–You find a weathered old parchment tacked up after the others. It does not resemble them in the least. What was once crisp white vellum has yellowed with age, tattered at the edges, and cracked in a few places. It is a look back into a time long forgotten, before the years had been unkind.–
52nd Year of Yuri’s Reign, Summer:
As I woke this morning in the village just to the south of the shrine to the Chung Ryong, my eyes met an image of a beautiful sun rising against a crimson sky… I took up the spear of my ancestor in my hand, and put my weight upon it as I rose from my pallet of pine boughs. I walk to a nearby tree and gather the remainder of my gear, preparing to find myself some breakfast. Stringing my bow, I sling a set of Bekyun’s shafts over my shoulder and trek off amongst the trees of the forested wilderness. After a joyful walk, I find one of my favored hunting spots, and climb up into an old maple. Resting against the large trunk, I wait quietly for my breakfast to arrive…
After a time, I hear a rustle in the brush below me… I knock an arrow and ready myself to draw and release… Out of the bushes tumbles a frightened young mage who seemed to be running quite frantically… Gosh darn it! He’s lucky he didn’t get shot… Though I’ve heard young mage tastes much like roast duck, my tastebuds weren’t in a cannibalistic mood… Though no sooner than this thought had come through my mind, the thing which had frightened the young boy came bolting out from the bushes, not more than 10 feet behind him… It was a majestic looking Buck, almost regal with his large rack of antlers… My fingers draw the string taut, resting my thumb by my cheek, and my fingers slip from the cord, letting fly the shaft empowered by Bekyun’s magic. The arrow hits home, and the buck falters almost instantly, taking one leap before he fell. Hopping down from the tree, I ask the boy if he is alright, and I tend to his wounds. Sending him along his way, I take my breakfast in hand, and I drag the carcass back home.
On my way back home, I collect a few acorns from the trees, placing them in one of my pouches. I also made it a point to gather a few other things to setup shop with later in the day… Arriving at camp, I dress out the deer and give thanks to nature for her bounties… Throwing a portion of venison over the flames of my campfire, I begin to scrape clean the deerskin and tie it to a stretching rack. Ahh, finally enjoying some breakfast…
–a couple of days later–
The skin is finally ready for my latest project… The other morning, when I climbed up into the tree, my gown gained a healthy-sized tear, running from the hem up to the knee. When I took that buck, I decided I was going to make myself a new gown from the hide. Though admittedly, I am not the most skilled when it comes to tailoring clothing… I defer to the excellence of the butcher from Hausson, travelling to her doorstep to ask some assistance… She graciously entertained my request, especially when I dropped a small pouch of gold in her hands. We settled on a design which took heavily from the ilbon regions. Min and I spent all day tailoring this sleek gown of buckskin, and when I finally was able to put it on, a tear of gladness formed in my eye. It ran down my cheek and fell onto the tough yet supple buckskin garment, and in turn rolled onto the floor. I thanked Min deeply, and left her house with a deep-rooted joy in my heart…
This is the tale of my acquiring this gown of buckskin…
A post-script, added years later, reads:
See, I wasn’t always an eccentric old woman!