Survey of the Makeyan Archipelago

Survey of the Makeyan Archipelago is the illustrated journal of Captain Oramas Emmara Nalu of the Wailing Gull. The journal records a six year expedition to map the islands of Makeya. While the larger islands were known to each other, many of the smaller and more distant islands remain disconnected from all but their immediate neighbors. Emmara Nalu's sketches and diary entries capture the culture and history of each island just before the founding of the Guild.
In the early years of the Guild's leadership, the Survey and Emmara Nalu's map were reproduced in woodblock prints and distributed throughout the islands to encourage unity and the sharing of knowledge. Today, a copy of the Survey is held at every Guild Hall around the world, and Makeyan children are taught to model their own logs after Emmara Nalu's journal. The Survey has been translated into many local vernaculars, including Calan and Naleedic, but it has not achieved the same popularity in other nations due to the knowledge of Makeyan culture needed to understand many of the entries.

The Journey

Emmara Nalu sailed from Oramas in 7 BGE with a crew of ten. Beginning with the northernmost island of Haluma, the Wailing Gull visited and mapped every island in the archipelago over the course of five years. After completing the map at the southernmost island of Rulias, the Wailing Gull returned to her home port of Oramas.
Over the course of the journey, Emmara Nalu witnessed the aftermath of several brutal pirate raids on the smaller islands of the archipelago, and was deeply moved by the devestation. Inspired by the unity of the three islands of Nofiso, she sought to unite the Makeyan islands under one banner to better defend against such raids and improve their trading prospects. The Wailing Gull made port at every island on the return trip to Oramas so Emmara Nalu could begin advocating for unity. One year after the completion of the Survey, Emmara Nalu founded the Guild, which governs and protects the Makeyan archipelago to this day.

Read the Document

Survey of the Makeyan Archipelago

Excerpts from Survey of the Makeyan Archipelago

33 Old Moon, 7 BGE

Oramas

From the first day I was made captain of the Wailing Gull, I have wanted for only one thing: a complete and accurate map of the Makeyan Archipelago. I have not been able to find or buy one for any price. And so the only option that remains is to map it myself. It will be the work of several years, and not without hardship, but my crew is supportive of this endeavor. If this is to be my legacy, I shall not be disappointed.

15 Child's Moon, 6 BGE

Haluma

Haluma is so small compared to Oramas. I fear a single summer storm could wash it away and our map would be the only sign that it ever existed. Despite this, the people here are bright and close-knit. They have been generous to my crew from the first moment. I sat to sketch the shoreline, to better recall this place when I look back on these journals in my elder years. Time and ink permitting, I shall try to do the same for every island in the archipelago.

30 Young Moon, 6 BGE

Nerim

I rose early to watch the fishermen depart. With the warmer waters of summer upon us, the mood on the beach was one of anxiety. There's a lingering fear of pirates, and Nerim lacks the resources to build larger ships or a more protected harbor. I count myself lucky to have grown up on Oramas, where only the most daring and stupid of pirates will dare to attack.

34 Flood Moon, 6BGE

Ralam

I am not so many years removed from my own coming of age that I cannot recall the finer details of the day, but it was perfectly mundane compared to the ceremony I have witnessed on Ralam. On learning my purpose in visiting the island, an older Yemar invited me to the shore to witness the coming of age of a young woman born at sea. The young woman led us in the Hymn for the Deep, and I found myself weeping at the marvelous sound. The Hymn is always emotional, but to hear it led by two Yemari was almost ethereal. I swear I could hear the voices of the Gods Below joining them.

7 Young Moon, 5 BGE

Luria

I have been to Luria many times in my travels, but the markets never cease to amaze me. If something can be bought, it can almost certainly be found on Luria. Though I could never hope to afford them, I spent time admiring a pair of fine hairpins shipped all the way from Litticala. Perhaps when my sailing days are behind me, I will have the funds for such finery.

11 Child's Moon, 4 BGE

Sefias

Our youngest deckhand, Oramas Imsa Rossel, died after a fall from the yardarm as we were coming into port. There is no one to blame for this unfortunate accident, but I swear her scream will haunt me for the rest of my life. The crew has gone ashore to drink away the remainder of such a terrible day. I cannot bring myself to join them.

