Text;

[undyingcrow]

This is Akechi.

In light of our recent trip to the library, I thought it pertinent to take this time to share relevant information and discoveries. There's quite a bit to unpack.

To start, there's this curious passage here:

"Wardens of Nirvana argue over this, say we can’t risk the last stronghold. But we can’t wait to persuade them; the Convoy must still be finished and sent out. Only way to save ourselves is stop the Silver Tears rituals, and get the outlanders before the cult. The Moon is already hungry, and so are the pawns of the God, they are already reaching out across worlds. At least this will safeguard those who arrive. Give them some control over their changes. And draw them back to us."

This is by far the clearest answer as to why we are here. Unfortunately, it further solidifies how little agency we have.

For those who aren't up to date, I shared some related findings over the past few months.

Most pertinent is the incomplete passage found in one of the previous garages, which I'll reiterate for convenience:

"Broken in two […] Nothing to lose-", "Moon mourns, call her down, ease her pain-", "Need […] Better vessels from afar. Stronger souls-", "Imbue with moon sigils, Give blessings of moon, share her pain. Put the ritual right."

Putting these pieces together, we can assume that the previous notes originated from the Silver Tears. The Convoy appears to be its own third party, neither directly affiliated with the Wardens nor the Tears, but viewing the Tears as a greater foe. Given the likelihood that we were summoned to fulfill their desires, this would not surprise me, but I advise caution all the same.

We mustn't forget that the Wardens are the ones hellbent on slaughtering anyone and everyone who falls outside their ideas of "pure humans." The hunting logs make that clear as day. Given that our 'benefactor' remains anonymous and distant, I can't say that I trust them either, though I will acknowledge that the Convoy has given us the tools to survive, and they were the ones to provide us with the means to release the souls of the Husks.

Which brings me to the matter of those souls.

Those who encountered the mechanical cerberus likely noticed the spirits trapped within a circle constructed by the Wardens. I can think of no purpose beyond cruelty. They gain nothing from trapping the Husks when they could have slaughtered them instead.

Though the statue in the city is just as suspicious, given the expectations that we sacrifice something to rid ourselves of our "blessings."

Moving on, I did find an interesting excerpt regarding the Dawn Impact and this world's supposed history.

"This is the history of our world, as best as we know. Taken from the records of the Wardens and the prayers of the Tears, pieced together. I fear we will be hunted by both factions soon enough, so I record this scripture, copy it to page and data, and hope it survives whatever is to come. The cries outside grow louder, both the mourning and the terror. This is what led to this point.

In the beginning was a still void and two forces, more magic than physical, orbiting each other, and drawing closer together with each century. Until at last they crashed together. In the aftermath, our world was formed, ringed with wild and chaotic remnants of magic. We call this the Dawn Impact.

It was also at the dawn of civilization. We were born from the chaos and the sparks; the visions of the moon grants us that knowledge. We were forged from motes of magic with spells of our own, refined through the centuries… though as this happened, chaos bled into our forms. The Wardens claim that the monsters are a blight on our bloodlines. A curse or a corruption. The Silver Tears claims the monsters are a blessing of a deity they call the Creator.

As near as we can tell, the truth is between; rather, the monsters were a safeguard against the stasis, and stillness the world was sparked from. They are shards from the first collision, a power that has been alongside us since the beginning. Each monster embodies and Aspect of the world, to guard against the original Stasis we sprung up from."

Given that the author was neither of the Wardens or Tears, I believe this passage can be viewed with more legitimacy than the hunting logs.

However, when I searched for more concrete information on Stasis, I found only examples of stories, wherein Stasis was used as a form of tragedy or punishment. The precise causes are vague and seem colored by the whims of the individual authors. It's nowhere near as academic as I would have liked.

That being said, if you have any additional findings, please do share. Blake-san and I spoke recently, and one particular subject of interest is monsters that fall outside the strict classifications presented in the hunting guides.

So, for curiosity's sake, if you've found yourself with traits or abilities beyond that you "should" have, please do share. I for one have retained abilities from temporary transformations and moon warps, such as my ability to manipulate air, water, and breathe under water despite my chimeric form.

Additionally, I recently gained a secondary monster form which I can shift in and out of. That secondary monster sprouted wings in the library, though time will tell if the wings remain after the fact. As far as I can tell, my alternate form is a nekomata with similarities to a cougar and lightning elemental abilities. I can shift between it and my chimera form at will.

As one final point (and I realize this post has gotten fairly lengthy), I'd like to bring up the recent findings at our latest stop.

The notes revolve around Nirvana, and read:

"Got to stay on the road. Nirvana is supposed to be a paradise."

"Somehow after everything we went through, it’s still standing. Still telling us to seek shelter there."

"It’ll take months to reach it. Doesn’t matter. Keep going. It’s the only city we have left."

"Crossroads Of Fate. Heard someone say it once."

