Ch. 16

• FINALLY we meet Cassian and Azriel; in my head they're the bash bros of the Night Court
  
• Oh they actually are brothers! Or bastard-brothers to be more precise…wonder who the lucky daddy is
  
• Azriel is leaking darkness? Someone should wipe that up for him and let him know. That's a bit creepy. Seems like he has a thing for Mor though
  
• Amren’s here! We got the whole gang!
  
• Oh so she was transformed to a high fae too? Interesting, I need the back story on that plz and ty
  
• LOL Mor is channeling my energy; less talk, more eat
  
• Ah k so Illyrians are essentially just a warrior race bred for battle…I can dig that. They even have badass names too
  
• Oh interesting, so none of them are even high fae except for Mor. Where's that faerie hierarchy chart, I need to know where Illyrians sit in the pecking order. I'm assuming they're right underneath high fae? Cause they're still good looking, so definitely not near Suriel status.
  
• LOVING the world building here with the Illyrians.
  
• Oooh nice back story with Rhys’s parents. Again, every dad here just sounds like a real winner /s
  
• WTF is the mating bond exactly? It's been mentioned before a few times but not really explained…is it like imprinting in Twilight? I hate myself for knowing what that is
  
• JFC growing up as an Illyrian sounds brutal. They make vikings look like prissy nobles. They're like the dothraki of this world
  
• Lol poor Cassian no abilities at all. “Just a bastard” (in Ser Alliser Thorne’s voice)
  
• I do like this three musketeer back story with Rhys, Cassian and Azriel, seems like they became the broest of bros
  
• Everyone in the inner circle are outcasts from their respective social spheres, that's pretty cool
  
• Oooooh Cassian is Feyre's combat teacher now? This is just what she wanted
  
• OH SHIT King Hybern wants to resurrect Jurian?! I knew this fooligan would be coming back somehow. His eye was staring at Feyre for too long in that ring last book, it seemed like he knew her somehow or was impressed with her
  
• Damn so the Attor has the ring and Jurian's finger? Hmmm
  
• The Bone Carver??? I'm not even worried since Rhys is the most powerful high lord and Feyre has her 5 million abilities. Let's make this jabroni talk
  

Ch. 17

• Wut so Feyre and Rhys’s bond is a living thing? And it's making Feyre empathize with him too…new power couple is about to form! Does Rhyre or Feysand sound better?
  
• “A shame that you let them think the worst.” Feyre loves a mysterious man with a heroic flair.
  
• Omg another mention of a porcelain toilet! Sarah J, please tell me how the plumbing in Prythian works, this is bigger than the tension that I'm reading between Feyre, Tammy, and Mr. Cavill combined. And I'm assuming Velaris is on Joe's plumbing clientele list? Plumbers can always keep secrets
  
• Ooof Rhys dreaming the bash bros being tortured by Amarantha, that's heavy.
  
  • Aww both Rhys and Feyre are broken creatures, they need each other
• “His fingers were gentle, but firm where he’d fisted them in my hair.” I'm betting she's imagining being fisted somewhere else lol
  
• Ooooh the fire bending comes from the Autumn Court??? Please tell me Luke the Duke is the strongest fire bender. I need him to fire blast his enemies pronto
  
• Oh nice they winnowed right outside the prison How interesting, Amren used to be a prisoner there; and there are prisoners from when Mor’s family ruled the nation? I bet they’ve seen some shit
  
• Ohhhhh yeah I guess Feyre would get PTSD from having to walk under the island to get to the prison.
  
• “I didn't get out of bed for the rest of the day.” - Literally how I feel most days lol
  

Ch. 18

• Huh, how did Amren get that amulet that helped her get out of prison? I need those deets!
  
• Oooh Cassian is the best fighter according to Rhys. FALSE. Lucien would wipe the flow with him, hands down
  
• BRUTAL backstory on Azriel, I'm getting Sandor Clegane vibes. I hope there's a better Clegane Bowl in this series than what we got in that dog shit final season of GoT.
  
• “I suppose in the mortal realm, Mor might be considered a queen.” YAS
  
• WTF so is Amren an ACTUAL dragon? I hope so, that'd be so cool
  
• Nice, they're finally going into Azkaban
  
• Haha the guards actually sound similar to dementors, I dig it
  
• DAMN Amren was in that prison for multiple millenia? What a savage
  
• WHAT?! So Amren came from another world/dimension??? Are we potentially dealing with a multiverse plotline here? I'm hoping it's more like the Wild Hunt from the Witcher. Regardless, she's now the most interesting character in the series IMO
  
• Oooh the Bone Carver sounds cool, like an evolved form of a boggart. These last few chapters have been great with expanding this universe
  
• Here we go, Bone Carver time! Again, the stakes are so low for me right now. Both Rhys and Feyre are too OP for this bro, would be an easy clap
  
• Hmmm so is the boy what Feyre sees or Rhys? Also, being able to store things in between dimensions? Rhys is just showing off now. Still very cool
  
• Feyre's scared? Just mind break him if he gets out of line!
  
• Is the bone carver disguised as Rhys when he was a boy? Wonder why. Also, is this how he gets his jollies off? Having people recount their death experience?
  
• Ooooh so there actually is a magic cauldron that created everything? And the temples that were ransacked had the broken legs, k this is good
  
• I can't imagine King Hybern is the one that has been orchestrating all of this? I'm assuming it's a bigger baddie. Also, all of this just to resurrect a human warrior? Does he have abilities that counter the faeries somehow? He just sounds like discount Cassian.
  
• Cool good confirmation that it is King Hybern doing all of this. And the cauldron can take down the wall if it wanted? I mean, isn't that a bit obvious, especially if it had the power to created everything?
  
• K, how does the Bone Carver know all of this? Is he the Cauldron master?
  
• Dude, this guy needs to go outside and touch some grass. Too much bone on the brain
  
• Ahhh k he appeared as Jurian to Rhys…but why? Were they friends or something? And why did Rhys shudder when Feyre said she saw a boy. I'm betting that was him. Also, how did the bone carver know to appear as these two? I'm assuming psychic abilities or he can hear what's going on in Velaris
  
• Very cool chapter! My favorite of the book so far
  

Ch. 19

• Oh shit we invading King Hybern's land LFG!!!!
  
• Yeah Feyre with the book detecting ability, just one of the 27347382 powers she now has
  
• WTF is a weaver? That doesn't sound ominous at all
  
• “Mother’s tits” LOL Cassian, I might have to steal that
  
• Oooh Feyre becomes the emissary of the night court? She's now a part of the inner circle!
  
• Oh damn we're going back to Feyre's fam bam? This should be good, can't wait to see how she interacts with them
  
• So Rhys is behind by two months because Feyre was draggin’ her ass by being illiterate and not wanting to read and not wanting to learn about her abilities? Insubordinate. And churlish.
  
• Hmm so Feyre has to steal back a trinket from the Weaver broad. Wonder what the trinket is.
  
• “You are my salvation, Feyre.” Man, Mr. Cavill knows how to lay it on THICC. I bet Feyre's eating this all up right now
  

Ch. 20

• Oh cool now we're back near under the mountain
  
• Wait, Amarantha didn't want to disturb the Weaver? That's a bit unsettling
  
• Of course Cassian wants to bang Feyre, why am I not surprised.
  
• LOL and of course Feyre doubles down on Rhys’s games and says I'm interested. Can't wait for this interaction between her and Cassian
  
• Ooo cute cottage; getting Beorn vibes
  
• “When I glanced behind, Rhys was gone.” LOL the noping in this book is STRONG.
  
• Bro…the Weaver song is creepy AF. It's like she's singing what she's planning on doing to Feyre if she catches her
  
• Oh she has to steal a ring? Does this also contain a soul? Also, wouldn't the Weaver put wards on all her junk so she knows if someone tries to steal them?
  
• “The Weaver stopped singing.” OH SHIT GTFO!!!!
  

Ahhhh what a cliffhanger! I think I'm gonna keep reading, will post the notes for the next few chapters soon. Stay tuned!

I won't disclose its actual location, so if that's why you're here, sorry to disappoint. It's not time for that yet. However, I do think it's time to start getting the word out. I've noticed an increase in what I'll call "Antennas" lately, or people who can detect cross-planar phase shifts. Without getting into all the math (some of which I don't even know), this is basically a phenomenon which refers to entropy seeping into our universe from other realms or universes or whatever you want to call it. Simply put, people think our universe is a closed system to entropy, meaning that the disorder of any variable in our universe can only increase or decrease in direct proportion to other variables in that same system (the universe). Under this precept, we can establish rules like the Laws of Thermodynamics, and for most people, they're effective. But not for Antennas.
Put another way, if you throw a bunch of bouncy balls into a box, there are a number of different configurations that the balls could take on, with different speeds and magnitudes. You can calculate all of those if you have the right numbers. Now let's say you throw in another set of balls that you don't consider in your calculations of the initial set. Well, then you're not going to get an accurate picture of what's happening. Most people only see the first set and calculate based on that, but some people can see two, three, four or more sets.
You'll understand the concept better when I tell you the story, but I wanted to give you a primer on an important concept that will help you understand why this place, which I'll call "Area X", exists, and what the goals of the people who work there are.
Also note that I'm going to be using the alias "Trent" moving forward. Please refer to me as such in any direct messages.
***
Eighteen years ago I started working as an independent Home Inspector. I dropped out of community college after my first semester (not because I didn't find some of the subjects interesting, but because deference to a man or woman has never been my style) and started working some odd jobs. I did construction work for a couple years, then plumbing. I even drove a garbage truck for six months. I've always found pleasure in using my hands, and getting dirty was never a problem for me. Still, having a boss really dragged ass, so I spent my free time working on creating my own business. It took a few years and lots of savings, but I finally managed to get basic set of Home Inspection equipment: Tyvek coveralls, a cheap half-face respirator, voltage & AFCI/GFCI testers, CO2 and radon monitors, an IR camera, and telescoping mirrors in addition to the boots, safety glasses, electric gloves, ladder, and toolkits I already had on hand.
My buddy at the time was in the business, but he was moving off to the coast, so he helped me get set up and even introduced me to some of his clients. Of course, by that time I had already gotten my State license, but I still was a bit apprehensive to work with insurance agencies. I thought I could make a living working independently, inspecting for mold or sizing up a house for a prospective buyer. Eventually, though, I realized I should probably take every job available to me.
Easing into the business went about as well as it could have. The clients my friend referred to me were very satisfied with my work, and I was able to retain them. Then, in order to increase my reach, I hired someone on Fiverr to build a website for my company which led to a marked increase in traffic and conversions. About six months through, I began to get on a first-name basis with the boys and girls down down at Allstate and Progressive, and they fed me some of the bigger cases. In fact, I got so booked by year's end that I had to hire someone to help manage my schedule and the Excel spreadsheet with all my finances. I capped off a successful year with a 5-star Google rating and a trip to Ireland to visit some family and friends and get piss drunk. When I got back, it was the grindstone all over again, until the summer when I discovered… well, you'll see.
First off, I want to say that I was never one to believe in the paranormal. I grew up watching the movies and hearing the ghost stories round the campfire like every other kid, but it never struck a chord with me. If I can't touch it or see it or hear it, does it really exist? Probably not. So don't go thinking this was a scared man seeing his own shadow. That being said, I had this sense that something was off about this house when I parked along the curb and looked through a large window, perhaps two times the size of my van, to a dingy, dark foyer.
The entire neighborhood was stacked with upper-middle class domiciles, though it seemed like only two thirds of them were occupied, mostly by professionals who commuted to the City every weekday, and the rest were empty. As a man who understands real estate, to say this was strange would be an understatement. Still, I had no problem appraising the mini-mansion for a couple of newlyweds looking to enter the community. I did some research on the property ahead of time, and it seems that it was owned by a couple of old timers who had gone off the grid some time ago. The water and electric bill were both unpaid dating back to 2004 (it was June of '06 now). The bank had repo'd the house (which only had about 100k left on it) and held it for a year and a half before putting it back on the market. I tried to find out more about the old couple who vanished, but there was nothing in the news.
I stepped out of the van in my coveralls and grabbed my suitcase which had my mask, gloves, and eye protection in it. I liked to do a preliminary survey first, running an eye test on the exterior then interior before bringing out the big guns (that way I could identify the areas where I think there could be problems instead of running a metal detector over the whole damn ocean seaboard). I was about to do just that when the window caught my eye again. It felt uncharacteristic of me to be so occupied with this window, but I detoured to the front porch and peeked inside anyway.
Most of the furniture had already been moved out, meaning all that was left was a single three-seater couch, a couple candlesticks on the fireplace mantle, a pristine chandelier overtop a dining room table, and the kitchenware: an oven, gas stovetop, marble countertops, and an island. I could see into the living room very clearly with the afternoon light, but the dining room was dim enough that there were a few structures I couldn't quite make out in the distance. One of them appeared to be some kind of china cabinet or bookshelf—I figured it was the former considering where it was located. The other shadow looked kind of like a grandfather clock. Or at least that's what I thought until it moved.
When I say it "moved", I don't mean to say that it picked up and walked away. If you're not familiar with the Necker Cube, I suggest you search it up, because that kind of illusion is the best way to describe what I saw. At first I was seeing the grandfather clock in a certain way—pushed into the corner of the room—and the next second my vision "corrected" and it was maybe five feet to the left of its former position. I shook my head and looked again and saw the grandfather clock in its second orientation, standing in the center of the room against the wall. I figured I was just seeing things, but even so I spent a little extra time dawdling around the Egress window, taking notes, and delaying the interior inspection.
When I finally grew a pair and went inside, I walked straight to the dining room. Sure enough, the grandfather clock was stowed away in the corner of the room. I spent a couple minutes watching it with my pencil and travel notebook out. I'm the kind of guy that likes to collect hard data when the chips are down. Unfortunately, the clock apparently already had enough fun and was content with sweating me. Oh, well.
I fitted my pencil behind my ear and pocketed my travel notebook, then flipped the rest of the first floor lights on and completed my prelim. I concluded that everything was pretty standard. If anything, the house was in better shape than I'd expect considering it presumably hasn't been lived in for a couple years. I say "presumably" because one can never count out squatters, even during those times. Mainly I was expecting more dust build up and cobwebs than there were. Perhaps someone from the department had come by recently. It's unlikely, but possible.
I did the same check upstairs and it came back mostly clean. There was a bit of staining near the attic I wanted to check for mold. Based on its color, it was probably just a minor case of Aspergillus, but better safe than sorry. Then I got to the basement, and, well, let's just count out the idea of anyone dropping by. I don't know what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't what I found.
The first thing that caught my eye was the long, slender body of a birch tree lying pale and dead across a large portion of the even larger unfinished basement's cement flooring. I had to do a double take to make sure I wasn't dreaming, but, yep, there it was. Its crown was sealed up in the wall with only its trunk hanging out, which made me think of those medieval pillory devices which locked up people's heads and arms. Then confetti-scattered around the tree and all over the basement floor was a minefield of broken glass and ceramic tangled up with a set of random objects. And when I say random, I mean random. There was an unfurled Somali flag (the blue one with a single star in the center), some packaged drinks and condiments branded with all sorts of different languages (I could only make out Gaelic and Chinese or Japanese, I couldn't quite tell), a broken dome-shaped security camera, an otoscope (the thing the doc uses to check your ears), Hot Wheels cars (okay that one isn't so strange), and the list goes on.
At that moment, I wasn't freaked out or disgusted. I was more or less just confused. I started walking through the rubble, trying to avoid the sharp fragments but pretty confident that my steel toed boots would crush most the pieces anyway, when I heard a clink just up ahead. I was able to spot the coin in time, just before it jingled to a halt atop an old Life magazine. I picked it up and noted right away its oval shape and bronze color—clearly not American made. I tried reading it, but not only was the language not English, it appeared to be so old that most of the lettering had been filed down. I looked up at the ceiling to see if it dropped from a shelf, but there was nothing that could have been holding the coin. I considered for a moment, looking around at the other junk, and had the crazy idea that maybe all this stuff just appeared here. I popped the coin in my pocket and headed back to the van when I stopped by the tree and realized something. It wasn't a birch tree—it was a palm tree. I just didn't realize because of how ashy and decayed the bark was.
Now at this point you might think I've been acting a little nonchalant for such a strange occurrence, and I don't blame you, but if you're gonna stick around with me that's just something you're gonna have to get used to. I guess I was just born with a screw loose, but I really don't scare easily, and I tend to look at everything pragmatically. If you dig deep enough, you'll always find another plausible explanation. That being said, I do want to get to the part about Area X, so let me give you the rundown on what I learned about this basement.
I ended up trekking back to the van and picking up my gear. I was no longer running the routine inspection, obviously, but I figured I might as well throw 30 thousand dollars of scanning equipment at whatever the fuck anamoly existed in that basement. Most of it came back negative. There was a bit higher-than-usual EM interference as picked up on the voltmeters, but nothing that screamed danger close. Still, it was enough for me to set up my volt testers and IR camera while muddling through the rest of the junk. I won't bore you with another list of items, but I did find one thing of value: a diamond necklace. And not just any diamond necklace, it was one of those Queen-wearing, multi-row, big-jeweled necklaces like out of some Historical Fiction movie from the thirties. I almost didn't pocket it because I'm used to expensive items being owned by someone… someone who might want it back. But I figured if there was ever a place the finder's keeper's rule applied, it was probably in this Quantum graveyard.
7 O'clock rolled around and I hadn't eaten. I'm a pretty bulky guy, carrying my share of both muscle and fat, and most people think that means I need to eat a ton but that's really not the case. Mostly I just get dehydrated easily, especially in the summer. That said, I was bordering on famished territory and considered heading out for a bite when I heard another sound. The first thing I did was check my scanners, and sure enough the voltage needle was fully spun to the right side of the dial. EM interference. Then I went to see what had dropped. I was able to pick the object out pretty quickly since I had spent the last 6 hours staring at the mosaic of a basement floor. It was a silver briefcase, like one of those out of a crime novel, and it was cracked open.
I had this sense then that I was standing at a precipice, and if I opened the briefcase and looked inside, I wouldn't be able to stop whatever would come afterwards. Part of me deep down knew that I was just that type of guy that had to know, and maybe this was my Hamlet moment where it would be a trait gone a step too far. But then again I didn't really believe in any of that sentimental bullshit, so I opened the briefcase.
The gun surprised me a little, but not as much as the piece of paper laid atop a case file reading in large black font, "FIND ME". I expected the envelope to have some missing person file in it, but instead there were all these schematics and blueprints for some kind of device. Whatever it was, it was pretty massive. Some of the lengths were hundreds of meters long. And what's more strange is based on the blueprint's locale, it appeared to be underground. I looked back through the pages a couple times, then checked the note—nothing strange there. The gun appeared to be a simple glock. I was no gun expert, but I had been to the range pretty regularly with my construction buddies, so I got used to the feel of a pistol and rifle and some of the different names; however, I realized pretty quickly it wasn't your standard glock when I couldn't find mag-release. That's when I noticed how light the gun felt. I tried to chamber a round, but again, there was no hammer. What the hell kind of gun was this?
I ended up throwing everything back in the briefcase, including the necklace, coin, and a few Koozies I found that were branded with one of my favorite sports teams (never let an opportunity go to waste). I put up all my shit back in the van and spun over to a local burger joint, got my fill, and went home. I made sure to draft an email to the prospective buyers, telling them the house had several patches of black mold and a bit of a rat problem before drifting off to sleep. Although I really didn't do much of that.
When I woke up, I took a cold shower and downed a can of Reign, then commuted to my gym and got a lift and some sauna time in before making the trip back to the house. I brought some extra supplies with me for some experiments I cooked up while not sleeping the previous night.
First, I had two camcorders set up on a couple tripods in either corner of the basement. I wanted clear footage of these mystery objects spawning in. Then I set up a voltmeter in a similar fashion, but I had a wire extending out of it on a circuit which fed to an alarm that would blare when the reading was over 250 volts. Upstairs, I rearranged some of the furniture so that the small number of tables, chairs, clock, cabinets, and other little pillows or vases I could find were scattered across the living room, dining room, and kitchen. Then I pulled up a lawn chair to the front porch window and waited.
I didn't have to wait long though. In about a minute, I started to notice some of the objects moving. It was strange. When a few of them would shift simultaneously, it was like looking at a holographic card that would change shape depending on where your eyes were in relation to the image. Every time I saw a shift, I felt an awkward feeling in my eyes. They went blurry for a fraction of a second, then there was a twinge of pain, as if my brain couldn't handle the contradictory stimulus. It didn't get more crazy than that though—until the alarm went off.
I had cracked open the small rectangular window in the basement to the side of the house so I would hear it. It took four hours and several strange stares from passersby walking their dogs before it rang, so I was a bit lost in my thoughts, but when I heard the beep I perked up fast. It lasted for maybe 5 seconds total, but what I saw was truly miraculous. The best way I can describe it is a pool of silver or gray or translucent light emerging in the foreground between me and the objects in the different rooms. A series of twisting tentacles sprouted from the gray octopus-like head and spun in a way that reminded me of that little kids ride at the amusement parks. Then the objects started to "heat up" is the way I describe it. Their position became relative, meaning they were here one second, there another, then they popped out of existence entirely. Suddenly the rooms were all empty, then they were full of things I had never seen before. Then five seconds passed and the octopus vanished and it was back to the same old objects in their usual places.
It took a few minutes to process what I saw, and even then I wasn't sure I really saw it. I went inside and looked around at my distribution of the house's furnishings. They were all there, intact. Then I went downstairs to check the cams. I rewinded a couple minutes and played it back, but there was no flying object to be found. Instead, there was some gray static that lasted half a second and then the object, a kid's treasure chest toy, was there on the ground. But you want to know the really strange part? I rewinded the tape again, and when I watched the footage back, the treasure chest was always there.
I later came to understand that these poppings in-and-out of our reality are only conceivable to a conscious mind that can track the interference patterns—not rote computational instruments. In fact, even most people can't do it (although everyone has at least a slight awareness of it, even if only subconsciously). Plus, locations like the basement of this house are very rare and kept under tight lock. That became obvious to me two days later when, after my normal morning routine, I pulled up to a driveway and curbside filled with unmarked government vehicles. Either bravely or stupidly, I pulled up to a few officers (they were wearing suits in 85 degree weather, so I assumed…) who were idling by the large fence of crime scene tape and asked them what the score was.
"There was a crime," said the short man with a unibrow.
"Oh, is that right? Damn shame. Someone break in? I have a niece who lives nearby, so…"
The man looked at his two compatriots, both of whom were wearing sunglasses and a "get this civilian fuck out of here" expressions. "Oh, yeah," he started in a reassuring tone that was so condescending it would have annoyed anyone except me, "we found a body. We think it was a homicide. Best to keep your kids away from here for a while."
I thumbed the stubble on my chin, my other hand outstretched on the wheel, and considered moving on, but my mouth had other ideas. "That right? But uh, isn't this house vacant? I mean, I don't remember no one living in it."
The short man, now tall with temper, said, "Yeah, some squatters. We think there was a dispute over some drug money. Nothing for you to worry about though, we got it under control. Now if you wouldn't mind moving along, we have a lot of work to do."
Oh, I'm sure you do, I thought, but only said, "Of course, sir, sorry for keeping you from your job." Then I rolled up the window and cruised on, keeping my eyes on the house which slowly diminished in the side-view mirror.
Luckily I had been smart enough to break down my camp and lug home all my equipment each night, so I didn't leave anything incriminating. I didn't move the furniture back, so maybe that would come back to haunt me, but considering the kind of shit going down in that house, I didn't think they would notice.
For any of you wondering about the conclusion of the house story, I went back a couple weeks later after the suits had left and the tape was taken down and confirmed that not only was the basement entirely cleaned out, but it was no longer exhibiting any strange properties. I looked for a story related to the house, maybe a made up murder of some kind, but there was nothing. That bastard lied to me and didn't even bother to cover his story up.
Now, in the aftermath of an event such as this, I really only had one of two options. I could forget it, move on, continue living life. The necklace was surely worth a fortune. I could sell it and have enough to retire, or at least hire enough people and expand my business large enough to retire within ten or so years. Or I could take all that money and invest it in my own PI business with only a single objective: finding out what those people knew, and why they were hiding it.
I think you know me well enough by now to guess which line of reasoning appealed more to me.
***
For the sake of brevity, I'm going to omit most of my encounters along the journey to discovering Area X. There's a lot to tell, and if it appeals to you perhaps I'd be willing to share at a later date, but for now I want to get this part of the story, the more proximal part, out in the open.
Three years ago, I discovered the source of what I'll call "The Receiver". This is the device that was schematized in the documents that I found in the briefcase. What it does is a complex answer, and how it does it is pretty much all speculation, but here's what I've been able to find out: this universe we live in is a node in a network of many other spaces. These spaces exist in higher dimensions that we cannot directly perceive, but using a conceivable analogy, just think about a flower with petals. The petals are these other dimensions which bleed into our world, which is at the center. However, it's not that pretty. We see the physical world through the lens of spacetime: sizes, speeds, etc. These other dimensions don't necessarily have space or time. In fact, what actually exists there, I couldn't say. The only data I have on them is from two sources: correspondence information and server data from the secret agency (which I'll call "the Organization") that keeps this under wraps, and first-hand experience with realms from these other entities, either directly (I experience it) or through the eyes of someone else with the same or greater abilities than I possess.
I referred to these people with abilities earlier as "Antennas", and I will continue to use the term. Antennas really come in three flavors, marked by the strength of their ability: weak Antennas, like me, are able to observe spontaneous interactions between our universe and other dimensions (phase shifts) when there is a strong force of collision like existed in the basement; moderate Antennas may see phase shifts occur at any point, and they usually are able to retain memories from across the different transformations; strong Antennas, and I don't know if they exist yet, but they are able to consciously interact with these other realms and cause phase shifts to occur.
I mentioned that moderate Antennas are able to retain memories from before and after a phase shift. Technically, all Antennas have this ability, but it's about degree. I can recall only very specific instances and without much detail. Moderates are usually able to pick out much more nuanced minutiae. At the lower end of moderate scale, most of those details fade or get fuzzy over time, but for the very strong Antennas, they hold onto almost everything. One other property that scales with strength is interaction with other conscious entities. Only a small percentage of moderates are able to do this. What's interesting is that these entities can possess (yes, like ghosts) people who aren't even antennas, but no one is aware of such possession at this deep of a level. I have several companions now, and only two have had interactions with these otherworldly beings. Not all of them are malevolent, some of them are whimsical or kind, but there are a fair share of demons out there.
Getting back to the point, Area X started as a government funded project in the 70's. At that time, they were focused on a few subjects: Artificial Intelligence, DNA sequencing, and psychedelics. Yes, they were part of the infamous LSD experiments. But they looked at these subjects through a common lens—there was something that the burgeoning tech industry, fueled by the advent of a commercial computer market, was missing. As the tech giants rose in the early 2000's and began to collect mass amounts of data, this other agency was decades ahead in a different metric, although it was completely (and still is) hidden from the public. Their efforts to understand psychedelic experiences led to a formalized method of understanding interactions between multiple realities. They built certain scanning equipment to detect anomalies like the one I found in the basement; although their tools were much more sophisticated and didn't utilize voltage readings. Then they ran tests in these areas. One area in particular is a hot-bed of phase shift interactions. That's where Area X is located (and the Receiver).
The Receiver is a giant electromagnetic orb that has trapped the kind of multi-dimensional energy that causes the phase shifts; since the Organization seized control of the lab, it's effectively become a map of the Earth in relation to these other worlds. For the past twenty or so years, the Organization has been studying this map, using the data big Tech companies have collected to essentially develop a Rosetta Stone for interpreting the meaning of the fluctuations in their scanning equipment. Recently, the public, though going the long way round, was actually pretty close to a breakthrough in this same department until recently when ultra-powerful LLMs surfaced, and the whole world began going down what I'd argue is the wrong rabbit hole of language processing. But I digress.
Area X is essentially a private military base built for defending the most impactful piece of technology ever invented. With the Receiver, the Organization now has the power to essentially predict any and all future outcomes, the only thing holding them back is the limitations of their own scanning equipment which will get better with time. To put it into perspective, the Organization has access to a kind of data allocation tool which in one day can produce over ten thousand times that the Big Data companies combined would be able to filter through in the next decade. You might think, then, that the problem is merely asymmetric power, and that is certainly a concern, but it isn't the main concern. The main issue is that this organization is actively recruiting (and kidnapping) Antennas from around the world in an effort to find or make one of them into a strong Antenna. In other words, they want a subject who is able not only to see the future, but to manipulate it at will.
balance to the world. I've been working on amassing resources, capital, and building my own team, and now I'm ready. You might ask why I'm posting this here. Wouldn't it be better to keep all this secret? Well, yes, it would be. But that's the problem. Nothing is secret anymore. They know about me and the others, and if I don't make a move, they will. In a way, this is a letter directly to the organization that I know, and I'm coming.
In a different way, I wanted to release this information to the public. There are lots of people out there waking up and realizing that the world they experience is not the one others experience. If you think you might be an Antenna, don't be afraid—you have a special gift that can be controlled. If you want more details on how to control it, or if you're interested in my mission, don't be afraid to reach out. This hasn't always been my life's work, but it is now.
At least until I die.

