>>18516148

Or, Fuck autosage

>Previous Threads:
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Metahuman%20Renaissance%20Quest

PREVIOUSLY, ON METAHUMAN RENAISSANCE:
Dan assembled the Evoker's Club and some other allies in his dorm, to discuss further the events that would happen tomorrow. After some general plans were made, Dan then talked about some other stuff, some related, and some not, with individual persons.

(Third time's the charm?)

test

>>18516157

After a few more minutes of idle chatting, you notice the time, and once again command the attention of all persons in the room. "Alright guys, the day is getting on, and quite frankly, we're not breaking any new ground here." You begin. "So, let's take a break. Where does everyone want to go to eat?" The room is instantly filled with a tumult of voices everyone instantly offering suggestions and discussing this place and that. Over the sudden surge of noise, you can barely hear your phone go off.

You make a gesture for silence, and after a couple of seconds, everyone quiets down as you fish out your phone. It's Professor Blackstone's number. Could be important. You hold up a finger for everyone to be quiet, and answer. "Alice," Blackstone begins, "Do you have everyone together?" "Yeah, boss." "Good, put the phone on speaker, I'll just tell all of you at the same time." You do so. "Alright, I'm at Anna Ellsworth's apartment, with the cops. We just swept it, and she's not here, nor is the box." A murmur goes around the table. "So, I've got good news, bad news, and some interesting factoids. What order would you like them in?" Everyone turns to look at you?

>Good?
>Bad?
>Interesting?

cool, lets see if it bumps

Bump successful.

Let's go with the interesting option.

>>18516211
second

>>18516297
>>18516211

"Interest me, sir." You say, shortly. "Well, one of the things the police found, and had me take a look at, is a notebook, not done in Anna's handwriting. Judging by some of the stuff in it, and the signature, I'd say it was Doctor Moreau's. It contains a lot of notes she's taken and made on extradimensional stuff, from weird extraplanar aliens right up to big time Outsider Gods, and lots of notes in between. And a lot of math." You stroke your chin. "Sounds like what Dr. M gave Anna as part of the experiment. She gave her what she needed to set off on the path of self-determination. Like the genetic upgrades or the module reading implant she gave me." "Right," continues Blackstone. "Sounds accurate. There's a lot of stuff in here Anna can't have used, or even had time to use, but some of it seems familiar, like summoning formulae."

>>18516368

"Interesting." You say. Mostly just because there's nothing else you really could at this juncture. "Told you. Anyway, to keep this going, the police asked me here to check out some of the stuff they found, mostly equations. I've had a look at them, and while the math isn't my strong suit, if I understand her ritual right, Anna knows how to work the box. And now so do I."

You let that one dramatically sit for a moment, but Jeanne cuts in, "Alright, Professor, what does it do." "It's a beacon, a shortcut, like we thought. Whoever built it basically 'programmed' in a number of ritual sequences for extradimensional coordinates. It theoretically works on any alternate universe. And I'm sure her eye in the sky has taught Anna what buttons to press." A murmur goes around the room. "It also requires less energy than we thought, due to the way it works. But this wraps around to the good news." He pauses. "You're getting some perverse pleasure from holding out on us, aren't you Prof?" Says Anya, folding her arms. "You people are no fun." Says Blackstone, than continues. "Unfortunately for Anna, the box doesn't just accept energy. She still needs a ritual to put it in, and still needs a source, unless she's willing to sacrifice her self to activate it. One more bit of good news, the box only works under the open sky. No basement summonings. Those two facts will make it a lot easier to figure out where she is when she gets up to her business tomorrow night."

>>18516476
Here's hoping it's a clear night tomorrow.
Wouldn't want to fail to save the world because of clouds.

>>18516476
Oh damn you omega. I missed the last thread and now you make one when I really have to go to bed to get up early tomorrow. I am a sad panda.

>>18516558

This is how I roll.

Also this time got off to a slow start due to some complications.

"What sort of ritual does she need to do to power the box?"

