As far as Ailith was concerned, the trip was already a success: in those few hours she had learned more about the entire village than she had in the previous months spent cleaning shop or drawing water from the well. Or sanding things that shall not be named. Now, all she had to do was make sure Yovo had what she wanted, which would admittedly be the most difficult part of the trip.

At least when she saw the emz stalks she understood why the Master was interested in them. The colors were really intriguing and if it stuck that well to wood... For a moment she considered what it would give applied to ceramics as a glaze or maybe incorporated directly in the clay, somehow...

She was however drawn away from her thoughts by the sound of something splashing in the river. She froze for a moment, waiting to see of it had just been her imagination or if she had really heard something. When it happened again she had her answer, but one she wasn't sure she liked much as she had no idea what it could be. Probably not something dangerous, but... Cautiously, her torch held to the side so as to not blind herself, she advanced towards the river to try and see what was causing that noise.

In reply to Ailith (msg # 38):

The splash is coming between long intervals.  You count one breath.  Two breaths.  Three...

At the edge of the torchlight you can see the river's surface troubled.

Something rises up and then quickly submerges.  Your view isn't the best.  It's too far out in the river and not rising far enough above the surface.  But it looks like some kind of column, maybe as thick around as your leg.  It is dark colored, perhaps jet black.

As you count breaths again, it takes as long as you to start to draw a fourth one before it rises again.  You get a slightly better view.

Yes.  Some kind of column.  Black...metal maybe?  It is only rising about three hands above the water before quickly pulling itself black under.  But near the top, along one side, is a small circle that your torch light caused to glint.  Maybe it is glass of some kind.

The column goes back under the surface.

When she saw the column - or more precisely, when she realized that said column was definitely not an animal - Ailith froze: with an animal, she would have known how to react. Granted, she might not have been able to for one reason or another, but she would have known.

With that column-thing however, she had no idea. At some point though, it became obvious that whatever it was it wasn't going to bite her, so she started to cautiously approach to get a better view of it.

Once as close as she could get without stepping in the water, Ailith stopped to consider the thing: could it be something that Master Yovo had placed there before she asked her for some emz, knowing full well this would be the place she would go to?

It didn't make a lot of sense - she couldn't make head or tails of the purpose of such a test - but on the other hand… what else could it be? Going back for second or two, Ailith picked up a branch or a pebble or two and tried to poke the column with it: the noise it'd produce would likely at least tell her what it was made of.

In reply to Ailith (msg # 40):

The column is about twenty feet out into the river from the closest point on shore.  You aren't sure how deep the river is.  But you doubt you could wade over to it.  That is if you wanted to.

As you lean the torch closer, you feel pretty confident that the column, outside of the 'eye' in the top center, is some kind of metal.  But it seems to be fairly smooth.  You would need to inspect it closer, but whoever smithed it is a Master.  The lack of any kind of sign from a mold like a crease or seam seems unlike anything you have seen before.

Not that you have seen overly much finely wrought metals.  Smiths are a rare artisan.  Two villages pretty much hold the monopoly on them.

The 'eye' is even more interesting.  It is some kind of crystal obviously.  The way the torchlight catches it makes that obvious.  But it doesn't seem to be glass.

Yovo is a Master.  But this...this seems beyond her.  Or anyone at Hiyal.  Maybe Matah.

But who is raising the column up from under the water?  You can't tell.  Someone or something is making it rise at irregular intervals.

You find a few pebbles.  The first two miss.  So much for your targeting practice.  But you get a satisfying CHUK as the third one strikes the column right on the top.

The column whirls around, the 'eye' seeming to stare straight at you.

The column shakes a little.  It starts to sink.

As it does, light pours out of the eye.  Not a lot.  But a distinct blue glow emanates outwards.

As it submerges, you can see the blue dot under the surface of the water.

You should have a few breaths before it resurfaces.  Hopefully.

Ailith was really beginning to have doubts about this having anything to do with Yovo when she finally hit the column - which, granted, she had been trying to do - and elicited a reaction from it - which she had not been planning on. After a few seconds once more rooted on the ground while it…looked?… at her, she jumped back.

