Oh Dot, that's a terrible shame. Please give Quinquifid my condolences on the loss of his house.

And, tell him that no one is considered a true builder in SL until they have deleted their own house by accident.
But, in the future, he can avoid such accidents by locking the prims.

_________________
OpenUru.org Minkata Test Shard is
OU-Minkata Shard Testers Guide (in laymen's terms)

Thank you so much for your kind condolences, Miss Winnikow. I greatly appreciate them. Would that Miss Dot could learn to give a little more sympathy ((or useful tips; thanks)) ... but no, it seems not to be in her nature face to face.

Having said that, she did provide some practical assistance in propping up two of the turrets that were otherwise without support -- her stonework may be rough, but it does the job.

A little after the conversation reported above, I happened upon Miss Paislee. 'I see there are problems with your house.' I explained what had happened, and the hasty repairs.

Miss Paislee showed a truly sympathetic spirit: 'Well..you can store your things in the lighthouse while you make repairs -- although I do fear creatures may move in while it is vacant.' I shrugged: 'That cannot be helped. It is the way of nature.'

She went on to ask where I myself would be living while the repairs were taking place. As fate would have it, all this happened on the very day the rental of my rooms in New Babbage expired!

I had thought of using the Devokan Flyer as temporary accommodation; it has all the facilities one needs for expeditions. But then we realised that would not be convenient. Lightkeeper, Jim, Dot and Nynaveve will need to take it out for flying practice before the planned exploration of the upper reaches of the atmosphere.

'Too bad you've not got a caravan to live in while you do your renovations,' said Miss Paislee. 'I have one I could lend.' That sounded like a possibility, so we went across to Devokan Wood to try to find a suitable clearing.

'Where would you like it?' she asked. 'Seriously, Miss Paislee,' I replied, 'I would appreciate your placing it... You have a good eye for that sort of thing.' Her response: 'Well let me give it some thought then... We will get you all set up!'

This is such a relief!

A little village gossip today...

With all his teaching and other duties at the Ministry for Magical Transportation at the Hogwarts institution mentioned earlier, Wendall has moved on to be closer to the job. His classes are apparently very popular, and some star students are emerging.

However, we welcome Mirin and Lyssa Rosewood, a couple who have taken the tiny cottage next to the Lighthouse. Mirin is very keen to get involved with building -- which might be just what Quinquifid needs at the moment!

On the Sunday, after all the earlier disasters, Quin and I attended the Guild of Healers' meditation session run by Ghaelen at the guild's garden in Eder d'Uru. It was very peaceful, and lovely to meet up with old friends like Kerryth and Tailahr among others.

DMom2K and team do a great job in keeping all the D'ni Refugees in this world up to date with a newsletter, which gives details of regular and special events likely to be of interest, including D'ni language classes, places to explore, community areas, treasure hunts, parties, ... Here's a snippet from today's publication:

Quote:

THE D'NI VOICE

Issue #168 Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Shorah!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEWS:

GUILD OF MESSENGERS SEPTEMBER 2009 ISSUE
http://guildofmessengers.com/content/september-2009-newspaper

MYST DANCERS VIDEO
SkydiverColorado Calloway
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JkZ1Fuxc4g

A must see!!!

TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY ON SEPTEMBER 19!
DMom2K Darwin
September 19, All Day

Tutorial here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqMu6e5Dgtg

Anyone interested in having a 'Pirate' event on that day please contact me. Arghhhh, Matey!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ONGOING EVENTS UPCOMING:

D'NI LANGUAGE CLASS - SUMMER/FALL 2009
Rehnehmtahn Later (Rehn)

D'ni 101: Starting Thursday, August 20 2009, 8:00 AM (SL) and 8:30 PM (SL)
D'ni 201: Starting Thursday, September 3 2009, 10:00 AM (SL) and 9:30 PM (SL)
Location is the Tokatah Terrace overlooking the canyon in the City.

.shorah gah bigtotee
Rehn

THE CONTINUING CAVERN CITY PARTY
atrebor Zenovka
Thursday, 4:30 PM SL
...

