Board Thread:The Mech Bay Bar'n'Grill/@comment-24930445-20140526230330/@comment-24930445-20140610044144

"Don't get too close," Ben cautioned. "You don't want to get caught in those arcs."

Kat looked around the room, not sure what she had been expecting. Whatever it was, it wasn't this. The walls were bare of adornment of any kind, a stark contrast to the rich symbolism in the chambers they had seen up until now. Scorch marks covered the walls and floor, but not from flames. They looked more like long random laser burns had been traced across every surface. The room was square, but rotated forty-five degrees from the rest of the building. The entrance where Kat stood was at the south corner of the room. Jarrid carefully moved off to Kat's left and Sandy was at the east corner to her right. Ben was on the far side of the room at the north corner. All three of them had hand-held scanners out and there was no question what they were directing them at. One look at the center of the room and Kat pulled out her own scanner as well.

In the center of the sunken floor was a pedestal, about half a meter high and two meters across. The scorch marks on the walls, random though they seemed, all seemed to converge there. The pedestal itself glowed, a halo of light making it difficult to tell what color it was or what it was made of. Suddenly, an arc of electricity shot from the device and crawled along the floor, the top of the arc climbing higher into the air the closer the end got to Kat. The bolt lasted for barely half a second but Kat suddenly understood what Ben had been warning her about. A fresh scorch mark graced the floor where the arc had passed.

"Huh… Electricity dinnae usually do tha’," she breathed, realizing she had jumped back about three feet.

"Not in my experience," Jarrid agreed. "Damn thing's on the ground. If it was static it would have all discharged by now."

"They're slowing down," Sandy told her. "Was going almost non-stop when we came in. It's down to one about every minute or so now."

"We've gotta get Korbin in here," Kat said, stepping back to her former position.

"I'll find him," Jarrid closed his scanner and stepped back towards the entryway behind Kat. "Not like anyone else is gonna," she heard him grumble as he passed and she chuckled softly.

The glow around the pedestal was fading, Kat noticed as she picked her way carefully around the outside of the chamber towards Sandy. Ben was doing the same across from her and the three of them came together in Sandy’s corner of the room.

“This wha’ we’re lookin’ for?” Kat never took her eye from the device.

“Looks like it,” Ben nodded. He pointed upward and Kat risked a glance in that direction, realizing the chamber was open to the sky. The ashy clouds above were swirling counter clockwise. She looked back down and suddenly observed that the pedestal was not unadorned. Etchings of the same style as in the outer chamber were carefully arranged in a single row on the top edge of the device. Kat unconsciously stepped forward to get a better look before Ben reached out and grabbed her shoulder. “Let’s give it another few minutes. If there’s another arc you don’t want to be standing next to it.”

She nodded absently, then crouched on the floor, using her new position to try and pick out the details of the etchings. She got the distinct impression that, though it appeared to be the same work as the man in the foyer, there was something different. “I hae ta get closer t’be sure, but he dinnae use th’ same tools as th’stone in th’ walls.”

Suddenly, she glanced up to Ben. “Think yer still connected? Its been a while since we’ve tried it.”

Ben looked confused for a moment before realization dawned on him. “Not sure I could initiate it on my own, but we can give it a try.”

She smiled softly. “I gotcha. Remember, I’ve had ten years o’ practice wi’ this shit.” Her attention was snapped away as Korbin rushed into the room from the entryway Kat had arrived by. He had nearly made it to the pedestal before Jarrid followed and pulled him back abruptly.

At that same instant, Kat stood, held out her hand and screamed “Stop! Damnit Korbin. This ain’t sumthin y’wanna b’fuckin wi’. Stop fer a moment an’ gi’ it a study from there, will ya?”

Jarrid and Korbin stepped back to a safe distance and Jarrid gasped for air through his breather, leaning on the scientist. “You’re faster than you look, you know that? Don’t make me run in this thing.”

“I brought an imager,” Korbin said helpfully, not sure yet what they were so worried about. A fresh arc from the device cleared it up for him.

Shaking her head, Kat returned to her crouch and her study of the pedestal. “Y’got a recorder, Ben...Sandy? Imager won’t do it. Y’aint gonna like it, but I wanna try somethin an we need a recordin o’ it.”

Ben nodded, pushing some buttons on his scanner and handing it out to her. “Just audio?”

“Aye.. but hae Sandy hold it. Ain’t sure wha’s gonna happen an’ it would b’safer in her hands.” She glanced up at Ben, confidence in her eye despite her words.

