Paize Skimmertree's Diary (Document)

This
is a journal of expertly bound paper in a leather cover. There are no obvious
markings on its surface, save for the word ‘Ledger’ embossed in peeling gold
leaf.

The
first several dozen pages are full of bookkeeping markings and arithmetic,
apparently for a shop of some form in Gunnrhyne. This is quickly replaced with
personal writings by a male half-elf named Paize Hrrugnin, detailing his escape
from the Elenic Confederacy following petty theft charges. The following are
[…] My flight was easier than I had thought. My parents filled my head with
warnings and threats, that a sherrif magister always caught his man, that they
could suss out the faintest of trails. Either the sum I was owed was thought
nothing of, or I simply hold little interest for them. Likely the second; when
I left, men and women were still taking up arms and leaving for the border
zone.

*I passed the last official*
hostel about four days ago. I’m well and truly out in wild lands now: the
sherrif’s men are the least of my worries.

*27th May, 352:*
Don’t follow the lights, idiot. Just because it glows doesn’t mean its food.

*29th May, 352:*
Fortune smiles on me! I had an encounter while on a game trail with a couple of
orcs. Only seen the half-breeds back home, and these animals were nothing like
them; purple-skinned, grunting, mindless things they were. They were carrying a
limp form with them, and figuring a companion out in the wilds wouldn’t be
amiss, I took the high ground ahead of them and took them by surprise. The
fight went well, strangely well in fact. Every strike proved true, and every
blow from the brutes careened wildly away from me; the hurt the dirt more than
they did me. Perhaps it’s something about the air out west that’s sharpening my
skill!

*Their prisoner was, as I*
suspected, a woman. More important is that she’s a half-elf who lives with an
elven clan not more than 20 miles away. Perhaps I can get something in thanks
for her return?

*The woman says her name is*
Elaise Leafrun, but apart from that she said little else. She seems quite taken
with me.

*30th May: We*
returned this morning, and she seemed well-received by her fellows, though I
still have a vague notion something is amiss. More importantly, however, they
were delighted by my presence, and by my tale of the orc’s defeat. They’ve
decided I should have a home amongst them, which is perfectly suitable to me.
They’ve even given me a new house name: Skimmertree. I suppose it’ll do for my
new life.

(A
handful of entries are recorded after this, detailing his integration into the
clan’s society and several brief foray’s out into the forest. Notable amongst
these is the keen interest Elaise continues to direct towards him—an interest
Paize doesn’t seem to entirely return. The following is the last entry.)

*12th June:*
Strange news today. Apparently it was assumed that ‘uniting’ with their clan
meant marrying into it. Not that I mind; Elaise is a fine, pleasant-looking
woman, though she seems strangely timid and withdrawn from most others in the
clan. It’s just… I’m not sure. I didn’t exactly plan for this; to be honest, I
thought I’d be dead by this point.

*Perhaps tying the knot*
with Elaise will allow something more than animal need between us; after all,
through our mixed blood, we will live many years, during which some fondness
may form. But more importantly, marrying Elaise will ensure my place among the
clan. Bedding a beautiful women will be made all the sweeter if it allows me to
survive.