*A few pages are stained with drysap, making them ineligible up until the following entry* Entry #27 Tensions between Avalon and Tallest Tree are growing. I cannot defend Lord Firedrinker's actions any longer, they are truly against Floran Tribal customs. Using Aiko Yori as a living shield is cowardly, and the process of thought allocation is something I truly abhor, especially after having my memories taken from me. I am at a loss as to what to do. The militia here defends the Tallest Tree, but Firedrinker seems bent on bringing war here.
Entry #28 A few new recruits have joined our ranks. I spent most of the day training Raul, Ser Franz's squire, after Ser Franz left. I am disappointed that Ser Franz sees things in such a black and white way that he cannot realise the threat Firedrinker is bringing to the Tallest Tree. I must speak to Ser John about this. I just hope I do not stand alone in my concerns.
Entry #29 Aiko Yori somehow escaped Firedrinker's grasp, and all the Florans and the Militia of the Tallest Tree have been barred from entering Avalon. Ser Franz, the fool, attempted to resist expulsion by the Avalon PDF. I ordered him to leave, as his superior, and he refused to follow my orders, until I threatened to haul him off myself. Apologising for his behaviour to the PDF, I requested to speak with Aiko before I was removed from Avalon. She gave me a moment of her time, and informed me that if things continued going the way they were, USCM would intervene and deploy forces at the Tallest Tree. That would end in the slaughter of hundreds of innocents. Firedrinker's actions have put the whole colony in jeapordy. This cannot go on. *The following ten entries have been ripped from the journal.*
Entry #40 The sun seems to be setting upon the Tallest Tree for the last time. I am moving my ship into orbit above an uninhabited moon.
Entry #41 Several colonies have been locked down. John, myself, the Militia and the Tribe are cut off from the Tallest Tree. Without purpose, most of us have scattered throughout the universe, hoping the Tallest Tree will become accessible again. Firedrinker is missing. Part of me hopes he is dead. A much larger part of me doesn't care. I no longer have a purpose.
Entry #42 By the Sun, I have once more found meaning for my life in this universe amongst everything! John and I have begun construction of a new colony. I have begun to call all the Knights back. We are creating a new world order, a Knight's Order. SharpTooth, Firedrinker's second, will create her own, new tribe. I quite like SharpTooth, I hope she will make a much better leader than Firedrinker did during his time. Ser Franz was apparently killed today, by a so-called Paladin named Agreas. He seems to serve John, and doesn't seem to yet be self-aware. This could prove to be problematic in the future.
Entry #43 The castle is complete. Our colony, Taranis, is now open to the public. Tired as I am, I have never felt so prideful of my work. Today is a good day. Praise the Sun!
Entry #44 SharpTooth has had a rough few days. Leg and arm blown off, then captured by Sen, tortured by TrapTooth, and now this? An assassin attempts to kill her in our very own colony. My blade had a word to say about that, and now the would-be assassin burns in the blacksmith's fires. And, to top it all off, the bastard's sap stained my journal! Those pages are totally ineligible now. How frustrating...
Entry #45 Sen is truly a threat to SharpTooth. He is now on the Order's watchlist. I have requisitioned the assistance of Lord Syntak, a Glitch I met a fair time ago on Avalon. He has lent us a warship to perform orbital defense. It is equipped with an impressive scanning array, the likes of which I have never before seen. The ship-to-ship laser lance is a sight to behold, too. And John is also amidst discussion with the United Systems about joining their council and gaining further protection. I am unsure if John will continue the orbital defense contract with DarkStar he had back on the Tallest Tree, though.
Entry #46 John has begun to act as a personal bodyguard for SharpTooth. Although I cannot disapprove, I do hope John does not revert to identifying himself as a subordinate of SharpTooth. We are independent to the Florans now, and they are to treat the Knight's Order as equals. After all, we are the original founders and pioneers of Taranis. It was by John's grace that he suggested they join us here. I truly hope that both the Florans and the Knights maintain that equality.
