A Riddle Crypt
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Chapter 1
Ainsley has been asked to come into the University to meet with the Chancellor and the Head Librarian, the tall ivory tower that houses the Chancellor's office awaits her, a spiral of stairs leading up to the glass sided offices up top where a pair of guards admit Ainsley to the office. The Chancellor is an ancient raven with grey feathers and the Librarian by their side is a slender huamn lady with short brown hair.
Ainsley would enter the room with a cheery look to her eyes, step up to exactly the appropriate distance-- wait, she even measures it with a ruler she pulls from her robes, strange girl --for a 'proper' greeting. "Scholar Ainsley, at your service, Chancellor!" She seems almost perfect in politeness, if only somewhat odd when she's doing it. Her voice, being lizard-like, makes the whole image of a crazy reptile scholar come together fairly easily.
The Chancellor smiles "Thank you for joining us Scholar Ainsley, welcome to the University. We want you to undertake a mission of some importance for us. An archaelogical dig sight has unearthed some matrials we wish you to cataloguem translate and investigate where it leads."
An archaelogical dig!? Ainsley perks up and griiins at the Chancellor! "I'd love to! The past does need to be known, after all." She waggles her tail, and then looks at the Librarian a moment, and back to the Chancellor, "So would I be going alone? And am I going to get any compensation, in case something there wakes up and tries to eat me?"
The Head Librarian smiles and shakes her head, "No, you will be travelling out to join Professor Agatha, she will be expecting you. Our sources say you are the best placed to investigate this matter. Once there you will be being paid the Universities general fee of thirty gil a day."
Ainsley nods at the pair, and waggles her tail slowly... She pats at her robes, pulling out pieces of paper, and then a notebook... She frowns at how tattered it is, and flips through it, then closes it. "And writing supplies, what will there be there in the form of writing supplies? If there isn't enough, I will need to gather blank books to bring with me." The chancellor smiles softly, "All supplies will be provided at the Professor's Camp, it is an old temple we have discovered in the Giza Plains, we want to discover why it was abandoned."
"Mmh, alright," Ainsley replies, seemingly subdued by the reply, stuffing the notebook back in her robes. She shrugs her shoulders. "The Giza Plains... Ah, I hope it doesn't rain, that would be terrible." She shivers at the thought of dealing with the waters rushing along the Plains. "Thank you for this opportunity. Should I be taking chocobo, or hopping on an airship there?"
The Chancellor smiles at the lizard lady, "A chocobo has been prepared for you in the stable as well as a pack of supplies for your journey out to the dig site. I will be expecting a full report."
Ainsley nods and gives a bow to them, wiggling her tail. "A full report and thensome, if I can help it, Chancellor. Documentation is my strong point, after all." She grins toothily at them once more, very proud of that skill. "I'll be going as soon as possible," she says, turning to leave, excited to get to the plains. Then she realizes she's terrible at riding chocobos, and reaches up to scratch at her head. "Hmm, might be a bumpy ride, though." Seems she forgot proper manners this time, but she's enthusiastic about helping.
The Chancellor gives the librarian a long look, she smiles and follows after him and walking down with Ainsley. "Miss Ainsley we are giving you a good oppurtunity here, it is my hope that you will be able to impress the chancellor so I may offer you a place here at the Library permanantly."
Ainsley halts when she hears that, and looks over at the Head Librarian with biiig sparkly eyes, which might seem a little cute. "I'll be a Librarian...?" she asks, her voice somewhat hushed, and deeply surprised.
"Yes eventually, at first you'd just be an under-librarian you'd be assigned a post in the archival department making sure everythng is stored in its correct place and catalogued properly. But for now we want to see how you handle being out in the field." Ainsley cheerfully grins at them, and turns to continue walking toward the stables-- which she seems to know from heart, despite not having attended or been here in the University for long. Maybe she read a map of the University grounds...?
The Librarian holds opebn the door, a blue chocobo has been saddled, large saddle bags full of supplies, plus a tent and bed roll rolled on the back. "I hpe you will be able to help Agatha"
Ainsley nods a couple times! She finds a nice spot on the stable fences to hop up onto the chocobo, since, well, she's short-- after she opens the fence gate, of course --and tries to urge the chocobo onward, sitting somewhat awkwardly on the seat because of her smaller frame making her feel a little compromised.
The Head Librarian raises a hand, "Take care Scholar Ainsley, I shall see you soon, take care now and good journey and swift." She watches you ride out of the University and through the city streets toward the AShe Bridge and onward.
Ainsley waves at the Head Librarian, and smiles as the Chocobo brings her onward. She peeks up at the sky, and pulls the hood of her robe over her head, so that the sun doesn't beat on her face the whole way. The reptile considers the trek, and idly checks her supplies to see if she has enough water, and all sorts of other busy activities. Then, when she's sure she has time, she pulls out a notebook, and starts scribbling on it, while absent-mindedly directing the chocobo along the correct course every couple minutes.
Ainsley heads out of the city, south to the docks were she has to get the ferry over to the start of the Giza Plains as they roll out across the land. She is oblivious to all however as she starts out across the plains. The map she was given to the dig site indicates it is a three day ride.
Ainsley frowns somewhat at the map, and keeps urging the chocobo along. She peeks up from what she's doing, and looks around the plains, her eyes squinting... She can't tell one stretch of land from another, so her eyes scan for landmarks, or for visible roads that she may be able to use to figure out where she is.
