Klovhernsman's Journal of the Journey Westwards

I looked over the horizon as told by the lookout, and I saw ships appearing on the horizon, strange flat ones with sails entirely unfamiliar in design to anything we had ever seen. But we saw the small harbour area and land next and realised quickly that we had left Nimenra behind and arrived on a foreign continent.

— Fenrik Klovhernsman's first account of seeing the shores of the Shuwei continent

Fenrik Klovhernsman is most notably known to have travelled across and explored the Great Ocean. During this voyage that he undertook to originally find a way to Nekuram, he and his ships strayed off the original course and into the great expanse, finding uninhabited islands, new phenomena and many reasons why previous expeditions did not fare as well, sea monsters, nature and aggressive storms included. But the most important find he and his crew have done is their encounter with the Shuwei and a new continent.

The First Expedition - Early findings

While travelling south along the Nimenran continent, Klovhernsman and the crews of the two ships soon found out that travelling along the coast was harder than imaginable. The coast southwards had high cliffs with waterfalls and ice covering the tops of mountains. Only when arriving in the Kingdom Dwarven port town of Exhardur'Eim did they find short term safety. While at the port Klovhernsman attempted to extract information on Dwarven expeditions that might have attempted similar expeditions:

Shortlist of important articles

Following are articles of importance that Fenrik Klovhernsman wrote down and are in more detail.

• Sea Glowling Leaf
• Great Ocean
• Uninhabited Islands of Replenish
• Ocean Monstrosities
• Shuwei

Type
Personal Journal
Author
Fenrik Klovhernsman
Written
2510-2515 (First Expedition)
2533-2537 (Second Expedition)

Asking Dwarfs about secrets is harder than asking a wife to cheat on her loving man, when she hates him, and he cheats her, and they have never loved each other, to begin with... What I try to write is that Dwarfs are stubborn bast, to brash of me, but they are stubborn and too prideful, even to their lost ones.

— Note on asking the Archivist for information in regards to the kingdoms southward attempts

After having stayed for three days the ships continued to travel south on the fifth day of the expedition but encountered problems during the night of the seventh when strong winds started to pull the ship closer to the cliffside coast. With a great effort from all of the crews of the ships they successfully manoeuvred away from the coast but in the effort had lost it. For two days they tried to find the eastern coastline of Nimenra again but encountered harsh weather conditions. Rather than continue the attempts to find the coast, Klovhernsman wanted to sail westwards since lookouts found what seemed like islands on the far horizon.

Day 10 of expedition: Islands and land finally found! They seem uninhabited apart from pigs (or island wild pigs of some kind? A yellowish in their leather), grass and bushes and birds that I think we even can find at home. We will embark tomorrow even if it is only 10 days ago we set sail but after the terrible weather we have had, I believe Askersound can give us this rest.

— Journal Entry on the first encounter with the Replenish Islands

The islands would in turn become a short-term base as Klovhernsman and the crew continued at first south and eastwards to find Nimenra's coast again. They would eventually do so or believed to do so when they encountered high cliffsides again. By that time they had been on the ocean for a month. It was also at that time the first encounter with the "Great Rammers" happened. The effort to counter them was mixed, the hull on the flagship was heavily damaged but sailing back to the island for repairs secured it from sinking.

It would prove difficult to continue south, with every attempt, more and more hostile ocean life was encountered but also weather proved the most unstable factor as they drew closer and closer southwards. It seemed like a great storm moved around the south which they were wise to avoid as Fenrik thought it to be either some magic unknown or wrath of the Gods.

By the turn of the second year of the expedition, they had exhausted their time on the islands. While the population of pigs and berries still was strong, they also had trouble with poisonous kinds of animals, small reptilians and as Klovhernsman writes:

How can a cute, fluffy rat-thing be the most nuisance to all! They eat everything it seems but most importantly eat the ropes like we eat the berries on the islands! The ropes we make from the fibrous plants on the island they tend to eat less of, but our own they seem to fancy. I have had twenty people hurt even when they hunt the creatures for they are fast, but also have this tail that swipes so hard it burst the skin. They are good meat though...

— Fenrik Klovhernsman's remark on the Cutey Rope Eater fiend, called the Rope Cute-devil.

The First Expedition - New goals and wonders

Klovhernsman abandoned more attempts to find Nekuram by this time. Instead, they opted to continue westwards which in turn they found the first signs of something civilized when happening upon crates of rotten foodstuff that was foreign to them. They also had a second encounter with the "Great Rammers", this time, however, the Rammers failed to do any noteworthy damage. Instead, the ships had to hurriedly escape other evils; a great ocean serpent followed them for three days and three nights, an indescribable creature attacked with large tentacles ending with claws from the ocean in a surprise attack close to a lonely rift and the encounter with the Great Reef Wall left an astonishing impression on Klovhernsman.

I... I can only write that the glittering wall that leads us this way is only describable as a natural wonder. It is an island unlike any before seen with crevasses and outcrops all over the surface. The tower, or Glitterhelm as I am now calling it, seem to avert hostile creatures. The fishes that make their home are colour full unlike the ones native to Nimenra that I have seen. I could also swear that I saw large eels breaking the surface.

— Klovhernsman's notes on the Glitterhelm and the Great Reef Wall

Klovhernsman pushed outwards and on day 449 they encountered a new land.

Klovhernsman used Glitterhelm as a lighthouse similar to the ones in Nimenra. With it as a constant marker, they could explore further and return to a safe area but now away from the Replenish Islands. But he feared, however, that they had little time. The crew began to get sicker by the turn of day 442 since the supplies began to run dry. Returning back now, however, was not anyone too sure about. Returning with little news about the original goal was something Klovhernsman feared. With what little he had, they all pressed onwards.

Day 443 of expedition: Had to send three with the Sea-fearer today. We need new foodstuff and rations, even after the islands. Fish from the reef are delicacies but only do so much. We have to make a better attempt westward now, before the final sun breaks and forces us home.

— Klovhernsman on his fears with the expedition

The new land, however, was different from the islands. Unlike back then, in the beginning, they saw stone towers and piers coming up on the horizon. They saw ships that were docked at the piers and the towers were soon accompanied by small houses of wood. It was hard to believe but they had encountered a new continent and a new people.

Klovhernsman and the two ships of 94, down from 126, had finally succeeded in something no one ever had before. The traversal of the Great Ocean was an accomplishment unlike any other.

They knew, however, better than to immediately dock at the piers. They instead waited two days and so did the natives they had encountered, unknown yet to them; the Shuwei. On the third day, one of the Shuwei ships approched and Klovhernsman with crew could sail ashore with what seemed like permission. They had set foot on lands no Nimenran had ever been on. Soon Klovhernsman met with the natives:

They wear fine clothes, finer than the nobles in their cotton and wool clothes. And most of these are not nobles! Then again they do vary...

Manners are plenty among them too. At first, I thought them odd, petting my hand like a cat's tail when I reached forward! Others they bowed and tried to talk to me as soon as we made contact. A soldier, or I believe a soldier, seemed quite eager to see my weapon which at this point had seen better days because of the engagements we had with the ocean life.

This was not Nimenra, but I wondered, and feared, where we were and how we would communicate.

— Klovhernsman's short notes on the Shuwei