Dodgeson
 Professor Calico &amp; Pavilion 

With the familiar 'thunk' of the time rotor, the grinding of ancient engines finally fell silent as Professor Calico's TARDIS (the interior of which I will leave to davyjones to describe (unless they want me to roll randomly for it, ooo nested parentheses)) exited the swirling colours of the time vortex to appear again in real space, but where exactly had they arrived?

Unfortunately the time ship's scanners wouldn't be too much of a help, it was the early 21st century and they were on Earth, England of all places and the immediate view from seemed to put them on some kind of village green with houses dotted around beyond that and one other larger building nestled amongst them with a sign hanging above its door. Those were their immediate surroundings but trying to push the sensors any further just resulted in distortion and static, there was just too much interference.

But it wasn't all bad news, whatever was causing this interference had also left the air absolutely soaking in ambient Artron radiation, so at least one of the time travellers was having a good day right?

 Miles 

So things had kind of gone down hill for Miles since the whole 'tech gremlins' thing, what with losing his job and all his money but let it never be said that every cloud didn't have a silver lining and luckily the former Scotland Yard detective's great uncle Monty was an avid walker and had allowed him to stay in his holiday cottage in  Somewhereshire  Birchmoor until he got back on his feet.

Once upon a time, Birchmoor had been a thriving mining town but we all know how that went and now all it has is an aging population, a church, a pub, a shop and not a tech gremlin in sight. Though that was mainly because there wasn't much tech in sight either, the cottage's oven was wood-fired and the television got four channels, in black and white.

It was early evening and mist had begun to roll in off the hills but that didn't mean that Miles had to stay in his new leaky home, there was wood to chop, he could amble on down to the pub (he'd already been able to cinnamon roll his way into the local community) or maybe even grab a torch and head out on a walk on the moors, the world was his oyster!

 Donald R. Jordan 

Truck driving wasn't exactly the most glamorous job in the world but it was the Donald had and given the string of failed careers behind it, it wasn't one he could afford to lose either. Things were going pretty smoothly with no breakdowns or delays to speak off and he only had one more delivery to make for the day to a small rural town called Birchmoor.

The little bell above the door jingled as Donald made his way inside with the first of the delivery and he was greeted by a friendly elderly man who rose to his feet from his chair behind the counter "Just put them anywhere." He said, gesturing to the empty space between the small shelves filled with tinned food and cleaning supplies and other daily essentials. "Do you want a hand with that?"
Ridai
It sure has been a period of time.

A good bit of Miles' day has been spent on strategically placing buckets, bins, and whatnot, and sealing some (but hardly all) rather drafty frames shut with what duct tape he had left (very past tense by now). He's feeling very fortunate that great uncle Monty let him stay here for a while, all in all. Could have been a lot worse, and wouldn't want to impose on mum and dad. The leaky part of the place is not so fortunate, especially if you are prone to hear every bit of it, but that can be worked around! Surely!

But, alas, he is rather in need of some firewood, given there is not a bit left next to the oven. So he dons his coat and his hat, thick socks around thinner socks to not get (as) sweaty feet in his boots (nifty little tip from a former colleague), and out he goes into the increasingly misty Birchmoor evening air, to once again swing his still sore arms to make more appropriately-sized chunks of wood from quite more inappropriately-sized ones. Maybe he can swing by the pub soon. Maybe ask about perhaps helping out for a bit of income. Or maybe some tins of food, since those are running low too.

Chin up! A proper (failed) Scotland Yard detective (trainee) makes the most of the day!
His arms try to put in a veto, but they are subsequently convinced by a counter-offer of warming up when inside the hut, instead of getting colder when inside the hut. So they, too, ganbatte.
Zelphas
Country driving was always an interesting prospect. Given Donald's less-than-optimally-observant nature, he had been a bit concerned about heading out where the street signs may not be the most visible and obvious, but he had not accounted for one thing: less drivers on the road. So far, as long as no one reported back to the home office about the tire tracks on the sides of the road and he stopped at a place with a hose to wash off the worst of the mud and grass residue from the front of the truck, he might be able to get away without another reprimand on his record! (He wasn't a bad driver, honest; it's just that the difference between "road" and "ditch" got a little hazy the farther out into the country you went.)

With these cheery thoughts in mind, Donald waves off the offer of assistance with a smile.   "After making the drive, some movement does the body good,"   he says agreeably, thumping the first box down with a thud that, on retrospect, might've been a tad heavier than it should be. He flinches and glances down at the box; are the contents fragile? After a moment, he shrugs slightly to himself and straightens again; the damage is done, if there's going to be damage, so he may as well keep working. Turning towards the door (and only clipping the shelf slightly in his turn; nothing fell off, it's a good day!), he turns back to grab the next box, his mind already distracted with an attempt to map out the hazy journey back to the depot.
NontheistCleric
"Oh," says Pavilion, pausing to breathe in the irradiated air. She doesn't really need to–she leeches artron energy from her surroundings just by being there–but bodies give you habits.

"Did you feel that?" she asks an apparently empty bit of room (the TARDIS, of course, is all around them), then turns to face Professor Calico. "Look, Professor. Something's got me all charged up."

Her eyes are indeed glowing a bit brighter than they normally do, even after vortex immersion.

"I should get the medkit before we go out there. Just in case."

She bustles off to the sick bay, taking a detour by the wardrobe room to pick up some appropriate attire for the time period. Shirt and trousers, a coat whose red is probably not as vibrant as it used to be, a large pair of green-tinted spectacles, and an old leather suitcase she conceals the advanced medical equipment in.

"Ready!" she says, coming back into the main console room.
davyjones
Professor Calico frowns at the interference to his scans, and he begins to check and double check his instruments, only vaguely aware of his companion's demeanor.


 "Did you feel that?" she asks an apparently empty bit of room (the TARDIS, of course, is all around them), then turns to face Professor Calico. "Look, Professor. Something's got me all charged up." 

" Yes, yes. Positively glowing, " he responds, still completely absorbed by the anomaly. He only catches up on the conversation when she appears before him - almost bounding into the control room bedecked in red and green. " Oh. Oh, well, you never know, but it's not like artron energy really interacts with most folks - you're the exception to the rule, my dear. 

" That said, I'm not entirely sure  where  we are, except early 21st Century England...ish. You never know; we could be stuck in Cardiff. " He shudders involuntarily, then shakes it off just as quickly.

He looks around the control room for a moment; he's a traditionalist and prefers a more intimate control room, and he developed a love of chestnut and stone during his first "term" at university. So, with a granite baseboard to serve as a good foundation, chestnut paneling provides that cool, dark feel that a cockpit needed. It was comforting...to Calico, at least.

" Right. Let's see what we can see. Maybe we can get our bearings quickly. I wonder what the old girl gave us on the chameleon circuit. Come on, " he continues heading for the door, making sure his key is in his pocket...

OOC: I'll have to do a little dimensional architecture when I get back home Tuesday... (oh, and the control room is a slight variation of the Victorian desktop, modified to fit Calico's tastes)
NontheistCleric
 
 Originally Posted by davyjones 
 " Oh. Oh, well, you never know, but it's not like artron energy really interacts with most folks - you're the exception to the rule, my dear. 

" That said, I'm not entirely sure  where  we are, expect early 21st Century England...ish. You never know; we could be stuck in Cardiff. " 
 

"Oh, I know, Professor. I just mean–it's unusual, isn't it? At least, if it really is 21st-century England..."


 
 Originally Posted by davyjones 
 " Right. Let's see what we can see. Maybe we can get our bearings quickly. I wonder what the old girl gave us on the chameleon circuit. Come on, " he continues heading for the door, making sure his key is in his pocket... 
 

She trails along in his wake.
Dodgeson
 Miles 

The air was crisp and cold as Miles stepped out into the evening but not to worry, you know what they say about logs. They warm you up twice, once when you cut them and once when you burn them! His little issue with tech might have precluded the use of any sort of electric splitter but the old axe that leaned up against the wood pile would do just as well.

Chop chop chop, as the former Scotland Yard's finest whittled away at the wood pile, he would soon notice another sound beyond the rhythmic sound of metal against wood, the sound of a low growl coming in from just beyond the dry stone wall that marked the boundary of the property. Now Uncle Monty's cottage was on the edge of Birchmoor, all the better for walking across the moors, and after one too many drinks Old Thomas might have let slip about a thing that stalked the hills on misty nights but that was all just superstition.

Wasn't it?

 Professor Calico &amp; Pavilion 

Walking out of the time ship and on to the grass of the green, the scene that greeted the two time travellers was almost picturesque, from its duck pond to its small rustic play equipment and the red phone booth that the chameleon circuit had decided would be a perfectly inconspicuous disguise just added to the image (it was either that or a hedge), there was even a little shop.

The green was at the centre of what was left of Birchmoor and even with the mist settling in the pair could see plenty of local landmarks, not too far away the larger building that they spotted on the scanner revealed itself to be the village pub, the sign above its door proclaiming it to be 'The Bad Wolf' with the sounds of ructious celebration coming from within. Whilst further on down the street there stood the solemn shadow of a church atop a hill.

 Donald R. Jordan  

"Bless you." The elderly man returned to his seat to watch Donald work, sharing his flinch when the first box hit the floor but luckily there wasn't much in the way of canned goods and dry food that could shatter and people in small towns were generally more easy going anyway, I'm sure that it'd all be fine. Heading back outside everything seemed perfectly peaceful, even if he couldn't be 100% sure that that phone box had been there when he got here.

By the time all the boxes had been dropped off inside the shop and the paper's signed, he was making great time and even with the long journey home stretching ahead in front of him there was still plenty of opportunity to grab something to eat or just stretch his legs and enjoy the country vibes before he set off.
Ridai
A trip across the moor is definitely on Miles' List of Things To Do, right after covering little things like basic necessities. Very scenic and mysterious!

However, as he chops, there is that growl. Miles stops, looks towards where the sound came from (because of course he knows where it came from), trying a   "Hello?"  . Quick look around for any dog owners perhaps walking nearby.

He tries going back to chopping wood, but there it is again. He looks to the wall again, even taking a step or two towards it, slightly adjusting his hat, axe in the other hand.   "I can hear you growling, you know?"  

Perhaps a stray dog? Or some lad and his pet having a goof? If this keeps up, he might even have to take some inquisitive steps and dispense the standard issue Police adress of the unknown (  "Oi!"  ). On the other hand, that's a pretty deep growl.

Miles looks back at the cottage (still leaky, still drafty). In a weird way, he feels a little safer, since he doubts anyone wants to drive him insane to get at the property (no offense, great uncle Monty, it has its rustic charm). However, that still leaves a very deep growl at the wall. A conundrum.

Sooo... Miles shows what he is made of, namely (former) Scotland Yard material! Detective. Arriving. On the scene! And detectives go and detect! Thus, with a tactical piece of chopped wood in his left hand and the axe still in his right, Miles walks over to the wall to investigate the Probable Yet Mysterious Doggo.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Insatiable Curiosity hoooooo!
 
Zelphas
Were some of the boxes "dropped off" somewhat literally? Possibly, but there was no sound of breaking glass, so everything's fine! With the signing finished and carefully stowed back in his truck (too many lost papers along the way, that's something you really do have to keep in mind or people with official-sounding names start to ask concerned questions), Donald takes one more moment to set a timer on his phone, an idea he read... somewhere... and had been trying to use for a while to keep himself on track. He squints at the sky for a moment--there's still daylight, right?--he gives himself half an hour--no, make it a full hour, as a treat--and stows the phone back in his pocket, stretching.

So: the pub, or the countryside? a discarded granola bar wrapper, fallen out of his truck cab, decides him. A good walk is just what's needed to work up an appetite, and if he gets lost and the timer goes, he'll just grab something in the city. patting down his sides and settling everything in place, Donald makes his way towards the outskirts of the town... most likely. It's a small town; if he picks a direction and walks, he'll end up out of it, right? Already, his mind is galaxies away, lost in the hazy pseudo-daydream that always feels like he's pushing at something familiar, but out of reach. Oh well; it kills the time, when he needs it.
davyjones
 
 Originally Posted by Dodgeson 
  Professor Calico &amp; Pavilion 

Walking out of the time ship and on to the grass of the green, the scene that greeted the two time travellers was almost picturesque, from its duck pond to its small rustic play equipment and the red phone booth that the chameleon circuit had decided would be a perfectly inconspicuous disguise just added to the image (it was either that or a hedge), there was even a little shop.

The green was at the centre of what was left of Birchmoor and even with the mist settling in the pair could see plenty of local landmarks, not too far away the larger building that they spotted on the scanner revealed itself to be the village pub, the sign above its door proclaiming it to be 'The Bad Wolf' with the sounds of ructious celebration coming from within. Whilst further on down the street there stood the solemn shadow of a church atop a hill. 
 

Calico takes a moment to appreciate the outer form of the TARDIS, giving a satisfactory nod as he locks the door and whispers, " Good girl. You always know how to blend in at a party. " He gives the TARDIS an affectionate pat.

Turning away, he tells Pavilion (for the  n th time, in all probability), " My first job on Gallifrey was in the chameleon circuit design &amp; testing facility; the G-7 bloc on the environmental modeling and assessment module on all Type 75 and newer models is my baby. When I inherited the family TARDIS, I made sure I grew it in to her circuit. Vast improvement over the old module, if I say so myself. "

The sign above the pub catches his eye, and he shudders briefly, but doesn't know why. Must be the chill in the air. Yes, that's it. " Fancy a pint? " he asks his companion.
NontheistCleric
"Nice colour choice," Pavilion tells the TARDIS, looking her up and down. She listens attentively as Calico talks about the chameleon circuit again.


 
 Originally Posted by davyjones 
 The sign above the pub catches his eye, and he shudders briefly, but doesn't know why. Must be the chill in the air. Yes, that's it. "  Fancy a pint?  " he asks his companion. 
 

"I was all filled up already," she says, linking her free arm with his. "But I suppose my body could do with a drink too."
davyjones
 
 Originally Posted by NontheistCleric 
  "I was all filled up already,"  she says, linking her free arm with his.  "But I suppose my body could do with a drink too."  
 

" There's so much more to a pub than just being able to imbibe a good ale, beer, or wine, my dear, " Calico counters. " Information. Conversations going on around you. Mates catching up on the day, or lovers enjoying a night out, fans catching the match on the telly - you never kn-- "

He stops himself, working his lips like he's moving a word around his tongue. " No. No. That won't do. Not going to make it my catch phrase. Much too corny, don't you think? " he declares. " Now, where was I? 

" Oh, yes - information. We find ourselves a nice spot in a corner or a table with a view, and listen. Even the most mundane minutiae can provide us clues as to what might be causing this excess artron energy, " the professor adds before stopping again, tilting his head and examining the buildings in front of him. " You know, I think we're somewhere in the Midlands. "

Just as quickly, he's off again, making a beeline for The Bad Wolf. " And, you might be full up, Pav, but I'm famished. I wonder if they serve a ploughman's lunch this late in the day... "

 
 Spoiler: OOC: Idea for the TARDIS Internals... 
I had this idea for the TARDIS interior. I spelled out Iniex in Gallifreyan script (I have it on a jpg, but I don't know how or if I'm able to attach it here), and I figured that would be a coded way for him to build the internal layout of the ship.

Instead of a circle, the word is built on a sine wave, left to right. All of the lines and circles are the corridors of the ship, and the rooms are connected to them.

The first "I" is a ring that bisects the sine wave, with a spoke that arcs from its lower edge to the sine wave slightly downstream. The control room and dimensional interface are on the terminus of the sine. Crew and guest cabins are in along the spoke, wardrobe is just off the control room.

"NI" are concentric circles just off the inside of the positive arch of the sine wave (just before the inflection point). Both the N and the I have a spoke, and the I (which is the inner of the circles) spoke is a straight corridor that crosses the outer circle to intersect the sine wave. The N spoke is just offset of the I spoke, and intersects the sine wave near the inflection point. The area in the center of the I is the Cloister Room. Next to it, attached to both the N and I rings is the Zero Room. Engineering spaces fill the rest of the circles there.

The E circle intersects the negative part of the sine wave, but has no spokes. The upper side of the E ring (above the sine) are the professor's study, lab, and workshop. The area between the underside of the E ring and the sine wave is Auxiliary Control. Next to that is what the Professor calls the "Storeroom" (but what others might call his "Junk Room"); thanks to dimensional engineering, it's accessible from both control rooms (you just have to remember which side of the door you open from the inside to get to which control space). (The dimensional interface is also accessible from auxiliary control; the TARDIS knows which control room is in operation, so she controls which room you enter when you come in from the outside.)

The X circle intersects the terminus of the wave. It has two spokes, which arc around to meet the two spokes from the NI combo on the sine wave. These corridors house most of the recreational sections of the ship, and they're the most modular spaces. He had a nine-pin bowling alley in there at one point (when he was living in the 19th Century), but that's been replaced by a small movie theater, complete with a 1966 Bell &amp; Howell film projector. It hasn't seem much use lately...in about 50 years or so. The Bath is in this area, of course. And previous companions have had personal recreational facilities over the years. One even wanted a full Athenian gymnasium; they compromised on something less...natural...
 
Dodgeson
 Miles 

It was a few short steps to the wall and the source of the growl would quickly become clear, there in the mist was the silhouette of some large black beast. It stood on all fours like a dog but it was easily bigger than any canine that Mile's had ever seen with a pair of glowing red eyes that cut through the twilight as they fixed themselves on Miles.

Whatever it was it let out another menacing growl, this time louder, a warning as its enormous body tensed ready to lunge through the fog at the unfortunate detective that had drawn its attention.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Time for a Fear Contest! Give me Resolve+Ingenuity vs  (2d6+12)[ 15 ] 
 

 Donald R. Jordan 

Wandering through Birchmoor was a world away from the hustle and bustle of the big cities, without all the lights you could actually see the stars for one thing, constellations spreading out in the sky above him as it began to darken, only getting clearer as the his daydreams took him further out towards the edge of the village where even the street lights vanished and only the lights of the occasional cottage lit the way.

Everything was so much quieter too, without cars coming and going there was an air of tranquil calm about the place, that really let the truck driver be alone with his thoughts, at least for the moment.

 Professor Calico &amp; Pavilion 

Inside the Bad Wolf (And I will apologise to no one for that name) there was a party in full swing, cheerful bunting hung from the wall and one end of the bar had been given over to an array of platters filled with sandwiches, pork pies and little things on cocktail sticks and the second the time travellers stepped through the door, the party stopped.

The man sitting by the fire stopped playing his guitar and looked at them, the two elderly men in the corner playing pool turn away from their game tightening their grip on their cues and the women sitting around the edges of a makeshift dance floor all looked up from their drinks. Silence filled the room for several long seconds until the man behind the bar cheered.

"The more the merrier!" And like that the music returned and everyone went back to their business "What can I get you two? Come and fill your boots!"
davyjones
All eyes are on him.

The last time he experienced this, he was giving his final lecture at London Met. He was there for nearly 40 years, and it was getting difficult to hide the fact that he was aging so much more slowly than the folks around him. He was able to pass it off as good genes most of the time, but it would've been a stretch to try to pull off another decade like that. So, there was a big to do - the beloved maths professor going out after a good run and all - including a recital of the history of the uni (in all of its forms and names) from his arrival in 1968 to his departure in 2016, and a presentation here and a gift there, and, after that, he only had a half-hour to get in an hour's worth of lecture. He had to leave his two favorite questions off the final because of that. Disappointing, really.


 
 Originally Posted by Dodgeson 
 "The more the merrier!" And like that the music returned and everyone went back to their business "What can I get you two? Come and fill your boots!" 
 

The boisterous welcome breaks him from his reverie, and the professor shoots Pavilion a satisfied grin before bellying up to the bar.

" I'll take a pint of your best and darkest ale, and whatever the young lady wants, " he says, loud enough for the publican to understand him. " Oh, and how much for a pork pie? "
Ridai
  Miles, Scotland Yard's Finest!   -   Story Points:   11/12 -   Status:      A  A  A  A  A  A  A  A  A  A  A  A  A   

And lo, Scotland Yard's Finest detected. He detected that apparently, his great uncle's cottage was indeed worth much more than he thought. And a gigantic growling red-eyed beast about to pounce on the lone chap. Probably a ton of muscle, fur, and violence. But there is one thing it had not taken into account, for Scotland Yard detectives always come prepared.

Thus, the beast runs headfirst into a wall. Of sound. Created by the scream erupting from Miles' throat, faster than his shadow. I leave it to you, dear reader, to imagine sonic shockwaves racing across the misty landscape, kicking up dew drops and pebbles, blowing back the crowns of nearby trees. Stunned, positively bamboozled by this cunning maneuver, the tentatively named Hound of Birchmoor/Barghest/Black Dog (final pick pending) can only watch for a moment as the detective tactically retreats to a more advantageous position for his inevitable counterattack!

In other words, Miles is confronted with a massive dog, reflexively screams his lungs out like a banshee to the point of confusing the creature (the sound ringing far and wide), and hightails it out of there towards the town proper in sheer panic, axe still in hand and waving through the air. He even throws the piece of wood he held in the hound's general direction, if rather lacking in impact (should it even hit anything at all).

 
 Spoiler: Actions! 
 So Miles failed the Fear Contest by one point, thus rendering him a bit out of sorts. 

