"Of course you did it! You're heroes!" A familiar voice joins the fray as a pigeon flies out of the odd sameness of the nearby forest, landing on the trampled leaf litter with a slight puff of feathers. "I always knew you could do it! Fantastic! That's one down! Okay! Oh, I need to tell you!" The pigeon, hopping around aimlessly on the leaf litter, suddenly paused, fixing you all with a non-birdlike stare. "I've been watching you all--wait, that's creepier than I thought. I mean, it's in the name--does that make it worse? Back on topic! I think at least a few of my 'guests' here in the Obelisk deserve more than simply being locked away. I've been keeping my identity and their location a secret as much as I can--if my failure to contain things when I came here taught me anything, it's the value of at least thinking of backup plans--and so they could use more, if you're up to it. And so, I made some meeting rooms! Now, I know what you're thinking." The pigeon flaps its wings, avoiding an errant snap from the giant tortoise. It seems the tortoise was more interested in the leaves, so after a pause, Watcher continues. "If you were seen walking into the Obelisk all the time, this whole 'secretly working together' thing would fall apart. So, I thought about teleporting you--I even have a working model all set up, ready to integrate into the birds--but then I thought, well, you all might not like that much? So I got it! If you want to talk to someone in the Obelisk, talk to a bird. I'll get them to a meeting room, and then the bird will transmit your picture and voice to them, and transmit their picture and voice to you." The voice paused and the pigeon ruffled up its feathers. "I reinvented the picture phone. Right.

"Okay! Congratulations again; I always knew you could do it!"

Spoiler: Only for Story Purposes; PCs, Read if you wish
Show
Watcher blew out a breath, pushing away from his many, many screens. spinning once in his chair aimlessly, he snapped his attention to one particular screen. On it, a grim-faced woman with blond hair stalked towards a large patch of overgrown lilies, her arms melting into pistols while her body hardened into a flexible protective mesh. And older Greek woman stood behind her, spinning threads into tiny doll-like figures with scythes to chop at red grasses that sprouted up at every moment. Another woman, younger, seemed to be directing something alien and disturbingly faceless towards a sunflower with fire instead of petals. Finally, a fourth woman, compact, with dark circles under her eyes, fired an array of improbable weaponry at an ever-shifting patch of what was almost empty air.

Only the most basic of projections, and even he didn't know where the computer got all of the readings; still, Watcher was glad to put that particular near future to rest.

Watcher said softly, Screen 2245, end current program and run one-year projection," and the images fuzzed to nothingness. Moments later, a new image popped out; a wide view of Forester's Bay. The buildings were cracked and broken. Large patches of the ground were piled high with red sand. A few fires blazed, seemingly untouched. And the entirety of Lakeside was charred husks and melted glass. In the center, the Obelisk still stood tall, untouched.

Watcher frowned. The ivy was gone, and some of the damage seemed much less, but the majority... He shook his head again and dismissed the image. He'd put his trust in them. They'd figure it out.

His only job this time was to watch, after all.




The Calm Before

Wednesday, September 26, 2018.

Forester's Bay is quiet. For the past several days. No one seems to know what to do with the news that Manchineel is no longer a threat. Even the other League Members have gone quiet: Lockdown hasn't been seen since then, nor has Apophis; Doctor Proxy is seen so rarely that their absence is pretty much par for the course, in any case. Even outside the Dome, the world feels as if it is holding its breath, uncertain of what will happen next.

It's the perfect time for a relaxing game night.

Uncle Bruno (He certainly has a last name, but he very quickly becomes "Uncle" Bruno to those of you who haven't met him) seems to take the fact that he's dealing with superheroes in stride incredibly well. He doesn't ask about your identities if you don't tell him (he knows Nope's, of course), inviting you all in with a jolly smile and a wave of his hand. "I've got all the classics, of course," he says, leading you all to what he affectionately calls his "game space" and the ludicrously overstuffed game shelf there. "As well as a lot of the stranger ones! I thought you all might like something a little calmer, so Catan is on the table, but we could also go to something more intense. It's a few days early, but I can't let the Halloween season go by without playing Betrayal at House on the Hill at least once..." He trails off hopefully. Nope and Lily would know that he's up for anything, no matter what he's leaning towards at the moment.

Spoiler: OOC
Show
Okay, this is up, finally! Sorry for the delay. If you have an idea for a game, suggest it!