Book/Calypso Idol

Calypso Idol is a personal journal written by an explorer named Moss before the start of the story. It details a fox pack's journey to find the titular artifact over the course of several seasons.

It was originally found in the Thorncherry Fox Den, and now is in Shrub's care. A copy of it resides in Azalea's Library for safekeeping.

Text
===================

Moss' Personal Record

subject:

THE CALYPSO IDOL

=
======

11/spring

---

We first caught wind of The Calypso Idol by complete accident.

Having successfully recovered The Djinn's Jewel, the pack and I found ourselves in Blackeye Forge, a small fishing town on the way to our next destination. Small Paws wanted something sweet, so we quickly ducked into the confectionery for some well-deserved treats.

While there, Big Ears overhead another customer mention it: The Calypso Idol.

She tugged at my sleeve and pointed, directing my attention to the man whispering to his partner. My ears pricked up.

"Made in the image of a goddess," he'd said. "Worth its weight in gold."

I gestured for the pack to silence themselves, and their excited chatter turned to silence. "Rumor has it, the goddess herself will appear to those who find the Idol."

Now I was intrigued.

"Of course, the thing doesn't really exist," the man continued. I couldn't help but roll my eyes. The folley of man is the inability to believe. If such an artifact was real, I'd be the one to find it.

As we left, Olive looked at me with her large, knowing eyes. Our next search had already begun.

16/spring

---

Having finally finished our trek back to Landlock, the pack and I got some needed rest and relaxation.

Like myself, Long Tail was excited to get back out there and find our next adventure, but the others deserved time to recharge. They weren't built like Long Tail and I.

That said, after a few days of rest, the pack was ready to prepare and embark once more. Olive, Big Ears, and Odd Eyes wandered through Landlock, asking the townsfolk what they knew about The Calypso Idol. Long Tail, Pink Nose, and myself stayed at the den to prepare our things, while Small Paws and Wide Fang headed out to gather supplies.

Everyone took to their usual roles--why fix what isn't broken, after all? Hours later, the pack was together again.

The bad news: those who knew of the Idol had mismatching stories. Some claimed it was hidden beneath the earth, while others had heard it rested within a cloud in the sky.

The good news: Big Ears got a name from two separate townies: Carlisle Crane. We departed the Landlock den for the last time, and set out to find this Carlisle Crane to see what he knew.

23/spring

---

The search for Carlisle Crane has been... unproductive.

The pack and I have passed through two towns thus far, neither of which provided any further details about Crane or his whereabouts. For good measure, we asked the locals about the Idol, but the few stories we heard were repeats of those we'd already been told. If this artifact wishes to remain hidden, it will have to do a better job than hide behind a name.

35/spring

---

Carlisle Crane is dead.

Big Ears overheard it during her trip to the market in Kalavary, so she pressed for information.

The townie was a friend of Crane's wife-- now a widow, I suppose. Big Ears asked if Crane had ever mentioned the Idol, but alas...with the death of Carlisle Crane, the trail goes cold. The Calypso Idol hides itself in a cloak of shadow, but given enough time, I'll hold a torch to its face and expose it to the world.

I shall not be bested.

03/fall

---

The bastard!

Carlisle Crane has been undead for who-knows how long! A zombie! Dead, but living once more! For fox's sake!

Hot on the trail of the Mermaid's Pendant, we found ourselves in a small town called Nylara. Almost completely by chance, the mayor made an offhand comment about zombies and their apparent rise in appearance over the last few seasons. I thought nothing of the statement and was about to change the topic when the mayor continued.

"Anyone can return as a zombie, it seems. Even that bloke Crane is supposedly walking around again."

My eyes nearly left my skull. I begged the mayor to continue, and he obliged.

"Who, Carlisle? He's a nobody from Pilari. Mistook me for someone else in a very awkward moment."

