Memoirs of Myhun- The Uncomfortable Truth of the Sword Coast

[Flasmix]

[[These exist in character, but as they are yet incomplete, only Myhun has the first draft. If he's shown it to you, then you would have IC knowledge of what's written here.]]

Foreward:

The pages that follow will be my memoirs. The thoughts, experiences and lessons learned of Myhun Kren. Once guide of Candlekeep and commander of the Flaming Fist, serving under the noble Captain, Now Colonel Justin Crownsilver.

Firstly, it might seem strange to write memoirs which quite literally means, a memory or reminisence when large portions of my memories are missing. The two theories on it are; old age, in which case I want to write down what I do remember before I truly forget everything or more likely, a removal of memories through outside influence. The reasons I have to believe it to be the latter is I am still able to learn new magic without error as well as recall extensive history of magic and lore. Yet, things such as where I learned my magic and much of my youth is a blank. My reward for trying to recall such is a splitting headache that fades as soon as I stop my search.

I figure I am missing close to forty years worth of personal experiences. I retain knowledge of what I've learned or studied, I remember reading tomes or looking through libraries, yet the reasons why are not there. This type of work can only be done by an exceptionally skilled mage or a creature I've seen only twice, known as a Mind Flayer.

The memory loss starts to fade the longer I've been on the Sword Coast. Translation; my early days here are fragmented yet as time progresses, I remember more and more. The last two years are crystal clear with no fragmentation at all. That does not sound like old age to me, does it? I've had offers from others who wish to help me recover these memories which I have declined each time. I am certain that whatever caused this loss, is something that I agreed to. I do not think I want these memories back.

Regardless of what I do not know, I will tell you of what I do know in the hopes that others can use this knowledge to better themselves and others. I hope that it will stand as the legacy of a man who does not fully know who he is and perhaps, does not want to remember who.

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Chapter 1 - Common Civilized Races of the Sword Coast and their Traits

There are a variety of different civilized races and sub-races of the races that exist in this region of the world. I have had the pleasure and displeasure, of dealing with many when I was upholding the law. Here is a list of what one can expect when dealing with them.

Humans - Humans are the most common of the races found Baldur's Gate. They are a mixed bag of unpredictability and they cannot be trusted. Some may claim to have good intentions and align themselves with others who do, yet are in fact spies for their enemy. How do you protect yourself against this threat? You trust no one, even if past actions might show good faith, it could be an act.

Halflings - These short statured beings have a reputation for being pickpockets and thieves. Is this a valid stereotype? Well, the name of Rina Littlefoot has probably faded into obscurity at this point, but she used to lead the thieves guild of Baldur's Gate. She is a halfling. The majority of the thieves I arrested are halflings. The others tend to be full of child-like energy and have a sense of adventure which causes them to get into situations they cannot handle, which is where their cowardly nature comes out. In short, (Yes, that is a little pun there. Two if you count the 'little') keep your hands on your coin pouch.

Dwarves - One of the most finest and noble of the races I've had the pleasure of knowing and working with. I served with Daaf Rocshanks for my entire tenure in the Flaming Fist and am honored to call him a friend. The Ironfaar clan has have been grand allies and I have been honored to drink in their clan hall when it once stood. The Dwarves are the embodiment of honor, pride and reliability. They have a natural, well-founded, distrust of humans but if one can prove themselves you will have a life-long friendship.

Elves - While there are a few Elven sub-races, as far as myself and many others are concerned there are just two. Drow and Surface Elves.

Surface - Prideful and rather xenophobic. They tend to look down upon other races mostly due to their long lives. The majority are snobby and uptight, unless you are attractive, then they will try to bed you. To date; none have tried to bed me.

Drow - The subterranian Drow are rarely seen, but when they are it will usually lead to bloodshed. For the most part, they are opportunistic murderers with good tastes and an aptitude for magic. Many are adept at stealth, a required skill to survive in the Underdark outside of sheer power. It is not advised to take them on alone. There is a small subsection of Drow who claim to not be like their murderous bretheren, however, they are notorious liars who require deception to get ahead in their society. Do not trust any of them.

Genasi - Planar creatures with elemental traits. Their element describes their personality. Could fire possibly be hot-headed while Rock is solid and strong? They are a rarity, but nothing special.

Half-Orcs - I believe I mentioned earlier that I would only be detailing the 'civilized' races.

Gnomes - A combination of Dwarves and Halflings in that they tend to live in mountains and are exceptionally annoying. As a bastard off-shoot of the Fey, they enjoy playing tricks and are worthy of nothing but hatred. Plenty of Gnomes claim to be inventors and academics. Corroborating with these Gnomes will result in the loss of limbs, eyebrows or soul due to failed experiments.

Tieflings and Aasimar - I've grouped the two together as they are closely related. Tieflings can trace their bloodline back to some sort of infernal creature, either demonic or devil in nature. Aasimar's are the opposite, their heritage is celestial in nature. In short; outsiders whose bred with mortals and the bloodline has become muddied over the years.

What's most interesting, is with those descriptions one would think that tieflings are taken to necromancy, devil worship and other vile tendencies while the Aasimar wish to fight for justice, do good in the world and live peaceful lives. In my experience however, I find it to be the opposite. Tieflings mostly wish to be left alone, to lead good lives and are generally peaceful. It is a social construct that brings them much hatred and mistrust. The Aasimar are looked upon favorably by society, yet many are necromancers or fallen paladins. Perhaps as a whole, we shouldn't push Tieflings away and instead offer them the benefit of the doubt. Treat them as an individual, let their actions speak for their character.

