Posts Tagged with Other Worlds

Greetings from far far away. I hope this finds you well. I’m sitting in the inn. Heh. I say the inn, like you know it. It’s not what you’d expect. Sure, right now it’s dark and moody, but during the day… well, it’s comfortable anyway. Durable. Kind of like if a Cracker Barrel and a tavern had a baby; that grew up to serve alcohol, practical wilderness wares, and weaponry. And if it played simpler music… live. (Not always better music, though.)

Now in Chora, that inn had some class. Of course, it was kind of a café, but – Come to think of it there’s a painting of it hanging up in that building just across the square! Oh, you’d like it too. It's like you’re peering out a window at a drizzled courtyard that just sighs like a lazy Sunday afternoon. Well, except for a few flowers dancing happily with their raindrops. Oh, and there's the musicians near the window gently bouncing the room's serenity… and, there's the barkeep drying something while affectionately noticing someone out across the way, behind another window reading a book. It’s really something. I guess you'd have to see it.

Anyway, I’m here, just trying to drop a few meaningful lines since one is supposed to be regular with their correspondence, and with all the adventures of late, that has not been easy. All I can say about the adventures though is that there’s this cave, and there’s something inside it, and that something wasn’t very happy the last I checked. (I’m so going back to check again when I’m done writing this! It’s going to be awesome!) (Rumors about my running scared and trapping it in there are completely unfounded. Like, there’s totally zero evidence.)

Well, this seems like a good place to stop for now. Thanks for your attention. Maybe next time, I’ll have to write less about the realm and talk more about terran stuff. “Terra” sounds much better don't you think? For my use anyway. (“Hey terrans!” > “Greetings earthlings!”) Yeah, I’m sure you understand.

Well, later.

-Pen

Dear Terrans,

It’s been a while! I need to take the time to write more often! The micro-bloggings take less time, just a spare second now and then, and that is less than- whatever it takes to actually pen something like this. That sounds like an excuse, even to me, and it I probably is. I do hope you understand. Civilization-building takes its toll. I think we’ve grown too quick. Maybe we should slow down and let things grow at a more natural pace. I’d enjoy the extra time to write.

Fortunately for us here in Liberterra (that’s what we call it), the elvin connections across the realms help a great deal. And the dwarves help too! (One can’t forget the dwarves, or they’ll be sure to remind you…. and remind you, and remind you…). Even with the help though, there’s lots of work available! People set up shop, start other ventures. Also, they often look for help on heavy work-load days. One guy even tries to make it as a bard! I suppose we could stand for some cheering up after a hard day.

Most of the locals have been pretty hands off. It seems they just sold us the land, and they are done with us. Reading some of the Terran history of what happened to them natives, post-Plymouth, I don’t blame our natives one bit. But their knowledge of the local wildlife and land would help. The few who stayed with us know that and capitalize off it which is of course fair and admirable.

I confess I do allow one other thing to take my time away from you all. A book. Dr. Stratton’s Human Freedom. I once posted how I wanted to read it. I like how the book doesn’t ignore the more religious significance of the conversation but comes at it head on. Some of you Terrans may not appreciate that aspect as much, but I do, and so far the book does a good job at it.

Less new but just as distracting, there’s been some kind of unfortunate event in the woodlands. I guess a large sum of money was lost, stolen, or something; but apparently the critters collected it, and you can find the money on them! Ever go hunting and search your prey for spare change? It’s weird!

Anyway, I must be going. I do hope your horrible pandemic (of authoritarianism) gets better. This is why I don’t connect/marry realms. Bad stuff gets through too.

God bless.

Pen

It has been too long. I hope to explain and to secure your understanding. At the risk of some crassly audacious honesty, I admit that I hope to maintain your readership as well.

I’ve been away. Yes, space may be relative for me but not demands. An opportunity arose suddenly, and for the sake of a friend, I was obligated to accept. It has to do with the realm that recently took to our way-faring company. After all, realms rarely work out. A people might attack just for our showing up! This time, they took to us but most especially to my good friend, my second. (Hey, I wonder if he mentioned that he runs the taverns! Anyway.)

This friend has followed me on so many adventures that it only seemed right to follow him on this one. So, he took the lead. And, I have to say, I wonder if he feels more at home here because of it. Either way, this is a debt of gratitude I owe him several times over. I hope you understand and can appreciate this much. There is more.

Upon due diligence, we obtained a large swath of land at the locals’ asking price and started our small settlement. It has been a wild ride ever since. Anselm had to go nuts (again) and get his athenaeum going large and “boss” from the start. It's amazing what you can do with elvin and dwarven resources in cooperation, but while the results are a blessing to the area, it is starting to look like he's showing off. We’ve taken to filling it with extra Terran resources just to keep up. (There are more books over there. Here, it is like- zero.)

Also, the performance troupes have mostly stayed behind in Chora. They prefer to hone their craft than build settlements. It’s fewer hands, but of course I understand. A few did come, and they are a relief, even when too tired to perform anything but a familiar face.

It is a full day building here, but we also have to keep the woodland critters from getting too close to the settlement. They are easy pickings, but we’ve yet to survey the outermost regions of this realm. I worry about dragons. Every realm seems to have them except yours, and we haven’t seen them yet. Yet.

Fortunately though, we’ve made great progress. Anselm’s is established enough to grow. The tavern is operational and busy from the natives alone. (And not like that. It is a great place to find local work.) Recently, I’ve even met some distant locals that may be from another tribe, and I am eager to see what else is out there. This place is my friend’s baby. It must go well.

So I hope you understand. I do tweet on Terra runs, but that is hardly the time to write a real post. Even this letter I write from the settlement hoping to have it posted for me.

Thank you for your kind understanding. I hope to reward your patience with more frequency soon.

Yours,

Penjammin de Chora