ADVENTURES  ⟩  THE LOST CITY OF ELUSHA  

2. Ruined Plaza

← 1. Tall Building  ✧  3. Hilltop Ruins →
This tilted plaza looks to have once been an open space, shaded with pillars and awnings of nearby buildings. Only three of those buildings are intact. Nine Elushans of various forms are in the plaza. Pairs stand under the shade, frozen in dead conversation. Three statues are seated on a tilted stone bench, gazing out at nothing. One tall, spindly Elushan has two faces, one in front and one behind. 

If the heroes speak, about half of the Elushans are in discussion, some animated, about a person they call the "insane king." They don’t seem concerned, just gossipy.

The Elushan dreamer with two faces has a second soul (see Shinar). 

The three intact buildings in the plaza are marked with Form symbols:

Characters who read Forms can identify the actual names of the buildings below. 

Cosmetics (Paintbrush)

A row of ornate stone chairs bisects this tunnellike building’s narrow interior space. Three Elushans sit in these chairs. A fourth Elushan stands in the corner, over an empty basin, holding a palette. The seated Elushans are decorated with paint that has almost totally faded into dust. 

If awoken, the fourth Elushan finds a brush and starts painting one of the seated Elushans, dipping the brush into a cracked vessel. The Elushans make occassional small talk about the weather. 

Vessel Repair (Broken Vase)

A cramped store filled with toppled shelves and broken ceramics. Deep in back, a solitary Elushan sits behind a desk. 

If heroes talk around this Elushan, he simply sits there, as if reading a scroll or tablet (no text is visible), and occasionally grumbles "Don't touch that without paying" and "Be careful, that's imported" in Shinarian. 

A thorough search of this place turns up a memory cistern phylactery with the Song lore stored within. The cistern is in the form of a small, sturdy jar. If a hero unscrews the lid, a haunting melody escapes from within. The intricately carved lid is actually the phylactery; it can be screwed into a Shinarian's body. 

Water Bar (Flowing Water)

Only a corner of this once-large building remains. Within is a curved counter edged on one side with stone stools. On the other side are tilted shelves and mounds of broken pottery. One Elushan sits on the stool, holding an empty cup carved of lapis. Another Elushan stands behind the counter. 

If heroes speak around these Elushans, they engage in sleepwalking banter, remarking about the weather and the "insane king." The one holding the empty cup appears to drink from it, while the one at the bar pantomimes picking up nonexistent vessels and pouring liquid into them. 

If heroes examine the containers, they find some of them are still well-sealed. Opening them reveals clear water, which tastes saline to a fleshbodied character. Any Shinarian or Arbiter knows instinctively that the water is tears.