Old Git News!

Going to have to start doing Old Git news more often!

Although this is going to be little more than a quick update about certain things as Twitter does not have the space to expand at times. 

Firstly, I was contacted by Bea_DnD on Twitter about a project they are working on, I said I was of course happy to look and they sent me a copy of an adventure they are working on... Oh my word! I have not read a proper, well written scenario for ages! Put's mine to shame. Fairy tale weirdness meets DnD plots and shenanigans! When it comes out, you have to have a look for it as it's a going to be a great addition to your scenario collection. 

Also, the whole #TTRPGSOlidarity thing is kind of exploding in ways I had not imagined. I had hoped to set up a platform for the smaller accounts to have a voice as so often they get swamped in social media, but it's been even more successful that I ever dreamed it would be. The hashtag is even starting to trend which is just fabulous and a bit weird seeing it being used by people I have never met or directly interacted with. There are ideas forming around this that I want you all to be involved with, after all the thing was started for the people of Twitter, but I don't want to spill the beans too early! Suffice to say, watch this space. 

#TTRPGSolidarity is for all of us, it's something we can all get behind as in all honesty, the TTRP community is one of the friendliest and most open groups out there, but, and especially in these dark times, we are by nature a bit reclusive at times so this is an ideal way for us to get together and make new contacts.

Thanks for your continued support. 

Old Git Rich

Power to the People of Twitter!

Bedd Taliesin Part 3

 

The weeks passed, the stick he was making for his step dad was duly finished and handed over, Dewi loved it, although he never used a stick when he was walking, he had a small collection of sticks and was always looking to add to the collection. The jobs came and went, cold days outside in the rain, warm days inside the old dusty barn he was helping another builder friend and colleague fix up for a lecturer at the university. His friend, well work mate really, Duncan was also an English incomer to the area like himself, but unlike him he was not interested in the developing news about the ET signals. He had remarked on it briefly, the first time they had been working together since the news had broken, but it was in an offhand and jokey way, showing he just wasn’t really interested. Duncan liked drinking and going out “on the pull”. His conversation was very limited, but he was a good worker and they got on reasonably well enough to do the jobs they did together.

Duncan insisted on Radio 1 being on pretty much constantly when they were working. They had had arguments over it in the past.

“I seriously don’t know how you can listen to this shit.” Toby said.

“It beats Woman’s Hour and The Archers.” Duncan replied.

“But this is just mindless drivel, the music all sounds the same and the presenters are just brain dead morons.”

“Takes my mind off the boredom of working with you, you don’t drink, don’t go out, don’t do anything. Just ramble on about the sodding aliens. No wonder you never get a shag.” Duncan mumbled past the rolled up cigarette he was smoking.

“Some of us like to use our brains to think with mate, not our dicks or our pint arms.” And with that he carried on measuring the wood that was going to form the massive wooden lintel over the fireplace they were currently building.

It was pretty much like that all the time between the two of them, good natured for the most part, but with an understanding that they would never truly understand each other’s lives, nor really want to.

The wet spring passed into a glorious summer. The sun shone through the windows of the barn they were converting, shining on the motes of dust as they floated about in the still and oppressive air. The old barn was up in the hills at the back of Bont Goch, remote and pretty and also pretty wild. Set in its own valley, it was the sort of place that Toby dreamed of owning himself. You could be self sufficient here, there was a small wood on the hill side, about four acres of scrubby but relatively flat pasture that could be turned over to growing veg and most importantly there was a stream that flowed down from the Cambrian Mountains at the back of the house. It was quiet, remote and just how Toby liked it. There had been a couple of days recently where Duncan had been “off ill” he knew what that meant, recovering from a heavy weekend. He had no sympathy with him, Duncan was the one losing money not him and he enjoyed working on his own up there.

But now Duncan was back and they were doing some pointing outside, Duncan was complaining bitterly about it as usual.

“I hate pointing, it’s so sodding boring!” He said, throwing his pointing trowel onto the plank of wood they were both sitting on, about eight feet off the ground.

They were both working with their shirts off in the summer sun, both of them were brown and lean. Toby had one of his manky old hunting caps on, a really old real-tree camouflage cap he had had for years. It was more ingrained stains and cement dust than fabric these days, he worried if he washed it, that it would fall apart.

As usual Radio One was pumping out the latest offerings from the chart and once again, Toby was not paying attention, trying successfully to blot out what was to his mind, mindless repetitive drivel.

It was nearly time for what passed for the news on Radio one when they cut the song short.

