A news headline is the link to the next part of the quest - story seven
And a curious connection between one of the Hexton widgets and an artefact on L'Abre de Vie
Welcome fellow Road Trippers to this armchair road trip like no other on board our uncrewed airborne people carrier (UAPC) affectionately known as Drewp. Get settled in your preferred seat on Drewp, relax and let the real world fade away. Meet me in The Comments Lounge so we can gossip about this leg of the trip.
L’Abre de Vie was voted as the next adventure, You can see where this is on the larger map at the bottom of this letter.
A headline on the Expanses News Network catches Crox’s eye:
“NEW ARCHIVES NOW OPEN ON L’ABRE DE VIE”
Somewhere in his memory banks, Crox knows about L’Abre de Vie. Many centuries ago the original L’Abre de Vie Archipelago had disappeared under the ocean in a sudden gurgling, swirling event that is common on The Drifting Expanse. But the displaced beings never forgot their deep rooted connection to the place. Over the last 4 decades, they have painstakingly reclaimed the land, restoring L’Abre de Vie to some of its former glory.
They’ve added new technological advancements of course: measures to ensure the waters stay fresh and healthy, protection for the fragile branches of land from the forces of the ocean and the vagaries of The Drifting Expanse. Arboreta have been established to provide habitats for wildlife.
He scans the news article with piqued interest.
The people of L’Abre De Vie are pleased to announce that the long-awaited Arboreal Bole Archives were opened in a unique ceremony earlier this week. A spokesperson for the Archives said “Many valuable artefacts were uncovered during The Great Reclamation, and these have been housed in the specially designed Arboreal Bole Archives. The archives spread across a column of 7 separate structures on the Highward / Beneathward axis, each showcasing a particular artefact. The column represents our strength in the trunk of the tree and is situated on the main trunk of the island where it connects to the mainland.”
Visit the Archives information site for further details about the artefacts and find out how you can plan a visit.
Curious, Crox reads more about the artefacts. There is something about one of them that makes him feel uneasy, so he calls Jalisse and Kriliah over, filling them in on the news. On hearing his word’s Jalisse’s entire aura turns an unusual shade of malachite and one of the Hexton widgets in Kriliah’s pockets begins to radiate heat. Reaching into the pocket, they draw out a single link of a green metal chain.
“Do you think that link is made from some form of Chlorophyte1?” Crox looks at Kriliah and Jalisse.
Jalisse murmurs “I have a feeling it might be. I only have this kind of auric reaction when there is a connection to plants.”
“Hmm, the article says one of the artefacts is made from Chlorophyte and green pearls. I wonder if the artefact and the chain are connected at all?” Crox muses.
“Well, let’s stop fannying about, plan a visit and find out”, Kriliah urges, desperate to move forward with the quest. Too much time had been wasted recently, what with the so-called training and then the visit to Angle-Sea.
As this story will continue when the Company visit L’Abre de Vie, there is no decision to be made about where they go next. But, this option will be back next time. But you can update your map. Where is L’Abre de Vie? Have a look at the map below and update your own version of the free map.
What else do you notice about the map this week? I’d love to know what you spot - leave me a comment.
Can you believe that we are already at story seven. What will the next story hold? Set a date for next Tuesday for another trip on Dwerp for episode eight.
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Other stories in this series
Head to the Index Page for all the stories so far. The stories are micro fiction, so I’ll be attempting to keep them under 500 words if I can. This one is 440 words.
The stories behind the story
Want to find out more about the history of L’Abre de Vie and the artefacts? Visit the world building index available to paid subscribers. Delve deeper into the stories behind the story, with a paid subscription? I have a 10% off offer valid until the end of October.
A bright-green metal found deep beneath the jungle, with plant-themed properties, used to craft armour and weapons that harness the powers of plants. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fictional_elements,_materials,_isotopes_and_subatomic_particles)
Such creative world building, Debs