5 Feainn
My expedition to the Amell Mountains was a success, but I cannot wait to visit Toussaint. That is a land sculpted for grotto-gropers! The Gorgon Foothills and the slopes of Mont Crane are places where I shall be able to find dozens of exploration sites. The endless caverns carved out of that volcanic rock will assure me material to study for months to come!
17 Feainn
Incredible. I cannot find a single spot fit for study. The matter should be simple for tuff is usually uninhabited, but all these grottos are either full of monstrosities or have been bought up by copper-pinching wine merchants scheming to fill every cave with their hideous barrels! Blast, I must find a cicerone, a local guide of some sort who will show me to some completely unoccupied cavern!
20 Feainn
A certain Luq Veunèque whom I encountered in San Sebastian has enticed me with promises of a fabulous cave ("you won't regret it, Master Gerek!"), in which there are no greedy grape hoarders nor any monsters. Tomorrow we shall set out to the Blessure Forest, but before embarking I invited my guide to a supper at the Pheasantry – we will be spending several days together, after all, and I'd like to get to know him better. Luq turned out to be a picky gentleman. The chef de cuisine served us veal cutlets in garlic sauce and Gessenese bean soup. Luq, however, asked for pancakes and red wine, making excuses about an inborn distaste for garlic. He also didn't touch the silver cutlery, explaining something about an allergy and making use of his own wooden set instead. Despite these oddities, he made for quite interesting company and we chatted over a bottle (bottles, to be precise) of wine until late in the night. Something tells me there will soon be much talk of the Votty Gerek - Luq Veunèque duo in the world of speleologists!