Whale Man Tries to Turn Around And Walk Back Into the Rift

[encoreinthedeep]

Type: Text
Sender ID: encoreinthedeep (Ulpianus)
To: Everyone
Subject: Return
Warnings: None

Requesting all available information on how to return to my own world.

[ He sends this message within ten seconds of receiving his shellphone. ]

Comments

text; un: haveaflare

[haveaflare]

You must have only recently arrived. My apologies, but returning to your own star is complicated and, at present, random.

It is said travel is maintained by a relic many here seek in order to control the event, but it has thus far proven elusive. In the meantime, you are among a great number who share your sentiment.

Well-met. I am Dion.

[encoreinthedeep]

You may call me a Hunter.

[ He isn't keen on giving out his name to people, but they do need something to refer to him. ]

Direct me to the hub for coordinating information and efforts towards locating this relic.

[haveaflare]

Very well, Hunter. You are welcome to call me Dion.

There is no hub. In truth, it is the goal of several crews gathered here, my own being no exception. If you are interested in joining our efforts, I would urge you to contact Lady Benedikta.

[encoreinthedeep]

Why haven't you established a platform to share the knowledge gained?

[ He will think about the whole "joining" someone thing later. ]

» text | un: tilfrosset

[tilfrosset]

Unfortunately, that is not something that is in any of our control.

That doesn't mean you can't, as some people have and returned to tell the tale. It's just that we have no say on when the rifts decide to work in our favor.

[encoreinthedeep]

I request all data on these returns. A pattern may be discovered.

[tilfrosset]

[She suspects this guy could throw in a please or two in his request, but Jill feels like this isn't the time for a lecture on manners.]

There is no rhyme nor reason to it. Some people remember being here, others don't. The closest experience I've had to it was someone who went to sleep at night as per usual and woke up no longer here.

That's not to say there aren't people working to discover the workings behind the rifts. I just want you to be aware that they haven't quite found much in the way of anything. If there was, it would certainly be found posted for all and sundry to see as soon as possible.

[encoreinthedeep]

[ Someone will have to lecture Ulpianus on manners one day. Maybe today, actually. ]

Then I need to know who is working on this and how to contact them. As well as where the information on the rifts is collated.

text; un: makoglow

[makoglow]

Yeah, good luck with that.

I don't think any progress has been made on that front.

[encoreinthedeep]

Or not enough effort has been made.

[makoglow]

Or there hasn't been a lot of opportunities to find out anything.

[encoreinthedeep]

Opportunities must be created.

voice; un: paradisea

[empyrean_mirror]

[I don't wanna do the font tags Kaveh's hands are busy so his answer comes courtesy of Mehrak holding his phone for him.]

We've been trying to answer that for some time, I'm afraid. Unfortunately, most of what we've found are dead ends and more questions.

[encoreinthedeep]

[ What are your hands so busy with, Kaveh...............

Also please choose your flavour of Ulpianus: ENG or Jotaro Kujo. ]

What dead ends and what questions?

[empyrean_mirror]

[COOKING. COOKING.]

Most of this world's own history was lost--drowned in the oceans, as best anyone can tell. The natives certainly don't know, and if any do, they certainly aren't sharing.

[Kaveh makes a slightly irritated sound.] The Leviathans themselves range from not having any more answers about the rifts than we do, to being frustratingly enigmatic about their own origins and intentions, but there's no evidence that they have anything to do with the Riftfarers' arrival in this world. Thus, the current working hypothesis is that the rifts are created by a relic, but that leaves us without any idea of size, shape, location, and if it's activating on it's own or being used to some purpose.

Has anyone told you about how time is affected?

[encoreinthedeep]

[ This is far more informative than Ulpianus expected, but all the better for him. It's nice to talk to someone who knows how to present information. ]

No.

[ Now if only Ulpianus himself was as active a conversation participant. ]

text

[serendipitously]

If you find out, do let the rest of us know. As it stands it seems this is the only place I've encountered where there's no real clues on an exit by our own choice.

[encoreinthedeep]

[ The only place they've encountered? That wording is interesting. ]

You have been to more other worlds?

[serendipitously]

More than I can count at this point.

[encoreinthedeep]

By what means? Is your civilization spacefaring?

text | un: BlossomingTide

[withermarked]

Others can answer you better, but I'm afraid you may need to settle in for a good while. I know it's not the news you were after, but for what it's worth this isn't a bad place to make a life for yourself.

If you had pressing matters back home, it may help to know that it seems time won't pass while you're away.

[encoreinthedeep]

[ Oh, that username sets him RIGHT on edge - it's too evocative of the Seaborn's march onto the land. With luck, that's just some misguided poetry, but he will have to make sure. ]

'Seems' isn't good enough. Present proof that it does not pass.

[withermarked]

[ What a coincidence: the man whose misspent youth involved spreading the Drowning Song feels some kind of way about 'encore in the deep.'

And about this person being rude, but he knows finding yourself here is stressful. And that he personally took some of this news terribly. ]

I'm afraid the proof we have depends on taking people at their word. Enough people have said that to be their experience, with all different worlds, that it certainly seems to be the case.

Some folks disappear and don't come back. We can only speculate on that, and I dearly hope they're safe.

Some disappear and find themselves home, as if they never left at all. And when they come back here they remember whatever time they were there for. I've seen proof of events in their worlds, injuries sustained there and the like.

text; un: garudas; private

[garudas]

[Making a note of this ID for her own future reference. Someone else interested in the rifts, hm? She's keeping track...]

There is none. If there were, that information would have been made readily available already. There are, however, some who are interested in researching them, myself included.

While I've little findings at the moment, I believe there are entities that might have the answers that we seek in travelling the rifts.

[Or not travelling them.]

[encoreinthedeep]

[ His first impulse is to remark that others have told him that information on the rifts is not readily shared, but the latter part of her message is much more relevant right now. ]

What are those entities?