September 16, 2000
An old trove of hides has been found, and from here, a group of Istans go on a treasure hunt.

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You slip beneath the overhang of an old, fronded tree to follow the half-collapsed staircase up the outer face of the bowl toward the shadowy mouth of a cave.

Jalani chuckles. "Oh this is rich. .. Headwoman Akarena was found in the company of Steward Diran, and forthwith removed from her position. Her rooms were searched and large bolts of cloth that had been reported "Missing" in her reports were indeed found, and in good shape."

Stepping delicately down the staircase, and with a look of faint distaste upon her face, Ismaye enters the cavern, as pinkly clean as always. "Any progress down here?" Her nose wrinkles again: "Some Headwoman she must have been."

Age has claimed this item, decaying yet not completely destroying it, leaving it cracked here and there with a roughened, worn appearance. A shiny layer coats the surface, somehow molded to what lies beneath, thus keeping it from being totally eaten away by age. Tucked away at the bottom of a crate in the back corner, it's possible this object has been overlooked for countless Turns - even before the landslide buried this cave.

Depicted on the smooth surface beneath the clear coating is a drawing of a man balanced on what appears to be a piece of long, smooth wood. Unusual in and of itself, he's apparently cresting a wave, riding along the surf with the wood. The colors remain livid beneath the veneer of dust and occasional cracks - the blueness of a pristine ocean against yellow grains of rich wood, bright green trousers and muscled flesh. No small amount of detail has been spared for this strange, clear-coated object.

"Yes we can always use another pair," Serriena says. Then Kayla captures her complete attention. She looks at the hide the girl still holds in her hand somewhat. "What is that?" She blinks looking at the picture. Her midnight eyes widen. "It's so..lifelike!" She reaches out a hand to touch the clear coating of the object. Half of the cavern is clean and cataloged if one looked around. But half remains still cluttered and dusty.

J'nah looks up long enough to give Cymber a wave as she enters. Then its back to sorting and stacking, adding in a wave to the Ista Headwoman as he carries a box to the front. He passes by Kayla and her newly found hide, and he pauses to look at it, peering along with Serriena. "Its smooth and shiny? HOw can that be?" He turns his head sideways as he examines the image, "And what is that fella doin?"

Kayla shrugs. "I've no idea. I think it's some kind of oil though. How that could be, I'm not sure. He's.. riding on the surf. Looks like fun."

Ismaye holds up are skirts as she takes a seat, getting to work once more with a grumble and a mutter. Dirt does not agree with her, although she manages a nod to those about her. "Oil?" And, "Riding the surf? How peculiar."

Jalani smirks back at Ismaye. "This hide says she had all sorts of things stored in her rooms. So much stuff that it took them a day to carry it all back out. She was sent to Healer Hall, some sort of mental problem."

N'ait wanders over to peer over Kayla's shoulder as well, lifting both eyebrows curiously. He eyes the surface in interest, tilting his head to one side slightly, "He's.. on the ocean. On some sorta board, looks like it." He smiles brightly, nodding his agreement, "Aye, looks fun."

"How could anyone have let such a -- a -corrupt- Headwoman in, is the real question," insists Ismaye towards Jalani, shaking her head with disgust. "Poor old thing, though. Mental problems. And being with Healers all the time." One would have thought Ismaye and her clean-rampages might have been perfect Healer-enjoyment targets, but perhaps not. She eyes the hide in front of her. "Tithe reports. Ugh."

Jalani shrugs, putting the record back with the rest. "Well, she seemed to get odder and odder the more turns she was around, from what I can read here." She smiles charmingly at Ismaye. "You know, headwomen have been known to do that.. go odd."

Kayla turns her head to nod at N'ait, a grin on her lips. "All we need now are the wooden boards." And with that, she takes the hide with her as she walks towards the corner. She mutters something about them being over there as she wades through the... stuff.

N'ait flips over his shoulder, to Jalani, "So do greenriders, my dear Jalani. Let's not forget them." He leans away from the image, flicking a slight smile to jalani and heading back to his corner. Faranth knows how he can move through such debris so well without snapping, crunching, or basically touching anything.

Ismaye, of dulled intellect, perhaps, due to all the dust and dirt, frowns vaguely at Jalani. Then she pauses. "I will take that as -not- being aimed at me. We all know what Nejilia was like, certainly."

"We'll have to give that to the Master Woodcrafter," Serriena makes an annotation in her book. "I can't get over how lifelike it is," she says, "It doesn't look like any drawing I've ever seen." She reaches out touching the shiny surface. "And this, whatever it is.. It's not oil." As Kayla takes the hide Serriena calls out, "We'll need that for the woodcrafter."

Jalani smiles back at N'ait. "True, indeed but it passes quickly." Her gaze is innocent and pure as she nods to Ismaye. "She was once quite sane, you know, Nejilia.."

Cymber's been here, she has, all this time.. and is trying to make herself helpful by sorting through a pile of dust-covered boxes and leafing through their contents. She's returned any and all greetings and smiles aimed in her direction and just listens now as she works, interest piqued by the discoveries around her.

Ismaye glances back down at her hide, sneezing delicately as a waft of dust passes up towards her face. A spotless hankerchief is brought up from her pocket, and she dabs tidily with it upon her nose. "Was she? That's nice." Somehow, it would appear that she knows Jalani is making fun of her, but she apparently just can't see how. Go figure.

Kayla pauses, looking over her shoulder. "But I need it to find another one." Heh. Yeah, right.

N'ait laughs warmly from his interesting back shelves, saying, just loud enough to be heard, "Aye, I wouldn't hold my breathe waitin' for it to pass, though, Lani." He gives another lightly wry smile, but doesn't stop from looking through the hides.

Jalani smirks as she crouches beside another box, marking it off as tithing records. She casually comments. "Oh yes, she wasn't drooling for quite a while, wasn't until that bluerider dipped her beloved canine in that pot of yellow dye..."

