Wealth (Kenna's Tale).

Do I run my Dojo for gold coins?

No, not at all - I just want to share lessons, to propagate ideas flow and to have battle-hardened friends.


But then, I am a wealthy woman, not every Martial Artist has luxury of earning for living outside running a training hall.


I earn gold coins when I adventure, when I kill bandits or other monsters ... and I sell spoils of adventuring in my shop.

How much wealth I have?

Well, currently, roughly estimate is:

1. About 160 000 gold pieces distributed between Peltarch's Bank and my coin-pouches,
2. My Dojo, worth about 100 000 gold pieces,
3. My Katana Sword - Jitsugetsu no Ken - worth about 1 000 000 gold pieces,
4. My Half Plate Armour - Worth about 200 000 gold pieces,
5. My Belt - worth about 200 000 gold pieces,
6. Rest of my equipment - worth about 400 000 gold pieces,
7. Items in my shop - worth about 120 000 gold pieces.

That would be around 2 200 000 gold pieces.

Best thing about having coins is that one doesn't need to care for wealth anymore.

-- Kenna, Wealthy Adventuress.

Lost in Mists (Kenna's Tale).

I've been training in my Dojo, and exchanged lessons with our dear Sensei, Haitn.

I should do some unarmed fighting training to get rid of my unhealthy attachment to my katana sword, at least a little bit.

How unhealthy my attachment is?

Like that of the 5th Dan Kendo Master's.

Word: 'Kendo' means: 'The Way of the Sword', and 5th Dan means 5th Mastery Level. After initial training of basics, there are 10 Mastery Levels to attain.

By the Enlightened Masters of Kara-Tur, the amount of attachment that I have, would be considered quite unhealthy.

It's not so easy to separate me from my katana sword.

--
Anyway, when i took a walk outside to get some fresh air and calm my mind, I noticed that night is cowled in mists. Weather by Icelace lake can be whimsical. People were talking in hushed voices, and i've overheard a talk between Wavebreaker Lietentant Feron and Seafarer named Larel. About 30 of seafarer people were missing then found dead, and Larel established that involvement of Wavebreakers is highly unlikely. No particular pattern about murders was found either.

I've volunteered to try get this matter solved, and first thing that came to my mind was to look around and collect gossip. Larel agreed to send me Seafarers' robes in which i'll loiter around the docks. We agreed that when i have something and want to contact him, i'll leave notice at seafarers that supply of crossbolt bolts is wanted, then he will find me in my dojo.

If i succeed, i'll get a reward, will be considered an investor in the Seafarers' business.

Wavebreakers and Seafarers are two guilds that do some trading over the Icelace.

Icelace is a lake, but it's VERY big, almost like sea.

Atemi & Ki (Kenna's Tale).

I've been training more and more difficult techniques of Katana Sword Combat recently.

Had a little time for unarmed lessons, but did enough to not get out of shape, at least.


First technique of Katana Sword Combat was about hitting vulnerable points on enemy's body, doing critical wounds in process.

In Shou, langage of Kara-Tur, it's called: 'Atemi', which means: 'Striking at Vulnerable Points'.


Second technique of Katana Sword Combat is known in Narfell as: 'Power Attack', but sometimes it's called: 'Ki'. It's about sweeping cuts, striking hard, striking while directing Ki energies to the enemy's body to cause more damage. It's more difficult to make such attack connect with enemy's body, but when it hits, damage caused is considerable.

In Shou, word: 'Ki' means more or less: 'energy', 'force', and sometimes also: 'deadly strength'.


Then i've tried to join these two techniques into one, synergic technique.

(Word: 'Synergy' means: 'More than Sum of All Parts').


I have a satisfaction that recently these techniques start to work well, even in real combat, not only in training.

And it's good to know that I've learned all of the lessons required to advance to 5th Dan Black Belt, 5th Level of Mastery in Katana Sword training.

(There are 10 Training Levels and 10 Mastery Levels in Katana Sword School that I belong to).


-- Kenna, Adventuress on the Way of becoming One with Katana Sword.

Along the Way (Kenna's Tale).

I've been practicing a difficult technique with my katana swords.

It's name is: 'Round Slash to the Heavens'.

