeing and feeding on our negative thoughts.

I brought this information to High Justice Ignar. In the years he has acted as my surrogate father, I had never seen him looked concerned, until today. He then tells me if Grimm are truly on Camaden, it could mean that dark forces could be stirring in the south. But to the south, there is nothing but the sea, though there are the combat schools even further to the southeast and southwest. Surely they have not been overwhelmed.

I can only hope this is not the start of something more.

14/02/82

A Retribution Justicar has destroyed the Grimm that had been spotted. Thank the Mother. There was discussion of delaying my Justicar circuit for safety concerns, but it seems that we will be free to leave on schedule.

03/03/82

My preparations for my circuit apprenticeship had taken up most of my time, and so explains my less than regular writing. However, we are now on the road, and Sister Sun herself has blessed our departure. It is unseasonably warm, the skies were crystal clear, and we could hear the sounds of the ice cracking in the harbor. The men of the caravan set up camp in just longjackets. I believe fortune smiles upon us this trip.

High Justice Ignar came down from the Hall to see us off. It is unusual for a High Justice to do this as we were just attending to the usual business of preparing to depart, but I think everyone understood the importance to him, after having played the part of the father.

He did bestow upon me a gift; a book, titled "The Knight Paladin of Camaden." I remember this book fondly. It tells the tale of a noble knight, whose heart was filled with purity and light, who came to the aid of four maidens when they were attacked by dark forces. He intervened, and then saw to it that they would be protected from harm for the rest of their journey in search of an old wizard. As the party neared their quest's end, the eldest of the maiden sisters told the knight only the four of them could continue, but they would one day find and reward him for his heroism. The knight never saw the maidens again, but legend hold he still stands fast, patiently awaiting the maidens' return.

A good fairy tale that brought a smile upon my face when it was given to me. High Justice Ignar could feel my happiness, and I think I felt a sense of pride coming from him.

07/03/82

We have finally reached our first destination, being the small farming village of Igthankul. Our caravan pulled in just as the Sun dipped below the horizon, and Justice Sventen sent me to find lodging. I thankfully found an inn, and am grateful to be on a bed again. I'm writing in the dying light of a candle, barely managing to keep my eyes open.

08/03/82

I don't know how Justice Sventen did it, but he awoke before dawn, had an innkeeper fetch him breakfast, and turned the common hall of the inn into his own little Justicar hall, all before I had cracked an eye. I apologized profusely for my tardiness, but he only laughed, saying he had suffered a similar fate on his first circuit.

We have been called to Igthankul to assist with a land dispute between two families. I present the case as it was presented to me:

In the village, the two families in question had sharecropped a piece of land for several generations. The current farmers made arrangements for their sons to continue, as was their tradition. However, several weeks before the first of the old farmers died, a dispute between the sons seemed to have voided the agreement, as each of the elders changed their wills to bequeath the full share of the land to their respective sons, and not the previously arranged sharecrop agreement. The body of his father was still warm when Agnar, one of the sons, claimed sole ownership. Three days later, the father of Kinnle, the other son, also began to claim sole ownership.

While Justice Sventen presided over the opening oral arguments, I was charged with reviewing each of the elders' business ledgers, seeing if I could spot any discrepancy that would point to a cause of the dispute. My effort was in vain. Their well-detailed books documented equal shares in everything, from workloads to expenses, and profits. It was as if they had prepared for this kind of contingency.

09/03/82

Well, that was most certainly unexpected.

We're on the road again, having resolved the Igthankul case. During the resumption of the arguments, of which I was present, my Truthsense would not settle, which told me there were hidden motives behind the words of the sons. I'm surprised Justice Sventen could not sense it, but it started to go haywire when a man and what I presumed to be his daughter entered the hall.

