Mumewin Letters 2

11th Day of First Spring, 2,001 (ADZ)

To my esteemed colleagues at the Great Library of Annalow,

Many of you would believe, as I had, that my journey would begin by simply following the main road off the Great Ramp of Annalow and heading straight South into Wild Effee territory, but it was not to be so. Chumkin has assured me that the route of least conflict would be to first head east, toward the rising sun and the delta port town of Gustwind where the Silver River flows into the Gold Ocean. Our travel only took perhaps a day on mount and I spent the time getting to know, my horse, by which I mean learning to ride.

Chumkin admitted he, too, was vexed by the cheap animals we road, but the dealer said they had very few miles on them and, as long as we took care of them, these horses would last another 15 years or our gold back. Seems the dealers outside of Annalow are as shrewed as the ones within.

Regardless, Gustwind awaited us and excepted us with open arms and legs and wallets. I refer to the sex trade just at the entrance and surrounding the inns. Gustwind is a large town, perhaps merely a fifth the size of Annalow, but large none the less, and they had the Silver to thanks for that. Many traders and travelers who go by boat stop here and boy, do they like sex. It's no wonder there were so many mume here.

You may notice the deliverer of these mails is a Carrier Ibis. As I look out the window, I see squat and flush trees that hold different colored Ibises as if they were the tree's fruit and I contemplate studying them before leaving.

I must now away and try to keep Chumkin from spending all our funds of whores. I will keep in touch.

Yours,

Professor Steven Mumewin,

Mumewin Letters 1

9th Day of First Spring, 2,001 (AZD)

To my esteemed colleagues at the Great Library of Annalow,

This is my last letter to be written here for the archives as I make my way out into the open world south of Annalow City and into the wilderness on a trek to the hidden Felf Kin town of Alexture. I have with me 5 men, including one "Salty" Chumkin, who seems the most reliable of Mumes to be found at the Docks below our great community. Indeed, Chumkin was instrumental in the recruitment of other sailors as they tend to understand the club over the word. We also have enough provision for the team of 6 men and a map I have procured from a devilish gentle borc whom I trust.

The goal of my expedition, of course, is to make connection with the library in Alexture in hopes to consult, index, and possibly copy or exchange books with our own collection in mind. My secondary task will be that of exploration on species in the local area. As you all know, I've become hyper-fascinated with the local wild life and endeavored to make my own observations.

Wish me luck, Ladies and Genital mume, I shall need it.

Yours,

Professor Steven Mumewin,

Steven Mumewin (Professor)

Fitness: 0 Awareness: 1

Creative: 1 Reason: 2

Heart Magic: -1

Luck: 5 Discipline: 4

Skills: Athletics (Novice), History (Proficient), Investigate (Expert), Literacy (Proficient), Melee (Novice), Music:Recorder (Novice), Navigation (Novice), Stealth (Novice), Survival (Proficient)

"Salty" Chumkin (Sailor)

Fitness: 3 Awareness: 0

Creative: 1 Reason: 0

Heart Magic: -1

Luck: 4 Discipline: 5

Skills: Bluff (Novice), Brawling (Expert), Firearms (Novice), Gambling (Proficient), Intimidate (Proficient), Melee (Proficient), Riding (Novice), Sailing (Novice), Stealth (Novice)

Time in Mash'ta

Have you noticed that I've been keeping track of time in Seasons, instead of years? This is an Annalow trait, because all the different countries and races in Mash'ta call the months something different, but all agree there is a sumer, fall, winter, and Spring. Since so many cultures travel through the great city, Annalow refers to months as First Spring, Second Spring, Third Spring, First Summer and so on. For such an imaginative race, this seems against character, but it was the only way to keep visitors and citizens on the same page.

In Mash'ta, days have exactly 24 hours. There are no leap-seconds. Luna, the Main moon completes it's 8 phases in exactly 30 days, and Cruithne, the second and smaller moon, completes it's 8 phases in exactly 720 days, or two years. Weeks are called a "Hand" of days, consisting of Five days, and called by fingers, the Thumb through the Pinky. Each month has 6 hands, or three pairs. At night, there are 9 constellations, one for each God, and the sun rises in each house of each constellation exactly every 2,222 years. This is called an "Age." When the sun has risen in all 9 ages, it's called a procession, or 19,998 years. This is how long Mash'ta's star system takes to revolve around its galaxy. We are in our first eon as Mash'ta is only about 13,000 years old. Felf-kin believe that Mash'ta will die when it reaches 1,000 processions in ages.

(Note, Cruithne is known as Earth's Second Moon. No joke, Google it!)

Only the Felf, Ixxar, and Crynt astrologists really understand the rhythm of the planets in Mash'tas solar system, of which there are 6 additional planets, but they do complete perfect rotations around the sun every 1,111 years, aligning and doing crazy things to Mash'ta weather patterns.

This could give rise to questions about if the sun revolves around Mash'ta (of course it does) and if so, do the other stars have world that orbit so perfectly as Mash'ta (of course they don't)? All I have to say on the subject is Mash'ta was built, not grown like our Earth, so time was divided with divine precision.

Amythra Follow Up

Okay, I'm done with the Amythra story and I'm working on an outline for the next story. I wanna introduce a lot of ideas, but I think I'll start with the characters.

