Moonday, Gozran 16, 4712 Sunrise
Seerspring Garden

Spring is my favorite time to be in Magnimar.

The cold darkness of winter with its barren trees and washed out hues has given way to the pale green of awakening plants and the riot of blooming flowers. People reflect their surroundings, and heavy dark clothing has been shed to reveal the bright colors beneath. The chill in people’s hearts has also thawed, and kindness is now the rule rather than the exception.

The sun is just peeping above the horizon, highlighting the dew laden leaves with fire, and the webs strung between twigs glow with anticipation of the day’s warmth.

This is my favorite place in all the city, sitting with my back against a mossy stone wall as I gaze east over the tranquil garden and the still sleeping metropolis.

Nearby, the spire of the Church of Pharasma juts above the tree line, clad in brown, gray and blue shingles of slate. Had fate proved different I would be there still.

The soft voices of my friends remind me that I have some place else to be this morning, and that I had best be on my way. I stand and pick up my pack, heft the flail that lay at my feet, and head to the northern gate.

The time has come to leave Magnimar, and I shall miss it.

Moonday, Gozran 16, 4712 Sunset
Lost Coast Road

We are moving slow, but I suppose that is to be expected. On horse back you can make Sandpoint in a day from Magnimar, but it is 50 miles of hard riding. Most folks take two days for the trip (or longer if on foot) to spare the horses and their lower back-sides.

Originally I thought to hire a horse and make the trek in a day, but then Takoda suggested going up as part of a group. “Find a caravan in need of a guard. The extra coin won’t hurt, and you said you were after change, and you have been alone for so long this change will do you good.”

I wasn’t so sure how much good the addition of people would be, but he had a point: I was looking for a change. What was I going to do with my life? The world was a big place, and the maps I had seen in Magnimar showed nearly limitless possibilities. Kali told childhood tales of exotic and far away places she had already visited, and I found the idea of extensive travel appealing.

But for starters I wanted to return home to Sandpoint for perhaps one final farewell.

Apparently there was a glut of guards (or people posing as such) looking for caravan duty, and it was doubtful at first if I’d even be hired. I suppose I should have cleaned up some before the interview to make an impression. But what do you want in a guard, the smell of soap and bathwater, or someone who can fend off attackers? And so what if it had been a week or so since I last washed my clothes — and Timber, there is no need to snort “or so” as if to imply it was any longer… or much longer, anyway.

Fortunately Badger reminded me to tell the caravan owner I was a cleric (I do not look much like one), and so he’d be hiring both a guard and a healer for the price of one. That did the trick, and I was signed on. Clever Badger!

I rode in one of the wagons, which was comfortable enough. I told the leader that I could ride a horse, but he took one look at my two handed flail and said, “That’s no weapon for a rider!”

Well, duh! It’s not like I planned to fight from horse back — the poor dispirited animals they brought along wouldn’t be much good in combat anyway. But I held my tongue (thanks for the reminder, Huffy), and silently climbed aboard.

Fortunately the driver was neither inquisitive nor talkative, which gave me ample opportunity to think about the future, and to rest (I have the late night watch).

Toilday, Gozran 17, 4712 Sunset
Sandpoint

Last night was mostly uneventful. Some time after midnight the horses became uneasy, and there was a loud screech in the distance. I thought I saw a winged horse silhouetted by the moon, which brought to mind the old tale about the Sandpoint Devil, but nothing more happened.

Camp was broken and we headed out at a steady walk north.

The road headed west, and climbed over the rolling hills and down into various river valleys, and then slogged back up again. Clouds rolled in at mid day and graced us with a stady downfall for half an hour, after which they broke apart and went along their way, leaving us to our own.

By afternoon we were crossing over the Foxglove River and into the lands of my youth. A battered and weathered sign on the far side of the bridge announced “The Misgivings”, with an arrow pointing off to the left. Tacked below this on tattered parchment was a warning in faded ink:

WARNING

The house has been looted, but the evil remains

– Olithar –

Shalelu had mentioned something about this place some time ago — some story her bard friend, Sedjewick, liked to tell (or sing, more likely).

As we continued northward my heart began to rise. It had been some while since I had last been to Sandpoint, and each bend in the road revealed a familiar vista that triggered memories from my youth.

And as the sun began to set we crested a hill and found the quaint harbor town of Sandpoint quite the same as I had last seen it. Or so it at first appeared, but as we approached I could see new construction mixed with the old, and the remains of charred pilings poking up from the water in the warehouse quarter.

“It’s just as I remember it,” quipped Pookie. Yes. Well, Pookie claims she stowed away on caravan in her younger days and has seen most of Varisia, but I only half believe her.

We brought the wagons through the south gate and over to the market houses, where the goods were unloaded and I collected my pay.

I’ll ask around to see if Shalelu is about, or if worse comes to worse I can ask at the Rusty Dragon… but Ameiko has put conditions on my visits to her establishment.