3. Words Left Unsaid (Noah's Journal)

Words Left Unsaid (Noah's Journal)


  • A hard leatherbound book with many pages and a strange design on the front, (from the Moonshaes for anyone who would notice), this journal contains the thoughts of Noah Wildthorne.


  • _My life has changed in many ways since the last entry in this journal. Almost immediately after Alana and I began to spend time together, she disappeared. I see her sometimes in my dreams… she's telling me that she cares, but the way she says it is also telling me that she's never coming back. I hope the best for her, and I pray that her goddess treats her well.

    I've made many friends, some that are just as new to these lands as I was once. Some see me as a strong fighter, some see me as a good person... a few even see me as a Knight of sorts, even going so far as to call me one directly.

    Soleil is a young devout of Nobanion, and she seems to be very happy with Narfell. We've never talked about what brought her here, but whatever it was, I think she's glad it happened. She has a good amount of skill with divine healing, and she always dresses in whites, browns, and golds. She spends a lot of time with the healer, Garviel, who is a bit mysterious as he is always hidden beneath his hood. She seems quite fond of me as a friend, and though she has recently seemed a bit distant, I think she sees me as a good friend.

    Araendel has grown to be a good friend to me as well. An elven cleric of Corellon, he reminds me quite a bit of Soleil, in his armor of gold and white. Come to think of it, they seem to spend a lot of time together as well. Arae has gained my trust in battle multiple times, as when I am up in the thick of the fighting, my greatsword swinging heavily into my enemies, I've noticed many hang behind, healing from the shadows, or sending arrows as they see fit. Arae seems to always be either right behind me, or right next to me, keeping me off the ground and keeping my natural abilities enchanted to their fullest, so as to make me the best fighter I can be. He calls me "Brother", and as I am told, this is no small thing for an elf to refer to a human as such. I see him as a brother in battle as well, and I would trust him with my life.

    Caling isn't new around here, but she's new to me. She spends a good amount of time with Thorn and Crux, as they all serve in the Norwick Militia together. She reports directly to Thorn, as he is the scout commander, I believe. She is... well, it's hard to find the correct word... but I would have to say... fun? She always seems to be ready to joke around, and though some of her pranks may end negatively towards me... (Such as pulling my pants down in front of the girls of Norwick), I can't stay upset because I believe she honestly means nothing by it. Thorn seems to think she has some type of feelings for me, but I don't see it, as she tends to treat most guys the same way. She is a good friend, though.

    Apollo and Garviel. I mention them both at the same time, because many (if not most of the time) I see them together. One a cleric of Oghma, the other a cleric of... (Honestly I'm not sure... I seem to have forgotten.) They both have a lot of heart and sense about themselves. They take precautions during battle that will ensure them long and fruitful lives, and I'm glad about this.

    Miss Charlotte. A noble from Waterdeep with a bit of a dark past. She is beautiful, and very proper, but these two traits are not enough to make it in a barbarian town such as Norwick. She has had a bit of trouble adjusting, but with my help, she is getting much better. She took a shopping trip with Crux and Caling the other day, and seemed to enjoy herself quite a bit. She is a good friend as well, and she has told me that she feels safe with me. Knowing this makes me feel as though I should always keep an eye out for her... just as I would any that looks to me for protection. She doesn't seem to get along with with Soleil, but I'm sure they will come around.

    Crux. I know her mainly as Thorn's... lady of interest? I believe she is his girlfriend now, and I'm glad. Thorn seems to like her quite a bit, and her abilities with an axe and a suit of armor may help keep the squishy elf out of trouble. Come to think of it... all the time I've spent around Crux, and I still don't know much about her.

    Eli. Thorn's little sister, she is very much a free spirit. Though, she seems to have her troubles as well. She invited Thorn and I to the Bardic College with Caling and Val for pancakes, and we had a good time at the party. Eli can talk a lot, and can be bossy when she wants to, but she's a good girl.

    Master Z. The leader of the crafter's Union, He seems to have one of the most caring souls I've ever seen. A priestess of the Earthmother, just as my clan revered... He is skilled in all areas of crafting, and I look forward to learning more about him.

    Thorn. Easily my best friend in these lands, I'm growing a bit worried about him. Stress is starting to get to him, and if it weren't for his time spent with Crux, I think he'd collapse of exhaustion. He needs to learn when to just let his friends handle something... though, I understand why he always feels he must handle the situation on his own. I'll have to talk to him soon.

