The following story will be a regularly/semi-regularly updated "Journal" of my character's adventures in MineCraft utilizing such Mods as Thaumcraft, IndustrialCraft, Buildcraft, Redpower, Mo' Creatures, and most importantly of all Mystcraft. Some terms may seem unfamiliar and I will do my best to explain in context to the story, but generally speaking this story is going to mainly focus on my character creating, exploring, exploiting, and inhabiting other worlds that he finds/creates via books.
Please enjoy, and feedback is more then welcome.
To whomever views these pages, I give greetings. It is my hope that this tome has been passed to my eldest descendant after I die an old man, but the nature of my endeavors mean it may be a stranger who has come to posess these words.
I am a student of The Art - the ability to create and visit new worlds beyond those that already exist. In my travels, I have studied much about it and learned of the necessary materials required to craft and matain these worlds (henceforth called "Ages"), as well as warnings of the dangers and risks involved.
What I have not yet been able to do, is actually craft a world of my own. The Art utilizes very specific symbols in the formation of the Ages, and those that came before me have been very careful to keep the symbols secret. It frustrates me to no end, but that has not stopped my work. The dream intensifies with each night - with each block I lay of my future Library.
The Dream - a night enshrouded ocean, illuminated only by the rising spires of glowing rock and the periodic flash of lightning from a cloudless sky. Floes of Ice dot the landscape and the moon never moves from it's place at the apex of the sky. It is a haunting land...but strangely beautiful. I have named it Requiem, and I mean to find it.
... The Library's first floor is complete and the second floor is well into construction. As I experiment more and more with the ambient magical properties of nature (Often I am glad of the foresight that had me endure the difficulty of constructing the Library out in the Ocean, as the nature of these experiments could prove harmful to the landscape should it ever reach the shore), I wonder if the inherient magic of a location somehow fuels the Art? I continue to study and stockpile materials, but still no flash of inspiration that would allow me to begin creating worlds in the hopes of finding that land.
The dreams continue, uninterrupted.
....Fortune has struck today. I was exploring the ravine near the back edge of my settlement when I happened upon a decaying storage box. Within the box was a mold-eaten book - a book written in strange symbols!
I believe I may have found what I have been searching for - a Primer! A Descriptive Book that leads to another Age! While I have no idea what the symbols in the book mean, I am confident that visiting this place would give me the insight needed to decipher the script. The question now is, do I dare? The viewing window to the Age is dark, and the book itself is in poor condition. The texts warn of linking to Ages where the books themselves have been damaged, but I feel this is worth the risk to enhance my knowledge.
...I have written my first Linking Book today. Unlike Descriptive Books, Linking Books are more bound to a pre-existing location and thus are easier to write without the use of special symbols. There's no way to test if it works properly, however, without first stepping foot inside the mysterious Age.
...My supplies are in order - Wood and Glass to aid in the construction of a settlement, fencing and chicks to aid in food consumption, tools and torches, seeds and sugar cane, and most importantly - the Linking Book back to my Library. I pray I wrote it correctly. I pray the world I am about to step into is not a dead rock or have no breathable oxygen...
...I arrived in inky blackness. At first, my heart leapt into my throat but then the sound of torrential rains assaulted my ears and a sickly sweet armora greeted my nostrils. While it appeared to be raining quite heavily, I myself was dry - sheltered by something - so I lit a torch and marveled at what surrounded me.
I was standing in a field of Mushrooms - some as tall as the trees back home! The ground was covered in a spongey material and my dryness was accounted for by the giant mushroom I had arrived next to. Almost immediately as the torch was lit, I noticed its illumination did not carry as far as it should but that was a secondary observation. For as the torch cast it light, out of the darkness came a massive host of creatures that gave me a terrible fright. Bright Red skin and black soulless eyes with growths everywhere...they seemed like creatures out of nightmare...and then one of them "moo"ed.
I had found myself surrounded by a herd of - I can scarely believe it myself - Mushroom Cattle. I was so amused I very nearly lowered my guard, and thus I jumped when a mournful howl broke through the night and a wolf the size of one of the Mushroom Cows leapt towards my throat. I dispatched the creature, though my gear is now strewn about the landscape in all directions. I pray the Linking Book has not gotten wet.