Ismaye files her own hide, picking up another box, and eyeing it carefuly. All this -dust-! "Why on Pern would anyone do that? Quite enough to turn anyone--dotty, I think. The poor animal. Not that I can stand animals myself. Horrible, dirty things."

J'nah gives the glossy hide one last look, then shrugs, "Thats odd indeed. Did it have a date on it?" He takes a step back, nearling kicking over a large stack of hides with his big feet. Ge grimaces and moves to straighten them up, then decides to sort another pile strewn about nearby.

"Just put it on the table when you leave then," Serriena reminds. She smiles at J'nah for a moment shaking her head, "I didn't see one." before turning and saying, "Cymber it's good to see you here. I feel like I haven't spent anytime with you since my turnday party. How are you?"

Jalani shrugs. "Personally, I think the beast looked better after the dye job." She grunts, lifting a box and carrying it over to it's proper place.

Kayla nods to Serriena, the smile returning to her lips. She turns back to the corner, heading for a large pile.

Cymber wrinkles her nose, cutting off a sneeze in the second before it comes. Then her eyes turn to Serri and her smile returns. "Been busy. Drilling and training even after weyrlinghood. Someone should warn the next class that it's almost harder work once you've finished." Doesn't seem upset about it though, as her hands shuffle kitchen inventories into one pile, and records of herdbeasts into a nother. "Missed you, but it looks like you'll be swamped yourself with all of this.. well, forever." The last is accompanied by a grin.

"Really?" Ismaye's comment is vague, coming from behind another pile of hides, which she inspects between sneezes. The reason for her cleanliness passion, perhaps. "I don't know -- yellow can be quite bright."

N'ait goes quiet at that, obviously caught up in the searching of the hides thing. He drops into a light crouch, scanning the lower shelves and pulling out a few dusty hides. He reads one quietly, then laughs abruptly.

"Pah," Serriena snorts, "I have hopes of getting out of here sometime soon." A wistful glance is given around at the caverns. "If all goes well we should have it cleaned in a sevenday." Of course half the room is messy the other half neatly organized and then there's that strange pile of trash where oddities go.

Jalani hmms. "Well, it is like sunshine, you're quite right ." She blinks. "I forgot, you prefer the dark dank lower caverns...' She wanders over to N'ait, peering over the bluerider's shoulder. "What's so funny?"

"Right," says Cymber amusedly, a tilt to her brow as she pauses, kneeling there beside the half-formed piles, "A sevenday. I'm sure." She shakes her head and grins again, casting her eyes in N'ait's direction for a second. "Sounds more interesting than lists of how many brown bovines came in one summer."

Ismaye bites at her lip -- complaining, "You're all so mean to me -- what if I do?" -- her self-pity is cut short, her eyes glancing towards N'ait, finger stopping their quick exploration. "Indeed; what is that makes you laugh?"

Jalani coughs. "Don't think too highly of yourself, Ismaye. It's only me and I am this way with everyone. You aren't that special."

Kayla frowns when she doesn't find anything. She sighs, placing the hide on the table she was supposed to. And then she catches the train of the conversation. Sort of.

Serriena coughs as some dust and then turns to N'ait. "What do you have there so amusing N'ait?" she questions staring down at the bluerider.

N'ait clears his throat lightly, obviously holding back mirth as he shakes his head vehemently, "It's not important.. just a young man's description of a girl, as far as I can tell. It's, uh," He goes through thoughtful, a slight quirk of a smile, then he says, "Interesting." He hands it to Jalani as if it were nothing, rises, dusts off his trousers, and continues looking through the shelves. Innocent humming may now commence.

Ismaye dutifully ignores Jalani -- why give her any satisfaction? -- although she looks as though she's fuming, ever so slightly. And sneezing; luckily keeping her hankerchief from dripping anything upon the precious hides. Sniffing, she eyes N'ait, then shrugs, and gets back to work. "Probably some sordit love affair," she says, with a delicate sniff. How vulgar.

"Oh, you need to go read the bovine /breeding/ records Cymber. Those are very interesting." J'nah grins as he stands up and makes his way back to the dusty corner. He picks through a box, then laughs. "Excuse me, headwoman, do you really keep records of how many pots of klah are made each day?" He holds up a skin and poits to it. "Looks like someone used to."

Tahayari slips in passed the lingering rubble in the cave's entrance.

Jalani's eyebrows arch with amusement as she quickly scans the hide. "Well, I will give him points for creativity, that is for sure and ..well. I have never quite -heard- that described quite -that- way." She looks down at herself for a moment, then hands the hide back.

Kayla raises a brow at N'ait. Her eyes follow the hide. "May I see?"

"Ismaye," corrects the Headwoman, dabbing at her nose again. "And no, I don't. That's an awful waste of good hide." No, she just records how many times she has cleaned everything each day. She eyes the skin, making a face, "Useless, these old people." Ears waggle towards Jalani's words; ugh, pure and simple. Demurely: "I do not want to know."

Cymber grins at J'nah.. and shuffles more of the boring records into their right places. "Sounds like N'ait's shelf is better, maybe we should move over there."

N'ait takes the hide without pause, laughing at what Jalani says, but having no real love for the hide himself. He waves the hide at Kayla, dark blue eyes glittering, "I don't know, Kay. You may be a little young for this.." He looks over the scroll once more and notes, in an amused, absent tone, "And so is she, apparently." He looks between Ismaye and Jalani, then snorts lightly, "Aw, cut it out, you too. I've seen avians with more tolerance."

Kayla hmphs, walking over to the rider. "Don't be silly. I'm almost twenty." She holds out her hand for the hide. Confident lil' bugger, ain't she?

Jalani blinks innocently at N'ait's comments. "I adore Ismaye. Really I do. She is a solid, dependable, sturdy girl. Very commendable."

