moul-assets/compiled/dat/EderNaybreeEnglish.loc

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    <age name="EderNaybree">
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                <translation language="English"><![CDATA[<cover src="xNaybreeMountainDraft.hsm"><font size=18 face=Qolyazma_Yantu color=b536da><margin left=62 right=62> 12-16-23 EDER NAYBREE MOUNTAIN HIKE REPORT LOG 

ADAPTATION OF CHATLOGS FROM SKYISBLU AND KELSEI A.T.; NOTEBOOK ADAPTATIONS FROM TIERNAN QUINLAN AND DIRANDA.

FIRST DRAFT BY CALUM TRAVELER.

APOLIGIES IF TENSES ARE INCONSISTENT:  FIRST DRAFT. (NOT DONE NOT DONE NOT DONE.)
<pb>The sun begins to rise over the horizon of Eder Naybree, sparkling the purple sand beach to life with the orange, warm glow of the sun. The fractured rock along the far side of the harbor wall becomes visible, as the shadows are chased away, and the birds caw in acceptance of a new day.

Unlike most times, however, the netting at the end of the harbor has been pulled back, and a series of canoe boats lay tied up against the metal pipe spanning the beach, dividing it in twain. 

The adventure to the mountains is soon to begin as the first person links to the Beach from the secondary Naybree Book on Calum's desk in Chiso Preniv...

Skyisblu looks out to the water, rays of light dancing across its surface. She raises her hands into the air in a stretch, letting out a yawn.

"Wah, this is way too early for any sane human being to be up, but I guess that sunrise helps a little," she complains, half-jokingly. "Looks like it is going to be a beautiful day for a hike." 

She makes her way down to the beach, near the canoes, and lets the rather heavy-looking backpack fall from her shoulders and onto the sand with athud. "I think I may have over-prepared for this!" 

She drops to the soft sand next to her bag and watching the reflection of the sun on the water as she waits. 

Derek Oblum links in, glances a few looks around him and spots Skyisblu, he removes his blue shades and greets, "Hi, I'm Derek and this is my big thermos full of coffee, wanna share before we do a whole season of Survivor without cameras?" He sits in front of Skyisblu, the sun behind his back.

Sky looks over at Derek and then the thermos with a big smile on her face.

"We only just met, and I think you are my new favorite person. I would love a coffee!" she exclaims as she pulls a tin mug from her pack.  "And what's this about Survivor? I used to *love* that show - well, when it used to be about *actual* surviving!"

"I know right? It's TV after all, but we can ensure that our journey is well documented even without cameras. Speaking of which, I've never heard of a bad time that started with a selfie!"

He adjust his KI to reverse and raises his mug of steaming hot coffee to pose for a picture, "To caffeinated early birds !"

Sky leans in and holds her cup up for the picture, squinting from the sun as she smiles.

"Well, I have been studying up on the local flora and fauna on my many visits here. I'm looking forward to seeing some of the plant specimens up close, and seeing how many of the edible ones I can find, " Sky replies. "I'm looking forward to the hiking, too, and getting to see the wilder side of Naybree." She gestures to the vine-covered cliffs behind the beach. "If you can call **that** tame! I swear, Calum needs to hire a full-time gardener in here!" She laughs.

Derek chuckles. "That's true, I mean I guess Garden Ages are meant to self-manage on some degree, they were written with a natural balance in mind.. I think, feels like it at least."

"Yeah, but this one has a mind of its own! The beach area has only been deemed safe to visit as of very recently, and the vine seem to have a mind of their own when it comes to taking over every surface in the age. Not to mention the tremors that only recently subsided..." As if to prove a point, a low grumble emanates from somewhere in the distant cliffs. "I think if I were to describe Eder Naybree's "natural balance", it would have to be slightly off balance, and with a hit of the chaotic thrown in for good measure. But I do love to explore here. "

"Each time I see some increasing chaos in an Age I think about the state of the descriptive book, they're durable sure, but how much?" Derek asked. "Humidity in a cave is not unheard of."

Eresh links in, carrying a basket, greeting,  "Hello everyone! Good to be back on Eder Naybree!"

Derek waves to Eresh "Hello there, welcome to th-" He stops as he heard a second link.

Catchen linked in as well. "It's been a metric While."

Eresh grinned, "Oooh, the more the merrier! Is Runa'mei around, too? I saw her around D'ni a couple of times. I wonder how she likes Earth so far?"

Sky turns and waves. "So good to see you again, Eresh!"

"I thought Runa'mei was D'ni, is he indigenous to Eder Naybree?" Derek paused. "Or native... whatever term we want to use."

"She's from here," Eresh said. "Hi, Sky!!"

Calum links in, fumbling a backpack that seemed to have slipped loose at the last moment. "Shorah, all," he calls out. "Don't mind me, just... urhg... stupid backpack!"
Derek comes over to help with Calum's backpack.

"Runa'mei and Kelsei will be through once they fetch our visitors from Rei'schu," Calum announces. "Ah, thank you, Derek."

"Do you need any help?" Eresh asked. Then, she blinked as she remembered, "Oh yeah, she's from Reischu. I confuse Reischu with Naybree sometimes, I heard them together so often."

"Yes, well, not surprising given Runa'mei's grandmother held the-" Calum gets brushed aside as a link completes next to him, having not quite having managed things, his backpack hitting the snad.

Tiernan Quinlan has linked in, dressed in hiking togs and carrying his travel medic kit as well as a well-stocked backpack.

Sky laughs as she jumps up, dumping the last of her coffee into the sand, and making her way towards the other who have just linked in.

"So she's not D'ni?" Derek asked as he picked up Calum's backpack and attempted to help put it back on.

"Not entirely," Calum says. "Shorah, Tenny."


"Hi, Tiernan!" Eresh greeted.

"Shorah all!" Tiernan waves, and then sees the situation Calum is in"Ach, hey, let me help you, Cal."

Calum just sort of flounders with two people trying to help him with the same backpack, and so he explains to Derek, "Runa'mei's Grandmother was D'ni, a girl who survived the Fall and escaped here to Naybree. She then relocated to her family's Age, Rei'schu, after having recovered the book from their home."

Derek raises both eyebrows at the perspective of a half-D'ni half-bookworlder might be part of the team. "Oooh, interesting."  Then, realizing he's left his bag elsewhere, Derek said, "My own bag's over there, be right back." And he rushes off to grab it. 

Calum gives Tenny a pleading look as he just gives up situating the bag for the moment and the two of them let the thing fall down onto a beach chair.

"I've got my medical kit, jus' FYI," Tenny said.

Calum nods. "Good to know. Hopefully we won't need it."

"Aye, but no worries!" Tenny smiled. 

Derek comes back to the group carrying his bag, it's properly packed, not about to burst but really stuffed.

"It's good to be prepared for anything," Sky said. "I can't tell you how many day hikes I have been on where one of those kits has come in handy, even if it is for a simple scraped knee." 

"I've just returned from Kolkata, India." Eresh reported, "I brought a thermos of first flush tea from Darjeeling, and a big pot of chicken biryani from Kolkata." She takes out a casserole with lid and a thermos.

Derek hums approvingly at the inventory description, and offered his own supplies, "I have coffee if people want a stronger kick to start the day."
Tiernan's eyes widen.  "Darjeeling, Eresh?" Tiernan finds a spot and settles in, checking his equipment, but he does keep glancing over at Eresh with what can only be described as 'puppy-dog eyes'.

"Yes, I visited the tea gardens of Darjeeling! I brought the tea from there! Eresh grinned as she took out a plastic cup and poured some tea from the thermos.

"Oh aye," Tiernan says.  "C-can I--"  He grins as she opens the thermos.

Wordlessly, Eresh hands Tenny the tea cup.

"Ah, an' Dira said she'd like t'come along," Tiernan says, taking the cup from Eresh.  "She's on her way now." He sips and sighs with a contented smile on his face, content with the very good tea.

"I've got mostly just surveying equipment on me, plus a Blank Book and some Ink," Calum says. "My personal goal is to hopefully find a safe spot somewhere on the mountains and write a link there to set up a long term observation outpost."

"So our mission is to establish a basecamp, on a vantage point." Derek asked, "Is that right?"

"My personal goal for a long term project is to find a nice space for that, yes," Calum said. "But as far as the actual mission goes, we're just going to do basic surveying." Calum digs through their bag for a moment, then fishes out a box of sensors. "Also, spreading out these lovelies around to check for geological instability." He paused. "Long Term, the ideas is we'll get a better picture of how the Age is holding up given the lunar decay. As long as the sensors hold up and don't go missing, we should be fine to leave them for a while." And then he grinned. "Also, save some of that Coffee for Kelsei, I'm sure she'll want it." Calum gave a quick bow. "Excuse me for a moment while I check the boats."

"Excuse me, the what now?" Derek asked, following Calum. "Lunar decay?" 

"The Moons were, for a while atleast, suffering some decaying orbit, getting closer to the planet," Calum explained. "It was part of what made the quaking from that chainsaw accident so potent." 

"Also, is there a serious worry about these sensors going missing? Calum?" Sky asked as she, and the others, walked after Calum as well.

Calum looked to Sky, "As for whether they'll go missing or not, I'm just being paranoid. I've lost one from the clifftops. I think one of the little buggers in the fissure took it." 

"The moon is going to crash into this place, right?" Eresh asked. "Do we know when?"

Derek grumbled, "I don't have Majora's mask in my bag, unfortunately."

Calum sighed at Eresh's question. "When? Hard to say. I'm tentatively putting it at a few hundred years from now." 

"I can run some calculations on tha', if y' need, Cal," Tiernan hmmed softly.  "Been meanin' to get back here and get some equipment set up anyway."

Calum noded to Tiernan, "Once we have some better data from the wider sensors. The Garden is a good point of data, but we need a few more observation points."

"Aye, well.  Me schedule has opened up, so I can definitely help out here," Tiernan sighs a bit and sips his tea.

"Does anyone live here?" Eresh asked. "They'd need to be evacuated."

Calum looked to Eresh, "Well, that's also what we're going to try to figure out with part of this survey. See if we can find any signs of civilization."

"A garden Age that is threatened by imminent planetary impact, this day just got a whole more exciting," Derek remarked. "If I had FATE dice I'd roll for monkeys right now. Anyone want Coffee?"

"Monkeys!" shouts Sky "Maybe that's who stole the sensors!" She laughs.

"We need to roll for elephants, too, Derek!" Eresh grinned. "There were elephant warnings at crossings in Darjeeling!"

"Again, I don't have FATE dice, I think Zekh kept them," Derek lamented as he fetched a pair of binoculars in his own bag.

Diranda links in, blinking.  "Oh wow, I forgot how amazing this place is, in person!"

"Hi Diranda!!" Eresh offered a teacup. "Have some tea!"

Calum gives a wave to Diranda, and returns to checking the boats, the rest of the group wanders back over towards Diranda. It is a small beach after all. 

"This is just... wow.  Amazing! Hi guys!" Diranda grins. "Hey, Tenny, how are you doing?"

Tiernan smiled,  "I'm doin' better, if yer askin' what I think y'are."

Diranda nods and finds a spot to sit down and look at her backpack.  "Corey wanted to come too, but work and all that..."

At that moment, a boisterous personality links into the beach. A towering, muscular woman whose hiking clothes seem drawn from the more down-to-earth sort of traditions. Furs and small plates of armor.

To those who have met her previously, it is immediately recognizable who she is. General Amara'da, one of Rei'schu's mayorial leaders, and the head of the Hunters School.

She stretches her arms upwards into the air, and lets loose an exhilarated cry of "Smell that Salty Air!" and then laughs with what sounds like a 'fafafa' sound.

Derek whispers, "Oh we have a pirate ? We're gold."

Sky attempts to hide her laugh at Derek's comment, instead heading over to greet the great hunteress. 

Calum snorts in amusement, then stands from the boats and walks over to greet the General. "General Amara'da, good to see you again."

The General grins brightly. "A hike through unexplored mountains? Hah! I wouldn't miss this for anything! Do you know how long it's been since I've had a chance to go somewhere unexplored?"

"Welcome!" Eresh greeted. "Good of you to join us! Care for some biryani?

Tiernan stands up and offers Amara'da a bow.  "Shorah, Amara'da! It's nice t' see y' again." 

"Biryani? What's that?" The General asks as Runa'mei links in after the General.

"Rice, meat, eggs... you can walk for days on it," Eresh said. "And it's tasty!"

"Hello, all," Runa'mei greets. She steps clear of the very trodden sand at the link in, just as her cousin, Kura'quen links through after her.

"It's from my world; my husband's city is famous for it-" Eresh's attention turned to the new arrival now. "Hi Runa'mei!!"

"Sounds great!" Amara'da grins. "Nice to see you again, too, Doctor!"

"That's the biggest expedition I've ever been in!" Derek remarked to himself.

Diranda tilts her head and waves.  "Hullo!"

"Are we waiting for anyone else from Rei'schu?" Calum asks Runa'mei.

"No, no," Runa'mei shook her head. "Though Priestess Karin'da sends her regards."

Kura'quen, meanwhile, is quite distracted with the sight of the beach entirely. She, like Runa'mei, is dressed in Earth Modern hiking clothes, which look to have been borrowed from Kelsei's wardrobe.

She whispered, "Sara'aou," in awe of the tranquil beach atmosphere.

"Give her my regards, too!" Eresh said. "I have brought an image of Mother Durga for her, the goddess of my city. She reminds me of the goddess I saw on Reischu."

"I'll be sure to safely ferry it back on our return trip," Runa'mei smiled to Eresh.

Eresh gives her a bronze statuette wrapped in red silk, saying, "She represents the power of Nature."

As Runa'mei accepts the gift and stows it into her backpack, Kelsei linked in, huffing for breath as she plucks some chicken feathers from her hair.

"Where'd you get the chicken?" Eresh asked.

Sky runs over and gives Kelsei a big hug, all while helping her remove some errant feathers.

"Er, everything alright there?" Calum asked, holding back a chuckle.

Kelsei ignored Calum to look at the General, "Amara'da, please tell me why exactly did some of your students decide to prank us by dumping a bucket of feathers onto me and the Priestess before I linked through?"

Amara'da laughs in amusement. "The sneaksters in training managed to pull it off, did they?" She smiled, proudly. "I challenged them before I came through to douse Karin'da! Sorry they got you in the crossfire, though."

"She took it far better than I did," Kelsei grouched, before thanking Sky for her help.

"Ah, so those are feathers from the chickens we gave them, eh?" Calum guessed.

"It seems so," Runa'mei mused, and then helped Sky and Kelsei with removing feathers.

"I wonder what you guys cooked with the chickens," Eresh asked, "and did you keep any alive for eggs? Eggs are tasty!"

Kura'quen coughed politely. "General, perhaps you should not encourage your hunters to become pranksters? I think we've had enough of that from certain parties."

"Nah nah, it's fine," Amara'da waved it off. "If they can sneak up on a priestess, they can sneak up on anyone and anything. Their next challenge will be sneaking up on me!"

"We haven't slaughtered very many yet," Kura'quen said. "We're trying to build up a sizable population before we do such in larger groups. Those feathers are probably just fallen ones collected from the henhouses."

"Our chefs managed to resurrect some old recipies with the ones we have killed so far, though," Amara'da said. "Ah, to have a dish long since thought extinct... that was a good dinner."

"I can ask around for some recipes, and I can come visit Reischu with some spices as well," Eresh offered. "And we could look into growing plants, vegetables and spices, on your soil."

Amara'da nodded. "Of course! That would be fantastic!"

"We've been meaning to invite you all back, formally," Kura'quen said, "but you know how things go, sometimes. The General and I decided to come visit when I heard from Runa'mei you all were going out into the Mountains." 

"A good hike is good for the soul is good for the bonds of company," Amara'da said sagely, nodding her head.

"So true, " Sky adds, nodding in agreement with the General.

"Ach, I know what y' mean.  I have been wantin' to come visit y'all for a while to study your stars," Tiernan said. 

Diranda stands up, smiling.  "I have only been here for a little bit at a time, but I'm glad I got to come along on this trip and finally meet you folks. I've heard so much about you from Tenny and Cal and Kelsei."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Kura'quen smiled. "We're glad you could make it as well."

"Same same!" Amara'da said.

"Thank you so much," Diranda says.  "Actually, I'm Dr Diranda Valerian, I'm an anthropologist.  I specialize ancient timekeeping on my world. Everyone calls me 'Dira'.  My brother's idea of a cute nickname, you see."

Tiernan chuckles.  "Our resident clock expert."

"Oh! Like a historian on clocks?" Kura'quen asked.

"Oh yes!" Diranda says with a grin.

"So! Traveler! Show me these boats we'll be sailing on!" The General requested, having not much interest for the talk of clocks that go tick tock as they talk. 

"Sure," Calum said, and lead the General over towards the boats to show them off.

"Let's go to the boats!" Eresh said excitedly.


"Maybe we'll wait for the General to finish her own checks," Kura'quen suggested.

"So, how are far are we travelling?" Sky inquires, looking at the mountains across the water."I like a good hike as much as the next person, but I am not looking to scale Mount Everest, either." 

"I think it will depend on the landscape over there," Runa'mei said. "How rough the mountains are, and such."

"Well, should we need 'em, I've packed some climbing equipment and rappellin' gear," Tiernan says.

"I'm not much of a climber, so I probably would stick to walkable trails," Kura'quen admitted. "Amara'da... might try climbing with her bare hands, if she finds an appropriate cliff." 

"I'll stick with you, Kura'quen," says Sky. "I don't mind a good scramble, but you won't find scaling any rock faces anytime soon!"

Tiernan looks to Calum, "I've also got a journal in here in case y' need me to record thin's, like I did last time."

Calum gives a hasty thumbs up, distracted as they are. The General seems very fixated on a particular canoe's design and seems to be asking Calum questions about how much weight it can carry- using absurdly large weight sizes that the boat definately would not be fit for.

Runa'mei sighs, hearing this, and laments, "She's probably thinking about how many giant crabs she can carry home in one of these things."

"I can help with that, Tenny," Diranda offers.

"Those canoes look distinctly smaller than even one Reischu crab, though," Eresh said.

"Probably best," Diranda adds, glancing at Cal and the others.  "Might not be a bad idea to compile our journals too."

"That they are," Kelsei said to Eresh.

"We could also record audio logs," Derek suggested. 

Another linking sound soon followed, and the surrounding air gave way to a familiar face in a somewhat unfamiliar appearence. 

Jules Lavisham stood before the group, the usually tailored shearling coat, black jeans and brown bruges giving way to a far more practical attire of a navy blue waterproof jacket, hiking trousers and mountain boots so sturdy looking they could crack a particularly vicious bag of walnuts in one swoop. 

Tiernan jumps up.  "Jules! Glad t' see you mate!"

Jules  took a deep inhalation, the sea air filling his nostrils with appreciation. "Ah! What ho, Tenny! Long time no see!" Jules takes a step off the linking point and turns expectantly.

Tiernan chuckles.  "Aye, definitely.  Been far too busy this year..."

"Now, if all goes to plan and he remembers what he's doing..." Jules paused, expectantly.

Diranda waves.  "Who, Jules?"

Another linking sound was heard, a new figure appeared, stumbling forward in a half-run, the kind destined to meet with the ground but only after a prolonged fight. 

"-Jules you!-" the figure seemed to shout before being muffled in his own scarf and landing in a heap.

After a moment Ed spoke, "Jules... Ugh. I swear I know how to do that. I'll never believe you that they're safe though. Oh," Ed paused, looking up for the first time. "Hello everyone..."

"Sound effort that man," said Jules as he helped his friend to his feet. "It can take a while to get your sea legs back with this business if its been a while. Definitely recommend staying off the spirits as well before trying it too, I've had one too many nights down here that have ended with regret on that count." 

"Don't drink and link!" Calum announces, still half distracted with the boat inspection.

"It's curious that it's so bad for linking," says Edward getting to his feet, "given its well known and celebrated benefits for hiking and so on." He locates a thermos in the pockets of his ridiculous fishing jacket and takes a surreptitious swig. "Not that I ever touch the stuff. Are we going in a boat? I didn't realise there would be boats here."

"Shorah, Ed," Kelsei greets. "I believe I've heard enough about you from Jules to feel like we've already met! I'm Kelsei." She offers her hand in greeting.

Ed takes a few uneasy steps towards the shore, rubbing his temples and clicking his jaw a few times, taking in the vista. Hearing Kelsei he turns and shakes her hand warmly. "Hello! It's certainly nice to meet Jules' other friends. Don't believe a word of what he said of course," he smiles.

Tiernan walks over to greet Edward.  "Hullo there!  Tiernan Quinlan, resident medic."

"Oh don't worry Ed," Jules smiled at his friend. "I've done you the courtesy of leaving out references to the more outrageous of your many scandals. Have to leave something for the readers of your posthumous autobiography."

"Don't joke," Ed laughs, "I'm sure there's enough of me left in that book to do two blurbs and a summary." Ed's attention turned to Tiernan, "Hello good doctor!" he greets, reaching out both hands for a double clasp kind of handshake. "I shall be needing of your services almost immediately I imagine so stay close, there's a good chap," he says conspiratorially in Tiernan's ear.

Tiernan blinked, then glanced at Dira.  "Ah, well then, I have two people I'll have t' keep me eye on."

Diranda blinked innocently.  "No Great Zero here, Ten."

Tiernan just raised an eyebrow, "Jus' you keep tha' in mind. I don't want t' have t' explain meself t' Corey if y' get hurt."

Yet another link completes as a figure wearing a fedora appears.  Robert Murry is geared up ready for another adventure.  His backpack is filled with rope, clips, and a small pick ax.  On his belt is a whip.  He blinks his eyes to adjust to the different lighting.  Then he notices some familiar faces in front of him.

"Well, looks like the gang's all here.  Jules, Tenny!  It's great to see you guys.  I've got so much to tell you about the studies and surveys I did for Doobes in the Great Shaft and Caldera.  I worked so har..."  Robert cut himself short when he saw Sky glaring at him with metaphorical daggers. "Uh yes... much to catch up on indeed." Robert quickly recovered.  "Yo, Tenny!  Good to see you." 

Diranda waves at Murry from her spot on the ground.  "Heya Murry!"

Kelsei giggles at that remark of Jules', then says, "Hello, Robert."

"Hiya Kelsei," Robert greeted. "Ready for this?"

"Oh, as ready as I'll ever be," Kelsei says, linking her left hand with Runa'mei's right hand. "Atleast we'll have some gallant hunters with us incase we run across some hostile wildlife."

Runa'mei mumbled something unintelligble in either English or Rei'schuian.

Tenny waves to Murry.  "Actually, I would like t' chat about th' Great Shaft at some point.  I've got some questions."

Robert nodded.  "I still owe you a visit to the Great Shaft and the Caldera.  As soon, as I  get clearance from Doobes." Robert pats his whip.  "I hope we don't have to worry about attacks.  At least from animals..."  It felt like a dozen daggers were plunging into his back now. 

"Good to see you Kelsei, and you too Runa'mei!" Jules grinned as he was fast finding himself surrounded by familiar faces. "Hope you've been well, not too many angry tussles and all that."

"Oh, I'm doing fine," Kelsei said. "My work has been tiring, but not so testy."

"Well," Runa'mei began, only to paus as a shout of laughter from over by the boats comes from General Amara'da, who mightily claps Calum across the back.  "...I've been fine. No tussles lately, Jules."

Ed looks over at Robert and instantly feels underprepared. He looks admiringly at the pack with so many useful implements already visible from the outside. He pats the strawberry laces in his trouser pocket subconsciously.

Calum, a bit unsteady, coughs as he meanders back over to the group, stating, "Amara'da's happy with the boats. So we'll be ready to go as soon as everyone's gathered up their supplies." Calum greets the new comers with a nod and a 'Shorah all.' Then, smiling, "Glad you could make it, Jules, Ed. And Robert, good to see you."

"Hi, Calum.  Please tell me that you've been staying out of trouble."   Robert winked at him.

"As well as I can be," Calum replied, wincing with a slight roll of the right shoulder.

Ed makes a little wave towards Calum. "Calum isn't it? Always a pleasure to meet one of Jules'. When you say supplies,um..." Ed trails off. He's wearing a fishing jacket with many pockets bulging with various multi-tools and freshly purchased hiker's delights, and a very eager but obviously brand new furry trapper's cap and equally worryingly new looking boots.

Calum nods in greeting. "Whatever you've brought with you. I've gotta get my pack and then we can load up into the boat "

"Excellent. We'll hold fast until we're needed for the fetching and carrying." Jules looked around for anyone he hadn't acknowledged yet. "Rob! Hello hello! Looking like a Lucasfilm lawsuit in waiting as ever!"

"I've got one of those little flint and steel things you can get," says Ed to nobody in particular, patting another one of his pockets, visibly comforted by it. He smiles and looks over at Jules and listens to his conversation.

Robert grinned at that last remark from Jules.  "Ha, ha.  I see those Comedian lessons are finally paying off."  And the friendly bantering began.

"Ed, this here is Dr Robert Murray," Jules began the introductions, "specialisation in archaelogy and geneology. Knows his way around many a jungle, this one. Rob, this is Edward Kensington-James, head librarian of our university and official keeper of a number of our rarer collections."

"Pleased to finally meet you Ed," Robert greeted. "Jules has spoken of you fondl, er, many times.  I've been meaning to come to your library for some research." 

"Don't you go bushwhacking my index cards -" Ed stopped for a second, considering. "Actually, there are some risky volumes I could use a hand with, there's a whole shelf I'd definitely feel happier reordering with an escort."

"Well, Jules keeps asking me to guest lecture for him," Robert offered, " I could lend a hand for you too."

"He's asked me to do that too before while he was off galavanting in his books," Ed remarked. "I must say it's one thing to hear about it, it's quite another thing to be here"

Robert looks around for a moment.  "Words are no substitute for being here in person."

"It is something, to say the least," Runa'mei agreed, gazing out into the lake towards a carved statue on a small rock island.

"How have your explorations gone, Runa'mei?" Robert asked.

"Nothing new since we last talked," Runa'mei told him. "Unfortunately." 

Ed takes a moment to look around happily and breathe the air deeply. His eyes land on the same statue following Runa'mei's gaze. He turns suddenly to Jules, "I'm not going to get trapped in a board game again am I? You promised!"

Kelsei laughed.

At Ed's outburst Robert turned to Jules with raised eyebrows questioningly. 

"It was just the one round," said Jules to Rob by way of explanation. "I took a calculated risk on a dice roll. How was I to know I should never, ever be trusted with matters of Maths?" The absurd content of his words was matched only by the total sincerity with which Jules said it - a not uncomment occurrance when references to his life outside the Cavern were made. 

"No, no, this place isn't a Jumanji situation," Kelsei said, finally controlling her giggles. "Those statues were carved by a girl who lived here in the Age, a long time ago." 

Runa'mei and Kura'quen share that knowing look that cousins sometimes are known to do when something crops up relating to family history.

Robert rolled his eyes and shook his head.  He then handed Ed a some pieces of moleskin.  "Here Ed.  Put this on the back of your bare ankles.  It should prevent blisters from those new boots."  He muttered something incoherent about about the dangers of Jules,  mathematics, and magical board games  under his breath. 

"Hey, thank you" Ed says and sits down to fix his shoes.  "Is that where we're going?" he asks Kelsei, "I guess I hadn't thought about people," his voice trails off. He looks up at Runa'mei and Kura'quen, "sorry if I said something insensitive before I said hello, are you two...?" he trails off again 

"I've heard weirder, even back home," Runa'mei said with a small shrug.

"You're fine," Kura'quen smiled. "I'm Kura'quen, and this is my cousin, Runa'mei." 

"Our great grandmother was the girl who lived here," Runa'mei said, in way of explanation. "After the Fall."

"Kura'quen and General Amara'da over there-" Calum motions over at the General, who is still preening over the boats with a childlike glee. "Are two of the Mayor-Leaders of a couple towns in the Age of Rei'schu. Though, this is less of a formal diplomatic thing and more just a 'everyone wants to go explore an unexplored place' sort of thing, all things considered."

"It's our day off," Kura'quen said, smiling brightly.

"Glad you're joining us on this adventure, Kura'quen!" Jules beamed. "I hope you've been keeping well."

Ed smiles at both of them in turn. "I wasn't sure - it's nice to meet you, and you your, uh, your grace?"

"I've been well, thank you, Jules," Kura'quen said- then she laughs. "Oh! No no, we're not... Please don't. Just Kura'quen is fine for me. It's the General you'll want to append the title to, usually."

Runa'mei waves a hand through the air. "The Priestesses are more worthy of a 'your grace' than the mayors, typically."

"They are closer to Chezahcen than most anyone," Kura'quen nodded in agreement.

Ed's eyes drifted over to the General and he choked back the "take me to your leader" that rose in his throat before going back to fiddling with his shoes. "Ah yes, thank you. You'll have to forgive me, I always go a bit Swiss cheese about the brain these days when I link in"

"The Priestesses are the Spiritual leaders, essentially, and the Mayors handle the day to day stuff," Kelsei added in explanation, smiling at Ed's reaction. "Every town has a leader and a Priestess stationed to manage things in a pair, usually." She paused. "Say, speaking of, how has Jae'dhar been handling things on her own?"

"She's..." Kura'quen paused, diplomatically, "She's handling it as well as she can, and we've assigned a younger Priestess to shadow her for the time being."

"To Translate from Politalk, she's busy cleaning up Haru'sara's messes," Runa'mei blandly translated her cousin's words.

"You didn't have to say it like that." Kura'quen sighed. "Unfortunately that man has left a larger mess than we initially thought, and even with him out of the job and doing who knows what who knows where... well. Relocating a whole settlement and rooting out the political corruption in his village management systems..."

Robert groaned at the mention of Haru'sara.  The big, pompous former mayor was still At-Large somewhere and hadn't been found yet. 

"At least it won't be at risk of being flooded anymore, right?" Kelsei asked.

"There is that," Kura'quen agreed.

"Well, we're still looking for Haru'sara for the new messes he's been leaving for us," Robert remarkled.

"Yes, well, fortunately we won't be having to deal with his shenanigans today," Calum said, shouldering his backpack.

"Yes, fortunately," Kelsei agreed, and checked her watch. "Shall we get going?"

"Yes, let's," Calum nodded. "Alright, everyone! Gather up your stuff and let's get the boats loaded!"

"I think so," Robert said, avoiding eye contact with with the woman glaring at him by the boats.  "Let's get going." 

"My doctor has forbidden me from loading," says Ed getting to his feet, "but I will go over and pre-inspect the ludo deck..."

Jules hoisted his own backpack of assorted hiking necessaries and prepared to assemble with the others in the direction of the boats.
---
<pb>The group gathers up their things and groups together onto the canoes. Soon, the boats are loaded, untied, and set out into the water. Calum's boat takes the lead, navigating the group out into the lake. 

The perpetual wall of mist in the distance, blowing across the lake with the course of the winds, becomes taller, and more looming, but less 'solid' as the group gets closer. 

An eerie sound, akin to the whistling one could hear in the desert sands of the age of Minkata, could be heard as the group passed into the wall of mist... or perhaps it could be closer described as a fog. The air takes a chill to it that it otherwise lacked the moments before entering the haze.

There is a feeling of uncertainty amongst the group, but Calum keeps the course steady with a judicious and frequent checking of the KI's GPS, keeping on a straight line through the foggy environment.

Nobody speaks a word, for some irrational fear grips the hearts of those traveling through the mist wall that if one spoke, it would be the signal for some horrid thing to snatch them out of the boat.

Runa'mei keeps her eyes sharpened through the mist, trying to see if anything else is traversing through the mist and fog.

The looming forms of the distant mountains become larger and larger, dominating the view even through the haze surrounding the group. The distant sounds of a goose-like bird honking echo through the air, sending a shudder down Kelsei's spine. Even so, Calum smiles as he rows, as if remembering a fond childhood memory.

But then soon, the air begins to warm again, and the expedition emerges from the fog on the other side of it, with the looming expanse of the nearest shoreline coming closer and closer. Finally, the group pulls onto a choppy, lakefront beach, of a much smaller, thinner nature, with a darker purple sand than the vibrant lavenders of the island the crew had just left.

There is a wall of sharp looking pine-like trees growing where the sand abruptly ends, transitioning into a forest floor of needles and grass. Yes, they are pine like trees, but much like the Chubby Noodle Tree of Naybree's garden's back half, they seem to be bent to the wind at their topmost bows, being straight and tall before abruptly curving away, and around, pointing towards the direction the sun would set in, in several hours.

Not at all bizzarely for Eder Naybree, the colors of the pines are of blue and pinks, blending into purple colors as one loses focus on the individual details.

Examining the shoreline, it is soon obvious that this landing area is peninsula among a winding, curving lake shore. A large chunk of lake can be seen protruding forwards towards the group's left, when facing the treeline. 

Stretching on to either side is the lake shore, creating a rough, crescent shape, is the hilly landscape of the mountain front... except, in the distances, where it seems to lower down into plains. The other side of the lake is hard to see, due to the mist wall, but from this side, there doesn't seem to be any towering mountain shapes looming opposite of this side of the shore.

As the group surveys that way, they see that the wall of mist is heavily obscuring sight of the garden that had been left... but strangely, something glowing a soft pinkish color seems to move through the mist wall, visible only on this side, perhaps as reflection due to the light of the sun as it rises overhead.... But whenever one tries to focus on it, to discern further details, it seems to shift and move away, like something that does not want to be observed.

A crow-sounding bird caws loudly, and one of the massive green feathered birds takes flight from a nearby tree, taking to the air, and circling over the lake, heading towards the garden of Eder Naybree.

In spite of a chill in the air that has nothing to do with the actual temperature, Calum cheerfully remarks, "Ah, just like camping back in the mountains when I was a kid."

Amara'da laughs, "Hah! Yes! That was a fine trip across the lake!"

The silence- and the tense atmosphere- now broken, the group feels free to explore the immediate area and chat a bit about their recent experience.

"Some fine stroking there General," said Jules. "You should tryout for our annual university Boat Race. Oxford wouldn't stand a chance for a generation."

Amara'da laughs mightily. "I should be so honored! This ox named Ford would never stand a chance!" She grins, clearly playing up the humor.

Tiernan climbs out, offering a hand to the people in the boat with him. Dira steps out, holding on to Tenny's hand and looks around her.

Skyisblu jumps out of the canoe and lands with both feet in the wet, purple sand, making a sploosh noise. She takes a deep breath, lungs filling with the damp, misty air. 

 "I wonder if this fog is going to burn off as the sun gets higher in the sky, " Sky ponders aloud to no one in particular. Her eyes follow the path of the green-feathered bird overhead, then she reaches into the canoe to grab her backpack, which she shrugs onto her shoulders, dancing around a little to seemingly adjust its balance on her back.

"Now that's a question," Calum ponders. "I haven't seen it burn off from the Naybree side before. Doesn't exclude it getting thinner on this side, though. We should keep an eye on it."

Robert helps Jules and Ed out of the canoe.  He looks slowly up the mountain before them. "I spent months climbing up the inside of a mountain.  Now, I'm climbing up the outside of another." He grabs his gear from the canoe and hoists it onto his back. 

"It's basically the same, without the bats and claustrophobia, " Sky quips back with a wave of her hand, as if Robert had never been hiking on a mountain before. She taps the toe of her pink hiking boot against a rock to knock some of the sand off of it.

"I  don't suffer from claustro..." Robert started to say.  When he looked and saw that  Sky had made that comment, he clammed up.

"Either way", Sky continues, looking out the corner of her eye at Robert, "hiking in caverns is nothing.' I've been hiking up active volcanoes. If you're looking for a challenge..." she trails off as she ventures towards the edge of the sand to look more closely at some plant that has taken her attention away from the conversation. She pinches a leaf between her fingers and, rubbing it, she takes a sniff and smiles to herself. 

"I'll have you know that I've climbed plenty of mountains.  The Andes in Peru, the Himalayas, the Alps...  I could go on and on," Robert snapped.

"Pfft - " Sky responds disinterestedly, her whole attention seemingly taken up by the shrub in front of her, "those are just mountains. Where's the challenge in that?! Where's the danger?" She emphasizes the last part a little too much, clearly aiming to get a reaction out of Robert. 

At this point the rest of the group of explorers looked like an audience at a tennis match, looking left, then, then left again.

Robert finally shook his head in defeat and walked away, muttering something about missing bloodthirsty pygmies. 

"Ooookay," Kelsei said with an exasperated sigh. "I am NOT touching that with a tenfoot pole."

"Calum, hand me some sensors," Runa'mei requested.

Calum tossed the box over with a "Have at it."

Runa'mei caught it, and then slug the box under one arm before gently taking Kelsei's hand and guiding her away from the landing point, walking along down the beach towards the direction of the rising sun.

For a moment, there was silence, then Kura'quen remarked, "So we all just saw that right? It wasn't just me?"

"Which part?" Amara'da asked. "The emotional fall out, or your cousin going on a beach-walk?"

"The-" Kura'quen blinked. "No, the- the glowing pink stuff in the fog!"

"What? Seriously?" Amara'da asked.

"Yes! Fog does not act like that! Creatures act like that," Kura'quen motioned at the strange light reaction in the fog. "I'm suitably freaked out."

Amara'da shrugged. "I've seen weirder."

"Of course you have," Kura'quen said. "Well, I haven't. What even causes that?"

"Well, I can't tell you what it is but I can already assume what it's thinking," Derek guessed, "it's staying hidden so it's not ready to engage with us yet, it's probably either shy or esteeming us as a potential threat, and it's sort of likely to take a closer look at us while we sleep."

"Maybe we should Link out and sleep somewhere else, then," Eresh offered uncertainly.

"Weeeeeell.. I wouldn't be defeated so quickly." Derek said. "I kind of want to know what it is, maybe set up a bait with a video device. Though it's as likely to take BOTH the food and the device. It could very well try to eat both too..." he paused. "Also I think we have only one writing kit for the whole expedition, so we can't leave without losing our progress until we reach basecamp. Or, if the situation is too dire to stay, we can use our current kit, link out to get a new one, link back in and continue the journey."

"I'll set up a camera, gimme a few minutes." Calum began fussing with the backpack.

Calum finishes setting up the camera on a tripod- one of those DRC Surplus 2000s era VHS tape camcorders- aimed at the fog layer, and flips out the digital viewfinder screen, only to pause, and remark, "Huh. Weird."

"What is?" Kura'quen askes.

"The glow in the fog isn't showing up on the screen," Calum answered, and, out of curiosity, raised their KI to take a picture of the strange light phenomenon. "...It's showing up on the KI. That's very weird. Probably just the display not being able to show it. It is an old camera, after all."

"Do you h.. no you wouldn't have thermal vision on this thing, would you ?" Derek asked. "Well if it was a ghost or some other electromagnetic interference like a sprite, it would do the opposite and show up on the screen while we couldn't see it with a naked eye."

"Unfortunately no, no thermal," Calum said. "And agreed, it's probably not an electromagnetic thing." Calum seems lost in thought for a long while, keeping the recording going, just for proper data recordings sake.

Jules went to check on Ed and hopefully smooth some ruffled feathers of one Dr. Murry.

Sky listens to the conversation while quietly humming the theme to "Ghostbusters" to herself.

"When you're on an Age, with some purple lights.." Derek completes skyisblu's tune and hums along.

"Who you gonna call?" Sky answers back to Derek's prompt.

As if narratively tempted by such an exchange, a shriek of shock comes from somewhere down the beach- in the direction Runa'mei and Kelsei went in.

Robert and Jules jump up and race to the spot the screams came from. Sky gets up from her spot next to the plants and runs after Robert and Jules. Derek puts his binoculars on and looks in the direction of the scream.

The group carries on down the beach, only to stumble upon someone else's campsite, much as Runa'mei and Kelsei did. The owners don't seem to be actively there at the moment, but the place is freshly set up, with a camping tent, a pair of chairs, and a small firepit. 

That in of itself is not what seems to have startled Kelsei into screaming, however. That pleasure lies in the fact that a large creature has emerged from the lake and is sniffing around a cooler full of food.

"What the f- ?" Derek cuts himself short.

It looks to be a strange combination of a squid, a salamander, and a dog. If one were to have taken the dog like face, added squid like tentacles for the mane of hair, and slapped it onto a salamander's body. It is, like many other things in Naybree, a very bright shade of purple-pink.

"Okay there's something large and alive over there, it's menacing," Derek said.

"Oh wow," Eresh whispered. "Pretty exotic. It reminds me of Reischu."

"It's too small for that," Runa'mei remarked, gazing at the creature as she held her right arm out defensively infront of Kelsei.

"What in the world is that thing?" Kelsei asked, a small tenor of fear in her voice.

"It's like a manticore, but remixed by the Upside Down from Stranger Things?" Derek takes the camera and heads in closer to film the creature. "Fantastic."

"It's a Salty Sea Dog," Calum joked, half in awe, half in utter confusion.

The creature, whatever its origins may truly have been, continues rooting around inside of the cooler, clearly seeking something from within it.

"Yeah, life finds a way, yaddi yaddi yadda, jesus that thing is..." Derek stared for a long moment. "Incredible."

Sky stays a little behind the others, making sure Robert and Jules are between her and the creature.

Robert extended his whip back ready to strike if needed.  He got in front of everyone.

"We don't have knowledge of a previous expedition in Deep Naybree through this sector, right?" Derek asked.

"There haven't been any other trips out here that I've authorized," Calum said. "But that doesn't mean people couldn't slip a net and get their own boat out here."

The campsite was definitely a contemporary earth setup.

"Well, someone has been here.  We need to find them," Robert remarked. 

"Should we call for them?" Derek asked. 

"Maybe they'll come running if they heard me scream?" Kelsei offered, not taking her eyes off of the creature.

The creature, as a matter of fact, seems to have found its goal in the form of a wrapped sub style sandwich. It lifts it out with two of its squid-tentacle mane limbs and carries it over towards a rock, ignoring everyone else as it hunkers down and begins prying apart the wrapping.

"Well, that's one type of food thief that we need to look out for," Derek said, "they could take our supplies if we're not careful."

Once the sandwich is unwrapped, the beast headily begins going to town on it, very much like a hungry puppy.

Robert yelled out,"HELLO?  Is anyone here?  Do you need help?"

"Hungry little critter, aint it?" Amara'da remarked, observing the creature eat.

Flecks of lettuce and other topings get sent sprawling aside, but the tentacle arms snag them and throw them back onto the meal pile as the beast eats.

Derek flinched, "Yeah and we probably look appetizing too."

"It ignored us and went straight for the cooler," Runa'mei said.

"Probably thinks we're too big for it to take down," Amara'da agreed. "Scavenger?"

"Because it found it first, there's no way to tell what he's gonna do once he's finished," Derek pointed out the possibility.

"Looks like a scavenger, yes," Runa'mei agreed with a nod. "I think... does that sandwich smell like fish to anyone?"

"It does," Calum agreed. "Did anyone bring any fish-meat with them?"

Robert relaxed his stance and recoiled his whip as the beast continues to eat its pilfered meal without even so much as paying attention to the group of explorers.

Sky is pretty sure the cans of tuna in her pack won't be giving off any smell that would attract the creature.

Derek frowned, "I don't think this creature would be able to emit the kind of light we saw earlier. Unless it's something it uses only to deter predators or call for its kin, communication."

"Yeah, I'm not seeing any signs of bioluminescence," Calum agreed. 

"Also, I'm not seeing any wings," Kura'quen said. "It looks land and sea locked?"

"Amphibious, yeah," Calum agreed.

"We're not calling it Dogsquid yet yeah?" Derek asked.

"Definitely not calling it a Cthuludog," Calum joked.

Derek snapped his fingers, "Doghulu."

"If we're naming it, maybe 'Abanuvvy,'" Kura'quen proposed. 

"Flowing Scavenger? For it's tentacle arms?" Runa'mei asked of her cousin.

"Seems apropriate, atleast?" Kura'quen shrugged.

"Abanuvvy the Doghulu," Amara'da remarked with a slight grin. 

"That's a mouthful, General," Kura'quen griped.

"I think I'll name it Scamp," Robert quipped.

Robert and Jules  looked around the campsight for clues to what happened to the campers and where they may have gone. 

Calum joins Robert and Jules in searching the campsite, and finds a deflated, folded up inflatable boat. "Well, looks like someone set out either before or after we did...." And then, with a start, "Ah, heck, did I make sure everyone had the right start time? Did we forget someone?"

"Some of us still have a hard time converting KI time to local time, " offers Sky. "Maybe someone left early thinking they were actually late?"

"That could be," Calum said, sighing. "Well, hopefully they're out here somewhere and haven't run into anything larger."

"Or smell like fish." Sky adds, only half-jokingly. 

The 'Doghulu' thing seems to finish its meal, stand up and shake itself off, and then leap back into the lake, vanishing away beneath the surface after several moments of swimming.

Sky lets out the breath that she didn't know she was holding all this time, shoulders relaxing at the departure of the creature from sight. She lowers again to the ground, rubbing her hands through the soft purple sand. 

"This whole setup smells fishy to me," Robert said.  "OUCH!" he exclaimed as a pebble hit the back of his head.  He turned around, rubbing his head.  Sky had turned away, humming again.

"Don't throw things, people," Calum said, tiredly.

All of a sudden, Silas Folxhaven approaches the campsite from the opposite direction to where the others had come. "There you all are!" His voice carries a mix of worry and relief. "We heard a scream. Lucky we did, too, we weren't quite sure which way the group had gone, and I think we landed in the wrong place. I swear we almost got eaten by something in that fog too," he said, half-joking. "But more importantly, is everything alright?"

Silas looks around, trying to take in the situation.

"Shorah, Silas!" Calum greeted. "And we're fine. Just had a scare with a sea creature who had a hankering for one of your cooler sandwiches."

"It seemed very interested in that sandwich more than anything else," Runa'mei said, sounding a little amused.

Silas chuckles. "Well that's good. Shorah, all! I don't think I've met all of you yet. My name is Silas Folxhaven. I've been around the cavern for a few years now, but I tend to keep to myself. Surface business has kept me away for awhile, too, unfortunately. So I'm glad of a chance to get my hands dirty with a project here again." He glances to his left to make sure Sivae caught up.

Behind Silas, a taller woman moved out from the brush - having issues with the low hanging foliage that kept getting trapped in her short, thick hair. She squints in annoyance, pulling a stick from her wig before hurrying up to Silas' side once more. Her KI identified her as Sivae.

"I oughta just shave my mop at this rate." She spoke under her breath gruffly, before shifting gears mentally to take hold of the situation once more. Yes, they were following a scream, but it now looked like that was handled. Catching the last bit of what Calum said, "All's well? No one dead, eh? Nice." She leaned over the shorter man's shoulder, holding onto it as she extended a hand to the new friend. "Name's Sivae, friend. Pleasure to meet you."

"Nobody's dead except that sandwich," Calum said, giving a wave. "Good to meet you. Sorry about the coordination fail. My fault there. We should have all set out together." 

"No, no, I think we ought to have known better than to set out for uncharted territory without the group. Could've gone a lot worse than it did." Silas laughed good-naturedly. "Thanks for organizing this!"

Sivae's extended hand turned to a thumb's up, before relaxing it to hang next to her side once more. "Is on us for being the curious rats we are, friend. We were //too// terribly excited about the expedition. How long's it been since we've gone with a group, Siles?" She thinks, "Several years..? Maybe a decade? I'yunno."

"Well, I'm glad you could join us," Calum said. "Did you see any easy footpaths out the way you went?"

"Nothing much so far," Silas said. "We strayed further into the trees a bit, but it all seemed pretty untouched where we were. Then again, for the most part we just followed the beach to find everyone else's landing point, so it's quite possible I missed something." He sits down at the edge of the camp, with a grunt or two as he situates himself. "Looks like people have been here, though, you fellas didn't set this camp up did you?" Then he adds quickly, "Oh, don't mind me, I just need a bit of a breather. I might be getting too old for this."

"...No? We thought this was your camp?" Calum said, frowning.

"I've got a flare gun in my bag, should we use it to alert our presence to these campers?" Derek offered.

"I'd say that scream worked almost as well as a flair," Silas joked.

"True.. maybe they're on their way," Derek was hopeful.

"Agreed," Calum said, a tenseness filling their frame.

"Maybe we scared 'em tho'." Sivae answered then looked down to SIlas with a smile. She decided to cross her arms in place of sitting.

"I wonder..." Runa'mei said. "I'm going to look for tracks. Give me a moment."

"Be careful Runa'mei" Derek warned.

"Always am," Runa'mei said as she wandered off and began checking the treeline.

"Hold on," Kelsei said. "So, if you two didn't set this up, and we didn't set this up... Then who did?"

"Thassa good question, eh?" Sivae smirked. "We'll probably find out soon enough... if our neighbors aren't shy."

"Well, I can't say it's impossible people haven't slipped the nets at the beach before now," Calum said. "They're mostly there to keep people from getting caught by the currents. So it could be anybody..." they trailed off.

"They aren't having a dip in the water, aren't they?" Derek asked. "Or fishing ?"

"They're in for a scare if they run into one of those dogthulus," Kelsei mumbled.

"Have you seen signs of people still living here recently?" Silas asked.

"That's what part of this survey was about," Calum admitted. "Seeing if we could find signs of civilization."

Silas began studying the camping gear. "Maybe this equipment could help clue us in."

"Take a look, see if you find any journals or notebooks," Calum suggested. "And tell me if you find anything marked with a flask-shape on the cover."

"Flask shape, hmm..." Silas pondered the notion.

"Like a face with a spiral on its forehead?" Derek asked.

Kelsei looked at Calum, frowning. "Do you think...?"

"It's a possibility I don't want to ignore," Calum said. "And no, think like a klein bottle. Kinda wide base, narrow top, maybe a plume of some sort at the top?"

"I think I saw that in Fahets?" Derek frowned, trying to recall something.

"Probably unrelated," Calum said, in regards to that. "I'm thinking more that journal that lumberjack left behind."

Along with the others, Tiernan and Diranda have been quietly helping where asked, while Tenny's also been quickly updating his journal when he can.

"I mean these people have to sleep eventually." Derek said, deciding he will look for how many sleeping slots are installed within the camp, number of tents and sleeping bags. "Maybe we can find their boat too."

Derek soon sees that there is a single tent, two folding chairs, and a folded up inflatable raft. No sign of an airpump in the immediate viscinity. There is the aforementioned cooler, as well. The tent, when inspected, is found to be locked with a numerical padlock.

"Oh..." Derek realized, "they were expecting intruders."

Sivae, in the midst of their conversation,  approaches the tent, staring at it long and hard. "Yep, looks like we're not getting in there. Not... well, without committing a crime."

"Crime on a lawless world?" Derek supposed. "Not the hardest."

Tiernan hmms.  "I might be able to see if I can crack it."

"Not the first time we've broken into something, Siles!" Sivae smiled.

"It's suspicious, but maybe its to keep out the wildlife?" Kura'quen asked.

Amara'da snorted. "They would've locked the food bin in there if that's the case." 

"You can crack codes, Tiernan?" Eresh asked.

"They could have used a regular padlock with a key, but they chose a code instead, so they might have set this up for another group," Derek said.

"Well, I could certainly try," Tenny said.

"Or.. locks can be picked, codes can only be guessed." Derek pointed out, then, said, "Oh please, knock yourself out on this numerical code, I'm actually interested in your method." 

"There's only so many combinations.... unless this one decides to never work again after so many times," Sivae said.

"Sometimes code locks can be bypassed, too, with the right techniques." Silas said, "Though, the best ones usually don't have obvious exploits."

Runa'mei returns to the group, looking disgruntled. 

"Any luck?" Kelsei asked.

"I found two sets of tracks. One seemed to be some brushed over tracks, the other set doubled back onto itself in a loop. Someone had an idea they might be followed." Runa'mei answered.

Dereks looks at the number of numerals on this padlock, finding it to be a basic three digit luggage tumbler. "Three numbers, okay then," Derek remarked. 

Diranda thinks.  "If it's a mechanical code lock, I might be able to at least help."

Silas notes Runa'mei's words, and his eyes widen. "I wonder what they were expecting, did they know a group was coming?"

"Or it's for the locals.." Derek frowned. "That don't know these numbers."

"We didn't exactly advertise it, but we did let it be known we'd be coming out here," Calum said. "Why leave a camp site if that's the case?"

"Maybe they're quirky like that," Sivae shrugged.

"Quirky," Kura'quen grumbled. "Right."

Tiernan hmphs.

Amara'da glanced to Tiernan, "Before you go scrambling that thing, try turning the digits all one to the left or right."

"I can think of three reasons," Silas said. "Either they wanted us to find it, or they left too quickly to take it down. Or... they intend to come back, but don't want to be followed in the meantime?"

"I don't suppose someone brought a pair of metal cutters?" Tenny asked. "Easy to make quick work of that without needin' t' solve it."

Diranda blinks at Tiernan.  "Well, yeah, that's a point."

"When weird gets weirder, let's leave no stone unturned," Derek looks inside the cooler to check if there is anything left, with special attention brought to the non-food and non-drink items. The cooler is full of sandwiches, generic brand water bottles, and a sealed pack of pepperoni slices. "Nope.. just food and water."

Derek closes the lid of the cooler. "I mean I have a hunting knife, we could just cut through the tent.. with no way to close it back. But we don't know if we're against anybody or simply encoutering other campers."

"You know," Silas said, "it's also possible they just used a code lock because it's what they had. I've done that sometimes."

"I think we should note the spot on a map and push forward on our expedition, we still have a lot of road," Derek suggested. "Besides, we still have to setup OUR own camp, even before reaching basecamp."

The sandwich wrapper the dogthulu tore open blows in the breeze, drifting towards the forest.

"True," Tenny says.  "All I've got are trauma cutters."  He considers. "Probably best t' leave it, unless we know for certain there's someone hostile out here."

"Ye... probably best to not make enemies yet." Sivae nodded.

"Agreed," Calum said, watching the wrapper go. "We can come back here if it's a problem." He opened his KI and generated a Marker Mission, noting the local coordinates down on the marker. 

Derek goes after the wrapper to catch it, "Now now, no polluting another dimension for no reason."

"My thoughts exactly, Derek. Leave it just like we found it." agrees Sky 

Upon catching the wrapper, something smudgy and ink like stains Derek's fingers, "Ow.. what's..?  Ew. Okay I got a.. sample."

"We didn't bring gloves, right?" Eresh asked.

As Derek turns over the wrapper to see if it's squid ink or something else, he sees that the wrapper has been written on with an ink marker. The remnants of the word "-uary" can be seen written on it. The rest of the word has been smudged to illegibility.

"Is that written in English?" Eresh asked.

"Huh, what happened?" Silas asked, getting up and approaching Derek

"The creature finished its meal and let that paper go, there are some characters on it, can we get the rest?" Derek asked.

"Oh! Maybe it's a code? Or a message?" exclaims Sky. "Let me see your hand and the paper, Derek"

"Looks like it might have said 'Sanctuary,'" Eresh guessed based on what was there.

"It end in -uary, maybe Sanctuary, February.." Derek said, "January." He holds out his hand and the paper and Sky looks closely at the marker smudges.

"Usually when you write on a sandwich it's when you order and the person who makes it writes your name on it." Derek said "Or it's the type of sandwich. Though, I know no fish that has its name ending in -uary."

"I wonder if they wrote on the other ones. Let's check the cooler!" Silas said.

At that prompting, Catchen looks in the cooler.

And at Silas' enthusiasm, Sivae joins up with Catchen at the cooler and begins rummaging through the sandwiches with whoever else is there.

The two find the other sandwich wrappers were indeed written upon by sharpie marker, though it is smudging due to the proximity of condensation due to the water bottels. It's hard to read clearly on some of them, but with some squinting it's easy to piece together that the words "January" and "February" have been written on them.

"Hmmm," Catchen hums. "How do the sandwiches look?"

"Opp, looks like there's more." Sivae said. "They are a little soggy, but they seem to be fine tuna sandwiches."

"Expiration dates?" Sky throws out as a reason for the months written on the sandwiches.

"Probably not an expiration date, probably a code or names." Sivae thinks, thinks long and hard. Thinks so hard that she dissociates and forgets where she is just for a second.

"It's the code!" Derek guessed. "January is 1, Febuary is 2. Let's try 102!" 

The tumbler lock does not yield on 102. However, wheel 3 does catch on 2.

"Would it be 012?" Derek asked. The lock pops open. "There we go," Derek zips the tent open.

Inside the tent, there are two sleeping bags, and a small wooden box with a journal sitting ontop of it. The journal is marked with the same flask icon as the lumberjack's journal from the back area of Eder Naybree.

Hearing the tent zipper, Sivae turns back and returns to reality. "Welp, there we go. Friend's got it."

"I think we've found your flask symbol, Calum," Derek said.

"Twelve... December?" Kelsei asked, looking at Calum.

"Yeaaaah.... that's about what I expected," Calum lamented tiredly, and knelt down to reach for the book.

Calum opens the journal and pages through it. It is a scientific log written by someone codenamed "January," detailing how a man named "December" requested January and "February" to survey the local mountains of Eder Naybree.

Further details in the journal cover the trip through the fog layer, and making camp. 

The journal ends with an entry about setting off into the forests. It is dated three days earlier, and has not been touched since.

"Do they mention anything about the pink lights?" Derek asked.

"No pink lights mentioned," Calum says, reviewing through the journal again.

"Maybe we just start out in the direction of the tracks Runa'mei found, then, and hope we can find where they pick up." Silas suggested.

"Sounds like their team is in trouble," Derek said.

"That sounds like the smart thing to do," Kelsei agreed. "If they've been gone for several days, we should atleast try to find out what happened to them."

"Kind of worries me, but hey, we got strength in numbers," Silas said, encouragingly.

"I'm not the type to say no to a rescue mission, besides we know how to call them, January and February," Derek said. "Unless they have already linked out and failed to come back, I wouldn't expect anyone to go to a place without any linking book to exit the Age, being stranded is pretty much a beginner move."

"Runa'mei, let's try and follow those brushed out tracks," Calum suggested. "That seems like the immediate course they're trying to hide."

"Agreed," Runa'mei nodded. "General, with me?"

"Of course, Chezwyrd Chen," Amara'da nodded.

The two take the front of the group, and head towards the place where Runa'mei found the brushed over tracks.

"And if we lose one or two it's no biggie, we've got plenty," Silas laughed. "Sorry, bad joke."

"S i l a s!" Sivae exclaimed.

Derek chuckled.

Sky throws a panicked look at Robert and Jules at that comment from Silas.

"Should we take the cooler?" Kura'quen asked. "Incase we run into more wildlife?"

Derek sees skyisblu's distress and comes to her asking, "Coffee ?"

"Thanks Derek, but I think it just might make me more jittery at this point," Sky answered. 

"Or focused," Derek countered.

"You'll get used to his... jokes." Sivae doesn't look annoyed, or disappointed. It is honestly hard to tell how she feels at the moment after that.

Sky notices that Robert and Jules are conversing in hushed tones about something.  Jules then heads to the tent and starts studying the journal more closely.

Further inpsection of the journal does not convey much new information, as it seems to have been started deliberately for this journey. There is, however, a small metal key pressed between the blank pages near the back of the book.

"Eresh, do you have some tea left ?" Derek asked. "Maybe a warm softer drink will help soothe the nerves." 

Amara'da returns from the forest, stating, "Good news. They only brushed their tracks for a short while before giving up on it. Runa'mei is checking ahead to see if they gave any more tricks."

"Amara'da, in which direction where the tracks heading?" Robert asked.

"Uphill, winding slightly back the way we came from," The General said, pointing backwards towards the main landing site. "From what I could see through the trees, there was maybe a river inlet coming from higher up in the mountains that way." 

"Phew, so we've got a good starting point, then." Silas is already sitting down on the ground again, though prepared to rise and depart whenever the others are ready.

"We have a key.  Where's the lock that it goes to?" Robert wondered.

"Another puzzle." Sky remarks, looking around the tent area for another lock to open. Inspecting the wooden box the journal was resting on reveals it has a small lock on the front. "Oh! Robert! Over here! " Sky exclaims excitedly, as she points to a wooden box just under where the journal was found. 

"What is it?" he asked.

"Maybe the key works on this - " she says as she picks up the small object and extends it to him. 

The key matches the lock, but it does not fully fit inside. It seems to be a two key lock, requiring a second key to fit in alongside the first.

"It's not quite right.  There's something missing."  Robert looked at the key closely.  "It needs another key I think.  Everyone search the place."

"Maybe it's buried," Derek suggested.

"Or maybe one of them has it on them?" Kelsei suggested.

Catchen begans searching the campsite. The firepit holds nothing but dead embers and charred coals. There is nothing else in the cooler besides sandwiches, water, and that sealed bag of pepperoni. A further search of the tent finds a copy of a Science Magazine from April of 2023, featuring the topic of Austin, Texas' Moonlight Towers, a broken combat knife hidden beneath a pillow (The blade is missing, but the hilt seems to be sentimental, with an engraving reading 'To My Darling' on it); and a spare pair of socks tucked up at the bottom of a sleeping bag. But no key.

"That's possible. Kelsei," Robert said.

