Archimedes

Moonfiend

Looks like an exciting start! @RiptideI think you hit the mark. 173 levels sounds more than reasonable. I imagine every level being about 40-50 feet in height. That's a big ass wall, people.

Moonfiend

Horizontal Section, W-0173

Assigned A.M. Shift - O. Sonnen, #992

Early shifts. They're for the birds. Synthetic Shrineroot powder would never taste as good as the genuine stuff. It was the only option in terms of "natural" supplements to assist one in waking up. Otto had all but forgotten what it was like to have a reputable stash of herbs, roots, spices, plants, insects, ashes and oils. All that was left of his old inventory was packed in a leather suitcase, which he had all but emptied out decades before. Ripping open the package of 'UPROOT!,' Otto spilled the contents into a bubbling thermos of water and twisted on the threaded cap. This morning, his apartment spelled heavily of sewage and chemicals. Maintenance workers had been in and out of his apartment (and the ones adjacent) all night in a fleeting attempt to repair the state-of-the-art plumbing system. Otto grumpily tossed his thermos into his nylon work bag and cursed the night of sleep he missed on his way out to work.

Clocking in was simple enough. The computer terminal accepted the bar code on the rear of his I.D. badge with an audible tone, followed by a firm female voice, which stated,"SONNEN. OTTO, G. NUMBER NINE, NINE, TWO." Otto sat his thermos down on his desk, twisted the cap off and filled it half way with piping-hot drink. As he painfully drew a pull of the awful drink, he reviewed his work order for the day. Otto read it aloud, mumbling into his UPROOT!,"...in relation to the structural [unknown jargon mixed with slurping] west-most horizontal section #0173 requires immediate in-service inspection. Provide detailed [more mumbled jargon and slurping]...blah blah. So, basically do this now. The senior engineer wants me to do the work of three inspectors, which should have been yesterday, today." Otto set down the thermos cap and work order to flex his hands. He only removed his robes and gloves to bathe, which wasn't too often. His body pulsated in pain, starting from his hands and up through his shoulders and middle back. Otto would day dream about his past; a time when most of his body didn't hurt. Over thirty years ago, by his count.

It was the perfect day to work outside of the office. Waves of heat were visible just above the pavement on the sidewalks. Otto readjusted his hood to shield his face from the Sun's rays and tugged upwards on his gloves. He felt tingling pain from the friction between each glove and the skin on his hands, but it was manageable. Lines and groups of people, tourists maybe, walked in and out of the West Wall main elevator terminal building. Otto glided effortlessly through the talkative crowd and slipped into the employee's elevator tube. The tube was large enough for five to six adults, and wasn't as aesthetically pleasing as those which were used by common citizens. Employee tubes traveled faster, stopped less smoothly and had a hatch-style door on three sides for maintainers to exit and complete various duties on the city's enormous wall.

Otto stopped the tube a few meters shy of the wall's summit and transferred himself and his gear onto a wire-guided trolley. Now exposed to the elements, he could once again hear the sheer force the noise of the city produced. The wind was much greater at this altitude, which caused him to cinch further down on his hood and pull up on his gloves again. Above him at the wall's summit, he could vaguely make out the rambling and cursing of who Otto assumed was a foreman or a supervisor. He let out a quick, hot breath from his nostrils. "I don't miss that." He fired up his inspection equipment, dialed in the appropriate settings on the portable hard drive and set to work on the Horizontal Section of the west-most wall, #0173.

Moonfiend

@MokleyMy fault. I should have just spelled it out. Yes, I was referring to a sort of special policing unit. The robots make sense; I should have thought about that, based on her description! I'm getting the feeling the queenie is a genuine leader, rather than a politician or a tyrant. Can't wait to kick this show off. The anticipation is killing us, Mokley!

Moonfiend

@Mokley

Keep the ideas coming, guys. :)

Mokley

Does the queen have some sort of SS for the PCs to be aware of?

Could there be any Grit-types that are neutral...or maybe non-Grit that live outside The Wall for some sort of financial gain? (I assume the plural of Grit is 'Grit', since adding the 's' on the end would make them a cheap side dish at brunch. Like 'moose' or 'deer'?)

Lastly, can any of the PCs own a vehicle? And no, I didn't create Old Hunch with one. Though, a flying Vista Cruiser would be boss.

Moonfiend

@MokleyThe map is quite bizarre, but once I looked it over for a while it's simple enough. If we can limit the notable buildings/landmarks, should be a cinch.

@DudReally terrific! As I was reading, I started to think back to that chapter in 1984 when all the citizens were watching Big Brother on the vision screens. Gave me chills.

Moonfiend

@MokleyWonderful! I completely understand withholding specifics of the story before it begins. I'm just getting a feel for the scenario for my master CS. I tend to hold back as well. Why put all the goods on display, am I right? Do you have a date in mind for kickoff?

Moonfiend

@Mokley

That was before the sky was ripped in two.

Epic GM Voice

I can't wait to see this. I'm also interested to know about the driving force behind the Grit (maybe a little more background on this?). As far as Grit-NPCs are concerned, I'm not entirely sure where this is going. It seems as though they will be a mix of undead, ghouls and other monster-types...mostly humanoid. Also, any more info on the city's authority figure?

It's up to your character to decide whether to restore the city of Periphery to the haven it once was; to side with the Grit and return the city to the wilds; to take advantage of disaster for your character's own gain; or to broker peace between the city folk and the Grit and bring down the wall for good.

GM

Looking at the background of the PCs so far, I can't tell which way this will sway. Depending on the size of the group, I can't say there won't be a split of factions either! It looks great thus far Mokley!

Moonfiend

Posted my CS. Hope it strikes home..!

@Mokley: I wasn't sure what you had in mind for people moving up/down the wall. I can adjust the CS if it's too old-fashioned.

Moonfiend

NAME:
"Old" Otto

ABSTRACT:
Structural Integrity Specialist...and hermit.

DETAIL:
Hard to say for this one; he's an odd-duck. One could safely assume Otto is well past his mid-life crisis stage, and somewhere between sixty and seventy-five inches in height. Never in much of a hurry, he climbs into the cable trolley (in his typical hunched-over fashion) and ascends to the newest construction zone. Otto is responsible for analyzing the Periphery City Wall Into The Sky (W.I.T.S., as the project manual suggests). It is the ideal profession for a fellow who needn't be bothered by a foreman. Only a laser-emitting wand and a hard drive is needed on the job, and once Otto finishes each zone, he simply uploads the data to Her Majesty's government data base and disappears into the city. Because of his reclusive and tired demeanor, laborers and security personnel refer to him as "Old Otto" or "Old Hunch." Presently, there is no record of Otto's origin, work or family history. Always wearing a dark-brown hooded robe and a safety harness, he can be easy to miss in passing.

MAGICAL INVENTORY:
Sewn into the inside of his garment, near the left torso, are two pieces of hide leather. The leather has a very old and untreated look and feel. Circular symbols with unique patterns within are branded to the leather pieces. Otto has been careful not to let these items be seen by another soul, ever. His robe seems to fit him as if it's part of him...

TYPICAL INVENTORY:
When Otto is spotted, he carries the black nylon satchel he was issued by the government. Along with his required tools, Otto packs a heavy duty water bottle, a harness with lanyard, matches and his wooden pipe.

Moonfiend

I want in! Haven't seen anything quite like it. Will post CS as soon as reasonably achievable.