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Writings of Carson the Wise
Carson's Accounts is undoubtedly one of the most famous pieces of writing in West Riiga. Though the original copy of it remains intact within Venzet's Castle, there are copies all over North and South Ideitess. It reads as follows.5th of Lyte, 5004BD
I have finally gathered all I need to go on my expedition to the temple I have named Vyenri. With me stand five men with swords (just in case), three scouts, six artists to help me record visual details, a few extra men to carry things back, three weeks worth of food and some water carried by horses, and no fellow scientists. I cannot stand them anymore. Their minds have turned away from the very reason we began to study things. We built the glorious Trelinia using our knowledge, yet all they do is argue with one another to no end. But I digress.On this morning, the sun has greeted us warmly and is already promising me an adventure of grandeur proportion. After pushing through the bustle of the city streets, we came out into the verdant canyons that make our city so grand, and we turned and headed northwest. According to the directions the scouts had given us, we need only head towards the mountains that were up there to find the temple. The structure is supposedly against the sheer face of a cliff, partly carved into the mountain, but they took no more notice of the building, much to my disappointment. And so we rode.
7th of Lyte, 5004BD
We have set up camp. We had been on horseback for only two days and we can see the mountains ahead of us. We rode out of the canyons and rivers of Trelinia and came to something between a field and a forest. I had never travelled this far before, so I was quite excited. I remember how bumpy the ride was, as there were no paved roads or dirt paths. People don't come up here. We're discovering new territory.
The urge to jump off my horse and start studying this vegetation puts knots in my stomach, yet I resist. I keep my gaze fixed on the horizon, where my temple awaits. Every night for some weeks I have been having dreams about what I would find. I dreamt not of treasure and gold, but of writing on walls that told of legends and stories. I dreamt of stumbling upon and deciphering explanations of the greatest mysteries in this world. Perhaps my expectations were too high. Perhaps.
9th of Lyte, 5004BD
I sit here in my tent gazing at the sketches I did of the temple's exterior, but the only feeling I have is how petty my scribbles are and how much detail I missed. The temple is very tall, as I expect temples elsewhere are, and surrounded by open windows so wide and tall that the stone between them could be considered square columns. From where I stood, there were no elaborate carvings in the panels of stone across the roof and base, contradictory to what I had predicted. It is as though they were made by a people who did not yet have a history. The very idea filled me with very mixed emotions. We have not yet approached the building. We are camped on a small plateau of soft grass and thick bushes that overlooks the forest area below, and behind us stand strong mountains. Tomorrow, I plan to enter the temple, but enter no below-ground or above-ground levels. It's true what they are saying about me -- I am letting my excitement get the better of me. I must restrain myself for the sake of accurate scientific analysis.10th of Lyte, 5004BD
Here I am, sitting on a broken piece of stone (the bricks they used are enormous!) and writing hastily in my journal, because I have made an amazing discovery. There IS writing on some of these walls, and the writing acts almost like signs. There is some near every doorway -- of which there are plenty -- and at most junctions in corridors. The light reflects off of the dark and sandy stone well enough for me to read them without aid from a lantern, though I feel that it will get much darker upon my going deeper. Ah, my mind is wandering. When I first saw this writing (which my artists are currently recording) I thought it looked familiar. And of course it was very familiar to me, because it is the ancient language we call Manamor.
I first found this language when I obtained half of a stone tablet that was found near Etalz. Upon analysis, I concluded that the tablet also said Etalz. I searched high and low for more tablets, and found a couple. I discovered that the Manamor language has a letter for every sound. Ah, I am losing focus again. This is not a writing on Manamor. As I was saying, since I had undertaken study of Manamor, I could compare them to the writing in Vyenri. Of course, I did so. However, none of it is in the language we speak, nor -- when I try to make sense of the words and sounds -- do they match any other language I have ever seen. I hoped to find more clues to translation in perhaps another level of the temple tomorrow.
Even as I glance across the inscriptions now, my mind is clicking away at what words could possibly mean what. If only there were survivors or some clues to help me. Alas, it is not that easy. It never is. I am absolutely positive of one thing, though, and that is that there are some great discoveries to be made. Ahh, how Central lacked in this department. Perhaps I should have trekked through Huirnon before sailing over here. I'm sure whoever reads this is cocking their brow, so I'm going to finish this entry by saying that I don't believe in regrets. Let's hope tomorrow grants me some keys.
