Erastus 24th, 4711 A.R.
The first light of dawn streams through the shutters of my small home, the temperature already climbing as another hot summer day breaks over Golarion’s newest nation, Penterius.
It has been exactly one year since the official founding of the town, Drakael Bellmirovan, named after the five heroes who drove the bandit king from the Greenbelt. In one year, a long abandoned land has been settled by over 1200 hardy souls looking for a new start.
Even now as I put pen to parchment I can hear the town already bustling with activity preparing for today’s founding festival. The first few years of any Kingdom can be tough but the people are in high spirits and solid progress has been made at taming the surrounding lands. The assistance of the enigmatic treeless dryad, Lena, has been a great boon to the kingdom’s farmlands and while the town has yet to build a castle, the people’s stomachs are full and they are happy.
However, the people are still very aware that they are in a remote and still dangerous part of the world. Rumours run constantly of strange creatures in the imposing Narlmarches, a trackless and monstrous forest that creates a natural western border. More rumours speak of trolls to the south and even stranger creatures that stalk the edges of the Tuskwater. Despite their fears, they are confident in their leaders to keep them safe.
Of the founding rulers, they have settled on a council style of rulership with each holding an additional prominent position.
General Drakov, the half-orc warrior is greatly admired for his skill and strength. While a man of few words, I have seen him show considerable kindness and a willingness to lend his brawn in assisting the building of the town. As of this time, Penterius has no standing army for him to train but he began teaching all able bodied men and women the basics so at least a militia can be pulled together in an emergency.
Magister Garnavan, Paladin of Iomadae is greatly admired in Drakael Bellmirovan for his looks and personal magnetism but also his sense of fairness and lack of rigidness that his common to his order. I believe that he has come from a rustic background that has allowed him to bond with the common folk and he has been seen standing side by side with the people as they build their houses and shops. I also suspect he is a bit of a ladies man and more than a few of the local girls have him in their sights for future marriage (or just a tryst).
Lore-master Bellis, the halfling sorceress knows and is friends with practically everyone in town. Her eternally cheery demeanour and offbeat ways have allowed her achieve what very few sorcerers have done, gain not only social acceptance but actual community warmth. The children love her, shop keepers and housemothers give her food as she goes by and even the most cantankerous elder cannot resist smiling when she tells one of her stories. With time, hopefully many apprentices will arrive for I believe she would be a wonderful teacher.
Spy-master Miro, the halfing …hmm scout is largely misunderstood by the people. Like Bellis, he knows practically everyone in the town and is generally well liked by the populace. His diminutive stature and innocent appearance also bag him many free goods from mothers who think he is adorable. What confuses people though is that he sometimes just appears, almost out of nowhere. Folk will be just chatting or complaining about something believing they are alone only to get up and see Miro sitting nearby seeming oblivious to them and like he was always there. Looking up, he will flash them a smile and wander on his way leaving them confused but generally it is quickly laughed off as what harm can it do, after all, he is just a friendly little halfling.
Lastly there is Marshall Cael’lan, the elven ranger and long time friend of mine. Of the five, she has been seen the least in Drakael Bellmirovan over the last year. Her duties have taken her to the borders of the country as she keeps tabs on both hostile incursions from without and on the farmers who have settled the rolling grasslands of the Kamelands. Few of her other companions understand her yet, none of them have lived for even a quarter of what she has and have taken her sometimes brash demeanour as snobbishness. They don’t know the feelings of constantly seeing companions and friends age and become frail or die. In the wilderness Cael’lan is surrounded by things that are far older than she and I think that is the balance she needs to help deal with the humans flowing into her new country. She has the respect of the farmers and I believe in time she will even be received with warmth by the populace as a whole. My only regret has been cold nights I have spent alone while she has been on patrol and not by my side.
Other positions have been filled by those selected by the rulers and so far have done an amicable job over the last year. I will go into detail about them at a future date though I will make special mention of one in particular, Lady Hilde, Seneschal of Penteria.
Over the years I have met many people but few have impressed me like Lady Hilde. Born into the von Krome noble house of Restov and a skilled Cavalier and diplomat. Once in the employ of the Swordlords, the Lady Knight has earned the respect of the rulers who have entrusted her to rule their land while they are away trying to secure and expand its borders. Also a follower of Iomadae, Goddess of honour, bravery and justice, I have bore witness to her displaying all these virtues. One expects many things of a Knight but humbleness, kindness and a willing to role one’s sleaves up and muck in with the general populace is not generally any of them. She has won the people’s hearts and has also shown some surprising skill with both needle and a smithy hammer. I cannot see a woman like that unmarried for long but I think she is holding out for something that may never come.
I believe I have just spotted Cael’lan ride past, returning for the festival and I am to believe, to head out once again with her companions into the Stolen Lands. I shall take my leave and I hope my accompanying journals and maps find you in good health old friend.
Yours Truly,
Calathes
Pathfinder Field-Operative