Play by Post - View Single Post - Avornmagor’s Journal

Eyvind Redbeard · December 24, 2007, 01:20 PM

This is the beginning of what will grow and become the continent of Vagaria. This Journal will exist IC in a secret location already realmcrafted. Players who find it may try to travel North and find this lost continent. Read and give me your thoughts.

Avornmagor’s Journal – Vagaria’s shore

“I have written this journal during my journey to the far north. What is documented in this writings is known to none except me. We saw extraordinary and terrifying things in that journey and only I managed to return. Whoever reads this, use this information wisely. We were too young to understand what we were getting ourselves into.”

Avornmagor Fafnirsson

Legends told of our homeland. Legends told of Ancient Vagaria, the northern continent, the frozen and icy lands lost in the middle of the Great Sea. All of us remembered the tales of the elder ones, tales of how our people had arrived at these very shores and settled preparing themselves for a new life. Those who arrived told nothing to their sons and daughters and therefore whatever fate had forced our mighty people to migrate across the water was lost in the mists of time. Fragments of legend and myth speak of a tragedy, a cataclysm that ended all life, other lost words say of a war of epic proportions. As if the gods themselves had fought over our land ravaging it and ruining the mortals that lived, sending the few survivors in a goose chase for a new land to call home.

Our people found this land, the Medonian Continent, a massive portion of land possibly larger than Vagaria itself. On these shores we found other peoples, some far too different from our own to be called Humans, others close enough but still somehow different. We met the Tribes of the Baijani, the yellow skinned people that nowadays inhabits the same shores we do, the Northern Shores of Carmelyn. But some of our people travelled further west meeting furry creatures that walked on two legs, some resembled huge dogs or wolves and others looked more like enormous cats. They named themselves the Dorin and the Katta. Those of us who decided to explore the interior of this vast continent found the ever growing Aelyrian Kingdom ruled by its winged King Constantine. Under his gaze countless races marched on in eternal war. Slim creatures with pointy ears, short and resilient bearded men and even green skinned animals made up his armies.

Treating us like invaders they fought us and pushed our people back. Families were shattered, many lost their lives and we now stand in a bridge that may break at any moment. This war has been fought over countless generations and we the Vagaran continue defending ourselves as well as we can, but it has been a harsh time for us. Eras turned into Centuries and the Vagaran returned to a primal state, we now form tribes instead of civilized communities. We wage war on one another as much as we do to our neighbors. The castes have long disappeared, and only we the Gothir still remember the glory of our arrival at these shores. Time has come to unite our people and that must be done with due haste for I sense great changes to come. Without a place or person to turn I’ve came up with the idea that we must travel back, shred the mist that has been covering our eyes and return to Vagaria to find our destiny.

I know I am not alone in this quest for union, although I am the only using the route. There is another, Antediluvian of the Arkdüni, a great warrior, a legend of a man even among our people. He is known across this continent and few dare to threaten him. I trust him as I would trust one of my own but I know that waging war to King Constantine won’t save us from doom. Therefore I must travel to the land of ancestors, find what happened to them and find the help we so much need.

To my journey I have surrounded myself with the best warriors of my people, the Gothir. People of my own blood and all I treat as brothers. Edgoth, the Wise; Einar, the Bold; Halldor, the Reckless; Haaken, the Merry-singer; Hyglak, the Sailor; Herger, the Goldmane among many others. All of them legends on their own, united nothing shall make this expedition falter.

At first they didn’t seem to accept the necessity of this journey, but after many Brightenings and Darkenings not without its portion of mead I convinced them to come. They now understand the need of our people; they will make this journey not only for themselves and for the glory and treasures we will find but also for all the Vagaran.

Soon we will have everything we need and then will depart to find our and our people’s destiny. And what a tale it will be for the Skalds to tell.

Brightening 0

The ships are finally ready for our journey. Their masts go to great heights and some of the children say they will surely pierce the sky once we get close to the horizon. Edgoth is confident of the ships capabilities in open waters and I gladly believe him, the hull is strong and slightly deeper than the usual in our Longships, these are Drakkars . The supplies already arrived, dry meat and a large amount of barrels containing water. The people are gathering to see our departure, the old men pray for us and the children come and offer us small gifts, one gave me a bone spoon. Although Antediluvian couldn’t come in person he sent a messenger wishing me good luck and telling me how sad he is for not being able to come. It seems he is busy preparing some campaign plans, I will see what it is when we returned covered in glory and treasures. Einar is so thrilled about the idea of treasure that he says we should have bigger ships and more boxes and bags to carry the gold we will find, I don’t blame him.