"Only way we can make a home. Or make it home."

"Sits on leylines. They say that’s how the moonshards keep missing. Somehow warps time and space around it. Wonder what else it can warp."

I have to wonder if these notes were written by native inhabitants of this world or if perhaps others were torn from their realities before us. There's evidence that this is not the Convoy's first voyage, so it's difficult to say.

We must remain diligent. The picture may be clearer now, but there's much we've yet to learn.

Comments

[Audio]

[purplexing]

I don't think there's been anyone before us, at least from what was insinuated from the conversation I had with one of the Husks. They sounded surprised to hear we were summoned somehow, and figured it was probably because they failed.

...this is all fascinating. And kind of annoying that it only begs for more questions, but I'm not too surprised there.

Have you ever come across anything referencing a "Midnight Impact?"

[undyingcrow]

[The Midnight Impact? Hm... This gives Akechi pause.]

I've heard of the First Impact and the Dawn Impact. Unfortunately, I've yet to find anything in-depth about this "Midnight Impact." Have you?

[purplexing]

Nothing in text, but I might have been a bit overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information to go through. Maybe something will come up in the books I have liberated.

But I first heard about the reference from some of those cyborg memories I pulled, back in the city. From what I gather, it had to do with what happened in the city. Maybe it was a more recent occurrence that wasn't formally documented, or a lesser event by comparison to previously known ones. Basically something hit the city, changing everyone into monsters, and the Wardens were trying everything to contain it, including what sounded like it may have been alluding to that robot you ran into in the subway tunnels.

[undyingcrow]

Perhaps we should make a joint effort to search for more information. Taken on its own, it might not be much, but this seems far too vital for me to overlook...

Though I still won't defend what I saw in the tunnels.

[purplexing]

I'm fine with that. And I'm not sure who else brought books with them, but I didn't think I could have been the only one, not with that much information available and no time to go through it all.

I'm not saying you should. They were actively trying to cut out the problem before it could spread- and they failed.

[undyingcrow]

What I find peculiar is that some of the books aren't of this world.

Blake-san found a series from her reality. I've similarly found volumes of the Phoenix Ranger Neo Fatherman manga adaptation.

Something is amiss.

[purplexing]

Arcade grabbed a copy of Dante's Inferno.

I'd say that maybe it isn't so weird when people and sometimes other items from home seem to appear- like the lasagna recipe Leo found, that happens to be penned by our little brother.

But from my understanding after speaking with that Husk, our arrival and whatever method is being used to bring us here is a more recent development. And who knows how long the library or these books have been here.

Maybe it's part of the warped magics of this place? I wonder if those books have always been there, or...just appeared because we came to the library.

[undyingcrow]

Well, that's quite the find.

[Perhaps he ought to see what other literature he can gather. It's been far too long since he's read a good book. They might not see another opportunity like this...]

What I find more concerning are the Phantom Thief calling cards I found many months ago. Those aren't mass produced works. They are uniquely tied to the circumstances in my own reality. So, if anything, they're far closer to the lasagna recipe.

Which in turn begs the question of which came first: us, or the objects. It's possible that they needed to test their summoning on a smaller scale...

cuttin’ in with text if that’s cool

[phantomshow]

[A recipe you say …]

Do you still have that recipe and if yes could I take a look at it sometime?

text.

[phantomshow]

You’re such a nerd.

[Is Ren posting this while in the same room as Akechi? Possibly.]

[undyingcrow]

Says the one texting me when we're in the same room.

[He gives Ren a Look™. A very deadpan look.]

[phantomshow]

[Ren counters the Look with a cheeky grin … and another message.]

What, you don’t want everyone else to see me call you a nerd? I think they already know.

[undyingcrow]

I never denied it. I just think it's silly to converse with me over text when we could speak face to face.

[Yet here he is, indulging in Ren's shenanigans... Grumbling out a sigh, he fights the urge to set his laptop aside.

On the other hand, there may be important replies to monitor.]

[phantomshow]

I can multitask.

[But fair enough. Ren tucks his device away and casually makes his way into Akechi’s space. Hope you’re ready for Ren to go Velcro cat mode!]

So … how do you know what abilities a monster type “should” have?

[undyingcrow]

[Lucky for Ren, Akechi has adjusted to Ren's clingy tendencies.

So, fine. He'll close the laptop and make more space.]

There seems to be some overlap between monsters within a greater "type," but each type has its own unique attributes that other monsters may lack. For instance, Merfolk and their aquatic tendencies.

It's not flawless, but it does make it easier for me too distinguish which traits a chimera "shouldn't" have.

[phantomshow]

[Excuse you, Akechi, Ren is enthusiastically affectionate, not clingy. Which he will demonstrate by sidling up to his boyfoe, mindful of his wings, and dropping a kiss on the back of his neck while he wraps his arms around his torso to hold him close.]

