Alter Aeon The Great Library

Welcome to the Alter Aeon Historical Archive!

Note - as with any topic, researchers should question the reliability
and veracity of these texts.  The library's aim is to preserve
documents, not verify accuracy.

AABN:  47901
Title: a book entitled "Who Watches the Watchers?"

"Who Watches the Watchers", compiled and edited by the Esteemed Mages Guild of Naginag.

The oceans are of full mysteries, and the islands that dot them brim over
with mysteries as well. Tales abound of huge pyramids, invisible giants and
islands that vanish and re-appear in banks of fog. Doubtless many of these
stories are tall tales, yarns spun by bored sailors after months at sea.
However, mysteries abound, and strange artifacts can be found dotting
islands around the world.

The greatest mysterious artifacts of the ocean are undoubtedly the great
portals that link the Westering Isles to the mainland of Atmir. The portals
exist in pairs - one on eastern Sloe and one in western Kordan, one just
off the coat of eastern Kordan and one in west-central Archais, and one on
eastern Archais and one in central Ralnoth on the mainland. Each portal is
generated by a pair of massive pillars many times taller than a man. They
have few apparent markings. Time has worn away fine details. Little is
known of their origins, but the Zulians of Bandera Azul on Sloe have very
ancient legends of concerning their construction by giants. Given their
scale and apparent age, this is a plausible explanation.

In the Southern Ocean, giant statues known as "watch golems" have been
discovered. They are found singly or in groups, standing on stone platforms
on the shores of islands, or just off shore where they have toppled into
the shallows. They take the form of massive basalt statues carved in the
likeness of the head, shoulders, and torso of massive beings with elongated
features and small arms. Their eyes are outlined with coral. They cannot
move, but a spirit is bound to them, giving them awareness. A trained
handler can tap into their awareness, reviewing what they have observed
over the past few days, as well as extending their sight. It is thought
that the watch golems may have been left behind by a sea-faring branch of
the Giant Pyramid Builder civilization. Modern reef giants may be their
descendents.