The Pfieffer journals have always been and remain important sources of world knowledge. Though if you can't read between the lines, you're best off sticking to their illustrations.— Olive Newell, Historian
Siblings
Marcus and
Laura Pfieffer were upper-class citizens of
Diamondheart, best known for their extensive travels of Nideon from 1547-1573. Their travel journals are now the most widely published books in the world after
The Death Witch.
Early Journals
Marcus and Laura Pfieffer began their travels in 1547, as their parents were arranging a marriage for Laura, then 19. Marcus, three years her senior, had recently returned from his university studies and having befriended a local Thisaazhou trader, offered his sister a chance to escape and explore the world. Their first year of travels was spent in the Southern Continent, traveling with the Thisaazhou caravan, which they were invited to officially join through a song circle. Upon arriving again in their home town, Laura refused to return home, instead living a brief stint in Auras , then occupied by a religious cult. For sixth months, Marcus marketed his journal about his year with the Thisaazhou to curious readers, building up enough money to get himself and his sister to the Major Continent. Though Laura also kept a journal of their year, copies were not sold at this time.
Prime Adventures
The travels that the Pfieffer siblings are best known for are those taken from 1549-1557. Taking a ship to southern Feren, Laura and Marcus began traveling around the Major Continent, journeying by whatever means available and making a myriad of friends and enemies along the way. Though they began their travels together, Laura was kidnapped in 1950, and it was five years before the siblings reunited. This the period of many of their more famous and fantastic adventures, including the time Laura spent with Ethite cannibals, Marcus's claims to have met phoenixes and gods, and both their travels through Linakra.
Later Journals
After arriving home in 1557, Laura did actually marry, at the age of 28. She spent two years at home, during which time she had a child, but later returned with Marcus to travel again, beginning in the Southern Islands. These later journeys were shorter and tamer, with the siblings returning home for brief periods in between. As she got older, Laura became more concerned about being present for her children (her second child was born in 1564), though their journals extend as far as 1573, at which point Marcus eventually married a widow and adopted her children. There is some speculation that they continued to travel, possibly even taking their families, but if so, they either did not keep records of these accounts or they did not publish them.
Historical Impact
Though the Pfieffer's travel journals were originally published in sections (in part to fund each new adventure), they were eventually compiled (including Laura's unpublished eighteen months with the Thisaazhou and in Auras) and sold in two volumes, one for each sibline. At the time, they were the most comprehensive studies on the whole of Nideon that anyone had seen, and historians still use them as primary texts, though with more skepticism. Their popularity has even lead to a simplified work for children called The Adventures of Marcus and Laura Pfieffer.
It is clear the two siblings had their own unique styles and perspectives, which colored their experiences. Marcus's journal is known for its poetic depictions of the people he met, while Laura tended to be much more blunt in her writings. Marcus, however, was more gifted for language, and in several places he not only provided an explanation of events, but included songs and ceremonies in the language of the people he interacted with as well as his personal translations. Furthermore, though the siblings cared dearly for each other, they also make their more impolite opinions known. Marcus often criticizes his sister's ignorance and sheltered upbringing, while Laura refers to him on more than one occasion as a "well-educated idiot."
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