This post is directed to Van-Eric, who is entering the thread at this point. He comes from page 7 of the Character Generation Thread.
As consciousness returns, you hear white noise in the background, pulsing slowly and not quite regularly, as you might imagine a giant dragon would sound if he were sleeping. The surface below your back feels uneven but soft, and hot, sloping slightly, and there is bright warm light shining on you from above. Your eyes are closed, but there is an odd smell on the air.
--M. J. Young
As I lay back on the ground, I slowly regain my senses. I use my hands to feel the ground. What do I feel? Gravel? Rocks? I rub my head for a bit then I sit up, rub my eyes, and try to regain focus to take in my scenery. Using my keen observational skills I take in my surroundings. Are there trees? Rocks? Signs of live? How high up am I? What do I see?
"Where am I?", I say as I attempt to stand up. "What's that smell? Sulfur?" As I stand I stretch, then feel myself for any injuries, then check my pockets to see if everything is there.
At this point I attempt to sense and locate any living, or spirit, creature in the area.
- If it works, I memorize the direction of the signal(s) I got and gather my things, get some paper and a pen then draw out the area as I can see it from where I am and using my cellphones internal compass, making sure to mark the estimated signal location. Then head for a shaded secluded place for a bit.
- If not, I'll just gather my stuff and head to to a shaded area so I can regain my composure.
OOC: I was surprised you brought up a dragon. I was born under the sign of the dragon, and the dragon has a lot of symbolization for me! Starting my story with the imagery of the dragon really makes me happy!
Oh! And one more pice of equipment I forgot. My white 30gb iPod and headphones.
Right, I won't go deeper into the cave. I dislike the sauna; I love cold conditions.
"Sorry, I don't think I have any spices. They are at home, and are pretty well guaranteed to stay there a good long while, heh."
"My background in the arcane is: A massive appreciation for fantasy novels, and years of study of the occult, as well as general religion. I have practiced magic once, using a rather Wiccan approach, in concert with my mother. To be honest, though, I am far more interested in my own power, not the universe's. You know?"
Van-Eric: the ground is sand, warm hot and dry, but the sound is surf; that suggests that you are on a beach. The smell is the ocean.
Scott & Brock: While you are talking, Iggy interrupts to say, "We've got company." Scott relaxes (because he knows about this kind of thing) and feels the sense of another verser--who happens to be down on the beach below the rock, about fifty yards away. (Brock, if you think you would relax, you will also feel him; but it's a very faint sense, so busyness and distraction always interfere. In any case, when Scott looks, you'll know the direction, so you can see him, too.)
Van-Eric's possessions, from the equipment sheet, are scattered on the beach around him. It is as if someone pulled the floors out of your home and dropped everything straight down, but nothing is damaged--and nothing is in the water. (If I've overlooked something that is not at your home, let me know how far it is from your home; if there are multiple places where things are located, let me know what and where they are, relative to each other. They will not be on the beach here.)
Van-Eric, you have this feeling that you were supposed to meet someone, and when you turn that direction--which is slightly inland, down the beach, and up--you see a couple young men looking down at you from a rock outcropping in the side of the rising slope of land. You will also see enough to guess that this is a tropical region, from the palms, and you will see steam or smoke rising from a point uphill from them.
--M. J. Young
Two quick footnotes:
- I've added Ipod, white 30gb with headphones to the equipment.
- How does the compass in the cell phone work? Does it actually sense the magnetic field, or does it use the network of towers, or does it use its internal GSPS? I expect having spotted two people looking at you, you're not going through all those steps and might not check the phone, but I'll have to assess whether it works based on how it works. (Also, if you don't know, a die roll will have to make that determination.)
--M. J. Young
OCC: It does sense magnetic field through the accelerometer, another use for the compass is using the accelerometer and the magnetic sensor as a metal detector for my phone as well. But yes. Since they're there I won't need to do all that.
Smelling the ocean, looking out to sea, I turn to face inland and then see them their way from me. As my stuff and things are gathered I don the polarfleece material and wear it as a cloak with a hood and walk my way down the beach toward these strangers. Keeping my guard up I take my yo-yo in my hand and hold on to it just in case. Walking my way over I wave my hand and yell, "Heyyy!!!" hoping to grasp their attention from the distance we're at.
