video

[youvebeenserved]

[The screen shows a terribly serious-looking man. If you look closely you might realize that he looks an awful lot like an animated corpse (which, coincidentally, would be because he is one). If not? He might look like any other medieval fellow who hasn't really kept up on hygiene. Or who perhaps contracted some kind of horrible disease.

Either way, he doesn't seem bothered by his condition.

He's also doing a pretty good job keeping the camera steady and focused despite his lack of experience with such devices. HE MEANS BUSINESS OK.]

Good people!

I confess I have not yet spoken to many of you, which I presently hope to rectify. You may call me Justice, and I intend to see to it that each poor soul drawn to this world is soon returned to his rightful lands unharmed.

[Big promises maybe but hey that's a spirit of justice for you.]

But first I must ask -- how does the Initiative capture its... [is "victims" too strong a word?] recruits? It is not magic, and I know no other way

Comments

[has_a_cult]

I think it's some kind of highly dispersed planar vortex, pulling in souls from across the multiverse. I'd call them clever if I felt they had a full understanding of what they had built.

[trustycrowbar]

I might be able to answer that. The Initiative uses technology partially, ah... borrowed from the United Earth. Very advanced stuff, in fact we only have a partial notion how it works ourselves... Unfortunately the dimensional transponder they use works on principles that invoke wavefunction uncertainty across the boundary that necessitates a loss of information at the nexus of--

[Whoa whoa whoa dial it back a notch, Gordon.]

Uh... the point I'm trying to make is that they literally can't predict when it'll bring someone in, or even who that someone will be. It's physically impossible for them to do so.

text;

[ex_texting536]

Well, that is something you don't see every day... a talking corpse.

video;

[sacrificar]

How did you get that name?

text;

[painfeels]

They said they use some kind of machine that they... can't really use all that well.

If it sounds dumb, that's because it is.

[video]

[futurarex]

And what makes you so certain that it is not magic?

[youvebeenserved]

If it is magic, I cannot sense it.

permavid because what is texting

[youvebeenserved]

Ah, so they try to harness a power they do not fully understand! They are truly fools, then. I suppose you do not know the location of this machine?

[youvebeenserved]

It is not my name; I have no name. I am a spirit of justice.

permavid because texting looks hard >:((((

[youvebeenserved]

I assure you, mortal, could I appear to you in another form I would.

[HMPH.]

[futurarex]

[A suspicious pause, in which he also tries to work out if this is the mark of illness on this man's face or what.]

And how is it you would sense it?

[youvebeenserved]

I... see.

[no he doesn't. not even a little.]

Do you know the location of this... transponder? I would like to destroy it. They must not be allowed to continue preying upon the innocent!

[youvebeenserved]

Do you know if it can be reversed? Is there evidence of anyone returning home?

[youvebeenserved]

I am a spirit of the Fade. I can sense the magic of mortals and demons and fellow spirits alike. However, I sensed no such thing when I was brought here.

[futurarex]

A ghost?

[youvebeenserved]

What? No! Do you know nothing of the Fade? Just as there are demons, there are spirits of virtue. I am a spirit of justice.

[futurarex]

[well that was sort of a stupid conclusion to jump to, yes, and he feels stupid for it... so he makes up for it with indigent irritation.]

Then be more careful in your introductions. You'll find that most people know nothing of your-- Fade. And spirit could very well mean ghost.

[And, more sarcastic now:] You don't actually claim to be justice embodied, do you?

[youvebeenserved]

[he sees your indignant irritation and raises you some deep offense]

Had I meant ghost I would have said so!

[SO THERE.]

I am an embodiment of justice, yes. It is the one virtue to which I aspire.

[trustycrowbar]

[Whoa. Points for honesty. The least he can do is level with the guy.]

If you did, you'd be destroying the only probable means we have of getting back to our own homeworlds.

[Plus the total collapse of the portal array might result in an entropic discharge that would create a fireball the size of a freakin' city block. He'd rather not be the indirect cause for a lab-based calamity again, thanks.]

[video]

[thelastking]

[ It's truly a rarity that someone actually receives a look of disdain or general grumpiness from Aragorn, but Justice seems to have earn it thanks to their earlier discussion. Quite annoyed with the very idea of this corpseman trying to gather fervor with the recruits here, Aragorn plans sit back and watch for now. If anything us to be done about this current situation, let it not be done wrongly through unnecessary strife. As much as he tries to stress his point to the ghoul, it would seem as if all his words fell on deaf ears. ]

[futurarex]

[well as long as he's here offending spirits or ghosts or whatever he might as well go on with it. because it's not as if something (someone?) could actually be an embodiment of justice, it just doesn't... make sense.]

Brilliant. Only could you go back and send along the spirit of escaping magical prisons instead? That's a virtue that would actually come in useful around here.

[youvebeenserved]

[Aaand Justice takes this Very Seriously.]

There is no such spirit! Only a demon would claim such virtue and you would be fool to accept anything it offered!

[youvebeenserved]

[WELL there goes that plan.

But wait, something is kind of suspicious here!]

How is it that you know so much of this... device?

[trustycrowbar]

[Oh boy, here we go:]

I'm a Transport like you, but I work in the Hold's Labs. It occurred to me early that their technology was better used for everyone's benefit including our own. That's why I'm working with them.

[futurarex]

Then are there demons of everything? Fast breakfasts? Hot baths? Comfortable beds?