A low rumbling boom from across the western sea startles everyone in Caledon, and a gust of wind rattles windows all the way to Cape Wrath.
Far off in the distance, a curl of smoke is seen. Across the Aetherwaves: . . . - - - . . . then silence. Signal triangulation indicates the source: the unexplored isle Mondserrat.
What Mystery, Adventure and Danger awaits? As Caledon citizens ponder, a deep growl comes from the direction of the island....
Beware!
Friday, January 9, 2009
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Tragic adventure on Saint Kitt Islands (a delayed report)
It is long past due to document the events of the destruction of the Saint Kitt Islands, but I am pressed to now because of the disturbing seismic activity in Steeltopia -- in fact, threatening the Consulate itself there. As Steeltopia is more of a business area than a holiday spot, and has never been declared Perfectly Safe, it may be more of an economic tragedy for the business-owners and less of the human tragedy which characterises Saint Kitt.
On August 18th (a Monday), I had arrived on the main island, delayed due to office issues, at 13.29, dressed appropriately for the 'beach party' to which all Caledon was invited. The photographic documentation is in our image files here at the Society, but I associate them with the timeline below.
13.29: Arrival; find Herr Enigma wearing a sea urchin on his nose.
13.40: Large amounts of rock collapse from the volcano's crater walls and are thrown with great force for some distance.
13.41: Red-hot rocks are now being thrown into the midst of the party
13.44: A high view of the party area
13.45: Her Grace's yacht suffers a bouyancy problem. Hot ash fills the air.
13.50: (approximate time) Herr Nix Sands, burned by flying lava.
13.55: Wary observations of flying rock are interrupted by upthrusts of strata from the channel.
13.55: New landmasses start to arise; I am bitten by a vorpal rabbit.
13.55: The land drops beneath us by at least two Caledonian fathoms.
13.55: The effect the submersion has had on the party site.
13.55: One clever Caledonian has already converted their Chitty Chitty Bang Bang into flotation mode.
13.56: I move to the west for a better view...
13.57: Duke Otenth and some of the others struggle to find stable footing...
13.58: A flying camera's view of the changes over only 10 minutes.
14.04: Another high view, with details
14.05: Only a minute later, and the water levels have changed even more drastically
14.06: And nearly all is promptly submerged, including the volcano.
14.07: Scrambling for some sort of secure footing, or at least hovering.
14.09: Once again, the former beach site arises from the water, at least briefly.
14.09: Quickly enough, shallow waves broke over the 'dry land'. Duchess Diamanda's bar continues a brisk business.
14.11: A view from further west.
14.12: Sudden darkness.
14.14: Still in ash-induced darkness.
14.17: The bar, still intact. This may be one of the last images of Herr Miles before his presumed death and reappearance on the shores of Cavendish 21 August.
14.18: Lady Amber, the Baroness Bauerhoff, attempts to evacuate those remaining.
14.21: Alas, this was all that was left of Duchess CoyoteAngel Dimsum.
14.22: Evacuation airships, since boats were obviously useless
14.23: Was? Firefly class? Here?
14.33: A small (10 minute) patch of stability...
14.35: Fraulein Saffia Widdershins (by reports) and the Etheric Travel Cabinet crowd pick up a few passengers in the Rossini Dreamliner.
14.47: The land finally stops heaving under our feet.
We had no idea that only 30-odd hours later, Saint Kitt would sink beneath the waves, completely and finally, just before Cavendish arose with great peace and serenity in NE Caledon.
Other related accounts: Frau Duchess Gabrielle Riel, on receiving the geological report; Laird Brideswell, on the then-upcoming social event; Fraulein Boyarina Kate Nicholas for the Royal Society for the Advancement of Knowledge in the Natural Sciences; A letter from Fraulein Duchess Eva Bellambi to Boyarina Kate, on her reactions to the invitation; Fraulein Emilly Orr, first on the invitation, then her account of the event itself, illustrated; Duchess Diamanda Gustafson; Port Captain O'Toole on the fleet's rescue attempts; A five-page report recovered from the Spirit of Caledon, by Captain Tom Foster; Fraulein Rhianon Jameson reports in absentia; Prim Perfect magazine reports on the activity
(Surprisingly, I found no account in the archives for Herr Duke Otenth Paderborn.)
