Character Adventure

Hello and welcome reader, to the 28th instalment of the Character Development Threads! These shared story exercises help budding writers develop their characters alongside the characters of other budding writers. No sign-up is needed; just jump right in with your characters. It is recommended that you read the thread page and the last couple of pages before starting.

Discussion Thread Thread Page Town Map

This is a "Main Series" thread and, as such, an element of risk is expected. Rules and participation guidelines may be found on this page.

The thread page groups active characters under the areas in which they are active, enabling you to see who is at a given location in which you might be interested or to find out where to go to encounter characters with whom you wish to interact.

Kindly add your own characters to the thread page, with a link to their initial post, under the area in which they are located and update the page if they change location.

Bear in mind that if your characters are arriving at a location, they are likely to know little more than what they see and hear as they arrive - what the location looks like, what other characters are there (both of which can be read on the thread page) and the last few lines uttered and actions taken as they are arriving (which can be found in the last few posts for that location in the story thread itself), so inserting characters need not be a terrifying process.

If you need help, have any questions, or want a quick recap (if the page count is daunting), head over to the discussion page, and someone is sure to help you out!

To help guide character interaction, having your character come in with a at least one short-term and one long-term goal or motivation is strongly recommended. It is not required, but it does make it easier to drive the plot forward. Feel free to come up with rumours about what treasures, adventure, locations, and dangers may be found in the setting - they need not be true or accurate, just some hook on which to hang an adventure.

The setting is specifically designed to be a vast sandbox into which details can be inserted by participants (for example, you are free to decide that there is a particular temple in the midst of the forest in which something may be found or that there is a particular shop/hotel/restaurant in a section of the town), if you come up with a location that you desire/expect other characters to visit, please add it to the thread page as a sub-location of the relevant area.

Things change as the story progresses. If, for example, a massive battle occurs at a location and the area is now strewn with bodies and buildings are damaged, kindly update the thread page to reflect those changes, in order that other participants have an up-to-date description of the location prior to sending their characters there.

Special thanks to all those who helped in getting the thread launched or provided ideas and feedback. In alphabetic order, they include:

Blackfire667, Collen, Corvidae, daird, DarkbloodCarnagefang, EternaMemoria, Gault, Kkutwar, KillerClowns, ladytanuki, Masterofchaos, nrjxll, Pyxo, Slysheen, TroPartner, WillDeRegio and yours truly

Apologies if I missed anyone - just let me know and I'll update the post.

Between dimensions, and linked to the rest of the multiverse, lies a strange post-apocalyptic environment made up of various regions strewn with the remnants of past glory - ruins, lost technologies and magic. Here and there, nature has found its way back amongst the ruined temples and towns.

In the midst of the blighted landscape, a fresh new town has emerged - a synergy of technology, nature and magic; clean and eco-friendly; a beacon of hope for a brighter future - where travellers can rest, recharge their batteries both literally and metaphorically and get whatever they may need - technological, magical or otherwise - to aid them on their adventures.

New arrivals can turn up by diverse means in the transportation area in the north-western part of the town or by whatever other means they deem appropriate. Here they may also find for rent, lease or hire, any transport they desire from riding animals to vehicles.

The wilderness areas have not been fully explored since the mysterious apocalyptic events that ravaged the area some time ago and no one is really sure what's out there - but rumours abound.

All that is known for sure is that both magic and technology have existed here for a long time, so anything is possible...

Currently in Day 1.

Current Time: 10:00 PM

Current Weather:

General Setting: Fine, a few light clouds Rainforest: Moderately misty, the fog is slowly thickening

See the thread page for updates.

Edited by Wolf1066 on Feb 11th 2021 at 12:12:29 AM

Town: Parking area between the square and the hotel

The air shimmered above the parking lot and a hole opened in the fabric of space-time, from which the opening strains of Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries issued forth. From the hole emerged two nearly-identical black "streetfighter" motorcycles, silent but for the sounds of their drive chains and their tyres on the ground.

As the music swelled and grew louder, as much from the source getting closer as from Wagner's composition, nine more motorcycles - off-roaders of various colours, all street-legal and fitted out with pannier cases and tail racks - filed out of the opening and fell into formation behind the two streetfighters.

Eleven riders and one pillion passenger - six men and six women - clad in an eclectic mix of styles and an astounding assortment of broad-brimmed hats, with automatic rifles or carbines slung on their backs.

Behind the bikes, the opening silently closed, but not before a large black bird emerged and made its way to one of the nearby trees where it perched and cocked its head at the procession of motorcycles.

Sophia Bonham brought her streetfighter to a halt and the other riders followed suit. Once the susurration of tyres and rattle of drive chains ceased, the only sound - other than that of the town around them - was the dramatic Wagnerian opera.

Gwion Walker grinned. "OK, Wolfe, you've had your fun. That's enough, now."

"Wolfe" gave a grin of his own and switched off the MP3 player he had mounted on the handlebar of his bike. The Ride of the Valkyries was abruptly cut short.

From his position on the back of Pearl's bike, Aubrey Branscombe looked around. It certainly looked more comfortably hospitable than the Frontier town he had recently encountered and more advanced, in many ways, than Hartmouth, where he currently lived.

It had taken considerable arguing on the parts of Aubrey, Pearl and James to convince a very reluctant and dubious Sir Archibald to let Pearl and Aubrey accompany the increasingly-aptly-named "Mad Bastards" on this trip but they had prevailed and Aubrey thought that the spectacle of the town alone made it all worthwhile.

Pearl Gardiner turned her head to talk to Aubrey. "You OK, luv? Not nervous?"

Aubrey shook his head. "I've been in worse places and we're all well-armed."

Pearl laughed. "I meant about riding on the back of my bike."

Aubrey was aware of her history and guessed she meant 'nervous about being on a motorcycle' rather than 'nervous about her riding ability'. "It's unusual, but I guess it's no worse than riding a horse - not as far to fall, for a start."

Keys were turned and extracted, side stands were lowered, and everyone dismounted. James Turner removed his sword and scabbard from the specially-made bracket mounted on the left side of his bike and clipped the scabbard to the baldric that hung from his right shoulder to his left hip.

Finn Ó Brádaigh leaned against the blue off-roader he had rented for the trip then dug his vapouriser - a metallic-red and black tank with matching box mod - out of his haversack and took a massive hit of the Apricot-Danish-and-Ice-Cream-flavoured vapour.

Seeing Finn settle back for a vape, Kaitlyn Reid took her own vapouriser out of her pocket and joined him.

