Dr Archeville

Artificer "<Did the sushi platter go bad?>," he mumbled, his nose processing the scents before his eyes had fully adjusted. "<I know I should not have snacks in... the... workshop...>" His voice trailed off as the expected sights of his own workshop, where he'd been tinkering with some upgrades to his gear, failed to appear. This was a workshop, clearly. And many elements seemed hauntingly familiar. He recognized his primary workbench, the racks of tools and containers of components. But the tools were made of bone, not bronze or crystal, and more suited for slicing and piercing than hammering. Where there should have been small boxes of screws and rivets, there was instead skulls filled with knucklebones and teeth. Where spools of wire should hang, there were coils of some fleshy substance... veins? Nerves? More smells assailed him: flesh, blood, excreta, musk, oils, and other undefinable odors. "<Merciful Poseidon, where am I? How-,>" he quickly patted himself down to see if his personal belongings were still on him, and looked down at his hands...

"I did spend some time catching up on the games I'd missed... while...," he began, trailing off as he realized what Jack was asking. He leaned forward slighlty, looking the hero up and down, then focusing on Jacks' hands and arms. "No age spots or visible veins, skin is smooth and seems well-hydrated, nails look healthy." He reached out, as if to prod at Jack's wrist, but stopped and withdrew his hand, and shifted hisfocus to Jacks' head. "Hair is full and retains full color, no crow's feet or other wrinkles. Eyes..." He hesitated a moment as his gaze fully locked onto Jack's, and took a breath before continuing. "... eyes appear healthy, unblemished, no signs of clouding or disocloration associated with aging." He leaned back, tapped his chin, "well, based on a cursory examination, I'd say you're as healthy and vibrant as... as you were, say, ten years ago. Is this, ah," he tried to recall what he knew of Jack of All Blades, which was mostly the same as was known by the public, "that is, were you not expecting this?"

Artificer 1 post, +2 rollover from Dok = 3 posts = +1pp, +1 [Mod] = +2pp Freedom vs. Tyranny (1) The Last Free Place (0) --Titanium Characters-- Dead Head 0 posts 000 Doktor Archeville 1 post, added to Artificer Interceptors: Doktor-Patient Confidentiality (2) Horrorshow 0 posts, added to ??? Test Your Might (0) Protectron 0 posts 000 --GM Posts-- Down on the Farm (0) +[0*2] 0 posts, to ??? --Other-- Mod point, to Artificer

"I always did have trouble with small talk," Archeville muttered. He cleared his throat, "yes, I'm sure you did. And I might have deserved some of them, for not coming clean with what was going on in my head." He wasn't certain if Jack had received the message the League sent out explaining exactly what had happened, the entity that had possessed him, had been influencing him almost all his life. The message would have been delivered, certainly, but would Jack have read it? Would it have mattered? That thing had fed, and fed on, the arrogance and paranoia and other dark aspects of Archeville's psyche, but those things were already present in him. "Alright," he drummed his fingers on the table, "let's try another topic, then. Why did you call me here?"

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! In order to make sure the Refs accurately count all your IC posts and award you the due amount of power points, please post with a list of all the threads in which your player character, NPC or sidekick posted IC this month (including the News forum). Also list any threads which you are GMing. GM posts count as double and can be assigned to whichever of your characters needs a 'push'. This topic will automatically close on the seventh day of the following month (i.e., February 7th, 2025). When you make your list, post a link to your first post for the month for each IC thread so we can jump right to it. When you start a thread, make sure IC is the first tag and topic prefix of the In Character thread, and OOC is in the first tag and topic prefix of the Out Of Character thread. It's not required, but additional tags including the major players and locations are viewed as a courtesy. Please list your threads in alphabetical order. Please clearly note any threads in which you are both player and GM/running an NPC. In threads where you are both player and GM/an NPC, please be sure to mark each post so we can tell who it should be allocated to. Please list your threads in a timely manner. Extending the deadline one week into the following month is already a grace period. If you've done any "extracurriculars" -- artwork, HellQ, 20 Questions, NPC, vignettes, guidebook pages, etc. -- please be sure to list them along with your active threads. For more information on ways to earn power points, see Character Advancement and Awards in the House Rules section of the Guide. This Month's Vignette is One Year Later ; It closes at The End of This Month Post counts should be formatted similar to the following: To make clear how many posts from rollover and GM posts are assigned to each character. Failure to comply with these guidelines may result in having to relive 2024 your post counts being postponed or skipped completely. If you missed the deadline, see this thread.

