Some interesting developments -- Paislee has added a further report to her journal, and it might shed some light on Holli's and Artair's posts above.

Quote:

My previous entry was cut short due to a messenger announcing the arrival of small package marked: To Miss Paislee Myrtle, Devokan Island. Imagine my surprise when I saw it was from the same solicitors that Quin had visited.

But the most startling observation was when I noticed the cramped scrawl of Miss Elspeth's hand on the back of the string wrapped package. It read: Dear Paislee ~ Remember dear girl, that every ending creates a new beginning! Miss Elspeth

I've yet to open the small package...I'm rather reluctant to discover what it contains, so I've placed it in my trunk. When the time feels right I shall open it.

Now it's time to relate the next episode of my strange journey....

"Stop! Do not touch that sphere, Miss Paislee! You will disturb its resonance and my work here will be undone!

Astonishment filled me as I turned to see a very familiar face...that of Quinquifid Oddenfen! While I stood there gaping like a fish he explained briefly that this sphere was a sort of hub for a system that allowed him to travel here to the world I had stumbled into.

Then, as he sometimes does, he started peppering me with questions! How had I arrived? What signs of change were there in Devokan? Had I seen Miss Dot or the other residents lately? Has anything on the big island gone missing?

His barrage of questions was quite exhausting after the stress of my unexpected journey, so I smartly informed him of that fact! At once he apologized (always a gentleman, albeit a reluctant one) for his vigorous questioning.

Luckily he had established a small camp at a neighboring island and swiftly led the way to a sort of portal...At least that is what he called it.
An image of our destination shimmered in the opening, so with a little encouragement from Quin I stepped through...

Ah! I hear steps on the stairs. I must leave my writing for now. Dot has promised to help me sort out the most important items in the inn to pack in preparation for leaving Devokan.

I shall miss my home. How I hope Elspeth was right and that this painful ending will lead to a new beginning.

I am pleased to report preliminary results of some experiments.

When I originally visited with warrior Nalates the source of the glowing orbs, I took careful measurements of the multidimensional aether through which we travelled. By working through the notes I took at the time, analysing samples I collected in the other world, and carefully reading critical entries in my late aunt's journal, I was able to set up a system whereby I could return at will and conduct further investigations and experiments.

The portal Miss Paislee refers to in her journal I have managed to re-create -- rather to imitate -- in Devokan. It is something of a mash-up at present, re-using elements from the old Devokan portal system, but will serve as we move from the island to our new home in Winterfell Reverie.

For in less than a week, Devokan will be no more.

The next stage of my investigation is this: to attempt to take across at least some elements of the Lost Pages sphere from this world to the other. Accordingly I have set up an adaptation of the monitoring device, adjusting it in the light of the data gleaned from experiments in that other world.

The process will take a day or so to complete, but after that the Lost Pages sphere will no longer be in this world.

It is unlikely that the experiment will be able to translate Lost Pages in all its current glory, so do visit it before Friday, 5th February 2010, and marvel at the achievements of the two French engineers, Shenn and Aleah.

Link to Lost Pages

The clock is ticking...

I’m in trouble with Quin again -- well, he can be pretty exasperating sometimes.

He set up his experiment in Lost Pages without telling any of the rest of us what he was up to. Unfortunately, we were including the sphere in the plans for Saturday -- we can’t do without it. Quin took some persuading but finally agreed that, yes, he could delay the completion of his experiment for another day. I could tell he was in a cold rage about it: he linked straight back to the other world as soon as he had finished making the necessary adjustments to the scanner device.

So what are the plans for Saturday, 6th February? The aim is to have an informal farewell party where explorers can drop by as they please. It will start from about 10 am Pacific time (6 pm UTC), and one or two of us will be there throughout the day to answer questions about what is happening and our plans for the future. The sailboats and mini-airships are out for explorers to enjoy, and the merry-go-round. The Inn has extra stocks on hand -- it makes sense to run these down, so do come along and enjoy the feast. Paislee hates seeing good food go to waste. There will be dancing and/or skating on the upper floor of the Lost Pages library (hence the need for Quin to delay his experiments). The excellent Ktahdn/Lord Chaos will be streaming music for us for part of the day -- more details to follow.

There will be field trips too: to the new base in Winterfell Reverie and even across to the other world -- for those brave enough to venture there.


