Skip to content

vivaellipsis

  • temporal archive
  • the orrery
Menu
  • temporal archive
  • the orrery
cadet badge
  • cosmic library
  • astral market
Menu
  • cosmic library
  • astral market
cadet badge
  • temporal archive
  • the orrery
  • cosmic library
  • astral market
Menu
  • temporal archive
  • the orrery
  • cosmic library
  • astral market
?

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?

Reddit
Facebook
Email
Twitter
Pinterest
WhatsApp
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

stories
—
13-March-2020

twilight valley

Santiarlla Qhaviri
Marchioness of the Astral Market
himalia • moons of zephra
See The Sights As They Were Intended

I’ve had plenty of dealings with the Twilight Valley over the years, and almost every single time I’ve come away with a sour taste. They’re slippery, real shady like. When you’re negotiating with Junkworld scavengers along the Barrier Rondel or bartering with the spectral thralls of the Demon Road it’s fair to expect some degree of treachery, but these plump little farmhands have no business behaving so contemptuously.

If crystals weren’t such a big deal throughout the System I wouldn’t even have to bother with these idiots at all, but there are very few places where they grow these days and most of those places are more trouble to navigate than they’re worth — crystals might fetch good money, but you can’t spend it if you’re dead. In the end, when it comes down to negotiating a difficult business situation with a shifty merchant or an ancient emerald wyrm, I know which one I feel more comfortable going up against.

And so it was that once again, we were making the painstaking balloon ride down into the valley from Overcloud Wharf. It irritates me no end that Himalia and Khasgar insist on adhering to the slowest, most unreliable mode of transport in the galaxy as a way of getting around, but the last time I landed my ship in the village they tried to strip it for parts, the scumbags. So these days I’ve resigned myself to paying the extortionate mooring tariffs and remunerating myself later with a little extra crystal cash. It’s all standard practice I assure you.

Lately I’ve been dealing solely with a small village right on the edge of the sunken pit, which for those who don’t know much about Himalia, is the outward manifestation of a planet caving in on itself. Intensive crystal farming is like deboning a fangle: in the end all you’re left with is a big pile of amorphous stuff. In my humble opinion, Himalia doesn’t have very long left before it completely collapses, which may or may not be the motivation behind the increased frequency of my visits. There’s good crystal to be had here and I’d rather not see it go to waste for the sake of a little cataclysm.

I like this particular village because I’ve found the farmers here to be far easier to tolerate than their neighbours. I’d actually go as far as saying that the gaffer here is almost pleasant to deal with. Over the past few visits we’ve managed to reach some very profitable terms that are in no way an exploitation of his naivety regarding the current state of the crystal market — living so far from the rest of civilisation tends to have that effect — and I’d appreciate it if you stopped asking me about it.

‘They’re having another feast,’ observed Southpaw, leaning over the edge of the basket in a way that always makes my stomach turn. I’m not particularly afraid of heights, no more than meets good sense, but decent strong-arms are hard to come by and Southpaw is as clumsy as he is intimidating.
‘It’s the spirit season, what do you expect. Stop leaning over the basket like that, you’ll tip us all out.’
Southpaw wasn’t listening. ‘Do you think they have enough for guests?’ he asked, his inattentive ears whipping at the sapphire flies burring above our heads.
‘I’m not eating their slop!’ protested Half-Nut, my articulate and well-mannered cargo master. ‘They grind crystals up and sprinkle them in their soup, it’s nasty.’
‘Stop believing everything you hear Half-Nut, nobody eats crystals just like nobody eats gold. And no Southpaw, we’re not staying here any longer than we need to, the magic crackle is already giving me a headache.’

We disembarked at the landing overlooking the waterfall, leaving the grizzled balloon master to figure out how much we’d paid him, and descended the stairs into the village. By the looks of things, they were gearing up for the biggest feast of the season, the Emberglow Banquet, which meant the crystal harvest was done and we wouldn’t need to come back for a long while. The food did smell good though, and I half regretted being so forceful in shutting down Southpaw’s suggestion. We climbed up onto the platform where the crystal cache stood, and I was surprised to see it was the gaffer’s son who was sat outside, poring over transaction sheets. Along the platform, labourers were loading the store at a pace that suggested they were keen to be done in time for the festivities.
‘Henrik,’ I said, approaching the table. ‘Is your dad around?’
Henrik looked up from his papers and fixed me with a cold stare. ‘Oh. Hello, Marchioness. No I’m afraid my father is not around. He took an early retirement. I’m the gaffer here now.’

Shit.

