Fenna advances to help Malakar, jabbing her spear at the closer of the Skum .
Malakar 5ft. Steps SW toward yellow to attack it if Fenna and Sho's attacks didn't kill it otherwise 5ft. Step W toward red and attack.
Definitely Hero Pointing that 1
Well so much for that :( the dice givith and takeith.
Sho's arrow blasts through the open maw of one of the Skum. The back of its head explodes in scales. Amazingly it still stands and points a claw at Fenna, who quickly punctures the beast with her spear. The Skum falls to the ground, its brain matter spilling out to sizzle like an egg on the hot golden sand.
Malakar moves up to engage the last Skum. They trade a series of blows that graze armor and scales.
Fenna circles wide around the last skum to the side opposite Malakar and presses her attack.
Vexas scrunches up his face in stern concentration and nods at Sho's encouragement.
Right! The next shot will be closer. But right now, I don't have a shot. Onward...
He stows his crossbow and advanced while drawing his rapier.
Malaker will take advantage of the now setup flank and attack again.
Brannart will move up and strike at the remaining foe with his sword (one-handed, so his buckler is in effect).
With the tactical advantage, the remaining Skum falls quickly to spear and blade.
On one of the Skum’s corpses, you find what appears to be a rough map drawn on a strange hardened but flexible material, similar to leather but not quite the same. Scrutinizing over the map and reviewing the terrain, both Sho and Malakar believe that the map represents this very island. The map shows a few landmarks in the northwestern section of the island that has not yet been explored. There is a symbol that resembles a tower. There is also a series of distinct glyphs on the lower end of the map.
Malakar grimaces at the object in his hands.
"This map is made of Whale Skin. What's more it seems it is of the island and they were looking for a tower not far from here. If they were interested in it, it must be bad news. Should we investigate or report in?"
I hate to say it, but if we report it in they're likely just calling on us to investigate it. Vexas concedes.
"Yes, I think we should go explore the tower. It is good to have at least a rudimentary map of this island.
I can't make anything of those strange glyphs. Some unfamiliar language, or a code maybe."
With Sho and Malakar’s skills at navigating terrain, you take a mostly-direct northwestern route through the jungle, following the rough map toward the depicted tower. During the journey, the jungle opens up to a grassy field. It is pockmarked with piles of fallen stone and sparse trees. Within the field stands a monument that is relatively free from damage. A path of broken white marble leads to it, and the grass is curiously cut and edged away from it. The monument itself is a smooth marble disk, about thirty feet in diameter, and marked with circles shaded in different patterns. These circles then form two concentric circles, with a bigger mostly-shaded circle at its center.
A semicircular row of thirteen columns surrounds the northern side of the monument on a curved marble base, the ends of which have broken off and subsided into the ground. Two adjacent columns near the center are broken and the lintel between them is sundered. Two curved stone benches sit to the south before the semicircle on either side of the path, and two stone buildings lie to the north.
I see the moons but I don't recognize anything else. Can anyone else make sense of this?
Fenna's first reaction to seeing the tower is "Amazing! It's so incredibly well preserved!"
As she looks it over, she adds a couple more things to Malakar's observation.
"Yeah, and the central circle shows the moon's phase right now. The pillars are thirteen in number. That's odd because it's asymmetrical. But... There are thirteen planets in the solar system. Maybe this is an observatory or something like that?"
She's clearly excited by this discovery, like 'could I move into this building?' excited.
A noise from the building on the right catches your attention. A door, facing the other building, opens and two humanoid shapes exit. They start a slow walk toward you, and you notice a soft glow, reminding you of moonlight, surrounding them. As they get closer, you can garner more detail. They are not humanoids at all. Instead, they are made of a sculpted metal in the likeness of a beautiful woman. They are identical in appearance, each brandishing the same partially shaded circles on their form which you assume represent the different phases of the moon, just like on the marble daise. They begin to speak in unison. Their voices are like a deep hum, vibrating the air around you.
Fenna grips her spear tighter as the constructs approach and speak. She hasn't forgotten the other little spider construct used to spy on them by someone.
"They're celedons. They are made for taking care of sites of religious significance. No idea what they're saying though. Azlanti? They must be very ancient I'd think."
|
Sho listen and translate
They say they are ready to teach us about their goddess, Lady Acavna, goddess of moon and battle. It seems we were expected, maybe prophetised. Don't let our guard down for now. Their goddess is the Azlanti divinity of battle, after all.
