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YEAR OF THE SERPENT 1

Haimai

[9] We enter Ethengar, the first thing we see it's a pile of skulls (probably set there as a warning by Ethengarians). A few moments after our entrance in the steppes, we're surrounded by 10 horse warriors, who "escort" us to the local boss 2 just after learning our plans.
[11] We follow the Dol-Anur river meeting several groups of horse warriors during the journey.
A few hours after midday we cross the river and reach a very big camp of about a hundred yurts 3. There are really very many animals (horses, yaks, sheeps, pigs...) all around this camp.
They take us inside a high palisade (like a big cage) where there're three yurts. We're told that this is the outsider's compound. Late in the evening enters a man that pretends to come from Wendar.
[12] We're introduced to the local Khan (Oktai Khan) to whom we tell our history and offer our favours. In the evening we learn that the man from Wendar is actually our spy here. He explains us that the only way to go back home is to enter the Broken Lands.
[13] The Khan asks for us again. He wants us to kill as many Gostai Goblins 4 as we can. We'll leave the camp tomorrow morning.
I'm challenged (and beaten) in a bow contest by 3 young natives, then I buy a quiver of their heavy arrows 5. In a wrestling contest I defeat another young native.
[14] We'll leave the camp for our raid against the Goblins. The Khan gives us three really superb horses. 6
[15] In the evening we reach a camp of Goblins.
[16] We plan our attack in the morning
We prepare a few burning arrows and I cast haste. We succeed in setting fire to their tents, thus spreading confusion among Goblins.
While the 'noids disorderly flee their camp, we storm them with arrows. Several fall under our blows, whereas the luckier ones manage to mount their dire wolves and run toward us.
Goridiel cast his fireball on them. Soon the outcome of the battle looks plain: many goblins lie dead, a few other are sleeping because of a sleep spell, and some others are trapped in a web. Suddenly one of those Goblins turns out to be a shaman and manages to paralyze me and Goridiel, and to blind Ciclosporel.
Had it not been for the intervention of a Taijit's Argam 7 , the battle would have ended tragically for us.
[19] By sunset we're back at the Khan's camp.
[20] The Khan meets us again and, in spite of everything, congratulates us for the killing of so many Gostai Goblins. Suddenly a crash intterupts our meeting. Two funny and quite small creatures 8 "landed" with a strange flying contraption inside the camp. They're a sort of trader and have to deliver something to the Khan.
When these small humanoids leave our meeting with the Khan resumes: he offers us to take part to a raid against hobgoblins.

End of Part 5.
Go to Part 6.: Hobgobland.

Footnotes:

1: New place, new calendar...
2: They call him "Khan"
3: This is their word for "tents"
4: The Gostai are a group of nomad Goblins that lives in the steppes, a few miles north from here
5: This arrows, called "takadi", can be used only at short range
6: We're not alone in this raid: a young Taijits girl, named Tessia, act as our guide
7: An Argam is a group of 10 Horse Warriors
8: They're Gnomes.

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Diary written by Igor Betti and translated by 'Brizio.