Ma'Henrith Caverns

In Lormesta 5125, an exhibit of Sylvankind artifacts unearthed by Relian Degaloth Illistim from Ma'Henrith Caverns were briefly put on display at Museum Alerreth of Ta'Illistim.

A copy of the exhibit as viewed on Lormesta 26, 5125 is below:

[Museum Alerreth, Upper Landing - ] (u13122201)
Copper railings line the inner edge of the platform landing that connects the two elevated halves of the building, providing a slatted view down onto the main floor of the museum below.  Along the outside wall, beveled plates of veined alabaster marble contrast with the glass front and ceiling of the museum.  Centered in the space is a square tile stamped with the image of an unfurled scroll.  A staircase with matching banisters leads down to the lower exhibits.  You also see a prominent walkway leading to a special exhibition.
Obvious exits: south, west

>go walk
[Museum Alerreth, Exhibition - ] (u13122501)
The simple, pared back lines of the museum are complemented by the signage and design of the current special exhibition.  A temporary wall, paneled in a backlit sheer of silvery gauze, is hung with a large banner and a prominent sign.  More focused lighting highlights the objects on display in a case, and the slender font set behind a velvet rope.  You also see a demilune refreshments cart with some stuff on it, a long copper drinks bar with some stuff on it and a wood-framed sheet of ecru-washed vellum set upon a tall wisteria-draped easel.
Obvious exits: northeast, out

>read sign
In the Common language, it reads:

The discovery of the Ma'Henrith Caverns was a turning point in the scholarly life of Relian Degaloth (3931-4980) and in our understanding of the secretive sylvan culture.  The objects within this exhibition originate within a combination of collections held by the Museum Alerreth and the Library Aies.  In many cases, items on display have been reunited for the first time since their discovery in 4955, allowing a rare chance to experience the full extent of the Ma'Henrith Cavern artifactual assemblage.

As there are ritual objects and remains on display, respect is requested.

>l banner
The banner is lettered in cloth-of-silver, with a ground of black silk.  Silver wire trees frame the lettering, standing out starkly against the background.
There appears to be something written on it.

>read banner
In the Common language, it reads:

Ma'Henrith Caverns: A Retrospective
>l font
The tall, thin stone column supports a basin of pearly white alabaster.  Vines and berries are carved into the column, making it appear to have grown out of the ground.  The basin is gilded along its sides, lending a golden glow to the soft stone interior.  A velvet rope surrounds the font, and a small copper plaque is suspended from the rope.

>l case
The majority of the case is taken up with the broken length of an alabaster bough.  A focused light shines on it, as well as on a glass phial filled with sand and a delicate mithril chain, which is coiled into a sloped pyramid.

>l in case
In the glass case:
Special [3]: a broken alabaster bough, a glass phial filled with sand, a delicate mithril chain
Total items: 3

>look at bough
The elongated limb is finely carved with lifelike bark and tiny offshoots and leaflets.  The alabaster from which it's been made is a soft cream, shot through with gilded veining.  A violent, sharp edge demarcates the place where the bough was clearly cleaved from a larger piece.  A small copper plaque is affixed nearby.

>read bough
In the Common language, it reads:
This artifact is one of several within the a collection gifted to the Library Aies by Relian Degaloth, researcher.  The alabaster is of particularly fine quality.  The species replicated in this instance is a faewood, a tree associated with Imaera.  Note the way in which the natural veins of gold have been utilized to emphasize the texture of the bark.

>look at phial
The tiny glass phial is filled with a volume of pure white sand.  Next to the phial is the tiny cap of alabaster that previously closed the container.  The piece has been arranged to show a delicate curl of scroll partially emerging from the sand.  A few small block letters written on the scroll are legible.  Nearby is a small copper plaque.

>read phial
In the Common language, it reads:
Within the Ma'Henrith Caverns there were small containers as well as the more well-known amphorae.  This example was found inserted into a bole in a carved 'tree' within the cavern.  Its placement, outside of the previously assumed standard arrangement of artifacts, led to a re-examination of the site. This resulted in the addition of a sub-assemblage of many phials and philters found hidden in the 'trunks' and 'boughs'.

>look at chain
The chain is a looped coil of alternating links and round garnet beads.  Dangling from it is a mithril medallion.  A small copper plaque sits nearby.

>read chain
In the Common language, it reads:
This chain matches the description of those worn by members of the Sylvan High Council.  The mithril medallion bears the inscription of a single maple leaf on its outer face, and a written inscription on its inner face.

