The Center of Time

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

Xaion dodges a swipe from the chronal feeder again, darts in for a heavy punch that seems to rock it, and shouts over his shoulder. "I have it! Go, make for the city, go now!"

With another wink of time and space, both vanish again.

It seems, with the disappearance of Wisco (leaving only his tree behind) the streams of time have taken their toll.

While there doesn't seem to be an obvious way to get to the bridge where Father Seren and Ohm Eleven are, no trailing lines or ladders, that doesn't preclude a way to get up there. If Seregal and Ohm move forward across the swaying bridge to the tower at the other end, they see flashes of light moving through the cords of the bridge. It may be that a certain pattern of walking might activate the next section of the bridge, because you're still quite a distance from the city.

[sblock=OOC]I need an Int roll, DT 3 to figure out how to activate the bridge.[/sblock]

For those on the ground, Antor, Echo, and Duncan, they find themselves free of the chronal feeder who had been stalking them, but two more distant flashes, one to the north, and another south, show more chronal feeders are starting to investigate what new factors have occurred near the city. Flares and pops from the ribbons of light illuminate the ground in a wash of discordant colors as they start to ripple more vigorously over you. A wink of brilliant white catches your eye, reflecting off the inverted mountain that hovers above the city... and draws your attention to the shining gates in the walls several hundred feet away.

 

[Guest 11456]

Ohm Eleven, A Mechanical Nano who Talks to Machines

Ohm Eleven puzzles over how to activate the bridge.

OOC: Int roll (1d20=6); skills that might help: Numenera (understanding) [specialized] or Electical Machines [skilled].

 

[iamrpgdm]

"If you can find a way to secure the rope, we can climb up." Antor hollers back at Seregal. "By the look of those flashes, we may have additional company coming, so the sooner the better."

 

[Tashtego]

Seregal quickly lashes his rope to the cable and trails it down. It's about 50 foot, so dangles about 10 feet above where Antor, Echo and Duncan are. The end of the rope whips about in the wind.

"Can you reach it?" he calls out. "I can have a go at pulling you up. Otherwise..."

Distracted, he turns and looks at the flashing lights.

"I wonder..." he mutters and rubs at his scratchy beard, trying to see if the bridge mechanics make any sense to him.

[sblock]

I'll have a shot at figuring out the bridge. Trained in Numenera: 1d20=13

Not too shabby...
[/sblock]

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

Seregal quickly lashes his rope to the cable and trails it down. It's about 50 foot, so dangles about 10 feet above where Antor, Echo and Duncan are. The end of the rope whips about in the wind.

"Can you reach it?" he calls out. "I can have a go at pulling you up. Otherwise..."

Distracted, he turns and looks at the flashing lights.

"I wonder..." he mutters and rubs at his scratchy beard, trying to see if the bridge mechanics make any sense to him.

[sblock]

I'll have a shot at figuring out the bridge. Trained in Numenera: 1d20=13

Not too shabby...
[/sblock]

Taking a close look at the strands and the more distant spires, Seregal thinks he should be able to walk on this to the next spire, which, when activated, should bring up the next spire-and-bridge, and the next, and so on. Up above, you can see subtle patterns in the ground, the tufts of grass and rock forming looping, swirling patterns. Perhaps they were decorative. Perhaps indicative of something under the earth. But this bridge does lend you a unique perspective.

Ohm Eleven puzzles over how to activate the bridge.

OOC: Int roll (1d20=6); skills that might help: Numenera (understanding) [specialized] or Electical Machines [skilled].

Ohm considers the bridge too. They believe there is a code sequence, a walking pattern along the "ropes" which activates the next section of the bridge, taking you closer to the city. With a little trial and error, feeling the way the bridge reacts and extrapolating, you think you have it. Step, step-step-step, stepstep, step, step, stepstep, step-step, step. Repeat. If you move along this pattern, advancing to the next spire, the deliberate pattern seem to activate something, and another spire fires up from the ground a hundred feet away, ropes of energy shooting across to meet its companion, connecting them.

Antor, from the ground, and the direction the two are walking, you think you can guess where the next spire might erupt. If you get ahead of them, and hang on, you could get a free ride up the skyway, and thusly have a safer trip to the city gates. Or you could just try to move swiftly (or unobtrusively) along the ground to get to the gates, hoping that the chronal feeders would either not be able to catch you or might not notice you. Looking ahead at the city gates, you can feel a tingle along your spines. The gates shine in the sunlight as if brand new. Except, of course, there is an entire mountain hovering above the city and there is precisely no natural way sunlight should be hitting the gates.

 

[Shayuri]

Echo looks up at the bridge, then back at the gate.

"No way to tell which way is best," she says, "But we can't stay here and wait. Lets stay on the ground for now. That way at least one group is likely to get in."

She puts her hand at her side, over the pouch containing the map.

"I think...maybe we have the key for the gate."

With that, assuming no dissent, she heads for that shiny portal!

 

[iamrpgdm]

Antor decides he'll continue on with Echo and hopefully meet up with Seregal at the gate.

 

[Tashtego]

Seregal sees Echo and Antor move on, refusing the offer his rope. "Perhaps it didn't look very safe," Seregal muses, scratching at his beard. "Well, I'll just go forward along here and see if I can bring that bridge up."

Seregal starts to move forward on the bridge, balancing carefully, to the place where he'll be able to active the next spire. As he walks along, he also see if he can learn anything about the pattern he can see below.

He moves efficiently along, almost too elegantly for an absent-minded priest, grinning at the great mysteries and wealth unfolding before him.

 

[Shayuri]

(OOC - Hehe, sorry, I completely missed your post! That said, I do think it's not a bad idea to try both avenues being presented...I just wouldn't have been rude about it. )

 

[Guest 11456]

Ohm Eleven, A Mechanical Nano who Talks to Machines

Ohm considers the bridge too. They believe there is a code sequence, a walking pattern along the "ropes" which activates the next section of the bridge, taking you closer to the city. With a little trial and error, feeling the way the bridge reacts and extrapolating, you think you have it. Step, step-step-step, stepstep, step, step, stepstep, step-step, step. Repeat. If you move along this pattern, advancing to the next spire, the deliberate pattern seem to activate something, and another spire fires up from the ground a hundred feet away, ropes of energy shooting across to meet its companion, connecting them.

Ohm Eleven continues moving along the bridge using what he has learned to activate each subsequent bridge section. He is not thinking of the others but rather himself and getting to the gates and hopefully away from the chronal feeders. But then as he moves he glances down at the ones on the ground and sees the chronal feeders in the distance. For a moment he pauses to consider something. But then he turns and continues his trek toward the city gates.