The Mainland - Tath's Journal

[Jearick Hgar]

The journals are written in Ziambii, however this is a translated version of his journals.

I have landed on the mainland. the place that i have landed is much colder than home. i wish i had more hides to wear. two men saw the boat and came to greet me. they were wearing shiny rock armor. they saw my hides and my spear and offered new hides and a shiny rock weapon, which they called a "Bastard Sword". The hdies iw as given were in much better condition and seemed to be better crafted. i put on the new hides and could imediatly feel the diference. they were much warmer. I will need to find out hwo they are able to make such warm hides and share the the method with my tribe. i asked about the shiny rock sword, they told me it was made from "metal" more specifically, "Copper". This "copper" seems to be a durable rock that can be made into sharp weapons, more sharp then my spear or the daggers and arrows of my tribe. i will need to learn how to work with copper as well.

The homes and shelters here are made from rocks and long flat wood instead of sticks. i asked how they kept the rocks together and one of the two men told me that something called "cement" kept the rocks together. a rock shelter must be strong. the mainland continues to amaze me. They are very smart and resourful. the "metal" seems to also be used for protection. a man caleld it "Armor". the notion at first seemed rediculous. wearin hides made from a shiny rock? how would one move? but i saw a man wearing the metal and walking jsut fine. i can only imagine the advantage the shiny rock armor could give my tribe in the war.

I also ran into a woman today. she could do this thign called "magic". she made sparkling shiny bars circle around my head. i tried to grab one but my hand went through it. i don't knwo exactly where the magic comes from or what it is, but it is amazing. a rather ugly, but very strong looking man named Ajax helped me kill rats, which i collected many and we feasted afterwords. He had me follow him and he asked the woman and a man with a staff for magics. when the magics were cast on me, i was scared. the energies were so forgien, but the benefits were unbelievable. one of the magics made me stronger, another made me faster. they put a few magics on my blade. then they turned my skin to stone! this development scared me at first but  my fears were ptu to rest when the woman told me that the  stone would wear off or be knocke doff, it wasn't permanent. the magic must be a miricle of Nala, for it heals and protects.

after the magics were put on us me and the man Ajax went into the udnercity and killed rats and spiders till we found a man who was half rat! his head was grotesque, he had a rat's head with human characteristics, he also had a torso and arms and legs. he walked upright, but he was covered in fur and had claws. Ajax caleld him the ratman of hlint. i have never seen anything like him. we retrieved the Tax records from him and recieved a reward from a woman that had sent us on the task. we then spoke to a man in the metal armor, he said he need some ears of a creature called a goblin. Ajax left at thsi time, but i followed the man's directions and found the goblins. they were small creatures with big ears leathery skin and wore hardly anything. i killed them all, i am getting much better at fighting. i think it might be the sword. it is easy for me to use. perhaps when i go back home one day i will be a hero for the tribe and end the war.

[Jearick Hgar]

i have been getting more and mroe accustomed to the magics of the mainland. I met a few new friends today, Gruffydd, or Gruff as i like to call him, a fellow smith named Jack, a Bard named Ferros, and his micsa man friend skabot. All of these people helped me today in my new hobby. I have begun minning the red shiny rock called copper. the copper can be found in the goblin mines or in the kolbold mines. it is much stronger than hides and stone. I can make armor, weapons, shields, and eventually helms with the shiny rock. it is amazing. i am working on perfecting the hobby so that i may teach it to my tribe. with the knowledge maybe we can end the war between our tribes. Ajax has been a tremendous help. He and an orc named Eru helped me and Gruff get the orc chief's head. with the four of us it was easily done. Ajax also gave me another pick after my first broke. He is a good example of how friendly mainlanders can be.

