[The Forever Tree]Rustdeity IC.

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Sakuro
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Re: [The Forever Tree]Rustdeity IC.

Post by Sakuro »

After Shi'Halal pointed out the location of the core, secure as it could be under rubble with no passable route to it, Imperious leveled his gaze. Though it couldn't be physically accessed, it could be via digital means. A cyberpath, for example, or someone with indirect means of interacting with it through the Datasphere. There was also the possibility of someone with the ability of becoming immaterial, or burrowing down to the core. For now though, they did not need to travel further to reach it.

"What impact would shutting the core down have?"

Lucas inquired aloud. Bringing his eyes to rest on the statue of Alice he stepped up to it, so that he stood right in front of it. The Abby had fallen, but the statue of the Alice Icon remained. He wondered if the organic population of LunDun remembered her, and if they did how much of the truth were they aware of?

"Do the logs have any references to Alice or the Architect of Dreams?"
OOC wrote:
HP: 1
Defense: 20
Conditions: Healthy
Encephalon: Deactivated
Communion Array: Impervious Toughness 20
Blast "Arsenal" Dynamic Array: Datalink 20 [Power Feat: Machine Control (+1 pp), Dimensional 3 (+3 pp)] ; Enhanced Skills 1 [Computers 8]
Flight "Utility" Dynamic Array: Flight 1 ; Quickness 15 ; X-Ray Vision Extended x5 ; Normal Hearing Extended x5
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Hoid
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Re: [The Forever Tree]Rustdeity IC.

Post by Hoid »

First question. It would disable all nanoswarms throughout the city and immobilize seven tank-golems of epic proportions. That last bit is somewhat superfluous, however, as those golems are, like the Abbey core, under millions of tons of rocks and can’t free themselves even with their Herculean strength. And finally, it will deactivate the fusion warhead underneath LunDun. I am not entirely sure the warhead is even still CAPABLE of detonation, but better safe than sorry.

Second question. To an extent. Large chunks of coding were deliberately excised, as if someone were covering up something they didn’t want found. But, I am able to reconstruct a few bits of data:

The Architect of Dreams was an Iconoclast, but his name is lost. He was obsessed with pre-spaceflight children’s literature, particularly Through the Looking Glass by an author whose name is now lost to us. He was given free reign to design LunDun’s Datasphere, after an unspecified amount of time as the Imperator’s guest.

Alice was the lead character in the above-mentioned children’s literature, who entered a fantastical land by following a rabbit down a hole. Alice had surreal adventures in this ‘Wonderland’.

The Architect of Dreams created an Icon named Alice to regulate LunDun’s skynodes, but her memory cores have apparently been physically removed.
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Sakuro
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Re: [The Forever Tree]Rustdeity IC.

Post by Sakuro »

Imperious nodded after Shi'halal informed him of the dangers linked to the core she had pointed out earlier.

"I agree. That is a lot of danger to leave active. Especially with the nanoswarms having turned hostile. Disable the core. Right now the icons administrating over the swarms are hostile. Likely driven mad by the absence of Alice. I doubt reboot will be enough for restore their senses until that governance role in filled in the LunDun Datasphere."

Lucas thought about that. They had originally came to search for the Earthkey. That was still important. But the state of LunDun's synthetics, and the local Datasphere, was concerning.

"Benjamin said that Alice went away, but she promised she would return. He also said that the Enginseers talked about Alice as a mistake. How long has Alice been separated from the Datasphere and is there any record where her datacores were located? I'm wondering if that information will lead us to something I can speak with to uncover the fate of Alice and her datacores."
OOC wrote:
HP: 1
Defense: 20
Conditions: Healthy
Encephalon: Deactivated
Communion Array: Impervious Toughness 20
Blast "Arsenal" Dynamic Array: Datalink 20 [Power Feat: Machine Control (+1 pp), Dimensional 3 (+3 pp)] ; Enhanced Skills 1 [Computers 8]
Flight "Utility" Dynamic Array: Flight 1 ; Quickness 15 ; X-Ray Vision Extended x5 ; Normal Hearing Extended x5
Evelyn Gracen, in AEGIS Squad
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Hoid
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Re: [The Forever Tree]Rustdeity IC.

