From 147f5d874dff70b705e129a9e8a7c5a8858c2105 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Patrick Dulebohn Date: Thu, 8 Dec 2022 15:00:29 -0500 Subject: [PATCH] Chiso Preniv Q3-4 2022 Updates * Brings Chiso up to current MOULa version --- compiled/dat/ChisoPreniv.loc | 679 +++++++++++++----- compiled/dat/ChisoPreniv_District_Chiso.prp | 4 +- .../dat/ChisoPreniv_District_FanContent.prp | 4 +- .../dat/ChisoPreniv_District_LowerLevel.prp | 4 +- .../dat/ChisoPreniv_District_Textures.prp | 4 +- 5 files changed, 511 insertions(+), 184 deletions(-) diff --git a/compiled/dat/ChisoPreniv.loc b/compiled/dat/ChisoPreniv.loc index 7189226a..ecf5e620 100644 --- a/compiled/dat/ChisoPreniv.loc +++ b/compiled/dat/ChisoPreniv.loc @@ -1045,7 +1045,7 @@ March 11, 2022 I've been working in the Cavern, this time, for several weeks. At this point, I have focused most of my research on the Great Zero complex and the history behind this enigmatic location. I have been working on D'ni research for many years, having become involved in the project back in the 1990s, when the first DRC researchers began to investigate the Cavern. However, many other projects have diverted my studies, including some work in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan as well as the Pacific Northwest. Only recently have I been able to return to the Cavern to help with the restoration efforts there. -I have settled into my neighborhood, a ‘Bevin' type. This one is mine, however, as opposed to the first neighborhood I used as a base, which was shared by several other explorers. Unfortunately, the neighborhood I was assigned doesn't have a D'ni clock, but I was very happy to be able to find one that was in good condition and was unclaimed. A clock is just a bonus. I'm grateful to Calum, who helped me find one so quickly. +I have settled into my neighborhood, a 'Bevin' type. This one is mine, however, as opposed to the first neighborhood I used as a base, which was shared by several other explorers. Unfortunately, the neighborhood I was assigned doesn't have a D'ni clock, but I was very happy to be able to find one that was in good condition and was unclaimed. A clock is just a bonus. I'm grateful to Calum, who helped me find one so quickly. Water Power @@ -1057,7 +1057,7 @@ I have been looking over the channels and have realized that they run underneath I'd like to try to get through one of the doors I have found in the complex, but so far, no luck. It's possible it's not even a door, really, but as a window, it makes no sense. I have tried to see if there's something on the other side that would make the window theory work, but there's only the raised platform in the actual Calibration chamber. -I have consulted with a few other explorers regarding my investigations, so they're aware I'm attempting to find a way inside the interior. I'm not sure if they believe me or just think I'm mad… the crazy lady who's obsessed with the Great Zero… +I have consulted with a few other explorers regarding my investigations, so they're aware I'm attempting to find a way inside the interior. I'm not sure if they believe me or just think I'm mad... the crazy lady who's obsessed with the Great Zero... Missing Equipment @@ -1079,7 +1079,7 @@ I honestly didn't think anyone else was interested in the Great Zero, at least I At any rate, Kelsei is keeping an eye out for it and I'm doing the same, in case I come across other misplaced materials. -I still have not been able to figure out any kind of opening mechanism for the ‘doors' in the Zero Calibration fore-chamber. I just might be wrong about them, I don't know. +I still have not been able to figure out any kind of opening mechanism for the 'doors' in the Zero Calibration fore-chamber. I just might be wrong about them, I don't know. I have found some other interesting artifacts in the Library as well as in the area I believe the Zero workers may have lived at one point. At any rate, I found some evidence nearby of a family who made jewelry, which was quite a bit of fun to discover. Some books on gemology as far as I can translate. @@ -1107,22 +1107,22 @@ I discovered a slim little Journal in my researches into the Great Zero and its But I found a story, which I'm not sure at the moment is a historical record or just a fiction, about the first time Sarai met Tayeth, when they were children. It's fascinating! I've been spending most of my time looking through these homes, trying to find any kind of documentation about the Great Zero. -I found a scrap of paper with the word key on it. That doesn't mean our ‘KI's, as that's a name the DRC invented for the devices. I'd like to find more about this Key. +I found a scrap of paper with the word key on it. That doesn't mean our 'KI's, as that's a name the DRC invented for the devices. I'd like to find more about this Key. -Dr. Tenny has been busy lately! He's met someone named Logan… I haven't met this person, but apparently Tenny's very interested in him. It's very cute actually. I've never seen Tiernan blush, but he does when he talks about Logan. +Dr. Tenny has been busy lately! He's met someone named Logan... I haven't met this person, but apparently Tenny's very interested in him. It's very cute actually. I've never seen Tiernan blush, but he does when he talks about Logan. The Key to Zero June 10, 2022 -I've been thinking a lot about the word ‘Key' and how it relates to the materials I found in the Lyara Neighborhood, where the Keeper and his daughter lived, as well as the Jeweler's Family. +I've been thinking a lot about the word 'Key' and how it relates to the materials I found in the Lyara Neighborhood, where the Keeper and his daughter lived, as well as the Jeweler's Family. I saw a sketch in one of Sarai's journals, of what seems to be a key. It certainly looks like the keys from other D'ni places we have discovered. She noted in it, so I took a picture and sent it to Tiernan's grandmother, who is a D'ni linguist. -Molly said that as far as she could decipher, considering the words were faded and written in a child's hand, that the description says “My key to Zero”. -I think it might be a key to a room, but I haven't found the room yet. I do wonder why Sarai had a ‘key to Zero', and I wonder if the key might work on one of the ‘doors' I found in the Great Zero complex. I'm not sure. -I also found a small box with the word ‘Firemarbles' on it. When I opened it, it was empty, unfortunately. -In one of Sarai's journals, there are a few pages with the word ‘Firemarbles' on them, but again, I can't seem to read what she's written there. I might send them to Molly, if she has time, but I'm also thinking of perhaps asking one of the linguists here in the Cavern about them. -Since things have been going missing lately, I've been very hesitant to share too many of the discoveries I've made, which makes me sad, but Tiernan and Kelsei agree it’s probably better right now. I wish Calum were back, I think he’d find this fascinating. I only hope he’s feeling better soon! +Molly said that as far as she could decipher, considering the words were faded and written in a child's hand, that the description says "My key to Zero". +I think it might be a key to a room, but I haven't found the room yet. I do wonder why Sarai had a 'key to Zero', and I wonder if the key might work on one of the 'doors' I found in the Great Zero complex. I'm not sure. +I also found a small box with the word 'Firemarbles' on it. When I opened it, it was empty, unfortunately. +In one of Sarai's journals, there are a few pages with the word 'Firemarbles' on them, but again, I can't seem to read what she's written there. I might send them to Molly, if she has time, but I'm also thinking of perhaps asking one of the linguists here in the Cavern about them. +Since things have been going missing lately, I've been very hesitant to share too many of the discoveries I've made, which makes me sad, but Tiernan and Kelsei agree it's probably better right now. I wish Calum were back, I think he'd find this fascinating. I only hope he's feeling better soon! I might ask Dr. Lavisham to look over these things though. I think he might find them interesting.]]> @@ -3446,21 +3446,21 @@ And such an obvious one at that. My mind has cleared as if it had comprehended t No. No rushing. Let's do this right, I am trying to tell myself. But already I can feel my breath catch in my mouth, my hands trembling with a re-ignited excitement. 02/06/2020 -Travelling items assembled, plan of action drawn up. I asked Ed if he wanted to join me, but he politely declined, citing his responsibilities to the Archive and the prospect of having some "me-time". Entirely fair. I’ve promised him that I will be on the next flight back to the UK the second that he asks it. After months of putting up with me in close quarters, it's the very least that I can do for him. +Travelling items assembled, plan of action drawn up. I asked Ed if he wanted to join me, but he politely declined, citing his responsibilities to the Archive and the prospect of having some "me-time". Entirely fair. I've promised him that I will be on the next flight back to the UK the second that he asks it. After months of putting up with me in close quarters, it's the very least that I can do for him. Alright. He we go. Ready to make my goodbyes and return to my island in the clouds. It's time for another adventure. 03/06/2020 -Hello, D’ni. It's good to see you again. +Hello, D'ni. It's good to see you again. -It looks like I won’t be alone again either, judging by the names popping up on my newly-acquired KI. Time to get to know the neighbours and work out what's what.05/06/2020 +It looks like I won't be alone again either, judging by the names popping up on my newly-acquired KI. Time to get to know the neighbours and work out what's what.05/06/2020 Right. Bearings have been acquired. Suffice it to say, this old place has been busy since my time down here over a decade or so ago. Fortunately there has been little contact with the surface since the events of the last few months have unfolded, and no reported cases amongst the community, so it looks like it will be safe to mingle with others, at least for the time being. First of all, the practicals. The cavern WIFI seems to be holding firm, so contact can be maintained to the surface without having to keep hiking out to that sweltering gas station a couple of miles out from the caldera. Means I should be able to stick to my lesson plans for the foreseeable, if anyone asks I'll chalk up the change of scenery to some particularly immersive Zoom wallpapers. Food and drink shouldn't be an issue either, along with my provisions there's a number of active groups down here who have been spending the last decade getting the commune living down to a fine art. Between everyone chipping in with their contributions, the occasional supply run to the Surface and a few canny explorer's own agricultural efforts, this place has gotten nicely self-sufficient over the years. Remarkable. -Doesn't seem to be any one group in charge of things, there’s certainly no equivalent presence to the DRC. From what I've gathered, the nearest there is to that kind of setup is a collection of age restorers, surveyors, technicians and the like who have bandied together and have been quite successful in working together for the past few years in fixing up new ages and select areas of the cavern. Indeed, my timing is quite fortuitous as there are plans to release several of these restored areas to the explorers within the next few months! +Doesn't seem to be any one group in charge of things, there's certainly no equivalent presence to the DRC. From what I've gathered, the nearest there is to that kind of setup is a collection of age restorers, surveyors, technicians and the like who have bandied together and have been quite successful in working together for the past few years in fixing up new ages and select areas of the cavern. Indeed, my timing is quite fortuitous as there are plans to release several of these restored areas to the explorers within the next few months! 08/06/2020 A few names keep cropping up amongst my readings and via conversations with others. Patrick Dulebohn seems to be the main figurehead, insomuch as that role applies to whatever autonomous collective lash up they've got going on down here. Very impressed with what he and the others have accomplished to date. @@ -3469,7 +3469,7 @@ What started as simply a change of scenery to keep my mind from unravelling has 03/08/2020 Resisting the urge to stay too connected to things on the surface, the news only succeeds in depressing me at the moment. The UK in particular seems to have gone completely off its head. "Eat out to help out"?! Evidently my country's policy decisions are being written by the ghost of Sid James.20/08/2020 -Woken up to an absolute bonfire of emails from the faculty this morning. The UK government couldn’t have made a bigger disaster of this years' A-Level results unless they were actually rounding up students from state schools on horseback with big nets. +Woken up to an absolute bonfire of emails from the faculty this morning. The UK government couldn't have made a bigger disaster of this years' A-Level results unless they were actually rounding up students from state schools on horseback with big nets. Bloody typical. First rumblings of new publicly released ages in D'ni for over a decade, and the entire national UK university system is on the verge of imploding. I'm not saying it's the stated goal of the universe to mess with me personally, but by the GODS it would certainly explain a few things. @@ -3558,7 +3558,7 @@ Enjoying some jelly babies and sticky buns down in Podhopper's hood. A relaxatio brb alphabetizing my cravats 27/05/2021 -Dropped into Er’cana tonight, got the old machinery up and running again. I always did enjoy my old baking routine. Partly out of the collaborative nature of the Lake Lighting project. Partly out of the primal monkey brain dopamine kick of seeing an arbitrary number go up. +Dropped into Er'cana tonight, got the old machinery up and running again. I always did enjoy my old baking routine. Partly out of the collaborative nature of the Lake Lighting project. Partly out of the primal monkey brain dopamine kick of seeing an arbitrary number go up. Found a recipe in one of my old journals to get a nice uncomplicated bake going on. Definite room for increasing the potency though. Will try some experimentation, see what can be done. @@ -3604,9 +3604,9 @@ What if we were able to get the old pedestal up and running again, perhaps with This could work, it really could. Just need to get the right people interested.19/08/21 Looked over the podium with Cal yesterday. It's definitely beyond my limited technical expertise, but I think I sold him on the general concept. If I can get Patrick on board, I think we'll be in business. -Cal didn’t seem in a good way. Losing his train of thought, apparently not sleeping right. He's been mucking about with those crystals and it looks like they’re having a disturbing affect on him. I didn’t press the issue. Perhaps I should have, given Ed and I's own past experiences with - +Cal didn't seem in a good way. Losing his train of thought, apparently not sleeping right. He's been mucking about with those crystals and it looks like they're having a disturbing affect on him. I didn't press the issue. Perhaps I should have, given Ed and I's own past experiences with - -No, I’m overreacting. I'm sure it's all fine. But I did promise to bring down some chamomile with me next time I grab some provisions from up top, so I’ll leave things there for now. +No, I'm overreacting. I'm sure it's all fine. But I did promise to bring down some chamomile with me next time I grab some provisions from up top, so I'll leave things there for now. 25/08/2021 Very enjoyable catchup with Tyion. Lots of fun reconnecting over our CCN days. Felt myself slip up and call him "Mister" on more than one occasion, which amused him greatly. He seemed very interested in the discussed plans for the Kirel announcements, think he would be up for being involved, me writing and him voicing. @@ -3634,7 +3634,7 @@ I'm worried I may have done some damage. 