>ne
[Museum Alerreth, Exhibition - ] (u13122502)
The chamber is lit dimly, save for several brighter lights that shine on a glass case and vitrine.  Underfoot, the tiled floor is smooth and worn with age, and the railing overlooks a view of the larger museum below.
Obvious exits: east, southwest

>l cas
Within the case, and set atop a green-painted plinth, a wooden fox figurine surveys the extent of its domain.  Close by, a pale rose alabaster amphora and its associated scroll are arranged to best display their colors, both soft and bright.

>l in cas
In the glass case:
Special [2]: a pale rose alabaster amphora, a wooden fox figurine
Total items: 2

>look at figurine
The figurine is stylized, more the impression of a fox than a specific fox itself.  It is painted a soft, matte red, and a single spot of white tips its tail.  The fox sits next to the amphora it was removed from, which is a rose alabaster, carved with scenes of apple trees.  A copper plaque is placed nearby.

>read figurine
In the Common language, it reads:
This figurine was part of a rare 'double-stack', wherein an amphora contained both an artifact and a document.  The figurine shows evidence of handling, with particular wear across the back and on the bottoms of its feet.  The ritual purpose of this particular object is unknown, but more than one fox figure of this sort was recovered, indicating some larger cultic or religious purpose.

>look at amphora
The stone vessel has been emptied.  Sitting alongside it in the vitrine is an unwound scroll.  Illuminated lettering fills the page, and marginalia of tiny foxes and hares peek out from behind the text.  Nearby is a small copper plaque.

>read amphora
In the Common language, it reads:
Individual amphora within the collection vary in their decoration.  Most carving concerns flora or fauna, but the motifs depicted on a given amphora are not rigidly associated with the motifs of their contents.  In this case, the amphora is decorated with apple trees, while the parchment within is styled with foxes and other woodland creatures.  The text of the document is a series of poems, largely centered around the adventures of a kit and his companion, a leveret.

>look at railing
The railing is decorated with flowers and vines.  The green parts of each floral piece are constructed from verdigrised copper and the petals and blossoms from blown glass.  Below, the lower platform of the museum is visible.

>peer rail
Leaning close to the copper railing, you peer over it and see...

[Museum Alerreth, Lower Platform - ] (u13122502)
High above, the open ceiling of the converted airship depot has been refitted with glass panes, each of which is set into a curving framework of verdigris copper and coffered tiles.  The lower hall, with its metallic archways branching into secluded chambers, sits largely open to a view of the windows, as well as to glimpses of the railings that line the elevated second story galleries.  Three steps lead downwards towards the glassed end of the building and a demilunar entry.
Obvious exits: east

>e
[Museum Alerreth, Exhibition - ] (u13122503)
The space is almost entirely taken up by a mounted parchment map.
Obvious exits: east, west

>l map
The map has been mounted for conservation purposes, but a great deal of damage has already been done.  The edges are tattered.  A sharp rend obliterates a whole area that might have once matched the tiny trees visible at its torn edges.  The parchment itself is friable and sepia with age. Despite all this, most of the map is decipherable, as are the legend in the lower left corner, and the scrawled signature in the lower right.  A small copper plaque has been set nearby.

>read map
In the Common language, it reads:
This is an original Ransefel Map of Sylvia, cartography by Sistryni Ransefel and signed by the same.  One of only a few surviving original examples, this map was instrumental in opening up the route between Ta'Illistim and the now-abandoned city of Ithnishmyn.  This copy was gifted to the Library Aies by Ransefel as part of the copyright agreement that granted The Ransefel Press sole rights to publication and distribution.

>e
[Museum Alerreth, Exhibition - ] (u13122504)
A glass display, laid out lengthwise to show off its contents, rests within the space of the museum where the building curves to accommodate a large copper strut.  Focused lighting highlights the objects inside the display, and a softer light shines upwards on the metal ribbing of the museum, lending a gentle, green-gradient glow off of the verdigrised copper.
Obvious exits: southeast, west

>look at display
A cloak of overlapping leaves is laid out within the display at full length, save for one edge, which is turned over to better show off the lining.  A leather and wood badge, with similar motifs, is set alongside, raised up on a small platform.

>look at cloak
The cloak is a gradient of reds, oranges, and golds.  Each leaf is backed by a bit of leather, and the entire assemblage patchworked together into a sweep of autumnal hues.  The cloak is arranged in the vitrine to show off its full glory, but in doing so, it also reveals a ragged tear along the left breast, and an old, dried stain of brownish blood.  A small copper plaque is placed nearby.

>read cloak
In the Common language, it reads:
This cloak was taken from the field at the Battle of Harradahn, a critical point in the war against Despana and her undead armies.  It is a cloak of the Eranishal, the elite archers and scouts of the sylvan army.  Led by Oriahn Delsechal, the Eranishal went on to help in the Battle of Maelshyve Keep, before returning to their hidden city and being seen no more.

