[This is the journal of Birdsong, a 22-year-old tabaxi who currently finds himself in Guildtown, in the Brock University Westmarches setting. The journal is a leather-bound book with Old Draconic runes along the spine that say “Relgr di vi Xathi de Japachi Verthichai”. The pages of the journal are made of rough paper, and are written on in a mix of Common and Old Draconic.]

22/09/12
I have finally reached Guildtown. I am currently resting in my new room, inside the Guildhall — it feels strange to lie on a real bed after such a long time. The new people I have encountered here are stranger still: Mithemia, who seems to function as the Guild Elder; Megas, a being called Warforged that can produce pork buns; Carloz Diego Jose Julio Francisco Paul y Ricardo Glassye Junior, one of my fellow guildmembers; and finally Asonder, a sort of Elder-adjacent figure? My encounter with Asonder was by far the most confusing, and he seemed to take joy in that fact. At first, I confused him for an Elder (which I embarrassingly thought was called a Mithemia, turns out that Mithemia is just the Guild-Leader’s mother-name and not a given name), and even though he seems not to be an Elder he does wield the arts of one. There is still much to unravel about this town’s culture, and it may take me some time to fit in. For now, though, I think I’ll rest my eyes and mind; this town’s brown water is very bitter and will take some getting used to.

22/09/16
Quest for old gnome mushroom gentleman
– joined by Vek, Annam, Zarrow, Arix
– if a mushroom punches you, punch back
– get the golden mushroom
– a jiffy is 45 minutes
– gave us mushroom soup
Guildmembers:
– Star
– Arix
– Carlos Carlos Glassy

22/09/20
I should probably write down everything that’s happened. It’s been… a lot.
After receiving my room, I took a few days to recover from the journey here. It still doesn’t quite feel like home, but perhaps that’s a good thing; I don’t need any more reminders of home right now. The evening of the 15th, I decided to spend the night in the forest surrounding Guildtown. It felt good to sleep under the stars again, and drink clear-water.
The 16th was the day of the quest I signed up for. I headed back to the Guildhall, but before making it there a forge caught my eye. The Copper Crucible was its name. A statue depicting an Ipiye Draushum stretched down from the ceiling, its grinning jaw fueling the fires of the forge. I find it fascinating that the artist chose an Ipiye Draushum rather than an Aurix Draushum, given that it was breathing fire, not acid. Still, the statue was reminiscent of the artistry of home. More reminders.
I spoke to the temporary forgemaster, Whispers Teddie Whispers. They spoke to me of meditation, and of creatures called Familiars. They instructed me how to call forth a Familiar of my own. I thought the process harmless. Whispers Teddie Whispers seemed like an honest soul, and in truth, I do not think they intended for the Familiar to turn out how it did. They even gave me a curious sweet-smelling yellow object, which they called a “honeycomb”. No, they did not mean any harm towards me. I was simply unsuited for the ritual.
The Ferrod emerged as my Familiar.
He is not as he was, but it is the Ferrod just the same.
It followed me on my quest. It has been four days, and it still hovers just outside my door. I can feel its presence. I do not know what to do. I was told I can be rid of it, but if I cast it aside then I am no better than he.
It seems to be able to take care of itself, so for now I have taken to simply ignoring it. Perhaps it will get bored and move on, to go live its own life instead of terrorizing mine.
My quest went well. I met several guildmembers: Vek, a goblin blessed by the earth with Elder-magic; Annam, one of the Draushril, but not of a kind that I’ve ever seen; Zarrow, a dwarf and an impressive fighter; and Arix, a human who kept to themselves for much of the quest. I remember little of the quest itself, and the night afterwards — I remember consuming a soup of mushrooms, and I suspect that has something to do with it.
I’ve kept to my room the past few days, attempting to reflect on what’s happened. I haven’t made much progress. I’ve been going through the last of my rations from the trip. Perhaps fresh food will help.
– DO NOT DRINK BROWN-WATER. RATS BATHE IN IT
– “ale” may be related to brown-water but with less rats
– they keep clear-water behind the bar in a keg
– a flyer is a piece of paper that is handed out
– they play “drinking games” in which you drink strange-water until you fall unconscious or resign
– the unsavoury effects of the drink may be the point? yes, the water is intentionally poisoned and drank as for trial or for sport
– confront the unknown tabaxi about stealing one of Arix’s cloaks
[There are several pages detailing common fruits that go into weirdly specific depth on their taste, texture, and appearance. The section on grapes is the most enthusiastic.]

22/09/30

quest for granny gee

tiefling – briphion, reborn – grisp, rhubarb twinkletooth – fairy?, zarrow – dwarf, arix – human — collecting 3 curled grasslike herbs outside town, valia root

we have been captured by the fey, they have challenged us to a an extremely tactical game called little dragon big dragon in which i played the pivot move that allowed us to win — blue dragon, thief, white dragon, black raider, blue dragon

22/11/13
The Krasian Boar Hunt
With Rhubarb, Zarrow, Arix
saw the sights, killed a boar. easy.

23/01/28
Skipping Stones
With Gorsot, Skylark, Briphion
Tadao found Earth Elementals were kidnapping people, including Jack and rats. Jack has been rescued — the rats are our job.
Also: Bring back an Earth Elemental, alive or dead.
“Keep your eyes here and you may escape”
“Life leads us down dark roads, but sometimes it is necessary to see the light”
Directions from gala hall to entrance: RLRRLLLLRLUDR

23/02/04
Missing Crystals
i was kidnapped, and rescued