In comes Tahayari, carefully trotting from the stairs. He hesitates at the sight of all the people before apparently gathering his courage and offering a brief smile to the room at large. Pace slows, posture straightens; the teen peeks in and squints, attempting to make out whoever's in charge. When he fails, he nervously clears his throat and announces -- quietly, mind: he's more than a bit shy -- "Can I help at all?"

Ismaye sniffs -- girl? Huh; how rude. "I would say the same about Jalani, but--" A dimpled smile, "She's not a girl, she's a woman. And she's not quite so solid and dependable. But still, an asset to the Weyr." Beam. She glances towards Tahayari, nodding quickly, "Grab a box -- the more hands the better." Sneeze, dab.

"We can always use help in here!" Serriena motions to Tahayari to come in. Cymber's comment of moving has her raising a brow. Who can move under all this stuff she's buried under? But she valiantly tries. "Grab a cloth and start to dust or go through and toss out trash and sort the hides," Serriena tells Tahayari.

Cymber's not that far from the door, she angles her eyes and a friendly smile in Tahayari's direction, pausing in her extremely interesting task.. that of sorting herd and kitchen records into piles. "I'd aim for that shelf over there if I were you," she jokes quietly, voice holding subdued amusement as her chin nudges over toward the corner where N'ait just was.

N'ait looks quietly at Jalani and states, pointedly, "She's a lady, and the Headwoman of Ista to boot. Treat her with the respect you apply to so many other different areas, Lani." He winks lightly at her, then notes to Ismaye, as well, "And Jalani is one of the most solid and dependable people I know. I trust her with my life." He looks from one to the other, "Just glad y'all shot up a couple inches. Have fun growing up." He quirks a light grin at Kayla, shrugs as if that seems to be too good of a reason for him to argue, and hands the hide over.

Jalani beams at N'ait. "See? We adore each other, it's such a special relationship!" With that, she digs into yet another box, setting back on her haunches as she rummanges through.

"Very special." Beam, from Ismaye, who lowers her dark head again, sneezing over a box of hides. "This horrible, horrible dust." Swear? Now that would be going -too- far. "Growing up? Why on Pern would we need to do that? We're both very mature. Adults."

Kayla takes the hide, a brow raising as she reads. It takes her a moment before burting out laughing.

Cymber actually keeps herself very busy, looking toward the others now and again as she shifts her position to better empty the box she'd just been unpacking and categorizing. Though it's soft, she is humming now and again, to herself.

J'nah goes back to work. More boxes are moved and sorted as he carrys them to and fro. Finally the huge pile int the corner is gone and J'nah grins, "Wow! Theres a floor under here." The shelf is next ans J'nah hauls more hides down. He raises up the top layer before coughing and gasping for air. "Yeesh, these are long rotten. Smells terrible." He takes a few steos and sets the box and its contents in a refuse pile. "Thats a shame, hope it wasn't soemthing important."

Ismaye is honestly trying very, very hard not to look even slightly interested in this hide. It is, after all, vulgar, and she is, as N'ait pointed out, a lady. Nonetheless, she sends a furtive glance towards the hide in question. Her own hides are eyed. And then: "Oh my. Oh my, oh my, oh my."

N'ait laughs lightly, smiling at Ismaye, who likes both Lani and Issy, "You two aren't mature; just very good at being subtle." He grins in his usual charming way, turns back to the shelves, and searches through the hides for something interesting again. He just grins at Kayla.

"I can do that," Tahayari affirms, quirking another quick smile as he makes his way towards one of shelves that's hardly been touched so far. Snagging a stool from under a nearby table, he seats himself ungracefully before pulling down a box. Setting it down next to his stool, the youth reaches in and pulls out a decrepit, old scroll that's barely staying together. Wrinkling his nose, Yari comments dryly, "Good condition."

Jalani smiles sweetly at N'ait and heads off to a darkened corner. She takes her glow, setting it up on a makeshift ledge.

As her laughter dies down, Kay tosses the hide toward N'ait. "Now why am I not surprised that /you/ found /that/?" She rolls her eyes before going back to her corner, shifting through another pile.

"I -am- mature," insists Ismaye, not quite, but almost whining. "Why else do I do such a good job at what I do?" She looks back at her hide, shutting her eyes over it, and shuffling it away. Crude, obviously. At least, to her mind.

Jalani sneezes in rapid-fire fashion as she pulls and tugs at a small boulder. With eyes watering and sweat forming on her brow, she snorts in triumph. "Ah, thought I saw something." She reaches into the hole and pulls out a hide, dropping it suddenly as a V-tol crawls out. She blushes. "Just startled me."

Jalani dropped Large, Thickly-rolled Scroll.

N'ait gives Kayla one of the most convincingly innocent and shocked looks he can bring up, "I don't know, Kayla.. You don't think /I/ think like this, do you?" He'll be hurt if you say yes, and you know it, Kay. Anyway, he pauses a moment to flicker a grin at Ismaye, noting, "My little sister learned to clean both her cot, press, and my parents' weyr at a young age." He lifts both brows, and his wandering eyes wander on over to Jalani.croll :)

When you unroll this scroll, you quickly realize that it is several thicknesses of heavily oiled hide wrapped around an inner scroll that is in turn, wrapped with linen. Once unwrapped, the precise, if spidery writing reveals a story...

Legend has it that the pair had been childhood friends, often getting into mischief together. One day they spent an afternoon peeking through the niche in the cave under the waterfall. Upon leaving Demetril brushed again the wall and dislodged a large rock. He swore it was an amethyst in the rough while Sonalla laughs and declared it a sparkly piece of quartz. Time passed and the pair impressed, D'tril to bronze Ubrenath and Sonalla to gold Turvereth. The day came turns later when the pair found themselves Weyrleader and Sr. Weyrwoman of Ista Weyr. On their weyrmating soon after, D'tril presented Sonalla with a stunning necklace of silver, filigreed around a large, splendid amethyst pendant. Legend has it that when Sonalla reached an age at which she knew she must hand over the reigns of her beloved weyr, she and D'tril found a safe hiding place for the necklace and had a harper concoct a riddle to lead the new Werywoman to the hiding place. The pair felt that such love as was behind the necklace could only be a positive influence on generations in the future and that the piece should be an emblem of safety, prosperity and fertility for the weyr for times to come. And so they created their own legend, which took root easily and was passed down from generation to generation.

