3863
The Journal of (scratched out)
BrutusBane
I have recently arrived once again in the main lands of the kingdoms. It has been some time since my last visit. Matters are much more pressing than they were when I roamed this area before. By night, more and more horrible creatures appear to plague these lands. By day, the races squabble amongst and within themselves.      :: I have acquired this book to record my thoughts on the events around me, so that I may remember them myself. :: ::  :: :: First Entry: Date Unknown :: :: Shortly after arriving in Oren, I gathered resources and built myself some makeshift  tools out of wood. Though weak, they held together until I could create more durable stone  equipment. equipment. I will likely need to buy iron tools in the future, but these will do for now. :: :: :: Second Entry: Date Unknown :: :: By chance, I found myself in an inn where an old friend of mine, (scratched out), serves as a bouncer. The (scratched out) Inn, I believe it is called. We talked for a short while, but we soon went our ways. The inn was much too expensive for me to live there, unfortunately. No doubt I will return to speak with  (scratched out) periodically. He seems to know his way around Oren. :: :: Third Entry: Date Unknown :: :: After having wandered in the wilderness for days, I met a man in the middle of nowhere. He claimed that someone wished to speak with me. Against my better judgment, I followed him. Luckily, I was not ambushed or harmed in any way. Instead, I was invited into a military order and taken to their hidden village. I will not disclose the names of the order or of the town, for they had me swear I would not. I am a man of my word. :: After I was taken in as a "Sariant," I was granted free roam of the village, as well as my own modest plot of land. I made the best of the room I had, and I now have a home for the first time in months. The others have been kind to me, aiding me when needed. Perhaps I will stay for a short while. :: :: Fourth Entry: Ahad, 15th of The First Seed, 1321 :: :: I feel slightly uneasy about this place. I am still not sure of the motives of this order, and the chanting does not set well with my consciousness. I will try to speak with someone of a higher rank to find this out. :: No doubt, I will move on at some point, though I know not when. Even if I do, I will keep my promise; nobody will hear of this place from me. :: It seems to be my nature to not commit to anything permanently. I suppose that is a strength as well as a weakness. :: :: Fifth Entry: Date Unknown, 1321 :: :: I have recently discovered the purposes of this military order. I find some reason in them, but... I am unsure whether or not I can fully support this. Their motives are true, but I find it hard to agree with their methods. Raiding villages, razing them to the ground, and killing all who oppose their ideals. .. I think this is too much. :: But do their means justify it?  If they succeed, they will have done something great, and those beasts will not be able to destroy who they wish any longer. To get to that point, however, much opposition must be erased. There will be violence to prevent violence. :: Will it be worth it? :: :: Sixth Entry: Itnan, 30th of the Grand Harvest, 1321 :: :: I just witnessed the others threaten a guardsman of Oren who came across the town. I know not what has happened to him. He found out the name of the town after previously entering it. He "knew too much." :: I am growing more and more insecure about this order. I am wondering if it is even possible to leave alive, whether or not I keep my promise. What have I gotten into? :: :: Seventh Entry: Date Unknown, 1321 :: :: I received a pair of golden boots as a gift today. Apparently, so did everyone else. How odd. :: :: Eighth Entry: Date Unknown, 1321 :: :: Many events recently transpired. As I awoke one night, I was beckoned to follow by another member. The entire order was heading off. We arrived, in the shade of night, at a fort in the north. We razed it with little  resistance - until an unexpected visitor arrived. :: One of the undead appeared. He began casting terrible spells, as we fired our arrows at him. He seemed to dodge every shot I fired... I know not what happened next. :: It does not end there. I soon found myself in Al'Khazar during an undead assault. A horrifying voice penetrated the air as an army invaded the city. I quickly equipped myself with a bow and some arrows before joining the battle. I had slain many undead before a deafening force knocked me unconscious. When I awoke, Ariel was cleansing the city. My friend (scratched out), who had been fighting alongside me, used some strange ability to heal the wound I sustained from the battle. I returned to the town and rested. :: :: Ninth Entry: Ahad, 15th of the Amber Cold, 1321 :: :: A man named Brett contacted us, asking us to support a coup against the king of Oren. I witnessed their attempt  while blending in the crowd. It became violent, and I fled. Nobody knows I am part of this. :: The order overstepped its bounds. It was foolish to join this cause without any other support. Not to mention that everyone is sure to brand us as traitors! :: I need time to think. :: ::   Final Entry: Kamees, 19th of Snows Maiden, 1321 :: :: After a long period of thought, I have come to various realizations. First, the order is a danger to the safety of the common man. It is claimed that we have been systematically demolishing guilds and factions in order to bring everyone together into a strong union. They believe that this disunion is the reason that the undead have invaded so easily. I understand that forcing the broken remains of the guilds we fight back into the kingdoms could strengthen them in a way, but killing off all of these people and razing strategic fortresses will not help us against the undead. And I know now, from firsthand experience, that the undead are the true threat. :: Second, because I disagree with the order's philosophy, I find myself in a predicament: If I stay, my allegiance will eventually be put to the test one way or another; if I leave, I will be hunted down and murdered. Either way can very likely end in my death. :: Third, this journal is a liability to my safety so long as it remains here. I must swiftly remove any piece of information in its contents that can be used to trace it back to me, and then rid myself of it. :: :: I know what must be done. If my life is taken before this is over, please read this: My friend, the land far east of the bridge of Alras contains many secrets.