75th of the season of warming, 207th year of Orfenal
I woke up to the sound of footsteps overhead. A month ago footsteps wouldn't even have registered with me, but things changed in the months since I boarded this ship. Now footsteps on the deck only meant someone had found edible crops in the garden, there hasn't been anything edible in over a week, and all the rain catchers were washed away in the storm a few nights ago. I really hurt my leg in that storm trying to protect the crops, I succeeded, but the only reward I got was a barrel to the knee and a rotten plank through my thigh when I hit the deck. I'm surprised we aren't all dead yet, most of us are, some from dehydration, others from gangrene, and most from when everyone got sick. Somehow eleven of us out of the original thirty are still alive; now we're all just lying below deck, waiting to die.
      I adjust my splint and take a look at my bandages; I sewed it up, but there's nothing I can do about the infection without a doctor, and he died three weeks ago. I pick up my crutch, formerly part of a plank of wood from the deck, and try to stand up. Whoever found something to eat may have found something to drink. Searing hot pain shot up my leg, I couldn't help but scream. I stumbled but caught myself with my crutch and stood up, stooping over the short plank to keep my balance. My fever is getting worse, my chest aches, and I can hardly breathe in this moldy air, maybe the fresh air will help me.
Clunk, clunk, clunk
     I make my way through the hull, passing sleeping crewmates and questioning yet apathetic gazes to the light soaked stairs. As I look back at everyone my heart sinks into my caved in stomach; we look dreadful. All sunken cheeks and tattered clothes huddled together under shear grey blankets; how could a few storms do this to us? All we were trying to do was ship some statues and vases from Acrona City to Mavisport. One storm set us wildly off course and the rest tore the the ship apart, we all should be dead, but somehow we keep on clinging to life, as miserable and painful as it is, in the hope of being saved. That's what I think is the reason anyway, none us really want to talk anymore, it hurts too much.
    When I finally reached the stairs I had to shield my face from the sun, the brightness was too much compared to the darkness below deck. I didn't expect how cold it was either, I knew it had been getting progressively colder, but in the morning it was freezing, especially since all I had on was my pants, sandals, and a tattered blanket. When I finally opened my eyes I saw the strangest thing.
“ It must be the fever” I thought, what else could explain it. At the top of the stairs was a small grey creature, only five feet tall, in a funny pale green suit. It had grey skin and dark grey hair and pale serrated horns that gently sloped around its head and curved downward at the ends. It had the most peculiar golden eyes, completely different from normal, red eyes, and it looked absolutely frightened.
“Is this the thing that was walking around the deck? How did it get here?” I wondered. Soon enough more of them came! They must have saw the frightened one and came to see what was going on. I took a step forward and they all jumped back, what were they?
“ Who are you?” I asked, they all just looked at me as if I had grown feathers or something, they must have thought I was as weird to them as they were to me. I took another step forward, this time slower and with my cane on the first stair and told them my name
“ My name is Dorsis, Dor-Sis” slowly so they could understand, my throat burned just trying to get the words out.
They started mumbling amongst themselves and then an older looking one with a beard came forward. They parted for him so he must be the leader. He looked at me and jumped back like the rest though, so maybe not.
“Cool o san?” He said to the creatures behind him, emphasis on the san, whatever that means. I guess they don't speak Däowen. Their voices have funny accents, a bit gruff and fast too. What are these things?
    As more of them started coming to the stairs I got a bit nervous, I started backing up; maybe if I sat back down they'd go away, maybe it's all just a dream and I'll just wake up. I tried anyway, pain shot up my leg again and the splint came undone, my leg buckled under me and I fell down, I knew the fever was bad, but not this bad. My heart started pounding faster now, everything hurt, my leg, my chest, and I was having a really hard time breathing. I tried to get up, but no luck. I looked at the funny creatures and they just stared at me, a mixture of fear and confusion across their little grey faces.