On August 18th (a Monday), I had arrived on the main island, delayed due to office issues, at 13.29, dressed appropriately for the 'beach party' to which all Caledon was invited. The photographic documentation is in our image files here at the Society, but I associate them with the timeline below.
13.29: Arrival; find Herr Enigma wearing a sea urchin on his nose.
13.40: Large amounts of rock collapse from the volcano's crater walls and are thrown with great force for some distance.
13.41: Red-hot rocks are now being thrown into the midst of the party
13.44: A high view of the party area
13.45: Her Grace's yacht suffers a bouyancy problem. Hot ash fills the air.
13.50: (approximate time) Herr Nix Sands, burned by flying lava.
13.55: Wary observations of flying rock are interrupted by upthrusts of strata from the channel.
13.55: New landmasses start to arise; I am bitten by a vorpal rabbit.
13.55: The land drops beneath us by at least two Caledonian fathoms.
13.55: The effect the submersion has had on the party site.
13.55: One clever Caledonian has already converted their Chitty Chitty Bang Bang into flotation mode.
13.56: I move to the west for a better view...
13.57: Duke Otenth and some of the others struggle to find stable footing...
13.58: A flying camera's view of the changes over only 10 minutes.
14.04: Another high view, with details
14.05: Only a minute later, and the water levels have changed even more drastically
14.06: And nearly all is promptly submerged, including the volcano.
14.07: Scrambling for some sort of secure footing, or at least hovering.
14.09: Once again, the former beach site arises from the water, at least briefly.
14.09: Quickly enough, shallow waves broke over the 'dry land'. Duchess Diamanda's bar continues a brisk business.
14.11: A view from further west.
14.12: Sudden darkness.
14.14: Still in ash-induced darkness.
14.17: The bar, still intact. This may be one of the last images of Herr Miles before his presumed death and reappearance on the shores of Cavendish 21 August.
14.18: Lady Amber, the Baroness Bauerhoff, attempts to evacuate those remaining.
14.21: Alas, this was all that was left of Duchess CoyoteAngel Dimsum.
14.22: Evacuation airships, since boats were obviously useless
14.23: Was? Firefly class? Here?
14.33: A small (10 minute) patch of stability...
14.35: Fraulein Saffia Widdershins (by reports) and the Etheric Travel Cabinet crowd pick up a few passengers in the Rossini Dreamliner.
14.47: The land finally stops heaving under our feet.
We had no idea that only 30-odd hours later, Saint Kitt would sink beneath the waves, completely and finally, just before Cavendish arose with great peace and serenity in NE Caledon.
Other related accounts: Frau Duchess Gabrielle Riel, on receiving the geological report; Laird Brideswell, on the then-upcoming social event; Fraulein Boyarina Kate Nicholas for the Royal Society for the Advancement of Knowledge in the Natural Sciences; A letter from Fraulein Duchess Eva Bellambi to Boyarina Kate, on her reactions to the invitation; Fraulein Emilly Orr, first on the invitation, then her account of the event itself, illustrated; Duchess Diamanda Gustafson; Port Captain O'Toole on the fleet's rescue attempts; A five-page report recovered from the Spirit of Caledon, by Captain Tom Foster; Fraulein Rhianon Jameson reports in absentia; Prim Perfect magazine reports on the activity
(Surprisingly, I found no account in the archives for Herr Duke Otenth Paderborn.)
Monday, October 20, 2008
Please welcome Mr. Sands to the Society
To My Distinguished Colleagues of the Society,
Mr. Nix Sands has undertaken astounding historical and archaeological research into the Precursor culture known as the Aerodynes (not to be confused with the Heterodynes of course) to the point or restoring and reproducing some of their artifacts. From short conversations I had with him concerning his research, I gathered that the Aerodynes were a Steam-based culture with a more aggressive style of imperialism than the Caledonians. The record suggests that were ultimately destroyed when the peoples they conquered mastered their advanced technology and turned it against them.
