A Hundred Gods of Brass...[Exploration of SE-3; Companion Esk]

[Aethan Tannan]

...the pathways of darkness leading through the abyss hadn't lead him anywhere he had wanted in the end. It just so happened that rumors circulating through the galaxy were what lead him to the Companion Esk system; rumors about new hyperlanes that were discovered and foreign worlds that needed exploring. The Tachyon Class Light Freighter came over the world classified as SE-3 which for all intensive purposes seemed a relatively stable planet that supported lift. Inside the cockpit of the Light Freighter a hand would punch several keys on one of the terminals and wait for a readout of information to come up which read...

[Planet Designation: SE-3
Atmosphere: Breatheable
Technology Level: Bronze Age
Common Species: Epicanthix
A Planet of forrests and shamanistic force traditions. At least one main city.]

...there was other information but the majority of it seemed to be rumor and conjecture at this point seeing as how SE-3 was unexplored by the galaxy at large as far as he knew but several things stood out. Bronze Age technology? Apparently the local populace was miles behind the modern galaxy however he had heard that many of the planets located in Companion Esk had a limited range of technology likely due to their isolation. They still had their own force traditions though which should prove interesting...

..."Once more into the breach old friend."...the words escaped Aethan's mouth before he reached up to place a hand over the console and begin to guide the Light Freighter towards the atmosphere of the planet for insertion. There was a moment when the thought of the relics he could discover threatened to overwhelm him however with a smile painting itself across his features Aethan would only muse in silence at to what discoveries he could make here on this uncharted world...

...the Tachyon Class Light Freighter banked and then started its descent where it would soon become engulfed in flames as it pierced the outter layers of the atmosphere and started to push through...​

 

[Aethan Tannan]

...immediately after arriving in the city he had been assailed by a man who called to him as though he had been recognized saying...

..."Pilgrim! Pilgrim!"...

...it had caught Aethan offguard and caused him to take a quick glance at his own appearance as though he stood out before he answered the man saying..."I think you've made a mistake. I'm not a pilgrim."...however just looking at the man he could tell that he was not convinced despite Aethan's own insistance...

..."You are not a pilgrim?"...he would ask, dubiously..."You've not come here to gaze upon the visage of the gods and supplicate yourself to them in prayer?"...his welcome had turned to a bit of a frown as though he was uncertain as to how he could have made this mistake...

...Aethan couldn't explain to the man that he had come from space, even though this fellow may have heard of the Priests of Tusk, he would need to come up with another excuse. Or would he? These gods that the man was talking about might have been the exact thing that Aethan was looking to study, to research, maybe even to acquire a bit of lost knowledge or a relic from. He was on a foreign world after all. Shrugging his shoulders once he would have stated..."Very well you've found me out. I am a pilgrim. Show me the way."...

...a breath of fresh air seemed like it had just inflated the mans lungs and his smile returned before he said..."Yes, I knew it."...his smile was toothy and made one wonder if he was a bit of an urchin..."This way. Follow me!"...he exclaimed and then he was turning away...

...the man would turn to leave and Aethan would follow him. Dressed in his traveling gear, a lightsaber clipped to his belt, Aethan quite possibly did appear to look the part of a pilgrim the more he thought about it. Regardless of his original intent he was a pilgrim to this world now and he was off to meet the gods. He would fall into line behind his guide who moved ahead of him energetically causing Aethan to make quick motions now and again so that he ensured he would keep pace with him...​

 

[Aethan Tannan]

...following his guide Aethan would venture deeper into the city as they made their way to what had only been described to him as the House of the Gods. Of course as he would soon learn the House of the Gods wasn't actually a house at all rather it was multiple small shrines or temples dedicated to many different deities. Deities could have something as simple as a small shrine dedicated to them or something as grand as a massive temple maybe corresponding with their importance. Footsteps would lead Aethan but it was his curiosity that drove him forth behind the man who had come to him as they went deeper and the landscape of the city started to change...

..."Almost there pilgrim. Then you'll see what you came for."...

..."I wait with baited breath my friend."...came the reply of the Explorer who ventured only a few paces behind the man whose energetic movements still seemed to astound Aethan. Not to be misinterpreted Aethan was extremely agile and dexterous however the way this man seemed to move he should have been fatigued by now or perhaps it was the movement itself which kept him from becoming exhausted...

..."Only just ahead now."...came the guides voice as he rounded a corner before going silent and then calling out..."Behold!"...

....no one else on the streets seemed to notice this display on the guides part and looking around Aethan finally noticed that he was surrounded by people walking the streets all around him. He was awestruck by what he saw next though. In fact as Aethan rounded the corner he practically gawked until he heard that familiar voice...

..."More than you expected eh?"...he seemed to snicker a bit..."There are many who come to the city and are impressed."...

