Workers labor at lowering supplies down the steep canyon walls by means of long ropes and hastily-rigged pullies. Below, on a wide flat rocky "ledge" (perhaps more akin to a plateau) is the new Expedition Camp, moved far closer to the site … now that "the Site" has finally been located.

The flying members of the crew are careful never to break above the jungle treeline, in accordance with the warnings of Zoltan and Envoy, after their previous excursion which led them to this discovery.

Now, the twosome have a chance to survey the ruins from a closer vantage point.

Envoy gazes out over the ruins, and mimics the gestures of the giant hands unconsciously.

Vielanika stands on the edge of the level area which is housing the new camp, putting her hands over her eyes as if to shield them from the sun, though there are no bright lights to worry about. "Wow. This is something, all right! You really found something, certainly. Of course, the trouble is, nobody will really know that. Lord Titus the Great World Explorer will be the one to have the honor of discovery. But then, you saw that dreadful play-act already."

Zoltan quietly rubs the spot on his arm coverings where he's hidden the hand gem. Occasionally, the flashes of light jerk his attention upwards in nervous glances.

Envoy says, "Will we have to make a song about it?"

Rawrii sniff-sniffs at the air constantly, agitated by the faint scent of ozone, and no happier than the Vartan at the evidently magical displays far above. He whines quietly.

Zoltan squawks, "Hrr… so we nots get to poke around? Shame, Zoltan wanted to see if hands really moved."

Vielanika hmms. "Perhaps. But we haven't really had much of the 'spotlight' in Lord Titus' adventures. He's very fond of vixens, not so much for bats or … or … well … just as well, but it pretty much means we're not likely to get too much notice."

Envoy says, "Will he be going into the city first then?"

The bard bat shrugs. "Not likely, if they follow the standard procedure. He just tends to 'discover' things once they've already been discovered. In the meantime, they entertain him with various 'adventures' – like those exotic 'wild' animals that keep attacking, and the 'winged savages' and the like that keep waking us up at night." Vielanika yawns and stretches to prove the point.

Envoy says, "I wonder if he'll want the run through the jungle Zoltan and I did."

Zoltan puts a hand over his eyes, "Not more pretend games."

The brown bat grins. "You never know. It just depends on how much they're willing to pay the … ah … stand-ins."

Envoy eyes the vines covering some of the ruins.

Vielanika adds, "… or their next of kin… "

Envoy says, "So, there isn't any reason why we can't go exploring on our own then?"

Zoltan sidles a bit closer to Rawrii, noticing that he similarly shares the discomfort of the odd lightning overhead.

Vielanika looks around, then back to Envoy. "Actually … " she winks, "none whatsoever. I wasn't around when they gave anyone instructions not to check out the ruins. Were you? I didn't think so."

Envoy turns to Rawrii and Zoltan, "What do you think? Should we go look for shinies and talking buildings?"

The Vartan's ears perk. "If it mean no having to play pirate again!"

The brown bat starts leisurely wandering along the rocky path, pretending to take a great interest in the magenta flowers growing on vines that crawl across the face of the canyon.

Vielanika looks over her shoulder. "Sorry, Rawrii, but you'll have to stay here. You can't fly, after all. If anyone asks, I went looking for flowers, eh?"

Envoy fetches a spear from a pile nearby. It's not a 'real' spear, but one of the props. Still, it should be useful for poking into suspicious holes.

Rawrii whines, "Rowers?"

Envoy smiles, "We're going to look at flowers too?"

Zoltan starts to follow… er… that is, he coincidentally happens to be going down the same path as the bat. Looking for shiny stones (preferably ones that don't move) to pack in his beltpouch.

Vielanika nods. "Yes! Flowers. Very ancient flowers." She stops again, saying to Rawrii, "Now, don't worry. You'll get to look later. They're going to try building some bridges to replace the ones that might have once been here. Surely no one is going to stop to wonder how some wooden and rope bridges managed to survive for this long in such perfect condition… " With that, she skips on along, one hand brushing some of the flowered vines as she goes. (No, they don't attack. They just sit there. For now.)

Rawrii sulks, and clip-clops back to the camp site.

Envoy skips along behind, her fake-spear resting against a shoulder.

The rocky trail, evidently cut from the rock rather than naturally formed, runs along the canyon face, and zigs and zags below on a meandering path down to the canyon floor. Once the trail leads past a point visible to the camp, though, Vielanika prepares for a more direct route of travel. Just to make sure, she tosses a rock out from the ledge.

Zoltan trods along, ocasionally kicking small smooth stones with his hooves to make sure that they ARE stones, and then snatching them up to tuck away.

No lightning bolts strike the rock. And no stones bite or attempt to flee Zoltan.

A rainbow-colored Creen flits along, chasing after the threesome, and alighting on Envoy's shoulder. "Cree?"

"Is safe to fly down?" The Vartan asks.

The bat winks. "Shall we draw lots to see who goes first?"

Envoy smiles to her friend. "Do you want to come exploring with us? Do you know a way into the City?" She points at the ruins for the Creen.

The Creen intently stares at Envoy's fingertip.

Envoy turns to the batbat, "What's a lot look like? I didn't bring any paper or markers… "

Vielanika says, "Ah well. Last one in is a Waashu!" With that, she snaps out her wings and dives off the edge, levelling out and flapping her way along, over the raging river.

Zoltan shrugs and steps forward. "I go down first. Would probably be best if something dangerous down there."

Envoy spreads her wings and glides off after Vielanika and Zoltan.

Zoltan glides downwards, casting looks upwards as well as down, just in case a stray lightning bolt happens his way.

Crumbling ruins pass by below, some half-buried in silt and fallen rock, and most everything choked by vegetation. The most appealing landing spot looks like a wide tiled plaza relatively free of imposing vines, just before a long procession lined by several of the stone hands, which leads up to a stepped pyramid.

