Amos the First

False Prophet B:3 C:24

It wasn’t as good as the Fourth of July, but you really can't beat blowing stuff up when it comes to exciting pastimes. If I only had an actual chemist here. Then, I could show these people what real fun was. 

As it was, though, their progress was quite impressive. They told me that after causing the rock chunks to fly off and embed themselves into a tree. Some of them had the idea to put the small rocks in a tube and launch them at things. The tubes would rupture easily if they ...

False Prophet B:3 C:23

I decided to give Emily a bit more time with her shop before I came in, so I thought I would stop by the forge and the loom. I have to admit the place has grown. Although we were selective about who was let in, Pine Ridge was almost looking like a village. It even had a town hall. I wanted this because as more projects were added, like the alchemy/chemistry lab, I wanted cooperation between the different people. What if a chemistry experiment could relate to metallurgy or paper-making? <...

False Prophet B:3 C:22

A few minutes after reading the letter that held the duke's seal on it, I found myself back in the study, trying to pace. The room, however, was just too small.

“I hate letters, Benjamin. Why couldn't you wait until morning?” I groaned. “I'm not going to sleep tonight.”

“200?! That is half our army!” Emily shouted as she stared at the letter in shock. It was pretty much the same reaction that I had to the ridiculous letter. “We are not going to have anyone left to de...

False Prophet B:3 C:21

It had been a week since I sent that very satisfying letter to Baron Plimgus. For the first time since I had lived in this world, each seat at my table was in use. Each headman and stewards of the new villages was in attendance at this meeting. Benjamin sat at a small table, taking minutes for the meeting. We had been going over production numbers and supply distribution for each village.

"Ok, now onto the next matter," I said with a grin. I was really looking forward to this part. "Tho...

False Prophet B:3 C:20

I stood there dumbfounded. What were Catherine and Elizabeth doing here? They couldn’t have gone home. It would have taken too long to get back here. Had they been robbed and gone to see John for help? Why not just go home? Why were they hiding their identity?

I realized that the pause had gone on for too long. Elizebeth had begun to fidget, but like a highborn lady, Catherine remained perfectly still. 

I looked over at Benjamin Emily. Benjamin gave nothing away. Emily look...

False Prophet B:3 C:19

I slammed my fists down on my new desk. I was pissed. Sixty-two of my people were slaughtered. I looked down at the letter I had just written to Plimgus. It was pathetic. Telling him I was going to take a single village worth of people away from him. 

Benjamin said doing more at the time would be imprudent. Well, screw imprudence. I would never have sent my men against a trained mercenary group, not without fifty crossbowmen and better armor. Heck, I would have closed down travel u...

False Prophet B:3 Interlude 2

Tyson, Second Ranger Squad of the BDF

"This sucks," I grumbled under my breath.

Seriously, when I was chosen for the position of a ranger, I was excited. I was the son of a hunter and knew how to shoot a bow and stalk prey, but I hated this part of the job. Squatting low to the ground on the wet fallen leaves as the cold seeped into my bones. It was raining again. 

Ugh!

I was grateful for the thick clothes that the count had provided. It ...

False Prophet B:3 C:18

The trip home was long and tiresome. The only thing fun about it was listening to Benjamin try and cram as much information as he could into Emily's head about being a noble. It was fun until he heard me chuckle and said there were particular points that it would be good for me to review.

It started to rain halfway through the second day. Fortunately, by that time, we had reached the road being built by the road crew, so it didn't really impede travel time. The problem was the temperatu...

False Prophet B:3 C:17

For a moment, I stood there, my brain trying to wrap my head around what Benjamin had just said. His father was dead. How? Why? Who sent the letter?

Before I blurted out something, my brain turned back on, and I clamped my mouth shut. This was not the time to ask questions. Besides, the size of the letter was small, meaning it probably arrived in Vaspar via pigeon. He may not have much information. We stood there silently for a while before Benjamin apologized, excused himself, and left...

