Loose threads
- Yssrix's plans were stopped in Raiders of the Lost Coiling Dance, but where is he now?
- defeat the chimera(?) that is dwelling inside the Observatory.
- are the undeads from the Grave of the Sky being drawn towards the Observatory? If so, why?
- further investigation into the ritual described in the obsidian tablet. What is the throne of the first sigil, what are the dances to be performed, and the sacrifices to be offered? What happens when we observe the alignment of the three celestial bodies as described in the second sigil in that given day?
- further investigation into the power of the constellations to channel the power of gods as theorized by the Saqqaran.
- auxiliary investigation in the use of special telescopes to teletransport via the use of constellations.
- what role did the Emissary have in Saqqara and why is it guiding people in the ruins?
- what are the offerings needed to open the gate?
Participants Laby Excandria, Xavier and Velio, Ema Line, Jetta, Maximus
Locations Desert of Rydess, Saqqaran Observatory
Short summary:
Went to the Saqqaran Observatory with the intentions of stopping Yssrix's plans to ascend godhood. Met Rydess along the way, and were tasked to relay her warning to the guild in regards to the tributes needed to traverse her desert. The Observatory was empty of lizardfolk, so we decided to do some investigation about the ritual, Yssrix's location and other Saqqaran knowledge. Met a strange tutoring voice that helped us at these investigations. Results of those investigations analyzed in the annex.
Full Report
For a better context of this report, it is recommended to have previously read Save the Last (Coiling) Dance and It Ain't What It Used to Be, as well as Raiders of the Lost Coiling Dance either before or after this, which happened simultaneously to our expedition.
Following the findings described in It Ain't What It Used to Be (the serpentfolk Unknown's plans to ascend godhood and the ritual described in the obsidian tablet deciphered by Toma), we set out towards the Saqqaran Observatory, using the sea route and landing at the drop-off point at the north-west of the island.
Our voyage was quite uneventful, spanning several days where we could occasionally see the Queen of the Desert, Rydess, flying in the distance, and three more days to reach the Observatory from the drop-off point by foot.
During the morning of the second day, we managed to intercept and regain the control of a runaway sand ship operated by kobolds of The Watchers' Tribe, who were at the time in the middle of delivering tributes to Rydess' Lair. The captain of the ship, Gropu, thanked us for the help, yet showed concern at the lack of tributes from the party, citing that Rydess' warning should've reached First Landing: "those with no tribute die". As for tribute, it includes gem, coin, treasures, worthy information or slaughter of her enemies (the serpentfolk, drakes and undeads from the ruins of the City in the Sky, hereafter, the Grave of the Sky).
Speaking of which. During the early morning of the third day, as we were closing the Observatory, Rydess flew towards us, obliterating what I now think to be undeads from the Grave of the Sky with her lightning breath, before continuing her path, landing between us and the Observatory to intercept our way. While not in the best of moods, the Queen was receptive to our words thanks to the help we provided to the kobolds the day before, despite our lack of tributes.
I have reiterate, as told expressly by Rydess herself, the importance of her warning. Those who do not procure tributes, die. I do not doubt that some more seasoned adventurers could defy this statement, but that would hurt the relationship between the Queen and the New World's guild, so proceed with caution and well-prepared through her desert, as there are rules to follow when one is visitor to a home, and especially so when it is done both without permission and without a gift.
I'll save most topics covered in our conversation with Rydess, as most are inconsequential to the report, pointing out only the following: the Queen's anger has only grown recently due to the invasion of the undeads that once inhabited the Grave of the Sky. Considering the aforementioned, it is within reason why dropping a whole city could be considered an offense to Rydess' sovereignty over the desert. As well, this 'heresy', for the lack of a better word in this context, may be causing issues on the delivery of tributes due to attacks from these undeads to the kobold ships, further aggravating the situation.
We arrived at the Saqqaran Observatory not long after - to our surprise, empty from any serpentfolk threat. We would later discover that the ritual described in the obsidian table, the one Yssrix was seeking to attempt, seemed to prove unsuitable for the ascension. This caused Yssrix, the Oracle, to evacuate the ruins long before our arrival and activate 'contingency plans', as well as start gathering ships for reasons that we couldn't determine (but likely related to the actions described in Raiders of the Lost Coiling Dance).
Either way, with the Observatory empty and only for ourselves, we decided to conduct an investigative effort into the ritual itself and other Saqqaran knowledge that we stumbled upon for the two following nights, leaving at the dawn of the fifth day. Further analysis of the results of these efforts will be explained in an attached annex to this report.
