Eud "Ruadh" Sgurr's Journal

[Eud Sgurr]

I have started to keep an online journal of my adventures on Calypso. I keep them on blogspot, and I will update this thread with the text from there (address to blog in my signature below). For photos please see the other version.

A New Colonist's Journal from Calypso

It's now just a week ago since I arrived at Port Atlantis. I am expecting a demanding life here on Calypso, but anything must be better than old Earth...

But a man needs a job. Fortunately I found a company I could join fairly quickly. It's Entropia News Network, ENN, and the people and the job is a perfect match for me. I was a freelance journalist back on Earth, so I look forward to writing news and features with a Calypsian angle now. I joined ENN on Tuesday, and yesterday I was promoted from Trainee to Employee. It feels good to be appreciated!

[Eud Sgurr]

I keep an online journal of my adventures on Calypso. They are hosted by blogspot, and I will update this thread with the text from there (eudsgurr.blogspot.com). For photos please see the other version.

ENN Fort Troy Expedition

Yesterday our vice president Dave Neuromancer Haze asked if anyone needed to do a teleporter run on Eudoria. At that time I still needed to visit Nymphtown, Fort Pandora, Camp Echidna, and Fort Troy. Dave offered to run me to Fort Troy, which I was very grateful for. At the teleporter in East Scylla Mountains we met a sky woman named Lady Love Machine (!), who we offered to join our expedition to Fort Troy. The run went very smoothly under Dave's careful and knowledgeable supervision. Here is a snapshot of the three of us just North of the Helios outpost:

And another outside the Helios container:

After Helios we continued our run, and we successfully arrived safe and sound at Fort Troy in less than an hour total time. Thanks again vice president for the teleporter run. I learnt a great deal more along the way than just a new teleporter.

[Eud Sgurr]

I keep an online journal of my adventures on Calypso. They are hosted by blogspot, and I will update this thread with the text from there (eudsgurr.blogspot.com). For photos please see the other version.

FAPs and gender issues

I am new to this world, that is for sure. I am also new to many of the things we use and do here on Calypso. Like handling a rifle, which I never did back on Earth, or handling a FAP. I found a FAP inside an Exarosaur the other day. I tried it out, and each time I did, there was some very basic brain reaction that triggered in me. I tried to understand what it was, and finally I saw a nude woman looking out at me, each time the lid flips open when it injects the healing accelerant.


Why a nude woman? Why not a man? Do FAPs have different sexes? Did I loot a female FAP? I will dig deeper into this. The truth must be unearthed!

[Eud Sgurr]

I keep an online journal of my adventures on Calypso. They are hosted by blogspot, and I will update this thread with the text from there (eudsgurr.blogspot.com). For photos please see the other version.

Hadesheim blues

After some hunting in the rolling countryside between Billy's Spaceship Afterworld and Camp Pheonix, I decided to go sightseeing in Hadesheim. I've been to Hadesheim before, and the place puzzled me. What kind of city is that? It felt utterly desolate last time I passed through, so I wanted to see if I somehow picked the wrong time of day last time. It is a huge city, and I passed a marketplace that I wanted to look more closely at this time. I also remembered a banklike building.

I arrived at Hadesheim Center and headed North. I soon encountered the market, where people sell their goods, some employing stall personell. I almost bought a new gun, but I will wait. All the advice I've received this far is to really use the gun to the max before switching to a new model. I am quite happy with my trusty Sollomate Opalo and I know there is much to be learnt by using it for some time still.