“ Help me!” I tried to say, but it came out hoarse. A couple started coming down the stairs, the bearded one made a bunch of gestures and said stuff in that funny language and a bunch of them came down. I picked up my crutch, not sure whether to use it to defend myself or to just get up. I don't have the strength to do either and I just let them help me up. I grabbed onto the railing with one hand and held on tightly to my crutch with the other; they helped me stand up, none too gently, and I tried to stifle a scream, my leg was throbbing. They backed away and several ran back up the stairs. One went past me and looked into the cabin next to the stairs, he shouted something to the others and ran back up as well. I started climbing the stairs and three of them helped me. When I got to the top one hand brought a melon from the garden and handed me what looked like a canteen. I slumped down on the floor and leaned against the wall, guzzling water more voraciously than I care to admit, what can I say? I hadn't drunk clean water in three days. The melon was rotten, it was covered in white mold so took a bit of the greener part and threw the rest overboard. I heard some shuffling below, the others must be coming too, maybe Captain Genal can make sense of this.
End of chapter 2

The maiden 90 degrees east, 373rd day of Lord Sharrum
      When we went aboard the ship we realized just how badly damaged it was. There was wreckage and large shards or wood strewn about the deck, and parts of the floor boards were missing. The strange plants on the left side of the deck were overgrown and uprooted, as if someone or something had torn them up. Most of the food-looking parts of the plants were rotten-looking, half were a whitish color, like plaque or bone. I walked over to them and started writing a description, whatever they were, they were the only unique looking thing on deck, the rest just looked like bigger versions of stuff back on Node, albeit with different designs on them. After I finished writing my description I scanned the deck for Regan, maybe someone found something I should record.
     The first thing I saw was a big crowd around the upper right side of the ship, Regan was on his way there so I followed.
“ What's going on?” I asked Rickon, the guy next to me.
“ Asher found some kind of monster below deck. We don't know what to do about it yet, apparently it's injured.”
“ What? Wait, hold on,” I moved past him and made my way toward the front, I was kind of on the side and couldn't see it too well. I got further pushed to the side when Regan went to see the thing, but when everyone moved back I pushed through and got a better look; and boy was it weird.
     The monster was six, maybe seven feet tall,, definitely seven, it was stooped low over what looked like a broken plank. It stood at the bottom of a staircase leading to the lower decks. It wore nothing but rags and odd straps around its ankles was incredibly gaunt and sickly looking and had what I think is a splint around its right leg, it also stunk horribly. It had pale purple skin and two whitish purple horns sticking up from its forehead. It's eyes were a deep red and it had jet black hair and a scruffy beard and a wide, upturned, nose. I took a step forward and we all stepped back. It said “Galdi… o...Dorsis....dor...sis”
No one knew what to do, poor Asher was terrified, Regan was just as scared as the rest of us, we were all just standing there, holding our breath, waiting for someone to do something. Asher took a step back, maybe trying to merge in with the crowd and stand in the back, but Regan caught him.
“ What is that?!” Regan shouted, putting extra emphasis in the that, as if Asher knew. Everyone started talking now that the silence was broken;
“What do you think it is?”
“ Where did it come from?”
“ Are there more of them?” Eventually, Regan told everyone to shut up. The monster looked scared and was backing up. We all hushed and looked at it, when suddenly, it fell down. It must have been sicker than we thought, it's breathing was erratic and it couldn't get up. Regan told five guys to to go help it up, another guy went to that garden to get a fruit or something; whatever it was it hurt and needed help; Rickon even offered his canteen. When they finally got it up onto the deck it just sat down right there and grabbed the canteen out of Rickon’s hand. It emptied the canteen in seconds, not caring how much spilled, and just threw the fruit thing we tried to give him off the boat, I don't know if it was really that thirsty, or if it just had really bad manners. While it was resting against the side of the ship Worren, Regan’s first mate, ran up the stairs stupefied.
