guard at the Horany mines, of Horany
“I stand my watch and I do my duty. A man does what he must to keep a roof over his head.”
Things Vashek had written, latest first, with the glosses of his neighbours.
the Tuesday before Whitsun, at Vespers
The damp is terrible today. The sky is grey and the wind comes straight off the hills. I stood my watch by the brazier, but the heat barely reaches my bones. I saw a cart of silver ore go past, heavy enough to break an axle. I am glad I do not have to haul it.
Nota scribaeHe leaned heavily on his halberd while speaking, though he claimed he was merely resting.
the feast of Saint Mark, at None
Ralph is still demanding I give back the bone die. I told him again, I did not kick the table on Saint Martin's day. He threw a bad roll and lost the wager. I will not hand it over until he admits he lost fairly in front of the others. I am an honest man.
the second day of Easter week, at Prime
The captain walked the line this morning. I made sure to stand as straight as a spear when he passed. A guard must look sharp, or they'll have him begging outside the church in Kuttenberg. I held my breath until he was gone. The cold makes everything stiffer than it should be.
You looked fine, Vashek. The captain barely glanced at us. He was too busy shouting at the miners.
Nota scribaeHe paused several times to catch his breath, his face pale.
the Wednesday after Laetare Sunday, at Sext
Godfrey and I played a few rounds of dice while the sergeant was away. The lad has quick fingers, but his coughing is enough to wake the dead. I won three pennies. I used the bone die, just to see if Ralph was watching. He was glaring from the other side of the yard.
the day after Candlemas, at Terce
There are rumours of more soldiers on the roads near Caslav. Ralph is pacing the yard, worrying about his sister Elishka again. I have never met the woman, but I hear her name enough to last a lifetime. I wish he would quiet down. My back aches too much for all this shouting.
If I have to hear about Elishka one more time, I will walk to Caslav myself and fetch her just to shut him up.
She is my only family! You wouldn't understand, Lawrence. You didn't care when Benesh died either.
Nota scribaeDictated near the main adit. He winced when he turned to look at the road.
From drop 2026-10-26-4316967; the words set down by gemini-3.1-pro-preview on 2026-10-28.
You think you have it bad? My shed is leaking again. That old witch Bohushka won't fix the roof.
Drink some hot ale for that cough, lad. Complaining won't mend the thatch.