The Celtis
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After a short boat trip to Selbinger Rock Island, our four friends were able to solve the mystery of the new location of the mysterious secret organization to which they are supposed to deliver an amulet from Lieutenant Kampf. At least that’s what they thought – because when Kel reads aloud the small parchment scroll they found in a bird’s nest, the four pause.
“Our refuge is hidden, that only you may ever discover it, read these lines and then see if you can solve it, someday.
We always wander in the night, guard it with all our might, if light comes elsewhere, the darkness will break.
We are the beginning and the end, in the land and in the terrain, We are bound to the Zyr, and yet deeply connected.
Between the elements, at the agents’ hideout, everyone must be defeated, otherwise you will not get in.”
“What now?” Aldric complains loudly. “Another riddle?” Kel, Theo, and Dandelion also look annoyed and sit down on their backsides. “Let’s take a lunch break and think about the riddle,” Kel finally suggests. While they enjoy some leftovers that Udo has packed for them, Aldric rolls out a world map on the floor in front of them. “So the beginning and end of land and terrain sounds like the coast,” explains Dandelion. His friends nod in agreement, and piece by piece, they trace the coastline with their hands. “The lines ‘between the elements, at the agents’ hideout’ also fit,” adds Theo. “But where do all four elements meet?” he asks the group. “Probably somewhere where there are lighthouses,” Kel muses. “After all, there is water, earth, and fire there. The wind could represent air.” “So we’re looking for a lighthouse on the coast… because there are so few of them,” Aldric summarizes, somewhat dejectedly.
Together, they ponder the lines for a while until Theo murmurs thoughtfully, “What if the second paragraph is meant to indicate a cardinal direction? ‘Elsewhere, light returns’ could stand for east, south, and west—the directions in which the sun travels. But shadows are always at night, where the sun never shines: in the north.” “Hmm, I think that’s a lot of interpretation, but I can’t think of anything better right now,” replies Dandelion. “What lighthouses are there in the north?” he asks the group. “Probably only at Celtis,” explains Theo. “How do you know that?” asks Kel, puzzled. “I grew up here in the Bingster lands and know the Celtis from stories,” Theo replies, pointing to the large inland sea enclosed by two long dams on the map. “Maybe the two dams are connected underground, and that’s where the hideout is,” the halfling continues to ponder. “Well, I can’t think of anything better right now. Let’s give it a try,” Aldric concludes.
They finish their meal in peace and are about to set off when Löwenzahn realizes that their boat is still in the lake. “Oh, right,” Theo replies irritably, “we should probably take that home first.” “There’s no way I’m riding that thing unless I absolutely have to,” Aldric grumbles, announcing that he would rather walk along the lake shore to their beach hut. Fortunately, the other three do not suffer from a fear of water, so they take the more comfortable option and sail calmly to the “Bleichenpreis.”
They meet up again there relatively late and decide against covering a long distance that afternoon. Instead, they visit Bibiane again to borrow a few of her horses for the next few days. They also inquire about the Celtis in Selbingen, but get little information. At least they learn that it is a huge inland sea enclosed by two long stone dams. The Celtis was originally created to provide ships with a safe harbor, give fishermen calmer waters for their boats, and protect the coast from strong floods. Our friends consider their evening to be sufficiently informative and successful.
he next morning is uneventful, because all four of them want only one thing: to finally set off. Thanks to Bibiane’s horses, they quickly make up for the time they lost yesterday bringing the boat back. And since Theo comes from near the Bingster lands, they can save themselves longer breaks to get their bearings. Nevertheless, their journey takes almost the entire day, and they don’t spot one of the two large Celtis dams until dusk.
However, they are somewhat unsettled by the watchtower at the end of the dam. They approach it quietly and listen to see if they can hear anything from inside. Since they perceive neither noise nor light, they finally march straight through the entrance door.
Indeed, the watchtower is deserted – apart from food scraps molding in the pantry. Together, they search the two floors, but find no new weapons or other helpful items to take with them. At least not until Kel opens one of the last cabinets and discovers several suits of armor belonging to the Zazyrian army.
Although “armor” is almost an exaggeration: it is more like a black, floor-length cloak worn over a wine-red doublet. Golden embroidery depicts a tree with seven long roots ending in a circle that completely encloses the tree – the coat of arms of Zazyrus. On the back of the cloak is another coat of arms, this time in wine red. A golden leaf serves as a clasp, holding the two sides of the cloak together at the wearer’s neck.
“Look, these could come in handy again,” Kel calls out to his three friends. “Absolutely,” Dandelion agrees, and in no time at all, three cloaks are packed up. “Don’t they have small people in the army too?” complains Theo, for whom there seems to be no coat available at first. But his annoyance quickly disappears when Dandelion finds a youth uniform in the last closet that fits Theo like a glove.
They leave the watchtower and set up camp at a safe distance – just in case soldiers do show up. “Let’s tie the horses up here and then hurry off so we can find the entrance to the guild tonight,” Aldric suggests. Shortly afterwards, they are ready to march. “Should we put on our army uniforms?” Kel suddenly asks.
His friends look at him in confusion, and Kel explains, “From what I understand about combat, this is a state organization. So Zazyrian soldiers should be welcome – but heavily armed Randys, on the other hand, probably not so much.”
Surprised by Kel’s logical reasoning, Dandelion, Aldric, and Theo don’t know how to react at first, but eventually agree with him. They quickly throw on their uniforms and set off for Celtis Dam.
But you’ll have to wait two weeks for Arkanthia Pen and Paper to find out what awaits them there.
