A strange find on Bhuna Sound IV

Due to a rather strange turn of events, I am currently excavating an interesting site in the swamps of Bhuna Sound IV. The research is still on-going, but if it sounds interesting I can keep you all updated through my log.


Excerpts from the Log of Paul Luz:

Y14 D65

Finding honest, skilled cargo pilots is no small task. Nor is trying to attract them away from their free-wheeling lifestyles and onto the payroll of Golan Technologies, but this was my assignment. Luckily, Galactic politics has a way of freeing up some good pilots looking for a safer line of work and I was able to hire some of them. As the Kleonaut, my JV-7, was exiting the gravity well and preparing the jump to hyperspace we encountered some strange magnetic activity, possibly from an odd solar flare. One of the pilots, a Toydarian named Natalya Swiftflight, attempted to make quick repairs. We needed to get home safe, but also as on time as possible!
The navigation systems were readjusted and we made it back to the Bhuna Sound system in relative safety. With a sudden bought of turbulence we exited hyperspace a few hundred miles off course, and it only grew worse the more farther we flew. Pilot Swiftflight and another pilot, a Wookie by the name of Sarli Pong, continued repairs and asked me to take the controls. Unable to make it to our intended destination, I decided to set her down on Bhuna Sound 4 and got permission to land at Zyric, a flat city builf on the grassland. The ship, however, was uncooperative, and I was forced to land in the nearby swamp land. We have enough rations to last us a while, and the spaceport authorities in Zyric could come looking for us, hopefully the emergency mayday signal was one of the systems that were undamaged. In the meantime, we will continue to try and make repairs enough to get us to the city.


Y14 D66

While we face no risk of sinking further into the swamp, the muddy water seems to have found its way into some scrapes in the hull. Lacking sufficient tools and a professional repairman, it does not look like we have a good chance of flying out of here. Thankfully, we were spotted by speeders on patrol from the city, but due to high winds and the tick foliage they were unable to send down supplies or personnel. We managed to get the short-range commlink functioning, and the officers informed us of a clearer area a kilometer or so away. We met them there and explained our situation. They left us with some supplies, and went for an able repairman. On our way back to the wreck we noticed something very peculiar: a decent sized boulder nearly covered in small vine plants, but visible were worn symbols carved into it, some many centuries ago, maybe millennia by the looks of them. They were not basic, but I was unaware of any cultures who did not speak basic that settled in this sector. It has a rather unremarkable history. What was more intriguing was that they were not symbols I recognized! I was able to return to the ship and use the new supplies to establish a Holonet connection, which I used to show my friend Dr. Daran Fel pictures I had taken of the inscriptions, unable to contain my excitement. He seemed eager to solve my mystery, and promised to get back to me tomorrow with his findings. I know if anyone could decipher them, it would be him.
With any luck, the repairman should be arriving tomorrow, and as relieved as I am to get these repairs done I am more looking forward to doing some minor excavation around the boulder site. I can hardly sleep! I only wish I had some better tools with me or some colleagues from the Scholar’s Guild with me to assist. I did not anticipate doing any research on this errand.


Y14 D67

The repairman arrived, and Ms. Swiftflight stayed with him to work on the ship. The first assessment was that the damage was not bad in itself, but the soaking in swamp water did not help the situation any. It could take a few days to clean and dry the systems out, which I secretly was overjoyed to hear. I took the other pilots and the few security officers that accompanied me on the out-of-sector errand back out to the site. It appeared that the area was in a bit of a bowl, so we first took some of the basic tools from the ships emergency kit (shovels and axes) and began to cut down some small trees to dam up some of the water sources, and dig drainage trenches to direct the standing water away. As the water finally receded after a few minor setbacks involving dam leaks, it became apparent that there was more there. Several formations of timber in what seemed to be foundations of walls of some kind began to stick out from the muck. I have recorded what we have found today in the drawing below. The grey circle is the boulder, and the brown lines are what we believe to be the bottoms of walls, preserved by the water. The red dashed lines are where we have reason to believe walls were, but what we found has not been 100% confirmation that our theory is correct. If I had to guess, I would say the outer walls might have been a primitive palisade of sorts, with the rock near the entrance. The walls inside the palisade are likely structures. Hopefully was the water drains and we clear some of the muck the nature, inhabitants, and purpose of this settlement will become clear.
Speaking of becoming clear, Dr. Fel did manage to contact us today, however he could not answer our questions as of yet. At a glace, the characters seem to be a form of pictograph, but the symbols do not resemble other pictograph systems we have recorded from the ancient times. Dating the site, he said, would greatly help his efforts, but I do not know how to do that, not with these tools. I am a hobbyist anthropologist, not an archaeologist, but I do my best. He said he would try and contact a few experts and give them out coordinates. I would more than welcome the help, as my staff will have to return to work as soon as Golan can send some transport for them. I intend to use some personal days to work a little more with the site.