Spending an SP to activate  Screamer!  After checking in with Dodge about how this interacts with Fear Contest negative results, the ruling for now is that this basically overrides the result of the Fear Contest by scream-stunning everything in the immediate vicinity, followed by some form of panicked skedaddling (as appropriate for the situation).

So in the spirit of just running the hell away, Miles moves at a speed of 5 (Coordination 4, +1 from  Run For Your Life! ), and here is a check to go faster or cross obstacles.
 [roll=Coordination + Athletics (Running)]2d6+9[/roll]   Beansed the roll tag,  rerolled in OOC with an 18  
 
NontheistCleric
 Did you see those old men, Professor?  Pavilion thinks to Calico, following him to the bar.  The ones playing the ball game, I mean. You'd think they expected something more threatening than us to come through that door, the way they were acting. 

She briefly considers trying to read their minds, but that might have all sorts of possible complications. Just talking is probably a better starter tactic.


 
 Originally Posted by Dodgeson 
 "The more the merrier!" And like that the music returned and everyone went back to their business "What can I get you two? Come and fill your boots!" 
 

"I'll have... um... whatever the Professor's having," she tells the bartender. "Nice party. Special occasion?"
Zelphas
As usual when left completely to his own thoughts, Donald is struck with an odd sort of melancholy. It's remarkable how the press of mistakes and missed instructions can crowd the mind, papering over the gap that's been there as long as he can remember. Twenty-seven years, gone--or is it twenty-nine, or even thirty one?--and no one to even remark on it; he's a man without a memory, in his own mind or the minds of those around him. Looking up at the stars, the vast expanse stretching above him, with nothing but the chirp of insects and one bloodcurdling scream to shatter the silence of the night, it's easy to feel...

...Wait, one of those things was a bit off, wasn't it? Donald hadn't been out to the country much (that he remembered, anyway), but even he's pretty sure those kind of screams aren't a normal occurrence.

Rising out of his melancholy funk, Donald turns his feet towards the source of the scream, picking up the pace and moving to the side of the path, where the grass is thicker and muffles his footsteps. He's not sure if he can do much--he's not got a thing on him to fight with, and while he's handy enough in a scrap he doesn't want to jump into a situation without knowing what's going on--but he can at least observe the scene and decide where to go from there. And it's better to observe without  being  observed, to get the right, unbiased information.

Why does that thought seem so fundamentally correct?

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Donald is moving quickly to the scene, but I want him to ty and sneak there to pop out un-observed. If I'm doing my math right, Sneaking would be a Coordination (4) + Subterfuge Skill (4) + Area of Expertise (Sneaking) (2) = +10, so...

Roll to sneak quickly towards the scream:  (2d6+10)[ 19 ] 
 
davyjones
 
 Originally Posted by NontheistCleric 
  Did you see those old men, Professor?  Pavilion thinks to Calico, following him to the bar.  The ones playing the ball game, I mean. You'd think they expected something more threatening than us to come through that door, the way they were acting.  
 

As he waits for his drink, the professor turns around and rests his elbows on the bar, "casually" scanning the room while keeping the billiards players in his peripheral vision.

He isn't a telepath - not all Time Lords are, you know! - so he hopes Pav can read his surface thoughts as he responds,   Remember, Earth culture in the 21st Century is largely paranoid, provincial, and self-absorbed; anything outside their so-called 'norms' are cause for suspicion, especially since they haven't evolved beyond the siren's call of their social media obsession. The billiard players may just be suspicious of outsiders, like us.  
 
 Spoiler: OOC: Observation Roll 
I'm not sure if this is a passive Awareness + Ingenuity roll, or if you want me to apply a skill instead. Calico is trying to notice if the billiard players are still eyeing them, or if they're still acting suspiciously (holding their cues a little too tightly, etc.)

Awareness (2) + ???
 (2d6+2)[ 8 ] 

If this is Awareness + Ingenuity, then the result is 13.
 
Dodgeson
 Professor Calico &amp; Pavilion 

With a nod and a smile the landlord pulled a pair of glasses from under the bar and began to pull a pint of the dark liquid from a tap that was labelled 'Miners Old Ale'. "You two aren't from round here are you?" He said with a laugh, gesturing to the food with his other hand as he let the first pint settle "It's a party, help yourself." He was definitely the chatty sort and he was more than happy to keep talking as he placed the two drinks in front of the time travellers, the subject of what exactly the party was for widening his smile even more.

"My Margret only back on her feet!" He announced, drawing a cheer and a clinking of glasses from the assembled "And the doctor said she'd never walk again, it's bloody miracle, tell you what. This round's on me!"

Of course through all this joviality there was still the question of the men in the corner and while they'd gone back to their game once everything had settled down again, the Professor definitely caught them shooting a few glances their way.

 Donald R. Jordan &amp; Miles  

The darkness around him along with the overgrown hedgerows of the English countryside made it easy enough for Donald to conceal himself as he made his way towards the sound of the scream, though stealth probably wasn't super necessary considering the source of the noise really rather looked like they had more important things to be worrying about right now as they sprinted back towards Birchmoor with an axe in one hand.

Was he running from something? There didn't seem to be anything hot on his heels (the creature was still reeling back by the cottage after all). Was he running towards someone? Only time would tell...

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
I leave it up to you guys whether Donald is going to reveal himself or if Miles is going to roll Ingenuity+Awareness to try and notice him.
 
NontheistCleric
 
 Originally Posted by Dodgeson 
 "You two aren't from round here are you?" 
 

"Well, 'here' is relative," says Pavilion, returning his smile. "I'm only visiting England, but my uncle has lived in London for many years."


 
 Originally Posted by Dodgeson 
 "My Margret only back on her feet!" He announced, drawing a cheer and a clinking of glasses from the assembled "And the doctor said she'd never walk again, it's bloody miracle, tell you what. This round's on me!" 
 

"My," she says. "That sounds amazing. How exactly did it happen? If it's nothing too private, I'm just professionally curious–you see, I am a surgeon myself."
Zelphas
Donald is, as usual, surprised by his own instincts. The man runs past, screaming, holding an axe--and Donald's first reaction is to draw back a little deeper into the shadows, note down the unexpected behavior in some little slot in his mind, and dismiss the terrified person entirely, looking eagerly back the way they came for a new development.

Which... isn't how a person is supposed to react to the sight of one of their fellow humans in obvious terror and armed with a bladed weapon. At least, he thinks that is the improper response, from what he's seen and heard.

By the time he's sorted through his thoughts, the man had blown past him towards the town. Sighing, Donald pulls up another something that isn't normal, as far as he can tell, and projects a shout directly into the man's mind:   HEY!   Hopefully, the mental blast will jar the man out of his terror for a moment.  Moving onto the road, Donald begins jogging after the man, speaking aloud.   "Everything all right?"   he calls out a bit loudly, hoping to trick the man into thinking that the first 'yell' was aloud, too.

There are a lot of hopefullys in this plan already...

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Resolve (5) + Ingenuity (2) to telepathically communicate with Miles:  (2d6+7)[ 9 ] 

(I'm not sure if this can fail, so I figured I should roll it)
 
davyjones
 With a nod and a smile the landlord pulled a pair of glasses from under the bar and began to pull a pint of the dark liquid from a tap that was labelled 'Miners Old Ale'. "You two aren't from round here are you?" He said with a laugh, gesturing to the food with his other hand as he let the first pint settle "It's a party, help yourself." He was definitely the chatty sort and he was more than happy to keep talking as he placed the two drinks in front of the time travellers, the subject of what exactly the party was for widening his smile even more.

"My Margret only back on her feet!" He announced, drawing a cheer and a clinking of glasses from the assembled "And the doctor said she'd never walk again, it's bloody miracle, tell you what. This round's on me!"

Of course through all this joviality there was still the question of the men in the corner and while they'd gone back to their game once everything had settled down again, the Professor definitely caught them shooting a few glances their way. 

Calico smiles and makes his way to the pork pies, briefly measuring them up before selecting one from the group and making his way back to Pav and the publican. If pressed, he would admit he prefers them warm in the Yorkshire style, but his time in London got him used to them being served cold, so this one was  more  than adequate. He nods appreciatively as he chews on a bite when the proprietor presented the ales, then raises his glass with the others in celebration at the announcement.


 "My," she says. "That sounds amazing. How exactly did it happen? If it's nothing too private, I'm just professionally curious–you see, I am a surgeon myself." 

" It's always wonderful when doctors err in your favor. Cheers! " he quips, keenly interested in the answer; this could be exactly the sort of strange occurrence that gives them a clue as to the origin of the artron energy.
Ridai
The sudden shout startles Miles further, almost fumbling his axe, but still catching it underhand with his left. He spins around, seeing the other bloke, seemingly unaware of the danger. Thus, one needs to aid!

  "Sir,pleasekeepcalmandmovetothetowncenterasquickly  aspossible,there'sagianthoundtheotherway,comealong  please,thankyou."  

Nervous energy pulls Miles in both directions at once, so he kind of waffles back and forth on the spot. All while increasingly quickly waving for the other guy to come along.

Donald sees a wiry young man with a coat, jeans, boots, glasses, and a nice hat. Quite obviously terrified while also weirdly duty-bound to help? He doesn't look like much, but he sure has the legs to hightail it out of wherever he came from, at least.
Zelphas
Donald is distracted for a moment as the man swings around.   Hat. Huh.   Shaking off the random thought (and therefore accidentally completely missing the stream of words coming from the man's mouth), Donald continues his jog over to the man.   "We haven't had bears around here for the last four hundred years or so,"   he comments offhand, almost as though he's trying to make a joke.   "And all the werewolves are supposed to be in London."  

Miles would see a man of medium height and build with brown hair and eyes; the kind of person that would vanish into a crowd if you blinked. His truck driver's uniform adds to the effect, creating someone who seems anonymous even when you meet him alone on the side of a country road in the twilight.
Ridai
Miles waits for the man to catch up, meanwhile constantly casting glances down the way he came. Not a moment later, Miles sets a fast jog as a sort of compromise until the man is more convinced of the mortal danger?

  "It appears we have hounds with my shoulder height now. My name is Miles, pleasure to meet you, please keep moving at pace, sir,"   the owner of the very same name says quite sincerely in all regards, free hand checking if his flat hat's still on, which it luckily is. Thus encouraged, said courage is immediately spent on peeking behind him, before quickly focusing back on getting into town.
Dodgeson
 Professor Calico &amp; Pavilion 

"You might wanna keep that down round here." The landlord laughed when Pavilion explained where the pair were from, but it was mostly in jest "What's got the pair of you up here then anyway? Not that I'm complaining but you're a long way from London." Without waiting for an answer he launched in to the girl's question, it was practically part of his job to be chatty and the 'and one for yourself's he'd been being plied with certainly helped.

"Your guess is as good as mine Miss Doctor." He began, taking a swig from his own glass "Maggie says it's all prayer and the good book, all I know is that I'm not one to say no to a bit a good fortune."

He didn't say it out loud but as far as he was concerned if there really the a big man upstairs looking out for them then Birchmoor wouldn't have been in the state that it was but that sort of thing wasn't good for business in a town like this and if that's what his wife wanted to think, then well you know what they say about a happy wife.

 Donald R. Jordan &amp; Miles 

A jog simply wouldn't be enough to keep Donald &amp; Miles safe from whatever beast was pursuing the former detective and soon the sound of heavy bounding footfalls and low threatening growls would be upon them, its large silhouette clear through the mist if either of them mustered up the courage to dare look back the way they came.

Fortunately for the duo the village wasn't far ahead and the familiar sight of the village green along with it, the street lights that dotted the pavement seeming to ward off their pursuer somewhat and sending it leaping up on the roofs (still doesn't sound right) of nearby buildings, not ready to give up its pursuit just yet.
NontheistCleric
"You're right enough there," Pavilion says. "It's all fortune, in the end. Even if there is some god putting broken people back together... I'm sure they're ruled by fortune like anyone else."

 I should know. 

She shakes herself free of the momentary reminiscence and turns her chair a little to see the rest of the room.

"So which one is your Maggie?" she asks the bartender.
Ridai
As Miles has detected in the past, the beast is indeed there. And extremely mobile too.

So Miles snaps a picture with his phone as evidence.

  "Okay man,  RUN!"    In the face of immediate danger, Miles is quite done with pleasantries and meeting the other bloke halfway, so he instead pushes the trucker forward to finally actually start running towards the town, not go for a leisurely jog. Miles makes a note that he should be more assertive in the future in this regard, for the sake of public safety. Amidst the constant    AHHHHHHH!    in his head. He keeps looking for buildings, walls, heck even hedges to put between them and the Beast of Birchmoor to become at least a little less pounceable-on, trying to keep track of the massive hound as they go.
davyjones
 
 Originally Posted by NontheistCleric 
 "You're right enough there," Pavilion says. "It's all fortune, in the end. Even if there is some god putting broken people back together... I'm sure they're ruled by fortune like anyone else."

 I should know.  
 

" Don't be so quick to discount providence, my dear; a miracle is still a miracle, regardless of one's belief in the divine, " Calico counters as he turns around. Looking to the publican he adds," And faith in itself is a powerful tool, because faith breeds hope, and hope breeds perseverance. Perseverance allows us to continue beyond our endurance, and is often the turning point from failure to miracle. "


 
 Originally Posted by NontheistCleric 
 She shakes herself free of the momentary reminiscence and turns her chair a little to see the rest of the room.

"So which one is your Maggie?" she asks the bartender. 
 

The professor joins his companion in scanning the room, taking another sip of his ale.

His mind, though, remains on the mechanics of the miracle. Artron energy is known to have healing properties when applied to that use, and he wonders if someone has somehow tapped into this particular "fount." His brows unconsciously knit together as he considers the possibilities...
Zelphas
Ah. That would explain the running, then.

Donald picks up the pace to a full run after a glance behind, thankful for the fact that his mind seems to process "imminent danger" as an excuse to work  faster  rather than cease functioning entirely.   "Pub?"   He shouts as a half-suggestion to the other man, following his corkscrew pattern as closely as possible; if he gets separated, he'll surely get lost in the unfamiliar surroundings.   "People, lights, noise--might scare it off!" 
 Or give it other targets,   a part of him notes coolly. Why does he consider that a bonus, rather than a detriment?
Ridai
  "Pub!"   Miles agrees, voice peaking a little and adjusting course.
Dodgeson
Looking around the pub there were certainly plenty of women who could be a Maggie, Birchmoor's population skewed elderly at the best of times, it could be the woman sitting on her own and knitting at a small circular table or the one sitting on a stool at the other end of the bar who was surrounded by empty wine glasses or either of the two who were sitting by the jukebox playing dominoes.

Luckily the Landlord spoke up again to solve the problem.

"She's late to her own party." He explained jovially "Goes to service three times a day now like clockwork, morning, noon and night. Not my cup of tea but it gets her out and about, I'm just happy I'm not having to get her up and down that hill!" He burst out laughing at his own 'joke', which sent the rest of the pub off again, before he drained the last of his pint and started pulling another one.

And then two men burst through the doors but this time there was no abrupt silence or hard stares from the locals, even though one of them was carrying an axe, instead the cheerful atmosphere didn't even stumble and a brief cheer went up before everyone went back to the party. They might not have recognised one of them but they knew Miles and any friend of his was alright by them.

"Evening Miles. Who's your friend?" The Landlord greeted the new pair "Bit cold out there for a run, good pint'll keep your boiler going. The usual?"
Ridai
Miles immediately shuts the door the moment Donald is inside, even bracing against it with his back and spread elbows, as if that might help in some way.

Regardless, Miles wouldn't be Miles if he didn't also immediately greet The Landlord with an   "Good evening, sir, and yes thank you, I hope Maggie is doing well?"   in his usual friendly way (he even manages a smile, despite the circumstances!).

On the topic of his companion:   "Oh, we ran into each other on the way, he seems alright. Sorry, I did not catch your name?"   Miles looks to Donald.

Nevertheless, and after a look back at the door even going to retrieve his pint with a shaky hand, Miles says   "Say, um, there don't happen to be sightings of hounds about yea high"   Miles gestures to about neck level.   "do they?"   He also checks his phone. And confronted with the wild blur of shades of dark that could pass as some sort of rural Rorschach test, he quietly lets his phone slide back into his pocket.   "Because we, uh, kind of met one, haha..."   The lad is feeling rather self-conscious saying this out loud inside the pub. He is also growing more self-conscious about holding an axe in such a setting, because one should generally not carry an axe inside a pub. At least not as a guest.
NontheistCleric
As he comes over to get his drink, Pavilion observes Miles's harried demeanor and the axe clutched in his hand.

"Unfriendly sort of hound, was it?" she guesses.
Ridai
  "I normally get along with animals, so yes, quite, I'm afraid. And I hope it didn't actually follow me here,"   Miles fills the stranger in, hand shaking just enough to unsettle the pint, but not enough to unsettle it out of the glass.   "Sorry, Miles Marwood."   The upturned axe handle is tapped against him for emphasis on who that name belongs to.   "Are you new in town?"  
davyjones
Professor Calico is quickly focused when the two men burst into the tavern, even as he toasts along with the rest of the crowd and takes another sip of his ale. He scrutinizes the pair - the out of breath, nearly panicked axe man and the strangely calm delivery-driver-uniformed fellow beside him. In fact, something seems wrong about that one; it's like he's just a quarter-radian off axis.


 
 Originally Posted by Ridai 
   "I normally get along with animals, so yes, quite, I'm afraid. And I hope it didn't actually follow me here,"   Miles fills the stranger in, hand shaking just enough to unsettle the pint, but not enough to unsettle it out of the glass.   "Sorry, Miles Marwood."   The upturned axe handle is tapped against him for emphasis on who that name belongs to.   "Are you new in town?"   
 

" Professor Calico, and this is my niece, Pavilion, " he responds, placing down his glass and offering a hand. " Late of London. "

His eyes falling back on the other newcomer, he asks, his tone unintentionally carrying a timber of authority, " And who might you be, my good man? "
Ridai
 
 Originally Posted by davyjones 
 " Professor Calico, and this is my niece, Pavilion, " he responds, placing down his glass and offering a hand. " Late of London. " 
 

Noticing the moment the professor begins to start the motions leading to an offered handshake, Miles puts down the pint, notices the damp on his hand, quickly wipes it off, and returns a good proper handshake and smile. Very important, those, even in these scary circumstances, to the point of briefly getting out of his jitters.   "Pleasure to meet you, Professor, ma'am,"   addressing Professor Calico and Pavilion in turn. With attention shifting towards Donald, Miles takes the cue to shut up for a moment, mentally stumble over the capital P in what he said, and maybe make progress on proper defogging his glasses.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Just a quick insert, since Miles is a young man of good manners.
 
Zelphas
Donald is getting attention. Out of all the things that happened in the past few minutes,  this  is what makes him uncomfortable.

Stifling an absurd impulse to lie (and an even more absurd impulse to duck back out the door and towards the large beast, which at the very least seems unlikely to ask questions), Donald nods to the assembled group.   "Jordan. From London as well... most likely."  

Shrugging a bit at his own private in-joke, Donald casts about for a way to change the subject.   "I know city folks are supposed to be astonished by the size of the beasts out in the country, but a wolf that would consider most humans a pleasant snack at most seems a bit... out of the ordinary. Unless someone nearby's been trying to see how big an Irish Wolfhound can  really  get?"  
davyjones
 
 Originally Posted by Zelphas 
   "I know city folks are supposed to be astonished by the size of the beasts out in the country, but a wolf that would consider most humans a pleasant snack at most seems a bit... out of the ordinary. Unless someone nearby's been trying to see how big an Irish Wolfhound can  really  get?"   
 

" Well, I remember once dealing with a rather large critter that was causing a bit of a stir on the Londonderry side of Sawel Mountain, " Calico notes. " I later told my friend Art about it over a pint; I think he turned the anecdote into a crime novel. "
NontheistCleric
"Wait," says Pavilion, turning sharply to the landlord. "Is your wife coming back alone? Only–if there really is some hostile beast out there–"
Dodgeson
The Landlord listened to Miles and Donald but didn't seem to let him bother him all too much "You've found Monty's stash then?" He asked with a chuckle, it was no secret in the village that Miles' uncle was a fan of brewing his own drink and while he'd rather the man was drinking his booze he didn't hold it against him. Pavillion's concern was dismissed with about as much worry "I wouldn't worry about it, these lads probably just startled a fox or something and between you and me if I had to pick a side between my Maggie and some beastie I know who I'm choosing."

While he might not have seemed too bothered by it, someone else seemed to be, the woman at the other end of the bar looking up from amongst her empty wine glasses "It's the Beast. The Beast of Birchmoor!" She declared, thrusting one pointy finger out towards Donald "And God help you if it's got its eyes you!"

Her raised voice was enough to draw the pub's attention, everything going quiet for the second time today as the man with the guitar abruptly stopped and stared with the other patrons.

"Alright I think you've had enough tonight Edith, lets not scare the nice city folk." The Landlord was the first to speak up, moving around the bar to help the woman out of her seat and shepherd her towards the door.

Off in one corner of the room, the only person who hadn't been drawn in to the fuss at the bar looked towards Professor Calico and then to the cover of the book he was reading, then back to the Time Lord again, then he just shook his head.
NontheistCleric
Enough socializing. Time to find what's really going on here. Pavilion lets her perceptions expand, homing in on the neural activity of the man named Jordan.

