Day 1
It is with great pride that I set off today on the "Raleia" to seek what lies beyond the horizon. I have spoken to the captain and he radiated confidence to take this ship where no Xalnan has been before.
Day 5
The wind has picked up significantly, but so far nothing of particular note has been seen. The water has not changed colour, nor are the fishes that are occasionally caught any different from the ones in any port town.
Day 12
Birds can no longer be seen in the sky, indicating that we have come far from any kind of land. More worrying is the large amount of clouds that can be seen in the distance in the direction we are heading. The captain has said that they should be gone by the time we arrive in that area.
I am not as confident.
Day 15
Well, I wasn't wrong in my guess. The storm we were going towards hasn't settled and we have now ventured into it. Every hour we travel the waves are getting larger, the wind stronger and the current faster. Even some of the hardened sailors have been seasick.
The strong current is particularly perplexing, as it has surpassed even the strongest tides.
We have been able to catch and study one new fish from this region. It should be noted that a dissection has not been performed due to the heavy waves which are hindering the work. The fish in question is interesting due to it's ability to jump between wave crests using a primitive set of wings. It is not entirely clear if it is full flight or just gliding in the strong winds.
Day 17
Short update on the fish: They are gliding with the wind.
The most important thing, and our likely death, is what we have found in the centre of the storm that has been creating the strong water current: a maelstrom of mountainous size. That is not an understatement. Take a mountain, put it upside down into the water, spin it and make it invisible and you have the size both side to side and from waters surface to where I think the bottom is.
The captain has said that the only way to escape from the currents and wind is to use the maelstrom spin to escape the currents. I believe that the only thing keeping the crew from mutiny is that it would more certainly be our demise.
Day 20
We have finally rounded the maelstrom and escaped its pull, but the waves and wind are still fighting to keep the Raleia in its clutches. We are currently only navigating by going in the opposite direction of the water current and towards where the waves are smaller.
Day 25
I never thought of clear skies as anything in particular, but now the entire ship crew is almost worshipping it. Our troubles are not entirely over, since we must still get back to our land and we are far away for the amount of food and water we have left, but our hope is that we will make it by hard rationing.
Day 37
Never have I had a feeling as joyous as now that I can once more see the shores of the land where I grew up. I am lucky to be alive and I will cherish that fact and stay away from danger in the future.
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