OOC:  Rhic you have a very odd feeling as you are standing in the barn.  Like an electrical jolt through your body, and it seems familiar...

Rhic dropped the sacks of feed and reached into his jacket the grip of his .45 just under his fingertips.His thumb snapping off the safety as he stepped clear of the others and looking around for the source of his unease."We have company."

"Come on out, I know you're there."

Luke was considering Rhic's question, when the old man went onto high alert.
And Luke trusted Rhic's senses; the guy might be old and crusty, but his skills didn't seem to have rusted at all.

As Rhic moved away, drawing his gun and called out, Luke moved gracefully into a more covered location; looking around for trouble, he picked up a nearby pitchfork.  Now, it only he had a burning torch, he'd be ready for any monster!

 She stood in the stall, forking straw around on top of the rubber mat that helped cushion the floor of the stall to prevent stress on the horse's legs and hooves, she looked up as Rhic started talking loudly, and pulled out a gun. She didn't have a gun on her, but she had a nice shiney pitchfork, and a thousand pound horse that she had trained to do tricks, like airs above the ground. And Minx would attack strangers who acted hostile to her.
 "What's up Rhic?"

"My spidey sense is tingling." Rhic explained cryptically as he glanced toward Moon.He walked slowly looking around for an edged weapon then dismissed that idea with a snort." Someone very much like me is skulking around out there...and I'm not sure he's friendly..and if he ain't there's gonna be a fight, a nasty one...."

"You mean like big argument, or a legal fight? Cos I know a good lawyer if you need her", Luke said, emerging from the shadows.
Looking around, he noticed the ladder up to the barn loft; and quickly scampered up it.

" I mean gunfire, swordplay, and someone's head ending up on the ground...or splattered all over the wall." Rhic replied smiling wryly.And continued to explain as he kept a wary eye on the surroundings."Back there at the end of the car chase, I took an amulet off of those guys. They're called watchers..I've heard of them before...sort of crazy cult that believes there are immortals running around in the world... yeah like the movie about the guy with the sword and all that "There can be only one"...Then I  get told I have been around for centuries....A few seconds ago I get the feeling someone like me is watching us..."

"And with the way things have been going, This guy may think he has to chop my head off to win the big door prize...I plan to object strenuously to that plan..."
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:48, Tue 24 May 2016.

He strode into the light slowly, yet not timidly, but with a confident, careful gait, a warrior's gait.  He was tall, well over six feet, and his body was stocky and muscular, though he covered it in a well worn charcoal long coat.  The wrinkles around his eyes, furrowed brow and receding hair made him appear to be about Rhic's age, but his pale hazel eyes gleamed with a youthful fire. A silver crucifix on a fine chain caught the light as he stepped forwards.

He glanced towards Moon Child, and up to where Luke was concealed in the loft.  Then he turned his arrow sharp focus back to Rhic, steady and curious.  He stopped a respectable distance from them, perhaps twenty five feet, hands at his sides in an easy stance.  Then his lips curled in a slight smile.

"Pitchforks?  firearms?  You will have to do better than these, if you mean to object as strenuously as you propose, John Rhictor."  He replied, his accent old European, and familiar to Rhic... most likely French.

"I am armed, broadsword right side sheathe, but you know this already.  Fear not, I do not bring you harm, not yet.  I have seen many things in my time upon this earth, but you are indeed special.  I have chased you a very VERY long time and I find that oddly intriguing...

I digress, however, another matter needs to be addressed first.  You flaunt the Rules, John, speaking so freely to your pets here.  You know mortals are not supposed to know of our existence, although your companions are no longer entirely mortal, so perhaps there is a loop hole there, yes?  Or is it just possible that no one has ever instructed you?  That you are not aware of who, of what you are?  Yes, that would explain a great many things."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:36, Sun 29 May 2016.

"What are you talking about stranger? And how did you get in here?"