Peggy Baker and Karl Schmidt strolled over to where Finn and Kaitlyn were standing, fishing their cigarette cases and lighters out of their pockets as they went. It was clear that, now they had arrived, it was time to relax, get their bearings and grab a "quick fix" while they could.

Kris Morgan lit a cigarette of her own and wandered over to the notice board in the middle of the square to cast her eye over some of the notices posted there. A moment later, she was joined by Teri Walker and Wolfe.

Wolfe took a drag on his vapouriser and cast his eye over the board. "Anything look good? Y'know, 'four heroes and one comic sidekick required to rescue princess from dungeon, reward: half of modest-sized kingdom, reasonable expenses covered, must supply own armour' sortta thing?"

Teri dragged on her own vapouriser as she made a pretence of reading one of the notices. "Well, accordin' to this, theres a one-eyed yellow idol to the norf, somewhere..."

Wolfe chuckled. "No thanks; know how that story ends."

There was a sound like a rustle of silk then a raven landed on top of the noticeboard and eyed the three.

Teri jumped, briefly startled. "Gordon Bennett!" She laughed when she realised it was just a raven, 'common as muck' back home on Terra Nova. "Look, it's not at all afraid of us - just like the one back 'ome."

The raven pushed its head forward, fluffed up its throat feathers and quite distinctly uttered "fuck" in a tone and voice that none of the three could fail to recognise.

Kris' jaw dropped and Wolfe stared in disbelief.

Teri recovered first. "Fuck me! It is the one from back 'ome."

Kris stared at the raven. "How the fuck did it get here?"

Wolfe shook his head slowly and looked back towards where they had emerged. "He must'a' followed us through the portal."

Kris turned her incredulous stare to Wolfe. "Twice? He would've had to follow us to Capital City, first! How come no one noticed?"

Teri shrugged. "Well, we were all pretty busy getting everyfing organised 'n' makin' sure nuffin 'n' no one got left be'ind. 'e could'a' b'n perched anywhere, just watchin' us."

At that moment, James and Gwion arrived at the notice board. James stared at the raven. "Isn't that..." He was cut off by another loud and recognisable "fuck" from the raven and saw no need to complete the question. He did think of another. "How the bloody hell?"

"It's all Wolfe's fault," said Teri, " 'e kept feedin' the bloody thing."

Gwion turned to Wolfe. "He sounds like you. Is he yours?"

Wolfe shrugged. "Sorta. But mostly his own. He's used to humans - us in particular - and learned a few words, but he's still essentially a wild bird."

"And he managed to follow you here?"

Wolfe nodded. "Apparently. Ravens are highly intelligent - capable of reasoned, logical thought and advanced problem-solving. Following a large bunch of people through a couple of openings hardly poses a significant problem."

Gwion considered this then nodded. Then he shook his head at the absurdity of the situation.

"We can't make a special trip to take him back," said James, "but he can't stay in the bloody hotel, either."

Wolfe looked about and waved a hand at the numerous trees. "He lives in the wild back home. I dare say he'll be just as well off out here as in the woods. He's an opportunistic omnivore so I'm sure he'll find plenty to eat."

Teri grinned. "An' Wolfe'll sneak out later 'n' give 'im some grub."

Wolfe looked at her. "I resemble that scurrilous accusation. I oughtta do you for 'information of character'." He reached out and scratched the top of the raven's head.

The raven eyed up Gwion. "Never-fuckin'-more!" The voice was clearly female with a distinctive East-London accent and instantly recognisable.

Teri shook her head. "Honestly, I dunno where 'e gets 'is foul mouth from. 'e's 'opin' you'll be impressed 'n' give 'im somefin' to eat."

James shook his head in resignation. The situation was as it was and nothing could be done about it. "All right. Let's get ourselves checked into the hotel and start looking for people or groups that are going to the areas we're planning to visit.

Don't worry, I'll be breaking up these Loads And Loads Of Characters into four smaller groups and sending them out to different areas.

Town - Bulletin Board (Leone, Kris, Teri, Wolfe, Gwion, James)

Also present at the bulletin board was a girl who appeared to be around fourteen years of age. Of thinner stature, noticeably shorter height, and paler complexion than what could be expected of a Caucasian her age, she was dressed in a white, short-sleeved blouse, a short, black skirt, and a pair of black combat boots that went up to her knees.

Her most noticeable feature was her straight black hair, which even though it was tied up into a ponytail reached all the way down to her ankles. One could get the impression it would drag along the ground should she untie it.

Up until the arrival of the large group, she had been quietly looking over the board, arms crossed, dark green eyes drifting from notice to notice. However, their talkativeness was difficult to ignore, and her attention soon turned to the newcomers. For the most part, she didn't feel the need to say anything to them, and in fact most of them only got less than a second's worth of a glance. She didn't even acknowledge the talking raven.

Then her gaze settled on Gwion's arm and eye. That got what would had been nothing more than a glance to turn into a stare, although the closest thing she made to a comment was nothing more than her eyes widening slightly and her mouth becoming a confused frown.

edited 23rd Feb '18 2:29:50 PM by Yomegami

[Parking Area]

If anyone was listening closely or paying attention, there was distant screaming. The voices sounded young—like teenagers—and it became increasingly louder and closer.

A bright light soon appeared, and from that light were six teenagers, falling to the ground and on top of each other. They were mostly covered in dirt, bruises, and scabs, hinting that whatever brought them here, it wasn't pretty.

The first teenager, a black boy with short black hair and dark brown eyes, immediately sat up, panting.

"FUCK!" Nick said, "Did...did we get out?"

The second teenager, another black boy—this time with short blond hair and blue eyes, slowly rose to his knees, wincing.

"I don't hear shots or rockets," Jackson said in a cockney accent, "...Guess we barley made it out. Somehow." He looked back, "Everyone else OK?"

The third and fourth teenager—a black girl with long wavy hair and purple eyes, her left covered in an eyepatch, and a black boy with long straight red hair and blue eyes—also sat up, the girl helping the boy.

"Y-Yeah. We're alright." Marie said, then looking at the other two teens. "Amy? Maya?"

Unlike the four, the last two weren't black. Instead, one was a brown girl with pink eyes and long black hair in a ponytail, and a tan fat girl with hazel eyes and pink short hair.

"I'm okie dokie, adventurers!" Amy said cheerfully, "But there goes the plane..."

Better the plane than us. Maya signed, looking back at Nick, How did you know that would work?

