Founding Glacier Five: Hello young one! Welcome to Penumbra! Is this your first visit? : Yeah, first time here. Founding Glacier Five: How lovely! I'm sure you'll find Penumbra intriguing, young one. Be careful, though. The creatures here can be a great danger to the unaware. There are many of them, and they work well together. Of course, some are just little pests, like the tundra leets. He grumbles quietly inside his hooded robe and looks to the side. : What tundra leets? Founding Glacier Five: They are pesky little ones, they are. Always burrowing in the snow and ice, creating treacherous holes that travelers and yuttocra alike trip in. If the mere holes were the worst thing, we wouldn't be in such a state. They are breeding like only leets can and building several communities under the very ground we stand on. Their burrows and tunnels criss cross the ground and make the ice brittle and weak. Several places have caved in and this very place lies in danger of being separated from the rest of Penumbra. Founding Glacier Five points his gnarly staff north, towards the massive ice walls greeting you there. : Why don't you just get rid of the leets? The yutto lifts his head and speaks in a bright voice, nodding energetically at you. Founding Glacier Five: Why, thank you for the offer! I shall remember your kindness, young one, and reward you for it. You will find burrows of the tundra leets not far from this place in any direction. Wait a minute...he expects you to...you didn't agree to this! Founding Glacier Five: Be careful, though. They have sharp teeth and sharper claws. Not at all as docile as their Rubi-Ka cousins. I will be right here waiting for you when you return. Five should do, I think, and bring me their tails so I can reward you for it. He waves you along and turns around, not interested in hearing objections from you. : Goodbye -- Founding Glacier Five: Hello again! : Here's your leet tails. He nods graciously and holds out a gloved hand to accept the tails from you. Founding Glacier Five: Very good. Founding Glacier Five: Thank you very much, young one. Hopefully this little piece of Penumbra will stand a chance for a little longer. You're a resourceful one. Perhaps I could borrow your swift feet as well...? : What can I do for you? Founding Glacier Five: One of my responsibilities is to gather ice level data. I'm a little bit late with getting to today's data and I have other things that must take precedence. I have no time to make the rounds so to speak. Would you help me with this task, young one? : Ok, I'll help you. What should I do? Founding Glacier Five: There are four ice stations placed around the south part of Penumbra. Each of them can be accessed to get an input of today's values. The combined result of the stations is the value that interests us. He pulls a map of Penumbra out from within his robe and quickly points out four spots. Founding Glacier Five: The stations are located here, here, here and here. I will send you the coordinates as well. Return to me when you have the combined, correct value. : Goodbye -- The hovering sphere hums quietly as it spins around, scanning the terrain. It seems utterly unphased by your presence, but as soon as you touch it, a small screen and a simple interface flickers to life. Environmental Test Unit 1: Please enter desired time frame for data requested. : Today. The interface blinks happily and a second later, the machine scrolls its text over the little screen. Environmental Test Unit 1: The estimated data for today is 21.1. -- The hovering sphere hums quietly as it spins around, scanning the terrain. It seems utterly unphased by your presence, but as soon as you touch it, a small screen and a simple interface flickers to life. Environmental Test Unit 2: Please enter desired time frame for data requested. : Today. The interface blinks happily and a second later, the machine scrolls its text over the little screen. Environmental Test Unit 2: The estimated data for today is 21.1. -- The hovering sphere hums quietly as it spins around, scanning the terrain. It seems utterly unphased by your presence, but as soon as you touch it, a small screen and a simple interface flickers to life. Environmental Test Unit 3: Please enter desired time frame for data requested. : Today. The interface blinks happily and a second later, the machine scrolls its text over the little screen. Environmental Test Unit 3: The estimated data for today is 19.7. -- The hovering sphere hums quietly as it spins around, scanning the terrain. It seems utterly unphased by your presence, but as soon as you touch it, a small screen and a simple interface flickers to life. Environmental Test Unit 4: Please enter desired time frame for data requested. : Today. The interface blinks happily and a second later, the machine scrolls its text over the little screen. Environmental Test Unit 4: The estimated data for today is 20.7. -- Founding Glacier Five: Hello again! : Got your ice data Founding Glacier Five: That's good! Be quick now, young one...what is today's combined value of the stations? : 84.2 Founding Glacier Five: That sounds about right, yes. Very good job. I am quite impressed with your speed and diligence. : Maybe you can help me now and tell me a little about what happened after the cataclysm? Founding Glacier Five: Ah, you're one of the humans who is interested in the history of these lands, is that so? He nods slowly and looks around for a moment, as if to gather his thoughts. Founding Glacier Five: I will tell you a little of what I know, then. You must understand that all of this happened a very long time ago. But for what it's worth, it may teach you a thing or two about yo--...the descendants of the Xan. I assume you have learned about the cataclysm and what brought it forth, so I will not dwell on that. Instead I can tell you a little about the time of the survivors. There weren't many of them, and I do not believe anyone can understand how much of a shock it was. Most of the ones who remained were the same ones that had been skeptical about the cataclysm and the arks the Xan built. How terrifying it must be to see how all the doomsday prophecies came true. Nonetheless, their will to survive was strong and the few that remained had to go on living in this broken, torn up world. : (Listen to the story) Founding Glacier Five: They were still the Xan, both in thought and shape, but not for long. The cataclysm had ripped out the open veins of the Source, removed it from their grasp and what little they could find was so very, very weak. They had already lost their immortality in times past, but now they lost their immense power. No longer could they create life in the process they had always used. No longer did their technology, or what remained of it, do all they wanted and more. It was up to the few left to rise again and continue their way of life in the rubbles of the life they had lived before. : How many were left? F ounding Glacier Five: We don't know the exact number, b ut the Xan were not a very plentiful people to begin with. Research has led us to believe they were no more than there are humans on Rubi-Ka, a few million at most. Some got away, most died in the cataclysm and only a handful were left, figuratively speaking. These few came together and formed a society of their own. : How did they survive? Founding Glacier Five: Necessity is the mother of invention, young one. The survival instinct is strong and flows in us all, so also in the Xan. They could not despair for their lost kin and their lost world. Not when they had to ensure their own, continued wellbeing. They learned to hunt and grow food in order to sustain energy. They learned to build new homes and defend them from the terrible creatures that washed over the lands, they learned to rebuild their technology to function albeit in a much lesser state, and they learned to continue their blood line in the natural way. : (Listen to the story) Founding Glacier Five: Everywhere they turned they would see their past glory grimace at them, as if mocking them. They would ask for mercy from their deities, whom they thought had abandoned them, but to no avail. The gods were silent and the Xan were alone. And this, young one, is where the Xan found themselves. Alone and fragile like a baby fresh from its mother's womb. There are many facets to the story of the Xan who remained and how they came to be the Redeemed and Unredeemed. Perhaps you will learn more of this on your travels through Penumbra. : Thank you for the story. I should be on my way. Founding Glacier Five: Yes, by all means. Don't let me hold you back, young one. There must surely be many things you can do in Penumbra. In fact, I have a small favor to ask you. Of course he does. They always have favors to ask... Founding Glacier Five: I have here a set of field glasses that I borrowed from another of my kin, but they have broken while in my care. I cannot return them in this