Ancient Homelands

Continued from Mists of Departure

Colonel Exrex Somme and I followed Nellie as she swam non-stop for hours. Her determination never wavered, and she stayed fairly close to the surface of the water. I was not sure whether that was for our benefit alone, or whether she also needed to remain close to her air source given her energyexpenditure.

Exrex kept the airship moving along nicely and I took copious notes on our route.

Finally Nellie stopped in a land I had never seen before this time. The mists were swirling around us as we hovered just 50 or so meters above the surface of the water. As the wind from our engines kicked the fog and mist up around us, I could see that the water she was in was a small inlet - a very small loch. As the ground came into view,Exrex maneuvered the ship a little lower down. Nellie had swum to the shore, was breathing hard, and looking up at a rise in the ground.

Snow was all around us on the ground as Exrex landed and moored the airship. We climbed out - me in his topcoat and a spare pair of too-large boots which had been in the ship. I looked up at the rise ahead of us. We climbed and climbed. I noted with interest thatExrex was not at all trying to dissuade me from my climb. I believe he sensed it too.

All around me there was a feeling of peace, of belonging. That odd sense of dread and disorder that had plagued me in Loch Avie had now disappeared. I needed to know where Nellie had brought me. I had to see this land.

At the top of the mountain I could see the ocean below on two sides, the loch and other land in the other direction. The land was sparkling like diamonds of snow and ice. A frozen pond. A small cave. This land was old and apparently not touched by human hands for some time.

I felt more than saw a flash of light, and the Celtic faces before me. Suddenly all went black.

Exrex was kneeling next to me. "Your Grace. Your Grace! Are you quite alright, my dear? You appeared to faint, but I was able to step up just in time to break your fall."

I held my head.

"You were only unconscious for a minute or two, my lady. What seems to be wrong? Do you feel ill?"

"Exrex! This is it. This is the land from my dream. I can feel it. This is the land of my grandmother's clan."

Nellie has brought me home.

Exrex made a small fire in the cave and we warmed ourselves a bit. He said that he sensed there was something "friendly" about the land. Looking at his map, he commented that the region was listed as Anodyne. I thought to myself that it was an apt name.

"My grandmother always called her homeland 'Skye'" I said. "But we never visited there."

He soon stood and walked over the the wall of the cave where he found something of interest. He asked if I could join him, and bring another torch.

"What have you found?" I asked.

"Something I believe that will interest Your Grace. This confirms your suspicions without doubt."

Coming next: The Frasers of Skye

A Grand Celebration

Words cannot express how truly wonderful the event in Artificial Isle last night was (despite one very rude guest, who will be dealt with privately and with MI-5 tact, but deserves no more ætheric time here). After nearly one month of planning and work on the Military Winter Holiday Celebration, it was with great pleasure that I watched the magic of it unfold before my eyes last night.

I arrived in world about 45 minutes prior to the event announced start time and ensured that the grog had been adequately prepared by the officers assigned to such a chore. Really they do this with glee every time assuming that they will never be sentenced to such a thing. It was brilliantly sinister (zinfindel, whisky, rum, onion, sausages, meade, and several other unidentifiable ingredients).

I found when I arrived that ZATZAi and Hotspur were already there attending to various tasks before the guests arrived. The hall looked beautiful. Pray allow me to acknowledge the efforts of so many willing participants as this event was in the planning stages. Without their help, we would not have had the gorgeous setting.

• ZATZAi Asturias for asking us to host this event and for the use of his sim and amphitheatre; for creating a collaborative environment. He made working on this a true pleasure. He also provided the large tree, several presents, and furnishings.
  
• Kate Nicholas for allowing me to modify several of her textures for the walls of the venue, for making the fine tables and chairs as well as the parading animation.
  
• Kamilah Hauptmann for the grog mug and animation, Radslns Hutchence for the creation of the grog punch bowl.
  
• Christine McAllister for donation of cigars and brandy
  
• Ordinal Malaprop for the creation of the dinner roll thrower.
• Soliel Snook for her wonderful music program creation.

Of course none of the above would have mattered one whit without all of our guests and active participants (photos follow).

The ceremony was loosely based on the Military Dining In/Out ceremony. Adapting this to SL in a multisim/multi-branch military event was interesting. As I wrote the program, I carefully pulled what I could - what made sense - into our ceremony.