 She put one hand up to place Ben's right cheek as he hung his head over her right shoulder giving the man a suspicious look, ears back and teeth barred. I f the guy moved with hostile intent the horse would likely lunge for him with teeth and hooves!
This message was last edited by a game editor at 05:06, Mon 30 May 2016.

In reply to Xavier St Juste (msg # 113):

"If I decide to object, you won't be able to do a damn thing about it...I get the feeling a bullet to the heart would just slow you down," John motioned for him to raise his hands." It's hard to use a sword when you can't walk." John added with a distinct absence of humor.

"Now, Mon Ami, you have me at a distinct disadvantage, which is never a good idea when it comes to me..I'm a little OCD about evening up the odds.

"I've got some suspicions about why I have memories I can't explain running around in my head...Why I have watchers tailing me....and why you're carrying a sword.....Now you wouldn't mind dropping the theatrics, and just supplying a little information would you...It would save me both time patience and ammunition...because right now I feel no obligation to play by anyone's rules but my own."

This message was lightly edited by the GM at 05:17, Mon 30 May 2016.

"What am I talking about?  You should really ask your friend, for he knows much more than he tells," he replies to Moon Child.  "Maybe not as much as I had previously thought, however."

He glanced over to Moon Dancer as she questioned him and smiled seeing Ben's head on her shoulder.  He seems unconcerned at the stallion's aggressive behaviour.

"Hmm, that is a fine horse, Mademoiselle.  Stallion, still young; I'd guess perhaps fifteen hands, maybe a bit more, yes?  A black Morgan.  A very sturdy and intelligent breed."

At Rhic's command, the stranger looks back to him once more. Slowly, the he raised his hands. though his eyes never left Rhic's.  If he was frightened in the slightest, he gave no sign of it.

"No theatrics, mon ami, I will supply truth, for truth.  Allow me to go first, since I do value my knees after all.  What you suspect is indeed the truth.  You have in you, the blood of the Accursed.  You are an Immortal, though you have not yet truly embraced it."

 She narrowed her eyes as the stranger accused her friend of knowing more than he let on. But that was a way to sow discord between friends, she knew. She trusted Rhic and believed in him. She wouldn't let the stranger cause trouble!

 "If you just came here to cause trouble, you can just leave! I don't need innuendoes and rumors break up friendships!"

 She held Ben back but mumbled quietly..."and he's 16 hands."

"I haven't been keeping secrets, just avoiding getting locked up as a nutter..."

"Well locked up as a nutter again....seems that bad dream about my stay Highgate wasn't a dream." Rhic let out a dry chuckle and seemed unphased by the announcement. He reached with one hand took out a Marlboro and put it to his lips, the move made without looking away from the man. he fished out a gold plated zippo and lit his cigarette.

his finger tapped against the side of the lighter  slightly as he seemed to be in thought.
"Guess I won't have to quit now..... Now that you have told me that, let's move on to why you are here..."

Nodding respectfully to Moon Child, the stranger replied.  "Ah yes, sixteen hands, your pardon Mademoiselle.  He is indeed a beauty.  Have you ever wondered what he is thinking?  I can teach you, if you wish."

He shook his head as Rhic lit his cigarette. "Tsk tsk, Rhic, a bad habit is still a bad habit.  As to why I am here... curiosity mostly, mon ami.  I have been around for a... long time, and I've seen many strange things, but you Rhic, are unique.  You ARE Immortal, Rhic, and it is time for you to embrace it.  We cannot simply turn our backs on what we are.  Others will come for you, they will be drawn to you, as I have, as we all must be in the end."

He spread his hands and bowed formally, indeed in a most archaic manner.

"But we must do things properly, according to the Rules.  My name is Xavier St Juste, though some call me, the Templar, I have been many things.  I swear on my life that I bring no harm to your companions.  I offer to teach you the Rules that you may survive the Game, according to our ancient custom.  Then, once that is done, we shall part amicably and be rivals thereafter.  I shall only offer this once, I do suggest you accept, mon ami."