False Prophet B:3 C:16

"You want to make this place into a trap?" Griff said.  "I don't understand." 

"Are you familiar with the project being run by Kylie?"

"I was told that that project was classified. All I know is that their workshop burnt down, so they had to suspend the project until you got back."

I looked at Draves, and he nodded.

"Let's go to a more private location," I said.

When we arrived at what I assumed was Tarrence's residence, we all stepped into the home's m...

False Prophet B:3 C:15

The idea of the people on the other side of the mountain was both exciting and nerve-wracking. We didn't need another hostile force right now. But if someone was living over there, it could be another source of trade.

"Why do you think they have shown up?" I asked.

"Probably due to the forest fire. It was massive. We had to evacuate the fort until it died down," Draves said.

"Well, not much we can do about it. Which village was the campsite closest to?" 

"Melnon, ...

False Prophet B:3 C:14

The look on Captain Draves’ face when he saw Tumlus was priceless. Ok, so really, there wasn't that much change in his expression, and had I taken a picture, very few people would be able to tell he was surprised at all. But for those of us who knew him, it was quite obvious.

However, I got the reaction I was looking for from Emily. The look on her face was priceless. But it wasn't from the fact that Tumlus was Rabiss. She had never met a Rabiss, so she had no idea what they looked li...

False Prophet B:3 C:13

The evening was fun, and Emily made for a great audience as we discussed my adventure. She was as amazed as I was at how much money I made and how quickly it could be spent. My interactions with the duke made her mad, but she laughed at the Easter eggs I had added to his paintings. 

I started to get the feeling that she was uncomfortable whenever I mentioned other girls. Not in an angry or jealous way, but more of making her feel insecure. So, I ended up avoiding all the instances ...

False Prophet B:3 C:12

I used the wrong name in the last chapter for the Fuller and the head of Melnon. The Fuller's name is Roger, and the Headman is Richard. LOL

"My lord, I have brought the information on the assassin, John," Roger said as he shifted a paper to face me. "He arrived in the barony twelve days ago. He says he was a serf from Rut, a barony southwest of Vaspar. He was a simple farmer.  After the harvest, his master cut down his family's rations because he had developed a g...

False Prophet B:3 C:11

A short while later, after the assasination attempt, all the citizens had been gathered. And there was a knock on my carriage door.

"My lord, we have news." Neil's voice called out.

As I exited, I was greeted by the sight of a man in his mid-twenties with a dirty face and brown hair cut short keeling before me. When he saw me, he said, "Forgive me, my lord. This is all my fault. Please have mercy."

"What is your name?" I asked. Trying not to let his groveling bother me.

Book 3 Chapter 10

After we left the first of our new villages, we continued to Cofi. We arrived about lunchtime, and a large meal was waiting for us. They brought out the cider for everyone else, and I had my usual boiled and filtered water. All in all, it was a great party. A lot of people I hadn't seen in a while showed up, and the crowd was primarily composed of the people of the village of Karr and Cofi.

Talking to the head of Karr village, Jess, I found that the chalk production had increased twofol...

Book 3 Chapter 9

King Caraman the Second of Turabe

"So Cousin, how are things going up North," I said as we sat in my parlor sipping on wine from the Vinyards of Oris. It was a forty-year-old vintage. It was of particularly high quality. Probably one of my favorite years.

"Mmm, always do business with you, Caraman," Arkorum said.

I said nothing, just waiting for his response.

He sighed and said, "Nothing has much changed. King Lenord is still holed up in his castle, tr...

Interlude 1

Happy New Year!

Catherine

I exited the Carok Travelers Inn and smiled. I missed it here. Not even Elizabeth's sour attitude could ruin my mood.

"I want to go home, Catherine. We have been on the road forever," She complained as soon as I exited the inn. 

I sighed. "We are in Carok now. I haven't seen John in forever, and I want to tell him the incredible news."

"And as I have said before, he probably has already heard about Amos."

"I s...