"No, more someone trying to track down a rogue creation of a tinkeror. Think you kindly let me go and such? I am scouting up ahead for my group. We're called the omega legion, heard of 'em?
Kindly correct him, if he doesn't start kicking and yell for help.
"Omega ... Omega ... Omega. Sounds familiar. isn't that where they put all the undesirables?
So ... that still doesn't mean you're not a bandit.
Kinda a sorry sort for a bandit though, but then what do I know?
You hang tight here, fella. JIm! Jim! What's all that commotion over there? more bandits?"
On receiving his answer, you are led over to the other two.
I ask ye thrice and done. I. Land. At. Destruction. Start/End. Points. And. Look. Around. For. A. Trigger.
((somehow that part of my action the past two turns has been skipped each time.))
The information about the two destructobots being different mattered a lot and changed not only my current turn's action but last turn's as well. I need the same destruction pattern information about the smaller one, acquired from the scouting of two turns ago, and my action of both last and this turn needs to be to beeline for the machinist's camp. whilst overflying the destruction backtrail of the bots, splitting the difference between them to keep them both in sight, but if they stray too far from the trail to the machinist's, then I'll not worry about it and just go there, letting the trails leave my field of view.
If I find a true origin point for the bots destruction while I backtrail them, that IS worth stopping to investigate. most other things, like extra bot destruction trails, I'll just note as I pass without further investigation at this time.
At this point I also should have gotten sufficient data to guess about the trigger or lack of one, and wouldn't be landing at destruction start/end points.
Upon reaching the machinist's camp I circle it, making general observations, and specifically noting botdestruction origin points, any living activity, any active bots on site, level of destruction the place has incurred upon itself, and ESPECIALLY any machines assembling other machines.
((current working theory: smart AI development gone wrong. the bots are just products of it experimenting and learning how to make bots. it has gone out of control and the machinists dont know how to stop it or are unwilling to comprimise the experiment by influencing its learning pattern, thinking the loosed destructobots are an acceptable, neigh-inevitable, side effect of letting the AI learn.))
Perhaps I was unclear, but I did respond each time to your "land at the start and stop points." First time, you said to find out if it was 'continuous or intermittent." I declared it "intermittent, but ongoing," by which I meant that, you know, it starts and stops, but picks up after a while every time.
Second time, you asked if the intervals were uniform, as if it might be a timed destruction, or if there were any noticable triggers - this was my response to that specifically:
Let's see. there is no noticeable pattern, in terms of length between start and stop points of the destruction. The thing just seems to start breaking stuff every now and then.
The smaller of the two - the one that passed through the village - is the one that starts and stops destroying. The destruction appears to start and stop randomly, though clearings and changes in terrain seem to have start and stop points more often than not. I can't give much more information than that, as I did roll for it both rounds. You couldn't even find something that could be called footprints for the smaller one. As for destruction type - slashing and bludgeoning, as well as broken branches and leaves and stuff, as if a relatively large, otherwise normal, animal passed through. The smaller one is probably no larger than a small bear.
The larger one has the continuous trail of destruction - the long sinuous tracks. It looks like it basically smashes through shit to get to wherever it is going, and burns shit in it's way. I did roll for how much you discovered as you went.
This round - thrice you ask? I am obligated then. You find no trigger, except that things are in the way of where these things are going. Where is it they are going? They look to have no planned direction - taking the easiest route available to them, unless something unusual happens, like when they passed through the village - there, evasion and escape maneuvers are more readily apparent, whereas otherwise, they seem to simply be going, directionless wanderers who mean no harm but cause much. They are clearly mechanical in nature (we knew this already), and seem to operate under their own power. How, or if, they refuel, is not evident from their paths. Let's see ... They are also to targeting humans or other sapients. In fact, at one point, the larger one rolls alongside a stone wall for a time, before crossing it at a gap, carefully skirting around a farmhouse, and trundling off down a broad valley, where it plows a bridge across a shallow stream before moving on, skirting a tree full of fairies and Awakened Squirrels.
