This message is a placeholder for Eric's new world, GMed by JohnA1nut. :)

OOC) We were talking about a world populated entirely by versers......

And as you're passing through the scriff, you're playing in every Tadeusz game at once. Even the games you never played in. You find a child in a sewer, you shoot deer, and you're the quarterback of a football team. Among others. All at once.

Then you wake up.

You're laying on a hill. You're wearing the silky ninja outfit and the toolbelt. You've got all of the weapons. Looking at the katana, the gun is a removable attachment. You can remove it if you want. You've got 12 shotgun shells for the staff and 12 50 caliber rounds for your other guns on the toolbelt. The unreality sack is there. You feel Mario's power ups and coins in your pocket. But they stay regular size when you take them out. The coins are solid gold, the size of a quarter.

You feel the scriff senses to your other gear distinctly. It's all together. You never found some of it in the last world.

But you also feel scriff senses from versers. You're completely surrounded by them. They're coming from every direction. Below you.

And standing up, you see them. You see cowboys and spacemen, medieval noblemen and Roman gladiators. Cavemen and Templar knights. And plenty you can't identify. There is no dominant style of dress and no one feels out of place. You see flying cars and horse drawn carriages. And shops. Some shops are made of mud and straw. Others are made from high-tech polymers. And every conceivable construction method in between. It looks like a huge flea market.

Off in the distance, you see a tower. The base has to cover 10 city blocks easily, and you cannot see the top. It's in the clouds.

At random points, you also see silvery half spheres. They look like they would cover a city block. They're silver, sticking up out of the ground. The people are walking around them.

I fall to the ground in utter amazement.

"This is the Goblin Market, the Nexus Point, the whatever."

More carefully, I gather up my things, while praying, because one tale I rememberof the Goblin Market was that it had everything you wanted, just at a price more than you wanted to pay.

OOC) I'm going to want some serious feedback from you about this world. What I'm thinking is a world populated entirely by versers would have the most diverse culture imaginable. You really are free to be yourself. It would be an anarchist society. No Rulers. Except maybe dispute mediators. And I know you're going to hate this, but of course, Magehammer is here. But instead of being the only superverser, he's one of many superversers. But don't forget, now you're Tadeusz!!!!! You've got at least 4 magical weapons of your own.

IC) So you're going to go and get your gear? The scriff sense will lead you into the crowd. So you start heading down the hill and into the throng of versers.

Magehammer has a blacksmithing shoppe not more than 20 feet from one of the silvery bubbles. The bubbles seem to be at intersections. There's traffic coming from four main directions to and away from it. Going around it, not through it.

So you start walking. You pass Magehammer's shoppe on your left. There's a sign out front of it. "Shovels, Axes, Scythes, Hand tools of all kinds!!!! Swords, Clubs, Knives, Weapons of every description!!!!! Free Blacksmithing lessons with purchase of complete blacksmithing toolkit!!!! And don't forget, they're magical!!!!" The shoppe does indeed have these items and more hanging up on display. Magehammer waves and says "Good to see you again Eric." as you pass by. Samantha is sitting down in a chair. She waves and greets you as well. Apparently they did stay together.

Then you pass Ray's Ray Guns. This time, Ray himself approaches you as you pass. He's dressed and speaks very much like a used car salesman. Speaking rapidly, he says "What kinda ray gun do you want? I got 1 gigawatt, 5 gigawatt, I got proton lasers and phaser rifles, solar powered and hand crank. I got heat rays, freeze rays, you name the ray, you can get it at Ray's Ray Guns!!!!"

Then you come to Mom's Bakery. An elderly woman with three adult sons are making cakes, pies, and other baked goods. One of the sons drops something, and Mom slaps him soundly upside the head saying "Watch it nincompoop!!!" Then she turns around to you and gives you a smile so warm it would melt a glacier.

You pass by a store selling clothing, and another selling electronic devices. Several restaurants and eateries. Any kind of food you can think of. Yes, even that really disgusting sounding one.

Basically, name the shoppe and it's somewhere in this line. Are you looking for anything specific?

An eight year old girl walks past you. Long brown hair, tee shirt and jeans. She stops at Mister Magehammer's shoppe. And although you can't hear what they're saying, she hands him a cloth bag bulging with coins, and he hands her a Katana sword. Then she starts coming back towards you, sheathed Katana in hand and walks past you again going the other way.

You find the moped and the rest of your other gear sitting in the middle of the thoroughfare. No one has bothered it. You don't feel any errant scriff senses. It's all there. A random verser says "Don't worry. Nobody touched your stuff. We all know what it's like."

He says it with the utmost respect. You're not a stranger here. Here you're a verser.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:14, Mon 04 May 2015.

I walk on the far side of the road (dirty track, gravel, asphalt?) from Magehammer.  I'll meet him later.  I return the friendly waves with a wave and a small smile.

I touch the bubble as I pass it.   Issit like the ones in Bubble City?

I do my best to ignore Ray even as he badgers me.  Still the claimed power levels seem insane.



"Thanks, brother. " I say in   reply.

Then I go look for a powered hangglider.  I need to get a look at much of the city at once.

OOC) Sorry, I know you don't really like Magehammer, but most of the worlds I've written were kind of written around my superverser.



The road is a substance you can't quite identify. It seems more high-tech than anything you've yet encountered. It feels like it would be virtually impossible for you to slip on it and fall down.



Your hand passes through the bubble. It's got about the resistance of jelly. The other side feels colder.



The random verser, he's tall, dressed like an 18th century peasant. He says "You just get here? You should probably go to the Tower. They'll tell you everything you need to know."

When you mention the hang glider, he says "Yeah, there's probably something they can do for you to help you out."

Then he looks you up and down. Seeing the array of weapons you're carrying, he says:

"You looking for a fight? You should talk to the Romans. They train gladiators. Pay's pretty good, so I hear."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:26, Tue 05 May 2015.

I bend down and examine it for a few minutes.  The road is fascinating.  Its that kind of clever industrail thing that can have unexpected repercussions.  One things leads to another, and that to another.  That TV series Connections was righton target.

After passing through the bubble, I smell my fingers and think.  "Cool? Rapid heat loss?"

I shake my head.
"I wouldn't mind some peace for now.  And yes, the Tower sounds lke a good idea."  It does, since I want a view from a high place of the area, and anything named 'the Tower' is likely to have such, or so I hope.

I exchange names with the guy, and then make my way to the Tower.

The road is a polymer substance. It's got such a high traction coefficient that it almost feels sticky. But not quite. You cannot slide your hand across it while applying any pressure. Even a light touch takes effort to move your hand. But it looks rather smooth.



Your fingers smell like death. Something died on the other side of the bubble. A lot of somethings, by the smell.



"The Tower is the main center of activity. There's one every hundred miles or so. You can get an apartment, look for a job, it's the place to go for everything."



"Fred. Fred Flintstone."

You pass by a lot more shops. Shops selling everything from high quality stone spears (which people are buying) to psionic enhancement devices. (Which people are also buying) And everything in between (Which people are still buying)

Going to the Tower, the base is huge. Easily covers 10 square blocks. It's made of glass, concrete and steel. Lined with windows. You cannot see the top through the clouds.

I make a point to avoid the bubbles after that.  I may need to check them out later, but none of th epossibilities sound good, besides, it occurs to me that there are others more skilled here than I.  I'm not a hero here, I'm just another guy.  Its relaxing.

I take Fred's advice and head to the Tower to find where I can get a job and an apartment.  On the way, I gawk at the spears and the psi devices, curious as to what I could learn.  I make notes in my head of things of special interest, but eventually, I arrive at the Tower.

A quick prayer, and I enter.

Going in, you see the reception area. People standing behind desks with computers. In the middle of the room, there's a bank of computer terminals. People, even cavemen, are sitting at them. The computers seem to be voice activated.

There are versers of every race, creed, color and clothing style milling about. Jews and SS Nazi officers talking like old friends. KKK and Black Panthers making dinner reservations together. There doesn't seem to be any racism or anything of the sort. You're all united as versers.

A receptionist says to you "Greetings and felicitations. How may I assist you?"

I look at the cavemen, and wonder if they see something different than I do, but putting that aside, I smile at the receptionist.  Its nice to see people getting along.

"Yes, I just arrived. I heard this was the place to go for an apartment and a job."

Receptionist "First I have some standard information I need from you. I notice you've got numerous magical weapons. What is your level of proficiency with them? If you are proficient with your magic and psionics, use them freely. However, if you are going to try something new or dangerous, we ask that you go into one of the silver sub-universes. If you have an uncontrolled release of power, it will be contained there. Every one of those bubbles is a doorway to a universe where a verser had an uncontrolled release of power which destroyed all sentient life on a planet. Do Not be the one who causes a botch which destroys this world. You will anger about three billion immortal versers, and nobody wants that."

That's your cue to ask about the bubbles.

"Do you have any material? Books? Audio/video recordings? Holonovels? Anything of the sort? We have an extensive database and are always looking for new material. We will pay you for permission to copy your material into our database."

"What sort of employment are you seeking? Are you a craftsman? A lot of versers set up their own shops to sell their wares."

"I'm going to start a private messenger service. Small packages. Letters. That sort.  Where would I advertise such?"

The idea just jumps into my head rather than admit I don't have a lot of skills at much, and I'm not really interested in back breaking labor.  I can drive my moped about, and deliver stuff 'as long as its in sight of the Tower', I'll say.

The receptionist looks up something in her computer and says "As a matter of fact, there's an opening in the Tower mail room. You would be delivering packages and letters exclusively inside the Tower. As an employee of the Tower, you would of course have your room and meals provided as part of your payment compensation. But the pay is only 5 ounces of precious metal a week. Are you interested?"

She goes on to say that gold, silver and platinum are the three most widely accepted currencies, but that things here are worth what you and the other person can agree that they're worth. Some people deal strictly in gold, others will accept copper, stainless steel, even lead and iron are precious metals to some versers. So what precious metal would you like to be paid in?

"Gold, please." And I take the job in the mail room.

Nor comets, nor rogue nukes, nor time portals, or escaped bioweapons will stay us from the sure completion of our duty....

The receptionist calls out "Carly Rae!!!"

And a shy, timid brunette girl with glasses approaches. She's wearing a baby blue cardigan sweater and a white, floor length skirt.

Receptionist "Carly Rae will show you to your quarters and to the mail room."

Carly Rae says "Um, come with me?"

And she leads you to an elevator looking thing. Stepping inside, she says "Apartments."

The world tastes purple, you cease to exist for a moment, and the doors open. You're standing in a hallway lined with numbered doors. Each door has a 10 digit number on it.

Carly Rae leads you down a hallway and to a door that says "Vacant". She enters a code into the keypad, and the door opens. The room is small. 12 feet by 24 feet. There's a bed, a flat screen TV, a small kitchen, bathroom. All very high tech.

Carly Rae says "Um, let's see. There's an um, food replicator in the um, kitchen, you can call up the Database on the TV, if you want to call a room, enter the room number on the um phone. You also need to make up your own door code. The code I entered is universal for any vacant room. Any questions?"

OOC) If you want to see what Carly Rae looks like. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWNaR-rxAic

Two Posts



OOC) According to a site I looked at, the actual quote is:

"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night shall stay these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds"

But, with some tweaking, I think I'd like yours better.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:45, Tue 12 May 2015.

"No, thank you.  I'll examine this in detail later.  And when I inevitably stumble, I'll just go and bug IT....you do say that here?"

After that, I let her take me to the mailroom, and get acquainted with my new job.  With no reason not too, I pitch in until the end of the next shift, and then i make my way back to my apartment.

Once there I begin to sample the database....see if Louis L'Amour wrote the sequel to The Walking Drum in another universe...

Carly is kind of ambivalent. "Whatever you say."



Carly takes you to the teleporter. She says out loud "Mail room." The world tastes purple, you cease to exist, and the doors open. You're looking at a immense storeroom of letters, packages and guys in Mister Zippy uniforms. Somebody says "You the new guy?" Then somebody else says "Hey, that's Councilman Tadeusz." Then he takes another look at you and says "Nah, he's just a divergent."

You're given a Mister Zippy uniform and an hour's introduction to the job. Then you're handed a package and told "Take this to the Council Chamber. It's for Council Chairman Magehammer."

Since you never stated that you were changing clothes or dropping weapons, you were still in the ninja outfit and carrying the toolbelt with weapons when you got here. They have no problem with you carrying those weapons or whatever else you want whilst you're working, so long as it does not interfere with your job. Try telling a verser he can't carry his weapons, ya know?

Also, inside the Tower, you are completely surrounded by verser scriff vectors. It's kind of disorienting. But you're sure you'll get used to it.



Work day's got more to go.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:13, Wed 13 May 2015.

I enter the elevator and say "Council Chambers'.  Once I arrive, I look around for a sign, failing that, for important looking people rushing some place, failing that, I ask a receptionist tyhpe.

When the doors open, you're looking at a heavy wooden door that says "Council Chambers". Going in, you see a long table with about 20 versers sitting at it. Magehammer is at the head. Tadeusz is sitting to his right. Except it's not you. It's you about 20 years younger. This Tadeusz is mid 20s, where you are mid 40s. To the left of Magehammer is a young girl of perhaps 14. She's wearing a blue dress with white trim and has blonde hair. Somehow you just know her name is Alice. The rest is a mishmash of men and women of several different races.

When you enter, Tadeusz, his mouth drops open. "Eric?"

Magehammer says "Yeah, I've met this kid before." Then addressing you "Is that for me?"

Given that you know the Council chairman and are the divergent of his secondary, you are invited to sit in on the meeting. They will take care of everything with your job so you don't get into trouble.

Or you can go back to work. Your choice.

Magehammer wants to tell you something though. "You know that abandoned world where we first met? One of the bubbles here is a gateway to that world. Small Multiverse huh? I believe you were trying to fix up an airplane. Well, now you can go back there and finish what you started."
This message was last edited by the player at 05:19, Sat 16 May 2015.

"I'll sit in." i say. "Thanks.' I do sit in, but keep my mouth shut which might baffle my twenty year old other.

'Right now, this world is pretty neat, but i may want to try that later."

After the meeting, I go back to work after making a quick explnation to the boss.

Magehammer looks you over and says "I see you got the katana and blacksmithing hammer I made for you. Black iron Chaos broadsword, reality benders, Order staff. Where in The Multiverse did you get your hands on all of my best weapons?"

He really wants an answer.

Tadeusz keeps staring at you. Finally he says "I've met divergent versions of myself, but never a verser divergent. That's too trippy."



Alice, the 14 year old girl says "I would be more than happy to accompany you on that journey. It's part of my job. I am a guide and greeter."

OOC) You seemed a bit disappointed that you didn't get to finish your airplane. So now you can do that, and you will be going with Alice instead of Magehammer.



When you tell your boss that you were invited to sit on on a Council meeting, he says "Say no more son. The Council is made up of 20 of the oldest and most powerful versers here. You don't question their decisions. Not if you want to stay healthy."

So you're not in trouble with your boss.

I give him a short synopsis on Arcade.

I nod in agreement with my dop.  I give him a sympathetic smile.

"Perhaps later. Thank you, Alice."

Magehammer nods. "So that's where Samantha met you before. She kept insisting that she met you before we met you on that world. So it was that guy she met. You actually brought those weapons out of a video game? That's amazing. Well, stop by my shoppe if you ever want to learn to use them."

You're back to being trained by them.



Tadeusz says "Who knows? We could be the same person. I might be you a thousand worlds from now and just don't remember it."



Alice says "Let me know when you'd like to peruse it. It would be my honor."

Magehammer says "That world was destroyed by the Carters. How I'd love to get my hands on those freaks. I'd pay handsomely to anyone who took out the Carters."

(Hint, you took out the Carters.)

But then Magehammer says "Down to business. Is everything running smoothly in your various sectors?"

Everyone nods in agreement.

Magehammer says "Any problems that currently need to be addressed?"

Nobody has any problems that need to be addressed.

Magehammer "Meeting adjourned."

And everyone gets up to leave.

I blink, rather startled at my dop.  He just smiles back in amusement as I process the thought.

My personal universe just got a little bit bigger with that wild, but logical idea. Good.

OOC: Carters????

I leave and go back to work.

