Yes, at minimum, we need to decide whether to stay and wait to talk to the leaders of the tree people, or proceed to the citadel. The timing is less urgent now that we have supplies, so perhaps we should wait. I'm torn just because I am anxious to find a way home, but there is no guarantee that the citadel has that answer either.
I think the first thing to do is see if one of these people can trigger the door. I was assuming not, since they said they haven't been able to open it, but it is true that perhaps what we did turned it "on" somehow, so we should check. And then, I suppose I am in favor of waiting to talk to their leaders in a few days. Perhaps one of them will know something. ... A four day walk to the citadel and back delays us further, but unless we want to go back and try a new door, those seem to be our options.
The opportunity of meeting all the leaders in one place doesn't seem like one that will come again anytime soon. The citadel will still be there.
Thoughts?
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Desmond nods along with Janice's reasoning and adds, I have so many new questions now on top of 'how did we get here and how do we get back home'. I would like to ask about that trinket that enabled us to understand each other, and I would like to know more about this Angel and their prophecy. I would assume that this Citadel may have more information, but they may be less inclined to share it. These tree people have already proven their hospitality. Plus, I find that the more sources of information, the more complete the analysis. We might get different sides of the same story. So I vote we stick around and meet with the elders.
Yes, I think we should stay too. But lets use the time to try to learn more about the realm of doors. I too would know if the tree people can now enter that realm and I would like to know more about its scale. Could it truly be infinite? I'd like to go back in and continue in one direction for a few hours to see if it continues and to see if there are any features we are not aware of. And its safer to do this before the forest people start going in and opening doors to who knows where, if indeed they can enter.
Okay, I'm in. We have to wait for three days or so anyway, so let's get Qualin to go with us, and check and see if he can trigger doors or circles. Then we can search further to see if it is finite. I'll go find Qualin.
Janice goes to find Qualin with her proposal.
Cooil returned from his look at the night sky and listened as the others shared their ideas for what to do next. Cooil waited, a while before saying, "I think we should stay here, learn what we can about the history of the area, talk to the leaders, and then consider options. If we are going to try other doors, we need to acquire some weapons and maybe armor, since we know there are dangers. We should also have some food and water with us if we go in again, in case things stop working or we get lost or cannot get back to the same door. I like these people and am content to relax and get to know them and let them get to know us."
Later he offers, "I'm probably one of the more likely of us to 'go native.' While I would like to know if we can get back, I'm not anxious to leave this world we have stumbled upon. It might prove a better place to be than earth."
"I want to learn all I can about their magic. I still feel like we are being watched and I get an itching feeling in my head when I check for north. It may be that the longer we stay here, the more abilities we will discover."
Gordon didn't propose trying any other doors... only evaluating whether they seem finite or not. And I think it is fine if you relax here as long as you like. I'm just going to go and help Gordon. We'll see you later.
Deciding to stay, you hunker down for the night and try to get what rest you can with everything that has happened today still whirling around inside your heads. Some of you sleep better than others.
When you wake you remember part of a dream where you saw a wood cabin. Inside was lightly furnished and sitting in front of the fire in a rickety chair looked like a hermit. He has been waiting a long time.
Please make haste.
In the 'morning' the 'moon' slowly brightens for about half an hour until it is at full brightness. As yesterday the 'sun' stays in the middle of the sky and never moves. The people are up and about early preparing for a new day. Some with baskets leaving the village, likely going out to gather food. Others eating, working at different primitive crafts. Rugs and hangings and many other decorations adorn the houses. Children run around and play, or help with chores. Some get into trouble. It's eerily familiar to life on earth without technology.
Before you can even leave to find him, Qualin and two women he introduces as his wife Trelia and his sister Luka. They bring a fresh plate of fruit for you all. "Tonight the messengers will arrive at our other villagers. They will likely be as swift in returning. They will be eager to talk to you."
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Just as the stationary sky orb transitions between moon and sun, Father McKinley wakes and begins his morning ritual of prayer. He finds a quiet spot, kneels in reverence and chants the Rosary.
