Between the Lines
an Archaelogical Survey of Charon

Study conducted by Tatalia
Explorer Extraordinaire
with considerable help
from her friends

---

    Preface

    The historian's pen is a heavy burden to hold in one's hand. By the stroke of that pen, historians dictate what knowledge future generations shall have of the past. Those generations shall in turn pass this history onto those after them, and the next, and the next; and so it is that our knowledge of the present is built upon bricks of the past. History is, essentially, the foundation upon which our understanding of the world and its cultures rests.
    It is for this reason that we must always be willing to cast a critical gaze on the work of our predecessors. Some might argue that the truth of history is immutable, but I find that statement quite refutable. If falsehood has been injected into our history, then it is our duty as historians to recognize that fact and do our best to make amends, lest that lie continue to taint our understanding of the world. Indeed, the failure to do so is a slight both to the people of Charon and to our own intellects.
    And let it be known that proof has been found to suggest falsehood is embedded deep within Charon's history. Since the return of the enigmatic Scern, the seams holding together the fabric of our history have been revealed. Scern says that the Collapse is not what we thought it was, that it was a time where the Gods raged upon mortals, that the Gods were slain by mortals, and that Ziev was a pretender who stole divinity. Ziev was slain in turn. So, too, have we seen the destruction of Vulcadreaus the Destroyer, a god whose name was unspoken before he spilled his fury forth from a mountain. It seems likely there are yet stranger things still to come.
    Our history has long been centered around the will of the divine. If all of this is true - if we can be deceived as to the limits of divinity; if we can be deceived as to the deeds of divinity; and if we can be deceived even so far as to put faith in false divinity - then it follows that all which was accepted as divine truth must be scrutinized. That means that our very history must be reexamined. This means we must be willing to challenge accepted truth.
    There will be some who will argue that our history is already written, that it would be "revisionist" to correct the errors in our records. But the purpose of such review is not to revise history, but to illuminate what was hidden and what was misrepresented. The purpose is to ensure the accuracy and completeness of our records is as perfect as it possibly can be, and to use that information to view our history through a new lens. No, the true act of revisionism is to ignore the dirty truth of our past in favor of a prettier narrative.
    Nevertheless, there is one thing that I must admit as I etch my thoughts onto this page. I am a goblin raised among humanity and elvenkind, and thus I have been gifted with a unique perspective on the history of Charon. It has long been my belief that the gaps in the history books are too convenient, that details are left untold when they might besmirch the supremacy of the Sun Elves, and that the divine right to rule endowed upon the "civilized" races was the foremost concern of the scholars of ancient times. It remains my belief that oppression has long been disguised as liberation, that invasion has been re-cast as self-defense, and that expansionism has been justified as the will of the gods. I have every intention to convince you, the reader, of the veracity of these claims.
    Thus there is no doubt that some bias exists in the ink upon this page. I cannot deny it. I shall not deny it. To pretend that a historian's work is inherently without bias, that it can ever be without bias, is a bold-faced lie that I will not endorse. That which we include, that which we exclude, and even the phrasing and framing of our texts can color the perceptions of our audience for centuries to come. It is impossible for even the most honest of authors to prevent their biases from seeping into their work.
    Instead of guaranteeing a lack of bias, I shall instead guarantee that everything written in this text is the truth as I have found it, even when that truth may not support my own beliefs. I hold my beliefs to be true, but I also have not let them cloud the text which follows this preface. Yes, this written work is doubtlessly in defiance of the accepted narratives of the powerful and sheds light on the oppression of "monsters" such as myself. Yes, I believe the evidence shall speak for itself. Therefore, I implore you to cast all your doubts aside as to the honesty of this text, for no deception is necessary to prove my thesis is correct.
    You shall find in the first section of this book a list of discoveries, each of which I go into detail concerning. In the second section of the book shall you find discourse concerning those discoveries and what I believe they prove. In the third section you shall find a list of references to different texts and individuals whose information I called upon while researching. However, you shall find that the vast majority of my research stems from getting "in the thick of things." Field research is my passion, after all.
    Without further ado, I shall present to you my findings. I invite you to cast your gaze towards history with a willingness to read between the lines.


