Developments in Devokan (Fan Fiction)

Quinquifid · **Posted:** Sun Jan 10, 2010 3:26 pm

I have just returned from New Babbage. My solicitors there, besides wishing to talk about the obligations placed on me as part of my late Aunt Elspeth's will, also wanted to hand over her journals, which she had left with them for safe keeping when she moved to Devokan to spend her final years.

However, I have not had a chance to read through the journals, other than to glance at their fascinating contents. For I am still digesting the implications of what I saw when the warrior Nalates used some of the equipment provided to her to transport us both to the spheres' source.

It is amazing! The essence of the trees and structures from the area next to Devokan is being translated across to this new world! I say 'essence' because, while they are recognisable, they have subtle differences -- could it be that they are a mirror of an earlier time? I'm not sure. For one thing, the trees seem to be from an earlier evolutionary period; also the platforms and walkways are made of a far stouter timber.

There are three main islands at the spheres' source. The closest one to the tree village is more developed than the other one, and is indeed the island seen on the pavilion wall imager in Devokan (good confirmation that my crystal experiment worked so well).

Nalates is an interesting person. While we were taking different readings over in the other world, she explained some of the technology she brought with her, and what it could do. She also said a little of the current war she is engaged in. The situation sounds grim.

Dot · **Joined:** Fri Jan 12, 2007 11:52 am **Posts:** 1015

Quin seems oblivious as ever of the need to be where work needs to be done.

However, I can't be too harsh on him, for he brought some good news back: it seems the spheres are benign! He also brought a lovely image back from the world he and Nalates visited. I've uploaded it to my Flickr photostream: A new chapter begins....

The transfer across the worlds continued throughout the weekend. It seems that others were inspired by what was happening, and recorded what they saw: rikoko.ewing's photos of Devokan.

When I checked earlier today, all the huts, walkways, windmill and wildlife had gone. Just the bare trees and a few small spheres remain. Over what was the windmill island is a sphere core -- might this be the 'central control'?

Paislee reported that some of the spheres have moved up to Selenitica. Strange.

Through all of this, I have been thinking of the quote we have adopted for Devokan:

Quote:

The stronger the things we face,
the more hope we bring with us
to the next beginning. -- Atrus, Myst IV

Quinquifid · **Posted:** Tue Jan 12, 2010 10:39 am

Hold on to that thought, Dot. We are all going to need it.

The tree village is now completely gone from our world: in what might be a sign of hope, the pavilion imager shows part of it in its new home.

However, I have just read Nalates' report on the GoMa forum:

Quote:

I have dreadful news. My world is fully engulfed in war. It’s gone nuclear. It has spread across several worlds. Eder D’Uru has apparently been hit by a planet buster. Attempted teleports there fail. We are evacuating The Nation. You may see refugees fleeing through Devokan.

The war has dire implications for Devokan. A decision was made to destroy worlds surrounding the home world, my duty station, which will be obliterated after we evacuate to bottle up the invaders and cut them off from our universe. There’s no gentle way to say; Devokan is one of the ‘surrounding’ worlds … regretfully.

Unless Quin can hide Devokan the invaders will find it and use it for a staging area. Either way it’s lost. Humans and the insectoid enemy cannot co-exist. Unless we find a solution to save Devokan… plan to save as much as you can. The military’s plan gives us about 3 weeks. I may be able to get us another 4 weeks, don’t count on it. Schedule a Devokan wide meeting as soon as possible.

She is holding back here. The situation is described in far more detail in her Devokan journal, including some hints of the technology involved, and the dreadfulness and horror of the fighting she has been through. I will not post it here. Suffice to say, we need to evacuate Devokan as a matter of urgency.

It seems that Nalates hopes that I might be able to find a way to hide Devokan in an out-of-the-way set of dimensions. I cannot -- such a thing is beyond the technology I have access to.

What I can do, though, is perhaps make use of something I have discovered from my Aunt Elspeth's journal. That, and the plan Dot hinted at on the GoMa forum, could well be enough to save our friends and some of what makes Devokan so precious to us.

mszv · **Joined:** Wed May 10, 2006 5:28 am **Posts:** 2266

I so hope the plan works!

