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You have been recruited by the Estate due to you unique powers.
The Estate is known to the world at large as a philanthropic institute that funds research in several scientific fields of inquiry. While that's partly true (the facade works because the group does award scientific grants to deserving causes on a yearly basis), the Estate is actually a secret organization that actively but covertly protects the Earth from all threats from the Strange.
You are given living quarters in one of the lodging sections on campus, as all are all new recruits.
You have been recruited because you have the ability to translate between recursions - a rare and powerful ability, if used correctly.
Ollie kicked around in his new living quarters on campus. Decent gig. A lot better than home in London. He was a little skeptical of what this Estate was up to, but it was pretty clear they had money and lots of it so it was worth playing things out and seeing what they had planned.
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Tanya Barnett enters her living quarters, seeing that it was sparse compared to what she had in her thieving days. certainly there was worse places she could be, like in a cramped prison or worse stuck in the crazy land of Ruk and constantly under theat by horrible bio-constructs. At least the Estate has kept their word and given a clean slate to start anew. Tanya after seeing the horrors of the strange first hand knew there had to be somebody to protect the world from the things out there running havok on earth. She never considered herself an Ultraistic person but when faced with the Strange existence it is bound to change one's perspective.
Tanya gets her bags open and starts making herself at home in her new dorm room. She unpacks her clothes and personal affects and decorates the room a bit to her liking.
Hmmm... I've stayed in worse.
Vanessa begins to unload her belongings. She scans the room, keeping an eye out for any hidden cameras. She knew about the Estate. Not much, but she was aware of them. The question was did she find them first or did they find her? At this point, it didn't really matter to her. Here she was, ready to start unraveling the Gordian Knot that drew her here in the first place: the Strange. She wasn't too sure what it was, but this seemed the perfect place to start learning about it.
After unpacking her things, she tidied up for a bit and then stepped out of her room.
"Well," she directed at no one in particular, "what's next?
You have the rooms to yourselves, but various folks arrive delivering things for your use - toiletries, training clothes (work out gear, sweatsuits, cross trainer shoes, etc).
Each room has a computer that is connected to the intranet and the internet.
The intranet provides a list of your activities for each day, info on meal times, etc.
Your first activity of your first day is "Orientation with your Supervising Officer"
Following your map of the Estate Campus, and chatting between yourselves and sipping coffee / latte / espresso (this is in Seattle, after all), you find yourselves entering a laboratory style room filled with odd and bizarre equipment. There are tables, cabinets, computers, test tubes, plastic tubing, pelican boxes for carrying equipment to remote locations and many other things.
There is also an area toward one end with a chalkboard and a man standing in a lab coat. He has a shock of unruly blond hair and thick glasses that look almost like goggles rather than normal glasses.
Hello, hello he calls out, motioning to some stools by the board. please, sit . He has an accent; perhaps Japanese?
I am your Supervising Officer, Hertzfield. I will be running you through a training program to explain what the Strange is, why you are here and what you will help us accomplish" How does that sound?
(does anyone want me to actually explain how the strange and recursions and etc all work? Or do we have a handle on that?)
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Tanya says, "I'm willing to get whatever info you're willing to give Officer Hertzfield. All I know about it is that I spent nearly a year stuck in some weird ass place called Ruk and seeing some of the most messed up science shit I've ever experienced and constantly having an All Song chattering in my brain."
Ollie spends a little time that morning pushing the boundaries of the computer security protocols, amusing himself adding bacon-wrapped toads in a leek-filled hole to the lunch menu before kicking off to the orientation. He grabs a cup of black coffee, grousing over the lousy selection of tea and making a mental note to hack in and make a couple changes to the coffee service agreements before making his way to the laboratory.
Ollie seems nonchalant about the equipment, but anyone observant can tell he really is interested as he drags a stool into position for Hertzfield's introduction. "Science shit, eh? Better than Alice in f!!$ing Wonderland. Sure, why don't we start with why we're here. That would be keen."
Officer Hertzog rubs his hands together.
Right. That's a good thought.
The Strange is a data network that, in ways we certainly do not fully understand, underlies the real universe.
That is to say, the real universe that we are living in, existing in, right now, is on top of the Strange.
We are real. We are unique people and have unique thoughts, actions and the ability to affect the world around us. Everyone on Earth can affect that Universe.
You have the ability to influence the Strange. You are what is known as quickened .
