[1] overview
[2] new players and characters
[3] plotline // taranis
[4] plotline // dominion
[5] plotline // dominion // simulation overview
[6] plotline summary


[1] overview

First of all, I'd like to apologise for skipping a newsletter. It seems real life has hit all of all quite hard at the moment in some form or another, and when I decided to delay the newsletter two weeks ago until 'after Tuesday' I didn't think I'd end up getting wrapped up in other things as much as I did. Yesterday, finally endowed with some solid time and muse, I decided that instead of releasing a newsletter and then a follow-up the day after, I'd just skip one.

Much has happened. As usual, there's a summary and the summary of the summary. You know the drill.

For the next newsletter I intend to have a trivia section, so brace yourselves for that!


[2] new players and characters

There's a bunch of new players, though I've not had much luck in tracking them down. Well, at least not all of them. I know Fisonic is registered to read the newsletters I write (hai, bby) and have managed to speak to two that unfortunately are no longer interested, but as to the rest, I don't even begin to have a clue as to their interest.

Speak up, speak up! Show yourselves in the channel. Either that, or perhaps one of the veterans knows to place these names? Krzemolinka, Klakier1994, Ajnic, Icebreath, Gideon.

Actually, I think I may know who Gideon is, but that's my only lead.

Ajnic created a character called Gabriel Swinton, but there's very little information on the profile to go by at the moment. Still, for completion's sake, here's the mention.


[3] plotline // taranis

The guards of Taranis' prison, responsible for keeping wish magic at bay within it, had received a change of scheduling that left the cells unguarded for five minutes a day. Frederick and Adrethyrian managed to catch on and free themselves, which brought the simulation to a rapid end after they found the Citizens and Sirena finally chose to assemble the pieces of the sundisc.


[4] plotline // dominion

On the 25th of May, the Citizens linked into Dominion, another fantasy simulation, this one allowing them to wear their default avatars. At first they wandered the mountains slightly cluelessly, before spotting a settlement at the base thereof. [#050] Within a day they were there, only to find out that it was a troll settlement and non-trolls weren't overly welcome there.

They were incarcerated after a brief battle, at disadvantage both in the element of surprise and in knowledge of the terrain and the magics of the world. Interestingly enough, all attempts at communicating have failed on basis of the trolls speaking some foreign tongue neither Jochen, Erika nor Adrethyrian understand.

For a full day, they stewed in their cells, before an outsider came in, summonned by the trolls, who introduced himself (in English) as Joukahainen and was quick to negotiate them being let go [#051]. Since then, the Citizens have learnt much about the sim [#052], and, by proxy, about the situation they'd initially gotten themselves into. (If you're new to Dominion, read the 'simulation overview' chapter below. People who partook in Dominion in Crimson Feather v2.0 will probably not need it.) The trolls had assumed them to have some relation to the dragon deity Shahrivar, because they did not understand nor recognise their language, which made it easy for Joukahainen, as an emissary to Shahrivar, to bust them out.

While his initial plan had been to take them directly to Shahrivar, on their two day trek to Shahrivar's lair, he decided to show the Citizens Eden first, transitioning them smoothly with the help of a quinotaur's magic while in a slightly off-the-path half-swamp half-lake.

Eden has reverted all the Citizens' avatars to human ones, but left autonomous Puppets to look as they would, most glaringly of course Adrethyrian in his appearance of a dark monstrosity. The xenophobia mentioned by Joukahainen has caught on and they've been met with much mistrust by the humans that Jouka has only barely been able to counter. (Apparently it's not unheard of that creatures from Goloka enter Eden under guise of being human to sow trouble.)

They thought they collectively found shelter in a hay barn with a friendly family who apparently know Joukahainen quite well and are overly amicable with him - but a night later saw a radicalist group of humans, motivated by an 'Eden for humans, and humans only' mindset, burning the shed down (fortunately sans casualties) and capturing Joukahainen, Adrethyrian and three Citizens. Jouka was set free fairly soon after, bearing witness to Adrethyrian suffering large amounts of pain as their abducters attempted to kill him, interestingly to no avail.