--------

BURNING LIFE ALL THE INFO!
DMom2K Darwin

Land Rush Schedule:
http://burninglife.secondlife.com/landrush09

This by Yman Juran:

FIRE Performers for BURNING Life : BURNING LIFE wil this year have a special Burn Stage ready to any Fire perfomers, who wish to perform fire, in any way on the Burn Stage Platform. The theme is Evolution (of Fire : my addendum:-) Fire Invitation on request. IM me ( Yman Juran ) for booking on stage. All Fire installation art pls. contact White Lebed Lead of Art Department of Burning Life.

(Can Myst Dancers do fire? I sorta remember Peni being one heck of a fire babe last year, LOLOLOL)

I got access to the sites now and early on I can say WOW....the builds so far, this early look to be just as awesome as last year! I will keep wandering around in between building and let you know some primo places to visit as I find them.
Anyone else who gets in and is willing to give locations they think are great, please let me know! Also anyone who is participating, I would love to have your Burning Life adventure to post!

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* Community-Strength-Togetherness *

Since my house at Devokan village is wrecked, Miss Dot suggested that I might try my hand at inspecting an Age written by colleagues in the Guild of Writers.

This linking between worlds can be disorienting. I have played with the KI (as one does with new technology) that is available from the city in Devokan's world. But the one available in this other world has so many more functions.

Having put on a maintainer suit, I made my way to the nexus via the book with the gear symbol on the spine in my Relto. Then, following written instructions, clicked on the 'Restoration Links' tab on the left. This brought up a further menu. The top entry, ERC Age (unknown age), was to be my destination.

I selected the age from the list and clicked the golden patterned button at the top of the screen.

I could see the books whirling past within the machine, as it sought out the appropriate one to deliver. It was presented to me, opened, ready to link -- but with a dark, clouded image where I would normally expect a picture of the final destination. I checked once more that I had my Relto book handy (Dot was most emphatic that this was necessary for safety reasons), and linked...

I arrived in a dark, strangely silent land -- silent, that is, apart from the sound of my own footsteps. The ground seemed rocky, but covered with some type of purple/green lichen. Close to the link-in area were two elegant grey and gold marble pedestals displaying healthy-looking plants with large brachiate green leaves, the pedestals and thriving plants suggesting that this age could be inhabited.

As my eyes adjusted to the light, I took in more details. In the near distance I could see two small waterfalls. The ground rose slightly and smoothly before me, and I could see that the rocks in the distance were banded.

I turned to check the scene behind me -- more hills curving gently into the distance. But above them, the sky -- glowing green!

What direction to take first? I decided to investigate the waterfall. I passed two flat platforms of dressed grey stone. Interestingly, although the platforms seemed free of lichen, my footsteps still sounded as though I was walking on encrusted ground.

On to what looked like a pool of water surrounding a small island. Reflections of distant rocks, waterfall and green sky appeared on the rippling surface. As I waded through the water, footsteps still sounded as though I was walking on lichen -- perhaps this isn't water after all -- nor did my movement disturb the fluid's surface.

Beyond the pool I could now see a fast-flowing river lined by large succulents with a bulbous pinky-grey base. Where the river forked, a crude bridge made of a slab of dressed stone enabled me to get to the area between the rivulets. I could see some more plants towards the horizon so walked to take a closer look. While these also had a bulbous base but their leaves were fronded, which at certain angles glowed bright green along the edge.

Crossing further slab bridges, I followed the river fork downstream, each branch cutting deeper and deeper into the rock. Finally I reached a cliff face. The two rivulets became waterfalls, feeding (far below) into a green-tinged sea.

All this time, the light around me seemed to be getting brighter, and I was able to see more of my surroundings and further into the distance.

I retraced my steps, heading this time for the leftmost waterfall I had seen from the link-in area. Here I had a shock. There were some plants I recognised from a photograph Dot has in her office at Devokan: the small, spiky plants from Prad!

Once I reached the waterfall, I followed the cliff along its base, reaching further pools of water, each at a different level. I jumped into the second one. Close to the cliff edge, there was a hidden hole, and I fell into a bright green void. Taken by surprise, it took me several seconds before I remembered to use my Relto book. At that point I decided to call it a day -- for now.