    And finally.... Sessa. She's back. I practically swallowed my tongue when I walked up from the Southern Gates, and saw her standing there... just as beautiful as she had ever been with her blue eyes smiling at me through her raven black hair. I never knew how much I missed having her around until she showed back up into my life all of a sudden. After giving her a hug, and making her promise not to disappear again, we caught up. She almost fell asleep, her head on my shoulder... the scent of her hair filling my nose with apples. It was almost as like she had never left. We walked together, held hands... and we kissed. She still reminds me of all the good I miss back home, and none of the bad.

    I have much more to write about, but exhaustion is threatening to claim me. I've a mind to put out this fire and crawl into my tent for a good rest, and hopefully good dreams. However, I know how forgetful I am, so I'm going to start jotting down things that I want to write about, so I know what to write about when I open my journal next:

    Cormyr
    3 day gate attack
    The Crafter's Union
    The human hide we found_


  • _I suppose life is much like the weather, or the seasons. At times, like the previous entry in this journal, the storm is hard and intense. At other times, the rain is gentle, even soothing… leaving the fresh scent in the air that makes you feel like the entire world has been washed clean of all things horrible. Sometimes, it's calm and serene... the magic hour, between day and night, where the leaves on the trees have flipped to show their undersides to the sky... preparing for a storm.

    I wrote a letter to Alana, telling her of my feelings. I had decided there was no way for me to speak better than in the written word, where my stumblings and stutterings would be with me and me alone, and the beautiful final words would be all that she sees. I told her that I care for her, and that I wish to be with her, no matter the problems it may cause.
    I do still worry about Sessa. She just disappeared one day, months ago. Never said goodbye to me, or Alana. I suppose she must have her reasons, as anyone does. It is not my place to try and figure out why she left... if she wanted me to know, she would have told me.

    Being with Alana makes me feel like a whole person. I forget about the past, and the future, and just enjoy my life as it stands. Staring at the stars, talking about anything my mind is on... it feels good.
    This is the light rain, the beautiful gentleness that has no negativity to it at all.

    But today, I felt the serene calm before the inevitable storm.
    I went on a couple of hunts today. The first was with a couple of hins who seemed to be still somewhat new to the area. One was very quiet, the other… not so quiet. I think their names were Rei and Jonah, respectively… though I had only heard them call each other these names. Jonah talked a lot, but that wasn’t bad or anything, it kinda takes the edge out of the hunt. I swear, I thought I heard his voice in my head once… oh well, must just be going crazy. Or, well, crazier.

    The third person in the group was a druid who did not give her name. She was rather quiet, and seemed powerful, as she could control the very storm itself. Her spear struck with much accuracy, and her lightning brought piles of enemies crashing down.

    The last person in this hunt was a girl with deep red hair, and blackened armor. She didn’t talk much, but when she did… she sounded like the people around the docks in the city. She was… interesting to say the least. Very good fighter, used a scythe. Don’t see that much.

    Nothing out of the ordinary happened on this hunt, just thinned out the greenskins and the hobbers.

    The second hunt was… much more eventful to say the least.

    Rei and Jonah came along, but this time, we brought along a shaman. We decided to attempt to clear the small crypt. It gave us little trouble until we entered one of the back rooms.

    We were hit with many rotters, their stench sickening me almost immediately. Ghouls showed up as well, though they were cut down quickly by my blade, the Shaman’s spirits, or Rei and Jonah’s blessings. We eventually cleared the room down to one rotter left, when he appeared.

    A ghoul lord stepped out of the darkness, asking why we were attacking his master’s minions. He commanded us to leave under punishment of death. I wanted to stay, to fight… but the smart thing to do was to leave.
    Once out of the crypts, the others ran ahead to the gates, leaving me and the Shaman to discuss this “master” that was spoken of. He believed the master to be a very powerful shaman, capable of protecting his minions with the spirit of stone, making it difficult for my blade to cut through. As the discussion continued, the sickness inside me grew, and I grew delirious.

    I was being attacked from all sides by evil spirits… demons that were trying to drag me into the hells. That’s what I thought as I swung my blade wildly attempting to smite the beings that threatened me in my mind. Eventually I weakened, dropping my sword and curling up, protecting myself against a tree. Shaman acted quickly, and performed an elaborate ritual to cleanse my body of the evil spirit which had taken hold of me. At first, the pain grew in my side wildly, but eventually waves of relief spilled over me, as I vomited the spirit out of my body.

    As I gathered my wits, and began to feel normal again, Shaman and I spoke of fighting this evil shaman. He said that he is too strong in this world… with the power of stone to protect him. He mentioned that I would have to travel to the spirit world to defeat him. This is no easy task, as usually, only shamans can traverse the boundries between this world and the spirit world. He said, however, that there were rituals that could be performed that would send me there… if I lived.

