Play@YSDC

TARDIS Control Room
In transit through time and space

The TARDIS once more winged her way through the space-time vortex. Story and his companions had inadvertantly set off a violent clash between the human crew of Styx Base on Pluto in the year 2112 and the bizarre alien Mi-Go when he refused to allow the Mi-Go's leader to enter the TARDIS - and killed it with a fungicide hastily weaponized by the base's chemical expert. Fortunately the crew had the fungicide weapon as well and were able to use it to effect their escape, but what happened to them after that was unknown, and they would always wonder whether they had altered humanity's future history - and whether it would be for better or for worse. Records concerning Earth in the early to mid-22nd century were spotty at best thanks to the Daleks' invasion and conquest of the planet in the 2150s, which was thankfully defeated by an uprising in 2165. Or, rather, would be. Time travel could get awfully confusing, and one often never knew whether one was coming or going.

Elizabeth Young had been fascinated by her trip into the future, which in some ways was a lot like how science fiction in her day portrayed it. In other ways, it was vastly different. 1950s science fiction authors were generally very hopeful about the future, but the time she had visited was a dystopia, a brutal dictatorship with a veneer of civilization. It reminded her of what she had heard about Nazi-occupied Europe during the Second World War. Still, people were people in any time and place, and it had been a delight meeting fellow Scot Robert MacCrimmon. He had been injured badly while heroically fighting off the Mi-Go, but he had survived and headed back to Earth along with most of the base's crew.

Lucius Verres had thought his trip to 1930 had been startling, but nothing could have prepared him for venturing even further into his future. The finder from the Republic of Rome had witnessed even more strange marvels, and he had to constantly remind himself that they were based on science, not magic. The idea of ships that could sail the heavens just as easily as galleys plied the Mare Nostrum in his own time still unnerved him, but not nearly so much as his encounter with the Mi-Go. He still didn't see how the others could take this sort of thing in stride, but they had been at it for longer than he had.

Brook Davies was always interested in meeting new kinds of aliens, and the Mi-Go hadn't disappointed. They were very interesting, even if they were creepy. And seeing the world a century from her time had been a blast. Now she had to wonder what thrilling adventure would await them next. In spite of the horrors, Story had guided them all through it in one piece as he always did, and she had to believe he always would.

OOC,Feel free to talk among yourselves and roleplay. I'll let you know when the TARDIS arrives.

"I wonder what happened to the humans after we left?" muses Elizabeth. "The Mi-Go were a horrible race. So terrifying, and so powerful. Much worse than anything I read in science fiction stories as a child. I'm relieved that we made it away safely anyway." She sits on one of the chairs in the control room, and wonders where they will land next.

Brook leans on the railing around the console, watching a bleeping screen, always curious as to how the TARDIS functioned. She turns her head towards Elisabeth, and answers:"Well....There are plenty of other horrible, powerful races out there, but they were creepy...As for the humans, it's hard to say. Is history altered by us being there, or is it history because we were there? Or is it even history? When is now? To me, now is 2012 or something, and to you it's the fifties. What's future and what's history? The stuff we just experienced, has it happened yet, or is it in the future? And if it's in the future, where do we fit in? We're out of time. And I don't mean we're in a hurry. Just out. Of Time. I've found if I think about it for too long, I just get a headache..."

Hearing Brook's description of time travel brought a brief smile to his face as he studied the console. Of course he was only pretending to be lost in the technicality of piloting the TARDIS; in fact deep in his mind he was wondering if he made the right choice in killing the Mi-Go that wished to board.

Lucius says somewhat enigmatically "I wonder if perhaps it is the Human race that is the most terrible of them all." He looked to the others from where he sat, still puzzling over the strange weapon he had gained and not yet figured out. "I can't help but wonder if the only reason the MiGo were aggressive was because the soldiers there on Pluto had started it with their own abyssal behavior."

"Well the General shooting the Mi-Go hardly helped," says Elizabeth. "I do wonder if things might have gone very differently if that hadn't happened. Everything went crazy after then. Then again the Mi-Go seem to have been devious and probably would not have been trustworthy long-term. But perhaps some form of diplomacy might have succeeded, at least initially."

The time rotor rose and fell, and the TARDIS made its familiar trademark sound that showed it was getting ready to materialize.

OOC,[b]Story[/b], please make a Pilot(TARDIS) roll, at double your skill due to calm conditions.

Sensing the end of the ride, Lucius grabbed on to something to brace himself... just in case. He said, "We were just as dubious, acting all oblidgingly, only to poison them when they asked us to leave. We can only assume they had nefarious plans. But we killed them - premeditatively sought to and succeeded in killing them. In my time, it was not uncommon to watch people die. The Republic would either swallow our neighbors up into their ranks submissively, or we would lay them to waste. I had hoped we would become more peaceful in the future, but killing just seems to be the way humans take care of their biggest problems. It's sad, really."

