Tag: Drakonae

#Lore24 – Entry #240 – Helica Month #28 – The Third Scroll

Excerpt from the Journals of Azita Gaji, Explorer of Helica, Seeker of Knowledge, Blessed of Saghirah

It took us several weeks in the demon-infested seas to make significant headway on our excavations, for the Transgressor had been spotted before our arrival and had stirred them up.  Still, one must work hard for their rewards upon Helica, and my goal was clear.  Once we had reached the ancient city and surveyed it properly, I identified another shrine complex.  This time I would not be alone when venturing into it, for the seas were still dangerous.  Fortunately, I had a group of Drakonae warriors with me, and they were of a breed that were able to breathe underwater, so they were able to assist me in staying down much longer than usual with my work by carrying extra air tanks for me and were quite adept at fending off the demons. 

This shrine complex was mostly intact, though partially buried in centuries of silt and debris, so took some time to excavate, requiring multiple trips down.  I think the presence of Saghirah was somewhat unnerving to my dive-mates, especially when the eyes of her statue began to glow once they were uncovered.  We would later go on to uncover other shrines, and for those of the Amaranths that were still in existence, I could feel their presence now as well, though not as strongly as that of Saghirah.  With their return to this underwater shrine, the demon activity in the area lessened significantly. 

Soon enough, I would find the sacred chamber hidden beneath Saghirah’s shrine, sealed away from the accumulation of silt.  Even though it remained underwater for so long, the third scroll case was unmarred and seemingly as out of place in time as I am, appearing pristine in the gloomy water.  I would nonetheless work carefully to secure it within my pack for the return to the surface and would fight through my fatigue of the dive to see its secrets revealed before I would rest.  I had retrieved some of my previously cached knowledge in the short visits I had made to the mainland in the intervening years, and quickly added the new revelations of this scroll to my previous notes.  The picture has become much clearer now, and I know with absolute certainty that Helica has only so much longer left to live before the Transgressor is ultimately successful in its desire to see it utterly destroyed. 

All will be revealed elsewhere, however, for I have but one more scroll to find, though I know not where as of yet.  My work in assisting the Ketzeryn will continue in the meantime, until I can discern the final scroll’s resting place.  We have found knowledge that, if we are able to bring it into being, would change the face of Helica and potentially deliver a major blow to the iron-fisted control of the Church, though for now it is but a dream.

#Lore24 – Entry #238 – Helica Month #26 – Anonymous

Excerpt from the Journals of Azita Gaji, Explorer of Helica, Seeker of Knowledge, Blessed of Saghirah

I had long suspected that the reason the Ketzeryn language was difficult for the Phyresians to master was not simply their unwillingness to do so, but because it was composed of words and phrases from many separate languages that did not always mesh easily together.  This would prove to be correct, for once I was accepted by the Ketzeryn, I would finally see them without the masks they wore in front of strangers.  The Ketzeryn themselves were composed of several Helican races, most prominently humans of various ancestries, but with significant numbers of Orcs (of which Captain Rojen was a member), Sylvanae who had forsaken or been ejected from their own people, the rarer race of elves known as the Sabaknae (traditionally associated with desert regions), and the exceedingly rare Drakonae, a race whose lineage supposedly can be traced to the ancient and mythical dragons that supposedly formed Helica in times long forgotten.

I would learn that they valued their anonymity, hence them always covering their bodies and faces almost totally, with only the humans tending to reveal any flesh for they were the most accepted by the Church, and hence why they would handle the trade and any interactions, while the others would remain hidden, though the Drakonae rarely ventured away from their many ports and bases, given their smaller numbers.  I would also confirm that they have little care for the One True God, for its policies would see them exterminated without a second thought, though they could not deny its power and sway over the faithful.

Though it would take more time, something of which I had plenty, I would tell them of my history as I grew into their society, and eventually tell them of my need to explore ancient sites.  Once I had become fully a member of their society, I would be allowed to travel to these places, of which they knew many, so that I may search for knowledge long forgotten and forbidden.  It was during this time that I began to drop hints of Saghirah’s truths to them, even finding them receptive to them.  Thus, I began to plant seeds amongst my new people, and thus I would continue my search for the scrolls. 

I would even have the opportunity to visit the partially sunken temple of Saghirah during my shipboard travels, though we did not linger long there.  The Ketzeryn, while not fully understanding the nature of the Amaranths as they are now, know of their power, and give wide berth to their temples.  In the case of Saghirah’s, they have only ever used a single room of her temple for storage of emergency supplies and as a dead drop for relaying information in uncertain times and have never ventured inside.  Though I was deathly curious to visit the Empress’s domain, I resisted my urge to delve deeper, for she had not called upon me, and had yet to provide any clues as to the whereabouts of the next scroll.  I suspect she was giving me the time I needed to build new relationships and learn more of the world now that the chains of Phyresis had been shattered fully, for I was still possessed of her blessing, and still had not aged since I had attained it.

The anonymity of the Ketzeryn would certainly prove a boon in hiding that blessing in the coming years.