    I refuse to let the evil shaman attempt to cause the sickness that was caused onto me onto anyone else. Of course I agreed… but now was not the time.

    Shaman told me that even in the spirit world, no weapon would bite into the evil shaman’s flesh. He said that my weapon in the spirit world would be forged of my own strength in mind. And before he would assist me in going there, I must strengthen my mind and learn the way of the spirits, so that I may be able to bring down this being of evil. He agreed to teach me the way of the spirits.

    My first task is to locate three things. One, mushrooms, as they are the conduit that will allow me to SEE into the spirit world, and make contact with my spirit animal, who will guide me through my journey. Two and three are the silver serpent and the green lake that Shaman saw in his visions. He told me that the mushrooms are in different places for different people. I’m going to try the bluff that I speak with Alana on… as that is where I feel most at peace.

    Spirits wish me luck in the journey that I am to embark on._


  • The next page is stained by blood, and the text looks somewhat shaky…

    _…Everyone back home... they were right. I'm not meant to be happy. I'm... a guard hound... nothing more...

    I hate myself for thinking I could have been something more..._


  • The page is stained with runny ink, and is wet, as if written quickly in the rain

    Very bad day…


  • _For the first time, I think I finally realized that I am no longer at home. Though I've been treated as less than a person most of my life, I find myself missing the Moonshaes. The quiet bogs, the beautiful forests…

    Not to mention the simplicity of my life.

    I've been in these lands, Narfell... for about a month now. In this time, it seems my life has practically turned over on itself. Not necessarily in a bad way, just very... VERY different.

    I found Alana, teary-eyed near the southern bluff. I sat next to her, concerned for whatever had happened. She finally told me that Sessa was in love with me. I didn't know what to say. I told her that she must be mistaken. Sessa could not be in love with me. Neither her nor Alana knows much of me. They don't know of my background. Of the raging blood in my body, screaming at me to let it out.

    Alana informed me that she was going to walk away from me, because Sessa is a good friend to her, and she doesn't want to be in the way. I didn't know what any of this had to do with anything, but I knew that I didn't want Alana walking away. I enjoy spending time with her, and told her as such. I asked her not to quit spending time with me. (After all, she is probably just misunderstanding something that Sessa had said, or done.) Alana eventually agreed not to leave me alone, though she still believed that Sessa had feelings for me. (I still wasn't sure why this bothered Alana so much...)

    After talking to Alana a bit, and she had left... (Something important to do, or somewhere to be I'm sure...) I had helped fight off multiple winged harpies that were attacking the southern gates of Norwick. Nobody could understand why they would leave their territory to attack, as this was very strange behavior for them. I quickly realized from my time hunting dangerous beasts in the Moonshaes, that the harpies were being driven from their home by something. Something large.

    And the hunt was on.

    After fighting through quite a few tough hobgoblins, we made it to harpy country. Harpies were frenzied, attacking in large groups, along with a couple of young wyverns, and worst of all, cockatrices. A few that I did not know were turned to stone along the way by the cockatrice's gaze.

    After poking around a bit, we discovered the driving force behind the harpy migration. A wyvern, that was damn near the size of the temple in Norwick. With just the 5 of us, it was smart to retreat and regroup back at the gates.

    We took care of the people who had been turned to stone, taking them to the healers to be reverted back to flesh. We also recruited a few other people to come along on the hunt. I almost did not go. It seemed dangerous, and I wasn't sure how to handle a beast of this size. I had even went to the inn to eat dinner, at Sessa's request. But no sooner than she brought me an ale, did I realize that I was in the hunt from the start, so I should see it out to the very end. With her blessings protecting me, I ran to the gates, just in time to catch the hunting party.

    The gigantic wyvern was where we left it, angry that we had infiltrated his nest once again. After a brutal battle, it was weakened by the many blades and spells that had fell upon it's thick hide. Seeing it weakened, and the strength in the men and women surrounding me, my confidence bolstered and my courage grew. I ran forward, dropping the shield that I had yanked from the corpse of a dead hobgoblin, and drawing the greatsword sheathed on my back. With a leaping strike, I cleaved deep into the neck of the beast, ending it's life with my blow.

    I had never felt so powerful.

    The feeling of greatness didn't last long, as it's mate was quick to show up after hearing the death sounds of the creature. I was sure to stay out of it's line of sight, and I'll be damned if the rest of the group didn't drop it before I had a chance to even figure out a good method of attack. We raided the Wyvern's horde, and made way back to the gates.

    From the horde, I made a few hundred gold, and a nice pair of greaves that make movement in the brush much easier for me. I have a bit of spring in my step now, as well.

