In the Lands Beyond the Sunrise- The Journals of Four Otter

[Lord Tyger]

Day One: We have put ashore in the new land. I am much relieved, as I feared that the men would not have endured the journey much longer before talk of mutiny began. As our voyage has ended, I have put away the journal I kept on board the Merchant of Iss's Daughter. I begin this journal to detail our explorations within the land itself. It is not the only such journal kept- both of the Philosophical Society's Doctors are keeping journeys focused on their particular interests, and I do not doubt that the few of the men who can have a command of writing are equally eager to record their impressions.

I do not think words can adequately express the wave of jubilation that ran over the ship when the lookout cried "land!" To a certain degree it can be appreciated by any sailor who, following storm or shipwreck, believes that he is destined to perish at sea, only to find a reprieve at the moment he is poised to give into despair. Despite the sentiment unvoiced but evident among the sailors that it would be best to turn back to Iss, it had been several weeks since what passed what the Captain estimated to be the halfway point. That is to say, we no longer had the supplies to make the return with some good portion of the crew being likely to succumb to starvation or dehydration.

There was a deeper thrill though, at the knowledge that we were looking upon a land that no man of our race had ever laid eyes on. I have witnessed the making of history more than once in my long life, but never before have I had such a palpable sense that I was present at an event of mythical proportions.

Even with my vows to humility, I cannot escape the feeling that eager minds in the generations that follow my own will devour every scrap of information they can find about this expedition, especially these early days. As I recorded in my Voyages, we reached land on the twenty-third day of the the seventh year of the reign of the Nine Leaf Emperor (long may he reign). A deckhand by the name of Five Eagle was the one to actually spot land, upon which he gave the sailors' traditional cry, "the sea ends! Land!" Instantly, all those who heard him rushed forward to try and make out the blurry shape on the horizon he had seen.

The sun was setting as we reached it, and the Captain forbade anyone to go on shore until the following morning, reasoning that we could not know what hazards awaited us, be they flora, fauna, or even intelligent life hostile to we interlopers. I can not fault him for his caution, and to cast any aspersions on the bravery of a man who agreed to sail over the horizon on the strength of a few century old legends from a dying sailor would reflect more poorly on the accuser than the accused, but I confess that this restriction, after so long at see, chafed horribly at me. Many of the men seemed to agree with me, including Doctor Xi, one of the men from the Philosophical Society. His colleague, Doctor Sha, though, sided with the captain, and was able to provide so many examples of plants and animals from his homeland which could prove instantly deadly to the unwary that the men eagerness of the men was not only abated, but even in some cases transformed into a marked reluctance when the sun finally rose the next day

This reluctance showed itself in the ominous dreams many reported. These apparently drew on common tales from their childhood, as many of the dreams showed similarities. In particular, there was a recurrence of images of a sort of many legged fish emerging from the water. I dimly remember the story in question from my own youth, but the details escape me, and I was far too excited to sleep much last night, and so have not had it dragged up out of the depths of my memory. I will have to talk to the men and set it down as well as I can here.

In any case, these perceived portents were ultimately not enough to stop the crew from spilling out onto the shore. In honor of having spied the land, Five Eagle was the first to set foot on the beach, and to bless the land by the grace of the Nine Leaf Emperor (long may he reign). Here we received our first good look at the new lands. Crystal clear water ended in a beach of fine white sand, which continued as far as the horizon in either direction along the coast. Inland, the beach gradually turned into flat grassland. In the distance one could make out the shape of vast mountains.

Doctor Sha took a party of the men to forage for edible plant life and fresh water, as well as to investigate the apparent absence of any animal life upon the land here. Doctor Xi, meanwhile, instructed the men in the construction of temporary sod shelters, such as are used by the nomads of Sarnath. The majority of the men will spend the night on the ship, but Doctor Xi and I, to whom solid ground is a blessed relief after the months at sea, will spend the night on shore, with a small contingent of like-minded soldiers. Tomorrow we will assess the state of our supplies and decide whether to strike inland immediately, or travel along the coast.

[Lord Tyger]

Day Two:

Last night the spirits of this place came howling out of the darkness. The shrieks and gibberings could be heard in the distance for some hours, coming nearer and then withdrawing, as is the nature of spirits in wild places. Finally, they could be heard among the sod huts. Now there could be no fear for the ship, for every charm and exorcism known in Iss had been worked into the hull. The sod huts, though, bore only the simple protection inherent to any structure intended to be a dwelling, and that weakened by their temporary nature. In Sarnath, where the great spirits have all been bound to mountain or lake or canyon, it would have been sufficient, but we knew nothing of the spirits of this place, and so it was my duty to go out and confront them.

I stepped out into the night. The spirits had taken the forms of flickering flames and tendrils of mist. I spoke the First Command, which should have compelled them to assume pleasing shapes and assemble in massed ranks before me. They paid no attention to my command, except perhaps to increase the speed of their whirling about the camp.

