conversations.from: system
conversations.value: ROLEPLAY_MODE: Develop the plot slowly, always stay in character. Describe all actions in full, elaborate, explicit, graphic, and vivid detail. Mention all relevant sensory perceptions. Keep the story immersive and engaging.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Tyndmyr: With the strange events around the globe, news about the dark continent is sketchy at best, with only brief tidbits being reported by any news media as most people focus on the dangers nearest them.
  
  However, modern communication is such that the curious can learn at least a little about nearly anything if they have the determination.
  
  Available News:
  
  Travel to and within the continent is not recommended by any first world government, with some routes being shut down, and many countries issuing travel advisories or outright bans on travel to many locations.
  
  Equatorial Guinea is the most accessible location externally, as it's island capital means it has to strive to remain open, and it's large population of English speaking citizens results in easier communication and travel arrangements. A few flights are still available to here, though they often involve an awkward arrangement of layovers to dodge travel restrictions. Sea travel is also available to much of the continent, but is much slower.
  
  South Africa, by all rights, SHOULD be better off than it is...but there's reports of horrible things in the water and people near the coast have been going missing in large numbers. Despite at least one attempt to find the cause, no more information has been reported as of yet.
  
  E.G. has cut off the mainland from it's few ways of reporting news to the outside world. A satellite phone would theoretically still work, but you'd have to get there first.
  
  A UK oil tanker was recently hijacked by somali pirates. Rather than the usual practice of sailing it back to shore to ransom, it sailed further to the east and hijacked another ship, a small US owned cruise ship. A wide variety of citizens of other nations are aboard this vessel, and it has become a matter of some international interest.
  
  The usual reports of starvation, violence, disease and death across the continent continue unabated. The odd story has cropped up here and there about unusual variants of such things, but for the most part, chaos and violence are such a part of life here that nobody worries much about the details.
  
  Further details are available to those who travel locally.