Memoirs of a Travelling Tolderian Salesman #6

I've been exploring the world of Elenchera for more than a decade now. Over time I've been privileged to learn of some amazing events:- gods at war, voyages of discovery, near extinction of ancient races, the elevation of magic as the necessity of all, slaves breaking free of their shackles and inventions that changed the world forever. Chronicles of Elenchera are hard to come by with the legendary historian Hawkswood having written the most prized accounts of the Elencheran timelines. In my endless search I did manage to find one book that I have found most useful in sharing something of this very different world.

"Memoirs of a Travelling Tolderian Salesman" was written by a unique individual known as Norman Verne. Who is Norman and where does he come from you might ask. Well, Norman is/was a toldere from the island of Lemanto. Tolderes? You must have heard of them. They're canine headed men, a jovial bunch that love buying and selling, you could say the Del Boy of their world though a little more successful. In 26338 of the Fifteenth Shard Norman Verne became the first travelling tolderian salesman when he boarded a ship and left Lemanto behind, not returning for 79 years. In that time he is said to have travelled throughout Elenchera, visiting familiar lands in the east and the fledgling colonies in the west. I intend to use this blog to share extracts of Norman's journey. This book only covers the early years of his journey but if I happen upon any later instalments you'll be the first to know. Take my hand and let us delve into the world of Elenchera together. 

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1st February 26346

I felt weary after the experience of Ephetona and being back on the road has certainly caught up with me after being stranded for years in Kaluminia. I found an isolated village along the coastline and stayed there for a few weeks, managing to make some good sales. The Ephetonans were fascinated by the goods from Kaluminia which I assured them had magical properties. I was only passing on the words of the Kaluminian merchants. How was I to know that they're not so quick to share their magical secrets!

I eventually decided to move on with the annoying yellow tunic still in tow. It's surprisingly durable given all the years of travelling its enjoyed with me. I keep wanting to discard the damn thing but tolderes don't jettison any goods no matter how ludicrous they may be. From Ephetona I had the option of heading northwest to the Dragon Isles, south to the Cavaller Islands and Glamador or west towards Valadomiar. The latter option seemed the best one.

I wasn't long on the vessel bound for Valadomiar and we docked on the east coast of Legantkia, one of the wealthiest kingdoms in the world.

Legantkia is rich in fabulous architecture, luxurious garments and fine wines. In the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Shards Legantkia rose to prominence following the successful conquests of the Cavaller Islands, Glamador and Zonack by the legendary king, Dionysius. His descendants could not live up to his great name and eventually Legantkia lost control of many of these lands but during its long rule over them the kingdom prospered. Wine from Glamador in particular became Legantkia's staple trade and even today they import the finest wine from the now independent republic of Glamador.

My first destination in Legantkia is easy – Whitegate. The fabulous city with towering white buildings is the capital of Legantkia and the trade here is incredible. It takes only hours to sell the bulk of my goods from Ephetona and Kaluminia though the yellow tunic is frowned upon. Few Legantkians will be interested in garments from outside their kingdom and having obtained some of these for myself it's easy to see why.

In the heart of the city is a statue of King Dionysius himself with his thick beard and four crowns representing his rule over a large portion of East Elenchera. Few monarchs have rivalled Dionysius' achievements though the likes of Ijarnia and Leansja the Great are more than worthy of rubbing shoulders with the Legantkian. The stone statue does not convey the most notable characteristic of the Legantkian people. Their trademark purple hair, that every Legantkian possesses, dates back to the earliest Shards in Elenchera's history but it does nothing to diminish the undoubted fairness of the majority of these people. Dionysius married an elf from Glamador and generations of Legantkian monarchs held the beauty of elves but the heart and stomach for war came from Dionysius. It's hard to know where things went wrong for Legantkia but the kingdom remains magnificent to this day.

Amidst the sea of purple hair can be found a handful of travelling merchants like me and even pilgrims who have journeyed from far and wide to gaze upon the beautiful architecture of Whitegate. The biggest crowds are found at the inns and taverns where Glamadorian wine flows like rivers from mountain peaks. I reward myself for a good day's trading by visiting the nearest inn. It takes me a good half an hour to get my hands on a bottle of wine but it is more than worth the wait. Wine I've tasted previously has been somewhat bitter but this is sweet with an intoxicating scent. The first bottle of wine doesn't last long, even though I'm standing outside the inn with the bottle resting on the window sill between clusters of potted plants. The second bottle of wine isn't as sweet as the first but it relaxes me and I soon feel the early signs of inebriation coming on.

I leave it at two bottles of wine before staggering my way to a quieter inn where I'm lucky to get my hands on the last available room. The timing is perfect because once my head hits the pillow I'm ready to sink into drunken slumber. I wish more days on the road could be like this one but I know that once I reach the western colonies that my path will become ever more gruelling.

More from The World According to Dave

Memoirs of a Travelling Tolderian Salesman #1
Memoirs of a Travelling Tolderian Salesman #4
Memoirs of a Travelling Tolderian Salesman #3

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