Location: Domain
Upon Arriving, Agent America said to the Team, “All right. First off, we need scouts in the air, please, to see what’s what."
As they had passed through the portal, Adamas felt the hairs on the back of his neck bristle.
"Something is not right here," he said, and then took to the skies.
With his vision powers, he should see anyone coming long before his companions, and he can cover a lot of ground if needed.
As Magus watched Adamas leave he spoke privately through the Amulet to Dr. Arcane. “Adamas is a truly remarkable individual, although I must admit that I have some concerns regarding his behavior and stability. He strikes me as the ‘gentle giant’. . . dedicated and lovable; but his loss of long term memory and overly protective nature worry me. I’m hoping that with the proper guidance and tutelage that he will develop into a well rounded and incredibly powerful force for good. His natural aptitude for magic will need small measure of mentoring as well . . . I’ll do my best to cultivate his abilities and get them up to snuff.
“Yes, but do not discount his intellect.Magus. He will be able to teach you a great many things as well as long as you listen closely to his actions as well as his words.”
Adamas was surprised with how familiar everything felt. Slowly he was recognizing different animals that he saw. In the distant he saw the Coral Forest. He knew the forest was a single gigantic sentient brain-coral, comprised of billions of tiny minds. The Coral Forest’s massive intellect would not permit air traffic over it. Adamas made sure he kept a safe distance from it.
Upon hearing the Team flag bearer ask for a recon, Harvey used his exceptional ground speed to check out the immediate area, running and hopping at break neck speed as only an invisible 6'4" rabbit can.
Elwood pulled from his favorite flask and leaning over to The Cure said quietly, "Don't worry. He'll be back before you know it."
Magus spoke privately to Dr. Arcane using the Amulet, “I’m still in awe of your acquisition of a Pooka, Dr. Arcane. How you came to find one so willing and eager to join this Team is still an endless source of amazement for me, Doctor. The sheer majesty and raw potential of such a creature is beyond my ability to fathom. I truly look forward to interacting with him and broadening my understandings of their abilities – a truly magnificent creature indeed. His choice in a traveling companion; this Elwood character, still remains an unexplainable conundrum of sorts for me. For all extensive purposes he seems a decent enough fellow, but why him? Why this mortal? At best he is an average man with nothing remarkable about his ability or character, but yet the Pooka sees something in him – a remarkable mystery to say the least. As you suggested earlier there must be more to him than there seems and I’ll have to spend more time with him in order to learn more about their unique relationship.”
“Yes, he is the key and without him Harvey would not have joined us.”
Joshua took a few minutes to adjust to the new environment. He asked Cybil to perform a self-diagnostic and then to calculate what the specific effects her sensors could pick up could have on the party.
There is no response from Cybil, only static on the comm.
DarkStar suddenly a ball of fear grabbed the titan of tech. "Cybil?" In his worry he forgot the 'codename' he had assigned to his AI sidekick. "Cybil?" Without a word to the party DarkStar stopped and kneeled on the ground, slipping the field packs off his shoulders. Carefully laying out the electronic surveillance equipment his Security Chief had prepped at StarCorp, Joshua started activating and running diagnostics on each. I wasn't cut off from Cybil, even at the Bridge when FISH and MEDUSA were jamming every existing wifi in the area.
Activating the Team comm-badge and focusing through the amulet "Agent, Cure, anyone who has equipment that might utilize a computer chip, would you please check to see as to the functionality of your equipment."
Lastly Commander Rose attempted to activate the gauntlet's holo-pad and check the operational capabilities of his sensors and HUD. Even if the spy-cam is working within parameters, he'll never get it to work without a functional holo-pad.
Tilting his head to one side, Magus looked at DarkStar blankly and asked in an inquisitive fashion, “Please correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t Cybil one of your computer system back on Earth?” Without pausing for a response to his blatantly rhetorical question; in his distinctively upper-class British accent Magus continued, “If I recall correctly isn’t she somehow connected to a satellite system of sorts that orbits around the Earth? Being that we're in an entirely different dimension one can only wonder why you might expect the system to still work . . . I could be wrong, but I would image that your technological items might not work as well for you here in The Domain as they did when we were back on Earth . . . just a guess mind you.”
DarkStar replied, “You better hope it's not as cut and dry as that or AA's devices won't be working and the Cure's radiation suit won't either. Each are so high-tech as to be science fiction. Half of today's toys for children have computer chips in them as does the latest surveillance gear. The reason I invented Diatanium was to protect Cybil. I'd probably never had bothered with that if the gauntlets were just a receiving device. They stored her programming.”
DarkStar stared in stunned belief as the diagnostic program wouldn’t run. In frustration he ran the basic hardware check and software checks himself on this electronics. This worked. So he could manually execute a basic program but his advance program designed to execute all the basic programs, analyze the results, and provide the summarized results wouldn’t work.
Watching the team interact Mary felt it would be best to stay out of the pissing contest that seemed to be on its way between DarkStar and Magnus. She thought to herself "What have I gotten myself into? Hope Captain America can keep them in check." As asked she checked to be sure her suit was in working order." I'm good"
It was basic unit without any of the sophisticated monitoring systems. It simply functioned. It didn’t have a warning system for leakage. When questioned about the basic nature of the system, The Cure stated her father didn’t trust a computer’s reliability. He required her to have this simple unit. He had told her “The last thing you want is trouble with your suit because the software crashes.”