Further investigation of this intriguing age is likely to prove most fruitful -- its flora and geology, its geography, why its sky is green. I hope to return; this time to photograph some of the sights I have attempted to describe above, and to explore some of the other regions I was unable to reach in the time I had available.

========
Edit (19 Sept 2009): I returned to the ERC Age today. The sun was up when I linked in this time. I managed to take some KI shots of the succulents, the plants from Prad, and two types of tree-sized mushrooms on the opposite side of the valley before I hit a patch of quicksand and panic-linked out. The images are now on display in Dot's office on Devokan, together with some notes from my journal (SL teleport link: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Devokan/14/36/45).

Suggesting Quin tried inspecting one of the new Ages written by Uru-explorer colleagues seems to have been just what was needed to take his mind off the house. He is very excited at the opportunities to explore and study these new worlds and ages.

When he showed me the photos of the ERC Age, now on display in my office, I recognised some of the other plants too. There were mushroom-type plants from Boblishman's Paahkweh, and those spiky plants definitely matched those in D'Lanor's Prad. Intriguing!

Back at the village, Lightkeeper has kindly offered to share the use of his own cottage with Quin, who has installed his sofa and desk there -- as he said to me, that means he can write up his findings in comfort. While the caravan has all the things needed for living, it does not have much space for books and writing materials.

Time rushes by so quickly these days, with all the things that need to be done.

Yet, here we are, just past the autumnal equinox, and the trees in Devokan are a glory of reds, oranges, purples.

Lightkeeper has hauled up one of his sailboats for routine maintenance -- it's great to see evidence of his working away. He's left me a couple of tips on how to dock the boats after taking them out (oops, he noticed).

I've one odd incident to relate: while taking the Devokan Flyer up for a practice flight, I noticed a large spherical structure just above the lower cloud level. This has turned up in just the last few days.

Then, on the ground between the bronze gates and the swing bridge, two purply coloured stones have appeared -- each intriguingly engraved. What to make of this, I do not know -- and at the moment I don't have time to investigate further. I'll mention it to the others and see what they think.

The odd thing is that the stone has moved from where it originally appeared. It is now by my caravan in the woods.

O dream of delight!
Lost pages of Myst?
I found the stone and
touched it aright...

In other words right-click to teleport!

OOC: We're very pleased to welcome Shenn and Aleah, two French offline Uru/Myst fans, to Devokan.

I noticed they were regular visitors to the island, and dropped by to welcome them in person. They invited me to see their sky area in a private sim, and I was astounded at its dreamlike quality and sheer beauty.

Paislee and I invited them to develop a sky area in Devokan so that their work could be enjoyed more widely. Aleah has called this sky area 'The Lost Pages of Myst'.

It is work in progress, but well worth visiting even now. Use the mysterious stone in the woods near Quin's caravan to teleport there. Enjoy!

I have been enjoying exploring these new Ages written by members of the Guilds of Writers and of Maintainers, though haven't always been writing up reports (which I suppose I ought to). To have the opportunity to visit so many new worlds ...

I have also been trying (unsuccessfully) to get builders in to repair my house in Devokan. Though the windows are boarded up, and barriers erected to close off the doors, not much progress has been made.

I am minded to take the Flyer out for an extended expedition. It won't take long to get in supplies for such a journey. The ship is well equipped.

I suppose I had better let people know before I go. They made so much fuss the last time. I'll add a note to the village noticeboard -- I know that at least Mr Jameson and Miss Dot keep an eye on that.

Quin's been gone a few days now. He took the Flyer -- and he did leave a note for us on the board, including a request that we chase up the builders that are meant to be repairing the house (the cheek!).

Over the weekend, I met up with Ghaelen and Indigo (aka Jane) of the Guild of Healers. They would like to visit Devokan for their next 'Ride for Joy'. There'll be two groups, one in Channelwood, one in the village, swapping over after about 30 minutes (it's not safe to have too many people in Channelwood at a time) -- then all meeting for a grand party, probably in the sky bone cage that mysteriously appears above the village from time to time.

