PC: Lord Simon Dartsmouth V
Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2008 12:14 pm
**Excerpt from Lord Dartsmouth's Journal**
Day 15,
We have finally set out accross the border. Breaking camp took several more hours than I would have liked, but we had gotten rather settled while waiting for permission to cross the border. This delay was somewhat taxing on our provisions, but Nanpu, my trusted friend and guide, seems rather adept at fishing, and so the cost was less than it could have been.
Day 21,
Nanpu tells me that he knows where we are. I trust him quite a bit, but I know which direction north is, and what he tells me differs from my own observations. The rest of our party is in agreement with him, and rather than threaten them with non-payment, I've chosen to consent to continue under Nanpu's direction. Provisions seem to be holding out, everyone seems to be aware, though, that we will have a problem if our journey takes very much longer than expected.
Day 30,
We are lost. Nanpu swears otherwise, but his face tells the truth. The valley of the gateless gate is, if my estimation is correct, to our east by several miles. We lost five packs of grain today to moisture. Clouds are gathering overhead, and I fear a tremendous storm is coming. The others don't seem bothered by this, and all of them believe Nanpu. I no longer trust him, but I have no choice.
Day 33,
We have made camp under the shelter of several large trees. The rain is torrential and we cannot continue. There is talk of turning back, I fear it may be the only option. We've lost another two packs of grain, we'll have to turn the pack animals loose if this continues.
Day 37,
We are still walled in by heavy rains, flooding, and dense jungle. Nanpu ventured out today and says that he found a river that he knows to our East, and we can cross it and work towards higher ground. He says that we can fish the river, once the rains slow down, and replenish our supplies by drying the fish. Our destination should be somewhere to the east, but taking our party across a flooding river sounds dangerous. I've concented to it, despite the danger. Snakes have been found several times in our camp, and morale is at its lowest. Tomorrow we will cross the river, regardless of the rain.
*from here on out the journal is written in a different ink, and the text was clearly written while the page was wet, wheras the previous entries are consistent with dry paper*
Day 41,
All is lost. While crossing the river, everything was swept away. Nanpu had us tie ourselves together, including the pack animals, so that no one would fall and succumb to the current. I was in the lead when one of the animals lost its footing and, in its panic, brought everyone else down. Nanpu, behind me, cut me free while I grasped at an outcropping of roots. I am the only survivor. I have my personal effects and nothing else. I have no provisions. I do not quite have Nanpu's talent at fishing, but I have found that the stink slugs and sago grubs can be eaten safely. I fired a few rounds from my revolver at a baboon yesterday, to no avail. My only hope is to cover ground to the east as fast as I can, in hopes of finding the tribe, and with them, perhaps, food and shelter.
Day 48,
This may be my last testament, which will soon be consumed by the jungle. I have worked my way east of the river with all haste. What appeared to be a level jungle has deepened into a basin, covered by extremely tall trees. I think it is still raining, but the trees stop most of it. By day the light is dappled and sparse, by night it is near pitch. My skin is cold and I am hungry, I have subsisted on what insects I could catch and identify, but my strength is starting to wane. The wood is too damp to be lit, though I tried using some powder from my rifle cartridges to burn it. Ahead of me, to the east, the basin deepens to a valley. I can only travel by day, at night it is far too dark. I sleep wherever I can find shelter, I fear the snakebite and what predators may browse these strange, dark woods.
Day 49,
My life has been prolonged, for now. I came upon a stream that seems to be clean enough, and in it found fish. I fashioned a net from my shirt by shredding it and tieing it off. I had to eat the fish raw, which I found to be less disgusting than I imagined. They turned out to be pirannhas, so I must be careful not to fall into streams. It is heading down hill further into the valley, I will follow it.
Day 55,
It has been two weeks since our party was lost, along with all of our provisions, and I am still alive. I feel something primal stirring within me, some primitive instinct. Two weeks since I ate cooked food. I haven't seen the sky since I entered this strange valley, I believe this area is obscured even from aerial photography, it is shown on our maps as fairly flat, but I stand in a deep valley. The trees extend hundreds of feet into the air. The stream I am following appears to be picking up speed. I have fed myself on freshwater fish from the stream and watered myself with its water for several days now, and I feel my strength returning. It occurs to me that even if I find the valley and the tribe, I may not have the equipment to return to civilization to tell of it. For some reason I am startled that this idea does not frighten me.
