"Welcome, all!" A meekly, older pearlcatcher stands on the flat top of a ruined column, calling out to the crowds, "I am Dr. Sterling Gladstone, proud curator of Mirrorlight Promenade's Museum of Sandswept Delta Antiquities."
"I am sure that you're all aware by now that Light's most intelligent and ambitious archaeologists are toiling under the light and dark of the Two Sisters, uncovering ancient secrets from the merciless deserts of the Sandswept Delta to give us a glimpse into the life of our ancient dragon ancestors' oldest mass civilization; Agyptah. Remnants of their culture was lost to us for many millennium until very recently, and so far we have only discovered pottery, clothing (with which our River Royalist and Desert Dynasty costumes are based upon), and unintelligible scrolls, all buried under many feet of sand..."
"...Today is a momentous occasion! Last week as my archaeological team was digging close to the West bank of the river, their shovels struck something solid. At first, our guess was that it might be a treasure chest, or a time capsule of sorts, deliberately placed beneath the dunes for their posterity to find and witness. The team was met with an unexpected surprise when they retrieved the object...and a delightful flair of mystery filled us all as we gazed upon the wonder..."
"We had found a coffin!"
"the coffin - or, sarcophagus, as my team and I have deemed it - was covered in decorative artwork never-before-seen by Light archaeologists. Here is an artist's recreation of one of the figures painstakingly painted on the lid of the sarcophagus:"
"We believe this was intended to be some sort of lesser skydancer goddess, who was represented by a scarlet sun. Note the vibrant colors of her feathers, and the lack of wings. That seems to be a predominant style used by the Agyptans. Not only this, but 90% of their figures are represented in profile, while both of their shoulders are kept in-view. I proposed a theory that this style was not only practical, but religious as well! This isn't the only pose depicted on the sarcophagus, but you can learn more about that and its perceived purpose if you take a look in our museum. As we release more of the paintings, we will add them to the gallery with captions that detail their importance."
"I know you are probably wondering what was inside of the sarcophagus. Er-well... it seems that if there had been anyone inside, they vanished centuries ago. My team suggested that a pack of hungry dire hyenas might have snagged the unfortunate remains of the sarcophagus's owner."
"We also found some of the deceased's possessions inside of the elaborately decorated sepulcher. Museum examiners will be researching into these items and releasing them to Sornieth's public in the near future."
"And now, I will explain to you the reason I am here and shouting to you from the top of my lungs about these discoveries! See, our...organization...needs a little funding to continue our work. The Inter-regional Board of History and Culture (IRBHC) isn't giving us the necessary grants to continue our mission in the Sandswept Delta. That's where YOU come in!"
"If you are intrigued by these ancient wyrms as much as my team and I are, it would be in your best interest to buy from us custom artist renderings based on the lost works of Agyptah!It's not plagiarizing if the artists are dead and unnamed, you know."
"Just head on inside the Museum of Sandswept Delta Antiquities, past the doorway, and into the definitely innocuous and inconspicuous gift shop (that will open up to your immediate right) to buy yourself some of these amazing items! However, be mindful that our sad, tired artist (*ahem*) can only take so many orders at a time and will be stocking new products as we uncover more secrets hiding beneath the Sandswept Delta. Be easy on them. Please."
"Now, if you'll excuse me I have an ancient culture toexploit unveil to the world!"
"I am sure that you're all aware by now that Light's most intelligent and ambitious archaeologists are toiling under the light and dark of the Two Sisters, uncovering ancient secrets from the merciless deserts of the Sandswept Delta to give us a glimpse into the life of our ancient dragon ancestors' oldest mass civilization; Agyptah. Remnants of their culture was lost to us for many millennium until very recently, and so far we have only discovered pottery, clothing (with which our River Royalist and Desert Dynasty costumes are based upon), and unintelligible scrolls, all buried under many feet of sand..."
"...Today is a momentous occasion! Last week as my archaeological team was digging close to the West bank of the river, their shovels struck something solid. At first, our guess was that it might be a treasure chest, or a time capsule of sorts, deliberately placed beneath the dunes for their posterity to find and witness. The team was met with an unexpected surprise when they retrieved the object...and a delightful flair of mystery filled us all as we gazed upon the wonder..."
"We had found a coffin!"
"the coffin - or, sarcophagus, as my team and I have deemed it - was covered in decorative artwork never-before-seen by Light archaeologists. Here is an artist's recreation of one of the figures painstakingly painted on the lid of the sarcophagus:"
"We believe this was intended to be some sort of lesser skydancer goddess, who was represented by a scarlet sun. Note the vibrant colors of her feathers, and the lack of wings. That seems to be a predominant style used by the Agyptans. Not only this, but 90% of their figures are represented in profile, while both of their shoulders are kept in-view. I proposed a theory that this style was not only practical, but religious as well! This isn't the only pose depicted on the sarcophagus, but you can learn more about that and its perceived purpose if you take a look in our museum. As we release more of the paintings, we will add them to the gallery with captions that detail their importance."
"I know you are probably wondering what was inside of the sarcophagus. Er-well... it seems that if there had been anyone inside, they vanished centuries ago. My team suggested that a pack of hungry dire hyenas might have snagged the unfortunate remains of the sarcophagus's owner."
"We also found some of the deceased's possessions inside of the elaborately decorated sepulcher. Museum examiners will be researching into these items and releasing them to Sornieth's public in the near future."
"And now, I will explain to you the reason I am here and shouting to you from the top of my lungs about these discoveries! See, our...organization...needs a little funding to continue our work. The Inter-regional Board of History and Culture (IRBHC) isn't giving us the necessary grants to continue our mission in the Sandswept Delta. That's where YOU come in!"
"If you are intrigued by these ancient wyrms as much as my team and I are, it would be in your best interest to buy from us custom artist renderings based on the lost works of Agyptah!
"Just head on inside the Museum of Sandswept Delta Antiquities, past the doorway, and into the definitely innocuous and inconspicuous gift shop (that will open up to your immediate right) to buy yourself some of these amazing items! However, be mindful that our sad, tired artist (*ahem*) can only take so many orders at a time and will be stocking new products as we uncover more secrets hiding beneath the Sandswept Delta. Be easy on them. Please."
"Now, if you'll excuse me I have an ancient culture to
