Journal of Coen Pennink

The **Journal of Coen Pennink** is a travel log detailing Coen Pennink's expedition of 1577 from Dienerdam to Svellbjargheim in search for the legendary thrumbo.

## Content

*Excerpts from the journal of Coen Pennink, during his preparations and expedition to find the thrumbo*

**17 Aug. 1575:** Word has reached me that the buffoon 'doctor' Hendrick Jonaszoon has set out from Madamsrest deep towards the Alweald Swamplands] to categorize the local wildlife. Frankly I am appalled that I have not been considered for the job, everyone knows that I am more than an adequate explorer. And yes while our relation never may have been the best, I am still the most qualified person for the task. Even worse he get send out under a fanfare of people cheering him on. If only I could setup my own expedition and show the fool how someone truly explores this wonderful world. Perhaps I should petition the city of Dienerdam, some rivalry is always good to find funding for an expedition. But where should I head to? The mountains of Berok? The cold of Svellbjargheim, or perhaps the Wabu Islands instead.

**10 Jul. 1576:** It has been almost a year since Jonaszoon left for for the swamps, his expedition has yet to return. That is his own fault I suppose, should have hired me for the task. In the meantime my expedition has yet to leave, I have not managed to find a suitable location to explore, at least I managed to convince the elite of Dienerdam to support my potential expedition. However I think my bad luck is about to change, while mere rumours, word has reached me of sightings of thrumbos in Svellbjargheim! If the rumours are true this would absolutely be an amazing find. Those gentle giants went extinct about a thousand years ago, now if I can prove that they are still alive and well. Just imagine the fame and prestige I would garner, that would surely impress the people more than anything that Jonaszoon has done.

**14 Sep. 1576:** I have gather a party that will accompany me towards Svellbjergheim in search of the thrumbo. We shall meat in two days time at the port where we shall board the Pinto, a small and nimble fluyt, and set sail for Oxströnd, the historic capital of Svellbjargheim. Will the fluyt might not be armed with the most cannons, to keep the raiders away, I have deemed it a worthy ship nonetheless. It large cargo hold allows use to store amble provision for the journey towards Oxströnd. When we arrive we will unload the goods and transfer them to horses which will aid us in our travels.

The crew of the ship itself is experienced in sailing through the waters north of Svellbjergheim. The captain Jan-Pieter Hagedoorn seems to be a good chap and has sailed for years through these waters. Of course he will be staying with the ship in Oxströnd will I set out with the rest of the exploration team. Consisting of the palaeontologist Lieke Klunder, someone who is experienced in the study of thrumbo remains. Next up there is Elisen Vamaris, an experienced elven biologist who I have known for quite a while. When I mentioned the possibility of studying thrumbos she was onboard with the expedition immediately. Then of course not to forget Henrik Svärd, originally hailing from Herfangvágr. He has sailed with the navy for years by know, and having an experienced fighter and Svellbjargheim native on my side will surely be useful.

**16 Sep. 1576:** We have set sail from Dienerdam, albeit under less fanfare than that idiot Jonaszoon. I do wonder however what he has come across in his journey so far. The news around his expedition has been awfully quiet. The first part of the journey should be relatively peaceful and to me the real journey will not start until we arrive in Oxströnd.

**6 Oct. 1576:** The journey has been quiet so far, in about two weeks time we will arrive in Oxströnd. Could have been sooner but Hagedoorn has changed course slightly and now we are sailing closer to the Oroborian shore, because he wants to avoid raiders sighted in the sea. While I would prefer to arrive earlier I trust the judgement of the captain. You see Jonaszoon, unlike you I am perfectly able to let others who have more experience than me in a certain field make decisions.

**8 Oct. 1576:** The day started off with high waves and rain, which was already irritating enough. The waves are surely not good for my stomach, Vamaris has already thrown up on multiple occasions. If that did not ruin the mood it was those damn viking raiders attacking us. Hiding behind the waves they approached our ship in an attempt to board. Luckily a wave clashed right up against their ship steering them of course, at which point a volley of cannons was masterly fired upon the enemy ship. With a few good hits the hull was torn apart and the ship quickly sank beneath the waves. Hopefully that will be the last of them, at least the weather cleared up during afternoon allowing us to make up for lost time.