20/10/21 Met with Kelsei for a drink yesterday, bought her up to speed on things re the Relto book they pulled out of the lake before enjoying a lovely music session courtesy of Fil Rowan. -I'm really enjoying these musical gatherings that the community is putting on, they’re doing a lot to make the Cavern come to life down here. Must make sure they get acknowledged in the Kirel announcements. +I'm really enjoying these musical gatherings that the community is putting on, they're doing a lot to make the Cavern come to life down here. Must make sure they get acknowledged in the Kirel announcements. 21/10/21 Had a listen to the audio recording in the Kirel auditorium today. Think we've got the sound levels to where they need to be. Barring any last minute amendments or tech hiccups to be sorted, this should be ready for listening in the next month or so. @@ -3667,7 +3667,7 @@ Bad business. Hoping it gets dealt with soon. That's over a decade's worth of la VERY interesting project in the works from Christopher Therberg. A memorial for the D'ni cavern, honouring those who lost their lives in the Fall. Looks like he's planning to erect it at the King's Memorial Plaza in Ae'gura. Some design schematics and a concept for the plaza layout have been uploaded to the Beneath forums for feedback.10/12/21 Talk about a Uni pub quiz for the ages. For a number of reasons. -Haven't seen Quintus since yesterday evening. Here’s hoping he managed to break the cycle. +Haven't seen Quintus since yesterday evening. Here's hoping he managed to break the cycle. 15/12/21 Now THAT was a satisfying library restocking. Seems I've picked up more than a couple of things after helping Ed with the RNU Archive for all these years. @@ -3695,7 +3695,7 @@ Not even going to begin speculating as to who placed it there or what this could For now, I am content just to sit and lose myself to the vastness. 03/02/22 -Met one of Cal's old collaborators tonight, Carl Palmner, who ran the Heritage Nights with him way back in the day. Really quite heartening to see more of the explorer community's old hands popping back in to see what’s going on. Here’s hoping he sticks around. +Met one of Cal's old collaborators tonight, Carl Palmner, who ran the Heritage Nights with him way back in the day. Really quite heartening to see more of the explorer community's old hands popping back in to see what's going on. Here's hoping he sticks around. 13/02/22 Resting from a long day of cutting back the overgrown vines and other creeping foliage in Eder Naybree with Cal. Was fun to give the machete an airing, been a long time since the old sword-arm saw some action. Don't think he was quite expecting the full extent of the collection I had bought down with me, must admit to being amused by the look on his face. Probably for the best he didn't ask how I came by them. @@ -3721,7 +3721,7 @@ Kelsei introduced me to an explorer named Taliana during tonight's relaxation se I really must crack on with that this week and get the next one done. This particular kind of endeavour isn't going to lend itself well to a Douglas Adams approach to deadlines. 03/03/22 -Little bit saddened I won’t be making this Saturday's Deep City Lecture. Still, it’s not every weekend I get to attend a conference on Anglo-Saxon history at the Brighton Pavilion. I'm sure JD won't hold it against me. +Little bit saddened I won't be making this Saturday's Deep City Lecture. Still, it's not every weekend I get to attend a conference on Anglo-Saxon history at the Brighton Pavilion. I'm sure JD won't hold it against me. Ed'll be joining me, said something about "giving his pineal gland a tune-up". The mind boggles. @@ -3730,7 +3730,7 @@ Back from Brighton. Conference was fantastic, the presentation on Anglo-Saxon ar Currently I am in the process of recharging from Ed's various counter-cultural activities, which were something of a wild wide. Definitely a life he's more cut out for than me. Still, it's one that's always fun to drop in on from time to time. -Quiet weekend is in order, I think. Let’s see about finishing off that Tom Sharpe that's been sitting atop my pile for the past month. +Quiet weekend is in order, I think. Let's see about finishing off that Tom Sharpe that's been sitting atop my pile for the past month. 19/03/22 Just got back from a few days up in Cambridge. Was good to meet up with family, along with checking in with my old colleague Tamara Baylis at the English Heritage restoration team at Wrest Park estate. Lovely old manor and grounds, especially now that Spring is finally here. Also excellent to see Tamara doing well with herself, it's good to know there's a life and career after the RNU, at least for those of us who somehow manage to escape. @@ -3759,14 +3759,12 @@ The recent thefts and sabotages do give me some cause for concern, though. I may 27/04/22 Spoke with Cpt. Jericho in the Chiso library today, brought her up to speed about the recent explorer thefts. The good Captain assured me that her own stocks of ammo, anti-material weapons and landmines in the Cavern remained untouched, which relieved me before I fully considered the implication of her words, although the reference to the nuclear submarine in the lake suggests she was giving my leg a thorough pulling. -I certainly hope to the Gods she was. Regardless of who is behind these recent thefts and sabotages, the last thing we want is actual military hardware falling into their hands. - -07/05/22 +I certainly hope to the Gods she was. Regardless of who is behind these recent thefts and sabotages, the last thing we want is actual military hardware falling into their hands.07/05/22 Today has definitely been a day where the lines separating the known realms have been a bit on the thin side. Following the AGM, who should make an appearance but my old friend Madame Sophia, from the Astral Bureau of Circulation in Boston. Back in the early days of my friendship with Echo (that would be, what, 2007? 2008? Ugh, the linear passage of time strikes again) I had thought there may have been a psychic aspect to her visions, and had been pointed in the direction of the ABC as a legitimate source of understanding as to mediums and their practices. I have always and continue to maintain what I consider to be a healthy skepticism of the field and its abstract affiliations, knowing something of the damage that can be inflicted upon the emotionally vulnerable by predatory manipulators. It was therefore quite refreshing to find in Sophia a pragmatic and academic-orientated woman who welcomed both my skepticism and my desire for tangible knowledge, and who left me with a greater understanding of what lies beyond the sundered veil. -All in all, it was something of a shock to see her step forward as the proceedings in Kirel wound down. She didn’t look at all comfortable with her surroundings, and I have a feeling that she may have arrived freshly from the surface. She certainly had little time for pleasantries, arriving simply to deliver some cryptic words of prophetic warning (of which I cannot pretend to offer any insight beyond the superficial) before leaving just as quickly as she had appeared. +All in all, it was something of a shock to see her step forward as the proceedings in Kirel wound down. She didn't look at all comfortable with her surroundings, and I have a feeling that she may have arrived freshly from the surface. She certainly had little time for pleasantries, arriving simply to deliver some cryptic words of prophetic warning (of which I cannot pretend to offer any insight beyond the superficial) before leaving just as quickly as she had appeared. The encounter was swiftly followed by a meeting up with Echo, who proceeded to undergo one of her Narrative Insights. Another story of the Fall, this time concerning a child taken by two strangers from a group at the Concert Hall. What could they mean? And could there be a connection between the two? Damnation, I wish I possessed the kind of mind suitable for abstract thought. After all these years, it still feels like I know so much yet understand so little. @@ -3778,11 +3776,11 @@ Ed and I made a shocking discovery today. An injured young man, found on the low Luckily we were able to get Tenny down quick-sharpish, and he's currently resting in his Sanctuary Clinic. He seemed in a bad way, was unable to recall anything about himself, or even recognize where he was. All that's known so far is the name pulled from his damaged KI: Benavud. Hopefully somebody will come forward with more information. 25/05/22 -DAMN it, Cal. What’s were you THINKING?! +DAMN it, Cal. What's were you THINKING?! I knew I should have talked you out of messing with those bloody crystals when I had the chance. -Too late now. Only thing that can be done is to make sure you come back from Rei’schu alive. +Too late now. Only thing that can be done is to make sure you come back from Rei'schu alive. So much for that catchup weekend I'd planned. Was looking for a nice sedate couple of days with some Vivaldi and that hardback JB Priestley I found in the Archive. Instead, I'm currently having an existential crisis about an imminent First Contact situation and not knowing what tea to bring with me. @@ -3798,20 +3796,20 @@ Well that was an adventure and a half. Cal's safe, at least for now. Currently stuck in Rei'schu, working his way through a local ailment he picked up there. A timely reminder that the D'ni had Maintainer suits for a reason. -Lots to be sussed out in respect of the inhabitants. There’s going to be some finessing needed before things get disclosed to the larger community. For now, I'm just relieved things turned out the way they did. +Lots to be sussed out in respect of the inhabitants. There's going to be some finessing needed before things get disclosed to the larger community. For now, I'm just relieved things turned out the way they did. (And let the records show it was the Eton Mess that won them over.) 29/05/22 So it seems like my nerves can't catch a single break these days. -In the process of ascertaining Benavud’s medical history and to try to get some idea as to where he came from, Tenny did a standard series of tests. Blood, allergens, DNA, the usual. +In the process of ascertaining Benavud's medical history and to try to get some idea as to where he came from, Tenny did a standard series of tests. Blood, allergens, DNA, the usual. Turns out he's anything but. The DNA test came back and the results are DEFINITELY non-human. The possibility of dealing with a book-worlder is now very real. Perhaps even... -No. Not going there. Absolutely no point right now. I’m still processing everything that happened on Rei’schu and what it could mean for the restoration. +No. Not going there. Absolutely no point right now. I'm still processing everything that happened on Rei'schu and what it could mean for the restoration. -But we need to get to the bottom of this. If he HAS come from another age, more come looking for him and he’s found injured in our care, we could be staring down the barrel of a serious diplomatic incident. One that's going to take more than a nice cuppa to smooth over. +But we need to get to the bottom of this. If he HAS come from another age, more come looking for him and he's found injured in our care, we could be staring down the barrel of a serious diplomatic incident. One that's going to take more than a nice cuppa to smooth over. 06/06/2022 Resting following Jubilee Bank Holiday on the surface. Felt unmoved by the whole thing. I can remember a time when the pageantry and the historical prestige of it all meant something to me on an emotional level. Nowadays it all rings so false. Words and symbols that I am no longer able to connect with, with nothing of worth behind them. @@ -3819,7 +3817,7 @@ Resting following Jubilee Bank Holiday on the surface. Felt unmoved by the whole The last two decades of my life have seen my eyes open to so much. So many rich truths and wonderful possibilities. But so many more comfortable falsehoods and hollow beliefs have laid themselves bare in that time. And sometimes it feels like there are so many more of the latter to be found. 11/06/2022 -Carl and I spoke with Benavud today, with Tenny’s agreement. Seems to be on the up and up, certainly better than he was a couple of weeks ago. Still has no idea about who he is or where he came from, but he did find the KI snaps that DS5 took of the Great Library vaguely familiar. So there's *something* to be pieced together. We just have no idea what it is yet. +Carl and I spoke with Benavud today, with Tenny's agreement. Seems to be on the up and up, certainly better than he was a couple of weeks ago. Still has no idea about who he is or where he came from, but he did find the KI snaps that DS5 took of the Great Library vaguely familiar. So there's *something* to be pieced together. We just have no idea what it is yet. Benavud's agreed to make the trip to the Great Tree Hood tomorrow to meet the wider explorer community, field some questions. Tenny's given it the ok, though for obvious reasons he'll be keeping him under observation throughout. @@ -3835,7 +3833,7 @@ Always gives me a vague sense of unease, seeing the campus so empty following th Aaaand now my brain is filled with nothing but haunting 80's synth. I really am adept at walking into traps of my own devising. -Disturbing news from the Cavern in the meantime. Looks like the Overflow Station’s been gone over again, this time by a whole gang of malcontents. And they've done a thorough job in wrecking the place from the looks of it. Things are serious enough to have bought Cal back from Rei'schu to oversee, thankfully looking a lot healthier than the last time I saw him. +Disturbing news from the Cavern in the meantime. Looks like the Overflow Station's been gone over again, this time by a whole gang of malcontents. And they've done a thorough job in wrecking the place from the looks of it. Things are serious enough to have bought Cal back from Rei'schu to oversee, thankfully looking a lot healthier than the last time I saw him. After discussions with the others, the decision's been made to put on a Town Hall in the Great Tree Hood. It's been a concept we've been kicking around before, but given recent events there feels a definite need to give it a proper roadtesting. Let's see if we can pull something over the next few days. @@ -3846,7 +3844,134 @@ Town Hall done. And not too bad a job we did, I think. Definitely a few places t Explorers were consulted on a number of decisions, which they voted on with the majority decision being enacted. Eder Naybree was selected as an age to be released next, with Highgarden following. A slower, more secure restoration of the Overflow Station was chosen (sensible bunch). And, most excitingly, it was agreed that formal diplomatic channels to Rei'schu would be opened. -Guess I'd better get some more of the Eton Mess in!]]