>>18516604

"What kind of ritual are we talking about, Professor?" "Well, ritual's a pretty catch-all term here. And, as I said, unless she wants to directly pour all of herself into the box, and given your comments about how she was unwilling to sever parts of her metaphysical self to be free of the debt to the Red Star when she was lucid I doubt she is, she'll need to make some kind of ritual to pour power into the box. Normally when people do these big summonings, they do it with lots of cultist chanting in unison, and an animal or human sacrifice to cap off the event. This I find unlikely however, since I doubt she gathered a cult overnight, and anybody who knows anything knows that human sacrifice is your last resort, way more trouble than its worth. Anna might be unbalanced, but she's still extremely smart." You nod slowly in agreement. "Theoretically, if she knows the right theories and ritual sequences, she could unhook a main power-line or a few, build a kind of ritual transformer. But all that leaves obvious signs, so we'll keep an eye out. I'm going to talk to Professor Ellsworth when I'm done here, and see if she knows exactly what Anna could get up to with this understanding. Make no mistake though, she'll have a plan of some kind." True enough.

>>18516558
haha, same here
only I need a couple more threads to catch up

>>18516687

"Thanks for the heads up professor." You say. "Anything else pressing?" "No," He replies. "Just stick together, and keep an eye out. Everybody have a nice night, and get some rest. Gonna be an exciting day tomorrow, one way or another." He hangs up. You collect your phone, and pocket it.

You then turn to the group, and say, "Okay, so, how about that dinner?" Chaos erupts again.

>Where's your vote, /tg/?

>>18517002
Let's raid a Burger King. Just run in all super powered, or better yet. Pull up with everyone hanging off of the Hammer.

Massive amounts of pizza.

>>18517026

After only a few minutes of discussion, you see only one way to resolve this.

"I see only one way to resolve this." You state, emphatically. Silence falls briefly. Then Johnny steps in. "We're not going to have some kind of duel to the death over dinner, are we?" "No. We'll just do the lowest common denominator. We'll order pizza." You nod for emphasis as you say this, like a high king making a pronouncement to his people. Roxane responds first, as the others start thinking about it. "I don't mind pizza, but I don't think we can all eat in your dorm. There's just not enough space for people to sit." You look around. Your room isn't bad... for a couple of dudes. But for nine people, Roxy's right, you guys barely have enough room to stand.

Jeanne sticks up a hand. "My room is about as big as yours. Except it only sleeps one person. I have enough table and counter space for everyone to eat comfortably, I think." You nod. "Okay, I guess we can all move over there." Naomi frowns. "Not that I expect to be jumped after just meeting you guys, but if we don't want to go off on our own if someone is watching, should I leave this room?" Johnny gives a dapper waggle of his cane. "I have a room in this building. I can walk back to the building with you." Logistical problems solved, the party rolls out, while people start checking wallets and pockets to see how much cash they have.

The French girl who does the Dragon Shouts, can anyone learn those? Can Dan?

>>18517358

You all make your way to Jeanne's dorm building, discussing which Pizza Place you should order from, eventually deciding on Ninja Pizza. Not only do they make some of the best pizza, they also deliver it via Ninja. You notice as you enter that Jeanne's building is one of, if not the, nicest dorm building on campus. They're also pretty expensive.

Jeanne's room, while nicer than your own, is actually pretty simple. It's laid out like yours, only the kitchen and small living areas are larger, since there's only one bedroom, which you presume is also larger. Jeanne also has a small bookshelf littered with Occult tomes in various languages, and lots of french literature. A couple of french movie posters adorn her walls. You notice that like Blackstone's office, she also has a number of candle holders, with and without candles, scattered around the room. Now arrived, everyone pools their petty cash into a pile on her coffee table, and you decide what to order. Sunshine insists on one veggie's only pizza, since she doesn't eat meat (You're not sure if that's an Empath thing or a "raised by hippies" thing), Anya wants lots of meat, you're not sure to be contrary or because that's how she is. You settle on four large pizzas, one veggie, one everything, one meat and one regular pepperoni, because don't fault the classics. You also get a side of wings, a side of breadsticks, and something special from Ninja Pizza, Cinnamon Throwing Stars. Throw in a few 2 liters, and the cash is spent.

Ninjas pizza says delivery in 30 minutes or less, or they'll commit hari-kiri.

>>18517568

Yes and no. Jeanne doesn't actually do the shouts like in Skyrim (If anyone remembers, I did go out of my way to describe them being different), but she uses the words of the made-up dragon language as words of power. Like Dan and his Nahuatl.

