Cytibor's Creations, Ideas and Innovations

[Cytibor]

I'm creating this thread/topic mostly to exercise my creating muscles, and perhaps look for some constructive criticism. I may also post a rough summary of the plot of my Rift's games if I feel up to it, but no guarantees that it will be anything too terribly grand.

[Cytibor]

[THE LACERTA]

The origins of the Lacerta: A system of tropical, 'savage' worlds virtually unnoticed at the edge of the Thunderhead galaxy.
Biology at a glance: The Lacerta, while solidly believing themselves to be of a single race, are divided into several sub-species:
-High Priest, extinct: The Enlightened Ones, serving as their link to their gods, were humanoid reptiles with colorful neck-frills and many bone ridges and markings on their scales, clearly denoting their position/importance. Colored scales were often along the tail, spine and head.
- Priest/Adviser: The Acolytes of Enlightenment are lesser versions of the high priests and served as their assistants. They are smaller, with wiry builds. They sport colored patches of scales to show how the gods have selected them, but have no neck-frills, and possess only a single denoting feature, a crest projecting upwards and back from the skull. They often function as heralds as well as acolytes, using their crest to produce trumpeting noises and music, although any outside of the Lacerta race would be hard pressed to describe it as such. In modern Lacerta culture, the priests serve as advisers to the Rexi, lending logic and reason to their leader's instinct and ferocity.
- War-leaders: The Rexi, centuries old warriors who have had their scales slowly thicken and darken over their long lives. They lead the Lacerta, and are ferocious combatants as well as cunning commanders. There are multiple Rexi of varying rank, but a rough summary would be that most Rexi function as the leaders/rulers of individual temple cities and also as the captains of space-faring vessels or the commander of forces on the ground. Most other races question how a race with so many apparent leaders can function, but one must keep in mind that the Lacerta rarely squabble amongst each other, and each Rexi will perform his duties for the good of the Lacerta as a whole.
- Artisans/Scouts: Similar to the priests, except without the colored scales. Their small stature and nimble fingers make them ideal builders and craftsmen, and in the event of ground conflict also function as nimble scouts. They also possess chameleonic qualities, allowing them to excel at gathering information without being noticed. The artisans do have tails, but they are shorter than the warrior's, and barely prehensile. The smaller Lacerta simply don't require the tail's added balance, they are agile and swift on their own.
- Warriors: The warriors of the Lacerta are an intimidating sight to behold. They stand approximately 8 feet tall [they continue to grow over their centuries-long lives. Ancient warriors and Rexi often stand in excess of 10 feet.] in a slightly hunched fashion following the curve of their spine, and have thickly muscled limbs with clawed digits. Their tails are mostly to balance them, but are powerful in their own right and are prehensile, and make excellent clubs. They sport bone ridges on their shoulders, heads and along their spine and tails, giving them natural body armor. As time goes by, their scales grow steadily thicker and darker, and any warrior of this age is a truly remarkable warrior not to be taken lightly.
- Laborers/Brawlers: Massive Lacerta with an impressive muscle structure, even when compared to the warriors. They were originally created by the gods to serve as laborers directed by the artisans, but they also served in combat as heavy support to warriors, capable of ripping trees from the ground or hurling rocks. They stand 12 feet tall, and share the slightly hunched posture of the warriors, and while they lack the armor plating of their cousins, their scales are easily thick enough to make up for it.

History: The Lacerta lived for millenia in wondrous temple cities in a rigid caste society laid out by the will of their gods. Their population never became unbalanced or exceeded the resources their paradise had to offer, and, other than dealing with their world's vicious predators, they lived in peace. But their high priests, the highest and most long-lived caste, was slowly dwindling away to nothing. The other castes clung to the links to their gods they had remaining and protected them vigilantly, but in time, the high priests were no more. The lesser priests did their best to hold their society together, but they knew that without the guidance of their gods the Lacerta would scatter and perish. They refused to allow this to happen. Using what magic they had left to them, they shouted out to their people: “The Enlightened Ones are gone, this is fact. But are we, the Lacerta, hunters of the predators of our world and builders of the great temple cities, going to allow ourselves to die out? If the gods have abandoned us, then they did so long ago and we have lived this long without them. And if they have not, then is this not but a test? So answer our call, Lacerta...Will we perish, and let the message of our gods fade away to nothing?”
And as one, the Lacerta made known their answer. “NO!”
The high priests had long ago guided the priests, artisans and laborers to great veins of metals and precious gems with which to build their temple cities, and to those resources the Lacerta returned, mining, smelting, learning and devising new ways to implement their discoveries in a massive, concentrated refusal to give in to despair and faithlessness. Within a century, they had progressed from dark age level building techniques and weapons of bone, bronze and wood to a level roughly equivalent to 20th century human civilization, their temple cities becoming the spiritual heart of thriving industrial centers and places of learning and science. Unlike man, however, the Lacerta possessed a kinship with their environment, and the thought of tearing down their jungles was abhorrent to them. Once the negative effects of the smog of industrial production became known, they strove as one to find solutions and alternatives to their energy requirements, and their world was soon running entirely on solar, wind and geothermal power. Along the way they discovered energy weapons, bionic augmentation, mega-damage materials and still retained their spiritual core, with their priests standing as competent practitioners of magic and 'chosen' among the other castes wielded similar powers [mystics, psionic classes]. They were truly the masters of their world, and yet had not broken it or subjugated it to their will, as their population had remained at a manageable level through some unconscious racial balance. And then, suddenly, their numbers began to increase. Their priests took it as a sign: It was time for the new Lacerta to reach out to the stars. The artisans constructed their first space vessels, and they set out to explore. Their solar system had planets unusually close together, and even without FTL travel they managed to reach many of their neighboring worlds in the centuries to come. It was around this time that they encountered their first 'alien', a Slugorth vessel on a scouting mission to their system. The Splugorth took one look at the almost machine-like efficiency of the Lacerta and saw in them a perfect slave race capable of fulfilling any role. The scouting vessel promptly made planet-fall on the nearest Lacerta-colonized world to begin subjugation, confidant that taming the comparatively low-tech 'savages' would be a simple task. However, in their enthusiasm, they failed to notice that the world they had descended upon was but the newest of the Lacerta's planets, its' temple cities only just completed. When the minions of the Splugorth struck and destroyed a temple city on the new world, the Lacerta discovered an emotion that their purpose-filled lives had never caused them to feel before. They were angry. As one, they launched from their other worlds, and bore down upon the Splugorth minions as a single bellowing monster of primordial fury. The minions of Splugorth had made a gross miscalculation, and they were hunted down and slain with cold and ruthless efficiency. The temple city's rebuilding began, but at it's heart they discovered the vessel of their enemy, and their artisans quickly analyzed and broke it down for study. Within a decade, the Lacerta possessed the knowledge to create FTL space vessels, and had begun developing ships beyond the simple role of traveling through space.

