Mhari watched D'Bee, unjudgemental but waits for him to calm down.

"D'Bee, your argument with reality as it is around you is pointless. These are the facts. You are HERE.. and not where you WERE.  Whatever the differences, you must accept reality as it IS ~ not as you wish it was!  Your cognitive dissonance is not helpful for you... or us in helping get you back to your home."

"Now will you repeat what you just said without moving around...?"

Pointing at the Translator device, "..This device is translating your words for us... but you must remain near it for us to get a full understanding.. your pacing keeps moving you out of the range of its translation abilities."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:32, Wed 04 Nov 2020.

"Dont worry, Mhari!" Alberic chips in. "I'm getting it all down. Never heard of this Washing Town, or Ore-gon. Must be from  Beyond the Beyond... I've been as far as the Clock of Kala, and never heard of them."

"And stop call me D'Bee.  I don't know where that comes from.  I'm just-"  And he pauses and collects himself.  Soon, he's calm and steady.  Even in his stained and torn clothes, he seems unusually self-possessed.

"My name is Dan Cooper.  I had a case with ... valuables ... when I left the ... flight I was on.  All I want is that case and then directions to the nearest [cart?] station.  I'm sure I can make my way from there.  There are maps, right?  Triple [syllable?]?"

Mhari smiles again and extends a hand in greeting, "It is a pleasure to meet you Mr. Dan Cooper. My name is Mhari, sometimes called 'Stormbolt'."

Mhari realizing it is still in hand carefully re-sheaths his crystal yatagan across his back.

"Now look at us Mr. Cooper. Look at how we are dressed, armed and armored... and think of how you are dressed? Does it look like we are from anywhere you have EVER heard of? You look just as odd to us.  We have no idea where you come from.  So any maps or names we may have of our known communities will likely be completely useless to you as well."

"I assure you none of us know of your case that you have lost, but we are willing to help you find it with an exchange of information."

"So since the evening is upon us and EVEN if by some miracle you learn exactly where you are in relation to where you want to go.. you'll not get anywhere traveling in the dark of night THIS night!?!  Let's say we get some food, and drink and exchange questions over a filling meal?"
This message was last edited by the player at 05:51, Thu 05 Nov 2020.

Dan nods.  "Yeah.  Food would be good.  Where's the head?"  Seeing concerned looks on your faces, he rephrases.  "The toilet.  I need a toilet.  You have those, right?  Outhouse?  Hole in the ground?"

"You're in luck, Dan!" Alberic grins, stuffing his notes into the pocket of his duster, and breathing out a cloud of orange smoke that smells vaguely of tangerines. "Toilets were on of the first things we installed here. Put 'em in myself! Here, I'll show you..."

And with that, Alberic duly sets off towards the toilets.

OOC: I'm assuming my work on the Clave's Sanitation includes a toilet - though whether that extends to anything more sophisticated than a cesspit, I'm not sure!

Dan gratefully follows Alberic's lead.

OOC: You've got a fairly steady water supply, so how you've designed the privy is up to you (within reason).

The following day - or at least once Dan seems more rested and partly recovered - Alberic does his best to engage him in conversation the next time he is by the translation pillar.

"Now, Dan, you seem like you have a fascinating history, so I'd like to hear all about the run up to your appearing in that cave where we found you. You mentioned a flash? That you'd lost some item? Tell me everything you remember. We haven't a clue what that machine is, or who those snake people are. All we know is people turn up mysteriously here and if your experience is anything to go by, it isn't voluntary. So any detail might help!" He looks in what he hopes is an encouraging way at Dan, then unhelpfully adds: "Also, this Washing Town of yours sounds fascinating. Is it normal in your culture to dedicate a whole settlement to cleaning things?"

"My story.  Right."  Dan looks at you a while.  Even days after his arrival, he has been cagey about his personal history.

"I was ... finishing up a business deal.  I was in business.  This particular deal was worth a lot of [currency]."  The Language Translator was continuing to strain over various words.  Mhari had been having slightly better luck, but sometimes the clarity was even more confusing.  He was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that Dan's words for shins could also be some sort of horned animal or a variety of hard-shelled aquatic creature.

"Anyway, at the end of this particular ... deal ... I, well, I was trying to make a grand exit.  I jumped out of a [flying device]."  Sometimes this story referred to a [sky wagon] and it was still unclear if these were the same thing.  "I was totally safe, of course because of the pear-shoots."

Mhari had learned that where Dan was from, pears were a type of fruit that grew on trees.  How a shoot from such a tree might save a person from a long fall was unclear, but Dan had perfect confidence in this method.

