13 September 2024 @ 06:36 pm

FORM: Sending Crystal
SENDER:
Tav
RECIPIENT:
All! With a private note for Stephen Strange and Cosima
NOTES:
None atm!




[Tav takes a deep breath before beginning. His nervousness is palpable, even before he speaks.]

I am pleased to say that, thanks to our research department— specifically Strange and Cosima—, I have been cured of my…. malady. I have passed a month since my curing with no issue.

I can only hope for a second chance to make a better first inpression.

For those that do not know me, I am Tav, a druid and cleric, who splits his time between the infirmary and rebuilding our garden. And, speaking of our garden, if anyone needs any particular seeds collected or grown, feel free to let me know.

[Private to Strange and Cosima]

I believe I owe both of you a drink.
 
 
08 September 2024 @ 09:27 pm

FORM: Crystal
SENDER: Xiomara
RECIPIENT: Everybody
NOTES: Threadjacking approved and encouraged


Hey, if we cut an eluvian in half, will it still work? Because imagine. If we could strap one to a griffon, we could be anywhere, and only one person would have to do the traveling. Or we could strap one to the bottom of a griffon and fly low over a battlefield or a lake and people could jump through without the griffon even needing to land—

[ Or maybe that's just her personal paratrooper fantasy, parachute part PENDING, RESEARCH. ]

I think we could be thinking bigger here. Or smaller. But in a big way.
 
 
04 September 2024 @ 08:50 pm

FORM: Crystal
SENDER: Mobius
RECIPIENT: Generally all y'all


Just a reminder that any relevant books, documents, scrolls, tomes, diaries, glyphs, runes, letters, posters, maps, scribbles on the backs of napkins, and other stuff that has any importance to further our cause found in all of our eluvian ports of call should be brought to my attention. Bit of record keeping on my end, and then shuffled off to whoever it needs to go to. Or, if it isn't a matter of great import, I can give it back to you, after, for whatever you want.

If anyone else donates their entire life's worth of love letters to us again, do me a favor and shoot me full of arrows first.

If you're unsure of relevance, you can still bring it up to me to take a look at, but hopefully its use will jump out at you instead. Preferably you can leave them in the archivist's office, but I can be found in the library a good bit of time, too.

[There's a pause, like this is where he was going to end it, but then there's a little shuffle and his voice seems closer.]

Also, come to think of it, it might be nice to know who's fluent in what languages around here for translation's sake, if we need it.
 
 
19 August 2024 @ 08:27 pm

FORM: sending crystal
SENDER: Abella
RECIPIENT: the whole gremlin collection
NOTES: Likely discussion of a battle royale, potential discussion of possession/monstrosities.


Good evening, Riftwatch.

( There's the sound of wind in the background - it's not too hard to tell she's outside. Some might be able to guess she's up on the ramparts, exposed to the harsher winds lashing in from across the sea.

She isn't looking at the sea, though. Her gaze is on those two moons. If she lets her focus drift it's almost like that leering smile stretches across them, before she comes back to herself.

Despite all that, she sounds warm and upbeat. )


I've been thinking a lot about time. How it passes, specifically, in our worlds back home. I've tried to do some reading in the library and looking for older communications on the network, but there's so much and I don't really know where to start or what names to look for.

When I got here, I left a situation where myself and some others were on a countdown, and... I know it's naive to hope they'd arrive here too, when even one person getting here seems like it would require so many variables coming together. Getting multiple people from the same world would be remote, let alone ones that know each other.

( Unless there's some factor about that first person that would be shared by people they know that might increase the likelihood? She sips the glorified vinegar masquerading as wine - sad new rifter budget, etc - and pushes logical enquiry out of her mind, for now. )

The point is that with how unlikely them coming here is, I'm stuck on how time works. I need to at least try to figure out if it's been weeks for them, or if maybe a month here is just a half hour, back home.

( Or something. Anything, really. )

If anyone knows, I'd really appreciate it.

