Personal Journal
Carefully penned in a leather-bound notebook; the pages are thick with dried flowers and watercolor paintings.
Tartok Mountains expedition - DAY THIRTY-FIVE
I swear if those beasts don't kill the man, I will.
Alive. Well? Unsure. But he is alive. For now.
Tartok Mountains expedition - DAY THIRTY-ONE
Terrible. Terrible. Terrible.
The beasts came.
Mitchell is missing.
Terrible night.
Tartok Mountains expedition - DAY TWENTY-FIVE
Would you believe me if I told you we encountered creatures long dead from this world today?
I wouldn't either.
And yet, here is a clipping of the hair from a wooly mammoth's head. It is still alive, though there has been some consideration for allowing hunting of the beasts. To think, a true tribe hunt to take down a massive creature such as this, just like our ancestors... words fail me.
Tartok Mountains expedition - DAY FIFTEEN
The bones they bring to camp are heavy and covered in marks, like the claws of a great beast. I have traced my fingers within the marks. I will not pretend I am not afraid. A creature of this size could easily kill a human. I will ask Mitchell to allow me to send my riders and my sons into the valley with his volunteers. My people are brave and strong, they will not fail.
Tartok Mountains expedition - DAY THIRTEEN
This place is like nothing I've ever seen... so beautiful, so varied, so full of life. I am in absolute awe. But I am concerned for the expeditioners. A group nearly left their campsite with their fire still ablaze, they were so eager to get down into the valley. Must proceed with caution, both for our own safety and for this incredible land.
Never mind about Percy anymore. No time to dally over petty issues caused by petty tokotas.
Tartok Mountains expedition - DAY ELEVEN
Traveling with Mitchell's toki is like traveling with a toddler. A big, hairy, smelly toddler.
Patience growing thin, will explain later.
Tartok Mountains expedition - DAY EIGHT
A young man approached me with news of the spirit, it has been sighted consistently to the north where we've managed to clear the path from the avalanche. I don't know whether to feel frightened of her or ecstatic at this discovery -- she is not quite like anything I have heard of before. Unique coloring. Mitchell is appropriately losing his mind over seeking additional data. If the creature can be approached by humans, we might learn more about this place... do we continue, or should we hold back and let mother nature take its course?
Tartok Mountains expedition - DAY THREE
If I had wondered at the humour of the mother spirits, I do so no longer. Today an avalanche swept through the camp. Rainwater was trapped beneath a fallen tree, but luckily she was not badly hurt. The scientists tell me it was due to the warming weather and the amount of activity around the camp, but I know it is a warning from the spirits. They stretch out their claws to show us their power.
Shortly before the avalanche, my son said he saw a raven attacked by buzzards, driven through the sky away from the mountains. He said he saw them plucking at her feathers as she tried to get away. One of my riders found the head and feet of a bitch wolf in the forest. These are omens we would do well to heed.
I must speak with Mitchell.
Tartok Mountains expedition - DAY ONE
Mitchell and his friends have arrived at the camp.
His overfed toki is already causing problems among my riders. I find myself wishing I had not agreed to this partnership. But I try to be patient. Perhaps they will help guide us to better understanding. Today I have sung to the mother spirits for guidance and calm. I know they watch over us.
About the Chief
Name: Mikara Thunderfeather
Age: 77
Physical description: Short, extremely old, and shrivelled. Mikara is the oldest tribal chief in the lower Tartok range area, and her tribe holds the entire mountain range as sacred ground. She’s got snowy white hair, walks with a heavy limp on her right side, and suffers partial facial paralysis, giving her a permanent frown on the right side of her face. Despite the age and scars, though, her warm brown eyes are bright with kindness and personality, and her weather-tanned skin gives her a warm complexion.
Personality and quirks: As the oldest Chief in the area, Chief Thunderfeather commands immense respect from all the surrounding tribes. She’s an incredible source of wisdom and local know-how, and she doesn’t stint on give advice. She’s firm in her beliefs, but can be swayed by logic and reason. Mikara cares deeply for the environment, and would go through any lengths with her Tokota partners to see it protected and cared for. She is rarely seen without her well-trained dire mount, Rainwater.
Interest in Tartok Expedition: The entire Tartok Mountain region is a deeply spiritual, wild place, and the deepest, unexplored depths to the range are even more so. Mikara and her tribe hold the area as Sacred Ground, and are strong advocates for leaving the area alone, and allowing it to continue to exist without the taint of mankind upon it.
Skin by tulua
Character art by kepperoni
