Taol's Compendium of Nent

Chapter 1: Castle Lucet (Flos)

I still can’t believe it, honestly. After so many failed applications, I’ve finally been accepted into the Exploration Team! I never thought I would end up here, in Castle Lucet…I honestly thought the hope of being an explorer was never going to happen!

They definitely didn’t make it easy for everyone – I had to go through a lot of stuff to stand in a place like this. Ridiculous obstacle courses, extensive courses on Nent…I’m almost certain my brain is fried and my limbs have fallen off my body. But it doesn’t matter now! I don’t have to do these things anymore! I can finally go out into the wilderness, bear witness to sights I never thought I would see! I can bet my friends are already so jealous that I am able to step out of our shoddy village and explore the whole world at my own whim!

Okay, not really at my own whim. I might have to scratch that.

Oh yeah, Castle Lucet.

I wasn’t expecting this palace to be so huge on the inside…I mean, yeah, the castle looked enormous on the outside, and that flight of stairs to the entrance made me work up a sweat a little, but this place is so…open! So airy! The windows are massive, too! It must feel nice to have the sunlight shining down into the hallway. Maybe not for the guards who have to stand watch and patrol the grounds, though. That armor must’ve made them all sweaty.

I’m not really allowed to explore the entirety of Castle Lucet, and I myself don’t know why. Something about a restricted section I believe. I guess you can’t explore EVERYTHING in Nent. But hey, maybe one day I’ll find my way in!

The walls are painted with this bright white color, it’s honestly really nice to look at. There are also these thorny vine-like designs dotted with roses that decorate the white walls…they seem so lifelike, it’s almost as if there’s actually roses on the walls themselves…quite admirable. There are other rooms in here that I explored as well within the castle grounds, but that had to come later, because there were more pressing matters that we had to attend to.

The entirety of the Exploration Team had to be at the throne room to meet with the King of Flos, Lord Bell. He looked just as calm as everyone says he is, but I couldn’t help but notice him looking really stressed out. I wonder what was going through his mind at the time?

Speaking of the throne room, it was just as huge as the hallway! Save for the fact that my eyes were bombarded by a flash of gold that lined the spaces between the bricks that made up the white walls. There were also lines of flawlessly sculpted, stark-white pillars that were at the sides of a huge red and golden carpet that extended all the way to Lord Bell’s throne – the throne itself looked so extravagant as well! I’m certain the throne makes a comfortable bed look inferior by comparison! Anyone would look kingly sitting on that, and Lord Bell definitely knows how to strike the look of a rightful ruler!

Oh yeah, Lord Bell’s request.

I guess he really wants us to scour the lands of Nent, because he sounded rather desperate. He said something about seeking out ‘the edge of Nent’…is that even possible? It’s only been spoken of in storybooks…well, there’s only really one way to find out.

Either way, he gave us his blessings, and he dismissed us.

Although I’m excited, I can’t say I’m not nervous. It looks like I’m on my own here – just some lone 19-year-old preparing a journey that looks way beyond his league. Well, if I made it this far, there’s definitely no way I’m backing down now! The Exploration Team put their faith in people like me, it’s just not fair for me to betray their trust like that. Already being in this team is considered a huge honor here in Flos!

Besides, I can already imagine myself being some famed explorer! Maybe everyone will finally give me the respect that I deserve! No longer will I be the forgettable Taol Vasterburn – they will remember me as an adventurer of legend! My name will be remembered by the people of Nent for years to come!

Anyway, after we were dismissed, we were allowed to begin our massive voyage to scour the lands of Nent – but of course, I had to see what was in the castle first! So out the throne room I went, and I came dashing out the hallway and out the entrance doors – upon noticing the exterior of the castle from the front, I could see that there were two separate spires. One was unfortunately a part of the restricted area, though. So, there was only really one spot which I could explore, so it was best to learn just what was in there.

After asking the guards a few questions, I ended up learning that the one spire which I could access was a spot for practicing alchemy as well as magic…now of course, who wouldn’t want to see some of that? So off I went to the…what did they call it again?

Ah yeah, the Spire of Witchcraft!

There was just one thing though…

Why did going up the spiraling staircase have to take so long?!

By the time I finally reached the alchemy hall, I was basically sweating buckets – I’m pretty sure someone stole a few drops for their brew or something while I wasn’t focusing on everything and everyone around me, but I wasn’t exactly paying attention to anything but the floor while I tried to catch my breath.

I don’t know how to describe the place, but let me try my best.

The whole room smelled…weird.

It’s like a cacophony of the strange and the supernatural all packed into one half of the spire – I can see alchemists of different kinds throw weird stuff into their cauldrons, each mage having a cauldron of their own as well as an allotted space for them to do their alchemy undisturbed. I could see frogs, dragonfly wings…I think I remember seeing lizard heart being used by somebody? And the brews they were making had…mixed smells.

Some smelled great, and some smelled like horrid sludge that could definitely pull someone into a coma if they sniffed the scent long enough. I don’t even know what these brews do – I was curious, sure, but…I’m not exactly keen on cutting my life short by trying to be some alchemist’s guinea pig. That’s not what I signed up for. I do recall a close friend of mine wanting to be part of these people, though.

Either way, once I walked past them and towards the exit door, I soon stepped into the room of magic, where I bore witness to countless witches and wizards writing tomes on stone slabs – I don’t really know what exactly they’re writing, considering the language they were writing looked like complete gibberish. I saw floating pieces of parchment being suspended just above the stone tablets, and every now and then I could see them looking up and back down again before using their sculpting tools to carve words into the stone. Magic sure does look…inconvenient. Everyone looked to be focused on their work – not one person had noticed that I was here.

Unlike the alchemy room, where noises could be heard, this place is completely silent – which is a little odd, considering how the alchemy and magic room are side to side. Maybe this place is enchanted. I don’t really know, I’m not a magic user myself.

That being said, the silence in this room is almost…deafening. I don’t know why, it’s almost as if I shouldn’t be here, you know? Everyone around me seems so threatening and intimidating, but that’s probably because they’re trained in the art of magic and I’m not. I almost feel weak in here. With that in mind, I quickly took my leave and went through the painful torment of having to go down the spiraling stairs and out of the spire.

By the time I was outside, a realization dawned on me.

I knew I had to say my goodbyes to everyone I know – friends, family.

This is a journey that’s bound to last years…I don’t know if I’ll see everyone again when I return home. They probably won’t even recognize me. Some would probably go on their separate paths while I’m out in the wilderness. Now that I even think about it…

Will I ever return home? Traveling and exploring the world seems like a lifelong commitment…and it sounds like a commitment that will never end, honestly. To reach the edge of Nent…I don’t even know if such a place exists. If it does, what awaits there? And if it doesn’t…what will this mean for the Exploration Team?

What will it mean for me?

I guess I’ll never know until I seek this place out for myself.

If Lord Bell decided to put his faith in us…we must gladly return the favor.

We are explorers, and explorers must seek out both risk and reward alike.

I really have to take care of this book – it’s the only way I can keep track of my travels. I don’t really want to find myself running around in circles. Good thing they provided a map of Nent, huh? But considering how there’s a lot of unexplored areas…this map is pretty outdated – eh, it should do.

There are seven realms that I have to venture into…

Flos, Novus, Petram, Ventus, Inanis, and Candor.

I guess the last one is the edge of Nent.

Well, this is where it starts.

End Entry Log 1.