SESSION RECAPS

[This letter is written on two pages torn out of Kasumi's journal, each page with text front and reverse. The envelope is marked for Widpool and bears the name of the intended recipients - Kuroihire Kenta and Kuroihire Kaori. This time it arrives with 200 gold and two other items, wrapped with more care than the last and cushioned with several layers of scrap fabric.] Dear mom and dad, It’s the 16th of Middle Dolina and I’m writing to you from the other side of the Sea of Riches. Topaz is almost as bustling as Keltokel but the energy is very different! I’m still traveling with my friends from the caravan. We haven’t been able to sightsee here as much as I would have liked. We’ve collected a lot of interesting and valuable stuff in our travels, so we’ve been spending most of our time in the marketplace buttering up rich wannabe explorers to buy our goods and fund our continued travel. We made enough money for a luxury barge cruise up the Sethrum to Tatlankel and we’ll be boarding tomorrow. A lot of things have happened since I last wrote. We walked all the way from Keltokel to Ameryswald and back again, like I mentioned in the last letter. When we returned to Keltokel we attended a high-society gala held at a manor up in the Bauble. I met a lot of very interesting, influential individuals and made sure to wear mom’s beads proudly when I performed for them! The statuette I sent is a thank-you gift from the party’s host. He actually gave me a whole set of them made out of different gemstones, but I had to sell the others to fund my travels (again)... For some reason I just really resonate with the ruby one, so that’s the one I kept. On the 14th of Late Las we boarded a nifty galley called the Meren to cross the sea to Beryl. We didn’t spend much time there, only one night, but it was an interesting place to see. A couple of my friends are really interested in military equipment and that sort of stuff, so we got to look at a few foundries and one of them had an absolutely enormous cannon. Word on the street is that it was originally commissioned by the object of our mutual interest herself, but she never came to pay off the rest and collect it. I wonder what she was planning to do with it? I think it could cut through the Stone in Keltokel like a hot knife through butter. From Beryl we boarded another ship to Calcite. I decided this was the right place to debut a few new songs I’d been working on during the journey, and they were well received! We happened to run into a friend of ours from Keltokel here, an ozrut, and accompanied him to see his home village. He was tight-lipped about it and when we got there, it was totally ruined. He explained it was destroyed a long time ago. I guess it was important for him to see it again. He let me keep this drinking horn we found. I want to keep it to remember him and remember what I saw there, so please keep it safe. We returned to Calcite and took the road along the coast through Little Citrine and eventually to Topaz, where I am now. I don’t know how long we’ll spend in Tatlankel, but I hope it’ll be relaxing. I’m super sick of walking and eating dry rations, my feet hurt and I’m getting skinnier by the day! Whatever happens, we plan to eventually return south through Jade, because a friend has some important business there. Fortunately, that means walking along one of those nice, clean, even roads that our ancestors put there an age ago. Unfortunately, that also means passing through Zeel. If I fall into a sacrificial pit and die, you better get the luckiest catches every day for the rest of your life! Anyway, if there’s any ships departing from Jade to Widpool, maybe I’ll swing by with everybody and we’ll say hello before continuing back to Keltokel. Did we ever get a lot of boats coming from Jade? I don’t remember. I celebrated my 23rd birthday last night. Felt strange having it without the both of you for the first time. The tylwyth surprised me with some really thoughtful gifts and the yanta gave me her portion of complimentary food from the inn like she usually does, but this time it was for birthday reasons, I guess. The human woman agreed to put a portion of her riches toward getting us a nicer mode of travel. We’ve been taking turns on a wooden cart, but when we get to Tatlankel we’re going to look for a covered wagon or even a carriage. That’s all for now, and unfortunately no return address this time. Hope you’re healthy and happy! Lots and lots and lots and lots of love, Kuroihire Kasumi xoxo