state, so I must have them fixed. I would ask you to bring them to one who can do the repairs and then deliver the glasses to their owner. : I'm sure I can handle that... Founding Glacier Five: Very good. Here are the field glasses. I know one of my kind who is very good at what he does. He can surely help you. I thank you for your help, young one. It is truly appreciated. He sounds happy, but from what, you're unsure. Maybe because you're helping him, maybe because he doesn't seem to have to do any of his daily tasks himself... : Goodbye -- The yutto doesn't seem to notice you, staring flatly out in front of him, his eyes unblinking and somewhat dim. The only sound he makes is that of a low hum. One Who Tinkers With Gadgets: Mmm...hmmmm....mmmhhmmmm...ooommmmm... : Hello? Are you ok? He startles, as if you had just screamed in his ear and looks around. Puzzled, he looks at you. One Who Tinkers With Gadgets: Oh. Sorry. You must excuse One Who Tinkers With Gadgets. He has a terrible inclination for daydreaming. What is he talking about? Did you come to the wrong place? : So...where is One Who Tinkers With Gadgets, then? One Who Tinkers With Gadgets: Where? He is right here. Standing in front of you. Talking to you. Are you unwell, young one? You are speaking to One Who Tinkers With Gadgets now! Riiiight....another looney... : Right... Well, whoever you are, could you maybe fix these goggles for me? It's as if you poured flammable liquid on a fire. His eyes shine up like a child's unwrapping a big birthday present as he holds out his hands to take the field glasses from you. One Who Tinkers With Gadgets: Let One Who Tinkers With Gadgets have a look... The yutto grabs eagerly for the field glasses and strokes them with the utmost gentleness, as if they were a valuable treasure. One Who Tinkers With Gadgets: Oh, such a pretty little thing. Yes...yes, One Who Tinkers With Gadgets can fix this one's illness. But it is an older model and the spare parts are not in stock. He fixes his gaze on you again, the little lights of his eyes twinkling. One Who Tinkers With Gadgets: You can help, young one. Go out into the snow and ice and find two infrared filters. The Disturbed Vortexoids often carry them with them, for they use the same technology. Surely, you will be able to find two; one primary and one secondary. Go, go! Do not linger here and draw out the pain of this little one. Again, his gloved hand strokes lovingly over the field glasses and he no longer seems to be aware of your presence, cooing softly to the little gadget. : Goodbye -- One Who Tinkers With Gadgets: You are back. Did you find the primary and secondary infrared filters? : Yeah, I have them right here. One Who Tinkers With Gadgets: Oh yes, you did, you did! Please give it to me! Gently, like a parent cradling a child, the hulking yutto takes the two items from you. He places them in one pocket and takes out the field glasses instead, carefully opening it to prepare the parts exchange. One Who Tinkers With Gadgets: This will take time, young one, but you should stay here and watch. Perhaps you will learn something. : Maybe you could tell me a little about the technology the Xan were left with after the cataclysm? One Who Tinkers With Gadgets: One Who Tinkers With Gadgets will tell you about this, yes. It is a good thing to know. You know that the Xan had limitless power while they still held the power of the Source. In truth, they were like gods of life and beauty and progress. They built Adonis at the pinnacle of their development, a city ripe with their marvels of technology. It was ripped away from them and the few who remained first had to ensure their survival, having lost their remarkable ability to create life from themselves. During the collapse, the veins of the Source had been taken away from them, with only small pockets and insignificant small veins left in the open. : (Listen to the story) One Who Tinkers With Gadgets: This meant they lost their technology as well. Not everything, there were still pockets of notum strong enough to use blueprints and some spiritech was saved. But the blueprints were scattered in a billion pieces all over the world and the spiritech they could still use was not as powerful as it had once been. All in all, the Xan were weak where they had once been strong. They lost their ability to create life, to replenish their energy quickly, most of their knowledge of blueprints to life, any technology that relied heavily on the Source, their knowledge of space and ultimately most of their constructions too. : (Listen to the story) One Who Tinkers With Gadgets: One Who Tinkers With Gadgets knows how it is to be without the love of technology. It must not happen again, or One Who Tinkers With Gadgets would lose his mind. ... One Who Tinkers With Gadgets: Perhaps the Xan did as well. They tried to dig for the Source, or extract it from the few machines that still worked, but nothing could give them the hope of returning to their might. It was as if the supreme creator had denied them all the things they had previously benefited from. : So did they invent new things? One Who Tinkers With Gadgets: Eventually, yes. They had no choice. They rebuilt what they could and started producing things that would make their life a little easier. Sadly, most of what they made were weapons or otherwise war related. You see, after the few who survived had found each other, they started arguing, much like the different groups had done before the cataclysm. They were blaming each other, pointing fingers and agitating themselves to the point where a war was inevitable. He shakes his head and sounds sad. : Could you tell me about the wars? One Who Tinkers With Gadgets: One Who Tinkers With Gadgets could, yes. Yes, he could. But he has to get back to today's work. Perhaps you could ask another of my kin the same question, young one. I have finished the sick one now, it is healthy and ready for use again. Please take special care of this little one and go to One Who Lights The Way. Tell him that One Who Tinkers With Gadgets fixed his little one for him. He is normally doing his watch in the central forest of West Penumbra. Not too far from the Pipe. Now, be on your way and travel safely. : Goodbye -- One Who Lights The Way: Yes? : I'm . I've brought you your field glasses from Founding Glacier Five. One Who Lights The Way: Oh I see! That surely took its time. Not your delivery, but the return of the field glasses. Could I have them please? One Who Lights The Way: Thank you. He studies the field glasses and turns them around in his hand. One Who Lights The Way: I must say, they look finer now than when I loaned them to Founding Glacier Five. : Yeah...uh...One Who Tinkers With Gadgets fixed them up a little. One Who Lights The Way: Really? Well, I must say... To have my goggles looked over by one such as he...surely, they will last a long time even in this stinging cold. He puts the little gadget safely away in a pocket, then leans on his staff and focuses back on you. It seems like he's exhausted. One Who Lights The Way: So, what can I do for you, young one? You seem to be far away from home, out here in the thick Penumbra Forest. : I'm just traveling around, checking the sights, looking for something to do. One Who Lights The Way: Is that so? Well, you have come to one of the main veins in Penumbra. There is a lot of traffic not far from here, with the Pipe so close and all. And you are looking for something to do? Well, certainly, I have a favor to ask if you have time. It should not take too long. : Maybe I could help you. One Who Lights The Way: I am part of a group of yuttocra that trail the popular pathways in Penumbra, ensuring that they remain trails and not overrun creature pens. I was supposed to do my north patrol a few hours ago, but I am still recovering from some of the encounters I had on my other patrols. My question is if you would take my patrol, go north and make sure it is safe for travel. You would meet another of my kin at the end station. The route is simple enough, just follow the path north, but the creatures know that it is a sure source of...uh...food. You will meet resistance so be careful, young one. : Goodbye -- One Who Walks The Night: Who are you? : I'm . I've done the patrol through the forest. From the depths of his robe, the yutto pulls out a little device that he taps a few times, then looks back up at you. One Who Walks The Night: So it seems. I am a little puzzled why a human is here instead of one of the yuttocra watchers. : Your friend was hurt, so I offered to help. One Who Walks The Night: That was truly kind of you, young one, a gesture that should be rewarded. Please accept what little money I can offer to you. Now...how may I help you? : I'm trying to learn more about the wars between the Xan. One Who Walks The Night: Oh yes, that is a big subject. It is easily explained, though. The Xan had split up in two major groups again