@Scientia; Entry 01

[reigniter]

[Ignis seriously doesn't know the right way to start these entries so- he just types.]

Ignis here.

I visited the Library few days ago (read: Aug28th) to check on the Librarian spirit. The entire incident had left them to feel gloomy and I didn't want us to lose the handful of spirits that still like us.

[Bear with him, he IS going somewhere with this]

As always, after a "cookies & chat" I scour the Library, reading and returning books along the way. I usually never run into anything of importance, asides from books on stars and random biographies (which is a good way to pass time).

That day, however, I ran into a geography book. This is what I found.

[Ignis shares image.jpg- a page in the book of a continent (North America), with scrawlings alongside the margins. It is not the best lit picture ever, but it decently shows that someone has been marking the said continent with numbers from 1 to 12 at the places that are completely blocked out. The word that stands out amidst all of it is "Panem".]

I have never heard of this continent
Nor am I claiming that we are residing on it right now

I have been trying to make some sense of it in the past two days, but without the basics, I'm afraid I can't move past it.
And now, after hearing that bit from Will, keeping it as a puzzle to solve in borning evenings is out of the question.

After reading Will's post, some of my assumptions:
1. If this actually represents the land we are on, the 12 points could be older Beacons
2. They are blocked/scratched off because they fell to the World Eaters in the past
3. There might be some salvageable information there

Amidst all of this I still cannot fit in word "Panem" anywhere, so please take this with a grain of salt. The only solid confirmation that this is the land we're on would be from the Keeper (and I have some doubts she will do it).

Note: You can check out the book by yourself at the Library in the Village

Warning 1: If you visit, do not antagonize the Librarian. They were skittish and uncomfortable even when I opened the book.
Warning 2: Don't go off on your own to check and prove this. Eager you might be, but you'll end up dead without anyone to return your lantern.

What is your take on this?

Comments

[reigniter]

Looking for some landmarks sounds like a good thing. We need to extend our knowledge beyond the Beacon and Village.

They are. Thank you for saving them. They are feeling better today, I brought them food and stayed to help with the books. The library has a positive effect on them.

[paletteswap]

I noticed the map is frequently updated by those who go out exploring, and that has been helpful. There's still so much unknown territory and the lack of lighting makes it treacherous. If we could find out where everyone has gone and make a more concerted effort in one direction we might have better results than smaller groups going out at random.

Yes they very much wanted a book while they were here. It seemed to calm them.

[reigniter]

We asked Keeper about more precise maps, but she didn't give them away. And we can't fully trust the maps we find in these books. Not without knowing what land is this.

Well, they were away from the Library, so maybe that made them upset. Along with other things...

[paletteswap]

Did she say she had them and refused to let us utilize them? Or that there weren't any to begin with?

That was a bad situation for everyone. Including the spirits that call this place home.

[reigniter]

In her network post she mentioned having them
And that she handed them out once but that it turned out badly
So she didn't give them, out of fear that we will get bored

[paletteswap]

Bored.

The more I hear about things she's said the more I'm convinced she thinks this is all a game and doesn't care if we live or die.

They want us to survive and defeat some world ending creature but are hesitant to give us the tools to do so.

[reigniter]

To her it doesn't matter. After all, she can just reset us and handle a new group.

She can say she cares but we won't know. We can only hope she does.

We are wasting time on already explored areas. But there's nothing else we can do.

[paletteswap]

It seems we lack choices in many things here.

It would make far more sense to start from the point the last group left off at rather than begin anew each time. But this is what we have to work with.

I think the map you found is at least a good start for us to try and make some sense of this land.

[reigniter]

That would be the logical thing to do since we are on the time limit of two years or less.

I wish there was more I could do about this.

The map- I don't know if it is of this region or no. It's hard to tell since we can't just leave Beacon and explore.

[paletteswap]

A lot can be accomplished in two years, but it would be faster if we had the resources to assist us.

I inquired with Will if past Beacon locations were accessible and he said he didn't know where they would be. So if the map you found does represent other places, I'm not sure where to start to try and find them.

[reigniter]

Not to mention that our progress will be heavily delayed because of forest spirits that arent' as friendly as our neighbors

I am not sure either. We need better vantage point for orientation, as well as more information. There is a big chance that there were other beacons that were snuffed out by World Eaters. After all, a single place cannot handle the constant income of people all by itself. Maybe they will have some information.

[paletteswap]

If they all gained resources via ferry it would make sense to travel along the coast for the best chance of finding another town. Further inland I'm unsure how they would get supplies. I have yet to see any true roads or train tracks. Sailing up the river seems inefficient.

The spirits probably think we are invading their home.

[reigniter]

That would depend. If this is a lake, then we can't get very far. Merely make a circle around the lake. With a boat, I am not sure how safe it would be that way.
I think that when Keeper says 'reset' she really means it- a complete reset that erases all roads as well. If we are lucky enough, maybe they have missed erasing some clues.

Finding another town would be a huge discovery.

In a sense, we are spirits as well. Perhaps just a different kind that doesn't belong here.

[paletteswap]

Even what is on the other side of the lake is unknown to us. Every bit of knowledge we find out could potentially be helpful.

Have you tried communicating with them? The spirits out in the forest I mean.

[reigniter]

Unfortunatelly not yet. The furthest I've been out of the Beacon is the outskirts of the village. The spirits that live there are much like near the bonfire- mostly curious about us.

[paletteswap]

There were some creatures in the woods that were not friendly at all. But they seemed to be of the same sort of animal. Like large floating jellyfish.

I know the instruments we received are supposed to help us communicate but I haven't tried it.