The Annotated Travels of Telekrainas the Great

The Annotated Travels of Telekrainas the Great is a transcription of a collection of notes written by the Nolese man Telekrainas during his travels, and annotated by an unknown author.

Excerpts from Telekrainas’s notes
"In the middle years of my life, I - Telekrainas the Great - realized that I had extensively explored all of my native lands, from the westernmost reaches of Tur-Nol to the dry eastern lands of Nol, from the Nollan Ridge to the tip of the Ulcensan Spear. So I set my eyes further and sought to explore north, to the very ends of this vast continent of Breilin, in order to see what wonders could be had and to create a record of my travels to delight and edify."[1] "Even the rudest rube knows that north of the lands we know lies the Kingdom of Corah which is a land of bold warriors clad in clothes of metal who are quick to friendship but quicker to anger. They build with rough stone and yet they create great mounds of rock from which they do battle with one another."[2] "Though many and more travelers have spoken of the Chorhan Expanse I found that my travels took me instead to the eastern extremities into oft-forgotten lands. The mage warriors of Estronn are renowned for their ranged strikes as well as healers and there are also the notable warriors of the lands east of the Nollan Ridge beneath Estronese lands who are known for their ability to resist the martial arts of the south."[3]

"The Chorhan Expanse is a strange and terrible place filled with endless waves of grass swept by dust storms that can strip one’s flesh in mere moments. Deep in the center of it travelers say that the sky turns purple and drives one mad. It is inhabited by many creatures, most notable of which is the duusha, which is born with two horns and throughout its life grows more up to nearly a hundred horns in the eldest beasts, heavier than the creature itself."[4]

"North of the Chorhan Expanse lie the stupendous Sotunn Mountains, the largest mountain range on the continent of Breilin, a freezing wasteland in which no traveler can survive. Even I - Telekrainas the Great - struggled to climb those great peaks. And when I reached the other side - woe! - there was naught but the stupendous Sotunn Desert that can be crossed only by one of the two great rivers of the north."[5]

"Once I prevailed over the horrible elements, dear reader, I found myself in the great nations of the north together known as the Maenhu. Extraordinary Espal, proudest and greatest, lies in the west, peculiar Portant lies in the center, and woeful Wahleen extends far to the east. I will write much and more of the cultured glories of Espal over the coming pages but I will also beguile you with tales of the warriors of Portant, who grind up acorns and pour them into their ears, believing that it grants them strength, or the wanton warrior women of Wahleen, who can make their hair come alive and strangle men."[6]

"North of the three Maenhu nations lie frozen frontiers of fascination where even I could travel for only a few years before dire necessity forced me to turn back. There can be found humans who have only two more legs instead of arms, trees that bear fruit of human heads, palaces carved from snowflakes the size of mountains, and far more! Dear reader, please await the second volume of my travels in which I will reveal these mysteries and much and more!"[7]

Annotated excerpts
"'In the middle years of my life, I - Telekrainas the Great - realized that I had extensively explored all of my native lands, from the westernmost reaches of Tur-Nol to the dry eastern lands of Nol, from the Nollan Ridge to the tip of the Ulcensan Spear. So I set my eyes further and sought to explore north, to the very ends of this vast continent of Breilin, in order to see what wonders could be had and to create a record of my travels to delight and edify.'"

"Telekrainas was a con artist who lived in the last century of the Nollan Imperium. What is notable about his record, unlike many similar documents of the time, was that Telekrainas did truly travel much of the continent while on the run from lawful authorities. There is no record of him being called 'Telekrainas the Great' in any document aside from this one."[1] "'Even the rudest rube knows that north of the lands we know lies the Kingdom of Corah which is a land of bold warriors clad in clothes of metal who are quick to friendship but quicker to anger. They build with rough stone and yet they create great mounds of rock from which they do battle with one another.'"

"The text was written before Corah split into three nations, of course. Your humble annotator wishes to point out that the original text was mostly free of sentences, so punctuation has been added for the reader’s benefit in this annotated edition."[2] "'Though many and more travelers have spoken of the Chorhan Expanse I found that my travels took me instead to the eastern extremities into oft-forgotten lands. The mage warriors of Estronn are renowned for their ranged strikes as well as healers and there are also the notable warriors of the lands east of the Nollan Ridge beneath Estronese lands who are known for their ability to resist the martial arts of the south.'"

"Curiously, the chapter on lands in eastern Breilin is almost entirely without falsehoods. Aside from a few exaggerations and referring to occupied lands as 'oft-forgotten' there is little to note in the following pages."[3] "'The Chorhan Expanse is a strange and terrible place filled with endless waves of grass swept by dust storms that can strip one’s flesh in mere moments. Deep in the center of it travelers say that the sky turns purple and drives one mad. It is inhabited by many creatures, most notable of which is the duusha, which is born with two horns and throughout its life grows more up to nearly a hundred horns in the eldest beasts, heavier than the creature itself.'"

"Other than potentially exaggerating the horns of the duusha, your humble annotator cannot begin to guess where Telekrainas got any of these ideas."[4] "'North of the Chorhan Expanse lie the stupendous Sotunn Mountains, the largest mountain range on the continent of Breilin, a freezing wasteland in which no traveler can survive. Even I - Telekrainas the Great - struggled to climb those great peaks. And when I reached the other side - woe! - there was naught but the stupendous Sotunn Desert that can be crossed only by one of the two great rivers of the north.'"

"Telekrainas avoided both mountains and desert by taking a ship to Hettin Island around the western side of the continent, so his information must have come from traders. Though mostly accurate, his account says nothing of the wet forests and riverlands just south of the mountains."[5] "'Once I prevailed over the horrible elements, dear reader, I found myself in the great nations of the north together known as the Maenhu. Extraordinary Espal, proudest and greatest, lies in the west, peculiar Portant lies in the center, and woeful Wahleen extends far to the east. I will write much and more of the cultured glories of Espal over the coming pages but I will also beguile you with tales of the warriors of Portant, who grind up acorns and pour them into their ears, believing that it grants them strength, or the wanton warrior women of Wahleen, who can make their hair come alive and strangle men.'"

"All these accounts of the Maenhu are heavily influenced by the fact that Telekrainas lived only in Espal. Some scholars believe his tale of ground acorns is a misunderstanding of the customs of Portantese mystics. I am not convinced it is a misunderstanding of anything."[6] "'North of the three Maenhu nations lie frozen frontiers of fascination where even I could travel for only a few years before dire necessity forced me to turn back. There can be found humans who have only two more legs instead of arms, trees that bear fruit of human heads, palaces carved from snowflakes the size of mountains, and far more! Dear reader, please await the second volume of my travels in which I will reveal these mysteries and much and more!'"

"The borders of the Maenhu are defined by the Sotunn mountains and where each of the three nations meets the world’s northernmost sea, beyond which there is little except in the imagination of Telekrainas. The inhospitable Chilgaan Islands do lie north of Portant and Wahleen, but they did not suit his narratives. Telekrainas was arrested attempting another scam in Nol Ulcense before he could write his second volume and spent the rest of his life attempting to escape from prison."[7]