Given what happened to Eder d'Uru's ferries on the first Ride for Joy and the fact that Quin has gone off in the main airship, we decided to use the sailboats as the main method for transport in Channelwood and for part of the village tour -- at least Lightkeeper is geared up for making any necessary repairs afterward! Other transport modes for the village include bicycle and (possibly) horses for those that have them -- I'll see if Paislee can get extra supplies of hay in. We can store it in the stable. And, to be honest, it can be most pleasant simply hiking through the terrain, chatting with friends, enjoying the sights and sounds.

From: Lord Chaos, Guild of Healers
To: Dot, Devokan
Subject: Transported to Joy?

Dear Ms Dot:

Thank you for giving us of the Guild of Healers a second chance. I realize that this requires a certain amount of bravery, given what happened in Eder D'uru. At least no lawsuits have come to my attention from that joyous event. I hope things work out well in Devokan.

(signed) Lord Chaos

_________________
Want to learn more about the D'ni? Look here: http://www.dpwr.net/

Dot, the Ride for Joy will be a lovely and rewarding event!

Things had gotten so busy I nearly forgot the brief moment of wonder at Devokan last summer. I'm still not sure it happened, but after talking with Dot today I don't feel so much like I must have imagined it. Last week, during our visit with Dot to discuss the upcoming Ride for Joy on the 17th, we passed by what looked like a natural stone wall. The boulders were huge and rough -- not weathered as if they'd been there a long time. I didn't think much of that until something triggered the memory of a fragrance I'd experienced last summer. That was even a brief memory before Jane and I walked on with Dot in search of suitable places for JoyRiders to gather before embarking on the ship and boat journeys.

LC, do let Ktahdn know that all has been forgotten regarding the unmentionable side treks we had been taking during the summer. The music during the Ferry Ride for Joy was perfect, even if the ride itself was what we had expected -- chaotic.

Of course I couldn't find the location of the flowers again. And Jane wouldn't remember -- I had returned after she, I and LC had taken our own joyride on a sailboat around the rather bare island. The blooms were only there for a moment and I was so slow in remembering my camera...

I've never known a flower to bloom so beautifully for such a short time. I might not actually have seen anything. But today as Dot and I discussed the Ride for Joy she did mention that the place where I remembered the fragrance had been affected by the land tremors. Much of the land had been changed, and perhaps the flowers have been buried.

We found a very nice place to gather on the main island before setting off on the boats. The number of people who arrive will determine the number of groups. We will certainly need to communicate somehow. Maybe Ktahdn can help announce a re-grouping at set intervals?

There was that deep pool... nearby... I'm certain I walked only a short way to the pool and cliff.

There are also very nice places to sit and relax, and the wind chimes can be heard in several places as well. There is a nice set of benches where you can sit and look across at Channelwood.

I tried to sit and let the memory come to me, but couldn't settle in one place. I did finally sit on a wooden bench for a few moments, watching the sun come up. Then, again restless, I walked around the waterfall and turned around to watch it begin to sparkle and shimmer in the slow illumination of the morning. It was beautiful. I sniffed, sniffed, hoping perhaps I could follow my nose to the flower patch of last summer? I did follow the boulder wall around and back to the gate, chuckling at myself. "Following your nose, Ghaelen, always following your nose." The yellow lilies were very pretty, but no fragrance there.

I understand the Roof/Party area is under construction at this very moment. If it is as astounding as the other builds, we can't go wrong in having it there.

_________________
We are the shapers and the caretakers of this metaverse. How we honor ourselves and others largely determines what we bring into being.

A story: CavernScents Journey

Ghaelen: KI# 23059

I return to Devokan for a few hours to pick up more supplies, and what do I find?

First: NO progress on repairs to my house, despite my request that the work be expedited.

Second: A bizarre bone structure has appeared 130 m above the village. This was an unexpected flight hazard -- I nearly crashed into it as I descended.

And as if that were not bad enough: the Devokan Flyer, this highly sophisticated yet delicate mechanism for serious scientific research and exploration, has been suggested for some frivolous future 'Ride for Joy'?!

