Day One

It's Not that We are Small, but that the World is Large


David Drocilephisus Rangidoon Bop, Pom-vivant and exploratory connoisseur

As traveler and explorer by nature, I can never turn down an opportunity to traipse through new lands, to wiggle my toes in exotic grasses, to face certain death before fearsome yet strangely adorable enemies. Why did the Pom go over the mountain? To see what he could see, of course! Then he got a chair to stand on so he could see better.

In that spirit, this Pom has decided to go see what he can see in the wonderful world of Chrysalis. Other persons of more dubious breeding than yours truly can go through a world like this. They can dive in and learn all the catch phrases and hit the deepest darkiest of the dungeons and the tip-toppiest of the mountains. They could learn the best tricks and don the snazziest outfits and think that they know. Well let me tell you, Poms have never been about the coolest gear or fastest fists. If a straight line really was the fastest distance between two points, why would we have Zeppelins?

When a wide open world is presented to us, we bask in it. Sometimes we rub our toes in it! Sometimes we shake our bootys at it. Sometimes we finish quests.


Much of the world is best viewed from on your bum

I entered the continent of Rogwel on a air steamer designed by Poms of old, a gloriously inefficient ball of wonderful. On the flight I leafed through a book of Pom koans, some of which I may relate to you.

Being a traveler I have no set citizenship, but I chose to journey to Rogwel because the principles of technology seem far more in fit with that of exploration than those of Magic. It does offend me a smidge that the Pom races have been segregated so, I do love the Elerds' fuzzy snowball-faced-Poms.

I shouldn't speculate aloud, some Humans might overhear and think I'm a traitor. But don't they too, just once, look across the aisle at Riall at some bright-eyed, tiny-nosed Elf girl and think "Why, why must we fight?

(Elves though. How could you stand to look at a girl with no body hair? That's just not right.)

My first stop stop in Rogwel was the first stop for many machinists, the lovely town of Garnedine.


I posed here with Mr. Keeper for his entry in the Garnedine 'Stash of the Month calendar

There are many things about this continent one cannot help but noticing. Like, why are there are no male elves?


The battle tutu, while providing some defence in the front, leaves one end woefully exposed.

But look at these machines! Zeppelins, Steam riders, mounts, miners! Things that go woosh or bap or ding or donk, enough exposed gears to make a watchmaker weep. I'm certain the purpose of most of these contraptions is just to look good, and I'm fine with that. It's a purpose I am well acquainted with.


You might not know it, but to a Pom, this is porn.


This is porn too. But way more kinky.

But every journey must begin with a single step, provided that step is over some baddie's twitching carcass. The town might be loud and lovely and full of ticking things and glowing blue cylinders but adventure, as they say, lies beyond the village.

So I began, spoke to those needing speaking to, updated my maps and collected my things and set off. And as preparation and a gift the town leaders hand me a rusty scrape of metal that wouldn't scare a stunted butter-hamster. Brilliant.

I was frightened, yes. I have always been a traveler first, you see. The actual duties of adventuring start to make my stomach churn with too many questions. Why are there so many harmful creatures so close to a settlement? How come they aren't extinct what with this daily organized genocide? What kind of life cycles must they have? I ask myself, if the Humans one day decide one to hunt us Poms, how long would we last?

Well, probably a lot longer than the Humans, since we're the only race with both sexes on the same continent.

Plus we're bad-ass.



Here I am standing over my first ever kill. I was so happy I wished the flower would get back up and celebrate with me. Sadly he was dead.

After some bandying about with that flimsy piece of metal I gained enough confidence and gold to buy myself a proper weapon.



Truly an elegant weapon. Not as clumsy or random as a saber.

You see, to a Pom, the first joy in life will always be the tick and tock of gears and escapements, the way every part moves together as a single, well-oiled machine. But a close second would using said machine to blow things to pieces.

Now, I would never advocate hunting for sport. But even I know that sometimes it's necessary to use a weapon, sometimes you just have to go out and take down some monsters, especially if they give the guards in area trouble, harass travelers, or somehow swallow gold coins and the occasional piece of semi-rare armor. Or if someone you've never met before tells you to.

Needless to say I grew fond of this rifle very quickly.








Let's just say he saw it coming

After fightin' through the evening I decided that it was time to relax the weary trigger finger and shut in for the night. I looked around town for their most deluxe accommodations. Not having found those I sought their second-rate ones. Does anyone get any shut-eye in this town?

The answer: no. They do something better. They work while sleeping.

I was directed to the middle of a dirt field of walking, poisonous flowers and shown these lovely insta-sleeping-chambers. I didn't climb inside, it sort of built itself around me.



Well, it ain't roomy, the view is crap, and the neighbours are loud and sometimes try to kill you, but damn if I didn't feel invigorated after only a short time. I need to get one of these installed back home.

And that was my first day traveling in this lovely world. Granted, I didn't travel very much but I did take a lot of pictures. And isn't that all that really matters?

My sister-in-arms and fellow traveler Jocelyn has yet to arrive in town though, and I hope nothing's gone wrong. Probably it's just inclement weather, lightning can be such hell on zeppelins, what with them being flammable and all.



Nevermind that for now! Tomorrow will be a brand new day!

-david