Year 56
Journal of Innu
Tragedy has struck!
San was outside the gates when our infant daughter was stolen. San was assaulted from behind and the child snatched before she knew what had happened. All she saw was a cloak of some sort. We don't even know what took the child.
My initial response was sorrow at our loss. To lose one's first child is a blow to any parent. And in such a manner is dreadful. We may never know what will befall, or has befallen her.
I still feel the loss, but mostly now I feel a deep seated anger. I shall find who took our child, and they shall rue the day. We have taken a particularly harsh note with any captured thieves. They are summarily executed at first possible opportunity. So far none have escaped.
I'm afraid I am not the only parent feeling loss. I know Meph has lost a child recently, and she suffered a more gruesome tale, since all that was found of her daughter was a foot, and some blood, south of the walls. I feel for her, and understand her pain.
In order to better protect our city I have made some contacts and put out word that our city is seeking heroes to aid in our defense. To be well compensated, of course. 500 gold per season is the standard rate, additional for extraordinary services rendered. I feel we can easily afford the cost of initial hiring and ongoing expenses, particularly now that we are better established.
We have even completed construction of a university for lectures and several libraries. Search was made for a scholar among our immigrants and one of prodigious skill was found. He is currently working transcribing and recording books on a variety of subjects. The first focus, due to recent events, was warfare and combat.
I have also placed several orders for better metals to work with. We have a surplus of copper, and it has sufficed, but I feel we need to plan for the future, and copper may not always be sufficient.
The first hero to arrive came in a surprising fashion. A worker in the mystic, she actually washed ashore from a shipwreck and had to be rescued. She had no memory of any skills, nor of her name. We have called her Mephistopheles, since, despite her memory lapse, she somehow summons elemental imps of hideous visage. They seem tame and obey her commands.
The second to arrive was Garrett. He doesn't speak much, but has prodigious skill with a bow. He has offered to lead a second squad of guard, for ranged soldiers and is well qualified to do so. I have hopes that his time spent outside the walls hunting will help reduce the number of thieves that survive.
Snu-Snu was the third, and a strange one she is. Tall and fierce from the barbarian tribes she is nonetheless quite level-headed, even if she is nearly a full head taller than the rest of us. The axe she carries around is enormous and weighs nearly half what I do.
I shall have to construct additional housing, since the heroes are not the only ones to come. Additional migrants have swelled our numbers to over 150. I only hope the heroes are preparing well. I fear soon enough we shall no longer be able to escape the attention of the darker powers that be.