Rabenschwinges Cavern blog » cavern

Breakthrough in Afelahn

Rabenschwinge — Thu, 05 Mar 2015 19:23:51 +0000

Afelahn again – we used a medium excavator to dig into the rock, in a steep angle downwards into the mountain.
We had to use this steep angle, because over this region the valley begins, and we didn´t want to dig to the outside of the age.
Shane Kennett and his team helped me a lot, unfortunately they also wrecked the staircase to my office – some of the stairs broke under the big weight of the excavator, and some of the other are really scratched and scarred.
Well, I guess, we´ll have to repair them now …

Apart from this minor destructions, all went well. We excavated a corridor downwards, and then a huge room, which will be our “atrium” for the residential wing of the base.
Shane also used a smaller D’ni machine, which is able to cut stairs out of the rock to add an amazing stone staircase downwards to the atrium.
From this place, we will be able to dig deep into the rock and establish all the rooms necessary to live here for a longer time.

The number of expediton members is now equal to before all went down some years ago.
Most members have returned and/or rejoined the expedition now.
Some of those who stay away might have been involved with the destruction of Asheten mansion…
Since nobody on the surface officially knows about the cavern, we can´t really do anything against them – at least not legally. They are at least banned from any age or area we are researching and/or rebuilding – they cost us a lot, not only money, but also time and ressources.
Now, we have to depend on the ressources of D’ni and its ages mostly – we gather food from the ages, use more and more D’ni tools and machines, and many of us have made a home down here in the caverns on a permanent basis.

As I am writing this, Yeeshas words from her last visit at K’veer come into my mind: “Find a way, make a home!”
Well, I guess that´s exactly what we are doing.

Maybe we together, explorers, scientists, visitors – not only of the Forberg expedition, but the whole number of people down here in the caverns and in D’ni can find a solution to the big conflict that might still be going on out there…

Recapitulation – what happened over the last two years, part III

Rabenschwinge — Sun, 15 Feb 2015 14:33:37 +0000

In the following months, we “played it safe”, stood in ages like Afelahn, Risoahl or in D’ni and continued our research. Numbers still dwindled, to the point, when our group only consisted of four people: Shane Kennett, Jack Rowe, Tom Woods, and myself.

Chances were that in a few weeks nobody would be around any more.
I had big doubts myself about staying down in the caverns, but I had invested so much work and time, that I decided to stay, whatever happened around me.
Then, in march 2014, surface issues forced me to abandon my team for some weeks, spending a lot of time in my home country of Austria to sort things out.
I finally returned to Afelahn in June, only to find the age deserted. Everyone had left. I tried to contact some of the other groups, but no one answered. It was as if D’ni had once again died.

From my previous experience, I was sure, that D’ni finally would revive again, like it had again and again – still, a dark spot of doubt lay on my soul. What if nobody ever would return? What if D’ni was done for good this time?

I lost motivation. Many of my projects came to an abrupt halt. I locked away the books I still had, with the exception of Afelahn, which I visited sporadically.

Then, in september 2014, when I once again browsed some of the explorers forums, I read an announcement by some former team members of the Forberg expedition. Funding had been secured again, scientists, workers and explorers from the former team returned at a fast pace, and projects were restarted, continued and begun.

Euphorically, I packed my stuff, told the surface goodbye once again, and returned to D’ni.

It wasn´t for the first time, but it felt different – hope, and a feeling of determination were stronger and more urgent than ever before.

Recapitulation – what happened over the last two years, part II

Rabenschwinge — Fri, 07 Nov 2014 19:21:12 +0000

After the expedition fell apart, we – that is our small team of explorers, scientists and friends – continued to research, explore and write.
Our work was much more difficult – our ressources small, our time sparse.
And finally, even the few people left started to leave for the surface.

I was one of the few who remained – mainly working on my own ages, but sometimes I managed to pay a visit to ages like Risoahl, Resehren or even Yoshonah.

Then came the darkest day of the year 2013. On 20th of September, a small expedition, consisting of Shane Kennett, Alex, Noelle, Jack Rowe and myself, went to Nifehrehn.
We wore our maintainer suits to protect ourselves from the extremely harsh cold of the age.
When we left the abandoned D’ni outpost, we almost immediately got lost due to our compasses spinning around maniacally, which had happened never before in Nifehrehn.
As we were trying to find the way back, one of the apex predators of the age attacked us out of the blue – or rather, out of the white – and quickly locked jaws onto Jacks suit, ripping it open.
It would surely have killed him, if not for Shane, who had a D’ni stun gun with him. He stabbed the thing with the gun, and it shrieked terribly, rearing up and starting to run away. Some 20 meters (approx. 60 feet) away, it collapsed and – as we found out later – died. It seems, these creatures are extremely vulnerable to this kind of stunning device.

