"Nobody is an adventurer forever, dear reader. The nature of our profession means many end their careers in battle. In the event that you find yourself with a small fortune as a result of your work, and your thirst for exploring the world we share has run its course, it may be time to settle down.
"Purchasing a home ought to be the first priority, whether in your own hometown or somewhere new that caught your eye. Afterwards, your life is yours to live as you see fit."
"There is great value in picking up a musical instrument and learning a few songs. And you need not dedicate yourself to the path of a bard to do so. Any amount of musical ability can open unexpected doors. Local musicians on the street or in tavern corners are also surprisingly good sources of information. Though I never fully understood how so many came to be so knowledgeable, dear reader, the fact remains that they provided solid leads on many of my adventures."
"There is no such thing as an adversary that cannot be defeated. When you face an opponent in combat and your usual techniques do naught, it is time to adapt. Find other means to throw them off-balance, disrupt their defenses, or create an opening for your allies.
"There may be other means to defeat your foe, found in your surroundings. I have seen with my own eyes how a thrown rock achieved what a magicked sword could not. Experiment, and the results may surprise you."
"In your travels, reader, you may come across weapons or pieces of useful equipment that bear magicks about them. I have previously stated that it is your decision whether to embrace magicks or to shun them. However, there are very few cases where a magicked item will bring calamitous ruin upon you and your peers. As such, I encourage you to collect any such equipment and distribute them among your party. Adventurers need every advantage they can get in some situations."
"The Dystan people keep records of anything and everything. Though you may not be Dystan yourself, dear reader, I encourage you to keep notes on your adventures. A journal, quill, and bottle of ink adds very little weight to your pack. Note down whatever you think will be of use to you on your journeys.
"Of course, if you *do* hail from Dysta, you likely know all of this already one way or another, and you need no reminders from me. Save perhaps to restock on ink soon."
"You might wish to keep an animal companion during your travels. A war dog is the most widely chosen recommendation, for when trained from a young age they become adaptable and accustomed to life on the road. Some armourers even take commissions to outfit war dogs with their own mail armour and forepaw blades. A dog fitted with such equipment becomes a force to be reckoned with in their own right - but they often require more training and care than a typical companion."
"A tidy adventurer makes for a healthy crew. Leave each campsite in the same condition as you found it, save perhaps for an absence of local firewood, the signs of an extinguished fire, and buried jacks you dug the night before. (Change who deals with that each night.)
"Furthermore, reader, be sure not to mix up your weapons and your tools. Many a sickness has come about because a careless cook used the same knife to both pierce a foe and chop vegetables for a stew."
"The keeping of secrets, dear reader, can be a dangerous thing. Sometimes knowledge is kept to oneself to spare others the pain of it, or for reasons of security. However, if something will endanger you or a comrade in arms if left unspoken, better to reveal it than let it fester in the dark.
"You need not bear your burdens alone, reader. It matters not how strong you think you are, physically, mentally, or spiritually. Allies help make you stronger. Confide in them."
"In the possible-but-improbable event that you find yourself in a reality that appears to be very much unlike your own, I offer these words of counsel:
• Do not panic. Take a deep breath, perhaps two.
• Rather than wander aimlessly, wander with purpose. Look for a landmark that can tell you where you are.
• Once you know *where* you are, your next objective needs to be learning *why* you are where you are. With this knowledge, you may be able to find your way back to #Auvia."
#Lore24 23/12/24
"There may come a time during your adventures where your dreams are troubled by visions of true clarity, rather than the half-remembered oddities of the mind. Remember these dreams, reader, but have care, for they are not always to your benefit.
"Some dreams may be prophetic, or appear as such but intend to lead you to ruin. Others may depict your adversaries, that you might prepare for what is to come. And some may simply send a message in the night, for weal or woe."
WriterRaven