Working with the Copper, i have found better ways to smelt it into what the mainlanders call "Ingots" items can only be made from shiny rocks when they are in the "Ingot" form. however, this is not easy. It takes strength and percision to make an ingot out of the dirty and misshapen ore that i recieve it as. i have found that slow steady blows are better than blows that take all of my strength. it allows me to make more ingots at a time. The smelting has also increased my strength, i feel stronger by the day. Smelting will be an excelent excersice for the Zas and the Kos back in the tribe. it excersices the mind, builds endurance, and strength. all very key attributes to the Ziambii Ki.

i have tried to learn as much as i can about the shiny rocks. as far as i know there are four. Copper, Tin, Bronze, and iron. Copper is the weakest, Tin can't be used by itself but combined with Copper it forms a stronger shiny rock called bronze, and finally the strongest is iron. i have yet to work with iron or bronze. inf act i have hardly worked with tin. i have been focusing on Copper. those that i talk to say it is the best to familurize yourself with, then once you feel you are ready move on to tin. i will be doing just that.

so far i have crafted three shield, two heater shields and one kite. the difference in shape. i don't understand why different shapes should ahve different names with objects. a body shield is a body shield, if i shape it like a circle does it turn into a circle shield? i don't quite even understand why the heater shield is called a heater shield. regardless, i have foudn that they are easily made. with copper anyways.

I have also foudn that the mainlanders do not use oxes for food, but as pack animals, and they do the job very well. i can carry five times as much ore with an ox than without an ox. it is the best one hundred gold i have ever spent. which reminds me. i have been taught how to count higher today. The tribe believes that if you have mroe than ninety nine of anything you have too much, but this is not true with gold. thus the "hundred" was made. after ninety nine is "one hundred" then you count to ninety nine again place "one hundred" infront of each number. the next is two hundred, and so on to th enumber "nine hundred ninety nine" then you reach one thousand. and for some odd reason you use the thousand all the way to nine hundred ninety nine THOUSAND nine hundred ninety nine." i can't ever imagine having that much of anything!

[Jearick Hgar]

the mainland has shown to be everything my mother said it would. i have met a variery of different faces, sizes, colors, and attitudes.one man carried around a burning skull like the Guatumas, though he looked nothing like a Guatuma nor did he look like it was for the same reason. It makes me shiver just thinking about the "sun people". it is strange, i seem to be the only one ever from our island. no oen has ever heard of the Ziambii Ki, the Guatumas, or the Ha'shans. it's as if to the mainland, we do not exists. one man explained to me that this might be becuase of our distance from land and how isolated we are. i think he may be right. i have put my trainign with the "Sword" on hold for a while, a dwarf has placed an order with me for twenty of the large shieds. he wants them made of copper and int he best condition i can. I have crafted four of these shields sof ar. It takes five ingots for every shields, and i am not the best at smelting yet. trips to the mine have become longer and longer. i need as much ore as i can, this is helping me greatly in my training as a smith. i am sure he'll be happy with the quality i bring him.

the Magics have become an everyday thign for me, i see it one way or another, it is so common here on the mainalnds, even the goblins use the magics. I wonder how they never reached our island, fromw hat i know they are god granted, why haven't N'i!a, Nala, or Gi'jiam granted us these gifts? perhaps they think we do not need them, that we are strong enough with out the magics. this must be the reason, which teaches me that one shoudl never questiont he will of the dragons. we are for ever their children and enlightened in their gaze.

[Jearick Hgar]

i had a dream las tnight. i think the influences of the mainland have lead me to it. i dreamt that it was several years from now and i had arrived back home. things weren't very different form how i left it. We had a few new Elders, the Ha'shans had a new leader, and the Guatumas lived seperated as ever. i brought back the technologies of the mainland, Metal workings, magics, swords, armors, shields, healing solutions, and gold. I was able to fine a mining area nearby, it turne dout to be an iron and copper mine.  i couldn't believe my luck. i was sure that if i looke dmro ei could find the other metals such as tin, and maybe an undiscovered metal. the Elders imeadiatly began praying to Nala for his gifts in magics and they were recieved in full. I also began teaching how to build mainlandish houses, which offered better protection. the Ziambii Ki became more and more mainlandish. We worked on our armor and trained them int he fasion i had learned. i was made into the new Zo'Ko and i personally trained everyone there in the use of swords. My parents were so proud of everything i had accomplished and the new teachings i had brought to the tribe.

