A Journey into Darkness
Purpose
To record the findings of the Dark Contient and study them later
Historical Details
Background
This document dates back to when the Paranth Sultanate ruled the Jantani Desert and were desperate to find new lands to house and feed its people. Many ships were sent out and many did not return, those how did came back with nothing. All except one lead by the explorer Ahlan Juroza Vazem and he would return with the news of the a new continent he called Calestra ready to be colonized and this would bring forth an age of exploration and colonization for centuries to come by the sultanate.
History
According to records by Ahlan Juroza Vazem he spent a year on the Dark Continent surveying the land and gather records and specimens to bring back to the sultanate a proof of his findings.
Public Reaction
Many people found hope by his writing when they were finally published and were excited to journey to this new land to start a new life.
Legacy
The designs and writing are consider historical by the people of the Jantani and are keep in good condition
A Journey into Darkness
12th of Sun Touch 1D 148Y
It has been many weeks since we have sent out to sea at the behest of the Sultan himself. His task to find new lands have been difficult and are supplies have been slowly dwindling to its last drop, many have begun to starve and we will soon start to perish if we do not find water soon. Luckily none of the crew has perished yet, but the rumors of mutiny have soon begone to spread and I fear if nothing is done about it, my neck will eventually find a rope around it or worst yet thrown overboard to the sharks! Hopefully luck will change and we will find something.
15th of Sun Touch 1D 148Y
It seems our luck was finally returning to us and fate is on our side, a storm had caught our ship and blew us off course of the direction we were heading and we lost two men from it. But their live were not in vain, we had finally found it, land, oh glorious and plentiful land filled with green and fresh water. We quickly set out to restore our supplies and rest from our struggle. After a few hour I set out with a small group of men to explore further inland to see how much more it might hold. Surprisingly we soon discovered that we were not alone in the jungle and found ourselves surrounded to what seemed to be the natives. They were men, but their skin was a black as coal, wearing animal skin and paint on their skin. Their weapons may have been primitive, but they were still menacing when they were pointed at you. I made sure that things didn’t escalate and gave one of them some cloth from my bag as a gift. He did not know what to actually do with it but he made the others lower their weapons and gestured us to follow him with no other choice in the matter. We soon found ourselves in what appeared to their village in a small clearing. Their were at least a few dozen of them mostly made up of women and children and the elderly. Most of which only wore clothing to cover their privates. Their homes were made from clay and wood and had fences to for livestock which contianed massive beasts that I never seen in my life. Were soon brought before their cheif or should i say cheiftess, which me and the crew were suprised by. She had no hair and her head was covered in trinkets and objects on her head. Since we could not understand one another I tried to explain to her in drawing in the dirt. It took sometime and we soon started to exchange words little by little. I managed to get her name which was Masindi and that was mostly it. After a while we were allowed to leave and I gave her a dagger out of aprciation and we head on our way back to camp. We discussed it with the rest of the crew and began plans for later use.[/I]
18th of Sun Touch 1D 148Y
After several days of rest were head back to the village is search of guides through the unknown terrain, only to find that Masindi had fallen ill since we last meet and was on the verge of death. Seeing an opportunity I told the men to bring back the ships doctor, Sahibe and after a little time she was feeling better and began taking a liking to him. A Some time we began to understand one another more breaking down one another language and were able to make some sentences out of it. She said we were on the eastern lands of the Bato tribe which is what she was apart of and said their is much land west of here if we were willing to journey there. This might be a new continent we have discovered, a continent! When we return to the sultan with this we would be rich and famous for this. The people can settle new lands and no will go hungry ever again. Might even get into the sultan's court for this. She said that were could take a guide with us by the name of Unge that would lead us to were we were going. I told the men to gather as many men and supplies as we could and we set out form the village. Later that night I could her repaying Sahibe with for saving her and I believe that he was enjoying the native hospitality a little too much!
28th of Sun Touch 1D 148Y[/I]
Many days have past since when have left the village and it has been harsh and terrible on us, through we manage to gain much knowledge and animals to impress the sultan, it was a costly one. A hundred men we began as and know we are seventy. Many have fallen to disease, hostile tribes and wild animals and entires are not made until we are safe to do so. I have managed to learn to basic of the native language from Unge before he ran off after we head on the plains or savannah as they call it, saying it was as far as he could go before vanishing onto the jungle. When have been on our own ever since and have been making maps to ensure when find our way back to the ship. Their are many things on this place that have wonderful and terrifying animals. Many of them monstrous in size with a certain beauty to them, along with terror to them. We have to find another village before we perish. 
I have lost count of the days since we traveling in this gods forsaken place just the other day we had found a giant with one eye that kill one of the men before carrying his body away for its meal! We have been staying with a friendly village that belongs to the Bato, after a few gifts to their chief, he has allowed us to stay as honored guest and during that time the tribesmen have been helping us survey the region and I may say it has been much better since then, My understanding of the Bato language is quite well now and should be able to understand the clearly know. From what the natives tell me is that we should not go any farther inland since it is far too since it's too dangerous with enemy tribes and things they call Lionmen and Knolls that kill anyone that enter their territory. I believe them too with what I have seen so far. 
We came upon some ruins why survey the region and they seem quite old, the natives say that it is cursed and we should no go there at all, but we went in anyway, no curse but instead we found a sleeping giant and it was the same one that attacked us. In vengeance cut its throat and watch it bleed out with satisfaction. We found some interesting things as well while took it head away as a trophy, a few pieces of pottery, some old weapons, one a spear of fine quality even with it current state 
. Even some gold to take back with us and we head off. The villager weren't to pleased to see us at first since they believed us curse by entering the ruins, but their tune change when we gave them the giant's head which they called a Cyclops and said it had been terrorizing them for quite a long time and they had a feast in our name and began to eat its head, of course we turned it down and enjoyed ourselves. Then a young women appeared before me, she was a hunter by the name of Kizi and she considered me a coward, saying that kill a sleeping beast was no challenge at all. She challenged me to a hunt and according to tribal tradition I had to accept or me and my men would be forced to leave. 
The next day I set out hunt the best game I could find and bring it back alive as show of skill a hunter and It was much harder then you might think, first of all before heading on their expedition I was nothing more then a cartographer never held a spear in my life and frankly I was scared shitless from this whole thing, lucky for me I learn how to set traps from some of the crew to made it easier. I had to avoid getting eaten though since most of things in the grass could tear me apart in a instance and that was not confronting. After a while nothing showed up to catch, which was odd, the area was full of animals yesterday and it seemed some thing scared them off. I soon heard a scream in the distance and knew it was Kizi and hurried over. When I got there she was desperately trying to reach her bow and above her appeared to be a lion, this was in fact not a lion at all as it soon stood on two legs! It was one of the lionmen that the chief told me about and oh it was a horrifying sight to behold, but she was being drag away by the beast made want to stop it even more. So it the only thing I could and throw my spear at it. I miss completely and it looked piss at me. A chased ensued and with quick thinking lead it right it the trap I made and lucky the pit and net inside help it from escaping. After that the crew came and took it back to the village and I was consider the winner. As for the lionman, I wanted to bring it back with us and as for Kizi, she sworn herself into my service, for saving her.
[I]This will be my last entry, I know it has been at least a year and I rather return to a nice bed, hopefully I am well rewarded after this. What ever else I have seen I will not say for somethings are best not spoken of by men at all.
Type
Journal, Personal
Medium
Organic
Authoring Date
1529 BCA
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