What will make this next tale different is two things. 1: Since this is based on a setting for an RPG, I'll actually be making the characters using Active Exploit rules (uh...which means I should probably work on finishing my take on Active Exploit rules). 2: I'm starting with a town south of Annalow called Elexia, a lumber village which...uh...honestly, it better designed than Annalow. Blame this one on Mandra. She's not one for city planning and I'm not gonna touch Annalow. It's not MY town. I worked on Jerrow, which was hardly used, and Elexia. I think she's planing for it to be like Ankh-Morpork from Discworld. Not really set in stone, but there are district locations.

Amythra taught me a few things. The biggest lesson was I should really outline these stories if I'm going to write them. Amythra had absolutely no plan when I began except I knew the island girl would be dealing with the loss of her brother to the war and that she'd be exploring Annalow. I pulled Anna Goldeyes from the novel I've never published because I knew her well and knew she was the strong kind of character needed to pulled Amythra through her trouble, but even that came out tinny and thin.

Another lesson learned was the "Quest" given to the main character wasn't any big deal. That was a mistake. Characters are driven by their own desires, sure, and Amythra had a desire for her brother back, but the setting for such a question should have had grander stakes.

Enough of the bad. As for the good, I'm quite proud of my word work, though it's in desperate need of proper proofing, and not my seat-of-the-pants approach, but aw well. What can you do?

Next week, while I work on the outline a little better and test out the chemistry of the companions, I'll release some extra world building info, and try to do it in a more fashionable way than before.

Leave me a comment, or something. Let me know someone's reading this.

Amythra 43

The next morning, Amythra was on her way. She had long since bid goodbye to Anna, Roose, and Boose. All conversation aside, she was only in the city on business. Amythra carried with her more than Anna Goldeyes ever saw in four months pay, and guarded it in her burlap sack while she boarded the ship back home. She looked on to another ship she recognized as a military vessel, wondering if Marvate was aboard, or if another ship was his calling.

Alone again in a small cabin below deck, she thought about it. She would be in the city more often and may even again run into the strange red guard inside. It was at once so very overwhelming, yet very small. And mad. Who ever heard of celebrating a candy smith's birthday? She thought of Anna and felt glad, lucky, really, that they met. A friendly face. That was what she had needed.

Unbeknown to her, her adventure was as much Roose and Boose's interference as much as the map was. All of it a mere side effect of a spell unconsciously cast in motion by two Ixxar to help support the war in the north. Such is the way of one's life, I suppose. Aren't we all cogs in one form or another? But Amythra didn't know or care.

She pulled out a stretch of papyrus from her sack and carefully rolled is open, weighing the corners with a lamp and some random debris from within her cabin. Finding a nice compressed chuck of charcoal, she began to write.

Dear Marvate,

Amythra 42

Above the city street, Amythra and Anna watched the few parade stragglers and night watchmen below. Anna passed over a jug of wine, which Amythra graciously took. She'd been old enough to drink since she could read, which means either she's a new literate or, more likely, the drinking age is pretty low in Jerrow. This was some of the best wine that touched her lips.

Behind them is a warm lit dinning room, Arrow and the Ixxar twins were cheerfully talking about business over some after dinner drink, leaving the womumes out of it. Amythra didn't mind. Her task complete, she felt relieved. "The Living Goddess stresses on experience, yeah?"

Taking a good glug of drink, Anna wiped her mouth. "Sensation, child. Savor everything."

"What about loss?"

"Everything."

Amythra looked down from her cup to the heavy bag of coins seemingly enshrines on the table beside her. It felt like she had traded her brother for a coin purse. Didn't feel right. She turned back to her glass. "What do I do? I mean, I'd give anything not to feel this anymore."

Anna sighed. She remembered what happened the first time she lost family while on assignment in the western lands. "I can only say deal with it in anyway that pleases you, except one." She put a firm grip on her Amythra's shoulder. "Don't run from it. Run and it'll rot inside you like a disease." She didn't tell the girl that the hurt never really goes away, and who knows? Maybe Marvate would survive and come back home alive.

He would, but Amythra wouldn't see him again.

The night passed with brothers and sisters in the minds of most mume that night. He's not dead, she reminded herself. He's not dead, and I'll write him every chance I get.

Let's talk about Roll Playing Part 5

Why is Annalow fun?

Why is Improvisation fun?

Why is Roll Playing in general fun?

Even in the more tactical games, like 4th Eddision, there's still entertainment in story telling. People who play miniature battles or, for that matter, shoots and ladders has some form of improvising story. Annalow as a setting aspires to be colorful and conflict oriented, granting each player their own tale. I'd love for Annalow to be a setting for romances, mysteries, political dramas, or comedies. Even tragedy is welcome as long as the player could walk away and say "You gotta hear what happened to me last night."

I guess that's the point of any roll playing experience, the story telling. Boring is the sin of any game and with lack of dice, more emphasis on resource management, Active Exploits is the perfect system for an intellectual approach to roll playing, in my humble opinion. That's why I picked it for the Annalow setting.

Why is it fun?

I hope it's fun because it's a good way for friend to come together and tell a good story. The GM sets the stage, the players gather round, and everybody has a beer (or Mountain Dew) while they work toward saving or damning a city under Mandra's watch.

The Wild Effee's will try and free Tame Effees who don't want to leave. The Ixxar and the Church will butt heads. All the while Merchants and travelers from far lands come through town for a cut of profit. The Felfs will question what it's all about and the Crynt will sit back and watch. There's a lot of stories to be told in Annalow.

I hope I won't be the only one having all the fun.