[IC] Worlds of Fire

[Talosian]

“The book was a kind of universal cheat-sheet,” Ben declares as he tugs at the Gauntlet. It resists for a second before slipping off his hand. “And I mean universal. It had references for just about every permutation of the laws of physics that you could imagine, a complete reference for Block Transfer Computations... There was a lot of stuff in there.”

He hands over the Gauntlet. “I’ll want this back,” he says warningly. He then pulls out some sheets of paper from the bag. “This is... Well, it’s some notes that I made on how to use this thing. Or, at least some of what it’s capable of.”

"Definitely a good book." Seann carefully takes the Gauntlet, treating it the way he would a vial of nitroglycerin. He takes a brief look at the sheets, then slips off his left hand glove and sticks it in his pocket. Left hand now free, he gingerly slips on the Gauntlet.

“Those enemies would be the God-fearing faithful and me so far,” Ben declares. “Chu’dam was stuck in one universe until I ended up there, and then he started following me once he realised that he was able to.”

"Damn. Priest it is then."

"If that glove can hurt him, let's melt it down and make some bullets out of it. I'll make quick work of this fellow."

Seann looks appalled at this suggestion. "You have all the subtlety of an inebriated rhinoceros."

[Totem]

Originally Posted by Talosian

Seann leans back in his chair, looking around the room discreetly as he does so. He takes a careful look out of the corner of his eye at the two students who'd been indicated (Per 14, effective vision 15, HPA, Hyperspectral, etc.).

Originally Posted by ErhnamDJ

Douglas looks over. He has a Per of 14, so maybe he'll pick up on something. He has Body Language at 13 too if that helps.

Originally Posted by KS Pathfinder

*Whilst waiting for Ben Foreman’s reply Mark-315 casually adjusts his sunglasses, which is actually a T.E.D. - Tactical Eye Display, using the move to covertly glance and observe the teenagers using not just his own vision but also is able to use the T.E.D. to use some of Serena’s own senses.*

(Mark-315 has a perception of 10 and is using the T.E.D.)
(Serena has a perception of 14 and infravision (granted to Mark-315 through the T.E.D.))

Originally Posted by RogerBW

"I'll see what I can manage..."

[OOC: Gabrielle attempts Telereceive on each of them in turn: effective skill 14, but at -1 per yard, so she'll wander over in that direction - looking for some legitimate reason, maybe visiting the bathroom or stepping outside for a cigarette, and Telereceiving in passing from as close as she can get while not stepping out of the places people are walking. Rolls are 10 and 10, and this is a Quick Contest vs their Will to pick up surface thoughts. Once she's done, succeed or fail, she'll return to the others.]

Indigo Joe: PER 12, Observation PER+0

Indigo Joe and Mark both look over at the two students but see nothing unusual.

Douglas recognises that the girl is indeed trying not to be seen; she is avoiding everyone else’s gaze though there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with her to look at. The guy is keeping his gaze roving and doesn’t seem to be paying full attention to the conversation that he is nominally part of at his table.

Serena and Seann both look over the pair; they both see what Douglas has seen, but also recognise that the young man is paying their group a lot more attention than he is the conversation at his table. Infravision reveals nothing unusual, but Seann’s enhanced vision picks up what looks like a tattoo on the young man’s chest.

Gabrielle tries to read the young man’s mind and fails; his mental strength is impressive, though there doesn’t appear to be anything beyond normal Human mental strength in him. The girl is much more open though; her name is Sara Reynard, she is a student at the local college, and most prominently in her mind at the moment are the results of a blood test indicating that she is HIV+. She knows that she wasn’t several weeks ago and that the only person she could have got it off was Guy Hanover (the young man), but his test for it came back negative. He claims to have a cure.

[Totem]

Originally Posted by Talosian

"Definitely a good book." Seann carefully takes the Gauntlet, treating it the way he would a vial of nitroglycerin. He takes a brief look at the sheets, then slips off his left hand glove and sticks it in his pocket. Left hand now free, he gingerly slips on the Gauntlet.

As it is slipped on the Gauntlet not only changes, without actually seeming to change, back to being left-handed, but also seems to shift size slightly so that it will fit perfectly.

The Gauntlet feels odd to wear, like it isn't actually there at all. Touching the metalwork does indeed, as the notes suggested, leave the hand inside with the impression that it was being touched instead. There's also a feeling though of a warm desert breeze blowing across that hand; it's a constant breeze, unaffected by anything around it.

[Dorin Thorha]

Returning his attention to what Ben is saying, Indigo picks up the notes and looks at them curiously. "Hmm... Lets you see things that aren't there... detect weirdness... Enhance natural abilities... Can this thing do anything ordinary Antifogmatic can't do?"

