Master of the Haemerkel

Haemerkel. Pronounced like a “Hi” then “mir” then “kel” (short e).

Nelson mentioned this when I first met him and I did some digging in the school archives. The organization is responsible for contracting many of the government’s build projects. New forts, the Investigations Agency building, the Commerce Bank headquarters in Alcor, and a whole lot of other stuff. Pretty much all the government buildings were commissioned to the Haemerkel for construction. They have an impressive reputation for seeing their projects through to completion, even during the Great War.

Thomas the Scribe enlisted their help in renovating the Library of History during the first year of the war. Buldega Craftwall, head of the Haemerkel then, had his team working during the night to avoid attracting attention. The renovated Library of History played a crucial role in turning the tide of the war in Eagleon’s favor.

Buldega had built passageways and escape tunnels that ran underneath the library. Prisoners of war, foreign dignitaries, noblemen, queens and kings were all smuggled to safety through these tunnels. The library became so famous for this that the Aatolon soldiers nicknamed it “The Magician’s Tower.” And no, they never did find any of the entrances that Buldega built.

The Haemerkel dates further back than Buldega’s time, though it still is connected to him in some way. It was founded long before the eight countries divided, just after the Cataclysmic Division in 900. The countries were in shambles after the division and the Haemerkel was founded in response to the growing need for the rebuilding efforts. Buldega’s ancestor was actually one of the first people hired to the Haemerkel and moved his way up to Assistant Master. Since then, at least one or two people in each generation of the Buldega bloodline have worked at or been employed at this institution.

I plan to visit the Library of History soon. If I win the class lab, I should be able to get a free ticket there to demonstrate my project. Should be fun. Anyway, I should go. Jenna’s calling me now.

September 26, 1837 – The Smoke Pistol from Mr. Darco

My adventures in Alcor city yesterday led me to an unexpected friend, Dean Darco. He’s the owner of Darco’s Diner, a mid-priced restaurant located right in the heart of Alcor itself. I am surprised that a complete stranger would take me in as a guest in the middle of a snowstorm after I had admitted to stealing his torch lights.

Dean also gifted me a smoke pistol – or at least that’s what he called it.

The firearm itself is on the smaller end of the size spectrum. The tip of the barrel narrows considerably and the cylinder itself – after opening it and spilling the ammunition onto my bed – holds bullets that are smaller than the average issue. They are more round, not exactly cannonball-round, but close. When I shake the bullets, I can hear grains of powder sifting around. I suppose that’s what causes the smoke when you fire the bullet.

Just below the cylinder – more like to the side – is a dial. It controls the viscosity of the smoke when you fire the gun. The highest setting releases the thickest smoke and it sticks around a few minutes after you’ve shot the round.

I had an interesting time testing this at the local shooting range in Artela this morning. A lot of people thought I was crazy aiming the pistol at my feet and firing into the ground. The bullets are quite lethal themselves, though I think I’ll need practice as I didn’t hit a single target on the range. I did walk to where the bullets ended up and they left quite a mark. The range manager was a bit upset with the two-inch dent in one of the bricks on his office exterior, but we live and learn.

Note to self: Don’t smother yourself in the smoke. It had me coughing well into the afternoon.

I count thirty rounds in this pistol. I’ve used up five, and I stopped there in case I ran out. Have a feeling I’ll be needing this very soon. I tried purchasing some ammunition but was laughed off the range because I’ve no license to purchase firearms or related equipment. Must be another way or else this pistol will be useless real quick.

Well, it still could serve as a truncheon of sorts…

Alcor – The Capital of Eagleon

There’s so much one can write about the city of Alcor. I guess being the capital of Eagleon means you also get first dibs into the latest in scientific advancements.

The outskirts are the deceiving part. Stay there for ten minutes, and you’ll think you’re staring at the middle-class town of Cardel with all the homeless people. Move inwards and things start to progress. Buildings blend into towers of white marble, local business shops merge into corporate towers that control trade from the East to West, and carriages phase into the city’s sky bullets that zip around towers like streaks of light. Amazing.

Located in the city square is the headquarters of the Investigations Bureau. Easily identifiable by the giant element hand boasting a pair of scales. The entire face of the building shines with a tan-yellow hue, like gold. I tried going in there but got turned away at the door by some burly guard who was in serious need of a shave.

If you look up and to the East, you’ll see clouds of smoke billowing into the air from the industrial district. Haven’t been there, but I’m sure I will down the road.

There’s a specific street, Tibault’s Avenue, where Dark’s Hotel is. At first glance, I can totally understand why they call it ‘dark’. The entire building is black with gold edgings and a silver-tinted roof. It’s scary and I’ll avoid it if I can. Then of course, there’s Irmgol’s Notary. Don’t really imagine myself messing with official documents or legal stuff – unless I get a house here – so not much to say there.