You don’t have to stop being a nerd on my account. You know how to multitask too.

[But it’s nice that he’s giving Ren his attention. Here, have another kiss on the neck for your efforts.]

We’re looking at these types of monsters from our world’s conceptions of them though, right? Except we’re not in our world anymore. So how do we know that any traits a certain type “shouldn’t” have are really outliers? I mean, look at me.

[Here he’ll disentangle himself from Akechi and just. Sprawl out in front of him.]

You said I’m an angel type, right? But angels don’t have these. [Ren lightly raps a knuckle on one of his horns.] They might be temporary, but they might not. And if they’re not, how do we know that angels - as the people on Revan know them - aren’t supposed to have them?

[undyingcrow]

I'm being generous.

[He accepts the kisses with a quiet chuckle. Yes, please. Give him attention. He actually rather likes it.]

Well, when I say "shouldn't," I'm mostly speaking with the heavily biased hunting logs from the Wardens as a point of reference. Obviously, I wouldn't trust them as far as I could throw them, but they are thorough.

[Oh, but he sees those horns. Quite captivating, really, and easy to seize his attention.]

Either way, your horns make us nearly a matched pair.

[Text]

[bufudine]

I reviewed all the Steel Wardens' hunting logs I could find.

[Yes, all of them. Which is why he doesn't know much about anything else in the library.]

Many monsters have shared traits but each monster classification has traits that are unique to that type. In all their logs, there was nothing hunted that has unique traits across more than one classification.

I don't know if the hunted people were subject to the same location changes we are. It's difficult to determine from these logs since their interaction with the Wardens is upon death, not long term observation.

Those of us with unique traits across classifications like you and I would be an anomaly compared to these logs.

[Serph doesn't appear to have anything unique from another monster classification though, when he isn't subject to regional changes...]

I was at the factory in the last region we passed through. It was filled with mechanical parts, likely designed for the steel creatures deployed by the Wardens. There was a recording.

“These are an extension of our will… Steel in place of flesh. Refining the corrupting power of the moon into something better. We could stand to learn something from them. Perhaps it is time for us to purge our own weakness, and take on steel.”

The steel people and the monsters are the same. They both have lost the ability to make choices and seem to be following a compulsion commanded by another in control.

[undyingcrow]

[Hm. The logs confirm his own observations, based on what he had read so far. It's useful information, though. It means there's an element of unpredictability to them, compared to the natives of this world.

The factory, however...]

The Husk monsters, I assume, and not those like us.

I have wondered if perhaps the more feral monsters we've seen are victims of Stasis, given that they originate from Husks.

Even so, I still consider the Wardens a greater evil. Their entire motivation is self-righteous and fueled by a belief in their own inherent superiority.

The Husk creatures act on instinct and they fight to survive. They are a threat, but I am more forgiving of a predator hunting for food than I am of cyborgs who discarded their humanity out of a desire to slaughter those deemed unworthy of life.

Though, yes, I am certain there is a greater power commanding the Wardens at this stage, given how their programming dictates their actions.

[bufudine]

[Don't get distracted by evil, Akechi.]

There is another power that has control over the husk monsters. When Jayce ran his experiment months ago, there was something speaking to him in his head. He was driven away from the safety of the Convoy's shields and then immediately attacked by monsters. But they were behaving differently. I was there and they completely ignored me, even as I defended Jayce. The monster attack was unending until we reached the safety of the shields.

I think something is searching for us but the Convoy or something about us is preventing our detection.

[undyingcrow]

I do recall him mentioning the visions in his notes... Still, that is troubling.

Perhaps the being is the moon goddess itself? Or, if not the goddess, something or someone connected to the Silver Tears.

That would explain the message I found in the library.

[bufudine]

[Hm. It could certainly explain why the voice was telling Jayce it needed him, despite setting monsters upon him. And when it faded from his mind when they slipped behind the shields, it made a threat, no, a promise.]

It seems so. Especially if the Moon is 'hungry'. From the way it affected Jayce, it seems more like my demon than anything we can talk to or influence.

[undyingcrow]

It's curious.

Allegedly, the moon's fracturing was a result of the turmoil between the Tears and the Wardens, with the Tears making the ultimate declaration that preceded disaster.

That is what the Husks told me, but this begs the question if the moon was always so malevolent or if the fracture warped its psyche.

There's still much we don't understand.

[bufudine]

[Akechi's words make him wonder what had caused God to turn the sun black and turn humans to stone.

They'll know more when they arrive at Nirvana, one way or another. Whether freely given or forced out of the residents...]

Have you ever experienced [hm, how to describe it...?] a resonance when with another of us?

[undyingcrow]

That depends on what you mean by resonance.

Are you referring to something more psychological, or physical in nature?

[It's a loaded word, certainly, but clarity never hurt. This already seems rather fascinating...]