It's all scaly and really good quality
Anyway, I've been writing chronicles from another world in it
I just typed up everything I could get from it. A lot of it probably needs to be edited since it's almost 1:30 in the morning and I didn't comb through it a second time, but here's what it is so far
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THIS JOURNAL BELONGS TO:
Agawyn Aurelius
There is a people called the Okeani. This people proudly calls the wild, salty, water-filled terrain of Eravisia its home.
Eravisia is a sandy country, located near the theoretical equator. It is covered in huge salt lakes, ribers, and ponds—all the water is salt water. The people, therefore, have developed advanced kidneys, allowing for the regular consumption of such water.
This land, being the child of the solid earth and the fluid sea, is prosperous with many life forms—many of which none of us would find ourselves familiar with. Presumably, fish are the most common of the animals, and the most common of food as well—Eravisian fish are fished by hand, and are fat; the meat is also delicate and well-cooked fish falls apart in the most pleasant way.
The green-tailed Saias is a wonderful proof of this: it tastes simply amazing, but is only a regular run-of-the-mill fish for the Okeani. I believe the fish would be a very high-priced treat, meant only for the rich, if it were to be imported into other countries.
-Drawing of a fish resembling a trout with rather large fins- (The green-tailed Saias is a very powerful swimmer, with a thoroughly-muscled tail. It tends to lurk at the bottom of lakes, and prefers deep water. Its distinctive iridescent green tail can give away its location while near the surface of water—and thus the Okeani’s favorite method of catching it is luring it to the surface with some salt-bread, and then spearing it while it is in view.)
Other common foods are salt-bread (which is, in essence, bread made with more sea salt than flour), cheese (which they make using the milk from their unusual pure white cows), various fruits and vegetables (especially a certain sort of strange native apple), and meat of boar and whale. This, however, is not the limit, as the Okeani are not hesitant to use the resources nature has blessed them with.
Even the animals that are uncommon as food are highly important.
-Drawing of a moose-like animal with an upright neck and a large, broad, nose, as well as extremely tiny antlers and very sharp cloven hooves- (The bisenwark is a peculiar elk-like animal with an elongated face, minimal antlers, and hooves like claws. Its meat is too tough and difficult to digest for it to be a popular food animal, but its pelt is very soft and warm, and popular for clothing.)
The clothing style is primitive, but it serves the Okeani well in warmth and protection, and is usually quite comfortable. In the warmest months, the common and acceptable attire is a simple spun long-tunic with a wool rope belt, or alternatively, a kilt made of pressed leather.
-Drawing of the two previously mentioned garments- Armor is generally made of pressed leather or steal. They can range anywhere from simple shoulder pads to a full-fledged suit, complete with helmet, breastplate, gauntlets, etc.
Armor is almost always worn while hunting (in which case it is normally simple leather), and also traveling, for safety. Despite the fact that the land is full of mostly just and virtuous people, thieves and rogues are not an uncommon sight.
Weaponry in Eravisia varies, but nearly all individuals over the age of nine years have a normal dagger. This is used for protection, hunting, and utility.
-Drawing of a simple, unornamented, dagger-
Other weapons that can also be observed are the longbow, the crossbow, the broadsword, the club, the mace, and the javelin.
One unique Eravisian weapon is the Jag. This weapon is similar to a sword, but crafted to have the shape of a crescent with thorns lining the rest of the blade. It is an impressive weapon that can dig into any beast’s skin and grip into it; it can also snatch weapons right out of an attacker’s hand if used properly!
-Drawing of a jag, which cannot be explained much better than the above- Family is very important to the Okeani. Those who choose to live their lives in solitude are feared for their supposed mental instability.
By the age of fifteen years, most are expected to have at least a romantic interest in someone, and many at that age are already married.
Children are expected to be schooled in village groups or, occasionally, at home by an older family member. They learn to utilize standard arithmetic, hunt, sow&gather, raise livestock, and spar. Richer families may also pay in hefty sums of gold to have their children taught reading and writing.
The Latin alphabet was brought to Eravisia centuries ago, but they also have their own alphabet. Signs are often written in both types, with Latin script below Eravisian script. English is one among many used languages, including native Eravisian languages.
As one could imagine, the Okeani are immensely proud of their oceans, lakes, and rivers—all of which are salt water, and inhabited by a variety of creatures. Perhaps the most notable of said creatures would be the ‘seabeast’—which is actually multiple species and genuses that are assigned the generic name. What is most peculiar about seabeasts is that they appear to be related to ‘saurians,’ as in Dinosaurs and Plesiosaurs.
I saw one seabeast up close—and this was only safe because the creature was washed up on shore, and dead.
-Drawing of the dead seabeast; it looks remarkably similar to a Tylosaurus, with a notably thick bull-like neck-(Its jaw swelled with muscle—I can only imagine the force given in a single bite. I’m almost glad it was dead.)
(Note the resemblance to a ‘Mosasaur.’ The creature could have very well been one.)
There are also the behemoths fondly called ‘shorebeasts.’ Like the seabeasts, they seem to be closely related to saurian life. From my experience, some species are highly aggressive, while others will allow villagers to walk beside them—even though they are at least partial carnivores.
In addition to eating land meat and scavenging, most shorebeasts are able to fish with huge hooked front claws. Occasionally they will steal fish and cause a nuisance to the villagers, and even more occasionally, they will fish for villagers.
(That is, they aid the villagers in fishing. I don’t believe there is any creature that fishes in the water for villagers to eat.)
-Drawing of a Suchomimus-like creature wading in a river and pulling out a fish, with an Eravisian native standing behind, calmly holding a fishing spear-UNFAMILIAR SEA CREATURES-
Drawing of two long dolphin-like creatures. Both have large slit eyes. One has a triangular fin and a slightly downward-curved snout, while the other has a rounded fin and a straight snout.-1. Crookhead Botum
6 ft long?
Eats fish
Lives in pods
Cetacean
2. Thin Botum
7 ft long
Eats fish
Lives in small pods
Cetacean
-Drawing of a turtle with long claws and a shell with somewhat spiky playing along the edges, as well as a tail the length of a snapping turtle’s-3. Hoto
1 ft?
Primitive chelid?
-Drawing of a truly strange creature with a sort of crocodilian neck and body, but flippers, and a stately fin on its back and at the end of a thin tail-4. Gam-woe
3 ft long
Omnivorous?
Lives alone?
Reptile?
(Note that this brief examination does not include the presumably prehistoric creatures, and furthermore, only the ones I was able to get a decent look at are included.)
LIST OF FAMILIAR, KNOWN, SEA CREATURES(All creatures listed here are ones I have surely identified. While there are certainly many more, these are the ones that we can be sure about.)
Bottle-nosed dolphin
Blue whale
Common porpoise
Leatherback sea turtle
Green sea turtle
Dusky batfish
Killer whale
Common blowfish
Yellowfin tuna
Barreleye
Reef squid
Leafy seadragon
Butterflyfish
False clown anemone fish
Yellow tang
Blue tang
Pygmy sperm whale
Ornate spiny lobster
Fanfin
Oarfish
Box crab
Samurai squirrelfish
Giant grouper
Cuttlefish
Sea goldie
Forgive me my abrupt topic switch, but as I have just heard the music of Eravisia, I’d like to write of it.
Although there is obviously not much in the terms of ‘requirement’ in instruments, they are best described as things such as mandolins, pennywhistles, harps, lyres, and drums.
-Several measures of a jig similar to ‘The Frost is All Over’------------
And that's all I have so far, but I'm not even a tenth of a way through all the pages of the journal
