Careful not to damage the installation within the rocks, Nalla, Alberic, and Zalbane worked to uncover the made structure in the cave above the crevasse.  Days of work revealed more of the wall within, but had not yet uncovered answers.

Near sunset a day after Nalla and Zalbane watched Tacita and Lyel leave to Yenth for supplies and instructions, a stranger walks up to the walls of the new clave with purpose in his step and a message from Prelate Mez.

Zalbane had rather enjoyed the difficult, exacting task of chipping the rock from the strange installation.  She was a strong woman, and didn't mind the hard labor; and it was certainly safer for her to do it than ask any of the craftsfolk to do so.  That let them concentrate on their work, and for her and Nalla and Alberic to test things that were, by nature, far more unpredictable.

But it was a pleasant break in the morning to be there to wave off Tacita and Lyel and then greet this newcomer.  And what a newcomer this one was!  Furry and serpentine and a mystery all the way around!

Zalbane stepped forward to introduce herself.  She is undeniably ugly.  Hideous actually.  She has been mistaken for an abhuman, a mutant, and even a deformed varjellan.  She is tall and spindly, though her hands and feet are weirdly large for her frame, and walks with a rocking, insect-like gait.  He skin is deep rose, but lumpy and uneven, her hair a profuse, wiry uneven tangle in an unpleasant ocher shade.  It seems to literally be made of metal, which doesn't allow for her to style it with any success.  Her mouth is oddly tiny, her teeth like that of an child.  Her eyes are huge, solid copper-colored orbs that can only be described as disconcerting.

She wears neatly-tanned furs and leathers dyed with a pattern of purple stars on an olive-green background, with a silky silvery cloak that always seems to be about to fall off her shoulders.  She wears a bright pink synth backpack under her cloak, and a blue navy belt that doesn't go with anything.

A dart-thrower dangles from one side of the belt, and a synth mace with a crystalline head on the other.  Zalbane wears a glittering crystal pendant about her neck that catches every possible ray of light, scattering rainbows everywhere.  Right now the crystal glows to illuminate everyone in the growing light of dusk.

"Iadece," she says with a small smile.  "I am Zalbane, and that is Nalla, our organizer, and Alberic, a wright we picked up.  What do we call you, friend?"

Alberic gives a cheery wave as Zalbane introduces him. He wears a long, dark brown duster coat buttoned up to cover most of his body, and a blue cloak. His left hand is covered in a thick mitten, and currently curls around a large clock hand that he seems to be using as a crutch.  His right hand - which is uncovered and unremarkable - tips his broad-brimmed hat in greeting revealing a gaunt but cheerful face, lightly bearded, and thinning brown hair atop his head. His left eye is nothing more than a sphere of blue crystal, the socket around it scarred and twisted, as if it had been installed without proper care. He looks cheerful enough, though, and is currently puffing away at a long pipe, which is emitting a cloud of dark grey, liquorice-scented smoke.

'Step' was a bit of a misnomer.  From afar, he could have been operating some techno-organic transport that kept him still from the knees up.  He readjusted his coat, though it almost immediately slid off one bare shoulder.  Volk hardly seemed to notice, even if it made him look like a boy swimming in his father's coat.

He flashed a bright, boyish smile to the greeting party, which probably wasn't going to do him any favors in building confidence in his appropriateness for the mission.  Not everyone was so warm and welcoming when his coils, rolling beneath him like scaly wheels, came into clear focus.  "Hello!  I'm Volk; I hear there are some trapped brawnies that need saving."  The mutant responded cheerfully.

The letter from Mez is merely requesting which installation the clave members which to try to install next.  She requests a "top two" list, in case the first choice is not available.  The choices are:

Everflowing Fountain, Farspeaking Pylon, Language Translator, Library Obelisk, Improved Luminous Dynamo, Pabulum Extruder (modified), Sustenance Synthesizer (modified), Mechanized Turret

The struck out option you have already chosen and is at the clave.  The paper appears to be Mez's original list.

Nalla looks up from some part of the ongoing project to arrange and build all the minor support buildings the clave still needs when she hears her name.  Upon seeing a new person being inspected at the gate she heads over to see what is going on.  The note is instantly recognizable even without attempting to read or inspect it for authenticity although she surely takes the time to do both of those things anyways.

”The next two we will need are the Everflowing Fountain, and Sustenance Synthesizer.  Did Mez include a method of returning that information to her in your instructions?”

The message to Mez can be returned with the carriers of the next supply delivery, per scrawling along the side of the list.  No estimate on a procurement time is made.

As the group introduces Volk to the facilities and he has time to settle in, the day wears on.  A late afternoon rain soaks the forest and only subsides after sunset.  About an hour later, everyone in the clave can hear an odd, low sort of humming or buzzing.  It seems to be coming from the sky, perhaps above the crevasse

"Now, what's that?" Alberic asks, hobbling out to take a look in the directon the soundis coming from, shielding his eyes as he peers into the sky.

In the dark sky, beyond the heavy foliage, nothing is visible, but something low and powerful is still quite audible.

"Perhaps our first new arrival," Zalbane says, and makes the lit crystal about her neck flare with daylight brightness, sending light cascading all around the area.

As the day wore on, Volk discretely checked his chronometer.  Nothing ruined a good first impression like eating a new ally.

"Were you - we - waiting for someone?"

"Sometimes things show up out of the canyon or its vicinity, and that's what we were sent here to figure out.  Nothing's shown up yet, but maybe we've finally gotten lucky," Zalbane explains.

Alberic notes Volk's surreptitious chronometer check, but interprets this as impatience to investigate - an impatience he shares. "Absolutely! Absolutely! Let's go and take a look at what the valley has delivered us, eh?"

He is already gathering up his pack, clouds of bananana-flavoured yellow-brown smoke trailing from his pipe.

Beyond the walls of the clave, the forest is thick with night.  Even the starlight must dodge the shaking leaves to brighten, barely, the soil below.  The strange noise continues, slightly louder outside the bounds of the habitations and protective structures.

Volk glanced between Zalbane and Alberic, a smile curling at the edges of his mouth.  "All right then.  Noise is coming from that way; let's go have a looksie!"

Zalbane nods, her crystal shining brightly to push back the night.  Whatever lurked would not remain unseen, not to them.  She walked with Volk and Alberic to confront whatever had decided to come calling that night...

Alebric nods, and as he walks gradually shifts his weight off the clock hand, ready to use it as a weapon.

A large figure approaches from behind. Stepping closer, you can see it is a woman. Well armed and armored she stands two meters tall. She regards you with curiosity on her flat, round face.

"Buojrez," she says, pointing her thumb at herself. The move makes it clear that she has six fingers.

She wears scale mail and carries a large maul. A bow and quiver are strapped to her back.