Find the path through Rukbat's heat, to a Weyr's heart.

Across the sands of time,

Find the moments that mark the dawning on earth's stoney bones.

Unfurling the passage of ages,

Reveal the treature lost for future eyes.

Jalani crouches down and takes the scroll in hand, carefully unrolling it, holding a glow to it as she reads, murmuring to herself.

Mally walks on in, hair tied back away from her face and lookin' very ready to clean and such. She grins and walks over towards Jalani. She doesn't know this person, but what the hey? "What's it say?" She asks, voice soft so she doesn't scare Jalani or anything. That'd be bad.

Ismaye's eyes open again, the hide that has her so disgusted safely out of view. In fact, it's sitting on top of the next box. Into her own box, she delves, frowning. "Odd variety. From -that-, to cleaning supplies." She looks riveted; this is something she can understand!

Kayla giggles softly, shaking her head. The eyes roll once more, turning her her head to the side to see him. "Why don't you tell me?" A brow raises, her hand idly landing on another tunnelsnake skeleton. She looks down, jumping. Nope, no one saw that.. She tosses the tunnelsnake aside before continuing the search.

N'ait pauses in his hide rummaging to notice the interest Jalani takes, glancing over towards Ismaye, then back to the greenrider, to whom he now walks.

Serriena looks interested by any hide and ready to mark whatever it is that caught the former Assistant Weyrlingmaster's attention, down into the ledger.

Tahayari glances up and over from his unproductive box after scowling down at the crumbling contents. "Found something good?" he inquires tentively of Jalani, fingers resting on the edge of his box. "Everything over here falls apart."

Jalani purses her lips, re-reading the scroll. "You know, this might have some interest to it to T'rrent or someone. Talks about revealing treasures lost for future eyes. We -are- the future.. right?"

Kayla raises a brow, pushing herself to her feet and walking over. "Treasure?"

Ismaye glances past N'ait, offering him a vague smile as her eyes set on Jalani. "Treasures?" Ah, she does have a side interested in pretty things. "I suppose we are. Really, I mean, even people born tomorrow are the future. What is it?"

Mally cocks her head. "I suppose." She hms and looks around her. "What can I do to help?" She calls, loud enough so people can ya know...hear her and stuff.

N'ait grins a little, crouching down next to Jalani, careful not to bump her, "People born /today/ are the future, Issy." He reads over the scroll, and takes up the habit of furrowing his brow and rubbing his index finger with his thumb quietly, in thought, "Weyr's heart.. the Living Caverns? Sands of time.. The Sands?" He shakes his head slightly, ignoring much out of his thought context.

"Sort hides," says Ismaye, sweetly, in Mally's vague direction, although her attention is turned towards Jalani. She glances at N'ait, "Issy? And -- oh, I suppose so. Yes."

Jalani hmms. "A story, a legend of a weyrwoman and weyrleader who actually seemed to love each other." She snorts. "Has to be a legend for that one to be true.. but it talks about a pendant she hid."

Kayla crouches down on the other side of Jalani, her eyes on the hide. "I wonder if we should find it.. Or leave it for Alyssa."

"It would be wasted on Alyssa," says Ismaye, darkly. No, no one heard that. "I mean -- it's best if we find it ourselves, and use it for a good reason." Yes, Ismaye. As clear as glass.

N'ait lifts a brow, removing his curled fingers from his chin to give her a brow-lifted look. His dark blue eyes turn to Jalani and he seems to consider, "Maybe we should find it and then show it to her.. Love is something no one should be denied." Pause, "Alyssa or not." The last comment may be a little harsh in tone, but only slightly noticable.

Jalani snorts, staring over at Ismaye. "Seems to me, you sound a bit like that headwoman I was readin' about." She tucks the hide back in it's protective casing. "Perhaps, N'ait, perhaps, Speaks of fortune to the weyr, not just the finder."

"Kind of stupid to hide jewelry," is Tahayari's input. "It's made to be worn, y'know." Fingers close around another unpreserved hide, and the youth mutters some sort of inaudible, annoyed expletive. His attention turns back to Jalani; her hides are much more interesting than the remains he's managed to find.

Ismaye is an idiot -- we all know that, don't we? She loves Alyssa, really. "I am not, Greenrider!" Yes, she sounds absolutely horrified. "I certainly don't want it for myself." She ducks her head; perhaps it's better to keep out.

Kayla nods to N'ait and then looks to the greenrider. "So. Why don't we try to find it?"

N'ait nods slightly in agreement with the greenrider's words, his expression still locked in thoughtfulness. Then, it brightens, and he nods, "Yes, let's find it." His eyes turn up and lock onto Jalani's, bright even in the dim glowlight.

Ismaye pipes up, commenting, her voice layered with indifference, but a fierce certainty, "There is still work to be done, here. But, perhaps, if we all went -- taking a break, and all."

Jalani snorts at Kayla."Just cause the hide is in here, doesn't mean the necklace would be as well." She gazes back at N'ait for a split second then rises to her feet, taking the hide with her to a clear area of the room.

Kayla stands as well, following Jalani over. "I didn't say it was in /here/. Solve the riddle and find the necklace."

N'ait rises as well, following along after Jalani. Anyone who knows N'ait well enough knows that he does this for no material reasons whatsoever. What-so-friggin-ever. So there. He grins brightly as he does so, noting, "I love riddles."

Kayla nods to N'ait before looking to the greenrider. "Can I see the hide?"