Jack lost a lot of blood, and the cold started to take a heavy toll on him. Fortunately, our combined efforts helped us to rescue him just in time, and then leaving quickly with our emergency books that led us back to D’ni.
Jack had to undergo massive medical treatment, but after a few weeks, he fully recovered from his wounds.
We decided not to go out into Nifehrehns dangerous environment until we would be able to protect us better.

After the accident, we played it safe – stayed in a few secure ages mostly, doing a lot of harmless research.
Alex and Noelle decided to leave the cavern shortly after the incident and wouldn´t come back until much later.

All these things happened from July to October in 2013.

Apologies

Rabenschwinge — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 10:17:14 +0000

Sorry for not posting for so long – a lot going on in the last month, work on the surface, work in the caverns …

The rodents in Afelahn have spawned quickly – at first, there were one or two – now, I estimate their number about a dozen – and they are EVERYWHERE. Had to bring my empty books to Asheten mansion – they nibbled on them and destroyed three. I´ve instructed the expedition personnel to be careful when visiting Afelahn, so the “plague” doesn´t spread to other ages. We´ve set up mouse traps, but to no avail as of yet … it seems, they are too cautious (or too smart?) to get caught.

We´ve started work on various new ages – most of them are in a very early state of being surveyed, but maybe I can provide some information over the next days and weeks.

Dasharen has proven to be one of the most unstable ages we have access to. Earth quakes have happened a lot over the last weeks, and one time our team was barely able to leave the age without being hurt.

The council will decide tomorrow, if Dasharen will be deemed “unsafe” or not. B.P. is for it, while others are strongly against it… they say, there is so much to learn in this age, that the risks are worth it… I´m not so sure. Is anything worth risking anyones life?

Relaxing

Rabenschwinge — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 10:34:56 +0000

After some days of hard work, I´ve been relaxing in some ages, enjoying a little spare time.
My favorite place for this purpose is Eder Delin. I´ve always thought it to be the most cosy and relaxing garden age we have access to as of now, especially, when it´s winter there.

As I was sitting there on of the benches, I couldn´t resist thinking of all the wonders the D’ni have left us… the cavern, the ages, the astounding machinery, the strange creatures in all of the ages… the art … and also, what all of this did to the D’ni. Will that happen to us, too? Will we fall because of the same mistakes the D’ni made?
I tend to be cautiously optimistic(tm), as I remember the many obstacles and problems we´ve overcome.
And I remember those, who can´t take part in what is happening now… the people of the community who have passed away, most of them much too soon.

I wonder, where the guys of the DRC are, and if they still roam the caverns and ages, privately…

And I wonder, what I will be able to do, to contribute, to give something back to all of the guys who have given to the community.

Enough of all that brooding, back to work.
Shorah b’shemtee biv, and I mean it!

Interior decoration

Rabenschwinge — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 12:02:51 +0000

The last days, we began to bring equipment to the rooms in Afelahn. Shane and Tom Woods helped me to install a small water basin for experiments (I´m thinking of the creatures in Tufolehn). Besides a couple of shelves made of wood we brought to the age, I used a machine found in one of the Resehren-ages to mold a stone table, and another table with a different design and a cavity for plant experiments.

I saw the lobsterpede again, crawling under the same rock as before. Now I´m convinced it has a nest there. Maybe I should watch the place for some time and write down my observations?
I´m not even sure if it is a crustacean or an insect, or maybe a arachnoid-like creature… it has characteristics of all of these.

To relax a little, I made visits to some of the ages we got from the DRC. Spent an hour or so in Negilahn. The reepahs are shouting again (at least I think it´s them), but besides a swarm of kiri I didn´t see any creatures there. I wonder, if the animals of “rehziksehv” have recovered from the unfortunate events back at the beginning of the Bahro incidents…

In the next days, I plan to intensify my work in Afelahn, and maybe making some preparations in Ahnoto and Tufolehn, as well. Now that the cavern is getting more and more active and populated, it would be nice to have something to contribute. But no promises or actual dates yet, sorry.

Return to duty

Rabenschwinge — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 14:16:24 +0000

After my long absence from the cavern I´ve finally returned. Health issues kept me from doing any work on my projects in D’ni.

The Forberg expedition has made a lot of progress in the meantime – I will gather intelligence about all the new stuff over the next weeks.

As I returned to the maintainer website, I saw, that many posts have vanished due to a technical problem – I will have to repost all of my inspections. Due to this, I will proofread them once again, and try to adapt to the new style the maintainers seem to use since some time.

Work in Afelahn has been stopped while I was ill, but Shane Kennett told me they are ready to resume as soon as I want them to. Great!