Soon we brought war to the Guatumas, slaughtering every Tribe member alive. we would never face war with them again. the magics and killings were so vivid in the dream, i could almost feel my blade in my hand piercing my deieing enemy.  in my dream time passed fast, and we in turn killed the Ha'shans deciding that they would most likely try and attack us if given enough time.with us being the only tribe left we took over the island and began building great monuments to Nala, N'i!a, and Gi'jiam. we were even visited by Gi'jiam. she told us how proud she was with our success and granted her blessings on the tribe. my Tribe decided to make me "King" after this becuase without the teachigns i brought, none of what had happened would have. lost ofr words i accepted the position. i ruled happily and peacefully. soon though, we ran out of trees for our homes and everyday items, animals were scarce becuase of how much we used them for clothing, and crops were dieing without much room to grow. we had hurt the island too much for it to regrow. i soon made the decision to have our homes destroyed in order to make a giant hip for all of our tribe to live on the mainlands.

for months our best craftsmen worked on the ship, building it as durable and spacious as possible. meanwhile the tribe continued to startve, i breifly wondered if we would live the voyage across the sea. when the shipw as finally done, half of the tribe was dead, my parents included. we boreded the ship as soon as we could. we needed off the now desolated island. we pushed out to sea with many long polls and relied on the appointed captain, which was me. i steered the ship towards the mainlands. the voyage was long, longer than mine becuase of the size of the ship, making the ship take longer. people had already begun to die by the time we'd pushed off, and with each day more died. with each death,w e tossed the body over the hull so that the ship would move faster in hopes to reach land faster. in the end i was the last alive. we were only a day away from land. i was so weak i couldn't even turn the wheel. i was a skeleton attached to the wheel of the ship. the ship must have looked like a "ghost" ship.  as i started drifting to death N'i!a appeared ifnront of me bathed in fire. he laughed a dark laugh then looked me in the eyes.

"You have Failed Tath Zo'layum"

and he flew at me. the impact shook me awake. i was ont he floor of the room i had rented as if i had been knocked off the bed. this dream has made me think twice about bringing the shiny rock to the Ziambii Ki. the Elders sometimes tell of prophetic dreams that the Dragons will bring, i believe that both Gi'jiam and N'i!a are telling me to keep the mainlander teachings on the mainland. there is a reason for the way we live on our island. i think thsi is what they are trying to tell me. i am still pondering over allt he details. the elders say to leave nothign unnoticed, which is hwy i have writtent he dream down. i pray for the wisdom to see Gi'Jiam and N'i!a 's message.

[Jearick Hgar]

i have seen and experience many new things today, and not just with the magics. True, alot of it was with the magics, for it seems endless what one can do with it. today i saw a bunch of the metal shaped into a man and it was ALIVE! it walked out of the smithy and follwoed a magics woman. i cannot even begint o think of how strong something like that would be. i had to write about it though. it is oen of the most amazing thigns i have ever seen.

aside from that, i went on a rather long voyage today. we went to the ogre mines near another town, haven i think, today. i was able to mine some iron. whether i will be able to make use of the iron or not i do not know, it is nice to have none the less. i went with a large group, me, Conor, Ardelis, Gruff, Ajax, Jenna, Karn, and we eventually picked up a woman named Treanne. many of these names are difficult to pronounce let alone spell. i wonder what their name's mean int heir language, or if they name their children after things like we do int he tribe. Tath isn't exactly a weird in our language, but it is known as a name of stength and wisdom.

The Ogre mines did not take very long. with all seven of us, the ogres had no chance. inf act i began learning how to make a backswing at enemies, it's very helpful when an attack is blocked, moving the sword after the block for another quick attack on the enemy. the sword is such an excellent weapon, i am surprised my tribe had not invented it before. the ogres even had swords, but mostly of another weapon called an "axe". it is strange all the weapons that the mainlanders have come up with. i may never be able to know them all, which is why i hav enot tried to weapon smith.

after the gore mines we went to these thigns called "mountains". they are place sin the land where it gets really high up, i feel that some mountains might be able to touch the sky. the climbing got difficult in some areas, and i fell becuase i have never experienced a mountain before. there were more ogres up here, but i think the mountains are magical and becuase of the ogres living in them they have become bigger and stronger,a s well as some developing magical powers. many of them shot these blue and white balls of magic everywhere, one of them got me in the throat, i nearly passed out.  such magics is very painful and dangerous. i don't think i willb e going back up there for a good while.

