Bryn goes through the arcane motions of the strange ritual, splitting the miniature tentacled creature and mixing its blood with ash. His chants and mutterings are indecipherable. Throughout, he references back and forth to the black bound grimoire that sits open on the ground beside him.
The others keep watch while the ritual continues for nearly 10 minutes. There are still no disturbances from the perimeter of the room.
After a time Bryn stands up, carrying the book opened to a certain page with illustrations. He begins again to explore the hearth.
[ +- ] Should be Note to Oxbox
Bryn's senses are opened. His vision and understanding are expanded. Now he can read the scripts in The Book. Now he can see what he could not before. When Akkeen says something to Iasu in Otessite, Bryn understands it.
The ritual worked. All words are his to understand, written or spoken.
When Bryn gets back to the hearth, he can see them clearly now. Though there is no light coming from them, to Bryn the sigils leap forward from the brick in a glow. They were invisible before; now they could not be clearer. Halonian glyphs.
Bryn reads the images. "Keys of the Grand. Tarran Equelius. The Phoenix Arise. Flames of Mneseos. Enduring."
He sees clearly now. The box is buried within the bricks beside the writing. He can see the perfection of the design: quick-fracture points that will can be cracked with an awl to break away the cover.
Bryn calls the others to lend a hand. He gives instructions and in short time Maeriks and Thorn have the brick panel cracked and pulled away.
Behind the mortar and stone, it stands tall and narrow. The iron is cloudy and stained. The bronze trim work is discolored mostly to green now. But the image is still clear, an elaborate raised bust, beautiful art of the a phoenix rising from the flame of a burning city.
The narrow door of the Halonian Phoenix box faces outward, into the heart of the great furnace. This is the first time Bryn has seen Halonian craftsmanship, but it is as he has always read about it: covered in holes and portals woven within the cover art.
This will be a tough worksite Bryn knows. Narrow opening. Inset a foot or more within the brick line. Lighting not optimal. But Bryn has all the right tools, and the Book tells him the way.
