Journey in the Wind

As we began to turn around this peak [of the Whistlepeaks], we saw the first rays of sun peak between the mountains further west. The way the light played over the tops of the thin trees, the flock of birds travelling from the sides of a small lake into the daylight...I will admit I started crying.
Beauty is the sight of the sun rising over a new land that has not seen a hand in centuries.

— Elrik Sarothar Koldanar, Journey in the Wind

The Whistlepeaks is a very inhospitable place. Surrounded by the wreckage of Wretched Penumbra and the dozens of terrible creatures spawned by the Zaraz-kin to protect their fortresses, finding anything pleasant here is near impossible. But occasionally, someone gets lucky and finds a real marvel. And Journey in the Wind is that story.

Overview: A Musical Journey

Journey in the Wind is constructed from the journals of Elrik Sarothar Koldanar, scion of the powerful Sarothar trading family of Nikos City. He organized an expedition in 962-3 PR to the Whistlepeaks after hearing of the fabled city of Gharan Minayen. Journey in the Wind follows the story of his group traversing the Whistlepeaks, traveling through the valley of the Sweetsong Butterfly and eventually finding (and fleeing) the city itself.
Elrik aims for a personal perspective for much of the work, ignoring the routine travel logs of most Marpic traveling writers. He doesn't even keep accurate track of his travel distances, which is rather rare in his culture. Instead, he notes the sights and terrain features while commenting on the significance of what he sees.

I apologize for the disappointment, gentlekin, but this isn't a scientific research article. It's pure wonder at the complexity of our world, given form.

— From a conference by Elrik on his return to Nikos City

CW: insects, colonialism, nationalism

Type

Journal, Personal

Medium

Paper

Authoring Date

964 PR

Location

The Whistlepeaks

Authors

• Elrik Sarothar Koldanar

Reactions and Criticisms

The book is a fixture of most libraries and bookstores across the Confederation of Marpic. It made Elrik's family even more wealthy and is a staple of the adventurous readers of Algonas.
Others bemoan Elrik's "humble figure of capital-H History" persona and his bankrolling of colonialist and nationalist groups like Koldanar for the Settlement of the Whistlepeaks using the royalties of the book. Many Gorzen - for whom the Whistlepeaks were their ancestral lands - have a low opinion of this work.

All images were created by me, EmperorCharlesII, unless otherwise indicated.