“ Th-th-there's---”
“ spit it out man! What's scared you so?” Regan asked
“ There's more sir”
“ more what?”
“ You told me to look down there, an-and I did, I did sir, and there's more. More of them. I counted at least 8 before I had to come up, the smell is something else, I-I think they’ve been stuck on this broken ship for a while…sir.”  We all just stood there and absorbed what he said.
“More of them?”
Where did they come from?” The questions started up again, this time Regan was too lost in thought to stop them. Everyone’s freaking out and there's a big potential crisis on our hands and I'm just standing here, next to the stairs and away from the beast, just writing everything down. I closed my notebook and shook my wrist, I was so caught up in writing everything down that I didn't realize how sore it had gotten. I glanced down the stairs, and you wouldn't believe it, there's two other monsters-people down there! And then more start shambling out. I don't know what's going to happen next, but I sure don't want to be Regan right now.
End of chapter 3

76th of the season of warming, 207th year of Orfenal

    “Yesterday was probably the most momentous day in history. Yesterday, a day which many thought would be our last, was instead a whole new beginning. We learned of the existence of people who call themselves the Nodens, and apparently there are also people called the Gretns, but I'll focus on the Noden people. Yesterday they found our ship and while searching it, one of my men, Dorsis, found them. They brought us back to their city and their doctors looked at us. Most of us were, and still are, in terrible shape, diseased and dying, most of us died in the months we were lost at sea, but with their help no one has died today. We have bathed, shaved, eaten and drank, and have been given new clothes. They’re different from the clothes of our home country, but we appreciate them all the same. The captain of the ship that found us, Regan, has paid for our care himself and the mayor of the town, a man called Corrin, is paying for some of us to stay in inns along the wharf while the rest have been welcomed into the homes of our rescuers. I, Genal, the former second mate and now, due to the deaths of my superiors, captain of our crew, ask on behalf of us, nay, on all of us on our great continents of Node, Gretn, and my homeland of Däowen, to please help us get home.”
    Genal, who was voted as our leader and representative in this new place, sat down and the room was enveloped in silence as everyone took in what he just said; for a few moments anyway. Murden Walshsson, a scribe from the ship and my new friend, stood up and began translating what he said. After the rest of us met them and Dorsis was rushed to a doctor we all started to get to know each other and figure out what to do about of situation. Dorsis’s leg was amputated and he had to get several blood transfusions from us since the infection had made him septic. most of us were just milling about their ship, looking at each other and getting over the shock. Murden was trying to write down everyone’s names, but was having trouble so I helped him. I told him who was who and told him the names of the things our boat was transporting before we went off course. We were transporting mostly statues for a park that was being built up north, some were of gods, others of heroes, and other things they simply wanted to make the park nicer. We also had other goods, like seeds and paper among other things, the Nodens were really interested in these. As I taught him my language, he taught me his, and when we got to the town and learned there wasn't enough room at the inns, he offered to let me stay with him and his family for the night.
     We walked for half an hour until we got to a series of little cottages along a road leading out into the other town. The trees, like the rest of the place, were really short, and branches kept hitting my face as we walked. When we got to his house he knocked on his door and a Noden woman opened it; apparently these Nodens won't go in a house unless the lady of the house says they can come in, even if they live there! So many odd things about these little people.
     Like him she wasn't more than 5’3 and had grey skin and grey horns that gently curved around her head.
“ Shardoo tu natar ran nutdudo?” (will you let us enter? *roughly) he said to his wife. It was a formality spoken in a kind and loving way, something you already know the answer is yes for, but ask anyway just to get the response. She looked past him and saw me, and affection suddenly turned into revulsion.
