Point of Order – Ryan is further refined from a Shamanistic Healer to a Orientation Bard/healer

As the Group exited the the trial Turtle shell cave and the Divine protections, Tim was struck with a migraine as the world took on a different hue, and the expansion of his mystic knowledge.  The rest of us, our eyes rolled back and we face planted as the changes were no longer being held at bay.  Tim found both the transformers waiting and discovered we had been in the trials for 3 days.  Both the transformers with nothing to do but wait for our return, excavated a nice path down to the cave, and nothing had happened while we were in the trials. Tim had the Transformers carry the unconscious three of us up to the camp site.  Tim meditated on his changes while the rest of us were unconscious, the Migraine fading after a couple hours.

Ryan and I woke up after about twelve hours, with one heck of a hang over. Teddy remained unconscious for the rest of the day and well into the next.  We discussed what we needed to do, and Decided that we needed to go close the Gateway to Cybertron.  We loaded up in Ironhound, and headed north to the bridge.  The trip was uneventful, Bridgetown was still cleaning up the area from A.R.C.H.I.E.’s “Coalition” Raid.  We crossed the bridge, into St. Ignis,  Found some minor damage being cleaned up from Starscreams flying home.  The trip along Highway one we came across a couple of checkpoints set up by the NG to check IDs, we traveled through with no issue.

A small ways past the two track north from Highway 1, Brigands and Bandits setup a bogus check point, to scam people out of their ID’s.  We noticed their mismatched armor and little discrepancies, but played along until they took longer than should to check ID. Ironhound  detected they were trying to radio out the information, and jammed the signal.  Tim and I got out to confront, Ryan torched the checkpoint shack, and we wound up going full murderhobo.  After we discovered that the weapons they were using were SDC weapons.

A few minutes into cleaning up the bodies, we heard a vehicle approaching and noticed a NG patrol APC coming down the road.  They stopped and got out of the APC, the Patrol commander  questioned us about the carnage.  We explained what happened, and that the bandits “Fired First” and we were merely defending ourselves.  The commander was satisfied with our explanation, but recommended that we hold off defending ourselves, against “Unarmed” foes.  We completed cleaning up the mess and continued on to Manistique.

We arrived in Manistique, Checked in and found we needed to go to City Hall to get new ID’s.  While I was nonchalantly touching the various office equipment, and getting the poor civil servant to geek out of his machines, To gain schematics and material knowledge so we can build them ourselves.  After getting our IDs and heading to a hotel for the night, Tim and Ryan, dubbed me Mr. Tickles.  In the morning we asked about magic crafters for Tim to get new armor, We were offered a couple of options,  the first two specialized in magical “stuff”, but not really weapons or armor, and they really recommended going to the Mall in Ishpeming, The last was a small cluttered shop, Manned by an old wizened man That called himself “Merlin”, Tim believed he believed he was Merlin, He said he didn’t have anything for sale,  but he could make something for Tim.  Tim agreed, and was told to come back in a couple hours.  

Tim and Ryan wandered around looking in various shops and didn’t find anything useful.  Ryan did however notice that his hearing was heightened, and he could eavesdrop conversations from a not small distance.  As he overheard more fragments of conversations something clicked in his mind, and he could “see” a path to having “persuasive” conversations with others.  I decided to remain in Ironhound, after a little psychic introduction, I machine ghosted into our internet archive, researching the various Biotech technologies I want to pursue.

Tim after waiting the allotted time, returned to Merlin, and received a hooded cloak, that with the command word would wrap around him forming a “NINJA” outfit that provides both armor and environmental protections.,  Tim ordered 3 others in different colors, than the original woodland camo. After picking up Tim’s new armor we continued on towards the Cybertron rift, we passed through a couple more checkpoints on the road from Manistique, on the way to Ft. Sawyer.  We stopped there for lunch.  We heard several very inventive rumors on the destruction of a checkpoint along the highway, the slaughter of an NG patrol, or Brigands running rampant along the highway.

Once we got to the Rift, I got out of the vehicle and used my awakened senses to discern the nature of the rift.  I learned that the rift was a Gateway/ Dimensional Bridge, with a receiving ring buried under ground, the ring was metal, about a foot square, with an inner diameter of about 30 feet.  I attempted TKpossessing the ring to turn it off or disconnect the bridge,  I instantly connected to two consciousnesses a subservient proto consciousness, and a domineering primary, that was surprised and excited that something was able to connect mentally to the ring. It asked if I was a human, on affirming such it responded with gleeful joy, and stated that it would enjoy dissecting me, and the others to understand how I was able to communicate through the ring. It kicked my consciousness from the ring.

After being kicked out from the mental connection to the ring, I told the group about the experience.  Bulkhead confirmed that I was having a communication with Shockwave, as Bulkhead proceeded to dig up the buried ring.  We had a discussion of how to disconnect the ring, shutting down the Gateway/ Bridge.  Bulkhead, asked us why we wanted to shutdown this one, when we stated to prevent an invasion from his “People”  Bulkhead informed us that there were plenty of other Gateway/Bridges between Earth and Cybertron.  When we asked about why he hadn’t mentioned the Gates before, his response was “We didn’t ask about them.”

Tim started shooting the ring with his magical finger guns, over time he managed to do enough cumulative damage to case the shell of the ring to crack.  Ryan tried to assist using his weapons, and they seemed to have no effect on the ring.  After a while, Tim managed to expand the crack into a hole big enough to see the rings internal electronics and structures.

Tentative Game Mar 15.