"I didn't!" Nick answered, standing up and dusting himself off, "It was just...a spur of a moment kind of thing.''

"Well, it worked." Jackson said, looking at the white gems in his hand. "We're alive. Now the question is where the bloody hell are we?"

"Looks like some sort of town." Adam said, standing up and wrapping his red hair in a bun. He then looked up, "One that isn't filled with Chaos goons shooting at us."

Amy tilted her head and rose to her feet. "Yeah! The sky is so pretty and clear!" She then looked ahead, "Hey! That looks like a hotel! We can stay there!"

"Honey, I don't think we have enough money." Marie said, "Besides, we just got out of a battle and we're kind of a mess. I don't think they'll let us in." She looked down at her pink dress, "And my outfit's ruined..."

Great priorities. Maya signed, rolling her eyes.

"Shut up! I can care about my looks and our safety. Plus, do you have enough money for six people?"

''Can we not do this right now?" Adam begged, "Please?"

"Sorry, sweetie." Marie looked at the hotel and sighed, "Maybe I'm just being too paranoid. I mean, after what happened..."

Nick patted her back. "Let's just stick together and see what happens next. Come on; I'll do the talking."

"That's a worry." Jackson said.

"Fuck off."

Jackson only smirked.

"Alright!" Amy said, almost jumping up and down, "Let's go explore, adventurers!"

Just fyi, Amy is translating Maya's sign language automatically.

edited 23rd Feb '18 3:46:08 PM by Masterofchaos

Town: Square - Notice Board

Gwion had automatically noted the presence of the young woman at the notice board as he approached and, from force of habit, kept her in his peripheral vision. He was in 'condition Yellow' - relaxed and aware of who and what was around him - and her appearance and demeanour hadn't yet flagged her as a potential threat. If she did suddenly show signs of becoming a threat, he'd see it.

She appeared very young - possibly younger than Sophia had been when he first met her - and looked fairly innocuous. The only remotely 'combat-related' thing about her was her boots, but Army Surplus boots had been a fashion item for numerous people since at least his father's time, so that meant little.

She gave the group little more than cursory looks - even the spectacle of a foul-mouthed raven didn't seem to move her - until she looked at him, whereupon her eyes lingered on his artificial arm and eye and she looked confused.

Clearly, she was unused to fairly "advanced" prostheses but most likely hadn't spotted Kris' prostheses, which were a lot more natural in appearance, despite the comparatively untanned complexion of her arm.

Gwion acknowledged her with a pleasant smile and a nod to let her know he'd noticed her look and that no one meant her any harm - he was well aware that some people could be put off enough by his rough appearance, let alone the smartgun strapped to his right thigh and the G36C slung across his back or the AKMs carried by the other four.

The sound of approaching screams caused Gwion, Kris, Teri, Wolfe and James to turn and look in the direction of the parking area.

Startled by the sudden noise, the raven launched himself off the top of the notice board, sped across the park and took refuge in a tree, clucking with alarm.

Town: Parking area between the square and the hotel

The nearby commotion surrounding the unceremonious and painful-looking arrival of six young people was impossible to go unnoticed, so over at the bikes all heads were turned in time to see them land and get to their feet, apparently not badly injured - if in rather poor shape.

To Peggy's surprise, she recognised two of them - Amy and Maya, two of the people who had helped to rescue Aubrey from his prison in an abandoned mine. She looked at Aubrey and saw, from the look of stunned disbelief on his face, that he, too, recognised them.

Karl was astounded. He knew four of the group from an earlier visit to Capital City - the group Teri had nicknamed the 'Not-Chaos-Hunters' for some reason - and the other two he remembered as well - they had aided Aubrey's escape after he had been abducted. "Bloody fucking hell!"

Sophia, Finn and Kaitlyn exchanged quick surprised glances; they all remembered Amy and Maya.

Sophia recovered her composure quickly and shot Kaitlyn a grin. "Hey, if they know where Davey is, you might 'get lucky' again."

Kaitlyn gave the older woman a look that conveyed 'ha-fuckin'-ha!' in a fraction of the time it would take to say it.

Pearl was relieved to see that none of the young people seemed to be badly injured by their strange arrival and that all were capable of getting to their feet.

The group seemed intent on heading towards the hotel so Karl waved out and yelled. "Nick! Jackson!"

edited 23rd Feb '18 4:25:18 PM by Wolf1066

[Parking]

They only managed to get one step in before Nick and Jackson heard their names being called. They looked up and saw Karl, and their jaws nearly dropped.

"Holy shit..." Nick trailed off.

Amy, recognizing Aubrey and the others, nearly squealed out of delight. "It's my Frontier friends!" She quickly dashed over and hugged Aubrey, giggling all the way.

"So," Jackson whispered, "Looks like your girlfriend arrived."

Marie hit his shoulder.

"Ow—OW!" Jackson held his shoulder, "Battle, remember?"

"Sorry. ...You're still an asshole."

Adam waved excitedly at the others and walked up to them. "Guys! I can't believe we found you here! I didn't think we'd run into each other again! It's so good to see you!"

Sorry you had to see us like this. Maya signed, We...kind of just got away from a hairy situation. she then noticed Leone from afar. Friend of yours?

"Nice to see some familiar faces." Nick said, "For a second I thought we were gonna be surrounded by strangers."

edited 12th Jun '18 12:45:02 PM by Masterofchaos

[Town: Restaurant]

A curious pair sat at the bar, sipping bruise-purple wine and considering their options.

The smaller of the two was Koyel ul'Netho, an Uelane hunter. Small, wiry, light of step, he was well suited to creeping up on rock lizards with a spear or downing a deer from afar with a rifle shot. He had leather-dark skin made darker and tougher by jungle sun, blue eyes that picked up every darting thing, straight black hair paid little attention to beyond keeping it short enough to stay out of his way, a scruffy black goat's beard, and a face, dotted with minor scars, lean and sharp even by Uelane standards. Koyel was in his mid-twenties, but foreigners, unused to the wear body and soul took in a land and life like his, always saw him as anywhere from five years to a decade older. He dressed the part of a hunter, coarse leathers stitched together from rock lizard hides, a fine camouflage for the job even before he added dark paint and leaves, and tough enough to take the jungle's abuse.

