January 22^nd, 912

My voyage to Toskila is still in progress. We are only a few days from the shore, but we were forced to slow as our captain realized we were approaching the hunting grounds of a group of migrating monsters. So-called “terror rays” are beasts I have had the displeasure of encountering quite a few times throughout my life; I have witnessed how they can tear through ships. Captain Keip was right to be cautious.

Keip and a good portion of his crew are Dryads, though there are also Humans and Undead in his employ. Only a single member of the crew is a native Toskilan—a good-humored Hek woman named Qo-Qilani. I have had quite a few talks with her, for she is quite happy to share details of her heritage and culture; she seems oddly comfortable with the presence of the rays.

Qo used to be a fisherwoman before she joined Keip’s crew; Toskilan fishermen are apparently quite the daring sort, as they take advantage of the terror rays’ presence to catch larger hauls of fish, scared into one place by the monsters. Her expertise prevented further delay as our vessel skirted around the rays’ territory.

Just this afternoon, we encountered a fleet of Toskilan fishing vessels. There were nearly a dozen of them, each of the ships small enough one could likely sail them upriver. Taking such small ships so far out to sea is no doubt very dangerous, but the Toskilans do not seem to care. They are a hearty folk and offered to escort us the rest of the way past the rays; it was quite amusing, being aboard a proper sailing ship escorted by a group of sailboats.

I took the opportunity to speak with some of the fishermen. I spent several hours aboard the boat of a Hek man named Tik-Tiana. His boat bore fishing poles, nets, and spears; he explained he was proficient in using all three, and even demonstrated his spear-fishing to me as we sailed. I noticed that his ship lacked any sort of sleeping quarters, and that he had almost no food rations. Apparently, the boats hook together at night, and the fishermen sleep in the open air, taking turns watching the water. For food, Tik explained that Hek and Tiddalik are both capable of eating raw fish, so they sustain themselves primarily off of a portion of their catches.

Tik pointed out two large boats among his fleet, both of which lacked fishing supplies. These were responsibly solely for carrying fresh water for drinking. Toskilan fishers would embark in large fleets of small boats like these and continue fishing for several days until they ran out of water or room to store their quarry.

We parted from the fishermen shortly before sunset and are back on track to reach Toskila in a few days.

—Kirra

January 24^th, 912

We made landfall around midday today at the port city of Ko-Hanna-Takla. After saying my goodbyes to Captain Keip, Qo-Qilani, and the rest of the crew, I purchased lodging at a local inn and took a stroll around the city to observe some of the townsfolk.

I was able to speak with the innkeeper, as well as a few docksmen and other workers, about the city’s history. It is one of two different cities both claiming to be the capital of Toskila, the other being the city of Chi-Hanna-Mirrik further inland. The inland peoples are isolationists—they were happy to do their part in the Holy Wars, but now they wish to live alone within their swampy home, Gravemarch. They are farmers and hunters, and I have heard many claim that they “fear the ocean”. The people of Ko-Hanna-Takla, on the other hand, eagerly embrace foreign relations and have become increasingly reliant on trade. The city is populated by merchants, fishermen, shipbuilders, and mercenaries.

It would seem the world was not as united as I previously assumed. The Toskilans are not at war, but it seems tensions are high between the two opposing ideologies. Members of the opposing groups have come to blows on several occasions; when I asked if there had been any casualties, I could not get a clear answer.

I initially placed some thought into which group I agreed with. I have forced myself to bottle those thoughts deeply; I am not here to pick sides, but to observe. I shall allow history to play out before me, and I shall hear from both groups. I have no doubt that the people of Chi-Hanna-Mirrik have their reasons.

—Kirra

January 27^th, 912

I have remained in Ko-Hanna-Takla, and I have learned much of it and its people. The nation is primarily inhabited by three races: the Hek, the Tiddalik, and the Jirai. The majority of Ko-Hanna-Takla’s population is made up of the former two, for they are adept swimmers.

The Hek and Tiddalik are both frog-like demihumans with humanoid frames. Their hands and feet are webbed, and they have the heads of frogs. Most Hek have brightly-colored skin with various unique patterns, while Tiddalik generally have green or brown skin. Though the Hek somewhat resemble the poisonous frogs native to the Norkis Jungle, they themselves are not poisonous.

The Hek have surprisingly powerful limbs, particularly their legs, and they are able to leap incredible distances. They also have incredibly long, prehensile tongues. These tongues are shockingly strong, enough to essentially function as a third limb; I have also witnessed Hek using their tongues to support their full body weight.

The Tiddalik have some similar abilities to the Hek, but none are as extreme. Their tongues are shorter and not prehensile, and they cannot leap as far (though their jumps are still quite impressive). Most Tiddalik have a pot-bellied appearance; this is because they are able to store and condense water in their bodies. They can then spit this water back out as a powerful jet. I witnessed members of the fishermen fleet from before using this ability to propel their boats, and I have heard that they also use it to corral fish.

The Jirai are the group I have learned the least about, for they are relatively few in number here. They are incredibly large and muscular folk, with rounder bodies and thicker limbs than the other two races. I believe they take after toads rather than frogs. Unlike the others, Jirai are very poor swimmers, and are far too large and heavy to board a small boat; this has led to a racial divide, where most Jirai live in Chi-Hanna-Mirrik. As a result of this, while the Hek and Tiddalik rapidly evolved over several generations to have a complete tolerance to saltwater, Jirai still have relatively weak tolerances and cannot swim in ocean water for long periods of time.

I worry that these divides may cause future conflict for the Jirai; I can only hope they do not become a scapegoat for rising enmity between the two Toskilan factions. Of those I spoke to over the past few days, some seem to view themselves as “superior” to their fellow Jirai back in Chi-Hanna-Mirrik, braving a new and “righteous” world; others quite justifiably feel like outcasts here in Ko-Hanna-Takla.

I also managed to glean more information about the violence between the two opposing factions. Apparently, around two months ago a brawl broke out that resulted in the death of a young Hek man from here in Ko-Hanna-Takla. The event has become a touchy, taboo subject. A small number of more zealous Ko-Hanna-Taklans believe their pride as a nation has been wounded by suffering the first casualty, and that they must bring retribution to Chi-Hanna-Mirrik. The latter city has still not taken responsibility for the death, so many fear it will lead to the outbreak of real military conflict.

Tonight marks my final day in the city. I plan to travel northeast to Chi-Hanna-Mirrik come tomorrow morning.

—Kirra