" I have many bad habits, and I am not inclined to give them up just yet, as a matter of fact I will probably pick up a few more. to quote a movie "I have not yet begun to defile myself"....." Rhic chuckled dryly." I can't say I am happy to hear others will come looking. I'd rather not spend my days looking over my shoulder more than I already do."

"I am John Micheal Rhictor, I have had many names. I accept your gracious offer." Rhictor didn't bow or make any gesture other than a slight nod of his head." What is this game you keep mentioning....and why can't I just set it out. I have a lot on my plate at the moment. and it's a bit more important than some ..game."

 She was startled by the man's comments about reading her horse's thoughts. Would that be a good thing? Or would his thoughts be such as a baby's thoughts might be, mostly "Hungry" "Thirsty" "Tired" or "mad". And would she be able to sense what other animals thought too? Would that be a bit noisy? Morning cackles, tweets, whistled and every other bird song was already a bit noisy. Would they then sound like a farmers market hawking wares?
 
 "That might be interesting. Would it just be Ben? Or could I hear other animals too?"

The Templar nods to Moon Child, a searching look on his face as if he is trying to read her somehow.  He nods after a moment, seemingly satisfied with whatever he has found.

"Yes, you are ready to master one of the easier POWERS.  I believe ANIMAL SPEECH, being the first of the Beast Master path would suit you.  And yes, it would allow you to speak with any animal that can be understood.  Even lower life forms can be spoken with, though they may not have much of value to share.  Let me just show you how to increase your awareness.  You'll find the animals are talking all the time, humans have simply forgotten how to listen..."

OOC: Over the course of a week or so, between training Rhic, Xavier trains Moon Child thoroughly and she gains her first power.

Animal Speech
Range: The sound of your voice Time: Constant Uses: Constant
You may speak the language of animals and unintelligent beasts and monsters. While this doesn’t give you any control over them or make the conversation particularly interesting, you can use the skills in the Smooth Talker profession to influence them.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rhic, the Templar spends the bulk of his time training you.  He teaches you about the myths surrounding the origins of the Immortals, and about the Quickening and the Rules of the Game.  The Rules can be pretty much summed up as follows:

The Rules: the code of conduct under which the immortals play the Game, the Rules are strictly followed by (almost) all immortals. Consequences await any immortal who breaks a Rule

There Can Be Only One

Immortals must fight until only one is left alive. In support of this rule, immortals are subject to the effects of the Gathering, which forces them to seek out other immortals.

Holy Ground

Any place considered holy or sacred by any religion is a sanctuary and no Immortal can be attacked while there.  Breaking this rule has drastic consequences.

One on One Duels

No two or more immortals may attack another simultaneously, or interfere with an immortal duel in any way. While considered a major rule, this rule has no real consequence other than preventing other immortals from sharing a Quickening or gaining an unfair advantage. Thus, it is the rule most often bent or broken by evil immortals.

Lesser Rules

Beside the three major rules, immortals have the following commonly understood and accepted rules and customs:

    They must keep their challenges and affairs secret from the mortal world;

    Immortals normally do not fight or discuss their business in public. The only exception is within relationships, as immortals sometimes share the entire truth of their existence with their significant other.

    Immortals who "die" in public are expected to leave the area, in order to avoid contact with those who knew them.

    New / young immortals are assumed a brief "grace period" in which they receive training and protection from an elder immortal.

In addition, many immortals bind their own codes of ethics within the Rules, often issuing their challenges against those immortals who have offended their personal morals in some way or fashion.

The following link is, basically what the Templar teaches to Rhic:

http://highlander.wikia.com/wi...Immortal_Terminology

He also tells Rhic that there are other Immortals aware of him.  The Templar calls Rhic "The Rebel" since he first became aware of him as a soldier during the Civil War.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:44, Wed 15 June 2016.

