Ne'Tatkret of Ne'tsetiira'lu - Not a god, but something like it maybe.
V'Nille
(( Aelvarai Selav, Aelkuun ))
So far the introductions were going well. Ne’Tatkret had gotten “Xiron” a little off, but the little one seemed to take no offense to it. This was good. The same little one had given her a flat, smooth stone as well. The fact that she thought to bring a gift at all boded well for the offworlders and Ne’Tatkret found the rock’s smoothness mildly fascinating. It was plain, maybe something the offworlder grabbed at the last minute, but it was a gift nonetheless. That alone made it special to the researcher. She slipped it into one of her wetsuit’s pockets.
Ne’Tatkret: Understood. Welcome to Aelvarai Selav. It is an island that has an old temple that the Va’tsekeluai’ra clan built long ago. We are here to investigate it before it is lost entirely to the waters here. It is partly underwater. You can all swim, yes-yes? We have spare wetsuits but I don’t know if they will fit you.
This was one thing that made the researcher most anxious. The K’tsélai had not met many offworlders in their relatively short time since their invention of faster than light travel, but a distressing number of them seemed to be more similar to the animals of deep within Qareluun that were not built for the waters that gave rise to the civilized folks of Aelkuun. Were these Starfleet folks more like tree climbers or dirt diggers or something else entirely?
Zol: I come from a family of swimmers, and I can hold my own in the water. I think we'll manage to fit in your wetsuits - I hope so, at least.
Is’Kah: I have been trained on how to swim.
Ada: As far as humans go, I can swim well. And I brought my own wetsuit and swimming gear.
Ne’Tatkret relaxed a bit. The waters on Aelkuun could be treacherous, but they would only be swimming within the deeper parts of the temple and out on the other side of where they stood. The waters in there would be placid and the workers had already done a sweep to ensure they were safe to swim in.
Janai Zol walked over to where they had put some of the pottery on display. This batch was supposed to have been sent off yesterday, but the K’tsélai supposed it was fine enough to have it here as an introduction to their culture. Ne’Tatkret walked over to get a closer look (and to intervene in case the offworlder got a little too handsy).
Zol: Ne'Tatkret, if I may, what does this depict? ::Points at ceramic::
The researcher leaned over slightly to get a better look. She could see why it caught Janai’s attention. The creature looming at the viewer from below the water’s surface was large and the depiction’s focus was on the claws and teeth. Ne’Tatkret picked up the bowl to give Janai a better look, turning it around for the sunlight to catch some of the bioluminescent paint better.
Ne’Tatkret: This is a runnqet, a large predator that roamed these seas thousands of years ago. Their modern descendants, ruunakea, are smaller, but still rather dangerous as they hunt in packs. The bowl itself is nothing special, but it’s a good example of ancient K’tsélai art.. The Va’tsekeluai’ra enjoy a reputation for having culled the populations when they migrated here, ensuring these waters were safe for the other K’tsélai that roamed through these seas.
A musical sound captured their attention. She took the opportunity to carefully put the bowl back.
Zol: Where's that sound coming from?
Is'Kah gestured in the direction it was coming from. Ne’Tatkret recognized the sound, but looked nonetheless.
oO Good directional hearing. Noted. Oo
Is’Kah: I believe it is in that direction.
Ada: Curious.
Ne’Tatkret: Yes. One of the taller buildings here houses an interesting array of strings that catch the breeze in a way that produces the sound, like a scaled up version of a harp. Some of the workers felt compelled to replace the strings using local materials when we got here, so what you’re hearing is very likely how it sounded after it was originally built. There was another large instrument that used the tide itself, I believe, but it was destroyed in a storm long ago.
Zol: I'd love to study that. Commander, Lieutenant, anything you'd like to do?
Is’Kah: That will be acceptable.
Ada: I'm intrigued by the sound, too.
The two wearing blue pulled out tools. One had a lens attached, so Ne’Tatkret figured that was taking pictures. The other was something altogether different, some sort of electronic device. From the way Azura Ada was using it, it was easy enough to guess that it was a portable scanner of some sort.
Zol: Ne'Tatkret, could you tell us about the history of this temple and the Va’tsekeluai’ra clan?
Is’Kah: I, too, would like to know more.