...After the wolf attack, construction of a shelter became top proirty. I ended up building up around the giant mushroom I started under, as the rain has refused to let up and any and all torches cast only half the illumination I feel they should, and what they do cast is dull and washed out. I was beginning to worry if this night would ever end, but eventually the sky changed from black to a lapris blue and details came into focus.
It appears the Mushroom Forest terminates not far from my entry into this world, and a great gyser of what I assume is Oil leaks on the boundry between the spongey soil and typical plains. I worry about agriculture in this world, and the fight with the wolf left all but one of the chicks I brought with me dead. The sight of plains and trees gives me hope I may be able to locate other wildlife - and experimentation has determined the Mushroom Cattle are edible (Meat encased in a Mushroom "skin", fascinating creatures), so I will not starve.
I do wonder what has lead to the interesting dicotomy of this world, however. Was it always a overcast, bleek world? If so, what does that say about its author? Or was the damage the book sustained in my world enough to "alter" it here? Is the prepetual damp and mushroom forest (and by extension, mushroom creatures) a result of the mold infesting the pages of the book in my library?
These are questions to explore another time, however. I have no idea how much more "Daylight" I have - the Rain makes it impossible to see the sun, despite the lapris blue sky - and I wish to venture onto a nearby hill on the Plains to take stock of the realm I find myself in. I believe I shall call it Portobello in honor of the giant specimen I was initially standing next to when I arrived.
There is much to see, and much to do. I hope my compound does not suffer my absence, I suspect I shall be here for a time. My Linking Book survived undamaged (Thanks be to the author of the book I read that suggested carrying Linking Books in treated, weather resistant, leather pouches), and I shall leave it in my crude hut for the time being. Just because the leather pouch has resisted this downpour thus far does not mean it will endure the lashing torrents indefinitely.
...The hilltop offered a tremendous view of wonder and terror. In wonder, I stared out at the vast, densely covered forest that seemed to encircle the Mushroom Forest and the Plains around it. I could not wait to take samples! I even caught glimpses of familiar blue tinged leaves of Silverwood Trees. Unfortunately, what also beheld my sight was a vast array of monsterous creatures. I saw Scorpions and Spiders, gigantic wolves, even shambling forms of men whose skin appeared to be a decaying greenish color. And rats by the thousands.
Again, I wonder at the mental state of whoever penned this age. Surely the exterior damage to the Book could not wrought this kind of action! More and more I am convinced the Mushroom Forest that encompasses my arrival is some kind of "Bleed Through" of Damage, but this...this is beyond the point of entry! Indeed, my point of entry is actually rather calm in comparison to what I beheld on that Hill. What kind of nightmare have I stumbled into?
...In order to reach the trees in the hopes of finding some relief to the endless ranks of foul creatures that seem to sense and take umbrage at my presence, I have begun digging a tunnel from my point of entry to the jungle. The noises of the various creatures overlapped and often times I had the sense that they were deliberately stalking me, but I did find the soil and stone foundations of this world to be similar to my own, save for a sizable deposit of Iron found almost just below the topsoil layer. I counted it to my good fortune and pressed on. When I again broke through the topsoil - it was only to find a pack of wolves, spiders, scorpions, and ever present rats awaiting me. I was harried all the way back to my rude hut. I will make another attempt in the morning.
... I was pleased to discover the sugar cane I had planted was growing - all be it slowly. That gave me hope, though I must admit I've been eyeing more and more the Linking Book back to my Library. But if I let one hard world throw me out, how will I ever master The Art? I will remain in Portobello for a time yet. I shall test myself upon it's hardships and overcome them.
...The nights in this place are the worst. Each day, I find myself harassed by Spiders, Scorpions, and Rats while trying to make some examinations. Each night, I am besieged in my shelter as the creatures that seem to congregate on the plains surrounding this forest are drawn towards my torches like moths to a flame. The chicken was devoured by one of the Spiders in the night. I will have to remember on subsequent Ages to ensure the livestock I acquire or take with is adaquetely protected. The Linking Book sings to me, but I will not be swayed.
...The constant damp has finally reached the interior of my hut. The wood smells of mildew and despite being wrapped in its "skin", the meat I harvested off the Mushroom Cows has spoiled. The downpour continues, undimished. The attacks continue.
...I am almost out of the torches I brought with me. They alone burn in this land of prepetual wet.
