h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

If you are not playing the role of Lizzie Briggs, then DO NOT READ ANY MORE OF THIS THREAD!!!

"Little girl lost."

LIZZIE BRIGGS - The Captain's Daughter

AKA - Eleziane, banished princess of the Elves of Faerie

YOUR STORY - The Elves of Faerie are snobs. That is why you were banished.

You were born 200 years ago; small, sickly, and magically weak. This resulted in a terrible scandal. A princess of the Fey less than perfect? cried the outraged nobles of your father's court. Abomination! Cast her out, cast her out!

You were given time to grow out of it. You did not. So, for the good of your people, your father and his advisors selected a human baby of appropriate age (3 years). You were banished to Earth as a changeling, and Lizzie Briggs went to live at the Seelie Court.

Damn, Damn, Damn. No, you mustn't swear. Papa is a grown up, and he never answers. It is just that sending you away was such a mean, mean thing to do.

It was mean even if going to live as the Briggs' daughter was the best thing that ever happened to you.

You are loved. It would never have occurred to you that giving up the gold and jewels and lovely things of Faerie would be worth love. It would have never occurred to any Elf. An Elf automatically assumes that anything that humans value cannot be worth very much.

In this your people are wrong, horribly wrong. Love is worth anything and everything.

Mother loves you openly and tenderly. Papa has more difficulty showing love. He is terribly uncomfortable showing his feelings, so uncomfortable you used to think it was funny. Now you find it touching, you can see how hard he tries. It's very...human.

Human. You were raised to consider that an insult. Human meant ugly. You had only lived with the Briggs' a day before you saw how wrong that view is. No human could ever be as beautiful as the plainest Elf. But humans make up for this with feeling. Elven beauty is cold, empty. You know your mother is more beautiful as any Elf maiden.

No, not your mother. Mrs Briggs is Lizzie's mother. And that is the rub.

They do not love you. They love their daughter. You are an impostor and a thief. Taking their love is wrong. You lie to them.

But Lizzie isn't here, you are. Isn't it what you do that make them love you, not who they think you are? Isn't this love meant for you? Just a little bit? Probably not.

It is all terribly confusing and heartbreaking. Worse of all, you have no one to talk to.

You cannot tell Mother or Papa. Mother might understand. Though it is assumed by the Elves that humans have no magic Mother has a magic amulet she always wears under her blouse (you asked about it and she said she'd explain when you were older). Your Truesight tells you that it is very powerful. Odd, Mother isn't wearing it today. Anyway, magic must run in the family, that's probably why Lizzie was chosen to Change with you. So Mother could understand if you explained things to her.

Papa could never understand. He would say it had something to do with the Devil. Humans are like that about magic.

It does not matter. Even if you could make the Briggs' believe the truth that would only turn them against you. Their daughter has been taken from them. This is so unfair! You didn't kidnap Lizzie. Getting banished was certainly not your idea. You had no idea how good it would be to live with a human family. Besides, it is not as if Lizzie were being tortured; she's being smothered with otherworldly delights in the magnificent Seelie Court. Still, if the Briggs' found out that their daughter was gone they would blame you. Maybe you deserve it.

Perhaps the best thing would be if you went back to Faerie and Lizzie came back to Earth. You wouldn't like that, you think you would die of loneliness. But you think you could do it. You are well now. When you came to Earth you were very sickly, but Mother has given you a foul tasting potion twice a day since then. Human patent medicine. This and the good sea air (so unlike the stuffy halls of the Seelie Court) have made you stronger and healthier than you have ever been. You are still magically weak; but you could fix that with an amulet like Mother's. You think you are fit to go back as Princess of the Fey.

You could work out some ritual to summon your father's (your "real" father) Elves. You have a little amulet with a little bit of magic stored in it (it would not do to send a Princess of the Fey among humans unprotected. Oh, yes, they are all heart back home in Faerie). If you called they would have to come and get you, wouldn't they? Then the Briggs' would have their daughter back and you would be were you probably belong, whether you like it or not.

You would hate that, but what can you do? Not only are you living a lie but you cannot stay with the Briggs' forever. As Elves see it you cannot stay with the Briggs' long at all. Humans age much faster than Elves; much, much faster. They won't live to see you through adolescence. Then you would die of loneliness. If only there was some way to let them live longer.

Oh, what a horrible place Faerie is! You have nothing fond to remember. Well, there was a small golden dragon you thought was nice. You never spoke to it, but you remember it enjoyed being scratched behind the ears. It would sigh with pleasure when you petted it. You wonder what its name was, or even if the dragon had a name.