Jalani rolls the hide out on a bench, holding it flat with a couple of stones on each corner. "Have a gander for yourself."

Kayla runs a finger along the riddle as she reads it aloud. "Find the path through Rukbat's hear, to a Weyr's heart."

J'nah works in the back by himself, cleaning things off of the tall shelf. He doesn't even pay attention to the ruckus involving the new discovery, the blue rider is pleny busy toting boxes and trying to hold in sneezes. He does look up long enough to ask, "Anyone interested in some old recipes? At least I think thats what these are."

Ismaye watches the reading of the hide, repeating the words to herself, "Rubkat's heat, to a Weyr's heart. Peculiar, certainly."

N'ait leans over the bench, his palms set on the stone as he thoughtfully considers the riddle. His brow is furrowed slightly, and it's obvious he is deep in thought, "Path.. heart.. Find the path to the Weyr's heart.. the Weyr's heart could be the living caverns or the Hatching Grounds, I suppose.. Sands of time.. Hatching Sands, maybe.. of time, though.. hmm.. Stoney bones.. starstones?"

Kayla hmms, also considering. "I don't think the heart is the living cavern.. Maybe the Hatching ground.. or the lake?"

You say "The cave system?" Ismaye considers this, frowning at herself. "There's lots of caves in there, and they go fairly deep. Perhaps in there."

Ellyandri slips in passed the lingering rubble in the cave's entrance.

Serriena blinks having become so absorbed in a hide she forgot all around her. "Huh? What?" she stammers coming out of her trance looking around.

Jalani shrugs. "Could be anywhere. I mean, maybe the person who wrote this was a baker and to them, the heart would be the kitchens. Or a healer, and that would be the infirmary, or a harper, and that would be the classrooms."

Kayla raises a brow at that. "Hmm.. And it was probably the weyrwoman and weyrleader, since it's their necklace. So.. Where would they think it was?"

N'ait shakes his head slightly, tapping the story's pages with one long index finger, "But it was written by a Weyrleader and a Weyrwoman. Where would the heart be for them?" He grins slightly as he and Kayla say almost the eactly same thing.

Jalani hmms. "Council chambers or the sands, I suppose?"

Rising, Ismaye sways towards the group, and decides, "It cannot be in the sands, which is where one might think it would be. It would have sunk, and we'd never find it. Perhaps in the council chambers? Or in their Weyr?"

Kayla shakes her head at Ismaye after smirking at the bluerider. "Not their weyr. That's not the heart of /the/ weyr. But the council chambers.. That's where the major decisions are made. I think that's it."

Jalani blinks at Ismaye. "And just why are you so sure it can't be on the Sands, in a crevice or something?"

Ismaye steps back, hands raised. "Only a suggestion," she insists, defensively. "Perhaps I'm wrong. Obviously, it won't be the first time." Sniff. Sneeze. Dab.

N'ait shifts his finger downwards towards the Sands, "Here is the mention of the Sands, or some sort of Sands, anyway.. and the only Sands of time I can think of are those that have seen a hundred dragon births, which is what makes a Weyr a Weyr I do believe.."

Kayla hmms, frowning slightly in thought. "That's an idea. Why don't we head over and see? No time like the present."

Ismaye hesitates, "Are we allowed on the sands? Even when there is no clutch there?"

Jalani looks to N'ait, listening and pondering as he speaks. "Makes sense to me.. where would the weyr be without Dragons." She smiles at Ismaye. "Don't know why not..."

N'ait nods his agreement with Jalani, casting her a light smile and flicking his eyebrows up and down in a challenging way, "So what're we waiting for?"

Ismaye ohs, then nods. Sand. Which is gritty, and gets in her hair. However: "Yes. We should go now -- and see what we can do. To get us out of this dust, and get some fresh air."

"I think I am tired," Serriena yawns. "J'nah, do you want to go hunting for a treasure?" she questions.

Jalani blinks. "Fresh air? Won't it damage you somehow, Ismaye?" She rolls up the hide, placing it carefully in an obvious yet safe spot and picks her way back out.

Jalani slips passed the lingering rubble and down the remnants of the stairs toward the jungles beneath.

The frown dissapears on Kay's features. "And then we'll deal with the rest of the riddle later." She then hushes Jalani, after she leaves, of course.

Kayla slips passed the lingering rubble and down the remnants of the stairs toward the jungles beneath.

N'ait slips passed the lingering rubble and down the remnants of the stairs toward the jungles beneath.

Ismaye starts to say something, then begins to walk after Jalani. Hmph.

You slip passed rubble from the cave-in and tread - dangerously - down the barely discernible remnants of ancient steps toward the jungle floor.

You head beneath the large, arching entrance to emerge in the heat of the Hatching grounds foyer.

Ellyandri comes in beneath the large entrance from the bowl.

Kassandra comes in beneath the large entrance from the bowl.

Jalani comes in beneath the large entrance from the bowl.

Kassandra pads in, looking thoroughly bewildered. "What in Faranth's name is going on around here?! There's hordes of people running about like crazies."

Jalani takes mincing steps onto the heat of the blackened Sands.

Kayla looks over towards Kassandra, a scroll in her hands. "We're looking for treasure."

"Hide," Ismaye says, vaguely stiding after other people, "Finding the treasure."

Kayla nods towards the sands. "A neclace."

Kayla takes mincing steps onto the heat of the blackened Sands.

Kassandra takes mincing steps onto the heat of the blackened Sands.

Kassandra has left.

With mincing steps, you make your way onto the searing heat of Ista's blackened Sands.

Ellyandri steps onto the searing black Sands from the foyer.

Kayla hmms, turning around. She looks up towards the jagged ceiling. "Think that has anything to do with it?"

Kassandra minces her way out onto the sands, with a...'Shards, I forgot how hot it is out here! There's a necklace? In here?" She looks extremely dubious. "That sounds...sorta silly."

