https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2023/06/02/2681112/0/en/AquaBounty-Announces-a-Pause-to-Ohio-Farm-Construction-While-It-Evaluates-Scope-Alternatives-and-a-Possible-Phased-Approach.html

I'm having trouble formulating this as a simple question, so please bear with me as I give a couple of examples of what I'm trying to describe.
Scenario 1 -

1. Something terrible happened to you this morning, maybe someone close to you died. You're distraught and sobbing.
2. You get a text from your best friend telling you that after years of IVF, they're finally expecting a baby.
3. You respond "I'm so happy for you!" and you mean it sincerely, even though the current emotion you're experiencing is NOT happiness. You're not literally feeling joyous at the moment, but you DO support your friend and you think it's great news, and you want to congratulate them.

Scenario 2 -

1. My husband recently died (this is true)
2. I'm currently in a good mood - I chatted with my mom last night and got to spend some good one-on-one time with each of my teenagers, and my dogs are cuddly, and I just had a shower.
3. Someone checks in on me to ask how I'm doing, and I say "it's just devastating yk? I miss him so much and it's hard to go on without him." This is true, on a long-term scale - I DO miss him, and I'm grieving deeply, and life is hard. At the same time, the emotion I'm currently experiencing is not sadness. On a micro level, I'm happy right now (though I might at any moment break down as the grief suddenly hits me).

What words do I use to describe how the emotion "happy" meaning "I have a very positive opinion about this, I think it's great" etc is different from the emotion "happy" meaning "I'm currently experiencing joyous feelings"? Or how do I differentiate between the "sad emotion" of "I'm grieving deeply" vs. the immediate, in-the-moment "happy emotion" of "I'm currently in a good mood"?
I know this isn't directly related to autism but I feel like I would get kicked out of any other type of subreddit for posting this hair-splitting of a question in so much detail, so I came here, lol.

“HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!”
A laugh, what does it mean for a person? A sign of amusement? A mark of contentment? Maybe, a reaction to a quirky comment or action? Perhaps…
But now, all that echoed throughout the burning lands was a guffaw of despair and torment. It belonged to Eve, the future queen of the entire Confederation of Demons. And right now, no trace of royal dignity was to be seen within her. The woman was pulling her white hair, kneeling in her sphere at the sight of the mass-murder.
The snow of death, the sprinkled ash of white and purple fell upon the ground, taking hundreds of lives. Gramgrim, the strongest and the fiercest formation underneath the authority of Me-ua now perished like slugs under the salt. Orcs, dogs, trolls, deer, lions, crows, fiends, mind-flayers, tigers, boars, even a cult of bulls-necromancers – the brigade included many different races, men and women of different backgrounds and upbringings, their tamed beasts and familiars, slaves and draft animals. Looking at the southern organizations, consisting of various Ma-zok tribes was always fascinating. Especially, when none of them could withstand the divine plague, sent as a godly punishment for defiling the holy land of kokuyoku.
Was there any way to save themselves? Yes – they simply never should’ve come to the village. Now, though? Well, not even Panakea’s blessing could save Keyaruga from death, so why should any of them survive?
Such was Eve’s wrath; such was her sorrow, enshrined upon this wretched world.
“Fascinating.,,” Keyaruga muttered, looking underneath him. He couldn’t help but to feel glee. After all, hundreds upon hundreds of high-leveled demons perished, blessing the whole party of five with new levels to enjoy (or hate, in Ellen’s case). Strange, though. Normally, a party couldn’t be larger than four people (not that a mortal had control over it anyway; people could travel in however big assemblies, as they pleased, yet experience was earned only by parties of four), but the group stuck together pretty well. Was it another of Caladrius’ gifts, she just didn’t bother to share? Well, whatever the case…
“I know, it’s not a reason for joy… but we can definitely use all that power in our future battles.” Freia mused with a trace of regret in her voice.
“Uh-huh. Good thing to get stronger before we go after the demon king.” Setsuna supported, trapped in a conflict between joy at reaching her new threshold of power and fury for losing Visou.
“Of course this would happen… This always happens with those people and places I care for or love… I shouldn’t have taken this damned bracelet…” Keyaruga growled, looking at the yorkama talisman on his right wrist. Yet, when he was about to rip it away…
“Don’t do that.” …Ellen stopped him. For the first time in this nightmarish day she was thankful for her new powers, as they allowed her to stop her ‘brother’ from an act of utter stupidity. “It’s not your fault. Look, they came here, seeking Hakuo’s rival! Your sympathy has nothing to do with that, stop dealing in superstitions!” The Apostle of Caladrius attempted to reassure the lad. But alas…
“It’s my fault. Like Visou… like Alban… like Karman… It’s all been my fault.” …the man just wouldn’t listen.
“No… it was mine…” The crimson-haired cutie whispered, yet once again – no reaction. “Hey, brother, see that breached wall behind Mil’s house? I see traces there. Could you, maybe?..”
“Yes… Oh, Ellen, thank you!” Only when she pointed out the obvious, did the man finally wake up from his trance. Just in time to hear…
“KILL!!! KILL THEM ALL!!!” …this. Eve still couldn’t really master her raging emotions, and even the fact that no creature remained alive in the burning village stopped her in any way.
“Hm, I am saddened to inform you, little one, that there is nobody to slay here. And even if there were, I am unable to maintain the offence. I need to feed and regain my strength now.” Caladrius admonished, descending on the earth. “However, down the north road, you may find other survivors. Just make haste; they do not have much time.” The harbinger of plague informed the group, putting the white sphere on the ground. The barrier had faded just as all poisonous ash did as well, coincidentally.
Keyaruga, Setsuna, Eve, Freia, Ellen, Kelly, Patty – all could finally walk properly again. Not really a big perk, when all you’re finding yourself among the still burning remains of a ruined village, though.
“O pluvia clemens, benedic nobis tua gratia recreativa.” Fortunately, they had the Hero of Magic at their side. And so, the first thing Freia did was to cast a simple rain spell. A critically important move, especially when their raptors were getting panicked by the fires.
“Now, if you excuse me.” And what would horrify any sentient being was how gruesomely filthy Caladrius turned out to be. The very first thing she did when the party had finally landed was to grab some dead slimy bastard, and just swallow him whole, like some sort of a pelican.
“Hey! Hey! Hey! He-e-ey!!! The hell are you doing?!” The younger princess yawped, consumed by her anger. Not because she was disgusted, though… “You fucking munched him with all that armor and shit?! What’re you even thinking of?! We need that!”
“I do not care, Apostle. Unless you are willing to strip them yourself, your whining is of little concern to me.” The deity replied dismissively. Even if her plague faded without a trace, the diseased corpses were still a delicacy for Caladrius.
And here I thought Ellen was slandering her about this part. Thought it was just a nice joke. Apparently, not, Keyaruga mused, witnessing the same vile spectacle as his girls did.
“Well, I’m willing as hell! You can buy an entire village for one of those!” The young lady snarled, turning one of the corpses over, just to untie the leashes that held a cuirass in place. When people die, their rectum can’t hold feces anymore. The stench of death, dung, decay, the earth, wet and softened by the rain – so much filth among the corpses, and yet, the warlady felt overjoyed looting the corpses of their fallen enemies before tossing their naked bodies toward her hungry patron.
“Keyaruga, I think, we should…” Freia softly spoke, pointing at the breach on the northern side. She wasn’t overly enthusiastic about defiling the dead, so maybe…
“No, I’m going alone.” Sadly, the healer wouldn’t let anyone accompany him in this quest. Even the golden egg had to leave his back right now. He knew who he was pursuing. And what he would do to his enemies, once he’d reached them. “Setsuna, Freia, hold this, and stay here, and watch out for Eve, and… Well, you may also help Ellen with looting.” The lad spoke, completely ignoring the rain that fell upon his head.
“Uh-huh, got it.” The gray-haired girl agreed, putting the straps holding their unborn ‘child’ on her back. Strangely enough, the ice warrior was more than happy with pillaging the corpses. With her arms being covered in the frozen gauntlets, the girl could easily strip the fallen brigadiers to Ellen’s obvious delight.
“I… think I should bury the villagers.” Freia, on the other hand, grabbed a shovel somewhere. Instead of defiling the dead, she wanted to properly inter the remains of the poor black-wings… until their bodies were eaten by their own god.
“Whatever you wish… Just don’t forget to cut off their wings.” The man ordered, tossing away everything from Kelly’s saddle. He needed speed, not sustainability.
“I see… feathers… magic catalysts…” The sorceress instantly understood what the hero wanted from the fallen villagers. To be honest, that sort of cruelty paled compared to what their enemies sometimes allowed themselves. It didn’t make the pink-haired girl any happier, though.
“Wait!” Finally, just as Keyaruga was about to climb on his reptile steed, he got a companion in the form of the queen-to-be. “I’m… going with you!..” She spoke wearily, yet her tone wouldn’t brook any denial.
“You shouldn’t, Eve. You’re too drained as it is, I can’t risk you now.” That didn’t work on the new hero, though. The red-eyed lad knew, what kind of atrocities he was about to commit. What’s worse – he was looking forward for them.
“No… You know I can’t be killed that easily.” The white-haired woman insisted, allowing herself to climb in the saddle no matter what Keyaruga wanted. “Also, those are my people we’re talking about.”
“Alright…” The man nodded, giving one last brief look at what travesty was currently occuring on this holy ground: hundreds of corpses, two enthusiastic looter-girls stripping them before feeding them to the goddess that was primarily supposed to guard this place from such tragedies, and the strongest mage in the world, cutting off wings with her wavy dagger. All gave him a brief look. “Girls, lady Caladrius, you stay here! The raptor we’re taking will go faster carrying only two of us.” The healer admonished, silently praising himself for not including the plague incarnate in the ranks of his lovers. Wouldn’t that be awkward?
“Uh-huh. Good luck, you two.” Setsuna waved her armored hand, happily proceeding with robbing the corpses.
“Yeah… thanks. We’ll need it.”
…
The forest had been defiled. A trace of bodies, both kokuyoku and their ruthless persecutors, marked a path for the hero and his queen. Faster! Faster! The man smacked his reptile with his heels, struck against the ribs, pulled every bit of speed from poor Kelly. So much so, that even wild scavengers, who came to feast on the corpses, just fled from the massive raptor. And yet, it still wasn’t enough…
“Hey, Keyaruga!” Eve spoke, holding onto the hero’s torso with her trembling arms. “Why are you even helping us? Why… do you even bother, if they die no matter what we do?” The queen-to-be asked melancholically. Right now, she tried to find at least some meaning in her existence, just to not fall into a pit of nihilism and despair.
“It’s because… I have power. I can make a difference. And because I want to do so.” The red-haired lad responded, navigating a path through the woods with his jade eye. His status elevated him above the rest, giving the man many abilities, some considered to be… unnatural. For example, he could easily alleviate Kelly’s fatigue from constant galloping.
“Power, yes?.. The onslaught… it began when Caladrius was playing with us… But instead of putting an end to this hell, she’d go on, and on, and on… And even when we got out, she never told us what was going on. When I asked her to bless you, I was scared… and discomforted, and… whatever other words you have for discomfort. I thought it was because of the trial… Thought it was over… Then… I looked at myself, my own actions, here and in the past.” Eve shared the burden of her guilt with Keyaruga. The white-haired woman couldn’t help but blame herself for everything that happened. If she didn’t ignore her feelings, if she had checked on her wings a little earlier, if she… “If I… If I just could…”
“Was that what you saw in your challenge?” The healer wondered, trying to get his companion out of this ruinous obsession over what nobody could prevent, or even predict.
“Ugm… Who did you meet there?” Did he fail? No, not really. But instead of giving him an answer, the queen-to-be countered with a question of her own.
“Many, many people… I don’t want to talk about it now.” Unfortunately, though, Keyaruga just couldn’t bring himself to reveal what he saw, heard… did with his own hands.
“I… I see…” Eve murmured, getting a message from the lad’s depressed tone. He too carried much pain in his soul, and that vortex of suffering could never be dissipated by shutting down just some of his emotions. To completely silence this pain, Keyaruga would have to become something else entirely, something inhuman, incapable of either hate or love.
“More important, Eve, I want you to sharpen your senses. Maybe, you can trace magic better than me.” The hero suggested, as his right eye rolled around in his socket. The forest was wide and thick, and his sight wasn’t as all-seeing as he’d like it to be.
“I’ll try.” Eve whispered, trying to focus her attention on the ambient mana. Maybe, if she was just diligent enough, she could trace her living brethren? Maybe, all wasn’t lost just yet? Maybe… “You know, Keyaruga, you’re not the guilty one in all of this… If Mil didn’t let everyone in, if I wasn’t saved by your goddess, if our goddess wasn’t just like Ellen says she is… than none of this horror would have happened.” The lady in red deadpanned cautiously. Now that she knew of her ‘future’, how it might’ve been without this self-conflicted man at her side, the kokuyoku scion could clearly tell – her grandfather was just like Keyaruga and Ellen, he wanted the best for his people… and that turned Visou into a deathtrap. After all, Hakuo wouldn’t have sent Gramgrim here if Cornar had come to him with the valuable bounty that was the black-wings’ princess.
“I’m sorry…” The healer uttered, still unaware, just how much of a monster Eve’s first husband really was, and how much she owed him for showing, how the love should even look like in the first place.
“You really shouldn’t be, Keyaruga.” The black-winged prodigy responded sorrowfully. She felt the lad’s distress: it was in his voice, his posture, his way of breathing… “You can’t just carry the burden for everyone else. I tried… and I failed.” Eve spoke, trying to dissuade her defender from thinking he was able to hold the whole world on his shoulders, when, in reality, it was simply impossible. “Don’t do that. You’ll break.” This calm phrase was spoken serenely, and yet, it was a cry. A cry for help, for understanding, for letting go.
“We don’t need Caladrius.” But Keyaruga just couldn’t release himself from this burden. Even now, when riding over the forest floor, covered in disfigured corpses, most of which were charred whole, seemingly by lightning, the man couldn’t stop thinking about Eve, her troubles, the tragic price her ultimate power might demand from her.
“Why?” The lady in red asked, attempting to follow the new line of conversation which her companion had turned to. Why would he even be scared of it? Didn’t Ellen bargain two free casts for her? Ellen… How could this capricious princess be able to extort such a valuable gift from the harbinger of plague? If Eve had done something like this in the first world… then there wouldn’t be the second one.
“She’s… too frivolous, arrogant, she’s thousands years old, yet all I see is an old snobby child with no backbone. We can’t be sure she’ll maintain her promise, and I really, really don’t want to see you wither away.” The man said with that seemingly careless voice of his. “If you need someone dead, I’ll be there for you.” He added grimly then. Eve was too soft, even now, she still couldn’t deal with the moral compromises necessary, and there were going to be a lot more of them on the way toward the Obsidian Throne.
“Hah… You really do want me to fall in love with you?” The queen-to-be noted somewhat playfully. Her mood was still sombered, but even so, there was always a light in the darkness.
“Heh, aren’t you already? I can tell – you’ve changed, so that you could keep up with me, especially in the bed.” Keyaruga followed this little funny road, and retaliated with a joke of his own. But… was it really a joke, though?
“Yes… Yes, I have.” Apparently, not. “I can’t force you to become your old self, but I had a chance to change myself.” Eve explained, lowering her head. She couldn’t keep up with the man last night – he was just too big for her. That’s why, the girl had to go, the queen-to-be had to become a woman, and fast.
And so, there could be only one thing to ask at this point.
“So, do you want to fuck, once this is over?” The hero unceremoniously inquired from his companion. After all, they were already past all those earlier insults and attempts at shaming from Eve’s side.
“Yes, I do! I really, really do. I want you to ravage me, so I wouldn’t go mad.” The Me-ua kahul responded with a plea of sorrow, hate, loathing, and regret. There wasn’t anything enticing in this request, but… it was so humane.
“Of course. I will.” The man promised. Despite everything, despite this day supposedly belonging to Ellen and Setsuna, he wouldn’t refuse her, no matter what. And Eve felt that resolve in the man.
“Also, I won’t stop using Caladrius. We need her, Keyaruga. We need her… to establish our authority. Then… maybe, I won’t have to lose anyone again.” The queen-to-be spoke wearily. She wanted to reach Hakuo, wished to murder this monster once and for all with her own hands, instead of waiting till some disease finishes him. She wanted to bury this king’s legacy once and for all, so that his blood would never poison her life ever again. Eve Reese desired revenge. And Keyaruga would never feel worthy of discouraging his queen. And yet…
