Diary of Mikka Kaumolainen, a slave no more

[Ilyich79]

So this is the diary of Mikka Kaumolainen, tall strong lad of sixteen, who was kidnapped from his home village as a kid by Njerpezit raiders and since then was a slave in their lands. He never abandoned hope of escape and secretly trained in knife, spear and bow wielding, in trapping and hideworking with the help of an old fellow slave, who was a hunter by trade. Mikka was a smart guy, so Njerpezit builders taught him some of their skills to help them build their war camps and also taught him his letters (and numbers) to mark and count materials and labor, writing them, as was Njerpezi way, on sheets of birch-bark.
One day, as Mikka was in the new war camp not far from Reemilais tribe territory, he suddenly found that he was alone with only one young Njerpez warrior beside him. So Mikka saw his chance. Later he tried to recall everything what happened to him since then day by day and so this diary was written.
(Note from the author: I do not know why I started to write all this:)) I guess I really wanted to share my experiences, and my russian friends got tired from my tales too fast:)) Also I have to mention that English is of course not my native language so please forgive me for mistakes and inconveniences in the text).

Day 1

I escaped from the Njerpez slavers! Only one guard was beside me, so I started to run trying to reach the forest. On my way I picked a pair of rocks. Cursing guard followed me into the thicket, when I turned and hurled stones at him. He didn't expect that and didn't manage to dodge. Rock hit him hard in the face and he fell. I rushed to him and tried to cut his throat, but in my excitement I only made several shallow cuts, the bastard refused to die, and in this very moment I suddenly fell with a scream! Arrow flew from behind the trees and plunged deep in my right thigh! I couldn't get up on my feet. I panicked. And I started to crawl. I crawled through trees and bushes, trying to wound my way to tangle the tracks. Behind me I heard yells and clash of weapons, may be somebody followed me but they couldn't find me, thank God. So my escape was a success.
(Note from the author: it was a fifth try. Four previous characters were killed on sight).
I had on me only linen shirt and trousers, leather boots, hunting knife and an arrow which I pulled from the wound.

Days 2-5

So I crawled, wounded and bleeding, for several kilometers until I reached a small lake. I had no food (it was beginning of summer and there were no ripe plants, also my herblore skill is very low). I was very hungry. I tore my shirt to make bandage and stop bleeding. Then I cut a small tree and made a crude javelin to try and catch some fish with. But as I searched and searched along the shore I couldn't find suitable spot for fishing with javelin! I was starving! Death from hunger stared me in the face. So in my desperation I gathered some unknown weeds from the lake and ate them. This somewhat satiated my hunger and I was beginning to think that weed would sustain me until I find some food source and get better, but suddenly I felt awful cramps in my stomach and nausea - I got poisoned. At this point I almost gave up and seriously considered to leave the world and join the spirits of my ancestors. But then stubborness and thirst for revenge on my captors prevailed. I prayed to God for a miracle and suddenly I found a freshly caught pike and a fishing rod on the shore! (Note from the author: I suddenly remembered that I was playing a task course scenario so I tried and got to relevant tasks).
I managed to build a shelter to hide from rains (summer was somewhat rainy and this greatly disturbed my night sleeps). For several days I fished, drank lots of water to get the poison out of my body and generally tried to rest and recover. Poisoning at first was getting worse, but then it started to ease up bit by bit. But I still suffered from great bloodloss and still couldn't get up on my feet.

To be continued... (if I may)

[Ilyich79]

Days 6-22
I searched the area around my lake and found three Reemi villages - two small and one big. In the big village I found a sage who treated my arrow wound. I also helped one old man from small village to gather some milkweed (had to crawl all over the fields for them) and got a valuable herbal blend from the old man. But I couldn't apply that blend to my wound as I ran out of bandages and didn't want to cut my last and only trousers for them. Later I made some utensils from birch-bark and traded them for a woolen undershirt, but at this stage my wound started to get significantly better so I stopped treating it. Then the blend somehow got lost. (Note from the author: I really do not know how I managed to lose that blend. It just disappeared:)).

Days 23-28
Arrow wound finally got so better that I was able to stand! So I began to hunt. Killed a squirrel which was stupid enough to climb a single tree in the middle of a field, so it has nowhere to run from my constant rock barrage. Then villagers told me about the wounded adventurer who crawled to them after altercation with an angry wolf. I spoke with that adventurer, then went and recovered his woodsman axe for him, chasing away the wolf. I wounded the wolf and would kill it with my javelins, but it managed to tangle his tracks and get away from me.
I didn't return the axe right away, but first fell some trees and made lots of boards with it. From boards I made some useful things, most importantly a shortbow and a cellar to store my food in.

