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?

quentin

You appear a little lost; why else would one engage a mysterious question mark? To that end, allow me to take the opportunity to clarify a couple of points for you.

The name’s Quentin. I’m head of Quality Assurance on board this Boundary Station, and it is therefore my sworn duty to ensure all questions, queries and concerns are addressed to the highest professional standard.

What do you want to know?

Where Am I?

You are on board the FBS VIVAELLIPSIS; the finest vessel of the Exposition Fleet launched from Niamine 10 cycles ago, in response to our most recent cataclysm, the Colossus Tear. We occupy a region of the Meridian System known as the Yawling Twist, about a three night drive from the Coreward Worlds. And yes, we are in a dimension quite different from your own

The look on your face suggests I’ve exacerbated your confusion. I’d encourage you to enrol onto Portal Orientation: a lecture series devised by yours truly, wherein I can elaborate and elucidate beyond this cursory explanation

SIGN UP FOR ORIENTATION
Can I Bring A Friend?

Newcomers are always welcome on board out station. Might I suggest some mediums by which you might bring them over?

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I'd Like To Know More About What Exactly Is Going On Here

We are here to elucidate newcomers to the peculiarities of our reality. If Portal Orientation doesn’t appeal to you, perhaps subscribing to Exposition Broadcasts would be more your speed; it’s certainly more leisurely, in any case

Where're The Restrooms?

Over by the Dimension Gates. You walked passed them in order to come and ask me where they are

I Like This Place! How Can I Support What You Do?

Ah, a commendable display of charitability! Allow me to deploy a remote support vendor (lest you wish to walk all the way over to the kiosk and run the risk of having to deal with that wastrel Tully):

BUY US A COFFEE
BECOME A PATRON
BUY A SOUVENIR
VISIT THE LODGE

If monetary support wasn’t what you had in mind, might you consider spreading the word about our own dimension once you return to your own? In any case, all support is appreciated equally and emphatically

I Actually Came Over From The Nantaris By Mistake...

Then I suggest you go back there before the absence of the NANTARIS's signature brand of mediocrity warps your mind

Who's In Charge Here?

I am sufficiently high up the management ladder for you to be dealing with, if that's what you're getting at. Otherwise, Madam Kiara Drake is our VP, and as for the President, well... you ought not worry yourself with such matters

articles
—
24/April/2020

the orrery (finally) opens its doors

Nelecrae Vascero
Cultural Correspondent
cultural affairs • portal news • the orrery
See The Sights As They Were Intended

After a long and complicated incubation period, which some have described as a ‘painful eternity’, The Orrery is now officially open to the public. Touted as a feat of ‘pointless ingenuity’, The Orrery is now the largest mechanical model of the Meridian System, surpassing the one in Midhaven by just enough to not seem petty.

The project was initially conceived of in 72 AC as a means of meeting the increased demand for outsider-friendly information in the cycles following the Colossal Tear, but has been hampered at multiple stages by backtracking, indecisiveness, disagreement, insecurity, feuds, procrastination, and, in one particular morbid case, fatality. Gherman Molynix, who oversaw the initial development of The Orrery, left the project last cycle citing ‘irreconcilable creative differences’:

‘As more and more people were brought in, the project became so obscure that nobody knew what the point of what we were doing was anymore. We were just trying to force a bunch of conflicting motives and ideas into one big mess of a thing. It was supposed to be a simple way to show outsiders the general structure of our System — which many have described as unnecessarily convoluted — so we wanted to make it as accessible to newcomers as possible. Originally the plan was to use images we had of the various subsystems and planetary bodies and moons and whatnot, which if you think about it is probably the most logical way of demonstrating that kind of thing.

Well if the Board of Enlightened Enterprises is to be believed then you’d be seriously mistaken in that assumption, because apparently the best way to describe complex and often abstract concepts to outsiders is to be as ostentatious, obtuse and frankly ridiculous as possible. When I eventually snapped and said this to them, they told me that wasn’t the point of the project, and when I said I thought that was exactly the point of the project they said “well if you like outsiders so much why don’t you go outside yourself?” and then they locked me out! So yeah, I’m a little bitter about the whole thing, don’t pretend you wouldn’t be.’