> +Guess I'd better get some more of the Eton Mess in! + +08/07/22 +Benavud seems to have reacted negatively to the Journey Doors, saying something behind it was "bad". Bit of a cause for concern, that. Still, he's recognizing more and more aspects of those ages, so retracing his steps with explorers seems to be doing the trick. I can only hope he'll be ready to deal with the answers to the questions he has if and when they present themselves finally. + +A message has been left for us on the hood imager by this Ami person. A message with a name. "Harlan". + +I've heard it somewhere before. I know I have. Who is he? And why is Ami trying to bring us together? Why doesn't he simply reach out to us directly? + +We need to know more. I'm tired of us simply reacting to events as they happen. It's time to take the initiative. + +09/07/22 +How long has this all been going on for? Has every act of sabotage, every misplaced item, been the work of whoever this unknown group is? Have they been here since the very start? + +There is one thing I am convinced of. This group, whoever they are, is fracturing. Members such as this Ami, or Sami or whoever her name is, are actively pulling away and trying to undermine it. There is a chance that, if we just hold fast and allow this all to play out, the group will implode of its own accord. This would be the optimum scenario, provided of course the rest of the community remains unaffected. + +Power struggles, clashes of ideals. I've seen this before. It's a manner of degradation similar to that observed in fringe political organizations. And often + +No. No not that. + +Not here. + +PLEASE not here. + +20/07/22 +Finally got around to meeting Logan tonight during Fil's music night. Seems a decent sort, I can see why the good Doctor is taken with him. + +Cal has dug up a reference to Harlan in one of his old journals. He's the founder of a group called "The Children of the New Seed". I had heard JD mention it once on Twitter a while back, but didn't think anything of it then and it hadn't registered until Cal mentioned it again. Once again I feel undone by the ephemeral nature of Social Media. + +I had my suspicions, and they are now all but confirmed. A cult. A bloody *cult*. I had hoped to be done with them for good. I certainly had no desire to see them spring up in this new society taking root in D'ni today. + +This can't go on. Some manner of mutual understanding has to be reached. There is no other choice. + +At least, there is none that I am willing to entertain. + +27/07/22 +Well that was a utter catastrophe. + +The second Town Hall was gatecrashed by the saboteurs. Evidently the direct action they've taken so far hasn't been direct enough, necessitating a personal visit. And given the unhinged rhetoric they were spouting about a "true D’ni prophet" and "the direct command of Yahvo himself", it sounds like our theories about the events of the last few months being the work of a cult were right on the money. + +There is a real chance that things are going to get very nasty for us all unless this is dealt with. Kelsei recently spoke to me in regards to bringing in some outside help. I think now may be the time to do so. + +28/07/22 +It has been a long time since I have felt both this physically and mentally vulnerable in the Cavern. Not since the events at Kirkstall Abbey all those years ago have I felt myself so on edge, jumping at creeping shadows that lay just out of sight. + +D'ni was meant to be my sanctuary. The one place where I could remain untethered from all of the noise and happenings of this world and all others. That boundary has now been violated. + +I had forgotten what it was like to face a threat from those who would wish harm upon me, and I am not dealing with it in the way I was once able to. Ed has suggested a week or two on the surface to re-compose myself. + +I think I will take his advice. + +14/08/22 +I have returned to the cavern after some much needed restoration of a personal nature, what I believe the youth of today refer to as "self-care". Despite being subjected to some distressing recurring dreams featuring unwelcomely familiar motifs from all aspects of my life, the time away has served me well and I am slowly beginning to feel my old self again, although I am still finding myself wary of larger crowds. + +Radio Free D'ni is putting on some Billy Joel tomorrow. I think I will set up shop in the Messenger's Pub and listen in. + +15/08/22 +I was joined in the Pub today by Tenny. Over many drinks and discussions of many common interests, I feel like I understand a little more as to the good Doctor's nature. + +We were further accompanied by a gentleman seemingly tending the bar, a most unusual occurrence for the Mesenger's Pub. An older fellow with the air of practiced authority about him. He himself poured us a drink (with superb mixology skills, if I am any judge) and engaged us in conversation, where he spoke highly of the collaboration that the cavern had seen in recent times, of the spirit of community and a life that obtained fulfillment in the service of others. I felt myself nodding along with everything that he was saying without objection, right up until the point where I glanced at my KI and saw who it was we had been conversing with. + +Harlan Mason had chosen that moment to make his appearance to us. And he had *much* to say. + +Lot to process. Going to need to take my time with this one. For now, I have Echo and her delicious cider to keep me warm. + +16/08/22 +Alright, I think I have the shape of things clear in my mind. + +Mason is the leader of a group, the Children of the New Seed, as we worked out some time back. He espoused the usual sentiments you would find in similar New Religious Movements around community building, charity, strength in a shared vision. He spoke highly of myself and Tenny’s involvement in the community to date. Definitely felt a little bit love-bombed looking back at it, a common recruiting tactic used to bring people into these sorts of groups. He did seem sincere in his words, though I will be withholding judgement as to his intentions until I learn more for myself. + +He did seem very insistent on separating himself and his group from the actions of Rafe, Marcus, Tally and the others, of whom he all but confirmed were part of a splinter group from his own, one whose philosophies and anger are not accepted by him. I could see the pain in his eyes when he spoke of Rafe in particular, of whom he considered a friend. There is clearly much that has occurred behind closed doors, unbeknownst to both the wider community and us volunteer age restorers. + +In any case, Harlan has pledged the knowledge and resources of his own group in dealing with Rafe and his supporters. Between this and the efforts of the outside help we are bringing in, I am convinced that the machinations of these lunatics can be stood against and their threat to the restoration bought to an end.21/08/22 +Was introduced to Harry Williams today, the first of our outside help. Something of a regular Philip Marlowe type. Seems to understand the assignment, though the magnitude of the history surrounding the Cavern was something he still seemed to be grappling with. Still, I have it on good authority from those who know of such things that his investigative abilities are highly regarded in his profession, so I have full confidence in him. + +23/08/22 +Spoke to another new arrival today, this one by the name of Catchen (so much sudden fresh interest in our work down here! It really is fantastic to behold). A thoroughly interesting young woman with bright purple hair and a most inquisitive mind. Assisted her in getting her bearings and showing her the Chiso library with Kelsei, along with our workplace. Definitely someone to keep in touch with. + +By a splendid co-incidence I happened to run into Dr Robert Murry, the second of our outside help bought on to assist with the New Seed's splinter faction. Based on our encounter he seems to share both my love of history, exploration of far-flung locales and delicious spirits. I foresee some fun nights in both he and Tenny's company ahead of me. + +31/08/22 +Third Town Hall went off without a hitch, much to my relief following last month's chaos. Cal took the opportunity to announce his plans for an ambassadorial mission to Rei'schu, opening it up to explorers to join. Dr Murry couldn't wait to put himself forward as a volunteer, citing his own first contact experiences with a number of lost tribes. I have no doubt he will be an asset to the cause. + +Was also good to see Benavud making an appearance, a number of explorers have been asking about him in recent weeks. Sounds like he's been surface-based in that time. He seems less convinced that his origins lie beyond the surface, although he remains determined to find a definitive answer. Regardless, I'm glad he’s back. + +01/09/22 +After some consideration, I've put myself forward as a delegate for the Rei'schu diplomatic trip. I must move on from whatever melancholia that the New Seed splinter group has bought down upon me. Immersing myself in the culture of a new world and helping to build ties with their people may be exactly what I need. + +09/09/22 +Benavud and I took a search of the area behind the library barricades today in the hopes of jogging some further latent memories. No luck, but I'm convinced there's more to be found here. Ben has agreed we should keep searching. + +10/09/22 +After an enjoyable Story Night courtesy of r'Tay I took the chance to check out the newly available Eder Naybree where I bumped into Cal. He and Kelsei have really done a good job on the place. Looking forward to pondering the significance of those curious markings on the upper levels, along with those co-ordinates in the back of the journal I came across. + +14/09/22 +So Ben is D'ni, or at least carries their DNA. + +He hasn't taken it well, from what I’ve heard. Poor lad. It's a hell of a thing to wrap his head around. I will do my best to ensure that he knows the quality of his character remains unaffected by this knowledge. + +15/09/22 +And so begins a new academic year. A whole new intake of fresh students, ready for the histories of the ancient world to be poured into their heads. A meetup with Ed in the Archive after lectures had concluded has resulted in a number of ideas for the Rei'schu delegation, which I am looking forward to sharing with the other ambassadors. + +Busy days ahead, on and below the surface. + +20/09/22 +Haven't heard anything in respect of the New Seed splinter group for a while now. If I had to guess, I'd say they’ve caught wind of Rob and Harry's own investigations and of Mason's offer of support, and are keeping a low profile. Best case scenario, the increased pressure caused by our attentions has compounded the pace of their previous fracturing resulting in their total dissolution. + +I've recently given thought as to the possible motivations for their actions to date, and I am unable to ascertain any kind of sense from them. They surely cannot hope to succeed in driving explorers from the Cavern in order to stake some kind of territorial claim. At this point, attempting to impose any kind of centralized control on who can enter D'ni is an exercise in pure futility. There are far too many means of access, and a group of this apparently low size barely qualifies as a nuisance to explorers, let alone an effective means of obstructing them. What is it then they were hoping to achieve? And for what purpose? + +There is a chance their true intent will never be known to us. Perhaps it is for the best. There is so much more to be accomplished here than dealing with the petty intrigues of a fringe religious sect. + +28/09/22 +Town Hall went well again. It feels like we're starting to find our rhythm with them. Lots of good discussion about Eder Naybree and the upcoming trip to Rei'schu. Should start collecting together my own contributions for presentation. + +Was approached by an explorer by the name of Angelmyst, who offered me her journal for potential submission to the Chiso library. Will run it past Patrick and see what he thinks, but I know he will jump at the chance to get more explorer writings on the shelves. It certainly makes for a very engaging personal account. + +15/10/22 +Ran into Cpt. Jericho in Eder Naybree today, spoke about our plans for the Rei'schu delegation. She raised the potential issue of introducing live animals to an unknown ecosystem and the havoc it could wreak, which is a legitimate concern. Must make sure to stress the importance of this to their leaders. We must ensure a Tehranee situation is prevented at all costs. + +19/10/22 +Back from Rei'schu. First round of diplomatic talks went well I'd say, despite one of the Mayors trying to scupper the entire thing by way of a gigantic crab. But all in all, they seem to like the cut of our jib, not to mention the sound of our tunes. Looking forward to reading Tenny's write-up, it’s going to make for fun reading. + +Now to work out where exactly we're going to source a whole bunch of chickens and pigs from. Right after I recover from what I am reliably informed by my students is called an "absolute bangover". + +20/10/22 +If I thought my own physical state had been put through the wringer by the events of the last few days (self-inflicted as it was), it was nothing compared to what Ed had to deal with in Whitby. I should have known that the appearance of a first edition Elias Bodenheimer would court the attention of interested parties besides the RNU. + +Ed has since returned, having successfully liberated the tome from those whose designs were somewhat darker in nature. Physically he seems unharmed, but his experiences have clearly rattled him in a manner all too familiar to me. I will make myself available to him in his archival duties for the foreseeable, see if I can take some of the weight off his shoulders while he recuperates.]]>

From Carl Palmner 6/17/2022 @@ -3881,7 +4006,7 @@ And yet, here I was, kneeling on the edge of abrupt oblivion, my arm stretched o I needn't have worried. Anyone down here knew exactly what I was doing. And I was but the latest in a long line of many visitors to the underground caverns of D'ni to do so. -One last effort. I strained my arm as far as it would reach, ignoring the angry protestations my tendons offered up. My efforts were rewarded by a sudden blinking from my wrist as my KI finally registered the presence of the hologramatic marker projected in front of me, suspended over the drop. Success. Accompanied by a sudden flush of equal parts triumph and numbness, I delicately reached my other arm forward and tapped the flashing button on the device, taking care not to lose the remains of my already unsteady balance. The marker instantly blinked out of existence. Its' co-ordinates were now stored within the KI's memory, ready to be uploaded into the Great Zero along with the rest of the marker data I had spent all day meticulously collecting. +One last effort. I strained my arm as far as it would reach, ignoring the angry protestations my tendons offered up. My efforts were rewarded by a sudden blinking from my wrist as my KI finally registered the presence of the hologramatic marker projected in front of me, suspended over the drop. Success. Accompanied by a sudden flush of equal parts triumph and numbness, I delicately reached my other arm forward and tapped the flashing button on the device, taking care not to lose the remains of my already unsteady balance. The marker instantly blinked out of existence. Its co-ordinates were now stored within the KI's memory, ready to be uploaded into the Great Zero along with the rest of the marker data I had spent all day meticulously collecting. Satisfied, I withdrew my arm back and instantly edged away from the precipice, nursing the sudden feeling of exhaustion that I'd pushed to the back of my mind but had now finally elbowed its way forward, presenting as it did an angry bill for its services. The entire day had seen me stretching, dangling, crawling, leaping, generally forcing my body to do things it really wasn't cut out to do, all so I could do my bit as part of the Great Zero's seemingly endless calibration procedures. And while it was certainly a change of pace from exploring the newest batch of restored ages uncovered by the DRC, it was by no means my idea of unwinding. @@ -3911,196 +4036,196 @@ A sudden beeping from my KI interrupted my revelries. Hastily, I bought my arm u I suddenly felt an acute sense of embarrassment, realising that I had been watching the artist