Catsmate
13th Incarnation
It's complicated....
Posts: 3,753
Favourite Doctors: Thirteen, Six, Five, Two, Eight, Eleven, Twelve, One, Nine...
Traits: Eccentric, Insatiable Curiousity.
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Post by Catsmate on Dec 16, 2022 11:03:37 GMT
Splendid. Now that I have finally got my notes in order, I'm actually planning on writing up a Multiversal group (based heavily off Sliders and Marvel's Exiles) and I could definitely see them paying the Evil Doctor verse a visit down the line. Even if it's only a mention at least. I always like a good crossover, especially with different universes.... Earth Six has already appeared in one of our campaigns and could well make a appearance in the other. And I did design a (different) dystopian Britain (based on The Changes book and television series) for someone who used to play in our old Timelords game.
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Post by missyfan45 on Dec 18, 2022 22:15:28 GMT
hmm you can alter the formatting a little bit and put it here
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Catsmate
13th Incarnation
It's complicated....
Posts: 3,753
Favourite Doctors: Thirteen, Six, Five, Two, Eight, Eleven, Twelve, One, Nine...
Traits: Eccentric, Insatiable Curiousity.
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Post by Catsmate on Dec 19, 2022 19:06:01 GMT
An attempt at cross-posting of Part Ten. Lets see how this goes.
The Sea of Death. With the TARDIS's systems working better than they have since departing Gallifrey the Doctor is in a good mood for once, and gives his involuntary crew a tour of the ship. After only getting lost a few times they now know far more about the interior of the mysterious craft, though not much at all about where it, and the Doctor and Susan, came from. Ian and Barbara begin to relay, and start making a couple of suites into something approximating home, while caching weapon, equipment, supplies and valuable for contingencies. After a few hours they're awoken by the sound of the materialisation alert and they grab their gear and head to the console room.
They arrive to find the Doctor and Susan examining the scanner and various sensor readouts and arguing about what the readings mean. The TARDIS has arrive don a small island, with a large glassy tower in almost the centre; in the background there is an intermittent, unusually high, level of complex electromagnetic radiation around Delta-14 on the Hurnfield scale¹, that appear to be decaying from a once far greater level. A few kilometres beyond the island there is a mass of hurricane-like winds that surround it completely.
Naturally Ian and Barbara have no idea what this means until the Doctor can be persuaded to enlighten them; it's a form of energy at almost the same frequency as the humanoid brain, some sort of large scale telepathic field. Judging from the current levels it's possible than the planet was once blanketed, via ground and orbital relays, with such a field "Why?", asked Barbara, practically and obviously. The Doctor has no real idea, but is reluctant to admit this, "Perhaps some form of artificial hive mind? With everyone on the planet able to communicate". "Think of the possibilities....", his expression is almost beatific.
Recovering himself, the Doctor heads to a workshop to fabricate 'neural blocks' in case the telepathic field resumes. After issuing these small collars to everyone he opens the capsule's doors and ushers everyone outside.
The view from the scanner didn't do the island justice, it has a strange, stark, beauty, covered in volcanic rock and sharp-edged sand particles that appear to be work done volcanic glass. It takes the travellers about twenty minutes to reach the tower, and twenty more to examine its surroundings, but no way inside can be found. Annoyed the Doctor continues to examine the exterior while the others wander to the shoreline and examine the sea
At the shore Ian soon finds that the ocean is not merely water but also contains tiny forms of life that eat away anything that comes into contact with it, rapidly reducing it to tiny particles², Susan refers to them as 'nano-machines", almost cell sized artificial creations. Ian and Susan speculate that the ring of wind that encompasses the island is another security measure. Exploring further Susan discovers five small mini-submarines, made of some clear, crystal-like material. One has the remains of an occupant, partially digested by the nano-machines in the water; a humanoid of large stature, dressed in a suit of some rubberish synthetic material and armed with a knife and a pistol crossbow, made from the crystal material of the submarine.
The trio head back towards the tower to rejoin the Doctor and notify him of their discoveries³. While looking for the Doctor, Susan is attacked by one of the infiltrators, who makes the mistake of attempting to hold her at knife point. Moments later he is extremely dead and Susan shouts to the others. When they arrive Barbara is shocked by what Susan has done⁴ while Ian and the Doctor examine the body. A few minutes later their examination is disturbed by the arrival of three more of the rubber-suited intruders. Ian draws his pistol and shoots, only to find his firearm doesn't work; the Doctor's burner is likewise impotent. Susan grabs the knife from the creature she'd killed and throws it into the throat of the one aiming a crossbow at the travellers, before launching herself at a second. Ian grabs the crossbow from the original corpse and shoots the third intruder in the shoulder, to allow for interrogation. A moment later there are three corpses and an intruder emitting moans of pain, which increase at Ian gets to work on him. But before he says anything useful there is a burst of foul-smelling, green foam from his mouth.
