Written By Amari
July 30, 2022, 10:03 a.m.(2/10/1018 AR)
It's an old adage, that when one seeks passage with their baggage down narrow lanes choked with garbage they may be subject to a savage stabbage. It arrives as a package, the stabbage and the scabbage and the only remedy is a bandage made of cabbage or clean linen wrappage and a big bowl of pottage enjoyed in the safety of your cottage.
...
I didn't manage to fit ravage in there. I think I need more help.
...
I didn't manage to fit ravage in there. I think I need more help.
Written By Amari
July 29, 2022, 10:20 a.m.(2/8/1018 AR)
What rhymes with cabbage?
Written By Amari
July 24, 2022, 7:59 p.m.(1/25/1018 AR)
Why do cabbages grow as heads? I bet there's a story to that, and it's much more interesting than anything I've read during my current research work. It's become so hopeless that I've taken to apologizing to my helpers each time we venture bravely into the archives together. If we ever discover anything at all, I will have to treat them to a feast of cabbage dishes.
Written By Amari
July 17, 2022, 3:25 p.m.(1/10/1018 AR)
Research continues to be slow, so I set aside the hunt for pertinent information to read about cabbage; green, red and white. Unfortunately, the two leading scholars on the subject have conflicting views on whether it's a divine blessing of Petrichor able to cure nearly any sickness, or a culinary menace more subtle than Lycene poison. One scholar makes a convincing argument that it's only to safe to eat cabbage after its been boiled twice over, and cooked with fat of mutton or pork. Even thus prepared, he warns, it could still cause nightmares, excessive wind and be too difficult to digest for those of weak fortitude if eaten in quantity.
Since it hasn't yet killed me, I'm going to continue to believe it's perfectly edible but likely not a wonder remedy for all that ails us. I think a pottage of leeks, onions, cabbage simmered in a beef broth and seasoned with coriander is a perfect autumn dish, especially when served with a hunk of crusty bread. Best of all, nearly anyone, no matter their station can enjoy it.
Praise Petrichor!
Since it hasn't yet killed me, I'm going to continue to believe it's perfectly edible but likely not a wonder remedy for all that ails us. I think a pottage of leeks, onions, cabbage simmered in a beef broth and seasoned with coriander is a perfect autumn dish, especially when served with a hunk of crusty bread. Best of all, nearly anyone, no matter their station can enjoy it.
Praise Petrichor!
Written By Amari
July 10, 2022, 7:48 p.m.(12/25/1017 AR)
This latest foray into the archives has been endless and infuriating. Perhaps I should move on to a less obscure subject. Cabbages? Brother Gimble's treatise on vegetable crops from the 9th century has a solid chapter on the humble cabbage that I have yet to fully digest. That might be just what I need. It may be more practical a read than all the loose ends and fragments that have led exactly nowhere so far.
Written By Amari
June 12, 2022, 6:53 p.m.(10/25/1017 AR)
Relationship Note on Cristoph
A truly great liege who exemplifies the best of the Oathlands, but keeps having parties in his honor when I'm away from Arx and can't participate. I'll note my praise here until our schedules once again align.
Furthermore, Painbow is a very fine tiny goat who should have parties in his honor as well.
Furthermore, Painbow is a very fine tiny goat who should have parties in his honor as well.
Written By Amari
June 12, 2022, 6:45 p.m.(10/25/1017 AR)
Is it autumn already? I had so many mountains I wanted to climb, but they'll have to wait. It's harvest time. There are giant pumpkins to admire, apples to cider and all the rest. Praise Petrichor.
Written By Amari
June 5, 2022, 9:08 a.m.(10/10/1017 AR)
Maybe the true reward was the friends I made along the way.
See? I've written the moral of the story at the beginning. Read no further. The rest will just be me ruminating on the failure of my efforts. Failure being a somewhat harsh way to sum up the results, admittedly. I did help quite a few people resolve their arguments before they turned into violent confrontations. That's a win. I don't believe I caused any argument to worsen either... but it was a close thing in some of the cases.
I've learned that to keep the peace, you do not steal another man's cow under any circumstances. It's not worth the heartache for all involved (including the cow's). Chicken wrangling? Also a very good way to cause bloodshed. Robbing a lady of her finest crockery after promising to marry, also not conducive to peaceful relations between her kin and yours. Oh, and don't dare poach deer or grouse from woods claimed by another, nor let your sheep graze in unfamiliar pastures. Also don't dare have the gall to charge a toll on a bridge you didn't erect either.
