Happy Christmas

Posting from Uru Obsession's Bevin...

There are much worse places to spend Christmas than in D'ni. I half expected to be the only one still down here, but there's been many more than I expected... it makes me feel good to see people sticking together this year, in the cavern or on the surface.

I still haven't typed up my report yet... I might do it tonight. A lot has changed, a lot has stayed the same, and I might have the only Relto in the world with tiny little islands, because of a Christmas present from Yeesha. That was a surprise to say the least.

Happy Christmas, everyone.

Welcome Home

Posting from Uru Obsession's Bevin...

I'm way too tired to make a full report like I should... so just a brief comment.

What a difference a day makes. Yesterday, I was afraid of the cavern and the Bahro, and was lamenting the fact that so many people who I had met in the cavern were missing in action. After linking down, I'm starting to rethink my sudden fear of the Bahro, so many of the people that I missed had returned in response to the incident and the re-opening, and I felt at home in the cavern like I hadn't since August.

Full report tomorrow. There's a lot of interesting points.

Packing...

Posting from the surface...

I woke up this morning and my KI had stopped functioning. It still sorta powers on, but it doesn't seem to send or receive any information from the lattice, which makes it essentially a wristwatch that can't even tell me what time it is. I'm getting reports from various people in the cavern that the upper regions of Ae'gura have all been blocked off, and that the 'hoods have been barricaded up. Apparently I'm not the only person who had a complete KI failure either, but it seems that if you go get a new one from Gahreesen, it works fine.

I lost a lot of notes, photos, and people lists that I had stored in that KI. The notes weren't a big deal, and the people lists will have to be rebuilt since pretty much everyone is having to register a new KI anyway, but the photos are irreplaceable and priceless. I think I'll be able to extract the photos from the KI, but I can't be sure. I know other people are a lot more familiar with getting photos off the KI, so if anyone has any advice for extracting them... let me know. I'll probably post a little gallery of my favorites if I can get them off of there.

I'm actually at my workplace on the surface right now, but after yesterday, and the sudden lack of a KI, all I can think about is the cavern. As soon as I get out of here... I think I'm going back down to see what's happened.

The End of the D'mala

Posting from the surface...

People are saying that the events of today have signaled the end of what many of us referred to as D'mala. We pulled together over the course of almost a year now, managing to accomplish many things. We finally got the Great Zero calibrated, or at least, more so than it was. We managed to prove that there was enough interest and love in the cavern that it was worth funding again. I made friends and family in my time here, some just passing acquaintainces, and some that I'd put my life on the line for.

And now things are secure. The restoration is in progress again, and in less than twenty-four hours, it will once again become public access and public knowledge. It's a very bittersweet feeling. This is the day that I've waited so many years for, this is something I've dreamed of seeing for so long. And I always knew that I'd be sharing this moment with a few certain people. That a few of us would say goodbye to what would probably be the last quiet night in the neighborhood, that there'd be one more glance at the dusty abandoned library on Ae'gura, and that I'd get to go strolling through Eder Kemo with a dear friend one more time.

But I'm not.

And that in itself, almost makes all the difference in the world. What good is a cavern that's on it's way to a full restoration, if you've lost the people who meant the world to you along the way?

I'm going to go get some rest and think for a while. I'll see you all on the other side.

Shorah.

Panic... Link?

Posting from UruObsession(1) Neighborhood...

I don't know exactly what just happened. I was at the DRC meeting, Dr Kodama and Dr Sutherland were both attending and discussing various things about the reopening of the cavern. I remember Dr. Kodama seeming very surprised, and looking down at his KI... then suddenly I heard this piercingly loud screech coming from a Bahro, and looked around me just in time to see everyone around me linking out.

Nobody had a book. Nobody was reaching for their Relto. They just... were linked. And then so was I. Next thing I knew, I was in Relto. Reports from others are stating that people in other parts of the cavern, even other ages entirely, also heard the scream and were force linked to Relto.

I don't know what's going on... most of the others seem to be unwilling to leave their Relto at this point. I think I'm going to the surface, that might have been the most terrifying thing I've seen in all of my time in the cavern.

On the Cusp...

Posting from Eder Kemo...

I'm losing it. Everything that's been going on lately, I really must be losing it. I linked down, the barriers were gone, there was no rubble, and anyone I asked said that they saw nothing like what I described. There are no barricades, all the books are in the usual places, everything is stable... or at least as stable as usual.

I need a vacation.

In other CERTAIN news... there will be a DRC town hall with the subject "Re-opening of the Cavern" on December 19. I'm expecting some exciting news with a topic like that... it gives the feeling that we're almost ready to go. Some people have been telling me that the DRC is planning on making their work public again on December 20 (the day after the town hall), but I'm not sure how accurate that is. Some speculate that things will kick into overdrive on February 9, three years after the original closing.

We'll see... just a few days, after all.

Destruction

Posting from D'ni - Ae'gura...

Something happened while I've been away. I don't understand. The Great Zero is no longer available in the Nexus, everything beyond the Great Stair has been barricaded off, I'm hearing reports of parts of Gahreesen being blocked off, as well as books being removed from neighborhoods...

I've received photos from someone who got past the barriers at the top of the stairs, and it appears that there have been collapses around Ae'gura, making much of the area unsafe and or unpassable altogether. The beautiful home that we've come to know over the years is falling apart, just as things are starting to pick up. I hope the DRC will be able to get in and see to repairs soon.

I've had to acknowledge this a lot in the past few days, and I guess this is just one more reminder. You never really appreciate the important things enough, until they're gone... so think about the things in your life that matter, and stop taking them for granted. You never know when you might turn around and realize that they're gone.

I'd like to encourage all explorers to carry a Relto book, regardless of your feelings about Yeesha, or at the very least stay close to someone who does. I'm going to see if I can help clear some of the loose rubble.

Technical Difficulties - Revisited

Posting from the surface...

Whoa... I just noticed what happened with my last post. Sorry about that, everyone. Basically, I was trying to say that I'd be taking some time away from the cavern due to technical difficulties.

Basically, the RAM in my computer on the surface (the one that I got to interface with the KI so I could post from anywhere, and store photos, and other things...) failed, and along with it, so did my KI. A sudden drop from your 512MB standard to 128MB will do that. I'm still not back where I should be, but I'm operating on 256MB now... which is just enough to keep my KI functioning (though not very happily).

Regardless, the post has been translated and clarified now, my apologies to anyone who was confused or worried.