The rogue group of humans retreated well to the mountains of Eden with their prisoners while Joukahainen - who had been instructed to tell Shahrivar to bugger off and die (in nicer words and more elaborately, of course, but that was the gist) - was off in search for the rest of the group, who'd been forced to try and find their own fresh shelter away from human settlements.

He found them two days later after following some pointers. With them freshly equipped with a translator, he pushed for seeing them through the forest at the foot of the mountains to a small town hidden away in it, and spun all his charm and contacts to find out where the renegades that attacked them might have gone.

A several day hike to the mountains eventually had them encounter the lost Citizens, though not Adrethyrian, and Joukahainen (with the backing of Adrian) initially recommended leaving the creature to his own fate and resume the more pressing matter of getting out of the simulation (of course cleverly concealed in an impartial question), but it was Frederick and Sirena first and foremost that protested. Unfortunately, Frederick's secret - that he's been holding onto Adrethyrian's sunstone for him - was revealed after he'd allowed himself a slip of the tongue in the matter of knowing Adrethyrian to be alive.

They're currently in a halfdrake settlement in the mountains, mostly in connection with a family that seems to owe Joukahainen a favour, though they're not overly friendly toward the Citizens, unless prompted by Joukahainen. Presumably, it's understandable, given that most humans that come their way go out of their way to harrass, threaten or even harm them.

Frederick's revealing that he is holding onto Adrethyrian's sunstone for him has caused a few fights between Adrian and the scrawny boy, Adrian trying to get his hands on it and smash it. It's caused tensions in the group, but so far, they're all still holding together, even if the seams are threatening to come apart.

(Above retconned away after our near-year timeout.)

[5] plotline // dominion // simulation overview

Dominion is split into two realms: Eden, the world of Earth (about on level of technology as in the 1950's, but far more rural at large), of humans, and Goloka, the world of the magical creatures like wyverns, trolls and other classic creatures of lore. A long time ago, a part of Goloka exploded into Eden for reasons unknown to either realm and Eden's very reality unravelled at that point. The destruction threatened to continue and engulf the entire Eden universe, but a genderless dragon deity by the name of Shahrivar halted the motion with strong magic before too much damage was done. Sie's allegedly been unable to reverse it, and claims hir very existence is now responsible for keeping the two worlds in balance.

Joukahainen has mentioned that Shahrivar cannot eat anything other than human flesh and receives sacrifices for sustenance as well as each time hir magic is needed for other purposes. He's nonetheless told the Citizens that Shahrivar is their best bet at getting out.

Joukahainen himself seems to be something of a mystery. He's aware of his existence as a Puppet and understands that the simulation is nothing more than it is, but seems perfectly comfortable with it, though he's gone off on philosophical rambles on the subject before, which has endeared him to Frederick.

He's part of a handful of 'Oracles' that speak for Shahrivar: The dragon deity's tongue is different from that of any other creatures, be they in Eden or Goloka, and the Oracles function like universal translators.


[6] plotline summary

Taranis concluded after Frederick and Adrethyrian managed to break out after the guarding of their cells eased up mysteriously.

The new sim, Dominion, is split into two worlds - Eden, the Earth of the 1950's, approximately; and Goloka, a strongly fantasy-based realm. It is governed by a dragon deity called Shahrivar that allegedly holds the world in balance. Most people speak a language other than English, though the Citizens met Joukahainen, someone who seemingly speaks all and any languages.

The Citizens are human in Eden (though Puppets retain their default avatar forms) and in default avatars in Goloka. They initially arrived in Goloka, in a troll settlement that held them captive until Joukahainen appeared to 'clear things up'. Jouka has told them most of what they need to know to understand the world and its politics. He's promised to lead them to Shahrivar and suggested they speak to hir about getting off the sim, though he's also been stressing the downsides of requesting hir aid (the need of human sacrifice).

Most notably, after a trip to Eden, Adrethyrian is currently held captive by a group of, for lack of a better word, terrorists. The group is in a halfdrake settlement in a mountain ridge whereabouts the abducters allegedly are, though they've lost the exact trail a few days ago.

(Above retconned away after our near-year timeout.)