She didn't know what it was, much less what it was doing there, but she didn't want to be at the exact same spot the thing had…seen…her standing on. And being closer to the exit wouldn't hurt. Surely whatever it was it couldn't follow her right? Columns were not known as great predators after all. On the other hand, neither were they known as being made of metal. Or moving. Or…looking at people.

Maybe she ought to take a few more steps back just in case…

In reply to Ailith (msg # 42):

The column rises as you scamper back a little.

The 'eye' is a definite shade of blue.  Like an oil lamp with a shaded screen around the flame.

The column revolves, like it was looking around.  Then it starts to submerge again.

Except this time, the column starts to shake.  It rises before it goes all the way under, up a height it hasn't reached before.  It stays there, trembling at the top of its height.

The water around its base suddenly starts to roil.  A large splash rises up and then another, throwing droplets of water far enough to caress your cheek.

Then the column suddenly falls, shooting back under at its fastest rate yet.  Like someone had cut it's base out from under it.  The blue light is still visible below the water.  But its like a little dot.

The water stills after a while.  Its been twenty breaths and the column isn't reemerging.

Ailith jumped up when the column suddenly rose from the waters and quickly took a few more steps back. She stopped pretty soon though, as it became pretty clear that the things couldn't get on the ground.

When it disappeared, she watched from where she was for a moment. Then, she started to hesitate: should she go back and…and do whatever about it? Or… Or should she try to see what that was all about?

Alright, saying that she hesitated would be overstating it: it was more like she considered the option first and immediately rejected it. Instead, pushed by curiosity, she cautiously took a few steps forward to try and peer over the ledge into the waters and look for some kind of explanations into what exactly the thing was and what it was doing there exactly. Still, she picked a couple of pebbles on the way: it hadn't seemed to do much and probably wouldn't do anything, but Ailith felt better with something in hand.

In reply to Ailith (msg # 44):

The water of the underground river is clear and fresh for drinking.  But the rock and shadows of the cave override the transparency.  It's like staring into a rock wall.

That said, there is something down there.  A large area darker than the rest, with the blue dot right at the center.

The shape is very symmetrical.  It's more or less like a large barrel, though one about three carts long and two carts wide.  It isn't moving.  Other than the column, which at the moment is also not moving.

After a minute or so of careful observations, Ailith backed away from the river and with one last look, decided to let it rest for now. She didn't know what it was or why it was there, but she was pretty sure of two things: first, it probably had something to do with the Interlopers. She of course had no idea for what purpose, but it wasn't like spending time there would give her an answer to that.

Second and more importantly, while she didn't know the thing's purpose for being here, she knew perfectly well what her own was... And it wasn't to wait for some weird column to come out of the water. She had a job to do, one she had to take care of before anything else, and that meant starting early in the morning which she wouldn't be able to do if she stayed there too long.

If she had the time then sure. But right now, she had too much riding on her job to be able to afford any kind of slip up.

While she walked to the exit, she thought about what she wanted to tell Ozcow. In the end, she decided that she wasn't going to say anything for the time being: not only she had nothing to show for it - and who knew if the column would still be there if she tried to show it to anyone? - but maybe more importantly, it seemed clear that the thing was related to the interlopers, something that wasn't really a happy subject back at the village. Considering Ozcow's propensity to talk... She would tell Yovo and let her decide what to do about it.

So when she reached the camp, she exchanged a few platitude with her companion then went to sleep.

In reply to Ailith (msg # 46):

The next morning seems to arrive sooner than you might have liked it too.  Maybe you had odd dreams.  Maybe not.

Ozcow is an early riser.  He is also just as cheerful and talkative right out of the gate.  He's obviously one of those 'morning people'.

You get to work on the emz.  You cut the four stacks, with Ozcow hauling them back up to the cart.

Despite any possible misgivings, the column is quiet.  When you check, the blue light is still there, only maybe a little dimmer.  You have to search for it to find it.

The work otherwise goes quickly.

