Journals

Journals are bits of lore found scattered around the map. Journals whose titles begin with "*Vision of..."* come from Hint Tablets found in the Miasma and stored in the Logbook once read by the player.

## Journal Entries

**WARNING:** Story spoilers below!!

*Contributor Notes:*

* Two entries marked with \*\* are duplicates of others and are a known bug at least on the Console version.
* It might be useful to include the player's thoughts that accompany some of these items that are collected.

#### Homestead Arcana Program

> Congratulations!
>
>
> You have been selected by the Council of Little Rock as the newest member of the prestigious Homestead Arcana program.
>
>
> The winters are lengthening and the growth of crops has become difficult at Little Rock. We've selected a fertile peak for you to tend your own garden and send back supplies.
>
>
> Your work out in the wilds is critical to the survival of Little Rock, and humanity.
>
>
> For all we know... we're all that's left.
>
>
> Abraham set up your homesteading site to give you a jump start. He'll be making routine visits to maintain contact with us.
>
>
> The primary goal of the program is to grow your garden, yield critical food supplies, and continue your mastery of the arcane arts.
>
>
> On the rumors of the Miasma border spreading- there's nothing conclusive. No answers are to be found inside the cloud and the study of it is long abandoned.
>
>
> We lay our trust elsewhere, in Sun.
>
>
> The Council and all of Little Rock is indebted to those strong enough to enter the Homestead Arcana program.
>
>
> Once you've familiarized yourself with your new surroundings ask Huckleberry for your first Town Council assignment.
>
>
> Sun cast her rays and may the Miasma stay clear of thee.
>
>
>
> -Councilman Wilmer Narrows
>
>

#### Vision of the Claimed

> While hunting for treasure, I **passed out** at some point. And when I woke up, all the things I gathered were gone. They **returned to where I found them**.
> A sign from Sun? Possibly. I'm hopeful that so long as I can **get out of here conscious**, **the Miasma won't take the goods back**. All this salvage, all these rare plants... they're simply too valuable to leave be.
>
>

#### The Fielding-Gilbert Method

> ...examining the effects of Miasma spread and corruption have yielded critical results in the efforts to cease its spread. This lead to the establishment of the Fielding-Gilbert Method. This requires concocting a fertilizer that is poured into a Miasma scar, wherein the inner dust-eater burrows into the infected earth and absorb the Miasma. The roots, if able to prosper, also double as a suture for the terran wound and seal the pocket from lethal Miasma bursts. While monumental in the Academy's campaign to eliminate the Miasma, the Fielding-Gilbert Method is...
>
>

#### Letter from Marvin

> Tilly,
>
>
> I'm sorry so many moons have passed since my last letter Sis, I've had my hands full with the kids... FarmerName's already developed a penchant for magic and Zeb's found an affinity for fabrics. I sense a lot of you in FarmerName... Fascinated by the mysteries of the world, rarely satisfied with the answer given, and always falling into trouble.
>
>
> I know you always wanted me to come with you, but you ought to understand that we all have different callings in life, and mine is looking after these children. I's sure Huckleberry is treating you well.
>
>
>
> -Marv
>
>

(Is this... a letter from your pops?)

#### Jar Instructions

> To whomever has the means to continue my work-- I discovered a way to expedite the dust-eater growth. Combined with the Fielding-Gilbert Method, there's tangible hope of fighting back the Miasma.
>
>
> Take this specialized fertilizer and pour it down the offending Miasma scar. Within seconds, a dust-eater should bloom and seal the earth's wound. The world wasn't always like this. We can still heal our land.
>
>
>
> Matilda Gardner - Spring 32nd, Y.F. 224
>
>

(The note really built up this jar. You wonder if Huckleberry knows something about it...and if he'll willingly reveal anything.)

