The Voice on the Air

I made a peculiar discovery today. While exploring the lands to the north, I stumbled across a cave. Or rather… some force led me to a cave. I was caught on the heath by a sudden storm. As the wind howled and the cold air whirled about me, I felt suddenly certain I could find shelter among the cliffs. It was as if an unknown force had whispered to me on the wind. Sure enough, I found a yawning hole in the mountainside. A wise traveler would have stayed near the entrance to ride out the storm, but the same phantom that had summoned me here tugged at my traveling cloak, bidding me plumb deeper into the gloomy depths. What I found within left me awestruck. Great machines, long inert, but still gripping tightly to the spirits of a bygone age. In my mind’s eye, I could see them, roaring with life, connected not only to this world, but across the cosmos, and to the very fabric of reality itself. Apparitions of their would-be caretakers bustled all about me, filled with purpose and conviction. Then there was the smell. Like burnt coals with a hint of brimstone, but with something ethereal beneath it. It drew me to the center, where a great foundry remained. Somewhere within, I heard the same voice calling, clearer this time. Its speech was alien to me– like sparks crackling and popping from the char of furnace – and yet somehow, I could feel its meaning. There are secrets within this place. Deep ones. Old ones. And they will be mine.