Europa Writing Contest Entry: Vanishing Point
Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2020 11:24 am
Date: Unknown
Time: 08:12
It has been an indeterminant amount of time since I got separated from my adventuring party. Woke up early to the sound of a skeleton nearby and quickly dispatched it. Was able to loot the remains. Obtained two arrows and a partially-intact bow.
Arrows lost: 3
Arrows gained: 2
Net change in arrows: -1
Was able to catch a fish in the nearby river and used some berries I had onhand and ate that for breakfast. Heading North today in hopes to find a settlement.
Time: 10:00
As I'm walking I'm going over the events that led me to here, trying to find something, anything, that could give me insight as to what happened. The last thing I remember was a Creeper exploding, scattering all of us, then I passed out. When I woke up, my head still hurt and it appeared I had sustained relatively severe burns on my left leg. I must have been right next to it when it detonated. I wonder if the others found each other, if there is anyone left. That thought sickens me so I don't dwell on it for long.
We were on an expedition to find the Perdita, a civilization that supposedly had technological advancements that we could only dream of. We make use of the natural electrical current that runs through the Redstone mineral, they learned to command it. They had so many things that we don't and one day they just disappeared, them and all the things they made, gone. All but a scrap from an inventor's notebook, that is. The script and language looked like nothing that we were familiar with but linguists at our research institute were able to piece together the language from other texts from the same era and, at long last, we found the answers we sought.
The day we set off was a joyous one. The thought that our society, in our infinite quest for knowledge, could finally unlock the secrets that were lost to the sands of time was one that could ellicit an excited giggle from even the most stoic of citizens. There were five of us initially: an anthropologist/linguist, an archaeologist, two navigators, and the leader (who was a historian). I am the anthropologist and my collegues and I are all specialists on this civilization. I have learned enough of their script and language to be able to sight read simple sentences and have studied the notebook fragment we found thuroughly.
I remember as a parting celebration my wife threw me a lunch party. We had beetroot soup and porkchops, a delicacy of our area. The last words I ever told her were "until we meet again." Let's see if I can uphold that promise.
Time: 11:34
I decided to take a lunch break, using some of my rationed bread and some chicken I had. Surveying my surroundings, I was in a temperate forest not unlike those back home. Something about this forest felt different however. It felt empty, devoid of life, as though something that vanished used to exist here but was not replaced by anything at all. I continued on after finishing my lunch, noting the flora (no fauna to be found) that I encountered.
Throughout the forest, flowers seemed to emerge from every nook and cranny and trees, seemingly hundreds of years in age, rose from the ground as though they were present at the time of creation. It's strange to feel like a place is devoid of life when there is so much present.
Time: 12:07
I decided to meditate as a way to clear my mind and try to atune to the environment around me. As I did, I began to feel. I began to feel the history of the area in which I sat. There was a great battle here many moons ago. Many people in all parties died, each flower here is a symbol for a life lost. Each tree an army decimated. More than just the Perdita had disappeared, so had many other flourishing civilizations. Big and small, agrarian and industrial, all fought in this spot and lost. The trees would've told me more had I not been jolted out of my reverie by the sound of a spider. I jumped to my feet and readied my bow. Thankfully it passed by without paying me much mind. I slung my bow over my shoulder and continued walking.
Time: 14:23
After walking in this seemingly endless forest, I have come across a small, stone structure. It appears to be a shrine. I will continue on and report my findings.
Date: Unknown
Time: Unknown
I have just woken up. I don't know where I am or what time it is. The last thing I remember is walking into the shrine and the ground giving way.
Time: Unknown
After lighting a torch, I have found the room I'm in to be a memorial of sorts listing names, armies, and nations. At the far end, in large letters, there is an inscription that reads "PERDITAS FECIT" or "Perditas made." It appears this was what the Perditas people made. Maybe they were victorious in the war after all? But if that were the case, that wouldn't explain them disappearing as they did. I must explore deeper.
Time: Unknown
As I've been working my way through the shrine, I have found numerous inscriptions on the walls, the most common ones are recorded below:
"SCIENTIA ET NATURA" - "Science and nature"
"BELLUM SEMPER OMNEM VINCET" - "War always conquers all"
"RECTIFICARE ET DELITESCERE" - "To rectify and to vanish"
Additionally, at the end of what appears to be the main corridor, there is a large inscription reading as follows:
"DICE: ABDERE, REPIERE, NOSCERE, DESUESCERE"
I don't know entirely what it says, but DICE is a command to speak and NOSCERE has something to do with learning. As it says to read the inscription, that is what I'll do. I will record if anything of note occurs.
Date: Unknown
Location: Unknown
Time: Unknown
After reading that inscription, a bright flash of light temporarily blinded me. Once I regained my sight, I found I was in a mirrored version of the shrine, only this time the walls were not line with inscriptions but instead lined with redstone machinery like nothing I'd seen before. There were lights along the ceiling and floor. I put out my torch and walked along the hallway. I went back to the room where I had initailly fell to find there was an elevator and not a hole in the ground above me. Upon taking the elevator, I noticed some familiar machinery. Upon taking out the torn notebook page and comparing it, I saw it was the same. The machinery in question controlled the elevator's movement and allowed the user to control it directly. I will continue noting points of interest as I explore.
