#elite burial

[illustratus]

[dalishious]

Vorgoth Game Files Notes

Vorgoth is deep-voiced, solemn, and imposing. They're a member of the Mourn Watch, an elite group of necromancers from the kingdom of Nevarra. But what Vorgoth is exactly--their species, age, gender, whether or not they're alive--€”is a mystery, shrouded and masked in a cloak. Vorgoth clearly has supernatural powers, however. Even their voice has an otherworldly echo. Vorgoth doesn't speak much, and only in short sentences. As one of the Mourn Watch, they help guard Nevarra's sacred burial complex, the Grand Necropolis. Like all Watchers, Vorgoth is also sworn to stop occult threats to this world, and takes this duty seriously. NOTE: Vorgoth is masculine in appearance (tall, broad) and voice, but their pronouns are "they/them". Vorgoth does not use they/them because they are non-binary (as opposed to our more typical non-binary characters); they use them because they're a total unknown (and may be a pluralistic entity; in the rare instance Vorgoth refers to themselves, they use "we" not "I".)

Diversity win: The entity known as Vorgoth is plural

[serpentface]

The (now extinct) utosai, the last of the great lacetors.

Lacetors are a clade of warmblooded reptiles that fill niches as large grazers. The only genera surviving in the contemporary are relatively small (averaging about the size of cattle), but many older species grew bigger than elephants. Utosai were the last remaining members of this branch, dwindling towards extinction as their once vast grasslands experienced rapid desertification over a period of a mere few millenia, becoming the massive, mostly uninhabitable desert region colloquially known as the Deadlands.

They would historically live in herds consisting of one male, several (sometimes dozens of) females, and their associated young, which would migrate vast distances to follow seasonal rains. Males would fight each other to gain control of their mates or tempt away singular females, with young males roaming in bachelor herds. As reliable grasslands grew sparser, these herds grew much smaller, with the last remaining utosai being found largely as small bands of females and lone, wandering males that would opportunistically mate when they were lucky enough to find each other.

Utosai had very thick scaly skin that folds in plates, in part a vestigial defense mechanism against large predators that had LONG vanished. Like many other lacetor, they had partly bony facial pads that grew large and colorful in males as display features. Their tremendous curving horns served predominantly as additional display features, while the smaller, jutting horns partly figured into intraspecies combat, with males standing side by side and front to back and swinging these horns at each other in ritualized combat behavior.

These horns were clearly of value to the people who once inhabited the same ranges as utosai, as their ivory figured heavily into their craftwork and holy objects and can be found near-ubiquitously in the burials of high ranking people in the east interior Deadlands. These surviving utosai ivory artifacts are of tremendous value, with the mere prospect of obtaining them tempting many graverobbers and other such wealth-seekers into the remains of ancient human settlements (a mostly futile and often deadly task, most accessible tombs have already been plundered and those still left in peace are hidden deeply beneath the sands).

Utosai lasted far longer than many of their counterparts, surviving on (and trapped within) dwindling patches of coastal grassland fed by ocean rains, too isolated within stretches of desert for any chance of migration to grasslands further from the equator. These last fragmentary populations were discovered by traders and treasure seekers sponsored by the early 2nd Burri empire, with many hatchling utosai being taken back overseas hundreds of miles north. It is unknown when the last wild utosai died, but all but the tiniest fragments of their coastal grasslands are gone and the great beasts are nowhere to be found.

The captive animals were bred in Bur and eventually produced a relatively large (and heavily inbred) population, probably maxing out at around 1000 individuals. They were never truly domesticated but could be made tame and well accommodated to handling, which eventually developed into their use as mounts, forming an elite cavalry unit used in warfare. A war utosai was outfitted with a shielded tower upon its back from which archers could fire from height, and would be driven by a rider on its neck. Their use was functionally similar to irl war elephants, being utilized for intimidation, to scatter enemy formations, and to lead (or break) charges. These were the largest animals that most people would have ever seen, and were often reckoned as nigh-invulnerable. The utosai was heavily used in Bur's wars of conquest, and became an esteemed animal emblematic of the second Burri empire's might.

Very few consistently effective counters to the war utosai were discovered during the duration of their use. One very famous, very successful counter was used by the pre-Wardi Ephenni tribe in its war of independence against the second Burri empire (which was already beginning to collapse). The province of Ephennos was of key import to the empire as a breadbasket, being highly fertile lands and providing much of the grain that sustained the empire. A cavalry of ten utosai (a VERY excessive number against a less well-trained, less well-armed group of soldiers) was brought overseas to assist in crushing dissent and were devastating in battle, with only two of the ten being killed in three years of protracted warfare.

In an act of cleverness, desperation, or both, a trio of khait were covered in pitch and set ablaze, and spurred into hurtling towards the bulls in the utosai cavalry. The utosai panicked and fled, trampling many Burri soldiers in the process and utterly destroying their formations, with three of the eight utosai falling onto their sides (weighed down by their towers) and killed by Ephenni soldiers. This allowed for victory in battle, and this victory ultimately turned the tide in favor of the kingdom of Ephennos and its eventual independence. A motif of three khait wreathed in flames is still widely used in this region and as emblematic of Ephenni heritage (who, while broadly assimilated into Wardi nationality, still retain a sense of individual identity, and pride in their city-state being a center of power and birthplace of kings within Imperial Wardin).

The use of utosai in warfare dwindled after the discovery of this fairly effective counter. They were no longer reckoned as nearly invulnerable, and the great cost of transporting and feeding these animals became increasingly inviable. Captive breeding began to dwindle along with their use in warfare. The last utosai were lost, killed, or slowly died off in the Burri wilderness during and after the empire's tumultuous collapse. Some folklore describes hidden populations surviving in some wilder areas- there are several places in Bur where people claim to sometimes see the silhouettes of these great beasts against the horizon, and the rural parts of Ephennos are rumored to have a few of them (perhaps descendants of the surviving war utosai, perhaps their ghosts). Otherwise, they are lost to the world.

