April 26, 1220

My package has finally arrived from Taneb’s Tooth this afternoon, having been shipped overland and by the Black Sea. It is fortuitous that I chose not to go that route myself, as it would have cost me a month of work setting up my laboratory, and I would have been very miserable the whole time. I did not have very much sent to me, but what I did get is of no small value to me. Mainly clothes that I had made to counter the blandness that so many of my fellows have worn - it will be nice to have a little color again in my day-to-day attire. I have also received my wooden perch for my chambers. Again, it is not fancy, but it does hold no small sentimental value for me, as my parens had it crafted for me when my heartbeast was brought out.

I have learned over the last month that Metatarzes’s familiar, a hound named Afosiomenos, is extraordinary in his own way. He has the gifts of speech and intelligence (apparently moreso than many of the covenant’s servants), and spends much time in conversation with his master. He has expressed an interest in hunting - this could make for some interesting times.

I have already started exploring the area around the covenant from the sky. It would be handy to know where all the roads in and out lead. Even, or especially, the ones that are believed to go nowhere. I’ve found nothing interesting as yet, but I am still new here. The only drawback is that, should I discover anything of interest, I would be hardpressed to be able to do anything myself, since my clothes do not change with me when I become my heartbeast, and my knowledge of magic is nowhere near extensive enough to allow me to create clothing when I land.