It has taken me a few days to come to terms with what I witnessed in the Third Age. It took me what seemed like hours to wind my way through the dark, jagged tunnel, only to feel the walls fall away into a large, open space. It took me several moments to realise I had emerged outside. The moon was obscured by dark, heavy clouds and the rest of the horizon was cut off by colossal angry-looking mountains.

I was surrounded by the ruins of another village. This village was nothing like the savages’. This village was comprised of structures built of stone in a very, very familiar style.

A D’ni village.

There were long streaking scorch marks covering the grey stone of the toppled structures. Some of the rubble had been moved & placed into small piles, while other pieces of stone lay where they fell. D’ni words were carved into several structures, which I did not bother translating. I should have captured a rubbing, but I was in too much awe to consider it (I have a suspicion that someone is going to ask me to return for one). I was surprised, yet not at all disappointed to notice a lack of bodies anywhere.

In the centre of the ruins was a stone gazebo, partially destroyed, with a pedestal in the center. Large animal skins were stretched over the ruined sections of the gazebo’s roof, a clear indication the savages had been here. On the pedestal sat a book.

A linking book.

It was tied down with a rough length of rope stretched horizontally across it, but the linking panel was clearly active and usable. I peered into the window to another world. I did not recognise it as any I may have encountered before.

My mind began to swim. I felt nauseous and dizzy. Could the natives have caused this destruction? Did they slaughter the innocent D’ni who lived here in peace? Did they covet their ability to link? Was there a war? Why didn’t the D’ni colonists just leave? I had attempted to answer my single question, and in doing so it exploded into millions. These questions however, are most likely unanswerable.

One thing was clear, whatever the savages hunted, it lived in the Age in that Book.

I made my quick audiolog, and as I finished, a faint rumble seeped up from the ground and a brutally bright fork of green lightning struck the cave side of the caldera. The hairs on my arms stood up, and I decided it was time to leave.

What have I stumbled upon…

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My God, they have access to a linking book. These creatures can link. I need to return to the cavern.

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File PG_AD090524_1.amr transcribed and uploaded to server May 06, 2009 @ 23:58 MDT

Auto-Dictation software
© Ray Software 2009

…software version v2.3.7
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Auto-Dictation begun May 06, 2009 @ 22:03 MDT

After a painfully slow journey around the village I have entered the cave. It is absolutely silent in here. Let’s see, the cave is much larger that it appears, with ceilings possibly twenty meters high, or higher.

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I assumed this cave was going to be a maze of tunnels [coughing] but it seems that most tunnels have been blocked off, leaving only a single path. [unintelligible] [impact noise]

Damnit [unintelligible][scuffling noise] I almost killed myself on these bloody rocks. I need to be more careful. [deep breathing]. I tore my hands up a bit. Nothing too serious. I should probably turn this off before I hurt myself again. Damnit [unintelligible].

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I’ve thought it over a great deal in the past few days. Even though many of you have cautioned me in emails or on this journal against going, I must. I’ve determined that this planet has a very long day and night cycle, almost three times the length of Earth’s. The village enters a period of rest, although certain natives continue their work. Sentries are more prevalent, and certain members of the trader caste continue to toil at their posts. There are no trackers present, so if I make a wide enough berth and move slowly enough I should be able to make it to the cave without alerting the guards.

I will take every precaution necessary, covering my tracks and sealing my linking cave behind me.

I waited and watched the village for as long as I could stand the sun and heat. I did not want to retreat to the cool of the Cavern, in case I missed the return of the hunting party (or what I assumed was one). Eventually I settled on returning to the Cavern periodically for short periods of time. So far I seem to have avoided heatstroke, and have only come away with a slight sunburn.

But I saw them return. I was lucky enough to not have missed them. They were away for almost 40 hours. They emerged from the cave, one by one, each bearing gigantic slabs of carcass. It seems I was right. It was a hunting party. Party members were splattered with what I can only assume was dried blood, apparently having no time to wash off their prey’s remains. Of course, there was no guarantee of any sort of water-source in that cave in the first place. The party seemed in high-spirits (or what I can only assume is high-spirits for these creatures) whooping and hollering at each other, practically dancing instead of walking. Even the warriors seemed jovial!

