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Yeesh, hope you feel better soon! Also, starting tomorrow I'll be in a little beach town in Oaxaca for some serious chillin' out time, returning on the 9th of January. I may be able to squeeze a post in here and there, but signal/wifi is likely to be spotty at best.
The wind whispered. Told him that these men were against it's purpose. Cayden listened. He picked a rock up off the ground and hurled it at the thug closest to him, his mental powers accelerating it to an incredible speed.
Oops, wrote up my actions but must’ve closed the tab before I hit post. I’ll have them up later today.
With the public on their way out Cayden takes a deep breath as a gust of wind blows through. Truly, this was the way of the dreaming mind of the world to steer him towards a greater purpose. He reaches out, both mentally and physically and the plants of the fairground writhe and twist and grow, rising in rebellion against the bikers who would bring chaos and destruction.
Cayden yells too,
Cayden hops out, studying the area. "If we want a better view of the area, I've got an idea. I can get some eyes in the sky, see through the senses of birds and other animals. I'll be unconscious for as long as I'm doing it, though."
Cayden furrows his brow and shakes his head, "Bizarre. If not magic, I've got no clue what could've happened to him. I say we head for Sato's."
"Ordinance? None. But psychic powers, making plants grow with my mind and telekinetically hurling things hard enough to break bone? Check and check."
"If we aim to keep things subtle, anything I might bring to a fight goes out the window. Strength in numbers, I say."
Still here, I’ll have come to the diner, sure.
Cayden shoots a reply back, >Yikes, that's bad! Anything Freddy and I can do?<
Cayden waits with Freddie. This day was weird, drinking wouldn't end well on top of it.
Cayden shoots Sariel a message with his name, along with a couple of tree emojis. ”I’ve got a vacation rental down here…not great for long-term living. I say we see how the situation develops before holing up anywhere.”
Cayden smiles and shakes his head at Freddie, "No, it doesn't hurt at all. To me it's...wonderful. It connects my mind to something greater than myself. It can be overwhelming at times, the sheer power of it all, but there's something just," he pauses for a moment, searching for the right word to convey the magnitude of the feeling, "Transcendent about it. I'm not sure if I can teach you. I can try, if you're willing to listen to the voices of the wilderness." He looks over to Sariel, "I'm in. Whatever spirits are out there, they've decided I'm to be a protector. I'd be a pretty crappy protector if I didn't heed the call to fight whatever darkness is coming."
”If it helps, these powers are new to me, too. I’ve heard the voices for a while, but they’ve only started telling me how these powers can work within the past few years. Hell, I didn’t even know other people had abilities like mine.”
Cayden reaches out for the shining teacup across the table and it telekinetically hurtles through the air into his hand, ”I, too, have certain abilities beyond what most can accomplish. The wilderness speaks to me in ethereal voices. Truly, I’m not sure how I’m able to hear them, but it certainly seems I’m joined to nature.”
Cayden nods, replying in Miwuk, Miwuk:
"I have learned what I could of their language, in hopes of...understanding. I am rusty from lack of practice, but my tongue speaks the truth." Cayden sighs, looking at the people around him. Strangers, really, yet this woman thought their destinies were entwined. Might as well let the cat out of the bag. Here goes nothing. He drains what's left of his tea and sets the cup on the table a few feet away from him. Closing his eyes for a moment he takes a deep breath, feeling the wind as it blows outside and the crashing of nearby waves. Faint traces of the whispers followed him, and he opens his eyes and reaches his hand out. Unseen forces wrapped themselves around the cup and lifted it into the air, completely under his control. "I hear the voices of the wild. I do what they tell me, and with that knowledge I can accomplish things beyond mortal ken. Seeing through the eyes of animals, turning plants against those who would harm me,"He is quiet as he lowers the cup back onto the table before continuing, "and they promise so much more if I can listen."
Cayden’s eyes widen. She knew, she had to know. But how? He’d been careful, far more than was necessary. These People, could they be the source of the whispers? ”Joined with nature, huh? Guess that’s me. Who are The People? How am I like them, and how did you know what I can do?”
Cayden shoots a glance at Sariel. 'Old Knowledge' sounded a lot like the voices of the wild. "I'm interested too. There's some, ah, secrets out there that most wouldn't accept as possible."
”My truck’s right near here. I’ll grab it and be over. Anyone’s welcome to tag along.” Cayden (and anyone else who might come with him) heads to his rented vacation house and grabs his truck, a forest green Jeep Gladiator. It’s a sturdy rig, one that’s served him well over the years. He puts in the location of the shop on his phone’s mapping program and heads over. Something feels unusual about those folks. Maybe…maybe they’re different too.