[Jearick Hgar]

I have met a man who can change his shape. he woudl change fromt he "Bear" to a man to a Tree cat. The magics of the Mainland continue to dazzel and amaze me. There is so much variety. there are menw ith longer ears and thinner frames called elves, men who are shorter, down to three feet tall called halflings, there are men who are almost as big as i am but much stronger and uglier called half orcs, then are short people who have very stocky builds caleld dwarfs, and then they call me a human. it seems there's many different types of magic as well, i have forgotten the names, but they are many. there are many different weapons. so many different types of swords, bastard sword, long swords, short sword, great sword, "daggers", and it goes on! then they have other weapons that are fancy looking spears, or clubs with a blade on it. but they all have names. i want to try and be a weaponsmith one day, but i'm going to have to learn all the weapons first, i'll stick to armor for right now. point though, is the mainland is a land of veriety. however, the thing that impresses me the most is the man who shifted into a bear and a tree cat. such an abillity would be so useful to my tribe, to walk amongst the animals as one of them would allow their hunters the advantage to catch any prey. I don't knwo if this is something I can achieve but i will try. it would help teach these thigns to my tribe if i could actual do some of it. I will start asking around about beign able to shift into a bear.

[Jearick Hgar]

I have spoken to Durgen today about the order. He is happy that i am about half way done. He introduced to me to his friend, another dwarf named Gilsham, He offered to make me a bastard sword for a good price since i was helping Durgen with his order. i was very honored by his offer. I told him that i will deffinatly see him about a new bastard sword.

I have been talking to the people about my dreams of learnign toa ssume the bear form. A druid said that it was only in his abillity to asume the form of a bear, that it was given to him from nature. I would need to worship nature, i cannot do this. my faith is in the Dragons, Nala, N'i!a, and Gi'jiam. I believe there is another way to reach my dream. I spoke to a man in one of the "Taverns". he told me a story of these people from the north that could turn into bears, he said they weren't druids either. they were proud warriors who had looked into themselves and found the bear of their strength. This has given me new hope. He did not tell me where North, or if these people are still alive, but he told me that anyone could do it if they looked hard enough.

I have tried to find the bear of my strength. i sat down and meditated to clear the mind. Meditation was taught to all of the Zo'kodum for clearign the midn was an excelent way to battle. I meditated and cleared my mind, i tried to find the bear within me. I tried to think like a bear, i tried to feel like a bear, i even invisioned myself walking about the forest as a bear, but ntohign happened physically to me. This failure has only intensified my desire to elarn the abillity. I promise i will learnt hsi abillity and take it back to my tribe and teach them.

[Jearick Hgar]

Progress has continued well. I have made my first copper shield. i made it very well too. i am proud. I know wear it to battle when i have to fight off the goblins for their ore, or the kolbolds for theirs. or even the ogres on those rare times i want to try out iron. I am seven shields way fromb eing done with the order. it will be a bliss when it is finished. i didn't realize all the work it was going to be. but that is fine. a friend, Latherian, spoke to me about making him a weapon. it is funny since i have been reading a book on weapons. the book is slow going as i am just now learning to read and write mainlandish.but the pictures are mroe informing than anything. i will begin making weapons soon. though befor ei do i'll need to find molds. hopefully weapon making will be faster going than armor making. if it isn't though, that will be fine.

I have found out mroe about these men of the north who can become bears. they are called "Bear Warriors". I am sure if i travel north i will run into them, but i do not know where north they are. i know i'll reach my goal one day and become a "Bear Warrior" but that day is not today. as anything, it will take time and effort. both of which i have plenty of. i am young, and i am determined. there is nothing more i need in reaching this goal.

