The Center of Time

"'Fine' as in I haven't turned it off. As for why, Echo already asked me that. Still don't have an answer better than 'it seemed like a good idea at the time'."

Wisco notes Echo heading over to the panel. The kid is like a magpie; can't resist anything shiny. Wisco turns his own attention to the room seeing as it looks like they might be here a bit longer, and the Nanao didn't really give it much attention when he first arrived.

Wisco heads over to the mouth of the stream flowing from the rock formation. He is motionless for a moment, before reaching down and dipping his hand into the water. Cupping his hand, he takes a taste.
Wisco, the fluid is blood-warm and tastes of salt and earth, and is slightly viscous and sticky. But as you drink, any wound you had, any fatigue or lingering ache, is immediately gone.

--

[sblock=Echo]You place your hand on the panel, and there's a disorienting rush of information. First you see your own memories flicker past in double-time. Then you see a stone temple, the stones crafted from simple, handheld tools, crafted to surround an ancient spring. From the sky come three huge columns of synth and metal and glass that slam into the ground near the temple. Extensions begin to emanate from the columns, creating walls and layers. The walls cannot seem to build close to the stone temple, and instead it is encysted below the walls, though the spring continues to flow. There's a faint glow about the stone temple, and inside you can hear the breathing of something huge... Then all of a sudden you are back, solidly within your own mind and body.

OOC: If you would like to try to get more specific information, hold your breath, cross your fingers, put on your lucky shorts and roll me a Numenera check, Difficulty Task 4 (target number 12). And let me know what types of information or processes you're trying to extract.[/sblock]

--

As everyone is in this chamber, you might notice...

OOC: Roll me a perception check please, Difficulty Task 3 (target number 9). If you make it, click on the spoiler box below.

[sblock=What You See]Just beyond the large spring surrounded by rocks, you notice a highly decorated door on the far wall. It's small compared to the spring, but you saw the glitter of the powerful light welling up from within the spring on the beautiful mosaic inlaid on its surface. It depicts three green-skinned humanoids in gray robes, their arms raised in some kind of formal posture, around a great shaft of light that springs from the ground near their feet.[/sblock]
 

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Seregal takes a shin out of his pocket and makes it dance along his knuckles. “Duncan, maybe things are fine here, and you don’t need to run around yelling to the world that the sky is falling, or that the caravaneers outside are in danger of being torn apart by a horde of abhumans. Panicking people can be more dangerous than a mysterious army. We’re more in control than you realise, with Echo and that map."

He pauses, his gaze noticing the mysterious door in the corner of the room.
1d20=12

He goes over to investigate it, and checks it carefully for any signs of traps or secrets:
1d20=10 + Trained.
 

Wisco, a Tough Nano who Lives in the Wilderness

Wisco, the fluid is blood-warm and tastes of salt and earth, and is slightly viscous and sticky. But as you drink, any wound you had, any fatigue or lingering ache, is immediately gone.

Wisco stands slowly, feeling refreshed and re-invigorated, but more disturbed than before.

"The waters have a restorative effect." he says out loud. "If you are wounded, you should drink some."

Wisco turns and re-examines the room. A faint smile flickers across his face as he notices Xiaon shifting position. Wiso has spent enough time with The Legend to know what the young Glaive is doing.

Wisco moves across the room to where Duncan is standing. "I am starting," he says quietly, "to think that you might be right, and I made a mistake in not shutting down the machine. I can't really explain it. But keep your suspicion close, and let's see what Echo discovers. So far she has proven more than capable."

Wisco steps back and once more returns his attention to the chamber, noticing for the first time what Seregal is up to. Interesting .... But for the moment Wisco is more focused on what Echo is doing, and what the ab-humans might do in response.
 

Seregal takes a shin out of his pocket and makes it dance along his knuckles. “Duncan, maybe things are fine here, and you don’t need to run around yelling to the world that the sky is falling, or that the caravaneers outside are in danger of being torn apart by a horde of abhumans. Panicking people can be more dangerous than a mysterious army. We’re more in control than you realise, with Echo and that map."


"You think you're fooling the people up there, that if they don't know they won't get hurt. People deserve the truth. This isn't a game." Duncan rumbles at the "good father" with more than a hint of irritation.

To Wisco, "Agreed. Though I'm considering using the rod I took off the dead Abhuman, to see if I can 'hear' what the machine is thinking. It seems to be reaching for some of my glow-discs, and I think it could be able to link into my mechanics."
 

Wisco, a Tough Nano who Lives in the Wilderness

To Wisco, "Agreed. Though I'm considering using the rod I took off the dead Abhuman, to see if I can 'hear' what the machine is thinking. It seems to be reaching for some of my glow-discs, and I think it could be able to link into my mechanics."

Wisco glances down at the rod in question. "If that is so, it would be useful. But it could also be dangerous."

Wisco thinks for a moment, running through the options in his head. Duncan's mechanics may give him an advantage in 'syncing' with the machine. It may also make him more vulnerable. The question is whether there is a way of finding out other than 'suck it and see'.

[sblock=OOC + fireinthedust]Numenera check Trained + 2 points + 1 edge [Roll 19] to try and determine what effect the rod will have on Duncan.

[MENTION=51930]fireinthedust[/MENTION] - Does the control device for Duncan still exist in this game? Or did it disappear with Zak? I don't particularly want the responsibility for it, but it might offer a option here.[/sblock]
 

Even after the vision ended for Echo, she was silent and tuned out, focusing entirely on her communion with the machine-mind (Perception result: 5). Silver flowed from her fingers into the touchpad, facillitating the transfer of information. The flood of data and interface commands would have been too fast and alien to follow, but she'd been using these systems long enough now that her mind felt like it was...adapting to it. She could feel the pulse and flow of raw data that lay underneath the user interface. She reached out to it, asking it to access records, archives...to extrapolate, perhaps even just to speculate...and answer just three questions.

What happens when one cycle ends, and another begins? What is the sequence of events associated with that? (roll of 9)

What would the consequences be if the cycle were prematurely brought to an end, without its normal resolution? (roll of 11)

Is there a way by which the cycle can be terminated without it reaching the normal endpoint? (roll of 9)

(However, Echo is not just trained in Numenera, but specialized, which reduces the difficulty by 2)
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4409591/
 

OOC: I figured that Duncan somehow got the ability to carry it himself, or at least keep it in his backpack. The problem is that he doesn't know anyone in the party well. He met them in a pub, then we've gone off for a few days. The device was used for years to make him kill innocents and monsters alike, so he wouldn't likely give it to anyone here until he could trust them.
 

Wisco, a Tough Nano who Lives in the Wilderness

[sblock=fireinthedust]Yeah, nicely secured in a sealed iron tube or something. If there was something like this floating around for my character, he definitely wouldn't be telling anyone either. Not until he had known them a long time, and had damned good reason to trust them.[/sblock]
 



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