Brook braces herself at the familiar sound of the TARDIS landing. She looks to Story, eager to change the gloomy subject. "Where are we going, exactly?"

Hearing the sound of the TARDIS's imminent landing Elizabeth grips the sides of her chair and readies herself for impact. She smiles at Brook's question, wondering if Story has any idea of where they will land.

Looks over at Brook while patting the console. "Where ever she takes us." Looking back at the console Story begins to turn knobs and flips switches in a desperate attempt to maintain control. A moment later he grips the side of the console firmly. "Hang on!" Sadly his mind wasn't fully up to the task of piloting the vessel as his thoughts lingered on the Mi-Go.

OOC,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3733587/]Pilot TARDIS - 20% (40% calm) (1d100=64)[/url]

The landing was bumpy, and it was a good thing that everyone had gotten ready. Even Lucius was starting to get used to it. Apart from a few jolts, nothing untoward happened. The central column settled down and then stopped.

OOC,[b]Story[/b], you may make a Navigate roll to try to get a fix on where and when you've materialized.

Loosening his grip he tries to determine where they are but has no success. "Well, I'm not sure where we are." Smiles. "But isn't that part of the adventure." Flipping a switch Story activates the viewing monitor to see the outside world.

OOC,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3733652/]Navigate - 10% (1d100=94)[/url]

The scanner screen slid open, revealing a lovely vista of a nearby beach.



Story was completely unable to determine the spatial or temporal location of the TARDIS, but the instruments showed him that oxygen, radiation, and gravity levels were all Earth normal. This might actually have been Earth, but then again it might not have been.

Elizabeth stands up and walks over to see the scanner screen better. "That looks lovely," she says. "I wonder where it is?"

Reaches for the lever which opens the door. "Let's see." Smiles and pushes the lever down. As the door begins to open he looks to his friends. "Shall we go and breathe in the beauty that awaits?" Not waiting for an answer Story walks to the door.

"Definitely!" says Elizabeth, following Story, the inevitable spring in her step as they land somewhere new.

Brook files out after Elisabeth, eager to see where they've arrived. "Nice beach. Is it warm enough for a dip?" She's dressed in her usual semi goth attire, black, short dress with some frills and lace over netted pantyhose, black boots and heavy mascara. "Are we on Earth? Looks like Earth, but quite a few places do."

Lucius followed the others out, pausing a few steps out the door of the TARDIS to take in the beauty. "Quite a vast difference between this scene and our last one, yes?" He walked out to the beach, feet making tracks in the sand as he went, and observed. He looked for other signs of life... other obvious tracks down the beach, smoke billowing up in the distance, boats on the water, etc. Then he approached the water to get a closer look at it. He dipped his hand in the water and brought a small bit of it in his cupped palm to his lips to taste it and see if it were fresh or salt water.

When Story and his companions exited the TARDIS, they saw that the beach stretched off in the distance to the left and the right. In the distance to the right, cliffs rose up. Well off to the left, there was a café on the beach. Behind the TARDIS was a sign that said: "WARNING: Dangerous Undercurrents." Further back, a village was visible. It was mostly composed of English-style cottages that would look at home in the twentieth or twenty-first century.

Lucius spat out the water almost immediately, as it proved to be quite salty. The water was also fairly warm.

OOC,Everyone, please roll Spot Hidden to see what else you notice.

As soon as everyone exits the TARDIS Story closes and locks the door. While standing at the TARDIS door he takes a deep breath and looks around smiling at the seemingly peaceful situation they find themselves in for once.

OOC,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3735481/]Spot Hidden - 28% (1d100=7)[/url]

(Please roll for me)

Spot Hidden - Success,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3738056/]Spot Hidden (57%) (1d100=28)[/url]

Lucius spat out the water and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "Warm salt water, could be the Mediterrenean, or the Atlantic Ocean." He looked at the dwellings in the distance and furrowed his brow, "Not a style of house in which I am familiar. And..." he pointed to the sign, "... the painted warning behind the TARDIS written on a metal board. Beyond my time frame."

As Story looked out to sea with a note of concern he says to himself "Hmmm...I wonder whatever that could be." Pushing the concern away he turns to Elizabeth. "I see what appears to be a submerged city, possibly medieval, with a large amount of...churches. Assuming the spires designate them as such. Any ideas?"

Brook took a look around but could not see the submerged buildings, though Elizabeth and Lucius were able to see them, and they matched Story's description. All of them could see a few people sitting around tables and eating at the café up the beach to the left. Off to the right was a tall man who looked to be about fifty, wearing a mackintosh and a fisherman's hat. He was walking up the beach in their direction, but his gaze was focused on the ground. He carried a metal detector which he was running over the sand. A few fishing boats were out on the water.

OOC,All of you except [b]Lucius[/b] may roll History. Also, are you carrying the fire extinguishers, or did you leave them in the TARDIS?