after the cataclysm. Both groups blamed the other for all the terrifying things that had happened. One claimed one group had been too conservative in their use of the Source so it had erupted under pressure. The other group claimed the other group had used too much of it, draining the world and forcing it to shut them out. The two groups eventually called themselves the Redeemed and the Unredeemed, among many other names. And then the wars started. : (Listen to the story) One Who Walks The Night: We don't know exactly what provoked the first battle, as what little history we have found only shows how both groups blamed the other for the first blood. Young and old, the Xan went to war against their own, using the newly shaped world to ambush, kill, trap and otherwise attack the enemy. There would be small battles, big battles and then no battles. Although the Xan were no longer immortal and no longer could heal up, if you will, they were still vibrant and clung to life with fervor. For the longest time, the numbers on each side didn't change much. : (Listen to the story) One Who Walks The Night: The Redeemed and the Unredeemed soon found that living close to each other while at the same time nurturing a war was not a good idea. They split apart and spread out across the lands. Even us yuttocra were served the bitter taste of war. Although not from their hands. Perhaps you should talk to a friend of mine if you want to know more. We call him Ruminating Strife for his studies of war history in these lands. Last I heard, he was down by the west incarnator. : Goodbye -- The yutto turns towards you slowly and deliberately. Like almost all of his kind, he doesn't seem to be in a hurry. When he speaks, his voice is deep and thick with age. Ruminating Strife: Is there anything I can do to help you? : Are you Ruminating Strife? Ruminating Strife: Yes, that is correct, young one. You must be . One of the Watchers told me you were coming to see me. You are looking for something to do, am I correct? : Yeah, something like that. What is it you do here? Ruminating Strife: I study the conflict between the Hiisi and us yuttocra. This may come as a surprise to you, but there is a deep mistrust from their side, one whose origins we have never truly understood. Our attempts of negotiation have been unsuccessful. They refuse to communicate with us, and we are left in the dark as to why they hate our kind so much. The only response they offer is to attack us. Frankly, we just wish they would leave us alone. : I didn't think you had any natural enemies. Ruminating Strife: We don't anywhere else than here in Penumbra. The Hiisi are the only ones. Your kind has been known to act aggressively against my kin, but we can hardly call humans a natural enemy. Was that a smirk you saw glinting in the dark depths of the hood? Ruminating Strife: If we could only understand why... If it wasn't for our knowledge of spirit-tech and the Shadowlands, they would surely have killed all of my kind in Penumbra. Luckily, we are quite able to defend ourselves. Every six months or so, they come out from the Hollows to attack us. The time for a new attack is closing. : Why don't you just kick their butts? Ruminating Strife: We are not an offensive kind. We will defend ourselves and we can hold our own during the fights but we do not hunt the Hiisi in pursuit of a peace, nor will we. We yuttocra believe there are better ways to solve strife and conflict. But...we study them ardently. Tilting his head a little bit, he looks at you for a few seconds, studying you in a way that makes you feel like you were a test lab animal. Ruminating Strife: Perhaps you could help us, ... : With what, exactly? Ruminating Strife: Like I said, we are expecting a new attack any day now, and from what we have learned about the Hiisi, we believe we can predict exactly when based on different kinds of information we gather about them. If you would help me get this information, I would be highly thankful. I will not hide away the fact that the Hiisi may attack you, and viciously so. They are a highly aggressive kind, but you look to be able to handle yourself in a fight. : Ok, I'll help you. Ruminating Strife: Thank you, young one. Here, take this data parser. It is able to analyze chemical data in the air close to the target. I would ask you to analyze one of their healers, one of their charmers and one of their warriors. I hope that the data will be sufficient. The Hiisi all stay inside the Hollows apart from the few times they leave to hunt. For us yuttocra, mostly. You can get into the Hollows through a door in the Pipe, east of here. Return to me when you are done. I'm very anxious to see the result. : Goodbye -- The yutto turns towards you slowly and deliberately. Like almost all of his kind, he doesn't seem to be in a hurry. When he speaks, his voice is deep and thick with age. Ruminating Strife: Is there anything I can do to help you? : I was able to get the chemical data, I think. Ruminating Strife: Very good! May I have a look? He takes one look at the tool, tapping at it a few times. You can see how his eyes shine more brightly under his hood and you have to wonder if this is a good or a bad sign... Ruminating Strife: Oh dear... Guess that answered it... Ruminating Strife: This is not good. Not good at all! : What does it say? Ruminating Strife: It indicates that they are preparing an attack. Their chemical excretion is full of adrenaline. This is most grievous, but I need to know for sure before I let my kin know. May I ask another favor, young one? It might bring you deeper into the Hollows, and will most certainly be more dangerous. : I'll try my best, at least. Ruminating Strife: That is all anyone can ask of you. You are truly as brave as our studies of your kind have indicated. What I need of you this time is proof. Proof that they are planning an attack. The adrenaline is a very strong indicator, but if they have a Hiisi Arbiter... He falls silent for a short moment, seemingly deep in thought. Ruminating Strife: Yes, that would indeed be a grievous thing. Please, young one. You must find out if the arbiter is there. He will most likely be in the center of the main corridors, overlooking the Runners. Bring me word of what you observe. : Goodbye -- The yutto turns towards you slowly and deliberately. Like almost all of his kind, he doesn't seem to be in a hurry. When he speaks, his voice is deep and thick with age. Ruminating Strife: Is there anything I can do to help you? : I saw the Arbiter! Ruminating Strife: Oh dear...that's not good at all. They are closer to the time of charge than I thought. As I mentioned, the Arbiters are only brought fourth when the Hiisi are preparing an attack. They have an inexplicable ability to raise morale and fervor among their own. I will have to send off the warning to all the yuttocra in Penumbra. We need to prepare our defense. It is such a shame. Even if the Hiisi are most fearsome warriors, we are able to strike them back every time with our use of technology, but we would rather not have to do so at all. : Isn't there anything you can do to stop the attack? Ruminating Strife: Very little, young one. I will be needed in the defense. I hope to bring the warning early, so the loss of life is minimal, both yuttocra and Hiisi. Unless... : Unless what? Ruminating Strife: Unless you could help me..us..by stopping the force of the Hiisi before they attack. They have a war chief called Tapiolainen. He is one of the more intelligent Hiisi. Perhaps you could talk some sense into him? The yutto sounds so hopeful that you don't have the heart to tell him that the Hiisi probably won't lay down their arms peacefully. : Sure. I'm not afraid. I'll try. Ruminating Strife: Thank you, young one. I will reward you aplenty when you come back with news of your parley with Tapiolainen. Be safe in there. And careful! Oh, and you probably shouldn't tell him that I sent you... that may stop him from negotiating peace with you. : Goodbye -- The yutto turns towards you slowly and deliberately. Like almost all of his kind, he doesn't seem to be in a hurry. When he speaks, his voice is deep and thick with age. Ruminating Strife: Is there anything I can do to help you? : I don't think the Hiisi will bother you for a while. Ruminating Strife: So you managed to settle with them? You make me proud, young one. Please...accept this as thanks. I suppose I owe you an explanation too. I could tell you the basics of what we know of the Hiisi. That is, if you have time? : Yes please. I'm very interested in learning about them. Ruminating Strife: Very well. I will tell you a little of what I know of them. The Hiisi were, at one point, the main warrior group within the Redeemed. Fearless and brave, their finest trained and best equipped. Their forms, over time and with research, had become perfectly molded for battle, offering unparalleled strength and stamina. Unfortunately, as tends to be