• President and Vice President of the Mess
• Honored guests
• Toasting which began with the countries and sovereigns or leaders represented.
• Limericks and grog
• Parading of the beef
• A guest speaker - telling a short story in this case
• Dancing and general frivolity after the smoking lamp was lit

Our President - Governor AngusGraham Caewlin
Mr. Vice - Commodore Hotspur O'Toole
Honored Guests - ZATZAi Asturias and Fanci Bebee from the United Sailing Sims
Honored Guests - Gregg Barrymore and Angel Magellan, Grand Duke and Duchess of Antiquity
Honored Guest - Kamilah Hauptmann, Vicereine of Caledon
Honored Guest - Sharrah Brendel, Baroness, Antiquity, partner of Governor Caewlin
Honored Guest and speaker - Breezy Carver of Babbage and Steelhead
Honored Guest - Commodore Scattered Sideways, Antiquity
Honored Guest - Colonel Exrex Somme, First Caledon Lancers - Loch Avie's Own
Honored Guest and Music Director - Soliel Snook, Marchioness of Bigglesford

Not only was the evening simply a pleasure, if very intense in management, but we met the goals we established at the outset with ZATZAi. We had a desire to bring several communities with like interests in naval and military activities together, building relationships and offering opportunities which are not always available to single RP or theme groups.

*smiles happily*

I do believe we did this.

This is only the first of many cross-sim events to come. Next? Story-telling and SPD ship battles.

See you there!!

Hosts and DJ confer

Guests begin to arrive

Angus and Sharrah arrive

A Room Full of Guests

Baron Wulfenbach and Miss Lowey of Europa (above)



The Grand Duke and Duchess enjoy themselves

The Head Table

ZATZAi and Fanci toasting

Our friends from the Prussian Navy, Antiquity

Colonel Somme parading the roast beef as per tradition

Alin Hendrassen takes his turn at the grog

Kamilah Hauptmann

The evening wanes as the last few couples remain on the dance floor

There Are Few Words That Are Fit For Polite Company

Imagine my reaction to logging in to check email today at the end of real life work and finding an IM from my cousin Gabrielle stating that she was in emergency mode moving the planned fashion show from Loch Avie to Caledon Rothesay because "The Lindens have applied the 20 avatar limit to Loch Avie and all of the other OS in Caledon."

WTF????

So that's it. Broken contract for the OS conversion scheduled for January 5? No warning. No notice. No NOTHING.

What does that mean to me? No "end of the era celebration" in Loch Avie as planned. And lots of growing distrust, distaste, and unrest.

I am livid!

Where do the games end?

Straight No Chaser

This is so full of win it had to be shared! Even if there is no actual whisky involved.

Happy Holidays.

The Scene Is Being Set for the Military Holiday Celebration

I've been working for the last several days to check things off the project list as we make ready for the Military Winter Holiday Celebration to be held on Sunday, December 14th from 7pm-10pm SLT.

• Program created - check
• Textures made (thanks to Kate Nicholas for giving me some great wall textures to modify) and applied - check
• Tables and chairs placed - check
• Holiday decor - nearly complete
• Mistletoe - check
• Grog - check

Our setting in Artificial Isle
Slurl to the event

There is still work to be done, but doing this work is very pleasing. It is wonderful to have such a fantastic venue to hold this formal military-themed event. Thanks go out to ZATZAi for asking that we create a special event for these sims. He has permitted us to change nearly all the interior textures of his amphitheatre to make it feel like a ballroom in a 19th century Navy Base.

Many thanks in advance to ZATZAi, Hotspur O'Toole, AngusGraham Caewlin, Exrex Somme, and Soliel Snook for their work and efforts in this venture. There are many more folks from several sims who will also be a part (soon as I confirm them, I'll add them to my thank you list) of this fine event.



Even if you are not a part of a formal military RP unit, please join us. Dress Uniform or Black Tie please, if you have it. We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information on the history of a military dining out (formal mess) please see Hibernia on The Skids.

The Mists Of Departure

I have been uneasy of late.

A mist has been rising from Loch Avie at unexpected times for the last month or so. Adding to my stress has been Nellie’s behavior; she has been very restless - leaving the Loch far more often than usual and swimming much more aggressively. I have been talking to several of the biologists in the Royal Society in an effort to try to decipher her actions. No answers thus far.
But two nights ago upon waking from a vivid dream I sensed that science has nothing at all to do with her behavior. Nor the mist. Nor my discomfort.

I dreamt of ancient waterways, and of a people that were my ancestors traveling across the expanses of water. Men of the clan along with the Chieftain sailing in longboats. Women and children were also present wrapped against a hard coldness. They were stoic as the wind and waves battered the boats. But the eye of my dream was drawn to the Chieftain talking with his second in command.

“…there is too much change in the spirit of the place…”

“Aye, M’Laird. Even those under your protection have expressed the sense that evil spirits were around your land.”