[probablyasocialecologist]

A system of ancient ceramic water pipes, the oldest ever unearthed in China, shows that neolithic people were capable of complex engineering feats without the need for a centralized state authority, finds a new study by University College London researchers. In a study published in Nature Water, the archaeological team describe a network of ceramic water pipes and drainage ditches at the Chinese walled site of Pingliangtai dating back 4,000 years to a time known as the Longshan period. The network shows cooperation among the community to build and maintain the drainage system, though no evidence of a centralized power or authority. Dr. Yijie Zhuang (UCL Institute of Archaeology), senior and corresponding author on the paper, said, "The discovery of this ceramic water pipe network is remarkable because the people of Pingliangtai were able to build and maintain this advanced water management system with stone age tools and without the organization of a central power structure. This system would have required a significant level of community-wide planning and coordination, and it was all done communally." The ceramic water pipes make up a drainage system which is the oldest complete system ever discovered in China. Made by interconnecting individual segments, the water pipes run along roads and walls to divert rainwater and show an advanced level of central planning at the neolithic site. What's surprising to researchers is that the settlement of Pingliangtai shows little evidence of social hierarchy. Its houses were uniformly small and show no signs of social stratification or significant inequality among the population. Excavations at the town's cemetery likewise found no evidence of a social hierarchy in burials, a marked difference from excavations at other nearby towns of the same era. But, despite the apparent lack of a centralized authority, the town's population came together and undertook the careful coordination needed to produce the ceramic pipes, plan their layout, install and maintain them, a project which likely took a great deal of effort from much of the community. The level of complexity associated with these pipes refutes an earlier understanding in archaeological fields that holds that only a centralized state power with governing elites would be able to muster the organization and resources to build a complex water management system. While other ancient societies with advanced water systems tended to have a stronger, more centralized governance, or even despotism, Pingliangtai demonstrates that was not always needed, and more egalitarian and communal societies were capable of these kinds of engineering feats as well.

[artifacts-and-arthropods]

The Petelia Tablet, Greek, c.300-200 BCE: this totenpass (a "passport for the dead") was meant to be buried in a human grave; it bears an inscription that tells the dead person exactly where to go and what to say after crossing into the Greek Underworld

Made from a sheet of gold foil, this tablet measures just 4.5cm (a little over 1.5 inches) in length, and although it was found inside a pendant case in Petelia, Italy, it's believed to have originated in ancient Greece. It was meant to aid the dead in their journey through the Underworld -- providing them with specific instructions, conferring special privileges, and granting them access to the most coveted realms within the afterlife.

The Petelia tablet, displayed with the pendant case in which it was discovered

The tablet itself dates back to about 300-200 BCE, while the pendant case/chain that accompanies it was likely made about 400 years later, during the Roman era. It's believed that the tablet was originally buried with the dead, and that an unknown individual later removed it from the burial site and stuffed it into the pendant case. Unfortunately, in order to make it fit, they simply rolled it up and then snipped off the tip of the tablet. The final lines of the inscription were destroyed in the process.

The inverse side of the Petelia tablet

These textual amulets/lamellae are often referred to as totenpässe ("passports for the dead"). They were used as roadmaps to help guide the dead through the Underworld, but they also served as indicators of the elite/divine status of certain individuals, ultimately providing them with the means to obtain an elevated position in the afterlife.

The Petelia tablet is incised with an inscription in ancient Greek, and the translated inscription reads:

You will find a spring on your left in Hades’ halls, and by it the cypress with its luminous sheen.

Do not go near this spring or drink its water. You will find another, cold water flowing from Memory’s lake; its guardians stand before it.

Say: "I am a child of Earth and starry Heaven, but descended from Heaven; you yourselves know this. I am parched with thirst and dying: quickly, give me the cool water flowing from Memory’s lake."

And they will give you water from the sacred spring, and then you will join the heroes at their rites.

This is [the ... of memory]: [on the point of death] ... write this ... the darkness folding [you] within it.

The final section was damaged when the tablet was shoved into the pendant case; sadly, that part of the inscription does not appear on any of the other totenpässe that are known to exist, so the meaning of those lines remains a mystery (no pun intended).

Lamellae that are inscribed with this motif are very rare. They're known as "Orphic lamellae" or simply "Orphic tablets." As the name suggests, these inscriptions are traditionally attributed to an Orphic-Bacchic mystery cult.

The inscriptions vary, but they generally contain similar references to a cypress tree, one spring that must be avoided, another spring known as the "Lake of Memory," the sensation of thirst, and a conversation with a guardian (or another entity within the Underworld, such as the goddess Persephone) in which the dead must present themselves as initiates or divine individuals in order to be granted permission to drink from the Lake of Memory. They are thereby able to obtain privileges that are reserved only for the elite.

Though the specifics of this reward are often vague, it may have been viewed as a way to gain access to the Elysian Fields (the ancient Greek version of paradise) or as a way to participate in sacred rites; some totenpässe suggest that it may have allowed the soul to break free from the eternal cycle of reincarnation. Regardless, the overall objective was likely the same: to obtain a special status and acquire privileges that were inaccessible to most of the souls in the Underworld.

Sources & More Info:

Altlas Obscura: The Ancient Greeks Created Golden Passports to Paradise

The Museum of Cycladic Art: The Bacchic-Orphic Underworld

Bryn Mawr College: Festivals in the Afterlife: a new reading of the Petelia tablet

The Getty Museum: Underworld (imagining the afterlife)

The British Museum: Petelia tablet (with pendant case; chain)

[blueiscoool]

Mummies with Golden Tongues Found in 2,500-Year-Old Egyptian Tomb

More than a dozen ancient gold tongues have been discovered in a cemetery at the site of Oxyrhynchus in Egypt.

Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered 13 ancient mummies with gold tongues and nails in a cemetery at the site of Oxyrhynchus.