I visited the other day, just for a little bit. It was wonderful.

Dot · **Joined:** Fri Jan 12, 2007 11:52 am **Posts:** 1015

mszv wrote:

I so hope the plan works!

So do we, mszv, so do we...

Here's what we've sorted out so far. We're aiming to evacuate the whole village by the first week of February, while taking into account the possibility of Nalates' comrades needing some rest and food as they pass through.

Quin was most helpful for a change and cleared the Lighthouse of his experiments and associated clutter (it was before this happened). The plan is to use the Lighthouse as temporary accommodation for those fleeing the destruction reported by Nalates.

Paislee is preparing huge batches of soup and bread, ready to be served from the inn to those that need it.

Holli and Artair, I hope, will be able to help take some of the island's more valuable items into storage -- the linking books, for example.

Nalates has expressed concern for the squees in particular. I suspect she might have something planned.

Lightkeeper, Nynaveve and Ghaelen have decided to make their own arrangements in finding new homes -- my thanks to all of them for their support and help over the months.

Jim has thrown his lot in with Paislee, Quin and myself, and will join us wherever we end up... which might be clearer now I have managed to persuade Quin out of his house again.

Quin was in a far more optimistic mood than he has been for a while. In her explorer's journal, his aunt described a land she linked to where reality seemed to span several historical epochs in close proximity. He suspects we could make a new home in this area and use underlying time distortions to confuse any pursuit. Another advantage is that it is part of the hinterlands of one of the largest independent nations of that particular world -- so civilisation and shops are relatively close by (Paislee likes this idea!).

We managed to link to the place, using clues in the journal. It does seem suitable for our purposes. So we shall be starting to move there in the days to come.

Quinquifid · **Posted:** Sat Jan 16, 2010 11:22 am

Thinking of all that has happened over the last week, it is difficult to know quite where to start this report.

First, the spheres in Selenitica: These are similar to those that were in the tree village, though they are smaller and not so powerful (I managed to get a replacement monitoring device during my time in New Babbage). Perhaps they are merely recording the area?

Having said that, the mountains to the north of the area have gone, in a similar fashion to how the trees started to disappear, as Paislee mentioned in her diary on 30 December. If the disappearances follow a similar timescale to those of the trees, it suggests that Selenitica may be no more by the end of this month.

Meanwhile, the evacuation of Devokan itself is proceeding rapidly. Jim has packed up his belongings ready for the move; Nynaveve is slowly moving things across to her new home, but is leaving the kitchen things for the time being in case any of those fleeing need somewhere to get some food; Dot has put the furniture from the Keep into storage, but is keeping her office open to the last.

We've visited what will be our new home several times now. Paislee and Dot will be sharing a cottage looking out over the sea. A second cottage is nearby, ready for Jim. I shall be moving into a building strongly reminiscent of the Keep. The building will serve well as a base for what I will need to set up over the coming weeks. And I shall allow Dot to use the top room as an office for GoMa.

I have been able to set up a portal system in the new area. Explorers wishing to visit may link there from the Eder Gira steam vent portal, or from the Devokan Nexus in front of the Inn. Note that I will be taking the Devokan Nexus offline in a week or so for safety reasons.

By the way, if any explorer would like their home or area to be linked into the Devokan portal system, I would be pleased to help. It is very simple to set up (only 1 prim), and might be a good way to keep in touch with each other.

Dot · **Joined:** Fri Jan 12, 2007 11:52 am **Posts:** 1015

Well, another eventful weekend has come and gone -- including an unexpected chance encounter with a dragon!

When I linked in on Sunday (I think it was -- days are a bit of a blur at the moment) there was Paislee, calmly chatting with a green-scaled 20-foot dragon which had landed in the open space just in front of the cottage we will be sharing in Winterfell Reverie.

Fortunately, Paislee is knowledgeable about the habits of dragons, having read all the right books, and seemed to have pleased him with her responses. One potentially awkward moment: she offered him a crystal she had handy for a tasty snack -- but it was one Quin had modified in an attempt to find out more about the spheres' source. Seeing Quin was somewhere in the world, I quickly contacted him and urged him to join us. He linked in just as the dragon took a bite.

