They scrambled down a path on the side of the small cliff where they'd fired on the priests. It was too late for Liisha... she was suffering from several wounds and was dead (unresponsive, no vital signs, etc.).

However, looking around they saw something astounding. They hadn't gotten a good look at the cliff before, and now it was clear why the natives had erected an altar here and conducted ceremonies. The cliff featured two statues of clearly human figures, approximately 4-5m tall. They were heavily weathered but still appeared to be wearing some kind of costume or clothing. Carvings decorated the cliffs around them, and the two statues were flanking what was clearly a door. The construction was either stone or some kind of permanent formed concrete.

In the middle of the door was some kind of diagram of concentric circles, surrounding a knob or control.


This message was last edited by the GM at 12:00, Sat 04 May 2013.

In reply to GM (msg # 13):

Ever the scholar, Lorain was stopped for a second by the tableau of the human statues. Then she continued to the altar where Liisha lay.

"Oh Liisha... Can you help her, Thomas?" It seemed, though, she already knew the answer.

"Dammit," said Linus, when he saw that Liisha was no more. He went over to look at the curious cliff face.

In reply to Lorain Messandi (msg # 14):

"Nope." said Walker, touching her wrist with one hand while scanning for targets.  "She's bled out, and by the time we got her to an Imperial hospital, she'd have passed through rigor mortis and be bloated and fly-blown.  She's cold."

"Did we find what they were looking for?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:19, Sun 05 May 2013.

Ken frowned at the sight of Liisha.  "Damn, damn, damn...  She was a good comrade." He removed her from the altar and laid her down near the carved cliff side.  He glared out at the jungle.  "They'll be back soon and in greater numbers.  We should get under cover if we can."

Turning about Ken faced the carved cliff for a moment and stood silently.  "Well... that's... damn..."  He shook his head.  "That's old, look at the wear and tear and the clothing and gear is not modern at all."  He stepped closer; "They're human..." Ken glanced at Lorain.  "Could this be?  Damn..."

Ken moved up to the doorway and examined the diagram of concentric circles in the middle of the door.  "It looks like the diagram of a solar system with planets in orbit."

Lorain looked at the statues and the door.

"Well, I think we found what we were looking for! Stanley, could you please take Liisha?"

She moved up beside Ken. "Yes, that seems very likely. Good thinking."

"That writing, I recognise the script. It's ancient Vilani. Definitely Zira Sirku era, with some unfamiliar characters and modifiers. But I can't read the language, it's not not actual Vilani. Many of the Vilani's clients and others adapted their script for their own languages. I bet that's it."
This message was last edited by the player at 10:17, Fri 28 Aug 2015.

In reply to GM (msg # 13):

Carefully, Stanley gathered Liisha in his two upper arms, putting her in a fireman's carry. His lower arms were free to use his shotgun.

"There you go, Liisha. Don't worry, we aren't leaving you here."

Linus and Ken saw that the diagram on the door seemed to be a solar system. 3-planets, like the Mirayn system, a pattern repeated on the chests of the flanking statues. The "planets" were on circular runners. The door also had some kind of lock system and electric eye, long-dead.
This message was last updated by the GM at 19:21, Sun 05 May 2013.

"I wonder..." mused Linus.

"It looks like the 'planets' on the door move on those tracks... wonder if you have to line them up in a designated way to get the door to open."

Neva kept watch while the others investigated and gathered up Liisha.  "Not to break the mood or anything people but can you kind of hurry up your wonderful discovery?  These natives won't stay away forever and we had better be in a different place when they return."

"OK, Neva."

Linus moved closer and reached out to see if the 'planets' on the door did actually move in their tracks...

You said the statues had the same 'solar system' design on their chests. Is it the same on both, or different?

In reply to Linus Spruance (msg # 23):

The statues did seem to have a solar system map on their chests. Both were the same, with the planets lined up from top to bottom: outer planet on top, then middle, then inner, and then the sun. (This is barely visible in the illustration.)

In reply to Neva Alexovna Morozova (msg # 22):

"I don't know.  I think I've found some people who need shooting."
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:07, Sun 05 May 2013.

