Pendergrast's Discovery

The forest clearing is littered with the corpses of about a dozen charau-kas sprawled across the disturbed earth. In the center of the area, you can see where something large and upright once stood—the ground is torn up and there's a clear impression where a pillar was recently uprooted.

Most unnervingly, six stone statues of human explorers stand scattered throughout the clearing in dramatic, frozen poses. Their expressions show a mix of surprise, terror, and determination. Clearly these were once living people, now turned to stone.

Standing near a long bundle wrapped in canvas sheets and lashed to a wooden sledge is the familiar figure of Gerhard Pendergrast. He looks up as you approach.

"Oh... it's you lot again," he says, trying to regain some composure but clearly still shaken from your previous encounter.

"I... well, I suppose you've caught me at another archaeological site."

"I've made quite the discovery here. Wrestled this jungle totem from those savage apes single-handedly!"

The wrapped bundle is clearly the blue dragon pillar, toppled and broken but still radiating Dahak↗'s magical aura.

"A genuine jungle totem, clearly of primitive origin, mind you, which I've managed to secure for proper academic study!"

He glances nervously at the stone statues around the clearing, then back at your group.

"The... ah... the previous expedition that was here seems to have met with some unfortunate circumstances. Tragic, really. But such are the perils of unprepared exploration!"

Gerhard's mustache twitches as he continues, his voice gaining a hint of its old pompousness despite his obvious unease.

"Fortunately, my extensive preparation and superior knowledge of local customs allowed me to... negotiate... with the guardian spirits of this totem. Quite successfully, I might add!"

He pulls out a small notebook and waves it.

"I've already begun documenting the artifact's significance. This will make an excellent addition to my upcoming publication: 'Primitive Totemic Practices: A Civilized Analysis of Savage Spirituality.'"

"I'm sure even you, my Bonuwat friend, would appreciate seeing such an important relic properly preserved in a Taldan museum where scholars can study it appropriately, rather than leaving it to rot in this jungle, hmm?"