Pelthe 5, 5675

The northern coast of Mekender is south of us as we continue to sail through the channel between the two sheets of ice. We have had more sightings of the ice monsters over the past two weeks, and one time they harmlessly brandished some sort of weapon at us. Fortunately, I do not think they are capable of swimming, or they might have tried to attack us.

Yesterday we had to put to shore for the day so the sailors could repair a beam cracked in a storm that morning. The sailors worked as fast as they could to remove a few boards along the side of the ship and replace the broken timber with an extra beam kept in our supplies. I guess it is standard for ships to carry some extra lumber for these types of emergencies. Captain Hegherg told me the ship would have sunk by the end of the day without the repair.

While we waited for the sailors to complete the repairs, Tora’Sor invited me to do some scouting with her to make sure the area was clear of ice monsters. She has really warmed up to me since the first time we talked. Ice covered most of the land we saw, and the occasional bare areas were rocky, sometimes covered with strange lichen that seemed to be the only thing growing.

Mekender, at least this icy northern part, must be the same type of terrain as mentioned in the tales of Garna. I found a large yellow gemstone lying on top of some rocks. I plan to give it to the Captain to reimburse his costs from letting me along as an unpaid passenger on this voyage.

After about an hour of exploring, Tora’Sor and I reached the peak of a large hill, and looked down the other side. The scene was frightening. An encampment of the ice monsters spread across the area, with the great beasts going about their daily lives. They did not notice or suspect our presence, but we did not wait around to give them a chance. We hurried back to the ship where the Sisterhood of Jadela’Mar formed a protective perimeter while the repairs were completed. We were fortunate enough not to have any other encounters with the ice monsters.