    I sat down under a tree to speak with Alana... to talk about... anything. Just to talk to her. Before anything was said, Sessa approached us about a gnoll hunt, along with her, Troff, and Jerrick. We decided to go.

    This was a bad decision in the long run.

    I fell.

    I got too confident, attempted to help Troff and Jerrick when a couple of gnoll scythers showed up. As soon as I ran up with my blade ready to strike, they both dropped their scythes to my neck... I died instantly.

    I don't remember much else after that. I woke up in a temple I didn't recognize. I looked around for Alana... but she wasn't there. Sessa was, but she simply shook her head and walked away. Troff tried his best to make me feel better about my death. I was more worried of the ones I had let down... Alana and Sessa.

    I found Sessa, standing by the gate. I walked past, unsure why she and Alana had left me when I fell... and I sat beneath the tree that I sat with Alana at. Sessa found me shortly thereafter, and had a troubled look on her face.

    She told me that she did have feelings for me.

    She also told me that the reason Alana was so worried about Sessa's feelings, were because Alana had feelings for me too.

    She said the same thing Alana had said. That in order to be a good friend, she was going to back away from me. To stop our walks, (For some reason). I told her that I don't want either of them to walk away from me. She then told me that she and Alana would talk about it all, but in the long run, I would have to make a choice. Then she went to the temple.

    It certainly didn't help that while sitting on the southern bluff alone... I was enchanted by a beautiful succubus named Angeline. She told me everything I had ever wanted to hear from a beautiful woman, then softly kissed and nibbled on my neck, leaving marks.

    I found out later, she lied. She only wanted to control me.

    What if that's what all of this is?

    ....

    I found Thorn. I told him the whole story. He told me that this is something he knows very much about. He has been in this situation before. He told me I would have to choose between breaking one heart, or breaking three. I could choose one, and hurt the other more than anything... or I could choose none, and hurt all three of us slightly less.

    He also sent me to speak with a diviner/fortune teller named Leera. I'll write more about that later.

    Perhaps life isn't meant to be as simple as it was back home... but I can safely say I wasn't prepared for it correctly._

    The bottom couple of lines are smudged, as if the book was closed in a hurry before they could dry.


  • On the left page of the book is a charcoal drawing of an elf with shoulder length black hair. He is wearing scale mail, and holding a spear with both hands. He seems to be smiling, though also standing atop a hill with many goblins attempting to climb to get him.

    On the right page are a few words:

    THORN
    He calls himself the "Squishy Elf", though I would be hard pressed to find someone with as much heart as he. He was one of the first to welcome me to my new home here in Norwick, even going so far as taking me on a hunt to show me the lands I would come to call my own.

    He holds some position of authority amongst the scouts, as I've seen him speaking about "his scouts" or "the trainees." They respect and listen to him, so I am certain he has scouting ability, and I have seen his fighting ability myself. For a "squishy elf", especially one who seems so kind… it's best to stay on the non-sharpened end of his spear.

    He is my first friend. Ever.

    Turning the page, there is a charcoal drawing of a woman on the left page. She seems to have dark hair, and is wearing full-plate and holding a staff in her right hand. She has a gentle smile and is bending over and planting seeds with her left hand.

    SESSA
    Sessa is another in this land that I enjoy watching. She always seems to be in such high spirits. (The ink splotches a bit here) She reminds me of my mother, with the olive skin and dark hair of my people. She seems to be happy to see me when I'm around, which is something I'm still not quite used to. It's strange, I've always wanted to be treated as a person… and now that I am, I don't know how to react to it.

    She is a priestess of the Earthmother, which I suppose is another reason I find it easy to be around her. She took me on a walk to her favorite place, and told me a bit about her life, while asking me about mine. With nobody around, and being able to concentrate on the sound of the water falling, I was able to talk relatively openly. She has asked me to join her on another walk tomorrow.

    She reminds me of home.

    The next page holds a charcoal drawing of a woman with hair down to her mid-back, flowing with a shield in one arm and a sword in the other. She isn't smiling, but rather looks nervous, and has magical energy swirling about her.

    ALANA
    There is still much to learn about this one. She seems to be as quiet as I am… both in large groups, and when it's just us. I had slipped, and whispered that she had a pretty name in the tongue of the dryads, and she recognized the language, turning quite red and turning me quite red as well. When giving me gold from a goblin hunt, her hand touched mine. She pulled away quickly, and suggested we walk back to the fire.

    I find myself glancing towards her when given the chance. Between her and Sessa, I'm finding myself doing embarrassing things, such as being caught looking at them, and nervously scratching my arms and neck.

    She intrigues me.