OOC) The bad guys in Paintball World. The six twin brothers. Magehammer hates them. You would get in real tight with him if you told him how you took them out.



And then you spend the rest of the day delivering packages all over the building.

Once I get done, I check to see if I can get an advance on my payment.   If so, I go buy some gyros with tzatiki sauce, if I can, and oh, Coke, and somw plates, spoons, and glasses.

Does the room come with a stove, microwave, or laser deepheater?  Fridge?  Sin?k

I buy a fair sized trash can as well, skillet, soap for food, clothes, and body, and hair....I use the trash can to stow my stuff.

Still, its been a long day, and I'm not really up to massive shopping, so I get some sugar snacks, and another drink, and head back.

Once I get into my room its...

"Thank you, Lord.'And i collapse happily on the bed.  An hour nap later, and i reheat the gyros a bit, and try to find some of the shows I've seen on TV, and then see if their are alternates that are not too weird.

Star WArs, the Clone War....goood.   Star Wars, the Opera.....bad.

You ask your boss for the advance. Your boss asks why. When you tell him, he kind of chuckles and says "Take a closer look around your room. You don't need an advance for that."

So no advance, but you're not gonna need it for that.



The room is like a hotel room. You've got dishes, pots, pans, skillets, trash cans, soap, shampoo, you can even have optional maid service. All free to you as an employee of the Tower.

In the room, there's a stove, oven, microwave, fridge, dishwasher, food replicator, waste disposal, sink, and a few more.

You go to the food replicator and ask for Gyros with Tzatiki sauce and Coke. And there's a tray with just that in the replicator. The tastes are not quite what you were expecting. It tastes slightly synthetic. Like the food is made out of flavored nylon. But it's still quite tasty and filling. You could easily eat very well off of it.

If you want non synthetic food, you're going to have to go to the restaurants. And for that you will need money. But you've got everything you need to make a decent life in the room. You don't need to spend any money for that.



This is where you need money. To view the Database, you have to pay for access. First hour a week is free. No, it does not rollover. You cannot save your hours up from week to week if you don't watch anything. After the first free weekly hour, it costs one ounce of precious metal for unlimited viewing in a 12 hour period. Put your coin in, and it will be useable for 12 hours. Once 12 hours are up you lose access, whether or not you watched anything. But you could have a 12 hour marathon during that period.

The coins that you took from Arcade are 1/3rd ounce. You have 20 of them. One of those will buy you four hours viewing time. There's a slot on the wall to put them in.

But on the positive side, as far as what there is to watch, name it. There's Star Wars the opera. And there's Star Wars the Clone Wars. And there's Star Wars the Paint Wars. And there's Star Wars the cheap cardboard thing some guy made in his garage. And there's Star Wars the three dimensional hologram. And there's Star Wars the Rainbow Wars. That'sth the one where Darth Vader talksth with a listhp. (I wish you could hear me say that!!!) And that's just the Star Wars programs. Name it, you can probably find it. Movies, music, TV shows, holographic productions, even shows that strictly appeal to your sense of smell and touch. You want to sit back and smell and feel things that aren't really there? You can do that too. There's a Star Wars that runs that way too.

OOC) I know you don't like Magehammer. Unfortunately most of the worlds I've written were kind of written around him. You're probably going to run into him on more worlds than would be possible for a verser. However, that was the last time you will be forced to interact with him in this world. Aside from seeing him in passing, that is. I just wanted to have that scene where he sees your weapons and tells you about the Carters. The Carters were the bad guys in Paintball World. Magehammer HATES them. If you ever need a favor from him or anything, all you have to do is recount to him the story of how you took them out in Paintball World. He will be your smiling servant at that point. That's why I wanted to force your encounter with him that time. But that was the last time you will be forced to interact with him in this world.

"Hmmm...." I look a the skillet and the gyro, and "Virgin Olive Oil, four ounce bottle, please."

If that works, I'll fry the gyro just a bit.  I've found that el cheapo stuff can be improvedin taste with a little frying.

I consider the money and the TV.  Its been a long time since TV.  I'll give myself four hours tonight to watch ...

'SW: Clone Wars' followed by a 'Welcome to Verser World' Orientation program which might be free, and a twenty minute Bible study led by a genetically engineered ape.  Its odd the similarities, and the divergences in how the ape presents the truth of the Gospel.

After that. a simple set of calisthenics like back on Bubble World, note to self, check o gymllater.  Take it easy.  Shower, tooth brush, stumble into bed, wake up in the middle o fthe night wondering how I gothere (I don't location panic in hotel rooms), remember, smush up the pillow, go back to sleep.

The taste is improved remarkably with a little frying. It almost completely removes the nylon taste. You are a bit horrified to hear the replicator say in a voice reminiscent of HAL 9000 "It is not necessary to say please, sir." It somehow sounds vaguely ominous and threatening.



Clone Wars is more or less what you expect. The good guys still shoot blue and green and the bad guys still shoot red.

Welcome to Verser World is led by a genetically engineered ape. He says "Hello fellow versers. Whether this is your first world or your millionth world, there's something for everyone here in Verser World. You'll find that racism, sexism, religious persecution and the like are all but nonexistent here. Certainly a few have arrived who demonstrated these traits, but they either learned to lose them or were versed out quickly. That woman you're sexually harassing? She might very well be a ninth level witch with multiple torture spells. You will not sexually harass her twice. Our society is anarchist. No rulers. A good rule of thumb for your behavior is simple. If you would not want someone else to do it to you, then don't do it to someone else. The Council is not a ruling body, in spite of what you may have been led to believe. They mediate disputes and ensure things are running smoothly. However, if a councilman tells you to do something, it would more than likely be in your best interests to do it. They know what they're doing and have kept this place running smoothly for a very long time."

"The silver bubbles that you see are gateways to a universe where a verser experienced an uncontrolled release of power, whether psionic, magical or technological, which destroyed all sentient life on a planet. If you have ever done this, there is a gateway to that universe here. If you are proficient with your magic and psionics, use them freely. Botches tend to be rather mild in the main. However, if you are planning to attempt something new or dangerous to you, we ask that you go into one of the other uninhabited universes. If you have an uncontrolled release of power, it will be contained there. You will find a verser here who has performed the act or something similar that you wish to attempt. It would be wise to seek them out and ask for their guidance. Do Not be the one who destroys all sentient life in Verser World. You will end up angering over three billion versers, and nobody wants that."

"Only items or creatures infected with scriff may cross the barriers. So if you conjure an otherworldly demon or some such, it will be unable to cross the barrier and will be contained in that universe. Non scriff infected items may be brought across if they are in a scriff infected container. Some versers cross into the other worlds to bring items for trade. There are even a few who have made homes in the uninhabited universes."

OOC) This is what's been giving me trouble, why I've not replied in a few days. There might even be more to this, give me some time to think on it.

The Bible study is also led by the same genetically engineered ape. He makes a lot of metaphors about throwing poop and picking fleas in the place of other biblical metaphors.



When you start your calisthenics, you hear the HAL 9000 voice again. "There is a calisthenics class on level 439 sir. Would you like to be signed up?" HAL the helpful computer again.

"Good manners, good manners." I reply.  I tended to find HAL amusing, and I've never watched the whole movie finding it boring.

I'm grinning at the awesomeoness of Clone Wars.  If only the Lucas of my homeline had the sense to do this, then his misbegotten other thing.

I"m a bit skeptical of the society description, but it is true that a society of versers, some very long lived, some of immesne power is going to ....be weird.

I consider the relation of helping others with their problems to picking fleeas from amother's fur....

At first my response is to say no, but then I decide to go do the calisthenics there.  It willhelp to keep me honest.

The Welcome to Verser World ape continues. "Any material you might posses, whether books, audio visual recordings, computer programs or technical schematics may be sold to be recorded into our database. If you wish to patent an item, you may do so for a fee. You and you alone will then have access to that material. Some versers do this with schematics of items that they have invented, to reproduce them to sell or trade."

So Ray probably didn't bring all of those ray guns. He probably brought schematics and reproduces them here.

"You are currently in one of many Towers. These are scattered about the landscape. This place is not a planet in any traditional sense. Which is to say it is no a ball of rock floating in space. It just exists. As far as can be determined, it is infinite in mass and space. It is flat. Our best scientists have not been able to make a better determination than that. There is no sun. Heat and light just come. They just exist. The source is unknown. All that is known is that the mass contains an inordinate amount of raw scriff. It seems to attract versers like a magnet."

It's just a flat mass of infinite size, with unknown heat and light that radiate from an unknown source.

OOC) There might be more.



The next class is scheduled for 12 hours from now. And it's expensive.

Shouldn't such a thing collapse into a black hole?  That is, if a black hole is the correct theory, anyways.  All it says is some serious finaglingon Cosmic Laws or perhaps some dampeners of planetary size...

Not my concern.  I don't have the math to hack stuff that would give Einsteain a headache.

I'll skip gym class, and just work at home.

I'll wander the market a bit looking for a small set of free weights, and hobby supplies, and a chess board.

As if reading your mind, the ape says "Some have theorized that this should cause the land mass to collapse in on itself. No one has yet determined why this is not the case. It's one of the great mysteries of Verser World."

It's just an infinite land mass with no ends. It's not floating in space. It just exists. No one can figure it out. It's beyond the ability of millennia-old versers to comprehend.

The ape continues. "If you were to travel upwards, you would find a breathable atmosphere and survivable temperatures for at least ten-thousand miles. Looking down, the land mass stretches forever in every direction."

And then it shows a picture of it, apparently taken by the verser who flew up 10,000 miles. It just goes on and on and on in every direction.

"The land is rich in every mineral known to any verser who has examined it, and even a few which have never before been seen anywhere in the Multiverse. Some theorize that God, or deities or whatever runs the Multiverse created a special place just for versers to inhabit."



After asking around for a bit, you determine that free weights are one of the very few things you will NOT find here. There doesn't seem to be a single verser who would waste his precious weight limit carrying literally dead weight. You are advised to fill bags with water or sand for that. Just make sure you don't claim them as property. There is a gym in the tower, but none of the versers in the market have any free weights.

If you want that type of exercise though, you can always blacksmith with Magehammer. (Just reminding you is all.)

What sort of hobby supplies? You find them, I just wonder what kind.

Asking around for a chess board leads you to Gaylord's Gaming Emporium. He deals in low-tech board games and card games. He asks "What kind of chess do you want? Two player?" (Traditional) "Three player?" (Triangular board) "Four player?" (Much larger board with pieces on all four sides. This actually exists on our world.) "Three Dimensional chess?" (Straight out of Star Trek) "How many pieces on a side?" (Different variations on traditional chess. He's got some that have 100 pieces on each side.) After a bit of explaining and questioning, you determine that a mediocre chess player could probably pick up every variant of the game within hours. They're all similar, but completely different.

I try the bags of sand, and the thick wooden dowel rod first.

I use my moped to take an hour drive for sightseeing.

I check to see how deep the land mass is theorized to be.

I try to find out if there is some sort of casual sparring match club.

I buy a chess board, tradtional.  Then I buy some stone, and a hammer, and stone chisels, and plates of slate and marble.  My goal is to create an outdoor suitable chess board inset into a stone table.

Plastic trash bags are provided with the room and you've got a nigh infinite supply of them. Suitable scrap sticks are easy enough to find.



It's a huge flea market type of place. For the most part. You pass by a Colosseum of stone and marble. You pass by a state fair kind of amusement park. Rides, games of skill, circus shows, etc. You see two other Towers, at North and East compass points to the one you know. They're far away and barely visible. There's a hovercar dealership, a shoppe that sells tamed animals, beasts of burden as it were. Some you don't recognize. One popular beast is a six hoofed hippopotamus with feathers. It's a local creature. Strong, docile and supposedly very tasty when cooked properly.



All the evidence and studies which have been done suggest that the land mass is infinitely thick. There has been no evidence to suggest otherwise. As far as anyone can tell, you're on the top of a cube of infinite size. There are oceans, deserts, forests, lakes, etc. All of the features you would expect. The area you're in, with the Tower and the marketplace is a scrub desert. Hard packed earth with little vegetation. Your moped has little to no trouble traversing the ground.

Water is brought up from deep wells. There is no sun, no moon, no stars at night. Heat and light just come from somewhere. No one has yet determined from where. Sixteen hours daylight, eight hours darkness. It's on that cycle like clockwork, with no variation. You could set your watch by it. And there's no transitional period. That is, no sunrise or sunset. One minute it's dark, the next minute, bright as noon. Unexplainable. Sixteen hours light, eight hours darkness.

There are variations in season in some places. The area you're in, being a desert, doesn't really experience them. But there is rain, snow, sleet, etc. in some places. But the desert stays pretty much the same all year.



There are Roman gladiators who train people to fight in the Arena. It's the Colosseum you passed on your moped trip. It's not death matches. They have doctors and other healers standing by. They will train you with broadsword and staff.

But that's probably not what you're looking for. You want Fight Club. Asking around, you're introduced to Tyler Durden. Yeah, Fight Club. Not exactly the movie, but close.



You don't really need a hammer ya know.....

Asking around, you are directed to Mason. He's a stone cutter. He's more than willing to help you.

"I get all my tools made by Magehammer. I see you've already got one of his hammers. Here's what I'll do. You can apprentice with me and I'll provide the rest of the tools. But you gotta work for me. The tools he makes are magical, if you're lucky. Makes the work a whole lot easier."

He's offering you an unpaid apprenticeship for the tools. He'll teach you Masonry. He'll provide you with tools you can keep. You work for him for free. And of course you're going to be doing the lowest of the low grunt work.

Good.  I work a bit, fiddling with my system to get it right.  I have to lift and relift to try to make sure both sides are even.  And then one side's knot slips loose. Sigh.  More work.  But after a bit, i've got a servicable free weight which I begin to use for curls, dead lifts, and pull up lift up drills.

Mostly, I just do it when I'm a bit antsy, or after i've come home from work.

I enjoy my trip, and stare for a good five minutes at the feather hippo thing, long enough for the owner to come over and try to sell one to me.  I smile and shake my head.

"No, I'm...just enjoying the weirdness."

Ok. Serious fiddling with the local Cosmological Constants, probably, or something.  I didn't have a clue what it was, but I was aware that I was probably in the position of trying to explain my hi tech flint and steel firemaking tech to Mr. Spock.

"I didn't watch the movie. What am i signing up for?" I ask Durden.

"Mason, I already have a job.  However, I could work say two to three hours at night, and when you think I'vedone enough to earn them, you can gift me the tools."

Forgot to mention, about every mile or so, in a seemly square grid pattern, is one of those silvery bubbles, that link to a destroyed universe. There's one a hundred yards from Magehammer's shoppe, which he claims links to the first world where you met him. Your Cessna airplane is still sitting in the hangar waiting for you. Most of the universes are still inhabitable. You see occasional people coming and going from them. Supposedly some splinter groups and loners have made homes in them. Occasionally people cross into them for supplies and gear. You just have to have it in a scriff-infected container to bring it back out.

OOC) You seemed a bit disappointed that you didn't get to finish working on your Cessna, so now's your chance. You can go back into that world any time and be totally alone if it suits you.



He laughs. "You'll find quite a bit weird here, even by verser standards. In a couple weeks, we're planning on having a heffalump roast." (That's the name of the beast) "Everybody's invited. We have 'em every 400 days or so. Kind of a unification celebration. Bring your appetite."

That's as close as you can get to an annual celebration.



You get the feeling that's the way most of the versers feel about this place. Your theories will be considered just as valid as the theories of the guy with 54 PHD degrees. Nobody can figure it out. Many have tried, none have succeeded.



"Fight. Club." He says, enunciating. "Basically a bunch of us tough guys get together every so often and try to bash each others brains in with our bare hands. It's an amazing stress-reliever. And nobody goes home with hard feelings. So you break 20 of your opponent's bones. No big deal. A wizard puts him back together. You shake hands, he gives you a hug and invites you to dinner. Your opponent, not the wizard I mean. We do it for fun. Come by some time and check us out if you're wanting to work on your brawling skills."

It's bare knuckle brawling/boxing. Like John L. Sullivan was famous for.

OOC) You never saw Fight Club?????? You poor, poor, deprived child!!!!!!! Add it to your NetFlix IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!



