OBSERVATIONS BY A HOKU ON CHELOK PECULIARITIES IN DHEGО̄M
PART 2 — NORTHERN SITE D-24
By Jaqehura Fadasa (a.k.a. Verdant Hilltop)
Former Archaeologist, Voliloshoku Academy of Xenoarchaeology (defunct)
Note: Time and space units translated to common measures
The canyon region alone hosts roughly 33 archaeological sites, each one believed to have once been a Chelok settlement. Dheghо̄m, settled by a group of stellar nomads—whom the Chelok refer to as starpeople—has been inhabited and abandoned repeatedly over the course of at least fifteen thousand years. Historical theory posits that the great Chelok expanse endured multiple technological dark ages, during which they rediscovered spacefaring civilization no less than five times within what is now the Dominion. This vast canyon, it turns out, has served as the cradle for Chelok habitation for much of that time. Though the inhabitants changed with each iteration, all of these sites represent different attempts by the Chelok to establish a permanent civilization here on Dheghо̄m.
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Northern Site D-24 holds a unique place among Dhegо̄m’s historical sites, dated to approximately 15,200 years old, making it a focal point for pilgrimages by various starpeople communities from across neighboring regions. Despite the outward simplicity of its monolithic structures, these were no primitive relics. They were crafted by an industrialized civilization that may well have rivaled the technology of today’s Arrene.
One of the site’s striking features is its persistent radiation—3.1415926535898 times the global background radiation levels, due to the canyon’s topsoil, which is interwoven with uranium, thorium, and magnesium in ultra-fine 54-55nm spherules. The megaliths themselves were hewn from the siliceous rock flanking the canyon, likely positioned with sky-cranes, and show clear signs of advanced engineering. Though erosion has rounded their tops, the bases still reveal screw holes and drill marks detectable on scans. Evidence suggests this site served as a grand memorial, a bold “we were here, and we were powerful” statement from one generation of Chelok to another—inscribed in stone for any future civilization capable of uncovering it.
From a high vantage point, Northern Site D-24 appears to form a lithograph of a stellar system that closely resembles Soh's but with subtle discrepancies—most notably, an outer planet is missing, and the moons orbiting the homeworld are smaller than Dhegо̄m’s own. This may be a stylistic choice, or it could signify something more specific. Interestingly, the nearby Northern Site D-23 is thought to complement D-24 due to historical references by stellar nomads and smaller archaeological finds, which describe a monument once capable of pointing directly to their “true homeworld” during the vernal equinox. However, this directional structure seems to have been deliberately dismantled between 6,500 and 6,600 years ago, with no traceable fragments left for modern-day reconstruction.
While mainstream researchers believe Site D-23 was likely quarried for building materials during one of Dhegо̄m’s subsequent resettlement periods, some alternative theorists propose that the structure was erased intentionally to prevent its knowledge from resurfacing. These theorists suggest a coordinated effort to suppress or obscure the Chelok's origins, either to contain the memory or to protect it from dangers embedded in their distant past. Yet, as they often note, their hypothesis hinges on a “lack of evidence” countering their ideas, drawing skepticism. More widely accepted theories instead highlight that numerous stone blocks found at collapsed nearby sites appear to have been relocated from Site D-23, pointing toward more practical uses in the wake of another civilization’s rise and fall. In summary, the archeological site was likely quarried for its stone by the settlers, nothing short of unfortunate, but ordinary nonetheless.
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The megaliths at D-24, though ancient, display an astounding array of design and purpose, revealing a meticulousness and ambition rarely preserved in sites of such age. The stones themselves fall into four distinct classes, each carrying a silent testament to the times and minds that shaped them. Dated to astonishingly different eras—4, 7, 8, 14, and even as far back as 15,200 years ago—they seem to form a very interesting collection of snapshots into the Chelok civilization.
These classes—Giant, Tall, Medium, and Small—are defined by their sheer scale. The Giant stones, towering nearly 30 meters into the air, create an imposing presence, evoking reverence even after millennia. The Tall stones, at a more moderate but still impressive 15 meters, stand with a dignity and strength, as if guardians of the plaza. The Medium stones, while comparatively humble at 5 meters, exhibit more intricate details, inviting viewers closer. And then, there are the Small stones, at just 3 meters, which almost feel intimate by comparison, their details rich yet accessible, intended for a more personal, perhaps ritualistic, engagement.
The design of these megaliths is no less remarkable. From the height and depth of the carvings on their surfaces, it’s clear the Chelok crafted them with a singular intention: to endure. Calculations suggest that these stones were made to withstand the relentless erosion and weathering cycles of Dhegо̄m for roughly a million years before succumbing to any notable loss of detail. This level of foresight—projecting a span of time longer than most civilizations can fathom—speaks to an astonishing dedication, a desire to preserve their legacy almost indefinitely.