I've invited Mr. Sands to our Society to enlighten us as to the mysteries of this fallen culture, what technological wonders they built that may be of interest to the modern Neo-Victorian, and what moral we may gain from their hubris.
~Dr. Mason
Mr. Nix Sands has undertaken astounding historical and archaeological research into the Precursor culture known as the Aerodynes (not to be confused with the Heterodynes of course) to the point or restoring and reproducing some of their artifacts. From short conversations I had with him concerning his research, I gathered that the Aerodynes were a Steam-based culture with a more aggressive style of imperialism than the Caledonians. The record suggests that were ultimately destroyed when the peoples they conquered mastered their advanced technology and turned it against them.
I've invited Mr. Sands to our Society to enlighten us as to the mysteries of this fallen culture, what technological wonders they built that may be of interest to the modern Neo-Victorian, and what moral we may gain from their hubris.
~Dr. Mason
New Mainland Continent Ripe for Exploration
Copied from the Linden blog:
[Much to our delight, the intrepid explorer Magellan Linden has stumbled upon a new and beautiful land that had until now been mysteriously hidden from view. His ‘experiments’ with a new vehicle appear to have lead him to this discovery.
The abandoned city appears to have belonged to a great seafaring civilisation and while the culture and language of the original inhabitants isn’t immediately apparent, Linden Lab has decided to name the island “Nautilus” in honor of its maritime nature. Having claimed Nautilus as Linden Mainland, we would like to offer our residents the opportunity to live in this unique area and so will be selling off some of the land at auction.
If you would like to visit this new wonder, the regions are now visible inworld, all of the regions are prefixed with ‘Nautilus -’. There are many beautiful sights to be seen. The old harbour and nearby dry dock, the great canal and raised inner city, even the seas around Nautilus are rich with things to discover.
There look to be several hundred parcels available, all of them 1024 square meters in size. They cannot be terraformed and have twice the usual prim allocation. Our engineers are investigating how these regions came to exist, and whether they were always part of the Mainland, or were perhaps part of some earlier history. Residents who discover information about the true origin of Nautilus should contact Magellan Linden. We’ll also be adding to a public wiki page soon, where the latest information about Nautilus will be collected.
Auctions for the new area will go live on the 24th October with all auctions starting at L$2000.]
NOTE: Magellan Linden seems to have made the same blunder as Christopher Columbus in misnaming new continents. Residents of the mainland continent already known as "Nautilus" are quite perturbed.
[Much to our delight, the intrepid explorer Magellan Linden has stumbled upon a new and beautiful land that had until now been mysteriously hidden from view. His ‘experiments’ with a new vehicle appear to have lead him to this discovery.
The abandoned city appears to have belonged to a great seafaring civilisation and while the culture and language of the original inhabitants isn’t immediately apparent, Linden Lab has decided to name the island “Nautilus” in honor of its maritime nature. Having claimed Nautilus as Linden Mainland, we would like to offer our residents the opportunity to live in this unique area and so will be selling off some of the land at auction.
If you would like to visit this new wonder, the regions are now visible inworld, all of the regions are prefixed with ‘Nautilus -’. There are many beautiful sights to be seen. The old harbour and nearby dry dock, the great canal and raised inner city, even the seas around Nautilus are rich with things to discover.
There look to be several hundred parcels available, all of them 1024 square meters in size. They cannot be terraformed and have twice the usual prim allocation. Our engineers are investigating how these regions came to exist, and whether they were always part of the Mainland, or were perhaps part of some earlier history. Residents who discover information about the true origin of Nautilus should contact Magellan Linden. We’ll also be adding to a public wiki page soon, where the latest information about Nautilus will be collected.
Auctions for the new area will go live on the 24th October with all auctions starting at L$2000.]
