BREAKING NEWS As someone who is magical, I find myself very concerned with the recent breaking stories we have had to covere here at Coexisiting Connections. But it is my duty to keep the people of Simul informed, and I will always keep that promise. Less than 24 hours ago, it was brought to our attention that there was a murder in Gao Shan. 32 year old Yang Da of Gao Shan was murdered in his back garden. According to GSP, Yang was shoveling a path to his back shed when he was attacked. Witnesses stated they they had heard the screams of the young man. One neighbor said they had rushed outside and saw Yang being attacked by an unnamed assailant dressed in dark robes that masked their face. However, it was also reported that the attacker had used a fire magic. "All I saw was fire coming from their hands while they punched and kicked Mr. Da. I tried to climb the gate, but I was too late. The murderer sprouted wings and disappeared into the sky!" GSP ask for the people to keep a vigilant stance and report anything suspect. Our condolences go out to Yang's family. This is Flynn, signing off.

BREAKING NEWS It has come to our attention that there was a recent attack on Dry Gulch! Witnesses say that a group of less than a dozen, but more than eight people descended upon the northern ship port of Dry Gulch and attacked a seaman. Not only was the ship burned to ashes, but the dock in which it was parked. Unfortunately, the owner, Warren Thule, was killed in the incident, alongside his wife and four children. It has also been clarified that this group of murderers did so with the use of fire magic. One witness overheard the spells being spoken by one perpetrator, while the rest were, allegedly, standing around and helping fuel the aforementioned attack. It is not clear if local authorities have caught any of the suspects, but the good people of Dry Gulch have been preparing for a witch hunt....This does not sound good, people of Simul. This does not sound good at all. This is your local News Officiant, Flynn, signing off...

BREAKING NEWS Yet another massive upset of the people has come in the form of something...unseen. With the disappearance of local wildlife on the Northern Coast, citizens of Simul have taken notice. Whispers of a mad man "melting flesh" from "carcasses and live animals" have been spreading like wildfire across the northern parts of our great kingdom. Some have made it their duty to find whoever this person/s are/is, but the only facts we have learned is that the person keeps to an area not easily reached on the cliffside near the ocean. Witnesses state that there was more than one person during the time of the incident. It appeared that only one was the aggressor. Flames have eaten away the cliff face and the landscape has slid into the ocean. There is no news on survivors or who the people were in the area. Will update when more is known. Please be safe, folks. This is Flynn, signing off.

It's been several weeks since I killed innocents. The only thing keeping me from the edge is the knowledge that that elf is out there, and so is Lovesta, and that I cannot leave this world until I know they are in safe places in life. They're my responsibility, after all. I have not redone my holy tattoo, or worn my holy talisman, and the talisman burns me whenever I deign to touch it. It is a just punishment, for allowing myself to be vulnerable enough to get myself into such a position. I haven't gone into any cities or towns. I haven't left the mountains at all, but I am thinking of moving to the desert, or perhaps to the jungle, to find a more isolate spot. Adventurers and the like are starting to come into the mountains now that spring is coming. Moon has not left me, nor has Little Hunter, so at least I still have them. I have become to flagellate myself for my transgressions against Armatra six times a day. The pain reminds me of the debt I owe the world now. But I can't help but wonder even now... A part of me selfishly wishes for her forgiveness, to earn the right to my previous path again, to earn glory again in her name. And I can't help but think of the suspicious circumstances I found myself in when I woke... Just who freed me that night, and why...? The journal is old and travel-worn. Antonia sighs, unsure why a beast like her continues to indulge in such human, civilized habits. She picks up the whip she'd made herself, tipped with a wolf's claws, and starts again. She winces with each strike, knowing each is deserved.

