Gaming Stories: A Travelogue of Gransys

Gransys is a large and fascinating duchy, and I had the pleasure of traveling through it several months ago. Unfortunately, the State Department neglected to issue the proper travel advisories for it; while I was aware that Gransys had some troubles with banditry on its roads, some aggressive wild animals, such as wolves and snakes, roaming the countryside, and the poor maintenance of certain roads, I was not prepared for the extent of the poor maintenance, the sheer number of bandits and dangerous wild animals, or the near complete social breakdown caused by the sudden appearances of mythological creatures such as dragons, griffins, hydras, harpies, goblins, chimeras, cyclops, cockatrices, golems, ogres, animated skeletons, wyverns, phantoms, or hellhounds in Gransys. I demand that the State Department be held accountable for its inability to sufficiently warn travelers like me of the dangers we could face before we traveled to Gransys.

I present the journal that I kept during my travels in Gransys as evidence of the State Department’s gross negligence.

Day 1
I arrived at the beachside town of Cassardis, a quieting fishing town, this morning. The rates at Pablos’ Inn were fair, and Chief Adaro, the ostensible mayor of Gransys, welcomed me warmly. He warned me to stay away from a strange stone near the town’s entrance that the villagers called a “Rift Stone” and the village well, which they said led to a place called the Dripstone Cave, which was infested by subterranean lizard people. I agreed to stay away from both, though I will admit that I felt a chill whenever I passed the “Rift Stone.”

Day 2
To continue my travels, I joined a band of merchants who were headed to the Encampment along Seabreeze Trail. We passed bands of goblins and saw traces of wolfpacks, but they generally stayed away from our bands, as they seemed more scared of humans than we were of them. The journey along the dirt path that was Seabreeze Trail took longer than we expected because one of the carts lost a wheel. Fortunately, a patrol from the Encampment saw our breakdown and were able to assist us.

Day 3
I awoke to a frightful sight: it seemed as though a hole opened in the pre-dawn sky, out of which a giant dragon and an aerie of harpies emerged. Multiple merchants began to pack up quickly to move to the Gransys capital city, Gran Soren, which they explained was protected by the Duke’s men and by impenetrable city walls. I declined to ask them how impenetrable city walls would fare against creatures that could simply fly above them. Instead, I watched as the dragon descended upon Cassardis, and I wondered about the people who charmed me so when I was there. I’m no warrior, but I grabbed a heavy stick and some rocks and made my way to the Encampment gate that led back to Cassardis. A guard saw the intent in my eyes and knocked me to the dirt to bring me back to my senses. I joined one of the merchant caravans that were headed to Gran Soren.

We fought off bandits on the way to the Mountain Waycastle; they seemed emboldened by the appearance of the dragon, as though they no longer cared about their lives now that their definitions of reality had been rewritten. One bandit attempted to restrain me; we fell to the dirt; his knife found its way to my hand; my hand guided it to the bandit’s belly. Those of us in the caravan who were able to escape ran as hard as we could to escape the bandits. I don’t even know the names of those who were unable to make it.

We ran until we reached the Mountain Waycastle. The guards there seemed overwhelmed by the number of travelers headed to Gran Soren. One guard shouted to warn us of goblins and harpies along the mountain trail to the Estan Plains. My companions forged ahead; I needed time to gather my strength and my thoughts.

Day 5
I regretted staying at the Mountain Waycastle for an extra day because the stream of merchant caravans to Gran Soren had slowed to a trickle. However, luck shone upon me when I saw a military caravan protected by Captain Mercedes of the House of Marten, her guard, and Manus, a familiar face from Cassardis who had clearly taken up arms in response to the dragon attack. I had thought that Manus was a mere fisherman, but she seemed adept at wielding his sword and shield, and Captain Mercedes expressed her confidence in her.

I was even more surprised by the contents of their caravan: a giant snake head that Captain Mercedes’s escorts claimed were the head of a hydra. I scoffed; there were no such things as hydras. But then again, I saw a dragon, so maybe nothing was impossible anymore. I also learned from Captain Mercedes’s escorts that a hydra had attacked the Encampment, where it was fought off by Manus and her companions. They agreed to allow me to join their caravan as they were headed to Gran Soren to deliver the hydra head to Duke Edmun Dragonsbane.

Day 6
We have finally arrived in Gran Soren. As we had been warned, we indeed had to fend with aeries of harpies and bands of goblins, but Captain Mercedes and Manus’s group dispatched them with little trouble. We parted at the Urban Quarter; I made my way to the Union Inn, while Manus and her companions headed to the Pawn Guild. I tried to investigate what a Pawn Guild would have served, but I was refused entry.