NOTE: Magellan Linden seems to have made the same blunder as Christopher Columbus in misnaming new continents. Residents of the mainland continent already known as "Nautilus" are quite perturbed.
Friday, August 22, 2008
A one-person excursion to Saint Kitt
This report is horribly late, for which I apologize, but Baron Wulfenbach more or less chained me to a desk and insisted I post this before he could post his report on Saint Kitt's destruction. I went there after Caledon's chat had scuttlebutt of increased activity in the islands' volcano. Okeanos Magic (my sort-of-niece) and I had explored it pretty thoroughly at one point in hopes of finding new minerals or unusual shells to collect, as we are both Mushroom Hunters of the Roses, so I was familiar with the quiescent look of the place, and where to climb.
It was not quiescent at all when I went there on 17 July. Herein I present my photographic documentation of the state of Saint Kitt on that day:
Although the heat and the flowing lava were alarming, as long as I had my broom or some other means to move away quickly, I never felt I was particularly at hazard. Sadly, this seemed to also be the conclusion of the survey team Guvnah Shang hired, except their overly-optimistic conclusions led to mass disaster.
In service to the Society, I am,
Tanarian Davies
It was not quiescent at all when I went there on 17 July. Herein I present my photographic documentation of the state of Saint Kitt on that day:
- Arrival on the large island. Everything looks fine over here.
- Checking on the volcano. Definitely more active than when Kea and I explored the islands
- A structure on the rim - I hate lightning, but I braved it for this shot. Ominous!
- Safer lower down, no projectiles from the lava. This is a vent on the south side.
- OK, no projectiles, but it's still pretty lively. [view of the crater from the air]
- Higher view [of the crater]. I love my broom.
- Something else pointed out in Caledon chat which prompted me to visit - strange water levels! See the raft is floating?
- Another view of the sinking water levels around the islands. That building is supposed to be underwater.
- There were the occasional outcroppings of... is this pahoehoe or a'a? Or is it a fumarole? Drat.
- I held my breath for one last shot - this is underwater smoke or steam from that side vent. The water was very warm, and I left as quickly as possible.
Although the heat and the flowing lava were alarming, as long as I had my broom or some other means to move away quickly, I never felt I was particularly at hazard. Sadly, this seemed to also be the conclusion of the survey team Guvnah Shang hired, except their overly-optimistic conclusions led to mass disaster.
In service to the Society, I am,
Tanarian Davies
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
I Come Asking For Assistance
I realize that members of the Society are all busy with their own perils and adventures, but I feel I must make this request.
As many of you are aware, as is evident from the minutes of Steelhead's recent town meeting, held on August 5, my cousin, and sheriff of Steelhead, Fuzzball Ortega, revealed that his home was fired upon. His front porch and his scarecrow was hit with silver tipped bullets.
My guess is that the assailant was firing from afar, and mistook the scarecrow as Fuzz. It is wearing his old gray outfit and hat.
What is very eerie, is the fact that I have been having certain visions.....which I know probably sounds daft, but it seems so real. I will begin chronicling each vision in my aether journal, to give everyone a more detailed account on what I'm seeing. I fear that the failed attempt on Fuzz's life is the beginning of something more horrifying.
Naturally, Fuzz will refuse any type of protection. Before leaving Moldavia, he had completed training for the warrior cast in his Lycan tribe, pride will not allow him to stay hidden. Perhaps, however, the Society could help in other ways, if possible.
I humbly await your reply,
Purdie Uggla
As many of you are aware, as is evident from the minutes of Steelhead's recent town meeting, held on August 5, my cousin, and sheriff of Steelhead, Fuzzball Ortega, revealed that his home was fired upon. His front porch and his scarecrow was hit with silver tipped bullets.
My guess is that the assailant was firing from afar, and mistook the scarecrow as Fuzz. It is wearing his old gray outfit and hat.
What is very eerie, is the fact that I have been having certain visions.....which I know probably sounds daft, but it seems so real. I will begin chronicling each vision in my aether journal, to give everyone a more detailed account on what I'm seeing. I fear that the failed attempt on Fuzz's life is the beginning of something more horrifying.
