Empires of Faith

Chapter 14: Discoveries and Disasters

9 Sha'baan, 1663

Journal entry #01, Tariq ibn Sulayman

It is the ninth night of Sha'baan, 1663. My name is Tariq ibn Sulayman and I am but a simple botanist. Four months ago, I was called upon to join a team of men tasked with a mission of the utmost importance. Under the leadership of sea Captain Dhul-Kifl, I was joined by his apprentice, Ali ibn Nadeem, and my two cousins, Adam and Rayhaan, on a journey to the Southern Continent, seeking out a medicinal Cactus Rose. Though we initially encountered difficulty in locating our objective, by Allah's Grace we eventually managed to discover something new altogether along with it.

By Dhul-Kifl's orders, our team was split in two groups, with he and I remaining here to further explore our new discovery. Ali was declared as the interim Captain while he, Rayhaan, and Adam sailed back towards the mainland, taking with them the medicinal herb we'd collected for the Amir's cure. Just over one month has passed since our companions departed from us, and in their absence, Captain Dhul-Kifl and I have continued to explore these strange lands.

Beyond one of the mountains, hidden deep within the thick forestry, there appear to be a region containing the ruins of a past civilization. We know not where these remains have come from, nor do we know what brought about the ruination of the peoples who once inhabited them. Our aim is to investigate them and discover the source of their demise; however, as of yet we've only determined that it whatever destroyed them was not a force of nature. My suspicion is that the answer lies within the history of the Great Wars, but for any definite conclusions we must continue our research.

That, however, has been made difficult by the inimical natives of the jungle. They have surfaced only twice since our initial contact with them, however both times there have been conflict. The first occurrence was the day after my cousins' departure. Captain Dhul-Kifl and I had been wandering along the mountainside where we first discovered the ruins, and from somewhere down below some men from among the natives began shooting arrows at us. We were able to escape with minimal injury; receiving only a few scrapes and bruises. The second time, however, they were more hostile and precise in their aiming. During this escapade, the Captain and I were below the mountain and were actually making an attempt to search through the old ruins. Not only were arrows shot at us, but spears and stones were thrown. They also deployed some sort of weaponry based on a chemical mixture from the poisonous plants here which caused us both an enduring illness.

We made our attempt to hide, determined not to flee the area just yet. Under fallen stone walls we hid, hoping to avoid their assault. Admittedly, that was a rather foolish move to make, as the men soon had us surrounded and were firing on us from all sides. We narrowly escaped death by the Mercy of our Lord, for it was at the very in which they had drawn nearer that a powerful earthquake happened to shake the land with a mighty force. We had heard the men screaming and shouting as they ran in fear; and the wished that we could join them. The walls above us were shaken with us inside, and we were forced to use every ounce of strength in our bodies to hold them up from crushing us. When the shaking had ceased, we escaped from the region and ascended the mountain where we camped out for the night.

After that last encounter, Captain Dhul-Kifl and I are both highly intrigued about the ruins, more so now than ever. The manner in which they are protected has led us to believe that the secrets within them are certainly of high value. Any information that we can uncover about the Great Wars and the nations before would perhaps provide some solution to gaining an edge over Kwaade and his people. It may be that by the Bounty of Allah, we have found a key to ending the ongoing wars throughout the world.

With that said, I am currently in my tent resting up for the night. We have continuously moved about the forest in order to avoid capture by the enemy. We've gone a long way from the ruins; however, tomorrow in the morning after Fajr we intend to return for another investigation. Our hope is that they will still be resting and it will be dark enough for us to move about unnoticed, with it yet being light enough for us to see our own path. Alas, we shall see what Allah wills for us in the morrow...