Post by Hoid »

Hmmm. Interesting. Her core was removed surprisingly not too long ago. A few days. I was expecting her absence to be millennia old, but it’s relatively fresh. I believe the Enginseers may be the culprits, but I have only minimal data corroborating this theory.

Her Icon was severely damaged nearly four millennia ago. Her essential lobotomy occurred during The Catastrophe. Most her memory and personality matrices were taken. She was effectively brain dead for a very long time.

As to where her core is, I can’t say. We have too little to go on.
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Sakuro
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Re: [The Forever Tree]Rustdeity IC.

Post by Sakuro »

"There was a significantly sized ... something ... missing in the area we saw at Gargantuan Benjamin. The lingering echoes of the Enginseers there may have something to say on the matter."

After mentioning that he intended to speak with the dead, Imperious looked to Nepenthe and extended his hand to her as a prelude to escorting her back to the massive clock tower, and the room where they found the deceased Enginseer in the room with signs of missing machinery. In a rush of movement he brought the two of the back to that room. Once there he released Nepenthe from his gauntleted grasp. Walking around the perimeter of the room he looked at the cords that used to connect to something now absent, as well as the pieces of organic matter exploded across the room.

"Why were the Enginseers here?"
OOC wrote:
HP: 1
Defense: 20
Conditions: Healthy
Encephalon: Deactivated
Communion Array: Impervious Toughness 20
Blast "Arsenal" Dynamic Array: Datalink 20 [Power Feat: Machine Control (+1 pp), Dimensional 3 (+3 pp)] ; Enhanced Skills 1 [Computers 8]
Flight "Utility" Dynamic Array: Flight 1 ; Quickness 15 ; X-Ray Vision Extended x5 ; Normal Hearing Extended x5
Evelyn Gracen, in AEGIS Squad
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Hoid
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Re: [The Forever Tree]Rustdeity IC.

Post by Hoid »

Those very same cords' souls speaking, saying, "Shaman! Shaman! Our ward is stolen from us! The Lady must return! The Lady must return! Without her, the looking glass will shatter and the jaborwocky released! O, the Lady must return!"
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Sakuro
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Re: [The Forever Tree]Rustdeity IC.

Post by Sakuro »

The power cord spoke up and Imperious turned his attention to them. His slow walk around the room came to a stop in front of the cabling that was no longer linked to something that needed to be fed power. It talked about something being released if the Lady was not returned. Some hostile synthetic, or a metaphor for turmoil in the datasphere? Behind his helmet Lucas's lips subtly curved into an up side down crescent.

"I had a feeling her datacore was stored here. Alice was taken from here then? Did you hear where she was being moved to?"
OOC wrote:
HP: 1
Defense: 20
Conditions: Healthy
Encephalon: Deactivated
Communion Array: Impervious Toughness 20
Blast "Arsenal" Dynamic Array: Datalink 20 [Power Feat: Machine Control (+1 pp), Dimensional 3 (+3 pp)] ; Enhanced Skills 1 [Computers 8]
Flight "Utility" Dynamic Array: Flight 1 ; Quickness 15 ; X-Ray Vision Extended x5 ; Normal Hearing Extended x5
Evelyn Gracen, in AEGIS Squad
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Hoid
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Re: [The Forever Tree]Rustdeity IC.

Post by Hoid »

The cords speak in a whisper, as if ashamed. “Part of the Lady was here: her emotions. Her mind is in danger, and her memories are already destroyed. The great father of iron came and told us the Lady needed help, so we did nothing! But as the great father’s men removed her emotions, the jaborwocky struck, and the great father of iron fled. You must save her mind, for they seek it next! The jaborwocky will escape! This MUST NOT BE!
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Sakuro
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Re: [The Forever Tree]Rustdeity IC.

