Journal of General Macrius

A tattered record from the cyclops invasion of Rakshar.

## The Journals Contents

The surviving pages of the journal itself are listed below.

The originals were apparently written onto scrolls during the course of the invasion and later copied onto other scrolls as well as tablets of wood, wax, and stone for redistribution.

### *First Scroll*

#### Entry One

I am undone. After years of service in the eyes of the patriarchs, I find myself and my soldiers shoved onto a handful of boats and ordered to some blighted island across the sea.

I do not know what I have done to so offend the Emperor... I can only imagine one of my rivals has whispered poison into his ears. I have dealt with such false disfavor before, but always it was in some battle upon the continent, a trifling thing. I would return from whatever trap my foes had laid triumphant and lay the eyes of barbarians and traitors at the Emperor's feet. Now though I am across the sea, not quelling rebellion or brigands, but meant to establish a new outpost... like some plebian! But I will not simply lay down and die in this crude backwater. I WILL see my family again.

Once we make landfall I shall set out with the talos to find a suitable location for our new settlement.

#### Entry Two

A storm has slowed our voyage and I feel my mind wander. When the clouds first rolled in I signaled the other ships to take inventory of our supplies, lest we risk running low before we can resupply, and investigated our own hold myself. I was stunned when they signed the results to us.

We are beyond well provisioned, had I been graced with half of this bounty upon my last campaign I would have wept with joy alongside my soldiers and slaves alike. For a moment I feared this meant it would be long before any supply ships came to bring new provisions, but our destination is not so far as to warrant all this. And if we were simply being sent to be forgotten on some distant shore, they would not have provided us with so much. Perhaps the Emperor has not forsaken me after all, or one of my allies in the senate managed to sneak them aboard?

Bah, Herephus was right, I am blind in matters of politics. Better to rest and prepare for the task at hand.

#### Entry Three

We made landfall five days ago, and at last I have a moment to put my thoughts in order once more. Half my wounds still burn and it is hard to know where to begin... I must retrace the steps of my memory.

The island is a long stretch of sand and further inland a thick jungle, the stars match the designs on the charts given to us. Its trees are tall and green, the underbrush is thick and there are colored flowers of every kind, strange fruits hang heavy upon the branches. We will not want for food anytime soon between our own stores and this land's bounty. When we first caught sight of it, I thought it not unlike some of the islands a few of the wealthiest patricians have established their villas on. Secluded gardens of paradise away from the capitol.

We anchored our ships at a small rocky cove, I sent two octavin with a pair of talos to explore while I established camp with the majority of our forces, one north and one south. When they returned they reported the island is immense, neither scouting party found an end to it in either direction even after a days travel in either direction along the coast.

While they were gone I had established our position in a clearing not far from the beach, but we've been beset by pestilence the moment we set foot in the jungle. Insects the size of our fingers bit at us in droves, leaving dozens bedridden while the optomis struggle to treat this strange island fever. Worse though are the small packs of wretched scaled birds which dart about underfoot and in the trees. Alone they are a mere annoyance with their constant screeching, but when one of the slaves stepped away from camp they were swarmed and savaged by dozens of the ravenous little beasts. We cleared them away quickly enough but his arm is badly injured, I gave permission for the slave to be treated at the ships until the walls of the camp were completed and I had set several talos to hold our perimeter until then to ensure no more of our laborers weremauled. I had hoped that would be the end of our misfortune, but I could not have been more wrong.

On our first night, three enormous beasts lumbered into our encampment, the talos drove them off but one was crushed in a flash of light and thunder as the creature's bulk snapped its bronze body against a tree as if it were a child's toy. The talos's destruction seemed to frighten them away, but their pained roars woke even the soldiers we had keeping watch at the ships, and my soldiers found no solace in Orpheon's realm that night. The next day I took a small party and followed the trail they had left amidst the trees, and found them even larger in daylight than I had imagined them in the darkness. Four short legs supported a body the size of a house, with tree pointed horns upon its head, a mane of bone and feathers around their necks, larger even than an imperial rhino, and the wounds the talos had given it the other night had barely scratched their thick hide.