The Giza plains are wide, open and the same, long stretches of sear brown grass, pools of water, the odd outcropping of rock or a gully worn out by a rushing stream. But thanks to Ainsley's sharp mind she is able to put together the correct route, heading south by west across the plains through the tall grass and pools of water. Her Chocobo easily riding over the pools as if they were solid ground. Ainsley also becomes aware that about two miles behind her someone is following her bird on foot, they are short and oddly attired but they are definatley following her along weaving and ducking. They are very good at hiding.
<MISSING DATA>
Chapter2
Ainsley's tent has been quite comfortable, there was a bath provided, nice hot water, soaps and oils and a decent meal. In the morning Professor Agatha's secretary interupts your breakfast to inform you that the Professor will see you in twenty minutes in the main tent. Ainsley finishes up breakfast quickly, pleased by the hospitality that she's received here at camp. She looks all tidy-- and shiny scales, too, the oils helped with that! Luxurious~ --and prepared for the road ahead. She casually heads to the main tent, scurrying along with a smile on her face, heading on inward, if everything goes smoothly.
The main tent when you enter is some form of organised chaos. There are tables and workbenches strewn with gizmos, gadgets, mist powered engines in partial deconstruction or maybe rebuilding... sat at table reading a pile of notes is a large, buxom human with cascades of golden, sparkling strawberry blonde hair. She looks up and smiles "Ah Scholar Ainsley, good you are here, how was the trip out?"
Ainsley becomes immediately distracted by the engines, wandering over there, but halting, and looking over to the woman. She smiles, and replies with a frank tone of voice, "It was terrible. I was certain someone was following me the whole way, barely got any sleep as a result. I just hope they aren't going to be trouble later."
She waves a hand, "Ah if anyone followed you I'll have a guard mechana arrest them or something." she stands up, revealing that she is wearing sensible canvas trousers, a large tool belt and she picks up a large duster jacket and goggles. "You ready for your first assignment my young lady? you came highly recommended by the Head Librarian."
Ainsley claps her hands together! "Yes, ma'am! I'm prepared for the assignment!" She even blushes some, at her own excited behavior toward someone she's obviously going to be working with. She makes a soft coughing noise, and regains her softer attitude. She pulls out various notebooks from her clothing to organize them carefully, sticking her tongue out, and pulls out a ruler that she uses to measure things, trying to figure out the most efficient pockets to place them in.
Agatha pulls on her goggles and nods and strides out of the tent, "Excellent, now I can't let you go roaming around down in the temple. But I jhave brought up several tablets from the door chamber, great things" she ducks into a HUGE tent and points to three massive stone tablets covered in pictures and runes. "We have no idea what language this is or what it says and I am reluctant to venture deeper into the temple until I have a better understanding of it."
Ainsley follows Agatha to where the tablets are, and walks up to them to start examining them. The stone, first, for where it might've been taken from-- usually there's a lot of quartzite permutations from the drier areas, but she needs to make sure. Then she would start glancing over the script, looking at patterns, so she might be able to figure out what language it is. If it's obvious to her, she's not going to show it immediately. The professor smiles "Excellent, I'll leave you to work, Gregor and Handrich will help if you need anything" She points to two young men, a moogle and a Nou Mo, "I will see you tonighrt for dinner you can tell me what you have learnt."
After an examination of the tablets the best conclusion you can come to is it is either man made somehow or spirit made. The lattice work of crystals in the strata is too perfect, to uniform, the rock is also brilliantly hard, diamonide almost in its toughness and yet harsh and rough under your fingers as opposed to tough. The script is a very peculiar angular runic language, it certainly isn't something you can read but it is similar to certain scripts recorded in ruins in the ester sand and in the Kudic Peaks. The images also are peculiar, looking straight at them all you can see is a fuzzy outline, there is definatly an image there.... but it is out of focus somehow blurring the lines and shapes.
Ainsley stares at the image for a long moment, squinting at it. Her hand rests on a tablet and lays flat on it, and she leans closer as she attempts to examine for details, looking over the script. She pulls out a notebook and starts writing things down. 'Kudic Peaks/Ester Sands? Spirits?' She tilts her head. 'Magical?' She sets the notebook off to the side, examining all of the tablets. "Three of these..." She rubs her chin, trying to think on what she knows of this kind of thing.
The tablets are a set, one in the centre with the blurred image on it, and two to either side with script on it in a very formal looking setting. Another interesting fact is they havbe been carved with the script and images and then coated in an outer layer of something clear, creating that rough surface and stopping you from fingering the grooves of the tablet itself. Your assistants are happyu to bring you a stool to sit on and better light if you need them as well as water to drink and snacks to eat. Your knowledge of such things is limited, there isn't much on it, the runic script is similar to that found in a temple revealed forty years ago after a landslide but subtly different. It could be a corruption of ancient Ogre or perhaps Goblin or Imp but slewed into a different direction somehow. As for the formation of this type of rock you know of some ancient texts speaking of ancient machines that can chew up base rocks and extrude a super hard and specialised rock form.
Ainsley does get the stool, picking a point where she can overlook all three of the tablets for the best examination. She rubs her chin, still staring at the blur. Her finger taps her cheek. She starts scribbling notes down once more, on another page. 'Ogre/Goblin/Imp?' Her eyes squint at the blurred image. 'If magic is involved,' she writes down, 'then the middle tablet could carry an enchantment to prevent intruders from seeing the truth. If this is the case, then script on other tablets may not be showing what's really on them.' She taps her writing instrument against the side of her head. Click click. 'Made of specialized condensed rock; layered with some kind of glaze. Crystal? Difficult to determine. Possible source of blurring.' She would spend time thinking on that expedition, to try and remember, spending a long time just sitting there and staring at the tablets. She'd accept food distractedly, not really paying attention to the assistants except to murmur a "Thank you" whenever they decide to make sure she isn't neglecting her health.