...I have discovered the mushrooms that grow around my hut, when combined together, make a edible, if somewhat bland, stew. I carved bowels out of the last of the wood I brought with me. I may once again have to consider an expedition to the Jungle for more wood, assuming it isn't so wet to burn. When will the rain stop?
... The Jungle that surrounds this place - the Jungle that has taunted me with its inexcessability since my arrival here - has vanished. Or rather, I should say one side of the Jungle has vanished and even that isn't entirely true. I've often ventured out of the protection of the giant Mushrooms to stand on the hill and stare at the trees in the weeks I have been staying on Portobello. One tree in particular stood taller then the rest, and was something of a landmark for me. Today, I go out to look and the tree is missing. Perhaps there are other people living in this Age (As the zombie men and the poor feral wreches that turn into giant wolf creatures at night seem to attest to)? Perhaps it is just my misfortune I be set down in some kind of quarintine zone? I still wonder what is happening in this Age.
...Why will this place not stop raining? Why does it not flood?
...I write this entry safe, warm, and dry for the first time in weeks. I am back in my unfinished Library, and the weather is blessedly clear and calm. My experiences on Portobello will haunt me, but they also served as a potent guide to my education in the ways of the Art. The Age I called Portobello - be it unintentional or by design - is unstable. Fissures began opening up, cracks in the world that plunged everything ever downward. This is also why it does not flood in Portobello - the fissures run through the entire world and end in Void. I thought at first to do what I could to stabilize the Age, I have read if dealt with quickly enough decay might be staved off - at least for a while. But as I went back to my shelter to assemble the necessary materials, I noticed my far wall (the one next to my ill fated tunnel) had sunk in.
I was too late. The decay was already spreading outward. I grabbed all that I could and left the rest. What was made can be remade, and I felt it better to escape with the many reagents and materials I had acquired in the Age then waste time trying to salvage the infastructure. I did not even bother trying to salvage the many torches that continued to provide what little light they could in that dark world.
Whether I ever return to Portobello again or not, the Age has been invaluable in my education. Looking at the symbols of the book now, I can see where many of its features are actually described. I believe I can even recreate the Mushroom Forest (Which I never did figure out was an intention feature to the Age or "residue" from its poor condition) if I should care to.
I shall remain here in my Library - to finish it - and to tend to my experiments and land here for a time. Then I believe I shall venture into that ravine behind my land again. If I could be lucky enough to find one Age down there...who is to say there aren't more?
((Thank you both for the accolades and suggestions!))
...The Library remains unfinished. For a week or more after my hasty exit from Portobello, my mind has been racing. While I confess no love for that nightmarish place, it doesn't seem right that the only Age I have thus far been able to discover should crumble to nothing while I stand, impotent. My experiments with the substance known as Vis have been abandoned, my crops left to grow or die as they wish - I have accumulated a vast array of knowledge in the finished confines of my Library. It is time I put that knowledge to work.
...I am ashamed to admit the knowledge contained in the pages of my Library - while having nothing to do with the Art - never the less drew my attention ever away from the crisis on Portobello - I fear I have dallied too long and do not wish to risk a return trip to that place. However, several of the technologies I have been experimenting with - Pumps, Storage Tanks, and Energy Collectors - will be of incredible value in the future so I do not believe my time has been wasted.
...I am astounded that I could wrought such items with my own hands. I have devised a Mining Drill - tipped with diamond - to make my resource collection more efficient. In order to power this device, I have developed a backpack "Battery" as well as boots that transfer kinetic motion into energy to recharge the backpack! I have also begun experimenting with energy collection - having sunk four "Water Mills" off the coast and connected them all to what is called a "BatBox" which stores the energy. While I fear the Library remains in a state of disrepair and my Writing has grown lax, I still maintain this is the proper focus of my energy for now. The better developed I become here, the more I can take immediate advantage of any future Ages I discover. Perhaps if I had been more prepared, Portobello would not have been such a nightmare...
...Calamity on a scale I dare not dream! Digging for ever more difficult to locate resources, my Drill strayed into a Magma Pocket and I became momentarily doused in the scalding liquid. I escaped with minor wounds and a wrecked wardrobe, but my Drill, Static Boots, and BatPack were all rendered so much useless slag. And I fear I devoted too many critical resources into them - I cannot make replacements.
... I ventured back into the Ravine I found the book to Portobello today, less to look for other hidden Age Books and more just to find enough resources to continue my experiments and projects. I found little enough of those, and no other Age Books hidden in crevices that I could find. I fear I may have exhausted this region's ability to support me.