He enjoys a few pieces of fruit and offers thanks to Qualin, Trelia, and Luka. He addresses Qualin, If you don't mind, I would like to speak to you more about the trinket that allows us to communicate. We don't have anything of the sort where we're from. It is an interesting shape. It reminds me off an old story. I was wondering if there's a significance to it.
After his ritual, Desmond feels different. The feeling of peace you sometimes get of knowing someone is watching over you was stronger than you have felt before. Almost tangible.
Qualin is intrigued about your lack of knowledge. "I stored my knowledge of our language and shared it with you. It is a primary shape and most of our language sorcery is connected to it. Why that shape, perhaps only the Angel knows. But it will only last for a cycle and you will forget everything. I will share it with you again tonight if you are still here. It is simple to use even a child could do it." He laughs at this thought however. "But best not or you will find you will speak as a child for only the child's knowledge is shared."
"If we are to explore the nexus rooms with or without opening the doors therein, we should go as a group. We saw no threats but that doesn't mean there might not be threats we have not yet encountered, perhaps traps, or biological hazards. Best to have everyone on hand. But we can do that after we meet with their leadership."
Over breakfast, he asks Qualin or some other older person about the sun/moon. "Has that always been your source of illumination? On our world there is an orb that burns as bright as yours--we call it the sun--but it rises at one horizon and sets behind the other. The night orb--called the moon--sometimes reflects the light of the bright orb, but only sometimes."
Another question he will ask at an appropriate opportunity, "What provides you with water? Does water ever fall from the sky? Does the temperature change, getting either hot or cold? All these things are normal for us."
He'll join a food gathering group, if allowed to, curious to learn about the plants and animals of the area.
"Well of course. The Angel was the first and made this place for us." He says as if it should be so obvious, but then he seems confused. "Your world is so strange to us I cannot understand. The angel gives light to everyone here. It never moves or is hidden from us." He wonders of the sense of your other questions. They have rain, clouds and weather, and the temperature warms during the day and cools during the night.
One of the groups you are with heads east and crosses over the stream. They gather berries and other fruits and nuts they can find. One of the gatherers leads and knows all the best spots. As soon as you leave the village you get the sense of being watched again. Exactly the same as last night.
-----
Qualin readily agrees to go look at the door with you. He is eager at the chance to go or even look through it.
Janice and as much of the group as is willing to come along (at least Gordon I presume, since he suggested it?) take Qualin to the door to see if he can trigger it to open.
Whether he can or can't, they take him inside and see if he can trigger one of the internal doors (only ones we know are safe). Even if he can't trigger them, we'll show him the desert and the underground area.
If we have six people, we'll also test the rings (by their door, not ours), and see if he triggers that.
They then do a little bit of exploring to see if the place seems to have an end (keeping Qualin and anyone he brought with him close so they don't trigger anything accidentally if they can trigger things), and then they bring Qualin back after his brief tour.
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After speaking with Qualin, Desmond spends the rest of the morning wandering the village, introducing himself to the people around him, and offering to lend a hand to whatever daily chores need doing. When he sees the others leave with Qualin towards the door, he catches up to join them, moreso out of a sense of duty and safety rather than any scientific curiousity.
While he is getting the sense of being watched, Cooil concentrates on the feeling and slowly rotates 360 degrees to see if he can get any kind of clue as to the direction of the watching. As he does so, he scans the landscape for hiding places or perhaps even small animals that might actually be hiding and watching.
At some point, he remarks to the food gathering squad, "I'm getting a strange sensation that we are being watched. It's just a feeling but one I've never felt this strongly before. Any of you also feel it? Are there others in your community who might be able to explain this?"
Back at the village, he tries to explain a bit about the world he comes from, making diagrams in the dirt to show the sun, earth, and moon, with a little basic gravitational physics thrown in. He then invites anyone who can to explain what they understand their world to be.
He also shares some of the creation myths he knows and asks what they believe is responsible for their world's existence. He hopes he'll get more info on this Angel they seem to view as a kind of god.
Jasper has little to say as the group decides what to do. While going to the Citadel sounds useful, it's clear that they may not be welcome in the place. He finds he is too tired to discuss the strange voice he heard earlier in the day, and almost immediately falls asleep after the discussions of what to do.
