Maus Books Vol.1

 Growing up playing Morrowind and Baulder's Gate where every book picked up in the game is fully written, detailing various parts of lore in the world, I have always loved the immersion that comes with books in my tabletop games. That said, not all players are into this sort of thing and would rather use their very limited mouse inventory for other more survival related items. Books should be rare treasures, able to be brought back and sold or kept and there is nothing wrong with having a paragraph or two of interesting lore prepared should characters decide to take a peek inside.

Here are a few books that I wrote up that can be found in mouse settlements or elsewhere in the world. The spelling and grammar is intentionally odd to portray dialects and a non standardized pseudo medieval writing style for flavor.

A Brief History of the Earldom of Ek

It was in the early days did the six settlements come together by calamitous forces. For in those years a great storm poured forth its rains so heavily that every seed was washed from the soil and every food storage submerged. Begged the mice of the realms to the beavers to relent in their constructions but they declined. So proud were these folk of their edifice that the lives of the woodland creatures were of no concern and such little importance. A great swell of water overtook the fields where mice once foraged, under waves went ancient paths where many creatures travelled. Deep was the waters then, taller than a hundred mice. One point stood above the flat surface of the water the next morning after the calamity. A clustering of trees upon a hill called the Oaksgrove, and like moths to a glowing flame the mice drifted upon wood and upon rafts of debris from the wash that had sunken all. Building from the remains, the mice constructed homes in the trees, betwixts the trunks and branches. There in knotholes and amid the tangle of roots, mice refugee camps could be found. Even when the waters receded, still the mice of Ek dweleth within their new stronghold and stockpile supplies by trade to weather the next calamities.

The Acorn in the Stone

Deep in the wild wood, the squirrel kin have a story they telleth to many a strong and aspiring warrior. Long ago there was a bitter rivalry betwixt a pair of brothers. One named Hans and the other Otto. The brother Hans was strong with a fine tail, the eye of many a lady squirrel was upon him. His brother Otto was calm and brave, stoic in the face of his arrogant brother's boasting. Especially about his conquests. One day a beautiful white furred lady of the elder beech came to visit the brothers and asketh their help for in her kingdom, a great blight twas rotting all of their acorns collected for the winter stock. Otto offered first to help for her hand in marriage, but so too did his brother. And so it was that brothers would duel for this task and this fair maiden. Little did they know that this was a trick and fair maiden sought to destroy these strong squirrels by turning one on the other. Only then could she claim their family oak for her realm. And so the brothers fought and Otto was victorious but before the lady of the elder beech could claim Otto's family acorn, the magic that held the spirit of the oak, he thrust it betwixt a crack in a great stone and from there it has not been moved. Thought many a strong squirrel hath tried , for with it they may claim the great oak grove.