There's a funny story there, which you guys would know if you had asked Jeanne about her own backstory.

>>18517770

I intended to drop in a little

>Anything you want to do while you wait?

In there, to keep it interactive.

>>18517823
Well then I don't see any reason not to ask her about it while we wait for the pizza.

Still there, Omega? Or did you get bored and wander off?

>>18517954

While everyone is waiting around, talking idly, you realize you never spoke with Jeanne about herself. Trying not to insert too awkward of a transition in, you decide to rectify that. "Hey, Jeanne," "Hm?" She looks up from digging out some paper plates and so on to look at you, "When we were talking about the club the other day, you never talked about yourself much. How'd you get here." She gives a half-smile. "Well, you have the basics. My family, specifically my father's family, have been magically gifted for centuries. If the crest and family stories are right, my ancestors were related to a dragon. Hence my current choice of words of power." You nod. "While they weren't very open in the medieval period, my family has remained very rich and influential in some circles. They very generously donate to an all-girls Mage Academy in Orleans. I believe I said that my parents wanted me to attend one of the European schools for magic? That was one of the reasons why." You nod. Normally, even in this crazy world, "descended from a dragon" would seem a bit incredulous, but hey, you've seen crazier shit. Today, even.

>>18518294

Emergency Fact-Checking/Image findan.

>>18518304
Ah, so dragons are real? Does that mean she has a full language to work with and not just the 400 words Bethesda made up? Or did she just choose Skyrim because of the link and doesn't actually know any dragons? Or did Bethesda use real dragon words in Skyrim in this universe?

>>18518304
"Interesting. So where'd you learn the language?"

>>18518396
>>18518412

Dragons are real. Dan has no idea if they have a language (they do), but Jeanne does use the one Bethesda invented as a power structure, because even with that limited vocabulary, she can do many varieties of magic. Also she's slightly more thematic than Dan was, due to her dragon descendance. If you'll recall, looking at her aura was like looking into a storm.

Anything else to ask Jeanne before Pizza gets here?

>>18518727
Can't think of anything. That makes it everyone except Sunshine that we've talked to today so we should probably do her next.

>>18518790

>That makes it everyone except Sunshine that we've talked to today so we should probably do her next.
>so we should probably do her next.

*cough*

>>18518727
See
>>18518412

>>18519053
See
>>18518478

Ask her what sort of spells she favors

>>18519117

"So, what kind of spells do you use, then. I mean, you've had magic since an early age, what do you do with it?" You ask. Jeanne replies while making sure she has enough disposable utensils to spare. "Probably what you do most of the time. My family, even on my mother's side, has a lot of connection to certain themes and archetypes. We're usually referred to as sorciers de tempete. So I do a lot of evocation, and am not so good at the fine stuff. Moving objects, bolts of lighting, gale-force winds, all that is easy enough if you just have the strength. Studying with Professor Blackstone has broadened my horizons a little, learning some things about enchanting, mastering more complex ritual magic, learning how to apply some of that elemental knowledge to less destructive ends." She gives a bit of a wry smile. "But I'm still pretty much the opposite of Anya, more strength than skill."

>>18519320
Well, I can't think of anything else to ask her that isn't intensely personal.

Where's that pizza?

>>18519381

>Where's that pizza?

The instant you have this thought, there is a whisper of sound, the lights flicker, and one of Jeanne's curtains flutter. Everyone kind of sits up, and looks around. Just as you're about to voice your "the fuck was that", your elbow brushes up against something on Jeanne's counter. You rotate your head around to see it and barely manage to avoid jumping out of your skin. "Holy shit!" you do say, as all the food is now neatly piled on the counter, in the one spot none of you were really looking at. The money that had all been set aside buy the door is gone, and a shuriken in the top-most pizza box pins down a receipt and a Ninja Pizza business card. Johnny tilts his glasses down to look over them. "Well, they were not kidding about being delivered by Ninja."

>>18519645

Pizza is distributed and consumed. By the time you're done, its only quarter to seven. Summanus and Sunshine leave, saying they'll escort Anya home. Anya complains about it not being that late, but is convinced when nobody else is planning on heading off campus tonight, so she leaves. This leaves your group slightly smaller, at Roxy, Johnny, Jeanne, Huan and Naomi.

