Historical Note: The following text is the logbook of Ehrit al’Yari, Mage-Captain of the Faendryl Ship (FS) Black Heron, one of the four Command ships coordinating the Faendryl assault on Ta’Ashrim during the Faendryl-Ashrim war. This text is comprised of the near-daily entries of the captain into her logbook, and remains to this day the sole surviving written accord of the assault.
Following the siege and subsequent alienation of the Faendryl, al’Yari’s logbook was published and widely read throughout the Elven empire, where it became commonly known as ‘The Siege of Ta’Ashrim’. In particular, the final entries of the logbook have been extensively studied, and are one of the most recognizable pieces of Elven historical literature available today.
Translator’s Note: Several editions of al’Yari’s logbook have been translated into common in the past, however all of these translations are based upon subsequent Elven translations of the manuscript. This edition is based upon the original Faendryl language version, and in some places comes across as being markedly different from the Elven versions. Readers of the Elven edition will note that this translation casts the Faendryl in a less-villainous light, owing perhaps to a bias on the part of Elven scholars attempting to justify their hatred of the Faendryl with coloured wording.
For ease of reading and understanding, the translator has broken the logbook into four sections, titled ‘The Fleet’, ‘The Voyage’, ‘The Confrontation’, and ‘The Genocide’. They occur chronologically over the three week course of the Faendryl assault, and each comprises a major facet of the Faendryl-Ashrim war.
The Logbook of
Ehrit al’Yari
Mage-Captain, FS Black Heron
Part 1
The Fleet
21 Ivastaen, 093
In the tradition of our great Forefathers, I have undertake the task of recording the progress of our Grand Expedition across the Eastern Sea to confront the criminal Orlihd Ashrim, Matriarch of the House Ashrim and, undoubtedly, the woman behind the disappearance of our Patriarch’s beloved daughter, Chesylcha Faendryl.
I’ve been told by a reliable source that this text is to be considered the official accounting of our victory at Ta’Ashrim, and I have accepted this responsibility graciously, understanding the reliance future generations will have upon this very document. Fortunate are you, reader, that we were so foresighted.
I have also chosen to use this medium as a place to record my personal observations of this voyage, which I fear will not appear in the final version of my logbook. However, I find it helps put things in perspective if I record the day’s activities in a static fashion, and will perhaps offer some special insight for future generations.
I would write more, but my ship is preparing to leave its dock, and I need to be present on deck for that occasion.
Note to self: must name ship before the fleet’s official departure.
22 Ivastaen, 0093
Leaving drydock went precisely according to plan, a testament to the planning and foresight of our engineers. Not even the Ashrim could have manufactured and launched a ship with so little effort as we.
Truthfully, in over three-hundred years of plying magicks, I have never seen them coordinated with such ease and effect as today. At the command of the harbour master, 17 of my Mages merged their powers into one and literally lifted the ship out of its cradle, depositing it gently into the water just offshore of the bay, while my remaining mages laced the hull with spells of protection and buoyancy. Assured that the ship was floating properly, the navigational spells were laid, and it slowly flowed away from shore. Afterwards, I even laid a spell of my own, insuring that the sails would always remain taut and shapely, even in the calmest of breezes. No mere Ashrim sloop is this ship.
On that note, I have decided to name my ship the Black Heron, in honor of Princess Chesylcha’s personal emblem. I’m told that I am not the only captain who wanted to claim this name, and only my rank insured that I received it. Sometimes rank does indeed have its privileges.
The Fleet’s presentation is tomorrow, and Faendryl will be reviewing us from his flagship Korthyr. I have spared no effort to insure that the Heron will be the most beautiful and capable ship in the review, and have heard from reliable sources that Dhaena’s ship, the Grey Shift, is experiencing problems with its hull integrity. Hopefully it will still be inconvenienced tomorrow.
On another note, I’ve been told that the Ashrim refer to ships as ‘she’, not ‘it’. An odd custom, but one I think I will imitate. It seems somehow appropriate.