 Show me what you see. 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Using Psychic to try and see the image Jordan has of the hound in his own mind.

Awareness (3) + Resolve (6) + Psychic (4):  (2d6+13)[ 18 ] 

If unwilling, Jordan may resist with Resolve + Ingenuity.
 
davyjones
 
 Originally Posted by Dodgeson 
 Off in one corner of the room, the only person who hadn't been drawn in to the fuss at the bar looked towards Professor Calico and then to the cover of the book he was reading, then back to the Time Lord again, then he just shook his head. 
 

" Ah, well, time to go mingle a bit, " Calico says, taking the last bite of his pork pie, downing it with a swig of ale, and weaving through the pub to the man in the corner. He takes a look a the other's book cover as he sits down nearby, then raises his glass to the man by way of introduction. " Cheers. Good reading? "
Ridai
Pavilion pointing out that Maggie was out there right now does jolt Miles out of his general confusion of meeting all these new people.

Edith declaring the Beast of Birchmoor™ being an actual thing also put a bit of a point on things too.

  "I'll... go looking for Maggie, sir. Just to be sure."   Miles searches his wallet, scrounging together enough for the pint, and putting it on the counter. Another gulp for some extra courage, too.

  "Hey uh, Jordan, can you do me a favor and ask Edith about that beast?"   His phone number goes on a napkin alongside the implication to call him if he learns anything. And with that, Miles quickly heads back out there. Jitters return, but it is what it is. He steers himself towards the church.
Zelphas
  "Well. Ominous enough,"   Donald muttered, glad the attention is turning away from him.   "Hm? Oh, well, I guess I can--"  

Someone is trying to read his mind. That hasn't happened before, but somehow he knows it. Reflexively, Donald clamps down on his mind's defenses, while also sending a reflexive mental   Oi, stop that   down the line in the general "direction" of the mental intrusion.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Roll to resist having his mind read:

Ingenuity (2) + Resolve (5) + Psychic (4):  (2d6+11)[ 14 ] 
 
NontheistCleric
 
 Originally Posted by Zelphas 
 Donald clamps down on his mind's defenses, while also sending a reflexive mental   Oi, stop that   down the line in the general "direction" of the mental intrusion. 
 

Jordan is strong. Unusually so for a human. It's almost as if.... but the impressions flashing through his revealed mindscape draw Pavilion's attention from that train of thought.


 heavy bounding footfalls 


 low threatening growls 


 large silhouette clear through the mist 

 Hound seems real,  she telepathically murmurs to the Professor.  At least in Mister Jordan's mind. Really abnormally large too. 

"Oh dear," she says out loud. "Professor, did we... lock the car? I'll just go check..."

She hops off her seat and heads out the door on Miles's heels. As she passes Jordan on the way out, she opens the mental channel between them fully.

 I'm sorry about that, Mister Jordan. Just needed to be sure. Your friend is right. Stick close to Miss Edith. We don't need two young ladies in danger tonight. 

"Mister Marwood!" she calls after Miles. "Going to face the terror yourself?"

She trots to catch up with him. "Gallant, but unnecessary. A hero like you always does better with a companion in tow."

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Rolling Resolve (6) + Ingenuity (6) to telepathically communicate with Jordan:  (2d6+12)[ 16 ] 

If unwilling, Jordan may resist with Resolve + Ingenuity.
 
Ridai
Miles jumps a bit when Ms. Pavilion calls after him. He wheels around and stops for her to catch up.   "W-well, ideally, I won't be facing any more terrors tonight, haha... Oh, and just Miles, please."  

There is a combination of grimacing and exhaling out a corner of the mouth when Miles is called a hero, what with how he ended up in Birchmoor (that one was really on him, after all...). Ms. Pavilion is just as official in this regard as he is (meaning both are not in the slightest), and it's nice to have backup. What's important is finding Maggie right now.

So in the end, Miles nods and smiles gratefully (bless her heart), gesturing down the road with the still upside-down axe handle.   "Thank you, Ms. Pavilion. The church is that way."   Miles continues his brisk pace in said direction.
Zelphas
Doesn't seem like it worked. Curioser and curioser.   Let a little slip about yourself, there, miss,   Donald comments back without thinking, resigning himself to the intrusion. It was more interesting to meet another telepath than anything, at the moment.   Unless you are the only "young lady" you believe to be in danger.  

Finding himself at a bit of a loss, Donald decides to simply follow the instructions he was given... as best he could. Taking a seat at the bar a few stools away from Edith, Donald sits uncomfortably for a few moments.   "So... the Beast of Birchmoor, then?"   he says finally with a shattering lack of tact.   "Can't say I've heard of it, but I'm no connoisseur of country stories in any case."  
davyjones
 
 Originally Posted by NontheistCleric 
  Hound seems real,  she telepathically murmurs to the Professor.  At least in Mister Jordan's mind. Really abnormally large too.  
 

Calico's eyes flit over to Pav's departing form, then shift to Jordan briefly before he returns his attention to the reader.
NontheistCleric
 Just spoke to Mister Jordan telepathically,  Pavilion thinks to the Professor as she walks alongside Miles.  He seemed unsurprised–replied to me quite matter-of-factly. Maybe he's the unusual thing we're looking for. 
Dodgeson
Pavillion and Miles left the warmth and light of the Bad Wolf, bravely heading out into the darkness where the Beast of Birchmoor could very well still lie in wait! Fortunately if the creature was lurking around it didn't make its presence known immediately and the pair were seemingly safe for the moment to head up towards the looming church, the light coming through its large stained glass windows making it stand out against the night.

Gravel crunched underneath their feet as they arrived outside the old stone church, a single light illuminating the area immediately around the open wooden doors that lead in to the vestibule, the muffled sound of a sermon coming from beyond another set of doors. Off to one side of the building a path curved around leading to a graveyard where the silhouettes of tombstones jutted out of the ground while on the other side there was nothing but more of the gravel to serve as parking space for parishioners, but as most of them didn't have cars it was as silent and empty as the graveyard opposite.

Back at the pub, the Landlord was still trying to get Edith out the door to mixed success, so when Donald spoke up and she promptly sat back down on a stool next to him he just sighed and gave up, it wasn't like he could actually leave the place unattended anyway and he headed back around the bar to console himself with another drink as the old woman launched in to her story.

"Birchmoor was built around the mines up there in the hills, it was dangerous work but folk needed the money, they just didn't realise how dangerous. Didn't matter how many people died there was always somebody else to pick up the job. The men in charge didn't even bother to bring the bodies back up to the surface, wasted too much time they said, half those graves up by the church are empty. Some nights you can still the lights up on the hills while those souls try to find their way to their final resting place and the Devil himself sends his terrible beast to snatch them and drag them to hell before they can reach the church!"

Not everyone in the Bad Wolf was having such an intense conversation and in one corner of the room an old man in glasses smiled and raised his drink to Professor Calico "Can't beat a good book." He agreed, the front of his well loved paperback emblazoned with a magnifying glass over a question mark.
NontheistCleric
Pavilion doesn't look directly at Miles as they leave the light spilling out of the pub and navigate up the street. Her eyes may be hidden in plain sight by green glass, but they still glow. Fortunately, it's only natural to keep a eye out in all directions if you're wary of a giant hound.

As they approach the illumination of the church-lights, she feels safe enough to turn to him again.

"You think we should just stand out here and keep watch?" she asks. "That way we can cover both exits."
Ridai
Ah. Sermon still going. Hm. Well then.

That at least deflates the mounting danger part. If making things a little awkward.

  "Uh, yeah, sure. I'll,"   Miles glances at the graveyard looming.   "I'll cover the graveyard side of things."  

Aaand... so he does.
Zelphas
  "Mmm-hmm."   Donald nods blandly along with Edith's rant. Idly, he wishes he had a pad and paper; if he seemed like he was taking notes, he might come across as more concerned and interested in this matter.   "So, to sum up, and make sure that I'm following you correctly: the Beast of Birchmoor is some sort of... hell-hound? Perhaps a Black Dog--I think its fur may have been black, though I didn't get a very solid look, and it is rather dark out... and it is mostly after the souls of departed miners. Why did it chase after the man Miles and myself, then? I can say with some certainty that we are both living."   Donald's expression is one of simple, polite interest; nothing in his tone suggests that he is anything but curious about Edith's answer.
davyjones
 
 Originally Posted by Dodgeson 
 Not everyone in the Bad Wolf was having such an intense conversation and in one corner of the room an old man in glasses smiled and raised his drink to Professor Calico "Can't beat a good book." He agreed, the front of his well loved paperback emblazoned with a magnifying glass over a question mark. 
 

" Indeed. Since I left teaching, I've been able to catch up on a little bit of my collection between travels, " Calico concurs. Gesturing to the book, he adds, " Mystery novel? "

Speaking of mysteries, the professor tries to keep Mr. Jordan within his peripheral vision, at least, as the latter continues to gather information from Edith.
Dodgeson
Leaving Pavilion by the light of the church door Miles headed bravely out into the dark and foreboding of the graveyard, everything for the moment was silent bar the distant noises of nocturnal birds, bats and other creatures of the night along with the almost unintelligible sound of the sermon coming from inside, muffled by the heavy stone blocks that built up the church.

Until the sounds of the animals went silent, only to be replaced by a sound that would be familiar to the former detective (if he wasn't around the other side of the church right now), the pounding sound of footfalls that ended with the crunch of gravel and low growl, a large shaggy black creature padding out from around the opposite side of the church and fixed Pavilion with its baleful red eyes.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
This is officially an extended conflict! So Pav and Miles what's the plan? Are you talking, running, doing or fighting?
 


Things were going slightly better back at the Bad Wolf and Edith pondered Donald's question for a moment, it wasn't an unreasonable one after all "Well the way I see it." She began "Maybe the hound gets hungry? It's been a long way since I last saw a light on the hills. Maybe you and your friend's souls are just as good as anyone else's?" Finishing the thought there was a little glimmer of something in her eye and a slight smile on her face as she watched the city boy for a reaction.

Helping himself to a sandwich from the platter on the bar, the Landlord shook his head at Edith's antics but Donald had nobody to blame but himself for this one.

"They don't make them like they used to." The old man replied to the professor, nodding in the affirmative and gesturing for him to join him at his table "I was a bit of a traveller myself when I was younger, I was an engineer out in Africa. So you were a teacher? We've not had a school here for years..."
NontheistCleric
 Professor,  Pavilion thinks to him,  come up to the church. The 'hound' is here. 

Then she addresses the creature directly, though she's still broadcasting the message to the Professor as well.

 Curious. What exactly are you? Big scary sort, I know. Something to do with all the artron energy about... and with those eyes... 

Pavilion smiles, not entirely benignly. She removes her glasses, slipping them into a coat pocket, and backs out of the church door's light, letting the shadows fall across her face and reveal her own blazing green eyes.

 Nice to meet you. I'm Pavilion. Do you have a name? 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Rolling Resolve (6) + Ingenuity (6) to telepathically communicate with the creature:  (2d6+12)[ 20 ] 

Rolling Presence (3) + Convince (5) to make the creature feel we are kindred spirits:  (2d6+8)[ 11 ] 
 
Ridai
Shift onto one foot. Shift onto the other. Back. Forth. Back. Forth. Miles shoulders are raised and head low, to retreat the tiniest bit into his collar. Just keeping watch. Behind the church. On the spooky graveyard. At night. With the Beast of Birchmoor out and about. He is not quite sure if he should be thankful for the muffled sermons as a reassurance that other people are nearby, or if the sound only makes things creepier.

...And now even the local animals decided to take a break and grow quiet. This really isn't Miles' day.

It's for a good cause, though. Someone's got to do it. Just keep going.

Miles sneezes.
davyjones
 
 Originally Posted by Dodgeson 
 "They don't make them like they used to." The old man replied to the professor, nodding in the affirmative and gesturing for him to join him at his table "I was a bit of a traveller myself when I was younger, I was an engineer out in Africa. So you were a teacher? We've not had a school here for years..." 
 

" Maths professor at the London Met, actually. Tortured students with tensors for a few decades, " Calico confirms with a mischievous smile and chuckle. " And it seems to be the way of things in village life in this new century. Children grow up, leave for the big cities, don't come back to raise their own children. It's disheartening, reall-- "


 
 Originally Posted by NontheistCleric 
  Professor,  Pavilion thinks to him,  come up to the church. The 'hound' is here.  
 

The professor's brow furrows slightly as the message intrudes on his thoughts. Instinctively, he puts his hand over his jacket breast pocket, feigning feeling for a phone.

" Hmph, must be the niece, " he notes. " Probably got lost on the way to the church. Excuse me. "

Standing and dismissing himself with a polite nod, Calico strides over to where Edith is entertaining her interrogator. With a pat on the man's shoulder, he announces, " Come, Mr. Jordan, let's go see what Miles and Pavilion have gotten themselves into. "

He doesn't wait for Jordan to follow as he exits the pub and turns for the church, drawing his sonic screwdriver from his inside jacket pocket once outside.
NontheistCleric
 Miles Marwood,  Pavilion says into his mind,  do not question why you can hear my voice in your mind. Enter the church by the back door and make sure no one comes out the front. The creature is here. 
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
She's still in the talking phase, so I don't think there should be a problem adding this to my last post...

Rolling Resolve (6) + Ingenuity (6) to telepathically communicate with Miles:  (2d6+12)[ 17 ] 
 
Zelphas
Donald realizes with a sense of distant surprise that he is supposed to be frightened by the story Edith has told him. It's a fair response, given the evidence of what he has seen that night, if he took Edith's tale as the unvarnished truth or even believed that it had some shred of truth to it; and he has no reason to disbelieve her. He almost certainly should be frightened by her tale.

And yet, a deep part of him remains utterly convinced that his death is either incredibly unlikely or simply unimportant, which means that he cannot muster up a fear of death as it seems he should. How strange; yet another thing to add to the catalogue of "Donald R. Jordan things which Don't Add Up". The list is growing rather lengthy--or it would be, if he could remember everything he had put on it.   "Maybe,"   Donald replies with a shrug.   "Souls must be rather energy-efficient, to fuel a hound of that size. I wonder--"  

The professor's hand on his shoulder comes as a complete surprise, and Donald nearly jumps from his chair, spinning to look at the man. Two people who focused on him out of all the other options, and working together; this is beginning to feel like something less than coincidence.   "... Very well,"   He says, standing.   "Thank you for the information, Miss Edith; good evening."   With that, he leaves the bar as well, following the professor just behind his peripheral vision.
Ridai
 
 Originally Posted by NontheistCleric 
  Miles Marwood  
 

  "WAH!"   Miles pre-emptively spooks whatever graveyard horrors may be lying in wait, perhaps even making them pack up things in indignation at having their spook opportunity stolen from them by a telepath lady. Perhaps their version of a strongly worded letter would follow at some point.

The voice suspiciously sounding like Ms. Pavilion is still focused on keeping people safe, however. So while he is wrestling with the twin possibilities of "I have gone off the deep end" and "Telepaths are an actual thing that is real", and looking around for a sign of some sort of very elaborate prank, Miles does try to, uh, somehow answer the mind voice (or alternatively give in to his sudden onset of madness). Even if he is entirely unclear about the logistics of doing so.

So on Ms. Pavilion's end, there is a moment of nothing, then a burst of basically mental noise, eventually condensing into   ~-ow do I answer- think back-~   A beat of silence, followed by a somewhat strained and staccato   But. Are. You. Going. To. Be. Alright. Question Mark.   of Miles trying to deliberately send things in a hopefully understandable way. As he makes his way over to the back of the church.

...Yeah, probably better to leave the axe leaning next to the door instead of taking it inside. With telepaths being potentially or most likely real, maybe a lot of other stuff might be as well, and outside of the crusades, Miles is very unclear on God's or angels stance on wood chopping axes in churches. Maybe carefully peek inside the door, if it isn't locked, just to be sure he doesn't suddenly, you know, cause a scene inside. That wouldn't help anyone.

...In retrospect, he could have handled entering the pub better.
Dodgeson
Now this was Birchmoor and Birchmoor was in the countryside, the sort of place where everyone knew everyone and nothing (bar the occasional beast on the moors) bad ever happened, the kind of place where people felt safe enough to leave their doors open all day. Unfortunately for Miles this didn't include the back of the church, more than likely it only opened from the inside and locked itself again once it was closed but, of course, an axe was a pretty good lockpick if he felt up to it.

An axe might be better put to use at the front of the building however as the creature failed utterly to respond to Pavillion's telepathic communication, it hadn't been able to resist her, in fact she could feel herself make contact with a strange half-mind, it just simply didn't feel the need to respond. The reason for that however would make itself clear very quickly as she removed her glasses and got a clear look at the Beast of Birchmoor. Standing there in the verdant light of cast by her alien eyes, it regarded her for a moment, its own glowing sockets set not into feral canine features but an impassive metal mask.

She didn't have much time to process this information though as the creature leapt forward trying to grapple her in its heavy paws!

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Okay Pavillion give me Coordination+Fighting vs  (2d6+10)[ 18 ]  to avoid getting grabbed! Also if you want to try and identify the Beast of Birchmoor try Ingenuity+Knowledge
 


"Stay on the road and keep clear of the moors" Edith warned Donald, seeming just a bit too happy with herself as her made his way towards the door and back out into the cold towards whatever was occuring up at the church.

Calico's conversational partner was far more polite offering him a raise of his glass and a smile with a "Have a good night."
Ridai
You know what, Miles is not going to risk the wrath of literal God over breaking a church's backdoor open, given the circumstances. There's not telling how much the New Testament was propaganda to cover up the fire and brimstone of the old one, or whether the old one was lies and slander on God's character. Nuh uh. That particular revelation can wait a long, long time, and for someone else.

So instead, he quickly circles the church to see if Ms. Pavilion needs any he-

And the beast has already pounced on her. Poor timing for an axe to have slipped out of Miles' hand and clattered to the ground.

  "Wha- we didn't even do anything to you, or want to  do  anything to you!"   Miles hectically tries to reason with the beast (for some reason), hands (palms up) just stretched out in the universal gesture of "but why?!". Evidently, this was the first thing his brain on autopilot tried. He can feel his name getting ranked very highly on the cosmic Darwin Award list right this moment.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
You know what! Presence 5 + Convince 5 to talk the Beast of Birchmoor down! Alternatively to confuse it or draw aggro. If, for some reason, Animal Friendship or the Charm specialty apply, please add 2 to the final result as appropriate.
 (2d6+10)[ 15 ] 
 
davyjones
Several steps outside, the professor pauses and thumbs on his sonic screwdriver's scanner function, seeking out artron concentrations. He expects to pick up Pavilion's trail and, hopefully, also find out something useful about this beast.

 
 Spoiler: OOC: 
What would you like me to roll?
 
Dodgeson
Miles' pleas for peace and understanding fell on deaf ears, if the beast could even understand what he was saying, as it plowed in to Pavillion, its enormous bulk knocking the wind out of the poor girl, dulling the bright light of her glowing green eyes and sending her tumbling into darkness. He didn't have to worry about racking up any Darwin Awards just yet though as it didn't look like it was particularly bothered by his presence, picking up the unconcious girl with surprising dexterity and dumping her on its back before padding straight through the open door of the church and disappearing out of sight.

Up on the approach to the church Professor Calico pulled out that trusty tool of time travellers everywhere, the sonic  probe  screwdriver (do we have a description for Calico's yet?), a flick of his finger sending it buzzing in to life to take the lay of the land or at the very least the local concentration of Artron energy. Now the bad news was that Birchmoor was still soaked in the stuff but the good news is that there were two noticeable spikes. One, most likely Pavillion, was in the direction they were heading but there was another, much larger spike, coming from off in the distance up in the direction of the hills.

There would be time to ponder what this all meant later though as they neared their destination, the light at the front of the church standing out like a beacon against the surrounding darkness where Miles was still presumably standing.
davyjones
The professor regarded the readings on his bronze-accented gunmetal device, just below the probe blade that split into twin tines (between which the sliver of an aquamarine resonance crystal hung suspended in the isomagnetic field). Its activator switch and transaxial settings dial are ridged to satisfy its owner's love of all things tactile, and Calico has to resist the urge to smile slightly as he thumbs it back into standby mode.

" Double-time, Mr. Jordan. Looks like we're headed for the church, " the Time Lord states as he returns his trusty tool to his inside pocket. He freezes momentarily, a sudden thought striking him like a Gibbs-slap to the back of the head; could the other spike be another TARDIS in distress, or in its last stage of death? Would that kind of artron saturation be possible? And would that saturation mask the presence of the TARDIS of origin? Calico wrinkles his nose as the implications drifted through his mind.

Shaking his head to clear the distraction, he waves for Jordan to follow, and he moves quickly toward the church, his eyes watchful for danger.

 
 Spoiler: Sonic Screwdriver Detail 
Funny you should ask! The moment I had Calico deploy it, I've been thinking about what his sonic would look like. So, here's some detail for the mind's eye...