Among the stones, the third and fourth of the Tall class in the central plaza are particularly captivating. These stones are not merely carved but also adorned with vivid, if faded, paintings. Petroglyphs wind across their surfaces, intricate and mysterious, while ancient pigments still cling to the stone, hinting at the colors that once leapt from their surfaces. From afar, they stand as monoliths, resolute; up close, they reveal a world in miniature—a tapestry of symbols, figures, and possibly maps. Each stroke and etching suggests scenes of life, conflict, celebration, and perhaps warnings, frozen in time.
PAINTINGS AT SITE D-24
The paintings at Site D-24 tell an intimate story of the Chelok people—an intersection of reverence, heritage, and identity layered over millennia. As we camped in the open canyon under the starlit sky, our guide, Naahum Il-gharib from the UAS, lectured with an almost reverent tone about the nature and origins of these markings. The paintings, he explained, possess trace ratios of radioactive isotopes specific to this region, simplifying their radiometric dating. Remarkably, these paintings date back to the earliest days of the site’s construction and span nearly two and a half millennia, suggesting that successive generations continued to return, adding to this visual archive for seven thousand years following the establishment of Site D-23.
Most of the paintings consist of stenciled handprints in black, white, or red, made with natural pigments sourced from the canyon itself. Given the sheer number of stencils, coupled with their ages and the size of ancient settlements in the surrounding area, it’s believed that these imprints were a reserved honor—granted only to leaders and prominent figures throughout Chelok history. Each pigment color is thought to denote different classes, and each face of the square-based megaliths holds an astonishing array of around 5,000 individual stencils. The handprints cluster most densely on three notable stones—Ard, Mars, and Tyte. Positioned among the Tall stones, these megaliths symbolize celestial bodies: Ard and Mars are believed to represent the third and fourth planets, respectively, while Tyte is thought to symbolize the sixth planet's moon. This symbolism only intensifies the significance of these imprints, suggesting that the Chelok not only venerated their leaders but also saw them as intrinsically connected to the stars.
The image of the handprint became so powerful within Chelok culture that it eventually transcended the canyon walls, immortalized on the banners of both the local government and the naval force of the Chelok Empire. Their symbol, a white handprint on a red field, became something unmistakably theirs—a mark that, to this day, only a Chelok could authentically reproduce.
Beyond the planetary stones, the Star stones add an even more celestial layer to this story. Standing apart from the central plaza, these 17 tall stones bear carvings and paintings that depict distant star systems. Six of these star systems have been identified as locations within the Dominion, corresponding to current Qire and Arrene colonies. If the planetary stones serve as cosmic signposts, then the Star stones may be considered a form of interstellar greeting—a gesture left behind for other branches of the Chelok’s civilization to find. The implication is that the builders of this site foresaw a time when descendants, scattered across the stars, might one day return. And return they did, with countless pilgrimages spanning ages, each visitor perhaps adding another layer to this enduring testament of connection.
PETROGLYPHS AT SITE D-24
The Soh stone—vast, central, and singular—dominates the plaza of Site D-24, resting on its side as though eternally positioned to capture the gaze of all who gather there. It is the largest and most significant stone in the site, its name derived from an ancient, nearly forgotten proto-language that serves as the linguistic root for nearly all Chelok tongues. The term "Soh" is elusive in its meaning; it signifies either "sun" or "king star," depending on regional interpretations. The word itself carries a resonance of reverence, emblematic of celestial importance and centrality—concepts that hold profound cultural weight across Chelok civilization.
The Soh stone is unique not just for its size but for the narratives meticulously etched into its surface, depicting epochs in Chelok history. Only the more recent carvings have been translated successfully, with efforts contributed by local scholars and stellar nomads from surrounding systems. The text is complex and deeply symbolic, blending imagery and language in ways that still challenge interpreters today. Despite these challenges, scholars have identified three principal narratives within its ancient walls: the Builder, Refugee, and Starpeople texts. Each narrative is interwoven with the others, capturing distinct yet connected eras and mindsets that shaped Chelok civilization.
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BUILDER TEXTS
We, the pioneers of the cosmos, stood upon Mars' red sands with hearts full of hope and eyes fixed upon the heavens. Our civilization, born from the dust of a barren world, dared to dream of a future among the stars.
Our civilization flourished, reaching ever outward, carving our mark upon the stars. But as our journey unfolded, we came to realize the profound uniqueness of our existence. Yet, we were not content to remain isolated. With every breath, every heartbeat, we yearned to reach out, to explore, to discover. The universe beckoned to us, promising untold wonders and mysteries waiting to be unraveled.
In our solitude, we found solace in the possibility of connection, in the hope that others might one day walk among the ruins of our legacy. Here, at this sacred site, we erect monuments to our ingenuity and ambition. We imagine a future where our descendants shall inherit the stars, carrying with them the torch of knowledge and enlightenment.
And so, with hearts heavy with the weight of time, we extend our invitation to all who dare to seek the truth, to all who yearn to unravel the mysteries of the universe. Come, wanderers, come and bear witness to our story, to our triumphs and our tribulations. Come, and marvel yourselves, be with our hubris, or our greatness.