Mason says "Sound good. Mostly what I need is somebody to help me haul the stones from the quarry. Then I'll teach you how to chip them. The statues you're trying to make are already there. You just need to remove the rough bits."

So you've got a gentleman's agreement. Come by a couple nights a week.

It's a terrible idea.  It's neccessary.  I reply back to myself.  I need to confront my weaknesses, and this is a good place to do so.

Grimly, I look back up to Mr. Durden.

"All right, I'm in."

It does occur to me one diff between O'Sullivan and here is that here you can hit harder.  The punching gloves made it so you could hit harder too.

One movie that i loved, even if I did not agree with this scene, Timecop, had a modern TKD guy taking out O'Sullivan's sparring partner.  I figured, no way.  I figured the sparring guy would take everything offered, and come back for seconds.

I shake hands with Mason even as I groan inside.  This is gonna hurt a bit.  But it will be good for me.  And i'd like to make some outdoor chess tables.

He gives you a hard stare and says coldly "First things first. Mister Durden was my father. I'm Tyler. Do you hear me? Ty-Ler. You call me Mister Durden again and you're gonna have your first fight like that." (Snaps his fingers in your face.)

OOC) I know you didn't really say it to him, but that was too cool to pass up. And in case you don't know, it's Brad Pitt that's getting up in your face here. That's something I love about using movie characters. You've already got their personality.



He shakes your hand and says "Welcome to Fight Club. The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club. The second rule of Fight Club is: you DO NOT talk about Fight Club! Third rule of Fight Club: someone yells "stop!", goes limp, taps out, the fight is over. Fourth rule: only two guys to a fight. Fifth rule: one fight at a time, fellas. Sixth rule: No shirts, no shoes. Seventh rule: fights will go on as long as they have to. And the eighth and final rule: if this is your first time at Fight Club, you have to fight."

And he grabs your arm and more or less drags you into a tent. You'd have to do some heavy resisting here to get away from him.

You see two guys in the ring going at it. They're both bloody faced and knuckled. There's maybe 40 guys and even a few gals standing around watching and cheering. One of the guys in the ring lands a wild haymaker on his opponent, and the guy goes down. He taps out. He's done. The winner is cheered. You see money change hands. They were betting on the outcome. Then Mister Miyagi comes out of the crowd. He enters the ring and starts waving his hands around and chanting some strange language. And both fighters are healed of all injuries. And just like Tyler said, they get up, shake hands and hug each other. No hard feelings here.

Tyler raises your arm over your head and yells out "I got some fresh meat for Fight Club. Who's gonna take on this guy?" He is of course referring to you.

And at least a dozen hands go up. You've got your choice of opponents for your first fight. There's even two women's hands up, willing to fight you. Just looking at them, the women would probably be among the tougher opponents.



No weapons here of course. You're gonna have to drop your toolbelt.



OOC) This is happening after Fight Club.

"Be back ten minutes after dark."

I let the finger-snapping go.  I'm uncertain about what I  should do.  But when he starts haulling me, I plant my feet, and then yank my arm back.  My other hand is already balled up.

"I'm not your three year old."

If he allows it, then I will walk in, my stomach doing flip flops.

I shrug. Pop my neck, work my mouth, spit on the ground.

Lord, help and guide me.

I then unbutton my shirt, and take off my shoes, and drop the tool belt, take out keys, wallet, etc, and look about for a box or some place to put them.  Even as I do all this, I stand taller, and let my face get colder.

by the time, I'm walking out there, the room is dead quiet, except for a heckler who tells me to hurry up.
"You want to go?" I ask him.

Then I look at the crowd of volunteers.  I discount the women immediately.
"No, no, not you either.'
I look at the remaining ten.  Anyone who is too obviously superfit, although i'm lots better than i was, still, i don't want to chase someone who runs marathons....out they go.
Any teenager looking types.
Any obvous martial art types, as i'd like to learn something and not just get smacked about as a chew toy.
Anyone who doesn't look like creep tasstic gets the boot.
of those left, I do a very loud and quick eenie meeenie minie mo...just to amuse the crowd.

Coolly, he says "You're not my three year old. But you will be my opponent."

He lets you walk in, he takes off his shirt and he gets in the ring.

"All challengers step aside. New Guy is mine!!!!"

Looks like you're fighting Tyler.

And as you're turning to leave, he says "Remember rule eight New Guy. First time at Fight Club, you have to fight. You can fight me, or you can fight everyone here."

And they all make it clear that that's exactly what will happen. You are fighting Tyler or you're fighting everyone at once.

They do give you a box for your stuff. You know theft is unheard of here. Can't steal something from someone who can scriff in on it and find it.


God doesn't seem to be answering today.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:13, Mon 01 June 2015.

"Anything you say, Mr. Durden." I snark.  What a drip, I think.  And then I advance forward, based on geometric theory.  I'm trying to limit the amount of running around space he has by seeing the ring area as circle, and pushing him against the side.

I take it slow because I'm aware he could just bum rush me.  My hands are high, but I'm really hoping to wrestle him as he's probably a good bit smaller than me.

Everybody knows how he dislikes being called "Mister Durden" and so a loud "Ohhhhhh" erupts from the crowd. You're clearly taunting him. He looks pissed.

Tyler is tall and skinny, but well-muscled. He probably weighs in at about 150-160 pounds. So you've probably got 40-50 pounds on him. He looks quick and agile. Your main advantage here is that you can probably take a lot more damage and stay on your feet.

You get the distinct feeling that this fight will most likely determine your entire future with Fight Club. You're either going to become well-respected and liked, or become the biggest laughing stock in the place. Not much middle ground here.

So you get in the ring with him. He's moving around like an idiot, trying to intimidate you. You put your dukes up. He does likewise. And as if charged by electricity, you strike, hard. You land a direct shot to his sternum. He recoils back. The expression on his face tells you that he's clearly underestimated you.

Tyler swings at you. It's coming in perfect, but he loses his footing and slips. You easily dodge as he's falling flat on his face. Then you tag him in the back with an elbow as he's going down. He rolls over and snaps back to his feet. Yeah, he's definitely underestimated you. But no more. He swings and hits you in the face, then follows it with a left before you can react. Your head is ringing like The Gong Show, prompting you to throw a wild haymaker. It connects beautifully. Now Tyler's head is ringing. Your following gut shot doubles him over for a moment, and he comes back up with a wild uppercut that catches you on the chin. That's gonna leave a mark. But once again, he swings wild and loses his footing. He's flat on his face.

You're about a half-second away from stomping him on the ground and he puts his hands up and yells "Okay stop stop!!!!!" And even in your adrenaline addled state, you see his fear. Breathing heavily, you back off.

A slow clap begins in the crowd. It builds into a crescendo of whooping and hollering. Mister Miyagi comes out and starts chanting and speaking his strange language. The blood you've lost is reabsorbed into your body. The pain stops. Tyler gets on his feet. He too is healed. He shakes you hand, hugs you, and yells "We have a winner!!!!"

You've just gained massive respect points in Fight Club. Rocky Balboa ambles over. He says "Hey kid, ya got potential. What ya need is a trainer. I'm your man."

I'm standing there with a dazed grin on my face, and I find it easier than it usually is for me to be kind to Tyler.  It helps that he is a good example of this, as my occasional flickers of anger shame me.

When Rocky comes over, I think for a second, and then nod.  This is just what I need.  He'll train me to be a big bruiser, and that's what I need.

"Yes, sir." And I shake Rocky's hand.  "You're my trainer."  i tell him of my two other jobs, real quick.

OOC) Don't get too cocky there about the fight. Tyler did roll two botches after all.


Rocky says "Ah, stone cutter and a delivery boy. Thems good jobs. When ya wanting to be starting training?"

Meanwhile, there's another fight going on. Two women are in the ring. Much more vicious than you might expect.

"As long as you can fit around my schedule, as soon as you're ready, Trainer."  I look back at him, clearly waiting on his decision.

(Must be read in Rocky Balboa's voice for full effect.)

Rocky says "Ah, ya don't get me. I teach a class here. It's free for membas of Fight Club. Your stone cuttin' gig don't start till after dark. I teach this a couple hours before that. Lots of Da Versers teach classes......" (Then he seems to consider for a moment. Then his eyes light up.) "Councilman Tadeusz!! That's who you remind me of!!! He teaches a wilderness survival class along with a couple other versers. That other councilman, what's his name? Wizard-Mallet? Yeah, him and Tadeusz and a couple other guys teach the class. Ya got any really good skills ya could teach? Dat's what we's all about. Coming up with new ideas and sharing knowledge."

But the class is free for you. You'll be with lots of the other members of Fight Club. Rocky just likes teaching versers how to beat people's brains in. Gotta be ready. You'll never know what's in Da Verse.

(Doing Therapy)

I shake my head to his question.  I'm a bit dissapointed to know he's teaching a whole class, but i'll take it.

"Rocky, I'll be in your class then..."  I watch another fight, and then go home to take a long shower, and hit the bed hard.

You wanted a one on one trainer? You can get that of course, but they cost money. A good rule of thumb here, classes with multiple students are free/less expensive than one on one tutoring. One on one tutoring costs. They're generally very generous in the sharing of knowledge, but only with groups. Share it a lot.



Rocky's class starts right after the last fight, which is the one you're watching. So if you want to train today, you should stick around. And the stone cutter is expecting you after that.

Of course, you can skip it and go back to your room. I'm just reminding you.

OOC) Here's a thought I had. Indians would paint people's faces and dance and chant to cure illnesses. Most people would probably dismiss this as bunk. But what if it's not? The face paint is some kind of medicine applied, the equivalent of topical penicillin; and the rhythm of the chanting and dancing does something not unlike acupuncture. Acu-rhythm or something. The Indians might not even be aware of what exactly they're doing. They just know that it works. Then somebody comes along and figures it out. It just seemed like the kind of thing you'd be interested in.

(Doing Therapy)
This message was last edited by the player at 19:21, Thu 11 June 2015.

I'm working on footwork, and on hitting a light bag, and on my nemesis, the jump rope in Rocky's class...

Later, i hit the bed hard.

OOC) 1@2 Bare knuckle brawling. Or +1 on your existing skill.

No stone cutter?

Next day, you get up and go to work. You have a decent day at work. Nothing too bad. You have a delivery to Sin City. It's several floors of the Tower. Drugs, prostitution, gambling, all kinds of fun activities.

Whilst in Sin City, you're approached by a woman, mid 40s, blonde hair, blue eyes, wearing cut off jean shorts and a red flannel shirt, unbuttoned and tied at the bottom. In a thick country gal accent, she says:

"Hey there sugar. My name's Olivia. You looking for some company tonight?"
This message was last edited by the player at 14:33, Tue 16 June 2015.

I forget the stone cutting, but plan to apologize next day.  During my lunch break, I go over and explain that after getting punched, I totally forgot, and sorry, I'll be back on my regular time.

Later, I stare with a bland coldness at Olivia.
"No...thank you." Walk on.  Ewwww.  After that, I put on my Cold Face and imagine a barrier around myself about five feet out, a bubble to keep out others.

The stone cutter doesn't mind a bit. He just says "We got all the time in The Multiverse. I ain't in no hurry."

So you're fine there.



Olivia folds her arms across her ample bosom and says something you don't really understand, except that you're sure it's insulting. You get three feet from her and imagine your five foot bubble. The Order hammer starts to glow black, the Order staff on your back feels like a rod of ice going up and down your body. Then you hear Olivia grunt and fall backwards onto her butt. And there is a five foot energy barrier around you. It goes floor to ceiling, and is shaped like a soup can. The activation knocked Olivia down. She screams more curses at you.

And now it's just like in The Arcade. People get out of your way at a distance of five feet. It's pushing them out of the way. You get a lot of strange looks from people. But you've got your energy bubble.

OOC) 1@1 create Order shield.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:49, Thu 18 June 2015.

Regretfully, I drop my shield. I should be kinder, more empathetic to the sort of people in this place, but then they're among the sort who often gave me trouble so I have three reasons to be cold, and only one reason to be kind.

I say nothing, and make my delivery.  However, if things go sideways, that shield is going up post haste.

The delivery is to one of the many casinos. You go in and there's lights and sirens, people playing blackjack and roulette. Several games you cannot identify. You walk past the Craps table and deliver the package to the manager. He gives you a one ounce silver coin as a tip. He says "Come back and see us real soon."

Then somebody says "Yeah, so you can lose it back to him, along with everything else you've got."

Leaving, you see Olivia sitting in the hallway crying. She's not where you knocked her down, she doesn't seem to be injured. You didn't hurt her. But she's just sitting there crying when you walk past.

But the elevator/teleporter is 10 feet ahead.

(Doing Therapy)
This message was last edited by the player at 04:51, Sat 20 June 2015.

"Walk with me." I say coldly, and wait for her to get up.

If she doesn't, I say 'please', if that doesn't work, I move on.

If she does, I take her to the tport, go to the nearest Bible believing church, point to the sign out front which says "Jesus is the Answer."

"He really, truly is.  Its taken me a long time to realize just what that means, and I'm still learning.  But he can heal the madness inside your soul if you let Him do it His way."

I give her the silver coin, shove her that way, and tport back to work.

I'm not a very good Christian, but at least I can point her to some folk who'll be better able to help her.

Her eyes light up "We goin' back ta yer room?"



She's obviously angry when she sees where you took her. Like furious. She starts to open her mouth to berate you, but closes it immediately when you flash the silver coin. She takes that and turns away, shaking what she's got the whole way. You hate to see her go, but you love to watch her walk away. She's heading towards the church, but you'd bet she's probably looking for lost souls. And not to save them.



Doubtful that you succeeded, but it's not your concern. You spend the day making more deliveries. You also get tipped four times. Two gold and two silver.

And the workday ends. The stone cutter is expecting you.

"Point me to the work, sir." I say to the stonecutter.  I roll my shoulders, and flex my arms, getting them ready for some hard work.  I try to smile, but I know this is going to be hard, but then that is kind of the point.

And besides, it gets me to my goal of a chess set, something to say 'I was here' and 'thank you' to this nice community.

OOC) We're in a good place to start skipping ahead if you want to. Work on your fighting, make some money and work on your masonry. Skip ahead a few months until you've got mad skills at that. Or not. Just thought I'd mention it. Up to you.

IC) You accompany him to the quarry. He's got a floating platform that you're pulling. It's like a handcart but without the wheels. It moves effortlessly. A simple push from you sends it 10 feet. Anti-gravity or some such. Also means you gotta be careful so it doesn't get away from you. So you drag that to the stone quarry. It's a couple miles walk. You pass by lots and lots of different versers. Some are openly doing magic and psionics. Others are just milling about, doing whatever. The stonecutter is holding aloft a black iron Chaos hammer for light. You're doing this after dark.

But you get to the quarry. Here, it's all hammers and chisels. Sure, you could use laser cutters, but that would detract from the essence of it. Nothing like doing it with your own muscles. You're getting quite a workout. Cutting and lifting and carrying. When the cart is loaded, you push it back. The cart still moves effortlessly, even with a literal ton of marble on it. The stonecutter teaches you how to chip and cut and polish the stones. It's hard work and you get tired, but you notice that your Order hammer emits a black aura that keeps you energized. You feel like you could go for weeks.

1@2 Masonry
1@1 Magical Order fatigue removal.

Eventually, I get mentally tired of pushing myself, and even though my body is willing to work on, my spirit is not.  I've worked hard today, I need a rest.

I tell Mr. Cutter that I'm packing it in for the night, and I do what he tells me to do on the finish up.  Then its home, and a shower, and a short prayer, and bed.

OOC: I'm okay with staying at this speed for now.  I guess, I'm not what they call a Simulationist as a player.  I like the experience of being there more than other aspects.

Mr. Cutter says "Yeah, I'know whatcha mean. Those guys we passed? The Nightowls? A lot of them don't need to sleep no more. Magical skills and whatnot. Tried it. Didn't like it. Just wadn't the same. I like old fashioned sleep, myself."



"Good work kid."

You get back to your room with four hours to sleep before you need to get up to go to work. You wake up refreshed. Not tired at all.

On a side note, this place strikes you as extremely Orderly, in its Chaos.