"On the way down, there was a bright flash of light.  Next thing I know, I was waking up from a really [expletive] nightmare on some kind of weird table.  My pear-shoots were gone.  My [currency] was gone.  There were a bunch of really weird crystals around the end of the room.  I touched one and got dumped out in that room in the cave.  And you've seen pretty much everything that happened since.

Dan leaned on the Language Translator, trying to seem relaxed.  His hand started to move right through the metal of the device.  Some sort of feedback resounded in the ear of everyone within range until he was able to pull his hand out again.  "And how do I keep doing that?!" he screamed.  "That's the third time!  How can I put my hand through things?"

Mhari listens to Dan's tale, pondering that perhaps... Dan's culture may have euphemistic terms that the reference is cultural specifically to his ... society that do not bear any association someone from our culture would be wholly unfamiliar with as the terms out of cultural context would be nonsense to us.

To Dan's Question, "... To that point Mr. Cooper, forces unknown have somehow been triggered to bring you here to our time and space without being able to observe what forces brought you to our world all would be supposition... but to venture a possibility, perhaps whatever force brought you here... and whatever that crystal device you tampered with in the cave on your arrival have left some permanent effect upon you... that now allows you to become out of phase with solid matter as we know it."

"You might want to experiment and try to practice recreating the emotions and thoughts you are experiencing when you phase through mater to test and learn the limits of your ability.  The Order of Truth in Yenth might have means to ascertain what it is and how it is you are doing that... but to us here it is conjecture on our part.  My advice is master it if you can.. learn to trigger it at will.  It could be a VERY useful ability to have... as I'm sure you can attest the world can be a very dangerous place!"

Then smiling, "Also, I might counsel you Mr. Cooper, it is clear... that you do not entirely wish to reveal the natures of your 'business' before coming here... let me rest your fears.  We have little care of what deeds you were involved with in your world.. our world is different your deeds have yet to be scribed into history here.  Think of it as a fresh start.. at least until we can find out IF its is even possible to return you to your home.  But to be truthful, there are two BIG unknowns that are the cause of your being here.. the flash of light and the crystal device in the room with the table... both are unknown to us and as such we have no way of sending you back until those causes can be examined.  So.. you will have to come to terms with the possibility you may never return home. I'm sorry... there is still hope..we are seekers of the Truth and we may yet discover the things of which you speak.  But do not get your hopes up out of proportion with the facts we know... unfortunately that is precious little.  I tell that your 'business' matters none at all to us because full truth with the Order of Truth will allow them to aid you better than vague half truths.  No one here is judging you.. or will judge you.  Your deeds in YOUR world are inconsequential here, in our world... only what you do here and now matters to us!"

"Animals as currency... safety fruit trees... whole laundry settlements. What a fascinating world!" Alberic is furiously scribbling notes. As Dan passes into the Translation pillar, he stops until the feedback is over. "I once had a friend who was partly out of phase, back in Jargolamis. Quite a similar thing: if she wasn't careful, she would just drift through things. It had its advantages, but also - could be a lot of trouble. Is it getting any less frequent? I don't know if it's a short term thing or... more permanent." He pauses, thoughtfully, puffing a cloud of purple, lavender scented smoke from his pipe. "Zalbane vanished when she touched that creature's hand... could that be related to the crystal you touched, I wonder? The question is - is the room with the table and crystals here in this dimension, or somewhere else? If it is pulling people in across worlds, who's to say that it isn't spitting them out across them, too? We need to take a closer look at the equipment in the Gorge, particularly of we want to understand what has happened to Zalbane. Those snake people were after you, Dan, so they most certainly must have been involved with your pan-dimensional kidnapping..."

Dan only picks out one piece of information from all of that, but he seems extremely excited by it.  "Wait, you mean I might be able to move through things on purpose?!?!"

He immediately begins trying to phase with some intentionality and spends several days exhausting himself.  At first his attempts are utter failures, and his screams of frustration are heard in a variety of places around the clave.  Trial, error, and patience began to work their own brand of "magic. After a few days he was readily moving through the various walls of the clave, sometimes hiding within trees and boulders in the woods.

On one occasion, he fell back into phase with part of one arm still in a tree and spent several hours unable to extricate himself due to panic and fatigue.  Eventually he managed to free himself, but his hand was damaged and remains swollen and inflexible so far, although seems to be healing, if very slowly.  He's started to get some sensation and the first hints of movement back.

Zalbane lifts herself from the ground, clutching an oily rag and feeling a little dazed at her sudden reemergence into the world.  Seeing the clave in the distance gave her hope that she hadn't been dumped out of wherever she had been at a random point in the world.  Wary of encountering any more snake-creatures without the aid of her companions, she makes her way to the closed gate and bangs on it.  "It's Zalbane!  I'm back!  Please, let me in!"

