According to Captain Hegherg’s charts and the point he plotted as our location today, we’re leaving Mekender behind, and will soon sail across a wide open sea. However, the sheet of ice from Mekender stretches far enough east that we’ll still be sailing along it for several more days. I doubt we’ll see ice monsters anymore, since they’d probably stay on the land where they can live in caves. Being so far north of anywhere capable of growing crops and livestock, I wonder what they eat.
After our discovery of the ice monster settlement on Mekender last week, I asked Tora’Sor why the Sisterhood operatives defended the ship instead of the soldiers. She explained the soldiers would be no match for the monstrous beasts, a problem noted numerous times throughout history. Where the swords and spears of soldiers fail, the arcane powers of the Sisterhood operatives succeed. I was curious why, if that is the case, would her expedition to the fortress of the Dark Magicians even require soldiers, but she wouldn’t give me a straight answer. I guess the Sisterhood of Jadela’Mar prefers to maintain a certain amount of caution when approaching risky actions.
Three soldiers are ill, and spent the better portion of the day leaning over the side of the ship. Ervah claims the cold causes the sickness, and we are fortunate more of us are not yet affected. In all his years as a sailor, Ervah claims this is the easiest of the three northern trips he’s taken. Since we’ll soon turn toward the southwest, it can only get warmer from here.