Taking stock of the situation the travellers are surprised to see a door opening in the seemingly uniform wall of the tower. Grabbing the knives and crossbows they enter. Inside the tower is starkly metallic, somewhat reminiscent of city of the Dals⁵, and the soon discover they are being guided to a certain chamber inside the tower. Arriving in the central chamber the party find a large space filled with desks and workbenches on several levels and a single humanoid in white robes to greet them,
The man identifies himself as Arbitan, Keeper of the Conscience of the planet Marinus. His explaination is long-winded and rather self-serving; he claims that almost a century past the scientists (or at least one group of them) of the planet developed a giant, artificially intelligent, computer to manage the planet, and equipped it with a network of telepathic signal generators to ensure the populace were incapable of deceit, violence, and other manifestations of 'evil'.⁶ Though it did prevent the wars that looks like making the planet uninhabitable. But some fifteen years ago the system fell apart when a cult leader named Yartek, who'd recruited a number of the genetically modified super-soldiers to his cause, developed a method of blocking the psionic signal; they could rob, rape, burn, enslave and kill at will, the populace reduced to impotent sheep by the Conscience. Reluctantly the scientists decided to deactivate the Conscience, while Arbitan and some others attempted to develop a method of effecting the Voord with the technology.
This he has now done. Unfortunately without the five circuit keys to the Conscience the psionic amplification net cannot be reactivated and Arbitan has only one, the other four are scattered around the planet. He'd dispatched the last of his followers, but none have returned, or communicated with him. He pleads for the party's aid. Naturally the Doctor rebuffs him. Arbitan sighs and reveals that in a corner of the laboratory is their TARDIS, brought there by matter transmitter and encased in a force field; if they don't cooperate they will be stranded on the island too. The Doctor draws his burner and attempts to incinerate the insolent fool, but find it still doesn't work. Arbitan explains that the tower and surrounding are is protected by a weapon deactivation system⁷. Reluctantly, and planning a terrible vengeance, the travellers agree to Arbitan's bargain
Arbitan gives them four personal transmats, pre-programmed for the locations of the four keys. After examining the equipment in the tower and bagging a few items (stun guns, hypno rays, communicators et cetera) the travellers depart to their first destination.
Arriving the magnificent city of Morphoton the travellers are amazed by the splendour, comfort and resources of the community. At least until Barbara accidentally activates her neural block and sees the terrible truth; the city is no paradise, but rather a decaying, degraded ruin, its inhabitants lulled into docility by a variation on the psionic field of the Conscience. Barbara finds Sabetha, one of the agents Arbitan had dispatched, and his daughter, and her lover Altos. Ransacking the city, and stunning waves of entranced locals sent against them, the party find the dark secret behind Morphoton; the city is ruled by a cabal of almost dead leaders, whose brains were removed from their aged bodies and now live on in life-support tanks. After Ian smashes one of the cases and kills the thing inside, the Doctor has a better idea; he destroys the brain-cases connections to the outside world but leaves the rest of their systems intact. He also destroys the psionic field, after collecting a few parts and notes for his own use. The rulers of Morphoton will live on for a long time, screaming silently in the ultimate sensory deprivation tank.
Breaching the cardinal ruler of "Don't split the party" the Doctor, Altos and Susan head to the 'Screaming Jungles' while Ian, Barbara and Sabetha proceed to the city of Millenius, once the greatest metropolis of the planet.
The Screaming Jungle proves to be well named, covered in very heavy vegetation, but plants that were mobile, hostile and telepathic, but the three travellers fought their way through these defences and found an entry into a ruined temple that had been used as a horticultural laboratory years before, where scientists had developed the telepathic plants. There third circuit-key lay on a plinth right in the open; naturally the wily Doctor was not taken in and an examination revealed that the key was a fake, and taking it triggered a trap. After exploring the temple they discovered the real key lay in a desk drawer in part of the laboratory underground.
Simultaneously Ian, Barbara and Sabetha arrive in Millenius and almost immediately ended up in jail; Ian was accused of murdering a man named Eprin and the others as his accessories. The city used another variation of the psionic technology ubiquitous on Marinus, allowing a computer to read minds and detect guilt. Unfortunately in this case the Justice Machine declared Ian guilty of murder and sentenced him to a gruesome death, while Barbara and Sabetha were sentenced to fifteen years of slavery.
Meanwhile having not received any message from Ian's group the Doctor and his companions head off to the Wasteland of Ice in search of the final key. There they are menaced by mechanical soldiers and tricked by a mad trapper named Vasor, who wants Susan as his wife⁸. Her Gallifreyan physiology proved resistant to Vason's drug and Susan again demonstrated her abilities, leaving his eviscerated corpse on the ground and finding the fifth key. After ministering to the Doctor and the apparently utterly useless Altos, the travellers depart to meet the others in Millenius.