11th of Lyte, 5004BD
Today was most fascinating! Oh where to start. It's all so exciting! At least, for me. We went to an upper level of the temple today. By our findings, I have concluded that this Manamor race that built and lived in this temple (and possible the others, as they are of the same design), either did not live for long or moved out after a short amount of time. Evidence that this particular temple was built for living is near zero, though there is in fact plenty of evidence that it was lived in: There are stone tables and chairs (quite large ones at that) in certain rooms, large and low slabs in the corners of others, and many stone shapes that resemble primitive furniture. There is only stone in here. I suppose wood would not have lasted however long it was since the Manamors lived here.Despite this, I found pieces of jewellery, such as wristbands and rings, engraved with the same language as the signs in the ground level. I still have no clue what any of it means. I am dreaming of finding some kind of guide to translation, but I know that this is me being unrealistic. That is extremely improbable. Still, I thoroughly searched the upper level, which happened to have some spectacular views from well-placed balconies. The stonework in the ceilings and railings is patterned quite geometrically -- quite unlike the flat and smooth stone blocks to be seen on the outside. Perhaps these people actually had a rich culture at one point. I don't even know what this temple was used for yet.
Upon scrambling out my findings on my tent floor, I compared all the tablets and jewellery with engravings to make sense of them. Most of them had a single word. I took some guesses on the spot and made notes of them; perhaps the words are names of whoever wore, inscribed, or created them, or perhaps they resembled something else... Elements? Deities we don't know about? Deities we do know about? Emotions or feelings? Personalities? Materials? I made some further studies. Items that seemed to be made of the same material had different words. That ruled my latter theory out instantly. I searched them carefully for small insignias or other symbols but found nothing. It was doubtful they represented factions, classes of magic, or elements. Still, I came up with no solid theories. I decided to wait until the morning when we were going to go down the staircase that was there. The staircase led underground, and there was a sturdy stone door sealing the passage at the bottom of the stairs, but that was all we knew.
12th of Lyte, 5004BD
We broke through the stone slab mere hours ago with hammers, and here I stand in the deep black of a corridor, having only my lantern to light what's around me. The corridors down here are very cold and dark. No light reaches here, unlike the upper level, where light reflected upstairs and also came in through the windows. The walls are stone bricks. The ceiling is stone. The floor is stone. There are no carvings of any kind just yet. I feel as though I should move onward. I insisted that I firstly go down here alone, so they are waiting for me to look around here. Above: Carson's sketch of the round stone slab. |
Well, I have discovered a very interesting room, but I went back and let everyone know I was all right first. Now we are all down here with our lamps and our sketch paper, and everyone is taking a liking to my discovery. This room is larger than the average room -- the ceiling is probably twice as high as the other ceilings, and they are quite high anyway. However, what is interesting about this room is what is on the floor. There is a shallow circle ridge and within that someone carved deep recesses into a round stone slab. It is like a miniature labyrinth of sorts, though it's not really confusing unless you treat it literally like a maze. It looks more like something with magical properties, though it's more of a gut feeling than a scientific theory. Science and magic don't often go hand-in-hand, so I am careful to separate the two. |
I am positive, however, that the slab is a doorway to something lower, but we cannot get it to budge. It holds tremendous weight and withstands much pressure. Our hammers did not even dent the stone and we cannot scratch it. Though it appears as all the stone around it, I know it is a different material -- one beyond our knowledge, perhaps. Upon closer inspection, the room has inscriptions all around a small stone strip between the wall and the ceiling. They appear to be instructions and there is clearly a step for all four sides of the room. Four phrases, four walls, four dominant points to this circular maze-like pattern, but what does it do when activated? We have no idea. Nothing I have tried has worked and I am quite lost for ideas.
I insisted on sleeping in this room tonight. At first, everyone was cautious and anxious, but I convinced them otherwise. I believe that the more time I spend within this temple, the clearer the messages it has been whispering for thousands of years will be to me. At least, that is my hope... My dream...
13th of Lyte, 5004BD
I woke up at what I thought was dawn, hoping that the tablet would somehow seem different. It wasn't. Everything remained as it had been the previous night. As my workers began to file in with their warm lights and recording what inscriptions they could find, I urged myself deeper into the temple. There was, I believe, another staircase that led to a second basement level. This staircase was at the opposite end of the room with the circular slab, so it's unlikely that the slab (if it's a doorway) simply leads to the level below.I was right. The second basement leads to the north, whereas the circular room is at the southern end of Vyenri. The very upper level seemed to be living quarters for the majority of the populace. The ground level was an entrance hall of sorts, and also served as a good place to defend the temple from, if in fact they had enemies in this area. The lower level had a collection of corridors and large rooms with some stone tables. It seemed to me like a barracks. I could almost see the weapons lined against racks on the walls and the elders crowded around tables to discuss military plans. All speculation. Though, why the round slab would be on the 'barracks' level is beyond me.