...I have decided to leave this place. The decision was not easy, but ultimately I feel it is time to start anew elsewhere. Preferably somewhere with more abundant mineral wealth, but also because the memories of the calamity within the mine and what happened on Portobello are just too much. I feel no urge to complete my Library now. I have enough resources to start again elsewhere, and I shall do so.
...The hardest thing about relocation is deciding what to take with you. My books and writing implements, obviously, but what ultimately is critical? How much Seed, how many eggs...that sort of thing. In the end, I took with me the bare essentials and all the machinery I had constructed and still could claim as my own. The Water Mills, Pump, Steam Engine, Generator, and Iron Furnace can all be a boon to my new home. The Maceator was wrecked as I tried to remove it, but thankfully that is not overly difficult to replace - especially not since I ground down all the Iron Ore in my possession before I tried to pack it for moving.
... I have decided the materials related to the study of "Vis" are ultimately too dangerous to carry with me at this time. I have marked the location of this compound on my map, and hopefully can keep track of my journey with enough precision to eventually warrant return expeditions to acquire the assets I am leaving behind.
...The boat that brought me to this place is still where I left it, so I loaded all I was taking with me and I set out for a place I knew not where. A island would be ideal - some place free of the distractions that I may work in peace - possibly build a more condensed Library from which to study the Art.
...Three days into the journey, and I realize I had brought Wheat and Flax seed, but no Sugar Cane - a key ingredient in making the paper for books! I am a fool!
...I have found it. After I explored and dismissed several Island domiciles, I found myself skirting the coastline of a Jungle when I came upon the vast rock rising out of the water like a Pillar. Instantly I thought to myself "I could hollow it out and make it my own", but a single spire of Rock is hardly useful for growing plants. Fortunately, the island's pillar only dominates the extreme edge of it, and the rest of the island is a gently sloping hill I can easy beat flat. The giant near-mountain provides the perfect location for a "All in One" habitat - I can already picture the Library/Study that will go near the top of the mound, with workshops and mine shafts burrowing out from under it. Best of all, the island boasts not just wildlife, but naturally growing Sugar Cane. There are no Trees to speak of, but thankfully I had the foresight to bring with me saplings.
I enclose a rendition of the island as I approached in my boat. Now, to work and the most difficult aspect...giving this place a name.
The following story will be a regularly/semi-regularly updated "Journal" of my character's adventures in MineCraft utilizing such Mods as Thaumcraft, IndustrialCraft, Buildcraft, Redpower, Mo' Creatures, and most importantly of all Mystcraft. Some terms may seem unfamiliar and I will do my best to explain in context to the story, but generally speaking this story is going to mainly focus on my character creating, exploring, exploiting, and inhabiting other worlds that he finds/creates via books.
Please enjoy, and feedback is more then welcome.
To whomever views these pages, I give greetings. It is my hope that this tome has been passed to my eldest descendant after I die an old man, but the nature of my endeavors mean it may be a stranger who has come to posess these words.
I am a student of The Art - the ability to create and visit new worlds beyond those that already exist. In my travels, I have studied much about it and learned of the necessary materials required to craft and matain these worlds (henceforth called "Ages"), as well as warnings of the dangers and risks involved.
What I have not yet been able to do, is actually craft a world of my own. The Art utilizes very specific symbols in the formation of the Ages, and those that came before me have been very careful to keep the symbols secret. It frustrates me to no end, but that has not stopped my work. The dream intensifies with each night - with each block I lay of my future Library.
The Dream - a night enshrouded ocean, illuminated only by the rising spires of glowing rock and the periodic flash of lightning from a cloudless sky. Floes of Ice dot the landscape and the moon never moves from it's place at the apex of the sky. It is a haunting land...but strangely beautiful. I have named it Requiem, and I mean to find it.
... The Library's first floor is complete and the second floor is well into construction. As I experiment more and more with the ambient magical properties of nature (Often I am glad of the foresight that had me endure the difficulty of constructing the Library out in the Ocean, as the nature of these experiments could prove harmful to the landscape should it ever reach the shore), I wonder if the inherient magic of a location somehow fuels the Art? I continue to study and stockpile materials, but still no flash of inspiration that would allow me to begin creating worlds in the hopes of finding that land.