They are already looking at you as you gather your gear.
The rock on which they are standing rises rather sheerly on the visible sides, jutting out from the rising slope of land. You must move inland up the slope to reach them. The undergrowth is sparse and the trees open and scattered here, so you can see them and be seen by them for most of the trip, unless you choose to climb directly alongside the rock outcropping itself.
As you reach an elevation from which the top of the rock is visible, a makeshift sort of camp comes into view. The camp has what appears to be an all-black beach umbrella in the grassy area near the rock and a one-man tent of white synthetic material pitched in its shade. Near the tent, a single green sleeping bag lies atop a black plastic groundcloth. On the rock a fire is currently burning; cookware is piled a bit haphazardly near it. The materials look synthetic, in the main. There are a few things scattered about the campsite, some sort of gun sitting on the sleeping bag, a couple of stuffed animals. Some distance from it, also on the grass, is a pillow and a red blanket with a quilt pattern beside a backpack.
There are two young white men awaiting your arrival. One wears black sweatpants and a T-shirt reading "Some people are like a SLINKY; you just can't help but laugh as they tumble down the stairs", and socks and shoes.* The other is wearing khaki cargo shorts and black sandals. There is what looks to be a sword hanging from a broad leather belt around his waist.
There is fish in a frying pan by the fire, and some tropical fruit, largely oranges and mangoes, stacked a short distance from it.
There is also a large (but not unusually so) iguana whose attention seems to be focused on you as well.
I'm sure that one of them will say something in a moment (just as soon as they manage to get here and post....).
--M. J. Young
I (the shirtless young man with the sword) raise my right hand in greeting.
"Yo ho. We're peaceful; I had a white flag to wave, but it's in the tent."
I don't volunteer anything else until/unless he asks or volunteers similar information himself; I don't know his world of origin or customs, and I want to play first meetings safe.
__
I'm unexpectedly on vacation now and shall be until about Tuesday, and my internet will be spotty, so I might not post every day - but then again, how is that different from usual?
that isn't different for you at all, Scott :P
I generally have my staff with me at all times; I forgot to mention my on-person equipment.
I will wave my staff in a friendly gesture at the newcomer and then sit down cross-legged on the grass, staff laid down beside me. That stance should appear very non-threatening.
Feel free to respond, Van-Eric. I don't need to moderate conversations between player characters too much.
--M. J. Young
As I walk up to the camp I holster my yo-yo once I assess they're safe. Wow...an iguana. But...why is it so focused on me?
"So...are you people real? Or are you people figments of my imagination caught within a lucid dream world?" I question jokingly, but partially serious.
I take off the cloak and lay the material down like a blanket on the ground on the opposite side of the fire. I set my bag down and try to make myself comfortable. I then proceed to lie down on my side, left hand supporting my head with my right knee up.
"So, can you guys tell me where I am? "By the way", pointing toward the man with the staff, "I like your shirt.""
"OH!", I say as I let out a little chuckle, "My name is Van-Eric. But you're free to call me something else if you wish. I like nicknames because they give you a better bond with people."
OCC: Sorry about that. I've been busy because my family is planning a vacation. I'll be leaving for a week starting Saturday, so I'd like to ask if you can all pray for safety for myself and my family as we take our trip!
((Double post!!!))
"If we were figments, how could we tell? I find it's better to assume reality until you find evidence to the contrary.
"You're on an island. This is Brock," indicating the shirted man, "and this is Ignominious. Have a seat, get some water - the stream's fresh and safe. I've got some mangoes by the tent if you're hungry, and there's some leftover fish."
"Haha, well with that answer, who can doubt that you're at least a living being. That's nice to know."
"Well, nice to meet you all! So...what is this island? I remember being home........then, I dropped a Digital Image Processor I borrowed, I picked it up, and some liquid stuff came out. I touched it. I blacked out, and now I'm here with all my stuff. Wait... why is my stuff here?"