Brightening 1

The departure went well, the three ships had no problem so far and the only thing to be noted is that we almost forgot about Halldor, it seems the lad was too busy teaching something to a lass he met, so busy he didn’t listen to the lass’ father entering her longhouse. It smells marriage to me when he returns. The lad told me that he is confident of the lass’s pregnancy. Knowing the father of the girl as I know I think he won’t be very pleased, but they can come and live in my lands once we return.

The crew is pleased, the Seer opened a sheep and read in the entrails that our journey would be forever remembered and covered in glory. The omens are good and the men seem eager to continue. Nothing will stop us, we have the gods in our side and Aslan himself protects us under his shield.

Brightening 3

We continue sailing north, everything is in order and the men are excited with the journey. The wind is blowing well, we still have plenty of supplies and no one is tired. All I can imagine is our success. The shoreline disappeared this morning, the last mountain was left behind, we now surrounded only by water, our element.

Brightening 4

I spotted dark clouds in the horizon but it is unlikely that we will end up in the middle of a storm soon, it will disappear by the time we get there. We have the favor of the Gods and nothing shall stop us now. “hehehe” himself appeared to me in a dream saying the storm would not affect us. With such divine gifts we can only succeed.

Brightening 30

I was wrong, the storm caught us and we’ve spent the last few cycles battling it. The waves were so big that I thought the ocean would swallow us with ease, the men were forced to use buckets and then their own helmets to take water from the ships. The damages done in the ships weren’t too big but we lost Halldor to the ocean’s womb. My bones tell me he left an orphan child and that he won’t be the only. The storm is calming down but I guess it will last for a few Brightenings more. Courage is our best weapon now for it seems Aeternia played a trick on us. We shield our souls with the zeal in the gods and our bodies with bravery in our deeds.

Brightening 35

Everything is calm, too calm for my liking. The wind isn’t blowing and we were forced to use the oars, we can continue like this for a cycle if we need but more will burn the men out. The storm ruined part of our food supplies, we had to throw what we couldn’t save or eat before rotting overboard. We eat rations now, hopefully they will last for the duration of our trip and for part of the returning journey. I see some regret in the men’s faces, some think this expedition is doomed but I assured them this was only a glance of misfortune while Aetheria looked to other matters else where. Be it true or not we must press on, there is too much at stake.

Brightening 40

The Mer-folk attacked us with their vile tridents and nets but we repelled them with great losses on their side and three on our. Herger lost an eye and an ear, he has an ugly and bloody hole in the right side of his head now, Haaken was badly injured when the Mer-people pulled him overboard. His wounds are severe, gashes that would kill a lesser man. He will heal in time but in the meanwhile he has to remain still. We moved him to the Dragon’s Belly, the largest ship, so he can be more comfortable.

Brightening 45

After harassing us during three Brightenings and three Darkenings the Mer-folk became quiet, maybe we left their territory, but what lives in these waters for them to fear? We had few losses, most of them were cut throats while we slept, Torlac, the Brave joined his brother Aldor, the Strong in the depths of the ocean. These two alone drove the entire Mer-folk army back, if these creatures respect great warriors they will praise them homage during centuries. The men are tense and although we are not under attack anymore the omens aren’t good, Herger tried to catch some fish but they seem to lack in this region.

Brightening 47

The sea monsters came. Vile and huge they were with their scaly bodies they destroyed the Dragon’s Belly and killed half its crew, we managed to rescue the survivors, Haaken is well and he even fought one of the monsters turning it blind of one eye. To save the men who were still struggling to reach the remaining ships I dived in the cold waters and fought the monsters with my sword and muscle. I had never fought anything closely as strong as those creatures, their teeth the size of swords and their eyes of a terrifying yellow dotted in red, only their tails could destroy our entire fleet and only luck saved us. After leaving four to their death the remaining fled but they would return if not for the sudden return of the wind. We rescued those men we could, the others we left for the ocean to bury, their bodies torn to pieces. The ocean was red with blood and gore in our wake.