OOC) Gotcha. I like skipping ahead. Getting mad practice. I was kinda surprised when you didn't skip ahead in Arcade. Go to the same game every day for a year. You'd have mad skills. Difference of opinion. Agreeing to disagree.

(Doing Therapy)
This message was last edited by the player at 09:42, Sun 28 June 2015.

When he explains the Nightowls, I grin in understanding.  Of course, that makes sense once you think about it, I tell myself.

I smile a small smile at his praise, discretely pleased.

I understand that mix of Order and Chaos.  There can be wide latitude within certain rules, and the players all have certain moves that are most advantageous which is another source of orderly behavior.  Its not the same thing, but supposedly with a few simple rules you can create those great, wheeling circles of flocks of birds.

Exercise, shower, then eat plentifully, and head off to work at the delivery job.  Make a delivery to a map store, but most of the maps on the walls are of places i've never heard of, or only heard about in legend.

Avalon. The City of Gold. Atlantis, Lemurai, Tir' Nan Og....

I find myself forcing my body out the door as I see all the beautiful maps.  I have deliveries to make, can't wait...

One of the maps in the map store is a three dimensional hologram that supposedly shows the position of many thousands of different universes relative to each other. How they figured that out is anybody's guess. Or maybe it's just supposed to be arty.

You have an exceptional day at work. You get multiple tips. You're easily making more in tips than your paycheck. At least for today. You deliver to a dojo that offers to train you with the weapons you're carrying. You deliver to a movie theater showing a lot of movie's you're actually familiar with.

The day passes quickly. Steady work, delivering to interesting places.

Whimper.  Me want map, so bad.  Undoubtedly, its expensive, but I turn up later to check on its price.

At the dojo, I mention my limited financial circumstances, and say I'd be willing to give it a try on a pay for day when I get the money, I can train basis.  That is, if I have enough time along with my other endeavors.  After babbling this, i shake my head.
"No, that's, ah, stupid.  I'm clear on Saturdays. I'd like to sign up for Saturday lessons for a month, and see how it goes."

Going to the movie and seeing Back to the Future Three and Terminator 2 is very much like going back home for a minute.  I breathe in the melted butter and popcorn scent, and smile as i wait in the lobby for the manager to get his delivery.

That night, I check out and see if there are some Ah-nold movies from other timelines that i can watch at my apartment.

The price on the arty Multiverse map is actually fairly reasonable. You could almost buy it with today's tips. Which is to say you've got the money to buy it, but you'd be almost broke.



The head of the dojo is none other than Bruce Lee. His first assistant is Jackie Chan. He tells you Saturday is fine, one ounce of gold per lesson. And believe or not, one of the styles they teach is the martial art you learned in Arcade that uses the katana and blacksmithing hammer. So you can continue that.



The movie theater is hooked into the database. Any movie in the database can be watched here. You just get to watch it on a huge screen with much better sound quality. The way the theater is designed is strange. You could be watching Terminator 2 while the guy sitting right next to you is watching Casablanca on the same screen. There's popcorn and candy of course. You can also get various alcoholic beverages and a lot of different snacks. Some you've never heard of before.



There's over 200 different versions of various Terminator movies. Checking the contributor, more than half of them were contributed solely by Magehammer. Apparently he collects them. There's a version of the first one where Lance Henriksen plays the Terminator and Ah-nold plays Kyle Reese (Which was actually the original idea.) There's a version where OJ Simpson plays the Terminator (Another one of the ideas they kicked around) There's a version of T2 where Ah-nold plays both the killer and the protector (Another idea they kicked around) There's a version of Terminator Salvation that has John Connor played by Eric Ashley. Watching it for a few, you see it's more or less the same movie, you're just in it instead of Christian Bale.

I set aside half my tip for savings.  I consider putting aside money for church, but then consider I already gave Miss Trouble a silver.  I put aside another silver sorta.

I take the rest of the money and divide it between fun and a reserve so that i'm not broke.

I then try to watch a T3 that is not the horrible mess mine was.  I think the problem was they took the highly competent kid in T2 and made him a messed up daredevil in T3.  They should have had him continue to push his skills, and not just hide.  Have him look for wars he can join...maybe he's a pirate in the South China Sea.

To Bruce Lee and his assistant, i'm very respectful, and try to restrain my fan boy geekiness by keeping my mouth shut.

OOC) Personally, I thought Claire Danes ruined T3.

You find a version of T3 where John Connor is played by Vin Diesel. The opening monologue, narrated by Vin Diesel, talks about how, after they defeated the T-1000, two more T-800 robots came back. He defeated them on his own, without the aid of any future protectors. This drew the attention of several paramilitary groups. He quickly rose in their ranks to become a leader. The events of the movie concern the T-X coming back. No future protector. It's just him and this small army he's leading.



You do manage to contain your fandom. Jackie Chan, on the other hand, cannot.

"Tadeusz, on muh home world. Ewe are a most esteemed actor. I saw all of your films." and he gives you a small bow.

I'm bouncing on my bed enthused after watching the Vin Diesel T3.  'Awesome' I say, and thank God for the privilege.  I make a note to watch it again on my next weekend.

When Jackie Chan says that, my mouth falls open.

"I, uh, same to you." Pause. "I mean really, where I come from I watched numerous movies of you, sir."  Then I awkwardly bow.  Bruce just smiles at both of us as we act like dopes.

And that's just one of them. You can pay to get a copy of that made to take with you. But you also have to buy a device to watch it on. Something like an Ipad or whatever.



Jackie Chan says "Yes, ewe were da best John Connor."

He goes on to say that, on his homeworld, Tadeusz was an action movie star on the level of Nicholas Cage. That Terminator movie with Eric Ashley as John Connor was brought in by him from his homeworld. Jackie Chan was a nobody. Just a dojo owner and martial arts instructor who versed out. His eyes bulge out when you tell him about his action movie career.

"No stuntman? Dats, dats crazy!!!"

Bruce Lee is watching all of this. He says serenely "Most honorable Tadeusz-san. I have been told by many that I am an action movie star on many worlds. Was I such on your homeworld?"

When you tell him he was, Bruce Lee bows to you and says "I would be most honored by your presence in our dojo Tadeusz-san. For you, the class is free."

So you now owe them nothing for the lessons. Come in any time they're open. What does the most honorable Tadeusz-san wish to learn from them?

Jackie Chan is bouncy and colorful in his mannerisms. He's funny to talk to. Bruce Lee is the straight man. He's very calm and collected.

OOC) Something I read about the real Jackie Chan. He got into a bar fight and when it was over, he had what he thought was a knuckle bone sticking out of his fist. He spent the next two days trying to push it back in, before realizing it was one of the other guy's teeth.

I'm going to have to watch my dop sometime, but not before I watch others first.

"You always just laughed it off, Jackie. When you fell wrong."

"Bruce, you were so fast that they had to tell you to slow down so the cameras could pick up your movements."

And that gives me a clue.

"I do not fall well, nor am I very fast. Along with my training with katana and hammer style, perhaps you could help me develop some in these areas,if it please you gentlemen?"

And he laughs here. "Glad my divergent had a sense of humor too!!!"



Bruce Lee just gives a stoic look that says "Yeah, you know that's right!!!"


Bruce Lee bows again. "Most honorable Tadeusz-san, it would be my pleasure to train you in the art of fall shock absorption. You appear to be working at this time. Come back during your off hours."

OOC) Just a little useless trivia. The suffix "San" is the equivalent of saying "Mister." So he's calling you "Mister Tadeusz."
This message was last edited by the player at 13:05, Sat 11 July 2015.

"Thank you, Bruce-san.  I shall be back Saturday."  Yes, I'd like to come sooner, but I have other obligations.  And i don't want to push myself too hard.

I go back to delivering, and boxing class, and stone cutting.  I'm enjoying the sense of getting stronger with Mr. Mason as my boss, and the sense of cameraderie in the class with Rocky as our teacher.  Trip over the jump rope, tho' and give the diabolic rope a lecture on good behavior. (its a joke.)

So you both trade bows and leave. You hear Jackie Chan mutter to Bruce "He's gonna be fun to train." Bruce grunts "Aye!!"



You get tipped on about 1 out of 3 deliveries. You're definitely making more at that than the paycheck.



There's a fight going on when you arrive. Two girls. It's all slaps, pulling hair and fingernails. It's getting a lot of laughter from the crowd. But when they're done, the whole place goes silent. Everyone is looking at the back of the room. There's a lot of murmured "He's here."

Looking back, Magehammer is walking in. He looks furious. He yells "WHERE IS HE????"

The crowd parts, and standing in the middle, also in a black trenchcoat and backpack is Slidehammer. You battled a version of him in Arcade. Slidehammer and Magehammer size each other up. It's gonna be a clash of the titans here.

Someone says "Why do they hate each other?"

"Slider was Magehammer's protege. Turned against him."

Magehammer "I'm sick of cleaning up your messes Slider."

Slidehammer laughs sarcastically "I'm right here. Come at me."

They both drop their trenchcoats and backpacks and enter the ring.

Tyler Durden looks nervous. This is King Kong and Godzilla about to go at it.



The stonecutting goes well, for the most part. You drop a 200 pound block of marble on your foot. It sounds like a bunch of sticks breaking. Your foot is flat as a pancake. And you're screaming in pain like you've never known. But Mister Mason waves his Chaos hammer over your foot and a cloud of white aura flows from your foot and into the hammer, healing the damage. Your foot is good as new.


That you are, it's quite a workout.


The fight between the hammers, Slide and Mage is going on whilst you're training with Rocky. (I said I wouldn't force you to interact with Magehammer. You're not forced to interact with him, just to know he's there.) They're both trying to kill each other. Wild punches, a lot of them. Mister Miyagi is doing his best to referee the fight, but that's not really happening.

But there is a lively banter going on:

Mage "I'm sick of cleaning up after you!!!" (Barrage of punches)

Slide "Well, I ain't never gonna stop!!!" (Barrage of punches)

Mage "Evil Chaos mage!! Wish I never made you that hammer!!!" (Spinning backhand that knocks Slide to the ground)

Slide (Snaps back to his feet, landing a solid blow in the process) "Well, you did!! Now deal with it!!!!"

But it looks like they're going to be going at it long after you leave to see the stonecutter.

OOC) Remember Slidehammer. I'm introducing him to you for a reason. Evil superverser, Magehammer's former student, insanely powerful Chaos mage.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:11, Sun 12 July 2015.

I decide to get out of the Fight Club before they start tossing antimatter at each other.

Later at the stonecutter's....
"Was that a manly roar of agony, or a girlish scream?" I ask afterward to Mr. Mason.  I'm a bit shaky after that, and go home early.

OOC) I need to introduce Slidehammer to you. You need to know who he is. Probably your next world it will be imperative that you know that. So I have to introduce the character to you. Evil superverser, Magehammer's former student, insanely powerful Chaos mage. Remember that about Slidehammer. Your next world won't make any sense if you don't know who Slidehammer is. That's why I'm introducing him to you here. That's what this is all for. To introduce Tadeusz to Slidehammer.


When you start leaving, Rocky says "Hey man, where ya goin'?" When you explain, he says "Aw, don't worry about nothin' like that. Those two guys? They in here once a month or so. Ain't nobody else got hurt yet. Stick around and learn boxin'."

Rocky seems to think it's completely safe to stick around.

Somebody else says "Yeah, this is like, The Main Event. Those two are in here every couple of weeks. There's never a clear victor. They go at it, then they leave. Next month they're back in here. It's the most heavily bet on fight of all. Mostly we bet on how long it's gonna last. One time they went for 24 days straight. Those guys really hate each other. Nobody can figure out why they haven't versed each other out yet."

So you're encouraged to stay. It's considered safe for bystanders.



Mr. Mason laughs a little. "Eh, you're fine. Wadn't the first time somebody dropped a block on his foot. Won't be the last. If'n you want to go back home, that's fine by me. Wish you'd stick around tho."

But do what you want.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:22, Wed 15 July 2015.

Okaaaay....I stick around with Rocky, and try to learn something of boxing.  If there is coke or something to buy, I'll buy.

I go home from Mr. Mason's early.  But I'm out there next day.

And when I get enough money, I get The Map.

OOC) I need you to tell me if you're okay with what I said about needing to introduce Slidehammer. Is that acceptable? And don't tell me I'm doing fine if I'm not.



In Tennessee, do they have those soda fountains that will make just about any flavor of soda you could ask for? You can tweak it to put Orange into anything? Or lime into anything? Do they have those in Tennessee?

Well, there's something like that here. Except the tweaking is much more precise. You can tweak the "Cola" option to give you Coke, Pepsi, RC Cola, Big K Cola, Jolt Cola, and everything in between. You can tweak it to make about a million subtle variations of any kind of soda under the sun. There's several that are labeled "Coca Cola." When you try them, they range between Old Coke, New Coke, Classic Coke, Cherry Coke and Caffeine Free Coke. So yes. And it's free.



Work goes well. You get tipped considerably. You deliver to a bakery shoppe. They give you a sweet roll unlike any you could get here. It's aromatic, flavorful, with just the right amount of spice.

Mister Mason is glad to see you. More stone cutting and shaping. Mage and Slidehammer are nowhere to be seen if you return to Fight Club. Someone tells you they were for several hours and left. No clear victor.




With the next day's tips, you've got sufficient fundage to buy it. They tell you though that it's not accurate, not intended to be accurate, and it certainly won't help you figure out where you are in the Multiverse. It's compiled from hundreds of versers' experiences. It projects a 3D hologram of thousands, nah millions of universes and their respective positions next to each other. Or as accurately as can be guessed by the guys who made it. It gives a brief description of each universe, as the verser recollects it. Have you ever been to a planetarium? Imagine a 3D planetarium, that projects images of universes instead of stars. But it's still useless for controlling your versing. And of course, you can add your universes to it.

(Doing Therapy)

OOC: Maybe.

They have them in some places.  I go for Coke Clasic, and Cherry Coke.

I take a moment to just breathe in the roll, and then try to restrain myself to eat it slowly, savoring each small bite as I stand outside the bakery.

I nod acceptingly when they tell me about The Map.

"Gotta start somewhere."  And after I take it home, I spend about an hour looking at it.  Then I force myself to wait for the next day, to let my subconscious work on the problem.  On the next evening, I carefully add concise, but precise descriptions and names of where I've been.  I then try to add cross-references to other worlds that seem like they might be with me.

Next day at work goes okay. A few tips.

Examining the map more closely, you see a world that's labeled "Tadeusz's place." The description says that Tadeusz was the most influential person there.

Magehammer has several of his worlds listed. A lot of them are labeled "Ruled It!!!" As if to say he was the world ruler.

There's dinosaur worlds, and high tech worlds. Magic and psionics listed as to how easy/hard they are. Paintball world and Arcade aren't listed there. You put them in a chain going from one of Magehammer's "Ruled It!!!" worlds*** to this place. This place, the world you're in, is in the exact dead center of the map. Some versers call it The Hub.

***I think it would be safe to say Magehammer was the ruler of the first world you landed on.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:03, Sun 19 July 2015.

I also see a place labelled 'Orange Plains-Umak Tek' which is listed as a prominent entry world along with a few others.  There is also the world of 'the Wall at World's End' which supposedly is an utterly ancient universe with several hundred verser's names inscribed as grafitti on a broken down wall that is the last remnant of some galactic empire.

I see 'Mythica' and 'Northgate City'; 'The Web' marked by danger symbols, and "Lucy's World"; Hunter's and Claude's Corral and Starsong System, and Ralphie's Trap, and Musica, and Tree Zombie World.

And I agree that Magehammer ruled 'Bubble City'.

OOC) I think I've finally figured out how to use supercharacters. Just like in Arcade, everyone you see is a supercharacter in some sense. You've got 2 Order and 2 Chaos weapons. You'd be right up there with them if you knew how to properly use those.

And unless I miss my guess, today is payday, and you're off work today. Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan are expecting you. They can and will train you to use every weapon you've got. Staff, swords, hammer, everything.

I'll go and train with them on falling, and on use of my weapons.

That goes well. They train you in fall absorption, with the hammer and katana style. And the staff. Bruce Lee is mildly fascinated by your staff. He feels the Order presence from it. And the shotguns mounted in it are a new thing to him.