During this week of downtime, Luke spent most of his time exploring the TARDIS:  it's piloting and navigations systems,  it's ngoneering and mechanical systems, and it's general layout.

Along the way, he realised that there was one man who could teach him what he needed to know; and probably (and only probably) the only man he truly trusted.
And so, one morning, he programmed into the TARDIS's memory and calander a note to himself, that the TARDIS would remind him in about 70 TARDIS years from now:
 >> Hey, Gypsy man, don't forget to get your worthless ass back to that week at the cabin, and lay your wisdom upon me <<


He sniggered to/at himself as he remembered what TARA told him earlier; 'I have a gypsy heart', how corny could you get!
But he did like the line, regardless.

rhic spent his time between instruction in the rules of "The Game", relearning old skills he seemed to have forgotten over the years, and writing down those old memories in a journal to try and piece his life together.

After one sparring session, he slogged into the cabin fished a beer out of the fridge, and leaned against the bar, staring down at the hilt of a sword projecting from his chest. after downing the beer he grimaced and withdrew the blade. tossing it to the side.

"That hurts more than I thought." He muttered to the others as he slogged back out to the TARDIS and returned with a large crate. and began to unpack sword, after sword testing each one. when he found one he seemed to like he sat down and began to rearrange his shoulder rig  and ammo belt, to allow him to carry the flat black hi-tech looking blade on his belt.


he waited till everyone was in the cabin before announcing. "Right now my best plan is to keep my head on my shoulders long enough to find Charlotte. But hell if I know how to go about that......anyone got any ideas about what to do next."

"Sure", said Luke, in his usual self-assured and relaxed way,
"after Charlotte left this TARDIS to come find me and Alex, TARA thinks she got ambushed.
When she found me, she was very wounded ... which collaborates.

But after I left her, as her behest, to find Alex, she vanished.
As likely as naught, it was us she vanished with.

I'm pretty ...", Luke paused a moment, for dramatic effect,
"AND, I'm  pretty sure I can get us back there".

In reply to Luke Statton (msg # 125):

"That is a good idea." Rhic nodded pulled don his rig, then pulled on a long duster to cover his weapons."If we can't find her ourselves we might be able to pick up the trail of anyone who a ambushed her."
He added a pair of "authority glasses" he had picked up off an agent and shook his head
"I've got to find a better way to hide all this...this screams "security come and search me?"

Xavier suddenly stands in the doorway.  Waiting until he is noticed, he quietly asks Rhic to have a quick word with him.  He then turns around and waits for him outside the cabin.  When Rhic at last emerges (assuming he does) the old templar turns to him and bows formally.

"You know, that which you need to know, Rebel.  From this point on you are on your own.  We may well be rivals when next we see each other, but I will hope rather that we shall meet in friendship, perhaps share a bottle of wine and a few stories.  It is wise never to trust anyone of our kind to far though; remember the first Rule, if you remember nothing else: There can be only ONE.  Do tell Mademoiselle Moon Child goodbye for me.  You'd think, after all these centuries, I would be better at goodbyes.  Farewell for now, Rhic... et bonne chance!"

Then Xavier walks off into the deepening evening woods, and is gone.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:11, Mon 20 June 2016.

"Bye! And good luck right back at ya!"

 Finishing up in the stall, she leads Ben out and takes him to the Tardis.

To Tardis >>>>>>>
This message was last edited by a game editor at 06:02, Thu 23 June 2016.

As its been decided to attempt a rescue of fair Charlotte, Luke headed off into the TARDIS to start preparing the 'flight plan'.


---> TARDIS thread

"I certainly hope we meet as friends." Rhic returned the bow. "So if you have to loose your head please find someone else to do the honors...If there can be only one I plan on it being me."

Rhic watched the man go shook his head ad headed to the tardis.

===> Tardis
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:16, Sun 03 July 2016.