His strange dream only furthers his belief that something will happen very soon.
Deciding to keep with Dr MacCray, he almost wishes to discuss the strange happenings of the previous night when he gets a strange feeling of being watched. Reflexivly, he angles his spear up and spins around, before relaxing as he sees Dr MacCray do the same.
As they continue to walk back to the village, he attempts to casually speak with the strange professor:
Dr. MacCray, he began, a tad bit awkwardly, not sure how to address his concerns. Have you had any... strange dreams? Or, um, heard voices?
The oldest one of the group looks out at the garden, looking around for anything that might be watching. "Perhaps you can sense the spirits. There are only a few that can do that if I know anything. The one we call the Gardener is the chief among them I think. He warned us about you being here. The spirits told him. Maybe you should talk to him. Or maybe the spirits want to talk to you."
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Qualin accompanies you back to the door, he allows no others of his people to come. Once you arrive he seems quite a bit apprehensive. "It has been some time since I have been here to see it. Occasionally one of us will get curious and walk the path to gaze on the spirit door."
When you prompt him to walk up to the door nothing happens. He stands there even disappointed. "I the door isn't opened for us after all." It opens as soon as one of you walk close enough in front of it and Qualin stands amazed. "I never thought to ever..." He tries to compose himself as he follows you through. He almost doesn't take the final step through the door as if fearing some kind of doom for daring to cross but after speaking a phrase 'i see the unseen' and tracing a shape in the air that Janice recognises he calms a little and steps through into the stone courtyard.
He isn't able to trigger any of the doors but staring into the desert and then the cavern he is equally stunned. "I have never seen these places, but perhaps being in those dark caves is what it is like to live as one of the forsaken, away from the Angel's light." Though not everywhere in his world is as bountiful as their garden, there are certainly no deserts he tells you. "A sea of sand, terribly sad. What happened to their water."
He takes a few minutes to look around and try to take in what he was seeing. When you show him the transportation circles in the floor with the runes he says to himself, "6 circles. One part of the prophecy says 6 can return." He stands on one circle after the other. When Janice uses her magical sight to see if they activate just like the first time you all tested it with Bone-bag(who still stands faithfully), Qualin looks at her strangely. "You have the somatic movement right but it will be much easier if you add a verbal confirmation. Try saying 'I see the unseen.' Or perhaps say it in your language instead of mine. That would be best." Then he realises what he has done and apologises. "I did not mean to correct the Openers. My excitement has made me forget myself."
The circles orange aura did seem to activate just like before, but still that is all that happens. Qualin is as ignorant of how it is supposed to work as you are. "The orange is a conjuration. I see it is reflexive and reversed which means instead of bringing something to you, you take yourself to something or somewhere else. But the power and intricacy of this spell is beyond my level of understanding. The spell inside the spirit door is just as powerful and unknown to me."
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Desmond follows along mostly in silence, paying close attention to their diminutive companion, his words and behaviors, both out of concern and peaking interest.
He becomes especially interested in the mention of Forsaken, which confirms his suspicion that one half of their world is forever turned away from their sun, or the Angel. He asks Qualin further about them, "Are they banished? Or do they choose to live that way?"
When examining the circles, Desmond seems to grow increasingly uneasy. "I don't like the idea of being part of a prophecy," he admits to Gordon and Janice, "I don't feel like a 'chosen one', and I'm certainly no hero."
Janice tries the "spell" with the words instead, to see if it works better. I see the unseen she says, with the hand motion and willing her sight to change.
If it works, she tells Qualin All people have different strengths and weaknesses. Even "Openers." Can you teach me more of this ... um, magic? I would like to see what else I can do.
"I've spent much time with people on our world who had the ability to communicate with spirits, but I've never been able to do it myself. I would be interested in talking with this Gardener. I hope we pose no threat to you and his warning was needless."
"They have been banished by the Citadel. But they forsook everything and went underground first, so you could say that they banished themselves. No one really understands them. Some fear their return." It seems to be a sensitive topic to them though Qualin does not mind telling you what he knows of them. It is not a lot. "What they do in their dark tunnels; no one knows."