I'm going back. My expedition into the upper reaches of the atmosphere above Devokan has been successful. I have made some intriguing discoveries. My report will follow (though whether it is worth doing after the disappointing lack of progress in my absence) ...

Yesterday evening was hectic in Devokan.

First, Quin was still around. He was preparing to give me an earful about the lackadaisical approach of the builders so far. Fortunately, friends from The Meeting Place started arriving which put paid to most of his complaints.

TMP has a regular 'Funday' meet at 1pm Pacific time each Sunday, usually on Uru Island in There. This week they were touring some areas in this other world, starting at Devokan village centre in front of the Inn. Skydiver Jim (aka JimQ101 in There) lead the tour, starting with his lovely cottage in southeast Devokan, and including the village inn (beer pumps now installed -- at last!), Channelwood, the Lost Pages of Myst, and ending with Jim's new apartment in the neighbourhood area of the city at Eder d'Uru. Even Quin joined us!

In Channelwood, we had a chance to take to the air in some 'bubble flyers' created by Shenn, one of the builders of the Lost Pages sky zone. The flyers' graceful, fluid lines and gentle flight proved popular. I will leave out a 'rezzer' (horrible word) on one of the walkways in Channelwood so that others can try them.

Towards the end of the evening, when just a few of us were left, I suggested testing how the Devokan Flyer handles with more than one passenger (Quin had brought it back). So having made sure everyone was safely seated either in the cockpit or the main cabin, we took off.

We already knew where we might hit turbulence and other problems, but managed to get through those regions without too many problems. One odd incident: Christian W was sitting beside me in the cockpit, and seemed to disappear only to reappear some moments later after passing through one such region. Ivy, Morgon, Paislee and Quin reported no ill effects -- even after I engaged the new stomach-lurching 'warp' mode, which certainly helped with parking.

At that point most people left, including Quin with the Flyer.

Just as I was about to link back to the surface (strange how that phrase is still used), Mat from TMP turned up. He had been on the tour earlier that evening but needed to leave part way through. I knew from the drained coffee pot in my office that someone had been exploring the island earlier that week -- it turned out that Mat was the culprit. He was wondering whether he might become a village resident -- of course, I said yes! So it was agreed: he really liked the Lighthouse, so will be setting up home there in the coming weeks.

I finally managed to get hold of the builders, and gave them a flea in their ear. They agreed to finish the work asap, so the repairs should be ready when Quin next returns to Devokan (probably after the coming weekend from what he was saying last Sunday).

In the meantime, Ghaelen and I have been preparing for the next Ride for Joy of the Guild of Healers, this Saturday. Here's how Ghaelen describes it:

Quote:

Guild of Healers' Ride for Joy, October 17, 2009
Discover Devokan Island (teleport link)

Gathering Begins at 11:00am SL (Pacific) Time

You are cordially invited to another Guild of Healers Sponsored Ride for Joy! This month's JoyRide takes place in beautiful Devokan, where creativity is healing expressed in nature. For those of you who attended last month's Ride for Joy, this will be a bit different: A journey through natural outdoor settings and multiple sailboats rather than in two large vessels.

Join us for a lovely and enjoyable time journeying the two islands of Devokan. We gather for a meet & greet at 11:00am SL time at the location landmarked above. This is a nice area close to the boat dock. From there we embark on two JoyRides: one, to the area inspired by Channelwood, and the other, a tour around the main island. We will travel in small groups in order to accommodate the size of the boats and the type of island. Our (probably somewhat chaotic) travels will take place to the accompaniment of music by GoH D'niJ Ktahdn.

For those who cannot listen in SL or are not at Devokan, the shoutcast url is: http://radioktdn.zapto.org:8025

We hope to keep everyone informed through group chat as well as through the indulgences of our D'nJ, who may interrupt the traveling melodies now and again to announce the next part of the event.

There will be a "Up on the Roof!" style party in the Sky Bone Cage after our JoyRide ends -- travel there in style using Devokan's Bubble Flyers! We dance to more melodies provided by Radio KTDN. Should party-goers wish to fill the area with "joy" and "bubble over with mirth," this would be the time to engage!

Please contact Ghaelen or Dot with any questions.
Hope to see you there!