The Lacerta in space: The Lacerta are a peculiar race, functioning as a coordinated whole in every endeavor they undertake, be it colonization or defense. When scanning a potential planet for colonization, they check for three things:
- Is the climate acceptable?
- Is there another space-faring race colonizing the world?
- Is there a sentient civilization developing on the world?
The Lacerta, to date, have never colonized another race's world, and have only ever engaged in war for self-defense. Since branching out from their home world, the unified efficiency of their species has persisted, although it has had to coordinate across far greater distances than ever before. Their [somewhat limited] exposure to other races has had some changes, however. They have discovered that some races subject others to unwilling bondage, a practice known as 'slavery'. The unnatural forcing of a race into servitude does not sit well with the Lacerta, and has made them a staunch enemy of the Splugorth and others who deal in slaves. Their warriors have also discovered that the universe is massive and full of challenges, and this delights them beyond any other discovery or revelation. Since arriving on the galactic scene, the Lacerta have been seen on battlefields all over the Three Galaxies, lending their strength to noble causes and coming to the defense of those besieged by the Splugorth and Transgalactic Empire. [They have had limited contact with and heard stories of the Shem-Rahn and Ecotroz-Shemar, and so far they see like-minded allies, and will greet members of either group with respectful behaviour.] Once the battle is won, they simply board their ships and leave to find another challenge. Many of those who have witnessed the Lacerta in combat have noted that the warriors seem to take a certain delight in combat, and the more the odds favor their foe, the more the Lacerta seem to love it, fighting with a combination of an almost religious fervor and predatory ferocity.

The caste structure of the Lacerta is a superb example of what happens when a society of individuals, each with their own will and thoughts, is capable of functioning as a single whole without selfishness and greed interfering. With the exception of ritual combat to determine the most able Rexus [war leader], there is no competition between or within the castes for supremacy or promotion. All Lacerta instinctively understand that what they do is fundamental to their race as a whole, and in most cases will never question it. This does, however, make their society very central to their leaders, and when deprived of a clear commander or orders, they are often hesitant and uncertain. They will defend themselves if necessary, but aside from establishing a perimeter and at least a basic command post, they will await further instruction. This is not to say, however, that they are all timid and incapable of taking command. The Rexi of the Lacerta are individuals who are chosen by their gods [or so the Lacerta believe] who possess the drive to lead their people. The Rexi possess a certain knack for identifying the touch of the gods in their subordinates, and will never dispatch a long-range scouting party or force of any size without at least one such potential leader, a sort of sleeper-agent strategy to ensure that a leader capable of adapting to unforeseen circumstances is always present.

The caste structure of Lacerta civilization: Rexus [plural: Rexi, war leaders] > Adviser/Priest > Artisan > Warrior [Not disrespected, but simply the least specialized and therefor the most expendable. No bitterness or regret, they understand their role. Indeed, dying a glorious death in battle for their people is the greatest honor they could ever bring upon themselves, and they firmly believe that such a death guarantees them reincarnation, allowing them to return to serving their people. Such warriors are always eager to pit themselves against challengers, and seek their 'ultimate' foe.]

Reproduction: The legends of the Lacerta claim that the first of each caste was created by their gods in sacred spawning pools, and they emerged fully formed and with an instinctive knowledge of their role. If these pools exist, then the Lacerta have never found them. The females of their kind are virtually indistinguishable from the males to outsiders, unless one knows what to look for. The females, while every bit as strong and capable as the males, possess slightly more graceful movements and appear as slightly more delicate and sinuous. Another difference, and the most readily apparent from a distance, is that the female's scales lighten with age rather than darken. Females are egg-laying, and reach sexual maturity at around 25 years of age, and are oviparous. They can lay 1d4 eggs every year provided they have a mate/partner, with a gestation period of about 6 months.

