Mawburrow Desert

Roya Frostlands

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Terminal Log Recovered from a Lost Mawburrow Desert Expedition Member

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"This is… Roald."

"We encountered an unforeseen phenomenon on the frostlands. Avalanches, sudden sink holes, fissures shimmering with a strange, violent geolight… and above that radiance, we saw an illusory veil hanging in the air. Not long after, we were hit head-on by what I can only call an 'Invisible Storm.'"

"A… a roar came from the direction of the light. This storm just… wrapped around us. We managed to fall back to this cavern. It's the only safe spot. But…"

"At present, all members of the expedition team... everyone except me... are dead. Or… more accurately… they've all 'disappeared.'"

"I've secured all their Terminals here in this refuge. It was their final wish. The data on them about the phenomenon is critical. It must be recovered."

"As for myself... the effects of that 'calamity' have left me unable to move. I don't have the strength to make it back to the Institute. So… for whatever time I have left, I'm using the field Terminal to log every change in my body and frequency. I hope it gives those who come next a clue about whatever it is we're facing..."

"Please... let this Terminal outlast me."

"Physical functions... normal. But... I feel my body becoming lighter. Like I'm drifting..."

"The Terminal seems to be %...&* compromised... Interference %...& growing..."

"...My body... appears to %...& be turning transparent..."

"¥%...&un...&able t—(*...%& to touch... any#¥%... thing..."

"...&*can't... see anything%... &now... #¥%*..."

"#%%...&but... I %...&*can&*#¥%... still think... ¥%... I still%... exist..."

"¥%... *my&consciousness#¥#...&% slipping... away..."

"Carry... this spark... &*star@#……¥#*ward@#we$!$#... *as%... torch%... ¥&bearers¥%... May¥%... hum%anity... &always%%^&prevail...*"

Mr. Chase's Published Eulogy

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My fellow people, today we gather beneath the Reactor Drive not only to commemorate a milestone in the history of Lahai-Roi exploration, but also to mourn... The entire Roald Scientific Expedition team met their end upon the frostlands.

On behalf of all members of the Spacetrek Collective, I offer our deepest respect and remembrance to Captain Roald and every member of his team.

Through the detailed data and final recordings preserved in Captain Roald's Terminal and those of his team, we have at last unraveled the nature of the "invisible storm" that sweeps across the frostlands. Based on its properties and effects, we hereby give it its formal name—the Void Storm.

A Void Storm is a secondary calamity triggered by the Threnodian known as Aleph-1. Its emergence is often heralded by violent geolight, and it is for this reason that the anomalous meteorological phenomenon known as the "Shimmer" became our first grim warning. Wherever the Shimmer gathers, a Void Storm soon follows.

Any living being caught within it is fatally affected, losing all vitality. This is not biological death, but a dissolution of frequency itself. Form unravels. Bodies fade, becoming translucent, then silent, until they dissolve into nothing. Those who survive initial exposure find their frequency flickering like dying candlelight… until they, too, vanish from this world.

The Exoswarm fare no better. Their devoured components, reshaped by the Threnodian's power, reconstitute into the dreadful forms we call Voidworms. For the people of Lahai-Roi, the Void Storm is a calamity that cannot be predicted. Where it strikes, the world falls silent, leaving only the void.

The clarification of the Void Storm's nature is, without question, a monumental breakthrough. Yet it confronts us with an equally monumental challenge.

Humanity's pursuit of the unknown is filled with glory, but also shadowed by immense risk and sacrifice. Still, the courage and ideals of those who dare to face the unknown remain etched upon the monument of humankind's exploration. They remind us of our smallness before disaster, and demonstrate what true courage means: to continue forward, even knowing the danger. Humanity has never, and will never, stop moving forward because of fear.

Roald, Koki, Mingxia, Beverly, and Bajcetic.
These names will forever remain upon the frostlands, shining like constellations that pierce the eternal polar night.

Carry this spark starward, we as torchbearers. May we one day unravel the mystery of every calamity and seize back from the Threnodian the homeland that belongs to humanity.