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Y14 D67

The repairs to my The Kleonaut have been completed. I was able to fly my crew to the city, where they found rides to report for duty. Unable to do much more work alone, I decided to visit the archives to examine some local history, but unsurprisingly there was little there. There was some prospecting done there some years ago, but nothing was found and the prospectors soon moved on. At first it would make sense that it would be a small station for the prospectors, but the pictographs would make so sense in that context, there would be no need for them to erect a monument, especially in a very archaic or unfamiliar language. Dr. Fel is bringing some experts in a few days, and so I can resume the excavations then. Until then I will gather supplies, better tools, and see if I can’t find a thing or two in the archives that won’t shed a little light on the situation.

Y14 D69

My good friend Dr. Fel arrived much quicker than I expected in a shiny new YT- 2000 “research grants” he explained. If this is what scholasticism is like, I can see myself getting out of the weapons business and being an academic… Anyway, he introduced me to his friends: a Corellian archaeologist named Dr. Winchief and a Kubaz historian named Dr. Mithador. Dr. Winchief was a professor at some university, and had brought some students of his to help with the work, but Dr. Mithador mostly kept to himself although his interest was plain. I briefed them on what had happened up until that point over lunch and were all very excited with the mystery of it all. I was more than happy to fly them out to the site after lunch, but we had decided not to begin work until the next morning. The ship flew very well, and I am grateful to have it back in good condition. Upon arriving at the site, we noticed that dam had held and the waters had receded more as the mud solidified. One of the students noticed a large stone ring in the corner between the two internal structures, and we could not help ourselves in starting early as we began digging around the ring, being careful to sift the mud for small artifacts. It was determined that this was, too, a foundation for a building, but a more important or earlier one as it was stone and the others were just wood. We found some bone fragments in the mud which indicated that the new building was either a trash pit, fire pit, or perhaps a storehouse for meat. It is my hope that more artifacts turn up in the coming days as I only have so many personal days to take off of work, and guns don’t sell themselves.

I'm interested, post more.

Of course, I expect Sith relics and zombies !

Y14 D70

Our first full day of work as a team was very productive. I decided to stay at the Library with Fel and Mithador as they tried to decipher the writing, though I has constantly checking for updates from the team sifting through the mud on site. It appeared as though the writing, though ancient, was written at two separate times. I have included this below, with my markings of the two different eras marked A and B. We determined this by observing how worn the top was than the bottom.

[again, I cannot get this forum to use images]

We debated heavily about the various interpretations of the symbols over lunch, with Dr. Mithador convinced that the first symbol was an explosion caused by invading ships (the ships being the triangle symbols, and Dr. Fel and myself very sure it was a crown, symbolizing royalty launching an armada. These two view points were the launch pads for two very different interpretations. The radio alerted us to an update from the field: the bones in the stone room were definitely animal bones of local game, and there were traces of small fire pits, not large enough to cook animals of the size we found remnants of. It is their hypothesis, and I am agreeing with them, that it must have been a smokehouse. This demonstrated a lack of basic appliances, even for far removed times. A preliminary date on the bones sets the site at about 9,000 years ago. Seeing as these sentients did not have much to work with, we can guess they were poor, or in a hurry.

Y14 D71

There was a major breakthrough at the site today! Chemical examination of the wooden walls, both internal and external, showed high concentrations of charcoal, even though the wood had been smoothed over by the water. This would hint that that site had been burnt down. Tragic though it may be, it is a breakthrough none the less! Of course, this gives more credence to the theories of Dr. Mithador, which I will explain here as I am coming around to his ideas. First, the earlier half was written when whoever it was arrived, and largely depicts why they came: refugees from military invasions. These people (we are calling them “Swampies” around the site) made it out in one ship, and it looks like a nice one but this is just a conjecture, and proceeded to establish or “plant” a home, survive and grow, like the growing tree symbol. The bow and what looks like a field might symbolize their lifestyle.
Likewise, the second half was carved by those under stress, possibly after the village was destroyed, as it shows the same ships as before coming to the tree, then the explosion. The last symbol is still confusing, but the square might be the village itself, with the monolith or ship (I don’t know which) marking something of importance outside the palisade. I think Dr. Fel is beginning to buy the theory, but he is exhausting every resource before admitting defeat. While the mud is still being cleared away, tomorrow I will try and rent some prospecting equipment to scan the surrounding areas in hope I can find whatever is marked on the stone.