I have also learned of a force called "The Soul Mother". it seems that if i fall in battle, this "Soul Mother" will try to take a piece of my soul away. I'm not sur ehow many pieces there are in my soul, but either way it would be bad to lose any piece of it. Zerg said he has lost six! it's a little comforting to know that one can have six pieces, but less comforting to know that one of my friends has six missing. I am sur ehe will be fine though. Zerg is a good man, and all good men live long and happy. that's what my mom used to tell me at least.

[Jearick Hgar]

things have progressed even further. i recieved a helm and a cloak today. A cloak is a piece of clothing you wear on your back to make you warmer. it really works! The helm has a spell on it too, it makes my armor better at protecting me. very useful. I also made full plate mail! i liek to wear it around, for i made it to my size and i did so very well. It fits like a Too'aka. very comfortable. I met another new friend today, her name is Akki, or she asked me to call her Kiki which is just find. the name sounds somewhat Ziambii. i like it, remidns me of home. I think the mainland know's about N'i!a, they call him pyrtechon though. i don't know if they know about Nala or Gi'jiam though. With all the people i am meetin the mainlands are starting to feel more like home and less like a new world. everything is so different!

I still long for the day i return to Dion and my family though. no place will ever by like home. i am Ziambii Ki not mainlander.

[Jearick Hgar]

The urge returns mroe and more with each friend i make. But i'm not sure if i should go home. The dream that N'i!a visited me in seemed to be a warning. i suppose i am cursed to be the only Ziambii in the mainlands. Having all of this knowledge that could help my tribe so much and never share it. I suppose they wont be disapointed though, since they don't have the knowledge they will jsut continue on living as they always have.I have progressed in every aspect as my life. My black smithing becomes better and better with each day, as well as my fighting abillities. i have become so talented at Blacksmithing i have Created a Ch'kra. It feels so good to have a piece of home in my hands while i fight. I have changed the colors of my armor to those of N'i!a. i almost put Nala's on my armor, but then ir ealized Nala wouldn't want his colors on such thigns related to battle. So much has happened sicne the last time i have written it seems difficult to write it all down. I made my first full plate armor, i also recieved an iron Ch'kra and an iron shield. i also replaced the last helm i wore, it helps so much with protection. i have faught many new and strange beasts. i have faught "golems" they are thigns made of rocks but still breathing. i have also faught Giants and snakes. there was also these winged lizard like women called harpies, i also faught some giant ants.

I have also learned about "sand". This sand is another type of dirt, jsut as mud is dirt mixed with water, Sand is dirt mixed with hot. I have also learned about "clay" this is dirt mixed with rocks, and is very hard. The sand is very numerous and unstable, it is like having many small balls in one area that are on top of each other. the sand slides down and mvoes about easily, wind picks it up sometimes. The onyl time i saw clay was when it was in a golem. i felt it however, and it is indeed strong, however it feels modable as well. i can't wait to actually see some clay so that i may study it more.

Zerg has also intorduced me to a card game that people play for money, it has been very helpful in gaining gold. It has turned out that i am good at the game, it is also fun. it is easy to spend hours playing people for gold. Jarod is alot better than me though, he beats me every time we play. I don't know how he does so well Zerg is supposedly alot better than Jarod even.

Zerg has been introducing me to many people giving me many friends of all different races and types of personallties. I am with Zerg alot too, he helps me with everything and we hunt together all the time. He is a very powerful magicsman, He told me today that i am becoming a very good Meat shield, which i have taken to mean warrior.I consider myself a Ko in the Zo'kodum becuase of how well trained i have become. i am sure the tribe would agree.

I have also learned that the mainland is the only big island, there are four of what themainlanders call "contents" each being about as big as the mainalnd, which is called Mistone. There is so much to the mainland that it almost scares me that there are places just as big that i haven't seen, i haven't even seen all of the mainland. i have seen many great things though. i have seen "mountains". they are giant areas of land that have been raised up high. they are liek hills, except much much bigger. on some mountains you can't see the top even when standing far away from it. The "desert" is where all the sand is. it is very hot in the desert.not much lives there, not even plants, but there is lots and lots of sand. the mainland is nothing but surprises, every time i think i have figgured somethign else i find out there is another part to it. i wish all of my tribe could see the mainland.