( Abella tries to inject a little upbeat energy in at the end, like it can mask all the worry and everything else. )

Unless anyone else has turned up talking about a real jerk of a moon. If that sounds familiar, send them my way.
 
 


FORM: Crystal
SENDER: Ness ( [personal profile] aberratic )
RECIPIENT: all y'all
NOTES: This is a long one, she's a yapper. Important points bolded for the tl;dr, not for ic emphasis.




[ she has learned her lesson in contacting jayce far too early in the day; today, when ness gets on the crystal, it's closer to midday than to the first rays of dawn. she wants to reach the largest possible crowd, after all, and can't reach people who are asleep.

so: it is midday, and the first thing heard over crystal is a stack of papers being tapped neatly on a desk. buckle up, riftwatch, this is gonna be a long one.
]

Hello, Riftwatch, Ennaris Tavane speaking. [ does it sound like she's reading off a pre-written script? maybe. look, she has a lot to get through and she doesn't want to miss anything. ] In looking into how I could best make use of myself here, I found that there's quite a lot of information on rifter technology and knowledge that might have a use in Thedas, but it all seems to be a little spread out, in various different offices and projects. My aim now, which I have received permission from Provost Niehaus to undertake, is to gather all this disparate information and compile it to make comprehensive files for each field. To that end, I have requests of our organization, both rifter and native Thedosian alike:

Rifters, I would like to hear from you on technologies available in your world that Thedosians may be able to reproduce. Some of these notes include reference to a Riftwach Cultural Exposition which took place last year, and I would especially welcome input from anyone who attended or presented at that Exposition. Much of the work on this end has already been done by the agents who worked on this endeavour before me, so my goal here is mainly to ensure that I understand exactly what it is I'm compiling, but I welcome new ideas to add to the compilation—and no innovation is too trivial to be included; at the Exposition, a rifter Jude Adjei met with great success in distributing his peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. If it can be achieved by the means and materials we have available to us in our new home, it's worth consideration, at the very least.

Native Thedosians, here I defer to your expertise in our home. The goal of compiling this information is to be able to facilitate a dialogue between ourselves and the rest of Thedas, to bring to bear the knowledge of worlds beyond to make life better across this continent, here and now. The question I put to you is, who would be most receptive to this dialogue? There are some names in these notes, a Monsieur Guillaume du Naigh, Signora Jacqueline Fioranati, and we have experienced no small success in engaging with the University of Orlais—but it has been some time since the Exposition. Have we made any new contacts? Which organizations are of the most open minds? Any names I receive will be listed and turned over to the Provost as contacts for next steps, once the information has been compiled.

Given no significant setbacks, I intend to have this information compiled and ready to set before the Provost within a month. While I welcome any and all contributions, it would be best they come sooner than later.

Thank you for your assistance, Riftwatch.

 
 
08 August 2024 @ 12:39 pm

FORM: Sending crystal
SENDER: Gela Baynrac
RECIPIENT: Absolutely everybody.
NOTES: Now for something completely different


(Just to switch things over and away from all these (albeit, important) thoughts of death—)

What is something lovely that has happened to you lately?

Or at least something very interesting?
 
 
06 August 2024 @ 06:00 pm

FORM: Sending crystal + blank questionnaire available at the infirmary
SENDER: Stephen Strange
RECIPIENT: Everyone
NOTES: The form is below! Submit your character’s response as a reply to that sub-thread, and this will also be linked from the Riftwatch orientation & infirmary wiki pages for posterity, so you can edit/submit a new one if details change. Your character does not have to take this super seriously. Strange might just come nag if they don’t.


What with the new faces recently, I’ve been working on the medical curriculum and refreshing the infirmary’s recordkeeping. It’s high time to establish some better-kept patient files.

To that end, we’ve provided a written questionnaire at the infirmary — thank you to Amsel for her neat penmanship — and I’d appreciate it if you could fill out a form for yourself and drop it off. The records will only be referenced by healers in the course of their duties, and otherwise locked away; your personal details will remain private. Having as much information as possible will only help the healers take care of you properly.