He asks "Tadeusz-san, where did you acquire such a unique weapon?"

I explain to him what video arcades are, in short, and then I explain that I found myself inside 'Arcade World', and in one of the 'game settings' I got this.  I let him utilize it as long as he wants.

Later that night, I rewatch T3, the good version.

Bruce Lee takes a scanner, resembling a handheld bar code scanner and scans the length of the staff. Then he pulls up a schematic of it on a computer monitor.

"Most interesting design." He says "I will take this to the honorable Magehammer-san and see if he can manufacture one for myself."

Bruce Lee is most grateful for it. He gives you back your staff.

Jackie Chan is more interested in the removable gun attachments on your swords. He asks for permission to scan those designs. You get the distinct impression that Bruce Lee is the Order half and Jackie Chan is the Chaos half of their partnership.

And your training goes very well. You're learning a lot.



And like all good movies, it's even better the second time.

OOC) Saw Terminator Genisys yesterday. Better than I expected.

I consider Bruce and Jackie as Order and Chaos.  It makes a surprising amount of sense.

And I feel content, but wanting more when the movie ends, which is a good sign.  'Always leave them wanting more' and all that.  It was great fun.

The next day I visit the Map Store again, looking for interesting maps.

I thought so too......



And there's about 200 more Terminator movies.



Define "Interesting Maps."

There are road maps and topographical survey maps of different worlds versers have visited. The usual thing you would keep in your glove compartment.

There are a surprising amount of treasure maps. Versers who purportedly left treasures behind on various worlds. If you land on that world, here's a map to find what I left behind. Up to you to determine if you're even on the correct world though.

There are globes of various worlds. Some with lots of land, some with very little. Holographic maps, paper maps, stone tablet maps. Some you can't really make heads or tails of.

One of the other store customers strikes up a conversation with you. He asks if you've ever done your own scriff treasure hunt. You leave behind a quantity of gear in a certain place. Do not disown it. Just leave it and travel far, far away. Then when you verse out and it comes with you, see how many worlds it takes you to recover the gear. And it makes sure you've got a cache of gear you might need. When you finally find it again, that is. It's just a game he likes to play.

Hanging up on display on the back wall though is a ginormous topographical map. It's round with easily a 10 foot diameter. In the exact center is a circle 9 inches in diameter. The surrounding area is a varying landscape. Lakes, deserts, forests, frozen tundra. Every kind of environment you could think of. After a bit of talk with the store proprietor, you find out it's a map of this world. The 9 inch circle in the middle represents an area roughly the size of Europe and Asia. It's where almost all of the versers live. The rest of it is as far as has been explored. An end to the land mass has never been found. So, a 9 inch circle representing the size of Europe and Asia, in the center of a 10 foot round map. You do the math for how large this place is known to be. And the ends have yet to be discovered. The land mass is perfectly flat, give or take the occasional mountain or valley. No known curvature. It's just a flat land mass of indeterminable size.

And the proprietor tells you "This is just what we can physically display in this space. Floor to ceiling, the room is 10 feet. The map unfolds into something much, much larger. I'm not even sure how large the map is."

In other words, verser world be huge.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:28, Mon 27 July 2015.

Of course, a lot of them are not going to be as good.  But then, that might not matter.  I've found I enjoy reading some second rate indie authors on Kindle.

Something that catches the imagination, that makes one wonder is what I look for in the maps.  I also look for what might be useful.

I look for a map that is elegant.  Some things are just clearly better than others, and if I can alearn  from the best....

I shake my head 'no' in bemusement at the question.  "An interesting thought.  But I'm still getting my feet wet. Thanks."

Something the proprietor tells you about The Big Map: "On the Eastern side, it goes for a very long distance. Longer than any other. Some years ago a verser named Barry Allen, we called him The Flash cuz he could run like you wouldn't believe. Well, Barry Allen took off running. He carried a camera with a transmitter to send back the data of what he saw, until the transmitter went out of range. He said he wasn't gonna come back until he found the end of this place. He hasn't been back since. He hasn't versed out yet either, cuz his gear is still here. He's just out there somewhere running, trying to find the end of the world. Must not have found it yet. I wonder what he's seen. That was...... at least 3 years ago."

How far could The Flash travel in 3 years?????



There are lots and lots of arty maps. Think 17th century world sailing maps. Complete with drawings of sea monsters and evil creatures that roamed the land. Except it could very well be real.

There is one though that's a map building tool. It scans the surrounding area and extrapolates the geographical outlines from the data it collects, getting more accurate with the more data it collects. It's already programmed with an unbelievable amount of map data from other worlds, and it tries to match the terrain your viewing to information in its database. It could be invaluable to determining if you were in fact on one of the worlds with a buried treasure.



The other store customer just grins. He says "I usually leave a gun, a knife, change of clothes and some gold coins in the box I bury to find later. The basics, you understand. It actually came in handy on a few occasions. My main gear ended up in inaccessible locations and all I could retrieve was the box I buried. You should try it sometime."
This message was last edited by the player at 14:43, Sun 02 Aug 2015.

I pause. Hmmm, yes, well, if the Flash went gone, then no I don't think I"m finding the edge of this place.

I check out how much the mapbuilder costs.

I nod and smile at the other customer before going back to my shopping.

Proprietor tells you "Well now, Flash went east. The other three directions have never been explored so extensively. It's entirely possible that going west would lead you to the end."

He's just being pragmatic. For what it's worth, Flash became something of a hero for what he did. Or he will be if he ever finds the end and returns. There's still three compass points left unexplored. If you've got the wherewithal to do it, that is.



You can easily afford it. It scans the terrain level with itself and going down into a cone. Range of many miles. A downward 180 degree circle level with itself. Works better the higher up you are. On a hill or flying. And of course it's programmed with a map of what's known of Verser World.



"Feel sorry for Flash. If he verses out, his gear's gotta be light years away by now..... He's gonna have the ultimate scriff scavenger hunt."

But he leaves you in peace after that.

"Not for me." I say to the proprietor.

I'll buy the map-builder, and go home and mess about with it.  Later, I'll take it out, and find a high place, and map my 'towerhood' or neighbhourhood.  Once that's done, I'll chart a path to take in some of the nearby areas I haven't visited for the next day.

Then its off to training with Rocky.

It's pretty straightforward. It tells you where you are in the middle of a 5 mile radius of what's been scanned. Scanning constantly. Taking it to a nearby hill, you start scanning. Unfortunately though the information it gives you is relatively basic. For terrain, it can only tell you "Hill, 30 foot circumference, 28 feet tall." with an outline of its shape. Or perhaps "Lake, 100 feet at widest width, 153 feet long." and the outline. Not how deep the lake is or what might be in it. On buildings it tells you "Structure, 12 feet tall. 36 feet by 50 feet." Not what's in them or who lives there.

But you've got a pretty good idea of what's around you. Lots of hills and valleys and small structures.



So you go to Fight Club. You're training with Rocky. Then someone comes up behind and taps you on the shoulder. Turning around, you're facing Tyler Durden. He says "I want a rematch!!!" and takes a swing at you. But your instincts kick in. You see the punch coming and pull your head out of the way. He just clips the tip of your nose. It still hurts like a mother though.

Whole place goes silent. You're expected to fight him.

Rocky is just grinning. He gives you a thumbs up.

I was hoping for better than that, but really, that's pretty good.  I try to cheer myself up.

I see if there is a labelling function where I can insert information.  If there is, I'll put together some basic bits of a loose sketch of the area (with a lot of empty holes, more holes than map actually, so that I can go back later and fill things in.

I glare at Rocky, not angry at him, just angry.  Then it occurs to me that if I'd done that it was because I'd been afraid.  I smile, slow.

And then, keeping balanced on my feet, I walk into him, punching allthe way, keep moving forward....

Yeah I was too. The GE didn't like you. BTW, it's solar powered. Solar charges an internal battery. Most of the electronics you will find here are solar or hand crank or some other source that a verser can renew on any world.



Well, it does record every little ditch, divot and pothole. Anything greater than a foot in size is scanned and recorded. But you've got a decent map of the community for five mile radius.



Rocky glares back. But his is more encouraging than angry.



So you advance on Tyler and pop him a good one in the sternum. He howls in excitement. The thrill of the fight and swings back, landing a solid blow to your head. You swing and miss, going off balance. While you're trying to regain your composure, Tyler tags you with a solid uppercut that sends you flailing back into the crowd of spectators. A pair of strong hands catches you by the shoulders from behind. A man's voice says into your ear "Kick his @$$ Eric. You got this." And literally shoves you back into the fight. Glancing back, it was Magehammer who caught and shoved you.

Using the momentum of the shove, you tag Tyler in the ribs hard enough that you think you hear one break. The impact spins him around. As he's coming around though, he lands a powerful spinning backhand punch to your head. Your bell has been rung. You can't really hear the cheering crowd anymore. And your rage mounts up. The world around you goes black. All you can see is Tyler. And you attack. And then Tyler fades to black.

The next thing you realize, you're on your knees on top of a bloody mess that was once Tyler Durden's face. Your hands feel like the knuckles are broken to splinters. A half-dozen spectators are trying to pull you off of him. There's a lot of "Stop it man!!!" and "He's had enough!!"

Rocky looks dumbfounded. He says "I didn't know ya had it in ya kid."

And Mister Miyagi comes out and starts chanting his strange language to heal both of you. He takes a lot more time on Tyler. But you're soon back to full health. Tyler takes one look at you and runs away like a frightened child. You think you hear him murmur "Don't let him hurt me mommy!!!" as he's running away.

Miserable, I go home, and wash off.  I go out and find a Coke and some food, at a place with a quiet corner, and even that's not far enough away.  I leave with food and drink, and go find a park on my map where I can sit in quiet, and weep silently.

I knew I had a darkness in me, I knew it, but I didn't want to break someone, particularly someone who didn't really deserve it.  Ah me.  I pray little fragments, and drink my coke, and eventually just sit there quiet and sad until dawn comes.

So you wander off into the night. The area you're mostly staying in is a scrub desert. The verser's shoppes make a sort of flea market surrounding the tower. But when you get out of that, you do find a nice grassy park. It's a straight line on the ground. Like it was drawn with a ruler. This side is desert, this side is grassy. There's a kid's playground surrounded by benches. You sit on the bench and start staring at the swing set.

A few hours go by. You sit crying. Then you hear somebody stumbling towards you. It's Olivia, the blonde country girl prostitute that tried to pick you up a few days ago. Her face is bruised and bloody. Somebody did a number on her. She looks like she's trying to escape from something. At first, when she sees you, she kind of jumps back afraid. But then she recognizes you. In her thick, country gal accent, she says "Ah, it's you. You tried to steer me right. I shoulda listened to you."

And she just sits down next to you on the bench and cries with you.

As dawn comes, I force myself to speak.

"We're all sinners, all of us, just complete mess ups.  Me, I almost beat a man to death.  Granted he was a bit of a jerk, but he didn't deserve that. In the end tho' I gotta trust in God to straighten me out.  Make me sane, healthy."

I nod.

"Take care, kiddo."  And I walk out into the dessert, looking for wildlands because I'm not much fit for human company right now

There is no "Dawn". One minute it's dark, the next minute it's bright as noon. There's no sun, and the origin of the light is another mystery of Verser World. No one knows where it comes from.



Calling her kiddo, physically she's about the same age you are. Mid 40s. Just thought I'd say that.




"I know a couple a jerks what deserve ta git beat ta death. Especially the freak what done this ta me. You a magician? Can you heal muh face?"

You've got your magic hammer, and you learned magic healing in Arcade.

But then she says "I'd like ta hear more 'bout this God you keep a-mentionin'. Ya really think God could forgive the likes a me?"

OOC) Would it make you feel better or worse if it was Tyler Durden that beat her up after what you did to him?

I know. Sometimes, I'll call people even older than myself, kiddo.

The jump to brightness surprises me, although it shouldn't.  Then again, usually I'm in bed at tthis time, trying to eke out a few last minutes of half-aware sorta sleep before time to get up.

"I hear  ya'."  I nod.  "I should have thought of that already."  And I carefully use my hammer, hoping not to mess up.

"Oh yeah!"  Its soft but emphatic. " He came to forgive sinners, to take what was wrong, and make it pure and right.  He's the Saviour, the Redeemer, the Rescuer, the Great Physician.  I'm a cold-blooded ass, lazy, homicidal side....He's here to free me.  He's here to free you."

One of the best feelings in the world that is.



A black aura flow from your hammer into her and you heal her without any problems. She really is very beautiful once that's cleared up.



She looks rather confused. "But which god is it? Thars them gods a Order-n-Chaos what that feller Magehammer follows. Then thars Allah what them Moos-lum fellers follow. Then thars Zeus and Thor and Malphater. Which is the right god to follow? Which god do you follow?"

She seems confused, but eager.

OOC) Tadeusz seems lost, and sometimes the best way to find your own path is to help someone even more lost find theirs.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:53, Tue 18 Aug 2015.

"Let's try a little logic to see if we can break this problem down to size?  Eh?  There are a lot of gods and goddesses, but the vast majority of them do not claim to be the One, the Creator."

"Do Order and Chaos claim ultimate power?  What about Thor?  Is Jove the first, or is it his father, the Titan?  or do we go back further?"

She still looks confused. "But what you talkin' bout creatatin'? Mister Magehammer says them gods ah Order-n-Chaos created the world ah Order-n-Chaos."

And if you check your verser map, you will see it.

Continuing "And thars them what say this feller name ah Yahweh created a thousand-er so universes. Then them Moos-lum fellers. They say that this feller name ah Allah created a hunn-ert universes, and half of em are universes what Yahweh supposedly created."

And she think about it some more.

"And now what I think about it sum-more, Thor created a universe. Thor's Place it was called. Councilman Tadeusz...... Ah heck yeah!!!! That's who you remind me of!!!! Yeah, that feller said Thor created Thor's Place. It's the ultimate Viking vacation home. All the mutton and mead what a Viking can handle."

And if you check your verser map, you will see it.

And Olivia says "So which ah them fellers is the creator you ah talkin' bout?"

(Doing Therapy)

I sigh.

"My arguement works better in the world I am from.  In that world, Thor was just a lesser god.  There were supposedly about 7500 gods, but the vast majority did not claim to have created the universe.  In fact, after trimming things down, you could possibly get down to just a couple.  But the Multiverse makes things more complicated."

I consider, and begin telling her about Jesus, and then a light goes on, and I point out one difference between Jesus and all the other gods from my universe anyways.  All the others want you to prove yourself worthy of Heaven.  Jesus gives it to the unworthy.

"Its said that its natural for humans to want to work to get to Heaven, but that perhaps a human would not have come up with the idea of a free gift to rebels willing to lay down their arms."

I pause.

"My God is a god of mercy.  Thor wants men eager to fight to the death.  My God wants someone willing to say 'I can't do this. Help me.'"

She pauses to consider, then says "Well, no matter what, yer god sounds like he'd be a good-un ta follow...... Hey, you hungry? How bout you be a gent and buy us both some breakfast? Then you can tell me bout you almost beatin' a feller ta death. Ain't no big deal ta beat a verser ta death ya know. Unless you the verser what got beat ta death I s'pose."

You might have gotten the door open. It's hard to tell with her.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:50, Sun 23 Aug 2015.

I had planned for the wilderness, but maybe this is....heh, maybe this is what God wants me to do?

"Sure.  I like bacon, eggs, and fried potatoes.  Know a good place nearby?"

Her eyes light up "Now you speakin' muh language!!! An grits an a big stack ah flapjacks. Yeah, I knows a place. Just don't ask em whar the bacon and eggs comes from. It tastes fine ta me."

She leads you back to the main flea market. That's about the only way to describe the array of shoppes. She's in cut off Daisy Duke shorts and a red flannel shirt tied at the bottom. She takes you into a small diner. It's built to look like a barn. The owner raises his eyebrows at Olivia and says "You gonna give me a special for The Special?"

She just rolls her eyes at him and says "I ain't doing that no more. Now you hush up fore I have muh buddy here stomp on you!!"

So the guy shuts up. She gets just what she says. Bacon, eggs, fried potatoes, grits, flapjacks and coffee. It's fairly decent food.

