The new nerd overlord for the Rifts and the Veil project

[circleprodigy]

FORM: Sending Crystal
SENDER: Inessa Serra
RECIPIENT: Any, but priority given to project members. 
WHAT: Announcing her new position
WHEN: Now
WHERE: Kirkwall, the Gallows
NOTES: Project Page

[And now for Inessa's calm, professional tone as she makes her own announcement.]

Good morning. This is Inessa Serra, and I have been granted leadership of the Rifts and the Veil project, replacing Clarke Griffin. The room she had claimed -center tower, third floor- will remain in use, for easing the transition. As to what I expect, it's quite simple. I would rather give you needed flexibility rather than micromanage, though if you desire direction I will do my best to advise. I wish to see everyone in a role they are invested in and enjoy, rather than flounder.

At this time, I believe our priorities ought remain on the shards and learning what we can of them to assist their bearers. To that end, I wish to gather as much information as possible regarding how and when they were acquired, along with complete records of any changes undergone since then. A voluntary survey will be made; if you have opinions as to what it ought contain, you're encouraged to share them. All such information will continue to be encoded, to ensure the safety and privacy of those involved. 

 If you have questions or issues, I maintain an open-door policy. 

Comments

[aceso]

Inessa, this is wonderful! Congratulations.

[circleprodigy]

Thank you. I'm a little surprised I was chosen, to be honest. There are many more senior than me, in experience. But I'll do all I can.

[aceso]

More senior perhaps, but nowhere near your work ethic, I am sure. With you at the head, I am sure some of the mysteries of the Fade will come to light.

[circleprodigy]

I truly hope so. My concern for the shardbearers has not waned. They deserve all I can give them.

[aceso]

And that's exactly who the leader of the project should be: someone who cares.

[ She obviously has a vested interest in the shardbearers not dying. ]

I know our projects have little crossover, but if you ever need anything from me, I would be happy to aid you.

[faithlikeaseed]

Congratulations, Warden Serra!

I've been pursuing an idea on the permeability of the Veil of late, but I'll be glad to turn my attention to the shards. Is there someone already on the project I can talk to about what's already known?

[Since he can't simply read up on it, much as he'd like to.]

[circleprodigy]

Thank you, Serah Shivana. Let's see....

[Cue rustling of papers.]

Hermione had some notes; she stated they were more about shardbearers than the shards themselves, but still had some information written down. I also gathered some notes from healers who dealt with new shardbearers and what they noticed at the time. They weren't part of the project, however, just generous enough to donate what they could. I'll be glad to relay them to you when I'm finished here--perhaps over tea?

[faithlikeaseed]

Tea would suit. I'll be up a few hours yet, if you think you'll be done sorting through everything dumped in your lap by then. [His tone is gently teasing.]

[circleprodigy]

[Her own tone is a little dry in response.]

Even if not, I won't deny the need for a break of sorts, after a while.

[A canine huff reveals that Garahel certainly agrees.]

happy to move this to action if you'd like to do a tea party right away!

[faithlikeaseed]

Happy to provide one. [...He recognizes that huff, and laughs quietly.] And Garahel's welcome too, of course. Just let me know.

[justice_is_blond]

I can, of course, continue to give what information I gather from healing shardbearers. There's no personal information attached, nothing that would identify who it's from, but I've made some notes on how various injuries around the shards themselves act act.

Good luck with this, Inessa.

[circleprodigy]

Thank you, Anders. [Her tone is warm, relieved.] That information will certainly prove useful, I'm sure. Even if it's reinforcing what we already know, it's still something.

Private

[justice_is_blond]

You never know what might come out of even overlapping data. And if information on walking through the Fade ever helps with the veil matters, I've been there physically. Nate, Velanna, and Oghren as well.

[circleprodigy]

That...is an excellent point. It very well might. I hadn't even thought of that.
[Her fingers tap along a surface as she thinks.]

Were you close enough to any shardbearer at the time, enough to observe any changes?

[justice_is_blond]

No, there weren't any--

[Anders breaks off mid-sentence, thinking back.]

The, the thing, the orb the darkspawn used to trigger the trap that threw us into the Fade, it glowed the same color as the rifts. The same color as the shards. It's a veil-specific green, it seems, but...

[This time he trails off before sighing.]

I don't know if it's connected, but that was a trap set by the Mother, an enemy of the Architect, and considering Tevinter... I don't know. Maybe there's some connection, the Architect and Corypheus could easily have been rivals, but I don't have the information to say.

[youwonscience]

Hey, congrats.

And I think the survey's a great idea. I'll get you some notes right away. I think in addition to what you suggested, it'd be worth asking if people would be open to the idea of keeping some sort of log on a more regular basis? I've been noting down day-to-day how much mine aches, the size, that kind of thing. It might be more useful if more people were willing to do something similar, though.

[circleprodigy]

[There's a thoughtful noise at that, and writing sounds accompanying it.]

That's an excellent idea. I would certainly appreciate the chance to acquire ongoing information, as opposed to just one time. A request for such could be mentioned in the survey, to see who's willing.

[youwonscience]

Nice, yeah. I'm happy to coordinate the volunteers, if you need someone to make sure people are keeping up with their notes. I'm great at "gentle but persistent pressure" when it comes to experiment participation. And I'm sure other people on the team will have some good ideas for what we might want to measure.

[circleprodigy]

Your assistance will be much appreciated, Cosima. Oh--and if you find that device you seek at the market, I'll be happy to reimburse the cost since it's relevant to the project. Or if you need to purchase extra materials to craft it, instead.

[youwonscience]

You rock, boss. Thanks.

[crowncitizen]

Oh hey! Congrats on the promotion! Guess we'll be seeing more of each other, then.

[circleprodigy]

Thank you, and I would say that's likely. What's your opinion on the ideas listed? Is there more we should be doing?

[crowncitizen]

Well... I agree that the shards should be our priority, considering that there are people, yanno, they're attached to. Haven't really found a good role for myself yet, so I'm not sure how much help I'll be. Scouting's been taking up a lot of my time.

Private

[circleprodigy]

Actually, I can see how scouting might fit in quite well with the project. In order to continue our studies, we'll need access to various areas where it would be best not to enter blindly. I was considering speaking with the Scouting division head, but I'm also glad to know you're a part of it as well.

[crowncitizen]

Yes ma'am! You need me to poke my head in somewhere first, you let me know. And my camera might help too. If an area's too dangerous to send non-fighters, I can just take pictures of anything they need to look at and bring those back.