Beneath

It was nightfall on Eder Gira when I arrived. I had Linked to an area that was clearly volcanic in nature at one point in the past. In the immediate area columns of cracked rock orange in colour reached up into a sky that was a beautiful shade of pinkish purple. The ground was riven and vents billowed steam up with a considerable degree of force. Elsewhere evidence of lava flows now solidified could be seen.
The Link in area was surrounded by a raised level of rock that fell away to a chasm of lava. Extending from this lava were metal pipes that connected to a structure upon on one of the cliff walls. It looks like it was siphoning thermal energy as a power source.

Gazing out across the landscape I could see that only a small section of the Age was barren, outside of this lava sculpted area was a lush forest that stretched out towards a village in the distance. The architecture of the village seems similar to that of the structure harvesting power from the lava from what I can see. Does this mean it is not of D’ni construction or perhaps it is and the D’ni based the style on the native populations architecture? I shall have to see about venturing out into the greater area of Eder Gira at some point.

Whilst this initial area of the Age is mostly barren there exists some manner of flora and fauna. Large bell shaped hives grow from the ground and there are spiked vines that are as thick as my leg. As well as various scrub grasses there are some plants that look somewhat like prayer plants.

I did notice that up on a ledge next to the Link in point was another one of Yeesha’s Journey Cloths. I am venturing a guess that I shall find them in the other Ages contained within the hydrants in Relto as well.

I followed a path that circled around the Link in area ascending the cliffs where it descended again slightly before reaching a large arch of rock that spanned the fissure of lava beneath it. This natural bridge connected the Link in area to the rest of barren part of Eder Gira. As I followed the path down I eventually met a pile of rocks that blocked the way just past these rocks the area opened out into an area with double waterfalls and a pond of sorts with a stream. Behind the waterfall appears to be a network of caves.
Bioluminescent fish swam around in the pond giving off a slight purple glow, they look a bit like manta rays of Earth.
All around the area are large bones jutting from the ground, a large beast caught by the lava in past years perhaps?

Removing my shoes I waded through the water, the coolness pleasant in comparison to the heat being given out by the area of this Age. Upon a large segment of bone I discovered another one of those strange Linking Stones I had discovered in Gahreesen previously. I had must have dropped the stone somewhere along the way after picking it up because it was not in my bag when I checked for it the next morning.
This “Linking Stone” seemed to lead somewhere else a D’ni location from the look of it. I have left it for now, perhaps there are others who use them I shouldn’t keep taking every one I see.

To the left of the “Linking Stone” was the large cave behind the waterfall, it was filled with wooden baskets perhaps for catching fish? There were also two lamps that draw power from thermal vents. I turned the lamps on to reveal a tunnel that curved upwards into the rock but it was entirely too dark to see and I did not have a flashlight on my person at the time.

Across from the waterfall and the pond I found an area of stone and wood that held a Linking Book. Upon inspection I discovered it was another Linking Book to Eder Kemo. Previously I had held off going to the Age, despite my strong desire to do so, in favor of seeing D’ni first but now I feel the time is right.

When I was younger I used to swim with friends in one of the several rivers that cut through my village. There was one area where the water was deep and secluded under trees which we used to frequent. My first time jumping in there I was not expecting the temperature of the water to be so cold, the initial shock after jumping in robbed me of my breath and I struggled to stay above the surface.

Stepping from Gira to Kemo reminded me of that moment in my life, the difference being the temperatures were not as extreme in difference like the water was and as I stepped upon Kemo I wasn’t gripped by panic and concerns of drowning.

I’m not sure why Kemo became of particular interest to me. Perhaps it was the sense of mystery that emanated from documents and photos brought back to the surface by others. I had heard whispers of a door with an engraving upon it that Phil Henderson eventually vanished behind, and of strange pictoglyphs strewn upon the walls of the Age.

By my estimation I had managed to map about ninety seven percent of the Age from the photographs relayed to the surface, but I was aware I was missing the key point of how the three areas I had mapped linked together. Now I have the chance to complete my work and study the glyphs I had only seen from a distance in photographs before.

The Link in point was a small pagoda of sorts which lead out over a rocky arch of a bridge. Below was the pond, an area I had seen before from photographs and one of the areas I had previously mapped. The bridge lead over to a path that cut between the eroded rock, as I crossed I noticed large black bug like creatures hanging from the top of the rock wall digging away at the surface and eating something by the look of it.

The path eventually opened up into an area I had designated “area one” during my previous mapping attempts. A pleasant grassy area with long thin trees with pancake like foliage, smooth pebble like rocks, and what looked like bamboo. The dirt path I stood upon lead down to a stone path which curved to the left out of view. Straight ahead of me was the infamous door. The path also curved to the right where it arched around the area, passing a gazebo before reaching some steps that lead to the fountain and an area with lots of pictoglyphs.

I cannot deny, the draw to those glyphs was strong. But the door…I had to see it first, if only for a moment.

The door was a little more elaborate than the counterpart found at the Cleft with an elegant carved boarder surrounding the same spiral hand symbol I had been finding everywhere. I reached out, my fingers touching the cool surface of the door, tracing the embossed edges of that hand symbol. Touching the door revealed nothing, but that did not surprise me. Upon seeing a “Journey Cloth” in Eder Gira I have come to the conclusion that the Cloths are in all the Ages that were contained in the Relto hydrants.

The area next to the door revealed more of the pictoglyphs that littered the Age. It also served to show me how areas one and three from my mapping were linked, or areas one and two as I have now correctly labeled them.

My interest in the door had be fed, for a spell. I shall turn my attention back to it when I further investigate how to open it. In the mean time I felt the glyphs warranted further study so I made my way back to the fountain area.
The glyphs in this area seem to represent some of the other Ages. Indeed I am pretty sure one of them is Kadish Tolesa, and there is one that looks like Gahreesen and another that looks like Teledahn. I cannot fathom as of yet what story these glyphs are trying to tell, who are the figures?

I decided to spend the rest of the day chronicling the glyphs, drawing them in my journal and taking photos of them and noting down their locations and any other details about them that could be helpful in the future.

I feel like there is a larger story to be told by these images, I had felt overly drawn to the Age from the moment I first heard of the “Garden Age”.

Chief among my many questions is…Who drew them?