As we delved deeper into the ruins, a telepathic voice began to speak to us. We later identified it as a (possible) entity that once belonged to the ancient Saqqaran society, acting as a tutor for those interested in learning about its secret, though at several degrees. It can be absent to some, reveal visions to others, and for probably few, which is what happened to us, communicate in a more intimate way, usually telepathically present whenever we needed it. These visions often encompass flames and warmth at the back of the eyes/mind. This is an offer of temporal wisdom from this odd tutor, allowing one to partake in a ritual where they must embrace a fire of suitable proportions, big enough to step into it and be enveloped by it. After doing so, the flames will surge violently, testing the partaker's mental resolve. This ritual can only be partaken once the offer is given, and not before.
Xavier was able to accept this gift, and as a result, was able to read Saqqaran for the remainder of our stay at the Observatory, while Maximus wasn't so lucky, receiving some third-degree burns and delayed thought process that took several days to disappear. As an additional result of the ritual, Xavier was able to receive more direct help from this tutor in the form of what he described as a small fire wisp, guiding us towards rooms where to better focus our efforts.
One of the rooms we investigated was the record room that Jetta previously explored in her own, which we found labeled as the "Spellcaster Training & Onboarding" room. We are fairly certain that the necromantic ritual that was being prepared there was successfully performed, as the mutilated bodies that Jetta saw last time seemed to be fully consumed without leaving a trail, and that the result of this ritual, probably a chimera of sorts born from pure agony, is roaming through the observatory.
We passed the nights in a nearby tower described in Operation Desert Lotus, where we also found the gate described. The voice was particularly nostalgic of this place, causing this emotion to slightly overflow into us. Our group wasn't particularly interested in pursuing opening such structure, though we did meet another that was.
We also went to the nearby oasis, though there were no hostilities this time around, allowing us to refill our canteens without worry. At the fourth night, we met Fenian there, an elven adventurer with whom we engaged a light talk in the regards of the Verdant Mother.
Should you meet one or two individuals by the name of Zidzalk or Yiker, they are friendly, under the same mentorship as us (though only through visions) and are attempting to decipher the secrets of Saqqaran magic. The two of them should be holding on just fine now but, if possible, giving them any small help that is realistically possible would mean a lot.
At the morning of the fifth day, we departed from the ruins in the direction of the Grave of the Sky, as part of the agreement reached with Rydess to let us investigate the Observatory despite our lack of tributes. The task was quite simple: dispatch of some undeads that were wandering in the desert. We reached them around the evening of the seventh day, defeating an spellcasting Husk Zombie commanding a troop of Zombie Shamblers, which roughly say to be moving in direction of the Saqqaran Observatory.
With that, it makes two masses of undeads that were hovering around or towards the Observatory. While I wasn't able to find any coordinated effort from the troop we defeated, there might exist a hidden reason for them to be drawn towards the Saqqaran ruins? It is just a conjecture, and something that the Queen of the Desert is probably able to handle herself, but discovering any backing evidence could be a great way to lessen the anger of Rydess and further improve the Guild's relationship.
P.S. If you are interested in uncovering the secrets of the Saqqaran, shovels and other excavation tools are recommended to get through the walls of sand that block the many doors and hallways.
Annex 1: Investigation results.
To provide better context in the discussion of these results, I will first provide the direct translations of the several tablets we managed to acquire and held significant information, starting with the obsidian tablet first acquired in It Ain't What It Used to Be.
The contents of the tablet are the following: two sigils in their full design. The first, on the left is truly a throne with several claws, or talons, encircling it, and several below pointing away. The second on the right at first looked like some waving lines crossed to make a swirled X, but on closer inspection from the spell's indication it seems like it's actually a small circle at the tip of an equilateral triangle. Two waving lines cross through the shapes as they swirl together. At the bottom of the tablet, the following incomplete script was: [...] potential power in the stars and the sigils they [...].
"The Endless Bounties of Saqqara"
The tablet is carved to depict a scene of abundance. Towards the front, vast forests are filled with animals, the trees bear countless fruits, while schools of fish swim within deep lakes, within which humans bathe and play. Behind these is a city filled with humans looking up in reverence of the stars, bathing in their light.
