Fellow Historians of Norrath, Well met!

i have a most unusual tale to tell today of my adventures in the
commonlands..

As i went out to seek adventure (as well as fortune) in the commonlands, i
was hunting giant spiders in the eastern commonlands, for their valuable
silks, and venom sacs that the rogue's seem to have some use for ;) as i
began hunting, i noticed there were more hunters out here than game! every
spider, bear, beetle or lion i saw was in the process of being killed by a
hunting party! so i wandered off in search of game in less crowded areas.

I headed west, and soon i was in the most dangerous area of the commonlands,
known simply as West Commonlands. i saw plenty of spiders, killed quite a
few, and then i noticed there were hill giants and griffins everywhere! i
ran seeking cover at the nearest inn, only, upon my approach, to see a hill
giant walk RIGHT ON TOP of it.. i bet the owners were not pleased..then i
saw a small guardpost along the path , with two Freeport militia men at it,
both fighting off fierce kodiaks and dangerous darkweed snakes. I hailed one
of the men, his name was Valon, and he demanded i pay a toll to use the
path! being a poor bard, i responded "good Sirs, i cannot afford this toll,
let me pay you in song instead !" , and in response, they stared at me
blankly. their lack of appreciation made me grow angry, for i am a very
accomplished musician, and so i said "And what nerve you have charging a
toll for this road? do you own it? its not in the freeport municipal area..
you have no right to charge for passage! NO ! i will not pay! throw me in
jail if you must, but i will not submit to extortion such as this!" and this
time they did not respond with a blank stare, but with a swift and brutal
pummeling.. when i awoke, i was lying outside the freeport gates, with all
my belongings taken from me!

The lesson I learned today was that the enemy is not always who it seems...