An Artisan's Journal

[Voss_]

[A scattered handful of notes, chaotic in their nature with mismatched dates, wrinkled sketches and half-finished thoughts bound together as a journal. Resting somewhere in the Balladeer's College, seemingly in a different place each time. "Loras' PRIVATE Notes" was helpfully written on the cover, the first page bearing a short message of the author to himself and any unwanted peekers..]

It has been a long time since I've kept a journal of any kind, not since the dragon's averice reduced my home to a smoldering ruin. The days however have not ordered themselves since my arrival to the Great Ashen Desert, to the contrary I oft find myself losing ideas and thoughts in the chaos. Hence I shall record them here for the sake of my own clarity.

And who can say, perhaps through posterity they may be of use to someone after I am gone.

That having been said...

THIS IS A PRIVATE JOURNAL - SHOULD I CATCH YOU PEEKING I WILL BE VERY CROSS

~ L.M.

[Voss_]

Iyar 12th or was it 13th? Year IY 7788

The days since my arrival to Ephia's Well have been chaotic in ascension, almost as if it were building up to a breaking point. I have witnessed many a prelude to tragedy and violence in my short time here, the howling of madmen, unapologetic villains and a slew of people who mask their own wicked nature.

Ariel Hysair was many of these things, but she never hid her who she was. The madness that grew in her was displayed clearly for all to see, almost as if she were an actor seeking an audience and stage to act out a tragedy. Indeed none were to surprised to hear her hands were finally stained with the blood of someone undeserving of that fate.

That someone was a dear friend of mine, another wrong forever staining my life.. another thing that I could never hope to mend.

Fury built up in me - I lashed out with the others, brazenly marching into Kha'esh for the sake of vengeance. We did not find it in Kha'esh, but before the new moon rose Koji had seen to it that Ariel would never harm another again. Seeing her broken corpse did quell my anger for her, more than it I felt shame and grief. For even this was a pointless death, another grain of destruction to avert the Lord's gaze upon our once-paradise. What would the old preacher have made of these events? I miss the clarity His words brought me.

I expect the grief will not fade for a while.

This is what it feels like to lose a friend.

It is awful...



---

Koji was rewarded in light of his bravery, graduating into a proper Balladeer. That his first Ballad be one rooted in death has me conflicted. The Hope we swore to foster seems an evermore distant thing among these tragic events.

But I do not misunderstand, it was justice, and justice is a virtue that must be upheld.. I think.