Ozcow ties up the fourth bundle, telling you it is a little after midmorning.  He hands you a pitcher filled with cold, clear river water and asks if you want to cut another stack.  There is room in the cart.

You can head home early.  If you left now, you'd get back well before the evening meal.

You can cut one more stack.  There's time, and you should still be able to get home before the kitchen closes for the night.

Or...there might be other things you could do...

While she worked on the emz, Ailith looked at the waters from time to time, not so much trying to spot the column but to be sure she'd get some warning if it suddenly decided to come out. Once done with that she gratefully took Ozcow's pitcher and hesitated about cutting another stack. It wouldn't be lost that was for sure and she was almost itching to work on it herself, but she reasoned that even if she managed to keep some she wouldn't have the time to do it.

The idea of getting back well before the evening meal was a tempting one…albeit briefly: she was pretty sure that if she came back that early, she'd be immediately tasked to sweep the grounds and that didn't hold much appeal.

Instead of course, her gaze turned to the waters and the column in it. After a brief hesitation, she said to Ozcow, “I've seen something down there, I want to take a closer look at it.” She wouldn't be able to get the column out of course, but maybe she'd be able to get a nice look at it: who knew then what she could learn of what it was or even better yet: how it was made.

Thankfully, having grown in a village near a big river she was a pretty decent swimmer so at least the river itself wouldn't be a danger. She could only hope that the column wouldn't be more dangerous than it had been when she had been on the shore…but she was far too curious to let that thought distract her.

In reply to Ailith (msg # 48):

The water is icy cold.  You dive, though thankfully it isn't terribly deep.

You head for the blue dot of light.  It is pretty much the only illumination around, and what little you can see is by it's light.

The column seems to have retracted into the larger shape, with the exception of the head of the column housing the 'eye'.

The larger shape seems to be metal.  A dull grayish color.  Right under the area that seems to house the base of the column is some kind of strange writing.  Glyphs of some sort.  They curiously look oddly familiar.  Some of the shapes seem to be temple dialect, except the writing is wrong.  The shapes are similar, but just off so they are rendered meaningless.

At the far end of the top of the large shape is a blister of some sort.  A roundish area that rises slightly above the top.  There is a wheel of some sort protruding from it.

Ailith groaned inwardly as the cold of the waters seeped in: that was definitely not something she was fond of. In fact, had she dipped a toe in the river beforehand, she might have dropped the idea entirely. Now though, since she was in, she dove deeper to find her target.

She had decided that for her first dive, she would try to see as much of the column as she could without stopping anywhere at all, but the presence of the glyphs stopped her for a moment: not that there were glyphs in the first place of course, but the simple fact that they were…maybe not familiar, but like a word on the tip on the tongue, something that was close but out of reach, and she found that really puzzling: after all, whatever all of this was, it hadn't been made by any master crafter on her world.

She had taken so long in fact than when she noticed the wheel thing, she didn't have the air to do much more than look at it. So instead, she swam back up to breathe for a bit. Turning to Ozcow, she called, “There is a weird structure down there, with some sort of… Well, I'm not sure what it does but I'm going to see.”

After that, and without giving him much of a time to answer, Ailith dove back in, straight to the wheel this time with the goal of seeing if she could convince it to move.

In reply to Ailith (msg # 50):

The wheel has grooves at two points along it's side.  They seem designed to facilitate holding, but the indentions are larger than you would expect.

The wheel moves surprisingly easily.  So easy in fact, you've spun it all the way around before you even realize it.

The blister seems to lift upwards.  There's a hole under it.  You can't see what's inside.  But you can lift the lid (this is obviously some kind of door, though you've never seen a wheel as a 'handle' before).  There seems to be enough room to lower yourself into.  At the end of the space, is what looks to be some kind of window. But the other side is dark.  There are odd engravings alone the walls, but it is too dark to see what they are.

Your lungs are starting to ache.  But you think you'll have enough air to look inside if you want.  Or you can surface and then dive again.

While really curious, Ailith decided to not tempt it and swam back to the surface: sure, it was cold, but swimming around kept her somewhat warm, so taking a few more seconds to find out more about the engravings wasn't really an issue. Plus, she'd have had to swim back after barely a glance at those anyway so she might as well surface sooner rather than later.