Days 29-31
With cords that I found in the camp of wolf-bitten adventurer and which he let me keep, I made two arrows and several more traded from the village hunter. I decided to go on my first revenge raid against the Njerpez war camp from which I ran away. Stealthily I approached the camp and noticed a roundshield hanging on a wall of the hut. For starters I thought to grab the shield and take it for myself as some compensation. But as I got close to the hut, two Njerpezit warriors noticed me and I ran back to the forest, they after me. One got tired really fast and lagged behind. I shoot all my five arrows (first was that old Njerpez arrow, which I plucked from my own thigh) but missed. I had four javelins and these I started throwing at Njerpez while stealthing through the trees like a ghost. I appeared from behind the trees for a second, threw a javelin and again disappeared. When I ran out of javelins, I circled the Njerpez, who rushed to my last seen location in more or less straight line, I picked up my missed javelins and repeated the procedure. Pretty soon I got a good hit and Njerpez fell unconscious. I jumped to him and severed his neck with my borrowed woodsman axe. Then the same fate befell the other Njerpez. Myself I was only once lightly scratched by Njerpezilai sword. I picked clean both corpses and headed home. I deemed it was enough for the first time.

To be continued... (if I may)

[Ilyich79]

Days 32-34
Now I was fabulously rich. I got a pile of fur clothes, iron helm, two bastard swords, a shortsword, two broad knives, that roundshield and good old handaxe, besides some cords and stuff. Now, having a handaxe in my possession, I finally delivered woodsman axe to the wounded adventurer and completed the quest. Build two more shelters to store my wealth in.

Day 35
For one shortsword I bought literally half of the biggest village goods, mainly furs, also iron pot for cooking and a ton of turnips.

Day 36-41
While walking near the biggest village I stumbled upon a big elk and very luckily hit him with two javelins in the leg and thigh, so it got tired very quickly and I finished him with an axe. I got from him a superior elk skin and great pile of meat. Half of the meat, of course, got spoiled before I could cook it. I piled spoiled meat into two heaps to the north and south of my camp and placed traps upon them.

Day 42
Built short fence to the north of my shelters, just for experiment and trial. In one gap placed a trap.

Days 43-47
Traded one of the bastard swords for a broad axe and some more furs. Sold it too cheap, I know, but I deemed that a broad axe was of more use to me, as I started to build a log cabin for winter. Cooked soups from remains of raw elk meat and turnips. I had dreams of a good soup since time immemorial (before enslaving, I guess).

Days 48-53
Brought what left of raw elk meat (some 60 cuts were stored in a cellar) to nearest village and set it to smoke in the biggest house where villagers seemed to maintain fire in the fireplace all the time. Continued to build my cabin (I was forced to deconstruct parts of the walls several times because wall with shutters refused to stand at right angle). Cooked fish soups.

Day 54
Ermine, which I saw several times around my camp and who not once waked me up by his nightly cavortings, finally was caught by the southern trap on pile of spoiled elk meat. I reset the trap and the next day it caught an eagle owl. Tanned both skins.

Days 55-56
Here I missed the moment to get my superior elk skin out of the water where it was dehairing. It became harsh. So unfortunate! Never should have it dehaired in the first place. Ought to make fur. But it is too late now. Eagle owl skin got harsh too, by the way, I missed time with it too. Stupid me.

Day 57
Met a glutton near the village. Hit it with an arrow (I now have good supply of arrows from crafting and trade) but it just sped away.

Day 58
Met the same glutton again (with my arrow in it). Hit it with another but still could not overrun. Now it will die from wounds somewhere deep in the woods, spoiling all the good expensive fur. Stupid stervetz glutton. (Note from the author: it seems that Mikka had somewhat enriched his vocabulary with a word or two from the speech of his captors )

[Ilyich79]

Days 59-60
Continued to build my cabin. Got one corner finished with ceiling and floor, now it is really my settlement near the wood lake. Took first batch of my smoked elk meat from the village. Gave villagers one cut for letting the place and maintaining the fire. Summer is getting near its end.

Days 62-64
Peeled and stored lots of birch-bark while it is still possible to gather. Made two vastas for my may-be-built-in-the-future sauna. Took second batch of my smoked elk meat from the village. Traded some smoked elk cuts for a fine staff (a rare thing) and made myself a fine javelin. So the life goes on.