I won't disclose its actual location, so if that's why you're here, sorry to disappoint. It's not time for that yet. However, I do think it's time to start getting the word out. I've noticed an increase in what I'll call "Antennas" lately, or people who can detect cross-planar phase shifts. Without getting into all the math (some of which I don't even know), this is basically a phenomenon which refers to entropy seeping into our universe from other realms or universes or whatever you want to call it. Simply put, people think our universe is a closed system to entropy, meaning that the disorder of any variable in our universe can only increase or decrease in direct proportion to other variables in that same system (the universe). Under this precept, we can establish rules like the Laws of Thermodynamics, and for most people, they're effective. But not for Antennas.
Put another way, if you throw a bunch of bouncy balls into a box, there are a number of different configurations that the balls could take on, with different speeds and magnitudes. You can calculate all of those if you have the right numbers. Now let's say you throw in another set of balls that you don't consider in your calculations of the initial set. Well, then you're not going to get an accurate picture of what's happening. Most people only see the first set and calculate based on that, but some people can see two, three, four or more sets.
You'll understand the concept better when I tell you the story, but I wanted to give you a primer on an important concept that will help you understand why this place, which I'll call "Area X", exists, and what the goals of the people who work there are.
Also note that I'm going to be using the alias "Trent" moving forward. Please refer to me as such in any direct messages.
***
Eighteen years ago I started working as an independent Home Inspector. I dropped out of community college after my first semester (not because I didn't find some of the subjects interesting, but because deference to a man or woman has never been my style) and started working some odd jobs. I did construction work for a couple years, then plumbing. I even drove a garbage truck for six months. I've always found pleasure in using my hands, and getting dirty was never a problem for me. Still, having a boss really dragged ass, so I spent my free time working on creating my own business. It took a few years and lots of savings, but I finally managed to get basic set of Home Inspection equipment: Tyvek coveralls, a cheap half-face respirator, voltage & AFCI/GFCI testers, CO2 and radon monitors, an IR camera, and telescoping mirrors in addition to the boots, safety glasses, electric gloves, ladder, and toolkits I already had on hand.
My buddy at the time was in the business, but he was moving off to the coast, so he helped me get set up and even introduced me to some of his clients. Of course, by that time I had already gotten my State license, but I still was a bit apprehensive to work with insurance agencies. I thought I could make a living working independently, inspecting for mold or sizing up a house for a prospective buyer. Eventually, though, I realized I should probably take every job available to me.
Easing into the business went about as well as it could have. The clients my friend referred to me were very satisfied with my work, and I was able to retain them. Then, in order to increase my reach, I hired someone on Fiverr to build a website for my company which led to a marked increase in traffic and conversions. About six months through, I began to get on a first-name basis with the boys and girls down down at Allstate and Progressive, and they fed me some of the bigger cases. In fact, I got so booked by year's end that I had to hire someone to help manage my schedule and the Excel spreadsheet with all my finances. I capped off a successful year with a 5-star Google rating and a trip to Ireland to visit some family and friends and get piss drunk. When I got back, it was the grindstone all over again, until the summer when I discovered… well, you'll see.
First off, I want to say that I was never one to believe in the paranormal. I grew up watching the movies and hearing the ghost stories round the campfire like every other kid, but it never struck a chord with me. If I can't touch it or see it or hear it, does it really exist? Probably not. So don't go thinking this was a scared man seeing his own shadow. That being said, I had this sense that something was off about this house when I parked along the curb and looked through a large window, perhaps two times the size of my van, to a dingy, dark foyer.
The entire neighborhood was stacked with upper-middle class domiciles, though it seemed like only two thirds of them were occupied, mostly by professionals who commuted to the City every weekday, and the rest were empty. As a man who understands real estate, to say this was strange would be an understatement. Still, I had no problem appraising the mini-mansion for a couple of newlyweds looking to enter the community. I did some research on the property ahead of time, and it seems that it was owned by a couple of old timers who had gone off the grid some time ago. The water and electric bill were both unpaid dating back to 2004 (it was June of '06 now). The bank had repo'd the house (which only had about 100k left on it) and held it for a year and a half before putting it back on the market. I tried to find out more about the old couple who vanished, but there was nothing in the news.
I stepped out of the van in my coveralls and grabbed my suitcase which had my mask, gloves, and eye protection in it. I liked to do a preliminary survey first, running an eye test on the exterior then interior before bringing out the big guns (that way I could identify the areas where I think there could be problems instead of running a metal detector over the whole damn ocean seaboard). I was about to do just that when the window caught my eye again. It felt uncharacteristic of me to be so occupied with this window, but I detoured to the front porch and peeked inside anyway.
Most of the furniture had already been moved out, meaning all that was left was a single three-seater couch, a couple candlesticks on the fireplace mantle, a pristine chandelier overtop a dining room table, and the kitchenware: an oven, gas stovetop, marble countertops, and an island. I could see into the living room very clearly with the afternoon light, but the dining room was dim enough that there were a few structures I couldn't quite make out in the distance. One of them appeared to be some kind of china cabinet or bookshelf—I figured it was the former considering where it was located. The other shadow looked kind of like a grandfather clock. Or at least that's what I thought until it moved.
When I say it "moved", I don't mean to say that it picked up and walked away. If you're not familiar with the Necker Cube, I suggest you search it up, because that kind of illusion is the best way to describe what I saw. At first I was seeing the grandfather clock in a certain way—pushed into the corner of the room—and the next second my vision "corrected" and it was maybe five feet to the left of its former position. I shook my head and looked again and saw the grandfather clock in its second orientation, standing in the center of the room against the wall. I figured I was just seeing things, but even so I spent a little extra time dawdling around the Egress window, taking notes, and delaying the interior inspection.
When I finally grew a pair and went inside, I walked straight to the dining room. Sure enough, the grandfather clock was stowed away in the corner of the room. I spent a couple minutes watching it with my pencil and travel notebook out. I'm the kind of guy that likes to collect hard data when the chips are down. Unfortunately, the clock apparently already had enough fun and was content with sweating me. Oh, well.
I fitted my pencil behind my ear and pocketed my travel notebook, then flipped the rest of the first floor lights on and completed my prelim. I concluded that everything was pretty standard. If anything, the house was in better shape than I'd expect considering it presumably hasn't been lived in for a couple years. I say "presumably" because one can never count out squatters, even during those times. Mainly I was expecting more dust build up and cobwebs than there were. Perhaps someone from the department had come by recently. It's unlikely, but possible.
I did the same check upstairs and it came back mostly clean. There was a bit of staining near the attic I wanted to check for mold. Based on its color, it was probably just a minor case of Aspergillus, but better safe than sorry. Then I got to the basement, and, well, let's just count out the idea of anyone dropping by. I don't know what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't what I found.
The first thing that caught my eye was the long, slender body of a birch tree lying pale and dead across a large portion of the even larger unfinished basement's cement flooring. I had to do a double take to make sure I wasn't dreaming, but, yep, there it was. Its crown was sealed up in the wall with only its trunk hanging out, which made me think of those medieval pillory devices which locked up people's heads and arms. Then confetti-scattered around the tree and all over the basement floor was a minefield of broken glass and ceramic tangled up with a set of random objects. And when I say random, I mean random. There was an unfurled Somali flag (the blue one with a single star in the center), some packaged drinks and condiments branded with all sorts of different languages (I could only make out Gaelic and Chinese or Japanese, I couldn't quite tell), a broken dome-shaped security camera, an otoscope (the thing the doc uses to check your ears), Hot Wheels cars (okay that one isn't so strange), and the list goes on.
At that moment, I wasn't freaked out or disgusted. I was more or less just confused. I started walking through the rubble, trying to avoid the sharp fragments but pretty confident that my steel toed boots would crush most the pieces anyway, when I heard a clink just up ahead. I was able to spot the coin in time, just before it jingled to a halt atop an old Life magazine. I picked it up and noted right away its oval shape and bronze color—clearly not American made. I tried reading it, but not only was the language not English, it appeared to be so old that most of the lettering had been filed down. I looked up at the ceiling to see if it dropped from a shelf, but there was nothing that could have been holding the coin. I considered for a moment, looking around at the other junk, and had the crazy idea that maybe all this stuff just appeared here. I popped the coin in my pocket and headed back to the van when I stopped by the tree and realized something. It wasn't a birch tree—it was a palm tree. I just didn't realize because of how ashy and decayed the bark was.
Now at this point you might think I've been acting a little nonchalant for such a strange occurrence, and I don't blame you, but if you're gonna stick around with me that's just something you're gonna have to get used to. I guess I was just born with a screw loose, but I really don't scare easily, and I tend to look at everything pragmatically. If you dig deep enough, you'll always find another plausible explanation. That being said, I do want to get to the part about Area X, so let me give you the rundown on what I learned about this basement.
I ended up trekking back to the van and picking up my gear. I was no longer running the routine inspection, obviously, but I figured I might as well throw 30 thousand dollars of scanning equipment at whatever the fuck anamoly existed in that basement. Most of it came back negative. There was a bit higher-than-usual EM interference as picked up on the voltmeters, but nothing that screamed danger close. Still, it was enough for me to set up my volt testers and IR camera while muddling through the rest of the junk. I won't bore you with another list of items, but I did find one thing of value: a diamond necklace. And not just any diamond necklace, it was one of those Queen-wearing, multi-row, big-jeweled necklaces like out of some Historical Fiction movie from the thirties. I almost didn't pocket it because I'm used to expensive items being owned by someone… someone who might want it back. But I figured if there was ever a place the finder's keeper's rule applied, it was probably in this Quantum graveyard.
7 O'clock rolled around and I hadn't eaten. I'm a pretty bulky guy, carrying my share of both muscle and fat, and most people think that means I need to eat a ton but that's really not the case. Mostly I just get dehydrated easily, especially in the summer. That said, I was bordering on famished territory and considered heading out for a bite when I heard another sound. The first thing I did was check my scanners, and sure enough the voltage needle was fully spun to the right side of the dial. EM interference. Then I went to see what had dropped. I was able to pick the object out pretty quickly since I had spent the last 6 hours staring at the mosaic of a basement floor. It was a silver briefcase, like one of those out of a crime novel, and it was cracked open.
I had this sense then that I was standing at a precipice, and if I opened the briefcase and looked inside, I wouldn't be able to stop whatever would come afterwards. Part of me deep down knew that I was just that type of guy that had to know, and maybe this was my Hamlet moment where it would be a trait gone a step too far. But then again I didn't really believe in any of that sentimental bullshit, so I opened the briefcase.
The gun surprised me a little, but not as much as the piece of paper laid atop a case file reading in large black font, "FIND ME". I expected the envelope to have some missing person file in it, but instead there were all these schematics and blueprints for some kind of device. Whatever it was, it was pretty massive. Some of the lengths were hundreds of meters long. And what's more strange is based on the blueprint's locale, it appeared to be underground. I looked back through the pages a couple times, then checked the note—nothing strange there. The gun appeared to be a simple glock. I was no gun expert, but I had been to the range pretty regularly with my construction buddies, so I got used to the feel of a pistol and rifle and some of the different names; however, I realized pretty quickly it wasn't your standard glock when I couldn't find mag-release. That's when I noticed how light the gun felt. I tried to chamber a round, but again, there was no hammer. What the hell kind of gun was this?
I ended up throwing everything back in the briefcase, including the necklace, coin, and a few Koozies I found that were branded with one of my favorite sports teams (never let an opportunity go to waste). I put up all my shit back in the van and spun over to a local burger joint, got my fill, and went home. I made sure to draft an email to the prospective buyers, telling them the house had several patches of black mold and a bit of a rat problem before drifting off to sleep. Although I really didn't do much of that.
When I woke up, I took a cold shower and downed a can of Reign, then commuted to my gym and got a lift and some sauna time in before making the trip back to the house. I brought some extra supplies with me for some experiments I cooked up while not sleeping the previous night.
First, I had two camcorders set up on a couple tripods in either corner of the basement. I wanted clear footage of these mystery objects spawning in. Then I set up a voltmeter in a similar fashion, but I had a wire extending out of it on a circuit which fed to an alarm that would blare when the reading was over 250 volts. Upstairs, I rearranged some of the furniture so that the small number of tables, chairs, clock, cabinets, and other little pillows or vases I could find were scattered across the living room, dining room, and kitchen. Then I pulled up a lawn chair to the front porch window and waited.
I didn't have to wait long though. In about a minute, I started to notice some of the objects moving. It was strange. When a few of them would shift simultaneously, it was like looking at a holographic card that would change shape depending on where your eyes were in relation to the image. Every time I saw a shift, I felt an awkward feeling in my eyes. They went blurry for a fraction of a second, then there was a twinge of pain, as if my brain couldn't handle the contradictory stimulus. It didn't get more crazy than that though—until the alarm went off.
I had cracked open the small rectangular window in the basement to the side of the house so I would hear it. It took four hours and several strange stares from passersby walking their dogs before it rang, so I was a bit lost in my thoughts, but when I heard the beep I perked up fast. It lasted for maybe 5 seconds total, but what I saw was truly miraculous. The best way I can describe it is a pool of silver or gray or translucent light emerging in the foreground between me and the objects in the different rooms. A series of twisting tentacles sprouted from the gray octopus-like head and spun in a way that reminded me of that little kids ride at the amusement parks. Then the objects started to "heat up" is the way I describe it. Their position became relative, meaning they were here one second, there another, then they popped out of existence entirely. Suddenly the rooms were all empty, then they were full of things I had never seen before. Then five seconds passed and the octopus vanished and it was back to the same old objects in their usual places.
It took a few minutes to process what I saw, and even then I wasn't sure I really saw it. I went inside and looked around at my distribution of the house's furnishings. They were all there, intact. Then I went downstairs to check the cams. I rewinded a couple minutes and played it back, but there was no flying object to be found. Instead, there was some gray static that lasted half a second and then the object, a kid's treasure chest toy, was there on the ground. But you want to know the really strange part? I rewinded the tape again, and when I watched the footage back, the treasure chest was always there.
I later came to understand that these poppings in-and-out of our reality are only conceivable to a conscious mind that can track the interference patterns—not rote computational instruments. In fact, even most people can't do it (although everyone has at least a slight awareness of it, even if only subconsciously). Plus, locations like the basement of this house are very rare and kept under tight lock. That became obvious to me two days later when, after my normal morning routine, I pulled up to a driveway and curbside filled with unmarked government vehicles. Either bravely or stupidly, I pulled up to a few officers (they were wearing suits in 85 degree weather, so I assumed…) who were idling by the large fence of crime scene tape and asked them what the score was.
"There was a crime," said the short man with a unibrow.
"Oh, is that right? Damn shame. Someone break in? I have a niece who lives nearby, so…"
The man looked at his two compatriots, both of whom were wearing sunglasses and a "get this civilian fuck out of here" expressions. "Oh, yeah," he started in a reassuring tone that was so condescending it would have annoyed anyone except me, "we found a body. We think it was a homicide. Best to keep your kids away from here for a while."
I thumbed the stubble on my chin, my other hand outstretched on the wheel, and considered moving on, but my mouth had other ideas. "That right? But uh, isn't this house vacant? I mean, I don't remember no one living in it."
The short man, now tall with temper, said, "Yeah, some squatters. We think there was a dispute over some drug money. Nothing for you to worry about though, we got it under control. Now if you wouldn't mind moving along, we have a lot of work to do."
Oh, I'm sure you do, I thought, but only said, "Of course, sir, sorry for keeping you from your job." Then I rolled up the window and cruised on, keeping my eyes on the house which slowly diminished in the side-view mirror.
Luckily I had been smart enough to break down my camp and lug home all my equipment each night, so I didn't leave anything incriminating. I didn't move the furniture back, so maybe that would come back to haunt me, but considering the kind of shit going down in that house, I didn't think they would notice.
For any of you wondering about the conclusion of the house story, I went back a couple weeks later after the suits had left and the tape was taken down and confirmed that not only was the basement entirely cleaned out, but it was no longer exhibiting any strange properties. I looked for a story related to the house, maybe a made up murder of some kind, but there was nothing. That bastard lied to me and didn't even bother to cover his story up.
Now, in the aftermath of an event such as this, I really only had one of two options. I could forget it, move on, continue living life. The necklace was surely worth a fortune. I could sell it and have enough to retire, or at least hire enough people and expand my business large enough to retire within ten or so years. Or I could take all that money and invest it in my own PI business with only a single objective: finding out what those people knew, and why they were hiding it.
I think you know me well enough by now to guess which line of reasoning appealed more to me.
***
For the sake of brevity, I'm going to omit most of my encounters along the journey to discovering Area X. There's a lot to tell, and if it appeals to you perhaps I'd be willing to share at a later date, but for now I want to get this part of the story, the more proximal part, out in the open.
Three years ago, I discovered the source of what I'll call "The Receiver". This is the device that was schematized in the documents that I found in the briefcase. What it does is a complex answer, and how it does it is pretty much all speculation, but here's what I've been able to find out: this universe we live in is a node in a network of many other spaces. These spaces exist in higher dimensions that we cannot directly perceive, but using a conceivable analogy, just think about a flower with petals. The petals are these other dimensions which bleed into our world, which is at the center. However, it's not that pretty. We see the physical world through the lens of spacetime: sizes, speeds, etc. These other dimensions don't necessarily have space or time. In fact, what actually exists there, I couldn't say. The only data I have on them is from two sources: correspondence information and server data from the secret agency (which I'll call "the Organization") that keeps this under wraps, and first-hand experience with realms from these other entities, either directly (I experience it) or through the eyes of someone else with the same or greater abilities than I possess.
I referred to these people with abilities earlier as "Antennas", and I will continue to use the term. Antennas really come in three flavors, marked by the strength of their ability: weak Antennas, like me, are able to observe spontaneous interactions between our universe and other dimensions (phase shifts) when there is a strong force of collision like existed in the basement; moderate Antennas may see phase shifts occur at any point, and they usually are able to retain memories from across the different transformations; strong Antennas, and I don't know if they exist yet, but they are able to consciously interact with these other realms and cause phase shifts to occur.
I mentioned that moderate Antennas are able to retain memories from before and after a phase shift. Technically, all Antennas have this ability, but it's about degree. I can recall only very specific instances and without much detail. Moderates are usually able to pick out much more nuanced minutiae. At the lower end of moderate scale, most of those details fade or get fuzzy over time, but for the very strong Antennas, they hold onto almost everything. One other property that scales with strength is interaction with other conscious entities. Only a small percentage of moderates are able to do this. What's interesting is that these entities can possess (yes, like ghosts) people who aren't even antennas, but no one is aware of such possession at this deep of a level. I have several companions now, and only two have had interactions with these otherworldly beings. Not all of them are malevolent, some of them are whimsical or kind, but there are a fair share of demons out there.
Getting back to the point, Area X started as a government funded project in the 70's. At that time, they were focused on a few subjects: Artificial Intelligence, DNA sequencing, and psychedelics. Yes, they were part of the infamous LSD experiments. But they looked at these subjects through a common lens—there was something that the burgeoning tech industry, fueled by the advent of a commercial computer market, was missing. As the tech giants rose in the early 2000's and began to collect mass amounts of data, this other agency was decades ahead in a different metric, although it was completely (and still is) hidden from the public. Their efforts to understand psychedelic experiences led to a formalized method of understanding interactions between multiple realities. They built certain scanning equipment to detect anomalies like the one I found in the basement; although their tools were much more sophisticated and didn't utilize voltage readings. Then they ran tests in these areas. One area in particular is a hot-bed of phase shift interactions. That's where Area X is located (and the Receiver).
The Receiver is a giant electromagnetic orb that has trapped the kind of multi-dimensional energy that causes the phase shifts; since the Organization seized control of the lab, it's effectively become a map of the Earth in relation to these other worlds. For the past twenty or so years, the Organization has been studying this map, using the data big Tech companies have collected to essentially develop a Rosetta Stone for interpreting the meaning of the fluctuations in their scanning equipment. Recently, the public, though going the long way round, was actually pretty close to a breakthrough in this same department until recently when ultra-powerful LLMs surfaced, and the whole world began going down what I'd argue is the wrong rabbit hole of language processing. But I digress.
Area X is essentially a private military base built for defending the most impactful piece of technology ever invented. With the Receiver, the Organization now has the power to essentially predict any and all future outcomes, the only thing holding them back is the limitations of their own scanning equipment which will get better with time. To put it into perspective, the Organization has access to a kind of data allocation tool which in one day can produce over ten thousand times that the Big Data companies combined would be able to filter through in the next decade. You might think, then, that the problem is merely asymmetric power, and that is certainly a concern, but it isn't the main concern. The main issue is that this organization is actively recruiting (and kidnapping) Antennas from around the world in an effort to find or make one of them into a strong Antenna. In other words, they want a subject who is able not only to see the future, but to manipulate it at will.
balance to the world. I've been working on amassing resources, capital, and building my own team, and now I'm ready. You might ask why I'm posting this here. Wouldn't it be better to keep all this secret? Well, yes, it would be. But that's the problem. Nothing is secret anymore. They know about me and the others, and if I don't make a move, they will. In a way, this is a letter directly to the organization that I know, and I'm coming.
In a different way, I wanted to release this information to the public. There are lots of people out there waking up and realizing that the world they experience is not the one others experience. If you think you might be an Antenna, don't be afraid—you have a special gift that can be controlled. If you want more details on how to control it, or if you're interested in my mission, don't be afraid to reach out. This hasn't always been my life's work, but it is now.
At least until I die.

