For the first log transcriptions of this series, please refer to this article, a Word from the West from Professor Mia. [OOC informative note from editor Kieran: The first article has some questions from Mia, such as why are all the gems in the logs yellow. Fellow adventurers have since determined that these are Topazes, used by this society for Intent. These recordings IC are all spoken in Draconic, but we understand the intent of the words].
**OOC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah8NyVsPVo8 to hear all of the log audio! enjoy!**
Voice Log Transcriptions
Log 1
Phina: This is Phina. Log date... does it even really matter anymore? I couldn't save the Black city, the best I could do was activate the stasis shield to keep the Gemification from spreading. I know it won't be enough, the shield was not designed to defend against such intense magical forces, much less keep those… things inside the city.
For now though, I have to keep going. Those gemstone fanatics are still after me. I can't let them reach the surface. They've... embedded pieces of Project Prism into themselves, intentionally accelerating the Gemification process and allowing it to spread far beyond our initial containment measures. I managed to trap one in a stasis food preserver in an outpost deeper in the caverns. Oh Palamos… this is not what Quig would have wanted. [RECORDING PAUSED]
[RECORDING RESUMED]
If you're listening to this, I can only hope it is as a friend. The Stasis Shield will not hold forever, but I have to lock down the Labyrinth so the cult doesn't escape. However, I've installed a bypass in the cloaking system so it can still be unlocked from the outside. By default the entrance is hidden by a lattice of obscure gems, but I've rewired the old observation pylons to act as a keycode. They’re dormant, so hopefully all you'll have to do is prime them with a little bit of magic to get them online. Prime all three, and the bypass sequence should trigger, revealing and unlocking the door. If everything went according to plan, all other major entrances to the Labyrinth have been closed for safety, so this is likely your only chance. Good luck.
Log 2
PALAMOS:
Begin log. I’ve been trying to fix these consoles for four hours, but I can’t find my way around this mess. It looks like someone haphazardly rewired half these systems. I need to keep a record of this nonsense. Let’s see… maybe if I tighten the…. And now when I power it on…. UHGHHHHH! Still nothing!
QUIG:
Morning Palamos. I see you are taking your new assignment to the watchtower “well.” What’s… all this about?
PALAMOS:
Good Morning Quig. How is our tireless captain today? Here to offer your sagacious counsel?
QUIG:
Tireless and Sagacious? Why Palamos, you know my lineage grants me resistance against fire, but I’m afraid it offers no protection from your charms.
PALAMOS:
I- Uh? (clears throat) The, um… viewing prisms all along the watchtower exterior stopped working last night, just as I spotted a specimen of the local fauna that was actually interesting. I’ve been attempting to fix them for… a few hours, but without the proper equipment they seem resigned to staying dead.
QUIG:
Mind if I take a look? I’m pretty handy when it comes to this fancy Gem Tech stuff.
PALAMOS:
*scoffs* Be my guest! But it’s a delicate piece of technology, I highly doubt someone without the proper training would be able to…
*rummaging noises*
*THUNK*
*whirring noises*
QUIG:
Heyyyy! There we go! I think I got it!
PALAMOS:
I have been recalibrating delicate adamantium lattices… for 4 hours…and you just.. Hit it?
QUIG:
You’d be surprised at the number of problems you can solve with a little… percussive maintenance.
PALAMOS:
Is that why the Stasis Food Preserver has a dent in it? Anyway, what about the rest of this system? It looks like somebody welded a bunch of sapphires to it and tied it all together with adamantine?
QUIG:
The topaz lensing systems on these machines burned out weeks ago. It takes too long to get replacements from the Black City, and I figured I just needed to preserve the image, so I took some half infused sapphire, bent a bit of spare adamantium wire around it, then placed them backward in the slots.
PALAMOS:
But… I just ran a diagnostic! The lensing system was the only part that was functioning within the normal parameters!!? And the picture was perfect, before it cut out. I mean… this is incredible, I had no idea a sapphire could be used to preserve light information. When did you discover this?
QUIG:
I didn’t really discover anything, I just… tried something. And when that didn’t work, I tried something else until eventually I either got it to work, or I completely killed it.
PALAMOS:
(quietly) Heh, I guess Daedalus was right. (Normal) How many other scalebrained “repairs” have you made around the Watchtower? I’d better take a look. To make sure you’re not about to blow us all up, of course.
QUIG:
*Overly Dramatic Sigh* I suppose if it would set your mind at ease, Inkbreather. Come on, I’ll show you all of my revolutionary tricks to revive machinery from the brink of death.
PALAMOS:
Revolutionary, eh? Well then I might just have to list you as a co-author on my next paper: “Percussive Maintenance, and its Effects on Gemstone Transmission Structures.”
QUIG:
*Pfft.* Whatever you say. Maybe I’ll write my own paper. Run you outta the job. Don’t worry, sunshine, I’ll leave a place for you in my horde.
Log 3
QUIG:
Amethyst experiment #4. First test using topaz with the new gemstone.
PALAMOS:
Thank you, Quig. Amethyst has exhibited disruptive properties when paired with the other gemstones. Today we shall be applying various strength Topaz crystals to see if its ordering properties can reveal the emergent characteristics of the Amethyst.
PHINA:
Actually, Palamos, I have a hunch I know how Amethyst works. I already got a golem from the mining group. If we embed an amethyst in the awakened golem, then try to connect with a topaz-
PALAMOS:
You requisitioned a mining golem without consulting me? Phina, I am the chief scientist of this lab. You can’t just do whatever you want. We have procedures for a reason! Besides, the lab is already set up for the singleton tests with the other basic gemstones. We can experiment with golems in two months when the rest of the amethysts finish infusing.
