Backstefan de velociraptor
even MORE sunstone theory (sheesh!)
Sun Feb 23 05:48:31 2003
210.11.48.37
Sunstone theory:
Sunstone texts:
The sunstones have inspired many authors on Dinotopia to release their talent.
Here are a few exerpts of some of those works and some from those myths that
have escaped to the outside
Dh’aithran ran quickly along the passage, tail snaking behind him as his talons
clicked against the stone in a rapid tattoo. Torches burned furtively,
flickering as the raptor passed, sputtering as the wake of the speeding dinosaur
rolled over them. Dh’aithran once again checked his map. If it was correct the
great treasury of Baz would be just up ahead. As he sped on wear began to be
evident in the passage, tile were broken and the walls were jagged, less well
formed. He sprinted around the final corner and skidded to a halt, bone talons
screeching and sending iridescent sparks flaring up around his legs. But they
did not glow, for emanating around the room in which he now stood was a light
tenfold brighter than he had ever seen before. On the far wall a great statue
stood. A god, standing tall, one leg outstretched in a whirling dance thrust
four open palms towards the young raptor. In each palm in the middle of a bowl
of crystal was a small sunstone, refracting light from the crystalline structure
surrounding it and channelling it in a blinding beam towards the entryway. On
either side of the god, avatars, scaled and jewelled as if warriors from a
distant past. Each held a mace, but the head was carved as a blossoming flower,
the central bud a sunstone wrapped in red silk, sending muffled ruddy brilliance
into the room. It was beautiful. Scattered on the floor, in chests, on tables,
hanging from the walls and ceiling was the accumulated riches of a thousand
years of civilisation. Gold, titanium, platinum and onyx gleamed in the light of
the stones. Rubies and diamonds sparkled with inner flame as the light seared
their crystalline insides. As the raptor stood regarding his surroundings in awe
he heard a bellowing from behind him. He had been discovered.
The ballad of Dh’aithran. Anon 16th century Dinotopian bard
And as the sun sets in the west so another gives its secret light
The radiance that gives strength, driving away the dark of night
For all those who see this side of the earth will know
That hope can never be truly lost
And, even if covered by a layer of frost
Strong seeds will always grow
The tale of night and day. Written in approx 1500EI
I stood in absolute wonder at the cave before me. It was filled with a light so
pure and bright that I thought that for a moment I was looking onto the surface.
I soon came to my senses however and after a brief exploration of the cave I
found the source of the light. At the far end of the cavern there was a small
stack of stones. I could not believe my eyes. It was they that were the source
of the light. Oriana explained that these were sunstones, ancient relics from a
time before this island was united in peace. She told me that this was the
reason she had come, for apparently these stones can reveal the deepest desires
of the person who gazes into them. Being a scientific man I doubt this but I
suppose only time will tell.
Autobiography of Arthur Denison. Mid 19th century
I still cannot believe that view. Towers made of metal and plastics soared
through the depths of the bay, ancient wrecks of cars and buses lay or floated
limply in the water. Sweeping staircases and walkways overpassed silent
thoroughfares, not seen by human eyes for almost two thousand years. Wrecks
stood like ghostly sentinels around the sunken city and there was light
everywhere and such light too. It was surreal, utterly unlike the light of the
sun, it was pure white, glinting against the normal blue-green of the sea. From
every tower, from every house from every street it seemed to radiate, pinpoint
specks of blinding brilliance lighting up the city stronger than any sun could
ever have shadows chased each other silently and great shapes, plesiosaurs and
ichthyosaurs, swam massively through the abandoned streets of the town. It was
Atlantis, but not Atlantis. It was too modern, too real. I stood by the glass of
the window and stared for what seemed like hours. Then Deighton came and stood
by my shoulder and whispered into my ear.
“ You are privileged, young man. You are the first human being to see Poseidos
in over a thousand years. I hope you like the look of it, because that is where
we are going”
The journal of Saura Groeben, 1967
Half an hour later they were still only halfway down the cliffs and the sun was
utterly gone, with only a faint aqua tinge on the western horizon to mark its
passing. The moon was full though, and by its light and that of the stars they
made their way cautiously down the treacherous path. Suddenly Anthony slipped,
crying out as his leather clad feet slipped on a smooth rock and falling
forward. The amulet flew off from around his neck, the gold glinting in the
moonlight as it skittered towards the edge of the path. Instantly the area was
filled with a blinding radiance emanating from the heart of the stone at the
centre of the ovular amulet. Gouran spun at the sound and light, giving a squawk
of alarm. The amulet slowly slid to the edge and then, with almost slow motion
like movement slipped off the edge.