It is done. that's all you learn before reaching the Mechanists' Colony.
Okay, this turn, you will make a discovery that you stop for, but will not be able to do the circle of the Mechanists' Colony til next urn. Distances and all.
You discover what appears to be a start point for the destruction. there could be more beyond, but this point is different than the others. There is a small canyon with signs of civilization in it. One end of the canyon - the further end (toward the Machinist's colony) is filled with a slope of rubble, from the southern cliff which overlooks the ravine. You circle this ravine from on high for a time before swooping in closer, on the lookout for some marksman who dislikes birds. None are evident - no sapient being is evident. But as you approach the ravine from just above the cliffs, you notice signs of logging, signs of transportation of materials, and signs of construction. Some odd structures have been partially built and abandoned. various wheel marks, tread marks, and regular holes in the ground (as from something walking on stilts) criss-cross the area. upon approaching the rockslide, you notice what looks to be a scrapyard - ruined bits of machinery and mechanicals lay in heaps.
If I've missed anything, I'll post a miniturn tonight for you.
The Eye starts to scry to the Baron's camp, homing in on Dar's commstone.
You find Dar, Fifteen other Sapients, and half a dozen horses. Ofhte sapients, eight of them are servant typse, one is the aforementioned vaselike creature, and the one in dark green is the Baron. He is balding, but he wears it well, and has a nice mustache and goatee that accentuates his long, pointed nose and sharp chin.
((Oh goody, you're already on that. 
I suppose I might as well do the RP anyway.))
"Eye? This one requires assistance. It does not know Baron. Twolegs all have same look."
Request assistance from the Eye. If it assists, attempt to stealthily eavesdrop on whoever it says is the Baron. If the Eye does not assist, or fails or something, just eavesdrop on whichever one of those three is most convenient to eavesdrop on.
The Baron, so identified, is talking with a count Vochu about their planned hunt for the next day. seems they are deciding whether stag, pheasant, or a more dangerous prey are best for the day. He does not once while you are listening this round mention the Mechanists, the destruction, or the army he has built.
Noir smells herself casually and and.....perhaps See's if she feel her dad's presence right now.
Maybe she feels a little something ... anger,? arrogant hostility? Cool indifference? A thirst for the lifeblood of all living beings? She can almost put her finger on it, but not quite.
"Well, my mates. We don't decide for ourselves when we are called inta action. We have ta listen to a higher chain of commands, ya see. If ya have any complaints about timing and whatnot, ya can always send a formal letter of complaint to our higher ups. Now, either we help ya or ya decide ya don't want our help and we continue our epic quest to robotic kick-assery solo... well not solo but at least without your help. There is absolutely no reason for violence. No reason for hate, fear or any other negative emotions that might be racing through ya head. Now please lower the pointy things."
Try to calm them down by saying the above.
I am flabbergasted at how reasonable you lot have been for three solid turns in a row. And, as luck would have it, the collective coolness of our intrepid heroes overcomes their natural tendency toward inciting of mobs. Farming implements are lowered, spiderdogs are checked, and redtoothed chickens are shooed away.
"Look, we don't want no trouble. Y'all caught us by surprise, wandering in like that. We don't get too many visitors out this way, see? And yer not exactly ... ahem ... not from around these parts, I should say."
"they're ugly, poppa"
"Hush, you! get out of here you brat! Let the grown ups talk! "
"Ah, where was I? Oh, you wanted information. see ,thing is, we did have something come through here bout three days ago - you see the mess it made. Like a big metal spider, or a crab or something. It dug a trench right throug hthe alfalfa - won't get no produce outta that lot. then it made for the houses, and we had a hell of a time chasining it out. thankfully no one was hurt. it went off yonder, then, see?" He points in the direction the destruction goes into the woods acoss the road.
"think we got it a bit. Broke one of it's legs or something. Yo ucan see it spilled some blood. Green blood. or whatever that is."
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Topic: Omega Legion: The Road Goes Ever On (Read 71357 times)