Towering over him was his (adoptive) mother, Layi. She was a tall, solidly-built woman in her fifties, slightly lighter-skinned than Koyel, hair black and grey, with sharp sky-blue eyes, an old hunter's collection of scars and the easy grin of a soul who'd long ago abandoned most petty fears. She was a great presence in spirit as well, fond of stupid jokes, good whiskey, and telling stories taller than the eldest trees in the forest. While she called herself a "fat old woman" these days, she was still strong, and like the very boars she hunted, capable of greater speed and stealth than a glance might make one expect. She also wore rock lizard hunting leathers, though quite a few more of the beasts had been turned into stew to dress her.

"Last hunt got messy," Layi said. "And we ain't getting enough for our efforts. Thinking maybe we need to move on up from varmint control now we know the lay of the land."

Koyel frowned. "Adventuring, you suppose? You sure you ain't just looking for an excuse for some excitement?"

"We get the excitement already," Layi sad, "I'm just thinking we ought get paid something serious for it. Don't want to go back to Netho with nothing but a bunch of stories nobody would believe."

"Nobody would believe them from you," Koyel said, deadpan, "because every little trout you don't quite spear on the river turns into a monster the size of a camel by the time you're on your fourth telling of the tale."

Layi looked like she wanted to object, but couldn't. Instead she said, "tell me, son. When the spirits are asking what you done with your life when you found yourself under an alien sun, you wanna say 'hunting skvader 'til I got bored', or you want a real story to share with your ancestors?"

Koyel replied, "skvaders are tasty, ma. So don't seem so bad to me." Then he considered. "Other hand, adventurers bring groups, and I'm thinking bigger game but a bigger group might be a smart call even before we add in bigger coin."

"So it's agreed," Layi said. "Now we just gotta find us someone in this strange city needs a pair of hunters with wits and steady hands."

In the room they were staying in, Layi and Koyel had stored the weapons for those steady hands. Each had brought a rifle, a shotgun, and a boar-hunting spear with a pair of prongs to keep the boar from charging through the spear, impaling itself to kill the wielder. One might be tempted to wonder why the local bullets and shells fit their weapons — but one might also wonder how readily their Uelane translated into an American Southern accent (or something like that). It wasn't important.

edited 23rd Feb '18 10:15:57 PM by KillerClowns

[Town, Outside of Hotel -> Restaurant - Vrask]

Outside of the hotel, Vrask stood, staring confused at the map that they held in their hands.

They had the appearance of a stocky, muscular, humanoid Nile crocodile with green scales, standing on squat, almost human-like legs, with a thick, long tail that dragged on the ground behind them. Their body was covered in innumerable scars, both large and small, one rendering their left eye milky white, the other being a dark green.

They wore an outfit consisting of pants made of animal hide and a cloak that was made from a bear, which had the skulls of a tiger and a wolf on either shoulder, both were marked with symbols in red paint. On their back was a rifle with a revolver chamber, and a simple fur backpack with a sleeping bag. Their belt was lined with various items and small trinkets. Beside them, was a giant maul made with red metal, that was covered in various scratches and, strangely, burn marks.

Vrask eventually grew frustrated and tore the map in half before wandering into the restaurant.

Standing at the bar, they thought that they might break the chair if they say down, Vrask threw a few copper coins onto the counter and ordered a drink.

They glanced over at the two humans that were sitting at the bar, but they otherwise said nothing.

Town: Square - Notice Board

Gwion shook his head in silent amazement when he saw that Amy and Maya were part of the group that had suddenly landed in an untidy heap in the parking lot. From what he could see at this distance, wherever they had been recently, it hadn't been a picnic.

"Gordon-fuckin'-Bennett!" Teri started heading back towards the bikes, scarcely able to believe her eyes.

Wolfe followed Teri, leaving an astounded-looking James and a stupefied Kris at the noticeboard with Gwion.

Town: Parking area between the square and the hotel

Aubrey was quite shocked when Amy raced up and threw her arms around him. He stood stock still, unsure what to think, say or do.

Karl smiled when Adam and Nick expressed their pleasure at meeting up again. "Ja. It is great to see you all, too. " It had been a long time since the karaoke night in Capital City and he was amazed to see the 'Not-Chaos-Hunters' in the company of two people he had recently met when searching for Aubrey.

Pearl watched the display of glee and Aubrey's befuddlement with amusement. Clearly, the young woman recognised Aubrey - or at least thought she did. The two young black men confirmed that this group knew and recognised the others, so it was evident that there was some as-yet-explained history between them all. She gave Aubrey a smile. "Well, aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?"

Aubrey's face reddened and he managed to stammer out "This is Amy and that is her friend Maya - the ones I told you about that helped get me out of the mine to safety. The others, I don't know."

" 'oever they are," said Teri as she and Wolfe rejoined the group, "they're most def'nitely not Chaos 'unters." She gave Marie, Nick, Adam and Jackson a friendly grin. "Wotcha."

Wolfe could see, from the dirt and assortment of scrapes, scratches and scabs, that the six teens had recently been put through the mill. When Amy translated Maya's sign, he nodded, having guessed that much already.

Kaitlyn followed Maya's gaze when Amy translated her question and presumed she was referring to the young woman in the white blouse and combat boots that was standing at the noticeboard near Gwion, Kris and James. She shook her head. "She was there when we got here; no idea who she is."

Wolfe quickly performed introductions for the benefit of those who had not met each other before and privately mused that he might have to take to carrying a notebook to keep track of who had met whom and who still required introductions.

Teri turned to Marie. " 'ave you lot found a team name you can agree on yet? We - which is to say Peggy, Kris, James, Karl, Wolfe 'n' meself - 'ave been called 'mad bastards' by a number o' people in the last couple-a years 'n' the name's kinda stuck." She paused. "Fuck, it's 'ard t'believe it's nearly b'n two years since I last saw you."

Aubrey still instinctively cringed at the name James and his group so gleefully embraced. He looked at the group of teens. "I would thank you not to call Pearl or me that."

Finn grinned and held out his hands to indicate Kaitlyn and Sophia. "We're not 'Mad Bastards'. Well, we are mad bastards for comin' here, but we're not Mad Bastards, if y'get me."

edited 24th Feb '18 12:21:30 PM by Wolf1066

Town - Bulletin Board (Leone, Gwion, Kris, James)

The man didn't seem to be insulted or otherwise threatened by her stare, instead silently indicating that he was of no threat despite his enhancements (and his weaponry, which she just now noticed). Comforting, perhaps, but it didn't exactly address her unspoken question.

One part of her wanted to simply leave it there and go back to reading the bulletin board, but if she actually wanted to know she might as well say as such.

