Supply Run

Busy times down here. Planning to go to Noloben sometime soon.

Finished some structural work on the first room. I have a stable place to write a linking book to. The windows are still open to the cold, but I'll patch them up soon enough as well as get a reading on some nearby steam vents for heating and power.

The lights are still puzzling me. The clouds are never-ending (as is the sunlight) so I can't tell what's going out there, though I'm fairly certain the stars are stable as I checked their descriptions with others in ages with similar atmospheric descriptions. Maybe lights reflecting off of ice sheets? I need to get an expedition out there soon.

Whilyam

11/24 Update

Finished cleaning out and re-filling the old office area the day before Thanksgiving. Things were a bit too hectic on the surface for an old-style family meal so I stayed down here during that time to work on my projects. Got a message from Clarke later that day. He'd noticed I hadn't left yet and invited me to his family's gathering. Fun time.

I decided that the old area of the island I was tunneling into was too unstable and so I chose a spot on the north side of the island. I've got some more detailed plans as well for some nice private areas, but I need to work on the other areas first. If I need areas shut off, I have some new doors I can install. I'd like to work on getting a proper mechanism to open and close them, but that's the kind of wiring I'm not up to.

I found a large cave inside the island. It looks like maybe it was filled with lava at one point which drained out later. Some large slabs of rock fell from the top of the cave. Made some handy bridges. There are also a number of white phosphorescent crystals that will do until I can find some lights. Maybe some guardrails should go in, though...

On a side note, explorer research courtesy of Dr. Watson has revealed a new D'ni word! Beeree, to maintain. So the Guild of Maintainers is officially tehlbeeree.

The Office

Getting to work again on my office. I hadn't been there in quite a while, what with the DRC leaving, Bahro, and various projects. When I linked in, the age was in bad shape.. The plexiglass windows had buckled and broken under the strain of the cave roof above them. I'm thinking I made some rather amateurish mistakes the first time around. Structural issues. I've gotten some interesting D'ni tools to help with filling in and supporting the cave itself. I'm thinking of making some re-enforced windows... I also want to put in some protections in case someone links into my age. I'd really rather they not surprise me. Maybe some cameras.. I'd have to talk to some more talented people about setting up the wiring. I'd also like to investigate these lights..

Dr. Watson's Proposal

And just when everyone thought nothing interesting would happen. Watson's still down here, still doing some research it seems. He just posted on the Linguistic Fellowship's site about getting explorer participation in researching new D'ni words. Seems he came bearing gifts too. We have some words I've never heard of.

Never (always not): tsahnrihl
Historian: fehntahsehntah
Magnet: palmehn (the a sound like the one in Rand)
Insane/Warped: zeeglah

It's very exciting. I went to the Tokotah and picked up a manuscript to look through and try to decipher.

Back in business

Got a call the other day from Kingsley and the other funders. Haven't talked to them in a while. Seems they want to fund my work again. Clarke said there were some other things they were interested in I might be able to help with later on. Not quite sure what he meant by that, but it's good to hear they're still around. The paid team and the volunteers seem to have shrunken in numbers since I saw them when they started. Seems a lot of them are working for a woman called Caroline. Either way, I told them I'd spread the word that they're looking to hire people to work for SR. Not sure what I can do, though.

Work is slowly progressing on the Office in Jehruthsehv (I'm thinking of changing the name. Too long). I can swear the lights in the distance are flashing more and more. I'm beginning to wonder if I made some error in describing the stars in the age and I'm seeing them explode through the heavy fog in the age.

Update

Obviously, if you've paid attention to the events in cavern, you can understand why I haven't had a chance to update this... Lots going on. Let's start...

Ahnonay was released on the 2nd. It's very much the same as I remember from the old Path. With a few people's help, I went through the Age in a couple days. It's very impressive once you understand it, and I think this time I understood it better than the first time around.

On the third, many people found a link to the island of K'veer. It hadn't changed much at all from the K'veer seen when many took the Path of the Tablet. That day, Bahro began flying around the arch of Kerath, screaming and apparently fighting. Phil later came in and said that they were coming (assumed to mean the Bahro and the War). Kodama came in later and said he was leaving the restoration for now.

The next day Marie dropped off the Great Zero stained glass pieces and the Bahro began to land and dive-bomb people.

And finally, yesterday, Bahro began appearing in K'veer and every other place in the cavern. Explorers heard a very loud, deep growl in the City and, about four hours later, Yeesha appeared in K'veer. Along with what we have heard and assumed before about the evil Bahro, Yeesha gave some new insights. The leader of the evil Bahro is easily identified as he is missing a large patch of skin from his left shoulder. He is the one Esher took the skin he used to form his linking pelt. It seems, from what I can tell, that Yeesha is now carrying that skin (or something else the evil Bahro would seek). She is going to try and lure the evil Bahro away as long as possible for us to "find a way" to "make a home". Destruction, she says, is almost here.

So now we seem to be on our own. I'm hearing that a few ResEngs are staying down to keep up the orientations and make sure no one starts trying to destroy things, etc. The Bahro have all left. I'm hearing almost no calls in the neighborhood (roughly the same number I heard back before the tablet was released).

On lighter news, I've got an interesting idea I want to try out. Maybe it will keep people entertained and in good spirits while we wait for better news and get to work.

Whilyam

Cate and Eder Gira

Interesting start to the DRC PR Week. Cate has announced that she is leaving the DRC and the cavern. She says it's for business purposes (and she's taken her money with her too) but I think she must have taken the Bahro situation into consideration as well. Either way we obviously have a problem. Without funding the DRC will collapse and there goes the Restoration...

Got an answer to an investigation. Marie said the DRC has never seen the inhabitants of Eder Gira. Makes me wonder if they're still around or if the D'ni sterilized the age in a way similar to Shomat's Garden age... Ahnonay will be out in a day or so they say.