"More on the Aberrant Rodents"

B

ecause time I have to spare in Uli, while the others recuperate, I decided to record a description of the rodent men with whom we've found combat many times of late. Never seen creatures like this before, I hadn't, but I had heard tales of shalovyk krysa, lanky men who looked of rats and kidnapped children who wandered at night. Maybe these are not the shalovyk krysa from Dwarfly stories, but it seems the fables are not without base.

After many attempts in the dirt,
this is my best rendering of the
beasts.

These rodent men stand varying heights, some large as me and some larger, and they wield small implements like that of a thief. They seem to excel in ranged combat, perhaps due to their physical frailty.

Speak of their intellects, I cannot, but they seem sharp-witted if not wise or intelligent. Usually they travel or fight in groups, taking advantage of their surroundings and using basic battlecraft to overcome the enemy.

Their writing looks like that of scratches with inked claws or blades. Of a drunken scribe it reminds me—Intentional, yet without prudence.

Also capable they are of the use of poisons, and coordinated murder—Such as that of the seamstress, Lafia.

It seems they, much like the bestial Orc though much less recklessly aggressive, lend ranking of authority to the size. The biggest of the S.K. wielded a sword of unique and sadistic craftsmanship, and another of comparable size appeared some sort of ritualist or shaman. Upon deeper investigation of the hovel which these two occupied, a vile concoction, we found, which carried the carcasses of two dire rats.

These two rats, certainly not the S.K. though apparently manipulated by them, were clearly dead: their lacerated flesh, however, took movement and made to attack us. We made relatively quick work of the two rats, yet I am still haunted by their state: nezhyt'u. Like the S.K. I thought such things only existed in stories.

-M

"The Green Beasts"

W

e were attacked by vile green giants, on route back from the town of Ostern. Missed my shot, and was forced to flee when the others all but abandoned me. Loxslot's bowstring gave way in his panic, and Korgeth clearly has never fought a foe taller than him, as I am forced to do with nigh every encounter.

The beasts approached
without hesitance, green
skin and long noses.

The encounter was a sobering warning of the danger of giants. I know not what type, exactly, the bigun was that killed Rodek. A part of me resents the others for fleeing. Such cowardice is what slew my brother, not the beast. Indeed, Managed to outwit it and escape, the others in the quad did, and without fleeing.

But Deus is no Dwarf. Korgeth is reckless but not markedly brave. And Lox certainly values safety, even at the price of cowardly tactics. May we all learn some lesson from it.

Headed towards the abberants' nest, we were, to investigate a hidden passage I discovered when last we visited. I had thought little of it, but Lox found its implications to be worthy of another look. Now that we have taken care of trade in Ostern. Otto paid me well for Lafia's ring, and I spoke vaguely of plans with Beold and Gild. Because of the baron's grasp on their business, I hesitated to say more.

Now staying in Uli, we are, so that Deus and Korgeth can find reprieve and rest their wounds. We shall leave in a day or two, I imagine, to make way through the long underground tunnel...

-M

A.E. Beold is a human. But his Dwarfly accent confounds me, and he and Gild act as brothers would. I wonder about his origins...