"Pardon me, sir," she said, with a soft-spoken yet noticeable Boston accent, "I just haven't-"

She didn't get the chance to finish her statement before a bunch of screaming interrupted her and caught the attention of all present, including herself. Not long after that, a bright flash heralded the arrival of a group of teenagers, who looked decidedly beat up even without considering they had been literally dumped all over the pavement. She was left to assume she wasn't the only one who had been brought here in such a manner.

As they were too far away to actually talk to, her attention simply turned back to her newfound companions. Two of them had already gone over to meet the new group, while two of the people who remained looked flabbergasted. She glanced between them and the group of teens, with an expression that seemed to be asking just what it was that was so surprising. She supposed the sudden arrival was a bit strange, but she had a feeling there was more to it than that.

Town: Square - Notice Board

Gwion turned his attention back from the spectacular arrival as the young woman had started to say something just before the screaming and surprising outcome interrupted things. Her accent was familiar and it didn't take long for him to associate it with the times he had visited Boston.

He gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry, 'bout that." His accent and rapid, clipped speech marked him as a New Zealander by birth and upbringing. "It's not ev'ry day y'see a couple-a people y'know just fall outta the sky." He grinned at how absurd it must sound. "You were about t'say something before everything turned pear-shaped - you just haven't..."

Kris and James continued to watch as Teri and Wolfe rejoined the group by the bikes and it was clear to see that the group they had met in Capital City and the two teens they had briefly encountered just before they left the Frontier were quite happily chatting with the rest of their group.

No doubt there would be plenty of time later to catch up and exchange stories.

They turned their attention back to Gwion and the teen.

"A couple-a people?" Kris' accent was the same as Gwion's. "We know all six of them."

edited 23rd Feb '18 11:04:34 PM by Wolf1066

Town Square - Solstice Cafe

They say that the grandest adventures start with a random group of outcasts forming in a tavern. But who goes to a tavern at 9 in the morning anymore? What is this, some cliched medieval fantasy setting? Nah, breakfast happens at restaurants, or for the more scenically inclined, the many outdoor cafes and other establishments encircling the town square, dotting the space with tables and chairs. The Solstice Cafe was fairly close to the hotel, visible from its parking lot, and served standard breakfast fare, though they got reeeeeeally creative in what they did with eggs sometimes, and touted amazing coffee as well. And one interesting pair of characters was sitting at a sunlit outdoor table visible from the hotel parking lot and the mini-park containing the bulletin board.

One of them was a boy looking to be about ten years old... or perhaps fifty, since the pointed ears and bright, unblemished skin functioned as an "I'm an elf" sign. The hair rather roughly tossed about his face was of a dull golden brown, his eyes the same, and his clothes looked a bit too big on him. A loose-sleeved beige shirt in dire need of ironing, shorts designed more for a human than an elf, and... well the brown leather boots at least fit. And around his neck was a hinged glass orb with a greenish ball of light dancing around inside. A chair next to him bore a pile of weapons: a shortsword, a wooden shield, a hunting rifle, and two vaguely gun-like weapons of unknown function.

"Cormack Tin-yoo-wile, was it?" said a waitress that came along to take his order. "What can I get you and your um, friend?" She glanced uneasily at someone quite unlike this Cormack fellow. An older woman, deathly pale and gauntly built, with sparse brown and purple hair and oversized reptilian magenta eyes, drawing a silken black shawl about her shoulders. In her spindly clawed hands was a scepter made of pewter, with snakelike design and holding a translucent green stone that one could tell was imbued with a strange power just by looking at it. And below all that, her lower half was a snake, a shabby-looking one with a black diamond pattern against otherwise dark purple scales... scales that were hardening and falling off in several places. As the waitress looked at her, she scrunched her nose at the strong whiff of perfume about the snake woman.

Cormack, the elf boy, scowled at the waitress. "It's ti-NOO-il-uh, not TIN-yoo-wile. Tinuile. Get it right."

The snake woman shook her head, tapping the scepter against her hand. "Doesss thisss woman look like she knows fucking Elvish?"^note There's Our Elves Are Different, and there's Our Elvish Languages Are Different. This one is quite different indeed—and tbh I never developed it into a proper conlang anyway. As was inevitably the case with anyone at least part snake, a little forked tongue flicked out of her mouth with every sssibilant sssound, except hers looked all grey and lifeless.

Cormack rolled his eyes. "Soooo, I'll take the buttered scotch eggs with bacon. And a coffee," he added with a grin, then looked over to the snake woman. "Nyceme, anything for you?"

Since she couldn't roll her eyes, she conveyed exasperation by briefly closing them instead—which was important, since otherwise she never blinked. "Oh, I'm jussst here for the atmosssphere. But we will have one more person joining usss—no need to pull up a chair—and I believe he wanted your finessst ssselection of ssseasssonal fruit. And a ssspiced tea."

Cocking her head to the side, the waitress typed away at her tablet and said, "Very well," and took her leave. Once she left, Nyceme gazed over at Cormack and smirked. "I sssee you took Amaranth and Mereduin'sss absssence as an opportunity to indulge."

A boisterous laugh escaped the elf boy's mouth, but the energy of it vanished when his eyes met hers, at which point he averted his gaze. A wise choice; looking into the black slits in those almost fiery magenta eyes tended to be uncomfortable after a while. "Heh, don'tcha get it? We're gonna be adventuring - and hopefully I'mma get myself a new gun. I need all the energy and focus I can get my hands on." Just then the orb of greenish light inside his pendant flashed yellow a few times and tugged on the string, and he shot it a disapproving glance. "...Oh will ya shut up."

Nyceme then rose up a little and slithered away from the table. "Anyway, I think I will check out the hotel for a while; the sssun isss ssstarting to dry out my ssskin. If Sssindar or anyone elssse we know arrivesss, tell them where to find me."

And with that, Cormack was left alone at the table.

Bulletin Board

The mysterious third person in the above group had tacked a note to the board:

edited 24th Feb '18 1:13:59 AM by ladytanuki

(Hotel- Saen)

The hotel room felt more like a sauna, with the temperature and humidity cranked up to the maximum. Saen, however, was just fine with it. She liked it hot and damp. Back home, on the steppes, she often needed to draw up a hot bath to keep her scales comfortable. Here, it was a lot easier.

The lamia opened the door and slithered out into the hallway. She was about twelve feet long, with deep green eyes and a cobra's brown hood joining with a more dappled tail. She wore a simple white shirt, despite her status as Matriarch of her coven- she wasn't much for ostentatious behavior.