How Vaastu Shastra Can Improve Your Kitchen: Simple Tips and What to Watch For
Welcome to the Grahastro blog! Today, we’re discussing how using Vastu Shastra can make your kitchen a better, more positive space. Vastu Shastra is an ancient Indian approach to making sure your home’s layout works with natural energies. Let’s explore some easy Vastutips for the kitchen and understand the good and the less good points about each.
Best Kitchen Setup According to Vaastu
1. Location
- Good Points: Having your kitchen in the Southeast corner uses the energy of fire, making cooking more efficient and positive.
- Challenges: Some homes can’t fit the kitchen in the Southeast without big changes, which can be hard or costly.
2. Stove Placement
- Good Points: Facing East when cooking is good for health and brings good energy.
- Challenges: This might limit how you can design your kitchen and may not fit with how your kitchen looks now.
3. Sink and Water Placement
- Good Points: A sink in the Northeast helps keep a good balance between water and fire.

• Challenges: If your kitchen’s
• plumbing isn’t set up for this, changing it can be expensive.

4. Refrigerator Placement
- Good Points: Putting the fridge in the Southwest, Northwest, or Southeast can save energy and make your kitchen more stable.
- Challenges: You might be limited by where your outlets are and the shape of your kitchen.
5. Storage
- Good Points: Storing things on Southern and Western walls helps keep the kitchen organized and stable.
- Challenges: This might not work with every kitchen design, especially if you need different storage solutions.
6. Windows and Exhaust
- Good Points: Having windows or exhausts on the East or West walls helps remove smoke and brings in fresh air.
- Challenges: Sometimes the structure of your home won’t allow these placements.
7. Colour Scheme
- Good Points: Using bright colors like orange, red, and green can make you feel good and hungry.
- Challenges: These colours might not match what you already have or what you like.
Other Tips
- Good Points of not having a kitchen under or above prayer rooms, bathrooms, or bedrooms: It helps keep the different spaces’ energies from mixing in bad ways.
- Challenges: This can limit where you can put your kitchen, especially in taller homes or apartments.
Good Points of a clutter-free kitchen: It keeps the energy moving well and makes the space nicer to use.
Challenges of a kitchen island in the centre : It can help with balance but might take up too much room in small kitchens.
Understanding these tips can help you decide how to use Vaastu in your kitchen design. Whether you’re updating your kitchen or starting from scratch, these ideas can help make your kitchen a happy and healthy space. Try out these Vaastu tips for a more balanced and peaceful kitchen! Happy cooking! grahastro

If you were remodeling your kitchen, would you splurge on a built-in combi oven to replace your Anova? Our budget is flexible and a built-in combi oven would be a splurge item.
Currently, the APO is used daily and the full size oven rarely used. I like setting the % of steam on the APO. The size of it is fine for the two of us; we do not need to roast an entire turkey. Does anyone have a combi oven without a regular sized oven? Pros or cons? How about a speed oven and a combi oven?
We are not interested in a range; we are getting a induction cooktop. The oven(s) will either go under the induction top or built into the cabinets. Air sous-vide is interesting but would require a vacuum sealer. I like that the APO does not require a bag.
Is getting a plumbed oven worth the extra cost? The dishwasher and sink are being moved to an island. I haven't done any 12+ hour cooks in the APO. I think a plumbed oven would make long cooks easier.
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Ok, so this idea isn't fully fleshed out because I had it as a teenager. However, I still maintain this would have been awesome!
Basically, I walked out of Jurassic Park III when it was in theaters (after watching the whole movie) thinking that the whole series needed a reboot. I thought it needed to essentially become the next generation of Jurassic Park.
So I figured that in 2004 they should have released Jurassic Park IV. The plot is that Lex and Tim are 19 and 24 respectively. Lex has just completed college for computer software management, Tim is in college for business management.
At the start of the film, John Hammond's illness (as shown in JP2) has progressed to the terminal phase. He's going to die. So he calls his grandchildren to his estate, and tells them he wishes for them to re-establish Jurassic Park.
Unbeknownst to him however, Lex has written her own lines of code for a new security system. She has a proof of concept program without much in terms of physical execution of the program.
Tim is in the process of learning business management to run a chain of hotels. He wants nothing to do with this plan. He has to be coerced into following through the plan by John promising to pay for his full student debt, and tells him this park will make him and his sister rich as the new CEOs of the park.
Adult Lex is very calculated in everything she does. She applies new approaches to every security flaw she can find from 1993 to present day. She has a team of researchers bringing her more flaws and more concerns, even if they never were made official or brought to public eye. In her mind, the more advanced (2004 vs 1993) computers made her the ultimate god against an extinct set of species that died millions of years ago, and tried to kill her as a kid.
In her mind she's invincible. All she has to do is stay obsessive about staying ahead of the curve on new modern technologies, and squashing any potential security gaps before they can be exploited. In her mind, if she does this, she is the ultimate god ruling above a park of simplistic creatures that would eat her vegan ass if they ever had the chance......and she's NEVER giving them the chance. She mentally gets off on being in that position of power. This is all unknown to John Hammond.
Adult Tim is still deathly afraid of dinosaurs. He has a mixture of fascination from a distance, but also a distinct fear and hate of them. Almost in the same way a child who gets attacked by a dog may grow up to not like dogs. Remember Tim was 8 years old when 1993 incident happened, and thus not as developed as Lex. He still carries emotional scars from that weekend, and feels like there should be NO Jurassic Park. However, his parents are going through financial hardship, and his college loans are expensive, so he agrees to look at the business side of things only. He will not step foot on the island. He ONLY deals with numbers, not dinosaurs.
So the film then showcases Lex on the island, developing more and more software into real world applications. New technologies with new ways to track and train dinosaurs. She's not in any danger, and rarely, if ever, steps foot in the park properly. Working more behind the scenes.
The movie shows Tim being there for his dying grandfather. We get to see Hammond's daughter (Tim and Lex's mom) and her husband. Lex comes out to visit very infrequently. She feels bad about her lack of presence but justifies it by saying if she doesn't do her job people die.
Hammond understands and says that for years he was deep in that mindset. He understands the need to be passionate about your work, because if you don't, if you get distracted, things fall apart very quickly.
The important thing to take away is that both Lex and Tim aren't bad people. They aren't being greedy. In Lex's case, she has a superiority complex with the dinosaurs, but she still does love her family. She still does understand how to be a good person. She's just busy finalizing her familys legacy (as she puts it).
And Tim is a bit more timid, and if we're being honest maybe being manipulated a little bit into taking over this project. He still loves his sister. He still is trying to be a good person. He's just worried about an uncertain future with a chance to erase student loan debt early on.
Tim has planned out on maps where his hotels will go. New construction on the island will rip out old obsolete fencing power terminal stations that haven't been in use for years. It will instead replace that land with the hotels.
What they hadn't counted on, is the fact that a hotel planner generally surveys the land before construction. One big issue with this is, Tim hasn't been on that island since 1993. He's unaware that the power stations do receive electricity, but they do NOT receive water. There is no plumbing in place. In order to construct new piping to that land, they would have to shut down one of the nearby dinosaur paddocks, and rip up the ground, lay down pipe, and then relay the ground over the pipes. Essentially rip up the entire paddock.
Lex says "No. That is unacceptable. Not only would we have no safe place to house those dinosaurs, but you're also talking about shutting down security measures in my park to do so. At no point will ANY security measure ever be shut down on this park. You've seen firsthand what happens when that happens. I will not compromise even 1% on the security of this island."
So without a way to route water to the specified site, it is decided that Tim is going to have to survey the land in person. It's the only way.
So he flies out to the island, on the next jet. Much under protest.
It's a private jet with one pilot. So as they are in the process of landing, the pilot has an aneurysm, and begins convulsing on the plane controls. The plane crashes, directly into tower that operates as the central hub of operations for the park. Having a plane crash into that building knocks a LOT of systems offline.
And thus......Jurassic Park 4.
I also wrote a nude scene for Laura Dern......but that was kind of shoehorned in because I was a horny teenager in 2001. I just found it funny remembering this.
I started writing the actual movie script on notebook paper. Then I stopped once 9/11 happened, because I felt it was disrespectful that a large plotpoint of my movie is a plane hitting a tower and causing chaos. So I only wrote maybe 10 minutes worth of dialogue. I wish I could find it.
I just remember in my plot bulletpoints I had "LAURA DERN NUDE SCENE!!!" in all caps and underlined. She was going to hook up with Dr Grant......because I was always pissed off that Jurassic Park 3 fucked us over on that. My logic at the time was that THEY were going to have a kid together so that in 2020 the new kid would be 18, and we could make Jurassic Park 5.
In my mind, it only made sense to keep making new Jurassic Park movies every 18 years, because then a new generation could make the same mistakes, having not yet had made those mistakes......and a younger audience may not have seen the old movies. It all made sense to teenage me. I still stand by MOST of my ideas.....but yeah, some were clearly off the mark.

For context, I’m a licensed plumber who has taken over the above ground plumbing on this particular site. While I don’t have the title as a “foreman”, I do deal with the site supers, any apprentices or journey man that show up on site and are told to come speak to me, deal with any issues on site, what needs to get done, etc etc.
For awhile it’s been me and a 3rd year and an older gentleman that’s licensed and has been plumbing for atleast 35 years.
Great guy, gets the job done, knows his stuff. But when he knows things are getting slow…he dog fucks it.
For instance, I had 5 tubs ready for install and trap. Me and the apprentice unload the tubs and bring them into the units ready to have the overflows put on and the tub dropped. I come to find out that all he writes down on his time card for the 8 hours (plus an additional hour for travel) is install/trap 2 tubs. I get my ass reamed by my boss on how can they pay a guy 8 hrs to drop 2 tubs. And on top of that, the guy has the audacity to tell me boss that 1 of the units wasn’t ready to have the tub dropped. (It was but electricians fucked up and forgot to run conduet for the island sink.) He also says that I didn’t tell him what else to do. But I never received a phone call notifying me of the situation and what else he can to do in the meantime. He brought it up multiple times that he has no issue throwing others under the buss if someone says something to him.
So I’m lost on what to do and how to handle the situation. I just don’t feel like I’m in my place to tell someone who has been in the trade for over 35 years what to do. I can’t be baby sitting someone all day. It just seems like he doesn’t care and blatantly admitted that’s all he did and it is what it is.
Sorry for my rant!

Knights of Infinity
In Infin - Noda ef Alaes
National Motto - Ini et Alaes “Union and Infinity”

Pre-KOI and the first High Paladin

In 472 BHW(Before Hacked War) Infinitus Island was discovered and named after the person credited with the discovery of the island, Ar’Tur Infini, though it was first sighted by the ship’s cook Ga’Ton Cal. In 465 BHW, Mo’Ruk officially brought the archipelago, consisting of Infinitus, Olemina, Upuima, Aeria, and Eliana under the control of the King, making it a colony. In 385 BHW, tensions began to rise as the King declared it illegal for any colonies of the Kingdom to trade with any other kingdoms; this led to increased revenue through trade ports, except on Infinitus and the rest of the Archipelago, where traders began to exclusively trade with other kingdoms in protest. When a detachment of soldiers landed in the city of New We’Kor, they were met with resistance and even some gunfire.
After four more years of this the whole archipelago declared independence and began fighting a war against the kingdom, after almost three years of war negotiations began. In 378 BHW when two beasts of sea and sky began to terrorize the ships coming to and fro the island, and they completely stopped the ships ferrying diplomats back and forth, leading to the war never officially ending. The beast of the sea was known as Morgagoden and the beast of the sky was Wrongoden “Sky Terror''. They would emerge from their domain and destroy or consume any ship’s air and sea to stop them from reaching the island. These creatures would eventually be discovered to be Aspects of The Overseer who are the Aspects of the Mar Sea and Sky respectively.
When they noticed that the ships stopped coming, negotiations began between the various islands over unification. Eventually at one meeting, The Overseer, the deity of all of Vivventia, himself appeared and instructed them to become one state, an order of Knights to protect Vivventia when he couldn’t. This was the official founding of the Knights of Infinity. The Overseer officially put a barrier around the islands, and began to teach them of new advanced technologies for them to build in order to improve life on the islands. A Paladin who fought in the war was elected leader of the Knights in the first instance of any democracy on the islands. Because of his Paladin status, he was named High Paladin of the Knights of Infinity, officially making that the national leader’s title.
The very first thing that they were taught how to make is new weapons, new tactics, then advanced ships, where they could use metal instead of wood, and it could be powered using steam instead of the wind. Next they were taught how to build aircraft, basic ones, but aircraft nonetheless. The last thing they were given wasn’t taught, but just handed to them. An airship, five miles long, with armor made of a super light and durable material, and special propulsion engines that breathed fire. They were told that as long as the Knights had his blessing, these airships would never run out of fuel, and they could be infinitely restocked once a year with food and ammunition for any weapons on board. When the High Paladin saw this, he named the ship the KAS OVERSEER’S SHIELD. It was also capable of working as a flying aircraft carrier.
High Paladin Hecator ruled until 352, when he died from cancer at the age of 109, his last words were to his daughter, Maren, advising her to “Continue my Legacy.” In his will, he stated that his position should be an elected position, not a hereditary position.

