Bly’s Butte

Overview

Bly’s Butte is a solitary, mesa-like prominence in the arid high country associated with the Concent of Saunt Edhar (mathic monastery) and named for Saunt Bly. From the nearby settlement of Samble at its base, a dirt road spirals to a compact summit long used for sky observing.

Notable Features

• Layered summit: The small, level top bears masonry and poured-stone foundations from many eras, with remnants of aerial towers and polyhedral domes; the stone is stained ochre by rust from long-vanished structures.
• Hand-built telescope: A reflecting telescope with a hand-ground mirror sits on a high plinth, fitted with a cobbled polar drive for tracking the sky. Orolo later said he “could not see a thing” through it when trying to image an icosahedral craft, describing his results as “streaks and blobs.”
• Habitations: The summit presently includes two small habitations. One is a secluded, pinprick math-like cloister associated with Fraa Orolo; the other appears to be a family dwelling linked to Estemard. Visitors describe a cell with “leaves” (paper notes) pinned to a wall. Erasmas later remarks that a phototype pinned on that wall showed the Analemma (temple-floor solar diagram).

Associations

• Namesake: Tradition ties the site to Saunt Bly; some accounts say local slines later turned on him after a period of contact.
• Edharian links: The butte features in Edharian observing lore and in planning and travel narratives connected to nearby maths (monastic communities) and Ferals (non-math residents).

Recent Activity

• Following his being Thrown Back, Fraa Orolo used the summit as a temporary refuge; accounts state he kept to the Discipline while there. Later visitors found his work area tidy and unattended, and local sources reported he had headed north.
• Later testimony recalls that, on the night when narrow beams shone down and many avout (cloistered scholars) were Evoked, Fraa Orolo walked down off the butte and set out toward Ecba.
• Estemard’s phototypes from the summit depict Orolo leaner, shaggy-haired, and bearded (Feral style), consistent with reports of his stay.
• Orolo says he “landed at Bly’s Butte” before commencing work there; after failed imaging attempts he shifted to self-observation about the Geometers (aliens), characterizing his telescope images as “streaks and blobs.”
• During a later visit, Fraa Jad examined “leaves” pinned to the wall of Orolo’s cell and drew inferences that pointed toward Ecba.
• Recollections note that, on the road up the butte, Fraa Criscan explained Complex versus Simple Protism to companions, sketching the "Freight Train," "Firing Squad," and "Wick" diagrams in the dust.