[Jearick Hgar]

There are no words written on this page, just a series of sketches of rather fine quality. in the middle there is a sketch of two dragons enterlocking claws with one another. one is shaded lighter than the other suggesting good an evil. one migh tnotice that if the page was folded at the right points the twod ragons would form one, half one color and half the other.

There is also a picture of what would seem to any from the mainlands as a werebear. though it is a bit different. He has the torso of a man, the head of a bear, sparce hair everywhere, claws on his hands and feet, and there are many runes and tattoos about his body.

on the other side of the dragons to the man is a woman drawn completly naked, just as the man, she has a cougar's head though the hair is shaded dark sugesting maybe a panther, she also has claws for hadns and feet. out from her back side are three tails also shaded dark. All over her body, as the man, are tattoos and runes.

under all of these is the symbol in Ziambii for "Ziambii Ki"

[Jearick Hgar]

Through my training i have begun emphasizing with N'i!a. I find the thrill of battle mroe and more satisfying as i grow better and better at fighting. i can understand why the Dragon of Fire now represents as he does, and why the Zo'kodum emphasizes with N'i!a. Destruction, death, battle, anger, it all is jsut part of life, and almsot all of those things must be present for one to truely experience life. the concept of Chaos, pure disorder, i can not quite come to terms yet, but as i continue my devotion to N'i!a i understand mroe and more. it is as if N'i!a himself is pulling the viel form my eyes. The vial of ignorance that can be so difficult to be rid of. I know this is N'i!a's reward for pleasing himw ith the many battles i have faught, and the deaths i have sent him. I have heard of the mainlanders worshiping a Red Dragon as well, i am Curious to see if it is the same dragon as N'i!a. That woudl be interesting, especialyl if he has a Temple.

The mroe i think about it the more i realize how little Nala has over my Life. I used to think that Nala was ine verythign i did, but i realize He is rarely in anything i do. I am a devout to N'i!a at heart it would seem. I have not and will not forsake my devotion to Nala however, he is very important in making the decision of whther to do battle or not. For the outcome over nearly every battle is a life ended.

I have continued to breath new life into tradtion of my tribe. i can keep the tribe with me in spirit and i plan to do so. i now use a Too'aka shield, a Ch'kra, and my Armor is painted black with spikes. i still need to dye all of my lounge atire Red in the name of the Red Wing. As N'i!a represents Strength i am now even more eager to unlock the secret in the "Bear warrior". A bear is almsot too perfect of a physical representation of one's strength, and N'i!a knows i am strong.

May The Red one bless my hand and keep me strong!

[Jearick Hgar]

Today i have reached past the mainland Mistone, and gone to a new land called "Dregar". Some call it the home of the Giants. i will agree that there are many Giants here, but i have also seen countless of other creatures on Dregar. One being the Giants scorpian, and even the colossal scorpian. The scorpians are bug like with a hard shell and a tailw ith a poisonous stinger. fortunatly i have not been stung by one of them,b ut i can only imagine a sting from one fo those would be fatal. There are also half man half ant creatures, i did not get the names for them,but they are everythign an ant woudl be, except with the torso and arms of a man, they have a head with a mouth and eyes, but no nose, and the mouth is very ant like. the animals of the mainlands are very strange. every animal seem sstranger than the last.

As for the giants, they are alot more advanced at fighting than the ones in the Berhagen mountains. They have Mages that cast fireball, and their brutes fight with the intent to stun their opponent first then attack to kill. They are much mroe organized than the Berhagen Giants as well. The Red Winged must be pleased with the battles i have faught there, all of which have been victorious.