For gods sake, most of all, keep your word. If everyone did that alone, so much trouble would be avoided and you'd have nearly no need for lawyers like me nor have to suffer my well-intentioned meddling.
See? I've written the moral of the story at the beginning. Read no further. The rest will just be me ruminating on the failure of my efforts. Failure being a somewhat harsh way to sum up the results, admittedly. I did help quite a few people resolve their arguments before they turned into violent confrontations. That's a win. I don't believe I caused any argument to worsen either... but it was a close thing in some of the cases.
I've learned that to keep the peace, you do not steal another man's cow under any circumstances. It's not worth the heartache for all involved (including the cow's). Chicken wrangling? Also a very good way to cause bloodshed. Robbing a lady of her finest crockery after promising to marry, also not conducive to peaceful relations between her kin and yours. Oh, and don't dare poach deer or grouse from woods claimed by another, nor let your sheep graze in unfamiliar pastures. Also don't dare have the gall to charge a toll on a bridge you didn't erect either.
For gods sake, most of all, keep your word. If everyone did that alone, so much trouble would be avoided and you'd have nearly no need for lawyers like me nor have to suffer my well-intentioned meddling.
Written By Amari
May 15, 2022, 10:29 p.m.(8/25/1017 AR)
Of course they couldn't resist creeping and crawling where they weren't invited and never shall be. It was inevitable, if a long time coming. Unwelcome guests can be such a bother. I hope they'll reconsider any plans to pay us another visit. I don't think they'll like what happens if they upset Marigold.
Written By Amari
April 30, 2022, 7:24 p.m.(7/23/1017 AR)
Sometimes the evidence you have is all you need. A complex case doesn't need to be built up by piling on ever more tenuous theories and flimsy connections, especially when that mental scaffolding has a foundation of shaky assumptions and pure guesswork to begin with.
So in conclusion, sometimes it really is that simple. The hard part will be all the mountain climbing.
So in conclusion, sometimes it really is that simple. The hard part will be all the mountain climbing.
Written By Amari
April 17, 2022, 3:27 p.m.(6/24/1017 AR)
Does anyone like to dance? I had a thought to organize a ball, but it would be mildly disappointing if more than half the guests didn't even care to pry themselves out of their chairs. Worse, what if no one turned up at all?
I suppose I could alway just guilt Marigold into dancing and salvage the evening.
I suppose I could alway just guilt Marigold into dancing and salvage the evening.
Written By Amari
April 10, 2022, 2:55 p.m.(6/10/1017 AR)
That was a productive trip home. My thanks to Princess Terese, Uncle Baron Norwood, Dame Vesper and Lord Kritr for lending their time and discernment to help sort out who had the most knightly qualities among the candidates. It sounded as though they tested them quite thoroughly, by running them through an improvised gauntlet no less. I'll have to remember that for next year.
Habitual nose picking aside, I thought Landry had more potential than he apparently showed the others. I believe Wade, Marlene and Spyre likewise failed to display all they were capable of. Galtrynne displayed a bit too much, but I hope some self reflection will soften the sharp edges. Wilbert, definitely, would be better served at Princess Terese's new Academy where I think he would shine. Kermit would likely take instruction better from Uncle Norwood than myself, since it must be difficult for him to take orders from someone young enough to be his granddaughter. Chunk and Jilly were most highly praised, and I largely agree with the assessments the others gave. He's sturdy and reliable, and I see in Jilly a Knight of Solace potentially in the making. Perhaps Dame Vesper saw the same.
One less worry now, anyway and a task crossed off the list. I really ought to delegate and ask for help more often.
Habitual nose picking aside, I thought Landry had more potential than he apparently showed the others. I believe Wade, Marlene and Spyre likewise failed to display all they were capable of. Galtrynne displayed a bit too much, but I hope some self reflection will soften the sharp edges. Wilbert, definitely, would be better served at Princess Terese's new Academy where I think he would shine. Kermit would likely take instruction better from Uncle Norwood than myself, since it must be difficult for him to take orders from someone young enough to be his granddaughter. Chunk and Jilly were most highly praised, and I largely agree with the assessments the others gave. He's sturdy and reliable, and I see in Jilly a Knight of Solace potentially in the making. Perhaps Dame Vesper saw the same.
One less worry now, anyway and a task crossed off the list. I really ought to delegate and ask for help more often.
