Zi'da 93, 718
The skies were dark as the final trial of Zi'da looked forward into Cylus. Snows had been dropping upon the entirety of the island for many trials now, and much of the population was enjoying the cleanliness and refreshing look. But for three individuals, the last thirty trials or so had come with one minor aspect unique to them.
There was a calling to them.
It came in different ways to each of them, and varied from trial to trial. Sometimes it felt like a pull in the direction of the Scalvoris, others had strange coincidences. Snippets of conversation would stand out, bits talking about the mountains, or heading in that direct, talking about following the call. It permeated their dreams, invaded their waking moments, and as time passed, it only grew in strength. Moving in a direction opposite of the call would increase the intensity, heighten the frequency of the coincidences.
And on this trial, the three individuals found themselves travelling to the mountains, together or separately, trudging through the snow. Thankfully, no more was falling, a clear and dark trial for the hike. Following the pull led them past a few tents in obscurely out of reach places, occupied by the suspicious Darbyton Rangers that watched over this particular path.
For this path led to the cave that was calling them.
Within the cave was a roaring fire and several individuals. One was a man in a feathered red cavalier hat, a fancy red jacket with a well tailored vest and shirt, crimson trousers and shiny boots. This was Hielor, the "discoverer" of this particular cave. He was well known for being quite proud of this discovery, despite his archaeological team having discovered exactly nothing about it.
The runes upon the walls in the unknown language had been studied for four seasons, and there had been no headway on deciphering them. There were a few researchers from the University, but nothing had progressed. The cave was spacious, warm, and busy. Newcomers were greeted openly. Several visitors had come and gone through the seasons and still, the cave was nothing more than a cave.
On the back of the cave, there were three stone hands extended from the wall. Much of the study was centered around them, for in Ashan they had grasped three other individuals for a moment, before releasing them. And since then, they'd been entirely inert.
And upon entering the cave, the pull focused upon these stone hands.