What I Learned About The Weather

On a recent sojourn at the Shing Jea Monastery, I overheard an argument between neophyte rangers. They were discussing the efficacy of various arrowheads in combat. I could not help but smile as I recalled a similar conversation I had in my early days in the Ascalon Academy with Ivor Trueshot, a marksman of some renown in those parts.

"The power of an arrow doesn't come from how sharp your stick is," he told me. "The power comes from how you deliver that stick to your target." In many cases, your choice of bow is the greatest influence on this. But Ivor showed me how to take advantage of the winds to speed the flight of my arrows. My flat bow normally fires in a high arc to reach the target. This gives more than enough time for my intended pincushion to scurry out of the way. But by firing with the wind, my arrows speed to the bull's eye much straighter and much quicker. And for times when the winds are not so cooperative, I've learned a ritual to draw the winds to do my bidding. That might seem a little strange, but Melandru has never withdrawn her blessing from me.

So when I heard those students argument, I had to laugh. In time, they will learn too. Of course, maybe I should look into this broad-head arrow they mentioned...

Protector of Cantha

I don't have a lot to say tonight, but I wanted to get this down while it was still fresh. I was just honored with the title Protector of Cantha for all of the hard work I've put into defeating Shiro Tagachi and saving the Canthans, Luxons, and Kurzicks from his evil machinations. You'd think that killing an unkillable envoy of the gods would be enough, but it turns out there was a little backtracking to be done in the Echovald Forest. A couple of flare-ups in Arborstone and the Eternal Grove to be put down. I guess it was my dedication to making sure that no evil was left undealtwith, no matter how large or small.

The celebration was small, but there was fireworks in Altrumm Ruins. I'm not sure they were for me, but they were nice all the same.

A Bag Full Of Signets of Capture

Not that you should ever have to go through this, but I wanted to give a little unsolicited advice. I discovered that, once I'd saved the world a couple of times, it is difficult to keep myself occupied with mundane tasks. Sure, there are still monsters to be slain. The Luxons are still raiding Kurzick lands. I could still help clear the gods' personal paradises of malign influences. But it gets old after a while.

So I set goals for myself. Recently I decided to I wanted to learn a number of skills beyond my normal ranger abilities. And not just any skills, I wanted to learn the elite skills at are only attainable through hard work. I made a quick trip to Senji's Corner in Cantha, purchased more signets of capture than I could fit on all my figures and toes, and made for the wilderness.

It turns out that the deeper you get into the wilderness, the greater your opportunities for skill capturing become. In the Echovald, I transversed the vast Morostav Trail and the magnificent Mourning Veil Falls. I even braved the Jade Sea to explore the Silent Surf and Rhea's Crater, one of the most hazardous places in all of Cantha. We fought and slew the most dreadful creatures and I drew the knowledge of their abilities from their still warm corpses.

Senji and I have become pretty close during this ordeal. I have to consult him everytime I want to refocus on a new profession. I'll stop by to chat, throw in that I have to work on my elementalist abilities, he rolls his eyes at me and does his thing. When I finally told him what I was up to he laughed at me. Do you know how many elite skills you have to capture to gain any notority? 90, he tells me! I need a bigger bag of signets.

A Brief Encounter With The Elonians

I wasn't sleeping well last weekend, so I climbed the tallest tower here at the Brotherhood of Stone guild hall to take some air. As I scanned the horizon, hoping to calm my overly active mind, I instead found strange sails approaching the islands. The ships carried warriors from a distant land I heard of once before: Elona.

I hope you'll understand how shocked I was to discover their origin. The only Elonians I had meet before were the ghosts, long deceased, who guided my Ascension in the Crystal Desert. I had assumed that all the Elonians died in that desert, but I guess I just wasn't paying that much attention.

There were two types of fighter among their number: scythe-wielding dervishes and spear-brandishing paragons. The dervishes seemed to be masters of dealing damage on all sides with either their weapon or with devastating enchantments. They also could call upon the power of the gods and assume the form of their avatars. The paragons, on the other hand, used their natural leadership abilities to exhort their companions to greater deeds. I even tried my hand with the spear to some effect.

Battle-hardened arena champions had much difficulty in facing these new opponents during the short time they were here. I suspect the fight will more even when the Elonians return to these lands.

One final note: they didn't explain why Elona was suddenly interested in sending fighters to the Battle Isles. Like Cantha before them, it probably means that ships will be making their way to that far continent as well. I'm looking forward to exploring a new land.

But if have to save the world again, I'm going to be pissed.