**stomach rumbles**
"I guess I am a little hungry..."
I stand up, walk to the tent and gladly help myself to the mangos. "Thanks for the mangos. But you guys can enjoy the rest of the fish. I prefer sweet foods." I walk back to my blanket, grab my steak knife from my bag and proceed to cut the mango into 3 pieces. The sides and the seed.
While eating the mango I start to converse.
"So what brings you guys...or rather, all of us here? Don't tell me we're all dreaming or something."
The iguana says, "We have another new one."
--M. J. Young
"New one? Are you reffer....Wha wha wait!" I stand up suddenly exclaiming, "A talking....huge...iguana...THAT'S SO COOL!!!"
I quickly make my way to examine the iguana.
"Wow...that's amazing! So, where are you from!?", I ask as I stare down Ignominious.
"You'll have to forgive his rudeness, Iggy. Too many new things at once tend to over-excite a person."
As an afterthought, I'll add, "Well, I suppose you won't have to, strictly speaking." I smile.
(In your examination of the iguana, you undoubtedly notice that he is wearing a steel wingnut as a necklace, secured around his neck by a length of sinew or catgut or something. The wingnut is about an inch across from tip to tip, and the flat areas are somewhat crudely etched with small symbols (or possibly just doodles).)
"This just makes me question..", I say as I make my way to my blanket, "what else is possible here?"
I sit back down, tilt my head back and think to myself What did I get into? "By the way, I'm sorry...Iggy, if you don't mind me calling you that, sorry for my sudden examination. But you are a very interesting being! So, if you can talk, does
that mean I'm not bound to the physical limitations of 'my' Earth?"
"Wow, what kind of weapons are those you have there?"
I pull out my camera to take pictures of the surrounding area, the weapons around, and if my new friends don't mind I'd like to take pictures with them.
(Open for conversastion, eating, and what-not)
"If you guys don't mind I'm going to walk down to the beach and take this all in." I grab my stuff, pick up my blanket and once again don it as a cloak. At this point, i'd like to meditate as I walk down, but I try not to walk to far from the campsite.
I'd also like to practice my capoeira on the beach.
I'd like to try jumping to test the gravity of this place to see how high I can jump. If I jump a normal height, I'd then like to try Incresing my strength in my legs activating my energy moving abiltiy for 30 seconds to try and strengthen my legs to jump higher than average.
'So...are you people real? Or are you people figments of my imagination caught within a lucid dream world?'
To this, I raise my eyebrows, and comment that I believe I am real, but what exactly do you mean by 'real'? What if you are a figment of MY imagination, or what if we are all figments of someone else's, or...?
Once it becomes apparent he is new (around the Iggy conversation), I say, "Hi, I'm Brock. How are you? Probably fairly confused. Well, me and Scott here have some potentially upsetting news for you. From what Scott was telling me...well actually I'd better let Scott ecplain. He's way more experienced in this field."
After observing his behavior for awhile, I comment, "Well, you're certainly an energetic person!"
Iggy says, "Scott tells me that we met in Bayonne, New Jersey, a port city known as The Big Tomato because of the vegetables shipped from there, but he does not know where I was born and I do not remember that. But I do not understand why a talking iguana means that this world is different; I have talked in several worlds."
Gravity seems to be earth normal.
Your effort to enhance your strength does not seem to have any impact.
--M. J. Young
Correction:
"Scott tells me that we met in Columbus, Ohio, a city where everything was filtered because of the poisons released into the environment, but he does not know where I was born and I do not remember that. But I do not understand why a talking iguana means that this world is different; I have talked in several worlds."
I chip in, "I think he might be from Brazil, but I found him in a pet shop, so there's really no way to know."
I'll let Van-Eric answer Iggy's question about why his talking makes this world different on his own. It'll help V-E work through his thought process more clearly, and it'll be good conversational practice for Iggy.
.
"Wow, what kind of weapons are those you have there?"
"Technological ones. Why do you ask? Are you even sure you know which things are weapons?"
I pull out my camera to take pictures of the surrounding area, the weapons around, and if my new friends don't mind I'd like to take pictures with them.