Ne’Tatkret: Of course! The Va’tsekeluai’ra clan migrated to this part of the world thousands of years ago. K’tsélai clans are typically semi-nomadic, moving between a particular set of islands and hunting grounds with the seasons. Many are still this way even today, actually. They were pushed here, we believe, after losing a conflict over the richer waters in … that direction. This is a temple they built after they settled in. It is dedicated primarily to Selai’vel.
Ada: Impressive that these structures have lasted this long. What caused the water to rise, or rather, the complex to sink?
Is’Kah: Fascinating. Does that deity still affect parts of your culture today?
Ne’Tatkret considered how to respond to that. She looked up at the temple, then back at her guests before shaking her head and huffing in polite disagreement.
Ne’Tatkret: Hmm. Selai’vel is not a… deity, per se. You may have heard that we named our moon Selai, right, and our species calls itself K’tsélai? The closest I can think of as a way to describe it is that Selai’vel is the force behind the tides and all the cyclical motions of the sea, as represented by the moon’s own cycle. We are born from the ancient tidewaters, so it goes, and the tides rule our lives from birth to death. The Va’tsekeluai’ra wouldn’t have called it Selai’vel, as that’s the modern name we use for the concept, but it would have sounded similar.
Zol: Response
Is’Kah: Is the Va’tsekeluai’ra clan still in existence, or have they been absorbed by another clan?
The K’tsélai waved over to where some of the crew lingered. Two of them stood apart from the others, talking to each other in low tones.
Ne’Tatkret: Sort of. There is a clan with the name and they claim the lineage, but as far as historians can tell from records and stories passed down the ages, the Va’tsekeluai’ra were forced to scatter after a particularly strong storm season. They would have been absorbed by other clans in the region or died out. When our species settled Qareluun, the big continent you flew over on your way here, the Va’tsekeluai’ra made a comeback as one of the river clans. Those two are members of the clan here to watch and claim anything they deem as culturally significant enough for the clan’s personal treasures. ::pause:: If you ask me, I think the modern Va’tsekeluai’ra are castaways that claim the name and history for the ready-made group identity. It wouldn’t be the first time it has happened.
Zol: Response
Ada: What about this is most pressing to you, Ne'Tatkret?
Ne’Tatkret: This is actually not the lowest level of the temple. We’re about at the middle of it. There are murals and tools that were left behind in the deepest parts of the temple that we’re just now getting to. Today’s tasks are actually to go in there and assess the structural integrity for later retrievals.
Is'Kah/Zol: ?
Ada: Then I'll start there. ::She turned to Is'Kah:: Are you comfortable with splitting the away team, Is'Kah? And which one of us will you accompany?
Is'Kah/Zol: ?
Ne’Tatkret tilted her head slightly at the small one’s response. Was she the security for the other two? Her eyes drifted down to the device at Is’Kah’s hip.
oO That would be a weapon of some kind then. Interesting. Directed energy, perhaps? The university would have a field day with a directed energy weapon that small and portable. Oo
Ne'Tatkret: It is completely safe here, I assure you. We have devices placed around Aelvarai Selav that keep away the local predators and no weapons are allowed in the temple itself for both historical and safety reasons.
Ada: Fine, fine, we won't split the party. Ne'Tatkret, are you in any rush? At any rate, I'll get my wetsuit on.
The woman walked off to their shuttle, presumably to change, before Ne’Tatkret could fully give her answer. She considered the reasoning to go all the way back in there to change, then shrugged. If Ada’s wetsuit was in there, that was enough. Or maybe these offworlders didn’t like changing in front of others, which seemed common enough out there. Even some K’tsélai did that, though Ne’Tatkret personally didn’t fully understand the notion. Bodies were bodies and clothes were clothes, after all.
Ne’Tatkret: No rush at all. Will you two need to go in there to change too? The wetsuits we have are stored in that box over there. If it’s locked, ask that one for the key.
Is'Kah/Zol: ?
Ne’Tatkret: Very well. Those trees hide the shower stalls and toilets if you need them. We can go to the harp tower when you are ready or just go straight inside the temple. Are your tools waterproofed?
Is'Kah/Zol/Ada: ?
Ne’Tatkret: Oh. Good. Let me know when you three are ready and I will take you.
Is'Kah/Zol/Ada: ?
Ne’Tatkret of Ne'tsetiira'lu
K'tsélai researcher