The team made the finds when they dug down to the bottom of a burial shaft, revealing a hall with three chambers that held dozens of mummies. The human remains date to the Ptolemaic period (circa 304 to 30 B.C.), a time when a dynasty descended from one of Alexander the Great's generals ruled Egypt, according to two statements released by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

Archaeologists had previously unearthed 16 gold tongues at Oxyrhynchus. The ancient Egyptians put gold tongues in mummies with the intention of helping the deceased speak in the afterlife, and because they believed that gold was "the flesh of the gods," Esther Pons Mellado and Maite Mascort, co-directors of the Spanish-Egyptian archaeological mission at Oxyrhynchus, said earlier this year. The same team made the new finds.

"The number of gold tongues here is high, which is interesting," Salima Ikram, an Egyptology professor at the American University in Cairo who was not involved with the latest excavation, said in an email. "Possibly the bodies belong to higher elites that were associated with the temple and animal cults that proliferated in the area," Ikram said, noting it's possible that gold tongues "might have been the vogue for the embalming house in the area."

During the latest dig, the archaeologists also found 29 amulets with the mummies. Some amulets are in the shape of scarab beetles, as the ancient Egyptians associated scarabs with the movement of the sun across the sky. Other amulets are in the shape of Egyptian deities, including Horus, Thoth and Isis. Some of them have forms that combine multiple deities together.

The excavation also revealed wall paintings, including one that depicts a tomb owner named "Wen-Nefer," who is shown being accompanied by several Egyptian deities. Another painting on the ceiling depicts the sky goddess Nut surrounded by the stars. There is also a painting of a boat that has multiple deities depicted on it.

"As for the paintings, the quality is really excellent and the freshness of colors is simply amazing," Francesco Tiradritti, an Egyptologist at D'Annunzio University of Chieti-Pescara in Italy who was not involved in the dig, said in an email.

By Owen Jarus.

[dontforgetukraine]

The Karelian tract of Sandarmokh is just one of the places of mass burial of victims of Stalinist terror in the territory of the former USSR. From October 27 to November 4, 1937, they killed 1,111 prisoners of the Solovetsky stage there. Most were executed on November. Among them - representatives of the Ukrainian elite: writers, scientists, teachers, and engineers. In 1995, Veniamin Iofe, the director of the St. Petersburg Memorial Research Center, discovered firing lists in the archives of the FSB's Arkhangelsk Department. He wrote a letter to the SBU archive, informing them that among the victims at Sandarmokh were many people from Ukraine. In July 1997, 236 execution pits were found on hectares of the Karelian taiga. Mikhail Matveev led the punitive operation. He had long served in prison authorities, specializing in torture and execution of sentences. It is believed that Matveev killed with his own hand. He had two years of education. He shot, as stated in one of the documents, "quickly, accurately and sensibly." Researchers compare the consequences of Sandarmokh for the Ukrainian nation to beheading. "Shooted Revival" was executed in Sandarmokh. In particular, the following were killed there: • Mykola Zerov, neoclassicist; • Mykhailo Yalovy, President of the Free Academy of Proletarian Literature of Kharkiv (VAPLITE); • Mykola Kulish, a playwright and author of the play "Myna Mazaylo", which ridicules assimilation; • Les Kurbas, a creator of Ukrainian modern theatre, director of Kharkiv theatre "Berezil"; • Valerian Pidmohylny, the author of the urbanist novel "The City"; • Stepan Rudnytskyi, the founder of Ukrainian cartography, provided the foundational territorial and geographical arguments for Ukrainians' state independence. • Volodymyr Chekhivskyi,a chairman of the Council of People's Ministers and minister of Foreign Affairs of the Ukrainian People's Republic,under whose leadership the Act of Unification of the Ukrainian People's Republic and the West Ukrainian People's Republic was announced. At the time, the Stalinist regime destroyed the Ukrainian elite. Today, Russian troops are also targeting Ukrainian artists and scientists. Remembering the crimes of the past is essential for preserving our independence in the future. —Holodomor Museum

[darkurgediaries]

Vorgoth's Datamined Description!

While I was digging around in the game files, I came across Vorgoth's character description, while we STILL don't know what Vorgoth is, I found it interesting nonetheless!

Pasting it for easier reading:

“Vorgoth is deep-voiced, solemn, and imposing. They are a member of the Mourn Watch, an elite group of necromancers from the kingdom of Nevarra. But what Vorgoth is exactly, their species, age, gender, whether or not they're alive, is a mystery, shrouded and masked in a cloak.

Vorgoth clearly has supernatural powers, however. Even their voice has an otherworldly echo.

Vorgoth doesn't speak much, and only in short sentences. As one of the Mourn Watch, they help guard Nevarra's sacred burial complex, the Grand Necropolis.

Like all Watchers, Vorgoth is also sworn to stop occult threats to this world, and takes this duty seriousy.

NOTE: Vorgoth is masculine in appearance (tall, broad) and voice, but their pronouns are "they/them". Vorgoth does not use they/them because they are non-binary (as opposed to our more typical (non-binary characters); they use them because they're a total unknown (and may be a pluralistic entity; in the rare instance Vorgoth refers to themselves, they use "we" not "I".)”

[city-of-ladies]

"Centuries ago, two people were buried arm in arm on top of a horse in what is now Austria. The unique burial prompted archaeologists to think that the two were a male-female married couple from medieval times. But it turns out they couldn't have been more wrong.

A new analysis of the remains suggests that the couple was actually a mother-daughter pair who died around 1,800 years ago during the Roman era.

"It's the first genetically proven mother-daughter burial in Austria in Roman times," study senior author Sylvia Kirchengast, a professor of evolutionary anthropology at the University of Vienna, told Live Science. "We also disprove a long-held misconception about the kind of relation between the two individuals.