Family structure within the Lacerta: Lacerta mate for life, but the actual process of choosing a mate is a contradiction to their very way of life. Since most newborn Lacerta hatch at approximately the same time, they are near in age. They are separated by caste and then raised and taught together as a 'clutch'. Once the males reach sexual maturity at around 20 years of age, the males become extremely competitive with one another. They will [initially] engage in contests of strength, speed and skill to distinguish themselves from the rest. [Note: These contests are often very much like games.] When the females reach maturity roughly five years later, the males should clearly have established which of them is the strongest in particular areas, and it is the female's turn to compete over the best mate. Once the process is complete and all have a partner, the competitive instinct fades and all develop a strong and very real bond with their life-partner. Laying eggs is completely up to the pair's preference, but certain circumstances and threats to the Lacerta will strengthen the instinct to reproduce. Once the eggs are lain, they are placed into a communal hatchery, for the process to repeat with the next generation.

[Cytibor]

The castes of the Lacerta in greater detail.

[THE WARRIOR CASTE] (Slightly revised description.)
The warriors of the Lacerta are an intimidating sight to behold. They stand approximately 8 feet tall [they continue to grow over their centuries-long lives. Ancient warriors and Rexi often stand approximately 10 feet.] in a slightly hunched fashion following the curve of their spine, and have thickly muscled limbs with clawed digits. Their tails are mostly to balance them, but are powerful in their own right and are prehensile, and make excellent clubs. They sport bone ridges on their shoulders, heads and along their spine and tails, giving them natural body armor. As time goes by, their scales grow steadily thicker and darker [lighter in the case of females], and any warrior of this age is a truly remarkable warrior not to be taken lightly.


Attributes
I.Q.: 3d6
M.A.: 2d6
M.E.: 3d6
P.S.: 5d6
P.P.: 4d6
P.E.: 4d6
P.B.: 3d6 [Scale coloration and similar can make them rather pleasing to the eye.]
Spd: 5d6
M.D.C.: A Lacerta Warrior is a mega-damage creature. Equal to P.E. attribute x5, plus 2d6 per level, plus convert any S.D.C. or H.P. gained from physical skills or O.C.C. training into additional M.D.C.
P.P.E.: 2d6 plus 1d6 per level, unless an O.C.C.'s amount would be higher. Very few proper magi, that role is more suited to the artisans/priests. They may have enough personal P.P.E. to operate some Techno-Wizard devices, however.
I.S.P.: As per O.C.C./P.C.C. Otherwise roll on the same table as human beings.

Acceptable O.C.C.s: Virtually any man-at-arms/soldier, and there is also a (very) small % (~1%) of Lacerta Warriors that possess magic talent, although they lean towards combat applications such as the Battle Magus. Most Lacerta have the aptitude for psionics, but they tend to develop best through training, however the odd Eruptor-class master psionic or Mind Melter DOES manifest. Note: The most common Eruptor psionic among the Lacerta Warriors is the Burster, perhaps because of their love for hot places. The most prevalent class of all, however, is the atypical Lacerta Warrior. The training of the Warrior Caste of the Lacerta is uncannily similar to that undertaken by aspiring Cyber-Knights! [Even the living armor! It is grafted onto the scales of the Lacerta.] Note that the following changes to the Cyber-Knight's level advancement abilities do apply. Replace the corresponding level's abilities with the following [and credit goes to Dhak for these, he sent them to me. ]: Special anti-supernatural abilities.
Level 4: Awareness versus supernatural threats; +3 intitiative Vs. minor supernaturals, +6 Vs demons, +3 to strike & parry (added to normal combat bonuses) and supernatural creatures lose two actions when facing-off against the Lacerta warrior.
level 5: Auto Dodge Vs. supernaturals @ +4 (no other bonuses apply).
Level 6: Spirit Strike (Chi MDC death-blow Vs. spirits & supernatural creatures).
Level 8: Protection Circle; Greater, when psi-sword is raised. Takes 2 actions per turn to keep active, lasts 1 melee per level, and only defensive actions may be taken.
Level 9: Smite! X10 damage with psi-sword Vs. spirits, demons & supernaturals! Uses 10 ISP per strike. ISP expended only when a hit is made, but that also includes mundane targets which are NOT affected by the X10 damage bonus.

Horror/Awe Factor: 10
Combat: As per H.T.H. training. +1 attack/melee
Damage: As per H.T.H. or weapon.
Bonuses: +1 to initiative, +2 perception, +10% vs. coma/death.
Average Life-Span: 1000 years, though their enthusiasm in seeking worthy foes and causes tends to shorten their effective life spans somewhat.
Skills of Note: All are literate and fluent in their native tongue [Lacertan, 98%] but can understand Dragonese at only -10%. They receive a +20% bonus to track by scent, and a +15% bonus to Swimming. [Or a base skill of 50%]
Enemies: Most despotic regimes, and those who engage in slavery. They have also developed a healthy dislike for evil supernatural beings and evil in general.
Allies: Beings of good alignment, and most peaceful cultures. Have had limited contact with and heard stories of the Shem-Rahn and Ecotroz-Shemar, and so far they see like-minded allies, and will greet members of either group with respectful behaviour.
Physical Description: The warrior caste is the second largest of the three remaining Lecerta sub-species. They are powerfully built, with tails roughly one third their height in length. They have scales, usually green or blue in colour, but the scales will darken/lighten with age, depending on gender. They have clawed fingers and toes, as well as sharp teeth and powerful jaws. [+1d6 punch damage to a claw strike, 3d6 bite damage]
Size: Females; 8ft. +1d6 inches. Males; 8ft. +1d8 inches.
All Lacerta warriors grow at a rate of roughly 1 inch ever 50 years.
Weight; Females; ~250lbs. Males; ~275lbs.