DarkStar realized that only the advanced A.I. programming wasn’t functioning. So the device would carry out its basic functionality but couldn’t think (or simulate thinking) for itself. So Cybil, the Diagnostic program, and his other custom programs wouldn’t work but the basic code would function. As he thought about what in this dimension might cause this program he realized that his comm. signals would only work on their most basic level which would be about 50 feet and the Spy Cam wouldn’t be able to compensate for the extra weight. While it worked it couldn’t fly.
Hoping to break the eerie tension The Team must have been feeling in the odd environ they were in, Elwood offered, "Harvey and I have been traveling companions for quite some time now. Our two newest comrade’s aside, how long have you three been each other’s company?" Smiling warmly and looking from face to face, Elwood licked his dry lips and anxiously waited for his new friends to respond.
Agent America, his eyes peering at the horizon, replied, "The old man pulled us together a few months ago."
He was about to ask how long Elwood and the rabbit had been together, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.
When Rose mentioned his computer troubles, Agent America executed a gear check with sure, practiced hands. He'd report his findings to the Team.
When it was hypothesized that A.I. couldn't function here, he offered, "Might be this planet's electro-magnetic field. Gravity feels different too."
As Commander Rose was finishing the last of the manual diagnostic test he heard Agent America's seemingly casual hypothesis, "Might be this planet's electro-magnetic field. Gravity feels different too." Joshua shook his head in admonishment of his own emotion-clouded analysis. Looking up at the Team's leader with a slight nod and deep respect, "Keen observation. I'm not surprised." Frustrated, but with few to no options at the moment, He quickly and efficiently packed the gear and rejoined the Team.
Magus spoke to Dr. Arcane. “As for Darkstar, I’m having some measure of difficulties seeing the strengths in him that you mentioned earlier; his subtle disrespect for authority, his unconscious desire to lead through intimidation and bullying, and his dependence on secular technology leave me believing that he may be more of a hindrance to the party then an asset. As always however, I will defer to your better judgment and insightfulness and try to dedicate more of my time to him and attempt to see in him all the things that you do.”
“Magus, you have described many a great warrior with your assessment. Beowulf, Arthur, York, Patton, and DarkStar are all cut from the same clothe. It is these very traits you describe that allowed them to change the world.”
Amused at the banter between AA and Elwood, Joshua watched the rest of the Team start to follow Agent's orders. It felt good to be out of that blue and gold monkey suit he had to wear when he was DarkStar. Although he had given up the government spy trade, Joshua felt much more comfortable in the multi-camo uniforms he had made for StarCorp security teams operating in potential fields of combat. They were similar to the uniforms he had worn in North Korea and Pakistan.
Sending his thoughts to the rest of The Team, "I don't know about everyone else but I can definitely feel a difference in the environment. The air appears okay, but there is a definite gravitational difference. I'd expect we will get tired much quicker moving about and it might affect the accuracy of your ranged attacks until your hands and eyes adjust for the differences. Ion, you said in the briefing this place's flora and fauna consisted of a crystalline structure. Not a problem for me probably but if this stuff is ‘magic’ even Diamond Jim might have a problem fighting off the effects of walking across a field of crystals."
At that time 4 birds flew near them. They look exactly like a raven except that they had glowing red eyes.
The Team heard Dr Arcane through the Amulet, “These flying creatures are known as Devil Ravens, they refer to themselves as Davens”.
The one nearest them opened it mouth and spoke. The Team was in shock to see that it had teeth.
Joshua thought, "Birds? We have a red-eyed talking raven as our guide? Doc did say things would get interesting."
It said, “I once knew an Earthling who carried sweets.”
Scatterbrain stepped forward with a song in his head and as he extended his hands holding the bananas given to him from Dr. Avery he said, "Yes, we have some bananas. We have some bananas today."
When the Davens appeared, the star-spangled superspy, who was used to memorizing complex password exchanges, said to the drunk. “Scatterbrain, you’re supposed to ask if he would like to have one again and if he would like it peeled. Then you peel a banana and give it to him.”
Agent America's correction led Mr. Dowd to smile and looked upon him with admiration. "Quite right my friend," he whispered and clearing his throat as an amateur politician might before his first public address repeated the predetermined code, "Would you like one again?... Uhhh...Oh, and would you like it peeled?" The bananas now seem odd in his hands as if they are no longer fruit but some odd shaped trophy that he was awkwardly presenting. Unsure of the efficacy of his speech, Elwood looked from the bird to the others in The Team and carefully he began to peel one of the bananas as he whistled a familiar tune.
While the Dravens ate the bananas as Elwood whistled. Agent America remembered one of the conversations he had with Pietor before leaving. Agent America asked Doc: "If we're the ones keeping the home fires burning, why are we going behind enemy lines? Can the Chosen rescue Donnah?"
Pietor sighed, "Agent that was my way to explain why the Chosen didn't show up before. You took the statement too literally. There is no active invasion from the Domain going on. In fact, as MEDUSA doesn't believe the Domain exists, The Order of Sceva doesn't believe any faction of the Domain is behind this activity. Dr. Arcane has tried to explain that it is in preparation of an invasion but they don't believe him. Solomon cannot send the Chosen into the Domain without the consent of The Order. His allowing some of his team to come the Mansion is a sign of the respect he has for Dr. Arcane but that is all that they can do.”
