Homepage F'ni
D'ni main
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From : Hu Brihs, apprentice Guild of Writers
To: Chehdar Bree, apprentice Guild of Surveyors
Shorah Cousin!
I promised to tell you when I began to write my first
book. I have begun! It is early but that will only add
greater glory to our house when it is declared the next
classic. I have no doubt my mentor will be pleased. I
have many pages of his notes about the best qualities for
sky and soil. I will use them all!
It should be a rich world with many new plants. When it
is available I will ask my father about inviting you to
see it. You can help me plan the site of our new vacation
cottage. You can have one after you help build ours.
There will be plenty of land because I've written it that
way.
My korfah v'jah should come in the next few months, as
soon as it is approved. (I am sure your father will bring
you) That will be the first step toward establishing me
as the youngest guildmaster ever. Won’t father be
proud!
Hu
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Rahno, GuildMaster of Writers
To: Markil, GuildMaster of Maintainers
.shorah
An impetuous youth from our guild has finished the Age
enclosed. Were he not Lord K'lahbahn’s son, I would
have turned him out and burned it on principle! He had
not yet attained the rank to begin copying linking books,
let alone write his own Age unaided. He seems to have
depended heavily on his rector’s thesis notes on
Gahro-hevtee interactions between soil and climates. The
results should be… interesting.
I await your report with interest. We will, as always, be
ready to burn the work on your reccommendation, though
I'm sure his father will be disappointed.
Respectfully,
Guildmaster Rahno
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Markil, Guildmaster
To: Gillo Gehn, Guildsman
.shorah guildsman
I have a new assignment for you. Let us hope you can
carry it through with greater dispatch than you did your
last errand. A Lord's son has jumped the gun a bit and
written himself an Age without proper training . Markil,
unsurprisingly, has left the unpleasant task of passing
judgement on it (and facing the father's wrath) to us.
I am sure I do not have to tell you that the way to
safely condemn this Age is to judge it by the most basic
requirements for inclusion, noting carefully each
failure. Hu's new work must have a safe linking area, a
safe environment, contain no large hostile creatures, and
be essentially stable. Should any situation arise that
makes it necessary for you to use emergency linking
procedures, that would be grounds for immediate burning.
Be sure to document any such incident carefully.
I will be awaiting your findings, guildsman.
Guildmaster Markil
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(from a heavily soiled notebook)
Gillo Gehn's report on Age 23789 *unofficially named
"Hu Bris' First Great Age"*
Personal Note: Yahvo must hate me! First I slip on
the freshly waxed marble with the Guildmaster's new china
and then I get this! Why does everything have to happen
to me?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
yahr 1
I have been here five minutes and my boots are already
filthy. It took me this long to get untangled, but the
footing is firm enough 4-5 inches below the surface. The
linking location appears to be a thick natural raft of
thick mud and ferns. All the flora in view have extensive
roots and vines near the surface, probably to compensate
for the lack of firm earth. The area is very flat,except
for long hillocks created by a fallen trees. Many
arboreals around me have reached enormous girth. Their
roots must run very deep indeed. Everything within reach
of my goggles is the same.
I will head north first, checking for quicksand and other
natural hazards. No fauna visible larger than the clouds
of mosquitos, gnats etc.that surround me. I have linked
back samples of these to check for disease. I do not yet
have proof of dangerous conditions here but I expect it
will not be long before I find something of the sort.
First Gahrtahvo checkpoint:
It has been raining steadily since my arrival. The soft
misting spray gave way to a torrential downpour which has
now settled into a dreary drizzle. The sky remains so
grey that I could do without my goggles if the
precipation would cease. By now I have tested the
atmosphere, and found it within tolerances. I should have
the results of a more throrough ananlysis in a few hours.
I have sent back several soil and water samples as well,
though pure examples of the latter were harder to come
by. I have yet to encounter a single body of water larger
than a puddle. It looks as though the water is
distributing evenly through the topsoil. The Guild of
Healers report that the initial insect samples are free
of serious disease. I will send them more species. Yahvo
knows there are more than enough insects!
(second entry is hard to read)
Second Gahrtahvo check..... Air confirmed
breathable...Found the "hill" is whats left of
an root system from one of these old trees. I have
decided to make camp.....much mud, black this.... mild
gale conditions...still no quiksa.....drat! the whole
hill is moving!
(next entries unreadable)
.....................................................................
yahr 5
Blast it! Can the Chemists & Healers find nothing? I
have returned kilos of soil samples of every shade of the
rainbow! I have sent them buckets and barrels of bugs,
colorful frogs, and small reptiles! What are they doing
with them all? Eating them???!!
2nd Gahrtahvo checkpoint
The sun has finally appeared! Yahvo be praised! Now we
will see what harsh conditions put so much moisture into
the sky! Even better, Skehppur, my senior partner, has
been ordered to assist! He ridiculed my troubles in
rating this Age at first. but no longer. I have adjusted
to the sliding waddle-walk required to remain upright
here. He has yet to master it. Skehppur eats more roots
than I did. heh heh heh
..................................................................
yahr 10
The weather continues hot, humid, and largely still. Had
I known what a relief the monsoon rains were to the usual
conditions in this place, I would not have wished their
departure so soon. On the other hand, travel has become
much easier as the surface crusts up in many spots. Water
is still widely available,especially under the great
oaks, but unsedimented puddles are hard to come by. The
swarms of mosquitos have vanished but most of the other
flying insects have only fled to the shadow of the trees.
gggggrrrreeeeeaaaaaatttttt.