In the new study the researchers re-evaluated the remains via radiocarbon dating, ancient DNA analysis and a visual inspection. They found that the bones belonged to individuals whose ages at death were 20 to 25 and 40 to 60 years old and lived around A.D. 200 when the Roman Empire held sway over the region. In a twist, both human skeletons turned out to be females, according to an anatomical analysis. DNA results confirmed their biological female status and showed they were first-degree relatives — meaning they were either sisters or mother and daughter, according to the study, which was published in the May issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.

Due to the pair's DNA results, their age difference and other factors, the researchers concluded that individuals were mother and daughter, with the daughter embracing the mother in the grave. "It's very unlikely that two sisters have an age difference of 20 years during those times. So we felt that it's more likely that they are a mother-daughter pair," Kirchengast said. 

The inclusion of a horse and gold pendants strongly hints that the women were of high social status. It also indicates they were non-Roman elites. "To our knowledge it's extremely uncommon for Roman people to be buried with horses. They were not a 'horse-people'," study lead author Dominik Hagmann, an archaeologist at University of Vienna, told Live Science. He suspected these two individuals were from a Celtic culture still existing in Roman times. The Celts were more commonly buried horses with their owners.

There are other signs that the deceased were familiar with horses. "What I find odd is that the older skeleton shows signs of frequent horse riding," Kirchengast said. "Maybe both women were enthusiastic horse-riders.""

[thetravelingtyper]

Beasts of the Deep...Pt 1 (Simon 'Ghost' Riley x Researcher! Reader ? Au)

In ruins beside the sea, you discover something from another time...

WC: 4.8k

Part 2, Masterlist

Warnings: None

From the Destruction of Leviathan by Gustave Doré (1865)

Sapphire waves crashed listlessly along the jagged cliff. As their consistent roar turned to a sweet hum in your mind you devoted yourself further to your work. Before you laid a dazzling sight. Flecks of mother of pearl, abalone and silver sprinkled the ground of the royal chamber you were in, the flickering of lamplight sending dazzling shimmers all around. The site was remarkably preserved, surprisingly kept even. In dry walls, despite the proximity to the sea, silver cording inlaid flourishing designs. Seals, whales and other sea life swam in the brick, their forms colored in with fresco and mosaic.

You look up from the rubble before you to trace the shine of pottery. Different fish shaped vessels line the room, undisturbed by the many earthquakes that ravaged other sites in the area. You didn't need to open them to tell what was inside. Dried wine, honey, ichors of the gods that once ruled this distant land. You remember your supervisor rumbling about the rich lives of the elites that lived on this island, how cruel they were and the enormous wealth you knew he was hoping to find (that you kept to yourself though, better not to risk his ire). 

But while all the others sought the grand prizes of burial mounds and lavish riches, you sought the ecological knowledge of the far past.You pulled your journal out and with a miniature camera took photos of the mosaics, jotting down notes for later. Just as you heard voices approaching from the stairs to the outside you stood up, pulling yourself into a stretch as Matthew entered the chamber.

You turned to meet him as the cover of the tarp opened as sunlight finally streamed into the chamber. You pull a smile to your face as the man finally makes it down the stairs, a smirk on his face that has your mood souring.

“Find anything of value left in this stupid hovel?”

“You and the others already took everything of value.” You spit out, riling up at the look in his eyes when he sees the silver in the walls again in the new light.

“You and Saph are too protective of this site, too bad we can’t strip the walls,” He kicks a boot in the dirt kicking up a fine cloud of debris and dust, “would make up for the losses.”

You cough, your eyes wanting to water, but you wipe them with your bandanna. 

“Maybe if you and your goons stopped breaking things we wouldn't be set back so much. Besides it's illegal to deface anything, that includes the walls.”

He just hums, looking you up and down with a strange look in his eyes before turning to head back up the stairs. 

“Whatever you say Mole.”

You ruffle up at the nickname, but before you can reply Matthew is marching out, closing the tarp and leaving you in the dim lamplight.

You stand a moment before sighing. Reaching down to the crate at your side you adjust the oil feed and the light bristles with life, a warmth radiation from it that seeps into your downturned spirit. Matthew, while rough, did have a point. The dig needed something to be able to keep going. The small island you were working for was looking for a prize to boost the floundering tourist industry so time was running out. 

You stand for a moment in thought, eyes tracing the menagerie of creatures swimming though time around you. You always found yourself drawn to the room, some deep set curiosity swirling in your mind. While your eyes wander there is a different sort of gleam, off set from the pearly white and abalone. Your head tilts as your eyes find rest on an ancient beast. 

Stepping closer to examine it you are met with what could only be defined as a monster, swirling around itself in rage, its coils lined not with silver but gold, set apart from the rest of the art in the room. Spellbound you reach a hand to it and upon touching the old brick a jolt of electricity runs through you and you shoot back in surprise.

“What?” Your voice seems muffled but the wide room, the dust itself concealing anything from the outside, to your shock then there is another gleam, one you hadn’t noticed before at the heart of the beast, guarded by raised claws and fins. Your hand reaches for it and the shape comes loose from its crevice. 

As your fingers curl around the shape there is a noise like thunder in your mind and warmth in your heart. You feel then like you are being watched, and all at once the world seems to seep out and an old magic flood in. The creatures in the walls become drenched in color as the feeling of water rises until you are floating in a wide sea. 

Around you the cries of gulls echo into the wide world and the stars about this dark sea drip their sterling light. Your mind's eye widens as there is then a leviathan, a great dragon emerging from the waves, golden eyes staring into yours. It speaks in an ancient rumble than a mighty clawed hand reaches around you.

Voices again from the outside of the tent and all at once you are human again. You blink, the mist in your mind washing away with lucid waves. You find your palms curled together in front of you, as if reaching to offer something before a great deity. You break from the position, opening your palms and gasping. In your palm is a pendant you have never seen before, insent in a golden scallop shell, with a crackled glaze is a sapphire the size of a half dollar. It is wired in with sturdy gold wire with four, two on each side, pearl beads. The pendant rests heavily in your hand and without thinking you find yourself reaching up and pulling it on in a daze.   

