Arturus's page

"An old story from my days in Aroden."

Aha, caught your slip of the tongue! So Aroden had himself reincarnated as a Sargavan... didn't see that coming.

The half-elf then proceeds to describe the images on the walls as best he can, although he prefers to let the old scholar do most of the talking, seeing as how such things are a little more his area of expertise.

Happy to be in his area of expertise and leaving General Morvius to settle the remaining issues surrounding the golem, Arturus explained how he and his scholars had segmented the swirling images into ten separate "acts" and went on to describe them in great detail, adding his team's comments and speculation as he lectured-

The programmed images showed the following acts sequentially, with images swirling and flashing to portray different scenes-

What we appeared to have triggered was a classic Journey story. The scene is set, the protagonist embarks and faces a great deal of danger; returning triumphant. Acts 6 and 7 convinced us we were actually seeing a loose life story of this protagonist- almost certainly the Azlant depicted on the largest statue, in a place of honor in the entrance chamber.

Act 1: The first scene shifted several times to show seven separate battles. Hundreds of Azlant soldiers faced off against hordes of apes and ape-like demons. One particularly large and majestic looking-ape was always present, often in the thick of the fighting. His martial prowess was clearly respected and/or feared by the image's creator. Thousands of smaller monkeys and even some demons were also present in the enemy ranks. In each battle, it seemed the Azlant were able to hold the enemy at bay; but never truly routed them. Interestingly, Arturus managed to spot and identify the Bandu Hills in the background of one of the battles, suggesting Sargava was once under Azlant control. In addition, a few of the battle scenes showed Mwangi warriors being used to support the fighting where it was less thick. The impression given was certainly that the Azlant were defending territory.

From what we've gathered, it seems the Azlant had themselves a sizeable colony in Sargava, at the very least the eastern edge of it. Quite unexpected- there has been, to date, no other archaeological dig site to support this find... The large ape must, of course, be the Gorilla King of that time. He is significantly larger than reports of other Gorilla Kings; likely the illustrator exaggerated his stature.

Act 2: A figure that closely resembled the central statue in the room, perhaps known as Arioch, led a well-armed and diverse group of Azlant's past mighty walls and defensive formations, moving stealthily towards the distant and ancient jungles of the Mwangi Expanse. The group bore a distinct resemblance to a band of adventurers and included a muscular, heavily armoured Mwangi warrior who seemed to be the leader's bodyguard.

Act 3: The small band were engaged in many fierce battles and skirmishes with Ape's and Charau-Ka; often vastly outnumbered, as they seemed to go deeper and deeper into the jungle. The leader seemed to be a powerful magic-user and was often depicted slaying multiple foes. Nevertheless, their numbers dwindled as the members of the company were slain or left surrounded, buying time for the unknown mission. Eventually, only the leader and Mwangi bodyguard were left, as they gazed from hiding upon a monolithic city infested by Gorilla's.

This city is almost certainly the ancient Usaro; domain of the Gorilla King. Records date Usaro as having been founded sometime around six or seven hundred years ago- a gross inaccuracy, according to this story. It must have pre-dated Earthfall... Perhaps protected by powerful magic, as this structure must have been.

Act 4: Apparently having entered the city, this scene depicts the leader, apparently having just placed an object from some kind of pedestal into his (clearly magical) bag in some kind of treasure vault. Surrounded by wealth, coins and jewels to make even a dragon jealous, the leader teleported away with tears in his eyes as his Mwangi bodyguard was slain, utterly surrounded by four-armed, white apes. Dozens of dead ape-like humanoids surrounded the brave warrior.

The treasure vaults of Usaro are legendary even today.

Act 5: The lone survivor of the mission, the leader, was seen holding his magical bag aloft in triumph to much older-looking Azlant; stood in a semi-circle around him like some kind of council. Although the image did not produce sound, the wizard seemed to talk the council around after furious debate.

The protagonist explains his actions to the elder council of his people. A common theme. It seems as though they heard him out and acted upon his words, but thats just our guess. The images are very carefully created so that the contents of this bag are never seen.

Act 6: These scenes portrayed dozens of Azlant's marching into a newly built structure, clearly this very one, accompanied by hundreds of Mwangi servants. The wizard was with them, at the very front; but he seemed at least a few years older. Once inside, the wizard seemed to be testing the Azlant's skills and abilities, teaching them and training them.

We've not been able to establish much about the structure's layout from these scenes unfortunately. They flash through at an extreme speed.

Act 7: A far, far older man, the wizard was seen here speaking with five lieutenants, two of which seemed to be Mwangi rather than Azlant. They seemed to be imploring him not to leave, but his face and gestures were grave. Garbed for adventuring once more, he teleported away. Appearing just outside of the monolithic city once more, he was seen entering it as the scene faded to blackness.

