Scribe Matters and Shield Designs

 Journal Entry: June 27, 2026 Location: Port Olni

Mood/Title: Scribe Matters and Shield Designs

Met up with Balkan Sands and Tura over at the inn this morning. Balkan noticed a quiet slave girl named Laela cleaning off a table nearby and asked if she was a new acquisition of mine. It turns out she was actually my ex-companion’s slave, and a warrior named Count Despres had brought her into the city. I initially suggested she go to the kennels first for a quick training alignment, but Laela bowed and tearfully begged us to wait a day for Count to return for her.

Balkan checked her chin and appraised her, commanding her to smile, and agreed that since Count brought her, he has first rights. When questioned about her knowledge of Gor, Laela mentioned she was a highly trained reading scroll slave, previously belonging to the library builder Yoda Mactavish of Sulport and Kaellaed of Fina, and she even came here to serve the poet Panner. Since she didn't need basic training, Balkan had Tura take her on a quick public building tour of Olni so she'd know the local layout, and Carmen Audebarn subtly followed along.

Talora arrived shortly after from a shopping trip, quite pleased she managed to haggle a good price on the new pants Balkan was wearing. We talked about their daughter Freya's recent companionship, which Talora is convinced won't last long due to her entitled attitude and love of chaos. Since we still need an official free citizen with a seal to witness the separation paperwork, we decided to wait until Mike or someone else suitable turns up.

We also got to talking about 3D weapon crafting. Father has been asking for a round shield with his logo on it to represent his status in the North, so I handed over two artwork drawings for inspiration. Tura is going to design a 3D domed shield in Blender based on the textures, and Balkan offered to forge the final piece once she finishes the sketches. A scribe named William of Besnit rang the visitor bell at the gates and popped in briefly, asking about the long-term sponsor signs on the docks before heading off to look for his daughter Emi.

By late morning, I headed back to my office to prepare for Tuesday's upcoming class. Later in the afternoon, I met up with Jarek, Ana, and Libbi back at the tavern. Libbi served a fresh pot of blackwine, and Jarek jokingly complained that it tasted like a "burnt brick" compared to the mead. We had a great laugh about Jarek's food groups—he firmly claims cake counts as a vegetable since it's made from ground grains that grow in the dirt! The conversation turned back to her birthday, and Jarek teased Libbi about her excellent "horn-holding talents" before we all headed out to the training fields to close out the day.

To Do:

• Gather the required witness with an official seal to finalize Talora and Balkan's separation form.

• Pass the full-perm shield texture files over to Tura on Discord so she can download them for the Blender 3D build.

• Finalize the lesson plan and study materials for Tuesday's upcoming class.

• Check on Layla's library scroll transcription progress now that she is back in the study.

• Keep an eye out for Count Despres to see how he intends to place Laela within Olni.