Zho's Journal/Content

Entries
1. The Journey Begins
 * 7 Songtahn 1584 CC. For years, the ache of my missing eye has haunted me. After all this time, I still wake up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night, screaming and clutching at my face, fumbling for the socket where my eye used to be. The cry and chitter of every bird sends chills down my spine. As I remember that horrible day, sweat clouds my brow. Fear gnaws at me, but I've hidden it. My companions must never know. I had hoped the nightmares would fade with time, but there is no peace for me. I fear the terror will consume me, transforming me into a husk of my former self. Consumed, I will cringe and cower from gulls and chickens, babbling like an old crone. If I'm going to travel this world any further as a Ranger, I must tame what I fear. I must tame the Black Moa. Relentlessly, I will pursue this quest, even if it costs me my other eye. I will find that Moa, even if it costs me my life. It will submit, or I will die trying.

2. First Attempt
 * 23 Saita 1585 CC. I have traveled to Echovald Forest, but the journey has been in vain. First, I went to the place where this madness began, the clearing where the Black Moa plucked out my eye and changed my life forever. It's funny how an event can loom in your mind, making it more than it was. My nightmares paint that place as a source of great evil, but now, I find it to be quite unremarkable. It's a clearing surrounded by great petrified trees, and nothing more. To my chagrin, the Moa I sought was nowhere to be found, nor were there any tracks. Nonetheless, I have searched for it for months, travelling all over the Echovald Forest. Feelings of failure have wormed their way into the pit of my stomach. My tracking skills are useless as I enter unfamiliar territory. Perhaps I should seek the council of those more acquainted with the forest.

3. Rumors and Tall Tales
 * 10 Nemnai 1585 CC. I think I've found what I'm looking for, or at least the path has opened before me. My despair has faded, replaced with buzzing excitement. By speaking with the Kurzicks and reading what's left of their records, I've learned that the Moa is not actually native to these woods. Prior to the Jade Wind, there are no records of them in Cantha. For that matter, there are no records of Moas here until recently, when foreigners began to venture deeper into these lands. The Kurzicks say that the forest changes things, corrupting its very essence and being.


 * I've found an interesting account from an Ascalonian entrepreneur searching for amber in the forest. He claims that his pet Moa became increasingly agitated when they entered the forest. Eventually, the Moa was driven mad, attacking its owner and running off into the woods. Perhaps this is how the Black Moa came to be. Twisted and insane from exposure to the woods, pets and other imported animals are routinely abandoned in the woods. Facing betrayal, their unlucky owners have little choice but to leave them to their own devices.


 * If I am to tame a Black Moa, I should acquire a normal egg, and bring it here, infusing it with the essence of the woods. This way, the chick will be attached to me from the moment it crawls from its shell. I must travel to Ascalon, where the Moa is a native species, find an untended nest, and pilfer its prize. Before I go, I'll speak with the Luxons' Turtle Clan on how to transport it. After all, they're well acquainted with the hatching and care of eggs.

4. Discovery!
 * 19 Beibacah 1585 CC. I have always loved it here. Frozen jade waves surround the clans, an ocean silenced forever by the Betrayer's death wail. For four weeks, I have stayed with the Turtle Clan in Cavalon. I grow restless. I hadn't expected to stay here so long, but I met with good fortune. A scholar relocated from Shing Jea not two days after my arrival. He was born into the Turtle Clan, but later worked for Minister Cho in his menagerie tending to various exotic creatures. He has more than a passing knowledge of how to care for a Moa Bird, whether it's a newly hatched chick or still in the egg. Three years ago, while he was on vacation here with his family, tragedy befell the Minister's Estate. Like many others, the plague took much from this man. With nothing left for him on Shing Jea, he finally came home to Cavalon.


 * We've been talking for hours. I've learned much from him about the proper care of young birds, and one of the hatchery workers has taught me tricks for transporting delicate eggs safely. The leader of the Turtle Clan was kind enough to give to me a small egg chest. It's fitted with ample cushioning on the inside, along with compartments for holding fire-warmed stones to keep an egg warm. Her words were cryptic, and she spoke of difficult tasks and rites of passage.


 * Yet in her, I have found a kindred spirit these past weeks. I'll miss her. There is a sadness in her eyes. Something in her past haunts her as I have been haunted. Should I ever return, I'll investigate further, but for now, I need to start packing. In a day or two, I'll set out for Ascalon, the origin of my salvation.

5. Wintertime Blues
 * 30 Yundinfang 1585 CC. Coming here so late in the year was an act of folly. My eagerness has gotten the best of me. Would that I had stayed in the Jade Sea a couple extra months, for it is cold here. It is not yet the mating season for these strange red birds. I will wait out the snow in one of the southern forts, doing what I can to help in the war against the savage, cat-like Charr.

6. Eye on the Prize
 * 15 Zhoyo 1586 CC. With the sweet air of spring comes the peculiar "squawk!" of the Moa as it performs its dance to attract a mate. In the afternoon, I'd taken to walking about the nearby valley as the snow melted from the ground. Quite by accident, I found an alleyway amidst the tar and rubble where a number of Moas were nesting. For days, I would sneak out of camp and check the nests for signs of occupancy. Finally, my wait is over. Today on my daily rounds, I happened upon a nest with three tiny new eggs. The mother bird stood no more than five feet away, rooting about a clump of weeds looking for sustenance in this barren, scorched land. I knew the window of opportunity was small. The mother was sure to return to her nest at any moment to give her growing children the warmth they so dearly needed to survive. I wriggled on my belly closer to the nest. Swiftly, I plucked one of the eggs and placed a nearby rock in its place. I sped back to the fort with the egg in my bodice, where the warmth of my racing heart would keep it safe. After quickly packing my things and taking my leave, I'll hurry back to the Echovald Forest. There, I'll infuse my prize with the essence it requires.

