! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! The Book of Pentano ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! By Hitana (This Story has been corrected and approved by Kered. Thanks for the lots of laughter, pally!) ! ! ! ! In the shadow of a hill lay a large and beautiful landscape. Wide green meadows, dark forests, glistening rivers and lakes and in the distance even high mountains were to seen. Behind the hill lay the coast of this island and the murmur of the sea joined with the soft rustle of the leaves in the wind. The air was warm and the breeze carried the scent of grass and flowers upon it, and above in the blue sky small clouds sailed by. Suddenly the air on the hill shimmered strangely and a figure materialized. It was a man with a long cloak and strange glasses on his face. He looked around for a while adjusting the settings of his glasses as if to have a close look at some parts of the island. Then looking around he found a stone and sat down, then took out from a pocket of his cloak a small leathery book and from another pocket he took out a quill pen and a bottle of ink which he careful put down beneath his seat. He opened the book, then picked up the quill and the ink, dipped the quill into ink and began to fill the empty pages of the book. Many years have passed since I made the decision to learn the Art. It took me a long time, but today I have finally completed the work on my book Koshad Nevin and can look happily at it. ! ! Today is the day after my Korfah V’ja. The Maintainers have checked and approved the Age and yesterday the ceremonies took place but I didn’t become over elated by this. That doesn’t mean that I don’t approve my own achievement – no, it’s just that I didn’t like to be in the public eye after all that happened many years ago. I met Namis again. He also was here as an inspector of Koshad Nevin. He briefly told me that the inspection team has met a little tribe of Ahrotantee in the southeast of the island. So my Age is inhabited! I’m really excited about what Namis may tell me about them tomorrow. He also said that he would like to visit me here more often. He seemed to have changed too after all this time, so I have nothing against him accompanying me for I will surely need help with the exploration of this world! It will be certainly interesting to go on a journey with him… With these words he closed the book and put his things back in his cloak. He then searched for a suitable place for his Korvahkh prior to him leaving. He found a dead tree with a hole in the middle, which looked fine to him. The tree felt and looked like stone. He put the book into the hole, opened it and linked back to D’ni. Then he rested while looking forward to the next day… ! ! 1 “Good morning, Teshan. How are you today?” Namis asked after he had sat down. “I’m fine, thanks. Well what can you tell me about the Ahrotantee?” “That’s what I like about you, Teshan. You come straight to the point! All I can say is that there isn’t much to say. We have had just a brief look from a distance. “They seem to be a quite primitive culture; they live in huts and clothe themselves very simply. The only thing they seem to be skillful at is farming. They have a lot of fields which they manage well. “We could also hear they have their own language. Therefore I would suggest that you send some Linguists to Koshad Nevin to teach the Ahrotantee some D’ni, as it will be necessary that they understand us, if they are to be useful to us in some way. “Also you should send some Legislators to them, so that they know how to behave towards us. After all you don’t want them to be disrespectful, do you?” “No, of course not! All right, I will have a message sent to the Linguists and Legislators immediately!” “What do you intend to do apart from that?” ! ! “Well, I think I will start with an exploration of Koshad Nevin. I will deal with the Ahrotantee when they have learned our language and how to address us! Do you want to come with me on that journey?” “Sure I do! I’ve already told you that I would like to visit you more often. There’s not a lot happening in the moment, so I think they can do without me for some time. All I have to do is pack, so when do you want to meet?” “How about the fifth hour? I should think we both will have finished all our tasks by then” “Yes, I can make that! Well then, see you later my friend!” After they had said goodbye to each other Teshan had to smile. He was glad his friendship with Namis had stood the test of time, although they hadn’t seen each other for a long while. During that period Namis had understood that Teshan needed some time for himself and so he hadn’t disturbed him. He took out some sheets of paper and started writing the two letters. Then he called a Messenger and instructed him to deliver the letters. Next day the Linguists and Legislators arrived at the same time as Namis, who explained the way to reach the village to them. Then Teshan opened the book and they all linked. ! ! 2 Namis took a deep breath of the fresh air then turned around to Teshan. “Really, I can’t say often enough how impressed I am by your achievement, Teshan!” Teshan smiled and said: “I would like to explore the whole island, to map the area and to take samples with which I can collate that what I have created matches what I have written!” “That’s a good plan! I hope I can help, but in case not, I hope you don’t object if I just enjoy the beauty of this world!” Teshan’s smile broadened. So Namis still enjoyed the good things in life! He turned around to face the sea and went down the hillside slowly with Namis following looking around all time. On the shore Teshan took his first samples of water and sand. He had brought a lot of test tubes for his samples which he kept in a little box so they would be safe. So they continued on for a while. Sometimes Teshan took a sample, drew on his map or he sat in front an object for a while and sketched it filling up his journal more and more. At the end of the day they pitched their tents ! ! under the shadow of some trees and ate something from their packs. They had spoken little throughout the day and even now they had nothing to say to each other but the ensuing silence was not unpleasant. Next morning they woke up refreshed and after a little breakfast they broke camp. During the day Namis often brought interesting objects to Teshan’s notice. For example there was a kind of weeping willow, which had round and odd coated leaves instead of the usual long, slim leaves. They watched birds with strangely formed beaks and dazzling coloured feathers and also the many insects which scuttled over the earth. There was a kind of bee which had a strange blue fur, some large ants, beetles with colorful carapaces and large pincers on their heads and some which were hard to spot because of their natural camouflage. They observed who ate whom or what, who was best avoided and those that could defend themselves effectively. Teshan couldn’t stop drawing and collecting interesting samples as his interest in them was purely scientific. He was captivated by the beauty of his world but also found himself looking at it with a professional interest. Every day brought new wonders with it. In the deep forests they found wild animals resembling rabbits, deer, foxes and other creatures but with small ! ! unfamiliar differences. Namis thought of names for them and Teshan had to laugh sometimes at his imagination. Although they didn’t speak much with each other, they had a good time and Teshan enjoyed it very much. 3 On the fourth day they reached the mountains as a lot of time had been spent exploring. Luckily they had prepared well against the snow and the cold. As Teshan was older and not as fit as Namis he found it hard to make the ascent. Namis was always several meters in front of him and never seemed to tire. The air was getting thinner and the temperature was dropping. However the snow was no problem as their stout boots could cope with it and the effort became worthwhile, as by the time they had climbed up half way of the mountain they were able to enjoy breathtaking views. For a long while they just stood there and let the vista sink in, then they made their way down again and set up camp for the night. The nights in the mountains were even colder than the days and they were both lucky to have such thick sleeping bags. They also fortified themselves ! ! with a hot mulled wine which Namis had brought with him.