There are other real objects in the universe and in the Strange. RUK is one of them. It is actually some sort of giant, living, growing spaceship that was travelling the Strange (again, in ways we do not understand - nor do the inhabitants of RUK). It is a spaceship that somehow became stuck in a region of Strange near our planet Earth called the Shoals of Earth, a shallow area of the Strange.
Objects in the universe also cast "shadows" in the Strange. These shadows can appear to be fully developed worlds of their own, or shallow versions of a reality, or anywhere in between.
These "shadows" develop somehow because the Strange is collecting and processing data (again, in a fashion we do NOT understand) from our world.
Most often these shadows take on the form of a world based upon a popular idea on Earth. So there may be a reality that resembles Star Trek, or the Wild West, or anything in between on beyond.
These worlds are populated by people and creatures appropriate to the shadow. We call these shadows recursions
Rest assured these shadows can kill you.
And you have the ability to move between Earth and these shadows, or even into the Strange itself.
Finally, there are things in the Strange that actually eat worlds. We call them planetvores. They are vast and incomprehensible to us. Their intellect may be far greater than ours (probably is) but they act in very different ways - processing ideas much slower or differently than we do.
Recently a planetvore has tried to consume our world and was narrowly avoided.
We (the Estate) exists to protect the Earth from these threats.
Clear so far?
Hertzog speaks animatedly, arms waving, nearly bumping into you. He gestures at the chalkboard and scribbles on it, making diagrams that seem to both confuse you and aid your understanding. He is obviously a smart man. And just as obviously has a hard time explaining what he knows to you.
Ollie listens attentively and then when Hertzfield pauses he interjects, "So, I'm assuming these world eaters aren't doing it often enough that we're here for that or we're all f~+#ed. So why don't you elaborate on some of the other...threats."
Vanessa nods at Ollie.
"Indeed. Also, how long have you known about the Strange? I'm assuming you're not the only ones on Earth to know about it."
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Tanya listens intently to the briefing still trying to wrap her head around the concepts that are being introduced. After his speech she lets Ollie and Vanessa ask their questions first and then says to the Vanessa, "Well I sure as hell was not a part of the Estate before I ended up being teleported to Ruk. So there is probably craploads of other people who have had experiences with the Strange. The Estate may have pull but there is no way they can figure out everyone who is quickened if it is a random occurrence among us normal types. I get the feeling people have been going there since the dawn of the human race."
How long have we known about the Strange? In an 'organized' fashion? A while - perhaps 10 years? Something along those lines. Yet, as Tanya indicates, people have traveled there for years, and perhaps here from there, if our legends are any indication.
(good question - it is in the fluff and I think it is a few years that the Estate has known about it, say 5-10, I will find it)
There are a variety of threats out there. There are some folks (I call them nutjobs) who actually want to attract a planetvore. We want to stop them.
Some folk are developing technology that will accidentally attract a planetvore. We want to stop them but perhaps in a kinder, gentler fashion.
Some powerful creatures in other recursions want access to earth for reasons we do not approve - world domination, using us for food, they like to test nuclear weapons on populated cities, etc. We like to stop these beings too.
Fourth, some other recursions want to sell things here that are contraband - technology that will upset our economic conditions, or similar. We also want to stop this.
The third or fourth category tends to be our most common experience.
And other human organizations know about it and have other thoughts about how to exploit or use it. That complicates our task as well. We are not associated with the U.S. Government - but they have there own Quickened personnel and are exploring on their own with their own agenda. And so are other organizations from other recursions such as RUK"
Vanessa contemplates his words for a moment.
"How dangerous are these recursions? I'm assuming we're not the first the Estate has sent out to do some work. How many have returned?"
Ollie nods, listening to the questions from Tanya and Vanessa, "Good questions and are you sending us into these recursions or thinking we'll help stop people here on earth?"
Hertzog runs his hands through his hair as he considers your questions.
There are certain objects that are "real" and these cast "shadows" or recursions, in the Strange. We believe there are other "real" worlds out there - but they are rare, because when they reach a certain technological level they tend to attract the attention of planetvores, and <gulp> they are gone.
At least, that is our understanding of how things are.
But it is not so cut and dried as that. Some recursions are small, and the people that live there repeat their lives in rote, and it may seem to you that they are a movie playing out (with you there). Others are huge, as big as our own planet.