In the other rooms, various gusts were just starting their day, as Saen could hear them thinking. It was a downside to being such a skilled telepath. It took a lot of practice to be able to focus on a single individual's thoughts, or block them out altogether, and even she couldn't do it constantly. Better to hear them intermittently. She made her way into the elevator and headed down to the lobby, where the bellhop greeted her. "Good morning, Miss Saen. Are you headed out?"

"No, jussst getting some sun. Maybe in a few minutesss, though."

"I'm curious, why do you only stretch your esses sometimes?"

"I enjoy having sssome fun with the ssstereotype," Saen responded with a wink.

Town - Bulletin Board (Leone, Gwion, Kris, James)

"Ah," was her only response. She supposed having a bunch of old friends appear out of nowhere could be shocking. Actually, by that response she could guess that these were old friends they never expected to see again. Since that bit of confusion was cleared up, she gave it no more thought and resumed what she was going to say.

"-I just haven't seen anything quite like your arm and eye before. They're quite...futuristic, by standards back home."

Then she looked around the area in general. After a couple of moments, she frowned. "Though nothing here is anything like back home. I don't know why I'm surprised, really."

[Town: Restaurant (Koyel, Layi, Vrask)]

Layi and Koyel glanced warily over at the reptile at the bar. Big fellow. Lots of trophies. Armed. Layi measured him up. Looked competent. For a giant lizard. Didn't seem dangerous. Human enough for her, she'd gotten used to this city.

Koyel, meanwhile, studied the skulls warily. Seemed a bit curious, decorating yourself in the bones of the dead like that. Could mean a lot of things. "Pardon," he finally said, "but I gotta know. That paint on them skulls? What's the story behind that? Guessin' it's something doing with the spirits of the beasts you took them skulls from?"

Restaurant - Bar (Koyel, Layi, Vrask, Sindar)

A fairy no more than a foot tall flew his way through the establishment, hovering near the ceiling. At first glance he might have looked like a flying mushroom, because of his big round head and the fact that his "hair" was actually the dark brown gills of a lighter brown mushroom cap on his head. His reddish-brown eyes darted across the tables, looking confused. As he flew, his coat didn't billow as much as it ought to—-in fact, it looked to be made of mushroom stalk material, the same color as his cap. He had a long torso and short stubby legs ending in boots of the same material, and he flew on wings consisting of decaying leaves. A mouse skull hung around his neck, and if one looked closely, one could see that the hands peeking under the long sleeves of his "coat" were completely skeletal.

"That's weird... where are they?" he wondered as he wandered. "Did I go to the wrong restaurant? Or did they say one of the cafes in the square instead? Hmm..."

After some more looking around, there was still no trace of his companions, but something interesting caught his eye: a reptilian person standing at the bar with skulls on his shoulders. And a pair of what he presumed to be hunters of a sort sitting near him. So he decided to land on the bar (the stools were way too big for him) right in between the three; they seemed to be talking about the skulls.

"Nice skulls," he began, speaking with the tenor voice of what might have been a very young man. "A tiger and a wolf if I'm not mistaken - I have seen many skulls in my life myself." With his skeletal hand, he indicated the mouse skull around his neck. "A hunter, I presume? And what about you two?" He glanced over at the humans speaking to him and then extended his hand... or was about to, but he withdrew it and hid both hands behind his back. So instead he nodded his big mushroom head. "I'm Sindar by the way. And why'd you paint the skulls in the first place? Wouldn't it be better to keep them natural?" Well, that was the case with his own skull at least.

Town Square -> Hotel Lobby (Saen, Nyceme)

Nyceme used to like the sun. In fact, she still did. Unfortunately, sunlight was no longer good for her, as she no longer had the proper mechanism to hold onto moisture. In fact, on her way to the hotel, she took a bottle of lotion out of the fancy green-scaled handbag she carried around and started applying it to her face and chest, being especially careful to keep her claws away from her skin. Once she was inside the hotel lobby, she finished applying it with the tip of her tail for that exact reason. Then she repositioned the necklace she wore, a golden one bearing acid-green jewels, complete with matching earrings. Even with the sorry state of her body, she was willing to hold onto whatever elegance and regality she still had.

That was when she saw a snake woman just like her approaching in her direction... except she was notably healthier-looking and had a nearly opposite color scheme to hers, and had a plainer clothing scheme (Nyceme wore a purple half-dress with dark green and gold embroidery underneath her shawl). As she approached, Nyceme had some thoughts, completely unaware that the other naga could read them. Strangely, they seemed to be coming from the gem inside her scepter, presently hidden under her shawl but identifiable via thoughts of it... though it was still distinctly her.

What I wouldn't give to have that sort of body instead... damn that ritual. I dunno, should I talk to her? Eh, Serpent Queen, I guess I better.

"Well well," she greeted, a pair of long black-stained fangs showing whenever her mouth opened to speak. That strong scent of perfume shortly caught up with her arrival. "Fancccy ssseeing a fellow naga here. I don't sssuppossse legendsss and adventure drew you to thisss cccity too?" She held out a clawed hand devoid of warmth, keeping the other bundled under her cloak. "My name is Nyccceme.^note For the record, that's pronounced "nye-seem". What might yoursss be?"

edited 24th Feb '18 5:18:29 PM by ladytanuki

[Town, Restaurant - Vrask, Koyel, Layi]

Vrask looked at Koyel as he pondered how to answer the question.

"I guess you could say that. They're totems, but the significance is more personal. I've spent my life hunting animals and monsters, but it started with these guys," they shifted to emphasize the skulls and the cloak.

They turned to Koyel to show off the left side of their face and pointed to their blind eye, "The tiger was the one who did this. I was only a mere ten years when I went after him."

Vrask gave a throaty laugh, "The name's Vrask. And you and your companion?"

Vrask then noticed the tiny Sindar, "Yes, I am a hunter. Why else would I be wearing these."

Town: Square - Notice Board

Gwion nodded at what the teen said about his arm and eye. He had guessed she was unused to prostheses of that level of "advancement" - though in reality, his arm had been an out-of-date model when he got it; not so much 'obsolete' as a contemporary 'budget' alternative to the newer, better and more realistic ones similar to that sported by Kris.

At her comment about nothing being like 'back home', he looked around at the clean, airy town with its noticeable lack of abandoned buildings, tagging, rubbish and shuffling dispossessed people and felt quite glad to be somewhere that was nothing like his home.