**24 Oct. 1576:** We finally arrived in Oxströnd after a decent journey. Apart from some not that optimal weather the journey has been decent. It does feel good to be back on solid footing, I could almost kiss the ground. Hagedoorn laughed jokingly calling us landlubbers. The rest of the team seemed to fair well during the journey. Svärd of course the experienced sailor had no trouble at all with the journey. Vamaris had the weakest stomach of all of us and at any moment could be found throwing up. Its a surprise that she has not fallen into the sea with how many times she was hanging over the side of the ship. Klunder seemed to have stronger sea legs than me, despite having less experience sailing. For now I am glad to write this part of my journal inside a warm building, for we made our way to one of the many inns of Oxströnd. The Lordstone Inn is a decent accommodation, named after a old runic stone the Lordstone. Svärd shared with me the tale of the runic stone and that of Ulfhild the Conquerer. While interesting I am here not to be told about myths and legends but to find them for myself.

**25 Oct. 1576:** Svärd has sought out some old contacts and managed to get a small security detail together. For the lands will be less safe when we travel inwards towards the city of Karlsfell, as far as I can tell the rumours of the thrumbo sightings originated here. We ought to ask around further and see where we will get taken, I do feel uncomfortable with the fact that we will be travelling closer to the Forest of Malice.

**30 Oct. 1576**: We headed out towards Karlsfell but quickly got caught in an unexpected snowstorm. One of the pack animals died, luckily everyone else has made it. The party has decided to stay in a small village nearby to Oxströnd and we will travel back there when the storm has passed. On advice of the locals we have decided to stay the winter in Oxströnd. This will be a big hamper to our journey to find the thrumbo, I would have loved to see the majestic beast in walking in the snow. I can only imagine what its footprints would have looked like.

**1 Nov. 1576**: The party has made their way back to Oxströnd. Once again I find myself in the Lordstone Inn for accommodation until the snow melts. I have made my office in this small room at the end of the hallway upstairs. This certainly are not the fine establishments I'm used to in Dienerdam or gods forbid even Madamsrest. But it shall have to do for now. In the meantime I will spend my time researching the information we have on the possible whereabouts of the thrumbo. Perhaps soome locals will know more.

**15 Nov. 1576**: The weeks have so far been slow in Oxströnd. The weather is cold but at least my companions seem to be keeping warm. For from my study I can always hear the laughing and carousing going on down stairs. Despite being faraway from the stairs I can almost swear that I can hear every conversation. If only I was at my private residence now.

**18 Dec. 1576**: I have made a minor breakthrough in my search for the Thrumbo. I managed to acquire some scrolls detailing more myths about the creature we search. It is said that the Bloomfang Mountain forms a literal mountain that protects the thrumbo. It will be a hard one to cross, with some even claiming its protected by magical forces.

**1 Jan. 1577**: And another year has passed, yet I still remain stuck here. By now I have exhausted all my scrolls and books. At least there is a big new years market in the city, here I found some fresh books to keep my mind occupied until we can venture further.

*The following few pages are missing, the journal picks up again when the party sets out again for their search*

**14 Apr. 1577**: The cold has passed and spring has arrived well in Oxströnd. Before we arrive at Karlsfell most of the cold in the southern regions should have dissipated. We have all refreshed and our journey shall surely be strong.

**24 Apr. 1577**: Bloody hell we got ambushed by some damned robbers. Armed with thick shields and even thicker skulls. We could not talk them down, even offering coin for passage did not help. The were lusty for blood, they are slain now, drowning in pools of their own blood. Henrik Svärd together with the mercenaries hired managed to fend them off. However, Svärd was lightly injured in the fighting with one of the mercenaries also being killed. I still can't comprehend why they just didn't take the coin we offered them, even offered them pay if they guided us. Instead they were raving on about the soulstice and how they needed more.

**27 May 1577**: We have finally arrived at Karlsfell at the foothill of the Bloomfang mountains. Here we shall rest and restock our supplies until we set about the follow the river canyon into the suspected habitat of the thrumbo. In addition we shall hire some more mercenaries together with a guide who will help us cross the perilous terrain.

**4 Jun. 1577**: The track across the Bloomfang mountains has succeeded, the journey went smoother than expected. The warm weather had made sure that most passes were already opened. Now we have finally laid our eyes on the great valley that spawns here. We shall track around the lack into the forest hoping to find signs of thrumbos.

**8 Jun. 1577**: Its only been four days, four days! But we have had a great success. Vamaris found a large patch of torn down trees, surely this must be the route a thrumbo travelled! I didn't expect to our search to be so fruitful so quickly, but who am I to complain? We shall this opportunity and follow to path. I'm certain that we will find the thrumbo soon.