Mhari Immediately orders the gates opened to allow Zalbane in... he is there waiting with STORMHEART in hand ready to defend the breach and allow her in, "ZALBANE!! Welcone back! We were so at a loss of how to find or even help you! Come in!"

Quickly he will hustle her in and close the Clave Gates again.

"Please you must be starved.. we will get you food and water... while you tell us what happened!"

His expression is one of true concern and relief to see her safely back within the Clave.

Approximately a fortnight after Dan's Arrival, Nizq hovers into sight of The Clave of Strangers arriving from the north. He had received the Prelate's instructions and request for assistance while briefly visiting his family's orchard, just a few kilometres across the border into Iscobal and just south of the Wyr River.

Nizq's desire to progress to Journeyman in The Order leaves no question that he would jump at an opportunity to help, and Mez knows it. But how did the Prelate know he was going to be there then…?

Nizq is flamboyantly dressed in a short blue coat with feathered shoulders which he always wears open. Under the coat is a fairly tight fitting bodysuit that appears to be made of fairly thick strands of material woven together in bundles. On his feet are what anyone from the early 21st century might easily mistake for next season's trendiest high top basketball shoes, except for a cuff around the ankle with a pointy bit towards the heel. He also constantly wears a pair of orange tinted glasses that have a pair of flip down lenses clipped to them.

Nizq is able to Control Gravity, doesn't make any attempt to hide the fact, and is rarely, if ever, seen standing on the ground. Usually he is seen hovering above the ground, whether he is still or moving, in whatever posture suits him at that moment, frequently expertly toying with his Razor Ring.

Nizq rises up to the maximum height he can achieve as soon as he sees the Clave. He calls out when he knows he is within earshot,
"Greetings, Clave of Strangers! Prelate Mez has called upon me to aid you in your mission. It seems you're up here investigating strange arrivals, yet somehow you keep managing to lose people. I'm here to put a stop to the latter and make some progress on the former."

This message was last edited by the player at 10:30, Fri 20 Nov 2020.

Buojrez casually waves to Zalbane upon her reappearance. "Good you aren't dead," she says with a smile.


*** Later ***

Buojrez casually sights the levitating person with her bow. Certain she can shoot him half a dozen times before he would threaten her she shouts, "Come forward slowly present yourself."

"Ah, Zalbane!" Alberic grins as he sees their missing companion return. "How are you? Where have you been? We were getting rather worried that we might never see you again..."

**LATER**

Alberic pauses in his work upon hearing Nizq's voice. "Hello, company..." He wanders over to join Buojrez, his pipe leaving a cloud of pale green smoke and the scent of limes trailing in his wake.

** Later **

Mhari casts his gaze up... and turns to trigger the Clave Automated Weapon Turret to stand-bye, setting it to hold fire.

"Greetings, if you come on the invite of the Order of Truth you are welcome here. I'm Mhari, a glaive part of the Clave defense, by what name do you go by?"
This message was last edited by the player at 22:05, Sun 15 Nov 2020.

Nizq proceeds to glide forward at a slow walking pace, Razor Ring sheathed, hands open and turned out, in a slightly reclined posture. He hovers gracefully over the Clave wall and, in what his audience doesn't yet understand to be an incredibly uncommon sight, settles on the ground a nonthreatening distance away from Buojrez and the others.

"I am Nizq Ænowt. The Prelate has requested my assistance here, so yes, I am here with the full support, indeed, at the direction of The Order.

Sorry for arriving so unexpectedly, but my instructions were to hurry here with all due haste. I understand that you wouldn't have received word of my assignment and endorsement by the Prelate until the arrival of your next shipment from Yenth. I brought the letter I received, glad to let you read it."

Nizq slowly slips his hand inside his open coat to retrieve the letter from an internal pocket.

Earlier...

"It was the strangest thing! I found myself in a place where it was just a rounded space, yet I could not touch the walls or floor, and there was no opening and no sound. But there was an oily rag upon the floor," she extends the stained square of silk she had found there, "and when I touched it, I was back here!  I am most thankful to be back, and not stuck there forever."  She smiles, an unpleasant expression as most of hers are, but her tone is very sincere.

She'll listen with fascination as they explain what they've learned about Dan, going next to the language pillar to talk to him.  "Well, I'm sorry to have startled you, but it seems you've had a worse day than most of us.  I am not certain how to get you home, but you are welcome to our clave. Abilities like yours can be very useful indeed.  Perhaps we can learn each other's languages, so we don't need this pillar all the time."

