A message to the next Sulfurkeeper

If you are reading this, you probably know well the basics of this world; you have managed to translate our language to whatever you sign in the next generation, so probably a decent amount of time has passed while you were in it. I hope it hasn't taken long for that translation to occur, and that this message has reached you swiftly. Unlike ones in other octants, on these tablets, you won't find some great feats of technology or technical descriptions of the elements, no. You'll find a story—my story—and more importantly the mistakes I've made across the way. The others did not want me to write this, but with enough arguing and pestering they acquiesced and let me use our limited space for this tablet. They argued that we must only put important information on these tablets, to help the next generation recover the progress lost after the reset^* . They disagreed with me on whether this knowledge is important or must be preserved, however, I do think that this knowledge is important; it will help you belong in this world, and it will tell you lessons on what to do, and more importantly, what not to do. Now, I assume you are the next Sulfurkeeper, and if you are not, then keep in mind that this tablet is addressed to them, as it was inside their storage.

When I woke up, on the first cycle,^† I was at first confused, and I suspect that you were too. This is normal; it is strange to be put into the world, fully conscious, with no prior context. However, this is simply the nature of this world, and with time many mysteries should reveal themselves.^‡ Continuing, I appeared in the center of our octant, next to the safe^§ and the sulfur generator. I looked around at the six white walls which surround me, and sat there, thinking what to do here. I was still handling the fact that I exist here in this world, but it didn't take long for me to realize that I could actually affect it. I took a tendril and placed it against the surface of the container, and pushed off of it. This sent me flying towards the wall, and I slid against it before friction^¶ stopped my movement. I pushed my tendrils against the wall, and sent myself back towards the center, and soon I arrived. I quickly realized that the box in the center (the safe) could be opened; the handle on them could be pulled. And, I did so, and inside I found many strange devices. Unfortunately, we could not reproduce these devices, and the ones we had were destroyed not long before the reset (that event we'll be returning to). Out of these devices, there was what we would eventually call a manipulator; on it, I saw many strange marks and lines which I did not quite understand. I looked at another device inside the safe; a rotating tray with a set of strange cubes, each with other odd marks. On the device was also a button, which I pressed. Soon, an image appeared above it, with some illustrations and more of the strange marks. I put it back, closed the safe, and I began to experiment.

Then, not long after, the walls started to recede. I at first thought this was my doing, and began to move towards the edge. The faces of each wall slowly faded away, leaving only the edges. Then, I saw what lay outside my octant. I saw a repeating pattern of the same rooms, over and over. I then saw a blue ball, with many tendrils sticking out of it, and two white ellipses on its surface. Next to it, I saw a safe and a generator, not unlike my own. And so, I moved towards it, and ended up where it was. The ball then turned to face me, and laid a tendril on my body. I then realized that this bundle of tendrils was alive, and thinking, just like I am right now; this was another sentient being. They moved away from me, into a blob of some blue liquid, seemingly the same liquid as was in their associated generator. This is the liquid we would eventually call water, and we both messed around with it for a bit. I held my manipulator, and moved the water around, merging and splitting different blobs. Waterkeeper, as they would eventually be known, looked on in amazement, assumingly unaware that the devices in their storage could perform such feats. They quickly brought themselves back to their safe, and pulled out their manipulator, trying it out themselves. As they did so, I looked around me, out to the infinitely repeating rooms, and realized that the room two rooms away in each direction was an identical copy of this one, with the same exact movements and actions occurring. That was also true for the fourth room away, and the sixth, and the eighth, and so on and so forth. Intrigued by this, I moved towards that identical room, and noticed that infinite copies of myself, forwards and backwards, all moved synchronously with me, through my room (which appeared to neighbor the water room on both sides) and then back to the water room. I saw another Waterkeeper, who seemed to copy exactly the actions of the other, but I thought that they couldn't be the same one, for I had travelled a distance to get where I was, and so I mustn't be in the same place. This was mistaken, of course, but I would not realize that for a few cycles. Not long after though, the walls started closing in, and in an instant, I was returned back to the sulfur room—my room. I thought maybe my travels had caused the walls to close in, and so next time, I resolved to not try that again, for I want to be able to meet the keepers of the other elements, for as long as possible