Qualin's advice does work and you feel it click. Your ability to see these strange energies is fully realised and happens effortlessly now. You realise you were squinting a little before but now your eyes are totally relaxed. When Janice uses her sight ability with Qualin's words, the colour of her eyes intensifies. Desmond can almost see what she is seeing by secondary reflection. For that matter, it's the same when you look at Qualin. Bizarre.
"I sense your ability is in your blood like mine and there is no one way to train yourself to control it. Some learn in very different ways. My power comes from my ancestral connection to the first Oracles. Celestial energy is a part of me. I almost burned down my home with holy fire when I was a child." He chuckles, recalling the memory. "Finding out where yours comes from will help a great deal. Perhaps, meditate with me tonight and you may discover something within."
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"Then seek him out. He and the other Gardeners are not affiliated with any particular village and come and go as they please. Besides, you are not much help to us here. Can you find the way back to the Village? Ask there of his whereabouts."
Tonight then she says to Qualin, eager to discover her new abilities. She looks to Gordon. Did you want to explore further before we return to the village?
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"Hmm.."Desmond ponders this new information.
He points to the desert door, "Such barren places are not uncommon on our world. In fact, how we came here was through ruins uncovered in such an environment... although that's changing because of recent advances in science and technology, as well as a recent upsurge in human cooperation."
Desmond pauses as he gets his train of though back on track. Hesitantly, he describes Janice and Gordon's run-in with the undead creature in the darkened landscape. "I wonder" he adds, "...if that gate connects to the other side of your world. And perhaps, the cavern we saw is a cavern on your world. I'm still at a loss as to how the gates behave differently than the circle arrays, but there seems to be an array for each gate."
Fascinated by the change in Janice's eyes, Desmond recalls the experience he had upon first arrival to the 'Nexus', when he touched his crucifix and prayed. He pulls his rosary and crucifix out from beneath his cassock and presents it to both Janice and Qualin, asking if they see any aura around it.
Detect magic and
To answer Desmond.
Gordon is relieved that the door does not open to Qualin, as he does not want their people opening doorways and letting who knows what into the nexus area, though he tries not to show it. He listens to the small man's wisdom and makes mental notes about what is revealed.
Since we are here I'd very much like to take a walk, that way. He points to the relative left. I propose we walk 10000 paces, or until we find a wall. We can leave some item here to make our current location. It should take about 4 hours to walk that far and then back again.
After answering Desmond , Janice tells Desmond and Qualin that they can either stay or go back to the village and they will catch them later, and she joins Gordon in trying to get an idea of the extent of the "nexus area" (using Gordon's term).
Janice smiles Not planning on that; don't worry.
Cooil is happy to stroll back to the village and perhaps wander a bit. He keeps checking directions and makes notes of landmarks but tries to gather his thoughts. If Jasper wants to come along, Cooil is happy for the company. He is not very talkative, however.
He tries an experiment. If there are spirits around and he can sense them, he mentally asks them to show him the way to the nearest Gardener or inform the nearest Gardner he is looking for him. He repeats this thought every so often.
"I don't see any power in it. What is it? Why do you ask?" Qualin replies, seeing nothing special and neither does Janice. "I hope you are wrong about that being my world." He says when looking at the desert. "The runes on the circles could indicate something. But my people don't have much use for writing as I told you. Perhaps their is someone in the Citadel who would know a spell to help you." Qualin will prefer to leave this place and return to the village. "There is much I must tell the elders and prepare for our guests to arrive."
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After Qualin leaves with Desmond to tell a select few of what he has seen and learnt, the two of you begin to count your '10,000 paces'. After calculating that you should cross 333 courtyards in that distance you start to break it down in manageable increments. Even still it is like driving on a straight featureless road. Each courtyard is the same and gives you the feeling that you haven't gone anywhere at all. The temptation to open a door and check for the garden is there at every step. You also begin to wonder if you are lost, have you really gone in a straight line or have you accidentally taken a turn or two somewhere and lost the way back. It doesn't take long before you both start to really feel like you are in a maze of mirrors. Finally you see something different and though it is a disturbing sight it is so relieving to break the repetition. In the courtyard in front of you the door is destroyed, the entire courtyard blackened like from a fire or explosion. Pieces of the door and its frame are scattered about the courtyard. Wherever this door opened to, its connection has been removed.