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Chapter 2 - Cities and Notable Locations

Baldur's Gate - A fine city filled with wealth and adventure. Recent arrivals can head to the docks for free lessons in how to get pickpocketed. Once all of your coin has been taken, travel to the eastern part of the city and visit the temple of Ilmater as they'll give you free food as long as you have no coin to spare. Once your belly is full, head out the gates and there'll be a graveyard with undead that have yet to be cleansed just beside the chapter house for the Radiant Heart.

Doron Amar - A rather recent addition to the Sword Coast, this city was founded by xenophobic elves who wanted a special place they can go to and make love under the trees. If you're not one of their special friends (See previous entry on Elves and their behaviour around attractive humans), you can expect to be scowled at and most likely asked to leave.

Candlekeep - A fortress designed to safeguard and gather the knowledge of the world. It is predominantly filled with scholars and other sorts of book worms. The inn has pleasant meals and there's a decent stock of magical supplies. If you're having trouble sleeping, talk to some of the Readers about their favourite topic to study and sleep will come shortly.

Beregost - Only recently has the city come under Amnish control. The most notable building is the Temple of Lathander which is the perfect place to go if you're being hunted by undead or have the desire to dispatch them.

Nashkel - This city was recently rebuilt after it was destroyed by the large tribe of hill giants which still exist beyond the gates. Nashkel is the most popular place for criminals who would otherwise be arrested on sight in the lands owned by the Dukes of Baldur's Gate.

Friendly Arms Inn - Don't let the name deceive you, this was once a temple devoted to the worship of Bhaal, the Lord of Murder. The proprietor (Of course, a gnome) decided to turn the place into an inn and tavern. The battle to reclaim and cleanse the temple came at the cost of a possessed orphan named Billy, who was given an honorary knighthood and has a tomb just outside of the building. Here's some helpful advice for any Ilmateri who wishes to rise to sainthood, just like the famous Saint Merielle. All you need to do is make a vow of non-violence, summon demons/devils in an attempt to exorcise one from a single orphan as well as have countless people die to save the same orphan who still ended up dying. That's a bit of history all of the plaques and books won't share, the truth behind sainthood is never as glorious as the stories say.

Darkhold - I've never been to this establishment, so I've only heard rumors and read books about it. Darkhold is the name of the sewage storage system used by the Sword Coast. It is filled with fecal matter and urine, which sometimes spills out into the mainland and has to be cleaned up by the resident janitors known as the Radiant Heart.

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Chapter 3 - Notable Organizations and Religions

The Order of the Silver Rose - A rather new group, in that when I arrived to the Sword Coast they did not exist here and grew from there. The most simple description of them is they're a poor man's Radiant Heart. They do not play favourites with religion, keeping themselves open to allow adventurers who wish to do good to join. Perhaps poor mans is not that good of a term to use, considering their expensive and luxurious chapter house which resides on the tradeway close to the Friendly Arms Inn. They share the luxury of a large base and the fact that they have ten foot poles up their backsides in common with the Radiant Heart. Truly, Religion is the only difference. Everybody who cannot handle the Radiant Heart will make their way to the Silver Rose and find their new home.

I had once thought they would be a group that allows people to do good, yet from experience, they just care about following their code which blinds them like horses. After leaving the Flaming Fist, I had joined so I could continue to aid others in the land. We were called to aid to help a group of nobles who were being plagued by vampires. The nobles son was taken prisoner and we were tasked with finding and saving the boy, if possible. As we moved deeper into the mansion and we encountered more and more vampires, my comrades clearly had no way of coercing the information from the creatures. I however, did have an answer. The spell, known as Control Undead, I used it upon one of the vampires and had him take us to the boy who was alive and not turned yet. It was due to my skills that we managed to succeed in our mission, however, that was also what caused my downfall with the group.

One of their rules, is no Necromancy, which they enforce with zero wiggle room. Necromancy itself is not evil. It is the act of creating the undead and using vile energies for nefarious purposes that makes certain aspects of it evil. There are spells within the spectrum that can, and clearly, have been used for good. Yet when you put on the blinders of 'All Necromancy is Evil' you lead yourself down a dark path which will earn you no friends and many rolled eyes.

The Elder Circle - A group of druids and rangers. That alone should describe what they do. They protect nature by turning into animals or in some cases, dragons. I remember one of the greatest services some Druids did a while back. The tribe of lizardmen that live in the swamps aren't actually bad. They're a simple xenophobic race that just wish to be left alone to live peacefully on their land. They have that in common with the Elves of Doron Amar, however, the lizardmen will attack first and use diplomacy later, while the Elves are the opposite. A group of Druids brokered a treaty between the lizardmen and the Dukes of Baldur's Gate. It was a peaceful couple of weeks, ruined as always, by adventurers who only care about amassing wealth. Their hostility towards the Lizardmen ruined the treaty and it's never been restored since.

Adventurers - The Adventurers of the Sword Coast are the biggest threat to peace. They are power hungry, blood thirsty and a greedy lot. They are most often found traversing monster filled caves or venturing out far away from society in the desperate search for treasure. The diet of your average adventurer consists of trail rations or whatever they can scavenge. Should you ever encounter one out in the wild, it is advised that you avoid them at all costs. Do not join them or aid them, it will only encourage them on their quest for murder.

((More to Come))

[Flasmix]

((Updated))