Pelthe 29, 5678

This is Josloy again. I took back my journal from Pelmarco today, although I am weak and still recovering. I appreciate him taking the time to record his part in the story, but now I need to record my perspective.

I have little recollection of the past month and a half since Dawn and I ate the bad meat Grrerrgkzh provided us. However, it is apparent the ice monster understood the final picture by Dawn, and carried us all the way from his home to somewhere just north of the Antarctic Circle. How Grrerrgkzh kept us alive for a month I cannot say, but I recall drifting in and out of consciousness several times along the way. It was awkward to find myself in the strong grasp of the ice monster, held tight against its warm body as it trudged across the icy landscape. From the timeline Pelmarco gave me, I don’t think Grrerrgkzh stopped much to rest. I told Pelmarco to give Grrerrgkzh a dead deer or something to eat, a gesture it would probably appreciate more than anything we can say or draw.

Dawn and I are still ill, but with good food and plenty of rest, I expect we’ll recover quickly and be able to travel soon. Niahla’Sen told us we do not have the white plague. If we did, we never would have survived the hour we got sick. She thinks it’s just a very bad stomach illness, possibly caused by the age and quality of the food we were fed. I asked if the white plague might work differently if eaten than breathed, but she didn’t think it possible. Pelmarco stepped into the tent briefly to see how we were doing. I told Pelmarco what I think we ate. He made a strange face, and quickly stepped back out of the tent. I’m certain he read my journal and knew already, but I’m curious how he feels about it.

Tomorrow I will consider trying to leave the tent and walk around. I want to see the Red Exemplars. I am curious if Pelmarco already announced he is to be their captain. I know he expects he’ll need to fight for the position, but I think he’ll first try finding a way to avoid that.