Natural Abilities: Resistant to heat/fire [half damage] and suffers no debilitating effects from heat until over 70 degrees centigrade. Excellent color vision that can spot a mouse 500 feet away, and immune to the effects of glare. Possesses a second eyelid similar to that of a crocodile that allows them to leave their eyes open when underwater or in smoke/gas/etc.

The Artisan/Priest Castes
The artisans and priests of the Lacerta are both selected from the same sub-species, the smaller, crested variety.
- Priest/Adviser: The Acolytes of Enlightenment are lesser versions of the high priests and served as their assistants. They are smaller, with wiry builds. They sport colored patches of scales to show how the gods have selected them, but have no neck-frills, and possess only a single denoting feature, a crest projecting upwards and back from the skull. They often function as heralds as well as acolytes, using their crest to produce trumpeting noises and music, although any outside of the Lacerta race would be hard pressed to describe it as such. In modern Lacerta culture, the priests serve as advisers to the Rexi, lending logic and reason to their leader's instinct and ferocity.
- Artisans/Scouts: Similar to the priests, except without the colored scales. Their small stature and nimble fingers make them ideal builders and craftsmen, and in the event of ground conflict also function as nimble scouts. They also possess chameleonic qualities, allowing them to excel at gathering information without being noticed. The artisans do have tails, but they are shorter than the warrior's, and barely prehensile. The smaller Lacerta simply don't require the tail's added balance, they are agile and swift on their own.

Attributes
I.Q.: 4d6
M.A.: 4d6
M.E.: 4d6
P.S.: 3d6
P.P.: 4d6
P.E.: 3d6
P.B.: 3d6 [Scale coloration and similar can make them rather pleasing to the eye.]
Spd: 4d6
M.D.C.: Lacerta artisans and priests are minor mega-damage creature. Equal to P.E. attribute, plus 2d6 per level, plus convert any S.D.C. or H.P. gained from physical skills or O.C.C. training into additional M.D.C.
P.P.E.: 5d6 plus 2d6 per level, unless an O.C.C.'s amount would be higher.
I.S.P.: As per O.C.C./P.C.C. Otherwise roll on the same table as human beings.

Acceptable O.C.C.s:
Artisan - Scholar, Scientist and Operator are the most common. [Scholar and Scientist as per the 'rogue' Scholar and Scientist in the Ultimate Edition.] However, a growing number of artisans are discovering the wonders of power armor, so power armor pilot classes are also possible.
Priest - Ley Line Walker is the most common, followed by Mystics and Warlocks. Master-level psionics also possible.

Horror/Awe Factor: 7 when recognized as a priest of the Lacertan.
Combat: As per H.T.H. training.
Damage: As per H.T.H. or weapon.
Bonuses: +2 to initiative, +3 perception, Priest-only: +2 vs magic, +2 vs psionics.
Average Life-Span: 800 years.
Skills of Note: All are literate and fluent in their native tongue [Lacertan, 98%] but can understand Dragonese at only -10%. They receive a +20% bonus to track by scent, and a +25% bonus to Swimming. [Or a base skill of 65%]. The artisan/priest sub-species also have chameleon-like scales, allowing them to blend in with their surroundings. Gives a +20% to the Prowl skill, or a base skill of 60%. Also possess the unique skill of “Play Musical Instrument: Crest” at 60%, plus 5% per level.
Enemies: Most despotic regimes, and those who engage in slavery. They have also developed a healthy dislike for evil supernatural beings and evil in general.
Allies: Beings of good alignment, and most peaceful cultures. Have had limited contact with and heard stories of the Shem-Rahn and Ecotroz-Shemar, and so far they see like-minded allies, and will greet members of either group with respectful behaviour.
Physical Description: The artisan and priest Lecerta sub-species are the smallest of the three remaining. They have wiry builds, with short tails. They have scales, usually light green/blue in colour, and their scales have a chamelonic quality. [Mentioned above.] They have clawed fingers and toes, as well as sharp teeth. [+1d6 punch damage to a claw strike, 2d4 bite damage]
Size: Females; 4ft. +1d4 inches. Males; 4ft. +1d6 inches.
Weight; Females; ~125lbs. Males; ~150lbs.

Natural Abilities: Resistant to heat/fire [half damage] and suffers no debilitating effects from heat until over 70 degrees centigrade. Excellent color vision that can spot a mouse 500 feet away, and immune to the effects of glare. Possesses a second eyelid similar to that of a crocodile that allows them to leave their eyes open when underwater or in smoke/gas/etc. Chameleon-scales [see above.]

The Laborer Caste
- Laborers/Brawlers: Massive Lacerta with an impressive muscle structure, even when compared to the warriors. They were originally created by the gods to serve as laborers directed by the artisans, but they also served in combat as heavy support to warriors, capable of ripping trees from the ground or hurling rocks. They stand 12 feet tall, and share the slightly hunched posture of the warriors, and while they lack the armor plating of their cousins, their scales are easily thick enough to make up for it.

Attributes
I.Q.: 2d6
M.A.: 2d6
M.E.: 3d6
P.S.: 3d6+25
P.P.: 3d6
P.E.: 6d6
P.B.: 2d6 [Scale coloration and similar can make them rather pleasing to the eye.]
Spd: 6d6
M.D.C.: A Lacerta Laborer is a mega-damage creature. Equal to P.E. attribute x5, plus 3d6 per level, plus convert any S.D.C. or H.P. gained from physical skills or O.C.C. training into additional M.D.C.
P.P.E.: 2d6 plus 1d6 per level
I.S.P.: None. No psionics.

