TURN FORTY-THREE: SECRET IN THE WINGS
Eh Ah
Did the Empress really say she hadn't done this? Seemed like a pointless denial. On the other hand, the artillery probably did save quite a few Theyin lives in the process of bombardment. It does not matter one bit. Not anymore, at least. What's done is done.
Turn my back to Aecrocia for a moment and ponder if I could possibly reach Magis today and also return after a bit of exploration. Never been there before. Might be a good day to visit.
If not, explore Aecrocia a bit and observe its citizens relating with each other and the invaders for the rest of the day. Maybe find something to eat. Check if my stall or my home have survived later.
((I'm sorry, I wasn't being all that clear with what I was referring to. What I was referring to was with the Empress' train of thought was the Council of Merphois, which she said was the acting force behind her actions. Whether you/your character is to believe what she says on that topic, well...
That's up to you to decide.))
Eh AhYou look all around you, taking in the bits and pieces of the island that are cobbled together in a seemingly unsightly way now. Patches of brown and black, rubble and charred edifices mixed in with tall steel buildings and what remains of the once lush forest. You've already examined the state of the Atisi and the Aecrocians together: while still very disorganized, people seem to be willing to get on with their lives. You've noticed that some of the younger people do protest against the arrival of the Theyin Empire on the neutral island, but their voices are lost in the sea of despair that has washed over the island.
There is one place that you haven't had the chance to examine yet. You have't seen anything from the Magis Kingdom yet, and you don't think that any officials from the Kingdom have visited Aecrocia or the Atisi in the last few days. Perhaps you will be able to find some new information from what happened within the Magis Kingdom. There is a sense of wonder about it: how did the Magis fare during the invasion? What happened there during the eruption of the volcano? Most importantly, do they know anything about why the volcano erupted? Due to their proximity 'round the volcano, you would reason that they might know something about the patterns of the volcano, or maybe what the situation was after the eruption.
Whatever the situation may be there, it would be in your favor to get as much information about the state of the island as possible before going into detail with the exploration of the island and its circumstances. Therefore, your next logical stop would be through the Magis Kingdom. You estimate that, at a walking speed, it would take about an hour, maybe two to get to the Magis Kingdom. The three cultures on the island are not too far apart, separated only by what was once a vast expanse of greenery and the looming volcano above. All in all, you would be able to explore for a good few hours or so without much concern. It is still before noon, which gives you ample time to explore and investigate on your own.
Warren Drake
Find the nearest purveyor of alcohol. Obtain a stiff drink and a full bottle of booze. Drink the former. Watch out for friendly locals.
Warren DrakeIt would seem that the travails of the past ew days have left you rather stressed in your walk - nothing that a well-prepared drink could not solve, however. You idly eat at your supplies and drink water as you move, trying not to eat so much of it quickly. After all, who knows when you will have another good chance to find hospitality out in these unknown parts? Until you locate yourself, you can't be sure what you can find out here, especially with the appearance (or hallucination) of those lizards, and that mysterious girl out in he woods. Though it has been a confusing few days for you, you do think that you will be able to get some sort of clarity soon. The universe would have to be awfully cruel to you to just leave you alone and clueless like that for a longer amount of time than you have already gone through.
Who knows, though? You certainly don't.
Walking along the thin dirt path, you find a small wooden sign appearing out of the distance. Walking closer to see what it is, you can make out a few words on the sign, printed in black letters. It reads: "TO KALITHEA." You presume that "Kalithea" is the village that the lumberjack was talking about earlier. Since this seems to be your only other pointer so far, you decide to keep following alone the path.
Not three minutes more of walking and you already see what you were looking for ahead. The wooden and stone structures begin to show themselves out of the forest line, with one-story buildings and simple facades already apparent. As you clear the forest line and begin to enter the vicinity of the village, you can already see that this place is much more lively than you expected it to be. Several children run across the dirt road, laughing and shouting after each other as they play chase to one another. A young woman strings out clothes on a line behind her house, an infant held in one of her arms. An older gentleman pushes a cart filled with various odd crafts through the town and rounds a corner, disappearing out of your view. You estimate that there are about twenty people of different ages in your view already. As you scan, you find something that piques your interest: a young man is lounging near a shed at the edge of the town, relaxing as he periodically sips from what appears to be a bottle of alcohol.