“Cool o san!” (What is that!) she shouted. She grabbed him by his jacket and tried to pull him inside, but he pushed her off and explained
“ Shara, sav o karndi, sav o karndi” he said (Shara, this is my friend, this is my friend) “Sav o karndi, Selwen’a. Dut o ul Däowen, ul dolo ki naan yet.” ( this is my friend, Selwen. He is a Däowen, a man from far away.)”Ar shardoo myen rata.” ( I will explain inside) (from this point on I'll just translate and leave out the original words)
She looked at him skeptically and looked at me wearily. If there's one thing I can say about these Noden women, they're tougher than me. We entered the cottage, they walking in, I crouching down to fit through the door. He was about to explain the situation, but suddenly two little Nodens ran in from another room. They stopped dead in their tracks and looked up at me in bewilderment; they must be his children. I didn't want to scare them so I slowly sat down and crossed my legs, I smiled and tried to say hello “aru” although I probably butchered the pronunciation.
“Mommy, daddy, who is that?”
“ and why is he so big and purple?” They said
“ this is my new friend, Selwen, he doesn't speak much Noden, but don't be scared, he's nice.”
They walked up to me and started asking me questions, I didn't understand the language much yet, so I just pay one on the head. They giggled hysterically and we played while Murden and his wife talked. I think that put me in her good graces and really helped convinced her to let me stay the night.
     Throughout the night we talked, laughed, and learned about each other. His government is run by those who have a certain amount of money or more, so CEOs and company presidents and such, business people. My country is a collection of loosely allied city states, small countries sort of. He couldn't believe it when I told him, but neither could I believe that his people obeyed laws made by people whose only credential was being rich. A few hours after midnight we went to sleep and the next day we and rest of our crews met at a large guildhall. The mayor met us and told us that the governor, other high ranking people, and many journalists would be coming to meet us tonight. They wanted Genal and Regan to write a statement about what happened and wanted to start learning our language. We spent the day going over what would happen at the event tonight and Genal and Regan wrote their parts while Murden and I began translating. Apparently he and I were the most fluent of everyone, the mayor was especially impressed with Murden, and while I still don't entirely understand what they’re saying, I think Murden may become an official translator for the government if this meeting goes well, a significant promotion from scribe of a fishing guild.
      That night, we went to the mayor’s home, a large building on a hill in the center of town. We were escorted by servants down a long, wide hallway and were led into a large dining hall. Our meeting would also be a dinner. They had tried to get seats that would fit, but when Charnal, one of my crewmates, tried to fit on it, it broke under his weight. We ended up fitting on pillows on the floor, and the mayor was deeply embarrassed. After we were seated the governor, a few representatives of the nation’s legislatures, and five journalists entered and were seated.
     After Regan and Genal gave their statements Murden translated and everyone applauded, both for Genal and for Murden. I will admit, Genal’s statement was a bit dry, Murden added to it and made his request more dramatic. Now it was my turn. The governor stood and spoke, here is my translation.
“ People gathered, you know me as Haru Dawnborn, governor of this Noden state and aid to the people. On this day our world has grown; we thought it was just us, just the lands of Node in the south and Gretn in the north, but here before us are men from a far away land, a place called Däowen.” (he spoke very slowly and dramatically, like the kind of person who gives speeches a lot.)
“ This is the time to step up, and be our best. The decisions we make will affect our future forever. Some of you in the high court want to prolong this issue, waiting and thinking is a good idea, but it may not be the best one now. I say we stop waiting and act! I propose to the illustrious legislators that we build a big ship, chart a course, and bring them back to their homeland. If we do this, and bring representatives and ambassadors of our own, we may be able to start trading with them, and gaining new friends and new markets!” (I later learned that he had invested many stocks in the local shipping businesses, an act that helped his pr but hurt his wallet, so he wanted to raise the value of these stocks and this was his best opportunity) “They have goods we have never seen before: better metallurgy, better paper, and so many foods that simply don't exist anywhere else! I implore you to petition your legislators and guilds and open the doors to this new, bright, future!” Everyone applauded mechanically and the journalists got to ask their questions. They asked everyone questions and Murden and I spend the night helping each other translate, it has been long and we all slept deeply that night.
End of chapter 4