Harvey returned to The Team. Shortly Elwood was sharing with the rest of the team what Harvey had learned. ‘Scatterbrain’ shared that ‘His Invisible Friend’ had indentified this as a Savage World where very few of the animal life was plant eaters. Prey and Predator were constantly in battle. He described creatures resembling eight-legged elephants with glowing red hair. The ones he saw were twenty feet in length. They appeared to be herbivores.
Next he described the giant furry snakes with hairy spider legs. They had nine bulging eyes in various parts of their body. These things ate animals but Harvey couldn’t see exactly what it was. It’s prey might have been related to monkeys.
Still scouting the area aerially, Adamas spotted a large group of Goxeks in the distance. Goxeks look like a big black monkeys with too many arms, legs, eyes, mouths and noses. They have a taste for human flesh.
Adamas was surprised they weren’t moving toward where The Team was standing. Casting his ethereal vision intently through the foliage surrounding The Team he discovered why. Closing on The Team was a pack of 9 Ghouls. Ghouls are demoniac creatures standing four feet high. Their eyes are large, yellow, and pupil less. They have ten rows of teeth and their six-fingered hands sport wicked black claws. Thick red saliva drips constantly from their mouths and noses, and they are covered with short bristly hair.
The Dravens finished eating. They indicated they were ready to guide them.
Magus rolled up the scroll that Dr. Arcane had given him and said aloud to the Team, “Well then, it would seem that we’ll be getting a bit of a bump start from the Davens after all - excellent.” Carefully placing the scroll somewhere safe within his costume, Magus turned toward Agent America and asked, “Care for a lift?”
Adamas landed and told The Team about the approaching danger of the Ghouls. The Dravens became excited and talked among themselves. Finally the leader turned to Magus. “The Chosen One has found the Lost One, impressive. This is a very good sign.”
“So Chosen One will you prove your mettle against the pack as is the way of the Savage Domain or do you plan to display ‘Earthly Cunning’ to avoid fighting.” There was obvious contempt when it said “Earthly Cunning”.
< Due Date: April 14th, Actions? Replies?>
Changes Characters stats while in Domain
Adamas – Agility no change, Carrying Cap is 3,666, and HtH is 1d12
Agent America – Agility no change, Carrying Cap is 1,097, and HtH is 1d10
DarkStar – Agility is 11, Carrying Cap is 27,696, and HtH is 3d10
Elwood – Agility no change, Carrying Cap is 53, and HtH is 1d2
Harvey – He is a magical or imaginary being so his ‘stats’ are unaffected.
Magus – Agility no change, Carrying Cap is 852, and HtH is 1d8
The Cure – Agility no change, Carrying Cap is 85, and HtH is 1d3}
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DarkStar
Okay, I forget. Someone tell me, whose bringing the banana?
OOC: Great story Tom. Looking forward to seeing where we go from here.
Regards
John
OOC: Great story Tom. Looking forward to seeing where we go from here.
Regards
John
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Elwood & Harvey
IC: Elwood "Scatterbrain" steps forward with a song in his head and as he extends his hands holding the bananas given to him from Dr. Avery he says, "Yes, we have some bananas. We have some bananas today."
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DarkStar
Hey Tom
Just checking on something? I'm not sure how you figured the adjustment of DarkStar's Agility, but losing an additional 4 pts seemed intuitively off if it's based on his weight being doubled due to the gravity increase. Like I said I don't know how you figured it so I'm probably clueless but if it is due to his weight doubling, wouldn't he have went from a 15 Agility to a 13?
Thanks for any 411
John
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GM
The gravity impact is 1.89. So I took DarkStar's weight of 800 lbs and multiplied by 0.89 to get 712 additional pounds. I then referred to V&V 2.1 rule 2.6B Agility Modifier. It has weight of 481 to 960 has a modifier of -4 to agility. So 15 - 4 for new Agility of 11.
I had to use this method because of DarkStar's power to offset the original 800 lbs Agility Modifier I couldn't use the combined weight calculate a new total modifier. If he didn't have the power offset then it would have changed from 19 - 4 = 15 to 19 - 6 = 13. The basic superhero formula for DarkStar is 15 - 0 = 15 so the new formula is 15 - 4 = 11.
His power set shouldn't offset this additional weight because it is gravity increase not his core matter density changing which is how he received his first power offset.
Regards
Tom
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DarkStar
Hey Big Kahuna
Uhm okay cool whatever works. I always have taken the weight modifier into account when calculating DS's Agility. Even in the Ret-Con. His "Bio-Enhancement" power is the reason he's always had a decent Agility, not the fact his Density Increase negated the agility/weight modifier. Not that big deal just wanted to be on same wavelength.
Later Kimosabe :)
John
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Agent America
Before leaving, Agent America asked Doc: "If we're the ones keeping the home fires burning, why are we going behind enemy lines? Can the Chosen rescue Donnah?"
Assuming the answer is no...
Upon arriving in the Domain, Agent America said to the Team, “All right. First off, we need scouts in the air, please, to see what’s what."
After the scouts’ report, (assuming everything is fine, or at least what passed for fine in this universe) Agent America would ask the new Team members about themselves and offer to answer any questions they had, while they all trekked across the alien landscape.
