Society

I write now on my last day in Voklawa, this city has kept me busier than I ever thought I could be, I've scarcely had a moment to catch myself amidst all the activity here. After settling in two weeks ago, I first thought I would visit the library in the city, and read up on where I was going. It took every ounce of my will to keep myself focused in that place, it was easily ten times the size of the bookshop I had frequented back in Elloryd, and I had already lost whole days in that place. I had prepared myself for the shock however, and directed my energy to my topic of choice. I was seeking information on the wildlife of Bacroan, so I might learn to recognise what I saw on the road to Osdraemos. After these two weeks, I am confident I could tell apart a griffon from a manticore, however I am embarrassed to admit I can recall nothing of what to do if I were say, confronted by an unknown snake. Unfortunately, I let my mind wander towards the grandiose rather than the grounded, I may end up imposing on the caravan as a hapless damsel, more than I had wanted to.
 
I met the leader of the caravan, Danestri Gotovets, when one of his horses keeled over in the stable at the inn, it had an infected wound in it's leg that had gone unnoticed for some time. I was able to stymie the infection by bolstering the spirit of the animal around the wound. A veterinarian saw to the horse's recovery, and Danestri offered myself a drink as recompense for my deed. The ale he gave me tasted awful, just as Samuel had warned me it would. Danestri found my reaction to it particularly entertaining though, and we got to talking about our journeys. I learned that he was the leader of a cargo caravan that ferried goods from lumberyards and breweries near the southern mountains up to the coast to be sold at markets or shipped out from Voklawa's port, and when I mentioned that I was heading south to Osdraemos, he offered to let me ride with his group, free of charge. I suspect he believes he may have use of my skills in healing on the journey, and though he did not mention such a service as a price, I know I should treat myself as if obligated regardless.
 
During my first week, I also made a conscious effort to see the sights in Voklawa. I travelled down along the walls of the great bastions on the coastline, apparently, the westernmost fortification was built many thousands of years ago in response to sightings of giants in the frontiers to the northwest of the city, while the easternmost bastion, built from scratch by dwarven artificers, shelters the port itself from raids by pirates, who apparently anchor in a plethora of hidden coves along the north coast of Arwenay. I have heard a number of interesting rumours about this Arwenay, it is supposedly home to these wild giantkin, carved from wood, who stalk the land for trespassers and defend the ancient ruins of the lost Ayygli civilisation. Also of note in the city is the Kin-stone, a colossal carved monument near the central market of the old town. The carving around it's smoothed cylindrical shape tells the story of how Voklawa was brought under Krosarum's rule, and apparently, under the hold's law, the presence of the stone is the sole legal requirement for the city's continued status as Ghwaraf-Kudz (Dwarf-Kin, the term for Voklawa's vassalage.) Apparently it is maintained regularly by city authorities, and most of Bacroan's other major cities maintain similar monuments.
 
I see it as rather strange, the citizens here are limited in so many ways, they cannot even enter the city from which they are governed and yet they seem so secure in their situation, happy with the peace that is enforced over them by Dwarven arms. They have complete trust in the regime that conquered them, could their former rulers really have been so bad that Bacroan would hail their murderers as heroes? Does no one wonder why a hold that has remained static for millenia would suddenly take up arms and capitulate a nation in but a few weeks.
 
Why am I considering this I wonder? Perhaps I just can't understand, maybe I need to see more, or live more, before I could start to understand these citizens. I haven't dreamed since in the two weeks since I arrived here, I've been thinking about my dreams more and more lately. I think I'll try to dream while I'm on the road.