vallo

If my sinuses and the way I unintentionally gave much of my life story to a barista that simply asked how I was doing this morning mean anything, I believe I've been infected by whatever truth telling is going on. This is your general word of warning, because I can't promise I won't give my life story all over again and I'd hate to bore. It also made me late for work this morning.

That said, as absolutely irritating as this place has been the last month or so, it seems my home is here. The key was in my apartment and I saw it while walking to the shop. Much of my belongings are there, too. So--that is a nice change of pace.

Much will still need to be done for proper forgiveness, but at least I will have my own bed to sleep in tonight.

FILTERED TO MAGIC USERS, ELIPHAS GRIMSBANE, AND CAYDEN YARROW.

I need help.

I know. No one asks for help anymore. But I am. Some of you are privy to all the shit going on with this body me. And after the last world we were in And after pouring over everything I can possibly think of, we're I'm at a roadblock.

Reverse this, break the magic, whatever it is you do. I'm willing to do anything. Just name your price to get me back to what I am.

It occurs to me that we will need a way to contain the portal beast once we manage to find her (or him? I don't suppose anyone knows?).

I have been working on a spell which I think could be effective to use, especially if it's paired with some sort of structure, but I will need a couple more days to work out the details, and as I cannot cast the spell myself, I will need someone with more powerful magic to do so and so I think I will need time to craft the spell to tailor the spell to their magic.

There is a new portal opened in front of Morningside and it is swarmed. I was able to defeat several angry plants and defend most of the building but they are still coming through and I do not wish to burn everything to the ground.

Assistance requested.

Kir, you are to stay home. Do not argue with me.

I know we hate these fucking portals, but there better be one because there is not a chance in the hells that both my fiance and sister disappeared right in front of me and it can't be fixed.

Added later:

No place better to start a list.

Gilmore
Adaine
Kellach
Kara
Keith
Shiro
Atreus
Kratos
Orym
Chetney
Kit
Cayden
Eli
Kaitlyn
Ronan
Matthew
Lan Xichen
Temeraire
Violet S
Henry
Sydney
Katou
El

I find myself this morning with a rather large hole in my kitchen wall. I'm so, so sorry, Sutton, I will make it up to you

Has anyone else woken this morning to find themselves with [...] stranger than usual powers?

That was a particularly rude awakening after apparently being in, let me check my notes, space for a week. I'm taking everyone's word on that one.

I'd like to humbly ask everyone to make outlandish potion requests at Gilmore's in the coming days so I have something productive to focus on.

GILMORE & TESSA + ASTARION

May I pick your beautiful and magical minds on something?

CAYDEN, DELENEIOS, & ELI + ASTARION

Hello! I don't know if we've ever been more formally introduced, but I'm Octavia. I know that this reaching out might be a bit out of pocket, but I was hoping you might indulge me just a smidge as I'm starting out doing a bit of research and some of it involves questions about Vallo and I understand the three of you might be best qualified on this network to start with.

All that blustering on to say that my research is involving Vallo's native vampires and I would be happy to make trade for information or anything like that, if you'd like. But I don't want to get too deeply into what I'm looking for, if you'd rather pass, so--if you're willing to have a conversation, please let me know.

Filtered to Tav

Darling, tomorrow is apparently a very special day. I hope you'll leave your evening empty so that yours truly can fill it. I've got all sorts of delicious little things planned.

Filtered to Wyll

HELP. Some... love holiday is tomorrow and I've got no plan. Assist me.

I realize I'm new here, or at least relatively so, but have I been sent somewhere else already? Everyone else nearby seems just as amazed or as confused as I, though none of us seem to have any answers. Aside from the elf at the bar who just shrugged it off as "Vallo."

To be more brief, the surrounding area in the village seems to have turned into a desert. The very hot and dry kind, which is not what I was expecting when I woke this morning.

VALLO PRIME, RESCUERS, & FLIPPED REBELS

Full disclosure, I am not a full-time employee with the magic department at the DOA, but so many of us are gone and you are stuck with me, delivering good and bad news. Hello!

The good news is that thanks to the brilliant researchers in both our Vallos looking into where Bronislovas's resting place might be located on the other side of the portal, we're pretty damn sure of where it is, between his notes, so many books, and what info we got from Beketh. The thought is that it's within a cave system in one of the mountains by the city. Here's a map, for your reference:

[pretend there's a cool looking map here with probable mountains highlighted]

Unfortunately that's more or less all we can do on our side for now, so it's up to all of you fine people over there to pick up the trail. If we can do things, we'll do it, just let us know.

And now the bad news: the portal is causing some oddities. The portal monsters from a few months ago are back, seemingly being created by or summoned by the portal itself. If you have fighting skills of some sort but aren't already involved with defense, please reach out to Evie and Kara and they'll get you sorted as needed.

The other odd thing is that the area around the portal seems to be, for lack of a better way of putting it, turning into what we can only assume the other side of the portal looks like. Buildings are suddenly in disrepair and there's a lot of graffiti talking about your Revenants and how disliked they are, missing people posters, that kind of stuff. This started yesterday and the area affected has only grown today, so it would appear we're on even more of a timetable than we thought.

All right, that is all I have for the moment, so...go team?

SANS REVENANTS AND CO CAUSE THEY SUUUUUUUK

I know some people on the other side were worried about some of ours that were captured. We've gotten everyone back to base, a few injuries but nothing too serious. The extra numbers came in handy and we're grateful for the the help.

I'll admit I was focused on other things with the rescue on deck, and I'm sure a few others were too, but those who had a chance to talk in depth with Bronislovas, anything we should be moving forward with on our end to get everyone where they belong? We've got a few people who could use a couple days before doing something else that might cause a run in with the Revenants, but we're good to start working on a plan if there is one.

