Yo, Scott!
This is one of those last-minute inspiration things. I've got Brock on the tropical island, and was going to do the scene with Michael di Vars, but he was just complaining about never having "met" you, and that gave me the thought that you could be the elder verser sitting on that rock outcropping. If you are available to post in his thread, that would be kewl; this world doesn't last any longer than we agree to have it last, so you won't be tied up too long.
Concerning character: you would be permitted to extrapolate who your character is a dozen worlds or so down the line, and so I would be relying on you to feed info concerning what Brock sees at the campsite. Mag and Psi are flatlined 0@1, Tech 0@25, and Bod standard 13@2. I'll roll for skills based on whatever attributes and SALs you claim for him.
Concerning place: I've put the campsite in the usual place, because it's a good place. It's on a rock outcropping near the sea, just below a cave. The cave is interesting and should be described to you, because it would be part of your reason for being here. A freshwater stream flows above it, pouring over the mouth; water above the cave is potable. It creates something of a shower as it pours into the mouth of the cave, where it has created a pool akin to a large bathtub. The cave extends into the volcano, level at first but gradually sloping. Some of the water from the pool pours into the cave, into the depths of the volcano, and comes back out as steam and vapor, condensing on the roof and walls of the cave, and dripping back into the pool near the mouth, making the steam and the water in the pool warm. Water also pours out of the pool down the slope to the ocean.
The beach is sandy below the end of your outcropping, and the area is otherwise grassy for at least a hundred yards in every direction.
There is no game on the island other than the birds, typical sea/shore birds of which gulls are the most common. There is also seafood/fish in the ocean. In this world, islands appear and disappear relatively quickly (in geological terms), building up from the ocean floor, receiving seeds carried by currents or birds, and then collapsing in cataclysmic volcanic earthquakes. Thus there are no creatures here but those that can fly or swim (in salt water).
You would already sense the presence of another verser as he arrives at the top of the mountain maybe five or ten miles away.
I can stall a day or so before giving him any more information than that there is a camp down there, but I need to know quickly. I'm not comfortable playing you myself.
Thanks.
--M. J. Young
Hey MJ, ya know, I was just thinking that TerraNova would be a great starting world too. Perhaps after that, put him in with me. You'd get an idea of his interests from his interaction with myself and Lauren. Just a thought.
(Doing Therapy)
Ah, sure, that could be fun. I'll take some time to extrapolate in my own head, in preparation (though I imagine I'll be winging a great deal); just let me know when I need to post.*
Also, this will be good motivation to start posting for my players again, as it would look a little rude of me to be playing in two threads while the threads I referee languish in hiatus.
*Except you'll need information from me about what he sees at the camp, won't you? I'll post that in this thread. I'll try to get it here within twelve hours or so, so you'll have it by the time you come back for another round of game threads.
Yes, what he sees at the camp. It occurs to me that it's not impossible that Alice might go with you, or that you might pick up someone else along the way; you do have your iguana already, but he could go unnoticed. (He might also be enhanced by the time you get there.) I'm not committed to "a dozen" worlds, and you can feel free to extrapolate to whatever future you envision; I just think it easier to extrapolate nearer than further. You might also consider what equipment you're likely to have by then.
--M. J. Young
If I'd known you'd be back within the hour, I'd have gone back and asked how long ago I versed in.
you do have your iguana already, but he could go unnoticed. (He might also be enhanced by the time you get there.)
I imagine by this time he'll be my full-fledged familiar. It's more a question of "how much" than a question of "if;" I've had this in mind practically since I bought him.
Also, could an electric spear reasonably be used for fishing (exclusively in its role as a deliverer of shock)? I think that rather than develop actual survival skills, V-me would be inclined to Dispel fish toward the shore (a M11@1 Dispel Local Non-Sentients cast in a crescent a little ways out into the water, driving some away from the island and trapping others against the coast) and zap them all at once as soon as they're gathered within reach. That's assuming that an electric spear wouldn't just short out or something if you turned it on while the tip was in the water.
Limited notable world list (not necessarily in order):
B Movie Monster
Psi Cop
Desert Skirmishers
Dancing Princess
Nao's Floating Castle
Tristan's Labyrinth
Positronic Planet
Gamma World (gather)
Post-Sympathetic Man
Hell's (Zombie) Kitchen
(plus a few undefined, possibly)
Tropical Island
With that in mind . . .
