[01.05]
{Pathfinder Log: 19.11.164 PLF}
{Days Since Contact Lost: 7}
{Dimension: Unknown. Calling it God-Ring Dimension for now}
I have encountered humans from an Earth, and they have quite the tale to tell. Belly-worms playing at being impostor gods, and the gods of this realm not stepping in to stop. I don't they believe in such divinity anyway, which matches some of the teachings during my training of some earths. Some pre-founding Earths were like that as well I believe. They say the worms are creatures called Gou'alds, and impersonate the Gods, and build cults and have slaves, and, well, everything bad in the world. At least according to the earth humans who call themselves Tau'ri. Why, I do not know?
It seems to mean First World or First Ones per my translating systems. Bit arrogant in my mind, but, eh, humans!
My story is much simpler, for I do not want to show weakness, but also to explain my current position and such; that I am a trader for a very secretive people. An armed one obviously, because travelling from world to world through the Eye of the Gods is best done in small numbers to be able to hide. No spaceships. Oh, yes, because the Imposter worm gods have spaceships as best I understand then. It is hard to gather information while saying little and implying much. Too big a chance of giving away information that ruins the story. Not too hard when these four are talkers, more than the natives who, now the task is achieved, would like the terrible giant and strange outlanders to leave. Soon.
Ungrateful, I saved their daughter. Even if only by accident!
Yes, yes, reward given, but the feeling of take it elsewhere is very clear. So, ah, time to make use of the outlander humans as well. Since their mission is somewhat ruined by my actions. They aren't needed now either, and the locals are afraid of their Gods wrath; whether from real ones, or from worm-imposters it does not matter.
So I have, I believe, successful hidden my lack of knowledge of the ring-portal usage by clarifying that I will NOT reveal locations of my people, nor my trade for fear of the 'false gods' gaining it. They are mind-controlling parasites after all, apparently. So, instead, the deal is that they will bring me to a new world, that is empty, and then we shall negotiate after a period of a few days for trade. But that I will scout it first before entering so. Nor will I go straight to Earth. I cannot trust that they will not betray me, even if my truth-detector reveals them as honest in all discussions so far. But just because the foot soldiers are trustworthy, does not mean the warlord is.
I need to study this Eye of the Gods in action, as well as take a few days to gather myself without constant risk of betrayal. Not something that can be done in this 'Stargate Command' surrounded by the human armies I expect. A world without humans would give time to establish a camp, then negotiate and see if there is anything of use to be gained. At the very least my Compass studying the Eye structure in use is a massive benefit.
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{Pathfinder Log: 21.11.164 PLF}
{Days Since Contact Lost: 9}
{Dimension: God-Ring Dimension, and Empty World, Earth-like}
Perhaps I should have updated sooner…haaa….hard work. Hmm, right, can't see what I'm doing.
I've just finished establishing my camouflaged base camp here upon, P-something-something as the Tauri called it. I know the League do the same, so multiversal habits amongst species?
On a different world now, and it is so far shorn of any signs of civilization, though I have only been a few miles in each direction from the 'Stargate' as the Tauri insist on calling the ring. I'll settle on that for now, as I am to deal with them in coming days. I demanded as a sign of trust they wait several days and comeback with written permissions from their leaders to negotiate. Deliberate time wasting by me, as I needed to get away and deal with all I've learned. Any longer and my excitement might have given me away.
Oh, right, yes. Em, yes, agreed with the humans to leave 'Argonthinia' as the city was called and travelled through the 'Stargate'. Or, well, had them open the portal firstly to send a lightweight aerial drone from my pack through to confirm there was what I'd asked for beyond, then had two of them step through, followed by myself, and then the last two. After I'd gotten drone readings back, and calmed myself after the high energy, magic or whatever, flowing through me as the portal worked. Thank the Lord of Shrouds that I had my voice turned of in the suit so they couldn't tell how startled I was by the nature of the device.
There is some vast…network of such things I believe, and I could feel it through the Compass, and I watched how they used the device. Both through my eyes and through the Compass. When they had left, I managed to reopen the portal to where we had been – even though they did not give the coordinates. My gear for dealing with multiversal travel interacts oddly with the device I'll admit, but clearly gives more information than the humans are aware of. It is a bizarre device in so many ways, and also includes some sort of learning system to grant language knowledge. That is how so much information has been given, but incoherently, so much so that I struggle with understanding it.
