Ammareddi Stele

The original Ammareddi Stele, preserved in the permanent collection of the Varsonibirsk Museum of Humanity, is one of the oldest written works in the larger Red peninsula. Discovered nearly five thousand years after its carving, the stele is excellently conserved, primarily because it remained in the dry, stable climate of the desert for most of the time between its loss and its discovery.

## Content

It primarily discusses religious tenets of the Followers of the Flame, as well as including what are generally understood to be genealogical records of priests or other figures, thought they cannot be well understood. The main text is nearly completely legible, though the records of the western face of the stele are somewhat damaged and worn, as well as cryptic to modern readers.

## Appearance

The stele itself measures nearly exactly a septant in height, and is a sextant long on every side, forming a rough cuboid in shape, and is made of the basalt found in the region. It is marked across nearly the entirety of the four vertical sides, excepted a wide empty band two-thirds of the way up the stele, marked by a deep groove.

## Uses

The groove laid in the stone was most likely used to hitch horses, mules, camels, or other forms of early desert transportation while travelers rested in the shade of the stele. For some scholars, the hitching groove also indicates the presence of an oasis of some kind near the monolith. Because of its precise dimensions, some claim the monument was used as a standard measure for both the septant and the sextant. However, this is disputed, as there are no other markings indicating such a purpose.

## Impact on Further Studies

Because of the stele’s significant weight, of just over 28 sextasans, and the fact that it was found upright and undamaged, scholars believe the recovery site is the original location where the stele was first set upright. This has shed light on other, later works which refer to the location of the stele, and confirms that contemporary artifacts found in the region are likely of Flame make.

## Text

[Note:  The linguistic structure used is difficult to interpret for the modern reader, so some words have been added to the translation to aid comprehension. The texts are listed from top to bottom, in the order of north, east, south, and west faces. The text is split on the stele by the large groove.]

* For as the crow is the messenger and friend of Prometheus, watcher of his children, let none of them be harmed by his children. And as the crows are unharmed by Prometheus’ children, the birds will lead them to water in the night and in the dawns. / Long as the traveler and their steed are peaceful, let them rest long in the shade of this word, and take their breath and take their bearings by the sun, till that star’s heat is not felt on the head but still on the bare foot.
* Let the bandit here know what they face, for their crimes committed and crimes to be; for the crime of theft in the harsh desert is heinous, and the crime of murder is of highest villainy. / No matter if the bandit is found, they face the torments of the Flame who sees all, no matter the distance, and the disdain of Prometheus, who watches and loves all of his children.
* Let the woman who is expecting not fear, for the Flame watches over the child as the Blood may guard the bearer. And let her know that all along her path are bound to aid her and her child. / Let all who see a woman expecting know that it is their deepest duty to bring what aid they may to the person, regardless of any circumstance. The child is free of any quality that may be judged until it is born, and thus cannot be scorned.
* It is here stated that this word is the work of those who follow the Flame, and believe the Flame worthy of following. All those who walk the path are their siblings. / Words of K[at]aja, herself following Baldamar, himself following Bohl[alo], himself following M[ata]lino, herself a wanderer and follower of Ammareddi of the Flame.