A new chapter begins... by Dot Macchi, on Flickr

Edit: added link to original photo page, to comply with Flickr community guidelines.

Just as I was sorting out the final arrangements for the celebration tomorrow, I noticed notes from Jamey and Andy on the GoMa shout box, and a post from Andy.

Intriguing! It looks like Devokan's next chapter is about to become very interesting indeed!

Devokan is no more.

As I watched from my temporary lab in the source world of the spheres -- the New Devokan, as warrior Nalates likes to call it -- over the last few hours, one by one the monitors went blank.

First Selenitica's satellite mine, then Selenitica itself, then the Lost Pages sphere, then the beautiful island of Devokan. All gone.

I weep.

Poor Quin -- it must have been so lonely for him, watching, waiting, wondering, ... At least we had the support of friends that bittersweet day.

On Friday, he had linked back in to check how things were going with preparations for the final evacuation. He had calmed down from the anger that had engulfed him the day before, and explained what he was planning to do.

He told us about the laboratory he had set up in the new world, and some of the equipment he had been able to bring across -- and how he hoped that somehow he might be able to tap into the growing strength of the sphere above the standing stones that have reappeared in Devokan. It would be a risk -- he didn't completely understand the underlying mechanisms -- but given the choice between that and the complete loss of that wonderful island, one worth taking.

So he was going to stay there, in the new world, monitoring the instruments, trying to control and focus whatever it was that enabled this transport of living and non-living matter, and that was growing strongly by the hour. He shook hands with each of us, wished us luck (as we did him), and returned to the spheres' source world.

===
As for me, I'm still trying to sort out thoughts and feelings about the past tumultuous three days. Suffice to say for now: we are all safe, and vivid images of the weekend's happenings, conversations and companionship will live with Paislee and myself for a long time -- thank you for sharing the journey with us. More details to follow...

Nalates was able to visit Devokan during its dying hours. Here is her report in full, copied over from the GoMa forum.

Nalates wrote:

I’m somewhat sad at Devokan’s loss from this dimension and time but so many new things are happening there is little time to mourn. Word has come from the former DRC members that alarms were tripped in the Cavern on Earth. I have yet to sort out all those goings on, but the D’ni Refugees are gathering for a party and working to find out if they can get into a reopened Cavern. Seems KI batteries are in short supply or something.

While I wait I’ll write down my account of the final hours of Devokan before the memories start to fade. It’s sunny in Minkartah and a squee is curled up in my lap sleeping. Its not Devokan but it is nice. Raining at night.

Many of the D’ni Refugees came to see Devokan before it vanished. Some I had never met in my travels. Many I had never come across in the Cavern either. All were appalled that Devokan must go and struck by its beauty.


Many people were exploring in the final hours and catching up with old friends.





I heard Quin went to the new Devokan to try and save as much of Selinitica and Devokan as he could. I had hoped to save the animals and some of the plants. Quin spoke to Dot about saving more of Devokan. I doubt he has time to experiment. I ran out of time with my experiments and just started moving critters as I could. I figured I would just barely get my transfers done before Devokan starts to scorch. So, I could not stop and coordinate with him. I hoped our simultaneous transfers worked. I have yet to be visit the new Devokan to see how thing faired.

I have pictures of Selinitica before the orbit changed much.



At this point everyone was out, except me. My scanners were showing no humans. The energy the spheres were creating was awesome. Dot said Quin was hoping for some resonance to increase the transfer rate. I would guess he found it. Way to go Quin.
The flyer was here. No one was aboard. I was surprised at the time Dot left it there. I would have moved it to Winterfell but it is keyed to her somehow and won’t respond to me. That’s good because I realized when she sent her pictures that she had plans for it. I should know to trust her more by now.



What I call the crystal mine was empty. The crystals there seemed to be resonating with the spheres. Anywhere close to the crystals one could feel the vibrations. Set my teeth on edge…. Wooh! Glad I did have to not stay there long.



The volcano was much more active. More lave pools had opened. The CO2 and sulfur gassing was not too bad. I remember coming up to Selinitica to warm up during the Devokan winter. Toasty nice. Now the pops and bursts of magma would make that risky.
My scanner had problems with the underground mine. I made a patrol of it to make sure no one was exploring or mining.