...no words could describe the district that Aethan had walked into as he stared outwards and saw the vast range of monuments, shrines and temples dedicated to a hundred gods whose names he could even begin to fathom. He looked as though he were a child unwrapping a gift for the first time and then without hesitation Aethan would have said..."Yes."...in a barely audible voice before continuing ahead...​

 

[Aethan Tannan]

...venturing deeper into the temple district Aethan half heard his guide say something to him but he'd become so enraptured by the moment that it barely registered to him on a basic level while he moved ahead half shuffling and half stepping. Blinking he would have eventually turned his head to look at the man who was still smiling smugly and waiting for him to come back to his senses. A shake of the head of Aethan was back in the now listening to the voice of the man he had been lead to this district by...

..."It takes time to appreciate it all."...he laughed..."You have as much time as you want though. I think I know your god though."...

...the words struck Aethan's curiosity once more and he moved to follow the man as he once again started to guide him through the temple district. As Aethan moved his head would turn like it was on a swivel as he passed each shrine, temple or statue dedicated to the different gods of the city and this world. Occasionally he would stop and ask about what he saw and he received answers like...

..."That one is Kashkla. We call her the principle of motion."...

...or...

..."This one is dedicated to Norzhuug. Mind your step and don't venture to close. He is a hungry god who devours those who stray into his domain."...

...it all made some kind of strange sense to Aethan even though he had never visited this world in his life. He could appreciate the dedication these people put into this district and the seduction of religion as played such a vibrant role here. As he walked a certain humming caught in the back of his mind and he would turn his head as if he felt something prompting his guide to turn his head and take notice...

..."Yes. You feel it. We are almost there."...

...but Aethan still had no idea where in the district they were going as he moved through winding streets and navigated behind his companion but the sensation become clear with every passing moment. It was as though his force sense was tingling loudly the deeper he moved into the district and this wasn't just because some item was radiating the force but also because there were people, priests and disciples, who were cloaked in an aura of the force. The faithful seemed to carry the power here...​

 

[Aethan Tannan]

...his force sense was assaulted from all sides but Aethan remained calm in the face of all this energy, the sensation that it was surrounding him now and continued to follow his guide who cheerfully motioned him forward. Walking ahead he felt as though he might become nauseous and his footfalls ceased momentarily however he need only move ahead a little bit further and everything around him stilled. He couldn't explain nor would he want to try but all that energy that had been lighting up his mind miraculously ceased and Aethan would look around before feeling a single dull thrum in the back of his mind once more...

..."We're pilgrim."...he said as though it were fact..."You've found what you seek. A bit odd though I must admit."...

...looking up after he heard the comment Aethan would have saw that he was standing on the steps of a large temple however instead of a statue depicting a god all Aethan saw at the head of the temple were four gilded bowls. He shook his head..."Where am I?"...then he started to ascend the stairs leading to the entrance of the temple and the four bowls laid out before it...

..."This is Azer's temple. He is the God of Weather. The Overfather who is faceless but exists throughout the sky."...

...a weather god had summoned him according to the guide? Well if that's the case Aethan decided that he may as well make the best of it while he was here. Ascending the stairs he paused realizing he was alone and looked back over his shoulder..."You're not coming?"....

..."No pilgrim."...came the answer..."I'm only your guide. What you find inside is for you alone."...

...cryptic if nothing else but Aethan would nod and turn his head..."Thank y--"...but no one was there, a stiff breeze seemed to pick up kicking up some dust around him but the man he had followed to this temple was no more and there was no sign of him. Impossibly strange; he couldn't have just vanished into thin air Aethan had told himself just then but without hesitating his eyes turned front again and he would finish his climb up the staircase to the entrance of the temple and whatever awaited him inside...​

 

[Aethan Tannan]

...the temple of Azer, God of Weather and Overfather of the Skies, was not as ornate as one might have expected and its exterior was composed of stone with solid pillars rising up on either side of a staircase that ascended towards an open foyer and an entrance beyond that which was open for anyone to cross the threshold. On the foyer were four evenly spaced bowls each of which contained something different, altogether the contents of the bowls were water, an insect which crackled on one end as though it were electric, soil representing earth and the fourth bowl was empty filled only with the most important element of all, wind...

...the higher that Aethan ascended on the staircase leading up to the foyer of the temple before the entrance the more he felt the subtle thrum in the back of his mind until after taking the last step onto the foyer it was there like a beacon in his mind. Before he went to proceed Aethan would glance down at one of the bowls and inspect while mumbling..."Well, Azer, if you called me here to you then don't change your mind and strike me down."...his eyes slowly drew themselves upwards and he looked towards the skies with a chuckle as though waiting for a bolt of lightning to come crashing down. Nothing came...

