fandomhigh | Freelance Treasure Hunting, Monday, Period 5, Class #2

"Good afternoon," Vala greeted the students cheerfully as they entered, still wearing her customary clothing, "and I hope you all had a profitable weekend. As you know, last week we discussed what treasures are valuable to each culture. This week, we'll begin to learn how to find them."

"The first thing you have to figure out is whether your information is reliable. You can determine this easily if you know your source, but if you don't, you'll have to do a little research. This generally involves the library and looking up information yourself, talking to a village elder about the local legends for the area, or finding a scholar who knows about the myth behind the treasure you're looking for."

"Once you have your reliable information, or information you are willing to believe is reliable--not nearly the same thing, in case you were wondering--if you're lucky, you will have a map that tells you where the treasure is. If you don't, you'll have to come up with a map of your own, based on the information you've gathered from other sources. This map can either be of the terrain, generally including landmarks such as temples, statues, or landing fields, or physical features such as rocks, streams, and mountains. You want a map that uses items that won't erode or move over the course of time, because it makes it easier not to get lost. These, of course, are more expensive than the regular maps and you should take that into account when you are budgeting for your expedition."

"As a last resort when it comes to figuring out where you are, there is also the option of celestial navigation--using the stars to pinpoint your location. That's all well and good on this planet, but on other planets, the stars won't be familiar and the constellations will be missing. Don't forget that, or you could end up lost in a desert when you're meant to be in the woods, having lunch with a charming man and his mother. Er, not that that ever happened, of course," she added quickly.

"For this class, I'll ask you to explain your favorite way of verifying information, and then I'm going to let you loose with the maps--you have one of Fandom, and one of the night sky in the northern hemisphere of this planet. If you have a town map, I would like you to explore with it--mark what is at each location, or pick one location, and write down something valuable that you find there, so you can find it again. If you're using the star maps, I would like you to go out at night and attempt to find as many constellations as you can. As a tip for those of you who are interested in dating, this is an excellent activity for that sort of thing. Please mark them off as you find them."

[ooc: OCD is up! ~~in a second.~~ Handwaving is, as always, possible, if not as much fun.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"And this Son of the Sun? He's completely trustworthy?"

"She," he corrected gently. "She is the first woman Son of the Sun Karse has ever known, and yes. She is." While Solaris was no stranger to political games and political expediency, she was a true priest of Vkandis. "She is utterly trustworthy."

"How do you know?" Vala asked.

"Because she was chosen by Vkandis Himself," he said reverently. "He sent a bolt of lightning out of the cloudless sky to eliminate the False Son of the Sun, and crowned her with His own hands."

Okaaaay. "Do you often use lightning as the basis of your system of government?"

Karal blinked, surprised at the question. "It was the Will of Vkandis, unquestionable and clear, that she become the new Son of the Sun. Even the venial and corrupt priests who had supported the False Son could not speak out against her."

"Why not? Were they struck mute? Ooh, or laryngitis?"

Karal sensed she wasn't taking him seriously. "I imagine the still smoking vestments of the False Son would have been a strong deterrent, even were there any left who would deny Vkandis' presence." Not to mention the statue of Vkandis coming to life, the shrinking of the Crown of Prophecy, the kindling of the Flames, the blossoming of the staffs. "You do not believe me, do you?"

"I retain a healthy skepticism."

He simply looked at her, balanced on the edge of outrage, then sighed and let it go. Her disbelief made Vkandis no less real. "As you have no way of verifying my information, it seems you scepticism is in keeping with this class."

Freelance Treasure Hunting, Monday, Period 5, Class #2

Re: Verifying your Information

Re: Verifying your Information

Re: Verifying your Information

Re: Verifying your Information

Re: Verifying your Information

Re: Verifying your Information

Re: Verifying your Information

Re: Verifying your Information

Re: Verifying your Information

Re: Verifying your Information