5th day of The Festival of Morning in the 297th Year of the Republic [12/17/2020]

I sneak into the kitchen at the Wayfarer for a snack and plan to discreetly make my way back to Monlon before any early-arriving Guard notice I am missing, when Valerie, Maitland, and Yumruk ambush me near the start of the Road to Vetallun. I play it off like it was all part of the plan when Jaelic, Vakrend, and dozens of others show up with a fragile bird-like woman that hopes to have a picnic and do some sight-seeing at the Temple in Monlon, or something like that. I offer the services of the Guard as escort for this procession, which both gives them something to do and distracts them from my unexpected presence in Iridine - continuing the trend of my total lack of planning ahead working in my favor.

We take an uneventful ferry ride to the Holy City, as they often tend to be since the ferrymaster has banned me from playing my lyre. We float past the same bunch of farmers in Darpen birthing their thousandth calf of the season, which should finally earn them the 'most calves' trophy they've long sought. As we depart the ferry, I quickly instruct the Guard to follow Jaelic, thus deflecting any responsibility to lead the procession towards the Temple, and Jaelic, in turn, instructs everyone to follow the fragile bird-like woman, thus shielding himself from the same responsibility. This is a man of dangerous intellect, I will watch him closely.

Leading us to the Temple, the woman places some jars of what I assume to be preserved foods and powdered spices onto a large table before asking us to share in some snacks. I was about to grab a jar with what I assume was a particularly tasty apple preserve when she hastily returned everything from the table to a large sack fastened securely on her belt. I did not understand why she would offer refreshments and pull them away at the last moment, but I'm glad nobody else got to eat anything either. We follow her down several steps into a dank cave full of bats, where everyone gets to take a turn placing a jar into holes in the floor. I make a mental note of which jars may have contained something especially delicious so that I may return later and try it for myself.

Completing this disappointing journey into the bowels of the Temple, that was bereft of snacks, the Guard get back to our usual business. We investigate mysterious goings-on at the abandoned Vigile Fort amongst the Rockslide, where Jaelic attempts to take a pungopiscor as a pet. While I am whole-heartedly for keeping one domestically, I inform him that scorpion-law in the Republic is not governed by reason and there is no way he's allowed to keep one as a pet. He looked at me with those dead eyes of his and said something forgettable. Having grown bored of the unsovable mysteries within the abadoned outpost, we made our way to the Ravines.

Determined to find the source of laughter from our past patrol, as I hate being left out of a good joke, I ordered the Guard to stay close together and make a clean sweep through. I didn't want one of them to hear it without me as I can't count on their ability to retell it to me later, and an imperfect retelling could render the joke totally unfunny. We searched high and low but could not find a single person to question on this matter, or at least none that were responsive by the time I remembered why we had gone out there in the first place.

Signed - Godo, Captain of the Guard

Across the forests of our land, from Blackvine to farther Rock Valley, boars can be found digging and searching for those juicy Spring tubers. In the past, records have shown at least four types of boars: the Razorback with it's bristly black hide, the Grizzly boar with it's large colorful red spotted fur, the Red boar with it's name sake bristly red fur, and the more common Wild boar with the dark brown bristly fur.

During these days of Ereal, Scran and Tulcus until the Festival of Armilustrium, the Cult of Ereal, Nurturing Light Sect, would like assistance on tracking the location, and time of day that the rarer Boar breeds can be found. Specifically, we would like information on where and when the Razorback, the Grizzly and the Red boars are found and culled. Financial rewards will be given to those who can hand in a fresh boar hide with location and time of day that it was killed.

Beyond the above, if one is able to find, kill and provide information an unique unknown boar species with hide evidence, a reward of 10 talents will be given.

Please refer to Acolyte Jaelic of the Nurturing Light Sect for more information.

In the early days of 297YR, the Cult of Ereal had it's annual pilgrimage procession to Monlon. This sacred ritual includes carrying the ashes of known, mourned and lost during the previous year. This occasion was led by both Aezenor and Jaelic of the Cult.

Departing from the eastern checkpoint of the city with a small group of followers, both Aezenor and Jaelic respectfully trekked to Vetallun, using gong and incense to announce their way. They were undisturbed by the forest bandits and dangers lurking nearby.

As the column of mourners arrived in Vetallun, Magistrate Aketoros greeted them briefly as persons arrived and added to the sacred march.

Eventually arriving at the great temple of Monlon, final respects were paid to the 'unknown' dead. Those who had passed away quietly in the Light but left behind family, friends and lovers.. Afterward, the urns of those collected from the previous year were placed upon the onyx altar at the entrance of the Temple. Crowning prayers and ritual remembrances for those ashed were carried out by the two Acolytes.

Finally, members of great mourning entered the Sacred place of rest for the urns. Finding an appropriate niche, those who participated in the march were invited to take an urn and place it in a place of final rest and safety. After some viewing of the area and peeking inside niches of the past, the large group returned to the onyx altar where they eventually disbanded to other endeavors.

Those who participated, besides the members of the Ereal Cult, included Aoden, Astelle, Demios, Ahirom, Stranus, Constable Nerwintok, Yumruk, Valerie, Eltariel, Cyria, Vakrend, Godo, and Maitland and Kierstaad.

<><><>