What You Need and How to Get There
What to Do If You Don't Know Almalinian
Currency
Food and Dining
Hotels
Transportation
Entertainment
Homosexual, Elderly, or Handicapped Travellers
What You Need and How to Get There
No one has ever truly learned of the secret ways in which one can enter Almalinė. At present, it relies mostly on fate. If you know that you will soon be going there, however, here is a basic list of things that you might want to bring: as much clothes as you can possible fit into your body, any coins that you have, a weapon (preferably a club or a spear of some kind), matches to begin a fire with, and paper.
The chances of arriving in Almalinė in the mainland are quite slim (because it has never been done before). The two places that are most likely for you to arrive in are: Erbadoln, the sacred isle off the northeastern coast of Almalinė; or Atolnalant, the frozen land that is above Almalinė and, in fact, covers a small portion of it.
If you arrive in Erbadoln, you are in good hands. Upon arrival, you will most likely be greeted by the great god of the Almalinians, Cardė, or one of his servants, the Almalae. You will have help to build a ship so that you can sail for the Almalinian mainland, and you will also probably be given lots of food, and perhaps some riches as well, for the journey. After you embark from Erbadoln, sail southeastward. If you have good navigation skills (ask the Almalae for training while you are still in Erbadoln), sail into the massive bay that is above Caethir, and from there, downwards to the docks of Asdhen. Once your ship is safe, sell your ship for money. Insist upon Asdhenian money, rather than Norgardian currency. (See the section on currency if you would like to know why). In addition, you can now sell the clothes that you bought, as well as the paper, the matches (You will have to demonstrate how to use a match first. After that, the potential buyer should be very interested and the matches can fetch a high price). If you come across a salesman along the road to Asdhen who is particularly gullible, now is also a good time to trade your coins. (If you can speak Almalinian, you are at a great advantage here, because you can lie about how important the coins are.) After that, the rest of your journey should be safer and more relaxed (if you know Almalinian, that is. If you don't know the language, see the "What NOT to Do If You Don't Speak Almalinian" section.
If you are unfortunate and arrive in Atolnalant, you don't have many options: Either walk to the mainland; or, pay extremely high prices (which entails most of your clothes and your weapon) to a native man to guide you downward. If you choose to hire a native to guide you to the mainland, whatever you do, don't let him see the paper. The paper will be valuable later for money. Also, don't demonstrate how matches work to him; if you do, he will insist that you give the matches to him, and if you refuse to give them to him, he will abandon you. If you decide to walk, you will have to use your weapon to catch any stray animals that have wondered into Atolnalant (You are at an advantage here: Most of the animals' coats are very visible against the backdrop of the ice. You will be abel to spot them from a long distance and sneak up on them), or trade things to the natives for food. If left with no other choice, you can raid the native settlements to steal food and supplies. The best time to do this is at mid-day when the men are out hunting for food. Just don't get caught running away with their belongings. Atolnalant is a harsh environment, and the people there have no patience for anyone who might try to steal the things that they had worked so hard for. As you go along, sell anything that you can; however, a wise salesman should wait until he reaches a large city to sell the paper. It is very rare in Almalinė because it is so expensive to produce it. Therefore, find wealthy land owners or government officials to sell the paper to.
If you make it to the mainland, you should probably make your way towards Asdhen. It is the key city and there is a lot of history behind it. Of course, if you want, you can also visit Norgard or any other places, but you should definitely make it a point to visit Asdhen.
What to Do If You Don't Know Almalinian
If you study Almalinian culture, you will quickly learn that they have no mercy or compassion for those whom they consider to be harmful or dangerous to the Almalinian people. Because the common Almalinian language was a gift from the holy Almalae and is an important factor of Almalinian culture, anyone who does not speak it will be regarded as evil and possibly even a spy from the evil realm of Gucatė. If you seem to show that you don't understand the Almalinian language at least to a small degree, there is little hope for your survial. Here are a few guidelines to follow:
One: Pretend to be deaf. Although this might bring you a mild dislike in a few Mannish settlements, no one minds deaf people too much, because they know that such people can still be productive members in the struggle against Dugorm, the ruler of Gucatė. Because you are "deaf," you will not have to speak in Almalinian, nor will anyone expect you to understand them. So long as you don't accidentally react to any sounds, you will be quite protected.
Two: Avoid situations where you might have to read something at all costs. Although you could pretend to be illiterate, anyone who is fairly educated will not believe the act, because writing things is usually how the deaf communicate with other Almalinians, and so nearly all the deaf can read and write. If anyone begins to suspect anything, quickly get out of the area.
Three: Fortunately, if you did a good job in trading your items for money, you can make it without language. Although you might accidentally get an unexpected surprise at the dinner table, the presence of money will get you a hotel, transportation, and entertainment.
