Lunar Vault
Precursor bunker said to contain a Firewalker's treasure
Can anybody out there hear me? We lost wave reader contact with Fullbeard two weeks ago and I've been sending out unanswered communications ever since. Been hearing some frightful shit coming out of Vrelland. Vril have been taking blood captives and the Silver Tribe is preparing for war. There's chaos all across the delta. People are pulling out. Maybe we should join them...
I don't know if anyone is still out there is listening, but we've finally observed a change. We heard movement within the Lunar Vault last week and today Barmak saw that the Luna Shrine door had begun to move! After all these years of study we may be on the verge of making a real discovery here. I only prey that the Vril don't push into the delta region. We're so close!
Summary
The Lunar Vault is an ancient structure left behind by the Fallen Empire of Or-Ad. It was most recently uncovered twenty years ago during the last Zone expedition of Syllyndra and Erdric Chastain, who had ventured into the marshes of the Rift Delta following the myths and legends of Eldorado. Instead of the fabled Golden City, they stumbled upon the remains of an ancient stone temple bearing markings of the Fallen Empire of Orad. It was located on a hilltop overlooking the ruins of an old Precursor settlement, partially submerged in the surrounding delta swamp.
Before returning to Noirlan, the Chastains engaged their local partner, a native Pachucese trader/explorer named Anzar Cerdan, to undertake the excavation and study of the sealed bunker vault. Anzar has spent the last two decades trying to decipher the mysteries of the bunker, which he labelled the Lunar Vault for its markings and inscriptions dedicated to the Mithraic Moon Goddess, "Luna."
Purpose / Function
After beginning exploration of the Lunar Vault site, Anzar's research revealed that this was actually a rediscovered structure. Approximately 80 years earlier this site had been a curious landmark for travelers in the Zone. Anzar learned it was the last remaining edifice of what had been a larger, semi-permanent, Ornish settlement with additional structures. The stone of these structures was carried away bit by bit, scavenged by opportunistic builders in search of materials for construction.
Eventually all that remained of the Luna temple was a hilltop bunker vault, fashioned of a stone so hard it could not be carved and carted away. Over time, this vault became lost in the overgrowth, hidden from sight, and forgotten amidst the swampy ruins of the old settlement.
Up until about 100 years ago the Noghra people of the Silver Tribes practiced moon worship atop the Lunar Vault. They called it the Cradle of the Moon and treasured it for its auspicious carvings dedicated to the Goddess Luna. This practice fell out of favour after it was suppressed by zealots of the Two Sun religious orthodoxy.
Whatever original purpose this ancient Precursor site once had is unknown. Surely the secret lies within.
Alterations
Searching for an alternate way inside the Lunar Vault. Anzar has dug a narrow five foot deep trench around the perimeter of the bunker. He found additional star markings around the outer walls but no seams or portals of any kind.
Architecture
The entrance to the bunker is located upon a natural bluff plateau overlooking the greater Lunar Vault archaeological site. The stone of the bunker is smooth and bears no grooves or segments which gives it the appearance of being constructed entirely of one solid piece of rock measuring 40 feet across. There is a small dugout area for a narrow set of stairs where the solid stone vault door is located. This door is marked with a crescent moon symbol surrounded by a circle of stars.
There is a stone altar located near the shore of Horseshoe Lake around 200 yards away from the main bunker. This altar, known as the Luna Shrine, is a round slab of black rock. The partially collapsed series of pillars surrounding the altar are carved with images depicting the phases of the moon and also bear the statue of a woman wearing a crescent moon headdress: an icon of Luna, the Moon Goddess. This low-lying shrine is where Anzar Cerdan began to observe a possible alternate entrance to the vault complex, and when he led the Thorpe Expedition here they discovered how to unlock the secret entrance.
History
Little is known about the Lunar Vault. The Fallen Empires of the Precursors left behind many such outposts in the wilds of the Forbidden Zone; however, this bunker is notable for the fact that it has not been opened and looted as so many others were ransacked ages ago. The Lunar Vault, still sealed shut, remains a tantalizing destination for treasure seekers who wonder at what time-worn Precursor relics could be hidden inside. Anzar has periodically invited partners to help open the doors in exchange for a share of whatever riches the vault may hold, but none have succeeded.
Local legends recall an event which occurred about a hundred years ago when a foreign traveler, a mysterious Firewalker, came to the Cradle of the Moon and actually entered the vault. The stranger called himself "Solanio" and is said to have buried a fantastic treasure of foreign coins and relics inside the bunker. After occupying the Cradle for a time, the traveler continued journeying west into the Deep Zone and was never seen again.
RUINED STRUCTURE
Circa 9920 PCE
Circa 9920 PCE
Founding Date
Unknown
Alternative Names
Moon Vault, Lunar Research Station
Type
Bunker
Parent Location
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