Ambientia
June 6, 2006
Losing connection to the Synthitone was the most devastating event that has ever happened to me since arriving on Ambientia. Since assembling it I have always felt a strong bond with it - as though it had a personality of its own that it could communicate with me. This is quite true as most things on Ambientia are not just a matter of being there in a physical form. The whole world itself is governed by music and it is music that creates the environment. I truly believe that the music is the common thread that provides a link to Ambientia. When the Synthitone went offline, this link was broken. Communications Lost.
I was all set to journey off in search of a way to get back to the Synthitone, but stopped myself after considering that I had no clear direction to follow. What if I went off in the wrong direction completely? It could have been years before I made it back, if ever. I went back to the ROAM and tried to access the Synthitone. Expecting not to be able to communicate with the music library there, I tried anyhow. To my surprise I could get into the library! The link was established again and I could access all of the Synthitone's music files. Something was different about this link this time, though. It seemed enhanced in some way, much like an upgrade of some sort. This was clear to me by the presence of a new icon in the ROAM display. This icon was of a mountain peak with an eye floating above it. I touched the icon.
The ROAM jumped to life and activated the towers, but a portal did not open this time. Instead, a large holographic image appeared before me that was divided into several sections. In each section there appeared to be a part of Ambientia. I saw the Shell that the Synthitone is in. I also saw the Broken Bridge that led me here. I also saw 4 other places that were unfamiliar to me. Once of them caught my eye. It was of a high hill top. It seemed to be very high. I thought with certainty that I would be able to see much of Ambientia from this hill top, and that I might be able to see a clear path back to the Synthitone. At least I hoped that this hill was in the same vicinity and not in some other far away region. I figured that it had to be close by as it was represented on the ROAM display just next to the Broken Bridge, as though to represent that this hill is the the next closest stop from the cabin.
I wondered if the ROAM could open a portal to Hill Top that I could travel through. So, I touched the image of Hill Top and set the ROAM in motion. It went through the usual motions and the towers activated, but a portal still did not open. Instead, all of the towers stopped glowing except one. This tower started pulsing and the colour of the beam transformed from red to green. "This must be the direction of Hill Top", I thought. I set the ROAM back into its automatic mode of sending the files from the Synthitone. It would be some time before something was sent as it needed to recharge itself. I packed up what gear I needed including the portable device, and set off in the direction that the tower was pointing.
After on an uneventful day's travel, I came upon a path. This path started to get a little rockier as I travelled on. It took a turn to the left and I followed it into a dense forest for what seemed like forever. This was not the case, of course, and the path opened up to a spectacular view of Hill Top. I set off for the foothill of this giant vantage point, and came to a small path, yet again. This path dove into dense forest once more but took a dramatic angle up. Without much flatness, the path climbed forever up over what seemed to be a great distance. Part way up I came to a small lake. How odd was this to have a lake at such elevation. It did not appear to be fed by anything but runoff from above and any rainfall. I took this opportunity to rest a moment as I had no idea how much further the summit of Hill Top was. I tried to look behind me to get a sense of my elevation, but the trees were too dense. I was truly in the thick of this forest that filled in the landscape, even at higher elevations.
Once rested, I continued along the climbing path. The forest finally started to thin and the land became more rocky until, at last I was at Hill Top. I climbed up the ladder that was attached to the rock face and reached the plateau. Standing up I began to see the land around me unfold as far as the eye can see. This really was the best outlook on Ambientia for I could see the outstretch of land for many many miles. Looking in awe of what this great height provided I almost missed the small pole in the ground, if I had not bumped into it. This pole had a slotted interface on it, similar to a microphone. "What could this do?", I wondered. In my midst of thinking, an idea came to mind. If the ROAM opens a portal using a unique set of notes, then perhaps the same held true for Hill Top. So now I had to think about what notes to play here. I figured that if I played the fist notes that I played on the Synthitone, then perhaps it would open a portal that would get me to the Synthitone. I tried this and sure enough a gigantic portal opened up at one end of the plateau. In I went and traveled for a few moments in time and space, and eventually exited the portal. I was just outside the Shell. I walked around it until I came to the Synthitone. I am happy to be back, but what I see before me in the Shell has clouded my excitement with dismay.
The Synthitone is not in the same state that I had left it. Someone else has been here. Granted, I have made some changes by using the ROAM, but this is different. The unit is still in one piece, but it feels different. It feels like a foreign presence has been here and tried to use the Synthitone. Having built the machine I have a personal connection to its inner workings. I know what it should sound like; what patterns of light activate; what sequence of events take place to become ready - I know it all so perfectly. What I feel now is not this perfection. Something is different. I have even considered this to be a result of engaging the ROAM into automatic mode, but there is something very different. Someone has been here.
I must now check the Synthitone very carefully. If someone has arrived here, are they still here? Did they leave again? If not, where did they go? Ambientia has, once again, provided many questions but not the answers.
-The Traveler