“Sorry we had to cut in on Jason Derulo there, but we’re going over to the BBC news centre early for an important news update…”

“What’s happened now then?” Duncan said.

“If you shut up, we will find out won’t we?” Toby said.

“Get you you stroppy sod.” Duncan replied.

“Just shut up will you!” Toby Snapped.

“… Increase in the strength of the signals and now from multiple points.” The voice on the radio said.

“Woah. Wonder that means.” Toby said. There had been little development in the news on the signals. People had almost forgotten them. Toby had kept an ear out for the news and always checked the reports online when he got home, but other than speculation as to the origin and meaning and endless debates about the source of the signals, there was nothing really new. The space and ground based telescopes were all pointing their lenses and antennae in the direction of the signals now, but there was nothing close enough to earth for the signals to make sense. They were coming from a relatively empty patch of space and there were no stars within thousands of light years in the direction the signals were coming from.

“… We’re not quite sure what this means, it was only by accident we found the other signals. One of our receivers was out by not even a degree, and if you extend that into space, that’s hundreds, if not thousands of light years that arc of coverage can be off. Anyway, the signals we picked up are of the same type, but obviously from a different point source in space. And they are stronger. Whatever is broadcasting them is either a lot closer than we thought, bigger or more numerous.” The unnamed scientist said.

“What are the implications of this latest discovery Dr Henk?” The interviewer asked.

“We’re not sure, we’re quite baffled to tell you the truth. There are a number of possibilities being discussed at the moment. The original source is still broadcasting, the signals are stronger again from those too. The wealth of material we’re getting is huge, but totally unfathomable. At the moment, the only way I can describe it, is we’re like chimps trying to comprehend human speech. We can hear the sound, we know it’s some form of communication, but it’s just noise at the moment. We have no earthly idea what they are saying to us, or now it appears to each other.” Dr Hank Said.

“To each other?” The interviewer pressed him for more details.

“Yes, we’re quite certain that the signals we are getting are some form of communication between point sources in space. There are, as we said numerous sources now, and there is some sort of pattern. We get a signal from one, then a short delay, then a signal from another point, followed by signals from the other points. Then another longer signal from the first point of origin we discovered initially. Some of us have postulated that it is communication between some sort of galactic civilisation and it’s from such a distant galaxy and it’s taken so long to get here that we’re getting it through now in bits and pieces. There are other more wild speculations, but we’re really going through all the possibilities and calculations at the moment. We are after all at a very early stage though, so we ask for your patience in this matter.”

“What other speculations Dr Henk?” The interviewer asked.

“I can’t possibly say at the moment, just that there are a lot of top researchers working on this and we will bring you the results of our work as and when they come out. This is a very exciting time for mankind. The implications are massive, not only are we not alone in the universe, but quite evidently, there are a lot of them out there. We’re part of a big universal family after all.” You could hear the excitement in Dr Henk’s voice as he spoke.

“That is phenomenal!” Toby said.

“What is?” Duncan asked.

“Weren’t you listening? There are more signals!” Toby replied.

“I got that bit, but big deal, more whale song. Woopee.” Duncan said, obviously un-interested.

“You have no imagination Duncan, just imagine what they are like! They have had thousands, if not millions of years to develop. They may not even still be functioning as a civilisation; it's been so long for the signals to get here.” Toby said.

“So what’s the big deal, dead ET’s that are sending us their whale song. Even less exciting.” Duncan said.

“You really are a dull person mate, this is staggering for humanity. How many religions are going to have to re-think what they have been saying.  Mankind was created in the image of God after all, and God created the universe, so these aliens should be in God’s image too. If you believe the bible. I bet they are going to be having fits at this news in religious circles.” Toby said, getting quite animated now.

“Calm down mate, it’s not important. Getting this sodding pointing is important. I don’t want to be doing this for the rest of the week.” Duncan said.

“Mate, you really have no views other than Friday night and the Inn on the Pier do you?” Toby asked, knowing the answer already.

“No Tobes, there are more important things like Stella and young fit students to worry about.” Duncan said grinning.

“You are about the shallowest person I have ever met!” Toby said grinning up at Duncan who had stood up to go and get another bucket of cement to carry on the pointing.

“I take that as a compliment from you Tobes. You are the dullest person I know, walking, fishing and Radio Four.” With that Duncan climbed down the ladder.