Y 14 D 72

Dr. Winchief has determined that whatever happened to the village, it took any artifacts it had with it, with the exception of a few arrowheads and a spear head. The village was mostly dig out today and charted, and charcoal was found every where. With this at the end, we were able to secure some smaller scanners. The only problem was that the rock was not a map: it had no markings or orientation, so we have no idea as to which direction to start looking in. The most logical plan at this point is to scan in expanding circles around the site. The first few scans found a few more arrowheads, and a curved piece of wood. This could be a bow, or an interesting stick, I shouldn’t get a head of myself. Time will tell!

Fascinating! Do continue!

Y 14 D73

I stayed up very late last night working with this odd piece we found with the scanners. It was on the same level with the ground level from the site, so we can say with strong certainty that it is from the same period, and given the seclusion of the site, it is probably related to the swampies. It has some notches on it, which hints that it once had a string of some kind attached to it, but Dr. Fel suggested that it could be an instrument of some kind. While I find this improbable, it does mean that I cannot jump to conclusions still. What we found next was perhaps the most exciting find yet, however! There was WRITING on the “bow”. These were not the pictographs found on the boulder, mind you, but writing, with characters. At first glance, they seem to be a form of proto-Durese, or some mix of Durese and a native tongue. Perhaps it is possible then that these people were a race that was discovered by Duros and somehow absorbed parts of their culture, including language, back in their history! Dr. Fel and our Kubaz associate will continue to work on the project while Dr. Winchief and his team continues the scanning. It is a slow job, but it is best to be thorough!
I was called away today by an order of Pr-Gs and some crates of Knucklers to Derra, well, to some merchants who are preparing to go sell around the Durra area as hunters of all kinds attempt to clean up and clean out the aftermath of the chaos in that area. While I am out, I might as well try and stop by Duro and see if I can’t find a library still standing on the surface. If the Duros people did discover and settle among these people before they came here, I might be able to discover who they were, or what the writing says.

Y 14 D 83

I arrived at Duro and encountered the usual reception of the local CorSec authorities: a closed door. They apparently found my story suspicious, and would not allow me to the surface, where the early Duros records would be. I was not, however, sent away. I was able to spend a day or two among the local population, which has long since abandoned the surface in favor of stations and ship yards orbiting their planet. They seemed very interested in the developments I reported, although their elders could not recall any settlements in that area of the galaxy, but admitted that much of the history has been lost to strife. My recent work with their reformed High House meant that I was in the good graces of the Duros, and I was directed to a certain young one who had found work with CorSec prospecting on the planet’s surface. My race kept me from being able to impersonate an officer long enough for him to shuttle me down, but he did hatch a plan to stow me in the a storage compartment on his next trip down.
That trip was on day 81. He dropped me in the ruins of the capital city of Ranadaast, and told me he could help me no further and would come back to check on me in a few days time. I was advised not to use the radio, as it would be picked up by the authorities. I have found the archives, and have been searching through them as I am able.

Y 14 D 84

These articles are hard to sift through, and I am eager to return to the site, or to get any news at all. It is my hope that my pilot, who will remain anonymous for his own safety, will bring me some word from Dr. Fel, but I did not exactly leave instructions for him to do that.
Duros never had any settlements in or near the Yushan sector, from my studies, which makes sense. The next theory is that it would be a race that was heavily influenced by the Duro culture. Unfortunately the logs of any explorers that might have been in the area have been lost, or at least I can’t find them. Ever an industrious people, I was able to find some trade ledgers between some trade companies and Jiroch-Reslia, a planet in the Jiroch system, not too far from Bhuna Sound. I am still trying to decipher exactly what was traded, as these handwritten records have not been treated well by time.

Y 14 D 85


The pilot checked in today, and informed me that some communication was received from the crew on Bhuna Sound IV. I hurriedly stuffed by bag with as many journals and volumes as I could, and copied files to a datapad. I have full intention of returning these to the ruined archives, but these would be needed. They are probably best studied in a controlled environment, and not in the rubble. The news was very good indeed! They had found whatever the marking indicated was outside the city! It appears, upon first scans to be located in an underground chamber, or buried shelter a kilometer or so from the settlement, in a clearer area of the swamp. It is also possible it is connected to an old cave we detected nearby, but the area was too flooded and overgrown to explore, and the crew will begin to dig straight down to whatever it is. Odd bone fragments have been found, but we cannot identify what they were from. The lack of cuts and the presence of burnt material forming craters in the layers of soil hint that whatever was here, they met their end by bombing. They noted that the settlement did not appear bombed out, but burnt, and our first theory is that the bombing ignited the forest which spread to the settlement.
I was again smuggled from the surface of Duros, and boarded my own ship to head back to the Yushan sector. I offered one of the elder Duros the opportunity to return with me, but she doubted that she would be much help. Whatever we found, it was not Duros.