The dreams continue, uninterrupted.
....Fortune has struck today. I was exploring the ravine near the back edge of my settlement when I happened upon a decaying storage box. Within the box was a mold-eaten book - a book written in strange symbols!
I believe I may have found what I have been searching for - a Primer! A Descriptive Book that leads to another Age! While I have no idea what the symbols in the book mean, I am confident that visiting this place would give me the insight needed to decipher the script. The question now is, do I dare? The viewing window to the Age is dark, and the book itself is in poor condition. The texts warn of linking to Ages where the books themselves have been damaged, but I feel this is worth the risk to enhance my knowledge.
...I have written my first Linking Book today. Unlike Descriptive Books, Linking Books are more bound to a pre-existing location and thus are easier to write without the use of special symbols. There's no way to test if it works properly, however, without first stepping foot inside the mysterious Age.
...My supplies are in order - Wood and Glass to aid in the construction of a settlement, fencing and chicks to aid in food consumption, tools and torches, seeds and sugar cane, and most importantly - the Linking Book back to my Library. I pray I wrote it correctly. I pray the world I am about to step into is not a dead rock or have no breathable oxygen...
...I arrived in inky blackness. At first, my heart leapt into my throat but then the sound of torrential rains assaulted my ears and a sickly sweet armora greeted my nostrils. While it appeared to be raining quite heavily, I myself was dry - sheltered by something - so I lit a torch and marveled at what surrounded me.
I was standing in a field of Mushrooms - some as tall as the trees back home! The ground was covered in a spongey material and my dryness was accounted for by the giant mushroom I had arrived next to. Almost immediately as the torch was lit, I noticed its illumination did not carry as far as it should but that was a secondary observation. For as the torch cast it light, out of the darkness came a massive host of creatures that gave me a terrible fright. Bright Red skin and black soulless eyes with growths everywhere...they seemed like creatures out of nightmare...and then one of them "moo"ed.
I had found myself surrounded by a herd of - I can scarely believe it myself - Mushroom Cattle. I was so amused I very nearly lowered my guard, and thus I jumped when a mournful howl broke through the night and a wolf the size of one of the Mushroom Cows leapt towards my throat. I dispatched the creature, though my gear is now strewn about the landscape in all directions. I pray the Linking Book has not gotten wet.
...After the wolf attack, construction of a shelter became top proirty. I ended up building up around the giant mushroom I started under, as the rain has refused to let up and any and all torches cast only half the illumination I feel they should, and what they do cast is dull and washed out. I was beginning to worry if this night would ever end, but eventually the sky changed from black to a lapris blue and details came into focus.
It appears the Mushroom Forest terminates not far from my entry into this world, and a great gyser of what I assume is Oil leaks on the boundry between the spongey soil and typical plains. I worry about agriculture in this world, and the fight with the wolf left all but one of the chicks I brought with me dead. The sight of plains and trees gives me hope I may be able to locate other wildlife - and experimentation has determined the Mushroom Cattle are edible (Meat encased in a Mushroom "skin", fascinating creatures), so I will not starve.
I do wonder what has lead to the interesting dicotomy of this world, however. Was it always a overcast, bleek world? If so, what does that say about its author? Or was the damage the book sustained in my world enough to "alter" it here? Is the prepetual damp and mushroom forest (and by extension, mushroom creatures) a result of the mold infesting the pages of the book in my library?
These are questions to explore another time, however. I have no idea how much more "Daylight" I have - the Rain makes it impossible to see the sun, despite the lapris blue sky - and I wish to venture onto a nearby hill on the Plains to take stock of the realm I find myself in. I believe I shall call it Portobello in honor of the giant specimen I was initially standing next to when I arrived.
There is much to see, and much to do. I hope my compound does not suffer my absence, I suspect I shall be here for a time. My Linking Book survived undamaged (Thanks be to the author of the book I read that suggested carrying Linking Books in treated, weather resistant, leather pouches), and I shall leave it in my crude hut for the time being. Just because the leather pouch has resisted this downpour thus far does not mean it will endure the lashing torrents indefinitely.
Again, I wonder at the mental state of whoever penned this age. Surely the exterior damage to the Book could not wrought this kind of action! More and more I am convinced the Mushroom Forest that encompasses my arrival is some kind of "Bleed Through" of Damage, but this...this is beyond the point of entry! Indeed, my point of entry is actually rather calm in comparison to what I beheld on that Hill. What kind of nightmare have I stumbled into?