There are also Drakes and Dragons on Dregar. There is a Dragon, in fact, in the caves of the Giants i wrote about earlier. I have of corse, stopped every party i have seen in there from attacking the Dragon. all N'i!a, Nala, and Gi'jiam teach that Dragosn are sacred and must nto be attacked. Just as the fairy dragosn were the first to be create dint heir image, so are the drakes and dragons after to be created int heir image. I am todl the one in the Giant caves is a red fasioned after the likeness of N'i!a. Red and golds are the most sacred of the dragons, so that one must be protected at all cost. The protection of Ni'!a, Nala, and Gi'jiam's children have become a motivation to my training.

[Jearick Hgar]

It seems strange that last night happened. She is a mainlander by birth, but so wild at heart. She makes me feel like I am home again. She sees so eye to eye with me, understanding how i think adn the way of my tribe. She fits so perfectly it was almost as if I was waiting for her. She is dark skinned for a mainlander, with dark hair. She has tatoos, made for meaning rather than looks, as i do. I like her peircings too, to me they have an exotic feel to them, and even mroe so since they emphasize her Elven ears. i hope the fact that she is elven doesn't hinder our relationship, she looks every part the same except her long life and ears. she's alot smaller too, but all of the mainlanders are. one of my favorite thigns is to share tribal stories with her. talking about home feels so good, and she's always interested in hearing more. I'm going to take her to Gionda one day, i promised. She's one of the few mainlanders i would take to Gionda, not becuase of who she is to me, but becuase of the way she thinks and acts. She would fit in very well with the Ziambii Ki. Next time i see her i'm going to invite her ont eh trip to the NOrth.

Speakign fo the trip, i should be ready in a few days. the others are all excited to travela nd help me with my goal. I am excited to. i have provisions ready, i have also collected enough hides for the tent, and i have begun working on my clothing to make them warmer. not to mention my armor, which i will most likely be wearing that more than just my hides.

I also finally recieved the strong making necklace and the protecting ring, the ring and the necklace deffiantly help. i feel much stronger, and the ring some how makes my armor stronger. magics. with that my smithing and crafting have gotten better as well. i still have a ways to go untill i am as good as some i have met, but i have progressed very well. I made a sheild from a Giant crab, the shield itself is as strong as iron, though it might be becuase of how well i made it. I am very proud of the Crab shell shield, it is something i will keep and pass down to my children and then them to their children.

[Jearick Hgar]

I am rather skilled at this "smelting". Even Iron is effortless for me now. If only my Smithing skills would catch up. I can smith well enough, i just wish i could be as good as i want to be. There are greater metals that i have yet to see or touch, and even if i had them, i could do nothing with their ingots. It make's me feel weak, but i willg et there. "Work hard and you will achieve".

I grow stronger by the day, N'i!a has blessed me with boundless strength! Those who knwo and see me agree. I will soon visit my Tribe to show them the mistake they have made with casting me out. How right my parents were. I shall show them how much N'i!a favors me, I shall challenge the Zo'ko and take his title! That shall be the ultimate test. If i lose, then it will prove i have been jokin myself thsi whoel time, but when i win, it will show that i haven't. I am Tath Zo'layum, Named after the hero Tath, it was not coincidense that my parents named me as such. I may not be the biggest to ever come out of the Ziambii Ki, but i am one of them. I feel i shall reach eight hands in height. I can feel it! My Strength Knows no Bounds!

Praise the Read Winged, Praise N'i!a!

[Jearick Hgar]

I have not written in this book for a long time. I have become a Bear Warrior. I have never endured such Difficult training. The Harsh cold of the North has hardened my skin, my sence of Temperature almsot feels numb. I feel as if i can never again be comfortably warm. THus is the price for Strength. N'i!a has tested me and i have passed.

Many months of no fire, raw meat, and learning the basic live style of the bear. Raw meat si not sucha b ad thing once you aquire the taste for it. Water wa sperhaps the hardest test of the Bear warrior. Having to endure the cold water on the inside on top of the outside, it allowed me to understand just what an animal has to go through. IT also allows me to appreciate their strength, the strengtht hey have to have just to live. The whole time Tanna tested me, every time i grew an inch stronger the test grew two inches harder. She wanted me tob e the best i could. At times i cursed and scorned her, but i understand now why, and i appreciate her even more for it. It can be difficult to watch one suffer, especially if the one you watch is the onyl person you speak to for three moon cycles. She has more strength to her than she lets on.