Well, I guess getting a talking bipedal mushroom into a dress is something I can cross off the bucket list now. Nym and Cyndra... I guess those two are my friends now, my only real friends in the land. At least, who I am currently seeing regularly. Cindy is kind of a grump, though she seems to try to hide it behind a mask of innocence and politeness when talking to other people. Maybe it's because I saw through it early on she doesn't try that shit with me? Whatever, doesn't matter. I wonder if Pulchra Viridi will be boring or interesting. It's supposed to be middle of nowhere, isn't it? I don't remember there being any big cities there. I'm sure as soon as we get there Cyndra will just kind of settle down and talk to her plants all the time instead of me. I think I might start trying to teach Nym some things Cyndra probably wouldn't, like how to be her own woman. She doesn't seem very self-reliant outside of her mischievous attitude. Not sure why I feel the need to stick around these two. Nym is nice, but Cyndra is a bit of a bore. Maybe I want to crack that shell Cyndra has? Or maybe it's just because I literally killed a sand elemental for these two and spent a load of money and feel kind of... Is indebted the word? I think the term is something about sinking costs. Well, anyways, other than the stabbing I don't have anything interesting I can write about in here, oh diary of mine. Here's to hoping Nym doesn't find you. Best regards, Anna >:3

So, having a tail is weird. It keeps swishing from side to side when I'm happy, or when I get anxious. It's pretty annoying, and a few people have already made fun of me for it. If I wasn't aware of how I don't know my new strength yet, I'd kick their asses. But yeah, I'm a werewolf now. And a dragon. AND a human. It's... Weird. My grandmother better know how to fix this... I only got a small supply of that herb from the mountains to knock me out on the full moon. Antonia seemed pretty out of it, so we didn't collect much. I guess having to part ways with that shady elf guy kinda made her anxious? I guess I would be too, if the person I felt responsible for decided they didn't want to be around me. Well, that and he could turn into a violent monster whenever, so there's that, too. So, anyway, that aside, I saw a gay couple out there on the road, looking all happy and shit. Two pretty girls with each other as their own world. Ugh. Had to make me feel jealous too, didn't you, world? Carrot, where the fuck did you go? Well... I guess that's all I wanted to say. Lovesta placed the journal, old and torn, into her bag. It had so many pages. Most of them were from her old days as a campaigner. Lots of pages filled with tales of blood and death. Antonia wanted her to keep a journal to "help keep her werewolf side calm". Pfft. Like that'll work.

Dear Diary, What is up my good paper? I've gotten into another odd incident, but I couldn't write about it till today. I met a new friend named Joseph. Turns out, he's like a lot of other adventurers: impulsively violent? But I think he has his reasons, so I'm not sure what to make of it. I just wish people didn't have to fight each other all the time, you know? I swear, every other letter or package I deliver I end up getting involved in some kind of fight, or someone tries to drag me into some weird plot involving a centuries old cult I've never heard of! But, I guess that's the risk of the job, what with mine being delivering this stuff to adventurous sorts specifically. I hope Joseph is okay. I think he got hit in the head with a spell or something? He was carrying a funny-looking weapon. Could it have been another one of those... Fiery arms things? I've seen a few adventurers and seafolk carrying flintlocks, but never before have I seen something like that. Back home all we saw of them was the very rare spellblaster from foreigners. I've been thinking of home a lot lately, too. Missing my old friends. Missing home. But not the violence, though. I wonder if Joseph has any idea where I could plant these hecking seeds so they'll grow... The bell trees won't just accept any soil, it has to be something special. I also apparently have to find a way to make Pecks bigger, so he can uhh... Do things with that big bird companion of Joseph's. Speaking of, I got a new friend! Besides Joseph. It took a while to convince my wife to take her in, but Dhuna is her name. She was the only survivor of that harpy group... Well, there was also the one who took a sword to their body, but I was luckily able to get them to a passing healer just in time... They seem vengeful, and the doc said they'd be crippled for life. Dhuna is good, though. She's... Kinda dumb, but friendly! Ganna had said she could stay as long as she "pays rent" and "makes it worth our while", and I need to help her do that, I guess. But she's acting kind of like a rambunctious cat. There has to be a book for this sort of stuff, right? Anyways, that's all. I'll be sending Joseph a letter soon. I hope he isn't upset with me...