"Reflections"
Who are we? Who were the ones before us? Who will be the ones after us? I have spent months gazing at the moon in contemplation of this, and I have finally been granted enlightenment. We are 'change'. We are to ever evolve. Those before us are unrecognisable to us, and those after will also be unrecognisable. This is the way forward for humanity. To endlessly progress, to seek perfection in all things. A perfection we may never attain, but one we should strive for nonetheless, for it is that pursuit that makes us human. That brings us beyond human, to what comes after.
"Emissary of the Gods"
It is my duty to record this momentous occasion. Our prayers have been answered – we have been blessed, to an emissary of the gods in our humble observatory. He is known a— [the tablet is broken here; the break extends further down]
His appearance is startling, but we are but mere mortals, it is understandable that we would— [the same break as before]
Already, we have felt Their guiding hand, helping us discover the mysteries of the cosmos, the secrets within the stars. Saqqara is truly blessed by their teachings.
"The Blessed Stars"
I have come to believe that the stars themselves are the gods, or the homes of the gods. Their blessings travel on light towards us mere mortals, but so scattered as they are, as light is, we can only grasp at the most infinitesimal of fragments of these blessings. But if we grasp certain lights, at certain times, perhaps we can borrow the power of the gods, if only a sliver. By doing so, perhaps we can learn more about them, and further our devotion.
I only wish I could hear them myself. It is fortunate Their Emissary is here with us, else I may never have heard their words at all.
Other tablets with more miscellaneous information, such as poems, often described Saqqara as a verdant landscape, blessed by the touch of the Mother of Nature, described their hopes of knowledge as they observed the stars, or revered the bounties that the Verdant Mother offered to them.
Our stargazing with the Observatory's main telescope provided us with some further information. Stars of the same constellation, what the Saqqaran described as the home of the gods, and possible conduits of their powers for the mortalkind, had faint glowing threads that connected each other. It is least to say that the telescope was engineered with the idea of aiding the Saqqaran, as described in "The Blessed Stars", in their rituals to harvest the powers of a constellation, when stars are right, both in position and time.
We also observed the same behavior in the Moon and two other celestial bodies, which are likely to be the same ones that the alignment in the obsidian tablet described. These three celestial bodies shine brighter than any other star. The Moon's light is especially bright, erupting from its wound (due to the unsealing), as colossal sigils (artifacts of the seal?) drift around it, chained by tendrils of light. What effect would it have to perform the ritual when the alignment of these celestial bodies in that special day, and what is the role of the leylines (if our assumption based in Save the Last (Coiling) Dance is correct) in all this?
As we already know from previous reports, Yssrix goal is to realign the stars into a new Celestial Naga constellation, which would become the conduit to godhood for the serpentfolk.
However, I have my suspicions that they have already manipulated some constellations to work in their favor or that, in the other hand, the power of some constellations are more readily available without the need of rituals, only needing a special instrument to behold them.
The source of this suspicion comes from something that happened at The Great Library, when our group (minus Jetta) was aiding Ema at Being Cultivated. Tooth of Knowledge, Ema's master, instructed us to look at a specific constellation using the Library's telescope, causing us to teleport, even if momentarily (about a minute), to a serpentfolk library across the island.
Considering the newly gained information acquired here in the Saqqaran, I must wonder. How did the teletransportation work? Was it due to the telescope, the constellation, or both? And what about the destination? Did the constellation have that library as a predetermined location, was it because we desired to go there or because the exact alignment of the stars at that moment?
We contemplated replicating the same process at the telescope of the Observatory, but finally decided against it as we had a due task with the Queen of the Desert. Nonetheless, this can be an interesting angle to research, as it might help us understand the power of the constellations, and have practical uses to move across the New World.
Addendum 1
Here is the full text of "Emissary of the Gods", recovered by Toma with the spell Forgotten Lines:
It is my duty to record this momentous occasion. Our prayers have been answered – we have been blessed, to an emissary of the gods in our humble observatory. He is known as Gusion.
His appearance is startling, but we are but mere mortals, it is understandable that we would have such a reaction. Three heads are beyond human. To describe them in more detail would be insulting to him, if not blasphemous.
Already, we have felt Their guiding hand, helping us discover the mysteries of the cosmos, the secrets within the stars. Saqqara is truly blessed by their teachings.
With this description, Toma was able to deduce that Gusion, the Emissary, is the demonic Baboon that his group encountered in Operation Desert Lotus, the three-faced figure depicted in the gate, and a direct associate of The Teacher of Teachers. It also was the voice that guided us during our expedition at the Saqqaran ruins.
P.S. Toma raised the possibility that the ritual Xavier performed may have tainted him, which may make dragons attack us at sigh in the future. Proceed with caution.