Ben nodded and handed the scanner to Sandy, his hand lingering against hers as she took it. “Remind me to tell you about this when its over,” he told her before hunkering down on the floor with Kat.

Kat, smiled, then shifted her position so she was sitting cross legged on the floor, her hands resting softly on her knees. Breathing deeply, she closed her eye and hung her head. She sat like that for several moments, the sound of her breath and the occasional electrical discharge the only thing recorded.

Her fingers flexed, as she reached her mind out to Ben’s. It wasn’t as easy as it had been before. He seemed reluctant at first, but within moments, the familiar feel of her in his head made him relax.

Once she felt him solidify, she let them drift through time. When she found the right point they needed to be, she softly began to speak, though the language as well as the voice she used was not one that had been known by those surrounding her. Only later, would she be able to translate what she had been telling them though she would be unable to explain the voice.

_______________________________

~Translated from recordings taken on Scott’s World in the power chamber temple.~

~Katrylle Morghan:  “They’re not happy. The kňazi (priests), they are sure the Wiveni úbožiak (wretch) are coming. We will all be dead by the descent of Teplo z neba (warmth of sky).”

~Jarrid Pallin: “Ah damn. I hate it when she does this. It gets all weird. What is she saying? Anyone understand her?”

''~Dr. Korbin:'' “That language sounds vaguely slavic. Is she in some sort of trance? I don’t think she ever mentioned speaking another language.

~Jarrid Pallin: “She speaks them all the time. She can swear in about six, most of them ancient. But she’s got some kind of psychic powers. Ben used to get dragged along on a pretty regular basis, whether he wanted to go or not.” ::laughter::

''~Dr. Korbin:'' “I’m not positive of the language. The dialect is odd. We’ll have to translate when we get back to the Vextis.”



~Benjamin Stinel:  “I can see eight men. Four are in the corners, four in the center of each wall. They wear hooded robes, all a different shade of blues or purples. On their waists, wide pearlized white sashes adorned with intricate and delicate stitching with the ends hanging neatly down their right legs. There’s a stone at the knot of the sash… black… its depths containing the colors... swirling… matches the ones at their throats.”

~Jarrid Pallin: “At least we can understand him.”

~Benjamin Stinel: “They have their hoods back and I can see their faces. Their skin is dark gray… not black like a Drow, but burnt ash. There are markings, almost like tattoos, but not quite right...”

~Katrylle Morghan: “Black birthmarks claiming them as kňazi nearly from their mother’s womb. Each swirl or mark a representation of religion and tribe. Oh my god. Their eyes are so beautiful. Like dancing lightning. Brilliant blue.”

~Benjamin Stinel:  “They don’t have ears, not really. The birthing marks, there is a pattern around openings in the sides of their head. They have piercings protruding around where a human ear would be. The studs seem to follow the markings around the opening.

~Katrylle Morghan: “The piercings, the amount determine the rank of the kňazi; the more metal, the higher the placement in the order.”

~Sandra Little: “She’s looking up and over her left shoulder as if someone is standing there. Why is she smiling?”

~Benjamin Stinel: “She’s looking at one of the men. He’s standing right next to her and he’s dressed differently than the others. The others don’t seem happy with him.”

~Katrylle Morghan:  Its Volanyn, the stone cutter. He’s one of the kňazi. Such a gentle soul.” ::laughter::  “And such a rebel. He wears his robes differently. No hood or sleeves; they hinder his work. Pants instead of a full robe under and he leaves his… no.. not robe, long coat… he leaves it open so he can remove it while he is creating. Its what he calls it, creating. The others, they do not care for his methods, but his art is beyond compare so they tolerate.”

~Sandra Little: “She’s holding her hand out to him. Is she touching him?”

~Benjamin Stinel: “They aren’t aware of us.”



~Katrylle Morghan: “We can wait no longer, bratku (brother). The vchod (portal) must be closed! We have lost so many to the Wiveni. This is our only chance at their defeat. If they arrive, it will be far too late and we shall all perish.”

~Benjamin Stinel: “It’s like he’s trying to convince them of something… He’s fighting for his cause.”

~Katrylle Morghan: “He’s telling them to close the portal before the Wiveni come through. ‘They’ve already taken control of our národ (nation, people). They turn on us more and more each day. Soon, there will be none.’ They hear his words and agree to his plan.

~Katrylle Morghan: “The Spasiteľ (Redeemer)…  They shall retrieve it from its place of hiding. I must hurry to place the podstavec (dias, pedestal) within its home.”