Ismaye looks decidibly uncomfortable, shuffling onto the sands, and keeping her skirt up from the black grit. Her face wrinkles, but she looks about, whimpering. "It does seem silly. Perhaps it isn't here at all."

Jalani walks along the walls of the bowl, peering in every cervise that she can spot. She takes a stick out of her pocket, poking in this hole and that.

N'ait looks quietly around, leaning over to check where he needs to and running his fingers over the walls.

Kayla follows the others' example, ecamining various cracks.

Kassandra shrugs, and starts peering. Peer, peer, peer.

Ellyandri winces, her first encounter with a Weyr's sands, and she's not wearing shoes. She blinks at Kassandra, "Necklace? Here?" Her facial expression seems doubtful about that.

Ismaye steps towards another edge, tapping it with fingers. "The dirt! This place really needs a good clean."

Setarra has arrived.

Kayla shrugs, walking towards Kassandra. "Wanna know the riddle?" She holds out the scroll for her.

Kassandra chuckles. "That might help, yes," she says with a sardonic smile, peering at the scroll.

Jalani repeats to herself. "Find the path through Rukbat's heat, to a Weyr's heart.Across the sands of time, Find the moments that mark the dawning on earth's stoney bones. Unfurling the passage of ages, Reveal the treature lost for future eyes."

Setarra creeps in, looking about. "What's going on?" she calls out.

Ellyandri smiles at Setarra, "We're trying to solve this riddle about a necklace"

N'ait strikes a very thoughtful looking pose, his hand against his chin and his other pressed against the bone of his hip. He mentally repeats the riddle to himself, dark blue eyes scanning the entire area in observant silence.

Kassandra peers at the scroll, brow furrowing in pure confusion. "Well, that doesn't make an ounce of sense," she declares, but not before grinning. "But, if it says sands, this is a good place to look for sand."

Setarra ohs. "Riddle? Necklace?"

Jalani says it again in a singsong sort of way. "Find the path through Rukbat's heat, to a Weyr's heart.Across the sands of time, Find the moments that mark the dawning on earth's stoney bones. Unfurling the passage of ages, Reveal the treature lost for future eyes."

Kayla nods towards Setarra before glancing to N'ait, brow raised. With a sigh, "Okay. We need to figure out the rest. I don't think it's in here."

Setarra hmmms. "What's the riddle? I won a prize once for solving riddles; maybe I can help?"

Ismaye stands against a wall, shutting her eyes tightly. Sand, obviously, does not agree with her. She's not, however, sneezing anymore. "It's not here. It's impossible. We'll never find it."

Jalani pokes and prods some more, but so far, all she comes up with is a lot of dust, a few dried up shriveled v-tols and a child's toy top. "How did that get there?"

Kayla replies to Setarra, "Find the path through Rukbat's heat, to a Weyr's heart.Across the sands of time, Find the moments that mark the dawning on earth's stoney bones. Unfurling the passage of ages, Reveal the treature lost for future eyes."

Ellyandri hmms and recites the riddle in her head, "How about near the volcano?"

N'ait peeks over Jalani's shoulder as she finds the top, then exclaims, in surprise, but at a bit of a mumble, "Heeey.. I've been looking for that.."

"Rukbat's heat...mark the dawning..." Kassandra mutters to herself, peering around the area intently. "Dawning...sun...something that has to do with the sun?" The bluerider looks up, and purses her lips in thought.

Ismaye sniffs delicately. "All this dirt is not good for anything. Obviously, no one has bothered to do anything here for ages. I'm shocked." She's also overreacting, and not really bothering to look any more. Just stand there.

Setarra taps her chin. "Passage? Is there a passage here?"

Jalani hmms. "Shadows? Where does the sun shine most in the Sands?"

Kayla points towards the niche. "I suppose that could be one.."

Jalani giggles at N'ait, looking over her shoulder and handing it to him. "Always knew you were nothing but a boy in grown-up bones."

N'ait takes the top and laughs a little, shaking his head and grinning slightly, "No, I mean I've been looking for it for about fourteen turns, Lani." Really. I swear. Ahem. He tucks the top away and continues his search, innocently enough.

Setarra frowns in thought, chewing her lower lip absently.

Kassandra snickers softly in response to N'ait's statement, but continues looking up. "Sun...and shadow...the moments that mark the dawning," she mutters to herself again, before moving slowly to one side of the cavern and starting to peer at the wall. Why? Well, nothing would be hidden in the sand itself, would it?

Kayla rests her hands on her hips. "What about the rim?"

Ellyandri muses for a bit, "What about the star stones on the rim?"

Setarra turns to glance at Kassandra. "The whole riddle is about time, and passing time, and marking time." Pause. "Where would time be marked?"

Kayla nods at that. "That's what I was thinking."

N'ait ponders for a moment, then says, "Sunrise and sunset?"

Ismaye resorts to whining. "Perhaps we think about this -off- the sands? It's hot, and I'm beginning to glow." Not sweat, glow.

J'sen woos, Ismaye's going to rise! Watch out guys. ;)

Setarra continues in a mumble, "Heart of the Weyr...is that heart, like that which gives it strength, or heart like center...Like, the bowl?"

Jalani wanders up by Kassandra. "Could be, could be?"

Kayla looks towards Ismaye with a frown. "You can wait outside if you want." She wasn't rude.. really.." Looking to Setarra, "That's a good idea. And you can see the rim and star stones from there.."

Glow. Kassandra's brain starts working on that one. "Glow. Light. Where is there light?" The bluerider turns her gaze from the cavern wall to the cavern proper, peering at the surrounding area. "Light...hmmm."

N'ait seems to not realize how hot the sand is, blinking at Ismay's comment and then looking down at the ground. He shrugs helplessly, "Go ahead, Issy."

Ismaye snickers ;)

Setarra hrms. "Passage...Maybe it has double meaning? Like a passage through a cave? There's a glow cave around here, isn't there?"

