Aranée 61: The Treasure of Aeriteuin Fortress by NetWorthy
Close
Hover over top left image to zoom.
Click anywhere to exit.
Members remain the original copyright holder in all their materials here at Renderosity. Use of any of their material inconsistent with the terms and conditions set forth is prohibited and is considered an infringement of the copyrights of the respective holders unless specially stated otherwise.
Description
(ZOOM FOR DETAILS!)
They carried Aranée's still form to her quarters and summoned Amikas. He discovered massive infections and began immediate treatment.
She slipped in and out of consciousness for days and finally awoke with a stale chalky taste in her mouth. She scanned concerned faces through red-rimmed eyes and finally croaked, "I am thirsty- and hungry too." Obviously relieved, they hastened to bring her food and drink.
Afraid for hidden traps, Mubela had summoned Bellikor from Jobil CIty to examine the large windowless room revealed by the ingenious bedpost opening. As he climbed the steps, the dry cool reminded him of a food storage locker. But his theory was shattered into a million pieces when he raised his lamp: There were shelves upon shelves of books, ledgers, maps, charts, art pieces, special ornate clothing and other mysterious but clearly valuable objects. It was a cleverly concealed safe-room. Many of the documents were written in regal ancient Quenyan script, while the remainder were a mix of Sindarin and various human dialects.
His first report to Mubela was a tally of the contents of the vault. There were close to a hundred books and journals; a score of charts and maps; several men's and women's outfits with gold thread and gems or pearls sewn into them; a small cask full of gold coins; several vases made of precious metals or gem-like stone; a couple of oil paintings; a number of ornamental weapons such as dress swords; and a couple of curious items that could only be the scepters of a king and a queen.
A few days later an ebullient Bellikor summoned Aranée and Mubela. With a reverence they had never seen, he laid a massive and ornately bound Elf volume on the table and opened it. "Here, ladies, is an incredible treasure. Aranée, you told Mubela you thought your paper scrap was the key to unlocking the mystery of this fortress. Well, here before you is the gate that has been opened with that key." He pointed to the text. "This is one of several volumes - the official history of the kingdom of Aeriteuin. Look closely and you will see why these texts are the greatest treasure we have found."
Mubela and Aranée briefly examined the volume, then looked at each other in amazement. Brows arched, Aranée turned several pages and finally looked at him in wonder.
He nodded. "That's right. It is written in three parallel languages: Quenyan, Sindarin and Common human dialect. It gives us a completely unfettered view of Aeriteuin history. And more than this- it is a virtual codex of the Quenyan language." He paused and looked intently into her eyes.
"We can now decipher every Quenyan text in our possession and every single official royal High-Elf document here - and that includes your Book of Judgment."
--- TO BE CONTINUED!
I won't be able to post another Aranée episode for about two weeks as my wife and I are in the process of being certified as first responders as part of a disaster recovery team. We both will be traveling to take the required classes.
View episodes in sequence for the entire story.
Please leave a comment or suggestions, your words encourage me to carry on...
Image and story © 2011 by Larry Hodge
Comments (25)
Faemike55
Shivers run up and down my spine as I read the story! Great image as well I wish you and your wife well as you train!
adorety
Excellent! We can wait while you do generous and important work.
RJS
Wonderful! They found a "rosetta stone"! What marvels will it reveal, I wonder? Can't wait for the next post! Bravo to you for getting certified, and good luck on those courses. I pray you will never need to use them.
KatesFriend
Intriguing tale. I shall have to go back and read the earlier chapters. I like the rosetta stone theme and the value of knowledge and understanding as the greatest of treasures.
magnus073
Splendid work once more Larry, always enjoy your art and stories
mgtcs
Another wonderful episode my friend, marvelous image, very well done!
Cimaira
Wonderful and gripping chapter! Excellent image to illustrate! Be safe in your travels, you'll both be in my thoughts and prayers.
jandunne
I wish both you and your wife well during your training, and love this latest Aranee installment.
Bossie_Boots
Wonderful story and scene superb work have a safe journey and good luck to you both in your training !!
mikeerson
great scene/background... great looking characters, I do question the girl in the blue dress... looking at the gir l next to her, the girl in blue's butt is way closer to the ground, and the fold in the dress makes you question where her knee and fet are under that dress - other than that, I think these characters are great.
vitachick
Excellant story and scene... Best of luck with you and your wife's training. Nice to hear of team work..
PhilW
Superb story and image - and nice to have some good news for them after recent dark episodes! All the best for your training, I hope you never have to use it in practice!
Savage_dragon
I like ciphers. Another cool chapter! ")
mapps
very cool :-)
1010
Excellent story line and image to enhance it Larry. Hope you never have to use your training.
adrie
Fantastic story line Larry, also a fantastic work on the scene that go's with the story.....excellent done.
lesgraham
Good luck on your course Larry ,you and your wife ,like many others I pray you are never called on to have to use your skills,as I understand more then others because of my own background ,such things. Art work Ohh Wowww this is indeed a great treasure and hmm another mystery added to the background of my favourite of your ladies so far ,Aranaee seems a bit uneasy worried even and Mubela's like ohh this is a find and maybe very useful,indeed,and hm Ara's a bit smaller then I thought she was,looking like more fuel to my speculations about her background too .Me likes very much
Minda
excellent scene and story and Good luck Larry..
SIGMAWORLD
Excellent scene. Well done!
brewgirlca
Clever idea with the Rosseta stone - got to see the real thing in London last summer. Sorry I took so long but glad I waited to give this a clear minded read. Looking forward to what they learn from the texts. It is always such fun to discover a hidden document or try to decipher old hand written text. I identify with this scene.
tennesseecowgirl
Very nice!
FaeMoon
oh, nice render.. I think I'll have to start at the beginning now. :)
tizjezzme
Excellent work!
velleman
Brilliant!
myrrhluz
I'm sorry, Larry. I thought I had commented on these two. I was getting ready to go to Ireland and was pretty discombobulated at the time (more so than my usual state of discombobulation.) I love this chapter! Finding a library and the key to a language, how marvelous is that! If I had a time machine I would want to go back to the Library at Alexandria. Of course it would help if I had a universal translator along. Wonderful narrative that had me gripped to the end, and excellent image. I like the poses and expressions. I like Mubela's pose a lot, a step behind, but leaning forward with curiosity.