ellinor
Explorer
Does/did Kormick's player (jonrog1, right?) write the notebook entries?
A flattering question, Coyote6 -- thanks! I wrote them, and jonrog1 made some enriching revisions.
Does/did Kormick's player (jonrog1, right?) write the notebook entries?
Excerpts from the notebook of Jan Kormick:
March 23 24 days of food.
Terrain: mountains --> high plains.
If the rats were any indication, the creatures of the Ketkath really have it in for us. Now it appears that the Ketkath’s inanimate objects must have it in for us as well. We were attacked last night by black and white spheres, like nothing I had ever seen before. The black ones bludgeoned and the white ones exploded. At best, it was uncomfortably reminiscent of this region’s approach to Kettenite theology. At worst…we still have no sense as to who sent the things, or if they were capable of free will.
On a positive note, young Savina demonstrated her impressive healing capabilities, treating the party’s severe burn injuries with relative dispatch. That girl continues to surprise me. The slave, Arden, was very effective in battle, but the journey has weakened her considerably.
March 24 23 days of food.
Terrain: high plains.
Arden collapsed today. Overheard her muttering that the slippers are cursed; she's ditched them.
March 25 22 days of food.
Terrain: high rocky plains w/ large boulders.
We have found a cave, and will rest for the day. The cave contains signs of humanoid inhabitants, decades abandoned. Wall paintings with white and black dots, also flying lizards. It also contains a largeish amount of raw residuum (Chelesta calls it “god’s breath”), of which we take a small amount for refining. Mena believes the cave housed “old ones,” natives who were forcibly converted/exterminated by Soveriegns.
The more I learn about the Sovereigns, the more it seems to me that they need a taste of justice.
Tavi and Chelesta will forage for food.
March 26 23.5 days of food.
Terrain: high rocky plains.
Into the area of red “X” on Ehktian map. Some signs of life: tiny lizards (multicolored), green-eared rabbits. Occasional humanoid footprints. Mena examined prints in detail (size, depth, comparative depth front to back, stride…she is very thorough). She thinks they are primate. If that is not strange enough, the ground is strewn with the bleached remains of old trees—tall, once, but now on their sides as if some larger-than-life monster plucked them up like weeds. They were uprooted long ago, with marks and gouges near their tops. Like many things here, it makes no sense.
We will sleep without fire. Now is not the time to draw the attention of primates or become aphids to some gargantuan gardener.
March 28 21.5 days of food.
Terrain: high plains.
Slept without fire for second night. It is very cold. Arden said “the trick is just to resign yourself to it.” Where did she learn to withstand cold? Not balmy Pol Henna.
March 29 20.5 days of food.
Terrain: high plains.
Uneventful.
March 30 19.5 days of food.
Terrain: high plains, occasional trees.
My purse is lighter by one gold piece, as our trek carried us past the massive, sun-dried skeleton of a dragon. Chelesta seemed surprised as I handed her the spoils of our wager. Did she think I would not honor the debt? I never lie.
Slave’s bare feet remain sore and blistered. Slipper curse unlikely.
March 31 18.5 days of food.
Terrain: more frequent trees.
We have made good progress, and have only one more day’s travel before reaching the outer edges of where we might find the Spring. Today is a rest day, before embarking on the more challenging terrain ahead. Savina and Tavi foraged for food, but found little. No surprise: they are not exactly wilderness scouts. Mena and I also foraged, finding and butchering something I can only liken to a deer with antlers that emit sparks. What madman invented these animals?
Chelesta cooks while the slave sleeps. She has found some tasty herbs and is a more refined cook than the slave, although the slave is competent and our provisions are not prone to embellishment. Chelesta speaks of a childhood in the di Vittani kitchen. (Presumably, then, she was born in service.) She is also trained in alchemy. It is apparent that the di Vittanis devoted great resources to their servant’s training.
A curious amount of resources, actually. Note: ask Dame Mena precisely why we're bringing Rose's lady-in-waiting into a hostile wilderness. Actually, note-on-note: Dame Mena is ... precise. There must be a reason this particular party is made up of these particular people, beyond the bounds of kinship or friendship. Hmm.
Savina is particularly shy around Tavi. He seems not to notice. This reflects either a great deal of experience in ignoring young women, or a rare level of obliviousness.
April 1 20 days of food.
Terrain: rocky, forested. Uphill.
Today’s trek brought us into the area in which we might find the Spring.
It would appear that “Alirria’s path” may have a literal meaning of some sort. Savina has observed that in this region, each young tree has buds only on the south sides of its branches.
We will turn south.
We are marching through the most dangerous mountains in the world led by a girl who forgot to pack boots. I have had better ideas ...