After some deep breaths, torn between diving straight away to satisfy her curiosity and staying afloat to appease her lungs, Ailith distracted herself by wondering who would think building a wheel for an handle was a good idea. Pretty soon though, she decided that there was not much point thinking about that… and she had spent enough time recuperating by that point so she quickly disappeared once more under the surface.

She had nothing to light up the inside of course - she'd be ready to give almost anything to get one of those jars filled with glowing mushrooms sometimes found in caves - but she'd have to do with what she had. Which wasn't much but maybe it would be enough… Or at least she hoped it would be enough.

In reply to Ailith (msg # 52):

You wiggle into the alcove under the blister door.

It's roomier than you would have thought.  Ozcow could fit down here with you, though you'd both be in a line.  Two people could not stand next to each other.

The far end does seem to have a window.  You can tell because there is another light beyond the glass.  It's like someone threw a torch down a dry well and the torch has almost gone out.  You can see a glow, but can't tell how far away it is.

Around the window are protrusions.  Two on the left and one on the right.  You can't be sure, but they might be levers of some kind.

You got a good lungful of air.  There is time to...throw a lever a guess.

Or what have you.  You may investigate something as you like

Once inside, Ailith considered the situation for a second or two, briefly wondering who would want to build a door under the water in the first place.to say nothing of why. Such thoughts could wait though as at that time she had to focus on that window, the light she could see through it and the lever things beside it.

She had of course no idea what they were for, net even what she could expect any of them to actually do, but she made sure to note their exact position: if it meant something, she wanted to be able to put them back in place quickly and accurately.

Then, after a brief hesitation, she tried to move the lever on the right: if it was alone, it had to be more important than the other two, right?

In reply to Ailith (msg # 54):

Jackpot

Apparently it is.

It pulls down fairly easily.  There's a thrumming sound and behind you, the blister door swings shut.

Before panic can set in, you are blinded.  The odd runes on the sides of the wall suddenly light up.  Mostly in stark, bright whites, but there are blues and turquoise and emerald colors flashing in spots as well.

The thrumming continues and the water level is suddenly dropping.  Before you realize, it's dropped below your chin and continues to fall.  There's now a hissing sound.  A jet of stale air strikes you on the side of the head.  Then another comes from above.  And more from the other side.

Without the water suspending you, you find yourself flat against the window.  It seems to hold your weight easily.  The way you came in is gone.  The blister door has closed compeltely.  You could try to scramble up the sides of this chamber to reach it.  But before you can...

Azhu nok kahadi szo zo

The voice comes from out of nowhere.  It is a dull, flat voice.  It sounds like a bored woman speaking to you from behind a wall of clay.  The words make no sense.

Gzee Ka

There is an odd clicking noise from the window.

Gzee Ka usk.  Preve ys

Five...Four...Three...

It's counting backwards.  The only thing it's said you understand are numbers.

When she heard the voice, Ailith froze in surprise, then turned on herself to try and identify from where it was coming from: there was simply no way it could come from the "room" she was in. Soon though, the "where" became secondary to the "what" as she realized she didn't understand anything. Was it the language of the Interlopers? But then… why had their runes seemed so familiar (and yet not)?

Then came the most surprising yet with perfectly intelligible numbers, though this time she didn't worry much about thy "why", as much as “Wait, wait, three before what!?”

Once again, Ailith turned on herself, this time not so much to find where the voice came from as much as something she might have missed and that the voice was waiting for before it did… Gods knew what.

In reply to Ailith (msg # 56):

"...One..."

You see the source of the voice:  one of the runes.  It is actually not an engraving but a very thin screen set over a small recess in the wall.  The sound seems to come from there.

But you only have a moment to register that.  There is a WHOOSH sound behind you and the window you'd been laying on is gone.  You fall.

A moment later the breath comes out of you as you slam into something hard and cold.  Bright lights flash across your vision and perhaps you black out.  In what feels like a few breaths after, you are blinking.  Not only from aching pain...thankfully nothing seems to be broken...but from lights that are shining in your face.