“Alright. But you have to promise me one thing – one time. She gave us only two times, and I don’t want you to overreach any further. Everything else I’ll deal with personally. It won’t make a difference to me anyway, my hands are already dirtied enough as it is.” Keyaruga all but demanded. The gods had put them in a tight little cage, where only those who kill more than others, were worthy of wielding great power. Right now, the man wasn’t sure his party was enough to challenge Hakuo’s rule. Even Eve, drained by Caladrius, managed to overpower her ‘heroic’ adversaries. Too bad they left her exhausted for Keyaru to finish the job. Speaking of that…
“But… why would you even bother? Don’t you just want to… make another redo? To fix everything, to save those who you couldn’t save?” The lady in red asked the lad. He was never too secretive about the circumstances he was in, and how the world ended up as it is. Still, each time he spoke of that, pain and loss broke through his armor of callousness.
“No. Just as you said, I have people to live for now. Freia, Setsuna, Ellen, you, Eve – I can’t imagine my life without you. And if I just flee into the past, then what’s even the point of us having this little chat right now?” The healer quarried in response. He was sure of what he was talking about now. Or, rather, trying to convince himself and Eve of that.
“Haa… Right…” For better or worse, the woman just exhaled and dropped the topic. To believe it would mean disregarding Keyaruga’s deep painful wounds, any further prying risked opening them up again. “I think we’ve got something.” Fortunately, right in that moment, Eve noticed a track, something to spot her brethren, where the trail of bodies had just ended.
“What? Where?” Keyaruga asked, now looking around.
“To the left from here. I feel my brethren coming to me from this side. They’re… fighting. And dying.” As the lady in red spoke, pointing in the direction the flow of souls was coming from, the rider pulled the reigns to stop his steed. He then jumped off the saddle.
“Shit, I must hurry!” The hero snarled, pulling the saber out of its sheath. A contradicting statement, seeing as he would be much faster mounted. But no… “Keep your eye on Kelly! I can’t risk the two of you!”
“You want to go alone?” The woman astounded, reaching for her companion. Alas, he never faced her.
“Yes! Our enemies are strong, Eve. And I’m not sure if I can properly protect you. Stay here; cover me with your magic.” Keyaruga urged sternly. He wasn’t a healer, nor a competent defender whatsoever. The hero was a murderer, and nothing could convince him more than the trial he completed just an hour ago.
“Hold on! I won’t let you go alone.” Nevertheless, the kokuyoku scion too wasn’t the same after that challenge. She flapped her wings, and numerous black spheres left her feathers. One, two… ten, twenty… Twenty-three shades now flew around the man, ready to assist him in murdering whoever threatened their kin. “They will protect you.”
“Ah… thanks.” The red-haired man uttered, looking at the fallen black-wings. Right now, they rather reminded him of insects with the way they dashed around. “We’ll be on our way, then.” Still, it didn’t stop him from getting ready to sprint forward to save whoever was left of the kokuyoku-zok and to punish their oppressors.
“Promise you’ll be back! Promise you’ll save everyone!” Eve ultimately asked, looking at her dead brethren. Shying away from them was a luxury, and now she had no time for such things.
“I will, Eve! Take care!”
And so, he ran off, to the site where the last bit of fighting was happening. Him, twenty-three shades… against the elite forces of Gramgrim, the only remaining fragment of the horrifying battalion; now, though, the time had come to end this warband once and for all.
…
Faster! Faster! I must be faster!
Keyaruga lunged through the woods, he jumped across logs, climbed the hills, passed a few ravines along the way, just to finally reach yet another battlefield. Mil was there, the wizened magician firmly held his staff. All bloodied, his robe torn apart, the old man still fought on.
“Masanna tanouti! (kill everyone)” A massive rider, carried by an even greater armored warg tackled Mil and his defense line of mostly women spellcasters, and a few strong men among the refugees.
“Usegi! (run) Usegi-i!!!” Mil yelled, getting ready to ward off the seemingly countless hordes of bloodthirsty invaders, preferably – all on his own. The thought of death never scared the magician, as he already looked in its eyes, and they were gentle.
“Mil-murnaz! (elder Mil!) Katunj pora bornul non! (we have nowhere to retreat!)” An armored old woman yelled, preparing her grandiose fire blast. None of them would abandon him. Only seventeen of them remained against a group of forty-seven raving cutthroats, knowing all too well, they wouldn’t be able to pull through. And yet, none of them would go down without a fight. If they did, they would be slaughtered, and after that – their kin would follow.
“SUNI-I-I-I!!! (DI-I-IE!!!)” The bruised elder snarled, imbuing his wooden staff with an element of lightning. One swing, one smack – and the monstrous wolf fell down, wriggling in the shocking agony, along with its master. One down.
“Globus igneus!” The armored hag next to him yelled, sending a massive fireball into the troops. Seven perished, four else – scattered. Yet, those who fell were mercilessly crushed underfoot by the four brutal tiger-riders – no regards to their allies, and even less toward the foe. Five men and two women from the black-wings stood up to meet them with their spears, staked into the earth… It didn’t work – the demons breached their line, gutting everyone in the reach of their decorated cleavers.
“Katunji! (retreat!) Konato wor marmori! (protect the children)” Mil commanded, tossing two hardened feathers into the enemies. Too close to him, but… it didn’t matter. “KURLINA-A-A!!! (FUCK YOU!!!)” He yelled, detonating the enchanted quills.
BOOM!
An explosion, a shockwave, the trembling of the earth. Kokuyoku were mercilessly pushed further, practically hunted like animals, and yet, their prey had claws and teeth. The blast was mighty, it broke Gramgrim’s formation, allowing the defenders to flee, to run, to… live a few minutes longer.
“Kha-a-a… Ha-a-a… Agh…” Mil helplessly wheezed, pushed to the trunk of the giant oak. His bones were broken, the old man had lost all feeling in his legs, hands, and… No, he knew what he was getting into. “Gh-h-h!.. Ugh… E… va… ma…” Even when some tall goblinoid thug impaled him with a spear, the only thing on the mind of the dying sorcerer was his granddaughter, and all those he tried to save. Tried, but…
“I’VE COME TO SAVE YOU!!!” Keyaruga roared, engaging a bat-like swordsman, lunging toward the fleeing defenders. Just in a few hundred meters away, the refugees were running from the pursuers. It was honestly a miracle to see them keeping such a substantial distance, even though the enemies had carnivorous mounts. It seems, like they were rather enjoying chasing their prey.
“GHA-A-A!!!” Nevertheless, the fencer retreated from the hero, picked up a lance from the roasted wolf-man, and tossed it into the hero. The latter dodged, then pointed in the direction of his adversaries.
“Tania wor tanouti! (kill them!) Orn wor shef na! (don’t be concerned about me!)” And just like that, a cascade of shadows materialized to shred the enemy flanks and rear. The raging dark spirits now flew all across the surviving hunters’ ranks, ripping and tearing, stabbing and shredding the yelling warriors, as they tried to damage the ethereal vengeful apparitions. Could it be worse? Oh yes! Someone began simply sniping them from afar, numerous beams of piercing light took lives of so many, the Gramgrim’s morale hit the bottom.
Still, that didn’t mean they’d stop fighting. Certainly not! The bat-demon just met a shade with a wide swing from his reddish greatsword – an instant later, this spirit was gone. An adamantine blade – Keyaruga couldn’t just let him roam around – the man tossed a dagger from his sleeve, but no. The warrior just easily deflected it with a sneer. Before the lad could go on, he crossed those twenty meters with merely two jumps, ready to cleave the hero’s head in one rapid sweep.
The man ducked, right leg forward, balance toward offence. A slash was aimed toward the leg…
“Ghhh!” And it failed – the healer got a knee in his chin for that. After all, how can a thin saber cut through the metal greaves underneath the surcoat? Discombobulated, the man was about to get a downward cut to his shoulder.
“A-A-A-A-R-R-R-R!!!” Fortunately for him, another shade saved Keyaruga the trouble by backstabbing the fencer. Well, she just impaled him in the right armpit. Did that stop the berserker? “ULMO-O-O!!! (BITCH!)” Well, certainly not. Even if his one limb flopped uselessly by his side now, the warrior firmly grabbed his sword with his left hand, turned around, and slammed the spirit with the pommel, sending herto in the afterlife for sure!
A perfect chance to dispatch the swordsman, right?
Wrong! Barely had Keyaruga reached out to give the adversary one fatal touch, when another massive tiger-like brute attacked him with his massive claws. Slash, swing, up, down – the bruiser-armorclad was fast, his attacks – relentless. The lad was forced to retreat, elope, block – anything and everything to not get smashed. Each time he blocked a hit with his saber, his elbow would dislocate. No matter, Georgius healed in less than a second. No matter, just get…
“Tokalbarne! (got you!)” Alright, now that was surprising. The lad felt the trap, but proved too slow to escape the massive tail. Distracted by the tiger, he let himself be trapped by a lamia, which now not only enveloped the man’s entire body, but also unceremoniously licked his cheek. Was it the end?
“A-A-A-A-a-a… Ha-ha-HA-HA-HA!!! TUYOBU, TONA!!! (harder, mommy!)” Clearly not! Even while being crushed by the mighty snake tail, Keyaruga laughed, intimidating his foes with the undying audacity within his immortal body. “USHI INAV… MUNA CABNEI!!! (YOU ARE ALREADY DEAD!)”
“Nan-! A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A!!!” The lamia groaned in pain. A moment later her body began to swell, to bloat, and to rupture in a gruesome spectacle of blood and gore. Could Keyaruga do it better? Certainly, but he had no time, nor wish to figure out the half-shake’s anatomy, and where her heart (Is it just one?) lied.
Either way, one down, the shades did their job too, keeping the rest of the Gramgrim goons busy, often even ending them. They were forty-seven? Well, now they were just nineteen, and the monsters’ corpses didn’t actually do wonders for the battle spirit of the remainder either.
Keyaruga couldn’t care less, though. He got out from the lamia’s mortal grip, covered in blood and viscera, only his clean white teeth shone brightly.
“E-eh…” The tiger-brawler was shaken by the view. He reached toward the woman, unable to believe his eyes. Was she his lover, or something?
“Die!” No matter, whatever the case, the Hero of Healing dashed toward him, pushed his armored left arm against his chest, and then, the purple hue killed the man for good. His aorta just ruptured from the defiled mending spell.
Then, more beasts, some of which were mounted, lunged toward him. Two tigers, a massive deer, a swarm of eight snakes, and even a giant black bear. The warband reasoned that the fastest way to get rid of shadows was to kill the man. Well, they were wrong.
“Saltare et aurugine ventis!” At this point, he didn’t really care about the melee, that’s why, instead of engaging in anymore close-quarter fights, the lad simply called upon a mighty firestorm, a burning tornado of wind and blaze, which not only killed the animals, but also moved on to the rest of the crumbled Gramgrim troops, razing trees, ma-muana and ma-zok alike, charring their flesh and drowning their screams in the mercilessly loud crackling of magical flames.
I guess, that’s what I’m getting for not min-maxing my physical stats and speed before going melee. Well, no matter. Now that they’re dead… Wait, Mil?
“MIL!!!” Keyaruga yelled, running toward the old mage. He… was already beyond saving. Fifteen shades gathered around the hero, as he looked at the impaled man, and his decapitated green-skinned murderer who had been killed next to him. “Muna sagri. (You may leave)” And so, the healer sent the shades away. Quite in time, actually, as they were already flickering in and out of existence anyway – Eve was losing her mana. Finally, the lad was all alone. “Alright, old daredevil. You deserved a nice funeral.” He pulled the spear out of the corpse, and put it on his shoulder. It wasn’t much, but at least, he would be sent off properly.
Time to go, I guess. Now, let’s reunite with Eve, and then…
“A-A-A-A-A!!!” Another change of plans. The lad heard a scream. Two voices, in fact, both females. The man looked around and saw the bat-swordsman, dragging a mother and her child by their hair, completely disregarding their wails of pain whatsoever.
“What, do you really think taking hostages will save you?” Keyaruga scoffed, taking a step toward the cowardly combatant. Quite surprising really, seeing how good he was with that greatsword of his. But, well, two more, two less – the black-wings were doomed either way, right?
“Keyaruga-maran!” Maybe so, but those weren’t just some unknown refugees – they were Mayala and Brin. When the man saw them, he halted his movements completely.
“Good humie! Stand right where you are, or they die!” The cutthroat threatened. It seemed he had already healed the wound left by a shade with a potion. And now, instead of running away, he intended to use the captured family to extort the hero. For what purpose, though?
“Oh, great! Finally, someone, who speaks a human language!” Keyaruga wouldn’t be swayed by that. Why would he, actually? As it stood now, he could simply send a spell of light through the mother or the daughter, run closer, heal them…
Why should I even care? It’d only hurt for a moment, nothing really…
“Good! And stay there, little shit.” Well, turned out, it worked. The healer lowered his saber.
“Or what? You kill them? See those burning pines, pal? I just killed all of your friends. By the way, Gramgrim is no more. I bet Caladrius has already eaten all of their corpses.”
“Hah, no shit, clever boy! Then where is she?! HE-E-EY!!! CALADRIUS!!! OVER HE-E-ERE!!! See?” Sadly, the bat-fencer remained completely unfazed by the news. He still had an advantage – Keyaruga seemed to care for the weeping family, and that was his weakness. “Drop your sword, then get on your knees, or I’ll take their fucking heads!”
“How enticing…” The man wondered with a nervous grin. He spun his weapon once, and pointed it to the ground. Mayala and Brin looked at him, their black eyes conveyed terror and distress. And still, there was a glimpse of hope. Keyaruga could do a miracle. He would save them, just like he saved the girl from the terminal rabies. “Will you set them free if I surrender?”
“Yau! (yeah!)” The swordsman grinned, drawing his reddish blade closer to their necks. “Drop your iron!”
Ha-ha-ha-hah! Oh, what should I do? What should I make?
“Hey, I’ve got a better idea. How about I kill myself?” And just like that, the healer pointed his own weapon at his chest, sowing dread in the hearts of the hostages and careless amusement in their captor.
“What? He-heh! Go ahead, humie, I’ll watch!” The bastard chuckled, slightly lowering his massive blade. This nasty glee grew only greater, when…
“Heh, I’m serious!” …the red-eyed lad plunged his own saber through his chest. To deep, in fact, that only the handle now stuck out from his torso.
“KEYARUGA-SONA!!!”
“UA-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A!!!”
“Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! You’re fucking hilarious!”
Three reactions, one of terror, one of tears, and the last one of irrepressible laughter – Keyaruga spat a chunk of blood, such a wound could never really kill him, and yet, it allowed for a safe movement. One, two, three steps – as long as he pretended to limp forward like a dying fool, the enemy would never stop him from approaching. He liked the view, liked seeing the man bleeding and coughing his own lungs out. He even…
A beam. A beam of white energy just flew right besides his head. It took a moment for the cutthroat to get, what was going on, but when he did, when he understood, that some distant caster could take off his head…
“YOU FUCKER!!!” Then, the cowardly warrior grabbed his greatsword with a two-handed grip, swung it at the terrorized family… “I’LL KI-!” …and died. The last thing he saw, felt, and tasted – was the trident that pierced his neck and head from the back.

