Lunan wanders in after a few nights rest to get over his raging hangover, and meditate on the dream he had. Coming to the Amber library in search of a book or any scribblings he can find on the Eclipse Order or the Arborintirum, and any maps he can find that might have it as a landmark.
As he enters having never been here before he calls out.
“Hello? Is anyone home? Never been here before so not sure what the rules to this place are…”
Merrick was on his way towards the door when Lunan comes in, looking a bit lost. Realizing that the trip to rescue Gurchak had many things Lunan would be very interested in knowing, he pauses.
“Well met, come right in. I was just on my way out, but since I myself wasn’t sure where I was going to go from here, I have some time to help. Been here a number of times. What’cha looking for?”
Lunan smiles and is glad to see a familiar face.
“Hey there Merrick! Feel like we always see each other during adventures but rarely afterwards. I was looking to see if there were any books on local landmarks or areas around here that are called the Arborintirum.
I had a dream/vision/memory it seemed that took place in an area by that name that seems to be the place I can find answers to where the people who inhabited the temple I grew up in went.
Also if there was any info on the Eclipse Order itself here that would be very useful because reading old scrolls could only lead me this far. You haven’t heard anything about either of these things have you?”
“Funny you should mention it. Pix, Taz, Ursa and I had just returned from a mountain top that had a rather large monastery built on it. From what we could find, it definitely had moon phases, eclipses, built by giants. And now that I’m having a look at your stature, I’m guessing there might be a connection there!”
Merrick catches himself as he realizes his enthusiasm got the better of him and now the enormous brass golem on the center pedestal was beginning to eye him disapprovingly over its shoulder.
“Sorry” he says in a quieter tone.
“Perhaps a map from one of the Atlases can help us. And I know Taz took charcoal rubbings of some of the inscriptions we came across.”
Lunan’s jaw just drops to the floor and he almost passes out in shock.
“Wait you just described a place that is very similar to my home where was it?!?!”
He then sees what Merrick was eyeing and talks quieter as well.
“Well I guess I need to talk to Taz as well. I had planned to join you all on that adventure but unfortunately had other commitments. Was it far? Did there seem like any signs of anyone being there recently?”
Lunan has obviously lost track of what he was looking for and is lost in the conversation about another Eclipse Order temple. “Oh right the map, that would be great.”
The two walk to a large set of portfolio cases. Pulling open the very deep but extremely shallow drawers, Merrick fills Lunan in on some of the details.
“We had followed an enormous bird the size of the whole damned *estate* to its perch on a mountain about 4 or five days northwest of here. I’m sorry to say, the entire complex looked like it had been abandoned for eons.” Merrick let that bit of bad news settle a bit before continuing on an upbeat note
“*But*, since that monastery we found was so old, there’s a VERY good chance that this library might have a map old enough to show it.” He adds with a wink.
Merrick digs through familiar maps to find the oldest intact specimen he can that shows the local geography and carries it over to a nearby table.
Following the path of a few rivers with familiar turns, he does some math in his head and his finger lands on the end of a mountain range where a solid square ink mark lies next to some stocky runes.
“That looks like it to me. Sadly, I don’t know the script.”
Lunan surprisingly doesn’t seem down at the news of how old the monastery seemed to be and how long it was likely abandoned; just means less reason to go looking in the wrong direction. He takes a look at the runes and wonders if he can read them; only really knowing common, druidic, giant, and sylvan. If it isn’t one of those maybe pix can comprehend languages on it and read what it says.
“Let me take a look and see if I can decipher it, if not we can always ask if pix is willing to comprehend languages for us. Even just having a bearing helps.”
Merrick has a quick glance at the other labels on the map to compare. “My guess is it’s an early form of Draconic. I’ve noticed that the older books here were written in it. Seems wizards had a fondness for the language. I doubt they’d label a giant settlement in their language on a *wizards* Atlas. But that place you were looking for, what was it? Arbor-something? Sounds like a forest settlement to me and trust me, I don’t think there was *ever* a forest on that mountain.”
“I’d seek out Taz and have a look at the charcoal rubbings he took from the monastery. Good chance you’d be able to decipher them. Best of luck my dear friend.
Oh, and should you wish to visit the ruins yourself, just know that we left that Roc and its nest unharmed, so it’ll still need to be dealt with. If you go with the strategy we used, I’d make sure to invite Pix with you.”
He pauses, then adds with a smirk “… and a spare flask.”
Lunan nods and says “Ah that makes sense to me thanks for the help today Merrick! Let me know if you ever need help with anything yourself. I don’t feel like I would be strong enough to deal with that threat on my own, that’s for sure. So, I would love to put a call out for some others to help me venture that way. I do have the money to pay out now.” He says while chuckling and taking a look and odd spots on the map where forests might be.