Megaversal Remix

Marrowlight · Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2009 5:09 am Post subject: Game Thread 1.01d: Alex

It was as easy as walking through a doorway. Moment earlier it had been a sweltering summer afternoon in a Virginia swamp, and now you look out upon the world and feel a slight chill. It is night, and off in the distance the eerie glow of red peppers the horizon. You stand at the nexus of three ley lines, all glowing with the same red energy as on your Earth. The land around you is rocky, as you are but a few miles from a series of mountains. These are far larger than the Appalachians of your home Earth. Though without the Sun's light you're not certain how much larger. There are a number of animal and insect noises all around you, but nothing that sounds hostile.

Welcome to Earth Two.

Phalanx · Morlock Joined: 14 Jul 2009 Posts: 136

Alex says softly, so as not to disturb the calm, "Jacob, scan the area with your passive FLIR. Let me know what you see." In the meantime, Alex himself tries to get a sense of these strange ley lines and to feel if anyone is drawing from them.

Marrowlight · Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2009 2:46 pm Post subject:

Phalanx · Morlock Joined: 14 Jul 2009 Posts: 136

((While out in the field, Alex would actually insist on informality. Especially since their employers don't know who they really work for.))

"Something is drawing energy from the line heading west, into the mountains, and at regular intervals. We'll move out, quietly, to see what it is," says Alex to his compatriot. He climbs on the trike, gives Jacob the hand signal to follow him, and activates the Shadow Cloaking System. At a slow, steady pace of about 20 mph, Alex begins following the path of the ley line.

Marrowlight · Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 3:47 am Post subject:

You've only been traveling for a few minutes when you come across your first mana leech. It isn't something you're familiar with, but it seems to be feeding on the energy from the ley line.

Phalanx · Morlock Joined: 14 Jul 2009 Posts: 136

If the mana leech doesn't react to their presence, Alex holds his right hand up and motions to go around. No sense in disturbing the local wildlife, especially that of a magical nature, if it's not necessary. He gently begins to pull away from the ley line in a wide arc, but not so wide that the mana leech might pass out of his peripheral vision until they are getting past it.

Marrowlight · Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 8:29 pm Post subject:

Phalanx · Morlock Joined: 14 Jul 2009 Posts: 136

Onward, the pair presses. Just before they reach the mountain, Alex stops to give them a chance to reassess their surroundings. He would quietly remind Jacob to keep a local coordinate map in his computer, keeping track of their distance traveled and relative heading. With time, such meticulous record-keeping should allow them to translate their relative motions to the local geography and make a navigational map.

Marrowlight · Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 8:51 pm Post subject:

Phalanx · Morlock Joined: 14 Jul 2009 Posts: 136

Alex first checks to see if the tracks follow any obvious path, be it a natural flow of the terrain, the ley line, or an artificial trail or road.

Marrowlight · Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 9:55 pm Post subject:

Phalanx · Morlock Joined: 14 Jul 2009 Posts: 136

Cautiously, Alex proceeds forward, very glad for his vehicle's ability to flit in and out of the shadows.

Marrowlight · Posted: Sat Aug 01, 2009 2:01 am Post subject:

((wasn't expecting you back for a few days still!))

Will you follow the trail until it's conclusion, or are you looking for a particular sign that will make you stop?

Phalanx · Morlock Joined: 14 Jul 2009 Posts: 136

Alex and Jacob look for anything notable along the trail, after all, this is a recon mission, careful to not let their guard down. It is night on a world known to be hostile to outsiders, after all.

Marrowlight · Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 9:10 pm Post subject:

After about fifteen minutes, now that you're starting to actually progress a bit up the path into the lower heights of the mountain, you're both noticing something odd. The air is changed, not changing, but changed. It's like you hit a point on the path and things just shifted. The ambient temperature is about ten degrees warmer, and it's definitely a moister air as well. There isn't water forming on your armor, but it definitely feels muggy enough for that to happen.

Marrowlight · Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 4:08 am Post subject:

((ok, know about what's up with you right now, but when you're back, so am I))

Phalanx · Morlock Joined: 14 Jul 2009 Posts: 136

The two proceed carefully. Jacob takes a sample of the air and quietly runs an Analytical Chemistry check on it with his portable comp.

Marrowlight · Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 1:50 am Post subject:

It's still breathable air, but the atmosphere is a different mix than Earth's. Perhaps you've both crossed over into a D-Shift zone of some kind. The Brodkil tracks are getting harder to track as they terrain is shifting more to bare rock, and not softer Earth.

Phalanx · Morlock Joined: 14 Jul 2009 Posts: 136

Alex switches gears, then, and begins looking for any natural trails or artificial paths to follow.

Marrowlight · Posted: Thu Aug 27, 2009 2:53 am Post subject:

There are natural seeming trails leading higher up into the mountain, and also wrapping around it to the south, and seemingly going back down. No artificial trails, as of yet.

Phalanx · Morlock Joined: 14 Jul 2009 Posts: 136

The high ground will give them a better vantage for scouting ahead and, if need be, defending themselves. Alex signals they will continue up.

Marrowlight · Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2009 2:38 am Post subject:

The lack of terrain damage as you travel up is beginning to make you both suspect that this is not the path of the Brodkil.

However, what you are noticing instead is a surprising amount of droppings on the ground. Especially the fact that the droppings are soaked with magical energy.

Phalanx · Morlock Joined: 14 Jul 2009 Posts: 136

'What kind of world is this?' wonders Alex as Jacob notes the find in his log. They press on to look for a vantage point.

Marrowlight · Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2009 3:57 am Post subject:

At your present level of elevation, the path is almost pure rock, and you're starting to wonder how much longer you'll be able to continue with the vehicles. However, before you're forced to deal with that decision, the pathway leads you both to close distance to a giant nest. There are a pair of silver eggs within, both larger than you or your vehicles.

Phalanx · Morlock Joined: 14 Jul 2009 Posts: 136

Jacob murmurs over the com-link, "With a nest that big, Momma can't be too far away, I'd imagine." (Xenology skill check to estimate the size of the parent creature.)

Alex nods in agreement. "We'll take images for our records and note the location on the map. Then, we'll start working our way down and continue searching for signs of civilization." (Lore: Demons & Monsters skill check to possibly determine the species.)