There was one thing from that expedition, a type of enchantment that shrouded things from sight, it was quite complex and could only be dispelled by solving the riddle built into its casting. It produced a similar effect to this. You have the notes for the ritual in your bag someplace all you'd need to do now is find the riddle that needs to be solved, it doesn't appear to be on these tablets.....
Ainsley taps her head with the pencil some more. She writes down her findings in the notebook so far, giving a soft sigh as she recalls that she does have the ritual somewhere, and that the riddle might be down inside the temple. She hops off the stool, and starts writing down the script in another notebook, careful to do so. She's at least very good at this, able to copy the script reasonably well. She uses the notebook for easy comparisons, looking for patterns within it, to see if it could give hints...
Ainsley finishes copying the runic text and without that riddle there isn't anything else she can do in the tent or with the tablets. Her assistants are around but she has to decide if she is going to go find Agatha now or wait for dinner. ) [Spoofed By: Silvante]
Ainsley waits until dinner, examining the tablets for further clues, one last time. She can't afford to do this quickly; if she was highly recommended, she would have no reason to rush back to Agatha. Best to get everything she can. She does seem to be smiling, pleased that she had gotten something. It does occur to her that they might've considered what she's thought of already, but then it might just confirm for them so they can take action. This is one of the Scholar's dream tasks, so she's going to savor it.
One final thing does come to you when you are examining he tablets. Agatha said they found these in the entrance hall and that they have not ventured any deeper into the temple. So the riddle has either been found already and removed, mistaken for another artifact or it is still in that entrance hall someplace. There is another thing you remember about that expedition to that old and forgotten temple unearthed by a land slide, the magic in volved was not aligned to the Fire, ice, Earth, Air, Water or Lightning Domains but you never did discover which of the remaining domains it was linked too.
As this knowledge pops into Ainsley's mind, she writes it down in the notebook. 'Alignment unknown. Need to find the riddle connected to the tablets/rest of the temple' She reaches up to scratch at her head. Then she lets out a sigh, and...notices it's getting dark, by the light on the tent. "Goodness," she murmurs, finally coming out of her stupor. "Is it dinnertime...?" Her stomach rumbles... "Belly seems to think so."
Ainsley is escorted not to the tent she met Agatha in that morning but to another one, attached by a short tunnel of fabric to the workshop. This one is all plush carpets and drapes to ward off the night time chill. A large candle-lit table and dinner! And what a feast it is! Clearly the Professor has a lot of money behind her personally for this trip. )
Ainsley would wander up to climb into a seat, griiinning at the food. She would probably not wait to be told she can eat, because she's been working all day and she needs the energy after working her brain like that. She wiggles her tail, and pauses, opening the notebook to look through it and examine her notes.
Professor Agatha swans in and quirks a brow at Ainsley stuffing her face "Good lass, someone who isn't afraid to tuck in, so Scholar, what do you have for me." She sits down and pours herself some wine, "I'm all ears, lets hear what you have to say"
"It's quite likely that the temple is related to Imps, or to an expedition from about forty years back. They found script very similar to what's on those tablets. They also found a riddle, that needed to be solved to uncover the enchantment they had encountered that tricked their eyes otherwise. One of the tablets has an image on it that I can't quite make out, which might be revealed if I can just figure out what that riddle is." Ainsley bites some more food, and gives pause to let that sink in. "It's quite clear that the temple is magical in nature, and likely very old or very advanced. Possibly spirit-made. The tablets are very efficiently made, and the coating on them could have been crafted to prevent erosion. I can't give you any certainties unless you let me look into the temple itself, though. The tablets can't give me a proper context." More food chomping... "The temple's magic, from the other expedition, used very unconventional magic, not aligned to any of the ordinary domains of fire or lightning or the other domains like that, but I don't recall which one it was..." She sighs wistfully.
The professor nods her head listening and taking notes with one hand, "Well I don't want to take you into the temple just yet. It is dangerous down there but I can show you the other objects we removed from the main hall but none of them seemed overly relevant to us but you might see something we missed." She smiles "I can send a request to Rabanastre to the temple of Imp with a question if this is one of theres and so it's not an elemental temple? That leaves us with, Civilization, Death, Space and Time, Power, the Cycle and Knowledge... hmmm tricky stuff all ol them"
"I would like to examine the objects overnight," Ainsley requests, "And the tablets." She smiles at the professor, hopefully raising and swaying her tail, the reptile significantly excited by the idea of more studying and research. "I may be able to solve it, and that could make the temple safer for your expedition."
Agatha nods her head and munches on a leg of chicken then sets it aside and washes her fingers int he finger bowl, "In the morning, you've been working all day. I was warned about you, my staff work all day, eat good meals and sleep all night!" she gives Ainsley a look, "No exceptions, I won't have people working themselves into exhaustion."
A silly 'aaaaw' noise, and Ainsley droops some. Then she smiles and finishes her meal, topping it off with some wine. She does seem satisfied with this line of work. "I wonder if it's a Knowledge temple. That would be something, wouldn't it?" She wiggles happily, and then, when she's sure she's all finished, she hops out of her seat and stretches, then pats her tummy.
Agatha looks up, "If it is a knowledge temple then we are very lucky though waitig for the Mortal Sage to arrive from the Cerobi Steppes will be a pain. If it is a temple dedicated to Knowledge and Ramuh or one of his spirits then we must summon scholars from there to verify. But we can worry about that once we are able to go inside."