Written By Amari
April 3, 2022, 2:13 p.m.(5/24/1017 AR)
It may not have drawn many, but if you're moored in a safe harbor would you risk the storm or stay put? You'd be cautious, obviously, and hope to wait it out. It's only when the storm invades those refuges that more will dare risk the open sea. Hopefully it won't be too late by then. For now, it'll be only the most daring or desperate. They at least show others that the far shores are within their reach when the decision must be made.
Written By Amari
March 27, 2022, 6:55 p.m.(5/11/1017 AR)
Oatcakes are perfectly respectable and delicious. I'd never be ashamed of serving them, or eating them myself. Drizzled with honey, they're divine, no matter the occasion. Besides, it's the only sort of cake I know how to make with any sort of proficiency.
I'm sorry Mabelle.
I'm sorry Mabelle.
Written By Amari
March 27, 2022, 11:40 a.m.(5/10/1017 AR)
Knees were freed, and the obstacle course conquered with friends and family. It was a fun outing.
I didn't see any cows in attendance.
I didn't see any cows in attendance.
Written By Amari
March 20, 2022, 8:31 p.m.(4/25/1017 AR)
What if you were forced to choose between love, duty, or pine needle tea?
Written By Amari
March 19, 2022, 11:06 a.m.(4/22/1017 AR)
I am now painfully aware that full plate does not make you impervious to harm. I've redoubled my training in an effort to avoid being struck when at all possible. No more wading straight into battle expecting my armor to deflect hits alone and leaving myself open to strikes that ought to be blocked, parried or stepped back from. Maybe were I six and a half feet tall and weighed three hundred pounds or Kedehern, I could fight that way, but I most assuredly am not, and will never be.
The defeats I've survived have been extremely instructive, which is the best thing to say about them. It's good to know one's limits and how to improve. As excellent as Uncle Norwood's instruction was, practice and theory can't prepare one for every possible scenario. Especially the singularly strange and dangerous ones I keep finding myself in.
It's sad to be hanging up my old rubicund plate, but I'll find something better suited and less... that. I've grown out of it, like I have many things of late.
The defeats I've survived have been extremely instructive, which is the best thing to say about them. It's good to know one's limits and how to improve. As excellent as Uncle Norwood's instruction was, practice and theory can't prepare one for every possible scenario. Especially the singularly strange and dangerous ones I keep finding myself in.
It's sad to be hanging up my old rubicund plate, but I'll find something better suited and less... that. I've grown out of it, like I have many things of late.
Written By Amari
March 13, 2022, 4:59 p.m.(4/10/1017 AR)
Who knew my sense of taste was so keen? I could detect the subtle flavors of juniper, pine needle and ginger even as my tongue was melting and the inside of my mouth was on fire.
It was a fun evening, visiting a ward I so rarely set foot in. Maybe I should be less a stranger, and keep an ear open for any future to-dos Nina may host.
It was a fun evening, visiting a ward I so rarely set foot in. Maybe I should be less a stranger, and keep an ear open for any future to-dos Nina may host.
Written By Amari
Feb. 28, 2022, 9:03 p.m.(3/13/1017 AR)
I very nearly tucked Biscuit the dog under my cloak and took him home with me. No, I don't care if he farts so loudly that he spooks himself. He's adorable and very alert to danger.
Written By Amari
Feb. 26, 2022, 8:53 p.m.(3/9/1017 AR)
That's two Laurent winter festival competitions involving sleighs that I've won now. Both were unexpected victories, and probably more luck than hidden talent. Although admittedly, sleigh rides have always been something I've enjoyed when they were conducted at a reasonable pace on a still winter evening under a warm blanket of furs. They typically didn't include racing or tilting at others with candy striped sticks, or anything particularly dangerous.
Maybe they should have.
It's sometimes quite impossible to know what one is capable of until a surprise element of danger or survival is involved. Nearly dying brings a lot of clarity to one's understanding of their strengths and limitations. Mostly the latter, obviously. For instance, I now know that I can't successfully wrestle a bear into submission, nor does my armor render me invulnerable to blunt trauma nor spear points. These are valuable facts to discover.
Maybe they should have.
It's sometimes quite impossible to know what one is capable of until a surprise element of danger or survival is involved. Nearly dying brings a lot of clarity to one's understanding of their strengths and limitations. Mostly the latter, obviously. For instance, I now know that I can't successfully wrestle a bear into submission, nor does my armor render me invulnerable to blunt trauma nor spear points. These are valuable facts to discover.
Please note that the scholars may take some time preparing your journal for others to read.