Neither Rime nor Ree'sohn
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This began as a dream, an odd dream, which had my whole family laughing hysterically as I unfolded it the next day. Unlike D'ni Dentistry, this isnt strangely realistlic in any sense whatever...merely weird. I have rarely posted it with my own works but it happens to be one of my husband's favourite pieces, He asked me 'specially to put it back up. I think the pengehns got to him too....
-------------------------------------------------------------Carrad and his helpers removed a blocking grey pillar and pushed open the basement door. The ancient stone moved back reluctantly under their pressure and as it cleared the threshold angled downward suddenly with a groaning creak. Astonished, they looked silently It was held aloft by onely one high stone hinge. As it swung wide he could see the damage in detail in his lamplight... interesting... He ran his fingers over the dents, small deep batterings, and tiny chisel marks, like corona sparks in the carved stone stars. Something or somethings had tried hard to get through here, many years ago. So there was something to the legend. He called to his assistants to get the maintainer suits. There was probably an age linked through here. This was the Writer’s house. It must be.
This was a part of D’ni neglected until now. Old records said that this had once been a good neighborhood, somewhat seperated from the rest. At some point a Writer Guildsman had gone missing.
Shortly thereafter the neighborhood developed the reputation of being haunted by short strange, violent beasts seeking frozen dairy products.
The maintainers sought their lair, but after several of their number simply didnt return they contained and blocked off the area. The Writer’s ages they found had been placed in an early common library and that had been the end of the tale. Atrus had been inclined to dismiss the stories. No dangerous creatures from other ages had been sighted when they first scouted the sector and a large pre-fall crack in the cavern wall they did find would have been reason enough to evacuate. Even the D’ni could be superstitious sometimes...
Only now, on this whimsical return to this ancient sector, was anything revealed.
Although heavy dust overlaid every step, Carrad felt cautious. He set armored guard over the cellar entrance while they ate lunch, reviewed the ancient records, and then prepared to descend. He sent a dispatch back to the main city area. Young Jiladis was ordered to keep guard at the top. As a last precaution the pillar was balanced on a pulley, which would allow Jiladis to close the accessway again if worst came to worst.
Armed and armored,the small group descended into the old tunnel basement.
Quietly Carrad led the way, shining marble light into old green stains and bird leavings. Frozen desert sticks lay scattered in chewed pieces everywhere, brown splinters against the dirtied cellar’s marble floor. A musty sweet smell came from an emptied, overturned ice chest. Broken tables, chairs and plates marked the place of a riotous feast. A few black, oily feathers lay scattered about. The D’nians spread out taking careful note of what they saw. Could birds really do this much damage?
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