unannounced for at least five minutes. The notion of me striking up a conversation with her had not even crossed my mind. Now that politeness required it of me I had no idea what to say. Speak, man. You know how. For goodness sake, you won't shut up when it's the right subject. -“A fascinating interpretation,” I settled on, nodding towards the easel. Instantly, I cringed internally. The urge to throw myself into the lake was felt again, this time for entirely different reasons than before. +"A fascinating interpretation," I settled on, nodding towards the easel. Instantly, I cringed internally. The urge to throw myself into the lake was felt again, this time for entirely different reasons than before. The painter smiled slightly, clearly unaware of what to make of my sudden appearance and struggling to bring herself back from whatever mental plane she had been previously occupying. She didn't seem to be bothered by my sudden intrusion, so for the moment I felt safe to press on. -‘Oh no, please,” I added hurriedly, “don't let me stop you”. I was attempting to break any lingering tension my arrival may have caused. “I've always been fascinated by artists. Well, enviable, I should really say.” +'Oh no, please," I added hurriedly, "don't let me stop you". I was attempting to break any lingering tension my arrival may have caused. "I've always been fascinated by artists. Well, enviable, I should really say." When she spoke, her voice was gentle, almost serene. It put me immediately at ease. -“Do you paint?” +"Do you paint?" -“Oh good lord no,” I said, relieved for a chance of self-depreciation. “How does that old saying go? Art is a series of accidents-“ +"Oh good lord no," I said, relieved for a chance of self-depreciation. "How does that old saying go? Art is a series of accidents-" -“- artists know which ones to keep,” said the painter, finishing the quotation almost instinctively. +"- artists know which ones to keep," said the painter, finishing the quotation almost instinctively. -I grinned, the beginnings of common ground established. “That's the one! No, no, I leave all that to the people with talent. And basic hand-eye co-ordination. And who actually know what to do with things like beige. Is it actually a colour? I've always thought was just a brown that never really had its' heart in it.” +I grinned, the beginnings of common ground established. "That's the one! No, no, I leave all that to the people with talent. And basic hand-eye co-ordination. And who actually know what to do with things like beige. Is it actually a colour? I've always thought was just a brown that never really had its' heart in it." I realised I was blithering. Trying to stall to make less awkward of a departure. But to my surprise, the painter broke into a laugh. It was a gentle laugh, one without scorn or malice. -“I suppose I'll keep this one,” said the painter, beckoning to her easel, “although I don't think I'm much of an artist. It's just…. a reminder.” +"I suppose I'll keep this one," said the painter, beckoning to her easel, "although I don't think I'm much of an artist. It's just.... a reminder." -There was something about the tone of that last word that piqued my interest. “It's the bridge, isn't it?' I asked. I instantly regretted the redundancy of the observation. Of course it's the bridge. Damn foolish thing to say. -“Yes. It's what the bridge was.” +There was something about the tone of that last word that piqued my interest. "It's the bridge, isn't it?' I asked. I instantly regretted the redundancy of the observation. Of course it's the bridge. Damn foolish thing to say. +"Yes. It's what the bridge was." -“You mean, when it was still in one piece?' I asked. +"You mean, when it was still in one piece?' I asked. -This innocent question provoked an unexpected response from the artist. She seemed to stare straight ahead at her collection of painted strokes, as though she were looking beyond the canvas and into the very depths of the picture. “No”, she said, and this time her voice was as soft as a leaf falling to rest upon grass. +This innocent question provoked an unexpected response from the artist. She seemed to stare straight ahead at her collection of painted strokes, as though she were looking beyond the canvas and into the very depths of the picture. "No", she said, and this time her voice was as soft as a leaf falling to rest upon grass. There was a moment's silence, and I shifted uncomfortably from one foot to another. Had I said something wrong? Was there something obvious I had missed? Or was this the painter's way of wishing to be left alone? That was most likely it. I idly brushed my hands to the Relto book at my waist and prepared to make a quiet exit. -“Does D'ni seem empty to you?” +"Does D'ni seem empty to you?" The question was sudden, almost hurried, as though the painter had been keeping it within her for some time and could hold it no longer. My hand moved away from my Relto just as she turned once again to face me. -“Empty? I suppose you could say that. Apart from us nosy lot, of course. Not that there's many of us about at the moment…” +"Empty? I suppose you could say that. Apart from us nosy lot, of course. Not that there's many of us about at the moment..." It was true. Aside from the group of half a dozen or so explorers sitting on the top steps of the Great Stairs, and the tiny clustering of the more braver of the marker hunters congregating on one side of the bridge in the distance, the city was quiet. The Deep City was breathing more steadily than it had been in recent months, but it still remained a far cry from what it had once been barely two centuries ago. -As if my thoughts were being read, she continued. “People don't see what it used to be, how it ended. I thought maybe if I painted it... it would be easier to see. For me, at least.” +As if my thoughts were being read, she continued. "People don't see what it used to be, how it ended. I thought maybe if I painted it... it would be easier to see. For me, at least." At that moment the distant chattering from the direction of the bridge ceased. As we both watched, another explorer (this one clad in goggles and a pith helmet several sizes too big for him) took a flying leap from the edge of the bridge and plummeted downwards. But before his body could be dashed by the rocks below, he had vanished into the welcoming pages of his Relto, joining the ranks of the hundreds of other explorers who had succeeded in this more daring element of the calibration procedure. I shook my head in disbelief, amazed at the lengths some of my fellow explorers would go to just to make Laxman sleep a little easier at night. But I was surprised by the response of the painter. She seemed to visibly sigh, and suddenly found the urge to add a dab of dark paint underneath the bridge. -“And has it?” I asked. “Made it easier to see, I mean.” +"And has it?" I asked. "Made it easier to see, I mean." -“It makes it easier for me to look at somewhat,” she replied cryptically. She turned away from the bridge and brought her gaze to mine. “Tell me, Mr…?” +"It makes it easier for me to look at somewhat," she replied cryptically. She turned away from the bridge and brought her gaze to mine. "Tell me, Mr...?" -“Lavisham. Professor Julian Lavisham,” I smiled, glad to be on more familiar ground. +"Lavisham. Professor Julian Lavisham," I smiled, glad to be on more familiar ground. -“A Professor? How interesting.” There was no trace of insincerity in her tone, at least none that I could detect. “Pleased to meet you, Professor Lavisham.” +"A Professor? How interesting." There was no trace of insincerity in her tone, at least none that I could detect. "Pleased to meet you, Professor Lavisham." -“And likewise, Ms…?” +"And likewise, Ms...?" -“Echo,” the painter said with a smile. “Echo McKenzie. Tell me, Julian…” +"Echo," the painter said with a smile. "Echo McKenzie. Tell me, Julian..." She gestured with her brush over the canyon. -“When you look out there, what do you see?” +"When you look out there, what do you see?" I adjusted my glasses and looked out over the balcony. Not for the first time, I put myself in the shoes of Atrus, answering the familiar question his grandmother Ti'ana often posed him. -“I see a bridge,” I finally settled on. “Connecting the Hall of Kings with the pathway leading around to the Concert Hall. Broken in the middle, either due to decay or more likelier as a result of the tremors that occurred during the Fall. Structural stability is questionable, although the lash-up the DRC have going on seems to have held out so far. And I see people around on top,” I added, eager to not miss any of the more obvious details. “Psyching up the next adrenaline junkie who fancies himself a lemming, more likely.” +"I see a bridge," I finally settled on. "Connecting the Hall of Kings with the pathway leading around to the Concert Hall. Broken in the middle, either due to decay or more likelier as a result of the tremors that occurred during the Fall. Structural stability is questionable, although the lash-up the DRC have going on seems to have held out so far. And I see people around on top," I added, eager to not miss any of the more obvious details. "Psyching up the next adrenaline junkie who fancies himself a lemming, more likely." Echo leaned against the railing, closing her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, they had taken on an unfocused, almost dreamlike quality. -“The bridge, it's a grand construction, the only path to the Great Library. Thousands of people crossing it every day. They think nothing of it. It, like D'ni, is set in stone. When the earthquakes start, it is only natural that people flee for the Library, to the safety of the ages.” +"The bridge, it's a grand construction, the only path to the Great Library. Thousands of people crossing it every day. They think nothing of it. It, like D'ni, is set in stone. When the earthquakes start, it is only natural that people flee for the Library, to the safety of the ages." -“But the gas… the gas is there too. It is crawling across the lake, a malevolent, seeking death. People are crowded on the bridge, pushing, shoving, the panic in the mob increasing… they can hear the cries of the dying as the poison cloud reaches the ferry terminal. The press of bodies on the bridge as people race for the Library grows.” +"But the gas... the gas is there too. It is crawling across the lake, a malevolent, seeking death. People are crowded on the bridge, pushing, shoving, the panic in the mob increasing... they can hear the cries of the dying as the poison cloud reaches the ferry terminal. The press of bodies on the bridge as people race for the Library grows." She paused, closing her eyes. An expression of pain crossed her face, and I could tell she was struggling to speak. -“Another tremor comes. The bridge shakes, twists... it's not made to handle weight and torque. It begins to crumble. So, so many fall... and the poison cloud reaches up seeking tendrils to meet them... they die before they even hit the water. Some try to cling to the ruin, the gas reaches up and takes them, too. Others try to flee back, to the Hall of Kings, but it is too crowded…” +"Another tremor comes. The bridge shakes, twists... it's not made to handle weight and torque. It begins to crumble. So, so many fall... and the poison cloud reaches up seeking tendrils to meet them... they die before they even hit the water. Some try to cling to the ruin, the gas reaches up and takes them, too. Others try to flee back, to the Hall of Kings, but it is too crowded..." Tears began running quietly down her face, despite the tightness of her clenched eyelids. And yet, she continued her story. -“There is a woman... she is just at the edge when the bridge cracks... she starts to fall, and in desperation, throws her little daughter upwards to the crowd. She is caught, held close; people are running for the library holding her... she is reaching back screaming for her mother.” +"There is a woman... she is just at the edge when the bridge cracks... she starts to fall, and in desperation, throws her little daughter upwards to the crowd. She is caught, held close; people are running for the library holding her... she is reaching back screaming for her mother." Her voice was close to breaking, each word almost a sob that seemed to rise up from the very depths of a soul. -“They don't know... they can't know... that even the Ages won't save them. There's too many... just too many...” +"They don't know... they can't know... that even the Ages won't save them. There's too many... just too many..." She sunk to her knees, head resting against the railing, face in her hands. She seemed exhausted, as though she had been through the most horrific physical ordeal that could be subjected upon a person. In between her laboured breaths she softly whispered the words: -“Yahvo, rehzuh kehnehn fahsh.” +"Yahvo, rehzuh kehnehn fahsh." Throughout her story, I had found myself enraptured by the words that this mysterious young woman had conjured up. But now the powerful imagery of her words was gone, and I felt I should say or do something, anything to ease her obvious distress. Not for the first time, I wished I was the sort of person who knew the right thing to say at moments like these. -“This is more than a feeling, isn't it? You're actually seeing all of this play out in front of your eyes?” +"This is more than a feeling, isn't it? You're actually seeing all of this play out in front of your eyes?" Wordlessly, her eyes remaining shut, she nodded. -“… I wish I could see the things you do,” I said finally. +"... I wish I could see the things you do," I said finally. -Echo opened her eyes and looked up at me. “No. No you don't, Julian.” She was still clearly distressed, but her breathing had become more even, slowed to a less frantic pace. +Echo opened her eyes and looked up at me. "No. No you don't, Julian." She was still clearly distressed, but her breathing had become more even, slowed to a less frantic pace. -“But I do!” he insisted. “So many historians look around at this ancient stone and see just that. Buildings, masonry, walkways, everything that time hasn't managed to tear down. It's certainly all I was able to see just by looking at that bridge. But you… you can see it all. People, events happening in real time, the ability to see history playing out, right before your eyes. Echo, if what you're telling me is true, you can see how the D'ni lived!” +"But I do!" he insisted. "So many historians look around at this ancient stone and see just that. Buildings, masonry, walkways, everything that time hasn't managed to tear down. It's certainly all I was able to see just by looking at that bridge. But you... you can see it all. People, events happening in real time, the ability to see history playing out, right before your eyes. Echo, if what you're telling me is true, you can see how the D'ni lived!" -“All I see right now is how they died. It's like watching a murder, over and over again,” she sighed, forcing herself to stand before her painting again. She brushed her fingers against the now dried canvas. “And when people go jumping after that marker under the bridge… I see new bodies with the old.” +"All I see right now is how they died. It's like watching a murder, over and over again," she sighed, forcing herself to stand before her painting again. She brushed her fingers against the now dried canvas. "And when people go jumping after that marker under the bridge... I see new bodies with the old." The full emotional implications of what she was describing came rushing in. I had a hundred questions on my lips, but right then I knew all that mattered was being present in this moment with her. -“I can only begin to imagine what that must be like. To see the death of a society play out before your eyes. We know so much about how D'ni fell, the years of their kings, all