Jeremy Reinold - Symbols

My preparations to spend an evening at the DMR began early as I linked into Ae’gura in hopes of killing some time before the show.  I began at the ferry terminal and walked up the Great Stair keeping an eye on the now abandoned Takotah II.  When I reached the second landing I found D’veetah having a very heated conversation with a ResEng.  I stopped for only a moment, but from what I overheard it seems that a few members of Pahrahtehs have not been holding to the safety regulations enforced by the few ResEngs left.

Not wanting to eavesdrop I made to hurry up the stairs and nearly collided with Jessie Pollick.  He told me he had come to investigate the abandoned Takotah II building but decided rather quickly that he’d never be able to get into the building with a ResEng on watch, not to mention D’veetah.

“What does a cultural anthropologist want with Takotah II?”  I asked as we moved away from the dispute.

“It all ties into my study on the culture of this cavern.”  He offered to show me his findings if I accompanied him back to Pahrahtehs.  I agreed.

When we reached the classroom of Pahrahtehs I could see he had been busy.  The imager and walls had been covered with chalk boards and presentation boards.  Photos of DRC members and various explorers littered the tables along with bound and unbound notes covering the events of the cavern over the last ten years.  I sifted through the notes and raised a transcript from some of the earliest days of the cavern.

“We firmly believe that this place was meant to be inhabited…. it was meant to be alive. We are here because we’ve all felt that same feeling, that same calling…”  I read the words aloud.

“Even now many more are beginning to feel that calling as well.”  He spoke the words before I could finish.  “They will come, and D’ni will live once more.”  He looked up from a pile of notes he was consolidating.  “Dr. Watson has a way with words.

“We stand on the edge of a precipice of discovery and enlightenment, and now we take the first step off the edge.”  He placed an image of the DRC members on the easel.  “it’s interesting to look at that statement and think about all the plans they had for this place.”  He drifted for a moment.  “Of course, other people had different plans.”

“So, what does all this have to do with Takotah II?”

“Panta in Takotah II.  Tied up his friends in cavern blue.”  Jessie looked up at me.  “You’ve heard it right?

“Yeah, I never understood why people felt the need to trivialize such events in rhyme.”

“It remains a cautionary tale to explorers about a recent tragedy.  The events of which seemed to revolve around something called the Triple Shell Journey.”

“Triple Shell?”

Jessie nodded.  “Journeys are typified by symbols:  The Yeesha Hand, the Shell symbol, even the door symbol in the garden ages.  Supposedly, Pantaleon kept rambling about a symbol associated with this Triple Shell Journey.”

“So you wanted to check the ‘scene of the crime’ for evidence?”

“Essentially.”  He sighed.  “It’s a long shot, but I want to be sure.”

“Symbols…” I looked at the notes scattered across the room.  “Wait a minute…”  I searched my pockets and produced the mysterious page I had been given in Ae’gura.  “Have you ever seen this symbol before?”