High Paladin Maren Wilson

In 352 BHW, Maren Wilson, the daughter of High Paladin Hecator, was elected to the position of High Paladin by the Knights of Infinity. Under her leadership, the Knights initiated the Age of Reform, which brought about significant advancements on the island. One of the notable developments was the establishment of several mass production facilities for the Wyvern-1 in many small towns. Consequently, the population of these cities and towns experienced a massive boom. With this population boom, the Order of the People was founded as a census, humanitarian, and tax Bureau. Other Orders founded were the:

1. Order of the Swords (The Knights Army)
2. Order of the Dragons (The Knights Air Force)
3. Order of the Leviathans (The Knights Navy)
4. Order of the Hammers (The Knights Industrial Management)
5. Order of The Overseer (Religious Oversight)

This period was one of the rockiest periods in the history of the Knights. As the High Paladin pushed several times to make the position hereditary, or to make the Knights purely a military, but each time this was suggested, she was advised against making this action, as she had one child, and her only sibling had been dead since their teenage years. This issue would continue as she refused to produce another heir due to her strong distaste of romance, and because of her many speeches that tended to land her in a negative approval rating throughout the country, despite everything she’d done to help the citizens, as many of the speeches were firmly elitist or degrading of the working man.
The Orders she founded, specifically Hammers and The Overseer, were massively influential in their respective areas. The Order of the Hammers helped promote new businesses and create jobs, while many corruption scandals and also some Pedophilic and Sexual Assault cases were stopped because of Order of The Overseer’s screening and background check policies.
In 332 BHW, she experienced a mechanical failure in a Wyvern-1 which caused her to crash into the side of Infinitus’ dormant volcano.

High Paladin Kelsan Opra

In 332 BHW, an Election was held between Minor Leviathan of the Battle Unit Wejar Wilson, Maren’s Son, and a Mechanic from Olemina, who was a contractor for the Order of the Swords, Kelsan Opra, who won the election in a landslide election as Wejar also believed in many of the same policies and ideologies that his mother did.
One of Kelsan’s largest Policies was to create the Order of the Scales, an order to work as the country’s Supreme Court, and to make sure that judges across the archipelago are bringing down similar sentences for the same crimes. This increased her popularity across the majority of the Archipelago, though a decrease in popularity on Olemina, the most fiercely Anti-Government island that’s a member of the Knights.
During her reign, innovation experienced a small boon with the development of the Wyvern-2 and Wyvern-3 V-TOL Troop Transport, and the beginning of civilian Wyvern-1 & 2 development, with the civilian Wyvern-2 having major modifications that had to be removed like its weapons.
High Paladin Kelsan traveled the country making sure local elections were being held justly and correctly by going to each in a disguise, she found insane levels of corruption and many of them tried to stop her from voting because her disguise was of a poor person. This was majorly effective on Eliana and Upuima, but it all came to an end when she learned that elections had stopped being held on Olemina, her home island.
So she, using the power of her position, ordered them to hold a general election for an entirely new government for the island, which went through where the ruling party, the “Olemina Development & Prosperity Party'' lost by a landslide to the “Olemina Democratic Party,” a party of progressives who promised to stop organized crime and who promised that if they were voted out, they’d peacefully hand over power. The election results were announced in late 301 BHW, and Kelsan was there to announce the results. But sadly, right after they announced the results, a gunshot rang out as the High Paladin was assassinated by a man who, upon interrogation, was discovered to have been hired by the ODAPP to kill her if they lost the election. This led to an emergency election for the new High Paladin, and the dissolution of the ODAPP.

High Paladin Aledro Matiz

Shortly after the death of High Paladin Kelsan, the election was between an Oleminan Lieutenant, the Governor of Infinitus, and the Governor of Upuima. The Winner was the Governor of Upuima named Aledro Matiz. Now that he was High Paladin, he passed a series of acts that both subsidized the creation of new schools and factories, while also creating the National Land Zones, regions where the building of anything that wasn’t open to the public or a military base was prohibited, which was included with the foundation of the Order of the Parks.
These areas were designated as camping, hiking, and relaxation zones so that the natural beauty of Infinitus would be protected as the population grew, and that factory owners wouldn’t be able to deforest the entire archipelago. He also finally had the High Paladin’s palace remodeled to be more modern, including having indoor plumbing, early lighting systems, even a landing zone for the High Paladins personal Wyvern-3.
One of Aledro’s most popular decisions was to order the Renaming of the Capital City, going from New We’kor, to Hecator City, after the first High Paladin, as well as beginning to build National Land Zones where there wasn’t nature to be protected, but to build Order bases, usually from the Orders of the Leviathans, Swords, and Dragons.
While Aledro was married during his reign, he had no children as he said he would “Wait until the Knights were at their best.” He said this two months before he died in 281 BHW after the Wyvern-3 he was using to get to Upuima to speak at a conference with his governors collided with a Wyvern-2 that had taken off without seeing him due to the extreme fogginess that had been plaguing the islands for months. He was the only High Paladin to not have kids. This also led to an emergency election.

High Paladin Lena Keja

After the death of Aledro, an election was held and the Governor of Infinitus won, who had run again after last time, because she was everyone’s second choice as opposed to Aledro anyways, due to their very similar policies. High Paladin Lena continued the work of the two former High Paladin. She oversaw the creation of anti-corruption agencies across the islands, the creation and training of new Law Enforcement Officers, she also oversaw a massive legal battle against the largest Arms Manufacturer on the islands who kept trying to build factories in the National Land Zones. One of her biggest and most controversial policies was the legalization of Civilian Magic Study, though it required a license(which didn’t cost money, and just required you to take a three year class), it was still massively criticized by the High Class and top military officials, in public for it being dangerous, and in private because they didn’t like that the lower classes were able to access something they liked having exclusive access to. She died in 251 BHW of stage 4 lung cancer, which was caused when a spell backfired, the specific spell known for causing random diseases when cast improperly.

High Paladin Ellian Marron

During the 251 BHW Election, no major political parties put forth a candidate their voters necessarily wanted, so when independent candidate Ellian Marron, a young, popular, and progressive Sun Elf ran on a platform of economic reform, they won the election by a landslide. The first thing they instituted was a tax on new non-civilian factories, and a subsidy on civilian factories. This led to an increase in civilian good production, which in turn allowed for a high quality of life. Prices went down, people gained more money. They also gained more money when Ellian established the National Research Institute, and a Public, free, school system which directly pulled its information from the NRI. Ellian then established the Term System, which dictated that if a High Paladin met certain conditions, most importantly if they reached the fifty year mark for their reign, they’d have to attempt to get re-elected. This entire time, they’re also increasing and decreasing tax levels and subsidies to several different industries, and establishing new Orders to increase employment. Under their reign, the following Orders were established, in chronological order:

1. Order of the Daggers (Espionage and Assassinations)
2. Order of the Bridges (Diplomacy and Foreign Affairs)
3. Order of the Scholars (Education and Research)
4. Order of the Walls (Military Research)
5. Order of the Hearths (Infrastructure and Construction)
6. Order of the Shields (Veterans, and their relatives, Affairs)
7. Order of the Spells (Magical Administration)
8. Order of the Islands (Internal Intelligence)

The Creation of several of these orders were quite controversial, but the average voter loved her. The Order of the Shields and Hearths were among the public’s favorites. The Order of the Swords was also deployed to several major cities, small towns, and even some wilderness regions to ensure that elections were held properly. She also ordered the three military Orders to create a unified research branch, which they named the Order of the Walls. This branch was mostly established because of the stagnancy that the Military had fallen into.
Ellian reached the fifty year mark shortly after the establishment of the Order of the Hearths, and again won the election with a large majority, but she was also beginning to see competition from people who had graduated from the schools established by the Order of the Scholars. She oversaw the legalization of Polygamy, though it was only legal for couples consisting of three individuals maximum, and all members must have KOI citizenship. In 182 BHW she released the Declaration of the Eternal Rights of All Peoples. This declaration outlined several basic rights that all people had. Including the rights to a Life, Liberty, the Pursuit of Happiness, a Government that Represented them, and that they couldn’t be Persecuted for Race, Gender, or Sexuality. This declaration was massively popular with most, if not all, of the population as everyone had something that applied to them that they were protected for.
In 153 BHW, Ellian would die at the age of 134 years old, and would be the Second High Paladin to die of Old Age.

High Paladin Aerop Welis

When Ellian died in 153 BHW, over thirteen candidates were all put on the ballots for the election. When noone came out with a majority, the governors of each Island, two of which were candidates, put in their votes, still, none of the Candidates gained a majority, so the leaders of all the Orders, three of which were candidates were told to put their votes in, and the one who came on top was known socialite and high Ranking Church member, the Order Master of the Order of The Overseer, Aerop Welis. Almost the moment he was fully sworn in, he secluded himself in the High Paladin’s Palace.
He began making extremely unpopular decisions, though because of several ways the government is dealt with, they had to be fully enforced by Law Enforcement. Aerop, who only allowed himself to be referred to as the Righteous High Paladin of the Order of The Overseer Welis, declared at one point that all Military Orders are under full control of the High Paladin, replacing their Order Master with him, he increased the powers and privileges of the Order of The Overseer and Order of the Islands by granting their priests and agents immunity from legal trouble, while weakening the Order of the Scales, so that they can’t do anything about his decisions.
He disbands the local elections and begins appointing his own relatives and friends to those positions. He conscripts half the population of an entire island to build a massive fortress on Infinitus, itself half the size of the capital, and he builds it above the Island’s Dormant Volcano.
Aerop at one point even tried to rename Infinitus and the country, but he decided that might be too far. He began to release deranged press releases and announcements about visions from The Overseer, while visions weren’t uncommon, he spoke of things that no one had ever had anything close to. He’d speak of The Overseer telling him new strange orders and policies to enact, so he’d just announce random things, seeming going mad with power.
In 139 BHW, he officially ordered the Construction of an addition to the fortress, a central tower in which he has the chamber on the top turned into both a place of Worship and his personal reverence.
That month he was diagnosed with a terminal illness by his doctor, and that only pushed him further. He began enacting curfews, using the Order of the Swords as law enforcement, he built monuments to his power, though he did build a structure now known throughout the KOI as a place of learning, the National Museum of Infinitus, as well as ordering another one on every island in the archipelago. He increased the number of agents in the Order of the Islands in the effort to know every move his population made.
His madness came to an end in 104 BHW, when he was found by the Custodians, the elite guards of the High Paladin and Order Masters, dead having died in his sleep. Despite the group that went to the High Paladin’s funeral weeped at his death, many in the KOI celebrated in small parties that slowly grew to encompass many people who were harmed by his ideals, plans, or policies, some were angry that he died peacefully after all the suffering he inflicted.

High Paladin Wepath Wilson

The Election of 104 BHW was extremely long, lasting 5 months, mostly because no one was running as a candidate for the Office, that was until the largest party from each island all submitted a random member, chosen by drawing names, as candidates, the winner was Wepath Wilson, a Paladin in the Order of the Swords. He was very unwilling to take the position, but agreed nonetheless. He was the Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Grandson of Maren Wilson, the Second High Paladin, and the Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Great Grandson of Hecator, the first High Paladin.
In 102 BHW, he officially started to work after spending his last two years of military service, which he chose not to leave when he was elected. He then began to undo many policies Aerop instituted. He managed to do it with his best knowledge, he began to hold Referendums once a month to see if he should revert, keep, or adjust the things.
He began a program known as the Minor Order Program, where small Orders, run by their own Order Masters, existed as temporary or permanent organizations, usually founded just to give people jobs in construction, or other single project tasks. The permanent ones tended to hire their construction workers as employees of the building after they finished to avoid shutting down the Order. Some of these orders became the ones that could be hired to complete the tasks.
The Wyvern-4 was developed under his reign, he became the third most approved of High Paladin, in 82 BHW he changed election standards, making it so a High Paladin had to be reelected/elected every 30 years unless the country was in a war. He then established a KAS shipyard on the Island of Aeria, allowing for more than just OVERSEER’S SHIELD to be built.
He then created the Minor Order of the Custodians, so that the Custodians would have a definite leader, that they could be more organized, and so that he could implement a new rule, if the people of the KOI voted, and a FouFifths majority voted to, the Custodians could depose the High Paladin from their position, so that if the people were being harmed by a High Paladin’s policies they could get them out before the next election.
In 74 BHW he won reelection at 37 years old, before announcing a new National Holiday, Independence Day, to make the unofficial holiday smaller, by giving the people a day where no one, except essential workers, had a day off, as well as the entire military, unless they’re preoccupied I.E. a war, must hold a parade across a different city each year where the Order of the Swords marches, as they’re tailed by their newly developed motor vehicles, the Order of the Dragons fly above in the expanding KAS fleet, while surrounded by Wyverns of all types, except the Wyvern-1, surround them while doing tricks and giving families rides.
His reign continued with tons of innovation, economic prosperity, national unity, and a massive increase in population, education, average wealth, and the shrinking of the lower class as the wealth gap decreased.
He would die at the age of 80 of natural causes, surrounded by his wife, son Perio Wilson, daughter-in-law, and his 12 year old Granddaughter, Ceynia Wilson.

High Paladin Jerta Laer

Jerta Laer, a seasoned pilot from the Order of the Dragons, emerged victorious in the 31 BHW election, her campaign focused on economic revitalization and technological advancement. While not a household name, her charisma and clear vision resonated with the voters, particularly younger generations yearning for change.
Jerta's 19-year reign was marked by significant growth and innovation. Under her leadership, the Knights of Infinity witnessed a population surge, attributed to improved living standards, economic opportunities, and advancements in healthcare. New towns sprung up across the archipelago, and existing ones expanded rapidly.
Jerta spearheaded the ambitious project of constructing the first Aspect-Class airship, dwarfing even the Infinitus-Class, the largest vessel in the KAS fleet. This behemoth, four times the size of its predecessor, promised to revolutionize transportation and trade, boosting the nation's economic and military capabilities. Recognizing the need for agile troop transport, Jerta commissioned the development of the Wyvern-5, which she wanted twice the Carry Capacity for. This versatile prototype offered greater maneuverability and flexibility compared to traditional Wyverns, enhancing military operations and disaster relief efforts.
Jerta's reign was tragically cut short in 12 BHW. Despite warnings, she personally piloted the untested Wyvern-5 prototype during a routine test flight. A malfunction led to a fatal crash, leaving the nation in mourning. While Jerta's tenure was overshadowed by the accomplishments of her successor, her contributions remain significant. She laid the groundwork for the Aspect-Class airship, a symbol of the Knights of Infinity's technological prowess, and the Wyvern-5, which continues to serve as a vital military asset. Her focus on population growth and economic development laid the foundation for the nation's future prosperity.

High Paladin Ceynia Wilson

The Modern Knights are led by the 10th High Paladin, Ceynia Wilson who was elected in 12 BHW after being a General in the Order of the Swords. Upon the appointment of Ceynia, the barrier around the island that had been created by The Overseer was suddenly gone, as well as the disappearance of Wrongoden and Morgagoden. This was also the same year as the first Aspect-Class K.A.S. was completed. The successes that happened in this first year proved to be a good omen for the stability of the Knights, as many saw the High Paladin as having been chosen by The Overseer to be the Greatest High Paladin.
In 5 BHW, they ordered a series of new military platforms, such as Dragon-Fire Power Armor, MInotaur Light Tanks, and the Wyvern-5. This in conjunction with the population boom that had happened during High Paladin Jerta Laer’s reign, many either became laborers, researchers, and soldiers. This was mostly due to wage and Order reform laws which increased the popularity of the Orders which correlated to those particular subjects.
This was before they were brought into the, as of 10 PHW(Post Hacked War), Great Hacked War on the main continent of Alphbetia. They, under the guidance of the High Paladin and The Overseer, arrived on the continent after about three months of preparation, and began immediately fighting Hacker-Allied Forces. This advanced and powerful nation entering into the war led to the turning of the tides, the Fourth Siege of Aerondon City was the first major battle they were a part of, and they sent the enemy soldiers fleeing, where but moments before they had taken the Castle. Their fighters allowed them to maintain their air superiority and to continue dropping troops down from the K.A.S. Wrongoden, an Aspect-Class Airship in the Assault(meant for conducting siege warfare and bombarding enemies during battles) Variant, using the Wyvern-5 V-TOL Transport, which were deployed from the K.A.S. Kellion, an Aeria-Class Airship used as an flying aircraft carrier.
They have expanded their largest Order of the Dragons fleet to include 30 K.A.S.’s, that being spread across 7 classes, the Infinitus-Class which are either transport, hospital, or support ships, the Aeria-Class which are used as flying aircraft carriers, the Olemina-Class which is a mobile repair facility with minor manufacturing capabilities, the Eliana-Class which is a mobile Strategic Operations center, the Upuima-Class which is built for fighting and laying siege to cities, and lastly the Aspect-Class which is the largest class and is also a combination of all other classes while including other features like the ability to launch naval craft or the experimental cloaking technology. The Order of the Leviathans’ largest fleet consists of their only two Fixed Wing Aircraft Carriers, 5 Weano-Class Battleships, 7 Tehira-Class Heavy Cruisers, 9 Lightning-Class Medium Cruisers, and 15 Steel-Class Destroyers, as well as an even larger logistics fleet that follows it around with ammo and fuel.

So I (F29) and my partner (M26) made the worst decision about a year ago; we moved out of our two bedroom apartment into his bestfriends (M27?) family home and I want to tell the hell we have endured the last year. For the record, I wanted to move out within the first two months of living there but my partner pushed for us to stay for a whole year even though we weren't on a lease. I should also add I don't like confrontation. At all.
Also there are things in the story that are probably considered shrug them off moments / pet peeves / triggers but with everything happening back to back; I'm done and at my wits end and get annoyed by even the littlest thing now. I also know I am not the perfect roommate either. I know some of my issues is cause we have no room for anything so my stuff just sits out a lot. Like hard goods and boxes of kitchen items.
Here is the story of how we got mixed into a hoarders home.
Back in August 2022. My boyfriend (BF) gets a frantic discord call from his bestfriend we will call him Hoarder Home (HH).
HH tells my BF that he found out that his mother and stepdad are selling the family home out of the blue. He goes on saying he had no idea they wanted to sell the home and they just sat him down they are planning on selling and moving into the grandparents home which is an hour away to take care of them and that he will need to find a new home to move into. HH somehow convinces them to let him pay for the mortgage so he doesn't have to move or leave his family home. Understandable.
But HH expresses he can't afford it on his own and asks if we would want to move in with him. I had only been to that home once, it was dark when we went the first time. So I was hesitant, especially cause the home we lived in was under my name for 3 years and it took me two years to get in. (Normally year wait but tornado set them back.) So it had to really be a good deal to convince me to uproot my life to move in. BF assured me that if I didn't want to move, he'd understand. Make that very clear. I don't blame my BF in this. We just both made a bad call.
We went and saw the home. And I fell in love. Farm home, three acre land with a little wooded area to walk through. The house has two living rooms, two bedrooms, a mudroom, big kitchen, big laundry room, one full bathroom and a finished attic with a half bath. We would get the front livingroom, one of the bedrooms and the finished attic. The room we have is my BFs office where his computer is. Which has boxes in it. Still nothing unpacked. Upstairs. Half is our bedroom. And other half is my office space. Computer and art supplies. But most of the items are still packed in boxes. To accommodate, HH would get full use of the garage since we got more use of the house. But there were issues we were promised would be handled.

1. There was a single dog, and 6 cats in the home. HH wanted to keep two of his cats and his parents were to take the rest.
2. There was no cabinet space for our own stuff in the kitchen. There are 17 cabinets and 8 drawers.
3. The whole attic was filled with items, and furniture.
4. The floor near the toilet was giving in just a bit.