the case with such things, the best laid plans of the Redeemed eventually turned around to bite them on the rear. Growing restless with the ever-increasing stalemate that the battle against the Unredeemed was reaching, the Hiisi began searching for a new outlet to war against. They found that target in the Yuttocra. : The yuttos?! Ruminating Strife: Yes. I tell you now, young one, none were more surprised than us. Apparently, to the Hiisi, us yuttocra were a threat which had been ignored for far too long-. Precisely why they viewed us as a threat in the first place, no one has ever really known. We were completely unaware of the reasoning, and as of thus found ourselves at quite a loss when the first Hiisi raid hit one of our villages. Even now, so many thousands of years later, we still don't know how we have wronged them to deserve their attacks. : Didn't the Redeemed do anything about it? Ruminating Strife: Well... The Redeemed leadership denounced the Hiisi action, despite not having feelings for us one way or another, and warned the Hiisi against attempting another raid. Shortly thereafter, following the deaths of about 30 more of my kind, the Hiisi found themselves completely ex-communicated from the Redeemed hierarchy. However, as time has passed, even the Redeemed have lost track of why, exactly, the Hiisi have split away from their ranks. They know that they were excommunicated for a very good reason, and that it had something to do with us yuttocra, but what it was... no one quite seems to remember. We may know, but we are not the kind to go to the Redeemed to refresh their memory in hope of vengeance. They would be inconvenienced and would much prefer not to remember. Mostly because there are much more important things to focus on, such as the destruction of the Unredeemed. They care little for the welfare or being of the Hiisi. : What about the Unredeemed? Ruminating Strife: The Unredeemed look at the Hiisi as an amusement and with derision. They take an interest in the group, but only out of mirth and abject curiosity, most likely wondering if there is any way that they might be able to turn such blind devotion to their own ends. But any attempt to parley with the Hiisi has been met with extreme difficulty and the Unredeemed leadership decided it best simply not to bother in the long run. We do not blame neither the Redeemed nor the Unredeemed. We are not their wards and it doesn't fall on them to protect us. Besides, we are quite able to defend ourselves, as I mentioned. We just want the Hiisi to...well...lay off. He sighs and grows silent. After a while you realize the story is over. : I should get going, I guess. Ruminating Strife: Yes, of course. You have your own agenda to keep up with and you helped me beyond what should be asked of a stranger. Your help meant I did not have to send the warning to my kin here in Penumbra, but perhaps you would give a message to another of my kin from me, as one last favor? : Why not...I've helped you this far, might as well go the distance. Ruminating Strife: How kind of you. The message is to my close friend, One Whose Mind Is Riddled. You would find him at the small, frozen lakes up north. If you would be so kind as to tell him I had said "Once east, twice north and three times for west and south." He will understand what it means. But please...do not let me keep you any longer. You probably want to be on your way. Travel safely, . : Goodbye -- One Whose Mind Is Riddled: Hello? : I have a message for you from Ruminating Strife. One Whose Mind Is Riddled: You do? Oh, I have been waiting a while for this. Don't you just hate it when you can't continue with your tasks until someone else has finished theirs and you end up spending more time waiting than it takes to actually do your tasks? What was the message? : He said to tell you "Once east, twice north and three times for west and south." One Whose Mind Is Riddled: Ooohh...do you know how happy hearing that makes me? I can get back to work, which is what I've wanted a while now. It's you I have to thank for bringing me this wonderful news. Oh, you should absolutely be rewarded, but perhaps you can help me a little first, since you are here now and all. : Sure, why not. One Whose Mind Is Riddled: Oh thank you, young one! I'm sure your kindness will be returned some day, maybe it will happen when you need it as much as I need your help right now. No matter, your kind is a friendly one. Or can be. So, shall we tackle my issue? If you have traveled Penumbra closely, you may have seen the five stones around the mighty snow-covered hills and forests. These stones are memorials, set up so we and everyone who passes by can remember what happened to this world after the cataclysm. : I see...and you would want me to do what? One Whose Mind Is Riddled: Your part in this would be to travel to each of the memorials and talk to their caretakers, just to know that all is well. I have been out of touch with them a long time, and I am sure you understand that I worry that both they and the memorials are in mint condition? I am one of the historians in Penumbra, my tasks for my kin involve making sure the living memories are restored, conserved and taken care of. I will point out for you where to go. When you have spoken with them all, come back to me. You could start with the stone up by White Citadel. : Goodbye -- The small yutto turns towards you, cocks his head and taps his staff on the ground. : Hello, is this a memorial? Memorial Caretaker: Hello young one. That is correct. This is the White Citadel memorial stone. Have you come to learn about history? : Yes, I'm here to learn. Memorial Caretaker: And so you shall. Allow me to tell you the story of fire and ice at the White Citadel. There once was a great Unredeemed warrior. He had been brought to the world in the heat of what we call Inferno now, and his skin and eyes and breath were scalding hot. He fought many battles for the Unredeemed and wherever he went, they fled. He was unstoppable and as such was set to guard the Source extraction around the Citadel. : (Listen to the story) Memorial Caretaker: Eventually the Redeemed brought forward a warrior of their own. A child of frost and ice and the opposite of his enemy's champion, he was so cold that rocks would crack when he touched them. The inevitable came to pass. The two met, here at the site of the Citadel, and the battle lasted for days. Steam rose high as mountains as fire and ice clashed, the ground trembled, rivers changed their courses, the last, icy forests there caught fire. Finally, the champion of the Redeemed was the only one standing, his size diminished dramatically as he had been kissed by the fire and he was terribly wounded. Around him, the snow and ice was gone, melted away as they had battled. Gone too was the extraction vein the Unredeemed had opened. He saw this and was happy. Drawing air deeply, he breathed out a storm of ice and snow to once more cover the land, forever etching itself to the buildings of the citadel. And then he closed his eyes and was gone too. : Thank you for the story. I should probably move on. I have more memorials to visit. Memorial Caretaker: You should travel south west from here then, to the woods. Amidst rafters and stalkers, you will find another memorial, like this one. Search the forest thoroughly and I am sure you will find the spot. Safe travels, young one. : Goodbye -- The small yutto turns towards you, cocks his head and taps his staff on the ground. : This is a memorial stone, right? Memorial Caretaker: Hello young one. This is indeed a memorial stone. This is the one named to the Valley Forest. To what pleasure do I owe your company? : I want to learn a little more about the history here. Memorial Caretaker: It will be my pleasure to tell you a little about this place, young one. The Forest Valley memorial is raised to remember the day the forest was razed. It happened in the early days of the wars between the two factions who remained here, and tempers were difficult to douse. Threats easily went from words to action and none were any better than the other. These forests were wild, filled with creatures of light and dark and a known hiding place for incursion groups. At one point, a large host of Unredeemed took up the brink on the east and an equally large host of Redeemed on the west side of this forest. Sporadic fighting occurred, until one day the commanders of both armies decided to burn out the enemy. They torched the wood, fueling the flames in the cold. : (Listen to the story) Memorial Caretaker: Too late did either side realize that with the trees went their cover and then it was too late to do anything about it. They could only watch as the forest burnt down and shame was upon them all. For eight days and eight nights the trees were ablaze, until there was no more to burn and only embers were left in the snowy hills of the valley. There was no fighting after the last