Day 60,
I made contact with a native today. He and I attempted communication, but his dialect is strange to me, and my translator drowned almost three weeks ago. It sounds something like zulu, but is definitely not the same. We pantomimed our intentions, he seemed suprised that I was in this place alone, and he desired me to stay where he found me for three days. I accepted his request. I will fashion a spear and shield during that time, should I have to defend myself, and I'll build a fire hut and try to smoke some fish. If it works, then I could stay here and build provisions enough to perhaps return. Only time will tell.
Day 64,
The native returned yesterday with several others. They examined my effects and my body closely, and we continued our pantomime conversation. They are a hunting party, primarily looking for large predators. They cannot return to their villiage for five more days. They asked me to stay here for that time, and then come with them to their villiage to meet the...elder? witchdoctor? I'm not sure. They gestured towards the sky when they tried to tell me what would happen there. I surmise that they will consult with their gods. I agreed to remain here. I have been able to smoke fish, but I could not find anything suitable to build a shield from, so I kept my rifle in hand when they arrived. I will continue to try to build provisions, should the tribe ask me to leave. I believe these are the lost tribe I seek, and that I now stand in the valley of the gateless gate.
Day 70,
I've found them! This is the tribe! They have welcomed me and provided me with food and shelter. They seem to dislike my writing, and do not seem to have a written language as far as I've seen. I will consent to their request, but will commit to memory everything that I've seen, writing only in secret, when I can.
endnote,
I had forgotten about this journal until I found it while preparing to leave. I have been with the Uba!kisu tribe for almost two years now. I am an apprenticce witch doctor to the cheif of the tribe, and am a member of the tribe. I have a new name, and I had a life here. Several days ago the eldest witchdoctor consulted with the father spirits, who said that Ta'uba!tombo, me, must return to his homeland for a season. It seems like almost a lifetime ago that I struggled to fight through the jungle to find this place, now I hunt with ou'baba, the scout who I first met, and kill meat for the tribe. I have bid farewell to my friends and adoptive family, and promised to return. I will. Though I miss my family and my homeland, my heart will always be here, with my tribe. Ou'baba will keep my rifle and revolver, I tought him to use them some time ago, he offered them back but I refused to accept a returned gift. He smiled wide. Rather suprisingly, he is better with them than I am.
So I go. Back to england, back through the valley, back to civilization.
Day 15,
We have finally set out accross the border. Breaking camp took several more hours than I would have liked, but we had gotten rather settled while waiting for permission to cross the border. This delay was somewhat taxing on our provisions, but Nanpu, my trusted friend and guide, seems rather adept at fishing, and so the cost was less than it could have been.
Day 21,
Nanpu tells me that he knows where we are. I trust him quite a bit, but I know which direction north is, and what he tells me differs from my own observations. The rest of our party is in agreement with him, and rather than threaten them with non-payment, I've chosen to consent to continue under Nanpu's direction. Provisions seem to be holding out, everyone seems to be aware, though, that we will have a problem if our journey takes very much longer than expected.
Day 30,
We are lost. Nanpu swears otherwise, but his face tells the truth. The valley of the gateless gate is, if my estimation is correct, to our east by several miles. We lost five packs of grain today to moisture. Clouds are gathering overhead, and I fear a tremendous storm is coming. The others don't seem bothered by this, and all of them believe Nanpu. I no longer trust him, but I have no choice.
Day 33,
We have made camp under the shelter of several large trees. The rain is torrential and we cannot continue. There is talk of turning back, I fear it may be the only option. We've lost another two packs of grain, we'll have to turn the pack animals loose if this continues.
Day 37,
We are still walled in by heavy rains, flooding, and dense jungle. Nanpu ventured out today and says that he found a river that he knows to our East, and we can cross it and work towards higher ground. He says that we can fish the river, once the rains slow down, and replenish our supplies by drying the fish. Our destination should be somewhere to the east, but taking our party across a flooding river sounds dangerous. I've concented to it, despite the danger. Snakes have been found several times in our camp, and morale is at its lowest. Tomorrow we will cross the river, regardless of the rain.