We were promised that his parents were going to take the dog and 4 of the cats with them. And were going to take all the items upstairs and in the cabinets to make room for us to move in. And we were suppose to move in at the beginning of December. So I started packing items. But December grew closer and no word on us moving in when November hit. We were living in a two bedroom with boxes everywhere. So I got a cheap storage unit to put items in until the move. Lucky my apartment is a month to month. So I could give my notice anytime and not when a lease ended. He pushed it to the end of December. End of December came. Then middle of January. And then end of January. Then he tried to push it back to the beginning of February. I work as a florist and told him from the beginning, we aren't moving in February because of Valentine's Day being a big holiday. Didn't want stress of moving and Valentine's Day prepping. Then he pushed it to beginning of March. I was getting cold feet. Should of took this all as a sign. But BF convinced me that he was just having trouble getting his parents to take anything from upstairs.
We ended up moving in the middle of March of 2023. And right after we get moved in. They start construction on the road Infront of the house it being a main road. This goes on for a month.
There was still furniture upstairs and a whole bunch of stuff in the kitchen cabinets. None were cleared for us. And all the cats and the dog were still there. And we have two of our own cats. He told us over and over they were planning on getting them at the end of March. They never did. My BF and myself tried rehoming the dog. Nobody wanted him. He was needy and HH wanted nothing to do with the dog being in his part of the home and he was pinned up in our living room. We didn't have the patience for a dog even being dog lovers ourselves. Along with my couch is white and backyard was muddy from all the previous dogs they had. I should add they has 6 dogs totally in the house as well and left the one behind.
We kept the couch into the garage until the dog was gone. We had to wait a month and a half until he finally convinced his mom to get the dog before we could move our own furniture into the living room from the garage. But she never took the cats.
And the roommate was able to clear out three cabinets for us to use. The rest was filled with plates and cups. Literally all the cabinets are filled with plates. We went from having four cabinets from our apartment to having three in this farm house. The roommate refuses to pack anything away to make more room for our items. So most of my kitchen stuff is still packed away to this day. I'm a cook and it bothers me not having room for anything, two cabinets have our plates, and pots/pans and one cabinet has some items of food. I have to buy food almost every day cause there is no room for our food. And had to get rid of a lot of my items cause we are still living among boxes.
Other thing that annoys me is our roommate eats the same meal everyday. No joke. Same meal. Everyday. So he doesn't use any of the dishes in the cabinets. And even leaves his pans on the stove. I asked him if we can just get two more cabinets for food. He cleared out half of a cabinet.
For the next part I'm going to short describe events that happened upon us moving in. Ahem.

1. One of the cats pukes and poops everywhere, to where it stained a new rug I got for the living room. Ongoing issue. I explained to change her diet but he refused saying the cats have eaten the same food for years. Should be fine.
   
2. His dryer kept eating our clothes and it took him four times to convince him to switch our dryer in. It ate a pair of my shorts, a summer dress, a string back pack and my BFs dress shirt. There is no seal at the back of the dryer so anything would get caught in the back and would get twisted into the rotater. He said he was going to get a seal and Told me to run it on low when I use it to prevent it and not do heavy loads until then. And anything with strings should be aiydried. I wear bras. I normally air dry that stuff but there is no where to privately air dry except upstairs and it gets so humid up there that it takes forever to dry. He never got the seal so we got him to put our dryer in and take his out. Along with way the washer drains. It sometimes backs up and floods the laundry room.
   

3.Stinkbugs everywhere!

1. The plumbing backed up into the laundry room. Couldn't use the laundry room for a week. Or the bathroom for a day. Along with the half bathroom upstairs. Yea doesn't work. He thought it worked but it keeps backing up into the bathtub when we use it. So it's disconnected. Asked if maybe he could remove the toilet and cover the hole so we could use the bathroom as a storage area upstairs but said he would get it fixed. Still isn't fixed.
   
2. We started finding roaches. BF and I paid and got exterminators and they said they are common to find in the fields behind the house. We hired the exterminators twice not our roommate. HH refused it wasn't necessary but is adamant that roaches have never come around before we moved in. (We had only been here for 3 months at this point)
   

5.5. Exterminator found evidence on mice. HH refused issues with mice in the past either. It's an old Farm house, it's bound to happen but him refusing to having issues in the past is suspicious.
So all the items that were upstairs. Guess where they went? His parents didn't take them. He threw them at the back of the garage. We literally have a pile of garbage behind the house. No joke. Exterminator told him to get rid of the stuff cause that could be what's attracting bugs and mice. He has gotten rid of 1/8 of the pile. Even borrowed his dad's truck to move that 1/8 pile and it stayed parked in MY parking spot for three weeks before he took it to the dump and even killed his dad's battery cause he never used the truck. And had to get it jump started.

1. Heat went out during a cold front. House runs on oil. And roommate forgot to get a refill. Didn't find out until late Friday and they couldn't come out until Monday. Unless we wanted to pay an emergency fee which he said he'd split but we refused cause it's his responsibility to check that. Not ours. So far this has happened twice living here. This house feels like your walking on glass when it gets cold.
   
2. Separate incident. Plumbing backed up again and into the bathtub and kitchen sink. His dad blamed us for pouring oil / fat down the drain. I don't do that. But he accused us cause I had made burgers the night before and the pan was sitting on the stove filled with fat and he figured I was going to dump down the drain. His dad even scrapped at my pan to show a point and I got pissed at him from touching my property and accusing us of doing idiotic stuff that even a 10 year old knows not to do. Couldn't use the bathtub or sink for five days. Couldn't even use laundry room cause they had to snake the drain in there and use a horrible smelling chemical that made the house smell putrid for days.
   
3. Hornets started getting into the attic were BF and I sleep.
   
4. No AC, had to get an AC unit that fit into the small windows upstairs. Had to get two different ones cause one kept blowing a fuse in the house everytime you turned it on.
   

9.5 ACs of course leaks water. It leaked onto part of the roof. And it leaked through into our livingroom. Apparently it leaks during heavy rainstorms and he forgot to tell us that. He plans on repairing it but said for us to use the air conditioner less. But the upstairs. There is NO insulation and it doesn't hold any cold in during the summer. So we had to run it nonstop almost. Cause it was almost unliveable upstairs.

1. The floor in bathroom kept cracking and giving in the more time that went from us first looking at the home back in August of 2022 to now. Two months ago I notice the toilet now wabbles. And he still hasn't done anything to fix it. Infact he keeps using the bath mat I purchased for the bathroom to cover the "dent". I kept moving it back toward the shower for me to use like intended but he keeps moving it back. It's just a bathmat but it's the principle. I don't want my bathmat that close to the f***ing toilet.
   
2. One of his male cats keeps spraying in our livingroom.
   
3. Half the stovetop in kitchen doesn't work.
   
4. There is DUST everywhere. There is a cabinet in the mud room that is his with random items on it and it's covered in dust. His parents even left their DVD collection in our livingroom that is covered in a layer of dust on a shelf he promised we could use.
   

Everything just feels gross. No matter how much I clean.
Next is list of pet peeves I have with HH. Everyone has their pet peeves but these are ones that really really irritate me. I'm sure he has pet peeves about me. I'm not perfect. And I can't change his ways. I'm just venting here.

1. He brushes his long curly hair over the kitchen sink. And washes it. He does take showers everyday but still washes his hair or at least damps it in the kitchen sink. I am always finding hair in my scrub daddy sponge and on any dishes in the sink. He keeps the brush on the counter near the dish strainer as well. And along with brushes his teeth in the kitchen sink. Keeps toothpaste and brush ontop of fridge or sometimes on the edge of the sink.
   
2. He has people over every other weekend for game night. One of the people cooks for everyone. I don't eat the food cause I already have dinner plans most night. I'm at work when they come over at the beginning and the guy uses my dishes sometimes to cook. And the roommate never cleans the dishes the guy uses or leaves it in the sink or on the counter for a whole week before he cleans them. Or he throws them in my side of the sink and never does them. I've told him if he couldn't use my stuff or at least clean them. But he doesn't stop the guy from using them. I even came home one-time and had to clean the dishes cause they used items I was going to use for dinner that night and I got angry toward them.
   

I've given them permission to use my small grill but to let me know before hand. But they never would and we have had times I get home to use it and they are using it. And I have to wait to cook my food on my grill.

1. Any extra dishes he does use from his normal diet of ramen. He leaves them on the dish strainer and NEVER puts anything away. There are dishes on the counter that have been there since we moved in.
   
2. He won't get rid of anything. Example: I cut my lip on a glass cup and told him I was going to throw it away since it was his cup I used. And he said we can still use it just not drink it on that side. Along with one of the cabinets that he has some of his items in that we use has seashells in it. He won't get rid of them cause he said we can use them for soy sauce. 😑❓❓ The petty person I am even went through and counted all the plates he has in the house. He has a total of 74 plates. 42 cups. 25 bowls. A ridiculous amount of storage containers and only 15 of them have lids. 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫
   
3. He feeds the cats in the laundry room. One eats on the dryer. One on the washer and there is a counter he feeds some of the cats. He leaves spilled cat food all over the laundry room counters and old cans of cat food.
   
4. He keeps moving my tub mat in the shower over the drain to act as a hair catcher. And leaves his towel hanging over the curtain rack. He leaves hair he has pulled out of the drain on the counter or edge of the tub. And don't forget the mat outside the tub he keeps moving that's mine.
   
5. He listens to music full blast in his livingroom which can be heard into my livingroom and refuses to turn music down. I even asked him about considering putting a door that leads into his living room cause he also sleeps in there instead of the extra room that is his. Cause I have to be quiet when I cook in the morning cause he sleeps right there. But he refuses.
   
6. I brought my own moving island to this house, we put it in the mudroom and convinced him to move his giant coffee maker to that to make space on the kitchen counter. He doesn't clean the counter even though he is the only one that uses the coffee maker and that is the only thing on the counter. There are coffee stains all over it. I even cleaned it and put a mat down and he doesn't clean after himself.
   
7. This one is recent. But I have an emergency box filled with supplies. And he keeps taking my expensive flashlights out and uses them and doesn't put them back. We had a tornado scare at 4 in the morning and I went to get it in case the power went out and it also has a setting for a red emergency flash. And they weren't there and he said he used them the other day but doesn't know where he put them. Like dude?! What the hell?!!! Those are for emergencies.
   
8. This one is just gross. He has an air fryer that he never cleans. And it leaks oil all the time from the pan. I decided to try and clean it and there was 2 inches of crust burnt pieces and oil at the bottom of the pan. So gross!!! 🤢
   

There is more. But I don't want to go too crazy with my own craziness of on going complaints down the rabbit hole.
We are planning on moving here soon since we hit a year finally here in a few days. BF is even done. At the beginning he was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt cause it's his bestfriend for almost 15 years. But the more and more that kept happening. The more he realized we fucked up. But he wanted to stay a year to help him out. We just told him the other day we plan on buying our own home now and will be moving in the near future. His reaction was very mute. He doesn't show many emotions. But he left shortly after we told him and let's just say. I've never heard that man floor it when it came to his driving.
So yea! There is my story! Very long I'm sorry! But it's been one hell of a year! 😂😅
I will say I do feel bad for him cause it is an old Farm home and he was dealt with a heavy blow with his parents wanting to sell. The house falling apart everytime we turn around. I am not angry toward him. That's part of having a home stuff happens. But stuff happening one time after the other and along with him not really helping out with the living issues for peacewise is what makes everything bitter.
What have I learned from this experience?

1. I had never had a roommate before and never want one again. I lived on my own from the beginning and then later moved my BF in and then later we moved in with HH. My BF is one thing but roommate is different.
   
2. I don't want an old Farm home to live in anymore. Or a house on a big plot of land.
   
3. You don't have to help everyone if it puts you in a hard bind. It's okay to say no.
   
4. I never want to become a hoarder ever. I have my own, don't want to get rid of anything tendencies but his is ridiculous.
   

Hi there
Thank you for all the thoughts and advice on my first attempt. I am back with my second and hoping it’s a little better! I’ve also added my first 300 words. Thank you :)
First attempt
​
Dear Agent
I am seeking representation for THE DAMP THAT SURROUNDS US, which is a gothic horror novel, complete at 90k words.
The captain, indecipherable except for their white hair and yellow waterproofs, takes their guests to the mist-shrouded island for the price of knowledge, from mythology to folklore to plumbing. Some of this they donate benevolently to the village bookstore in return for the respect of the occupants, who treat them as the all-knowing being of the water. Despite worrying they will be found out as a fraud the captain accepts this god-like status, however, when the damp the village is so used to living beside turns sinister, the status quo shifts.
With the sea creeping in after the captain and the damp dripping from ceilings, the villagers start to change. Floods rising, the villagers, seeping with unexplained sores, lose respect for both the captain and the knowledge, leaving the captain fearing they are fighting a losing battle against a younger, stronger god. As the residents gradually disappear and the floods fill with shadowy beasts, the captain devotes themself to one villager. They are the only one that has ever seen the captain for who they might be, but soon they too fall victim to the sores. Damp battering against their windows, the villager begs to hear the stories they are losing to the floods, but when the captain tries to help they find the knowledge is slipping from their mind too.
Village crumbling around them, the captain realises the villager is the one thing they cannot surrender to the sea. Emboldened, they must fight to stop the floods from taking their village and corrupting their villagers, figure out the importance of the knowledge, and hope that they are enough to stop their villager from crawling into the soothing embrace of the damp.
THE DAMP THAT SURROUNDS US will appeal to fans of the watery creepiness and unease yet underlying affection of Julia Armfield’s OUR WIVES UNDER THE SEA, and the first person narrative and quietly escalating dread of John Langan’s THE FISHERMAN.
(Bio)
​
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​
First 300:
The sun is gazing through the mist today, like a weak shimmer of hope. Above me, The Bird circles the horizon. Below me, the deck holds a flipped-up chair that I found leaning against my boat one evening, the bones of it an unfriendly grey metal, but the skin of it a friendly purple canvas that moulds around my buttocks like an embrace.
This morning, I am resting back as far as it will let me, angled perfectly to keep some eyes on the water and some eyes on the shoreline. My feet are crossed at the ankle and thrown onto the bow, and a tug twangs comfortingly on the backs of my calves as the weight of me tugs at the stitches. Periodically, my hand digs into the box of cereal cradled in the nook of my elbow, before raising to shovel the goods into my mouth, tongue reaching out to scrape the remains from my palm, digging into its crevices like a starving horse. The crumbs crunch satisfyingly between my teeth but grow softer by the moment, as the mist and the damp creeps into the gaping mouth of the box.
A movement on the shore. By the stone steps. Not much before the end of my line of sight. I swivel all my eyes in the direction.
I have seen them out here before. Sometimes they have a burst of motivation and I see them bracing against the elements most days. Sometimes they disappear for weeks or months and I think I have seen the last of them, until one day they emerge from the fog again. I can never see their face from my boat, but I know it is shore-hardened, like the rest of us, and I am pretty sure it is always them.

Night One - 2/27/2024
I think I'm going to disappear.
I don’t think you’ll be able to help though, so don’t worry too much. This post is more for me, a documentation of an impossible timeline. Well, Walter and me. It’s just me now though, empty inside and out in a hollow home. A perfectly curated space for me to go insane in. I promise I’m not insane, I know everything that has happened is real.
It started at the end of 2022. It hadn't been a great year for many people and I was one of the lucky “many”. I was laid off at the beginning of the year, my boyfriend decided he thought red hair suited him much better than the dull brown I've been sporting the past 4 years of our relationship, and finally, I lost the apartment when we separated. Being unemployed and moving back in with your parents in your early 30s is not the greatest thing for your mental health, if you were wondering.
The depression I was in was deep and never-ending. Some days it felt like something was physically sitting on my shoulders, keeping them hunched and hurting. By December of 2022, I decided things had to change, and that’s when a dream started calling to me. The dream, MY dream. It was what made me want to change things. Need to change things. I know that sounds weird, but trust me it’s not the weirdest thing about this. Every night, curled up in my old teenage bedroom, I'd have the same dream.
I’d wake up in an unfamiliar bed, but I never felt scared or confused by my surroundings. If anything I felt more at home there than anywhere else I'd ever been. I’d hear the nails of a dog in the hallway outside the open bedroom door heading to what I knew was the living room. The scratching of their nails on the floor with every step is so familiar and comforting to my dream self, but they wouldn’t turn to look that way. Instead, I'd lull my head to my right, to the slightly ajar two-pane window. I'd take my hand out of the comfiest pale yellow comforter and let the light coming in touch my skin.
I’d watch the curtains made out of old thrifted sheets fold and bend in the wind, I'd feel the breeze touch my face and I'd close my eyes and let it carry me back to sleep for a little while longer. It felt so real. The sheets would bundle and move with me, the dust would float in the air and displace when I moved my hand through the light beams coming from the sun that was edging between the trees. Once my dream self listed off to sleep again in their cozy home, my real self would wake up in my stale cold bedroom and feel empty again. The dream went by quickly. 8 hours gone in what feels like minutes, but even if it's only a short amount of time, that feeling of numbness would be gone. Non-existent. The numbness would be replaced with a feeling of serenity.
That daily emptiness was unlike anything else. So devoid and black, a deep hallway with absolutely no end. I needed that feeling all day, not just when I was sleeping. I became addicted to sleeping, but your body can only take so much. So I started looking. I had a small chunk of change saved from my old job to put towards it, and I also started a job as a morning shift gas station attendant for some extra spending money. The small town adjacent to my hometown was calling to me and I knew the house had to be there. The house had to be just right though, if anything was off the dream wouldn't come true. Any discrepancy would screw it up, I don't know how but I just knew. I found 3 listed that fit in my budget, but after visiting the first one I knew I didn’t need to look at the others.
It was down a secluded drive on a lake, normally the cabins cost a ton because of the waterfront, but this one didn’t have any water access so it was cheap. Very cheap, cheap enough that my foot went through the bathroom floor by the toilet when I was re-caulking the bathtub. I fixed it though, all by myself. Besides the hundreds of YouTube videos I referenced. The rudimentary plumbing and electricity work will probably burn down the cabin one day.
Slowly it became a home for me. It became THE home, the one beckoning me to that dream every night. The feeling of peace I felt in my dream hadn’t made itself present yet during my waking life, but I figured it was because other things didn’t match up. The shell of the house did, but not the rest. So I started recreating it, piece by perfect piece. It was easy since I was still having the dream every night. I’d still wake up alone and void of that wonderful feeling I'd become addicted to, even if the box I was sleeping in looked the same as the one my dream self felt so safe in.
First, I adopted a dog named Walter, a 9-year-old 45lb black lab who lived at a shelter for most of his life. We were two peas in a pod. He filled a small portion of that void I woke up to every morning but it wasn't enough. I even started cutting his nails at just the right angle, so they'd scritch against the floor just right but wouldn’t cause him any annoyance.
Nothing.
I found the exact pattern of sheets that were in the dream, which in my dream I knew I thrifted, so I made sure to scour second-hand shops until I found them. I learned how to sew so I could make the pleats and folds look the same. I practiced for weeks before finally using the material I spent so long searching for, I figured I only had one shot to perfect them, and I did. I even went to 7 different stores to make sure that the bar holding them up was the same style and color. The curtains held their space in the window so perfectly, like a painting directly out of my subconscious.
Nothing.
I slept every night with my bedroom door open to hear Walter make his way down the hall. Cracked my window open just so, even on the cold nights. I bought the exact pale yellow comforter and washed it only in the best detergents and dried it with the best dryer sheets a gas station employee could buy so it would have the softness and buoyancy of that dream bedding. I’d just wake up with bedding so cold it felt damp, and a voidness that was getting deeper and darker every day.
Nothing.
Over and over again, I’d spend all of my free time getting everything just right. To the point where I started scratching the wood around my two-pane window so it had that live-in texture my dream windows had. When the knives made the scratches look too manufactured, I’d use my nails. It’d take me hours after to clean in the gouges and get the blood out, but I did it. And it looks perfect. The tips of my fingers haven't stopped being sore since but it was worth it. It looks perfect. Absolutely perfect.
But. still. NOTHING.
I just couldn't take it anymore. Years of working on this place, pushing through the fog and building this place by hand was exhausting me. My parents were worried, but they could only do so much.
Could only watch as their only child slipped further and further into this weirdly concocted insanity.
A self-imposed routine that ended with the same results. They kept stopping over until I stopped answering the door. I let their Tupperware's of home-cooked dinners pile up on the small porch until the animals tore them apart, scattering the plastic pieces throughout my overgrown lawn.
Every morning I’d wake up in cold bedding, Walter would patter down the hall but the sound of his nails touching the floor would never be right, I'd look out the window but the morning light would be hiding behind the trees barely touching my house, and the breeze wouldn’t be present. Just stale air in a stale house. A fitting environment for the thoughts in my head. I would cry into my stale pillow and then force myself to start my day. I had to afford to upkeep this dream home, even if it wasn’t providing anything of what I wanted.
Finally one day I just,
I couldn't go back to that dream anymore.
It used to be my salvation. Every day I'd wake up to that void feeling, I painstakingly worked and perfected the house, and while I worked I would only think of the feeling I get to go back to. Sleep comes so easily when your dreams mean more to you then real life. But the idea of waking up to a disgusting void again every morning was starting to draw the appeal away. Every single night I got a hit of that wonderful dopamine rush, and every morning it would slip away just as fast. I just can’t take it anymore.
So, I decided to stop sleeping.
The dream would never come if I didn’t close my eyes.
I grabbed a case of energy drinks from work and sat on my couch to watch old golden girls reruns from a box set. It had been the first time in over a year that I hadn't spent the evening working on the house, and if I could feel anything, I'd say it almost felt nice. The first 6 hours of the night were pretty easy. Being in my 30’s I thought it’d be much harder to stay up past midnight, but after getting through the first bout of sleepiness around 11pm I was fine.
It wasn't until 5am, around the time I usually wake up for work that things got.. odd. I’m not sure if that's a good word for it, but there are not many other ways to describe it.
What happened doesn't fit in this world, words weren’t created to explain what I witnessed.
I was watching Blanche get proposed to on the season finale when I first heard the scratching. It was so faint that I thought it was coming from the TV, but it sounded too out of place.
After a second I could finally pinpoint it, it was coming from the hallway my bedroom was down. It sounded like someone was running their nails on the wall near my bedroom window, but there was no way I should be able to hear that from where I was. But I just knew, that’s where it’s coming from. Right when my sleep-addled brain registered where the sound was in the house a buzz started under my skin, a phantom touch of something needle-sharp dragging along my muscle and tissue. Looking down I couldn't see anything, I felt over my wrist but couldn’t feel anything outwardly, just inward. I started itching at it, but nothing was calming the red-hot spark going up and down my forearm.
Scratching my wrist raw, I stood and moved from my position on the couch to center myself with the pitch-black hallway. The darkness down the hallway looked inky and completely desolate, a blank space in my otherwise completely normal house, but a blank space that looked malleable. Like it would slip through my fingers if I dipped them in. The pictures I'd hung a foot from the threshold were non-existent, the dark overtaking them in a deep fold.
I thought at first I had fallen asleep on the couch, but my usual dream wasn’t present, so it was hard to know what to believe. The scratching persisted, up and down the wall, up and down my arm. Getting hotter and hotter under my skin. I wanted to look down at the affected area, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the dark. I physically could not look away. My dreams always made me feel light, and that feeling was addictive, but this darkness looked so enticing. Cold, not warm like my comforter, but encompassing like it is in my dream.
With what little cognitive thinking I could register I started to step away until the backs of my knees hit the end table by the couch, never taking my eyes off the void. It called me in, every part of me felt the need to go, but one minuscule part of me asked not to. Said no. The further I backed away the louder the scratching got. The angrier it got. It dug deep into my arm, touching my bone and peeling away at any tendons and muscle that blocked its path. It was searing, more painful than anything I've experienced, but I couldn't mutter any noise. I could just itch at it furiously while staring into the dark. The itching wasn't satiating anything, the deep heat in my arm was unreachable, but it was keeping me grounded in reality. A malformed impossible reality.
My body kept trying to pull me back toward the threshold, the lack of sleep hitting me all at once and calling me to my bed, but in the back of my mind I knew I shouldn’t. So I kept the backs of my knees against that cold wood, letting it seep into me. Hoping it would cool the heat in my arm. It never did.
I stared into the black as the time passed. All I could do was let the time pass. Things formed in the darkness of my hallway, my mind playing tricks and filling the space with grotesque makeshift people. At first, it was just distorted blobs, indescribable and moving. But as I started to take notice of them, letting my eyes follow their path, they started to take notice of me. Staring back with large eyes that would rot inward and regrow in front of my eyes, decaying but never leaving my form. Begging me to blink first. Pleading for me to step forward, lean into them just an inch. They would take me in their cold grasp and I would become their eyes.
I could feel fingers wrapping around my ribs, grasping and pulling me forward. Just as it felt they were going to break, just as I started to let them take me,
I felt the sun hit the side of my cheek.
The darkness started to siphon itself inward, the eyes frantically pushing through their cycle of rebirth asking and begging me to follow them in. I just let the sun rise more, letting them fall into that inky black. My eyes were completely dry when I dared to look away. I’m unsure if I closed my eyes once since the scratching started, but that seemed impossible. The deep dryness told me it wasn't impossible. The itching was gone. No soreness at all was present inside my arm, but the outside was ruined when I finally looked at it. It didn’t even look like something my nails could have done. My skin parted into a deep red mess in multiple areas all over my wrist, I couldn’t see much through the blood dried around the sides, the middle was still bubbling where I had been digging the deepest at it, still open and hurting. I rested my hand over it and looked away before I passed out.
Only then did my brain register that I didn’t know where Walter was.
Deep molten dread set into my stomach. A loud siren of “nonononononononononono” rang in my head as I ran into the bedroom. Halfway through my marathon on the couch, Walter had gotten up and moisied to the bedroom to sleep. He had been in the bedroom that whole time. Stuck in that dark inky black, alone. With them.
And I had left him there.
The hallway felt so long by the time I reached the open bedroom door, but I already knew Walter wouldn't be there. I tore apart the house looking for him, in every nook and every blank spot that could hold my sweet boy. He was nowhere, absolutely no trace of him in the house. After searching frantically for a while I finally noticed that even his beat up bed he loved to sleep on wasn't in the living room. His toy box was empty and his food bowls were not in their usual spot near the kitchen island.
It's like he never existed.

