1BB: False Trails
With practiced care, you begin creating a trail of archaeological breadcrumbs. Your centuries of knowledge about N'hava symbols allows you to craft messages that seem profound but lead away from true power. Each marking you leave feels like a small betrayal of your heritage, yet you know sometimes deception preserves greater truths.
You work through the morning, staying ahead of the settlers' investigation. A broken crystal here, pointing north toward barren caves. A half-buried piece of carved stone there, its symbols suggesting great discoveries in the opposite direction of the Underground Lake.
The professor discovers your first planted artifact within hours. His excitement is palpable as he documents the find, not realizing that the symbols he's so carefully copying are clever misdirections. The young woman's sketches now focus on your false trails rather than the true crystal formations.
By day's end, you've successfully led them on a winding path away from the Underground Lake. Their wagons are loaded with worthless fragments and misleading clues, and the professor's notes contain excitingly incorrect conclusions. Yet his partial understanding of some basic N'hava symbols concerns you – knowledge he must have gained from other sources.
As they depart, their voices carry tones of triumph despite their exhaustion. They believe they've made significant discoveries, unaware that you've orchestrated their entire experience. You've protected the true secrets of Kolob but created new mysteries that will require ongoing attention.
Tomorrow, you must watch how they share their “discoveries” with others in town and how your false trail shapes their understanding of Kolob's mysteries.
Truth and deception dance an eternal spiral. Choose your steps with care.