Sky pushes the sleeping bags around, looking for hidden pockets. She tossed the pillows around, feeling inside their cases for anything hard and key-shaped.

"Nothing here. Boo," Sky pouted. "I guess you're right, Kelsei - they must have taken it with them." concludes Sky.

"Makes sense to separate them, unfortunately," Kelsei sighed.

Sky nods. 

Derek takes the box and shakes it gently to try to determine what could be inside. The box lets loose a dreadful chiming noise, as if a thousand tuning forks were clattered against a windchime.

"That's... weird." Derek wasn't sure what that noise was. "Coins ?"

"Oh gosh, Derek! Don't break it!" Sky gasped.

"There was a harmonic sound to it," Kura'quen mused. "I almost want to say it sounded like a crystal, but... they don't sound like metal rattling against eachother."

Robert snaps his head to Derek's direction.  "Crystals!" he exclaims.

"Maybe they recorded something on it?" Amara'da suggested. "We should take it with us, just incase it's one of ours."

"Wait.. crystals that record things?" Derek asked.

"Rei'schu is home to some very unique crystals," Calum said. "Some of them were stolen, and gifted to the group I suspect these two campers belong to."

"You guys have one key, maybe we can pick the second lock," Derek suggested.
Robert looked to the General, "Armara'da, if they came from your world, then you definitely should take control of them." 

"We'll take it to Runa'mei, she might be able to force the lock open," Kura'quen said.

"Agreed," Amara'da said, motioning to take the box into her custody. "For the time being, I'll hold onto it." Derek hands over the box.

"Speaking of Runa'mei, we should probably catch up to her," Kelsei said.

Jules and Robert returned to their hushed conversation on the other side of camp.  Robert pointed to something on the ground and to the area in the opposite direction of the footprints.  Sky eavesdropping, heard the words Mad Rasputin.

Kura'quen, hearing those words as well, moves over to check on them. "Did you find something?" She asks in a quiet whisper. Looking where Robert was pointing, there's nothing but a piece of driftwood that looks a bit uncomfortably like Haru'sara's old crown, but doesn't seem to be the same object, and just has an uncanny resemblence to it.

Kura'quen pulls it from the sand to inspect it, only to find that it is the head piece of a very larger piece of wood than it first seemed. Almost like a staff, or, perhaps, a chewed up oar. It is very old, and missing a lot of mass, and even has a few faint traces of D'ni carving on the 'hilt' of it.

The words are too faded and worn to read, however. Kura'quen offers it to Calum to inspect.

"Huh. Not surprised we'd find something like this here, somewhere, given the age's history." Calum remarked. "Probably a sailing relic from who knows when. I wouldn't be surprised if we find old D'ni stuff scattered around here from how often the Age traded owners."
<pb>With no objections from the rest of the expedition, Calum gives the go-ahead for Amara'da to lead them along the path that Runa'mei was following. Through the forest line the group goes, up a gently sloping hill. 

The sound of a flowing river gradually comes into view, but strangely, it is not the only sound. It's hard to parse at first, but as the minutes drag on, it sounds like... whispers, almost. The subtle realization sets an edge into the atmosphere. 

Kura'quen asks Amara'da, "Did this happen the last time?" Her voice is quiet, as if afraid to speak louder.

"No, it didn't," Amara'da frowned.

But then the group breaks through the tree line and arrives on the shore of a rapidly flowing river. Vapor rises into the air where the chilled water meets the warm air, creating the fog and the mist in the area. If one looks down stream, they can see that there's a clear shot to the larger part of the lake that had been noted as being near the landing site. 

Seemingly, the mist ends where the river meets the lake itself, but then the implication that this chilled water stream is feeding into the cold front in the middle of the lake surrounding Naybree's garden island is had. Perhaps it, and other rivers like it, combine together into the swirling, massive wall of mist?

The whispers continue on as the group looks up river for Runa'mei, and they find her, surveying a large statue that seems to have been carved in the same style as the large statues in the Naybree garden.

It is styled after one of the strange sea-creatures that the group saw on the beach, sitting on its rear legs with its front legs resting forwards, with some kind of object held between the paws. 

Runa'mei is presently holding the arms down against the river water as it courses past the statue, making the strange whispering sound, it seems, because as the group approaches, she raises the arms again, and the sound ceases.

"What in the world is this thing?" Kelsei asked, approaching Runa'mei.

"Another of Grandma Athsheba's artworks," Runa'mei surmises. "As for what it does... I'm not quite sure. This object it holds makes a curious noise when it touches the water."

The object itself does not seem to be anything special at a first glance. A panflute type object made of stone, it seems, except that it has the coloration of Nara. Dark greenish brown with flares of bronze holding it together. It is older than the statue that holds it, easily. A careful examination reveals that it is engraved with old D'ni script.

"Any signs of our wayward scientists?" Calum asked.

Runa'mei shook her head. "The tracks carry on upstream, seemingly in a hurry. I'd wager they got spooked off by the whispering sounds when they lowered the statue arms."

"Interesting," Diranda says.  She walks over to look at the statue as well.  "I wish I could read that."

"Molly could, I'd bet," Tiernan says thoughtfully.

"Maybe it's the strength of the current, maybe it's a reaction between this water and what looks to be nara that causes this sound, who knows."  Derek asked, "Can we make out any words out of these whispers?"

The group conferrs, but finds that the words sound vaguely D'ni but nothing discernable

Having never seen the creature the others encountered, Silas is puzzled by its appearance. "What is this creature? It almost looks like some otherworldly gargoyle. Well, I guess it is otherworldly in this case."

"Nara on Naybree?" Eresh asked. "I wonder how many D'ni visited this place?"

Kelsei remarks, "It's a statue of the sea creature that startled me, Silas." Then, to Eresh, "Given how many times the age changes hands, it's impossible to guess.'

Calum agreed. "Don't know if this flute dates back to the original owner or a later one." He gave a gentle but firm tug to remove it from the statue. It comes clean easily and can be returned just as easily. "Athsheba made sure it could be moved, though."

Derek theorized, "Maybe there are other statues that serve the same purpose. I don't think the fact it's removable would be to replace the flute, nara is too durable to worry about damage." 

Runa'mei nodded in agreement. "That seems likely, yes."

Ed, Jules, and Robert were all over the statue, examining every inch of it, and trying out the mechanism to try figuring out how it worked.  They were arguing about various sources of D'ni writings to decode the inscriptions.  Skyisblu observed the scene before her and chuckled.  The men reminded her of little boys on Christmas morning as they were opening their presents.  Robert noticed her looking and smiling, but Sky suddenly turned away.

Derek takes a KI picture of what remains of the D'ni script. "If this statue is meant to hold items in the water, we should find others (if they exist) near other streams of water." He supposed, "Maybe even this very stream, in higher spots."

Robert turned to Runa'mei and said, "Your Grandmother was a genius in the construction of this moving statue." 

"It seems to be a good step up in her skills from what we saw in the garden," Runa'mei said to Robert. "I wonder why she made it though? Why make a statue you can raise and lower the arms on just for a flute effect?"

"It could act as a switch for something we have yet to find," Robert mused.

"Wait.. I'd like to try something." Derek comes closer to the water. "Put the instrument inside the stream please."

"Just the instrument or with the arms?" Runamei asked when Derek dipped his head underwater to see if it sounds different.

Runa'mei paused. "Ah, well." She lowers the arms into the water with the flute in place.

The sharp whispers begin to emerge through the air, on the surface atleast. Beneath the water, there is a subtle distortion to the effect that brings it into alignment somewhat. There is, atleast, a distinct "Shorah" that can be heard at the start of the segment. Though, the rest is still unintelligible. It's almost as if there are parts of a larger audio missing.

Derek pulls his head out of the water. "Found something." He gets a towel from his bag to dry his head. "The water.. speaks. It just said hello to me."

"I guess it's a distortion filter," Calum supposed after testing it for himself. "Or maybe we're just in the wrong place for it to work right?" 

Derek takes a second picture of the statue, then asked, "May I see the flute ?"

Runa'mei removes the flute from the water, and the statue, and hands it over for inspection.

"Only heard under the water...hmm..." Robert said in thought.

Derek checks inside the flute to see if it has any sort of deposit, grime or things stuck in it. 

A glance inspection of the object's interior reveals a metalic interior with a series of notches and bumps, but nothing seems to be stuck inside of it. If anything, the recent submerging in the water has cleared out any gunk within it. The object is remarkably clean on the inside, and looks sort of like a music box, if a music box were a flute.

Derek frowned, "So, I wasn't expecting it to be dented, but maybe in need of a good clean to clear up the sound, unfortunately -or fortunately- it's pristine."

"If there were a cavern under the stream, it might be clearer in tone there," Robert guessed.

"You think that might be the tonal key?" Derek asked. "Acoustics ? What would be the point of this statue then."

"Maybe the device and the statue are two separate things?" Kura'quen supposed.

"Well it's meant to be removed and transported, so probably." Derek sighed. "At least we have the first word."

"You mean, if the statue was built by Athsheba to make the whispering sound, maybe she repurposed the flute from somewhere else?" Kelsei asked.

"That just begs the question, why make a statue that makes such a harsh whispering noise?" Calum frowned. "I get maybe if she thought someone was coming from D'ni to come after the Rei'schu Descriptive, but if that was the case why leave the book in the garden, and not out here?"

"Runa'mei, was it you that put a marker on the campsite ? You should probably add another one here." Derek asked.

"That was me," Calum said, messing with their KI for a moment. "And done."

"Oop, sorry Calum." Derek said, "Was that statue mentioned in the journal we've found, of January, February and December ?"

"Nope," Calum said. "They seemed to have left that book behind before coming out this way."

"Why is audible when underwater?  Could it be calling a marine animal to this spot?  There may be more mechanisms upstream.  Since the flute is removable, perhaps we should take it with us," Robert said.

"Yeah, I definitely think we should keep the flute in case we need to slot it in another statue that doesn't have one." Derek asked. "Do we have a contact in D'ni to send technical pictures of the flute to ? How well do we know Laxman?"

"I think everyone who could handle that is on vacation given the time of year," Calum said, even as Runa'mei takes the flute and tosses it up in the air with intent to catch it again, only for Kura'quen to snag it as it comes down.

"Let's not trust that it's absurdly durable, please," Kura'quen said.

Runa'mei just smiled at her cousin. "Fair enough."

"No offense to the scholars in the group," Derek said. "It's just that we don't have a workshop or a lab at hand to do an in-depth analysis." 

Jules and Robert perked up.  " Did you say Laxman?"  Robert asked.  Jules and Robert shared a knowingly look. 

"I think this might be more of a typical ResEng issue than a Laxman one anyways," Calum said. "This flute seems more of an oldfashioned machine than a technical marvel like the KI." 

"Yeah, isn't he the D'ni meganerd about technology ?" Derek asked. "I agree this instrument is analog, but there's still a D'ni mind behind it.. at least the material is."

"While true, I haven't had a direct contact with him in... well, maybe ever. I usually talk with a few others who are more active on the technical side of things to pass requests along," Calum replied. "I don't know how much Laxman's paying attention to things these days." 

Robert smirked and shook his head.

Derek nods. "Well, if we don't have anybody to send these pictures to in the city, I guess we'll have to examine it when we get back."

"Might be a bit premature to send pictures anyways," Calum said. "Especially if we find more of these things."

"If an analysis is what you need, I can contact Argon and ask my brother if he has anyone on staff that might be able to give you a detailed report," Diranda said.

"I mean that might be a way to gather clues and leads while we're pursuing the exploration," Derek said.

"That's a great idea, Diranda.  They have superb equipment and scientists there." Robert said. 

Dira grins.  "I'll pass your sentiments on to Corey, Robert. But, just send me shots of what you need studied to my KI and I'll get them to Corey's team at Argon."

"I'll hold the light in order to get a good view of the inside of the device, if someone wants to take a picture. Dang I wish we had a macro focus lens on that thing." Derek lamented.

Diranda attempts to use her KI to open a line to her contacts in the Cavern. Ordinarily, this should work just fine without issue, after all, the KI is a quantum device that can reach across ages baring exceptional circumstances such as the Neighborhood Meditation rooms, or the Gahreesen Wall Maintainer Nexus...

That is to say, it is an odd thing to note when her KI fails to connect.

Diranda nods.  "Corey will want to see them in any case, he loves this kind of thing." She blinks. "Oh dear."

Tiernan frowns a bit and looks over at her device.  "Well, tha's a thin'."

"What's up?" Derek asked.

"I can't seem to connect." Diranda said.

Derek contains a laugh "Oh, that's a rare one !"

Tiernan raises an eyebrow, looking pointedly at the Valerian scientist.  "Dira..."

"No, the Zero was working fine when I linked out!" Diranda defended herself. "This isn't me."

"...Anti KI field?" Calum asked, checking the KI. "Strange. That shouldn't be happening." Calum attempts to send a message to Kelsei's KI, both in the form of KI mail and Direct Message. Neither arrive.

"We're out of the Lattice's grid, I didn't know that was possible, okay." Derek paused. "Do we have a maintainer beacon ?"

"Mine is the same way." Robert said. "How odd."

"That really shouldnt be happening," Kelsei agreed.

"Okay, before we completely freak out everybody check their Reltos if you have one." Derek suggested.

The group checked their Reltos, and found a slew of functioning panels.

Tiernan turns to Derek and Kelsei.  "Hm..."

Diranda frowns herself and taps the KI's surface.

"Hold on, what's everyone's KI Coordinates read?" Calum asked. "Naybree has a functioning maintainer marker. We should still be getting accurate coordinates even this far out."

A check of the system reveals that nobody is receiving consistent coordinates, and neither are they updating when moving around.

"Interesting." Derek said.

Tiernan grumbles something about wishing he knew more about D'ni computer networks and sighs.

Robert looks at Calum.  " This needs a Calum solution if there was ever a need for one," he smiled.

"Aye." Tenny agreed.

"Alllrighty, that's weird," Calum frowned. "Looks like we've wandered into some kind of anti-KI field. I'm going to hike back to the beach and see if I can't see where it ends. Stay put until I get back."

"Well, I can collect pictures, or we can just collect them ourselves and send them when we get back," Diranda says. 

"Be careful!" Robert warned.

"Yeah, don't you go on your own Calum." Derek warned.

"Sure, will do," Calum then sets off down river, following it along the course of the river down towards the beach. He can be seen raising and lowering his KI multiple times, even waving it through the air a few times.

Runa'mei sighs, and then sets off after him at a run.

"Well, this is concerning," Kelsei said. "I wonder if our wandering scientists ran into this too?"

"Yea, this certainly doesn't bode well if it's intentional," Silas said. "Unless it's part of a puzzle or something. Maybe we'll be required to get our bearings without any outside data? Though I sure hope we don't get lost out here. At least we have the tracks..." Silas trailed off in a mixture of worry and deep thought.

"As long as we can find our way back to the river, we should be fine," Amara'da said. "Still... what an odd situation."

Robert sat on a rock and started drawing a crude map in his notebook. "I agree with Amara'da," he said.  "As long as we follow the river we should be fine." 
<pb>Eventually, Runa'mei returns, with Calum following behind at a slower pace, face frowning with a pondering look.

"Good news is we've got a KI signal if we go back to the shore," Runa'mei reports. "Bad news is we have to get away from the river quite a ways to do it. Calum thinks it might be something in the rocks here at the river affecting the signal."

"Might," Calum stresses. "Something doesn't seem right about that hypothesis, hearing it said back." He looks at the group, and says, "If anyone wants to turn back, this is probably the time. The rest of us should keep carrying on up river to try to find those scientists."

"Well, they aren't going to find themselves..." Catchen said.

"Turn back? No, I don't think so," decided Jules. "I want to see what those lot have gotten themselves into. And what precisely their game is." 

"Here, here.  I'm with Jules on this point," Robert agreed.  "The game's afoot.  Let's get to the bottom of this mystery."

Sky pipes up from the water's edge, where she has been pondering the workings of the "water-flute". "I'm here for the adventure, whether it be hiking, or this crazy mystery we've uncovered. Let's do this!" She adds, excitedly. 

Robert smiled at the sight of Sky's enthusiasm for adventure.  He had found a kindred spirit in her.  Then, he sighed as he remembered how angry she was with him. 

(Cal's Editing Notes: Apparently Robert damaged his KI while working in Descent. Similarly to this situation, the KI no longer let him receive or transmit messages. Unbeknownst to Sky, I'd later learn she repeatedly sent messages to him, only to receive no replies. When Robert finally got back to D'ni, he asked me to repair the KI.  Unfortunately, the flood of messages when I got it reconnected made him rather panicked and flustered and he wouldn't tell me what was going on.) 

"Alright," Calum said. "Let's keep going then."

The group carries on up the river's course, the misty air feeling chilling as the cold waters of the river mix with the warmer air as the sun continued its upwards course and heated the land. 

About five minutes of hiking after leaving the last statue, there is a flash of pink light from somewhere in the forest on the opposite shore. Before anyone can think to investigate, the sound of childish laughter and giggling can be heard, dissuading the notion before it can launch.

"Please tell me that was just a crow," Kelsei mumbled. 

The group carries on, up river, until they are forced to stop as a small herd of deer-cat things are crossing the river, blocking the path.

They are rather show-pony sized things, none of which could support a fully grown human's weight, with predominantly nightly blue fur along their feline bodies and swishing tails. There is a speckle of deep purple spots across the fur, and becoming a wild mowhawk mane of hair running down along the tops of their deer-like heads back down along their spines, and up to the hips where it abruptly cuts off for the tail's original nightly blue fur.

Their horns sweep upwards, and seem covered in a mossy green texture that seems to sparkle in the sunlight.

There are also young little ones, clinging to the backs of their parents, here and there, as they cross the river.

Needless to say, only the lookouts spare the group any attention, and one gives a warning bleat of a 'dont come closer' that sounds like a cat's mrowl combined with the echoing shrill pierce of an elk call.

Derek takes a KI picture.

"I'll say one thing, this Age has a lot of unique wildlife," Runa'mei breathed out. 

"Is it wrong to say I want to pet one?" Kura'quen whispered.

"I'm completely immune to cuteness so.. I don't know, maybe." Derek said, a bit defensively. "I know some people are sensitive to felines like sailors to sirens."

"We'll let 'em go," Amara'da advised. "They're just living their lives, we're living ours."

A smaller deer-cat, not quite adult sized, but not quite a babe- really, more house cat sized- hobbles away from the group and starts to wander closer to the explorers. One of the lookout deer-cats tries to stop it with a leg in the path, but the youth scatters around as youths tend to do and it hobbles over towards the group.

"Nobody move." Runa'mei advises.

The deer-cat looks at the group, and starts sniffing at people's feet. 

Derek whispers a harsh 'no' as it comes close to him, and the little thing bleats and scampers over to someone more friendly smelling like Sky, who is next on the visitors list.

The thing rubs itself against Sky's legs much like a cat, evidently finding something familiar it liked about her, and it meow-beats approvingly.

Derek stares accusingly at the adult creature, in a disapproving headshake.

The lookout bleats a 'return' call, which the youth ignores, scampering over towards Runa'mei, taking one sniff, and promptly moving on towards Amara'da, repeating the process, and then turning towards Kura'quen.

It gazes up at her, bleat-meowing balefully, and Kura'quen's eyes water with restrained tears. "Meio'riiiiin..." she half-squeals. 

The deer-kitten reaches a paw up and gently bats at her leg, begging to be picked up. 

The lookout once again bleats a return call, and stomps a hoof. Strangely, none of the other deer-cats seem to care that one of their youngsters has wandered off beyond looking over and snorting in a 'this is expected' way.

"No, Kura'quen", said Jules in mock-disapproval. "You can't keep them." 

"Don't you dare touching him and angering the group," Derek warned.

"I just want to pet it," Kura'quen whispered.

"That's fine. Just make sure to ask them first." Jules smiled like any parent would to their child.

Kura'quen's hands tremble as she looks at the lookout. "May I... atleast pet it?" She asked. 

Amara'da rolled her eyes. Runa'mei tensed, bracing for a potential scuffle.

The Lookout just snorted, and called out one final 'return' bleat, a double stomp of its paws.

The little one turns its head back and lets out a protesting bleat. As it does such, something small and metal gleams with the sunlight, hidden against its nubby little antlers.

"What." Derek said flatly in horrid realization.

Kura'quen kneels quickly, and snatches the thing from its horns, giving the creature a quick pet along its back and some chin scritches.

The little thing bleats in glee, and then takes off back for the group.

Kura'quen holds the tiny object in her hand, watching as the youngster rejoins the group, and the lookout gives it a scolding snort, but doesn't seem to punish the youth for its dallyance.

"What is that?" Kelsei asked, gazing at the object Kura'quen had pulled free.

"It's..." She looked at it. "It's a tiny ring with some kind of light on it."

Kelsei takes it, and examines it. Then she swears. "Those damned scientists tagged it!" Kelsei shows the device, and indeed, it's a tiny tracking ring, meant to be put around the legs of birds, and not on the antlers of growing deer-cats.

Derek knew  the KIs didn't have a Lattice connection but he still checked for device compability with proximity tech. The device does not ping against the KI's systems.

"If we could hack this, we might find where the signal is going, assuming it's not broken and still emitting." Derek supposed, "Either way, it's one less creature they can track."

Inspecting the tracker reveals it is as basic of a transmitter as one can get. It has a tiny battery, and a signal emitter. No other circuitry can be seen. It is as low tech as a transmitter can be. It doesn't care who it's broadcasting to, just that it's broadcasting.

"I'm formulating a view as to the quality of these scientist's characters," said Jules. "And I have to say, the conclusions are not flattering."

"Come on.. it's not unheard of, at least it's not a Sharper situation," Derek said.

"Atleast they didn't do something to make the herd spooked of humans," Calum said. "A Sharper like guy might've made them super skittish."

"Besides we don't even know it's them, do they mention animal and herd tracking in the journal ?"  Derek asked.

"Not in the one we have," Calum said. "January doesn't seem to be much of a writer." 

"Sharper would have made steaks and jackets out of a few of them and shared blue venison in a private dinner in the city." Derek's stomach grumbled. "Speaking of food, we should have lunch eventually." 

"Food is probably a good idea, yes," Calum said, eyeing the deer-cat herd. "They seem to be quite a lot of them, after all."

There doesn't seem to be an end to the deer-cats. They're crossing the river quite continuously. The youngsters of the same size of the one that had been chipped seem to be having quite a lot of fun hopping across the few rocky platforms jutting out of the river nearby while their minders watch them. 

The youth that had been chipped doesn't seem to have a guardian watching it, however. Nor does it seem to want to play with its age-mates, content instead to just sit and watch the group of explorers while the rest of the herd crosses the river.

It is quite the herd crossing, infact. It seems less like a single herd and more like a few of them mixed together. A few variations of fur color are noticed the longer it goes on, brighter or darker fur colors.

"..he's going to want to stick around isn't he." Derek sighed, seeing it watch the group. "Like ditching the group to follow us from a distance because the group is too large to notice one is missing." Derek lamented. "And then he's going to scratch a knee or fall or something and we'll have to rescue it."

"It could be an orphan," Runa'mei remarked.

"Could be," Derek sniffed.

"So... shall we have some lunch while we wait for the herd to finish crossing?" Kelsei asked.

"Maybe not right in front of them, some of the young ones will try to check closer in an attempt go get a bite," Derek said.

"Yeah, we should head back a bit. Give them their space to do their thing," Amara'da agreed.

"Oddly relaxing" mused Jules, stifling the urge to yawn.

"But depending on how hot we want to eat and the time required to prepare some of the things, I'd say yeah we could use a snack." Derek said.

The group settles back away from the herd crossing a bit further away. Keeping them in sight just enough to keep an eye on the crossing's progress. And thus, lunch preparations are had.

Sky, still enamored with the velveteen fur of the little deer-cat, shakes her head to try and clear the thought that she really wants to take the little creature home, and instead lets her pack fall from her shoulders onto the ground. 

"This should help redistribute some weight," she murmurs to herself as she begins to pull packages and bags from the cavernous sack. On a flat-ish rock to the side of the trail, she spreads out the packs for everyone to snack on: piles of salty mixed nuts, crunchy breadsticks and some water crackers mix together with handful of  dried figs and dates. Sky pulls a small knife from her pocket and flips out the blade, and proceeds to slice up some pieces of apple and a hard cheese that looks like a Parmesan. She adds them to the spread and looks up from her masterpiece. 

"Alright, everybody - snack time! If there's one thing I am good at, it's making any meal into an occasion." She smiles at her work, then grabs a piece of the crisp, juicy apple and takes a bite. 

Derek takes some of the snacks, he also shares some of his resources which are protein bars made of peanut butter with hazelnuts and a bag of spicy beef jerky.

Robert accepts some snacks and settles down, watching the herd in thoughtful silence.

"Thank you, Sky, so very much," Kelsei said, taking some of the snacks.

Calum munches on a piece of cheese, eyeing the deer-cat herd, wondering if this was a regular occurrence or something more insightful of the changes the world was going through.

As the group eats, Kelsei settles in next to Runa'mei, and sits as close as she possibly could. Runa'mei doesn't seem to mind and smiles as she munches on a breadstick. 

Amara'da keeps a watchful eye on the herd's lookouts, pondering just what they would be looking for that could cause them trouble with such numbers. 

Kura'quen keeps glancing at the one little deer-cat, that keeps watching them all the while.

Derek catches on Amara'da's inquisitive and thoughtful look. "Yeah.. I'm thinking the same thing. My guess is a forest fire... If it was commonplace we would have seen more animal tracks, or even ground deformation after the passage of such a herd."

Tiernan has been busy updating the journal.  "Tha's it, I think I've got everythin'.  Hopefully y'all can add things I didn't catch though."

Diranda is flicking through the images she's managed to gather.  "I wonder if there might be a way to upload these from the KI to my phone."

Sky holds a small piece of cheese out, behind her back, hoping that the little deer-cat takes notice and comes closer.

"I never thought about that before," Diranda mutters.

"I've heard of people who managed to hack the Lattice to make their KIs do.. different things. Like projecting imagery at short range or even deploy refractive fields." Derek said. "Catching someone straight up go invisible in front of your eyes is quite impressive.. not gonna lie."

"I wouldnt be surprised if some of the Maintainer level KIs had functions the civilian models don't," Calum mused. "Might be addon features like the KI lights or... who knows."

The little one slips away from the herd again when something catches the lookout's attention for a few moments. It sneakily runs over, darts up to Sky, and sniffs at the cheese bit before snagging it and darting off towards a nearby rock to rest on while it munches on the cheese. 

Sky giggles. 

The Lookouts all bellow something loud and intoning, and the herd begins to pick up the pace. There's some confusion and panic amongst the younger members of the herd, as they scatter back to their minders, who seem to be keeping their wits about them, if a bit more steady.

It's at that moment more flickers of pink light can be seen in the forest, on both sides of the river, along with the childish giggling and laughter being heard again.

The lights flicker and fade away, but the laughter persists. The Deer-cat herd's lookouts seem perturbed, but determined to keep up their duties.

"Oh.." Derek gasped. "These lights are making them flee!"

"Seriously, what is that?" Kura'quen whispered.

Robert jumps up and looks at the lights.

Derek stands up and takes the camcorder used earlier to get some footage of Robert looking at the lights.  "Ah right.. they don't appear on the camera.."

Sky looks around, a little anxious at the panic of the creatures, trying to see what's spooked them

The formerly tagged deer-cat sticks close to the explorers, while the main herd continues to pick up their pace.

"This forest isn't haunted, is it?" Kelsei asked.

Robert said, "The herd is closing up ranks, as if predators were stalking the herd."

"It's more than a long shot, but let's see if the lights react to the sound that would make the flute." Derek said. "If anybody wants to try."

"I'm not sure adding harsh whispers would make this scene any less unnerving," Kelsei frowned.

There is a commotion from down river, somewhere between here and the first statue found. A flock of large birds are fleeing across the river, They look to be swan-goose hybrid like, at a distance. But they move too fast to get more detail than that.

"What's wrong with the fauna of this Age ?" Derek asked.

When one looks down that way, a light can be seen emerging from the forest. A flickering, phasing purpleish light that seems to be taking on vaguely humanoid forms.

"It's best that we don't attract attention," Robert said.  "Everybody pack up.  We may have to flee here."

"Sky... I'd really like you to hum the Ghostbusters tune right now." Derek whispered, not looking confident at all.

As the lights come into contact with the misty haze from the river, they seem to stabilize more, as if the light is refracting differently.

The sound of childish laughter continues to echo through the air, distorting and warping amongst the noises of the startled birds.

The Deer-cat herd is frozen now, eyes all locked on in terror towards the moving phantoms.

"They all seem to be fleeing the same thing, " observed Sky. "I wonder if there are not forest spirits causing chaos for the animals out here."

She stops packing and stares into the pink lights.

The lights seem to blink out, seemingly teleporting to another part of the river, taking on different shapes- the childish laughter vanishes. barking noises like men giving orders can be heard, but warped and distorted.

The barest mentions of D'ni syllables can be parsed. Only a single word is fully grasped, however, "Jakooth."

And then, as suddenly as it all started, the lights and their phantasmal forms vanish, taking the noises with them.

"Wait a second..." Derek blinked. 

The Deer-cat herd resumes their march, moving at double time. Robert and Runa'mei take a stance between the group and the new visitors.

"Wouldn't there be.. a correlation between these apparitions and the KI jamming ?" Derek supposed.

"...That's a disturbing thought," Calum remarked.

"Are they imager projections ?" Derek asked.

"Like... refractions in the light coming into form thanks to the mist in the air?" Kelsei supposed.

"This plus the fact these figures are going after the fauna.. that is presently tracked by devices such as one we just found.." Derek nodded. "Yeah.. something fishy is going on.."

"Something is very wrong here," Runa'mei agreed. "That device isn't D'ni in origin, is it?"

"No," Kelsei said, examining the device again. "It looks very surface made in design."

She scoffed. "Frankly, I'd wager it's stolen surplus from a legitimate wildlife surveying organization."

"Could be our missing scientists,"  Robert remarked.

"I wouldn't put it past them to have unearthed some D'ni tech left here and revived it poorly," Calum agreed.

"The only confirmed other group of Earthers, that we know of, on this side of Eder Naybree." Derek said. "I'd say.. we need a plan. What are your thoughts, everyone ?"

"They don't seem to have seen us yet. "  Robert thought.

"If there is D'ni technology being used here, and it's affecting the wildlife, then they are disturbing the balance," Runa'mei said, a determined tone in her voice. "Even if the rest of you turn back, I must go on ahead to try to end this."

"I'd like to help and I think the others too, but these people have invested resources into this and they are more prepared than we are, that's why we need a plan." Derek said.

"Agreed," Amara'da said. "This seems exactly like your kind of job, Chezwyrd Chen."

"Unfortunately," Runa'mei sighed. "As for a plan..."

"Runa'mei, you go to the left.  I'll flank to the right."  Robert said.   "Everyone else stay here."

Runa'mei raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure there's anything to flank right now except the fording wildlife."

"If the source of these images is technological, then it's a fair assomption to think that whatever emits these silhouettes is also receiving the data from the trackers." Derek said. "They would have put it all in the same place. If only because of the energy required."

"Agreed, it's probably all in one place. We'll need to carry on after the scientist's tracks once the deer-cats are gone," Calum said. "If they've found D'ni tech, we'll find it by finding them." 

"Let's see what we can discover."  Robert said.  With that, he and Runa'mei headed out. 

"As for the KI jamming.. I think it's interference from that technology.. meaning that if our KIs start working, we're off-track."  Derek guessed.

"Something along those lines is probably happening, yes," Calum agreed, eyeing the now thinning end of the deer-cat herd. "Let's pack up our snacks and get ready to go. The sooner we end this the better." 

By the time the food is packed up the last vestiges of the Deer-cat herd have finished crossing, leaving the one lookout on this side, uttering a command for the little one to rejoin them. Hesitantly, it moves to follow, not quite willing to separate from the explorers after the recent fright. But, after giving Sky's legs one last brush-against pass, it rejoins the lookout and they cross the river together.

The lookout gives the explorers a considering look once it's on the other side, then gives a small bow of its head and front shoulders as if in thanks for keeping an eye on the littleone, before it joins the rest of the herd and carries on into the forest.

The little one utters a farewell meow-bellow, and disappears into the forest as well.

"I'm always impressed by the sentience of the animals of the Ages." Derek said.

"I'm impressed by the sentience of animals in Any age, ours included," Calum said. Taking some photos of the mess of deercat tracks on this side of the river.

"We could backtrack their tracks to find where they fled from." Derek guessed. "Or continue upstream. What do you folks think ?"

"Upstream," Runa'mei said. "We'll follow the Scientists, even if they double back."

"We'd likely lose the lead following that mass of migration," Amara'da agreed. "Probably a lot of herds merging together."

Derek nods in agreement.

The group carries on the trail of the scientists, finding their tracks undisturbed a further ways ahead up river. 
<pb>Several minutes of following the river later, another round of spooky purple-pink lights and childish whispering wafts out from this side of the forest, but it stops after about 30 seconds.

"I wonder how they manage to cast it.. have we checked the ground ?" Derek asked.

"I haven't seen anything that looks like a standard projector anywhere," Calum said.

"Besides, if this is the same light we saw in the mist wall at the lake, where would an emitter for that be?" Kelsei asked.

It isn't long before the group finds another of Athsheba's carved statues, this time of a large serpentine creature, looking like the strange lovechild of a shark and a sea-snake. It looks to be a more advanced version of one of the statues on the island Naybree's Garden is on. It has a moving neck, and an open mouth fit for griping something and holding it into the water.

The mouth is slightly damaged, as if something was ripped out of it with far more force than was necessary.  Here, the remnants of one of the scientist's worksites can be found. Their tracks become a muddied mess as they loop around back and forth around the ground next to the statue.

Derek checks if the campsite looks more recent than the previous one they saw near the beach.

A formal campsite doesn't seem to have been errected here, but there is a large flat stone that seemed to have been used to eat something on near the edge of the forrest, judging by the remnant of a sandwich wrapper tucked into a crevice.

Derek picks up the wrapper, grumbling. "Gross."

Examination of the tracks near the rock reveal a singular set of tiny deer-cat tracks interacting with the two sets of human footprints. This is likely where the men tagged the deercat from earlier.

Catchen inspects the sandwich wrapper for numbers. Nothing clear is written on the wrapper, save for the letters "ebru"

"One of these animals could have eaten the wrapper at any moment, not healthy." Derek guessed.

Robert looks over Catchen's shoulder at the letters.   "Hmm... February?" he muses.

Catchen mused, "Unless Ebru is a place."

"It's probably 'February', given these guys propensity for writing their names on their food wrappers," Calum said.

 "It's a shame they seem to have damaged the statue when they took whatever was in the mouth of it," Kelsei said, observing the serpent statue. "It doesn't look like it would hold anything anymore."

"Do we remember the inclination of the flute when it was held by the last statue ? I'll try and find the right angle while someone who understands D'ni put thier head underwater to hear the message." Derek said.

But attempting to recreate the previous statue's held angle results in the same sounds with no new information gleaned. Also, the water is much more frigid in this area than it was further down stream and gives a resounding cold shock to the person who tries. 

"I have hot coffee in my thermos." Derek offers a cup to Kelsei, who had put her head in the cold water. 

Runa'mei finally tracks down the set of scientist tracks heading away from the scene. It seems they've decided to stray from the river slightly into the forest, though the path continues on following the river upstream, just somewhat within the cover of the forest now.

"Hmm... about the sandwich wrapper, my first instinct was that maybe the remaining letters mean something. 'Fary,'" Silas repeated to himself quietly a couple of times. "It almost sounds like fairy, or ferry? Like the creature, or like transportation across water. But that's probably a long shot."

As the group carries on into the forest, following the tracks, Kelsei muses, "A ferry would be nice if we set up long term transport between the island and the mountains. I wonder if they used to have something like that?"

"Who's they?" Runa'mei asked. "The original owners or any of the subsequent ones?"

"Any of them, really." Kelsei said. "If these apparitions are D'ni, they had to find a way over here. We found the last bits of an oar already. Surely they also had boats!"

Derek thought, "Or they had linking books.. to different locations of Eder Naybree."

"They would still have to get there to write it first though," Kelsei said cheekily.

"They would, but it's not worth building a ferry." Derek said. "I mean I wouldn't, a canoe trip would suffice." 

"Doesn't have to be a fancy ferry... Maybe some simple wooden docks?"  Kelsei continued, "There are those wooden poles sunk into the water in the island harbor."

"I suppose those could've been used to anchor some kind of dock at some point," Calum said. "Long since collapsed, though. Probably fell apart or got disassembled at some... oh what the heck is this?"

The group enters a moderately sized D'ni-made clearing ringed by large square stone boulders, almost like a stonehenge. 

The area seems to be like someone tried to make a neighborhood fountain plaza sized area, but gave up midway through it after paving flat the ground for the floor and erecting a few wall anchor posts.

Another flute object can be found here, resting against one of those large stone boulders. A much larger flute. Where the first one is four small tubes, this one has ten, and they are of varying lengths and sizes. 

The stone posts were not decorated by the original creators, but they have been defaced by Athsheba, with more of her cliffside paintings having been applied, detailing her sailing from Naybree's garden, passing through the mist wall, and hiking through the forest, after encountering the various creatures. The birds, the Doghulus, the Deercats... all of it seems fairly standard fare for Athsheba's methods of painting a narrative, save for the last post, which depicts a large pool with a waterfall falling into it.

Athsheba is depicted sitting by the pool, holding a flute to her head. It's hard to tell if she's playing it or listening to it due to her simplified style.

"A pipe organ." Derek looks around the stones, to see if there are markings on them that could be interpreted as musical notation, with the help of our Naybreeans. 

"Ah, now this looks very familiar," mused Jules. He had spent a portion of his recent time away from the Cavern touring places of historical and cultural significance, one of which was the titular ancient stone monuments in Wiltshire.

Derek takes several KI pictures of these scenes illustrated on the stones.

Runa'mei and Kura'quen take the time to carefully inspect each painted stone pillar, taking the time to take pictures with their KIs, and honoring their Grandmother's work.

"Do you think this is the storyteller falls she talked about?" Kura'quen asked.

"You mean that ghost story about a young Chezahcen finding a waterfall that spoke to her?" Runa'mei asked, sighing. "Yeah, this is probably what inspired her to make up that crazy story."

"I think.. that now would be an appropriate time.. to try to bust the second lock on that chest we've found in the tent, that supposedly contains data crystals." Derek said. "Call it a gut feeling."

"A ghost story is only a story until it's proven true," said Jules.

"What story's that?" Amara'da asked, curious. "I'm not familiar with it."

"You wouldn't be," Runa'mei said. "It's something Grandma Athsheba told us when we were young, before I was even chosen to be the Chezwyrd Chen...." Runa'mei paused. "A lock?"

Both Jules and Edward perked their ears up at this. 

"Would you mind telling us the story?" Robert asked.

"Of course," Runa'mei said as she was handed the little wooden box. "The story goes that Chezahcen, before she became the new Hunt goddess, was wandering the woods of the Old God's hunting grounds." She starts picking at the lock with some tiny little metal tweezers of an unearthly bronze color.

"As she wandered, aimlessly, she saw various animals of the forest, and trailed them to a river," Runa'mei continued. "There, she followed it up stream, until she found a large cave the river came from. Whispering words could be heard from inside, so she went in, hoping to find people to help her."

"It was dark, but her eyes saw well in the darkness," Kura'quen chimed in, eyes closed, speaking as if she were directly quoting her grandmother. "And so Chezahcen climbed through the cave, following the sound of the whispers and the words within, until she found the hole in the ceiling from which the light of her home world and the tears of its people fell from the skies above."

Derek whispers, "Why does this feel like a Bahro thing ?"

Runa'mei smiled faintly. "There, Chezahcen sat by the pool the tears made, and she mourned her world that the Old Hunt God was ravaging. She cried and she cried, and as she cried, the voices and spirits of those fallen came to speak to her. The voices of her ancestors, the voices of her fallen family, and friends..."

"And Chezahcen was encouraged to keep on her journey, by the voices of those who had fallen," Kura'quen carried on. She took a deep, shaky breath, exhaling. "And so she would climb the falls, and it was there, at the top of the world, that she found the courage to continue to look for the Old God and vowed to take him down."

"That's the end," Runa'mei said, continuing to pick the small lock. "The story was clearly meant to encourage Kura'quen and I to face a situation we were scared of, atleast, that's what we thought."

"I think she must have based it off of this," Kura'quen motioned at the painting of the waterfall. "It's here in Naybree, not in the Hunting Grounds."

Robert thought for moment.  "Who else knows this story?" he asked.

"It's definitely not a standard story," Amara'da said. "I've never heard this version before."

"Sound message," nods Jules. "As all the best stories have. Thank you for sharing it with us." 

"When I became Mayor I wanted to see if anyone else knew it," Kura'quen said. "Even the Priestesses had no idea. Karin'da thought maybe Grandmother was quoting one of the D'ni versions of the myth."

"If this story was ever recorded on a crystal and the scientists found it.. more people than expected." Derek said.

"Would Hara'sura have heard it?" he asked with concern in his voice. 

"Probably not, no," Kura'quen said.

"Well," Runa'mei said as the lock popped. "Let's find out what it is."

"Good work on that lock, by the way." Derek said as opens the wooden box and peers inside. 

"....What tease is this, Chezahcen?" Runa'mei asked, finding the inside of the box was full of tiny metal tubes. Not a crystal in sight.

"Is it a flute?" Kura'quen asked, picking up a fragment. "Or what's left of one?"

"A disassembled flute ?" Derek supposed, "Or several, considering the amount of tubes."

"Thank you, and yes, it seems to be one," Runa'mei said, examining a slightly bent tube. "Damaged, atleast, without the rock casing."

Kelsei picks up a mostly intact tube and examines it. Then, she blows through it.

A sharp whistling noise emerges, sounding like rattling glass in a breeze.

"Probably the second instrument we should have found at the statue near the other camp." Derek guessed.

"Maybe, maybe not," Calum said, picking up a rather rusted looking tube. "Could be they scavenged these from the beach?"

"Maybe," Kelsei agreed.

"If put together in the right order, they may form another D'ni phrase underwater, " Robert gusessed.

"The question is, are these all separate messages, or part of a bigger whole?" Amara'da asked, gazing at the large flute nearby. "And where's that one from?"

"You know what?" Chimed in Sky, still staring at the images on the stone posts, "I wonder if, in this last image, Athsheba is holding the flute under the waterfall. I mean, we've found that the flutes seem to speak messages under water, but none of us can make out exactly what is being said. What if we hold one under falling water? The message might be louder and more clear, given that our ears are not full of water!" 

"Thar makes a lot of sense," said Robert.  "Great idea, Sky!"

"It'd also help with timing, if there's a lot of flutes, too," Calum supposed. "If you got them all out of synch the message might not play properly."

Sky nods and heads over Kelsei to take a look at the box of tubes. "If we blow into these one by one, we might be able to hear differences in pitch. We'll be able to lay them out in a sort of musical scale. That might help with the message getting played properly." She takes a tube from the box and blows into it. 

The pitch seems to vary the longer its blown through, making a rather spine shivvering noise.

Attempting to piece the pattern together from the available parts seems to not quite provide anything discernable, but finding their looping points eventually does begin to piece them together into harmonic groups.

"Like attuning an instrument." Derek remarked.

"They did sound a bit like tuning forks when you shook the box," Kelsei remarked.

Sky continues to shuffle the placement of each tube, blowing into some a second and third time, comparing notes and making more sense of the harmonic groups with each one.

"I think this bent one is probably not going to work," Calum said, examining it. "Atleast, not without some tools to reshape it. I'd be afraid of damaging it if we tried to rework it out here on our own."

"Given the significence of the place, I wonder if we could establish the outpost here." Derek wondered.

"This seems like as good of a place as any to write a linking book," Calum supposed. "Though, maybe we should wait and write it at the actual cave, once we find it?" 

"That seems like the best location, as we will likely need to take these tubes back and forth to fix the bent ones, and then come back to test them under the water," adds Sky. 

"The cave might be a better place to establish our base.  Better fortifications," Robert suggested.

When Sky attempts to blow through a rusted tube, it does not produce a lot of sound, nevermind anything harmonic sounding.

"Cave it is, then," Calum nodded.

"Okay, let's leave a marker here and continue towards the cave, I suppose." Derek said. "The sooner we establish basecamp, the sooner we can refine what we found and make progress on this." 

Robert looks around for any remaining clues or items.

Calum sets a marker in the mission, and checks the KI signal as an aside. "Still busted coordinates, by the way."

Sky scoops up the tubes and lays them in order back into the box, stuffing the rest of the space with dead leaves to keep them from moving. "That should do it," she states as she stands up and wipes the dirt from her hands and knees.

Robert examines the larger flute, and finds that it is missing several of the metal tubes from inside of it. Likely some of the ones from the box go into it, but it's best not to fuss with that here without a source of water to activate it.

"Let's take the large flute with us", Robert said.

Amara'da grins as she picks it up and slings it under one arm. "As good idea as any, Doctor Murry." 

Robert's jaw drops at the ease she picked up the flute.  Note to self: Do Not ever get into a fight with her! he thought. 

Kelsei reaches over and gently nudges Robert's mouth closed.

"You'll catch flies like that," she teasingly admonishes. 

"Right," he says coming out of his amazement.

Runa'mei giggles, and then searches around the forest floor outside of the plaza for tracks.

"I could have done that," Sky mutters to herself as she trudges along with her little box of metal tubes, seemingly insignificant now compared to the large flute in the General's arms.

As the group carries on following the tracks back to the river, another pink glow flits through the trees. The sound of childish giggling whispers through the air.

"I wanna scorn these giggles.." Derek grouched. "But I can't seem to find that authoritative parent energy."

"What are those things?" Robert exclaimed.

Sky quickly drops to the ground, pulls one of the tubes out of the box and gives it a might blow. A shrill tone fills the air...

The glowing apparitions flicker and shift.

"Try another one," Robert said.

"Oh!" She shrieks, seeing the possible reaction to her action. She pulls out another and again blows a long, strong note into the air.

"Interesting." Derek takes one too and gives it a blow. He gestures at Robert to do so as well.

"Not all at once!" Sky says. "we don't want to confuse it, either! One at a time, so we can see the reaction to the tones." She points to Derek first, then to Robert to blow in their respective metal tubes, then she selects another and follows suit. 

Derek follows Sky's experiment procedure.

The impromptu orchestra had a noticeable effect on the glow.

The glowing lights, after several rounds of experimentation, seem to shift and jerk around due to the sounds, like an internet video is being skipped about by clicking at random points on the timeline.

Eventually, the lights flicker and vanish, taking the sounds with them.

"Yes ! Take that, ghosts !" Derek cheered. "Defeated by the Sonic Flutes... I prefer screwdrivers but eh.. that works too."

"Well, at least they have good taste in music," Robert joked.  Another pebble came flying out of nowhere.  "Ouch!"  He didn't have to turn around to see who threw that. 

"That was definitely... very weird," Calum remarked. "It was like..." He trailed off, staring into the distance.

"A counteractive frequency ? Yep, probably." Derek said. "I'm still on the imager theory."

"But if it is an imager, why all over the forest like this?" Calum asked. "And why are the images so out of focus?"

"They must be casted remotely from a place, like an antenna or some other facility that is also likely receiving the signal from the trackers." Derek shrugged. "As for the.. choice of image and the blurry appearence.. beats me."

"Calibration issues?" Robert asked.

"Calibration issues?" Calum blinked. "I wonder..."

"Small Zero." Derek smiles and refocus.

The group carries on down the scientist's trail, returning to the river, and following it deeper into the mountains, the elevation rising subtly, yet rapidly, as the group carries on up the terrain.

"Oof.. getting steep." Derek complained.

Another flicker-glow of pink light skims through the area at one point, and the group observes its movements as it passes through the mist rising from the river.

As the vague form of children running come into view, a sudden skip in sequence, replaces them with robed D'ni men walking in a different direction, but their forms seem... to be wrong for the area they are in. Walking through trees and rocks as if they are not there.

Then, they are gone.

Calum hums, "Calibration, huh?"

"Echoes more like.." Derek countered.

"Calum, could these be recorded images we're seeing?" Robert asks.

"I'm beginning to think so," Calum said. "It's the same visuals from last time we got a clear view. Children laughing, then men walking..." 

"I mean.. if my imager theory is correct.. that's exactly what they are." Derek said. "I have no knowledge of imagers broadcasting live, except for that Kahlo project I guess."

"It's almost as if it were tracking us," Robert said. Robert tried to look up at the top, but it was too far to make out anything. 

Kelsei took out the tracker ring and focibly tore the battery out of it.

"There, now we'll see if we see it again," she said.

Derek facepalms, "Of course."

The group carries on up river. It isn't long before another flickering pink glow and the giggling of children can be heard again. They appear suddenly, halfway over the river, running into the forest, and out of focus.

"Maybe not the tracker," Calum supposed. "It could just be coincidence." He looked at his KI, "Or they're tracking something else?"

"This, or it's the nara flute." Derek said.

"Nara might glow under the right conditions, but I don't think it's radioactive," Kelsei remarked.

"No I think Calum is right, it's gotta be the KIs." Derek said. "Since they don't work correctly, we might as well turn them off."

"It could explain the interference from communicating to the outside," Robert offered. 
<pb>(CalNote: Here I'm relying more on Tenny's notations given we had our chatlogs turned off. Why did we risk it? Bluh.)

With the group turning off their KIs, the hike towards the mountains continue on. While the flicker glow of more specters appear in the forest beyond, none more run into the groups path. Though, it is hard to say if disabling the KIs had any effect on that or not at this stage, as the group soon arrives at the base of a mountain, with the river emerging from the mouth of a darkened cave.

The misty haze rising from the chilled river is stronger here, bringing the ambient temperature of the air down significantly.

The sounds of harsh whispers can be heard from deeper inside the cave, sounding much like the first flute discovered.

"I just hope that while they have been jamming our comms," Derek said "they haven't been listening in."

"I don't think the KIs can do that," Calum said, digging out a flashlight from his backpack and turning it on with a click.

"But if the jamming is due to a redirection, they absolutely have." Derek was insisting.

"Maybe," Calum shone the light along the edges of the cave mouth, highlighting hidden reinforcements in the ceiling. "Hey, Robert, these look familiar? I'm reminded of Descent."

It's hard to tell from this angle and with the poor lighting conditions, but it does seem like the roof of this cave was reinforced with Nara, or a similar substance.

The construction style seems somewhat older than what is in Descent, but of a similar design ethos. Large blocks of compressed fusion stone arcing overhead.

"You're right.  It's Nara.  The structures are similar to the path that spirals around the Great Shaft," Robert pointed out. 

"Are we equipped for spelunking right now ? I mean it would be a good reason to create a link here and go get proper, specialized supplies in the city. We know caves, intimately, that is something we can deal with if we have the right tools." Derek rambled.

Catchen said, "Good point, how spelunk-equipped are we? The right tools seems smart...I for one have delved into far too many situations with only an ugly tracksuit and a KI."

Robert had a sly smile on his face.  He had just spent months surveying the route from D'ni to the surface for Patrick and his restoration team. "I brought a few things, just in case," he said.

"If we're lucky it'll be a stable walkable path like in Descent's finished areas," Calum said. 

As Calum shines a light inside the cave, the sound of rapid fire giggling dopplars into hearing, followed immediately by a bright pink glow rocketing up along the river, zipping past the group and shooting up inside the cave before vanishing from sight as if it were but a shadow now lacking a light source to cast from. 

The sound, however, continues. The laughter of children echoes deeper and deeper into the cave before fading from hearing.

It moved far too fast to be a recording's standard movements. Immediately following that incident, the world trembles slightly beneath everyones feet. Not enough to be concern of a major earthquake, but enough to make one wonder, 'what was that?'

"I don't like that.." Derek said. "Robert, do you have a sismograph to determine if these tremors intensify ?"

At that reminder, Calum sets up some sensors from the sensor box from his backpack, placing one on either side of the river at the cave entrance. 

"Runa'mei, did you set up some sensors down at the beach?" He asked.

"I did," Runa'mei answered.

"Which sensors?"

"Um... 1, 6, and 8."

Calum removes a reading device from the box and turns it on, checking the data feed for those sensors.

"Well, good news is whatever's blocking the KI signal isn't interfering with the sensor broadcasts," Calum reported. "Whatever that shake was just now it didn't reach the sensors at the beach."

"So what's the bad news?" Kelsei asked.

"...Dunno what made that happen just now, but if I had to guess I'd wager something fell," Calum shrugged.

Robert was shiny a light up into the cave, looking intensely.  "Flow of the water has not been affected.  That didn't feel like an earthquake, not a normal one anyway.  If the sensors at the beach didn't register anything, then I would rule that out.  Hmm, " he said.  "I've had large doors open up in pyramids and hidden caverns that would have shaken the ground like that.  Our presence may have triggered such an event that began with that light and giggling show." 

"Maybe a 'keep out' warning for tresspassers?" Amara'da offered.

Robert smiled as he looked at Amara'da.  "That hasn't stopped me in the past."  He starts heading for the cave. 

"Then if it's a toggled occurence.. something that wasn't accidental, it should be safe." Derek suggests to Robert "We aren't going to solve anything by just standing in the mouth of this cavern, let's go while we still have time." 

"I guess we're going into the deep dark tunnel then," Kelsei said with a sigh.

Runa'mei smiled at her, "Don't worry, we should be fine."

Derek starts moving in, setting a headlamp on his forehead.

"Lights out and on, if you have them, folks," Calum said. "We're going in."

"And watch where you step," Robert said.  "There could be traps set off with the wrong step.  You know, booby traps."  Another pebble hid Robert's head.  He heaved a sigh and continued onward. 

The group navigates into the darkened tunnel, following along the still upwards sloping ground with only their flashlights for guidance. The temperature feels like it drops sharply in the presence of the frigid water running through the river, and filling the air with an almost... displeasing feeling. 

The ground starts to crunch under the explorer's feet as they enter a section of tunnels that has been frosted over with chilled condensation.

Meanwhile, the sounds of harsh whispering grows in intensity, echoing loudly across the tunnels walls, reverberating against itself again and again.

Eventually, the distortion of the echoes seems to resolve itself into something almost understandable. It sounds almost like a D'ni person giving a speech of some sort, but, distorted. Reversed? Yes, reversed seems to be the tone of it.

Due to careful observation from Derek, the voice seems to be middle aged, and male.

"Calum," Robert asked, "do you have a recording device to can play in reverse like the old tape recorders?"

"Like a cellphone ?" Derek asked.

"I've got one," Kelsei said. She digs out a tape recorder, and sets to recording some of the audio.

"Keep recording in case it cycles," Robert said.

Once Kelsei is sure she's gotten a solid loop of audio, she stops the recording, and plays it back in reverse.

What comes out is definitely a middle aged D'ni male speaking in a somewhat jovial tone of voice. Infact, the man sounds almost... nostalgic. Like he's retelling a story. It cuts off in the middle of a sentence, and restarts at the same point.

"That almost sounded like someone was giving an acceptance speech at some kind of ceremony," Calum remarked.

Relistening to the segment for clarity, Kelsei consults a D'ni translation guide she kept in her backpack. "I'm not the best at D'ni, so, grain of salt here. To me it almost sounds like the man is talking about some amusing childhood incident."

She frowns. "Either that, or he's talking about a workplace accident."

"A confession ? Like an anecdote. Either way he's telling a story." Derek said.

Finally, the group stumbles upon an artificially lit area, and finds the source of the whispering: another of Athsheba's statues. 

It seems to be originally stylized after a Deer-Cat, with large green firemarbles placed into the eyes, but it has been decidedly modified  beyond that scope. It has been given large bird wings off of its back, a secondary tail off of its back, and the fire marbles seem to have been secured in place with narrow metal bands to give them the impression of cats eyes.

Several more firemarbles hang from rope-loops from the ceiling, swaying in the breeze of the rushing river, illuminating the scene in blues and greens. 

The deer-cat is holding another flute into the water, creating the vocal audio that's being heard.

"Well, that looks familiar," Runa'mei remarked.

"Hello, Chezahcen," Kura'quen chuckled. "Fancy meeting you here!"

"Your Grandmother sure knew how to evoke her watchful gaze, that's for sure," Amara'da said, approvingly.

Derek takes in the scene, impressed by its sheer craftwomanship and the detail, choice of shapes and colors, the chimerical appearence of the creature. He takes a KI picture and says loudly enough to be heard over the constant reversed whispering. "Should we flip over the flute, to put the message in the right order ?"

"We should take it with us, atleast," Kelsei said.

"I'd also be tempted to compare it to the one we have.." Derek said. "To see if it's just another copy of the same, or a different message, or just check why one is garbled and the other is clear."

It is another large sized flute like the last one found, however it has all of its tubes intact. It is constructed similarly to the previous ones.

The only difference here is that it was installed in reverse compared to the first flute.

"They may work differently in this water," Robert suggested.

"Or it's not the water," Kura'quen suggested. "We are in a tunnel right now, after all."

"If it was an accoustics issue.. let's slot our flutes in the hands of this statue." Derek said. "And see if we have a better hearing of the messages."

Removing the flute is a bit of a chore, the statue will raise its arms fine, but it does not want to let the flute go without a fight. It takes some careful prying to remove it, but aftewards, it is seen that the other flutes do not fit into this statue's grip. The first one is way too small, and the second one is a single tube too wide. The statue seems to have been specifically designed to grasp this one specific flute. 

"Different water temperatures, closed in acoustics reverberating off the cavern walls, maybe, " mused Robert.

Further, attempting to place the flute back in in reverse does not work either. Athsheba seems to have very intentionally wanted the reversed whispers for some reason.

"I wonder if we're even supposed to know what it says. Maybe that's not the intent..." Silas offered. But unfortunately, if that wasn't it, then he had no idea what the intent could be.

"It's art.. sometimes it's just what it looks like." Derek said.

"Maybe the intent is for us not to try to understand. Or maybe we're missing the forest for the trees somehow." Silas said.

Runa'mei, Amara'da, and Kura'quen all intone as one, "Concur."

Kelsei giggles. "Well, I'm glad to see we share that metaphor."

"Athsheba had to get these firemarbles from somewhere that wasn't the main garden," Calum said. "There's probably emptied sconces that got taken down, or more ahead. If this statue was made to intimidate people who don't know who Chezahcen is... I wonder what's ahead of us?"

The group carries on down the tunnels, finding the occasional firemarble has been forcibly placed into rather uncanny looking statues carved by Athsheba, hidden as eyes or within mouths. She clearly spent a lot of effort to keep people out of here. 

Eventually, the group arrives at a large stone doorway, sealed shut, with the river carrying on underneath it. The doors carry with them the stylings of D'ni decoration, but something seems to have been painted on them, obscuring what was originally there.

With the shine of flashlights, a stern, angry woman's face becomes highlighted. Another of Athsheba's paintings, this time of a very disapproving Chezahcen, stylized in some attempt at a large scale mural. 

Writing in childish D'ni handwriting is sprawled across the walls, and it takes Kelsei a few moments of consulting her translation guide to piece together what the various scribbles say.

"'Yahvo Denies Your Passage.'" She reads. "'The Guardian bids you turn back. Do not feed the' ... The birds?? That can't be right..." After triple checking, Kelsei confirms, "Yes, that last line is "Do not feed the birds, for you will be trapped in their nest." What a threat!" 

Robert starts humming an old Mary Poppins tune about feeding the birds, tuppence a bag. "I had better stop," he said.  "That song always bring tears to my eyes."

"Blast from the past, that," Calum remarked. "Question is, what birds are the warning about?"

Robert, wiping his eyes and clearing his throat,  said, "Spread out and look around, but Don't Touch Anything." 

Sky looks from the door and Chezahcen's disapproving glare, to the river rushing under it. "I wonder what the nest is and why we wouldn't want to get trapped in it. I also wonder if that door goes to the bottom of the river, or if I can swim underneath it."

Sky peers towards the water under the door, and sees the rough lines of a grating of some kind, blocking access. Only a fish could squeeze through those gaps.

"Guess that option is off the table," she concedes disappointedly. "Whoever closed this off really didn't want anyone getting through."

Robert eventually finds a small bird statue nesting atop a podium of D'ni design. The statue is decidedly not Athsheba's design at all, and seems original to the place...

That said, Athsehba has scrawled the podium with more painted words reading the same "Do Not Feed The Birds."

Opposite it, on the other side of the river, seems to be an identical statue. The bird statue on this side of the river has a metal beak that seems to open and shut. Operating it open makes it tick once, twice, thrice, and a fourth time before clicking shut.

"That must be the key to opening the gate....OOOOooorrrrrrr getting locked up in a giant bird's nest," speculates Sky. "Now, what do we need to feed the birds? Clearly not breadcrumbs."

Robert mutters to himself something about feeding it pebbles.

"Polly wants a rock-sandwich?" Kelsei teases Robert.

Sky throws a glare in Robert's direction, then looks back towards the bird statue, trying to size up its beak and anything they may have passed in the tunnels down here. 

