Preservationist: The Symposium (Triathe)
warm breeze wafts through the slatted windows on the lower level of the Tower of Triathe. As it winds around a series of pipes through which water is pumped to the upper floors, it cools considerably and wafts gently at your face. The scholars of Triathe are renowned for their inventions, many of which are displayed today at the Tower in celebration of its founding. Students of all ages, independent inventors, artists, merchants, and even a few magi from the east flood the lower levels of the Tower with displays and stands to advertise their year's accomplishments. You pass a dense cluster of artisans watching a printer's demonstration, then your eye becomes distracted by an intricate wind chime that makes a sound like no other you've ever heard. The inventor beams at the row of fascinated children who have gathered for a closer look, and changes the music drastically with a few delicate taps to parts of the instrument.The music is momentarily interrupted by a bird-like caw, and suddenly your attention is focused to a small booth nestled in a corner of the room. There are almost no animals at this event -- unsurprising as even in Triathe, most magical creatures are viewed with apprehension. The sole person at this booth has two creatures in her care -- a mammoth snail making a gradual break at freedom by crawling to the end of the table, and a feathery creature perched on a stand that you eventually recognize as a tsaanguir. The booth operator offers the tsaanguir a piece of meat from her gloved hand, but the creature eyes you attentively. You have never seen either animal in Alveus before. Even at the Keep, they're rare.
The caretaker turns and seems surprised to see you, but recovers and waves at you warmly. "Hello there, would you like to learn about the Museum of Rare Beasts?" she asks, welcoming you to the contents of her booth. Aside from the creatures, there are fossils of all sorts, charts, diagrams, and maps -- some for sale, but most simply for display.
She offers you a little scroll with a map of the city and an emblem of a tree. Next to it are the words "The Preservationists Association Welcomes You to the Grand Opening of the Museum of Rare Beasts!"
"The Preservationists Association?" you ask.
The woman nods. "We've been around for a while -- a small group at the moment, but always growing larger. We've just secured funding for our new headquarters so our founders thought, why not put our findings on display? Hence, the Museum of Rare Beasts."
"What do you guys do there?" you ask, looking at the contents of the booth and then glancing at the mammoth snail as it starts to slide down one of the table's corners.
The booth attendant rescues the overly-curious snail and places it in a wooden box full of leaves and hay. "Well," she says, "we're mainly dedicated to breeding and raising creatures that are at risk of going extinct, but we do a lot of things really. We send out expeditions to certain areas to study the creatures that live there, and we also look at the fossils of creatures from extinct environments. A lot of the animals we have around today are relics of ancient ecosystems, so by studying the regions their ancestors lived in, we can better understand what the living creatures need. We're also the repository of much of Alveus' knowledge of natural history."
Some of the children who were previously watching the wind chime cautiously crowd around the booth, mesmerized by the creatures. A few pick up stone fossils that resemble shells. The attendant moves the tsaanguir to a perch where it begins to preen its feathers, then turns toward the children and offers them some hay to feed the hungry mammoth snail.
As you turn to leave, the woman calls back, "Feel free to stop by the museum if you like -- ask for Director Allisand and tell him Jaca sent you. He can tell you more about our Association."
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The museum is located in the old part of town where the buildings are rarely more than two stories tall and the roads are paved with tightly-knit cobbles worn smooth from countless years and boots. You follow the map Jaca gave you until you reach a building with a large maple tree planted out front and a golden banner strung around it, reading: The Museum of Rare Beasts.
The building seems to have once been someone's elegant house, surrounded by a garden full of immense boulders. The walkway winds around them The rocks are all different textures and colors, and as you pass by, you notice many of them have tiny fossils shells embedded within. You approach one of the boulders and trace the remnants of what looks like part of a tiny palm tree.
A melodic whistle alerts you to the presence of other occupants of the yard besides fellow visitors as a large crested head leans over the boulder to get a look at you. The creature is red and gray with a dragonish face, a rippling wattle, and a pair of frills running down its neck. It chirrups at you, making marvelous noises that seem far too delicate for a creature easily larger than an elephant. The creature, a frilled cazaui if you remember your texts correctly, sniffs the air a few times before moving on, lumbering slowly toward a group of unsuspecting guests offering treats to some kalistavri.
Looking around more carefully, you realize there are quite a few creatures in the vast yard. A small herd of latifra beasts graze in a paddock at the rear of the yard, separated by a fence of boulders set too close for their elongate horns to pass through. Torreks scamper around the ground, while the trees are crowded with all manner of kalistavri and a few larger raznaks. The cazaui who came to investigate you is easily the largest animal around, likely the largest in the city at the moment. You wonder how its caretakers manage to keep it from stripping the trees in the yard bare.
