abaddoniamods | Community Board

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Community Board

Sometime between week 22 and week 23 a medium sized board placed in a metal frame and stand was erected in front of the side wall of the farmhouse in the Farmlands area. The words Community Board were fashioned atop it via a metal plate and some careful painting, readable by all who are capable of reading despite the language barriers usually in place.

A row of small, easily removed nails were placed at the bottom with a small ballpeen hammer tethered to the structure, along with a clipboard that has seen better days but still strong enough to hold a stack of recovered papers and a box of various writing implements.

At first there's only one piece of paper attached to the wood, but it gives a fairly succinct explanation of the board.

Welcome to the Farmlands Community Board! If you need to get a non-urgent message out and don't want to tie up the radios, this is the place to put it! Requests for crafts, offers for community explorations, lessons, training, if you can think of it and want others to know, it can go here!

Just try not to put anything crude up. There are children in the valley after all.
Thanks!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

look this place needs some more defenses

we can all agree on that right?

wall is good

could be better

so if you got magic or tech skills, lets look at getting some barriers and guns going so that banshee shit doesn't happen again

come poke me or rocio at her workshop ok?

-duo

"So this is your latest project."

Megaera D'Ashland, Demon of technology, expert Artificer, stepped into Duo's workshop.

"Of course, it's a rather tricky one. Can't use magic for defenses because of the Mists. Stable emplacements, though, could be quite the power tool."

"After that banshee bullshit, did you really expect me to sit on my ass and do nothing?"

Hand on his hip, Duo gestured to a scattering of papers on the table. Notes, planning, diagrams. He'd been thinking about this for a while, obviously.

"I know at least your magic is the one thing we can't rely on during the mist, but technology has to start somewhere, and we're not entirely without advancements here. I know from past explorations that computers have been found here and there. There are other ways to generate power. And there's at least a few people here who have abilities that don't crap out entirely during the beginning. We've got the puzzle pieces, we just gotta figure out how to put them together."

"Well, the easiest first step," Megaera responds, "would be improving our power storage. The Endless Decanter generators sputter out during the Mist when out of water, yes, but battery storage could do the job. I might be able to focus there. If we have power, we have options, fundamentally."

She pauses. "I will admit, targeting computers seems risky to me. We're talking telling friend from foe on a live field. But if we can give people the ability to remotely control them somehow? That's got some potential. Things like trapped locations for dealing with the basic runners, allowing us to focus on crazier things, is also quite the option."

"Agreed. We're gonna run outta gas sooner or later. Probably sooner. Rocio has been trying to find some way to get stuff to run on anything else, but so far the best has been the Decanter. And, well..." he motioned with a hand at Meg, indicating what she had just said.

"I know for a fact the tech here wouldn't be enough for that kinda AI. It'd have to be remotely controlled. But at this point I'll take the chance of human-or-otherwise error over risking it going rouge."

He knew good and well that there was advanced AI in the valley already, but they were their own entities, from a version of Earth where that sort of tech had been produced and refined to the point where they were almost indistinguishable from humans. They could be trusted. Something made on the clunky, barely working systems they'd uncovered in the valley? Hell no.

Megaera nodded in response to the note on the water. "So, yeah. Remote systems. Given the duration of Mist events, battery power of one or another stripe should be workable. Most basic would be water towers, but more efficient methods should be doable."

She ponders. "We'd be looking to build a flat-out power and data network at that point, correct? It'd enable some significant efficiencies. Of course, that has a total bundle of complications to itself. Including the risk of lines getting cut off, whether it's physical cabling or wireless transmitters. So at least some redundancy is critical..."

The demoness was already starting to get ideas in her head. "I guess the biggest question towards this goal would be which piece I'm best off focusing on. Which could be about any of them."

Duo was listening, even jotting down things on a scrap paper as Meg talked, but he remained quiet even after she stopped. He glanced up, past her and out the small window over her shoulder.

"... what about biofuel?" he asked suddenly, "I mean, you're right. We'll need redundancy and a way to ensure things won't get cut completely, but what if we traded the limited gasoline for something we actually have?"

Megaera took a few seconds to think about this. "True. We're successfully growing quite a few things, and the same principle as the distilleries might be able to produce a fuel alcohol, which would be storable. Even if it were assisted with magic during the generation phase, the resulting materiel would be useful in the usage phase. Stockpiles can be prepared, though we need to secure them so that they don't... Well, I'm not sure how explosive they could be compared to gasoline, but still not great."

She paused. "That particularly helps in the redundancy-of-power step, of course."

"Crops, refuse, alcohol... a good number of things here can now double up as a viable biofuel," Duo nodded, finally perking up after a good deal spent frustrated and feeling stuck. Sometimes all it took was having someone else there so less time was spent talking at unresponsive walls and getting nowhere.

"There are a lot of places that have old barrels just sitting around. We'd probably have to seal them up, secure any rusted out spaces, but beyond that I think that would be the best method."

"All of that makes sense," Megaera says. "Fuel depots in appropriate spots a short but not super-short distance away from domiciles and such... Methodology..."

She pauses, clearly starting to think of the details. "We've got other avenues of research, but let's see if I can get fuel going first. A few days should get that going."

"Any plan at all is better than where I was ten minutes ago," Duo said with a relieved sigh. Seriously, he'd been bashing his head against the wall before she got there. It was why he reached out to others in the first place.

"True. Just as long as we keep moving, right?", Megaera responded. "We will need an alternate plan or two if I don't have things going in the right direction. Even if it's as simple as 'tracking down stuff I can try and convert into more decanters of endless water and putting up water towers or something."

"Lucky you, we won't have to track down much. There's at least one right here on the farm, and I know I've seen a few more relatively close."

But that does leave the issue of water.

