While all the drama with the War has been unfolding, the DRC has been busy themselves. I'm still not sure why, but they have decided to institute the formation of Guilds. They have chosen five initial ones to be formed, with the intent to form others once the system is in place. The first five Guilds are those of the Writers, Maintainers, Cartographers, Messengers, and Greeters.
The Kirel neighborhood was initially opened by the DRC to provide information on the new Guilds. They made it all nice with info tables, balloons, and free t-shirts to show your support of your favorite Guild. They have since opened up Guild-specific "pubs" as gathering places. They are similar in form to the Watcher's Pub, but decorated in the Guild colors and banners. Rather nice, actually. I particularly like the Writer's pub, it's all in black and burgundy. Nice and moody.
No mention of a Naturalist's Guild, of course. The DRC has been very slow in returning correspondance on DZS-related questions. Slow as in "hasn't responded ever". The DZS discussed how we saw ourselves fitting in with the Guild structure. I'd like to push for a Guild of Naturalists/Scientists/etc, but I think that may be further down the line. For now we'll sit tight, keep doing our work, and see what happens.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Back in Business
My journal mysteriously reappeared today after a couple months of being missing. Looks like the last time I wrote in here was the end of June - quite a bit has happened since then! I wonder where this thing has been? It usually lives on the shelf in my Relto. Nobody has been there for months though, so I have no idea where it could have been...
Unfortunately, I haven't been to Relto, the Cavern, or anywhere else in the "D'niverse" in some time either. Surface work has kept me busy. I do check the news regularly though, and big things have happened.
Doug made it back from Noloben with more news of the Bahro civil war. Around the same time Phil Henderson also showed up alive and well! Wish I could have been there for that, The Great Tree has been holding out hope that he'd return for years. He's just as enigmatic as ever, perhaps a little more hippy-ish than before, and still speaks in non-conversational riddles.
Phil heralded the return of "Him" - none other than Dr. Richard Watson. The good doctor explained that he had been with Yeesha, Engberg, and the Bahro, travelling the Ages. Apparently he is responsible for returning a powerful Tablet to the Bahro - a Tablet that the D'ni had long used to enslave and usurp the power of the Bahro. This is the root of the Bahro War - the new-found freedom of the Bahro to decide their own fates. One group has chosen to forgive and rebuild their society; one group has chosen to exact revenge for millenia of abuse.
To this point, the "good" Bahro have shielded the Cavern from the ravages of the "bad" Bahro. Apparently this war has engulfed hundred of Ages and caused untold damage across the worlds. Our protectors have created a deception which has fooled their enemies (and ours, by extension) into ignoring the Cavern, but Watson isn't sure how long that will hold up. Should the plan fail, he says there is no force which can save us.
Doug, scorned by so many Explorers has left us to join the beneficent Bahro. Always a man of action, he has seen the ramifications of this conflict and has pledged to do his part. He has been gone awhile now, and I wish I had seen him before he left. There are still so many things I wanted to ask him.
Unfortunately, I haven't been to Relto, the Cavern, or anywhere else in the "D'niverse" in some time either. Surface work has kept me busy. I do check the news regularly though, and big things have happened.
Doug made it back from Noloben with more news of the Bahro civil war. Around the same time Phil Henderson also showed up alive and well! Wish I could have been there for that, The Great Tree has been holding out hope that he'd return for years. He's just as enigmatic as ever, perhaps a little more hippy-ish than before, and still speaks in non-conversational riddles.
Phil heralded the return of "Him" - none other than Dr. Richard Watson. The good doctor explained that he had been with Yeesha, Engberg, and the Bahro, travelling the Ages. Apparently he is responsible for returning a powerful Tablet to the Bahro - a Tablet that the D'ni had long used to enslave and usurp the power of the Bahro. This is the root of the Bahro War - the new-found freedom of the Bahro to decide their own fates. One group has chosen to forgive and rebuild their society; one group has chosen to exact revenge for millenia of abuse.
To this point, the "good" Bahro have shielded the Cavern from the ravages of the "bad" Bahro. Apparently this war has engulfed hundred of Ages and caused untold damage across the worlds. Our protectors have created a deception which has fooled their enemies (and ours, by extension) into ignoring the Cavern, but Watson isn't sure how long that will hold up. Should the plan fail, he says there is no force which can save us.
Doug, scorned by so many Explorers has left us to join the beneficent Bahro. Always a man of action, he has seen the ramifications of this conflict and has pledged to do his part. He has been gone awhile now, and I wish I had seen him before he left. There are still so many things I wanted to ask him.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Moving Forward
Events are moving along quickly, and I'm finding it hard to keep up. It's tough just following the news, let alone making time to try and have a hand in it!