Days 65-69
Spend those days almost solely in building, while feeding on that smoked elk. My log cabin is for the most part finished. Once got out for a walk, saw a bear to the north of my lake, quickly returned home. Should arm myself and go get rid of the beast.

Day 70
So I took my fine javelin and two decent javelins, shortbow and lots of arrows, axe and roundshield. I donned my leather cuirass, leather shin guards, leather leggings and iron helm. And I went to the woods to the north of my camp to encounter the bear or at least place a deadfall trap or two.
(Note from the author: here ends the story of Mikka Kaumolainen. He went to those woods and instead of placing the traps which almost surely would get him the beast, he stumbled into the bear itself and foolishly decided to confront him. May be a pint of RL beer had something to do with that decision. Not one javelin throw and not one axe hit were successful. The bear (it was a small female bear by the way) was on him in a second. After three or more clumsy tries to hit and block with a shield Mikka tried to run. But he was already wounded and it was too late. He fell and crawled, and then all was red... Bear killed him...

I do still have a save from one and a half RL week earlier, so in another time dimension the life of brave Mikka is not ended. May be his tale from that dimension will continue, but only if there will be something really interesting to relate.)

[JP_Finn]

Nice writing, and if we wouldn’t practice English (or any other languages) how would we ever improve?

Hunt with ancestors Mikka.

[Ilyich79]

Nice writing, and if we wouldn’t practice English (or any other languages) how would we ever improve?

Hunt with ancestors Mikka.

Well, after such a nice reply and a wish of eternal hunt I really do not know if I should continue the tale of Mikka from another time-dimension, as was mentioned earlier . And to think I just finished writing another bit and thought about posting it here!

Also I am fully aware that save-scumming which took place here, while happened almost involuntarily (I copied my savegame some weeks ago to USB-device when I went to spend an weekend at my girlfriend's so I could play on her laptop), may be considered a cheap cheat, so to say. But in my defence, I grew attached to that character (who wouldn't!) and I felt like he didn't live all the life that he deserved and saw so little of the world. And these days I just cannot contain my urge of writing , so here goes:

Another time-dimension
Days 54-68
(Note from the author: so it seems like some advanced physics theories were right and there ARE multiple timelines in the great Universe, as Paul Muad-Dib Atreides would surely confirm))) At least, in the depths of my gaming screen it is so)) In an absolutely another timeline Mikka Kaumolainen would not go and confront the bear. In this timeline his life would be much more calm. I hope.)
Spend those days mostly at home, building, fishing, food gathering. Tanned that superior elk-skin and got 24 pounds of leather. Smoked about 90 cuts of elk meat in the village, rewarded villagers with some. When returning from the village, saw fresh bear tracks in the forest. Climbed the hill and looked around - sure thing, there was the beast about kilometer or so to the north-east. So I went and placed two heavy deadfall traps, one to the west of my settlement, where I had seen the tracks, and another slightly to the north, somewhere around the place where I had noticed the bear itself.
My log cabin is finished now. It has a fireplace, two small shutter windows, sleeping bunk, working table and a bench. I cannot describe how comfortable and cozy it is to lie beside the warm, dimly lit fireplace, wrapped in furs on the real bed, listening to the rustle of rain on the roof! And to think only two months earlier I was merely a wordless slave in the hands of hated oppressors! I should go and pay their war camp another visit of ghostly vengeance!

Day 69
I had had the most unusual experience today! In the morning I had armed myself with my new hunting bow (traded it from the big northern village a while ago), javelins, sword and axe, donned my leather armours and iron helm and went to exact some more revenge on Njerpezit camp.
As before, I calmly approached the camp from the east and stealthed to the tree border. But suddenly a saw a dim glint in the bushes. I stood still, not moved for some minutes, but the thing in the bushes didn't budge. So I went and looked. What a sight! It was fully clad in ragged metal, leather and furs skeleton of a Njerpezit warrior, with his sword and spear in bony hands. By his clothes I knew him - he was a proud and cruel taskmaster of me and my fellow slaves back in the day. And here he lied, dead and totally decomposed before me! And then I looked around. God! There were four of them, lying here and there among the trees and boulders, all armed and armoured, but only bones remained of the men themselves. To this day, I do not know what happened and who (or what) did all my work for me and by whom I was robbed of my revenge.
Carefully I examined all the camp (two small wooden buildings, of which one I partially built myself four or so months ago, and two small kotas). But to no avail. Nohow I could discern what fate befell the village and who killed all the warriors. In the buildings I found a battlesword, a bronze bear pendant and some long spoiled food. That was all. Maybe some mysterious enemies attacked and slew all the Njerpezit, while themselves all had left the place unharmed. Maybe Njerpezi quarrelled between themselves and killed each other, last man lying amongst his former comrades, wounded, bleeding to death... I do not know and I guess I'll never know.
At first I began to deconstruct kotas and already packed some 50 lbs of ragged deer furs, but then I had decided to keep the place as it was, may be as a hunting camp or a winter storage facility for me.
And now I became really wealthy. Rich like a knyaz' (prince). Several different swords, Njerpezilai scimitars, axes, heap of knives, shortbows, arrows were all mine. Also a great bundle of clothes, which I with some revulsion gathered from the corpses. The most valuable was somewhat ragged lamellar cuirass and good mail cowl. Trundling it all on my poor back I returned home. What a strange day!