There they are enmeshed in the trial. While the Doctor is pretty uninterested in the fates of Ian, Barbara and Sabetha he needs all five keys to get his TARDIS loose from Arbitan. And having the old man's daughter enslaved probably wouldn't go down well either. So he must go head to head with the Justice Machine. His ego rather enjoys the courtroom drama, and the chance to show a supposedly infallible machine can be manipulated; the Doctor, assisted by Susan, find sufficient evidence that contradicts the verdict that the sentences are postponed and a new hearing arranged. There the Doctor uses the Justice Machine's mind reading abilities to discover that the Prosecutor, a man named Eyesen, is actually the murderer and has the last key. Ian and the others are released and the group travels back to the Island of the Conscience.
On the island Yartek and his followers have not been idle; the Citadel has been breached and the Voord have captured Arbitan, who is being brutally tortured as the others arrive. The Doctor and his minions face off against the Voord and he offers the rebel leader a deal, his TARDIS and some of the tower's technology, for the keys. Yartek agrees and after Ian, Barbara and Susan enter the capsule, much to the disapproval of Sabetha and Altos, who are restrained by the Voord. The Doctor passes the five keys to Yartek and departs, without even staying to watch the slow execution of Arbitan. The way is now open from Voord to enslave the planet; the Doctor will get his revenge.
1. Anyone get the reference? 2. Look, an acid ocean that doesn't have obvious effects on the atmosphere is silly. 3. Yea, some sort of portable communications device would make sense. 4. She really shouldn't be, having seen Susan in action, but it can take a while to accept a petite, pretty, teenage girl is a killing machine. 5. Make of this what you will.... 6. What exactly 'evil' is, is very much in the eye of the beholder. 7. Not unlike the interior of the TARDIS. 8. A bad choice, the Doctor would probably have handed over Barbara or Sadetha without demurring, but Susan is actually useful.
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Post by grinch on Dec 19, 2022 21:51:21 GMT
Fascinating. I'm loving these more detailed writeups of the Evil Doctor's adventures. Here's hoping they continue.
As much as it pains me to admit it, I'm afraid the reference to the Hurnsfield Scale eludes me. With regards to the nanomachines in the water which surrounds the island the Conscience is kept on, is that merely a headcanon of yours from the original serial or merely an attempt to further explore how this is an alternate universe by being a replacement for the acid sea of the main universe?
I adore just how wonderfully malicious you've made this version of the Doctor. Especially with regards to his activities on Morphoton. How wonderfully vile. And Susan being some enhanced abomination has always been one of my favourite aspects of the Evil Doctor Universe.
With how the story is left, will the Voord be revisited in the future? The Expanded Universe did some wonderful work in developing them as an antagonist beyond merely being a generic race presenting them akin to a cult. I could easily see a future incarnation of this Evil Doctor partaking in a sequel story entitled "Return to Marinus" or something along those lines.
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Post by missyfan45 on Dec 20, 2022 1:04:23 GMT
appers a ok to me i think you can cross post them
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Catsmate
13th Incarnation
It's complicated....
Posts: 3,753
Favourite Doctors: Thirteen, Six, Five, Two, Eight, Eleven, Twelve, One, Nine...
Traits: Eccentric, Insatiable Curiousity.
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Post by Catsmate on Dec 20, 2022 13:00:01 GMT
Fascinating. I'm loving these more detailed writeups of the Evil Doctor's adventures. Here's hoping they continue. As much as it pains me to admit it, I'm afraid the reference to the Hurnsfield Scale eludes me. With regards to the nanomachines in the water which surrounds the island the Conscience is kept on, is that merely a headcanon of yours from the original serial or merely an attempt to further explore how this is an alternate universe by being a replacement for the acid sea of the main universe? I adore just how wonderfully malicious you've made this version of the Doctor. Especially with regards to his activities on Morphoton. How wonderfully vile. And Susan being some enhanced abomination has always been one of my favourite aspects of the Evil Doctor Universe. With how the story is left, will the Voord be revisited in the future? The Expanded Universe did some wonderful work in developing them as an antagonist beyond merely being a generic race presenting them akin to a cult. I could easily see a future incarnation of this Evil Doctor partaking in a sequel story entitled "Return to Marinus" or something along those lines. Thanks! The Hurnfield (or Hurnfeld) scale appeared in the old FASA scenario The Hartlewick Horror, which also features a telepathic energy field. Replacing the acidic ocean with nanomachines was down to my desire for some level of scientific plausibility; I studied too much chemistry in the old days.
Yes the Doctor is quite casually malicious, he could have destroyed the Conscience (as in the original story) rather than let the Voord win.
I rather suspect that this reboot will see the Voord return, though not in the way of the comics and other EU material.
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Catsmate
13th Incarnation
It's complicated....
Posts: 3,753
Favourite Doctors: Thirteen, Six, Five, Two, Eight, Eleven, Twelve, One, Nine...
Traits: Eccentric, Insatiable Curiousity.
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Post by Catsmate on Dec 20, 2022 13:00:53 GMT
appers a ok to me i think you can cross post them Yes, the formatting problems I was afraid of (and which occurred when dual posting Cathal) seem not to have happened, I think this is down to embedding Unicode superscripts and such rather than using the BBCode. I'm going to start a new thread for this reboot.
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