Ah, yes. There is Darco’s Diner. Owner there is pretty nice. Food is excellent. If I’m lucky to have enough money, I might consider that a spot when I’m on vacation next. This restaurant is in the city square. There’s a specific table in the far-right corner of the diner where you can sit and stare at the Spire. The view is breathtaking – especially just after five in the afternoon. The lights are still on at the spire and the whole scene is romantic. If ever I meet a girl, I’ll take her here.

Speaking of the city square, the entire place is empty from 8pm onwards. But the shops during the day… whew! Crazy!

Almost every square inch is packed with merchandise of sorts. There’s probably a hundred vendors throughout the day peddling their goods to every unfortunate bystander. Weapons, underwear, jewelry, furniture… You name it! It can be quite annoying when you’re just trying to make your way through and you keep getting pulled aside. Oh well, I suppose they need to make their money.

There are some parks in Alcor, but I haven’t had time to explore. Maybe next time.

Electricity and Lightstones (Draft for My Upcoming Essay due on Saturday)

Lightstones. Farmed in caves across the world, mostly from the Mulda valley in northern Cardel. A light yellow-orange hue with a marble-ish texture (although the shading can vary), they’ve been assimilated into almost every aspect of our lives. You won’t see dinner by candlelight or a light post with a flickering flame – unless nostalgia is in the area. Everything is done with lightstones now.

When lightstones are first farmed from the caves, they are coarse and rough. An entire industry has been formed simply for the refining of lightstones; turning them from rough rocks into smooth, beveled works of art that we use in our restaurants and places of living. During refining, any impurities are also removed that could dampen or affect the lighting quality.

The smallest lightstone can burn for hours before needing to dim and recharge. One can control the intensity of the stone by rubbing it between one’s hands or blowing it to cool it down. It works much like a lit flame, but more… customizable. (Is that the word I should use in the essay?) Be careful that two lightstones do not come into contact with each other as they can cause a reaction that will escalate their temperatures to burning heights.

A few more dangerous aspects comes into play when bullets and electricity are involved. A shot from a bullet turns the little rock into a formidable explosive, capable of destroying things within a few-feet radius as well as lighting up quite the bonfire. Electricity, on the other hand, turns it into a ticking bomb. The longer a current courses through the stone, the more unstable the latter becomes. Cutting the current at any point is too late. The stone will either combust – if you are lucky to have cut the current soon enough – or it will start to alternate between blue and white. A quote from a reliable source simply says, “Distance yourself as far away as possible.”

Taldor and Eldora

The other day, Mandel mentioned the Library of History. I did some research and found that it’s quite the institution! The structural and architectural designs were contributed to by an ancestor of Thomas Aquilo, himself. More specifically, the Great War’s hero’s grandma! For over two centuries, it’s amassed a wealth of knowledge and lore from the four corners of the earth and at least five of the unknown regions.

It also contains the original manuscript for Taldor, the Ill-Fated Lover, who supposedly passed away five centuries ago. It’s a common Cardellan bedtime story. The story goes that Taldor, a young elf, ventures into Cardel from the unknown lands. Wanting to disprove his father’s belief that humans are greedy, shallow individuals, he attempts to court a human girl.

The first girl he tries is a simple Peluvan girl. Beautiful and from a small family… of demons who prey on the misfortunate travelers along the Apallian road. Taldor remains unaware of this until one day, in an inn on a date, he mishears the girl asking for a glass of dragon’s ale. In truth, the girl is asking for a ‘flagon’ of bombeer ale. The dragon’s ale reveals the girl’s true form and it chases Taldor across the entire town. Taldor is saved by a demon hunter, a woman by the name of Eldora.

Taldor falls head-over-heels in love with Eldora, and makes various attempts to court her. Eldora remains uninterested, much to his dismay. After spending a month, Taldor decides to rid his mind of her and takes a ship to the Alfor nations – now known as Eagleon. Here, he immerses himself in element studies for a year and takes a position at the local university as a teacher. To his dismay, Eldora shows up to his first class on element alchemy.

Taldor ignores Eldora and treats her with the utmost professionalism. Eldora (who has just gotten over a personal problem), however, sees the more mature Taldor, and attempts to gain his attention. Taldor rebuffs her various attempts and becomes annoyed when she boldly invites him to go demon hunting with her. The young elf-man scoffs at her poor idea of a romantic outing and insults her as a shallow and greedy woman. He is promptly rewarded with a heavy-handed slap on the face.

Taldor spends the next week reflecting on what has happened and realizes that he is being shallow by not giving Eldora a chance. He invites her out to have a drink and both reflect on how they have grown in the past year. Taldor accepts Eldora’s invitation to go hunting and they both begin to travel and have adventures around the globe. Years later, they marry in Taldor’s family castle.

Well, that was quite a story! The actual text is more comedic than my concise version, and I hope to read it in full. It’s just a story, though. I mean, really, whose love life is that crazy?

Alcor City – September 26, 1637

Was in Alcor yesterday. It had so many blazin’ things I’ve never seen. But first, let’s talk about that carriage ride. The seats were made of velvet. Good quality cushions that I sank into the moment I sat down. Worth every coin I spent on it. Hopefully it won’t happen too often as they’re expensive those rides.

