First things first ... find some new clothing to either replace or at least cover-up the scorch marks left on my tunic and pants by staff weapon near hits. I acquired some new and very nasty burns on my right hip when I dove behind the dialing device the last time. The previous attempts to dial a known friendly address resulted in having my pack blasted in two pieces and a good bit of my braided hair being vaporized. Reaching over the top of the consol and pressing the gate address blindly from memory and under heavy cross fire is not recommended. Consequences are usually unpredictable at best, deadly at worse case, somewhat like jumping from flames of one fire into the hotter more intense smoldering ash of another. Not sure what I have stumbled onto here though. The few people I have seen have been amiable enough I suppose. No threats so far but I have been pretty much silent since arriving. I feel the need to allow my ears to stop ringing and come up with a plausible story to tell anyone that might be an authority figure that cares to ask. I'm still not sure why everyone was shooting at everyone else on the last place I was. I'm fairly sure I was not the cause of it. Well mostly sure, although most of the shooting was seemingly aimed in my direction for some few but very intense minutes. Images of those few minutes are still fuzzy and indistinct in my mind. Not to worry about this right now … Assessing my current situation, I usually travel light but arriving here with what I was wearing and a few odd coins from here and there and my still warm to the touch zat sets a new record (even for me) in quick departure light travel. I will take a look at the area with all the guild halls maybe there are some friendly types that could use my services. No one seems to really be advertising for a reader of ancient languages though maybe I should learn the local dialect a bet better before offering.