You're right, Fenna, these are celodons, so more caretaker of ancient, sacred sites than warriors living mechanisms. Remind me to teach you and Vexas the Azlant tongue, it might come handy if something happens to me or I'm just not around.
The celedons stare at you for a moment, then look at each other and seem to converse momentarily in the same unison, humming voices.
Then they turn and look back at you and wave upward, open palms towards the benches.
Fenna looks to Sho for a cue since it turns out she speaks Azlanti, which is a surprising discovery for Fenna
Vexas still seems very dubious of the situation.
They want to... teach us? But why? You might be standing up in front of "the class" for quite some time translating, Sho!
Vexas takes a seat on the bench to the left.
No pop-quiz, please!
"But who is 'the woman from the far-away land'? Nobody from our group has made it this far inland that we know of. Do these celedons have information that the prior colonists are alive?"
Brannart will sit and listen, but he is impatient for news of the missing colonists.
Fenna follows Vexas and Brannart lead and has a seat. She adds a "thank you" as she does because she has good manners and she's convinced the two constructs are an absolute treasure trove.
"...thank you..." Brannart adds, somewhat ashamed of his coarse manners.
The two Celedons look at you and watch your actions. Then, in unison, they look at each other and speak together, as if mirroring the other.
In Azlanti "They speak the same language as the other. We should teach them Azlanti before they learn of our Mother Moon."
After Sho translates, Vexas looks around at the group and shrugs.
I'm game. It seems useful for us to know this language given the society that once inhabited this island. So, let's start with the essentials... how do you say "Ale" in Azlanti?
The Celedons leave momentarily and return to the building they exited prior. Shortly after, they exit again, each carrying one end of a darkwood chest before setting it down in front of the benches you now occupy. Opening the chest, they pull out a stone tablet chiseled with a runic-type script.
They introduce themselves as Ariel and Urlana and start teaching the Azlanti alphabet, using Sho to assist with translation. Part way through, they stop and look at each other. In the same hum-like, vibrating voices, they speak in unison. ”Maybe we should try some teaching in their language. We only know a little that we learned when the woman called Eliza Haniver stayed with us.”
Your ears perk up at the sound of the name Eliza Haniver. You recognize this name from the colony charter. Lyra Heatherly has also mentioned this name in passing as someone she was here to work with when Azlanti relics and artifacts were found.
Fenna thinks the pair of them are absolutely adorable.
Sho.... do you think you could ask them more about that name? Eliza Haniver? It seems important...
Brannart sits patiently and tries to listen during the language lesson. He isn't the fastest at picking up new things, but this is important.
The name Eliza Haniver does catch his attention. Vexas is on it, so Brannart tries to go back to studying the runes.
The Celedons continue their teachings in Azlanti, with Sho translating, and transitioning to Common when they know certain words and phrases. When they point to certain runes on the stone tablet, they make a sound which you begin to assume is how the letter sounds. Then they place several runes together, forming a word. They pronounce the word again; then say a word in common.
Sho finds a break in the teachings to ask about Aliza Haniver which makes them stop and look at each other, mouth agape and eyebrows raised. If a construct could show a face of confusion, this is what you would assume a construct’s face would look like. They turn to Sho and speak in Azlanti in unison using the same humming, vibrating voices, ”Why do you ask of Aliza Haniver? Did she not send you to us? While she was here, we briefly discussed the tower to the north. She was very interested in this tower and wanted to find it, but we wanted her to remain with us. We wanted to continue her teachings regarding our Mother Moon, Lady Acavna. She begged us to leave so she could explore the tower but promised to send more students. She left for the tower many months ago and has not returned. Are you not the promised students sent by Aliza Haniver?”
Before anyone can answer, they begin their teachings again as if the conversation never happened.
Despite not looking the part or having a profession that relates to it, Malakar is quite the student and pays close attention to the lessons and asks questions about mouth shapes and tongue positions for the words and letter and questions about the conjugation of words. However at a break in the lessons he asks some questions of his group.
"I know there are a great many deities and there are surely many I don't know but even among country folk such as myself we know of at least 2 dozen and a few dozen more by vague names even if we don't know their deeds. I have not heard of this Acavna. Have any of you heard of her. I assume some of us know more Azlanti history than others since you joined this quest."
"Also, not that this isn't fascinating but this is the first news we have heard of any other colonists maybe it would be pertinent to find this tower and maybe the fate of this Eliza?"
Brannart whispers in class...
"Yes, I think this tower is more important than this lesson... but I don't think the constructs will get tired of talking to us. How do we get out of this?
