((An adaptation of role-play that's occurred over the past couple of weeks, including the Woodmen of Eriador's weekly moots))
Much has happened since I last had opportunity to write - both good and bad. I fear the negatives may have outweighed the positives for the Clan, and so we all appear to be left in turmoil. The moots have focused mainly on the progress of the stockade, our lack of pennies, and the threat that the Orcs of Nen Harn pose.
The stockade, from what I gather, seems to be progressing well. I should really lend more of hand to assist with it, and I will do that, but for now my mind and attention has been distracted. Alaric was taken ill; it was a terrible ordeal. He wouldn’t eat, wouldn’t sleep, and had a vibrant red rash that was across his entire belly. I took him to Heriwulf to be looked over.. At first he was unsure as to what the cause might’ve been, since it was not something he had seen before, and thus I began to act like my hound – I couldn’t eat, or sleep until I knew the apparent cause, its significance and potential threat to his life. Luckily enough, it was simply the result of Alaric’s exposure to a thistle that we must have been in contact with whilst travelling through the Lone Lands, and after the extraction of some thorns that had been the cause of the rash, he’s now on the mend. He eats, sleeps, and has gone back to the energetic and lovable hound that I had missed.
Our lack of ‘pennies’ remains a significant issue, yet my understanding of that remains slightly unclear, but I have simply had to adapt to the way of life we all decided to lead together. Brunan had her pups, for which has given some happiness, but yet we still remain in conflict. At the most recent moot, an idea was posed to the clan that we would sell one of her pups to an influential woman of Combe – I can’t quite remember her name – for breeding purposes. In addition, Niht was to be a potential stud for the other woman’s hound, and I found myself in conflict. Although I see the advantages – the pennies, and the potential relationship or ally in a neighbouring settlement, I’m wary of some of my Clan’s optimism on what this might mean.
Despite all of our issues, the orcs remain the most daunting. Although we all have each other, we are very much alone. We have no alliances, no friends, and no-one that is well equipped to assist us with beating this threat if the time should ever come. Hildegund brought a hooded woman (Beastmother), for whom I clearly was wary of, but she did speak sense. Would she be our saving grace? I highly doubt it, yet she appears to be the only ally we have as of right now. The Orcs worry me, but of course, that’s natural. I still am a stranger to these lands, its inhabitants, and its enemies.
I also feel helpless. My contribution to our Clan is to craft, not to fight. So, how could I ever be assistance to those I feel the most incline to help? That worries me, more than I usually care to admit.
I am not very optimistic as for our future here for now. I need more certainty, we all do. Once we have that, everything will be better.