I destroyed the locking mechanism at the mine entrance to keep other out. Then the door activator to seal it too. The mine is big. It is completely out of character for the technology I see in Selinitica. I can’t imagine who made this mine. Technology there rivals much of what I’ve seen in forward times. I’m still puzzled.



After riding the elevator down into the mine I destroyed its control too. I didn’t want anyone using it to sneak into the lower levels behind me or escape past me and be trapped.



Searching through all the twists and turns of the mine was time consuming.


The strange portal was still operating. I really dreaded having to use it to leave the mine. I felt it was the only way to assure the mine was empty and no way in was left. As always it was painful. Dang.

Image from Dot's ship
Dot's Gallery

Dot’s pictures show what she and some friends observed from her ship in the last hours of Selinitica. I’ll visit the new Devokan or Winterfell and catch up with Quin on whether the transfer worked. My main hope is that he saved the Lost Pages.



As the transfers continued eventually the Devokan island was barren. Not even a cricket was left. As I write now I find I am somewhat proud of that. I suppose some will be unhappy that I took the ants too. Oh well. My little squee friend won’t complain… or I’ll stop feeding her the strawberries she seems to love.

I had decided to stay as long as I could in case someone might not have heard and come to visit. I would have needed to hurry them out. But, I had the island to myself. The farther out of orbit the planet moved the faster it moved toward the sun. The sky began to change.



At first the atmosphere started to thin and the lighting was harsh.



Soon things really began to change. Some if the colors were spectacular. It was as if all of the sunsets this Devokan was ever to experience were to be rolled into one final sunset.



As the planet spiraled in closer the sky and sun got brighter. By this time I was feeling the planet warming. Finally things were getting hotter and smoke began to cloud the sky. I decided it was time to leave. Heaven help any that came after I left. Only a couple of hours could have been left. So... hopefully...



If anyone had seen me leave… I would have blamed my tears on the smoke…

Now this Devokan is gone. …oh… the squee has woken. I’d swear she sees the tears that formed in my eyes as I wrote. Dang, I’m embarrassed to cry in front of a little squee… too much time spent will male military types… aaw… she has climbed to my shoulder and is nuzzling my ear and neck… I think she is trying to comfort me. I wonder how smart these little squee are? Whatever… it is nice. Certainly deserves a strawberry or two.

Feb. 9, 2010
Devokan Keepsafe

I've had this journal for a few weeks now, but this is the first entry. Avoidance, my old friend...

Such mixed emotions. Watching the livid skies over the old Devokan, knowing it would soon be gone -- even as word came of a renewed presence back in the D'ni Cavern, even knowing that there were multiple refuges for those displaced. It was still sad.

But there is hope. The words of Atrus, echoed by Yeesha, echo still: The ending has not yet been written. The story continues...

DEVOKAN FAREWELL

The sun is spinning close in the skies over Devokan
The squee and the crystals know soon we will part
There's a whisper in the wind of the promises unspoken
And a land that will always remain in my heart

My thoughts will return to the tinkle of laughter
The magic that here was begun
And a time that we'll remember long ever after
The moonlight and music and dancing we've done

But we'll climb the hills once more, we will walk the woods together
Though it will be elsewhere, we'll meet once again
And every song we've sung will stay with us forever
We'll dance through the Ages and never say when

Under the moon, a new land lies waiting
Over the sea, the stars shine
New wonder behold, the maker's creating
The magic and music won't be left behind

Fax Quixote, 2/6/10
After "Ashokan Farewell" by Grian MacGregor and Jay Ungar

_________________
HAVE PUN, WILL TRAVEL
Fax Paladin, Waco
Ki# 48489

Two solid days, sitting there in the laboratory, watching, adjusting a slider here, a knob there; hoping against hope that the conjectures and calculations about the spheres might have some substance to them, that my efforts might not be in vain.

Utterly exhausted, I emerged from the lab this morning, and linked.

The island was transformed! Somehow, the land had been remoulded into the hills and valleys of our lost Devokan. As I watched, rocks, streams, plants seemed to form out of the atmosphere -- a crystalline shimmering in the air, and then the wood, the waterfalls, the sounds, ...

I walked in a daze, looking around me in awe. It all fitted -- the geology, the ecology, all matched. The island has come home.

