You are all in a large room. A robot is at the front of the room. "Thank you for gathering here promptly as scheduled," it says in a pleasant voice. "Welcome to the first gathering of The Cloister Expedition Team."

"Grigori, since most of the facts surrounding the existence of The Cloister are lost to history, you are particularly suited to this team."

"Anchorite Tearful, your work Outside The Ziggurat, as well as your special skillset, make you particularly suited to this team."

"Aesop, your origin Outside The Ziggurat, as well as your special skillset, make you particularly suited to this team."

"The Duke, your... special skillset... makes you no less suited to this team than to any other team you might possibly be on... and may also offer unique opportunities."

"Are there any questions before we continue on to the next step...? Anyone...? Anyone...?"

Aesop looked down at the flimsy robot, his golden eyes glowed slightly as they focused on the machine. He could just breath on it and it would crumble. Sitting still as a statue while the robot gave its explanation, only his eyes followed it. As the robot paused to ask if anyone had questions the giant lion just shook his manes, stretched his back and laid down. He closed his eyes and his warm breath filled the room as he exhaled. A low rumbling purr could be heard. There seemed to be no questions coming from him.

"Mmmm... most interesting the existence of the cloister. It is a legendary place, lost to the mists of history and certainly full of ancient, rare, and curious knowledge that we've lost touch in entirely. If</b> it is real of course." Grigori starts to pace back and forth, "And while I am an obvious choice for an expedition as such, I do have my own... deficiencies. It seems as though you've brought together the right sort to make up for my shortfalls." He waves one hand absentmindedly at the gathered group of kinetically gifted compadres that have gathered in the room. "But I must ask, and only because ther are at least," He holds both hands up and stares in to them, wracking his brain and lifting a finger each time he mumbles a name, "six equally well qualified historians of the Ziggurat, each with their own expertise. Are we a lone expedition or one of many ventures to increase the odds of success?"

He stops pacing and looks at the robot, six fingers still held aloft on hands held out in front of him. "If I recall the latest, most comprehensive-textual review and analysis, there are several schools of thought regarding The Cloister...."

"You are a lone expedition."



(Keep going. I will allow Grigori to state up to seven things about The Cloister. The robot will confirm that-- as far as The Ziggurat knows-- one is NOT true, will confirm that one IS true, and the others will be left in doubt.)

"... it is fairly well said that they were a fork at the breaking of the planet, but who lives there is up for debate. Some believe the place is populated with a branch of humanity that had transcended to the point that they communicate without words, their art is a performance of visuo-audio-olfactory hallucination created by pods of "singers" who project psychic energy. Others claim it was a refuge for the wealthy, administered by machine and populated by those who knew nothing but leisure. Those whisper that the breaking was not so inevitable, but an excuse to escape the rabble." Girogri raises a conspiratorial eyebrow with a theatrical turn as he continues to expound on rumors that run across library tables deep in the Ziggurat's innards.

"There's a rumor that it's on the polar opposite of the planet, a strong line of energy running through the two the only thing holding the planet together, though the evidence isn't strong, and I've seen the primary sources, they're nearly to faded to be scrutable. Several madmen have babbled that there is a machine from the cloister that's put the sun back to the sky. The men who speak them have eyes that roll like marbles, and they're invariably consumed by mania, but the stories are remarkably consistent across decades. I think perhaps the most wondrous thing I've heard, though, is that a tree that exists that drops a seed twice a year that will double a man's lifespan." Grigori scratches at his beard, and stares into space for a long moment before reanimating and punctuating his next point with an upraised finger, "But the evidence isn't ever good or consistent enough to put into any respectable paper, it's more the provenance of pulp histories and vanity press. I don't know that I'd give it too much credence."

The Duke though used to be the biggest thing in a room now isn't this confuses the poor Duke that tries to comprehend just how a kitty has gotten so big. Maybe if he crushed it it would be small again so he could pet it? But the moment his intent to smash the big kitty into a small kitty crosses his mind Foers his imaginary friend gets mad yelling at him for being bad to a friend and to those near to him the audible crack of an electric discharge breaks his silence as The Duke grabs his head and stumbles away from Aesop. The duke ignores the whole robot as he mutters an apology to the big kitty.