Laborer R.C.C.: 12 skills chosen from Domestic, Physical, Wilderness and W.P. The Laborer isn't very skilled, but in its assigned role, it doesn't need to be. In the event of a particularly bright Laborer deciding to assist the Warrior caste, or finds him/herself stranded in a strange environment, they can learn a proper O.C.C.

Horror/Awe Factor: 14
Combat: As per H.T.H. training. +1 attack/melee
Damage: As per H.T.H. or weapon.
Bonuses: +1 to initiative, +1 perception, +30% vs. coma/death.
Average Life-Span: 1200 years.
Skills of Note: All are literate and fluent in their native tongue [Lacertan, 98%] but can understand Dragonese at only -10%. They receive a +20% bonus to track by scent, and a +15% bonus to Swimming. [Or a base skill of 50%]
Enemies: Most despotic regimes, and those who engage in slavery. They have also developed a healthy dislike for evil supernatural beings and evil in general.
Allies: Beings of good alignment, and most peaceful cultures. Have had limited contact with and heard stories of the Shem-Rahn and Ecotroz-Shemar, and so far they see like-minded allies, and will greet members of either group with respectful behaviour.
Physical Description: The warrior caste is the second largest of the three remaining Lecerta sub-species. They are powerfully built, with tails roughly one third their height in length. They have scales, usually green or blue in colour, but the scales will darken/lighten with age, depending on gender. They have clawed fingers and toes, as well as sharp teeth and powerful jaws. [+1d6 punch damage to a claw strike, 3d6 bite damage]
Size: Females; 12ft. +1d6 inches. Males; 12ft. +1d8 inches.
All Lacerta Laborers grow at a rate of roughly 1 inch ever 50 years.
Weight; Females; ~400lbs. Males; ~425lbs.

Natural Abilities: Resistant to heat/fire [half damage] and suffers no debilitating effects from heat until over 70 degrees centigrade. Excellent color vision that can spot a mouse 500 feet away, and immune to the effects of glare. Possesses a second eyelid similar to that of a crocodile that allows them to leave their eyes open when underwater or in smoke/gas/etc.

[DhAkael]

*snoops*

kthanxbyecul8r

[taalismn]

Look like fun people on the first run-read through...

[Cytibor]

Thanks. They were sort of a rush job, I sort of jotted them down and fleshed them out a little over a few hours, so they're nothing too impressive. I've got some planning and preparation to do for my Rifts game tomorrow, but once that's done I'm thinking of getting to work on their technology.
I'm thinking exoskeletons for the Warriors [possibly Laborers] to help them get into/stay in the fight longer and do more damage, and power armor for the smaller sub-species.
Giant robots? Hmm...just doesn't seem to fit with their combat style. Spacecraft will be interesting as well, I'm thinking boarding craft for the most part.

[taalismn]

Hey, whatever feels right in your mind and as long as you're having fun creating and refining them.
Heck, everybody should have their own munchkiny minion race....As Duck-Foot.

[ZINO]

n1

[taalismn]

"Warriors shoot from inside and behind cars. Laborers THROW cars. Either way, it's going to hurt. Take my advice; don't pick on people who either shoot at you or throw cars at you. Just my personal preference."

[Cytibor]

Very true, very true.

And thanks for the chuckle. I needed one.

[Cytibor]

Well, finally decided to share some of my campaign's story. Keep in mind it's not as fancy or well-written as Dhak's, but perhaps in time I'll feel up to really fleshing it out. Some details WILL be withheld just in case some of my players that shouldn't know 'em actually turn up to read this.
Also, this was not kept from day 1, so the earlier posts are much less detailed because my memory SUCKS.
If there are any holes or questions, I'll do my best to fill them in/answer them.