Do we say we should bring Aliza Haniver back for the lesson?"
Fenna is very engaged with the lesson, but she has to admit it would have been better if they could have chosen the timing themselves.
"Yeah, but I don't want to be rude. They're so sweet! Maybe we bring them more students?"
Specifically Perrell Bays and and maybe the priests come to her mind.
Fenna raises her hand to get the Celedons' attention. When she's called on to speak, Fenna brings up a couple of things.
"Pardon me, but could we take a break? I need to pee."
"Also, I would like to make a suggestion. It could help a great deal to keep in mind that we don't remember information as efficiently as you do. We need to receive smaller amounts of information in a lesson, and then be given time to practice if we are to remember it all and use it well afterward."
"I think you would find your efforts better rewarded by teaching several small groups in rotation for a shorter time. We could arrange to have other groups come, at least one more. Then you could cycle through the groups, teaching one for a while each day while giving the others time to practice between lessons."
Vexas perks up, interested to see what their ancient-tech "hall pass" looks like.
The Celedons stop their lecture to look at Fenna after she makes her request. They turn their heads and look at each, then turn back to Fenna. "Pardon us, we did not consider your biology in the lessons. You may take a break while we consider your suggestion." They point their chins skyward, then look back down,"Twilight is upon us. It will almost be time to pray."
The halfling stands and clears his throat.
Ahem. If I may. I think dear Fenna is demonstrating that we are near the end of our information processing limits. If we don't practice with this knowledge soon, we'll need to re-view some or much of it, and that's not the best use of anyone's time. You really should let us bring additional pupils.
The constructs stand motionless for several moments. They look at each other, then turn to Sho. ”Our Mother has cycled four full times since Aliza Haniver left us to travel north.”
The Celedons turn their heads to look at each other again. When they turn back, they look at Vexas. ”We have vast amounts of knowledge to share regarding our Lady Acavna, and we understand how students need rest and time to learn our teachings. How many students can you promise us? Can you send students who already know our native Azlanti language. These students will learn much faster, we believe. Although we want to teach everybody about the greatness of our Mother Moon.”
Vexas looks over at Fenna and Brannart, holding up a hand with shifting fingers trying to count in his head.
Uh.... four, six, eight? Who all do we think would be interested in this?
Talk of hard numbers makes Fenna a little twitchy. She doesn't want to give any false assurances.
Well... there's Perrell. Maybe Eamon and Kurvis, Nymbleth maybe. Maybe Carver... Lyra?"
Turning back to Ariel and Urlana, Fenna explains the problem.
"It depends on who is very busy right now. Most everyone is working on building the colony. An exact number for an exact time is difficult."
Perception Check #1 (DC 20)
Perception Check #2 (DC 20)
Perception Check #3 (DC 20)
The Celedons continue their questions about new students until the moon rises over the horizon. At this point, they stop speaking and lift their chins to stare at the moon. They remain motionless, as if they were actually statues.
In the morning the Celedons wish you well and remind you to send students to them. You reenter the jungle, traveling north.
The forest gives way to shattered fragments of rock and stone, the barest recognizable remnants of a lost civilization. Jutting from the grass and shrubs is a stone promenade, five feet wide with intermittent flights of short steps that climb up a gentle slope - while mostly intact, the stone is cracked and crumbled in spots most-likely due to time and the titanic upheaval of the past. Walkways extend east and west briefly before terminating into hills of wind-eroded stone rubble that might have once been buildings. A solitary, seemingly intact tower is visible on the northern horizon, approximately a mile away.
Brannart catches some sleep when the Celedons begin their observance of the moon.
In the morning, he leads the way through the forest with polearm in hand. Brannart takes notice of the ruins as the terrain changes.
Ten thousand years, was it?
Brannart's lips are moving, as he tries to practice his Azlanti language lessons.
He fails to notice anything specific, but having seen the condition of the steps, he waits for an "all clear" from his more observant allies before moving on.
Malakar enjoys a night in the wild and decides to forage for dinner instead of eating rations. (if needed)
++++++++++The Next Day+++++++++++++
Malakar observes the path.
"Sho, do these divots in the path not look like the ones we saw before? Something frequents this path be on guard!"
Once the Celedon's freeze in-place, gazing at the moon, Vexas leans back on his bench and sleeps until the morning.
As soon as they approach the stone promenade, the halfling immediately notices the rows of bushes lining both sides.
Look, there. He points at each of them in turn. Each bush conceals a small hole in the ground, under their leaves. I would say a tiny creature fits into... or out of each.