of the big events. But there's more to it than that, more to here than that. History isn't just dates, or buildings, when eras began or ended. It's people, it's their lives, it's their drives and struggles, their pain, their passions. It's their dreams. And their stories.” +"I can only begin to imagine what that must be like. To see the death of a society play out before your eyes. We know so much about how D'ni fell, the years of their kings, all of the big events. But there's more to it than that, more to here than that. History isn't just dates, or buildings, when eras began or ended. It's people, it's their lives, it's their drives and struggles, their pain, their passions. It's their dreams. And their stories." -“Take those people you saw. Any one of them. The mother, the daughter, the people in the crowd who caught her… each and every one of them has their own story to tell. It could be something trivial, something grand, something that changes the life of everyone or just something that changed them. But it's those stories that truly reveal how a person lived. The bad… but also, the good.” +"Take those people you saw. Any one of them. The mother, the daughter, the people in the crowd who caught her... each and every one of them has their own story to tell. It could be something trivial, something grand, something that changes the life of everyone or just something that changed them. But it's those stories that truly reveal how a person lived. The bad... but also, the good." Echo stared ahead thoughtfully, absent mindedly rubbing at a speck of dry paint on her face. -“It's not empty here, you know,” she said finally. “Everything the D'ni ever was is here with us. I have to remember that. I shouldn't focus on the death, any more than people focusing on the empty. I just have to learn to see past this.” +"It's not empty here, you know," she said finally. "Everything the D'ni ever was is here with us. I have to remember that. I shouldn't focus on the death, any more than people focusing on the empty. I just have to learn to see past this." She swiped her brush beneath the painting as if to likewise underline her words. Leaning back, she considered it for several seconds, then finally nodded. -“Done.” +"Done." -“And nicely so.” +"And nicely so." -“That's all it needs to be now. A reminder.” She turned and looked at me fully, as if seeing me for the first time. +"That's all it needs to be now. A reminder." She turned and looked at me fully, as if seeing me for the first time. -“Thank you.” +"Thank you." -I immediately took on an expression of bewilderment. It was one which came naturally to me and found myself using a lot in recent years. “I… did something?” +I immediately took on an expression of bewilderment. It was one which came naturally to me and found myself using a lot in recent years. "I... did something?" -Echo nodded. “You listened. You didn't laugh.” +Echo nodded. "You listened. You didn't laugh." -“I'm an academic. You lose the knack after a while,” I said with an ironic smirk. But one that was not shared by Echo. +"I'm an academic. You lose the knack after a while," I said with an ironic smirk. But one that was not shared by Echo. -“I'm not sure what's happened to me,” was all she could say. +"I'm not sure what's happened to me," was all she could say. -“Is this the first time something like... this… has happened?” +"Is this the first time something like... this... has happened?" -She nodded, and looked down at the ground. “I've never had anything like this, until I came here.” +She nodded, and looked down at the ground. "I've never had anything like this, until I came here." -“Does it frighten you?” +"Does it frighten you?" -The painter trembled, and softly mouthed one word. “Yes.” +The painter trembled, and softly mouthed one word. "Yes." I walked towards the wall and leant against it, facing her. -“Don't let it.” +"Don't let it." -Her trembling stopped, but there was still a hint of reservation in her next question: “Have I gone mad?” +Her trembling stopped, but there was still a hint of reservation in her next question: "Have I gone mad?" -I blew out my cheeks in mock exasperation. “Ms McKenzie, we are currently conversing many untold miles beneath the surface of the known world. We regularly use magic books as a means of getting around. This morning, I cooked up some mad science in a silo on an entirely different plane of existence to our own which, if all goes to plan, will somehow light up this entire cavern. At this point, your guess as to what passes for sane is as good as anyone's.” +I blew out my cheeks in mock exasperation. "Ms McKenzie, we are currently conversing many untold miles beneath the surface of the known world. We regularly use magic books as a means of getting around. This morning, I cooked up some mad science in a silo on an entirely different plane of existence to our own which, if all goes to plan, will somehow light up this entire cavern. At this point, your guess as to what passes for sane is as good as anyone's." -“True. But this… this all feels different. And if it keeps happening, I don't know what it's going to do to me.” +"True. But this... this all feels different. And if it keeps happening, I don't know what it's going to do to me." And here I paused. Moments like these rarely fell into place for me, so this one I was determined to savour, regardless of the outcome. -“I guess it's just going to take a… leap of faith.” +"I guess it's just going to take a... leap of faith." -Her brow furrowed as what I considered the dramatic weight of my words failed to land in spectacular fashion. “Professor Lavisham, that was either insightfully profound, totally pretentious, or the biggest load of cheese this side of a Hallmark card.” +Her brow furrowed as what I considered the dramatic weight of my words failed to land in spectacular fashion. "Professor Lavisham, that was either insightfully profound, totally pretentious, or the biggest load of cheese this side of a Hallmark card." -I put on a look of mock pride. “I'll have you know I take pride in walking that very fine line every day of my life.” +I put on a look of mock pride. "I'll have you know I take pride in walking that very fine line every day of my life." At this point Echo held her hand to her mouth, suppressing a quiet giggle. -“All right, come on now, that was a chuckle,” I teased. +"All right, come on now, that was a chuckle," I teased. -Echo made a show of looking innocent. “Yes. Yes it was,” she smiled. She blinked, and then seemed to cross her eyes. “I have paint on my nose, don't I?” +Echo made a show of looking innocent. "Yes. Yes it was," she smiled. She blinked, and then seemed to cross her eyes. "I have paint on my nose, don't I?" -I was stone-faced. “I… didn't want to say anything.” I couldn't help it. The side of my mouth twitched upward. +I was stone-faced. "I... didn't want to say anything." I couldn't help it. The side of my mouth twitched upward. -She rolled her eyes and began rubbing the smear with her finger. “Some first impression. “Hi, I'm Echo, and I paint with my nose and hallucinate dead people!”' At this point I was beyond keeping a straight face, and proceeded to double up in fits of hilarity. +She rolled her eyes and began rubbing the smear with her finger. "Some first impression. "Hi, I'm Echo, and I paint with my nose and hallucinate dead people!"' At this point I was beyond keeping a straight face, and proceeded to double up in fits of hilarity. -“I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I shouldn't be laughing”, I struggled to blurt out with gasping breaths. Echo was trying to look stern, but failed as equally and ended up laughing alongside me. I caught the eye of several explorers who were passing by and gave them a jaunty thumbs up by way of explanation. They nodded in the universal acknowledgement of you do you, you splendid human disasters and continued on their way. +"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I shouldn't be laughing", I struggled to blurt out with gasping breaths. Echo was trying to look stern, but failed as equally and ended up laughing alongside me. I caught the eye of several explorers who were passing by and gave them a jaunty thumbs up by way of explanation. They nodded in the universal acknowledgement of you do you, you splendid human disasters and continued on their way. -Finally the two of us had calmed down enough to form complete sentences once. “Ms McKenzie”, I said, “you are by far the most interesting person I've met down here in a long while.” +Finally the two of us had calmed down enough to form complete sentences once. "Ms McKenzie", I said, "you are by far the most interesting person I've met down here in a long while." -“Why thank you. I think!” she snorted, wrinkling her nose at me. She sighed happily, and as she did so the faintest traces of a shadow returned to her face. “I... should go rest. I always feel a bit off after it happens.” +"Why thank you. I think!" she snorted, wrinkling her nose at me. She sighed happily, and as she did so the faintest traces of a shadow returned to her face. "I... should go rest. I always feel a bit off after it happens." -“No, quite right, I need to be doing the same actually”, I nodded as Echo knelt down to gather up her paints. “I've a little project of mine running back in my Relto with a colleague of mine. We've scavenged some of the boilers from the desert Eder in an attempt to distil our own wine. We've got the principle of the thing sorted, but there's one or two kinks need looking at.” +"No, quite right, I need to be doing the same actually", I nodded as Echo knelt down to gather up her paints. "I've a little project of mine running back in my Relto with a colleague of mine. We've scavenged some of the boilers from the desert Eder in an attempt to distil our own wine. We've got the principle of the thing sorted, but there's one or two kinks need looking at." -“Ah. Not tasting quite right yet?” +"Ah. Not tasting quite right yet?" -“Oh the taste is fine, lovely even. It's the explosions we're trying to iron out.” +"Oh the taste is fine, lovely even. It's the explosions we're trying to iron out." -Echo blinked. “I don't claim to be a wine critic”, she said, “but I don't think it's supposed to do that.” +Echo blinked. "I don't claim to be a wine critic", she said, "but I don't think it's supposed to do that." -“It's certainly doing a number on our cheese boards, I can tell you.” +"It's certainly doing a number on our cheese boards, I can tell you." -“I think I'll wait for the finished product then” she smiled, packing away the last of her paints and collecting her canvas and easel. Finally she stood, and held out her hand. “Until then, Professor Lavisham.” +"I think I'll wait for the finished product then" she smiled, packing away the last of her paints and collecting her canvas and easel. Finally she stood, and held out her hand. "Until then, Professor Lavisham." -“Ms McKenzie,” I said with as much charm as I could muster as I took her hand in my own. “Perhaps we could-“ +"Ms McKenzie," I said with as much charm as I could muster as I took her hand in my own. "Perhaps we could-" But my question was already cut off by the sound of her linking book. The painter had already gone, leaving me alone in the plaza once more. -“… see each other again?” +"... see each other again?" The moment missed, at least for now, I turned to walk away. As I did my shoe came into contact with something on the ground causing it to slide away with a clatter. Bending down to retrieve the item, I held it in my gloved hand. It was the mysterious artist's paintbrush, abandoned where she had left it upon completing her work. I stared at it, then past it, peering into the distance at the bridge where another reckless explorer prepared to leap into the abyss below. And this time, I tried to look beyond what was merely there in the physical and observe with eyes anew. The daily rhythm of a thousand breathing souls, each one of them living out their own personal stories. Some tragic, some darkly comic, those that barely registered and those that changed the flow and rhythm of everything in their path. All containing the potential to set a spark aflame in the hearts of those who were blessed to know of them. -Perhaps – just maybe - there was a bigger picture here in D'ni that I had yet to truly see.]]> +Perhaps - just maybe - there was a bigger picture here in D'ni that I had yet to truly see.]]> July 2009 @@ -4148,48 +4273,32 @@ With the successful restoration of Tiam and Elonin, I found myself thinking abou

Sanctuary Journal by Dr. Tiernan Rory Quinlan, M.D. -Website: https://tiernanquinlan.wordpress.com/ -Welcome to my journal -March 19, 2022 - -I'm a retired medical doctor and I have finally been able to answer the Call I have had for so very long. - -I've relocated to the D'ni city, Ae'gura, to help with the restoration and research efforts there. - - -The Clinic is coming along March 22, 2022 I have been figuring out where to set up rooms for the Clinic, exploring my neighborhood and looking at all options. -At the moment, I have set up my office and telescope monitoring equipment in the ‘Classroom', with my satellite equipment in the foyer near the clock. I don't expect it to interfere with the clock mechanism, and thus far, it hasn't. +At the moment, I have set up my office and telescope monitoring equipment in the 'Classroom', with my satellite equipment in the foyer near the clock. I don't expect it to interfere with the clock mechanism, and thus far, it hasn't. I think the little observation room next to the classroom might be a good examination room. It's private and quiet. It will just need a bit better lighting. The light gardens are a nice place for people to wait and relax. I'm primarily considering a good location for the emergency OR as well as patient rooms, but I will probably put one of the townhouses to use as a hospital ward at some point. - -Strange visitors May 10, 2022 A couple of former workers on the Overflow station, who left the project a few weeks ago have been showing up on the visitor logs in the Clinic. Calum let me know that these people had quit shortly after they took a leave of absence and as far as we knew, they'd left the area. -However, Tati Masser and Fasyk Casing have since been in the Clinic at least three times since they went ‘missing'. They seem to appear whenever I'm out on rounds or otherwise occupied in the Clinic, so I have yet to encounter them. - +However, Tati Masser and Fasyk Casing have since been in the Clinic at least three times since they went 'missing'. They seem to appear whenever I'm out on rounds or otherwise occupied in the Clinic, so I have yet to encounter them. -Explorers in the Cavern May 11, 2022 This evening, while I was walking down to the Pub, I met a gentleman, Logan. He's a newcomer to the Cavern, from the town my grandmother lives in, Sedona. We went over to the pub and had a couple of drinks and a nice, long conversation. Though he's been here longer than I have, he arrived in December and has been exploring Ages and following the Journey. He'd just recently finished the Journey and was trying to find out more about the most recent news that Echo McKenzie was seen recently, which I'd heard about but didn't see. I understand Dr. Lavisham spoke with her, however. Unfortunately I couldn't provide Logan with any new information about that, but we talked quite a bit about the Cavern, recent events and our work. He was very friendly and I enjoyed meeting him. - -Logan Visited May 15, 2022 So Logan stopped by the Clinic today. He was curious about where I was staying and I showed him around the Clinic. We stopped by the Radio Free D'ni show for a while as well but ended up spending most of our time wandering around Ae'gura, listening to the show on my phone. @@ -4202,8 +4311,6 @@ We spent most of the evening in the Library, reading