I saw the same sulfur constructions which I had created in the previous cycle, but I noticed that there was now a blob of water placed in my room (assumingly Waterkeeper placed it there), and I realized that I could try to combine it with water. I attempted this, and the water simply bounced off the sulfur, with not much occuring. So I experimented more, and noticed I could get the sulfur to glow again if I performed similar manipulations, but in a confined space. I didn't quite know the mechanism behind this yet, but I experimented more with this phenomenon, leading to me being able to reproduce it with sufficient ease.

A few hours passed, and the walls had opened up again. This time, I decided to stay still, and Mercurykeeper went up to me, and so did Waterkeeper. Mercurykeeper made a shape with their tendrils, pointing to my generator. Waterkeeper and I looked on, confused at first, but eventually I understood, and made the same shape and pointed towards my generator. Mercurykeeper was visibly excited, and made a different shape to represent their generator. I understood, but Waterkeeper did not seem to be following along. Eventually, after enough examples, they got what we were trying to do, and started signing themselves. We were starting to develop a common language, and over the next few cycles, communication became much easier. One cycle, Mercurykeeper had shown me their experiments with the metallic liquid, and then we tried combining mercury, water, and sulfur, and watched as the mixture congealed into a solid substance. Soon after, the cycle would conclude, and I would go back to my octant, except with the new creation. Before the cycle ended, I also gave some sulfur to the others, for them to be able to experiment with on their own. I, in turn, received my own share of the elements to play around with. For this, I signed the first "thank you", constructing it out of words which were already present before; that phrase eventually became common enough to us to become almost automatic. It was also around this time that I realized the inherently cyclical nature of this world; in a cycle there are six unexian^# instants, and the first approximately fifsy-five nif of them the walls open to let everyone meet and sign to each other, at least for a little bit. This window of time we call outer time; the rest we call inner time. The realization that this worked independent of what we did during those unexian instants was a rather large one.

About a nif cycles later, we managed to create many new substances, including some important ones: namely lead, iron, and copper. We were able to arrange these in ways to create new simple devices, of course much less sophisticated than the ones received from the previous generation, with their marvelous complexity. A few more cycles still, and we discovered how to transmit signals via reactions in the various elements, and learned how to apply this with decent utility in our devices. We also made decent developments with language in this time, being able to communicate more abstract ideas with each other, but still with moderate difficulty. We also began to tinker more with the other devices locked up in our safes; we discovered that one could turn a pure element into powder, and that one could freeze or heat substances a vast amount. Some of these devices we still did not yet know the purpose for, but as we learned more, we hoped that one day we would decipher their strange workings. Despite all we progressed, there were a lot of lingering questions, most pressing at this time was the strange marks and diagrams inscribed on various devices meant, and for a few sixes of cycles, we didn't make much progress. Then, Firekeeper had an epiphany, one which seems obvious in retrospect. These strange marks were symbols, and those symbols simply just represented signs; it now became a race to who can manage to interpret these foreign signs first, as they were all very alien to us.

While we were trying to understand their language, we continued to develop our own. Different and more complicated signs were made, representing more and more abstract ideas. It was through this, and with the revelation of writing, that we started to realize the use of a specific device which puzzled us before—a device that the previous generation thought was important enough to include in all eight octants. This was a device that sent small drawings to all of the other's devices, and we realized that this could be used to communicate during inner time. Once we got used to the device and its function, we were able to progress at a rate much higher than before. For example, while doing experiments with aether, I could ask Aetherkeeper about specific properties of the element, or for them to try something on their own and get back to me, without having to wait for entire cycles to pass.