Opening the beak does not reveal any signs of it being able to consume anything, though the beak does show signs of scratching on the inside edges.

"FIREMARBLES!" Robert and Sky say at the same time.

"Did we see any that would be small enough to fit in there?!" Shrieks Sky, a little too excitedly.

"A little ways back, I think there was a more monstrous version of a Doghulu with eyemarbles that looked to be about the right size for the beaks," Kura'quen said. 

Robert motions to Sky, "Go for it." 

Sky spins around so quickly, she slips on the wet floor and misses a step as she runs back along the path to where the group passed the Doghulu statue. She takes her small folding knife out her pocket and extends its blade. Standing on tiptoes, she carefully pries the firemarbles from the statue, apologizes for blinding the poor creature, and pockets the marbles and knife. She then practically skips her way back to the group, where she hands Murry one of the glowing orbs to "feed' to the bird. 

Sky and Robert take the marbles to the two statues, and force open the birds mouths. With a joint click, the doors begin to grind and rumble open, even as the two explorers force the marbles into the birds mouths.

The marbles just barely fit, with scratched in grooves on their surfaces fitting into the beaks just fine. But it's a tight fit, and the mechanisms in the birds jaws seem to fight back against the foreign objects shoved into their mouths.

Sky stands alert, looking almost ready to duck, should birds come flying out from behind the door.

As the doors separate from eachother, a wave of chilled air escapes through the widening crack between them. The tunnel trembles and shakes, and nobody is quite sure if the sudden crack of stone yielding is from the door mechanisms or from one of the firemarbles.

Finally, the door mechanisms finish their opening arc, and hold open as a loud TICK cuts through the air.

Robert, Jules, Kelsei, and Calum all freeze in recognition of one of the Descent Timer Button Counters.

"Move through the door, fast!" Calum orders.

Robert and Jules tried to hold open the doors as everyone ran through the opening.

Another TICK resounds as the group hurries past the doorways.

"Move!  Move!" Robert yelled.

A third TICK counts out.

Sky takes a hurried step and slips on the wet ground again, her knee finding the floor. "Aiiiiiiiiiiieeee!!!" she screams in pain. She gets up quickly and hobbles her way through the door behind the others. 

A fourth TICK resounds. The jaws of the birds clench tight...

But the doors do not move. Not yet. The group huddled together waiting.

Runa'mei and Tiernan check on sky as everyone waits, having just barely made it through to the other side of the doors. Robert and Jules move away from the doors.

A strange silence fills the air. A fifth TICK has not yet resounded. Only the quiet mumbles of Runa'mei as she checks on Sky's knee, and Sky's pained hissing echo in the tunnel.

"Do... do you think the marbles will hold?" Kura'quen asked, her voice a tiny whisper, barely able to speak out, as if fearing her own voice would trigger the closing of the doors.

Tenny gets his medical kit out and examines Sky's wound.

Calum shines his flashlight around, looking on this side of the doorchambers... and mutters a swear as his flashlight finds a shattered, scorched version of one of the bird statues on this side. It's missing its head, and looks like it exploded.

"Everyone, move," Calum whispered harshly. "Move now. Quickly. Get as far away from the doorway as we can."

Robert picks up Sky without asking and the group runs.

A sharp CRACK cuts through the air.

There is a flash of light, and a burst of warm air rushing upwards from the tunnel behind them. Nobody dares to look directly, keeping their eyes on the light ahead of them. Then, there's the sound of cracking glass-stone, and the sudden grinding noise of the doors pulling shut.

The pressure wave of an explosion ruffles over the group, cut abruptly short as the doors slam closed like a boobytrapped tomb. That said, the river is upended, and a backwards flowing wave of suddenly very warm water comes crashing down over the group.

There is sputtering and coughing as the frigid air in the cave suddenly transforms into a miniature rain cloud on the spot. But beyond Sky's knee, nobody was hurt by the firemarbles detonating.

Everyone stares back at the door for a long, tenuous moment, and then Amara'da remarked, "I think we know why some of those flute pipes were bent now."

Robert finds a spot to set Sky down, and Tenny gets working to bandage her knee.  Robert, Calum, and Runa'mei start examining where they were.

The doors are sealed shut properly now. With the control mechanisms on both sides of the door destroyed... well...

Calum inspects the remnants of one of the statues. The pillar base is intact, but very fissured and cracked. "We could probably hotwire the mechanisms if we pulled the statues apart, but we don't have the tools for that right now."

"Do what you can with them.  I'll see if there's another way out,"  Robert said.  He looked over at Sky with concern. Tiernan was now tending to her leg again. After a few long moments,  Robert looked at Tenny and whispered, "How's your patient?"

"If she takes it slow and easy, she should be alright. How does that feel, Sky?" Tiernan asks her.  "Do you think you can walk now?"

Sky grabs onto Tenny's outstretch hand and pulls herself up on her two feet, and winces. She tentatively bends her injured knew back and forth a few times, then takes a couple of seemingly painful and slow steps. "Bah," she say, "'Tis only a flesh wound. I'll live." She laughs, but it is clear she is using the forced laugh to cover up her pain.

She wobbles, and Robert catches her and supports her as she walks.

"Thanks," Sky mutters, but leans hard on Robert's arm, secretly thankful for the help.

"I think this is probably what my grandmother was warning people about," Runa'mei said, picking up a large fragment of one of the bird heads. "Don't feed the birds firemarbles. Could have been a little more clear about that."

"Gotcha, y'all head on ahead," Calum nodded. "I'll poke at these statues. See what I can do."

Runa'mei nodded, and she and Robert rejoin the group while Calum tinkers with the statues. 

As the group cautiously hobbles towards the brightened chamber, two voices shouting can be heard- men, 'speaking' english.

"Damn it, J! That had better be our backup!"

"Do you WANT August yelling at us for breaking FOUR door triggers?" the other person asked. 

"Oh! Must be the scientists," whispers Sky. 
<pb>(Cal's Note:Kelsei turned on her KI and started logging again at this point)
Runa'mei and Amara'da take the lead position as a matter of course.

"Look, I'm just saying, I'd rather it be March, or April, hell, I'll even take September or December!" the likely "February" says. "Anyone but Explorers, or those damned Squiddogs!"

"How many months, er scientists,  are there?" Robert wonders. 

"My world or yours?" Kura'quen asked Robert in turn. 

The group arrives in a large round chamber, looking similar in construction to the large fountain room in Elonin, just without a ceiling, and a massive pond taking up most of the floor. 

"Yeah, but if it's them, they blew up the outside triggers like we did with the inside triggers!" "January" said, his voice coming from high above. 

There is a massive waterfall running through the room's back wall, and along the walls, above the doorframe of the tunnel the group just exited from. It looks like a massive gear tooth, within which multiple flutes of multiple sizes and lengths are attached. There are multiple gaps where flutes are missing.

"And August is going to skin our hides for wrecking equipment! TWICE!" January continued.

"Look! I hear footsteps, mask up, just incase..." February said.

There's a pair of familiar hissing noises- Maintainer Suit Helmets being donned.

The group peers around the chamber, and then upwards, where several more gear mechanisms of various concepts tower upwards, reaching towards the heavens like fingers... fingers tipped with variously aligned imager coil dishes.

Standing near the base of one of those gear mechanisms are two maintainer suit clad fellows.

"Well... your paranoia paid off for once, Feb," muttered January as he spotted the group. "Uh... Shorah?" he offered in greeting towards the group. 

"Shorah, what is this, the calendar council ?" Derek asked.

"Calendar MEN, thank you very much!" January corrects.

"J, c'mon..." February sighs

"Hardly much of an improvement," said Jules. "Be honest, did you take soundings on that? Like, at all?" 

The Scientists seem uneasy about that, and February remarked, quietly, "We, uh... kinda got told that was our name and we're sticking to it. It's dumb, I know."

"No, it's not dumb!" January said. "It's Eloquent!"

"Whatever, stop tossing your trash around." Dereks says holding out a sandwich wrapper. 

The two scientists look at each other accusingly. 

"I thought you said you cleaned it up!" February said .

"No I said you should clean up your own messes!" January replied.

Derek takes a KI picture of the two scientists from afar. The picture does not come out clearly due to all the mist in the air from the waterfall and the pond.

Before he starts moving, Derek whispers to the rest of the group. "They've been here for a couple of days, they might be short of food or drinkable water, but we didn't find their linking books at their camps so they are not as desperate as they would at first glance.. except from their hierarchy apparently."

Robert and Sky finally catch up to the group.  Robert.  He gently helps her settle on a Boulder to rest.  As he starts to leave, she holds onto his arm tight.  "Be careful," she says with a stern look on her face.  "Now, go get them, Louisiana Murry!"  Her face breaks into a grin and  she let's go of his arm. 

He tips his hat and straightens up.  He comes between  Runa'mei and General Armaa'da.  "So, what are you gentlemen doing here?" 

The scientists are currently in an argument about cleanup duties, and ignore Robert's question.

"And for another thing, I think I happen to LIKE Council better!" February said. "Even if we're not a council at all, and you and August seem to get off on bossing us around!"

"Oh would you LAY OFF! One time! ONE TIME I get to run an expedition and you treat me like the second coming of the Jade Emperor himself because I asked you to clean up your damned food wrappers!"

"You're no Jade emperor! More a regular old Nero if you ask me!" February snapped back.

Robert whispered to Jules, "This isn't a council, it's the Mickey Mouse Club."

Derek whispers while he's still in range, "Sesame fishing street"

Catchen cracks up. "I keep expecting Statler and Waldorf to chime in with a dig and a DOHHHHH HOH HOH any minute now."

Derek speaks to the scientists again, "Well yes, we are the rescue, just not the one you thought you'd have. We found you by following the pink holograms, but on the way we also found tracking technology on the fauna, missing or damaged artefacts native to this Age and actual garbage with your name on it. Needless to say, it looks bad, but we still plan on getting you out of here."

Derek lays on the wall behind him. "Now why don't you tell us what you're trying to do here ? And if you're worried of being stopped in your operations, well we can and we will, we have the resources and numbers of the Guild of Restorers."

He stated this in a non-threatening way, simply mentioning it as a fact, tactical data to illustrate the bigger picture of the situation. "But things don't have to go that way, the method of your research can be adjusted and you could obtain the same results, maybe we could even help like we intended to when we found your abandoned camp, but you have to help us understand your objective first. If we agree, you thrive. If we don't, it ends here."

That last part was a bit more threatening.

The two "Calendar Men" stop their argument with eachother to gaze at Robert and Derek, listening to their questions, and passionate speaches.

January replies, "We are not authorized to tell you the contents of our mission nor are we authorized to agree to a collaborative endeavor at this time."

"Authorized?" Amara'da asked. "Who do we speak to then?"

"We're not authorized to tell you-"

"August," February interjected. "But good luck talking to him. He's not taking audiences at this time."

Then, January adds, "Also, a tracker? Really, Feb? You just HAD to put a tracker on the cute fluffy thing, didn't you!"

"Look, It was cute and friendly, and it didn't set off my allergies!" February protests. 

"That doesn't mean you put a tracking ring on it!" January counters, voice growing outraged.

"Deercat's out of the bag now, but it looks like you even keep secrets from one another."

"Look," Kelsei interjected. "Did you use the tracker to send those ghost-holograms or what?"

"I have no freaking clue what you're talking about, honest," February answered. 

"This machinery isn't that advanced," January remarked. "We're barely able to get it realigned after- Wait, why am I telling you this?" He clammed up immediately.


Derek looks at the imager coils on the upper walls. The imager coils on their posts are at various angles and alignments. It seems like they have been thrown out of alignment at some point in the distant past. The scientists appear to have been working to get things back in alignment again, for some reason.

Runa'mei put her hands on her hips, and gazed up at the men. "So you're claiming innocence in startling the wildlife by pursuing... a realignment of this machinery?"

"Well you'll have to realign it again, also it must be a bit difficult to call for extra hands without working KIs." Derek said.

"You're telling me!" February protested. "It was like this when we got here! Then the doors slammed shut on us and we got stuck!"

"Feb. Shut Up! We wouldn't be stuck in this mess if that damned cat hadn't stolen our books!" January hissed.

"Your incompetence caused chaos in the forests of this Age." Derek accused. "Now fix it."

"What do you THINK we've been trying to do!?" February half shouted.

"What part of 'it was like this when we got here' don't you understand!?"

January hangs his head and mumbles, "Don't tell them that, Feb! That's classified information!"

"Team, let's save nature." Derek says while looking at the coils.

"Hold up," Runa'mei said. She stepped forwards, gazing up at the two men. "Are you sincere, in that you're saying this chamber was set up like this, everything out of alignment and misplaced, when you arrived here?" She asked. "That everything you've been doing here was an attempt at restoring the machinery?"

"That's-" January started.

"YES!" February exclaimed in relief. "My God, YES! We saw the damned holograms spooking the forest, and when I realized they were related to those damned statues and their infernal hissing-!"

"Feb! Shut! UP!"

"No! I will NOT shut up, you are NOT the boss of me and I am atleast FIVE years older than you!"

"August will-!"

"DON'T!" February glared, and stormed away from him, carefully walking along the walkways towards another imager. As he did such, the machinery suddenly starts to spin to life of its own accord. The grinding lock of a waterwheel beneath the falls coming to life heralds the rotational ring around the room starting to spin.

As January moves to intercept February, the machine he's standing next to lowers down dramatically like a clockwork music box, rotating the angle of its imager down towards the hazy fog of the pond.

A purple flicker of light forms at the center of the room, resolving into the image of a D'ni guild hall, emblemized with the iconography of the Guild of Writers.

"It's not a pond is it." Derek realized. "It's a huge imager."

A D'ni man stands at the central podium, and begins speaking. "Shorah!" He throws his arms wide, as an audience echos a Shorah. He begins speaking, in a way not to dissimilar to a man at an award ceremony.
He motions occasionally towards an elderly gentleman sitting nearby, who smiles happily.

"Oh my god," Kelsei whispered. "It's the retirement ceremony."

Derek tries to check if the man looks anything like Kadish.

The man at the podium speaks a few moments longer, before speaking the words "Guildmaster Tae-" and the whole system seems to vanish out of existence as a gap in the flute track is encountered within the waterfall.

"Calum, Do we have D'ni data storage to download this scene from the mainframe ?" Derek asks to Calum, only to remember that Calum is still down the River tunnel, working on the trigger podiums. Derek blinks. "Right."

When the event resolves itself, the elderly man is now standing at the podium, talking.

"And here we go again!" February said. "Old man whatshisface speaking about how he's glad to accept this Damned Age as a retirement gift for the ten thousandth time." 

"You can't control it, can you?" Kelsei asked.

"No, we can't," Janurary said. "And since we've been stuck here, we've had nothing else to do by try to fix the damned thing so it doesn't keep projecting this damned ceremony across the entire age."

"What happened to tell no secrets, huh, J?" February asked, toyingly.

"They've already seen the damned thing, and if talking will keep them from damaging the priceless historical artifact then fine! I'll take whatever punishment August doles out."

The hologram loop continues, with another imager construct grinding into a stop as it tries to lower, and clicking ominously before rising suddenly, and sending its projection out into the forest outside.

The images within the room stop as the first imager shuts off. 

"We're not here to damage anything, if anything we came to find and rescue you." Derek said.

"We don't need rescuing," January said. "Not unless you found our Book Bag that little rascal of a horned devil cat took from us."

"Mister Fluffy Horns is NOT a devil cat, J!" February protested.

"Ok, I don't speak cute." Derek sighed. "We have our own books and until our own exotechnician works out a way to open the gate again, they're literally the only way out." 

"Well, good thing you kept them close and the little furbeast didn't steal them too," January said. "But no, we're not going anywhere."

"Not until this imager loop cycle finishes, atleast," February said, motioning at the whirling ring of flutes. "The ring kinda blocks the ladders down."

"We're. Not. Going. Anywhere." January countered with a snap- a literal three timed snap in a Z shape. "August wants us to survey this age. And I'll do just that once you all leave us alone to do our job. Some accidental littering aside, I haven't done anything harmful. And I'm doing just fine up here." His stomach growls in protest, aching for food.

"Did you just Z snapped at me ?"Derek asked.

"So what if I did?" January said, clearly in the midst of a hunger induced anger fit.

Derek takes a KI picture. The picture is even more full of foggy interference than the last one. Flicks of pink light dart across the KI image.

"Oh yes, take pictures of me with a camera that doesn't work in this room, have fun with that," January snarks.

Derek just grinned, "I never had a scientist Z snap at me, this made my day."

The scientist seems utterly baffled by that remark, and goes to sit down, back turned to the group.

"Can I have a middle finger too, please?" Derek asked. "I'll toss you some chips."

"You'll have to excuse J," February said. "He's very... ah.... abrasive when he's hungry."

Catchen proffers a snickers from her back pocket "Here, give this to him and see if it helps." 

An expert toss up to February is caught with a slight fumble.

"Thanks." He waits for the imager cycle to raise the pillar that separated him and January, then slips over and tries to offer it to the other man. January takes it without a word and raises his helmet just enough to expose his mouth.

As January eats, February tries talking to him in hushed tones. Trying to get him to acquiesce towards at least working together and not being overly aggressive to the explorers. 

While that happens, however, Calum comes up the path into the main chamber, and reports, "I've got good news and bad news. Who wants what first?"

"Good news, please," Kelsei said, turning towards him. "We've hit something of a road block here."

"Alright, well, good news is I'm pretty sure I hotwired the doors correctly because they have opened and closed successfully," Calum said. "The bad news is it's a bit of a moot point as the ceiling of the cave on the other side of the door seems to have collapsed onto the tunnel and blocked the path out. No clue how bad it is, but it'll require equipment we definitely don't have here to clear out."

"So... we're trapped here, save for our Reltos," Kelsei summarized.

"Basically," Calum looked around, observing the scene of the chamber as another imager triggered, and the phantom images of ghostly kids came running across the room, running up to the old D'ni man at the stage, and hugging his legs. "Oh, it's a giant imager. That's quaint."

"Well, this is our last chance to create a link here." Derek said. "Unless we're ever able to clear that rubble, using machines that are just as likely to cause more damage in a cave that collapsed despite being reinforced by nara."

"Right, time to write a book then," Calum said, moving to find a dry place and began unpacking his backpack.

The scientists take notice as Calum takes out a blank Linking Book, a pen full of ink, and begins writing.

"...You can forge a link back here?" January asked. 

"Well, yes, that's the idea." Kelsei said. "We write a book, and can find our way back here at a later time."

The scientists looked at each other. 

"Do you have two books or just the one?" February asked.

"Just the one," Calum said. 

January tensed.

"J, don't," February said.

Derek anticipated this and is completely ready to tackle on the ground and muscle January if he attempts to stop Calum, in fact he is positioning himself preventively, without unveiling too much of his intentions to January by being in a full stance but gives a knowing look to the others. 

"Let's allow Calum to work in peace," Robert tells the scientists.  He grabs his whip and signals Runa'mei and Armara'da to be be ready.  He said "Let me introduce  you two gentlemen to General Armara'da and Runa'mei, Huntress of Chezahcen,  of Rei'schu.   Runa'mei is a granddaughter of the woman who built these impressive statues.  They are not at all happy with the  destruction you apparently have caused."  He paused to let that sink in.  Then, he glared at the the two scientists.  "So how about some answers," he growled. 

Amara'da smiles menacingly as the scientists take stock of the situation.

"Rei'schu?" February asks, sounding like he'd just stepped in a particularly muddy puddle. "J, we're supposed to avoid-" 

"I know!" January hisses. 

"Don't forget about me," Kura'quen smiles. "Runa's my cousin."

"She is indeed," Runa'mei nodded. 

January mumbles several swears not fit for print like a foul mouthed sailor, culminating in, "This is getting out of hand. Now there's four of them." 

Yes, four, that wasn't a miscount.

Jules smiled at the clear discomfort the scientists were exhibiting at the prospect of being on the wrong side of the women of Rei'schu. Hang on a tick... did he-

"Did he say four?" Jules muttered in a sotto-like manner to Kura'quen.

"He did, didn't he," Kura'quen hummed. "Excuse me, sirs, but do you by chance happen to know an annoying thief of a man with a propensity for pranks?"

"Like you didn't already know after December gave away one of those crystals as an experiment!" February remarked, sounding slightly off put by the whole thing.

Derek whispers and instructs to anyone looking passive, "Once Calum is done, take the book and link away to safety, we need to get it in a secure location as soon as possible. Once you've done so, link back here using the new book." 

The imager ring around the room continues to rotate, a middle aged dni man is now speaking an anecdote about the retiring guild master.

This seems to be near the end of the cycle. Another few minutes- perhaps less, if the flute gaps are anything to go by. 

"Oh yes.  Please  excuse my forgetfulness.  This is Kura'quen, another grandaughter of Athsheba."  Robert said.

Robert turned back to the group.  "Derek has a great plan," he whispered.  "Tenny, please, take Sky back with you and take care of her.  That is if she decides to go.  She can be stubborn."

The group forms a sort of shielding crowd around Calum, to which he only notices enough to shift subtle where he's sitting to get some better lighting on the book as he writes.

Utterly unobservant to the world in the moment.

Sky looks angrily at Robert and the others. "Trying to get rid of me, huh?" she growls. "I am perfectly fine." She gestures to the clean white bandage that the doctor has applies to her wound. "In fact, I would think that I would be an asset now. Those two - " she points towards the scientists,  "still think I am too injured to walk. I might hobble a bit, but if they make any sudden moves towards Calum, I can jump them. They'll never suspect a thing." She winks, then winces audibly to continue her ruse.

Robert mocks surprise at Sky's accusation.  Then he returns her wink and suppresses a smile.  He turns back and tells Jules, "You really don't want to mess with her." 

The Scientists, fortunately, do not hear the prior exchange, keeping their eyes on the Rei'schuians, mumbling to themselves, trying to figure out what to do.

Finally, January says, "Look, we can't tell you much of anything but we'll conceed this site's ownership to you and in... honor of that, we'll tell you what we can?"

Kelsei snorted, "That'd be a start."

"All right," Robert said. "Let's hear it."

"Why are you here?" Kelsei asked.

"We were ordered to survey the age and see if there was any abandoned D'ni tech around," February said, much to January's grumbling. "Obviously we found some."

"Why?" Kelsei asked.

"Why?" January asked in turn. "But for the noblest reasons! First hand edification! Science! Analysis!" He paused. "Uh, to see what would happen? In the spirit of Discovery!" He put an arm into the air. The clockwork mechanism behind him happened, in that moment, to twist around and send a large gear tooth into said arm, knocking January off of the ledge he was standing on and hurtling down into the pond below.

KASPLASH.

When he emerged a moment later, sputtering, the man said, "...Thank the D'ni for Maintainer Suits."

"And naturally, upon finding such technology, you would of course notify the Restoration and work with them in order to share it with the wider community," said Jules. He was already anticipating where this narrative was going to lead.

"Classified-" January began to state, even while floating in the water.

"Nope." Feburary interjected. "August wouldn't allow it. He says our backers wouldn't fund us if we released anything we found."

The imager ring finally shuttered its cycle, and a stone lock snapped into place. February tiredly sighed and made for a ladder to climb down to the ground level. 

"And these backers, presumably they themselves are also motivated by similarly higher callings?" Jules asked.

"That's classified," January said after swimming to the shore opposite the explorers and spitting out some water. "Even to us."

"Don't know who they are or why they're funding us, but hey, it pays the lab expenses," February shrugged. "And... any other miscellany."

"Miscellany like chainsaws and shovels and jackhammers?" Kelsei guessed.

"Well, yes! Fortunately we weren't tasked with acquiring any more wood samples." February said as he knelt to check on January. "Oh dear, did that thing dislocate your arm?"

"Feels like it. Atleast it didn't rip it out of the socket," January mumbled.

"Excuse me, I'm a Doctor, I can-" Tenny made to go help, hearing that, but January just shook his head when he heard it.

"I have no doubt", said Jules, tossing Edward and the others a knowing look. "I am sure they expect some kind of return on their investment. The kind you'd get from, say, reverse engineering certain technological discoveries and securing the exclusive rights that come with it? You will forgive me, gentlemen, if this all sounds rather familiar to certain of our number."

"Oh, of course it's all about reverse engineering these things," February said. "Chemical analysis, technical study... But we're not the first ones to do this. Surely you remember all those Video Game Companies that took an interest in the previous restorations? Only reason there aren't more of them about these days is because there's only so much humanity can take from D'ni's technology at this stage. We're simply not advanced enough yet."

"That, and the scares from the previous restoration," January mumbled, favoring his dislocated arm. "Henderson? The Engberg girl? That whole karfin Bahro War."

"Alexander got burned and the rest of the industry realized it was a lost cause if this place couldn't go a year without major trouble," February said. "I'm pretty sure the Bahro are why the Militaries haven't made serious headway down here."

"The companies you refer to released their stories in order to raise the profile of this civilization's past to the wider public. Are you motivated by such ideals?" said Jules, getting increasingly agitated. 

"Or are you simply here to extract what physical worth you can find and damn the rest?"

"I'm here to get paid," January said flatly. "The others have their own motives for joining our group, but me? I have student debt to pay off, and nobody else was hiring." 

"Personally, I've always just been in it for the novelty of exploration," February said, shrugging. "Though, I'll admit the pay is nice, too."

Robert looked at Diranda.  "What if we were to offer a better opportunity at Argos Labratories?" He asked.  " Would that interest you instead of doing this?"

"Unfortunately for your ideals, we signed non-compete contracts," January said. "Even if we left, I'm out of work in this field for a solid two years before I can get hired anywhere."

"Same," February shook his head. "It's a nice thought though."

"Are you sure your employer can be trusted?"  Robert suspected who their employer was.

"August is a tough man, but fair," January said. "Atleast, when we're not damaging the discoveries. But I think we can side-step that and pin the blame on whoever sabbotaged the equipment here."

"As for our backers..." February sighed. "Look, you're worried about that crazed Rei'schuian man, right?"

Jules and Robert looked at each, as if thinking Finally,  we're getting somewhere.

"That man is a lunatic when he puts his mind to it, but I'm fairly certain that's all just an act," January said. "Still, he gets us supplies and access to materials we'd likely be waiting years for to get otherwise."

"Matierials like the crystals from our world?" Amara'da asked.

"Yes, well, we know he procured them through less than legitimate means," January said, "but even so, the man said they were stolen from him first!"

"And you believed him?" Kura'quen asked.

"Over our heads, Mister Raspberry worked with August and Mister Tea for that deal," February replied. 

There's a pregnant moment of silence.

Then, incredulously, Runa'mei asked, "He's calling himself Mister Raspberry?" 

"No, that's just our nickname for him," January winced. "Don't. Don't tell anyone we're calling him that."

"Wait... Mister Tea?"Jules asked, startled.

"All we have is an initial, so... Tea?" February shrugged.

"Tea, Earl Grey, Hot!" January joked.

"Raspberry, tea... we've got a whole godsamn continental breakfast on our hands," muttered Edward.

February starts to chuckle at that, and it's quite clear that they're making a joke at the unknown man's expense.

"I happen to like Earl Grey tea," Robert scowled at them.

"It's nothing against the tea itself!" February tried to appease Robert. "It's just... Mister Tea is this older fellow. Drinks coffee out of a tea-cup like he's some elegant sort of fellow."

"He's like Picard if Picard was a Martial Arts Master," January said.

Calum frowned as he wrote, and muttered, "Can you keep it down a bit? I almost screwed up that word."

Robert looks again at Jules in surprise.

This caused Jules's eyebrow to twitch violently for a fraction of a second before settling once more, visibly shaken and wary of further incident.

Kelsei and Runa'mei looked at Robert and Jules as well, similar looks on their faces.

"Speaking as a coffee lover, this Mister Tea fellow sounds like a real villainous sort," Kelsei muttered. "You do not mix Tea Cups with Coffee! I'm sorry! That's not what a Tea Cup is for! It's for Tea! Not coffee!"

"Oh, crap!," was all Robert could say.

The two scientists laugh at Kelsei's outburst.

"You see why we call him Mister Tea, right?" February asked.

"It's ok, Kelsei," comforted Jules. "I heard what they said too. We'll get through this together."

"Speak for yourself, Chief. Neither Earth nor Rei'schu has a law to fit such a crime," said Ed. "None that I'm aware of, at least." 

"None that I'm aware of either," Runa'mei said in agreement with Ed. 

"None Yet," Amara'da chuckled.

"I don't... get why it's a big issue, but sure, why not, let's legislate someone's preferred drink cup, I guess," Kura'quen shook her head in disbelief at the General's remark.

"There are ways in which certain things are done," asserted Jules, the current situation briefly forgotten. "So precious few absolute truths remain in this universe, we must hold on to those that do and NEVER let go." 

"To do otherwise would mean the end of All Things," nodded Ed solomnly. 

Kura'quen blinked. "Well. There is something to be said about tradition, I suppose."

"I'd like to shove a whole can of Mountain Dew in Mister Tea's eyes, what does that make me?" Derek grouched.

"Reasonable," February remarked. "He can be quite insufferable at times. Like he's used to being the biggest man in the room."

"Not so anymore," Janurary chuckled. "Don't know what totem pole he got knocked down but boy did he get knocked down it."

"We're used to tomb raiders, for tech, money or both, it's bad no matter the context." Derek said. "Especially if the act wrecks chaos, steals from populations and spread lies, which looks like it did, judging from everything we know. Next time you see August, tell him he better pack up because he's not going to continue his endeavour for long."

Derek opens a bag of chips.

"I'm sure he'll be quaking in his boots," January grumbled. "But it won't be me who tells him that. That's sure to get my pay docked."

"I'll do it, don't worry," February said.

Dereks turns to the rest of the group and casually says. "I used to be a professor, but people realized way too quickly what sort I was, so I decided to put the title away, though I did not quit." 

Diranda has been taking over writing in Tenny's journal, so she has been very quiet, observing everything and everyone, writing as she does. She finally decides to tap Robert on the arm and murmurs, "I don't think these people would be open to Argon.  But they sound like they're from another lab we're familiar with."

Tenny frowns, glancing at Diranda.

"Oh, I  see," Robert said.

Diranda makes a note in her KI: Remember to talk to Corey about Cobalt.

After what seems like an Eterninty, Calum finishes writing the Linking Book, and clutches it to his chest with his left hand as he stands, right hand hovering loosely at his side, flexing to work out a small writing cramp. "Alright, folks. Book is written. I'd ask who wants to volunteer to take the first trip out and back, but frankly I think it's best if I do that just incase it turns out I screwed this up. BRB!" And before anyone can react, his right hand has quickly pinky-finger thumbed open the Relto Book at his waist and touched the Panel with the ring finger in the same motion, linking out without having even looked at the book itself, leaving the room in silence.

"Did he really just do that?" Kelsei asked, staring at the spot Calum vanished from as Amara'da just laughs and the two scientists shift uncomfortably.

"Well, there goes our only chance of getting back here," January griped. "August won't be happy."

"Eh, August can suck an egg," February said in turn. 

"Why does he always go off taking chances like that?" Robert asked Kelsei.

"I think Calum just wanted a chance to show off his Ninja Linking Skills," Kelsei grouched, crossing her arms over her chest.

A moment later, Calum re-appears, and lets out an exhale of relief. "Well, that didn't go wonky! Successful Link Written!"

"So then!" Calum says, putting on his best Tenth/Fourteenth Doctor grin, and looks towards the scientists. "Let's do that note trade you mentioned earlier. But first, how's your arm... January wasn't it? Mind if Tenny takes a look at it?" 

"If he's willing, I suppose," January hesitated. "Can't hurt worse than it is."

"Sooo," Calum turned to February, "This giant imager, huh? What a piece of work!" 

"Yes," February said, a little unnerved. 

"Where'd you find all those little flute bits from?" Calum asked. 

"...The what now?" February asked.

"The little wooden box full of metal tubes?" Calum offered.

"The... that's what that was? We couldn't get the box open. Never found the other half of the key," February said.

"I wonder," Runa'mei mused. "Where did you find the box then?"

"Buried under a rock near our camp site," February said. "We stumbled on it when we were building our fire, and found the key still inside the lock when we did."

Calum looked to Runa'mei and she gave him a ruefull look as they both remarked "Athsheba" in near unison.

"Our Grandmother really set up this whole endeavor, didn't she?" Kura'quen lamented.

"When one lives alone, their brain goes to strange places in search of entertainment," Amara'da said. 

"The question I've got is why, though," Calum said, putting his hands in his pants pockets. "Why go to all this trouble to scare people off of this place? What's so special about it that she'd sabotage it all to fake a ghost scare?"

"History." Derek looks at the Rei'schu of the group. "You girls have D'ni ancestry, right? I think you'd better investigate deeper on who that person in the recorded scene is. We had a ceremony for the opening of the D'ni memorial recently, I feel like this place has a similar level of reverence. But this time it's not as public, it's not as obvious.. feels more intimate, personal."

Derek walks back to the members of the expedition but keeps his attention on the Rei'schu.

"I don't know your ancestor much and I wouldn't put it past your grandmother to go to great lengths just for art and create something like this just because it's original and beautiful. But art is meant to be shown and shared, this isn't; so this isn't just art, it's an hommage." 

"Yes, of course," Robert agreed.  He considered something for a moment while looking at the recording.  "You have to wonder why this particular event." Then an idea hit him like a pebble on the back of his head.

"Runa'mei, this ceremony seems important to Athsheba, like a memory from her childhood," Robert said.  "Could the gentleman speaking be someone she knew?  Perhaps a relative such as her father when she was a little girl?  That might explain why she chose this recording and went to great lengths to protect it.  This person," he said, pointing to the D'Ni man speaking, "may be you great grandfather." 

Derek refrains from saying "isn't that what I just implied ?" and simply smiles. "Then who is the child hugging his legs ?"

Robert smiled at the sight of the little girl.

 "Athsheba herself, hugging her father," Robert mused. 

"I don't know if a kid would have the awareness about being recorded in an imager scene, but why not. I also wonder why the sound of the flutes are in reverse, maybe as a representation of her desire to go back in time ?" Derek said. "The whole place and its assets now shout "memory" to me" 

"Yes," Robert agreed.  "You're right.  We're standing in a Memorial." He looked sternly at the two scientists.  "And as such, you two need to stop what you're doing to it.  Now!"

Derek makes a kind of side-nod, closing his eyes and smirking, the kind that sort of mean "Yup.. that's right. August is going to be mad that a memorial to Athsheba's father isn't going to be dismanteled into bits for his profit but hey.. that's life. We have the only linking book to this place now anyway so.. I think it's over, boys."

Robert was glancing at Runa'mei and Kura'quen for a reaction.  This latest realization would affect them both, seeing the damage that was caused.  He knew he could not defend the scientists from the wrath of the  Rei'schu women.

He knew only too well how angry people can get when their temples, tombs, or other holy places are disturbed by outsiders. 

"hmm." Kura'quen thought for a long moment. "I don't know if I've seen anyone who looks familiar. Maybe in one of the removed recordings? We should see if the repaired flutes could shed some light on the matter."

"I don't believe this is tied to our family, personally." Runa'mei said. "This looks like the retirement ceremony for the original guild master whom the age was gifted to, right, Kelsei?"

"Seems like it," Kelsei agreed.

"I don't believe our family had Ties to the writers guild," Runa'mei continued. "Grandmother was an artist at heart. Her statues and paintings... I've read the journal she left behind. Her parents taught her the basics of those skills. And given how long rei'schu had been in the family's stewardship, why would they give Naybree away? Didn't it pass between owners?" 

"Repeatedly," Calum confirmed.

"I'm not sure that theory tracks, sorry," Runa'mei said. "Fixing the gaps in the imager record may be the way to go though."

January and February just sort of look on in confusion at the whole exchange, and January mutters beneath his helmet, "I mean, we're not exactly doing anything but standing here right now?"

Robert just scratched the back of his head.  Sky, meanwhile, has been puzzling over the imager, the gaps in the recordings, and the box of metal tubes. She looks at Kelsei.

"Think we can use them to 'fill in the blanks'?" Sky motions to the box. "It might take some trial and error and probably a lot of patience, but I bet we can gather a bit more information if we see more of the story of this place."

Kelsei nods. "Might as well. General Amara'da, if you'd be so kind as to carry the flutes around for us?"

"Heh, might as well, this has been the most fun I've had all day," Amara'da grinned.

"And we can leave the bent ones for last, since they likely won't work anyways." Sky mentions as she limps over to the ladder to climb up to the imager. 

"Kelsei, do you think you could translate the whole speech, if you ladies are successful?" Robert asked.

"Me? Fully?" Kelsei asked, and then snorted. "Maybe with a transcript? But hearing it aloud? I'll probably fumble a few words. I can't promise anything fully accurate." 

"Maybe Jules could help?" Robert offered.

As Sky inspects the Imager Ring, it becomes clear that something else has been done to the ring's collection of flutes. A few seem to have been shuffled around and seem to not quite fit into their new slots. The flutes in the group's possession don't quite fit into the empty spots either.

The only actual gap that seems intentional looks to be the one currently under the waterfall, where no holders for the flutes are present at all. The "zero point" as it were.

"Well, shoot," grumbles Sky. "Looks like this might be more work than I thought." 

Going around in a circle, the flutes seem to be correctly mounted directly after that gap, but then there's a gap that the small flute could fit into.

"Can I  give lend you a hand?" Robert asked Sky. 

The following flutes seem somewhat out of order, followed by a largeish gap for one of the larger flutes. What carries on could be correct, and don't seem to have been disturbed, followed by another gap for one of the larger flutes. The rest of the track seems normal after that.

"General, could you pass me the smallest flute in the box? Best to start somewhere logical, so let's try them by size first. Maybe the imager works like an organ does, and we need to place them from smallest to biggest."

Amara'da passes Sky the small flute. It attaches in sort of wobbily, but seems to be held without issue.

"Hmm...seems like it fits here. These next holes look bigger, so let's try the larger sizes." Sky looks over to General Amara'da, who passes her two more flutes. Sky juggles the unwieldy things under one arm as she braces herself against the wall with the other, slowly making her way around the ledge.

The next gap does not easily accept the smallest of the two large flutes. Beyond that, there is a gap on either side when placed, regardless of its orientation.

"Careful." Robert called up.

Sky grunts as she waves off Robert's concern, trying to shove the flute into the gap. "This one is not right." She takes a step back and sticks her tongue out in frustration.

Placing the larger of the two flutes, with its missing metal tubes, fits in snugly without issue, and only in the 'reverse' direction. However, in that orientation, it's impossible to slot in any of the random assortment of metal tubes and keep them in there. They just fall out.

It seems with some pondering that Athsheba wanted this particular section to remain glitchy, for some reason.

"I just thought of something, " Sky turns to Kelsei. "See how these last ones worked, but in reverse? I wonder if maybe some of these other ones have been turned around to confuse us. Like playing a record backwards, it won't make sense. The rest of the tubes don't seem to work, so maybe we can try flipping a few around and see if we can insert more of them that way?" Sky listens carefully, hoping to catch when the imager clicks on and begins its cycle again. 

"Suppose so," Kelsei said. "I'll try seeing if the first flute can flip while you place the last one."

While Sky places the last flute, which can, indeed, fit in either reversed or right side up, Kelsei flips the first flute over, and finds that it locks in snugly in its inverted position.

"It's locked in on this one!" Kelsei reported.

"Oh! Let's try some of the others and see if the same thing happens! I bet we find more that lock in like that." Sky exclaims, suddenly excited at seeing a positive result.

"Whichever direction you're going to do on that last flute, please do it quickly!" February advises. "You've got barely a minute before it starts again!"

"And keep your arms and legs close!" January said, wincing as he clutched at his dislocated arm.

Sky clumsily attempts to shove the biggest pipe into a gap, and finds that it, too, locks into position. Suddenly aware of the imminent start of the imager's cycle, she crouches down to the floor and waits...

The waterfall wheel unlocks with its loud noise, and the Imager starts to cycle.

"DEREK!" Screams Sky, suddenly thinking of something. "START RECORDING THE IMAGER!"

Derek pushes the button on the camera to record. 

With the camera rolling on the scene, the guild hall materializes around the room as the first imager lowers into position.

The D'ni man from before begins his introductory speech, and Feburary remarks, "Here we go again."

Kura'quen meanders the room, taking stock of members of the audience where she can, incase she sees a familiar face.

"SHHHH!" Sky shushes the scientist, so they can hear the audio.

Kelsei quietly scribbles down a rough transcript of what she's hearing into her notebook.

The D'ni man speaking motions towards the elderly fellow again, and right as he says the name- the imager suddenly jumps to a different track, reaching the first flute.

A different fellow from either the first man or the elderly Guild Master appears on stage, speaking in reverse. He holds a pair of Books in hand, a smaller Linking Book, and a larger Descriptive. 

The linking book has a spine decoration on the cover matching the Eder Naybree books.

Behind him, a fourth man is walking in reverse, carrying a framed painting.

Robert watches in awe of the projection.  Here we are watching the actual past of the D'ni civilization he thought to himself. 

As the speaker reaches the start of his speach, with a reversed "Shorah", the imager cycles back to its normal flow of dialogue, the elderly Guild Master is now speaking.

Sky takes a mental note of the reverse section and its location in the sequence - It must be from the very beginning or the very end of the 'retirement ceremony', given the presence of the actually linking books that were presented. 

The guild master continues speaking, but this time, seemingly due to the affects of the replaced inverted flute, one of the other imagers clicks on and starts playing, showing more information than was previously seen.

A catty-corner alternate projection of the room is suddenly overlaid onto the scene, as the imager in question does not seem to be functioning properly given its upset internals. The device tries to lower, only to raise up again after hitting resistance.

It stays sort of frozen, with a second version of the room glitching over everything else, rotated on its Z and Y axises to place the second version of the room at an intentionally odd angle

Atleast, that's how it is until the first imager finally ends its sequence as the glitched flute is reached in its cycle.

As the normal room disappears, and the glitched flute enters the fray, most of the glitched room suddenly vanishes, leaving only the elderly guild master and the man carrying the painting. 

The man with the painting takes it from the guild master, a reversal of his actual gifting of it, and walks it away, sort of drifting at an odd angle across the room before he vanishes, carrying the painting with it, beneath a large rock in one part of the large chamber.

Then, the sequence returns to normal, and the man and the painting are back with the Guild Master, as the room snaps back into focus at the correct angle as a third imager comes to life.

The man releases the painting into the Guild Master's hands,  and steps back, stating something that sounds like "I give you the greatest gift a Writer could ever wish for, that Jakooth could never dream of" to those who understand D'ni.

Sky's eyes follow the movement of the man with the painting over to the rock, and you can almost see the lightbulb appear above her head as she comes to a sudden realization.

The sequence skips again, and children are hugging the old man's legs, the painting and books are nowhere to be seen. As it continues to play, the sequence jumps, again, and one again seems displayed at an awkward angle and the children now run up to the man, but they come up to hug the man from off stage, which is now down the tunnel that everyone came into the chamber with.

The whole imager sequence seems to twitch and blur as the mechanisms try to switch from one imager to another.

The third flute has been hit now. A clacking noise from an imager that had refused to operate previously emerges, and the whole sequence of visuals stutter and freeze- the Guild Master is repeating the word D'ni word for "Linking Book"  over and over again. 

The gear mechanism for the waterfall carries onwards, before finally it resumes its natural conclusion with a sudden jolt.

The final imager is powered on normally, and in position. The elderly man is standing there at the podium, holding the Naybree Descriptive Book and smiling brightly while the man with the painting holds it behind him. The audience errupts into applause, and then the whole sequence fades off as the ring reaches the end of its track and the lock re-engages.

The imager devices seem to make a sudden grinding noise, and all of them make a massive jerk and jolt as they return to different starting positions than they should have had.

All of them focus on the center of the pond, and project an isolated visual of the Guild Master, with D'ni text hovering over his head, stating his years of service to the Writer's Guild... or it would, if the imager responsible for that text didn't suddenly spark and flare as it burnt out.

All that remains for several precious moments is the elderly Guild Master, standing there, smiling at nothing, floating in the center of the pond, before fading out like the ghost he was as everything powers down. 

All is quiet. All is still.

"Holy toasted banana bread, Batman!" shrieks Sky. "Did anyone else see those clues???Clearly, Athsheba was leaving messages for someone to find." Her eyes are still fixated on the opposite side of the room. 

"Agreed on that," Runa'mei said, walking over towards that one boulder. "Do you think she burried something here? Like the removed flute bits?"

"I would bet my lunch that there is something under that rock. And something very important to solving this riddle. I am also thinking there might have been a hidden linking book down that tunnel we came in through, given the way the imager repeated that part to focus on the words. I am still trying to figure out what 'the greatest gift a Writer could ever wish for" is. Ink and books is too obvious. Maybe a legacy? A family to inherit that legacy? Recognition in the form of your ages being preserved for eternity? Oh! Maybe having your book in a great library would be that 'greatest gift'?" 

Sky is so excited at the revealing of new information, she is talking a mile a minute. 

Kelsei smiled. "Well, I think we won't find anything out by just standing here. Quickly now, let's get this rock moved aside!"

It takes a very concerted group effort to shove the rock off of its resting position. The rock, it seems, is a lot larger than it originally appeared. Another one of Athsheba's statues, except partially burried.

The top seems to be a normal boulder, but as it is rolled onto its side and away from what was there, almost like a jumpscare, the visual of a massive bird skull glares forth from the bottom side of the rock.

"By Chezahcen, grandmother!" Kura'quen gasps, clutching at her chest.

Sky remembers the clues from the tunnel earlier: "Don't feed the birds!" She calls out as she makes her way back down the ladder.

She laughs at the way the big bird head is glaring back at their group for waking his "slumber' under the rock.

"She's certainly gone all out on trying to ward away people every step of the way," Amara'da mused. "Must be some prize under here."

With Calum and the General's effort of brushing the dirt away, the group finds beneath the bird statue is a large wooden box. The top of which is locked with a small lock, and a half-key sitting inside of it.

January and February peer over everyones shoulders at a safe distance away, seemingly fearing another boobytrap.

"I have the same feeling, like that imager flutes acts like the tumblers or the locking mechanism of a chest"  Derek said. "Given that it moves so many parts, it might just have some sort of secret compartment added by Athsheba, carved, crafted within or simply an information depicted somewhere, alocation of where to dig in order to find something." 

"Well, what's in the box, Jack?" Calum muttered to himself as he borrowed the first key from whoever still held it, and slid it into the lock of the box. It fit in perfectly alongside the key already in there. 

With a twist of both keys at once, the lock releases, and a puff of dirt briefly pushes into the air as the box lid releases.

"If that's true, I'm honestly shocked that she'd be such a good analog hacker." Derek said.

"What is a giant clockwork mechanism but a moving statue?" Runa'mei supposed.

"Kinetic art, with function." Derek replied, knowingly.

Calum and the General pull the lid aside, revealing that the contents have been wrapped in what appears to be a bright pink colored rubberized sort of tarp with a D'ni number "13" emblazoned on the center of it.

"Well that's familiar," Kelsei remarked.

"The statue tarps from the Cathedral Island," Calum echoed.

"The what now?" Kura'quen asked.

"The island home Grandmother lived on before the Fall," Runa'mei answered. "It used to be a Cathedral for Chezahcen." 

"No, I got that part, how is that a statue tarp?" Kura'quen asked.

"There are a bunch of old statues along the main path from the harbor up to the main house entrance," Kelsei said. "Almost all of them were covered with protective tarps like this one."

"I guess we know when in Athsheba's timeline she set this all up," Calum supposed. "After she ventured back home to get the Rei'schu book."

"Atleast for this final part," Kelsei agreed. "Let's unwrap it and see what it is." 

Amarada, Calum, and Runa'mei heft the wrapped object out of the box, and carry it over to a portion of dry, if slightly frosty looking floor.

Derek lights up the unwrapping with his flashlight.

Carefully, gingerly, the trio unwraps the tarp from its precious cargo, revealing...

"A... a painting?" Kelsei asked, startled. "All of this for a painting?"

It is, indeed, a painting. A very strange one. The visuals on it depict a familiar scene: a Pod Window, through which a haze of glowing orange murk can be seen, and within that murk? Shadowy shapes like fish, swimming in the dark.

Calum inspected the frame, and reported, "It's not the same style as the ones from the Cathedral. I don't think this is from Atshehba's family."

"Uh.. Tetsonot ?" Derek asked. "Have the exploration pods been deployed to other Ages ?"

"Technically Todelmer is its own age from the other Pod Age," Calum said. "So yes."

"Hey Derek, can you rewind the recording and see if we are looking at the same painting as was shown on the imager?" Sky asks.

"Sure thing." Derek opens the memory card of the camera and starts fast-forwarding to look for the painting. Finding the appropriate spot, yes, it seems the two paintings are indeed the same. 

"Okay, so that wasn't a secret, then. But then what?" Sky thinks for a minute.  "What if..."she muses, "What if this is not just a painting, but a linking painting? Remember we saw evidence that not just the Writers could create links to other places, but so could artist using specific types of paint created in Pirahnay, similar to the Ink? What if this is one of those?" 

"...Do you think the artist who painted that was that guy who had Pirahnay?" Kelsei asked, glancing to Calum.

"I Mean..." He stared at the painting for a long moment. "According to the rumors you needed a special glove to make the link work." 

"So there would be no way to test out if is, then. Was that the only thing in the tarp?" asked Sky.

A quick double check reveals that yes, it was just the painting. An examination of the box reveals nothing else inside of it, either.

Dereks checks on the reverse side of the painting. The metal of the outer frame stretches across the back with no obvious signs of seamage. There is a small indent slot for it to be attached to a wall, however.

Derek looks at the painting and is trying to see if the fishes are moving like they would in a linking panel. The painting does not seem to obviously move. But then again, considering that Linking Paintings were, in theory, even more static than the basic linking panels, that is not surprising.

Derek turns off his flashlight, frowning.

"Let's say for a moment this is a Linking Painting, what context clues could we gather from this?" Calum asked. "There's water, and fish, and a window, so this is underwater somewhere. I wouldn't want to link there without a full set of scuba gear."

"Orange water, too," Kelsei said. "The Cavern Lake?"

"A pod in the cavern ? I mean they have to build them somewhere I guess." Derek asked.

"And do we know if there are actually fish in that Lake? Calum, you've done a ton of surveying in the Cavern, have you ever seen evidence of fish?"

"Fossils, considering the age of the painting." Derek said.

"Yes," Calum said. "There are some very large tredfish in there."

"But who knows if those are the right kind of fish or not," Kelsei said. "For all we know this isn't even what the place links to, if it is a Linking Painting."

"What do you mean?" Runa'mei asked.

"I'm thinking about the Cathedral's paintings." Kelsei said. "They're clearly familiar places and ages, but subtly wrong. For all we know this could link us to Dereno, and the artist covered the panel with a fake image to trick people." 

Sky tentatively pokes at the painting, to see if she suddenly feels the magic catch and finds herself linked to the mysterious pod. 

Sky vanishes with the typical linking sound.

"So much for needing gloves!" Calum snapped. "Nobody follow just yet!" He links through after Sky.

After a tense moment, Calum returns with Sky at the designated spot Calum had written the Naybree return link to, both looking slightly more drenched than they were a few moments earlier.

"Good news bad news!" Calum said. "Good news is it goes where it says it goes!"

"What's the bad news?" Kelsei asked.

"It's definitely under water and leaking," Calum said. "Pumps active, but it's a Tetsonot situation." 

Sky laughs.  "Well, at least we tested that theory!" She squeezes water out of her hair and watches as it forms a puddle on the floor.

The water puddle glows a faint orange.

"That's an adventure for another day." Derek's stomach rumbled again. "I'm hungry."

Sky points to the puddle. "Looks like the same water as in the cavern. Thinks that's where we went?"

"Yeah, yeah, and yeah," Calum griped. "Place had the same smell as the overflow station to it."

"If it's the cavern, then the link won't work once you're there." Derek said. "In theory."

"As long as we don't take the painting to Earth, it should work anywhere," Calum said. "I'd imagine that's how they got away with it at the ceremony."

"Here, have this painting that takes you at the bottom of the lake in case you ever want to drown without having to go all the way to the beach." Derek said.

"So, what was that place, besides flooding?" Kelsei asked. 

"Not a pod," Calum answered. "It was like a very large neighborhood classroom with a window into the lake. I didn't see much else than that while we were there."

"A secret writers school ?" Derek asked.

"That, or a secret lab," Calum muttered.

Derek looks at Calum with an eye that sorta means "There's a difference ?"

"Personal use versus Teaching use," Calum clarified.

Derek nods in understanding, a bit dramatically.

Sky begins mumbling, thinking aloud. "What if that is the 'greatest gift a writer could ever wish for' actually IS a legacy of his writing, in the form of teaching it to future generations? But in this case, since it seems to have been kept secret, maybe it was teaching people not 'approved' by the D'ni to be Writers - like women?"

"Possibly," Kelsei said. "Either that, or our Dear Guild Master was part of the Illicit Age Writers Club."

"I'd suggest to link there, deploy a marker and get back, so we can locate that place without getting wet." Derek said.

"Don't fancy a swim today, Derek?" Sky jokes. 

"Not happening today," Calum shook his head. "That link drops you right into a fountain of cold lake water."

Derek pours out a cup of coffee from his thermos. "Interesting."  He hands over the cup.

"Regardless, I think we-" Calum turned to look at the scientists, only to see they've gone. "...Well, dang."

"Wait.. how did they leave, I thought they were out of books ?" Derek asked.

"...Did we ever clarify with them if their 'book bag' contained their Reltos?" Calum asked.

"Maybe they aren't even Relto users." Derek said.

"I didn't hear a linking noise from them," Kelsei said.

Runa'mei said, "I'll go check the tunnel." 

Runa'mei headed down the entry tunnel at a hurry, and Amara'da followed her without hesitation.

"Anyways, we should wrap the painting up and take it somewhere secure," Calum decided. "Word's going to get out about this, I just know it. If not from us, then those Scientists."

"If they're lattice hackers and turned invisible, we need to be careful." Derek said, sure of himself. "Yes I fully believe this myth, in this instance."

"Invisible scientists is the least of my worries," Calum said. "If that room is part of a larger facility? Who knows what we're going to find in there."

"I'm going to try to find their tracks in the imager room." Derek said.

"Have fun with that," Calum said, then hesitantly sips at the offered coffee, and flinches slightly at the temperature.

"Maybe some food wrappers again.." Derek muttered.

Amara'da came running back into the chamber to report, "They swam out through the river. The explosion dislodged the metal grating."

"Which means we can also get out that way and check out the tunnel for clues. I'm already wet." Sky says as she looks down at her dripping clothes.

Derek heads back in, hearing Sky. "What now ?" 

"Runa'mei's gone after them?" Kelsei asked.

Amara'da nodded. "No stopping her when she's on a mission."

"General, you and I will take the Painting back to my Relto," Calum said. "As for the rest of us... I think we should probably call it for the day. I don't know about you but I think I've had enough adventure for this little hike. But that's up to you all if you want to get back out there."

"I guess that's as good as an outpost we can have in the current circumstances." Derek asked, "So.. mission accomplished ? I'll pay the first round in the New Guild of Messengers Pub once we get back. Does anybody have a Nexus book ?"

Robert takes off his jacket and puts it around Sky.  "Here," he said, "before you catch cold."  He mutters to himself At least, I'm good for something around here.

"I'll bring some camp gear from relto on the return trip," Calum said as Amara'da hefted up the rewrapped painting. "After you, General?" He offers his slightly soaked Relto book.

"Sure sure," She reaches a hand out and links through, taking the painting with her. 

Calum links out a moment later.

Sky accepts the jacket, but takes a sniff of the collar and scrunches up her nose

"But.. my cup.." Derek said, reaching a hand out timidly towards the place Calum had been a moment before.

Kura'quen chuckled. "I'm sure he'll bring it back. Probably."

By the time Calum got back with a nexus podium and book in tow, Tiernan had to leave for a medical emergency on the surface, and Diranda followed him. The others, seeing this as a good excuse to break the adventure for the day, call it there and decide to head home and rest.

the group says their goodbyes and heads home. 

...Save for Kelsei, who stays behind in the cave to wait for Runa'mei to return. Which she eventually does, an hour or so later, soggy, wet, and not having any signs of victory on the latest trek into the wilderness.

"Any luck?" Kelsei asked.

"I think I've let them go," Runa'mei said. "I'm pretty sure they stayed in the river and dove into the lake proper. Hard to track them from there, so I came back."

"Well, let's head home. Everyone else has." Kelsei said. 

"Well, I'm certainly aching for warmer waters, atleast. A shower would be nice," Runa'mei said.

"That it would!" Kelsei said.

And so they linked arms, and linked home with a single use of Kelsei's Relto, leaving the imager cave as it was for the foreseeable future.]]></translation>
            </element>
            <element name="cal23journal">
                <translation language="English"><![CDATA[<cover src="xCalFieldJournal23.hsm"><font size=18 face=Qolyazma_Yantu color=b536da><margin left=62 right=62> THIS BOOK BELONGS TO CALUM TRAVELER.

1/2/23
Kalamee. Or, atleast, the age we've been assuming is Kalamee. I've got the Linking Book in front of me. This is a moment of trepidation for sure. Here we go. 

I'm reminded of Riven. From the bridge in front of me to the waterfall next to me and the sky above... I think I'm going to like it here.
---

Bird statues? This thing looks like a parrot. Along with markings I've found on a stone that look like a bird... I think there's some kind of tunnel door over nearby... Can't find a way through it yet. 

The river here is fairly deep and fast moving. I wouldn't want to risk swimming. But I don't have to. I've found a garden, thanks some well laid planks. 

Semjay's work, I wonder? Or... whoever built these structures here. Is this age inhabited? I haven't found any documentation on that subject yet. I would've thought something would have come up given the Rei'schu diplomacy, though.

More bird statues. I sincerely hope this wasn't an Athsheba situation.
<pb>CUTE. WOLF HORSE. STATUES. THIS IS NOT A DRILL!

I've found a few books on a desk- written in D'ni. Reading it was never my strong suit, so it's impossible to tell if this is something belonging to someone living here presently, or if it's something from long ago. Not that I needed it, after seeing the sketchbook. There is a picture on the wall- a sketch, really- of an older woman. Probably the former inhabitant of this place. There's also an oven- old stone brick and such. Doesn't seem to have had use in a long while, though. 

Papers and sketches depict some kind of history of the age. Looks like someone's annotated them with the sequence of events. Handy that.

Animal pens without animals, a house without an owner... I'm beginning to suspect these levers aren't working. 
---
Confirmed they're not working. Will visit at another time.

1/12/23
Chickens are being delivered to Rei'schu today. There's a group of Animal/Wildlife Researchers on Rei'schu, from the Academy we held the negotiations at, who are going to handle the majority of herding and keeping during the initial trial period. Not sure who's doing the delivery/receiving it but it's being done, so that's good.  Now to rest. My shoulders hurt from something I did this week.

1/22/23 
Not had time to do much work the last few weeks. Strained my shoulders with shoveling wet heavy snow sometime in the last two weeks. Getting better, but still tired. Thank goodness for back and shoulder braces. Have family visiting this weekend. Not got much time to do anything else. Runa'mei's visiting us now, officially on her hunt for Haru'sara and his stolen crystals. Unofficially visiting D'ni to learn about her family history.

Wish I could have the time to meet up with her and Kelsei, but, well. Not had the time. January has been a surprising headache of activity. Runa'mei is apparently running the Journey. Good luck to her.

1/24/23
Town Hall tomorrow. Gotta prep my notes. Chickens seem to be doing well so far from what I've heard. Time for Relaxing Session now.

1/30/23
Spent most of today dealing with Naybree things. Saw something phantomy out on the lake again. Looked almost like some kind of giant raft, but I'm probably just seeing things. Probably not a good time to re-review Rei'schu's Descriptive Book, but I'll be doing it this week anyways. Runa'mei's been out hunting for the last while from what Kelsei's told me. Probably won't be hearing from her for large swaths of time. I'll try not to panic, unlike Ben going missing.  Mysterim Reg opened yesterday too. 

Fun times ahead. 

2/6/23
There's definitely been edits. Edits I missed in my first pass on reviewing the Descriptive Book because I assumed the later corrections were written in during the first push of establishing the link. I've found a concise section of edits at the end of the book detailing a stitchwork patch of what's *I* can concisely describe as a strong, fast growing rock element. 

Something to rapidly hold the world together while other changes to the world's geology had time to take hold over the course of a very long period of time. The crystals would be the result of that-- in hindsight that seems obvious-- but it seems the writer left whatever it was that'd manifest up to the RNG Gods of Age Writing. 

But whether these patches are in response to sabotaged writing, or just faulty writing ala Gehn, I can't deduce that yet. I'll need to spend more time on this. Maybe confer with Keith.

<pb>2/13/23
I'm either very still unskilled at reading intent in the Descriptive text, or the original changes were intentionally very subtle... but I *think* I've pieced together where the original edits were made to the Rei'schu Descriptive Book to cause instabilities? Maybe? I'll need to check with the local historians today to see if my insight checks out with reality.  If it does, I'm going to confer with Keith. For now, to Rei'schu.

