Characteristic

Cost

END

Cost

8

Cost

Cost

10

2

3

7

1

2

3

3

3

3

2

3

0

10

10

5

10

15

20

10

At last, the water became clear - or at least reasonably so. The particle cloud thrown up by the removal of layers of mud had drifted to the south, taken by the slow deep current. The underlying stone still lay there on the bottom of the undersea crater. True, it was unlike any other stone that they had seen, brown - nearly orange - rock seeming to have a layered look like slate. While the corners were smooth, the other forms seemed to have lines that were perfectly straight and at crisp angles to one another. Still it was lifeless.

From his reading of the scrolls, Beroon Sulik knew that this was it. This was an artifact of the Ancients. A powerful implement granted to the Atlantean ancestors by the gods themselves - the same gods that had brought the ancestors from the Deadening Sea to this world. That it seemed dead did not phaze him. He knew how to bring it to life.

He retrieved two scrolls from his pack, his two most precious possessions. He unfolded the seal-hide scroll that dated back to the first Atlanteans and he smiled. Beroon was once a simple scribe who had a talent for languages. He was the only one among the Seekers of the Ancient Gods, the Hadlon Lemal, who could read the arcane script. And, he was somewhat confident that he could speak Taklit as well. In that ancient language his voice wavered slightly as he said, "Activation... start... sequence."

Of course to the others it sounded like words of power, for while they resembled Atlantean speech, the words seemed to mean nothing. The leader of the groups allowed himself to smile - for the first time since they had left Atlantis - as the vibration of the artifact produced low humming sound and a flat rectangular area the size of a man's chest filled with words in a language that only Beroon could understand.

The others began to murmur and 'Oooh' and 'Aaah'. A few cheered or snapped their hind fins in appreciation. Most had already believed. The others now did too. And the journey of thousands of leagues - a journey of hardship and dedication - seemed at this moment to be but a small chore.

"Show us the Ten," Beroon said in Taklit. And instantaneously the visages of ten gods appeared in the water above the group. They seemed wise and peaceful, yet ghostly, too. In the modern tongue of his people, he said loudly, "Our destiny is achieved. We will settle here and build a strong nation. We will once again achieve the wonders of the Ancients under the guidance of the Ten."

The leader of the cult selected two of the most loyal men and two of the most loyal women and designated them as Priests of the Ancients. Soon he would begin teaching them rudimentary Taklit, but initially, they would be his mouthpieces. The first task would be to create a levee to keep the mud and silt from overcoming the Stone. The second task would be to create a city for Hadlon Lemal.

The Priests of the Ancients use 'gifts' granted by the Ten of the Ancients. The Crown of Channelling allows them to call upon the gods to send them visions, to find their enemies, to allow them to speak with people at great distances, or to rain death upon disbelievers (in reality, these are communication devices that call a satellite and control it). Ostensibly, much of their power comes about from their knowledge of Taklit (the ancient linguistic ancestor of Atlantean) and knowing command phrases for the computer that is the Stone of the Ancients. The priesthood treats the language and the knowledge as a great secret. The Amulet of Klisst Niqket allows the priest to magically manipulate his image (a high tech holograph projector. The Belt of Oruz Venil is a magical device that provides protection from harm and allows the priest to fly through water or air (an electromagnetic force projector). Should any deign to touch the priest uninvited, the belt will also deliver a shocking blast; the priest an also use this offensively by touching a victim.

The Priests of the Ancients will take the role of commanders and rarely get involved in direct combat themselves. Typically one Priest commands one cohort.

The Priests wear tight fitting clothing that cover all except for their heads and with 'shoulder pads'. The predominant color is dark gold with deep purple trim. The crown and belt are prominent and easy for all to see as symbols of office.