#Lore24 – Entry #318 – Fantasy Month IV #13 – A Most Intriguing Puzzle
From the journal of Angeliqua “Goldeneyes” Cartacustos
I studied the draconic ruins for several days, spending much of the time on the massive door that marked a sealed vault of some kind beyond, but venturing into other sections of the ruin when I needed to refresh myself, though never without the adventurers close by should I come upon something quite dangerous. It seemed almost as if the energy of the ruin, the essence of the dragons that once dwelt within still lingered in some way, keeping those beings and creatures not possessed of higher thoughts away. Though perhaps it would be our folly to explore within; only time would tell.
Regardless, I translated most of the text upon the door (some of the high draconic phrases are still not entirely clear) and interpreted the imagery upon it as best as I could given my knowledge of the ancient dragons, based upon the notes I have made over the years in previous journals stored within my personal pocket library. I wish that I had additional volumes at my disposal, those found within the Great Library itself, but only texts which I have personally transcribed are permitted within this pocket dimension, or journals I have yet to fill with my knowledge and experiences.
Still, the nature of the vault door is similar to what has been encountered in other draconic sites. This place was once a city, though was treated more as a holy temple by those who worshipped the dragons that dwelt here, its name translated as “The Cathedral of Eminent Tranquility”, once ruled by the golden dragon known as Mega-kuramu’Koganekami, whose many titles and alternate epithets have been transcribed within my research notes, for there are over two dozen of them. Curiously the name is very close to what would become the kerryn script and language (however forbidden they might be to speak within the Empire, making knowledge of it exceptionally rare here), translating as “Blinding Golden God.”
Contained within the vault, supposedly, are the favored relics of this dragon, as well as collections of its vast wisdom and knowledge, though the wards upon the door prevent it from being opened by anyone who is not a worshipper of the dragon or who has not undergone a trial to prove their devotion to it. Comparing the map of the vast temple-city, an empire unto itself, with the maps of the region now known as the Wildlands, I believe that I have managed to find some similar geographic features that may potentially lead us to discovering a method of opening this door, assuming the places of power still exist and still hold the primal essence of the dragons within, of course. Even I am tempted by the potential treasures that lie within, more so the knowledge of the ancient dragons, but to study pristine relics of their time would be an incredible opportunity. The Heroes of Vindinium are certainly keen on getting inside, the promise of wealth beyond imagination so very tempting.
As to what must be done, there should be six sites spread across the region in a pentagonal arrangement, laid out to form a five-pointed star, with the sixth site located directly within its center, and, based upon my translations, each site must be visited as part of a pilgrimage of sorts, and rituals performed at them to gain the blessings of the draconic god to be allowed to enter into its sacred space. Comparing ancient to modern maps, I can roughly approximate the locations of three of the sites where these standing stones should be and can assume rough distances toward the others based upon the equal distances between points, though I know not of the lands further south and west of here.
The nearest of these standing stones should be to the north of here, perhaps two days travel given the rougher terrain, though it could take us longer depending on just how reclaimed the area is by nature. We’ll be setting off in the morning to see if we can locate the site and see if its power still remains; the fact that the door itself still holds its warding is encouraging, but far from conclusive.