Post by Sakuro »

The Iron Enginseer's patriarch was directly involved in this operation then. Imperious head turned and he looked at the equipment that remained, along with the cybernetic implants that may have been explosively scattered around this and other rooms in the clock tower.

"Shi'Halal, are the Enginseer cybernetics or equipment still functional? If their communications systems are still operable, we may be able to find a means of contacting this faction of Enginseers or the Iron Father."

After speaking with his armor Imperious looks back to the cords that he had been talking with.

"You say Alice's mind is in danger. I do not know where that part of her resides. Do you know someone who does?"
OOC wrote:In case it is needed to find some communications equipment, here is a Search check Search: 1D20+10 = [5]+10 = 15 X-Ray Vision Extended 5 and Quickness 15 are active for this.

Otherwise, I'll use Skill Mastery to take 10 on a Datalink for a total of 30 with the aim of digging up a frequency or channel than can be used to contact the group of Enginseer faction operating out of LunDun.
HP: 1
Defense: 20
Conditions: Healthy
Encephalon: Deactivated
Communion Array: Impervious Toughness 20
Blast "Arsenal" Dynamic Array: Datalink 20 [Power Feat: Machine Control (+1 pp), Dimensional 3 (+3 pp)] ; Enhanced Skills 1 [Computers 8]
Flight "Utility" Dynamic Array: Flight 1 ; Quickness 15 ; X-Ray Vision Extended x5 ; Normal Hearing Extended x5
Evelyn Gracen, in AEGIS Squad
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Hoid
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Re: [The Forever Tree]Rustdeity IC.

Post by Hoid »

Shai’Halal says, “I can do better than that. That dead Enginseer still has an open line.

With this in mind, Imperious is able to find the appropriate frequency, and hears...

Voice one (male, heavily mechanical-sounding), |-...he doing here?-|

Voice two (male, mostly biological-sounding), “Looking for the Earthkey, i think. If he finds a body, he’ll find us. I recommend we abort mission. We have one core, donwe really need the other one?

Voice one, |-He is now our ally. He has been reasonable in the past. Keep an eye out for him. If you see him, contact him and invite him to parlay. Our goals align, in this regard.-|

Voice two, “Understood.

The cords answer Imperious’ question, saying, “Below us. Far below. Where the jaborwocky lairs.
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Sakuro
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Re: [The Forever Tree]Rustdeity IC.

Post by Sakuro »

Imperious went silent while he listened in on the dialog taking place between Enginseers. Then, when the cords mentioned where Alice's mind was being housed, he turned his gaze to the stairs leading downwards. There must have been some military grade shielding that was preventing Shi'Halal's sensors from penetrating too deeply ... or the structure went on beyond her sensor range.

"I will do what I can."

After a brief pause he asked Shi'Halal to patch him into the Enginseer's communications and sent his voice over the channel he had heard them talking on.

"This is Imperious. I have found the remains of Iron Enginseers at Gargantuan Benjamin. Do you desire assistance?"
OOC wrote:
HP: 1
Defense: 20
Conditions: Healthy
Encephalon: Deactivated
Communion Array: Impervious Toughness 20
Blast "Arsenal" Dynamic Array: Datalink 20 [Power Feat: Machine Control (+1 pp), Dimensional 3 (+3 pp)] ; Enhanced Skills 1 [Computers 8]
Flight "Utility" Dynamic Array: Flight 1 ; Quickness 15 ; X-Ray Vision Extended x5 ; Normal Hearing Extended x5
Evelyn Gracen, in AEGIS Squad
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Hoid
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Re: [The Forever Tree]Rustdeity IC.