When she found me to be strong enough i met a bear, she communicated to it through the bear's language. She todl it that i wanted to combine my soul with it. It replied that it wanted a test of strength, he did nto want to bind to a weakling bound for death. Though He did not know it, he was and still is a bear of N'i!a. There was a camp of bugbears that he thought cooked particularly well, whomever cooked for them knew what they were doing. He also knew the camp to be strong, and could usualyl not get the meat. To prove myself i had to kill the camp and get him all the meat. I agreed.

Tanna would not Help me, she said it was my test not hers. I felt ready though, this was the moment i had been training for. I did it the way i have always known. Face to face. I strode up to the Bugbear camp Ch'kra drawn. They greeted me, thinking that obviously i wanted to talk as there was only one of me. With out thinking it Beheaded the first then Opened the other's gut, i continued walking. It was time to Prove myself to N'i!a. Some of those near the the first two rushed me, three in all. with my shield i blocked as many attacks as i could. I was doing fine, i kille done and injured another, then the arrow hit my back. I stumbled foreward and one of the other bug bears Pummeled me int eh back of the head with his swor dhilt. the next thign i knew was darkness.  Why they did not kill me, i will never know. But i awoke bloody and tied up in a tent. There was a scrawny sickly looking Bugbear standing guard over me, when i came to, he grinned.

There was something about the Bugbear that suggested he was different. That he was guarding me for a reason. He spoke in their language, the words for ever lost in meaning. He held a dagger in one hand ans was inspectign my face with the other. I was still drowsy. I couldn't udnerstand what he was doing. It seeme dlike he was trying to heal me. Then he cut me Across the cheek as if to take a slab of meat from my face, I recoiled and tried to punch him but my arms were tied, the recoil was effective enough to get his blade away from my face. My leges weren't tied to geter, but each was tied to a rope that was tied to a spiek in the ground. I was free to walk, but not roam.  I learned thsi day that Ogres are much smarter than bugbears. I jumped to my feet and kicked the bug bear int he head. Then Jumped on him Repeatedly head butting his face, mainly his nose. eventually he stopped moving, and i used His knife to cut the ropes. Some how nothign outsid ehear me kill the first bugbear. I felt the wound, He had cut pretty deep, it was going to be a scar. They'd kept my armor on me as well, My Ch'kra and shield were somewhere else though. I could feel the rage pulling at me, The need to kill. The anger at every thing living in this existance, and in the next. to kill untillt here is nothing left. The rage i usually hold back, The rage that scares me. Hatred. I wasn't going to fail to fail. I allowed myself to be consumed.. I don't know what happened after the first Bugbear i killed. I blacked out, i can only guess that allowing rage to take so much control leaves the body in a place that inables them to remember their actions. What i do remember is standing in darkness, blood everywhere, my body felt on fire, and blood rained all over me. I clawed at my face trying to get the flames off. The snow only seemed worse. I dug my nails into the wound made by the bugbear in the tent. I began pulling the skin from my boyd, all the while the coolness of the air around me meeting my bone cooling me off. I felt relieved, i wanted more.

I blinked and i was at the bugbear camp again, Blood everwhere, all over me, drenching the snow, Limbs, organs, and other body parts litered the ground. Animals fromt eh forest had lined up around the edge of the camp, as if watchign me. Tanna and the bear that had sent me on the test Seemed to be in front of me watching, watching with a knowing look in their eyes. Tanna stepped foreward changing into her Human shape. I had passed, The bear would accept me. Either she didn't see the carnage, or she didn't care. Fromt he taste in my mouth, i was sure that i had at least bit the enemies. I spat out the some blood ont eh ground. I felt weak.

When i came to again, Tanna imediatly began with my next Lesson: The Ceremony of the bear. I am never to write down how it is performed, or what happens during it, but It worked, and the otucome was the merging of Strong Claw and i into one being. Like two halves of the same brain, but even more so. As she tried to explain it and failed so have i. It is too difficult.

I am a Bear Warrior.