Entry #47 So today, I beam down to Taranis, and there's SharpTooth, her hand gripped tightly around Skarti's throat. Typical day for Skarti these days. John managed to stop SharpTooth from killing him, but I wonder if Skarti's life is all that worth saving at this point. Surely being attacked and nearly dying must be a daily thing for him now, and furthermore, he's always so bitter to everyone around him. I've not seen him hold praise nor a smile. A person like that must not have a lot to look forward to in life. How saddening a thought.
Entry #48 By the Sun, what is it with SharpTooth and finding herself in hostile situations? She went out alone, and was helping Phoenix with something today, and got shot by someone, or something, named Prism, who can alledgedly possess people? Strange as that sounds to me, this is starting to become rather concerning; SharpTooth is making enemies everywhere she turns, and the Knights can't protect her wherever she goes. She's a tribal chieftain, not a child... She really needs to recruit more warriors, the number of Florans in her tribe right now is ridiculous. Not as ridiculous as a human I met today, though. Sanguine brought in a black-haired male clad in black and glowing cyan blue, named "Wintermute", every bit as strange as Sanguine himself, albeit for different reasons. Half of his face seemed made of metal. Cybernetic implants? Or necessity to survive a fatal injury? I wonder. Sanguine seemed to enjoy his company though, which is good I suppose. I would prefer not to speak with Sanguine too much to be brutally honest; the first time I met him, back on Tallest Tree, all he could discuss was how much he enjoyed murder. Someone's life is far too precious to rip away like he was describing, but John and SharpTooth seem to trust him, at least to some degree. Wintermute is more my concern though, his reaction to my mention of Prism was a little strange. He stated that he doesn't know Prism at all, but I'm not sure I believe that. His immediate reaction to the name "Prism" was certainly not the kind of someone who had never heard the name before. Furthermore, I met Sanguine's newest squire today, a strange Apex-modified Glitch by the name of Big-Mech. I'm not sure what to say about him yet, he seems very much to himself. I think I'll need more time around him before I can come to an assessment of any kind. I just hope he is not as violent and unstable as Sanguine is.
Entry #49 Someone has broken the bed in the spare room at the Taranis Inn. How rude, whoever did it didn't even try to leave payment for their actions! I need to have a word with John about this, we can't allow this kind of insolence to occur in our castle grounds!
Entry #50 It was John and Phoenix who broke the Inn bed. I discussed the matter with them in Aiko's bar, and although it's somewhat amusing (especially the fact that John apparently has the 'faculties' required for such an endeavour), I wish they would just come forth and say as such. They acted like it wasn't their doing, but their behaviour on the subject was aloof and entirely indicative. Plus, Nix was smooching all over John's faceplate. I'm not sure I'm comfortable with John being dishonest with me, even in such an embarrassing situation. I'm not sure why he should even be embarrassed about it, it's not like I'm one to really care that much. I'll have to speak to him in private about it. It might seem like a small matter now, but a lie is a lie. Anyway. I offered to requisition a more stable bed from An-DRE. I think I will follow that through. John seemed rather smitten with Phoenix. I just hope Phoenix's intentions with him are for a legitimate relationship, and not for some ulterior motive, like her relationships usually seem to include. Time will find out, I suppose.
Entry #52 I suppose I should return to Taranis on the morrow. There is nothing here for me anymore, although I have learned much.