Ainsley gives a little laugh, and sticks her tongue out at the idea of waiting. She's in a good mood, though. "Should I go back to my tent now?" she asks, turning for the exit. Agatha looks up and blinks "Oh if you are done with dinner sure or stay and join us for the Roister-Daarnama!" she stands up and grins, "It's a bit of a square dancing ho-down our local guides from the Giza Planes are putting on for us. t is a lot of good fun"
Ainsley blushes deeply and replies, "I'm... I'm going to sleep. I have a lot of work to do tomorrow," she tells Agatha, avoidantly. She smiles back at Agatha, trying to look apologetic, but really she just seems nervous about the offer. She would then try to slip out and find her tent.
The professor smiles indulgently and winks "You go sleep Ainsley, i'll send Henric down with your breakfast tomorrow, try to get to know your assitancts a bit better"
Ainsley swallows and nods, not exactly excited about the prospect of getting to know people better. She would get to the tent, and then prepare for bed, only to flip through the notebook a while, having dressed down for sleep, and simply studies the script for a little while longer before eventually dozing off, if all goes smoothly.
All does go smoothly and in the morning there is breakfast, the moogle is there with a large tray after you have dressed for the day. The grey furred mog grins up at you, wings flapping, "Morning Kupo, he Professor said you wanted Breakfast then I am to show you the artefact tent"
Ainsley stuffs her face with some munchies, and peers at the mog as she chews on the food. She asks, "Henric, right? Thank you for the food." She tries to seem as pleasant as possible, though it's difficult with her voice and her scaly visage. She finishes her food, seeming awkward, wanting to talk but not sure how to relate to the Mog. She /should/ talk to people more, but she seems awkward about actual conversation. "W-well," she says, "Let's go to the artifact tent, then."
Henric smiles softly at her, not seeming put off, he's a moogle, he's short and fluffy and an engineer, he nods and leads her along to a small tent. Inside there are several artifacts he points out to you, "These are all from inside the main hall. The hour glass," He stops to show you a brass hour glass filled with lumunous silver sand. "This," he holds up a crystal sphere that glistens with darkness in its core. "And finally this thing, we are not sure what it is" it is a construct of black metal, quartz windows set in the spherical shape and inside a purplish glow.....
The scholar is absolutely intrigued by these objects, but none of them seem to grant her any obvious clues just by looking at them. She gives a studious look to them all, then, thinking on it, she gives Henric a hug. "I'll need time to study these objects. There has to be some kind of connection..." The proximity is probably weird, but then she'd get distracted with the artifacts, just like she did with the tablets, not wasting a moment longer. Studying these is very important, she believes. She'll get a job at the Library if she can help solve this riddle.
Henric blinks at the hug and laughs "Ah ehe kupo cool I'll be around if you need me. We found one other thing" He holds yp a large metal plate, "This thing" There are tiny wriggly lines all around the outside of it in concentrtic circles. He sets it down. "The rest is up to you kupo!" he grins and settles back to watch her work.
Ainsley examines the plate... Well, the first thing she does is examine the hourglass, and tries to figure out how all these artifacts may or may not work together, first by considering the lore behind them, then the arcane implications of their shape and materials, and of the specific magical power that they could represent. She becomes very focused on this, thinking on the magical knowledge she has, first and foremost.
Chapter 3
The items spread out before Ainsley are peculiar, they are also inso far as can be detected completly unmagical,. The copper plate, the Hourglass of brass filled with luminous silver sand and the black iron gridwork that holds the crystal sphere that glows with a dark purple light in its deepest core. There must be something magical but it doesn't register to any senses or abilities Ainsley may possess.
Ainsley looks at the various objects with some curiosity. She is seated and staring at them, all laid out in front of her in a row. She's not doing much blinking. She squints her eyes at one, and then another... A hand goes up to rub at her head, trying to think of any reason these all could work together. Maybe she'll get inspiration. She picks up the hourglass, carefully, setting it on the copper plate, to see if this is a more practical puzzle than it looks, and murmurs, "I really doubt it, but..." Otherwise she's just trying to think of any connections between the objects, and what they might symbolize.
The hourglass clicks to the copper plate and he sand begins to fount upwards into the upper bulb from below... spreading out... swirlking around the interior of the glass before feeding back on down into the one below. Henric blinks and stares at what is happening "Ok that is new..."
"Space and time," Ainsley murmurs to herself, reaching forward to grab the ironwork object and give it a proper lookover, gently pulling here and there, staring deep into the crystal. She glances over to the hourglass, as the sand does its peculiar sifting... she reaches over to grab and try and seperate the hourglass from the copper plate, furrowing her brow as she does so, to see if it'll terminate the logic-defying behavior of the silver sand.
As Ainsley's hand grasps the hourglass and tugs it free it seperates with a bit of difficulty but it comes away with a faint pop and the sand stops. As she does so a voice murmurs, whispering across her inner ear, "Sphere above, sand below and then the base......" Ainsley scrunches her brow as the sound comes up, rubbing at where her ear is-- well, being a reptile-like person, the ear hole. She attempts to arrange the various objects in this order; the sphere on top, with the hourglass below it, and the base below that, though she looks uncertain about how she's putting them. It's like a child with building blocks, the way her inquisitive eyes glow like that.
As you set the sphere on top you have a flash of preconscience and leap back, snatching up Henric and duck behind a table you over turn with a kick! The metal grid holding thwe sphere SNAPS down adn locks around the hourglass as the sand starts to dance and swirl up and into the sphere... the crystal turns clear as daylight.... almost as if it was not there... the silver sand dancing and spinning, dancing and weaving around the glowing purple heart and there... floating above the metal plates runes.....