Uh so is it always like this around here? Chaotic but quiet all at once?

I'm Violet. They told me I wasn't being held hostage and the mender dropped me off at the place where they gave me money? But I'd rather find my dragons. So if you see a giant black dragon followed around by a smaller black dragon, let me know? Neither of them are very good at being well-behaved if they think I'm in danger.

Good morning, everyone. I know we've all been feeling tense as we wait for word from our volunteers who went through the portal. I know that brings with it an inherent feeling of helplessness; I'm sorry there isn't more we can do on that end at the moment. However, we do have news.

The DOA received a call from the Vallo Police Department early this morning. Late last night, Dahlia Argent, of Beketh coven, turned herself in as a party in the portal beasts incident back in November. Along with our people, her sister, Luciana, was taken by the portal, as well as some Vallo residents - the exact number is currently being investigated. DOA leadership was invited to come speak with Ms. Argent, and we've learned the following:

A group of Vallo natives have been working on ways to open a portal to send Outlanders either back to their world or out of Vallo permanently. The teleportation circle found by Sam Wilson in December, as well as a portal that opened on Geliara Academy's grounds and the theft of the Ashurbanipal amulet in November were all early, failed attempts at targeting Outlanders. The November 10th incident with the portal beasts was the closest they've come to success, but they didn't have the correct knowledge to close the portals without threatening the rest of Vallo.

This group has been using the teachings and research of the Guide of Existence, also known as Bronislavas of Beketh, whose body is on display in the Vallo Museum of Natural Magicks. They've made attempts to resurrect him for his assistance - if you remember, the museum was broken into back in August and that particular exhibit was temporarily closed; this was an attempt to take one of Bronislavas' bones for the resurrection process. This plan also failed.

After discussions with VPD and Beketh, they've agreed to let Outlanders take matters into our own hands. We've been granted permission to resurrect Bronislavas and, hopefully, both get more answers on this portal and his assistance in bringing the missing back home. If any of our community have the appropriate skills for this task, please let us know here, and the DOA will facilitate any way we can.

We have over 30 missing Outlanders so far and more names are still coming in. The portal they went through is still open, and now protected by a barrier so we don't lose track of anyone else for now, but it does seem to be a working portal, but we cannot guarantee that it is a two-way street, given our friends and family have not stepped back through yet we have to assume the way may be blocked on their side.

We still plan to launch a rescue mission, but the group going through also needs to be aware of the risks and be able and willing to set up communications in the event that a return trip won't be immediate.

The DOA is going to be confirming the list of those missing so we have exact names and numbers, and studying the portal to ensure it's safe to travel through.

The current plan is that tomorrow we'll send a group through, if you wish to sign up to be on the rescue mission, put your name here and be at the DOA offices in the morning for a full briefing. Pack ONE bag, no larger than what you can carry and run with, and bring your weapons of choice.

It has been a while since I first brought this up, so please forgive me for the tardiness, however: the first meeting of Queer Magic Women has been scheduled. If you fall under that header one way or another and would like to spend some time with us to talk, discuss magic, and maybe show off some of the previous, we will be meeting at Freya's Sanctuary on this upcoming Sunday the 21st at 4PM. Wine and snacks will be provided, but don't hesitate to bring your own or something to share.

Should this take off, we'll look into making it a monthly or so occurrence, depending on what schedules look like.

I'm looking forward to getting to meet some more of you! And of course, I would be remiss not to say once more, thank you to Freya for offering your space!

After some initial coaching, I think I'm doing this right. Clever device, this. I'll take it over a Sending any day of the week.

Having been told that Tav and Astarion are here is good news as well. Sorry Astarion, I hear you only work nights or we would have already seen you.

I say we because Shadowheart is here with me, we're both marveling over Electri City. I'm also finding myself very fond of the lack of chamber pot smells.

Ah oh, yes, hello, Wyll Ravengard, formerly the Blade of Frontiers and more recently the Blade of Avernus. Perhaps you've heard a few stories?

( Letter, left in Octavia's satchel for her to discover later )

My entire life in Faerûn, I only ever encountered two mimics and both times it was rather our own fault for snooping around and looting every chest we came across. (I make no apologies.)

Never would I have imagined an inflatable man of snow being one, therefore rendering me very surprised when admiring some of the festive twinkle lights outside of a home. I will admit that the Fireball was overkill, but I'll be paying the homeowner back for the destroyed decorations that weren't all tooth-y and pseudopod-y.

Does anyone have any toddler-friendly ideas for Christmas or Solstice celebrations? We've only been able to do things at home or with Julian and Emma in the past few years, because we've had to keep a low profile, but that isn't as much of a problem here and I'd like to take the opportunity for us to go a little overboard this year as a family.

Also any tips to get a "cool" teenager to wear a matching "decidedly uncool" family sweater.

FILTERED AWAY FROM TSC:

Has anyone experienced having ah- two spouses, here, from two separate times?

To explain a little further; Will and Jem were connected and shadowhunter partners before I met them. I had a connection with both of them, and ultimately became engaged to Jem. Circumstances out of our control separated us, but with his blessing, I later married Will. This was a hundred and fifty years ago. We had a full and happy and wonderful marriage with him, until he passed.

I'm immortal, so I continued on as I am now, but grieving. It took decades, but Jem was healed and we were able to be together again, we married a few years ago and now we have Mina.

They are both here, and I am very lucky, make no mistake, to be lucky enough to have them. Will is from the early days of our marriage, and Jem is from our current time - they're both very happy to be with each other again, as we've always loved all of each other, bonded as family. But it is becoming a little awkward and I haven't figured out how to breach the "who am I married to" topic in terms of intimacy with them.

I know this place is strange so if anyone has any advice, I welcome it.