Captain's Log

Captain's Logs may be found in Note Bottles. Contents are quoted as follows:

**Captain's Log 1**

Log of Captain Calvin Heckinger

12th of Spring, Year 101510

Rumors abound of these lands in the explorer community. They finally lured me here like a moth to the flame. This land is as stunning as it is peculiar. A tropical paradise, for certain, but the sea breeze carries hints of berries and somehow oak?

A cupped handful of ocean water provides respite to a parched throat but brings with it a dubiously fuzzy feeling to the mind and extremities. Could it be tainted?

The main attraction so far is the crystals. Unlike any earthen treasures I have encountered. Bright and abundant, I'm finding evidence they literally interact with the elements here. I must know more.

17th of Spring, Year 1015100

I discovered two types of crystals so far: one azure in color and another amber. Both energetic in nature. I know how that must sound, that inanimate stones are somehow more than they appear on the surface. But I feel a tempest is somehow harnessed inside each crystal shard. The golden crystals repel ocean water with magnificent force. Why fresh water is unaffected is still unknown. There is much to learn from study of these fantastic stones. A less scientific mind might consider this magic.

While mysteries of the crystals taunt me, other mysteries are stacking up. Why would the permeation of flora and fauna be so stunted on these islands? The lack of bounty is curious for lands as aged and tropical as these.

Also, I woke in a cold sweat this morn, the victim of my own wild imagination. I dreamt of a towering monster shadowing my explorations here. Now I cannot shake the feeling I'm being watched.

**Captain's Log 2**

20th of Spring, Year 101510

The nightmare is real.

A stone giant roams these waters. No less than 100 meters tall and, yes, made entirely of stone as if carved from the Earth itself with a glow similar to the crystals. It walks upright but its head has the vague profile of a turtle. The extent of its sentience is questionable, but it possesses base motivations. How, in the name of all the natural laws that rule our universe, is this possible?

On a health note, my body is weakening. I can no longer ignore or deny this fact. Potential culprits surround me at every moment, but don't you fret, the love of discovery will always pull my bones-even when weary-forward. I'm sure it's nothing a little rest won't cure.

Back to pressing matters. My curiosity implores I delve deeper to understand this monster. This could be the discovery of the millennia. I must know more. But at this moment, I am forced to flee toward safer lands.

37th of Spring, Year 101510

The trees are moving. Not swaying in the wind, but walking! The trees here can walk, for lack of a better term. Surely my vision is playing tricks on me and the fuzzy numbness drinking the water provides is to blame. Those were my first assessments. Now I realize the blue crystals, once infused in a tree, give them a base motivation to search for more water and an understanding of basic locomotion. Wild stuff.

I also came across the remnants of a settlement. Wiped off the face of the Earth in one fell swoop. A monolith stood near the splinters and charred logs with words describing how long the settlement lasted and that a Titan brought to it a violent end. The monolith implies survivors. Where did they go?

So, the natives call them Titans. Why woulda Titan destroy a settlement?

**Captain's Log 3**

23rd of Summer, Year 101510

The pieces are coming together.

Settlements rise up only to be struck down by a Titan. Over and over. Survivors relocate and try again, obviously resilient to stay in this wonderous land. One memorial monolith mentioned the Titan that attacked craved the crystals or was possibly drawn to it, maybe even defending them. But the crystals are everywhere, so how could they lure a Titan specifically to the settlement? Is it a combination of crystals and civilization?

Curious though, one monolith implied the existence of multiple Titans. I have only seen the one. Can there really be more?

43rd of Summer, Year 101510

Legends permeate these lands like the waters of a rising tide. People talk of mysterious occurrences and creatures as commonplace. I overheard speak of someone using a special hoist arm to pull up artifacts from ruins in the waters. I feel drawn to the idea of an ancient race swallowed by the sea. Who were they? Is this legend or the truth?

I wish my sister Alice was here, she was always an artist at heart. She would be amazed at the carvings held within this hidden world, and the wonderous things I have seen.

My thirst is becoming an issue, and I have developed a blue metallic rash on my arms. My stomach will be filled to the brim with seawater, and my body still craves more. I fear my grip on reality might be slipping. An ancient underwater civilization could be a hallucination and nothing more.