Blank Parchment: The Secret Autographs
Hills East of Ironspike in the Far Point
'In the deepest valleys of the highest peaks of the Hills Perilous you will find the six stones of knowing and the three of forgetting. The runes carved upon them hold their power, but I could not copy them - they bring a bitter blackness to the mind. There are many wild places here sacred to the Storm. Never drink the yellow grog when it bubbles. The Sanarings cut three camps in the south, to hunt and to trap, but all are now abandoned. Kin, don't talk to me about kin! Some beasts here grow to a great size, and some are immortal. Ask before hunting. Beware thieving otters. We saw a sword carved in the mountainside, longer than the cast of a vingan's javelin. Never trust a raven, nor a redhead. Rorvan Yes-But claims to have hunted auroch here, but no one believes him. If you ask an Odaylan of this they make no reply, but most of those filthy half-beasts have forgotten language as well as courtesy. The broo that hunt here make better company. Never forget to gift the Lady. Three long abandoned fireplaces, very large in size, with chipped white rocks set about them like teeth. We camped far away. In Long Dark I have seen the snow fall in different colours - white and blue and red and black. Black snow is the worst, and can turn even a flame to ice. Red snow is barely cool to the touch, and takes days to melt. I know that such things occur elsewhere, but never so regularly as in these hills. Blue snow freezes the mouth - I gave some to the Lunar to suck. He survived, but the Goddess granted us three blessed days of silence. Violence is still an option. There are many Gagarthi here, hunting rebels for Gasrik, and also an insane wind that creeps upon you before sunset, to batter you and break your bones. Beware. The mushrooms are very good, though strong, and the buttons also. Beware too the Hungry Mud. The fur market in Furthest has collapsed. At least it's stopped raining. I'm running out of i...'
The testimony of Jon the Blank - Silverquill Parchments.
(Let no Word be Spoken! There must be many, many more :))
John
John Hughes
Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research
Australian National University
Canberra ACT 2600
Phone (02) 6125 0649
Visit CAEPR on the web at http://www.anu.edu.au/caepr/
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