7. The Falls
 * 4 Nongkam 1586 CC. I've traveled with the greatest urgency deep within the Echovald Forest. The gestation period for the Moa is longer than many birds, but it is still scarcely enough time to accomplish my goals. I'm on my way to one of the many falls here, so that I might subsume my egg in the flowing essence of the forest. I will completely submerge it where the surging water will wash over it. How I pray this will work!

8. Infusion Run
 * 5 Nongkam 1586 CC. Although the egg's infusion seems to be a success, I fear for the egg's safety. Whilst the egg was submerged in the lifeblood of the forest, the transformation was remarkable. As the water swirled about it, I could see bits of liquid sticking to the egg and hardening on its surface. Within seconds, the shell seemed to double, and then triple in thickness. In my shock, I snatched the egg, lest it be consumed by the forest and its darkness. My greatest worry is that I will no longer be able to keep it warm with rocks from the fire. Without that warmth, the growing chick within will not survive.


 * I am now its mother, and a right poor job I'm doing like this. I lay awake all night with the egg clutched tightly to my heart, desperately trying to give it warmth, pouring through my newfound knowledge for a way to keep its temperature stable. Placing it in a fire would surely incinerate it. Rocks warmed in a fire worked remarkably. Perhaps I just need hotter rocks. I know rocks from the volcanoes to the north retain the heat of their mother furnace. Perhaps I will go north. In the meantime, I carry it against my bosom as I travel, as if it were a child. I hope my precautions are sufficient. All my thoughts are focused on its safety. So preoccupied have I become that I didn't even notice the change in my dreams. The nightmares have stopped. I think of this as a gift from Melandru, now that I have finally allowed myself to love something so completely.

9. Birth
 * 27 Zalfawn 1586 CC. My time in the Fire Islands was very short. I plucked half a dozen rocks from one of the many lava flows, then immediately returned to the boat to make my way home. It didn't take long for me to realize that the lava rocks were certainly helping, but they're not quite hot enough. I turned back, braving the waters of sunken Orr to reach to the Southern Shiverpeaks, where the Dwarves live. I needed a way to provide a constant, controlled stream of heat. Since I am not mechanically inclined, I turned to the Dwarves, who are the keepers of great furnaces and forges. Deep within the Shiverpeaks, I was led by trusted guides to their greatest furnace, where I placed the egg into Sorrow's Flame. When it emerged from the conflagration, the outer shell created by the dark waters of the Echovald Forest turned to ash. All that was left was the Moa egg, and that night it hatched. From the shell crawled a small black chick with an orange beak and feet. That was three days ago, and I think I am ready to go home.

10. Onyx
 * 10 Mikan 1586 CC. The journey home went by in a blur. My thoughts were quite captivated by this tiny little creature who looks to me for sustenance and love. So helpless and sweet! How could I ever have been afraid of such a thing? I've decided to call him Onyx. The scholar from Minister Cho's estate told me that the Moa is particularly fond of sugary water, so I procured some honey to sweeten his water. He mostly eats various seeds and berries, but for a treat, I give him bits of herring or some imported berries from Elona. He's starting to get pretty big, but he still remains very fluffy and absolutely adorable.

11. Leaving the Nest
 * 2 Nemnai 1586 CC. Onyx has started to become a bit restless. Perhaps he reflectes my own restlessness. I have regarded the Monastery as my home for some time now, but this past month of flitting about the world has awakened my love of travel. I long for the road. As if to punish me for being irritable, Onyx has abandoned his little nest, the chest given to me by the leader of the Turtle Clan. He has begun building his own nest away from my bed, sequestered in the far corner of the room. I keep jars of leaves, twigs, and herbs for my study of antidotes and salves, and he has begun pilfering them. He has lined his new home with what's left of the supply of herbs I bought from a merchant in Kaineng. The trader claimed they came from far-off Vabbi, in the land of Elona. Although I miss having Onyx close by me at night, I will not deprive him of his little project. The way he snuggles into those Vabbian herbs is far too sweet a sight to miss.

12. Training
 * 17 Yundinfang 1586 CC. Onyx is almost full-grown. We have started training together. I am learning the ways of a beastmaster, and Onyx is training for combat. We are learning to anticipate each other's movements and instincts. Onyx is an eager participant, for he sees it as play. Though we are distracted by our training, our feeling of restlessness still remain.

13. Adventure and Beyond
 * 23 Saita 1587 CC. This morning, Onyx and I left Shing Jea Monastery to travel again, looking for adventure. First, we'll visit Elona and experience the delicacies of that land. Then perhaps we'll continue north into the Crystal Desert and study its mysteries. After that, who knows? I've heard that the wilderness of the Far Shiverpeaks is a wonder to behold. The barbarians of that land test their strength through combat and sport. Testing out all that Onyx and I have trained for could be fun. I can't believe how much I've changed since this journey began. My fears have vanished, driven away by a magnificient creature who could never harm me. Onyx watches over me and protects me, and he is now my fondest companion.