Well, at the very least, you may be able to get some alcohol to soothe your senses after all. It would certainly be a comforting element in your life, considering the events of the past few days. Yes, you decide, that would be perfect beginning to your day in this town.
Time to get exploring.
Go to the university to show Reyna the information. The Grid will accomplish great things someday.
Cat SchrodingerWith a nod, you motion for Reyna to follow you to the university. There, you will be able to access all of the resources you need to mentor her on these topics. She does indeed seem to be one of your more promising students, even with her incessant daydreaming within your class. Though she is focused on the matters that you profess about, she seems to spend too much time imagining about different things and not enough time actually paying attention to the work within your class. Nevertheless, you're willing to put in the effort to teach her and the rest of your students if they show some sort of interest within your lectures and the assignments that you dole out.
As you walk along the narrow avenues of Telenos, Reyna exchanges some of the details of her day with you, in her usual talkative manner.
"I'm not so interested in the total picture of Sir Anders, or of any of the other dedicated researcher that I'm studying right now. Don't take that in a bad way, I mean, but I am more interested in what they studied and... who they really are. It sounds kinda weird, but I am interested in the characters of these people. Often times, I think that the most brilliant people often have very hard lives to go along with, and it's sad. From what I've read so far, Anders was dealing with heavy depression and an existential crisis in the later years in his life. A similar thing happened to Kris Iones, from the Sengol Mountains area. With him, though he kinda lost his sanity over the years. I'm not sure why, though." She stays quiet for a decent amount of time after that, mulling over her own thoughts.
"I want to find out more about our universe, like they did. I want to be able to explore and to think about what has led us to come here - not physically, but.. mentally, y'know? Like, I'm just curious as to how we develop alongside the universe, and if there's any correlation between what happens beyond our world and what happens inside of it. Maybe I'm just completing wrong. Maybe I'm crazy for saying such a thing might be true. But it's something that I would still like to explore, and that's why I enjoy being in your class, Professor. I don't really care about what's already been proven. I care about what's left there to prove, what I can do now." She laughs nervously, not sure how to continue after that.
"Oh, and one more thing, Professor. Do you.. do you believe in some sort of magic? Like, I'm not saying how the universe was made, and stuff. I'm saying, do you believe in conjuration, abjuration, things of that nature? Manipulating the energy of our world and creating new things? Destroying old things? That kind of stuff?"
Pick up the pace a little. If there is a view up ahead, I want to reach it before it gets dark.
Jonathan EridisUnfortunately, the terrain does not agree with your choice of thinking. The thick vegetation and the muddy ground, combined with the somewhat troubling steepness of the ground, makes it difficult to navigate the terrain safely. Despite this, you try your best to make your way down to the cliff's edge. It takes a little while, but with your determination, you manage to get down without much trouble. With your meager supplies in tow, you set down and examine the horizon in front of you.
You start from the bottom, watching as the mesmerizing waterfall cascades down the rocky cliffside. The waterfall ends as you would expect it, with light foam at the bottom, translating into the river that snakes within the terrain below. The forest seems to be contained on the left side by a shaped half-bowl of land. Even farther to the left, the terrain becomes extremely varied and hilly, leading on to mountains in the distance. To the right, the river follows the curve of the terrain and leads on to the distance, where the forest also follows the contours of the terrain. The forest becomes even thicker as you trace the river farther out, perhaps a sign of more habitable conditions. What disappoints you, however, is that you can't seem to find any civilized buildings or other signs of human settlements in the area. Perhaps there are buildings concealed by the forest. As far as you can see, however, you will have to keep searching along the river for a civilization soon.
The sun seems to be approaching the horizon now. You estimate that you have about an hour or so tops before the sun escapes your view and the shadows of the night begin to creep toward you. Your supplies seem to be decent for now, but you might have to start harvesting more seeds and fruits later. Hunting would be a great boon, but you're not sure if you'll have the time or the luck to catch and cook an animal. Your shoes also appear to be very muddy right now, which may start to be annoying for you. However, the river should take care of both this and your thirst. For this, you are thankful.
The trip seems to be going very well. However, you must stay on your toes. You are completely alone in this venture, with nobody to guide you or to protect you. To leave yourself defenseless during the night would be to open yourself up for attack by a predator of the forest.
Hopefully, however, this journey will not be for naught. You will be able to find what you once lost.
The forest will guide you and hunt you all the same.