*from here on out the journal is written in a different ink, and the text was clearly written while the page was wet, wheras the previous entries are consistent with dry paper*
Day 41,
All is lost. While crossing the river, everything was swept away. Nanpu had us tie ourselves together, including the pack animals, so that no one would fall and succumb to the current. I was in the lead when one of the animals lost its footing and, in its panic, brought everyone else down. Nanpu, behind me, cut me free while I grasped at an outcropping of roots. I am the only survivor. I have my personal effects and nothing else. I have no provisions. I do not quite have Nanpu's talent at fishing, but I have found that the stink slugs and sago grubs can be eaten safely. I fired a few rounds from my revolver at a baboon yesterday, to no avail. My only hope is to cover ground to the east as fast as I can, in hopes of finding the tribe, and with them, perhaps, food and shelter.
Day 48,
This may be my last testament, which will soon be consumed by the jungle. I have worked my way east of the river with all haste. What appeared to be a level jungle has deepened into a basin, covered by extremely tall trees. I think it is still raining, but the trees stop most of it. By day the light is dappled and sparse, by night it is near pitch. My skin is cold and I am hungry, I have subsisted on what insects I could catch and identify, but my strength is starting to wane. The wood is too damp to be lit, though I tried using some powder from my rifle cartridges to burn it. Ahead of me, to the east, the basin deepens to a valley. I can only travel by day, at night it is far too dark. I sleep wherever I can find shelter, I fear the snakebite and what predators may browse these strange, dark woods.
Day 49,
My life has been prolonged, for now. I came upon a stream that seems to be clean enough, and in it found fish. I fashioned a net from my shirt by shredding it and tieing it off. I had to eat the fish raw, which I found to be less disgusting than I imagined. They turned out to be pirannhas, so I must be careful not to fall into streams. It is heading down hill further into the valley, I will follow it.
Day 55,
It has been two weeks since our party was lost, along with all of our provisions, and I am still alive. I feel something primal stirring within me, some primitive instinct. Two weeks since I ate cooked food. I haven't seen the sky since I entered this strange valley, I believe this area is obscured even from aerial photography, it is shown on our maps as fairly flat, but I stand in a deep valley. The trees extend hundreds of feet into the air. The stream I am following appears to be picking up speed. I have fed myself on freshwater fish from the stream and watered myself with its water for several days now, and I feel my strength returning. It occurs to me that even if I find the valley and the tribe, I may not have the equipment to return to civilization to tell of it. For some reason I am startled that this idea does not frighten me.
Day 60,
I made contact with a native today. He and I attempted communication, but his dialect is strange to me, and my translator drowned almost three weeks ago. It sounds something like zulu, but is definitely not the same. We pantomimed our intentions, he seemed suprised that I was in this place alone, and he desired me to stay where he found me for three days. I accepted his request. I will fashion a spear and shield during that time, should I have to defend myself, and I'll build a fire hut and try to smoke some fish. If it works, then I could stay here and build provisions enough to perhaps return. Only time will tell.
Day 64,
The native returned yesterday with several others. They examined my effects and my body closely, and we continued our pantomime conversation. They are a hunting party, primarily looking for large predators. They cannot return to their villiage for five more days. They asked me to stay here for that time, and then come with them to their villiage to meet the...elder? witchdoctor? I'm not sure. They gestured towards the sky when they tried to tell me what would happen there. I surmise that they will consult with their gods. I agreed to remain here. I have been able to smoke fish, but I could not find anything suitable to build a shield from, so I kept my rifle in hand when they arrived. I will continue to try to build provisions, should the tribe ask me to leave. I believe these are the lost tribe I seek, and that I now stand in the valley of the gateless gate.
Day 70,
I've found them! This is the tribe! They have welcomed me and provided me with food and shelter. They seem to dislike my writing, and do not seem to have a written language as far as I've seen. I will consent to their request, but will commit to memory everything that I've seen, writing only in secret, when I can.
endnote,
I had forgotten about this journal until I found it while preparing to leave. I have been with the Uba!kisu tribe for almost two years now. I am an apprenticce witch doctor to the cheif of the tribe, and am a member of the tribe. I have a new name, and I had a life here. Several days ago the eldest witchdoctor consulted with the father spirits, who said that Ta'uba!tombo, me, must return to his homeland for a season. It seems like almost a lifetime ago that I struggled to fight through the jungle to find this place, now I hunt with ou'baba, the scout who I first met, and kill meat for the tribe. I have bid farewell to my friends and adoptive family, and promised to return. I will. Though I miss my family and my homeland, my heart will always be here, with my tribe. Ou'baba will keep my rifle and revolver, I tought him to use them some time ago, he offered them back but I refused to accept a returned gift. He smiled wide. Rather suprisingly, he is better with them than I am.
So I go. Back to england, back through the valley, back to civilization.
