Falil 11, 5678

Traveling with the Red Exemplars is interesting. The top fifty elite soldiers in the world make for some interesting entertainment as they train, which Pelmarco mandates they do several times a day. When two Red Exemplars spar, they use actual weapons so they risk hurting each other. They start out slow, and soon speed up their movements until the battle becomes a blur. It’s impressive how both Red Exemplars will stop at the exact same moment. At least one time the fight stopped right before one of them would have gotten his head lopped off. We’ve seen a few accidental cuts from the training, but so far they haven’t had any major problems.

The Red Exemplars also have several good hunters in their ranks. These go out each day, and bring back several deer. The rest keep their eyes open for any vegetables we pass along the way. They keep us well fed. Those of us who aren’t Red Exemplars aren’t expected to help provide anything. They also gave us horses to ride until we reach Torheem, and will supply us with anything else we might need before then. The only thing I might need that I doubt they could provide me is parchment. I only have a few pages left, so I’ll need to buy more at Torheem. I should also buy several new writing tools. This one is beginning to wear out.

Dawn expressed an interest in keeping a journal like the one I do. I asked how she plans to learn to write, but she thought that was a strange question. She doesn’t want to write. She wants to paint her journal as she painted her story in the cave. She knows how to make paints using what resources she can find, at least when nearer the equator. Down here, the environment is completely different so paints are harder for her to make. I’ll need to see if I can get her some parchment in Torheem too.