Snezhnaya Vestnik

Snezhnaya Vestnik

<region id = 1/> <title name = Exciting New Astronomical Discovery! Mystery Creature Found on the Moon?/> <image preview name = UI_Img_SnezhnayaNewspaperPage_Pic_01/> <center>Exciting New Astronomical Discovery! Mystery Creature Found on the Moon?</center> Our newspaper learned yesterday from an observatory in the Far North — the location of which, owing to the confidential nature of unpublished research, cannot presently be revealed — that the eminent astronomer Dr. Ivan Hershelev has, with the aid of his newly invented giant microscopic telescope, at last succeeded in observing the magnificent spectacle that is the surface of the moon. The principle underlying this novel giant microscopic telescope sprang from a stroke of genius on the part of Dr. Hershelev. By mounting a compound microscope of no fewer than 24-fold magnifying power upon the eyepiece of a gigantic telescope measuring upwards of 70 feet in length, he has achieved nothing less than a revolutionary triumph over the established limits of optical science. With the supplementation of intense illumination produced by highly refined Kresnik Kristall, this new invention certainly has achieved an unprecedented degree of magnification. It has also come to light that the source of funding for this extraordinary enterprise was the Armory Palace, though until now the project had never been disclosed to the public, nor had it appeared in any annual statement of expenditures. When queried on this matter, Dr. Hershelev stated that, all parties concerned had long since been enjoined to observe the strictest secrecy in order to secure for the Fatui an undisputed supremacy in the scientific competition among the various nations. This is perhaps the reason that we have only learned today of this pioneering undertaking, an enterprise daring to pierce the very veil of the cosmos. In a letter which Dr. Hershelev has entrusted to this paper for publication, he describes in great detail the wondrous scenery observed upon the surface of the moon — including its forests, its rivers, its valleys, and boundless grasslands — as well as the host of marvelous creatures inhabiting that realm: bison, whales, jellyfish... and even penguins! Dr. Hershelev also draws particular attention to what he believes to be evidence of an intelligent race upon the moon: a magnificent palace built entirely out of blue crystal, with lofty towers that stand pointed directly toward our own world! What message, one cannot help but wonder, do its builders seek to convey? Might this be a triumphant proclamation of their civilization's glory and superiority? Or could it be a stark warning of the calamities that await our own? In the closing of his letter, Dr. Hershelev relates yet another extraordinary discovery. According to him, a humanoid creature of uncertain nature, adorned with golden fur and bearing a pair of delicate membranous wings upon its back, was observed wandering repeatedly through the telescope's field of view. Unfortunately, before its likeness could be committed to photographic image, the observation was brought to an abrupt end. Dr. Hershelev had, it turned out, neglected to lower and secure the telescope before retiring for the night. Then, at sunrise, the rays of the sun, passing through the instrument and concentrated by its lenses, ignited a fire. But thankfully, the staff members present acted with admirable promptness, and the flames were extinguished before any loss of life or injury could occur. Though this remarkable undertaking was brought to an untimely close by the accident, the advancements that have been made so far are enough to shake up the scientific world. Predictably, certain hidebound individuals of the academy have denounced the entire enterprise as "pure invention," Yet scholars of the Rtawahist school at the Akademiya have responded to Dr. Hershelev's work with the utmost enthusiasm. So astonishing were the disclosures contained in his letter, several Herbad are said to have swooned on the spot upon reading them. In the six issues to follow, this paper will have the honor of presenting, in full, the remarkable letter entrusted to us by Dr. Hershelev. Readers eager to uncover the truth of the moon will not wish to miss a single installment! <region id = 2/> <title name = Tales of the Strange and Incredible: The Volkodlak Miners Who Rode the Train No More (Contributor Story)/> <image preview name = UI_Img_SnezhnayaNewspaperPage_Pic_09/> <center>Tales of the Strange and Incredible: The Volkodlak Miners Who Rode the Train No More (Contributor Story)</center> Contributor: Mr. Mamontov This is a story told to me by way of a friend of a friend. Lishin had been with the Transport Bureau for less than a year. Born in Svetloledovka, his greatest ambition had always been to leave his hometown and make a life for himself in one of the great cities like Snezhnograd or Novokitezhgrad. That ambition had now been fulfilled, if only in part. As a railway attendant, he had been assigned to the very line connecting Svetloledovka with Novokitezhgrad and Snezhnograd