[12:55] Zoivox ‘s image wavers and fades in and out a little as she seemingly tweaks the device. “Oh! Oh, I see someone! Hello!”
[12:55] Anhayla Lycia-Simms (anhayla.lycia): Hiya!
[12:57] Zoivox: “And you can hear me, too! Whew. I hope I’m coming through at least a little clearly,” she says, glancing to and fro. “It’s not the best setup, but… I’m amazed it works at all.”
[12:58] Anhayla Lycia-Simms (anhayla.lycia) hopes more people come
[13:00] Zoivox looks as though she’s relaxed a little bit. “I do hope to see more people. It’s so hard to know when best to transmit – and when I’ll be able to get away with it. But, even if there’s only one person… one person can make such a difference. May I ask your name?”
[13:01] Anhayla Lycia-Simms (anhayla.lycia) smiles
[13:02] Anhayla Lycia-Simms (anhayla.lycia): My name is Anh, I honestly don’t know much about Elarra or anything. I just saw your broadcast and I was curious
[13:05] Zoivox smiles through the static. “That’s wonderful! It’s fine if you don’t know much about our world. That’s… well, that’s part of what I hope to help with. And I hope to learn about yours, as well! You can feel free to ask me anything you’re curious about.”
[13:06] Anhayla Lycia-Simms (anhayla.lycia) ponders a moment … “What is the Magic Academy?”
[13:08] Zoivox: “The Magic Academy is a little like one of your world’s Universities. It’s a place where Magicians of all ages and skill levels can gather together and learn about Magic itself and how it can be used.”
[13:09] Anhayla Lycia-Simms (anhayla.lycia): I see.
[13:10] Zoivox: “There are three Houses to the Academy – the House of Grimthane, the House of Killdorian, and the House of Specta, which is the one I belong to. …There was,” she murmurs conspiratorially, “a fourth House, but we do not speak of it.”
[13:13] Zoivox: “I’m just as curious as you are about what information has been given to Earth about our Academy. Perhaps… somewhere in the notes I’ve found…” There’s a furious shuffling of papers from somewhere offscreen.
[13:16] Zoivox frowns, then starts poking at a small oblong device. “Aha! Yes, yes, there is a datacom nexus – er, no, you’d call it an Internet site, wouldn’t you… let me see if I can transmit the tie – er, the link… Let’s have a look together, why don’t we!” She grins and rubs her scaly hands together excitedly.
[13:16] Zoivox: “I believe you can find it at… https://mysticasl.com/the-magic-academy/ ”
[13:17] Anhayla Lycia-Simms (anhayla.lycia): thank you
[13:18] Zoivox: “You’re quite welcome, Anh! Let’s see here…” She stares at her device, then frowns a little.
[13:18] Zoivox taps it with a claw.
[13:18] Zoivox gives it a little shake.
[13:19] Zoivox: “…Hm. Perhaps I’m just seeing it wrong on my end. Does yours call the founders Great *Wizards*?”
[13:19] Anhayla Lycia-Simms (anhayla.lycia): Umm yes, it does
[13:20] Anhayla Lycia-Simms (anhayla.lycia): Oh, I see you are concerned about a darkness creeping across your land?
[13:21] Zoivox: “Hmm. Strange… they were Magicians. The finest Magicians ever to walk Elarran soil. Wizards use magic, but they can’t shape and mold and craft it in quite the same way. It’s like… like being a repairman versus being an engineer…”
[13:22] Anhayla Lycia-Simms (anhayla.lycia) nods. “The words are often used synonymously here
[13:23] Zoivox nods. “Oh yes, I’m glad that much has come through clearly. The Gray is a terrible blight. Even our finest scholars still can’t understand it – where it came from, how it works…” Her wings give a fretful little flutter. “All we know is that, where the Gray passes, Magic vanishes – and Magical creatures fade away…”
[13:23] Anhayla Lycia-Simms (anhayla.lycia): What can we do to help you?
[13:24] Anhayla Lycia-Simms (anhayla.lycia): I have a few of those cute little fluffy creatures living at my home
[13:25] Zoivox: “Oh, you can do so much! By raising the Mystics here on Earth, you help to keep some of Elarran life alive. They’re clever, hardy, delightful creatures. And they’re right in the path of the Gray. We’ve tried to relocate other creatures as best as we can, but… we’re running out of places, and of time…”
[13:25] Anhayla Lycia-Simms (anhayla.lycia) looks concerned.
[13:27] Zoivox: “It’s… it’s a scary time for us. Not all life is Magical, not even on Elarra, but… things live together, they form a great whole. And, without Magic and Magical creatures… life as we know it may not survive…”
[13:28] Anhayla Lycia-Simms (anhayla.lycia): You should all come here
[13:28] Anhayla Lycia-Simms (anhayla.lycia): 🙁
[13:29] Zoivox: “But, through the Mystics Program, we’re learning more about how Elarran life can survive and adapt on other planets. Perhaps we could try to send more of our life forms to Earth, in time… but we just don’t know enough yet for that to be safe. We could go from one life-threatening disaster to another…”
[13:30] Anhayla Lycia-Simms (anhayla.lycia) nods. “Right.”
