Daily Story 181: The Nuances of Language

HEADER: 904.12.001
TO: ADUNDEE@MANAGEMENT.REALITY, ADUNDEE@MANAGEMENT.REALITY
SUBJECT: Language Translation Results - CONFIDENTIAL
ATTACHED: nalshalberonaktah.fact

As requested, I have done my best to translate the recording you supplied. While I was able to find this language in my database, many words can mean more than one thing depending on context and syntax. Nevertheless, I feel confident that the translation below conveys the approximate meaning:

> I can see forever! Nal-Shalberon A'ktah walks the Earth in my skin!
> No hope! No beauty! The horror came to judge and maim!

I do have some doubts about that final word; while 'maim' is the most literal translation I suspect from the form that it means something closer to 'tear into pieces'. You may note that "Nal-Shalberon A'Ktah" remains untranslated. This is in an older iteration of the language and is clearly a name - I was able to locate it in the database and have attached the link to the fact sheet.

While I acknowledge that you specifically instructed me to provide the translation without doing any further research until requested, you will be interested to know that I immediately disobeyed that order. For future reference, telling me not to do proper research into an issue is virtually guaranteed to have the opposite effect.

I was not able to locate Nal-Shalberon A'ktah, the Shambling Horror from Beyond the Void on a reality-wide sweep. As is common with entities like this, it should be trapped outside of normal space in the non-real areas between timelines. A pseudo-mass scan shows nothing matching the expected energy signature, though I did find traces of several timelines' worth of ghosts - slowly being devoured by various Elder Gods.

Clearly, someone has allowed a large number of timelines to branch from the documented reality and has further cut them off and destabilized them - allowing the realities to fragment and decay thereby killing an incalculable number of intelligent beings. I think we all know it was one of you. The log file for this morning is missing, and you are the only people that have the proper access.

You may note that I have not sent this message to anyone but ourselves.

As I mentioned at the start of this communication, many words can mean more than one thing depending on context and syntax. It is possible that, rather than implying that you have allowed a shambling horror to gain a foothold into a registered and protected Earth, the message might be translated as follows:

> I am able to see continuously! The powerful mass of many parasitic appendages possessed of a single will and malevolent intelligence now travels the world represented by me!
> Less optimism! Less creativity! The fearful event decides what to dismantle!

I am further willing to write up a convincing paper suggesting that this is a commentary on recent cuts to funding of the arts made by the ruling government of the subject's Earth. The language of the Outer Terrors has a long and established link with politicians, and I doubt anyone would question my analysis so long as Nal-Shalberon A'ktah doesn't show up...

On a completely unrelated note, I find it tiresome to pay my bills each month.

Sincerely,

Mack Laibl
Information Technician II