For just a moment, the light (how is this much light getting through that overcast sky?) reflects JUST right so that a flashing glint catches the Vartan's eyes … from that pyramid.

Zoltan BLINKBLINKBLINKS!

Zoltan thinks . o O ( SHINIES?? )

Envoy focuses her attention on the hands at the pyramid's base.

Vielanika touches down in the middle of the plaza. "Whew! Well, that was a nice little flight. I haven't gotten much flying in since I got here."

The brown bat pats her tummy. "At least the bright side is with those camp rations, I haven't gained any pounds… "

Zoltan hastily heads for the ground, almost bumping into Vielanika and sending a small cloud of dust into the air as he skids across the sand.

Vielanika coughs, and backs off. "Hey! Careful there!"

Envoy lands, and heads towards the hands. She tries to read them as if they were Savanite hand gestures, working from left to right.

The Vartan just keeps his eyes glued to the tip of the pyramid.

From here, there's nothing glittering or special about the pyramid. Maybe it was just a trick of the light.

Zoltan sneezes some errant dirt away. Hmmph, probably just another bug.

Envoy finds some of the hand gestures familiar from watching the Savanites in the crew, but can't tell if they are arranged in a message…

The brown bat looks up at all the hands lining the procession-way leading to the pyramid. "Awfully strange decor. I would have expected some idols or something. Or kings."

Envoy holds both of her hands up, and goes through the gestures.

Zoltan walks up to one of the hand statues and pokes at it gently with a talon to see if it's really alive.

The statues do nothing. They do not move or grab or grapple or any such thing.

Envoy stops signing at the hands, and goes to touch one as well… by pressing her horn into the palm?

The brown bat sighs. "I think I'm a bit disappointed. I'd expected something a bit more … well … I mean, there's a lot built here, but I've seen places FAR bigger than this."

The hand feels like solid stone to the touch of Envoy's horn. It makes no reaction.

Zoltan blinks at Envoy. "You trying to poke hole in it?"

Envoy pulls her head back, and frowns. "They're made of stone. I was trying to talk to it via my ansible, but there was no connection."

Vielanika laughs. "I think she'd have to poke a lot harder to make a hole in this." She patpats the stone.

Envoy says, "How can stone move?"

Vielanika ponders. "Uhm … If you push it really really hard?"

Envoy looks up at the pyramid. "That's not the same as moving by itself… "

Envoy says, "Perhaps Savanites built this place."

Zoltan walks over to the bat. "… you aeolun friend is weird, say strange things… " he whispers into one of the big ears. Then a bit louder, "Is anyway into pyramid?"

Vielanika shrugs. "I don't see any way in. But this walkway leads right up to it. Of course, we could have just as easily landed there, but it just seemed like the thing to do, to land here first." She pauses. "Just a silly notion, that's all."

Envoy goes up to the steps, and begins climbing the pyramid.

As Envoy begins climbing, she finds more carvings in the face of each "step". More symbols of hands.

There are also many tangles of vines which would take a lot of work to remove in order to see the whole of them.

Envoy kneels down to run her fingers across the carvings.

Zoltan follows behind Envoy and watches her examinations. "You understand any of writing?"

Vielanika, meanwhile, is busily removing some of the sections of vine – a largely futile struggle, considering how many there are, and how firmly rooted they've become.

Envoy says, "The Savanites use these gestures. They seem to be telling a story or… warning."

Zoltan smirks to the bat. "Careful, vines may be all holding pyramid together."

The brown bat hmphs. "If that's the case, maybe we'll find some of those gems when it falls apart!"

Envoy says, "I can't read all of it. Something about coming down from the stars, and lands that wander the sky or the heavens. And this sequence means death, I think."

Vielanika's ears swivel toward Envoy, and she drops a couple of vines. "Death? Could you elaborate?"

Envoy says, "These carvings are not older than the sky islands. Death to not something that violates something… "

Zoltan grins even bigger and starts tugging at some of the vines nearby. Images of gemstones bursting forth like a jet of water dance through his head.

At the base level of the pyramid, as Zoltan yanks away at the vines, he finds a section of stone which is a break in the repeating patterns of hands. It is relatively smooth, with few details.

Envoy says, "Or perhaps it is a record of how the islands where floated… "

Envoy says, "We'll have to ask one of the Savanites to translate."

Zoltan leans in closer to look at the stone. He pushes at it gently.

Vielanika hmms. "I wonder how hard it would be to bribe one… "

Envoy blinks at the bat. "Bribe? Why not just ask? This is surely part of their heritage, after all."

The stone does not budge. However, the Vartan does find what looks like a gap in the stone, running vertically.

The brown bat shrugs innocently. "Oh, I meant, you know, to help US, rather than waiting for … Oh, nevermind."

Envoy says, "Alright."

Zoltan whistles to Vielanika and Envoy. "I find something. Look like keyhole or slot."

Envoy looks back to Zoltan, then walks over to him.

The brown bat smiles. "I hope it's a keyhole. We could pi – er, I mean, I'm sure there's some way of figuring how to open it… " She flutters down from her higher position, to stand behind Envoy and Zoltan.

Envoy peers at the break in the stone.

The Creen, meanwhile, is flitting about, occasionally snatching up bugs that have scattered from their homes in the vines being disturbed.

Zoltan nervously sticks a talon into the gap and wiggles it around.

Envoy blinks at Zoltan, "You probably need to use the proper gesture, if it is a lock meant for a hand."

The break in the stone is fairly long. By moving some more vines, it looks as if it might run the height and depth of one of the tiers. In short, it looks like a fair candidate for being the edge of a door … but, if that is the case, a very thick door that doesn't conveniently open up upon pushing.