[RogerBW]

Gabrielle's back at the table:

"OK, drawing a blank on the man, that's Guy. The woman's Sara, and she looks as if she's about to be recruited by him. That's one way of spreading, I guess: give people lethal diseases, then offer them a cure... oh, and if that's what's on the other side, I'm definitely in."

[KS Pathfinder]

Originally Posted by Totem

Ben considers with a faint smile. “I might... Ask me when we’re done here.”

*Nods* Mark-315<Aloud>: “Fair enough.”

*His primary concern dealt with for the moment Mark-315 then looks at and ponders over what he has heard and seen of the gauntlet so far.*

Mark-315<Aloud>: “Hmm... Fascinating, such power and potential in such a, relatively speaking, innocuous artefact and item of clothing, that race that you aided must have been incredibly powerful indeed... Just imagine what it could do in a Sentinel-IV’s hands, let alone any of us present, and you yourself?”

*Mark-315 remains silent for a moment before an odd thought suddenly occurs to him* Mark-315<Aloud>: “Excuse my ignorance on such matters but... Don’t items of clothing such as gauntlets and gloves, as well as shoes etc, come in pairs?”

[Totem]

Originally Posted by Dorin Thorha

Returning his attention to what Ben is saying, Indigo picks up the notes and looks at them curiously. "Hmm... Lets you see things that aren't there... detect weirdness... Enhance natural abilities... Can this thing do anything ordinary Antifogmatic can't do?"

[OOC: Antifogwhatic? I looked that up and ended up with an album by a group I've never heard of. In context..?]

Originally Posted by KS Pathfinder

*Nods* Mark-315<Aloud>: “Fair enough.”

*His primary concern dealt with for the moment Mark-315 then looks at and ponders over what he has heard and seen of the gauntlet so far.*

Mark-315<Aloud>: “Hmm... Fascinating, such power and potential in such a, relatively speaking, innocuous artefact and item of clothing, that race that you aided must have been incredibly powerful indeed... Just imagine what it could do in a Sentinel-IV’s hands, let alone any of us present, and you yourself?”

*Mark-315 remains silent for a moment before an odd thought suddenly occurs to him* Mark-315<Aloud>: “Excuse my ignorance on such matters but... Don’t items of clothing such as gauntlets and gloves, as well as shoes etc, come in pairs?”

"You might all want to try using it at some point," Ben replies. "It reacts to different people in different ways, so it might surprise you. As for coming in pairs... I only asked them to make me one, which was fine and all I was willing to pay them for, but it's entirely possible that they made one or more for themselves."

Originally Posted by RogerBW

Gabrielle's back at the table:

"OK, drawing a blank on the man, that's Guy. The woman's Sara, and she looks as if she's about to be recruited by him. That's one way of spreading, I guess: give people lethal diseases, then offer them a cure... oh, and if that's what's on the other side, I'm definitely in."

"I did mention that Chu'dam used the diseases as a recruitment tool," Ben comments. "Sara was infected by Guy deliberately as far as I can tell. Blood tests for that sort of thing are fast in this universe, but occasionally inaccurate; she's got to go back for a second test next week.

"She has two choices: take the test and have it confirm the first one, in which case because Guy came up clear she must, in the public consciousness, have been sleeping around and she gets flak for that; or sign up with the cult. Guy has a tatoo on his chest; that's the Sign of Chu'dam. Anyone carrying it is protected from these diseases, but has effectively signed their soul over to Chu'dam.

"The Sign doesn't actually remove the diseases though, it just stops the effects and hides the disease from tests. Useful for the cult because it means that they can still infect people.

"One of the reasons that I'm pointing Guy out to you is that he seems to be a major player in the cult," Ben explains. "I don't know how big, but he was definitely early on in their recruiting, possibly one of the first. He's definitely a lead that is worth following up."

[ErhnamDJ]

"What kind of disease are we talking about here?" Douglas asks.

[RogerBW]

Originally Posted by ErhnamDJ

"What kind of disease are we talking about here?" Douglas asks.

Gabrielle reponds, "Here it's only AIDS - not great but you can live with it. I'm thinking how much more effective they could be if they wanted to move faster - say with one of the hemorrhagic fevers... and thinking too that they probably shouldn't get the chance to think of that."

[ErhnamDJ]

Originally Posted by RogerBW

Gabrielle reponds, "Here it's only AIDS - not great but you can live with it. I'm thinking how much more effective they could be if they wanted to move faster - say with one of the hemorrhagic fevers... and thinking too that they probably shouldn't get the chance to think of that."

"Might not want to say it out loud around them, then."