I whispered to Justice Sventen to call a short recess, in which I told him of my feelings. He was reluctant to call what he thought was a random, innocent girl to testify, but I made my case convincingly enough for him to try. When he called the girl to speak, each of the sons leapt from their chairs. The ruse was up when both Agnar and Kinnle said they had been promised the hand of the girl in marriage if they won sole possession of the land, and convinced their fathers that an incident had occurred between the families, forcing them to change the previous agreement. Further inquiry led to the discovery that the girl's father had orchestrated the entire plan. A quick Sold Meld by me determined his true intention: To wed his daughter, then divorce, and seek custody of the land.

When this information was brought to light, both of the sons swore off the daughter, and entered an sharecropping agreement, as their fathers had done. Justice Sventen seemed pleased with this outcome.

10/03/82

Justice Sventen shared a most troubling thought with me after we had made camp. He said he regretted not bringing the girl or her father to justice, even though he couldn't, since they technically did nothing wrong.

I shared that I understood the predicament, but that justice would serve itself in time. The man's ruse was exposed, and his name is now covered in shame. No one will do business or associate themselves willingly with him, or his family, for quite some time.

Justicar Sventen's expression slowly morphed into a gleaming smile. He said I was already wise beyond my years, and was destined to make a fine Justicar.

I only hope I can live up to the faith he has fostered in me.

28/03/82

We are nearing a month on the road, but more importantly, today is my sixteenth birthday.

This is my Day of Passing, when the sins of my forebearers are recognized as passed on to me.

After camp had been made, I was brought before Justice Sventen in observance of the Passing. It is a relatively short ceremony, where I enter a plea on behalf of my parents. Though I, myself, will never see punishment for their actions, Justice Sventen accepted the plea nonetheless, adding I was already on the way to redeeming my family name.

Supplemental entry:

We're now having a small celebration, and I've been drinking this stuff called mead. It's fantastic!

Also, one of our caravaneers has gone missing. Passed out somewhere?

04/04/82

They're dead. They have to be.

I didn't want to believe the sentry when he came back, yelling in horror that he had been ambushed by a creature of Grimm. I staggered to ready our defense, but I've only had training in basic hand-to-hand fighting. Justice Sventen only told me to run, to tell the others at Thirmir.

I turned to give my objection when I saw it. A great beast, black as the night, Moon-white claws jutting out of its arms, and those piercing blood red glowing eyes. My Focused Sight tore me away from the soulless beast when I heard Justice Sventen shouting my name. The last thing he said was telling me to run, before the creature tore through him.

To my shame, I ran. I've been running since that night, as far as my legs can take me. But I must rest, otherwise I'll suffer their fate.

05/04/82

I don't know how, but they found me.

This will be my final entry, as I cannot hide from them forever. Earth Mother, guide me home to Kolvngar.

07/04/82

How am I alive?

I awoke to the sight, smell, and noise of a roaring campfire, and to the company of a passing adventurer. She tells me, after my encounter with the small pack of Beowolves, I fell onto the ground and went colder than a warrior in steel armor. She recovered my unconscious from and brought me to safety.

I thanked her, then asked of my caravan. Her vibrant eyes looked away, saying she couldn't tell me, for she did not know. She then asked me where I had learned to engage Grimm like I had. When I told her that I had never learned from anywhere, she became puzzled. She walked to know about my Semblance, and I could only return a confused look, saying I had no idea to what she was referring.

She approached me, and placed a hand upon my face to conduct a Soul Meld. I was naturally hesitant, but she assured me it would be faster than me trying to explain what happened. As she read through my soul, her facial expressions went from shock, to fear, then to disbelief.

She disconnected from me, stood, and told me that we needed to get to Vale. I protested, insisting my place was here in Camaden, and that I needed to get back to Thirmir to report to High Justice Ignar. She then told me that I had an unprecedented amount of Aura. "Aura" is a concept of which I knew; it being the physical manifestation of one's soul. I asked about informing the Hall of my departure, and of the fate of the caravan, and she assured me it would be taken care of once we arrived at Beacon Academy.

She then said her name was Amber, and that a vessel was heading back to Vale in two days. Mother, watch over me.

12/04/82

Can't write. Too busy heaving my stomach contents into the water.