The effect was ... a very happy dragon, shall we say. He stayed a little while until the spinning stopped and he regained control of his limbs and wings, and then flew off.

It seems that our new home is a place for adventures.

As for our old home, Devokan Island has experenced an early spring. It is almost as though the land knows its days are coming to an end (the most recent readings indicate 7th February), and it has responded with colour and beauty. So do visit and enjoy it while you can.

Quinquifid · **Posted:** Thu Jan 21, 2010 10:58 pm

Sometimes it can help to view events through another's eyes, thereby gaining insight into what is happening.

The warrior Nalates has added an account of the evacuation of Devokan in her journal. Here is an extract:

Quote:

10-01-21 – Evacuation
[...]
The team assigned to handle this planet arrived. They are in orbit. They had my information that I would be here. I advised the Devokans they were here, orbital space station. They are on standby alert, so we won’t see any of them on the surface. I suspected the quick seasonal change was their doing. Whether they are just saving nukes and nudging the planet out of orbit or [...]

Sleeping is still a problem. I’m usually up patrolling at night… I hope I don’t alarm those Devokians still here. I’ve been heavily armed.[...] Most Devokans have evacuated… Patrolling is a better explanation than admitting to the nightmares. I stay up until I can’t stay awake any longer… a few strong drinks and I can mostly pass out and not dream. I can’t keep this up… my eyes look so horrible the makeup is not covering it.

The light tower is the best vantage point to watch the village from. I come and sit by the pond to take a break. I love it here. I’m really going to miss this place…

The squee are here. Now that it is warm they are running all over nibbling at the blossoms and new growth. They seem blissfully happy. I’ve decided to take them with me when I finally leave. I’ll build a trap. I’ve seen the deer. She is very calm… almost domesticated it seems. I think I can capture her without hurting her or scaring her too much. The stork may be a problem… I’ll never be able to trap all the birds and care for them until I can transfer them… maybe I can use the sphere on the land the forest village was moved to… the Devokians decided to name it Devokan… that gets confusing… but there seems to be controls there. Quin has said a few things about Elspeth… I don’t understand… I thought that was the name on one of the tombstones here… Quin went to see a solicitor and that appearently had something to do with Elspeth and her journals. Quin has been absorbed in whatever is in them…

Whatever… I’ll travel to New Devokan and see what I can do with the sphere controls… between my equipment… geez they let me have tons of stuff… all I could carry off the planet… I got some really good stuff so I should be able to detect most of the life on Devokan. If I can use my equipment to target and the New Devokan sphere controls… I might get most of the life here to New Devokan… that seems a worthy effort for me… I like it. Certainly better than… well… forget that.

I have a few teammates that will stay with me for a day or two as they decide where they are going next. One is talking about another universe named Arda… or something like that. I’ll probably travel there and check it out. I traveled to Winterfell Reverie (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Winterfell%20Reverie/151/54/25) where Dot, Paislee, Jim and Quin have moved. It’s a primitive place. No real technology to speak of… but it is nice. This is nicer… I’ll explore there. I have taken a place in Minkartah for now. I have it stacked to the ceiling with ammo and weapons…

I’m getting nervous… I know it’s my mind… but walking patrol seems to help…

Dot · **Joined:** Fri Jan 12, 2007 11:52 am **Posts:** 1015

Today the area next door to Devokan disappeared -- we can no longer sail or fly there. It is almost as though the island of Devokan itself is enclosed in a bubble, an invisible barrier we hit each time we try to move outside its boundaries.

I have just finished packing away my belongings in the Keep, including my trusty laptop. It might be tricky using it in the new place -- there is no electricity, and being in permanent twilight it is unlikely that the solar panels I used in Devokan will work.

The KI dispenser is in an enormous packing crate. I'm hoping it might be possible to reinstall it in our new home. We'll see.

It's sad, in a way. I've just been speaking to a visitor to the island -- 'Is there no way to save it?' he asked. 'It is worth fighting for.'

No, it's not possible. Events are underway that are outside our control. All we can do is try to save what we can from here, and move on.