Over the next many cycles, there were many things that were discovered, especially with the creation of more metals, and other combinations of the elements. The communicators proved very helpful in these pursuits, allowing us to quickly communicate our findings, and allowed us to plan ahead of time what to do during outer time. I made great progress translating the language of the previous generation into our's, and in doing so, I hit a major realization. These letters, these symbols, and these devices—they weren't just handed down to us by forces which we could not hope to understand, nor were they just part of this world like the generators or the walls. No, these were created by keepers of the elements, just like us; they had simply used their resources in the same way we did, combining elements, and figuring the rules of the world out. With this realization also came the realization of just how old this world was; the last generation wasn't the first, nor was its predecessor, and nor was its, and so on and so forth, and there were probably triexians of triexians of generations all before mine, each with their own stories to tell, each rediscovering the same basic laws, each going through the same process of translating the documents left from the previous generation, over, and over, and over. At this moment, I realized that this exact realization, the one I had at that moment, was probably had a countless number of times throughout our shared history, throughout every single generation, and it was with that, I realized the timescale of this world was borderline incomprehensible. With that, came two other effects: first I had a clarification of mission—it was basically our destiny to figure out the secrets of this world and its elements. What else could we possibly be placed here to do? Then second, I had the scarier realization: This generation will end eventually, and I will be gone. After a bit of searching, I found the exact figure which this should happen at—exactly seven-unexian, foursy-one nif foursy-four^** cycles after the first. At first, I didn't know what or how to communicate my realizations to the rest of the keepers, and I didn't at first. During the next inner time though, I realized that I needed to tell them one way or the other, and so I just told them it straight, and after that moment, we would never be the same.

It had been an unexian days since my realization, and we had eventually coped with it. Life went on, and if anything, it motivated us to do much more than we otherwise would; we saw it as if we had a deadline, a final judgement, and in a lot of ways that was probably the correct way of viewing it. We advanced a great many times, building off the work of our effectively infinite predecessors. They had left us probably the greatest gift they probably could have given us: a great encyclopedia containing all knowledge known up to that point. We would sift through it for whole cycles, trying to find specific bits of information that were needed for a given experiment, or even just for our own leisure, learning about the reconstructed histories of those before us. They even let us log our own entries for the next generation to keep and understand, and I wish you would have these devices so you could see the entries we made. Using this, in combination with our wit and scientific mindset, we managed to figure out more than anyone could have before, developing devices our predecessors could only fantasize about, measuring to precision which could never be obtained before. We managed to manipulate the shape of the world around us, distorting it to produce new geometries in space, and creating devices which could only behave in these warped spaces. I would've really liked to share this knowledge, to show you how to perform these feats yourself, and to provide you with devices so you could manage to replicate it on your own. Unfortunately, reality did not turn out that way, and I suppose without much further to do, and since I'm starting to run out of space on these measly tablets, it is time to discuss the irreparable incident that I very much regret.

You see, sometimes you have moments where your hubris takes over your rationality. I'd have moments like this and I am absolutely sure that you will, too. The case in point here is the great tragedy which I accidentally caused, right before the reset. I knew our time was limited, and there was an experiment which I wanted to perform before it, before you took our place. This experiment was probably the most complicated and elaborate one performed; at least in the last six nif generations. This was an experiment to attempt to change the properties of the elements themselves.

