Ziemno
From a human ‘sailor’ in Dv’gav:
Aye, I was aboard the Stampede, first mate I was! Alright, second mate. Okay, Okay! I was deckhand. I was still onboard though! We set out of Odrodzi for Dv’gav, hauling some heavy as hells dwarven metal. Fine stuff I’m sure, but I swear to the Mother we were halfway under just out of the bay. Said to the captain it would be the death of us. Hah, I was mostly right! Not for me though, ol’ wiley one I am! we got hit by a storm midway, big black nasty one. Got turned around, and smashed up against the east coast. Where? Blast if I know! Somewhere by the damned forests, had to trudge through those dark woods, dodging beasts and bandits for a day just to get to Temho. I won’t be going back, no way, but if any of you fools think you can get through those woods, you find a nice boat full of fine dwarven steels…
Cieplo
From a human shepherd in Mal’kiv:
So, I was out tending the goats, as I do, you see, and then I saw! Something shiny, out across the field. Thought it might be some coin, a nice shiny silver, or even a gold! I was so close to it, and it was much bigger than coin, what could it have been? I was just reaching out, when a damnable horak swooped down, nearly took of my head! It grabbed the shiny, and that wasn’t enough, it took one of the goats! Flew off with a bale of earth in one claw and my goat in the other! Flew south, towards the hill lands. Ain’t got no coin to hire one of those fancy mercenary companies, and the guard don’t care none for a lowly goat herder. If only I had been just a second faster…
Skal
From a halfling caravaneer in Sasiedzi:
Have you checked the lists? So, did you see it? Right here, look! We should have nearly five pounds more, and this isn’t the first time. Look at this one, and this one, and this one! A pound here, a pound there, who knows how long this has been going on… No, the buyers haven’t made a fuss, few even really notice the difference. Find out where it's going? No, it would cost more to do that then just ignore it. Who knows, maybe someone is skimming off the top in Yedi Tepeli or Odrodzi, or maybe the soldiers in Forts Wlozy or Ucho need some extra wine…
Polud
From a dwarven hunter at Fort Midor Ish, during deportation interview:
Yeah, yeah, you need a statement. Just like the like the Temple Rangers or the Imperial Consul. I’ll probably need to give a couple more back in Skal, eh? Alright, alright. I was hunting, er, poaching. Where else can you find so much unowned, untamed land outside of the Mar? Well, yeah, but Swit is so boring! And you know what Swit doesn’t have? Rachs. Yeah, that’s what I was hunting after, a wild rach. Big leathery bastard, stalking the forests north of Ak Ie. Why? Gold? No, there’s no way I could take any of the remains out of Polud, the damn rangers would have hanged me. But the stories my friend, the stories. I would be known across Rohnia…
Swit
From singing halfling boy in Auksas:
Old man on the hill,
we all call him Sill.
Potions he does brew,
all he eats is stew.
If you take a spill
you can go see Sill.
Fix you good as new,
then he’ll feed you stew!
Zmier
From an Imperial guardsman in Paznokcia:
I thought the corporal was a lying arse, but I saw it myself, I tell ya. That orc band we skirmished with last quarter? No, the other one, the one where sergeant Privich got cut in half. Yeah, that one! Did you see their bandleader? Yeah, and did you see what he was wearing? That was some of the most incredible plate I’ve ever seen! Must be from a forgemaster, dwarven most likely! If only we could’ve nabbed him, but I don’t much look forward to running into that band again…
Kosz
From a half-elf prospector in Fort Usta:
’One of them mercenary gangs found gold in them hills, and now everyone one and their dog is up there, poking around for the good stuff. And they’re finding it too! Hundreds of coins worth of raw gold is flowing out, free for anyone to go pick out of the ground. Or, if you’re an utter bastard, free to be taken from the cold dead hands of those that did the actual work to get it out of the ground.’
From a fisherman in Skala:
Biggest river eel I’ve ever seen, that one was. Nearly took me arm off, and sure as hell took my boat. Bigger than my little dingy she was, I didn’t have a chance. My fault though, can’t blame the old girl, I felt the pull was too strong, but I got greedy, must of tore her mouth up. Too bad I didn’t have a bigger boat though, could have squeezed enough oil outta her to give half o’ me old platoon some of them speedy potions…
Pogrzeb
From a huntsman in Tanuc:
Never seen hunting like this before round here. In the past quarter alone I’ve nabbed ten does and four bucks. Every day! I don’t even have to go out for long, the boys and I are almost always back to the old lady by noon. Some kind of miracle it is, praise the Mother and Father. Course, some of the older folk say it’s the spirit of the forest coming back, or something coming from the trees, or some other superstitious rubbish. All I know is that I hope it keeps up, we’re making a killing…
Rozbita
From a Trade League merchant in Cieply:
I was expecting two shipments by now, one from Pocalunki and one from Usciski. Only the Pocalunki one came and went. Been two days since the expected arrival date. That means either pirates got him or the dumbass sunk himself. Don’t got the gold to send someone after him, so I hope he just sunk himself…
Polnoc
’The were from one of the Princess’ armies, I’m sure of it. They dressed like it, spoke like it, and carried themselves like soldiers, not bandits. They said there was a ‘toll’ for crossing the bridge now. Sod on that! The Imperial taxman said nothing about it. Damn soldiers are just doing whatever they want now, and the Princess’ aren’t giving two sharts, and the Imperial bureaucrats don’t want to get their fingers dirty. Can’t rightly hire anyone to go up and kill Royal Family soldiers, but if some ruffians who didn’t mind pissing off the Princess’ some went up and took them out, I wouldn’t complain, and they’d make a pretty penny from all the coin those bastards have cinched…’
From a dwarven miner in Adatekni:
Not the first time he’s gotten himself lost in the mines, but I’d wager this is definitely the longest. Call the guards? Why in blazing hells would I do that? He’s an arsehole! I hope he stays lost in there, or better yet eaten by a troll or rocksnake. Means less competition for me, that bastard can forge like all demon. Let’s just pray he meets a real one down there…
Stracil
From a dwarven guardsman in Tirmik:
Ever seen a mountain horak? Sure, they’re smaller than a plains horak, but they stick together, live in the cliffsides like wild pigeons. Real pain to climb up to ‘em, but the nests are just full of stolen shiny goodies. Of course, it’s not like it’s just the climb that’s difficult, but the damn horaks will be coming at you the whole time, and working together too! They might only be a bit bigger than a wolf, but when you have a dozen of them swarming around you on a cliffside, it’s down right terrifying. Why am I telling you this? Well, I saw a new flock of them settling up the mountain and - wait, where are you going?