#tahve'ir rodala

[sootcloak]

Anomalous Site #1: Expedition Log [PHOTOGRAPHIC, OBSERVATIONS]

[Recorded images and accompanying audio lie open on a tomestone, it’s contents in the midst of editing. The voice of a woman, tired and growling, plays through the near-broken tome’s speaker.]

“-ordered to take rest and a reprieve from the Front. What shit. They don’t want to make sure I get rested and recover, they want to make sure I don’t go AWOL on the front and disturb the situation.

“I mean they’re right to be worried, were it my call I’d have already moved against the summoner again. But that’s besides the point.

“Regardless, this is the start of my audio logs in regards to our observations on the anomalous sites, recorded by the first-response teams as ‘Factory’ and ‘Bunker’.

“First off, the topology of-”

[A young man’s voice cuts over hers, a thin veil of static hushing his volume.]

“Ma’am, you should probably start with the logs from previous surveys.”

[A pause, and then the first voice speaks again.]

“Right. As I was saying, the topology of the region surrounding Anomalous Site #1 is at odds with information gathered on the First at large, and particularly with information on Kholusia’s ecosystem. However, logs left behind by previous surveys from an undetermined third party suggest that wellsprings of aetherically untainted groundwater may have allowed the region to remain untouched by the ravages of the Light.

“The survey seems to have been performed by a military scout, as the survey records denote a ‘battlefront’ and some unstated conflict. Given the nature of Norvrandt’s scattered and lost histories, there are many possibilities as to what conflict is being referred to here. However, the Anomalous Sites are home to a form of automated intelligence. A series of Norvrandtian figures designated ‘2P’ and ‘2B’ have spoken of these ‘machine lifeforms’.

“I will refrain from speaking at length on the topic of the conflict between the androids as represented by ‘2B’ and ‘9S’. Instead, I will simply move to understand the ways in which they have made a stable and secure home in Norvrandt, safe from the scourge of Light.”

[There’s a scuff and a brief cough from a distance away.]

“Ah, yes. One last topic. The physiology of both the ‘machine lifeforms’ and the ‘androids’ seems to largely resemble my own. However, from base-line observations they do not seem to bare aether which would be returned to the lifestream upon death as I do. And yet, upon repair they return to life same as I do with the Echo and the magitek core crystal. Even their memories are in tact, which is a feat even I’ve not been able to achieve fully.

“As such, we went into the Factory’s er- what did the siblings call it?”

[The voice from further away speaks two words in crunchy, static-filled audio.]

“Corpse room.”

“Right. The corpse room. I’ll begin to attempt reverse-engineer the mechanisms in place within their systems as unobtrusively as I am able. Once my work is concluded, I’ll hopefully have learned of a way or two to improve my own system’s performance.

“That concludes our cursory observations. Anything you’d like to add, Tahve?”

[There’s a long, near-silent pause only punctuated by the speakers humming with buzzing static. Eventually, a soft-spoken, smooth voice pushes through the tomestone’s speakers.]

“Yes, actually. Neither Anomolous Sites have shown any signs of biological life. No birds, fish, or anything else of the like. Given Site #1′s verdant nature, this is actually gravely concerning. I’m currently running chemical tests on the water and air samples we took back, particularly from the basin of Site #1′s valley, where all that silt and dust was gathering. Once that’s turned up, we should have an idea as to why no creatures have made Site #1 their home.

“This concludes our statements and findings for now.”

[A small page sits next to the tomestone as it briefly switches off and then loops again. It reads, “File 1: Once compiled, send to Scions via pixies as per contractual obligation.” Another note has been scratched hurriedly onto the bottom of the scrap of paper. “Deadline: <illegible>”]