I caught Doug briefly last night, just as he was heading out to Noloben. I feel better after having talked to him. He's most definetly not going on a killing spree. He's going to do some observations of the Bahro. Doug expects that there'll be a war going on, and he wants to watch what happens and see if he can't learn more about the Bahro so we can deal with them intelligently. He expressly said he wouldn't kill one except in self defense.
God help him if he gets found though...
On a different topic, Laxman dropped off some sort of machine on the ferry docks to monitor the light levels in the lake. I haven't talked to him or actually seen it yet. I wonder if it's a spectrophotometer that measures light levels, or a population counter, or a nutrient sampler, or a... Like I said, I should try and chat with Laxman, or at least go poke at the thing.
I also briefly visited Er'cana, and it's as marvelous as I remember. Didn't spend much time there, just wandered the canyon for a few minutes. I'll try and get into the manufacturing complex in the next couple of days, and get to work on the pellets. According to the DRC, different pellet recipes will have different results, including some that are actually harmful to the algae. I'm going to make it my top priority to find out what factors contribute to the "bad" pellets, so we can warn people.
I caught Doug briefly last night, just as he was heading out to Noloben. I feel better after having talked to him. He's most definetly not going on a killing spree. He's going to do some observations of the Bahro. Doug expects that there'll be a war going on, and he wants to watch what happens and see if he can't learn more about the Bahro so we can deal with them intelligently. He expressly said he wouldn't kill one except in self defense.
God help him if he gets found though...
On a different topic, Laxman dropped off some sort of machine on the ferry docks to monitor the light levels in the lake. I haven't talked to him or actually seen it yet. I wonder if it's a spectrophotometer that measures light levels, or a population counter, or a nutrient sampler, or a... Like I said, I should try and chat with Laxman, or at least go poke at the thing.
I also briefly visited Er'cana, and it's as marvelous as I remember. Didn't spend much time there, just wandered the canyon for a few minutes. I'll try and get into the manufacturing complex in the next couple of days, and get to work on the pellets. According to the DRC, different pellet recipes will have different results, including some that are actually harmful to the algae. I'm going to make it my top priority to find out what factors contribute to the "bad" pellets, so we can warn people.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Rambo
Doug's off his rocker. He was asked by the DRC to go to Noloben and gather information on the Bahro, watch them in their home world, and see if he can figure out what's going on. He's decided to include a spot of personal revenge while he's at it, and made the mistake of telling of everyone about it. Now everyone's going ape-poopey over it.
He mentioned that he wants to bag a Bahro, one of the bad ones that killed Wheely. For some reason people have blown that up into "Sharper's going on a genocidal killing spree". He really said nothing of the sort, but mob mentality being what it is...
I hope he calms down before he does anything stupid.
He mentioned that he wants to bag a Bahro, one of the bad ones that killed Wheely. For some reason people have blown that up into "Sharper's going on a genocidal killing spree". He really said nothing of the sort, but mob mentality being what it is...
I hope he calms down before he does anything stupid.
Monday, June 25, 2007
The Replacement
I just got word... The DRC has officially decided that Michael Engberg isn't coming back, and has voted to fill his seat with... you got it... Cate Alexander. So not only does she now control the cashflow, but has a vote in the operations as well. Time will tell whether this is useful or just a power play on her part.
However, she did mention that the vote wasn't unanimous. Apparently Marie voted against her. I've always like Marie the best out of the Council members. It's interesting that out of the three votes, the only one against Lexie was the one with a woman's intuition.
Time will tell...
However, she did mention that the vote wasn't unanimous. Apparently Marie voted against her. I've always like Marie the best out of the Council members. It's interesting that out of the three votes, the only one against Lexie was the one with a woman's intuition.
Time will tell...
Newness
As of June 24, 4:00 pm Cavern Time, the Great Zero is up and working! We've been doing the calibration missions for some time now, and Laxman finally got enough info to get the thing working again.
So now we have our pretty blue line scanning the Island again. Yeah!
Also, Cate has been making some announcements. Apparently they are working on a new Age to release in the coming months, called "Jalek". It was a D'ni gaming arena, though they won't elaborate on what kinds of gaming went on there. Sounds like it could be cool.
Also, Er'cana is going to be released this week. I'm very excited about that. I was there a few years ago, just a couple times, shortly after the DRC left the Cavern for the first time. I haven't been back since, though I love the place. With access through the newly remodeled Watchers Pub, I can't wait to return!
And with that comes the possibility of relighting the Lake. I remember that Kadish had originally used the machinery in the Er'cana factory to produce pellets, which when dropped in the lake via a link to the Uran Silo, caused it to glow brighter for a few seconds. While a lot of research still needs to be done in regards to the Lake algae, perhaps we can start conducting experiments to find out if there's a way to indeed restimulate their growth and light cycling.