2/16/23
Had a report of some cracks in the entry arch to the bedroom in Naybree. Going to put in some reinforcing support beams to keep it from colapsing. 

Thanks for the notif, ametist.

2/22/23
Moons' orbit is decaying for sure. I don't know what to do. How much time do we even have? This is a mess, I don't know what we should do.

smooth sand chunky rocks 
grass in sand and hills and dunes
time against me tick goes the clock
more i feel im running on fumes

2/26/23
Noticing some mild tremmors in Naybree, also the water has been acting a little funky. Think we're experiencing some kind of tidal pull as the moons drift ever closer. We may not have centuries before those moons finally crash. Privately I've made the decision to delay the beach access for the moment. I'm not sure where the current spate of geological instability is leading to.

Oh as the archer looses their Arrow this eve,
And seasons pass while Insects hide 'neath Leaves,
I light a Candle as the Bell tolls.
Protectively like a Snake around her loves,
And the Swan's Eye doth gaze above,
I light a Candle as the Bell tolls.
Crossing the Ts dutifully to note the stars song,
Anchored to to this stream, for the end I long.
I light a Candle as the Bell tolls.

<pb>3/4/23
Clifftops are bulging and dipping in places. Major fracturing in the rocks noticed. Internal garden seems *stable* for the moment. Not seeing any too major changes on the cliff Logan fell off of.

Not noticing any major changes to the fissure by the bent lamp pole. Hard to see in the dark though.

Falls seem to be undamaged. Probably due to their artificial construction being stronger than most cliff face.

Theo raises good points about the tides. Must look into that.
<pb>3/15/23
Briggs has found the parts for the old DRC stage. Looks like we might be using it again in the future if Hazado can get everything reconnected.  In other news, Semjay's fixed the levers in Kalamee. Those should be working fine going forwards. 

3/20/23
Issues with the hood podiums not accepting the new audio files. Looks like we're delaying that nifty new feature for another quarter. 

3/25/23
Patrick has had some issues with the floor elevator buttons in Descent this week. Ancient D'ni technology strikes again. 

Fortunately, Adam and Hazado have lent their aid on helping solve this one. 

3/30/23
Yesterdays Town Hall went well. Gained some insight into the whole "Logan" situation from Ami. If I ever hear the name "Masters" again I'm going to be inherently suspicious and on guard. Rich Guy Banker and Rich Gal Socialite? Figures we'd run into the rich people being disconnected from things issue again- it was inevitable after Cate Alexander uprooted and left. It really, truly was inevitable. Surface matters can't be escaped forever. What a depressing thought. 
 
Now if I can just get my emotions under control regarding everything else in surface life matters, that would be great. Therapy session today might help. Got Mysterium things to work on...

And yay, next month's Town Hall will likely be in Ae'gura given the stage work. Gonna have to do another vote at AGM this weekend, to see if we should make the stage a permanent installation or not.

4/10/23
Surveys of the cliff-top in Naybree tonight indicated an imminent colapse and a nascent forming sinkhole. Hopefully we'll be able to stabilize things before a colapse happens. It's not a matter of "if" anymore, just a matter of "when."

<pb>4/12/23
Curse my luck. Was out doing errands on the surface when I received a notif from the work crew installing the safety barriers and cliff-side netting. Someone was running a chainsaw in the back area. One of the workers went to investigate when they heard the thing snap, and then rocks began fracturing.

I'll be in to check it just as soon as the seismic sensors indicate things have stopped violently quaking and have somewhat settled. *Good. Grief.*
---
Well, the cliffs back there have definitely colapsed. Lovely. Not sure what else to do about it except waiting for it all to settle down. 
<pb>4/17/23
Bahvahnter opening went well. Kalamee's scheduled for start of next month. Mysterium looms around the corner.

4/20/23
Christopher's Fall of D'ni Memorial is coming along nicely with Keith's help. The island here has a nice view of Ae'gura. Getting it moved out here was the right call. It's a somber little scene with the Cavern in perspective around it. 

Needs a return book to Chiso, though, IMHO.
---

Cliffs in Naybree are still rumbling and shaking. It's damn near impossible to measure where things are stable or not when things are quaking like this. That said I'm witnessing an interesting phenomenon outside of the main garden. The tremors seem to be encouraging a massive burst of root-growth on the cliffs outside the main garden.

It's acting like some sort of... wild netting?? It's definitely keeping the main structure of the garden walls intact from the outside. Just when I think I'm understanding this chubby noodle tree's biology, it goes and throws a curveball at me.

I'm starting to see semblances of similar overgrowth within the main garden AND in the river channel as well. I can't believe I missed it in the channel. It's very obviously gotten more 'dense' in terms of the 'netting' there. Some kind of stress response?
---

4/25/23
First walkthrough of a new age, ametist and TikiBear's retoration work. Nice place. Atmosphere reminds me a lot of Amateria and J'nanin. It's a unique vibe I haven't seen in person before. Good age, though the elevator's giving us issues. Hope that can get sorted out soon.

I think people are going to like this one.

4/28/23
Descent run through with Ehren and Kelsei tonight. Elevator floor is bonkers, Elevators are *mostly* functioning sanely, and fan-generator hookup seems to be holding a charge somewhere when it shouldnt be. Off means Off, dang it! At least the elevators don't sound like desert hawks when I try to run them. 

In other news, Runa'mei's been called back to Rei'schu to deal with a thing. Guess even out here, her job never ceases. We'll be keeping this one quiet, just in-case it's important to ongoing investigations.

5/1/23
Kalamee released. Boy, that sure was a crowd. 

<pb>5/2/23
WGA went on strike. Hope they can win a fair contract. The part of me that still wishes to one day write/develop something for television is rooting for you all out there. 

5/4/23
May AGM Note To Self: Christopher and Keith want to speak about Memorial island.

5/15/23
Cousin and her dad just left tonight. It was good seeing them, though they were definitely mostly here just to see Grandma. Cousin is already talking about another meet up in August with Grandma. Hoping for the best there. In Mysterium news, I've finished assembling the straps on all 84 of those 3D printed KIs for the convention this year. Hard to believe that's just a little over a month away now. So much work to do there, in addition to all this Naybree stuff.

I'm starting to see signs of the quaking abating, if we're lucky this'll wrap up around the time Mysterium comes around, or maybe a bit sooner. If *I'm* lucky, I'll have one less pressure point weighing down on me that weekend. 

Iwonk has been a major help this last month with the periodic checks in Naybree. I think I'd be a chicken with my head cut off without her observations on things. The Lunar decay seems to have 'stabilized' into a new orbit for the moment as well. Only time will tell if that holds true, or if we're going to be seeing this as a recurring problem or not. 

In the meantime, I heard earlier this week that there was some work done on the ventilation system in Descent. Think I'm going to give it a check over before I head to bed tonight to see if the odd coloring in the air that I was seeing before is sorted out.
---
*MUCH* better. The air feels cleaner to breathe, and there's not an odd orange tint to the air everywhere. I gave a quick runthrough of everything. I didn't see any change in the air quality. Must've been a clogged filter. 

Or something.

5/23/23
Runa'mei's latest absence has been concluded, along with a severely mangled Linking Book. More crystal thieves, this time old friends of Haru'sara's, met a grisly end in an old ruin on Rei'schu. Their escape book was heavily damaged. 

It doesn't take much examination to see what book this used to be, though; it's a D'ni Nexus Book, yellow cover and all. Dime a dozen, and we have far too many of these things. Impossible to trace, except that they were coming to the Cavern.

Haru'sara's doing, no doubt.

5/25/23 
I suppose I might as well schedule a Naybree survey tomorrow. Runa'mei wants to go take a look at things.

About time, really.

5/27/23
After having to do a ton of surface things last night on the tail end of a rain storm, during which I had a nasty storm-pressure headache and still have as of this morning, I woke up this morning and my throat is not cooperating, and talking is extremely difficult.

So yeah. I'm taking it easy today, I think. Not that I want to, but sometimes the Universe forces your hand. 

Thanks, Universe. /sarcasm

5/29/23
Some more Naybree work addressed this morning thanks to survey work done by skyisblu. Given the headache I had all weekend I got very little done survey work wise. 

7/2/23 
Never expected Rand Miller to suddenly drop a thing that reshapes everything I know about the art in the form of a giant metal plate but here we are. 

I always thought the plates in the Cleft weren't the whole seal, but Rand and Richard finding this thing while doing Riven remake archaeology is something else. Felt like a giddy kid again. Also any thought of sleeping is a distant gleam with the horrid realization that just struck me...

I've thought the edits to Rei'schu were to deal with book sabotage, but if carved Gahrohevtee can affect an age positively like Rand speculated yesterday... So too could it negatively affect things by their removal? Or, perhaps, an addition of negative power.

It struck me as something if a metaphor, that knife. A pen for a knife, easy mistake. But what if it was used as a pen? Not to write words in a book, but to carve words in a world.

Used wrongly you could hypothetically break an age open by carving the wrong symbols- I may not sleep until I can talk to Runa'mei.

7/9/23
Lots of non-Writer folks have been having a time trying to decipher the Riven Gahrohevtee, it's an obtuse one, to say the least. It's also not one I'm familiar with. 

If this is a generic "stability" stamp, it's not one I've seen in my studies of the Art. Which could be evidence for Rand's speculation that Gehn misremembered the damned thing? Or it could be Gehn just stole it from older books I haven't had access to yet.

My questions about the Gahrohevtee maybe being involved in Rei'schu's demise has put Kelsei and Runa'mei on writing up yet another version of Sorrows and Woes, based on what Runa'mei knows of the earliest versions of the tale from Rei'schu. I've seen snipits so far, and it's a different interpretation to say the least. I've got to get back to Naybree after recovering from Mysterium. Maybe after today's AGM.

--7-23 AGM NOTES--
No Minasunda announcements.
Talk about Mysterium.
Call on
Maurus.
Doobes.
Iwonk? No Iwonk, she sends cookies.
PodHopper.
Dpogue.
Rarified? Nope.
r'Tay' as al'Way'

7/10/23
SERIOUSLY? Car just HAD to die today of all days. Got stuck in the sun for two hours waiting for the tow truck to arrive. How frustrating. Utterly frustrating. 

7/12/23 
Car won't get an appointment until the end of the month. 

Damn it. That's going to limit my mobility.
<pb>7/15/23
Finally caught up on old survey reports from while I was away at Mysterium. Naybree isn't recovering as well as I'd like to see. It might be closer to September by the time we can open the beach. I feel like there's some irony in that, somehow. Runa'mei has gone off to hunt for Haru'sara again. Meanwhile, I still feel like I'm missing something critical regarding all of that. 

Oh well, time to head to Karaoke. I'm already a bit late. I'll check it out personally after.

---

Confirmed it with a visit. Naybree's stability is still not quite stabilized. I mean, it's stable in that the quaking isn't getting worse. But it's still quaking, which isn't the kind of stable I want to see. 

7/30/23
Ki busted on me repeatedly today during the Town Hall. Frustrating. Good to see Carl back though.

8/5/23
Well the cat's outa the bag now- if folks weren't already paying attention that is. Patrick spoke at the AGM today about his and Age's work on opening up the tunnel to the Chiso Surface. And here I thought everyone was just closing the door every time they used the tunnel. 

Nope, they were wisely keeping me out of the loop, because man. I almost blew a gasket when I learned everyone had been climbing out the hole in Chiso's rooftop to get at the age outside... And the *land outside* is partially quicksand/some kind of tar/pseudo-halfway to Nara slurry, because it seems the D'ni also had a mindset of 'well if we can't use it neither can you' regarding the Caltauc. 

Also, Lackadaisy released a new song on YT and if that isn't themesong material I don't know what is... "Chasin' that Liquid Gold!" Also, their backer campaign has already passed one million, and if they get to two million there's gonna be BluRay disks. Love those crazy cats. Maybe I can swing the idea of backing it as a bday gift from dad... I mean the show's already going to get its season one as a sure thing soooo... I really just want those plushies, to be honest. 

8/8/23
Saw Tenny at the end of RelaxSesh today. Good to see him around again. Now to get food.

8/16/23
Oh, now that is a beautiful sight. Hazado's finally got the Ae'gura Library Doors working again. I haven't seen these things working since... geeze, since 2007, when the DRC locked them open. That is a nostalgic sound, if ever I've heard one. The clicking of the locks, the squeaking of the wheels... It's amazing that they're even functioning at all after almost two decades of being inoperable.

With just one person, they operate flawlessly. I suppose the real test will be the multi-person interactions, just like it was back in the day. Hopefully Hazado has a lock on why the automated sensors were shoving the doors in people's faces back then. 
Hazado says that if we get the library doors working flawlessly, he's going to move onto the Museum door. That'll be a sight! 

8/30/23
Tenny held a Coffee Klatch Town Hall today. Sounds like it went well, just couldn't make it due to Surface shenanigans. I'm feeling so tired. 


9/1/23
When a friend who hasn't reached out in over a year starts reaching out to folks with farewell messages and doesn't elaborate, my mind immediately jumps to the worst case scenarios. Maybe I just have them stuck on the brain due to everything going on with Grandma but... 

Either way I slice it, we're not going to see this friend again. I... I hate losing friends. Especially like this.

If this truly is the end of your cycle, my friend, then I hope to see you again in the next one. 

If this is goodbye for good, I just wanted to say... thank you for being a friend. thank you for all the fun times.

You were such a bright light for us and you'll be so dearly missed.

Please, just tell me we dont have to add your name to the memorials. :(

9/2/23

Claidi Song did a great job taking over the AGM this month. I know it's all in good hands for the time being.  It's probably the general exhaustion/depression hitting me right about now, but I just feel relieved that I don't have to do it anymore. 

Meanwhile, current testing results in Naybree are giving a longer prediction than I was expecting. It's looking like October instead of September for the quaking to settle. I guess I can live with that.

9/6/23
Fortunately, it looks like I won't have to be adding any names to the memorials any time soon. Unfortunately, that still means someone will be gone for a long while.

I has a sad. 

In addition to the rampaging headcold I've been feeling the last few days.

9/7/23
Don't have much to write today. Country Evening in the Cleft day today. It's a thrusday. Dunno if I'll go or not yet. I'm feeling better than I was yesterday, but I'm not sure I'm up to country music levels of feeling better. 

Checking on my missed emails, it sounds like the museum door is ready to roll, though. That's good. Memorial Island seems to be passing its checks... Mirtahm and Varia are a nogo for this quarter. No Descent unveiling either. Hood Podiums are still giving trouble. Annoying. Is there a Kirel message in the works? I see Jules reached out about getting a rough idea of recent events so probably...

Meh. Too much work for this one today. Back to lying down and trying to sleep this off, maybe.

9/25/23 
I has no words. I am Tired. 

10/28/23
Met with Detective Harry and talked about the ongoing investigations. He hasn't had much luck with his end of things either, though he thinks the symbol on the journal in Naybree is probably a bottle/flask of some kind. BatPrad showed up and we talked a bit about various things. Think I'll try to get Kelsei and Runa'mei to help be do a survey of Pod 12's area again, just in case.

I'm probably jumping at shadows. 

11/9/23
Naybree Beach has been opened, clifftops have been un-barricaded, debris in the channel has been cleared. Runa'mei surveyed the fissure. There's life down there. Some kind of nest. I'm not going to venture down there myself just yet. So far gotten all positive feedback for the Naybree project. Maybe now things will settle down and I can focus on some other projects. Like Pod 12. My attention feels like it should be drawn back to there for the time being. Probably the biggest potential concern at the moment.

Why am I getting asked about Relto Pages, though? I don't have any control over such things. If Yeesha-or-Whomever is placing things, why do folks assume I would have any idea about it? If they're there, they're there, placed by whatever invisible hand places them. I don't control the pages. I don't even know who *IS* placing them. It's not my concern. 
---

Hrmf. Looks like something got buggered up on Wayne's laptop imager. It's not letting me upload anything. Hopefully nobody put a virus onto the thing. 

Museum Door's working. Checking Library. Doors seem to be working fine. 

11/11/23
Met up with Carl Palmner in Naybree last night. Had a nice catchup chat. But you know, it doesn't really sink in how *big* the place is until you lose track of someone and try to figure out where they are. I still think of the beach as a 'small' area, but the total explorable area in Naybree is quite large, when you factor in that fissure. 

Mafasa, Ahno, and TeaL were there, too, along with a few others. I even saw my dad wandering around, even, but I was too busy with the others to confirm it was him until today when he came over to visit. 

Had a talk in Chiso, after, with Cody, Sky, and Tiki. Probably stayed up far too late, but oh well. 

My Cousin is doing better, though his poor dog is on his last legs, it sounds like. Poor pup. I was reminded of Granddad's dog. And now I'm thinking about everything that surrounded his death, now. 

My Aunt says she's going to be coming and staying for longer periods starting next week. That will be great relief off my shoulders. I think I've had about enough grief and loneliness bottled up in my chest to the point I'm almost about to burst. 

In other news, a new TCT Podcast has been put up! There's an interview with Rand and Robyn Miller in it, celebrating Myst's 30th anniversary.
---

Welp, Kelsei found out about that remark about Runa'mei in the news recap section. I just got a call and an earfull from her around the same time I'd heard the bit.  Runa'mei seemed to take it in good humor, saying, "As they should, I can be very dangerous in the proper circumstance."

But Kelsei? Well, if I wasn't certain before, I am now. She's definitely crushing hard.

11/12/23
Did some work in Pod 12 today by installing a Maintainer Marker from my Gahreesen into a rotating device I've built into the floor of the pod. If those scientist lumberjacks are anywhere in this age, let's see them navigate around with KI coordinates that are changing every single forsaken second of this device's existence. Range seems quite limited to the immediate areas around the pod, though. Volcanic activity seems to be hampering the signal range somewhat. Not getting any coordinates in any of the other pods in my Instance of the age. 

Anyways, I'll figure out a control mechanism to make it start and stop manually at a later date. For now, enjoy having some constantly changing KI coordinates. 

Of course, the major success story is that by replicating the data in Naybree's Maintainer Marker into a 'blank slate' marker, I was essentially able to jumpstart the device's functionality. I'll pass this experiment along to Hazado and we'll see if we can spread this to *other* Maintainer Markers in the other ages. I don't know if we'll have much success with those, considering the DRC never managed to get them active, but if we can pull it off... Oh, that would be lovely.

11/22/23 
Finally got into Varia again today for a survey. Professor M' was being very cagey about letting me into the rest of the island facility. Couldn't get into the Bank, couldn't go into the Foyer. Just the Merchant House and the little hub harbor area. I am not impressed, frankly. 

Kelsei and Jules are right about this guy, he seems to like having his underpaid not quite yet qualified interns doing the work everywhere. Whoever was shoring up the foundations of the lake touching buildings managed to stop them sinking totally, but I wouldn't trust this work with my life. The ground felt very shakey as I walked on it.  This place is going to require a lot of TLC and proper infrastructure to make it ready for basic testing, nevermind a full release.

I don't want to even *think* about what's going on inside the main island if I'm not being allowed inside. It is nonexistent to me as far as I am concerned at the moment, just to keep my brain from being overwhelmed with anxiety. 

Patrick will not be happy with this report. 

11/23/23 
It's Turkey Day. Writing my report to Patrick.

11/29/23
Well, that was an interesting Town Hall to read up on after the fact. Runa'mei and Kelsei have been ignoring my texts all evening. Gee, I wonder what they're up to after that showing of a day?

12/05/23
Aunt's gone for the week. It's finally sinking in that I'm on my own... and I've got another nearly full journal. 

12/11/23
Gonna see about getting the final roster for the group together for Naybree mountain exploration. Guess we'll see. 

12/16/23
Well. That was an eventful day. I'm going to have my hands busy writing this report.

12/18/23
Family visits made it hard to compile anything yesterday, and Babbel's Classical Music stream today was just too relaxing. I'll work on the reports now, but... ye gods. What kind of mess have we stumbled into with Naybree?

I think I'm going to need a whole separate journal for this report. 

1/1/24
I hate how calamitous life tends to be these days. Mom got covid, was hospitalized, and is now recovering. Grandma was not doing so well, but she's doing better. Got a lot of Surface Stuff taken care of... Aunt is coming to visit again in a few days, hopefully staying two weeks to help me not be so stressed.

I hate this yo-yoing rollerocaster ride. Happy New Year, I guess.

1/6/24
Had unpleasant nightmares wake me up twice last night. You ever have a giant robot clown try to tear your jaw off with a single finger? Yeah, can't recommend it. 

I also ended up missing the AGM due to family stuff and other surface matters. I feel so exhausted. The constant back and forth of rest and stress and rest and stress is... it's unbearable. Aunt's probably leaving on the 10th, and then all of this weight and pressure is back on me and I'm... 

I'm the only one who can do it, unfortunately. Why must the universe conspire to keep me so busy and exhausted? I've burned through way too many model kits the last few weeks. This is getting to be a problem. I need a break. A real one. But... I'm not going to get that until the end of this month, it seems like.

1/9/24
Yep. Aunt leaves tomorrow. I'm so sick and tired of this all. My back hurts, everything's sore. I think I slept fairly well last night but idk. Doesn't feel like it's stuck tight in any meaningful way.

This book's almost full, but I can't bring myself to find a new one. What's there to write about? How miserable my life is right now? I don't want to write it- don't have the energy- and I doubt anyone would ever want to read it either. Maybe I'll pick up a new book when I finally have something worth writing about.

1/10/24
Patrick's floating ideas about restoring Kirel's classroom and bookroom doors. Maybe some other touchups to the Eggroom. Hrmf. Can't find myself able to disagree, though... didn't the book room NOT have doors originally?

1/12/24
Apparently I was wrong about that. Thanks, Ehren, for a timely period specific photo. Kirel's bookroom DID have doors. 

1/14/24
After a thorough re-examination of everything, (and I have to re-edit that log more too ugh), I'm fairly certain some of us misappropriated blame onto the scientists for things that were out of their control. They policed their campsite fairly well after they packed it up. Couldn't find any long-lasting traces of their presence there when I visitied today. 

The imager mechanisms seem to be on a continuous cycle activating and deactivating on a timer. I can't find a power on or power off button, so it seems this imager device was deliberately set in motion long ago. Our scientist acquaintances seemed to be on the up and up about trying to reset its functionality to not project its phantom images wild and everywhere across the age that it could reach. I'm willing to cut them some slack regarding those shenanigans as it seems they were stumbling into something Athsheba rigged up as much as we were.

We'd probably have seen the same wildlife disruption and phantom images regardless of if the scientists were there or not, which leads me to believe the mass migrations we were seeing was not a result of the scientists' presence or actions- nor the imager projections, given how long they've probably been running for- but rather due to something else.

The data the sensors are sending back is highly concerning. I think there's another potential sinkhole we've not seen that's caused the mass migrations. I don't have the time or energy to work on tracing this down right now. Probably best to keep the general explorer population away from this place.

As long as these 'Calendar Men' scientists keep to themselves I don't see any reason to be aggressive towards them, beyond having stolen materials that are Rei'schu's problem more than ours. We haven't seen those artifacts get handed out beyond that initial event, and beyond the accident in Naybree, these guys seem to have been keeping to themselves. But that's Runa'mei's remit. Frankly, I'm more concerned over that troublemaker Haru'sara than these scientists. 

And honestly, Runa'mei's more distracted these days making googly eyes at Kelsei. That's not to say I'm not happy for them- seriously, good for them! I am happy!- but ever since that last trip it seems like they've been spending more time with eachother talking about eachother than anything else. Don't even get me started on whatever was going on between Sky and Robert on that last trip.  Frankly I think this is just more proof that I am flat out *not* built to handle romance... and I don't have the emotional energy to handle that nascent identity crisis right now.

I'm a little disappointed at how aggressive folks were when it came to confronting the scientists, though. I feel like we absolutely should have handled that a lot better. I get people are tense after everything with Logan Marcus and his 'True Seeds' but I feel like they haven't proven themselves to be that much of a threat worthy of complaint yet.

1/15/24
First pass on Explorer's Emporium today. I stumbled on link in and lost my glasses. Great. This is what I get for linking while hungry. Gonna need to go get my other pair and come back to find it, I think. After I eat.
]]></translation>
            </element>
            <element name="kelsei23journalclick">
                <translation language="English"><![CDATA[<cover src="xKelsei2023Cover.hsm"><font size=18 face=Michelle color=416600><margin left=62 right=62><p align=left> IF FOUND ANYWHERE OUTSIDE OF EDER NAYBREE:
Contact Kelsei A. Taylor on the Beneath Forums:
https://dniexplorer.com/forum/index.php

1/22/23
Good Grief. I've been too busy to pick this book up the entire new year so far. January has been a wild ride. It's only now that I have Runa'mei staying with me that things have quieted down as we start into the new year. I wonder if this will be a sign of things to come?

Probably not.

<pb>1/27/23
Had a decent talk with Dt Harry and Cpt Jericho over my lunch break. I'm going to have to talk with Calum and Runa'mei about some of these topics when I see them both next.

1/30/23
Calum's been working on Naybree, and I haven't had a chance to really talk with him yet about reviewing the Rei'schu book until today. He says he'll take a look over it again this week, but if he can't find anything he says we should have Keith look at it. I'm not opposed to that. He might be able to spot whatever it was better, given his own experiences. 

<pb>2/2/23
Jules got a message from Ben today, saying he's fine and will be back in a couple of weeks. He said he hopes to get back by the 13th, and maybe drop in around 1300, but he wasn't sure if that would pan out and not to say anything publicly first in case that didn't pan out. Fingers crossed he'll actually show up then. I think we'll know more by the weekend.

2/13/23
Of all the nonsense. Why did I have to get called into work TODAY for? Stupid resurgence of stupidity from the *last* version of the company trying to cause trouble in very stupid, and literal ways. 

<pb>2/17/23
Jules can't make it to Ben's trek through the Journey Doors today. Something about a networking event at St Paul's Cathedral he couldn't get out of. Work sure does have a funny way of being annoying.

Runa'mei's off hunting again. Going to head to Tenny's hood and visit for a bit before we head to The Great Tree and visit with Ben.
---

LOGAN. MARCUS. I can't believe he'd do that to Ben. Trapped him on his Relto, forced him to hear the sounds of the screaming Bahro... Just... 

How far into his delusions of Prophethood was he when he did that to Ben? 
................

I feel like I'm missing something.

2/23/23
Well, I suppose the lucky streak had to end somwhere. Just found Calum conked out in Naybree where he wants to build the observatory. KI offline, and all that. Of course he spent a whole night observing the damned moons. 

You do realize that a rock is not a good substitute for a pillow, right Cal? 
<pb>3/3/23
Had a lovely dinner with Runa'mei. Takeout chicken and roast beef sandwiches, with sides of mac n cheese. It wasn't anything that special, but it still felt nice to share a meal with someone once in a while and not talk about work. Either side of the coin, really, Surface or Cavern.

3/19/23
Alan of Radio Free D'ni said to me he'd read a couple of my journals recently and said I was, to quote him, "Famous"! I wouldn't go that far, really. I'm just putting my thoughts to paper and leaving them places to read if they feel the desire to. 

That sounds weird, now that I've put it to paper, and am reading it back. 

3/26/23
Another Radio Free D'ni, this time with Runa'mei accompanying me. It was fun. 

4/20/23 
Life has been chaotic. Not had much time to myself lately.

4/28/23
Calum and Ehren invited me to a run through of the Descent for the moment. Everything seems in order, though, something seems off with the elevators, though. And is it me, or does the air have an oddly orange tint to it down here? It's like the fans aren't quite functioning right. Calum's mentioned something about the system holding a surplus charge when it shouldn't be.

I had to say farewell to Runa'mei today as well. She's needed back in Rei'schu for a time.

5/2/23
Kalamee released yesterday. I've yet to get time to visit. From what I've heard from Calum though, it was a roaring success of a multi hour sit in waiting for the linking book to be planted on its podium. Good news all around though.
<pb>5/14/23
Happy Mothers Day, to the mothers out there among our Cavern Community! I haven't heard from Runa'mei in a while, I hope she's doing alright. 

5/22/23
After being away for... a while, Runa'mei is back and resting after her latest traipse around and is going to come with me to Fil Live this week. It should be fun. She looks exhausted, though. I'll let her rest for a bit before waking her for dinner.

5/23/23
I am. Frankly. Appalled by Haru'sara's machinations once more. More stolen crystals? This time with a cost of lives of his band of thieves against a broken machine. Calum is investigating their get-away book incase it holds secrets of where they fled. 

5/24/23
I had to leave the wine-n-dine with Jules' absconded cheese platter early due to stomach issues. Anxiety over a meeting tomorrow. Now, that anxiety has shifted. Runa'mei returned in a fit, mumbling in Rei'schuian about something that happened after I left. I'm annoyed, to be honest. At myself, mostly. I should have stayed.

<pb>5/25/23
Runa'mei is doing better this morning. She says she wants to go to Naybree tomorrow to look at everything. I have a meeting tonight and work tomorrow, so I've poked Calum on the forums and he says he'll go with her. 

6/15/23
Work has been killing me. Thankfully Runa'mei's presence has been reviving me. 

7/1/23
Oh what in- Why would you just put that out on a live stream!? 

<pb>7/2/23
Calum messaged me this morning, about the Gahrohevtee that was revealed. He's had concerning thoughts regarding Rei'schu's cataclysm, that I've now relayed to Runa'mei. Could any plain ordinary knife be used to carve The Art into reality? Terrifying thoughts. 

7/5/23 
I'm talking with Runa'mei about re-translating the old Sorrows and Woes document. We'll head to Rei'schu this week to do some archival searching.

7/9/23
It's been a few days and we've gathered enough documents for the moment. Runa'mei insists there's more that's older, but we can come back for more later.

7/14/23
Spoke with Cpt.Jericho tonight about my translation work. Runa'mei has been exceedingly quiet the last few days. I think she's itching to go out and travel again.

7/15/23
Ah, should have known. She's going on another search for Haru'sara. She's right, the news of this would surely have reached him by now.

7/17/23
Took the week off from surface work to work on the new version of the Origin Myth, which is nearing completion. Managed to squeeze it in before Babbeltje's Classics Stream. Such a sweet woman, Babbel.  

Calum has been complaining about his foot being hurt after Mysterium. Frankly, that boy needs to stop stressing himself out with tasks he can't handle. He sounded utterly terrified this morning of offending me, somehow. Anxiety sucks, it truly does. 

7/22/23
To the Tune of Jingle Bells: oh what fun it is to put out fires at work! (When you're supposed to be on break!) 

I am not a happy Kelsei. 

9/1/23
Haven't heard from Runa'mei all month. I get a message from Cal to meet him at the Cathedral Island, and I find him head in hands crying over another potentially lost friend. Not Runa'mei, thankfully, but...

I don't know how to comfort him. 

10/12/23

Runa'mei is back, although she's been asleep on the couch most days nursing off a lengthy bout of exhaustion. Fortunately she doesn't seem to have caught the cold Calum has. Why must the people I know and care about constantly push themselves to their limits?

11/6/23
Have had a bad day. Runa'mei's company is making it better.  Also, a reminder to all people to please respect existing events and their organizers. Time and place for everything, people.

11/30/23
Well. That was. A night. Yes. Very much that was a night. Huh.

12/4/23 
Another lovely cooking session with Sky. Alas, work continues to crop up and keep me busy. I could use a vacation. When does my December Holidays kick in again?

12/11/23
Wednesday, is the answer to that last question. This Wednesday. Work has been annoying, but Runa'mei's presence at home has been a huge relief of those annoyances. I can't wait to just... vibe, for a few days. Bask in it all. I don't think I'd change anything about my life at all right now. 

12/16/23
That was. An eventful hike. Goodness. What a hike. Runa'mei's made her way back now, to no avail. Those slippery scientists got away. Oh well. We'll deal in the year to come.

12/20/23
Brought Runa'mei with me to meet my parents. Everything seems to be going well, atleast.

12/23/23
My father and Runa'mei have gotten entrhalled in an armwrestling competition. How is this my life?

12/25/23
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night. 

Things have been quite calm here. A shame my work life is about to start up again right after the new year. If only my vacation could last for an eternity... 

Alas, bills need paying and such.

I've received a few new journals for Christmas, but I don't feel like starting a new one just yet when I have such choice to choose when starting one. I've still got a few more pages left in this book given how short some of the recent entries have been.

1/1/24
Happy New Year. Well, happy for me. From what I've gathered Calum has not been having a good time of things. Poor boy looked exhausted when we caught up this morning. 

1/7/24
Had a great time at RFD today. Runa'mei made dinner. It was nice.

1/14/24
Returned to Naybree today with Runa'mei. It was a great day.]]></translation>
            </element>
            <element name="jacbobjournal">
                <translation language="English"><![CDATA[<cover src="xLumberJournalCover.hsm"><font size=16 face=Courier><margin left=62 right=62>
[A journal, whose spine is horribly broken to the point large swaths of pages are missing.

The surviving pages of this particular journal are both water logged and curiously burnt around the edges. 

This combination renders much of the text illegible. What is legible appears to be some sort of science log.]

<font size=18 face=Tricia color=77003c><pb>Entry 40

First the water chemical analysis, now wood? Our Mutual Friend wants me to fetch him some samples of the wood from Naybree. I can't fathom why. It can wait.

<pb>Entry 43
The efforts regarding the strange chemical reactions reported with the rainwater of the area have hit a dead end. I can't in good faith continue researching a chemical that's this volatile. I'll just say my results are inconclusive, and hope my Estemed Colleagues are okay with that. What a waste of resources, constructing a research facility like t- 

<pb>Entry 49
Arrived in Naybree. Apparently, they're working on securing the beachfront property for exploration. This will likely be my chance to do some heavy work with nobody paying me any mind.

I think that the roots' reported hardness is probably vastly overexaggerated, but if our Mutual Friend wants these samples, I'll fetch them. Shouldn't be no-

<pb>Entry 52

What is this "wood" even MADE from?? It's unlike anything on Eart-

Wait. Dummy. Yeah obviously it's unlike anything on Earth. We're not *ON Earth.*

I've tried HAMMERS and CHISSELS. I've tried a JACKHAMMER. I've even tried a freaking SHOVEL. (Admittedly, I shouldn't have used a wood handle shovel...) All have bent to the power of the wood. Snapped. Bent. Shorn. RIP AND TEAR. DEMON WOOD!!!!!

The flora journal wasn't lying. If the branches and vines really are just ABSURDLY tough, then the ROOTS? These ROOTS???

ROOTS. ROOTS. ROOTS. 

Next, I'll try a chainsaw. After that. A drill. 

I WILL find a way to circumvent these roots and get to this fabled "Beach" one way or another, or my name isn't John Jacob Jingleheimer Smith!!!

<pb>Entry 53
I've been refused service at the hardware store. Apparently, I've been buying too many supplies too quickly. Does nobody appreciate a researcher's plight in this day and age!?

I am NOT a lumberjack and I am NOT okay.

<pb>Entry 60
Our new supplier has requested the research station be renamed something 'unique.' Galy'schu? What's "Galy'schu" supposed to mean?

August has approved it, regardless. What is he thinking? I just can't believe we're- ]]></translation>
            </element>
            <element name="amijournaltext">
                <translation language="English"><![CDATA[<cover src="xAMIJournalCover.hsm"><font size=18 face=Tricia color=a10314><margin left=62 right=62><p align=left>
I can't remember what day it is.

I haven't used the surface clock down here in a long time and I can't remember what day it is. I haven't adjusted to the 30 hour cycle-- 25? Is it 25? I think its supposed to be 25.

Mom told me to write down when I had confusing thoughts. I'm sorry I didn't for so long.

I'm lost. I'm not sure what I should do. I've already tried to talk to them. Mita says he and Casey are going to sabbotage the Overflow Station. They've got jobs there. I've tried talking to Rafe. He thinks it's a good idea to scare them away. it doesn't sound like Rafe. Why? Why damage important equipment? That's not D'ni! That's not our WAY!  

Tally says its necessary to force the outsiders away. But this will damage the lake. HOW? This isn't what Rafe would have WANTED. The Old Rafe. The man before he was Rafe.

Dad used to say "The only thing that allows evil to triumph is the inaction of good."

I can't let them. I have to stop them to save the Lake. They'll HURT it. Like Veovis hurt it.
~~  ~~

I copied Mita's badge. He won't know. I put it back after. I'm going to the Station. 
~~  ~~

What I fix, they break. What they break, I fix. Endlessness.
~~  ~~

I got caught. A man who worked there. Site Manager. He knew I wasn't one of his. I didn't know. I thought he was someone the new Rafe brought in. Never seen him before. Stupid. STUPID. I Panicked. I told him I was fixing what others broke. Why did I-?! 

He called me on it. I shoved him over. I Ran. I RAN. Oh Yahvo WHY did I DO THAT?! I didn't realize he wasn't one of US. I thought Rafael knew what I'd done. I ran. I hid. Now it's too late. They have to know I was working against them by now. I've seen the news.

The Explorers don't know I was helping them. They think I'm still- They think I'm a-- I have to make this right somehow. But how? Mom, Dad... I wish you could tell me.
~~  ~~

It's hard to keep track of time. I still don't know what day it is. My KI can show a list of numbers and I just- I don't know anymore. I've been too disconnected. Going to the Surface seemed like a good idea atthe time.

Tati had me spying on Taylor, the linguist girl, and I've... had nothing better to do than to keep doing that. Maybe if I could talk to her. Or- Or something. Something.
~~  ~~

I'm cowardly, I'm scared. I don't know what I'm doing. I think the others are trying to lure me out- is it Rafe's idea or Marcus'? And then there's Marcus as well. I know he's sweet on me, but I just- I can't imagine he'd be okay with any of this. 
~~  ~~

Tried talking to Taylor. Got scared off. 
~~  ~~

Tried talking to Taylor again. Ran away. 
~~  ~~

Tried talking to Taylor again. Ran away.  AGAIN. 
~~  ~~

Tried talking to Taylor. Think she saw me today. Ran.
~~  ~~

How many days has it been? I can't sleep most nights. I keep losing track of the days. Is this really what Yahvo wanted? Is this what Rafe really believed? Am I being punished for going against the will of Yahvo himself or-?

Maybe Harlan was right. 

Harlan... I should have them talk to him. The explorers. Maybe then things could go back to normal. Normal. As if there's anything normal about any of this.
~~  ~~

Tried talking to Taylor again. Almost got close. Almost... ALMOST... Just... Couldn't.
~~  ~~


I miss the days when Logan and I were just down here in D'ni. When it was just us being friends. Before everything went wrong. I made a hood. I posted a message to the imager... and Tati came along and tried to hurt me. Chased me into the book room.

I locked the doors- he forced them open. Why is he so determined to hurt me? I don't understand. He used to be so nice like my grandpapa. Was it all an act?

I fled to the Pub. I tried to ditch him. I- i don't know why I didn't just Relto out. Too scared. Too... too afraid. Too panicked to think clearly. My head hurts, my stomach growls. I- when was the last time I ate anything? When was the last time I bathed in something that wasn't water from a hood fountain?

I took a prybar to defend myself. Managed to leave. Sorry for the theft. Sorry sorry sorry.
~~  ~~

Casey's chasing me now. He's following me. Whenever I go around to- I can't get a moment's rest. I hate this. I hate it. I can't-- I should~~  ~~ I want to go home. I WANT to go home. I Want to- I can't- they'll look for me and I-
~~  ~~

Case' got a call. Tati. Told him to stop. Rafe's orders.  My head hurt, and I just wanted him to  feel like I did.... so I followed Casey. Followed him home. I saw it all. Saw everything he'd stolen. Everything he'd taken. Wasnt just cavern stuff. Wasn't just the community. Who needs that many orange cones? Thief. Has a problem. Kleptomania, I think he said.

I broke in when he wasn't home. couldn't help myself. used the shower, ate the food.  I need the sleep but I can't... can't risk it yet. The Gnome's taunting me with its hollow eyes. 
~~  ~~

I took money from Casey's stash of wallets. Rented a hotel for the night. Slept. Got some food. 
I feel sane again. Still don't know what day it is. Don't care. I have to plan now. They're leaving me alone but there's no telling how long that will last. Have to get my head on straight while I have the time.
~~  ~~

Casey doesn't come by often. This house is more of a stash house than an actual house. He has a calendar with planned dates on it. I can make use of this if I can figure out the day.
~~  ~~

<pb>August 20th, 2022.
I know the day now. I've got a part time job at the fast food place I've been getting my meals at. Not the healthiest, but it'll do for now. Have been living in Casey's stash house. Read his journal.  He has a problem. He really does. 

He's trying to make a break from the True Seed so he can go to therapy for his kleptomania. Tati keeps making him indulge it and it's become a problem for him. Not sure how I want to approach this yet. 
~~  ~~

August 31st, 2022.
Have a rough idea of a plan. I just need the courage for it. Reached out to my parents. They were glad to hear from me. Worried I'd gone and joined one of those dangerous cults you hear about. I couldn't bring myself to tell them. 

I hate this. I hate how scared I am still. But... I'm getting better. I know where to reach out for  help but I just. CAN'T bring myself to do it yet. 
~~  ~~

<pb>September 20th. 2022.
Casey hasn't been by in a while. It was about time. So.... I usually flee when he comes by, but tonight I didn't. Tonight, I waited for him to come home. He looked scared when I was there. Waiting in his living room when he linked in.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"I want to make a deal," I told him. I want him to give back the stolen stuff to me to get to the people he took it from. I want him to leave the Seed and go get the help he needs. 

"I don't have a problem," he lied.

"I read your journal." I called his bluff.

"Tati and the others won't like it if I leave," he said.

"Will you tell them I know where you live then?" I asked.

He didn't answer at first. Then he said 'no, i won't' and he just looked so defeated. I feel bad, but also, I feel good. He tormented me endlessly, chasing me and following me and now...

He said he'd let me turn things over once he went to get help. I told him to hurry up and commit to those plans he'd been making already- the ones in his journal.  He agreed.
~~  ~~

<pb>October 10th, 2022.
Haven't seen Casey again until today. He handed me his keys and said I could do with the place whatever I wanted to, packed his things, and... I told him to write me when he got to the clinic. And I wished him good luck. He just said 'thanks' and left.
~~  ~~

October 25th, 2022.
Tried talking to Taylor again, but I didn't have the courage. Not yet. Not to explain. I'm just going to start sending her stuff. The Gnome keeps taunting me, so he'll go first.
~~  ~~

October 31st, 2022. 
I've only got a few more packages left to send. Then, that'll be it. The first step of my amends made.
~~  ~~

November 7th, 2022.
It keeps getting colder. I forgot that about the surface. Casey's house is... chilling. He doesn't pay heating bills. Honestly, I've about returned everything I could to the Community, and sold everything else that wasn't from the Cavern for extra cash.

I'm going home. I need to see my parents. They offered to let me stay as long as I want.
~~  ~~

<pb>November 10th, 2022.
Mom and Dad welcomed me home with open arms. We talked, and we hugged, and we laughed and cried and-

And Mom asked about Logan. And I told my parents about what happened. How he got sick- and I don't mean Casey 'needs mental help' sick, I mean... Literally caught a cold or something that laid him out for... what seemed like months, but could've just been weeks or days, and how after he came 'through' it, he became someone else after and started calling himself "Rafael Templeton." How he went and started forming his own weird group with weird ideas that basically were a Cult in all but name and-  and how CLEARLY he wasn't getting the help he needed because Tati was keeping him from getting medical attention. 

I told them about D'ni. About the plague virus I think mutated into whatever made Rafe so sick and gave him those headaches and 'visions' and... 

And I told them about how I had enough, and how I wanted to go back and confront them, one last time. Maybe... maybe I could bring Logan back from the brink. Bring him back from whatever stupid D'ni virus is hurting him so badly. 

I think Dad was tempted to put me into some medical institution for the insanity of it, until I showed him the Relto Book. Showed him what happened when I dropped a slice of fresh bacon onto the pannel. I'll probably step on it later, but it proved the point.

I told them how I think Logan's dating a doctor now, and maybe, just maybe, I could help leverage that to help get Logan the help he needs.
~~  ~~

<pb>November 25th, 2022.
Thanksgiving was nice. I don't think I've eaten that much turkey in years. 

Mom, Dad, and I have a plan. I'm going to go on the 30th to the Town Hall, and make an announcement that should get Logan, and the other's, attention. Sansa, maybe will show up. Marcus, definitely. Logan... Rafe... He'll show up for sure. Tally? Tati? No clue. I wouldn't bet on it. We'll see. 

Logan is the important one. Along with any Explorers who show up. I'll throw the light on the "True Seed" and show everyone what Logan's been planning. I know Logan. Even addled, he's not someone to take something for himself. He has something else in mind for D'ni- something he's not telling the others. Something he won't tell them.

I'm afraid, but I have to do this.

I have to.
~~  ~~

November 29th, 2022.
Tomorrow's the day. I'm back in the Cavern. I'm going to set the stage on Sunday, in one of those new Gardens. Logan likes the Gardens, it'll put him at ease, I hope. Fingers Crossed. In and out. I can do this.
~~  ~~

November 30th, 2022.
I did it. I gave the message. Now. I just need to commit to it.
~~

<pb>December 1st, 2022
I write this account now in case something goes horribly wrong on Sunday. May it be found and answer the questions I cannot.

Logan Marcus and I were friends, once. We came to D'ni. I could go into details beyond that but are those really relevant? Relevant beyond the fact that he drew me to Harlan Mason's group- the Children of the New Seed.

I know, I know, Cults. Mom and Dad warned me about them. Harlan's a harmless guy, though, but... the people he attracts are another matter.

Logan and I gave up our names- he became Rafael Templeton- Rafe for short, and I... Sami Lesgrandee. Not the best of names, but I was never too creative when it came to them. And if Harlan was charasimatic, then Rafe was just as good.  There were others that came into our orbit. Sansa, Marcus, Tati, Tally, and Casey. We were something of a ragtag group. 

Tati was always asking questions, odd questions. Pressing questions. Agitating questions. I think to some degree that man, as kind of a front as he put up, was not anywhere as nice as he pretended to be. How much of it was an act? Honestly, I can't even begin to guess. 

Rafe wasn't quite buying the whole "D'ni for the true children" spiel that Tati was putting out, but, well... Something changed. We were exploring an old area of the Cavern, ruins, even more than the rest of it. I think there was a body, but I'm not sure. Rafe came out of a building coughing up a storm, like he'd breathed something in and... and we were worried so we took him home. To the New Seed. 

Rafe got sick. Like. Seriously seriously sick. It was like a flu except almost worse somehow. He was delerious, and muttering, and- and the doctors didn't know what to do. We should have taken him to the surface for treatment. Tati disagreed. Harlan disagreed with him. He wanted to get a surface doctor for Rafe if it carried on for much longer.

It didn't. That night Rafe came through it a changed man. He was cognizant, awake, aware... but... he was off. Like he wasn't all there. I thought, maybe it's just the end of the cold getting to him. Maybe he'll get better.

And then he started having "Visions" and calling himself a Prophet of Yahvo. He and Harlan began to argue. Tati was pushing things, I think. I just... I was just too wrapped up in wanting to keep my friend safe, and being relieved he hadn't died... I...

I should have done something sooner. I should have insisted we take him to a surface doctor. I should have-- so many what ifs. Shoulds and shouldn'ts. I just- I regret it all so much and I'm afraid that what happened next was all my fault. 

Rafe took us into a splinter group. The "True Seed" he was calling it now. Started pushing us towards trying to make D'ni ours and ours alone. It wasn't Rafe's words- it wasn't Logan's. I swear Tati was puppeting him in this state, somehow. He was getting better, more focused, over tiem, but there were the vision headaches that kept coming and going and...

And by the time the sabotage to the Overflow Station was happening, I'd realized too late I needed to do something to stop it. 

Grief and worry fogs the brain. In retrospect, how upset I was and how nervous I was... that didn't help me think straight. I should have said something. Should have done something different. But I didn't. I did the most stupid thing ever and-- and I upset everything into chaos by shoving one random person to the ground. 

I made so many people upset, and I- I hurt somebody innocent. Now I have to clean up my mess. I have to get Logan Back. I have to stop this madness before it hurts anyone else. 

Logan once said to me, "D'ni should not be inhabited by anyone, Surface Dweller or D'ni descendant."

The ideals of the True Seed that Tati was putting in Logan's mouth through Rafe is... they're not Logan. They're not Rafe. I don't care how some plague or sickness can affect someones mind- you're not going to change someone's conviction that easily. Not with how he spoke to me that day. 

The True Seed aren't going to like what I have to say, but they're not going to like it if I'm right and Logan's plans all this time was to get the cavern empty of everyone- cultist, explorer, delusional madmen, or average New Seedling alike. 

I can only hope I'm alive by the end of it to see Logan back to the light and get him somewhere safe and sound where he can get whatever help he needs to get through the rest of this in one piece. 

Sincerely,
Ami Renee Glessad
]]></translation>
            </element>
            <element name="journalclickable4">
                <translation language="English"><![CDATA[<cover src="xplayerjournal-extcolneg1-vol4.hsm"><font size=14 face=Courier color=000056><margin left=62 right=62>REI'SCHU FIRST NEGOTIATIONS VOLUME 4: "Tradition... TRADITION!"
(Transcribed by Tiernan Quinlan, Novelized by Calum Traveler, Typo Check by Iwonk)

The tour to the Kitchen wasn't anything exciting; more boring hallways and dodging crowds of scholars and warriors. That said, the Kitchen itself was another story entirely. Given the ancient antiquity of the structure in question, it's hard to put an earthian style on it, but if one had to... it would be in the layout of a modern restaurant Kitchen, done up in a steampunkish styling... while heavy on the ancient carved stone deco, however, and large enough to fit *at least* a standard selection of a jet airplane's passenger load from nose to rear fin. 

Imagining all of that? Good. Now realize that much of this massive Kitchen space is taken up by large crab legs. MASSIVE. I'm talking as thick around in diameter as a small car, and as long as three school busses put together. Chefs and attendants are busy preparing this meaty thing by cutting it into slices and then cutting those into square-foot-largeish, but still comparatively tiny to the whole- chunks. All of which immediately go into various pots or onto cutting borads for further meal-preparation needs.

It was practically an entire industrial chain preparing to feed an entire town's worth of people kicking into high gear with a sudden influx of crab meat and armored plating, which I'm not even going into here because that's a whole other operation and entirely irrelevant to the story at hand here. Needless to say, no part of this giant Garuna crab was going unused, and that would likely be the case for many days to follow.

One of the chefs busying themselves with a square-foot sized chunk of crab-meat in front of them, chopping it into even smaller portions than the square foot sized chunks for easier cooking, smiled at Runa'mei and gave some excited remarks and gratitudes.

"...that'll be The CRAB," Catchen breathed.

"I've been to buffets with all-you-can-eat crab legs, but this is the first all-you-can-eat crab leg!" Robert exclaimed.  Working with one of the chefs, through translation from Runa'mei, he prepared the ribs with a rub.  He explained how to slow cook the ribs on a low heat and when to baste the barbecue sauce onto the ribs.   He couldn't help noticing Runa'mei licking her lips in anticipation of tasting this new delicacy.   Satisfied that the chef understood, he rejoined the group. 

Tenny had chuckled at Robert's comment as he watches him in the Kitchen.  He made a few notes on his tablet and snapped a few pictures with his phone.
---

Jules set his pen down and closed his journal. He stood, stretching his arms and neck with a satisfying series of cracks before walking over to the window, where he looked out over the city in quiet contemplation, allowing his thoughts to clear. 

As he gazed out the window, Jules got a decent view of the warrior group dragging in the legless crab body from outside. The back of the thing is covered in a coral like material that looks patterned in the same way as the moons do. Eye like, comes to mind. 

The crab's front pincer claw arms were still attached, and were what the locals were using to drag it with. The massive claws mirror earthian crabs, with one being larger than the other, but they seem more like scorpion claws, rather than crab claws. They also show signs of being bound for a long period of time before the bindings broke. 

At the angle Jules views it from, he cannot see the face of the massive creature, but he can see where the armor is slightly cracked and fractured on the shell where a head ought to be. And, beyond those many fractures at the impact point, a single spear can be seen jammed into the fractured armor, quite clearly the death blow that put the darned thing out of its misery.

As Jules views this, Mayor Kura'quen grew fed up with whatever private conversation the rest of the Mayors and Priestesses who also stayed behind are having with Haru'sara, and made her way over to the window as well. She gazed down at the crab as it's finally pulled inside, and the outside gates are swung closed with a resounding thud.

For the first time since this whole meeting began, Kura'quen had an air about her of accepted importance. She gazed down at the Crab, took off her glasses to clean them quickly before putting them back on, and frowned.

"That poor thing," She stated with sympathy. "Haru'sara had a group of hunters trap it and drag it all the way here. They were 'supposed' to report into the Kitchen with it, and then come meet him, but considering the state it's in..."

She reached out with out hand, and traced a finger over the space the spear is lodged through. It was quite clear that something had gone wrong when the beast escaped its bindings and went on a literal rampage.

Jules nodded in understanding. "It's not something that we have to contend with so much on our world. At least, not in the way we once did, centuries ago. The animals we eat are bred in captivity before they're killed. Leads to something of a disconnect when it comes to thinking how the food we consume is obtained. Certainly it's less fraught with risk and some may say it's more humane for the creatures we eat, but at the end of the day..."

Jules tapered off, his mind suddenly aware of many ethical considerations that were now rattling around in his head.

Kura'quen nodded. "I understand entirely. We ourselves try to avoid hunting animals when they get to this size for food. Usually, we only have them when they're put down, and we need to ensure they dont go to waste... this is just... unnecessary." 

She sighed. "It's what the role of the Chezwyrd Chen is for, superficially. The Hunter Chezahcen chose to ensure that monsters of this size do not go wild and overhunt their food sources, and go after others... It's a bitter thing, though, in cases like this where one of our own engineers the situation to begin with."

She glanced over her shoulder at Haru'sara, who seems to be getting a stern lecture from Amara'da and Karin'da at the moment. The man in question doesn't seem to care, picking some wax out of his right ear as he listens to them.

"I can understand why his presence would make for some... lively deliberations", said Jules, choosing his words carefully. "Though not often the smoothest. I've had more than one tutorial where there was always one who turns up with the idea of out-knowing the lecturer. Makes sticking to a lesson plan something of an adventure. Still. I'm glad that some common ground has been established. At least, it feels that way. How are you feeling about things so far?"

"Ah, yes, the rei'funds who often think they can teach what they've come to learn," Kura'quen chuckled. "Common ground? Yes, I think so... I'm feeling..." She looked out the window, out at the horizon. "More hopeful than I was feeling when we started. If I'm being honest I really don't know why I'm here anyways. There are other leaders who have more experience in this sort of thing." 

She scratched at the back of her head, mussing up her hair a smidge.  "Honestly, a part of me thinks the only reason I'm here is because it was our village that Calum wandered into and Priestess Karin'da saw an opportunity to better our world. I'm too young and too inexperienced with this. The other Priestesses at home say I've done well enough to earn a spot here but..." She sighed. "I still have my doubts. Priestess Karin'da is the one who's put together our side of things for this. What have I done but make a few paltry requests in the face of all of our greater problems?"

Jules smiled. "Well, nothing wrong with youth when it comes to bettering the world. In my experience, it's the younger generation who often have the inclination to look at things and decide whether they should be or not. They have the drive to see life through fresh eyes and make changes that are often well overdue. They ask the questions that just become accepted truth when you hit a certain age. Believe me, yours is a perspective that is thoroughly necessary, especially when it comes to moments that impact a world as this has the potential to do. And when it comes to experience, well..." He made a show of looking around conspiratorially.  "Do you want to know the big secret behind that?" 

Kura'quen leaned in closely, "Please. Tell me the big secret behind that."

"Everybody, no matter how many years they have behind them, everybody is making this up as they go along. You grow up surrounded by adults and you think that they have everything worked out, that they know what they're doing at all times, that they're basically infallible. That you'll hit a certain point in your own life and it all becomes perfectly clear and that you'll know everything there is to know. The truth is that moment never comes. You'll spend your whole life questioning, second-guessing yourself, making mistakes sometimes, and not being certain of anything that could happen from a decision you or someone else can make."

Jules smiled.

"And that's a good thing. Because that means you're thinking and feeling the exact same thing that everyone else in this room is right now. Doesn't matter how many years separates you from them, your experiences, anything like that. That feeling will never go away. So on that account, you are just as capable as everyone else here. Basically, keep doing what you feel is correct and right on what you hold to be important, and you won't go far wrong." 

Kura'quen smiled as she processed those words, and nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Lavisham."

"My pleasure. Now, don't let on that I've told you. There's a lot of people we both know who'd probably prefer we keep thinking they've got things all sorted out. We wouldn't want them knowing we were on to them, right?" Jules tapped his finger to his nose in an attempt to look serious. The big grin on his face negates the effect somewhat.

Kura'quen giggled, and nodded. "Of course. I won't say a word."

Jules nodded back. "Grand stuff. Right, if I'm not mistaken I think there's a few of those smashing biscotti's left. Builds up an appetite, this diplomacy shindig. Shall we?"

Kura'quen agreed, and as they head back to the table... 
---

The group downstairs finished up their duties in the Kitchen and were heading back up to the negotiation room, Runa'mei leading the way through the hallways.

Kelsei asked, "So, you trained here? You seem to know your way around pretty well."

"I did, yes," Runa'mei nodded. "Navigating these halls became something of a second nature, and it's frustrating how they seemed to have gotten worse since then."

"You mean this place wasn't always a confusing mess of eldritch navigation?" Calum asked.

"Once upon a time, I'm sure this place made perfect sense," Runa'mei lamented. "However... that was long before I was ever born, I'd imagine."

They pause at an intersection that seems to have been one they'd passed already from another direction, "Oh for..." Runa'mei swears. "Not this damned loop again."

It takes her a few moments to consider her memories and then, Runa'mei lead the group in reverse the way they'd just come, to exit out in a different hallway entirely than the one they should have been in.

"This stupid building..." Runa'mei muttered to herself.

Soon, the group returned to the negotiations room, and everyone settled back in at their seats. 

The remaining biscotti had, alas, been consumed entirely at this point between Jules and Kura'quen, much to Kelsei's disappointment. 

Jules apologized, "Eeep. Sorry Kels. Jammy Dodgers for next time on me, promise."

"I'll hold you to that," Kelsei said.

Robert returned to his seat at the table.  "Jules, you won't believe the size of the crab leg we saw.  It's big enough for everyone in this room to get their fill and then some." Then, in a lower whisper, he asked, "How things going in here?"

"Things continuing apace," murmured Jules in a sotto fashion. "The Allegedly High Lord of the Sea got a bit of a telling off for what I assume is the crab business, but that's about it." 

"Okay, so, we've covered music and food... the last things we have to cover are..." Calum thumbed through his journal again. "Point D: Examples of Cultural Relaxation, and Point A: Proof of Community."

Tiernan settled in, quietly observing, listening, like the trained diagnostician he is.  He continues to transcribe the events in his journal.

Calum looked amongst the people at the table. "Any preference choice of which?" 

Catchen asked, "The answer isn't allowed to be "tea" again for both, is it?"

That gets a laugh out of Kura'quen. A real full body giggle that just slips out before she can contain it.  "Can it please?" She asked.

Karin'da shook her head, amused. "Sorry dear, but I'd like something more concrete."

Robert offered, "Perhaps examples of Cultural Relaxation would be a good topic at this time. With some more tea," he smiled at Catchen and Kura'quen.

"Cultural Relaxation it is," Calum said, smiling at the group.

"Now that is something our world does really quite well," said Jules. "Particularly when it comes to things such as the art of storytelling. And, going by the remarkable demonstration we were treated to earlier of your crystals' ability to project images, it's something I feel you thoroughly enjoy as well."

Jules placed in front of him the leather bound books he had earlier set out on the table.

"These are a collection of some of our world's oldest and most well-known stories and legends. Beowulf, The Thousand and One Nights, Journey to the West, The Epic of Gilgamesh, Aesop's Fables, Grimm's Fairy Tales, The Iliad and the Odyssey. A nice cross selection there from across our respective history and cultures." 

Kura'quen looked *Very Interested Very Quickly* upon the topic shifting to books.

"Happy to provide translation notes and historical references and the like if your own scholars are interested in that sort of thing," added Jules. "But at their heart, they're stories that have persisted in our world's canon, for thousands of years in some cases. I'd be very interested in seeing what you make of them." he  smiled. "Speaking personally, I'm always up for seeing new takes on old favourites." 

Kura'quen visibly restrained herself as she politely requested, "I will take custody of those if you don't mind?"

The twins just grin knowingly.

"Eh, I'm not much of a reader these days, too much work to do," Amara'da shrugged.

"We'll be sure to borrow them when you're done, dear," Karin'da smiled at her town's mayor.

"But you must make some time for relaxation, no? A moment at the end of the day, or a day at the end of the week?" Sky asked the group. 

"Oh, yes," Amara'da said. "But I personally find my relaxation comes from things not many find relaxing." She leaned over the table conspiratorially. "Ask me next time how many ways there are to skin a Runarin and make their hides into armors." 

