The Frantic Scribbles of a Two-Fisted Mage.

[Ravvus Wiseau]

[All threads are in chronological order. Desert Expedition starts the beginning of Ravvus' journey.]

Before you lies a bag filled with wondrous items, exotic nick nacks. You can see Sacaen head-bands, Ilian furs and trade goods, a strangely smooth rock, a handful of small, clearly Etrurian, religious texts. But, strangely, what catches your eyes are a handful of crumpled pieces of paper. Upon these pages are tales of a journey, notes of reflection, and a window into the mind of this bag's owner. If you wish to read these seemingly unimportant papers, you had better do so fast. Were the owner of this bag to catch you, the punishment would be of the swift and fatal variety.

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In the left corner of the bag lies a set of somewhat organized papers. Scribbled at the top of each are the words: "Expedition Notes"

Desert Expedition

Traversed a fair portion of the Nabatan desert on orders from the higher-ups. Group was dispatched in hopes of finding dragons. Group failed. Mission largely unsuccessful and was, for the most part, a waste of my time.

Notable moments:
- Eagle forbid me from searching for treasure.
- Discovered graveyard of mercenaries.
- Found strange rock in graveyard.
- Tensions between Goeke-Morey and Eagle reached a boiling point. Expect the latter to be dismissed from service soon. Will not be surprised, but will be angry, if this occurs.

Do not recognize strange rock. Plan to show rock to petrologists and see if they can identify it. Have yet to find petrologist who can identify rock.

The Pale Compass

Disclaimer: Technically not an expedition, but there is no section of notes dedicated to pre-expeditions.

Arrived in Edessa. Learned that most of the guild had left for military service. Reduced manpower reduced guild to hiring freelancers. Assisted guild in hiring manpower for job in Sacae, then departed.

Notable moments:
- Ordered to handle hiring of no-name mercenaries. Not what I signed on for.
- Met guild employers: Two Sacaens women. One was the heir apparent of her tribe, the other her body guard.
- Hired Duma.
- Anton placed in charge of operation. Disconcerting. Not personal first choice for leader. Insecurities cause him to butt heads with other guild members. Fortunate guild expects little trouble. Would not want Anton leading a more dangerous expedition.


A Bleak Archive

[WIP]

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In the center of the bag lies another group of the allocated papers. Read at the top of these ones are the words: "Detours and Other Unanticipated Events."

Odd Jobs

Ambushed in Lycia. Disappointed in myself. Highwaymen got the jump on me. Broke free with the help of some mercenaries. Intended to get revenge, but captors were killed by asshole mercenary. Mercenary agreed to fight me in a duel if I helped him and his friend hunt down the rest of the bandits.

The Promised Duel

Asshole mercenary fulfilled his part of the bargain. No longer consider mercenary an asshole.

...

Mercenary also has a name: Duma.

Where Mountains Pierce the Sky

Arrived in Ilian backwater. Wanted to confirm rumors surrounding the undead. Confirmed rumors. Villagers did not seem prepared to fight the undead. Left due to impatience. Hope to find and fight undead on my own.

Escape from Frozen Mountains

Fought undead on my own. Ran into two other mercenaries while trying to find the undead. One of them was killed, the other badly wounded. Escaped with few wounds, myself. Mixed feelings about the entire detour. More to follow in my Personal Thoughts.

Fire and Ice

Visited a small town on route to Edessa. Met another mage. A woman. Blue of hair and fair of face. Every other word the woman spoke was an innuendo or coquettish jest. Was uncertain of how to respond to such forward behavior, but not uncomfortable. More to follow in Personal Thoughts.

...

The mage's name was Minerva.

...

She was delightful.

A Gold and Purple Spotted Egg

I saw a dragon.

...

They're real.

...

I always knew it.

The ink trails off in a squiggly line.

More to follow in Personal Thoughts.

Rekindling

[WIP]

A Brisk Pass

Took detour through Ostia. Wanted to test self after Killuan archives. Somewhat successful. Ran into group of three other travelers. One was riding a bird-lion lion-bird griffon bird-lion. Fought against pack of doogs, undead bear, and a manifestation of the nether in the form of a knight. Shall not be reflecting on creature in Personal Thoughts. Hopefully will not be reflecting on creature ever. Still not entirely sure how I survived the encounter.

