Journal of Miyara Kyosuke (33)

Unedited

    (Ash's name is actually spelt Ashe)

    The tour continued.  There was a well six hundred feet below, with a set of ropes to pull it up from there.  The mill -- and the rope -- were powered by a windmill on the roof.  Other things in the central building were powered from the windmill -- a lathe, bellows, and other devices.  The towers were all three stories high, about thirty feet above the courtyard; the bottom floor of each was a lavatory, the second a large cistern, the top floor was open on all sides and was a lookout post, with a funnel shaped roof to collect rainwater into the cistern.  That water is used for all but drinking water (and for convenience, the well water is used in the forge).  One of these did not overhang the rock beneath enough, and was known as Foul Corner; Rowdy Corner was where the guards sleep; Windy Corner was most open to the constant wind; and Sleepy Corner was the other one.  The area in front of the statue of Yazeran was called the Square of Joy.  As the monks passed through here, they took on an air of reverence, even those who did not stop to pay their respects to the statue.  Off the courtyard was a large eating hall, with six large tables in a U-shape, the bottom of the U being raised slightly.  The hall was ornate and well decorated, with tapestries along the walls, and the hall itself was well fashioned probably by one of Goru's kind.  Monks were involved in some sort of teaching here.  There was also a balcony on the second floor, and we could see into it from here.  Deiter said that was where the library was located. The Square of Anger was the area between the smithy and the armorer, and we were told this was where the guards practiced.  Supposedly this was the only place in Eyrie where anger was permitted, and anger was supposed to be left here.  Goru asked if we could practice here too, and Deiter said that we would have to check with Norbert and the head guard.  As we continued, D said that most of the areas around the edge were sleeping areas, but here was a shrine to Hosei's goddess, Verena, of truth and justice.  Small niches in the walls contained offerings left by worshippers, while there was a wooden altar.  Hosei and Miyara had a short discussion, in which she confirmed that he was part of the party -- after all, he was in the prophecy -- even though he had to donate all your worldly goods to his goddess.  Pireseri said that in the shrine was a couple of fake stones that formed a trapdoor into a room below, in which was a sarcophagus.  The tour passed back by the statue, and on past the kitchens.  Stairs up there not only lead to the Roost Master, but to Norbert's residence too. Between our rooms, Pireseri reported a secret door and room with wine barrels; there was alos a secret door near there leading to the hall.  In the hall itself, the decorative portcullises were much more than decorative -- they cdould be rolled out through the wall to block off the alleyways either side, one of which of course led to the Rooswt Master's residence.  He also reported that Yazeran's workshop, which is now the secure storage area, contained a room full of pipes with a keyboard, presumably a pipe organ.  It turned out that it was a steam pipe organ.  There was a short hallway beyond that, he said, and there were secret doors either end matching up with a room at the other end -- probably the crypt under the shrine.
    We then were taken downstairs.  There were two layers of tombs, rooms with holes in the wall and in each hole a body.  There were 12" square plaques all around the room, and on each some sort of writing or symbolism I had not seen before.
    It was now time for dinner.  On the way we stopped by the statue of Yazeran to see if the line showed anything.  Many monks were of course travelling through here on their way to dinner.
    The shadows from the setting sun were cast on the east wall, the one of the eating hall.  The shadow from his arm and line was cast on the wall, close to the bottom.  We examined where the shadow was cast, and on the pedastel directly underneath the plumbob.  Pireseri noticed a loose brick in the wall, pointed out by the shadown of the plumbob.  Hosei wiggled it and noticed it was loose just as Pireseri was doing that.  Hosei said something to Deiter and pulled it out.  There was another card there, and it said "SEEK the source find the cause" and showed a giant anvil with seven swords point down above it.  This was supposed to be a clue to the next one, too, so this would have to lead on.  The first said "ONLY whole when one is over."  Hosei examined the brick and puts it back, and we all went on to eat.  The barbarians noted that the cards were the seven of swords and two of wands from what they called their tarot deck.
    At dinner, the leaders were sitting up on the dais, and Miyara was invited to join them, as was appropriate.  I ate with those of lower station.  Rice was served in a broth with some sort of meat for flavor.  The captain of the guard, like Hosei, had only one hand -- while Hosei had a hook, the captain had a club.  Miyara was sitting next to him, and took the opportunity to get permission to train at the Square of Anger.  She also obtained it from Norbert, the Flag Master, who was surprised by the request but readily agreed.  The Roost Master had fallen asleep, and Miyara of course spoke quietly around him.  The guard captain was called Udo Schwerner, although he was known as Scar.  Miyara talked with him about the battle where he obtained his honorable wound in a battle against the forces of Chaos.
