We entered the Razhin Jungle today. Having heard of the dangers we faced previously, Niahla’Sen used her arcane powers to burn a path through the thick vegetation. I suggested she use her powers to freeze the surface of the river so we can walk on it like a road, but she said the amount of ice needed to support fifty-four people and a greater number of horses would be too much effort for her, and ice melts much faster than burnt plants grow back. There was also the suggestion of building barges, but we think the river might have too many snags for barges, and horses won’t be able to ride in any other type of boat we made, so walking remains our only option.
Pelmarco made sure to give Kellon a greatly embellished warning of the many dangers of the jungle. This began as a warning about the plants that will eat an animal or person alive, and ended by telling of the illness caused by eating poisonous frogs. I listened in amusement as he included such fantastical things as giant birds that will peck a person to death, and snakes that rival na’karden in size. As if to give weight to the warnings, one of the Red Exemplars got his arm caught by one of the carnivorous plants. He screamed in pain as the sharp spines poked through his flesh, but he quickly calmed as a mind-dulling poison spread through his body. We cut his arm out of the plant, and removed the spines, but it will probably be a few days before he recovers from the poison, and even longer before his arm mends. Until then, he’ll be strapped onto a horse while we travel. I think Rar once called the plant a heptu’na.
If one Red Exemplar is injured on our first day in the jungle, how many will make it out of here alive? Unlike the first time we traveled through the jungle, we’re not taking a boat along the river. This puts us in closer proximity to the plants living here. We also have many more people than before. It’s possible surviving the jungle is merely a matter of alertness, but it’s easy for people to let down their guard when in the company of so many others. I hope things work out well for us.