Normanton MP "horrified" at last night's shooting, as victim named
The sole victim of last night's "terrifying shooting", which saw an unidentified lone masked gunman "calmly" walk up to the front doors of The King Edward VI pub on Castleford and open fire, has been identified as an Australian sportsperson.
Ellie Edwin - a 21 year old AFL Women's player - was "seriously injured" after what was being referred to by West Yorkshire Police as "a random shooting".
DCI Belforth of West Yorkshire Police stated that it was "an entirely random shooting".
"It does appear to be an entirely random shooting. But we are still asking anybody with any information to come forward as soon as possible," he said.
Edwin - who is 195cm tall - is an Aussie Rules player who plays as a "Ruck Rover" for the West Coast Cheetahs AFL women's club, which is based in Perth over in Western Australia. She had apparently been visiting her great-grandfather in Castleford and had "gone to the pub for drinks with firends".
One eyewitness, Gerald Ford, called the shooting "terrifying".
"I always go to the King Edward for a drink and a meal every afternoon. To see this in broad daylight was pretty shocking. I just saw him, all masked up and hooded and it was weird to see this man just gun this really tall lass, a young girl too, couldn't be younger than my own granddaughter. The shooter seemed like a white fella, but he was all covered up. I've never seen a shooting in this area in all of my 70 years. I still can't believe it," he stated to the West Yorkshire Herald.
It comes as the MP for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford, Taylor Dalston expressed his "utter disbelief" at the shooting.
"I was in a state of utter disbelief when I heard about this shooting and was completely horrified that something like this happened. I have no idea why this would have happened and why the victim would have been targeted. I have spoken to police and they have reassured me that temporary increased patrols will be in effect to reassure the general public. But rest assured, this is a very rare incident in my constituency," he said.
Meanwhile, the Head Coach of the West Coast Cheetahs AFL women's club, Mandy Smith, tweeted this morning,