Alex would stare with his eyes wide. He would understand that he could die here, or stay trapped in a cell. He would take a risk, attempting to once again, drain somebody's blood and body of water.
Alex RamanYou look between the guard and the doctor. The guard has his gun pointed at you, the doctor is gasping and is beginning to move toward the table. There's only one more chance you have. You can't use the sink right now, as you would risk getting shot at by the guard. There's not much water you could use right now and freeze outside of the sink. If you simply capitulate, you will be giving up, and all you have learned about your powers will be for naught. You don't know what they will do to you. Will they execute you? Will they throw you in a dry cell for the rest of your life? Will they make you a science experiment, seeking to discover what makes your powers a reality?
You can't let that happen. You have to do this. You have to take the risk. You take a deep breath and dodge to the side, extending your arms and putting your hands forward, calling for his blood to bend to your will. At first, nothing happens. You know what's about to happen, and with haste, you roll out of his line of fire. He fires two bullets at you, barely missing you by a few centimeters. The doctor ducks down behind you and attempts to hide behind the table. You can hear the bullets break parts of the wall. Recovering into another stance, you thrust your arms out again, trying harder to focus your mind. Yet again, nothing happens. You duck down and throw yourself to the left as three more bullets whiz past you and embed themselves into the wall. As you cross in front of the doctor, he ceases firing and charges at you with his rifle, attempting to beat you down and stun you. Finally, you thrust your arms out for the last time, hoping that something will happen in your favor.
You squint, waiting for the inevitable crack of the gun smacking down upon your head. Instead, you turn your head and notice that the soldier has fallen past you, struggling to get back up. You swear that you can hear some sort of hissing coming from his body. He struggles to talk, trying to gasp and yell at the same time. You kick the rifle away from him and continue to gesture using your hands, trying to draw his blood out. However, you don't think that that is what is happening. He doesn't seem to be coughing up blood at all. Instead, his movements seem to be slowing down, as if he is getting tired. First, he drops his right arm, then his left one. His neck stops supporting him and he lies down on the floor, continually struggling to gain some sort of control over his body. You notice that he is getting extremely pale, almost to a ghostly extent. You look behind you to make sure that the doctor won't attack you, and sure enough, he is cowering in the corner. You turn your attention back to the guard and find that he is breathing like a fish out of water.
This continues for thirty seconds more before his breathing slows down and he stops struggling. Finally, it seems that he stops breathing altogether, his eyes opened in a tortured state. His fingers twitch ever so slightly and curl up. You reach one hand out and feel his arm, noticing that his arm seems to be unnaturally cold, which you presume is the state of the rest of his body.
You stumble backwards, your vision very blurry. Your head pounds with exhaustion as you struggle to stay awake. Whatever you just did, it cost you a great amount of energy to do. You look up to find that the doctor is running for the door.
Looks like you've discovered one more facet of your powers.
Exhausted: -2 to all rolls involving powers.
Dizzy: -1 to all rolls involving spatial movements.
Cromwell moved the knife to holding it by the blade with his left hand, to offer it handle-first back to Lirian.
"Yeah, breakfast sounds good. But I do want to keep training when we're done. I'm serious about this."
I pause for a moment, just looking at Cromwell's face, his stance and his expression.
He has more spine than I thought.
"Okay."
and then I accept the knife and put it away again before turning to go back to the compound.
Lirian & Cromwell JacksonYou both decide that you should probably go inside for breakfast before anything else. It would be quite rude to keep Erin Kito waiting, after all. You also expect that her father, Dr. Kito, should also be back pretty soon, giving you time to either talk with or observe Dr. Kito, depending on what you wish to do. Also, it would give Cromwell time to talk with the cat again if he wishes to do so. At any rate, the two you have some time to relax after last night, an eventful one indeed.
The two of you enter the building, finding the entrance room to be empty. Cromwell calls out for Erin while Lirian puts away her knives and watches the door. As far as she can see, the town seems to be pretty normal for this time. There are a few people walking around the vicinity of the town, but there doesn't seem to be anything abnormal to the daily workings of the town. Still, Lirian keeps her watch on the town and the forest surrounding the complex. After what happened last night and this morning, there is a feeling of insecurity. How much does Artemis, and possibly Dr. Kito, know about Lirian and Cromwell? Are they being watched right now? Are they simply being led into a trap? How far-
"Good morning, you two! I was just finishing preparing your breakfast. Would you like to join me? My father should be here any minute now." Erin Kito strolls out of the left hallway of the building, carrying her cat in her arms. Dropping her cat onto the floor gently, she waits for Cromwell to respond before retrieving the meals. The two of you move to the side dining room, where you last ate it during dinner.
