Message #1
»My liege, we have reached the island group in the expected period of time. We have compared the records about the sailing conditions in these waters to the present situation and came to the conclusion that whatever made these waters impossible to traverse must have completely subsided.
We landed on the northern shore, close to a location where some old records mark a settlement. It took us some time to locate the settlement - Sir Brynwick* suspects the old map to be at fault and has rightaway begun to draw an accurate version. It will be sent to you once it is done.
We found the settlement. Our notes suggested a number of about 250 or more inhabitants, making this one of the largest communities here. However, I have to report that we found nobody. The huts are in an very bad shape, as if abandoned long ago, and regular items are still there, as if left behind.
However, no people or animals (of which the records say that some were imported) are found, and no bodies either. Skan Viro** suggested a magical scan of the island, but I objected. The island is not too big, we will find them within the next two days.
Yours sincerely,
Shinon Leoman
*My liege's cartographer
**Our group wizard«
(I simply assumed that magic existed. It's a pretty reliable bet, I'd say)
Message #2
»My liege,
we have made some disturbing discoveries. Kouver's Islands were described as full of smaller vegetation, hill with a lot of grass. However, going inland (straight south, to another settlement according to the map) we found that land was actually barren in large patches. Skan is busy taking notes and solving the mystery, and I belief that he will be able to provide my liege with a highly likely version of what happened.
We also encountered a fearsome magical creature. It is peaceful, but looks very very frightening (my liege would not believe me, but I cannot get Hendrick, who's talented at drawing, to draw a sketch to show my liege - he's still too scared). Maybe it is involved in the events, but we lack clues.
Tomorrow, we will head further south, and expect to reach the southern coast in either one or two days, if the old map is not to far off. The other big settlement is supposed to be there, too, so we hope to get answers there.
Sincerely yours,
Shinon Leoman«