    There was a clear division between the guards and monks, from their mode of dress.  The monks were in robes, while the guards were in leather armor.  Goru had a vision of a vast army on the march, far off.  Hosei noticed many symbols of Verena around the room; one odd thing was the statue of Verena (Berina?) as Justice, because the sword was held point up instead of the usual point down.  There was, however, nothing of significance above the point of the sword.  Jeison seemed to be having a good time, sharing some private joke with the guards next to him.
    After dinner, Miyara told us that she had obtained permission to train in the Square of Anger.  Obviously I had not been fighting well enough, and she had found a way to tell me such that I could save face.  I thanked her politely and said I would be sure to practice greatly.  She suggested we should sleep now, though, as we had to be up at 4 am to eat breakfast.
    Pireseri wandered around some more with his special sight, and found that as expected the crypt contained the body of a fairy like Yazeran.  There was a chest at the foot of the sarcophagus that seemed to be full of many coins and some jewels.
    The night passed uneventfully.  Miyara told me later that she noticed that as Carimera prepared for bed, the sogin roku was glowing slightly.
    Just before 4 am, we were awoken by Deiter to summon us to breakfast.  Those sleeping elsewhere joined us at the meal, again rice cooked in broth with some egg in it too.  Hosei relayed what Pireseri had found.
    After the meal, I went to practice in the square.  I worked hard on my Clown Fighting Technique.  Miyara went to fetch her weapons and then joined us.
    (Hosei, Rabena, and Pireseri, with Deiter, went off to take the secret passages to the crypt of Yazeran.  Carimera wandered around with the sogin roku looking for where it glowed the brightest.  The three went through the smithy to the mill, taking the ladder down to the workshop that is now the storage room.  Hosei went to open the door into the organ room, but Deiter  didn't know what was behind it, and was rather surprised.  It was a room full of pipes, a steam pipe organ like a calliope.  While Hosei and Rabena distracted Deiter, Pireseri went to the secret door and opened it by pushing on a brick, feigning surprise.  D tries to get them to ask for permission first, but Hosei had already rolled a glowing coin down and revealed the door at the end of the hallway.  They all went down the corridor while D ran off in a hurry.  Pireseri opened the next door, revealing the tomb.  It was a finished room, completely plain except for the sarcophagus, with a stone statue of a hawk perched on the head, and at the foot was a chest.  They looked around carefully, including Pireseri with his special vision.  Hosei looked around for magic, and the only thing magical was the hawk itself.  No-one even entered the room.  Pireseri found nothing more. They closed the door and returned to the pipe room, closing the door there too.  They amused themselves here, and found somewhere to put the water for the organ, but no stove.  Norbert and Deiter arrived on the scene, the former frustrated and disgruntled, seeming surprised by the organ room.  They showed N the organ, which he understood but hadn't seen before.  The seat at the keyboard was dwarf-sized.  The pipes were metal, copper or bronze or something but not corroded.  Hosei noticed the whole organ was magical, and said so.  N said it was clearly by and for Yazeran, and so they should leave.  They discussed it briefly, but N said that all knowledge had a cost and made his points well enough to win the debate.  N did not know about the secret door, but was not surprised and did know where the tomb was located.  Hosei told him that they had looked on it but had not entered.  N said that he would strongly prefer that they not open doors without asking him.  Because of the role in the prophecy they were to be given complete access (except only indirectly to the library) but they should ask first.  Hosei asked N about the phrase on the second card.  (Back a long time ago, back in the yetsin valley, the first cave, there was a dead dwarf or something mentioning that the green skins must have thought the crystal of air was with him and not with Yazeran -- the first time they'd come across his name.  His point was the orcs were attacking and he was just trying to slow them down.  This message was from 100 years ago;Y showed up about 100 years ago and built Eyrie.)
    Hosei came back to us all and reported everything that they'd found.  We then decided to see if "the source" was the well.  The ropes descended through the cavern several hundred feet from the courtyard, and then several hundred feet beyond that.  The ropes had hooks for buckets, and was continuously hauling water.  At the highest level, Hosei gave Pireseri one of his glowing rocks for light, and the small elf clambered into a bucket headed down. He looked closely at the walls as he headed down.
    After a very long descent he passed through the cavern, and then went back into the shaft and on downwards.  At about forty feet below the lower cavern, jammed into a crack in the wall, was a wooden box.  Pireseri quickly grabbed the box and climbed over to a bucket going up.
    The box contained another card.  This one showed a person in a barrel, with water all around, and in fact the person looked a lot like Pireseri.  Next to him was a king with a cup -- King of Cups, clearly.  "TALLEST and shortest provide the range."  People?  My idea was flagpoles.  It could be anything, really.  As I then suggested, it could be notes from the organ.
    As Pireseri came out, there was some commotion from one of the towers.  The guard there had seen an army approaching, a long way off.  We quickly ran to the top of the tower, and we saw an army of many orcs coming around a mountain very far away.