Elizabeth nods, looking out to sea. "I think we might be looking out at Dunwich, a submerged medieval city off the Suffolk coast in eastern England. In which case that's the North Sea out there. And those remains have been under the water for a long time. Quite stunning."

OOC,Assumed my character recognises it, as a historian/archaeologist with an easy history roll pass. She's left her fire extinguisher in the TARDIS.

ooc,Lucius had left the fire extinguisher in the TARDIS as well. And if the alien weapon was not small enough to fit in his pocket, he'd leave that in the TARDIS also.

Lucius tilted his head as he looked out at the submerged city. "Did the waters rise? Or ... did the city fall?" he asked Elizabeth who seemed to know more about the strange city under the water. He saw the man approaching, sweeping some strange object over the sand - hovering an inch or so above - and couldn't help but wonder what he was up to as well. Lucius followed the man's movements with his eyes out of curiousity.

Brook didn't know anything about Dunwich, but she figured that Elizabeth would know. Story had heard of Dunwich before, though he had never visited it in his travels, and he realized that Elizabeth's conclusion was no doubt correct. It was the one place on Earth that fit with what they saw.

OOC,I took the liberty of rolling for [b]Brook[/b], since that's normally what I do anyway. [b]Lucius[/b] actually has a small aerosol spray can rather than an extinguisher, but it's too big to fit in his pocket, so it stays in the TARDIS. The alien weapon is small enough to fit, so he has it on him. [b]Elizabeth[/b], with such a good success, you know a lot about Dunwich's history. I'll fill you in from time to time on any relevant details that you know as appropriate, as there's too much to present everything here. Other than that, you can assume that anything you know (or look up) about Dunwich, you know in character as well.

Elizabeth Young,[b]Elizabeth[/b] had actually read a book about Dunwich shortly before she had joined the TARDIS crew. It was called "Dunwich: The Drowned City," and it had just been published in early 1955, the year from which she came. Its author was [b]Beth Armistead[/b], an historian from London who had written an extensive, well-researched history of the town from its heyday in the Middle Ages through World War Two, when a radar (or RDF as it had been called at the time) station had been operating there. Once the tenth largest city in England and home to numerous churches, the North Sea had gradually encroached upon Dunwich over the centuries until it was left a shadow of its former self. It had been a rotten borough until 1832, when its Parliamentary seat was finally abolished. Though it remained officially a township, Dunwich was little more than a village by her time with only one church still left on dry land. There were also the ruins of Greyfriars Abbey that still stood perched on the edge of the cliffs a ways to the south, and she was even able to make them out from where she stood.

Brook looks out to the sea where they're pointing. "Suffolk, huh? Never heard about Dunwich...But I'm from London. And haven't been to school in a while." She looks up the beach towards the restaurant and the man with the metal detector. "Cool, a coffee shop! I'm dying for a smoothie."


(I'm very happy to have you do all my rolls, Mr. Handy )

"It's probably not that well-known outside history circles," says Elizabeth to Brook, "but Dunwich was a hugely important city in medieval England, one of the most populous. But it fell victim to the sea, particularly a series of violent storms, over a number of centuries, and that's what we're seeing out there."

She turns round slowly on the spot and spots the ruins of the abbey. "Look," she says, pointing to the south, "there are the remains of Greyfriars Abbey, still standing. Other churches are under the water."

"Storms... one would think that erosion of this magnitude would cause the buildings to collapse. There must have been some subterrenean collapse or a large mud slide," Lucius tried to work out aloud. To Brook, he asked, "What's a smoothie?"

Looks at Brook. "If you have the needed money go and purchase a smoothie." Smiles at her before looking back out to the submerged city. "Elizabeth, why was there so many churches? Why not just build a massive cathedral for the masses to worship in?" Glances over at the man with the metal detector than back to the water.

"Good question," says Elizabeth to Story, "and I'm not sure I really know the answer. Except some of the churches were from different dates, especially as the various churches were lost to the sea over the centuries and the people would have had to switch to still-standing buildings."

She, too, looks at the man with a metal detector. "I wonder what he is looking for? Should we go and say hello?"

Brook looks to Lucius and answers his question: "It's a fruit drink. Kinda like juice, only with different fruit, and maybe other stuff mixed in." She checks her purse to see if she's got any cash, then smiles at the others before heading up towards the café. "I'll see if I can find a newspaper, check the date."

Lucius said to Brook as she started heading off, "Hold up a moment. I will join you." He said to Story, "I was never a fan of letting one person wander off alone."

Brook saw that she did have some cash from 2010, though without knowing what year it was now, she had no idea if it would be any good. She and Lucius headed off to the north, leaving the others near the TARDIS.

OOC,[b]Lucius[/b] and [b]Brook[/b] are moving to the thread linked below.

What Time Is It?

OOC,[b]Story[/b] and [b]Elizabeth[/b] are moving to the thread linked below.

The Old Man and the Sea