Horrible news, Ellie Edwin injured in shooting in England. Thoughts and prayers with her and family at this moment @MandySmithAFLW

A British friend of Edwin, Francine Vincent, was inside the pub at the time, but said that "[Ellie] was outside smoking at the time; she just went out for a cigarette and then I just heard these loud bangs and lots of glasses breaking and then these screams. It was terrifying. I have no idea who would do this. I just hope they're caught. It's so awful, Ellie has only ever been speaking to her family and her great-grandmother in England via video call and this was her first time in England and she had travelled all the way over from Australia for a family visit. Terrible thing to happen."
She has been moved to St John's University Hospital in Leeds and is currently hospitalised in the general intensive care unit after sustaining serious gunshot wounds to the hands and legs, according to police.
Edwin's Facebook profile states she is 21 and lives in Baldivis, a suburb in Perth, with her cat, Alex, two roomies Jessica and Harriet and her 13 year old cousin Ash. She also works as a "Centre Assistant" at Logan Leisure, a bar, hotel and sports club in Perth.
Her AFL profile lists her height as 6'5 (~195cm), bodyweight as 67kg, position as a Ruck-rover and says she started playing for the West Coast Cheetahs in November 2019. Players in the AFL who are rucks and ruck-rovers are generally the tallest players and this is similar in the AFL Women's league.
Meanwhile, a vague description of the gunman has been given, but police have said they are looking for "a white male with a height between 160 and 165cm, with a thin build and shoe size between size 8 and 9 and a crooked nose."

