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?
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
Newcomers are always welcome on board out station. Might I suggest some mediums by which you might bring them over?
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
Over by the Dimension Gates. You walked passed them in order to come and ask me where they are
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):
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
Then I suggest you go back there before the absence of the NANTARIS‘s signature brand of mediocrity warps your mind
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
The rich spiritual history of Himalia can hardly be summarised in one brief tome, but that didn’t stop me from having a good go of it. What follows is a brief journey back in time to the birth of Himalia’s most widely practiced faith, and all the drama that came with it. Because as far as mythologies go, the sky Goddess Zephyr was the subject of a juicy one.
On the eve of each calendar turn, the people of Cloud Village arranged lanterns around the Floating Glade as a vigil in memory of the Glacial God. The story goes that the Glacial God ruled the mountain reach for a thousand years before the arrival of the sky Goddess Zephyr, who banished him to the Northern Wastes.
The mythologists of Cloud Village weren’t exactly known their originality when it came to origin narratives.
Legend had it that the great sky Goddess Zephyr was summoned from ancestral fires by the eight lesser Gods of the Mountain. Some people asked what fire had to do with a sky deity, but the metal workers of Cloud Village had already started the etchings and they had a deadline to meet so that, as they say, was that.
In honour of their new sky Goddess, the followers of Zephyr built a secret garden far and above the tallest tower of Cloud Village. At the centre of the garden they placed the Celestarium, a beautiful temple with an eternity flame burning atop its tallest altar and a throne made of pure cloud as its seat, so that the sky Goddess might have a fitting place from which to rule.
Zephyr must have had other things to attend to though, Goddess business most likely, since not once did She grace that painstakingly crafted throne with that divine behind of Hers. The cheek of some deities.
Late one summer’s eve, after a heavy night of, erm, worshipping, the head priest Rusko fell asleep against one of the temple fire pits. I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you what happened next, suffice to say it wasn’t long before the whole temple was ablaze. Those who witnessed the fire from below claimed the sky was lit up with such an intense glow that for a moment it seemed that Zephyr had finally decided to make an appearance, until of course burning debris began to rain down on them all, putting an end to the spectation.
Despite never actually visiting the Celestarium built in Her honour — let alone ever giving any inclination She even appreciated such a grand gesture — its destruction was still a source of great annoyance for our friendly neighbourhood deity.
Not one to break the habit of a lifetime by actually showing up and having words, Zephyr instead elected to wait amidst the stars until such a time as She was prepared to exact Her retribution. When all the flowers and plants of the Valley turned to deep reds and vibrant purples, the prophecy claimed, then the Goddess would appear in a blaze of fire, burning everything in Her wake as payment for the destruction of what She imagined was probably quite a lovely temple.
Seems a little extreme, but you know how divine eternal beings can be.
Image courtesy of a passing glacial storm, opportunistically immortalised by Beltram Euhill
Meridian Gods, Vol. I: The Goddess & The Glacier. 1st Edition. First published on Midhaven in 73AC by Bharvale University Press
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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
• 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
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
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.
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.
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
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.
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