Bont Goch

Bedd Taliesin Part 2

    He was outside in his shed one rainy Sunday morning, filing away at the end of a walking stick he was making, getting it ready so he could fit the metal ferrule to stop it wearing away when it was used. In his economy drive he had taken to spending more and more time in the shed, he had given up the TV as an extravagance he could live without, preferring listening to the radio or music. As soon as he had made that decision he had suddenly found he had even more spare time and so had taken up tinkering a lot more in his shed. He was currently making this new walking stick for his step dad. He was not very good, but it was satisfying work and as well as the hands on crafting it also meant he could combine his love of walking as well. He could spend hours, just rambling round the lanes and woodland nearby, Ben rummaging with him, scenting rabbits and squirrels as he looked for shanks that he would set aside to dry ready for the next year when they would be seasoned enough to use. It was another way for him to spend time outside, not that he needed many.

    He had always lived in the country and had always spent a lot of spare time outside. He was a fair shot with an air rifle, preferring that method of hunting to the shot guns his step-father used. It was quieter and he had to get a lot closer to the animal he was stalking in order to make a clean safe shot. He just found it more satisfying. He had never been into lamping or the killing in large numbers of game, just enough for him and his dog to eat. It never seemed right to him to just kill for the sake of it. It was the same with fishing; he preferred fly fishing to worm drowning as he put it. It was more active and much more therapeutic he thought than just sitting on a back watching a float bobbing up and down. Plus it meant he did not need as much kit and he could travel light.

    If the conditions were right, he could just sling the gear in the back of the Landy, some of it was always in there ready to go and he could head off to the river or lake he had in mind and just spend the day or the evening just fishing. It was that sort of freedom he was just not prepared to give up. His mum always asked him when he would settle down. As far as he was concerned he was settled.

    He finished filing the piece of wood and picked up the ferrule for a trial fitting, it was a snug fit and required a gentle tap with a hammer to get it to seat securely.

    “Perfect, just a bit of varnish now and then I can fit it properly.” He worked the ferrule off again and set the stick aside, and reached for the small tin of marine varnish he had for coating the ends of the sticks he made. Radio 4 was on constantly, he had a small radio in the shed, a wind up one that also ran off the mains if needs be. It went with him camping also as he liked to listen to it late at night to help him get off to sleep. The Archers were in full flow when all of a sudden it broke off; he had never heard them do this before.

    “…We interrupt this broadcast with a breaking piece of news. Scientists with the SETI institute have reported a signal has been received that defies any natural explanation. It was received last week on Wednesday at their headquarters in California and has been worked on round the clock until they felt ready to go public with their results. An official spokesman for the institute said they were ninety nine point nine percent certain that this has not natural source and that it bore the signature of intelligence. The question of whether mankind is alone in the universe seems to have been answered. We will bring you more updates as and when they come in, and now we take you back to the Archers…”

    Toby realised he was shaking. He had stopped mid movement, hand hovering on its way to the shelf where the varnish was. He had been reading science fiction since he was a young boy and this had always been the subject of dreams and fantasies for as long as he could remember. It was that much in his thoughts sometimes that he had had trouble for years camping on his own as his imagination would just get the better of him. Too many films watched and books read about alien abduction had left him nervous about being alone at night in the middle of nowhere.

    It was the sort of thing he had hoped would happen one day, but really never truly thought it would. He immediately stopped what he was doing and dashed back into the house, Ben trotted along behind him, tail wagging in the rain as they made their way back up the short path from his small shed. Once inside he turned on his laptop and logged onto the BBC news website only to find it really slow.

    Sorry, the page you were looking for is unavailable…

    “Damn it, it was the same on 9/11, too many people trying to log on to it, eh Ben?” Toby hit the refresh button. This time it loaded, but very slowly.

    The red ticker at the top of the page repeated what he had just heard and the link when he clicked on it said exactly the same thing, more news would be revealed later on as the details emerged.

    “No point trying to watch the News 24 streaming, it will be dead with this many people trying to watch it. Wish I still had the TV. Never mind Ben, fancy a trip to go and see Mom?” He asked the dog.

    Ben’s tail started wagging immediately, he knew what that meant and he was over at the door underneath the peg where his collar and lead where kept before Toby was even off the chair. He followed the dog, grabbed his wax jacket and cap off the peg and was out the door, dog, bounding up the steps to the pavement ahead of him. Rain pelting down onto the slick wet stones of the path.