Once the pendant is hanging at your sternum you wake in a stupor. You blink luridly, unaware for a moment before your hand darts to the pendant in shock.

“What?’

You question yourself before quickly reaching to take the jewel off but find that once you reach for the clasp they seem to alway slip out of reach. Anytime you try to lift the pendant off a shock jolts your mind painlessly and you drop it back to your chest. You begin to worry but the sound of a voice at the top of the stairs and daylight once again flooding the room has you moving the pendant under your shirt to hide it as Saph comes down the stairs. You kneel down to the wall after one final glance towards the beast only to find it gone.

“Thought I might find you down here, did Matthew bother you too much?”  

You look up to the woman and smile, hoping your apprehension doesn’t come through.

“He’s just being himself, a right old dick.”

She snorts at that and approaches you.

“Come on, we're heading back into town for the day, there’s a storm coming in and the museum wants us back early.”

You look up to her at that, working to gather your journal and camera and stuff them into the satchel at your side.

“But it was clear outside only a while ago.”

She nods at that but gestures to the stairs,

“You might want to take a look now.” 

You pull yourself up and move to follow her, pulling a tarp over the debris at your feet and putting on your satchel. You give one final look around you and the animals in the wall seem to shine a little brighter as you nod to Saph to head up. She starts up the stairs and you follow, but as you leave the room you swear you feel a set of eyes on you. 

-

In some dark forgotten place, an old force breathes. The sound of chains breaking and a low rumble fills the room. Statues crumble in the movement as a large tail slides into the shadow, but what emerges is not a beast but a man. An exposed chest heaves as he steps from the labyrinth of shadow, a beast of the dark coils around his body and he grunts in pain when the pattern of it inks itself onto him. The gold braces that bound his hands and ankles dissolve then, running down, droplets of gold then dissolving into the cobbled floor. 

-

You make it out of the ruin and find the cleared sky now gathered in stormy clouds. Saph helps you past a tumbled over table and you both watch as Matthew gives orders to a few college students who in turn fumble with equipment, flustered. You shake your head in exasperation before going to help. 

They greet you with relieved smiles and you, upon taking a hammer, help to pin the tarps to cover the exposed works. You feel Matthew approach and stiffen before a firm arm is reaching out to grab a board before it knocks into you. He steps around you and lifts the wood before setting it aside. You mutter out a thanks as you finish your task. He just winks at you before turning to the others. 

As you and the students stand there is a flash of lightning and a loud crash of thunder that makes one of the students yelp in surprise.  

“That’s enough for today go ahead and head home guys!” Your voice rings out over the picking up wind and the students scamper off towards the jeeps in the distance. Matthew looks to you, some shine of concern in his eyes but you mention to Saph.

“I'll ride back with Saph you go ahead we’ll lock down.”

His voice is cut off by a rumble of angry thunder and the clouds threatening to drench you three. He nods curtly and heads off to the jeeps. You see the college students pull out soon followed by him. Saph heads off towards the jeeps but something pulls you to the edge of the cliff, past toppled walls and torsoless statues. A row of them line a path to the cliff face. You step the ancient treaded stone, the click of your own work boots muffled by the winds swelling around you. The world seems to shift then.

As you take the final steps up to the dias, the stones smooth out as if kissed by the rough sea. You feel the sudden urge to take your shoes off to feel the coolness of the stone but ignore it to instead look over the vast ocean. You almost feel like at the summit of history here, the ruins around you lending to the fact this ocean was once owned. But like most beasts, very few could tame the sea.  

You rear an arm out to the horizon then, the massive clouds in the distance swirling in the wind, dark and foreboding. There is a rumble then, and a flash of lightning strikes the sea between the scope your parted fingers. The water churns and you swear you see movement under the waves before Saph is calling for you. As your head turns away a form slips beneath the waves.

-

The ride back into town is calm despite the torrential downpour that falls upon you two just as you close the door. The wipers work overtime as you stare out the window in thought, the sea slowly sinking away to the forest that separates the dig site from the town.  She leaves you to your thoughts for a while, at least before the ringing of her phone makes her groan.

“He won’t let up will he.” You smirk at her, a fond smile lighting up on your face as Saph ignores the phone.

“He should know I am busy!”

“He is just a love sick puppy for you. For an engineer he’s quite soft.”

Despite her mock frustration her smile is sweet when you discuss her fiance. The two were together for a long time but he only recently proposed and when she got stationed off of the mainland on the island he had been insistent in calling every day when she got off. 

“He probably just saw the weather-” she fishes out her phone and passes it to you, “can you let him know we’re heading back into town before it hits?”

You slide her phone open, past the image of her cat Shadow and type in a quick message, signing off with a smiley face. He pings back only a second later with a hello to you and a best wishes. 

You set the phone into the cup holder and his calling ceases as you both laugh. 

The rest of the trip into town is quiet, the forest breaking up to the edge of softened civilization. Cattle graze in fields and you catch the occasional deer and seagull mingling in the temperate climate. It was thankfully the ending of summer so the weather was usually even, but sudden storms would still kick up and apparently a large front had decided now it was time to strike. 

The leaves in the trees were starting to turn as you both pulled into the research center of the local university, your main base away from the ruins scattered around the island. Saph pulls into the free spot and stops the engine as the rain pours outside. 

“Ugh I wish this rain would let up, we're gonna get drenched! It was supposed to be clear this afternoon.”

You unbuckle your seatbelt and prepare for the water but as you crack open your door the rain lets up, slowing to a drizzle, then a sprinkle then nothing at all. Saph raises a brow, and you chuckle.

“Maybe it likes me.”

Saph rolls her eyes as you get under cover of the awning and she follows, the rain then deciding you had passed safely comes down again, at this Saph smiles.

“Maybe.”

The doors slide open and you pass through the students leaving for the day, their waves and smiles warming your heart at the dedication. The weekend had finally arrived and you all could now get a long break before the fall classes began and you lost a few of the students to their courses.

