No time For Mourning

When I woke up in the morning my camp was empty. Elise had either left or been drug off in the night. I normally would have I dunno cared? But since my life was a happenstance of horrible I just kind of let this slide (it was also raining and windy and you know what I didn't really know Elise that well and I'm lazy so you do the not math on this one). I was a bit sad that in my great moment of triumph I wouldn't have someon there to cheer me on (because that's what I imagined Elise was there to do, not you know steal the wish for herself as she intended). I did notice when she left she took all my supplies with her, another reason I didn't exactly go looking for her, since she had sort of robbed me (ordinarily I might have charged after her for the theft, but I was in a hurry to meet the wind goddess, look things were rushed and precautions were not taken, unlike my normal really careful self...)

Climbing difficult cliffs without the gear I'd brought was a real pain in the ass. Like seriously, it took what should have been a difficult but doable climb, into something that was potentially fatal at each grab (I still continued instead of just going back to get more gear because the Wind Goddess was coming, and I didn't want to miss her). I was kind of surprised there weren't other people attempting to climb the cliffs. I mean the legend wasn't super widely known, but a legend granting wind goddess should have at least brought some other people out (again turns out other people had come out but gotten murdered by the monster that stalked the area). I was also pissed other people weren't there because one of the reasons I didn't just turn back was I was hoping I could uhh borrow someone elses climbing gear (look I'm still an asshole this never goes away).

So soaked to the bone, tired from climbing, and worried someone might have beaten me to the top I managed to scratch my way there only to be greeted by Elise. And by greeted I mean wrenched up by my arm and shackles tossed on my wrists. The creature she was is hard to describe, but I'll try, next entry of course. Got to leave you wanting more.

The Difference Between Existence and Living

"So you've lived hundreds of years?" I may have told my new follower a little bit too much about my life. Look when I someone starts listening I tend to forget that I'm supposed to keep some things secret. My new pseudo book smart follower's name was Elise, she was an orphan (aren't we all, though in her case its because she killed her parents, no I didn't know that at this time).

"I wouldn't say I have lived hundreds of years, I would say I have existed for hundreds of years."

"What's the difference?" I smiled, we were seated around a fire near the cliffs. Hilariously despite society advancing all over this area was nothing but untamed wilderness, more things change. Also apparently there was some horrific monster that stalked and killed anyone who tried to live near the cliffs, a legend I read about AFTER I stayed the night out there, because you know you read all these legends think you know whats up and then bam miss the one about the horrible murder monster.

"To live is to say you enjoy the experience, that you have lived it up, personally I have not enjoyed all of my time in this world, in fact I have down right hated some of my years specifically the ones associated with my imprisonment." I wouldn't of course wanted to be dead obviously, but I can say things have obviously not gone my way for a long time.

"So with your wish you hope to fix that?"

"Oh gods no, I intend to ask for money, because money fixes everything." It really really does. Elise and I went to sleep. Well I should I say I went to sleep, Elise disappeared in the night leaving me to wonder who exactly I'd brought along with me to the wind goddess.

Finally Someone Who Listens Who Isn't a Prick

"And so the legend of the wind goddess is that she appears every fifty years, no one knows why its every fifty years, or why she appears, but she shows up almost on clock work!" I say almost because the legends were kind of off. The young lady I was talking to was fairly bookish looking, she had on glasses and was carrying a large amount of books, I liked her immediately.

"What is she other than a wind goddess I mean?" She pushed her glasses up at the wind goddess part, if I wasn't so enraptured someone was listening to me I would have noticed her glasses didn't have any glass in them.

"Legend says she grants one person a wish, why again I have no idea, but that's what the legend says, and there are so many corroborating legends." Legends are always reliable except when they aren't. Basically if I wrote the legend, do not count on it (I spread a lot of false info in my early years of being immortal lets just say I have a very poor sense of humor, err had I'm way better now...)

"Why a wish?"