--

As the clave grows, Zalbane focuses on making a communications network to Yenth, so that they aren't reliant on just physical messengers, as well as exploring outside the clave to see if there are any other settlements, tribes, clans, homesteaders, ruins, or aught else of interest in their new home.

When Nizq shows up during one of Zalbane's stretches whilst working inside the clave, she gives him a hearty wave.  "<rose>Of course!  Come in, we are pleased to have you and to hear from the prelate.  I am Zalbane, Alberic, Buojrez, Mhari, Nalla, and a found-folk called Dan are here as well, as are the Ingrev family, who help us make the clave so much better.

OOC: I dunno the names of the family of workers, so I made up a name for now.

"Fascinating." Alberic regards the rag with some interest. "Wait - when you say you couldn't touch the walls, do you mean you couldn't reach them, or your hand went through them?" He glances up, briefly, before returning his attention to the rag. "Oh, and it's good to have you back, by the way. Now, this rag... why did it teleport you back here? Is there anything special about it? At the very least, I think we can rule out the exigen who brought me here..." He pushes back his hat, so that his left eye - the blue orb - can study the rag. Inside his body, there is the sound of a fan starting up, and a faint smell of warm solder as he studies it.


Alberic will activate Sense "Magic", and apply three levels of Effort to study the oily rag and see if there is anything about esoteric or unusual about its properties.

07:49, Today: Alberic rolled 13 using 1d20.  Investigate oily rag. Three levels of Intellect Effort. No assets or Skills.

I suspect that there's nothing special about it, but it would be good to know. This is the third example of someone touching something and suddenly being teleported - a crystal, a snake-man's hand, an oily rag...

After a moment, Alberic straightens up, and puffs thoughtfully on his pipe, producing a cloud of dark, aniseed scented smoke. "Well, I'll be. That's not just any old rag: it's a cypher - recently used. The snake-chap must have had it in his hand, and when you touched it, off you went. Touching it again must have ended the effect. It would explain why none of the rest of us could follow: it wasn't the snake chap's hand at all. And that oil is whatever they sprayed at Dan. Not sure if it's part of the effect, or just something that made it harder to get away..."

Nizq casually and confidently lifts off in a typical "Superman" posture, flies around Buojrez, gives a nod to Mhari 'Stormbolt' and Alberic, and glides closer to where Zalbane is working to better view the apparatus.

"Thank you, Zalbane. What are you working on? That looks interesting. Do you need any help with that? I wonder if we might try routing the output module through AND back around the array dispenser..."

While they work, Nizq tells Zalbane the story of his journey up the Wyr river to the Clave, with a focus on relating any ruins or signs of local people he encountered along the way.

Earlier...

In response to Alberic's questions about the non-space Zalbane had been, she explains, "It looked like it was close, but I wasn't actually touching it and could not touch it when I tried, though it didn't seem to move away from my hand.  It was most peculiar, and not someplace I would have wanted to stay for long.  But you are welcome to examine this cloth if you think it will give us any insight into people appears and disappearing around here.  Did we get Volk back?"

--

Later...

"Nizq, I'm doing a little exploring around the area and also working with these pruzz," she says, holding up a pale pink fuzzy creature about the size of her finger, long and thin, with three pairs of translucent wings, with a very thin synth cylinder attached to its abdomen.  "Yenth has a hive of pruzz too, and now that they know that there's good food there, as well as people who will buzz at them and have the right smell, they can carry messages for us back and forth a lot faster than someone on foot or even a rider.  We can use some thin leaves I've found for paper for now, but when the dossi get here, we can use their shed scales, split, instead.  Oh, and they like to be petted, the pruzz.  Just make sure you don't have any dark green on you, or they won't leave you alone."

She'll show Nizq and any one who wishes a rough map she's made of the surrounding area.

"There's a set of ruins about a half-day's travel to the northeast. I've found some cyphers in there, and some signs of something haven't been there recently, but what precisely I couldn't say.  So those could be a good place to explore further for some resources.  And about five miles due west there's a place that looks like it's been used by nomads several times, though not recently.  Fire rings, piles of wood, that sort of stuff.  Wouldn't take more than an hour and a half to get there, so if these nomads come back and perhaps are hunting, we'd likely run into them.  Maybe we can rig some kind of alarm for us if they come back, just so we know when they've returned?  Not necessarily a priority, but a thought.  Oh, and more of those areas we found on the journey here, like places had been clear cut by something, but had grown back, some newer and some older.  Might be worth it to see if we can find the most recent path some day and figure out where the cutting thing is going to," she explains.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:27, Sun 29 Nov 2020.

Buojrez will look at the map. "Best to know if there are raiders about. Maybe some game trails too. Happy to help."