The Destruction of the True Seed

Wow. I just got back from surveying some Ages for the Restorers, to discover that major events transpired while I was gone.

It seems Ami Lesgrandee finally made a public appearance–at the recent Town Hall. She announced that she would be in Eder Naybree the following Sunday at KI-11 to answer questions about the True Seed, the group of saboteurs we’ve been dealing with.

What followed on Sunday was a showdown involving Ami and True Seed members Marcus and Sanna. From what I’ve gathered, Marcus alternated between pleading with Ami to come back to the group (there seems to be a personal connection there) and “talking tough” to explorers who prevented his access to her–in particular Captain Jericho and our own Robert Murry. Meanwhile, Sanna, covered by Detective Wilson and Robert’s cousin “Murry,” (that’s going to get confusing), declared she was leaving the group and had lost faith in their prophet.

Said prophet made an appearance not long after. It turns out Rafe–or “Rafael Templeton,” is no other than Tenny’s boyfriend, Logan. He had trapped the good doctor in his own Minkata before coming to confront Ami. During their rather intense conversation, it came out that Rafe had convinced the other members of the group that they were D’ni, claiming to have received visions giving this information. Ami accused him of inventing or hallucinating this revelation, and when Rafe showed indecision, Marcus lost it. He attacked Rafe–probably would have hit him if Robert hadn’t restrained him. Rafe bolted, and in his panic slipped and went right off of the cliff.

He survived, but was of course terribly injured. He’s been taken to the surface for treatment by Ami and Tenny. Not sure how soon we’ll see either. Marcus and Sanna are in the wind. I’m hoping we can find them as soon as possible. If they’ve turned on the group, they might be able to provide us the info we’d hoped to gain from Ami–such as the group’s numbers. We know there are at least 3 others, but there might be more. If it’s just those 3 (as I suspect it is), then I think we’re now seeing the destruction of the True Seed, or at least it’s beginning.

Advertisement

Rei’Schu, Returned Items, and Ben’s Departure

The trip to Rei’Schu went safely and securely, despite the fact that I wasn’t there for most of it. We’d barely arrived when I got a KI message from Kelsei asking me to go talk to Benavud. She said it was urgent, so I Linked back. It took me a long time to find him, and I have to say I was a bit frustrated by the inconvenience–Ben wanted to know about my experiences with the Bahro and seemed to be under the impression I could introduce him. I explained that while I’ve encountered Bahro up close in the past, and studied them as much as any explorer, I don’t have the connections he thinks I have. Nor do I think he’d make much headway learning about his D’ni people from them, given the communication barriers.

Highgarden, Ben, and Rei’Schu

Business as usual in the cavern. The fourth Town Hall went off without a hitch. Those who hosted it discussed the upcoming Age of Highgarden and mission to Rei’Schu.

Despite the dramatic words of the saboteur’s interruption two months ago, not a peep has been heard from them. It’s like they’ve completely disappeared. Robert Murry and Harry Williams, who we hired to look into the matter, have no leads to follow. Everyone seems happy to ignore the troublemakers–out of sight, out of mind–but their disappearance only makes me more wary. They definitely had something big planned. I don’t think we’ve heard the last of them.

A second DNA test has confirmed that Benavud is, in fact, D’ni. Not part-D’ni, as many in the cavern seem to be assuming, but 100%. That means both of his parents were full D’ni. Yet he has knowledge that could only have come from time spent on the surface. Plenty of people are suggesting that he was raised there, but that only brings up more questions about his origins. He can’t be some descendant of D’ni who left the cavern hundreds of years ago, or he would have some human blood, too (unless there’s a whole community of pure D’ni hiding somewhere on the surface, not interacting with anyone). So the answer to the mystery has only provided more questions. Who are Benavud’s parents? Where do they come from? How did they end up on the surface of Earth, so long after the Fall?

Keith “Tweek” Lord has released a new Age to the explorer community, and I have to say that Highgarden is absolutely beautiful. Comparisons to Eder Naybree are inevitable as there are definite similiarities. Personally, I find Highgarden to be much more beautiful, while Naybree has more to offer in terms of secrets and…acrobatics. I’m going to have to have a talk with Keith about this “Tommen” fellow mentioned in his book. I’m curious to know if he is still in touch with the man.

Finally, we’ve got the mission to Rei’Schu coming up. I still think it’s a bad idea. I heard the predators there–caught glimpses of some them, too–when I went to check on Calum that time. It’s not a safe place, and Calum is grabbing up a group of untrained, unqualified volunteers. But the dangerous pollen is clearing up, and my friend is adamant that the group is going. I can’t stop him, so I’m coming along to be the voice of reason and safety. Thankfully, Robert Murry is coming along as well. That guy is one tough dude.

Benavud is D’ni

A few days ago, DNA comparisons confirmed that Benavud is, in fact, 100% D’ni. The mystery now is why he clearly has such knowledge of the surface world and surface culture. He’s certain he was raised there, and that does seem to be the best hypothesis. The question then is: who were his parents, and how did they end up raising their son on the surface?

You can find the discussion of this topic and the chat log of the revelation at https://dniexplorer.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=293 if you’re interested.

A New Age and a Revelation

The last several days have seen the release of a new Age and a potentially important development in Benavud’s past.

Rei’Schu signup and Benavud

Well, we’re going through with this delegation to Rei’schu. I still think it’s a bad idea. Having been there, I can categorically say that the Age is not safe. But the people voted. I’ll just have to do my best to advocate caution and protect the group. If you want to sign up to be part of the diplomatic missions, you’ll need to head over to the forums at https://dniexplorer.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=279

The Arrival of Harlan

Major events while I was out of the cavern three days ago. The mysterious “Harlan” of Ami’s message seems to have been identified. At least, that’s the name of a man who walked into the Guild of Messengers Pub and started up a conversation with Jules and Tiernan. Best of all, he may have given us the name of the Most Wanted’s “Prophet.”

Hiring Help

After the threats by three of our Most Wanted, the Restorers have decided to hire a little outside help, and have engaged my services in hiring two new individuals to track down and handle the saboteur group.

Criminals Crash the Cavern

Well, this has been an interesting day. I had to miss the Town Hall meeting when Calum and I located one of the Five Most Wanted, Mita Staser, and chased him down the Descent. We didn’t learn until afterwards that while we were distracted, three other saboteurs crashed the Town Hall itself.

A Mysterious Message

I’ve just learned that someone suspected of being one of the Overflow Station saboteurs has made contact with us. Ami Renee Glessad, who may or may not be Sami Lesgrandee, send hood invites to several of us. In the new hood, a message on the imager reads, “Speak with Harlan.”