Y 14 D 86

The was precious little to do in hyperspace but to look over the files I had taken from the old Ranadaast archives. The characters on the artifact are not Durese, as previously noted, but seem very similar. It appears that the engraving was done in an imitation of a Duro dialect, as if someone who did not know the language simply tried to mimic the letters, maybe portraying a very basc understanding of the alphabet. The flourishes of a common formal font seem to have been mistaken for parts of the letters themselves, and over done, distorting the letters. My best guess is that the engraving is meant to be read as “ KLI[letters illegible]N CHI[intelligible]” or something very similar. These are not words in the Duro tongue, as far as I know.
As far as the ledgers go, I am certain that whoever the Duros were trading with were not too industrialized. There are no receipts other than Duro-written records, and no record of currency exchange rates that usually accompany inter-cultural trade. What is clear is that whatever was bought was expensive, probably a luxury good, which by process of elimination would imply a native craft, or hunting trophies. Something that was not produced in factories or en masse. It is also possible that the natives here seen as a hirable population, sentient capital. What the Duros would need a primitive culture for that they could not do themselves, I can not tell you. Whatever it was for, it indicated that the natives were very specialized in whatever they did or made. Records drop off after three centuries or so, and never pick up until the Avance Coalition establishes itself in the sector. Judging by what we have found at the site, it may be safe to say that whomever the Duro merchants traded with, they were wiped out by something, and it was not the Duro people. I believe at this point we can also rule out the Empire. If they had exterminated a race, they would have made it known.

I'm still reading your proceedings .

Much obliged! I am still editing some more!

((It will resolve in a few days!))

Continually fascinating, please continue when you can Mr Luz

Y 14 D 90

I arrived back at the site today. They had found more of the odd bone fragments, but still could not tell me what they were from. Winchief informed me that they had reached the top of whatever was underground, and found out something astonishing: it was indeed crafted by sentient hands! They found sticks and logs laid in a grid pattern, forming what appeared to be a roof! Whatever was buried, it was buried intentionally, and seemingly untouched from whatever tragedy befell the surface settlement. They had waited until I got there to open the chamber, for which I was very grateful. My large size inhibited me from actually climbing into the pit, for fear my weight would collapse the roof, so I waited eagerly at the surface as the crew climbed down. They slowly removed the dirt and mud between the beams, and pulled out the smaller sticks. A female human crewmember was asked to tie into a rope system and be lowered into the dark pit in order to see exactly what the supports looked like, and if we could safely remove more of them. She agreed and we gave her a helmet with a holocam and a light, and pulled up the live feed on a holopad.
The feed was very dim, but we believed we saw support beams still intact, so we decided it was safe to open a larger hole and send more people down. We ran out of daylight while digging, so we took shifts working through the night.

Y14 D91

I awoke in the morning to find a good sized hole cut out of the earth. The crew had to carefully cut through rock, so it is now believed that we were digging into a chamber of the nearby cave. What we saw below was astounding. Amid debris was what appeared to my untrained eye to be an early version of a Corelliean ship, possibly an ancestor of the Barloz-class! We are guessing whoever used it flew it in and out from the cave’s mouth, so we were eager to begin to excavate the cave area, even if it meant delaying exploration of the ship, but don’t you think I didn’t have my eye on it…
Among the debris we found remains of cloth and what appeared to be tools, though now a little too eroded or decayed to distinguish what they may have been. Bones were found around the area, but were scattered and showed signs of being prey to scavengers. We believe this to be post mortem, but we sent them to the team on the surface to organize, analyze, and identify them. What fascinated me the most were the inscriptions on the cave wall itself: they were in the same alphabet as was on the “bow”, but much better preserved! I have given Dr. Fel the manuscripts I recovered from the ruins of the Duros archives, and he is currently working on giving us a rendering of the inscriptions. Much of today was spent removing debris from around the ship and the mouth of the cave, and sorting through it for any artifacts. I hope that tomorrow we can answer more questions than we raise, and possibly get into the ship!