...taking this as a good sign Aethan proceeded forward towards the entrance of the temple where he was met with a gust of wind cascading against his chest as he crossed the threshold. Not to keep him out but as though it were there to welcome him inside. He was struck by the cool wind and his chest rose when Aethan started to inhale a deep breath; then he would turn his head and begin searching his surroundings...

....the inside of the temple was much like the outside save that it was an enormous open room craft of stone with an arcing cathedral roof that was the same. As though out of thin air a ray of light shown down from what must have been a crack somewhere in the stone, strategically placed, towards a pedestal at the center of the room. The pedestal was tall and lonely. It didn't look like there was anything on it but the thrum in the back of Aethan's mind, his force sense, was still pointing him towards it...

...he drew closer, moving further into the temple, and the closer he came to the pedestal the clearer it became to him as his eyes focused and he made out the shall of something resting ontop of it. A Flute. It was calling to him. He moved towards it and he felt his hand twitch as though it was supposed to reach out and take the item from where it was resting...​

 

[Aethan Tannan]

...he moved closer to the pedestal where the flute was resting. At first Aethan thought it might have been an illusion, materialized out of his minds eye but the closer he came to it the easier it was to confirm that the flute was very real. Aethan had moved across the interior of the temple until he was standing directly ahead of the pedestal though there seemed to be a bit of uncertainty gathering on his features as he looked around. He truly seemed to be alone and yet there was something about this place that made him feel like he was also being watched which he couldn't explain. Gods weren't real though were they? Nowhere else in the galaxy except here anyways...

..."You want me to have this?"...he questioned, waiting for a response but nothing came as though that were an indication that Aethan was supposed to take it however he was still hesitant even as his arm started to raise so that he could pluck the flute off its cradle. As his hand drew closer he felt the thrum return, louder, to the back pf his mind and he withdrew his arm quickly before discovering that it dulled. He experimented. Reaching for the flute caused his force sense to activate but drawing his hand away would make it fade which further aroused his interest...

...finally Aethan would extend his arm and reach for the flute in earnest, the thrum of his mind starting again before his fingers locked around the item and just like when he had entered the temple he was hit with a cool wind. Instead of cascading off like it was a wave breaking of the surf it moved around him, enveloped him and then disappeared as though it were never there save for his hand which held the flute where the wind congregated, growing denser before finally exploding outward and dissipating completely...

...the experience was unlike anything Aethan was expecting but he held the flute there in his hand and spoke audibly..."Thank you Azer; I'll use it well."...if there was anything else Aethan couldn't have been sure but he turned away and started to move away from the pedestal so that he could leave the temple again. Maybe it was exactly like the guide had said and that he had been lead there for a reason albeit one that he had no understanding of at this moment and would need to investigate further...​

 

[Aethan Tannan]

...footsteps carried him back to the main entrance of the temple and Aethan would move outside into the foyer area where he would stand in the open air again before his attention drew itself to the flute he was holding and he began to examine it. The Flute was archaic in appearance and felt as though it weighed little however it hummed with a subtle power that the force sensitive would be able to detect either at a distance or nearby depending on their own level of expertise in manipulating the force. As an instrument the flute was fairly small measuring only a rough fourteen inches in length with four distinct tone holes lining the top of it and a closed end where it was blown into; its design was fairly basic and it was extremely lightweight....

...regarding the instrument Aethan would have let his eyes scan the area around him before raising it to his mouth which he placed over the end where he blew. Using his right hand to support the body of the flute he'd allow his fingers to begin sliding over the tone holes as he blew and attempted to produce sound with the instrument. In response to his application of the flute Aethan soon discovered that his environment would begin to change in ways that could be subtle or drastic...

...foremost as he blew on the flute he'd notice his breath started to become noticeable due to condensation, the water vapor in his breath condensing into tiny droplets of water and he would have felt a chill start to rush down his spine. Once he stopped the chill would slowly fade and the area would begin a rapid reversal back to regular which left the Explorer with a raised brow..."Lets try another one."...

...the second time Aethan blew on the flute he'd ensure different holes were covered and listening to the sounds produced he'd notice a different effect on the area. Instead of cold he could feel himself growing warmer as the environment grew hotter as well in contrast to the last time he played when it became colder. When Aethan drew the flute away again the atmosphere began to level out once again as compared to the changes he appeared to have brought on leading him to comment with an..."Interesting trick."...

...he started to move across the open foyer of the temple once more until he'd come to the steps leading down into the temple district of the city again. Looking back over his shoulder Aethan remained silent but he paid a respectful nod to the temple itself and the god that the people of this city believed that it had stood for. Alien forces were at work here and while Aethan might have tried to understand them he also knew better than to dwell on the mystery for to long as he started to venture through the temple district back the way he'd come...​