My concern is people will start dumping pellets in the lake without regard for the unknowns in the lake ecology. Until we know the nature of the algae, the nature of the poison that killed it, and the nature of the pellets themselves and how they can stimulate the algae, I'm hesitant to encourage full scale "pellet dumping". I need to find Laxman and get some info from him.
So now we have our pretty blue line scanning the Island again. Yeah!
Also, Cate has been making some announcements. Apparently they are working on a new Age to release in the coming months, called "Jalek". It was a D'ni gaming arena, though they won't elaborate on what kinds of gaming went on there. Sounds like it could be cool.
Also, Er'cana is going to be released this week. I'm very excited about that. I was there a few years ago, just a couple times, shortly after the DRC left the Cavern for the first time. I haven't been back since, though I love the place. With access through the newly remodeled Watchers Pub, I can't wait to return!
And with that comes the possibility of relighting the Lake. I remember that Kadish had originally used the machinery in the Er'cana factory to produce pellets, which when dropped in the lake via a link to the Uran Silo, caused it to glow brighter for a few seconds. While a lot of research still needs to be done in regards to the Lake algae, perhaps we can start conducting experiments to find out if there's a way to indeed restimulate their growth and light cycling.
My concern is people will start dumping pellets in the lake without regard for the unknowns in the lake ecology. Until we know the nature of the algae, the nature of the poison that killed it, and the nature of the pellets themselves and how they can stimulate the algae, I'm hesitant to encourage full scale "pellet dumping". I need to find Laxman and get some info from him.
Friday, June 1, 2007
Dearly Departed
An incredibly sad and frightening news has been buzzing around the Cavern.
Michael Engberg, of the DRC, had brought his daughter Willow ("Wheely") down to the Cavern several months ago, so she could be with him (apparently he's a widower). Wheely was exploring with her friend Rose, and they got into an unstable area next to the Kahlo Pub, where the building had cracked open. They found themselves in a room covered with Bahro carvings, and while they were in there, the building collapsed and killed Rose.
Wheely was trapped in the room for two days while the DRC frantically tried to get her out. Most frightening was that a Bahro was in the room watching the whole time it seems, not harming her, but not really helping either.
Just as the rescue team was about to enter the room and save her, the Bahro went berserk. It was jumping around screeching something that sounded like the word "Noloben". Wheely was frightened, and Michael kept telling her it was ok, he was coming for her. Her screams for her father were the last sounds heard from the room, as he fought to get in and save her.
When the rescuers finaly got there, they found that Wheely had been killed. It hasn't been confirmed, but comments from the DRC so far lead us to think she was mutilated in the same way as the Negilahn creatures. Engberg was utterly devastated - first his wife killed in a climbing accident, now Wheely killed in a caving accident.
I'm numb; I don't have words for me emotions right now. I read transcripts of the events and conversations surrounding her entrapment and final hours, and my heart is utterly broken.
...
why?!
... it doesn't make sense
Michael has disappeared into the Great Shaft. Apparently he was heard muttering the words "Dr. Watson" before linking to the Descent. Nobody's heard from him.
What is happening?
Michael Engberg, of the DRC, had brought his daughter Willow ("Wheely") down to the Cavern several months ago, so she could be with him (apparently he's a widower). Wheely was exploring with her friend Rose, and they got into an unstable area next to the Kahlo Pub, where the building had cracked open. They found themselves in a room covered with Bahro carvings, and while they were in there, the building collapsed and killed Rose.
Wheely was trapped in the room for two days while the DRC frantically tried to get her out. Most frightening was that a Bahro was in the room watching the whole time it seems, not harming her, but not really helping either.
Just as the rescue team was about to enter the room and save her, the Bahro went berserk. It was jumping around screeching something that sounded like the word "Noloben". Wheely was frightened, and Michael kept telling her it was ok, he was coming for her. Her screams for her father were the last sounds heard from the room, as he fought to get in and save her.
When the rescuers finaly got there, they found that Wheely had been killed. It hasn't been confirmed, but comments from the DRC so far lead us to think she was mutilated in the same way as the Negilahn creatures. Engberg was utterly devastated - first his wife killed in a climbing accident, now Wheely killed in a caving accident.
I'm numb; I don't have words for me emotions right now. I read transcripts of the events and conversations surrounding her entrapment and final hours, and my heart is utterly broken.
...
why?!
... it doesn't make sense
Michael has disappeared into the Great Shaft. Apparently he was heard muttering the words "Dr. Watson" before linking to the Descent. Nobody's heard from him.
What is happening?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)