...In order to reach the trees in the hopes of finding some relief to the endless ranks of foul creatures that seem to sense and take umbrage at my presence, I have begun digging a tunnel from my point of entry to the jungle. The noises of the various creatures overlapped and often times I had the sense that they were deliberately stalking me, but I did find the soil and stone foundations of this world to be similar to my own, save for a sizable deposit of Iron found almost just below the topsoil layer. I counted it to my good fortune and pressed on. When I again broke through the topsoil - it was only to find a pack of wolves, spiders, scorpions, and ever present rats awaiting me. I was harried all the way back to my rude hut. I will make another attempt in the morning.
... I was pleased to discover the sugar cane I had planted was growing - all be it slowly. That gave me hope, though I must admit I've been eyeing more and more the Linking Book back to my Library. But if I let one hard world throw me out, how will I ever master The Art? I will remain in Portobello for a time yet. I shall test myself upon it's hardships and overcome them.
...The nights in this place are the worst. Each day, I find myself harassed by Spiders, Scorpions, and Rats while trying to make some examinations. Each night, I am besieged in my shelter as the creatures that seem to congregate on the plains surrounding this forest are drawn towards my torches like moths to a flame. The chicken was devoured by one of the Spiders in the night. I will have to remember on subsequent Ages to ensure the livestock I acquire or take with is adaquetely protected. The Linking Book sings to me, but I will not be swayed.
...The constant damp has finally reached the interior of my hut. The wood smells of mildew and despite being wrapped in its "skin", the meat I harvested off the Mushroom Cows has spoiled. The downpour continues, undimished. The attacks continue.
...I am almost out of the torches I brought with me. They alone burn in this land of prepetual wet.
...I have discovered the mushrooms that grow around my hut, when combined together, make a edible, if somewhat bland, stew. I carved bowels out of the last of the wood I brought with me. I may once again have to consider an expedition to the Jungle for more wood, assuming it isn't so wet to burn. When will the rain stop?
... The Jungle that surrounds this place - the Jungle that has taunted me with its inexcessability since my arrival here - has vanished. Or rather, I should say one side of the Jungle has vanished and even that isn't entirely true. I've often ventured out of the protection of the giant Mushrooms to stand on the hill and stare at the trees in the weeks I have been staying on Portobello. One tree in particular stood taller then the rest, and was something of a landmark for me. Today, I go out to look and the tree is missing. Perhaps there are other people living in this Age (As the zombie men and the poor feral wreches that turn into giant wolf creatures at night seem to attest to)? Perhaps it is just my misfortune I be set down in some kind of quarintine zone? I still wonder what is happening in this Age.
...Why will this place not stop raining? Why does it not flood?
...I write this entry safe, warm, and dry for the first time in weeks. I am back in my unfinished Library, and the weather is blessedly clear and calm. My experiences on Portobello will haunt me, but they also served as a potent guide to my education in the ways of the Art. The Age I called Portobello - be it unintentional or by design - is unstable. Fissures began opening up, cracks in the world that plunged everything ever downward. This is also why it does not flood in Portobello - the fissures run through the entire world and end in Void. I thought at first to do what I could to stabilize the Age, I have read if dealt with quickly enough decay might be staved off - at least for a while. But as I went back to my shelter to assemble the necessary materials, I noticed my far wall (the one next to my ill fated tunnel) had sunk in.
I was too late. The decay was already spreading outward. I grabbed all that I could and left the rest. What was made can be remade, and I felt it better to escape with the many reagents and materials I had acquired in the Age then waste time trying to salvage the infastructure. I did not even bother trying to salvage the many torches that continued to provide what little light they could in that dark world.
Whether I ever return to Portobello again or not, the Age has been invaluable in my education. Looking at the symbols of the book now, I can see where many of its features are actually described. I believe I can even recreate the Mushroom Forest (Which I never did figure out was an intention feature to the Age or "residue" from its poor condition) if I should care to.
I shall remain here in my Library - to finish it - and to tend to my experiments and land here for a time. Then I believe I shall venture into that ravine behind my land again. If I could be lucky enough to find one Age down there...who is to say there aren't more?
Good story.