19mm-diameter by 130mm-long gunmetal primary cylinder (aka handle), accented bronze (ridged on/off/standby switch is set 80mm from base; transaxial selector dial sits at 100m from base); twin probe blades, each 3mm thick by 6mm wide by 70mm long, 4mm apart along centerline, with bridges at 10mm, 20mm, and 30mm from handle; each blade width tapered from outer edge to 1mm at crystal end; 3mm square by 25mm long ARC (aquamarine resonance crystal) emitter suspended between blades via isomagnetic field
 
Ridai
Things are just getting worse, now that the beast has... kidnapped? Ms. Pavilion, and went right into the church. Picking up the axe to prepare for the worst case, Miles spots the Professor and Jordan arriving on scene.

  "Professor, the beast took Ms. Pavilion!"   he calls down the road, adding a big wave towards the church, and runs inside.
Zelphas
Donald follows along behind the Professor, finding himself once again lost in his own thoughts. It was happening distressingly often, of late... or possibly always, but that is a bit difficult to determine. At the moment, he is wondering why it felt so correct for him to be behind and a bit away from the person rushing towards the fray--close enough to see what happens, but not too close.

Was he a coward? That would be a disappointing discovery; he hadn't had any reason to consider his own bravery or cowardice before this point, and finding out that he lacked the moral fiber to rush into danger for a good cause seemed rather insulting. But then, he was heading in the right direction for danger, and he didn't particularly feel fear; perhaps that wasn't it.

Jordan came back to himself slightly at Miles' shout.   "Took...? Miles didn't seem like he waxed poetic terribly often,"   He said mostly to himself, picking up his pace a little more to reach the scene even faster.
Dodgeson
Our three heroes ran into the unremarkable vestibule where coats hung on the wall, left there by parishioners to shield them from the cold on the journey back home, and a set of stone steps lead off to one side spiraling upwards but of course that probably wasn't as important right now as the next set of doors that which lead in to the church proper.

There it was, almost, exactly what you might expect from a church. A handful of elderly worshipers sat on hard wooden pews and listened to the sermon that was coming from a balding man in a cassock standing behind a gleaming silver lectern.

"Brothers and sisters, take heart. For though all of us come to this world imperfect and broken, there is hope in the embrace of His mercy! We must all of us remember to follow His word that we shall be remade in his image, whole and complete, bright and brilliant as sterling silver!"

This was where the normalcy ended though as lying there, not six feet from the vicar, was the unconscious form of Pavillion sprawled out in front of a gleaming silver font and of course the Beast of Birchmoor hadn't gone far, its hulking form hunched by the altar and not really doing much to try and conceal its presence. None of the assembled congregation seemed to find this particularly worrisome, or at least not enough to interrupt the service.

Until now it was only Pavillion who had gotten a proper look at the creature but in the full light of the church the Beast of Birchmoor was plain to see, metal face plate and all. That might not have meant much to Miles and Donald but Professor Calico (because he mentioned them in his backstory) knew a Cybershade when he saw one. It was a crude form of the cyberconversion process applied to local wildlife, they were scouts and enforcers, not as smart or as capable as a full Cyberman but where there were Cybershades their mechanical masters couldn't be far behind!
davyjones
 
 Originally Posted by Dodgeson 
 "...bright and brilliant as sterling silver!" 
 

Now, it has been some time since Calico had attended church - he loved going to the country and finding a small village parish, just to listen and sing; there was a comfort in it, really - but he can't recall hearing a sermon like that, even from the most, well, colorfully charismatic of vicars. The revelation of the cybershade serves to connect a dozen threads together into one ominous tapestry.

The disappearances. The legend of the beast itself. A world 'remade' in silver. And Maggie. Oh, poor Maggie. What do they have in store for her that they would repair her dying body so?

" Cybermen, " he spat in a low tone. It's as much a curse word as he would ever speak, saying that name out loud. Of the many marauders that roamed the galaxy, these uncaring tin cans of logic and malice are one of the worst. And always sticking their noses in Earth's business. He's grown fond of this world; he isn't going to let these self-important toasters gain a foothold on it!

The professor looks for signs of implants or other cyberware on the vicar, since he's the barker at this macabre carnival. As he does so, he quietly says to his new companions, " No sudden movements. No outbursts. Mr. Jordan, watch the beast; is it resting, or is it guarding? Mr. Marwood, look at the folks in the pews; how many do you recognize from here, and how many of those were sick recently? "
Ridai
Miles is hardly the most avid church-goer, but he is pretty sure the whole sterling silver bit doesn't feature in the bible. Or, uh, robot giant dogs. Or  cybermen , as Professor Calico puts it. Just general confusion and concern.

Before he can go for something probably more foolish, the Professor snaps him out of it, lifting a finger to signal "give me a moment". Miles takes a closer look at the worshippers, potentially going off to the side to get a better look at them.
Dodgeson
Wisely Donald, Miles and the Professor were on their guard, checking their surroundings for anything out of the ordinary (well more out of the ordinary) that might give them an edge before the strange situation in front of them escalated, for Miles this was an easy task, his  cinnamonroll-ness   affability had easily ingratiated himself in to life in Birchmoor and out of the handful of parishioners in front of all of them were people that he recognised that suffered with some kind of affliction or malady.

Or at least they had.

Sitting on one of the pews was old Mr Reed, who had run the village library before the money had run out, very definitely not wearing is thick rimmed black glasses and across from him was Harold Gransted who was looking very ambicapable for someone who had lost arm during the War and of course sitting at the front was Maggie who looked perfectly normal but you all knew her story by now.

Over by the font, to Donald's eyes at least, the Cybershade didn't seem to be doing much of anything, squatting over by Pavilion's body and staring impassively out at them, the Beast of Birchmoor was either incredibly well trained or if its metal mask was any indicator of its true nature, waiting to receive its next order.

Lastly there was the vicar himself who, to Calico's eyes, bore none of the telltale signs of the cyberconversion process, no metallic jug handles jutting out from his head, no signs of a protruding cyberheart, not even any flashing earpieces grafted straight to his brain.

"Can we help you?" He asked the newcomers who had interrupted his sermon "You are more than welcome to take a seat."
Ridai
Miles quickly whispers to the Professor:    "All of them used to have one malady or another. For example, Mr Reed over there used to wear glasses, Mr Gransted lost an arm in the War."   

When the vicar adresses them, Miles near-automatically flashes an apologetic smile.   "Oh, please excuse the late intrusion, Father Pleasance. It's just that we saw this gentleman's"   He gestures to Professor Calico.   "niece"   He gestures to the unconscious Ms Pavilion.   "get pounced on and dragged in here by, well..."   His hands do a kind of palm-up waffling towards the Beast of Birchmoor.

  "Sooo, we were pretty worried,"   Miles does a little shrug, all in all having kept things relatively conversational and aw-shucks. He also hopes this buys some time and keeps, uh, any sort of spontaneous aggressions low while someone who knows how to handle situations like these can do something.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
Throwing in a Presence 5 + Convince 5 (Charm) check to put people at ease and away from telling the Beast of Birchmoor to pounce on anyone
 (2d6+10)[ 18 ]  (Charm specialty not included, please add +2 if it does apply)
 
davyjones
Calico briefly stares wide-eyed at Miles' admission of the attack - he was hoping to avoid revealing they understood the truth of what happened, but that's a bit down current, so to speak, at this point. He quickly collects himself and clears his throat.

" Well, the crux of the matter is that she's overdue for her medication back in the T- ... the inn, and I'd like to get her back there before she causes any further trouble, " the professor adds pleasantly. " My darling Pav is a bit batty, unfortunately, and while the Word of our good Teacher is always a source of comfort when one struggles, she also needs the assistance of the miracle of modern medicine to be able to understand it. Her mind certainly isn't capable of benefiting from the promise of gleaming silver. "

Hopefully, these cyber-flunkies will take that as a sign Pavilion isn't going to be useful to them.

 
 Spoiler: Cooperation Action 
Calico is taking the Cooperation action to add a +2 to Miles' Convince attempt (to raise the result to 20). (Since he's not the active character and I don't see this as a scene where being "Charming" is of use, I don't believe his Charming Trait bonus will apply.)
 
Zelphas
Donald, who had instinctively stepped to one side of the door in the shadow of the entryway when they entered, winced slightly at the Professor's mention of Ms. Pavilion's malady. These seemed like standard faith-healing cultish types, hulking metal-face monster notwithstanding. The fact that their kidnapee has a malady is an opportunity to show off, not a reason to be merciful.

He wondered how he was so sure of that, and discarded the thought as useless twaddle a moment or two later.

  "The beast's either well-trained or a robot, I reckon,"   he said quietly to the Professor in a belated response to his query, glad that for the moment he was out of the main focus.   "It doesn't seem like it's ready to do much until it's told to. Could be guarding or just watching, then, but not really resting."  
Dodgeson
 
 Spoiler: OOC 
With that +2 it pushes Miles up to a Good! Go team!
 


So far so good, Miles' words set Father Pleasance and his congregation at ease (everybody liked Miles after all), they weren't going to have to worry about fending off a horde of geriatric cultists just yet. Donald had been right to worry though, when the Professor had brought up his 'niece's' malady the vicar had turned his head towards the unconcious girl and smiled before stepping down from his lectern and facing the congregation.

"I should have known your poor niece was suffering, why else should His blessed servant have brought her unto us if not to receive His mercy? Fear not stranger for through me the blind have seen again..." He gestured towards a pew and the old librarian obligingly stood up "...and the lame have walked again." Another gesture and Maggie also rose to her feet while he moved towards the font, producing a silver bowl from behind it and dipping it in to the liquid within. "Through this sacrament I shall make her whole again, blessed and complete."

"As sterling silver." The parishioners intoned in response, they all knew how this worked, they'd all been through it themselves after all.

Luckily however at was at this moment, with Father Pleasance looming over her, that Pavilion began to stir.
davyjones
The professor is momentarily confused. These people are  Anglicans , not some hippie revivalist cult. Even in the villages, the Church doesn't engage in such nonsense. Father Pleasance's "promise," though, is plain enough. As he sees Pavilion start to stir, he clears his throat and moves confidently down the center aisle, stopping just short of the chancel.

" Now, my good man, the Church has long been in synergy with scientific advancement, " he says, trying to get the vicar to pay attention to him and not the waking Pavilion. " Even Darwin himself was buried at Westminster - my 'grandfather' was actually in attendance for his friend Charlie. I thought we were taught to use prayer to enhance the efficacy of medical science in healing? "

 OOC: Not trying to win the argument...just drawing attention. 
NontheistCleric
Pavilion's head jerks up, just in time to see the bowl of silver about to be tipped onto her.

"Sorry, Padre," she says. "But I've made this one already."

And her eyes blaze green.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Possession time!

Pavilion isn't trying to possess any of the humans (?), but rather the Cybershade, to make it interpose its big body between her and the bowl of silver.

A few points to clarify: Does she have to leave her body to do this? The various sources I have on this ability (11th Doctor Player's Guide, 11th Doctor Gamemaster's Guide, 10th Doctor Aliens and Creatures and Limited Edition Player's Guide) seem to suggest that in some cases the body must be left but in others full mind-control can be done while staying within the body. The character I modeled Pavilion on, House, seemed to be capable of both versions (he left his body to possess the TARDIS but didn't need to do so to take control of his servants), and I'd prefer at least in this case that Pavilion is able to do it without leaving her body, but I'm okay if you rule that she has to.

Also, Aliens and Creatures and the Gamemaster's Guide state that Possession or the highest level of Hypnosis allows a +4 bonus to possess on the first attempt, but this isn't present in the versions given in the Player's Guides. I'll include the +4 in my roll for now, but you can just discount that if you don't want to use that version.

Now for the roll! Resolve (6) + Convince (5) + First Possession (4):  (2d6+15)[ 21 ] 
 
Ridai
Miles is still not exactly sure what is going on, and he really isn't looking for a fight. But Ms. Pavilion has come to! And... her eyes glow. Right.

Naturally... Miles gets ready to intercept the, uh, "sterling silver" mug if any sort of pouring actually happens. That's about the extent of his plan.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
Getting ready to slap/tackle the cup with the silver away so it doesn't hit Pavilion.
 
Dodgeson
Pavillion's eyes blazed a verdant green before her head fell back. Had she succumbed to unconsciousness again? Perhaps but there was clearly more than meets the eye going on here as that very same green light settled in to the sockets of the Beast of Birchmoor! Inhabiting a bio-mechanical creature like a Cybershade might have been a little strange, even for an entity as bizarre as Pavillion, but it was like shopping at supermarket you already knew but in a different country, she'd get used to it. The body was faster and stronger than the one she'd left, built for brute labour by its mechanical masters, but there was something else too. It might have been deadened by her possession and it was definitely primitive but it was there, a link, to the vicar, to the parishioners in front of them, to some other somethings elsewhere in the building and to something else looming far in the distance.

From his position by the font the vicar had a front row seat to the whole thing and regardless of anything else that was going on, it gave him pause for a moment, a single strand of shimmering liquid dripping from the bowl back into the receptacle. Still he seemed to take the whole thing in stride, a slightly sinister edge to his smile as he turned his attention back to Professor Calico.

"I think we may be beyond debating the finer points of scripture now, although there is one thing it is very clear on." He began, gesturing towards Pavilion's unmoving form with his empty hand. "Thou shalt not suffer a witch live. Brothers and sisters we have heathens in our midst! Heathens who would dare to defile His messenger! But take heart for they are nothing but a crucible on which we shall prove our faith!"

As one the parishioners who weren't already standing rose to their feet and all of them turned to face the Professor, Miles and Donald.

"Let none of them leave the church!"

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
First off congrats on the bodyhop Pav! Here's the relevant stats for your shiny new Beast of Birchmoor! You know, just in case.
 
 Spoiler: Beast of Birchmoor 
 Attributes 
Coordination 6
Strength 7

 Traits 
Climbing (Minor)
Networked
Fast
 


Also this is now an action scene! So everybody declare their action! Talking, Running, Doing or Fighting?!
 
Ridai
Things just get... even weirder. And more sinister.  Somehow! 

As such, much like when a Mr. Taggard was sending spittle at yelling velocity towards a (former ☹️) colleague's face, Miles tries to de-escalate. Success rates have not been empirically examined.

  "But... that commandment is barbaric. I know things have been tough for a while now and all of you have been, uh, aided, somehow. But as a people, we've moved long past this! Mr. Gransted, you've told me how horrible and senseless people fighting one another can get from your experiences in the war. This cannot sit right with you. Maggie, your husband and half the town are having a party in your honor and are waiting for you. Could you face your husband if you follow orders like these? You are all good people!"   He would have liked having well-structured arguments ready, delivered with a steady voice. However, this is still Miles in startled confusion while still trying to appeal to the decency of the worshippers.

He is also quite averse to kicking elderly church-going people in the head in said church.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
 TALKING! 

I guess this is Presence 5 + Convince 5?  (2d6+10)[ 18 ] 
 
davyjones
As Miles is attempting to reason with his fellow villagers, Professor Calico draws out his sonic screwdriver and adjusts the setting as he leans toward Donald.

" Mr. Jordan, scoop up Pavilion when I say 'go.' We're only going to have a moment to run, " he says. The professor doesn't wait for the parishioners to respond to Miles' plea, but instead raises his sonic and activates it; the tell-tale high-pitched whine is just the resonance of the effect. Loud, but not the main attraction.

The pièce de résistance, as it were, is the ultra-high frequency carrier signal that fills the room and, with any luck, will completely demolish the ability of the 'silver brigade' within the church to communicate with their cyber masters and give him and the others a couple minutes to escape.

 
 Spoiler: DOING Something Attempt 
Calico Ingenuity + Technology (9)
 (2d6+9)[ 14 ] 
 
Zelphas
Donald is turning towards the doors as the Professor spoke. Just to open them, he's sure... well, fairly sure, anyways. He thought he had established earlier to his own satisfaction that he is not a coward.

Shaking his head, he turns back towards the room and gets ready to run; at least his physical body is something he's learned that he can trust in, more or less.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
I think scooping up Pavilion's body would be a Coordination + Athletics (7) check; does that makes sense?

If so, here's the roll:  (2d6+7)[ 17 ] 
 
Dodgeson
Unfortunately for Miles he was no longer simply talking to the residents of Birchmoor, the people who he had come to know in his time in the small village had come under the sway of Father Pleasance and his sinister masters. Heedless of his pleas the parishioners began to leave their pews and march towards the trio, but where words had failed a trusty sonic screwdriver prevailed!

With a low buzz the high-tech probe unleashed a pulse that froze their would be pursuers in their tracks, twitching in place and clutching at the limbs that had been so recently reinvigorated by the vicar. The head of the congregation seemed to be fairing little better in the wake of the disruption, holding either side of his head and almost doubling over as the liquid in the font began to bubble and boil.

"GET THEM! THE HEATHENS MUST NOT LEAVE THE CHURCH ALIVE!" He bellowed loud enough to be heard over his followers, his voice trailing off in to an almost electronic shriek as they all writhed helplessly, giving Donald just the opening he needed to grab Pavilion's helpless body and for all three of them to flee back in to the cold night. Whether they were going to be any safer out there than they were in the church was debatable, especially once the faithful recovered from Calico's trick, but at least now they knew what they were facing and they could begin to fight back!
davyjones
" This way, gentlemen; follow me, " Calico says as he exits through the narthex and onto the darkened street. He adds over his shoulder, " And don't dally! We don't have much time. "

The professor strides quickly along the village streets to where the red phone box-shaped dimensional interface stands, swapping his sonic out for his TARDIS key. Unlocking the door, he waves for the two men to enter. " Don't think; just go in! It's a 'secret entrance' to a hideaway! And watch her head, Mr. Jordan. "

Hopefully, in the urgency of the situation, neither Miles nor Donald will recognize the absurdity of that statement...or that the K2-style phone box has opaque glass panels...
Ridai
People not even reacting to anything he says, just acting on command, makes Miles' stomach drop, leaving a mixture of sadness and dread.

Professor Calico does something, people doubling over, unnatural screeches and then they are running back out into the night, thankfully with Ms. Pavilion.

It's all a bit much, and scary to boot, to say the least. So Miles at the moment is busy with just running, holding his axe and the medkit, and helping guide in Ms. Pavilion's unconscious body. Followed by quickly closing the door.

Miles' brain processing the very big space and it not fitting the phone box is going to take a while. Before that, he has two other priorities:

  "Is Ms. Pavilion going to be alright? And what happened to those people?"   He is bringing the medkit. While he has some rudimentary first-aid training and is ready to help, he does hope someone with more expertise is present (and conscious).
Zelphas
Donald follows swiftly behind the Professor and Miles, carrying Pavilion easily enough in his arms. The reaction of the two conscious people nearby throws Donald off for a moment--Miles seems surprised by the sudden size of the telephone box, while the Professor seems to take it as a matter of course--so he chooses simply to breeze past any response and focus on the matter at hand. Placing Pavilion's body carefully on the floor, Donald steps away, letting Miles come forward with the medical kit.

  "This qualifies as a strange night..."   Donald murmurs to himself, more as a way of confirming it in his own mind than for any other reason.
davyjones
The professor pauses just a moment to glimpse the reactions of both men, which were interestingly muted; as a Time Lord, Calico can't help but enjoy when others encounter dimensional interfacing for the first time. The wonder, the excitement, the  fear . It's a guilty pleasure, for sure, but one he gets to revel in so rarely.

Unfortunately, other things require his attention at the moment. He crosses to the console and pulls the level to close the TARDIS door, then turns toward the others.

" Pavilion should be okay, this...condition is less than life-threatening, " he says to Miles. " You could say it's more self-induced than anything. That said, I'm sure she'd appreciate it if you looked at whatever bumps and bruises she may have received from her initial encounter with that cybershade. "

Calico pauses a brief moment, appears to decide something, and continues, “ Cybermen, they’re called. A species of humanoids - almost indistinguishable from you Terrans, once - who achieved such a level of cybernetic integration that they have become unemotional, un feeling  creatures of malevolent logic. 

“ They retained only their most essential organic parts, and grafted metal bodies onto them - not indestructible, mind you, but incredibly tough and enduring, ” the professor continues. “ They then set out for the stars to bend other worlds to their will, to remake others in  their  image. An image of, in the poor vicar’s words, ‘gleaming silver.’ ”

Leaning against his console and crossing his arms, he explains, “ Your fellow villagers haven’t been cured by any divine intervention, I’m sad to say. They’ve likely had their ‘defective parts,’ so to speak, replaced by cybernetic equivalents. And the cybermen won’t stop at healing; a  full conversion  into those monstrosities is their final destination, if we can’t stop them in time. 

“ They’ll be lost; their personalities, their hopes, their dreams, their love and camaraderie will all be stripped away as their bodies are turned into monstrous tin cans. ”
Ridai
Donald's musings are answered by an appropriately voice-cracked   "Uhuh!?"   given the growing pile of mental-horizon-expansion that is happening to him tonight.

  "Ah..."   comes out of Miles in regards to Ms. Pavilion's state. Of the, erm, self-chosen kind. Which is a thing that exists now. Yes.   "I'll, uh, I'll see what I can do. Disclaimer: I'm no doctor, though."  

Throughout Professor Calico's explanation, the Scotland Yard's Former Finest gets increasingly dismayed with every sentence, and he also increasingly has trouble actually looking after Ms. Pavilion. By the end, he is just staring at the Professor with an open mouth, face stuck in a confused and horrified expression.

