Journals of Ta Iotes Hawksight

The expedition journals of Titan researcher Ta Iotes Hawksight are considered the finest first-hand accounts not only of the Titans, but of the lands which they call home. In their compilation, Ta Iotes set off on a series of seven expeditions to the Elemental Seas—two each to the Seas of Earth and Air, and one to each of the rest.

Involved Individuals

Ta Iotes Hawksight was the record-keeper for all seven expeditions and the leader of all save the first and fifth. As a Volatil, she was initially called onto the Jacques expedition for purposes of reconnaissance, but her keeping of detailed notes made her an excellent replacement for the expedition's initial record-keeper, and she went on to lead further expeditions after the Jacques expedition ended.

Vellim Auserria, Eagen nobility of Marcel, was the financial backer for Ta Iotes's expeditions. As a countryward House Pluma member, she supported the initial Jaques expedition and agreed to Ta Iotes's petition to fund more expeditions lead by her.

Expedition One (Jacques Expedition)

Remer Jacques was the leader of the first expedition due to his interests in the Sea of Earth. He was a Human of Alinen and Veran descent and a member of House Draco, and he recruited Ta Iotes as reconnaissance, not thinking anything of her beyond a much-needed extra set of hands and eyes—and wings—who was asking for less than most other options.

Ywe Mossharvester was a Moon Velsen and the initial record-keeper of the Jacques expedition. Unfortunately, within the first week he badly injured his leg, and while he tried to press on the wound became infected and he was forced to leave the expedition and recover at House Ferrum's headquarters. After his withdrawal, Hawksight became the new expedition record-keeper.

Emban Severin was a human of Glacer and Umbran descent who served as a cook, field medic, and guide, belonging to House Ferrum's Wood division. Ta Iotes invited him back for the expeditions she led, and he accepted her offers for most of them.

Agate Riverstone was a Durusan who acted as a secondary guide. While he lacked experience with the continent, his talents as a natural-born mage proved invaluable for navigation.

Expedition Two (Sea of Air Expedition)

Emban Severin

Lidiva Mouzeinne was an Eagen called on to offer predictive powers to aid in navigation in the Sea of Air. She acted as guide among the islands, warning the rest of the group away from high winds and dangerous plants.

Ou Speira Jayfeather was a Volatil rune mage who acted as transport between the islands. Until his death at the talons of a God Hawk left the rest of the party stranded, he used teleportation runespell to bring the flightless partymembers from island to island.

Ae Vlient Sparrowwing was a Volatil House Draco member who specialized in search-and-rescue. He was charged with locating the surviving expedition members after Ou Speira's death.

Expedition Three (Sea of Fire Expedition)

Emban Severin

Vei of Caen was a Grey Ren member of House Draco. He signed on to Ta Iotes's expedition to act as a guide and to bring back charts of the expedition to House Draco.

Lidiva Mouzeinne was invited by Ta Iotes to join her expedition to the Sea of Fire and her second expedition to the Sea of Air, due to her experience and to favorable impressions on her first expedition. She accepted the invitation.

Expedition Four (Sea of Earth Expedition)

Emban Severin

Ywe Mossharvester was invited by Ta Iotes to join her expedition to the Sea of Earth, a proposal which he accepted. His notes complement Ta Iotes's journal of this expedition.

Shale Sandlake was a Durusan who volunteered to join Ta Iotes's expedition. Despite losing an arm in an encounter with an Earth Dragon, he remained with the expedition until its conclusion.

Expedition Five (Mooncrater Expedition)

Basalt Mooncrater was a Durusan House Draco member who organized an expedition into the Sea of Ice. He desired Ta Iotes as a record-keeper due to her great experience and well-demonstrated ability to handle danger. He was fortunate she agreed, as without her he would have drowned after Kileve's mutiny.

Oiseke Kileve was a Swamp Lacertian who joined Mooncrater's expedition with the intent of mutinying, leaving Mooncrater to die, and returning to the continent as a hero who preserved the findings of the expedition, thus increasing his own fame. Fortunately, Ta Iotes refused to join his mutiny and saved Mooncrater's life, thus discrediting Kileve when the pair returned alive.

Mellim Tomás was a human of Glacer and Alitan descent who allied with Kileve in his mutiny. During the attempt on Mooncrater's life, Tomás fell into the water below the ice cap alongside Mooncrater, and was never found, presumed drowned.

Ilna Barre was a human of Umbran and Castoran descent. She was killed during the attempt on Mooncrater's life, and her body was never found, presumed thrown into the sea.

Expedition Six (Second Sea of Air Expedition)

Emban Severin

Lidiva Mouzeinne

So Felke Crowbeak was a Volatil who assisted in the party's transportation. He and Ta Iotes were able to use Setso's runespells to teleport the earthbound members of the party.

Setso Riverweaver was a Moon Velsen versed in teleportation runespell. She was key to permitting the party access to the islands of the Sea of Air.