((Insert whatever dialogue you wish to carry out here. Or you could just sit in silence.))
A few minutes later, Erin returns with two steaming plates on her cloth-covered hands. She strides quickly over to your table and sets the plates down in front of the two of you. The plates appear to be set with steamed rice, some chicken breast that has been lightly done and seasoned, and an assortment of tomatoes, lettuce, and cucumbers in a salad, along with a bottle of slightly sour dressing. Erin unties and takes off the white apron she is wearing and says,
"I'm sorry for the wait. Hopefully this will sate your appetite!" She bows slightly and leaves to return her own plate outside. After she sets down all of the necessary utensils and folded pieces of cloth as napkins, she asks,
"Um, Liri? Could you please step outside for a moment with me, please? Nothing wrong, just need to ask something." Though Lirian finds this a bit odd, she walks out of the room and waits until Erin follows outside. Erin closes the door behind her and begins to speak, gesticulating to emphasize her point.
"I apologize deeply for asking this, but.. what were you doing with those knives outside? I mean no disrespect, I really do.. but how can I explain to my father about this? I can't really tell him that you went out for the night and came back, claiming that this.. story is true. I believe you, to a certain extent. I do. But I can't tell my dad the same thing." She seems to be speaking with sincerity in her voice, despite asking these questions from you. Still, you're uncertain as to what the motives of the Kito house are, especially when connected to Artemis. Erin seems to be understandable so far, however, so it might be worth cooperating with her for now.
Cromwell watches as the cat, Tileno, comes through the opening and closing door behind Erin. The cat takes a look at the door behind him before striding confidently to Cromwell. He stretches out lazily on the carpet and looks up at Cromwell with intelligent, playful eyes that show some sort of persona behind the face of Tileno. He doesn't proceed to talk, however; he appears to be content just lounging with Cromwell as he stares down at his food and waits for Erin and Lirian to return. Cromwell can hear bits and pieces of their conversation, but the wall muffles a great deal of the clarity behind the words. He looks up at the wall next to the door, finding another silver clock hanging silently. It appears to indicate that the time of day is at about 10 o'clock in the morning, which is confirmed by the light pouring in through the glass windows that are spaced at intervals at the opposite side of the room.
Once could only imagine what sort of mysteries lie behind the walls of the Kito Complex. Perhaps the two explorers might find some sort of clarity within these walls or through the town.
Maybe this town will get you one step closer to finding out what is happening in this strange world.
(fish and flounders. I thought I had posted a response during the weekend! :X {though in context, my net did die along the weekend so it may have been lost to Problem Loading Page fun...}
Also don't worry, DAF. Your writing is doing brilliantly Always room for improvement, but very much competent there!)
Edit: @DAF: I 'did' say 'PLEASE DO NOT QUOTE THIS' in all caps in my action above. You could cull out the other text and leave only the bolded part. XD
Eleri added the name of the village into her mental list of 'places to remember', that being quite a small list given her recent memory block from {bad past experiences}. Musing over his words, she thought about anything pertinent to the situation.
Now was it Telenos Aria or something else, she wondered on. He must know this place better than me. Though it is very strange to see a blind man all the way in the wilderness from the village...Given him being not a hiker. May just be reluctant to give information, but that is quite a lot of information there.
...Can sense colors and light? The words perked up her ears. I wonder how I look as a silhouette? Maybe I have triangles on the sides of my head. Big, isosceles ears. That makes sense.
At the issuance of his laugh, Eleri leaned over him on reflex with her arm outstretched, presumably to calm him. Seeing her position, she froze and instead turned her hand to check on the perimeter of his wounds.
"Hah-well, you're pretty much alright for a person having been attacked by...something near the spring. Do you have any recollection of what you were doing up there? When I rescued you, you had some kind of brackish tar on your body, which I scooped away" ...what's the term. "-though currently I can't find where it went.
"And before I continue. Why I don't want you to-well, didn't want you to see me, as I guessed-um, wondered you could see, was because of...this."
Lift tail with other hand and let it brush on his (unwounded) forearm. Also converse as a general action--if needed a full action: Check outside and note the weather, time of presumed day, and supplies at hand.
