Deus Ex Machinarium

The evening after leaving Katzburg came and went. They set up camp by the main tract, somewhat to the left of it. Brandt set up the place almost entirely by himself and has done so with unconscious aptitude. The provisory tent was made with linen he bought in Katzburg and trunks of a few young trees the hoomin chopped off and quickly debarked. The fireplace was arranged from a couple of sizable rocks found nearby. The same rocks were used to secure the tent from flying off. The blankets served as a bedroll. The tanai limited himself to hexing a fire once the camp was ready but otherwise was busy scouring the area for ‘doodads’ of interest, poking his nose at a bush ‘over here’ or floating to a bird hollow ‘over there’ and being all over the campsite. He also refused to sleep that night, preferring to meditate outside and holding a guarding duty, as much as that was worth.

The morning of that day welcomed them with drizzle and was somewhat colder than a few days prior, which was a clear sign of them getting closer to the southern mountain ranges. The weather somewhat improved over the day, as expected during spring, but it was still noticeably colder than in Sheridawn or even Isdelburg at this time of year.

They arrived at their destination late afternoon. The monument of the “Vhirzung against the wretched Goblin Kingdom”, as it was its official name, was supposed to mark the place where the legendary warriors of Maaren finally defeated and extinguished the Goblin King and his minions in a final battle, after a bloody, ten-year war. Some seven hundred and fifty years ago. The war was a founding myth for the Maargardian Paladinate. Thus the place was designated a holy place, at least officially. Originally a fort was built at the site, to stave off any reminder of goblin forces, and Katzburg was meant to be its staging town. But it quickly turned out the Vhirzung was an astounding success and no sight of the critters was noted ever since. The fort was eventually abandoned, being so far south and of no other military importance. Katzburg remained and even thrived off the wood, timber, and fur trade.

The monument was raised on the seven hundredth anniversary of the battle in the center of the ruin of the fort. Some sad, ruined reminders of its walls still stood around it. The monument was laid on a circle of granite about twenty mers in diameter. In the center, on a four-stepped platform, was a slightly weathered sculpture of two life-sized, chain-mail-wearing men, one armed with a sword, the other with a spear. They were caught fighting three grotesque creatures, roughly hoominsimile, no taller than a mer, brandishing cutlasses. Albeit one of the beasts was missing its weapon’s blade. Remains of which were lying below, on the platform.

In front of the statue, on a granite pedestal, was a bronze plaque, half a mer wide and a third tall reading:

“Take heed and bear witness to the truths engraved herein.

For this is the legacy of the Vhirzung against the Wretched Goblin Kingdom.

Under the Vhirs anointed hand of the Gottfreid Oth’Schottke,

United men of Maaren fought a bloody battle on this sacred ground

and took an astounding victory against inhoomin vermin of

the Goblin King and freeing Maargaard from its wretched forces.

This plaque was funded by the Erstpaladin Ferdinant Mannfred Oth’Schottke to commemorate the seven-hundredth anniversary of this victory.

1359 P.C. IVE”

Brandt stood in front of the monument, hands on hips and legs apart, for a tenth of a candle - or ever since they arrived. To his surprise, he found it strangely calming, even though it was quite literally a war memorial. He read the plaque once again, then looked up at the statues. Both men had grotesquely solemn and stoic expressions, possibly because the artists tried to convey that killing monsters in the name of Vhirs is a work of a calm mind. He scoffed, shook his head slightly, then looked at the plaque again.

Brandt couldn't fathom why, but his gaze was forever drawn towards the word "Schottke", repeated multiple times here. It seemed to stir… something in his mind, bouncing around like a goat let loose of its pen. It was strangely and intimately familiar, evoking sounds of battle and bloodshed…

-” I expected more” - said Anh.

The feeling vanished when Trawins’ voice echoed behind him. The plaque was once again only a plaque. Brandt sighed quietly, shrugged, and turned away, leaving the two knights alone in their eternal struggle against the monsters of the ancient past. Anh was poking his head from behind the map he held outstretched using a kinetic grip and looking around him, searching for something.

-” Also” - continued the tanai - “I think their weapons are not genuine 6th century issue, likewise their armor”.

-” What was it that you were expecting? Crowds? Music and dance? Carnival with stands filled with roasted bacon and honey-laced pastry?” - responded a touch annoyed Brandt.

-” Probably, yes. I can’t really tell” - shrugged the tanai, oblivious or indifferent to hoomin’s annoyance - ”but certainly more than a statue of two hoomin and three … gargoyles? Was it gargoyles?”

-” It is a monument to a war fought hundreds of years ago. Nobody in their right mind would travel for hundreds of kimers to see a memorial.” - the hoomin quickly regained his composure - “ Also, those monsters were called goblins”.

-” Yes. Whatever. Continuing the task at hand, The zone demarcated by our map ought to start about a kimer southwest from this location.”

Anh floated in that general direction from the statues, Brandt followed him. They left the premises of the ruin when Anh stopped and started to look around him, searching for something, but staring only at a wall of trees readying to sprout leaves.

-” If the place we are headed to was, in fact, a dig site for the Ordo Pro Cvirsi, I would expect a road leading there to branch off from here.” - said tanai in a manner that could be addressed to everybody and nobody at the same time -” I didn’t see any branching road, path, tract or anything of this sort for the last three hours. It seems it is a dead end. Yet, the map” - Anh pointed to the sheet he was still kinetically holding - is here and going off from the memorial site.”

-” Map has been, most likely, copied several times over the last hundred or so years and just updated every time.” - Brandt was scouring the area around him - ”It’s been a while since even raising the monument. The road leading there would be long overgrown by now. We will need to chop our way to it.”

Anh threw Brandt a puzzled look, only to catch the hoomin casually turning and leaving.

-” You can fly. Raise above the trees and try to assess if there is anything of interest. I’ll scour the area.” - Brandt threw as he was walking away.

There was a brief moment of silence, which in the world of Anh meant a fierce discussion between the kinfolk. Whatever it was, it didn’t seem to matter to Brandt. After a few more moments, the tanai just took flight above the treeline.