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You take leave of the gatherers and head back towards the village.
Not long out of sight of the gatherers, Cooil again feels the eyes on the back of his head. You feel the experiment must be successful for not long after your purposeful thoughts you hear a whispering in the air around you. You must come alone. This way. Follow us. Follow. Alone. Here. All at the same time and repeating.
A few questions
1. Are the circles also destroyed in the area where the door was ruined?
2. Using Detect Magic (I assume I can use that at will now?), do the door pieces still radiate any magic?
3. Are the pieces of the door and doorframe all stone, or are there other materials here?
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On the trail back to the village, Desmond explains the significance of the cross he wears around his neck to Qualin, telling him that it is a symbol of his faith, and that he too has felt a change since arriving in the "Nexus", "Nothing as objective as Janice's sight, but something more subtle, like a renewed sense of faith, a more powerful connection."
When they reach the village, Desmond turns to Qualin, "I know you're a busy person, and I don't mean to bother you with too many questions, but I'm quite curious to learn more about the Angel. You seem to be versed on the stories and legends, but, tell me, is there anyone in your village who might observe the behavior of the Angel in the sky? On our world we would call such a person an Astronomer... or Astrologer." Desmond smiles awkwardly, hoping those words have a proper translation for Qualin.
...
As they continue to walk back to the village, he attempts to casually speak with the strange professor:
Dr. MacCray, he began, a tad bit awkwardly, not sure how to address his concerns. Have you had any... strange dreams? Or, um, heard voices?
Cooil regards his stalwart companion thoughtfully. "I think I always have strange dreams, but if you mean last night, nothing that was strong enough to remember. I think I was perhaps wandering a strange city, back on earth, looking for someone. I don't recall the details. Do you ask because you had strange dream? I'm no expert in dream interpretation, but some of the shaman I studied with would consider dreams highly significant and would counsel their people when they shared a strange dream with them. Anything we experience may be significant, so share if you feel comfortable."
"I have not yet heard voices, no. Have you? I feel as if something is present, like an unseen spirit."
As Cooil and Jasper walk back toward the village, Cooil pauses and looks around as if listening. He frowns, then says to Jasper. "I am hearing voices now. They are giving me directions, asking me to come alone. I think it may be the Gardner our gatherer friends mentioned. Do you think it is safe for me to follow these voices in my head? Are you hearing anything as well? I was sending out mental requests for the Gardner to help me find him. Perhaps he heard me and is inviting me to find him."
Jasper looks at Dr MacCray with a combination of trouble and relief on his face. Interesting. he begins. In my case, my dream was that I was in a cabin, standing behind a hermit sitting in front of a fire place. And despite the fact that I recognize none of it now, in the dream, I- he pauses, trying to find the proper words.knew, or recognized[/] everything there. And somehow, I knew that I needed to do something, and very soon. I don't remember the specifics, but I distinctly remember a sense of urgency.[b]
[b]And yesterday I heard a voice in my mind, offering to "teach me how to vanquish my foes", or something like that. He blushed slightly. That was the reason for my, uh, [i]outburst yesterday.
Jasper was about to ask about the "presence" that both he and the doctor seemed to feel when he was interrupted. When Dr MacCray speaks about directions, he takes a step back in shock.
Directions!? he nearly cries out. He pauses and listens in his mind, seeking both any kind of sign from these "spirits" and, more importantly, that feeling of calm that he'd felt ever since breathing the air of the Nexus.
You enter the courtyard to investigate the disaster. There is no residual heat, leading you to conclude that it was not recent, but how long ago is impossible to tell. With no weather or people to disturb it here, this could have happened centuries ago. Janice finds that the circles are still there, the only thing destroyed seems to be the door. Some of the runes were chipped or smashed off by flying debris but you can detect that the magic connected to its orange aura still works. The pieces from the door are a different story. When you look at the whole room, you realise that the black covering over everything is ash or dust from the obliterated door and it still very faintly radiates its aura over the entire courtyard. The magic powering the door is no more. Mixed among it is a reddish aura, also faint. You have not seen an aura like this yet, but it reminds you of fire. It is simple to assume that different colours correspond with different energies or intended effects of, for lack of a better word, magic.