and sharing the information I'd love to introduce him to Carl, Jules and Calum, but Logan's been kind of hesitant to meet more people. I'm not sure why. I think he's just shy. - -Relaxing Evening and A KIMail May 17, 2022 Logan and I stole away to spend the evening sitting in Elonin, gazing at the Lake, sipping wine. A few other Explorers were looking around, trying to solve the puzzles, which was fun to watch. @@ -4214,20 +4321,18 @@ While I was spending time with Logan, I got a KIMail from Mystlander. Such a nic Logan is incredibly knowledgeable about D'ni and its history. I continually am amazed by him. I hope I'm not getting a crush, I have no idea how he'd respond to such a thing. Ah well, it's just been pleasant having a friend to chat with, who seems just as interested in my life before I came here as he is in my Cavern history. He mentioned he'd read some of my dear grandmama's books and even attended one of her seminars in Sedona, which just touched my heart even more. -He spoke at length about living in Sedona, where I lived for a few years after I moved to the States with Grandmama. I'm a bit surprised we never encountered each other in town while I was there, since he lived there when I was staying with Grandmama. But, since I was homeschooled and he attended the local High School, we just never crossed paths. It's unfortunate, but well… +He spoke at length about living in Sedona, where I lived for a few years after I moved to the States with Grandmama. I'm a bit surprised we never encountered each other in town while I was there, since he lived there when I was staying with Grandmama. But, since I was homeschooled and he attended the local High School, we just never crossed paths. It's unfortunate, but well, -Ah… I am going on too much about Logan. +Ah, I am going on too much about Logan. -I heard from my friend, Dr. Evergreen, today as well. She sent me a text asking all about the Cavern. She's definitely interested in visiting with her niece, who is very interested in the paranormal. +I heard from my friend Rose, today as well. She sent me a text asking all about the Cavern. She's definitely interested in visiting with her niece, who is very interested in the paranormal. -I think they'd both be stunned at what exists here below the desert floor of New Mexico… Heh. Though I know Dr. Evergreen and her niece have seen some pretty amazing things, I'm certain they've never seen anything like Ae'gura! +I think they'd both be stunned at what exists here below the desert floor of New Mexico, Heh. Though I know Rose and her niece have seen some pretty amazing things, I'm certain they've never seen anything like Ae'gura! I'm hoping they might visit for the summer season, then they can meet Logan, Calum, Kelsei, Diranda, Jules and Carl. That would be so fun! I'd love to show a youngster around the Cavern! Diranda told me her friends have been researching an Age that Calum found and they're hoping he might let them visit it eventually. Calum mentioned that this age has crystals with some very unusual properties, which apparently caught the attention of Alex, Jamie and Nyota. They're anxious to explore but Calum is being careful in who he's letting visit, which I definitely agree with. I'd like to explore that Age as well but I respect Calum's wishes in this case. I know he doesn't want anyone to get hurt and I agree. - -Clinic's First Guest and a Mystery May 19, 2022 Jules called me today about an injured man he'd found behind the Great Library. So once we got the poor fellow back to the Clinic, I set to work fixing him up. The poor boy was very confused and disoriented, but considering he'd taken a bit of a tumble, it's not surprising. @@ -4240,26 +4345,96 @@ Hopefully we will be able to learn more about him, to help him out. In the mean I suppose if his name sounds familiar to anyone in the Cavern, please let Dr. Lavisham, Kelsei, Carl or myself know, so we can make sure his family and/or friends are notified that he's in our care and is alright. - -Logan and Benavud June 2, 2022 -Well, after the tests came back, we found out Ben seems to not be human, exactly. Of course Carl went into this a bit more on his journal: “A Non-Human Newcomer”. People were excited about this and speculation went a bit wild. Unfortunately this week, poor Ben seems to have been too overwhelmed with things and I've made the decision to keep visitors away for a while until he feels better. So I asked my helpers, the young folks from ASU, to keep him company and keep an eye on him when I'm not in the Clinic. +Well, after the tests came back, we found out Ben seems to not be human, exactly. Of course Carl went into this a bit more on his journal. People were excited about this and speculation went a bit wild. Unfortunately this week, poor Ben seems to have been too overwhelmed with things and I've made the decision to keep visitors away for a while until he feels better. So I asked my helpers, the young folks from ASU, to keep him company and keep an eye on him when I'm not in the Clinic. Logan came by, since I've been so busy with Ben, we haven't had a lot of time to do much together lately. He was, of course, very curious about Ben, but I'm not letting anyone see him, not even Jules and Carl. I think Logan understands, he seemed to. -Logan's offered to visit me at the Clinic though, so while I'm working, he's planning to come over for coffee and ‘mini-dates' (his words!). +Logan's offered to visit me at the Clinic though, so while I'm working, he's planning to come over for coffee and 'mini-dates' (his words!). -I think we're a couple… Alex says we are, anyway. She just grins whenever Logan comes by and Jamie winks. Logan is incredibly sweet, at any rate. I may offer him a place to stay here, since he mentioned his current neighborhood is a bit crowded with other Explorers. +I think we're a couple? Alex says we are, anyway. She just grins whenever Logan comes by and Jamie winks. Logan is incredibly sweet, at any rate. I may offer him a place to stay here, since he mentioned his current neighborhood is a bit crowded with other Explorers. -He noticed something and pointed it out to me though. The ‘mysterious visitors' continue to show up on our Clinic roster, yet nobody here has ever seen them. Not even Alex and Nyota, who are here pretty much all the time. This is beginning to concern Dorrian, who's been helping with security in the Clinic, along with Mysty. He and Jamie are setting up a watch during the night, just to keep everyone there safe. Their group has pretty much moved into the Clinic, which is great, because now I have people to keep me company as well as Ben! +He noticed something and pointed it out to me though. The 'mysterious visitors' continue to show up on our Clinic roster, yet nobody here has ever seen them. Not even Alex and Nyota, who are here pretty much all the time. This is beginning to concern Dorrian, who's been helping with security in the Clinic, along with Mysty. He and Jamie are setting up a watch during the night, just to keep everyone there safe. Their group has pretty much moved into the Clinic, which is great, because now I have people to keep me company as well as Ben! Jamie is very interesting, he's been helping me with my satellite uplinks, since we still have occasional connectivity problems. He's also been discussing working with Dira's brother's Argon Labs group, and it sounds very much like Corey is going to be offering Jamie and his friends jobs! -I took a ‘KI selfie' picture today of Logan and I! I love it and he wanted a copy sent to his KI as well.]]> +August 2, 2022 + +So my friend, the sister of Cory Valerian, the fella who runs Argon, Diranda (what a fantastical name!) has been researching the Great Zero since she came back to the Cavern in February. She has her own online journal: The Great Zero Journals, but she doesn't update it much. + +Probably because she keeps getting hurt climbing around the complex! + +I swear, she's gotten Logan and I running over there constantly because she's fallen in the pool again, or tumbled off the outside of the complex into the rocks, or slipped and landed in the lake. Folks mention KI malfunctions from time to time and I just find myself wondering, 'What has Dira done now?' and expect to get another sheepish KI-mail from her, which of course, I do! + +September 1, 2022 + +So, the last week, more or less, I've been out of the Cavern, looking for Logan. I got back yesterday in time for Town Hall, but wasn't able to stay long afterwards. + +Logan's been 'busy' since Jules and I met Harlan a few weeks ago. Last week, I got a rushed KI mail from Logan, telling me he'd been exploring in 'the garden ages' and that he wanted me to come meet him. Unfortunately he didn't say which Age he'd gone to, so I spent the last few days exploring the Garden Ages I had access to. I finally found him in Eder Kemo, just wandering around the gardens, almost aimlessly. + +Something is bothering him, but he's not been very forthcoming as to what it actually is. I'm frustrated but more than that, I'm concerned about him. He's just been so distracted and introspective, but he hasn't really told me much of anything, just talking about so many things, mostly from before he came to the Cavern. + +I'll keep visiting him until he decides to come back home, but it's difficult, not seeing him every day. + +On another note, Corey contacted me with a few photographs of a strange anomaly he's discovered and is curious about what it might be. So I put him in touch with my friend Rose in St. Clair, who has much more experience with this kind of deep space phenomenon. Hopefully we'll figure out what it is! + +September 21, 2022 + +I finally got a chance to visit the new Age that’s been opened to Explorers, Eder Naybree, yesterday. + +It’s so pretty and unusual! I’m looking forward to exploring it more as I have the time, but I’ve been rather busy with the Clinic and my research lately. + +I didn’t expect to end up running a full-time Clinic when I retired to the Cavern! Not that I mind at all, I’m just much more busy than I thought I’d be. It makes sense, of course, I seem to be the only MD in-residence at the moment. Most of the other doctors here are PhDs, scientists, rather than just medical professionals. + +Heh! Well, I’m glad to have had an opportunity to visit Naybree and take some photographs! I saw a few other Explorers while I was there, including Minasunda, who had found a pretty little spot on top of a gazebo. + +There is quite a lot to see in Naybree and I recommend that folks pay it a visit as soon as they can! + +September 24, 2022 + +So, it’s confirmed that my grandmum is visiting the Cavern in October. She’s driving out from Sedona and plans to stay at least a week if she can. + +She’s interested in meeting Logan, as well as the other folks in the Cavern, and I suspect she’s mainly coming out to see what I’ve been getting up to since I retired. + +I’ve told her quite a bit about the recent restoration and she’s been very enthusiastic about everything that’s been going on, so I’m thinking this may not be the only time she’s going to be visiting… + +I got her okay to print a few entries from her original Cavern journals, so I’m working on transcribing them for this blog. She’s said she was interested in possibly adding copies to the Chiso Library, so other Explorers can learn about what she worked on while she was in residence. + +She’s also told me she has a blog of her own (separate from her author site) that she had up back in the early days, and she’s considering getting it back online publicly, but she’s been busy with finishing a manuscript as well as doing some translations for Corey at Argon Labs. + +I’m looking forward to seeing her and I hope she enjoys her visit down here! + +October 7, 2022 + +Grandmum is here! She came in late this evening, and we spent most of the night drinking tea and chatting. + +She's interested in meeting Logan, of course, but he wasn't available this evening. + +October 9, 2022 + +Grandmama met Logan today. She seemed to like him fine, but I suspect there's more that she's not telling me. + +Logan, for his part, has seemed very quiet and shy since he came back from the Garden, tired, almost. He keeps to himself much more often, and it makes me somewhat concerned. + +I don't know, but I'm thinking things have changed with him, somehow. He still won't talk much about things. + +October 26, 2022 + +Grandmum went home a week ago and I've been busy working on making first aid kits and distributing them to keep my mind occupied. + +Logan has been busy a lot lately, much more since he met Grandmama. + +I might try to go topside and visit Sedona this November. Grandmama invited both of us to her home for the holidays. I just find myself worrying about Logan and I am beginning to wonder... + +Ah well... + +Perhaps Christmas in Sedona is what I need.]]> - This Book Belongs to: Calum Traveler +

+This Book Belongs to: Calum Traveler + 4/21/21 Figured I ought to start a proper field work journal instead of haphazardly shoving things into journals unrelated to the main work of the ages in question. I'm starting to feel like Sharper here with all these journals bleeding into eachother. Geeze, I really am Light-bound for all that I write. How've I gotten so close to filling the Cathedral's book already? Gotta reserve space for the actually important work and none of the background stuff. @@ -4267,8 +4442,10 @@ Geeze, I really am Light-bound for all that I write. How've I gotten so close to ANYWAYS. Yay. New Journal for Field Reports And stuff. And STUFF. Hah. Oh man. Why did I even start another journal for? Oh. Right. All the pages of ranting about CLOCKS in the Cathedral journal. That. AND. Tiam. The next New Age on the docket for inclusion next. I haven't been there once yet. BUT. I'm being prepared. Gonna make my notes here for reporting and such. Once I get a chance to get out there and visit the place. YEP. + ...Oi, Calum, why can't you just stick to a single journal for this stuff? -Okay, let's see if I can find where this book is and get to there. + +Okay, let's see if I can find where this book is and get to there. --- Tiam is, uh. Quite sandy and bright on first impression. I can't tell if it's the sun or the glare. Interesting initial area, structural foundations look well... locked door and a puzzle? Fascinating! Handy link back to Chiso right at the get go. Benches! Very nice. @@ -4282,30 +4459,32 @@ This is a perplexing puzzle. I'm not quite sure how I'm supposed to get past it. CLEVER.... Double clever. Dang it I'm going to need to watch this a few times aren't I? Okay, that one door sensor needs fixing, it's staying open when it shouldn't, and closing in my face when it should be staying open. I think everything else is fairly solid. Not bad, not bad at all. + 4/24/21 Korov'ev sent me some vases to refurbish. Well. Alright. 