Henrik stood, and I realised he was actually quite tall, certainly much taller than his old man. Sharper, too. This wasn’t going to be as easy as anticipated.
‘I had a feeling you’d come sniffing around my harvest. I know you’ve been swindling us’ — he gestured to the pile of ledgers on the table — ‘and I assure you that that ship has sailed.’
Naturally, I had no idea what he was talking about. ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about Henrik.’
Henrik bristled at my use of his name, which was strange because I was only trying to get under his skin a little bit. ‘You don’t know what I mean? Let’s just have a look at what I mean, shall we?’ He grabbed one of the ledgers, a hideous battered old thing bound in cheap Enachan leather, and flipped to the incriminating page so fast I’m certain that this entire scenario had been prepared for and scripted.

‘Here, on the ninth night of Esper, you took six crates at 𝛌600 each—’
’—the exchange rate was favourable that day—’
‘—and here, on the twelfth night of Nelecrae, you took eight crates at 𝛌400 each—‘
‘—some of them were chipped, it was a fair markdown—’
‘—and then last month, and this one’s my favourite, you stole four crates at 𝛌700 for the whole lot!’ He slammed the book shut and threw it down on the table, scattering the papers he’d been so meticulously working on moments before. I gave him a second to catch his breath.
‘I’m fairly certain it’s not stealing if I paid for what I took.’
The coldness of his expression made Niamine look tropical. ‘You have been stealing from my business, from my family, for long enough. I know you had my father fooled, no doubt you seduced him, but believe me when I say it ends here. You’ve made us the laughing stock of the valley, and I will have my due recompense.’

Due recompense? I was wrong. This guy wasn’t sharp, he was a moron. I cocked an eyebrow; Southpaw cracked his knuckles. Half-Nut choked back a sneeze.
‘Alright then, gaffer. Tell me what it is that you want.’
The fact that he wasn’t getting rattled was starting to annoy me. Either he wasn’t aware of who he was dealing with, or he was and just didn’t care. The latter was more concerning since it implied he was somewhat unhinged, and doing business with the unhinged is rarely productive.
‘An interesting question. Why don’t I show you. Khazbor! Bhzal!’
The two hulking Dhalian Peacemakers were not what I was expecting when they emerged from inside the cache, and they most certainly complicated matters — at seven feet tall, the twin giants stood at least a head and shoulder above Southpaw, which placed us at something of a disadvantage.

Henrik’s victorious smile curdled when he turned to address the pair. ‘Don’t you remember what we rehearsed?’ Khazbor looked at Bhzal (or maybe Bhzal looked at Khazbor, it hardly matters), and both shrugged. ‘The crates, you imbeciles! Go and get the crates!’
A dim recognition carried them back inside, and they returned momentarily with what I imagine was originally intended to be the triumphant climax of this bizarre charade. I eyed the crates the giants had dropped at my feet, and then eyed Henrik.
‘What are these supposed to be?’
Henrik’s smile slithered back across his face. ‘This is my premium stock.’
Neither of us said anything for a very long moment. Half-Nut suppressed another sneeze.
‘Is there something wrong, Marchioness?’
‘You know perfectly well what’s wrong Henrik.’
The gaffer laughed. ‘Yes, well. I’m afraid until you pay me what you owe from the last, what was it, five visits? Plus interest, of course, and then damages… Well, until then, this is all you’re getting.’

That familiar sour taste of the valley was coming back, reminding me exactly why I hated this place. There’s nothing I despise more than being held to ransom, especially when it’s by a cretin like Henrik who, if it wasn’t for his hired goons, would now most certainly be in a classic Southpaw viper-grip. If only we’d brought Grendel with us instead of Half-Nut, but the idiot had insisted that he needed to soak his feet after the ordeal in the Decharon swamps. I suppose it serves me right for getting complacent.
‘I’m fairly certain these crates don’t contain crystals. And unfortunately I don’t have any interest in any other stock, premium or otherwise.’
That smile was getting uncomfortable look at. ‘Marchioness, you are misunderstanding me. Until you pay what you owe, this is all that is available to you. And frankly, it’s more than you deserve.’
I looked back down at the crates and had to struggle to contain my outrage. Half-Nut wasn’t so successful.
‘Listen buddy! Nobody talks to the Lioness like that, least of all some whelp piggybacking off his pappy’s wealth! You can stuff your crystals up your backside, we’ll go elsewhere — there’re plenty of farmers in this valley who’d beg for our custom!’