Ainsley gasps with some surprise as she realizes she probably did something terribly unwise, and she's already behind the table, holding onto Henric with a firm hand. She doesn't peek over the table immediately, and clenches her teeth as she tries to go over in her head what a function this thing could possibly have. The components only activate when brought together-- it wouldn't be unfeasible for it to be some kind of ornate bomb. She scrunches her brow, at some thought that popped into her head. Despite her better judgement, she tries to observe the device from behind cover, watching with cautious eyes, keeping Henric behind the table.
The sphere is on top of the hourglass now, the black iron clasp that was wrapped abut the sphere is now locked about the hour glass holding it all together, the ends buried into grooves on the plates. The runes glow with green light and you recognize the language. A very archaic form of Goblin script, not imp at all... but from what you can observer from your hiding place it is the key to the runes on the tablet which should let you translate them and work out how to open the rest of the temple.
Ainsley pulls out a notebook and starts writing down the script as best she can observe it, staring at it from a safe distance. She doesn't trust something that's got goblin languages in it, not in the slightest. Pen scribbles against paper, writing everything down, trying to remember what everything means just by looking at the characters. She's smiling, though. This kind of thing is /thrilling/ to her.
It just sits there projecting those goblin runes and as you look closer a diagram... to unlock the temple it seems you are going to have to assemble this device inside the temple on its stand with the tablets back in position. This will allow the circuit to be complete, it's all technology it seems, no magic involved at all.
A sharp nod, and Ainsley cautiously steps out from behind cover, and walks over to try and pull the pieces away from eachother, assuming its safe to do so. She wiggles her tail, frowning at the device a moment as she tries to think of any safety systems something like this might have. It's too simple of a device, technically, but... Goblins are not predictable creatures. "Henric, I think I've figured out how to get deeper into the temple," she tells the assistant, without looking over at him.
The device quite flatly refuses to come apart now, the metal prongs are locked into position on the plate holding he whole thing together now. Henric peers at it, "Wow... i best go get the Professor, I'll be right back miss Ainsley"
"Bother," Ainsley protests, the device defying her best efforts. She places a hand on her hip. "I suppose it will have to be brought in like this, then," she relents, with a soft sigh and a helpless shrug of her shoulders. She glances off toward Henric, presuming he's still there, or wherever he scooted off to. She scratches at her head. "Well, that was easier than I thought. Peculiar that they would make it so easy to get into the temple." She leeeans and tries to figure out if it has a deactivation mechanism. "It would be a shame if this only worked once..."
The door flaps of the tent are swished opena nd in comes Agatha. She looks at the device and claps Ainsley on the back with a slap that makes her rock. "Magnificent! ye syes I see.. Goblin! It is mechanical we should have known... this levelk of technology is more advanced then anything I have ever seen!"
Ainsley tilts forward and nearly falls over. She bugs out her eyes from the startle, and then makes this very displeased look at Agatha, "P-please don't do that," she requests politely, despite her exasperated appearance. "You need to replace the tablets where they were found, and bring this device into the temple activated," she explains to Agatha, "It appears to be a key. A very strange and convoluted device, but I suppose that's enough to keep out the dumber treasure hunters." She smiles up at Agatha, "And is that all you needed?"
You say, "Perhaps," she frowns at the device and nods "I think I see some of this, this diagram mhmm it is beyond me, tell me can you translate this? The text I cna read it is Provan Goblin, quite old... very very old in fact. This place is much oldeer then I thought""
Ainsley considers the device, looking it over slowly. She peers over at Agatha, and then at the device again, looking uncertain. "I suppose I could," she replies, with a shrug of her shoulders. "It might take me some time, or it could only take a day or two. Depends on if I remember my goblin scripts."
The professor nods her head "Well it looks like your research is paying off, lets retire to celebrate whilst the work men take everything back down to the temple." she beams "You did good"
Ainsley opens and closes her mouth, blushing at the praise, despite her effort to brush it off. She smiles at the professor, and then motions, "Lead the way?" she gives a big bright smile up at Agatha.
The Professor steps outside and barks out orders in that large manner she has and then leads the way back across the camp to her tent and cracks open a bottle of champagne calling in the other researchers. Two viera, three more moogles, six humes, a panther-kin and a Tonberry. "Right everyone I want you all to meet Ainsley here," she claps the lizard girl on the back, "She just solved our big mystery, we are back in the archaelogy business!" She pops the cork and the scientists in the tent cheer!
Ainsley goes absolutely red in the face from the attention that's suddenly placed on her, having not expected all these people to be gathered together. She protests weakly, "S-stop doing that," from the pat on the back, and smiles awkwardly at everyone. She looks at the champagne, and around the room, rubbing the back of her neck, looking nervous about this, never quite looking at their eyes.
The champagne is flowing freely and everyone wants to talk and congratulate and thank Ainsley, shaking her hand and clinking glasses. She's the centre of attention right now and it isn't shifting any time soon!
Ainsley starts to relax some, but is constantly flushed because it frays her nerves to get so much attention. She relaxes more and more as she manages to get some champagne into her, and even gets to the point where she's beaming proudly, because it's hard not to once the initial shock is gone.
Agatha smiles and leads the way out to the edge of the dig site to watch ther work crews moving the tablets "Tomorrow we can go down to the temple and see what we can see together Ainsley. We'll crack this place wide open"
"Together, then," Ainsley replies, cuuurling and wiggling her tail and cracking a big grin. She's more excited just to look at the dig site, and get a peek at what the soil looks at near the entrance of where they're going. "Uncovering every secret left within..." she daydreams, getting that distant look to her eyes.