I have compiled the latest news and enhancements for your reference. Take a look and ensure your organization is prepared for the changes!
📅 June 2023:

• 🔒 11 retirements
• ✨ 8 new features
• ✅ 3 enhancements
• 🛠️ 2 functionality breaks
• 🔁 1 license plan change

Stay informed by exploring the upcoming months as well! Don't miss out on what's in store!
https://blog.admindroid.com/microsoft-365-end-of-support-milestones/

Good Morning Patriots
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Free place to chat and a good place to discuss whatever you like with other sub users
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Key dates on the 2023 NFL / Patriots calendar.

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Undrafted Free Agent Tracker.

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New England Patriots News Link Catchup - Opportunity knocks for Mack Wilson, Sr.; Behind OTA penalty

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• Transactions: Patriots sign TE Anthony Firkser; Place LB Raekwon McMillan on Injured Reserve.
• Alexandra Francisco has the story of how 17 foster siblings and his faith inspired Ty Montgomery’s calling off the field. Through his foundation My 10 Percent, the Patriots WR is fundraising to send 11 former foster children on a transformative trip to Israel.
• Building the 2023 New England Patriots: 2023 NFL Draft recap. As the Patriots ramp up OTAs this spring, go behind the scenes, as Matt Groh helps wrap up the draft, and meet the Draft Class of 2023. (6 min. video)
• Patriots Catch-22 podcast: Evan Lazar and Alex Barth discuss which position groups they’re looking forward watching, the current roster as it sits, the OTA rules violation and more. (22 min.)
• Patriots Unfiltered: OTAs preview, setting expectations for summer practices, state of the Patriots. (2 hours)
• Luke Ervin (SportsBlog) Five intriguing position battles to keep an eye on this summer.
• Mike D’Abate (Patriots Country) Patriots place Raekwon McMillan on season-ending IR. The reserve LB suffered a partially-torn Achilles’ tendon during on OTA workout.
• Mike Reiss reports the Raekwon McMillan injury potentially elevates Mack Wilson Sr. and rookie Marte Mapu (third round, Sacramento State) up the depth chart behind starters Ja’Whaun Bentley and Jahlani Tavai.
• Clare Cooper (PatsPropaganda) What is happening at the Tight End, end of the Patriots roster.
• Harrison Reno (Patriots Country) After the retirement of Devin McCourty, New England will turn to Kyle Dugger to help lead the secondary in 2023.
• Zack Cox’s Patriots Mailbag: These players could be surprise cut candidates.
• Dakota Randall Patriots Rumors: How players feel about rough 2023 schedule.
• Dakota Randall notes Jimmy Garoppolo underwent foot surgery and wonders if he will play in the Patriots-Raiders game. Brian Hoyer is the backup QB.
• Tanner James offers a way-too-early prediction for Patriots 2024 free agents.
• Ian Logue (PatsFans) Friday Patriots Notebook 5/26: News and Notes.
• Phil Perry gives us more insight into the Pats’ rules violation. /Good info.
• Dakota Randall isn’t sold on a player ratting on Joe Judge after hearing Phil Perry’s report that offers more context on this bizarre situation. An NFLPA rep was there plus the ever-present possibility of the NFL over-punishing the Patriots based on their history of breaking the rules.
• Mark Daniels calls the Patriots OTA violation another embarrassing moment for Belichick.
• Alex Barth highlights a Greg Bedard report that offers more details about the OTA punishment. “It’s noted that Belichick, on April 19, forwarded to all coaches – Judge is named – the reminder about the four-hour window by the management council,” Bedard adds. “The Patriots told the NFL that the meetings/workshops weren’t mandatory and no attendance was taken,” Mike Reiss writes, “but the league ultimately ruled that all activity must begin and end within the constraints of the collectively bargained four-hour period.”
• Chris Mason passes along the report that the Patriots OTA violation was caused by Joe Judge ‘workshops’.
• Locked On Patriots podcast: Mike D’Abate discusses the OTA controversy and welcomes Clare Cooper to discuss the Pats “Fab Four” offensive skill position players heading into 2023. (41 min.)