Naturally, Fuzz will refuse any type of protection. Before leaving Moldavia, he had completed training for the warrior cast in his Lycan tribe, pride will not allow him to stay hidden. Perhaps, however, the Society could help in other ways, if possible.
I humbly await your reply,
Purdie Uggla
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Bring the Fleet Around, Attack in Line Abreast!
On the Quarterdeck of the Lion of Cymmru, a slight altercation was taking
place. O'Toole snapped his telescope shut briskly and gave orders to the
signalman for the fleet to execute a turn in line and close with the enemy taking
advantage of the wind gage and favorable atmopsheric conditions.
Of all his captains, only one possessed the seniority, temerity, longstanding friendship,
to raise an objection.
Captain O'Toole of the Middlesea Fleet:
By God, Somme, they are allies, we cannot turn our back on our friends
and pretend to hold our head up high amongst the rank of civilized nations!
Commander Somme of the Middlesea Fleet:
Sir, as your subordinate, I would be negligent in my DUTY were I not to
REMIND you that the Fleet is legally constituted as a HOME DEFENSE fleet,
for securing the borders of Caledon, not for operating in foreign waters...
Captain O'Toole:
Somme, we are a long way from Caledon jurisdictional authority.
What happens out here will not be mentioned in the Naval Gazette,
nor will they write songs about it. We are in for some
dirty fighting, if my spyglass does not lie.
CDR Somme:
Sir, this is the THIRD extra-territorial cruise undertaken by
the fleet in so many months, and it will not escape the Guvnah's
notice this time!
Captain O'Toole:
(Quietly) Somme, if you do not tend to your ship on the instant,
I can find someone who can. Are you with me or not?
CDR Somme:
Dammit, O'Toole, you know I am, no man living can claim I showed
faint heart for an action,nor have any of my crew.. but you are
out of favor at the moment-- this could have
your career in ruins back home!
O'Toole's face broke into a wide grin.
Let us leave that into the hands of Dame Fortune, Ex.
We didn't join the service to sightsee, eh?
(louder) Now off to the L'Adventure, and see to your guns!
What do we know about psionic demons, bosun?
Should we double shot the cannon?
Heat shot? What?....
place. O'Toole snapped his telescope shut briskly and gave orders to the
signalman for the fleet to execute a turn in line and close with the enemy taking
advantage of the wind gage and favorable atmopsheric conditions.
Of all his captains, only one possessed the seniority, temerity, longstanding friendship,
to raise an objection.
Captain O'Toole of the Middlesea Fleet:
By God, Somme, they are allies, we cannot turn our back on our friends
and pretend to hold our head up high amongst the rank of civilized nations!
Commander Somme of the Middlesea Fleet:
Sir, as your subordinate, I would be negligent in my DUTY were I not to
REMIND you that the Fleet is legally constituted as a HOME DEFENSE fleet,
for securing the borders of Caledon, not for operating in foreign waters...
Captain O'Toole:
Somme, we are a long way from Caledon jurisdictional authority.
What happens out here will not be mentioned in the Naval Gazette,
nor will they write songs about it. We are in for some
dirty fighting, if my spyglass does not lie.
CDR Somme:
Sir, this is the THIRD extra-territorial cruise undertaken by
the fleet in so many months, and it will not escape the Guvnah's
notice this time!
Captain O'Toole:
(Quietly) Somme, if you do not tend to your ship on the instant,
I can find someone who can. Are you with me or not?
CDR Somme:
Dammit, O'Toole, you know I am, no man living can claim I showed
faint heart for an action,nor have any of my crew.. but you are
out of favor at the moment-- this could have
your career in ruins back home!
O'Toole's face broke into a wide grin.
Let us leave that into the hands of Dame Fortune, Ex.
We didn't join the service to sightsee, eh?
(louder) Now off to the L'Adventure, and see to your guns!
What do we know about psionic demons, bosun?
Should we double shot the cannon?
Heat shot? What?....
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