If you don’t read Trade or otherwise require assistance filling out the form, say as such and we can have someone sit with you. Any other questions, let me know.

— but also, fill it out.
 
 
20 July 2024 @ 10:45 pm
Good morrow, Riftwatch.

( Now, there’s a voice that hasn’t been on the crystals for a time. Years, in fact. The Starkhaven accent is strong as ever, and yet— some more nebulous quality has shifted. What was once careful and controlled, turned to diplomacy through practice, has turned to uniform flatness. Every word placid, every syllable even. )

My name is Herian Amsel. If we were previously acquainted then the possibility that word of my return has reached you already, and were circumstances suited to it, I would offer apology for being so withdrawn.

For those unfamiliar with me, or who have not become familiar with the details of my return, there are elements best not left unspoken.

You may notice differences in my speech and manner. This stems from the Rite of Tranquility, enacted by radicals acting outside the approval of the Chantry and Inquisition. Indeed, the attack was an attack against the Chantry and Inquisition, both.

I remember well the passion and fire of so many in Riftwatch; I share this news not to stoke those fires. These are matter that require thorough investigation. Rather,I speak to be transparent that this state is not one freely chosen, and such a revelation is an unkind one to inflict on others in the midst of other work. A good many find the Tranquil unsettling even before considering the context of how the Rite came to pass.

My presence hence is to serve Riftwatch, and if my presence disturbs you, please do not hesitate in letting it be known. I would sooner remove myself to another part of the keep to do my work, than some disconcerting quality to my aspect interfere with your work, or my circumstances evoking painful memories. One reason I have remained withdrawn was my own contemplations on potential negative impact my return in this state could alert.

Presently I have been assisting Doctor Strange, and learning of medical practices. If any could be troubled to lend assistance through procurement of clay, that would be most beneficial.

If you have questions you win to ask, I will endeavour to answer.
 
 
16 July 2024 @ 02:27 pm

FORM: Sending crystal
SENDER: Clarisse
RECIPIENT: e v e r y o n e
NOTES: she definitely has her feet up on her desk rn


Morning, Riftwatch. Clarisse La Rue here. From now on I'll be taking the Griffon Keeper position in an official capacity, so if anyone has questions about them, the eyrie, or the stables off-island, I'm your girl.

[ She has an OFFICE now. That's what's up. ]

Couple things. The first one will sound dumb if you've already been here a while, but I want to make sure everyone is comfortable with the idea of taking care of the griffons in an emergency. They're pretty self-sufficient in the field, but they're an important resource, so if you're on a mission and something happens to one's primary rider, [ we don't need to list hypothetical scenarios here, right? ], making sure the griffon has its basics covered until we can get it back to the Gallows is important. Same goes for the horses, too, but most people are already more comfortable dealing with them.

The second thing I want is to make a list of people who'd be comfortable griffon riding as a passenger if needed, in combat. Um, we all saw what happened a few months ago, so the likelihood of more aerial combat in the future seems. High. It would be good to have a go-to list of people who are willing in case someone needs backup in the air.

And if you're not interested in flying solo, that's fine, but I'd encourage everyone who hasn't yet to at least try and get a basic familiarity with how it feels to ride alongside someone else, in case of an emergency. [ Never know when you're gonna need to fast travel away from a crumbling tower, right? ]

Okay, uh, I think that's it for now. Thanks.

ooc: (( feel free to handwave that clarisse had a brief check-in with your character about the first point, unless you would like to thread it out for whatever reason! ))
 
 
12 July 2024 @ 07:18 pm

FORM: Sending crystal
SENDER: Byerly
RECIPIENT: Everyone, unfortunately
NOTES: Make your fursona


If your soul were to take the form of an animal, what form do you think it would take?

You can answer on behalf of your friends, if those friends are killjoys who won't answer for themselves.