Gustav Rorscach Journal

(Gustav is the recorder for the group, these are his words. Hopefully I can read his handwritting. I made a few spelling changes)

Mercenary Names
The Holders


Ethengar
Wind-blasted landscape
Nomads, have to move to feed animals
Dip into foothills, some trees & more grass
Just elected new Khan "Stop in the name of the Great Khan"
Mount archers (Maybe aggressive, territorial?-Yeah, territorial, Great Khan has final say)
They respond to gifts? Khan softened at the offer of good gifts
Ethengar horsemen the finest available
Go south where road divides into steeps
clans unite under Khans, Khans fight against each other
->sometimes
Ethengars gone for 7 years, came back w/siege engines, decapitated everyone, including animals, & burned town & knocked down all walls to level the place
capable of mass, organized attacks w/no need to shout orders, just raise banners, can make amazing mass arrow attacks
-Might settle for a week or two where grazing is good, don't waste, rumored to be able to live on horse blood alone
-Kurmiss: Fermented mare's milk
-Tribes less warlike now under Golden Khan, Moglai & making more trades
-Upon conquering a tribe, kill men higher than an axle & take women as wives, may be related to religion
-Land decided by how many of the opposing tribe a tribe can kill
-Golden Khan aided other clans in exchange for loyalty, even offered to tribes opposed to him
-Moglai educating tribes in modern ways; live in yurts (tents), interested in lands surrounding his, such as in armies & trade
-ALWAYS BE POLITE, always prostrate self before Khan upon meeting, Ethengars naturally bombastic & don't take offense
-Steppes are Ethengars home
-Can be welcomed well if we follow customs & respect Khan, "In the name of the Great Khan"=this is important
-Merge w/horses, leave nothing behind, Khans hereditary *named by father
-Khans hold all wealth, including animals & names; Khan also divides wealth among people, those who bring back the most receive the most-divided in the spring
-Great Khan decided that clans should stay in their lands-has not stopped all conflict, but Great Khan proved strongest
-First wife has priority over other wives, son expected to marry all father's or brothers wives upon death except mother
-women ride & fight as well, equal in stature to men, but handle trade because men too violent
-scrub w/folded goat hair, horrid smell in tents
-Combat at the love of all diversions, polo included, also hunt w/dogs
-Event: Hunt lasting 3 months, encircled massive horde of beast, Khan fought for 6 days to slay a beast w/hunting lion hefore allowing others to kill something
-Crime virtually unheard of, no one would steal from Khan, pointless to steal because they only take what they can carry, no fancy law system, criminals chastised and/or killed as an example, slashed to pieces w/sword
-No one serving Golden Khan cna be a slave
-Guilt proven by priest as witness & sets sentance
-Unless royal, the strangled w/bowstring, poisoned, or beaten
-Causing suffering to horse a crime, full list in Hasak of crimes, up to 107 cane strokes for crime, 1 stroke = 1 HP
-Death in punishment a sign they didn't deserve to live

18th Frymont
Mercenary Camp 21, caravans of Travelers

18th Frymont
Gustav, Velox, Simon, and Theses met in a tavern. They all had a common interest in finding merc work, so they decided to band together. With the aid of the surly captain Melvin, they formed a mercenary group know as The Holders. After traveling to Camp 21 in the Ethengar lands, they decided to accept two jobs, splitting them by working four days as bouncers and four days guarding a fair from goblins. After a three-day journey in a cart, they arrived at the fairgrouunds on 22 Frymont. Their bouncer work will begin immediately. Theseus currently refuses to talk, and hence cannot receive pay like a normal mercenary.

(I omitted the contract of course)