RATA NOVUS LOG—ENTRY #17

You know what, journal? These Rata Novans might have been onto something.

There’s a primal pleasantness I’m feeling about living underground. Being constantly surrounded by soil and sediment and geological history—it’s like Tyria itself is giving you a dirt hug from all angles!

Being born in Rata Sum, I only really knew about surface life (except for that one time I fell into a deep ditch), but I get it now. Primordus forced us above ground, and the Rata Novans said, “No.” I’d like to think if I were alive back then, I’d have made a similar stand (and then realized the chak problem ahead of time, naturally).

So now I carry on their work. I feel…obligated to them in a weird way. They knew running from the dragons wasn’t a permanent solution. We have to turn and face and vanquish. That was the brave philosophy they put forth (which is kind of ironic considering how living underground could be misconstrued as burying your head in the sand!). I owe it to them to finish what they started—and this time, it’s personal. Ha! I actually meant that, but then realized how cliché it is… But it’s apt! So very apt! I guess this is how the cliché started in the first place!

Anyway, Primordus is first on my list because the bulk of the research here is focused on that dragon, but I recently hit upon a few nuggets of information on the beast in the Crystal Desert. The Exalted and the Novans shared a lot of tech, and I guess some dragon data as well. They were as concerned with Kralkatorrik as we were with Primordus. That’s because they were constructed by the Forgotten. Now, the Forgotten were dedicated to Glint. And Glint was a former Kralkatorrik…um…chief baddy? Champion? Yes. A champion who went rogue and tried to protect all peoples from the dragons (my type of lady!). After her death, they went to great efforts to ensure the safety of her legacy. And you know what a big piece of that legacy is? The egg!

I wonder if the commander would mind if I borrowed it from Tarir for a little testing here in the lab…

Wow, I gotta get ahold of myself. I bet that’s how Caithe’s logic worked when she took off with the egg in the first place! Okay, so maybe I can’t (or shouldn’t) physically get it here…but if there was some way to keep an eye on it… Hmmmm. This bears investigating.

Another gift from the Exalted is the ley map I mentioned earlier. Now that the fireworks show has slowed a little, I think I’ve noticed quite a bit of Mordremoth’s old energy sliding in one particular direction. I say “I think” because honestly the magic’s movement is still erratic enough that I can’t tell if it’s a pattern or not. Also, I don’t even know how reliable and accurate the map is. The evidence flowing in could be misleading… Once I get it dialed in, I think it might be time to craft a letter to the best dragon slayer I know. Hopefully, my research will do right by the Novans, and the commander and I will soon be able to turn and face and vanquish…