This dragon was the only living thing in all Faerie you could touch. It is not very much to go home to. Until you have made up your mind you are doing everything you can to learn what being a human child is all about. There is much to learn, and so far you do not think you are very good at it. It may all be wasted effort anyway.

Still a great deal is happening aboard the Mary Celeste, strange things, magical things. You do not think these are normal occurrences for Earth. Mother, Papa, the ship and all may be in danger. It is an excuse, you admit, but perhaps you had better stay for a while longer.

GOALS AT A GLANCE - Make up your mind, are you going to stay with your parents or return to Faerie. Resolve what you want to do, should do, and what is right to do (not all the same thing). Do what you can for the humans you care about. Find a way to prolong their lives if you can.

ROLE-PLAYING HINT - You have 200 years of experience combined with the attitudes and emotions of a small child. In your efforts to learn all about being human you observe everything and you tend to stare a people until you unnerve them. You are terribly troubled, but you do your best to hide it. Added stress in your life and you may crack.

STATISTICALLY - Elves are not as strong or as sturdy as humans but they are much more nimble. This is compounded considerably by the fact that you are a small child. Dodge fights, the ship's cat could beat you in a brawl. You also have no skill at fighting, among the Fey it is considered unladylike to know such things.

THE OTHER CHARACTERS

CAPTAIN BENJAMIN BRIGGS - Papa. The Elves at least saw to it that you went to live with the best ship's captain in the whole world. The only difference is Papa does not drink; and Elves believe in letting their children have a sip of nectar now and then, but you don't miss it. Papa is probably right, it isn't good for you. You bet Papa is always right.

SARAH ELIZABETH BRIGGS - Mother. The kindest soul you have ever known, kinder than you could have imagined a year ago. You are just dying for her to tell you about human magic, but that is too grown up a thing for her ever to discuss with you.

FIRST MATE ALBERT RICHARDSON - He tries to be nice to you but you can't like him. You don't like the way he looks at Mother. He has improper thoughts about Mother. You just know it, and you do not like that at all! Besides, your Truesight shows you that he is not quite human.

SECOND MATE DANE GILLING - He has some magic, too, a little round amulet like yours. But his isn't a healthy gold like your
amulet. Mr. Gillings' amulet is black. You do not think it's nice.

COOK HEAD - He has a little spell on that makes him look human, but he isn't. He's a fish! A big fish with legs. He only likes to cook and eat fish, too (papa had to talk to him about that) and you do not like fish at all, but you think he is all right. Mr. Head genuinely seemed to like Papa and Mother.

THE FOUR JOHANS - The Mary Celeste's crewmen. Humans use the same name too much, but who are you to complain (you are Eleziane XIV). Papa says Mr. Volkert and Mr. Goodschad are the best men he's ever had and you believe him. You like them a lot, especially Mr. Goodschad, who has taught you to play games like jacks and tag. Funny thing, they both have little magic talismans, little golden pyramids. Also, both of them are dead. That's what your Truesight says. You thought dead people where awful, just like the things in the Unseelie Court that try to make trouble back in Faerie. But it must be different on Earth, because Mr. Volkert and Mr. Goodschad are very nice. Maybe you should ask them about this (but only if they promise not to tell anyone how you know).

Mr. Lorenzen is not nice. No one likes him very much. But you don't think he is so bad. He is nice to you, he shows you little magic tricks. He also keeps dropping hints about "real magic." Does he know something? Is he trying to learn something? You hope he just likes you.

Mr. Martens is funny. He sees things. Papa thinks he addled his brain with too much rum. You used a little spell when no one was looking and made little faeries run over his shoes and hide under his bunk. You know that was wrong, but it was funny. Mr. Goodschad says that children can have a cruel sense of humour. You are just learning.

THE CASTAWAY - An odd looking human, all dressed in furs. Papa does not understand how anyone could come so far in a little canoe. The little carved bear she wears is magic. Watch carefully that she doesn't hurt Papa.

THE STOWAWAY - Pretty lady, almost as pretty as Mother. Papa is mad about someone sneaking aboard his ship. This makes you sad. How would he feel if he new how you had sneaked into his home?

THE CAT - It does not have a name, it's just the ship's cat. Your Truesight shows you that it is not alive. You think this is a fascinating mystery. How can a cat that is not alive be so much like a cat that is?

ITEMS

ROUND GOLDEN STONE ON A GOLD CHAIN - Your amulet. Not very powerful, but lets you do a few spells.

SPECIAL ABILITIES

RITUAL MAGIC - You are magically weak, almost without magic. Your training, however, has been outstanding. Your little amulet gives you enough power for one fairly ambitious ritual.(you think). You could do much more if you find more power.

