Saturday, November 17, 2007

Ahnonay

In amongst the drama of the DRC leaving, I've completely failed to mention that they gave us access to Ahnonay before they left. The world is intriguing. I haven't worked my way through all of it yet, though there is a rumor that all isn't as it appears there.

The book from the Watcher's Pub doesn't actually lead to the Ahnonay itself, rather to a small room exiting to a short hallway. At the end of the hallway, on a pedestal, is the book to Ahnonay itself. The hallway has a series of stained-glass pieces which are exactly the same as those found in the upper balcony of Kadish's Gallery. Word on the street is he is responsible for Writing this Age as well.

Oddly, the Link panel in the book shows a huge waterfall, but nothing of the sort can be seen when you arrive there. Strange.

Upon first linking to the Age, I found myself on a little ring-shaped island. A curious clock/radar sort of device sits in a pool in the middle of the island. A lighthouse sort of building sits on a rock just offshore. The island is populated by pink-leafed trees and a group of small, 4-legged crustaceans we've come to call Quabs. I'll do a detailed analysis on them later.

The ring island is surrounded by strong currents, which prohibit escaping from it. I was able to swim out to Lighthouse Rock after a few exhausting tries. The building has a door on the backside, but no way to open it; presumably there is a way to get into the building without going though the door. Something else that's strange about this place.

Oh, as well there are apparently some floating cities a little ways away from the island. But, as mentioned, the currents around the island are too strong to swim over to them. Maybe I'll bring down a small zodiac or something.

I have more exploring to do. I'm starting to agree with the rumors, something isn't right about this world...

Saturday, November 10, 2007

What next?

So I was wrong, everyone is gone. Cate, Kodama, Victor, Marie, Douglas... They've left. Victor and the other "real" DRCists say they are looking for funding. They haven't given up yet. But, regardless, they are gone, and we have no idea if they'll return.

What will happen to the restoration? We've all worked so hard, I can't believe it can end like...

It won't end. The Explorers are still here, and Bahro war or not, we'll stay. We'll keep things going. There is so much to be learned, so much to discover still. The DRC may be gone, but the Tree will continue to grow.

It must!

Sunday, November 4, 2007

The Exodus

Cate is leaving the Cavern. She announced two days ago that she wasn't getting a return on her investment, and so she was pulling her funding and leaving the DRC.

My initial thought was "well what'll happen to the other DRC members?", and an answer was not long in coming. Last night Dr. Kodama announced he was leaving as well. With no funding to continue the work, he didn't see any point in sticking around. I don't blame him, but it is a huge loss. Though he lacked in social skills, he made up for it in expertise.

So now, there's only Marie and Victor left! Watson is apparently back from wherever he's been, but hasn't been seen in over a month. Engberg made a brief appearance at the same time Watson did, but word on the street is he's done with the Restoration. I hope he finds peace wherever he looks for it. It wouldn't surprise me if Marie and Laxman also called it quits, Lord knows they've had a rough time of it over the last year. But something tells me they won't give up so easily. They've both dedicated a large part of their lives to this project, and I think they'll at least try and see it through.

Time will tell. And probly very shortly.