"That's me, by the way. I mean, part of me. That...thing that brushed your arm."
((Mrrrh, I didn't notice that part. I've been pretty busy the past week and have only been able to hammer away at the keyboard for minuscule amounts of time. ))
EleriWhile examining him and conversing with him, you take note of the environment outside. Currently, the weather seems to be pretty mild, with an occasional ocean breeze here or there to cool down the warm, bright day. The clouds in the sky seem to be wispy and thin, not having much chance of bringing rain for you. Your supplies are just about the same as you left them: some silky web, a few branches and a some leaves, an arrangement of rocks for a fireplace, the charred wood remnants from the fire, the rusted knife, and the dried food that you've collected, along with the bucket. Other than that, your gatherings are relatively simple, as you have spent the majority of your time here familiarizing yourself with the environment and scouting out the area for food and water.
He frowns at your question of what he was doing up at the spring.
"I... I was.. I was running. Running from them - the creatures, I mean. And before that.. well.. I can't really remember. I just.. remember that the creatures were trying to kill me, and that I had to run. I know it.. probably sounds s-stupid, but.. I followed the light. Not like.. death or anything. But I could tell.. where the creatures were. They were dark, but not like the night. They were different. I just ran where I didn't see that darkness.. I ran."He frowns yet again, this time from dissatisfaction at his own words.
"Yeah.. t-that sounds stupid, doesn't it. Heh- ow." He adjusts himself to avoid putting pressure on his injured arm. At your mentioning of your appearance, he manages to smile slightly and comments,
"I don't th- think that you could look.. half as bad as I do r-right no-" Before he can fully respond, you allow him to feel your tail. He seems puzzled at first, but then slowly begins to understand.
"W-wait.. is this your hair? It feels.. wait. No.. this is fur.""That's me, by the way. I mean, part of me. That...thing that brushed your arm." You let the words fall out softly, allowing him to realize this slowly. You hope to everything that is good in this world that he will not panic or be disgusted by you - just like so many people before him. By the looks of his expression right now, you don't have very high hopes.
"No.. please don't.. don't tell me that you're one of those monsters. But.. you haven't k-killed me yet. W..why? I.. I don't want to die. Not yet. Not so close.." He draws back a bit, suddenly very afraid. You can't tell what he's thinking right now, but he doesn't seem to be reacting very well to you. You start to second-guess what you did. Maybe you've just lost him, even though he was beginning to open up. You can't even think of what he might say about you right now.
He already called you a "monster." There's not much else he could say that hasn't already been said.
This was the past.
At the sound of being called a monster--a hundred memories came passing by. The jab at her clothing; the cat-call at her hair; the jest at her tail. These ideas in manifest made up most of Eleri's childhood, and formed a literal part of her outlook as she grew up, until she met a very kind man, who was in part, a professor in a very modest academy.
That was the past. Eleri pondered upon the moment and wondered why she didn't feel hurt, or rather why she didn't feel...anything, other than a hollow void at the man's reaction. She didn't feel like hurting him, as her eyes glanced around the room in thinking of what to say. She did feel like helping him, looking back to the herbal wrap on his body.
Her tail flitted, and poked the back of her leg as she took a deep breath. She was away from all that, and instead of feeling the victim as she was years ago, she silently thanked that professor for his insight and wisdom, before delivering his words under her voice.
"A monster isn't one who helps another person, no matter who they are and if they did hurt them."
She took another deep breath as she felt that void constrict, and form a very tangible 'weight' on her chest--despite not seeing any weight at all. He was right, she couldn't escape her past, but he was also right that she could face it.
Her hands trembled. "I am going to...bring you to the outskirts of the village. Just point the...way. Now, let's go. On your request."
Give him command, hold his arm lightly. Then brush it with tail...pretty much unintentionally.
EleriHe appears to be lost in his own thoughts, looking back upon his past and the things that he has had to endure before. Still, this does nothing to quell your own demons. Whether intentionally or not, he has brought back some very difficult memories for you: raindrops in a tempest of hurt and darkness, confined within your mind and the past. You shiver slightly at the thought of having to endure that separation and feeling of exclusion and hatred once again. Pointless jabs and all of the ridiculing, compounding on your soul. You escaped your old home to avoid just that.