#### Tilly's Homestead Journal

> Summer 77th, 207 Y.F.
>
>
> Sun bless my return from the Miasma today, though my journey was unsettling. The cloud around me stirred but nothing was visible through the dense fog. I can only describe what I felt as a presence.
>
>
> Maybe it was the Miasma itself... Like something was observing me like I'd been observing the Miasma.
>
>
> My eyes are beginning to droop. Haven't seen Huck all day... I sure hope he knows his way back.
>
>
> Autumn 12th, 207 Y.F.
>
>
> Huck finally returned to camp. Apparently he made some friends with the local hoppers and got a little sidetracked... that scamp.
>
>
> I also found remnants of The Academy. Studies on combating Miasma spread and mentions of eradicating it permanently. I wish more saw the value in their research...
>
>
> It's delight mixed with darkness out here, though I guess that's true regardless of where you hang your cloak for the night.
>
>
> Autumn 48th, 207 Y.F.
>
>
> Bless the Sun I made it out of the Miasma alive today. I was looking for scars--close to finding one too I'm pretty sure. Perhaps that's why what happened, happened.
>
>
> It was like my filter clogged even though it was freshly crafted. After emerging from the cloud, its presence lingered. Like I'd brought a piece of the Miasma back with me.
>
>
>
> Huck disappeared again. I trust him to find his way back but after today, I may ask him to stick a little closer than usual...
>
>

#### Vision of Burrows

> Well. I planned to sneak into the Academy to see if there was anything salvageable. But these hoppers... You **take one step too close, they attack**.
> I am wholly unprepared. **Ripple** would at least let me **see their range of sight**. I require more corn.
>
>

#### Retreat Plan

> Magus Order:
>
>
> The Pearl Canyon Chapter's fall to the Miasma spread is imminent but there's still time to recover all active research and Academy records. The experiments must be continued for the good of humanity.
>
>
> Do not under any circumstances return to the corrupted forest--even for personnel. Bring all that you can carry back to Rockport. Sun bless and hasten your return.
>
>
>
> Mg. Florence Gearstone, Rockport Ch.
>
>

#### Vision of Improvement

> These tinctures are especially valuable. The red ones improve your **vitality**, while the blue ones increase your capacity for **mana**.
> I need to make sure they don't fall into the wrong hands, or else...
>
>

#### The Secret to Sneaking

> After many moons and melted cauldrons, I think I've figured out how to craft a variation of the shadow spell that will cover me from head to toe.
>
>
> Huck was the one who suggested the use of tomatoes, with their innate protective properties. I suppose it would make sense that he would know how to disappear better than anyone else.
>
>
>
> The spell still has its flaws, however. I tried casting it while in the sights of a feathered bat, and it was able to perceive me as if nothing had changed. Regardless, Progress is progress.
>
>

#### Academy Orientation Manual

> Salutations, Academy recruit! Sun bless the road that brought you to our doors. The Academy has been a bastion of scientific progress for centuries. Our mission: to understand the mysteries of the Miasma.
>
>
> Thanks to a revelation in miasmetric half-life identification by Academy founder Wynona Creeks, we confirmed that the explosion of Miasma occurred 1800 years ago.
>
>
> Henceforth, The Academy adopted A.B. (After Bloom) for timekeeping.
>
>
> Founded in 1774 A.B. The Academy has never relented in its pursuit of uncovering the truth. Now, it's your turn to join us.
>
>
> While you may be thrilled at the chance to journey into the Miasma, make no mistake, it's just as mysterious, awe-inspiring, and dangerous as the tales told in our youth.
>
>
>
> You will start your training after being assigned to one of the Academy Chapters spread throughout the highlands. With your help, we will discover the secrets to the Miasma. Welcome home, Scholar!
>
>

#### Vision of Stealth

> Bless, I've come up with a better way to get past the hoppers. I found a recipe for a supposed '**shadow**' spell, and somehow while casting it, **they don't pay attention to me, even if I get close**. Their eyesight must be horrendous. Now my trips to and from the Academy will be far quicker.
>
>

#### Filter Mask Report

> Esteemed Academy Magus, Ezra Redfinger has perfected the Miasma filter formula.
>
>
> The ability to explore the deep cloud is a critical step in its study--and far from the only way that Ezra's invention has unlocked new avenues for the Academy...
>
>
>
> Sales to Little Rock's Homesteaders, explorers, and merchants is bringing real money into the Academy. Plans to open up new chapters are already underway. Our research must expand with the Miasma if we hope to content with its spread.
>
>

#### Vision of the Glare

> People back home would declare me insane for saying this, but I absolutely adore feathered bats. Look at their beautiful eyes, their gorgeous wings! But safe to say, they to not adore me.
> All the same, I want to see them up close. The best I can do is cast Gardner's **shadow** spell, but I still need to **keep my distance**. As soon as one glares at me, I need to **move on before the light burns my spell off**.
>
>