Seemingly relishing the uncomfortable silence that fell afterwards, Henrik took an eon to reply.
‘Let me be perfectly clear. You will accept the goods I have provided. You will pay for the goods I have provided. Then, you will take these goods that I have provided and you will leave and never return. And if that message still doesn’t sink in, than perhaps this one will: there are Peacemakers in every village in the valley, and it seems pertinent to mention that of them all, Khazbor and Bhzal here are the most amenable.’
It was Khazbor’s turn to crack knuckles, whilst Bhzal removed the vast hammer from his back and leant on it, staring us down with violent yellow eyes. Southpaw growled in retaliation, but from the way his ears were flickering I could tell he wasn’t feeling particularly confident about our chances. Half-Nut suddenly didn’t seem so chatty.
As much as I hate to admit it, the bastard had me. What was worse was how much he knew it.
‘So, Marchioness,’ he said, the smile that had been plastered across his face all throughout this exchange now adopting a saccharine tinge that made it all the more disturbing. ‘Shall I fetch the balance book?’

The journey back was unbearable. Henrik had employed a mastermind level of deviancy in providing us with an escort back to the platform, to ‘ensure the protection of the cargo’, so we couldn’t even unload the burden until we we’d ascended far enough that there was no chance of one of the twins standing on the other’s shoulders and scooping us out of the sky.

‘I can’t believe how much they charged us for a load of crates of—‘
‘Don’t say it, Southpaw. Don’t even think it. Just get rid of them.’
‘I could have taken them,’ said Half-Nut, struggling to lift a crate over the edge of the basket. ‘They used to call me Lightning Thunder back on The Beatnik.’
‘That name doesn’t make sense,’ said Southpaw, grabbing the crate out of Half-Nut’s hands before he caused an inconvenience. ‘Lighting is thunder, it’s like calling me Snow Rain.’ I didn’t even feel like correcting him.

Half-Nut was still riled up though, and spent the remainder of the ascent suggesting ways to exact our revenge whilst Southpaw did the rest of the heavy lifting. ‘We’ll come back with a horde of Anakarii and destroy their whole village!’

’No,’ I said, looking out across the sunken pit and coming to an ominous realisation. ‘Somehow I don’t think they’ll need us for that.’

Santiarlla Qhaviri is the Merchant Queen of Flint & Canora, the Extraneous Territories, and the Boreal Realm, and is the present Marchioness of the Astral Market. As mercantile sovereign of Dawn Hollow's capital, her dominion is recognised across all commercial stations built on Niamine, though every Exposition Portal has since seceded save for the FARROLITH, which can hardly be counted can it. Santiarlla divides her time between her manor house here on the Portal, the Market Palace on Niamine, and her ship, the Hollow Rose.

Image courtesy of the Circadian Heritage Foundation, Himalia

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

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:

Twitter
Reddit
Email
WhatsApp

> Read more uplifting stories:

zephyr’s garden

Eva Zanskar

circadian city

Frisco Dias

serene vale

Harlow

> Or perhaps edify yourself with a book:

a brief history of the chaos, vol. I

Alberich Canderwell

a brief history of the chaos, vol. III

Alberich Canderwell

You Are Here:

The Orrery
Cosmic Library
Astral Market

You Are Here:

Cosmic Library
The Orrery
Astral Market

Join the Worlds Famous Spirelight Hotel & Elision Bar for Advanced Previews and Exclusive Misadventures:

Patreon

FEELING GENEROUS?

Our Portal relies solely on the patronage of passing travellers in order to earn our keep. Thanks to these generous contributions, we’re able to keep this station open to the public free of charge, forever

• SUPPORT THE PORTAL •
a clarity logo stretched out like a white cat in the sun

JOIN US

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

CONNECT OFFWORLD

Patreon Facebook Instagram Twitter Also Also The Musicto Logo Musicto Logo Spotify Pinterest Youtube Medium
MAKE CONTACT
© vivaellipsis limited 2022 • 78 AC
PRIVACY POLICY
TERMS OF USE

By boarding our space station, you agree to our use of cookies, which we use to keep things running smoothly

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

vivaellipsis
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.

3rd Party Cookies

This website uses Facebook Pixel to reach people anonymously who have previously visited the site.

This website also uses Hotjar in order to better understand our users’ needs and to optimise this service and experience. Hotjar is a technology service that helps us better understand our users’ experience (e.g. how much time they spend on which pages, which links they choose to click, what users do and don’t like, etc.) and this enables us to build and maintain our service with user feedback. Hotjar uses cookies and other technologies to collect data on our users’ behaviour and their devices. This includes a device's IP address (processed during your session and stored in a de-identified form), device screen size, device type (unique device identifiers), browser information, geographic location (country only), and the preferred language used to display our website. Hotjar stores this information on our behalf in a pseudonymised user profile. Hotjar is contractually forbidden to sell any of the data collected on our behalf.

For further details, please see the ‘about Hotjar’ section of Hotjar’s support site.

Keeping these cookies enabled helps us to improve our website.

Please enable Strictly Necessary Cookies first so that we can save your preferences!