    The door to his Land Rover creaked as he opened it, the familiar smell of diesel and camping and fishing gear was as welcoming to him as anything else he could think of. The Key, worn with age and use turned easily in the ignition and the old diesel lump rumbled into life. Ben was sitting next to him in the middle seat, he had a habit of leaning in on him as he was driving, he suspected it was just to help him balance, but he liked to think it was for company. He pulled away, the road was always quieter on a Sunday and it was even quieter today. Possibly everyone is watching the news he thought, and then he remembered Wales was playing Ireland today in the Six nations. So they would be at home getting ready for the match to start.

    The drive over to his mom and step dads’ house would only take twenty minutes or so, even in his slow old Landy. The rain was bouncing off the road and wind-screen, the less than effective wipers were struggling to keep up with the deluge. He took his time, there was no point in rushing.

    The drive over to the house was normally a very pleasant one, with a fantastic view over the farm as he topped the hill on the back road over. On a good day he would quite often just stop and take in the view for a moment or two. Today was not a good day, the cloud was right down and the wind was driving the rain hard and horizontally off the sea. He could barely see the hedges to either side of the car in this weather. It was already steamed up inside, the heater, not efficient at the best of times, took ages to warm up and it was struggling with the moisture in the air. He had to keep leaning forward over the high steering wheel to wipe the window with the back of his hand so he could see out clearly. Not for the first time he was regretting not having a cloth in there to wipe it.

    “Nearly there Ben… You never know, we may be in time for a bit of food, you know how mom is.” It was Sunday, she never failed to cook a roast and she never failed to cook way more than she or Dewi, his step dad could eat.

    The swung up the lane to the short drive in front of the house where his mom and step dad lived. He and the dog jumped out and jogged round to the back where they were greeted by steam coming out of the open back door and the sound of his mom talking to Dewi. They were both slightly hard of hearing so they always spoke loudly.

   

    “Hi mom, have you heard the news?” He asked her.

    “No.” She replied “What’s been going on?” She suddenly looked all concerned. His mom, he knew, had a tendency to think the worst and panic a bit.

    “Nothing bad mom, don’t worry, it’s really exciting actually.” He said.

    “Dewi, put the telly on.” She shouted at the man sitting on one of the chairs surrounding the table in the kitchen.

    Dewi, looked mildly confused for a while, as he always did when he was asked to do anything by his wife but with a long sighted squint at the remote control, he turned on the TV that was sat on top of an old oak dresser at the side of the room.

    The news was on as Toby thought it would be.

    “… Signal undoubtedly from an intelligent source…” A man was saying with an American accent.  “It’s on a frequency we had sampled many times before in a region of space we had tried before, so we believe this has taken quite some time to get to us. Radio signals travel at the speed of light, so it has undoubtedly taken these signals a long time for us to reach us here on Earth.”

    “What form are the signals in, can we hear them?” Asked the interviewer.

    “Yes of course.” He turned and pressed a key on his computer. The sound that emanated made Toby tingle with excitement. He was finally listening to an alien species! It consisted of very low frequency modulated clicks and you could only describe them as warbles. Almost like a mixture of whale and dolphin calls but as if they had been digitised. The sound played for about 25 seconds and then stopped.

    “We have heard that particular sequence transmitted 23 times in the last 76 hours, there are numerous other recordings coming in all the time now, we almost have too much to go on. We will be here for decades just analysing this one recording and we now have hundreds like this! The SETI scientist was obviously buzzing with excitement.

    “Bloody hell!” Toby said, loudly.

    “What does it mean? What are they on about?” His mother asked.

    “Aliens mom, they are signals that are being picked up that are extra terrestrial.” He replied.

    “Oh wow.” She said. Obviously a bit too unsure as to the significance of the news.

    “It means mom, that we’re not actually alone in the universe, that there is life on other planets. You know all those books you used to complain about me reading, all those science fiction books? Well, it’s not science fiction any more mom, it looks like it's science fact.” He explained a bit more about it, simplifying what the scientists were saying for his mom and step dad. He may not have gotten straight A’s in his GCSE’s, but twenty odd years of reading science fiction books had actually given him a good basic grounding in physics and astrophysics.

    He carried on talking and listening all the way through the roast chicken dinner his mom served up for them. After the Sunday lunch was finished, his step dad went straight out as was normal for him to either his shed or his small gun shop. Toby continued to sit and watch the news with his mom in the lounge. Cups of tea and puddings later and it was getting dark and time to go home. Nothing new was coming on the news and they were just repeating the same endless images and recordings on a seemingly endless loop now. The news for now was as up to date as it was going to be. He headed off back over the hill to his own snug little cottage.

Bedd Taliesin, Part Two