There are a few more hand carvings, these larger, visible on the exposed panel which is to the left of the gap. Vines obscure any further examination to the right and left.

Zoltan frowns, and starts pulling more vines down, hoping to clear off more from around the area.

Vielanika pulls out a dagger and starts hacking at some of the other vines as well.

Envoy helps Zoltan and Vielanika expose the door.

Envoy looks at the carvings, recognizing the sequences for 'map' and 'sky'.

Envoy points them out to the others. "Should we try to enter?"

Vielanika shrugs. "Unless it says, 'Open me and die,' I don't see why not."

Envoy looks at the seams for some way to open the door.

The exposed panel looks to be about two meters wide and two meters tall.

Zoltan peers into one of the small holes he's uncovered. He glances back at the carving, then at the hole again.

Envoy rubs a finger along her muzzle. "Maybe it only opens from the inside?" She tries signing 'open' to the door.

The door does not respond.

Zoltan mimics the "open" gesture with his own hand, and sticks it into the hand sized slot. His feathers puff out nervously, as if he's expecting to have his hand lopped off.

Envoy watches Zoltan. "Can you feel anything inside there?"

Zoltan squawks, "Envoy, is find holes on both side of door. Maybe if we both do at same time?"

As Zoltan puts his hand in, his fingers bump against several odd protrusions. Stone … rods? They move and click easily as he puts in his hand. There is a rumbling noise from behind the stone.

*KATHUNK* Stone pieces close around Zoltan's wrist, neatly holding it tightly in place.

Vielanika blinks. "Did it work?"

Zoltan SCRAWKS!! He tugtugs at his arm.

Envoy pauses at the rumbling sound… "Something moved." She heads for the opposite keyhole.

Envoy hmms at Zoltan's struggling.

Vielanika's eyes go wide! "No! Something's wrong! Stay away from it! We've … we've got to get him out somehow."

Envoy says, "What do you feel now, Zoltan?"

The brown bat leans over. "I don't see any blood seeping out," she observes helpfully.

Zoltan tries to calm down. "Is feel things inside stone. Probably they read hand signs. Maybe if Zoltan makes right one it lets go of hand?"

Envoy says, "Can you still move your fingers?"

The hippogryph wiggles his fingers experimentally.

Envoy says, "Do you feel any moving air, or warm or cold?"

Vielanika blinks. "But what if it's something like 'four bonks and you're dead'?" [a reference to a street game]

*clickclickclick* *RUMBLE*

Zoltan freezes.

The stone does not get any tighter, but it does not release the Vartan. The rumble isn't as loud as it was last time.

Envoy hmms. "We are not bonking anything. Try these gestures, Zoltan." She spells out 'open' carefully.

Zoltan shrinks down nervously. "Was watching you do that to door, put hand in slot and copies. It no work."

Vielanika asks, "Well, I heard it click and rumble some more. What did you try signing next?"

Envoy hmms. "I don't know any other gestures that are associated with 'open'… "

Zoltan squawks, "Was just wiggling fingers."

The brown bat groans. "I hope that doesn't mean anything obscene in this language."

Vielanika hmms. "What's the sign for 'pretty please'?"

Envoy says, "I don't know."

With his free hand, Zoltan carefully removes the hand sculpture from his arm bindings.

Envoy goes to the other side of the door, and peers into the keyhole there.

"Ooo!" says the bat. "That looks nice. Did you pick that up on the way? Are there more?"

Envoy turns to see what has Vielanika's interest?

Zoltan takes a deep breath, and mimics the gesture in his other hand.

There's another faint rumble. Nothing moves.

Envoy says, "Maybe that hand is the real key."

Vielanika hmms. "Awfully small compared to his hand, though."

Zoltan sighs, "Poodle Titus give. He say I gets lots more if I come on trip."

The brown bat frowns. "Probably just another prop, then."

Envoy thinks. Two keyholes…

Zoltan holds the small carving out to Envoy. "You know what handsign mean?"

( It probably says something like "SUCKER, nyah nyah nyah!" ) O o . Zoltan thinks to himself.

Envoy says, "It doesn't mean anything by itself that I recognize."

Envoy goes to the right keyhole, and sticks in her right hand. "The hands in the courtyard are mirror images, right and left making the same gestures."

Zoltan looks back at the courtyard, then to Envoy again. "You gots idea?"

Envoy holds her left hand up so Zoltan can see it, "Make this gesture." She does the first gesture (left-handed version) of the word for open.

Vielanika eeps! "What do we do if your guess is wrong?"

Envoy makes the right-handed version in her lock. "In that case, Vielanika… do you have a machete?"

The brown bat looks as if she's feeling sick. "Oooogh. I'll … Oh, please just get it right… "

*click* *rumble*

Envoy says, "I am doing the right side, Vielanika. Zoltan is doing the left."

Zoltan groans to himself, screws his eyes up tightly and mimics the open gesture.

The stone closes around Envoy's hand … then releases again. Zoltan's side does the same.

Envoy pulls her hand out of the slot.

The panel in the center slowly lowers, accompanied by the sound of stone scraping against stone.

Zoltan thinks . o O ( Pleasepleasepleaseplease… OOP! )

Zoltan falls backwards.

Vielanika bounces on her feet. "You did it! YOU DID IT!"

Zoltan kisses his hand happily, then rushes over and kisses Envoy's hand. *MWAH!*

The passage revealed is damp and musty. A faint pinpoint of light can be seen inside, directly ahead.

Zoltan carefully tucks the hand image back into his arm wrappings.

Envoy blinks at the gesture from Zoltan, and peers into the passage to try and gauge the distance to the light…

The light seems to be at the heart of the pyramid. It's not exactly a pinpoint. It looks as if something is being illuminated from above, but something low-hanging is obscuring the view of where the light is coming from.

Envoy pokes the prop spear into the passage, waving it around.

