Week 4, 5 and 6

Taken from the final log entries of Captain J. Ultrich
Twenty-third day on the seas and we reached the new island yesterday. The cartographers didn't even need to go ashore this island was far to small for colonization. We dropped anchor and not twenty minutes later all the men clambered aboard the boats and began to row for shore. Some sailors these men are, a few sets of black eyes watching them and they turn into women. A few of the men had djemi row them ashore but there weren't more than ten on the beach with us. We chained them up to a tree that was growing not far from our camp. The boys were more than happy to take a few extra rations of rum and wine. It was a good moral boaster obviously because the ship was running as smooth as ever today. I believe the gods are watching over us as I was able to hear their hushed whispers all night. I tried to listen but I couldn't understand their divine words. How many captains can claim to be lulled to sleep by the whispers of the thirteen? The gods must approve of our mission as the winds were in our favour all morning.and they carried us right past that forsaken patch of dirt.

Today on the thirtieth day at sea we believe we have found another island, this one is the biggest yet. We are three days out from this island and we can see the trees from here. Thank the gods for these djemi as the cartographers report that we are seventy days away from Silver City by normal ship speeds. I'm don't even recognize the stars anymore, men have taken to calling one constellation Ultrich's ship. That one lies directly above the new land of our. A few of the djemi were acting up today, pulling against their chains. I had them whipped, five lashes each. That seemed to do the trick last time. Lash was one of the offenders, that creature will be hard pressed to learn soon I am afraid we may kill it before it learns though. After the lashes fell they continues to row on in silence. In three days we shall dock at this new land and discover what it holds for the Jorwain empire. I have high hopes for this island.

Today the thirty-third day of travelling and we have reached what we believe to be our salvation. The surveyors report back a lush forest teeming with wildlife. The island itself is huge. It has a river running right through the island deep enough for ships to run through that feeds into a freshwater lake in the center of the island. A small mountain is jutting from the center of this lake, I will have to return with prospectors to tell me if there are any chance of a mining operation being set up there. I am hopeful about this place, we began unloading and setting up a base camp. I refuse to return to my queen with anything less than everything we may learn about this land. The men have taken to calling it "New Jorwain." Tomorrow the real work begins, when I am ascribed into history for this I want it to be known that in the face of this great task I did not lose any sleep, for my love of my queen was enough inspiration to set an example for my men.

We docked today, thirty four days at sea and we have done what we set out to do. New Jorwain is everything we were praying it would be. Surely the gods watched over us on this journey. We have brought the djemi with us onto shore and we are having labour for our base camp. They have build one shelter big enough to house half the crew and I want two more build just like it and one smaller one to swerve as an officer's quarters. The djemi can work very long hours on little food and this will serve us well in the coming weeks. I have sent some men into the wilds to hunt, there are plenty of deer and rabbit and fox. We have seen some wolf prints and men have reported strange brown beasts with large, webbed, antlers. We shall try to have one captured to bring back to the queen. The forest is beautiful and when I first saw it I was so moved it brought a tear to my eye. This island is my legacy, this island is my future. This island and the djemi are the most important things I have ever created in my short life. I will have my pick of young, noble, brides when I return to Silver City. Oh how they will cheer.

The following is taken from "First Book" 

We were driven from our homes and forced onto caves of wood that floated on the ground, that isn't ground. We were taken to new caves. Forced to walk in the rays of sharp blinding warm. We were forced to work, to work for things that we welcomed into our caves.as friends. They hurt us, but we thought that they needed our help, such delicate things they are and we thought we were helping them. We weren't smart enough to see that they were torturing us, that they had enslaved my brothers and my sisters. We couldn't hear them laughing at us. Now we can see, now we can hear, now we can learn. On the cave of wood they called me Lash. They named me after the tool they use to hurt us. It was meant as an insult but from this day forth I shall wear it with pride, like the scars on my back. My name is Lash and I was the first of my brothers to be Vaa, to be free. In the wooden cave, I pulled against my chains. I didn't understand why I needed them and they hurt me so I pulled on them and the men cut my back. The cuts and the chains hurt me so much so I tried to loosen the chains and I was cut, again and again. The next day I was quiet, and I wasn't cut anymore. For six darks and brights we went without sleep, or any rest. Then finally we were allowed to stop, to sleep. As I slept someone came to me, he touched my back and made me feel better. He told me what was happening to my brothers and my sisters. He told me why we couldn't hear them laugh at us. Then he told me he could fix it. He grabbed my hand and gave me something, something he called learning. He told me it would be my duty to share it with my brothers and sisters and that it was time we freed ourselves. For many darks and brights I gave my brothers and sisters the gift of learning. We listened to the men and we found out where we were going and when we were alone we would tell each other any new things we had learned. We swore that when we got to where we were going that we would not let them hurt us any more. We build shelters, like we were told and we waited. we waited until the dark time and we fought back. We struck off our chains and we tore those men apart. Some got away but they have no where to run. I have sent some of my sisters who had also felt their cuts to hunt them down. They will not fail us. Some we kept alive and we are making them teach us things. one told me what writing was and where writings were. I tore his throat out once I was confident in my writings. Others are teaching us about dark brights, stars as they call them. Mostly they speak of Jorwain, their home. We are now tearing apart their wooden cave to create new caves of our own here. This will be Shirria, this will be our home. I write this so that people will know that djemi are free. From this day forward we are the Djemi-Vaa. Bothers and sisters back in the men's caves. We are coming for you, you will join us here in our new home, in our Shirria.