Day One

Matthias took a deep breath, inhaling the crisp air of a spring dawn, and smiled.

From the hillside on which he sat, he could see the land sprawling out before him, rippling slightly under cold morning gusts. Plains stretched out in all directions, meeting thick forests to his left, over which the sun had just begun to show itself. To his right, the hills faded into the gray horizon, where eventually the land would end, swallowed by the sea. And in the distance before him, he could see the city of Starlight, a sprawling collection of intricate stone and wood structures. The city awaited dawn in regal silence, as it had for the last five centuries.

But Matthias' gaze was focused closer, to the encampment of nearly half a thousand people which was just beginning to stir in the plains at the bottom of the hill. As the pale gold light of dawn strengthened, the melodic sound horns echoed from below, signaling the day's beginning. He could see many who had been awake before the morning call, too excited to sleep through the night before. They had already begun to make preparations for departure: here a tent came down, and there the carts were already lined up for the supplies which could not be carried by the travelers themselves. Matthias could see movement from the mules which would be pulling the carts, catching some of the excitement from the people loading items for transport.

For several more minutes he watched as more people began to rouse from their tents. By the time the sun was halfway above the horizon, even the laziest of the group was assisting with the efforts, and he could hear shouts and laughter drifting towards him from the now-busy camp.

There were people of dozens of professions, he knew. Soldiers, dressed in armor which seemed to shimmer like water in the sun. Mages of the Order, recognizable in their flowing robes even from where Matthias sat. Clerics, dodging between others with checklists in hand, taking note of the supplies as they were loaded into the carts. And the mapmakers, perhaps the most important for this particular team, crowding around the central area of the camp with the team leaders, discussing their route for the hundredth time.

Matthias carefully opened the book which rested on his crossed legs, looking at the makeshift map which was scrawled across the first pages. The bottom-left corner was full of scribbles, clumsily depicting a mass of small islands. Just northeast of the archipelago was a large peninsula, on which several places were marked with a bit more care. Lines extended to the north and east, many miles of explored coastline which had been mapped from ships.

All of the landmass northeast of the marker "Starlight" was blank.

Carefully scrawling "day 1" just above Starlight's location, Matthias felt a chill run down his spine. He turned several pages until he found one that was blank, and picked up the quill he had set beside him. Trying to dispel the shaking of his hand, he began to write.


Day 1
The twenty fifth day of spring
820 years since the founding of the Order

I suppose in reality we have not yet begun the expedition. There are still a few established villages further northeast which we will pass before we begin to approach the truly unexplored lands. However, I am watching the camp prepare for the day's march, and I cannot help but feel that we are truly beginning something spectacular. Nearly half of our team had been awaiting our arrival in Starlight, and now that our number has doubled, the thrill of our journey ahead has grown tenfold.
We all understand the risks, I am sure. The Unknown is, in itself, frightening, and there have been many small groups with the same goal as us who have vanished into the northern forests and not returned. But never has such a large expedition been formed, and the power of a hundred of our strongest mages will certainly protect us from any dangers which cross our path.
It will be neither short nor easy… but perhaps that is why it feels so astoundingly alluring. We will be living off unknown lands, filling in the blank pieces of the map over the weeks and months we travel. Truly, our lives are about to change.

"We have not yet begun, and already an apprentice shirks his duties?"

The voice made Matthias jump slightly, and he frowned disapprovingly at the jagged line of ink which cut across the page. He quickly traced a finger over the offending scribble, which vanished completely under his touch, before turning to the source of the rebuke.

At first it seemed that a commoner had somehow stumbled upon his vantage point; the man wore plain clothing which looked slightly tattered. He seemed about forty years old, and slightly disheveled despite the confident way he carried himself. The cloth tied around his arm, a band of unnaturally bright white which signified a low-ranking mage, was all that stopped Matthias' indignant reply. Instead he bowed slightly - as well as he could from his sitting position - and answered with quiet respect. "I've been assigned by Lady Rea to record our progress. If they need my assistance, though-"

He was interrupted by the man's hearty laugh. "My apologies! Anger in haste, what a fool I am. Please, continue." Slightly shocked by the sudden change of mood, he nodded warily as the mage went on. "I'd heard she'd brought her prize student along, but I didn't know he was on recording duties. My name is Kale Gerard, pleasure to meet you."

"Matthias Drake. Good to meet you as well, Sir."

Kale waved dismissively. "Please, just Kale. You'll be on even terms with me soon enough, I'm sure."

Matthias smiled politely, though he doubted this was true. Apprenticeship in the Order was long and arduous; he had several years to go before becoming a proper mage.

"Ah, what an amazing sight." Kale had stepped down beside him and was looking out over the camp. "We'll be the first to see new lands. Incredible thought, is it not?"

"It is." He nodded in agreement, then paused. After considering, he decided to voice his thought to the mage. "I hope we do not become careless, though. Many others have lost their lives."

"Ah, of course." Kale shook his head. "But we will be the first to return. We touch the will of the earth, after all." He held up his hand, and small sparks of light shimmered around it. "It is much too powerful for most, but we of the Order are at peace with the very destiny of the land. No matter what troubles we encounter, we will doubtlessly overcome them in the end."

The man's confidence was contagious, and the apprentice felt his fears eased.

"The rogues from the southern islands have tried to take their flying machines across the uncharted forests, but to no avail. All have been destroyed. Killers and thieves have no place here."

Matthias frowned at this, wondering if he should say anything. Kale looked at him expectantly, as if hoping for agreement, and he spoke carefully. "Lady Rea told me something once, about the… rogues. She said that the founders of the Order were born from them, so there's always potential for good people even among thieves and killers."

For a moment, Kale said nothing, and Matthias hoped  he hadn't  gone too far. But after a few seconds, the mage only laughed quietly. "Well, Lady Rea is obviously a wiser soul than I. Pay no mind to my ramblings." He began walking down the hill, towards the camp. "I will speak to you again later, friend Matthias. For now I should do my part in readying for our grand adventure."

After a few more minutes of contemplation, Matthias once again put his quill to the page.

Perhaps I am a fool to say so, but I hope we are truly prepared for this. Have we become so excited that we have ignored the dangers of our mission? I don't truly believe this is so. So many months of planning have gone into this expedition that we surely have the capability to achieve our goals. My worries count for little, in any case, but I will still record them here. For your sake, reader, whoever you may be, I will write my own observations, in case I might catch something that is not recorded in the official logs. And if no one sees my writings, it matters little to me. I now have this moment of hope and excitement frozen forever on these simple pages, and even though my skills in magic are trivial, this in itself is a great kind of power I need no training to use.

We are setting off soon! For now I must return to the camp, but I will write more at the day's end.