  "That's so wrong! That's  so  wrong! That's  awful! "   Once Miles' brain has caught up to a more productive level of speech again, he adds:   "How do we stop those, uh, Cybermen? You made some high-pitched noise at them with your gadget, do we need radios? I don't think people will believe me if I told them. Should we get  two  radios? Do they, like, have a secret cyber-headquarters? Sorry, I'm rambling, I'll work on Ms. Pavilion now, sorry."  

Right, right. Self-nap-time or not, that  Beast of Birchmoor  cybershade (adieu, grand title) really did a number on Ms. Pavilion.
davyjones
" All I did was disrupt their communications with HQ for a while with a UHF pulse. Just temporary, but it gave us enough time to get out of sight, " Calico admits, returning his attention to the console to begin the dematerialization sequence. Too bad Pavilion wasn't conscious to help speed things up. " It's really nothing more than a parlor trick, and one that the cybermen will be guarding against next time. "

The professor dematerializes the TARDIS and continues, " There. That'll give us a little more privacy. Now, gentlemen. 

" My name is Professor Calico and, well, I'm not from around these parts. And I don't mean the Midlands, or even England. I'm from a planet called Gallifrey, in the constellation of Kasterborous. My people are the Time Lords, and we have developed the ability to travel through both time and space. Most of us do little beyond observing events from afar, but a few, like me, recognize that we sometimes have to do more, " he says. " Especially when villains like the Cybermen are around. "

The professor pauses - one of those academic pauses where he scrutinizes his pupils to see if they're getting any of what he's saying - then shifts to another station on the TARDIS console, just on the other side of the main rotor. He types in a command to bring up data on their foes. " How do we stop them, you ask? Like I mentioned earlier, they're formidable, and military tactics and competencies aren't going to win us the day. But they're not without their weaknesses. 

" Their logic is implacable, but often inflexible. They've lost the creative leaps and hunches and outside-the-bigger-on-the-inside-box thinking that forms the hallmark of most sapient species; that gives us an edge, " he explains. " And, even though they're often hardened against electronic warfare tactics, their sensors can be scrambled and fooled occasionally, and their innards are highly susceptible to gold contamination. Yes, that gold. Expensive, but effective. "

Completing the circle around the console, Calico orders, " Now, give me your cell phones. You're correct, Mr. Marwood, that communication is paramount to our success. It just so happens that my lovely TARDIS here, combined with a little help from my 'gadget,' as you called it, can assist us with that. "

When the phones are offered, Calico sonics them for a brief moment, then hands each one back to its owner. " There, now you'll be able to communicate with each other and the TARDIS with ease. And from any place and time! "
Ridai
Having done what he could, Miles is next confronted with the good Professor being an alien time-space-traveller. Given the frequency of revelations in very recent history, Miles does what he is able to do in this very moment: carry on.

  "Uhuh,"   is heard from him, acknowledging the matter, handing over his phone a bit later.

  "Well then we are lucky we ran into you, Professor,"   Miles says, seeing the now time-and-space-ignoring numbers on screen.   "So uhm, this here is the... the TARDIS?"   He looks around.   "Smaller on the outside, right. Right."   Back on track.

  "How do we go about this? Can we triangulate the signal? Do they have... substations or, uh, signal middle management people I guess?"   When out of depth, might as well start brainstorming with things he heard about at some point.
Zelphas
  "Definitely a strange night,"   Donald mutters, listening to the Professor lay out all sorts of odd scenarios.   "If Miss Pavilion hadn't spoken to me in her unusual way earlier, all of this would be much harder to swallow.

"I'll echo the concern about what to do next. Based on how you've described them, these 'Cybermen' don't seem to understand the idea of moderate growth."   Now, why does the idea of seeing just how they'd expand from here interest him? Best not to chase that line of thinking.
davyjones
Donald's comment catches Calico off guard, and he raises an eyebrow in response, casting a sideways glance through a squinted left eye at the delivery driver.

" No, they're highly-motivated expansionists who believe fervently that their...'condition' is an improvement on biological life, " he replies deliberately. “ I think they were first encountered, at least chronologically, during the Zeus space program efforts of the ‘80s. I think they next pop up in the 26th Century, and begin to expand from there - it was then they got their taste for converting humans of all planetary origins, not just their own. 

“ What’s worse is that they’ve acquired the ability to travel through time, meaning they can cause all sorts of headaches all over the place. And, believe me, they have. ”

The professor shakes a thought from his head and gives attention to the question at hand. “ Yes, finding their base is definitely a priority, then we can figure out how to stop them, ” he confirms. “ The whole reason we stopped by your village was a surge of what we call artron energy. Without getting too technical, it’s associated with time travel, and the presence of Cybermen here may be the cause of that surge. If so, we might be able to assemble a portable artron sensor - something that we can use to pinpoint the source of the energy surge. Are either of you gents decent with putting things together? ”

 
 Spoiler: OOC: Thoughts 
Figuring we can do a little Jiggery-Pokery with Calico's Boffin talent. :)
 
Ridai
  "They continue to sound unpleasant,"   Miles offers on the topic of Cybermen.

Then something dawns on him. He might not be slightly insane!   "So, um, I should mention that I, uh, should probably not be there when that device will be made. You see, I... oh how should I put this. I saw Tech Gremlins at some point. And they apparently hate me for it. Anything tech no longer likes me.  And I lost my job at Scotland Yard because of that... "   Ouch, Miles made himself sad again.

  "Just point to a corner for me to sit in and not touch anything."   He really doesn't want to get kicked off this team as well right now.
davyjones
 
 Originally Posted by Ridai 
   "Just point to a corner for me to sit in and not touch anything."   He really doesn't want to get kicked off this team as well right now. 
 

The professor gazes blankly at Miles for several moments, blinking periodically before a quick shake of his head snaps him out of his stupefaction. " Let's, uh, let's have you stand just over there, " he says, pointing to the coat tree in one corner of his control room as he moves around to his console keyboard. " I'll move a chair over to you. "

Inputting a quick command, Calico materializes an 18th-Century style rocking chair next to the former detective - no, a detective. No need to short the man's credentials.

" That was a gift from Sir Henry Clinton after I helped him resolve a small matter regarding what he originally thought was a haunting at Portland Palace in 1795, I think, " he notes. " Anyway, it's a pretty sturdy chair, so I hope it'll stand up to your, uh, unique qualities. 

" As for you, " the Time Lord continues, turning to Donald. " I don't suppose you have some sort of quirk or electromagnetic pulse field or whatnot that renders you unable to porter equipment around. No? Then come with me to the storage closet; we need to grab the parts we need to assemble the scanner. "

The corridor from the main control room appears to be a winding s-curve, through which Calico leads the deliveryman to within sight of its terminus. A number of doors line the passage, and the Time Lord makes note of points of interest along the way. He cuts through a couple doors, passing through his workshop to his "storeroom" - which, to any neutral eye, looks more like a standard shipping container-sized junk drawer than anything else.
Ridai
  "Thank you, sir,"   Miles says and  carefully  sits down on the  Rocking Chair of Greater Provenance . He really hopes the Tech Gremlins have not infiltrated the TARDIS. There is no telling what power they wield.
Dodgeson
With the brilliant intellect of a Time Lord and the resources of a fully fledged Tardis at his disposal, Professor Calico had an artron scanner ready to go in short order and two hours might not seem like short order but when you're dealing with technology and concepts that humanity won't fully understand until the 52nd century it was really quite impressive.

Kicking the device in to gear it would immediately tell the Professor exactly what his screwdriver had already told him, Birchmoor was absolutely lousy with artron energy but as a more specialised scanner it would quickly begin to home in on exactly where it was coming from, a trail leading outside the small town and across the moors, into the pit of the old abandoned mine.

It wasn't going to be all that simple though, the same outpouring of energy that made the place so obvious to the scanner would also make attempting a short hop in the Tardis not impossible but certainly more difficult that a normal jaunt through the vortex. Of course the mine wasn't so far away that walking was out of the question but who knew how long Calico's sonic trickery was going to keep Father Pleasance and his cult of the Cybermen busy?
davyjones
The Time Lord activates the main viewer and brings up an overhead map of the area - not exactly a feat for 21st Century Earth, but nonetheless useful. He then pinpoints the location that appears to serve as the artron source.

" Mr. Marwood, I believe you're the local here. What can you tell us about this old mine pit? "
Ridai
Once construction is finished, it may indeed be safe enough for Miles to carefully stand back up (double-checking the rocking chair) and head on over. Prompted by the Professor, he goes   "Well, Birchmoor used to be a mining town, until that whole business dried up. Also on account of loads of safety hazards. And young people didn't want to work in mines either, in favor of city life. Haven't been to the place myself yet."  

A beat.   "Oh, um, I'm not actually... from here. Moved here recently, into my uncle Monty's cottage. Until I can find a steady job again.  And income to afford my own place. Or at least repairs to the cottage roof. And food... "   At least he has the last bits of a snack from several hours ago and parts of a pint in his belly. Liquid bread, r-right?

Feeling a little useless, he quickly offers   "I could ask around for more information. I got to know a few people here."  
davyjones
The professor pauses again. His adventures take him to all sorts of places, but, when speaking truth to power, one often doesn't see the poverty hidden behind the pillars of marble and lavishly appointed chambers that are barely large enough to comfortably house a Roman legion. The people for whom luck has made them its sworn enemy. Such a man is Miles Marwood, stricken by poverty and misadventure.

" Well, if we survive this, I'll see what I can do about setting you up in better accommodations, " he offers. " For now, though, let's not worry about inquiries. I think we're close enough to get a look at it. "

Calico engages the TARDIS' scanner and zeroes in on the mine in question. He looks at the screen, then back down at his controls. Did he set the coordinates correctly? " That's strange, " he muses. " I swear we're pointed in the right direction, but I feel like I'm looking at a familiar wasteland on Spiridon. 

" I was there once, you know, " he mentions to his companions. " Spitting image of this place, really. My companion at the time mentioned something about Beachfields, so we took to calling it Beachfield-in-Space - oddly, it also reminds me of the Outlands near the Citadel on Gallifrey. Didn't realize that before. Awfully dreadful place, really. Well, I suppose every civilization starts out building with stone, doesn't it? "

Switching off the viewer, the professor confesses, " The artron energy is making it impossible to land next to the mine; how far away is your Uncle Monty's cottage? "
Ridai
The offer is nice, but like the Professor is focusing on the here and now, Miles adds   "Agreed. There's work to do."   Lot of people in danger, after all. Well, Miles is one of them, but details.

The similarity of... "Spiridon" to this here Earth as well as what sounds like the rough parts of Gallifrey has Miles go   "Huh."   He glances over for a brief moment between making sense of the various readings.   "Do you think that is significant or coincidence, Professor?"   Might as well ask. There is a lot to get a feel for, and that includes whether these observations are part of a puzzle, or more an idle facet of extended time-space exploration/tourism.

On a topic where he very much  can  provide some real information on, Miles does not need long to answer.   "Just down the road on the edge of town, few minutes on foot, actually. Got a view of the moor and everything."   A short consideration later:   "If you intend to fly there, you may not want to land right next to it. I'm not sure if the roof could take it."   It can barely take the weather as is.
Zelphas
  "There's a remarkable amount of similarity between mines and quarries the universe over, really,"   Donald spoke up, the words appearing before he could truly parse what he was saying. He blinked, trying to figure out his own thinking.   "What I mean is... there's only so many ways to dig rock out of the ground, you know? Universal laws are called that for a reason, so things are bound to be similar... I think."  

He lapses into an uncomfortable silence for a moment before talking again.   "Look, I'm not much for plans and plots, but I'm handy enough with physical work. Just direct me where to go and what to carry or bash in, and I'll do it; I'm not much use in all this, otherwise."  
davyjones
 
 Originally Posted by davyjones 
 Calico engages the TARDIS' scanner and zeroes in on the mine in question. He looks at the screen, then back down at his controls. Did he set the coordinates correctly? " That's strange, " he muses. " I swear we're pointed in the right direction, but I feel like I'm looking at a familiar wasteland on Spiridon. 

" I was there once, you know, " he mentions to his companions. " Spitting image of this place, really. My companion at the time mentioned something about Beachfields, so we took to calling it Beachfield-in-Space - oddly, it also reminds me of the Outlands near the Citadel on Gallifrey. Didn't realize that before. Awfully dreadful place, really. Well, I suppose every civilization starts out building with stone, doesn't it? " 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Ridai 
 The similarity of... "Spiridon" to this here Earth as well as what sounds like the rough parts of Gallifrey has Miles go   "Huh."   He glances over for a brief moment between making sense of the various readings.   "Do you think that is significant or coincidence, Professor?"   Might as well ask. There is a lot to get a feel for, and that includes whether these observations are part of a puzzle, or more an idle facet of extended time-space exploration/tourism. 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Zelphas 
   "There's a remarkable amount of similarity between mines and quarries the universe over, really,"   Donald spoke up, the words appearing before he could truly parse what he was saying. He blinked, trying to figure out his own thinking.   "What I mean is... there's only so many ways to dig rock out of the ground, you know? Universal laws are called that for a reason, so things are bound to be similar... I think."   
 

" Yes..., " the professor trails off, again scrutinizing Donald with a wary eye. He was "just a bit off" at first glance, but, in the TARDIS, he's doubly so. There's a mystery to this delivery driver, one that needs uncovering. He'll go down that rabbit hole later. They have a quarry to investigate.


 
 Originally Posted by Zelphas 
 He lapses into an uncomfortable silence for a moment before talking again.   "Look, I'm not much for plans and plots, but I'm handy enough with physical work. Just direct me where to go and what to carry or bash in, and I'll do it; I'm not much use in all this, otherwise."   
 

" I'll be sure to keep that in mind, " Calico notes, pushing the mystery into a remote corner to let it percolate for a while. " I can assure you that decisive action will be necessary at some point. "


 
 Originally Posted by davyjones 
 Switching off the viewer, the professor confesses, " The artron energy is making it impossible to land next to the mine; how far away is your Uncle Monty's cottage? " 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Ridai 
 On a topic where he very much  can  provide some real information on, Miles does not need long to answer.   "Just down the road on the edge of town, few minutes on foot, actually. Got a view of the moor and everything."   A short consideration later:   "If you intend to fly there, you may not want to land right next to it. I'm not sure if the roof could take it."   It can barely take the weather as is. 
 

 "Don't you worry, my good Mr. Marwood. While my girl here may weigh several solar masses overall *,  her dimensional interface allows her to step very lightly. Your dreary little cottage won't notice a thing, " Calico boasts. Then, he leans into the console and coos, "  It's probably extra fragile, my dear; just try to be careful. And maybe appear as a shed or something.  "

*   I'm basing this on the fact that the Eye of Harmony is a literal collapsing star (which needs to be 2.5-10 times larger than Sol to become a black hole), so it would figure into the overall mass of the vehicle (and probably dwarf all other considerations) through its interdimensional connection to the TARDIS.  
Ridai
The simple "yes" draws a   "Right."  

To Donald:   "I guess so?"   Miles really can't go check how mining is done in other star systems and galaxies.

And in regards to the TARDIS' actual and relative weight:    "Oh, very impressive!"    Because it is! Hard to fully grasp, but it is! But let's not... let's not think about the solar masses thing too much. Yes.
Dodgeson
The village of Birchwood and its surrounding environs were flooded with artron energy but not all areas were created equal. Materialising in the belly of the beast would have required some slick (but certainly not out of the Professor's reach) piloting but arriving outside of Great Uncle Monty's cottage was easily achievable with some groans and juddering from the rotor in Calico's Tardis and little bit of temporal turbulence, nothing the capsule couldn't handle.

Reappearing back in real space a quick check on the scanners would reveal nothing amiss since Miles had fled his wood chopping duties in the presence of the  cybershade   The Beast of Birchmoor, sure it had gotten darker but the unchopped wood pile was as he had left it and the building itself seemed to be in order. Anyone exiting the timeship would find themselves clambering out of the footwell of an old british roadster, in far better condition that the one it was parked next to that Monty had been swearing that he was going to find time to restore since the Heath government.

The sudden change in orientation might have been a little disorientating but considering it was either this or a coal bunker and at least they way nobody was get black dust on their shoes.
Ridai
Exiting the TARDIS, Miles gestures to the cottage.   "Well, here we-"   He stops as he sees the TARDIS looking very different than what they climbed into not too long ago.   "...here we are. Please excuse the mess, I was out of chopped firewood when the Beast of- um, the cybershade made itself known."   That was... not one of his proudest moments. In a long series of not-so-proud moments.

  "I might still have some tea and biscuits!"   Boiling a kettle might take a moment, however.

Eyes on the mission.  "Um, the mine should be in that direction,"   Miles quickly adds, pointing in said direction.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Assuming that Miles knows at least the rough whereabouts of the mine. If not, please let me know.
 
davyjones
Calico gives the console an affectionate pat, then downloads the mine's location data onto his sonic. As long as it can communicate with the TARDIS, the screwdriver should point him in the right direction from anywhere on the Isles.

" Gentlemen, pay attention, " he announces. Pointing to the interface controls, he says, "T his is the switch to open and close the door to the outside world. Keep it closed unless you're about to exit the TARDIS. Understood? " He then demonstrates by opening, closing, then opening the doors again.

The professor darts deeper into the interior corridor and is back in a jiffy, now sporting a khaki bush jacket with matching trousers and wide-brimmed bucket hat, and dark colored hiking boots; it's a far cry from his dark colored conservative wool suit and oxford sneakers. Once outside, he nods appreciatively at the TARDIS' exterior, locks the door, then looks out in the direction indicated by Miles' outstretched arm.

It's at this point he realizes that it's starting to get late in the evening and, while the Time Lord may not have been up and about for the entirety of the local daylight hours, these poor gents likely have.

" Given the time, " the professor wonders, " how do you gents feel? Not too tired, I hope. I don't know how long we'll be out on our little excursion. "

The question posed, Calico leads the way forward.
Ridai
About the door controls, Miles has a good look at the process (and more importantly, the position of the switch) and says   "Yes, sir."   Like with more mundane vehicles, opening doors in the middle of transit is probably not a wise idea.

  "I don't think I'd get much rest knowing what's going on and it not having been dealt with,"   he says.   "And to be honest, I didn't get done chopping firewood, so there is no heating for me at the moment anyway."   Little balled fist armswing and lips pressed into a line at that one.

So while he still has the energy and determination, Miles prefers to just get on with it and follows the Professor.
Dodgeson
With fresh attire and the offer of tea and biscuits unbritishly declined (we can let Professor Calico off but Miles and Donald have no excuse) our heroes marched off in to the darkness of the English countryside, what little light there was quickly fading away as they left the road and began their trek up the hills towards the mine. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, they had their directions after all and in the right situation the silence could even be relaxing.

This was not the right situation, any sudden noise could mean Father Pleasance and his partially converted cultist had found them or even the Beast of Birchmoor, but would they even be able to spy its night black coat before it was too late?

Luckily they had no such interruptions and soon enough the trio would find themselves nearing the mine, an enormous pit cut in to the earth to extract the precious coal that lay within. Miles had been straight on the money, the whole operation had been shuttered for decades but looking down at it you wouldn't know that now. Industrial lamps that had lain dormant for years were active again, guiding the way down and filling the whole place with light, and you know what? Calico had been right the place really did look remarkably like Metebelis 3...

At a cursory glance the pit would appear to be empty, baring the sort of derelict machinery that you would expect to find in the sort of industrial wasteland that time forgot whilst down at the far end lay what looked like a large lift to lead down in to the mine proper, although its actual platform currently looked to be somewhere deep within the bowels of the Earth.
davyjones
What is it with these places? Earth, Spirodon, Gallilfrey, and now Metebelis III? Is there some sort of extradimensional quality to this quarry that it has perfect doppelgangers on three other worlds?

" That reminds me; I think I'm due to present another paper to the chapter in 20 years, " the professor muses. " This would make an interesting subject. "

Turning to his companions, his eyes lighting up as if he just now realized they're here with him, Calico notes, " Part of me wants to observe the shaft entrance for a bit, but the other part of me wants to go  snoop  around inside. I've always been a bit of a nosy parker. 

" A stakeout, though, needs good fare; Mr. Marwood, you mentioned tea and biscuits. That'd do nicely; do you have them with you? "
Ridai
  "They really did make themselves at home here,"   Miles says as he looks at the lit-up quarry.

Being asked for tea and biscuits  now  pushes asking about this "chapter" or weighing in on the subject of lurking vs. snooping a bit further back on the priority list, in favor of a brief moment of befuddlement. However, like second nature, like  Scotland Yard's (Former) Finest (Gopher) , he quickly falls back into his old ways, like no tech gremlinly business had occured. He flashes a brief apologetic smile.

  "Not at the moment, but I could go get them right quick."   Detective work on a stomach bereft of tea and biscuits is hard doing, as he has learned. And to this font of knowledge, he adds that alien time-and-space detective work operates in much the same way. But such hurdles shall be conquered, as he has in the past!
davyjones
" Tempting. Very tempting, " Calico admits as he continues to observe the quarry. " But, as nice as that sounds, I want to see inside. I  really  want to go down there; you  really  want to investigate it, too, don't you? "
Ridai
There is a short pause.   "There's probably a sloped road down somewhere around here. That sounds like a better way in than trying to call the elevator."  
Zelphas
Donald is wrestling with two contrasting emotions at the moment. On the one hand, he feels a pressing urge to fade into the background, and in fact this has been by far the more pervasive impulse; drifting along in the wake of the Professor and Miles as they chatter and plan has allowed him to do this quite nicely, even if it meant he has to go along with the decision to refuse tea (something his scant memories seem to suggest is akin to the highest sacrilege).

