Chapter 1
29 March 1257
Today is a day as good as any other. Well, slightly better perhaps. Regardless, today that I can finally afford to buy this parchment to scribble out my log. For some sorry bastard reading this years down the line or, hopefully, my official scribe to reproduce one day when I'm old, weary, and about to die. More on that later. Let me tell you about myself, dear reader (that's me, for now at least). My name is Robert. I am Robert the Brave. Robert the Wise. Robert the Honorable. Robert the Ambitious. And, Robert the Gigantic Ego. One day, I, Robert, will be the emperor of Calradia. Until that day, I'll content myself with some silver in my pocket and some steel in my hand.
My great-grandfather was born on the Steppes and lived there his entire life. His son, my grandfather, was born on the Steppes and lived there his entire life. His son, my father, was born on the Steppes and lived there his entire short and miserable life, before being murdered for insulting a drunk man in a tavern. I never said he was smart.
Revisiting the site of my father's murder a decade prior, I left the bar in Tulga on one spring night. Stepping into the alleyway, I quickly note that the streets are oddly empty. Keeping my eyes peeled (not literally, thank God!), I heard footsteps from one end of the alley. An all too familiar sound struck my ears--it sounded like a bow being drawn. Out stepped a sorry excuse for a man, who quickly released an arrow in my direction. I didn't even have to dodge when the arrow flew by, wide and to the right. With nary a thought, I pulled my crossbow from my back and fired off my first bolt. The fight when quickly and ended with this sorry bandit dead from my second bolt.
What happened next infuriates me to this day. (Hey, it's only been a week!) A greedy man of the town begs for my help. Recognizing his greed and malice from the first instant, I tell him that he may shove his job somewhere the sun don't shine. Perhaps under a tree. A large and wide tree with broad leaves and sturdy branches. You know--the sort that won't fall down during a storm, and with leaves that won't break free with the wind. Unfortunately, as it's still early in the year, there were very few trees that were so covered. While I still denied the man his victim, I saw him again upon leaving the tavern.
Leaving Tulga, I made my way back towards Swadia. Reaching the town of Dhirim, I met an incredibly cheap man by the name of Jeremus. The sucker agreed to join my company (composed of, at the time, just me) for nothing at all. I agreed, of course, and we made our way towards Uxkhal. On the way, we encountered more bandits. God, what's it with these guys?? With my wits about me, I defeated the four, but not before my elderly saddle horse was viciously murdered. If only Jeremus would have taken the blow. *sigh*
Content in my victory and with a few bits of loot in my possession, I quickly made it to Uxkhal. The next morning, the tavern keeper mentioned a tournament being held at the arena. Unable to resist a good fight or a bit of betting, I sold everything I owned and bet it all. With 412 denars won't go far, but, if I'm lucky, I'll win the tournament.
I will be honest and attribute my victory to personal skill. I suppose my team members also helped a little bit, but they lost, I won, and so it doesn't matter what they did. I won the first round all all those following it.
Prior to the fifth round, I bet the last 10 denars I had in hopes of a victory. My hopes were not misplaced.
Following the victory at Uxkhal, we moved on to Suno. A second tournament, no doubt ordered by the greedy King, was held. Entering myself to this second tournament, I repeated my prior success and managed to eek out a victory. Word of my new-found fame undoubtedly spread to the greedy merchant, who decided to assist me by selling Oil for me to heat and spread over my ripped body. However, as I am extremely smart and handsome, I was able to score nearly a score of Oil, and paid for it with most of my silver.
With these jugs of oil loaded on a few asses, I journeyed first to Praven, and then to Tihr, Saragoth, and, finally, Curaw. I was able to sell a few jugs of oil to unwitting merchants in each of these towns, and made a decent amount. While I was in Saragoth, I was able to purchase several bundles of flax. Naturally, I did. Upon reaching Curaw, I spoke to the Guild Master about various opportunities for the smart, the savvy, and the extremely attractive. When he mentioned purchasing land, I became much more attentive. Using one third of "reading, riting, and rithmatic" plus a bit of luck, I quickly decided that an Ironworks would be a perfect first business. And what better place than Curaw?
The Guild Master naturally agreed with me. Significantly lightening my purse, I can only hope that I made the right choice by investing in Curaw.
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Robert, 29 March 1257
Inventory: 9 jugs of Oil, 14 bundles of Flax, 3 old asses, and 3 bags of grain
I have leveled twice since the attack in Tulga.