Expedition Seven (Unknown Sea Expedition)

Captain Silma Laurent was a human of Lianen and Serian descent. As captain of the ship Silent Edge, she and her crew facilitated the expedition through the Unknown Sea.

Sukia Kassel was a Desert Lacertian who served as navigator on the Silent Edge. She was also a skilled medic, and it was due to her efforts that Ta Iotes and Kesuu survived after the ship's encounter with a Deep Sea Serpent.

Kesuu of the Angler Fangs was a Deep Profundem who acted as diver to bring back information from deeper in the sea than any air-breathing explorer could go. He lost his right arm and half his right leg in the Deep Sea Serpent attack.

Document Structure

Publication Status

Summaries of Ta Iotes's findings and abridged versions were published in 6 4C and are widely available for reading across Deus. The unabridged collection of her notes was published later, in 11 4C, and spans a set of four books, though it is less popular and harder to find.

In 38 4C, Ta Iotes revisited her work and published a fully annotated version of the unabridged journals, containing her own thoughts from after the fact in addition to updated information from her own and others' research conducted in the years since her expeditions. The annotated version is available as a set of six hardcovers.

Historical Details

Background

Before she became known as Deus's leading expert on Titans, settling into a safe lifestyle of researching the beasts from the city of Marcel, Ta Iotes Hawksight spent much of her twenties in exploration of the Elemental Seas to observe them in their natural habitat. The overall expeditions lasted seven years in total, from 1006 3C to 4 4C, with Ta Iotes documenting every event in a series of journals.

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Journals of Ta Iotes Hawksight

(Excerpted from Expedition Five)

Day six. Even though we left sight of solid ground days ago, I still find myself looking back, even flying above the others under pretense of scouting our surroundings in an attempt to catch a glimpse of proper earth. Not even the Sea of Air was so precarious... at least the islands' shifting provided promise of a fall into reasonable air, though I doubt my companions would have shared such a sentiment.

It's of little consequence, anyway. Even though there is always the risk that the ice might break, the plates are thick enough to provide assurance of our safety, and were one of us to fall in, there would be four others to drag them out of the water. With Ra Mooncrater and No Tomás among us, I am certain we have no risk of drowning.

Alas, there has been no life sighted besides us and the few birds that fly this far north. I wonder what they come here for, when there are no plants that grow and all convenient breaks in the ice are manned by fierce beasts. The fishing can't be that good out here, can it? Perhaps this question will be answered through our expedition, though I certainly hope not at the cost of Titan sightings!

Conversation among our group is still yet to thaw. Ki Emban's presence is sorely missed, and even though Pi Barre is doing her best to maintain friendly interactions, she cannot change the fact that none of us know each other. Ce Kileve is particularly cold.


Day eight. We caught glimpse of a Storm Wyvern on the wing! It was far and we could make out no details, but the silhouette is enough—unless by some chance a Crag Wyvern has chosen to nest on the ice cap, which by current agreement is impossible, but perhaps it still merits looking into? At least we know the beast is there! I've volunteered to go searching for its nest, and No Tomás insisted on accompanying me. I'm grateful for that, as I've no doubt that the Titan's hunting grounds will have much weaker ice from the creation of its fishing holes.

It seems that our group is warming up to one another at last. Ce Kileve is still distant, but he no longer shrugs off conversations, and the rest of us have fallen into a comfortable rapport. It feels so much better to know that I have true friends at my back, instead of mere coworkers.


Day eleven. I wish I could spend more time on the details of the Storm Wyvern—it was a beautiful thing, with gleaming black scales and awesome fangs that it used to rip into a seal right before my eyes. Co Tomás and I sighted it from what couldn't have been much more than a hundred yards, and while it seemed wary of us, it was content to eat the meal already in its claws. It was the first time I'd seen a Wyvern eating, and certainly the closest I'd ever been.

But there are more pressing matters now. When Co Tomás and I returned from our excursion, it was to see Ze Kileve grappling with an injured Ra Mooncrater, attempting to force him into what appeared to be a fishing hole. Pi Barre was already bloodied and weak, unable to so much as stand up.

I rushed to Ra Mooncrater's aid, expecting Co Tomás to do the same, but instead of helping me he took Ze Kileve's place in grappling him, and I saw both of them fall into the water. Ze Kileve turned a knife on me and before I could properly fight back I found myself submerged as well, with deep cuts on my arm and back. I was not under for long, fortunately, and I was able to drag Ra Mooncrater out of the water. The two of us have addressed our wounds and returned to camp—most of our supplies were either taken or ransacked, but my journal was fortunately left alongside a few rations that seem to have been overlooked. It is a shame that my original sketch of the wyvern was destroyed in the water, but at least the record of this expedition can stand, and I am alive to make a new rendition.

Co Tomás and Pi Barre are nowhere to be found. I fear they may be dead.

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Type

Record, Logbook

Medium

Paper

Authoring Date

1006 3C–6 4C