“Och! Mo charaid, I am not so sure tis truly evil. But I’ll tell ye this, the spirit is changing.”

The second nodded and they both turned and faced forward - never looking back toward their homeland. A short time later my eye was captured by the Laird’s wife as she moved from her honored position in the longboat to the bow standing behind her husband. Her small hand reached to touch his shoulder, but he had already sensed her.

“Yes, mo annsa?” And he pulled her pale hand to his shoulder and held it in his own strong, freckled and weathered hand.

“Where do the winds lead you, muileach? Where do they take us?”

“The elders and I have chosen an island not too much farther from here. We will find the land before complete darkness surrounds us if the winds continue with us.”

Suddenly the mists covered them completely and I heard shouting which faded into nothingness. Then total darkness.

I sat bolt upright in bed with a gasp of breath and touched my face. I had been weeping - the tears continued streaming down my flushed cheeks. I was so restless that I decided to walk. I did not bother to put other clothing on – I simply needed to be moving. With my silk nightdress flowing around me, I took the secret passage out through the bottom of the Keep. The grass and snow near the Loch were soft against my bare feet – and cold – but I kept walking.
The dream was beginning to solidify things that I had not been allowing myself to feel. Something was changing in my lands.

Was something coming? Already here? Was the Loch about to be attacked?

Allowing the emotions and thoughts to flow, I realized that for the last several weeks, I had felt unsure; unclear. That is not like me at all. As I turned the corner on the far side of the conservatory, I stepped on something sharp. I knelt down and picked up the object. An arrow fletching. Smiling, I realized that not everything was changing. A knight thought to be long since gone was still patrolling my lands faithfully. This was not the first evidence of Tele’s presence since he left Caledon. Upon closer examination of the ground, I noted hoof prints and boot prints in the snow and mud. It seems my Lancers must have also been here. Perhaps they met with Tele, or, as I had done, simply found evidence of his movements in the loch.

Suddenly Nellie was at the shore. She snorted at me the steam pouring out of her nostrils in great clouds. As I stood she dove deep into Loch Avie. I walked to the shoreline under the great willow tree. I felt her before I saw her next, the water and air vibrating with the ferocity of her movement. She fully breached the surface and landed several yards off shore in a thunderous splash of the loch water. She turned to look at me and paused only briefly as our eyes met. The fire in hers was clear and she was breathing hard. Rapidly she turned out to sea and began swimming. I knew that I must follow her. This much was clear – Nellie practically demanded it.

I ran into my offices in the Keep and called for my airship. Within minutes we were off tracking her.

“It’s as though she has begun a migration, Your Grace,” said my airship pilot.

“Yes. I believe you are correct, Colonel Somme. She is in earnest.” I said pulling the gentleman’s topcoat around my shoulders and feeling glad that Somme had been in the distillery resting after patrol to hear my call over the secure channel.


Next: Ancient Homelands

Speaking of Finnish Rock Bands

I don't know exactly when or where, but recently at a party in SL there was some discussion about rock bands from Finland. Well, likely it was at Gearz or somewhere that Diamanda was serving up the music (we all know how she loves Finnish Death Metal). At any rate there was some random discussion about the music scene in Finland.

To my great surprise I learned today that a band I only recently discovered - and like quite a lot - is based in Finland.

Poets of the Fall.

Arriving at their official web site today, I learned this and found their 2008 tour dates. As a matter of fact I lunched at the Virgin Oil Company in Helsinki where they held a sold out show this year. :-D

I find their music to span the rock continuum fairly broadly from ballad to much heavier pieces (bet you already have them, Dia). The first song I ever heard from POTF was Fragile. The lyrics really move me. I have posted them below.

FRAGILE
You've been biting bullets all these years, I know
There beside yourself, choking back tears
And you aced avoiding possibility
When you made your bed upon the bittersweet

Oh now don't you worry
There's no need to be sorry
There's still time to step lightly

Cos the love you used to feel is still in there, inside
It may be the faded photograph, the lock of hair, don't hide
If you're scared, I'm here to hold you,
If you get lost I'm here to guide you
Love is peace when peace is fragile
Love is all the good in you that still remains
Love is peace when peace is fragile

You've been going out of way to agree
Like you've been rubbing yourself all wrong just to be somebody else's genie
Catering to your disasters every need
Waiting to finally be set free

I said baby don't worry
Life will carry
Just take it slowly....

The goodie that I really want to share with you today is this video for Carnival of Rust. A good song filmed with a very steampunkish look, which I think many of you will enjoy.



Do let me know what you think.

Eva