Diary of Julius Valarian – Sviftmont 999 AC

This entry we are covering 2 months, as we come closer to the winter.

Some more Setting notes for you:
There are two Races of Men that are prominent in Karameikos: The Traladaran and the Thyatian:
Traladaran people have been in the land for thousands of years, they have pale complexions, dark hair, and have brown eyes. They have light builds, and are short. The average height for men is 5’9″ (175cm), and for women is 5’3″ (160cm). Traladarans make up the majority of the common folk, and are quite superstitious, believing in lucky charms and fortune telling practices. Most Traladaran towns don’t have schools, and many are illiterate.

Thyatian people arrived about 100 years ago and tend to be physically larger than Traladarans. They average 5’11″(180cm) for men, and 5’5″(165cm) for women. Thyatian hair ranges from dark blonde to dark brown, with the occasional ginger. Eye color ranges from blue to brown or black. Thyatians tend to be slightly darker, and often tan easier than Traladarans, who sunburn easily. Thyatians make up a lot of the nobility, and tend to be educated much better. Most Thyatians are from cities or large towns with schools. Since they came from a large empire, they tend to feel superior to the Traladrans. They think of themselves more reasonable than the superstitious Traladarans.

Sviftmont 8^th 999 – Vanya’s Day
Two nights ago we had some more “shooting Stars” which, while I like, did not register as anything special, but then last night the purple star returned and was glowing brighter than the rest of the stars in the sky. I wonder what is going on.

Today for Vanya’s Day, my wonderful wife had a sparring dummy delivered from Vladimir Vlem. She thought since this was a day to celebrate battle, I would appreciate the gift. While Vlad is not the best at making working dummies, this is a welcome gift.

Sviftmont 14^th 999, Khoronus’ Day.
Today we helped Amber finish her gift she was making to give Runa for Khoronus’ Day. She wrote her first simple letter to Runa thanking her for taking her under her wing. She also included a framed picture she had drawn of Runa. Khoronus’ Day is a day to honor your elders, Good to see a familiar Celebration.

Sviftmont 20^th 999
The Tower in the forest seems to be almost finished. We ran into the owner, and man named Thaddigren Dentiata. He sure likes his black clothes. He claims to have hired the orcs to help him build his tower. He plans to do some magical work there away from town. He claims it’s safe. Man gave Adriana and Amber the scares really bad though.

Sviftmont 28^th 999 – The Duke’s Birthday
Today was Duke Stefan’s Day. In the capital there are parades, and fireworks. I wasn’t sure what to expect here. Turns out, nobody cares. Not a single person knew that today was the Duke’s birthday, or if they did, they didn’t show it. I’m guessing that even though the Duke came to power nearly 30 years ago, some of the locals still just see him as a Thyatian conqueror.

I personally feel that he has done a lot of good for all the people who live in Karameikos, and has been a very fair ruler. But I may be biased. I will have to ask Adriana, as she is even more of an outsider on these matters.

Sviftmont 29^th 999
Last night was a new moon. It was quite dark, and Bram Radescu lost some of his sheep. This is strange in the fact that Bram is very careful with his animals. He claimed that he just couldn’t keep his eyes open, and when he awoke in the field some of the sheep were gone. I think he’s just getting old.

Picture Credits:
Sparring Dummy from a Miniature available on Ebay (https://www.ebay.com/itm/Papo-Rotating-Medieval-Joust-Practice-Dummy-392352-Red-Figurine-New-With-Tags/233350647811)