Brightening 50

We can feel the bite of cold on us. I pray for the sails not to freeze or we will be stuck here in the middle of nowhere. In the morning we had to break the ice so we could drink water. The wind is with us, it comes a little bit warmer and makes us miss our homes. Einar says if it wasn’t for the treasures he preferred to be in his home with his wife. He is so wrong. We are heading home, to our ancient home. Vagaria.

Brightening 51

We have spotted something on the horizon, it looks like sharp teeth pointing the sky above. Teeth waiting to bite us and to tear us apart, teeth of some hideous monster the men say. There is no celebrating this Brightening for Haaken died this morning due to his wounds and the freezing cold. We will arrive at the ice teeth tomorrow and perform the rituals of passing there. We will burn his body with his weapons and armor but we will have to perform the sacrilege of keeping his clothes to us for the weather is changing quickly and Edgoth predicts a blizzard.

Brightening 52

We have just passed what I thought to be a natural barrier of icebergs. Unfortunately those were but the first and smallest of a barrier that stretches for miles. We made a pyre and burned Haaken’s body. We have brought the ships to a giant iceberg to pull them over it instead of going around. Hyglak told me we should take three Brightenings. I am confident in his prediction. I’ve seen a mist followed by dark clouds forming in the top of this giant iceberg, the blizzard Edgoth predicted will fall on us this Darkening, we better get some cover.

Brightening 57

A tribe of Ice Trolls came with the mist and the snow and the wind and attacked us. Hyglak died, his body shred to pieces while hacking several of the beasts in pieces, we heard his screams and our blood froze, it was terrifying. Herger and some more are missing. It seems Haaken’s pyre attracted the Ice Trolls, or maybe it was something else. We have turned the ships and made a fort with their hulks. Tomorrow I will depart with Edgoth to try and find Herger. In the meanwhile we have to keep warm, the cold is getting us, some of the men got ill and the fear of gangrene is keeping them close to the fire. I’ll mount a watch this Darkening.

Brightening 59

In the morning we departed to find our missing comrades, after countless candlemarks we found Herger and the others, or what remained of them. No one could recognize their broken and half eaten bodies. We buried them and brought their weapons with us, it seems we will need them now more than ever. The image of their broken and exposed bones doesn’t leave my mind, their spines were missing, and so were their skulls. I didn’t tell the men but I recognized Herger’s face in a piece of half chewed skin with some beard on it. A good companion, he will be missed. Now I’ve came to the decision that we must leave this cursed place behind and hurry to Vagaria’s shores.

Brightening 67

We have finally passed the iceberg barrier, the Ice Teeth as the men now call them. Before we left two more men disappeared during the Darkenings we passed there, no one wanted to go look for them as their fate was obvious. We have a wide ocean in front of us again, we continue sailing north with the Ice Teeth shadowing our advance. I fear what we will face when we return.

Brightening 70

We see land, finally we see land! Cliffs of dark stone covered with snow in the horizon. Unfortunately we have to cut a path through the ice to get there, it grew during the Darkening spreading over this vast ocean from our beloved homeland in front of us to the Ice Teeth behind. Morale is high but some seem concerned. We see land but we aren’t there yet. The men grabbed their axes and hammers and are happily hacking the ice that blocks our path to the mainland. Edgoth released two crows and they flew to the continent we’ve just spotted. The Omens are good but Einar seems concerned with each passing candlemark, always holding the hilt of his sword as if some unseen enemy would jump from nowhere to attack us.

Brightening 75

Five Brightening cutting through the ice and we finally arrived, we are in our beloved Vagaria. After doing the arrival rituals we set camp in a beach east of the cliffs we first saw and there a valley heading inland. We will rest here for one or two Brightenings and then depart to explore it. Edgoth advises caution.

Brightening 78

Leaving five men behind to watch over the ships we headed inland. All holding their weapons tightly and as many furs as we can we climbed the valley, yes we literally climbed. What at first looked like a smooth face turned into a rocky a treacherous stone wall. Luckily we had ropes and with some effort managed to overcome this first barrier, after it we had an easy time. I haven’t seen any local fauna or flora, this land seems dead from its surface to the very depths of its rocky soil but still we must press on. Tales say of how huge this continent was, the coastline can’t stop us for there may be life just ahead.

