From the Introduction
Drawn by the marble fingers poking up through a slowly eroding hill archeologists have started unearthing this statue. They have dug down only a few feet, but it seems to become clear that a true marble giant has been covered by dirt and sediment here. The inhospitable land makes the dig arduous though. Water has to be brought in from far away wells as well as the wood for the scaffolding around the dig site. What few dead trees still stand are at best suitable for firewood. And the tents set up around the site provide only very little comfort as well. Still the archeologists keep going. After all, if there is something to be found they have to find it before treasure hunters and bandits descend on the dig site like vultures.