Chapter 4
A new morning and Ainsley is a little bit hung over, there was after all a lot of Champagne and Wine at last nights celebration in her honour at having worked out part of the puzzle! Still today should be a good day, everything should be in the temple ready fore them to uise the device on and try to translate the tables.
Ainsley wakes up, and immediately regrets her decision to party with everyone. She sighs exasperatedly and gets ready to go, climbing out of her bed, throwing on her robes, and leaving her tent to go toward the temple proper, looking mildly groggy, but otherwise fine. She's just glad she didn't wake up with one of the people here curled up against her or something weird like that. That would have been terrible.
Crossing the camp is Agatha, the professor smiles when she sees you and booms "Good Morning Ainsley! Come on lass me and you are off to solve the puzzle of this damned place!" She doesn't seem to be any worse the wear for last nights indulgences! Rotten luck! Still see seems happy to lead the way down into the excavation sight and across the dug out packed earth toward the doors on the far side
Ainsley winces quite visibly from the loud voice, making this scrunched face at Agatha. She follows along though, chuckling warily at Agatha's enthusiasm. She follows along to the doors and stops nearby, reaching up to rub at one of her eyes and stare at the doors, her mind already trying to pick up details here and there, even if it's addled by a hangover headache.
The doors are ancient, the wood long rotten, the doorframe is caked with mud and dirt were the greater blockage has been dug away "We dfound this full with muck and mud for the first two hundred feet then it opens up." She leads the way into the gloom, holding up a large lantern and down a set of mud slimed stairs
Ainsley tilts her head as she follows Agatha... going into the gloom helps with her headache at the very least, but the scholar looks unhappy about the mud and the ancient smell. She looks around for a handhold so she won't slip on the stairs-- it's not likely that she will, but she doesn't want to have too much confidence when she has a hangover. She's still silent, her mind mulling over things like soil composition and nearby structures.
The stairs are wide and broad, and the hall before you opens up into something that must have been quite grand when it was above ground. Now it is dark, the windows without glass and blocked with more durt and rocks and debris, the centre part of the hall excavated however and at the far end the light glistens on the device with its glowing green runes. Just behind it are the three tablets set into the floor and then just beyond them a large sealed stone doorway.
Ainsley doesn't wait to be told to walk up to the device. She looks at it, and toward the tablets. She squints at the one that would have had the blurred image on it, and then to the device once more. "The doors didn't open?" she inquires, with somewhat of a rough voice, even for her. "Curious."
The Professor snorts, "Well of course the doors, by your own admission we need to solve some sort of riddle, you put the device together so now we should be able to read what is on those tablets." SHe points at the central one, they are no longer fogged or shrouded or hard to focus on. You can see a large silhoutte of a winged creatured, huge and dark and to either side Goblin Runic Script.
Ainsley reaches up to rub at her neck. "Mmh," she sounds out, as if she knew it would be this complicated. She steps up to the tablet of the winged creature, and frowns at it for a while, as if trying to figure out what she's looking at just from the silhouette. She frowns at it. "This," she comments, "Looks terribly ominous. We may need people with weapons down here if we're trying to open this," she tells Agatha, peeking over her shoulder. She looks over to the other tablets, pulling out her notebooks from the robe-- she picked them up earlier, when she woke up --and flipping through the pages to compare the scripts to eachother and try and figure out what it means. Whether it's simply a warning, or if it's a key.
Agatha waves a hand and shrugs "I could call down some guards but lets work out what it says first." She looks up at the image and frowns, "It looks familiar, like one of the dragons." When she says that it dawns on you that the silhoutte is traditionally used to represent Diabolos. The script illuminated on the device you put back to gether is a key, showing you what each rune means in Goblin Script, when compared to the tablets you can see that it is in the same code but you are having trouble translating it, there is a faint humming buzz filling the air, grating on your teeth and the green light really doesn't mix well with the lantern light.
Ainsley shivers... Her hand reaches up to place against her head. She stare at the image blearily... "This picture is Diabolos, Spirit of Darkness and Void, he is not a dragon," she tells Agatha, turning to look at the key, making a face as the humming fills her thoughts. She breathes in and sighs. "I need water," she murmurs, rubbing at her face. She just stands there for a few moments, trying to regain her composure and try and figure out what this could possibly mean.
Agatha nods her head "Oh of course you stay here and keep working on the translation, I'll be right back with the guards and some water." She waves and heads back up the hall and climbs the stairs out to the sunshine beyond. Leaving you alone with the text. This time around as you study the tablets you start to make sense of the first few lines, the buzzing hum of energy from the device is an annoyance but you ignore it as you read the words written. "By my name, so is this closed. By my word, so is this closed, by the whispers that drive is this chamber closed."
Ainsley mouths the words as she reads them, writing them down on the notebook. She frowns gravely at that, and then wanders over to pick a place to sit, probably pulling over a rock or something so she can stare at the tablets, the door, and peer blankly at the machine. "'By my name...'" She rubs at her chin. "If Diabolos decreed this to be closed, then that would explain why it's so bloody far underground," she murmurs to herself, "But Spirits are rarely so literal when written about. Always metaphor and meaning..." She rubs her nose. "If it is the former, then there's something in here that had a good reason to be in here, for good or evil. If it's the latter, it could be the clue to the puzzle..." She strains her thoughts on it. "Damn machine is going to drive me batty," she mutters, getting agitated by the humming noise, but not enough to really ruin her concentration.