"The Duke is sorry. The Duke just wanted to make you a small kitty to pet. Foers don't want you to be little kitty so The Duke is sorry."

With that out of the way The Duke looks around the room ignoring the waterfall of words that is Grigori and starts to look for some tasty treat op his left nose hole while humming some of tune song. He wondered why he was called here if nobody was dangerous. Hopefully not to listen to the talkyman. Pulling his finger from his nose to inspect the green throphy  for a second he sighs and puts it in his mouth.

"Thank you, Grigori," says the robot. "Allow me to add the input of The Ziggurat."

Grigori's theories become projected on the wall (in the form of written sentences) in front of the group:

1. The place is populated with a branch of humanity that had transcended to the point that they communicate without words; their art is a performance of visuo-audio-olfactory hallucination created by pods of "singers" who project psychic energy.

2. It was a refuge for the wealthy, administered by machine and populated by those who knew nothing but leisure. The breaking was not so inevitable, but an excuse to escape the rabble.

3. It's on the polar opposite of the planet, a strong line of energy running through the two the only thing holding the planet together.

4. There is a machine from the cloister that can put the sun back to the sky.

5. A tree that exists that drops a seed twice a year that will double a man's lifespan.

"The knowledge of The Ziggurat, which is slightly greater than the sum total of all the knowledge to which you have personally had access, can confirm that theory #3 is almost certainly not true. Firstly, The Ziggurat is not located at the planet's magnetic pole. Secondly, the records we have access to suggests that the plans for The Cloister were that it be built closer to The Ziggurat than the opposite side of the planet. Put the two pieces of information together, and it suggests that theory #3 may-- in all likely probability-- be safely dismissed."

"The theory that has the most truth to it is #2. Early on, The Cloister was in fact to be built by pooling the vast resources of those with above-average wealth-- quadrillionaires and their families, and, presumably, their servants and other retainers. The Ziggurat was to be for everyone else. Of course, it was also presumed that The Cloister was either never actually built, or was built but destroyed, but recent evidence suggests strongly that these may not have been the case."

"As for your other theories, there is too little evidence to confirm nor rule out #1-- one can merely observe that the designation 'human' has had many, many, many, many variations over the last five-or-more-billion years."

"The same is true for #5, but it must be said that it is perfectly plausible. Indeed, the existence of a tree which survives Outside The Ziggurat at all is less likely than the possibility that a tree with such properties might, at some time in the past, have been created."

"As for #4, again, there is too little evidence to confirm that theory nor to rule it out-- but it is an extremely interesting theory, is it not? Such technology could be very good to know about."

"...Are there any other questions...? Anyone...? Anyone...?"

The Anchorite watched as the massive man tried to interact with Aesop, and was measuredly pleased that the cat had no need of any excess protection. The juggernaut may indeed be useful outside, but his impulses may make him dangerous.

Reading the factual analysis of the intended place of exploration made the Anchorite quirk an eyebrow just a little, and her follow-up question was asked softly from beneath the dark purple hood of her robes.

"Are we even aware if life is currently present in the Cloister? And... As a question required by my superiors... I assume there is leeway for the Church to gain possible artifacts if any of religious natures are to be found?"

"Do we have independent proof of that, Anchorite Tearful? No, we do not... we only have the message we have received, which claims that there are humans there now. 'Humans,' more than one, was one of the few details of the message that was clear. And the message was coded legitimately, as much as anyone could hope for, so..." The robot spread its hands widely.



"Some of your superiors have already asked that question through private channels, and the answer is in the affirmative-- the Church does indeed, as you suggest, stand to gain if such finds are discovered... keeping in mind that the humans of The Cloister may have a prior claim that they wish to enforce on such items..."

Aesop opens one large golden eye and looks at Anchorite. A deep voice comes from the ashen lion. “Friend wants a toy? I can help friend.”
He rises up on his haunches and starts licking his front paw indifferently. It’s like the cat is pointedly ignoring the robot..