4/25/21 I THOUGHT those vases were a little weird. They may have been submitted as part of a contest by the DRC. Ugh. Nope. I'm leaving 'em be. No touchy and no replacey!!! -4/26/21 +4/26/21 My recommendation for any immediate future adjustments to Ae'gura is: Kahlo Pub hallway cleanup: -Minimum: shove the rocks aside for a clear path so avvies dont have to jump over the rocks. +Minimum: shove the rocks aside for a clear path so people dont have to jump over the rocks. Mid-tier: remove the rocks entirely Obsessive Tier changes: actually clear the debris in the entry path as well The rest of Ae'gura is structurally clear as far as foot traffic is concerned. The remaining debris piles are just too large to do anything with in any reasonable span of time. Meanwhile: KI errors refuse to connect to the Lattice for a vast majority of the population right now. Not Good. + 4/29/21 Talking with Scharminius about the Lake light and the Er'cana ovens and he brings up an interesting possibility. -Only the time value matches an exact bake time. With 10 notches for about an hour's worth of surface time (Which in and of itself is weird for D'ni time keeping devices), he suggests it's possible 'power' and 'temperature' are arrays rather than strictly settings on a linear scale. Going to need to talk with Mary Sue and see if she has any thoughts on the matter. -Sent her a KI Mail. I have a feeling Time and Temperature remain scales of 0-to-50 but Power/Potency is the curious one. +Only the time value matches an exact bake time. With 10 notches for about an hour's worth of surface time (Which in and of itself is weird for D'ni time keeping devices), he suggests it's possible 'power' and 'temperature' are arrays rather than strictly settings on a linear scale. Going to need to talk with Mary Sue and see if she has any thoughts on the matter. Sent her a KI Mail. I have a feeling Time and Temperature remain scales of 0-to-50 but Power/Potency is the curious one. 5/2/21 Heard back from Mary, she had no thoughts on the matter theory ways. Oh well. -5/5/21 + +5/5/21 Of COURSE the Clocks would haunt us. Or maybe, whatever's been going wrong with the hoods is striking out more? UGH. Idk. Fantastic timing either way. SIGHS. Why couldn't this release go smoothly? Why Nexus-to-Hood issues NOW of all times? -5/6/21 +5/6/21 Adam seems to have found the cause of the Hood Link Issues, let's hope we can get it pushed to the Nexus in the morning. Hazado's taken over the charge on getting the Gahreesen Wall working, it seems. It seems like Dr. Blom left at some point before I joined up with the group. I'd been wondering, but never asked. Just being polite, I still won't. Still, I guess the Wall is getting put to working order. Should be fun to test, I guess. @@ -4316,9 +4495,9 @@ Hazado's taken to looking into the Watcher's Pub Imager table. Lots more talk ab 7/5/21 Well, this book's sat abandoned until now. Might as well repurpose it for Descent Work, such as it is. Looks like we're in the initial stages of surveying everything we have to work with, as it were. This might take a while. In the meantime, there's maintenance work to be done on elevators and other moving objects- part of which involves the repeated process of using these items over and over and noting any bad behaviors. --- -Folks, please. We're just doing our jobs when we talk about being safe. The Shaft doesn't have any railing. Safety is paramount here. I don't want another Phil incident! Wear your Relto Books when exploring the Shaft! +Folks, please. We're just doing our jobs when we talk about being safe. The Shaft doesn't have any railing. Safety is paramount here. I don't want another Phil incident! Wear your Relto Books when exploring the Shaft! -7/7/21 +7/7/21 Last night: Did testing with Gahreesen gear wall and Ahnonay Chair. Everything working as it should be on both-- a first for the chair, given its rickety nature. Glad to see we're finally getting it fixed. Should make folks happy. I've offered my services in surveying work to Patrick once the dust settles on this family stuff and Mysterium. Gotta keep these things safe. Can't just go rushing in. Safety is Paramount. I sound like the DRC- a broken record. I legit wrote that the other day. @@ -4459,7 +4638,7 @@ Hrm, interesting. Seems we should have had a Net2, but the KI system didn't push Apparently the disabling did nothing for system stability, so not the Markers. Dang it. -9-24-21 +9/24/21 Update on the Serene Journal Sitch. It Looks like the *actual* Serene Commentary Book was left in a place called Neolbah, another of Andy's work projects. A case of mistaken cover identity. Looks like we'll be swapping them out after giving it a proper review to ensure, well... To Ensure we didn't mistake yet ANOTHER book for the Serene Commentary that should have been there. This is why we need to mark covers differently. At this reminder, I'm going to poke Patrick again about the Heritage Doc's and their... Sameness. LOL. At any rate, I hope this'll appease vid's repeated reminders about the present journal. We really should have caught that before it hit the public eye. Oh well. Hopefully nobody'll complain at a discrete swap. @@ -4508,7 +4687,7 @@ KI network rebooted. Just in time for Fil Live in GoMePub. Time to see how thing --- Okay, so, Good News. Our fix took out a very trivially easy way to crash the KI Lattice system. Bad News, our fix did not fix the cause of the Net 2s. -10-1-21 +10/01/21 Found some potential damage to the wall above the bottom of the spiral path. Only really obvious from above, really. Requesting it gets a second look at. Path looks good otherwise, I think, beyond some mild toe-stubs and tripping hazards we should clean up. Still no work on the temporary walkways, either, but we're avoiding them for now, linking instead where necessary. Photo op this Saturday after AGM. Already got my hardhat on. @@ -4609,7 +4788,7 @@ Had a dream of the cavern with the lake at a very bright light value, and was st Can only hope it holds out in reality when it gets that bright. 11/17/21 Looks like we just passed the vote to move Tiam into Phase 5 testing. CONGRATS to Ametist for her first P5 area! Here's hoping Elonin follows suit soon. -11/18/21 +11/18/21 In other news, apparently we had a spike in heavy metal content in the lake water today. I might need to visit the Overflow station... Not today though, maybe not even this week or weekend. Bluh. Got too much on my plate right now. 11/19/21 Confirmed metal spike. Gonna have to take a trip to the facility on Monday. @@ -4617,8 +4796,9 @@ Confirmed metal spike. Gonna have to take a trip to the facility on Monday. Serene Journal swap out approved, and it's ready to go out with the book shuffle in Chiso. Figured we might as well get that swapped out all at once. Saves the trouble. A good cap to a busy couple of days. Spent time with cousin and her boyfriend when they came to visit. Cheap flights are nice! I certainly don't mind making the effort to go get them should things go for- [Several large splotches of ink splatter across the entire lower part of the page, partially covering words.] -I-- I need to rest tomorrow. -11/24/21 +I-- I need to rest tomorrow. + +11/24/21 exhausted, that's really all there is to say on the matter 12/19/21 Swapped out the Serene Journal the other day along with the rest of the Chiso Shelves Restructuring. Been busy with so many other things in the mean time. Spoke with Patrick regarding something near a Lava Chamber he found- a machine that's similar to ones in the Overflow Station. Looks maintainer-suit-equipment-y, like Gahreesen's wall tubes. Could be related- need to get power working in both cases though, I think. @@ -4640,11 +4820,7 @@ Feels like we're coming full circle again. Harta Choylahnaytahv, Literally "Comp 1/8/22 Sometimes I have to wonder what Patrick is thinking. Announcing potential restorations like this... Todelmer, Tahgira, Laki? Sure, fine. Okay. NOLOBEN? Noloben! Freaking NOLOBEN!? We've been avoiding them for a reason but initial exploration is- For emphasis' sake: Tahgira is a frozen iceball- even more so than the DRC records showed it being back in the early 2000s. As long as we emphasize that for explorers going in- Okay. Cool. Fine. WHATEVER. Go ahead and freeze your faces off if you don't want to heed our warnings. - -NOLOBEN. Is Bahro Central. And then there's the nasty stuff Esher got up to there. - -Noloben- that a Bahro SHOUTED when Killing Wheely- It's--- - +NOLOBEN. Is Bahro Central. And then there's the nasty stuff Esher got up to there. Noloben- that a Bahro SHOUTED when Killing Wheely- It's--- I need some time on this. 1/20/22 @@ -4680,7 +4856,7 @@ Well, that's a bust. Hazado updated the old Audio files Patrick had done for the All I know is, the whole system crashed when we both confirmed a game. Twice. Once with me first, Haz second, then, after a reboot, once with Haz first, me second. Speakers started to utter the line and then everything goes kablewy! Fantastic. I swear I heard someone else's voice garbled briefly over Patrick's New Wall Game announcement too, that second time. -1/31/22 +1/31/22 More strange happenings in Gahreesen. Power fluctuations across the second building. I'm afraid we broke something with that latest update. Good grief. 2/1/22 @@ -4760,7 +4936,7 @@ Had a nice chat with Isa tonight. Was a nice talk about kind souls and kind hear Grandma's back from her trip. Always good to have her company again. Kelsei doesn't have to keep me company anymore- though I think I kinda miss her being around so much already. Had a nice chat with Jules this morning in the Pub. Discussed the upcoming Subtitle feature and how the KI manages the voice-to-text stuff. Potential in the idea of if the KI's record and save that audio- possibly whole years of important historical data locked away in some long forgotten KIs... just gotta figure out how to access it, if it's there. -3/27/22 +3/27/22 Tired. That's really all there is to say on the matter. Haven't heard anything about the Wall, but I suspect we'll be pushing for another round of testing this week. Got a meeting to schedule once we know where that's going... Tired tired tired. @@ -4782,7 +4958,7 @@ Yay, somehow we borked the control consoles again. UGH. Just what we needed this 4/9/22 Think we've got that fixed now. Hopefully. Fingers crossed things don't break again. -4/10/22 +4/10/22 Tati Masser and Fasyk Casing. Two workers from the Overflow Station whom apparently faked being sick two weeks ago and have since gone missing. They're the ones who "Sami" was apparently nervous around. I can't talk with them now, and that seems heavily suspicious. Honestly, given the apparent anagram that was "Sami Lesgrandee," I'm willing to bet these two are anagrams of something or other, too. I'm too tired for this nonsense. @@ -4806,13 +4982,13 @@ Tati's Work-crew networked KI was recorded on The Clinic's Hood Visitor Log imag I've tried pinging their KIs. I was unable to turn them on and get a location, but somebody certainly noticed. In response, it seems that someone targeted a hack at every networked KI I publicly have made known I own. I've been having issues with their projectors ever since- staying on when I've tried closing it and having to forcibly reboot the KI entirely. -4/17/22 +4/17/22 Had an argument tonight. Okay. Maybe less an argument, more trying to convey my thoughts to someone, and not getting through. Only so many times I can repeat myself. I nearly quit the restoration group tonight. I'm still not sure if we're keeping Dr. Quinlan or not. I guess we'll be seeing once we take a break from things for a while. Man's stressed out over recent events. I'm stressed out too. I might still quit if things don't turn around. Too much friction in the group right now. I can only repeat myself- the truth of my core and who I am- so many times. --- I've made a public notif of the situation. I can't keep quiet on this. -4/20/22 +4/20/22 It's always SOMETHING. We released the Wall- and we forgot the explanation journal. We got the Pub Nexus terminal working- and now the KI is showing a mangled title in one of the view screen categories. Minor issues. NOW the new generic DRC hoods people are being assigned to are missing GZ books, and have imagers stolen, and fountains off, and Heek Tables missing, and freaking missing even FIREMARBLES. @@ -4855,7 +5031,7 @@ i can only pray that fire does not strike us dead 4/24/22 Apparently, TikiBear is missing a gnome. Traffic Cone Orange. -4/25/22 +4/25/22 Iwonk helped me through a rough spot last night- helped me down from a disasaociation/anxiety attack. I don't know what I would've done if she also hadn't had some excellent advice learned from paramedics regarding my cousin's alcohol mixing habits. Today was... not pleasant. What an auspicious start to my weeks break. @@ -5006,7 +5182,7 @@ green eyes pierce like moons hanging in the sky she who collects lost kittens under her wings says to me, 'come to this garden of mine' -

6/20/22 +

6/20/22 And I'm back after a long weekend of examining wrecked equipment in the Overflow Station, and then getting caught up in Fathers Day stuff. I'd almost forgotten about that. My parents were a tad concerned they couldn't get through to me. Well, regardless. I'm back from Rei'schu, as well. Lovely place. Nice moons, nice people, very interesting culture. ...Very large Megafauna Wildlife. More on that in its own journal. @@ -5025,10 +5201,10 @@ Final Quarter prep, then Mysterium Prep right around the August Corner, and... O So much to do. So little time. - [ 46326 0 0 ]]]> + [ 2930 0 0 ]]]> -

IF FOUND ANYWHERE OUTSIDE OF THE CHISO PRENIV OFFICE: +

IF FOUND ANYWHERE OUTSIDE OF THE CHISO PRENIV OFFICE: Contact Kelsei A. Taylor on the Beneath Forums: https://dniexplorer.com/forum/index.php @@ -5296,7 +5472,7 @@ Echo reaches the large crack outside the Kadish Gallery and stops. Not much to say except I had a lovely afternoon break off for Fil Live. Work continues to hound me on the surface. Hoping Calum's not overstressing himself with Naybree work. I've also heard that apparently that rascal Wayne has decided to come back down after getting a replacement Relto Book- I'm hearing talk that he's requested a desk downstairs in Chiso. -5/13/22 +5/13/22 Iwonk's Wonky Talk stream is today! I've managed to secure my afternoon off work for it. I'm now settled in at the Guild of Cookies hood. I'm an hour early but so what? --- Was a good show! Glad I could catch most of it! Just sorry I had to leave early at the end to catch dinner. Oh well. @@ -5401,7 +5577,7 @@ I've managed to get the KI#, though, and reached out. We'll see if I get a respo Met Tenny's boyfriend Logan Marcus today. Gosh, they look adorable together. Well, atleast someone's managed to find love in the last few months. Can't say the same for myself. 6/4/22 -With everything that's happened, I completely forgot to get Murry the Vertigo Crystal samples he requested. I suited up and went to Vertigo this morning to get them, and felt... Watched. It's a feeling I've had before, but it was more stand out this time. +With everything that's happened, I completely forgot to get Murry the Vertigo Crystal samples he requested for his brother. I suited up and went to Vertigo this morning to get them, and felt... Watched. It's a feeling I've had before, but it was more stand out this time. It's funny, knowing I've likely got a tie right back to Calum right now without even going to Rei'schu. The melodic humming within the age is... a bit more offputting, in retrospect. @@ -5501,7 +5677,7 @@ After I finally got him to Tenny, I went to check the rest of Ae'gura over, didn I cleaned those up and handed the remains of these foul deeds over to Tenny to look over/send to someone to analyze. -Looks like one Marcus Johnson laced the Museum yesterday, and Sanna Koskelainen double checked it before going to the Museum. I suppose after she got caught and escaped from Carl, they sent Tally in to do a much more sloppy, and obvious job? +Looks like one Marcus Johnson laced the Museum yesterday, and Sanna Koskelainen double checked it before going to the Kahlo Pub. I suppose after she got caught and escaped from Carl, they sent Tally in to do a much more sloppy, and obvious job? What's the point of it all? @@ -5533,9 +5709,160 @@ If you have a problem with that, I can shove you off a cliff, just like I did to It's motivation at any rate. I'll have to talk with the others about this. ---- 6/30/22 -Work kicked my butt again today. Saw 'Sami' across the street today, but she ran off as soon as she saw I'd seen her. Damn it.]]