Stupid buzzing noise! It really is distracting, and the flickering green light is difficult to see and read, you've translated the first part at least. There is still more text to be translated and Agatha hasn't shown back up yet but then she has quite a way to walk. Ainsley gets up to a stand, and decides to try and translate the rest. She squints at the device, pulling out the book she designated for this. She starts comparing the scripts again, her voice echoing in the chamber here as she hums a song to herself-- fairly poorly, at any rate --in order to try and focus.
It's not buzzing actually, it's whispering words, just below the threshold of your hearing, whispering, murmurring words that curl and float around you. As you are trying to translate the rest of the text one phrase stands out "The Whisperer" you manage to translate it somewere in the middle of the second paragraph. Something about this mystery is enticing however, it is exactly the sort of hidden knowledge you have been trained to hunt out since you were a small child. This is the sort of arrogance your family is determined to dig up and reveal! Such things are to be recorded, to be remembered never just buried!
Ainsley feels the thoughts of her upbringing stabbing through her own thoughts. The Whisperer. She halts. Her desires bubble up, for...perhaps the first time since she had changed her name. She shakes her head, trying to shrug off the feeling, but... She smiles in this entirely unhinged manner, as if she had forgotten what sane joy was. It's one thing for this feeling to come up naturally, it's another for it to bubble up all at once. She continues trying to translate the words, her tongue sticking out the side of her mouth.
- Tablet the Left:
- By my name, so is this closed.
- By my word, so is this closed,
- By the whispers that drive is this chamber closed.
- Let these doors stand
- Let this seceet lie forgotten
- Let the riddle of the Whisperer
- Know not the sun or sea or sand
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- Tablet the Right:
- A Secret buried by my will
- A Secret hidden for sanity's sake
- A Secret denied the mortal mind
- Say not the word of power,
- Name not what I am,
- Unlock not this door to see,
Ainsley finishes the translation... She steps back to stare at the doors, fiddling with the pen in her hand. She stares blankly at the doors for a while, with this smile on her face that might be somewhat frightening to see. It's clearly someone who hasn't the best control of their instincts. What word would it be? she wonders. She's already said his name. Is there another name? Does she need to say it a certain way? She doublechecks the translation and tries to confirm it, see if that's all there is to it. And she would resume sitting, considering the door.
The secret is in that last paragraphg, Say not the word of power, Name not what I am, Unlock not this door to see, it is rather tricky really but also very simple. Right out in plain sight, the word is of course "Door" or perhaps "Portal" spoken out loud, not in the common tongue but in the tongue of the Goblin Script that is inscribed in this place. You can hear footsteps now, more lights by the stairs approaching... if Agatha hears about this inscription you know her well enough that she will bury this place back under the ground the choice is yours. To let them bury it or open the doors and get inside and reveal this lost, hidden knowledge to the world!
The word is so simple... "Kg'roon" the word leaves your lips, the buzzing of the device coalsesces up out of hearing and there is a shattering flash of green light! The tablets of black rock shatter and then as they crumble to the floor in chunks you can see the doorway has opened... green sconces are coming on in the corridor beyond and with a burst of surprising swiftness you are over the rubble, up the stairs and through the door before the people descending the stairs can see you! Green light engulfs you, the black corridor runs ahead of you... you have done it!
Ainsley advances further into the corridor, the sickly green light offsetting her purple eyes in an unusual way. She feels the buzz has escaped her head. She tries to head further in, seeing nothing like insanity within here just yet. Her tail swishes out behind her...
As you walk further in your head clears, the insessant buzzing noise fades away, the green light is muted and berable and as you arrive at a large archway your head is cleared completly. Looking back the corridor is lost in a haze of green whilst beyond the portal is darkness illuminate dby a faint point of Blue.
Ainsley lids her eyes as she looks back... She turns and continues within, looking around for signs of markings on the walls, or of clues as to what could possibly have been hidden within this chamber. Her odd little smile remains.
There is just the darkness, the chamber is rough cut black stone, the sky lost in shadow so far, far over-head and that tiny pinprick of blue light far out in what you guess must be the centre of the room. It is dark and yet the object gives off just enough light for you to see the floor....
Ainsley keeps walking along, entranced by the light. She does not halt... She takes note of how dark the room is-- appropriate, if related to Diabolos. She considers the consequences... insanity, or possibly death? She smiles more widely, the risks now only serving to thrill her further. If she dies, then it's certain this place will be closed up. The fatalistic side of her ignores the part of her that knows this is a bad idea. Ignoring Diabolos' words knowingly is bound to just piss him off... and Spirits are capable of some very creative punishments.
As Ainsley approaches the centre that glowing, bright blue light descends, it flows out of the air, a crystal, the size of one of her hands. The blue glow is just an aura to be matt black shard of crystalline light held within. It floats just inches from Ainsley's hand, waiting...
Ainsley stands before the crystal, giving one last glance around the room. Her eyes squint... And then she reaches out for the crystal, her brow knitting, to try and grab it. Not out of greed, but out of curiosity, innocence, the thrill of knowledge. The poor girl has lost herself to her own intelligence at this point, and overlooked most of the wisdom that could apply here.
Cold lizard paw closes around the crystal, it is cold to the touch, it is solid, a heavy weight and as you hold it a voice murmurs softly through your ears. "A long time... very long.... hello mortal.... what secrets do you seek?"
Ainsley stares at the crystal quietly... Her eyes lid. When the question is broached to her, she spends a moment to consider it. Her mind draws over the various secrets she could possibly want. She tilts her head slightly. "I hadn't expected you to be intelligible," she admits, with a measure of cold curiosity. She's back to her old way of thought, it's obvious. "There are many secrets I want to know. More than I can list, and more than I can learn in my lifetime," she explains, "Such a question would take some thought." She can assume that it's probably something significantly powerful and very hard to kill, if it needs to be sealed.