When you sit down she says to you confidentially "Ya know, I think yous the first guy what ever turned me down. I so wanna git out ah this prostitutin' life, but I ain't really gots no other skills."

The whole meal sets you back two ounces of metal.

OOC) I conceived Olivia when I was running Glantri. She's devolved since then. She went from being a minor supercharacter to just an ignorant hillbilly prostitute. In different incarnations, she's been Samantha's mother, Magehammer's lover, and a thorn in the side of a few players. I really like playing her.

"Meet me here for lunch tommorrow.  I'll check around, and see if I can figure something out."

After paying, I get up and leave without going with her.

The way I figure it, she needs Christ.  She also needs to be away from men, and she needs to be doing something not that hard, but physical.  Ideally, something with possibilities, but how easy is that to find?  And she needs people who are of her level.

I've been to a church or two where I was clearly not in tune, partially because I was poorer than the rest.

So, I tell my boss I need a day off, and then I wander around the various churches, talking to pastors.

"Thanks maan. Yous a good fella."



She's a bit confused. She wants to stay with you. But she understands. You make her feel safe.



OOC) Join the club. I've been kicked out of three different churches. Mostly because of psychotic behavior. So much for WWJD, Love thy neighbor, forgive and forget and everything else the bible teaches.



Your boss gives you a bit of static over it. Nothing unexpected. But he gives you the day off.

But you head to The Religion Zone. It's an entire floor of The Tower.

The various gods are listed alphabetically.

Allah
Balthazar
Cokus
Dmitri
Edwin
etc.

Towards the end you have:

Xavier
Yahweh
Zeus.

I would assume you want Yahweh. Going in there, there are about a dozen pastors. They've got hundreds of different "Bibles". Some of them are the one with which you are familiar. There are others that are completely different, but still have the same feel. The same basic premise. Some of the bibles talk of Jesus Christ. Others talk of Jessie Christo. Others talk of Jessica Cross. Yeah, on some worlds, Yahweh sent a daughter. But their basic messages are similar enough.

Believe it or not, there is very little arguing about it between the pastors. Through study of all of the texts, they've all come to the conclusion that Yahweh is not just beyond their comprehension, but beyond their ability to comprehend. They just study as many of the texts as they can and draw what conclusions they feel they are led to draw. They've all pretty much given up on their original beliefs from when they left home. Now seeing a much larger picture.

Yahweh seems to be a more prominent god in The Multiverse.

But a rather large priest approaches you. He asks what you need help with.

OOC) This has me racking my brain. Imagine how many versions of the Bible would exist in The Multiverse!!!!

Running through the alphabet is depressing, but meeting with the pastors quickly restores my spirits.

I ask one of them if perhaps when Jesus incarnated, and thus as I understand permanently limited himself to one location, it might have only applied to the one dimension.  Its the sort of thing, God could, and perhaps would do. There are a lot of things He doesn't give you the details on.

OOC: New thought for me.  Interesting.

I turn to the large man.

"Pastor. This is a delicate situation. If we could talk in private."  After he takes me to his book-lined office (all pastors have hundreds of books with titles like Walking with God and Practical Hermeneutics of the Greek Language :)  ) I speak.

"I know a lady, distantly.  She's a lady of the night, and she wants better things from life.  Now I've tried a little bit to witness to her, but I can't answer all her questions.  Although I don't think she's that deep theologically.  Worse, I can't help with her problems that led her to this life, especially because I'm a man.  So I need a warm, attractive, but not too much so, older woman with spiritual wisdom to guide her to Jesus."

To be clear, that list is far from being all-inclusive. There were lots and lots of gods for each letter. I just gave you the simple version.



"So you are from a universe where the Offspring Savior was a male named Jesus Christ? That is one of the more commonly used monikers. Through our study of the different texts, we believe that the various Offspring Saviors were essentially the same entity. Even the females. Just placed into different clay vessels to better serve Yahweh's intended purpose in that world. We've also concluded that one should be very careful when using the words 'God' and 'limited' in the same sentence. The concepts of infinity and immortality are most difficult for even the minds of versers to grasp."



His is lined with nothing but bibles. All of the other various books written about the bible have become small and meaningless in this context. It would be comparative to using a book on human anatomy for every single living being that exists.




He holds up a hand and says politely but firmly "We prefer to use the term Offspring Savior. That is one of the few constants of the various texts. The being is Yahweh's offspring, sent to be the savior of mankind. I came from a universe where the Offspring Savior was female. If you had insisted that the Offspring Savior was a male named Jesus Christ, I would have accused you of blasphemy. It took a great deal of study, soul searching and prayer to realize how limited that ideology actually was."

"But as far as your lady friend, bring her in here at your earliest opportunity. We will be happy to work with her."



OOC) I'd love to run this past that close-minded moron Nikolaj.

An interesting point about God and immortality and infinity, but for now I'll stay with CS Lewis in that part of the Sacrifice was for Jesus to give up His previous omnipresence permanently.

"I'll stick with Jesus as a title for now, Pastor.  I understand what you're saying, but even as you said, it took you a while."

I look at the rows of Bibles with a low whistle.  "My father in law would love this. A very bright man, and he got every translation he could get his hands on."

It occurs to me that this pastor is very much in the Protestant or the Baptist way of thinking of sola scriptura, and is not in the Catholic way of giving great (and in my view, absurdly too much) credit to wise Christians of the past.

OOC: Niko can be a closed-minded saint, but he loves God.

The pastor would tell you "Define 'permanently'. From the perspective of our clay vessels, 'permanently' could simply mean for the entire existence of that particular universe. And, however many eons that might be, it is but a moment in time compared to the infinite existence of the Offspring Savior."



"I understand completely. One single religious text can be mind-bending to comprehend. Try to imagine reading and trying to comprehend all of them. I've spent centuries studying these with this others. Doing comparative analysis. I never realized how close-minded I really was until I came here. My eyes have been opened."




"They all have a similar feel, although there are very few discernible constants among them. One constant is the fall and punishment of man. Sometimes depicted as a worldwide flood with very few survivors. Sometimes an earthquake of epic proportions swallows up the vast majority, leaving only a handful who escape. Sometimes it is even the extinction of certain plants of extreme medicinal value. It is prophesied that the plants will be restored when humanity returns to grace."

Yeah, the extinction of hemp is a Noah's Ark level cataclysm.

OOC) I've heard that the bible has actually been translated into Klingon.



OOC) Just imagine how much I have to open my mind to run this.

"Good point."  I nod in response to his first comment.  It seems to make sense.

"Hah. Yes, mind-bending is a good word."  I give him a rueful smile.  I've had God do a bit of mind-bending on me.  We always want to be rescued according to our specs, not to His.

"In my history, the Fall and exile from Eden were separated by over two thousand years from the Worldwide Flood."

OOC: I hear ya'.  I ran a game for Misty set before the Flood.  It had Orchardists who were the good guys.  Agriculteralists who were bad.  Murder Cultists who were very bad.  Lot of fun.

At this, he looks somewhat puzzled. Then he ponders. "Eden. Eden. Ah yes, The Perfect Beginning. Believe it or not, Yahweh does not always begin His created species in a perfect world. Often times, the world is created imperfect, and it is up to mankind to try to make it perfect. But then man falls so far from grace that Yahweh must act. In a Multiverse of infinite possibility, I have yet to see a version of this text that did not have man falling so far that Yahweh had to smite the vast majority of them somehow. The Fall."

This seems to bring him down some.

And then he says "I've enjoyed our discussion, but I really must return to the work. We lead a spiritual service on Sundays. Bring your lady friend in then. We will be happy to work with her. But the Lord's work is never done, and we must return to it."



OOC) Misty is one I wish you wouldn't run. I was running her for a time. I didn't know the site rules, and I got a little (Okay, a lot) carried away. I've apologized profusely, even sent her an Rmail recently. She's still holding a grudge over it. I just made a mistake ya know? I'm sure she's forgiven somebody somewhere for worse wrongs than I've done. So why won't she forgive me?

I'll go back to work the next day.  I'll take the message to the woman at lunch, and try to make sure she makes it to church.  Meanwhile, I'll hang back because I don't really want to get involved.

OOC: Some people do hold grudges, and you don't always have a stop button.  I, OTOH, am insensitive and cold enough to hit your stop button with a sledgehammer if I need too.  Most people are not like me. They're a lot nicer.

You're probably not going to win her back, or if  you do, it will be a surprise years from now.  Just go on, and try again with others.

So you leave the church of Yahweh. As you're walking down the hallway, you see various characters in all manner of religious garb, wearing a myriad of symbols and relics.

When you pass by the church of Order and Chaos, a gentleman is leaving. He's in a black outfit not unlike a Catholic priest, except instead of a crucifix, he's wearing a black iron necklace with a miniature blacksmithing hammer hanging from it.

Seeing your assortment of Order/Chaos weapons, his eyes glaze over black and he looks you up and down, examining the weapons more closely. Then he says "Those weapons were made by a master mage. Are you a student of Order/Chaos?"
This message was last edited by the player at 05:12, Mon 31 Aug 2015.

"Not exactly. I believe Chaos and Order are balanced forces that exist inside Creation, but while mighty, they are not the Creator.  I do not worship them."

The priest's eyes return to normal and he says "The gods of Order and Chaos do not request or require worship. But of course there are those like myself who choose to worship them willingly."

Basically it just gives him a warm fuzzy to actually worship the gods from whom he draws his power.

Then he says "There are three classes of practitioners of Order/Chaos magic. Priests, mages and those like yourself. Users of Order/Chaos weapons. My Order sight confirmed that you were neither a mage nor a priest."

In a nutshell, it's like the difference between a Jedi Master, a Jedi Knight and a guy who stole a lightsaber. You are the guy who stole a lightsaber.

"Are you interested in learning to tap into the full power of your weapons? My Order sight confirmed you've just barely scratched the surface of what they can do."

He's offering to teach you to use the magic. Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee are just teaching you to fight with the weapons. Their style would work with any blacksmithing hammer and Katana.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:49, Mon 31 Aug 2015.

"No, thank you." I shake my head, give him a short bow, and walk on.

He returns your bow and says politely "Well, if you ever change your mind, you know where to find me."

What are you doing now?

OOC) That's quite surprising. I figured you'd be jumping at that. Care to explain why you don't want to learn it? Seriously, I'm confused.

Two Posts

Seriously, if it's because you don't want to deal with Magehammer, that's fine. I promised you I wouldn't force you to interact with him, just to know that sometimes he was present. He's hardly the only Order/Chaos mage here. I figured you'd be jumping at the chance to learn to use those weapons.

But anyway, in my game, the Priests worship the gods of Order and Chaos but cannot make weapons. They can use them but can't make them. However they can actually commune with the gods of Order and Chaos and ask their advice or favor.

The Mages do not worship the gods of Order and Chaos. They can make weapons but cannot (normally) commune with the gods of Order and Chaos.

Neither of them need to have a weapon to perform magic.

You are a weapon user. You are the lowest of the three. You can neither make weapons nor commune with the gods of Order and Chaos. And you need to have a weapon in hand to perform magic.

Just thought I'd share my take on it.

I don't really feel like learning magic, especially from a priest.  If I was going to, well, I'd go in for a different magic.  Besides, what I remember of Order and Chaos was how difficult it was, and how strenous.

I head back to work the next day, thanking the boss for the day off.

OOC: Blackstaffs, Ordermasters, White Wizards, Gray Wizards, and Engineers.  1,2,and 5 are Orderly.  Oh, yeah, there are also Healer blacks.  And there are Druids.  No real priests although ordermasters who are also mages come closest.  There's also Natural Order Mages who I think create there own Order according to their own pattern.

Blackstaffs can be quite skilled combatants with a staff.  Ordermasters might turn invisible and turn back huge spouts of Chaos. Engineers can create Black iron for, among other things, steam engine powered warships.

Confused, yet?  I am.

Yeah, that's why we're not playing by the rules that you know. Tadeusz needs to forget almost everything he knows about Order/Chaos magic. About the only information you have that's accurate is most of what the magic itself does. (Order freezes, Chaos causes heat, etc.) I never read those books. This is my version of it. Based off of what I know about it. It's not difficult or strenuous. Or at least not as much. An Order tool user can lie, cheat and steal without any of the repercussions that Magehammer dealt with. An Order mage is more powerful and more restricted. But you're not a mage, you're just a bum with a hammer. Less committed, less powerful, and less restricted. No matter how hard you try, you will never be able to make black iron. Only a mage can do that. You're stuck with just the weapons you've got. That's the difference between being a lone magic user and being able to raise an Order army. And personally, I think that's enough of a power drop to lift most of the restrictions that you know.

In other words, if it is your desire to become a bad@$$ user of Order/Chaos magic, don't let what you know stand in the way. As of right now, it means completely squat. You in my world bee-aitch!!!!!

And Tadeusz dreams this whilst he's sleeping.



Your boss gets kind of gruff about it. He says "You're lucky you're the divergent of a councilman." But the day goes more or less smoothly. You make quite a few tips.

Then lunchtime comes and you go to that restaurant to meet Olivia. She's waiting for you. She greets you with a huge country girl smile and a hug.

"Hey thar stranger. So wha'd you want me ta meet ya here fer?"

Fair enough.

I just stare at him, not angry, but really, this is stupid, I'm thinking to myself.  After a bit, I just walk off, and go back to work. (attitudes like this may impede my rise to managerial level....probably here and on Earth before.)

I remember this lady telling me I needed to work more as work was important, and I did not need to focus so much on my marriage in its first year.....said the lady on her third divorce.  I didn't say anything, but I was not impressed with her logic.

Shaking my head, I continue working, and soon forget about it in the rush of work.  Its fun hustling here and there, or mostly so.  And now that I don't take things so seriously, I'm having more fun with it.

At lunch, I explain the situation, and I tell her that i think they can help her, and that i'll drop her off there.  And best of luck with her life.  Yes, I'm that cold.  I do wish her well, but I'm not interested in friendship with her.

So you take Olivia to the church of Yahweh. The pastor was expecting you. He says "The Lord sent me a vision of your coming today, and I prepared for it. Annette, come out and say hello to our guest."

And a robust matronly woman of perhaps 60 comes out. She's got dark, greying hair. She says "Hello Olivia. Nice to meet you."

And then you leave.

OOC) That was my mom you dropped her off with.

IC) As you're leaving, you again pass by the church of Order and Chaos. The priest again comes out as you pass. He stops you and says "I asked the gods of Order and Chaos to help you clear up any questions you might have had about your weapons. Did you receive such guidance?"

OOC) I said Tadeusz dreamt what I told you before.

IC) This time, the priest looks mildly concerned. He says "Have you seen Slidehammer around?"

You were at Fight Club when he fought Magehammer.

The priest continues. "Slidehammer is above and beyond the single most powerful Chaos mage I have ever seen. And he's most unstable. I and others fear for the safety of Verser world, and for the Multiverse as a whole. We were hoping to recruit other users of Order/Chaos magic to help us, if it should come to something serious. You've got two Order and two Chaos weapons, crafted by a master. With proper training, you could be a formidable ally to our cause."

He seems really concerned and hoping you will join him.

I nod, a bit weirded out, but remember my manners, and thank him.

Then I head on out, and spend a few hours walking among the shoppes.  Lonely yes, but I tell myself I want it that way.

He looks a little disappointed, but he lets you go.



You're on your lunch break. They're expecting you to go back to work. Just saying is all.

But sometimes there are more important things than having a job. So you go through the shoppes. You find an area that is straight off of the Sci Fi channel. There's Klingons peddling blades and Federation officers selling phasers, tricorders and med kits. You pass by what could be best described as Jedi land. Jedi selling lightsabers and stormtroopers selling laser guns. Space Marines straight out of Aliens selling pulse rifles and flamethrowers, and Terminator future soldiers selling plasma rifles and plasma grenades.

And they're all getting along peaceably. There's enough firepower here to level Nashville, and everyone is getting along like old friends. United as versers.

OOC) You should know by now my brain immediately goes to weaponry as the default setting when trying to think of where to put you, so if there's anything else specific in Sci Fi land you're interested in, just say so. Almost certainly you will find it or something similar.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:15, Thu 03 Sept 2015.

