Franz Lohner's Chronicle - Misplaced Manners

An absent-minded man of mysteries, Franz Lohner relies on his bulging journal to keep track of occurrences, intrigues and arguments around Taal's Horn Keep. Sometimes his notes are even useful, believe it or not. The Franz Lohner Chronicles are extracts from that journal.

Now, as you may know, imaginary voices I keep hearing in my head who are probably not Be’lakor, I’ve been trying to track down Bardin’s missing daughter, Hedda, for some time. Letter after letter, I’ve sent, handled by my most trusted couriers - or at least those what have survived this most trying of times – but as yet, no reply.

Before you say it, I’m convinced Hedda’s still alive and kicking. Too tough to pack it in, that one – she’s got the bloodline for it. More likely, it’s just that she’s working up the motivation to reply. I mean, her relationship with her old dad notwithstanding, she is of the younger generation, and I never did meet one of her lot that had a passing acquaintance with what we more distinguished hands consider to be good manners. 

And it ain’t as though dwarfs are at their best when it comes to replying to correspondence in the first place. One of the consequences of a hearty lifespan, I imagine. After all, when you can expect to walk the world for hundreds of years, that letter can wait another day, right? Certainly, Bardin doesn’t even respond to spoken conversation unless the mood takes him, and I’m not convinced he listens much when his ears do prick up. And don’t get me started on elves. No offence to Kerillian, if only because I’m reasonably sure she’s still reading this diary, but a race of beings who refuse to put quill to parchment until the muse takes them don’t exactly make for reliable correspondents. 

But never let it be said that old Franz Lohner was a man to give up, no sir! I’ll find that dratted distaff dwarf if I have to lift every stone between Lustria and Cathay. Well, not personally, but you know what I mean, don’t you, hopefully-not-Be’lakor?

As for our other absentees? No sign of either, I’m sad to say. Kruber’s well overdue now, and that’s no good thing. As for Saltzpyre’s missing cat? Well, I think we’ll have to give up on the benighted thing. Life’s cheap around here at the best of times … and the best of times are barely a memory at this point. There’s a lot of quiet moping going on, is what I’m saying, and it gets a body down after a while.

There’s nothing else for it. I think it’s time for Franz Lohner, man of action, to live up to his name. To blazes with Kruber’s wishes – I think it’s time for the Ubersreik Five to see what’s happened to their fifth.

Any you know what? I might just go with ‘em.