Expedition Journal I: The Black Monument

Several weeks have passed since our arrival upon this continent. While Henry and the main expedition continued searching for a suitable place to establish our future home, I chose to venture deeper into the wilderness alone. Alles moet worden vastgelegd. Geen detail is te klein. The others may discover where our nation shall stand, but it falls to me to understand the world around it first.

My journey has taken me across towering mountains, dense taigas, vast flower fields, and snow-covered wilderness, each carefully mapped and recorded within my journal. Every river, valley, and mountain pass has been noted, for even the smallest discovery may one day prove valuable to those who follow after us.

Today, however, I encountered something unlike anything I have ever seen.

While crossing a quiet plain, I noticed a dark silhouette rising above the tall grass. Curious, I approached and found the remains of a strange structure built from a **black, glass-like stone** unlike any material known to me. Around it lay **pools of lava**, scorched earth, and several unfamiliar blocks, as though the land itself had once been subjected to unimaginable heat. Merkwaardig... zeer merkwaardig.

I spent several hours documenting the site, sketching its proportions, measuring its dimensions, and recording every unusual material before leaving the ruin undisturbed. The stone itself resisted every attempt to understand its composition, appearing harder than any rock I have previously encountered.

The structure feels doelbewust. Its frame is too symmetrical to be a natural formation, yet its purpose remains impossible to determine. Every answer I think I have found is followed by two new questions.

As I studied the monument, fragments of old stories returned to me. Tales once shared during my childhood, alongside passages preserved within the oldest records of both the Kopers and Westmarkers, spoke of mysterious gateways built by forgotten civilizations. I had always regarded such accounts as little more than folklore, yet standing before this ruin, I find myself less certain.

For now, I have marked its location upon my maps and recorded every observation I could make. Once our settlement has been established and proper equipment becomes available, I intend to return and recover samples of these strange materials. Dit verdient verder onderzoek. Perhaps their purpose, and the mystery surrounding this forgotten structure, can finally be understood.

Translation Notes

• Alles moet worden vastgelegd. Geen detail is te klein.

Everything must be documented. No detail is too small.

• Merkwaardig... zeer merkwaardig.

Curious... very curious.

• Doelbewust

Deliberate.

• Dit verdient verder onderzoek.

This warrants further investigation.