Deep beneath the surface, rows of monitors flick through scenes of places familiar, alien, and slightly askew. Linked to an artificial Pillar of Ice and Flame, these screens depict far-off dimensions and alternate timelines. This is the Temporal Observer computer, housed within the Temporal Vault--the operations center for the Union-based supergroup Zero Strykers.
Built inside a series of caverns shielded below miles of rock, the Temporal Vault is where the Zero Strykers launch their missions against Rularuu, Praetoria, and any groups that would seek to disrupt neighboring dimensions, or the timestream. The Zero Strykers graciously opened their base to the Paragon Community Team, and gave us an inside look at this high-tech, player-created base.
Teleporting into the main cavern, you can see that the Temporal Vault was built more with utility in mind than aesthetics. Support columns jut up from unworked mantle, with reinforced walls and ceilings to brace the entryway. Stepping through the first roughly-chiseled archway, the Temporal Vault is set into the rock so perfectly it seems as if it were itself a formation of wood, glass, and steel that occurred naturally. An overhanging second floor with a rectangular viewport provides a lookout, while a recessed entryway invites you in.
Two wings provide housing facilities for senior members of the supergroup; multiple rooms on two floors, with individual decor and personal belongings in each. These rooms are as unique as the members themselves, ranging from rooms filled with giant monitors and crackling power generators; rooms covered floor-to-ceiling with antique books, weathered maps, and ancient artifacts; to a joint laboratory and living space set behind dual thick, reinforced steel doors--the private room of one Zero Stryker whose volatile powers might necessitate them being temporarily sealed off. Though this is the main housing area, another exists for the senior members inside of an adjacent cavern. (More on that later)
Before we head into the main operations center, I am led into a side cavern where a cleverly concealed secret passageway houses the supergroup's storage area. Boxes dot the floor and metal shelves hold crates and barrels marked with radioactive warning labels. I don't inquire as to what's in them.
Through another minimally-worked stone passage, a giant, two story area opens up. It's sparse at the moment, but the two bars at the back wall indicate grand plans for this area. Though the Zero Strykers are dedicated to their mission of protecting the timeline, all work and no play would be squandering the underground real estate they own. This area, still under construction, will become "Pocket Z," a club for the Zero Strykers and their guests. One nice thing about being under thousands of tons of solid rock: no neighbors to complain about the loud music.
Back inside the base proper, we stand in a central area that fuses ancient aesthetics with new technology. Wood-paneled walls line the square room, and the raised platform in center is set with wood-and-paper lamps. Upon that platform sits a massive terminal; the look is seamless, not jarring. Off of this main room extend alcoves and pathways leading to various areas of the base, including another storage vault, a small medical center, and one of the main features of the Temporal Vault: the mission computer.
A bit of history: the Temporal Vault was used to launch the first Cathedral of Pain trial on Union; it also launched the first successful Cathedral of Pain trial on the server. The Zero Strykers have built an impressive telepad linked to the mission computer from which they ran these trials; in a bit of forward thinking, they built this area behind a massive sealable door. (Just in case anything followed them back!)
At the back of the base lies the Temporal Observer, the computer that keeps track of each member of the Zero Strykers as they carry out their missions across time and dimensions. The Temporal Observer is also linked to the Zero Strykers' teleport banks, an astounding array of teleporters lined up in two rows along a single hallway. Monitors show the location each teleporter is set to; it's truly an impressive sight, and--in my own opinion--one of the highlights of this base.
The tour is winding down and I am led through one final stone archway, into a cavern where the floor suddenly drops off into a bed of burning rock. A suspended catwalk leads to the aforementioned second member housing area; a quaint building with a small garden filled with decorative plants, a balcony, and further living spaces. Despite the wickedly hot atmosphere just below us, this place feels quite relaxed.
The final room I am shown is a secret meeting room where the top-level members of the Zero Strykers can instantly monitor and respond to high-level threats. For privacy's sake I shall not divulge how to reach this secret area, but suffice to say that its placement was ingenious.
With that, the tour is concluded. The Zero Strykers' Temporal Vault is an amazing work of player creativity, and I would like to thank them for inviting us to visit. Now, to wait on the invite once Pocket Z is completed...