The streets are really empty in Hadesheim!
I walked up the steps of the PE Exchange that was the banklike building I noticed on my last trip through Hadesheim. Inside I found a collection of terminals, called Exchange terminals. Unfortunately they were not working. I must learn more about this. Do we have an stock exchange on Calypso?
After this little investigation of Hadesheim city I headed East. I realised that I lacked the teleporter that is called Hadesheim East. So I sprinted there, very glad to be out of the oppressing and desolate city. I looked back at the city once more before leaving it. This is the snapshot:
After having picked up the teleporter coordinates and information I spent a few successful minutes with shooting the local wildlife! I encountered a new species of the Calypsian fauna: merps. I never saw these before, and I was proud to notice I didn't have any problems defeating them. They are a very frisky animal, the merps. Quite beautiful in their way, and I even managed to take a picture of one of the ones that I slayed:

[Eud Sgurr]

I keep an online journal of my adventures on Calypso. They are hosted by blogspot, and I will update this thread with the text from there (eudsgurr.blogspot.com). For photos please see the other version.

Teleport run to Nymphtown

This morning I started off with three missing teleporters on Eudoria. As you will see in this report and the next, I now only lack one teleporter on the continent: Camp Echidna. For the morning's run, I set my goal to reach Nymphtown. I started the trip in Minopolis.

From Minopolis, I headed straight East. I thought it would be an easy run to the ocean there, and then swim along the coast until it was safe to contact the teleporter from the ocean directly to Nymphtown. That was a bad plan. Just a few hundred meters out of Minopolis I was attacked by a extremely nasty creature. One bite, and I was flat on my back. I was not to be deterred!

I made a new plan: run North, hit the ocean, swim all the way around the cape and down South to conclude my above plan. You can see what the local wildlife thought about this plan!

Fortunately I made it down to the ocean, and started swimming. I didn't notice an obnoxious little critter who managed to kill me before itself died from drowning! Was I to be deterred now? No!

Third time's a charm! I headed South, South-East, from Minopolis and managed to reach the ocean this way. Then I swam South, as I originally planned. Along the way, I was tempted to head inland in search of strange and wonderous sights. I saw a lot of intimidating creatures, wonderful forests, magnificent mountains, and I met death. Again. I was revived at a camp that subsequently didn't show up on my navigator. A secret camp? The usual, official container and turret was in place. I took a snapshot:

After heading back to the relative safety of the ocean, I continued my swim to the South. I finally made contact with the teleporter and requested an extraction.

Nymphtown at last! I didn't have time to see much of the surrounding area. I look forward to explore the Nymphtown neighbourhood on a later date.
This last snapshot shows me celebrating my successful run from Minopolis to Nymphtown.

[Eud Sgurr]

I keep an online journal of my adventures on Calypso. They are hosted by blogspot, and I will update this thread with the text from there (eudsgurr.blogspot.com). For photos please see the other version.

ENN Pandora Expedition (feat. Black Orb)

This afternoon I was offered help to complete my teleport run to Fort Pandora. It was again our vice president, Dave Neuromancer Haze, who volunteered to help me reach the desert fort. The ENN Pandora Expedition consisted of myself and Dave:

Dave recommended the Westward run from Minipolis to Fort Pandora, via the now very famous, and enigmatic, Black Orb. Since I've yet to see the Orb, I was pleased to accept Dave's suggested route. On the first stretch towards the Orb we encountered a multitude of merps. They were hungry and we slayed many. Most of them carried good loot, so it was a pleasant job to hack our way through their numbers (well, Dave hacked with his axe, and I shot with my Opalo). Incidentally, we made a tidy 54 PED (TT value) from the loot from the trip; not including two pieces of armor worth approximately 35 PED on the auction. Dave told me this was unexpected from a teleporter run.

We reached the Black Orb without problem. There were only three more people there when we arrived. I studied the Orb and took a picture:
We stayed for a few minutes and chatted with the others, before we continued our journey West.

During the rest of the run, we encountered many creatures, of which the atraxes offered the most resistance to Dave's axe. I was able to add another Eudorian species to my list: the hiryuu. Dave told me they are relatively harmless, as long as you don't lure them down to the ground.

