Our days in the Sea of Green
In the midst of century 700.II, while human armies conquered the continent, newly known lands raise curiosity among the people. Lords want to know more of these lands, find new resources and create colonies. In the craze for natural and physical sciences, the Boomal's Naturalist Club (BNC) and The Academical Society of Amaal organize expeditions around the world to uncover its secrets.
Joh Latour (gastropodology), leader of the BNC, mounted an expedition in the wild and unexplored lands of the Sea of Green, along with his wife Leen Latour (entomology) and his colleagues Aard Javic Makov (gastropodology) and Siila Geen (phytology). They were accompanied by Ane Maon, Pol Gaen and Braan Enmeersen, three geologists hired as collaborators from the ASA. The expedition took place in the summer of 758.II and lasted for 71 days between 15 Moii to 16 Uloii. Aard Javic Makov used to document all of his expeditions as personal adventures in addition to his scientific works. But this one expedition will prove to be, while being one of the most productive expeditions of the decade, of the most extreme and most costly kind for the team of scientists.
Joh Latour (gastropodology), leader of the BNC, mounted an expedition in the wild and unexplored lands of the Sea of Green, along with his wife Leen Latour (entomology) and his colleagues Aard Javic Makov (gastropodology) and Siila Geen (phytology). They were accompanied by Ane Maon, Pol Gaen and Braan Enmeersen, three geologists hired as collaborators from the ASA. The expedition took place in the summer of 758.II and lasted for 71 days between 15 Moii to 16 Uloii. Aard Javic Makov used to document all of his expeditions as personal adventures in addition to his scientific works. But this one expedition will prove to be, while being one of the most productive expeditions of the decade, of the most extreme and most costly kind for the team of scientists.
Our days in the Sea of Green
Diary of Aard Javic Makov during the BNC's first expedition in the jungles of the West.
YE LOe NICOI Aeii GIReé ke ET
Day 1 758.II, 15 Moy
Finally, the day has come, when we start our venture. We've been planning it for years. Maybe I'm getting a little excited, but we put so much effort into this, the first attempt ever to go deep into the Sea of Green. Some say there lie ancient cities filled with gold, but the richness we're after is mess material and more real.This is a venture to seek knowledge in what life looks like out there.
We climb aboard a nice two-corder as the sun is just appearing in the east, and ready for a three-day ride west, towards the forest. As we leave, the city of a hundred towers shrinks in the horizon
Day 3 After three calm days at sea, yet with a dozen times of me throwing up overboard, we finally reach the forest. Before us lies a continuous wall of green, topped by a thick fog.
The ship reaches the mouth of a large river. That's where the true adventure begins. We leave the ship at bay on four long and thin dugouts. We plan to paddle all the way up the river, to reach as far as we can. but the sun is setting so we won't be able to go far for the day.
Day 4 Last night we did not leave the water. We tied our boats at some wood close to the shore to rest in them. We then spent the whole day paddling. I'm afraid that's all we're going to do for the next few days...
[i]Day 11 After seven days paddling without rest, we finally reached a stop. We find ourselves at the bottom of a huge waterfall. We set camp not far on the shore, and make our first discoveries. Joh and I are amazed by the richness and diversity of life. So many snails, slugs and insects are lurking on the ground, in the branches and vines, in small waterways. on the first day of research, all species we recorded were new. Some are multicolor, some are huge, they are incredible to witness!
Day 23 The time has come to move from our first camp site. We explored much, discovered even more, and we're sending our first collection and studies down the river. We need to go further now. Joh wants to climb up the cliff. We have found an easier path not far from the waterfall, where we can haul up our gear. We will climb tomorrow, it's taking us the whole evening to prepare for this. Ane wants to ensure that all goes well and safely.
Joh Latour, observing one of his newly-described species, Magnicoccus Johii (named by his wife Leen)
The enormous, mud-eating Covricoccus Gigas, and the fan pattern it leaves in the mud.
Day 45 More ponds, more canopy, more marsh and more rain. We are getting lost in this. Joh is getting nervous. Today is the first time we see some sky since my last entry. The only upside is atleast worth it, when Ane spotted a large shadow above us. It's a dragon, the first one ever seen. There actually are dragons, flying in the Sea of Green. it flies low, and circles right above us. There is no mistaking it now, dragons do exist, and are not just old sailors' tales. The beast is as large as a house, and more than a cord in length, with a thin tail twice the rest of the body. The beast wears shades of yellow, red and black, with green on the head. Its forelimbs and median limbs form wide, sleek wings. This sight is worth a hundred days in the forest. We spend hours observing and describing it, how it flies, how it sings.
Day 56 What would have been the worst that could have happened ? Well, easy to know when the worst did happen... Three days ago, we were on the way back. We had found and followed the edge of the cliff to the south, to find the waterfall and our camp, when Leen spotted a nest of red staggerwasps. she was so excited, she had gone days hoping to find what hypoptera nests looked like. So she got closer and closer, despite Joh's warnings.