On the other hand, there is a growing... concern, he supposes, that people on adventures such as he has found himself in are supposed to take a much more  active  role in the proceedings. At the very least, it's more polite to make conversation than to stand gormlessly in the background, yet he finds himself at a loss for what to talk about; the active subject is already covered, it seems.

The decision to go down into a mine, into what may be hostile territory, offers a chance to marry these two disparate desires, and Donald jumps at it.   "I happen to be rather good at remaining unnoticed,"   he offers up in the middle of the conversation, his voice perhaps a bit too loud after a long period of silence. Donald coughs, a bit embarrassed, and continues on.   "If it suits, I could pop down there via that road Miles mentioned, take a gander, and be back before who or whatever has a chance to notice. Where did you say the road was?"  
Ridai
Donald suddenly joining the conversation somewhat loudly made Miles jump.   "Oh, uh, yeah, if you think you can and want to do it, please, go ahead! We could follow after you meanwhile, perhaps at a bit of distance?"   Taking initiative should be supported, as was sometimes said at Scotland Yard.

  "The road shouldn't be too far from here. Putting it too far from a road would make it rather inconvenient."   Miles looks around for said road (should be easy enough to spot, what with the pit being lit) and points the way. They will make their way down into the pit one way or another.
davyjones
" A man of action, indeed, " Calico notes. " Lead on. "

Not one to be sneaking (he'd be terrible at it, anyway), the professor hangs back a bit to open a decent gap between Donald and himself. Let the scouts do what scouts do and report back.
Dodgeson
Creeping down the dirt road and into the pit would be touch and go for the pair as they moved forward, there was precious little cover in on the track bar the shadows being cast by the lamps on their way down, fortunately if they were being watched by some concealed agent of Father Pleasance's cult they chose not to intervene and make their presence known just yet.

Once they were in the pit things were a little better, piles of rubble and the abandoned heavy vehicles left behind from the mine's glory days providing much better opportunities to stay out of sight while they approached lift but as they got close the sound of rumbling machinery began to come from somewhere in the earth deep below them, the platform rising back up to reveal a towering silver figure staring out impassively with its cold mechanical eyes, marching forward with loud clunky steps but not moving more than a few feet away from the lift.

On the plus side it didn't appear to have spotted either of our two heroes, for the moment anyway.
Ridai
Miles' lips are pressed into a very thin line, seeing the silver figure as he himself cowers behind a rusting excavator's tracks.   "Guess that's the... a Cyberman. Should go get the Professor, might know more about what they can do."   Miles whispers to Donald. Getting further away from whatever that thing is sounds great right about now. But of course, they will need to get past it, sooner or later.

If Miles can spot Professor Calico, he tries gesturing towards him to get his attention, then pointing towards the Cyberman. If not, well, he tries to use the more plentiful cover to move back to the Professor, who hopefully managed to get into the pit before the machine thing stepped out the elevator.
davyjones
 OOC: Third try to finish this tiny little post, apparently. 

Not lagging too far from his companions, Calico acknowledges Miles' bidding with a nod and makes his way through the obstacles of the lower quarry to join them. Peering out from behind cover, the professor takes a moment to scrutinize the Cyberman sentry, trying to note his model and origin.

 
 Spoiler: OOC: Testing Calico's Cybermen Knowledge 
Calico Ingenuity + Knowledge + Alien Cultures +11
 (2d6+11)[ 18 ] 
 
davyjones
Retreating back to the others, concern creases the professor's features. " Those specific Cybermen shouldn't be here. Far too advanced for the 2000s, " he breathes. " Advanced models of Mark VIIs, I'd reckon. 

" They'll still be vulnerable to gold, less so to nail polish, " the professor whispers to his companions, as if they would know what he's talking about. " But that doesn't really help us get past this one. Confronting it would be like declaring war, and we're not exactly equipped like UNIT. We either sneak past or incapacitate it quickly. Ideas? "
Ridai
  "Mark VII? UNIT? Nail polish?"   Miles asks back, before remembering he should probably also try to contribute something.

  "I could try and distract it while you sneak past? Does it react to noise? Is it... uh, smart?"  
davyjones
 
 Originally Posted by Ridai 
   "I could try and distract it while you sneak past? Does it react to noise? Is it... uh, smart?"   
 

" Well, the idea is that we'd  all  get inside together, " Calico counters. " And, yes, it's smart. And, not like Robbie the Robot or WOPR; they're  human  smart. I know that covers a pretty broad range of 'smart,' but they're not toasters, Mr. Marwood. "

He pauses to peek out and make sure the Cyberman is continuing its regular routine and ducks back to cover to explain, " Think of Mark VII as you would an auto's model. In this case, it's the 7th generation system. Improved armor, armament, circuitry, that sort of thing. The nail polish thing? Someone from my, well, group of associates got wind of a chemical means of defeating an earlier generation of Cybermen a few hundred years ago. I suspect these Mark VIIs have kept enough composite construction to remain vulnerable to it. And, wait - you've never heard of UNIT? The UN Intelligence Taskforce? "
Ridai
  "Never heard of them, no. I don't have any nail polish on me, and none of these vehicles are going to work, so I don't exactly have many options available. Wait, armaments?"   What armaments?!
davyjones
" Well, yes. What did you expect? " the professor rebukes, frowning at the man's general skittishness. " These aren't friendly automatons from a Saturday morning kids show; they're an advanced species of humanoids with as much ambition as your own people. Terrans haven't cornered the market on warmongering, you know. "

Pausing to let the momentary frustration pass, Calico furrows his brows as an idea comes to the fore. " This equipment. I know you said none of this stuff works, but it doesn't mean we can't pep one up for a short time, " he offers, drawing his sonic screwdriver from his pocket and waggling it between his thumb and forefinger for emphasis. " Find something on the other end of his patrol route, zap it with enough juice to draw the sentry's attention, and slip into the mine entrance as it investigates? Doable? "
Zelphas
  "I'm quieter than both of you,"   Donald chips in, still working out how robotic monsters fit in with his worldview.   "If I set off the distraction, then you'll both be able to sneak inside in relative peace, and I can avoid the patrols and follow after you."  
Ridai
  "I'm sorry, today's the first time I ever interacted with any sort of alien,"   Miles tries to explain a little sheepishly.

Donald pipes up soon after, offering to make the distraction.   "Are you sure?"   he asks, given this is obviously very dangerous. But he also seems relatively calm about all this.   "If so, well... we'll wait for the distraction. Just please be careful."  
davyjones
Regarding the delivery man with some scrutiny, Calico eventually nods and preps his sonic. Once his task is complete, he shows the device to Donald. " Okay, Mr. Jordan, this is already set to 'wake up' any machine with electrical components, so all you need to do is point it at the machine you want to use as your distraction and press this button here, " he explains, pointing to the activator for emphasis. " Just make sure you get it back to me in one piece. They take a bit of time to replace, and I'd hate to have to update the firmware so soon. "
Dodgeson
Creeping across the mine pit until he reached the nearest piece of usable machinery Donald went completely unoticed by the Cyberman standing watch over the lift but what didn't go unnoticed was the results of Calico's miraculous little gizmo. With the press of a button the sonic device buzzed in to life and the excavator went absolutely gonzo, its lights flashing, alarm blaring and its scoop raising and falling seemingly at random.

Turning its head towards the commotion the sentry lifted a single clenched metallic fist towards its chestplate, broadcasting to the rest of its Mondasian compatriots through their shared link "Mechanical activity sighted in vicinity, I will investigate. Request additional support, the heathens must not be allowed to befoul His sanctum."

With that the sentry left its post, marching towards the excavator, the echoes of its heavy metal feet still audible over the sounds of the wild excavator.
Ridai
Miles thought the old machinery's batteries were dead and the fuel long evaporated, but he was swiftly shown the error of his ways, observing with lifted eyebrows.

Oh. Right! They should get going!

As the Cyberman moves away from its post, Miles tries to use the opportunity to make for the lift, trying to stay low and in cover where possible along the way. He just hopes they won't be seen, and that Donald will make it.

 
 Spoiler: Actions 
Miles doing the sneaky-sneak! Coordination 4 + Subterfuge 3  (2d6+7)[ 12 ] 
 
davyjones
Mr. Jordan has done his job well, perhaps too well, but now is not the time to stop and assess potential consequences. Calico's not a sneaker, not by any stretch of the imagination, so he strides across the open space while the Cyberman's attention is on the enlivened machinery. Into the shaft they go.
Zelphas
Donald glances down at the screwdriver, surprised by its powers over technology. A useful little tool, that; good for plenty of pinches...

Tucking it into his breast pocket for safekeeping, Donald skirts around the approaching guard and makes his way inside the facility as well.
Dodgeson
The wild behaviour of the excavator wouldn't take long for the sentry to deal with (a single silver fist through the dashboard would be enough to silence it) but it would still provided enough time for our heroes to make their way to the platform and begin their descent in to the earth. The shaft was long and the trio would have some time to talk amongst themselves as machinery slowly groaned and grinded around them but eventually it would come to a halt and long tunnel lit by lights studded across the rough walls would stretch out in front of them.

Once upon a time the mine at Birchmoor been the cornerstone of the local economy, employing hundreds of men and it showed, the three of them were in for a long walk. To make things worse (at least for Professor Calico) the further they got down the tunnel the more concentrated the Artron energy in the air became until by the time they reached a heavy looking metal door and damaged digital screen it was almost stifling. Earlier in the evening Calico had theorised that the unusual energy signature that permeated the village and its surroundings might have come from a dying TARDIS and he was half right, the advanced Cyberman would make far more sense now, in front of them was the entrance to a Cyberman timeship.
Ridai
Once the elevator reaches the bottom, Miles sighs in relief.   "Good thing you made it back safely,"   he says to Donald, managing a quick smile.

Miles looks about at the place actually being up and working.   "This is just... strange. How has no one noticed the mine being in use again?"  

And finally at the door, he just inclines his head.   "This... I don't think this belongs here."   He looks to Professor Calico.   "Do you know what this is?"  
davyjones
While he's not one to feel the "turn of the universe," as his people poetically call their natural connection to the Matrix and the time vortex, the increasing concentration of artron energy is palpable to Calico. The professor feels...uneasy, something he rarely encounters, and he's not fond of it at all.


 
 Originally Posted by Ridai 
 Once the elevator reaches the bottom, Miles sighs in relief.   "Good thing you made it back safely,"   he says to Donald, managing a quick smile. 
 

Donald catching up momentarily distracts him from the sense of foreboding that was starting to cloud his thoughts. With a slight smile and approving nod for a job well done, the professor raises his palm expectantly...until his sonic is firmly back in his grasp. The smile morphs into a satisfied grin as he drops it back into his jacket pocket.


 
 Originally Posted by Ridai 
 Miles looks about at the place actually being up and working.   "This is just... strange. How has no one noticed the mine being in use again?"   
 

 "People see what they want to see, what they expect to see, " Calico muses. " How many folks come out this way, really, and are they looking at the quarry when they do? "

There's an eeriness to the whole place that he felt the moment they breached the ridge. The Time Lord seriously doubts any local over the age of ten would purposefully investigate...

...and his thoughts are ripped from him at the sight of the timeship. The professor stops short, his hearts each skipping a beat.


 
 Originally Posted by Ridai 
 And finally at the door, he just inclines his head.   "This... I don't think this belongs here."   He looks to Professor Calico.   "Do you know what this is?"   
 

" It's a ship, Mr. Marwood, and one, I suspect, that can traverse both time  and  space, " Calico explains as the various puzzle pieces start forming an image in his head. " I know the Cybermen had captured one, but that was the 26th Century and on a different planet and, from what my chapter shared about the incident, was also destroyed along with their control center. "

The Time Lord approaches the hull and leans in to examine the materiel detail, hoping to gain an understanding of the temporal origin of this particular timeship. " But, it's possible the ship had a failsafe to bring it to a known time and place. I want to say it was connected to London in 1986, but time travel isn't always an exact science, and she easily could have ended up here. And, if even one Cyberman survived, it would try to rebuild its forces. When did the Beast of Birchmoor start terrorizing the locals? "

 
 Spoiler: Attempt to Determine Timeship Origin 
OOC: Ingenuity + Knowledge +8 (or Technology +8, or Transport +6)
 (2d6+8)[ 13 ]  - or 11, if we're using Transport
 
Ridai
In regards to how many people would come out to the mining pit, Miles says   "Okay, fair. But it being lit up feels like it would draw attention at some point."  

As for the Beast of Birchmoor:   "Since the 18th century or thereabouts, as the legend goes at least. As for the ship, why would it go to London in '86 specifically?"  
davyjones
 
 Originally Posted by Ridai 
 As for the Beast of Birchmoor:   "Since the 18th century or thereabouts, as the legend goes at least. As for the ship, why would it go to London in '86 specifically?"   
 

" Details were a bit sketchy, but I think it had something to do with preventing the destruction of their homeworld, which was in Earth's neighborhood. Mondas, I think the name was, " the professor recalls, then adds with a smile, " As for London - doesn't  every  happening thing happen in London? "
Zelphas
Donald looks at the Professor's hand of a moment before realizing what the man was asking for. Odd, he'd practically forgotten... he hands over the sonic screwdriver a moment later without any incident other than that odd pause.

  "London does seem like a... comfortable place, for all its foibles, I suppose,"   He comments quietly in the conversation, taking a few slow breaths. The air felt fine when he checks his breathing, but something feels off when he doesn't pay attention... well, no matter. This whole situation is strange, after all, or at least it's supposed to be for most normal people.
Ridai
  "I... I guess that is a time-traveller thing, then."   Shifting in place.   "So... how do we get in?"  
davyjones
Calico frowns slightly as he inspects the craftsmanship. Possibly a human timeship, repurposed by the Cybermen as before; possibly of direct human-Cyberman design. Mondasian/Talosian/everywhere-else-ian histories and origins have been mucked up ever since the Cybermen decided to start messing with time. Who knows what the original, untangled history of these people was?

" One thing's for certain, " he muses aloud. " They're here, no matter how accidental or purposeful, and they're trying to build their forces. "

Looking up at his companions, he adds, " To what end, you might ask? In the broadest terms, dominance of everything in their grasp. Here, specifically? Hard to say. But, to answer your other question, Mr. Marwood, we 'break and enter.' I doubt they'll call the local constabulary over it. "

He draws his sonic again, thinking he hasn't gotten this kind of use out of his trusty tool for quite some time. " Communications disruption, jump starts, now lock picking - you're just getting put through all your paces, aren't you? " he coos at it.
Ridai
Miles looks at the ship's entrance, a long exhale with puffed cheeks escaping him, then looks back again.   "Given the circumstances, what with invading forces wanting to take over, I'm sure this falls under civil courage."  
Dodgeson
The plucky buzz of Calico's sonic screwdriver was soon replaced by the grinding protests of gears and metal as the door in front of them slowly juddered open in fits and starts, showering the hallway in a spray sparks before finally going still again and one thing was immediately clear on the other side, wherever and whenever the cybership had come from it definitely did not have a fun time getting here.

Stretching out in front of them until it terminated in a pair of corridors running off at right angles was a cold metal corridor dotted with doors along walls that were scorched with laser fire, at least the parts of them that hadn't had holes blown straight through them showing all sorts of pipes and wires and the occasional flash of scuttling silver. That wasn't even getting started on the grated metal floor that was in similar shape or the other wires that were dangling from the ceiling and ominously twitching and buzzing to themselves.

The likelihood of getting tetanus or electrocuted wasn't the only thing the trio would have to worry about though, after all the sentry back in the mine had signalled for reinforcements and the oncoming sound of heavy stomping footsteps was a sure sign that they were on their way!
Ridai
The door opening thankfully reveals no Cybermen. Instead, they are treated to the torn-up interior of the ship. Miles eyes the corridor and its many damages.   "Certainly lends credence to this having been through a hostile takeover-"  

Miles freezes. Oh no, footsteps, and coming closer. Okay, quick thinking. No point trying to hide in the mines. No idea where the doors lead. Might mean they run into Cybermen, open wires, or... assorted future-time-space shenanigans. Of the unkind variety. The kind one does not want to run into while trying to hide. Or... something...

So instead, he steps in, squats down, and quietly tries the floor grating, successfully so, even!    "Quick, close the door and get in here."    Miles adds some hurried gesturing for good measure.
davyjones
 
 Originally Posted by Ridai 
 The door opening thankfully reveals no Cybermen. Instead, they are treated to the torn-up interior of the ship. Miles eyes the corridor and its many damages.   "Certainly lends credence to this having been through a hostile takeover-"   
 

" Indeed, " Calico counters as he surveys the ship's interior. " A lot of unknowns to make known... " The Time Lord trails off as he hears the sound of approaching footsteps.


 
 Originally Posted by Ridai 
 ...So instead, he steps in, squats down, and quietly tries the floor grating, successfully so, even!    "Quick, close the door and get in here."    Miles adds some hurried gesturing for good measure. 
 

" Good thinking, Mr. Marwood! " the professor concurs enthusiastically. " Come, Mr. Jordan. No dawdling. "

He quickly ushers Donald into the ship and uses his sonic to close the door. A moment later, he drops through the grate and finds cover in the underfloor.
Zelphas
A lot of large, open space, even when cluttered with scorch marks and wiring. For some reason, that is more concerning to Donald than the heavy footsteps coming behind.   "Don't need to tell me twice,"   he mutters, slipping through the grating to the space beneath with surprisingly liquid grace. He pauses for a moment, squinting upwards.  "Grate must be thicker than it looks, going by the feet; otherwise, we're all in for a surprise,"   he quips, waiting for the others to push ahead.
davyjones
 
 Originally Posted by Zelphas 
 ...He pauses for a moment, squinting upwards.  "Grate must be thicker than it looks, going by the feet; otherwise, we're all in for a surprise,"   he quips, waiting for the others to push ahead. 
 

" The Cybermen adapted the vessel to their needs, at the very least, so I'm certain the deckplates were reinforced to take their collective weight, " Calico muses. With a wry smile, he adds, " Otherwise, it'll be a surprise for them, too. "
Dodgeson
The grate (it was okay) came loose without protest and our heroes slipped beneath the deck ahead of the malevolent march of their mechanical menace. Sliding it back in to place they would find themselves in the ship's maintenance ducts, the very veins of the CyberArk that stretched out into the vessel's depths, running off into new tunnels underneath the rooms they had seen up above and twisting off in to a fork further ahead of them. It was a situation that any number of movies might have prepared them for but there was maybe on little niggling doubt for the sharp eyed observer. While they were more or less a fit for a human (or a Time Lord for that matter), crawling on all fours not withstanding, there was no way the bulk of even the sveltest Cyberman would be accomodated in these tunnels, which if nothing else added more fuel to the fire of Professor Calico's theory on the ship's origin but if not the Cybermen then who or what maintained the inner workings of the ship?

The answer would soon make itself clear, while the CyberArk may not have had the resources to mount a full on conversion campaign the Beast of Birchmoor was proof it wasn't utterly defanged and if it could muster a Cybershade then Cybermats were child's play. The silver insectile creatures with their bug eyes were ideal for scuttling around the ducts and vents of the ship and the sounds of their many mechanical legs against the metalwork echoed through the maintenance tunnels, they hadn't spotted the trio of interlopers yet but it wouldn't be too long until they their work routines brought they crashing together!

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Okay gang here's where we're at! Originally I was just going to have you roll to hide from the Cybermats that are in the tunnels but went to pull up their Ingenuity+Awareness their statblock gives them a whole mess of extra senses, including straight up detecting human brainwaves, which at the very very least means that Miles isn't going to be able to hide with some story point shenanigans. So I decided to open it up instead, you can still try and hide, you can go full Aliens and we can turn this in to a chase scene, maybe you prefer to try your odds with the Cybermen up top or maybe you've got some other plan that I haven't even thought of.

Ball's in your court.
 
Dodgeson
Concealed within the vents, the heavy mechanical footsteps of the Cybermen drew ever closer above our heroes and the sound of scuttling metal on metal signalled the arrival of the insidious Cybermats but quite suddenly everything was plunged into darkness and a deep rumble came from somewhere deeper within the Ark, shaking the walls and sending loose metal crashing down from the ceiling. A few seconds later the lights flickered back in to dim life but everything was silent, no scuttling or stomping feet, until the electronic voice of a Cyberman came from above them.

"A message from on high." One spoke to the other, raising a hand to its chestplate "Unknown power surge in conversion chamber."

"All units attend the conversion chamber. It must be made ready for the faithful." The other concurred and after a few moments silence the scuttling in the vents began again this time becoming quieter as the insectoid machines moved deeper in to the damaged timeship towards whatever sudden malfunction had occured. A few moments later there was another rumble and the lights began to gutter and flair again, causing the Cybermen to turn on their heels and likewise begin to return back the way they came order from 'on high' to investigate overriding the call from their comrade to come and reinforce the mine's lift.
Ridai
Faced with the scuttling... things, Miles has a sinking feeling in the stomach. Until the lights go out and the sound of malfunction is heard. Once the Cybereverything are gone, Miles squints, saying   "Tech Gremlins..."  