Time: Unknown
As I walked around, I was stunned at what I saw. Natural forms one with modern technology, automated vehicles, and a bustling metropolis all around me. It was then that I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around to see a woman looking at me. She beckoned me to follow so I did.
We wove our way through the city and into an administrative-looking building. She turned around and had a warm smile on her face.
"Welcome to Templum."
Date: N/A
Location: Templum
Time: 20:00
We sat across from each other in a small room, her smiling warmly at me.
"Lets meditate together." She said calmly.
And so we meditated. This meditation was different form the time before though. Instead of the absence of any life, I felt the presence of all life.
Do you know why we chose you? I felt a voice in my head say.
No, I replied
You are descended from us, the people called the Perditas. You are almost correct about us, good detective work. You have one thing incorrect however, we never fought in that war. Rather, we were the site of the final and deadliest battle. When the other nations destroyed themselves trying to attain what we possessed, we felt it was best to create a place we could live where no one would be harmed in pursuit of our knowledge. And now we have Templum.
I was gently taken out of mediation by a force not my own. Upon questioning what she meant by "choosing" I was informed that the Creeper that exploded was a portal to an intermediate dimension between the Overworld and Templum which was created when they created Templum, and that my adventuring party is safe and is presently looking for me.
I have also been given an opportunity to go back to my home. My memories of this place will all be cleared, but it is a necessary tradeoff for seeing my family and friends again.
Date: N/A
Location: Templum
Time: 6:17
After having my burns on my leg treated at the infirmary and after spending a night here to recover, It has come time for me to return. The Perditas are a capable people. They not only have been able to bend the power of Redstone to their will, but also have been able to intertwine it and themselves with the natural world all around them. Being a descendant of them separated by many generations means my innate ability for such a feat is heavily diminished, but should I come across a time where I learn about it again, I'll be sure to use it to better the world.
Additionally I have been informed that I must leave this traveller's log behind. While unfortunate, it is understandable and the book you are reading is now property of Templum.
With that, I must bid you farewell.
Signed,
Europa
------------------------------------
THIS BOOK IS PROPERTY OF THE TEMPLUM MUNICIPAL LIBRARY
TITLE: VANISHING POINT
AUTHOR: EUROPA WILCO
GENRE: SCIENCE FICTION
END OF TRANSCRIPT
Time: 08:12
It has been an indeterminant amount of time since I got separated from my adventuring party. Woke up early to the sound of a skeleton nearby and quickly dispatched it. Was able to loot the remains. Obtained two arrows and a partially-intact bow.
Arrows lost: 3
Arrows gained: 2
Net change in arrows: -1
Was able to catch a fish in the nearby river and used some berries I had onhand and ate that for breakfast. Heading North today in hopes to find a settlement.
Time: 10:00
As I'm walking I'm going over the events that led me to here, trying to find something, anything, that could give me insight as to what happened. The last thing I remember was a Creeper exploding, scattering all of us, then I passed out. When I woke up, my head still hurt and it appeared I had sustained relatively severe burns on my left leg. I must have been right next to it when it detonated. I wonder if the others found each other, if there is anyone left. That thought sickens me so I don't dwell on it for long.
We were on an expedition to find the Perdita, a civilization that supposedly had technological advancements that we could only dream of. We make use of the natural electrical current that runs through the Redstone mineral, they learned to command it. They had so many things that we don't and one day they just disappeared, them and all the things they made, gone. All but a scrap from an inventor's notebook, that is. The script and language looked like nothing that we were familiar with but linguists at our research institute were able to piece together the language from other texts from the same era and, at long last, we found the answers we sought.
The day we set off was a joyous one. The thought that our society, in our infinite quest for knowledge, could finally unlock the secrets that were lost to the sands of time was one that could ellicit an excited giggle from even the most stoic of citizens. There were five of us initially: an anthropologist/linguist, an archaeologist, two navigators, and the leader (who was a historian). I am the anthropologist and my collegues and I are all specialists on this civilization. I have learned enough of their script and language to be able to sight read simple sentences and have studied the notebook fragment we found thuroughly.
I remember as a parting celebration my wife threw me a lunch party. We had beetroot soup and porkchops, a delicacy of our area. The last words I ever told her were "until we meet again." Let's see if I can uphold that promise.
Time: 11:34
I decided to take a lunch break, using some of my rationed bread and some chicken I had. Surveying my surroundings, I was in a temperate forest not unlike those back home. Something about this forest felt different however. It felt empty, devoid of life, as though something that vanished used to exist here but was not replaced by anything at all. I continued on after finishing my lunch, noting the flora (no fauna to be found) that I encountered.
Throughout the forest, flowers seemed to emerge from every nook and cranny and trees, seemingly hundreds of years in age, rose from the ground as though they were present at the time of creation. It's strange to feel like a place is devoid of life when there is so much present.
