Note: mild spoilers for A Scholar's Journey: The Divine Tempest  Episode 2. 

Penndarius was kneeling in front of a stone tablet that was as long as a man is tall, and about an arms width wide. Hundreds of small inscriptions of an ancient language covered it from tip to toe. 

The scholar pressed the parchment against the top of the stone tablet and rubbed a course piece of charcoal over it vigorously to get a completed tracing. And then along the sides, he would occasionally stop and make scribblings to translate what was said using a quill and ink he had sitting on the ground next to his knee. 

He was a bit taller than other men with a slight rakish tilt to a smile that graced his face as he took said tracings. He was also humming to himself mildly, a song of his own making. A thick brown overcoat with many pockets covered his shoulders; he was also wearing light brown breaches and a blue undershirt.

Gale, a member of the Helkrif excavation site, walked up behind Penndarius, she leaned in over his head to look at what he was tracing. “Now what is that, my friend? It looks quite interesting.” She asked.

Penndarius did not look away from his work but smiled a little wider at Gale’s presence. “Aye, it truly is.”

“Have you managed to decipher any of it thus far?”

“Bits and pieces, look here,” he pointed toward a small section to the top right of the rough-hewn tablet. “This little bit is fascinating!”

Gale took a knee next to Penndarius and looked closer. “How do you read all of this? Tis remarkable my friend.”

Penndarius simply shrugged to her. “I learned a little bit here, there, and a bit of nowhere,” he replied.

Gale shook her head and rolled her eyes. “If this site wasn't so old you just might be the biggest mystery here. One day we will learn the truth, alas not today.”

Penndarius traced a circle around a few words, pushing the conversation forward and off the topic of himself. The dust from the tablet rising slightly as he touched, indicating how old it was. “And lo! We, the first sons and daughters of the gods, grew the silver tree in the soil of white rock that was laid upon the back of a dragon.”

Penndarius stopped and looked back up at Gale, “And, what I can decipher ends there, sadly…” he then looked lower and showed Gale another area. “The children of the gods, the Vaedziur were broken up into ruling classes. A gift was bestowed upon the royals; they received powers beyond their ken. For a time, the vaedziur showed thanks to the gods for their blessings, until-” Penndarius became grim and he looked over the last areas of the inscription. Before reading, he glanced once at Gale, flashing his hazel eyes. “When I read this part, it makes my hair stand on end,” he shook his head once and then turned back to finish reading. “one among their number became restless and arrogant. It was he who decided that the vaedziur no longer needed the gods of Therra and began a war which would rip this land asunder. His name was Bae’lor. A daemon that sucked the life from the land, drawing sustenance and power from Therra at this world's expense.”

There was silence that hung in the air between the two of them for quite some time as they contemplated the final lines of the tablet.

Gale broke the silence. “I came and found you because we have something we’d like you to translate,” she placed a brown leather case next to Penndarius and poking out the top was a stone tablet. It weighed little, due to how thin it was. “We need you to translate this and get it back to us tomorrow, do you think you can do that?”

Penndarius reached down and took the tablet out of its case, examining it briefly. “Aye, that is possible.” He stood up, dusted off his brown breaches and reached out to shake Gale’s hand. “Meet you at Edipagus’s at the normal time tomorrow?” he asked.

“Aye,” she nodded, and the two walked toward a tent that was set up to the side for rest on the outskirts of the Scar. Inside, there was a water bucket, and the two of them picked up simple clay cups, and each filled their respective cups to the brim.

Penndarius raised his glass to Gale, “To a good days work!”

Gale clinked her glass against his, “And to a similar translations as normal tomorrow.” 

- End -

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New Episodes of A Scholar's Journey: The Divine Tempest are released every Wednesday at 7AM PST.