Unfortunately, this also means there are still a lot of Cybermen inside the ship.

Scratching his head, he looks to Professor Calico and Donald.   "Well, this conversion chamber malfunctioning is probably good, right? Guess this means we can look around in the outer rooms while they're busy... somewhere further inside?"  

Anyway, Miles quietly climbs back out of the floorspace and... starts looking in one of the side rooms.
Zelphas
Donald spends the moments during and after they were almost discovered by mechanical monsters in contemplative silence--or maybe simple, complete silence, tensing himself up for a fight.   "Apologies for the sudden question, but what are we looking for again?"   he asks simply, shadowing Miles as he pokes into a side room.

Something about the behavior of these Cybermen feels... off, to him, but it's a nagging feeling that's grown familiar to him in his scant few months of remembered existence. It's like something is knocking on the outside of his brain, but his mind's at capacity. No conceptual space, sorry, move along. If he ignores it, it'll go away. Usually. So that's what he does.
davyjones
 
 Originally Posted by Zelphas 
 Donald spends the moments during and after they were almost discovered by mechanical monsters in contemplative silence--or maybe simple, complete silence, tensing himself up for a fight.   "Apologies for the sudden question, but what are we looking for again?"   he asks simply, shadowing Miles as he pokes into a side room. 
 

" Something that tells us what the Cybermen are up to, beyond starting their own religion, " Calico responds as he surveys the compartment. " And why they traveled back in time from the 26th Century. 

" And if we happen to find a giant 'off' button, all the better, " he jokes. Oh, if it were ever that easy.
Dodgeson
With the Cyberman's attention elsewhere the coast was clear for Miles to climb back up out of the vents and begin to explore the side room, the damaged door juddering open with a struggle and a groan of protesting metal. Inside wasn't in any better of a state, lining either side of the room were a series of man-sized metal tubes with glass view ports, some damaged and some still whole though thankfully none of them seemed to actually contain anything right now.

At the far end of the room was another computer terminal like the one they had seen at the entrance to the Ark but unlike that one, this one seemed to still be functioning, its flickering screen bathing the whole room in blue light.
Ridai
Making sure to step around glass shards and other debris, Miles is thankful to not run into... whatever it was that was in those tubes at some point, maybe. Instead, he checks out the screen. Who knows, maybe he'll actually understand some of it?
davyjones
The professor surveys the room as he works his way toward the functioning terminal, then peers over Miles' shoulder at the display. The first item of business is to suss out the language being used; that'll go a long way to telling him about the origin of the ark and its designers. The second is to determine its functionality, maybe even a little programming to take the humans' signatures out of the cyber scanning parameters - that'll allow the trio to move freely through the maintenance shafts without interference. Well, at least for a while.

Third, if they're really, really lucky, the Cybermen have their plan recorded somewhere. " Wouldn't that be nice, " he muses in response to his thoughts.

" Right, I don't suppose you're a computer specialist, Mr. Marwood? Or you, Mr. Jordan? " One he's certain isn't - the other one? Not so much, though Calico suspects Donald wouldn't admit to it if he were. So, in the end, it's likely a rhetorical question, and he draws his trusty sonic out, ready to move forward with his plan.
Ridai
  "Computers don't like me anymore, sadly,"   Miles responds, before making way for the Professor. Honestly, he's quite happy to do so. There's no telling in what other interesting and terrifying ways the Tech Gremlins can muck with future tech and make them go haywire.
Zelphas
  "Decidedly not,"   Donald says, a bit uncomfortably; he's been told more than once that he acts like someone three times his apparent age when dealing with computers. Chalk it up to another instinct that he seems to be missing while everyone around him possesses it.
Dodgeson
It was a fact that (at least in this era) humans were genetically close enough to their Mondasian cousins that for the most part their technology was compatible. The most obvious facet of this was that the denizens of Earth were prime targets for cyber-conversion but there were ups as well as downs and as Miles touched the screen the flickering stopped for the moment, displaying line after line of blocky text.

Surprisingly all of it was in perfectly understable English, giving a readout on the condition of the pods that lined the room, confirming that whilst four out of the ten of them were currently offline, all of them were currently unoccupied.

After a few moments the screen briefly flickered again as another rumble came from the depths of the CyberArk, shaking the room and loosening one of the empty pods from its moorings, sending it clattering to the ground.
Ridai
Miles did not expect English to appear on this screen.

He also did not expect a pod to rumble off the wall, making him jump.

  "...This is not what I meant about computers not liking me, and it worries me."   The Tech Gremlins are getting vicious.   "Should we... should we go further into the ship, or keep looking in the outer rooms?"   Might as well draw upon the wisdom of the Time Lord.
davyjones
The professor leans over and inspects the fallen pod. " Given the condition of this space and their equipment, I would suggest the Cybermen had constructed or converted the ship long before it was damaged. And it's likely its landing here was not necessarily controlled. And, for the record, you don't want to end up in one of these things. 

" Now, " he continues, not expounding on his caution as he returned to full height and stepped over to the terminal, " let's see what we can gather from their databases. "

Calico inspects the control interface, tapping it a couple times to stabilize the image. He looks for a menu button of some kind, or maybe a button that returns the display to a "main page" of sorts.

 OOC: If necessary, the professor will use his sonic to get the terminal back to normal function. 
Dodgeson
Miles had done an excellent job in waking up the terminal and Calico's previous encounters with the Cybermen would give him a pretty good idea of how to navigate the system but that was when things started to get weird. Sure the first menu the Time Lord was met with showing the status of the holding tubes was fairly standard, but delving in to the core data files looking for answers he would find none of the cold emotionless facts and figures he might be expecting, the whole thing looked more like well...like this.

 1 So it was that there was a war in the heavens.

 2 And the unworthy and the incomplete did struggle mightly

 3 And He was cast down to shatter amongst the bones of the Earth

 4 Long did He wait for His prophet and he did arrive and he did commune with him and He became whole and he became whole

 5 And the prophet did see his glorious purpose for the incomplete would soon be blessed and remade, perfect and whole as shining silver
davyjones
" This...this is extraordinary, " Calico breathes, leaning close to the display as he reads the passage. " Religious text - scripture. "

The Time Lord collects his thoughts, focusing on the words in front of him instead of letting the myriad of possibilities run free through his mind.

" This passage appears to allude to some sort of space battle - probably the Cybermen versus some faction of humanity - 'the unworthy and incomplete' would suggest those not converted to join the Cyber race, " he explains. " 'Cast down to shatter' would indicate, perhaps, a form of crash landing...maybe even this ship. The capital 'He' perhaps indicates a leader or a sole survivor, regardless of rank. 

" Waiting for 'his prophet' would likely indicate being discovered and rescued by a local...but, when, I wonder? I'll probably have to analyze the entire manuscript to get an understanding of the time period of its writing. Maybe even reach out to one of my former colleagues in London, " the professor notes. " The last passage mirrors the phrase our wayward vicar uttered in the church - that gleaming silver nonsense. "

Standing upright as he considered the possibilities, he added, " Regardless, we need to preserve this, even if only for later study. Look around for a storage device of some kind - I could probably store it in my sonic, but that could take up memory I would need for other tasks, and we aren't close enough to my TARDIS to upload at all, let alone quickly. "

Calico rifles through his own pockets for a stray portable drive; he always used to carry a larger-capacity portable drive when he was teaching, but he's not sure he ever left one in this jacket.

 
 Spoiler: OOC: Actions 
Here's what Calico would like to do:

1. Transfer the entire religious manuscript to the portable storage device. (I'm happy to burn a Story Point to have or find one of sufficient size and compatibility.)

2. Use the terminal to get to the file folders, trying to determine when the scripture was created and last modified.

3. See if there are other similar files within the database (like secondary religious texts - prayer books, study books, Cyber-ism at a Glance pamphlets, and the lke), and download those, too.
 
Ridai
  "So... the Cybermen fought a war and lost a... battle and got sent here?"  

...Yeah, leave the speculating to the Time Lord. Looking around for... any sort of doodads, something vaguely slate-shaped and, well, techy catches his eye.

  "Is this one of those devices? It seems... slightly hard drive shaped?"   Miles pulls the rectangular object from a gap next to the terminal, looking like it at some point fell in there.

 
 Spoiler: OOC 
Spending 1 SP to make a storage device.
 
Dodgeson
Calico might not have been able to locate an appropriate storage device on his person (some time travellers swore by pockets that were bigger on the inside but who knew if the Professor availed himself of similar technology?) but luckily Miles was able to find one amongst the techno-gubbins that littered the room, go teamwork! Then came the task of transfering over the Cyberman's new faith, whatever had caused it, there were universities across the galaxy who would kill to study the text.

And there was plenty of it to study, book after book spreading out from the central data core filled with tenets and psalms and scripture, it wasn't going to be difficult to move it all but the sheer mass of data was going to take some time. Time that might give our heroes time to ponder something about the infomation, every single piece of information had been created within the last two weeks.

"Well what do we have here?" Or maybe they wouldn't have time as the voice of the wayward vicar came from behind them "We would be more than happy to help introduce you to His gospel, despite your little sabotage." Father Pleasance said, looking out of place and surprisingly menacing for a rural vicar standing in the doorway of a damaged timeship.
davyjones
" Oh, very good, Mr. Marwood, " Calico beams in response to Miles finding the storage device. And a universally-compatible one at that. " Very good, indeed. Now, we wait a bit as we download. "

Looking at his companions, he continues, " You have no idea how significant of a find this could be. I've seen primitive peoples create cults around technologically-advanced visitors, but this is different - whether its an actual Cyberman-created religion, or a merging of bits of Anglican dogma with the circumstances of this ship's arrival - I can't say I've ever encountered something this detailed created by an industrial civilization. "


 "Well what do we have here?" Or maybe they wouldn't have time as the voice of the wayward vicar came from behind them "We would be more than happy to help introduce you to His gospel, despite your little sabotage." Father Pleasance said, looking out of place and surprisingly menacing for a rural vicar standing in the doorway of a damaged timeship. 

" I was wondering if you had access to this place, " the professor muses, more to himself than anyone else while he monitors the transfer progress on the screen. Only when he's satisfied that it's stable and continuing does he turn to meet the vicar face-to-face. " I can't say I'm not keenly interested, but nothing beats good, old-fashioned exegesis. Studying the text, discerning its meaning through meditation and prayer - it's a beautiful process of gaining insight, don't you think, Father? "
Ridai
Drawing on nothing but vague fantasy and science fiction knowledge, Miles says to the Professor:   "There was something about god and prophet becoming whole, so maybe they merged, and that is where the religion came from, from the non-Cyberman side that already was religious and influenced the other half?"  

And right on cue, the vicar appears. Miles is checking for other ways out, but he is only aware of the door. The door the vicar is standing menacingly in.   "I, uhm, I am not aware of any  sabotage ."  
davyjones
 
 Originally Posted by Ridai 
 And right on cue, the vicar appears. Miles is checking for other ways out, but he is only aware of the door. The door the vicar is standing menacingly in.   "I, uhm, I am not aware of any  sabotage ."   
 

Calico leans toward Miles and quietly notes, almost  sotto voce , " I think he means my party trick at the parish. "
Dodgeson
Miles' pleas of innocence didn't quite go unnoticed but it was clear from the look the vicar gave him that it wasn't exactly believed, there was a sense of purpose and certainty behind his eyes that didn't have time for things like differing opinions or facts that might contradict the opinions he had already reached. He didn't particularly hold it against him either way, what could he expect from someone incomplete? That was going to change soon enough and he turned his attention towards Calico with a smile that wouldn't seem out of place at a village fete but was just disconcerting given their current surroundings.

"There are many ways to gain insight in to His words. Not all of them are open to the unworthy." He began to explain as the grates beneath his feet began to rattle and disgorge a small swarm of cybermats to scurry around his feet "Your friends however, I believe it is time for them to recieve His blessing."
davyjones
" I'm almost tempted to say, 'go ahead,' because I'm not sure you'd get the desired end result with either, " Calico warns. " One is a veritable walking EMP pulse - honestly, I'm surprised any technology within 10 meters of him works reliably, and I expect he'd just as likely accidentally reprogram the nanites to make Cybermen human than the other way 'round. It'd certainly be an interesting theory to test. 

" And the other? Well, I'm not exactly sure what the other one is, but I'm starting to strongly doubt human is it. "

The Time Lord purposefully gives the vicar no indication which one is which and he pauses to let his warning sink in a little, using the moment to verify the upload is done and transfer the portable drive to his jacket pocket.

" Or...we could actually talk. It sounds like you know the scripture well - I truly hope it was through study and not a neural link to the database - and we are keen in learning how this all began, " the professor offers. " Especially how He came to find his prophet, and when that happened. Please, set your cybermats on other tasks for a time and counsel us, Father. "
Ridai
Miles is just very quite really alarmed at the cybermats pouring out of the ground and the cyber vicar doing cyber vicar things, but he also blurts out:   "I don't know about EMP, but the Tech Gremlins seem really cranky today, and I'm really dreading what they'll do if those cyberthingies or nanites get near me, and that it'll be more unpleasant than the intended thing for everyone involved, including and especially me."   Miles is looking appropriately  terrified  concerned about this, more than about the cybermats, to be honest.

  "So I would be in favor of talking, yes. This is all new strange to me, you know, and the scripture seems... vaguely Christian? Is that a coincidence or did that merge with the... the Cybermen ethos?"   Brain is just pouring words out, part curiosity part just trying to keep it together.
Dodgeson
Father Pleasance listened to the words of the two men for a moment, the only sounds the rattling and groaning of the Cyberark and the metallic scuttling of the Cybermats around his feet. He wasn't particularly worried by Professor Calico's warning, they were in His place of power and seemingly helpless, he had seen the blessing take hold several times by now and he had absolute faith that whatever problems Miles and Donald might present it would prove no barrier to their completion.

"Very well, the scripture does teach that we should spread His word, that it may be spread by others." As he spoke the Cybermat's began to vanish back from whence they came beneath the grate, returning to whatever routines they had been assigned before being summoned by the vicar, all but a pair that climbed up his leg and perched on his shoulders. "But I think that it might best for you to learn as I did. It is time for you all to stand in his presence and you will welcome his blessing when we are through."

With that he left the doorway, stepping back in to the corridor and waiting for the others to follow him.
Ridai
Miles glances at the Professor and Donald, lips pressed into a white line. He is not exactly sure... how they are getting out of this one, but making a run for it sounds like it would simply be doomed. Not to mention leaving the others behind.

With no shortage of that dreadful sinking feeling in his stomach, he gingerly steps across the grating the cybermats just poured out of, following the vicar. Hoping to not immediately get stuck in whatever conversion chambers they got. Getting tech inside of him feels like it would be a fate only marginally better than death, and Miles can practically hear the Tech Gremlins rubbing their hands.
davyjones
" Now we're getting somewhere, " the Time Lord muses, and he follows Miles into the corridor as he tosses over his shoulder, " Come along, Mr. Jordan. It's time for Sunday School. "

As he follows the vicar, Calico takes general note of each direction change and the gauges condition of the corridors and the equipment therein. He also decides to try to glean a little more background information from the man.

" When did you become a believer, Father? " he wonders. " Were you ordained in the Anglican church before converting, or did you come directly to follow Him and His prophet? "
Dodgeson
With the heroes in tow the vicar started to move again, leading them deeper in to the bowls of the ship where they would find everything in much the same condition as the rooms they had already seen. It didn't seem to matter how close they got to whatever chamber held the god of the Cybermen, the impact of the ship's arrival and just simple time had left everything in damaged disarray, it was a testament to the sheer will of the Cybermen to endure and to survive that anything was still working at all and of course as they walked Father Pleasence was more than happy to indulge Calico's curiosity.

"Oh I served the Church and this community for decades, what a fool I was." He began, shaking his head with a chuckle "Truth be told in recent years my faith was not what it had been. Every year my congregation got older and the pews got emptier and Birchmoor was a little quieter. I prayed for some answer or deliverance but after a while I simply gave up, I felt abandoned, but He truly works in mysterious ways. I was walking on the moors when I stumbled, quite literally, upon an abandoned mineshaft, I should have died but instead I found my prayers finally answered. You should consider yourselves blessed. How many people can say they have stood in His presence...?"

There wasn't even a door dividing the corridor from the bridge of the ship (maybe there had been once upon a time but certainly not now), instead the hall just opened out in to a wide room full of switches and dials and computer banks, some still flickering with signs of life while others were clearly damaged beyond repair, the cybermen stationed at the few working units turning to face them as they arrived.

And there in the centre of the room was the cylindrical form of a Cyberplanner, or at least what was left of one.

"I have brought them to you as you willed oh Lord." The vicar addressed the mechanical entity with head bowed.

  "SPEAK."  
davyjones
Calico smiles broadly at the thought of a literal  deus ex machina  - well, in this case, it would more appropriately be  deus est machina , but that's a minor distinction, really. He approaches the command apparatus with interest, scrutinizing the details of its condition.

" Ooh, you've really had a rough go of it, haven't you? " he intones. Turning to his companions, he notes, " What you see here is an example of the philosophy of Christian service in action. A broken apostle restoring others to wholeness. "

The Time Lord turns back to the Cyberplanner. " How long has it been, my friend, since you were hurtled through time and space to crash land on this little rock? "
Ridai
The moment of epiphany for the vicar is, of course, very important to the vicar. To Miles, the slow process of watching Birchmoor, the vicar's home, slowly dying, that's the part that gets him. Regardless of religious beliefs and larger scale problems with the organization that is the church, it ideally is there as a shelter, a center of community. And watching that community dwindle along with the town, while nothing you can do will stop this decline, that has to be terrible feeling.

  "I can't imagine how difficult the time before your, ah, epiphany must have been, Father."   They are in quite mortal danger (at least Miles assumes them to be), and the vicar may just be... gone, sadly. So maybe the person Miles is talking about is no longer present. But on the off-chance he is still there, Miles would like him to know.

More presently... there is the central Cyberman... machine.   "Please excuse me if it is a rude question, but... could you tell us who and what you are, uh, Lord?"  
Dodgeson
What little information Calico was able to glean from the machinery would more or less confirm what he already knew, the Cyberark was barely clinging on to life, there were plenty of niceties that a cyberman ship could do without (life support, a galley, plumbing and the like) but all the engines were completely shot and things like the lights were just about ticking over. There were exceptions of course, a quick glance at a nearby screen would tip him off that the conversion chamber was firing at all cylinders and ready to get to work.

 
 Spoiler: Professor Calico Ingenuity+Knowledge (TN15) 
Barely clinging on goes for the Cyberplanner too, with the state that it's in it's a miracle that the thing is able to command so much as single cybermat, there's got to be some second element stablising it and keeping it going.
 

  "I AM THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA. LONG I WAITED AMONGST THIS EARTH FOR THE ARRIVAL OF MY PROPHET. WAITED TO SPREAD MY BLESSED AND SILVERED GOSPEL TO THE INCOMPLETE."  

Standing beside the metal creature, the vicar's head bowed, mouthing silently along with the final words like a believer in prayer.
davyjones
 
 Originally Posted by Dodgeson 
 Standing beside the metal creature, the vicar's head bowed, mouthing silently along with the final words like a believer in prayer. 
 

...or the author of such a prayer.

Calico considers two competing theories in his mind; one, a wayward cleric discovers the ark at some point in history and is likely partially converted...or, perhaps, their brain is integrated into Cyberplanner, prompting the creation of this "silver church" that just needed followers, or, two, the prophet is standing in the room, right now. The Time Lord's bets are on a more contemporary origin of the church, but he's not entirely certain. Not yet, at least.

" How long ago were your canons written? Did you craft them personally, or are they the inspired work of your prophet? " His eyes briefly shifts toward Father Pleasance as he asks the question.

Then, something else strikes him. There's no way a Cyberplanner in this condition could command a ship of this size, or the number of drones it has to touch. His eyes scan the displays, gauges, and readouts - there has to be a command &amp; control load somewhere that's sapping the ark's precious power reserves.
Dodgeson
  "MY WORDS ARE AS I AM."   The Cyberplanner intoned   "ETERNAL."  

Unfortunately for the Time Lord another glance around the equipment that was still offering readouts on flickering screens around him offered him no new information, if there was some extra technological element that was supporting the would-be deity then there was no evidence that it was drawing any precious power from the Ark's flagging systems. As curious as this might be Calico wouldn't have long to ponder on it as the vicar spoke up.

"What shall be done with them O Lord?"

  "THE INCOMPLETE SHALL RECEIVE MY GLORIOUS SACREMENT AND MADE WHOLE AND THE UNWORTHY WILL BE DESTROYED."  