A variety of new plants are taking root in the soil as it
changes. We will send samples of these as they grow, as
several appear to be a sort of grain. Even if they prove
edible it would be hard to harvest it in large amounts
under these growing conditions, but they may prove useful
elsewhere.
...............................................................
yahr 16
Another mudslide has carried us miles further south than
we wished to go but we could not declare an emergency,
blast it! The muck steadfastly refused to bury us or our
gear. The camp floated on the surface due to the
increased density of the mud just below us. Yahvo knows
its warm enough to bake a pie, let alone mud.
It would be impossible to be dirtier than I am now. The
mud thickens as it dries. Some varieties turn to glue,
others to sand; but some kind of mud manages to gets into
everything we own: goggles, food, gloves, even
toothpaste. I think I will cease to avoid trying to eat
too much of it. If I get ill, perhaps the blind
researchers at the healers guild will finally find some
harmful microbes.
(the next pages are too soiled to read)
..........................................................
yahr 25
Just returned from the standard checkup at the Healer's
Guild. According to my examiner, the mud we are forced to
ingest all day long is responsible for a notable
improvement in our health! Healer Johkin further informs
us that they have discovered that the mushy soil samples
are simply overflowing with nutrients AND a new form of
phytoplankton which is easily digested as lean protein.
We cannot starve, though such a dinner is no feast.
We expected fungal infections to appear by now, and so
they have, inside our suits. Once exposed to the air (and
mud), however, the rashes disappeared within hours.
Johken theorizes that the local microbes have
theurapeutic qualities. Yes, but what about the gnats
& flies? We get no infections from them but they are
certainly unpleasant enough!
The increased visibility has given us one last target.
There are large seal-like creatures playing on a fallen
great tree in the distance.
At last we have found the herd grazing on
floating grass. The topology must not be as uniform as we
first thought. These moos (so Skehppur has dubbed them,
for the sounds they make) use "tunnels" made by
"rivers" of fast flowing dark mush below the
surface. The huge herbivores are not especially
dangerous. Several of them are gentle enough to touch.
Taking samples of the new materials.
Special note: Avoid the mother/calves! Skehppur spent
most of the afternoon disengaging me from the mud mound a
cow splashed up to my waist before diving to safety.
..........................................................
VIlee vaht
So now we know the cycle. monsoon, small drought, monsoon
again. The mosquitos are back. yippee.
VIlee vahgahbree
Skehppur is looking into the possibilities of having the
Age declared harmful based on its psychological effects.
He says I am the better candidate because I was here
first ....and looks hopeful every time my eyelids twitch!
.............................................................
VIlee nayvoo
Its become apparant that we could survive here
indefinitely without ever being able to easily approve or
disapprove the Age. Thankfully Skehppur has received a
suggestion that may relieve us at last. His mentor
remembers that there's a precedent for referring stable
Ages of questionable worth for final review before the
High Council.
Markil would back this recommendation, we feel sure. Lord
K'lahbahn has been pressurring Rahno to set his son's
Kor'fah V'ja, and he in turn, has been pressurring Markil
to give him final assessment.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From Markil, Guildmaster of Maintainers
To: Rahno, Guildmaster of Writers
CC: High Council
official summary: Age of Mud
Honored Sirs:
We have completed our report. We find that the Age
enclosed is stable and benign, but is not suitable for
D'ni habitation. There are no flora or fauna that may be
utilized save in small scale enterprises. Further, the
continuing conditions will not permit structures based on
any building code currently approved by council.
It is, however, possible that certain persons may wish to
explore this unusual environment for recreational,
health, or scientific purposes. I am therefore referring
the final approval process to the High Council. They may
find a guild or party who wishes to make use of it. The
full report is enclosed.
Respectfully,
Guildmaster Markil
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From Lord K'lahban
To Rahno, Guildmaster of Writers
Sir:
What is all this nonsense? You say my boy has written a
stable Age. Why is it not approved? The engraver will
seize my deposit if we do not have a date for his Korfah
in two weeks!
Why should I have to find "an interested party"
to have his Age sealed? This is most irregular. I shall
have satisfaction. I demand Hu's accomplishment be
recognized!
Lord K'lahbahn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Rahno, Guildmaster of Writers
To: Lord K'lahban
Lord K'labahn,
The High Council has chosen to approve Hu's work and is
pleased to present you with your own family Age. You must
be very proud that your son has filled your family's
desire for a personal Age with his very first effort.
Guildmaster Markil has personally volunteered to deliver
Hu's freshly sealed Age to your very door and outline
your new duties, privileges and land taxes.
We are given to understand that this Age is not only
benign, but beneficial to visitors, we therefore
recommend that you visit it at your earliest opportunity.
Should you wish to build a cottage or other structure, be
sure to consult the Guild of Maintainers first for a plan
specially suited to the environment.
The graduating class will have their korfah v'ja at the
end of term. Your son may take part if he wishes, however
he must still complete all classes and exams in the
coming years to be employed as a full guildsman.
Congratulations,
Guildmaster Rahno
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Lord K'lahbahn
To: The Guild of Healers
Honorable Sirs:
You will find enclosed the Age we discussed last week. I
am told the maintainer's report details at length the
many valuable resources available in my son's creation.
You should ask for a copy. As you know, Hu's Age is a
very healthful one, excellent for complexions and
digestion. But sometimes it is wise to give up personal
treasures for the common good. I have therefore removed
our house seal.
I look forward to receiving your official acknowledgement
of this generous donation by the earliest avaliable
messenger, as I am to meet with my tax preparer in a few
days. I trust you appreciate that there is a great deal
of acreage in this gift.
Thank you.
Lord K'lahbahn
|