As guests funnel in through the doors, you remember that you're here to see Director Allisand. You follow the crowd and are greeted with a spectacular entrance hall fitted with a glass ceiling and a grand staircase. There are mounts of ancient skeletons, some of creatures you recognize, but many unfamiliar. Each skeleton has a small gold placard with information about the creatures, including where they came from. You're surprised and somewhat saddened to learn that several of the mounts belong to creatures that have long since vanished from the earth.
Up the stairs is the main gallery, which is filled with even larger skeletons and glass cases full of specimens. There are teeth, horns, skulls, pelts, and even animal mummies recovered from the coldest caves of the Alasres. The gallery is three levels tall and organized by the age of the rocks the creatures came from. The museum has specimens from all over the world, from the furthest corners of Voltar to Calidis, and even lands you've never heard of before.
You spend a few minutes marveling at the displays, the most impressive of which is a massive dragon skeleton hanging in a lifelike pose from the ceiling, suspended by magic. You're surprised to see the museum using magic so openly in the middle of Alveus, even a city like Triathe, but you recognize a few magi faces among the exhibit guides. You ask them to point you to the director and one of the guides leads you to a greenhouse at the back of the museum.
The rear of the building is designed to mimic the habitats of times long gone. Exotic plants adorn the walkways, which blend into the underbrush as you get further into the greenhouse. It seems to be mainly focused on plat life, but you spot a few small insects and other creatures hiding behind leaves. Most dart away when they detect your gaze, but when you run into a small spotted scorpion lounging on a piece of bark, you pause to examine it.
"Marvelous, isn't it? Araucarias used to be found all over this region in ages past, but the only living specimens come from far to the south in a tiny corner of the Ixan Jungle. This specimen was grown from a seed over a hundred years ago." An aging but energetic man with round glasses and a bristly mustache leans back to look at the tree. You notice for the first time how tall it is -- tall enough that it pokes out of the top of the greenhouse roof through a skylight. When you look back at the scorpion, you see it has started to clamber down toward a small caterpillar munching on some nearby leaves. You decide to leave it be.
"Are you Director Allisand?" you ask the man, noticing his uniform. He seems momentarily surprised, then holds out a hand.
"Doctor Allisand Shrio IV, at your service. Are you a new member of the Association?"
You explain that you would like to be and mention Jaca from the expo. He beams and excitedly starts to talk about the Preservationists Association. "Oh yes, we've recently opened up our breeding program for rare creatures, with the help of the Keep and the Tower. The Association is concerned with studying and preserving all the world's ecosystems and the life forms that inhabit them, but we're always in need of new caretakers to help raise and train creatures for eventual release. Given your experience as a magi, I imagine you would make a fine addition to the Association! Of course, I should warn you that the application process is a bit involved. We need to make sure members have the dedication to become caretakers. These creatures are harder to handle than most, and more delicate as well. You'll need a variety of harasses, work gloves, protective equipment, brushes, trimmers, blankets, and cleaning supplies -- not to mention feed. We can provide some of our own materials, but the museum is mostly run on donations. We ask that members contribute 5,000 gold if they want to be part of the Association itself, and by extension, the breeding program. You can bring it to the membership desk when you're ready."
A short elderly woman in a fine suit peers over her spectacles as you approach. She smiles sweetly and asks how she can help you. You say you want to become a member of the museum. She takes down your name in golden ink and hands you a small rectangular token with the museum's insignia on it.
"You can use that to get in whenever you like, during operating hours of course."
You ask about becoming a part of the Preservationists Association too and the woman's face falls a little. "We require anyone who wants to help breed these creatures pay for their own supplies. If you like, I can put you on the waiting list for funding aid for the program, but I'm afraid it's rather long right now." She glances at a scroll hanging from the wall, nearly filled with names except for a few slots at the bottom.
"The supplies cost 5000 gold," she says. "If you bring the funds here, then we can get you started right away."
A short elderly woman in a fine suit peers over her spectacles as you approach. She smiles sweetly and asks how she can help you. You say you want to become a member of the Preservationists Association and place a sack of coins on the desk.
"Oh, how generous of you!" She takes down your name in golden ink and hands you a small rectangular token with the museum's insignia on it. The token has a clasp attached to it that reads: P.A. Member.
"You can use that to get in whenever you like, during operating hours of course. Now, I imagine you'll want to get started right away, but I'm afraid you're going to have to see our head breeder before you can get started. We require all new members of the Association check in with Professor Ward and help her with field work as part of their training. It familiarizes you with the sort of work we do here."
