Starting from Bruck, nestled in the heart of Isdraia and defying the current of the Elendar, a council of several dozen scholars works tirelessly to gather and document both historical knowledge and contemporary events. Thanks to generous patronage of the mayor, ample resources are available, allowing for an unprecedented scale of archiving. Thus emerges the greatest and most comprehensive repository of knowledge in all of Isdraia. From this endeavor arises an institution that shall henceforth be known as The Omniscient Archive.

Today in the early morning we finally set out. I hadn’t had a mission in a very long time, and I was incredibly excited to finally head out again. Last time I travelled with M. B., along the Eimh. But now he is allowed to continue alone into the Fenn Realm. The chief cartographer has forbidden me from setting out without an escort. Again. But on this expedition I will prove myself.

We used the travel route along the Eimh that I had charted the last time. The two companions assigned to me were quite reckless. They simply plodded along the path and paid no attention whatsoever to what I was telling them. I warned them about landslides along the riverbank, about the strange predators farther north, told them about Skuhuks. They simply didn’t want to listen to me, even though I was the only one here who had already walked this way…

We set up our first camp—against my suggestions—somewhere close to the riverbank. During the darkening, the gentle splashing of the Eimh kept me awake. And so I watched over the fire. The other two slept deeply. Sometimes he snored until she kicked him sharply awake, and silence returned. A few moments later the spectacle repeated itself. I had been told they were siblings, born in Morgathal. They had to be related—otherwise he surely wouldn’t put up with that from her. But whether they truly came from Morgathal, I had my doubts. They were certainly peculiar, sometimes quite rough, and anything but modest. But a woman from Morgathal who carries a sword? That strangely backward people would sooner hang her than allow that.

It was raining as we continued on our way. At first only lightly, but soon the downpour became unbearable. The others refused to take a break. And so we reached the far bank of the Eimh. Greenskin territory. I gripped my sword tighter and realized it would be of no use to me.

Little by little we approached our destination: Spearhills. A strange scene unfolded here, and I paused. The landscape was pockmarked with craters, unnaturally shaped holes and mounds; rivulets snaked along narrow trenches and formed puddles. It reminded me faintly of my pathetic attempts back in Bruck to find a tasty penja for my little sister—how the flesh of an overripe fruit was dented inward, full of pits and furrows—and right at that moment a spear struck me square in the back. Muffled sounds of aggressive enemies and brave companions drifted past me. Raindrops hammered against my forehead. I didn’t dare look down. I didn’t dare look anywhere. Then my legs gave way. It felt like half an eternity.

Blood sprayed in front of me. I watched as a blade swept in and executed a precise horizontal cut: a pair of eyes lost their light, a body its inhabitant, a green head thudded to the ground. Then it poured out, the blood mingling with the rainwater, soaking the grass and covering more ground than I had expected. I saw something white once the red receded, and I looked into a face that clearly hadn’t seen its death coming. That made me wonder what a face looks like when it does recognize its end, so I finally glanced downward, searching for a puddle to see my reflection. I didn’t find one.

That was when the pain suddenly hit. I screamed, but no one probably heard me. Another goblin dropped to my right. He folded up quickly, almost like a marionette whose strings had been cut. To my left the next one fell, guts spilling out of him in a gushes. I wondered which exact organs were coming out and made a mental note to ask the Archivist’s physician about it later.

“You pointy-eared freak!” they shouted at me. “Now we only get half the pay.” He smashed apart what was left of the flesh, and she sheathed her sword.

They brought me back to the Elendar. Now I sit here as the darkening approaches. They have made a fire for me and are currently looking for the Green Brigade to tend to my injury. They will return, patch me up, and then take me home. Until then, I have to stay here and wait. At least, I think that’s the case. I must not fall asleep, no matter how soothing the waters of the Elendar lap quietly by. I should visit my kin in Weidhain again sometime.