Welcome to the ColumbusGA Virtual Yardsale! Here you can advertise any item that you have to sell/give away/get rid of without worry of breaking Rule 5 of the subreddit.
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Everyone should be genuine of their interest and respectful to all.
We highly suggest that you arrange meetups in very public places with witnesses in order for both parties to protect themselves. A great place that is always available is a local Columbus Police Department precinct. You can call the non-emergency number and ask if they can send an officer outside to watch over the transaction. If the item is too big to meet at that location, you can call the non-emergency number and have a patrol officer meet you as well.
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The long road of Swiss is almost over. This is the last chance for teams that hope to get an at-large berth to get a big win to impress the committee before conference play begins. Can UCLA finish the sweep against Illinois? Can Top 25 newcomers solidify their position against those who used to be ranked? Will the mid-majors get the scalp they need?
Let's look at that last question, as the top mid-major team the last few seasons takes on a contender to the throne.
*****
UNLV Runnin' Rebels vs. Princeton Tigers.
If ever the phrase "contrast of styles" applied, it applies here. UNLV, as the name implies, loves to get out in the fast break lanes and emphasize their athleticism. Princeton, meanwhile, is cagey and intellectual, slowing the game down and making their defense a puzzle. Something has to give.
"We're going to see this in conference play [with Air Force], so I'm glad we're getting a taste of it now," Rebels coach Jerry Tarkanian said. "This is our chance to show the selection committee the strength we have and the depth that mid-majors provide. We're a mid-major in name only."
Princeton, meanwhile, is in a tenuous position. Whereas many pundits are predicting UNLV will be strong enough to make the NIBL tournament with or without the Mountain West's automatic bid, there's no certainty for the Tigers. The Ivy League doesn't have as much depth; as such, Princeton needs all the wins they can get.
"We know this is a big game for us," guard Geoff Petrie told reporters. "We have to have a win."
ROSTERS
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UNLV Runnin' Rebels (7-4)	#	Princeton Tigers (7-4)
Stacey AUGMON	0	Bill BRADLEY
Marcus BANKS	1	Devin CANNADY
Keon CLARK	2	Brian EARL
Armen GILLIAM	3	Steve GOODRICH
Glen GONDREZICK	4	Armond HILL
Sidney GREEN	5	Ian HUMMER
Larry JOHNSON	6	John HUMMER
Derrick JONES Jr	7	Mike KEARNS
Shawn MARION	8	Gabe LEWULLIS
Tyrone NESBY	9	Ted MANAKAS
Isaiah RIDER	10	Bud PALMER
Robert SMITH	11	Geoff PETRIE
Ricky SOBERS	12	Brian TAYLOR
Reggie THEUS	13	Judson WALLACE
Christian WOOD	14	Chris YOUNG

LINE: UNLV by 21
*****
TOP 25 GAMES
#1 UCLA (11-0) at #25 Illinois (9-2)
#3 Kentucky (10-1) at #8 Michigan (9-2)
#4 Duke (9-2) at #15 Southern Cal (9-2)
#10 Indiana (9-2) at N.C. State (9-2)
#5 Kansas (9-2) at #9 Notre Dame (9-2)
#2 North Carolina (9-2) at Arkansas (9-2)
#17 DePaul (8-3) at #16 Maryland (8-3)
#22 Florida (8-3) at Louisville (8-3)
#23 Iowa (8-3) at Houston (8-3)
#18 LSU (8-3) at West Virginia (8-3)
#20 Minnesota (8-3) at California (8-3)
#11 Ohio State (8-3) at Arizona State (8-3)
Saint John's (8-3) at #13 Texas (8-3)
#7 Syracuse (8-3) at #14 Arizona (8-3)
Tennessee (8-3) at #12 Connecticut (8-3)
Washington (8-3) at #21 Alabama (8-3)
#6 Michigan State (8-3) at Saint Louis (7-4)
Tulsa (7-4) at #19 Georgetown (7-4)
#24 UNLV (7-4) at Princeton (7-4)

There is a tempting theory that Fromville is a government experiment. I would like to rule out this theory as best as I can, so we can move on to other theories. The most compelling evidence for the Government Experiment theory, in my opinion, is that all of the residents have been taken from somewhere in the continental United States. Let's talk about that.
Map of locations people arrived in the town from, showing no entry points from outside the continental US.
There's someone from San Diego, but nobody from Mexico, 17 miles away. There are pins tantalizingly close to the Canadian border too, but nobody was actually grabbed from Canada. Nobody from the Caribbean either, and nobody from Alaska or Hawaii.

Does it matter? Could it just be the writers catering to an US audience?

I think this map is intentional evidence of something. If they can have two characters (Kenny's Parents) who speak very little English, I don't think having a Mexican or a Canadian marked on a map would make Americans less likely to watch the show. Remember, these characters wouldn't even have to be still living or appear in the show. The pins on the map don't all correspond to still living characters, and it is an intentional choice to simply stop at the border.

How many people are counted here?

One thing worth mentioning is that these are only people who came after some undefined point, but I think given that this map is in the Sherriff's office we can assume they started keeping track after Boyd's arrival 2 years ago.
I can't quite make out most of the names, and my screenshot doesn't help, but I can't find any names from Colony House. Let me know if you can. It might help for someone who is better than me at reading handwritten text to open this in the actual show where you can get the best resolution. The questions to answer here are whether its only people from the town, and who is the longest staying resident we can find.

Why just the US?

Here are all of the theories I have for why this would only be happening to Americans.

