You wake from bizarre dreams of an archangel using your head a croquet ball to find more weirdness when you awake.

A very tall, lean, completely furred, except for some small bits of leather clothing, and three-eyed bipedal is leaning over you.  You are in a cave made of stone, and an entrance is about ten feet away.

Playtester

Johnny slowly wakes, sweat dripping from his forehead. "Oh, it was a dream. Man, I'm never gonna steal again. I swear it. Oh..." His eyes notice where he is and what is leaning over him. His eyes open wide and his jaw drops. He sees the entrance and quickly scrambles to his feet and runs for the door.

You burst outside onto a granite mountainside decorated with the occasional brown or green stonewort.  In the distance, near the horizon lights dance, and high in the sky is the most marvelous aurora borealis you've ever seen.  Simply breathtaking.

And then a grump of a noise from behind you turns your head to see a ton of six-legged, carnivorous (from the pointed teeth), lizard with a saddle strapped to it.  This beast is about twenty feet away.

PT

Upon seeing the giant lizard, I quickly turn and run back into the cave. "What is that thing? It looks like a dragon or something.", I yell to the monkey man. Oh man, what have I gotten myself into, I wonder as I approach the man, my fists balled up ready to fight if the thing attacks me.

The very tall "monkey man" cringes back from you, his mouth full of some white pasty growth that rings the side of the cave.  He or it shivers.

Playtester

Going back into the cave with the monkey, I feel a bit safer, not much. "What is that thing out there some kind of monster?" I don't let my guard down. While awaitng the answer, I look around the cave.

"Actually, its a riding beast. I-I I apologize most extremely.  I saw your vessel appear out of nowhere, like a gift from the Ancestors, and it had not the aura of mind about it, so I being near True Death, inhabited this new healthier vessel. And now I find I have committed a great sin, but then how could I have known?  Most unfair."

The voice comes seemingly from all around you, and starts out matter-of-fact, turns apologetic, and then ends grouchily, protesting at unfair fate.

The three-eyed alien coughs, and leans down to the ground.  He's obviously ill.

"Soon my old vessel will die.  Pity, it served me well. So where did you get this vessel from?  Its seems quite capacious with lots of unused space."

Playtester

"Vessel? Did I come in a vessel? Like a ship or something? I just remember the volcano, then, waking up here." I look at the monkey and wonder what could be wrong with him, he really doesn't look too well. "Are you okay? Do you want me to call a doctor?" Then I remember where I am, "Well maybe not? Is there someone I can get?"

"The 'monkey' as you name it is my former vessel. He will not survive long. If you wish you may end his suffering, although he is not in great pain.  I think. I share my current vessel with you."

An image forms in the air in front of you of your own body, as seen from the outside.

"This is my current vessel.  My humblest apologies."

And then you realize you're not speaking English.

Playtester

Still not sure of what's going on, I look at the image in front of me. "Maybe they were right about the drugs, I think I'm having some sort of a flashback." I look over at the monkey, then realize what I'm saying. "What am I saying. I don't know this language. I need to sit down." Having said so, I sit down. "Perhaps you'd better start from the beginning, that might make more sense." Then add softly, "Though I doubt it."

"You are not suffering medicine problems.  I am inducing auditory and visual hallucinations in your vessel's brain. Quite simple really.

I am a Shepherd of 'monkeys',(see one 'monkey' tending about a dozen really stupid acting 'monkeys') and my village (see thatch huts and wood palisade) was feared so they sent me out as an ambassador to other villages for help(high mountains, more thatch huts later).  But I and my guard were set on by bandits, and he faced True Death for me.  I fled high into the mountains where it was cold, and almost died the first night.

It got down to ,(pause, feel 'pressure' in head) 40 degrees Fahrenheit.  I almost died.

The next day as I prayed to the Ancestors and the Maker of All there appeared a vessel from thin air. (see your sleeping body pop into reality), adn it had not the glow of mind about it (see a 'monkey' with a glow about it, and yours without a glow), and I transferred to this new vessel. (See monkey touch your temples, and sway back and forth for a minute, and then turn off stupidly to eat some fungi on the cave wall, and see you awake.)

Now I share this vessel with you, and again I'd really like to say I'm sorry."

Playtester

After letting it sink in for a bit, I reply. "So you mean your inside of me like I'm possessed or something?" Then after another pause, "So I'm the vessel, and you're inside. Okay... How do I get you out?"

"I need time to recover. A couple months by your time.  And I need access to another healthy vessel, like in my village. I have several spares there."

An image appears of you walking outside, mounting the one-ton carnivorous lizard and riding it to a village.  It then fades.

Playtester

At the mental picture of me riding the big lizard, I grin. "Just like that old dinoriders cartoon." I then go out and look at the thing. If it doesn't make any threatening gestures toward me I will head toward it. "Hey dino dino. Good dind." I hold out my hand toward it and carefully try and pet it on the nose. If all goes well I will try to climb up into the saddle, thinking "I hope you know what we're doing."

It fusses a little bit, and you climb on and it calms down, and soon its rolling along at three miles per hour.  You descend out the mountains and into a valley that is still pretty barren, being mostly rock, but at least its about sixty five degrees.  That takes about five hours.

