Diary of a Compulsive Harvester

by Niami DenMother

Queen's Colony, Day 1: Now that I've recovered from being dumped ashore like so much flotsam, with only the clothes on my back, I've found a lovely new hobby to aid in my dream of becoming a skilled crafter. The locals call it harvesting, though I tend to think of it as scrounging, personally. I've even found a native coffee bean that makes a passable drink! I need more pack space, though, for all these wonderful goodies.

Day 3: Some rude gobbies tried to beat me up while I was trying to harvest some tin to make a buckle for a pack. The guards who patrol the area helped me out, but I lost my chance at the tin. I will have more revenge ... once I make more room in my packs somehow.

Day 4: I've cobbled together a couple lopsided strongboxes for my bank vault, and a couple small packs to carry with me. I also learned a couple more offensive spells in case those durn gobbies are still guarding that tin. Must get more resources!

Day 6: Someone told me the resources here are a pale shadow of what I will find in Qeynos. I'm rushing through my final tasks so I can head to town and do some real crafting. Must get more pack space, even though I'm simply destroying all those annoying fungi!

Baubbleshire, Day 10: I've been busy settling in, so I haven't written much. The most major thing of note since arriving here was a slight incident with a badger that I mistook for an ore node the other day. Thankfully, the healer says the bite marks won't even leave a scar.

Everything that I was told about the variety of resources was true. However, due to a damp spring and lazy fellow harvesters, there are way too many fungi around choking off the growth of the shrubs, roots, trees and so forth. I really need more pack space. Note to self: Remember to repair gear after the badger incident.

Antonica, Day 12: I ventured out into the surrounding area today, in search of higher-quality resources. I need to keep the items separate from those I harvested in lesser areas, so I need more pack space again! There are also a lot of bears, and wolves and such lurking around the choicest harvesting spots. Musn't forget yet more wily badgers trying to disguise themselves as ore in an effort to lure the unwary into biting distance. Good thing I caught on to their wily ways early on, as they seem feisty enough to even pull elephants and the like into their dens! I need to continue my studies of the magical arts so I can make the region safe for harvesting ... and to pay for bigger bags, as well as the inevitable repair fees.

Antonica, Day 15: Fungi, fungi everywhere. Yuck! I finally found some yummy oranges and such, only to get attacked by a gnoll. By the time I got done dealing with him, some adventurer had run through and taken the oranges. Darn node-thieves! Darn gnolls! Need to learn more spells to blast them all sky-high when they get between me and my crafting supplies.

Antonica, Day 17: Learned how to make wunnerful vodka toady today. Delish! Mus get more ingreed inng stuff to make more. Mebbe Maybe mix it with orange jooce juice next time. Wheeee ... after I sleep, and find bigger packs.

Antonica, Day 18: Note to self: Hey, self, stop being such a dummy! Drinking and harvesting don't mix (the vodka and orange juice idea worked a bit too well!). Durn badgers impersonating ore again! Ran out of pack space, so started selling off some of my baked goods to cover the rising repair bills. I just know that mender is overcharging me!! As a side-benefit from the marketing, I cleared more storage space for more goodies!

Thundering Steppes, Day 21: New resources to play with! Not enough bag space! More ore-impersonating badgers! More repair bills! More fungi! Gah!

Thundering Steppes, Day 25: It seems like a never-ending battle to keep my pack space growing apace with my scrounging abilities. I've taken to using my baked goodies as bribes to other crafters, in order to get spells, new robes and the like made from some of my rare harvests. Anything to help protect me as I chase after more resources. I've been told of a lovely spot to find some honey, and I'm really looking forward to being geared up enough to obtain some for cooking experiments. But first, more repair bills, and a complaint to the guards in the area about all the nasty fungi growing rampant.

Thundering Steppes, Day 26: The guards laughed at my fungi complaints at first, blaming a very wet season for the evil growths. However, once I brought out my newest trail mix experiments and told them that the fungi were choking out the growth of the foodstuffs I needed to make it, they seemed to be rethinking their stance on the vile stuff.

Enchanted Lands, Day 28: Gah! Yet more badgers, and some of them are pretty durn hefty-looking. Good thing I'm on to their evil plot and steered clear of them. Some day, though, it will be badger fur caps for everyone!! I've also heard that if I collect all the pretty colored maple leaves out here, I can get a larger pack for all the yummy goodies. Must get bigger packs! Sparklies!

Baubbleshire, Day 30: Some odd magic streaked across the lands overnight, and there are all sorts of tales this m*rning about much larger magical yields when harvesting as well as the disappearance of several food items. Alas, honey and cinnamon, I was able to experiment with you only briefly before you were gone again. In other news, the guards seem to have taken my complaints to heart, and gone on a fungi removal campaign. I must remember to bring out some more of my trail mix to the hard-working chaps as soon as I finish up these gear repairs and craft a bit more.

To Be Continued ...

Be sure to visit EQ2 Traders for some very insightful crafting information!