2 River Moon, 4 BGE

Berem

This has been a terrible season for pirates. While Berem has not yet been raided this year, there are dozens of ships that have not returned on schedule. The shores are filled with families watching the horizon for sails, praying that the gods will deliver their loved ones home. I am reluctant to see the Wailing Gull leave harbor, even if just to map the shoreline.

20 Long Moon, 4 BGE

Oramas

Oramas has been well mapped, time and time again, so there is little work for us here. I am grateful, as the Oraman shoreline meanders like an eel. We are in port only a short while to rest and restock. I am twice grateful, for this will be my last chance to see my family for some years to come, so I will enjoy their company while I can.

35 Dark Moon, 4 BGE

Nofiso

Nofiso is a strange case in the archipelago. Three large islands (Nomias, Fioras, and Solas) have united themselves under a single government. There has never been anything else like it in Makeya's history, as far as I know. Through this union, they have been able to deter pirates and construct a more impressive merchant fleet. I wonder what such a union would look like on a greater scale. I wouldn't be the first to propose a united Makeya, but I can't help but think it would make us more resilient.

2 Gold Moon, 3 BGE

Olima

A late start this morning. The local children invited my crew to dig for clams at low tide, and they looked so eager that I didn't have the heart to refuse them. I promised a measure of candied nuts from my personal stash to whoever could collect the most. My crew were soundly beaten by a boy not yet six years old, and I am still laughing about it hours later.

30 Long Moon, 3 BGE

Selia

The rainy season lasts forever in the south. This is the fourth time this month we've been forced to stay at anchor due to a storm. The local fisherman have stayed home, though I watched them brave the last three gales that blew in off the sea. Even Selians have their limits, I suppose. I cannot wait to be done with this gods-forsaken task and return home to Oramas where the seasons behave themselves properly.

4 Seed Moon, 2 BGE

Befio

I have sailed upon all manner of boats and ships in my day, but none like the poled barges of Befio. Parts of the bay are so shallow that it cannot be used safely as a harbor for sea-going vessels. Instead, they ferry goods and people around on flat barges, propelling them with poles three times a grown man's height. One local offered to let me have a turn at steering, but I nearly capsized the barge and that was the end of that.

26 Dust Moon, 2 BGE

Musim

The smallest islands in the archipelago have held some of the greatest surprises for me. This evening, my crew and I were invited to participate in a local festival celebrating the start of the planting season. The streets were as lively as a Lurian marketplace, and the food was flavored with an unfamiliar spice that was at once both hot and sweet. I'm not leaving Musim until I learn the name of this spice and buy some to bring home.

18 Young Moon, 2 BGE

Hoso

My heart breaks for Hoso. We arrived to find the still-smoldering aftermath of a pirate raid. It is not uncommon for pirates to strike Makeya in the warmer months — indeed, I have lived through several raids myself on Oramas. But nothing would have prepared me for the sight of an entire shoreline burned to the ground. The survivors couldn’t even pull themselves from their grief to see whether we had come to help or were more pirates. I ordered the crew to assist in any way they could, but there are some things that cannot be fixed by human hands.

29 Flood Moon, 2 BGE

Rulias

The lighthouse at Rulias welcomed us at dusk — a welcome sight after the destruction we witnessed on Hoso. After five years at sea, I am eager to return home to Oramas, and share my findings. There is so much more to the world than our own islands, and while each is host to a wealth of differences, there is so much that we share. I am more certain than ever that uniting under one banner would serve Makeya well. Pirates would not dare to raid our shores if we had a fleet of ships to protect our waters. To say nothing of the wealth we could build if we traded as one!

6 Old Moon, 1 BGE

Oramas

We sighted the shores of Oramas this morning, to the great relief of my crew. They are eager to celebrate the end of their long journey. Though I, too, have longed to see these familiar shores, my mind has not been idle these last months. After all that I have seen and learned, I cannot imagine a better future for Makeya than one in which we are united. In each port since Rulias, I have made my case to chiefs and clan elders and governors, and have been received favorably. While the Wailing Gull will remain in port with her crew for a much needed rest, I will book passage on the next ship northward to speak with leaders on the other islands. I will rest when the Gods Below call me back to slumber in the Deep. Until then, I have work to do.

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Type

Journal, Personal

Medium

Paper

Authoring Date

7 BGE - 1 BGE

Location

Makeya

Authors

• Oramas Emmara Nalu

by LadyRis