The words seemed to trigger a new subroutine of thought in the robot. "Well then... If there are no further questions..."

The robot wheeled itself to a nearby panel, and it pushed a button. The entire wall started to rise upward, so that there was room for even Aesop to move into the adjacent room. "If you would all step this way? You may choose to take a certain amount of equipment with you from this room. Of course if any of you think of any further questions in the meantime, please feel free to voice them."

The next room contained long counters filled with weapons, equipment, useful kits, clothes, and much more.

(You may each choose three classes' worth of STUFF, as explained in the STUFF thread. A simple, functional item like a basic jumpsuit is Class 0, which is to say free. Kits are Class 1. Aesop may choose extra stuff to be carried or used by Anchorite Tearful, or Aesop can be fitted with saddlebags, or just a pack around his neck.

Rations of food and water will be provided for free by The Ziggurat.)
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:46, Tue 10 Dec 2019.

Grigor walks into the rich room, spreading his arms out wide, palms upturned, as he takes the room in. Long fingers run through racks of satin, leather, and brocade.

"What a place this is...." Grigor says to nobody in particular. "A piteous lack of tomes, but a wonder nonetheless." He comes to a table of explosives and tarries only for a moment before moving on to the more 'sensible' self-defense devices. He picks up a shock baton and twirls it between to fingers as he continues to browse.

"What have we here?" He asks as he comes to a rack of tough canvas ensembles. He picks out a jumpsuit whose skin shimmers with color just past describing. He digs through the pockets and packs strapped to it, nodding and humming approval to himself as he does.

A weapon catches his eye and he slides the shock baton into the pack on his suit, hefting the weapon with a 'non-lethal' emblem on its side. He raises it to inspect it in the light, and as he does, notices the vehicles hulking in formation on one side of the room. He walks over to the QuadWalker, and holds his gun up to its side, "You know, the combination of technologies often proves to be greater than the sum of its parts."

(OOC: I'll take
1. Shock Baton - Class 0
2. Cataloguerer's clothes - Class 2 - canvas jumpsuit - Research Kit
3. Stunner Pistol - Class 1 - One-handed, stun, close/far
4. Quad Walker - Class 0

I would think about mounting a stun rifle (or other kind of gun) on the QuadWalker if we think we will mostly be in vehicles, and I'll be driving one of them, otherwise I'll probably keep it loose.

The Duke was excited like a kid in a toy store. He ignored the clothing he did after all already have clothes on. If the old rags could be considered that. Then he picks up a massive launcher and utters a pleased sound  but a second later drops it in favor of a power slegde he actually hits a rack of pistols with making it all scatter over the floor. There was a really violent kid in the toystore indeed. But one clear thing was coming up. The Dukes attention span was to low to keep hauling those big items. The only things that stay on even while trying all the other stuff was a pair of Impact Gloves. Mean nasty things that do not fall to the ground when released. Its evident The Duke will most likely carry what hasn't fallen off by the time he leaves the place. Wich at this moment are a fancy looking backpack that has a tag reading. 'survival gear' and those gloves. But who knows what else might stick before he leaves.

Aesop looks at the gear he cannot use himself, but also doesn’t need and yawns. If anyone but Anchorite asks him to put on stuff to carry stuff for the party he’ll give them a death glare. He is no mule, he does not serve.

Seeing all the things on the shelves triggers a strange longing in the back of his head to push things off, but once Duke starts to wreck shop he ignores it and instead watches the show indifferently.

(I'm fine with Grigori's choices.

I will also point out that we could also use the modifiers like Glove or Visor or maybe Rig to make wearable tools for Aesop. Mittens of Death or a Visor or Harness of doing something a kit could do. Or Lion-Armor.)

I think, based on how the Monster playbook is written, Aesop wouldn’t even think about needing extra protection. Nothing is stronger than he is, he can destroy armies on his own. Besides, he’s a cat, and too proud to even consider the thought of needing help.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:46, Wed 11 Dec 2019.