[Mage] Preface to an Adventure
Preface
"The cruelty of Man is as wonderous as Peru." -- Sweeney Todd
In early November 2005, Professor Frank Gates received a plain manila envelope at his Georgetown University office with no return address, but an international airmail stamp indicating a postmark in Cuzco, Peru. Gates knew that one of his colleagues had recently gone to Peru, but their trip had nothing to do with their common studies of ancient cultures or societies - it was simply a vacation to the ruins at Machu Picchu.
Inside the manila envelope were several ancient-looking Incan sigils and runes, printed on what he could only surmise was some type of dried skins. Upon first seeing them, Gates' breath caught in his throat. Nothing like it had been seen in centuries, if ever, and especially not from the tourist-ravaged ruins at Machu Picchu. No, if anything they looked like some bastardized version of Quechua, the ancient native language of the Incans. But for all his searching, Gates could not find anything resembling those symbols in the books at Georgetown's extensive library.
And his colleague never returned.
What's more, Gates began having strange dreams, the sort of dreams that eventually led to his Awakening. It was as if something in the sigils on those animal skins (at least he hoped they were animal) triggered the power in his soul to Awaken. And then, gazing upon the sigils with newly opened eyes, Gates finally recognized it - the Quechua runes were somehow infused with Atlantean influence. It was ever-so subtle, and impossible to tell what effect or meaning the newly combined symbols had, or who had created them. But Gates was a man who loved solving puzzles and decided to find out.
Fortunately, Gates was the type of professor that Georgetown had hired specifically for his globetrotting ways, and he was expected to plan an archaeological expedition for the following summer. Without hesitation, Gates chose Cusco, Peru. His research indicated that the Sacred Valley, a strip of land just outside Machu Picchu, might provide a clue to the origin of the sigils in his possession. While Machu Picchu had been picked apart both by explorers and tourists, the Sacred Valley remained mostly pristine and untouched.
He began to gather sponsorship, both from Murphy Law and the Guild, recruited assistance from the university, and planned the trip to the last detail. But first, he would have to go alone to scout the area. No...not alone. He would take someone to keep the beat - someone he trusted. Isabel Michaels, Adamantine Arrow and a friend. Once she was on board, they were off to the mountainous jungles of Peru...
"The cruelty of Man is as wonderous as Peru." -- Sweeney Todd
In early November 2005, Professor Frank Gates received a plain manila envelope at his Georgetown University office with no return address, but an international airmail stamp indicating a postmark in Cuzco, Peru. Gates knew that one of his colleagues had recently gone to Peru, but their trip had nothing to do with their common studies of ancient cultures or societies - it was simply a vacation to the ruins at Machu Picchu.
Inside the manila envelope were several ancient-looking Incan sigils and runes, printed on what he could only surmise was some type of dried skins. Upon first seeing them, Gates' breath caught in his throat. Nothing like it had been seen in centuries, if ever, and especially not from the tourist-ravaged ruins at Machu Picchu. No, if anything they looked like some bastardized version of Quechua, the ancient native language of the Incans. But for all his searching, Gates could not find anything resembling those symbols in the books at Georgetown's extensive library.
And his colleague never returned.
What's more, Gates began having strange dreams, the sort of dreams that eventually led to his Awakening. It was as if something in the sigils on those animal skins (at least he hoped they were animal) triggered the power in his soul to Awaken. And then, gazing upon the sigils with newly opened eyes, Gates finally recognized it - the Quechua runes were somehow infused with Atlantean influence. It was ever-so subtle, and impossible to tell what effect or meaning the newly combined symbols had, or who had created them. But Gates was a man who loved solving puzzles and decided to find out.
Fortunately, Gates was the type of professor that Georgetown had hired specifically for his globetrotting ways, and he was expected to plan an archaeological expedition for the following summer. Without hesitation, Gates chose Cusco, Peru. His research indicated that the Sacred Valley, a strip of land just outside Machu Picchu, might provide a clue to the origin of the sigils in his possession. While Machu Picchu had been picked apart both by explorers and tourists, the Sacred Valley remained mostly pristine and untouched.
He began to gather sponsorship, both from Murphy Law and the Guild, recruited assistance from the university, and planned the trip to the last detail. But first, he would have to go alone to scout the area. No...not alone. He would take someone to keep the beat - someone he trusted. Isabel Michaels, Adamantine Arrow and a friend. Once she was on board, they were off to the mountainous jungles of Peru...