After having entered the desert, our journey was drawing to a close. One last dune, and we could see Fort Pandora down in the valley ahead:

We split the loot and concluded it was a particularly good teleport run. Dave also asked of me to help others in the future in the same way I've been helped by him. Of course I said I intend to do this. It is an important way of helping our new colony here on Calypso grow and thrive. Helping others gives so much back.

This report ends with a snapshot of me and Dave standing infront of the Fort Pandora teleporter.

[Eud Sgurr]

I keep an online journal of my adventures on Calypso. They are hosted by blogspot, and I will update this thread with the text from there (eudsgurr.blogspot.com). For photos please see the other version.

Mining enmatter

I have been wondering what occupation I should choose here on Calypso. The obvious choice is journalism but I feel I need a bit more knowhow about the community in order to start working properly as a journalist. This blog is a way for me to start writing and putting words to my thoughts and experiences.

I have tried hunting. Both alone in the wilderness and together with other colonists. It is fun, but fairly costly. I have tried the odd sweating profession with some luck. I have drained many creatures of their vibrant sweat since I arrived. I have also tried mining, both for ores and for enmatter. I have decided to try my hand at enmatter mining and do it with proper tools for evaluation.

I have started with a small sum, 300 PED, and I will evaluate my losses and profits after each batch of probes I buy. I hope to be able to report my findings when I compile my data. I understand that this budget may be too small for a total beginner like myself, but at least I will get a better feeling for the costs and potential profits involved.

Two snapshots from my first few days as an enmatter miner:

Yours truly after a hard day's worth of enmatter mining!

Happily mining at a crude oil deposit in the desert.

[Eud Sgurr]

I keep an online journal of my adventures on Calypso. They are hosted by blogspot, and I will update this thread with the text from there (eudsgurr.blogspot.com). For photos please see the other version.

Fort Ares? Fort Ares!

This morning I was standing by the Monument in Jason center, thinking about this and that, not really up for any big adventures. A lazy morning. I overheard a couple of colonists speaking of the general shabbiness of Fort Ares. I wasn't paying much attention, but it suddenly dawned at me that I've never actually visited Fort Ares. "But!" I hear you complain, "You told us you only lack the Echidna teleport!" Yes, this is true. I lied.

Loitering around the Monument in Jason Center.

Of some reason I have totally blacked-out the existence of Fort Ares. I checked my navigator, and sure enough: no blue dot where Fort Ares should be. I meandered over to the teleporter in Jason Center and verified it: I could not travel to Fort Ares at this time.

Unable to teleport to Fort Ares.

I checked the maps I had at hand, and realised that Fort Ares seemed to be only a kilometer or so due South from Aegis Mound. That seemed like exactly the kind of teleport run I was up to at this time of day. So, I teleported off to Aegis Mound, which isn't such a cheerful place either.
Posing infront of the Aegis Mound terminal building.

I grabbed my navigator and turned on the direction marker to point straight South, and off I jogged. It was a pleasant little jog through the rolling countryside between Aegis Mound and Fort Ares. I saw several peacefully gracing Cornundacauda and Caudatergus. I followed a vague footpath through the sparse vegetation. Speaking of the flora this is a subject that interests me very much. The plants of Calypso range from common to spectacular, and I really enjoy watching the beautiful forms that have evolved on this planet. This plant, for example:

One example of the marvellous flora of Calypso.

I have decided to learn more about the flora of the planet. There seem to be a fairly comprehensive knowledge about the fauna of Calypso, so I hope to find that the plants also have been catalogued.

I reached Fort Ares without any problems at all. I must agree with the people I eavesdropped on in Jason Center: Ares isn't a pretty place. But, it may prove to be a valuable teleport to have in the navigator. My posing snapshot in front of Fort Ares' shoddy welcoming sign:

After this teleport run I felt inspired to explore some more. I decided to go to the other continent, Amethera, to hopefully collect one or two teleporters there. I started running from New Oxford with Treasure Island City as my goal. Just outside New Oxford I followed a brick bridge to the mainland. I was reminded of old Earth as I ran.

