vallo

Right then! Just wanted to pop on now that I've got a bit more of a handle on things, and say a heartfelt cheers and thanks to those that helped me during my quite ghastly arrival. Even those of you that laughed at me - hope to have brought some humor for your day.

I never got to make proper introductions, all said. I'm Si Robin Blyth, I come from the same ah- time? place? world? These things go over my head - as Edw Ms. Violet Debenham, and Mr. Edwin Courcey, but! If you hadn't guessed by my previous blundering, I am not lucky enough to be as gifted as they are with magic, just stumbled into it by accident and then ended up with unexpected psychic abilities! Though, I've learned that having foresight really isn't that helpful at all, in the end, especially not when they couldn't even warn me I'd be walking into a but apparently I'm not the only one of my kind here?

It is nice being able to say that part to the general public! So far I've heard of the same-sex marriages, the fact that women have far more freedom, and experienced now the indoor plumbing and hot showers on command. Tell me of more wonders? What am I missing? I've become acquainted with several bars and taverns since my arrival so that part is covered now do your worst.

Hello.

I am very itchy and sad and grumpy and tired all over and I would like to stop scratching, please.






And my feathers are falling out.

I think this is a problem.

H blast ho
W do I

THERE THATS SOMETYING, I YHINK
FUCK

NO THATS IMPOLITE HO W DO YOU REMOVE THERE SURELY

at this point just leave me here lost to die I cannot recover from this and I haven to the fainted idea if hie to use this internal yhing

Id like to go home now I think

Ah-- Hello, good morning. I know that it is early for most, but well. I seem to have lost track of the hour.

A thought occurred to me in the night while I was trancing. It--well If you are unfamiliar, it is something that my variation of elves can do, wherein we do not have to sleep and instead go into a meditative trance and do exercises--it hardly matters, but I generally go over thoughts of whatever I am working on or Ca so my thoughts were lingering on this issue we have been going over regarding the portal beast since yesterday and--

I apologize, I did not actually finish my trance and am surviving on coffee and hope at the moment.

Anyway, I had a thought, specifically from the transmutation books that Prigany brought and a few specific runes that those idiots the culprits had tried to use and everything else surrounding the situation and, this might sound mad and I will need someone or a few someones to look over my work, but I am certain that they somehow managed to turn a waypoint crystal into the creature that we have been dealing with today and all of the portals and its glitching and disappearing are stemming from the fact that the magic of the waypoints just shouldn't be within something living and breathing like that.

As I said, I am humble enough to want someone to look over what led me to this conclusion as I have all of the work to show for it, but my humbleness ends at a point as I do have confidence here. There is nowhere for us to send the creature, as they were created and are truly from our Vallo. Perhaps this is something to confirm with them, if communication is at all possible?

But, ah--that is all. It feels as though this narrows our options.

I am just making note of this as I realize it, looking over the data from the last handful of days, as I think it may end up being important for both sides of the portals: but, speaking of the portals, it appears that there is some sort of pattern in how they are appearing and disappearing around the surface. If that's the case, it would make it easier for us to coordinate once this containment unit is completed on our end and when you in the other Vallo are able to get hold of the creature.

That being said, if I could get someone with an eye for such details to check my work, I would appreciate it.

I also wouldn't say no to a mint lavender matcha latte and a cheese danish from that place I like, if someone married to me would be so kind.

I did not do well yesterday. You'd think destroying homicidal plant life would be a cinch for a Green Mage, but turns out it's not that simple. I'm used to trying to keep them alive - or using them to kill things. I didn't realise how much it would hurt to try and squeeze the life out of them instead.

Anyway, practice makes perfect, and there's always the old fire amulet if things get really dire. Let me know if any major problem areas crop up and I'll come and do what I can to help.

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.

So, uh.

Are we still looking for the portal guy? Because it just kinda dropped out of the sky from a portal and flew off. The portal isn't there anymore, but just checking that no one suddenly disappeared or anything, because that would be a problem.

EDIT: Witches and wizards and magical folk of Vallo, do you have magical ways to track glitchy, invisible beasts? And ones that can fly. Me and Kratos ??? want to know.

EDIT 2: Anyone who is familiar that sounds so wrong but that's the words that F with the beast, can you come describe it to Fresh Cut Grass?

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?

Next week will mark my arrival anniversary into Vallo and I believe that counts as one of the few dates where I am allowed to be sentimental "on main", as my once students used to say. (Note that the other dates include: my birthday, Caleb's birthday, the children's birthday, our wedding anniversary. Other random days must be forgiven, if I am not controlled at brunch and have one too many sips of a mimosa.)

And so, this has been a very tumultuously wonderful handful of years and I am grateful to the people who have given it such joy, both those that have since gone and everyone still here--and, most assuredly, those that will still stumble into Vallo in the future. I am a lucky elf.

Anyway, sentimentality over. Thank you for allowing the indulgence.

I am delivering a new podcast this evening that I am particularly proud of. Normally I would give hints as to the subject matter--magic, soup, book reviews, etc--so as to tempt people to listen, but I wish not to spoil anyone and also I have heard that lending some mystery could likewise tempt people to listen so this is a test. If no one listens, I will know it is a gamble best not taken again and simply be terrible sad. (This is a back up plan: if mystery does not work, perhaps guilt will.) (This is a joke, in case my brand of humor remains less than clear after all these years of attempting it.)

Uh What do you say when you are seeing if another world can see what you're writi

Hello, this is Orym of the Air Asha Beketh Squadron, Communications. I know that there is a lot going on around the ship and everything is confusing and bad, but there might be a bit of good news for you new folks.

