[weblacky]

For posterity the issue ended up being that the PROM console had moved and changed settings, as we have frequently find, to one of the external serial ports.  The "junk" that s0ke saw on one of the external serial ports was (as I had hoped) the PROM's attempt at serial communications, but at different settings.  I advised to hook back up to the external serial again and try 9600 and up on that port until the text looked normal.  Upon trying 9600 baud, s0ke said it all looked normal now and could see the booting PROM.  

What was then discovered is that the PROM was stopping at POD. It was unclear if it was stopping due to its own error or it was stopping due to a previous request for debug on the L1. Regardless a full reset was performed in PROM, which lost the ability to see PROM at the current port & settings, of course.

I directed that the null modem serial cable be reattached to the internal L1 serial port and that the PROM should now appear through that interface at normal 38,400 speed. That ended up being the case and now S0ke is at this point where both L1 and PROM come thought the L1 port using CRTL+t/d controls and it boots all the way into PROM, presenting the PROM options, show above.

DVI Monitor and peripheral hook up as well as OS loading and further firmware/settings are TBD at this point.