THE YEAR 100 POST-APOCALYPSE

- January 1st, 100 P.A : Klem [a New West gunslinger] and Halco [Lyn'Srial Skyknight] meet, have some minor bandit trouble, and finally meet Trafalgar Law [gunfighter].
- January 4th: The trio meet up with Jase Taggart [Native Mystic Warrior] in Clarkdale County, and he decides to join up with them on their travels.
- January 10th: The group arrives in Ciudad Juarez and meets up with Justice, a Justice Ranger who takes a bit of a shine to Law [who feels the same way towards her], and she ends up traveling with the group as they head south to fight the vampires of Mexico.
- January 18th: The group arrives at Fort Reid in Mexico after many days of traveling through the hot sun and cold nights, suffering several vampire attacks on the way. On their first night settling in, a Rift deposits Cloud Eris into their company, and she decides to stick with them until she can figure out how to get home.
- January 19th: The group sees just how effective Doc Reid's “training” is, making Eris and Justice so outraged they decide to take matters into their own hands. They decide that for the next 5 weeks, while the recruits are being trained, they will teach the recruits proper vampire-hunting technique, in the hopes of stemming the flow of pointless deaths due to their inexperience and poor training.
- During the 5 weeks, Halco goes on an expedition and encounters a ley line storm, and tries to fly over the Yucatan Peninsula, and is consequently trapped in a magical slumber inside a limbo dimension for 1D6x100 years. Only one of his escorts survives the trip.
- February 22nd: Their five week training over with, the group is brought before Doc Reid himself, who expresses how displeased he is with what he perceives as their “undermining” of his authority. Eris and Justice in particular are furious with the man, and it nearly comes to blows. Instead, Doc Reid demands they leave his office, and informs them he will be giving them a mission in the near future.
- February 23rd: The “mission” is handed down: to travel to a small farming community 30 miles from Ixzotz and capture it to secure a forward position in the war against the vampires. The group is not aware that Ixzotz is the capital city of the Ixzotz Vampire Kingdom. They leave before noon and make good time, seeing several signs of shanty-towns or camps burned to the ground, but with peculiar tracks leading away before disappearing. They make camp at nightfall.
- February 24th: The group wakes up and moves on, stopping atop a hill overlooking the farming community at about noon to survey their target. Moving into town, they met the locals, and after some initial nit-picking over details, they informed the villagers that they were working with Reid's Rangers, and they were quickly accepted with open arms. After some concern over faithful villagers, the group was led to a doorway leading down to the supposed vampire lair. A small boy ran down before them, looking haunted, and when Eris tried to catch him, a pair of Ghouls [proper Hades ones] burst forth, but were quickly dispatched. As they proceeded through the doorway they found stairs, and proceeding down those they found an Alu Demon Hound laying in wait. After a short but intense battle, climaxing in Eris stopping the beast's charge cold with her shoulder [with some odd happenings surrounding Law contributing]. The monster defeated, they headed further down and found the vampires' sleeping arrangements. After some...imaginative thinking on the part of Eris [Fire Blasting a hole in the ceiling] the vampires were quickly destroyed. Law then helped organize the villagers into teams, and a great scavenger hunt was undertaken. In four short hours, they found a sizeable amount of wood, piping [previously used for irrigation] and barbed wire, and constructed large crosses to help ward off the vampire's inevitable counter-attack after dark.
The attack: Begins only an hour or so after dark, several dozen wild vampires and several dozen more secondaries, as well as 6 ghouls and a pair of Alu Demon Hounds assault from the front, which were engaged by Klem, Eris and Jase. Justice and Law found a secret way for the vampires to get in, and fought them head on, Justice getting bitten and Law going berserk. As the dust settled, Justice was found with a bite on her neck, and Law had to be dug out of the stairway leading to the secret passage. Eris also discovered some interesting things about the party's resident Gunfighter. How will this change the party's reactions to each other? We'll have to see. The Master vampire and demon familiar to the intelligence also made an appearance, both of which were defeated, the familiar's death resulting in a chain reaction that also destroyed the vampire intelligence. Justice also had a vision of the intelligence's destruction, showing that a third party had been fighting the intelligence itself, a skeleton cloaked in shadows.
- February 25th: The group slept in to about 2 P.M to rest up from last night and to prepare for Reid's arrival. Law and Justice gave in to their feelings and consummated their relationship, with Eris walking in on them somewhere near the climax. They had a conversation following this on the matter of Law's origin and Eris' home dimension, and left it off as Eris went to wake Jase with some cold water. She ultimately decides not to splash the sleeping warrior, however, and the rest of the day is spent with the group taking care of their personal business. Eris and Jase spend some quality time working out, Wren and Klem got slightly better acquainted, and Law could be seen making trips to and from town.
Unknown to [most of] the rest of the group, just that morning Law and Justice had consummated their relationship in a most passionate manner. While Justice recovered from the ordeal Law was out and about looking for an ideal spot for a plan he had in mind. He found it, and with a great amount of luck he managed to locate a suitable stone, a diamond in fact. Later that evening, with Eris and Jase on watch, Law woke the sleeping Justice and the two snuck off to the location Law had found earlier. Once there, he revealed his true intentions, a heartfelt proposal on bent knee, asking Imala to be his wife. Initially quite stunned, Imala accepted his proposal with all her heart.
- February 26th: The group was roused by Doctor Reid arguing with Cyrus, a painter in his employ. Jase was the first to come face to face with the Doc, but the rest of the group soon emerged, and a VERY heated discussion was soon well under way. In mere minutes the “good” Doctor was sufficiently enraged to begin making barely veiled threats. In a shocking turn, Grizzly Carter, Vyurr Kly, Meetal the Butcher and Mii-Tar the Destroyer, all loyal members of Reid' Rangers, declared they would have NO part in Reid's budding madness. They left at the same time as the player group, and the two groups departed on good terms after Justice presented him with a letter of recommendation as a Justice Ranger. Continuing on, Law, Eris and Justice talked in secret about the possibility of Reid ambushing them later, a concern brought up by a small glimpse into Reid's thoughts by Law during the argument. That night, Reid attacked, along with Planktal-Nakton, Raoul Lazarious and Carlotta the White. Eris and Law faced the corrupt Cyber-Knight and his lady love in secret, while Reid, Planktal-Nakton and Wilding attacked the remainder of the group under cover of darkness.