Above, you can see a shaft that seems to extend upwards.  You believe it ends in the recess you were just in.  The window must have been a door.  And the door...opened?

Runes along the walls are lighting up, casting a thin glow around the area.

You seem to be in a hall of some kind.  The hall extends to the left and right, both ways going about ten steps and ending in thick metal doors.  On the walls are two...robes?  They look odd.  Made with some kind of thick orange material that's got odd runes stitched into it.

There is a small pane of glass above you.  Light begins to seep out of it and then runes light up on it.  But the runes seem to change from moment to moment.

More runes light up.  There is a swish sound and you feel air blowing against your skin.

But other than that, nothing seems to be happening at the moment.

Ailith coughed, muttering darkly and swearing low but quite profusely. Was the door / window issue the thing the voice had tried to warn her about? Shaking her head, wincing all the way, Ailith stood up, checking as she did so that she was still in one piece. Bruised was bad enough, but broken bones would have been really bad considering where she was.

Blinking, the young female looked up at the window-door, wondering how she was going to be able to reach the door when she was done here. With a grimace, she decided that such a decision would have to wait for when she was actually done. Which… Well… At that point she could only hope that she'd be able to catch up to Ozcow on the read as she doubted he was going to wait for long. He was probably going to think she was dead…

While perfectly valid, those thoughts quickly went to the back of her head as she looked around. She spent a few seconds looking at the weird robes, but what really drew her attention was glass pane with changing runes. She jumped lightly when air started to blow against her skin, then focused back on the screen. She poked on it, tried to look under, all to try and understand how that all worked.

While she did so, she asked, “Hello? Are you there? Lady?”

In reply to Ailith (msg # 58):

The glass pane is suprisingly cool to the touch.  Now that you think about it, this whole place seems cold.  Though that may be because you are wet from the swim.

The glass seems to be built into the wall.  Getting under it isn't possible without prying it out somehow.  But you do discover that some of the runes seem to be pressable.  Your finger brushes against one and it depresses into the wall.  Nothing happens.  But there may be other runes you can press.  There are three other runes that seem pressable on the screen.

One looks like a door that is slightly ajar.

Another is a set of three perpendicular lines with dots between the inner layers.

The last appears to be a small rectangle with a line running along the left side of it.

The Lady doesn't say anything in answer to your question.

Ailith grumbled low, looking at the weird robes from time to time, wondering if maybe she could get into one to keep the cold at bay.

Pretty soon however she forgot all about that and focused on the runes she could interact with. One of them did nothing - as far as she could tell anyway - but while she had no idea how, it seemed likely that some of them would do something: they were not art so why else would they be there after all?

The first one was relatively easy to understand, or to at least get an idea of what was involved, namely a door. Maybe to open or close one? But… how? Probably some kind of interloper's powers but that didn't tell her much. She had however no idea what the other two would be doing as she didn't have a clue about what they were supposed to represent.

So in the end, she went to push the door one… before stopping and looking up to say, “Is it alright if I push those runes?” She waited a few seconds, then in the absence of an answer went ahead. She didn't look directly at the rune though, but instead tried to watch out for any door that would move: maybe she could learn how it worked?

Stooping there in case something happens, but Ailith won't step out just yet if a door opens, she'll first try the other two buttons (in order) as she wants an answer as to what they are / do.

In reply to Ailith (msg # 60):

No answer.

You bravely press the door button.

There is a soft click from your right.  It sounds like it is from the door that way.

On your left, there is a distinct harsh sound.  Like an ozubek caught in a trap. Just not as loud.

Ailith was halfway turned to the door she had heard opening when she froze as some noise came from the other direction. She slowly then turned her head in that direction, her eyes going all over the place to see if she could spot something, anything, that she could use as a weapon: an ozubek wasn't dangerous of course, but… in here, even if it were roughly the same size, who knew what it could do…

Find something or not she headed cautiously in the direction of the noise for if there was really something dangerous trapped, she wanted to address the problem as soon as possible and not let it get out of hand. If she could anyway…