Middas, 20th of Last Seed
I awaken early comfortably warm but hungry and dehydrated. It is about 5 o’clock and still dark out but my thirst can no longer wait. I grab my torch and make my way carefully to the pond. Sounds of distant thunder and lightning may mean rain today, I can only hope for the best. My trek to and from the pond is uneventful but it is becoming apparent that getting water is becoming somewhat of an issue. I debate whether or not I should relocate my camp closer to the water supply.
Back at camp I eat my remaining supply of charred meat for an early breakfast and do some casual wood processing afterwards. It is still dark out, and I don’t feel comfortable going out just yet. By the time I am finished collecting more firewood, my axe is starting to show serious wear. Unsure of how long it will last me, I decide to be on the look out for materials I can use to create a new one if need be.
Taking a look at the sky, it is slightly overcast and still a bit dark. Rain is definitely a concern but the air feels warm giving me comfort that chances are still minimal.
Still at my camp, a small elk is seen walking about. I’m able to barely take it down before it could get away by planting a few arrows into it rapidly. I get a fresh supply of venison, another hide and a set of small antlers. I take the hide and with some materials left over from before, make myself a set of fur armor.
Now well within the daylight hours, I decide to explore a bit further then I previously had. I start by heading in the direction of the burnt out carriage but that path is quickly derailed as I spot a couple wolves sniffing about. They don’t seem to spot me and I divert my route.
At this point I am getting thirsty again so use this opportunity to get another drink and explore behind and above the pond. As I come up on the plateau which has the waterfall feeding into the pond from below, I am immediately ambushed by two mudcrabs who take a great deal of health off me before I can cut them down. I salvage their legs and chitins and continue up stream.
A short distance away I spot an abandoned campsite. It doesn’t look as if it has been recently used so proceed further in to investigate. Among several sacks and crates I find a roll of paper, various alchemical ingredients, and three green apples.
Atop one of the crates is a journal left behind by its previous inhabitant. Reading through it, it seems they discovered an abnormally overgrown mushroom patch. On examination I find an excessive amount of bleeding crowns growing around a couple of trees. I gather a few and head back to camp to cook up some lunch.
I also keep in mind that this newly found campsite may be a good location to move to. Being next to a stream, it seems like the better location with a readily available water supply. It also seems to offer better isolation from the elements being a bit more enclosed then the open area I currently am at.
Back at camp I eat one of the apples and find that it is incredibly juicy, satisfying both my peckishness and thirst. I follow this up with one of the mudcrab legs for a nice well-rounded meal.
After lunch, I take a moment to assess my situation. With the venison from earlier, I have enough food for a little while. The sky still seems a bit overcast but no other signs of rain seem to be showing. I take a look at myself and find myself a bit damp from my activity earlier with the crabs and going upstream.
I proceed to cook the venison from earlier making myself three charred meats and also dry myself off in the process. Afterwards quite possibly due to my earlier start, I find myself nodding off. Without nothing else immediate that needs to be done, I take a short nap waking up around evening.
With darkness soon coming and finding myself a bit chilly, I decide to conserve my energy for the rest of the day and sit by the fire. For dinner I have the same meal from lunch, the remaining mudcrab leg and one of the apples.
I sit around til midnight when my fire goes out and I need to relight it. I head to bed a bit thirsty but in generally good spirits.
Turdas, 21st of Last Seed
I roll out of bed around 8 o’clock and after taking a few minutes to adjust, immediately start packing up my campsite. I decided last night before going to sleep that moving camp should benefit me in the long run. Having water next to me at all times will remove the need to make constant trips to merely get a small drink.
I dismantle my tanning rack and cooking pot, roll up my tent and bedroll, and snuff out both my fires. I take a tiring but motivated hike up to the abandoned campsite from the day before. I don’t feel particularly safe using the old abandoned site so use my own supplies again to setup a bit short of it.
My camp is now upstream of the large pond I had been using earlier for my water supply. It is now next to a different but smaller pond that is being fed by a waterfall and on the other side rolls down into a small stream that leads back down to my original site.
In the water I see a few fish swimming about. I wade in carefully and am able to snatch two up with my hands. I’m not entirely sure if these are edible but decide to try them anyways. I eat them raw to seemingly no ill effect although it also does nothing to satisfy my hunger.