Justice snuck after Law and Eris and assisted at range with an energy rifle, and when the pair returned she had words for her newly engaged fiance. She was very upset with him for leaving her behind, and while she understood his desire to keep her safe, she did not agree with his logic. It is her steadfast belief that when the Great Spirit desires you to join him, you shall, regardless of the circumstances, and as a warrior she would much prefer to die standing and in combat. Law apologized and promised to do his best to keep this in mind in the future. On her return from assisting them, she also saved the rest of the group from Planktal-Nakton's minions by sniping the necromancer himself with some well-placed shots, using Law's laser-rifle.
The group managed to repel the attack, and Reid, Planktal and Wilding were all slain, along with Raoul and Carlotta. After the fight, Eris went out to investigate a fallen object from space, and discovered a lone alien robot. The robot identified itself as “Geth”, and Eris quickly determined that the robot was not hostile. After learning of its 1000+ programs making up its A.I, she remembered a biblical quote and named the robot “Legion”, which it accepted.
- February 27th: The group met up with Eris and Legion, and proceeded to head north, there destination Silvereno and the Ironhorse train system.
Law and Justice split off from the group to visit Justice's tribe, fully intending to get married as soon as possible. They planned to meet up with the rest of the group at Lazlo as soon as they could.
- March 1st to 3rd: Reached Silvereno, boarded the #15 Ironhorse. Travelled to Kingsdale before transferring to the #12, which brought them to a station just outside of Lazlo. The group split up for the evening, Jase and Klem crashing in the backseat of Cyrus' jeep for the time being. Wren camped out in one of the greener areas, and Eris went out to see what parts of 'her' Lazlo remained. She was sadly disappointed, however, to find that other than the established government locations she knew, many of her favourite haunts did not exist.
- March 4th: Eris and Legion went ahead to a cafe at the Eaton's Center [partly rebuilt and refurbished as a market district], and waited for the others to arrive. Law and Justice arrived at Lazlo and met up with Wren, and Cyrus bumped into them as well. Moving inside, they sat down to hear Eris' news on the status of Lazlo, and did their best to comfort her. Law and Justice of course pledged their support with a smile. Councillor Dominus Maeryth overheard part of their conversation and wandered over to poke his nose into it, freaking Eris out. [Dominus = very bad guy from her world.] After a brief conversation, Dominus went about his business. Eris then proceeded to lay down the group's objectives. First: Secure some finances. Second: Try to find some gear and supplies. Third: Establish connections with the powers that be. The group pulled together [mostly] and set up a bank account of over 2 and a half million credits, and Cyrus' contacts at the Crystal Rose set him up with an unused warehouse. Legion got his weapons working once more, and the Justice recalled Raphael's interest in moving to a big city, as well as a contact the Chief mentioned to her, Bethesda Mercenary Enterprises. She and Law went to contact their friend and this contact while the others got to work on the warehouse.
- March 5th: The group woke up and were introduced to Ratoncito [or “Young Rat” in Spanish], a City Rat that had been busted for stealing a bottle of brandy. Klem volunteered to be her probation officer, and is responsible for her while she is in his custody. After that was settled, the group got started on their preparations. Cyrus went to deliver a painting to his benefactors at the Crystal Rose. Jase found some stabling for the horses near to their warehouse. Klem and Rat went and located an electronics store to compare prices on cooking ranges and refrigerators. Law and Justice accompanied Eris to meet with Plato. The meeting went well, with Eris pledging her allegiance to Plato/Lazlo, and requesting three things: Permission to recruit members, two letters of of recommendation to the Guilds of Magi, and a long-term lease on the warehouse. Plato agreed to help with her requests, and as they left he asked to speak with Law, alone, but Justice refused to leave without him. Eris met up with Jase outside, and the pair headed back to the warehouse to see what was happening.
- March 12th: After attending to their various business over the course of a week, such as Klem's Warlock training, Eris working on her TW construction skills, and the arrival of Raphael, the group is approached by an envoy of Plato with a letter for Eris. In preparation for their trip to Dweomer, Eris takes Justice and Law and heads to the Relic House to collect the shipment that was sent from her home dimension, containing weapons, armor, ammunition and a flying bike...thing. Eris also found her I-Beam sword, and stored it in a D-locker for the time being. Once back at the warehouse the group talked about their plans, only to have Cyrus attract their attention outside. Dashing to see what was the matter, they found the Shadowman dangling the hapless painter by the leg, 25 feet in the air. After screwing with them for a while, the demonic aberration flew off to do who-knows-what someplace else. The group turned in for the night, and Rat snuck off to recharge some of the clips for the guns they found, which were inexplicably drained of juice.
- March 13th: Waking the next day, the group set off for Dweomer after making some preparations. Cyrus was in a foul mood and would not let Mouse [a recently renamed Rat] ride with him, so Law swapped the hovercycle he 'acquired' from a Mystic Knight for a Wastelander motorcycle for their newest companion to ride. Traveling to Dweomer didn't take long, and they soon arrive in the woods surrounding the city's supposed location. Initially unable to find their way in, the group were eventually met by a group of Battle Magi who led them into Dweomer, though at a rapid pace that made it clear that they did not take kindly to their assignment. Once in the city proper, Cyrus nearly got himself shot down as he hovered into the city 20 feet in the air. Eris managed to diffuse the situation, and the group then split up to explore and do the “tourist” bit. Justice went to the library to do some research, Law and Eris went to find the Brotherhood of Battle, and Legion, Klem and Mouse went to the pet store to get Legion a kitten so he could study “the attachment organics feel towards the smaller organics classified as pets.” Continuing on, Legion and Co. discover Cyrus' jeep being vandalized, and confronted the thugs responsible. A minor scuffle broke out, and by the time all was said and done 3 of the thugs had been killed, and a Gallu Bull's crotch booted. The authorities finally arrived and escorted the group to a waiting room/holding area, where they met a Lord Magus and were brought to trial. In a stunning move of corrupt law and politics, the Lord Magus tried to ignore the group's evidence and push for conviction, simply because Klem accepted responsibility for what had happened and the Lord Magus used his word for word statement as a technicality. Fortunately, Law and Jase managed to find Lady Varjiniat, Head of the High Magi, and she accompanied them to the courtroom to doll out some justice, along with Lord Verkot, Head of the Battle Magi. The trial was brought to an abrupt end, and the Lord Magus was harshly scolded. The group then assisted Mouse, who had been a hostage in the earlier conflict, refuel her motorcycle and then went for a well-deserved meal and then rest.