"Um, I'd rather you not take pictures of me or my things unless you're going to use them for something later. I can think of ways that could get me in trouble if we end up in the same world again, so, unless you can think of some way it would useful . . . ?"
__
I'll answer questions about the nature of reality and explain the gold liquid that came out of Van-Eric's consumer electronic device once he's prepared to sit down and talk about it. That'll happen after he clears up a few things with Iggy, and it might happen either after or before the walk on the beach - my grasp of the chonology is a bit spotty, so I'll post my Mentor Bits once I'm sure when things are happening.
I will sit politely and wait for something I'd like to comment on.
MJ, with my computer troubles, I don't have my character sheet anymore. Can you post it somewhere, so I can print it out here at the library? That way I can track changes to it like I wanted, and remind myself of what gear I have.
Brock, your character sheet should be posted in the Character Generation thread. Indeed, I find it here on page 6. I don't recall having made any changes to it since then, but if so they'll be noted in the threads somewhere. I will post your paper again when this world ends for you, and probably if there's anything important between now and then we can address it as it arises.
--M. J. Young
Oh, right. Sorry, I wasn't thinking when I said that I guess.
No apology necessary, as long as you can find it.
--M. J. Young
That sheet says my willpower is 1@5. I disagree, but I think we hashed this out already. What was it?
What is this section?
Bias
Tech
Psi
Mag
Bod
OK, I have it. MJ, while I am ordinarily very patient, I am starting to wonder where those two went. Did I miss something? Regardless, I'd like to detail what I'm doing after the introductions are done, just for something to do, should nothing interrupt these plans.
I'll get my (Pair of navy blue shorts reading Air Force J.R.O.T.C. (junior ROTC)) out and bring those to the cave, strip down and put them on, and explore the cave.
If there is daylight left when(if?) I come back out of the cave, I will take that walk along the beach, observing the kinds of plants I see on this island, and in particular looking for anything I don't recognize and taking some for later identification. This skill may be useful for this-1@8 Survival: Forest T0@1 includes edible plants
MJ, while I am ordinarily very patient, I am starting to wonder where those two went.
For my part, my further actions are contingent on Van-Eric's. I'm half-way through a conversation, and I think we're on the cusp of a second Verser Orientation Seminar, but as I'm here pretty much as an assisting NPC, I don't feel any burning need to post in anticipation of Van-Eric (as opposed to in reaction).
That's where I went. The jury is out on where Van-Eric went, but I believe the currently dominant theory is "computer troubles."
I believe that Van-Eric is having computer problems, as if I recall correctly you also were, and Scott was awaiting some post from either of you that would involve him.
We will continue to work around him.
There is not much too this cave. It begins with the pond and the water pouring down from above and dripping from the ceiling, and part of the water from the pond pours back into the cave forming a stream along the low point. The slick smooth floor is slightly bowed, from the different rates of erosion from higher and lower water levels. It also slopes slightly downward into the mountain, and the slope gets steeper gradually. There are some stalagtites on the ceiling, but no stalagmites beneath as the floor is perpetually washed. The sides are rounded, making something of an uneven tube. It is very hot and humid, steam making visibility difficult as the cooler outside air and the hot inside air mix; cooler air can be felt moving above the water on the floor.
The late afternoon sun shines fairly directly into the cave, but between the dazzle of the curtain of water, the dispersion of the steam, and the angle of the floor it fades to a dusk-like level within fifty or sixty feet, and is starting to slope down more steeply, and get hotter.
What are you wearing on your feet?
--M. J. Young
I'll remove my socks and shoes, and leave everything behind, staff included. If it is too dark to see at all at any point, I'll leave, because I don't have a flashlight. I see fairly well in the dark, but there has to be SOME light.
I am concerned that we are not sharing a common image here. Let me try again.
The cave grows gradually darker, but not so quickly that you cannot adjust to it as you move inside. The later in the afternoon it is, the more light you have, to a point.
The cave walls and floor are all wet, smooth, and slippery, and a stream runs down the center of the floor.
The cave slopes downward toward the interior, and the angle of the slope gradually steepens as you progress.
