Entries from the Exploration Journal of Arnique Correz - The Veren
Blaire,
Was this what you were looking for? It’s the earliest record I could find in the archives, dating all the way back to the Age of Romanus. We don’t actually have anything written by the Veren themselves at all here, not even from more recent centuries – something that I can’t help but think is a terrible oversight, but (with the current situation in the Islands) one that won’t be rectified any time in the immediate future. Correz's journals are an interesting read, though, and he had only known Avari and Humans before the expedition (though by this point, he’d also spent some time with the Lowkeef and the Braar). If I remember my Early Romanus History class correctly, he was determined to bring back all the knowledge he could, and took copious notes.
If you need more, let me know. It’s not as though anyone else is dying to read 4500 year-old journal entries, and it makes me feel useful. It’s also a miracle these survived the Era of War, but I’ll spare you that particular rant for now.
- Rowan
12th of May, 48
We have found an island not too far away from the attack, thank the gods. Surely the Nyphoren must be watching over us! I have decided to name this place in their honor as thanks for their protection. The island we landed on has plenty of trees we can use to repair the ship, food is plentiful, and the weather, though on the warmer side, is pleasant enough. Cartoloma assures me that she can make the Empresa sea-worthy again in a week or two; at least our temporary sojourn will be spent in relative comfort.
I’ve sent three small parties out to explore while the majority of the crew either starts work on repairs or fortifies our immediate area. We haven’t seen any large creatures yet, but spending time on Vien with the Braar taught us anything it is that one cannot be too careful, and we are not so far from where the Movorae hunted us besides. There are some old legends of the monsters pursuing prey onto solid ground, and even if these belong firmly in the territory of myth and not reality, it cannot hurt to be prepared just in case.
14th of May, 48
Mayena’s party finally returned today. I love that child dearly, but they do seemed determined to drive me to an early grave. Still, with their return, I had hoped to have a decent idea as to the size and shape of the island so that Agustin might create the map, but the island is far longer than I had estimated. Though the width of the island is merely 20 miles or so, Mayena suggested it might be over 100 miles long, and hook to the north even further than that. They are willing, of course, to explore more thoroughly, but kept their poor father in mind and returned when they realized how long they might be gone without notice. I will send Ofelia with their party; her range with far-speak is the best of the crew.
Mateo has also reported that the island turns north a fair ways a few miles to the west; I am very interested to know what, precisely, this island looks like. Both Mateo and Mayena reported seeing other islands in the distance, as well. Perhaps a chain of some sort? If so, I will name the whole grouping in honor of the Nyphoren rather than this island alone.
17th of May, 48
Several members of the night watch reported seeing luminous eyes in the night, shining from the water. We are uncertain what those could be; certainly the Movorae cannot be described thusly (a relief), but then – what?
Nothing has approached us, at least. This island has felt safer than Vien (at no time did that jungle allow one to lower their guard, even when among the relative safety of the Braar settlements), but I begin to worry. I had Florencio send word to the exploration parties, but both Mateo and Mayena refused to return, assuring us that they will be on guard. Perhaps that is the best I can hope for. Should there be more peoples on these islands, I know Mateo and Mayena will attempt to meet them in friendship, so I will place my trust in them.
Cartoloma says repairs are on schedule – estimated another six days or so.
18th of May, 48
More eyes in the night, in greater numbers than before. Tonight, I will attempt to reach out. If there are peoples out there, I wish to meet them.
19th of May, 48
I stayed up well into the early dawn, but whatever was out there appears to have disappeared. There was nothing at all in the water, save for the reflections of the stars and the moon.
22nd of May, 48
What a whirlwind the past few days have been!
The day after the eyes disappeared, we were attacked by a pod of Movorae (I can now confirm, unfortunately, that they are able to come on land, and while they are less deadly here than in the water, they are still deadly). Was it the same group that attacked the Empresa at sea nearly two weeks ago? I am unsure; at the very least the large one was absent. But I can happily report that, while we did suffer injuries, we suffered no casualties.
How, you may ask?
It was the most amazing thing, my lord, and a perfect summary of what we are trying to accomplish out here! For as the wretched beasts attempted to feed upon my crew (who fought back valiantly, I assure you), what I can only describe as fish people arose from the waters to fight them back! Brightly-colored, about the size of an Avari and bipedal, but with fins on their arms and legs and webbed feet and hands, wearing armor fashioned from coral and sea stone. Tentacles fall from their heads where hair would fall from ours. They have gills and flat faces, and of course those large eyes we saw peering at us from the water. Clearly warriors, they wield spears and tridents, and several of them are able to cast magic. They helped us, though in the aftermath they seemed wary and uncertain until Florencio was able to impart that we mean them no harm.
Danilo is working on language acquisition and sharing, as their tongue is wholly foreign to us, but in the meantime, we are making do with Florencio’s farspeaking combined with gestures and pointing.
Mayena will be upset they missed first contact, but on the other hand, we will be staying here for a while to get to know our new friends.
29th of May, 48
They call themselves “Veren” (Danilo says I am spelling it wrong, but that is how it sounds like it is pronounced to me), and the islands “Ainoku”. It is a large cluster of islands – over 40, though some are quite small. The Veren themselves are aquatic, and seem to only use the land for hunting specific game and cultivating specific crops to supplement their regular diet of fish, fruit, and seaweed. There are, apparently, whole cities and communities beneath the waves! Once the Empresa was seaworthy again, we moved to one of the center islands, near where their capital city is. We have been assured that there are air pockets beneath the waves; Mayena will be leading a small party to meet their queen, guided by our new friend Kaloe and her party.
As I have just implied, the Veren are ruled by a monarchy, with the current ruler being Queen Hokani. She has ruled for the last 300 years – Veren can live for over 600 years! The trade off, of course, is that they do not have many children, but they cherish those they are blessed with.
Speaking of blessings, the Veren worship the Nyphoren (though they call them by another name that escapes me at the moment), which makes sense given their aquatic nature, but not primarily. That honor seems to go to the Distant Trinity, as both astronomy and astrology are bound up in their culture. We’ve seen quite a few celestial designs on both the coral armor and in the plethora of jewelry the Veren seem fond of (they do not wear clothes, as we do, and why should they? They are mostly fish and spend most of their time in the water. But they do love to accessorize).
The armor itself is fascinating – Kaloe told Danilo that they grow it tailored to each individual warrior. She allowed me to test it, and against my dagger it held as though the armor were forged steel instead of coral. Kaloe does not know the exact process of growing the armor (there are Veren who specialize in such things), but agreed that there is some magic involved in the process to strengthen the material. She told me that the coral is still alive, and that it forms something of a symbiotic bond with the Veren who wears it. I cannot help but be disturbed at the thought of wearing something alive against my bare skin, but it does not seem to bother the Veren at all, so to each their own – and we cannot dismiss the effectiveness of it.
The encounter with the Movorae “swarm,” as the Veren call it, showed us that they are very effective warriors, especially against that menace. Kaloe told Danilo that Movorae are common here, and the two species clash often. The Veren have learned how to deal with the eel-like creatures, using their weapons and their magic (much in the way of water, as would be natural given the environment, but also illusion and foresight), and have offered us aid should we be attacked again. While Movorae are certainly present in other waters, I do not like the sound of how many of them seemingly live here, though there has been no sign of the monster that crippled the Empresa (Kaloe calls it an “old one”). The Veren have assured us that they will be on watch for it, as I am unsure how badly we injured it before it let us go.
Isn’t it wonderful, that even though our species have never met, we have the same name for the Movorae? Truly, some things transcend the perceived limitations of language, time, and space, such as the creatures being menaces everywhere.