23 Ivastaen, 093
The review went beautifully, though I fear that despite my best efforts to impress upon all present the power and grace of the Heron, the Korthyr stole the real spotlight.
Before today I had never seen the Korthyr afloat, but I had heard rumors of her phenomenal size. These rumors, I’m amazed to say, come nowhere near describing the reality of our flagship.
From a distance, the Korthyr could easily be mistaken for a cloud sitting close to the water’s surface, so large and brilliant is it. Only when one approaches close enough to see the minuscule dots scrambling across her hull does one realize that this is a ship, and the nearly invisible dots are her crew. Her sails can be easily seen from beyond the horizon, with the tallest mast extending well over a thousand spans into the air. An entire forest was harvested to produce the lumber for her hull, and my mage-engineer has told me that if her sails were laid end-to-end, they would cover the entire city of Ta’Faendryl.
Seeing the Korthyr in person, I cannot disbelieve him.
My engineer has also told me that, unlike the Ashrim ships we will be facing, the Korthyr could never possibly sail without magical aid, much less float. The very pressure of the water upon her hull would crush it like an eggshell, and her masts could not possibly stand straight without the spells laid upon them.
Fortunately, the Korthyr has no lack of magical aid, a situation which continues to annoy me every time we pass her. Although I recognize the need to keep mages on a ship, the Korthyr has over 300 on her crew, at any given time 50 of which are reinforcing the buoyancy and integrity spells on her hull . This seems excessive to me, and I have come to wonder if we will regret not having those mages available for other duties during the confrontation itself.
[Translator’s Note: Unlike the Ashrim they were preparing to attack, the Faendryl had no real experience with sailing or ship-building. Unwilling to let this deter them, they attacked the problem the same way they did everything else, by heavily augmenting their efforts with magic. None of the 38 ships in the Faendryl fleet could have been constructed without magical aid, and of those only the three smallest scout ships could have floated on their own.]
Part 2
The Voyage
24 Ivastaen, 093
Today marked our official departure, and so far everything has gone according to our plans. Gods willing, we will cross the southern tip of the continent tomorrow evening, and begin our approach on the Ashrim islands two days after that.
Faendryl announced this afternoon that he will be hosting a ball for all of the officers aboard the Korthyr tomorrow evening, both to celebrate our departure and commemorate the disappearance and presumed death of Princess Chesylcha, whose ship Blue Star was last seen in this area.
I have a wonderful new costume I’ve been saving for this occasion, a daring slip of silver silk belted with a fine rope of gold, which I’ll be wearing just tight enough to entice Jaerith into noticing me for once. I’ll also be wearing my silver starburst pendant, the one with the obsidian crystal, which I’m told brings out the highlights in my hair. Hopefully the evening will be one to remember.
25 Ivastaen, 093
No time for a real entry, I’m afraid. The ball is in a few hours, and I need to Gate over to the Korthyr now if I want to be ready in time.
More later.
26 Ivastaen, 093
Mixed news on the Ball, I’m afraid. Although the evening went pleasantly through the first three dinner courses, several captains expressed dissatisfaction with the strategy Faendryl has decided upon for confronting the Ashrim. Rather than treat with them, as Faendryl intends, many captains and senior officers have proposed that we confront them in the role as invaders, which they claim was the entire purpose of building such a magnificent fleet. Although most of the discord was silenced by the memorial service for Chesylcha, it remained a topic of discussion this afternoon and has caused some hard feelings among my officers.
I’m not sure myself which way is best to proceed. While I’ve no doubt that our fleet can take on anything the Ashrim care to throw at us, I’d rather not be remembered as an invader. Hopefully Faendryl’s approach will prove sufficient for the task.
27 Ivastaen, 093
Little to record today, merely more sailing. I’m beginning to wonder whose idea it was to first try and sail across this ocean; it seems to go on forever.