My studies under Luke’s tutelage began in earnest the next evening during and after dinner. I’m sorry to report that he proved to be an excellent, possibly even world class instructor. If there was a graduate program in cuckold humiliation studies, Luke would’ve been a distinguished professor with an endowed chair. To be fair, I suppose such a program would require at least three faculty members: the bull, who dishes out the humiliation; the cuckoldess who may or may not assist the bull in humiliating the cuckold, but who herself might also be a target of humiliation at times; and the hapless cuckold who is the primary recipient of it. So, to be more accurate, the three of us would have been an all-star academic team in my imagined scenario. This turned out to be not too far removed from the reality of what unfolded, but more on that later.
Brooke coached me on preparing dinner for Luke. She wanted him to feel welcome in our home and wanted to set the right tone with my respect to my subservient status in the relationship. Luke played football in an amateur league (he was a linebacker, a position requiring both speed and strength) and also lifted weights, so he favored lean proteins. I prepared grilled walleye in a lemon, butter sauce with steamed asparagus and roasted potatoes. I also had his favorite beer on hand, Yuengling. I purchased a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc for Brooke and me, as neither of us were big beer drinkers.
At Brooke’s insistence, I wore a tight, white button down shirt with a black bow tie and tight black pants with the black apron that her friend Michelle had given me tied behind my neck. I generally favored loose fitting clothes because I was highly self conscious about my paunch — and hated the restrictive feeling of tight clothes, which made me feel fat — but Brooke said that baggy clothes did me no favors. I think this was all part of her game: to accentuate my physical shortcomings in front of her ripped ex husband. She also wanted me barefoot.
When Luke arrived, Brooke brought him into the kitchen. He was dressed in tight jeans, a form fitting, button down blue shirt and brown leather cowboy boots. Brooke was wearing a short green dress with open toed, heeled sandals, her long bare legs and pretty toes on full display. The contrast in how we were all dressed made me feel like a submissive waiter to this beautiful, alpha couple — which is more or less what I was, I suppose. Thinking back on how I’ve been forced to dress over the intervening three years, however, my attire that evening was downright dignified.
“Hello, sir. May I get you a beer?”
“Sure, prof.” Pleased that I served him his favorite brand, he said, “I see she’s got you barefoot and working in the kitchen. You’re not pregnant too, are you?” He rubbed my paunch with his hand, smiling and chuckling. I really hated it when someone touched my stomach.
Brooke giggled at his joke.
“We’re going to have to put you on a diet, prof.”
“Walter doesn’t exercise much.”
“We can work on that too,” Luke said before the two of them went into the living room to sit down and have a drink as I finished cooking dinner. I found Brooke straddling his lap and kissing him passionately when I went to ask them to please be seated at the table.
“Shouldn’t a good host seat his guest?,” asked Luke.
“Yes, sir, of course.” I pulled out the chair at the head of the dining room table for him to sit down.
Brooke said, “What about me, Walter?”
“Of, course, darling.” I then pulled out Brooke’s chair, before sitting down myself.
“I’m not sure I like him calling you darling when I’m here. When I’m in this house, you’re mine,” Luke said to Brooke.
She replied, “What would be a more appropriate way for him to address me when you’re around? I know, how about ‘Miss Brooke’?” She smiled brightly at me.
Luke said, “That works for me, at least until we can think of something better.“
“Yes, sir and Miss Brooke. I will be right back with your plates.”
Although I prepared and served the dinner and cleaned up afterwards, I was at least permitted to eat at the table with them that first night.
“This fish isn’t half bad,” Luke sad, looking at me.
“Thank you, sir.”
“I told you Walter’s a good cook.”
“Do you fish, prof?”
“I did when I was a kid with my brother and my dad, but I haven’t in years, sir.”
“Where was that?”
“In Connecticut, on the Long Island Sound, sir. We lived near the water and had a small boat.”
“Walter’s father was a big time M&A attorney in New York City. Walter had a pretty privileged upbringing. A family maid. Boarding school. Yale University,” said Brooke.
“M&A attorney, huh. Those are the pricks I have to pay huge fees to whenever I buy a business.”
I learned over dinner that Luke had started a residential plumbing business shortly after graduating from high school. It grew rapidly, becoming the biggest in the county by the time he was 25. Over the last three years he had acquired three single branch competitors, buying out older plumbers who were starting to think about retirement. He typically got good prices for these companies because his business was hurting them in the market. Luke’s company had grown to five branches in two counties with almost $30 million in sales. He planned to grow it to $50 million and then sell it to a private equity investor. His goal was to be a multi millionaire before he turned 35.
Luke continued, “Goddamn lawyers are parasites. They don’t make or fix anything, they just take money from the hard working people who do. The whole damned system is rigged.”
Great, an aggrieved conspiracy theorist, I thought to myself.
“My dad lost most of his money when he was older due to poor investments,” I volunteered, hoping to dispel the image of privilege I could see forming in Luke’s mind.
“Sounds like karma to me,” he said. “How long did you live in Connecticut?”
Brooke answered for me. “Walter lived his whole life in Connecticut before moving here to take his position on the college faculty. He tried hard to find a position with a good East Coast college, but wasn’t able to.”
“It’s pretty competitive out there in academia,” I added, sheepishly.
“So, you had to settle for a position in one of the flyover states. Nice of you to grace us with your presence, professor.”
“Not at all. I mean, I had never been to Ohio before coming out here for my job, but I really like it. It’s a beautiful state.” I added, lamely, “Sir.”
“I’ll bet.” He looked at me somewhat contemptuously, I thought, before he added, “Get me another beer and your wife needs a refill on her wine.”
“Yes, sir.”
After getting them their drinks, I served the dessert I had prepared. I had baked a peach pie and served it with vanilla ice cream. After putting everyone’s plate down and picking up my fork, Luke said, “Hold on there, prof. Remember what I said earlier tonight about you going on a diet? Well, there’s no time like the present to start.”
Brooke added, again with her mischievous smile, “That’s a great idea, Luke. It’s going to be good to have someone to instill some discipline around here, right Walter?”
I was furious, but knew how disastrous it would be to raise any objection. It wasn’t so much that I was looking forward to satisfying my sweet tooth. It was really the incredible humiliation I felt at being treated like a child by this overbearing brute. And, of course, Brooke’s complicity in my humiliation. She was clearly enjoying it all way too much.
My face was burning in shame, as I replied, “Yes, Miss Brooke. That’s a good idea, sir. I need to watch my calories. Here, let me split up my piece for the two of you to enjoy.”
As he finished off the pie, Luke said, “That was delicious, prof. You’re quite the little homemaker, aren’t you?”
“Or big homemaker,” said Brooke, tittering. She was clearly a bit drunk.
“Good one, babe,” said Luke.
As I was about to finish off the bottle of wine by emptying it into Brooke’s and my glasses, Luke said. “You know, prof, liquor has a lot of calories. It’s probably a good idea that we watch your wine intake as well. Empty your glass into Brooke’s?”
“Yes, sir,” I said, as I followed his command.
Brooke said, “Now I’m really gonna get tipsy,“ and giggled.
After dinner, Luke said, “Now it’s time to unpack my suitcases. Why don’t you both show me the bedroom?”
And, so, Luke’s hostile takeover — hostile to me, at least — continued.

Im a plumber on long island, ny looking to get a job doing low voltage hvac control wiring in NYC.. any help with improvements is appreciated
NAME EMAIL PHONE ETC IS UP HERE
Objective:
To gain a position in a company that will allow me to use my abilities as an HVAC technician as well as develop new techniques in the field in order to become an asset to the company.
Education:
2014, BLANK High School
December 11, 2017 – May 25th, 2018
BLANK
BLANK , NY
600 Hr. HVAC/R Certificate of Completion
Program includes:
OSHA 10 Certification
EPA 608 Universal Certification
​

• Material handling (Lifting, recording inventory)
• Hand Tool awareness, selection
• Basic rigging
• Basic communication skills
• Introduction to trade electricity
• Electrical components (Relay, Contactors, Fuses, capacitors, Conductors)
• Brazing and soldering
• Construction drawing and specifications
• Gas / Oil burner control wiring
• Understanding electrical meter and testing circuits
• Motors and motor control
• Basic refrigeration theory
• Heat pumps
• Commercial refrigeration systems
• Commercial hot air systems
• System Installation, air distribution and Balance
• HVAC/R system diagnostics and troubleshooting
• Service and repair of HVAC systems

Skills:
Able to follow specific directions with an acute attention to detail. Able to work independently under minimal supervision while being able to thoroughly complete assignments. Proficient in reading blueprints and schematics.
Work History:
BLANK BLANK, NY 2015-2017
Catering Driver
​

• Drive truck on deliveries throughout Nassau and Queens.
• Making safe and timely deliveries from store location to customers within trade area.
• Interacting with customers at the placement of order to time of delivery to ensure specific needs are met.

_________________________________________________________________________________________
​

• BLANK HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical BLANK, NY 2018-2019

Worked on installation of residential HVAC systems, with some service.
​

• New installation/retro-fitting existing HVAC systems
• Install Central AC/Heat pump with new ductwork, electrical. Ductless mini-splits, gas furnaces, gas boilers, and gas water heaters.
• Consulting with customers on their HVAC needs.
• Inspecting systems for effectiveness and safety.
• Troubleshooting HVAC systems, ordering new parts and completing repairs.
• Assisting salesperson procuring new work, communicating with customers.
• Maintaining accurate inventory of all equipment and parts.

__________________________________________________________________________________________
BLANK, NY 2019-Present
Full scope of residential and commercial plumbing and heating
​

• Visiting 2-4 job sites per day.
• Service and diagnostics of plumbing and heating systems; circulator pumps, zone valves, thermostats, motherboards, transformers, relays
• Complete heating system installations in new residential construction
• Hot water boiler, combi boiler, steam boiler retrofits
• Water heater retrofits
• Indirect or storage tank installs
• New residential construction, custom bath/kitchen design rough/finish installation
• Following blueprints for rough in and finish plumbing of new residential/commercial bathrooms, kitchens, office spaces
• Commercial and residential gas lines, proficient use of threading machine.
• Knowledge of applicable codes and accepted trade practices.
• Identifying slab leaks, thermal imaging.
• Proficient use of hand snakes, toilet auger, electric snakes, sewer machine, some camera snake experience.
• Routing new rough plumbing through existing walls and floors.
• Proficient with brazed ACR copper, K, L, M sweat copper, DWV copper, ProPress, crimped pex, PVC, CPVC, brass, black/galvanized steel, SV and XH CI, no hub, dual tights, flue piping, chimney liners

I want to tell you about my Fallout tabletop game. Although I have loved ones who will listen, I can see their eyes glazing over by the word and the only other people I know who would have any interest at all are my players. So I'm hoping someone is interested and can even take some inspiration for their own Fallout campaign.
I've developed the story over several years. I'm currently working on my 7th “play-through” (for lack of a better term). I started in 2015 using D20 Modern for the first 3 games. Then I used the Basic Roleplaying system for a while, and that lead me to Call of Cthulhu. Since Fallout has multiple references to the Cthulhu Mythos, I thought it would be appropriate. So I began adapting Pulp Cthulhu to a Fallout game. It was about that time I found out about the 2d20 Fallout game. I tried it and I just didn't like the system. I'm autistic and certain systems of game mechanics (such as 3rd ed D&D, BRP, & 7th ed CoC) tickle my brain, but I'm sorry to say that Fallout 2d20 did not.
On the third play through, using the D20 Modern system, I was fortunate enough to have 7 players, which is too many for my preference. So I split them up and ran two groups on different days, but in the same world. Unfortunately, that didn't last long, but eve since I've had my heart set on the idea of doing it again and keeping it going long term until the two groups meet, at which point they may be enemies or allies. I haven't been able to manage it yet though.
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Fallout: Motorcity Wasteland