> +Work kicked my butt again today. Saw 'Sami' across the street today, but she ran off as soon as she saw I'd seen her. Damn it. + +7/2/22 +Tally's posted his little threatening message to the GoMePub Imager. How cute. I've cleared it off now. + +7/7/22 +Ami Renee Glessad. Sami Lesgrandee. +Whatever her real name is, she sent me, Calum, Jules, Carl, Tenny, and a few others KI invites to her hood- likely as an attention grabbing measure incase her publicly listing the hood on the Nexus didn't garner our attention. + +She certainly garnered Mita Staser's attention. He showed up not long after she did, according to the visitor log. The place was a mess by the time I showed up. Cones and Marbles scattered everywhere, and the hood's book room doors forced open. + +I spoke with a concerned explorer- who wishes to remain Anonymous- who told me they saw Ami briefly in Ae'gura the other night- only to flee. A few minutes later her "Uncle" came looking for her- name couldn't be remembered, unfortunately. Either Ami's family situation is seriously messed up, or one of our station saboteurs is pretending to be her Uncle. I'm not sure which is worse. + +Most important of all, though, 'S/Ami' left a message on the imager. "Reaching Back. Speak to Harlan." Pretty sure that one was meant to be directed at me. + +So. Big Question... Who the heck is Harlan? +--- +Hung out with Benavud and D_S5 in Teledahn for a bit this afternoon. +Ben had... a very adverse reaction to seeing the Journey Door. Said something "BAD" was behind it. I think we may have stumbled on a truama unrelated to his current bout of amnesia. + +Spoke with Jules, Tenny, and DS5 after about it, and the Mita and Ami situation. It's one of those days. + +7/16/22 +Eder Naybree's being scheduled for September some time, it seems, with Highgarden sometime in October after. I can't blame Calum for pushing for that scheduling, due to how busy August is looking for the both of us. + +7/18/22 +IT RAINS. Praise be the weather gods for it RAINS! (Alternatively, Thank you Yeesha/Chezahcen.) + +7/20/22 +Had a long interesting conversation between Logan, Jules, and DS5 today, sandwiching Fil Live. Between Ami apparently taking- and now returning and apologizing with a single imager message- the prybar from the pub, and catching Jules up on recent events after his trip to Stonehenge- STONEHENGE! I must hear more eventually- it's been a very long afternoon that feels strangely productive. + +Logan is a good man, though DS5 seems outwardly suspicious of everyone these days (Plus the boy ate some cookies and then meandered off to K'veer. I hope he didn't get into trouble) and seemed to take Logan's genuine reactions to the news more suspiciously than Jules did- despite them having very similar reactions. + +Tenny's found himself a good man. If only I could say the same for my own romantic endeavors. Calum is... not that observant of such things. Disappointing as that is I'm probably better off. + +Still hurts though. + +8/1/22 +I'm exhausted. Had a long weekend after the insanity of having the Town Hall crashed by these sabboteurs. They think themselves as "D'ni" but use our tech in terms of what they've done. Sabbotaging equipment, laying a pepper-spray detterent chemical around places... + +I'm on vacation until after Mysterium. Calum convinced me to pull the trigger on it a bit early considering I almost colapsed after finding Calum and Carl after the Town Hall. + +8/21/22 +Met with Jules and the New hire, Detective Williams. Nice guy, though a bit jumpy. Suppose that's always the case with a Private Investigator. Work is becoming an utter mess. I think I need to start looking for a new job somewhere else. + +8/23/22 +Jules and Catchen were talking in the library when I came in to work this morning. Robert Murry came in after a bit, too. We talked for a bit here and there about things- Jules gave a tour. It was nice. + +Now if only I could de-stress from surface work. Once again feeling like my contributions to the company aren't being valued for what they are. It's a tad distressing, in all honesty. Some folks are acting utterly stupid around the people in my department. I'm going to talk to HR. +8/24/22 +I have no idea what to make of this meeting with HR. I'm utterly confounded. HR was of no help with my plight- they told me to keep my head down or I'll screw up "the plan." They wouldn't tell me what. Something fishy is going on. + +8/25/22 +In retrospect, I have had an utter hell of a week at work on the surface. What plan? I finally got an answer. The "plan" is to apparently force a "No Confidence" vote-out of the boss, legal department's head, and the PR head rep' from their jobs and replace them with people of their own choosing- a coup in essence. Our company doesn't DO votes for who runs what. But that's besides the point. For what grounds is this "No Confidence" vote based? + +Supposedly, Legal, the Boss, and PR are 'cutting people out of the loop' when it comes to contracts with our clients, and that's... wrong? Somehow? These idiots are acting like it's a grave sin that people are doing their jobs and handling communications with people. + +I've... had a word with one of my friends in Legal. His facepalm was utterly predictable. "So that's why half the company isn't responding to basic emails anymore." + +I'm going to file my resignation tomorrow. This is an explosion waiting to happen. +8/26/22 +Filed Resignation, told my department to bail out before they get caught up in the insanity... Going to rest the rest of the weekend. Boss gave me the okay and everything. All my ducks in a row... I'm both going to miss and not miss this place. + +8/29/22 +I've been ignoring calls to come into work because HR has refused to accept my resignation. Legal accepted it, Boss accepted it, but HR is being stubborn. I think they know I tattled, if the way my voicemail has been filling up. I'm... going to just nap the next few days I think. +9/9/22 +Naybree's been released. A big relief off my shoulders. Folks seemed to be enjoying it- climbing around everywhere and having fun. That's nice. Very nice. Didn't take long for people to find the back area or the jackets I left there... or to get up on the cliffs. + +At any rate, people were happy, I'm happy, and now I'm just waiting on dinner. + + +I'm also tired, beyond hungry. +9/16/22 +A week after release and there's still groups of people visiting Naybree... It's nice to see hard work appreciated. + +Finally heard back from one of my coworkers who stayed. The whole situation has exploded, as expected. The Coup went off and the ousted folks were, indeed, given an option to either resign, or be 'forcibly removed by security.' (None of Security were in on it, apparently, so this was news to them.) They chose resignations... and since one of the people being ousted was the boss, he notified the client companies that he was breaking off to form a new company as it was clear he wasn't wanted at his current job- took everyone who was forced out with him. + +The clients all went with him too. + +I've been offered my old position back, with better pay, within the new reboot of the company- so too have all of those who resigned when I did. The coup leaders are now left not only with no clients, but no whave ex-clients who are suing them when they try to 'renegotiate' their contracts 'from a position of power.' + +I sincerely don't know what any of them were thinking. I'm debating returning, honestly. Maybe now with the more toxic influences cut out, my work there won't be so... tiring? And yet, I've really enjoyed this time to myself the last few weeks. +9/23/22 +Calum's gone and made a bowl of orange gelatin and brought it by my place this morning. It's pretty good to have some yummy gooey gelatin while making heavy decisions. I'm still debating my boss's offer to return to my old position at the new company or not. Indecisive? Me? Really? + +Anyways he's found his Pod 12 book- apparently it got wedged between our desks somehow. Crisis Averted. +--- +Spoke with DS_5, Cpt.Jericho, and a few others in Naybree today, regarding lore and speculation over things Chezahcen and Naybree. + +Questions remain over the woman who saved Athsheba during the fall. What exactly did she mean with her strange remarks? What did she know? Was she a cohort of Veovis' turned on him? Was she an opportunistic hero? What exactly happened to her after? +9/27/22 +PodHopper has posted his first draft at a Naybree clock to his website. I'm certainly enthusiastic to see how it evolves over time! + + +http://www.podhopper.dds.nl/naybreeclock/ + + +According to his current calculations, Naybree's day is about 3 minutes and 36 seconds longer than the Pod Age's total time. That's a fascinating discrepancy- the ages will decidedly desynch from eachother over time, and resynch again... like blinking turn signals in cars, I'd imagine! +9/28/22 +Well, met with my old boss today. I think I'll be coming back on a more part time basis, but not with the same ferverent constant grind that I was having before. Boss agreed and let me have it. Lovely! Negotiations successful. I think I'm going to nap now. + +9/29/22 +Spoke with Ben today and, oh. That-- I just. I don't know what to say in response. He's hurting so much and I don't know what to say to help him. Him being D'ni seems like such a world shaking thing for him and... + +I don't know what to say. I don't know what to *do.* Even DS5 was uncharacteristicly silent afterwards. He tried to distract Ben, he did try, but... even Ben's lost memories seem unappetizing to him right now. + +I don't know what else to write. + +10/9/22 +Well, that was a hectic week, helping to get a company back in working order. The boss is offering me a promotion for my work... I'm not sure I'm going to take it. Though, I'll certainly take the overtime pay for all the work in question already done. That's a handy catchup-boon after my weeks of unemployment. + +In the mean time, I've got some more Caltauc translations to run through for Patrick. When did anyone even head out into Chiso's outsides again? I don't know. Been too busy, between Ben, Surface Work, Rei'schu stuff, and all kinds of other things... + + +I've totally missed the release of Highgarden. I don't think I've even visited it yet properly. Work for later. +--- +How sweet, Calum got me a cup of coffee when my current mug was running dry. While my romantic inclinations towards him have started to fade (It's not worth pursuing something with someone who's clearly not interested in a relationship of that type), I still can't help but smile fondly over simple jestures of kindness and friendship. Now if only things could go better on that front. + +Even so, these Caltauc translations won't finish themselves. +10/11/22 +Met Tenny's grandmum, Molly, last night. Sweet lady, very protective of Tenny, and wanting to make sure he's dating a good man. I got a brief interrogation about Logan- heheh. How nice. + + +In other news it seems Firmament's been delayed to early next year. Can't say I'm surprised, but I'm also not disappointed either. More polish time is more polish time. And Iwonk would say the best kind of time is Polish Time. :P +10/18/22 +Well. That was a day. Between prepping for Rei'schu, meeting Ben again, and then joining a fraught diplomatic mission that went full speed into chaotic territory and a DUEL of all things--! + +The others have all gone home at this stage. Calum and I are staying- at Runa'mei's request- overnight atleast. Calum's already hard at work transcribing Tenny's notes from the day's activities onto a travel laptop. + +Runa'mei is... lonely, that's the impression I get. She took us to the room she stays in when she's here in this massive fortress of a city, and it's... so empty, despite being so grand. Without the day's stress hanging upon her she's relaxed into a friendly sort of person. She's clearly exhausted by the work put upon her by her title, but can't find a way to extricate herself from it. + +Needless to say, I think she's in desperate need of friends. Plural. Calum's a decent start as far as friendly faces go, but even I know how exhausted he gets being some people's only point of contact. I'll do what I can as well for the girl, but I'm hoping, perhaps, we can find a way to get her to come Visit D'ni sooner rather than later. +10/25/22 +I'm not sure if I was hallucinating it again or not, but I think I saw Ami again this morning while out getting yesterday's mail. She looked like her, just... cleaner? More well rested? It was that confusion that lead me to hesitate, and then... she just left. If this WAS Ami, she knows where I live, so it's not implausible she's going to reach out to me when she's ready. I just... have to keep an open mind for that, I guess. + +Truth be told I was hoping we'd heard the last of all of this nonsense when they stopped showing up. Now Calum's paranoia over his missing pod 12 book feels arguably justified. Did someone take it and return it? +--- +I have half a mind to survey the grounds outside of Naybree proper. Seems like there may be a beach nearby, or atleast decent river front. I'll probably save such explorations for after the New Year, though. +10/26/22 +Had Tiki's lost Gnome mailed to my door this morning. Ay yi yi, why did this mess have to start resurfacing now of all times? + +10/27/22 +Doobes has gotten the doors in Ahnonay working properly now, it seems like. Hopefully we won't be having any more issues with that going forwards. + +10/31/22 +Happy Halloween. I've been mailed yet more 'missing' artifacts from the community. A speaker system, a space heater... Good grief. + +In other news, Cyan announced their RIVEN remake today. That was about expected, to be frank. Happy 25th anniversary, Riven. I expect we'll hear more after Firmament. + +11/1/22 +This journal is getting pretty full at this point. Honestly, I think I'm about ready to finish it up and start another. Yet more missing artifacts showed up this morning as well. ...Is that Calum's chess set in here too? Why not send this to him directly? Someone's decided to test the waters, I suppose. + +I expect I'll probably barely squeeze November and December into this book- but that'll probably be it. You've done a good job little green journal.]]> ]]> diff --git a/compiled/dat/ChisoPreniv_District_Chiso.prp b/compiled/dat/ChisoPreniv_District_Chiso.prp index 5806c6e0..0803b3ca 100644 --- a/compiled/dat/ChisoPreniv_District_Chiso.prp +++ b/compiled/dat/ChisoPreniv_District_Chiso.prp @@ -1,3 +1,3 @@ version https://git-lfs.github.com/spec/v1 -oid sha256:35e32aea349dea11c21a9b82962140e5b9d4970e6d71b01993c9746110d80cdc -size 9955351 +oid sha256:80d4a2cd88a26c988eb4de73eed885abe999091c34d6ce26d829fb8c410da296 +size 6305482 diff --git a/compiled/dat/ChisoPreniv_District_FanContent.prp b/compiled/dat/ChisoPreniv_District_FanContent.prp index 88cb4372..b3ef535a 100644 --- a/compiled/dat/ChisoPreniv_District_FanContent.prp +++ b/compiled/dat/ChisoPreniv_District_FanContent.prp @@ -1,3 +1,3 @@ version https://git-lfs.github.com/spec/v1 -oid sha256:813fbb429dc75f0e9a1b5940cc51ed1be676e19de0c9bcc5b46108ca07a5f1f6 -size 104583 +oid sha256:ab6a92a58f06c2e6cf2173cf33a0f9c52de9bce489498cd9b2ddc865521b5c79 +size 85380 diff --git a/compiled/dat/ChisoPreniv_District_LowerLevel.prp b/compiled/dat/ChisoPreniv_District_LowerLevel.prp index 906a25f9..493f4924 100644 --- a/compiled/dat/ChisoPreniv_District_LowerLevel.prp +++ b/compiled/dat/ChisoPreniv_District_LowerLevel.prp @@ -1,3 +1,3 @@ version https://git-lfs.github.com/spec/v1 -oid sha256:d5ea4076a6e791a7d7f837e0bce908ad20afdb13425bdd7cdafbfafd3b20cc07 -size 7311473 +oid sha256:f7e72d17ec46fa1666979eeb27d771ec59997089e60d30253dbb0cf384c4b650 +size 4540162 diff --git a/compiled/dat/ChisoPreniv_District_Textures.prp b/compiled/dat/ChisoPreniv_District_Textures.prp index 68156014..6c7ada1e 100644 --- a/compiled/dat/ChisoPreniv_District_Textures.prp +++ b/compiled/dat/ChisoPreniv_District_Textures.prp @@ -1,3 +1,3 @@ version https://git-lfs.github.com/spec/v1 -oid sha256:db7c85b6338ca4c29c1b17a677a811598c0a878986feafce8b2ba8c12ab5407f -size 148695619 +oid sha256:b2dc1d524414c8004a12b8a5bbfcf8690e4de163979617affd81ddf28e315b60 +size 155089028