The journey home was fairly uneventful. I once again hid from sight, although I doubt they would have seen anything at all, in their post-hunt extacy. I did not count their numbers exactly as they left, but I was fairly certain none of them had been lost on their excursion. Perhaps the true reason for their celebration.

As they reached the village, they were welcomed by the remaining villagers. No elaborate ceremonies this time though, only the dispersal of the meat.

I’m slowly realising that the answer to my question of their food source hides within that cave. Is the answer worth the danger? Have I become so obsessed over solving this puzzle that I would put my life in considerable risk? The answer could be as simple as a cave-dwelling creature. Why am I so compelled to fill this hole in my mind?

The cave is at least as far away from the village as my vantage point. Making a wide circle around the village at night should be safe enough. They only seem to use the cave for their hunts, I doubt they would be doing so in the next few days.

But what of any creatures that may dwell within? Perhaps I should bring some sort of protection.

I cannot deny my curiosity. The answer will be revealed.

I have returned to the Cavern to transcribe the following account of yesterday’s mystery from my notebook. As of yet the party has not returned. I will return shortly, hoping that I haven’t missed them in my brief respite from the heat.

Read the rest of this entry »

There are so many mysteries surrounding the natives of the Third Age, but none so confounding as this one:

Why, in the weeks that I have been patiently and dilligently observing these creatures, have I never seen them hunt? I have only noticed a lack of population on some visits, and an abundance of it on other visits. They just seem to vanish into the air, and re-appear just as mysteriously! I would have expected to see lavish hunting parties, or at least a group of them, crossing the hills in search of food for their village.

This morning the mystery only deepened.

I’ve only returned for a moment, to write this entry and retrieve some supplies for a longer visit. A full write-up will have to wait. I’m returning to the Third Age immediately to wait for the return.

Perhaps this is the answer.

Anthropology is the most humanistic of the sciences and the most scientific of the humanities.

                                                                                                       - Alfred L. Kroeber

Over the last few days I’ve been distracted by the curious goings-on of the public as they wade through my thoughts. It was enough to give me pause, halting my anthropological studies in the Third Age as well as my work on Luminesce. I’m not used to having everything I write scrutinized and analysed. I suppose I should not stifle the energetic curiosity of those such as “Abjab” and others. Curiosity is what led me to this place, and I have no right to deny others that same Journey.

Today however, I’ve forced myself to turn my eyes back towards the Third Age. As I entered the punishing sunlight, I wondered if this Age ever rains or has foul weather. If it does, I have yet to witness it.

I’ve begun watching the Tracker caste. I still find it amazing how different each group looks from each other. The trackers are very lithe in comparison with the other castes. They have disproportionately long arms, and seem to favour almost a four-legged gait similar to gorillas over a more bi-pedal one.

In fact, that seems a very apt parallel! They show similar behavior in some ways. They enjoy climbing and hanging from trees, huts etc. In fact I believe I’ve seen them perched upon a boulder or rooftop more often than I’ve seen them on the ground. They seem much more intelligent than the Warriors, and a great deal more playful. Each tracker has a long dark cloth wrapped around their neck, perhaps a sign of their position. Such decoration seems unecessary to me as they are so physically unique! The trackers seem to enjoy stealing each other’s cloths and hiding them or keeping them away from the victim for as long as possible. Such behavior demonstrates an impressive amount of social and cognitive aptitude.

This caste is undoubtedly responsible for scouting and/or tracking prey. Each member carries a long spear or javelin ornamented with a thin, similarly coloured cloth at the end. Perhaps it is used for marking terrain, or even large animals which the Warriors will then attack?

Just the existance of such a specialised group of beings puts me on edge, but I’ve spent a great deal of time in survival classes, and I have been putting large effort into keeping myself concealed.

I’m constantly amazed how well the castes interact with each other. I would have assumed the Warriors would be annoyed by the impish antics of the Trackers, but each caste shows the other great respect when they pass. There seems to be no friction between them! Humanity could learn a lesson from these creatures.