To think that only yesterday I was concerned that my role in the discovery of this land would lead me to stray from my vows of humility. Now, my ability to flawlessly pronounce the Three Commands, the main reason I had been chosen among all those who wished to accompany this expedition, had proved useless. I would have hung my head in shame, but that I did not dare take my eyes off of the swirling figures of the spirits.

How ancient this land must be, if the spirits that dwell here had already come to dwell when the Makers first inscribed the Three Commands. How little we truly know of it, and what hubris to imagine that we shall be able to make ourselves its masters. I shrugged these thoughts aside, though they return now, and concentrated on my duty, protecting my fellow explorers from the whims of these wild spirits. I spoke the Second Command, and then the Third, and was disappointed but no longer surprised when the spirits disregard these as easily as they had the First.

One of the spirits, which had assumed the form of a flame, darted suddenly towards me. There was the smell of burning cloth, and then a horrid burning in my side, just above the left hip. I cried out in shock and pain, which seemed to excite the other spirits. I was burned again and again, and mist so wreathed my mouth and nose that I was scarce able to draw breath.

I perceived that I was in peril for my life, and my companions presumably likewise. This drove me to attempt something I would not normally dare. Abandoning the Commands, I cast my will forth directly, attempting to control the spirits through the sheer force of my mind. They grew only bolder for a moment, and the smell of my own seared flesh joined that of my smoldering cassock. Then, all at once, they were gone, retreating across the landscape accompanied by their weird whistles and ululations. I sank to the ground, utterly exhausted, and was yet there when my companions emerged from their sod huts.

Doctor Xi treated my wounds with a certain liniment which he claimed to have procured, at great difficulty, from the Royal Physician of the Court of the Queen of the Moon. Like all Philosophers, his abilities are more to be trusted than his tales. In any case, I must try further to extract the origin and composition of the liniment from him, for it proved miraculously effective, removing the pain from my scorched extremities immediately, and lessening the blistering. I will yet bear the scars of these burns for the rest of my life, but they will not prove so bad as to prevent me from carrying on with my duties.

Much was made of my victory over the spirits, as my comrades perceived it. Privately, I confided to Doctor Xi and the Captain that I was far from sure of the exact result of the contest. I had neither time nor inclination to shape my will into detailed commands, so it is possible that my will triumphed and simply drove the spirits away. Alternatively, it is possible that they had not expected resistance of that nature, and so had withdrawn in fear or confusion. If this is the case, then I can make no guarantees for the results of the next such contest.

The Captain considered this, and it was clear he was deliberating whether further adventures inland were worth the risk. Doctor Xi apparently sensed this indecision as well, and said, "Remember, we cannot in any case set sail before the return of Doctor Sha and his foraging party. You are doubtless better apprised of the ship's stores than I, but it was my distinct impression that we were dependent on gathering supplies from here before we could attempt the voyage home."

"In light of recent developments," replied the Captain gravely, "I am concerned that Doctor Sha's party may not be returning anytime soon, and certainly not well provisioned. Tell me, Four Otter, do you think they are likely to have met with some injury at the ministrations of the spirits of this place?"

I sat up a little straighter. "It is difficult to say with any certainty, Captain. In general, spirits in wild places have a much longer grasp of time than we do. If Doctor Sha and his party kept moving throughout the night, it is entirely possible that the spirits well not have taken any more notice of them than of an errant breeze or a single raindrop. It is only when a thing remains stationary, or in a recognizable pattern, for some time that the spirits take notice of it. Hence, when we built the shelters and remained there for the night, we drew their attention. But in all this, I speak of my experiences with the spirits of Iss and Sarnath. These are so different as to scorn the Three Commands, and I dare not say anything of them for certain but that which I witnessed last night.”

“On that subject,” said Doctor Xi. “Are you certain that they are so different? It was dark, and you were in a strange place surrounded by multitudes of hostile spirits. Could you perhaps have put the wrong inflection on even a single syllable?”

I had considered this possibility already, meditating upon humility to remove my attention from the pain as I waited for Doctor Xi to finish applying his liniment. Now I shook my head, reluctantly. “Believe me, I would prefer to think the failure in myself rather than in the Commands, just as you would. But I have faced larger assemblages of spirits before, and in more fearsome shapes. Were I not able to speak the words correctly under such circumstances, or even under more extreme, I should not have been chosen for this journey.”

Doctor Xi and the Captain withdrew to discuss further, and I sank mercifully into sleep. When I awoke, Doctor Xi was burning strong incense, which he said might help to keep the spirits from making another attack. Apart from us, the sod hut was empty. He explained that the Captain had ordered all the men to spend this night aboard the ship, but that, my condition yet being too delicate to move me, he had volunteered to stay ashore. He said this with the diffidence one might expect from a Philosopher, but I was deeply moved, the more so when he presented me my journal.

When Doctor Sha left, he promised to send word by the dawn of the third day, whatsoever his situation might be. Unable to sleep further, I now find myself anxiously awaiting that dawn, with mixed hope and fear as to what it may bring.