Now, onto Alcor.

The transportation network is mind-boggling. Tracks that are suspended in air by levitation stones as sky bullets zip on them through the buildings. It’s science at its most advanced. Makes me wonder if it’s worth studying electricity, but I’ll worry about that some other time.

The city itself is quite enormous. Every building you walk by feels like it has its own history. You won’t see two shops that are alike. Except for the residential district. Everything there looks the same. But everything else, even the lightstone posts tell a story. I’ll show an example. The benches in Garden Park were donated by the original governor of Alcor. He was a carpenter and personally constructed all forty benches for the park. They’re all still in use to this day! The bevels and carvings etched into the wood show portions of history. Tessa told me that if you link the pictures on the benches together, they form the full story of Alcor’s spire from construction to its use during the Great War. I won’t have time to do that today, so I’ll just add that to the saddle list.

Still, you don’t see this sort of inter-connectedness in any city. I guess that’s why Alcor’s the ‘Crown Jewel of Eagleon’. Even the door handles to all the shops are made of silver. I wonder how expensive that is. The roads are also well-maintained. Most people here wave and greet you as they pass by. It’s a nice feeling and certainly unlike Artela.

Maybe next time I’m here, I’ll visit the entertainment district. Tessa says there’s a lot of fun to be had there.

My Last Declaration of Sanity – September 23, 1637

Blazes! Blast it! By Bongo’s brilliant buck-up, I did something stupid. At least I think I did. I was in the school’s commemoration room when I saw a statue of someone called Tessa Marlise. All’s well until something snuffs the fire right out of the room and knocks me out. Next thing I know, there’s a voice in my head.

Maybe it’s a cold. I fell into the sea today and had to sit through half the class in drenched clothes. Then perhaps when I was in the commemoration room I passed out and hit my head. Thus the voice.

But what about that thing I found in the school?

It’s all driving me insane. I haven’t even tried to talk to the voice again yet. Could she be a ghost? I’ve never been one to believe in ghosts until now. But maybe she is. In which case am I possessed? And if I’m possessed, am I writing this while under the possession of said ghost or am I still in possession of my own wits?

I hope Headmaster Dunan forgets the whole thing tomorrow. I acted like a complete idiot today after that incident.

Weird. The ‘voice’ hasn’t tried to talk to me since I got back home. Maybe this is all a dream? Or maybe these are the last few moments I’ll be myself. In which case, I’m writing this diary entry for someone to find. Hopefully I haven’t turned into some flesh-eating, rabid monster by then. Or maybe I’ll end up like the Night Elves from the bygone age.

Oi. I’m going to bed now. Or maybe I should talk to the voice again and try to reason with it?

In any case, this is perhaps my final statement:

I, Jimmy Chartron, was possessed by a ghost in the Navale Academy of Eagleon. Having been coerced into finding an evil beast, jumping from the fourth level of the school into a river and who knows what, I write this in the hopes that someone will discover this and end up rescuing me. If I’m not dead by then.

Well, I suppose that’s it.

September 12, 1637 – Lady Andalie

Ferries from Artela to Navale are expensive! Five coins! That’s three-quarters of my week’s pay. Does the government know how many students take those ferries? I’m assuming they’re under the impression that the average teenager drowns in gold if they require us to fork out five coins twice a day, four times a week.

Pffft. At least I have Master Gibson to take me over. Though, I’m not sure how keen he’d be willing to do that if he didn’t have business to do in Navale.

“Have to watch out for my Lady Andalie,” he says. “She’s getting old.”

That’s his ship by the way. The Andalie Star. Though, he calls it Lady Andalie. There’s a story behind it, he says. Has something to do with being captured by a lady pirate king, Andalie. According to Gibson, he charmed her over and she gave him this schooner to help him escape execution. What happened to Andalie, he won’t say. But, he ended up naming the schooner after her and his eyes gloss over when he mentions her name.

Personally, I think it’s all pish posh. Old men like to do that. Tell tall tales in their spare time and dream of adventures they never could have had. Not me. Need to keep my head on and my feet on the ground. I’ve a career to make.

First Entry – September 8, 1637

So, my first day of class. Everything’s what I expected it to be.

Headmaster’s a bit serious, in my opinion. I’m sure he’s a nice person and all that, but doesn’t seem personable in the least. My classmates, though, are an interesting sort. I doubt I’ll get to know them personally as I’d prefer to keep to myself. There’s a girl, Stella… Well, I’ll mention her if there’s something to mention in the future.

Now, what about the library? It’s the biggest one I’ve seen in my life! The librarians use square-shaped flight stones that levitate them all around the place. Most blazin’ thing I’ve seen today!

And the books. There’s just too many to count. Farwell’s Theory on Electricity is what I’m interested in. It’s a promising field for careers from what I can tell. Well, I’m sure I’ll find out. After all, what’s the worst that could happen?