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(altalthough great effort was made to maintain the Chronicles during the Journeys, the dampness of the
tunnels destroyed large potions of most. Some say copies of the Chronicles in their entirety were left at the Sanctuaries, but with the sealing of the gates of the Nexus, we shall never know.)
“.....and thus after the treachery of the great mage Nyflan, the daemon legions of darkness gained access to the Pinnacle and we could no longer stand against them. In desperation the high priest Zoralla sacrificed himself to the holy flame of light and opened the path which would be our escape. The House of Daynor gave itself to provide the rest with the time to flee. When the last of the remaining eleven houses had fled through the gate, those mages left to us who had not succumbed to the darkness sealed it shut, and for a brief time we knew peace. But the Tunnels were vast and the journey to the sanctuary ......”
(Seppus is the least known of the Journey Chroniclers, apparently he had already been Chronicler for
several decades when the Exile began. His early books, like all Books of the Pinnacle, are lost to us.) “I take over from Seppus, who is dead only a few short hours. The sounds of battle rage around me -- after a brief respite, the People are fleeing again. House Arletta is holding the walls while the gate is opened. It is not known how the daemons followed us. Many suspect Followers among us, but I can not believe that it is so. The last ten years have been peaceful. This land has treated us well and .....” (Why a woman was made Chronicler is a mystery, as the Lists reveal she is the only one in recorded ancient history.) “Our food is running short. No one dreamed the Tunnels could be so vast. Yesterday we came across an underground lake that dwarfed any I have seen on the surface, glowing fish swam beneath its surface, but those who ate them died in agony by early evening. We are assaulted by groups of pale lizard-things, and although few of the guardians have been lost, the constant alertness is taking its toll. Our diviners say they have sensed the way out, and I pray it is so.” “....We have been in the cold for five years now. There is no sign of humanity on this barren world, although scouts have claimed a giant ruined city several weeks travel to the east. They are mounting an expedition now. I am unsure whether I shall journey with them to record the events.....” (the Third Book of the Journey, the Second Book of Arissa, was lost when the people fled the cold of the Second Sanctuary, and Talon took over the duties of Chronicler. Why he chose not to explicate her death or recount the events of her book is a mystery to us.)
“We are nine now. Once again we travel the accursed Tunnels. The daemons are strong, and we have lost the Flame. Daynor, Arletta, and Anget live only in our memories, sacrificed to the evil which follows us so that some may yet survive. Despair grips us in these dark corridors, many have died for no apparent reason. Some say the loss of the Flame will destroy us, and I long for its radiant light.” “.....The Beast of the Nexus has decreed that the people must divide. Fiersturm shall remain to serve him as the price for the sealing of the way behind us. Mirtan, Stessies, Tork, and Consoam shall each travel down a separate path, I have consecrated new Chroniclers for each of them. The remaining four, Char, Flam, Baern, and my own Leit, shall remain together and carry what Artifacts remain to a place the Beast says we shall prosper.....”
“We have come to a vast valley. The people here are at war against barbarians from across the mountains. The council is undecided, but I suspect we shall answer their pleas for help. The barbarians are primitive, and the Guardians have little doubt we shall drive them back across the mountains to the east.”
(Talon was the first Chronicler of the Valley.)
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