And they attacked. A dozen furious wasps, large as a hand, swooped on her, stinging and biting. She screamed so loudly! Joh tried to reach her, but he tripped on a branch, got stung too and could not get even close to her. Ane, Siila, Braan, Pol, me, we were petrified. We could not move, we could do nothing.
We watched her fall, continuously struck by angry monsters. We watched her die... It felt like hours, of her screaming in pain and agony. We were helpless, we were terrorised.
When the wasps stopped and disappeared in the trees, she had stopped screaming. All was silent; we could hear her breath fading, and Joh's laments. He crawled to her, devastated and in pain. She was already dead when he reached her, with a hundred of red, bloody spots on all exposed parts of her body. Her skin was swollen and had lost her pale tone.
Dusk came on us. We pulled Joh away from her, tried to heal his sting as best we could. I saw his empty look, his dry eyes looking at nothing. Noone talked, oone slept that night under the rain. At dawn, Siila urged us to carry on the way back. Joh clinged to Leen's body, he said he wanted to bring her back. He carried her for hours on his back, but eventually, he was exhausted and we didn't even cover a few cords in the marsh. I convinced him to leave her. We couldn't bury her between the root mesh. we couldn't carry on with her. We left her on a tree root, on the edge of the cliff. In a terrible way, she
Now we are on the edge of the river, atop the waterfall. We climb down tomorrow.
Day 65 We are leaving the camp today. We will glide downstream all the way back. The last days were deary. Joh still hasn't eaten a bit since the accident. we have regrouped our samples, we have rested for a while. Let's leave this dreadful place. The ship should be at bay in two days if I haven't lost count.
Day 68 The ship is here, waiting for us. We've paddled day and night, pushed by the stream. We did not chant, we did not chat. Joh finally ate and drank something yesterday, Ane forced him because she feared that he would not make it. His arm is still swollen and burning where he was stung, and he nearly passed out from exhaustion.
Day 71 758.II, 16 Uloii
As I write these lines, we are coming in vew of Amaal's harbor. This is the last entry of this journal, as our journey is coming to an end. We all are exhausted, and relieved to come back. But there is no joy. We share the pain of Joh. This venture he was so excited to undergo will have taken the best of him, and from him.
Finally, the day has come, when we start our venture. We've been planning it for years. Maybe I'm getting a little excited, but we put so much effort into this, the first attempt ever to go deep into the Sea of Green. Some say there lie ancient cities filled with gold, but the richness we're after is mess material and more real.This is a venture to seek knowledge in what life looks like out there.
We climb aboard a nice two-corder as the sun is just appearing in the east, and ready for a three-day ride west, towards the forest. As we leave, the city of a hundred towers shrinks in the horizon
Day 3 After three calm days at sea, yet with a dozen times of me throwing up overboard, we finally reach the forest. Before us lies a continuous wall of green, topped by a thick fog.
The ship reaches the mouth of a large river. That's where the true adventure begins. We leave the ship at bay on four long and thin dugouts. We plan to paddle all the way up the river, to reach as far as we can. but the sun is setting so we won't be able to go far for the day.
Day 4 Last night we did not leave the water. We tied our boats at some wood close to the shore to rest in them. We then spent the whole day paddling. I'm afraid that's all we're going to do for the next few days...
[i]Day 11 After seven days paddling without rest, we finally reached a stop. We find ourselves at the bottom of a huge waterfall. We set camp not far on the shore, and make our first discoveries. Joh and I are amazed by the richness and diversity of life. So many snails, slugs and insects are lurking on the ground, in the branches and vines, in small waterways. on the first day of research, all species we recorded were new. Some are multicolor, some are huge, they are incredible to witness!
Day 23 The time has come to move from our first camp site. We explored much, discovered even more, and we're sending our first collection and studies down the river. We need to go further now. Joh wants to climb up the cliff. We have found an easier path not far from the waterfall, where we can haul up our gear. We will climb tomorrow, it's taking us the whole evening to prepare for this. Ane wants to ensure that all goes well and safely.
by Furilax
by Furilax
Day 45 More ponds, more canopy, more marsh and more rain. We are getting lost in this. Joh is getting nervous. Today is the first time we see some sky since my last entry. The only upside is atleast worth it, when Ane spotted a large shadow above us. It's a dragon, the first one ever seen. There actually are dragons, flying in the Sea of Green. it flies low, and circles right above us. There is no mistaking it now, dragons do exist, and are not just old sailors' tales. The beast is as large as a house, and more than a cord in length, with a thin tail twice the rest of the body. The beast wears shades of yellow, red and black, with green on the head. Its forelimbs and median limbs form wide, sleek wings. This sight is worth a hundred days in the forest. We spend hours observing and describing it, how it flies, how it sings.