>look in cloak
There is nothing in the cloak.

>look at struture
The massive copper support is lined with large bolts.  It stretches across the ceiling and partway down the wall, where it joins with the rest of the metallic framework of the building.  A faint patina of greenish verdigris tinges its surface.


>se
[Museum Alerreth, Exhibition - ] (u13122505)
Focused lights shine on the interiors of a narrow glass vitrine and a glass case.
Obvious exits: southwest, northwest

>look at vitrine
The entirety of the case has been given way to a single amphora and its contents, a fragile parchment.

>look at parchment
The parchment sits next to its amphora of origin.  A small copper plaque is affixed to the vitrine.

>read parchment
In the Common language, it reads:
The Pale Parchment, sometimes referred to as Degaloth's Folly, was one of the first documents recovered and deposited with the Library Aies.  Though claimed upon discovery to be covered in ciphered glyphs, when the parchment arrived in Ta'Illistim, it was wholly blank.  This oddity was used for many years as evidence of fraud on Degaloth's part, with his rivals claiming that later items were forged, and this first parchment was merely a failed forgery, from which he turned to better techniques.

>look at case
The interior of the case contains an angled surface and a flat one.  Upon the slant, arranged to be more easily read, is an illuminated manuscript.  Its amphora rests close by, more securely stored.

>look in case
In the glass case:
Special [2]: an illuminated manuscript, a bulbous alabaster amphora
Total items: 2

>look at manuscript
The parchment document is decorated with flourishes and intricate colored borders.  Three columns of text go down the page.  The leftmost column is written in a delicate, swooping hand.  The rightmost column is written in short, blocky glyphs.  The center column is written in a simple copperplate.  A small plaque is placed alongside.

>read manuscript
In the Common language, it reads:
All three texts on this manuscript, sylvan, common, and dwarven, speak to the same event, a trade deal involving moving large quantities of raw malachite from a dwarven mine to the sylvan city.  Malachite was central to the worship of Goseana, as practiced by the sylvan cults to her.  The document appears to be translations of a contract, though it is unsigned, so either the deal did not occur, or this was a draft of some sort.

>look at amphora
The rounded amphora has been emptied of its contents.  Sitting alongside is an inscribed mithril tablet.  A small copper plaque has been placed near both items.

>read amphora
In the Common language, it reads:
The source of sylvan mithril has been a subject of debate amongst scholars. There is little evidence that the sylvan of Nevishrim and earlier cities engaged in mining on a large enough scale to supply the many mithril arms, armor, and goods that they produced.  This tablet is the strongest evidence for a formalized relationship between the sylvan city of Ithnishmyn and the dwarves of Kalaza.

>sw
[Museum Alerreth, Exhibition - ] (u13122506)
Behind a velvet rope, a hard-sided chest is filled with a quantity of beads.  Carefully angled light sparkles on the glassy beads, casting a pattern of colorful refractions across the base of a nearby display case.  The space around both features in this part of the museum is closed-in and intentionally made visually quieter through carefully hung swags and swathes of black silk.
Obvious exits: northeast, west

>look at chest
The chest itself is a pretty piece of kit, with simple lines, a domed lid, and copper foliate strapwork.  Within the chest, however, is the real focus of the exhibit -- hundreds upon hundreds of small, glassworked beads.  They vary in color, though most are of a similar size.  Some are smooth and polished, while others are rough globules of glass, with something grey and nacreous at the centers.  A small copper plaque is affixed to the velvet rope that blocks off access to the chest.

>read chest
In the Common language, it reads:
This cache of rivelyn, or sylvan crematory beads, was found buried within the Ma'Henrith Caverns under a stand of three carmlin 'trees'.  This is the largest such quantity of rivelyn found to date.

>look in chest
In the hard-sided chest:
Special [1]: a massive quantity of beads
Total items: 1

>look at beads
There are far too many to count.

>look at case
You see nothing unusual.

>look in case
In the display case:
Special [2]: a diminutive pair of carved malachite wings, a series of vaalin rings
Total items: 2

>look at wings
The wings are carved similarly, with overlapping, almost round scapulars, short sweeping coverts, and long, finely detailed primaries.  Each wing is no larger than an almond.  The wings have been set partially upright on tiny metal stands, and a series of mirrors reflects the carvings and inscriptions on their posterior, concave sides.  A small copper plaque sits in the case.

>read wings
In the Common language, it reads:
These amulets are part of the athgosael, a death ritual favored by sylvan devotees of Gosaena. In a three part ceremony, wings such as these are placed over the eyes of the deceased before interment.

