Into the Volturnian Desert

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Re: Into the Volturnian Desert

Postby jedion357 » Fri Jul 12, 2013 5:01 am

corkman wrote:"Thank you for taking us in. We also hate the Sky Demons and have lost some of our tribe by them," Kriss projects I his mind to their hosts.


"No thank, we found you helpless and took trophy from you as is our way. We are in a forked path over what to do about the engineer. He sacrificed himself for the tribe and the dishonorable demons keep not their deal with him. We have scouted far beyond our home range looking for the home of the sky demons but have not found the engineer only a small tent of demons and their machines."
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Re: Into the Volturnian Desert

Postby corkman » Fri Jul 12, 2013 6:02 am

jedion357 wrote:
corkman wrote:"Thank you for taking us in. We also hate the Sky Demons and have lost some of our tribe by them," Kriss projects I his mind to their hosts.


"No thank, we found you helpless and took trophy from you as is our way. We are in a forked path over what to do about the engineer. He sacrificed himself for the tribe and the dishonorable demons keep not their deal with him. We have scouted far beyond our home range looking for the home of the sky demons but have not found the engineer only a small tent of demons and their machines."

"A small tent of sky demons you say? We would be willing to help you with the engineer if you could show us where their tent is. Perhaps we can work together to find him and get revenge on the Sky Demons?"
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Re: Into the Volturnian Desert

Postby Once Far Off » Fri Jul 12, 2013 11:31 am

OOC: Are all of the PCs in the same conversation with the Ul-Mor? Or are they each having a separate conversation with a specific one? Not sure how you're ruling it. If a group conversation, Rigel will say things to indicate that he is willing to take on the sky devil tent and try to enlist their aid as well.
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Re: Into the Volturnian Desert

Postby jedion357 » Fri Jul 12, 2013 12:16 pm

Once Far Off wrote:OOC: Are all of the PCs in the same conversation with the Ul-Mor? Or are they each having a separate conversation with a specific one? Not sure how you're ruling it. If a group conversation, Rigel will say things to indicate that he is willing to take on the sky devil tent and try to enlist their aid as well.

Yes everyone except the kurabunga

EDIT: my take on the ul-mor it they are touch telepaths (like Spock doing a mind meld but with less drama) and if multiple ul-mor are touching each other then they all can talk. If one or more ul-mor are touching multiple PCs then all the PCs can hear the ul-mor. While the PCs dont know how to telepathically project the act of speaking the words out loud lets the ul-mor read the thoughts from the PC's mind. If the ul-mor are not touching the PCs and the Pcs speak to them they will not understand them. A PC may expend EXP to learn ul-mor sign language but I didn't really see you all spending that much time with them at this juncture though I would be flexible to player wishes.
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Re: Into the Volturnian Desert

Postby Shadow Shack » Fri Jul 12, 2013 4:38 pm

Throughout the mind-meld one thing echoes in Gideon's thoughts. "Who is the engineer?"
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Re: Into the Volturnian Desert

Postby corkman » Fri Jul 12, 2013 5:05 pm

Shadow Shack wrote:Throughout the mind-meld one thing echoes in Gideon's thoughts. "Who is the engineer?"

"Grod."
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Re: Into the Volturnian Desert

Postby jedion357 » Fri Jul 12, 2013 8:20 pm

OOC: When Grod introduced himself to the Ul-mor as an engineer they latched on to that as his name which humored him and once it was spread through the tribe as "engineer" he just rolled with it. Remember that the personnel records of Grod that would have been available to the team list him as level 5 in Tech, Computers, and Robotics. Also images in the telepathic link of the engineer match images your characters would have seen of Grod in the personnel file on him.

By way of review the first team was

Commander Louis V. Jameson, (H) Truane's Star Military Exploration Force (22 years of service, combat veteran, Truane's Star Medal of Valor; commander of two previous exploration missions) the only skills listed are 4th level computer though we should presume some military skills and perhaps a military PSA

Geeko-sur-Mang, (Y) Professor of geology, Capital University, 4th level computer
Recognized authority in geophysics, specialist in planetary crust formation

Itklikdil, (V) cartographer, Vrusk Atlas Manufacturing Corporation, 6th environmental
Ph.D. Capitol University; experienced explorer and cartographer; loaned to exploration mission by employer in exchange for rights to produce maps of Volturnus

Grod, (D) Technician, Truane's Star Civil Service, 5th level all Tech PSA skills
Developer, hydro-magnetic stabilization system in dralasite air cars; author of "The Metaphysical Foundations of Dralasite Morality"
Grod comes across to me as a bit of a Renaissance dralasite to me
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Re: Into the Volturnian Desert

Postby jedion357 » Fri Jul 12, 2013 8:56 pm

As Gideon's mind forms the question of who is the engineer images of the dralasite member of the first survey team flash in his mind and even spill over to the other members. Then there is a sharp pain like being poked with a stick and a sharp question from the chief echoed by the chorus of voices of the other leaders in the telepathic link, "Are you not of the engineer's people?"

Echos in the telepathic link voice thoughts, "They dont know him" , "They look for him," "they mean him no ill" , "they do hate the sky demons"

Then the chief's thoughts come back, "How can you be of his people and not know him?" Other mind voices echo, "this is strange"

"You ask for our help but you are not of the tribe; this is not the way. We share water once with the wander in the desert but if they are not of the tribe they cannot be helped further. If you are here to help the engineer and truly wish our help then you may face the same test that the Engineer did and become one of the tribe otherwise we will leave you to the sand and sun as is the way. You may not be the the visions of future present as we thought. Perhaps the Engineer was not visions of future present as we thought. We will not violate the path, we will remain on the path till the vision of the future comes to pass."