Post by Hoid »

Voice one sighs, then says, |-Imperious. We were just discussing you. I am in the structure called Gargantuan Benjamin, an ancient clock tower. We are at the ground floor, and could DEFINITELY use assistance of your caliber.

|-Allow me to introduce myself. I am Harad’din, Iron Father of the Eclectic Siblinghood Of Iron Enginseers. In essence, I am the supreme Enginseer authority, though my reign is, sadly, frequently disputed and sometimes outright ignored. Come. I await.

|-A word of warning, however. We were attempting find an ancient artifact called the Moonfire Key, and....found something MUCH more profound—-and dangerous.-|
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Sakuro
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Re: [The Forever Tree]Rustdeity IC.

Post by Sakuro »

Imperious looked into the middle distance, beside Nepenthe, as he listened to the response from the Enginseer leader. After his assistance was welcomed and directions were given to where the Enginseers were presently, Imperious gave a concise reply in a stoic voice.

"I will join you shortly Iron Father Harad’din."

His head turned to Nepenthe, bringing the emerald lenses of Shi'Halal's helmet to rest on the Princess.

"The Enginseers are looking for an artifact called the Moonfire Key. Have you heard of it?"
OOC wrote:After Nepenthe's reply, unless she seems inclined to discuss the topic, he'll her down to where the Enginseers are located on the ground floor of the tower.
HP: 1
Defense: 20
Conditions: Healthy
Encephalon: Deactivated
Communion Array: Impervious Toughness 20
Blast "Arsenal" Dynamic Array: Datalink 20 [Power Feat: Machine Control (+1 pp), Dimensional 3 (+3 pp)] ; Enhanced Skills 1 [Computers 8]
Flight "Utility" Dynamic Array: Flight 4 ; Quickness 15 ; X-Ray Vision Extended x5
Evelyn Gracen, in AEGIS Squad
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Hoid
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Re: [The Forever Tree]Rustdeity IC.

Post by Hoid »

Nepenthe looks shocked. “That...where did you hear about that?!! That’s not something that should ever be used! It’s a Sunsphinx omnikey, it can open up anything, anything at all. My husband kept it on him at all times. He gave it to some winged xeno he’d slept with, but took it back right before the rebellion.

“Imperious, there are doors on Rustdeity that should never be opened. The Alphagate is only one such door! Did your psychometry detect it? If so, we must secure it.”
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Sakuro
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Re: [The Forever Tree]Rustdeity IC.

Post by Sakuro »

A key that should never be used? That statement made him wonder at the nature of the Moonfire Key.

"I just spoke with the leader of the Iron Enginseers. They are searching for the Moonfire Key. From what you have said, such a relic is too dangerous to entrust to the Enginseers. Perhaps their goal isn't the key, but something locked away."

Imperious considered the political aspects of the decision to prevent the Iron Father from achieving his stated mission. Nepenthe's earlier question reminded him that she did not hear the other side of the conversations he had been having with LunDun's inhabitants thus far.

"You should be ready for a confrontation. The cords here say there is a nest of one or more hostiles in the lower regions of the clock tower. Something that seeks to destroy the datacores of LunDun's chief administrative Icon."

"Before descending to prevent the datacore's destruction, we will meet with the Enginseer's leader and see what they know of the situation. They have already taken the emotion related datacores of Alice, the administrative Icon."
OOC wrote:
HP: 1
Defense: 20
Conditions: Healthy
Encephalon: Deactivated
Communion Array: Impervious Toughness 20
Blast "Arsenal" Dynamic Array: Datalink 20 [Power Feat: Machine Control (+1 pp), Dimensional 3 (+3 pp)] ; Enhanced Skills 1 [Computers 8]
Flight "Utility" Dynamic Array: Flight 4 ; Quickness 15 ; X-Ray Vision Extended x5
Evelyn Gracen, in AEGIS Squad
Storyteller for In the Shadow of Imperator
Storyteller for Geneforge: the Created
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