The D'ni Voice hopes to establish a small office with the Devokan group in Keepsake to continue to provide news both to them and anyone who has found paths to other worlds. Now that word of explorers are back in the Cavern, we are finding many more worlds opening up to us and I hope to be able to report events and information on how to safely get to these other places.

_________________
Moula:
DMom2K KI 74181
GameBoomer KI 83122

SL:
DMom2K Darwin

Citizen of the Metaverse and oh, yeah, The Dude abides....

The office is all ready for you to move in, DMom. We're looking forward to welcoming you!

For those who would like to visit, the D'ni Voice office is on the top floor of the Keepsafe (NB. not Keepsake ). My office is on the floor below, next to Quin's sitting area. Quin is using the ground floor for various experiments.

I managed to get the Flyer safely across to Winterfell while Quin was busy working in the new world. When he comes back, he'll be using it as his home (far more comfortable than that drafty old Keep).

His report above sounds incredibly hopeful! I do hope we will be able to see for ourselves soon.

Oh, I nearly forgot (shame on me!) -- Devokan now has a base in the Cavern. We've our own hood there, and will try to put news of happenings on the hood imager. Please let me know if you'd like an invite to the hood.

_________________
Resources for open-source Uru: OpenUru; rel.to
Cross-world story and project planning: Devokan forums

The D'ni Voice will also have small offices in the Cavern, though I will mainly base out of GameBoomer's Hood, I hope to work with others in the Cavern to provide news of Devokan and other events throughout the various ages we have now discovered in our sojourns in the past few years. Please submit any info to me in-cavern, by message here in the Forum or by notecard in SL.

_________________
Moula:
DMom2K KI 74181
GameBoomer KI 83122

SL:
DMom2K Darwin

Citizen of the Metaverse and oh, yeah, The Dude abides....

I am feeling lost, bereft.

This place is both Devokan and not-Devokan.

Where is my home? Where do I belong?

Perhaps I have been pushing myself too hard. Must link back to Winterfell. Talk to someone.

I linked back to Winterfell, hoping to meet up with Dot or Paislee or Jim or any of the other good people of the old community of Devokan.

But there was no one there! The small homestead was completely empty -- and no note anywhere of what was going on.

Fortunately, a Mr Fax Paladin/Quixote contacted me soon after I arrived. The ensuing conversation was most enlightening:
Fax Quixote: How are you holding up? Are you doing better today?

Quinquifid Oddenfen: Shorah, Fax. Thank you for your concern. I suspect events have caught up with me.

Fax Quixote: They do that.

Quinquifid Oddenfen: It seems so strange, being there in that other world, with the land looking so like the terrain of the Devokan we lost. Unsettling. I did not expect to experience this. Not having worked so hard to try to achieve it (if indeed what I did had anything to do with what happened).

Fax Quixote: It's a sort of survivor's guilt, I suppose.

Quinquifid Oddenfen: I don't know. I really don't know. It got to the point where I couldn't stay there for any longer -- I was there alone. Hence my return -- and why I appreciate you contacting me.

Fax Quixote nods

Quinquifid Oddenfen: I suppose I should write up my notes. I have been very remiss over the last few weeks but there has been so much happening.

Fax Quixote: Understandable. I do think the writing might help.

Quinquifid Oddenfen: A wise observation. Try to make sense of it. And writing can distance oneself, make one an observer rather than a participant.

Fax Quixote: Even so.

Quinquifid Oddenfen: But what of yourself? What of your own explorations?

Fax Quixote: I just returned frtom Ahnonay and had lunch. The cavern was being cleared briefly for some sort of maintenance work -- I may go see if they're done yet soon.

Quinquifid Oddenfen: The cavern? Is that the one Dot talked about? The one that she was exiled from?

Fax Quixote: Probably. The D'ni cavern.

Quinquifid Oddenfen: Yes, it was the D'ni...

Fax Quixote: And that has reopened, yes.

Quinquifid Oddenfen: My goodness! How are Dot and the others? Have you had any contact with them?

Fax Quixote: In fact, the reopening was announced the same weekend as Devokan's ending, so things have been quite hectic for them as well. Emotionally and otherwise.

Quinquifid Oddenfen: Remarkable. Miss Paislee was particularly fond of quoting a saying:
The stronger the things we face,
the more hope we bring with us
to the next beginning. -- Atrus, Myst IV

Fax Quixote: Precisely.

