text; un: scribe

[linguaphilia]

The recent discoveries of unusual techhnology within ruins in the segments around Nightwake have me curious to know in how many worlds represented here such things might be commonplace.

It is not unusual in my home nation of Sumeru, for example, to find technology that seems advanced compared to what we have now - relics of lost and almost forgotten ancient civilisations, particularly in the desert regions. This technology is often dangerous for the unprepared to tamper with, including traps and mechanical guardians that attack indiscriminately when disturbed.

As such, it was not a surprise to me to find similar things here.

Can anyone else say the same? I would be interested to hear your experiences.

Comments

un: laterose - video

[laterose]

Oh yes! There was a whole civilization back on my Star called the Allagan Empire. It's technologies were far more advanced than anything we have today and we are still discovering its relics all over the place. Amazingly, some still function while others not so much.

It's quite fascinating.

[linguaphilia]

[A small nod.]

I did expect that some people would have similar experiences. [It's much the same in Sumeru, where so many of the relics - traps and guardians alike - are still in full functioning order.]

When exploring these 'Allagan' relics, how often do you find their security systems still functioning?

[laterose]

When is it not functioning, I would ask instead. [She chuckled.] Somehow, we always seem to activate it one way or another.

[linguaphilia]

[There is a small, slightly amused quirk at the corner of his mouth. Barely there but noticeable if you're looking.]

That does seem to be a common theme. They made their security to last, in many cases. I assume that in your world they are also often protecting dangerous secrets?

[laterose]

Too dangerous, if you ask me. [She shook her head with a sigh.] And awful, at times. Especially when they fall into the wrong hands besides the original owners.

[linguaphilia]

Mm... At times the very thing that such measures were put in place to avoid.

[If not outright defence against anything at all. Sometimes it's difficult to find the meaning in the guardians they come across.]

With the original owners often long gone, it falls to those who discover what they left behind to handle it appropriately.

[laterose]

Precisely.

[She certainly understands that.]

I can't say it's gone smoothly, but it could be worse, I suppose. It has gotten better overtime as we gain more experience with the contraptions and machines.

[linguaphilia]

[A small nod.]

Then not so different to my own experiences, although progress in learning more about the ancient machinery in Sumeru is often slow due to its esoteric nature.

[He pauses, thinking for a moment.]

And the overzealous scholars whose attempts to understand them occasionally result in the Akademiya banning expeditions to certain locations.

un: happyaround

[roundandaround]

Not really ancient lost technology, unless you believe those weird cult shows about how all the monuments from forever ago were made by aliens who don't want you to ever get upset or else maybe the world blows up? I do know secret tech stuff from 20 years ago that nobody knows about, but that's different.

[linguaphilia]

That does seem different, yes.

Is that something you are able to discuss?

[roundandaround]

Yeah! No one from home is here anyway. I don't really get a lot of it, but I know there was this whole conspiracy to try and transfer consciousness to a computer and turn some rich people into immortal AIs. Or at least they were trying to do that.

[linguaphilia]

Is that so?

Something similar happened in Sumeru, not that long ago. It did not end well for the people attempting it.

[roundandaround]

Really? Did it not work or something? Then again, it didn't do exactly what they wanted at home either.

[linguaphilia]

It worked, to a point. That was the problem.

Success drew attention, and they were quickly stopped.

[roundandaround]

Huh, so it got public. That makes sense. I wonder if it'd have gone the same way if it worked right? I mean, they did make AIs, but I dunno if it went the right way. Lumina-chan doesn't seem like an exact copy, probably because the person she's based on was way older when she died. I guess you'd have to ask her if she were here.

[linguaphilia]

It did not 'get public'. It came to my personal attention, which was more than enough.

And just as well, with the panic it could have caused.

[roundandaround]

Panic? I guess with how people act sometimes even here... I never really thought about that. But thst makes sense, huh.

[linguaphilia]

You would possibly need more knowledge of recent events in Sumeru to understand why such a thing would prompt such a strong response.

Suffice it to say I dealt with the problem swiftly.

[roundandaround]

I don't really get it, but good job! It's always good if you prevent something worse from happening, I think.

[linguaphilia]

It wasn't something that I did for recognition.

I simply have a vested interest in avoiding things that will ultimately make my life more difficult.

[roundandaround]

I dunno, if you do something good, it doesn't matter why you did it, does it?

[linguaphilia]

Perhaps not to you. Not everyone shares such a simplistic world view.

[roundandaround]

I just don't think it helps to make it all so complicated. Everyone just gets depressed.

[linguaphilia]

'Everyone' is a very broad stroke to apply.

[roundandaround]

Eh? Overthinking doesn't make you depressed?

[linguaphilia]

Only if you're ill-equipped to handle it.

[roundandaround]

But it's overthinking because it's too much, right? So you would be.

[linguaphilia]

Some people would agree with you. I am not one of them. 'Overthinking' is not the same as keeping your cognitive abilities above a simple baseline.

[roundandaround]

I don't get it. Over is over, isn't it?

[linguaphilia]

As applied as a defined line or on an individual basis?

un: puppetking

[throneaway]

It seems we must inherit the debt of former civilizations, stained by their blood and, less frequently, sheltered under their auspices.

'Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!...'

Can we wield what destroyed them more deftly than they, or are we doomed to see our own descendants pick through our bones for useful relics?

[linguaphilia]

[He reads over the message a couple of times before responding dryly.]

Are you always this theatrical?

[throneaway]

I'm afraid so.

[linguaphilia]

How exhausting.

[throneaway]

I feed off despair, pal.

If you really want information, you have to do that pesky human bonding thing sometimes. Or pay me to do a lecture, I'm not particular.

[linguaphilia]

If you aren't inclined to answer anything I put forward, I have no intentions of begging you for information.

[throneaway]

Pal, I'd love to get you to beg, but understand me, I don't mind answering generally.

I translated all the surviving murals where I come from, and a lot of the dead language, from scratch.

But "Thulecite is the mineral left by the Ancients, crafted into clubs and armor, discovered alongside clockworks and pottery in deep cave systems, shows they had sophisticated metalworking prior to their collapse despite no evidence of factories," isn't how I do things.

It bores me to reduce the sentient condition to a few textbook bulletpoints.

We both need to be having fun.

[linguaphilia]

Perhaps you do.

I've never needed to find entertainment in my intellectual pursuits.

[throneaway]

Do words cost you money?

[linguaphilia]

I believe in not using any more than is necessary to get my point across.

While some people talk too much, and yet somehow manage to say nothing at all.

[throneaway]

You didn't say "no".

In that case, I'll guess 35 cents per word. That answer cost you 10.50 American dollars. I'm worth it, obviously.

So in as few words as possible: where DO you find entertainment, if not intellectual pursuits?

[linguaphilia]

I am not 'American'.

Are you genuinely curious about my interests, or do you want to know for the purpose of picking them apart.

[throneaway]

Don't brag, it's only luck of the draw.

I promise, pal, however rocky our start, I am genuinely curious.

[linguaphilia]

[He doesn't think he believes that, but he has nothing else pressing to do at the moment.]

Outside of recreational reading, chess, and creating ciphers, my partner has a tendency to draw me in to whatever pursuit is taking his fancy at any given moment.