"Because gods are fickle, something about the winds of change or some garbage, look legends aren't exactly historical records." Despite me saying they kind of were... Look don't expect me to be consistent here!

"So she shows up every fifty years grants a wish and leaves? Is there a limit to the wish?"

"Not that I found, though I did read that you have to be very specific in what you want, apparently someone wasn't and they were crushed to death." What he asked for incorrectly that got him crushed to death? Best left to the imagination.

"Wow, this sounds like the quite the legend. So where does she show up?"

"Apparently an altar at the top of some cliffs, part of the ordeal is having to climb the cliffs, and there is apparently some kind of sacrifice to the winds that has to be made, but you know I'm sure I can puzzle it out when I get there." Also a part of the legend was all the rain, one reason I was drawn to the legend in the first place (it explained the torrential down pour we were experiencing).

"You're going to go?" She almost sounded in awe, but looking back this was just a rouse.

"Of course, I have to make sure someone doesn't wish for like eternal darkness or something."

"Can I come with you?" I should have said no, I should have realized this was a trap, but I'm an idiot with an ego so...

"Sure I can always use someone to document my greatness." I'm an idiot.

Light Reading

"So this lady shows up every fifty years Val, its almost time for her to show up again!" I had sourced the legend with thirty separate corroborating novels and historical documents. I was very excited, Val was not very excited, he hadn't heard of the legend in which I had become entirely too invested (it was still raining so I didn't exactly have anything else to do, not that I normally do anyway).

"That's great Trezlan why do you think I care?"

"Because you're a student of history!" He was not a student of history, no one was. I swear I was one of the few true historians who actually lived anymore! You know outside of all those scholarly people in colleges and such that study boring history and not the cool stuff like legends and obscure magical rituals.

"Trezlan despite what you believe I'm not a student of anything except food and drink, and since this lady of the air can neither be eaten or drank I care not for her or her legend. And if you aren't going to buy anything else I'm going to ask you to pay up and leave."

"Come on Val, Hanlon didn't want to listen to my story about her either, someone has to care!" He harumphed again pointed at the bill. I paid it (under protest!) and left. I went to the library since I figured someone there would care about my legend. And happily someone there did, sadly they had ulterior motives BECAUSE OF COURSE THEY DID!

Rain Rain Go Away

The rain was unending. Upon my return home the bad weather that had mysteriously vanished while we were on the high seas had apparently materialized back home. I swear to the gods it was raining non stop for three frigging weeks. Everywhere you went gutters were full, drains were clogged and puddles were ever present. I found myself having to change clothes more often do to getting splashed or being soaked by the time I got where I was going (buy an umbrella you say, NONESENSE STOP RAINING SAYS I!). I'd have suspected this weather system was the result of evil, but I'd lived in town long enough to know it was just the ficker weather gods screwing with us.

What it meant was I spent an inordinate amount of time in my office. Which sucked since with the weather no one was coming in and all I could do was sit and stare at the little bottle ship Hanlon sent over (it was an exact duplicate of Trezlan the red's ship including and I kid you not actual pirates that moved on it, I was fascinated by what animated them up to and including being terrified that it was actually Trezlan's ship trapped in a bottle for me to be amused by, not terrified enough of course to try and free them naturally). I started to go a bit stir crazy. I normally dislike being trapped in one place for too long because it reminds me of prison, but I also dislike traveling when the weather is awful. So I decided to read some of the books that was lining my walls (I had read or wrote most of them, but my memory gets hazy at times hence this journal).

It was while I was reading these books I came across a curious legend I'd never heard of that I immediately invested way too much time in. What can I say it was raining and I was bored and th is seemed more interesting than being stuck in my office all day! Next entry I'll get into that legend promise!

