What's up, Val?

Been awhile. You still alive and shit? Get along okay with the new Vohu?

[sent Monday evening]

You've probably heard what happened by now. I'm back, and I'm doing okay.

If I lost anything in the Dark other than my brain I haven't been able to figure out what it is yet, so I guess I lucked out.

I'm no longer the Sharifa, so I've gone home to Fall City to regroup, but my contact info's still the same besides the address.

Be careful out there.

So. Hear you got a promotion.

[this took seriously like 45 attempts.]

My name is Catherine Hau, and I am the new Vairya.

Acher attacked Enghelab with a bunch of goons. The last Vairya died. He got eaten by a man who became a Warhound. I hear that is new. I would not know. But, I was there and I am the Vairya now.

Acher is taken care of. I hear bad things happen in the Nenakret, too, so know that. We handle him.

English is not my first language. You can probably tell. Still I want to talk more than the last guy because he was an idiot.

[helpful drawing of a man with the Vairya's symbol instead of a face laid out on a couch with a big ZZZZZ sleep bubble overhead; the background is just fire and people running around panicking.]

Write to me if you need help from me or the Rogues.

侯颱風
Catherine Hau

[Forum post from account silentsiren, which has a little flag for Guild Manager (But Not Quite An Actual GL)]

This is a little more formal than this venue usually gets, but it seems the best way to get word out quickly. I am Laura, assistant to the Vairya.

The man Acher, who assisted King Aerveas in prosecuting his war earlier this year, has attacked Enghelab using some device to disable electronic equipment, and a small army. They are killing everybody they see, apparently intent on conquering it and possibly Pakerion as a whole. The Vairya is among the dead. Again.

A new Vairya has already ascended. While she gets up to speed, she has called for the Rogues to move to drive Acher and his forces out of Enghelab. She has placed a Guild bounty on the head of any man who has fought for Acher. Any other force that wishes to assist would be appreciated.

For my own part, I would like to stress that somebody please kill this bastard before he goes for the hat trick.

[Before learning about Harriet.]

[E-mail: Gabe, Malachai]

Cybernetic legs don't match my figure.

[She's trying to make a joke with her two GL friends that she thinks will get what she means. It just doesn't work, though, and she feels bitter and depressed all over again.]

[E-mail: Ezra]

[And sending this e-mail is harder. She doesn't know if she's putting too much on Ezra, but it's feeling like it. Worst of all, she's suspecting it, now, and part of her feels angry about that, and part of her wants to make it right. She doesn't know what to say, either. Reassuring him that she'll be okay feels wrong.]

[And like a lie. She's not okay.]

Hey. They got the leg on me. It's different. I'm still getting used to walking with it, though. Maybe I can show you some time?

[E-mail: Ravindra]

Thank you for saving my life. I lost my leg in the end, but at least that's all I lost.

[And her sense of security, a feeling that she was meant for this job, and maybe the respect of others. But those aren't his fault and that's not right to dump on him.]

The Greycloaks have framed Iravati for this. I'm having her released from jail, but they planted evidence that said she was a traitor. I know it's not the case, but other members of the Amber Gaze don't agree with that assessment.

We'll fix this.

[She figures out the dragons, eventually. Sent once she's found a small town a ways out from Murders Vegas. Hoo boy, this is going to be a really dumb conversation...but he needs to know, or he might double back or something.]

Can not go to Undertow yet. Stupid day has become very extra stupid.

[Below that: An actually pretty credible pencil sketch of a Warhound from the side, slavering and generally looking nasty.]

I think I have to go to Rogue HQ.

[Manually signed, in Chinese out of linguistic spite and English out of practicality: ]

侯颱風
Hau Tai Feng

[Thursday, day after the bombing, sometime after his conversation with Harriet, probably evening]

Do you think if I'd gotten involved with the greycloaks at the church I might've been able to do something about this?

As most of you heard, the Mazda was gravely injured in the attack on the Nenakret. She lost her left leg in the bombing and has, under the advice of doctors, been told to take some time off for health reasons.

The Amber Gaze high command will fill in until such time that she can return to duty.

Captain Nicholas Villiers

[While Nova is out.]

How do you get flamingo juice and blood stains out of the carpet?

Just hypothetically, of course.

Sorry for the delay in writing back.

I'm not really sure what to say. I've been dealing with all of this long enough that I feel like I know enough to not have questions.

[...]

At least not questions about Earth or the merge.

What made you decide to create someone like me? Was I really enjoyable to play? [THIS IS KIND OF WEIRD] I mean, I was awkward and clumsy, self-conscious, always getting depressed, not very good at healing, or much anything else.

...And why bears?

[So maybe he does know what to say.]

[E-mail: GLs]

Acher and some men showed up at a lab in the Nenakret. They stole something. We're figuring out what, still.

I killed him at least twice and he came back. Been better but I'm okay. Going to sleep once they confirm I don't have a concussion.

[Dragonmail: Victor]

I encountered Acher again. We fought.

I think he's given up. I'm sorry.

Vati, Vati!

It's going to be cold soon which means ice skating. Without me using crazy Mazda magic! And there's the Himalayas south of us, so we'll definitely get ice.

[...hm]

And maybe yaks but I'm less excited about those.

...I have a craving for flamingo.

[so Mal's been talking to his high druids and having people search, but finding a creature that can possess other creatures is not that easy when it keeps, well, possessing creatures.]

Hey so we just found Yosgeth nearing druid territory

We could use some help with this what with not having holy enchants of any sort

Could also use a high level disenchant in case of possessions

['high level' sounds weird when this shit is REAL ...eh whatever they'll get it]

In game mechanics she was strong against all damage except holy and has attacks that ignore all armor but holy enchanted. She can possess so we'll want to try to make sure she doesn't manage to get one of us if we can.

Also I spoke with Zaira and Elwin and apparently the lore about her being an ancient and revered spirit is true and they really don't want to see her die if we can avoid it, so I've been practicing with spirits and want to see if I can calm her. Problem is I haven't exactly had a raid boss to practice on so. They said she may need to be weakened but have no idea how much.

[Yosgeth doesn't technically have a gender, and most refer to the spirit as 'it', but his high druids kept referring to her as 'she' so whatever.]

Ah, sooooo

I know half of you possibly hates me forever right now, but did you hear about the big cooking competition to calm the volcano dragon?

Would the other half of you perhaps like to join it with me and bake something that will go down in history?

I mean, of course I guess it has to be all of you, does this method of communicating even make sense?

[after a frustrating conversation with Nova, Siegmund does some thinking on apologies and wrongs and righting them and all that jazz. See, this week is the period in between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur where one is encouraged to think back on the previous year and do some serious introspection about the wrongs they have committed.]

[and he...really should not have lost his temper with Ashtaroth because she refused to resurrect Evelyn. He doesn't like her, but--as he told Nova--you don't have to like somebody to realize you need to apologize to them.]

I wasn't fair to you. I'm sorry.

I'd like to request permission to enter druid territory. Specifically, a small grove near the berserker's border.

[Have a small map attachment with the approximate area circled. It's no place of significant on its own.]

There's a grave there. I want to retrieve the body for resurrection.

If you think there's any reason the druids might see my presence as hostile or offensive, I'm willing to work with compromises.

I'd say that support spells worked out pretty well for you!

[also CC'd to Darius and Ezra]
[This may have come sooner if it wasn't for that time everything caught fire.]

What's your current policy on resurrections?