Brightening 80

Two Brightenings walking in this valley with no other ways to look aside of to the front or behind is upsetting the men. Some say we should return, Einar speaks with them too. It seems dissention is appearing. As the leader I ordered us to continue for a few Brightenings more. Willingly they accepted.

Brightening 81

Our efforts have paid, we have found a gate. Well an enormous gate towering over us and reaching the very edges of the cliffs that make this valley. I have decided we must camp here this Darkening so we can find a way through it tomorrow.

I’ve woke up during the Darkening and so have most of the men. We heard howls in the wind, terrifying howls that sent a strange cold down my spine. The howls came from above the cliffs and from the other side of the gate. I’ll mount guard this Darkening with Edgoth so the men can rest.

Brightening 82

The moment the twin suns rose in the morning sky I saw it, a huge column of smoke and fire coming from the very direction we came from. The men grew restless as they don’t want to be stuck here in this land they now call cursed and I have to start to agree with them. Whatever lays beyond this gate may save our people but it is beyond our ability to open it. It is simply too colossal for us, mere mortals. Einar told me the Titans of legend constructed it and I can’t deny it. We must go back to find out what happened to the few we left guarding the ships.

Brightening 86

We arrived in our camp near the ships and found the five men, impaled in huge spears. The Ice Trolls followed us here, somehow they managed to do it. The wreckage of one ship laid before our astonished eyes, burnt to the core, nothing could be saved of it. As for the other, it had only received minimal damages, some wooden planks were missing and an axe could be seen cutting the wood of one border. It was near that ship that we found what resembled the remaining of a battle. It had been here that my five braves had fought their last battle. Many a Ice Troll laid in the frozen sand of the beach, heads severed, missing limbs and broken carcasses. When I said my people, the Gothir, were the finest of all warriors I spoke the truth, these five men killed an army, the bodies pilled around the ship. The Skalds will sing of them for many Eras to come.

The Suns' journey through the sky is almost over now. In honor to the fallen, and using the burnt wood of the lost ship, my men prepared a burial ceremony on the beach. It was hard to dig the sand for it was frozen but when the permafrost war broken the softer terrain allowed us to finish the graves. Five in number and with the same height of fallen heros as it is the costum of the Gothir, the dead were placed looking north, turned to the dark cliff of Vagaria's shore, their closed eyes staring the land their ancestors called home. Their ritual painting were made by Edgoth for he knows the tradition like no other and it was he who lead the ceremony, inviting me to say some words to the men after it was finished.

The "Cheer for the Dead" was quick and unlike it used to be back home, sad. While we were used to laugh and sing and tell tales of the lost heros in the Medonian continent, here we remained silent with some rum in our drinking horns and heavy breaths as answer to the unforgivable wind. This Darkening we sleep with heavy hearts.

Brightening 89

With a new Brightening come new oportunities. To continue our searches and make sure we didn't lose the last remaining ship, it was pulled inland and covered with some long dead and frozen bushes. Einar sarcastically stated that even the wind could ruin our plans by blowing the bushes away, but this is the only way to continue without leaving anyone behind. It's midday now and we are gathered for pracenda with our backpacks and ropes and climbing equipment ready as we are about to try the impossible, we will climb the cliffs. Looking up we can barely see the top and it's so high that some clouds softly touch it but after two Brightenings looking for another route inland it's the only way.

Brightening 90

The Ice Trolls returned when we were already climbing, I doutb they've seen us as we were at a respectable height but to avoid being detected I've forbidden the men to light a bonfire in the cave we found on our way up. It's a nice and warm place compared with what we had outside. Some men joked about staying here waiting for my return, they prefer the gentle humidity of the cave to the harsh and cold wind in te cliffs, but can I complain? From the small platform outside the cave I try to find the top of the cliff but I am either losing my sanity or the cliff's top is further than before. We will see it tomorrow.

Brightening 93

Three more Brightenings climbing, the men are tired and irritated. The top is getting farther and farther as we climb, we can almost see the stone stretching and growing ahead of us. The Darkenings spent in small holes aren't too bad but they keep us away from each others. It is time to try another way, a darker way. In conversation with Einar and Edgoth I was informed that the cave we found previously isn't just a cave, but a tunnel. A tunnel that dives into the belly of the cliff, into a stomach of stone and darkness.

To be continued...

First Draft

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