You could pack it in early, but you're not very tired, and even off semester, most of the campus' various functions, such as the libraries, are open at least until 9.

>wat do?

>>18519988
Hmm, well in times like these I do one of three things:
Get everyone shitfaced drunk (bad idea before a battle, so let's not)
Play vidya gaems until I can no longer keep my eyelids open
Bust out the Ouiji Board

This being a world where the Ouiji Board might actually DO SOMETHING, I vote for that.

>>18520077

The Ouija board sounds like an interesting thing to do (And I wouldn't put past Jeanne to have one) but for once, I'm not entirely sure where to go with that angle. I mean, if you guys got accurate in character answers from the spirits to any question you wanted to ask, that would be a bit broken, and I'm pretty sure just dicking around with it is not exactly going to summon up a lot of interest.

>>18519988
Let's play some games. A bit of levity before the end. Whatever our friends like. I'm a fan of Contact, personally.

>>18520242
Hmm, fair point. Well in that case, I suppose my other fall back would be the video games.

>>18519988
>Summanus and Sunshine leave, saying they'll escort Anya home
Is that them leaving and all going home or are S+S coming back once they've escorted Anya?

>Wat do
We could ask the basic background questions to Naomi I guess. Or just muck around a bit and then go to sleep.

>>18520357

Jeanne's family is Old World money, so she probably has a modern console or two stashed in whatever passes for her entertainment center, if you want to do something more social.

It's also futurepresent 2012, so you guys could play video games that aren't out yet.

>>18520437

That was them all leaving. They said they'd walk Anya home since they were in that general direction, in addition to being the only other people not staying on campus.

Well, obviously we should all hop onto that brand new Elder Scrolls MMO!

Still there Omega?

>>18521646

Here, but bored out of my skull and not sure where to go from here. My fault, really, should have planned this section out better. I though the fight earlier in this in-game day would have carried through more.

Anyone else in favor of skipping all this jazz and cutting to the morning of THE FINAL DAY (of Act I)?

>>18521737
Sounds good to me.

>>18521737
>all this jazz
You mean playing a game and then sleeping? Sure, it's not really important. Time skip that bitch.

>>18521737
Yeah

>>18521737
Whatever you think will make for the more interesting story, Omega.

>>18521806
>>18521798
>>18521795
>>18521768

Oh hey, look, I do have people who read.

Right, if you're cool with it, then *I* finally know where to go with this.

>>18521855
>That face
Suddenly I'm not cool with it any more.

>>18521855
Yeah, I read quest threads while I'm at work, but I usually don't have time to participate.

>>18521891

What, that face? Pay it no mind, I make that face all the time.

Update-mojo inbound.

>>18519988

Stuff happens, eventually Johnny escorts Naomi back to your dorm building, where she is presumably going to lie in wait for someone to intrude into your room at night so she can bite their face off. Left with just Jeanne and Roxy, you feel some kind of awkward tension in the room build, until Roxane suggests that she should be getting back to her room too. Jeanne offers to lend Roxy a sleeping bag so she can crash on [Jeanne's] floor (she'd offer the bed, but doesn't have time to wash her sheets). Roxane accepts, and the two of them go off into Jeanne's room to have girl talk and pillow fights in their underwear, take showers together, all that stuff movies and TV told you girls do alone when you're not looking.

You are left with a blanket, a pillow and Jeanne's couch, which is way newer and far more comfortable than your couch, or even Ashwood's couch, though the latter was clearly more for appearance than use. You settle your head onto the pillow, and close your eyes, watching the slightly shifting cerulean symbols dance across the inside of your own eyelids, and eventually fall asleep.

...
....
.....

That night you have a dream...

>>18522178

This dream isn't like most dreams you have. Most of those are stress related dreams involving interesting mash-ups of the courses you're taking that semester, and whatever media you happen to be consuming that week. Nor is it the strange psychic vibes you apparently picked up off the Red Star last night.