    Thank you,

        Tatalia the Explorer

Table of Contents

Archaelogical Discoveries
- The Shrine of Puzzles (Link) (Original)
- The Sunken Tower (TBD) (TBD)

The Shrine of Puzzles

    The true name of this shrine to Sol has long since been lost to time, all sources regarding it completely absent from any record known to the author at the time of publication. Even the very map on which its location was noted lacked its name, having been too worn from the passing of years despite its enchantment of durability. Given the lack of any other name, I chose to grant it one based on its perplexing qualities: the Shrine of Puzzles.
    To even find the Shrine of Puzzles you must first know it is there. It is cleverly hidden along a long rock wall with a spell of illusion, an effect that makes the space a gap should be instead match the surrounding terrain. The structure is built entirely beneath the earth - an unusual location to keep a shrine to the God of the sun, though I have a hypothesis as to why that is the case. More on that later!
    It seems this place was always intended to be some sort of trial of wits. The door outside is etched with faded text that says something to the effect of: "Only those keen of mind shall within this shrine find..." And the rest of the text is too illegible, though from later context we can assume it concludes with a mention of the Sol Stone.
    The Shrine's interior is no less tricky. The main passages include another illusory puzzle, a musical puzzle, and a cipher that formerly hinted at the location of the Sol Stone. The construction of each of these chambers is unique and seamless, ranging from a room made purely of smooth red crystal to another whose centerpiece is a set of cords (or chords!) to be strummed. The final of these main rooms is a beautiful temple with flowing water, perhaps built beneath a cistern, with pillars and a wonderfully detailed statue of Solaria as its centerpiece. All this (besides the water) stands upon a flat platform. On the wall behind the statue is the following text written:

To have passed our tests three

A clever soul you must be!

But you must face another one

If you'd find the Stone of the Sun

So claim now your victor's prize

Writ below, so feast your eyes!

    I later returned on my own after the hunt for the Sol Stone ended in order to more thoroughly inspect this ancient shrine. In doing so, I was able to discover there was yet another hidden chamber - one beneath the water in the last room! The puzzles ceased there, however; it appears the rooms tucked down below the water are, in fact, the living quarters of the priests that once cared for the place. It was difficult to discern more than that since the lowest level of the structure was in ruins, but I nevertheless was able to procure enough evidence to make the following hypothesis:
    The Shrine of Puzzles was likely part of a splinter sect of the greater Solarian cult. It was constructed at some point before the Collapse (as indicated by the map used to discover it), most likely during the early or middle Age of Wonders. They revered Solaria, of course, but believed the light he wielded engendered the qualities of both truth and illusion. While the holy texts and depictions contained within are badly damaged by the passage of time, they depict a learned aspect of Solaria, perhaps one for whom knowledge was a form of strength. This makes me wonder if, perhaps, the perception of the gods and what they represent has changed over time.
    I believe it is worth considering that while the map itself was of elven make, the structure itself was of a unique construction I have not seen elsewhere. It is likely that the Sun Elves were chief in the construction of this Solarian shrine - after all, Solaria is their patron deity - but I cannot help but wonder if perhaps there are influences from other cultures involved in the shrine's construction as well. One would assume dwarven or gnomish hands may have helped due to the subterranean nature of the complex, but given that the dwarven realm is securely to the northern region of Frost Gale, I find the whole scenario a bit mysterious. Ultimately, we cannot say for certainty who built this shrine or why due to the immense damage it has suffered. We can only make educated guesses.
    Whoever built this place, they were clearly experts in the craft of construction, and they were clearly adherents to the worship of Solaria in some way. It is doubtful they were typical worshipers, but this place nevertheless makes for a marvelous discovery.