Unclear Direction

Miss Ofeq was attending to other matters so I decided to move ahead slightly to scout our surroundings. Above the trees, I saw a curious thing floating there. A swirling writhing sphere of purplish tendrils, it hung over the trees moving only slightly and emanating small pulses of light. I activated the elven crystal and went airborne, flying in for a closer look. I was more then aware that it might be a living entity and if I so I had no intention of irritating or disturbing it. The extensions that came from it resembled not tentacles but ripped fabric from cloth and occasonally a several pulses of vedigris light would emanate from its center.

I am beginning to realize several things about this exploration. One of those things is that I, or Miss Ofeq, will have to deal with the fact that sometimes we will not be able to ascertain what a certain something is or what its reason for existing might be. From examining the item, it could have been a sculpture, an organism, or some form of both. There was no one around to claim it and it had literally arrived over night. It is a testament to the science and capabilities of the Mainlanders that such things exist at all.

The land around us is populated by all manner of edifice. Some are recognizable and others are something else entirely. All manner of home dot the landscape here, some regulated to small parcels while others sprawl about on their vast land like an overfed child on its picnic blanket. It was amidst this sprawl that I came across an unusual sight. Around it all is an odd mix. Individuals occasionally fly through the area but they do not seem to live here nor do they know of who owns which building. This is intermixed with periods where, besides the pilgrims going to the temple to the south, we are the only ones in the area and it appears that this southern coastal area is a ghost land. It is an odd, and at times, unsettling experience.

Sitting amongst a slap-dash array of building blocks was a man which gathered my attention. Landing next to him, I introduced myself and asked if I might inquire as to what he was doing. It was obvious his main language was not my own and his response was broken. However, I garnered the best of it. He was new on the Mainland. New, penniless, and without the knowledge of building, he was attempting to understand how to build an office space but without the appropriate knowledge he say amongst his cubic jumblings and was unsure of how to proceed. He was not even on land that he owned. He had simply chosen the spot to attempt whatever he was trying to attempt. I did my best for him, offering what small knowledge I have of the building mechanics of which I am used to. He continually asked me for help getting his business started and he did not seem to understand that I was on an expedition; that I myself was new here. Our talk went towards Caledon and as I showed him a landmark of Caledon on the Sea, I told him that this was where I was from. Within seconds of seeing the landmark, he disappeared into a swirl of teleportation technology. I waited for a few minutes for his return which did not happen. I hope the folks back home can perhaps give him a hand up. If not, I hope they forgive me for dropping an unwitting Mainlander on them.

It would seem that the Mainland is overcrowded. If not overcrowded then perhaps taxed to its limit. The sheer number of natives I have seen flying into and out of the aforementioned temple have been staggering. The land we have seen so far seems littered with the an array of various items. Besides the homes, I have seen small blocks, odd chairs, odd stone sculptures, and, in one case something that I believe I positively identified as some sort of heavy ordinance. There were two of them, simply lying on the grass near house that appeared nearing completion. Is the state of the Mainland such that they are unable to bring proper education to their masses? Or proper habits of cleanliness? I do not know what to think and until I can find someone to answer with some authority or education to answer my questions, I dare not assume anything.

As I scouted further Northward, I discovered a complication. I have come across them occasionally in Caledon but not to this extent. What I am speaking of is invisible walls that stretched in front of me from East to West and which have blocked our planned travel to the North. Continuing to use the charge in one of my flying crystals I discovered that the wall extends upwards into the sky for as far as my crystal will allow me to fly. There are no gaps and no way around them. Flying back over our camp and towards the water, I discovered hardly any of these walls and I think that as this point our best direction now lies Eastward along the shoreline. Perhaps we can find a break at some point and push further into the mainland. My only one fear is that these walls are in somehow in response to our presence, that the Mainlanders are beginning to block our way with their incredible technology.

We will head Eastward as soon as possible and hope that the new day brings brighter things.