Although bartering is still popular, especially in less settled areas, there are two main Almalinian currencies: the Asdhenian ell, and the Norgardian norfast
The ell is worth more than the norfast (unless you're in Norgard itself or nearby areas). The amount of norfasts that are needed to equal one ell varies by location, but on average the rate is 1.75 norfasts equals 1 ell. Just keep in mind that this rate is an average, and not a standard. For example, in Asdhen, the rate is around 4 norfasts equals 1 ell.
Here are some fair prices for things that you might want to buy (or sell), although these prices readily change depending on supply and demand, need, and other such economic factors:
A commoner's shirt: V65 (V is the symbol for an ell.)
A printer to make a print: A page or so - V70; a book - V17 000
Dirt from Gucatė to burn for the Dornė celebration: V100
A dinner at a fancy restaurant: V500
A glass of wine: V50
A small home: V45 000
A horse: V4 500
If you are short on money, your best bet is a local soup and sandwich shop. They offer, of course, soups and sandwiches, as well as coffee, fruit, vegetables, and light desserts. One dessert dish that is particularly popular is the naltė, which consists of a mild honeybread on the bottom with a sugary mix of fruit on top. Because of its popularity, it is cheap, and in places (such as the cities) where there is more competition, you might even get a free glass of small wine to accompany the naltė. Near the time of Dornė, of course, you can usually find different styles of desserts that aren't normally made, most of which entail some dessert that is a dark color and has an evil face on it (which is supposed to represent either Gacatė or his servant Dugorm). The Almalinians actually really love this, because they get to say that they are so powerful, they can even devour Gacatė in a few bites. -- Some of these types of local soup and sandwich shops can be found in most villages throughout Almalinė, some better than others.
If you have enough money to eat a bit better, the food is certainly worth the experience. Large diners usually have foods from many different parts of Almalinė. Also, unlike the local shops, they have lots of products with meat. The desserts are much tastier, and the wine is older--all in all, the expensive diners are several times better than the local shops. Along with the extra cost comes the security of knowing that you won't have to watch people get drunk and eat silly little cakes shaped like Gacatė, as well. The bad part about these diners is that there are not very many of them, and so the few that do exist run like an oligopoly; If one diner decides to raise prices, the others will do the same. Due to the lack of enough competition, the prices for these diners can go through the roof. Unless you really have money to burn, it's probably best to only eat at these diners one time during your stay in Almalinė.
The inns and hotels of Almalinė certainly could use improvement. The only really good places to sleep are rooms for people who have some affiliation with high government workers, and so chances are you'll just have to take what you can get.
The common hotels consist of usually no more than four stories, but, of course, if your room is on an upper floor, you'll have to climb up the stairs (and in some of the worse places, they provide only ladders, and no stairs. Have fun!) There is typically only one bed to a room, with just enough space between the bed and the wall that you can walk from the door to the back wall. There is really nowhere to store any valuable items from thieves, and if you do get robbed, you probably will not get help from the police.
There are several reasons why these hotels are in such a poor condition: Firstly, Almalinians do not like strangers; they think that anyone from other lands might be spying on the community for one reason or another. That is also why the police do not usually help travellers who have been robbed: Even if you were robbed by the innkeeper himself and had some proof or evidence, the police would take the word of a local person over the word of a traveller. Secondly, very few Almalinians travel long distances, and so hotels are not often used; the innkeepers do not make enough money to reinvest into their hotel.
The most important thing you need to keep in mind when choosing a place to rest are your valuables. While the locals will not distrust you enough to attack you, they will make every effort to take advantage of your wealth. Due to that, it might be best if you found a place away from homes and people to bury your belongings before you check into the hotel. If that is not possible, consider spreading your valuables in different places so that they are harder to find and also keep them on your body at all times. (That is also good advice to help to stop road robbers from stealing all your belongings.)
Although you will get ripped off considerably, the best choice is to hire a guide who owns a horse and cart to take you to wherever you need to go. Roadside thieves will be much more reluctant in attacking you, and so even though the guide will charge heavy fees, it will be worth the cost in the end. If you don't know Almalinian, he will also handle any police or soldiers that are on the road, while you pretend to be deaf. (For why you should pretend to be deaf, see the "What to Do If You Don't Know Almalinian" section.)
If you have no choice but to try to make it on your own, it is best to stay off the road enough so that roadside thieves will not notice you, but not so far that you get lost on the road. Walking off the road is not easy though, by any means. A horse will have great difficulty in walking through the brush, and that will slow you down a lot. You'd be better off selling your horse (if you have one) and walking. Walking, however, introduces more problems, because you have to carry all your belongings. Sell as much as you can spare so that the weight will not tire you down. That done, you can begin walking, but don't be seen by anyone if you can help it; they will think that something suspicious is going on because you're trying to avoid the police and soldiers who guard the roads. As you can see, hiring a guide is the best choice, if available.