Ellyandri laughs! :)

Ismaye ahems. "No, thank you. But it would be much more comfortable for all of us." She fans herself with one hand, shaking her head.

Jalani says, "Amazing Headwomen are WIERD"

Kayla hmphs, turning her back to Ismaye.

Ismaye says, "But weird is good, right? ;)"

J'sen says, "It works like a charm on this game. ;)"

Setarra shrugs, and follows along.

Jalani crouches, leaning her back against the wall as she watches Kassandra. She chuckles. "I do believe she is on to something." She follows the path Kassandra follows with her eyes.

Kayla raises a brow, shrugging as she looks to the others before following Kassandra.

N'ait's dark blue gaze shifts from Jalani at that curious comment, to Kassandra, and he watches her quietly, not saying anything that would interrupt her trail of thought.

Ismaye watches Kassandra, around her hankerchief swatting of her face, glow dripping down. "On to something?" she repeats, frowning. "Perhaps she is. That -would- be a blessing."

Jalani idly hands Ismaye a fresh handkerchief. She may live to annoy the headwoman but she does hate seeing someone sweat. She smiles charmingly at N'ait.

Ellyandri watches Kassandra's progress on that side of the cavern.. She frowns, "Hey, how do we know that someone hasn't already stumbled on to this necklace by chance?" She looks up towards the sky and sighs.

Kassandra is walking with steady, measured pace across the sands, eyes intent on something. Perhaps five feet from the side of the cavern she stops, eyes traveling upward. With absolutely no warning, she starts going -up- the side of the cavern, using a series of ledges nearly invisible--unless the sunlight from the doorway to the anteroom is shining on them and shadowing them against the rocky face of the mountain.

Ismaye glances at Jalani, managing a sweet smile at the handing over of the handkerchief. "Thank you," she responds, sweetly, folding her own and placing it back in her pocket. Sweat is dabbed with the new one. She glances up in time to eye Kassandra again, frowning. "How peculiar."

Kayla raises a brow as she watches the woman's progress. With a sigh, she follows. Odd how she knoes how, huh?

Setarra's jaw drops. "How're you doing that?" she calls up to Kassandra, stepping forward to peer at the wall.

Jalani grins, watching the bluerider climb. "Shadows and light. That is what it is."

"Oh, wonderful!" Watch Ismaye beam, and wipe her face carefully. She does look pretty miserable, even now. Glowing like a porcine; except that would be vulgar.

N'ait moves forward at the find of the staircase, smiling brightly, "Good show, Kassy!" He, for one, decides to examine this, walking over to the wall and touching it lightly.

Kassandra pauses, flattened against the rock face like some sort of large crawler. She doesn't risk a glance down, but she does say something to Kayla..."I wouldn't do that if I were you. This isn't the sturdiest of climbs." And if Kassandra falls on her, it would hurt. Eventually, she continues her progress upward, scaling the rock. Eventually she stops, several meters off the ground, and peers off to her left. "Faranth's egg!!"

Setarra stretches up on tip-toe, as if she herself could see. "What? What is it? What do you see?"

Jalani stands, walking so she can peer up at Kassandra. "No, I think the shells from that are long gone!"

Ismaye peers upwards, frowning daintily, "What is it?"

Kayla hmphs, jumping down. She /had/ been a yard over, so if the rider fell, it wouldn't be on her. And she misses the discovery. Aww.

N'ait, never one to back down from this sort of challenge, simply climbs up after Kassandra, bar no hesitation.

Kassandra doesn't notice N'ait climbing up after her. Which is probably a good thing, since that means she doesn't have any way down. She shifts her grip, pausing as she wobbles a bit. "Whoa..." Finally re-stabilized, she frees her left hand, and reaches into a crevice in the rock, well nigh onto invisible until you look directly at it, and pulls out a small box, which promptly gets shoved in her shorts pocket so she can use her left hand for climbing down. Ah...down? "Is there someone underneath me?"

Kayla looks up, frowning at N'ait, muttering something about chances. "I am." She holds out her hands.

Jalani calls up. "No, you are safe, be careful now. There's a hand grip just to your right."

Setarra calls up, "N'ait is up there, too, so be careful."

N'ait isn't really beneath Kassandra at that point, shifting slightly so he is out of the way, but close enough to make sure that no 'plummeting to doom' occurs.

Ismaye, very useful as always, calls up, "Don't fall! It would make a horrible mess." She dabs at her face again, leaning against the wall with some reluctance; it's probably dirty, too.

Ellyandri umms, as people begin scaling the walls of the Weyr, "Err, should you really be doing that? What if you fall, it is kinda steep up there.." She nervously bites her bottom lip, and stays where she is. You won't see Elly doing /that/.

Kayla looks over to Ismaye, a frown on her lips. "Oh hush. You wouldn't have to clean it up." What a nice image.

Jalani chuckles. "They are safe enough, just be careful, you hear up there?"

Ismaye perseveres: "It would still be a mess. Ugh."

Kayla begins to glare at Ismaye. And then she 'hmphs'.

Setarra glares over at Kayla. "What's your problem, anyway?"

Kassandra scuttles sideways across the face of the rock, before starting a slow descent, watching where she's going as much as possible. Down she goes, carefully, before finally dropping to the sands in a crouch some half a meter from the ground. "Oof."

Setarra grins over at Kassandra, drawing closer. "What did you find?"

Kayla wasn't glaring at Setarra. No.. she was glaring at the ugher. Ahh well, she looks to Kassandra. Notice hoe her expression changes? "What is it?"

Jalani tries not to look eager. Nope, cool collected greenrider strides .. oh so casually.. across to her fellow rider. "Well, well, nice climb up there? Find anything interesting?"

N'ait simply clambers back to the sands, dusting off his palms as he heads after Kassandra, his own strides truly casual. He glances upwards only once, back towards the wall, then pauses as he reaches the wingleader.

