Personality: Dylan is, like many large people, a man of gentleness and careful thought. He rarely rushes anything, and will help anyway who has not given him reason not to. He does have a temper, but he keeps it under control, except when he or his friends are in danger. He accepts the adventurous desires beating in his heart, though he doesn't always agree with them, but as time passes he is growing more adventurous in mind as well as heart.

Physically, he is about 7'8" tall, and a little leaner than the average male Lainian. He is still quite heavily built. His hide is a soft brown, with a few black blotches, the only visible one usually being a blotch over one eye. He tends to wear a simple shirt and trousers, occasionally with some armour strapped on over it, though it costs him a bit to have it made to fit, and he has a tendency to lose it if he needs to fit through a crack. His eyes are also a deep brown, the iris taking up most of the visible eye. He is about 3 to 5 years out of becoming an adult, making him about 20 to 23. Though it is hard to tell for most people. His voice is low and soft, though he tends to be very open, and reasonably talkative. He does tend to moo where most people hmm.

Dylan works as a cartographer, mostly for the Adventurers Society, though he keeps copies of all of his maps for himself (most are safey stored away) and will make copies on demand. He has a fondness for simple, stout, food, quiet music, painting and poetry. He often attempts to write or paint, but is still too distracted by his wanderlust to make anything good. He found his time in Zil Padon marred by the hot spicy food, which he doesn't like, added to the heating making him roast like a steak in a grill. He does tend to get annoyed at people who demonstrate any kind of bigotry, especially based on appearance, race or sex.

Dylan's Diary:

Greetings Reader. Please don't bother looking for volumes 1 to 3, they have all be lost or destroyed. And so it is much to my distress to start another book detailing my life. Due to restrictions of memory and time, my past will now be described in fewerwords than I'd like. I feel as if everytime this happens my past fades more... but that is the way of adulthood. Your childhood becomes no more than a vague glow you see out of the corner of your eye before sleep.. ah well.

My name is Dylan, and I am from a village known as Laine. I don't know if it will still exist at the time of your reading, but it is to the south of Zil Padon, a city in the middle of the Zil desert. Names may change, but I can't imagine Zil Padon ever disappearing. My childhood was enjoyable, and unless I try only remember days of walks and games and dancing in the snow, or days waiting for the ice to melt so we could swim. Or waiting for the pond to freeze so we could skate. My parents were Martha and Dirlon, though much of my childhood was spent with my Aunt Milda and Uncle Darlin. My parents were often too busy to play with me, so I would walk over to Milda's house and spend hours talking to them. Milda was a great warrior and adventurer in her own time and she loves spinning tales over lunch with anyone who desires to sit down and listen, she once had all the children in the village listening when we went for a picnic. Darlin is one of our three great sages, and I loved sitting on his lap as he talked about the world and the spirits and of the Angelou civilisation. Though I must say, I more often than not fell asleep, but I was quite young then, and his slow tones were comforting.

However, like all childhoods, it had to end. But I say that my childhood ended before I grew my horns. I think it ended one summer day, about a year before my horns grew out. Firstly I must ask you to understand that up until this point, I was a very content child, completely at ease with growing up and working and living the rest of my life in Laine. I was never an ambitious child. I was happy because I had my friends and family, and desired nothing else. But on that day, I decided to visit the Rainbow Springs near my village. So I packed up a lunch, a pad of paper and a pen, thinking to either do some writing or painting, as the scenery is quite beautiful. I got there fine, set up my blanket and lunch, and ate in the warm sun. But, when I finished, I looked around, and then looked in my reflection in the water. When I looked though, all I saw was the reflection of the world around me, and I saw a bird fly overhead. At that point, I felt uncomfortable. I wanted to know where the bird had flown, I wanted to know all that was reflected in the pool. I spent the next few hours trekking through the area, and when I returned, I felt better. I found the birds nest, and I saw every tree reflected in the water. I sketched a map so I could find the nest again if I wanted to. And then I went home.

That night I slept poorly. I can't explain it, but it's a feeling that has followed me ever since. For me to be comfortable, there is something I must see. I don't know what it is, and it could be that I need to see everything, and go everywhere, but until I find it, I won't be able to sit by the springs, and relax. It seems I was born with an adventurous, wanderlusting soul. I'm not overly happy about this, but it has let me meet more people, and make more friends, and see more beauty than I'd ever have seen otherwise. So, all in all, I've no regrets. I will see all I need to see, then I will return home, and sleep comfortably, and relax with a picnic by the springs, and paint and write. And be content. This will happen, I'm sure of it. Until then I'll make the journey as enjoyable as possible, and make memories to dream of, to write about and to paint. And remember while dozing next to the springs, and be content that I never wasted my youth.

That's odd. That last line just came out. But it's true. You may be wondering how I got from my village to wherever you found this journal. Aunt Milda, as perceptive as always, noticed I seemed a little glum. I told her about what happened, and what I felt. She proceeded to laugh loudly, which I must admit caused me to break into tears. (Please remember Reader, I was still a boy, and rather worked up at this). After I calmed down, she explained that it was "good for a young lad to go out and see the world before settling down, just look at me". I pointed out the she was female, and it was different for her. She laughed again, and told me that if I waited for my horns to come through before leaving, I'd be fine. So for the next year or two, I played and swam and skated, and prepared for my journey. Milda tried to teach me self-defense, and I'm afraid I hurt her feelings when I refused to learn how to use a sword. I'm just not comfortable with something which can only be used to kill. Darlin, Dorlin and Derlin banded together and proceeded to teach me how to use the power of the spirits to heal and protect people. I have a suspicion they were jealous of me, or possibly just happy to see a male going out and seeing the world.

Those years were fun, but, once my horns grew out, I couldn't stay anymore, my soul was aching to see the world, so with a heavy heart, and a promise to return, with souveniers of course, I left to see the world. I try to send a letter every other moon, if I can find a Mogay travelling in that direction, or occasionally pay to have it shipped by airship. I explored a large section of The Lost World (as these Parmians call it) and of Jesora. Eventually my cartography was good enough to sell. Ah, my rambling is confusing you again? I draw maps so I know where I've been. That way I never need to go "Have I been there?" and suffers doubts like that. Anyway, my cartography is quite good now, and I sold copies of some of my maps to various orginasations, including a few Mogay, and eventually earnt enough money to be flown across the End of The World. Unfortunatly as we flew over it I realised something. I want to climb it and draw the world. I still want to explore and adventure. But now I have another goal as well. Joy. But following a dream is the one route to happiness, to quote my father.

Upon reaching New Parm, I approached the Adventurers Society. They were suprised at my appearance, I don't think they'd seen a male Lainian before, we tend ot stay in the village. But they accepted me, and now I get to explore places and map them, whilst getting paid for the privalige. Sometimes I even get compainions on the journey. It is truly a exicting time for me.

It was on my most recent of such journeys that I lost Volume Three. I fell in an underground river, and even if it washes up, I doubt the ink will hold. Perhaps I should keep a copy of my journal with the Society, but it seems wrong to make copies of a journal, they should be unique. So every time I lose a volume, some of my life disappears into the mists of time. But still, I have no regrets. I still acheived what I achieved. Even if I'm the only one who knows. So that's it for the intro, hopefully this book should last long enough to be filled.

— Dylan of Laine