For some reason, the journal page is stained lightly with blood spatters, but still perfectly legible. So. Writing this in case I get my mind wiped in order to remind me who I am, or if worst comes to worst I get killed and nobody remembers me I have something resembling a legacy. After six months of training, I'm finally in the Gao Shanese guard, shinobi branch. I'm a ninja or whatever. Cool, right? The job, not so much honestly. Mostly a lot of sitting around waiting for the next rich asshole to lose a ring and decide they're too important for normal guards to show up. Only been officially in the guard for like, two months, and my first few jobs have just been basic illegal drug busts where I pocketed some of the goods while no one was looking and in the latest case a month long job of tracking down a lost rich girl. Accidentally made what could be described as "tense friends" with her, which is awkward, but it's whatever I guess. Tried to kill Gandao. Didn't go well, but I'm still in one piece, so it's whatever. Made a new... Friend, I think, who I tried to get in bed but kinda backed out last minute like a pussy. Pfft. You'd think I'm part cat not a crow monster freak, right? Ha. Anyways, least I got someone to feel the hots for now, though who knows if thats good or bad. Probably just stupid me stuff and won't go anywhere. So that's about it. Probably could've given more exciting descriptions here but I just got up and don't wanna write for pages on pages. Wish Tsuya would've been there in my arms when I got up, weird as that sounds for me. Good thing Mr.Crow can't read. Regards, your writer Alise She coughs more blood, catching it before it hits the page, frowning at the red now staining her large claw. Shrugging lightly, she closes the journal and decided to hit the hay for a bit longer.