As one might guess, we were leaving for Pilari the very next morning. Thankfully, Long Tail had marked the place on a map seasons ago, and was able to quickly chart us a course straight to Carlisle Crane. Wherever it's hiding, I can hear the Idol rocking in fear.

29/fall

---

The journey to Pilari took much longer than any of us had hoped.

Along the way, both Odd Eyes and Small Paws caught a sickness, and although they tried to push on, we inevitably needed to stop so they could rest and recover. As usual, Pink Nose did everything she could, but they remained bedridden for nearly a week. Thankfully, they made a full recovery, and soon enough we were once again on track to Pilari.

Once we'd arrived, finding our friend Carlisle Crane was simple, apparently being the only zombie in the village. Wide Fang managed to "convince" the local tavern owner into showing us Crane's hiding place: the cellar of the tavern itself.

Finally face to face with our only lead to the Idol, I did my best to coax the information out of him, but Crane didn't seem to know what I was asking. I felt myself tense up. I nearly had Wide Fang do more convincing. But I remained calm and asked him again.

"My memory hasn't been so good since the whole coming-back-to-life thing, you know?" he explained. "I wish I could help you out, I do."

I was exhausted. Tired. So close to giving up.

But Big Ears had another idea.

"How come you're way out here in Pilari and not with your wife?" She paused and smirked. "She's still alive, right?"

Crane seemed to freeze at this. "My wife?"

Big Ears continued. "Ran into her friend in Kalavary. Pretty far from here, isn't it?"

"The Calypso Idol, you said?" Crane spoke in a whisper, looking back to me. He went quiet for a moment and closed his eyes, as if searching his brain for a memory like a book in a library. "It's... coming back to me. I was part of some mining expedition, this odd job I took on..."

He trailed off and shook his head, so I pressed him again. "What was the name of that place. Quava? Quana?"

Long Tail thumbed through his stacks of maps. "Quavan?" he suggested.

Crane pointed at him. "That's the one. There's a mine there that I worked at, and there was this one site that looked completely... fucked. I asked the other guys what'd happened, and they all said it was some accident involving a woman named Calypso. If that Idol exists on this plane, it's gotta be in that mine."

I wanted so badly to open the cellar window panes and let the sunlight wash over Crane for the trouble he'd given us, but we'd finally got the information we needed, and wasted no time taking the next step in our journey.

45/fall

---

Despite Long Tail's great navigating skills, it took us a fair while before arriving in Quavan, which presented a new problem immediately: the mines were off-limits to non-mining personnel.

Of course, this problem would only be a setback for a short time. Small Paws, doing what she does best, managed to sneak a key from a passing miner, giving us access the mines.

We decided to wait until nightfall to make our move, and under the cover of shadow, we descended deep into the earth. It didn't take us long to find the site Crane had mentioned: it was completely blocked off by large rocks and debris, seemingly untouched for seasons.

We carefully cleared a path through, an effort led by Wide Fang, and made our way into the chamber. We decided that the second the cave began to shake we'd high-tail it out of there. There'd be no escaping a cave-in. Thankfully, the chamber held up, and we proceeded through the darkness until we saw a light in the tunnel: The Calypso Idol.

It sat on in a pedestal, glowing brilliantly in the center of a small room behind a crack in the wall. If we'd been wearing the proper headwear, we never would've been able to differentiate the light from the Idol from the light of the headlamps.

Thank goodness we came unprepared.

Being the only one capable of squeezing through the gap in the wall, Small Paws entered the room and quickly snatched the Idol from its resting place. She offered it to me, and I felt a smile creep up on me as I held it in my paws. Of course, no goddess appeared in a flash of light, as the effects of magical artifacts tend to be greatly exaggerated... but nevertheless, we'd acquired yet another one for the collection.

The pack and I made our escape and returned to our den, where we celebrated another job well done. I placed the Idol with the others and snuggled up next to Olive in bed.

Until the next one... Stay curious. The world is yours to uncover.

-Moss