When the Davens appeared, the star-spangled superspy, who was used to memorizing complex password exchanges, said to the drunk. “Elwood, you’re supposed to ask if he would like to have one again and if he would like it peeled. Then you peel a banana and give it to him.”
OOC:
Thanks, Tom!
Best,
Jeff
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GM
IC: Pietor sighed, "Agent that was my way to explain why the Chosen didn't show up before. You took the statement too literally. There is no active invasion from the Domain going on. In fact, as MEDUSA doesn't believe the Domain exists, The Order of Sceva doesn't believe any faction of the Domain is behind this activity. Dr. Arcane has tried to explain that it is in preparation of an invasion but they don't believe him. Solomon cannot send the Chosen into the Domain without the consent of the The Order. His allowing some of his team come here is a sign of the respect he has for Dr. Arcane but that is all that they can do.
Best
Tom
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Elwood & Harvey
Ooc:
Jeff - Your narrator refers to Elwood as "the drunk" which prompts me to point out that no one has yet seen this kind, gentle man intoxicated. Do you even know if he is consuming alcohol?
: )
IC:
Upon hearing the Team flag bearer ask for a recon, Harvey uses his exceptional ground speed to check out the immediate area, running and hopping at break neck speed as only an invisible 6'4" rabbit can.
Elwood pulls from his favorite flask and leaning over to The Cure says quietly, "Don't worry. He'll be back before you know it."
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Agent America
OOC
True enough.
My narrator was narrating AA's POV.
AA sees him as a drunk, between all those pulls on his flask, and the
pink elephant, er... rabbit.
No offense intended. :-)
Best,
Jeff
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DarkStar
OOC: I have to admit, once we were transported into the Domain, I was pretty much expecting Elwood to disappear and for us to suddenly see a 6'4" white rabbit join the party
Props to the Rabbit
John
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Agent America
OOC
More proof that there is no rabbit, AA would think.
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Elwood & Harvey
Jeff wrote:
When the Davens appeared, the star-spangled superspy, who was used to memorizing complex password exchanges, said to the drunk. “Elwood, you’re supposed to ask if he would like to have one again and if he would like it peeled. Then you peel a banana and give it to him.”
IC:
Agent America's correction leads Mr. Dowd to smile and look upon him with admiration. "Quite right my friend," he whispers and clearing his throat as an amateur politician might before his first public address repeats the predetermined code, "Would you like one again?... Uhhh...Oh, and would you like it peeled?" The bananas now seem odd in his hands as if they are no longer fruit but some odd shaped trophy that he is awkwardly presenting. Unsure of the efficacy of his speech, Elwood looks from the bird to the others in The Team and carefully he begins to peel one of the bananas as he whistles a familiar tune.
OOC:
Remember this is a short weekend guys. We lose an hour Saturday night.
-------------------------------------------------
DarkStar
OOC: More proof that there is no rabbit, AA would think.
OOC: lol, I would expect no less from DS's patriotic-clad partner . That was just ny half-expectation, I haven't gave it a second's thought what DS thinks about it. Which is definitely not DS's SOP. Mysteries abound.
I have to admit, Like Agent America, DS has also always thought of him as a drunk, but as long as he's functional and doesn't endanger the team it's tolerable.
Latet Fellas - oh remember - "No using each others’ real names."
John
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Elwood & Harvey
No offense taken. : )
I rather enjoy reading the perspectives you guys are giving.
By the way, I would like to build upon the interaction you suggest takes place before the Davens showed up:
>>> Agent America would ask the new Team
>>> members about themselves and offer to answer any questions they had, while
>>> they all trekked across the alien landscape.
>>
IC:
Hoping to break the erie tension The Team must have been feeling in the odd environ they now walked through, Elwood offers, "Harvey and I have been traveling companions for quite some time now. Our two newest comrades aside, how long have you three been each other’s company?" Smiling warmly and looking from face to face, Elwood licked his dry lips and anxiously waited for his new friends to respond.
-------------------------------------------------
Agent America
OOC
Great point!
Tom, please cut the word Elwood out of AA's dialogue. Zoinks!
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Adamas
IC: As they pass through the portal, Adamas feels the hairs on the back of his neck bristle.
"Something is not right here," he says, and then takes to the skies.
With his vision powers, he should see anyone coming long before his companions, and he can cover a lot of ground if needed. With the Cure's assistance, and as long as DS's powers function normally, following the Daven should prove no problem.
After a quick look around, reporting anything he sees via the amulets, he returns, and offers to carry anyone that does not have an mode of transportation.
OOC: note to GM, can Adamas continue to work on his vision powers, every time Elwood mentions Harvey, Adamas will strive to find him intently. Maybe he can gain some kind of detect invisibility with his next level advancement. Not just to see their new team mate, but it could prove helpful if they ever battle someone with a similar power.
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Harvey & Elwood
> every time Elwood mentions Harvey, Adamas will strive to find him intently
Spoiler alert: Harvey is not wearing pants.
: o
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DarkStar
Joshua takes a few minutes to adjust to the new environment. He ask Cybil to perform a self-diagnostic and then to calculate what the specific effects her sensors could pick up could have on the party. Amused at the banter between AA and Elwood, Joshua watched the rest of the Team start to follow Agent's orders. It feels good to be out of that blue and gold monkey suit I have to wear when I'm was DarkStar. Although he had given up the government spy trade, Joshua felt much more comfortable in the multi-camo uniforms he had made for StarCorp security teams operating in potential fields of combat. They were similar to the uniforms he had worn in North Korea and Pakistan.