TINGLE - A little defensive spell. Fires all the of your target's pain receptors simultaneously. Usable only once a day, but you can hit you one target 3 times within 30 seconds, each time increasing the pain (astonishing, excruciating, debilitating). This spell is designed for defence, if used other than to defend yourself it will fail utterly. Cite your Special Ability and get GL.

ILLUSIONS - An Elf's idea of entertainment. You can create tiny (6 inches high) images of anything you want, and make them do anything you want for one minute, then they disappear. Usable 5 times a day.

LIZZIE-FORM - The world sees you as little Lizzie Briggs. You can turn this on and off at will.

TRUESIGHT - A natural ability for Elves. Ask GL what you see.

STOMP FEET & KICK SHINS - A little trick that Mr. Goodschad has taught you. It guarantees that if someone has grabbed you they will let go. Works better than magic. Mr. Goodschad says he knows an even better trick, but you will have to grow a bit bigger before you are ready for it).

You should also read fact sheet 2 only, but NOT 1 or 3. The fact sheets are located here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A598412

Garius, could you clarify a couple of things for me?


Question about:

'LIZZIE-FORM - The world sees you as little Lizzie Briggs. You can turn this on and off at will.'

When I turn it off I assume my true elven appearance, right? How big is an ? Maybe about 6 inches tall like the illusions I can create?



Question about:

'TRUESIGHT - A natural ability for Elves. Ask GL what you see.'

Does this apply to things as well as entities?

Actually, I think the elves are the same size as a 3 year old - that's why Lizzie was "a human baby of appropriate age". So, when you turn off the spell, you are the same size, but just different looking.

I think the Truesight just works on people, but try it ... you just might find something out.

GL:

I'm delivering some food to the Uli over here: Conversation between the Captain's Wife and the Castaway in the Captain's Cabin.

There are currently 2 posts, my knock will be post #3. I just might overhear the contents of post #2 as I stand outside the door.

Exactly so.

Garius:

Regarding my post #114 in the On Deck thread...

I'm using my Truesight on Amelia 'cause I'm not sure if her tears are genuine or crocodile. Please tell me what I see.

Thanx!

Your truesight reveals that the emotions are counterfeit!

Well, let's try using Truesight on that . How do I feel about the statement she made here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/F72915?thread=135145&post=1229415#p1229415 in post #22. Thank you, GL.

Sorry Witty - I hadn't noticed that you had posted here.

Your truesight shows that the cat is not alive, so it's story could be true. You are inclined to trust it.

Regarding the new Ghost character - you can sense its presence, but you can not see or hear it. So, when it is near you, I'll let you know here.

By the way, I thought I would give you a little hint:

If you want a post to remain secret (like when Gillings walked in on you in the cabin), you can post again right after it. Since anyone coming in to a conversation can only read the last post, they would just read your innocuous one. I've noticed a couple of other players doing this now.

Why didn't I think of that? Never mind, no answer necessary. Thanks for the tip.

GL:

In the forecastle, post #36,

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/F72915&thread=135032&skip=20&show=20

What does my Truesight tell me about Mr Head's interest in magical jewelry? Is his explanation on the level, can he be trusted with the temporary posession of such an item?

What he says is true enough, but not the whole truth. Your Truesight tells you that it would be dangerous to trust him with the pendant.

It's all so frustrating! For the longest time things here were so dull, dull, dull. Now all kinds of strange things are happening but I still know hardly anything. The people I trust to be truthful tell me so little because they want to protect me. Ohh!

At least I discovered that can talk. She's really a machine! But right now it's important that no one else knows this. Mother suspects, I think. could tell me things that she sees, but I have to find a safe place for us to talk. Maybe the lifeboat...

But my biggest problem is my true identity. I can't risk hurting Mother and Papa with the truth because there is nothing I can do right now to fix things. Unfortunately, Mr. Gilling overheard me telling about me being an . I don't trust him, he might use the information to force me to do something bad.

Someday I'd like to help the Briggs get their daughter back. What my people did was not right. I'm so angry with them that I never want to go back to the Seelie Court. Maybe I can find a way that both Lizzie and I can stay here.

Mother threw her pendant overboard! said she saw her do it. This is just terrible, that amulet was my only hope to have enough magical power to bring the real Lizzie back.

I'll have to find another way. There is lots of magic on this ship. It could be dangerous because some of it is evil, but I have to try. I must be very careful.

I just spoke to Mr. Martens. He is looking for the Raven, but he really doesn't know what it is. It may be dangerous. I told him I will help him look for it. If I find it, I'm to let him know with a secret password... "Dogs are best". That's odd.

Garius:

I'm wondering if the coin I found has any distiguishing characteristics I should be aware of. Could you describe it to me, please?