Ismaye steps somewhat closer, keeping her clothes out of the way of the sands as much as possible. She murmurs, "Indeed, what is it?" Kayla is ignored; for the moment, anyway.

Kassandra shrugs fluidly, but not before giving Kayla a peculiar look. "I dunno," she says, pulling the palm-sized box back out of her pocket, and peering at it. "Metal, not wood, and tarnished. It's been there a while." She examines the box from all sides, then flicks it open...and gasps.

Kayla walks over to her, standing next to the rider. Her jaw just drops when she sees what's inside.

Setarra's eyes widen. "It's /gorgeous/!"

Flashes of scintillating light glimmer from the facets of the spectacular amethyst that forms the focal point of this necklace. The stone is primarily a rich, deep royal purple in color, occasionally tinged with paler shades of the same color, and is egg-shaped and precisely the right size to fit in the space formed by a woman's thumb and forefinger when they touch. The stone is set in a gleaming frame of filigreed silver, its delicate arches and whorls forming a graceful casing in which to display the magnificent jewel. A loop fused to one end of the filigree that frames the lavender-infused gem provides a place for a finely-smithed chain to slide through, its silvery links reflecting the light in points of white.

Jalani's eyes widen as she gazes upon the beautiful necklace. "Oh shards.. " She whispers softly. "Truly, that is incredible, never seen a stone of quite that shade."

Ismaye can't help herself, and nods, "Absolutely lovely. It's -- incredible. I've never seen anything quite so lovely. Do we know how old that hide was? Hundreds of turns, at least, I suppose."

Ellyandri gasps at Kassandra, "You found it! Geez, it's real pretty" Her eyes brighten as she looks at the jewelery.

Jalani scratches her head, looking at the stone longingly. "Suppose since it was the weyrwoman of Ista's once, it should go to the weyrwoman now?"

Kayla shakes her head. "She should know about it, but I think it should be somewhere for everyone to see. It's for the weyr, not only the weyrwoman." Her own interpretation, of course.

Ismaye, at length, nods, agreeing with Jalani quietly, "It should, I expect. At least -- until she decides what to do with it." She rubs at her face again.

N'ait takes a step back at the sudden gasping and shrieking, blinking. Then, he sneaks forward to see what is so dazzling. As is appropriate, the bluerider simply blinks.

Setarra nods at Jalani. "Probably a good idea. She'd know best what to do with it." She snorts at Kayla. "What, so some one can steal it? No, it's better in the Weyrwoman's safe keeping."

J'sen steps onto the searing black Sands from the foyer.

Kassandra drapes the silvery chain over her hand, holding up the necklace so the amethyst can twinkle in the light still being cast by the sun through the doorway. "Indeed. I think I saw something in that scroll about it being passed from Weyrwoman to Weyrwoman. It should be Alyssa's...and that's exactly where it's going." She looks at the necklace for a moment longer, until the light shifts..."J'sen, take a look at this!"

Kayla doesn't like to be snorted at. But, she ignores that fact. "True."

J'sen strolls in looking curiously at the large ground of people gathered on the sands. "Iskandith said there was something going on in here..." he trails off, coming close and peering over Kassandra's shoulder. A long, low whistle escapes him. "My, my, my. I head from one of the Byron about the legend. I never dreamed the necklace would still be here, much less found this quickly."

Jalani looks back at J'sen, then fixes back on the stone and necklace. "Very unusual, never seen anything quite like it. And what did that scroll say?"

Setarra jerks her head at Kassandra. "She's the one who found the ledges. It was up there."

Kayla idly notes, "Two weyrleaders fell in love. They impressed same clutch after finding a cave with the amethyst. The bronzer gave her the necklace to show their love."

Jalani shakes her head. "More than that.. The pair felt that such love as was behind the necklace could only be a positive influence on generations in the future and that the piece should be an emblem of safety, prosperity and fertility for the weyr for times to come. And so they created their own legend, which took root easily and was passed down from generation to generation.

"Byron will be pleased. All of us -- I think." Ismaye is certainly beaming, her face wiping slowly abating, to a point. "This -is- wonderful, isn't it?"

Setarra oooohs. "What a beautiful story," she breathes to Jalani.

Kassandra ponders for a second, watching the light play off the magnificent gemstone. She pauses, before dredging up the appropriate bit from the scroll. Eidetic memory, you know..."The Weyrleaders found a safe hiding place for the necklace, and had a Harper concoct a riddle to lead the new Weyrwoman to the hiding place...thus, by rights, the necklace is Alyssa's."

Jalani hmms. "I wonder if there is more to that riddle too. The stone is great though."

N'ait just sort of stands off to one side, his hands tucked into his trous pockets, a slight smile on his dark features as he watches everyone, dark blue eyes moving quickly through the crowd.

J'sen eyes Jalani with surprise. "That's some memory you've got there," he says with a wink. "And it is an amazing piece. I don't doubt that the Lords themselves will be jealous of the piece." He nods in time to Kass's comment. "Sounds right to me."

Jalani repeats slowly. "Find the path through Rukbat's heat, to a Weyr's heart.Across the sands of time, Find the moments that mark the dawning on earth's stoney bones. Unfurling the passage of ages, Reveal the treature lost for future eyes."

Setarra grins. "She should wear it to the next Gather at the hold. /That/ would turn some heads!"

Kayla nods, smiling softly. She chuckles lightly, walking off to the side, leaving off the topic.

Jalani quirks an eyebrow. "After making weyrlings memorize for turns, if I can't keep one step ahead of them J'sen, then were would I be?"

Kassandra looks at the necklace one last, long time, before settling it back in its box and snapping the metal cover shut. "She should wear it for the next Hatching, or something. It's stunning."

Ismaye, still clutching Jalani's handkerchief, steps towards the exit. "Excuse me -- I should go and get some real work done. Good evening."

You step off the blackened heat of the Sands to the cooler purchase of the foyer.

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