I follow up the fish with two of my charred meats and a sip from the stream for a late breakfast. Now satiated I decide to do a bit of exploring and hunting.
Moving past my camp and the overgrown mushroom grove I see nothing of value although there are definite signs of logging. I turn around and head back down stream and spot a couple mudcrabs that I get the jump on. I harvest some legs and chitins off them and move on.
I spot a fallen rotten tree that is now a hollowed out log. I crouch down and take a peek inside for any scurrying critters. No such luck. I head back to camp and upon arrival take a brief break. I sit down by the water’s edge and take in the new scenery and a moment to reflect on the last few days.
Assessing the new location, I find that it is strategically more sound. I am considerably higher up then before but also enclosed in on three sides putting me in a small but open valley. Water is readily available and I also find myself enraptured by the natural beauty of my surroundings, despite the arduous situation I am currently in.
Early afternoon passes me by and I return to scavenging for food. I spot a rabbit idling in the distance and waste more arrows then I care to admit taking him down. A quick stock of my inventories shows that I have exhausted all the iron arrows I started this trip with and a good chunk out of the stone ones I crafted earlier in the week.
I process the rabbit and take away one of its legs that I can cook up later as a small snack. Around this same area I take note of some more signs of old ruin. I see an ancient pile of large bricks and a broken large head of a statue.
After taking a diversionary second to take the sight in, I return to camp to cook up the leg with some salt I found earlier. I save the roasted rabbit haunch for later and do a bit of wood harvesting as supply is running low. I then head back out for a third time today making use of every bit of daylight I can.
I run into a fox along the way and take him down quickly. I remove his pelt and make my way back to camp with the sun going down behind me. A skeever ambushes me and manages to take a few bites out of my leg before I can put it down. Its meat is probably riddled with disease but I do take his tail before leaving his carcass behind.
I arrive at camp just as the night finally settles into darkness. I convert the fox pelt into leather in hopes that I can eventually craft some waterskins. I note that I will need a bit more leather and some cotton to do so.
I consume the rabbit haunch and the last of my charred meat for a late dinner and finish up with a sip from the stream. I note that the water tastes a bit off but ignore it for now.
Seemingly out of the blue, a heavy downpour starts up and I retreat into my tent for cover. The skies were seemingly clear all day so the rain is an unwelcome surprise. I eventually fall into slumber around midnight quite drowsy and a bit lightheaded.
Fredas, 22nd of Last Seed
Today will definitely be a challenge. I awoke with an expectant hunger and thirst, but also signs of growing sickness. My head is pounding and I feel out of sorts. Taking water directly from the stream is finally taking its toll and I suspect I have contracted witbane. With no remedy or potions on hand, this could easily turn quite serious.
To make matters worse, the rain hasn’t let up and shows no signs of doing so. I currently have no method of sanitizing my water as well. I must continue to drink directly from the stream unless I am able to track down the resources to craft a waterskin. My poor condition and the elements will prevent me from getting much done today.
I stay in my tent and drift back to sleep awaking again in the early afternoon. I am very hungry and eat my remaining food on hand, two mudcrab legs and an apple. I take this opportunity to get out and get a sip of water and also to gather some wood to keep my fire going. My axe on it’s last legs, finally gives out and completely breaks. Wood gathering from now on will prove to be a difficult task.
The rain finally lets up in the late evening and my sickness is in full effect. With already most of the day wasted, I quickly head out for a short excursion. I don’t wander very far from the camp given my illness and lack of daylight. I come across a bird’s nest with a sole egg and take it.
Back at camp and chilled to the bone, I sit down in my tent next to the fire to warm up. I attempt to eat the egg raw although it doesn’t seem to offer any sustenance. Afterwards I go back to sleep in hopes of combating the raging witbane inside me.
I wake up late into the night for a drink of water and again very hungry. My stomach is grumbling quite violently and I take a moment to inventory my supplies. All my food is gone but I still have the rotten tomatoes I found days before. They are less appealing now then before and I hold off on doing anything desperate. I wouldn’t want to make myself more sick by eating spoiled food.
Without any other options available to me I restoke the fire and head back to sleep.
