ATTN: Folks

[Shyriath]

For your amusement and edification, I present the following notices:

-I probably still exist

-I may or may not do things here

-I may or may not have already done something here

-I am indisputably and undeniably strange at this point in time.

...thank you for your attention. That is all.

[Krasniy Yastreb]

That is all.

[Shyriath]

And to you, I think, I owe an apology for my disappearing act. And Rossy, too, I suppose.

Though I'm delighted to see that you've been making the most of it.

[Krasniy Yastreb]

For what it's worth, my overbearing irritability in Minarboria's last days was probably the exact opposite of what you needed at that moment, and it's weighed on me somewhat heavily ever since - so let's call it all square.

As for Kalgachia, I only hope I didn't pervert your creative legacy too much with the Deep Singers' halfbreed successors, Lord Farstrider's alcoholic demise etc. I've tried to be intelligent about it

[Shyriath]

For what it's worth, my overbearing irritability in Minarboria's last days was probably the exact opposite of what you needed at that moment, and it's weighed on me somewhat heavily ever since - so let's call it all square.

Fair enough, though that was really only a small part of what happened.

I'd rather not go into everything that was happening, but it's left me with the strong feeling that there are some kinds of situations I'm not suited for. Leading and administering my own projects is fine, because if anyone has an investment that's affected by a lapse, it's me; and I can squeak by if in a position of overseeing something with enough people for inertia, and therefore I made a passable Kaiser in Shireroth. But Minarboria was something that fell into the gap between those, and it required time and a lot of emotional energy and inspiration to feel like it was kept going, even when all of us were around. And when all of us weren't around and real life demanded both time and emotional energy, I sort of ceased being able to deal with it.

And then the site lapsed while I was distracted, because of course it did. I still have some backups somewhere - I don't think there was one near the end, but technically not everything's lost, if I could remember how to set it up again. Though at this point I'm not sure if there'd be a point to it.

As for Kalgachia, I only hope I didn't pervert your creative legacy too much with the Deep Singers' halfbreed successors, Lord Farstrider's alcoholic demise etc. I've tried to be intelligent about it

Given that Lord Farstrider's tendency to retreat into alcohol was already established lore, I really can't complain.

I'm still trying to figure out how to internalize the state of the Nezeni. I don't disapprove at all - I like what thus far seems to be a vaguely wood-elvish tone in how they're presented - but that the sense of displacement between what the Nezeni are and what the Deep Singers were is still a bit disconcerting. Though I can also content myself with the thought that, perhaps, the Singers are still there somewhere, sealed underground and doing their thing, waiting on the world to change.

[Kaiser Ayreon IV]

Hey Shy <3

[Continuator]

I'm still trying to figure out how to internalize the state of the Nezeni. I don't disapprove at all - I like what thus far seems to be a vaguely wood-elvish tone in how they're presented - but that the sense of displacement between what the Nezeni are and what the Deep Singers were is still a bit disconcerting. Though I can also content myself with the thought that, perhaps, the Singers are still there somewhere, sealed underground and doing their thing, waiting on the world to change.

I like to think that there are a few dissident burrows left behind in Shimmerspring giving the area's new N&H overlords the "Forest Brothers" treatment.

[Janus Eadric]

Welcome back.

[Shyriath]

Hiya, Ric. Congrats on the perpetual-but-mostly-powerless-Kaisership (if I'm understanding the current situation right?).

Edit: And hello to Ed, too.

[Heath Belledin]

Welcome back!

[Shyriath]

I like to think that there are a few dissident burrows left behind in Shimmerspring giving the area's new N&H overlords the "Forest Brothers" treatment.

While at odds with what canonically happened, I admit that it's a fun enough idea that it should be entertained nonetheless.

Welcome back!

A degree of 'back', anyway. If nothing else, I shall have a seat in the old peanut gallery.

[Soraya Octavius-Parini]

SHY! HI!

[Continuator]

I like to think that there are a few dissident burrows left behind in Shimmerspring giving the area's new N&H overlords the "Forest Brothers" treatment.

While at odds with what canonically happened, I admit that it's a fun enough idea that it should be entertained nonetheless.

Grand. As far as canon was concerned the idea occurred to me after re-reading this the other day. A splinter group from a splinter group let's say.

[Krasniy Yastreb]

I still have some backups somewhere - I don't think there was one near the end, but technically not everything's lost, if I could remember how to set it up again. Though at this point I'm not sure if there'd be a point to it.

Ardy's been throwing me sporadic enquiries about the history of ex-Minarborian-now-Shirerithian territories which my own recollection fails to resolve in the fullest detail, so there may yet be use for such a thing.

I'm still trying to figure out how to internalize the state of the Nezeni. I don't disapprove at all - I like what thus far seems to be a vaguely wood-elvish tone in how they're presented - but that the sense of displacement between what the Nezeni are and what the Deep Singers were is still a bit disconcerting.