My weather mage has informed me that despite the efforts of his corps, a system is developing over the Ashrim isles and is slowly moving south, as such storms are wont to do at this time of year. Although our fleet’s spells of warding should be more than sufficient to deter any ill effects, the poor weather will lower the crew’s moral, and possibly interfere with the Ashrim negotiations.
More tomorrow.
28 Ivastaen, 093
I’m writing this entry earlier in the day than usual, as I expect to be busy for the next several hours securing the Heron to weather the storm we’re about to encounter. My mages assure me that all of our spells of integrity are in place and fully functional.
On another note, the sun this morning was a brilliant, golden red. A good omen for the next few days, I hope.
29 Ivastaen, 093
It is a sad day for all of elven kind. Late last eve, during the peak of the storm which blew over our fleet, the spells protecting the hull of the frigate Grey Shift failed catastrophically. Within minutes her entire superstructure was reduced to kindling by the force of the waves and her own weight, and as I look out my cabin’s port I still see thousands of white timbers floating obscenely upon the waves.
Of the 486 officers and crew aboard the Shift, 483 are missing and presumed lost. The three survivors were mages who were off-duty at the time, and managed to construct a hasty Gate to the Korthyr, where they are being treated for a variety of injuries. I’m told one may not survive the night.
I’ve spent most of the day going over the Heron with my mages, making sure that our spells are still holding. We’ve found nothing amiss, and it remains a mystery what could have happened aboard the Shift, which may never be solved.
Arrival at the Ashrim home isle is still scheduled for tomorrow, and hopefully this tragedy will not have any bearing on the success of our mission.
As of this evening, no bodies have been recovered. It is as if the ocean swallowed our dead whole.
30 Ivastaen, 093
Our fleet was received by the Ashrim flagship Batholith this morning, and careful negotiations regarding the surrender of Matriarch Orlihd have commenced. It is our intention that the Matriarch be put into our custody for transfer to Ta’Nalfien for trial regarding the disappearance of the Princess. So far the Ashrim haven’t said anything about their intentions, though I can’t imagine they would choose to be hostile at this point, with a fleet such as ours at their doorstep.
And--I should add--having seen their ships first hand it now seems silly to me that we were ever worried about fighting these fishermen. Their ‘ships’, if you could call them that, look nothing like the majestic fortresses we have constructed. Instead, they are small, crescent-shaped pieces of wood, carved to slice through the waves rather than float above them. Truthfully, it looks like something the humans might build.
I suppose this is what happens when people turn their backs on magic, they end up having to settle for inferior technology. Perhaps after this ordeal is over and we have rejoined the Empire, we can extend the benefits of our naval experience to these poor souls.
Hopefully tomorrow I will begin writing about our journey home.
31 Ivastaen, 093
Reading over yesterday’s entry, I have come to marvel over how much a situation can change in the course of a mere day. Negotiations seemed to be productive yesterday as I wrote in this logbook, yet this morning the talks have come to a complete and utter halt.
Perhaps predictably, the stalling point is our insistence that Orlihd accompany our fleet to Ta’Nalfien, to insure that she does not escape justice by remaining upon the Isles. The Ashrim negotiators refused to even discuss this point, and shortly afterwards talks were suspended.
Worse, this morning heralded the arrival of a rather large Ashrim fleet, composed of hundreds of small, nimble vessels which formed up around the Batholith shortly after negotiations ended. Their intentions are obvious; halt our progress towards Ta’Ashrim.
Faendryl did not take the news of this development well, I fear, and immediately set the fleet on war footing. He informed the captains just an hour ago to prepare to attack the Ashrim fleet if they did not capitulate to our demands within the next 12 hours. Seeing the Ashrim ships lined up against us, I’ve no illusions that they will.
Nevertheless, I have done all I can to insure that the Heron is prepared for whatever may come. Be it war or peace, my ship will sail home.
[Editors' Note: Look for the next installment of the Faendryl Captain's Logs in the next issue of the Elanthian Times.]