A Search For Knowledge (Marian)

[Emblem]

34th of Summer 512AV The sun was already low in the sky as it was. By the time he returned it would be late...or early for that matter. Regardless, the journey back would be a dark one. Dominiac musy have had some sick sense of humor, sending Marian to a set of ruins this late in the day. But, on the bright side, the location wasn't far north of Syliras, two hours at most by horseback, and the area was patrolled by knights, so bandits wouldn't be a problem...in theory. There was always that group who somehow managed to sneak past patrols and somehow still raid merchant wagons. But a simple historian wouldn't be much of a target for bandits. His assignment was actually quite simple. No, no, there was no ancient artifact that the knights had missed when they first found the ruins, nor was there some sort of wild djed floating around. Just words. Just words that were written on a few of the walls of the ruins. But they wern't in common tongue, nor in any other language, but Marian had been sent anyway, to transcribe the words onto paper, and bring them back to his master. Of course, wouldn't this be easier if it were midday? The sun continued to descend little by little, as Marian and his master's horse approached from the south.

[Marian Tarmikos]

-34th day of Summer, 512 AV-

For the first time since arriving in Syliras, Marian Tarmikos might get caught outside of the walls after Syna had sunk under the horizon. This wasn't what someone of Marian's status would choose on his own; he knew little to nothing of surviving in the wild, he carried no weapons -not that he knew how to use them if he did- and he was alone. Well, he was riding on Dominac's horse, Pepper, but the old animal didn't look like it was going to defend the history seeker if he needed it. If wild animals attacked, why defend Marian when he can outrun the human?

But everytime worry appeared to overtake him, Marian quelled it with one simple though; he was going to visit ruins. This wasn't some blind search for trinkets in the fields of Syliras. His destination was a standing reminder of history past. No books, no lectures on theory. Marian was riding straight into the past; it beckoned him to reveal the true history behind it. He sought to uncover everything he could about these ruins.

But Marian's desires and Dominac's instructions didn't match each other, and the old man's orders meant more than fantasies. Marian hadn't been supplied for this journey to spend hours studying the ruins. No, Marian had ink, a few quills, and sheets of paper for a simple task. There were words, words unknown by any common speaker, and he was tasked to copy the words onto the sheet for Dominac to study. That was it; perform the simple task and return. No wandering the ruins, admiring the history that was lost through the years. Just copying a few words down that he could not read or understand.

But none of that could be changed this far. Marian gripped the reins tighter, pulling them to the right slightly to manuever the horse out the way of a clump of trees. Prodding Pepper with the heels of his boots to a faster speed, Marian held on to his hat and to the reins as he rode, somewhat awkwardly, on the way to the ruins. And all the while Syna shrunk in the distance.

[Emblem]

By the time the horse and its rider had arrived at the ruins, the sun had dipped well below the horizon, only leaving a a faint glow in the west. In the east, the first glimmering stars of the night had appeared. When out of the city, the stars alone were enough to find ones way without tripping over some stone or running into a tree. Within the city however, torches lit the way, often rendering the dimmest of stars invisible, but torches alone could not block out all of the heavens. The stars would surely be able to light the way for Marian in his "adventure" The ruins stood just off to the right of the Kabrin Road, easily visible to travelers passing by midday. Some even stopped for a bit to explore the ancient stone. On the other side of the road, there was the soft glow of a campfire just within the treeline. At first glance it probably looked like a small group of travelers, or possibly a collection of rogues. But the mounts of the this party were definitely not of just any set of random travelers or bandits in the woods, they were Taiden Warhorses, meaning a set of Syliran Knights were camping. Perhaps it was a few squires practicing their survival skills, or maybe just a patrol setting up camp for the night. Either way, Marian was in luck, as if any sort of trouble arose, a simple holler would suffice and he would not doubt be saved. They were but a short sprint from where Marian would be investigating. At first glance there was nothing significant about the ruins. It looked to be stone upon stone, some of which still stood, and some of which had collapsed. However, if one pressed towards the center of the ruins, the walls with the writing Marian sought to transcribe would be found. The symbols were carved into the stone. It was not too amazing of a sight, at least every other time these markings had been observed. But tonight there was a faint glow to them, and as night pressed on, the glow became less and less faint.