Jules slid the books in the direction of Kura'quen. To Amara'da, he said,  "If you do get the opportunity, General, I certainly recommend Beowulf. An old legend of a heroic slayer of monsters from my own country's history."

Amara'da raised an eyebrow. "Really now?"

Kura'quen searched through the books, and then handed over a specific tome. "I believe this one?" It does indeed read Beowulf on the cover. 

Amara'da took the book, casually flipped through it, and then nodded. "Very well. I think I can spare some threading time for a good hunting tale instead." 

"We'll review the other volumes as our dear Kura'quen sorts through them," Karin'da said to Jules. Then, to Sky, she said, "Yes, our people generally tend to do our chores early, and finish early to spend the rest of our days relaxing or indulging in our hobbies."

"The General here is something of a..." Cas'ka smirked. "Busy body, when it comes to her daily tasks."

"I run a town, a school, and maintain an army of hunters," Amara'da said. "And then I make armor in my spare time. How am I a 'busy body'?" 

"Proving my point," Cas'ka says, motioning at the General. 

"Again, Priestess, how am I a 'busy body'?" Amara'da pressed.

Sha'ri held back a chuckle. Nara'nen just rolled her eyes, and said, dryly, "You take on more tasks in a day than many of the people in this room do, and seem to revel in it. You keep your body busier than a Runarel in a mood."

"It's not my fault I have to organize all those rei'funds who don't know how to run this damned maze of an academy," Amara'da countered.

Rein'da coughed. "Perhaps we should move on to another item?"

Eresh steped forward, carrying her bag, "I have here some hobbies that use the hands as,well as the mind. First the painting arts: these are pencils whose colour dissolves across the paper when dipped into water, and these are some sheets of thick paper to use with them. We call these 'aquarel pencils', after the water painting technique, aquarel."

Eresh demonstrated a few strokes with the pencils, and mixes some new colours across the paper, and the Priestesses seem very interested in this. Seeing their smiles, Eresh continued, "We also have painting techniques using liquid pigments and brushes; but these pencils are convenient, since they can be easily carried around."

"It's like the dissolving paints we've found records talking about!" Sha'ri remarked.

"And none of the information on how to make them," Nara'nen added.

"Hmmm..." Eresh thought on it. "On our world, we used to make inks out of berries and seashells. I will bring a book on it on my next visit! That will have recipes, which we can try here on Rei'schu!"

"These pencils certainly are more convenient than the disolving paints in record," Jae'dhar remarked. "Those were carried around in long tubes that supposedly had to remain in a steady temperature environment."

Karin'da nodded. "That sounds like a great idea."

Eresh nodded, "Yes, the liquid paints are a hassle. On our world, they are generally used in a special room called a studio. It's even worse with the organic solvent-based ones; but those I never use, since the fumes are toxic."

Calum grimaced, "The less said about spraypaints the better."

Eresh reached into her bag again, producing a circular wooden frame with fabric stretched across. It was embroidered with a red rose. "I have some more materials as well: fabric arts! This is an embroidery frame; we stretch fabric on it, and use this coloured yarn to embroider patterns."

"Ah! A tiny embroidery frame!" Kura'quen claped her hands. "It's adorable!"

"Do you have these as well?" Eresh asked.

"We have similar techniques, I believe," Kura'quen said, nodding.

"If you see a banner with a pattern on it, it's likely been embroidered," Hotou'runa added.

Eresh reached in again, producing a length of blue floral cloth stuck together with pins. "And this is a dress I am handsewing. I cut out the pattern, then pin the parts together, and finally sew with a needle."

Amara'da seemed very interested in that, leaning in close to get a look. "Fascinating. I can see similar techniques to what I use for my armor work, but it's much finer." She glanced at Cas'ka, considering the woman's robes. "More like what you Priestesses wear, material wise."

"Sewing is a wonderful hobby, I find." Eresh smiled. "I make everything I wear, as well as textiles around the house. Only this suit is D'ni. For thick armour, we can sew that, too.  We have special needles for that."

Amara'da nodded. "Hardy armor makers, those old D'ni." She seemed interested, "Special needles you say?"

"Yes, very thick, curved ones. They can also be used for upholstery." Eresh answered. "You need to protect your finger with a metal cap to use them."

Amara'da needed a moment to consult the translation crystal for "upholstery", then asked, "Cloth Furniture?"

"Yes; for example, a cushion on a chair." Eresh elaborated.

"Ah," Amara'da nodded. "I see. Interesting. I'd like to borrow some samples of those needles, if you have them. Though... I make no promises if they come back bent out of shape." She confided, "I've been trying to find a needle type that can properly punch through some certain materials. Haven't managed one yet, though."

Cas'ka seemed mildly annoyed there, and remarks, "Please tell me you're still not going on about trying to make armor out of those Nara'Runarels' fur."

Amara'da chuckled. "I would be a liar if I was."

"No problem! You can keep them!" Eresh handed over a small, folded cardboard pouch. Inside are many sizes of needles, neatly arranged

Amara'da looked at the pouch's contents with awe, and reverance. She noded to Ereshkigal, and said, "Thank you for the gift. I will put them to good use."

"I would suggest maybe a thimble or two with those needles, Eresh, if the material is particularly tough to get through." Sky rubbed her fingertips gingerly, having stabbed them one too many times trying to force needles through leather. 

"I have some finger covers," Amara'da said. "They should be sufficient." she smiled, though, and added, "I will be sure to let you know if they are not."

Sensing the time to shift to his topic next, Robert stood next. "You've already had some experience with samples of the music that we've shared with you.  Some people relax to some forms of music, some read books and magazines.  There are those who like to get away to the outdoors to hike, camp, fish, and hunt.  Others find crafts that take their mind off of their troubles.  These crafts include woodworking, model building, restoring old cars, cooking and baking, or sewing and knitting." 
Robert motioned to the fabric and needles before them, then to the books, and the pencils and paper. 
"Some enjoy writing stories, and others thrive on drawing/painting objects, people, and landscapes.  We also enjoy socializing with friends and loved ones; spending time with one another's company.  For instance, I enjoy having a drink or two with these folks, swapping tales of our adventures, our life experiences, and our hopes and dreams." 

Sky nodded in agreement, "In fact, sometimes the best relaxation is during those times spent with friends."

Robert Murry smiled, and continued, "In my travels, I have encountered many different cultures, both past and present.  These cultures all have very similar types of relaxation such as I the ones I have mentioned, plus more."

"Our world also puts a lot of stock in games," said Jules. "Challenges of skill, chance, logic, some personal, some competitive. Over the centuries they have developed and grown more involved and complex, but the classics are still with us."

He fished into his bag and drew out a tiny carved wooden box. Lifting the lid, he retrieved a small pile of laminated rectangular cards with assorted designs and numbers on them, spreading them out over the table. 

"This is a deck of cards, one of our oldest pastimes. 52 in a deck, each deck containing four suites of thirteen," he explained, pointing to the different designs. "Goes from One - the Ace - then ascending in value to Ten, then Jack, Queen and finally King." 

"We could play 52 card pickup." Catchen interjected, much to very horrified looks from Calum and Kelsei in response.

Jules, too, gave Catchen a *Look* and subtly chuckled before continuing.  "The format lends itself well to numerous different types of game - some individual, most competitive. At their simplest, they involve just luck and a basic strategy. But the more complex ones involve anticipating your opponent's behaviours, reading their body language and trying to determine their strategy while trying not to give away your own. And, in particular, attempting to work out whether or not they are deceiving you." 

Tiernan's eyes lit up as Jules brought out the playing cards.  He nodded at his explanation and smirked a tiny bit. "I always carry a deck on me, for instance," Tenny said, patting his jacket pocket.

"More than happy to show you all a quick round of them in action." Jules said. "Tenny, how's your blackjack game?"

Tenny tilted his head to the side and shrugged a little. "Eh, fair..."

"I carry my own pack, in case someone uses marked cards in poker," Robert said, looking at Jules and Tenny.  "Especially on poker night at New Messenger's."

Tenny laughed,  "Oh, wha' are y' sayin', Robert?" Robert just put on his best poker face and shrugged his arms innocently. Tenny chuckled.  "Well, now, sometimes y' gotta keep it interestin'..."

Kelsei blinked. "We have a poker night?"

Calum, meanwhile uttered a quiet, "And here's where I'd show my chess set if it hadn't gotten stolen."

"Newly established," Jules said to Kelsei. "Check your KImail, invite should be there."

As Kelsei checked her KI, Jules gauged the reaction of the Rei'schu delegates to see if he had piqued any interest, and it seemed he definitely had.

"Card games, hm?" Hotou'runa smirked at his brother. "Sounds like our kind of thing."

"Oh, you mean like that time we were kids and mom had to ban us from throwing crystals at eachother?" Rein'da smirked in return.

Hotou'runa laughed, clearly embarassed. "Well, we were just kids and we weren't really using those safely at all..."

"I'll take care of those cards to ensure these two don't get... rowdy," Sha'ri remarked, picking up the set Jules had offered. "What is '52 card pickup,' might I ask?"

Calum interjected, "A mean way to wreck someone's afternoon." 
Kelsei snorted. 

"Will be interesting to see what new games you can come up with," said Jules. "Ones such as Snap and Blackjack are pretty accessible, but they can run all the way up to things like  Bridge and Poker."

"Oh, we'll definitely come up with some games!" Rein'da agreed.

"I'll make more than you!" Hotou'runa taunted his brother.

"Alright then, I think that'll cover this category for tonight," Calum said before the twins could get at it again, and took a deep breath. "Final category: probably the toughest one to judge by I'd wager." He read aloud, "Category A: Proof of Community. What are some examples those of us here in the Cavern can provide of people coming together to help, support, or otherwise enrich the lives of those living in or visiting D'ni."

Robert stood up to address the group.  He pulled several books from his pack and placed them on the table before their hosts.

"As an archeologist, I have studied and explored many cultures on our planet, both past and present.  So has Dr. Lavisham.  These gifts before you are books on history, Archeology, and Social Studies describing our past and present.  In D'ni, many folks from different cultures have found their way there and have established a strong bond with one another.  The previous three categories combine to produce that spirit of community that we share.   We love music of all kinds.  Each week, people gather in different places to hear it.   We relax to PodHopper's Relaxation Session of new age and calming music.  Fil always gets us going with his live guitar of Pop and Rock&Roll.  Eternal Seeker's Country Evening of Country and Bluegrass tunes finds us outdoors around a campfire, sharing spirits and cookies as well as a game of firemarbles.  Radio Free D'ni brings to the Cavern past Rock&Roll themes and well as commentaries and history of the groups they play.  And there's Karaoke night in the Pub, where individuals share their wonderful and lovely voices to song."  Robert smiled at Sky, who blushed beat red in response.

"And the common thread, though we may all have different tastes and preferences in music," managed Sky, through a blushing face, "is that we all love music, and the company of those that join in on the events. It's one of the best things about our community." 

"That's right Sky," Robert said. "Our crafts and hobbies, we share with one another.  They help relieve stress and relax.  We find ourselves in awe of the expertise that many bring with them.  One such wonky individual loves to bake different, delicious cookies and share them at our events.  However, she is an animator and teacher.  Each month she holds a session to show us how she draws characters for various themes.  Sky, here, is a professional chef.  She has shown us how to make many wonderful dishes and uses fresh herbs and vegetables from her own garden.   Every week, we have a Story Night, where we hear about the past histories of the kings, people, and culture of the D'ni.   These lectures come from a love of study of D'ni history." 

Kura'quen looked interested at the mention of history lectures, but kept her mouth tight, as she didn't want to interupt.

Robert continued, "Ah, how we love to have fun together.  Games are yet one more thing that brings our diverse community together.  I already mentioned the firemarble game at Seeker's Country evening.  It may or may night include the imbibing of spirits.  We definitely imbibe in various spirits on poker nights at the pub.  Marker games have been developed for our KI's to help us explore the Cavern and other Ages, as well as produce friendly competitions among fellow explorers." 

Robert's voice grew impassioned. "We have something that we call door runs that usually need the help of several people pressing cloths to open a door for new explorers to enter a cave to retrieve a trophy for their accomplishment.  In our hoods, or neighborhoods, there are occasionally races involving a beachball  we fondly nicknamed 'Eddie'.  Of course, the thrill of exploring new ages and solving the puzzles found in them is a common bond with our community of explorers." 

He smiled, fondly, voice lowering in quiet reverence. "Lastly, we come together to share memories of those who passed away at memorials and events. All of what we have shared with you is what makes up our community.  I would like to have our group share with you a recent addition to our community that represents how we come together and help each other.   Dr. Lavisham and Dr. Tiernan have had  the most interaction with him and will relate the background of events." 

After such an impassioned speech, everyone was quite silent for a few long moments. The only noise being from Tiernan as he smiled and continued to make his notes, taking down everything Robert and Sky had said into his journal. A quiet scritch-scratch of ink against paper. 

Robert sat down and whispered, "Well old boy, you just heard my first D'ni lecture.  I haven't done this in a while.  Do you still want me to come give a guest lecture to your class?"

"You kidding? My institution'll be offering you a lecturing post with tenure if they hear you in action like that," muttered Jules, clearly impressed as he stood to his feet. "Dr. Murry speaks of a young gentleman by the name of Benavud, who I and my associate Edward encountered several months prior in the Great Library of D'ni. He was injured and not in the best of ways, but thanks to a speedy response along with dutiful medical attention from Dr. Quinlan here, he soon found himself back on his feet. What presented something of a mystery was the fact of his identity. Aside from his own name he could not initially recall any detail of his own life, where he had come from, how he came to D'ni - he knew nothing apart from the vaguest notions of who he was."

Kelsei frowned slightly as Jules talked about Ben.

Jules continued, "As I'm sure you can understand, such a happenstance caused Ben a great deal of distress, but with it a burning desire to uncover the answer to these questions. In response, our community stepped up to provide whatever support and assistance he needed. We aided in his recovery to bring him back to full health, we welcomed him as one of our own to the social events that mark a mainstay of life in the Cavern. And we accompanied him on his travels through the different D'ni ages that we have access to in an attempt to retrace his steps and reveal to him the knowledge that he sought."

Calum closed his eyes, clearly lost in thought.

Jules smiled. "In doing so, I feel this shows the people of the Cavern at their very best. As Robert correctly says, we are people from many cultures and backgrounds, brought together as a community. And underpinning that community is, I feel, one of the deepest threads of shared empathy and compassion that it has been my utmost privilege to know. We are a people motivated by a desire to understand, to know more about the world and how those within it live and have lived. But we are also driven by the urge to help, to right wrongs, to seek a just outcome and to provide whatever aid and comfort that we are capable of giving to those who need it." 

Kura'quen smiled, looking over at her fellows. 

"I truly believe that our presence in the Cavern has been one that has enriched the lives of all those who have come to know us - in shared experiences, in knowledge, and in friendship. I hope that, on the basis of what you've heard from us all today, we will continue to do so with yourselves and your world." Jules then assumed his seat once more.

Sky covertly gave Jules a thumbs up for the magnificent speech. Jules smiled at Sky, keeping a grip on a slightly trembling wrist. His words had clearly taken a bit out of him.

Having heard all of this, with even the quiet whispers of Jae'dhar translating for Haru'sara falling silent, the Rei'schu diplomats look to eachother and hold a quick discussion with eachother in their own tongue. 

Runa'mei chimed in at one point, and everyone heard the name "Carl Palmner" come up in what she said, or, atleast, what sounds like Carl's name, at any rate. The others look at her in surprise at that, and Kura'quen inquired something that has Runa'mei smiling and faintly blushing, followed by a resounding nod.

Kelsei seemed to be able to keep mostly along with what they're saying, and she whisper-explained, "They're debating about the Ben situation."

Haru'sara shakes his head dismissively about something. Amara'da reached over and slapped his stupid coral-crystal crown off of his head. He seems admonished, frowning, and sounds a bit more... respectful with what he says next.

"Could go for another belt if there's anymore going, Rob" Jules whispered.

Robert whispered to Jules, "You seemed to have invoked quite the reaction.  I keep hearing Carl Palmer's name."

As if in mention to that, Runa'mei looked to Calum and asked, "Can you describe the Bahro to me, briefly?"

"The Bahro?  What about them?" Robert asked concerned. 

Calum nodded, and spoke gently, "The Bahro, as far as we can tell, are a race of people who have their own abilities relating to the Art of Age Writing. We don't know how, or why, but at some point someone in D'ni's history got them enslaved under the power of a Tablet. Some D'ni have tried for it over the centuries, some seeking to free them, others seeking to abuse them; all failing. But finally it was a human man who found the Tablet, and released the Bahro with it. They've been fairly quiet neighbors ever since, beyond one frightful moment about a decade ago."

"And Ben's asking about them?" Runa'mei asked, in a way she already knew the answer for. It was more for show for the others.

"Yes," Calum nodded. "Ben is, genetically speaking, a D'ni descendant; we believe a child of a survivor of the Fall. But given his amnesia... this was distressing news to him, as far as he could piece together, he knew more about the surface in terms of instinctual memories than he did about D'ni's history, implying he was raised there."

Runa'mei nodded, and looked towards the Priestesses. Cas'ka nodded, "Thank you, Traveler." She then looked to Karin'da and remarked something that sounds concerned.

Karin'da waved her hand dismissively, and said something that mentions Carl's name again.

Cas'ka repeated her statement, a bit more forcefully this time.

Karin'da repeated her statement, a bit more forcefully than Cas'ka.

Both narrowed their eyes at eachother. Sha'ri interjected something before either can come to blows. Both Priestesses look her way, and Sha'ri said something further, sounding impassioned about it. She went on for a few moments, clearly getting herself worked up over it, but whatever she was saying seemed to be resonating well with the others. Karin'da and Cas'ka's looks softened as a result.

Kelsei whistled softly, and Runa'mei seemed impressed. "I only understood about a half of what Sha'ri just said, but what I got sounded good," Kelsei whispered.

"Thanks  Kelsei," Robert said, then muttered in hushed tones to Jules and Sky, "I'm getting one of those uneasy feelings.  They seem really concerned about something."

Eresh wondered why Ben and Carl provoke such a reaction. Jules nodded wordlessly, feeling a knot of tension build in his stomach. 


The other Rei'schu diplomats consider Sha'ri's words, and Rein'da finally speaks something, tone considering, wavering for a moment, before solidifying. He looks to his brother and says something that has Hotou'runa rolling his eyes, but nodding along, and clearly agreeing.

The others echo their agreements, one by one nodding until it seems a consensus is being reached...

And then Haru'sara remarks something gruffly that has everyone narrowed their eyes at him sharply, and, as if the tipping point has been reached, has Jae'dhar grabbing his stupid crown and hurling it out the window.

"Feels like my Phd Viva all over again," said Jules before shooting bolt upright at the unexpected defenestration. "... or not, as the case may be." 

A distant clang can be heard, along with someone shouting in outrage and surprise. Jae'dhar doesn't flinch, and she snapped something sharply at her own town mayor.

Haru'sara wilts into his chair, pouting.

"Sounds like Crab King is in trouble for more then just the crab," Robert deduced. 

Nara'nen said something utterly sarcastic, and then, for the benefit of the audience, clarified, "You have no idea, Murry. Jae'dhar's just challenged him for the right of ruling Sara'fund."

"Can she do that that?" Kelsei asked.

Nara'nen just shrugged, "Beats me." 

Eresh asked, "What did he do to provoke that? The crab incident, or is there more?"

"He..." Nara'nen trailed off. "Let's just say this has been building up for a long while."

Amara'da finally said something, and stood. She held out a hand, and Runa'mei handed over a pair of knives. Amara'da then handed one to Jae'dhar, and one to Haru'sara, and then, for everyone, announced, "Follow me."

Tenny frowned and absently chewed on the end of his stylus.

Sky looked worriedly at Kelsei. "Do we have to?" she whispers. Kelsei nodded.

The group as a whole follows Amara'da down the hallways, and Runa'mei fills the group in. "Haru'sara's refusing to agree to a vote at all on whether we proceed or not, to not hold a vote is..." She grimaces.

Eresh mused, "I think the wisest course of action is to stay out of this. It seems an internal dispute which we do not fully understand."

Tenny made further notes and trailed along with Eresh and the others.

"Let me guess, he flat out doesn't want to even give a yes or no?" Calum asked.

"Essentially," Runa'mei nodded, frowning. "It's a bit more than that, though."

"I believe we're about to witness a custom of theirs.  I'm not sure it's going to be a good one," Robert said.  "If any of you wants to stay behind, we'll understand."

"What provoked this issue to come to the surface now?" Eresh asked. "Does it somehow have to do with Ben?"

"I'm not sure." Robert answered.

"Hmm." Tenny frowned.

Sky opts to follow the group, but trailed significantly behind the others.

"I will watch if appropriate, though I will interfere unless asked," Eresh said.

Runa'mei grimaced, and doesn't say much else beyond, "We'll say more once this finishes."

"Very well." Eresh nodded.

Jules followed with the others, his mind shifting gears in an attempt to keep up with recent events.

The group arrived at a small, ritualistic arena type area. There was a large wall towering above the area, upon which a large stone mural resides. It depicts the goddess Chezahcen, holding forth a book in her hands, wings spread outwards, hair rippling behind her.

Amara'da directed Jae'dhar and Hotou'runa to the center of the arena.

Runa'mei said, "Everyone else, find a seat."

Amara'da shouted something, and Runa'mei translated.

"For insulting the rules of the Goddess Chezahcen for refusing to work together with his fellow diplomats to hold a vote on how to proceed- for the seventh time in a row, I might add- Priestess Jae'dhar challenges Mayor Haru'sara for the right of ruling the town of Sara'fund, and disposing of Mayor Haru'sara from his role."

There's a pause, as those words sink in amongst everyone.

Jules gritted his teeth. He had a feeling that the manner of disposing they had in mind was the kind that did not allow for both of them to walk away. 

"Further more," Amara'da & Runa'mei continued. "The former Mayor is charged with crimes of instigating an attack on the diplomatic venue, forcing an intervention by Chezahcen's Champion."

"Oh my goodness, the crab..." Sky whispered under her breath.

How does Haru'sara plead? He laughs, triumphantly. Runa'mei just about facepalmed. The other locals all grimaced in annoyance.

"He pleads guilty on all charges," Runa'mei translated. "He's not even denying it. What the hell?"

Tiernan frowned and set his tablet down.  He shifted his backpack down to the floor next to him. Jules glared daggers at Haru'sara, a once-forgotten anger welling up inside him.

Amara'da nodded. Runa'mei translating what follows, "Very well then. The duel is as declared by Chezahcen's rules." Amara'da dug into a box, and retrieves two crystal-feather bound crowns. She walked over to each participant and handed the crowns over. "A duel to preserve ones integrity under the right of Chezahcen's rules."

Then, Amara'da took her position at the 'referee's box'. "The first one to destroy the crystal crown of their opponent wins the duel, and the right to Mayorship." Amara'da declared & Runa'mei translated.

The Mayor and the Priestess take ready stances, holding their borrowed knives in mirroring aggressive stances.

Robert scowled at the proceedings.  Even though this has been building up before they got here, he was concerned that their negotiations had led to this climax amongst the leaders. Robert decided then: "Nobody interfer, no matter how angry we get.  Understood?"

"Definitely." Eresh agreed.

"Aye," Tenny said quietly.

Jules nodded wordlessly, his eyes focused on the combatants's respective techniques.

The Priestess shifted her stance, subtly taking on something a bit more fluid looking in response to the Mayor's stance.

Haru'sara seems surprised by that, as if he weren't expecting it.

Amara'da shouted what can only be the "BEGIN!" command, and the two launched at eachother.

Haru'sara goes in for a swinging upwards swipe, over telegraphing his stance entirely-- Jae'dhar twisted like a river, dodging it easily, and shifted her knife to a backhanded grip.


Haru'sara stumbles as he realizes he overshot, and quickly moves to turn around--

Jae'dhar lashed out with a kick, knocking the knife out of the Mayor's hand, and then she swung out with a backhanded strike that shattered the crystal feathers atop Haru'sara's head.

It's over that quickly. Crystal fragments tinkled as they crashed  against the ground, and Haru'sara seems to quiver in fear for a moment as he looks at the Priestess, framed with Chezahcen's mural behind her.

It had been noted previously how similar the Priestesses look to eachother. How similar they looked to the depictions of the goddess they serve...

In this moment, however... it goes beyond 'similarities'. Jae'dhar's hair seemingly ripples out behind her, larger in scale than it had been a few moments before. Her eyes seem to glow with outrage.

And then the moment passed, and Jae'dhar is as she was before: normal... but seemingly more at ease than she was before.

Haru'sara falls flat onto his rear end as the Priestess-now-Mayor loosened her stance.

Amara'da nodded once in acceptance. "Jae'dhar." She said, needing no other words to indicate the winner she sees before her.

Haru'sara just sits there, confounded, and maybe just a bit in terrified awe. 

Tiernan's eyes were still narrowed, but he relaxed just a bit.

Jules blinked. "Bloody hell," he breathed out.

Jae'dhar collected Runa'mei's other knife, and walked away from the arena. She returns the knives to Runa'mei, and the two nod to eachother in understanding. Then, Jae'dhar looked to her fellow Priestesses and Mayors, and says, "We vote."

The others nod, and talk amongst themselves for a moment. Then, they all raise hands.

"Congratulations," Karin'da said, turning towards the explorers. "We have voted to continue pursuing diplomatic ties with your people. While we have concerns over the... 'Bahro' you've mentioned, we do not believe they will be a problem for us at the present moment."

Runa'mei almost collapsed to the floor in relief, spared only by Kelsei catching her.

"I was afraid that was to the death.  Seen it a couple of times in other cultures.  Never pretty," Robert breathed a sigh of relief.

Tenny nods to Robert.

"The Goddess has specific rules for interpersonal challenges," Cas'ka says to Robert. "One cannot learn from their mistakes if they are dead." She glances over to the arena, where Haru'sara continues to look upwards at the mural in... not quite reverence? "That one has much to learn from."

Robert said, "That's wonderful news, though we never intended to cause any strife with your leaders."

"Your duelling customs are wiser than some of our ancestors'." Eresh observed. "What were Haru'sara's objections? Did he give a reason for refusing to vote?"

The Priestesses all look at eachother for a moment. The Mayors just look exhausted even thinking of it.

Finally, Sha'ri remarks, "He wanted your music for himself."

"All of it?" Calum asked.

"...that's it? I would have gladly given him any number of copies to keep!" Eresh exclaims.

"All of it, and none to share with the others." Sha'ri confirms. 

"His own... 'personal' collection,' Nara'nen rolled her eyes. "That is to say, 'keep it away from everyone else so nobody can have any of it ever.'"

Calum facepalmed. Tiernan blinked. Robert suppresses a laugh.  Then he can't help himself and starts laughing in relief. 

The relief filled laughter is almost contageous, and the remaining Mayors all laugh as well. And as if a switch had been flipped inside of Jules, he launches into a sudden hoot of unrestrained hilarity.

"That is indeed an odd understanding of music," Eresh said. "Music by definition is to be shared, sung, copied... on our world, there are religious groups who forbid music, but even they do not succeed in stopping the sharing of it. "

"Of all the... I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I just..." Jules attempts before doubling up once more, tears rolling down his face. 

"It is completely against our culture as well," Kura'quen said.

"I'm glad it was that, though. I was afraid of much worse things," Eresh said.

"Music is meant to be shared, not hoarded," Jae'dhar said, shaking her head.

"But if by refusing to vote he broke off negotiations, he would no longer have any Earth music..." Eresh realized the paradox of what Haru'sara had been requesting.

"Welcome to my every day life for the last three years," Jae'dhar remarked. "Self sabbotaging demands that make no sense at all," She shook her head. "My first order of business is moving our town off of that damned beach, once we I get back."

Eresh turned to other explorers. "Can we make Haru'sara a special gift of an old iPod or something, loaded with pop songs, with an attached solar cell? We could bring it on a next visit. Music is meant to be shared; and if it means so much to him he's willing to fight and lose over it, I would like him to have a music library. The solar cell will keep it charged." 

"That's a great idea, Eresh." Robert said.

"I don't see why not," Calum remarked, looking to the Priestesses and Mayors, "Unless you all disagree?"

"No," Karin'da shook her head. "No disagreement, if anything it may keep him from causing us more trouble down the line."

"We'll have to test and see if solar batteries work here or not," Calum said. "If not, I'm sure we could rig something up with a crystal..."

Tenny resumed his notating with his tablet and stylus, thoughtfully.

"Solar cells work on visible light; they should be okay here." Eresh considered. "The crystal might make the charge last longer, though."

"Jules, I don't know about you, but I could use a drink." Robert said.

Eresh agreed, "Yes, and not tea, either."

Tenny chuckled softly.

"Rob, I could use all of the drinks." Jules said.

"What will become of him?" Asked Sky, to the entire party. "Or to any deposed Mayor, for that matter. Will Haru'sara just go back to living a normal daily life? Will he continue to aid the new Mayor?" Sky looks acknowledgingly to Jae'dhar. 

"We haven't had a case where we've needed to depose a Mayor in a very long time." Jae'dhar looked over at the man. "In the end, I'm not sure. He was an expert fisherman before becoming Mayor... Perhaps he will take that up again." 

As she said this, Haru'sara gets up from the ground, and makes his way for an exit. He seems... frankly, far more happy than he should be given the situation. He seems to be humming a 'ra ra rasputin' to himself as he leaves, sparing a look at nobody as he heads out.

"As for judgements," Amara'da said, "I don't believe Chezahcen will let her eyes off of him for some time, after that spectacle."

"Perhaps he'll be happier, freed from his responsibility as Mayor." Eresh supposed.

Jules thought, "Politics has a habit of doing that to a person."

Robert stood, and in deadpan fashion asked, "Madam Mayor, do you have a pub?"

Jae'dhar looks to Robert, and smiled, "Yes, I believe there's a small pub here in the academy somewhere."

Cas'ka grimaced. "It's under renovation. Runaway crystal growth reaction from a student who did something similar to our Wayward Traveler here."

Calum chuckled nervously, scratching at the back of his head. Kelsei eyed him in a "I know what she's talking about" way, and mouthed "Payiferen" at him.

"That said," Amara'da said, "I'll ask the Kitchen to bring us up several drinks with the crab our not-so-pleasant friend provided us."

Runa'mei, still leaning against Kelsei for support, just said, "I'll pass on the crab if you don't mind."

"That would be wonderful, General. Thank you kindly." Jules smiled. "Heh, sounds like one of the things my first years get up to during Freshers Week. Some things you truly find everywhere in the universe."

While the others chuckled at that...

"Dibs on that place when it opens up again," Jules said to Robert, in a whisper.

"You got it," Robert whispered back.  Then to Armara'da, he asked "Would mind asking them for several glasses?  I have one last gift for all of you."  Robert grinned at Jules.

Amara'da nodded. "Of course!"

And so, the group headed back up to the meeting room to have a fine post diplomacy meal of crab and other local delicacies... with only Kelsei and Runa'mei hanging back to peer back at Chezahcen's mural.

"Funny," Kelsei said, "it looks just like the one in the Cathedral. Right down to the book, even."

"Not surprised there," Runa'mei mused, finally getting her strength back to her legs and standing a bit straighter. "There's a bunch of these murals all over the place. All the same..." She stepped away from Kelsei for a moment, locking eyes with the mural of Chezahcen. "She says she watches us through them.  There's probably something to that." 

"Makes me wonder, alright," Kelsei mused.

Runa'mei turned back to face Kelsei, and the two stared at eachother for a long moment.

"Well, we should probably catch up before they send someone to look for us," Kelsei finally said. 

"Yep," Runa'mei nodded. 

And thus, they ran off to catch up with the others.
]]></translation>
            </element>
            <element name="journalclickable3">
                <translation language="English"><![CDATA[<cover src="xplayerjournal-extcolneg1-vol3.hsm"><font size=14 face=Courier color=000056><margin left=62 right=62>REI'SCHU FIRST NEGOTIATIONS VOLUME 3: "Pretty Fly for Rasputin."
(Transcribed by Tiernan Quinlan, Novelized by Calum Traveler, Typo Check by Iwonk)

Karin'da placed a pale purple crystal on the table, and hummed briefly. "Test: Sound Recording. Repeat test." She requested once the crystal began to glow a soft lavender.

"Sound Recording," the crystal echoed back in Karin'da's voice, pulsing briefly with each syllable.

"Very well then," Karin'da then began, "Convening to Order the first official diplomacy session between the people of Rei'schu, and the people of D'ni. This is a... nonstandard session, with relaxed permissions. In attendance, D'ni: Robert Murry, Skyisblu, Ereshkigal, Jules Lavisham, Tiernan Quinlan, Catchen, Calum Traveler, Kelsei Taylor. Rei'schu: Village leaders, Amara'da, Haru'sara, Kura'quen, Rein'da, and Hotou'runa. Priestesses, Cas'ka, Jae'dhar, Karin'da, Sha'ri, and Nara'nen."

She then looked to Runa'mei, who sighed. "Attending Chezwyrd Chen, Runa'mei, present."

Karin'da nodded, and then smiled. "Now that we've called the meeting to order... I do believe some refreshments are first up? Let us begin with some tea?"

Eresh laid out some cumin biscuits.

Sky pulled out a box from her pack, "I brought some homemade biscotti, dipped in chocolate. I figure you can never have too many cookies." She placed the box next to Eresh's cumin biscuits. 

"Don't mind if I do...!" Hotou'runa reached out and snagged a biscotti from the box. He tasted it quickly, and while delight danced in his eyes, he glanced at his brother and said, "You wouldn't like it."

"Oh, I doubt that," Rein'da took one as well, and tried it, equally enjoying it.

"We can get you more cookies!" Eresh appeased.

Both brothers seemed very appreciative of that.

Robert is appreciative that Catchen brought some Earl Grey tea.  He was going to need something strong for these interesting proceedings.  Although, Sky's pirate hat reminded him of something.  "Jules, will you please stop humming 'I Am A Major General'? " he whispered.  "I'm having a hard enough time keeping a straight face as is." 

Catchen had been trying not to stare at the High King, but wasn't sure she's succeeding. Jules's humming wasn't helping either.

"Alright," said Jules. "But I reserve the right to slip in at least one Pinafore reference before this day is out." Jules poured himself an Earl Grey and takes a biscotti.

"Agreed," Robert smirked, sipping his tea while grabbing another of Sky's chocolate-dipped biscotti.

Catchen forcibly turned her attention away from the High King and distracted herself with tea and a biscuit.

As the snacks are dolled out, Runa'mei tapped Calum on the shoulder politely and nodded over towards the window for a moment. Calum followed her over and they briefly talked in hushed whispers. Soon, Calum returned to the table, and Runa'mei slipped out, a concerned look on her face. 

"Where's she going?" Kelsei asked in a hushed whisper.

"Er..." Calum blinked. "...Restroom?" He offered unconvincingly.

Notably, the smell of sea-air had not gone away, and was definitely coming through the window. It's not something Haru'sara had on him causing it, and the man seems bemused that Runa'mei has left at such a critical juncture.

Priestess Cas'ka did not notice Calum's unconvincing tone of voice, and seemed to take his words at face value. "She should have made her excuses for that before we began."

General Amara'da, on the other hand, just grunted, knowingly, and glanced first at Haru'sara, then back at Calum. Finally, she responded to Cas'ka, "One makes their excuses when they need to make them."

Robert looked at Calum and raises an inquisitive eyebrow. Calum shook his head with a 'don't ask me now' look in his eyes. 

"Moving on from that digression," Karin'da decided to move the conversation along. "Now that we have our snacks and refreshments provided... I believe it is time to start on with the main proceedings?"

"Right," Calum nodded, and dug into his bag to fish out a purple covered journal. A stickynote on the cover reads "Rei'schu" in a fancy, almost runic type hand written font. "Gimme juuust a moment here..." he started leafing through pages... "Right," he finally finds a page, and began reading. "Per previous discussions with the Priestesses and Mayors through them, the Rei'schu delegation has requested four specific items in possible trade."

He chuckled. "We've already started with Item C: Food and Drink, as well as the world work required on the farming side of things." He motioned at the pile of documents the twins provided.

"Yes we did!" Hotou'runa grined.

"The only remaining point in this regard would be...." Calum frowned. "Animal imports."

"That's-" Kura'quen coughed politely, as if thinking she'd interjected out of turn. "That's my biggest request." She smiled to the twins. "As good as it will be to get more plant based varieties in place... animal life is the biggest other factor we can use to improve our standing here."

"The big concern I have over that is potentially introducing invasive wildlife..." Calum paused. "But considering how invasive the natural wildlife can already be given their size..." he looked towards the D'ni delegation. "Does anyone have any suggestions on this front?"

Sky looked up from a particularly confusing weather chart. "I, too, would be worried about the introduction of potentially invasive species. Regardless of how large and...umm...ferocious the native wildlife is. There are way too many examples of invasive species decimating local plant life or other animals for us to draw examples from, I would worry about causing similar scenarios here."

She thought for a moment, and then continued. "I think the only safe way for us to proceed might be to introduce animal farming, and not wild animals for hunting, as much as the population of Reis'chu would prefer the latter. We need to keep any introduced fauna isolated from the local animals, at least for now."

"Sky is right", said Jules. "There's a risk of any new element bought in from our side playing havoc with your world's ecosystems. Not to mention any bacteria they may carry, harmless to us, making its way through your own populaces and causing significant impact to health. We're looking for something reasonable small in stature, whose numbers can be managed and controlled accordingly, and whose presence can be observed for any negative effects and cleared of risk before escalating in numbers."

"One of our countries, Australia, had a devastating experience to their ecology when frogs and rabbits were introduced." Robert added.

"All that being said..." Jules removed a folder from his bag and opened it, revealing several pages of notes and photographs. "This may be a contender. 'Gallus gallus domesticus.' The domestic chicken."

Sky nodded in agreement at Jules' example. 

"There's a few reference shots there for height comparisons. Suffice it to say that it's... well, certainly not what you would consider a threat to your personal safety insofar as size is concerned."  Jules concluded.

Kura'quen looked at the offered photos and her eyes widened. She looked towards Rein'da, and asked him quickly, "Hey, am I imagining it or-?"

Rein'da looked  at the images and chuckled. "Well I'll be..."

Rein'da quickly showed the images of the chickens around. The others all look interested, and Haru'sara laughs once more. He then says a single word. "Nenpapal!"

Sky looked out from under her paper hat, questioningly.

"Nenpapal?" Robert asked.

"Cliff Bird Flying," Jae'dhar translated.

"They went extinct half a generation ago," Kura'quen said, awe in her eyes.

"A bad blight followed by some over zealous hunting by the local wildlife put an end to the poor birds," Karin'da elaborated.

Robert smiled at the new oppurtunity.  "Well, we could offer these chickens as a way of bringing them back."

"That's-!" Kura'quen nodded. "I think that will do nicely!"

"I would try raising them domestically first, to prevent any unwanted hunting causing a second extinction right away," offered Sky.

"Of course," Kura'quen nodded.

"We'll want to keep them more protected this time for sure," Rein'da said.

"While these are very small," Hotou'runa began, "do they get larger? Are their versions that get bigger?"

"Fantastic," smiled Jules. "Good on two counts, as both their meat and the eggs they produce are equally delicious."

Kura'quen nodded eagerly.

"And they are superb for fertilizing gardens, too!" Sky exclaimed, perhaps a little too excitedly. 

"Well, we do have ostriches..."  Robert produced a photo.

"Excellent!" Rein'da grinned in response to Sky.

Hotou'runa looked at the picture of the ostrich. His eyes widened comically large. "Oh. Those are beauties, alright."

"They'd give a hatchling slaughter crane a run for their money, alright," Rein'da agreed.

"Wait until you see their eggs.", Robert smiled. And the provided pictures make the twins giddy with glee.

"Pack a hell of a punch if you get on the wrong side of them as well," Jules added.

Robert asked Sky and Jules in a whispered voice, "Should show them cows and pigs?  How will they react to *bacon*?"

"On our world, we believe brids like these descended from creatures we called dinosaurs," Calum said to Hotou'runa. "They ranged in size, but some of them were very large indeed, back in the day. I could see whatever phenomenon makes animals grow large here making them get that big as well, over time."

The Mayor in question grinned. "Oh that is excellent news!"

Sky grined, "How does anyone respond to bacon?"

Rein'da said, "He's always wanted to try breeding a counter predator to the slaughter cranes." Then, he looked to Sky and Robert- "Pardon, 'Bacon'?"

"It's a cut of meat from the pig," Sky explained. "it can be smoked or salted first, then sliced and fried off to produce a salty, crispy result. It is an excellent addition to dishes to enhance the flavour and seasoning of them. In fact, bacon has become a little bit of an obsession where we are from. People try to use it in everything, even sweet dishes! But a little goes a long way, so it could be an excellent addition to your diet."

"Ah," Rein'da nodded. "Ba for cut, but... Con for pig?" he chuckled. "'Con' is 'tree' for us."

"He who controls the brown sauce, controls the universe", said Jules with utter sincerity.

"...Well, that's mildly amusing," Kelsei chuckled to herself.

"I imagine you could easily change the name to something more fitting from your vocabulary. Do you have an animal here that is similar to a boar or pig in shape?" Sky looked frantically to Jules and Murry for visual aids.

The twins looked at the pictures, confusion and awe respectively growing on their faces.

"And this is... a 'pig'?" Rein'da asked, looking astonished.

Jules hastily flicked through his paper file marked "Foodstuffs" and came across a picture he had found of an impressive looking sow. "You tend to get some more variations in sizes when it comes to pigs."

"Fascinating..." Hotou'runa gazed at the pictures.

Robert added, "There are many different cuts from pigs - baby back ribs, ham, bacon, Canadian bacon, pork chops, pork loin to name a few."

The twins were drooling with the listed possibilities.

"We don't have anything like that in our history here," Kura'quen said. "At least, not that survived into record."

Robert noticed their reaction.   "Wait until you've had baby back ribs smothered in Bar-B-Que sauce.  Yumm!" Robert thought the twins were about to faint.

"I don't know what that is," Rein'da said, "But that sounds amazing."

"Pigs could also be raised domestically and be relatively safe for the local fauna. I don't recall any significant instances of pigs becoming invasive in my research," Sky looks to Jules. "Have you read anything negative resulting from the introduction of pigs?" 


Jules nodded. "Only insofar as to what they can to the environment when allowed to roam free. Again, provided you keep them penned and their numbers regulated, risks of hat nature should be minimal." 

Robert could see the hunger in the eyes of the leaders around the table.  He pulled out a couple of racks of frozen ribs and Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce. "We could perhaps prepare a sample for you tonight?"  One of the twins actually fainted. 

Rein'da looked at Hotou'runa, then back at the ribs, and said, "I lay claim to his portion if he doesn't wake up." 

"Let's get him up before we continue," Karin'da requested. 

"Sure thing," Sha'ri knelt and went about gently slapping the poor Mayor on the cheeks to wake him up.

"Duly witnessed," acknowleged Jules to Rein'da, starting to enjoy himself tremendously. 

Calum looked to Robert, "Maybe put that away so it doesn't thaw out?" A pause. "Also, so that one doesn't faint again?"

"Agreed."  Robert noticed everyone eyeing the meat as he repacked it.

As Sha'ri worked to rouse Hotou'runa, Nen'da meandered over to the window at the sound of several loudly arguing birds from outside. Whatever she sees has her shaking her head and heading back to the table.

Soon, Hotou'runa was back awake, and resting in his chair. "Sorry, I let my stomach get ahead of me there." He apologized.

"So, that's pigs and chickens for first import attempts?" Calum asked.

The Rei'schu negotiators nodded in agreement, even Haru'sara seems approving.

Calum looked to the D'ni group, "I'll... leave the logistics of figuring this out to you all. Do we feel comfortable to move onto another topic?"

Sky made some notes to research animal feed later and nods her head, "Yup, sounds good to me." 

Robert nodded his head in agreement,

Jules flicked through his file. "Those were the best that I had prepared. Happy to progress onwards."

"Alright, so that's point C settled," Calum says once receiving confirmation from the others. "We've got three other points.  A: Proof of Community. B: Examples of Musical Compositions. And D: Examples of Cultural Relaxation." he looks around the table. "Anyone want to pick one next, or should we go down the rest of the list alphabetical?"

"Musical compositions could be a go-er", volunteered Jules.

"Any objections to music?" Calum asked the group.

"I'm good with that!" replied Sky.

"I'm in the groove for it," Robert said. 

Calum fishes out the MP3 player and the speaker set, and hooks it up. "Note, I've put this on shuffle, so it'll be a bit random as to what comes out first." He warns. "Also, since we've got a few tracks on here that are, well, part of whole albums that are very long, I've put them on a different folder," Calum adds. "So they'll be gotten to later." He looks to the locals, and said, "I may just leave this speaker and player here for you all to listen to in your own time."

Karin'da nodded. "That's acceptable. We Priestesses will likely review the whole selection later on our own time. For now, just the highlights in shuffle?"

Calum started the player... Unsurprisingly, it's the Raider's March that starts first. John Williams' Indiana Jones theme. "I think Robert provided this one? Among a lot of other John Williams stuff." 

"Doing absolutely nothing to subvert expectations there, Rob" Jules chuckled.

Kura'quen seemed to be the most into it out of all the locals listening, bopping her head to the track as it progresses, with a wiry grin on her face. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Haru'sara seems unimpressed entirely.

General Amara'da seemed to be the next most into it, smirking as she taps a finger against her opposite arm. "A worthy hunting song, this one. You can feel the spirit of adventure within it."

The Priestesses seem to agree with that statement, nodding along.

Calum paused the track as it reaches the end, and looks to Robert Murry , "Do you want to say anything about the composer, Robert?"

"John Williams is one of our most famous musical composers for our entertainment motion pictures soundtracks for the many decades." Robert explained. "He has captured human emotions so well in his music that it makes us cheer the hero, curse the villian, cry for the sad scenes, laugh at the comical ones, etc.  His soundtracks have added to the stories greatly. His adventure scores such as this one can get your heart racing to feel as if you are part of the action." 

The twins grinned at that.

Calum lets the MP3 player continue its shuffle play... Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd: "Brain Damage/Eclipse" Calum glanced over at Jules knowingly as Kelsei perked up, and exclaimed, "Oh! Here's one Fil's covered before!"

"Fil?" Sha'ri asked.

"He's a musician who plays music covers in the cavern," Calum explained. "Many old tracks such as this one." He looked to Jules. "Jules could explain the original artists better."

"This is from a genre called Prog, short for Progressive Rock. Musicians several decades ago were experimenting with technology for their instruments to produce different sounds that tried new things in the way of poetry and free-flowing musical forms. This group, Pink Floyd, was one of the pioneers." Jules paused, thinking. "I think the best way I can describe how it makes you feel is when you let your spirit reach out from your body and embrace the vastness of the universe around you. When you just allow yourself to experience... well, everything." 

The Priestesses nodded in understanding of that, seeming each to be the ones who get the song that's playing the most.

Haru'sara continues to look unimpressed, if more so because he can't understand the lyrics due to his own choice.

Jules smiled, "One to be listened to from the beginning of the album. For optimum experience, I recommend doing so in a place of relaxation or quiet contemplation. I must admit," Jules added, "after hearing of how your crystals react to different sounds, I would be particularly interested to see what they make of this one."

Jae'dhar remarked, "Oh, so would I." She looked positively giddy as she glanceed at Haru'sara, who continues to look unimpressed. "So. Would. I." She reiterates.

The next song shuffled up next without Calum realizing it; a version of "The Sound of Silence" covered by what the author data lists only as "Disturbed."

Needless to say, nobody said anything while the song played, caught up in the melody and the lyrics...

By the time it ended, Calum just pauses the track, and looks to Sky and says, "Well. That was a thing," practically shaken to the core himself. 

Comments are hard to come by from the rest of the Rei'schu diplomats, stunned, and appreciating the music... Well, save for Haru'sara who, while not seeming unimpressed, looks at the very least considering what he heard very seriously.

"I don't think I've ever heard that version before," Kelsei remarked. "Who covered that one?"


Robert motioned to Sky.  "I believe you're up." 

Sky cleared her throat. "It is a song originally done by two excellent song writers, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, who sound like angels when singing together, but actually hated each other in real life. This singer took the song to a whole other level by singing it much more powerfully and so much more emotion. You can really feel the power of the song through his performance." 

There are many nods around.

"Brief pause?" Calum asked. "I think I need some water after that last track."

"Did come out swinging that one, didn't it," agreed Jules, suddenly conscious of the fact he hadn't inhaled once for the better part of the song's duration.

Once everyone had recovered, the next song that comes up on the shuffle is a song that Ereshkigal submitted to the pile, called "Ennile Maha Oliyo."

Eresh spoke on this song, "On our world, we have many different cultures, with different ideas about music. This is one such song, from a very different part of our world."

There were nods of appreciation all around from everyone save Haru'sara, who just grumbles. 

"This is a more familiar style to some parts of our world," Cas'ka remarked. "It's a good song."

"Very familiar sounding, while being unique," Kura'quen nodded.

Haru'sara remarks something that the others all grimaced at. Jae'dhar loosely translated, "He's not a fan of classical music."

"Well, I'm a fan," Sha'ri remarked.

The mood here was overall very happy with the given selections. The roll of the shuffle continued, with another song provided by Eresh: "Beltan" by Gwenael Kerieo. The harp strings are another familiar instrument that has the Priestesses smiling, and the Mayors nodding along. 

The song's later half picking up pace had Kura'quen grinning.

Calum paused the player once it switches to the next track, and he eyed the next title oddly. "'Pretty Fly For Rasputin'?" He looked to the group. "Who submitted this one again?"

The colour immediately drained from Jules's face. Meanwhile, Eresh couldn't suppress a smile at this title.

"Damnation, Ed, I thought you were joking..." Jules muttered. 

Robert glanced over to Jules.

"Ed, huh?" Calum raised an eyebrow. "Before I play... dare I ask?"

"It's... a mashup. A remix of Boney M and The Offspring." Jules admitted.

Robert shook his head, thinking how everything was going so well...

Jules stopped himself from explaining further, fearing that there weren't enough words in the entire English language that would be sufficient. "It made perfect sense at the time," he settled for, with a total failure of conviction in his voice. 

"Going by your reactions... It can't be that bad, can it?" Kura'quen asked.

"Remember how I said that we have different cultures with different music? Well, some of them are... this." Eresh said.

Karin'da looked to Calum, and seeing him idling over the skip button, requested, "Play it."

Calum shrugged, and hit play. Needless to say, the rancorous beat that comes out has everyone staring on with... very mixed reactions...

Haru'sara, however, grins. He grins, and he's even nodding his head to the beat once the first "ra ra rasputin" hits.

Jules suddenly began taking an immense and immediate interest in an area of the table directly in front of him. Meanwhile, Cas'ka looked utterly baffled by the music... But she was far more composed than the other Priestesses... who range from "What is this noise?" to... Jae'dhar's unbeliving shocked face as Haru'sara practically jumps out of his seat and starts clapping his hands to the music...

Once the Space Jam quote hits, Calum can't help but laugh.

"Looking at him, I feel like dancing, too!" Eresh said.

By this point, everyone is looking at the excitedly dancing Haru'sara in almost disbelief. At the end, the man is laughing. Laughing, and indeed, shouting in glee.

Sky pushed Robert's chin up, as his mouth was wide open, aghast at the site of Haru'sara.

Jae'dhar translated, disbelief in her voice, "Finally, one of you gets it." He claps his hands and grins. Jae'dhar translated,"So many different cultures mashed up into one song! It's brilliant!"

Sky laughed and clapped her hands with glee.

"So... more BoneyM mashups, I take it?" Eresh asked.

Robert slowly turned to Jules with his eyes open wide and silently mouthed the words, "What the He..?" 

"I'll... make a note of that," Calum said, and wrote down something in his journal.

Jules wordlessly shook his head in stunned amazement, once again feeling he understood nothing of the universe or how it was meant to work, but eternally grateful that whoever or whatever with their hand on the tiller clearly did. 

The next track being another one of Gwenael Kerieo's songs, "Tears of Willow," helps to level out the mood among the Rei'schu folks while they try to process just... what the heck a extremely giddy Haru'sara even looks like. The man's mood remains elated.

"Kelsei, if you'll take over the MP3 player for a bit I need to go... Visit the restroom." Calum said simply before making a quick exit out of the room.

Robert shook it off.  "Glad you like that," he said when he could find his voice again.

Within moments of exiting the room, Calum could be heard bursting out loud with laughter.

"Well, atleast we've levied out the mood a bit." Karin'da smiled.

Rein'da whispered to his brother, "I think that's the first time I've ever seen that man dance."

Hotou'runa just nodded, completely confounded. "Same."

Kelsei paused the player, and said, "Sorry, I need a moment." She looked just about as shellshocked as anyone else still.

After carefully establishing beforehand that it was safe to catch the eye of everyone else present once more, Jules reached to pour himself another cup of tea. 

Robert whispered to Jules, "I have something a little stronger than tea for us."

Feeling this was VERY much the right time and place, Jules moved his mug towards Robert with an appreciative look of relief on his face. Robert generously poured from his flask into both of their cups.

'Everything is fine,' thought Jules as he took a sip and felt the warmth envelope the inside of his throat. Despite himself, he couldn't resist smiling at the sheer delightful absurdity of it all.

Robert started chuckling to himself at the situation.  "Maybe this will work after all, " he thought to himself.   Or maybe the Scotch was soothing his nerves.

As everyone settled down, a loud squealing noise can be heard outside, along with the rattling thump of something large hitting something solid. A few tea cups rattle from the vibrations.

"What... was that?" Kelsei asked.

"Probably just the hunters outside doing something stupid during training," Amara'da remarked simply.

"Are you sure...?" Cas'ka asked. "Because that sounded an awful lot like-"

"Nothing important," Nen'da replied. "Let us resume with the music please?"

Kelsei frowned, but sets about going through a few more tracks to stall for time until Calum returned. Speaking of... She worried he should have been back by now. But, she doesn't say anything lest she worry the others.

The next track that plays is one of Gustav Holst's Planet Suite songs, Jupiter, A song Jules had provided. The local representatives all seem to be enjoying it, even with the occasional loud squealing noise again, accompanied by the ground rattling again.

"Seriously, that sounds like a Garuna bashing its head against a wall," Priestess Cas'ka remarked. 

"If it was, I'm sure that would explain why Runa'mei hasn't returned yet. But it almost certainly isn't," Amara'da assuaged the Priestess' concerns.

Haru'sara whistles innocently when Cas'ka eyed him, suspicious. She barked an accusation at the man, who just shrugs.

As the seven minute track comes to an end, there's another, this time louder, shriek of noise before everything shudders one final time, and everything went silent outside.

"Seriously!" Cas'ka ran over to the window, and peered out of it.... She, and anyone else who cared to look, could see nothing at all amiss outside the fortress... Although, all the various students are all looking at something that happened outside the main gates.

Nothing that has them at alarm, though. They all seemed to be quite relaxed.

"See? Nothing's happening down there," Amara'da said simply. "If anything my hunters down there are being far too lax about their training!" She then shouts down at them something that could conceivably be a 'get back to work!'

Sky began to wonder if Haru'sara was somehow behind what was causing all the racket outside the fortress, given his reaction. She gets up to joins Cas'ka at the window, watching the students and wondering herself what was happening on the other side of the main gate. She looked to Kelsei, and asked, "Maybe we should go see what's going on out there? At the very least, go look for Calum?" 

"I'm sure Calum can take care of himse-" Robert stopped himself after seeing the perturbed look Kelsei gave him.  "Oh, right.  It's Calum that we're talking about here." 

"Before anyone does anything, perhaps listen?" Amara'da offered. The group waited.... and silence filled the air. After about a solid minute, the chirping of birds returned, and the smell of sea-salt in the air outside faded away.

Sky visibly relaxed. "I guess whatever it was is over now? Nothing to worry about, I suppose." She shrugs her shoulders and turns away from the window. 

"There, see, nothing's happening," Amara'da said. "Everything's fine!" As she said this, she tried to get everyone away from the window and back to the table; a feat made harder by Calum returning to the room, looking annoyed.

"Did anyone else think to install a map or something?" He asked. "I swear, this place..." He stopped as everyone looked at him. "What? Do I have something on my face?" 

As everyone settled back in at the table, it's not much longer before Runa'mei returned as well, huffing for breath, and looking just as annoyed as Calum did. 

"Two things," She raised her hand hand, and held up a single finger. "One. Someone really needs to figure out how to make this place not a freaking labyrinthian maze, General Amara'da."

"Noted," Amara'da said, "But there's nothing we can do about it."

"Two. I found the kitchen and apparently we're having giant crab for dinner." Runa'mei concluded, raising a second finger.

"Oh? That's a surprise to me," Amara'da smiled. "But a pleasant surprise, regardless."

Haru'sara chuckles to himself, and remarks something. Jae'dhar translated, mostly annoyed, "Apparently it's a gift for negotiations. I wish he'd told ME that beforehand, but, whatever."

Runa'mei's facial expression twitched for a moment between annoyance nad anger, and then to a placid calm as she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "So yeah. Maze hallways. Someone needs to fix that." And then she stomped over to an empty chair, slid it out from the table, and sat down at it. "So. Then. Where were we?"

'I REALLY need to bring some tartare sauce with me next time,' thought Jules for the second time that day. "So, uh... yes, that was by Holst, another of our classical music composers. He did a whole suite based on the planets orbiting our own, each one intended to convey a different emotion. This one is called "Jupiter, the bringer of Jollity."" He paused. "There's another from the same suite on there called "Mars, the bringer of War". If anyone is partial to music that invokes a powerful sense of dread and foreboding, that one will definitely have you covered." 

"Perhaps later?" Karin'da offered. "Maybe one or two more songs, Traveler?"

Calum nodded, happy to move on. The next song out of the MP3 player is a jazzy tune by Jaco Pastorius, recorded from a Jazz Festival in Montreal. It was a song called, amusingly enough, "The Chicken." It's a jazzy beat that needs really no explanation overall, though Calum looked to Sky for remarks if she was wanting to provide them. 

"I included this piece as a example of "Jazz", offered Sky, "a very fluid style of music. It often included parts that have been written, combined with improvisations, which is when the musicians can create the music as they play in the moment, making the song different each time it is played. This example is from a world-renowned jazz festival, and you can clearly pick out the sections when each musician is given their chance to shine. It is a great example of how amazing individuals can do incredible things, but bring them together and you often get something even more wonderful." She paused. "Plus, it's just great music to listen to!"

The Jazz goes over well, and Haru'sara is still in too good of a mood from earlier to gripe. The others liked it well for its stylistic differences from before.

Once that song ended, the next one up is a track called "Lagan", which, well... It's a bop, to put it mildly. Everyone liked it, even Haru'sara, though he remarks that it's not as good as the last one he liked. Nobody pays him any mind because it's a good song. Calum looked to Jules for any remarks on it as it nears the end.

"This is another example of fusing different genres and sounds together to make something entirely new. Here, it's a combination of traditional Gaelic and West African voices and rhythms with electronic sounds for the instruments." Jules said.

Finally, Calum said, "Alright, I think one last song, and then we can move onto another subject?"

There are nods around the group. And then Calum plays the final song. 

["Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide..."]

It's Bohemian Rhapsody. 

As the lyrics commence, Jules immediately shut up and let the song's magic take hold. Robert was amused when their heads were nodding up and down to some of the rhythms. Sky followed suit with Jules, swaying to the beat and mouthing the words as the music swelled. 
Suddenly, as the guitar solo took hold, she began to head-bang to the beat, clearly absorbed by the song. Suddenly, she looked up, as if realizing that she is not alone, and went beat red with embarrassment. She turns her eyes back to the table of documents and papers, avoiding Kelsei's look of amusement at her antics. 

As Robert fell out of his chair laughing in tears, Catchen looked at Jules with an expression best described as "furiously suppressing the primal urge to karaoke."

Tiernan looked up from his tablet, having been taking notes, transcribing the conversations and events quietly in the background. He checked his phone a moment, tapped out a message to send later, then returned to note taking.

As Bohemian Rhapsody ended, Kura'quen clapped her hands, looking on the verge of tears. "Oh. That song... you can just feel the emotions there."

"Indeed," Karin'da nodded.

Amara'da chuckled to herself, "The eternal struggle of life, exemplified."

Haru'sara seems to be struggling to not say anything. The song clearly having gotten to him on some level even if he couldn't understand the lyrics.

Sky looked back up from the table, embarrassing moment having passed.  "General Amara'da, I was wondering if I might be able to help out with the preparation of the giant crabs? Seeing your kitchens, and watching how your cooks work with the food they have available may help give me an insight into what more we could provide to supplement and improve your diet here. I believe it could be beneficial to the success of our mission here."

General Amara'da nodded. "I believe we could take a short break from the talks to let you do that." 

"Agreed," Kura'quen nodded. "I think we could all do with a break before we move onto another subject." She eyed Haru'sara. "Besides, I believe we should have a few private words with our... Crab Gifting Friend, here."

