My Life Among the Barbarians

Some mornings I wonder why I bothered crawling out of bed. Usually only before the distilled Mana has finished brewing. This morning was one of those mornings. The littlest barbarian moved into the hut we built for her two nights ago and she is still adjusting. Instead of her usual wakeups, she's sleeping restlessly and waking three or even four times in the night. I hope once she's used to her new hut, she'll wake up less frequently or perhaps sleep through the night.  It has been so much more than a year since last I slept through a night. I begin to wonder if I will ever get a good nights sleep again. This morning, after sleeping poorly and waking early, I discovered two angry and rebellious barbarians in the Gathering Hall. We have often discussed propriety and when various states of undress are appropriate, it seems barbarians may be incapable of understanding the concept. They proved highly resistant to the idea of dressing and with the cooler weather they needed ...

Today I intended to open a market stall and attempt to sell some of the items I have accumulated doing my years of research. I had intended. Winter has other plans. Despite the fact that we are more than halfway through spring and only thirty-five days until the first day of summer, it is snowing. My plans to open a market stall have been postponed for a week and I will miss the big regional market event. Winter just keeps coming back around. The elder pair of barbarians have decided that naps are not allowed and the littlest barbarian is revolting at the idea. She awakened from the tiny nap she was allowed with shrieks and rare fury. The middle barbarian has refused to do his part in cleaning up the settlement and is instead sitting on the stuffed hides staring at the glowing rocks. I'm deciding if this is a hill I'd like to die on or not.

Each of the barbarians my partner and I have taken on have been early walkers. The eldest was the latest one at about ten months old.  This youngest barbarian that we have taken on didn't even wait eight months before getting her feet under her. Now? Now she runs. She's just celebrated her first Birthing Day and she's trouble on two stubby legs. Yesterday, I made a quick trip to the outhouse, leaving her in the Gathering Hall for just a minute or two. We keep our Gathering Hall fairly well barbarian proofed and yet it wasn't enough. In the time I was in the outhouse, the littlest barbarian climbed up on to the stuffed hides (which are only a few weeks old) picked up my mug of distilled Mana and splashed it all over the hides. In two minutes. Having learned my lesson, today when I needed to venture to the outhouse, I took my Mana with me. Thus thwarted, the littlest barbarian instead climbed into the stuffed chair we keep in the corner and attempted to dive off the to...

This morning has been quite eventful, though not as eventful as yesterday evening. After the elder barbarians had finished at the Halls of Learning yesterday, we joined the Westward caravan to visit the Distant Honorable Elder. We visited two special market squares to pick up supplies. The elder barbarians were in rare form, mutinous and irritable. The middle barbarian insisted that he was tired, but refused to actually rest. We picked up our necessary supplies, but by the end of it the barbarians had rubbed off on the Elder and I. I joined the Eastbound caravan later than I intended and arrived home well past bedtime for all three barbarians. This late arrival last night led to Titanic attitudes this morning. The Halls of Learning opened late today due to fog and I have just finished dropping off the elder pair. The littlest barbarian is quite inconsolable at the moment and I must settle her in for a nap, afterward, I shall pen my observations on the benefits and drawbacks of early...

I feel like it has been an extraordinarily long time since last I recorded my observations about the barbarians. I've been feeling a bit under the weather for the past fortnight, but I'm back on top of my game today. At the end of this week, I will be opening a trading stall in the market to rid myself of some old furs and things. I've been busily preparing for this endeavor and I begin to question my own sanity. What could possibly have possessed me to even consider opening a market stall? Even for two days it's been more work than I could have possibly anticipated. The eldest barbarian has been exceptionally reluctant to attend the Halls of Learning of late. Down to resisting so violently I've actually been tempted to allow him remain at the settlement a time or two. A week ago, I went down to the Halls of Learning at the mid-day and joined the barbarian horde for luncheon. After the meal with the eldest, I adjourned with the horde outside. I believe that I ...