Gordon sees something odd under one of the bigger pieces of stone. When he lifts it up it is revealed to be a book. It is covered in black ash but when brushed off it is in perfect condition, untouched by whatever violence happened here. Inside you see no name where an owner might note such, but an assortment of sketches and diagrams, what look like perhaps scientific formula of some kind. The whole thing is full, every page covered by these things as you flip through it, at first carefully, but you realise it is in perfect condition. You would expect burn marks, or brittleness caused by age, cracked or torn pages but there are none of these which is possibly stranger than even a destroyed door to another world. You too can find no better current word than magic. Unless you are inclined to believe in miracles. In any case, what is written inside is currently a mystery.
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"Faith is not a thing I am too familiar with. For we see the Angel in the sky with us constantly and know he is always watching us. Perhaps we do have some faith though, in the prophecies and the Oracles who spoke them." That you believe in a higher being other than the Angel is a very new thing for him to grasp, among others he has had to try to wrap his head around since you arrived. Unlike a scientist who practises thought experiments and other things constantly stretching their mind, Qualin has become fatigued already from it all and says little more on the way back. Back at the village he quickly excuses himself for he has much to discuss with the elders. "We have none who do that. You yourself have seen all that there is to see. He gives us day and night and is always in the center of our sky for all to observe. To know more than I have told you, perhaps seek out the temple in the Citadel."
Jasper hears none of the sounds or things that Cooil tells him of. Neither has he feelings of being watched or followed.
Dusting off the book and inspecting it with reference Gordon notes Some tome of archaic wisdom. I cannot read it though.
He studies the language to see if he can identify its family or make a guess at its structure. Thinking this might be important he pushes himself to understand.
To Gordon:
If that doesn't work, let me take a look. Maybe my new eyesight will let me see if the writing is magic.
Jasper shakes his head. Doctor MacCray, I don't hear anything. Hesitantly, he reaches down and touches the doctor's shoulder. Make no mistake, I believe you; I'd be a hypocrite and a fool not to. But I can't advise that you follow these voices. Not without at least speaking to the rest of our group, or to the chief of the tree people.
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Desmond parts ways with Qualin with gratitude, although inwardly he's feeling a little disappointed. The majority of his questions so far have been met with "Ask the citadel." "Time to practice patience, I guess. I wonder if it will be difficult to convince the others to travel to the Citadel."
Desmond is a little disappointed with himself, as well. He was sensitive to the problem of introducing belief systems to a new culture, and he had tried to be careful about talking about his faith without being preachy, but Qualin seemed agitated, perhaps dealing with the same cognitive dissonance he himself was experiencing trying to fit this new and radical experience in with his worldview.
Desmond's mind is stuck on this Angel. Is it actually some sort of celestial being, or as mundane as the sun back home? So far the evidence is mounting, at least in his mind, that perhaps this planet is in tidal lock with its parent star, so that one side and only one side ever faces the star, much like how only one side of the moon faces the Earth. But Desmond is no astrophysicist, and the problem of how the Angel dims and brightens regularly still remains a mystery.
"Maybe my colleagues will know something about it."
It also seems to him that at some point of time, there may have been a cultural exchange between this world and his, the shape of the translator device being too much of a coincidence for him to ignore.
After strolling aimlessly around the village, lost in thought, and just feeling lost in general, Desmond finds his notebook and a quiet spot. He reviews his notes from the day before, and adds more about the 'Forsaken' and their banishment to the dark side of the world, before sitting in reflection of all that he knows in order to try to piece together some of the pieces of this grand puzzle.
Cooil listens to the voices and considers Jasper's advice to delay following the voices. "We've each had strange intuitions and some of us have developed strange ... dare I call them powers? Janice could be described as a technological wizard and she seems to be able to detect magic, which seems to be a real thing here. I've felt presences, which seems to be what I expected I would feel if I could do what shaman do. Father McKinley seems to be experiencing things related to his investigations into religious miracles. Your dream and voices seem to be inviting you to study with a martial arts master. I can't explain it, but I believe these are all related. Something or someone is leading us."