day and both hosts turned around and went back to their temples to ask their chosen god for forgiveness for their scar in an already bleeding world. This happened a very, very long time ago and as you can see, the forest has grown back, but we yuttocra remember. And that is what I have to tell you, young one. : Thank you very much. If I want to find another stone, where could I go? Memorial Caretaker: You should turn your sight south, to a small piece of land clinging to the main land. The 'island', as many call it, is home to hecklers and horrors, but with great care, you should be able to find the stone without suffering blows. Be well, young one. : Goodbye -- The small yutto turns towards you, cocks his head and taps his staff on the ground. : You're well hidden in the back here... Memorial Caretaker: Some may think so. Others say it is too dangerous to keep a historical mark here, but they fail to see that history does not choose the fields it's written on. So, how can I help you, young one? : I'd like to know what happened here. Memorial Caretaker: I'm delighted to hear you are interested. Perhaps my little tale is one you will remember. I will tell you about the Plateau memorial. There was once a mine here. Not quite the same kind as on Rubi-Ka, but not far from it. When the world was turned upside down during the cataclysm, many ruptures were left open. Once the survivors had settled, a race for power and annihilation of the opposite side started. Although the Source as they had known it forever was lost, there were other substances worth mining. Platinum was one of them and that is what this mine produced. : (Listen to the story) Memorial Caretaker: Over the course of time, the mine changed hands many many times. The Redeemed and Unredeemed would constantly fight over the control of it and several other areas. Mines were important because among the other riches they would often find were fragments of the Source, which meant one small step closer to bygone times. They were so blinded by the enmity against each other that they never saw how the raw mine attracted brink creatures like hecklers and horrors. And because they didn't see it coming, they had small defenses against this sort of threat. The mine was taken, all the people within slain and the constructions around torn down. This statue is here to remember that and to remind us that our anger and greed will blind us so we cannot see the real dangers. : Thanks for the history lesson. I should move on. I still have a few memorials to find. Memorial Caretaker: There is a memorial stone by a crashed wreck, north west of here. The easiest way to find it is to continue south, around the south edge of Penumbra and continue north again. Not too far north of the incarnator, you should find it. Safe travels! : Goodbye -- The small yutto turns towards you, cocks his head and taps his staff on the ground. : Hi. Glad I found you. Memorial Caretaker: Hello to you too, young one. I welcome you to the Ship's Forest memorial stone. Perhaps you'd like to hear why there's a stone here? : I'd love to. Memorial Caretaker: As you can see, there's a wreck here. It is thousands upon thousands of years old and it was built by the Redeemed that remained here after the cataclysm. Their hope was to build vessels similar to the arks their kin had escaped in just before the cataclysm but they failed time and time again. Little did they then know that their world was no longer as it was, that it was impossible to leave, and much less in a space ship. The vessel never flew. The Redeemed had built propulsion systems and the ship had some highly technological aspects, but it could not compare to what the Xan had built before the cataclysm, when all the power of the Source was in their hands. : (Listen to the story) Memorial Caretaker: Their efforts were in vain, but their hearts and intent was good. They wanted a better life for themselves and took direct action to try and get just that. And therein lies the important memory. The stone isn't set up to remember that they failed in building a space ship they could leave in, but to remember the effort they made and their will to succeed. In many ways, you humans are much the same. Even when the odds against you are very bad, you will not give up. Yours is truly a remarkable species, young one. : Thank you. I bet there is another memorial close to here. Memorial Caretaker: Yes, that is correct. North of here you will find Cama's temple, where the Redeemed hold court. There is a statue in the immediate vicinity of the temple itself and shouldn't be hard to find at all. I wish you a swift journey. : Goodbye -- The small yutto turns towards you, cocks his head and taps his staff on the ground. : I've found a memorial stone, haven't I? Memorial Caretaker: Yes, that you have. This is the Purity memorial. Here, we honor the memory of love. This stone was raised at the behest of the Redeemed that dwell here. So, young one...how may I help you? : I'd like to hear about this place. Memorial Caretaker: I'd be honored to tell you about what happened here. There once was a woman among the Redeemed. She was nothing like any other of her kind. In the eyes of her world, she was ugly to the point where even her parents thought so, even if they did not say it to her. When she was an adult, she was put to tasks that would send her to deep cellars or high towers or deep forests or anywhere else she could be of use where she wouldn't be seen by the others. Then one day, while she was out in the forest doing some menial task, she fell upon an Unredeemed man. Their eyes locked and none of them moved even if by all laws, they were mortal enemies. The two became a couple, their love so pure and rich. He would endlessly tell her how beautiful she was to him and she would give him kindness he had never known. : (Listen to the story) Memorial Caretaker: They made an impossible couple, and they knew that no one could ever know. And none did for years, until one day they were discovered by her kin. They were dragged to the temple and she was asked to answer for her sin before Cama so she could be forgiven, but her mate was put to the sword in front of her and in that instant she died within. She screamed at them, told them they were the monsters, not her or her mate. She accused them of being false, never loving her like he would; unconditionally and eternally. And then she threw herself on the same sword as her lover and died with her arms cradling him. After her death, her people saw no love from Cama for a long time, until they realised that she had been right, and with that knowledge brought her memory and her message with them in the future. : I understand why the Redeemed have asked to have a memorial stone here now. Memorial Caretaker: Yes, it is indeed a thing to remember. Perhaps you will take the story with you and keep it in mind when you return to your war-scarred world. I wish you the best, young one, and hope your travels in Penumbra will be good. : Goodbye -- One Whose Mind Is Riddled: Hello? : I've talked to all of them now. One Whose Mind Is Riddled: Very good. Were there any problems at all? : No, everything seemed fine. One Whose Mind Is Riddled: That is good to hear. I should visit them myself soon. Perhaps you even learned some from visiting the sites? I would like you to have some of these credits you humans use. It's an offer of thanks for your quick help. Now...you must excuse me, young one, but I really must get on with my work. : Do you know of anyone else I could help? One Whose Mind Is Riddled: Now that I think of it... I have heard there is one of your kind in the eastern forest who has been jostled a bit. Perhaps he could use some help. I was told he was suspicious of strangers, but it could happen he would approve his own kind rather than my kind. He is called Peter or Pete or something along those lines. I wish you all the best, young one. Safe travels. : Goodbye -- The man turns towards you and stares at you with cold eyes. He seems to limp and by the look of the way he contorts his face, it hurts when he moves. Shivering Pete: Whaddaya want? : Hello to you too... The man sighs heavily, his breath rasping in his lungs. Shivering Pete: Feh...you'll have to excuse me, kid. I ain't feeling too good. Got a nasty cold and the pain in my leg is killin' me. Or so it feels like, at least. He coughs loudly, his body convulsing with each violent intake of air. : What happened to you? Shivering Pete: Me an' my partner came up to Penumbra, set up camp not too far from here and started diggin'. Figured we'd look for ingots of rare metal up'ere, see? Or find some Xan artifact we could use, maybe sell off. I know, I know...ain't exactly the sunshine boys, huh? He falls into another fit of painful coughing. Shivering Pete: Nevertheless...'ere we were, diggin' along and then....then we found somethin'. : What was it? Shivering Pete: It was a sort of sealed tube. Inside was