Viktor opened his mouth slighlty, as if to say something in response to Jack's comment, closed it, then quietly reached into his back pocket and brought forth what appeared to be a stainless steel whiskey flask, with a stylized 'A' engraved on it. "The only drinks I'd be adding anything to," he swirled the flask around, and Jack could hear a sloshing sound, "are my own." Erik knew about that, too. How Viktor's body was now as much technology as it was biology, and required certain metals and other substances -- most of them highly toxic to other Earthly life -- as 'nutritional supplements'. That was probably mercury sloshing around in his flask. He returned the flask to his back pocket, then laid both hands on the table, palms down. "So... how is the team?"

"With the level of skill and effort involved, I would say 'finely diced and sauteed' rather than 'microwaved'," he replied, again flashing the not-too-forced grin, "and, full disclosure, while I did fully consent to it -- recommended it, even -- the actual procedures were performed by a team of others. Miss Americana, owing to her experience with both neurology and biological-technological interfaces. Scarab, to run a full psychic 'sweep and clear'. Phantom, to make sure there was no lingering mystical infiltration, and to catch anything Miss Americana or Scarab might have missed. And Dragonfly, coordinating and overseeing the entire brain-altering operation." He paused a moment, though whether it was to let Erik fully absorb that info, or because he was reliving part of the experience, was a toss-up. "I had all memories of superhero secret identities removed, from my own mind and all my computer systems. I still remember you, Jack," he nodded, "and the other Interceptors. Recruiting the initial team, the adventures we'd had. How the team broke up, but reformed, under your keen leadership, and went further than I'd hoped. The good that we," he looked down a moment, then up again, "the good that we had done. And the horrific acts that the thing inside me had done. The thousands killed, the countless others..." He stopped himself, took a breath, continued, "those memories are all clear as any other, as my recollection of what I had for breakfast yesterday. But I've no idea who you are, when you're not... Jack. I know that we'd spent time together, off-duty, that I had done so with all the Interceptors. Christmases, birthdays, weddings. But all those memories are... fuzzy, muffled, vague. And what I do recall of you and the others in those memories is you all fully in costume, referring to each other by your heroic names." He paused again, "it was not a perfect solution. But it seemed the best option."

Artificer 0 posts, +2 rollover from Dok = 2 post= +1pp, +1 [Mod] = +2pp The Last Free Place (0) --Titanium Characters-- Dead Head 0 posts 000 Doktor Archeville 1 posts, added to Artificer Interceptors: Doktor-Patient Confidentiality (2) Horrorshow 0 posts, added to ??? Test Your Might (0) Protectron 0 posts 000 --GM Posts-- Down on the Farm (0) +[0*2] 0 posts, to ??? --Other-- Mod point, to Artificer

Artificer's recovery roll (with a +12 bonus) 1d20+14: 20 [1d20=6] I believe that's enough to recover from being unconscious?!

Archeville shifted a bit uncomfortably in his side of the booth. He knew the man before him was Jack of all Blades, renowned hero, member of the Interceptors. He remembered working with the Interceptors, gathering them together, supporting them, guiding them. And the horrific betrayals. His still remembered all of that, but his memories of their secret identities, their civilian lives, those had all been wiped. He could re-learn them, if a hero deemed him worthy, same as with anyone else. But those gaps in his memories -- which he'd had agreed were necessary, and had fully consented to having erased -- still 'itched' a bit. "As well as can be expected for someone who was off-world for four years," he replied, smiling in a way that wasn't too forced. "The familiar sights and sounds and smells have been nice, but seeing how... earthbound so many people here are, how fearful and fractured and..." He trailed off, shaking his head. Keep it light, Viktor. "Lynn's made me feel very welcome," he pivoted slightly, "and I think she's welcomed the company. Though I feel I am stretching her hospitality too far, and should get my own place. But is it worth it to establish my own home if I might get whisked back to where I was before, as abruptly as I was sent here?" He shrugged, and let out an exasperated grunt. "Then again, most people don't know what the future holds, and they go about their lives, so maybe I should just... get on with it."

