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Obelisks are part of an ancient long-distance communication system, similar to telegraphs, but entirely acoustic. The old civilizations noticed that certain types of rock conducted sound and vibrations better than others. By following and mapping out these underground sound channels, they could find spots near the surface to tap directly into them. The stone columns act like tuning forks that transmit physical impacts into messages on this network that can travel 1000s of miles. To send a message, a learned elder would use a special wooden mallet called a striker to hit the top pyramidal surface of the obelisk. The four sides of the pyramid allowed the strikes to be sent directionally to communicate with specific destinations. The point could also be struck from above to send omnidirectional "shouts" to all receivers. The tapping language has long since been lost, but was said to have been similar to morse code, only with more states than simple "on" and "off", since the type of mallet and the technique of the striker could produce different acoustic harmonics that conveyed different meanings. A master striker was one of the most valuable people in the community since the techniques were difficult to master and teach. Many frontier settlements were lost and abandoned when their striker unexpectedly died, leaving them unable to call for help and supply caravans. Legend tells of a lost set of stone tablets on which the striker's language was written, but no one has been able to locate these legendary artifacts. Writing the language down was considered the ultimate sin in the striker culture, since knowing it was considered a secret by the guild and essential to a kingdom's security. If one were able to recover these tablets, it is possible that the language might be relearned and used to communicate with long-lost settlements that have survived hidden in remote locations around the globe. What secrets those lost civilizations might reveal is open to question.