"... shit. I should've grabbed Mikleo."

"Possibly," Megaera responded. "He might be able to help me get stuff suitable, given his... Entire thing, after all."

Megaera still found the nature of the seraphim odd. Perhaps that, in spite of their name, they were not aligned with the angelic. But one thing was sure - he was a great ally to have.

Duo made a face. A few faces, actually, as he seemed to be internally debating something with himself before standing up.

"Back in a second."

And he just. Left her. In someone else's workshop.

But he meant what he said about not being gone long and soon enough the door was opening again with Mikleo in tow.

"-an't make any promises but I will do my best. Hello, Megaera."

"Easier than trying to relay a buncha info to him later," Duo explained.

"Well, hello there~", Megaera said towards Mikleo. To her senses, she immediately could tell he was more like Zaveid than most - another Seraphim, most likely.

Megaera, on the other hand, while she seemed friendly, would scream 'Hellion' to Mikleo's senses. She wasn't exuding Malevolence like he'd see from them, but she was definitely made of such.

Then again, she'd also been making out with Zaveid regularly and Zaveid was perfectly fine so far, so, less problem there.

"I'm Megaera d'Ashland, and um I can answer any questions you may have from what Zaveid's told you if anything first. Besides that I'm pretty sure you're immediately spotting that I'm a demon. Specifically a technologically-focused type called a Gadrelite, which so far no one else recognizes that term."

He had long since learned not to judge based on his initial feelings, because a lot of people read 'hellion' to his senses in this place while certainly not being so.

"Duo informed me of what you two were working on, and Zaveid has mentioned you in passing before."

The part Mikleo had left out was that Zaveid's way of "mentioning" Meg was how they made out frequently. He really didn't want or need to know these things, Zav.

"You're fine. I understand how things are here."

"He's pretty smart even if he's cranky most of the time."

"Excuse you, did you want my help or not?"

Vicious and I located a box of documents in the town a couple of weeks ago. They could be something, they could be nothing, but right now we need to look into every angle we can to figure out what's happened here and how our presence plays into it.

That said they are, of course, in the same unknown language most texts have been found in.

If anyone has had any luck with translating or is looking to start work on something like that, please come see me either in the tavern or the clinic so I can pass them over to you.

Thank you,
-Commander Ackermann

I've been working on translating this world's language for a while now. Haven't made a ton of progress, but I might be able to help a little bit. Maybe we should see if the Trader has anything that could help?

- Aisha Landar

[Aisha please just meet with her...]

We could try. Meet me there tomorrow in the afternoon?

-Ana

[ You might be able to hear the groan behind her words. She knew if she didn't, though, they'd never know if the Trader could help. And Carlos would probably be on her ass about it. ]

Sure.

- Aisha

[Deal with it, Aisha.]

See you soon then.

I can try to apply my inherent sense of languages to this, actually. It's not perfect, won't beat any code languages, but worth a go for the general text. I could also craft a Comprehend Languages effect for that.

I'm not familiar with that craft, but it sounds like it's worth a shot to try it on these texts.

Meet with me at the tavern if you'd like to discuss it further.

[It isn't long until Megaera d'Ashland arrives at the tavern. Almost like she teleported. Because she did.]

Good day, Commander.

[Good thing Ana doesn't startle easily.

She motions to an empty chair at her table and then waves Haku over for a drink, should Meg want one.]

[Megaera exchanges pleasantries with Haku as she gets a small drink and takes the chair.]

So, super summarized... Gadrelites, like many demons in my neck of the planar infinity, kind of get to skip the language barrier usually. It won't beat code languages like some forms of Druidic, but I should be able to read basic text.

I would have expected there wouldn't be a barrier at all given that we can all understand one another, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Have you been able to read any text that originated here at all yet?

I've... Honestly scarcely tried. I've been working with stuff that was oft unmarked, or of the creation of the rest of us from beyond.

But it does seem like it's incompletely knowable to me now. Which is... Off. Like, in theory, as long as there's one mortal who knows this language, I should be able to work with it.

"As long as there's one mortal who knows..."

[Ana brought a crooked finger to her lips, head tilting to the side as she mulled those words over quietly.]

Would that mean that... there really are no original residents left? Not just here but in the whole of this world?

That is one possibility.

It's also plausible that the same effect that's providing a translation effect between our natural languages is interfering with the native language. As if it were not compatible with it, somehow.

I'm not sure which I dislike more... the idea that there's no one left, or that what we've been given doesn't even work the way it's supposed to.

Neither is a great explanation, no. It's possible there is some limitation I do not know of with my language ability, though.

Either way, it means our best bet would be to try and reconstruct the language. Not sure who would be our best bet for that...

There was another person who replied to my message on the board. I'm trying to get her to meet up with me. I don't know if she'll have any more luck than we're having right now but the wider net we cast, the more likely we're gonna find something to start us in the right direction.

Yeah. Someone with a more... Traditional linguistics background would be an excellent ally on this front. But with what we have, it's just a matter of... Well, working from near nothing and working it out bit by bit. Find things were we know the meaning, extrapolate, et cetera.

I'll have to see what happens with her then. You're not wrong, though. Not everything can be cracked via brute strength or my trusty foot key. Sometimes it actually does take patience.

[Ana looked down at the papers and the writing that she of course couldn't read.]

... a lot of patience.

HEY

COME SPAR WITH ME

AND MAYBE OTHERS

I GOT MY CAST OFF FINALLY AND I GOTTA GET BACK IN SHAPE

-Carlos

[This one has a thread to go with it! Please reply there!]

Edited 2022-10-07 23:46 (UTC)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Community Board

Posted Day 176

Not too long after the post...

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Posted Day 181

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Re: Posted Day 181

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To Action

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-Also- posted Day 181