Quinquifid Oddenfen: Devokan -- hope, rebirth, new beginning... but I am so tired... -- But enough of my complaining!

Fax Quixote: I have not directly encountered Dot and Paislee recently, but I have heard indirectly that they have established a Devokan community in the cavern. They hope bring more of the D'ni Explorers to the new Devokan.

Quinquifid Oddenfen: Ah! Perhaps I too should visit this cavern. Once Dot asked me to visit a connected age I believe -- this was when she held some position of office in the Guild of Maintainers.

Fax Quixote: [nods] I'm frankly a bit surprised that you haven't yet. I had somehow assumed that you were among the exiles -- I shouldn't have done.

Quinquifid Oddenfen: No. Although I arrived at Devokan at much the same time as Dot, I come from the same world and time as Miss Paislee albeit from the city rather than the country

Fax Quixote: Ah, I see.

Quinquifid Oddenfen: My aunt Elspeth left me the house on the island of Devokan. There were various clauses in her will that required me to move there. A strong minded woman -- interesting character.

Fax Quixote: She sounds like it. I am sorry not to have met her.

Quinquifid Oddenfen: You will need to talk to Miss Paislee ... she looked after her in her latter time. I didn't know her that well -- I met her only a few times in my childhood. She was an explorer of the old school -- spending years among the communities and cultures she discovered

Fax Quixote: Hence the home in Devokan?

Quinquifid Oddenfen: Yes

Fax Quixote: Ah...

Quinquifid Oddenfen: Yes, the cottage was somewhat neglected...

Fax Quixote: In any event, yes, I would certainly recommend that you visit the cavern.

Quinquifid Oddenfen: Thank you. That might well be therapeutic too. -- Gah, Enough of this self pity! I apologise, sir!

Fax Quixote: No need in the slightest for apology. Hold on a moment, let me get some information that will be helpful to you...

Quinquifid Oddenfen: Thank you.

Fax Quixote: Communication in the cavern, as well as certain other functions, come through a device worn on the back of the hand, something like a wristwatch only a bit larger. It's called a "Ki," and each has a distinct number. If one has the number of a friend's Ki, one can can program it into one's own -- "speed dial," I suppose it would be called where I come from.

Quinquifid Oddenfen: Ah, that is useful. One of the difficulties of the past two weeks has been not being able to communicate

Fax Quixote consults a sheet of paper
Fax Quixote: I have some of the numbers here -- Dot actually has two, 138156 and 137263.

Quinquifid Oddenfen: Ever the busy executive?!

Fax Quixote: Only one will be in use at any one time, you understand.

Quinquifid Oddenfen: That is something... Life can get pressured

Fax Quixote: I don't see a listing for Miss Paislee in this directory -- a later edition may have it, or Dot may. Nalates' numbers are 83543 and 111451.

Quinquifid Oddenfen: So warrior Nalates is there?

Fax Quixote: Yes.

Quinquifid Oddenfen: My word.

Fax Quixote: Mine is 48489.

Quinquifid Oddenfen: Interesting... both five- and six-digit numbers?

Fax Quixote: There are some as low as four digits, for those who were part of the initial safety checkouts. On the Ki they have leading zeroes. But they can be entered for contact purposes without the leading zeroes. Is there anyone else whose number you would like to know?

Quinquifid Oddenfen: Miss Holli, is she there? She did a good job in observing the spheres -- and her friend -- I think his name was Artair? And of course Miss Nyn -- though she was so busy with her new business I hardly saw her the past few months.

Fax Quixote: This directory is early, and quite incomplete -- I don't see Miss Holli. Artair is on here.

Quinquifid Oddenfen: From what you say, the KIs must have been issued sequentially which suggests you must have been one of the earlier explorers to reach there

Fax Quixote: Yes. There were some difficulties in the early going. I was lucky enough to get in, but others were unable to until later.

Quinquifid Oddenfen: That must have been frustrating -- but in another way, safer

Fax Quixote: Quite.

Quinquifid Oddenfen: Well, this has given me a lot to think about. It might also explain why no one was here when I returned!

Fax Quixote: [smiles] It might well.
I have taken his advice. I have gone to the cavern.

The initial dream? vision? as I first linked in was most poignant: Destruction has indeed come to us at Devokan...

Must find a way, make a home...

My KI number is 1868147.