now with 100% fewer homicidal robots

[kingincognito]

Who: Joshua + anyone involved in the portal project!
What: The portal is finally ready!
When: Mid-May
Where: The center of the Grove
Warnings: idk it's portal shenanigans, I'll add warnings if we need them!

[ It's taken a couple of months, but with the combined effort of a few good brains, the portal is finally as ready as it's going to be. Calculations have been made, plans have been formed, and now all they have to do is put the sun and moon stones in place, and pray.

Literally, because it's been in his notes that faith could have some power in helping them get where they need to go. Hopefully.

Midway through the month, Joshua puts out a message through the netbooks. ]

To everyone that has helped with the portal:

Our efforts are ready to bear fruit. I would like to try activating it tomorrow. Let us meet in the center of the Grove at noon, when the sun is at its brightest.

We know not what awaits us should the portal be successful, so I would prefer to err on the side of caution. If you can fight, please come prepared to do so. Also, we will certainly need hands to relay anything we might want to bring back. If you are Corrupted, however, I am afraid I must ask you not to be involved as a matter of safety and security. My apologies.

[ And, come late morning the following day, Joshua is there, umbrella in hand to protect himself from the sunlight. He has gathered boxes and crates for any potential recovery of items, should the portal work properly, as well as basic medical supplies just in case. Small bouquets of flowers are placed around the base of the portal, in what might be a startling abundance. Better to have more than needed than not enough. ]

Comments

[sticksandbonesmods]

Ford finds himself in the Marine Biology section! The library seems to warp into one half library, and one half aquarium. From the ceiling are even multiple leviathan sculptures. ... It's a very big room. The books offer more information on this than he can shake a stick at, but the rest offer tanks to observe fish from both the mortal realm and the Realm of the Gods alike. It's cool and soothing inside, but still just as quiet.

... Oh except for the little squeaks. If Ford investigates, he'll find himself staring at three bibcoons and a pushcart of books. One sits atop the cart, tossing books down one by one while the other two put them on shelves. It's very hard because their legs are very small and they do not have thumbs, but team work makes the dream work!!!!!

[cryptograms]

An aquarium...! Oh, he is going to be all over this later, just you wait.

But for now, he's got some raccoon-like creatures to address! It's not hard to see that these are clearly fine, upstanding library employees. Or volunteers. Or at least over-zealous patrons that don't know how to let the librarians do their job, not that Ford knows anything about that.

"Excuse me!" he greets, though he keeps his volume library-appropriate. "Are you part of the staff here?"

[sticksandbonesmods]

Chrr!

Which, Ford can... somehow tell is an enthusiastic "Yes!" ... And they are SO HAPPY to see him! The one sitting on the cart begins wiggling it's forelegs like it's waving. Hiiii!

[cryptograms]

Well, he doesn't know why he understand them, but he may as well roll with it.

"Excellent! I was wondering, could you show me the rarest book in this section of the library?"

[sticksandbonesmods]

The three blink, and then look at each other. The rarest book? Ough, that's a hard one...! They scrunch up their little faces, and nod like they're in total agreement.


And then they all run different directions.

One sits beside a silvery blue tome with dark blue letters.

One sits on a podium with a white and gold book.

And the other is pointing up at a higher shelf where a near-opalescent book is tucked away.

[cryptograms]

Three choices, huh...?

Ford gives it a moment of thought, then goes for the white and gold book. Podiums are always a good sign.

[sticksandbonesmods]

The white and gold book seems to be...

A record of the Ocean Dragons! Starting with a very extensive family tree- and he'll note that the dragon hatchlings within the Grove have been added to the bottom automatically- and extending into the first Ocean Dragons.

Dragons are not Guardians, nor are they Gods- dragons used to be unaligned creatures akin to what Ford maybe familiar with, before joining with nature itself in a union of mana. All elements and biomes have their representatives in the new dragon clans, and Ocean Dragons are one of the most powerful of all with their vast breadth, potential, and what lurks beyond. Different seas, different marine animals, even Ourania's leviathans have their representative in Ocean Dragons.