1. Fromville is an experiment being carried out by the US Government.
2. The entrance to Fromville, being a wormhole or whatever else, has to be transported physically, by land, and it would be problematic to get it through customs.
3. Fromville is designed to punish Americans for something. This would have to be a punishment for something that Canadians and Mexicans didn't also do, which rules out settling the Americas.
4. Every country gets their own.
5. Its some mystical, paranormal force that for some reason cares about modern political borders. Maybe its the ghost of Osama Bin Laden or something.
6. Something cultural or logical prevents them from making it onto this map. If its only people who settled in the town that make it onto the map, maybe it was impossible to convince Spanish speakers to get inside. The problem with this is that Canada is not culturally different enough from the United States to create a filter here. Maybe Canadians are all lumberjacks and when they hit the tree in the road they just cut it up and haul it out. Who knows. I can't think of how this theory would work, but its still possible.
7. Its coincidence. Canada and Mexico have a lower populations than the United States, and if you squint the pins seem to have some correlation with regional population density. Maybe they just got lucky.
8. It has to do with the interstate system. All of these pins seem to be placed on interstates. Mexico and Canada do not have an interstate system the same way the US does. I heard somewhere that one motivation for building the interstates was the Cold War, as an efficient way to evacuate cities in case of a nuclear attack. Maybe there's something there.
9. Its a simulation so anything can happen, who cares.
10. The people running Fromville don't want to introduce a language barrier. This theory is also weak, considering Kenny's parents speak very little English, and people were taken from south Florida, south Texas, and San Diego, who could very easily have been Spanish speakers. America in general is not a monolingual country. On the other hand, if people are selected individually (which the bus with Krysti's fiancée implies) then Kenny's family could have been selected *because* they have Kenny to translate, and the people from heavily Spanish speaking parts of the United states could be collected at no risk of introducing a language barrier to isolate them.
11. It could be because of something I haven't thought of, let me know in the comments.

I don't like most of these answers, but they're what I've got.

Why just the continental US?

1. The US Government is running the experiment, but lacks the resources to do anything in Alaska or Hawaii despite having wormhole technology. Or they just don't care to run this experiment on Hawaiians and Alaskans, because they wouldn't get useful data from them for some reason.
2. The entrance to Fromville, being a wormhole or whatever else, has to be transported physically, by land, and it would be problematic to get it through customs.
3. Hawaii and Puerto Rico don't have long enough stretches of empty country roads, while Alaska just doesn't have enough people for it to be likely that one is here, the same reason why there's nobody from Wyoming, Idaho, or Nebraska.
4. The wormhole operates within some radius, you can draw a circle on a map which includes all of these pins but excludes Hawaii and Alaska.
5. It could be something I haven't thought of, let me know in the comments.

Again, none of these are great answers, but its all I've got.

Dating the beginning of Fromville.

If Fromville is 5 years old, the government experiment theory is plausible. The older Fromville is, the less likely it is that the US Government had the potential to create this kind of thing. Even setting aside the impossible geometry, we have seen wires that go nowhere but still power things. We've seen bioengineered superhumans who can shapeshift and rip a person apart in seconds, all while being impervious to bullets. Not to mention the ability to induce shared hallucinations and read minds.
Not only are these things beyond present technology, they are things a government would find extremely useful for projects that make a lot more money than torturing two dozen of its own citizens secretly. I think, without some kind of magic, we can rule out almost all human causes. Terror attacks, government experiments, basically every explanation of a manmade Fromville, except The Matrix or something supernatural, like magic. All we need to do is prove that Fromville is very old.
So, maybe the present-day government has this technology and is keeping it a secret, or its still being tested. In that case, did they have this technology in the 70's, when Victor arrived? As we go further back, it becomes less plausible.
We see Civil War uniforms on some of Jade's hallucinations, which would be dated to the 1880s, but these civil war soldiers may not necessarily have been trapped in Fromville or may not have actually existed at all.
What about the US Marine that Boyd meets in the tower? He doesn't recognize Boyd's style of pistol, presumably because its a semi automatic. The first semi automatic sidearm formally adopted by the US military was the Colt 1911, adopted in 1911. If you've seen a Colt 1911, you wouldn't look at Boyd's pistol and say "That doesn't look like any pistol I've seen.'(Or whatever his exact wording was.)
That marine was probably a civil war soldier or earlier, who would only have been familiar with revolvers. I doubt the technology we see in the show is older than the semi automatic pistol.
If we wanted to date Fromville older than this, we can get into things I can't prove.
​
A picture of the talismans.
When I first watched the show, my first thought was that these symbols were Rongorongo because of the human shapes. Then, I started thinking about writing systems that would more plausibly have been in North America at some time. Looking more into it, these look like they could be Icelandic staves. I am neither Icelandic nor am I an anthropologist, but I feel like there isn't enough discussion on who would have carved these so I'll try to at least say enough to get a discussion going.
Icelanders used to carve symbols into a form of stone called lignite. Lignite is a soft stone which, from google image searches, often has this same blueish-gray color. If these are Icelandic staves, they probably date back to around 1000 AD, the approximate possible date when Icelandic people settled Newfoundland. The middle of the talisman looks like the rune ᛝ and the dashes along the outside look like ᚫ, but with an extra notch. The only examples I was able to find with three notches were on this runic calendar dated around the 12th or 13th century AD found in Finland.
\"Sami Runic Calendar\" showing a character resembling ᚫ but with an extra notch. Look in the bottom right if you don't see it.
I have no idea what the significance of the extra notch is, or if its something that was only done on calendars. If the talismans are calendars, obviously the circular shape is significant. This could also be an older form of the rune, or any number of other possibilities because languages and writing systems are hard, constantly evolving, and I am not an anthropologist. Also, there are only so many shapes you can make when carving notches into a rock and the talismans don't necessarily have to be Icelandic just because they look like some runes.
One counterargument to all of this is that this same symbol appears on the cave writings by the monsters.
Victor showing the cave drawings.
My theory, assuming the talismans are Icelandic, is that the domain of Fromville either used to extend to Newfoundland 1000 years ago, or that some Vinlanders(which is what I will call Icelandic settlers in Newfoundland, I don't know if this is a real word) were blown off course and found their way into its domain. Obviously, if Fromland is over 1000 years old, sticking to the modern day boundaries of the continental United States would be extremely strange. It would also be extremely strange that there is evidence of Vinlanders but 0 evidence of any First Nations people despite Fromville being 1000 years old.
Regardless, these Vinlanders found themselves trapped, much like our modern day protagonists. They desperately designed staves that they hoped could ward off the creatures, and eventually someone managed to make one that worked. These staves were then passed down or dug up by more and more generations of Fromlanders, until eventually Boyd found them. Meanwhile, the monsters, either by somehow assimilating humans or through their observation of the talismans, came to draw these symbols themselves.
My theory on why the stave worked is that it could say some equivalent of "I'm not afraid of you", the same thing Darrel says to the creatures surrounding the bus.
The stick with three notches could also be depicting trees or waves, and not be a rune at all. On the cave drawing, surrounding the boats and spaced randomly, they look like waves. On the talisman, evenly spaced in a ring around the human figures, they look like trees
Regardless, if any of this holds up, a healthy majority of historians believe that the United States Federal Government was not functional or existent in 1000AD. At the very least, their technology was extremely limited.

Link to the article: https://www.wcvb.com/article/wegmans-natick-massachusetts-store-closing/44068051
Link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFiXdCxC3a4&feature=youtu.be