In some recursions, portions of the populations are fully self aware, as are you and I. We say these folk have the "spark". Some are even "quickened" as you, and can travel to other recursions.
And there are creatures that live in the Strange itself.
Some recursions are dangerous, without a doubt. I tend to believe most dangers stem from the fact that their basic physical laws may be different from our own.
In some, magic works. In others, mental powers (psionics) function. Others have strange laws of science that affect how they develop.
Some recursions are nuclear wastelands, some are Egyptian dynasties as they were 4,000 years ago, etc., etc.
You will generally be travelling to other recursions once you understand our current situations and learn how to translate. An assignment may begin on Earth as an investigation, and you may need to visit other recursions to finish your assignments.
You have a great deal of latitude in the execution of your assignments.
A sly grin creases Ollie's face when Hertzog mentions 'a great deal of latitude'. Guess that's why I'm here.
You spend several weeks training with Officer Hertzog.
He takes you on trips around Seattle, checking out local landmarks excitedly.
You come to realize the field trips are as much for his enjoyment and edification as they are for yours. In some ways, it seems he lacks a basic understanding of American society that seems surprising to you.
He obviously loves to learn, and you also realize that he is not much of a Supervising Officer. That is to say, he does very little supervising, but he does teach you an astonishing amount about the Strange and recursions in just a couple short weeks - by listening to your questions and talking and having you develop the undertanding, rather than hopefully find understanding in lecture.
You also come to learn that Officer Hertzog's true passion is the science of the Strange. He has built several devices and is working on more. His pride and joy is something he calls an REV, or Recursion Excursion Vehicle. He hopes that it will allow us to travel in the chaosphere of the Strange similar to what Ruk was able to do before it crashed, or became stuck, on the shoals of Earth.
And that leads you to what he calls your graduation mission. Hertzog has built an inapposite gate to an earthlike recursion, but doesn't quite follow our rules. This one in particular is one I call R639. I need someone to scout this recursion and report back on what they find.
If you can do that, be here at the Lab at 0600 sharp!
This is a chance to change up your gear, etc, for a recursion scouting trip.
Ollie suddenly looks very sleepy, "0600. Is that some fancy way of saying noon? You can't possibly mean six in the morning. And what exactly do you mean by 'doesn't quite follow our rules.'"
Ah, well, it has many of our physical properties but some are ....enhanced, is perhaps a good way to describe it. The truth is, we haven't been there except with a remote telemetry device (a remote control car of sorts). You can breathe there. Gravity works. Looks like here. But it may have some odd physics.
That's what you are going to find out! He beams a big, toothy smile!
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Tanya smirks and says, "This sounds interesting Hertzog. We're the first to check out this new frontier huh? Sounds like an adventure to me. I have no problem getting up at 6:00 AM and getting to the task at hand. Still I want to get prepared and have some equipment requests just to make sure I'm ready for what might come."
She requests a Machete (Medium Weapon), 2 Extra Clips for her Glock 19, a Leather Jacket (Light Armor), pen video camera, recording bugs, walkie talkie, backpack, Rope & Grapple, Lockpick Kit and 5 MRE packs.
You get all that you ask for - the walkie talkie things are more ear buds / blue tooth sort of hands free thingies.
Everyone is offered those.
Flashlights too.
Ollie also makes an equipment request. Extra ammunition for his handgun, a hunting knife, a flak jacket, the ear bud/bluetooth hands-free headset, a variety of different cables, connectors, and power adapters, a flashlight, and 5 MRE packs.
As she gathers her newly received supplies—a walkie/earbud combo, a smartphone, four GPS trackers, a telephoto lens, a concealed mic, a concealed camera, an electronic key fob, two sets of handcuffs with keys, a padlock with key, and 5 MRE packs—Vanessa asks Hertzog a question.
"The people of this recursion, are they humans like us? I know you haven't properly interacted with them, but do they look human?"
After getting her answer, Vanessa makes her way to her room to prepare for the morning.
You are given all the equipment you request. You will find out that pretty much any legal equipment can be supplied to you. Military grade equipment can be more difficult, and secret grade is not possible for the Estate.
Officer Hertzog takes you to a lab with about 15 technicians bustling about.
He unlocks what looks like a closet door (and there are 20 of them along this room) and opens it up, showing you a large mirror. I have annealed an innaposite gate to the surface of this mirror. You merely need to think about translating and step through. It is much easier than if you translate with nothing but a memory or item to focus upon.