"Also, being a chef myself," Sky continued. "I would want to make sure the food preparation is impressive enough to honour the great gift Haru'sara has bestowed upon us." Sky takes a sideways glance at Haru'sara when she says this, trying to read his reaction to her comment. 

Jules debated internally on whether to expound the theory that Freddie Mercury was one of his world's mythical Fae, whose words could compel euphoric head-banging in all who listened, but decided to keep schtum on that particular avenue of discussion, at least at this juncture. 

"I can escort anyone who wants to visit the Kitchen," Runa'mei offered.

Robert composed himself and reaches for his pack.  "Perhaps you could also prepare these ribs so that they may get a taste of pork.  I'm willing to help out as well," he said, not making eye contact with Sky for fear that he would lose it again. 

Sky attempted to repress her laughter as she swatted Robert in the arm.  "Thank you, Runa'mei - I fear I would get totally lost in this place!" 

"Capital notion. Sky, reckon you can make use of any of these?" Jules pulled from his bag his sampling of spices that he had bought with him.  "Just the usual cross-selection, I reckon you'll know how to best get the most out of them than me. I just tend to throw them all together and see what happens." 

Sky looked over the assortment of small bottles. "Oh, absolutely! I'm sure I can find a good use for these, especially after seeing what foods the cooks are working with here. Maybe we'll even be able to trade recipes!" she added, excitedly.

Jules's eyes lit up at this prospect. "I'll stay here for now and take in a bit of air, my writing hand's starting to cramp up a bit," he said, gesturing to the window and moving his wrist in assorted directions to stretch out the muscles. ]]></translation>
            </element>
            <element name="journalcickable2">
                <translation language="English"><![CDATA[<cover src="xplayerjournal-extcolneg1-vol2.hsm"><font size=14 face=Courier color=000056><margin left=62 right=62>REI'SCHU FIRST NEGOTIATIONS VOLUME 2: "An Introductory Tea Time."
(Transcribed by Tiernan Quinlan, Novelized by Calum Traveler, TypoCheck by Iwonk)

A short time later, maybe about half an hour by anyone's guestimate, Kelsei linked in, sans Maintainer Suit, looking a bit flustered. "Carl! Where's Carl?" She asked, clearly in a hurry.

"Outside, why?" Calum asked, motioning for the entryway.

"I just had a run-in with Benavud," Kelsei answered, marching for the exit. "He wants to speak with Carl about the Bahro. NOW."

Ereshkigal asked, "...What is going on?"

Tenny tilted his head. "Ben?  Is he alright?"

"Everything ok, Kels?" Jules asked.

Kelsei just headed outside, and finds Carl, still staring up at the moons. It takes some hushed whispers before he's finally broken out of his shock.

"Ben? What's wrong with Ben?" Carl can be heard, and seen, frowning.

Catchen looked concerned, to say the least.

"I wonder why Ben's looking into Bahro stuff for?" Calum wondered.

"I was worried about something like this," Jules murmured. "He hasn't been in the best way since he found the truth about his lineage. If things aren't handled carefully we might end up with him going full Yeesha on us." 

"I think he'd only need to look at how that worked out for her before deciding it's a bad idea," Calum frowned.

"Excuse me," Runa'mei interjected, "but this Ben is... the man with amnesia?" 

Calum nodded. "And full blooded D'ni, apparently, even if he grew up on the Surface."

"Someone without a connection to them much like me then," Runa'mei mused. "And he's asking about those... self-linkers you described? The 'Bahro'?"

Calum nodded once more. "Sounds like."

"Maybe he's trying to get more information about the Bahro to avoid walking the same path himself?" pondered Sky. 

"One can hope," Calum said.

"That would be the ideal outcome", concluded Jules. "He's a good lad, the last thing he deserves is to get into his head that the weight of an entire civilization is his to carry."

Calum grumbled something about nonsense prophecies in response to Jules' remark. 

"Prophecies are never a good thing, because they influence people to fulfill them," Sky said.

Surprising everyone, it's Runa'mei who gave an exhausted, "Yes, that they do."

Jules nodded, "Ah, self-fulfilling things of that nature have been known to do the rounds here I'm guessing?"

Runa'mei shook her head. "I'd rather not get into it."

"Reasonable", said Jules. "I've never put much stock in them, myself. The idea of being a character in someone else's story, scripted out in advance... never sat well with me. Plus the idea you can predict anyone's actions, least of all plot a linear cause and effect from them... people are FAR more complicated than that." Jules smiled. "Part of their appeal, I find."

Runa'mei gave Jules a grateful smile.

"Still, make for good stories." Jules said. "Reflections of the world around us and all that. I imagine yours must have some fantastic epics, especially with the way you get to tell them with those crystals of yours." 

Finally, Carl said, loud enough to hear: "Ben is one of our priorities. I'd better go back. I'll come back as soon as I've handled this. Thanks for letting me know, Kelsei."  After a few polite farewells to the group, Carl departed.

Kelsei stomped back inside, and motioned to Calum, "Please, keep a spot open for me until I get back. For now I need to make sure Ben isn't going off to do something foolish." She quickly Reltoed out before anyone can say anything else.

Sky turned to Jules. "This is worrisome. I wonder if we should perhaps postpone the continuation of our diplomatic mission here and return with Carl to take care of the issue with Ben. After all, it's best we represent ourselves in a good light, and if Ben is in trouble, we should maybe help him first?"

"It may not be that simple," Runa'mei remarked. "After all, didn't your friend say this Ben was asking for Carl specifically?"

"Yes, she did..." Sky replied,

Jules agreed, "The optics of the thing may likewise not play out well if we ask for a postponement, especially if we've got the main representatives of all these villages meeting us on our account..." 

The situation rapidly shifted in escalation before any thoughts on that matter could progress, as someone new linked into the scene but a moment after Jules said this. It's an older woman in silken type robes stands there, her skin is dark, and slightly wrinkled, her hair is greying, but visibly still retaining its dark brown hues in places. Her eyes are a bright, shining green.

Runa'mei stood a bit straighter then, and says, "Priestess Karin'da!"

"Greetings to all," the Priestess said, smiling.

Jules followed Runa'mei's example and straightened his posture in a manner hoping to convey respect. He suddenly regreted not asking about any necessary customs or greetings specific to members of the Priesthood he should be aware of in these formal situations. He chose to raise his hand palm open in what he hopes passes as the universal sign of peaceful greeting.

Sky doesn't know how to react - she straightened up, clumsily placed her hands together as if to pray, and bowed to the woman. 

"Greetings Priestess Karin'da."  Robert tried to show a posture of respect.

"No need to be so formal, Chezwyrd Chen," the Priestess said, smiling warmly at Runa'mei, her words at a stark contrast to her use of the formal title. "As for the rest of you..." She looked very amused at the various upright postures. "Oh, do relax a bit. We're not officially starting the meeting *just* yet!"

Runa'mei, notably, does not relax much at all. If anything, it's more obvious that she's slipped into a much more... tense state of being. Stiff posture, looking ready to deal with anything at a moment's notice.

Sky stood up again. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Priestess Karin'da."

Jules visibly relaxed once more, giving his spine a rest. "My thanks, Priestess. First impressions and whatnot. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you all," The Priestess said, and set about quickly gathering names for introductionary purposes. "I might as well lay down the basics for you, of the towns, leaders, and my fellow Priestesses that you'll be talking with. You'll be meeting with the leaders of the villages Nara'sen, Sara'fund, Karin'nen, my home village, Sen'nen, and Nen'da."

Sky pulled out her notebook and scribbled a few lines. "I think this is something I may want to write down for later." 

Karin'da continued: "Their leaders, respectively, are Amara'da, a well to do woman who leads one of our largest hunter villages. Haru'sara, the... Well. He's the man who insisted on building a village on a beach directly. Make of that what you will. Kura'quen is the woman who leads my village. She's young, new to the job, and recently gained the role after her predecessor and mentor stepped down. She's very eager to see how things transpire. Then there's Rein'da, and Hotou'runa. They're siblings who rule neighboring villages. They may argue and squawk like hatchling cranes, but somehow despite their arguments, they manage to hold a strong alliance."

Tiernan also made notes on his tablet as she spoke. Jules similarly scribbled down in his journal in his own personal flavour of shorthand.

Karin'da smiled. "Finally, there's the attending Priestesses, of whom I am one. The rest are... Cas'ka, the Herald who recently choose Chezahcen's latest champion. Jae'dhar, a plucky youngster who's had to make due dealing with Haru'sara's insanities. Then there's Sha'ri, a wise woman who helped guide many young Priestesses through their trials. And finally, Nara'nen. She's... Nara'nen. Hard as a rock, and as inscrutable as a cliff."

"You'll have to forgive me for asking this, but how do we address you and the village leaders?  What protocols should we follow?"  Robert asked. 

Karin'da nodded. "While we're serving as our official duties during this negotiations, for us Priestesses, our regular title is all that is appropriate. Priestess Karin'da, for me, for an example. As for the village leaders..." She sighed. "Amara'da will likely request you call her General. Haru'sara is... We will not denigrate ourselves with any of his requested titles, and neither should you despite his insistences. He's also refused the use of the translation necklaces." 

A pause to consider the others follows. "As I said, Kura'quen is new to the title, and she finds herself embarassed by it. She will insist you do not use a title with her, but officially, it is Mayor. Finally, Rein'da and Hotou'runa..." Karin'da seems vaguely amused. "I believe they're currently in a personal competition between the two of them for the title of 'Grand Mayor' which is an utterly meaningless distinction, both will insist they go by it while the other does not." She decides, "Simply call them Mayors, as well."

Eresh finished writing this down in her notebook. Jules nodded, trying to get his head around the potential relationship interplays at work here. The spirit of local government was truly alive and well on this plane of existence, it seemed.

"As for any protocols, be blunt and honest," Karin'da said. "Only Haru'sara is demanding for any pomp and ceremony, and we find ourselves tired with it when dealing with him. If we can dislodge him from our future negotiations, we may hold more formal meetings, but as for now..." A quirk of a smile found its way to the older woman's face. "Well."

Runa'mei and Calum returned to the room about then. Runa'mei continued to be somewhat stiff in her stance, while Calum just smiles widly. "Karin'da! Good to see you again."

"Wayward Traveler," Karin'da greeted with a teasing smile of her own. "It's good to see you haven't gotten yourself lost."

Catchen had been standing awkwardly at the back of the group with her bag of mostly tea.

"Straight talking. Got it", said Jules. "I think that works out best for us as well. Thank you Priestess, this is tremendously useful." He reviews his notes. "Haru'sara... you say he's forsaken the use of the translation necklaces. Will the meaning of our words be conveyed to him, or does he have the expectation of ourselves speaking in your language?"

Karin'da shook her head. "Unfortunately for him, Jae'dhar will be having to translate for him."

Jules said, "Ah. Well, if any ambiguities require being explained further as a result, we'll be happy to clarify at any point."

"And I am grateful to Jae'dhar for helping with the translation!" Eresh said.

"Jules, Catchen, perhaps we could offer the Priestess a pot of tea?  You know the kind I mean." Robert offered.

"Good idea!" Eresh said.

"Ah! Good shout, that man!" Jules pats down his pockets and withdraws a small velvet bag with a ribbon drawstring.  "Priestess, I got the inkling from Cal that the Eton Mess I brought with me last time went down quite nicely. Before we kick off in earnest, can we tempt you with a cuppa?"

"Oh, of course," Karin'da smiled.

Eresh took out her ethanol burner, "Do you need it, Jules?"

Catchen realised now is the perfect time. "I've brought some different kinds of tea if people were interested..." she begins getting boxes out of the bag and laying them out.

"Lovely! We'll do the honours. Carry on all, I'll keep an ear open." Jules grinned.  "Ah, yes please Eresh, just the ticket." He stepped back from the group and immediately began busying himself with the necessaries. 
Eresh lit the burner and poured water from a bottle into a kettle, placing it on the little stove. "I have some biscuits as well; small snacks made with spices from our world. We eat them with tea, usually. Would you like to try them?"

"Oh, that sounds lovely, yes," Karin'da clapped her hands.

Eresh took a box of cuminseed tea biscuits from her bag, and opened the packaging. "Feel free to try, everyone!" She takes one herself, as well. 

As the group settles down for some tea and snacks, Runa'mei excuses herself to stand guard outside, keeping a stern eye on the skies for anything that might pose a threat... of which there is precisely zero in this area, for which the reason this area was chosen.

Robert sensed that any previous tensions had eased up as he noticed how Jules was now humming as he prepared the tea.  He turned his attention back to Karin'da. "Priestess, what restrictions should we be aware of as we visit your world," Robert started. "We are explorers who are very curious about many aspects of your culture as well as your lands."

Tenny settled in for a cuppa and a biscuit.

"People will think all we have on Earth is tea..." Eresh laughed. "Once we speak to the Mayors, we might be able to share some more. Such as the rice and lentils in this bag, both for eating and for growing."

After taking a long sip of tea, Karin'da answered,  "For this trip, we would request that you do not travel anywhere without a guide, or use any linking device not indicated by us first," Karin'da answered. "Our methods of traveling between settlements are either on foot, or by traveling to Chezahcen's realm as an intermediary, and it is quite easy to get lost if you do not know where you are going. To speak nothing of the wildlife who may see you as an easy snack, fancy suits or no. We also ask that you do not touch any crystals that are not first offered to you." 
Karin'da paused for a moment, considering, "Other than that, please feel free to ask questions as they arise. But be aware there may be some things we will not answer immediately, feeling the relationship between our cultures needs deepening first."

Tiernan noted a few more things on his tablet and nodded.

"Thank you, Priestess!" Eresh said.

"We really appreciate your time." Catchen paused, getting a biscuit. "So what kind of wildlife can be found out here, aside from the... giant crab you mentioned earlier?"

"Giant cats as big as a giraffe," Calum remarked cheerfully. "Just for starters."

Karin'da smiled, "Our Traveler friend refers to the Fizh'ar Runarin he encountered on his last hunt with Chezwyrd Chen Runa'mei. A "Star stone Cat", to say it literally." She looked to Catchen, "Giant... crab?" She considered with her necklace for a moment. "Ah, you mean the Garunas, Watermoons."

Karin'da listed off a few other animals then, the previously mentioned by Runa'mei "Slaughter Crane" or "Shik'blumapa" in the local tongue goes by with a scant mention. Various other bird types are mentioned, interestingly all carrying the "Pa" syllable in their names somewhere, likely the local word for "bird." She talks about various "Runarels," recognizable as wolf type creatures once given an adequate description. And, almost as an after thought, she adds on a few varrieties of "Zyen" - or rodent type creatures, including the previously mentioned Haul Rats (Quarzen) and an unheard of cliff rat (Zyenen).

"There are other creatures, of course, but most are rare to the point of not being worth mentioning at this time." Karin'da concluded.

"Just... out of interest. The rodents, would they be of a... considerable size?" Jules asked.

"Haul-rats are man-sized," Calum chipped in helpfully. "Never seen the cliff rats?" 

"The Zyenen are mostly a nuisance to the Miners Guild," Karin'da said. "They're... more child sized, I would say, on average. Though some have rarely been reported to grow as large as some of the Fizh'ar Runarin do. Fortunately we haven't had a report of one of those since before Runa'mei was born."

'Literal ROUS's,' thought Jules. 'I'm starting to see where Carl's concerns for our safety were coming from.'

Calum coughed politely, "I wasn't kidding when I said this age was home to mega fauna, back at that first Town Hall." 

"No, indeed you weren't," said Jules. 'Douglas Sharper must NEVER be allowed to find out about this place.' He asked, "Priestess, if I may... what, in your opinion, is the prevailing sentiment amongst the leaders and other Priestesses to what we're hoping to achieve with this sit-down? General optimism? Any specific reservations?" 

Karin'da considered that question. "It depends on the person. Overall, long term, we're hoping to figure out what our best neighborly practices will be." She considered for a moment.

"Haru'sara has expressed repeatedly that he does not think that our peoples have anything to trade each other; obviously false considering the foods you've brought as offerings and gifts." Karin'da sipped at her tea, pointedly. "But Haru'sara also built a town over sand, and he and his followers refused to see logic in why it was a bad idea. Amara'da is interested in your weapons and fortifications. However, she's well aware that any such innovations are far down the road and she's willing to play the long game on it."

"Any advice on how to talk with Haru'sara?" Robert asked.

"I wish." Karin'da snorted. "As for the other Mayors, they see the benefits of an alliance. Food diversity is something we need an influx of outside matter from. We have tried in the past to use other worlds for our harvesting needs, but the results have been either mixed successes, or downright failures." 

She nodeed. "Yes, it's something they're wishing to not screw up. This is a chance for us to avert some of the calamities that will befall our world if the situation carries on without intervention." 

She frowned. "As for my fellow Priestesses... Jae'dhar will mostly be focused on keeping Haru'sara from causing a fuss. Cas'ka is, for all that she is a Priestess, also a huntress at heart. She regularly takes on Chezahcen's challenges to keep her skills sharp. She will likely insist that any deals made are sealed with some kind of test or challenge. She's one of the ones who has been pushing for Calum to establish a Challenge for your people to even visit our world."

With a slight shrug, "Sha'ri and Nara'nen, I am not too familiar with on an intimate level yet." Karin'da admitted. "They are younger than their towns current Chief Priestesses, and slated to take over those roles when their current Priestesses retire or die. I believe they're going to back up their Mayors' stances."

She smiled coyly then, "As for myself... that would be telling, wouldn't it?"

"You're not going to make it easy for us, are you Priestess?"  Robert asked.

Jules chuckled, taking a sip from his own mug. "Where would the fun be in that, Rob?"

Robert frowned in thought and looked over at Calum.  "What kind of challenges, Calum?"

Calum sighed. "Easiest one is a navigation maze. Links between multiple worlds, distance traveled in one place is distance traveled in another." He added, "End goal is to visit four 'ends' and collect a fragment of a crystal wheel."

"Proof that you've completed the challenge set forth," Karin'da nodded.

Robert then asked, "Do we get to keep the crystal wheel?"

Karin'da hummed, a curious thought. "I would wager so, if it does what I suspect it will do, should it be set up properly."

Jules' mind was turning over the implications of all this. He had considered that there was a chance that the pursuit of some kind of military technological advantages may be on the agenda, and he was wary about what introducing such an element to the negotiations would mean for this society as a whole. The absolute last thing Jules wanted was for something they bought to the world to cause an upset in the balance of power currently at work in Rei'schu. It was for similar reasons that he remained grateful that the surface world of Earth was still largely unaware of their own activities in the Cavern.

Still, this was on the whole a solid foundation to base an initial negotiation on. No outward hostility to their presence, aside from Haru'sara, and his was very much a lone voice that lacked credibility outside of his own people. And expectations that felt grounded in a pragmatic consideration for improving the welfare of their society as a whole. 

Yes, thought Jules as he took another sip of his tea. They could work with this. 

Robert looked at her suspiciously.  "Another challege?"

"Potentially," Karin'da answered Robert. "Or merely an extension of the first? Hard to say for sure."

"Challenge talk is all still super in the air." Calum said.

"Sounds like you've come across the right people for a challenge like that," smiled Jules. "One thing about us lot currently residing in D'ni, we do enjoy a good test of the mind or two. It's something that connects all of us, regardless of where from the surface we've all come from."

"So we've heard," Karin'da smiled.

"That's true." Robert said.

Jules glanced at Calum. "I imagine Cal has given you some idea of our community we've been building in D'ni. Is there anything further you'd like to know about us at this stage?"

"Nothing that shouldn't be saved for the actual meeting now," Karin'da smirked.

Jules nodded, "Ah, good shout."

"Speaking of the actual meeting," Calum stood. "I think we should all get suited up and head over to...?"

Karin'da supplied, "Nara'sen." She stood as well. "And yes, it's about time. Be a dear and fetch Runa'mei while I set up the Waru'nure?"

Tiernan has been quietly listening and taking notes.  He nods occasionally and makes further notes, sipping his tea.

As Calum heads outside, Karin'da sets up a fairly ancient looking Linking Book onto one of the stone podiums in the back, having shoved aside some of the bedding lying there. She handles the book with extreme care. Its cover creaks loudly and looks about like it's ready to collapse at any moment.

She gives the poor book a look of extreme sympathy, and gently massages at a corner. "Don't worry, little one. Your last use will be for a great cause."

She gently turns the pages until the Linking Panel is exposed. Despite the age of the book, the Linking Panel is sharp and clear, if only slightly frayed around the edges. There is no sign of warping to the actual gateway image.

Jules drained the last of his tea and reached for his helmet.  "Well, regardless of what happens next, this has all been rather lovely. Thank you for sharing your insights with us, Priestess Karin'da. I hope we get to do this again at some point."

"Yes, thank you very much for being a wonderful host." Robert added, "And new friend." 

Karin'da smiled to them, and nodded. "It is my pleasure. I do so enjoy getting the measure of people. Making friends is something I rarely get to do, given my role these days," she adds.

Sky managed to pull her helmet over her head and looks towards Karin'da, "I hope we will be seeing you at the meeting? I feel your calm presence and understanding may be very welcome..."

"Of course I will be there," Karin'da smirked. "My town's Mayor is one of the attending Mayors, after all." 

"This preliminary meeting with you has been helpful as well as informative.  It has definitely eased some tension and concern from our minds."  Robert said.

Karin'da nodded. "As I hoped it would." She glanced outside. "Calum has done much the same during his previous visits, easing many minds. He speaks highly of your people."

At around this moment, Kelsei linked in, clad up in full Maintainer Suit, asking, "I'm not late am I?"

"No, dear, you are not," Karin'da said. "Just in time, as a matter of fact."

Sky waved at Kelsei, drawing attention to the bright blue scrunchie on her wrist, "You made it, Kels!"

"Glad I did," Kelsei waved back. She's wearing a green-with-yellow-stripes band around her own wrist. "Had to make sure Carl had things in hand with Ben before I came over. Last I saw of them Carl was just diving into an old historical lecture and Ben was raptly paying attention. Taking notes, even!" She seems relieved. "Hopefully, Ben won't just up and take off again in the middle of it if he hears something he doesn't like."

"Oh, that's good to hear. I was worried about Ben." Sky smiled.

 Tenny collected his equipment and suit.

"Heh! Wish some of my first years had that level of attentiveness to their studies." Jules idly wondered if he should pass Ben an enrolment form to the RNU.

Robert remarked, "Well it should give Carl a diversion from worrying about us and this meeting.  He is very concerned about all this and has expressed his opposition."

Kelsei nodded, and Karin'da chuckled.

Helmet re-attached, tea-making apparatus safely stowed and his personal effects to hand, Jules stood ready to take the next steps into what lay ahead. Calum returned, bringing Runa'mei with him. Kelsei gave her a short wave. Runa'mei nodded curtly, still in her tense state. Even Kelsei could see she's unsettled by something.

Robert put his hat away placed his helmet on.  It clicked into place and sealed properly.  "Everyone all set?"

The group approaches the Linking Book in queue, much to Karin'da's amusement. The linking panel shows a strange stone clearing in the middle of a forest. Pillars circle the edges, some visibly containing linking books.

Tenny shoulders his backpack and pulls on his helmet with a sigh.

Sky jumps around in place, both from excitement and nervousness. "Let's do this."

Linking through, the group finds themselves in that clearing. The ground is a large stone-brick pattern, making a large circular shape. Stone podiums encircle the perimeter, each containing either Linking Books, or crystals that look vaguely like Bahro Stones to some degree. The trees tower overhead like giant California Redwoods, with glowing mushrooms growing from their sides. And the sky is an utterly alien mishmash of bright blue stars, and orange and blue nebulas.

"Welcome to Chezahcen's realm," Runa'mei said with the utmost respect. "We often use it for quick navigation between places in our world."

"Like the Nexus," Calum added for clarity.

"Oh...." Tiernan breathed.  "Wha' I wouldn't give t' set up an observation station here..."

Karin'da is the last one through, and she heads over to a single podium with a linking book on it. "Here is our next destination," she says. "Head through when you are ready."

"Astonishing," breathed Jules, temporarily taken aback by the sight of the sky above.

"Aye..." Tenny agreed. "I could spend th' rest of me life jus' catalogin' those stars..." Tenny said, looking around.

Sky resisted the urge to lay on her back and just stare at the sky. Birds chirped, insects buzzed.... The distant sound of a large creature growling cut through the night-time atmosphere.

"Eep!" Sky jumped.

Runa'mei doesn't seem alarmed, however. "It's far enough out it won't bother us. Much too quiet for it to be nearby." She says. "They often leave these hubs alone, anyways."

"Chezahcen has a beautiful realm, Runa' mei," Tiernan said reverently.

Blinking to dislodge the feelings of awe overcoming him, Jules took a second to make a cursory yet respectful nod upwards on the offchance that Chezahcen was presently in attendance. 

"Aye, she does," Runa'mei agreed. "I'm told it's far more peaceful now than it was before her ascension."

"Would it be too much t' ask if I took some photographs?" Tenny asked.

"It wouldn't," Karin'da shook her head. "Many first timers find ways to commemorate their visits."

Tenny nodded and raised his KI to snap some quick photos.

"My mom had a painting made, the first time she came here," Runa'mei said.

"Oh, what a wonderful idea!" Tenny said, taking several more and when his KI is full, switched to his iPhone. "Perfect, now I know wh' I'll be doin' when I get back." he chuckled softly.  "I'd love t' present a paintin' t' you if I do any tha' are any good, Runa'mei. I'm a bit of an amateur, y'see."

Runa'mei smiled. "I would appreciate it."

Tenny nodded and gave a thumbsup, smiling under his helmet.

Robert examined one of the crystal stones carefully.  "Jules, take a look at this.  This looks like a Bahro Stone."

"Warum're Jaear," Karin'da intoned, regarding the stone Robert is looking at. "Our replacement for the Waru'nure as they become too old to use."

Jules observed the stone Robert pointed out, being careful to keep a respectful distance and not to touch.

"Most of our books come from long before we lost contact with D'ni," Runa'mei explained. "Usually, the caretaker family- my family's distant ancestors- replaced them when they were damaged or destroyed, but after my Grandmother came here, and we lost contact with D'ni..." Runa'mei trailed off, unsure of what else to say. 

Karin'da chuckled, "Yes, well, we had to become creative to maintain our contact lines."

Tiernan checked some of his equipment, making further notes.

"Waru'nure...  linking book?" Robert asked, " You mean to say this used to be a linking book?"

"This is a Waru'nure," Kain'da motions to the Linking Book she stands next to. "That," she points to the crystal, "is a Warum're Jaear"

"Linking Book but it's a Crystal," Calum clarified. "Different technology, same result. Same rules, too." 

"Interestin'!" Tenny exclaimed, then explained, "So th' air appears fine here, but I'd most definitely like t' do some further research for th' future."

"We can arrange that in the future," Karin'da nodded.

Tenny wondered, "Calum, I wonder if there might be a way to provide them with replacement Books at some point?  I'm not a Writer though, I've really no idea if tha's possible."

Calum nodded to Tenny. "I've thought on it. I've offered. The crystals are more sturdy than books, though, so it's been declined."

"Ah, well tha' makes sense." Tenny said.

"It's a remarkable take on The Art," said Jules. "There's been great interest in the study of other means of linking beyond what we know of the use of books. This... this is going to fascinate a number of us."

Calum noded to Jules, "Tell me about it. And here I thought my experiments with Vertigo Crystals was going to be a breakthrough. Turns out I was trying to reinvent the wheel these fine folks already figured out."

Tenny chuckled.

"How do you make the Warum're Jaer from the Waru'nure?" Robert asked incredulously.

"We don't," Krain'da answered Robert. "The Waru'nure are retired from use after their time passes." 

"Ah..." Tenny nodded, understanding. 

Calum's KI beeped and he glanced at it. "We really ought to keep going on. Meeting time's soon."

Calum headed to the book Karin'da stands by, and links through. Tenny nodded, and followed with the others. Sky rubbed her hands together to warm them up, and linked through.

'Once more unto the breach,' thought Jules as he linked through.

Approaching the book, one can see a stone room with a single podium in the center, a crystal rests on it. Linking through places one in the room, which is something of a library of old books and scrolls, none of which seem to be linking books, judging by the one a schollar is reading as everyone links in. There is a single set of stone doors leading outside. The crystal on the podium is a return Linking Crystal, heading back to the nexus-type area that had just been left.

"Facinatin'!" Tenny breathed.  "Jus' amazin'."

Similarly, seeing the familiar looking visuals of a library immediately put Jules well at ease.

"Welcome to Nara'sen," Karin'da said as she arrived, and immediately headed to the doors to push them open.

Outside there was a large city made of massive stones, held together with brass-metalworks. The architectural style is far more advanced than anything else the age seems that it should have, and paradoxically, far far far more ancient.

'Nara'sen.'  Tiernan noted in his tablet.  'Library.'

It is a fortress of a place, and a massive metal gear can be seen sticking out of one wall into a passing river, turning with the water as it flows beneath it.

"Jules, you and I could spend to rest of our lives, studying these texts alone." Robert joked.

"I could as well, Robert," Tiernan said, looking out at the city, and making further notes.

In one large courtyard to the left, several warriors in training can be seen working through various stances with precision. To the right is something of a foundry setup; blacksmiths hammering at weapons, tailors working on armor and clothing, woodsmiths creating shields...

Dead ahead is a large palace like structure; the figure of a massive beast of some kind seemed to have once been carved into its frontside. Instead, it has been carved away, to reveal a figure beneath, a woman with cat and wolf ears, with matching tails, her arms outstretched and wings spreading behind her. 

It is a visual representation of the Old God of the Hunt having been literally replaced with Chezahcen.

Tenny considers a moment, pulling out his phone.  "I, uh, I'd like to take some further photographs, if it is acceptable, Runa'mei?"

"Of course," Runa'mei said. "This is Nara'sen," she began to narrate. "Home to the Hunters, and more than their fair share of Chezwyrd Chens over the centuries."

Tenny snapped several more photos with his phone.

"That's the fighting school." Runa'mei glanced over at the training yard, "I trained over there when I was chosen to be Champion." She motioned at the forges. "And over there's the armory foundry." 

"What's with the giant gear water-wheel?" Kelsei asked.

Runa'mei chuckled. "Ask the ancients who built this place. They loved the aesthetic for some reason."

"Nara'sen is one of our oldest remaining intact fortresses," Karin'da said, stepping away to lead the group towards the palace. "It dates back far before even the disaster that shattered our world. You'll find similar ruins to this scattered across the world; the debris of their remnants left behind to rot and decay."


"I'd love to take a closer look at the smithing at some point," enthused Jules to the others. "Anglo-Saxon-era armory and weapon-making is a fascination of mine. Has a bit of a chance to study the process on a previous jaunt, would love to see how they compare." 

"Fortresses..." breathed Sky. "Wait. If you have fortresses, you were protected your people against an enemy. This was before the battle over the Knife?"

"Our history of back then was very.... fractured," Runa'mei answered.

Motioning the cat figure to Sky, Robert whisperd, "Holy Feline, Batman!  It's Catwoman!"

Sky laughs, but looks up at the sky, too.

"Marble goddess," Calum nodded towards the statue of Chezahcen respectfully. Runa'mei chuckled at Calum's remark, though Karin'da seemed baffled for a moment. Soon, the group is lead under the protective stance of the Chezahcen Statue and through a pair of open metal doors into a very large palace area.

Sky turned to Runa'mei. "So there was fighting before, and the final battle and resulting cataclysm was the  result?" 

As Karin'da navigated the group through a maze of hallways, Runa'mei answered with a nod. "Unfortunately, yes. At least, that's as best as I've been able to piece together."

Sky asked, "Do you not have any written history of those events?"

"A lot of it was lost to the Cataclysm," Runa'mei answered. "I've gone exploring in ruins that were said to be vast libraries, only to find massive chunks of the structures ripped out into the unknown."

"Do you believe it was some sort of civil war?" Robert asked.

"A lot of what I've recovered has been brought here to Nara'sen," Runa'mei continued, and glanced to Robert. "Less a civil war, more the war of nations." She looked nervous for a moment. "Our world was not one united place even before my ancestors became involved. There were many who fought with eachother, and when the victors had their spoils, turned on even more who had been left alone."

"I see." Robert frowned. "A world war."

"Yes, you could call it that," Runa'mei hummed.

Jules nodded grimly. He had been preparing himself for questions about Earth's own myriad bloody conflicts, dreading how such a fractured history of violence would be considered by the leaders and Priestesses. It gave him a small comfort that they may at least be able to empathise with it on a relatable level having dealt with similar conflicts in their own past, and hopefully look beyond this in their considerations. 

Karin'da quickly held the group to a halt as a cross hallway was being utterly flooded by a group of marching scholars, each debating loudly in the local tongue. It's impossible to say what they're debating so fervently, even to those who understand the language. It was just too many overlapping conversations at once.

Karin'da sighed. "Lovely, it must be one of those days."

Catchen mused about how the people of this world, and the people of Earth, already have this common ground. "This" here relating to a world that was no stranger to conflict, and human vs human.

Soon, the flood of scholars passed, and Karin'da resumed leading the group through the facility. She said, "Nara'sen, while also being a chief training hub for hunters, is also an academy for the knowledge and the arts."

Jules asked, "Those days?"

Karin'da smiled painfully to Jules. "Presentation Days."

"That is to say," Runa'mei chipped in, very amused, "they're debating for who gets to run team assignments when they present their projects to the teachers today."

"Ah," Kelsei hums in her own amusement. "One of those days indeed."

Jules chuckled. He could all but relate. It was the same energy exhibited by several of his colleagues trying to outflank each other for dept grant funding. Catchen, meanwhile, reviewed some of her own memories of college.

Soon, the group arrived in a decently sized room whose primary feature is a large wooden table, round in shape, decorated with D'ni language carvings that spell phrases that are decidedly not D'ni words. There was a large window overlooking the training yard; the perspective seemed to imply that the group has navigated, somehow, upwards, and in a direction to the left that did not at all track with how they were actually walking.

'Delightfully Arthurian,' thought Jules, pleased by the contours of the table. 

Kelsei looked out the window to her left, and sees the shapes of the Chezahcen carving's torso that way. The window is nestled, somehow, beneath one of the wings. "Didn't we go down at one point?" She asked, alarmed.

Karin'da and Runa'mei just chuckle to themselves.

Soon, doors at the other end of the hall open, and in walk two bickering men, twins in appearance. Their skin tone was hued somewhere between Runa'mei's and Karin'da, leaning towards Karin'da's darker end, and both were shaved bald. Additionally, their eyes were a contrasting set of blue and orange. 

Behind them entered two Priestesses, much to the alarm of those who hadn't yet seen this fact in person, they seemed even more identical than the twins, and, infact, seemed eerily, impossibly related to Karin'da herself.  They were younger than Karin'da, however, by several decades, but even so, the resemblence was uncanny and somewhat mystical. Dark brown hair, bright green eyes, impossibly identical faces. 

These, it could be presumed, were the brothers, Rein'da and Hotou'runa, and their Priestesses, Sha'ri and Nara'nen.

"And I'm telling you, I had the most tokens on the last game!" the one with blue eyes, Rein'da, said pointedly.

"No, no, no a thousand times no, I was the one with the most tokens!" The orange eyed brother, Hotou'runa, countered.

Sky whispered to Murry, "Oh boy - we'd better figure out how to tell these two apart - and fast!"

"Mayors!" Karin'da interceded with a clap of her hands and a smile on her face. "Welcome." She quickly made the introductions, "Everyone, this is Mayor-"

"HIGH Mayor Rein'da, at your service!" Rein'da interjected, his blue eyes gleaming.

"No, I'M the High Mayor, Hotou'runa," the orange eyed man replied,

"Whatever happens, we are NOT bringing Monopoly to this world", Jules whispered to Cal.

Calum whispered back, "I think these two would have already invented it by now." 

As names were given to the Mayors, Runa'mei headed over to one of the Priestesses,the one wearing blue robes matching her Mayor's eyes.  "Hey, Sha'ri." Runa'mei greeted. "How're things back in Sen'nen?"

"Well, 'Mei," the priestess answered. "The recovery has gone well after you killed that Runarin."

"Glad to hear it," Runa'mei smiled.

The Priestess in orange, Nara'nen, seemed a bit annoyed by the conversation. "Are we here to discuss trivial hunts, or discuss the weather, perhaps?" She snarks.

"Shoosh, Shacas'karel," Sha'ri quips in turn, "we are still waiting on the others to arrive."

'No time for what she considers trivialities, that one,' noted Jules.

"I would like to discuss the weather, actually," muttered Sky under her breath.

Robert whispered back to Sky, "Easy.  Twiddle Dee and Tweddle Dum."  He mentions from left to right. Sky giggled, and quickly changed to a serious face to avoid getting caught. 

"Yes, actually," Hotou'runa grins. "I would like to discuss the weather! It's lovely weather we're having today, wouldn't you agree, Nara'nen?" The Priestess grumbled at her own Mayor's remark.

"Oh, yes, it's quite lovely!" Sha'ri agreed, clapping her hands. Suddenly, Jules felt right at home.

"I was impressed it wasn't raining," Runa'mei added.

"Does it rain often?"  Sky asked.

"Frequently," Runa'mei nodded.

"And all year?" Sky asked.

"Ah, now *That!* That depends on the region," Hotou'runa said.

"Yes, Nara'sen often gets frequent rain storms," Rein'da added. "Makes it poor for crops. Too much rain, washes away the good nutrients."

"Ah! Tell me more, your Highnesses..." Sky said.

"Unlike Sen'nen," Hotou'runa quipped, "which is practically dry all year long."

"We live on one of the Moons. What else do expect?" Rein'da remarked, glancing at his brother.

"To settle in one of the wetter regions of the lunar surfaces?" Hotou'runa shrugged.

"Look, just because YOUR part of the moon gets more rainfall per year on average than MY part of the moon does doesn't mean...!" Rein'da cut himself short, and gripped his hands into fists, before taking a deep, stabilizing breath.

Sky pondered for a moment. "There may be ways to prevent the soil from eroding due to rain, or to reintroduce those lost nutrients back in. Either way, it is possible to amend even the poorest of soils to support some type of crop." She smiled tentatively.

Rein'da looked at Sky, eyes widening. "Really now? Tell me more! I'm- Wait, no. Best to save that for Amara'da." he shook his head. "This is her Town, after all."

'Mhm. Karin'da was right on the money. These two are somehow both an unstoppable force and an immoveable object each. Must be careful not to tilt the balance too far in one direction,' thought Jules. 

"Gladly," Sky responded to Rein'da, "I look forward to studying each of your growing environments and helping determine how, and what, we can plant, to help enrich your diets and sustain your populations."

"That sounds lovely!" Rein'da said, eyeing his brother. "Don't you agree?"

"Yes, it really does sound great," Hotou'runa nodded.

There's no sense of sarcasm or tension between them all of a sudden

"In fact, here, one moment..." Hotou'runa began digging into a bag he carried. "I think I have some weather charts from the last year..."

"Oh, wait, I've got the soil sample charts for..." Rein'da dug in his own bag.

Sky looked on, very interested in the prospect of being able to help plants gardens.

Suddenly, like a well oiled machine, the two brothers were laying out papers and documents onto the round table, and nearly completing eachothers sentences as they hurriedly dart from one topic to another.

"But what about the tide charts?" "I've got them here. What about the-?" "The Garuna migration charts, right here!"

"Oh, you're going to have fun refereeing those two.  Let me know if you need help," Robert  whispered to Sky.  He quietly chuckled.

Jules gave a thumbs up. Karin'da leaned over to Rober and Sky, and added, "Oh, yes. You're going to have your hands full indeed." She chuckles to herself.

"I look forward to the challenge, Priestess," Sky responded with a smile.

Soon, half the table is just about covered in documents and paperwork, and the brothers have emptied their bags. Both stand proud and excited, and then realize they both may have gone a bit overboard very quickly.

"Ah.... did we just info dump?" Hotou'runa asked.

"I think we did, yes," Rein'da nodded.

It is an incomprehensable amount of information covering the table. It's hard to make heads or tails of it, if only due to it all being written in the D'ni font.

Kelsei took a look at it, and clapped her hands. "Oh! I can translate this. I think!" She quickly got out several journals and started comparing information in one to everything on the table.

"She's a fast study," Sha'ri remarked.

"She's one of the best." Robert said.

Tiernan observed all of this goings-on quietly, making notes and chuckling softly to himself.

Jules nodded happily. As far as first impressions went, this was already showing the signs of a solid foundation indeed. 

Robert quietly shuffled away from the flurry of flying papers.

Sky interjected, "Kelsei - this looks like a lot more info that we need to establish the climate zones of the various villages. I mean, migration patterns of giant crabs? Maybe not relevant...Any way you can figure out what's what before going through the trouble of translating it all from A to Z?"

"Oh! Yes, sure, that should... yes, of course." Kelsei nodded. 

As Kelsei and Sky work on the documentation provided by the brothers, conferring with them to ensure Kelsei is getting the order right before beginning translations, Town Mayor Kura'quen enters the room, takes one look at the mess on the table, and then looks to Karin'da and asks, "They're info-dumping on the visitors already?"

Karin'da just noded sagely. "They are."

Sky looks up from the pile of documents. "We did ask for it."

Robert shruged.  "Actually, I believed you dived in, head over heels."

"With great gusto", Jules added.

Kura'quen is young, and mousey looking. Her reddishbrown hair is a frizzy mess of tangled nonsense, and a pair of wire-rimmed glasses sits haphazardly perched on her nose.  Her eyes are a pale green, and she seems to be only a bit darker in skin complexion than Runa'mei. There's a distant sort of family resemblance between them, if one squints. Likely cousins.

Runa'mei pays her no attention, however, and Kura'quen does the same to her.

Kura'quen just sighed, and adjusted her glasses. "Well. As long as you're all having fun." She went to sit down at the table and set out her own documents. "Don't mind me. Just going to set up."

"Mayor Kura'quen," Karin'da introduced, belatedly. "The Mayor of my town, Karin'nen."

"Yes yes, Kura'quen present," the Mayor in question replied, face deep in a bag as she ruffled around inside for something at the bottom. "Oh, where is it...?"

Jules noted the absence of the word Mayor in her self-address. 'Just as Karin'da had described. Will need to remember that when addressing her.' He likewise took his own bags to the table and neatly deposited them by a suitable chair opposite Rein'da and Hotou'runa's mess of papers before returning to the other explorers. 

Kura'quen soon recovered a projection crystal, this one in a pale orange color, and sets it on the table, before digging into her bag again.

"Has anyone seen our remaining Mayors yet?" Rein'da asked, glancing at Sha'ri.

"General Amara'da and Priestess Cas'ka were dealing with something related to the school, last I checked," Sha'ri answered. 

"Haru'sara's likely going to be late, as always," Nara'nen quipped.

Robert glanced at some the maps that Sky and Kelsei are studying.

"Look at all the fissures here," Kelsei whispered, pointing at one part of the map. "It's like everything radiates out from here, spokes of a wheel type."

Robert nodded.  He really hoped to be exploring some to get some answers.

Hotou'runa nodded. "We think that's where one of the Old-Hunt-God's portals used to be."

Robert was intrigued, "Portals?"

"Supposedly, back before the D'ni came to our world," Rein'da explained, "the Old-Hunt-God used his knife to carve portals from his realm to ours."

"It's a matter of debate," Hotou'runa said, "personally I think the D'ni arrived earlier and the 'portals' were the ancients mistranslating the Waru'nure."

"Pen versus sword interpretations," Kelsei muttered. 

"Regardless of the truth of it," Hotou'runa tapped at the spoke-wheel fissure point. "This is where we believe one of the first connections to what is now Chezahcen's realm was established."

"Obviously, the disaster that befell our world took it out in the process," Rein'da stated.

Robert asked, "I must have missed it earlier.  Does this Old-Hunt-God have a name?"

"None that is remembered." Karin'da stated.

"Chezahcen consumed his very being to gain his powers, in some interpretations of the legends," Hotou'runa said. "Even his name was destroyed."

"Let's hope it wasn't Gehn." Robert joked.

"Consuming a name? That's about as definitive an end to an existence as you can get," said Jules.

Catchen looked over at Jules. "The name... merely rings a bell."

"Indeed, it is," Rein'da said.

"Others say that the name was intentionally forgotten to prevent his return," Rein'da added. "A perpetual un-existence." 

Jules nodded. "That makes sense. There's a saying on our world, that a person is not truly dead while their name is still being spoken. It seems the sentiment is shared here." 

"I've asked, by the way," Runa'mei chimed in. "Chezahcen refused to answer."

Tiernan nodded.  "In my culture, a name is extremely important," he says quietly.  "Loss of a name is the same as death."

"A part of me can't help but wonder if the loss of so much of our pre-cataclysmic history wasn't targeted at the Old-God specifically," Hotou'runa remarked.

"To be non-existenced so thoroughly at a time when the world was falling apart... perhaps it's best his name's fallen through the cracks, as it were," Rein'da quirked a smile at his own joke.

Tenny chuckled.

The sounds of a loud discussion fades into hearing alongside the sound of marching boots on stonework. It stops at some distance away, and sounds unimportant to the moment. Karin'da barely pays it any attention. Surely, this place is a marvelous hive of activity.

Robert looked out the window, staring at the long,  huge crack in the distance; stitched together by a suture of glowing crystal stitches.

Calum joined Robert in looking out the window, and remarked, "Kind of terrifying, isn't it? That a world could become so close to tearing itself apart?"

"Yeh. But it's just as interesting that it could actually pull itself back together."  Robert said.

"I think that all depends on who was doing the pulling," Calum mused, gazing upwards at the sky. The edge of one of the moons could barely be seen at this angle.

"Uh, Priestess Karin'da, I assume there isn't any designations in respect of the seating arrangements. Is this here fine?" asked Jules as he beckoned to his own personal effects where he had placed them beneath the table.

"Anywhere is fine, yes," Karin'da answered.

The twins chuckle to themselves, and the other Priestesses glance at eachother, smiling.

Kura'quen looked up from her bag, frowning, "Are we making fun of Haru'sara again?"

"Splendid, splendid," he said, and set about retrieving his journal for note-taking, along with removing several leather hardback volumes from his bag. "Hm? Oh, not at all! Forgive me... Kura'quen, right? I'm one of those types that always has to make sure he's in the right seat before taking it. It's a habit, I'm working on it." 

Robert motioned to Calum toward the table.  "I guess it's showtime."

"Oh, okay, good to know," Kura'quen finished setting her items out from her bag, and relaxes into her seat. She looked exhausted, to be quite honest.

"Aye," Calum chuckled, and heads over to the table. "Though, I think we're still missing-"

Before he can finish his sentence the large doors the group entered with slam open, and a large, armored woman barked out something annoyed at a rather irrate looking scholar type, who snapped something back just as annoyed, and storms off.

Jules's spine immediately snapped taut in response to the loud exclaimation. 

Meanwhile, Robert caught himself from standing to attention and saluting.  He sat down next to Sky and whispered, "Now the fun starts." 

Returning to his items, Jules finished piling up several more lavishly decorated tomes, leaving the rest of the items in his bag concealed for now.

The armored woman entered the room, surveys the group, and says, simply. "I'm General Amara'da, leader of Nara'sen."

She took off her helmet, revealing a lightly scared face, with one blank white right eye, and a gleaming purple left eye. Then, she stepped over to the table, grabbed a random empty chair, and sat down in it with a huff.

It's another moment before another Priestess comes marching into the room, her priestly robes offset by the boots and gauntlets she wore. Priestess Cas'ka, by all measure of imagination. Her hair is tied back into a fancy ponytail, and dyed with multiple colors of various powders. Her hair looked like a rainbow of oranges and reds and golds.

"General, can you please not insult Professor Nur'meida like that?" She requested, green eyes narrowing.

"He was being a rei'fund and a da'ma at that," the General grouched. "I can insult him as much as he insults me."

"Everyone, this is General Amara'da, and Priestess Cas'ka," Karin'da introduced them.

Cas'ka took her seat to Amara'da's left. Once seated, she said, "It's a pleasure to meet you all."

"Preistess," Runa'mei greeted simply.

"Chezwyrd Chen," the Priestess returned just as simply.

"General, Priestess.  It is a pleasure to meet you." Robert greeted.

"Likewise, General, Priestess" said Jules. Before taking a seat, he mutters to Karin'da "refreshments available on request, Priestess."

"We'll wait for Haru'sara," Karin'da replied, jovially. "He'll love it." 

Jules nodded and took his seat, hopefully giving off the impression of someone who looked like he knew what he was doing.

Catchen unobtrusively taps Jules on the shoulder and gives him the thumbs up

As the group settled in, and made the introductions and such, a foul, salty stench suddenly became noticeable, as if blowing in from a breeze through the window. The Priestesses seem resigned, the Mayors all grimace.

"Brace yourselves," Nara'nen suddenly advised everyone. "It's Emotional Storm Haru'sara."

Sure enough, from the still open room doors, a figure comes marching in. On terms of physical appearance, he's the stereotype of the old grizzled fisherman with a grudge to grind against a white whale or a giant shark or something of the sort; short, wirey hair, an eyepatch over the right eye, a wooden pipe clutched between his teeth...

And then there's the man's clothes. Or rather, 'armor.' 

It's plate coral. His entire uniform is plate coral, crudely strung together with seaweed and barnacle covered ropes. Atop his brow is a crown made entirely of dull, yellow crystal and coral fixtures. It's mostly coral, and looks like the coral has grown around the crystals. He wields a wooden scepter carved out of drift-wood, with a broken off metal chunk of gear atop it like a magical staff, afixed into place with yet more barnacle covered rope. 

Behind him is a P  riestess, who looked just about ready to murder the man with her looks alone. She's clad in dark green robes, and her hair is cut short at shoulder length.

Everyone else that's local stared at the man, befuddled, as if this isn't a usual occurrence for him. Judging by the wiry grin the man starts to sport as he saw their reactions, that's entirely the intent he was going for.

Runa'mei, of all people, is the one to burst out laughing and ask what everyone's thinking: "By Chezahcen, what are you *Wearing!?*" 

The new Priestess, Jae'dhar translated, and the man laughs in response, and says something that has him grinning. Jae'dhar translated: "Haru'sara refuses to give you an answer."

Runa'mei's eyes twitched. "Seriously?"

Jae'dhar nodded, grimacing. "He won't even tell me and he's been dressed like this all day. I don't know what he's trying to even do with this."

The oddly dressed man takes his seat at the table, grinning like someone playing 3d chess.

Karin'da emoted the universal standard of a facepalm.

Sky looked up from the pile of documents she has been pouring over, and covers her mouth with her hand to hide a giggle. She leaned over to Kelsei, "Was there a memo we missed about coming in costume?" 

Rein'da flat out said what he's been thinking, "Did... did he hit his head or something?"

Kelsei shook her head in response to Sky's question, looking just as confused as everyone else is.

Jae'dhar just looked unimpressed and refused to translate those statements.

"I feel this is the type of person that we will get nowhere negotiating with, no matter the topic." Sky mused.

Eresh is unsure whether to be serious, as this strange dress could just be a cultural thing; but she noticed the reaction from the locals and smiled, herself.

Haru'sara just barks out a lengthy string of the local language, looking utterly amused the entire time. The other Mayors just... well... They looked like they've met Excaliber, to put it politely. Very disgruntled. Very unnerved.

Jae'dhar translated, "He's introduced himself as "High King of the Salty Seas, Haru'sara the Unimportant." And Yes. he did use Unimportant."

Eresh snorted. "Combined with 'High King'. Imaginative title!"

Sky tried, unsuccessfully, to hide her amusement at the High King's title.

"We are not calling him that," Rein'da said simply.

"Oh good. I don't think I could say it with a straight face!" exclaimed Sky.

Hotou'runa just nodded in agreement.

"Can... can I call him Low King instead?" Kura'quen asked.

"Maybe Low Tide," Nara'nen remarked.

Jae'dhar translated upon request of the so called high king and he just laughs even further.

"Apparently, someone woke up on the weird side of the bed this morning," Calum grumbled.

"Calum, have you had dealings with this guy before? I mean, what's his deal?" Sky asked.

"I've not had the pleasure," Calum answered, eyeing the man's driftwood scepter warily. "This is a first."

Karin'da just remarked, "His deal is that he likes making us guess what his 'deal' even is." She then says something to the man directly. It's clear that Karin'da is NOT amused by this little stunt of Haru'sara's.

He replies back, very much amused.

Karin'da pointed towards the way he came in, barking an order that sounds like she's asking him to change.

Haru'sara just grins, and says, in what is clearly the universal standard tone of defiance, what can only be a "Make. Me."

Karin'da's left eye twitched faintly.

Sky, who has been quietly shuffling and folding papers during this time, opened up what looks like a giant folded hat, and unceremoniously plopped it on her head.  She continued to work.

Everyone glanced at Sky, but none more so the so called "High King" who looks afronted. 

Then, he barks out a laugh.

Karin'da just sighed. "Fine. Whatever. We'll deal with it."

Sky looked up with a smile, feeling she has maybe found some common, albeit absurd, ground with the "High King". She keeps the hat on. He certainly seems happier than a clam, to say the least.

"Very well then, since we're all here," Amara'da said, grimacing at Haru'sara's direction. "I suppose we should properly begin."]]></translation>
            </element>
            <element name="journalclickable">
                <translation language="English"><![CDATA[<cover src="xplayerjournal-extcolneg1-vol1.hsm"><font size=14 face=Courier color=000056><margin left=62 right=62>REI'SCHU FIRST NEGOTIATIONS VOLUME 1: "These are the Voyages..." 
(Transcribed by Tiernan Quinlan, Novelized by Calum Traveler, Typo Check by Iwonk)

Our story starts in Eder Naybree, with the diplomats arriving, and awaiting for the arrival of the Linking Book to Rei'schu. 

Jules Lavisham paced over the wooden bridge, visibly distracted and trying to get his nerves under control. Robert Murry soon arrived, carrying his Maintainer Suit and a backpack filled with some items to gift to the  Rei'schu people.

Skyisblu sat on the long, waving bench, listening to the sound of the waterfall behind her. She rummaged through her rather large pack, pulling out a pocket knife and an apple. She cut it into chunks and offers a piece to Jules. "Jules, you're going to do some serious damage to that bridge with all your pacing, and I think Calum would prefer not having to repair it again! Come sit down - have a piece of apple. Hey, Robert, would you like one too?"

"Yes, please, Sky.  Jules, I have something stronger if you need to calm some nerves," Robert Murry replied.

Skyisblu skewered a chunk of apple on the tip of the knife's slim blade, and extended it towards Murry.

"Thank you Sky.  Mmm, it's very sweet with a hint of tartness."  Robert watched Jules continue to pace about.  "Jules, will you please sit down.  We'll need our energy when we get there."

"No, you're absolutely right", sighed Jules. Deciding to give the boards a much-needed break, Jules took a seat and gratefully takes the apple slice provided by Sky with a nod of thanks. "Haven't felt this on edge since my old alma mater's model UN society back in my student days. Feels a bit more consequential now. For a number of reasons..."

"I've made first contact with a few tribes in my career," Robert mused. "Once discovered a lost Mayan tribe.  It's never easy and always stressful.  You don't know the cultural taboos and customs that you might stumble over.  It's normal to be nervous.  At least, initial contact with these people has been made, and they seem peaceful and at ease with us." 

The singsong of birds could be heard despite none being seen. The wind blew quietly. The Sun inched overhead subtly, adjusting the shadows upon the wall of statues nearby, on the opposite end of the bridge. To those there, a sense of anticipation was brewing in the air... And although they do not move themselves, the change in lighting caused the statue with a lampshade hat seem to tip said hat slightly.

Robert remarked, "Do you ever get the feeling that those statues are looking right at us?"

Eresh Linked in, carrying a bag and an earthenware pot. "I hope the people of this world like lentils. It does strike me as the kind of place where a vegetable garden would do quite well."

"That's what I'm hoping for too, Eresh." Sky said. "I am looking forward to getting a real feel for the growing environment on this mission, so I can help them establish community gardens. I've been studying lots of gardening techniques that can be adapted to all sorts of climates. Plus, gardening is soooo relaxing."

"Yes!" Eresh noded, excited. "Legumes seem a good idea to include, since they fix nitrogen into the soil and fertilize the plants around them. And pulses are a good source of  non-animal protein, since I am not sure how long it will take for them to get adequate supplies of chickens or eggs, or whether they will even like them."

Catchen, who arrived during the middle of this discussion, looks thoughtful at the idea of beans.

"Lentils, chickpeas..." Eresh mused, "they're a great staple."

"All things we will hopefully find out! I am excited to talk food with them - learn their eating habits, their likes and dislikes." Sky stated, "Food is such a common factor across cultures and civilizations, it is hard not to get people to open up when you bring up the subject of food! And gardening, by association, is a close second."

"We can swap recipes." Catchen suggested.

"I can definitely concur," Eresh said. "I've worked for years in international groups, where we were separated by language, culture, background, and religion, and food always bridges the gap. Cooking together, even across a livestream, works great. I've brought a small ethanol burner and a set of little camping pans; it's not much, but we can cook something on it."

"I don't have any academic experience of this kind of thing, but..." Catchen looked sheepish for a moment. "I've had to carefully handle some People in some, uh, *Situations.*"

"I have plenty of experience cooking in all sorts of situations - I also brought some good knives and basic seasonings, and a wealth of recipes which can be easily adapted..." Sky smiled at Catchen. "And good to know you know how to keep calm in tricky situations, Catchen. That is always a good thing to have in tense situations like we are about to enter."

Skyisblu skewered another piece of apple and extended it towards Catchen, "Apple slice?"

"It's not my first Mothman rodeo, you might say," Catchen happily accepted the apple slice. "Thanks!"

"My pleasure! If nothing else, I will always make sure the "troops" are fed," Sky declared happily.

"I'm interested to see what they make of my spices" said Jules, beckoning to his own stash of assorted goodies sitting nonchanatly by the gazebo on the other side of the bridge. "The prospect of establishing something akin to the old Silk Road feels like something that the historians of old would look on with approval."

"The old Silk Road, not the...ahem," Catchen coughed. "...other one." 

Jules looks over his glasses at Catchen. "There's more than one?"

"Uhh, its some 2000s illegal Internet crap." Catchen appeased Jules. "I wouldn't worry about it. Let's not bring these people Internet, eh? Or crimes."

"Let us keep the Internet far away from this society, it's more trouble that it's worth." Jules agreed. "I asked Ed what an NFT was once. I could actually feel my soul perish with each word he spoke."  The sense of existential dread at those three specific letters would make any sensible person flinch. 

Sky looked at the spice bag enviously. "Yup, these will make a fantastic curry! Hopefully they have something akin to squash there we can use! Oh...did I remember to pack some coconut milk?" She began to dig down into her backpack.

"I have grated coconut," Eresh offered.

"That works!" Sky accepted it.

A sudden thought occured to Jules, and he immediately darted across the bridge and busied himself amongst his own items. "Come on, come on, I can't have - ah!"

Eresh hands Sky a box of grated coconut, "I brought it for making sambhar, along with sambhar masala."

Jules uncovers a wrapped brown package with the stamped logo of Bird & Blend prominently displayed. "There. Whatever happens, we'll have the Priestesses on side." He pats the package and replaces with the others, returning to the group.

"Tea, Jules?" skyisblu asked. "What types did you bring?"

Robert opened his pack.  Inside are some crystals of various colors, some books, and a few bottles of a certain brown liquid that he had offered to Jules a little while ago.

"Oh snap!" Catchen exclaimed. "Guess what I also brought?"

Jules perked his attention up at the sight of the bottles.

"I'm hoping to trade them for a sample of those crystals to study and analyze." Robert explained, "I've brought some sapphire, ruby, rose quartz, and emerald samples.  I also am giving them several books on Archeology, Geology, History, Science and Literature.  The scotch is also a single malt from our family distillery, for relaxing while they read.   If they don't want the scotch, then we'll have something to relax our nerves."  Robert cocked an eyebrow at Jules. 

"I kept with the Eton Mess, Sky, it was specifically requested." Jules explained. "But I also slipped in something herbal, thought they might go for some Deckchair Dreaming. Thought it might go down nicely with some of the musical choices we've provided."

Catchen grimaced, "Can you guess what's in the bag though?" 

Jules gives Catchen's bag a going over, attempting to discern any distinguishing shapes that might offer up a clue.

"I hope no one brought any Heavy Metal or Viking Opera." Robert joked, "Their crystals would shatter, and that would be the end of our trip, not to mention us."

Jules mused, "I did consider some Wagner, but I figured they may need working up to that sort of thing. Holst offers a reasonably accessible entryway into the classics, I feel." 

Catchen opened the bag, and it's full of boxes and boxes of tea, of about 11 different kinds.

Jules eyes widened with unrestrained delight. "Yup, that should do the job nicely."

"Any coffee in there?" Robert asked.

"I think there's coffee?" Catchen shrugged. "It's, uh, it's instant, though. On the grounds of not having a coffee machine where we're going. Probably." She begins rummaging and locates the jar.

"I brought Gwenael Kerleo's harp music, and some Bengali songs," Eresh remarked.

