Mystery of Saromen Fro

Damanandros is sullen and withdrawn. He watches from outside the circle, listening in on the details and busying himself with cleaning his spellbook. The mud and rain had soiled the edges of the pages and may never fully be made crisp and flat again.

His unease with the sudden arrival of these women is palpable.

He pales over the facts she shares of the witch and her influence on Saromen Fro.

Methods he has become all too familiar with.

Likely not a coincidence.

He feels as if he is falling into the pit again, unable to stop the trajectory they find themselves on.

Xenophon and Syrena both realize that Baudecca's assessment of timing is reminiscent of cryptic comments made by the veteran Krysean Optio at Saromen Gen.

He too mentioned a strangeness emerging with the recent Moon Cycle.

Damanandros reflects on the ideas that continue to perplex him in his stress.

Revealed: previously a Note exclusive to Leo9sign...
Damanandros is reflecting on the names and terms that he heard. He cannot help but wonder their meaning.

When he spoke to the Goddess...the Harpy, to Ish'tauxi, it was quite fascinating to hear her fluent use of ancient Zaharan. For Damanandros, who learned the dead language like all others do, by formal study in an academic setting, her speech seemed wrong to what he learned - yet it was clear that her version of the language was correct. He was quite certain of it.

It was not entirely different, but the inflection, the syntax, the ordering, the pronunciation - it all came together differently than he was used to. Certain vocabulary he did not know. Certain conjugation, gendering, and application of adjectives and adverbs were new to him.

Meanwhile, it seemed as if Ish'tauxi was learning the proper use of Low Auran for the first time. She had started the interaction with only a crude version of the common speech, more akin to the manner in which the few beastmen speakers use the language of men, with severe limitation and inaccuracy.

Through the day today he has been sifting through his memory of the fateful conversation, reliving it almost - and reflecting on the strangeness of it all.

"Nur-Hunzu Isiratuu."

Nur-Hunzu seems more like a title. The word "holy" is usually converted as "nara", but with the descriptive conjugation scheme that Ish-tauxi was using, "nara" could have been converted to "nuru" for masculine. And then for formality or definite connotation, the shift to "Nur" seems possible.

And the "Hunzu", Damanadros is coming to believe, is some reference to "moon" which normally is "hansar". But again with the older trends, he might guess it would be more like "hunsr". Yes, the "Hunzu" would still be an unknown. It could be a proper name. But on the other hand, it could be something "moon - ish", related to "moon".

"Moonish"? Perhaps not. "moon man" ? "Moon Lord"? "Sign of the Moon"?

Damanandros cannot pinpoint it. He can recognize the possibility that he is overthinking it or drawing associations because of the ongoing references to the full moon - an imposing presence at this point.

But..."Holy Moon Lord Isiratuu" ... it is taking root in his mind as a possible candidate for translation. It is difficult to dismiss the theory of it.

What would a Holy Moon Lord of Zahar be, during the long ago age of the Sorcerer Kings?[/note]

Damanandros jumps back into the conversation, his mind still grappling with the events of the past few days. He feels raw and on edge, quick to take offense at even the slightest provocation, intended or not.

"Consider yourself lucky you didn't fall under her spell with her singing," he says, with a hint of bitterness in his voice. He knows Syrena isn't implying that she would have done better, but he can't help feeling defensive.

"I've been thinking about the language she spoke and the words she used," he continues, his tone becoming more animated. "It was a nuanced form of ancient Zaharan, and the full moon seemed to be an important point in her questioning. Nur-Hunzu Isiratuu could be translated as Holy Moon Lord Isiratuu. Maybe she's still after it." He looks to the newcomers, hoping to gauge their reactions.