REFUGEE TEXTS
Amidst the shattered remnants of a once-proud civilization, we stand in silent reverence, our hearts heavy with the weight of tragedy. From the ashes of our homeworld, Ars, we emerged, a society crippled by the horrors of our own making. We do not speak of ourselves in grandiose terms, for we are but the last vestiges of a bygone era, a shadow of what once was. We humble in the face of our mistake, followoing the footsteps of those who came before these ancient masters.
Our people, once warriors of unmatched prowess, now cower in the face of an unfathomable evil. It struck so abruptly, that we dismissed these whispers as mere superstition, the ravings of madmen. But as the shadows grew longer and the stars dimmed, we could no longer deny the truth.
In our despair, we etch these words upon the stones of our final bastion, a message to those who may come after us. Here, we lay down our arms and ironworks of war, for what good are they, when what we fight against turns them against us?
Beware of those who would wield the animate ironworks, for they are the harbingers of the Swarm. They speak like men, think like men, but their bodies and souls are bound to the machines they command. Do not marvel at their ways, for they will lead you to ruin. The Swarm is the embodiment of our sins, a punishment for our arrogance and folly. It shows no mercy, consuming all in its path.
Strive to return to the old ways, to return to the earth as we once were and live off the land as it is. Embrace simplicity, humility, and harmony with nature, for it is in these virtues that true salvation lies.
The text advises future generations to beware of the animate "ironworks"—machines whose souls and bodies are intertwined, agents of the Swarm, a recurring character and motif in Chelok culture, a horrific force that represents the Chelok's greatest sin, living machines. Quite likely an earlier form of the Spark Veto. The refugees urge a return to simpler, more harmonious ways of life, emphasizing the need for balance with nature as the only path to salvation.
Archaeological evidence around the canyon aligns with this narrative. The region is littered with the remnants decommissioned starships, complex farming equipment, and an overwhelming number of buried and cemented nuclear weapons. Strikingly, the area contains five times the mass destruction weaponry found across the modern stockpiles of the entire continent, luckily, most of it is now corroded by time. Over ten thousand years after the texts were written, the genetic trace of these refugees remains, their once-grand civilization now a distant memory, preserved only in the stone warnings they left behind.
STARPEOPLE CARVINGS
The Starpeople carvings present a much different character compared to the solemn warnings of the Refugee and Builder texts. Instead of grand histories or somber cautions, the Starpeople inscriptions are, in a sense, a cosmic guestbook—a record of celestial phenomena, personal graffiti, and the pride of distant travelers marking their journeys through the stars. They include annotations of comet sightings, records of eclipses, and detailed carvings of distant star systems, likely depicting the homeworlds of the visitors who left their marks here. Many are nothing more than variations of “I was here,” an enduring reminder that for these travelers, this was both a sacred site and a waypoint on the interstellar road.
Yet not all of these inscriptions remain intact. Many of the "pointing stones" that may have once oriented visitors toward specific stars or planetary systems were deliberately defaced. It’s unclear what was lost in these erasures, but some scholars suspect these symbols referenced the Cradle—how the Starpeople referred to their homeworld in their ancient spiritual texts. The Cradle holds deep cultural and religious significance, symbolizing the origin of life and civilization, an almost mythic homeland that the Starpeople sought to honor on their travels. The partial destruction of these markers remains one of the site's mysteries, perhaps an act of purposeful erasure, or perhaps a reminder of a tragic event now forgotten.
The Starpeople Texts thus offer a glimpse of a proud, wandering civilization that once passed through this region in great numbers, using this sacred site as a temporary link to their distant origins, in the absence of the means or directions to Ard (note that it is extremely impolite to utter the name of the sacred land outside of religious or historical duties). Where the other texts speak to continuity and preservation, the Starpeople inscriptions evoke impermanence and the transitory nature of connection.
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The archaeological site at D-24 stands as a monumental testament to the complex interplay of civilizations across eons, each leaving their mark in stone and memory. The Builder texts reveal the audacious ambition of pioneers reaching for the stars, the Refugee texts speak to a fall from grace and a desperate return to simpler, more harmonious ways, while the Starpeople inscriptions whisper of a nomadic past, reverent yet fleeting. Together, these layers of history intertwine, offering a rare glimpse into the philosophical and spiritual underpinnings of long-lost cultures. With the technicalities of radiometric dating and artifact preservation now resolved, the team stands on the brink of a new chapter in excavation. Preparations are underway to carefully document and analyze the remaining inscriptions, assess the deteriorating structures, and uncover any further secrets the canyon holds. With each step, they move closer to understanding the true significance of this site, not only as a physical location but as a profound intersection of cosmic histories, urging them to explore the profound connections between these lost peoples and the far-reaching legacy they left behind.
- M.O. Valent, 14/11/2024