<DarkStar IC: Response> While Adamas is taking to the air for a quick recon Commander Rose focuses his thoughts through the amulet toward the Cure and his old friend, "Hey Diamond Jim, what say you buddy up and take Florence Nightingale with you on "recon". You never know when one of her special 'cures' might come in handy. While you're up there could you checkout how the lay of the land compares to Merlin's map scroll?"
OOC: I can't seem to find the code-names except Adamas's everyone thought of during our off time I apologize for making a few up PLEASE let me know what we're doing as far as that goes for each of your characters and Tom can adjust my response accordingly. Please remember to refer to DarkStar as Ranger and Cybil as the Oracle if needed. Thanks John
<DS: cont. > Expanding his thoughts to include the rest of the team, "I don't know about everyone else but I can definitely feel a difference in the environment. The air appears okay, but there is a definite gravitational difference. I'd expect we will get tired much quicker moving about and it might effect the accuracy of your ranged attacks until your hands and eyes adjust for the differences. Ion, you said in the briefing this place's flora and fauna consisted of a crystalline structure. Not a problem for me probably but if this stuff is "magic" even Diamond Jim might have a problem fighting off the effects of walking across a field of crystals."
"Birds? We have a red-eyed talking raven as our guide? Doc did say things would get interesting."
OOC: We have a new record: Not one ***whoump*** in the whole response, and believe me DS is dying to check out the locations marked "plasma river" and the "pylons" that seem connected on Magus's map scroll.
Let the fun begin
John
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GM
IC: There is no response from Cybil, only static on the comm.
Regards
Tom
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DarkStar
OOC: Well hmm, so much for Excalibur
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DarkStar
OOC: Wow Tom, I feel like DS's right arm just got cut off.
<DarkStar: IC Response> Suddenly a ball of fear grabs the titan of tech. "Cybil?" In his worry he forgets the 'codename' he had assigned to his AI sidekick. "Cybil?" Without a word to the party DarkStar stops and kneels on the ground,slipping the field packs off his shoulders. Carefully laying out the electronic surveillance equipment his Security Chief had prepped at StarCorp, Joshua starts activating and running diagnostics on each. I wasn't cut off from Cybil, even at the Bridge when FISH and MEDUSA were jamming every existing wifi in the area.
Activating the Team comm-badge and focusing through the amulet "Agent, Cure, anyone who has equipment that might utilize a computer chip, would you please check to see as to the functionality of your equipment."
Lastly Commander Rose attempts to activate the gauntlet's holo-pad and check the operational capabilities of his sensors and HUD. Even if the spy-cam is working within parameters, he'll never get it to work without a functional holo-pad.
OOC: Welcome to the Domain where DarkStar has gotten fat and lost his best friend.
Hey Tom I didn't think they let pitchers throw curve balls this early in Spring Training
Later Amigos
John
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Magus
OOC: Not trying to speak for Tom or trying to explain what actually did or did not happen - just a guess though - isn't Cybil a computer system back on Earth? Isn't she/it part of a satellite system that orbits Earth or something? Being that we're in an entirely different dimension ( i.e. nowhere near anything resembling Earth ) I was fully prepared for DarkStar loosing Cybil - to be honest I'm a little surprised that you/DarkStar didn't see this coming as well. =/
Again - just a guess - ( I think I mentioned this once before ) technology might not work so well here for us ( I could be wrong though ) - magic is probably going to be the way to go. Might actually be neat to see how Agent America and DarkStar react to a world/dimension where they reject the possibility of its nature even existing! lol :)
Also - having some or all of our powers gone/changed/altered/etc. while we're here might provide for some really interesting roleplaying. I remember Jeff did something like this in the Vanguard campaign for a few issues - it was really neat seeing how all the players adjusted to being 'normal' ( i.e. no powers at all ). Personally, I always look forward to challenges like this - they always bring out the best in the players/characters - no powers/partial powers = need to rely on creativity, guts, ingenuity, and wits. GOOD TIMES! =D
- Kev
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DarkStar
OOC: You better hope it's not so cut and dry as that or AA's devices won't be working and the Cure's radiation suit won't either. Each are so high-tech a to be science fiction. Half of today's toy's for children have computer chips in them as does the latest surveillance gear. The reason DarkStar invented Diatanium was to protect Cybil. He'd probably never had bothered with that if the gauntlets were just a receiving device. They stored her programming. Would she have a back up? Absolutely, but once again this would all be in character for DarkStar. She is Jane as Joshua is Ender.
I've offered Tom to strip DS of all his powers if it was best for the campaign so this isn’t me whining Kev it's just Rose being Rose. Concerned for the safety af a member of his family. I'm sure Tom has a great story arc in the works
Later Partner
John
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GM
OOC: I loved the discussion between Kev and John, with their approval, I would like to make my response by incorporating their emails in mine.