some several thick sheets of really strange material filled with text. Not paper, not plastic...just weird. We were both excited about it, cause collectors and museums pay a lotta money for texts. However, it was still early in our planned trip here, so we buried the tube and whatever else we had found so far, wrote down the coordinates and continued prospectin'. Everythin' went well until we started fightin' about the credits we'd get for the things we had found. He clubbed me over the leg during the tussle and then took off with everything we had. Tent, cooking kit, tools...everything. : That sucks. Shivering Pete: You think? He gives a tired sigh followed by a convulsive shiver. Shivering Pete: I know that he's bent on diggin' up more finds, so he's still here. Besides, he can't find the stuff we buried. Just as little as I can. See, I managed to rip the coordinates in half. Now neither of us can find it again and with my bad leg, I can't go after him. Unless... : Unless what? Shivering Pete: Unless you'd lend a helping hand. I can't offer you much in terms of reward, just some money. To be honest, all I want now is to get back at that son of a -... Another fit of coughing sends him reeling and it takes some time before he collects himself. Shivering Pete: So...will you help? : Thought you'd never ask. Shivering Pete: That's mighty nice of you, kid. It wouldn't surprise me if he was stashed up close to those spirit infested ruins up north. We were talking about going there before turning our noses home. He looks bitter and his weathered, hard exterior makes him look much older than he probably is. Shivering Pete: I don't care what you do to 'im, kid. I just want'im to taste his own medicine. And get those coordinates back. : Goodbye -- Shivering Pete: 'lo again : I met your partner. Shivering Pete: Oh yeah? What'd he say? No, lemme guess. He didn't say much. I bet he was all over you as soon as you showed your face. He's never been a patient guy, that Maloney. He waves a hand dismissively. Shivering Pete: No matter, I'm not interested in the details. You got back to me alive. That means he got his backside handed to him. And I'm not gonna grieve. Did ya find the ripped note? : Yes, I did. Do you want it? Shivering Pete: Yeah, let me have a look. Shivering Pete: That's the one! You've proven trustworthy, kid. I'll ask you one more favor. Could ya go to the coordinates and dig up the stuff there? I hardly got feelin' in my leg, an' I sure as hell can't go digging in the hard snow. If you do this for me, I'll reward you with parts of the find, as you well deserve. Here, take this shovel. It's a brand new model, very intelligent. It will beep when you're close to the location of the treasure. We tuned it to the metal in the container, so either you'll find that or some random junk. : Goodbye -- Shivering Pete: 'lo again : Found the tube! Shivering Pete: That's great, kid. You've shown yourself worth more than ten Two-Time Maloneys. And much more trustworthy! Let me have a look at the tube. Oh, and I need the shovel back too. Shivering Pete: Good thing, kid. Thanks a lot for helpin' an old man like me. Like I said, I don't have a lot of money or things of value to give you, but I would like to give this... He reaches into the tube and pulls out one of the things inside and then promptly gives it to you. Shivering Pete: I'd much rather share it with you than that bastard Maloney. You earned it, kid. : Thanks. Hey...do you know anything about the transformations of the Xan by any chance? Shivering Pete: Transformations? Y'mean when they started looking like they do now? Weeell...I don't know much, but I remember something an old digger friend of mine, Frankie, told me over a glass of strong beer back in Jobe once. He was a good man, ol' Frankie. He said that he had once found a lump of concentrated Source material and kept it with him for years. Drilled a hole in it and hung it around his neck, kept it in 'is pocket or a bag...I dunno what he did, but he swore to me that over time the little fragment had healed his chronic arthritis. At first I didn't believe 'im and his old digger story, jus' a tale of the wild out here. We've all seen nasty things and impossible things and scary things in Shadowlands. : But..? Shivering Pete: But I think there was some truth in what ol' Frankie said. I had a good think of it, and asked some other diggers. Not many had kept one o' these fragments, cause even in their weak form they're worth somethin' to the Redeemed and Unredeemed fellas. But I did talk t'one or two who had done the same as Frankie. One o' them, a comely guy with a happy disposition and kind heart told me that 'is lazy eye, which he had been born with had focused over the years after he picked up and kept a fragment, ending up almost as good as his old eye. Another guy told me the opposite, that he had developed a skin disease on his hands and arms. : What did you make of it all? Shivering Pete: Well...seems t'me that if a small fragment of the Source can change some physical issues, then maybe the real thing could change the way he looks entirely. Think about it, kid. The Redeemed look like a buncha wispy flippin' ghosts, while the Unredeemed are some ugly buggers with horns and scales and tails and who knows what. Ain't none o' them who got the good end of the bargain if you ask me. But nonetheless, there they are. : How did they end up like that, though? Shivering Pete: Oh it ain't no secret that the two sides have a very diff'rent look on what to do in the world and more specifically, what to do with the remaining, self-perpetuating generators and what little Source they could still find. The Redeemed nurture it, protect it and only ever uses wha' they absolutely must to sustain life and reclaim, while the Unredeemed use it for pretty much everything. I figure the use of or lack of use has changed their physical appearance over the course o' history, ya know? The ol' yuttos 'ere in Penumbra claim that the Source corrupted the ol' Xan and changed the way they thought about things and eventually made them weak. Ain't too surprised by the Source changing how they all looked as well. : How come we don't change then? Shivering Pete: Bugger if I know, kid. Must be cause we ain't around the remaining veins of Source all the time, no matter how small they are. Or it may be because they are more closely bound to the stuff than we'll ever be to notum. Dun' ask me, kid. I'm just a digger who listens to what stories people have for me when I can. An' if y'don't mind, I'd like to get ready to pack up and leave. If you want to travel this ice and snow land, be my guest. Maybe you'll even meet up with Danny Sawyer, an ol' digger buddy of mine. He should be down by the fortress, a bit south of here. Tell'im Shivering Pete sent you, he'll warm up to you real fast. : Goodbye -- Danny Sawyer: Yeah? : Are you Danny Sawyer? The man looks at you suspiciously, scanning your face with his eyes while his hand slowly and casually moves towards his pocket. Danny Sawyer: Yeah...what of it? : I'm . Shivering Pete sent me. Danny Sawyer: Old Pete? Well that changes things! The opifex smiles at you and his hand, which undoubtedly was on its way to some hidden weapon, now reaches forward and claps you on the shoulder. Danny Sawyer: A friend of Pete's is a friend of mine. How may I help you? : Well, Pete said you might have some work for me. Danny Sawyer: He did, huh? Well, old Pete always knew me. I do have some things that need be done. Might be you can help me. You look fit and able. Here, I'll send you some instructions on some small things I need to get out of the way. If you do them well, I might have use of you again. It's just small stuff. I need some dryads and demons taken care of. You'll find them on the ice west of the Hollows, on the outskirts of the forest called Yutto's Wastelands. : Goodbye -- Danny Sawyer: Yeah? : I'm back from the hunt. Danny Sawyer: So I see. Good job, I got the updates as you were plowing through the targets. All is good. I could use someone like you in my group of people. Or I could at least use you to get some work done. What do you say? Got some time? : Sure, I have nothing better to do. Danny Sawyer: Good, then. I need you to find this Redeemed chap called Cama Zean-Mara. Supposedly, he's up north, in some hidden valley or something. The Redeemed were supposed to deliver a book to me, but I'm still waiting. I'd like you to go up there and find out why they haven't yet. : Goodbye -- Devoted Cama Zean-Mara: Yes, child? : Danny Sawyer sent me to pick up a book. Devoted Cama Zean-Mara: Oh yes. Young Daniel has been a great supporter of our cause against the Unredeemed. He has assisted us many a time. You are not unknown among us either, child. Your name sits well with blessed Cama. We would be delighted to give you the book to deliver to young Daniel. But before we do so, we would ask a favor of you. : Of course you would... Devoted