vallo

Anyone else check out that new potion guy?

A coworker wouldn't stop going on about it yesterday while I was trying to eat lunch and I'm half convinced they were being paid for advertising and the crowd was hard to miss when I was walking to get into work this morning.

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.

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.

Things I've learned this past week:

1. There's a reason that Vex was always the one that took the lead in the woods and why I took the lead when we were in cities. Nature is grand and beautiful, but fucking hell I was not made for it and never will be made for it, at least not for extended periods. Velora is already asking about a weekend camping trip and I can't tell if she's giving me a hard time or actually wants to go.

2. Squirrels are total gossips. Genuinely, I feel the need to check in with the ones that live around the house, just to see what is going on.

3. My bear of a nephew is a pretty good thief, if he's stealing from you while you're exhausted from walking around a forest that wants to kill you at every turn.

4. Despite roughing it in a mountain, my fiance was still as radiant as ever, which I think should come to no one's surprise. I did not fare as well and I swear that I am still picking twigs and leaves out of my hair.

5. Can we be done now? This is not a lesson learned, just a plea.

SHAUN

Also I'm sorry I tried to rescue you when I said that I wouldn't.

Wild Vallo

Darlings, we spotted the portal creature in that meadow on the southeastern side, closish to the pond. It was resting, poor thing, but didn't stay that way all that long before an arboreal animosity made a most auspicious entrance and it flew off.

Does anyone have eyes on it?

I've thought it over a good deal since yesterday and now I want a chocobo.

I flew over to check, but yeah. Fen's gone, the castle's gone another person fucking gone. Pretty shit of you, Vallo.

XHORHAUS

Her cat wasn't gone, though. Can I assume you all won't care if I bring him back to the house?

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?

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.)

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.

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.

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.

This is my second Valentine's Day ever, since we didn't really celebrate anything like this back home, at least in the Zephrah part of Tal'Dorei. I think the idea of celebrating love as a holiday is a nice one, but I'm also just someone who likes having added chances to show people, romantic, platonic, familial, or something in between, that you care.

And I understand that roses are a popular flower to give to express that and while I do like roses and usually have a magical blue one on me at all times, I just wanted to share some others, in case you were looking for options to give to another or yourself or you just like flowers: ( Cut for flowers! )

Anyway, happy Valentine's day to everyone out there, but especially to Dorian. Love you, Dor.

Not to sound cliche, but the sun is very bright this morning. Why is the sun so bright this morning? Surely it was not this bright yesterday morning.

Completely unrelated, thanks for all the drinks last night, folks that bought me them. Holy shit.



Shaun, I need you to come close the curtain, please.

NO BADDIES ALLOWED

I am just a humble rogue-paladin-druid wondering if we're still going to be fighting these portal assholes tomorrow, because it's my birthday and I think Vallo owes me a cake.

GILMORE

If you hear I got swatted out of the sky in a burst of feathers and needed to lay hands on myself to fix it--

Well then, you probably got accurate info.

I've had worse and I'm fine now, but I'm going to take a break while others are around to fight since it seems like this isn't going to wrap up anytime soon.

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.

[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.