Anthony yelled and flung himself towards the disappearing chain, but missed and
slid face down over the edge, his head and shoulders dangling off the edge of
the cliff. The chain slid silently on the slippery stone and snagged, the final
links gripping into a small spit of rock and hanging, blazing white light
through the night air, smashing the shadows aside like some avenging angel of
diamond light. Anthony knelt, dizzy with the shock and height, and snatched the
golden thing from where it hung precariously, the back of the amulet dented
slightly from where it had swung against the rock. He slid backwards quickly and
sat back against the hard rock of the cliff, the golden amulet swinging into his
lap as he fell against the wall.
Gouran swore in saurian, or Anthony guessed that it was an oath. “Hey, that’s a
sunstone, Where did you get it Anthony, Especially in that form” the little
dinosaur seemed astonished
“ Sunstone?” asked Anthony as he squinted at the amulet “I thought it was a
diamond, as for where I got it, my father gave it to me just before the plane
crash” This reply just seemed to make Gouran even more astonished
“Sunstones are a rock that are a natural solar battery, the stone catches
sunlight and refracts it inside, and they produce a strong field of some type as
well as light. Some of the more sensitive dinosaurs can pick it up as a sort of
whine and it deters some of the predators that live in the wilds. They occur
only in the caves under Dinotopia and we only discovered them in the last
hundred and fifty years. I thought that they only occurred in Dinotopia, but I
was obviously mistaken, as no one has ever left the island so therefore they
must occur somewhere outside our land as well”
Anthony got up “well, I don’t think this is the best place to discuss the
matter, Lets keep moving” but before he had taken another ten steps, a great cry
screamed out from the city below.
“Skybax!” said Gouran “They must have seen the light, quick Anthony, Hold it up
so they can see us!” Anthony did as he was asked, raising the amulet on his
extended arm, gripping the chain firmly and letting the radiance flow over him,
the pure white light glinting off the wet rock. As they waited another call
ripped through the air and reverberated off the cliffs where Anthony and Gouran
stood, watching. Anthony could now make out a small shape detaching itself from
the city walls and soaring up towards them. The skybax flew up the cliff, great
pinions blowing spray from the falls into Anthony’s face as it soared straight
past them and Anthony caught a sight of the rider’s face as the pterosaur swung
upwards and alighted with a grinding noise on the clifftop above them. The rider
swung down from her perch, long hair swirling as she unclipped a crested helmet
from her head, the white and red of her uniform easily visible in the constant
radiance, glowing against the night-blue sky.
The rider leaned over the cliffs, her brown hair fanning in the breeze. Anthony
heard her shout down to them. Her tongue was strange and Anthony could only pick
up a few words of the Saurian, though her voice sounded scolding. She started
down towards them, stepping nimbly down across the stone, showing absolutely no
apprehension at the drop to her left side.
Gouran called back in Saurian, punctuating his voice with clicks and whistles,
to which the rider replied, her voice changing from scolding to astonished as
she peered down at them, shielding her eyes from the glare. Anthony cupped his
hand over the stone to lessen the light, and the stone seemed to turn off,
rather than just diminishing. Startled, he took his hand off again and instantly
the light flickered back on again, instantly pushing the shadows away again.
Soon the woman came around the last U bend, having traversed the rocky slope a
lot quicker than Anthony and Gouran. She was tall and slim, looking like someone
out of a glossy woman’s magazine Anthony thought, her uniform was thicker than
David’s and it had large red shoulder pads with an outline of a skybax visible
dimly in the night. She walked quickly up to them and spoke to Gouran who
replied quickly, at which she put her hand to her mouth and gazed wide-eyed at
them before turning quickly, and calling out as she started off back up the
cliff, ran nimbly up the slippery slope. Anthony turned to Gouran “what was that
all about, eh?”
“Well, I have told her of our plight and it looks as if she is going to get
help, meanwhile we are to return to the cliff-top, where we will get transport
soon.” The Protoceratops said, glancing up at where the pilot was jogging up the
ledge above them. He started walking and Anthony followed, finding it easier to
climb up the cliffs than slide down them. Before they had gone halfway the ride
reached the top and with a harsh cry she and her mount swooped down from the
edge of the cliff, gliding rapidly down over the whiteness of the ever-rumbling
falls.
Fire, be my soul, chapter 4, 2003