As you make it to the archeology department there is a group of other work study students standing at the entrance to your office. Saph looks to you and you catch Matthew's blond hair over the crowd. He seems to be arguing as there are semi raised voices and you and Saph make it to the outer ring of the crowd. There is another voice that washes over you, and their blue eyes find you over the crowd and yours widen when the pendant feels heavier under your shirt.

Matthew's eyes trace the other man’s eyes towards you and you can see the frown set on his face as he shifts blocking the other man from view with his height.  Saph looks to you as the students realize you’ve returned and part to let you both through. 

“What's going on Matthew, why are you here?”

The blond turns to look down at, running a hand through his hair, eyes looking too you and Saph.

“I was going to ask you to dinner to discuss team development-” A hand on his shoulder makes him startle as an older man joins the two men, you nod your head in greeting towards the dig supervisor, a man you didn’t quite like.

“There will be no need for that Matthew.” Mr. Wright winks at you and you feel Saph step closer to you.

“Mr. Wright it’s a pleasure!” Matthew is quick to correct himself, an easy smile lighting his face as he shakes his hand. You roll your eyes in your mind and let your eyes wander to the third man as the two make pleasantries. In a smart brown suit is a tall man, hair nicely swept back and a well groomed beard, flecks of grey in the brown. As you meet his face you find his eyes on you, when your eyes meet his eyes he smiles and you swoon. He steps past Matthew, disregarding their conversation to address you.

“Dr. Jonathan Price, professor of history and archeology.”

You nod and smile at his manners and as your hand meets his his other takes it and he squeezes your hand.

You reply with your name and your position. You were the student coordinator for the department, on loan from the mainland after the recent discoveries. 

“It’s good to meet you Dr. Price,” His lips quirk up and there is a shine in his eyes. You hear Matthew clear his throat, seemingly irritated. Dr. Price just chuckles, releasing your hand with a final squeeze in his,

“John is fine Love.”

You just nod, taken aback before Mr. Wright draws his hands together with a hum. 

“I’m glad you two are already so chummy, from now on you will be working with Dr. Price in the cliff sights around the island. Matthew you will be transferred to the salvage department.”

Matthew turns to him in shock, 

“But I thought you needed a new lead for the cliff sites?”

Mr. Wright nods, hand coming to his beard in though, he then claps you on the back, 

“Congratulations dear you've been promoted. Dr. Price, I leave her to your care. And now Matthew we need to discuss the findings for this sudden squall that's appeared.”

With that Mr. Wright turns and Matthew gapes after him before realizing himself and after glancing at you he follows the older man. The students chatter with congratulations before there is a ding of the intercom for the school.

As a warning of the oncoming storm we recommend all students, staff, and faculty leave soon before the worst of the weather hits. 

“Alright you guys you've heard the intercom, now shoo and have a good break!” You smile at the cheers from the students as most disperse, while a few linger chatting with Dr. Price he discusses details of an essay for his class calmly as you work to unlock your office and opening the door you hear Saph’s phone ring.

“Saph you need to get home, go on and talk to Chris I’ll text you when I get home!” You call out to her over your shoulder as you set your stuff on your desk. She  leans into your office, minding the sun catchers that hang from your door frame. Your office is filled with plants and trinkets you’d found that the school let you have. “Are you sure? You didn't bring your car today, how will you get home?” She moves to step into your office but her phone rings again, no doubt a worried Chris. She silences it another time but you wave her off. You hear the students part ways as thunder rumbles outside, and she frowns. 

“I can see her home.”

Dr. Price’s voice resounds from the now empty hall and he steps into view of the doorway. You both turn to him and he approaches and with a nod form you enters your office. Saph looks at him a little caught off guard and unsure but you wave her concern off.

“If you don’t mind of course, I was hoping to discuss some things with you anyway before the weekend hits with work next week.”

“That's fine with me, I stay close to campus anyway. Head home Saph.” Outside the window lightning flashes and the lights flicker a moment.

Saph still seems apprehensive so you smile and round your desk to pat her arm. 

“Go on ahead and call Chris.”

She finally gives up at Price’s nod and you sigh in relief as she hugs you and moves to head out.

“Text me when you get home.”

And with that she finally leaves, leaving you and Price in the warm lights of your office. Warm eyes regard you as he watches you gather your things. In his presence the amulet warms and you reach for it subconsciously. You look up to him and meet his eyes and there is electricity in your blood then.

You feel a sense of sincerity from him in a strange way, comfort in some shared secret. You know then he is aware of you. He rounds your desk, approaching you. Your eyes widen at this, uncertainty nibbling at your mind but all he does is open his arms in question. 

“You found something today didn’t you dear, something that is more than it seems.”

The utterance of the amulet takes a weight off your shoulder. You reach under your shirt and pull the gem out, it shines with a bright luster. He looks at you inquisitively and you step forward into his reach as he hums. Admiring the amulet. However when he goes to reach for it there is a sudden crash of thunder and lightning that sends the room into darkness. You jump in surprise but Price only chuckles, mumbling something that sounds like “typical” under his breath. His arms return to his sides and the power flutters back to life.

You blink at his expression and finally question him.

“How did you know I found it?”

He answers your question with one of his own,

“How exactly did you find it?”

You look at him apprehensively, 

“I don’t exactly know how, one moment there was a great beast lined in gold in the murals on the wall and next it was gone.”

Price nods and then looks at you with new eyes. They soften considerably and you find yourself wanting to turn away from the look but you are captured by the ocean in them. He looks ready to speak but the power flickers again and he sighs.

“That is enough for today, it is already ticking into the evening so I should get you home. Do you mind riding with me?”

He seems older at that moment, and you feel for him. In return you smile and gather your backpack from your chair and nod.

“I would like that thank you.”

“Of course dear.”

He allows you to grab your things, and follows you out of your office, holding then closing your door for you. You pass down the hall in relative silence, the sounds of the rain on the ceiling a soothing rhythm. But when you make it to the front doors of the building the rain ceases for a minute and you look up at the sky in wonder. For your curiosity a single drop falls and hits you square in the nose but nothing else falls. As you blink and then wipe your nose, Price just watches you with a look.