**15 Jun. 1577**: By the gods we saw it. At first we didn't know we were so close in its presence, until we heard loud thumping. Then the ground shook with each and every thumb. And there it was on the edge of a woodline, a thrumbo. The graceful creature is even more beautiful than I could have hoped for. With its great white mane, and glistening horn reflecting the sunlight. It spotted us but appeared calm, even wandering not that far away from us. A creature big as this fears no one. The same can't be said for our crew, the locals from Svellbjargheim seemed to fear the creature.

**20 Jun. 1577**: Over the past few days we have learned more about the creature than we could have ever dreamed of. In fact we have figured out its a she, or at least Vamaris has. She didn't want to disclose details on how she exactly figured out. But I will get that out of her in time. In the meantime the fear of the creature amongst the soldiers has settled down substantially. A few even talked about taking the animal down, including Svärd, but I said that was out of the question. I was quickly backed by Vamaris and Klunder.

**2 Jul. 1577**: There are whispers in the camp among the mercenaries, to take down the beautiful creature. Despite me telling them off the whispers continue, I don't like where this is heading.

**4 Jul. 1577**: My fears came true some of the mercenaries went out during the night to ambush the thrumbo. The following day only splattered remains of their corpses were found. It took a moment for us to identify the bodies, when we noticed that Svärd was among them. The fear of the thrumbo returned among the mercenaries, enough fear that they won't dare to do something against the creature. In the meantime they have urged to give the fallen a funeral according to local rites. This we can not offer as we need to track the creature, besides there are no priest among us so a proper funeral is out of the question.

**5 Jul. 1577**: Some of the men were disappointed with the choose to continue on. That is there faults then, they should have told there companions not be a fool to attack the thrumbo. I did tell them not to after all. Instead the fallen were granted a semi proper funeral according to local tradition. They were carried upon the highest hill with their bodies to be left to the carrion birds. Afterwards we continued in search of the wounded thrumbo, following a small trail of blood.

**8 Jul. 1577**: We found the thrumbo again, it seemed to show some animosity towards us but it did not attack. It further showed incredibly fast healing properties.

*Further notes seem to be missing until middle august*

**18** **Aug. 1577**: We followed the creature for more time, well keeping our back. It seems to be travelling somewhere almost as a deliberate action. How I know this I can not explain, I guess its best to call it a gut feeling. In the meantime our studies on the creature continue.

**20 Aug. 1577**: The thrumbo led us to what appears to be a graveyard of some sorts. It its filled to the brim with bones. Klunder has identified them as thrumbo bones. Amongst them we found a horn, still as sharp and shiny as on a life thrumbo. We have taken it with us, to prove the existence of the creature once more.

**21 Aug. 1577**: She is mad! Our camp was ravaged and many good people died, Klunder is a mangled corpse. The rest are not well of either. We have decided to immediately leave the area and head back to the Bloomfang mountains. We left behind the corpses as we fled. Not that we would have time to bury them anyway, winter is fastly approaching. Despite being the end of august I can already feel the cold settling in.

**11 Sep. 1577**: After a three week long track we managed to reach the base of the Bloomfang, the creature seemed to have stopped following us. In another three weeks we shall be back in Oxströnd. But first we have to cross the mountains to reach Karlsfell, hopefully our journey across the mountain will be as swift as the first time.

**5 Oct. 1577**: We have managed to reach Oxströnd, the mercenaries have gone home. And the few of us that are left will be heading home soon. Hagedoorn was saddened to see that some party members were missing. He promised us to ready the ships within the day so we can finally leave this wretched lands behind. I shall finally return to Dienerdam and return with a horn of the thrumbo. I shall have shown that I'm a better scholar than that fool Jonaszoon.

**29 Oct.** **1577:** Finally I'm back! The journey was long, at least we managed to avoid the autumn storms. Yet we were not hailed with rejoice. I arrived at the city hall with the horn and received a mild applause at best. At the very least I got prominent pay by the good folk of the city hall and even a small plot of land to call my own. In the meantime there has been no news of Jonaszoon, evidently this proves his incompetence having certainly perished in the Alweald Swamplands. Its what that charlatan of a doctor truly deserves. Yet I can't help but feel empty inside. I found the thrumbo, returned to tell the tale and advancing our knowledge. Yet something seems missing.

**[END]**