Zoltan looks to Vielanika. "You wants go in?"

*CHUNK!* Something shoots out from the side of the passage, cracking Envoy's spear in two.

Vielanika blinks. "No. Not really."

Envoy pulls the remains of the spear out and looks at the broken end.

The broken end looks as if it were smashed.

Zoltan squawks, "Hrr. Is maybe hand things can turn off traps too?"

There are a few smashed bones on the floor as well. They don't look nearly so ancient as the ruins, though.

Envoy says, "We can try. Can I borrow the crystal hand you have, Zoltan?"

Vielanika eeps! "If you put anything in, let's tie it to a stick or something."

Zoltan puts a hand on the spot he keeps the crystal. "You not going to throw in pyramid? Would like to take shiny back if can."

Envoy nods to Vielanika, and picks up a length of vine to tie the hand onto the spear. "I'm going to tie it to this shaft, Zoltan. You can hold it into the opening if you want."

The brown bat looks down the passage … from a hopefully safe point outside. "You know … you didn't even touch anything with that spear. It must be … magic or something!"

Zoltan frowns. "Titus tell Zoltan magic no work here!"

Vielanika shrugs. "Don't you think Titus knows Vartans hate magic?"

Envoy says, "It could have been many things. Even one of those carnivorous vines."

Vielanika shudders. "Oooo! I hope not! That is, unless you know of an easy way to take care of that."

Envoy holds the spear-half and vine out to Zoltan. "Do you want to see if it will let your shiny pass?"

Zoltan growls and pulls out the hand sculpture. At the very least if it IS magic he can be rid of it. He hands the small hand sculpture to Envoy.

"Poodles nothing but trouble." The Vartan grumbles to nobody in particular.

Vielanika hmms, and nods. "I can agree with that!"

Envoy ties the hand to the remaining length of the spear, and sticks it into the passage… having to stretch her arm to get past the point where the spear was broken before.

For a brief moment, the hand seems to GLOW as it passes a certain point. Then –

*CHUNK!* Something knocks the hand and the stick hard to the right. But the hand does not shatter.

*CHUNK!* *CHUNK!* *CHUNK!* *CHUNK* *chunk*

Envoy grins.

Something dark keeps pounding out from the wall, again and again.

*chunk* *chunk* … *chunk* … *bump*

At last, it stops. The "hand" falls with a clatter to the passage floor.

Zoltan smirks to himself. The trinket broke it!

Vielanika blinks several more times. "I think we need more sticks!"

The brown bat immediately sets about, trying to gather whatever sticks she can find, and, after pausing a bit as if struck with an idea, fills up a pouch with some sand.

Envoy pokes the remains of the spear through the trigger space again…

Nothing moves, save for the spear Envoy is waving around.

Zoltan looks inside the passage for the hand sculpture.

Envoy turns to Zoltan, "Thank you. You can get your shiny back now."

The hand has been knocked to the floor of the passage. Lights are refracted within its form, making it seem to glow faintly.

Envoy says, "Although it may be best to leave it where it is until we are past the trigger area."

Zoltan nods to envoy and looks back to the bat. "You need help?"

Vielanika frowns. "Uhm … Not really. I guess … onward and inward, right?"

Envoy carefully moves past the glowing hand, waving the remains of her spear in front of her and tapping the floors and walls. It makes for slow progress.

Zoltan follows slowly behind, scooping up his hand trinket when he gets close enough.

Nothing more halts Envoy's progress. As soon as Zoltan reaches down to the hand, it blinks out, and does not shine any longer while he holds it.

A play of light is noticeable for just a moment on Zoltan's outreached hand, though.

Zoltan looks curiously at the hand. That's odd.

Envoy at last comes to the end of the passage, where the upper half of the corridor is blocked by stone. The bottom half, however, is open, and leads to a dimly-lit chamber beyond.

Envoy glances back. "The smasher was triggered by something breaking the light beam I think. The hand refracted the beam and confused it.

Envoy waves her stick under the stone…

The stone does not move.

Envoy squats down to look under the stone.

Zoltan blinks again. He kneels back down and places the hand on the ground. He holds his hand above it once again and tries to get a better look at the odd flashes of light.

Squatting down, Envoy can see a cylindrical chamber with a raised dias in the center. There are several spheres which can be seen about the room … and glints which hint at crystal or gems. A narrow beam of light pours down from the center of the ceiling.

As Zoltan moves his hand about, he discovers several spots of light arranged in a vertical row, that dance across his hand depending upon how he positions it … or hold still as his hand holds still. It is just as if the sun were shining through a curtain with several holes punched in it, and he were waving his hand underneath it.

Envoy says, "There is a chamber just beyond this stone. It has more crystalline things and is using light beams… "

Envoy pauses, then turns to Vielanika, "I don't understand the placement of this stone, unless there is another crystal mounted on the other side of it."

Vielanika shrugs. "Uhm … this is all quite new to me, too, really."

Zoltan scoops up the hand crystal again and walks over to look into the crystal chamber. His eyes go wide as he sees all the shinies!

Envoy squats down again, and throws her stick under the stone towards the base of the dais.

The stick skids across the floor, and bumps against the raised dais. Nothing rumbles or gives any other reaction to the deed.

Envoy says, "I think it is safe to enter, but I suggest staying below the level of the central crystal."

Vielanika hmphs. "Awfully strange arrangement. Unless whomever came in here was very short."

Envoy gets down on hands and knees and scurries under the stone.

Zoltan squawks, "We have to crawl in?"

Vielanika shrugs, and crawls after. "Sure looks like it!"

Envoy retrieves her stick, staying close to the ground. She looks back towards the half-wall.

The half wall looks as if it is recessed in a short alcove, as viewed from the inside chamber. Also, it has some carvings toward the top, but they're cut off.