We have come to the conclusion that the Mwangi who lived inside this structure were eventually fully integrated into whatever it was they were doing here. Equality arisen from decades of close proximity, I am sure.

Act 8: This scene seemed to only be present to show the vast passing of time. Hundreds of years flashed by in mere moments, with great battles and Azlant accomplishments visible for the briefest of moments. A new scene seemed to zoom inside the structure once more; and showed a magical gateway of some kind being created and completed. Men, supplies, weapons and animals were continually escorted through the portal. As time passed, the volume of people passing through diminished to a halt.

We... were baffled as to both the inclusion of this scene and of the portal's presence. Perhaps it was a mechanism to another bolt-hole, should this one fall?

Act 9: This act depicted a scene of bloody battle inside corridors and grand, ornate rooms; Azlant and Mwangi fighting side by side against other Azlant and Mwangi; some kind of civil war, judging from the similar appearance of both of the sides. The scene came to a halt as the demon-summoning Azlant leader of one side was finally slain.

As Tebati mentioned- civil war of some kind. It seems these Angazhanites rose up.

Act 10: In the aftermath of the battle, those living inside the ancient structure seemed demoralised and near-broken; leaving in some kind of organised exodus. Mages could be seen placing powerful spells upon the structure and surrounding it, while in stark contrast to the exodus from the pyramid, a single Azlant man was displayed being put into what could only be described as some kind of petrification effect, inside one of the rooms of the structure. Frozen like a statue for unknown reasons while his fellows left the structure, his was the last image to be displayed before the walls; and the room's persistent humming- fell silent.

This... Arturus said, his excitement completely apparent. This may be the power that the Grand Custodian spoke of! Perhaps this Azlant still resides in this very room, with much of the knowledge of the First Humans!

After Kieran speaks:
"So that is what you were doing.. It fits with what I was able to patch together. I found some old stories from an eastern Zenj tribe that spoke of "Ariochites" as a tribe opposing the demon lord. The tales say that Arioch, the great hero of the tribe, slipped into '...the heart of their power' and stole Angazan's greatest treasure.
The tales are none too clear about what this treasure was but they say that while the Gorilla kings were able to replace it the copies could not hold a candle to the original."

Indeed, the story told upon the walls of this place seem to match these stories exactly... Perhaps a powerful beast of some kind, maybe even the original ancestor of the High Girallon? It would fit the Ravener King to have an answer to Rovagug's spawn... the scholar speculated.

"More importantly I kept finding references to Mwangi leaving their tribes to join the 'Order of Arioch'. I cannot be sure if these folks are joining an actual functioning order or if 'joining the order' has become a kind of slang for walking into the bush when life at home gets difficult."

Jakob clears his throat self-consciously.

"Nothing is clear but the written references alone span over two hundred years so something is keeping the phrase alive."

"If the order is still functional then I would expect a visit before too long."

Arturus thought for a moment and then proposed-

Is it at all possible this hostile force of Mwangi who have attacked our camp are the last vestiges of this Order?

Tebati's eyebrows are raised by the entrance of Ansha's 'companion' and its state of undress, but she tries to ignore the uncanny object's unnatural stillness and silence as she reports. "The 'Angazhanites' the Ariochites feared and set their defenses against were less the fanatical followers of the Ravenous King and his creatures than members of their own order who challenged their leaders' dictates. That pyramid was built to protect and contain something, something the Demon Lord of Beasts desired, but some of the members of the Order wanted to do more than merely guard it; they wanted to harness its power to their own ends of defeating Angazhan. In doing so, the Archons claim, they became subverted and corrupted. That must have been the battle we saw on the wall of illusions, the civil war between those loyal to their superiors and those who rejected their authority." She breaks off shortly, unnerved by the impassive gaze of Ansha's golem. "Must it remain?" she demands of the elf.

Keen to move on swiftly from the topic of the naked Golem, Arturus nodded sagely.

What you say sounds likely Tebati, based on the conclusions that my team and I have drawn from studying the story upon the walls of the entrance chamber. We had thought that the battle depicted upon the walls was another faction of Azlant entirely. It sounds possible that this object they were so divided over was taken from the very heart of the Ravenous King's power on the material plane; Usaro, the city of the Silverbacks. But, I will share my conclusions once Kieran has had his say. After all, it was thanks to his ingenuity that we have had such leisure to study the marvel! he prompted with a genuine smile, looking upon the half-elf with pride.

General Morvius nodded assent.

Albert and his squad are fully at your disposal; you have my authority to do as you propose in this regard. We have no priests in this camp save for Shamaness Tebati herself. I assume she will assist.

Arturus spoke up next, waving a piece of parchment he had been scrawling on.