Whoever built this were clearly mages or psions of some fashion as well as artificers, for there is far more than the mundane involved in these things. In the network as a whole. It is ancient and vast, but also less secure than any such teleportation network I have ever seen or heard of. High trust society? Benevolent Precursors? High powered savants with poor security systems?
Hard to tell. All I know is that I now have a library's worth of information dumped onto both my suit's systems and into the arcane side of my Celestial Etherscope Compass. Something that I've put aside for the last day as I spent time sleeping after arrival in the suit, and I needed the exercise to clear my mind. Spend all day now setting up an adequate camp from the supplies in the Pathfinder pack with cameras and sensors setup in the woods around it. Also setup both optical projectors as well as spending hours digging physical efforts to hide my location and setup a large covering for the tent. It's night now, with two moons seems, and I've got a work-table setup with hand-computer, along with a cooking station and table. Looking at the cameras now, no sign of trouble, and I've a watch on the stargate which is about a twenty-minute walk away, with a decoy campsite fifteen minutes or so south of the ring-portal.
Tiring, but it feels good to have done. Also because I can have a drink in peace, not worrying about being stabbed in the back at any moment. Or unable to do so because I'm in the power armour all the time. Still damn alone. Still in trouble. Still not sure about how to get back. But, well, a hot meal, some booze, and having a moment of rest does help.
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{Pathfinder Log: 24.11.164 PLF}
{Days Since Contact Lost: 12}
{Dimension: God-Ring Dimension, and Empty World, Earth-like}
Got one of the three crates open. The one I'd focused on. I'm rich now!
Uselessly, uselessly, rich with things of absolutely no use to me.
Seems this crate was full of payment materials; gold, silver, copper, platinum, palladium and gemstones filled bags of holding segments. Worth an absolute fortune on several planes, but not for me right now as I really could have done with magic items, preferably of the planeswalking variety. I know it would be locked outside of League planes, but damn if it wouldn't be useful if I could just get back to the Outlands or to Sigil. Instead I get a crate full of money I can't spend. We'll just have to hope the next hand is better as Sasha says.
Opening the crate was draining, so they others will have to wait another few days. The constant locks are a drain even when I do project urgent need. I'm sure the caravan master will delighted to hear how good her security wards were. Damn if I don't wish Sasha or Isuriel with actual skills in such things were here. I'm sure they'd crack them in half the time it is taking me. But it is just me. I'll admit the Pathfinder pack has full survival gear for an entire team so I shouldn't complain; - I'll just have to put in some work modifying any of the human gear to my orcish hands.
I've already tested out the hunting rifle. Took down a deer.
Yeah, I'm sure this world was terraformed to make it for humans. Must have been. Or gods were at work in the past, as it's all very Earth here. My wrist-scanner backs that up, and the Compass. Makes sense with the portal network I suppose?
Which is needing more readings. As many as I can gather. I'm not sure if it it'll aid in my getting back home, but the knowledge here would be very useful of such a thing as this. I'm hoping the more I learn, the more useful it'll be. So that's the deal I've made with the humans of this plane's earth. Or, rather, that's the deal I'm making, but they don't know that. They are trading 'gate addresses' and specific material parts to me in exchange for some of my tradeable gear – they are in the tech range that it'd be easily back-engineered when giving with instructions. Nothing dangerous, but the first thing is a bio-scanner that shouldn't be more than a few years ahead for them? Maybe more?
Considering they are fighting the mind-control worms such a scan to tell if one is there is useful. I've a few other items, like the aerial drones schemata, albeit non-magical ones. In exchange they are going to 'show me around' some 'friendly' worlds, and I'll play at trading with them for trinkets. I'll avoid their earth, and I've shown them I'll scout first. That and play as mercenary too. These 'gouald' I need more information on, but they seem the kind of beings best kept away from expanding. Importer gods. Pah! Death to them all, death to their cultists!
To be a Pathfinder is to identify threats to the League, and these are one such. My nanites and protective wards should protect me from body snatching, though perhaps fatally. Who knows how they'll interact truly, save that it'll either protect me, or protect me by killing me. No matter, I fight, I fight good, so it is one way to gather tools and resources I might require. Because even as I do that, I shall be gathering information passively by simply using these Eyes of the Gods. This empty place shall serve as my temporary base camp in this dimension, and I've already setup basic automated defences around the camp from my pack. Not much, but it'll keep away animals and small bands of bandits. Or these Tauri should they break deal and try and scout out my camp while I am away. Least I don't have to worry about the crate full of gold!
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