Zoltan wriggles under the door and crawls towards the closest crystal, being careful not to touch it.

Just inside the door is a crystal hand, just like the one Zoltan has, except that the fingers are positioned differently.

The chamber, on the inside, looks to be cylindrical, very tall, though not as tall as the pyramid appeared from outside.

Zoltan holds his hand out in front of the new crystal, checking to see if this one makes little light spots as well.

In the center of the room is a raised dais, about three feet tall. In the center of the ceiling is a shaft of light – No, actually, there are TWO shafts of light – which aim down to the center of the dais.

Envoy says, "I think the wall may be a stuck door."

The new crystal does nothing special in response to Zoltan's hand waving.

Envoy looks at the rays of light. "Perhaps this is a clock. It doesn't look like a map… "

About the chamber, at various levels, can be seen bits of crystal studding the walls at irregular intervals, and channels cut into the stone. Suspended through some of these channels are stone spheres of different colors, made of strange types of stone.

Zoltan squawks, "Maybe it makes lightning outside."

There are also a few more of the crystal hands – some right, some left – scattered here and there, in no particular arrangement.

Zoltan digs out his own crystal and places it on the floor. He makes a note of where he left it should he need to retrieve it quickly.

Vielanika hmphs, as she crawls about. "Well, I'm sure this is important … but I don't see any 'flowing rivers of gems'."

Envoy stands, and carefully nudges one of the spheres to see if it moves.

The sphere slides along, with a gentle scraping sound. Some of the other spheres in the room begin to move as well.

Zoltan squawks, "Is not see any living hands either."

Vielanika wiggles her fingers. "Here's one!" She grins mischievously.

Envoy smiles. "I think this is a planetarium."

Vielanika looks around. "Maybe … but … there are too many planets!"

"Unless … there are some we don't know about, that is," she ponders.

Zoltan squawks, "Is that one of those things you keeps plants in?"

Envoy says, "No Zoltan, it's a map of the sky. The spheres would show the positions of planets and important stars."

Envoy says, "I suppose it could also be a clock. I don't know if it is still working. Maybe the crystal hands control it?"

The hippogryph scrawks, "Maybe it only work at certain time of day?"

Zoltan looks for the point where the shafts of light hit.

Envoy says, "The clouds might be cutting off more light rays that would enter from different points. Or else there would need to be a heliostat of some kind on top of the pyramid to track the sun."

The shafts of light strike two points toward the center of the dias, evenly spaced out. There are a couple of faint depressions where the lights hit, somewhat oval in shape.

Zoltan scratches his beak. "Maybe we need to redirect light somehow?"

Envoy says, "You could put your crystal hand in one of the depressions, and try to refract the light to hit one of the other hands in the room… "

Zoltan goes back over and picks the little crystal hand up yet again. He pauses for a moment before placing it. "There two spots tho. Maybe it work in pair like door did?" He looks around the room. "You see any other hand that look like mine?"

Vielanika smiles. "Of course not! You don't have enough fingers." She winks.

Nevertheless, the bat scoots around, trying to find a match.

Envoy looks around at the scattered hands for the opposite of Zoltan's.

After a thorough search of all the hands present, there is none that has the same sign as Zoltan's.

There are, however, hands in many of the basic signs seen out on the procession that led to the pyramid … but not a complete set for either hand, left or right.

Vielanika blinks. "Hey! I found one! Oops. It's the same hand, though!"

The brown bat comes over with the crystal hand and hands it to Zoltan. It's a dead ringer for the one he's already carrying. Same pose, same hand, same look.

Envoy tries setting a random pair of hands into the depressions, making sure they are at least left and right hands though.

The light refracts and reflects, several beams bouncing between the hands and shooting across the room in different directions, bouncing off the "stars" on the walls at points. The result is a display of jumbled shapes on the walls, fuzzy in points, and focused in others, in different colors.

Zoltan looks nervously at Envoy as he holds both of the little hands.

Envoy ooos… "It's like a rainbow!"

Vielanika looks around, then blinks. "Yes … it is sort of like a rainbow. One that fell from the sky and broke into hundreds of little pieces!"

Envoy tries another combination of hands.

This has a similar effect, except that the patterns play differently upon the walls.

Envoy hmms, and tries nudging one of the spheres again. Maybe she can make it focus…

Moving the spheres does seem to change the position that one of the spots of light follows, and then it jumps around at points. But the rest of the pattern does not focus.

Zoltan relaxes a bit as nothing seems to be crashing down from the roof or shooting from the walls. "You wants try matching hands in light?"

Envoy says, "Sure."

Vielanika searches through the collection. "I think these two match. Except that they're opposites, of course." She hands them over.

Zoltan carefully puts each crystal hand in the depressions.

The result is much the same. Many pretty, colorful patterns, focused in parts, blurry in others.

The brown bat pouts. "Awful lot of trouble to go through for a light show. I've seen plenty of crystals at the Bazaar that can do as much."

Zoltan sticks Vielanika's crystals into the light beams.

Same story, just different patterns of color and positions thereof.

"They expensive tho." The Vartan says to the bat. Remembering all the times he's haggled with the merchants over them.

Vielanika starts counting hands. "Hmm. Let's see. If we tried every possible combination … that'd be … uhm … "

Envoy adds a third hand, resting it on top of one already in the beam.

Zoltan squints his eyes at the writing above the door.

It's a tricky balance. Light shoots out of the hand, but the effect isn't quite so colorful or dazzling.

Envoy removes the third hand, and goes back to moving the spheres. This time, she tries larger movements.

Zoltan squawks, "Maybe we needs to close door somehow?"

Moving the spheres this time has an effect on two beams that move about the room, at points crossing each other, but never very focused.

Envoy hmms. "There may be more crystals in the door that are being hidden. Do you see a way to open and close it, Zoltan?"