This had, for a short while, been a theoretical possibility, ever since Voidkeeper figured out the mathematical machinery needed to figure out some great curiosities with some element combinations that occurred with void. This theory revolutionized our understanding, however it unfortunately was figured out not long before the reset was due to occur, and so its implications could not be fully understood. To describe their full formulations would take many unexians of tablets, and we do not have the space here for that; we barely even have the space for a basic overview of the properties of the elements, let alone that. Regardless, know that it was important, and there were many experiments to be done that we did not have the time for. Of them, was a predicted phase transition of the elements under certain conditions, but performing this experiment was guessed to be extremely dangerous. In a space not confined enough it could grow out of control, and in a split-instant a glowing cloud of byproducts and excited molecules could destroy every bit of progress that we could've made. I was too arrogant to avoid the opportunity though, as the ability to completely change the properties of the elements was too enticing to pass up. All the other keepers told me explicitly not to try this out; they had known by this point that I was all too eager to try things, even when I shouldn't, having managed to break multiple of my devices that way before. However, for some reason, I ignored their words, stating that I couldn't mess it up: I knew what I was doing. Somehow I supposedly knew better than Voidkeeper, whose math I didn't even fully understand. Of course, I didn't, and I paid the consequences. I even knew that this could potentially be bad; it's not like I didn't hear what they were saying. I was informed of the risks, and, in my hubris, I chose not to listen.

I looked at the apparatus which I had built, the strange thing that it was. Tons of different parts, composed of strange materials which had probably not ever been seen before in history, devised in a very intricate way. Notably missing was any sort of safety features. In my haste I had neglected them, and it's not like the worst outcome of this would be preventable anyway. And so, I set up the device, feeding in all the necessary reagents and fed all the necessary power into it. I adjusted the many views into the device that I had constructed to get a clearer picture of the happenings inside, to see how the elements would become a new kind of matter, one that could only exist under the extreme conditions imposed by the intense warping of space.

Instead of observing strange new properties though, I observed as a flicker appeared in the box. I was not alarmed at first, until the flicker grew gradually, and then exponentially, encompassing the whole apparatus in unbroken light. Panicked, I reached to turn the device off, however, I accidentally pressed the wrong lever, feeding more reagents into the flame. I realized at this moment that this was not going to end up how I wanted it to. However, before I could react, it was already too late. For the first time ever, outer time occurred off schedule.

And so, that is why you're reading this on tablets. Everything we worked up to, all of the progress we made, and everything we did to get to this point was for nought, all because of my insane desire for more, and severe disregard for the opinions of my peers. We signed probably the most sorrow words of our lives, and at the center, I was to blame. The others refused to sign to me for a few cycles, and even when they did start signing once again, it was all in condemnation of me. And to be clear, I deserved it.

I implore you to not make the same mistake I did and don't do something for which you know the consequences could be extremely severe. This is not just an ask, this is a demand. If you do not want to go out the same dreaded path I did, then do not repeat what I did. Don't burn yourself on the proverbial fire.

Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2073 00:02:02 +0000
Subject: Interesting translation of item stored in our simulation
From: "Cara Avera" 
To: "Stephen Tizen" 
Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----------"

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Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8

Hello, some interesting developments occurred in our experiment here. 
I've attached an English translation of the text of an item in the sulfur
safe. It seems that from this, our little simulated creatures here have a
bit more than the tendency to learn! They care for eachother, just like 
we do! Stephen, please meet me in my office later today. We have much to 
discuss.

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Footnotes

^* The start of the next generation, occurring after around seven unexian cycles. I will talk more about this later.

^† This is our word for the primary repeating unit of time; we measure the start of it from the instant when the walls between octants re-assemble themselves.

^‡ We never quite figured out why exactly we are here, and while we have many theories, we have no answers. I wish all of you luck on figuring out this great mystery, but my guess is that you won't get very far in this aspect either.

^§ This is what we call the container in which you found these tablets.

^¶ What we call the resistance that occurs when you try to slide an object against another one.

^# Six to the fifth. We ended up using base six for our numeric system in our generation, so that's what I'll be using here. Here's all the names we use: six times six—nif (100), nif times nif—unexian (1 0000), unexian times unexian—biexian (1 0000 0000), biexian times unexian—triexian (1 0000 0000 0000), and so on.

^** Notably, ten to the fourth. Why this figure is its value is yet to be known.

Groups: Fiction