And now, it appears that you cannot outrun what is inevitably yours from birth. It is a simple truth that cannot be gotten rid of, at least in the foreseeable future. A damnation that never ceases-
"Wait!" Flynn's unsteady voice stops your flood of thoughts in its tracks. You look up and find that he is searching around with his left arm, trying to find something. Finally, he grips onto one of your arms with a very weak grip. He seems to hesitate for a moment, perhaps a little afraid of your arm's unusual feel, but he wraps his hand around your arm once again, this time with a stronger will behind his grip. You pull back slightly, not expecting this, but listen to what he has to say. Maybe there still is something there for you after all.
"I-I'm sorry! I'm so... so s-sorry! I didn't mean it like that! I... I don't know who you are. Or... what you are. But you're not one of them. You're not a m-monster. You wouldn't.. wouldn't have s-saved me if you were. You didn't.. h-hurt me." He leans forward and gasps through the pain of the effort. You instinctively reach out an arm and try to coax him back to rest. He accepts and leans back again, but still seems to be very tense. Though it's thin, you swear that you can see some tears starting to form within his eyes.
"Y-you can't take me back to the town. I can't go back there. I'm sorry. I don't want to be a burden anymore, but.. agh.. I can't go back there! It... it would put you in danger, and.. I just can't go. There's a reason that I'm out so far. I can't.. let you know. For your own safety. I really want to let you know. B-but.. I don't want you getting hurt with me."He starts to tear up even more, the fear apparent on his face. He grips your arm even tighter, though you can't tell if that is a reflex or if he's being intentional.
"You can just let me go. I.. I might be able to find my way in the woods. I'd under.. understand. I'm too much trouble for you. But just don't take me back to the town. I'm so sorry, just.. please. This is all I.. ask of you." He tries to hold back the tears, but eventually a few tears begin streaming down his face. Is this subject really that stressful for him? If so, for what reason? He appears to be so close to breaking down right now.
He lets go of your arm and starts to cry without restraint.
"I didn't mean to say that. I.. just... I'm afraid. Afraid of them. I didn't want.. didn't want anyone to see me again, to.. to interact with me again. It's too dangerous. I'm too dangerous.
And now.. you're here. I didn't mean to come here. I.. I.. I wasn't meant to come here. To put you in danger."You have no idea what he's talking about, but you try to console him nonetheless. If he really is this concerned about the topic, surely this is also important for you.
Is there really something behind what he appears to be?
((Whoooops!))
"Er, yes ma'am. I don't suppose there was a celebration of some sort last night? You see, I was trying to sleep but there was quite the ruckus outside."
Let's see if my silver tongue won't get me some info about last night.
Cecil G. PalmerThe woman at the desk produces a pen from under the table and taps her chin with said pen while thinking your words over.
"Hmmmmmm... as far as I know, not really. There was the launching of the TKS Aorbis, a Coalition warship, but I don't think that the ceremony for that was large. At least, not large enough to disturb anyone. Unless you were sleeping under the docks, of course," she adds with a laugh.
"But yes, I don't think there was anything all that special tonight. Do you live in the downtown area? I haven't heard anything around in the uptown that would be loud."This doesn't seem to satisfy your mind, however. You press forward, asking if there are any other events tonight that might be important: anything pertaining to holidays, or recognized days, or maybe even some mythical things. She thinks that over in her head once again and begins to speak once again, trying to provide as much pertinent information as she can; however, there is only so much she can do for you.
"Um.. let me pull up my booklet here." She reaches under the desk to pull out a dark-magenta book with gold, cursive letters on the front of it. She flips through it quickly and stops at a certain page, beginning to read through.
"Let's see.. today's date. There doesn't seem to be much going on. It's the Remembrance Feast of St. Olivier of Athasias. Yesterday, there was a new moon out, but I don't think that really matters. Oh, it was one of my cousin's birthdays, too! But other than that, there's not much I can say. It was pretty calm yesterday, though I did have plenty of strange dreams. Other than that, I don't think anything really major happen. Are you sure you don't live downtown or something? Because I don't think there's any other explanation."
Author's Note: Hey, I got this in before two weeks passed! It's a start, at least. Also, I'm pretty satisfied with the length of this update. I hope that this suffices for you all until I can elaborate on some more important stuff. Also, updating the Compendium with newer information is on the to-do list.
I hope that everyone has a fantastic week, and I can't wait to read your turns. I really do enjoy doing this.
Thanks,
Artemis