IC:
DarkStar suddenly a ball of fear grabbed the titan of tech. "Cybil?" In his worry he forgot the 'codename' he had assigned to his AI sidekick. "Cybil?" Without a word to the party DarkStar stopped and kneeled on the ground, slipping the field packs off his shoulders. Carefully laying out the electronic surveillance equipment his Security Chief had prepped at StarCorp, Joshua started activating and running diagnostics on each. I wasn't cut off from Cybil, even at the Bridge when FISH and MEDUSA were jamming every existing wifi in the area.
Activating the Team comm-badge and focusing through the amulet "Agent, Cure, anyone who has equipment that might utilize a computer chip, would you please check to see as to the functionality of your equipment."
Lastly Commander Rose attempts to activate the gauntlet's holo-pad and check the operational capabilities of his sensors and HUD. Even if the spy-cam is working within parameters, he'll never get it to work without a functional holo-pad.
Magus said “isn't Cybil a computer system back on Earth? Isn't she/it part of a satellite system that orbits Earth or something? Being that we're in an entirely different dimension why would expect the system to still work. Technology might not work so well here for us.”
DarkStar replied, “You better hope it's not as cut and dry as that or AA's devices won't be working and the Cure's radiation suit won't either. Each are so high-tech as to be science fiction. Half of today's toys for children have computer chips in them as does the latest surveillance gear. The reason I invented Diatanium was to protect Cybil. I'd probably never had bothered with that if the gauntlets were just a receiving device. They stored her programming.”
DarkStar stared in stunned belief as the diagnostic program wouldn’t run. In frustration he ran the basic hardware check and software checks himself on this electronics. This worked. So he could manually execute a basic program but his advance program designed to execute all the basic programs, analyze the results, and provide the summarized results wouldn’t work.
He quickly checked The Cures’ suit. It was basic unit without any of the sophisticated monitoring systems. It simply functioned. It didn’t have a warning system for leakage. When questioned about the basic nature of the system, The Cure stated her father didn’t trust a computer’s reliability. He required her to have this simple unit. He had told her “The last thing you want is trouble with your suit because the software crashes.”
DarkStar realized that only the advanced A.I. programming wasn’t functioning. So the device would carry out its basic functionality but couldn’t think (or simulate thinking) for itself. So Cybil, the Diagnostic program, and his other custom programs wouldn’t work but the basic code would function. As he thought about what in this dimension might cause this program he realized that his comm. signals would only work on their most basic level which would be about 50 feet and the Spy Cam wouldn’t be able to compensate for the extra weight. While it worked it couldn’t fly.
OOC: Why A.I. programs don't work? Don't look for a logical explanation in my Magical Dimension.
Regards
Tom
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DarkStar
OOC: I wasn't looking for a real world explanation Tom. Just playing Joshua's IC response true to long established character. How the other players responding his concern for Cybil with their characters is up to them
I'm good with where you’re going just hope you don't mind I play DS true to character as long as it doesn't impede the story of infringe upon the other characters
All the other stuff was OOC just to explain to Kev, not Mags why I'm playing him that way.
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Agent America
IC:
Hoping to break the erie tension The Team must have been feeling in the odd environ they now walked through, Elwood offers, "Harvey and I have been traveling companions for quite some time now. Our two newest comrades aside, how long have you three been each others company?" Smiling warmly and looking from face to face, Elwood licked his dry lips and anxiously waited for his new friends to respond.
Agent America, his eyes peering at the horizon, replied, "The old man pulled us together a few months ago."
He was about to ask how long Elwood and the rabbit had been together, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.
When Rose mentioned his computer troubles, Agent America executed a gear check with sure, practiced hands. He'd report his findings to the Team.
When it was hypothesized that A.I. couldn't function here, he offered, "Might be this planet's electro-magnetic field. Gravity feels different too."
OOC:
If Adaptation is 1 charge per hour, AA doesn't want to use it all up. He'll switch off Adaptation until the first sign of trouble. Thanks.
-------------------------------------------------
DarkStar
"Might be this planet's electro-magnetic field."
Jeff Dude, that's awesome pseudo-science pal
Magic shmagic (lol) I'm definitely going to have Rose's next response follow up with AA on that idea.
Thanks compadre.
John
-------------------------------------------------
DarkStar
IC: As Commander Rose is finishing the last of the manual diagnostic test he hears Agent America's seemingly casual hypothesis, "Might be this planet's electro-magnetic field. Gravity feels different too." Joshua shakes his head in admonishment of his own emotion-clouded analysis. Looking up at the Team's leader with a slight nod and deep respect, "Keen observation. I'm not surprised." Frustrated, but with few to no options at the moment, He quickly and efficiently packs the gear and rejoins the Team and their "guide".
-------------------------------------------------
Quest: Issue 24: Entering The Domain: Magus’s Response
> MAGUS’S IC RESPONSE <
( OOC: If the Devil Ravens / Davens are The Teams first guide )
Magus rolls up the scroll that Dr. Arcane had given him and says aloud to the Team, “Well then, it would seem that we’ll be getting a bit of a bump start from the Davens after all - excellent.” Carefully placing the scroll somewhere safe within his costume, Magus turns toward Agent America as the Davens take flight and asks, “Care for a lift?”
