The horse-ride to Fort Prae had been exhilarating. Charles immediately began spending and buying, trying to understand the local markets. He laboured and established a small shop in a rented Foundry space. Things went well for a week and then business dried up. Several locals advised Charles to take up arms and visit one of the local graveyard sites to bash the recently-revived corpses for their copper coins. This idea appealed to Charles, but he had next to no skill in anything but the simplest of fist-fights.
He had grown up a bit of a loner, never received any proper combat training of any type, and had been barred from holding knives, sticks, swords, or anything of the sort that wasn't strictly meant for his tasks.
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Business had been slow to start. The locals were plenty hospitable, but everyone had customer loyalties already established with other vendors in the area. Finding himself in a desperate spot nearly out of coins for his newly established shop, Charles struck luck while chatting with the boarding house keeper. For an upfront payment of ten silvers, Charles was requested to gather ten good quality onion seeds.
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The hospitality from the local people was astounding.
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It took a lot of searching, and some scuffles with rabbits and deer, but Charles managed to gather and deposit the seeds over some weeks.
The silvers had been enough to facilitate the move of the shop from the Fort Prae area to the small settlement of Brightlantern, where Charles began an exploratory mining operation with the goal of creating an underground route towards Fort Prae to allow safe trade between the locations.
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A mining operation in the area near Brightlantern had proven very successful in gathering materials, gems, and metals. None of these things had managed to put coins into Charles' pockets.
The mine currently lays unclaimed as Charles abandoned the operations upon meeting Gretchin creatures deep within.
He stakes a small claim near the refugee camp in an attempt at charitable food production.
He encounters some large cats traveling near the road at night, and does his best to flee unsuccessfully. Left for dead by a spotted leopard, Charles vows to get his revenge and kill the pair of leopards that attacked him, somehow.
He had succeeded in escaping dozens of times in his short time in the province, but there's always something faster than you. Recuperating from his wounds gave Charles time to consider becoming a person who can defend themselves in combat rather than always avoiding it.
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A kind person named Gryhun had surprisingly given a key to his mining shaft and tool house to Charles. The mine was safe and enjoyable to work in, despite being sometimes a bit too active for Charles' tastes. The thrill of mining wearing nothing but gloves and boots had been something Charles recently began to enjoy, and he remains concerned that others will not enjoy finding him working like that.
Some kind of strange dolls are affixed to many structures, and no one seems to know why.
Charles spends several weeks collecting ingredients and delving into the basics of Pyrotechnics. He crafts himself many successful devices without losing any fingers to explosion. He quickly understands the potential power of the craft as well as the potential in coins to be gained by selling the precious materials required.
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After meeting with some battle-capable people, Charles is shown the basics of Aiwella Monastery. He knows the simplest of rules for sword-fighting, how to not stab yourself for the most part. Armed with barely two days of practice with a bladed weapon, he follows the seasoned warriors to one of the most terrifying places he has ever seen in his life.
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His time spent skinning wild animals for their eyeballs and bones had given him a morbid curiosity for blood. For some few weeks he explored into the science of Hematology with what he could learn from speaking with amateurs around Prae.
One day, Charles finds his stash of medical syringes and Hematology kit has been taken.
Charles is generally a mediocre engineer, and the quality of his work likely led to the easy theft. Never could get the door to close because he didn't bother to build on even ground.
Feeling a general frustration with himself, and not the loss of the property, Charles begins to wield his weapon with anger to see how that fares for him.
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A strange but overall friendly person named Avenicci assists Charles by showing him some other places where the coins can be recovered from the reviving corpses.
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