Otto's Multiversal Mayhem

[arcanus]

The Township of Goodlund - Gothica – 1876
Extended empires are like expanded gold, exchanging solid strength for feeble splendour.
-Samuel Johnson

Town Constable Mayweather looked beyond the perimeter stone wall anxiously, he was shivering with fear, fear of the unknown as he looked at the thick blue fog that shrouded the river.
The boathouses were invisible, however what worried him were the strange shapes moving in the fog, big shapes.

Mayor Cornwell had locked himself in his house, terrified the Mushu were coming, especially after the dragon or Lung as Otto had called it, attacked months ago.
A damp sweat layered his skin and made the still cotton and wool of his uniform itchy, he looked along the ramparts at the town militia all shivering and watching their own cold breaths.

***
Northern Goodlund Farmsteads
Erean Whisk crept through the rougher scrub at the edge of Farmer Podges grazing fields, he squinted trying to see through the pea soup fog that covered the countryside for miles around.
It was irritating he couldn’t very well hunt rabbits in this, but if he didn’t he wouldn’t have any supper.

His attention was drawn from the trail of droppings he was following to the echoing moo of the cattle within the fields, they didn’t like the fog either.

He moved on, looking for a fresh burrow hopefully a buck or doe had sheltered just inside, then he heard the heavy thud, a sound very much like a cow falling over.

He stopped and waited, fear and uncertainty gripping him now, he was sure his ears were playing tricks on him, as he heard a swishing noise, of something long and thin sweeping through the fog.
Then it happened again, he rolled into a shallow ditch, wincing as he struck his ear on a granite boulder, then quickly shuffling himself in behind it in an effort to make himself as small as possible.

Something long and thin swept over the top of him and then another one, his eyes opened in fear as he realised that these were legs, great long spidery legs as another pair strode over him, through the fog he could see eyes glowing a fiery orange searching the landscape.

His heart stopped as he prayed the thing wouldn’t turn around and look at him, his legs felt damp and warm where he’d pee’d himself, several more of the things strode through the fog past him until all was silent again.

An hour must have passed before Erean had enough courage to dislodge himself from his boulder and ran as fast as his legs could carry him home.

[arcanus]

Goodlund - Gothica
<Temporal Fix Acquired>
<Flux Compensated>
<Boosting signal strength>
<Warp Gate Initiated, sending probe to Quantum Coordinates>

***
Amdea frowned, the children were in bed although she suspected that Ray was sneakily reading, bespite lights out.
Her consternation was due to the lights flickering and the vibrations originating from the cellar, even when her husband was away his machinations continued.

She shook her head, the whole town was on edge strange things seemed to be prowling its perimeters at night, livestock slaughtered, farmers deserting their properties.

Momentarily the air seemed to be sucked from her lungs, her breathlessness was ended by a muffled whumphing sound.

***
Epping - Etheria I
Otto Von Weirdigan had secured a spare study 'Spare study' he mentally chuckled 'How many houses have a spare study'!
Xertherus still eluded him, his theory was that it was hidden unlike the Worlds to which he now jumped, in order to first locate and then get home he would need a plentiful quantity of Ofskiosium.

His cerebral display lit up, a familiar signal one he hadn't seen in several weeks 'Strad!'
***

Goodlund - Gothica
In the small hours of the morning, the noise started again, as a Golden Vortex opened upon the Warp Dias.
The probe resembling a large disc shaped mechanical beetle, tumbled from the rift, its surface smoking and rapidly shedding a coating of silvery particles.

<Entropic levels disipating>
<Attempt 149 Unsuccessful>
<Attempt 150 Unsuccessful>
<Attempt 151 Unsuccessful>
<Attempt 152 Successful Subject located>
<Temporal scan complete>
<Component registered, Quantum location close>
<15 Hours required for energy regeneration>
<Initiate Countdown>
<Compose communication burst>
<Commencing>

[Otto]

Epping - Etheria I

<Strad, is that you? How are things?> Otto asked with an air of concern and trepidation, as he had strictly programmed the difference engine only to contact him in emergency situations.

He sat down carefully on a wooden chair and waited impatiently for the response, tapping his fingers rythmically on the large desk that dominated the small room. Plans and documents of which Otto had been the author, were strewned about the work space and accross the garishly green and white tiled floor.

Other pages, consisting of star maps, and astrological diagrams (to the un-initiated) appeared to be randomly stuck to the walls, the documents nearly concealed all of the old chipped lime paintwork. It was obvious to all that he hadn't fallen in love with the decor!

But the only thing that seemed to be in order in the room was a sepia picture of his family in a classic Gothican wooden frame, hung on the back of the pokey rooms door. It had been placed there so the others couldn't see the evidence of the Xerthuran's softer side.

[arcanus]

Gothica – 1876
The carriage bounced along the road, one that became increasingly more like a dirt track the further South they ventured.
Treasurer Martelh Hangrief dabbed at his forehead with his now sodden silk hankerchief, he furtively glanced out across the southern moors, distantly he could see Mechanist Ariel Dreadnaughts patrolling, arcane fires burning within their steel bellys.

However they weren’t protecting Goodlund, as he became accustomed to the jostling of the carriages high speed transit his mind revisited his meeting in the Capitol.