The chief and other leaders display a change in body langauge that feels like someone sitting back and waiting to here and answer. They still maintain contact with everyone via tentacles but its clear in everyone's mind they are waiting for a decision.
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Re: Into the Volturnian Desert

Postby Terl Obar » Fri Jul 12, 2013 9:05 pm

"The people of the engineer are a vast number," Dalmar thinks to the group, projecting images of the sea of beings that is Point True, Pale (the largest city he's ever been to). "It is not always possible for our people to know every other of our people touch-to-touch as your people do. We are of the engineer's people but we did not know the engineer touch-to-touch.

"We want to help you against the Sky Demons. We will face this test if that is the way."
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Re: Into the Volturnian Desert

Postby Once Far Off » Fri Jul 12, 2013 9:07 pm

"What is this test you speak of?" Rigel intones to the Ul-Mor.
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Re: Into the Volturnian Desert

Postby jedion357 » Sat Jul 13, 2013 5:19 am

Once Far Off wrote:"What is this test you speak of?" Rigel intones to the Ul-Mor.

"The test every youth faces to become a hunter, to become an ul-mor. If you live you become ul-mor with full rights, privileges and responsibilities."
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Re: Into the Volturnian Desert

Postby corkman » Sun Jul 14, 2013 6:47 am

Not sure by what they mean by becoming a hunter scares Kriss a little bit but, he's out of his element here and he's got to grow up sometime. "I'm in," he projects through his mind.
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Re: Into the Volturnian Desert

Postby rattraveller » Sun Jul 14, 2013 8:28 am

Grekka has stayed on the edge of this entire and very uncomfortable conversation. Vrusk take the issue of personal space very seriously. Comminicating by mind seems like to much of an invasion of that space. Still she finds some comfort in the Ul-mor. They at least come close to looking like her then her companions.

Now it looks like things are coming down to a conflict. Another male dominated society deciding things with a fight. Well she would not have jioned the police if she didn't like a good struggle for justice.

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Re: Into the Volturnian Desert

Postby Once Far Off » Mon Jul 15, 2013 11:48 am

Determined to not be the last to agree, Rigel also projects, "I'm willing" into the strange chorus of thoughts.
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Re: Into the Volturnian Desert

Postby jedion357 » Sat Jul 20, 2013 5:59 am

At the answers from the team the chief's posture appears to be that of sitting back. He signs a sinuous series of movements with his tentacles for the benefit of the rest of the tribe outside the tent. The same series of signs is taken up by many other ul-mor. Everyone gets the feeling that its in response to the decision and commitment just made.

Two of the ul-mor hunter/warriors seem to be in charge of preparing new hunters for the test. One ignores the team totally to focus on a group of youthful ul-mor that will be taking the test. The other, Fonn-AR the warrior, engages the various members of the team infrequently in tests of melee and at night in mystical talk with death a frequent subject.

The team is not well integrated into the ul-mor tribe and it seems that you are not allowed to travel with the tribe itself and must follow a little behind though they are open enough to share food and water. Fonn-Ar teaches the team various elements of ul-mor culture- herding of cactus whompers and kwidges, hunting of sand sharks, and much mystical talk that Kahn revels in but can be quite tiring.

Travelling North by Northwest the group reaches broken rocky outcrops and takes a cave tunnel into and seemingly thru the low mountains. Fonn-Ar directs you in collecting thing scraggly sticks and milking the oily gland of the kwidges to make torches. Its clear that the tunnel is frequently used and shows signs of recent travel by groups of ul-mor- other ul-mor tribes have pasted this way in the days before you reached the cavern. At the cavern Fonn-Ar instructs you to leave the lopers that were lent to you and make your way through the caverns to the far side, the tribe will meet you in a valley on the other side. Your test begins here with braving the caverns which are fairly straight forward to pass to the far valley where the real test begins.

The caverns are at first a relief as the temperature drops and for the first time on Volturnus you experience a relief from the heat. Periodically you see sign of loper and ul-mor tracks (other youthful ul-mor facing the same test as you). You happen upon rooms of chittering creatures that you are well able to back track and avoid. At other times you find the carcass of a dead bear like creature and a dead ul-mor.

Within a day you reach a decision point of a path with a sulferous smell and more heat or a path that seems not so hot but and to have more water dripping from the roof.
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Re: Into the Volturnian Desert

Postby Shadow Shack » Sat Jul 20, 2013 6:30 am

"Ritual," Gideon thinks, "I've got a bad feeling about this."






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Re: Into the Volturnian Desert

Postby Once Far Off » Sat Jul 20, 2013 6:58 pm

Rigel examines both branches to see if there was any indication of one being more used than the other.

"Gideon, this is your area of expertise. What do you think?" Then quickly clarifies, "And by expertise I mean environmental science, not strange telepathic alien rites of passage."
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Re: Into the Volturnian Desert

Postby jedion357 » Sun Jul 21, 2013 3:09 am

Gideon examines both branches and detects sings of passage in both.
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Re: Into the Volturnian Desert

Postby corkman » Mon Jul 22, 2013 7:17 pm

Kriss waits next to Rigel as Gideon examines the branches.
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Re: Into the Volturnian Desert

Postby jedion357 » Mon Jul 22, 2013 8:00 pm

It seems the foot/tentacle traffic on both branches is about equal. Choice before can be boiled down to hot and potentially less hot.
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