A Letter from the Explorer Naron Lin Gerion

For the attention of His Honour, the Lord Mayor of Bairok, and his esteemed colleagues, the Honourable Councillors of the City,   My Lord, my crew and I have now made five voyages on your behest and with your generous funding for which we are extremely grateful. I have set forth a full summary of events to be delivered to the Chamber of the City posthaste that I hope will serve the enrichment of the City which is all our desire. In the meantime, I will lay out herein an overview of our findings.   In our first voyage, we travelled northerly to the rocky coast of the land scholars have called Vardta. There is therein a vast forest of ever-green and ever-red trees though we suggest the ever-red do dominate. Beyond the trees and some shrubs the land is widely barren and the temperature cool. The coast is rocky in large part and we found few safe coves to come to shore. There are few people or animals there. We saw no evidence of the mythical 'ice giants' though there are small settlements of Espirion on the peninsula north of Okredek which is less barren than much of the land. They spoke a language like Jurvan and my second mate was able to translate partially. They had little to trade, living such a difficult life in that desolate land.   In our second voyage, we travelled easterly beyond Jurvania and continued into the ocean. The mage you sent with us assured us that a land exists beyond the ocean but for weeks of sailing we failed to confirm this and were forced to return to the port of Vanrheim to resupply.   In our third voyage, we set out from Vanrheim and continued southwards maintaining the coast on our right side. We travelled beyond the Gi'kh'eni state there and also beyond the coastal baronies of Pa'ete. South of Pa'ete there are vast forests sparsely inhabited by Haravi and from whence the Pa'ete slavers acquire them. The forests become thicker and more deadly toward the south. We reached a point after many weeks where the forest was so thick we could not explore it. The air there is thick and hot so as to be overbearing. There were many new and colourful creatures therein from as far as we could see but the forest was impassable and we struggled for supplies. We increasingly relied on fishing and drank seawater to survive. Those fish were plentiful though some were poisonous and after losing two crewmen and with no sign of civilisation beyond the Haravi savages and some other beastmen, I set our course to return to Vanrheim.   As you know, we returned from Vanrheim to Bairok where repairs were made, stocks resupplied and new shipmen hired. We set off then on our fourth voyage to the west. The great continent (called Media by our mage and wherein lies Bairek) continues for many weeks sailing to the west. We came across many strange lands that I struggle to recount in such an abridged form. We found a translator in Rostos who journeyed on with us and resupplied in Heovolon. Beyond that Kingdom we can report many more, though separated by great dry expanses.   There is beyond Heovolon three kingdoms of strange Espirion who have integrated with Tamijhiin and seem to practice a common faith. In one of these kingdoms, an island nation called Volannin, we made port and were able to resupply. The people there seemed to live simply and we saw no sign of riches though some of our crew marvelled at the stark beauty of their clothes and architecture. It was most strange to see an Espirion man preached to by a Tamijhiin of some religious importance.   Beyond those three kingdoms are three more (a forth lies inland, or so we heard). These three further kingdoms were remarkably like home. They build stone fortresses though most people lived in wooden homes. Their government seems to involve lords swearing allegiance to one another and they are often at war we were told. We were most taken by the great fortress of Vornrest in the Kingdom of Vonjund which looked to be unbreachable by any army the world has known.   Vornrest was the last place we were able to resupply before we went on to the south as the coast bends there. There begins on that coast a vast expanse of barren land covered by rock and sand and without signs of food or water. We saw two Kingdoms there before we were forced to return for lack of supplies. The first sat at the mouth of a great river. It was a stone city with gilt palaces and temples that glistened in the bright sunlight. Never before had we seen such vast buildings that must surely rival the peak of the Amalorian Empire.   Beyond that first kingdom was a second less magnificent than the last but still a beautiful land of incense, gold and fine fabric. Our translator could not communicate with the people there and our lack of supplies and the fearsome heat and dryness forced us to return to the north and to Vornrest where we were re-equipped once more.   Before we returned to Bairok this current time, we set out to complete the final voyage which you had asked of us. From Vornrest we set out to the west and travelled many weeks across the ocean there. We failed in this once again and were unable to find new land. Beset by storms and sickness we were forced to return. We hope Your Lordship finds it valuable to attempt such a journey once more.   Ever your servant, Naron Lin Gerion