Francis' Journal: Good Intentions, Bad Weather

Today I ventured back into the Reach. I knew my old 'friends' wouldn't want to see me but I craved the safety of the high, protective walls again. Besides, I finally have enough money saved up to stay in an inn where I won't wake up with my throat slit and my meager possessions gone.  As I walked through the gates however I was greeted by the sound of a Queen's herald. I didn't take in the details, I really should have, but she was spreading news of some disaster or another in the Shiverpeak Mountains. She asked for help on behalf of the refugees dislodged from their homes and my heart went out to those poor Norn. I know all too well what it's like to be dislodged from your home by a force of nature (those who would disagree that my father is a force of nature have clearly never met the man). Of course I also saw it as a way to get back into my family's good graces, they would often talk about 'playing nice' with the other races and this sort of thing would surely look good; a noble reaching out to the unfortunate of another species. So off I went. I'd never used the Asuran portals before so that was a new experience but it beat wandering for days, potentially getting lost and mugged by bandits for my efforts.  Hoelbrak is cold, really, really cold. I know they're called the Shiverpeaks but I'd not expected how utterly freezing it was, especially considering how little I've seen several Norn wear! My coat is comfortable but far too thin for such cold weather. I almost turned around and went home there and then but I'd come this far so I soldiered onwards hopeful that my body would adjust with time and exposure. I helped all i could in the city but I was soon coaxed out into the wilds of the foothills. One Norn asked me to walked back along the refugees path, fixing signs so they'd know the route back to the city. It seemed simple enough so I agreed and set to work. It was simple enough to begin with, but it soon seemed that heading towards the mountains made my time in Queensdale look like a walk in the palace gardens! At one point a huge Norn dressed in blues dropped from a tree and tried to assault me. I have never run so fast in my entire life! I didn't stop until I reached a small refugee camp. Thankfully one especially broad axe-wielding mountain of a male Norn was in good shape and protecting the camp and didn't seem to mind terribly that I hid behind him. I stopped at the camp to catch my breath and planned my trip back to the safer part of the foothills, helping the refugees was a task for those far more adventuresome than me it seemed. Something odd did happen while I was there however. I was helping start a fire which was being really very uncooperative and getting increasingly irate. I glared angrily at the kindling we had, demanding it spark to life, and it did. I'm sure it was just eerie coincidental timing but it did make me jump nonetheless. Tonight I am back in Hoelbrak, I'm staying in one of the animal lodge affairs and one of the workers here, a shaman I think she said she was, suggested that tomorrow I stay in the safe parts of the foothills and visit the shrines. I'm not sure what she thinks I'll gain from Norn shrines but I am willing to visit, afterall she mentioned a key word 'safe'. It will be more than welcome after today.

OOC: Long overdue mention of the Flame & Frost prelude. Francis didn't get all the way along the refugees route but he made a good stab at it!