"No worries, Murry," Sky said, "I always travel with a moka pot. With the ethanol burner that Eresh packed, we'll be set for coffee, too." She then whispered under her breath, "...You can never trust the instant stuff."

The sun ticked overhead, and Kelsei linked in at the far end. A moment later, Calum joined her. Only Calum is clad in a Maintainer Suit, sans helmet. Kelsei has a large bag slung over one shoulder. Both approach the bridge at a sedate pace, carrying on a conversation from elsewhere.

With his voice drifting in as they approached, Calum sighed. "...onestly, I just wish we don't need to be so cautious about all of this. I'm worried about how radio silent everything's been. Books don't just get shoved between desks!"

"And sometimes they do," Kelsei rolled her eyes, and they crossed the bridge, not noticing everyone standing on the near side of it. "If those Most Wanted folks seriously thought they'd do anything by stealing your Pod 12 book, why wouldn't they make a name for themselves again? Returning the book and hiding it doesn't make sense. It's completely against their M.O." She smiled. "But it's better to be cautious than not. That's why I'm taking the book back to secure it once you all head through. I'll come by after I've locked it back up safe and sound where nobody will find it."

Calum looks annoyed, "I get I'm probably being paranoid again, but honestly, something feels off. If someone took the book to Pod 12 why put it back without doing anything?"

Kelsei gives Calum one of those looks. "Seriously, I think you're just reading too much into things here, Cal. You took a look around, I took a look around. Nothing's wrong in the age except the usual geothermal nonsense. Active Volcanoes do that anyways."

"Fine. I'll let it slide." Calum sighed, shook his head, and then looked across the bridge, realizing they'd walked past everyone so far. "Oh, looks like some people are here already. Shorah, everyone!"

Catchen waved, mid-stuffing everything back in her bag.

"Ah, hello hello you two!" waved Jules. "We're just doing a stock take of our assorted offerings. I think between what everyone's brought, there's going to be something that hits someone's tastes, literal or otherwise."

"Hello everyone," Kelsei gave a wave and headed back over the bridge, pausing slightly over the one loose plank this time. "Sounds like a good plan. Has everyone shown up yet, or is it just you all so far?"

Behind her, Calum grumbled something about tree climbers and made no attempt to fix the loose plank as he passed it by, though he did check to make sure the rest of it was holding fine along the way.

"Just us so far, I think. I did check in with Ed, he's been in Whitby the last couple of days, the Uni's sent him off to track down a first edition Elias Bodenheimer that's been causing a bit of a stir in the usual circles." Jules checked his KI, his brow furrowing. "He does have his Relto with him, but knowing how these trips of his goes there's usually SOME manner of jackassery that ends up waylaying him. He did say not to let things hold up on his account if he can't get away."

Kelsei nodded, "Well, hopefully he can make it. It'd be a shame if-" She paused as Calum whacked at one of the metal spikes holding the rope bridge to the stone pillar with the side of his Maintainer Suit helmet. The metal on metal noise rung out like a bell. "Calum Would You Kindly! Not?!" 

"Sorry! Louder than I thought it'd be." Calum replied.

"Well, hopefully Ed can make it, and it'd be a shame if he didn't," Kelsei continued.

Carl Palmner linked in wearing a Maintainer suit minus the helmet. He takes one sour look at the group, and frowned. "Everyone needs to be suited up and ready for anything." He looked over at Calum. "I still think this is a bad idea. You and I both know that Age is not safe. Bringing a bunch of random volunteers along...I don't like this. We should have soldiers or hunters or something."

Calum snorted. "I think the locals have that angle covered Carl. Worst comes to it, I think Runa'mei will probably drop in like the Dark-Souls Protag she is."

Carl just grunts in response..

Calum shruged, and Kelsei sighed, muttering, "Boys."

"Carl, trust me... I can handle myself." With that said, Robert Murry headed to use the bedroom cave to suit up.

Sky waved emphatically at Kelsei, and Kelsei waved back.

"Don't worry about us, Kelsei - I've got my kitchen knives. But yes, you might be right about suiting up before heading in, Carl." Sky paused. "Mind you, is it really necessary? I mean, it does look a little scary, the bunch of us waltzing in on a diplomatic mission, in the equivalent of army uniforms. And big metal ones at that."

"They're aware of what the suits are for," Kelsei said, and then side eyed Calum, who tried, and failed to whistle innocently. "None of us want a repeat of Calum's first visit at this stage."

Sky noded, "True. How are you feeling after that, Calum? Any lingering effects?"

"The cold? No." Calum shook his head, and briefly took off his glasses, revealing shocklingly violet colored eyes beneath the darkened lenses. "The Crystals?" He rolled his eyes. "Let's just say they left their mark." he put the glasses back on.

"Ooh - that's a new look! Umm...any side effects? Ability to see sounds or something, maybe?" Sky asked, trying to peer under Calum's glasses

"As far as I know, nothing new like that, just a visual artifact of a bad connection being severed," Calum answered. "Apparently, my eyes were glowing different colors with the connection shifting for a while there while I was sleep walking."

"And thus, they stopped on purple when the connection was cut?" Kelsei joked. "Lucky you."

"Holy Hungus," whistled Jules. "You're looking a regular Titus Groan there and no mistake, Cal."

Calum looked confused. "Titus who now?"

"Oh yeah!" Sky exclaimed as she remembered, "That night I ended up helping you to find a lost cat, your eyes were glowing orange - I just thought it was a reflection of the light in the cavern." A smile. "I prefer the purple, too."

Jules smiled. "Remind me to bring you my leather-bound Gormenghast collection down with me next time. Quintessential work of British gothic literature. Cracking BBC adaptation as well."

Calum seemed surprised, "Orange huh?" Then, he glanced at Jules. "Gormet what now?"

Kelsei facepalmed.

Robert returned, wearing his Maintainer Suit and carrying his hat.  He puts it in his pack. "I'm ready.  Ladies, the cave is available for changing."

"I'll be holding back to secure the book back where it belongs, and changing then," Kelsei said. "So I'll pass for the moment."

"This here?" Catchen picked up some disassembled bits of a Maintainer Suit.

"Yup!" Sky responded, dragging her own suit behind her like a dead body, "Come on - the cave is over this way." She made her way to the back of the age. 

Eresh looked askance at the bridge planks, then follows to the back of the age. Catchen followed them with an armful of suit bits.

Robert sat down and adjusted something inside his helmet.  Jules's jitters were starting to affect him as well.  This was normal for Robert at the beginning of an adventure.  He knew to be cautious, but also to be very alert and observant of any new culture he encountered.  This had saved his life on more than one occasion. 

Doctor Tiernan "Tenny" Quinlan linked in, with his Maintainer Suit and what looks like a military medic's backpack.  He held his helmet under one arm, squinting against the light for a moment. "Ach! Hullo all!  I'm not late, am I?"

"Not at all, Doc," Calum quiped.

Tenny set down his backpack beside one of the benches and sits down to check through his equipment. "So, I've got stuff here t'treat a number of thin's," he explained, "as well as some medicines an' so forth f' th' natives in case they need it.  I can teach them how to make these if they need as well. Is there anyone on th' team here with medical or first aid trainin'?"

"Well met, Doc", waved Jules. "All ready to have a stab at this 'Diplomacy' business?" He frowned. "Been a while since my St. John's Ambulance. Could probably do with a refresher on the basics. Especially if one of those Big Beasties presents their credentials."

"I've had Wilderness First Aid training.  It's come  in handy on more then one occasion."  Robert rubbed at a scar on his right arm and smiles, remembering that time in the Amazon jungle.

"Excellent, excellent!" Tenny said. "I was thinkin' at least one of you folks had some trainin'... we might end up needin' some medics at some point.  Hopefully not, but it doesn't hurt t' be prepared."

"Tenny, you're starting to sound like my old scoutmaster." Robert cracked a smile. " Heh.  However, no offense, I hope we don't need your services, if you catch my meaning."

Catchen returned from the cave, in Maintainer Suit sans helmet. "Did someone say first aid?"

Tenny chuckled and grins.  "Aye, same here, Robert! Same here! Hopefully, I'll jus' be an observer."

"Yes Catchen," Robert explained. " The doctor was wondering who has had medical or First Aid training.  Have you had any?" 

Catchen nodded, "Some training, and some...personal experience I wasn't strictly trained for."

"Well any help is appreciated." Tenny said.

"Eh, festivals. They teach you things sometimes." Catchen said, which explained everything about the previous remark while explaining nothing at all in the way a good explanation always did.

Sky returned from the cave, walking a little more stiffly, getting used to the Maintainer Suit, remarking, "I'm pretty good at bandaging up fingers, if it's any help."

Tiernan grinned and gave a thumbs-up to Catchen and Sky.

Calum checked the time on his KI, and surveys the group. "I think we've got about everyone? Is there anyone straggling behind who hasn't made it yet?"

"If need be, I could stay behind for a few minutes to wait for anyone who's late?" Kelsei offered, adjusting her book bag. "If you want to go ahead, that is."

"Eresh should be right behind me," Sky said.

Calum nodded, then to Kelsei, he said, "I think I'll go ahead and see if our welcoming party is waiting, if that's alright? Everyone can follow through at their leisure."

"Alright." Kelsei dug into her bag, and retrieved a linking book. It looked utterly plain and nondescript on the cover, save for an embossing on the cover, depicting a female figure with arms and wings outstretched.

She opened the book to the panel, and Calum, after doning his helmet, linked through.

"All sorted here" said Jules, giving his helmet sitting beside him a reasuring tap. "Shall we bring our assorted gatherings with us when we come through?" 

Kelsei noded, "I think that would be best, yes." She placed the Linking Book down on a vine covered bench and sat next to it. Examining the Linking Panel of the open book, the team could see a sort of temple like building carved into the side of a cliff. There's not much else to be seen at the present moment due to the fixed angle of the panel itself, but it gave some indication of the destintaion.

Tenny pulled on his helmet and chuckles behind it, sounding canned, tinny... "Ach, I sound funny in this thin'..."

"Right! In which case I'll start assembling." Jules moved towards the assembled items and starts collecting his own into a couple of study woven bags, performing a quick inventory as he does so.

Tenny busied himself with shrugging into his backpack as everyone else gets ready to Link.

Sky swung her oversized pack up from its resting place on the bench and shrugs it onto her shoulders, "Ready when you are!" 

"Right, all present and accounted for. Ready to do this thing." Jules declared.

Robert stood up and put on his backpack.  Then he attached his helmet onto his Maintainer Suit and locked it on.  "I'm all set and ready.  Sky, are you having trouble with your suit?"

"I'm just not used to feeling so restricted in my movements. I'll get used to it. " Sky said, bending her knees and flexing her elbows, as if to loosen them.

"Did any of you ever play the Wall Game?" Catchen asked.

"Once. And my opponent was nice enough to let me win." Sky answered.

Robert tried to wiggle in his suit, but fails to get comfortable.  "These things are definitely not unisex."

Catchen stifled a loud FNAR. Sky laughed out loud.

"Perhaps trying it with the hat left on, Rob..." Jules remarked.

"That's not the area that doesn't fit, Jules!" Robert countered.

Tenny looked over at the group.  "I can help anyone if they need't."

Sky said, "I think the only thing that might help is a hammer, Doctor, to loosen some of the more - umm - tight-fitting parts!"

Tenny observed, "Heh, well, th' D'ni were thinner an' taller than modern humans, so it's not perfect by any means. It takes some gettin' used t', definitely."

"Well aware," said Jules, grinning like a good'un. "Was more the general style of the thing. Also, we should have SOME way of telling each other apart." He paused. "Ah, unfortunately I left my anvil in my other coat." 

"Oh, I think I have some colored headbands..." Kelsei dug in her bag for a moment.

"Alright," Robert laughed, "Haha.  Let's go."

"Ahha! here you are, Jules!" Kelsei retrieved a group of various colored elastic headbands, hairbands, and hair scrunchies.

"Ah, perfect. That's using the noodle." Jules approved.

Tenny chuckled and walked over to Kelsei to help distribute the colored bands.

"I do request that I get them back at the end of this, though," Kelsei winked.

Robert nodded, "Good thinking Kelsei.  Maybe next time we can sew on nametags."

"Maybe next time, yes," Kelsei giggled.

Sky promised, "I'll make sure you get them back, Kelsei - I know exactly what a girl's hair elastics mean to her."

Kelsei smiled, "Thank you, Sky."

Sky tried to shove her own messy bun into the suit's helmet, with little success.

"Ach, Sky, lass, let me help y'..." Tenny moved over to Sky to attempt to help her wrangle her hair into the Maintainer helmet.

With much struggling and shoving of lose strands, the helmet finally falls into place - sort of.

"Oof. Thanks, Doctor, " Sky said with a smile.

Tenny chuckled and pats her on the back, gently.  "Never a problem!"

Everyone did their final adjustments and checks of their gear and suits.  Then, they looked expectantly towards Kelsei.

"Book's open," she smiled, and motioned towards the Linking Book.

Upon Linking through the book, the team arrived in a large stone temple room. The massive chamber is lit by large crystaline lamps held to the walls by metal and stone frames. The metalwork depicts the same female figure upstretching her arms and wings. 

It's clear that the room has been cleared out of anything that used to be in it that wasn't bolted down by its own weight, and is in the middle of being repurposed to some degree. A wooden crate lay in one corner, carrying large banners that are to be, some day, hung from the walls. Two large stone slabs lay in an alcove in the back, with piles of bedding thrown on them, on either side of a large stone relief of the cat-eared woman whose form is depicted in Naybree.

There is a single stone doorway, leading outside via a stone ramp. Were one not wearing the Maintainer Suit, the air would feel cool, yet humid. Outside, one can hear the vague noises of animal life, as well as two people chatting.

Robert looked around incredulously at the room.  "Jules, have you ever seen anything like this in your life?" 

Tiernan looked around the area for a place to set up.  Finding an empty corner, he moved quickly over there and knelt down on the floor, clearing the linking-in area for the others.

Sky linked in and audibly gasps at the space. She walks around the room, looking up into rafters, at the crystalline lamps overhead...  "WOW!"

"My feelings exactly, Sky," Robert said.

"Calum, is this the Cathedral? Because it certainly feels like it." Sky asked.

"It definitely ought to be if it's not," Tenny says, looking around.

"Calum?" Sky spun around a little too fast, making herself dizzy. "Cal - oh! Where'd he go?"

Robert steadied Sky.  "Easy there."

"It's some remarkable masonry. Definitely constructed with the intention of impressing, and succeeding..." Gazing up at the walls, Jules was taken back to his younger days of staring longingly at the Mayan temples in the archaelogical periodicals he used to find in his old school library. "I wonder how old the stonework is... built to last, certainly."

"Nobody touch the crystals." Robert said. "Even with these suits on, we don't know the effects it would have on us."

"Agreed," Jules nodded. "They did enough of a number on Cal to know our physiology has something of a reaction. At the very least I'd rather not play colour roulette with my pupils."

Robert Murry quipped, "Yeah, I like my blues eyes."

Tenny chuckled,  "I could stand t' have normal colour eyes m'self though.  One gets a bit tired of people starin' at me eyes and askin' me if they're 'real'."

Catchen suddenly became a bit self conscious and worried she'd been staring. Seeing that, Tenny just chuckled again, reassuringly.

"The metalwork on the lamps and walls is very detailed and ornate," Robert observed. "I've never seen this detail in ancient temples."

Outside, there is laughter, and in response, one can hear a wary toned, yet somewhat astonished Calum remark, "Surely it wasn't THAT easy for something that big!"

The reply from the other conversationalist, a female voice, replied with a laugh, "I do not joke. It seriously leaped without checking the distance first. Ran headlong into the wall and sliped down the side, no matter how much its legs skittered for traction! The thing trapped itself in the river ravine! But it gets better!"

"Dare I ask how it gets better than a giant crab trapping itself in a ravine?"

"Almost as soon as it hit the bottom, the thing was eaten by a fish even larger than it was! Burst forth from the water and swallowed it whole!" 

"...What."

"AND THEN! Then! The most absurd thing ever!" A burst of unrestrained laughter. "A massive slaughter crane- largest I've ever seen- swooped in and GRABBED the damned fish mid meal MID AIR!"

"You have to be joking!"

"I am *Not*! I swear with Chezahcen as my witness, it happened! Exactly like that, in a matter of moments between each happening!"

"There's always a bigger fish", Jules murmured to himself. He noted the term slaughter crane and filed it away for future contemplation.

Tenny tilted his head towards the conversation.  "Sounds like Cal has made contact with a friend at any rate." 

Robert went for his bag to retrieve something and stopped himself.  'Better not.  Don't want the natives to get aggressive,' he thought.  He returned to studying the crystals and the glyphs on the walls. 

Skyisblu, oblivious to the entire conversation, was now sitting on the floor in a corner of the great hall, notebook in hand, sketching the large crystalline lamps overhead.

Carl swung his gaze around the group, counting the members, then stepped out of the temple and looked around warily, ears tuned to even the slightest sound. 

The outside area was a large island like protrusion, budding off the side of a large, C-shaped cliff. The upper cliff was lined with trees and crystals, and the water churned below. In the distance, several large, forested mountains can be seen, and two piercing green moons that look like cats' eyes gleamed down from overhead.

Standing near the base of the ramp is Calum, clad in his Maintainer Suit, though once again sans helmet for the purposes of face palming. And a woman in leathers, armed with a large spear on her back. She looks to have tanned skin, and blue eyes. Her hair color is impossible to tell for certain as it seems to have been dyed with a white chalky substance to bind it into locks. 

"Oh?" The woman looked over towards her left, at Carl. "It seems your friends have arrived."

"Oh, hey," Calum checked his KI at a glance. "Carl! Glad you could make it over so quickly." He motioned towards the woman. "Runa'mei, this is Carl Palmner. Carl, this is Runa'mei, Athsheba's granddaughter." 

Carl said nothing, seemingly caught in awe, gazing up at the moons above. 

"It's nice to meet you," Runa'mei said after seeing that Carl seemed a bit stunned into silence. "...Quiet one, isn't he?" 

"Sometimes, yeah," Calum shrugged. "I'm guessing the others are inside already, we should go make introductions." 

Inside, Tiernan was considering the cathedral area thoughtfully, looking around. "Should I set up here, or perhaps somewhere else?"

"This is just the arrival zone," Calum announced as he walked inside, rejoining the group. "Something of an initial quarantine area of sorts?"

Tenny noded inside his helmet.  "Tha's what I was thinkin', a bit of a triage."

"Yes, the Priestesses have set people into the process of setting up a place for your people to visit safely," Runa'mei said, following Calum inside. "We wanted you to see it, apparently." She sounds as if she was not consulted in this decision until a later moment.

"Tenny, Runa'mei, Runa'mei, Tiernan Quinlan, or Tenny," Calum made the quick introduction.

"Heh! Hullo there, young lady!" Tenny said.  "I'm smilin' at y'!"  He waved.

"A pleasure," Runa'mei smiled back. "But yes, we're expecting to ferry you over to the actual negotiations area once the Priestesses arrive with the Linking... Book? Stone? I'm not sure which it will be." She looks confused for a moment. "Your 'english' language is confusing." She remarks to Calum, who chuckles in amusement. 

"To us as well," he said.

"This place is meant to be, as I understand it, an arrival point where your people can survey the age without having to wear the helmets and suits," Runa'mei continues on. "It's very much in progress though, as you can see." She looked around. "I can't fathom why Chezahcen donated one of her temples for this cause, though. Sure, this one was unused due to it drifting away from the mainland, but even so..."

"Probably the spectacle of it," Calum remarked, motioning towards those who were enraptured with the decorative designs of the place. 

"Doc, is it safe to remove our helmets?" Robert asked, eying Calum lack of headgear. "You know that Kelsei told us to keep an eye on you." 

"I'm probably safer than most of you, due to recent exposures," Calum remarked. "I'd keep them on for the time being." He fumbled and put his helmet back on. "That said, I ought to be wearing it when we leave."

"I can run some quick tests, jus' a moment," Tenny said, opening his backpack and busying himself with his equipment.

"Hello Runa'mei.  I'm Robert Murry."

"Nice to meet you," she smiled.

Robert nodded, "I read about your hunting adventure with Calum in his journal.  I'm very impressed with your prowress and hunting skills."

"Oh? That?" Runa'mei looked slightly... embarassed isn't quite the right word, but perhaps resigned? "It's nothing special. It was practically a very average fight compared to some of my 'adventures.'" She clutched briefly at a crystal hanging off of a necklace. "I believe the phrase is 'It was Tuesday'?" she glanced at Calum, who shrugged. 

"I can't remember what day of the week it was at all, but yeah, that's the usual reference." Calum said.

Tenny set up a few things and pulls out a monitor, checking it and looking around. "Yes, we can take our Maintainer's Suits off in this area, it reads just fine, folks." Tenny pulled off his helmet and flashesd Runa'mei a bright smile.  "Ah! There we go!  Now I can give y' a right proper grin."

Robert unsealed his helmet and removes it.  "Whew!  That's better.  I prefer making eye contact when talking."  He winked at Runa'mei. 

Calum sighed, and pulled his helmet back off. "Why did I even bother with this thing again?"

Runa'mei just ignored his remarks, smiled at Tenny, and  then chuckled briefly at Robert. "Eye contact can be a valuable thing for sure."

Catchen followed suit and removes her helmet; or attempts to, rather. It seemed to stick and she fumbled with the latches.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Runa'mei said. "I'm quite interested in hearing about your time in D'ni. It's a bit of a fascination to me."

"Whelp, when in Rome," said Jules, and removes his owm helmet. He savours the cool air of the temple on his face.

Robert went to his pack and started to pull something out of it.  He noticed mid act that Runa'mei is eying him suspiciously and clutching the handle of her knife at her side.  "Easy there, Miss.  I'm just getting my favorite hat out."  Robert pulled his hat out and put it on his head.  "Never miss an adventure without it."

Eresh put down her bag and respectfully nodded to Runa'mei. "It's an honour to meet you! How should I address you?"

Runa'mei looked away from Robert towards Ereshkigal, and answers, "My official title is Chezwyrd Chen. Chezahcen's Hunting Champion in your language." But she gives an awkward smile, and says, "But I'm just fine with 'Runa'mei', it is my name, after all." 

"That works! Pleasure to meet you, Runa'mei. Jules Lavisham," Jules introduced himself. "Tenny and I were here last time when our Cal was holed up with the lurgi."

Tenny chuckled. "Aye, that is true!"

"It's good to know you're at least somewhat familiar with things here," Runa'mei said. "Means I can rest a bit easier, in some regards." She eyed Jules, and then said, "I hope you brought more of that tea."

"The younger Priestesses are apparently very much wanting more of it," Calum remarked, bemused, not much of a tea person but still understanding the draw for some folks.

Jules patted the side of one of his bags. "By popular request! Catchen and I have also bought a few more varieties with us too, so they should be well catered for."

"Lovely," Runa'mei smiled warmly, and in relief. "Maybe the next time I drop by my home village I won't have to deal with my local Priestesses badgering me about when we'll be getting more."

Tenny chuckled softly, and Jules laughed, saying, "There's a reason my own lot have adopted it as their national beverage. Its the sort of thing that's relevant in any situation, for entirely different reasons." Feeling the ice has starting to break, Jules starts to feel himself relax a bit.

"It's an honour, Runa'mei." Eresh said, "And I can recommend Jules' tea; we have entire cultures on our world who love it!"

"Judging by the Priestess' reactions, I can see why," Runa'mei said, smiling.

Eresh offered, "We usually have this with some small snacks. I've brought some biscuits with cuminseed, a spice from our world. Would you like to try?"

Robert quietly muttered "Thank Chezachen that Skyisblu brought some coffee for the mornings around here."

"I appreciate the offer, but not right now, I'm... 'on the job' as your people would say?" Runa'mei glanced at Calum, who noded at a correct phrasing. "Yes, I'm on the job at the moment. I'm mostly just keeping an eye out for any wildlife that might seem fit to intervene." She continued, "But to fight some beasts off requires a clear mind and a settled stomach. I only have a few foods I eat while working. What I've found I can stomach if things get messy."

Robert looked longingly at his bag again and shook his head.

"Messy, right," Calum looked to be lost in a rather unsettling memory for a moment.

Robert asked, "Runa'mei, are we in any kind of danger here?"

"Not on this island, no," Runa'mei answered. "The most you'll see are some medium sized... crabs I believe you'd call them? In the waters below."

"By medium, you would say...?"  Jules held out his hands and gestured a hypothetical size with his palms.

Runa'mei glanced to Calum and asked, "How big would you say the haul-rats are?"

"Man-sized," Calum answered. 

"A single one of the haul-rats  would be the equivalent to small crab," Runa'mei clarified. "Medium is... hrm... about the size of four next to eachother? Perhaps a bit bigger?"

"Car sized," Calum clarified.

"They stay in the waters," Runa'mei said. "They aren't good climbers by any stretch of the imagination. That said, I'd avoid swimming."

Eresh looked startled. "On our world, we have large things, too. But they tend to live in the water, as the gravity gets too much for them on land. I wonder how the creatures here stayed so large?"

"I mean, giraffes and elephants are a thing," Calum shrugged.

Robert steadied Jules,  "Easy there, old boy.  Just when I thought you were feeling at ease with this place."

"Hmm? Not a bit of it", said Jules, hurriedly putting his hands down. "Merely regretting not bringing any tartare sauce with me." ('Or something sharper from the collection,' he added privately to himself.)

With a gasp, Catchen had finally gotten the helmet off. "Sorry, did somebody request tea?"

"They are very tasty, when served right," Runa'mei said in response to Jules remark.

"I'd love to learn how to cook them, if they don't eat us, that is... How aggressive are these crabs?" Eresh asked.

"The medium ones are content to swim as long as you don't harass them," Runa'mei answered. "That said, the small and large ones tend to be... more aggressive."

"How aggressive are we talking about?" Robert asked.

"The small ones would be like a tiny dog barking at you, i'd expect," Calum mused.

Runa'mei noded. "More show than bite, the small ones." She paused. "Ah, but the large ones..."

And then she started to laugh

Calum rolled his eyes. "You might as well tell them what you were telling me earlier."

Barely restraining her laughter, Runa'mei grinned, and said, "Let me tell you about my latest hunt."

Tenny looked around, thinking a moment.  He then decided to remove the rest of his Maintainer's Suit.

Runa'mei settled the group down in a circle- sans Carl who was still gazing at the sky above outside in a rather concerning BSOD state- and tookout a small green crystal from her bag. She placed it on the floor, and hummed briefly. In response, the crystal suddenly shape shifted into a terrain map. One could see a large ravine, next to a village.

Collecting a few items from his backpack, Tenny headed for the entrance.  "I hope y'don't mind if I set up a weather station outside here a moment--" He pauses as the crystal projects the map and tilts his head with interest.

"This is..." Runa'mei considered for a moment. "Oh, it was either Sara'nen Village or Nara'sen Village." She considered a moment longer, then moved on, "Anyways, it's a costal town of sorts. They get harassed by the large crabs who take offense at the harvesting of their smaller bretheren."

She hummed again, and a large crab shape morphed out of the crystal near the town. It looked comically posed, with its pincer claws held in the air.

"This one, the locals called 'Rage Claw', who seemed less interested in avenging his fellow crabs, and more about trying to make a show of things."

With another hum, the whole crystal mess reshaped to show just the crab, now much larger in scale, with a very small humanoid figure for scale. Jules watched on in fascination, transfixed by the display before him, much as the others were.

"Needless to say, 'Rage Claw' was not very smart." Another hum, and the scene shifted: the humanoid figure now held a spear, and was jabbing it at the crab, who was flinching away in surprise. 

"Apparently, he did not expect resistance to ever come his way. Did not know what to do when someone, or something, stood up against him." Runa'mei hummed again, and the scene shifted back to the ravine... The crab was fleeing from the spear wielding figure, heading for it.

"So, he ran. And Rage Claw, as I said, was not very smart. He thought to jump the ravine and lose me in the act." And then she burst into laughter again.

With a series of rapid shifts that followed, the scene shows the crab launching off one edge of the cliff... and smashing headlong into the other side of the ravine, several feet lower than the top of the cliff.

"He miscalculated, and fell down the side of the ravine, right to the bottom!" 

The crab scuttled, trying to climb back up the cliff, before falling, and landing at the bottom. The image shifts soon after, showing water splashing up as the crab hits the bottom of the ravine.

"And then comes the most brilliant part," Runa'mei giggled.

She hummed once more, and the scene shifts to show a very large shark like creature bursting forth from the water, grabbing the crab in its jaws.

"But that's not all!" Runa'mei managed to get out between fits of laughter.

With a concerted effort to get out one final hum, the scene shifts to show a massive, crane-like bird having swooped out of the sky, and grabbed the shark-fish mid leap.

"The largest slaughter-crane I've ever seen grabbed it and took off with it!" Runa'mei then colapsed to the ground, laughing.

Tenny blinked and stared on. Catchen had completely forgotten about tea, transfixed by the crab story.

Unable to maintain its shape, the crystal display suddenly shrunk back into a compact crystal with a snap, and rocked back and forth along the ground from the momentum.

Robert stared in awe of the projections.  "Amazing!  The crystals don't just store images; they also can project them."  He looked at Runa'mei questionly.  "Or are they storing memories?"

With Runa'mei laughing over the story still, Calum answered Robert's question. "Depending on the type, the crystals are something of a strange mashup of Rime Crystals and Serenian Memory Globes, or Rime Crystals and Tay Crystals." Calum dug around in his own bag, and pulled out a small blue stone. "Some of them are very receptive to just taking on an image if you think of it and push it at it."

With a concentrated look, and an attempt at a humming note, the crystal in Calum's hand shifted into the shape of a cat. It doesn't hold the shape for long before resetting.

"It takes practice to get it right, though," Calum concluded.

"Brilliant!" Tenny said. 

Runa'mei's laughing fit was contagious, it seemed, as Robert started chuckling as well.

"They're pretty handy things," Calum said. "They have classes where they teach the children here how to manipulate the shifting stones, among other classes with actually shaping things by hand."

Robert requested, "I would certain like to attend such a class if I may be allowed.  Jules, did you see the size of that bird?  Jules?"

"Astounding. Absolutely astounding." Jules said, in awe.

"I was able to take a few classes while I was staying here, so that should be fine," Calum said. "But we'll see what the Priestesses say."

"These crystals are beautiful!" Eresh said. "I wonder how they respond to different music; would they take on different accents or cultures depending on what is sung to them?"

"Ah, I bet those kids from ASU would love t'see these crystals," Tenny said.  "They love things like tha'."

Runa'mei finally started to get her laughter under control, sniffling back laughter tears as she manages to set back up.

"Different crystals respond to different harmonics," Runa'mei managed to get out between a few lingering chuckles.

"The applications for both teaching and storytelling... incredible." Jules shook his head. "Certainly beats my faculty's old overhead projector. Blows Powerpoint out of the water especially." 

"That's amazing." Catchen agreed.

Tenny laughed and grinned at Jules, nodding.

"That's beautiful." Eresh asked, "Do the crystals themselves also sing? Do they have minds of their own?"

"It depends on the crystals," Runa'mei answered.

"Are they alive?" Eresh asked.

"Some are sentient, some are waiting to be, and some never will be," Calum quoted.

"These little shifting ones?" Runa'mei picked up her example crystal. "Alas, they're not sentient. They take on images and hold them, but they'll never take on life that isn't given to them."

"Can you communicate with the sentient ones, Runa'mei?" Eresh asked. "What wisdom such a crystal might hold..."

Runa'mei smiled wistfully, "Some hold onto the memories of our ancestors. And yes, we do communicate with them."

"Like the Serenia ones, which hold memories," Eresh realized.

"Yeah," Calum nodded. "From what I've gathered there's a major Serenia-like vibe with the afterlife system here." 

"Like 'Soul Stones'?" Robert asked.

"So you'd say they exhibit emotions?" Jules asked.

"Oh, yes, as many as the lives before them held," Runa'mei nodded. "Though, the process of imprinting oneself into a crystal is a long one. It's not an immediate thing."

"Do people keep their own crystals to imprint upon?" Eresh asked.

"Some do, yes," Runa'mei nodded. "The Priestesses tend to be the ones who do so as a requirement of their job, but others who are experts in their fields often pick up a crystal to save their experiences to."

Tenny took a few notes on his tablet before tucking it back into a smaller case he'd taken out of his backpack.  "That is a process I'd definitely like to learn more about."

"This sounds like a wonderful system for keeping knowledge alive. Do you use the written word as well? Or do you no longer need it?" Eresh asked.

"We use the D'ni font for our written language," Runa'mei said. "Though, only the Miners Guild speaks it as a given course."

"Is the stone you're wearing... are you imprinting upon it?" Robert asked, eyeing Runa'mei's necklace.

"This stone? No," Runa'mei held up the stone around her neck. "This was a gift from the Priestesses. It's a translation stone. I'm using it so I can speak your language."

"Why the D'ni system? Does it work well for your language?" Eresh asked.

"As for D'ni..." Runa'mei paused. "That's a question best left to the Priestesses."

Robert gasped, "Incredible!  It works like a Universal Translator."

"Does it work telepathically?" Eresh asked. "If it can connect with minds..."

"Something of a sort, yes," Runa'mei nodded. "It's connected to my mind in a stable method. It provides the language you all speak as something of a filter I can choose to parse my thoughts through."

Eresh mused, "It works even for me, and I speak the language of the others here as a second language."

"Well, it's adjusting what I say, rather than adjusting what you hear," Runa'mei clarified. "If I choose to, I can turn off the filter..." and then Runa'mei speaks an example sentence that is clearly neither D'ni nor English. She grinned, and then resumed speaking in English, "It's a handy cheat in that I don't need to take years to learn the language manually."

"Beautiful sounding language! The melodious sound of the sentence reminds Eresh of Finnish." Eresh praised.

"Thank you," Runa'mei smiled.

"Nifty little innovation, that" said Jules, whose dreams were still haunted on occasion by the relentless pursuit of the Duolingo owl. 

"You'll note it doesn't directly translate names," Calum pointed out.

"Nor should it." Eresh said. "Names are best left in their source language."

"Indeed," Runa'mei said. "For example, my name means 'Moon Sight', but that sounds far more awkward when said aloud than 'Runa'mei' does."

"How does it fare with idioms? Do they translate literally?" Jules asked.

"It's a beautiful name if I may be so bold." Robert said.

"They don't translate over too directly, and I have to check what they mean to make sure I'm using them right," Runa'mei said to Jules, then to Robert, "Thank you." 

Eresh said, "It would be worse with Sanskrit names... sound beautiful in Sanskrit, but translate to things like "Summary", or "King of the Snakes". Better leave names as they are."

Runa'mei blinked. "King of the Snakes? What an odd title."

"It's a title of a god in one of the cultures on our world," Eresh answered.

"Ah," Runa'mei nodded in understanding.

"Many people there have religious names like that one." Eresh said.

Robert remembered a certain Mayan priestess whose name he misinterpreted.  Escaped from certain execution that time...

"Aye, that is the case," Tiernan said.  "My culture has many names tha' are religious in nature.  Mine isn't, though." He chuckled softly again.  "I, uh, my name means 'little king'.  Well my full name does." 

Calum quipped, "The less said about my birth name the better."

"I'm glad you're here to help us with interpretations, Runa'mei." Robert said. "We wouldn't want to cause a bad situation."

"I believe most everyone will be using the necklaces..." Runa'mei paused. "Except for maybe the town leader for Sara'fund.  He's a bit stubborn about using the crystals as a crutch."

"Sara...fund?" Calum echoed, raising an eyebrow. "...What's Sara mean?"

Runa'mei blushed faintly. "Do you really want me to answer that?"

"Well, I know what the 'fund' part means," Calum said.

She sighed. "Sand. It's sand."

"'Sand Over'?" Calum blinked. "Over Sand?"

"Don't tell me they built a town directly on a beach," Calum grimaced.

"They did!" Runa'mei sighed.

Eresh grimaced. "With those giant crabs around, that sounds like a bad idea."

Jules blinked. "That seems a bit of an ill-advised endeavour. For a number of reasons."

Tenny agreed, "Aye."

"You have no idea how many times I've had to rescue that town," Runa'mei grimaced.

"Do they have nowhere else to go? It seems so dangerous," Eresh frowned. 

Jules had to ask: "... Did a town planner lose a bet, or..."

"The Town Leader insisted," Runa'mei said simply.

"...The same one who doesn't like the necklaces?" Calum asked.

"Yeeep," Runa'mei nodded in response to Calum.

"In our world, we call that 'Job Security' for you."  Robert remarked.

"Does no one run away?" Eresh asked.

"Oh, believe me, the Priestesses have tried to convince him to move the settlement," Runa'mei said. "And tried to convince him of that before settling." She grumbled, "A perfect example of a rei'fund if ever there was one."

"Over Extender," Calum elaborated.

'If I bought property in a town on the beach, I'd ask for a rei'fund too,' thought Jules. 

Eresh smiled. Tenny grinned.

Robert whispered to Jules, "Let's not accept any invitations to stay there from this guy."

"Certainly thinking twice about the time share," Jules muttered. "But yes," he said louder again, "we're grateful that at least we won't have much in the way of a language barrier to overcome. Last thing we want is an unintended linguistic misunderstanding to throw a spanner in the works." 

Sky, having been entranced by the visual presentation and the power of the crystals, now seemed to be forcibly holding her tongue. Finally, she asked, "Runa'mei, I was wondering - if the crystals respond to different tones, what do you do when it comes to music, or singing? Would it not become dangerous as the crystals react to the notes?" 

"No more dangerous than speaking," Runa'mei says. "Spoken words themselves are harmonic, after all. The real danger comes from sustained notes." She glanced at Calum, who flushed, embarassed. "Such as this rei'fund here."

"Did you sing loudly here, Calum?" Eresh smiles.

"Hmm...I guess so." Sky mused. "I would be worried about humming a song while exploring, for example, and accidentally activating them!"

"No, he did something worse," Runa'mei said. "He held the activation note for a mental connection with crystals that are, in comparison to those here in Rei'schu, infants." She poked Calum in the arm, repeatedly with each following word. "For. Several. Minutes. Longer. Than. Was. Safe." Her eyes narrowed. "Repeatedly!"

Robert motioned to Tenny.  " I don't know abut you, but I'm beginning to better understand what happened to Calum."

"So tha's what did it!" Tenny said. "Aye!"

"Science is nothing if not trial and error," Calum admitted, tiredly. "...But admittedly, my own trial and error to figure out what was going on made things worse."

"We did wonder what sent him a bit Space Cadet," Jules offered.

"The crystals here in Rei'schu have long established patterns for specific connections," Runa'mei assured Sky. "And the specific activations often require directed intent pushed at them. Beyond that, the ones that house our ancestors are well aware of the propensity for people to hum and sing without intent to do a specific thing," Runa'mei continued. "They often intercede to prevent accidental activations from... otherwise enthusiastic crystals. Much as a parent would a child." She smiled, reassuringly.  "At best, your singing is going to elicit a crystal singing along with you, rather than any specific mental connection forming."

Sky thought for a moment, and a smile began to form on her face. "I like that idea - singing with the crystals!" 

Runa'mei smiled. "They also like singing with eachother, as well."

"Oh?" Sky asked.

"Perhaps Sky can gives us performance later," Robert smiled.

Sky elbowed Murry. "Shhh!"

"Yes, during the winter festivals, it can be a quite magical time, " Runa'mei explained. "Many crystals start singing with eachother, and those that are free-floating often dance as well."

Jules had a mental image of a trio of crystals accompanying him on the Major General song that he wisely chose to keep to himself.

"What causes the crystals to start singing? Is it the festival atmosphere?" Sky asked.

"For those housing our ancestors, yes," Runa'mei nodded. "For those that are less sentient... it's often suspected to be resonance with the ones that are already singing of their own accord."

"It does sound so magical, and somewhat spiritual, as well, with the spirits of your ancestors participating in the festivals with you. I am very curious to know more about your winter festivals," Sky then added, "all of your festivals, in fact."

Eresh wondered aloud, "I wonder if they would like any songs from our world. I remember some beautiful devotional songs, that work both as Goddess hymns and as love songs. I wonder whether the crystals would feel any kinship with those."

Runa'mei smiled. "Well, answering that would be a matter of the Priestesses as well..." She glances to Calum, who does a quick introduction. "Sky. Admittedly I'm not much of one who knows everything down to each detail."

"As for what I can say about the Winter Festivals..." She considered for a moment. "The winter festivals in general typically signify the end of one year and the start of the next."

"How many seasons do you have here?" Eresh asked.

"It's a bit tricky to state for sure," Runa'mei answered. "Before the Cataclysm, we used to have four seasons, however, in the time after that, it's become a bit more... muddy?" 

Runa'mei considered it for a long moment. 

"Some parts of the world still have four seasons, but others are limited to one or two." She shrugged. "And in some areas, it seems like it switches between all four in a random pattern, day to day." She then said, "The Winter Festivals are mostly still called that out of respect to the end of the year."

"Tell us about this 'Cataclysm'.  What's that about?" Robert finally asked the major question that had been lurking on many minds.

"In short? It's the end of the world as it was." Runa'mei sighed. "Again, that's a question for the Priestesses, or perhaps Chezahcen herself to answer in full. All I can really say about it is..." She stood up, and made to walk outside, and stood next to Carl, still gazing at the moons.

Runa'mei pointed up at the heavens, where the two moons could be seen, glowing green, and looking like cat's eyes, with the many fissures spanning their surfaces.

"What you see of those moons is the visual end result of Chezahcen putting our world back together."

The others, now outside, looked briefly at the distant mountains, with their visuals of crystals spanning the massive rock faces being obvious even this far out.

"The Cataclysm that ended our world as it was nearly ended the world entirely," she said. "If not for Chezahcen's involvement, our world would not exist any more. The Crystals hold our world together, a visual remnant of her stitching the pieces back together."

"Holy..." Robert's voice trailed off in awe.

Calum visibly kept his mouth held shut, refraining from commenting.

"Cow?" prompted Sky, "or maybe mackerel?"

"Mo dia." Tenny breathed. 

Calum remarked, "More Cat-Crow-Wolf Goddess."

"Do you know why it happened, Runa'mei? Or perhaps how it began?" Sky asked.

"Geologically speaking, that's almost impossible." Robert asked. "What caused the world to split apart?  Collision with a large asteroid or internal magma eruption?"

Runa'mei considered her memories, and touches the crystal around her necklace for a long moment as she searches for the words to convey those memories...

"A knife," she settled on. "And the war over it. That's what caused the world to fracture. People fighting over a damned knife." She snorts. "Of course, who's to say it was actually a Knife?"

Tenny blinked. "Almos' sounds mythical, actually."

"Wow." Sky whispered.

"A knife is what is depicted in the arts, and in the stories." Runa'mei said, "And it is, mythical. The Knife belonged to the old God of the Hunt."

"A Kni....  Just how big was this 'Knife'? Robert asked, astounded.

"Knife sized compared to the beast himself," Runa'mei said. "Of course, if you go by the depictions of the art, he towered above the likes of even the tallest mountains."

"Hmm... an'... what did it look like?" Tenny asked.

"Something of a..." Runa'mei traced a zig-zag shape through the air.

"Ah, then not wh' I was thinkin' of, then." Tenny nodded.

Jules whispered, "Blimey..."

"And so the people who fought over this knife - what became of them?" Sky asked.

"Supposedly? My personal favorite interpretation is that their souls were rent from their bodies and sealed in their most prized possessions," Runa'mei answered Sky. "Then, exiled into the space between worlds for all eternity." She smiled sadly, "Of course, the truth is a matter of debate even to today. Chezahcen gives conflicting answers."

Sky mused, "Exiled into the space between worlds?...seems fitting for almost destroying it."

"It is," Calum agreed.

"You can see why it's my favorite interpretation," Runa'mei said.

Sky noded, "Indeed, I can."

"Exiled? Into crystals?" Robert asked.

"There are others, of course," Runa'mei continued on. "Some say they were just slaughtered by the very cataclysm they created. Others believe they were forced to hold the age together as the crystals themselves, and were redeemed for it." Glancing at Robert, she said, "In my choice, I imagine their favored possessions as glimmering golden treasures. Vases, weapons, dishes, armor..." She seemed smug about it for a moment. "It's more fitting that they have their gleaming treasures for all time, in the void where none can be admired."

Jules agreed, "Definitely a certain irony to be had there."

Tenny nodded, with a rather dark smirk.

"So, if they were exiled, the people that are here now are descendants of..." Sky paused. "Not those people, I am assuming?"

"Yes," Runa'mei said. "The descendants of the survivors."

"Of course, that makes sense." Sky agreed.

"I'd wager that in truth some of those who caused the disaster did survive, and stay on our world, regretting what they did," Runa'mei said. "But it's more poetic to imagine all were forced to serve the same fate." 

"There are always innocents caught between warring sides." Robert said.

"Indeed," Runa'mei nodded, then she sighed, "If you'll excuse me a moment, I need to center myself."

She stepped away, down the stone ramp down to the edge of the cliff, where she sat there, and gazed out to the sea for a bit.

As everyone filtered back inside to digest, Calum briefly glanced to Carl and asked, "Hey, Carl, are you alright?" 

Carl just continued to stare on at the sky, unresponsive in the face of two giant cats eyes gleaming at him.]]></translation>
            </element>
            <element name="calumReischujournal">
                <translation language="English"><![CDATA[<cover src="xplayerjournalCalReischujournal.hsm"><font size=18 face=Qolyazma_Yantu color=b536da><margin left=62 right=62>6/4/22
Well. none of THAT went anywhere near according to plan.  I sleep-walked my way straight into a first contact scenario we didn't know was already happening. Then I got sick on a damned cold because I didn't wear a Maintainer Suit. I'm only just now recovering enough to feel stable enough to write about any of this. 

Kelsei, no doubt, wrote about everything on her and the others way down here. It was hard to tell with the Maintainer Suit helmet, but I think she was equal parts ticked off and in awe with the whole situation. All I can do is thank her for bringing me some ink and a spare book to write in. 

The moons gaze down at me, and I feel like a completely different person- like a piece of who I was, a child, has since been... released to the ether. How long were these crystals affecting my mental state for? No, beyond that, how long has my mind been in a state of turmoil regarding the *surface* world and everything else?

The person who was Calum Traveler seems so distant now. The person who I was before being Calum even more distant. That child that I was in 2007- so unknowing- so unthinking. Occupied by so many other things... so distant now. And the child who was there before *that even...*

<pb>Like a Drill pressing on with Grooves and Rows,
The Person I Am is not who I Was Yesterday.
Just as like a Rose that Blooms and Grows, 
That is Life in all its perplexing, Myriad Ways.

Also. My eyes have changed colors. Side-effect from being disconnected from the Vertigo Crystals, apparently. 

6/5/22
It boggles the mind. Priestess Karin'da asked me if it would be possible to import more of that tea Jules brought as a friendship gift. The "Eton Mess" stuff. Apparently, some of the younger Priestesses have really taken to it and burnt through the supply he brought already.

By Chezahcen, Jules, you come into a first contact scenario and the main thing on your mind is tea. I don't know what crazy adventures you've gone through, but evidently it's done the trick in building some friendly relations.

6/6/22
It rained all day. Turns out weather-pressure reactions on Earth are just as bad in another age, especially after having a cold.  Bleh...

6/9/22
The days pass quietly right now. I honestly think I needed this disconnect more than anything right now. The amount of day to day stress going on in Cavern and on the Surface has just been... Too much.

Patrick, Kelsei, Carl, and the others have been right. I've needed a break. The day-to-day life here is just perfect for that.

Survival chores are done early, and finished early, and the rest of the day is just... there to do what people wish. The hunters have their hunting treks, and the Priestesses tend to the temple. Civilians go about with whatever it is they want to do. It's sedate and serene here and...

I've needed the break. 

<pb>6/10/22
I lamented not having anything to do with my hands, and Priestess Karin'da has informed me they have model making classes for the youngest kids to keep them busy, as a sort of pre-school type of thing. Well, not models like the plastic models I'm familiar with, but they're cute little stone and wood carving classes and they've invited me to join in one such lesson.  How cute!
---
In this, I find common ground: some of the kids in this class barely understand anything that's being said either. The teacher is talking in D'ni- one of the stone masons. Not only is this a learning experience for the hands, but of the tongue as well. No wonder Karin'da smiled when I asked her how I'd learn anything from it.

<pb>6/11/22
Let it be known my first attempts at this class were about as successful as anything else the other beginners made. It's strangely comforting to have a young child pat you on the arm and compare your tiny, hand made, shoddily made mini-boats and smile with that "don't be sad, we both did good, see?" look on their face.

Truly, children are the same no matter the civilization, or language barrier.

Afterwards, Initiate Priestess Haru'rei, the girl who took care of me while I was sick, offered to teach me how to cook something. Though, I'm not sure I learned much of anything, considering she was asking me more about D'ni, and life on the Surface. If Grandma wasn't out on her trip for the next few months, I'd be more worried about getting back sooner.

6/12/22
I've been invited to 'commune' with Chezahcen by Priestess Karin'da, today. Apparently, she 'wants to speak' to me. We'll see how that goes.
---
Chezahcen, whatever she really is, certainly exists, at least. It was...  That was. Uh. That was surreal. I don't quite know how else to describe it. 

I was brought to a shrine, somewhere in the jungle. One of the Chezahcen statues there was made out of Crystal and they played some musical tones- nothing that linked my mind to it, but... Something to draw attention? There was suddenly a sensation of being watched, and then...

And then the statue *talked.* And its voice echoed all over the room. I couldn't discern one specific voice, but I heard a few all at once. A 'Hive Mind'? A collection of souls over time merged together into one? Honestly, couldn't tell for sure. It was all sorta... shifty. 

"Welcome, Wayward Researcher," she greeted me.  Flawless English. No accent. "It is good to speak to you properly."

"We've talked before?" I asked.

"In your Crystal-linked state, yes," she answered. "We are pleased to see you recovered from your ordeal."
The "we" plural was fairly consistent during the talk, lending credence either towards a hive-mind situation or a soul amalgamation over time. There were occasional "I"s, though, split personality maybe? Hard to say. 

We discussed a few things- primarily going over the whole glaring question of what to do about Vertigo as an Age. She let me know that the Crystals in Vertigo are "nascent" compared to the ones here in Rei'schu. They're like children, and have no elders to teach them. And regardless of whatever negotiations happen between Rei'schu and D'ni/Earth, she and the other Crystals would be reaching out to the Vertigo Crystals to properly 'teach' them how to function in safe ways around the explorers, should they come to visit.

"Are they sentient?" I asked.

"Some are, some could be, some are not and will never be," was the answer, which was totally unhelpful.

I asked her what her intents towards D'ni were- with negotiations and diplomacy.

"That is not for us to decide," Chezahcen answered. "But for your people and for the people of Rei'schu to decide. Our role is to observe, and protect this Age, and those who are connected to it."

I asked, "But if it were?"

And then each voice spoke with a different answer. I couldn't parse even a single word, it was all lost in a whirl of noise.

We ended the conversation soon after that- neither of us really sure where to go from there.

<pb>6/13/22
Today, instead of carving rock and wood, we shaped crystal fragments with our minds. In this, I was a bit better than most of the kids around me thanks to my previous meddling with the Veritgo Crystals. In this, I still fell short on this one overachiever. Turned their brick of a crystal into a friggin picture perfect image of a local cat, straight from their mind's eye.

Everyone was jealous. Though, I think mine quickly shifted to worry because it was a damn near perfect recreation of the shape of the mountain lion statues from the Cathedral.

<pb>6/14/22
Priestess Karin'da told me I had to meet someone today. We had a visitor- a huntress from another village, named Runa'mei. Karin'da seemed... unnerved. Curious, but unnerved. I got the impression this was a big deal for some reason.

Well, I started to get an inkling of why when I saw this huntress. She had one of the Priestess' necklaces- but she was definitely not a Pirestess. Pardon the obvious, but she doesn't LOOK like a Pirestess. Not from her dress- far more leathers and wraps than the robes- or the fact she was armed with a bow and quiver of arrows, and a bunch of different knives. 

She was also paler than anyone else I've met in the Age by a wide margin- her hair was almost silvery-blond, her eyes were very pale blue, and her skin was, while tanned like most people here, far paler than anyone else. And in terms of facial structure... I was reminded far more of Yeesha, than I was of any of the locals. 

Mind you, all of that was my initial impression just seeing her- never mind hearing her talk and introduce herself: Runa'mei, daughter of Ale'shae, daughter of Athsheba, daughter of Aleshay. She's part D'ni! She's Athsheba's Granddaughter! 

And apparently, she had heard about how I'd gotten here to this age, that D'ni was active again in some way, and she wanted to find out what I knew personally-- during a Hunt.

I packed what few things I had, this journal included, and she dragged me off to the Link-stone, taking me to their Nexus hub, and from there, to somewhere... very strange. I've got that same feeling of being watched as I did from talking with Chezahcen's statue the other day.

...I think I'm on one of the moons right now. 

Runa'mei hasn't said much other than make her demands, or to guide which book we'd be using. I get the impression she's not much of a talker. I've tried talking with her about things, but she just kinda... isn't having it yet? Some people just don't know how to send consistent signals, I guess.

<pb>6/15/22
We're hunting a "Starstone Cat" -- a relative cousin of the Starfur Wolf in Chezahcen's mythology, I'd wager. In between breakfast- a crudely made meal of dried meats and granola-like-bars- and our traipsing through rocky canyons on the *Actual Lunar Surface*- how is any of this even possible, I'd ask, if not for Todelmer standing in stark relief- Runa'mei's asked me all the questions she didn't want to ask yesterday, I suppose.

She's interested in knowing about what happened to the D'ni during the Fall, and after it, more than anything. Apparently, her grandmother didn't tell her much- trauma response, understandable that- and she's looking to connect with her family legacy a bit. Poor girl. I've told her everything I know about the Fall- the things that most survivors wouldn't have known until meeting Atrus' family. 

Releeshahn is news to her- I guess Athsheba moved out before Atrus and company came to the Cavern. The idea that surface dwellers are restoring the Cavern made her snort in amusement.

"Serv's the rei'funds right," she'd said. "Kill off yer own people only for the people you were afraid of ruinin' things to move in long after yer corpse has gone cold."

"Rei'funds?" I asked her in turn- not quite sure I'd heard her right.

"Fund is Over. Rei is Extension. Rei'funds. Over-Extenders," she translated, after focusing on the crystal necklace for a few long moments. (I really need to get Kelsei one of these things.)

This lead to a conversation about the language. "Rei'schu" is "Extension Collection", as Kelsei figured out. Priestess Haru'rei's name means "Excited Extension" with a context that's more similar to the Japanese  "Genki" from what little I've gathered. Karin'da's name means "Wind edge." 
 
As for Runa'mei? "Moon Sight." Runa, Moon, and Mei, Sight. I pointed out that one of the names for Earth's moon is "Luna" and Runa'mei snorted again. "Chezahcen willin'? Everythin' would be that simple."

From there, she asked me about Earth life, and I answered as best as I could. The word "rei'fund" got thrown around a lot in response, along with a few other words I'm chosing not to write down at the moment because I didn't ask what they meant.

We're stopped for lunch at the moment- and we'll be resuming hunting our quarry soon... So, I finally asked her why we're doing this hunt.

This isn't just a 'for fun' hunt, or a 'Chezachen challenge special!' hunt either. Apparently, this specific "Starstone Cat" has been "harassing" some settlements up here on the moon-- they have settlements!? Yes, they do!-- and Runa'mei volunteered to hunt it down because apparently 'harassment' in this case means the thing ate someone and it's hungry for blood and ransacking settlements trying to get more food it doesn't actually need.
---
Found a settlement- harassed by this cat very recently- and boy it was a mess. A very big mess. I've asked Runa'mei how big this cat we're after is, and I didn't like the fact she didn't answer. Just, got this distant look in her eyes. We're staying here for the night incase it comes back.

<pb>6/16/22
Well. It came back alright.  I got my answer as to how big it was too.

It was as big as a giraffe is tall before you even get to the neck, and proportioned like a Bahro, anatomy wise. (Well, that answers a few questions I didn't want answered about the Cathedral's statues.) It was savage- I'd actually almost call it rabid, actually. There was a gleam in its eyes- like it wanted nothing more than to watch people suffer before it ate them. 

And Runa'mei took it on like it was nothing she hadn't seen before. 

The locals in this village cheered her on- the town guards celebrated too, once she stepped up to confront it. I couldn't piece out what they were saying, but... I got the impression that Runa'mei is actually something of a big deal. Not just for her D'ni heritage. 

We just stood there and watched as she-- It was like watching a Soulsborne-series Boss Fight in reality. She put it down and-- she killed it. The village cheered, chanting, "Chezwyrd Chen," over and over.
Then she wiped the sweat off her face, maring it with blood and I... I just had to ask her, "What's your title again?"

Runa'mei just smiled in that familiar, 'I am tired of answering this question' way, and answered, "Chez. Wyrd. Chen. Chezahcen's Hunting Champion."

Is this some kind of adventure RPG world I've stumbled upon?

We've returned to the village I've been staying at. Priestess Karin'da welcomed us back, but Runa'mei left without another word- off to take care of some other brewing disaster, no doubt.  I'm not sure what to make of any of this.

<pb>6/17/22
Kelsei showed up this afternoon. Someone broke into the Overflow Station again and smashed up the control equipment. She wants me back, and honestly... After yesterday I was thinking I might need to head back anyways.
---
Said my goodbyes, and suited up in a Maintainer Suit, and headed back to Earth, and the Cavern, and home. 

I'll settle in at home and then see about how things are at the Overflow Station. Kelsei's talking about getting a Town Hall meeting going. Guess my inspection'll be worth something there. Not looking forwards to the stern words and concerned looks, though.

6/20/22
Tired overall. Surface life is exhausting and my sleep schedule is totally off.

Had a few people immediately asking me about restoration projects I've not caught up on yet. All in all, not much of a splash in folks seeming to react to my absence. Not surprising. Can't blame some folks for not being caught up on events. 

6/21/22
A more surprising amount of comforting words and welcome-backs from folks here at Pod's Relaxing Session today- apparently I really have been missed. Nice to have that reaffirmed to some degree after last night. Still feels awkward. Thank goodness for sunglasses, though- nobody's noticed the change in eyecolor yet.

6/22/22
It's always a little saddening when people leave as soon as I say Shorah. Just chilling in the GoMePub waiting for Fil Live (and then later the Town Hall), and two folks show up in quick succession. I say Shorah, and they both flee within seconds if eachother. I'd think it suspicious if I didn't have folks doing that to me randomly all the time over the last few years. 
---
Vote summary: explorers present voted to release Naybree first, to go slow and secure with the Overflow Station, and to send ambassadors to Rei'schu/Exten-col.
---
I'm about on the verge of colapse again. Barely been back a few days and already the Cavern pressure is weighing down on me. We had someone interupt our Town Hall at the start of the event. I've been on shaky ground ever since- espeically when some folks afterwards were saying stuff about how we weren't communicating clearly to people and...

Why am I even bothering, it feels like? Increasingly, I feel that some folks would rather we not be doing any of this restoration work at all and just leave things as they were. In silence and perpetuity. Meanwhile, others are supporting and supportive, and I know that not everyone sees things in the same way, but-

We try! How do we accomplish anything without trying? I find myself truly pondering if any of this is worth it. Is it worth opening up a whole other age of people to our influence in D'ni? Is it worth exposing an untainted world to the trials and tribulations of Earth and its people?

The people present voted for sending ambassadors to Rei'schu. ... And there was a part of me that was hoping they would choose against it. A part of me that hoped that the threat of the oversized wildife would- Deter?

It's not the sabotage at the Overflow Station that makes me sick to my stomach- it's the implications unspoken from the disapproving part of the community that make me sick and make me want to stop. Step away. Go away. Leave it all behind again.

<pb>6/23/22
Today was not a good day. Stress from yesterday plus running into an ADHD type wall in my brain regarding something is not a fun combo. I've been sobbing off and on all day for the most part. I don't know if I can keep doing this. Restoration work stuff. It's... I don't know how I was handling this stress before. Maybe I wasn't and maybe that's a problem.

What to do, what to do...

<pb>6/25/22
Visited Rei'schu, talked to the Priestesses today. Priestess Karin'da suggested that I focus on clearing my head before I focus on anything else regarding the negotiation stuff. Ambassadors. Stuff like that. She said to treat it as one of Chezahcen's challenges. 

I suppose she's got a point. Just wish I could get my head cleared. It's like a cat's clawing around in my brain today. Had a long talk with Zaroth about it, too. I understand her concerns over Naybree's cliffs- I spent the vast majority of today working to stabilize the things after all- but I just can't... feel like I can let this Age get delayed again. Not right now at least. I need to talk with my therapist about this because this is not normal for me. Or maybe it is normal and I just never noticed it until recently.

But... to treat it all as a challenge... Maybe I can luck out?

6/26/22
Cat-Claws-In-Brain feelings continue. I'll be thoroughly reviewing things more.

6/28/22
Naybree has been, at least to my mind, been pushed to Phase 5 testing. I know there's still concerns from folks regarding the cliffsides, but, well. The Brain Cat feels appeased.