She hands you some boots and tools and draws you up a map with instructions to Professor Ward's field site. It looks like you're heading to Mountain Pass Junction.
"Oh, and one more thing!" the small lady at the desk says before you leave. "The terrain is not terribly forgiving. You'll want to bring some companions along, and, well, we've found that daeodus and albino nandi bears work best. One adult albino nandi bear should do, and three adult daeodus to help carry supplies. It'll prove you know how to handle the sort of creatures we take care of, anyway."
Preservationist: A Cold Challenge (Mountain Pass Junction)
You nod to the lady at the desk, but decide that you can find your own way without the creatures she suggests. Your other companions will do fine, and you have magic besides.Once you get to the Alasres, though, you start to regret your decision. The Junction itself is a nice encampment for travellers passing between Silva Forest and the Keep, and a few of them know of the field site your map points to. However, the site is a day's hike away by foot, in one of the most treacherous parts of the region. The other travellers eye your gear warily and note your lack of the proper companions. They advise against trying to reach the site, but you dismiss their warnings and press forward the next day anyway. You've made it this far, after all.
Pretty soon, you're climbing sheer rock slips and navigating blustery winds along the narrow path to the site. You make it barely a quarter of the way before a unpleasant growls from hidden inhabitants of the region and bitter snow forces you to turn back for safety. You'll have to try again with an albino nandi bear and three daeodus as the others have recommended.
The Mountain Pass Junction is a pleasant encampment about a day's hike from the research site. You stop there for the night and awake the next morning fresh to tackle the tricky route up. It's easy going at first, but quickly the path becomes less stable as you venture further into the wilderness.
Your companions at your side, a massive albino nandi bear and three wily daeodus, have large bodies that provide a little warmth in the cold mountains. The daeodus do not get along well and squeal at each other through much of the trip, but you manage to reign them in with your bear. Their real value comes later in the day, when the snow starts to fall heavily and you lose the path. The daeodus quickly sniff out the right trail and lead you through several spots that would have been dangerous otherwise. On these steep slopes, losing the trail and veering off in the wrong direction could easily get you stuck.
As the sun starts to set, you notice glimmering eyes peering out from crevices in nearby crags. However, between the three large daeodus and your nandi bear's powers, nothing bothers you.
Eventually, you reach the summit of a wide, flat mountain partly covered in a beautiful blue glacier. There's a camp set up on a dry spot of dirt nearby with several cold-weather tents and a bustling crew. Despite the remote location, you count nearly two dozen workers. There are several other creatures -- nandi bears, and more daeodus than you ever thought could tolerate each other's company. The creatures are resting peacefully near the camp, tended by a few handlers offering treats and chin scratches to the creatures near them.
One of the handlers notices you and calls over a woman you assume must be Professor Ward. She is built somewhat like a bear herself, though part of that is her warm-weather clothes. The burly woman greets you with a firm handshake when you show her your membership token. "Welcome, traveller! I suspect you'll be hungry after that walk. Here, you can leave your companions with the others; Mei and Veldus will keep them fed."
After a bowl of hearty stew from the cook tent, Professor Ward gives you a quick tour of the site. Ward explains that this area used to be a watering hole thousands of years ago before it was filled in with plant material and turned into a bog. The acidity of the bog and the cold temperature of the mountain has helped to preserve long-dead animal bones in pristine condition. She plucks something sticking out of a wall of mud and cleans it off in the snow to reveal the claw of an ancient mountain cat. Elsewhere around the site, workers are unearthing the much larger bones of mammoths, rhinos, horses, wolves, and even prehistoric ice dragons. Ward shows you how they collect their samples and wrap the larger bones in plaster to hold them together during transportation. They even collect soil samples and plant remains from near the bones.
"We bring the fossils back to the museum for study," she explains. "These animals are long dead, but some of their descendants still survive in small pockets of the world. By studying the environments their ancestors lived in, we can provide a wider range of habitats for the living creatures so that they can thrive. For instance, we find the bones of direwolves all over the mountains and even far into the east -- even though all wild wolves we know of only live in Silva Forest. We think they used to range more widely before human settlements made them skittish, but if we can find remote spots in the eastern side of the mountains, we might be able to establish a breeding population there to fill out that part of the ecosystem once more."
Over the next week or so, you help out at the site digging for fossils and carefully labeling samples to be sent back to the museum. It's hard work, made even harder by the wet mud and cold. However, you manage to impress Professor Ward with your determination and at the end of the dig, she gives you a piece of mammoth tooth to bring home with you. "We have plenty of these already -- the site's littered with them. You did good work, and we'd love to have your help at the museum. I'll tell Allisand that you're ready for the breeding program."
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