Salvage of the Demetria

A buried library, one find at a time

A thousand years ago, the generation ship Demetria came down from the stars. Its Library lies beneath Juglantis now, pressed into wreckage and sand. A town has grown around the breach: a forge, traders, Customs, and patrons who know a recovered page can be worth more than the metal wrapped around it.

The church, empire, guilds, and collectors all want what survives the shelves. They do not agree on who should keep it.

Damage lands exactly where you caused it

Clear bulk rubble, then work each find free by hand. Every cut, strike, and pull acts on the part you touch. Tear off a corner and the writing there is gone. Crack a seal and the evidence it carried may disappear with it. Fast work saves time; careful work saves the record.

How you stand changes what your hands mean

Posture is part of the verb. The same movement can inspect, force, negotiate, or work with care depending on how you approach it. People answer posture too, sometimes with a tell they did not mean to show.

The forge has no recipe list

Shape tools from metal, stone, wood, and whatever the dig gives back. Their geometry determines what they become and how they meet the ground. Build for the layer in front of you, not a menu slot.

Decide who gets the record

Examine what you recover. Learn where it came from, what survived, and who would pay to control it. Sell it, preserve it, or conceal it. Each handoff updates the custody record and can change patron standing or Customs heat.