...
Written in the stars
Timestamp: Day 40 of Winter 514 AV
Location: Iraltu's Observatory
ORNEA ARRIVES TO IRALTU'S OBSERVATORY FOR A STUDY VISIT AND FINDS ...
It was after dusk and the bioluminescent night of Lhavit had begun. But it was winter now; the vegetation was resting and the glow from bare branches of trees and shrubbery was so faint that it was nearly invisible. The darkness made it a little bit harder to see, but there were some lights from windows of the buildings and there were the occasional lanterns, sparsely spaced, to light up the walkways. Ornea found Iraltu's Observatory, on the third and highest tier of the Sartu peak without problems.
The medium sized and domed building looked complicated and the large dark brown double doors at the entrance made a really serious impression. Some people might have felt intimidated by those doors, but Ornea saw no need to hesitate, as she was there on Lucis and Lucis behalf. She lifted the metal door knocker and knocked resolutely on one of the doors, noticing in passing by that the knocker was a beautiful brass artwork as well as a useful practicality. At first there was no answer. She knocked again, harder now, and the sound of metal against wood rand louder than before.
A tall, lean and dark middle aged woman opened the door. She was dressed in an elegant, soft grey, uncluttered Lhavitian tunic and looked annoyed. Her brown gaze was sharp and piercing through the small round spectacles that adorned her face. But when she said she had been sent by Edward Lucis, the woman brightened up and greeted the Inarta in a friendly way. Oh yes, dear old Edward had said something about sending an employee over to start to gather basic information for his new innovation project. The woman recalled the agreement now, but alas they had been very busy and there hadn’t been so much time to prepare this study visit. No time all, to be honest. And right now she was in the middle of a discussion that needed to be continued and completed at once, so alas she wasn’t able to take care of Ornea right away. “But by all means, come in, and I’ll give you something to start with.”
The woman introduced herself as Corinne Rowland, an astronomer, and stepped to the side. Ornea walked in. They were now standing in a big circular room, furnished with wooden desks. The amount of papers and parchments on those desks was daunting and the idea of gathering information in this place took on a new meaning. And the desks weren’t all. Bookshelves aligned the walls, and there were more papers on them and also notebooks. Ornea thought to herself that this place rivalled the technical library at Lucis and Lucis, although the observatory’s documents seemed better organized than the wild disarray Edward had managed to achieve during his many years as gadgeteer and inventor.
One day I’ll really need to bring order to Edwards collections of notes and drawings, she thought to herself. This thought led her on to the memory of how he had described her mission for this evening. She had been sent there to gather basic information, as much as she could, about astronomy and the work of the researchers in the observatory. It was too early to be specific about exactly what they needed to know, he had said. So she would just learn as much as possible and then they would have new discussions and go on from there. Right now they just needed to start somewhere and establish useful contacts.
There were more people in the room, people who seemed very busy.
Astronomers ? Maybe. She was about to ask about it, but somebody called for Corinne, and the astronomer excused herself, while she grabbed a small handwritten book from a shelf nearby and handed it to Ornea. On the front cover Ornea could read the title An Introduction to Iraltu’s Observatory.
“We use this for information sometimes, and as you have been handpicked by Edward I’m sure you will manage on your own for a little while” Corinne said hastily, before she excused herself and disappeared up a set of spiraling stairs. Ornea wasn’t sure of what she was supposed to do, so she decided to look around on her own while she waited for Corinne to come back.
Due to education in common Ornea had been given in her younger days, and the ample practice of the language on trade trips during the years, the Inarta was good at common, and mostly she had no problems to speak, read and write it, albeit her Wind Reach accent was distinctive. So maybe she would browse the text, but not at once. If it was written in complicated scholar common, or the concepts were totally new to her, she would need to ask questions, she knew that. It would be easier if Corinne got time to come back and tell her ... so with the notebook in her hand, she went over to the nearest empty desk and looked the things there, curious and intrigued. The drawings on the parchment was like nothing else she’d ever seen. It looked like a map of the sky.
A brown-clad young woman sat at the desk, writing something, beautiful golden brown hair falling around her shoulders in waves. She was silent and focused and seemed like a scholar in her twenties. As they were at the observatory Ornea guessed at an astronomer, though half the age of Corinne. The Inarta wasn’t totally sure of how to think of ranks and who was superior to who, but this wasn’t Wind Reach with it’s clearcut castes, so she settled for considering herself and the others socially equal enough. This way of thinking suited her, as she wanted to use the time efficiently and it would be better to speak with a scholar than just strolling around or reading a notebook.
“Excuse me” she said. “I’m Ornea, from Lucis and Lucis, here at a study visit. It seems Corinne Rowland was meant to help me out, but she is busy in a discussion upstairs. She told me to manage on my own for while. I take it she meant I can speak a bit with other people here. Do you have time?”