( OOC: If the Devil Ravens / Davens are not The Teams first guide )
As the Team decides to leave the Davens behind and continues down the path before them, Magus checks the scroll that Dr. Arcane had given him and says aloud to the Team, “I would say that we should most likely stay along the outer perimeter of the Plains of Glass. Don’t ask me why but I have the sneaking suspicion that we’ll increase our odds of finding whatever it is that we’re looking for away from the center of this area.”( OOC DISCLAIMER: What follows are private communications between Magus and Dr. Arcane via The Amulets of The Arcane – no member of The Team will receive them – they’re strictly between Magus and Dr. Arcane )
( OOC: Tom, just insert these random observations/reports from Magus to Dr. Arcane wherever you think they’ll fit best in the next issue. I would suggest spacing them out throughout the issue to make them read like an ongoing group analysis, but you do what you think works best for the Issue. Reword them if need be - thanks. )
- The First Report
Greetings Doctor, as you suggested I’ve taken some time to get to know the members of the Team a bit better. [Insert Name of First Person] is a very interesting individual, . . .[Insert Text From Below]
- Adamas
Adamas is a truly remarkable individual, although I must admit that I have some concerns regarding his behavior and stability. He strikes me as the ‘gentle giant’. . . dedicated and lovable; but his loss of long term memory and overly protective nature worry me. I’m hoping that with the proper guidance and tutelage that he will develop into a well rounded and incredibly powerful force for good. His natural aptitude for magic will need small measure of mentoring as well . . . I’ll do my best to cultivate his abilities and get them up to snuff.
( OOC: Jon had mentioned that he wanted to improve his Ethereal Vision, perhaps Magus can help him with this somehow – maybe he could somehow use his Heightened Sense of Reality to help Adamas ‘see things’ differently? Just an idea - )
- Agent America
Just as you had described him, Agent America is a natural leader whether he knows it or not; he’ll be a great asset to the Team as time wears on I’m sure. Although I must confess a bit concerned regarding his personal belief in himself, for some reason I get the impression that he doesn’t see himself as a capable leader. I’ve already taken some small steps in making him see his own worth; with any luck my attempts will bear fruit before the situation here in the Domain becomes too dire. Oh; and I most certainly agree with your early assessment, his disbelief in all things magical make him an excellent choice for leadership – its this questioning spirit that will aid and prepare this brigade for the difficulties that are yet to come.
- The Cure
I must admit that the young woman that refers to herself as ‘The Cure’ is still a bit of a mystery to me. She doesn’t appear to be as extraverted or unfocused as one might assume a young woman her age might be. It’s her reserved and almost timid demeanor that has kept me from approaching thus far, a condition that I assure you will be remedied in the near future. My initial assessment of her lends me to believe that she may still yet need to discover some things about herself and her place in the world . . . one can only hope that she doesn’t learn of these at too great of a cost.
- Darkstar
As for Darkstar, I’m having some measure of difficulties seeing the strengths in him that you mentioned earlier; his subtle disrespect for authority, his unconscious desire to lead through intimidation and bullying, and his dependence on secular technology leave me believing that he may be more of a hindrance to the party then an asset. As always however, I will defer to your better judgment and insightfulness and try to dedicate more of my time to him and attempt to see in him all the things that you do.
- Elwood and Harvey
I’m still in awe of your acquisition of a Pooka, Dr. Arcane. How you came to find one so willing and eager to join this Team is still an endless source of amazement for me, Doctor. The sheer majesty and raw potential of such a creature is beyond my ability to fathom. I truly look forward to interacting with him and broadening my understandings of their abilities – a truly magnificent creature indeed. His choice in a traveling companion; this Elwood character, still remains an unexplainable conundrum of sorts for me. For all extensive purposes he seems a decent enough fellow, but why him? Why this mortal? At best he is an average man with nothing remarkable about his ability or character, but yet the Pooka sees something in him – a remarkable mystery to say the least. As you suggested earlier there must be more to him than there seems and I’ll have to spend more time with him in order to learn more about their unique relationship.
> MAGUS’S GOAL(S) <
At the moment Magus’s immediate goal is to help get The Team on the right path and to protect them to the best of his ability.
If time and circumstances permits it – Magus would also like to continue his personal evaluation of The Team.
> MAGUS’S OOC RESPONSE <
Tom if you need me to expand on anything, flesh anything out a little more, or explain anything let me know. As always - feel free to modify anything that I've written in order to make it fit better in the next Issue. Hopefully I didn't miss anything - if I did just let me know and I'll have it out to you by the end of Monday night.
------
Magus will be using Adaption and Flight during this part of the journey ( total PR cost would be 2 / hour – right? ). As for how fast he’s flying – Magus will keep pace with the other members of The Team. As for how high he’s flying – he’ll be about 10’ off the ground. As for how he’s flying – if its ok with you Tom, I would love to have flying in a ‘standing-up’ type of posture. For example, Marvel Comics often has the character Magneto flying in this way.
> MAGUS’S IC RESPONSE <
( OOC: If the Devil Ravens / Davens are The Teams first guide )
Magus rolls up the scroll that Dr. Arcane had given him and says aloud to the Team, “Well then, it would seem that we’ll be getting a bit of a bump start from the Davens after all - excellent.” Carefully placing the scroll somewhere safe within his costume, Magus turns toward Agent America as the Davens take flight and asks, “Care for a lift?”