~Benjamin Stinel: “He’s leaving. The others are moving to that wall. Something there, hidden. A door. There’s a room over there. Jarrid, can you find the opening?”



~Jarrid Pallin: “There’s nothing here. The wall is solid.”

~Benjamin Stinel: “That’s not right. There’s a switch about shoulder height. An indentation?”

~Jarrid Pallin: “I think I hav…..”

~Katrylle Morghan: “Kiež všetky naše tajomstvá vyjdú na svetlo (May all our secrets come to light)”

''::movement of stone. Scuffling::''

~Jarrid Pallin: “Uhh… That wasn’t me.”

''~Dr. Korbin:''  “Let me in there. Oh…  my….”

~Katrylle Morghan: “Volanyn returns. He has the podstavec. He’s praying. ‘Matka Vykupiteľa, počuje naše prosby. Chráňte nás pred cur, ktorí hľadajú našu skazu’ (Mother Redeemer, hear our pleas. Protect us from the cur who seek our destruction)”

~Benjamin Stinel: “They have the artifact. They’re bringing it to the pedestal. Its a cube, like Lawrence has been building. Bigger though.”

~Katrylle Morghan: “I need to get closer. I need to see the venovanie (dedication, inscription). I need to draw it so we have a record.”

~Benjamin Stinel: “Paper, someone get her something to draw with. Hurry!”



~Jarrid Pallin: “Kat. Here.”



~Jarrid Pallin: “She’s not taking it, Ben.”

~Benjamin Stinel: “Kat, there’s paper in front of you now.”


 * movement::

~Jarrid Pallin: “Ok. She’s got it.. Wait! Kat!”



~Jarrid Pallin: “It didn’t touch her. It… Its all around her, but she’s not touched.”

~Benjamin Stinel: “She’s okay. Serene even.”

~Katrylle Morghan: :: unknown muttering::

~Jarrid Pallin: “Will you look at that? Someone get a vid on that. She’s not going to believe it. Its like she has a shield around her.”

~Sandra Little: “Doc, where’d you put that imager?”

''~Dr. Korbin:'' ::muffled:: “This is incredible! It’s a treasure trove!”

~Jarrid Pallin: “I’ve got it. Recording. Hope she has plenty of conditioner.” ::laughter::

~Katrylle Morghan: ::indistinguishable muttering. indistinguishable chanting::

~Jarrid Pallin: “Is she singing?”

~Benjamin Stinel: “They all are. It seems to be a ceremony, maybe to introduce the artifact to the pedestal. They’re lowing the cube down now.”

~Katrylle Morghan: ::chanting louder:: ‘Matka Vykupiteľa, počuje naše prosby. Chráňte nás pred cur, ktorí hľadajú našu skazu’ (Mother Redeemer, hear our pleas. Protect us from the cur who seek our destruction),  ‘Matka Vykupiteľa, počuje naše prosby. Chráňte nás pred cur, ktorí hľadajú našu skazu’ (Mother Redeemer, hear our pleas. Protect us from the cur who seek our destruction), ‘Matka Vykupiteľa, počuje naše prosby. Chráňte nás pred cur, ktorí hľadajú našu skazu’ (Mother Redeemer, hear our pleas. Protect us from the cur who seek our destruction)”

~Jarrid Pallin: “She’s got a pretty good voice. Wait. Its stopped. The lightning show. She’s still drawing, but there’s nothing around her now.”

~Benjamin Stinel: “They’ve seated the cube. I'm not sure if something was supposed to happen or not. They seem to be ending their ceremony. The other men are filing out, but the stonecutter is staying.”

~Katrylle Morghan: “Volanyn is content. All is as it should be now. ‘Show them, little mačka (cat). Make sure they understand what they have loosed on their worlds. You are protector now, mačka. Reunite the Spasite’ (Redeemer) and stone or the Wiveni will command and destroy all in their path.”

~Benjamin Stinel: “He’s looking at her. I think he actually sees her and he’s talking to her.”

~Katrylle Morghan: “Volanyn, we will bring your podstavec (dias, pedestal) with us. The damage must be undone, but our magics are stronger now. We will search for Spasiteľ and the two shall be mated as one again, this I promise, veliteľ.”



~Sandra Little: “She’s sitting. She’s rolled the paper up and she’s sitting against the pedestal. Is it over?”

~Katrylle Morghan: “Aye, tis over. Shut that bloody recorder off. Jarrid, I swear if any o’tha’ vid gits oot, I’m comin fer ya.”

~End transcript~