Sovereign's Log
Day 1 of the Year 1286K.A.

Our journey through the wilds of Ardania has finally come to an end. We have reached the place where our settlement will lie. The peasants are already hard at work on my palace. It seems strange to hear the townspeople referring to me a 'Sire' after just being known as 'the prince' for so long. The prospect of ruling this entire settlement is quite daunting, as you might imagine! I hope the troll that has followed us here will not bother us in our new home. I am sure such an amateur as I would never be able to handle that crisis! Alas, the hour grows late, and I wish to speak with some of the townspeople over our evening meal. Tomorrow my palace will be nearly complete and the peasants will begin work on the first building in our new home.

Day 2 of the Year 1286K.A. My scouts returned early this morning. They report that there is a large monster den nearby. They have reasons to suspect that a large pack of trolls live there. It is unfortunate that a place such as this is inhabited by such foul creatures. I write now in an attempt to suppress my panic. When my father asked me to lead this colony, he told me I should not have any problems of this sort. Of course, this is what I get for listening to the king! Two of our number has already become victims of the monsters' treachery, and the townspeople are now terrified to leave their barracks! I have convinced them to continue working by promising the tax collectors would get a break, but I fear this will slow our progress some anyway. I have ordered the scouts to destroy it, but they refuse to go near it again! When the warriors arrive, this will be their first mission.

Day 3 of the Year 1286K.A. The palace is complete! At midday, I caught several of the peasants relaxing in their barracks when the ranger's camp and marketplace are still not complete, but I was too pleased about the finished palace to say anything. This evening, I retreated up to the highest tower to watch the sun set, as I often did at home on clear nights. Just as it started to become too dark to see anything, I spotted two lone figures in the distance. They did not appear to be monsters or animals, but humans! I suppose it is un-sovreignly of me to admit this, but I am puzzled. All of my number is accounted for, and the nearest settlement is a several week walk from here. I suppose they could be explorers from that town, but rangers usually travel alone. I know I should not worry; the guards are more experienced than I, and they have not mentioned anything. If they are of any importance to our little village, I shall find out tomorrow.

Day 4 of the Year 1286K.A. As I predicted, the figures I saw yesterday were brought to my palace this afternoon. It turns out they are old wizards, going by the names of Merlan the Master of Magics and Sirius the Uncertain. Also as I predicted, they were from the next town. They claim a group of rampaging minotaurs has reduced it to little more than a pile of ruins. Their guild and many others were destroyed. They were one of the few heroes who survived the encounter. Soon after their palace was wrecked, they fled, along with the few others who remained alive. A few of their fellow travelers died of starvation, while others were killed by a pack of rust-spitters they met on the way here. The only remaining ranger went ahead to scout the path, they say, and has not been seen since. Of course, this means I not only have trolls to worry about, but minotaurs too! Sirius and Merlan beg for a place to seek shelter and food, and I must admit my relief to finally have some experienced fighters here. I am allowing them to eat the remains of today's lunch and stay in the peasants' barracks until proper accommodations for them can be arranged. They have shown great gratitude and vowed to fight to the death to protect my settlement, should it ever be needed. Of course, we all hope it won't!

Day 5 of the Year 1286K.A. The scouts have begun training my newest Ranger. I am told he will be called Praul the Outlander. I spoke with him this afternoon, during a break in his training. At first, I was suspicious, as many rangers have a reputation for disloyalty, but he seems very ambitious and eager to begin his new work. His training will end in three days, and on the final day, there will be an initiation ceremony at the castle. In the meantime, the peasants are hard at work on the new Warriors Guild. I am anxious to train some warriors. The trolls are becoming braver; I fear that soon, one of them will stray into my domain!

Day 6 of the Year 1286K.A. The Ranger which had been traveling with our two wizards has returned! I am told he is called Eleborian Wildmaster. He arrived looking very battered and emaciated, but I believe when he has recovered, he will be a very valuable member of our society. Just before he dropped off to sleep, he offered to complete Praul's training. I was unsure at first whether to take him up on this offer; I didn't want him to risk illness before he is fully well again, but he seemed adamant. I wonder if these rangers are born with such a fierce independence, or whether it is a part of their training. Once Eleborian is healthy again, he will live in the new rangers guild--when he is not off exploring, that is.

Day 7 of the Year 1286K.A. There are giant rats invading my kingdom! They have come out of the newly installed sewer entrance. I have no men brave enough to fight them. My scouts have tried, of course, but they are no match for those evil vermin! Eleborian would be able to fight them, but he is still too weak to go into battle. The wizards have battled a few, but they are old, and rather fragile (though I'm sure they would not want me to say that), and rather weak when it comes to melee combat. Until those villainous vermin are controlled, my peasants will not go outside to complete the Warriors Guild, for fear of the creatures! Of course, this leaves us quite vulnerable for attack. I await the day Praul the Outlander finishes his training!

Day 8 of the Year 1286K.A. This evening Praul the Outlander became the first official member of the Rangers Guild. The celebration after the ceremony did not last long, he was too anxious to go explore! I wasn't sure I wanted him to strike out on his own with so little actual experience, but the scouts were confident in their training ability, and Eleborian seemed to approve. I saw Praul off, making sure he was well-armed and prepared for any dangers that might be waiting for him. Unfortunately, the rats in my kingdom are still at large, but I didn't have the heart to command Praul to stay when he seemed so excited to escape the boundaries of the town. I have been informed that tomorrow, Eleborian Wildmaster will be healed enough to go fight them.

Day 9 of the Year 1286K.A. Eleborian Wildmaster is healed enough to go fight the giant rats! I can see him out the window sometimes, and am constantly amazed at his skill. I sometimes wish I was not born into royal family, so I could learn to fight like that. My mother (the queen, of course) was adamant that I should be trained in only the most minimal amount of combat and fighting. Eleborian awoke at sunrise this morning and left before even the guards were awake. Already my peasants tell me they feel safer. One of them even left the palace to work on the Warriors Guild. Sadly, as soon as he left the shelter of the castle he was attacked by a rat, but...

Day 10 of the Year 1286K.A. The peasants have finally ventured out of the castle together. At first they were afraid of every little movement, but have become used to it. And only one of the many peasants in my kingdom has been attacked by a rat today! I am thrilled! (Not by the attacked peasant of course.) I am told that tomorrow, the first Warrior will arrive to begin his training! He will have to stay in the palace until the Guild is complete, due the setback we've had with the rats.