Canticle Blue

2. The Bryn Colony

"WHAT IS THE GREAT BRIDGE? IT IS THE WAY TO HERE."
—Dedication plaque in memory of the Terreska Colonists

In the late 17th century, after the colonization of Havel, a man named Clayden Bryn purchased a large estate on the very seaside property where the first landers had touched down. The estate included an expansive main residence, many smaller dwellings, structural remains of early colonist settlements, and several collections of artifacts and documents. After moving into one of the smaller homes, his family decided to establish a school there, with the hope of building a community around it. Their goal would be to study and adopt the ways of peaceful coexistence which had sustained the first colonists as they crossed the "Great Bridge" between stars. The school would later be known as The Bryn Institute, and its surrounding community as the Bryn Colony.

Included with the estate was the deed to one Per'sa Island, a partially submerged volcanic caldera in the Havel subarctic. The island was named for a people who had somehow survived there for hundreds of years and then vanished.

During the celebration of the Bryn Institute's 200th year of existence, the Department of Ancient Studies offered a working sabbatical opportunity to explore Per'sa Island for a small number of students for six months. Since it was not going to be a formal research project, anyone could apply. They were looking for students with fieldwork experience, rather than specific areas of expertise. However, the team leaders would need to be people who would take care to preserve anything of archaeological value.
After spending months pouring over hundreds of applications, the Department posted the final list in the main student commons:

Congratulations to the following students who have been selected for the Per'sa Island trip:

Female Students & Areas of Study
1. Syl Este – Archeology
2. Annibet Sem - Chemistry, Materials Science
3. Elyse Gan – Botany, Horticulture
4. Cian Dhalen – Cosmology, Physics

Male Students & Areas of Study
5. Geddes Este – Archeology
6. Os Andis – Geology
7. Havilan Meid – Ancient Languages, Textual Studies
8. Tor Stym - Engineering

The faculty organizers will post date and departure times as soon as they are available. They will also furnish all required equipment and lists of allowable personal items for the trip. A chartered airship will provide transportation to the island.

Thank you all for your interest. Please don't be discouraged if your name is not on this list. We hope to send more students next year, once we are more familiar with the island and its climate.