...The Library remains unfinished. For a week or more after my hasty exit from Portobello, my mind has been racing. While I confess no love for that nightmarish place, it doesn't seem right that the only Age I have thus far been able to discover should crumble to nothing while I stand, impotent. My experiments with the substance known as Vis have been abandoned, my crops left to grow or die as they wish - I have accumulated a vast array of knowledge in the finished confines of my Library. It is time I put that knowledge to work.
...I am ashamed to admit the knowledge contained in the pages of my Library - while having nothing to do with the Art - never the less drew my attention ever away from the crisis on Portobello - I fear I have dallied too long and do not wish to risk a return trip to that place. However, several of the technologies I have been experimenting with - Pumps, Storage Tanks, and Energy Collectors - will be of incredible value in the future so I do not believe my time has been wasted.
...I am astounded that I could wrought such items with my own hands. I have devised a Mining Drill - tipped with diamond - to make my resource collection more efficient. In order to power this device, I have developed a backpack "Battery" as well as boots that transfer kinetic motion into energy to recharge the backpack! I have also begun experimenting with energy collection - having sunk four "Water Mills" off the coast and connected them all to what is called a "BatBox" which stores the energy. While I fear the Library remains in a state of disrepair and my Writing has grown lax, I still maintain this is the proper focus of my energy for now. The better developed I become here, the more I can take immediate advantage of any future Ages I discover. Perhaps if I had been more prepared, Portobello would not have been such a nightmare...
...Calamity on a scale I dare not dream! Digging for ever more difficult to locate resources, my Drill strayed into a Magma Pocket and I became momentarily doused in the scalding liquid. I escaped with minor wounds and a wrecked wardrobe, but my Drill, Static Boots, and BatPack were all rendered so much useless slag. And I fear I devoted too many critical resources into them - I cannot make replacements.
... I ventured back into the Ravine I found the book to Portobello today, less to look for other hidden Age Books and more just to find enough resources to continue my experiments and projects. I found little enough of those, and no other Age Books hidden in crevices that I could find. I fear I may have exhausted this region's ability to support me.
...I have decided to leave this place. The decision was not easy, but ultimately I feel it is time to start anew elsewhere. Preferably somewhere with more abundant mineral wealth, but also because the memories of the calamity within the mine and what happened on Portobello are just too much. I feel no urge to complete my Library now. I have enough resources to start again elsewhere, and I shall do so.
...The hardest thing about relocation is deciding what to take with you. My books and writing implements, obviously, but what ultimately is critical? How much Seed, how many eggs...that sort of thing. In the end, I took with me the bare essentials and all the machinery I had constructed and still could claim as my own. The Water Mills, Pump, Steam Engine, Generator, and Iron Furnace can all be a boon to my new home. The Maceator was wrecked as I tried to remove it, but thankfully that is not overly difficult to replace - especially not since I ground down all the Iron Ore in my possession before I tried to pack it for moving.
... I have decided the materials related to the study of "Vis" are ultimately too dangerous to carry with me at this time. I have marked the location of this compound on my map, and hopefully can keep track of my journey with enough precision to eventually warrant return expeditions to acquire the assets I am leaving behind.
...The boat that brought me to this place is still where I left it, so I loaded all I was taking with me and I set out for a place I knew not where. A island would be ideal - some place free of the distractions that I may work in peace - possibly build a more condensed Library from which to study the Art.
...Three days into the journey, and I realize I had brought Wheat and Flax seed, but no Sugar Cane - a key ingredient in making the paper for books! I am a fool!
...I have found it. After I explored and dismissed several Island domiciles, I found myself skirting the coastline of a Jungle when I came upon the vast rock rising out of the water like a Pillar. Instantly I thought to myself "I could hollow it out and make it my own", but a single spire of Rock is hardly useful for growing plants. Fortunately, the island's pillar only dominates the extreme edge of it, and the rest of the island is a gently sloping hill I can easy beat flat. The giant near-mountain provides the perfect location for a "All in One" habitat - I can already picture the Library/Study that will go near the top of the mound, with workshops and mine shafts burrowing out from under it. Best of all, the island boasts not just wildlife, but naturally growing Sugar Cane. There are no Trees to speak of, but thankfully I had the foresight to bring with me saplings.
I enclose a rendition of the island as I approached in my boat. Now, to work and the most difficult aspect...giving this place a name.
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b66/GuardConvoy/WoW/mystcraft019.jpg