Zoltan pokes around the door. He also stops to examine one of the smaller crystals in the wall.

The crystal is firmly set into the wall, faceted like a finely-cut diamond. It sparkles and glitters in the light.

Zoltan pushes gently on the door. If it closes, he wants to make sure it will open again.

Envoy goes over to examine the door as well.

The door slides with little effort up or down. The stone must weigh a great deal, but there must be a counterweight somewhere.

Envoy blinks, "Wow, you really ARE strong, Zoltan!"

Vielanika gasps. "You mean … we didn't have to crawl under that?" She grumbles.

Zoltan nods and pushes the door downwards.

Envoy immediately begins testing the other walls to see if they move…

As the door goes down … there are a number of hand-symbols exposed on the door's face. Down the center runs two columns of symbols, lined up in pairs.

Zoltan points to the writing above the door. "Can you read, Envoy? Maybe instructions."

None of the other walls seem to be made to move – at least, not in the same way.

Envoy looks over the oddly ordered symbols. "I think the ones running vertically are hand combinations for the dais."

The left column running down has all symbols with left hands. The right column running down has all symbols with right hands.

Zoltan nods, "Pick one."

Vielanika points. "Oh! There's yours, Zoltan."

Envoy looks at the first pair, and searches for the matching sculptures.

Zoltan blinks?

Vielanika points to the symbol that matches the pose of the hand that Zoltan had.

Envoy finds two hands that match the symbols, and places them in the depressions.

Zoltan looks at the wall again, and begins rummaging around for the match to his own crystal.

The light bounces between the hands … then radiates out, forming patterns that focus on a flat surface across the room, below the level of the dias and the "stars" and "planets".

Envoy looks at the projection…

The colors form an irregular outline that looks like a landmass. There is also a profile … that looks distinctly like … a sky island.

Zoltan squawks, "Hrr… is Rephidim?"

Envoy tries to make the image clearer by moving the spheres.

Vielanika shakes her head. "Nope, that's not Rephidim. I don't know what it is."

Zoltan feels homesick for a moment.

Moving the spheres has no effect on the image at all. It's already focused. There's a symbol or rune beside it, its meaning unclear. What does happen, though, is that a single dot of light moves about the room, tracing along the ceiling. The ceiling, it seems, has some sort of a map cut into it.

Envoy says, "This isn't a chamber for tracking stars and planets… I think it tracks the movements of the sky islands."

Vielanika watches the ceiling, turning around, squinting at it.

Envoy points up at the map in the ceiling, "That must be the course this particular island follows. But I thought the islands just drifted randomly?"

Vielanika says, "Yes. Everybody knows that. That's why we need the Captain-Astromancer. He's the only one who can predict where they go … and even HE isn't always exactly right."

Zoltan squawks, "Hrr… maybe it track both?" He hands his two crystals to Envoy. "Try these.""

Envoy hmms. "If the islands do follow complex but predictable paths, or did in the past, then perhaps they are part of a larger mechanism."

"That light does seem to jump around an awful lot when you move the spheres, though… " the bat muses.

( Maybe the Captain Astromancer has one of these chambers… ) O o . Zoltan thinks to himself.

Envoy inserts the new pair of hands.

A reddish emblem appears on the flat "screen". It looks like a stylized anchor, formed by a four-pointed star intersecting an up-turned crescent.

Images appear beside it.

Zoltan squawks, "Rephidim!"

Vielanika blinks. "Why … he's right! That's Rephidim! Well … yes, that must be it… "

Envoy looks closely at the image, and at the hands. "Do you think this is where the Star and Anchor symbol came from?"

Envoy also tries to see if there is any movement in the projected image.

Zoltan glances upwards and looks for the corresponding point of light.

The point of light is focused on the great map, somewhere on one of those big blobs.

Envoy memorizes the location, and prepares the next pair of hands.

The next pair of hands has a similar effect. A beam of light focuses somewhere on the map above, while the screen displays images that apparently represent the appearance of a sky island, as well as a symbol that corresponds to it. The same can be said for the others, though there are a few hands missing, so not all can be tried.

Given the number of sky islands on Sinai, though, these can't possibly account for all of those floating about.

Envoy says, "I think these must be the islands that follow set courses."

Envoy says, "Or are large enough to support habitation."

Vielanika just stares, dumbstruck. "Wow. Wow. I mean … Oh, if only we could just pack up this whole building and take it with us! I mean, I know that's silly, but … Wow. We could be … FILTHY RICH! I'm not sure exactly how, but surely we'd find a way to exploit it."

Envoy blinks.

Zoltan frowns. "It broken. Rephidim is not in spot it appeared on map. Or should not be."

Vielanika blinks. "Broken? BROKEN? Well … maybe it can be fixed."

Zoltan carefully replaces the crystals for Rephidim in the depressions.

Envoy says, "I think it more likely that the islands are broken."

The brown bat frowns. "I hope not. I can't imagine it'd be easy to fix … " She does a doubletake. "Broken islands?"

The images representing Rephidim and the Star-and-Anchor appear on the "screen" again. And a spot appears on the ceiling, positioned over what corresponds to the continent of Ur, near the western coast.

Zoltan looks closer at the orb that Rephidim appears on. "When we leave Rephidim, we over Ai… long way from where it is now."

Envoy says, "Whatever kept the islands in their predefined courses may have broken."

Vielanika blinks, then walks over to the spheres on the wall.

The brown bat tries pushing at the sphere – She doesn't seem to have as easy a time of it as Envoy or Zoltan did, but it moves. "Ngh!"

Envoy says, "Do you think the spheres control the time element of the map?"

The little spot of light wiggles erratically around, wandering over the map.

Envoy follows the course of the dot, recording everything.

The brown bat puffs and pants, leaning on the sphere. "Ugh. I give up. Did we fix anything?"