Dot · **Joined:** Fri Jan 12, 2007 11:52 am **Posts:** 1015

I've some good news to report:

The negotiations I mentioned on the GoMa forum on 11 January and that Quin hinted at above have borne fruit. Details to follow.

Dudemom_2000 · **Posted:** Mon Jan 25, 2010 8:24 pm

The D'ni Voice in an effort to keep continued connection with the community over the Metaverse has gone to the net. http://thednivoice.wordpress.com/ Additionally a group has been set up for The D'ni Voice in Flickr and is invite only at this point. IM me in-world SL or check for the group in Flicker http://www.flickr.com/groups/[email protected]/ so I can make you a contact and send an invite so you will be able to put your photos there for posting to the Voice. I see great changes coming and the ability to keep connected is important.

Artair · **Joined:** Mon Jan 25, 2010 8:51 pm **Posts:** 8

I've got a bit of news to report, myself. The pavilion in the Northern part of the island has disappeared. Dot told me about it when I arrived, and we headed down to take a look.

It seems that something's taken it's place now. A large stone archway. I'd put it near fourteen feet high, ten feet wide, with the middle opening being only enough for a single person to pass through it. I'd have to get an older photo of the pavilion to confirm, but I believe it's the same one that was pictured for a while on the pavilion's surface.

The middle opening of the gate seems to be filled with the same energy as the pavilion had, and it does project an image. One of Channelwood. It might be a connection to that world, the one where everything might end up. Dot mentioned that it's been transporting living things, essences of plants, perhaps we can organize a team to send something- or someone- through to gather data?

Dot · **Joined:** Fri Jan 12, 2007 11:52 am **Posts:** 1015

I've just caught up with Paislee. She has had an adventure herself. Here is an extract from her journal, dated 25 January:

Paislee wrote:

I've been reluctant to write an entry in my journal these past weeks....So much is happening that I simply didn't know where to begin. It appears that our suspicions about the spheres was correct...how could I not believe it now?

On one of my last forays into the large trees to the north (which is now gone altogether!) I chanced to step too close the the rotating surface...I found I could not escape its grip. Instead I was enveloped in a warm, soft glow that was hypnotic. My fear vanished ~ replaced by a calming doziness...

I awakened, my cheek pressed against some rough-hewn boards. The sound of gently lapping waves, birdsong, and chirping of insects filled my ears. I thought I had merely fallen asleep from exhaustion, but as I looked around I was astonished to find this was not the familiar island of trees I'd visited so often from Devokan, but a new place!

Gathering my wits, I decided to explore this place...would there be a way home? The trees looked different here, and the pathways were strange. I made my way up some spiral stairs that hugged a giant trunk to a good vantage point where I observed three islands across the shimmering sea. Perhaps there were natives there? But I had no way to reach those islands...

Continuing upward I came to a series of elevated walkways connecting a couple of huts and some platforms... But what caught my interest immediately was a small glowing sphere. This sphere was rotating in place above a sort of stand....It seemed so like the large sphere through which I had been transported to this place...

Resolutely I reached out and placed my hand in the glow...

Holli_Tal · **Posted:** Wed Jan 27, 2010 2:12 am

Need to work on updating my journal and such. There was an incident recently that's kept me from visiting Devokan over the last few days, but it's been dealt with. Anyway, I was talking to Artair, and we noticed a strange fog over the waterways around the island while we were out walking. This is the first time I'd noticed anything of the sort... Could this have something to do with recent events? I ran up to the lighthouse and went up top to get the best angle I could for a picture... It's very... interesting.
We eventually "stole" a sailboat and went to get a closer look... Visibility isn't exactly impaired, at least.

[spoiler]

[/spoiler]

Dot · **Joined:** Fri Jan 12, 2007 11:52 am **Posts:** 1015

Thanks for posting about this, Holli. Yesterday I was so busy sorting out arrangements at the new place that I wasn't able to respond when you raised it with the D'ni Refugees over the group chat channel.

I've no idea what this might be. It can't be from Quin's experiments -- he's moved them all to Winterfell Reverie and has already started setting them up in Keepsafe.

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