#### Homesick Letter (map)

> Home has consumed my thoughts of late. Perhaps because I've spent the same number of moons out here as I did during my upbringing in Little Rock... I could never get them to understand why I applied to the program. They're still trying to get me to come home, but I can't... I don't want to.
>
>
> So much work to be done... The wilds are more my home now than Little Rock ever was. Maybe someday, if they venture outside of the village and see the state of our fields, they'll begin to comprehend...
>
>
>
> Topher Cloves, Summer 19th, 189 Y.F.
>
>

#### Vision of Locks

> We built these **mechanisms** to prevent the dust-eater from overloading from Miasma. But I have a theory they may be doing the exact opposite--these locks will instead trap the Miasma in the earth, **causing excess energy to spill out**.
> In case I'm right (and I'm rarely wrong), I'm making it simple to **unlock and remove locks**. Even a non-magus should be able to figure it out. In this scenario, there also need to be someone who can **channel the dust-eater** once it's been freed. That should stop further agitation.
>
>

#### Shrub Report

> Report - Spring 24th, 1793 A.B.
>
>
> Scholar Fernpeak has discovered a new use for the Miasma shrubs. He was retrieving a sample for when a Miasma creature came within arms reach.
>
>
> Traditionally aggressive upon contact, Fernpeak went unnoticed by the creature.
>
>
> Hypothesis: the shrub's Miasma mutations accelerated development of an evolutionary trait to prevent them from being eaten.
>
>
>
> The plants render themselves and anything within its appendages camouflaged.
>
>

#### \*\* Unidentified Noises

> Transfer Order - Summer 2nd, 1816 A.B.
> *--- rest omitted by contributor.*
>
>

*contributor's note: Considering that this journal is found right next to one of the "growling trees" with an eye that watches you after you walk into the petrified forest, I bet it's supposed to be some lore about what the scholars thought the sounds might be. It's currently showing duplicated text from the Academy Notice of Transfer, instead.*

#### Academy Notice of Transfer (map)

> Transfer Order - Summer 2nd, 1816 A.B.
>
>
> Mg. Sheridan Maplebark, Pearl Canyon Chapter,
>
>
> It has come to my attention that the Sch. Theresa Gilbert has disregarded Academy procedure by completing personal, unsanctioned experimentation.
>
>
> While fervor is a quality we often look for in our Scholars and their research... not at the expense of the Academy's priorities.
>
>
> Theresa Gilbert is hereby ordered to Academic Probation.
>
>
> Gilbert will be transferred to the Hickory Bluffs Chapter where she will function as an Archival Scholar so a closer eye can be kept on her. She will be allowed to continue our mission away from the field until she can prove herself fit for reentry.
>
>
> No, her contribution to the Fielding-Gilbert Method cannot be ignored, nor can it supplant the need for discipline.
>
>
>
> Mg. Agnes Brookwater, Carver Springs Ch.
>
>

#### How to Focus

> Time, time. There's never enough time. With Fielding's constant blathering about Gilbert and Maplebark's demands for results, I just can't find time to finally finish this book.
> This is the first version of a time spell I've been working. I'm calling it 'Gray' due to its unintended color-sapping effect. For now, it only slows down time for a manner of seconds. A waste of materials for my needs, but perhaps someone else may find use for it.
>
>

#### Vision of Spikes

> Black suns, I figured it out. So long as I have the mana, I can just **cast gray and these spikes will never come up.** Hours and hours of getting pricked... so much blood I could have saved.
> Besides these spikes, I wonder what else can gray work on...?
>
>

#### Vision of Chasing

> I so desperately want to visit that holy place again. But the **longdeer** refuse me entry; as soon as they see me, their gaze **sears through my shadow**, and they **charge** at me.
> My only hope is to **slow them down with a spell** and pray my legs are fast enough to move me forward. If sun wishes it, it will be done.
>
>

#### Thoughts About The Book of Sun

> 'Only the blessed light of Sol is capable of liberating us from the Miasma.' Canticles I 3:03 - The Book of Sun
>
>
> My budding skepticism demands more tangible things to base my faith on. I've decided to journey into the Miasma and see Sol fighting it back for myself.
>
>
> Markus Plumtree - Spring 43rd, 198 Y.F.
>
>
> 'The Miasma is nothing more than punishment, wrought from humanity's past.' Canticles II 8:08 - The Book of Sun
>
>
> I'm starting to believe it's so much more... The Miasma provided a disturbing comfort. Something I've yearned over for many moons. The last place I expected to find it.
>
>
> Markus Plumtree - Spring 66th, 198 Y.F.
>
>
> 'The Sub will deliver all those who are faithful from annihilation.' Adumbrations 6:16 - The Book of Sun
>
>
> I end my journey of faith filled with doubt... But now I start a new quest for truth. The only way forward is to embrace the cloud.
>
>
>
> Markus Plumtree - Spring 78th, 198 Y.F.
>
>