Old Earth bridge outside New Oxford.

I ran via Genesis Amethera Headquarters and reached Treasure Island City without incidents. There were some angry fish in the water along the way, but my armour protected me.

[Eud Sgurr]

I keep an online journal of my adventures on Calypso. They are hosted by blogspot, and I will update this thread with the text from there (eudsgurr.blogspot.com). For photos please see the other version.

Sweating North of Atlas Haven

When I arrived to Port Atlantis, oh... well, almost two weeks ago now, I heard about sweating. "Sweating"?!? It sounded like heavy work. I saw people in orange tracksuits working out on the fields around Port Atlantis, or maybe digging earth or rocks, endless rows of colonists working and sweating.

Soon, I got the explanation. Sweating is the mindforce method of gathering vibrant sweat from the indigenous creatures of Calypso. I of course knew about vibrant sweat as one of the ingredient in making mind essence. Only, back on Earth I was never involved in mindforce per se. Here on Calypso mindforce seems to have reached new heights and I see more people using these techniques here than I ever did back on the Old Planet.

I have sweated around Atlas Haven for a week now. I like this place better than Camp Phoenix. Phoenix is called the Sweater's Paradise, but I really can't see why. It is crowded, it is slow, it's in the middle of nowhere. No, Atlas Haven suits me better. I also practise my rifle and handgun skills here. "Let me dry you, madam Critter... There, thank you, here: have a bullet!". Not very polite, but it serves my purpose.

Drawing sweat out of a snablesnot male.

Sweating is a... sweaty job, so I felt I needed a small diversion. I teleported to Amethera, New Oxford. I never looked around properly at that settlement, so I did today. The city has a distinct posh atmosphere which I am not too sure I like. I found the New Oxford Art Galleries, which offered a nice exhibition of art. I will return here later.

Outside the New Oxford Art Galleries building.

[Eud Sgurr]

I keep an online journal of my adventures on Calypso. They are hosted by blogspot, and I will update this thread with the text from there (eudsgurr.blogspot.com). For photos please see the other version.

Every Eudoria Teleporter are now in my navigator!

Yesterday I got the last two Eudoria teleporters for my navigator. "Two?" I hear you ask. Yes, it seems my map reading skills are anything but reliable. I had totally forgotten about Fort Medusa when I said I only had Camp Echidna left to collect. Now I am totally confident that I indeed have all teleporters registered in my navigator.

Fort Medusa was easy to reach from Limnadian District, via the Lumnikak outpost. Molisk country up there! Very pretty forest, as well. I'd really like to know what those trees are called. They smell marvellous!

(Photo)The forest outside Fort Medusa.

(Photo)Yours truly posing under Fort Medusa's sign.

I had a good feeling about running to Camp Echidna. My last teleport run on this continent. At least the last one in order to update my own navigator. I will gladly run many, many more teleport runs to help other collect their own coordinates. I decided on starting in Fort Argus, and run South, South-East, aiming for the vulcano North of Camp Echidna. This proved to be a good choice. I had no problems reaching the Western foothills of the vulcano. I encountered some spectacular scenery:

(Photo)Wild plantlife on the way to Cap Echidna!

And I ran into some hostile indigenous beings, the argonauts. They didn't like me nosing around their camps, so I was quickly the centre of their attention. That attention hurt, and I found myself dead. Fortunately, the teleporter in Camp Echidna picked up my faint signature and offered me a transport to their revival terminal!

(Photo)Posing under the Camp Echidna sign!

I've thoroughly enjoyed doing these teleport runs. The planning, the exploration, the adventure, and the reward in the end. I look forward to do the Amethera teleporters one day. In the meantime I plan on doing a write-up about my experiences from doing teleport runs almost immediately fresh from the shuttle.

Finally, I'd like to inform you that my Hadesheim Blues blog article has been updated today.