The Ringmaster has split into two selves. I've no idea where the second one is...

[ So hey, there's some bad news. ]

Anyone still listening, make for the temple in central Shabon. Some of us are trying to hole up there. If you're stuck and can answer, we might be able to send you help.

[The radios will glow green as the Ringmaster begins a broadcast.]

Welcome back to the carnival, everyone. Things may look the same as before, but I assure you, there is no stone that has been left unturned or tree that hasn't been uprooted. We'll have no more stalkers from here on out.

There are a few things of relevance that I have to tell you about. Firstly, Ignatius is no longer in the moon. Instead, he's been relocated to a small island in the middle of the lake. He can't leave it, and you aren't allowed to visit it without my permission. If you do, and he wounds you, you can consider it your own fault.

In a related matter, I've decided to invest my magical energies into granting each of you a ressurection egg, as we clearly can't anticipate any peaceful resolutions from this. If you don't know what that means, it's essentially a ritual spell I'll need your help in completing - once it's done, it will bring you back to life if you happen to perish, but only once. Also, you will have to be in the egg long enough to regrow and hatch. This is no small favour on my part, and it won't work unless your soul can make it back to the egg.

Thirdly, after calling in several favours, I think the location of Eden is almost within view. A few allies will be joining us over the next week and giving us more information. Until then, carry on about your business, as there are some new things you'll have to get used to.

We're going to be organizing the Supervisor guided departments differently from now on. I have explained the details to the Supervisors, and they can fill you in on what will be expected of you. There will not be only six categories: Militia, Acquisitions, Engineering, Management, Administration, and Medical.

Supervisors, feel free to sound off with what group you are leading and what it is for.

[Honestly, it isn't his fault he doesn't have hammer space or fancy magic to use for hiding stuff. Tyki didn't have to suggest he should contribute some other way like he had something to make up for when the topic of assuring the rest of the Carnival that the situation was under control came up; any one of them could have done that! But in the end there wasn't a graceful way to weasel out of it, so here Shima is, sighing and clicking his radio on to the public channel once they'd made it back to camp and had some rest.

The aggressive cheer in his voice poorly disguises the put upon tone to his announcement.]

Mooorning everybody~

Shima again. I'm sure some of ya've been wondering what's been up with that fae that our last team captured 'n got the Ringmaster ta eat. Well, good news, she's fine now 'n the eating was temporary.

Iggy-san is doing less hot, but he's alive 'n we've got him inside, uh... I guess it was a beach moon? Not sure how that works. But yeah, for whatever reason, since I fit the Ringmaster's criteria for a person suitable ta bring along for a chat with him, here's a first hand account that his powers have been stripped and he's successfully contained 'n not leaving the Carnival for a while.

Take a sigh of relief, or brace yourselves. Whichever!

[At first, there's a soft clicking noise occasionally accompanied by small bursts of static and shuffling. In particular, it's the sound of the dial of Yuusei's radio being turned on and off while tuned to the public frequency. The sound of a man who clearly doesn't talk to people enough to be comfortable with asking an entire entourage of folks about some thing he found in a book. It's a lot of hesitation, but eventually the clicking at least stops as he brings the radio closer to him.]

I meant to ask earlier, but there was all of that excitement in the Athenaeum, and I never got the chance...

[There's some movement and what sounds like paper shuffling.]

Does anyone know what the word 'aetheric' means? It's an adjective describing a form of interaction with airship machinery, and while airships admittedly aren't my area of expertise, it's still not a word I've ever heard before. Any ideas?

[He really didn't want this to happen, but...]

I think it's time we start keeping a list of those who's disappeared, been taken, or is otherwise indisposed.

I'll start.

Lauren has been buried in the ground, somewhere, and Steven Universe has been taken by the Rose Queen.

[He says all of this blankly, matter of factly, and there's only the sound of a shaky breath at the very end.]

[Usually when Peridot speaks up on the network, she's pretty perky and authoritative. NOT THIS TIME. HAHA.]

Ssssso... I don't want to cause a panic or anything, but there's not exactly an easy way for me to break this news to everyone, so I'm just going to come right out and say it:

I may have kind of, sort of... absolutely found proof in the Scribe's collections that the Summer Court is tracking us. And by the Summer Court, I mean specifically the Rose Queen and Ignatius and all their cronies from Portland are tracking us. And they know we have the Blue Rose.

....

Sorry.

...This is Peridot, by the way.

-----

[Mingle and threadjack as you please!]

"With the power of the Silver Mirror, the Nephalem Lilith was able to create a realm according to their desires - a realm where the Beasts could devise the Soul that would lead them, and build a perfect world. While the rest of the multiverse spiraled into Chaos, Lilith aspired towards Perfection."

[ It had taken a bit to scour the book for any other bit of information once he'd gotten it back from one of the stupidest book specters he had to misfortune of running into but now that he has, here he is, reading the first bit over the radio.

Following that, he adds, asking, ]

Has anyone else found something regarding a mirror? I believe this may be one of the miracles but confirmation would be nice to have.

[ ooc, feel free to threadjack as needed ]

Has anyone found anything substantial?

Because I've been reading for hours... every day, mind, and all I'm finding is peas.

Just... peas.

And I know there's more.

[Pause.]

We're dozens of eyes, at least some of which are... looking for relevance.

[Shima.]

So if you've found anything to share, it might be faster to combine what we do have, rather than combing over the same things multiple times?

[Listen. No one said he was good at team work.

But if everyone's combing out individual peas and grains in the dirt, then at least combining them might make some sort of passable salad.

Or maybe someone is holding out.]

[The radios will light up about an hour after the Ringmaster has pulled everyone off of the space station, signalling one of her broadcasts. She sounds hesitant to speak, in a way she usually doesn’t. After the button is pressed, it takes her a moment to get going, though she makes her voice efficiently authoritative when she does.]

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this, and... I have a very important announcement to make.

In the past, I’ve made a practice of punishing those that have cheated or damaged the carnival with a year of service. In better times, many recruited by that method came to like it here, and became faithful members of the carnival family. Right now, though... things are different. They have been for a while.

So it is clear, I am no longer interested in demanding extended service for minor violations during performance weeks. Given the level of danger that has become customary, I can no longer consider those contracts balanced. So, I will be finding more mild ways of punishing infractions instead, that won’t result in any additional contracts.

I know what you may be thinking – but if you already have a contract with me, I cannot break it retroactively. I know that, from time to time, it seems that people leave the carnival without warning, without finishing their contracts, but... that business is out of my control and always has been. All current contracts stand, and I can’t afford to change that.

However... if you feel that your recruitment was particularly unfair, or that you were tricked as opposed to being genuinely caught in a crime against the carnival... speak to me, and I will consider offering you something to make up for it.

...That said, don’t take this as an invitation to try my patience.