#### \*\* Vision of the Slowed

> People back home would declare me insane for saying this, but I absolutely adore feathered bats.
>
>
> *--- rest omitted by contributor.* ((( contributor note: another duplicated journal entry?? )))
>
>
>
> (((different contributor note: yeah it's a duplicate of the Vision of Stealth hint tablet, but it does appear near a Feathered Bat in the Forest and may be a reminder of how to deal with bats, with a possible missing hint on using Gray to slow down their spotlight to avoid detection, rather than using Shadow which would burn out too soon in a large area like this and future ones)))
>
>

#### How to See

> The woods are growing darker. I keep telling myself there's nothing to worry about, just some longdeer and feathered bats here and there. But it feels like as the Miasma creeps closer, more eyes are upon me, judging me for my sins.
> I've concocted this recipe to scout around, to reassure myself that nothing is out there. But in case I was right to be paranoid, the summoned would make good bait while I make my escape.
>
>

#### Frostbitten Recipe

> Broom flower -- works due to its light mana properties.
>
>
> Ice step -- use to run on water fast. Very useful for crossing water. Marked stepping spots with ice enchantment. Need to make sure not to step on familiar.
>
>
> *[Written in different ink:]*
>
>
>
> Spell is useless now. Void travel far more convenient.
>
>

#### Vision of the Creature

> I admit, I did not think the creature would become so attached to me. It must think it's my familiar now, which may get in the way of my research.
>
>
> On **land**, I avoid alerting it by **turning into shadow**. But once I **walk on water**, I have no option but to **quicken my pace before it notices me**.
>
>
>
> Inefficient. I'll think of something else.
>
>

#### Personal Diary (map)

> I'm different now... inseparable and dependent on the Miasma. Time has abandoned me. It all bleeds.
>
>
> The person I was is just a memory... A mere acquaintance I'm losing touch with.
>
>
> Only a smattering of flashes remain. No people, no places... the only thing intact is my drive to explore... discover... to spread.
>
>
> The single constant amid the blurred days is the cloud itself. I can feel it. Feel it when it's hungry. Feel it when it's threatened...
>
>
> Fate, forever enmeshed with the Miasma. The Miasma speaks to me and I to it.
>
>
> It says someone is coming to destroy it.
>
>
> I cannot allow that to happen.
>
>
> When it hurts, I hurt. When it's pleased, I am pleased. When it's destroyed, I will cease to be.
>
>
>
> All become one...
>
>

#### Unidentified Figure Report (map)

> Report - Winter 64th, 1811 A.B.
>
>
> Disturbing news from the Miasma - a Scholar claims to have seen a humanoid figure within the cloud. The first sighting of its kind.
>
>
> I've received written confirmation from the other chapters that they hadn't sent any of their members to the region in which this being was spotted.
>
>
>
> With the potential implications of this discover, extreme caution is advised during the continuation of this research.
>
>

#### Vision of Lamps

> I came back as soon as I heard what happened. But it's already too late. Everything is wrong, wrong, wrong.
>
>
> Even the **lights**. The magic that powered them has curdled somehow. They **burn** into my skin, and as if I've been marked, they seem to **alert those who remain** to my presence.
>
>
>
> This was a mistake. We are a mistake.
>
>

#### Vision of Mobs

> Mother, where are you? Your potions aren't working. The **ghosts**, they **can't be slowed down**. I tried hiding with **shadow**, and that kind of works, but if **just one of them sees me, they all chase me**... I don't know what to do. Please come back.
>
>

#### Ancient Recipe

> Des finale Tempos ift her. Mayoren ift fin gegane, yn des, des reidan, ift no war dell einlian fer. Ber I kant me Familiar lejar at, no wen fhi ift in dies conditand.
> I invente dies Flaer maziban, par manten apeit wei des Gheiftas. Fhi paft tv femwas feme. Hora, ift me turno par protegen ir.
>
>

#### Vision of Flame

> I shall cast **flare**! Then you wretched things shall **flee from me**! Glory to my dead brothers and sisters, and none for thee!
>
>