Concluding a test with Kelsei on the M.Prime KI Network for the Marker Mission fix from Zaroth and it looks... Looks good. I'm so relieved we were both able to delete old duplicated Marker Missions without breaking anything. 

I'm going to just lie down and rest for a while, I think.

6/29/22
Seems I got one of those threatening KI Mails that the others got too. Though, I'm a little amused that I got a generic "Explorers" mail and not a personalized one. Guess I don't rank up there as high as Kelsei does somehow. 

<pb>7/8/22
What a mess with the whole Ami Situation. I have no idea who the heck Harlan is, but the name rings a bell. I swear I've heard it somewhere before. Still, something I'll toy over as I speak with the Priestesses about the potential scheduling for the official sort of 'get people together for diplomacy!' stuff. 
---
Sounds like this month is a bad month- it's polination season for one of the tree species and if MY allergies would be bad, it's probably just as bad for the locals. Karin'da lamented that things probably wouldn't be clear for a visit until "next month" or later. So, I'll revisit things after August.
---
I've heard some explorers requesting a Chiso Book in the back cave area. Well, alright, that'll do it for Naybree, then, I guess. 

As for Harlan... Harlan... I know I've heard it somewhere. I need to re-read my journals I think. I'm pretty sure I've written about a Harlan somewhere before.

7/11/22
FOUND IT. Cathedral Journal, 10/29/20. Harlan Mason, apparent founder of a cult-like group called "Children of the New Seed."

7/16/22
No news on the Sami/Ami front- though someone tried to leave a threatening message on an imager. Cleared that. Hope they get the message that kind of threatening talk isnt welcome.

7/22/22
My cousin is coming to visit next weekend, taging along with one of her mother's trips to help a friend move, for Grandma's birthday. Lovely. In the meantime, someone tried to breach security at the Overflow Station last night. Fortunately, our improved and tightend security managed to keep even a determined individual in a Maintainer Suit out. 

Security guard managed to wrestle a bag away from them, however. Looks like supplies for poisoning a water supply hookup. Not sure why they'd have that, considering there's nothing like these attachment faucets at this station? It's more similar to a hood fountain hook up than...
....

Hrm. I wonder?

7/23/22
NEW CAVERN TODAY THIS IS NOT A DRILL! HECK YES!!!!

<pb>7/27/22
I was right. I hate it when I'm right. The guy at the station came for a second swing at the Great Tree Hood's Fountain. Carl and I chased after him- had a stolen work-network KI for Descent and linked there. We gave chase for a bit.

It was Mita- one of our Most Wanted. Jerk ran through the tunnels outside of Descent, and we were after him for... Hard to say how long. Eventually, we lost track of him, but not after I pried his Maintainer Suit helmet off.

Mita's old- but not old enough to NOT use some martial art's technique to throw me to the ground. He also knew to keep his mouth shut except for the generic "Yahvo this! Yahvo that!" platitudes. 

Kelsei found us after the Town Hall. The Most Wanted's greatest hits, Marcus, Sansa, and Tally crashed the show and delivered some big speech. She didn't look too good, and just about colapsed after finding us, mumbling about the event. I left Carl to keep on the hunt and got Kelsei to Relto to rest, and I went to check on the others- they'd gone to the Messengers Pub.

What a mess. I've gotten Kelsei home after getting her some dinner. I told her to take the rest of the week off work considering how tired she was today. I can't blame her, I've been busy with Naybree, and Mysterium Prep. Reviewing everything else for the coming months...

Naybree's set to release September 9th. Got that in the bag atleast. We'll be opening the Chiso Basment sometime next week- along side pushing Marker Game fixes from Zaroth to the KI Lattice. 

I could use a break.

<pb>8/2/22 
Summer Fest Cone Race results! Iwonk and ghoul tied for first! 5 points each before the 3rd round! Dah'mpa had 4 points! Seeker and Gooberchilla had 3 each! Finally Adrian Green w/ 2 points. 

8/3/22
What a lovely way to wrap up the day. Between KI Network instability and problems with the Chiso Doorway... Now someone's gone and opened the Watchers Pub Puzzle Room Door. Room's a trip hazard and a trap hazard as it is. Took a quick look around, and fortunately it seems like our sabboteurs weren't behind it. I notif'd the usual guys who deal with this stuff, and hopefully, someone can seal it up again in the morning.

Spoke with Dybs, Ecconia, and BrennanMTB about it while pondering it all. Now it's late, and I've got to get to bed.

8/4/22
Conferred with folks on the Restoration team this morning. Seems like some workers were poking around yesterday to gauge stability and the door got stuck. It's been resolved since then. No reason for me to panic at any rate. Though, I wish they'd leave up some barriers next time. 

Meanwhile: It seems the lower floor of Chiso is definitely popular with folks. Magalie, EtienneG, N'Chacka, and Hatschepsut were visiting the area when I came into the office just now. This is going to take some getting used to. 

Apparently, Carl had a last minute surface-work job issue crop up, so he won't be able to make it to the Door Run competition today. That's a shame. Kelsei's dealing with some family stuff as well, so she can't make it. Bleh.
---
I've put forth the suggestion we have folks place a horse barricade inside the doorway in future cases of door-stuck-open-ness. Immediately, Zaroth and Briggs joke around about putting a real horse in there- or five squees in a horse costume in Zaroth's case. I appreciate the enthusiasm, but I shudder at the thought of bringing in that many squees, or dragging a horse down there and expecting it to sit tight.

Though, honestly, I seem to be the only one actually concerned about work-site safety and folks poking around where they shouldn't be. "It's not a big deal" and "we can't panic each time something happens." I get that, but... bleh. I'm probably just bleeding off stress from yesterday's KI-Server stallouts.  
---

First Carl, now Diranda. Looks like our group won't be officially competing in the Door Run. Oh well. 
Lots of folks here in Chiso right now. Thyme, Mystlander, Emor, Hatschepsut, Maurus, guemes, CjNr11, Vochumana8, Aurora69co-- good gathering of folks, though most seem to be busy reading.
---

Had a big crowd for the Door Run contest. All's good in my book, I think. 

8/15/22
I get back from Mysterium and find out Harlan Mason met Jules and Tenny at the GoMePub last night. He's the New Seed Harlan Mason alright- but the good news is his people aren't behind our saboteurs...

BAD NEWS is the people behind this are a splinter faction that left the New Seed. Lovely.

8/19/22
Been catching up on sleep and all sorts of other related things. Naybree's slated to release next month and I gotta give it some last minute once-overs. Bluh- fun. 
---
We've lost Lord Chaos? Wha... But... That's Not FAIR. NO! It's not I-- I---!!!

8/20/22
Radio KGOH is doing a stream on the 27th for Lord Chaos- a party on the Dakotah Rooftop, just like the old days. 

Until we meet again, LC, keep on playing that funky music.

8/27/22
It's barely 20 min' into the memorial and I'm almost to crying again. Damn it. I'm gonna miss you, LC. 

So many familiar faces and names here, we're all going to miss you. 

<pb>8/31/22
Was talking with DS_5 about prophecys and stuff, and he asked me about an old poem I sleep-wrote onto a blog (and into a journal somewhere, I'm sure). Specifically, this section of it:

"a man walks through the streets carrying unknown weight
in his soul and grief overhead his duty is to remember
and while nine slots to be filled number in eight
a girl prays that rain will fall long before september"

Ironically, I'm realizing that one interpretation of the second part of it could pretty much apply to Eder Naybree. There's nine book podiums in Chiso Preniv- Naybree will be book 8, and it's releasing in September. Oh the 9th.

That's one hell of a coincidence. And that's all it is. I ain't no psychic.

9/2/22
Eder Bahvahnter runthrough again, today.
The gateway by the link-in is still a mild concern- I'm worried over the age's wildlife, after Rei'schu's massive megafauna. Seems Ametist or Dulcamara have (re?)installed an old D'ni signpost.  The massive dead tree just beyond that feels familiar, too, but I can't really place it. And I'm not just talking about a previous visit. A picture of something perhaps?

Swingset seat is nice, but I question why anyone would want to sit in a massive hand. Surely there's better ways to have someone grab your butt. Butterflies seem a little sluggish- must be coming out of hibernation. Ugh, can't blame them though- the air is muggy and chill and I need to warm up too, after being here for so long.

9/5/22
Carl, Catchen, and Skyisblu have shown interest in the Rei'schu delegation so far. Going to be talking with Mystlander later this week. 

<pb>9/8/22
Ugh, been a while since I checked my KI- someone sent me a ton of messages about someone else who was uninvited uploading to their hood imager pellet scores. Private hood- someone who shouldn't have gotten in. We'll have to look into it I guess. In the mean time it sounds like the scores were properly scrubbed already so there's that.

Mystlander is in, regarding Rei'schu. In other news, the Queen is dead. I have no words because it doesn't mean much to me- but boy is the rest of the world making a big deal of it. Looks like some folks have uploaded a couple of Pod Wildlife photos to Wayne's Imager laptop as well. I threw a pic of the cavern lake up for funsies.
---
Strange. I can't find my spare Pod 12 book. I'd kept it locked up in one of my desk drawers but it's not there. I'll ask Kelsei if she's taken it.
<pb>9/12/22
Returned to Rei'schu for some prep for the negotiations. Saw some Rodents Of Unusual Size. (Man sized. Hauling a piece of a giant megacat arm along. Crazy!) Got some feedback from the Priestesses on the preparations on their end, and what they'd like to see from us. Should help with things, I think. The primary things they want to be seeing- beyond the Eton Mess the Priestesses want more of- seem to be: 

A: Proof of Community. IE: Some kind of evidence that we can put aside differences to help someone out in a time of need. This is specifically for us in D'ni, not for any Surface cultures. (Personally I have a few examples to think of, but as I'm organizing this, obviously I can't suggest them because it'd 'taint the results' as it were. We'll see if anyone else can think of one prominent one that comes to my mind.)

B: Examples of Musical Compositions. Given the emphasis on harmonics with the Crystals, music is a form of communication for the locals. (And taste is subjective- I was already denied any submissions of my own given my recent experiences with the crystals. Karin'da gave me that partronizing look of 'Boy, you knew not what powers you meddled with. You think we'd trust your taste in music?')

C: Food, Drink, Etc. One of the big concerns in Rei'schu is restoring some food-based diversity in their food markets. Given the disaster that befell the Age, lots of food types went into near or total extinction. Beyond some examples of pre-packaged stuff, they've asked for samples of growable foods, as well as possibly some types of wildlife that could be imported and farmed. (Speaks for itself, imho.)

D: Examples of Cultural Relaxation. These are a people who pride themselves on accomplishing their daily tasks early, and quickly, and efficiently, so they can have the rest of the day to themselves. As expected, they're always looking for new things to bide their times with, but safely. (Hopefully, nobody suggests anything health-harming.)

So far on my signup list I have Catchen, Skyisblu, Mystlander, Carl, Jules (and possibly Ed), and Ereshkigal.  I've also picked up some decorative Crystals for placing on and around the fountain come December. That should be festive enough, lol.

In other news, had reports Naybree's maintainer marker wasn't broadcasting right to everyone. Looks like that's the case for sure. The "Transmitter"- or closest thing to it- is reporting some kind of range finding error at times. Not sure what's causing that, but I think it's fixable. 

Additionally, it looks like it's got the Zero line bouncing between a couple of points. Something's not right there. I think it's just a rounding error. I should be able to sort that too. Oh well!

9/13/22
Add in Dr. Murry to the Rei'schu group. This is really happening isn't it? Patrick also doesn't know what happened to my Pod 12 book, it seems. I'm starting to get worried.

9/14/22
Ben's D'ni. Fully. Second DNA test confirmed it. Ben... did NOT take it well. He's likely grown up on the Surface, but if he's fullblooded D'ni... geeze. That's concerning. Likely descended from someone who survived the Fall and made it to the Surface, if I had to guess. 

A part of me wants to seek out Runa'mei on my next trip to Rei'schu. See what she has to say about this sort of thing. I'd imagine she and Ben would have some interesting things to talk about.

9/22/22
Due to Surface obligations, Mystlander has bowed out. Drat. Oh well. Time to start finalizing things and contacting folks. Also, just found my missing Pod 12 book. It's wedged between mine and Kels' desks. How even...? Ugh, I swear I checked here. Evidently, not well enough. 

9/26/22
Tenny's joining us on the Rei'schu trip. I've formalized a Discord channel for our group prep for this trip and any future ones, likely. Prepwork continues. I'm starting to feel paranoid about my damned Pod 12 book even though nothing's wrong. I've taken a look at the area in and around the pod. Nothing's missing. Might ask Kelsei to look over things in case I missed something. Probably just being paranoid. Almost certainly just being paranoid. Can't shake it though.

In other news, Ehren and I seem to have broken one of the swingsets in Bahvahnter tonight. Whoops! Hopefully, that can get fixed sooner than later. 

9/28/22
Town Hall Today. Ben's situation might be the biggest talking point the entire day. 

The Rei'schu prep talk might be overshadowed and I'll likely make a bigger announcement at the AGM. So much work to do today. 

9/29/22
Participating towns: Nara'sen, Sara'fund, Karin'nen, Sen'nen, and Nen'da. 
Respective leaders: Amara'da, Haru'sara, Kura'quen, Rein'da, and Hotou'runa.
Respective Priestesses: Cas'ka, Jae'dhar, Karin'da, Sha'ri, and Nara'nen.   

10/1/22
Highgarden released. That was fun, holding the AGM there for once. Good change of pace.

10/4/22
Ran into Mary Sue tonight on a Door Run- first time I've seen her in a while. Good to see her again. Always great to run into folks again after it's been a while.

10/7/22
We oughta have this whole thing ready to go in a couple of weeks. Maybe if we're lucky, after the weekend. Guess we'll see.

10/9/22
Kelsei's working on something at her desk here in Chiso. She looks like she's got her nose set deep into something translationary of some kind. I'll leave her be beyond making her some coffee.  It amazes me to see Minasunda's artwork here in Chiso after seeing it at Mysterium as well. That's just lovely synergy. 

I've got a long day ahead of me dealing with family stuff today, and that's ontop of dealing with family stuff yesterday as well. Bluh. Hopefully, come Monday I'll be able to hammer out the last details needed on the Rei'schu trip and then we can head into the Age. I'm a tad worried over Ben, though, given, what Kelsei mentioned the last time they talked. Poor boy.

10/11/12
Speaking of folks I haven't seen in ages- ran into Marion today at Pod's relaxing session. :) Always good to see people again. Lots of hugs to give out.

10/17/22
We go into Rei'schu tomorrow.

10/18/22
Ra Ra Rasputin, Haru'sara loves music mashups. Go figure.
---
OOF.
That was. A day. A long day. Ended with crab, and other delicious food... and also a duel. Fortunately, not to the death. Good grief. What a day. That was... a lot of work, and I'm going to need to rewrite a bunch of transcripts from Tenny into something resembling a novel. Fun times ahead.

11/10/22
Ben is heading to Highgarden to stay with a D'ni friend of Keiths. Well, best of wishes and luck to him, I suppose. 
<pb>11/11/22
IwonK has graciously spellchecked over my novel drafts, and I think they're ready for publication. Thanks for the effort, my cookie loving friend. I certainly appreciate the cute doodles in the margins. :33 

Now rest those hands, IwonK!! XP

11/13/22
Butterflies again. This time Bahvahnter. A sudden swarm of the lavender beauties appear to be migrating through the Age as of this morning. I'm hearing we're probably getting a delay in the Age release, depending on how long they're here.

<pb>11/21/22
Kura'quen has asked to come speak at the November Town Hall. Kelsei's helping her get acquainted with things. Runa'mei, I'm told, is rather irrate that she's stuck tracking a particularly sneaking star-cat that is doing hit and run tactics across a few villages. 

Well, I'm sure she'll get her chance to visit eventually. Kelsei seems eager to help on that front, too.

12/2/22
Just got back from a lengthy couple of days in Rei'schu. Damned Haru'sara. Between the stolen necklace and crystals alone, this could backfire horribly. But considering the situation that's been presented to us?

Runa'mei is going to come to D'ni to try to hunt Haru'sara down, which is not at all what she wanted her first time coming to D'ni to be, nevermind what any of us were hoping. Now there's Ami cropping up again and going to be doing something on Sunday... And I can't be there for it. Surface matters demanding attention. Good grief. 

<pb>12/4/22
Well, you spend a whole day dealing with groceries and family, and all HELL breaks loose.

I spent the last few hours piecing together chatlogs from various folks to get an idea of what happened today and all I can say is... I am *definitely* putting in a safety net on that upper cliff after today. Might take a while to get put in though. Going to have to survey the rock and find the best places to pin in supports that won't bring the whole thing crumbling down.

As far as I've last heard, Tenny got rescued from Minkata, physically unharmed at least, and he and Ami have taken Logan to the Surface for medical treatment- both for the injuries he's sustained today, and the apparent exposure to some Cavern borne illness?

Regarding the other "True Seeds" it sounds like Sanna has broken free from them, and Marcus Johnson has gone into the wind. As for Tati Masser and Tally, those two never appeared. I think it's safe to say given Ami's accusations they probably cut their losses and may be hanging around in the dark with some other plans in mind, but who the heck even knows.

Personally, my own thoughts on the matter go that... Good grief, I really should have made sure there were guard rails in Naybree- 'historical accuracy' be damned. It's a miracle nobody's landed bad before now jumping off of one of those ledges.

Beyond that. Tenny's heart must be in pieces right now. My sympathies go out to him, but this is why I've sworn off romance. Even in the best case scenarios, you're just opening yourself up to heartbreak eventually. Even if they don't hurt you, and even if you never fight, and even if you somehow have a perfect life with them... until Death do you Part.

I'm still not over my Grandpa or my Grandad's deaths. I'm mourning the future loss of my Grandma all at the same time. I can barely manage this with close family. I dread every time I learn I've lost a friend. I can't go through that with a romantic partner. I just can't. 

I can't take that risk, personally. So I'll never follow that route. That door is closed and locked no matter what. 

12/9/22
Damn it all. Some chucklehead calling himself "December" left one of the shapeshifting Rei'schu crystals in K'veer after taunting Detective Harry Williams about him completing the Shell Journey.
If Haru'sara- and he's still the most likely culprit for the theft- came to D'ni with those crystals... who the heck even knows what kind of Game he's playing here. I don't even want to think about why he'd be here, or why he'd give out Crystals like that! (And the thief HAS given crystals out either to this December guy or to Harry directly, depending on how you look at it.)

I just can't figure out the why, and I don't want to even think about it. Couldn't we just wrap up the month nicely without further issue?

I'm going to Rei'schu tomorrow. See what we can do about this.

<pb>12/12/22
Just got back from Rei'schu. What a mess. 

Since the last time we visited, the locals confirmed that Haru'sara's last known place of residence was emptied out of valuables. The only stuff left behind were food items, and a wall-painted message roughly translating to "Good luck stealing anything when I already took it all with me." Per Haru'sara's temperment, there were also symbols denoting laughter scattered around the room. Literally laughing at anyone who entered his place. 

Runa'mei's officially going to be dispatched to D'ni sometime in the next few weeks, maybe after the end of the year our time, once she's back from a Hunt. She's going to be looking for whoever has the stolen crystals, and Haru'sara, if he is the thief which it seems likely he is, technically now fits the definition of something someone of Runa'mei's status is meant to hunt down:

A rogue element threatening an environment and its people for no reason but seemingly their own whims.

As for the "seashell" Harry has, they're letting him keep it. Apparently, a spontaneous shift like that  is something more on the rare side of common in terms of mental affinity for the crystals? At least, that's how it is on Rei'schu with lower population numbers than on Earth.  

It's a matter of percentages, as I understand it. Some people just are more natural 'broadcasters' than most- like that one kid from earlier this year in the shaping class. That 'quick focus' is something they culturally gift an image stone to... ah, 'catch' stray thoughts, as I understand it? So that way the projectors natural projecting doesn't affect other people's image stones. 

Anyways, Harry's one of those rare percentages in that regard. I'm sure there's others out there in the world somewhere- more here on Earth than on Rei'schu by sheer population volume, no doubt. ONE PERCENT of a small number is smaller than ONE PERCENT of a larger number, etc. 
<pb>12/21/22
Hey,  Palindrome (excluding the year)!

Anyways, we had the Town Hall today. And Naybree's beach vote was settled vastly in favor of a ladder for beach access. Now I have to figure that out.

Trial installation of the safety nets seem to be going well. I've had no complaints so far. Ladder should be easy enough to put in near that, I'd think.
<pb>12/24/22
Working on Naybree's beach, I swear I saw something distantly in the water- ghostly like. Looked almost like a raft or a boat of some kind, except it was under water, I think.

Either I'm hallucinating because I need to go to bed (as soon as I finish writing this), or there's something in the water. Maybe an animal? Don't know for sure, but something had to break the metal grating in the pipe like that. 

Regardless, it sure freaked me out a bit.  Merry Christmas, I guess. 
<pb>12/28/22
Work on the beach continues. I've gotten some emails about a new Age that'll be going into testing in the next few days. Name... undecided. We were calling it something based on what we thought the Age was, but we're actually not quite sure it *IS* that Age. Documentation is hard to come by. 

Whatever the Age is finally called, though, Semjay has put in a lot of hard work into it, and I can't wait to get to reviewing it in the New Year.  :)


Speaking of, this book is getting pretty full... I think I'll likely wrap this one up for now. Leave it where it is until the Rei'schu apartment is finished. So if you're reading this book in Rei'schu, well, there ya go. If you're still reading this in Naybree, well, I guess we're still waiting on that to get finished.

But yeah. I think I'm going to wrap up this book for the end of year, in a couple of days. 

<pb>12/31/22
Final Entry for this journal. Today and the last few days were a real pain due to Surface matters. Between weather dumping a solid foot of snow on power lines causing flickering and outages, having to *clean that snow off of my car*, and deal with grocery shopping *before* another wave of snow comes in...

All of that's before you factor in a solid afternoon of an emotional venting at someone, and days worrying over safety concerns regariding the Rei'schuian crystals out in the wild somewhere. 

Beachwork in Naybree feels like it's fallen by the wayside. It's a beach. There's not really much I can do beyond prepping it for visitors. Put in safety nets and security barriers. Generally, try not to be depressed about things outside of my control.

Today was a bad day in that regard. Between trying to build a custom model and finding out the parts don't go together how I want, and dealing with the above days of nonsense... I forgot today was Saturday. I thought it was Friday. Had to deal with Saturday things a day earlier than I thought it was when I woke up. 

I just want to sleep for a thousand years. Sleep, and- and just wake up in a kinder world. I desperately want to not feel bone dead from the moment I wake up through every moment of the day. This was supposed to be a relaxing vacation week. It's been anything but. 

That seems like the story of the year, really. At this stage I'm hoping 2023 will be a quieter, calmer, softer year without big dramatic moments like what happened with these True Seed people. I could do without prophecies, or magic, or anything fanciful. I know I'm not going to meet those lofty expectations, but it's my wish, at any rate.

I ought to really dive back into work at the Overflow Station once everything's settled with the beach. 

Farewell, 2022. Happy New Year, 2023. 

_Calum Traveler. 
]]></translation>
            </element>
            <element name="kelseijournal">
                <translation language="English"><![CDATA[<cover src="xaths-edernaybreejournal.hsm"><font size=16 face=Michelle color=416600><margin left=62 right=62><font size=18 face=Michelle><p align=left>12/27/21

Last Night I had a Dream.

I saw a Garden Age, and a girl living there. Athsheba, from the Chezahcen Cathedral island. Not sure how I knew it, but I knew it. Dreams are like that. In the dream, the girl was carving a face out of a cliffside - aging over time as the face grew more defined. 

Then, its eyes opened and it wasn't just a stone face gazing at me, but the living personification of the artwork from the Cathedral of Chezahcen herself. Dreams are weird. 

Driven a bit by this, I asked yesterday on the forums if I could get permission to look through the document and book archives we have from the DRC. Patrick pointed me towards who could give (and did give) me the go ahead. As long as I restrain myself from using any of the books on a whim, I'm good to go and... And... 

I'm not sure what I'm expecting to find, but, maybe, if Athsheba's seeming habit of clearing out everything when she moves is actually a habit... I would hope maybe she left the age book behind somewhere if she moved on to Releeshahn or elsewhere? But given her existing habit... 

Still I'm just curious if we can find the Garden Age she lived in. I honestly don't expect anything to come of this, but I figured I might as well start a journal anyways. I guess I'll see what tomorrow brings?

12/29/21

It's late, and I'm heading to bed soon, but I found a reference in one of the old document folders of barely surveyed Ages. 

Eder "Naybree" - meaning 'Double Root in D'ni'- is the rough name given on the document, dated from late November of 2007, and it's accompanied by a description. This is the standout bit: "There's a broken bridge breaking (sic) the Age in half. There's a row of statues near it, repetitions of a woman's figure with arms stretched upwards."

Improper use of 'breaking' aside, this sounds similar to the row of statues at the Cathedral Island's shoreline. I think I may have Athsheba's post-fall home if I can find the Linking Book to it. There's also a description of the book cover, so I might be able to sort it out. If so, thanks go to you, unnamed DRC surveyor. 

The rest of the Age's description is fascinating, though. I think the name is drawn from the duality written into the Garden's environment? Either the physical nature of the ground (split in two pieces?), or something in the heavens. Moons, perhaps?  One of the standout remarks was over "an impressive night sky," after all.

12/30/21

Calum took a look over everything I'd found last night and agreed it looked like a viably plausible location for Athsheba's garden sanctuary. I'm searching for the book now. It's got to be here somewhere. 

1/1/22

It amuses me that Calum's decided to join me, to help keep me company he said, and yet just set up a laptop to run anime on in the background for noise. I think we've gotten distracted with watching it half the time we've been looking. I can't complain, though. I've had something of a headache today so it's nice to focus my attention on something else for a time. 

There's a lot that was left behind in the archives- a lot of documents and unrelated materials to each other. I'm sure it was properly sorted at some point, but between multiple location moves and multiple others digging through them for various things at different points in time, it's become something of a mess in the here and now. 

Still, despite my looking for a specific book at this point, I'm doing my part to help get things sorted and back into a semblance of order. 

Calum finds it amusing. "A new year means a chance for a clean slate, but you have to put energy into making it clean." He'd said. Then he went on a five minute ramble about cleaning up his own bedroom for the first time in years after the fire scare the other day. I'd say something sterotypical about 'boys and their messy rooms' but I'm no better, honestly. I don't think I've cleaned my room since I moved in. I think I should probably should do that too.

After I find this book. 

1/3/22

I think I've found it. The linking panel shows what looks like a statue of the right stylistic design, carved out of the rockface...

This might be *IT,* if I'm lucky.  I'm calling Calum.
---
This is definitely the place. 

Right next to the link-in gazebo is a statue carved so very similarly to Chezahcen's artwork.  It's been pulled right out of the cliff- continuing on with it's original structural duties of holding the above rockface intact, while also being something far more intriguing than plain rock.

This definitely isn't native to the age, if the piles of debris behind the link-in are anything to go by. Chipped rock, shattered fragments, crushed stone debris... 

I can only imagine how long Athsheba was here working on just this one piece alone. There are ladder-like structures on the walls near the link-in, how strange. Ground path near the link-in is very much in dire need of repair. It's quite broken up. There are more statues further along, nearer to the bridge as noted in the survey report. One of them is far smaller, and holding a firemarble orb. 

I'm astounded by it all, meanwhile Calum is over fretting over a broken bridge. I keep hearing him mutter-mumble, bouncing between 'deliberate sabotage' and 'geographical instabilities'. The river doesn't seem to have risen high enough to destroy the bridge originally. The cliff walls do show some signs of stress in this area, though. Most likely the giant tree roots, if I had to guess. 

Are each of these trees on the other side reaching for the river or is there something more going on? I have to get a closer look...
---
I jumped the bridge, much to Calum's dismay. It's still sound on the other side. He followed reluctantly, but is vowing to put in a replacement bridge if we fully restore this place- and please, Calum, I saw how you looked at those statues. This place is related to the Cathedral, of COURSE we're going to restore it.

The other side of this garden is paradoxically, on one hand, remarkably well kept, and yet on the other, completely overgrown. There are MASSIVE trees here, growing into their surrounding objects. It's like Kadish Tolesa, all over again. Except, there's more to it. 

The trees all grow very tall, then bend all in one direction, as if bowing to the wind- the vine-like growth drapes down from some of the branches like... Not-quite leaves? That can't be right because there's a staggering amount of the same overgrowth of the same vine like plant on the ground everywhere.  Is it even a vine?

Calum's testing it now, jumping on some of the ground-based overgrowth. It seems very... 'Springy' doesn't seem like the right word to me, but neither does 'rigid' to be honest. Regardless, it's  able to support someone's weight above the ground. As a side note, we've certainly made enough noise by now that if someone were here, they would have heard us. I fear for what that may mean.
---
There's a giant face carved out of a corner of the back wall- not quite like my dream but close enough... How strange. The eyes are made up of displaced firemarbles from... the toppled pillars, it seems? There are enough of the things at the link-in without their orb-ornaments that it's hard to say for certain, though. 

Near the face is an abandoned bedroom, from where I write now. There's no sign that anyone has lived here in quite some time, however, fortunately for us, there's no signs of any skeletons either. Calum and I are in agreement that Athsheba packed up and moved out again at some point. I'm inclined to believe she fled to Releeshahn with the other D'ni survivors back in Atrus' day. Calum begs to differ, getting one of those looks in his eyes.

Of course, it could be she left for other - maybe not greener but possibly less overgrown? - pastures in this age that aren't *here,* in this part of the garden. It looks like there are things up on the cliff, but there aren't any handy ladders carved into the rockface here- or maybe there are but they're overgrown? It's hard to tell for certain with all of the overgrowth. Calum's talking of bringing some rope and doing some free climbing to see if there's anything of interest  up there.

But later, he says. For now we're heading back to report our findings to Patrick. 

1/4/22

Calum's been surveying Eder Naybree more directly today, and is submitting a formalized report to Patrick to get insight on what we should do about the age. 

I want to restore it. Calum's gotten in one of his moods about trespassing in people's homes. AGAIN. It was annoying enough with the Cathedral, but come on, Calum! You can't keep citing that as an excuse to not restore an area! The Cathedral, Elonin, now here? 

I'd say you ought to stop being squeamish, Cal, but at this point three times is a pattern and I'm genuinely getting concerned over your sudden aversion towards trespassing in long abandoned homes. It's not like Athsheba even DIED here! She clearly left this place for others to find eventually, given the journal in the Cathedral. 

There's not a single trace of ANYTHING salvaged from the Cathedral here, so she either didn't come back here, or she did, with everything, and then took it somewhere else. But considering we didn't even find a book hidden anywhere in the main garden, or any tools, or even a scrap of cloth... 

Athsheba left this place. There's no room to be squeamish about it. She's not haunting this garden, and I doubt that if Chezahcen were real, she would have any opposition to here either, and that's inspite of the giant head statue with the firemarble eyes that Athseba clearly carved out of the rocks!

Goodness gracious, I'm getting myself all into a huff. I need to relax somewhat.
---
Caught up with Jules briefly at the tail end of the Relaxation Session. He had a fairly good New Years, it seems! I'll be pestering Calum to forward him some of the photos from Naybree later. 

Had dinner, and Calum's now sent off the report to Patrick. All I can do is hope he approves a speedy restoration to this place. Beyond the main path needing work and the weeds needing trimming, I honestly can't see this place taking too much more work to get through the phases to release. 

...I really want to restore this place.  Times like these I wish I was something more than just a Linguist. Maybe I'll message Patrick and see if I can take on the project for myself, maybe?

...Ugh, I'm just being over-ambitious at this stage, aren't I?

1/6/21

Couldn't help but explore the garden again tonight. It's remarkably green in its diametrical states. Twin Root- Naybree. There certainly are a lot of roots, though. Maybe there were only two roots in the River originally?  Or is it referencing the moons? 

I can't say for certain. Because I wasn't here when this age was new, obviously. Something about this place just feels... other worldly. Like I'm missing something obvious. 

Are they even roots in the river? 

And the vines, could  they not be vines but roots? Tree roots? Do I have the whole ecology of the Age upside down and the trees we see in the air aren't trees but roots in and of themselves?

Is this WHOLE Garden overgrown by nothing but *One Giant Tree?!*

That surely can't be the case, can it? But the way the 'branches' spear into the walls and the way that they do is concerning. I'll have to ask Calum what he thinks. This Age is certainly remarkable, to say the least.

<pb>1/11/22

Calum has finally started work on building a replacement bridge. He's borrowing the same philosophy he's done for the floor in the Pod, it seems. I wonder where he got the materials from?

He's been upset by something though. When I ask him what, he just brushes it off. Says it's something to do with one of Patrick's projects and that it's nothing I need to worry about. Well, here I am worrying. The last time he got like this it was over the Vertigo Crystals. 

...I hope he's not performing experiments with them in private again.
---
Look at me, I think I've finally caught Calum's journaling bug. Once I've started writing, I just can't stop. 

I'll admit I'm just itching to see something related to Athsheba and the Cathedral out there in the public light. I could write down everything I know about the girl and her life in this journal, but then there's the part of me that wants to just let people speculate and delve deeper into the story as the Age presents it...? Then, when we finally release the Cathedral, it could all click into place. But, am I truly that cruel to make people be forced to sit and wait to figure out what we already know? No, I'd think not. 
<pb>A Few Fun Facts We Know About Athsheba:

She was a D'ni girl who lived with her parents on a private island out on the lake- the Chezahcen Cathedral Island as we call it now. 

She seems to have been quite the burgeoning artist, able to make colored paints and smearing them about on the walls of various places- here and the Cathedral alike. 

Her family had ties to stone carvers of some kind. Whether they were the Guild of Artisians, or just habitual carvers of massive stone artworks, Athsheba does seem to have studied enough to be able to refine her skills to the levels shown in Eder Naybree.

Athsheba has a habit of clearing out her living spaces of anything that's NOT tied down when she moves, making finding anything left behind something she either missed, or decided to leave behind intentionally for some reason. (Given how thoroughly the Cathedral was emptied of furniture, I'm inclined to believe the latter.) 

Assumptions:

I'm inclined to believe Athsheba was raised somewhat atypically for the D'ni around the time of the Fall. Likely, she grew up with one foot in the cavern, and one foot in a private age I call Exten-col.

Given the heavy depictions of Chezahcen across the garden, I believe Athsheba was very likely a devout follower of Exten-col's hunting goddess, especially in the time after the Fall. Though she did not write about it much in the one journal we-

OH. There's a thought. I could copy my notes on translating that journal into this book, couldn't I? It'd certainly be a more worthwhile use of the page count. 
<pb>TRANSCRIPTION NOTES FROM ATHSHEBA'S JOURNAL.

The Journal recovered from the Cathedral is written primarily in a child-like D'ni handwriting style. There's some maturation over time, but I suspect Athsheba didn't have any impetus towards refining her handwriting over time given her situation. Her word choices are also, well, Childish, to put it kindly. It's also hard to translate correctly given in some cases there's scribbled messes that look like they should be one word, but may infact be another, due to the way the shapes were blended together.

The early entries of the journal depict a child's day to day life in D'ni. It's hard to tell at what age the girl started writing the journal itself, as she didn't date the book beyond a given day of the week. Not even a year! She lived with her parents - whom we only have her Mother's name, Aleshay, to go by - on an island in the Cavern of D'ni.

Athsheba's first few entries depict the average child's lifetime in D'ni. The "We went to the store today", "Momma bought me a new dress", and "Mommy said something funny!" type of entries. I believe she was pre-teen at the time of starting this journal, and more than that, pre-Guild indoctrination. She does not mention schooling. 

Given her nebulous age, it's hard to place whether this is merely due to her youth, or if her parents were deliberately keeping her out of the Guild systems. Given their family history, I could see the latter being a possibility. The only implications of schooling are towards the Arts, that her Father was teaching her how to mix paints and use carving tools. But that could just as easily be the family trade more so than any formal learning.

The journal entries aren't sequential by day, either. For a surface equivalent entries would go from "Saturday" to "Friday" to "Tuesday" to "Monday" for the first few entries. Infrequent entry keeping at its best, and I suspect Athsheba had trouble keeping up her diary keeping. After a given point, she seemed to stop paying attention to such matters entirely, and stopped even adding a notice of which day was which entirely.

And then comes the Fall.

Athsheba recounts it after the fact in a frantic, jumbled manner. She was definitely traumatized, to say the least.  Athsheba and her mother went to 'The City'- I'd assume it's the City Proper, not Ae'gura- for shopping. As they're there, there's a "loud noise" and then "a dark sky" that came "CRAWLING" in. (Crawling was heavily underlined and exaggerated, clearly for its massive emphasis and scale in her mind.) 

Aleshay used a piece of clothing - 
<pb>I'm assuming it's a scarf - to protect Athsheba from the gases. This was a sacrificial move, due to the fact that Aleshay was now exposed fully to the deadly gas Veovis and company unleashed upon D'ni.

Aleshay tried to take her daughter to a library- only to "fall asleep" before they could both get through a book. It was here a kindly woman appeared - her smile seemed to be the only thing Athsheba remembered. Her smile, and the phrase:

"Your story does not end here."

Athshbea called it "Sad." I would put it as "Knowing."  

It's unclear what happened in that moment, save that Athsheba was sent through a book. She describes hearing bootsteps, and then arrived here in the Garden. Given the savior didn't follow through, the end result of what happened there could be any number of possibilities. 

Athsheba's entries become more sporadic after that. She describes Eder Naybree in detail, though she doesn't give the name - How could she given she didn't know the book she was sent through? - citing the moons and the stars as primary features.

She also talks about going down the river - which is presently blockaded in the modern day - to explore more of the age itself. She cites various friendly wildlife, and foraging for food. Making paints 'like daddy taught me' and 'carving away time'. 

I can't imagine she wrote in this journal very frequently- given how limited her ink supply must have been, and how little 'new' she had to write about. Given the trauma she endured, I can't see her having much to want to talk about either.

She doesn't mention a Return Book, though there must have been one. We couldn't find it on our visit, and neither did the initial surveyor mention finding one in their notes. I'd imagine it was here, somewhere, given one of the later entries is, in essence, "I returned to the Cavern." There's no fanfare, so the Book must have been well kept.

Athsheba returns to D'ni several times. The first such entry noting the bodies are gone. She remarks about how quiet and dark things are. Eventually, she makes her way back to the island she grew up on. She's looking for the "Family Age" that they kept. 

Over time, she describes "securing things to the Garden." Likely this is where she's moving objects from the Cathedral to here in Naybree. She has her frustrated digressions where she tries to puzzle out the various mechanisms. She quotes from the Hymn Book we also found alongside her Journal- these specific entries:

"Then a challenge I shall give you. A Hunt that is a Journey in Seven Goals."

"You are wise for listening to my words so carefully already. Indeed, your Hunting grounds Are Both Of These Ages, as well as this, your own home. They are but steps of the same path."

"Distance Traveled is Distance Traveled, for your Links will carry from one place to another."


"First, choose freely among your destinations, Explore, Hunt, and Observe.
Some paths will be open to you directly, others will be hindered by other goals.
Second, discern from these three starting points where you must Travel, so that you may
Proceed Beyond the Hindered Paths with the aid of those walking this path as well."

The Goddess sang, and asked, "Are you saying you wish to perform this task alone?"

"Then there is a path. A single path through which you may proceed alone. However, This path is dangerous, and you are liable to fall to your doom should you fail to navigate it."

"Third, on the mountain are lions. Count them all, for they are many, and they represent your Gates.
However, you will first focus on those who Pack together as a group, for they guard many treasures."

"Fourth, you must open the Lion's Gates, both for yourself, and for others.
Fifth, when the last Gate is Opened, you will find a long path in the dark, and whose end seems uncertain.
Should you succeed in your attempts to proceed alone, here is where your path begins."

"Sixth, Travel through history, and along the canals of my Grounds, and learn of the steps I took Long Before I was clad in the Mantle of my Predecessor. Long before I was known to you or any others. Long Before, When I was once in your barefooted role, young huntress, clad only in my furs, and scavenging my cloth from the Hunt. Finally, when you have arrived at your destination, you will have seen all that I have seen... You will Return."

"For when the day is done, one always returns to where their journey started."

"Count not my Iterations, for they are but the stages of my own Journey. I grow, as do all living things grow."

By following these quotes, Athsheba reports finding the Family Age Book she was seeking. She doesn't call it by its name, but by other translations, I believe it to be the age I've taken to calling Exten-Col. 

Then, her last entry cites that she is leaving the journal in the Cathedral, for some future visitors to find, so that her story could be known, and known that it wasn't finished.
-------

1/20/22

I can only assume that Athsheba's absence here in this Age, along with any traces of any furniture from her family home, means that she's left for greener pastures- ideally Releeshahn. It's possible Atrus' Restoration found her either here, or during one of her visits, or through her journal. After that, who knows.

For all I know, she relocated to Exten-Col, and took everything with her. If that's the case, a link to the Age may be here somewhere.  Behind the river, is the most likely case. I wonder if I can find a way over that blockage?

1/23/22

Calum finished installing the bridge at some point, it looks like. It's a very nice bridge!

1/24/22

Damn it, Calum, how do I let you talk me into this kind of experimenting? Shardifying Vertigo Crystals to induce a resonance between them to try to get a crystal in one age to transfer the design of a statue to ANOTHER age is-

I can't believe it actually worked. It replicated the statue down to its chisel marks! Yes, it was super sized- but to the MARK.

He's got that far-off look in his eyes again, like something's possessing him. Unfortuantely, I'm fairly certain that this time it looks like it's *merely* just his own idle mind planning something and not the off-put resonance of the crystals harmonizing with his brain in absurd ways.

He said something about wondering if he could use the Crystals to create a link to the family Age. I told him to hold his horses and let me see if I could find some way out past the blockaded river.  No sense creating a risky experiment when you can just waste time hunting for a book that may or may not exist. And if it DOES? Well- then that's good news for the both of us.

Rei'schu/Exten-col- the Family Age.  I want to find it. It's just now there's a bit more urgency to the matter. I'm feeling an itch... Similar to the Call we all feel to D'ni, except this time it's born out of urgency of trying to do something for someone else. 

What we call the Call... The D'ni had a word for it: "Zandni", loosely meaning "the Gravity of D'ni."  And if there really is such a thing as a "Gravity" to a place, then I suspect Calum is feeling a pull to somewhere far, far away from Earth, the Cavern, and civilization as we know it. 

I really hope he's not about to pull a Phil Henderson on us. 

2/1/22

It seems Calum's been busy when I haven't been looking. He sent me a message telling me to take a look at the new views. So, I'm taking a quick look during my lunch break. It seems he rebuilt the bridge (though I really preferred the old one) and he's put in rope ladders, as well as clearing away some overgrowth that had been covering some ladder mounting points! 

I also noticed that Calum had some structure-testing tools on the cliffs near the Link In- I suspect he's evaluating the ladder-rung-like formations for weight support. Still, not my main concern.

I'm climbing these new ladders now.
---
The cliffs are definitely covered in pictographical markings. Athsheba must have painted these...! 

Beyond that, we now know where the Maintainer Mark is in this age. Athsheba even carved a tiny,  almost chibi-styled statue of Chezahcen to sit near it. How adorable! I feel a little sad for the little statue now, honestly. How long has she sat alone for?

Well, no matter, little one, I'm sure you'll have plenty of company soon enough. :)
---
Idle curiosity had me counting the tree roots in the river trench. I lost count several times, not that it mattered really. I wonder if I could use them as a climbing bridge to get over the rock?

Something to try when I have more free time, maybe. 
---
Got that free time tonight. I'm going to do it!
---

The view from up on this rock is incredible. I'm surprised I managed to get up here, in all honesty. I think I might've broken one of the ropes on Calum's new bridge, though. Oops!

The water courses, gurgling below me... I'm reminded of the quoted passage in Athsheba's journal. One wrong step on my part, and I fall. It's probably a good thing I've got a waterproof bag on me right now.
---

I had to leap into the water and swim the rest of the way. But I've made it to a dead end. Tree roots continue to block the path further down... but that's fine. I've found a small cave- a fissure in the wall made by the roots breaking through.

Athsheba's been here. Two of the garden's light posts have been moved back here, somehow, and more than that... I've found a Book. Two books, actually. One goes back to the Cathedral. I recognize the room in the Linking Panel. The other I don't... I can only dream that this is...

But...

Well. Honestly. I don't know what to do now. Exten-Col. Rei'schu. Do I really finally have it in my hands?

I- I should take this to Calum. 

...Why am I hesitating? 
---
I've taken the books. Both of them, and returned to Relto. 

I need to sleep on this.
<pb>2/21/22

Calum's given me the go ahead to take the Naybree Book to Patrick for Final Review before submission- now if only I could just get Patrick to reply to my request for a meeting.

I only have so much free time in a week! Especially when that week is my vacation week.

Calum and Jules did a great job cutting the overgrowth back. 

2/24/22

The Garden's review has stalled, it seems. What's going on?
---
Apparently Patrick and Briggs both voiced concerns Calum was pushing Naybree's restoration too far ahead. Trying to meet some arbritary deadline to get the age out there early. I honestly don't see what else there is to do here in the Garden but there's apparently concerns of some kind. 

But, I suppose my thoughts on the matter may have been what pushed Calum towards accelerating things? Maybe I should have curbed my own enthusiasm a bit...

I should've realized something was up sooner and asked Calum to take a break. 

<pb>2/27/22

Theo contacted me this evening regarding some questions he had about Naybree's canyon area- along with questions which beg my idle mind to wonder where the water for the fountain and the water falls comes from?

I think the water fountain is the usual closed loop system we see in the Gardens and in the Hoods, though I can't tell where the source for the actual river comes from. The emitter points seem to be heavily artificial in the way artificial waterfalls tend to, but the water has to have had a natural origin point to be redirected?

Oh well, unanswered questions about things I have no idea how to contend with. Water mechanics are not my area of expertise. Honestly, Calum might be able to answer that better than I ever could.

But I won't ask. I suspect that if I bring it up to him, Calum will start obsessing over it to the point of insanity and get distracted. I swear that boy gets torn off on the most strange tangents sometimes. 
---
It's a shame my vacation week is over now. I still never managed that meeting with Patrick. If I can't arrange one, we can't get Chiso stocked with the Naybree book, nevermind these Caltauc documents I need to hand off in person rather than using our usual dropoff system. I suppose that'll answer that question in the end. I mean, I could just drop it off somewhere, but even so. 

I added another post to the dniexplorer.com forums. Hopefully Patrick just missed seeing my last one due to how busy his schedule is these days. I know he's not brushing me off because I know HE knows how important these specific documents are. Still, a girl can only wait so long before getting a tad impatient. 

Speaking of impatient, Calum just texted me with an excited series of photos... of a Model Kit from 2001? Well, I can't chide him for having his hobbies outside of the Restoration. Still, atleast buy the thing before sending me pictures of your find, Calum. 

I suspect I'll be spending my next translation session with the ambient background noise of model kit nippers and plastic parts being snap-fit together.

3/1/22

Calum just texted me with a question of whether I'd be okay with Naybree being delayed a quarter to provide a thematic bunching of ages again- the "Garden Quarter" he called it. Apparently it's looking like one of Patrick's garden projects and Tweek's garden projects may coincide together in terms of 'doneness'. 

Honestly, I'd rather they just release things as they're ready rather than delaying things, but Calum seemed particularly amused by the idea, so... I can't complain if they go through with it. 

I've got an appointment with Patrick after the AGM this week, unfortunately Jules can't make it so I'll be bringing Jules' notes over for Patrick to review, I think. Just one more document for the stack of things to hand over. 

...Now why's Calum texting me if I have any tiny screwdrivers for? 
---
Another Deep City Lecture? D'ni Legal System, hm? A bit quick of a turn around after the AGM, though I'd hope not conflicting with other events. I really wish they'd announce these things more than a week in advance. 
---

Was in the Garden, up on the cliffs, when the most irritating thing happened- a gust of wind blew furiously against the cliffs and utterly wrecked the rope ladders.

Now, I wasn't stranded, mind you. I could have Relto'd out at any time. But I messaged Calum about it right away and he said 'stay put' and came hurrying over and began rebuilding the ladders from scratch. It was interesting to watch him work, to say the least. 
<pb>3/4/22

I do wonder, sometimes, when Calum finds the time to do the things he does. Apparently the ladders still weren't up to someone's satisfaction and he redid them again. A forum post he just made says he wont be attending the AGM tomorrow, though. 

Boy needs his rest, for sure.
---
Calum texted me around 11 PM. Apparently, the damnable first ladder broke again. And he couldn't just Relto out because he left his book down in the bedroom- dummy. 

So I had to go fetch his book and throw it up to him. I asked him, "Why are you working on this so late?"

"I was trying to fix the ladder so it wouldn't break again." Dramatic Pause. Calum fixed me with the most annoyed look in the world. "It broke."

I've told him to take the weekend off. Just what I needed before the AGM. And honestly? Screw ladders, if they're going to be causing this much trouble! We'll work out some other means of getting up there, I'm sure. But. No. Not tonight. Maybe not the foreseeable future, even. 

Screw ladders. Honestly! First me, now Calum... better to leave the things out if people are going to continually risk getting stuck on the cliffs for the time being. 
---
I've collected most of the debris - how did this thing even break so thoroughly? It's like the rope knots just evaporated somehow . I don't even know. I'm not going to bother with piecing that together. It's late and I need my sleep before tomorrow's AGM.

3/9/22

I wonder, sometimes. Did Athsheba sit here atop these cliffs, watching for people to link in? Did she hide up here, waiting to see if anyone would arrive? 

Given we know the answer is no, it's sad and happy all in the same breath. It's happy, because that means Veovis' corpse wagon never deposited a corpse into the Age, poluting it and killing anyone who got close... Yet, it's sad, because Athsheba would have sat, waiting to see if someone appeared. And they never did.

Did she know? About Veovis' plot? How much was she aware of, the true cause of the Fall? How much did she understand about D'ni's collapse, and how much did she misunderstand? Things are often misinterpreted, perceived in the shadows by a child. But this kind of traumatic event is...

I wonder. I really wonder. What did Athsheba think, while she was here in Naybree? 

A bigger question is, who was the woman who saved her after Athsheba's mother died? What did SHE know? Why did she save some random girl beyond doing the right thing and saving a life? Was she on an important mission? Was she nobody important? Was she a traveler from another place just passing by? 

So many questions about what happened during the Fall. So so many. A part of me hopes she's still alive in Exten-col, and that we can ask her questions if we go there.
<pb>3/20/22

Thanks to my previous efforts to sort everything together in the archives, I inadvertently lessened a lot of the work I needed to do this time- although it's still taken most of the day to get to this point.

Like we suspected, Eder Naybree seems to have been written around the period the DRC called the "Garden Binge"- around 8100 DE.

From what I've been able to piece together regarding the Age's ownership documents, the Age of Eder Naybree was originally written as a Retirement Gift for a dearly beloved family member of a member of the Guild of Writers- someone low enough on the totem pole that they weren't high up enough to have their name recorded, alas.

There isn't much else on the records of the family in question- not who wrote it, or who it was even a gift for- possibly that information was lost, or the DRC didn't leave it somewhere where I could find it. I can keep looking for it, but given we don't even know who wrote Eder Gira, Kemo, Delin, and Tsogal... I'm not hopeful in that regard.

It seems that the Age stayed in ownership of the family for the next five hundred or so years, before being donated to a Private Collection around the year 8620 DE. It changed hands about five years later, going into another Private Collection, and from there it almost regularly bounced between private collections every thirty-to-thirty-five years until settling into a Public Library around the year 9200 DE. 

It stayed there for about a hundred years,  and then it began to be traded between public libraries, it looks like, before being loaned to a public venue of Garden Ages that was being hosted at one of the City Proper's libraries shortly before the time of the Fall- around the year 9381 DE. 

The document trail ends there - which leads me to suspect the garden exhibition either lasted for the next 19 years until the Fall, or it stayed at that library after the exhibition event ended. Likely the later, more than the former. What other documentation we have regarding the age showed it was sizably popular to remain in active circulation at the time of the Fall. 

5/23/22

More delays to Naybree- concerns over the sturctural issues in the walls that the tree branches have burst through. If Calum's tired texts are anything to go by, he's not pleased by the amount of botanical questions being thrown his way. "Trees don't work like that!" Well, Surface trees don't, but with the Art, anything is possible- from water-borne bacteria that's heatphobic to a giant, all consuming tree.

And so I sit here on the cliff, watching the sunset, and pondering recent events. 

I feel it doesn't need repeating, but it always strikes me as sad that Athsheba spent so many years of her life here. It's clear as day to see that she spent a long amount of time carving out the bedroom cave, and setting up her book podiums in the back...

It's clear she spent a lot of time working and refining shapes out of things. And then later transfering her younger carvings- the images of the girl, and the animals, and placing them on the walls. The most obvious one in the back cave and clearly held some kind of significance to her. I can only imagine what message she was trying to convey, though.

The bird, and the deer like creatures, plus a goat like beast? She hid these on purpose for some reason, though I can't fathom why. Something to do with Chezahcen's religion? 

How long did she live here for? 50 years? 100? How long before she moved back to the Exten-col age? 

I can't see the multitude of statues, so pain-stakingly carved and so similar to eachother, to have gone by very quickly. It's hard not to think of Athsheba as just a scared little girl, but she was only that for a small portion of her overall lifespan. She's a grown old woman now, if she's even alive still. 

What kind of person was she, when she decided to move? It's a damned shame she left her journal in the Cathedral, and didn't even write in it very often. Didn't date it when she did. I can't blame her, not wanting to mark the passage of time, but she spent an unknown amount of time here and it's-- it's so sad that she was alone for so much of it. 

If I ever meet her in person, I have so many questions. 
<pb>5/30/22

Naybree is oddly comforting in its quiet chill given recent events.  I don't know if there's really anything else to say on the matter.

6/5/22

I'm now officially heading up the final stages of Restoration for Eder Naybree with Calum off in Rei'schu/Exten-col. I suppose it makes sense for me to carry things over the finish line, but even so, I wasn't expecting to pick up the final slack towards completion. 

I'll admit I'm a little at a loss as to what to do here. 

I think Calum handled the majority of everything that needed doing. At this stage I'm just going to have to take care of any lingering issues or concerns the others may have regarding this age. I suppose we'll see how that all plays out.

6/25/22

Calum's back from Rei'schu this morning, and working at Naybree again. Much more focused than he was the last few days. Though, I caught him scribbling furiously in that tree journal again for some reason. Not sure what he's doing there. 

<pb>I think this age is about ready for release. Time to be an unrepentant tease and leave a few goodies behind for folks to find! If you've read this far into this journal, thanks for giving my words some time. Oh, and the password is "Burning Sunsets are Amazing!" ;) Just to let me know you got this far. Hehe. 

_Kelsei A. Taylor]]></translation>
            </element>
            <element name="creditsbook">
                <translation language="English"><![CDATA[<cover src="xvertpaperjournal-CRED.hsm"><font size=18 face=Tricia color=1f9400><margin left=62 right=62><p align=left>
MUSIC:
"Sara'Aou (Shores of Naybree)" by Maurus

Thanks to Carl Palmner for his custom beach towel texutre!

Thanks to ametist for the help with the beach shore waves and water tips and tricks!

Thanks to Theo for the Rope Ladder Knot Model! 

Thanks to Ehren, Hazado, and Adam {Hoikas} for helping with the Sun-at-Night issue!

Thanks to Adam, Tweek, Hazado, dpogue, Doobes, and others for Korman help with various issues.

Thanks to Iwonk, Nosila, SkyisBlu, & Ametist for being camera region feedback suggesters! 

Thanks to Iwonk for all her wonky feedback!

A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU to the typo checkers! You all deserve cake, ice cream, and cookies for pushing through the various hefty tomes here in the age. 

Thanks to Ehren for helping me with the firepit effects. 

Thanks to SkyisBlu for the telescope blanket texture!

Thanks to Rarified for hosting the Minkata Shards and helping with testing. And I truly am sorry for the multiple upload passes I pushed through early on. I know it was a lot. 

Thanks to ALL of the Open Uru and Minkata Testers for helping get this over the line! 
(Seriously, thank you for putting up with my insanity in this place.)

Thanks to Cyan for the Various Textures and Sounds used and modified from the asset repositories given to us under the terms of the Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

And thank YOU for coming to visit this age. I hope you enjoy the views! :D  
]]></translation>
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            <element name="calumfieldjournal">
                <translation language="English"><![CDATA[<cover src="xplayerjournalCalNaybreeTrees.hsm"><font size=18 face=Qolyazma_Yantu color=a10000><margin left=62 right=62><p align=left>
OBSERVATIONS ON NAYBREE'S PLANTLIFE.
-by CALUM TRAVELER-

"THE TREE"
Age appears to be covered in a single giant tree like life-form. Shares visual similarities with Kudzu and Mint plants on Earth- trending towards exponential growth. This is its canopy. The 'Tree' is upside down compared to Earth Trees. Its leafy greens are on the ground, and its roots spear into the air.

Sturdy wood like material- more like living Tree Roots than regular tree branches on Earth. Seems to grow into a lattice like network of layers- capable of supporting the weight of many individuals at once. Doesn't seem to have a dislike of any materials- will gladly punch through rock and stone just the same as it'll grow over it. 

Cutting requires significant effort. Bolt Cutters with motors preferred.

Observing over time, it seems that the "Tree" for lack of a better word, will spear its roots outwards in all directions, starting small until it can make contact with a water source- no growth observed past the river. 

The roots in the water- maybe its branches- make more sense in that regard. What confounds me is the massive series of trunks spearing into the air. They go tall, until they reach the point the wind starts to affect them, and at that point they begin branching outwards all in that same direction. Not just contained to the Garden area- some can be seen in the area above the cliffs. 

The canopy carpeting/blanketing everything seems to grow at first with more branches- thinner and a slightly different bark type- before extending even thinner branches from there. These branches interlink in lattice like formations before beginning to harden and sprout leaves. 

They seem to like to grow around things over growing into them, for some reason. A consumption vibe we see with several rocks and light poles around the garden. Possibly the 'Tree' is trying to eat the garden?  (Honestly don't know.)

Once a layer of carpeting/blanketing has been accomplished, it seems more roots are grown outwards with intent to repeat the process- consuming even MORE of the garden. It's a layered approach, growing layer after layer overtop previous layers. Lower layers seem to lose their leaves after being over grown in some areas, and not in others. May be a gradual process?

Regardless, lower layers seem to be 'absorbed' into the upper layer after some unspecified point. I have no idea what the heck this plant is even doing- if it can even be called that. It's branch like methods spearing all over the place remind me vaguely of a mushroom type plant. 

Briggs called them " chubby noodle trees " and honestly I can't disagree. They barely look like any trees I know of on Earth. 

With Naybree being "Root Two" literally in D'ni, I'd have to assume this Age started with two trees that merged into one and just started growing exponentially in a race to consume eachother. But that's speculation. Could've been a reference to the moons, if that's the case.

Honestly, this tree is some of the only native plant life I can see in the Garden's back half. If this age had ANYTHING there that wasn't the "tree" before this point, it's long dead. Just some small shrubs and other bushes/fern-bamboos in the front half remain. 
---

<font size=18 face=Qolyazma_Yantu color=b536da> After the recent tremmor it appears the 'netting' growth kicks into overdrive as some sort of coping mechanism, spawning massive growth across the age in some kind of attempt to hold things together? Very Strange.
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<pb><font size=18 face=Qolyazma_Yantu color=a10000>
"LUNACY"
I think I'll take to calling the upsidedown fern-palms "Lunar Fernboo"- as they're in purple/pink and blue, like the moons. Is the pink/purple an exact match? Not really. 

They seem to have a bamboo like growth cycle to start- more of the underground splintering that buds above ground, I'm starting to detect a theme in this age, for sure. You'll see shoots poking up out of the ground in places, and then over time, growing fern like extensions around them, with a result that looks almost like inverted palm trees.

I'm reasonably certain these things are the same plant- but I can't figure out why one half of the front of the garden is blue, and the other half is purple. Proximity to water source maybe?

I've used some break-offs from the stalks for the pole-posts on the second bridge reconstruction, they're sturdy enough to resist bending, but they drill and cut easily enough- unlike the Chubby Noodle Trees and their tough-as-diamond wood/bark, alas. 

These seem well trimmed despite the age being abandoned for a long time- natural break points? Possible some migratory wildlife is trimming them. Need to observe for longer term to get a better idea of how these things grow.
---
<pb>
"BUSHWHACKED"
Reminiscent of scrub-bushes we see in various ages- Relto, Er'cana, etc. They're a vibrant blue under the right lighting conditions. Very pretty for bushes. Hardy, too. They're growing up in and around the Lunar Bamboo without much complaint. 

Some of them get tall, but other stay stout and short. Some get REALLY big. Not sure if they berry or fruit- haven't observed in age long enough to see if they do or not. Not sure how they seed themselves. Possible they're not native to the garden originally and seeds were blown in on the wind?

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