Entry #53 Today was an interesting day indeed. I visited Aiko's bar at Ennox, and while looking around I thought I saw the familiar face of Ser Franz. After a short discussion with this supposed doppelganger, I discovered that this was likely a recreation of Franz the Third, who had no recollection of his previous incarnation. He was quite annoyed that I and another patron insinuated that he was already dead, which further confirmed his identity to be correct. So, naturally, I brought him to Taranis and showed him the ledger that we keep of all the Knights in the Knight's Order, which John and I have been keeping up-to-date. Needless to say, Franz was quite devastated to discover his past. He removed himself from the Castle grounds shortly after, returning to his ship, presumably to ponder his previous fate. Shortly afterwards, I met a Glitch by the name of VI.ola. Quite the beauty, she was accompanied by the caretaker, Remilia, whom informed me that VI.ola wished to join the Knight's Order. I gave her an aptitude test in the form of a marksmanship test, and she was more than adequate a marksman to join our ranks as a Soldier. Although, rather than that, I gave her the opportunity to become my squire, which she accepted. Speaking of, she approaches now. I shall continue writing later.
Entry #54 An interesting weekend. VI.ola is very intent on becoming a Knight. It is good to see this level of enthusiasm. Her weapon skill is improving; she practices her stances and movements on a daily basis. I am noticing an improvement in the fluidity and grace of her movements. She may just make a good Knight yet. Her studies seem to be going well, too. I had her successfully recite the names of the current Knights, and their current statuses to me. I shall soon begin teaching her of the Laws of Taranis, and the Knightly Duty. On our weekend off, she took me to a place called the Prancing Dragon. Quite a cozy little place. John eventually turned up too after inquiring to my whereabouts, and we three began to engage in jolly co-operation and play some music. I was surprised to find that VI.ola has had previous musical experience. I should have expected as such from a previous princess, yet I didn't. She is certainly full of surprises. It was a wonderful weekend.
Entry #55 Today, as I was caught up in writing further Laws for the wellbeing of Taranis and its denizens, when I heard word of someone looking for a representative of the Knight's Order on the galactic radio. I responded, naturally, and eventually a soldier clad in durasteel armor named Ulric-III, from the Kingdom of Halthera (which I have never before heard of until this day), beamed down to Taranis. After some discussion, he took an aptitude test and passed, and is now considered a Soldier of the Knight's Order. He was very eager to challenge a Knight for his Knight's Trial and become a fully fledged Knight. Although he is apt in the use of his blade, his eagerness to fight in a trial by combat concerns me some. I deflected some of it by stating there were no knights about but myself, and I was busy writing up Laws, which isn't entirely false, but it wasn't something that needed to be done immediately. I would know more about this Ulric-III first, and his past, before giving him the opportunity to become a Knight. After all, it is a prestigious title.
*This entry is clearly written as if Astora was seething with anger while writing it* Entry #56 By the Sun. I have just about had it with John's shenanigans. There is only so much I can take of his nonsense before I snap, and today was that day. There's no point in going into details, but Sharp and John went to blows. And for what? By the end, they were hugging and kissing. Is smashing eachother around just for a display of affection worth it? If he cannot hold his temper in, nor speak rationally to his second-in-command, nor even speak his mind, how am I meant to function in my duties? At this stage I feel as if the Knight's Order is only around because of the efforts I've put in, as if I'm the only one doing a sun-damned thing to try for success, and John constantly undermines that, no, backtracks it. *The writing is a little calmer now, as if Astora stopped, took a deep breath, and continued* The day wasn't all bad, at least. A human male named Tiger approached us in the Taranis Inn and asked about the Knight's Order. John naturally fobbed the duty off to me, the lazy sod, and so I discussed his skills and experiences. As it turns out, Tiger is quite adept at ship and mech repairs, and it just so happens that there are six ruined Glitch mechs aboard the Templar cruiser. He had a look at them, and one of them was already operational, and just had one of its systems deactivated. Tiger informs me that all it really needs is to have its armor repaired, which An-DRE the Blacksmith can do for us. The mech is exhilarating to use, and I look forward to training other trustworthy Knights in the proper conduct of using one, although I believe we will need an additional rank to incorporate this new mechanised division. Turns out they can barrel clean through the wall of the Apothecary, which I found out while trying to break up Sharp and John's... Altercation. I don't think I will be able to speak to John properly for a while. I really have had enough of this. I think I need to get some rest.