PHINA:
But that’s sooooooo loooooong! We already know what Amethyst does! It hides things! That’s why all our sensors just report purple static when we run it alongside other gemstones. That’s why we need to test it on more complex gem-tech! Too see how it affects them! To see what the limits are!
PALAMOS:
That kind of recklessness will not be tolerated in this lab. It’s exactly that sort of behavior that got your father killed!
PHINA:
At least he did something before he died! This is the first new gemstone the lab has found in over thirty years of your “inspiring” leadership. At this rate it will be another thirty years before we even know what it does.
PALAMOS: You’re one to talk! I have revolutionized our society. My gemstone fabricator produces quality gemstones in months instead of years. How has your research into Quartz been going?
QUIG:
Hatchlings, hatchlings, please! You both have sharp claws and shiny scales. Let’s take a little breather and get back to the experiments? OK?
*Some shuffling*
QUIG:
(quietly) Don’t let her get under your scales, Darling.
PALAMOS:
(quietly) I know, she just-
QUIG:
(quietly) She reminds you of Daedalus. That’s not a bad thing. But you can’t control her anymore than Sigwyn could control him.
PALAMOS:
(quietly) You’re right. You’re right. Sigh. What would I do without you, Day Star?
QUIG:
(quietly) affirmative noise (normal volume) Phina? Where is the mining golem?
PHINA:
The southern loading bay. I had the techs set it up in a sapphire stasis field.
QUIG: Good. Let’s pack up and head down there, then. But we’re not running any tests until Palamos is satisfied it’s safe. Is that acceptable?
PHINA:
YESSS!!! Thank you, Quig! Let’s go!
Log 4
PALAMOS:
Sorry, it’s on now. So what do you think?
DAEDALUS:
It is very impressive. The quality and precision are just what I have come to expect from my star pupil. You’ve just about perfected Sigwyn’s gemstone infusion technique. How quickly are you producing now?
PALAMOS:
A single artifice like this one can generate a Grade A gemstone in just under a year! I’m sure there’s still room for improvement though. If you would take another look at my work, I’d love to show you-
DAEDALUS:
That is not necessary, Palamos. I am certain at this point your knowledge of gem infusion far outstrips my own.
PALAMOS:
Don’t be ridiculous, Elder. You invented this technology. Your knowledge of gem-tech is the greatest of all draconians! I still have so much to learn from you.
DAEDALUS:
Harumph. Perhaps. How go your other projects?
PALAMOS:
Uh… Yes… My other projects.
DAEDALUS:
Your last three presentations have been minor performance adjustments to the infusion rig. There’s no new insights, no breakthroughs. You’re not telling me you spent the last decade endlessly iterating on century old technology are you?
PALAMOS:
I- Of course not! I was just thinking about how… infusing gemstones, or rather, when integrating infused gemstones with an adamantine framework… I mean, gemstones have their own resonance, right? And …uh… the adamantine lattice influences the expression. So maybe.. um... if we crafted components with… matching resonance we could ...um… communicate with a piece of gem tech… remotely?
DAEDALUS:
AH-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha. I’m impressed! That almost made some kind of sense!
*Pause*
DAEDALUS:
Palamos, your work on gemstone infusion has been revolutionary, but you seem almost frightened of other projects. You’re flying in circles. What troubles you?
PALAMOS:
I’m sorry, Daedalus, there’s just… so much to learn. You and Sigwyn discovered so much. And you’re still doing it! On these other projects I always feel like I’m a wingbeat behind. I guess I’m just more comfortable working on what I already know?
DAEDALUS:
Exploration and discovery are a key part of the scientific process, my young pupil. I think you have spent too much time in this lab.
PALAMOS:
No, Elder, please! I’ll work on any project you want! I’ll work on all of them! My place is by your side!
DAEDALUS:
You have a brilliant mind, Palamos, that’s why I named you my protogée, but your pride and your position have made you too fearful of failure. Bring me a novel idea. Invent something outside of your wingspan. Do something wild! Then we can continue your training.
PALAMOS:
I… *sniffle* I’ll make you proud.
DAEDALUS:
(gently) I look forward to your next presentation. Just, while you are “going wild,” maybe stay away from the rubies. I’ve lost more scales than I’d care to count to those gemstones.
Log 5
UNKNOWN SPEAKER: I know you’re out there, Phina. I know you’re listening. I know you too, have felt the touch of our new mother. There’s no point in fighting it. I was afraid of it once too. Afraid of the unknown. I wasted years stymied by my own fears and inhibitions. But now I have stepped into a new world. Step into it with me.
Can you see it? Crystal: beautiful, eternal, perfect. What better bodies could we hope for? You rely on crude flesh? See how it rots. See how it dies. Though crystal we transcend. We transcend this dark and wretched pit. We transcend life and loss and all the woes we endure in this world.
Can you hear it? Rhythms within rhythms. Patterns within patterns. The first dragon. Our mother. She calls us home. I thought that she had taken everything from me. But it is a gift. I hear his voice. I know he will never leave me now.
Can you feel it? The element, the breath. Embrace her gift, like I have. Embrace your heritage, your father’s dream. Embrace what no dragon has in 300 years! This is your true form! Your true purpose! You can’t run from your destiny, Phina. Sooner or later, we will find you.
[OOC brief synopsis on gems below: From the collective knowledge of adventurers, not meant to be taken as the comprehensive aspects of the gems]