With our comms back up, we almost immediately received a signal that was first theorized and then confirmed to be coming from your side of things. It's gotten stronger as we've drifted closer to the proximity of the assumed portal. Long story short, I've been told that they should be able to see this and you lot should be able to communicate with one another now.

So uh if anyone not currently on the V.A.L.L.O. could confirm that, that would be super helpful. I'm sure your people will be relieved to hear from you.

Someone left their footprints all over the grass in the Forest. The grass that, as it turns out, has very clear and obvious signage that says to not tread upon it. The grass that we work very hard to maintain to add to important things like the oxygen we breathe.

Do not step on it again, mysterious person. The surveillance did not catch anyone this time which is rather, but just do not.

All right, thank you.

Power is back on in the barracks.

The outage was a result of deliberate sabotage to the electrical system. The culprit is unknown for now, but the situation has been reported to the captain.

When you have time, go to your pod and do an inspection, and report back if anything went missing or was disturbed in the dark.

Hey there, newcomers--and also not-newcomers, since I've been told everyone should be connected onto our networks now. Obviously let us know if that's not the case--well, I guess you wouldn't be seeing this if it wasn't, so. Let us know if it is and that's one thing done.

Anyway, I'm Orym and it really is nice to see some new faces, even if it's from strange circumstances. (I say that as though arriving via tree onto a space station is normal, but after a few years it really is.)

If there's anything you need or have questions about, let us know.

( Read more... )

[ VALLO PRIME, RESCUERS, & REBELS ]
Got what we were looking and more. No surprises, but we'll do a full debrief after dinner for anyone that wants it.

Magic types, you're going to be needed asap though. Meet you at the command room.

BLUE & GILMORE

This is just an announcement to let you know that I did the right thing and my husband in this world is probably incredibly upset with me over it.

Also I am pretty sure I was played by my son.

There are bigger issues and I recognize this, but I feel as though you two will keep the judgement to a level that is productive and remind me only the right amount that I ought to keep my head from wallowing.

[VOICE POST: FILTERED TO FLIPPED VALLO REBELS, VALLO PRIME, AND RESCUERS GROUP.]

I speak into it? Just like this?

Like this?

Oh, oh. I see, fascinating. What marvelous aptitude civilization has in the year—no, wait, do not tell me the year. I would like to be surprised.

Ah, yes! Right! Hello, Valloians—or do you call them Valloites? What is the consensus you have all settled on these days? Yes, yes, certainly. Outlanders? I do like that one. Much better than the name I would have given you which would be

Outlanders! I am Bronislovas, First Regent of the Ivory Three, a proud member of the Beketh coven, and known to my students, none of whom are alive given the passage of time, as the Guide of Existence. Some of you seem to be in quite the issue with the portal, and to be of any assistance and not to be zapped by a raccoon

—As I said before, I would not mind a little zap. I'm interested to see—

To be of any assistance I am doing, is that the right word? Doing an ah-ma. Is that right? Is that how you pronounce the

Oh, the letters! I see. I will be doing an AMA. You may ask me anything.

[ooc: please assume all the comments are voice-to-text, Bronnie's not typing anything.]

[FILTERED TO VALLO PRIME, FLIPPED REBELS (THAT INCLUDES YOU ELI), & RESCUERS]

Testing, testing. Are you getting this? We're using my connection to the Black Lion and the quintessence tech in my arm to form a bridge between the networks. Basically, we're playing telephone through a giant sentient spaceship. Stop by and thank him for me? I'm sure he's stressed by all of this.

Anyway, assuming someone is reading this, on the other side of the portal is a parallel Vallo. We've made contact with a group of Outlanders here and confirmed that they are alternate versions of some of our lost people. Most of them have lived here for years and some have different memories of their home worlds. They've formed a rebellion against another group, made up of more of our lost people. They call themselves the Court of Revenants and they're the reason this message is filtered as best as I can get it.

Please be aware that Council members might look like someone you've lost, but they have apparently taken control of this Vallo through force and terror. There is a stalemate between the Council and the Rebels because any physical violence here creates what they call Echoes - spectral enemies that attack anyone close by and only stop when the fighting stops.

Now I'm sure you're wondering where our Outlanders are. I've been told the people here suffered a violent headache and a flash of memories that then faded when the portal opened on this side. It can't be a coincidence. I suspect our people are tangled up metaphysically with their counterparts. I have no idea how to separate them. If you have any theories, please don't be shy.

As for the rescue team, everyone is accounted for and safe. Our focus right now is planning a recovery mission. A few rebels were taken captive just before we arrived. Keith is We will get them back. In the meantime, please feel free to use this post to brainstorm and reconnect. Since I know it'll be a question on your minds, here is the list of the captured:

• Ashton Greymoore
• Dorian Storm
• Keith Kogane
• Luffy
• Nancy Wheeler
• Noctis Lucis Caelum

And a list of the Council and their allies:

• Caleb Widogast
• William Laurence
• Henry Townshend
• Kellach Donnallen
• Ostyia Rabalska
• Teddy Kaplan-Altman
• Billy Kaplan
• Abigail Blyg
• Lan Xichen
• Lee Thompkins
• Joshua Rosfield
• Julian Blackthorn
• Ronan Lynch
• Serefin Meleski
• Silas

Anyone not on either of these lists should be able to see and respond to this post. Okay, enough rambling. Time to see if this actually works.