I will study these creatures and the plaques you speak of Ansha. I have been making some mathematical calculations and- based on the height of both of the levels you explored; I have concluded that the structure likely has six levels in total, each larger in terms of volume than the last; unless the walls become thicker lower at the base of course... It is also possible that there are further floors if the structure extends underground.

Not sure there's actually that much more to discuss now- any questions group or shall I move on to your possible downtime activities?

Will have a catch-up post for Ansha and another post for Qhude now some time has passed. Does the group have consensus then, to try out N'bellocq's suggestion?

Its the large blue tent, by the gatehouse Arturus directed helpfully.

Nothing so expensive, no. Arkus has scrolls of Sending but he uses them explicitly for requisitions from the capital Arturus replied while he examined his diagrams of the structure and various, scrawled notes, many of them disorganised and with a multitude of question marks scattered over the pages. The elderly Taldan was apparently keen to keep himself busy while the group discussed his next move.

In response to Ansha, Arturus offered-

My good lady, if we thought there was any chance these local Elves or Halflings had actually discovered anything about this structure, I would encourage you to seek them out. As it is... it seems improbable they could have discovered it through the formidable illusions masquerading it.

Clearly taken aback somewhat by Tebati's words, the older man went a little red and stumbled over his words a little, flustered.

I meant no offence Tebati... erm... what is the Magaambya, may I ask? I can admit my scholarly expertise has mostly been Avistani in nature but I am always keen to learn more!

Arturus shrugged.

Scouts reported seeing the occasional hunter or patrol. I gather they are a simple, primal tribe; but its not really my area of expertise. We're here for the structure, not to track down natives.

Arturus did his best to answer each question in turn, gallantly ignoring the brusqueness of Jakob's comments and Qhude's exit. General Morvius frowned heavily at the apparent conflict present.

Unfortunately... None of the squads of soldiers sent through the main entrance has returned. We aren't entirely sure if they have been slain or merely trapped by whatever defences the structure possesses. Detection spells don't seem to function through the walls of the structure, and although the main entrance leads to a corridor of darkness; we suspect that the soldiers were magically transported when they reached the end of it... We have lost four full squads; just under forty men. We haven't launched an exploration in some weeks now; General Morvius was sure a mixed group of both metal and magic would fare better.

General Morvius answered the questions about the soldier's wounds.

We have met opposition from guerilla forces, based somewhere in the jungle. Blowpipes, archery, poison and stealth... never a full-scale attack but they have been harassing this camp for some weeks now and our men are feeling the strain. They seem to be Mwangi but we don't know their motives or faction. If you wish to contact the Elves you are welcome to do so; if you can find them. But the structure was warded with powerful magic; I doubt they were even aware of it.

Arturus tackled Jakob's questions as best he could, frowning at his admittance of a lack of knowledge.

Truthfully, we don't know who built this or why. There are no markings on it and although I have estimated it is at least three thousand years old, there is little indication of who built it. Perhaps the Azlants themselves? The masonry has been magically treated, which is why it is so well preserved; such a thing suggests colossal expense and power hmm?

Arturus looked the group up and down.

You don't seem so tired to me, but you are free to rest a day or two before your delve. The Pathfinders? They would seek to claim what lies within for them. The Grand Custodian has reason to believe great power and wealth lies within this structure; and great discoveries. The Pathfinders would seek this for their own purposes. Arturus looked confused. General Morvius assured me you were willing and capable. I am sure you shall succeed where our foot soldiers failed. You have been equipped by the nation of Sargava at great expense; I hope you are up to the task.

Arturus gestured to the drawings Ansha was peering at.

With a perimeter of 1,200 feet and a height of approximately 150 feet; 20 feet for each of the five levels and approximately ten feet of gradual spacing between them... The area inside could be of immense size. We have tried to tunnel into the lowest level, at great expense and cost. The masonry is incredibly strong and even more astounding; it regenerates itself. Nevertheless, we carved an entire two feet into the outer wall before giving up.

General Morvius smiled wryly at Tebati's statement but did not inquire further. With a wave of his hand, he motioned the caravan fully inside the complex.

A short time later, Morvius led the Umkhaya into one of the large pavilion tents. Inside, an elderly looking scholar had set himself up, with various drawings and sketches of the pyramid hanging from various lines of rope, criss-crossing the room. Although the pavilion tent looked modest from the outside, it was obviously magical in nature; it was three times larger on the inside than it appeared from the outside.

The white-bearded scholar beamed at the newcomers with the happiness of a carefree grandfather doting on his grandchildren.

Ah, you've finally arrived! Be welcome, be welcome! As you can see, i've been studying the structure from the outside... My name is Arturus. I'm sure we'll be seeing lots of each other, don't you know?! Do you have any questions in particular, before your delve?