When I spoke to board’s VC, they told me that ‘over time, we realised that we wanted this project to be so much more than what we originally envisaged. While the initial idea was fine, we felt that our investment would yield greater returns if we treated this endeavour as a means of expanding the Portal’s presence as a centre of cultural as well as scientific advancement. It may have taken an inordinately longer amount of time to get it off the ground, but we wanted to ensure we were providing something that was as much a feat of artistry as it was one of knowledge; something that would cement the Portal as a hub of both creativity and innovation.

Is it dangerous to build a mechinarium above a displaced patch of abyssal cosmos? Possibly. Did we cut corners? Of course. But ask yourself what truly matters here: we now have something that looks really cool, and as someone who’s never actually seen it, I can say with absolute certainty that you simply can’t put a price on an asset like that.’

The actual construction of The Orrery was completed over the course of two weeks, which despite spurious claims to the contrary, wasn’t rushed to meet any kind of deadline and has most certainly passed the necessary health and safety regulation checks. Each major region of Meridia has been meticulously recreated from the finest Enachan brass (only the third cheapest brass in the System), with fully orbiting planets and other celestial bodies that are, according to newly appointed Head Curator Rufus Locke (former Overseer of the Temporal Archive), ‘powered by magnets or magic or something, who cares?’

When I asked him about his new venture, he was visibly excited:

‘Well it was supposed to be a promotion, but so far all it’s been is an overwhelming amount of hassle. I knew there’d be a lot of work to do, that’s to be expected, but this is beyond ridiculous. And to be opening to the public so prematurely? When did this place become so disorganised? I’ve barely had time to move my stuff in, let alone actually get around to compiling some useful information for these idiots. So now as I break my neck trying to play catch up, I’m going to have to do so whilst being bombarded by inane questions and people messing. And the best part is, the salary barely amounts to a pay rise after taxes! So tell me, how exactly do I benefit from any of this? Sometimes I wish I’d never left Midhaven…’

We look forward to watching how The Orrery grows as a place that invites learning and discovery.

Entry is free to all visitors to the Portal. Refreshments aren’t provided.

Nelecrae Vascero joined as the Portal's cultural correspondent following a bout of severe budget cuts on the KHAZERES, and has proven ever since that their loss is mostly certainly our gain. Her intricate knowledge of Meridian heritage frequently places her in the midst of the most culturally significant events in the System, making for some truly compelling exposition.

Nelecrae currently resides in Ambit Village on the Portal's fourth floor, along with her two cats Filligree & Ferguson, her long-suffering partner, and her impressive collection of occult antiques.

Image courtesy of the The Orrery

Worried About Falling Behind?

If keeping pace with the periodicity of expositionary promulgation invokes in you a foreboding sense of trepidation, our scholar drones are on hand to courier missives direct to your inbox to ensure your continued edification. 

Your privacy is very dear to us. You can eyeball the terms of our privacy policy here. And of course, you can unsubscribe whenever you want to

Fairly Interesting News
consignment of malicious goods seized in carrow
innevere calderwit celebrates 200th birthday
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further delays to enacha restoration
more bodies turn up in alderwick
lion’s paw festival due to begin on vera
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mysterious activity in abandoned factory
major cybernetics recall after hundreds fatally injured
portal data breach: technical hitch or malicious glitch?
objections to spaceport construction turn macabre
power cut on gindra station leaves billions in the dark
demons wreak havoc in herzel’s cradle
prescott westermount dies in custody
annual cheese contest cancelled under mysterious circumstances
ephemeral emporium appears in cloud village
ghost ship sighted on the yawling sea
mysterious monolith in the valley of the faceless gods
monument to lion god ransacked by idiots
rising tension in the vera-sophia shared inner space
longest ever fangle flight recorded on niamine
glitch on caerys strands tourists in metaphysical oblivion
tratnell berwind released from prison
train crash on the barrier rondel leaves fourteen dead
potentially dangerous magic discovered at bharvale academy
the orrery (finally) opens its doors
prison transport seized by tratnell berwind
prescott westermount arrested for stolen treasures
terrors in the night fields
elsiro’s apothecary to remain closed for good
annual cheese contest finalists announced

In Other News:

