~~~~~~~~ One of my favourite artifacts recovered during the last week. The leaves are sheets of mother-of-pearl, they are bound together with iron, and they are enclosed in silver. The inscription within the leaves tells a rather old tale in verse; an early version of the fable that became known as 'The Bark-Growth Maiden'. The passage shown in the photo is a verse placed repeatedly throughout the tale. It reads as follows, translated from Old Alternian and phrased in a more modern parlance: 'See me now; a ray of light in the moondance See me now; I cannot leave this place Hear me now; a strain of song in the forest Don't ask me to follow where you lead Follow where you lead' [voraciousTreasure [VT] has uploaded a photo!] [A photo was uploaded. It shows a 'book' made of mother of pearl, a curling script engraved upon each piece. If one knew Old Alternian, they would see that The Physalia's translation is very accurate, if adjusted a little to allow a layer of poetry when read in Modern Alternian. A row of holes along the inside edge allow for the pages to be held together via a series of metal rings, and the edges of a silver front and back can be seen. The artifact is completely clean, placed against a wooden plank torn from a ship.]