Zoltan looks around. "How we tell what time is now?"

Envoy says, "If the spheres correspond to planets, then their relative positions will define the year and day."

Vielanika ponders this. "But … uh … I don't know too much about astronomy, but … uhm … some of the planets don't … oh, nevermind. I'm out of my field."

Envoy says, "Just move the planets through their complete cycle, and I will remember their positions and the position of the marker on the map. We can decipher the time periods later."

"Anyway, when I move this sphere, not all the other spheres move. It's like some of them are, uhm, linked together? But not all of them," the bat shrugs.

Zoltan tries spinning the Sinai globe so that the light shines on Ai.

Revolving the globe set in the floor that represents Sinai takes a considerable amount of effort, even for the Vartan. But as it is moved, the light projected on the Mercator-style map projection on the ceiling moves about as well.

Vielanika, meanwhile, tries moving some of the outer spheres as well, trying to keep track of the Vartan's actions. After getting the white dot to dart this way and the other, eventually it comes to rest somewhere on Ai.

Envoy watches every movement with interest.

Zoltan plops down in front of the globe. Whew!

Vielanika hmms. "I … I think that's probably where it ought to be. But it could have moved a bit since we left. But, also, what if it doesn't follow regular yearly patterns? I mean, if it did, we would have caught on by now. And I'm not even sure if the way I have the planets lined up makes any sense at all."

Envoy says, "We will need to bring an astronomer here."

Vielanika hmms, and nods. "Kind of hard to find one on short notice, though… "

Envoy says, "I think the projected images are formed by interference patterns in the crystal matrices of the hands."

Envoy says, "Perhaps the Professor will understand the alignments of the planets."

"Maybe they come in and yank all crystals out, instead." Zoltan scrawks.

Envoy says, "Oh, there are already hands missing. We need to find them and bring them back here."

Vielanika frowns. "Uhm … you know … remember what I said about the Captain-Astromancer? What if we're right? I mean, that this DOES track not only Rephidim, but the other islands?"

The bat looks up. "We'd better not let the Inquisitrix know. Don't you think the Temple would … be a bit upset about a discovery like this?"

Envoy says, "Then Rephidim follows a set course, and the Captain-Astromancer doesn't need to predict it."

Envoy blinks three times. "How can one be upset over new knowledge?"

Vielanika looks to Zoltan with a "Lend me some support here!" look. "Don't … don't you know what this might mean?"

The brown bat puts her hands to her face. "Oh boy! Envoy, surely you've learned a bit about the Temple by now… " She looks around, as if making sure nobody heard that comment.

Zoltan squawks, "Hrr. This mean that Captain Astromancer is no needed? And we find out that he no needed?"

Envoy says, "Esther was very interested in the other things I'd learned about the Temple, that none of the others wanted to hear."

Vielanika nods. "Yes. I mean, the Captain-Astromancer does more than that, but that's his official duty. Without that … well, I don't know, but I'm pretty sure that some uppity-up would be more than willing to make sure nobody ever learns of this."

Zoltan puts a hand on his head. "Envoy… is knowledge put someone out of job, or make someone look bad… is make people upset. If that person is temple important person, he could kill people that make him look bad before they have chance to tell anyone."

"Esther!" the bat exclaims. "We've got to make sure the Inquisitrix doesn't find out about this. Oh my. If word gets out … I think it'll be time for me to find somewhere nice to settle in the jungle… "

Envoy blinks in confusion between the two upset explorers.

Vielanika nods. "He's right, Envoy. And if we're going to have a new Captain-Astromancer enstated, I don't think he's going to be pleased to find himself out of a job on his first day at it!"

Envoy says, "Do… are you saying we should hide all the hands so nobody else can use this chamber without us?"

Zoltan looks at Envoy. "Is think it good idea if you no tell anyone about what we find." He looks to Vielanika. "And I think it probably good idea to close pyramid back up and make like we never been here."

"Maybe … Uhm, Zoltan? Does anybody else know about that hand of yours?" the bat asks.

Zoltan squawks, "I not show to anyone except you. But Titus give crystal to Zoltan. He knows."

Vielanika covers her face. "Well … maybe he's so out of it that he wouldn't think of that hand as anything more than just a trinket. I mean … he can't entirely have his mind all together if he's having mind mages putting fake memories in there all the time."

Zoltan drums his talons on the ground. "You know if future Captain Astromancer was at Medici party? Titus show crystal to lots of people there."

Envoy frowns. "What if someone asks me about where we went?"

The bat looks up, remembering. "You're right, Zoltan. Oh boy. This isn't going to be easy. Uhm … Well, we could explore a bit more and hopefully find something interesting to justify us being gone so long … but not … er … as interesting as what we found just now."

Zoltan looks around. "Should we take hand crystals with us?"

Vielanika eyes the trinkets and bites her lip. "Maybe … hide them somewhere. Without the hands, they can't do anything. But … if they do find this place, and find that we have them … we'd be in big trouble."

Envoy sighs. Whenever she learns something interesting, everyone wants her to keep it secret.

Zoltan scoops up some of the crystals. "Maybe we can bury them?"

Envoy says, "Just stick them in a pool of water."

Vielanika muses, "Maybe. We sure can't smash them. You saw that for yourself."

Zoltan looks nervously at the door. "You think others might already be here?"

The bat sucks in her breath. "eep!" She suddenly looks at the door. "Oh, pleasepleaseplease, I sure hope not!"

Envoy says, "Esther can't fly."

Zoltan picks up the two Rephidim crystals. At the very least… they can pretend that they didn't discover what the chamber does.

The brown bat goes over to the door. She pushes up against it, but it won't budge. "Uhm … Zoltan? Could you give me a hand here? I think I need some fresh air."

Zoltan carefully cracks the door open and peeks out through the bottom.