[13:30] Zoivox: “But at least small pockets of our world will survive. Like this isobiome!” she says, spreading her arms wide. “A whole island of Earth, magically protected from the surrounding ecosystem, and populated with Elarran life! A way to show off the beauty and wonder of our world! And this is just the temperate zone…” She gives a romantic sigh.
[13:32] Zoivox: “You can tell I’m a Spectra, can’t you.” She chuckles, looking down at her toes. “But life is incredible! All the many kinds of flora and fauna, all the ways they interact, all the cycles within cycles…”
[13:32] Anhayla Lycia-Simms (anhayla.lycia) smiles. “It is very lovely. I just wish there was more I could do to help you with your problem.”
[13:33] Zoivox: “I suspect that Mystics may have qualities that even the sagest Spectra hasn’t learned about yet. The way they Fuse is fascinating, and found in few other species. I always wonder…”
[13:36] Zoivox: “I say that the Mystics Program is designed to be a sort of safe haven to protect life, but… life is a process, after all! And I’ve heard that you Adventurers are interbreeding and discovering species of Mystics that are rare even on Elarra. Who’s to say where that may lead!”
[13:37] Anhayla Lycia-Simms (anhayla.lycia): Yes, its exciting discovering new species. They are so adorable!
[13:39] Zoivox clasps a claw to her chest. “Aren’t they, though? Granted, I even think the Fulminating Tuskworm is a bit of a cutie, but Mystics are like nothing else! Those eyes! Those ears! Those little teeth! And so many patterns of fur…”
[13:40] Zoivox: “Tell me about yours! What are their names?” She leans in to listen.
[13:43] Anhayla Lycia-Simms (anhayla.lycia) chuckles “They are sweet little things. I only have 4 right now. The girls are called Glinda and Casandra, and my boys are Basil and Alexis. They are all getting up there in age.
[13:45] Zoivox smiles. “What great names for them! What species are they? Animists, perhaps?”
[13:46] Anhayla Lycia-Simms (anhayla.lycia): “They are Reefdivers, and Dewpetal and Parrotene. Some of the more recent discoveries.”
[13:47] Anhayla Lycia-Simms (anhayla.lycia): I like trying to solve the riddles. “)
[13:48] Anhayla Lycia-Simms (anhayla.lycia): “I’ve been waiting to see what happens with the next breeding season”
[13:48] Zoivox: “Ooooh, impressive, impressive! Reefdivers are fantastic, especially. Very strong swimmers who just love to pounce on fish who get a little too close to shore in the tidepools…”
[13:50] Zoivox nods. “I am, too. The Mystics Program is very secretive, actually – I shouldn’t even know what I know!” She looks over her shoulder.
[13:52] Anhayla Lycia-Simms (anhayla.lycia): “well, I’m sorry more folks didn’t get to come talk to you. Its a holiday here celebrating our mothers, so i imagine many people are out celebrating.
[13:53] Zoivox frowns a little. “Oh! That does explain it. I still have so much to learn about Earth culture…”
[13:55] Zoivox looks at the oblong device in her hands again. “I’ll try to access more of your Internet. There is a site… Kiwiderpia? Wikipendulum? Something like that… but it has so much knowledge of your world. I access it as I can, in secret.” She grins.
[13:55] Zoivox: “And I will keep looking at the information from the site you were given. Its information is… slim. There is so much more to the Houses than it shows! It doesn’t even mention the Spheres!”
[13:57] Anhayla Lycia-Simms (anhayla.lycia) laughs. “Wikipedia is a good place to start. You could even make your own entries over there! I will to read the site you gave me more carefully. If you can think of anything more we can do to help you out, please let us know.”
[13:58] Zoivox nods. “Yes, please read more things! I am hoping that, in future meetings, we can all gather up and look over some of this lore you have been given – and try to winnow what of it is true, and what of it is mistranslated, and what of it is… is…” She gulps.
[13:59] Anhayla Lycia-Simms (anhayla.lycia): “… misleading?”
[13:59] Zoivox: “Yeeees,” she says slowly. “I would like to think that it was simple error. Translation issues. Localization difficulties. But… but…”
[14:01] Anhayla Lycia-Simms (anhayla.lycia): “Be careful over there Zoivox…”
[14:01] Zoivox: “The fairy who had once been meant to guide you all, to teach you of Elarra…” She shakes her head. “Perhaps I just worry too much. But perhaps…” She licks dry lips. “Perhaps someone didn’t want her to be right…”
[14:02] Zoivox nods. “And you, as well. Take good care of those four wonderful Mystics you have! Who knows what amazing things will be in store for them all!”
[14:02] Anhayla Lycia-Simms (anhayla.lycia): 😀
[14:02] Zoivox: “And thank you for helping us. It means… well, it means the world.” She chuckles, a little sadly. “Be well, Anh!”
[14:02] Anhayla Lycia-Simms (anhayla.lycia): You too!
[14:03] Zoivox’s image flickers, then fades.