‘Ello Sef’s! Thought I’d write ya a letter, let ya know how Ah’m doin. I’ve a lot to say, but. Don’t know how I’ll manage to bloody send this. We’re in the middle of nowhere. Well, to be honest, that sort of nowhere be in the middle of some giant settlements. I swear Sefa, real proper giants, tall as trees and. Well. Angry bastards those be. We’ve been chased around much by those buggers. But the quest be, we’ve to foind the mead of the Gods, of the skinchangers Beornings. And so we go on.
There’s a bunch of folk here, most of ‘em be battered and tired from the darn trip. Can’t blame ‘em, so many things ‘ve happened. Ever since we went off from the Mead Hall of Tyrgrim, we’ve been runnin from one foe to nother. Ye know, like, hunted people. But I saw so many things! And I’ve learned much new as well.
On the stop we did at the Lone-lands, I got to get to know so many new faces. There’s Vallen the lass, and Fridbjorn, and Therwen; She and Red-Robin got a thing t’gether, -wink wink, Sefa- but seems like evryone’s pairin’ together out here. Makes me miss a lot of things, y’ know. Tis a funny thing, because evryone’s out to steal another’s mate here, if I can tell correct! Bjorn wonts Vallen, Vallen doesn’t know whom she wonts, Elf-knot’s been between Vallen and Snow-drake, the woman called Skjalddis. Boy, is she a tower. Real tall an’ big, swear she could rip a man’s head off with her bare hands if she had permission. And Tyrgrimhe Bear-man chases Vallen’s skirt. Happened once that Bjorn beat the heck out of Tyr, or the opposite for the lassie’s hand. Been wotching and drinking Bree-mead from a distance. Wosn’t that a laugh. Just me and Archer, and the sea-captain be on our own.
But that wosn’t good enough to make tension! Nay! Once I woke up because they were bickerin’about who’s leader over whom, who’s smarter and whatnot. I yelled at the fools, told them they be actin’ like angry chickens. They did listn. But Knot, he’s our shepperd, he’s the one tha’s got all responsibility, make sure we’re all returnin in one piece. Man’s got me respects. Only one with real balls and brains out here. Bloody red took off while we were in the Lone-lands and we’d been searching for him all over th place. Fought a couple of orcs for ‘es sakes, and once we found him sittin’ at the camp; “Oh! I went to go and think!”, he said. Boi the One, if I wosn’ more calm I would’ve punched him roight in the face. Much like Skjalddis damn near kicked me butt for saying she and Knot had bloody romance going on. Loike we can’t see! But, soon after she gave up chasin’ him. Ain’t no good t’ have as a man she said, but a good man. But anyway! The thing is, Knot had been jumpin from one companion to ‘nother to calm them down.
And just when everything was going better, I managd to damn near drown Skjalddis…not that I wonted it, but, I threw her to the river nex’ to the last bridge before the Trollshaws. Didn’t know she had so much armor under ‘er clothes! Oh well. Good thing she’s okay..But that day she wos real pissed. Damn near strangled the Ol’ Dwarf trader, remember Cheapjack, Sef’s? Aye, the round orange legend, kept mockin Skjalddis to promote ‘es own legend. But Skjal couldn’t take it! T’wos ‘er legend tha had to be valid! Thank the Gods Tyrgrim held ‘er back and she went back to normal after a whoile. After we kicked the dwarf-trader off the camp, heheh.
And so we passed the woods, and Archer followed us. Strange lad, but he knows the way good enough. We caught a glimpse of elf-lands before we stumbled into the bleedin cold of the Mountains o mist. Freezin hell it be. But, mountains got ‘em own beauty. Sky be clearer and, so quiet. Bunch of goblins and wargs though, we had to sneak ‘round the camps and blazin fires. We went over another bridge..it was so high. Higher than. Well, I’d say, a hundred times our town-hall tall. Mayhaps more..Could see everything from up there. But most of all wos a bunch of snow, and snow and mountaintops. And all the camps on ever lil slope,growling and hunting us down. They had caught our smell. So we pressed forth, despite us being real damn tired and everythin’.
Knot, our group's shepherd said we had to move fast! Tied us all on a rope and we went on from a narrow path, cliff going up on the one side, and a bottomless gap to the other. If y’ fell..well. There wos no savin’ ya. That’s when our leader fell. poor Elf-knot, started sliding, just when we were nearly out of there, and, we could not pul ‘im back up. He cut ‘es own rope so he wouldn’t drag us down. I saw his hand tremble as Bjorn tried to reach him, and then he disappeared over the cliff. Damn, one of the scariest moments of me life. Good thing he wasn’t too badly hurt, the hight wasn’t that large as b’fore and there wos much snow under. he managed to go on after that. Company works well when one of us be in peril.
I’ve to say though, Dwarves be real hospitable. Let us stay in ‘em halls. Threarn must ‘ve, told ‘em a good word. I didn’ see. Who Threarn is? Nother dwarrow, black beard loike the night, that lad a dog. Real loyal and burnin spirit for adventure. Good lad. So we all stayed at one o’ the dwarf-holds, one small stony room. Least it was warm there.
We set off the other day, and went to cross a frozen lake, looking for the caraven that holds what we be after. Bloody fool, Fridbjorn fell into the icy water and we had to pull ‘im out. Bloody heck! Lucky man, he could’ve caught a frostboite, heard talk of people losin limbs to cold. But we went roit back and warmed the fool up so he didn’ die.
We didn’t stop though, not even when we faced the worms of the caves, or ‘em matron-worm queen. Bloimey if it was huge! Folks stood right and left the cave, and me, redwick and Archer were to shoot the beast. Turns our I shot tyr’s leg instead..But it isn’ me fault! Bloody arrow bounced on a rock and got him. I felt bad, still do because he limps. But, all of us got scarred, others more, others less. Therwen had her arm dislocated in particular. Good thing there was loot at the end of the cave. Most of it junk, as worms gather all sorts of useless stuff, along with the good ones, and pile ‘em up. I found me new strings for the lute! Golden ones. Knot a shield, and Skjalddis an elf-armor chestpiece.
I’ve been playing a lot of late..but, not at all the last day or two. I don’t know if we’ll make it out of here, the giant lands. But, if ye read this, y’ should know I’ve missed ya to bits, and that I’ll do what I can to get back safe and find ya. I just can’t leave them, y’ know. They be pals.
Tell Flyn he’ss an arse, and say Foiren hello. And if y’ see the elf lamaenon, tell ‘im…he owes me a fish.
Yers,
Threland Goodman!
P.S.-I’ll bring ya a keg of the mead iffen it finds us.