Time: 12:07
I decided to meditate as a way to clear my mind and try to atune to the environment around me. As I did, I began to feel. I began to feel the history of the area in which I sat. There was a great battle here many moons ago. Many people in all parties died, each flower here is a symbol for a life lost. Each tree an army decimated. More than just the Perdita had disappeared, so had many other flourishing civilizations. Big and small, agrarian and industrial, all fought in this spot and lost. The trees would've told me more had I not been jolted out of my reverie by the sound of a spider. I jumped to my feet and readied my bow. Thankfully it passed by without paying me much mind. I slung my bow over my shoulder and continued walking.
Time: 14:23
After walking in this seemingly endless forest, I have come across a small, stone structure. It appears to be a shrine. I will continue on and report my findings.
Date: Unknown
Time: Unknown
I have just woken up. I don't know where I am or what time it is. The last thing I remember is walking into the shrine and the ground giving way.
Time: Unknown
After lighting a torch, I have found the room I'm in to be a memorial of sorts listing names, armies, and nations. At the far end, in large letters, there is an inscription that reads "PERDITAS FECIT" or "Perditas made." It appears this was what the Perditas people made. Maybe they were victorious in the war after all? But if that were the case, that wouldn't explain them disappearing as they did. I must explore deeper.
Time: Unknown
As I've been working my way through the shrine, I have found numerous inscriptions on the walls, the most common ones are recorded below:
"SCIENTIA ET NATURA" - "Science and nature"
"BELLUM SEMPER OMNEM VINCET" - "War always conquers all"
"RECTIFICARE ET DELITESCERE" - "To rectify and to vanish"
Additionally, at the end of what appears to be the main corridor, there is a large inscription reading as follows:
"DICE: ABDERE, REPIERE, NOSCERE, DESUESCERE"
I don't know entirely what it says, but DICE is a command to speak and NOSCERE has something to do with learning. As it says to read the inscription, that is what I'll do. I will record if anything of note occurs.
Date: Unknown
Location: Unknown
Time: Unknown
After reading that inscription, a bright flash of light temporarily blinded me. Once I regained my sight, I found I was in a mirrored version of the shrine, only this time the walls were not line with inscriptions but instead lined with redstone machinery like nothing I'd seen before. There were lights along the ceiling and floor. I put out my torch and walked along the hallway. I went back to the room where I had initailly fell to find there was an elevator and not a hole in the ground above me. Upon taking the elevator, I noticed some familiar machinery. Upon taking out the torn notebook page and comparing it, I saw it was the same. The machinery in question controlled the elevator's movement and allowed the user to control it directly. I will continue noting points of interest as I explore.
Time: Unknown
As I walked around, I was stunned at what I saw. Natural forms one with modern technology, automated vehicles, and a bustling metropolis all around me. It was then that I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around to see a woman looking at me. She beckoned me to follow so I did.
We wove our way through the city and into an administrative-looking building. She turned around and had a warm smile on her face.
"Welcome to Templum."
Date: N/A
Location: Templum
Time: 20:00
We sat across from each other in a small room, her smiling warmly at me.
"Lets meditate together." She said calmly.
And so we meditated. This meditation was different form the time before though. Instead of the absence of any life, I felt the presence of all life.
Do you know why we chose you? I felt a voice in my head say.
No, I replied
You are descended from us, the people called the Perditas. You are almost correct about us, good detective work. You have one thing incorrect however, we never fought in that war. Rather, we were the site of the final and deadliest battle. When the other nations destroyed themselves trying to attain what we possessed, we felt it was best to create a place we could live where no one would be harmed in pursuit of our knowledge. And now we have Templum.
I was gently taken out of mediation by a force not my own. Upon questioning what she meant by "choosing" I was informed that the Creeper that exploded was a portal to an intermediate dimension between the Overworld and Templum which was created when they created Templum, and that my adventuring party is safe and is presently looking for me.
I have also been given an opportunity to go back to my home. My memories of this place will all be cleared, but it is a necessary tradeoff for seeing my family and friends again.
Date: N/A
Location: Templum
Time: 6:17
After having my burns on my leg treated at the infirmary and after spending a night here to recover, It has come time for me to return. The Perditas are a capable people. They not only have been able to bend the power of Redstone to their will, but also have been able to intertwine it and themselves with the natural world all around them. Being a descendant of them separated by many generations means my innate ability for such a feat is heavily diminished, but should I come across a time where I learn about it again, I'll be sure to use it to better the world.
Additionally I have been informed that I must leave this traveller's log behind. While unfortunate, it is understandable and the book you are reading is now property of Templum.
With that, I must bid you farewell.
Signed,
Europa
------------------------------------
THIS BOOK IS PROPERTY OF THE TEMPLUM MUNICIPAL LIBRARY
TITLE: VANISHING POINT
AUTHOR: EUROPA WILCO
GENRE: SCIENCE FICTION
END OF TRANSCRIPT