My headcanon on that dynamic is that the more advanced Deep Singer iterations were incapable of unassisted reproduction, and that the Nezeni are the descendants of a small minority of the more baseline iterations who retained a shaky capacity for natural birthing - making the evolutionary relationship more divergent than successionary. In effect the Nezeni are the very-incomplete echo of an obsolete, transitional stage in the Deep Singer iterational process rather than representative inheritors of the latter, more heavily-engineered generations. So the displacement you sense would in fact be grounded in material reality.

Also on a slightly different subject, may I refer you to the Kalgachi Order of Council dated Harvestfall 28th, 162 AL, wherein the right of a certain cheerful revenant to reassert his jolly dominion over the shadow of Toastytop mountain is confirmed and retained within the Kalgachi provincial governance structure, should you ever wish to exploit such a thing

[Shyriath]

Ardy's been throwing me sporadic enquiries about the history of ex-Minarborian-now-Shirerithian territories which my own recollection fails to resolve in the fullest detail, so there may yet be use for such a thing.

A lot of the basic facts available are in the wiki, which got migrated to the new host before I vanished and is still extant. But I don't recall that much was ever done for a lot of that area, really. Litel was canonically a wilderness preserve and its "capital" was essentially an overgrown forestry service lodge; Gloomvale was reserved for Orion should he ever decide to claim it, which never happened; most of Lywall's development involved Sansabury, with the possible exception of the Little Gardeners' home; Lachmeren played host to Rothaven, which you wrote a bit about in connection to Zemmy's arrival there, but I don't think much else was done to explore that region; &zeter... I dunno. Some stuff was done to develop &zeter city, I think - there were some geographical ideas, and you wrote some stuff during the Harvestfall Revolution that probably has relevance, and if Shireroth wanted to resurrect the University there or something your various missives would probably be useful. I don't think the backup covers the Revolution period, though.

And I made a map of Minarborian Tellia. But that's probably about it.

My headcanon on that dynamic is that the more advanced Deep Singer iterations were incapable of unassisted reproduction, and that the Nezeni are the descendants of a small minority of the more baseline iterations who retained a shaky capacity for natural birthing - making the evolutionary relationship more divergent than successionary. In effect the Nezeni are the very-incomplete echo of an obsolete, transitional stage in the Deep Singer iterational process rather than representative inheritors of the latter, more heavily-engineered generations. So the displacement you sense would in fact be grounded in material reality.

In one sense, it's a very plausible development regardless of which Singers were involved. The Singers' inability to conceive naturally was induced for each individual at a certain stage of development, rather than being a consequence of their genetic design - in many cases, it could have been exactly as simple a matter as of young Singers, who had not yet undergone the process at the time of the collapse, therefore never getting a chance to have it at all. There would be the additional possibility, too, of there being some minority for whom the modification was not permanent and had to be applied repeatedly to be effective.

As for the appearance of Nezeni: adults who were former Minarborians, of course, would naturally keep the appearance they last had, regardless of how unusual it was. Something to keep in mind, however, is that an entirely unmodded Singer, regardless of the appearance of their parents, looks fairly human - very distinguishable in certain respects, but someone who didn't know what a Singer was, or only knew about their more outlandish manifestations, might mistake them for some kind of albino human of unfamiliar ancestry. It appears that that Rubina, at least, bucks this trend, but that might be attributed to the somewhat irregular process involved in Xantus' creation; but if the unusual features are meant to be common even among those Nezeni that grew up post-Minarboria, then some kind of explanation of a suitably posterior-shielding nature might be required.

Though the cat-like eyes, at least, could very well have been added at a late iteration. It would've fit with the kind of things Singers would've liked in the "basic package", so to speak.

Also on a slightly different subject, may I refer you to the Kalgachi Order of Council dated Harvestfall 28th, 162 AL, wherein the right of a certain cheerful revenant to reassert his jolly dominion over the shadow of Toastytop mountain is confirmed and retained within the Kalgachi provincial governance structure, should you ever wish to exploit such a thing

I shall keep that under consideration. If any lich could have survived the collapse, one with an incorporeal phylactery consisting of the world's joy would have (though there are other possibilities, such as one who the Archons, in their perverted delight, simply refuse to let die, regardless of his own wishes). I haven't decided what kind of activity, if any, I'd be engaged in aside from just showing up around here and not being gone, but we can discuss that and other matters via PM, if you like.

[Krasniy Yastreb]

Your consultative presence is of immense value in itself - I'll be sure to pick your brains further

the Little Gardeners' home

*excitedly remembers*

I don't know if you found it yet, but there exists a cinematically-assisted folk legend that the fate of a certain resident of that home was ultimately bound up with that of the Shrub himself...

[Ryker]

Hello Shy.

[Soraya Octavius-Parini]

SHY! HI!

[Ryker]

[Shyriath]

I don't know if you found it yet, but there exists a cinematically-assisted folk legend that the fate of a certain resident of that home was ultimately bound up with that of the Shrub himself...

Yes, I saw. That made me a bit warm inside, I admit.

Hello Shy.

SHY! HI!

Hello and hello!