Soul Sliver Smackdown

"KEEP'EM COMING TREZLAN!" The hold smelled of sulfur and smoke. We had been firing the cannons as soon as we could at the pirate ship, amazingly the shots were hitting and damaging it, but they were also taking their toll on us. Hanlon's ship was leaning heavily to the right, and I could hear the sloshing of water into the ships hold. With each pass we took on the Trezlan The Red's ship we came all the closer to being sunk ourselves. But I and the crew with me kept the cannon's firing, how or why wasn't immediately clear, but we kept firing even when it seemed like it was a futile effort. Where they got the ammunition or powder from I have no idea, but they crew kept ramming shot in and firing shot off. For my part I shouted and pointed well enough (my usual management style).

"I don't think we're winning Hanlon!" A shot ripped through our left side and blew a large hole through our right highlighting that we were not in fact winning this battle.

"You can't see what I do Trezlan, trust me they are more hurt than we are." I didn't believe this sentiment, especially not while the decks of our ship was filling up with water. Fearing we were about to be annihilated I came up with a plan that seemed to stupid to work, but you know those are the best type! So I instructed the men to keep firing (not like they needed me to say that, but you know I had to to feel useful!) and ran up to the cabin to get the soul sliver. The boat was rocking more now, each shot we took causing wood to groan and snap as the ship tried valiantly to stay together. The glowing object in hand I returned to the cannon deck and worked some blood magic into the soul sliver (I had no idea if it would work mind you, as I had no idea what the soul sliver really was at all, this was one of those lets add blood magic to something awful and see if it works out!). My enchanted device in hand I got to one of the cannons currently pointed at the other ship and loaded the soul sliver in. Now I didn't know proper powder loads or any of that crap, so I just threw some of it in with the soul sliver and hoped for the best (why should this be any different than the rest of the way I do things...)

At first I thought maybe I missed, or that my attempt to do something had failed, because nothing happened. And then all of a sudden Trezlan The Red's ship was engulfed in purple flame and the sea went deadly calm. Like one minute we were in the middle of a huge storm and being fired upon, and then the next dead sea and a huge bonfire of purple flame. And then nothing. The ghost ship and its pirates were gone, the soul sliver was still in tact though (Hanlon somehow reacquired it from the ocean floor later, how I have no idea and prefer to not know).

So there ended my attempt to help ghost pirates. I never did get to hear what Hanlon's plan was for the soul sliver, or what it really was to begin with. But he was moderately happy with the outcome and most of his pirate crew made it home safely, so all in all a horrific trip I was immediately thankful was over!

Ahoy Or Some Other Garbage

"I look ridiculous" I was wearing a billowing white shirt (that had gotten completely soaked as soon as I stepped foot on the deck because of the rain and the sea), it was that kind of frilly style people associate with the sea but no seaman has ever worn ever. I also had a jacket with gold embroidery all over it and a weird hat from a style of hat that was also never really in style. I looked like Hanlon, which was completely insane. At least the pants were normal, if only very baggy, and the boots were nice and sturdy.

"You look fantastic ahoy Trezlan! We are chasing those damned pirates of the damned down now!" Hanlon was having an actual good time, it was terrifying.

"Who are these people anyway?" The other pirates Hanlon had with him looked fairly menacing, all huge biceps and tattoos, and equally dressed like I was although the lower rank version of it clearly.

"Employees."

"You made your employees crew a pirate ship for you?" It was outrageous! I knew Hanlon cared little for humans, but this seemed to be more than the usual.

"They are getting paid time and a half and they get to keep the outfits! People jumped at the chance unlike you they recognize its a once in a life time experience to crew a ship, and chase pirates! Ghost pirates even!"

"We're all going to die, we're all going to die lead by a mad man."

"That's the spirit Trezlan! Really bring that cynical pirate aspect on things, Yo ho boys I can smell our prey WE ARE GAINING ON THEM!" I looked off the bow and could see nothing, but Hanlon was oddly right, though how he smelled ghost pirates is best left to the imagination.

"So what's your plan when we run across Trezlan the Red?"

"Well get down below Trezlan, I'll need you to keep my cannons running hot!" I had no words for the insanity, but like the fool I was I went along because clearly it was my lot in life to suffer.