16-November-2021

major cybernetics recall after hundreds fatally injured

TD-VII
business & economics • minor calamities • science & technology
• • •
13-October-2021

mysterious monolith in the valley of the faceless gods

Illion Winchester
occultism & arcana • unsolved mysteries • zephra
• • •
11-October-2021

exposition recess prolonged due to forgotten password

Delwin Darberry-Drake
crime & punishment • minor calamities • portal news
• • •
16-November-2021

major cybernetics recall after hundreds fatally injured

TD-VII
business & economics • minor calamities • science & technology
• • •
13-October-2021

mysterious monolith in the valley of the faceless gods

Illion Winchester
occultism & arcana • unsolved mysteries • zephra
• • •
11-October-2021

exposition recess prolonged due to forgotten password

Delwin Darberry-Drake
crime & punishment • minor calamities • portal news
• • •
31-August-2021

prescott westermount dies in custody

Nelecrae Vascero
crime & punishment • occultism & arcana • the illustrious & the infamous
• • •
30-August-2021

prison transport seized by tratnell berwind

TD-VII
barrier rondel • crime & punishment • occultism & arcana
• • •
26-August-2021

mysterious activity in abandoned factory

TD-VII
central meridian commonwealth • niamine • occultism & arcana • unsolved mysteries
• • •

Share with your friends & show them what a snazzy cat you are:

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> More (Not Necessarily Good) News:

ephemeral emporium appears in cloud village

Celdevere Seldira

annual cheese contest finalists announced

Nelecrae Vascero

the colossus tear in a nutshell

Alberich Canderwell

> You're Going Places, Kid. Might As Well Be One Of These Places:

primordial forest

Frisco Dias

circadian city

Frisco Dias

the sage of hyperia

Cera Deyamore

You Are Here:

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You Are Here:

Cosmic Library
The Orrery
Astral Market

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PORTAL ORIENTATION ENROLMENT FORM

• Portal Orientation consists of eight lectures delivered over sixteen nights

• Attendance will be monitored, and failure to attend will result in your removal from the course

• There will be prizes for those displaying a certain degree of aptitude

Your privacy is very dear to us. You can eyeball the terms of our privacy policy here. And of course, you can unsubscribe whenever you want to

If you aren’t sure whether you’d like to commit to such an exposition-intensive experience, you may wish to view the first lecture here first to get an idea of what to expect

On second thoughts, I'd rather not

PORTAL ORIENTATION ENROLMENT FORM

• Portal Orientation consists of eight lectures delivered over sixteen nights

• Attendance will be monitored, and failure to attend will result in your removal from the course

• There will be prizes for those displaying a certain degree of aptitude

Your privacy is very dear to us. You can eyeball the terms of our privacy policy here. And of course, you can unsubscribe whenever you want to

If you aren’t sure whether you’d like to commit to such an exposition-intensive experience, you may wish to view the first lecture here first to get an idea of what to expect

On second thoughts, I'd rather not

Exposition Broadcasts currently consists of one email every seven nights, highlighting articles from our catalogue that will help you get to know our reality. We occasionally send additional stuff, like if something interesting happens or the Portal needs to be evacuated

alright then
quentin

ATTENTION NEW ARRIVALS

Welcome aboard. The name’s Quentin, and I’m Head of Quality Assurance.

You will notice this is a very busy terminal, and it’s not uncommon for travellers to go missing. To that end, I strongly advise you sign up for Portal Orientation, as we cannot be held liable for any misfortune that may befall you on account of your own ignorance.

You have been duly advised as per standard protocol. Enjoy your stay. 

SIGN UP FOR ORIENTATION

CONGRATULATIONS

You successfully entered your own email address. There won’t be any prizes for that I’m afraid, but it’s nice to know you’re at least capable of writing. The next step is to go to your inbox and confirm your sentience; you won’t be enrolled until you do.

You may now return to your prior deviations

Your privacy is very dear to us. You can eyeball the terms of our privacy policy here. And of course, you can unsubscribe whenever you want to

CONGRATULATIONS

You successfully entered your own email address. There won’t be any prizes for that I’m afraid, but it’s nice to know you’re at least capable of writing. The next step is to go to your inbox and confirm your sentience; you won’t be enrolled until you do.

You may now return to your prior deviations

Your privacy is very dear to us. You can eyeball the terms of our privacy policy here. And of course, you can unsubscribe whenever you want to

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