Smithson School of Blacksmithing, Kingdom of Garthia,

5th of Arah, the Second month of Snow.

I'm leaving tomorrow. That damn cat pissed on, and in, my chest of holding! I spent all day cleaning it. I shot him. Well, I almost shot him. I missed.

*-*-*

“Look here, mister cat, I don't care who you think you are. This is MY chest.” Maxwell yelled at Tom Cat, El Gato, deposed king of the celestial realm, removing a revolver from it's holster, “You peed all over it like a common house cat!”

“I am anything but common, you stupid, ungreat---” Tom jumped onto the dresser as Maxwell pulled the trigger on his revolver. “How... How dare you!” He dove behind a chair as the second shot splintered the dresser. “I will claim everything in my realm that I deem worthy!” He ducked left, under the bed, as the third shot engulfed the chair in a ball of fire. He bolted from the room.

“And stay gone! You no good flea bitten sack of dog!” Max yelled at the fleeing cat. He shook his head, “now I'm going to have to clean the stupid thing.”

*-*-*

6th of Arah,

I left the family school today. I didn't see that damn cat anywhere. Good. 20 miles today. Brandywine was sad to go, but she seemed to understand.

7th of Arah,

There was a mouse on my pillow this morning. I gave it to Brandy.

9th of Arah,

Two rabbits and a sparrow next to my bed this morning. I'm starting to worry. Did the Goat take notice of me for some reason? At least the fresh food was good. Mmm, rabbit stew.

11th of Arah,

The snow has come in like a lion today. Barely 5 miles.

12th of Arah,

Saw some tracks in the snow today. Couldn't make them out. There was a dead goose next to me this morning. I may have to pretend to sleep in order to catch whatever is doing this.

13th of Arah,

Fell asleep after all. The snow has subsided. We are reaching the edge of the demon wastes, so soon we won't have to deal with it any more.

14th of Arah,

I set a trap last night. It was trashed this morning when I woke up. There was a little bit of gray fur in it. I wish I was a better nature person so I could identify it better. I asked Brandy, but she just rolled her eyes at me.

17th of Arah,

Two more traps have been destroyed. The sun was out in full force today, and the snow is all but gone. Tomorrow looks to be the crossing point out of the blight.

18th of Arah,

The cold is gone, and the heat is wonderful. I have given up on the traps. Tonight I will put a protective circle around the camp.

*-*-*

An alarm went off in Max's head, informing him the circle had been breached. He shot out of the tent, revolver in hand...and saw nothing. After lighting a torch from the remains of the cooking fire, he examined the entire area around the perimeter of camp, shook his head, and went back to bed. Only to find a pair of dead rats on his pillow.

*-*-*

19th of Arah,

To hell with it. I'm done. I'm not willing to waste the time and ingredients to make a better barrier spell for camp. I will just accept the strange appearance of the occasional bit of food.

I passed a farmstead today. It was abandoned, but still a good sign. The old dirt track we have been following has widened somewhat. I expect to make better time tomorrow.

20th of Arah,

The old track has turned into a mostly unused wagon trail. I think tomorrow will be productive. I sighted a wild boar before the sunlight failed.

21st of Arah,

As expected, there was a dead boar outside the tent this morning. Brandy and I butchered it. We will be eating 'high on the hog' for the next few days. I saw a cat's paw print in the dirt. Must be people around.

22nd of Arah,

Met a farmer this morning. Traded an hours work for some eggs and milk. He was as surprised about the boar as I was. Nice to have a conversation with 'normal' folk after the school and School. We will reach the town tomorrow morning.

23rd of Arah, well past the City State of Red Oak,

Red Oak is a town. It contains some 3,000 people. It is self sufficient. Something about the place felt off, so I kept going.

*-*-*

The winding... road...led to a small town named Red Oak. As was the fashion in the wild lands of the west, it was a city state. No actual wall surrounded the town, just a berm of dirt, and an old open wooden gate buried in vines. Max slowed the cart as he passed the gate, looked at the mud and wattle huts, a crumbling stone foundation, and shook his head. “Don't think I'm going to stop here, Brandy. Something feels off.” He kept going. What he didn't notice, at least consciously, was the lack of shadows.

*-*-*

26th of Arah,

I'm well into the Rolling Hills region, past the demon border. The grass is lush, and the breeze is warm. Ran into a clan of Gnolls and there herd of sheep. Nice folks. Didn't need candlesticks. Got some information about Red Oak. They call it a cursed place, and won't go near it. I bought a sheep. It made a fine stew.

There is another city state a few days farther down the road that the Gnolls trade with on and off. They claim it is much better than Red Oak. Cleaner and nicer. No curse.

*-*-*

Max sat at a small camp table across from a large female gnoll, enjoying a cup of tea, and trading information. “Chieftess Blueclaw, who cursed them?”

“We do not know. We have a tale about a woman of shadow asking for help in her hour of need. They refused. So she took their shadows as punishment.” Chieftess Blueclaw replied. “The stories do not elaborate further, except to say that not offering hospitality to those in need is a grave sin, and an insult to the god.”

“Don't you mean gods?” Max asked. “I mean, there are several.”

“Yes. There are. But we follow the old teachings. The teachings of Gehona, the provider.” Blueclaw replied. “He may have fallen from greatness, thanks to the petty new gods, but he still exists.”

Then tea was over, and the two parted ways. And then, Max remembered the shadows.

*-*-*

28th of Arah,

Tomorrow afternoon I will reach the city state of Baroness. I hope the peoples there have shadows.

TTFN