After thinking a little more, Cooil nods and touches Jasper gently on the shoulder and says, "You are right, we should probably be cautious about all this, but I feel I must take this opportunity. What if it never returns? Watch which way I go and if I'm not back soon, you can tell the others where to look for me. Good luck."
And with that Cooil walks off, pausing and waiting occasionally to see if the voices direct him in a new direction. As he walks, he thinks to the voices, <Who are you?>
There is almost no standard writing in the book. What you see in the diagrams and formulas are a mix of glyphs and runes all mixed amongst each other like some nonsense equation. However, Gordon thinks he realises a connection between them and with some time to study and decipher it, may make headway.
Janice's magical sight sees strange smudges on the book. Brown, dirty marks on many of the pages. But otherwise there is nothing magical she can detect in the book.
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The shape of the ziggurat structure is a type of pyramid found in many places and cultures of earth. The only really significant connection that you can draw is the story of Babel. The huge tower Nimrod is said to have built in defiance of God and where all the people's languages were subsequently confused. If that is a connection, were more than humans a part of early history like Mr. Diamond theorised? Did they come to earth from here somehow? Or the other way around? Too many questions without answers plague your mind.
In consideration of the Forsaken and this world, you remember Qualin refering to them as miners and metalworkers and he has always mentioned that they live only underground with a potential entrance to their realm somewhere in the Citadel.
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Cooil has left you alone in the garden somewhere outside of the village.
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You set off into the garden in the direction given and soon see the flash of a fox tail disappear behind a tree ahead. You walk for about 45 minutes following this animal that never lets you get too close but always stays just in sight. It doesn't answer any of your questions or speak again the entire time you are following. The scenery of garden stays the same as you walk through it, around trees and bushes until you at last come to a tree larger than the rest, similar to the central tree of the tree people's village. The fox is curled up in a little gnarled hole at the base of the tree.
Dr MacCray? You can't just- Jasper began, only for the doctor to dart out of eyesight. He briefly considered following him, but decided against it, figuring that no amount of persuasion was going to convince him. Instead, Jasper set off in what he believed to be the direction of the village, hoping desperately that the others would be able to find the Dr. again.
Tucking the book away Gondon asks Janice Are you ready to continue? We could speculate all day on the book or what happened here, but I think its time to return to our original mission.
Yes, of course, let us continue.
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Every question seems to point Desmond toward the Citadel. It seems the only thing left for him to do is be patient.
Have faith.
It occurs to him that by becoming caught up in the great mystery of this place, he has again lost sight of his promise to the others, to get everyone back home safely. It also occurs to him that he has lost sight of his companions.
Gordon and Janice must still be in the 'Nexus', but where are Jasper and Cooil?
Closing his notebook, Desmond walks around the village looking for any sign of his colleagues.
If he sees no sign, he will begin asking around.
Cooil makes periodic notes about his direction of travel, notable landmarks, and estimates of how far he has walked since his last notation. Otherwise, he adopts a meditative attitude, paying attention to his experience in the manner of Buddhist mindfulness.
When he gets to the tree, he approaches until he spots the fox curled up and then he moves forward and takes a seat crosslegged on the ground facing the fox and meditates until the fox takes notice or attempts to communicate.
After a few dozen more courtyards crossed, your minds feel fatigued.
You can't focus enough to use magic of any sort or take 10 on any skill. Something is messing with your mind the further and further you go in here.
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You can't find any evidence of where they have gone but an elder woman in the village knows. "They went with a gathering party. You folks should just stay out of the way. We don't need your help. If you want to find them go that way. It's the area we are gathering from today." She was organising and preparing food.
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Desmond luckily happens upon Jasper about a half hour walk from the village, wandering through the garden. He had been lost for a few hours now, unable to find his way.
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As soon as you approach the fox its ears perk up and it looks at you as you sit. "What do you call yourself?" It asks in a singular voice inside your head. "Why does the door open after all this time?" It doesn't seem in a bad mood but is demanding a lot of answers. "What message have you been sent to give us?"
It seems like he thinks you have a particular message for the spirits of this place, from the spirits of your world.