16/04/82

We arrived in the city of Vale this morning, and no a moment too soon. I don't think my body was meant to travel on the open sea. My robes are fitting more loosely. I must have lost weight, being as I could hardly keep anything down.

When I first set my eyes upon Vale, I didn't believe I was gazing at a city, at first. I had never seen such pristine architecture, and the streets and buildings themselves are so clean… and tall. Amber assured me there were even taller structures that laid beyond Vale. I also saw my first flying vehicle. We have known that these aircraft existed, but I had never seen on in flight until today. They must be marvels of engineering.

But none of what I saw compared to when I was brought to Beacon Academy. Had my jaw not been attached to my skull, I would have had to run after it. A great towering spire scrapped at the sky, while precisely cut stonework led to the school itself. I truly felt a stranger in a strange land.

I had little time to dwell, for as we approached the school, we were met by a woman who greeted Amber like an old friend. I was incorrect in my initial assumption of this woman being the headmistress, when she introduced herself as Glynda Goodwitch, the assistant to the headmaster.

Had she not been holding herself in such an authoritarian posture, or holding her riding crop, I would have assumed otherwise.

Amber mentioned to me that she needed to discuss a matter in private with Glynda, so I turned my attention to the surrounding landscape. It's quite a vibrant color of green here, and incredibly warm. I have been lightly perspiring since stepping off our ship. The school itself sits upon an outcropping of a cliff and into a lake, to the east I can see a valley filled with trees, beyond which lies a mountain range. The city of Vale is below us to the west, a more proximal, yet shorter, mountain range lies to the south, and to the north, I am unsure. All I saw was a hue of red.

Amber called for my attention, and I could tell from her tone that something was amiss. When I faced her, she was visibly flustered, and said we would be seeing Professor Ozpin. As we began toward the main spire, Glynda loudly said something to the tune of, "You know he's always had a special place for you." I didn't ponder what she could have possibly meant until now. We're sitting outside a pair of retracting double doors, waiting for Professor Ozpin's previous appointment to conclude. I'm utilizing the time to put down some tho-

17/04/82

I required a full day to comprehend and digest what Professor Ozpin, Amber, and I discussed. I could not get a clear impression on Ozpin, other than he was a man that maintained a distance, but was always calculating. He greeted Amber with less enthusiasm than Miss Goodwitch, but there was still caring in his voice.

After we observed introductions, I learned Amber was a former student at this school, then turning to the adventurer route upon graduating. My Truthsense dully tingled, indicating a half-truth, but I hadn't the opportunity to pursue the matter before being told I would attend Beacon Academy in one year's time, if I so chose.

My initial response was one of reluctance, as I had been picked from my home, told I had some kind of hidden power, and brought to a foreign land. Professor Ozpin understood my confusion. He said, as a Huntsman, he is to seek out and destroy all threats to humanity, and training future Huntsman and Huntresses was his way of fulfilling his duty. He wished to train me, send me through Beacon and develop my skills, and then send me back to Camaden. I had mentioned the Grimm encounter in our conversation, and that is when he suggested I become a student.

My Truthsense tingled yet again. I called him out, saying there was information he was keeping from us.

Professor Ozpin seemed… intrigued I called him out on his half-truth. More interestingly, he knew of Truthsense, and commented on my ability of detection. He and Amber explained that I retained a large Aura, "an unprecedented amount," as Amber mentioned again, but it is only partially active. It could suddenly manifest, and, since my Semblance ability is unknown, I pose a danger to those around me. Keeping and training me at Beacon was, in their professional opinions, the best safeguard against such an event from happening. I asked if I would ever return to Camaden, to which Professor Ozpin replied that I would, once my Semblance had manifested.

I accepted their invitation. It isn't every day you get told you are a walking time bomb.

I still retained the feeling that additional information was being withheld, but as I started to say something about it, I was told it was information for which I was not ready, and being told it now would place my safety, and sanity, at risk.

How… I don't… what the…