Passing the work jeeps you make it to a sleek car, and while shuffling your things Price steps around and opens the back door for you to set your things in. Doing so he then opens the passenger door and helps you to slide into the car before closing the door and heading to the driver's side. And in a final moment, as the rain begins once again, Price backs out of the spot and pulls away from the college.  

-

As you make it through town you finally reach your apartments, a charming little brick building converted from an old factory into newer apartments. The rain lets up as Price slows then pulls alongside the curb. 

“Do you need help with your things?”

“I think I am fine, I appreciate it John.”

“Anytime Dear, here.” He motions for you to stop before he digs in the glove box pulling out a little notebook and pen. He writes something down and tears out the paper before passing it to you. On the paper you find his number scrawled in fine writing. 

“Contact me sometime over the weekend and I would like to get coffee to discuss some things about the site, if that is fine with you?”

You flush a little but nod, a smile tugging onto your lips.

“I will thank you John.”

With that he watches to make sure you make it into your apartments, only pulling away when you get inside.The cold front sets in as you walk up the stairs to your floor, the sound of rain battering the windows and thunder rumbling over the building as the storm moves overhead. You make it to the third floor with ease. When you get to the top of the stairs you hear some movement up ahead and see quite the sight. 

In the apartment next to you, one that had been empty since you’d moved in, there were two men lifting a sofa in the hall, blocking your passage. The door to the apartment was closing and the taller man cursed, a thick Scottish accent and you, without much thinking, hurry forward to get the door for them. When he realizes what you are doing he smiles and nods to the other man who steps backwards into the apartment.  

“You’re a blessing, Love.” The other man finally sees you and his face lights up with a charming smile, English accent thickening his annunciation. You shift aside and they bring the sofa into the apartment. 

Looking around there are boxes scattered and some assorted pieces of furniture already in place. There is a blur of black that darts from the kitchen and struts into the living room to investigate the arrival of someone new.

Your heart warms as the men set the sofa down and the Scot drops himself onto it with a huff. You naturally slide your satchel down and kneel down to greet the fluffy black cat that greets you with a loud purr. You scratch under her head and she wiggles. You fall back onto your behind when the cat jumps into your arms. 

“Nyx! That’s rude sweetheart.” The other man shakes his head and approaches you to help you up. An arm drops and while cradling Nyx, who stretches her front legs over your shoulder, you take his offered hand and he pulls you up while the Scots head turns, tilting in interest.

The man who helped you up lingers a little close, he offers to take the cat from you and you both try but she just meows in protest. She doesn’t dig her claws in so the man is able to lift her like a sack of potatoes. 

“Kyle, we need to introduce ourselves now.” 

“Go ahead Johnny, I need to take care of the child. Sorry Love it's her dinnertime, I am Kyle by the way.

The other man, who introduces himself as Johnny, pulls himself up and approaches you with an easy smile on his handsome face. His eyes are electric while he meets Kyle's honey eyes in a shared look. Their eyes turn to the pendant and the same warmth fills your chest. Johnny approaches and you hear the thunder rumble louder in warning but Johnny just smirks.

He takes your hand and brings it to his lips pressing a light kiss that angers the storm. 

“Johnny”

Kyle reappears from the kitchen followed by Nyx who ignores her food to come between you and Johnny, nudging her head against your pants as the power flickers.

“What, I gotta greet the lass don’t I?”

“You know how he is.” Kyle mutters it quietly, while Johnny just gives a cheeky grin. Johnny then gestures to the amulet.

“It's pretty on you lass.” 

He releases your hand but lingers close to you, enough so you can feel his watch from the shirt he wears. He looks down at you warmly and you feel a tug at your heart when Kyle moves to join you. Nyx looks at him and meows to which he chuckles and looks down to you as well. You warm a little in the cheeks under their scrutiny but your phone ringing breaks the silence.

“That would be my coworker. I need to let her know I am home.”

“Aye lass don’t be a stranger now thanks for the help, we’ll see you home.”

He collects your satchel and you head out the open door followed by them and Nyx who lingers at your feet for attention. When you reach your apartment Johnny laughs.

“We’re lucky then to have you so close.” 

You give him a small smile and unlocking your door you bid them both a good night. They wait for you to close your door before Johnny scoops up Nyx turns to kyle,

“So it begins.” 

“Indeed.”

End Part One

[thelesbianoffrontiers]

Myrna and Vorgoth character descriptions (from here)

MYRNA

AGERANGE: 25

CHARACTERDESCRIPTION: Myrna is a necromancer from Nevarra. Utterly precise diction, calm demeanor. Crisp, polite, and intimidatingly competent. Myrna often speaks in declaratives, and absently drops archaic or obscure words at least once a conversation. She's not unfriendly, however, and firmly on the side of those doing good.

Myrna is part of the Mourn Watch, an elite group of necromancers who run Nevarra's sacred repository of the dead: the Grand Necropolis. They also protect people from occult dangers, a duty she takes seriously.

VORGOTH

CHARACTERDESCRIPTION: Vorgoth is deep-voiced, solemn, and imposing. They're a member of the Mourn Watch, an elite group of necromancers from the kingdom of Nevarra. But what Vorgoth is exactly—their species, age, gender, whether or not they're alive—is a mystery, shrouded and masked in a cloak. Vorgoth clearly has supernatural powers, however. Even their voice has an otherworldly echo.

Vorgoth doesn't speak much, and only in short sentences. As one of the Mourn Watch, they help guard Nevarra's sacred burial complex, the Grand Necropolis. Like all Watchers, Vorgoth is also sworn to stop occult threats to this world, and takes this duty seriously.

NOTE: Vorgoth is masculine in appearance (tall, broad) and voice, but their pronouns are "they/them". Vorgoth does not use they/them because they are non-binary (as opposed to our more typical non-binary characters); they use them because they're a total unknown (and may be a pluralistic entity; in the rare instance Vorgoth refers to themselves, they use "we" not "I".)

