A song of Ice and Dice

Ahhh, guard duty in the winter wonderland that is Salzenmund. The Inquisitor General might have numerous enemies, but they are disappointingly timid or are taking the winter off. Thank Ulric it is so endlessly stimulating listening to people argue about stuff, or watch them read. Otherwise I might start a cult myself, just to have some heretics to "fix". I guess this is not a proper thought, and I am not really contemplating it. But by all the gods, old an new, I AM SO BORED. In prison there were at least fights. Speaking of fights, to fight the boredom, I have started training on some techniques I saw demonstrated in the regiment. The goal is to keep momentum to such an extent that you can ignore your opponents defense. Control the post contact swing so well that your next blow lands so quickly that you do not have to consider whatever your opponent is doing at all, as whatever he attempts will be nullified by the second hit. It is very hard, especially with the axe, but I a...

 Winter in Salzenmund All is quiet and all is still. Snow is coming down like big white napkins. Piles and piles of it gathered everywhere. Everything is frozen. The once grueling threat of a Norscan rider invasion is gone with it. Too much snow and ice has apparently dissuaded my old fellow citizens. They dare not go in over the ice.  A pity. I would have loved standing up on the city walls, giving them a warm welcome. A warm Aqshy welcome. Quite a sight it would have been. A nice sight with great burning ships and Norscan raiders alike. All huddled together, forming perfect funeral pyres. This kind of warm cuddly thinking is what gets me through these cold months and I confess it brings a smile to my face thinking about it every time.  However, I always loved winter. A paradox, I know, given my warm inner fire but I spent my childhood huddling around big bonfires, constantly feeding them, harnessing the heat and kindling the flames to keep sweet Sunniva and me warm...