Back from Cuba.

[Natasha]

I returned from working in Latin America and the Caribbean where some Russian archeaologists have made some discoveries and claims that I am qualified to investigate.

It's an ongoing story with some limited news coverage. For example, clicky.

Searching the news will uncover little more coverage but what's being exposed to the public isn't the full story.

Of course, we don't know the full story, but there are certain aspects about the research which are being withheld until they are better understood. Hopefully I get to tell you everything I've been working on, especially if you're interested in arcane languages and dolphin worship

[KonThaak]

Hey, that brightened my day! I'm looking forward to updates in this field. Welcome back, Natasha. ^_^

[Natasha]

Hello again.

[GhostSpider]

Welcome back Natasha.

Worshipped dolphins?

Odd...

[Shadowstalker]

Maybe not that odd.

[KonThaak]

I don't think it's odd at all. Dolphins are awesome.

[Ron Caliburn]

I've often wondered if we will ever unlock their language.

[Eilonwy Solstice]

A moving city? Or a city being moved?

But welcome back, Natasha. It’s so lovely to hear your voice again! sends hugs

[Natasha]

Dolphins (both freshwater and marine) figure into the mythology and religion of many in the ancient and modern world.

Whales, too, of course.

I've got a lot of reading to do.

[Natasha]

A moving city? Or a city being moved?

But welcome back, Natasha. It’s so lovely to hear your voice again! sends hugs

*hugs*

It's not moving anymore. It's not clear if it ever was, really. I took the Galileo quote to be more like "well, it's something to be reckoned with."

[Natasha]

My colleague in Cuba sent me a presentation made by one of the Cuban researchers who specialised in piloting the underwater robot explorer they're using. I printed off the slides and started the video. I was flipping ahead in the slides paying little attention to the video. I arrived on an interesting slide which showed the robot's path of exploration along with a map of the ruins and whatnot. I was looking at this when the speaker caught my attention. "Aquí, un desconocido texto." (Here, an unknown text.) "What?" I said quickly and out loud. My head snapped up to the monitor and I clicked on the pause icon. Unknown text to whom, precisely? I knew exactly what it was. The door being explored by the robot was covered in alarm wards. I watched the rest of the video carefully and then called my colleague in Cuba. I asked if he could tell me whether or not that robot ever touched the door and if he could get me some better resolution photographs. And I wanted to send that robot back and set up some underwater cameras; being a robot it shouldn't bother any area affect wards.

"¿Cuándo?" he asked.

"Pronto," I replied. "Call me when it's completed."

Ancient diabolists on Earth.

[Eilonwy Solstice]

Ancient diabolists . . .? Why would they have alarm wards covering the door? What could they be guarding? Do you think something might still be there to investigate should the wards be disturbed?

[Natasha]

My guess is that they're no longer active, assuming the process of winding up on the ocean floor was violent enough to disturb the wards. In any case we need to know what's behind those doors. I would like to know if the ward's creator(s) is(are) still alive and more about them. Some of the art we found on some of the walls were dolphin-riders armed with lightning bolt tridents. There's nothing like that in the magic or arcane lore that I have been able to remember or find in any books, but I'm still looking. We don't know if they're good, evil, dead, alive, or even the creators of the wards, of course.

[Eilonwy Solstice]

Will you be able to let us know what you find out?

[Natasha]

It's likely that I will.

[skeptic]

Dolphin-riders?
I've heard of them in Celtic myths. I think so anyway.
I opened 100s of doors with scribblings across them.
For a serious researcher such as yourself I can't believe what I'm seeing!

[Natasha]

I heard the same. But these guys wield lightning bolts.

My thinking is that if I can find the myth to put these guys in, I might learn some more about the guys that warded the door.

It's the shortest stretch I got at this point seems.

[KonThaak]

Lightning-wielding dolphin-riders... This sounds so familiar. >.<; I'll rack my brains, Natasha.

[Natasha]

Thanks. I'd appreciate anything you come up with. I'm at a total loss myself.

[Natasha]

Hm. Well. So much for a calm evening paging through the grimoires and mythology sources...

My mobile rang. "Unknown". I answered with the formal, "I'm listening".

"Krilova!?"

I recognised the voice. My colleague in Cuba. "Yes, Serafin," I started.

But he went right into a really long and loud rant combining Spanish and Russian in a mixture that I couldn't understand whatsoever.

"Slow down, Serafin, tell me one by one what's happened."

"UER," his robot, "is GONE!"

"Gone?"

"GONE!"

Oh no.

"I'll email you the footage, a copy of the live feed we recorded," he said rather quickly and hung up.

I went to the computer and checked my email. It took a while for the message to download. The clip showed everything the robot saw and then the screen goes black, somet static, and then nothing.

I'm going to buried in work for a while trying to get things figured out here, so I may not post much next days or even weeks. I may even be required to fly back to Cuba.

[Eilonwy Solstice]

Ohhh . . . be careful, Natasha. I’d like to be able to sing with you again some time.

[Natasha]

Me, too.

Well they found a transmitter from the robot; it was detached from the robot. The search for the bot continues.

I just had to take a break. I only need 3-4 hours of sleep a day but I need it.

[Shang Li]

Miss Natasha, is site close to the demon sea just South and East of the United States?

[Natasha]

Miss Natasha, is site close to the demon sea just South and East of the United States?

It isn't. I'm not sure where its origins are thought to be, however, as I'm focused on other things right now. Including the recovered submarine robot explorer...well, that's not entirely true only a few bits of the main body torn into metal shreds were recovered yesterday. We're still looking for the rest of it and trying to get a handle on a few details we were able to pluck from the last of the video feed.

[Bearshaman]

I wasn't sure, did the robot acutally open the door yet?
Greek mythology had a dolphin rider as well, but he was a musician. Don't think that helps much but there it is.

[Natasha]

I wasn't sure, did the robot acutally open the door yet?
Greek mythology had a dolphin rider as well, but he was a musician. Don't think that helps much but there it is.

Hm. I didn't make that clear. Sorry. No, the door had not been opened yet at the time it was "attacked".

Thanks for the input, too. These guys may have been inspired by some of the Greek mythology about dolphins, which wasn't rich but wasn't by any means insignificant.

[GhostSpider]

Any preliminary findings on what did in your robot?

[Natasha]

No. A large dark blob come from underneath and wrap some tentacles like a giant squid or octopus but that doesn't explain the shredding of metal. There were cameras on the underside but their video wasn't streaming so we don't have any copies of it. At least not yet; if we could recover that we might be able to get some more information about the robot's demise.

[KonThaak]

I thought giant squid were strong enough to rend metal...

[Ron Caliburn]

Not the type of metal a deep sea robot would be made of.

Jaws couldn't bite down on one of those.