"War... War never changes.
In the 21st century, war consumed the world. As humanity fought over the dwindling resources of a planet ravaged by consumption and neglect, there was one city that stood as a beacon of hope and industry, even in the darkest of times; the Motor City, Detroit Michigan.
It's been said that some cities get by on their good looks, climate, and scenery, but Detroit has always had to work for a living. Here, steel forged on the banks of the Detroit River built the machines of war and the engines that powered them; the very salt of the Earth itself was mined to supply the production of chlorine gas; and high up in Renaissance Tower in the heart of the city, hidden advancements in technology flourished, leading to new methods of cyber warfare that promised an end to iron curtains and fallout shelters.
But it was too little, too late. The bombs fell and though Detroit was seemingly spared the worst of Armageddon, the city was destroyed, its streets and buildings in ruins, and its people defeated, but only for a time.
More than two centuries after the bombs fell, a pair of vaults opened their doors; a ruined time capsule of a dream for a better world that might still have a chance and an isolated community of frightened individuals making one last desperate attempt to find any sign of hope beyond the safety of their vault door. They have a difficult road ahead, and courage will be the least of their worries. But the spirit of industry lives on in the Motorcity Wasteland and in the people who call it home. The Motor City will rise again and its people will lead the way to a new America, a land of hope, freedom, and progress."
-
The Setup
The game begins with the players in one of two vaults; Vault 89 was built by wealthy businessmen who were just a step below the well connected politicos who got access to the good vaults. So they pulled every string and called in every favor, leveraging the reputation of their country club and convincing the local university to offer some grant money, they were able to convince Vault-Tec to put them on the big list. One of the scientists involved was an expert in cryonics and had heard rumors through the academic grapevine about the technology being put in Vault 111 and shared this with his fellow country club members, who immediately demanded it for their vault. They didn't want to spend the rest of their lives underground, they wanted an underground spa day that lasted 2 centuries.
Of course, they wouldn't be able to bring The Help, there would be no room in the vault, they had to be left to fend for themselves. But who would pamper them and do all the work for them after they awoke from their cryo-pods? The solution was Vault 90 (which Vault-Tec already had in the works anyway).
The population of Vault 90 was made up entirely of trade school teachers and their families. All the most fundamentally essential skilled trades were represented, plumbing, carpentry, electricians, HVAC/r, welding, etc. If there's a blue collar job that needs doing, if modern society would fail if people suddenly forgot how to do it, they brought a teacher and their family to live in this vault. Preferential selection was given to those who's spouse also had a trade useful to the vault.
Meanwhile, among the scientists working on the Evolutionary Experimentation Program at West Tek was one Dr. Greaves, an un-likeable know-it-all with horrible body odor, a long peach fuzz mustache, and a penchant for pushing up his large, Nuka-Cola bottle glasses while saying, “Um, Actually...” And the worst part of all was that he was always right. Dr. Greaves enjoyed being correct, but he didn't appreciate being ignored. He had questions and concerns about the FEV he felt hadn't been addressed or even acknowledged. So he took it upon himself to study it on his own time and he developed a theory. The experiment in Vault 87 was being designed to infect a host's entire body with FEV, but according to his calculations the results would be monstrous! A far better method, he concluded, would be to focus the FEV on specific body parts. The FEV cannot be fully contained within the body anyway, so by focusing as much as possible on one point, the leakage will be sufficient to enhance the rest of the body enough to support the new mutation. He concluded that the brain would be the obvious target, since it has connections to the rest of the body, but he was curious to try it on specific organs as well. He brought this research to the team leader, who scoffed and wouldn't even look at his research. This lead to a heated argument, after which Dr. Greaves stormed out. He immediately went to Vault-Tec, going over the heads of his West Tek employer, and showed them the research. Vault-Tec found it compelling, but for reasons they would not elaborate did nothing. Dr. Greaves pushed (and may have made suitably subtle yet compelling comments about the vaguest possibility of holotapes full of certain data being leaked to the press) and was able to convince Vault-Tec to try it his way. They would build him a vault and tack the cost on to Vault 87's bottom line, but it was up to him to find a suitable location. Dr. Greaves eventually made an arrangement with the University of Michigan, where the students in the engineering department on their eastern Motorcity campus was in the process of building a small vault under the engineering building. The school liked the idea of getting funding from Vault-Tec, but to satisfy their board they had to justify this with some connection to the school. The head of the university's neurology department was appalled by Dr. Greaves' presentation and threw him out of his office, he would have done so physically if the young doctor hadn't moved fast enough. He shopped around the various department and finally found a kindred spirit in the cybernetics lab. Dr. Greaves quickly agreed to incorporate cybernetics into his experiment, since he couldn't even do the cybernetics until he was done with his part anyway. The vault was built and the first batch of “volunteers” was sent, Dr. Greaves rejected them all immediately. He insisted that the test subjects must be of high mental caliber, these recidivist imbeciles may be fine for hooking up to a robobrain, but his experiment required geniuses. And so, a new batch of “Volunteers” were sent from the Mahkra Island Asylum for the Criminally Insane. At this point, his handlers were tired of dealing with Dr. Greaves and they just wanted to be done with him. He said, quite loudly and insistently, that he must have genius test subjects, but gave no other specifications. So they sent him the first confirmed geniuses they could find. The experiment began, then the bombs fell, and Dr. Greaves, now Overseer Greaves, pushed his staff to keep working.
The scientists didn't live for more than a few years after the war. Once they outfitted their neurologically enhanced super mutants with experimental cybernetic modifications it was only a matter of time until their experiments got bored enough to murder them all. Except, of course, for Dr. Greaves, they had a few experiments of their own to perform on their malevolent Overseer. Within the vault, after the scientists were dead, the Super Brains established a leader and one of them, a sore loser who thought of himself as a sort of jester, started calling the leader the Grand Poohbah and the name stuck. They were convinced by the (damaged) computers in the vault that the world outside was an unlivable ruin, until the Grad Students arrived fro The University.
In the all commotion, most of the Super Brains were killed and some were captured, but there were four who got away. They found the Super Brain on a table hooked up to a computer in the Overseer's office that kept screaming “KILL ME!" in a horrifically modulated robot voice annoying enough that they made a point of not killing it, they just used EMP weapons to temporarily disable the remaining defenses, copied what data they found useful and left without even bothering to lock the vault behind them.
The the third Grand Poohbah was cut down by enemy gunfire, Eustace Grundle seized his opportunity. He took the paper placemat hat that had been proudly worn by the last 3 Grand Poohbahs and, standing amidst a battle of blazing laser fire and rending robobrains he crowned himself and declared himself to be the new Grand Poohbah, fourth of that name! A laser burned a hole straight through his paper hat, he was able to grab it in time before it burned away, but he knew it was time to get away...
David had a crush on Wendy, but she was so mean. He didn't care, he liked her anyway. His friend Humphrey said he should just forget about it, “You're too good for her” he'd say. David didn't care though, he was in love. So when the shooting started, his first concern was for Wendy, but he knew she could handle herself in a fight (Oh boy, could she ever!), so he focused on helping Humphrey, whose legs had been severely crippled by the Overseer's experiments. He saw an opening when Eustace the Fool went for the hat (the fool!), the door was open! So he started to run for it as Eustace was yelling something about a running joke he had with the other inmates. This is when he saw Wendy trying to duke it out with somebody in combat armor and he yelled for her to come with him, she sneered with blood lust, but knew he was right. So she joined him. Eustace was not far behind. Once outside, they stayed together for a few weeks, but their extreme differences and the possibilities of the wide open world quickly drove them apart.
Eustace tried to lead them, but it was clear to the group that he was dark inside. He went his own way when he betrayed the group to a band of raiders. They escaped and he joined the raiders, eventually rising to boss. He led the gang to follow up on mysteries he'd been investigating when he was sent away to Mahkra Island and uncovered arcane artifacts that unlocked strange eldritch powers that broke the minds of his raiders. Aided by these new abilities, he wandered the American Wasteland for nearly two centuries, searching for a book and a dagger. He returned to the Motorcity Wasteland victorious in 2291, and immediate sought out and slew the Bluefur Deathclaw, widely considered to be the most dangerous beast in the Motorcity Wasteland. He made the head of the Bluefur Deathclaw into a blue furred horned hat, which he proudly placed on his head and once again declared himself to be the Grand Poohbah, Fourth of that Great Name. He then turned his attention to the local wasteland and realized there was a war going on. So he inserted himself in a group of raiders and appointed himself their leader, with his magic and psychopathy it was disturbingly easy...
​
Eustace Grundle, aka The Grand Poohbah
In a VA Hospital, they had a ward for wounded soldiers to be fitted with a special prosthetic that would allow them to use power armor. Humphrey soon went north after he found his legs (and matching power armor). He made his way to the old Detroit Zoo because of his obsession with genetics - he had once been a scientist, they called him a “mad scientist”, he's going to show them who's a mad scientist, he's going to show them all. After the new plague wiped out all the horses there were calls for science to do something about it. So they developed the ability to prevent it from ever happening again. The before the war, the Detroit Zoo had the latest in zoological cloning technology; whenever another animal was added to the endangered species list the zoo would clone a few and promote a new exhibit (the machine would have paid for itself in 5 years if the zoo's patrons hadn't been nuked). Humphrey set himself up at the zoo and began experimenting. By the time the players hear of him, he will be called Zoo Master.
​
Humphrey, the Zoo Master
David Hall was an antiwar activist who was arrested while carrying a very large amount of LSD. In order to avoid a drug charge, he chugged the whole bottle. He was tripping balls when they arraigned him and he inadvertently convinced them that was completely insane. By the time his head cleared, he had been committed to an asylum. He figured it was better than prison, and set out to enjoy his time. Then he apparently “volunteered” for some kind of experiment because he was sent off to Vault 87b.
He was disappointed, but not surprised when Eustace betrayed them. He was able to keep Wendy from killing him by relying on her to help them get away. They went on without Eustace and helped Humphrey find new legs in a VA Hospital. But Wendy and Humphrey were constantly bickering, Dave was just trying to keep the peace. But every time they were turned away from a settlement they each blamed the other's obvious mutant deformities on them having to spend another night out in the wilderness. Then one day, Humphrey left. He had kind parting words for David, but he had nothing to say to Wendy by that point. Dave stayed with Wendy, hoping to help her somehow, desperate to be the night in shining armor she didn't want. With no one else to talk to, Wendy soon began to pick at Dave, who's patience wore out and he began to argue back. Before too long they were screaming at each other. Wendy stormed off, to the south, Dave never saw her again, but he thinks about her daily.
​
David Hall, aka Hippy Dave
Wendy was an outcast everywhere she went, while the others also had obvious deformities, they were tolerated as mutated humans, victims of unfortunate circumstances, they could beg and receive scraps. She couldn't bring herself to beg. Something about always being angry combined with the physical strength to throw any man through a window made people distrust her, or maybe it was the massive cranium, her green skin, or her 2 glowing yellow eyes, or her strangely over-sized third eye that doesn't track with the two glowing eyes; she assumed it was some combination thereof. The stress of this life quickly helped her develop her psyker abilities. It was difficult, she couldn't show herself, but as long as a nearby human only her her voice she could control them; of course, as soon as they actually saw her the fright of it broke the spell and she lost control. She wandered the wastelands for a time, eventually discovering Super Mutants in the Commonwealth and the Capital Wasteland. She found them much easier to control since they weren't afraid of her, and her size and green skin makes them see her as one of them, and they pretty much universally agree she is the most beautiful super mutant they've ever seen. She led a group of Super Mutants back to her home in the Motorcity Wasteland, eventually settling on Zug Island. Not long after that, the Brotherhood of Steel arrived and a war broke out. Today, she is known only as Queen Zug.
​
Wendy, aka Queen Zug
Renaissance Tower was once the mecca of the auto industry. But after decades of mergers and buy-outs and tax write-offs, it was merely a flashy, once important building. At the time of the great war this was the local headquarters of the auto industry, but most of the space in the building was devoted to what they called Alternate R&D. Secret projects were being undertaken by Chryslus in partnership with General Atomics, most notably microwave telemetric manipulation, which can redirect an ICBM or potentially even disarm the device midair. Another significant project was their secret vault project, for which they bought supplies from Vault-Tec, but assembled themselves with robots. This vault, under Hart Plaza, contains all the robots, machines, and parts needed to rekindle the auto industry after nuclear annihilation. Of course, the security at the Renaissance Center is extreme. Before partnering with General Atomics, Chryslus already owned a small fleet of Securitrons, Assaultrons, & SentryBots, adding Mr. Gutsy to the roster, Chryslus designed the system so that one had to go all the way to the top floor to access a special elevator that would take them to the vault to ensure that no one had access who wasn't supposed to. As of 2303, the robots & turrets defending the Renaissance Center remain strong and well maintained. There is a clearly defined Robot Deadline, a distinct line of dead bodies, some as much as 200 years old, and some relatively fresh, making a clear and distinct line around Renaissance Plaza. Anyone just on the far side of this line will have dozens of laser barrels pointed at them as long as they're in range and line of sight. No one has ever been able to get inside, though there is an eyebot flying around the wasteland proclaiming job opportunities at Renaissance Plaza and to inquire with the employment office through the lower parking garage. If anyone were to go to that garage and walk within the clearly defined lines on the pavement, they could access the employment office and fill out an application on a terminal. They could then return in a week and meet with a Mr. Handy, who will administer the GOAT test before declining their application. If they're clever enough to skip the exam and hack the robot, they will have gotten their foot in the door of Renaissance Tower.
This is just the set up. I've never just sat down and explained it all like this, I found it rather enlightening. I have SO MUCH more to share! But I have to go. I'm hoping someone reads this, if so, please ask questions, offer suggestions, or point out lore errors. It all helps!
Thanks for reading!

I have cannibalized from many other Castaway challenges for this and it's more of a Frankenstein-esque challenge where I just took all of the stuff that I would like to play with. I have listed all of the original challenges and linked them at the bottom, whether I outright stole chunks from them or used them for inspiration. Special mention to Pencake’s Desert Island challenge and the Sulani Island Castaway Island challenge.

Create A Sim

Make a young adult or adult sim with rugged appearance that can beafather children. Sim should start out with ‘squeamish’ and ‘clumsy’ traits. You can potentially replace ‘squeamish’ with ‘neat’ and/or ‘lazy’, ‘slob’, ‘mean’, ‘glutton’, ‘gloomy’ or ‘hot-headed’ if it fits your storyline better. Taking the ‘loves outdoors’ or ‘loner’ traits might also make gameplay easier. Starting sim should have the Fabulously Wealthy Aspiration. Your sim can only have 1 and the same outfit for every category. For nightwear and swimwear your sim only wears underwear. You’ll need to spend 200 simoleons to get some more (one time spent to change all outfits). The challenge is not intended for an occult sim, however your sims can become mermaids by finding mermaid kelp. At any point during the young adult or adult stage of your sim’s life you can summon a sim for your sim to mate with. You can make the sim yourself or use a townie.

Alternative Start

One sim week in the game before their flight departs, move your sim onto any lot you like in a different world than Sulani. Do activities based on your sim's physical needs, or on whims; if there are no whims that you are able to complete (not enough money, for example), then you can choose the activity. This week can help maybe build up some skills and add to your storyline for the challenge. On the morning of the 8th day, “crash land” in Sulani by moving your sim to the Key Point lot.

Location & World

Empty all Sulani lots and add Off-the-grid traits, possibly simple living as well. One lot (in a different neighborhood from your active lot) will be the Sulani Trading Post (community lot) with the yard sale/marketplace tables and off-the-grid theme. Other suggestions for Castaway inspired lots are: Marketplace (Community Space), Hot Springs, Fishing Port/Local Hotspot, Party Beach for barbeques and weddings, Sulani Townie Residence(s), Chief’s House, Plane Crash Site, Haunted Ruins/Abandoned Village, etc.

Lot Traits & Build/Buy

Recommended start on the Key Point lot with off-the-grid and simple living challenges. Use the private dwelling lot trait. Place a campfire (Rocks of Fire, or Good Ole Fashioned Bonfire, bathroom bush, mailbox and a trash bin (pretend it’s a rubbish pile). Decorate the lot with wild island foliage (debug will help keep bills down) and landscape paint appropriately. Have a sleeping bag set up under a roof/ceiling piece or a small tent, and maybe place one or two “rocks/stumps” around the lot that your sim can sit on. Then sell all items in your personal and household inventory, and set money to 0 simoleons using the money cheat. Optional: you can start with three small items that your sim could manage to realistically salvage from the wreck (ex- one seed pack, a journal and small decorative item) but nothing that requires electricity or plumbing.

Getting Started as a Castaway

Cannot travel outside the immediate island group (any traveling that requires a loading screen) for the first week in Sulani Can grow or forage food, roast fish on the campfire, and must throw away any other food that is made accidentally. No cooking marshmallows, hotdogs or veggie dogs.

Building

Use walls, floors, doors and windows with a wooden look above ground (unless it makes sense to do otherwise in your personal storyline, for example: several sheets of metal salvaged from a plane crash). Rock/stone/dirt wall and floor types are to be used in any caves or underground. After your sim reaches level 5 painting, they can use other types of walls and floors. Aim to use building materials and furniture/decor that are wood, cloth, or make sense for a preindustrial society. The goal is to build a home that includes: one bedroom per sim (or married couple), a living area, a kitchen, a dining room, a bathroom/outhouse, and a deck. Include a minimum of eight windows and four doors; and each room should have lights and at least one decor item.

Travel

You may travel, but it will cost you 10 simoleons every time you see the loading screen. When you travel back home, you don’t have to pay the fee. You may only travel outside the local island group twice per week. You can’t leave Sulani until all Goals are accomplished.

Selling & Buying Items

You may sell one (stacks don’t count as one) foraged/collected item per day through the inventory or a sales table. You can’t sell crafted items until one sim has maxed the handiness skill and has built a shelter with a bed, some form of seating, a bookcase, two doors, four windows, and table. Crafted items follow the same sales restrictions as foraged/collected items. However, you may sell multiple items from the Jungle Adventures sale table at the trading post. You can only “buy” or sell items at the trading post on Sundays when it is “open”. One adult/teen sim can only purchase one big item* or five smaller items** per visit since they have a “carry limit”. Two adults will be able to transport double that amount, and children can each carry two small items. Traveling by canoe, once you own one, will let you double the final total. You may trade previously purchased items at the trading post. At the beginning of the challenge, purchased items should be made of "natural" resources like wood, steel, stone, etc. As the challenge progresses, purchased items can be made of cloth, salvaged material or other things that make sense in a non industrial society. Use your own personal judgment on what would qualify.
*Big items are items that can’t go in the sim’s personal inventory and must go in the household inventory
**Small items can be carried in your sim’s personal inventory.

Marriage

You get $1000 when your sim marries but the marriage partner can’t bring in any additional money. You also get a free opportunity to change your household’s planned outfits. After marriage, your spouse can have a part time or freelancework from home job.

Requirements & Unlockables

Survive your first week as a Castaway	Starting on the 8th day, your sim can now leave their neighborhood twice a week. The trading post is unlocked and open on Sundays. The trader gives you a free woodworking table on your first visit.
Complete the shell collection	Your sim can now take odd jobs. However, they still can’t do any other jobs.
Have at least $500	You can now start building your house.
Charisma 4	You now can build more than one room for your house
Fitness level 4	You can visit more than one lot (that’s not your sim’s home) per day
Gardening 5	You can now change/move/remove landscaping on your lot.
Painting level 5	You can build with flooring and walls that aren’t wood or stone.
Handiness level 5	You can have toilets, toddler potties, and easels.
Cooking level 5	You can get a grill at the trading post or dig a BBQ pit. Your sim is allowed to have a child.
Cooking level 7	Remove the Simple Living lot challenge.
Fishing level 5	Your sim can now use romantic interactions and have relationships.
Fishing level 8	Your sim can get engaged and married.
Make friends with 1 Sulani townie	You can visit the lots of Sulani townies known by your sim.
Make friends with 3 Sulani townies	You can attend Sulani festivals now.
Have a home (bedroom, kitchen, bathroom/outhouse)	You can buy an outrigger canoe.
Have a canoe	Your sim can go to social events and can invite sims to come over to your lot. You can buy twice as many items at the trading post. You can leave your neighborhood once every day now.
Have a home with an energy source (solar panel, wind turbine) and a canoe	You can purchase electronics (not computers) and luxury items. Try to keep to the castaway island theme/style if you can.
Unlocked electronics and reached the Well-off milestone of the Fabulously Wealthy aspiration	You can now buy a computer, self publish your sim’s writings or sell your sim’s writings to a publisher. Your sim can do any job that they can work from home.
Have a computer with enough stored power	You can adopt a pet now via the computer.
All Goals accomplished	You are able to travel outside of Sulani or leave Sulani if you wish.

​

Other Rules

• Game length is normal or long. Option to have 14 day seasons.
• Must pay bills (can use cheat: households.autopay_bills).
• Children and teens attend a traditional island school.
• Any sims living on the main lot must adhere to all restrictions unless otherwise stated.
• Can’t use birth control = either use risky woohoo or roll dice to see if it’s ‘try for baby’ (1-3 = woohoo, 4-6 = try for baby)
• Sims can only move into the active lot once they’ve married or if they are children of a sim that is already living there
• Can’t make money from selling paintings or photos (it’s too “easy”)
• Can’t be part of a club
• If an item burns in a fire, your sim can craft a piece of furniture to represent them creating the item (providing that the item could be reasonably crafted by hand), sell the crafted furniture (doesn’t count for the single sold item per day) and replace the item. Use the money cheat to make up any difference = household funds should be the same as before.

Completing the Challenge

Goals

• Get married and have at least 3 three children (can be from different partners).
• Have a fully functional eco house with a kitchen, dining room, living room, deck, bathroom/outhouse, and bedrooms for each sim living on the lot (married sims can share).
• Complete the Fabulously Wealthy aspiration
• Have a canoe.
• “Make” at least one of your children by woohooing in the waterfall.

Tips

Once you can attend Sulani festivals, they are a good way to increase charisma skill. Click on the mailbox to change it to store water and power instead of auto selling. Increasing your sim's gardening skill will let them talk to plants to fill their social needs. Grafting plants can help get a larger variety. You can also purchase a coop with chickens and other livestock once the trading post is unlocked. Focus on handiness, fitness, cooking, gardening, fishing and charisma skill building. If you really, really want to start with a teen sim, you can set all the days on the calendar to holidays with no school.
—

Bibliography

• https://www.reddit.com/Sims4/comments/e1160l/sulani_island_castaway_challenge/?onetap_auto=true - Sulani Island Castaway Challenge
• https://modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=629798 - The Castaway Challenge!
• https://missbeehave8com.wordpress.com/twitch-etc-links/sims-challenges/castaway-challenge/ - Castaway Challenge based off of SimplyNando’s Sims 4 Castaway Challenge
• https://maplesimmer.video.blog/2021/12/31/castaway-challenge-seasons-edition/ -Castaway Challenge Seasons Edition
• https://lilyparkersimschallenges.wordpress.com/the-rules/the-rules-the-island-challenge/ - The Island Challenge
• https://maxismatchccworld.tumblr.com/post/638097449410527233/qblinka-the-desert-island-challenge-for-the-sims - Desert Island Challenge by pencakes.tumblr.com
• https://www.reddit.com/Sims4/comments/ogkcjo/castaway_rags_to_riches/ - Castaway Rags to Riches
• https://pickypikachu.tumblr.com/castawayrules - Castaway Rules
• https://www.patreon.com/posts/41119384 - Castaway lot and gameplay trait

Edit: Oops! I forgot to finish writing the title of the post before submitting. This should be titled "Journey Through the Mists of Ravenloft: Part 7 - Diosenza, Intrigue, and the Grande Masquerade."
I’ve written an expansive arc designed for Levels 6-8 where PCs manage to escape Barovia and travel through some of the other Domains of Dread. I use an adventure from Candlekeep Mysteries, a couple adventures from DMs Guild, some classic Ravenloft adventures, and obviously a lot of material from Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft. These posts will be most useful if you own these supplements, but if you don’t, there are still plenty of great ideas here for you to use in your campaign.
Part 1: Chalet Brantifax, Flower Teleportation, and The Shadow Crossing
Part 2: Falkovnia, Building Fortifications, and the Zombie Siege
Part 3: Lamordia, Body Swapping, and the Heart Heist
Part 4: Richemulot, the Plague, and the Rue de Beauchene Murders
Part 5: Bluetspur, Remnants, and the Hive Mind
Part 6: Valachan, the Trial, and Yaguara's Heart
As your PCs leave Valachan and travel through the mists, they hear laughter, harpsichord music, and can even see some waltzing ghosts.
In Van Richten’s Guide, Richemulot and Dementlieu both have strong French flavor. While the two domains are different in a lot of ways, having them both be French seems redundant. If Barovia is Eastern Europe, Lamordia is Northern Europe, and Richemulot is Western Europe, that leaves us Southern Europe as an available European region for re-flavoring this domain. As such, I’ve renamed Dementlieu and many of its residents and locations to give them an Italian flavor. I think this works really well, especially if you make the city, now called Porta Lucina, like Venice by replacing many of its streets with canals.