As I was saying, this second basement is much like the previous, only the darkness is somehow darker and the air is far colder again. Corridors are so wide that I cannot touch both walls with either hand. This is very unnerving, because I am not sure what is around me. The air here dulls my lantern so my sight is limited. I pressed on until I found a suitable place to write what I am writing now. I am in a room where a wall has been smashed into, and large bricks litter both this room and the room it leads into. I haven't yet brought myself to enter this second room. Perhaps I have to --
Ah, I have just discovered that some of these bricks have a very peculiar kind of metal hinge attached. Visually drawing up where these bricks may have gone, I predict that this hole was once a doorway containing a wooden door. Whatever broke through it must have been too big to fit through. Perhaps there were enemies of the temple-dwellers here. I have built up the courage to enter this second room.
Oh, nothing could have prepared me for this! Within this room are signs of a battle. It is so very odd. For some reason, I cannot bring myself to stop trembling. Bones of alien nature lie before me in an undisturbed state. Even its bones are unscathed. Swords unlike anything I have seen lie through its ribcage. Plates of crude and dark armour lie about it, but there are no bones of other living things here besides this 'monster'. Just before, I reached down to take some of the smaller bones but then I didn't. This would have to be drawn, I said to myself. I shall refrain from collecting until later. It feels like so long since I have slept, so, without any idea of time of day, I sleep on the floor here.
14th of Lyte, 5004BD
At least, I think it is the 14th. I attempted to go back to the previous level but have found myself in the rooms joined by the huge hole. Now I sit here feeling quite uncomfortable. I am unsure of how much longer this oil will last. In my mind, I want to desperately push onward, but petty things hold me back; what everyone else is thinking about my disappearance, how to find my way back, the oil in my lantern... just to name a few. Oh well, I suppose I will try and head deeper and record as much as I can anyway.Against all my predictions, there is another floor below this one! And still none of these rooms seem to line up with the circular slab above. Oh how fascinating this place is! There are less rooms and more corridors. Lower ceilings and more signs of fighting. Odd how there were no signs in the upper levels. I find another suitable place to sleep.
15th of Lyte, 5004BD
I declare that I do not know what day it is, so I am simply guessing. I went to sleep and woke up. That is all I know. My thoughts down here are cloudy. Perhaps it is the darkness and air. My lantern seems to be dimming further. I didn't even know lanterns dimmed so gradually before they ran out. My enthusiasm seems to be drying up. I shall stop complaining now. I feel that this record is getting too informal.I feel enthused again! I have stumbled upon a round room with a large round column (possibly hollow) in the centre, and this one was at the end of a long corridor. It does seem to line up with the above circle, though it is significantly wider in circumference. Perhaps there is a spiral staircase within this cylinder in the middle of the room. I firstly searched the single wall of the room for anything, but it is plain. I then moved to the central wall protecting what I predicted to be a stairwell, and found that there were many phrases encircling it in Manamor. I will begin writing them down now for later translation.
I am confused. As I was writing down the first line, I thought I had heard a voice. It muttered something to me that was quite incomprehensible, and though it sounded like it was in my ear, nobody was there when I turned to look. Most eerie. To make matters worse, after it had whispered its single sentence, my lantern seemed to dim significantly, as though turned down a level. The inscriptions became progressively harder to read but I managed to record them all. And now I sit in this room, staring at what little portions of text my lantern reveals.
16th of Lyte, 5004BD
Again, I am unsure of the exact date. I haven't slept in what feels like days. Against all odds, I am back on the ground level, though I have come out a different man. Allow me to explain: In this cylindrical room a few floors down, I had been sitting and waiting and thinking, and then I had heard distant voices. They saw me before I saw them. My workers had come down to look for me but they saw me before I saw them. What was most odd was when I asked them why they had carried lanterns down there that were almost out of oil. They said their lanterns were fine, as was mine. My stomach turned. I know now what had happened. Some how or another, I had begun to lose my sight. Even as I scrawl these last words hastily onto my accounts, I can barely see what it is I just wrote. I am thankful for the fact that I wrote as often as I did, lest these accounts were never made. We are returning home today. It was not my idea, but I cannot argue against the others. I cannot even see them.As a final note, it is not the 16th of Lyte today. It is the 22nd of Lyte.
Here ends Carson's Accounts. To read more about what happened before and after this, see Sage Carson.
