Utopian Plates of Tchetche
Come to ME all who seek salvation and safety from times of Darkness.
Deep in the jungles of northern Geganna, an unsettling, primitive obelisk was found within the ruined, ancient city of Tchetche. Located during an exploratory expedition, the obelisk caused the death - or at least the entrapment - of more than half of those who entered the city and led to the unexplained disappearance of the leader, Farah Hyreen.
The pair of engraved plates appear to be made of silver, each with a thick border. The top of the left plate has clear writing upon it, enscribed in celestial:
Enter ye who are faithful, holders of the three keys.
Take solace here, from the dark days.
Alight upon this gateway your soul, Perfected.
Have not bitterness nor envy in your heart, or become food for the worthy.
The remainder of first plate and the entirety of the second plate are filled with dense, almost illegible text and diagrams describing the ideal society, where the "Perfect" live as immortals served by a lower class of autonomous spirits.
People who can see the plates become filled with a compulsion to touch them. A small number disappear entirely upon making contact but most become affixed to the plate, slowly petrified and reshaped into part of the obelisk. The small amount of documentation implies the existence of a pocket dimension but this is unverified in modern times.
History
The lost city of Tchetche was rediscovered in 784AA as the culmination of a months long exploratory expedition led by Farah Hyreen. The stele the plates are mounted upon was discovered on the third day after arrival and caused a large amount of disarray among the treasure hunters. During the initial investigation, two individuals became grafted to the plates without noticing and another became a victim when attempting to remove the first two. A haitus was called and a camp set up a short distance away but, during the night, four more individuals were overcome with an unexplained curiosity - one disappearing entirely and the remaining three becoming trapped.
By morning, the six members of the group had begun to slowly petrify from their hands upwards and had shifted uncomfortably so that they were grasping at an edge, rather than touching the front of the plate. Appearing to do so entirely without noticing, they slowly shifted their bodies to become closer to the obelisk. The group remained within Tchetche for another week but the increasing distress of the victims and the inherent risk of attempting to remove them left little desire to stay.
Two months later, Farah returned with a pair of interested parties. None were seen since.
Summer Camp 2022
Article Links
Flotsam, Kelpline, Moving On to Meat, The Sandsquall Diviners, Utopian Plates of Tchetche, Vortex Sea
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