PT

I enjoy the ride for the first couple of hours due to the novelety, but after that I start feeling it in my bottom. "Hello? Are you still in there? Which way do we go now? Hello?"

Your right arm lifts up and points at a crevice in the rockface across the valley (a couple hours away).

"That's our path. Its a pass that leads to another empty valley, and then a short climb, and down into another valley where my home is. We will probably have to camp tonight."

You head on further, and in about an hour.

"Your vessel is most sturdy, but its eyesight is poor. Up ahead, is a camp of 'bandits', probably Ridthan riders, looking for me.  They have probably seen us already.  I'm not sure what to do."

In the distance, at least a mile away, you see a lump that moves.  That must be the camp he speaks of.

PT

Still not quite understanding what my vessel is, I reply. "My eyes are very good. I don't where contacts or anything."
I glance down at the mount, "Why don't we just go around the camp? Or maybe this thing can outrun them if they start to chace us." I look ahead

"My old vessel could see much further.  And one could easily tell exactly how far away an object was, just by looking at it.

You seem to suffer from a mental delusion.  The illusion that your vessel is you, rather than that that simply carries you around in the non-Flux world.

And lets try to get around them."

You start curving around them, and within a few minutes they are obviously trying to catch up to you.  Eventually, you see that there are two of them, both mounted, who are trying to cut you off from escape.

PT

"I'm not mental!", I say before I realize that with this voice in my head I probably am. "I'm never going to understand this", I mumble.
I then take his advice and try to make the giant lizard get away from them.

You're urging the beast on, but it doesn't seem to notice as you galomph over the rocky valley floor.  Then you boot it, and it turns, yawns at you with the mouth full of near-foot long teeth, and continues to plod along.

The others are catching up.  They are yelling at you to stop as you're their prisoner.

PT

I still try to spur the beast on. "What do we do now? They're catching up and this thing won't go any faster."

You boot it again, and the voice in your head says.

"Grab the ears and twist them."

You do it, and it lurches into a run.  They give chase, and soon your lack of skill in riding begins to slow the beast down while they flow smoothly with their mounts.  But, you are ahead of them, and the pass is but a half-mile away.

PT

Not knowing how to ride this thing, I hold on tightly. I keep glancing back to see if they are getting closer. Then back forward, then back. "I think we're going to make it."

They pull up alongside of you with one on each side, and brandish their short spears.

It occurs to you that if you had stirrups this riding would be a lot easier.

"Surrender, or we kill you." The one to your right yells.

In your head you hear,

"They will kill you if you surrender."

PT

This sucks, I think, so what would you suggest? Does this thing we are riding know how to fight, because I certainly don't.



OOC: Sorry I've had some RL problems

*Well, I know how to fight, and this beast can defend itself if attacked.  So you can turn over control of your vessel to me, and I will run this vessel in the fight.  I know this is very rude, but we are far from a Flux Field and I don't want to face Disintegration.*

The voice says, and then demonstrates what it means by moving your right arm without your commanding it.

*Like so*

And I understand about RL.  Its one good thing about on-line and Multiverser, you can easily drop and pick them back up.

*Ok, then take control*, I think. I then grab hold of the creature, then release it realizing I have to give up control of my body.

Your body draws up the beast atop a small hill, and places the beast at his back, and drops a rock on its reins to keep it from wandering.  Then he whispers a prayer with your voice.

"Great Spirits of the Flux, if I die fighting far from your domain, if my friend dies as well, I pray that you will not refuse us entrance into your Paradise of the Lights."

Then he pulls out his shield, straightens his armor, and draws his sword.  He puts a spear on the ground next to him.

*Ordinarily, I'd shove the butt of the spear into the dirt, but here its all rock*

He then waits until the other two do likewise.  Everyone stares at each other from a distance of thirty feet for a few minutes.  Then the two talk to each other, and begin to advance.

Your body grasps the spear quickly, and hurls it.  Way beyond the enemy riding beasts.

*Aaaah. Your vessel is very strong.*

---and let me pause here if you want to add anything, advise, etc..

Playtester

Well that was a long pause, sorry I thought I informed you that I was going to be away due to RL issues. Let me know if I'm still in, I can post a couple of times a week. Again sorry.

Its okay.  I'm running a come as you can game anyways. And Multiverser is particularly suited to that style.

So welcome back.

PT

Still not fully understanding this whole vessel thing, Johnny just grins at what seems to be the compliment of the strong vessel. He then proceeds to watch through his eyes at what going to happen since he's given up control.

They charge hollering, and your visitor shoves rocks down the hill to slow them down, but its not much of a hill.  However he separates them, and then savagely leaps down on the first to destroy it before the other can get close.

Your leap goes as planned, it seems your stronger muscles and heavier build make the leaping capabilities roughly equal for humans and this 'other' vessel.  But when you crash down on his shield, he is sent sprawling with a broken shield.

But the other gets close while you still are recovering your feet, and slams you on the head with a stunning blow.  For a second you see stars, and then crouched, you wait for the other to move your body, but instead you realize that blow dazed your visitor who is babbling a drinking song, and right now its you, in charge, in front of the alien with the sword and shield.

PT