Artificer 0 post, +2 rollover from Dok = 2 posts = +1pp, +1 [Mod] = +2pp The Last Free Place (0) --Titanium Characters-- Dead Head 0 posts 000 Doktor Archeville 2 posts, added to Artificer Interceptors: Doktor-Patient Confidentiality (2) Horrorshow 0 posts, added to ??? Test Your Might (0) Protectron 0 posts 000 --GM Posts-- Down on the Farm (0) +[0*2] 0 posts, to ??? --Other-- Mod point, to Artificer

This is fine. This is fine. This is fine. This is fine. The man in the booth was unremarkably plain, a white man in his early 30s with long blonde hair tied back in a ponytail, wearing horn-rimmed glasses and a slightly wrinkled plain white long-sleeved button down shirt. He looked much like any other low-level office worker who might come here to obliterate the memories of their daily drudgery with cheap alcohol. But to Erik's metamagi senses, he shone like nothing else in there, giving off low levels of infrared and radio waves, and with far more electricity coursing through his nervous system than would be recommended. "Well," Viktor Archeville said after a long pause, with only a slight hint of a German accent, "I knew it would only be a matter of time before one of us reached out to the other. So," he placed his hands on the table and laced his fingers together, "what do we do now?"

In order to make sure the Refs accurately count all your IC posts and award you the due amount of power points, please post with a list of all the threads in which your player character, NPC or sidekick posted IC this month (including the News forum). Also list any threads which you are GMing. GM posts count as double and can be assigned to whichever of your characters needs a 'push'. This topic will automatically close on the seventh day of the following month (i.e., December 7th, 2024 at Midnight EST). When you make your list, post a link to your first post for the month for each IC thread so we can jump right to it. When you start a thread, make sure IC is the first tag and topic prefix of the In Character thread, and OOC is in the first tag and topic prefix of the Out Of Character thread. It's not required, but additional tags including the major players and locations are viewed as a courtesy. Please list your threads in alphabetical order. Please clearly note any threads in which you are both player and GM/running an NPC. In threads where you are both player and GM/an NPC, please be sure to mark each post so we can tell who it should be allocated to. Please list your threads in a timely manner. Extending the deadline one week into the following month is already a grace period. If you've done any "extracurriculars" -- artwork, HellQ, 20 Questions, NPC, vignettes, guidebook pages, etc. -- please be sure to list them along with your active threads. For more information on ways to earn power points, see Character Advancement and Awards in the House Rules section of the Guide. Post counts should be formatted similar to the following: To make clear how many posts from rollover and GM posts are assigned to each character. Failure to comply with these guidelines may result in being gobbled up by a dire turkey your post counts being postponed or skipped completely. If you missed the deadline, see this thread.

Artificer 1 post = +1pp, +1 [Mod] = +1pp The Last Free Place (1) Written in the Stars (0) --Titanium Characters-- Dead Head 0 posts 000 Doktor Archeville 0 posts, added to ??? Fifteen Feet of Pure White Snow (0) Shoaling Patterns (0) Horrorshow 0 posts, added to ??? Test Your Might (0) Protectron 0 posts 000 --GM Posts-- Down on the Farm (0) +[0*2] 0 posts, to ??? --Other-- Mod point, to Artificer I barely did anything for the site this month, so I'm fine with foregoing my Mod point this time around.

Artificer This isn't working, I cannot channel enough power to- wait, no, the Atlantean chided himself, greater power is not the way, I should be trying to finesse this, study my foe, and- One of the apparition's great blasts of steam slammed into him, knocking all breath out and sending him sprawling to the ground some feet away. The force of the blast tore open his tunic, and the skin on his chest was red and peeling away. The hastily-constructed device in his hands, and components in his still-open bandolier pouches, flew into the air, metal and crystalline bits reflecting the light of the few remaining fires, like some tiny new constellation, before clattering to the ground. Not like this... not... like......