Sorry. I started to head to my walk, when I saw someone hurrying by eating a sandwhich on the run.  Drat. Work calls.  I spin about, and scoot over to work.  Once there, I splash water on my face to cool off, and come into the main area looking for a delivery, hoping there is not a line of messengers also waiting, in front of me.

Not a long line. You have a delivery to the medical wing. Doctor Josef Mengele ordered experimental supplies.

Then you get a delivery to the upper floor of the Tower. They ordered some self-sealing stem bolts. The Tower is still under construction. Nobody is entirely certain how tall the building really is. But from the top, you can see for miles. There is another tower at each of the four compass points to this one, and a similar flea market type encampment surrounding each.

You get a few tips. Enough to make the day worthwhile.

Then it's quitting time.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:57, Fri 11 Sept 2015.

I'm a bit freaked out when I see my delivery tag to the medical wing, but I have my face under control by my delivery.  For all I know there is a world where they have a Museum chronicling the Greatest Monster in History...Eric Ashley.

I work more with my map device, seeing if I can use it to map some of the upper areas of the tower.

OOC: Now ye've tempted me again to send you to 'Somewhither' as the next world.  Its an uber-dungeon (really, the writer writes it like that) of a world with one city and one Tower....20,000 miles tall or so.  And most everyone in the Tower is Evil, at least part time, and some full time.

OOC) I've actually thought about sending you to a world like that. Kind of a dark twist on The Prince and the Pauper. Josef Mengele was just the first famous doctor that came to mind.



It doesn't work like that. You can't map the inside of the building, what you can do though is stand at the window and map the ground outside for about 100 miles, which is the maximum range of the scanner. The other towers are about 50 miles away, and there's another tower inline behind the one you can see. It's like the points on a grid. The flea market area covers the entire 50 mile distance between the two. The ground consists of rolling hills and valleys and the occasional lake. It's mostly a scrub desert in your immediate area, but it changes into a more forest-like environment on the north side and to the south is a perpetual winter wonderland. Not frozen tundra, just winter all the time. There's plenty of versers that reside there.

If you go west, there's a massive body of water that you cannot scan the end of. It appears to be an ocean. Your map device resisters numerous boats on the water. If you pay close attention to the scanner, occasionally, something like a sea serpent head will pop up out of the water. Or maybe it's a submarine periscope.

Can I map the other tower, one of them at fifty miles away, from my tower?  That sounds like it would work...??  And yes, it would be just the outside in any case.

Yeah, you can map it. The scanner says "Structure, ungodly tall, ungodly wide."

OOC) I REALLY hope you don't want more precise measurements than that!!!!!

OOC: Heh. And my sympathies.

I take in the prescisely measured data on the device, and my eyes grow wide as I start doing back of the envelope calculations on how much volume there must be in that thing....

Yeah, I need to start mapping something less challenging.

I find one of the bubbles near my Tower, and tell my boss before I leave for work that 'hey, I'm off to such and such bubble, and I want to experiment with, well, magic.  So send someone to get me if I don't show up in a couple days, ok?"

With that minimal precaution in place, I also drop by the pastor I talked to and tell him that.  With him, I'm  less evasive..."I'm going to try to do some of the things Moses did."

And I buy some food and drink, eat a light snack, and holding my staff in hand, head into the bubble....

OOC) When the World Trade Centers came down, 110 story buildings were reduced to 5 story piles of rubble. Think about how much of that 110 story building was just empty space.




He tells you "Alice checks those every so often. C ya in a few years."

Whether he's serious is anyone's guess.



I assume you mean the pastor of Yahweh. He gives you some kind of blessing. You recognize the spirit of the blessing, if not the actual blessing.

You run into Olivia. She's actually dressed in something like a nun's habit. She tells you "Thanks fer yer help thar stranger. These fellas is awful good ta me. An I don't even haff ta take muh clothes off!!!" and she tries to kiss you on the cheek.

And when you're leaving, you again run into the Priest of Order and Chaos. He bids you a pleasant hello, and asks if you would like him to accompany you, as a teacher.



The closest bubble to the Tower is about 50 yards away from Magehammer's shoppe. Stepping through is like walking through jelly. But you're dry when you arrive.

The first thing you see is that it is the run-down, abandoned world where you first met Magehammer and Samantha. You see the frozen Bubble City off in the distance. The frozen people inside are gone. Just gone. Apparently, after you left, Magehammer and Samantha figured out how to unfreeze them. Where they are now is anyone's guess.***

And you know the Cessna airplane you were trying to rebuild is but a scant few miles away.

Except now you are truly alone here.


***OOC) Originally, I was going to have all of the people still frozen in time. But then I remembered the stipulation for being linked to Verser World was that all sentient life on the world had to be gone. So that's why it didn't link to Verser World when you were here before, and why it does now. People frozen in time are still sentient lifeforms. Magehammer and Samantha somehow freed them after you versed out.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:45, Mon 14 Sept 2015.

Two Posts

Do you have NetFlix? I'm watching a mockumentary called CSA: Confederate States of America. It's a What If the south had won the Civil War? It's presented as a documentary program about the history of the Confederate States of America. Might make an interested game world.

I let Olivia kiss me, happy that things seem to be working out for this broken soul.  After all, I reflect, He came to save sinners, not the sort who thought they did not fail.

"Perhaps another time, Ordermaster." I say.  "I have other ideas I wish to work on."

Arriving in the Bubble world, I set up a base camp.

And then I get out Pslams and a bit of Proverbs, pray for wisdom, and begin reading.  I pause frequently to try to think about what I'm reading.  After  a bit, I remember to pray for help with the text.

I talk to God about the various ways I've messed up.  Particularly the Shadow side of myself which manifested in my beating the snot out of so and so.  And I tell God that in a lot of ways, I still liked that.  I know, its not neccessarily good, but there's not point in lying to God, and I've found him a most kind listener.  I listen and hopefully learn something, and find the inner madness a bit more defused.

After cleansing my soul, I turn to the part in the Bible about Moses hitting a rock with a stick, and bringing forth water.

The text seems to make a bit more sense to you than it usually does. Perhaps God is helping you, or perhaps just rereading something familiar.



And as you do that, you feel a wave pass through you. It only lasts a moment, but you feel God speaking to your soul. "My child, all have sinned and fallen short. You are no exception. You have many great adventures ahead. Many opportunities to spread the word will present themselves. Go in peace. You are forgiven."

The message would have taken far longer to speak than the momentary brush, but it all comes to your soul loud and clear.

OOC) God actually speaks to me like this. Unless you felt it, it's indescribable.



And???

Are you wearing a watch or carrying any kind of timepiece? If not, we'll just say there's a clock in your ground scanner. Exactly 24 hours to the second after you entered this bubble world, you will see a young blonde girl of perhaps 14. She's wearing a blue dress with white trim and white stockings. Somehow you just know her name is Alice. No matter where you go, no matter what you do, she will appear not more than 20 feet away from you. She will then approach you and politely ask if any versers have arrived since you've been here. When you tell her no, she will thank you, curtsy and leave back through the bubble. She will appear like clockwork every 24 hours to the second after you entered.

In reply to JohnA1nut (msg # 141):

I'm startled, but after a bit of shock, I offer thanks, and then break out into song.  My voice is, well, not good, but I enjoy singing.  And so I belt through as much as I can remember of 'God Is So Good', and "Worship His Majesty" which really tries the vocal cords, and 'How Great Thou Art" and a Christmas carol.

I like carols.

Its different than i expected.  I've had God change me inside, releasing toxins and cleaning me out.  I've certainly never heard such a clear voice.  I may have heard him before, but not that clear.  But I remind myself to be grateful, and as my brother with the multiple Bible doctorates agreed with me, to be flexible in prayer.  One should go to God with your problems, but not with the 'this is the must do solution'.  In my limited, very limited, experience, God is often not going to fix things the way you want them fixed, if He does fix them.

I take up a staff by taking a good thick branch, and trimming it with a knife until its a decent walking stick.  I test it a few times, and then look up to Heaven.

"All right, God, let's do this."  And I take my pre-opened Bible, with the pages fluttering annoyingly in the wind, and read aloud the passage.

Then mindful of Moses getting in deep trouble because he stole God's credit....

"To the Glory of God!" I meanwhile raise my staff over my head, and bring it down hard on a large rock.

It sounds perfect if you're the only one who can hear it.



OOC) A guy gets invited to a Christmas party, and the entry fee is he has to have something that represents Christmas. So he pulls out a pair of lacy panties. The doorman asks him how those represent Christmas, and he replies "They're Carol's!!!"



OOC) God really does talk to me like that sometimes. I'll ask a question, then get a flash go through my body that explains everything without saying a word. I hope you get to experience something like that one day.



And you break off a piece of the rock. And water gushes forth. With about the same pressure of a garden hose. When you drink the water, it is beyond pure. It is perfect temperature, not too warm, not too cold. And it is so pure and refreshing. Beyond anything you've ever had before.

When you've had your fill, filled up any containers you might have, etc. The water stops. Looking at the rock, there's no hole for the water to come out. And somehow you just know that you can call forth water from this specific rock for as long as you are in this world.

I'm struck by the experience, and just spend the rest of the day wandering around, sightseeing, before making it back in plenty of time to my camp for a hopefully good meal.

that night, my prayers before food are bit more enthused, and before bedtime, i sing from what I remember of ...

'My God, How Great Thou Art"
When I sit in humble adoration,
And there proclaim, My God How Great Thou Art,
My God How Great Thou Art
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee,
How great thou Aaaaaaart! How Greaaaaaaaat thou AAAAAAAAAART.

You're supposed to stretch those last sylables a bit, and reach for a higher note.  Its a very pretty, but quiet song.  Good for bedtime, I suppose.

So you wander around in the abandoned city. There's all kinds of stalled cars and crumbling buildings. As far as food, there's ample canned goods without labels to choose from. You might end up eating Alpo with a side of Sloppy Joe sauce. But there is edible canned food to be had.

That was something you know Samantha taught herself to do. She's able to shake a can and tell what's in it with about 75% accuracy.



Excellent hymn. A favorite of mine. It bonuses your morale considerably.

And after raiding a sporting goods store for a sleeping bag, you sack out under the stars. It strikes you that there are no stars in the main verser world. The sky is completely black.

But the next morning you wake up refreshed. Alice appears as you're eating canned pineapple and Spaghetti-Os for breakfast and asks if any other versers have come in.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:12, Sat 26 Sept 2015.

Wincing as I eat the crunchy, brown, ultra spicy something, and the red sauce with blobs in it, I eat slowly, listening to my stomach.  Evidently whatever it is is edible, but I'm not at all sure I want to know what it was, or so I say.

When I finish, I put the can lids inside the cans, and then crush the can tops in my hands, trapping the sharp lid inside.  Habit.  It may have been my mother in law who taught me that.

Still cheerful, I get the bag, and go to sleep under the stars.

"No, Alice." I say after I check.  "Should I be checking through the day?"

I get up, eat, and wash, and then go read and pray up on a hill away from the camp.  At first I have to force myself to, but it gets easier as I go.

Then I take up my staff, and wincing, because 'staff' 'Moses' 'minor miracle' leads directly to trying to turn a staff into a snake, and back again.  I follow the same procedure as before, but instead of hitting a rock, I ask that my staff become a non-poisonous snake and then I throw the staff down.

Alice is quite taken aback. Surprised, she says "Throughout the day? I check the bubbles once every year. It has been a year, has it not?"

It would seem a day in here is a year outside. I could see where that might change your mind about staying in here.



And the staff turns into a long green snake. It crawls over to you, looks up at you, and starts to wrap itself around your leg, climbing up your body. It wraps itself around your chest, slithers around your arm, and back into your hand. Then it straightens out and once again becomes a staff.

That is, assuming you don't freak out about having a snake crawl all over you.

That is a bit shocking, but I decide it doesn't matter that much.

"See you in a year, Alice." I say as I wave goodbye to her.

The snake thing is freaking me out, and I have to grit my teeth to stand still.  After a while, I remember to trust, and my fear eases back a bit.  And then the deed is done, and I'm wiping sweat from my forehead, and catching my breath.

I consider.  Moses helped part the Red Sea, but seas are a bit scarce, and besides I'm not wanting to 'get that deep' yet.  He also talked to God in person, but ....um, that was considered really scary, and even touching the mountain that God descended on would kill you.

I also have a short supply of ungrateful gripers, but....

I take some branches, and wrap them up in a bundle, and put them well away from anything.

"Ah.....Let Target X = Ungrateful Gripers. Amen."

A bit of prayer, a bit of computers...

Then I read aloud the account of Korra?? and his followers who had griped against Moses.  (not sure I got all the details right), and Moses had punished them by causing the Earth to open up and swallow them.  I'm thinking localized earthquake and chasm, but it could be a massive quicksand field.

I then bring down my staff, and say loudly 'Let the wicked and the ungrateful be punished to the glory of the Most High!'

Before she leaves, Alice tells you that any belongings you left behind in Verser World would have been placed into storage. It's surprisingly common for versers to come back to this world a second and even a third time after versing out, and their gear will be waiting for them if they do. Just go to any of the Towers and ask for the Lost and Found. Then she describes a storeroom reminiscent of the last scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Then she steps backwards and disappears through the bubble.

OOC) And let me know a post ahead of time when you're ready to go back to Verser World. I don't want my plans to derail yours. <wink>



You feel a jolt go through your body. And without saying a word, it tells you to "Trust Me".




As you're considering this, another jolt goes through your body. And somehow you just know that there's a large lake comparable to the Red Sea not more than fifty miles in the direction of your Cessna airplane.



You're probably expecting some huge earthquake. Maybe accompanied by a storm. Something dramatic. Something forceful. Your expectations are most wrong. The ground does open up and swallow the "Unbelievers." But it's quick. It's like a mouth opening and closing and eating the "Unbelievers". So quick if you blinked you would miss it. "Unbelievers" sitting there, ground opens up just wide enough to eat them, they fall in, ground closes. And it's almost silent too. Just GULP and they're gone.

And you can almost hear God laughing at your expectations.

That is useful information, and something I had not thought of.

I flicker a smile at the words.

Hmmm, that could be useful.  A major body of water...

I burst out laughing with God.

I relax the rest of the day.

And the best part is it's in the direction of your Cessna airplane. Go finish fixing up your airplane and fly it to the lake.

OOC) Since you're in a sub-universe, if you versed out from here, I could be a jerk and take away the gear you left. But you'll just verse back into the main Verser World. Won't even start a new thread.



OOC) Have you ever really heard God laugh? God has an amazing sense of humor. Either that, or it's just a psychotic hallucination.



Canned food and bottled water is abundant. Magehammer taught you how to live off the land. So, eating canned peaches and snared rabbit fills you up and gives you a nice sense of peace and fulfillment.

I consider asking for manna, but since I have food, I also remember the Israelites getting greedy, and God sending them an overabundance of birds.

I consider Samson, but that would mean not cutting my hair for well, forever.  Or a really long time.  I'd have to get a ponytail to keep it out of my eyes.

I think some more, and then I read aloud of Elijah.  Elijah the prophet had a bone to pick with Ahab and especially Jezebel.  After the altar is burnt, Elijah tells King Ahab to hurry back to the palace for that cloud the size of a still, small hand meant there was going to be rain, and I imagine a gullywasher.  And then Elijah set off running, perhaps pulling up his robes.  And he outran the king in a chariot pulled by horses.

I read this out loud, and put the Bible down.  Then I thrust down the stick, and shout 'For the Glory of God!' and take off pell mell for a target a long way off.  I'm trying to see if I can break into a forty mile per hour run for a few miles....

I may be exhausted after this as Elijah did seem burnt out after this, for a while anyways.

So you want to try to run about 40 MPH?

After completing your ritual, you rear back and begin running. And at first, you're huffing and puffing, barely getting anywhere. But then it hits you. A force from all around you takes possession of your body. Your legs start pumping like never before. You feel light on your feet, barely touching the ground at all. You wouldn't be surprised if you saw that you weren't even leaving footprints in the dirt.

And in minutes, you arrive at the airport where your Cessna airplane is still sitting in a hangar for you to repair.

And you're exhausted. Breathing heavily. You're forced to sit, and then lay down. You close your eyes, just for a minute. And when you open them, the sun has moved significantly across the sky.

But it worked, and you're here.