Heat and steam rise from inside the cave, growing hotter and more humid as you ingress.
You have indicated that the only condition that will cause you to exit, or even to check your advance, is that it becomes too dark to see. I can't imagine that this is correct, so I think you must not be seeing the situation clearly--either that, or you're counting on some abilities to negotiate this situation which I am overlooking.
Are you genuinely intending to keep walking into this cave until you cannot see, regardless of how steep or slick the floor becomes or how hot or humid the air?
--M. J. Young
yes, it appears to be much more treacherous than I had envisioned. I guess I won't explore. I thought it was fairly level, but that there was a pool that I had to wade through to go deeper, or something.
Instead, I'll hike around the island. My character is just looking for something to do. I'm not a chatty person, so I would be wanting some alone time by now.
I'll bring my staff.
There are a variety of trees on the island, and plenty of undergrowth as well. There are birds and insects, but no land animals that you can see. The ground is deep soil in spots, shallow soil in other spots, and bare rock in many stretches; this is sometimes smooth as glass and sometimes rough and sharp as pumice, sometimes solid and sometimes broken up. Grasses grow in cracks, apparently the work horse that starts the conversion from rock to dirt.
The beaches to one side of the island tend to be white or light sand, perhaps from sea shells or sandstone, while on the other they are clearly from smashed and broken lava, black sands.
The steaming cone looms above all, and there are few places on the island where it is not visible.
But today it is not steaming.
--M. J. Young
hmm, not steaming? Too bad I'm no geologist! Maybe it's about to erupt; calm before the storm and all that....
I'll continue hiking for awhile, just for the recreation, then return to my stuff near Scott's camp, and get a book to read.
Scott and Ignominius are discussing whether the change in the volcano means anything, and what it might mean. Possibilities are that whatever water was evaporating is gone, that a fissure has sealed (which might mean that pressure is now building), that there was debris blown into the crater which has now been fully consumed by fire, and that the upper levels of the volcano are cooling.
They offer you some fresh roasted fish and their usual collection of fruits.
--M. J. Young
I thank him, and say, "I hope it isn't going to erupt yet, although I suppose it was inevitable. In case the next time I go out to explore the island is my last time before it goes, I just want to say thanks. Thank you very much for all your help."
After the conversation ends, assuming nothing else happens, I will settle down to read for awhile.
"Well, it's not inevitable; it could go extinct, and we'd be here until the island eroded away completely or you or I experimented with something too dangerous. But if it happens tomorrow, it won't be all bad - it would mean I wouldn't have to cast my fishing spell again for a while. It makes me feel a little bad to use it; at least if you're hook or spear fishing, you can pretend the little guys were too dumb or too slow to live, but if you're magicking them to shore and zapping 'em with an electric spear, you feel a bit more like you're taking advantage.
"Now that I think of it, though, I really ought to be storing up some smoked fish or something, something that will last me a while if I verse out suddenly. I'd have to eat my stash and replace it periodically, but I'd feel mighty dumb if I left a place with plentiful food and starved in the next verse."
Once Brock goes his way, I'll set about figuring out a way to cook fish such that it will take quite some time to spoil. I don't know anything about "smoking" fish, but I will start there and experiment. I suppose my goal-in-mind is something like fish jerky. (I'm sticking to tech methods for now, but if I don't get good results I may switch to arcane.)
Of course, I'm also keeping up my usual, somewhat lax, practice routine (and Iggy's, as well).
What would Brock see of your practice routine? That is, it strikes me that if you're involved in observable activities, it might be something he would notice, and that might help him better prepare for worlds ahead.
--M. J. Young
If he starts practicing in my view, I will watch. I am rather bored by this point, I would think.
Regrettably, I do not recall what is involved in Scott's practice. I know he does some physical exercise, including jumping out of trees to practice landing, but without his post I'm going to have to stick to those items.
You see Scott climb a tree and then leap from it, hitting the ground and rolling to absorb the impact. He does this multiple times. He also does some other exercises, quite a few of which look like they might be martial arts katas.
--M. J. Young