Durant's Personal Journal - Southern Graffenbach, spring of 3812

Things have been looking up as of late, for what it is worth. It seems like as cataclysmic as the Starfall has been, the silver lining is that it has opened more opportunities for the rest of us than its architect probably realized.
 
I've managed to keep myself quite busy managing my fledgling army, and it has well and truly become an army by now, several thousand gnolls rather than hundreds now that we've crossed into Graffenbach. I've been pleasantly surprised just how many marauding warbands have simply joined of their own accord; they seem intent on joining those who can provide some structure, security in numbers, and reliable hot meals in these uncertain times. There are as always those gangs and warlords who cling to their pride and must be fought, but for the most part things have been remarkably amicable. I am as always thankful for that.
 
Perhaps even more fortuitous, we have managed to get in the good graces of the Warrior Queen An'sula herself, and her court. We've provided our services as mercenaries to her more than once to make up for her sudden lack of troops, and together we seem to have done an admirable job of stabilizing the post-Starfall foothills north of Mt. Hapboog for her city and people. She has even been magnanimous enough to allow many of our gnolls political asylum in her territory. Those of us who did not wish to remain fighters have mostly claimed old farms around Kasr Tiryns whose prior orcish owners had died for one reason or another in the wake of the Starfall. The volcanic soil produces crops like I could never have imagined, and they are quickly making themselves valuable. It means the world to me that they do not have to live lives of violence if they do not choose it.
 
Lycya and Adcro have proven invaluable to administering all these people. They have started delegating responsibilities to their own lieutenants to ensure things continue effectively, and have thus far chosen quite well who to trust. Their friendship has also proven invaluable to me, as has Char's presence; I feared that this would be quite lonely when I left Hannuya's Ridge and thankfully that has not been the case. For all the hardship, this has given me a great deal of hope for the future.