Deep beneath the surface, rows of monitors flick through scenes of places familiar, alien, and slightly askew. Linked to an artificial Pillar of Ice and Flame, these screens depict far-off dimensions and alternate timelines. This is the Temporal Observer computer, housed within the Temporal Vault--the operations center for the Union-based supergroup Zero Strykers.
Built inside a series of caverns shielded below miles of rock, the Temporal Vault is where the Zero Strykers launch their missions against Rularuu, Praetoria, and any groups that would seek to disrupt neighboring dimensions, or the timestream. The Zero Strykers graciously opened their base to the Paragon Community Team, and gave us an inside look at this high-tech, player-created base.
Teleporting into the main cavern, you can see that the Temporal Vault was built more with utility in mind than aesthetics. Support columns jut up from unworked mantle, with reinforced walls and ceilings to brace the entryway. Stepping through the first roughly-chiseled archway, the Temporal Vault is set into the rock so perfectly it seems as if it were itself a formation of wood, glass, and steel that occurred naturally. An overhanging second floor with a rectangular viewport provides a lookout, while a recessed entryway invites you in.
Two wings provide housing facilities for senior members of the supergroup; multiple rooms on two floors, with individual decor and personal belongings in each. These rooms are as unique as the members themselves, ranging from rooms filled with giant monitors and crackling power generators; rooms covered floor-to-ceiling with antique books, weathered maps, and ancient artifacts; to a joint laboratory and living space set behind dual thick, reinforced steel doors--the private room of one Zero Stryker whose volatile powers might necessitate them being temporarily sealed off. Though this is the main housing area, another exists for the senior members inside of an adjacent cavern. (More on that later)
Before we head into the main operations center, I am led into a side cavern where a cleverly concealed secret passageway houses the supergroup's storage area. Boxes dot the floor and metal shelves hold crates and barrels marked with radioactive warning labels. I don't inquire as to what's in them.
Through another minimally-worked stone passage, a giant, two story area opens up. It's sparse at the moment, but the two bars at the back wall indicate grand plans for this area. Though the Zero Strykers are dedicated to their mission of protecting the timeline, all work and no play would be squandering the underground real estate they own. This area, still under construction, will become "Pocket Z," a club for the Zero Strykers and their guests. One nice thing about being under thousands of tons of solid rock: no neighbors to complain about the loud music.
Back inside the base proper, we stand in a central area that fuses ancient aesthetics with new technology. Wood-paneled walls line the square room, and the raised platform in center is set with wood-and-paper lamps. Upon that platform sits a massive terminal; the look is seamless, not jarring. Off of this main room extend alcoves and pathways leading to various areas of the base, including another storage vault, a small medical center, and one of the main features of the Temporal Vault: the mission computer.
A bit of history: the Temporal Vault was used to launch the first Cathedral of Pain trial on Union; it also launched the first successful Cathedral of Pain trial on the server. The Zero Strykers have built an impressive telepad linked to the mission computer from which they ran these trials; in a bit of forward thinking, they built this area behind a massive sealable door. (Just in case anything followed them back!)
At the back of the base lies the Temporal Observer, the computer that keeps track of each member of the Zero Strykers as they carry out their missions across time and dimensions. The Temporal Observer is also linked to the Zero Strykers' teleport banks, an astounding array of teleporters lined up in two rows along a single hallway. Monitors show the location each teleporter is set to; it's truly an impressive sight, and--in my own opinion--one of the highlights of this base.
The tour is winding down and I am led through one final stone archway, into a cavern where the floor suddenly drops off into a bed of burning rock. A suspended catwalk leads to the aforementioned second member housing area; a quaint building with a small garden filled with decorative plants, a balcony, and further living spaces. Despite the wickedly hot atmosphere just below us, this place feels quite relaxed.
The final room I am shown is a secret meeting room where the top-level members of the Zero Strykers can instantly monitor and respond to high-level threats. For privacy's sake I shall not divulge how to reach this secret area, but suffice to say that its placement was ingenious.
With that, the tour is concluded. The Zero Strykers' Temporal Vault is an amazing work of player creativity, and I would like to thank them for inviting us to visit. Now, to wait on the invite once Pocket Z is completed...
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