Travo's books

Within Deathgrip Keep there were several volumes their summary is listed here:

The Epic of Arvan --
Thousands of years ago the hunter gather and fishermen humans of the grass land and islands began settling into a farms and towns.  The mouth of the river was the greatest of these towns and due to its central location became a nexus of trade.  The humans could not expand safely and putting their weapons down to pick up plows proved to be impossible for the land was inhabited by a variety of giant men and monsters.  Many of these giants were just like men but bigger and many of these monsters could not be further from men. 
Arvan was blessed and chosen by the gods to lead the humans and to bring them religion.
He spoke to them the words of olympus and made clear the will of the gods in claiming the plains for mankind.  He taught them rallied them and led them to war with the monsters of the wilderness.  Through his faith, strength and by the will of the light he defeated the hordes of creatures and giant men.  What was left he chased over the edge of the earth beyond the world.  There in a very narrow pass he set up his fortress so well built that only a few could defend it against thousands. 
The gods removed his age and charged him with guarding the pass and keeping the plains of man forever free and safe from the giants who would claim it there own.

The tale is obviously told with an agenda to glorify Man's divine rights to the plains.  It also applauds the valor and capacity of faith above all odds and challenges.  It seems meant to teach lords and knights how they are suppose to act and give them hope that in so acting they will never fall.

Travo's Second journal --

This journal picks up after his death.  It discusses how he was forsaken by Apollo.  He starts by blaming his own lack of faith, "If I were only like Arvan..."  The passage often reads.  Over time the blame goes from himself and to Apollo.  Apollo was not strong enough to reach him on this island or Apollo out of selfishness let him fail.  Then the blame shifts to the island. How the island is cursed and only failure and pain can come from it.  Then the mood shifts as he seems to realize the island is more powerful than the gods he knows. 
It is at that time he begins making reference to the 'hearing' the island. 
Over time the whispers of the island grow clearer and clearer.  He begins to believe the 'island' is infact special or divine to itself.  He starts to see his sins as not sins against apollo or the innocent but against the island. In order to attemp to atone for his sins against the island he begins to change the religious icons of the temple from apollow to that of the island.  He claims to have a vision of the pointed circle as the symbol of the island.
Then the island tells him Alexander can no longer claim him, he needs to pay tithe.  Alexander provides the a document to him called the doctrine of the tithe that describes what it is and how to provide it.  He begins following the presrcibed pattern.
He begins paying tithe once a century and notes that after each tithe the power of himself and his followers grows.  They went from decayed corpses to capable warriors once again.  He begins describing his death knight state as not a curse but a blessing of immortality given to him by the island just as it gave his Friend Alexander immortality. 
He curses the necromancers for caging him only to his keep.  He feels that he can not serve the island trapped as he is.  After one tithe the "External" grants him a scrying well he uses to watch the other parts of the island.  And he begins to do so. 
He notes how the broken tribes of elves and men are all recognized by the external as following alexander.  Until one family of half elves raises to dominance in the old city of windfall.  They are called the Varos.  He notes the plagues that befall them when they do not confess the island and pay the tithe.  He then notes they start paying the tithe and they are blessed with gold and silver mines.  That was 99 years and 103 weeks ago. 

Isoldor the Souless

Travo hated the necromancer school.  Though they had a fascination with him as they commonly studied him from behind the skull line.  The research camp was led by a man named Isoldor.  He as driven and greedy and ambitious.  Travo hated him most of all.  He would constantly do seanances with the attempt to communicate to Travo and caused him great pain.  He stops appearing at the camps and the others refer to him in conversation as the souless.  After Travo is granted the scrying pool he finds the Souless has used the knowledge he gained from studying Travo, and gifts from the island through the external to and make himself a lich.  The souless begins to distance himself from the living and sets up a system of brothers in the monastary to rule and speak for him.  He calls himself the Eldest Brother and reverts to simply being a legend or ghost story around the monastary, most don't think he is real. 
Travos hatred for this man is deep and evident.  Whatever paladin is left in Travo wants to destroy this evil man.  He notes how he believes knowing the true name of a lich grants one power over the lich, and wonder what exactly that means and how he could use it.

He also makes at the very end that Isoldor and the necromancers had become very good at manipulating souls and death and were either giving or growing souls in objects that should not have any.  He calls them "stones and statues that move as if alive"

The entries are not dated like a journal but you can tell by the faded age of the writing the last entry was extremely recent.

The endless adventure of Rin and Neno

-You'll have to tell me who reads that one its great.

Brief history of the empire volumes 1 through 4

This is a history annual that chronicles the evolution of the human society and empire that rose on the plains now controlled by Geneva.  It starts with hunting and fishing tribes.  The first city -- Trade City and The hero Arvan clearing the land and chasing the monsters giving humans claim. 

It then talks about a council of brethern.  A group of 12 paladins inspired by Arvan's example that established a system of government where the whole council was equal.  They were called the Brethern or the Brethern's court. 

As trade surpassed religion in devotion the Brethern became the council.  They reached out building what was first a trade empire to the emerging city states along the river and across the plains.  After a couple of generations it became apparent that trade alone would not hold the city states together and the Council elected military leaders.  Not to defend against giants or monsters but to oppress fellow humans.  The recent council men became known as the merchants council and tended only to the affairs of Trade City which had now became a massive metropolis.  While the military leaders had one rise to supremecy and he stopped acting under the councils direction and took authority to himself.  He declared himself Emperor weilding the Tiber Slayer (a blade that killed a demon who had possessed a king of a rival city state). 

The Empire continues a loosely associated band of city states until the last emperor is killed by Arch Mage Mordin leading to the systematic collapse of any political authority.

It is important to note that these volumes involve history after Travo's departure from Trade City and are clearly written well after his fall.

This Land 
A celebration of the sacred Isle

This is the volume you burned in the fireplace.  Speaks in poetic terms of how the Island blesses the faithful. and you only need ot listen to know its will.  That fighting the island will never prevail because the island always wins. 

If any PC wants to read a copy we'll need to play that out on the table.

The Doctrine of the Tithe

Pcs chose not to read this and rolled it up and hid it.  When/ if you decide to read it I'll share the information with you.

Maps

Numerous maps of the island over time.  Significant markings include the Shrine of the External in the center island of the cove.  The frozen Cathederal where springrain was.  Alexander's keep in the north east.  A pirate's shadow port just north of Alexander's keep.  The Caldenstien Monastary on the center north of the island. The Lonely Suitor brothel just north of the swamps.  The watchtower on a small island north of the main island very close to the Caldenstien monastary. Varo family estate.  The city of windfall and 2 gold and 2 silver mines . ( I will mark them on the PC version of the map if requested)