Not sure what the folk look like on the other side, but pretty sure they will be human
He stands back and beckons you forward.
(I will give you until tonight for any last, brave monologueing before you jump through, then will post what you find on the other side).
"No time like the present Hertzog. Off we go." Thinking of the first time he hacked into a system illegally and the parallels to this current situation, Ollie steps into the mirror with a little spring.
Loren enters the room hurriedly.
He's a nondescript looking man wearing black fatigue pants, a black sweatshirt, combat boots, and a heavy, brown Carhartt workmans jacket.
He has a pistol at his belt, another in a shoulder rig, and he is carrying a small backpack.
"Running behind today ... sorry I'm late" he says to Hertzog.
You step through the mirror into a room that looks exactly like this one, except there is not anyone here. The lights are also off.
It looks to you like you are in the same four story building on the same Estate campus. Although no Hertzog or other technicians.
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Tanya says, "Ready to go on through. I just hope this place is nothing like Ruk. That place is freaking weird."
She puts on her googles, takes a breath to calm herself and steps through the gate and feels a sens of vertigo as she translates into this new world.
She looks around and says, "Looks to me like some kind of mirror world to me. Although without the people around."
Ollie pulls out his flashlight, flicks it on and has a look around the room. He listens for anyone nearby and if he doesn't hear anyone, he makes his way over to the expected light switch, planning to turn it on for the others as they come through.
"Did it work? I was half expecting this all to be some sort of elaborate practical joke." Loren asks.
He looks at his watch to see if it is still keeping the same time.
Ollie finds the lightswitch in the "up" or "on" position already. Its just that the lights are not on. There is some light coming in from the windows, but it is dim.
Time is being kept, from what Loren can tell.
"Interesting. Maybe they didn't pay their bills over on this side. Everyone through? Shall we see if the rest of the building is the same?"
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Tanya take out her flashlight as well and turns it on. She looks around the room casing the place for any doors, computers or equipment that stands out in the room they just entered.
She turns a look to Loren and says, "Welcome to the team friend. We always could use another guy to watch our back on a mission."
The windows are in this room but they are high in the walls. You could stand on a counter and see out past the blinds.
The room has many workstation type computers. On Earth, they would have been tied into the Estate's network. Here, they stand dark.
The room looks just like the one you entered from - many doors that look like closets and are locked; two doors that you can enter / exit the room into the hall.
"Like the man said back on earth ... they're like props on a set. I imagine that if nobody needs them here, then they don't need to work." Loren says.
"Props on a set. Mmm. Just dead weight then you think? Let's have a look out the windows before we go exploring this place." Ollie hops up onto a counter and pushes the blinds apart to have a look.
You see more or less what you expect to see - the Estate Campus as you remember it. But there are some differences.
There is heavy cloud cover, but no rain. The clouds are dark and forboding.
It appears to be dusk, or perhaps just late afternoon with the clouds.
All the buildings are dark.
You do not see any people.
Everyone in the party does feel a sense of unease and foreboding at the situation. With a start, you also realize it is quiet. None of the sounds you might expect to hear - the faint background hum of traffic, or music from a boom box or etc.
"Should we go outside and investigate further?" Loren asks his companions.
"Yeah, let's go." As soon as Loren makes his suggestion, Ollie hops down and heads out the open door into the hallway. As long as no one else wanted to check something in this building, he heads for the front door checking his phone to see if there is any coverage.
Vanessa turns on a flashlight and remains quiet, as she does when an investigation is at hand. She moves slower than the rest, keeping an eye out for any details.
(I have tried this twice but keep getting Paizo server error messages).
Tanya notices a thumb drive or two, and figures she can take any hard drive she wants. However, she also suspects that nothing significant will be on either. Anything important would be on a secure server (and she and Ollie probably know where that server is).
Vanessa doesn't notice anything unusual, barring the fact that no one can be seen, and the electricity doesn't work, and the area seems very quiet.
Once outside, you notice that cars are all in the right spots; there just aren't any folks around.
The clouds extend as far as you can see. Low and dark, and looking like rain (although it doesn't look like it has actually rained in awhile).
"Joy ride anyone? Would be quicker than trying to check this out on our feet. I have to say I'm curious what our quarters look like."