Day 8
I attempted to find escorts to visit some of the other landmarks of Gransys, such as the Prayer Falls, the legendary Watergod’s Altar, The Abbey, the Windbluff Tower, any of the Healing Springs, or even the Blighted Manse, but no one was interested in leaving the protection that Gran Soren’s walls provided. In idle conversation at Arsmith’s Alehouse, I asked other patrons how the walls would protect us from airborne menaces like a dragon or harpies, but no one wanted to hear it. I had to buy many drinks to calm nerves that my speculations had rubbed raw.

I began to notice whisperings about something called “Salvation.” At first, I thought that it was speculation about the Duke’s solution to the dragon problem. However, no one would admit to knowing anything related to Salvation. I learned to stop asking about Salvation.

I was thrilled to hear rumors about the adventures of Manus and her companions. I once saw them run around Gran Soren, from Arsmith’s Alehouse to their Pawn Guild house to some of the more disreputable parts of Venery. I thought I spotted them on the Gran Sore battlements at one point. I heard that they acted on behalf of a wealthy merchant named Fournival to evict some tenants, but the tenants were not bitter about leaving their home. I heard that Manus was able to revive the blacksmith’s boy, who had passed away. They seemed to be everywhere at once and capable of anything.

Day 12
I was growing bored with Gran Soren until I learned to stop wishing for exciting or interesting times. A cockatrice, of all things, flew over the capital’s walls and attacked the Craftsman’s Quarters. Seemingly out of nowhere, Manus and her companions attacked the cockatrice and drove it away. Farmers who worked in the Craftsman’s Quarters were killed by the cockatrice, but the entire city may have fallen if not for Manus and her companions.

They call her the “Arisen” now. I implored Manus and her companions to allow me to join them on their journey. Manus declined me as quickly and gently as she could; I noticed then how odd her companions were. They seemed wholly dedicated to Manus’s well-being, but they seemed limited in speech, as they repeated their speech over and over. Manus did not seem to notice or mind their repetition. I also thought that Manus’s party seemed different than when I saw them last; I could have sworn that there were two women with her when I last saw them. Now, there was only one woman. I suppose one of them may have left or even died. But they seem more bothered by my questions than anything else.

Day 14
Today, in Fountain Square, Aldous announced to the town that Fournival, the noted merchant, had been found innocent of an accusation that he was conspiring to overthrow the Duke. This is a serious charge, yet no one in the crowd seemed aware of the charges against Fournival, much less that a trial had even taken place. Between the charges against Fournival and the whispers about Salvation that have faded away, I wonder if the dragon’s attack had unsettled the Duke’s rule or simply exposed the rotten foundations under the Duke’s administration. I kept these thoughts to myself.

I ran into Manus and her companions at Devyn’s Barber Shop today. Her party had changed once again; now she had no male companions. I tried to ask her if she knew anything about the charges against Fournival, but he simply excused himself and claimed that he needed to save someone at the Windbluff Tower.

Day 16
In Fountain Square, Aldous announced today that Manus and her companions were now enemies of the state. First, it was Fournival, now Manus. Something is rotten in this kingdom.

Day 18
I caught sight of the Duke today for the first time during my stay in Gran Soren. He cuts a striking figure, but he seemed to be muttering angrily to himself. His inexhausitble youth and health have led to Gransys’s stability, but I wonder if he may have simply been in office for too long.

Day 20
This land is cursed. Monsters roam the land, and the Duke’s men seem unable to drive them away for long. Cassardis was attacked by a dragon. The Encampment was attacked by a hydra. Gran Soren itself was attacked by a cockatrice. Now, the unthinkable has happened: the ground has swallowed half of Gran Soren itself, and harpies pour of this wound at an inexorable pace. I prayed for Manus and her companions to return, since they seem to be the only effective force in Gransys, and my prayers were answered. But rather than delivering Salvat…hope, they instead were chased into the chasm by the Duke’s men. If I squint, I think that I can see them fall from the sky, but that’s impossible since they fell into the earth below.

I don’t know what I can do. I cannot leave Gran Soren; the roads are too dangerous. I might not be able to even leave Gransys if I could even make it back to Cassardis.

Day 24
The land is cursed, but the curse seems to be lifted. No more harpies have emerged from the Gran Soren wound, and a caravan has been organized to deliver relief to the refugees in the Encampment and survivors in Cassardis. No one has seen or heard from the Duke; this caravan was arranged by Fournival and other Gran Soren merchants. Captain Mercedes and Lord Julien, the Knight of Voldoa, also seem to have disappeared. Who will defend Gransys now?

Day 27
I have reached Cassardis. There is great suffering in Gransys, and it’s unclear who can help the duchy recover. Aldous is the nominal leader of Gransys now that the Duke has disappeared. I have had enough of traveling and Gransys, and I will be returning to Meloire soon and hope that the troubles have not affected my home.

Do not travel to Gransys. There are supposedly beautiful and wondrous places like the Healing Springs or the Prayer Falls, but Gransys is simply too dangerous. I hope that our neighbor will recover soon.