A Walk in the Woods

[Bruzog]

Ancuram was not as I expected… while several of my citizens hail from there originally, they are far more agreeable than those we encountered at this border town. I at first felt welcomed by their actions, but they soon showed their true intentions and bias. I do not trust the folk of the wood, not before and not now.

We were invited to take part in a ceremony, given little instruction, and judged harshly for some of our interpretations. Art is subjective by nature! I will not have my people condemned by some salad-tosser over his own negligence as a host, I sincerely doubt he subjected the members of “Sanctuary” to such rigorous roundabout nonsense. If he’s fool enough to trust them and not be impartial in his treatment of both groups, I care little for his opinion. And if he deems his forest worse for our being their after all the effort we put to heal it, I’ll take his smug head from his shoulders in accordance with the old ways.

I do not wholly despise Sanctuary as I feel there is something much deeper to this, but there are at least many in there number that do not weigh or care for the consequences of their actions, only the outcome in their favor. I feel many of my citizens do not see past their own lives and the present, where I come from their pragmatism and fierceness would signal their strength, though their rashness would diminish that merit somewhat.

I do not trust this “Guardian”, and I find his letter arrogant and distasteful at best. He does not wield the worth of self or power to grant us anything. I am as apt to disembowel him, braid his entrails into a rope, and hoist him up the nearest gibbet as I am to listen to his poisoned words. I am yet to decide which I shall do.

Our time in Ancuram was not as harrowing as I feared, though I doubt I will visit again. We arrived and left well off, though Aria has gone missing. It was difficult to go on not knowing her fate, I had not choice but that does not make the taste any less bitter. We can only hope that she is safe, though I have sent out missives with her description in the hopes of hearing word. We set out again, I will keep as close an eye as I can on our caravan so as to not lose anyone else.

I admit after the incident in the caverns my writing is somewhat shaky, many boulders and loose rocks befell us, I took at least one strike to the head though there could have been more… I have no memory of this though. I am just glad Raine and I carried through with our characteristic dignity and stoicism(I believe, I really have quite the headache, my vision blurs at times…).

If the trend remains of getting blamed for Sanctuary’s actions by following in their wake, I rather take another road less traveled and let others see them for who they really are(whatever that may be). We cannot be blamed for setting a fire when we were known to be elsewhere at the time, and so we cannot be held accountable for another group’s actions when we go another way(though I admit my absence from the destructive episode). Regardless, I must see to it that there is not another incident like the temple in Gandra, at least not involving us. I hate balancing on a knife’s edge navigating public perception and politics in these lands. I shall not bemoan this life too much, I am still thankful for it….

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