Ken examined the statues and the door. "Go ahead and see if the little spheres will line up like those on the statues.  That might unlock things.  The detecting eye and lock appear dead.  We might have to power them to get inside though." He listened carefully to Lorraine's explanation.  "A Vilani script but not in the Vilani language?  How could some one like that get here so far from Vland?  They'd have to come through Corridor and down the Marches or across the Great Rift and then across the Trojan Reaches and on."

Standing back a little, Lorain looked at the door. "Linus, want to do the honours and set the pattern on the door?

"Linguistics wasn't my subject. But I read that something like seventy or so minor races, humans or otherwise, adopted or were forced to adopt Vilani script for their own indigenous languages. Vilani traders were big on this because it was a benefit to commerce. Typically because the aboriginal populations were too primitive to already have a written language or when Vilani supplanted their written language over time due to economic, social or political pressures.

"Even after the fall of the Zira Sirku, many races reverted back to their own indigenous spoken languages. But they retained Vilani script because it was ingrained and efficient. This seems like it's very early Vilani, though, and not late First Imperium. Possibly within the first thousand years? I don't know.

"A good example is the language we are speaking: Anglic. Anglic characters are partially based on the script of an earlier Terran language, "English". The English alphabet was actually based on an even older language, "Greek". The characters of Greek and Anglic are similar and some are identical, but if you only speak (and read) Anglic you won't be able to read Greek. Further, another people in what was apparently called "Russia" lacked a written language and so a single man, a priest, introduced the Greek alphabet in a form called "Cyrillic". When the Russians formed an empire that absorbed several other cultural groups that in turn lacked their own written language, Cyrillic was used. Someone who could read that language might recognise the Cyrillic and Greek alphabet but understand neither."

She indicated the statues.

"Now where these people got Vilani script from is a mystery. The Vilani Imperium extended all the way to Vanejen in the Spinward Marches. Vilani language and culture penetrated even into Foreven, if not Far Frontiers sector."
This message was last edited by the player at 07:04, Mon 06 May 2013.

Ken shook his head at Lorain's explanation.  "That makes sense.  The script is an older version of the Vilani writing which might say that these people gained the writing from the earlier, expansionist Vilani.  So maybe these people had hand me down Vilani tech and used it to set themselves up as the Sky Raiders.  Does that make sense?  That is if this is a cache from them."

Standing guard, Stanley grunted a laugh. "You may get your wish! But it may take time for them to return."

"It does make sense. But there's only one way to find out!"

Not knowing what to do with the revolver, she held it loosely at her side. "Maybe you should take this back. I'm rubbish with it."
This message was last updated by the player at 20:09, Mon 06 May 2013.

Concentrating, Linus moved the 'planets' on the door along their tracks until the atrrangement mimiced that of the chest motifs of the statues.

Ken nodded to Lorain.  "Let's hope there is more than just junk inside the door.  The place certainly looks important."

In reply to Ken Jenkins (msg # 32):

There was an audible "click" from somewhere behind the portal, but nothing else happened.

Ken stood still for a moment waiting for the cliched huge rolling stone ball or the spears to impale them.  When nothing happened he examined the door and the area around it.  "Does it look like it opens inward?  Something went 'click'."

In reply to Ken Jenkins (msg # 34):

Ken couldn't see any hinges or other exposed mechanisms. Who knew what it was supposed to do? Lorain didn't, and shrugged to show her own puzzlement. "What, you want me to go first?"

Ken shook his head and smiled.  "This isn't a case of 'ladies first' Lorain.  You're our best hope of figuring this out so you stay out of the line of fire." He leaned down to peer at the electric eye and then shrugged; "It seems dead.  After a couple thousand years you'd think any trap would be safe."

Assuming nothing stands out Ken will push gently and then more firmly on the door.

In reply to Ken Jenkins (msg # 36):

With a little hesitation the slab portal swung inwards on a squeal of hinges. It was quite amazing it opened at all, given the exposure to the elements over thousands of years! A difficult technical feat, if not impossible even given TL 15 materials.