Day 1 Land inbound! Coast in sight! After a year of sailing the treacherous seas, we finally found another continent that we can settle into. From far away we can see large swathes of beach and cliffs, greeting us with a flock of sea gulls and gentle waves rocking the captain's ship up and down. At long last, our voyage was about to end, and our journeys will begin anew. Sadly, this is also where we are to part ways, whereas I wanted to leave the dangerous island of Valor for the sake of starting fresh, others have their own agendas. The captain and her crew will continue to set sail and set up a new band for themselves within the shores of the new world, not dissimilar to what they've done back home. The princess and the guardsman, well... It's complicated. However, they will stick together through their adventures, and hopefully things can work out between them. As for Lanaya? She's coming with me. No questions there. I can't just leave the kid alone, whether she wants to or not. Besides, even though I'm only her caretaker, I've grown fond of her company, albeit snarky. Actually, to whoever is going to read this, you're probably confused if I haven't told you my tale myself. Chances are, I haven't even told the whole story. And I'll keep it that way, until the day where I will finally tell it to you in person. For now, I'll make introductions to you on paper. I am Janice, Janice van Aster from a land so far from here. It took us a year to get here, which I don't know if it's long or not, and I'm here to start a new life without the hassles of world-ending catastrophes. You see, Valor is a tumultuous place that's constantly under threat by many powers, but I digress. Right now, I am just a humble alchemist that's travelling the world. And with me are my many companions, and my ward, Lanaya, whom I adopted as my own and since then, she's someone that I can rely upon. I can keep on writing about those I travel with in detail, but I feel that'd be too presumptuous of me. Perhaps, I'll write more about them in the future if I ever decide to do an autobiography. I hope you'll be satisfied with curt introductions instead, as for the first one is a Water Elemental named Ezra, and then there's Spike, an ice wolf from another dimension. There's Lizzy, the axolotl that can inflate to thrice my size, Flawet, a flower owl with no wings, and then Jillian, Lanaya's pet drake hound. These are the ones that'll be accompanying me and Lanaya, hopefully until we can settle down. Anywho, we've already decided what we were going to do once we have reached the sands of this newfound land, and by the looks of it, we landed on the eastern part of it, according to the compass the captain had. Unloading our stuff out of the ship, and bringing out my companions from the lower deck (Sorry guys, we couldn't really risk any of you suddenly jumping out of the vessel), it was time for us to have our last day as a crew together. It was the final time we were ever going to be together for a voyage, so after setting up a temporary camp during the afternoon, and gathering whatever was left of our stock, we cooked up a feast that we could finally enjoy after quite some time on solid ground, and during the night we laughed and filled ourselves to the best of our stomachs. We cried, we cheered for the days that we shared from when we started till where we are now. Good things have to end, unfortunately. When morning dawned, everyone gave their farewells, and after packing up, one by one we departed on our own separate paths. The captain and her crew were going to set sail once more to find a better spot for a permanent camp. The princess and her knight were going west, deeper into the continent where they can find a spot to call home. Lastly, for me and Lanaya, we were heading South, following the coast to see if there were settlements inhabited by people where we can find out where we are, if there were any people. Fortunately for us, our first encounter with a social being happened sooner than we expected! But, it isn't what you'd think. We were hours into our walk, and Lanaya was constantly complaining about the heat until she shut up about it and rested on top of Lizzy's back, until all of a sudden, we saw some big object wash up on the shore. Being the curious one, of course I'd check it out, but once I got close enough, it suddenly disappeared. I was shocked, of course, and it took a moment for me that it didn't turn invisible; it was entirely gone. Spike was frustrated at this, and it began to sniff around for where it might've went, but lo and behold it showed up in front of us. I panicked, but my first approach to things wasn't for my sword, but for my words. Kindly enough it introduced itself to us. In the form of telepathy, or something akin to it. I don't know if Spike could understand, or even Jillian and Lizzy, but Lanaya could hear it clearly even from far away. The thing was, that this 'object' was actually some sort of jellyfish. A large one that was coated in water, with appendages hanging out that acted as a head, with two others as sort of spiraling towers. Beneath it were its tendrils, big and eerily long and flexible, and it called itself 'The United Kingdom of Polypolis', or something along those lines. What interested me was that it introduced itself as a kingdom. A Kingdom. It'd be one thing if something declared itself to be the king of the sea, but it's another when an entire organism considers itself to be a whole society. I'd find out later that it was indeed the case due to some mutation of sorts that allowed its cells to form egos and personalities, and this mutation was more so that this organism somehow found a way to harness the arcane, which made me realize that how magic operated here was entirely different to what we were accustomed to. Or, this creature was already intelligent anyway but its ambition started to grow once it had magic. Either way, this wasn't something that was based on the element the user could manipulate, but rather just the manipulation of the world around it in ways it can imagine. Something more akin to Lanaya's uncanny ability to use the purest form of magic. Something that I'll have to look into further. Still, we got along well with our newfound friend. It seems like its purpose here was to find out ways to improve their society, and a solution to fix their food problems as apparently there were problems with its caste system (No wonder). Our objective for now was to find out where the fuck we are, so our goals were aligned. I can't help but feel that Poly is suspecting me of something malicious, but it's been only a couple of hours then that we met. We agreed to travelling together towards the nearest settlement, which Poly had noted was some sort of port city. They even told us about a city inhabited by sea life, which I'm excited to visit. There was one issue, though. That coating that Poly has needs to be refilled, and Ezra, I thought, was the perfect candidate for it. There were some problems that I didn't manage to consider; Ezra couldn't hear Poly. Maybe because Ezra is considered as an inorganic with no brain organ that she couldn't register whatever Poly was saying through our minds, but if we want to communicate something from Poly to Ezra, we had to do it ourselves. Poly needed sea water at the very least. Anything without the minerals of water found at the sea, or even the ocean, it could be poisonous to it. So that led to me accidentally causing rashes on Poly. It was a slight strain, but nothing a bit of adjustment can't fix. That was a good lesson to learn, and a good thing we found out earlier, too. Else, the situation would've turned more drastic. There were some hiccups between us and Poly here and there, and there were even some egos, I feel, that see our group as a threat. Not that it matters, so long as they're cordial and friendly for the time being. It's not bad making friends, even if they're suspicious of us. With a newfound travelling buddy with us, we finally had a clear destination in mind: Korrig. A city close to where we were and one that was close to shore. No doubt that we'll find many things there, and we'll probably be there by the day after tomorrow at the latest. I'm quite excited to find out what this land will offer us, and I hope things would go smooth sailing as it is now.

This is a generic concept here. People pay with gold, silver and copper coins. Use your imagination. Super simple and easy, right? #money #currency Conversions: 1 Platinum piece = Roughly 10,000 USD 1 Gold piece = Roughly 100 USD 1 Obsidian piece = Roughly 20 USD 1 Silver piece = Roughly 10 USD 1 Copper piece = Roughly 1 USD 1 Ironwood piece = Roughly .50 USD