Excerpts of the Journal of Erud I  

 

Journal Excerpt One

The company with which I travel has reached the settlement of Freeport, little more than a collection of tents and wooden huts guarded by ruffians and crawling with brigands and men of a most scrupulous nature. Despite the filth and seediness of the settlement, I must admit there are wonders to be found here unlike any I have laid eyes on in all of Antonica. Tradesmen peddle these strange wares gathered from across the Ocean of Tears on a continent said to be filled with lush forests and strange humanoids - some of which are fairly hospitable to visiting foreigners. I can only assume that we humans are as strange to them as they are to us. My companions and I will attempt to charter passage on one of the trading vessels as soon as we have secured the necessary provisions for the journey.

Journal Excerpt Two

Never have I dreamt of a body of water so vast as the Ocean of Tears. Although my home city of Qeynos rests against the western coast of Antonica, I have never voyaged upon a ship for such great distances and so far from any visible coastline. The traders that we have purchased passage from recount tails of several islands that have been visible in the distance through the ocean mist and fog. They spoke of an island of elven women that slay any man who sets foot on their sacred shores, of goblins that live in the shallows and underwater caverns, and of one-eyed giants that hunt sharks like our fishermen hunt fish. There are even tales of lost ships that haunt the ocean, manned by crews of the dead. How much truth there is to any of the tales is questionable but if anything, they make for entertaining stones to pass the time at sea.

Journal Excerpt Three

The ship that carries my companions and I has docked on the shore of a region called the Butcherblock Mountains. Apparently this is the homeland of the Dwarves, a race of short, stocky, gruff, and hairy people with a fondness for battle and beer. I’m afraid I have not much in common with these dwarven folk, but the warriors of my company seem to have taken a liking to them. There are none among us who speak their language, but a few of the dwarves that reside near the docks have learned enough of our human tongue to answer basic questions we have presented to them; and beneath their gruff and rugged mannerisms they seem to possess a great deal of patience.