Dear Mother

[thosholm]

Dear Mother,

How are things in Barkdell? It has now been half a year since I left you and my younger brothers and sisters to try my luck in the Tryker Lakelands. As you can see from the fat bag of dapper and the gifts for you and all the family in the package, I’ve been quite successful.

The dappers are for you to repair the family boat. There is always something. The daggers are for Fask, so are the tools. The toy cloppers are for the baby twins. The Matis silks and Fyros cottons are for Sisu. She wanted some different fabrics for her quilts so I collected as many scraps as I could. The Fyros fire brandy is for Uncle Hio. He can drink it to warm up on those cold nights when the mists rise from the lake. The jewels and the other stuff give to all my cousins and nephews and nieces. I hope there is enough for all of them. There always seem to be more and more of then each time you write.

I was a total country Tryker when I first arrived at Fairhaven. I spent an entire day just running around the city, looking and gawking and wondering at its beauty and marvels. Fairhaven is bigger than all five villages together and there are lots and lots of people here. I’ve seen more foreigners here in a day than in a year in Barkdell. The city is so rich, it even has two training schools for all the classes! I had nowhere near enough dapper with me to afford a place of my own, but I found an affordable place to stay quickly.

You would like this place. It is so completely different from our oasis villages. There is water everywhere! Barkdell has its own little lake and there is the big lake between it and Waverton where uncle Raphie taught us all how to swim tirelessly and how to sleep in water. Here you are glad if you can walk somewhere without having to swim, there are so many lakes and islands.

I had begun my Jeweler training with uncle Sishan in Aubermouth and aunt Mara in Hobwelly had taught me how to forage for the materials I needed. So when I got here and needed dappers, I simply grabbed my pick and began digging. Right outside the gates there is a rich field of ambers, bigger than anything we had. So I quickly filled my bags with them. I also found that there was a big bunch of cloppers up on the hill just outside the gates and kipees and other assorted nasties too. But fear not, there are enough healers around to help me if anything bad should happen.

I had some trouble finding good seeds though and I didn’t feel like using Yubo or other nails for it, so that always took far longer than finding and digging the ambers. Around that time I met Crythos. He is one of the better gunsmiths amongst the Trykers and he needed seeds for his weapons too. He showed me the rich Seed beds near Windermeere and the small Amber deposits there.

Crythos also introduced me to the Redcaps, a small guild based in Avendale. They were a great bunch of very different people, mostly Trykers, but a few others among them too. You may have heard of Aajolea of Matis, the armoursmith. I met her in that guild and she even made me a set of light armour. I learned a lot of things during that time. I became a far better fighter, healer, everything. Alas, it was soon that time when a curious plague swept across all lands and many people left and were never seen again. Of all the Redcaps only Crythos, Zespiole and I remained in the Lakelands, Aajolea returned to the forests of Matis.

But Jena and the Karawan were helping me. I met Rikka, yes, little Rikka, whom I had made some jewels for long, long ago when I was just an apprentice. She is all grown up now. You should see her when she wears her medium Matis armour. Aunt Meari would keep uncle Dash locked in his cabin to keep him from following her. But I digress.

I was digging for seeds one day, feeling almost as lonely as in my first days when Crythos came to me and told me that he had left Redcaps and joined Evolution. I thought about it for a bit and decided to join him and that guild. Life hasn’t been boring since. Especially since Rikka was guild leader at the time…

I have seen so much since then. I’ve seen the forest of Yrkanis in full Spring bloom. I’ve seen the mektoubs trekking through the Zoraï jungles. I’ve seen the Burning Forest in Fyros. I’ve run through the Prime Roots tunnels that we sought refuge in not so long ago. I’ve fought along friends in several battles against the Kitins. I’ve dug in all lands known to Homins.

And still there is so much happening now. Rumours here in Fairhaven fly about like Nik-flies around Messab-dung. There is a set of evil twins around, causing havoc where they appear. Secretive explorers whisper of re-discovered passages through the Prime Roots leading to the Matis lands. Buildings are being scaffolded and talks of the School of Alchemists and Beast-Tamers opening again abound amongst the scholars.

I look forward to reading another letter from you. And yes, I don’t write to you nearly often enough. And no, the famous Evolution parties are not as bad as aunt Reeza and aunt Oori gossip. You would like them.

If cousin Juut again blabbers about coming to visit, I do have an appartment now, but it is only one room just big enough for me and filled with all kinds of loot I want to keep, but have no use for yet. Same goes for my packers, so you can tell him I will not borrow him one, or two, or three, or my mount. He can walk. I did so too before I could afford them.

Lots of love and kisses,

Thosam

P.S.
The Samsara mercenary carrying this letter and the accompanying package has been paid in full and with bonuses for timely delivery. If he should ask for more dapper or if there should be anything missing from the package, set the hounds on him and send me a letter telling me so by express-Izam care of recipient.

T.