( OOC: If the Devil Ravens / Davens are not The Teams first guide )
As the Team decides to leave the Davens behind and continues down the path before them, Magus checks the scroll that Dr. Arcane had given him and says aloud to the Team, “I would say that we should most likely stay along the outer perimeter of the Plains of Glass. Don’t ask me why but I have the sneaking suspicion that we’ll increase our odds of finding whatever it is that we’re looking for away from the center of this area.”( OOC DISCLAIMER: What follows are private communications between Magus and Dr. Arcane via The Amulets of The Arcane – no member of The Team will receive them – they’re strictly between Magus and Dr. Arcane )
( OOC: Tom, just insert these random observations/reports from Magus to Dr. Arcane wherever you think they’ll fit best in the next issue. I would suggest spacing them out throughout the issue to make them read like an ongoing group analysis, but you do what you think works best for the Issue. Reword them if need be - thanks. )
- The First Report
Greetings Doctor, as you suggested I’ve taken some time to get to know the members of the Team a bit better. [Insert Name of First Person] is a very interesting individual, . . .[Insert Text From Below]
- Adamas
Adamas is a truly remarkable individual, although I must admit that I have some concerns regarding his behavior and stability. He strikes me as the ‘gentle giant’. . . dedicated and lovable; but his loss of long term memory and overly protective nature worry me. I’m hoping that with the proper guidance and tutelage that he will develop into a well rounded and incredibly powerful force for good. His natural aptitude for magic will need small measure of mentoring as well . . . I’ll do my best to cultivate his abilities and get them up to snuff.
( OOC: Jon had mentioned that he wanted to improve his Ethereal Vision, perhaps Magus can help him with this somehow – maybe he could somehow use his Heightened Sense of Reality to help Adamas ‘see things’ differently? Just an idea - )
- Agent America
Just as you had described him, Agent America is a natural leader whether he knows it or not; he’ll be a great asset to the Team as time wears on I’m sure. Although I must confess a bit concerned regarding his personal belief in himself, for some reason I get the impression that he doesn’t see himself as a capable leader. I’ve already taken some small steps in making him see his own worth; with any luck my attempts will bear fruit before the situation here in the Domain becomes too dire. Oh; and I most certainly agree with your early assessment, his disbelief in all things magical make him an excellent choice for leadership – its this questioning spirit that will aid and prepare this brigade for the difficulties that are yet to come.
- The Cure
I must admit that the young woman that refers to herself as ‘The Cure’ is still a bit of a mystery to me. She doesn’t appear to be as extraverted or unfocused as one might assume a young woman her age might be. It’s her reserved and almost timid demeanor that has kept me from approaching thus far, a condition that I assure you will be remedied in the near future. My initial assessment of her lends me to believe that she may still yet need to discover some things about herself and her place in the world . . . one can only hope that she doesn’t learn of these at too great of a cost.
- Darkstar
As for Darkstar, I’m having some measure of difficulties seeing the strengths in him that you mentioned earlier; his subtle disrespect for authority, his unconscious desire to lead through intimidation and bullying, and his dependence on secular technology leave me believing that he may be more of a hindrance to the party then an asset. As always however, I will defer to your better judgment and insightfulness and try to dedicate more of my time to him and attempt to see in him all the things that you do.
- Elwood and Harvey
I’m still in awe of your acquisition of a Pooka, Dr. Arcane. How you came to find one so willing and eager to join this Team is still an endless source of amazement for me, Doctor. The sheer majesty and raw potential of such a creature is beyond my ability to fathom. I truly look forward to interacting with him and broadening my understandings of their abilities – a truly magnificent creature indeed. His choice in a traveling companion; this Elwood character, still remains an unexplainable conundrum of sorts for me. For all extensive purposes he seems a decent enough fellow, but why him? Why this mortal? At best he is an average man with nothing remarkable about his ability or character, but yet the Pooka sees something in him – a remarkable mystery to say the least. As you suggested earlier there must be more to him than there seems and I’ll have to spend more time with him in order to learn more about their unique relationship.
> MAGUS’S GOAL(S) <
At the moment Magus’s immediate goal is to help get The Team on the right path and to protect them to the best of his ability.
If time and circumstances permits it – Magus would also like to continue his personal evaluation of The Team.
> MAGUS’S OOC RESPONSE <
Tom if you need me to expand on anything, flesh anything out a little more, or explain anything let me know. As always - feel free to modify anything that I've written in order to make it fit better in the next Issue. Hopefully I didn't miss anything - if I did just let me know and I'll have it out to you by the end of Monday night.
------
Magus will be using Adaption and Flight during this part of the journey ( total PR cost would be 2 / hour – right? ). As for how fast he’s flying – Magus will keep pace with the other members of The Team. As for how high he’s flying – he’ll be about 10’ off the ground. As for how he’s flying – if its ok with you Tom, I would love to have flying in a ‘standing-up’ type of posture. For example, Marvel Comics often has the character Magneto flying in this way.
-------------------------------------------------
The Cure
Sorry Tom. My cable has been on and off the past 2 weeks. They said it should be good now.
IC: Watching the team interact Mary feels it would be best to stay out of the pissing contest that seems to be on it's way between DarkStar and Magnus. She thinks to herself "What have I gotten myself into? Hope Captain America can keep them in check." As asked she checks to be sure her suit is in working order." I'm good"
OOC: Looks like Kev’s trying to bite my style. Should Black Adam his a$$ {Mike knows what I'm talking about} but I won't. I will stay close to AA so when time is right I would like to talk to him about the Team.