>look at rings
The vaalin rings are connected to delicate chains of braided silver, which are in turn connected to a central handflower comprised of a large amber cabochon.  A single tiny flower forms the inclusion at the center of the roundel.  A copper plaque sits nearby.

>read rings
In the Common language, it reads:
This handflower is an example of sylvan mourning jewelry.  Amber, representing Imaera's tears, is shaped and worn as jewelry and adornments in the hair.  The flower at the center of the largest amber in this piece has been identified as a white blaestonberry.

>w
[Museum Alerreth, Exhibition - ] (u13122507)
The massive stretched deerskin that takes up one wall of the exhibit is lit with a diffuse, though clear, light.  Opposite, a display of larger, scaled-up paintings of some of the details of the deerskin's imagery encourages a closer look than conservation measures allow with the actual artifact.
Obvious exits: east, west

>look at deerskin
The main composition is the life of one sylvan woman.  Her birth shows her emerging from a tree, her childhood shows her playing beneath it, and her marriage shares the same tree as a backdrop.  The circular composition continues, showing her leading small versions of herself to the tree, then bent and wizened, leaning upon it, and finally, deceased, being placed within it.  A central medallion is a finely painted doe of overlapping leaves and twisting vines.  A plaque is nearby.

>read deerskin
In the Common language, it reads:
The individual depicted on this life scene is unknown.  It is believed to represent a general conception of a sylvan life, from birth to death, as a continuing, unending cycle.  The doe symbol in the middle of the piece is a reference to Imaera.  The skin was found, rolled, in one of the largest amphora in Ma'Henrith Caverns. Removing the painting required breaking the vessel, and the rim sherd shown here alongside indicates how large the amphora was.
>w

[Museum Alerreth, Exhibition - ] (u13122508)
The final display in the exhibition is simple and stark, a pile of rolled scrolls and a series of empty amphorae.  The amphorae stretch out in rows and columns, filling the vast space.  Their numbers are massive, almost incomprehensible.  Tucked back out of the way, a simple arch leads out of the exhibition.
Obvious exits: east

>look at scrolls
The scrolls are piled carefully, though they are of different sizes and materials.  The fabric of some has gone slightly tinged with age, while others seem as new.  Bits of writing and images of glyphs and flowers peek out from a few scrolls.  A copper plaque is placed nearby.

>read scrolls
In the Common language, it reads:
Countless scholars have used the scrolls of Ma'Henrith Caverns to further their research.  This particular subset of the collection is concerned with evidence of contact between elves and sylvan following the Battle of of ShadowGuard.

>look at amphorae
There are hundreds, maybe thousands of amphorae.  All are shaped from alabaster, though the hues of the vessels differ.  Some are a creamy yellow, others starkly white, with the occasional pinkish or bluish amphora thrown in.  Every single one is empty.  A prominent copper plaque sits nearby.

>read amphorae
In the Common language, it reads:
It was the work of researcher Relian Degaloth's life to catalogue the contents of the Ma'Henrith Caverns.  The amphorae and scrolls displayed here represent only a small fraction of the total recovered from the site.  Discoveries in the fields of herbalism and medicine, literature, religious studies, and history have come from Degaloth's research.  Today, scholars from the Library Aies and the Museum Alerreth continue to make use of the collection in teaching and further study.

>look at arch
You see nothing unusual.

>go arch
[Museum Alerreth, Exhibition - ] (u13122501)
The simple, pared back lines of the museum are complemented by the signage and design of the current special exhibition.  A temporary wall, paneled in a backlit sheer of silvery gauze, is hung with a large banner and a prominent sign.  More focused lighting highlights the objects on display in a case, and the slender font set behind a velvet rope.  You also see a demilune refreshments cart with some stuff on it, a long copper drinks bar with some stuff on it and a wood-framed sheet of ecru-washed vellum set upon a tall wisteria-draped easel.
Obvious exits: northeast, out

>look on cart
On the refreshments cart:
Food/Drink [7]: a crispy bar of dried apricots diced together with raisins and apples, a goat cheese-filled date skewered with a sprig of rosemary, a stuffed mushroom cap filled with a savory mixture of spices and cheese, a small square tart of golden egg and cheese, an herb-roasted tomato stuffed with rice and lightly blistered, a skewer of fire-roasted so'enoorkra with a light sprinkle of sea salt, a smoky bacon-wrapped scallop lightly kissed with rosemary
Total items: 7

>look on bar
On the drinks bar:
Food/Drink [3]: a goblet of vivid garnet mourvedre with a thin plum wedge, a slender flute of pale gold champagne with a vanilla bean stirrer, a tall glass of herbaceous pear juice
Total items: 3