[audio] @kingofwei HERE WE GO

[pure_havoc]

[he sounds tired. They probably all do, after all of that.]

My friends...

I'm sure I don't need to state the obvious, but we are just now seeing the full extent of this disaster. If you have not yet looked to see the bluff where the lighthouse used to be, take a moment and behold. This is hardly the first time the ferry hasn't come, but everything else....well. It is a tragedy on all sides.

First, I would like those who can to check in. Who is still here, and are you all alright? Now that we have a moment to breathe, report in if you can. We must take stock of who is genuinely missing, versus those who are just too busy to use the Grandmaster's alert system.

Second, can we have reports on what is destroyed and what still stands? I have spent my energy moving torches and redirecting water around the Bonfire. It is mostly safe, as far as I can tell, but Master Rastus is missing entirely. What of the village and the downtown on the other sides of the river? How do they fare? Has anyone been able to reach the Keeper, Dr. Solis, or anyone else with the network?

[a pause, a deep breath. Rosinante, buddy, this is on you]

Now is the time we need leadership, more than any other. We can discuss and debate the options later but for the moment, I would like for all of you to trust me and allow me to take charge. Temporarily, if nothing else. I have led my kingdom through war and disaster on a similar level before, I will do everything in my power to lead us out of this and to recovery and reorder, swiftly and carefully. I have been asked by some to step up, and so I shall. If you will let me. If there are no objections, simply ask me for a direction and I will point you toward a need that your skills can meet. What we need first is to take stock of what we have and what is missing: people, supplies, and shelter. From there, we will move forward one step at a time.

If you will not have me, then feel free to say so and I will not waste my time. Meanwhile, I will be moving torches back to the Bonfire Square until I drop from fatigue.

Comments

[pure_havoc]

[okay Matt can be forgiven for not uh. looking up at the lake. Cao Pi's tone is dead serious]

It's gone. Entirely. The entire bluff appears to have been washed away.

There is only so much we can discern from a distance in the darkness but the light is gone and the black shapes of the bluff have changed. Now that we have some starlight to see by, we can see that much. But without having someone who can go there to see it up close, there is no way to know if the Keeper survived, or if any of it is salvageable.

[catholicisms]

I'll... I'll see if I can contact her. I haven't heard from her since all this started, not once since before the storm. I figured that with the rain, the connection was too muddled.

( now he feels guilty and terrible that he didn't try sooner or even think sooner that a flimsy metal lighthouse that seemed to seem creaky just in the wind could be utterly destroyed by a storm of that magnitude. )

The spirits always kept us from getting too close. It might be dangerous to go search, but if there's anything left behind, we should find it if we can.

( Robin was in charge of some important technology, after all. Matt is distinctly worried about the implications of what that might mean, if all of it is suddenly gone. )

Robin, Solis, Rastus... they're not the only ones that seem to be gone. It seems we lost quite a few in the storm. I can't even guess how many, but we need to find out.

[pure_havoc]

It can't be helped, we were all rather busy trying to keep ourselves and the rest of the town from washing away.

It is my hope that an open message like this will get some to respond, so we can account for them, in order to focus our search efforts. If anyone has received an alert from someone, it needs to be reported as well.

[catholicisms]

( it can't be helped doesn't code well with catholic guilt. even if it's probably true. )

I'll get a headcount the best I can. And I'll try and get in touch with Robin.

[pure_havoc]

Keep me apprised. In the meantime, is there anything you need, counselor?

[ahhhh forgive him, he loves using titles and wielding them as if they're more intimate than someone's given name]

[catholicisms]

I will.

( now more than ever it seems especially imperative not to try and be an island of information. anything he finds out, he's happy to share. )

I don't think so. I'm as well as anyone else. Seems like the place I was staying in the Village was more or less trashed. We might have to find something else.

[pure_havoc]

The Invincible is still intact and I am hearing good things about the hotel, so there are options. It is a shame to lose good housing in that direction, though.

[catholicisms]

I doubt it's irreparable, but I'm not sure it's the best priority with things as they are.

( so... probably... Landmark or Invincible it is. he'll be looking into that, sooner or later. )

[pure_havoc]

Yes, at this early point we must look to our people and then our most valuable resources, supplies and access before we begin thinking about repairing the most heavily damaged buildings.

Do keep me advised if you notice anything amiss in that direction.

[catholicisms]

I will.

And in the meantime, I'll help with the torches. It'd be better to get them back in the Bonfire now that the storm is over.