Cama Zean-Mara: In a burrow far south from here, there is a jar that holds a lot of importance to my people. We have always guarded it and moved it from place to place to ensure the wretched Unredeemed do not put their unworthy hands on it. Lately, the assigned guards have not sent word and our contact has been broken. We are worried that the current burrow is overrun by Unredeemed. They do not know the value of this jar, so there is hope it is still whole. I would ask of you that you go to the burrow and find out what happened, and if possible, find the jar and bring it back to me. Travel swiftly and with Cama's blessing, child. : Goodbye -- Devoted Cama Zean-Mara: Yes, child? : I have the jar for you. Devoted Cama Zean-Mara: Then I take it our suspicions were correct, that the Unredeemed had overrun the hide out. But it matters little if you have the jar intact. May I have it, please? The large Redeemed creature cradles the jar, which oddly enough starts glowing in a warm, deep green hue once it is in his hands. Devoted Cama Zean-Mara: Our warmest thanks to you, child. You have done us a great service, in truth as much as our great friend young Daniel. Here, you shall have the book he has wanted. Please give our regards to him when you see him. : Goodbye -- (Book) Tattered Book: 1001 Survival Tips...And More! NODROP UNIQUE Quality level: SPECIAL Charges: 1 (Splitable) Description: These are the remnants of 1001 Survival Tips...And More! - a collection of tips and tricks concerning the skill of survival. It is often rather disjointed and confusing. All in all, it doesn't seem to be very reliable... or helpful in a survival situation. Some excerpts: Tip #71: Remember to always lead with the right hand when casting a nanoscript. The right hand is seen by almost all default NCUs as the lead, or "casting" hand, meaning that the action with this hand will ultimately decide the first real code within the script. Leading with your left hand simply builds up nanobots that, eventually, may just go to waste. This shaves off a precious millisecond which can mean the difference between survival and having a knife jammed into your ribs. Tip #129: Make sure that you always get them before they get you. Tip #302: When entering a new town, always make sure to head to the local bar first. This is before you sleep, before you get a shower, before you do anything else (unless you're bleeding profusely, in which case go visit the doctor first, THEN go to the bar). The local bar is always a wealth of information to anyone new in town, and will often serve as a fine place to find your next bit of employment. Tip #466: No matter what anyone says, there's no shame in killing giant rats. Everyone has to start somewhere, and no matter where you end up, there's always someone wanting a dead giant rat. Tip #563: Double-check your offensive programs before you leave the house. Too often scripts will become jumbled, lost, or otherwise messed up in your virtual folder. Always make sure that everything's where you want it to be, sorted to your preference, and laid out for maximum efficiency (see Tips #48 - #145 for more on nanos). Tip #743: As noted in Tip #244, tea bags have an infinite variety of uses. However, there's always one jerk who will want to give you crap over drinking tea. Particularly if in a new town, use this as an opportunity to assert yourself. Any drunken idiot can win a bar fight. It takes a real man to win a bar fight while enjoying a cup of Earl Grey. Tip #1000: There's only one more tip after this one, and this tip is devoted to that tip. If you haven't followed anything else in this book, follow the next tip (and this one, as this tip is telling you to listen to that that tip, and if you ignored it then you'd ignore Tip #1001 and that'd make all of this kind of pointless). Tip #1001 is... The book stops there. The page containing Tip #1001 has been ripped out from the spine. -- Danny Sawyer: Yeah? : I got you the book. Danny Sawyer: Great! I hope they didn't give you too much trouble. I know they can be a bother, what with their fanatic enmity towards the opposing side. Crazy twits, all of them. If they sent you on a goose chase on their behalf first, I apologise for the inconvenience. : He said you were a great friend of theirs... Danny Sawyer: Oh yeah. Danny Sawyer is a great friend to everyone. Omni-Tek, the clans, Redeemed, Unredeemed, high born, lowly scum and the criminally insane. Even my mother-in-law! He gives you a slick grin and brushes back a couple of his jet-black hair spikes. Danny Sawyer: I'll smile at each of them and do as they want, dance to their tune and pretend to be their friend...anything that makes me a cred, and keeps the peace. Danny winks and a mischievous grin plays on his lips. Danny Sawyer: Anyway...you had the book, you said? He takes one look at the book, nods and tucks it away. Danny Sawyer: Yeah, that's it. Thanks, kid. You saved me some real time with this. Hope these credits will have some use for you. Please accept it as pay for your work. : Say, do you know anything about the religious strife between the Redeemed and Unredeemed? Danny Sawyer: Well, being around them all the time, I've picked up a thing or two. And from all the things I've heard, I've learned one thing. Nothing good ever comes from wars fought to prove whose god is the right one. He throws his hands up in the air. Danny Sawyer: Just look at the poor buggers here. They're so narrowminded, so set in their ways and their hate for each other that they're unable to see other problems in the lands. At this point, I think they're fighting more for the purpose of fighting than actually fighting for their gods, but you never know. : How did it all start? Here, I mean. Danny Sawyer: Well, you may know how the old Xan worshipped many gods in pairs? Braces they called them. The Brace the Xan discovered last, before the cataclysm, is called Cama and Vanya. After the catastrophe, the Xan sought to their gods to have mercy and save them from this nightmare but the gods were silent. They started blaming each other and before long, the two opposing groups had split the Brace apart through their faith, taking what was not for mortals to meddle with and broke them apart. They ended the Brace and with it ended the balance they represented. : What happened then? Danny Sawyer: Who knows all the details? Not me, that's for sure. But it's safe to assume that when the Redeemed and the Unredeemed split up the five Braces they had known, they also laid down the law on the gardens, sealing them even further than they had. That said, they never lost their faith. On the contrary, they seemed to grow more zealous. Some would say so fanatical that they learned to care for little else than to destroy their enemies. Hell, I'd say that's what drives them today. You can get away with most things on either side of the fence, as long as you play them up against each other. Remember that, kiddo. He gives you that slick, boyish grin again. : Thanks for the talk. I better split. Still have some things to do and to see. Danny Sawyer: Oh, you don't have to explain to me, kid. I know how it is. Hey, if you happen to stop by Anticipating Six down south, tell him hello, will you? : Anticipating Six? Who's that? Danny Sawyer: He's one of the yuttos here in Penumbra. Not the brightest of the yuttos, but a nice guy all the same. Either way, I wish you the best of luck, kid. Travel safely and stay out of trouble, ok? : Goodbye -- Anticipating Six: Hello there. : You're Anticipating Six, right? Anticipating Six: Yes, young one. That is my name. And your name is , I know. Tell me, why have you come here? : I want to learn more about the history of this place. Anticipating Six: Well, this is the portal to Alappaa, a small area left undiscovered until recently. We yuttocra explored it together with scientists from Jobe and quickly decided to close this area off to protect the wandering travelers who may or may not have stumbled upon it. It is home to many vicious things and so, we used old technology to seal the entrance to the little vale. Passer-by's cannot see it without knowing exactly where to look and what to look for. : And this portal? Anticipating Six turns his head to look at the portal. Anticipating Six: It serves no one to refuse access to travelers from Rubi-Ka to places in Shadowlands. You always find a way, the curious and exploring race you humans are. So we built a portal that will take you to the little vale, which we call Alappaa. That way, you can go there, with our warnings of a strange and dangerous place, and we can ensure that no one stumbles over it by chance, but rather goes prepared. This is why we have sealed it for use for groups of explorers together. : I'd like to visit the place. Anticipating Six: I shall not stand in your way, young one. However, you must find yourself a team before the portal lets you through. If you do decide to venture inside, would