A Sorceress's Expedition to Skal
My expedition here at Skal is going well. There is very little sign of any civilization - and Skaljard is as uncivilized as any settlement. It's a marauder's dream to reside there. Any criminals wanted by larger nations such as Amn may find refuge on Skal.
People are friendly enough on Skaljard, but they are simple-minded. And they allow adventurers to behave as ruthlessly as they please. Like mongrels who are feeble-minded.
The island itself has a strong population of violent half-orcs, hill giants, ogres, harpies, troglodytes, giant spiders. Those and many other very dangerous creatures that have not been mentioned by name. It seems as though there is absolutely no shortage of monsters to slay. Monster slayers would find this island a haven.
Navigating the island is a pain. If not for my elemental protection spell, I would have frozen to death a long ago. The island is larger than any would imagine. It's very easy to get lost in the unforgiving tundras, mountains, and valleys. Icy winds roam here and snow is constantly descending.
As I was told, the only thing worth mentioning about Skaljard is fishing. There was a derelict tin mine which was no longer used. These villagers, who were once fierce warriors, have settled down and now depend on adventurers to defend them. How extremely lazy, if you ask me. None of them really dabble in the arcane much, so outside of the adventurers, you won't see much magic.
However uncivilized this island is, I will say this: The island of Skal is very rich on all sorts of resources. Precious gemstones like sapphires. Gold and silver veins in abundant numbers. Naturally, all these rich resources are heavily guarded by extremely dangerous creatures.
As whispers speak of the town Skaljard fading away, I am left to wonder what they mean by this. Perhaps this town is truly dying. This can only be furthered by today's event when a gnoll waded into town and was defended by a handful of people against the majority. Did I emphasize enough how unruly and barbaric this town is? Who in their right mind defends a gnoll, a creature that only wishes to devour your children. I shudder putting this down with my quill.
Alas something good did come out of this journey. I met a most prominent practitioner of the art of magic. I took him in as my apprentice and look forward to seeing his progress - in these wretched tundras now, and later in more civilized lands. As I have written before, many adventurers are here, and indeed not all of them are entirely daft. Some are actually quite clever! I helped a group of five, giving them the finest magical protections and enhancements of the land. If I may be so bold, I believe I am the most powerful mage on Skal as of writing this.
My conclusion is that it was interesting to visit this cold, forsaken place. But it is certainly not a place I would call home. Not at all. If you are an adventurer, consider visiting. Otherwise stay as far away as possible. And beware, for not all may ever be so fortunate to leave this island.