Cayden shoots Nishka a quizzical but good-natured look. He’d had his fair share of dealings with old kooks, but something about this felt different. Does she…does she know? If she does, well, I like the sound of the Protector. He shoots a geniuniely worries glance at the man who he now only knows as Army and “the Killer” before turning back to Nishka, ”I’ve got to say I’m a bit confused, but I’m flattered by the compliment of the Protector.” Cayden nods a little skeptically at Nishka, ”I, at least, would like to learn more.”
”I’m a forestry technician, mostly doing wildlands data collection, though I’ve gotten a few assignments overseeing surveying ops. Past all the technical mumbo jumbo though, it all adds up to me spending most of my time in the woods.” He looks around, ”All of this, though, makes me a little uneasy.” Sense Motive DC 15: Despite acting like he’s nervous, Cayden’s actually fairly calm about the situation.
Cayden looks around a bit nervously at the bikers. He could protect himself if need be, of course, but that would lead to levitating objects and making plants grow wild with his brain. With the two bruisers he’d started chatting with, he decided it was a good first line of defense. ”Say, ah, if fists do start flying, mind if I stick with you fellas? Give me a pack and tell me to cover fifty miles off trail, I’m your man but in a biker brawl? Forget about it.”
Catden extends a hand to Freddie, ”Name’s Cayden. Cayden Winters. I’m from just south of here, around San Francisco, though I’m up north in Humboldt country now. Compared to pro football, well, my story’s not all that. I’m with the Forest Service, mostly wildlands data collection. It’s a sweet gig, I get to spend my job roughin’ it in the best forests in California.” He suddenly realizes where they are, ”Ah, damn, we’re holdin’ up the line.” He motions to the workers in the truck, ”Excuse me, two coffees, please.” Once the coffee is gotten and paid for, Cayden asks, ”So, ah, where’s the world taken you after the NFL?”
"Football...oh, s#!t, you're Freight Train Freddie! I'm not a huge football man, myself, but my old man's from St. Louis. He was a massive fan of yours back in the day. Every Sunday like clockwork, sittin' in his favorite chair with a beer cheering on the Rams. Well I'd love a picture or an autograph for my dad. He'll get a kick out of it." Cayden chuckles at the situation before saying, "Any case, sorry for charging up on your morning. What're you getting? I'll buy."
Cayden woke up early. The little vacation rental he'd checked out was a nice place, if small, and so he decided he'd go for a morning ramble along the Bay. At best, he'd attune himself to the voices in the wild. At worst, it would be a nice way to spend the morning. After a quick shower, his morning routine of pushups and sit-ups, and some meditation he's ready to go. His attire is simple and practical, jeans, t-shirt, warm flannel, hiking boots. Why make things complicated? The closest thing to the rental is a food truck, so Cayden makes his way there to rustle up some breakfast. A man in a Hawaiian shirt who looked vaguely familiar from somewhere is the only person in front of him in line. Movies? No, not the right vibe. Probably not TV either. Big guy like that, sports, probably. Cayden shrugs. Nothing lost if he just asked, "Ah, excuse me sir. Kind of an odd question, but do you play sports? Some kind of athlete, maybe?"
I've been good to go for a week or so. EDIT: Oops, didn't realize that gameplay had started. Site didn't display any posts.
I'm born and raised in Cali and we're quite strict on gun laws. I don't know many of the exact specifics but basically any assault weapon is illegal. That said I think some suspension of disbelief might be worth it to make the game shootier.
Male human psychic (wilderness telepath) 1 | HP 7 | AC12 (16 w/ mage armor) /T12/FF10 | F+0/R+2/W+2 | CMB+0/CMD 12 | Perc +4 | Init +2 Vehicle: 2015 Jeep Gladiator Str. 16, Dex. 12, Con. 14, Int. 10, Wis.16, Cha. 8,
Got most of my stats up, still sorting out the vehicle and the contacts. Initial ideas for contacts are: Alex Abramson: Best friend from high school, perpetually strapped for cash but always willing to help out when Cayden's in a jam. Cayden usually finds himself helping Alex instead. Minerva "Min" Winters: Cayden's sister, still in the SF Bay Area. Their folks moved to Vermont and left them the house, so Cayden's got a place to stay whenever he decides to visit the bay. Minerva's a passionate artist, and enjoys the outdoors almost as much as Cayden. Wallace Stone: Cayden's boss at the Forest Service. A crotchety old bastard who's been living in the woods longer than even Cayden's parents have been alive. Despite that, the elderly man has a good heart and does what he can to get Cayden opportunities to impress the Service.
Quick question, GMMichael, how would you feel about reflavoring the magaambyan telepath to something like "natural telepath" to make it more setting-neutral. It fits really well thematically with the symbiosis discipline. |