you be so kind to ensure the safety of a traveler before you? : Sure. Who is this person? Anticipating Six: He gave no name. You see, not long ago, an elderly solitus man passed through here, looking for his daughter. He claimed his daughter was inside Alappaa and sounded very confident he would find her there but it has been a while now, and I am starting to worry that something is wrong. He was so frail, I don't understand how he can manage inside Alappaa. It's not a friendly place. : But you said the portal only opens for teams and yet this man was alone? Anticipating Six: Yes, this is true. The portal lets in teams only, but I cannot say if he was registered in a remote team. He went inside alone, though. When you have a team, it would be most reassuring to have you go after him and find out what's happened. : Goodbye -- Anticipating Six: Hello there. : You're Anticipating Six, right? Anticipating Six: Yes, young one. That is my name. And your name is , I know. Tell me, why have you come here? : I'm looking for something to do. Anticipating Six: That's good to hear. As it happens, I have something you can help me with. Not long ago, an elderly solitus man passed through here, looking for his daughter. He claimed his daughter was inside Alappaa and sounded very confident he would find her there but it has been a while now, and I am starting to worry that something is wrong. He was so frail, I don't understand how he can manage inside Alappaa. It's not a friendly place. : Would you like me to go there and check it out? Anticipating Six: Oh yes, please. Would you please go after him and see if everything is alright? Just return to me with what news you have of the poor man and his daughter. I felt bad for him. He looked old and frail and he spoke strangely, perhaps sick from grief over his lost child. : Goodbye -- Anticipating Six: You're back. What did you find out? : Well, he sure wasn't the girl's father! He was some sort of messed up shape changer creature. Anticipating Six: A shape changer, you say? Would you be willing to tell me more? : (Tell the Yutto about the Mezzorash) He falls silent for a moment after you speak, eyes pointing toward the ground. Anticipating Six: This is... disturbing, to say the least. The Rashan and their kind are simple creatures, their actions little more than pure instinct. Typically, their "speech" is nothing but mimicry from what they have managed to hear repeated to them over time. But we have noticed certain aberrations within their species, things that have lead us to believe that they may be more than they appear. : Aberrations? How do you mean? Anticipating Six: Did you know that, after a certain age has been reached all Rashan are implanted with Xan technology? Even more interesting is that they appear to do so themselves, taking scraps and pieces of junk to build small machines that eventually interface with their neural pathways. We are not entirely certain as to why they do this, or even what purpose the machinery serves - From what we have found, they seem to be very tiny memory storage units. There has never been any evidence, though, that the Rashan are intelligent enough to create or control such things. It seems to simply be an instinctual process, somehow hard-coded into the genetic structure - Be they Arcorash or Gluarash, they all undergo the same process at a young age. : Any idea what these memory units are used for? Anticipating Six: None. Which is to say that we have never found them being used at all. Any examples we have ever found, regardless of the age, have all been completely empty - No data has ever been written to them. From what you say, and what we know of the creatures, it may be possible that someone managed to control this memory unit, perhaps somehow taking control of the Rashan. The Yutto's head shakes, glittering eyes peering down to the ground. Anticipating Six: As I said, disturbing. : It was a nasty thing, but I took care of it. Anticipating Six: And for that you shall have thanks, young one. Here, please take this. I hope it will prove useful for you in your daily work. And now...how else may I help you? : I'd like to learn a little more about the Unredeemed and Redeemed and their fight for power. Anticipating Six: That's good to hear. I am happy to find there are still several people who are interested in learning what happened in the past. For their own research, to learn, as part of an investigation, or for whatever other reason there may be. I can try to explain a little about the relationship with you humans and the Redeemded and Unredeemed. : (Listen to the story) Anticipating Six: There is a close relation between your kind and theirs. Perhaps you have come to that conclusion yourself, perhaps not. In either case, it is a journey you must do yourself. Just by standing here you may have gone the full circle and learned much of it already. Now, there is much in common between your history. Through the age of man, you have time and time again showed how you cannot co-exist and keep making war with each other. You are often corrupted by the prospect of power and wealth and yours is a short-lived kind so everything you do, you do with full intensity. Gee...does he have to be so doomy? Surely, there's something good to be found... : But... He lifts his free hand to silence you and interrupts what you have to say. How rude. Anticipating Six: In that, you are very much like the Xan. They have been blinded by the corruption they suffered, they rose to glory and greatness and fell down from it. Even after their punishment, they continued their plight, still thinking they were the Supreme Creator's chosen ones. As the Unredeemed and the Redeemed, they took up the search for their destiny in between the bloody wars they fought with each other. And they nearly succeeded. They traveled the broken lands of what remained of their world, erected their temples and tried again and again to harness the Source to no avail. Until... : Until? A deep sigh sounds from within the depth of the hood. He sounds terribly tired now. Anticipating Six: Until they discovered the place you call Pandemonium and within, the strongest vein of the Source they had ever known along with its protector. They had hopes again. Both sides rushed. They wanted...no, needed to be the first, but it would not come to pass. Just being in the vicinity of the power corrupted them into madness. Being creatures so closely tied to the Source, the corruption did not sneak into their hearts like the first time. It engulfed them and took from them their own will and bound it to its own. Perhaps it was to protect itself or even them, or perhaps it was an animosity. No matter the theories, it was clear that the sorry remains of the once so mighty Xan would never be all they wanted to be. : Why do they keep it up, then? Anticipating Six: Why does a hungry man hunt for food? Why does a cold man seek shelter? Because they have to. If they want to survive, they have no other choice, it's too deeply rooted in their ancestry, their blood and their minds. And so it was and is for the Redeemed and the Unredeemed. They can never be the Xan again, so they must strive harder for their own sake and future. It no longer comes to them as their birth right. All has left them but the incarnations of their gods, and even they are corrupted by now. They have all turned so very blind. : What does all that have to do with me? Anticipating Six: Yours is a young race, child. You are still in the cradle of your existence, but there is so much hope in you. You have courage, intelligence and you live life with love and joy side by side with grief and worry. It is what makes you human. Humans fail. Humans make mistakes. But humans learn and grow. You create and destroy with the same limbs that embrace and strike. Such duality, such inconsistency, such promise. There are those who are jealous of your race and development, who envy you greatly. Those who can no longer shape their destinies. Perhaps, some day, humans too will become as they did, locked into their own instinct and aggression, no longer willing to grow or change. But, for now at least, what promises you show are things that no other sentient life can truly match. Because underneath it all, for all of humanity's frailty, for all of your mistakes, and for every misstep you may take, you have one thing that separates you from everything else. Unending, undying, relentless hope. Hold on to it well, young one, for it may some day be all that your species has left. : Thank you...I will take your words to heart. His eyes are shining bright and his voice is smiling, if you could say such a thing. Anticipating Six: You will have to excuse me now. I am old and my bones are tired. I need what remains of my strength to talk to whoever else passes by today. I thank you for lending me your ear, and I wish you only the best in all your travels. Good bye and travel safely, young one. : Goodbye