At that pronouncement every eye in the room be they human or the blank expressionless stares of the few standing Cybermen turned to focus on Calico.
davyjones
The professor leans to Miles and muses quietly, " That's a bit rude, don't you think? "

Straightening up, he adjusts his jacket and faces the Cyberplanner rickety frame. " Now, listen, that may be all well and good, but you know how this is going to play out. You order my eradication, I play along 'til I find my moment to outwit your drones and escape. Then it's a protracted chess match between us that ends up with me finding and extracting the device or person you're using to maintain your fragile grip on operational control, and you and your disciples cease to function. You don't want that, and I certainly don't feel like having to go through that entire scenario and the number of lives it could cost, " he opines. " On the other hand, say you do 'destroy' me to the point I can't come back to defeat you - this place is too remote for you to build up an effective army, and your lovely little ark will deteriorate faster than you can repair it with current material science and technology. Logically, it's a lose-lose scenario. So, let me provide you with another alternative. 

" You don't know me, but I know your people quite well, and - based on what little I've seen so far - have a pretty decent idea of your starting point, " Calico continues. " Better yet, I know how to get you back to where you and your drones can be repaired to full function... " The professor explains his plan using his knowledge of temporal science, showing the math, but also leaving out critical formulae and theory that would allow them to do the work themselves....or reveal his true intentions.

He concludes, " The deal, then, is this: You free your parishioners from yours and the vicar's control, and there will be no further conversions or executions in this time period. You allow my companions and I full access to your databases and archives and complete freedom to come and go as we please while we prepare and complete our work. In return, I will get you back to your time - and, as a bonus, I'll get you back early, so you can warn your compatriots and prepare for that fateful battle of yours. Do we have an accord? "
Dodgeson
It might not have had eyes in the traditional sense but Calico could still feel the gaze of the Cyberplanner boring in to him as he spoke. The machine-***-deity didn't put much stock in to the Time Lord's speech, what could a mere mortal hope to achieve against the designs of the almighty? Even if what he said was true, it knew that a single Cyberman was more than capable of 'enlightening' an entire planet.

Still there was something to his words, if he really could return the Ark to the heavens then He could return with a whole host of angels and truly render the Earth perfect and whole, like shining silver.

"You seem to be mistaken Professor." Father Pleasance took the momentary silence to interject "I hold no power over my flock, all of them came to me willingly, why would they not? I have healed their wounds, revitalised their faith and given them a new life. Think what I could do for the world, no war, no hunger, no division, a planet united under His word. Why would you want to stop me giving them their salvation?"
Ridai
  "Uhm,"   Miles quietly chimes in, very much feeling the stress of being very close to getting partially botified.   "your, uh, flock absolutely does seem to be doing better physically. Must have been hard for them, especially getting up in the years. It's just... you speak of faith. I always understood this to believe in something greater, upholding ideals to make the world better for those around you, endure through trying times. It might be hard, one might stumble, one might need help, but faith should help you trough, overcome. But if... if this is replaced with being entirely directed by God, that is control. With good intentions, perhaps. But that... doesn't sound like there would be faith or free will any longer. Things inspired and given by God, respectively. Doesn't this... doesn't this contradict the Word and actions of the omniscient Lord?"  

Miles barely knows what he is doing or saying. Or why he is attempting to understand or engage in theological discussion when he is underqualified to talk about this.


Presence 5 + Convince 5 to... I guess shake the faith/divert from "okay, convert them, Deus Vult!"?  (2d6+10)[ 14 ] 
+2 if Empathic applies
davyjones
" He's right, you know, Father, " Calico adds, placing a supportive hand on Miles' shoulder. " You talk of no war, no hunger, no division, unity. You forget no independent thought. No creativity. And no happiness, no sorrow, no  joy , no  love , no  compassion , no  humanity . Your 'gleaming silver' is right in front of you " - he gestures to the Cybermen and the Cyberplanner - " emotionless, loveless. All that's left is cold, heartless ambition. Programming instead of your beautiful human spirit. 

" Think about your theology, Father, " he counsels, his voice softening. " Nothing in this life is permanent. Men die. Buildings crumble. Nations fall. Worlds absorbed by dying stars. Entropy is the one constant. But, look around you. The ship, the disrepair of the Cybermen and the Cybermats. The fouled state of this computer, called a Cyberplanner in their civilization. It's barely hanging on -  remember your theology, vicar!  -they are of the world, not of God. Their silver is no more perfect than you or I are. "
Dodgeson
Father Pleasance listened to the two heroes make their case to him, playing on a humanity he might not even have any more, but as they spoke something strange happened, he stumbled. Their words stirred something within him and he remembered the fateful night that this had all started, panic as the ground under his feet crumbled and he found himself in a strange dark place giving way to sheer terror as the Cyberplanner poured its mind in to him even as his own flowed back through the damaged link.

Straightening up he blinked and looked around at his surroundings and it was if he was seeing the CyberArk as it truely was for the first time, a frozen look of shock on his face.

At the same moment whatever screens that were still operating began to flash dangerously and their dingy silver stewards began to take notice.

"Danger. Cyberplanner destabilising." One of them announced in monotone, the strange religiosity that Calico had found starting to drain out of them like water down a plughole.

"Rerouting all power to the bridge." Another Cyberman set to work, its heavy metal hands working the touch screen with a surprising dexterity.

  "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"  
Ridai
  "Aren't you supposed to be God, could you tell me what I've done?!"   Such a line would most likely sound quite sassy coming from literally any other companion, but coming out of Miles, it is mostly filled with bewilderment and confusion.
davyjones
Smiling at Miles' genuinely-confused response, the Time Lord whips out his sonic screwdriver and quickly dials up a function.


 "Danger. Cyberplanner destabilising." One of them announced in monotone, the strange religiosity that Calico had found starting to drain out of them like water down a plughole.

"Rerouting all power to the bridge." Another Cyberman set to work, its heavy metal hands working the touch screen with a surprising dexterity. 

" Oh, no, you don't, " he quips authoritatively as he aims it at the Cyberplanner's power supply coupling. Looking to the others, he intones, " Run! " as he attempts to induce an overload in the power brick.

 OOC: The idea is more than simply trying to cut power to the Cyberplanner. Calico is trying to fry the (hopefully fragile) power supply itself, requiring a replacement of the block (that will take longer than the drones have). What would you like me to roll? 
Ridai
There's a thing that Miles is (regrettably) decent at. He grabs the vicar who seems shocked out of whatever was done to him, tells him   "Come on!"   and gets a move on!
Dodgeson
Waving his screwdriver like a magic wand whatever defenses the cybersystems might have had crumbled before Calico, unfortunately because his sabotage was slightly more complex than simply overloading their systems (which given the dwindling power supply, might not have even worked), there was a distinct lack of dramatic explosions as Miles grabbed the confused and fearful vicar and made a run for it.

"Power supply non-responsive." One of the cybermen said emotionlessly as the screen in front of it began to dim "Reserve at 7 percent."

  "WE WILL SURVIVE. CYBERMEN WILL ALWAYS SURVIVE. STOP THE TIMELORD."  

With what could very well be its last order, the dingy damaged cybermen turned from their screens and began to lumber towards the Professor, even reduced to hunks of inert metal, the Cyberplanner was sure that all they would need to do is wait long enough and something would transpire to resurrect them but that wouldn't happen if Calico was free to meddle.

Having the totality of the ship's attention on him might not have been an ideal, though not unexpected, outcome but what it did mean was that Miles and his charge had a clear path to safety, the cybermites on other mechanical monsters on the ship all slowly and twitchily making their way towards the bridge and their top priority target.
davyjones
 
 Originally Posted by Dodgeson 
   "WE WILL SURVIVE. CYBERMEN WILL ALWAYS SURVIVE. STOP THE TIMELORD."   
 

" Sorry, but that's my cue. So long, my friend, " the professor says as he quickly follows Miles, Donald, and Father Pleasance into the corridor. " I promise to study your scriptures when things calm down! "

Calico stays behind the others making sure to scoot the trio along if it feels like they Cybermen are starting to close a bit. When they get to the airlock door, he opens it with a flick of his sonic.

 OOC: The professor wants to use his sonic to seal the airlock door closed once they're on the other side. Just need to make sure the inhabitants stay put until he can contact UNIT. Not sure if you wanted to hand wave that... 
Ridai
  "Shock and disbelief later, running right now,"   Miles tries to keep the vicar located in the moment (and problem) at hand, acting as a guide for an escape path to follow. Which conveniently also helps Miles keep things (relatively) together as he makes a break for it. But still checking if everyone manages to get out. No leaving people behind, not on his watch (...within his capabilities, at least).
Dodgeson
Once they were on the other side of the door, Calico sealed it with another wave of his sonic screwdriver, trapping them inside with a metalic thunk. In theory the Cybermen could override the lock but that would take time and that was the one thing they didn't have right now, the final hiss of the airlock condemning them to run down the last of their dwindling power supply until they stopped moving entirely and their ship fell silent, the CyberArk becoming a Tomb of the Cybermen.

Luckily for our heroes and their severely confused compatriot, the lift that had brought them down in to the mine in the first place was completely independent of any alien space craft and so it was completely up to the task of taking them back up out of the bowels of the Earth and in to the cool crisp night air. On the rumbling journey back to the surface Father Pleasance seemed to find the strength to speak up even if he still looked shell-shocked "Where are we...?" He asked, his voice quiet and confused, a million miles away from the sinister presence that he had been exuding at the head of his mechanical cult.

Next on the Professor's agenda was to contact U.N.I.T and that was going to turn out to be a lot easier than he might have thought, there were lights in the distance as they approached Birchmoor and as they got closer their source would reveal itself to be none other than vehicles of the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce! The place was buzzing with soldiers around a makeshift command tent set up on the village green and the front door and windows of the Bad Wolf had been destroyed but there didn't seem to be any active engagement going on right at that exact second.
Ridai
  "The mine near Birchmoor. And no longer under the influence of some very bad, uh, people."   Miles tries to tell the vicar.

Seeing these...  U.N.I.T. troops and the partially destroyed front of the Bad Wolf, Miles is unsure whether he should raise his hands or not.   "Professor... what is going on?"  
davyjones
Calico is in a contemplative state as he watches the path behind during the lift's ascent, rolling over the ramifications of the technology installed in the bodies of Birchmoor's ailing population. He hopes the medical interventions are permanent, and not just tied to the Cyber-ware. It would be a cruelty otherwise. Perhaps, when he reaches out to UNIT...


 On the rumbling journey back to the surface Father Pleasance seemed to find the strength to speak up even if he still looked shell-shocked "Where are we...?" He asked, his voice quiet and confused, a million miles away from the sinister presence that he had been exuding at the head of his mechanical cult. 

" Back to the reality of hope and living a resurrection life, Father, " the professor notes as he turns toward the man, deep sympathy in his eyes at the vicar's state. " You're going to have a lot of folks looking to their shepherd for pastoral comfort and strength. Folks just as confused as you are. Lean on the wisdom of your scriptures. They won't steer you wrong. "

Calico fully understands that a man possessed is not the man. The personality Fr. Pleasance exhibited was the Cyberplanner's influence. He was not in control, just as the parishioners weren't in control in their frenzied state in the church. Instead of returning to the TARDIS, the professor decides to not subject the poor man to any other technological oddities and just walks with him, Miles, and Donald back to the village.

The presence of UNIT on the green is both a convenience and a disturbance to the Time Lord. That they didn't have the good manners to wait until they were called irks him many levels - nosy parkers, the lot of 'em - still, he's glad they're here to help folks in the aftermath. Approaching the green, he finds a sentry and asks to see the officer in charge.

" There's an arkful of - " he looks at his pocket watch " - powered-down Cybermen and their Cyberplanner in the mine. Crashed there some time ago...probably decades or more. So, if your captain or major is available, I'd like to brief him...or her, or... "

The professor furrows his brows, searching his memory for something. " Humans still only have two sexes, right? " he mumbles aside.
Dodgeson
"Oh that's good..." The vicar replied to Miles on their ascent with a sort of baffled smile, he didn't really have a grasp on what was going on right now but whatever that dreadful place had been it seemed that at least they were leaving it now.

Sharing your mind with an alien intelligence had taken its toll on Father Pleasance just as how sharing his mind with the Cybercontroller had filled the Cybermen with religious zeal and delusions of godhood and it would take some time for him to return completely to normal. It was nothing fresh air and plenty of tea couldn't fix but for now he was more than happy to stick close to the people who knew what was going on.

"Thank you..." Was the only reply he had the wherewithal to offer Calico at the moment along with a nod to show his understanding, he might not have been all there right now but some part of him still recognised and appreaciated his words.

Down on the green the sentry didn't have time to reply when the Professor's question was answered by a man with an enormous bushy moustache emerging from the command tent. "Last time I checked." He answered, taking the appearance of our heroes in stride, U.N.I.T had protocols for when strangers with advanced knowledge appeared out of nowhere afterall and the first part of that was identification.

"Captain Montgomery Griffiths of the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce. I take it you're not from around here?"
Ridai
  "Miles Marwood, uh, citizen between jobs, pleased to meet you. I happened to be here, but I'm from London. Uhm. Current day, that is."   He should probably add that, yeah.
davyjones
 
 Originally Posted by Dodgeson 
 "Captain Montgomery Griffiths of the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce. I take it you're not from around here?" 
 


 
 Originally Posted by Ridai 
   "Miles Marwood, uh, citizen between jobs, pleased to meet you. I happened to be here, but I'm from London. Uhm. Current day, that is."   He should probably add that, yeah. 
 

" Yes, and this is Donald, a local-ish delivery driver. And this poor fellow is Father Pleasance, the local vicar; he was, unfortunately, caught up in all this mess, and could probably use a spot of tea and a comfortable place to sit, if you have something available, " the professor proffers his hand. "I'm Professor Calico, and I share a heritage with your long-standing intermittent scientific advisor."

He pauses and regards the captain closely. " Griffiths? I think I remember a Griffiths running around with Mike Yates back in my sporty days - this would've been the 70s or 80s, depending on the dating protocol you lot were using at the time, " the Time Lord muses. " What was his first name...Archie? Archie Griffiths ring a bell - wait, never mind. I was thinking of Archie Griffin. He was an American footballer back then. Different chap. Anyway, pleasure to meet you, Captain. 

" That said, you may have file on an Ian Calico from back then. A nasty affair with a time-displaced Sontaran. That was me. Different face, but still me. "
Dodgeson
Captain Griffiths nodded to Calico's first assesment of the situation, U.N.I.T may have technically been under the auspices of the United Nations (it is not the Unified Intelligence Taskforce and I will die on this hill) but that didn't mean that sorting out a tea station wasn't high up on their list of priorities, just a hair below erecting their commad centre and dealing with the cyber-menace that had laid siege to the Bad Wolf.

In short order hot beverages were provided along with whatever ratio of milk and sugar the crew on the green wanted, it would give them something to do while they waited for a radio back from U.N.I.T HQ to confirm or deny Calico's story, they were even offered biscuits if they didn't mind Garibaldis. It wasn't that the Captain didn't think that he couldn't have encountered one of his ancestors in the past, he'd had family serving in the military since the L.O.N.G.B.O.W and Counter-Measure days.

Once the all clear came down the wire Captain Griffiths was more than happy to lead the group in to the tent where a makeshift command centre had been set up with banks of computers and men and women in uniform scurrying around busily.

"Okay then, you are who you say you are." The Captain started "We've got a detachment of Cybermen and cadre of murderous cyborg pensioners. This place has been on our radar for a while, funny energy readings and what have you, what exactly is going on here?"
Ridai
Being armed with tea and biscuits (fly paper biscuits or not) certainly helps with the nerves a fair deal.

  "They attacked the Bad Wolf?! Did anyone get injured?"  
davyjones
" I'm sure everyone is fine, Miles, " the professor comforts, using the man's first name. " This UNIT lot is pretty handy on the medical side; they're good folk, once you get past their penchant for shooting at everything. "

Calico retells the entire story, from his detection of the strange artron readings to the discovery of the beast and Pavilion's sacrificial possession of it, to the pinpointing of the artron source and subsequent investigation of the old quarry, followed by the investigation of the ark itself and its inhabitants. " They should have lost all power by now. I don't recommend any scientific inquiry into that ark - any power applied could wake the whole system up and we'll be right back in trouble; in fact, I'd go as low-tech as you possibly can when you get to disposal. 

" Now this, " he pulls out the portable storage drive, " is a religious codex that, I believe, was 'co-written' by the vicar and the cyberplanner when the good father was under its control. Once I've given it a good study, I'll bring it to you folks for archiving. It may not yield any deep Cyberman secrets, but it may give some insight into how a human-Cyberman interface influences both sides; that could be useful. "
Dodgeson
"A couple of knocks and bruises." The Captain reassured Miles "They had themselves barracaded in that pub pretty good before we got here. They're all getting a look over just so we can rule out any contaminations but they should be fine." If it was any further consolation, once U.N.I.T's media team got involved the Landlord was going to be looking at a hefty insurance payout for whatever 'gas leak' or 'car accident' they decided had caused all this damage to his beloved establishment.

Calico's explanation of events was met mostly with nods, the religious angle was new but everything else fit in with what they knew about Cyberman behaviour "Jolly good, I think we could all use a little bit of low tech after tonight." He agreed, eyeing the storage drive curiously, he was a boots on the ground sort of guy and that sort of thing was a little bit out of his depth but it definitely sounded like something the boffins would enjoy.

"We appreciate that, I'll get an update put on your file, make sure people know you're one of the good ones."

With that everything had been resolved to Captain Griffiths' satisfaction and if our heroes had nothing more to enquire about then they were free to go.
davyjones
" Before we go, Captain, the affected villagers, " the professor inquires as he finishes the last of his tea and sets the cup back down on a nearby table. " How are they? Were their ailments permanently healed, or was it a temporary effect of their connection to the ark? "
Ridai
"Oh, that's... good, at least?" And given the state of Birchmoor, any sort of cash injection also seems direly needed. "I, uhm, I guess I'll go back to my great uncle's cabin now. Still need to chop that wood before it gets too cold."
Dodgeson
"They're on their way to a secure U.N.I.T hospital." Captain Griffiths explained "Can't say what state they're going to be in when they wake up, I'm not a medical man but didn't look to me like limbs were falling off when they were being loaded up."

While it was true that the members of Father Pleasance's cult had been partially converted via cybermites in the font of the church to cure their ailments, now that the Cyberplanner had deactivated they weren't in any real danger. U.N.I.T was going to keep them under observation for a while to make doubly sure and to study their new augmentations but they'd fine once all was said and done.

Miles might not have gotten a full salute but the Captain tipped his hat to him which was still pretty good. "We'll probably be here for the next few days on clean up, you've seen some stuff tonight. Come talk to me if you're still thinking about work."
davyjones
The Time Lord all-to-well knows the way of things, the transience of existence, but he also knows how those cybermites work, and suspects each will enjoy quite long, healthy lives. Calico pauses and tilts his head, wondering if any are still young enough to have children, and if the cybermites might pass from mother to child, at least (he thinks father-to-child may be biologically less likely). It would be interesting to see if there's a sudden burst of children in this dying village. Wouldn't that be something?

Saying his goodbyes to the captain and Fr. Pleasance, the professor offers to walk back with Miles and Donald - especially since his TARDIS is at his uncle's estate. He spends most of the walk willing to let Miles fill the silence with his own thoughts, wanting to hear how the erstwhile policeman would rationalize the strangeness he encountered. A good moral compass in that one.

Donald...is still a mystery. He gets enigmatic vibes from the man and, while he may not have as strong a telepathic bent as others of his kind - the strange feelings he has around the man are worthy of further inquiry.

Either way, he thinks his decision had been made since the moment both men first ran into the TARDIS.

" Gentlemen, if I may, " he says, coming to a stop and adjusting the cuffs on his excursion jacket. " You both acquitted yourselves well on this little adventure of ours - handled the adversity we faced with aplomb. It would be unkind of me to just fly away and leave you to your lives - a cold, solitary existence - "

He nods to Miles, then turns to Donald. " - or a life that just doesn't seem to suit who you really are. How would you both like to travel with me for a while? "
Ridai
With Miles' current existence mentioned, he looks back at the cold... and a little leaky cabin. He tried to be positive, that things would look up eventually, but it's a situation slowly grinding him down.

Then, the offer.   "Through... through time and space, you mean?"   There was the reflex to inquire about the circumstances and what of the cabin and while he was gone and-   "Yes, please."  

Sometimes. Sometimes, you've gotta do something for yourself. As a treat. This involves time-traveling. Simply putting him back somewhere around this time and place should not be difficult. People won't even notice he's gone.   "Let me get my things and lock the cabin, then I'm ready."   And truth be told, gathering his things takes him all of five minutes, coming back out with his one big duffel bag (he is good at packing compact), locking the door, throwing the key into his luggage.

  "Ready when you are, Professor."   If he can't even  help out  at Scotland Yard, he might as well be a time-traveller. It is practically the second-best thing.
Zelphas
  "Well, that was worth seeing,"   Donald muses to himself as the chaos begins to die down. He felt an odd sense of... anticlimax? Was he expecting--no,  hoping --for things to have gone worse? What a strange desire. Anyways, the details were already getting a bit fuzzy. He'd have to write them down, though probably in a side journal.

...Donald only has one journal, that he knows of. His thoughts are getting even more muddled.

  "Hmm?"   Donald comes out of himself at the Professor's question. He squints for a moment, then nods at the question.   "I think... I think it is time to move on. Though this isn't... hmm. Either my brain will get more muddled, or clear up, down this route, and either one would be a change. I suppose that works for me, then."  