#### Crystal Construction Report (map)

Report - Autumn 68th, 1789 A.B.
> Academy Scholars have been monitoring the crystal growths (three in total) surrounding the dying dust-eater tree throughout the week.
> We have since attached machinery to lock these growths in, to evaluate the crystal's effect on the Miasma infection present in the tree's cells. If the tree can be purged of the Miasma's presence... then this will be a glorious step forward for the Academy and our research.
>
>

#### Arlet's Journal Page 1 (map)

> Winter 84th, 1815 A.B.
>
>
> Finally... the first progress in moons. Theresa and I have developed a way to seal Miasma scars permanently.
>
>
> We'll have to compile an exhaustive report for the Academy... If allowed to prove our hypothesis, we could start fending off the spread of the growing Miasma.
>
>
>
> I only hope they don't attempt to halt our research. The Academy's practices can be constricting at times but I trust that the Magusi have a plan.
>
>

#### Arlet's Journal Page 2 (map)

> Spring 22nd, 1816 A.B.
>
>
> Theresa and I suspected our research was in jeopardy after the banning of filtered masks... but to have all our experiments shuttered by the council?
>
>
> Little Rock has no interest in saving itself or its people! Village politics preoccupied with the immediate term and local denizens sporting blinders to shield themselves from an ugly reality... All too typical.
>
>
>
> Research must continue. If anyone can make that happen... it's Theresa.
>
>

#### Arlet's Journal Page 3 (map)

> Summer 37th, 1816 A.B.
>
>
> Theresa's gone. Reassigned to the Hickory Bluffs chapter.
>
>
> She ignored the mandated experiments to continue our own. The cost for disobedience at The Academy is severe.
>
>
> I had an opportunity to defend her, but I didn't take it. She'll never forgive me... not that I deserve it. My fellow Scholar, my closest friend, my partner, whisked away.
>
>
>
> If only I had her courage, we'd be together.
>
>

#### Arlet's Journal Page 4

> Autumn 2nd, 1816 A.B.
>
>
> The scholar's life lost its flavor since Theresa's reassignment, though I've found a modicum of stimulation in the work.
>
>
> I'm focused on temporary pollen inducement on Miasma-infected growths to search for evidence of eradication. Unfortunately, expeditions require special permission so I don't have access to a proper scar to test further.
>
>
>
> I have a sinking suspicion that this is all starting to become futile.
>
>

#### Arlet's Journal Page 5 (map)

> Autumn 77th, 1816 A.B.
>
>
> Days bleed together in repetition. The Academy sails rudderless.
>
>
> No camaraderie to be found with the other Scholars either--I've supposedly taken a few of Theresa's more 'undesirable' traits...
>
>
> I seek comfort among the occasional trips into the Miasma allowed under the new regulations... I'm beginning to understand it.
>
>
>
> Maybe it's beginning to understand me.
>
>

#### Arlet's Journal Page 6

> Winter 13th, 1816 A.B.
>
>
> Incomprehensible change has occurred... Miasma density near the border has decreased, low enough even to warrant the attention of Magus Maplebark.
>
>
> I filed for special research approval to investigate, but I'm worried that waiting on the Academy will waste critical time.
>
>
>
> Nowadays The Academy only has eyes for easy results, a last-ditch effort to keep the remaining Chapters from shuttering. The real questions go unwanted.
>
>

#### Arlet's Journal Page 7

> Winter 65th, 1816 A.B.
>
>
> I couldn't delay any longer--I had to investigate myself. It shouldn't have been possible, but perhaps what I found was something I already knew to be true.
>
>
> Theresa was alive, living in the Miasma since her transfer. I could see her face... she wasn't even wearing a mask.
>
>
> That much exposure... maskless... most wouldn't last more than a few hours.
>
>
>
> I need to understand.
>
>

#### Arlet's Journal Page 8 (map)

> Date Unknown...
>
>
> The expedition was approved by the Head Chapter. "The Academy's last chance."
>
>
> I'm surprised they let me go amidst my probation but I guess it shows that nothing really mattered by that point.
>
>
> It all went wrong at the temple, not far from my prior encounter with Theresa.
>
>
> In an instant, everything went pink, purple then black. Every scar in the area must've burst simultaneously.
>
>
> I came to with my mask unsecured... Something within told me I didn't need it anymore. It also told me that leaving the Miasma would bring me harm.
>
>
> My journey with the Academy is complete.
>
>
> I'm part of something bigger now.
>
>
> One with the cloud.
>
>
> Transformed.
>
>
>
> Evolved.
>
>