You stand on a rise, or maybe a cliff, at night, maybe a dozen yards from the crest. There isn't a cloud in the sky, and despite the brilliantly lit cityscape stretching out along the horizon in front of you, you can see many, many stars, like you do when you visit your mother and Sherry's ranch in Montana. Behind you stretches an infinite desert of black sand, filled with spindly dead trees, a silent mist hanging over it. A female figure stands at the edge of the cliff. She's in shadow, so you can't make out her appearance. She turns her head to look over her shoulder, and calls out to you. Her voice seems strange, distant. You can tell who she looks or sounds like. Roxane? Anna? Doctor Moreau? "Daniel, hurry up!" She gestures you closer. Wind blows through the desert behind you, and the dead trees creek faintly as something passes between them, far behind you.

>You are now totes interacting with the dream, what do?

>>18522396
>Montana
I thought the ranch was in Washington state. Anyway, let's follow her. If we don't start remembering dream-memories soon to give us context, start asking things like who she is and where we are.

>>18522430

I remember it being Montana originally.

>>18522461
>>18522430
I remember it being Oregon.

>>18522430

You start heading up the path toward the woman. At first you just walk, but you break into a jog, as it seems to be taking you longer than it should to cross the distance. You keep moving, breaking into a run, but the path just seems to stretch longer, making the cliff rise higher and higher. As you run, you look up, and notice the stars falling from the sky. At first, you think it's just meteor shower, but as you look closer, you can see the individual star lights moving and dropping down, tiny lens flares plummeting out of your line of sight.

"Hurry, Daniel!" The woman says again, and you look back too her. While the path up to the edge has become much longer, but now you seem to be getting closer. You silently laugh at the red queen and her absurdity. A cold wind comes off the desert behind you, the kind that sets the hairs on the back of your neck standing on end. The dead trees quiver, like a crowd shaking in fear. Chains clatter somewhere behind you, but you keep running forward, as the stars rain down around you.

>Dare ye glance back, or run forward?

>>18522601
>[] run forward
>[] glance back
>[X] FLY!!!

>>18522461
>Both my parents are alive and well, thank you for asking. Mom and her partner Sherry live in Oregon and have a ranch

Actually it was Oregon

>>18522502
I distinctly remember that it was on Dagobah.

>>18522601
Onwards!

>>18522633

Huh, it was Oregon. Whatever, dream logic.

>>18522601
Glance back. We're a curious bastard.

>>18522644
>>18522614

You make no attempt to look back to see what dogs your heels. You know what it is, though the name is on the tip of your tongue. Instead, you keep on rushing forward. Just as you reach the cliff edge where the woman stands, you find her not there. Before you can think to hard about it, you perceive the vista before you.

It's the most beautiful city you could imagine, parts of every metropolis on Earth, and some not from Earth, gathered together into a sea of dark buildings and bright windows and lights. In the distance, on the horizon, a bright star shines, like a guiding star to the east. But as you look down, you wonder where the people are. Your question is answered as one of the falling stars streaks down and hits a street, exploding in a flash of light and a burst of smokeless fire.

(cont)

>>18522837
>smokeless fire
Djinni.

>>18522837

"You're the only one who could help them, Daniel." Says the woman, from right behind you. You turn to face her, and even at this distance, her face is shrouded in shadow. The shadows even lie around her head in such a way you can't make out her hair color or style. The only thing you can make out is the general outline of her ambiguous features. While looking back at her, you catch a glimpse of the dark desert, which has blossomed into a dark, tangled foreboding wood, mist still lying thick on the forest floor.

You also see that which pursues you, and pursues us all, a tall, black robed figure, walking steadily on the ground, slowly but surely catching up with you. He holds a lantern in one bony hand, and is carrying a farming scythe, just above the ground. As his heels walk a lion, a leopard and she-wolf, trailing just behind him, teeth all bared in a constant snarl. Your attention snaps back to the woman as she speak again. "Can you do it? Will you do it?"

>Your answer?

>>18522953
"WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK I AM?!"

>>18522953
"How can I stand idly by and watch people in need of help?"

We're so bad at not being a hero.

>>18522985
"I'll save every last one of them!"

>HFY!

>>18523005
>>18522994
>>18522985

"I'll do it!" You say, emphatically. "I'll save every one of them!" She smiles, with teeth. There's something vaguely predatory about it. "Then..." she pauses, "Jump!" she emphasizes the last word by shoving you in the chest, pushing you off the cliff.