Yesterday was the littlest barbarian's Birthing Day Ritual, her true birthing day isn't for another couple of days, but we celebrated her ritual early so that more of the Elders and our friends could attend.  I am still struggling to wrap my mind around the idea that the littlest barbarian is nearly one year old. It has gone so quickly. We rose early yesterday to the realization that we had not yet prepared the traditional birthing day food offering. My partner ended up having to run to Wayfarer's twice for things that I had neglected to trade for earlier in the week. Since we had planned the Ritual for noon, it was a busy morning changing the rushes on the floors of the huts and tidying up the trails between huts. Added to that was quickly making the traditional offering. It turned out quite well, if I can say so myself. The littlest barbarian was delighted with the company that joined us in the Gathering Hall to celebrate. She particularly enjoyed shredding the papers...

The settlement is quiet around my partner and I at long last. It is the hour that I would normally be settling into my furs for the night, instead I have stayed up to record the day. It began as most mornings begin, with rebellious barbarians. Gentle reminders about the extravaganza silenced any protests. They were in high spirits when the caravan deposited them at the Halls of Learning. The Most Honorable Elders minded the littlest barbarian that I could finish cleaning the settlement in preparation for the Ritual tomorrow. After her nap, we collected the elder barbarians and joined the Westward caravan. We picked up my partner along the way. The extravaganza was held in the Hippodrome on the fairgrounds near the Distant Honorable Elder. There have been few occasions when all three barbarians have been so fascinated by the same thing. Watching the sabertooth tigers and the mammoths delighted even the littlest barbarian. The acrobats and jugglers raised shouts and squeals, the jest...

Well, I didn't awaken to a disaster in the Gathering Hall. Though I did wake up to two barbarians suffering greatly beneath a titanic cloud of ill humor. The eldest seems to have developed a knack for uncooperative behavior in the mornings (and evenings really) when he just decides that whatever it is necessary that he complete is the one thing he will not do. This leads to many little skirmishes over the breaking of our fasts and the completion of assignments his Wise Woman gives him. I fear that soon these little skirmishes will come to all out war, but today that is the least of my worries. The day of the littlest barbarian's Birthing Day ritual looms ever closer and our settlement is by no means prepared to play host to a half dozen of our fellows from distant settlements. The Northernmost Brother will likely be attending and he may join a caravan travelling past the Distant Honorable Elder. If he brings her, it will mean I need only ride the caravans twice to return her ...

It was dark in my hut when the eldest barbarian entered. His voice was a hushed whisper as he called out to me. The littlest barbarian, hearing something amiss, began to stir in her pile of furs near the hearth. She let out a mewl of protest as his voice intruded into the last few blessed minutes of her sleep. I may have grumbled more than a little myself. He had invaded the sanctuary of my hut to inform me that the White Wolf had been sick again in the Gathering Hall. Twice. The littlest barbarian wailed in protest as I rose from my furs and left the hut, letting a sliver of morning light invade the windowless confines of my sleeping hut. By the time I was finished cleaning up the mess the White Wolf had left upstairs, the littlest barbarian was sending up a cacophony of protests. I am quite certain that the littlest barbarian is the culprit behind the White Wolf's upset stomach. It doesn't take a Shaman to know that wolves have no business eating the rich foods little bar...

What a day this has been. We started the morning with snow on the ground and ended with a day that hardly called for furs at all. The little barbarians were fairly well behaved this afternoon, which was lucky. My partner has been kept late at the hunt again tonight. I am on my own with the barbarians this evening. It can feel overwhelming at bedtime even with both my partner and I present. Since he was promoted to leader of the hunt, he's been home more often than not at bedtime and I suppose I may have become spoiled by his presence. I have just tucked the littlest barbarian into her furs and am staying close until she falls asleep, but I can hear the elder barbarians at the top of the hill misbehaving. We may yet have a mutiny today.

Winter returns. This morning, the eldest barbarian is beyond excited. His clan from the Halls of Learning is going on a special westbound caravan this morning to view some special ritual performance. His agitation, while positive, is stunning in its intensity. As we beain to prepare to ride the caravan to the Halls of Learning, I saw the weather change before my eyes. I had been greeted this morning by a fairly typical spring rain. As I ordered the barbarians into their furs, I watched as the rain turned to snow. Winter isn't finished with us, we have rejoiced too soon. I fear for the eldest barbarian's westward journey.