To be continued... (if I may)

[Ilyich79]

Days 70-77
So now, had somewhat established myself in the world and one way or another dealt with that Nerpezilais war camp, I decided to expand my knowledge of the world and to travel around a little. So I built myself a raft. Made a good paddle, loaded my watercraft with some supplies and trinkets to gift to-be-met aborigines with and floated down the river which flowed from my lake to the south. I rafted till the evening, then caught me some fish for the supper, landed on the shore, built a shelter, roasted my fish, ate and slept. In the morning I took to the paddle again and soon made it to a sort of river crossing, where another river joined my from the north-east. Together now, waters from this point turned towards south-east, to the land of Njerpez tribe. It was not my intention to travel that way at this time. So I turned and went up the northern river. About noon I saw big village in the fields about a kilometer from the shore. I turned my raft to the bank with intention to land and get to the village on foot. But as I landed, I chanced upon the small elk on a sandy peninsula. I fired several arrows at it and drove it to the riverbank, cutting it from the woods. One arrow hit it in the shoulder, it ran along the bank for a while, mixing its blood with the river water, then fell exhausted under a small pine. I severed its neck with my axe and the hunt was over. So that day I couldn't reach the village - I was now busy with skinning and butchering my game and with transportation of meat and skin back to my settlement.

Days 78-82
And of course half of the meat got spoiled again before I could hang it to smoke in the nearest village by my settlement! Well, I'm not an iron woodsman! I have to rest and sleep sometimes, how would I manage to transport and cook it all in time after exhausting hunts? And worse - when I was returning home from the village in the darkness of the late evening, I met in the woods several goodly clad and excellently armed men in blue cloaks, who were speaking the Svei tongue, as my former masters Njerpezi called it. They explained to me that they had come to the forest country for furs, bringing iron weapons and armours to trade. Greatly agitated, I rushed home for my stash of furs, but I just fell on the threshold of my cabin from sheer exhaustion and slept! And in the morning foreign traders were long gone...
At least I got the skin tanned for a fine elk fur.
So, setting about 100 cuts of elk meat to smoke at my friends' villagers house, I once again started on a raft to that big village, which I saw earlier, taking with me a great deal of goods to trade at least with that new people. How it would be nice to trade a good young dog from them - it would be for me a friend and companion!

Day 83
I rafted north along the subsidiary of my lake's river, when I saw a strange man in grey cloak not far from the shore. Immediately I landed and went to speak to him, but, surprisingly, I now saw no one among the threes... But as it happened they saw me alright... I already returned to the raft and started to row from the shore, when I noticed strange spots upon the water, taking them at first for beavers - but it wasn't beavers, it was two Reemilais robbers trying to reach me by wading through the shallow waters! Instantly I notched an arrow and let the bow sing. Twang! And one of the attackers screamed curses, as my shot pierced his elbow. Twang! Miss! Twang! The second one fell with a splash, arrow sticking in his thigh. Twang! The first fell flat on his back with my arrow through his thorax - he was dead in an instant. I quickly slung the bow on my back, grabbed an axe and a paddle, rowed close to the second robber, who now clumsily wallowed in the water trying to get up, and with a single hard blow to the neck ended his life too.
As it turned out, these Reemi robbers were either amateurs or very unlucky in their profession, and may be both. Loot from their corpses was very poor: some ragged clothes, a little food, two staves, knives and an axe. Only good mail mittens were worth mentioning. Still, better than nothing and more better that they haven't caught me in the woods unawares.
Well, again I didn't make it to the village this day, had to rest after battle and sort my new belongings. So I built a shelter (on the other riverbank from the place where I met the robbers) and slept there peacefully.

To be continued... (if I may)