Day 56 What would have been the worst that could have happened ? Well, easy to know when the worst did happen... Three days ago, we were on the way back. We had found and followed the edge of the cliff to the south, to find the waterfall and our camp, when Leen spotted a nest of red staggerwasps. she was so excited, she had gone days hoping to find what hypoptera nests looked like. So she got closer and closer, despite Joh's warnings.
And they attacked. A dozen furious wasps, large as a hand, swooped on her, stinging and biting. She screamed so loudly! Joh tried to reach her, but he tripped on a branch, got stung too and could not get even close to her. Ane, Siila, Braan, Pol, me, we were petrified. We could not move, we could do nothing.
We watched her fall, continuously struck by angry monsters. We watched her die... It felt like hours, of her screaming in pain and agony. We were helpless, we were terrorised.
When the wasps stopped and disappeared in the trees, she had stopped screaming. All was silent; we could hear her breath fading, and Joh's laments. He crawled to her, devastated and in pain. She was already dead when he reached her, with a hundred of red, bloody spots on all exposed parts of her body. Her skin was swollen and had lost her pale tone.
Dusk came on us. We pulled Joh away from her, tried to heal his sting as best we could. I saw his empty look, his dry eyes looking at nothing. Noone talked, oone slept that night under the rain. At dawn, Siila urged us to carry on the way back. Joh clinged to Leen's body, he said he wanted to bring her back. He carried her for hours on his back, but eventually, he was exhausted and we didn't even cover a few cords in the marsh. I convinced him to leave her. We couldn't bury her between the root mesh. we couldn't carry on with her. We left her on a tree root, on the edge of the cliff. In a terrible way, she
Now we are on the edge of the river, atop the waterfall. We climb down tomorrow.
Day 65 We are leaving the camp today. We will glide downstream all the way back. The last days were deary. Joh still hasn't eaten a bit since the accident. we have regrouped our samples, we have rested for a while. Let's leave this dreadful place. The ship should be at bay in two days if I haven't lost count.
Day 68 The ship is here, waiting for us. We've paddled day and night, pushed by the stream. We did not chant, we did not chat. Joh finally ate and drank something yesterday, Ane forced him because she feared that he would not make it. His arm is still swollen and burning where he was stung, and he nearly passed out from exhaustion.
Day 71 758.II, 16 Uloii
As I write these lines, we are coming in vew of Amaal's harbor. This is the last entry of this journal, as our journey is coming to an end. We all are exhausted, and relieved to come back. But there is no joy. We share the pain of Joh. This venture he was so excited to undergo will have taken the best of him, and from him.
In Loving memory of Leen.
Ye FELAAoi ke IVIDA
by Furilax
Day 24 The climb is hard on the wet and slippery rock. Joh went first of course, he cleared a nice path and laid the zipline. I join him last, ensuring that all our gear is moved up. Once on top, reality hits hard. No view further, no landscapes. Only the thickest entanglement of trees, vines, lichens and fungi. we don't even see the soil under the thick mat of roots. I begin to climb the trees, and reach the canopy. Up there I can atleast have a grasp of the landscape around. Lying east is the coastal plain we were on yesterday. A hundred meters below, the forest extends rides ahead, and the river we came by loses itself under the green ocean. Westwards, I can see endless waves of forest, and far, far out there, several huge walls, immense towers that supersede the forest. But reaching them is hopeless, because rides and rides of intricate marsh lie before my sight.
Day 35 We've been advancing day and night in the marsh and I've had a hard time finding places to settle down and write under the heavy rains. We barely even sleep in there. Thankfully food is plenty in fruits and snails. We witnessed an even richer environment than down below, but to our greatest regret, we are unable to carry the lot of them. we only have a few, tiny samples. Joh carries a small snail, a new species that he has called iridescent snail. This little fella is quite the show I must admit, with all its colours. Joh says that he keeps it for his daughter, but I doubt he will carry it all along the ride.
Today we have had our first injury. Siila, the group's youngest, cut herself on a kind of ferntree with razor sharp leaves. While bleeding, she was still explaining how those leaves must act as defence against predatory gasteropods. This was quite the funny show. Ane fixed her with bandages, and scealed it with wax from a wax vinetree.
Day 38 Finally, we reached something new, after fourteen days of endless labyrinth and pouring water. it feels like we haven't covered a quarter of a ride to this point. We've come upon a shallow pool of stagnant water. I am amazed by how diverse life in this pool is. It is a totally different environment than the forested surroundings. Gigantic snails are preying upon massive swimming beetles. slugs gracefully glide through the yellow water. But most of all, we finally see a bit of sun now. We're drenched, Siia has lost her diary to the rain, including all of her studies; we managed to keep the other dry by covering our leather bags with vinetree wax. We keep on writing down everything we discover, from tiny tree-dwelling birds to big predatory slugs.
by Furilax
by Furilax
by Furilax
Me likey ! Your style, and way of presenting the document was really interesting !
Me be honored thee liketh mine worketh.