He gave the teen a smile. "That's quite understandable. I'm Gwion, and I'm from Earth." As that covered quite a bit of scope, he added, "the year is 2076." He indicated the others. "This is Kris and James, from a planet they call Terra Nova."

Kris smiled. "Though we were both born on Earth - more than three hundred years apart."

[Town: Restaurant (Koyel, Layi, Vrask, Sindar)]

Regarding Vrask's question, Layi said, "could be a priest. Anyhow, I'd be Layi ul'Oriyith, and this here's my son...

Koyel interrupted to introduce himself. "Koyel ul'Netho, at your service." He considered the "totems" — a tricky concept to translate. "Good thinking, by the way. Always proper to honor what you take."

"After all," Layi put in, "you'll be seeing them on the other side. Don't want hard feelings."

Koyel gave his mother an annoyed glance — he was driven by more than mere afterlife pragmatism — but said nothing.

Layi continued, to Vrask, "I'm guessing you're more a protector than a meat provider? Not the best eating on something with teeth that sharp, usually, when a deer is less trouble. Though I suppose it could be for that trouble you're showing off them skulls."

Koyel, meanwhile, had turned his attention to Sindar. He was thinking, what in the name of the spirits is that thing?, but was too polite to say it so bluntly. So instead he said, "aye, we're hunters. Been picking up coin and looking for answers we haven't gotten on Uel." Actually, now was a good time to ask. "Don't s'pose the name 'Western Amalgamated' means anything to you? Them folks tried to kill a friend of mine, and I don't have the slightest clue why."

[Town, Restaurant - Vrask, Koyel, Layi, Sindar]

Vrask shrugged at Layi's remarks, "Was more of a protector type when I was young, for my village at least, though I suppose that it's more of a career now. Even if these beasts didn't have much meat, I'm part of a pragmatic people, so we make do."

Vrask downed the cheap drink they had in their hands and turned to Layi, "So are you and your son also hunters? I imagine a well built individual like yourself must have spent their time in the profession, especially by the leather you're wearing."

[Town]

Amy eventually let go of Aubrey, her smile wide. She was about to introduce Nick and the others, but Teri beat her to it.

"Team name...?" Marie asked, before her eyes widened. "Oh! We're still thinking. Amy wants to call us 'The Amazing Adventurers.'"

"And as I said," Jackson said, "It's cheesy."

"But I like it!" Amy said, furrowing her eyebrows, "It's cool! You already shot down Chaos Hunters!"

"Because that's also cheesy."

Nick slapped Jackson's back. "Lighten up! Why can't you be a cool Brit like Teri?"

Jackson glared. "If you weren't already injured I would deck you so damn hard right now."

While this was going on, Adam noticed the board. As he walked closer to it, his eyes widened in interest. Maya followed him, quirking an eyebrow.

That sounds like that could help us. she signed, Though I hope there's also money involved. Think the others would want to join in?

"Well, we did just kind of...barely escape with our lives." Adam said, "...But at the same time, we have to fight Chaos again soon, and we need to be more prepared. I guess I'll ask when everyone's ready."

edited 24th Feb '18 8:07:28 PM by Masterofchaos

Town Square ~ Solstice Cafe (Carol; Cormack)

A young woman with long, red dreadlocks, dressed in an unbuttoned khaki safari jacket, black undershirt, khaki trousers, black combat boots, and a deep indigo tunic (sans belt), relatively identifiable as military, roughly turn of the 20th century by Earth standards sat crouched with her back to the wall. Her jacket and coat were covered with patches, some of which failed to properly match the base color of the garment, and numerous instances of adequately performed stitching together of material, which, corresponding to the faint scars that could be seen on her olive skin, indicated that she was prone to getting fight induced injuries.

Her eyes closed, she growled softly with irritation. "So, we could go to the tavern," was all she had said earlier that morning, before the bright and cheerful Diantha had grabbed her by her long, pointed, cat-like but still distinctly elvin ears, and dragged her to the cafe instead. "Carol, it's too early in the morning for you to be drinking," the girl had said, chiding her. The woman harrumphed her disapproval before settling down in her current position.

The sound of nearby laughter broke her from her quiet grumbling. Glancing around with red irised, black sclera eyes, her gaze fell upon the elvin boy next to a small stockpile of weapons, now sitting all by his lonesome.

Getting up with some mild regrets for squatting so long, she stood up to her full inch-under-six-foot height and grabbed her trusty halberd, a weapon seemingly unfitting for a “modern” soldier, before trudging over to the boy's table, leaning her weapon against the table, and commandeering a seat. Locking eyes with the boy, she nodded her head, "Sup."

Town Square ~ Notice Board (Diantha, Lily; Leone; Gwion, Kris, James)

The fair-skinned Otterbien twins, Lily and Diantha, aged 18, were each enjoying a cup of coffee as they approached the notice board to peruse the various requests for assistance, usually general stuff like finding someone's lost cat, serving as pest control (Lily noticed at least one for culling the local population of target prac— moufretas), and such. A few other notices stood out, like one mentioning a man-eating cat in need of slaying, and a rumor of... an albino lanceros?! Lily shuddered at the thought of encountering one of those.

While they shared many traits, they were very clearly not identical. Lily was the taller of the two, and leaner, with more angular features and a head of white hair with a rather conspicuous assortment of orange and black locks of hair on top, as though a tiger lily was growing on her head, complete with the odd set of strands sticking straight up. Diantha, on the other hand, was slightly shorter, curvier, and notably bouncier than her sister, and had a purplish carnation for a flower-themed hairstyle. Both sisters had heterochromic eyes, one green and the other a peculiar light blue snowflake that seemed to lack a pupil. For Lily, the snowflake was on her left eye, for her sister, it was the opposite.

Both were dressed in the shirt, jacket, trousers, and combat boots (Lily's were visibly plated in a coppery metal) combo that Carol wore, only Diantha loosely wore her tunic. Lily, instead, wore a four pocket, brown leather, fur lined jacket, with a prominent fur collar, and carried a bronze-colored bolt-action rifle in a shoulder sling. Belted to her trousers were a set of strange, hexagonal disks. Her sister didn't carry any visible weapons.

Lily tapped the note mentioning a legendary musket with her noticeably gunmetal gray mechanical right hand. "The Warpfields, hmm?" she said, sounding inexplicably like an upper class Briton, "I suppose a legendary musket might be an improvement over my aether rifle... I wonder if I could modify it..."