...Timestamp: Day 40 of Winter 514 AV
Location: Iraltu's Observatory
ORNEA ARRIVES TO IRALTU'S OBSERVATORY FOR A STUDY VISIT AND FINDS ...
It was after dusk and the bioluminescent night of Lhavit had begun. But it was winter now; the vegetation was resting and the glow from bare branches of trees and shrubbery was so faint that it was nearly invisible. The darkness made it a little bit harder to see, but there were some lights from windows of the buildings and there were the occasional lanterns, sparsely spaced, to light up the walkways. Ornea found Iraltu's Observatory, on the third and highest tier of the Sartu peak without problems.
The medium sized and domed building looked complicated and the large dark brown double doors at the entrance made a really serious impression. Some people might have felt intimidated by those doors, but Ornea saw no need to hesitate, as she was there on Lucis and Lucis behalf. She lifted the metal door knocker and knocked resolutely on one of the doors, noticing in passing by that the knocker was a beautiful brass artwork as well as a useful practicality. At first there was no answer. She knocked again, harder now, and the sound of metal against wood rand louder than before.
A tall, lean and dark middle aged woman opened the door. She was dressed in an elegant, soft grey, uncluttered Lhavitian tunic and looked annoyed. Her brown gaze was sharp and piercing through the small round spectacles that adorned her face. But when she said she had been sent by Edward Lucis, the woman brightened up and greeted the Inarta in a friendly way. Oh yes, dear old Edward had said something about sending an employee over to start to gather basic information for his new innovation project. The woman recalled the agreement now, but alas they had been very busy and there hadn’t been so much time to prepare this study visit. No time all, to be honest. And right now she was in the middle of a discussion that needed to be continued and completed at once, so alas she wasn’t able to take care of Ornea right away. “But by all means, come in, and I’ll give you something to start with.”
The woman introduced herself as Corinne Rowland, an astronomer, and stepped to the side. Ornea walked in. They were now standing in a big circular room, furnished with wooden desks. The amount of papers and parchments on those desks was daunting and the idea of gathering information in this place took on a new meaning. And the desks weren’t all. Bookshelves aligned the walls, and there were more papers on them and also notebooks. Ornea thought to herself that this place rivalled the technical library at Lucis and Lucis, although the observatory’s documents seemed better organized than the wild disarray Edward had managed to achieve during his many years as gadgeteer and inventor.
One day I’ll really need to bring order to Edwards collections of notes and drawings, she thought to herself. This thought led her on to the memory of how he had described her mission for this evening. She had been sent there to gather basic information, as much as she could, about astronomy and the work of the researchers in the observatory. It was too early to be specific about exactly what they needed to know, he had said. So she would just learn as much as possible and then they would have new discussions and go on from there. Right now they just needed to start somewhere and establish useful contacts.
There were more people in the room, people who seemed very busy.
Astronomers ? Maybe. She was about to ask about it, but somebody called for Corinne, and the astronomer excused herself, while she grabbed a small handwritten book from a shelf nearby and handed it to Ornea. On the front cover Ornea could read the title An Introduction to Iraltu’s Observatory.
“We use this for information sometimes, and as you have been handpicked by Edward I’m sure you will manage on your own for a little while” Corinne said hastily, before she excused herself and disappeared up a set of spiraling stairs. Ornea wasn’t sure of what she was supposed to do, so she decided to look around on her own while she waited for Corinne to come back.
Due to education in common Ornea had been given in her younger days, and the ample practice of the language on trade trips during the years, the Inarta was good at common, and mostly she had no problems to speak, read and write it, albeit her Wind Reach accent was distinctive. So maybe she would browse the text, but not at once. If it was written in complicated scholar common, or the concepts were totally new to her, she would need to ask questions, she knew that. It would be easier if Corinne got time to come back and tell her ... so with the notebook in her hand, she went over to the nearest empty desk and looked the things there, curious and intrigued. The drawings on the parchment was like nothing else she’d ever seen. It looked like a map of the sky.
A brown-clad young woman sat at the desk, writing something, beautiful golden brown hair falling around her shoulders in waves. She was silent and focused and seemed like a scholar in her twenties. As they were at the observatory Ornea guessed at an astronomer, though half the age of Corinne. The Inarta wasn’t totally sure of how to think of ranks and who was superior to who, but this wasn’t Wind Reach with it’s clearcut castes, so she settled for considering herself and the others socially equal enough. This way of thinking suited her, as she wanted to use the time efficiently and it would be better to speak with a scholar than just strolling around or reading a notebook.
“Excuse me” she said. “I’m Ornea, from Lucis and Lucis, here at a study visit. It seems Corinne Rowland was meant to help me out, but she is busy in a discussion upstairs. She told me to manage on my own for while. I take it she meant I can speak a bit with other people here. Do you have time?”