Duchess Silvia d’Onore

Medium undead, neutral evil
Armor Class: 14
Hit Points: 99
Speed 0 ft., fly 70 ft. (hover)
STR: 6 (-2) INT: 12 (+1)
DEX: 16 (+3) WIS: 14 (+2)
CON: 16 (+3) CHA: 20 (+5)
Skills: Persuasion +9, Insight +7, Intimidation +9, Deception +9
Damage Resistance: Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, Thunder; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing From Nonmagical Attacks That Aren't Silvered
Damage Immunities: Necrotic, Poison
Condition Immunities: Charmed, Exhaustion, Grappled, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Prone, Restrained
Senses: Darkvision 60 Ft., passive Perception 12
Languages: Common
Incorporeal Movement. Silvia can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. She takes 5 (1d10) force damage if she ends her turn inside an object.
Evasive. The gifts of Vaund the Evasive grant Silvia the following abilities:

• Silvia can use the Disengage action as a bonus action.
• When Silvia is subjected to an effect that allows her to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, she instead takes no damage if she succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage if she fails.
• No attack roll has advantage against her while she isn’t incapacitated.

Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, Silvia has disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
Shapechanger. Silvia can use her bonus action to polymorph into a Medium cloud of mist. While in mist form, Silvia can't speak, or manipulate objects. She is weightless and can enter a hostile creature's space and stop there. In addition, if air can pass through a space, the mist can do so without squeezing, and can't pass through water. While in mist form, Silvia has advantage on Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution saving throws, and she is immune to all nonmagical damage, except the damage she takes from sunlight.
Turn Defiance. Silvia and any ghouls within 30 feet of her have advantage on saving throws against effects that turn undead.
Legendary Resistance (2/day): When Silvia fails a saving throw, she can choose to succeed instead.
Actions
Life Drain**.** Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: (4d8 + 3) necrotic damage. The target must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or its hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken. This reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0
Create Specter. Silvia targets a humanoid within 10 feet of it that has been dead for no longer than 1 minute and died violently. The target's spirit rises as a specter in the space of its corpse or in the nearest unoccupied space. The specter is under the Silvia's control. Silvia can have no more than seven specters under its control at one time.
Disintegrate (Recharge 5-6). Silvia targets a creature or object within 60 feet of her. A creature targeted by this effect must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the target takes 10d6 + 40 force damage. If this damage reduces the target to 0 hit points, it is disintegrated. A disintegrated creature and everything it is wearing and carrying, except magic items, are reduced to a pile of fine gray dust. The creature can be restored to life only by means of a true resurrection or a wish spell. This spell automatically disintegrates a Large or smaller nonmagical object or a creation of magical force. If the target is a Huge or larger object or creation of force, this spell disintegrates a 10-foot-cube portion of it. A magic item is unaffected by this spell.
Reactions
Uncanny Dodge. When an attacker that Silvia can see hits her with an attack, she can use her reaction to halve the attack's damage against her.

As the mist clears, the chugging sound of your boat’s steam engine echoes over the calm waters of a sunlit bay. Ahead you see a shining city and a harbor where dozens of boats are docked. However, unlike the harbors of Lamordia that featured primarily merchant vessels, the boats at this harbor are almost exclusively pleasure craft, each one more gilded and opulent than the next. You also see that rather than streets, the city is built on a series of canals. A few well-dressed people near the docks cast derisive glares at your dingy dinghy as it coughs smoke, the engine sputtering as you drift up to the quay.

As the characters get off the boat, they are approached by Laurie and Gennifer Weathermay-Foxgrove, who recognize the boat from Valachan and are excited to see fellow mist travelers. The twins welcome the characters to Diosenza and invite them to their apartment above the Red Widow Theater.

The Red Widow Theater

The twins hire a gondola to take you back to their home, an apartment above a cabaret called The Red Widow Theater. Above the marquee, an enormous statue of a red spider with a black hourglass painted on its abdomen decorates the facade. Laurie leads you up a staircase in the alleyway next to the theater to a small apartment. The apartment is a mess, with clothing and jewelry spilling out of dressers and stuffed into closets. The kitchen also seems to be unused, suggesting the twins prefer to dine out.

Laurie and Gennifer explain the goings on of Porta Lucina. If shown the invitation from Ivan Dilisnya that the characters received in Richemulot (see Part 4 above), they will warn the characters to stay away from him. If pressed, the twins will explain that the characters can choose which Domain of Dread they can travel to by carrying a talisman from their desired domain with them. Additionally, the Duchess gives a boon to whoever brings the most interesting guest to the Grand Masquerade each week, and the twins happen to know that the Duchess owns a signet ring that once belonged to Ivan Dilisnya, a perfect Talisman for traveling to Borca.
Laurie and Gennifer have attended the masquerade in the past, and share how dangerous it can be for those who attend uninvited. To help the characters blend in, the twins share the following information:

• The characters will need costumes, the more lavish, the better
  • There are several shops in town
  • Quality costumes can be purchased at the Three Odd Gables at discount prices.
• Characters will need invitations. Those who are invited are limited to a +1.
  • Can try forging invitation using the one already in the characters’ possession
    • Have whoever is forging the invitations roll a dexterity check to forge the invitations, adding their proficiency if they are proficient with either the Forgery Kit or Calligrapher's Supplies. The result of these rolls doesn't matter right now, but write them down for later.
• Names of important people to impress
  • Keep ears open for gossip that you can spread to undermine your competition
• Gambling
  • Can impress guests by winning big
  • Losing big can also make guests lose interest
  • DON’T GET CAUGHT CHEATING
    • Gambling tables are enchanted to detect cheating.

The D’Onore Estate

A gondola takes you to an island not far from the shores of Porta Lucina. As you arrive on the island, a ghoulish looking servant asks to see your invitation.

The servant will make a Perception check against each forged invitation that is presented. The DC for these checks is equal to the Dexterity check made to forge each invitation. If the ghoul fails this check, the person who presented the invitation and their guest are allowed without any issues. If this check fails, the duo presenting this invitation lose Sophistication Points (see below) equal to the difference between the ghoul's Perception check and the Dexterity check made to forge the invitation.

The D’Onore mansion sits in the middle of a well-manicured garden. The path through the garden is lit by floating orbs of light. An elaborate fountain stands at the base of a set of marble stairs that climbs up to the mansion’s entrance which is flanked by decorative columns. You can hear the sound of a string quartet playing inside.
Inside the mansion is well-lit, with marble floors and red carpeting. Golden chandeliers hang from frescoed ceilings depicting bucolic scenes. A string quartet plays near a wooden dance floor where party guests are involved in an intricate baroque dance. Other groups of guests are gathered around gambling or drinking at the bar. Along with the music, the sound of laughter and merriment echoes through the large hall. Overlooking everything is Duchess Silvia D’Onore, wearing a red dress and a gold mask with red feathers. She is perched above everyone on a secluded balcony, reclined on a velvet divan and sipping champagne.

While there is no combat yet, roll initiative to have characters take turns interacting with other party guests. At the end of each round, a complication occurs. If a duel occurs, or the Duchess unmasks someone, roll initiative just for those involved, returning to the previous initiative order once the combat has been resolved (assuming the party is still happening (i.e. The Duchess is still alive)). I used a d10 as a timer that ticked down to midnight, at which point either any costumes purchased from the Three Odd Gables would turn to rags and Duchess Silvia attacks the party, or the party ends and the Duchess awards the boon. A d10 gave my players too much time. If I were to run this again, I would use a d6.

Masquerade NPCs

VIPs

Massimo Diavolo

• Stats: Veteran
• Description: A decorated military veteran, with a large scar over his left eye, wears a red mask with horns
• Guest: Gianna Sanguinare
• Secret: His fortune is built on artwork that was stolen during the war. He ordered his men to take locations containing priceless artwork, even if they weren’t important strategically and often at the cost of his soldiers' lives.
• Gossip: Thinks that Romeo’s claim about his Fey Ancestry is bullshit, but he can’t prove it. Maybe someone could try casting the sleep spell on him?
• Impress DC: 20
• Gossip DC: 10
• Duel Possibility: If Massimo overhears the characters suggesting that his wealth is ill-gotten or that Gianna is a prostitute, he will challenge them to a duel.
  • Duel Condition: To the death

Angela Paura

• Stats: Noble
• Description: An attractive young woman with blonde hair. Wears a white, sequined mask. Engaged to Enzo Codardo.
• Guest: Enzo Codardo
• Secret: Is having an affair with Romeo Amante
• Gossip: Recognizes Gianna as a dancer at the Red Widow Theater, where dancers are known to supplement their income via prostitution.
• Impress DC: 15
• Gossip DC: 12

Bianca Pipistrello

• Stats: Noble
• Description: A refined older woman with white hair. Wears a black mask styled like bat wings, and a matching black dress with a cape.
• Guest: Francesca Bugiarda
• Secret: Though she presents as wealthy and says she has an estate in Castello Falso (Chateaufaux in VRGtR), she is actually deeply in debt.
• Gossip: Knows about the affair between Angela and Romeo
• Impress DC: 18
• Gossip DC: 10
• Duel Possibility: If Bianca overhears the characters suggesting that she isn’t as wealthy as she claims, she will have Francesca duel the PCs on her behalf.

Mario Segale

• Stats: Thug
• Description: A short man with a large mustache. Wears a red mask with gold filigree.
• Guest: Romeo Vendetta
• Secret: He and his brother Luigi gained their wealth by constructing the plumbing that runs beneath Porta Lucina, but it’s a front for organized crime. Luigi is not at the party
• Gossip: Recognizes Francesca Bugiarda as an assassin. Mario has hired her previously to take out his enemies.
• Impress DC: 15
• Gossip DC: 20
• Duel Possibility: If Mario overhears the character suggesting he is anything other than a legitimate businessman, he will challenge them to a duel.
  • Duel Condition: Severe Wound (Half HP)

Gepetto Sinistre

• Stats: Commoner
• Description: A tall, thin man with grey hair. He wears a bronze mask with an elongated nose.
• Guest: Simona Fantoccio
• Secret: Was not invited to the party. He’s attending to see if Simona can pass as a real person.
• Gossip: Simona is not a real person, but an incredibly life-like construct. Gepetto was also childhood friends with the Duchess and knows she comes from humble beginnings, though he won’t recognize her unless the idea is suggested to him. He also knows that Gianna is a prostitute, but is unlikely to reveal this information as she could unmask him just as easily.
• Impress DC: 10
• Gossip DC:
  • 25 to reveal that Simona is a fake
  • 25 to reveal that Gianna is a prostitute.
  • 10 to reveal that the Duchess is not of noble birth, but only if it is first suggested to him (e.g. the questions "How do you know the Duchess?" might cause him to look at her with a vague sense of recognition that could be noticed with a successful Insight check).

Guests

Enzo Codardo

• Stats: Scout
• Description: A skinny, nervous man with black hair and a pencil mustache. Wears a yellow mask. Engaged to Angela Paura
• Patron: Angela Paura
• What Makes them Interesting: Claims to have traveled through the mists where he fought in Falkovnia
• Secret: Enzo has not been to Falkovnia and keeps getting the details wrong (e.g. fought under General Kradov to defend the city of Stangengrad.). He’s only heard about Falkovnia from other mist travelers.
• Gossip: Fought under Massimo Diavolo during the war. Knows about the General’s treasonous acts.
• Gossip DC: 14
• Duel Possibility: If Enzo overhears the characters suggesting that Angela might not be faithful to him, he will challenge them to a duel.
  • Duel Condition: To the blood

Romeo Vendetta

• Stats: Spy
• Description: A lithe, handsome young man with long hair and broad shoulders. Wears a purple mask with a rose.
• What’s Makes them Interesting: Claims to have fey ancestry.
• Patron: Mario Segale
• Secret: Is having an affair with Angela Paura.
• Gossip: Knows that Bianca is debt
• Gossip DC: 16, but auto-success if characters tell him that Bianca told them about the affair
• Duel Possibility: If the characters question Romeo’s fey ancestry, he will challenge them to a duel.
  • Duel Condition: To the death

Gianna Sanguinare

• Stats: Bard
• Description: A gorgeous woman in a red dress. Wears a lacy black mask.
• Patron: Massimo Diavolo
• What Makes them Interesting: Claims to be the best dancer in the land.
• Secret: She is a prostitute and dancer at the Red Widow Theater
• Gossip: Knows Gepetto wasn’t invited. He is one of her regular clients
• Gossip DC: 18

Francesca Bugiarda

• Stats: Assassin
• Description: A woman with an athletic build, wearing a dark blue dress and a matching mask with feathers and silver filigree.
• Patron: Biana Pipistrello
• What Makes them Interesting: She claims to be the most skilled marksman alive
• Secret: She is an assassin who has been hired to kill Massimo at some point during the Masquerade. If the characters do nothing to stop her, Massimo’s dead body is found two rounds before midnight.
• Gossip: Knows that Mario is a crime boss.
• Gossip DC: 25
• Duel Possibility: Will duel on behalf of Bianca
  • Duel Condition: To severe wound (half HP)

Simona Fantoccio

• Stats: Clay Golem
• Description: A woman with impeccable posture, who moves with precision. She wears a gold mask.
• Patron: Gepetto Sinistre
• What Makes them Interesting: The most interesting thing about Simona is a secret. Her cover story is that she is a countess from Castello Falso (Chateaufaux).
• Secret: Simona is not a real person, but an incredibly lifelike construct
• Gossip: None.

Masquerade Points System

An invitee and their guest are scored together in groups of two. Everyone who attends the Masquerade is eligible to win the Duchess’ boon, but they are not required to compete for it. If a duo earns a combined 50 Sophistication points before the end of the Grande Masquerade, they win the Duchess's boon.
If a group of characters go below 0 points during the Masquerade, the Duchess begins rolling Insight checks against them, contested by the characters’ Deception. The Duchess makes these rolls every time the characters gain or lose points until they have a positive score. The characters take a -1 penalty on their Deception for each point below 0 they are. If the Duchess succeeds on an Insight check, she moves to unmask the characters, initiating combat.

Costumes

Characters earn 1 point for every 10 gp spent on their costumes up to a maximum of 5 points.
Costumes purchased from the Three Odd Gables are free, but have the point value of 50 gp costumes. However, at midnight the costumes fall apart resulting in an immediate attack from the Duchess.

Schmoozing

Characters can earn up to 5 points for each VIP they interact with depending on how much they impress them. Have the characters roll a persuasion check and consult the following table:
Before approaching a VIP, characters must first display the proper etiquette and must succeed on a Persuasion check opposed by the VIP’s Insight. Characters with the Noble or Courtier backgrounds have advantage on this check. If the characters’ fail this roll by 5 or more, they have disadvantage on the subsequent Persuasion check to impress the VIP. Advantage can also be gained on the initial Persuasion roll if the characters first succeed on a DC 12 Investigation or Perception check to observe the audience.
Characters can roll with advantage for the Persuasion check to impress the VIP based on how they roleplay. However, trying additional rolls to gain more points are made with disadvantage as the characters start to come across as rude. If the character’s net points earned with the VIP are negative, the VIP starts to become annoyed, which attracts unwanted attention from the Duchess.
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Persuasion Roll	Sophistication Points Earned
Impress DC minus 10 or less	-5
Impress DC minus 8 or 9	-4
Impress DC minus 6 or 7	-3
Impress DC minus 4 or 5	-2
Impress DC minus 2 or 3	-1
Impress DC minus 1	0
Impress DC	+1
Impress DC plus 2 or 3	+2
Impress DC plus 4 or 5	+3
Impress DC plus 6 or 7	+4
Impress DC plus 8 or more	+5

Gossip

Each NPC has a piece of gossip that they know. For each piece of gossip that a duo learns, they earn 1 point. To get the VIP to share their gossip, the characters must succeed on a Persuasion check against the VIP’s Gossip DC.
For each person the characters share gossip with, they earn an additional 2 points. However, they must be careful in case the person they are gossiping about overhears them. When characters share some gossip, they must succeed on a DC 12 Charisma (Stealth) check. The DC for this check increases by 1 for each additional NPC the characters share the gossip with. If the NPC the characters are discussing overhears them, they may challenge them to a duel, or simply become offended, causing the characters to lose 2 points, canceling out the 2 points they earned by sharing the gossip.
Characters can also earn points by making up and sharing their own false gossip about an NPC, earning 1 point for each NPC they share the false gossip with. Characters still need to succeed on the same Stealth check described above, risking losing 4 points and the possibility of a duel depending on who the characters are spreading lies about.

Duel

If characters are challenged to a duel, the person they offended slaps them with a glove and demands satisfaction.
As the offender, characters are allowed to choose between rapiers or hand crossbows.
Rapiers - Characters engage in melee combat until the NPCs dueling condition is met (“to the blood”, until a severe wound (½ HP), or to the death).
Hand Crossbows - Characters exchange no more than three volleys until a character is wounded or dead, depending on the NPCs duel condition.
If characters win a duel, they gain 5 points. If they lose the duel, they lose 5 points.

Gambling

For every 10 gp the characters win from gambling, they gain 1 point. For every 10 gp they lose, they lose 1 point.
If the characters are caught cheating, they lose 10 points.
The gambling tables have a permanent detect magic enchantment to prevent cheating, this enchantment can be suppressed for ten minutes by a dispel magic spell, if the caster can do so discreetly and succeed on a DC 15 Arcana check. If the check is failed by 5 or more, the dealer is discreetly made aware that the table is being tampered with. Players can similarly attempt to cheat via non-magical means by attempting a DC 15 Sleight of Hand check.

Roulette

Each player chooses one of two options: choose a number between 1 and 20, or choose whether the result of the die roll will be odd or even. The dealer then rolls a d20. If a player chose a specific number, they win triple their bet if the die lands on said face. If a player chose even or odd, they win 1.5 times their bet if the die lands on a correct face. A player loses otherwise. Minimum bet is 10 gp.

Ventuno (Blackjack)

A player rolls 2d10. The dealer does the same, keeping the first die hidden. Each player, including the dealer, takes turns rolling any number of additional d10s. All die faces are face value, except for the 1, which can be worth 1 or 11. If the dealer scores a 21, all players lose. If a player scores a 21, they win. If neither occurs, a player loses if their total is less than the dealer’s, and wins if their total is greater than the dealer’s. Payout for winning players is 3:2. If both the dealer and a player score a 21, that player wins their bet back 1:1. Minimum bet is 10 gp.

Dancing

A ghostly string quartet plays elegant baroque music while the attendees of the Masquerade engage in a number of dances with specific movements. Characters can observe the dancing by making a DC 16 Perception check. On a success, they have advantage on subsequent rolls related to dancing.
While dancing, characters must succeed on 3 Acrobatics, Deception, or Performance checks before 3 failures.
If the characters succeed on 3 checks without any failures, they gain 15 points.
If the characters succeed on 3 checks with 1 failure, they gain 10 points
If the characters succeed on 3 checks with 2 failures, they gain 5 points
If the characters fail the skill challenge, they lose 5 points.
Characters that begin dancing must make a DC 16 Charisma saving throw or become charmed. When charmed in this way, a creature feels compelled to dance and will do so for one hour, after which they can repeat the saving throw. On a failed save, the creature will continue to dance unabated for another hour, repeating the saving throw every hour. At the end of every hour they spend dancing, the creature must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw, taking a level of exhaustion on a failure.
This effect ends if the music stops or if an affected creature is deafened. Anyone who stops the music will need to succeed a DC 20 stealth check to avoid incurring Silvia’s wrath. A creature that dances for more than an hour gains a new flaw: “I dig music and will stop whatever I’m doing and dance when I hear it.”
One a PC gains/loses points from dancing, they cannot continue to do so as they have already demonstrated their dancing ability. However, they may still choose (or be forced!) to continue dancing.

The Singing Urns

Eight decorative marble urns are arranged a foot apart from each other forming a circle. Hovering 15 feet above the center of the circle, a walnut-sized ruby is encased within a sphere of glass. Musical notes can be heard when guests open the urns.

If characters spend time observing the puzzle, a passing guest comments, “Silvia always has the most delightful puzzles at her party. The person who solves it will almost certainly win the boon.”

Suspended Ruby

Casting detect magic on the sphere reveals an aura of abjuration magic emanating from the sphere. The sphere cannot be moved, broken, or manipulated in any way. The orb shatters and the ruby drops to the floor after the party completes the major scale that corresponds with the eight urns. Whoever solves the puzzle receives polite applause from the other guests, is allowed to keep the ruby, and earns 10 points toward winning the boon.

Marble Urns

Casting detect magic reveals auras of enchantment emanating from each of the urns. The first seven urns are enchanted with a magic mouth spell that triggers when they are opened. These urns sing seven of the eight notes of the major scale. The eighth urn is silent when opened; however, if a character (using their voice or an instrument) completes the final note of the scale after the first seven urns have been opened in the correct sequence, the key is released from the glass orb above. The numbers on the image above indicate which urn sings which note.
Link to online keyboard: Virtual Piano The Best Online Piano Keyboard with Songs (recursivearts.com)

Winning the Boon

If a PC earns more than 50 points, they are awarded a boon (Ivan Dilisnya’s signet ring) from the Duchess.
If the characters fail to earn more than 50 points, the Duchess awards the signet ring to one of the other VIPs. Characters will need to recover the ring from the winning NPC some other way - likely by accosting them after the party has finished.