Back To Basics

Ended up in nameless Etrurian town. Picked up the latest in magical tomes: Trinity. Can control lightning spells fairly easily, but have significant difficulty casting wind magic. Woman who sold me book, Mimi, told me about a moment of serenity she had whilst at death's door. Believe replicating said state of serenity could help casting wind spells on my end. Hopefully will not need to replicate exact criteria in order to achieve that end.

Similar Journey; Disparate Destination

Went into the woods to blow off steam. Was attacked by crazy, foreign swordsman. Youth wore finery, looked like he was royalty. Joked that he was 'The Prince of Vinland'. Not sure Vinland has princes or nobility. Unsure joke is funny. Not important, disregard joke. Swordsman gave up on the fight for reasons unknown. Lost my temper during fight. Cleaned up the mess as part of damage control. Disappointed with self. Believed I had more control.

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At the right corner of the bag lies the smallest pile of paper. The title for these papers is "Personal Thoughts and Reflections"

Escape from Frozen Mountains

Where do I start? I found the most terrifying creature in the snowy lands of Ilia. An undead corpse, at least a foot, or more, taller than the average zombie, hunted me as I cut down its' companions. It had this stare, this enervating stare which made it impossible to move. I could barely stay on my feet whilst it laid its' eyes on me. It was humiliating. This slow, sad beast sought to butcher me like a fat, waddling pig. And it would have if not for the arrival of the other mercenaries. Donovan and Ge, Gr? Damn. Least I could do is honor the dead by remembering their names. Whatever. In the end I wasn't even able to kill the damn thing. I scarred it, took out one of those vexing eyes, but it slunk behind its' brethren and disappeared into the swarm before I could finish the job. The worst part is that it killed Donovan's friend. I couldn't even get justice for his death, let alone my humiliation. But I will. One day I will. I'm going to get stronger. I'm going to learn fimbulveter. I'm gonna go back there one day, hunt down that monster, and get my justice. That thing, that scorched behemoth, will know my vengeance.


Smile Back

I couldn't handle it. That man, George. His death. I don't understand it. I tried to understand. I spoke with Donovan. He told me... I don't even know what he told me. He assigned blame to both of us. But that can't be. I couldn't have been responsible. He told me otherwise. Told me that I needed to accept it as a mistake. He's wrong. I refuse. I will not be considered weak. I will not- I won't-

The writing cuts off abruptly. Pieces of the parchment have been torn away. Other parts are have been dampened and taken on a darker shade of brown. There are even long sections of sentences crossed out to the point that their words are indecipherable. There is only one section at the bottom that is still legible.

Mistaken when I thought event required documentation. Nothing of note occurred. Dispose of this paper at earliest convenience.

Fire and Ice

Damn. Thought I'd disposed of that crumpled, scribbled mess. Not important right now. Need to write.

It had been a year, I think, since Minerva. After that much time it felt... invigorating. Invigorating. That really the best description I've got? Thought I could be a little more loquacious. Loquacious... Now there's a word. Focus. Minerva. It felt good to be with her. And I'm not just referring to the- invigoration. That word again. Oh, that flirtatious blunette would have a field day if she ever read this.

Ravvus. Focus.

It felt good to be around that woman as, well, as a lot of things I suppose. As an intellectual equal. As a sparring companion. As a playful companion. As the object of her lusty affections. I admit, I've little frame of reference when it comes to receiving, let alone playing, the coquette, but I enjoyed it all the same. Yes. Good is a fine way to describe the experience. I hesitate to commit too much more to this rapidly filling page. There was an aloofness about the woman, a sort of playful distance at which she kept me. I didn't mind. As I've said, she was delightful. But I fear that if I remiss too much, I may swell my heart with false affections. An unhealthy choice. Perhaps then I should end my reflection here?

...

...

Another sentence or two could not hurt.

The rest of the page consists of several lines of pining and introspection.

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[WIP]