It has begun. The Grand Imperial Antipodean Trading Company has received official orders and approval to begin colonizing the Brave New Worlds. I sit at my desk, the ink splattering over the pages of this message as the quill dances about like waves caught in a windstorm. I am excited, to be sure, but I am also filled with trepidation. The official reports coming in from the Reconnoiter Corps are all beaming and full of confidence. A colleague of mine, whom I dare not name even in my private journals, claims to have taken a look at the real scout reports. He said there are things in there, things to turn your hair white. The rest of the Bureaucrats who have been approved for colonies are all blissfully ignorant and are looking forward to this exciting challenge for the Queen. I am, of course, more than willing to work for my beloved Queen, but still the fear lingers in me. I have not seen my colleague since he whispered his supposed truth to me, and there are one or two ugly rumors that he was found dead in the river. I have been too afraid to check the facts. I do not even know why I am putting these thoughts into words. What I have penned on these pages could be considered treason were it ever to get out. I shall perform my duties willingly and without pause! My first colony awaits me not too far from here. I will chronicle its fortunes so that future generations can benefit. This is a grand, wondrous time for the Empire. We are expanding our order and ideals out into the world, taming the savage lands in the name of the Queen! My name is Cogsbronze, and I have set out to start New Antipodia. May the Church of the Holy Cog smile upon my efforts in this brave new world. Our supplies were meager but sufficient as we landed in our new realm. We picked a place near trees and berry bushes that looked like a good place to begin a new Colony for the Empire. The large and numerous Aurochs were constantly getting in the way, but we shooed them aside as we began to organize our supplies into various Handy Stockpiles for future use. The job of chopping down lovely-looking aspen trees and of picking every berry in sight has been handed down and most of the citizens have readily accepted their new work. Except for Overseer Lemuel Ironpeddle, who seems to be too engrossed in gossiping with Philomena Steelthomp. I will have to keep an eye on these two. I am pleased with the progress the colonists have made as the moon rises over the darkened landscape. Every tree, bush, mushroom and rock within sight of the colony has been stripped to its core, properly labeled, and placed in a semi-organized manner in the stockpiles. Hunger has begun to tug at the people, however, so I immediately order the construction of a kitchen. The laborers decide that sleep is, at the moment, more important than a proper food area and sleep the night away. As the sun rises, a strange creature approaches the camp! He looks much like a giant, person-like fish! I designate it a Fishperson. Leopold Quibble, our ranking NCO, immediately picked up a musket and fired zealously at the strange creature. It did not appear to be threatening the colony, but I guess that we cannot take chances. He continued to fire at the Fishperson long after they had collapsed to the ground, so perhaps I will speak with him later about being too zealous. Several colonists ran in terror from this strange new creature, and the mood in the colony was noticeably darker as work began, finally, on the kitchen. The colonists were so keen to begin getting food that they built with extreme speed and completely ignored the fact that there was an Auroch where a wall was supposed to go. They simply built the poor creature into the wall and proceeded to call the structure complete. If they’d been thinking properly, they would have built the creature with its head inside, instead of its rumo. The unsanitary conditions are sure to make the kitchen a lousy place to make food. At least, until they butcher the creature where it stands and rebuild the wall later. More Fishpeople have descended upon my colony, sparking a large panic! Several people, including our valiant NCO, have taken up arms against the creatures. This seems to have angered them, for more are coming as I write this. I must help my colonists survive this strange world and can continue writing about it later. It appears that my colleague who disappeared was right: things are not all that they seem beyond the borders of our Great Empire. I can only hope that my plucky band of people will be up to the challenge...
