Johann von Maulheld

15th November

I, Johann von Maulheld, am writing this in the hope that somebody may find it floating out somewhere to sea. I am trapped on this God-forsaken island, with even escape through death rendered impossible. I am not alone - all around me are folk abandoned or willingly here, and they too cannot escape. We urgently require a seaworthy ship to get us off. We are willing to pay whatever it requires: rest assured, it will be worth your while.

In the world outside this enclosed hell, I was a professor of history in one of the Prussian universities. I made a living - enough to survive in relative comfort, but I was not considered to be immensely wealthy. Such was my choice to head for the new world promised in the west. Not a grand story to tell, but had I been content to live out my days in my homeland, I should not be here now pleading for aid.

As unoriginal as it may seem, the ship upon which I was travelling was caught in a most unnatural storm, and we were flung upon this wretched place. This island, though, was not deserted. In fact, the settlement upon which I chanced was flourishing, with an academy, a police force, a library, a hospital, an armoury and a trader´s hut. Everyone seems to have found their way here in some form or another, but almost as if from different time periods. It seems as if nobody has made the slightest bit of effort to constructing a vessel to escape, despite the constant threat of the island´s native savages and pirates from the northwest.

This place is not natural. While I feel the need to sleep, hunger and thirst do not seem to plague humans here; I can go for days without consuming anything to nourish me. The supernatural thrives here. People disappear forever into the jungle and nobody lifts a finger to stop them. There seems nothing for it but to start gathering like-minded individuals and construct a ship. I cannot stay in this place.