Various envoys of the Frontier towns had arrived within The City of Iron and made their way to the Palace of War, Upminster floating above The Flame River.
The meeting of several hundred yokel delegates was a heated one, with the Ministry accused of negligence in protecting the towns, for the Ministries part they were unrelenting quoting the crisis of war and sacrifices.

Hangrief however had hoped that Goodlunds distinct reputation and that of its benefactor would carry some wait and indeed encouragingly Lord General Welvern had agreed to meet him.

The generals office was situated within the higher alcoves of the floating fortress, a cold place although the severe pale officer didn’t seem to feel it at all.
Its decoration was stark, and quite a surprise to Hangrief of bare stone castle like walls with the occasional painting of a battle or ornamental weapon on display, not the opulence he had imagined of the ruling elite of the Mechanist Empire.

“Mr Hangrief I have little time, what concerns you?” the Lord General had asked
“I do appreciate your making time sir and I do appreciate the officers comments on the state of affairs from the previous meeting, however Goodlund stands upon the main tributary of the Serpent River, strategically it has always been a target due to its value?”
“Which is why you have a small garrison there Mr Hangrief!” replied the general pointedly
“Well yes there is that, however the garrisons strength is now a little over a quarter of its starting strength and now manned by boys, with the recent visitations their more scared that the townsfolk their meant to be protecting!” he replied
The Lord Generals face grew stony
“I was hoping that the garrison could be reinforced” he added tentatively
“Mr Hangrief whereabouts all of our settlements and towns are vitally important we are currently under siege, an enemy that only attacks upon the oceans or by surprise from the air, the cowards won’t meet us on the plain of battle and they will and when they do we will be ready, to that end every available resource is dedicated to protecting strategic sites of importance and hunting the attackers”
“I “ mumbled Hangrief before being cowed
“The people of Adracia must toughen up Mr Hangrief they’ve had it too soft for too long, a few scant years ago the people of Goodlund staved off countless Horde attacks now they bleat about insufficient numbers, you must stand up for the good of your town and your nation now Mr Hangrief”
“I take it that’s a no then Lord General?” he replied wearily
“Perhaps your benefactor should be playing a greater part in the defence of your town Mr Hangrief, good day!”

So now at great haste they sped back to Goodlund and straight towards the house of Doctor Spindle.

[arcanus]

Epping - Etheria I
He had returned to his calculations and studies after receiving no reply from the increasingly enigmatic machine of his, although it had occurred to him to be his headware.

The evening drew in, with his lordship and Raz having gone out, darkness settling over the woodland to the rear of the house and rolling fields to the front.

He had barely noticed the transition from day to night, a winter darkness thick and velvety, stretching his cramped back muscles his headware flared again, this time a very definite signal.
<Where> he mentally ordered, his cranial systems already triangulating
The data response made him screw up his face in confusion, but never the less he leapt to his feet, ignored the protest of the suffering floorboards and ran outside.

If it hadn’t been a clear night he might have missed it, but distantly a mere pinprick in the night sky, he saw the familiar corona of circular golden lines of light, a flare and then pulse of interspatial energy.
Then it was falling, descending a long way, his arcanoware now locked and tracking, the object had rapidly reached terminal velocity, he hoped it wouldn’t strike the house!

[Otto]

Otto scans the object during its descent, what does it contain, and where is it going to land?

Computer use of 10

[arcanus]

Otto scans the object during its descent, what does it contain, and where is it going to land?

Ottos headware engages too full capacity, triangulating velocity, windsheer and rate of descent.

'Bugger' he mentally cursed, 'Unless the wind changes straight for Is Lordships roof'

Composition is difficult to ascertain its contents.

[Otto]

Otto will attempt to take control of the falling object as I am assuming that it would have some guidance systems that he himself has implemented in the past?

Computer use 9

Pilot: 11

[arcanus]

Otto will attempt to take control of the falling object as I am assuming that it would have some guidance systems that he himself has implemented in the past?

Computer use 9

Pilot: 11

Initially the object is unresponsive, however after mentally batting the device it finally responds, a small rocket flares at its top.
Mentally wrestling with its turbulent descent it finally streamlines and pulls up from its dive, taking a chimney pot off a stack but missing the slate roof and impaling itself in the grounds not far from Ottos feet.

The object is one of Otto's carrier pods, its rocket like exterior interlaced with golden circuitry.

[Otto]

Tramping over the debris of the red brick chimney, Otto tentatively walks over to the surprisingly large smoking crater the pod had created in a once pretty flower bed.

The reek of burning sulphur and ozone, coupled with the smell of burnt grass and plant life assaulted his olfactory sensors. He quickly computes to see if any harmful gasses had been produced on the pods extremely long journey.

Physics 12

Chemistry 15

He knew that it would be at least an hour until the pod had cooled enough to move, and at least double that to even open it. His impatience and worry came to the fore, but to speed up the pods cooling process was to invite destruction to whatever important information it carried.

To kill time, Otto started to run a probability study on what could be urgent enough for Strad to send a message across time and space in this manner. He began to access all data that he had corrolated on Gothica, namely the conflict which was far from over there.

Computer 7