Traveler's Guide to the Feywood
One of the most well-known authors in Endmere is the Taxlatl known as Khala the Traveler. She is famous for her "Traveler's Guide" series of works that are considered essential reading for Folk that are visiting a new part of the world for the first time, and especially for those who plan on making a go at an Adventuring career. Since settling down (at least for a time) in Endmere, Khala has published Travler's Guides recounting her exploration of places as far off as Tyrnabay and the Awkwana homelands, but it is her latest work, the Traveler's Guide to the Feywood, that has generated the most excitement - and sales.
A history section provides a brief summary of the Feywood as it has evolved through the years. This section includes discussion of the the first migrations of the Humanfolk into the northern portions of the region before the Great Strife. It also includes an extensive discussion of the "lost city" of the Taxlatl that once stood where the Feywood Fens now fester. Khala spent several months in the Fens area alone, allegedly in search of traces of this lost city.
The natural wonders of the Feywood are described in detail. An entire segment of the work is devoted to descriptions of the many types of Fey creatures that a visitor might possibly encounter -- including not just the various Nymphs, but also the Gremlins that make the Feywood their home. Other creatures - many unique to the Feywood - are also described.
Title
Traveler's Guide to the Feywood
Author
Khala the Traveler
Publication Date
2169CR
Finally, a part of the work is dedicated to the handful of notable individuals that a visitor might wish to meet -- or to avoid.
All in all, the work is a complete guide that any Adventurer or other visitor to the Feywood would consider a valuable resource.
To distribute the Commonspeech version of her work, Khala uses the services of the publishing company ??, located in Endmere. Their use of the Dwalev invention which they call the "Mechanical Ink Stamper", allows for the rapid production of print copies of the text. Two versions of cover are used: a cheaper product is made with soft leather covers with the title and author "burned" into the leather. Hardcover editions feature embossed covers filled with either silver or gold leaf.
To date, over 4500 printed copies - at costs of 5gp for the softcover and 12gp for the hardcover editions - of the work have been sold in Endmere alone, making this work Khala's best seller.
Content Overview
Khala spent approximately two years traversing the Feywood - from the years 2162 to 2164CR. During this time, she visted - at least briefly - every one of mostly Human frontier settlements, including the mining camps of Stannilode, Ferrilode, and Crystal Rock. (She has little good to say about these three destinations.) In addition to describing the accomodations and services that one would expect to find when journeying to places in the Feywood, she also describes the people and their outlook on life and the sort of welcome a first-time visitor might expect. Any special customs or taboos that a new visitor should be aware of are also explained.A history section provides a brief summary of the Feywood as it has evolved through the years. This section includes discussion of the the first migrations of the Humanfolk into the northern portions of the region before the Great Strife. It also includes an extensive discussion of the "lost city" of the Taxlatl that once stood where the Feywood Fens now fester. Khala spent several months in the Fens area alone, allegedly in search of traces of this lost city.
The natural wonders of the Feywood are described in detail. An entire segment of the work is devoted to descriptions of the many types of Fey creatures that a visitor might possibly encounter -- including not just the various Nymphs, but also the Gremlins that make the Feywood their home. Other creatures - many unique to the Feywood - are also described.
Traveler's Guide to the Feywood
Finally, a part of the work is dedicated to the handful of notable individuals that a visitor might wish to meet -- or to avoid.
All in all, the work is a complete guide that any Adventurer or other visitor to the Feywood would consider a valuable resource.
Publication Details
Khala drafted the manuscript for the book as she always does - using quill and ink on sheafs of cut paper. As she has done with all of her works, the original is written in Commonspeech. She then immediately drafts her own translation into Taxlatl. Other translations are done later by hired specialists who work from the commonspeech text. The original manuscripts, both of which she had bound in finely tooled leather with gold-leaf lettering, currently reside in her own library alongside the original copies of her other works.To distribute the Commonspeech version of her work, Khala uses the services of the publishing company ??, located in Endmere. Their use of the Dwalev invention which they call the "Mechanical Ink Stamper", allows for the rapid production of print copies of the text. Two versions of cover are used: a cheaper product is made with soft leather covers with the title and author "burned" into the leather. Hardcover editions feature embossed covers filled with either silver or gold leaf.
To date, over 4500 printed copies - at costs of 5gp for the softcover and 12gp for the hardcover editions - of the work have been sold in Endmere alone, making this work Khala's best seller.
Comments
Author's Notes
Kha'Lagatala, or more precisely, Khala the Traveler, is the "in world" character that will introduce many (if not all) of the entries that will be included in the "Feywood" campaign setting sourcebook which I am planning on publishing. The document described here, Traveler's Guide to the Feywood, will be referenced as the source for sidebar pieces associated with each of the settlements, important NPCs, and unique creatures in the region. Additional "excerpts" may be included for other places of interest (such as the Feywood Fens), rumors of forgotten ruins, and the treasures they may contain. Special settlement holidays, unique customs, and other behavioral "hints" for interested adventurers and travelers will also be included by means of entries from Khala's works.
I plan on writing the complete Traveler's Guide to the Feywood over time. (Would this be ghost-writing for Khala? the link in the article to the book's manuscript will provide the reader with an opportunity to see how this effort progresses.