From the Jornal of Ryft Starr (Day 64)

Day 64   I spent the night listening to the scratching and moaning of the zombies outside of my tomb structure as they tried to break though the wall.  At some point during the night they seemed to forget about me but continued to wander near by.  The inhuman moans were a constant companion throughout the night. Then the moans became wails.  The sudden noise startled me out of a haze of exhaustion, by the time I stood there was only silence.  I broke a small hole to look outside, I saw that the sun had risen.  The zombies, that last night I had run from and feared, were nothing more than burnt bodies on the ground.  I left the safety of my cave glad that I could leave.

I avoided the burnt bodies and headed back to the coast, hoping to find my way back to the Bunker.  When I arrived i found a large sandy beach not the swamping bog I had left to explore the cave.  I looked up and down the coast for any sign of the swamp.  When I could not find one I turned inland and started to walk, hoping that the swamp was nearby.  I wandered for hours.

The sun had just switched from climbing in the sky to falling when I he reached the peak of a large hill.  I had climbed it in hope I could see the Bunker, the swamp, or even the cave where I had spent  last night.  All I could see was a forest.  I was lost.

I panicked.  Racing down the hill I stumbled and fell, cart wheeling to the bottom of a valley.  I wasn’t thinking I just got up and ran into the trees.  Then it got darker.  Suddenly I heard the tell-tale moan of a zombie.  Surely the sun could not have set already.  It hit me from the left, my armor clanged and my arm stung.  I turned and ran without looking back.  I ran until the forest opened onto a small meadow, the zombie was nowhere to be seen, and the sun was still up.  I had a scant few hours before it would set.

In that moment, I calmed down.  The first page of The Ledger appeared from my memory of the first night in this world.  It simply said,

Shelter, Light, Food, Craft, Survive

It was a list of priorities   A list that, in the last two months I thought didn’t apply to me anymore.  It still applied. Until I find a way home I must remember how important those five words are.

I built a small shelter, nothing fancy just four piles of dirt and stone with some wooden planks for a roof.

I huddled in my shelter as the sun set and had a measly meal with the last of my bread and pork.  While I wait for the safety of morning I have crafted a furnace and began work on my armor.  It had saved my life against the zombies but now was in serious need of repair.

Perhaps tomorrow will be better.

From the Jornal of Ryft Starr (part 2)

Day 61  I’ve decided to explore.  I have spent the day preparing for an extended journey of this strange land.  I have packed light.  My crafting materials will consist of only wood and coal, my tools only my enchanted pickaxe and a simple shovel.  I have crafted two new iron swords and a full set an iron armor. I don’t intend to run into trouble, but its better to be prepared then to be left wanting.  I hope to collect samples of materials that The Ledger speaks of, materials I have not seen around the Bunker.  I have doused my furnaces and hidden my valuable material in a concealed place.  I hope that the Tomorrow I set out.

Day 63 I have set out.  My plan was to stick to the coast, but a large surface cave in a nearby mountain was to enticing to pass up.  It took hours to explore and collect all the iron and coal that were exposed.  I emerged on the other side of the mountain to darkness and was unprepared to face the horrific monsters that come with night.  I fought them while retreating to the cave where I built a crude stone shelter.  It’s not much, but its enough to keep me safe.  My food is almost gone. In my planing I overlooked the need for a bed.  I cannot sleep.   I am not as prepared as I thought I was.  The Ledger says the monsters will be gone at day break, burnt by the rising sun.  My hope is that it remains as reliable as it has in the past otherwise I will never make it out of this stone tomb I have made for myself.  I must get back to the safety of the Bunker as soon as I can.  

 

From the Jornal of Ryft Starr

Day 43 A creature damaged my dwelling this morning while I was crafting.  I searched the ledger and found the creature to be named “Creeper”  I lost little but had to rebuild.  I fortified the outer wall and took this opportunity to build on my bunker.  I dug deeper into the mountain to make 2 additional rooms.  I have moved my bed into one of the rooms while the other remains empty.

Day 45 More unsuccessful days in the mine.  I have finished exploring the cavern I located with no luck on finding diamonds.  The crafting table contains many recipes that all hinge on that one component.  I took the afternoon to chop wood and replant my orchard.  I have rethought my mining strategy and believe I have come up with a more efficient mine that, if i am correct, would be easier on my tools and expose ore veins faster

Day 56 it’s a different world with the mine is productive.  Within the first few days of the new mining technique I had a dozen diamonds, stacks of iron, gold, and coal, and more Redstone than I could ever have use for.   I have turned my used room into a room that contains what the Ledger has dubbed an enchanting table.  The Ledger also notes seem to indicate that books are need to enchant with the most potent enchantments. I needed books.  Shelves and Shelves of books.  The Ledger says  the crafting table can make books, if supplied with the right materials.  I spent a few days on the surface along the coast line.  On the 3rd day I found sugarcane.  I harvested all that I could find and brought it back to the bunker.   I planted some near the swamp the in hopes that it would grow so I would not need to search for more.  It grew.  Now I have all the materials I needed to try my hand at enchanting.

Day 57 I finished the room for enchanting and built my first diamond pickaxe.  It was a beautiful tool.  The Ledger has nothing useful on how to enchant an item, only that it can be done.  I placed the pickaxe on the enchanting table the pages from the book flew open and landed on a page. I read the strange words from the book.  I felt cold as the pickaxe began to glow.  The torches dimmed and the book slammed closed as I was left with the luminous tool.  I brought the enchanted tool to the mine where stone shattered under its points.  The pickaxe seemed to cut though stone and ore with little effort and with little to no damage to the pickaxe itself.  I had my doubts but once again the Ledger has proven to be valuable and accurate resource.

Day 60 The mine is ever productive now.  I need to spend less and less time in it each day and have collected a good stockpile of metals.  I have even crafted Iron Armor that has protected me on several run-ins with the mindless zombies that wander in the mines.  I have slain many with a newly crafted iron sword as well.  Perhaps it is time, now that I have a firm foot hold, to explore more of this world that I have been stranded on.  The Ledger speaks of so many wonders that I have yet to see.