Usually I combine it with two focused slashes at first, then move a bit to the side and execute a rotating jump while slashing from bottom-right side to left and upwards.

I've been travelling with a modest nice girl from Kara-Tur, trying what I learned in real combat. Her name is Xiulan Ming. The cold road and long road offer nice challenges of us two.


Also, did some training dummy exercise near old Jiyyd, near the Legion Hall.

One of the Legion members watched me train and praised me and my efforts.


I've started to feel the inner energies, Ki energies. I can feel and direct energies, direct where I need them, to fight for long before fatigue overcomes me.

I am sure that it is because i've included Qi Gong exercises in my training.

Qi Gong is a martial arts lesson of working with energies.


Someday i'll consider myself one with my katana sword, for now I am just on the way to reach that goal.

-- Kenna, Adventuress on the Way of the One with the Sword.

Evard's Black Tentacles, a Spell.

Dear Journal,

This was a question that bothered me for a long time.

Spell Mantle Spells are useful in Spell-Duels, for they Protect against most of the Magick. Greater Spell Breach is also useful, for it strips a lot of Protections and lowers one's Spell Resistance.

But there's a spell that 'works around' Spell Mantle's Protections, an 'Evard's Black Tentacles Spell'. It causes tentacles to grow around and attack, thus evading the Protections on the Arcanist. (It's cast on ground, not on the Arcanist).

This Evard's spell bypasses one's Spell Resistance, as well.

Someone put this spell for analysis and split it's effects into two parts:

1. Damaging effect, coming from the physical strength of the tentacles,
2. Mind-Paralyzing effect, coming from poison on the tentacles' stings.

She came to following conclusions:

1. First effect could be mostly mitigated by spells that 'soak' the damage, by Spells such as Shadow Shield,
2. Second effect could be mitigated by mind-freeing spells as Lesser Mind Blank spell, or Freedom of Movement spell.

It seems that i have what i need to Protect myself or others from Evard's Black Tentacles spell. All i need is being aware of coming attack, having the Initiative.

Mindfullness Practice should help, I think.

-- Yours, Chea Allin, a Witch and Adventuress.

Amanda af Hartenfeldt (Kenna's Tale).

I've had a nice day.

Met a 'Certified' adventuress from Cormyr, miss Amanda af Hartenfeldt.

-=- Amanda. -=-

She enjoys training in my Dojo at least twice per day, and just recently we've met.

We did some warmup & stretching then duelled - unarmed and unarmored.

This time I won easily, but perhaps with weapons and armour the outcome would be different.

Then she tried working with combat dummy, with and without weapons.

-=- Warmup & Stretching. -=-


Later, after a training session we went to 'Bath & Spa' at the Temple of Sune where we had a nice talk.

I must admit that I like her, for she has a 'Warrior Spirit', a 'Warrior Within'.


-- Kenna, a Martial Artist & Katana Weaponmaster.


P.S. Later I've leared that Amanda fights with two sabers while mounted on a horse.

New Silver Pentacle.

Dear Journal,

I've bought a new Silver Pentacle - with more Protecting Power.

... larger groups of weak mages are much less of a threat now.

... it's useful against stronger mages as well.

-- Yours, Chea Allin, a Witch.

The Dwarven Method.

Dear Journal,

... i was chatting with adventurers recently, about days of old & about evil sorceress named: 'Vinessa Redoran'.

She was one of old Villains, beside corrupted druid named: 'Defiler'.

Anyway, she had a cave of her own in Rawlinswoods, filled with deadly traps.

Rogues who knew this cave said that it was very hard to find and disarm these... unless one used 'The Dwarven Method'.

What is the 'Dwarven Method' then?

... dwarves are known to be tough, and their method consisted of just walking into a trap, springing it.

... sometimes they (dwarves) survived.

-- Truly Yours, Chea Allin, Adventuress.


P.S. I hope that there are schools of dwarven method that uphold the traditions of old. If there are, one can expect their efficiency to detoriate due of improvement in traps construction and setting up ... and - blame civilization - dwarves are not as tough as they were before. But, perhaps - there are those who care still - and try to challenge dwarves of old in that field. And yes, dear journal, i am not completely serious this time.