Notable features of the campsite include an all-black beach umbrella in the grassy area near the rock and the one-man tent of white synthetic material pitched in its shade. Outside the tent, a green sleeping bag lies atop a black plastic groundcloth. On the rock is a spot where fires have been lit repeatedly; cookware is piled a bit haphazardly near this spot (nonstick frying pan, a cookpot, plate, utensils - the usual mess kit suspects).
All of the items above (with the exception of the sleeping bag and groundcloth) are from Desert Skirmishers, and accordingly they are made from sci-fi materials a century or three ahead of present day technology. The "beach umbrella" is actually the standard-issue electric spear in its solar-recharge configuration; the photovoltaic canopy is detachable.
That cave seems a bit humid, to say the least, so I don't think I keep any of my stuff in there. All my non-visible gear is in the tent, although there are a few things scattered about the campsite: my Gamma World stun pistol is sitting on top of the sleeping bag next to my stuffed animals (a brown cat and a pink anthropomorphic bunny), for example. I do not generally sleep in the tent in this world.
There is a half-empty gallon jug of olive oil by the warm pool.
That's the camp. I suppose next is the appearance of myself and my lizard.
The tropical island is tropical, I assume? I'll be minimally dressed in khaki cargo shorts and black sandals. My double-edged iron shortsword is on my broad leather belt (in much better condition than it was when I claimed it in Gamma World), but I'm otherwise unarmed. As soon as I became aware of the new vector, I made a flag out of a white T-shirt and my broken croquet-mallet handle (tie one sleeve closed, insert handle into open sleeve). I'm keeping this flag with me until I meet the new arrival.
It is possible that I am frying fish when Brock arrives. If not, I am sitting under the photovoltaic canopy with my flag in one hand and a book in the other.
It is possible that Iggy is out foraging when Brock arrives. If not, he's with me. If he is with me and I am not frying fish, I am reading aloud to him. (His intellect is between 1@1 and 1@3, and his English is between 1@9 and 2@2 by now.)
Either way, I am looking up in the direction of the vector every minute or two (or once a page), and I'll wave the flag once or twice if I see anyone moving. The camp is located such that I really can't miss a scriff-infected intruder unless he's sneaking pretty hard, right?
Iggy's appearance is unchanged save for a simple necklace made from a wingnut and some sinew. This is an arcane magical focus with which both he and I are proficient.
Edit for a quick question: is the sand black? I got the impression the sand was black, worn down from igneous rock and all that.
As many days as you require to be familiar with your surroundings and settled into them, and to have concluded that this is unlikely to be a long stay. And yes, this is the Tropical Island. It is useful to note that you have not been here before, so it won't feel like a rerun to you.
Generally I make the sand white on the south side of the island and black on the north side, but no one has ever asked what color it is right here at the camp. It can be whichever color you prefer.
I am inclined to think that the electric spear device you describe would not be damaged by using it in water, but you would not want to be in the water when you used it. The probable effect would be to shock the water, stunning everything in it (possibly including you, although a stamina check would be permitted). Stunned fish would float to the surface; stunned crabs and such would sink to the bottom.
That's rather clever, casting a dispel remotely to drive things toward you.
You've got your fish, and they are frying. My recollection is that Iggy is a vegetarian, but there is plenty for him to eat here.
--M. J. Young
Yeah, I'm not worried about Iggy. This place should be like coming home for him.
That's rather clever, casting a dispel remotely to drive things toward you.
Thank you! I try.
As for the spear, that's basically how I expected it to work. The hope is that I can find a spot where I can stand or lie down on the rock while being able to reach the water with the spear. Since I have my fish, I'll assume that I either found such a place or solved the problem with @1 psionics (a Resist Electricals, for example, or a force wall to stand on above the water).
I prefer southern exposure, so we'll have the sand be white. I've collected black sand from the north side for use as an expendable material component, though, most notably in the remote fish dispel. I've got about five quart-sized ziplock bags of it by the cooksite. I figure black sand from a volcano has got to be more effective in a magical ritual than just plain old sand from anywhere.
You are on the western tip of the island; when the sun is declining it shines directly into the cave. The island is longer east to west than north to south, but this spot really commends itself, what with the warm bath and sauna, the fresh water supply, and the visibility. It would be difficult for anything to sneak up on you here, never mind someone you can feel coming when you relax.
--M. J. Young