alike. Blessed with an easy manner and a gift for conversation, Lishin soon grew familiar with the regular passengers on his route. Their idle chatter provided no shortage of tales: the particulars of a Chicota investigation, a Snegovik's account of the House of Hesperides, and the like. Such stories lent him a certain worldly air whenever he returned to Svetloledovka and traded reminiscences with old friends who had never left home. He came to genuinely enjoy the work, whatever his original motives may have been, until the incident that left him gravely ill. That day had begun as an altogether ordinary day for Lishin. In the car were a few students returning to their studies, a young couple animatedly discussing the season's newest stage production, a tall and melancholic Snegovik, several Volkodlak miners... Many of them were faces that had long become familiar to him. The Volkodlak miners, in particular, were in rather high spirits. According to them, something had been unearthed far west of Novokitezhgrad. It was something, they insisted, that ought not to be spoken of openly. Yet, they could not resist sharing the news with their fellow passengers, as extraordinary as said discovery was. Having overheard them, the melancholic Snegovik offered a warning: "If what was taken came from the ruins of Kitezhgrad, you would do well to return it without delay. Otherwise, misfortune will follow." A chill ran down Lishin's spine at these words. It was almost as though the warning had taken effect the very instant it was uttered. He inspected the train's heating apparatus and found it in perfect working order, yet that peculiar chill seemed to linger throughout the car all the same. Should he report the matter, and have the detectives called in to investigate? Though he wished to be a conscientious and diligent member of the staff, he had no desire to earn the contempt reserved for informers. But the dilemma did not trouble him for long, for that very evening he was struck by a severe fever. This was most unusual for a man who had always enjoyed robust health. The unexplained illness forced him to take a week's leave of absence, and even after returning to work, he found himself afflicted with a lingering weakness, his constitution far diminished from what it had once been. According to one of Lishin's colleagues at the Transport Bureau, the other passengers aboard the train that day had also fallen ill at almost precisely the same time, and some of those in weaker health had yet to recover even to this day. This same colleague even took the trouble to consult a relative in Novokitezhgrad who had the gift of communicating with the unseen world, and the answer he received was: the Volkodlak miners had carried some unclean thing aboard the train and incurred the curse of Chernabog. Their fellow passengers, and Lishin himself, fell ill from being possessed by wicked spirits. When told of this, though Lishin was ready to dismiss the claim outright, the memory of that strange chill creeping upward from beneath his feet like a serpent gave him pause. Lishin never saw or heard of those Volkodlak miners again. Perhaps it was simply a matter of their work, and they no longer had cause to travel on that particular route. Or perhaps Chernabog, angered by their actions, had... Whatever the truth may have been, it was as if their figures, or perhaps their very existence, had been erased by the endless winds and snows of the tundra, with not even the slightest trace left behind. <region id = 3/> <title name = Transport Bureau Statement on the Banning of Certain Passengers From Railway Services/> <image preview name = UI_Img_SnezhnayaNewspaperPage_Pic_04/> <center>Transport Bureau Statement on the Banning of Certain Passengers From Railway Services</center> As reported earlier by this paper, the Transport Bureau recently released its latest list of passengers prohibited from railway travel, a decision which has prompted considerable discussion among the public. Among those named is a Mr. I. N. Ivanov, a Snegovik who has lodged a protest with the Bureau after being barred from travel despite, he claimed, "having committed no apparent violation." This is a measure, he argues, that infringes upon his legal rights. The Bureau formally responded yesterday, revealing the unfortunate truth behind the prohibition. According to the Bureau's investigation, Mr. Ivanov had frequently purchased tickets for trains traveling between Snezhnograd and Novokitezhgrad to mourn his late beloved, who had once served as an attendant on that very route. However, whenever Mr. Ivanov found himself overcome with grief aboard the train, he would unconsciously amplify his Snegovik abilities, causing the temperature inside the train car to plummet. This has, in turn, caused countless passengers to suffer severe chills and illness. The Bureau also stressed that, while Mr. Ivanov himself had acted without malice, it had nevertheless been compelled to prohibit him from boarding its trains to safeguard the health and safety of other passengers, and sought the public's understanding on this matter.