"Woohoo." I get up smiling.  And I remind myself to be thankful, and I am.  Although mostly, I'm just so buzzed about the kewl.

I wander about, get some food, look at the plane a bit, rest by the sea, eat some more, and still drained fall asleep by the seashore.

Tommorrow might be a good day to work on the Cessna.  Or I may just wander around and recoup my energies.  Depends on how I feel in the morning.

And it's a beautiful day. Mid 70s on the temperature, just enough clouds to give shade without being gloomy. A perfect day to work on an airplane!!!!



I see I wasn't clear. The sea is about 50 miles from here. You ran maybe 5 or 6 miles. Thinking about it, it took you maybe 10 minutes running to get here. So right around 40-50 MPH was your running speed. You feel the gods (plural) put you here to repair your airplane. The god you believe in is in that sense of gods. (Just being ambiguous for the sake of story)



Going into the airport, you realize you did not explore very much of it when you were here before. You find the hermetically sealed vending machines from before, with their goodies. Enough for a week maybe. You find snack counters with sealed cans of peanuts and other cocktail fruit. Enough for a week maybe. But then you see The Motherload. A vending machine that makes hot, fresh pizzas on the spot. All indications are that it is hermetically sealed like the others. It just needs a good cleaning and a power source and you've got all the pizza you can ask for. Enough for a week maybe.

(Doing Therapy)

I start methodically plugging away at the Cessna.  I'm tentative, but I keep on going, until I get a bit tired.  Then its a snack, and a short walk, and back to work.  Repeat until I start dropping things, which is a sign of being really tired.

The next day I take it a bit easier, and the third day I go at it a bit more enthusiastically, and so for the fourth, and for the fifth, only a half day, and so for the sixth, and a day of rest for the seventh....

And after a week, the plane is ready for takeoff. You just gotta put some fuel in the tank and you're all set.

Is it pee powered?  If not, I look for avgas.  I'll check in store rooms; see if there is a fuelling station; check in corners of the hanger where stuff gets dropped; check other nearby buildings.

It occurs to me that I've had success with finding items that I own with prayer, and while this is not something I own, well, water came from a rock as well, so....maybe....with a bit of nervousness, I pray to find something.  And then I turn about, and look.

OOC: I have some skill points in Finding via Prayer to God.

Concentrated pee powered. Ten gallons of pee boiled down to five gallons. But fear not. There's gallons of synthetic fuel in the hangar. Enough to fill the tanks and take some with you.



Things go well. You find what you dropped. You feel some god somewhere is telling you to fly!!!!!!!



OOC) So you do!!!!!

(Doing Therapy)
This message was last edited by the player at 19:05, Fri 30 Oct 2015.

Two Posts

Copied from the other thread:



OOC) I should amend this. My worlds DO have a GM story. And you will follow it whether you want to or not. What kind of gaming is this? What kind of referee style is this?

IC) Alice shows up at her usual time every day you're working on the airplane. She mostly just asks if any more versers have shown up. On the seventh visit (Seven years (or more) that you've been in here.) She mentions that Slidehammer and Magehammer have kind of escalated their tensions. But she mentions it casually. Like it's nothing to worry about.

(Doing Therapy)

I shake my head at Alice, and ask if she wants to hang about while I launch my plane.

Alice can't stay here. She needs to get back to Verser World. She wishes you luck and bids you farewell.

You remember there is a flight simulator in the airport. Are you trying to launch without any training? Or are you going to take a run through the simulator first?

OOC) I just noticed it's been 2 weeks since you replied. Sorry.

Tempted to do the crazy, but common sense intervenes, and I head toward the flightsim.  I practise a couple days, and then try to make a fair judgmnent ofmy skills.  Am I probably goodenough, or do I really need more sim time?

OOC: Its OK.

Roll 66, 1@2 fly Cessna simulator.

Is that good enough to fly the plane? Up to you.

(Doing Therapy)

If its a good, clear day with soft breezes, I dither and fluteer about like a hyperactive moth, until I get in, say 'here goes nothing', and crank it up.  I ease it out, and face into the five mph wind, and then move the throttle forward, looking to launch....

OOC) Botch and a not so great GE. But it's all good. You'll see.

The plane takes off. It takes you some time, you're rocking and rolling, tipping wings. Almost losing control here and there. But you get off the ground. And you're flying!! It's exhilarating!! Amazing feeling you've got. You circle the airport. Then you take off in the direction of the large lake.

You fly for perhaps 20 miles. Then you hear the sound you're dreading. The engine is cutting out. Apparently you missed a fuel line that needed cleaned or something. But you're going down. Free fall from 2,000 feet. Fear like you've seldom known. The plane comes down nose-first into the ground. You are slammed into the ground inside it. It's painful, but thankfully doesn't last long.

Thou art dead.

HOWEVER!!!!!!

You hear Howard Hughes and Amelia Earhart talking. "We can rebuild him. We have the technology."

And you're still in the plane. You're back in Verser World.

What's left of it, anyway. The Tower where you worked has been collapsed to about half its former height. It's a half tower surrounded by a smoking pile of rubble.

Most of the shoppes and homes are deserted. It's been decimated. You don't see or feel many versers anywhere. Looks like France during the peak of WW2.

Alice comes running up to you. Her hair and dress are filthy. She's bleeding from a cut over her eye. Her dress is burned and scorched in places. Her stockings are in tatters and she's only wearing one shoe.

She screams "HELP ME!!! HELP ME PLEASE!!!!!!"

"Dear God, raise me up.  If you want me to help her. raise me up." I'm only envisioning enough healing to stand and hobble, but would not be averse to more.  I start pulling myself to my feet, too bashed about to have a normal emotional response to things, although I am distantly horrified in multiple ways.

You're not damaged. You were healed on verse-out. The plane is fine. It's sitting on the wheels on the ground. No reason to think it couldn't be made to fly.

You're sitting in front of the bubble that lead to the abandoned world you were in. Magehammer's shoppe has been destroyed. The damage actually seems to radiate out from there. Like his shoppe was the epicenter of whatever happened. The place is a charred, smoking ruin. Before you would have been encased in scriff vectors. Now, you're not feeling nearly as many. The population has been significantly reduced. The good thing though is that since everyone was a verser, you're not going to find any corpses. But it looks like the aftermath of a major war.

I would assume you get out of the plane when you realize you're okay and see Alice.

Alice is crying and out of breath. She stammers "Mister Magehammer....." (heavy breathing) "Mister Slidehammer......" (heavy breathing) "Some joined him." (heavy breathing) "Some joined him." (heavy breathing) "A war." Then she just screams "HELP ME!!!!" and throws herself at you. She needs a hug.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:01, Fri 04 Dec 2015.

I give her a hug.  Clearly she's traumatized past my level of expertise, but I don't see any pschy wards around here, so you do what you can.

Humming gently to her, I touch her forehead as i hold her.  I need to see if she is wet and clammy....which would be a sign of shock.

"Stay here.' I murmur after a second, and set her down on a drum sized rock that used to be part of the Tower and got tossed all the way here.  As i move away, she starts and I assure her, I'm staying in sight.

I gather up twigs and branches, and pray...."Give me fire Lord, please.  I know not of a Bible example, but surely you can spare some for this lost little daughter of yours."

If I have any sort of chocolate or sugar in my backpack from the other world I'll take it out.  Chocolate is good for shock.

I keep working, soft and quiet, but firm and definite at the same time.

Did I have a tent?

When you hug her, she wraps her arms around your neck so hard you have a modicum of trouble breathing. It's not intolerable though. You're tough. You can take it.

Alice meanwhile, her breathing gradually slows down. It goes from short, shallow sobbing breaths to slower, deeper breaths. She's clearly calming down from the hug.

When she lets go of you, she's got the slightest hint of a smile and whispers "Thank you."



No sign of actual shock. She's just scared out of her mind.



She sits. She tells you that no one was really certain what started the war. Best guess is two toughest kids on the block. Sooner or later they're gonna fight. There has never been a war here. But now, about 90% of the population is gone. Maybe more. Magehammer and Slidehammer are both gone. What's left of the population is trying to rebuild. There are some skirmishes here and there from some folks that don't know when to give up, so you still need to be careful.



A flash goes through your mind. Elijah the prophet (Or was it Elisha?) Whichever one called down a fireball from Heaven to disprove the priests of Baal. A fireball comes down out of the sky to light your fire.

Alice is impressed, but she's seen versers do things like that before. She sits beside the fire to warm up a bit. There is a bit of an unnatural, unexplained chill in the air.



You've got a can of chocolate syrup. Regular chocolate would have spoiled. But canned syrup is still good.



Alice just watches you. After a time she asks "What are we going to do now, good sir?"

In reality, she might be five times your age, but still just a scared teenager.



You had one. Did you bring it here? Only you would know that.

I give her the syrup.

"Savor it." I say.  I figure she might gag if she tried to drink it.

"Alice, I'm going to make a camp here."

I gather some wind/fire screens .  They will block the wind, and reflect the heat back on to Alice.

If I can find some poles, I'll put them up, and then look for roofing material for the lean-to 'tent'.

She's basically lapping it out of the can like a dog. Seems ladylike manners have been suspended for the time being.



She just nods. She's not in any mood to contribute much.



There's a lot of building materials laying around. There's sheets of tin from roofs and all kinds of things you could build with.



To be clear, the majority of the shoppes are damaged but most would still serve as adequate shelter. Magehammer's shoppe has been completely obliterated, but a lot of the items he blacksmithed are still there. So going through the rubble of his shoppe might yield you a magical hand tool or two. But as far as materials to build a lean to tent, there's no shortage of 2x4 timbers and the like to scavenge. In what's left of a clothing shoppe, you find numerous bolts of material, canvas and the like, which would serve to make a tent. Of course, what's left of the clothing shoppe might serve you as shelter.

You do run into another scavenger though. He's a skinny little man, half your size. At first glance not much of a threat. His eyes are darting around constantly. He looks like your stereotypical shell-shocked WW1 soldier, as far as his manner.

But when sees you, he locks eyes with you and growls "Slide or Mage?"

He wants to know who you sided with in the war.

Its Elijah, btw.  Elijah did a lot of Big and Showy Miracles.  Elisha did twice as many, but most not in the Big and Showy category, I've heard, I think.  Elijah blew the snot out of an altar with a fireball.  Elisha turned accidentally poisoned food to healthy.

I smile back at Alice.  I'm not expecting her to talk back.  Right now, I'm treating her kind of like how you'd treat a sick puppy.  The sound of a reassuring and calm voice, a bit of info to take the mind off of miseries....

I think we will stay out of the buildings for the night.  Better to establish a bit of a new start, I think.  I will get tent material and what not from the clothing store.

And then I see the man...

"Friend, I was extradimensional when the big kablammo went.  Practising magic in of the bubble universes."  I keep my voice low and calm.  This guy reminds me of what I think an unexploded bomb would be like.

Before you leave, she says timidly "See, see if you can find some food."



Whilst in the clothing shoppe, you also find a small black iron kettle, apparently made by Magehammer. It looks like it would hold about a quart. On one side is engraved "ORDO IN CHAOS IN ORDINEM" and on the other side is engraved "Pullum Pulmenti".

And somehow you just know these words mean "Order into Chaos into Order" and "Chicken Soup" (At least according to Google Translate!!) You also just know that it is a magical kettle which will make chicken soup out of thin air.

Are you taking the kettle?



The guy, relieved, growls "Good. I ain't gotta kill ya. Dadgum superversers. Done ruined the best world I ever been to." And then he just ambles away spouting off a profanity-laced diatribe about how much he loathes superversers and what he's going to do to them if he ever runs into them again. He's off his rocker.

You get the distinct feeling that you gave the only answer that would have prevented him from attacking you. Saying either Slide or Mage would have pushed him over the edge.

Chicken soup is good for the battered soul. I take the pot, and search on.  After the poor fellow who's crazy as a outhouse rat wanders on, I take a deep breath of relief.  Once back, I make soup with magic, and we eat after a short prayer.

"Now rest, kiddo." I say softly sitting on my rock across from her, looking over the fire.  I will keep watch and think long thoughts for a few hours.

Alice sees the kettle and gets the tiniest bit excited. "I, I, I have one of these kettles. The kettle I have makes split pea soup." Then she looks longingly at the smoking ruin of the Tower. "Or, or I did have one. My, my home was destroyed."

She tells you that, to activate it, first you speak "ORDO IN CHAOS IN ORDINEM" then the Latin words for what soup it made. It will remain full of soup and at a nearly perfect eating temperature until you are finished eating. Then you speak the words again and the soup in the kettle just vanishes. No need for fire or cleanup or anything.

"Mister Magehammer said that, even if they botch, they almost always make something edible. You might ask for chicken soup and get a corned beef sandwich. But it's something."

She's most grateful to you for your help. She said the war broke out the moment she returned from her last visit to you in the alternate world.



So you eat. And you rest. A dozen or so refugees pass you by. Most just give a wave as they pass. Some stop for a minute to warm up by your fire before leaving. It's getting noticeably cooler. One guy though, he stops and looks at you for a minute and says "Councilman Tadeusz? No, you're not councilman Tadeusz. I think he versed out. Is there anything I can do for you though?" He seems sincere. He's got a carpet bag. Looking at Alice's tattered clothes, he reaches into the bag and pulls out a brand new dress and a pair of shoes for her. She goes behind the bubble and out of sight to change. Strangely, the dress and shoes fit her perfectly. Like they were tailor made for her.

Then he says "What would you like Tadeusz?" and shows you that that carpet bag is empty. "But it's magic. I can produce one item of your heart's desire. I'm trying to relieve some of the suffering. What can I get for you?"

He tells you that it has to be small enough to fit inside the carpet bag in the first place, and there are a few other limitations. But he can give you one thing that your heart desires. Unfortunately though, not another one of the carpet bags.

"A light flannel quilt plaid button up jacket." I say after a bit of thought, remembering one such I have at home.  Its loose, warm enough for cool weather, and unobtrusive.

I marvel at it when he brings it forth.

"How about you come back in a few hours. I may have a few more requests from passerbys for you.  We can use this as a relay point."

I look out.  Not just little Alice, but a lot of folks are hurting.  See if they can be taken in by the nearby Towers.  If we're regarded as too pschyo, too toxic to take in, well, fine.  In any case, we need an answer.  Then we can set to work on the next step....

The carpet bagger asks "What color? Blue? Red? Yellow? Something else, my good fellow?" Then with a slight giggle at his pun.



And it's worthy of marvel. Fits you like it was made by an expert tailor, just for you. Nice and warm too.



Carpet bagger says "Or I could stay here. This is as good a place for me to be as any. Up to you." But then after a pause "Why is it getting so cold around here all of a sudden?"

And you've noticed that. It's slowly been getting colder. Before it was steady 74 degrees or so. It's gotta be down to 68 by now.



I assume you're discussing this with Alice and Carpet Bagger.

Alice tells you that many of the Towers were destroyed. It seems towers that are several miles tall become pretty convenient targets in a war between versers. The one where Alice lived was kind of the central hub. But there are a few towers. The closest one that's still standing is about 10 or 15 miles from here.

"Red dominant plaid." I don't understand what he's giggling at, but thats fine.  Bigger fish to fry.

"Yes, that could work." I tell him, and drag up a stone for a chair for him.

"Ok, thats enough of an answer for me.  I'll start rebuilding.  I think we'll have to have some sort of 'if you work, you get stuff you need' for a bit.  And if you don't like it, there's the road.  Anyone too flipped out, but not dangerous  can sleep and eat free."

I try to look around for some building that looks more repairable than the others.

Carpet bagger points to your toolbelt and asks "Is that an Order hammer? I've seen people fix structures by applying Order to them. It just rebuilds everything."

Alice says "We can offer them chicken soup."



That clothing shoppe where you found the kettle was in halfway decent shape. A lot of the shoppes and structures are still livable. But they're not really big enough for more than one or two people at a time. The living sections are the size of a 2 bedroom apartment.

I take out my Order hammer and nod in agreeance.

"Time to give it a workout.  The small rooms are a plus.  That way we can give everyone their own room.  Private property gets better taken care of than community property.

I start working. Cleaning, clearing, and rebuilding at a steady pace.  I don't need to verse out here by accident.