Diantha, who had practically inhaled her cup of coffee, crossed her arms, "Would a musket outperform your rifle, though? You do give the artillery corps a run for their money—" The girl had accidentally bumped into a woman by the notice board, "Oh, I'm sorry!" she immediately apologized with an adorable smile before quickly introducing herself, "Hello, I'm Diantha, and this is my little sis, Lily."

Lily rolled her eyes before taking stock of the group that her sister had inadvertently bumbled into; a man with prostheses, the aforementioned woman, another man, and a girl who looked younger than any of the members of her group. The three older members of the group all carried rather fancy looking rifle of their own, something the lanky girl wanted to take a closer look at some time. She put on a friendly smile and joined her sister with the rest of the group.

Notice Board

edited 14th Apr '18 10:28:19 AM by WillDeRegio

Town - Restaurant (Layi, Koyel, Vrask, Sindar)

Little Sindar looked back and forth between the three beings much larger than him, who were apparently all hunters. But only the younger human one (the son of the other, apparently) had asked him a question, so he addressed him first, after tapping a skeletal finger against his chin to ponder.

"Never heard of a Western Amalgamated before, though it sounds like the name of a tightly-knit organization." Never mind that he was stating the obvious, likely. "I'm actually from the land of Crownen - don't suppose that name rings a bell. This Uel sounds quite far away. There are a couple of different tightly knit organizations where I'm from, and both of them kill lots of people... one even tried repeatedly to recruit me, and for good reason too, but I'm independent. But what does Western Amalgamated do, exactly? Perhaps your friend did something that was remotely against their agenda."

Then he nodded to the scaled man. "That makes sense. You're right, predator animals like that usually do not have much meat on them, but they make good trophies, and pets if you know how to control them properly."

Just then the barkeep came over, and he asked for the darkest ale they had and that it be served in a non-metal container. In short order he got his ale... in a shot glass. Which to him was a good-sized mug. After taking a careful sip (he could barely lift the glass), he continued the conversation. "You guys have it easy being your size in this sort of society. Usually in a place like this I have to have a squirrel or something hold my drink and then offer what I inevitably can't finish to someone else. Anyway, I suppose you can consider me somewhat of a hunter... well, in that I collect dead animals among other things. They usually come to me though, rather than the other way around. The mouse this one came from was actually caught by an owl I kept." He tapped the skull hanging around his neck. "It's why I'm known as the Fairy King of the Underwood."

"I suppose honoring the animal that died is one way to put it. I dunno about the afterlife much though, so I can't really say anything about 'the other side'."

Town Square - Solstice Cafe (Cormack, Carol)

Shortly after Nyceme left the table, someone else took her place. A dark-skinned elf^note It's the ears. girl, dressed in a soldier-like fashion (complete with battle scars), carrying a halberd. Cormack eyed the weapon up and down as she took her seat.

"Oh hey, d'ja see my notice on the board or did you just recognize me as someone of fellow militaristic occupation?" He proudly pointed his thumb at his chest. "Speaking of which, how'd you even get into the king's army? You know they don't allow elves. ...Actually wait, you're in a different army, aren't you? Psh, lucky. Anyway I'm Cormack Tinuile, prospective recruit of the royal army of Crownen." Just then the light in the orb around his neck glowed blue a few times and tugged at the string. With a slightly annoyed quick glance at it, Cormack added, "And this is Nettle, my pet sprite. Where are you from?"

"Your coffee, little sir." The waitress had returned with a coffee, to which she had already added cream and sugar, and topped with whipped cream and sprinkles. Cormack looked at it with a scowl. "What's this white stuff on the top? I didn't order this crap! I ordered a coffee, plain. You can add milk, but nothing else, got it?" He handed the cup back to her.

"...Very well, sir. Anything for you ma'am?" she asked Carol.

edited 24th Feb '18 9:47:06 PM by ladytanuki

Town - Bulletin Board (Leone, Gwion, Kris, James, Diantha, Lily)

"Leone Blakesley," she said, with a simple nod, "I'm also from Earth..." She glanced at Gwion's cybernetics again, as well as the entire group's fashions and Kris's rather strange hair color. "...Or perhaps, an Earth. At the very least, as far as I know the year was 1924. If I'm in a different time entirely, then I suppose that's one explanation for the...fake arm. And the fashion sense."

Then she turned to Kris and James specifically. "And it seems I'm not the only one who has been, in that case. I would ask how all this works, but.... I've learned that there are things one shouldn't think about. The flow of time is likely one of them."

It was at this point that another pair of newcomers appeared, making their introduction by quite literally bumping into Kris. Leone didn't address them directly; depending on how long they were there, they might had very well heard her name and thus she didn't feel the need to repeat it.

She did take the time to examine them, however. Apart from their fashion sense, the main thing that caught her attention was their eyes. Specifically, the eyes that seemed to have a snowflake instead of a pupil. Her gaze lingered on these longer than the rest of their owners. Her expression was a thoughtful and maybe slightly suspicious one, but whatever her thoughts were she chose not to voice them.

Town-Paking between the Square and Hotel. (Henry A. Safon).

Suddenly there was a loud boom combined with a bright flash. Once the flash dissipated there was a slightly rusted green 1973 VW Super Beetle with many political bumper stickers on the back in its place.

The car drove into a parking space and shut off. The door then opened and it's occupant came out of it.

The occupant was a man in his mid to late 20s, had an athletic stature with sunkissed skin, light brown hair that was neatly trimmed and parted and an equally well kept, beard, and piercing blue eyes that were constantly observing the surrounding area. He was also dressed in a three piece navy suit with a light blue shirt, dark blue paisley tie, shined black leather dress boots and a gold pin in his lapel that was the seal of the Oregon State Senate.

He stepped out of his car and locked it before pulling out an iPhone 3gs to record something.

"Safon's travel logs day one. Home date August 2, 2009, local date unknown. I have managed to track down on this area between dimensions that is said to have been the home to an ancient civilization that had combined magic with technology. I hope to be able to find what I need here." He looked around at the town he found himself in. "It appears that sometime recently there has been a group of settlers who have established a new settlement here. That should allow me to establish a base here."

Once he was done recording his audio log and put his phone in his pocket he looked over and saw a group of people. Some of them looked quite familiar to him but he couldn't pinpoint where.

"Hello there!." He said walking towards the group. "My name's Henry A. Safon the 2nd. Pardon me for interrupting but I believe I've met you people before."