Vielanika whews, as she sees the door is going up after all. Underneath the door, the Vartan can see no sign of any persons outside.

Zoltan looks back up, "Is look safe. What you want to do? Leave crystals here or take outside and bury?"

Envoy says, "Who built this though, and why? We can't find out by ourselves."

Zoltan squawks, "Local Savanites might know… if they not all dead like skeleton we find at camp."

Zoltan carefully hefts the door back up to it's half-open position.

Vielanika shudders. "I don't know. I just … I just want to get out of here."

Zoltan tucks the two Rephidim crystals into each armband and starts to wiggle out from under the door.

Envoy searches for a solution that will allow the scholars to investigate this room. She briefly considers the idea of poisoning them all after they have deciphered the meaning of this place, but decides that wouldn't be proper.

Envoy crawls out of the chamber as well.

Vielanika wiggles out after Zoltan and Envoy, stealing one glance back into the room, then heading on out.

Zoltan tries to close the door behind him. Perhaps he can make the temple look like it's a dead end.

The door slides down, fitting neatly against the floor. It does look like for all the world like just a simple wall.

Zoltan grins!

Envoy says, "Our footprints have disturbed the dust."

Vielanika moans. "Oh no!"

Zoltan squawks, "You still gots bag of sand, bat? Maybe we use that to hide it."

The bat nods, and scatters her sand out on the floor as evenly as she can.

Envoy steps past the skeleton near the entrance, and looks outside.

*BOP!* Something slaps Envoy up side the head!

Zoltan hisses!

Envoy loses her balance and falls to the stone floor.

Vielanika screeks! She dashes forward.

Zoltan grabs the bat! "The trap is reset!"

Vielanika blinks. "But … if it's reset … uhm … why isn't Envoy … er … flat?" She chokes at the notion.

Envoy blinks and gets up, looking for what smacked into her.

*POKE* The stone smasher extends from the wall again, bumping against Envoy.

Zoltan whews as he sees that Envoy is alright. "Hrr… maybe it weaker now?" He winces as Envoy gets whammed again.

Vielanika says, "Well … it did seem to tire itself out on the hand earlier… "

Envoy says, "Use a stick to brace it open… "

The "smasher" seems to be extending from the upper half of the wall, at about head level.

Envoy crawls out of the trigger area.

Zoltan flattens himself against the ground and follows after Envoy.

Vielanika scuttles on after. "Ohhhh! I hate traps."

Envoy looks to the bat, "I thought you hated crawling?"

"That too," the bat snorts.

Zoltan scoops up some sand and sprinkles it into the mouth of the pyramid, covering their remaining tracks.

Vielanika sighs, standing outside, brushing herself off. "Hmm. Now … er … there's just the matter of the front door, I guess."

Envoy stands up again at the mouth of the passage. "The piston may be powered by a water reservoir, which is refilling enough to power it again."

The bat blinks a few times. "… which means… ?"

Envoy says, "The next person to go through that doesn't know about the trap could be hurt."

Vielanika hmms. "Maybe if it's Inquisi – er, nevermind."

Zoltan peers at the handslot. He looks back at Envoy. "You know what handsign is for 'close'?"

Envoy blinks. "We can't let someone get hurt when we can warn them about the trap."

Vielanika bites her lip. "Ngh. Leave it to you to pose a real moral dilemma!"

Zoltan drums his talons against his beak. "We could say we try to go in… but trap stop us. And we decide to not go in. Could still cause trouble for us."

Vielanika nods. "Especially if one of those brainy sorts finds something we overlooked that shows it was disturbed … and we'd naturally be the ones implicated."

Envoy says, "Let's close the door. Don't let any group explore without one of us with them."

Envoy turns to Vielanika, "I will need your help to close the door. Are you right-handed or left-handed?"

Vielanika says, "Uhm … " She gulps, "Left-handed."

The bat whispers, closing her eyes, "PleasepleasepleasePLEASE let me keep my fingers! PleasepleasePLEASE!"

Envoy says, "Better use your right hand in the lock then."

Vielanika musters up her courage, and nods. She goes over to the lock. "Uhm … what's the sign?"

Envoy goes over to the left keyhole, and inserts her left hand. She holds her right hand up so Vielanika can see the sign.

Zoltan squawks, "four bonks and you out?"

Envoy makes the sign for 'close' inside the lock.

Vielanika pointedly ignores the Vartan and puts in her hand. She makes the sign for 'close'.

*klickklickklick* *rumble* The door closes on its own.

The two hands are released. Vielanika quickly removes hers. "Whew!"

The brown bat wiggles her fingers. All there.

Envoy says, "Should we bother covering it with vines?"

"Well … Let's get out of here, then!" the bat exclaims, and snaps out her wings.

Zoltan examines the door. "It no do any good, unless we make them take root over door before next team come.

Envoy says, "Be careful to fly low, Vielanika."

Vielanika wheezes. "Gng!" She turns back, looking at all the vines they tore loose. "Oh dear."

Envoy gives the pyramid a final glance, then turns and spreads her own wings.

Zoltan thinks . o O ( If only we had another forest hog and some more of those killer thornvines. )

The brown bat tries to rearrange some of the vines. A pitiful effort. "Uhm … we'll … just have to think of something … before anyone comes back here."

Envoy smiles, "We could tell the truth, that we found the door."

Vielanika gulps, "The truth? Well … let's get back to camp … and then we can sort out what exact 'truth' we'll tell them, eh?"

With that, the brown bat leaps into the air and flutters back to camp – keeping at a low altitude along the canyon floor.

Envoy says, "If they ask if we opened it, you can truthfully say 'No', since only Zoltan and I opened it."

Envoy flies after the bat.

Zoltan glides behind Vielanika, his thoughts wandering through various plans and fibs.