[eezdalf]

Individual houses were typically in use for between fifty and 100 years, after which they were carefully dismantled and filled in to make foundations for superseding houses. Clay wall went up on clay wall, in the same location, for century after century, over periods reaching up to a full millennium. Still more astounding, smaller features such as mud-built hearths, ovens, storage bins and platforms often follow the same repetitive patterns of construction, over similarly long periods. Even particular images and ritual installations come back, again and again, in different renderings but the same locations, often widely separated in time.... as individual houses built up histories, they also appear to have acquired a degree of cumulative prestige. This is reflected in a certain density of hunting trophies, burial platforms and obsidian - a dark volcanic glass, obtained from sources in the highlands of Cappadocia, some 125 miles north. The authority of long-lived houses seems consistent with the idea that elders, and perhaps elder women in particular, held positions of influence. But the more prestigious households are distributed among the less, and do not appear to coalesce into elite neighborhoods.

a description of Çatalhöyük, a neolithic city from 7,400 bc. from the dawn of everything, by davids: graeber and wengrow.

this city remained settled for 1,500 years - "roughly the same period of time that separates us from amalafrida, queen of the vandals in .. ad 523"

[centuriespast]

The fourth-century church at Trimithis in the Dakhla Oasis in Egypt, the site of an extraordinary number of burials, including the remains of a female from Tomb 10, Room 3, about 50–65 years old, who lived a comparatively elite lifestyle and ate a refined diet.

Credit…The NYU Amheida Excavations

[iamdangerace]

Camille Monfort

The Amazon Vampire - a French opera singer who captivated the elite of Belém, Brazil in the late 19th century. Monfort is said to have died from cholera in 1896, but some legends claim she was actually a vampire who used the epidemic to cover her supernatural activities.

There are still those who say today that her tomb is empty, that her death and burial were nothing more than an act to cover up her case of vampirism, and that Camille Monfort still lives in Europe, now at the age of 154.

[mademoiselle-red]

Two things I always enjoy when reviewing Three Kingdoms history and fictional adaptations:

Cao Cao’s awesomeness as he rises from a eunuch’s grandson to a military leader, and then conquering the northern lands, city by city, county by county. His desire to recruit the educated elite to work for him, to accept and legitimize his hard won political power. I adore this famous line from his poem 短歌行 Duan Ge Xing: 青青子衿，悠悠我心。但为君故，沉吟至今 (I cannot find a translation that does justice to the beauty and homoeroticism of this line so I’m not putting one here)

The Liu Bei / Zhuge Liang relationship. This is one of my favorite historical fiction ships, and their real life history also provides so much fodder for shipping! For example, the temple I’m planning to visit in Chengdu is a “combined resting place” 君臣和祀 for both of their spirits, which is unique in Chinese history. Liu Bei is the only emperor who is honored with his prime minister in the same burial temple / spiritual grave. And during the thousand or so years since their deaths, many royal temples were lost to time, but Zhuge Liang was so popular among the people of Shu (aka Sichuan) that they continued to honor his temple for over a thousand years. And Liu Bei’s shrine, which is housed in Zhuge Liang’s temple, continued to be honored alongside his prime minister. Even during the cultural revolution, when the red guards went around smashing up old temples and desecrating cultural relics, Zhuge Liang’s temple was spared by government orders. Zhuge Liang dedicated his entire life to supporting Liu Bei and their shared dream of reviving the Han Empire, and in death, his temple continues to protect Liu Bei’s shrine

[blueiscoool]

2,500-Year-Old Greek-Illyrian Helmet Discovered in Croatia

Archaeologists discovered a Greek-Illyrian helmet dating 2,500 years in very good condition on Croatia’s Pelješac peninsula.

The same team that found the Greek-Ilyrian helmet in 2020, in the same place, has found the next helmet, which according to the first analysis is older than the one found earlier.

The previous example most likely belonged to a member of the warrior elite who was interred there because it was discovered in a grave with pieces of iron weapons.

Archaeologists think the recently discovered helmet may have been a votive deposit because it was discovered in a dry stone-walled addition to a grave.

Greco-Illyrian type helmets originated in Peloponnese, Ancient Greece, where it likely evolved from the Kegelhelm (or Kegel type) of the Archaic Period.

The Greek-Illyrian helmet is extremely rare

Both of the helmets found are of different types and dates: The helmet discovered in 2020 was of a type commonly used in Greece and Illyria in the 4th century BC. It was an open-faced helmet with a rectangular cross-section for the face and decorative edges.

The newly found helmet is thought to date from the 6th century BC and is extremely rare. Finding two different Greek-Illyrian helmets at one site is unprecedented.

This find, along with a wealth of clothing, jewelry, and burial artifacts unearthed since the excavations began, greatly expands our knowledge of the funeral practices of Illyrian communities in the latter half of the first millennium BC.

The Illyrians were a group of Indo-European-speaking people who inhabited the western Balkan Peninsula in ancient times. They constituted one of the three main Paleo-Balkan populations, along with the Thracians and Greeks.

“What is very interesting is that two different types appear here in the same place, which speaks of a continuity of power of the respective community. These helmets have always been a symbol of some kind of status and power,” said Professor Hrvoje Potrebica, from the Department of Archeology of the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb.

Speaking on the discovery, a representative from the Dubrovnik Museum said: “Along with numerous finds of jewelry, costumes and grave goods, this find of a helmet contributes in many ways to the knowledge of funeral rituals of Illyrian communities in the second half of the last millennium BC, and it ranks the area of Pelješac as one of the most important archaeological zones of the eastern Adriatic coast.”

Recently, archaeologists in Southern Italy have unearthed several significant artifacts, including two helmets, fragments of weapons and armor, and pottery shards, at an archaeological site in the ancient Greek city of Velia.

By Tasos Kokkinidis.