The city of Istarion was abuzz. Outsiders from the southern lands of
Sapience had been seen wandering among the flets and talans for months
now, but rumour had it that some of these people were actually speaking
Tsol'dasi! Many expressed disbelief, others disdain, while some were
honoured that strangers had put in so much effort to learn of their
culture.

The gossip reached the ears of one studious Tsol, who had become very
curious of the strangers from the south. His fluency in the common
tongue barely approached a basic level, however, and he was reluctant to
approach them directly. With a hopeful heart he made his way to the Hall
of the Merchant Masters, seeking out Naerwain, who was widely known to
converse regularly with outsiders.

"Is it true? Do these brave adventurers really speak our language?" he
asked the merchant mistress in their native language. The slender Tsol
nodded, her honey brown eyes shining brightly.

"Earlier this month, I assisted two of them with... well, that is not
important since YOU have no need to learn it," she responded with a
wink. "But not a single non-Tsol has spoken our language in centuries,
and now a qui'Hiema and ama'Lierliga converse with our brethren as
though they were born here, if you can believe it!"

With a quickened step, the scholar left the hall in search of the pair.
It was not long until he found them: Favonius Stormcrow-Xanatov and
Samakhulis Moonflair, exactly as Naerwain had described. As they chatted
comfortably in the Tsol'dasi tongue, the conversation turned to an
obscure reference the scholar had recently found regarding Carme, son of
Callisto and Sinope and one of the first humans.

It is well known in Istarion that Carme spent his last years among the
Tsol'dasi, and was held in greatest esteem by the entire city. But far
to the east of Istarion, the scholar revealed, across the tundra and in
a land of ice, was said to be a place where Tsol'dasi once made
pilgrimage to honour and pay their respects to Carme's memory. No one
had made that arduous journey in his lifetime, he lamented, but he hoped
that the worldly adventurers from the south might be willing to assist
him in reviving the custom.

As he had hoped, Favonius and Samakhulis were more than happy to escort
him on the journey. Lending him a warm cloak, they set out across the
tundra, trekking along the coast of Sapience to a sprawling glacier,
where a hazy spire loomed in the distance. As the party approached, the
gleaming edifice, constructed entirely of ice, seemed to rise directly
from the frozen waves. Awestruck, they moved onward to explore the
magnificent structure, the very first of the Modern Age to step into the
Tower of Falaq'tor.

Penned by My hand on the 20th of Glacian, in the year 554 AF.