Except for special holidays, entertainment events often simply happen at random: A community might just decide that tomorrow they would like to have a dance at the town square, and so that's what happens. You have to be on the look out for things that might be going on; if you know Almalinian, of course, you will be at a great advantage here, because you can ask the locals if anything is planned.
Most events are either of the dancing/food kind or of the socializing/story-telling kind. Obviously, at one type of festival they usually dance and eat special kinds of food. (Each family makes a dish for everyone else to eat.) The other type of festival often involves socializing for a while (during which time they are so busy talking that they hardly bother to eat, and that's why the food at such a gathering isn't as good), followed by travelling bards or historians who sing songs about ancient events, give plays (most of which relate to the Almalinian people rather than the religious figures or historical events), or teach new kinds of dances and music from other places.
Depending on location, you can find other types of events as well. In coastal communities, there might be fishing contests to see who can catch the largest fish. In forest areas, you might sometimes find a race between two groups to see who can build a certain type of house in the fastest time. (The house is often donated to the poor afterward). Along the Nenedolth Mountains, lots of people come annually to ski. Also, in Asdhen and Norgard, you can also pay money to enter a stadium to watch semi-daily bloodbaths of Gurg POWs. (Gurgs are the common footsoldiers to Dugorm, the evil ruler of Gucatė.) However, these fights are incredibly brutal (even for a Gurg to suffer) and are certainly not for the weak at heart. (Some attenders even bring rags to cover their noses and mouths to keep out the rotten smell of dead Gurg bodies, which are usually only cleaned up at the end of each month.)
On Dornė, of course, you will have no problem whatsoever in finding something to do. So long as you pray every few minutes (or, at least look like you're praying), everything will be fine. To find celebrations, simply find some people. If you're in Norgard or Asdhen, you will find even more things to do: Immediately following Dornė every year, the Norgardians and Asdhenians take every single Gurg POW and spy for Dugorm from every cell (with the exception of a minute few know special information or who help maintain the prison facilities) and then the people gather all the Gurgs into the stadium. Then, the largest execution of the year begins right then, just as the new year has started. The wicked screams and shrieks of the Gurgs and spies can be heard throughout Norgard and Asdhen for about six minutes, and then it gradually quiets down. Attendance to this execution, unlike the other smaller ones that go on throughout the year, is free.
Homosexual, Elderly, or Handicapped Travellers
In Asdhen, there is not much to worry about if you are a homosexual. On the further edges of the city, you can even find bars intended exclusively for like-minded people. (Just be careful if you don't speak Almalinian; although these people may be different than most of the other Almalinians, they still have no trust or mercy for anyone who doesn't speak the language. They will turn you in without a second thought.) If you are travelling in and around Norgard, however, these people are much less tolerant to homosexuals (especially males) and if you reveal your homosexuality, you might get mixed in with the next group of Gurg enemies going to the stadium for mass execution. In other areas besides Norgard and Asdhen, everything really depends on whether the area is predominantly of Celtic or Mannish influence (The Celts don't really care all that much, whereas Men do.) In these areas, while you might be less likely to be killed for your homosexuality, it would still be wise to not push it too much, because you never know how the locals feel about it. The best thing to do would be to ask a bartender or a shop-owner where you can find a place intended for other homosexuals.
Elderly people are respected among their fellow Almalinians, especially if they ever actually fought against Gurgs (for a male) or had children (for a female). However, because they tend not to like outsiders, they will not even be concerned with anything you have done and will only see your age as making you worse than what you already are in their minds. Just don't bother them too much (especially Almalinians who have a Mannish cultural background), and they won't give you any trouble.
Handicapped people are deeply admired. In fact this will be the only situation where the locals like you more because you're a handicapped traveller rather than a local handicapped person. -- The reason that Almalinians like this type of people so much is because usually they became handicapped by fighting against Gurgs or some other enemy from Gucatė. If you're a local handicapped person, they will know whether or not you actually became handicapped in this way, but if you're not from the area, they will insist (maybe because of wishful thinking) that you are a brave hero who got injured fighting the forces of evil, even if you tell them that you got hurt in some other way. If you try to tell them the truth, they will just drown out your voice with high praise. And if they somehow finally will admit that you became handicapped by some other way, they will still like you because they will insist that you must have been hurt trying to serve the community or by trying to have fun in the name of Cardė. (They know that you wouldn't have been born handicapped: The mothers of children who are born with defects are blindfolded, led far out into the wilderness to a hillside, where they are then forced to leave their baby. Any family that is found which tries to hide their baby because it has defects will be executed, even the other children who might have not been involved with their parents' plan to protect the baby.)
