Solil 30, 5680

New Atalan is just as impressive as Atalan, or so it seems after spending so long away from such splendor. Towers of white stone rise high above streets filled with a conglomeration of people, Barbidons, and Canari. The many subjects of Saval watch us with suspicion as we pass by, no doubt because of our differences. As usual in such populated places, Dawn stands out most of all. Her gray physique is unlike that of anyone else. I wonder if they’ve even heard of Huvudets in their ancient history. Strange to us are the Canari living in the city. It’s very rare to see one of the talking dogs in most other lands since they tend to keep to their own realms.

One thing I want to do while in New Atalan is visit the local library. I heard it houses a large collection of ancient manuscripts and records dating back to the days when surviving remnants of Great King Emanpugnikam’s army founded the kingdom. The library also has some old maps of the land from that time, which I hope contain many of the details I saw on the map in the shrine of Zhethou in Akmetan. Such a map would be invaluable, and would permit the discovery of many ruins and roads lost throughout the ages.

We do not get to stand before the prefects of this kingdom until tomorrow. I expect they have many questions, and need this time to prepare their interrogation. In the meantime, we get to sample a fine cuisine, a delectable selection of foods exotic to us, yet native to this region.

One thing I’ve noticed is how different the people of Saval are from the rest of the world. Places like Razhinoch or Habbar aren’t as different. They’re isolated so their culture merely stagnates or degenerates as they alter their lives to fit the nuances of the region where they live, but here in Saval are cities of civilized people. Culture does not stagnate or degenerate in such a civilization, but grows, changes, and evolves with the civilization. We must be careful to understand the differences, and use them to our benefit.