The crystal pulses with a violet sheen, "Then ask but one question, one idea that leaps into your mind, the first thing mortal... I can sense the formation, endless questions below the surface. Ask... ask what comes to you and I shall see if I shall answer."
Ainsley stands in silence for a long moment. Her eyes stare into the crystal, as if staring into the endless void. Questions roll through her head, shapeless, and apprehension glows in her body. "How...do I become an Imp, like a certain man I know has been turned?" The draw of arcane knowledge like that of an Imp is irresistable, and it helps that her jealousy fuels the thought.
The crystal flickers... glows with that wan blue light, it envelopes Ainsley, "Go to Rael, he who is Lord of Imps, be beguiling, be sly, be flattering and ask it as a reward for a task he sets you to complete." The crystal tugs out of her hands and drifts upwards... its blue spark glowing brightly, whispered words lingering, enfolding, wrapping about her. "And thus... have we touched... whisper to me in the midnight hour and I shall answer questions that you may have...."
Ainsley watches the crystal float off. Her hand curls and uncurls, eyes lidding. Her tail flicks behind her, and she turns to leave, smiling at the crystal, not in any warm sort of manner. She starts to walk out casually, slowly, tail swaying behind her. If the place lets her leave, at least.
Dark wings flap overhead... a shadowy shape descends out of the darkness.... red glistens across its wings, eyes burn brightly, fixing Ainsley with a baleful glare. He doesn't say anything..... just stares at her Diabolos himself, he shakes his head sadly and raises one clawed hand.....
Ainsley halts when she sees Diabolos. She doesn't look surprised. She seems exactly the opposite of surprised. She knew he'd show up one way or another, and the only suprising part is that he showed up personally. Her heart squeezes, but she thinks on her life and her choices. The one chance to break free from her heritage for good. She watches Diabolos, waiting for something, still curious, even with what she believes is imminent doom overhead. And silent. No apologizing, no anger. Just watching. You page, "Culmination of her work! She finally translates the doorway of dark wickedly evil text! Which reads." to Legion. Pasting to: Legion
His claws spread wide over her head and there is a moment of disparity, her body vibrates and he sighs "It is your soul...." is all he says, "Whisperer in the Darkness, Grey Scholar, you have done... what no mortal has ever been foolhardy enough to do. Know this... your soul is hers now, you are connected, your whispers and hers will touch. Were you walk voices will overlap. You have your answer and she has an outlet I cannot touch, you ignored my warnings, you will have your answers and she will breath her vile voice on echoing winds. Go, live your life, know what you have and may and shall be the centre of, Leave and return not again whilst your body breathes, leave Whispering one, Leave!" His wings beat, the downbeat buffets your body and propels you down the corrodir and out the door, you slam into Agatha's party and the wind continues to howl. All is chaos, all is insanity and then you are lying o the ground in the ruins of the camp.... the excavation crumbling as the temple moves itself......
Ainsley listens to Diabolos... and is driven off her feet, chucked out of the temple. She is driven into unconsciousness by the force of it; the little thing is not strong enough to endure such a sudden upheaval. She wouldn't wake up for a while, too, the shock of what just happened keeping her out like a light.
When eventually she wakes Ainsley is lying on a cot inside a tent, it looks a bit lopsided but Agatha is smiling down at her as is the camp doctor. "Ah you are awake! Welcome back Ainsley, I don't know what you did but you did it! I was worried when we saw you had gone inside on your own but you appear to have succeeded in sealing the temple. Well done." Ainsley turns her eyes toward Agatha and the doctor. She stays quiet for a long moment. She watches them with not an ounce of the previous cheer in her eyes. Just that distant look... She closes her eyes again, and speaks with a calm, quiet monotone, "I would prefer you not to praise me for this. I think I will refrain from drinking wine again, as well. Thank you for your time... I'll... be leaving, whenever you wish me to."
The Professor sounds confused and glances t the Doctor, "You must have taken a bump, we found your notebook and what was writtren in it. You did it girl, you sealed the temple so no one can wander into that dark place. From what we can gather it's the weak point to the Void, specifically to Shemhazai's prison. You did it girl, you sealed the place!" She pats your shoulder and sets your book by your side. "You rest up now ok, we'll see to it that you get a good rest on the way back to Emberstrand in one of the wagons." She steps outside witht he Doctor, the two of them talking softly together leaving you alone.
Ainsley winces when she's patted, and reaches to grab the book, flipping through it quietly, laying back in the bed. She remains silent past this, eyes watching the pages. Her head tilts, and she gives a little humorless chuckle, as she realizes the gravity of this all at once. Shemhazai, the Esper...? She closes the book, and finally sits up, staring off into the air. "I need a bath," she realizes, turning to try and hop off the bed.
The book is slightly different to how Ainsley remembers it, the handwriting is hers, there is the translation of the door, the text then carries on with a few sentences. "I must seal this, Shemhazai's prison, I must go within, I must seal the way! It should never have been unearthe. If I do not return pray for my soul and let no other follow!" You do not remember writing that, but there it is, in your book, in your hand writing.... Trying to hop out of the bed proves impossible, your body is too weak from its exhaustive blast thrugh the air. For the next few days you are trapped in bed as the camp packs up and travels back toward Emberstrand. Victories have been secured, great triumphs and everyone is talking about your sacrifice and triumph! Still at least the journey lets you rest.... and think about what has happened.
~fin
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