Interestingly, you don't feel any alarm, or betrayal or anything much as you fall over backwards, over the edge. All you feel is acceptance, as you plummet toward the street. You look up at the sky which is now below your feet, as you see the stars falling out of it. The woman looks down from the cliff on you, a sad smile on her face. The black robed figure sidles up behind her, puts a hand on her shoulder and looks down at you too, along with his menagerie.

Suddenly you have to shield your eyes as you rotate around mid fall, as the sun suddenly breaks over the horizon, flooding the city streets with warm light. The few falling stars caught in mid-flight vanish as if they were motes of dust, brushed aside by a hand. You stare straight down, at the surface below you. You know what is coming. You chose this fate of your own free will. You hit the ground, and you wake up on the morning of the final day.

METAHUMAN RENAISSANCE PART 25c, END.

Told you guys I knew where to go with this.

Now I just need to fill the hours of Day 0 from morning until night.

Good job, Omega.

>>18523167
When will the next thread be? I basically completely missed this one due to working the night shift.

>>18523198

Tomorrow, same bat time, same bat channel.

>>18523167
Morning: Doom
Afternoon: Destruction
Evening: Devastation
Night: Death

>>18523325

Sounds about right.

>>18523167
>day 0
>DAWN OF THE FOURTH DAY - 24 HOURS REMAIN
>MFW

I'm surprised you guys aren't talking 'bout the dream more. I went to the trouble of this whole weird dream sequence, threw in some literary references, and everything.

>plummet; goomas

Yes captcha, Dan certainly plummeted; like a goomas.

heat think we could remember the spell/ ritual to turn into a lich ?

is it possible to use big red go do it for us? what would we need?

>>18523552
I've used it before myself actually. Awhile back I helped Monday (the guy who does IronHearts and SkirmishQuest) create his own system and setting.

Every day, the players rain down upon the land of Clandestein like meteors, and the renaissance-era locals call them Star Children as a result. Many of them tend to land in the ruins of modern-era cities, now occupied by goblins, ogres, trolls, and other Un-Men.

>>18523578
Could? Yes. Would? FUCK NO.

>>18523552
Well the stars were falling, which represents shit going down. And we were running from Death, which symbolises that we don't want to die. And Death had pets, which symbolises that being the grim reaper is a lonely job. How am I doing?

>>18523586

Huh, did I make an additional, unplanned reference to something I haven't read?

Ah well, can't always make references to Carroll and Alighieri.

>>18523578

Theoretically, Dan might be able to remember the specific ritual arrays Gespenst used to do his mojo. But he had weeks to prepare. And also had the corpse of a god handy. The work Dan would have to do in less than 24 hours would be mindbogglingly complex.

And also being an indestructable lich kind of sucks.

>>18523618

>Well the stars were falling, which represents shit going down.

Pretty much.

>And we were running from Death, which symbolises that we don't want to die.

Other way around. Death is always following you. Momento Mori and all that. (Yes I fucking love Persona 3)

>And Death had pets, which symbolises that being the grim reaper is a lonely job. How am I doing?

Oh, those guys are just a classical literature reference. Go read the first Canto of Inferno, you'll get it.

>>18523629
More like you made a few of the same references another setting did.

>>18523698

Probably a jungian collective unconsciousness kind of thing.

>>18523655
>Death is always following you
You lie! He didn't follow us over the cliff, he stayed with ambiguous chick! We escaped from him, which clearly symbolises that we are going to accidentally become a lich by sacrificing red star and ambiguous chick.
>Oh, those guys are just a classical literature reference
Death does not make references. He is not a fun guy. That is why he is so lonely.

>>18523711
Actually the entire game setting is a jungian collective unconsciousness turned video game. You're spot on.

>>18523739

Wait, so it's Persona 4? I love that game too!

>>18523754
No, Persona 4 wasn't out yet when we made it. You're getting warmer though.

>>18523713
>Death
>not a fun guy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWeP3u5hY8w

>>18523713
Ok wait. Ambiguous chick is Dr. M. When we said we'd save everyone, she made us into a falling star. And now she is constantly looking over our shoulder. Like Death. Who she is probably drinking buddies with given the amount of dead clones she has. And the sun came up, which is tomorrow. And all the other stars vanished because we won the experiment during the red star thing.
How cute is the lion? That's important.