- March 14th: Mouse's very early morning mission: Mouse, at Eris' request, set out to discover what she could about yesterday's encounter with the thugs. She returned to the scene and investigated as best she could, finding little at the scene in terms of evidence. She did however, using her memory, track the Gallu demon bull back to his hiding place prior to his appearance at the scene: an abandoned workshop/garage. Inside had a dirt floor, and she noticed that one of the Gallu's hooves left the imprint of a strange insignia in the dirt. Following the hoof-prints, she discovered a rough-looking building, and, upon hearing voices, crept closer for a better listening point. Her eavesdropping reveals that the thugs from yesterday are most upset at losing 3 of their pals, and are complaining to a broker type individual, who assures them he is going to meet with the client to discuss remuneration. Mouse tails the man for a time, finally arriving at a bench discreetly tucked away in an alley, where he sat down to wait. Much to Mouse's surprise, and alarm, the gentleman was soon joined by a Lord Magus, literally appearing from nowhere. They spoke for a time, and the Lord Magus agreed to compensate the broker and the thugs for their loss. The gent was relieved at this, and asked for his best to be conveyed to the Lord Magus' master, before setting off back in the direction of the rough-looking building. Mouse resumed tailing him from a distance, and she was considering stealing the man's briefcase for information when the Lord Magus suddenly reappeared, proclaiming that the gent was “no longer required”, and promptly plunging a vibro-knife into the man's throat. Mouse bolted for help, drawing two Battle Magi to the scene as quickly as possible, but the Lord Magus has already vanished. She explained to them what she heard [more or less. She didn't want to let on she had been following the gent.] and bolted for the hotel. Along the way, the Lord Magus appeared briefly in an alley, clutching the man's briefcase, spurring her to ever greater speed. Finally reaching the [supposed] safety of the hotel, she stopped to catch her breath and dash up the stairs. Law was awake and keeping watch and reassured her he would make sure the Lord Magus would stay away. Mouse spilled the beans of what she had learned in a great hurry, and Law told her to be sure to inform Eris of her findings, and then sent her to sleep before her nerves snapped. As she curled up and began to jitter, he crouched down and muttered a few words that she couldn't catch, before she drifted off into a peaceful sleep.
The group awoke and prepared for the day, when Mouse presented her findings to the group. Eris immediately ordered the group to begin packing to leave, when a messenger arrived to convey Lady Varjiniat's desire to meet with them. Eris asked for the messenger to wait an hour so they could prepare. During this hour, Justice lost contact with Law and when the messenger returned flatly refused to go without him. The messenger's panic was assuaged with the sudden appearance of said Law-man, but Justice's suspicions grew as she interacted with him. Growing certain of her doubts, she drew her weapons and proclaimed Law to be an imposter! After a feeble attempt at maintaining the disguise, the false Law expressed its displeasure at being foiled and promptly disappeared, leaving an increasingly irate Justice [and Co.] behind. Lady V and Lord Verkot insisted on meeting to discuss the situation before acting, and Justice complied on the condition of it taking no more than 5 minutes. They learned that a cult was likely involved, one 'Order of the Taunting Smile', and that many Lord Magi were either joining it or being replaced by its members, including the HEAD of the Brotherhood of Magic, Shyom Kloit. Verkot also agreed to assist, and the group [sans Mouse, who is non-combat] struck out for the Brotherhood of Magic. En route, Justice's connection to Law began to resurface, and she struck out in another direction. Using her intuition as a guide, the group made good time, and after dealing with a gauntlet of illusions found their way to Law, and the ritual-chanting cultists who had him bound. Mouse also snuck her way onto the scene, cutting Law's bonds and dragging him away while the cultists weren't looking. Justice experienced her first “Limit Break” and slew the cult leader, Shyom Kloit, with a single bullet before terrifying the cultists into submission. A large group of Battle Magi arrived accompanied by Lord Coran the Battler, and took the cultists away to prison. Verkot told the group that they had been invited to stay in the Castle of the Three for a two week stay, and the group accepted, finding their rooms and getting some well-deserved rest.
- March 29th: The group heads back to Lazlo, and Law/Justice throw a housewarming party, giving the entire group a pleasant bit of R+R.
- March 30th: Plato comes knocking to do some talking. D.A.R.T is proposed by Eris, and he agrees to put it before the Security Council and the Congress.
- April 2nd: The group is informed that the Security Council is open to the idea of D.A.R.T. but that Dominus has deadlocked the Congress in a stalemate with technicalities and similar political mumbo-jumbo. The group is very frustrated by this information, but pull together. Legion listens to the recording of a part of Dominus' speech [see below] and formulated a plan to put together a dossier on the team's identities to silence parts of his argument. Justice went to speak to Head Councilor Thomm, and won him over to their cause, clinched by Dominus phoning him and being less than polite. Mouse put Eris in contact with Borris Reeve, the local Black Market kingpin, and the two talked business. They reached a mutually beneficial agreement, with Reeve pulling strings in the Congress and striking a business deal in return.
- April 3rd: With three separate parties working towards the same goal, the vote was finally pushed into a majority decision IN favor of D.A.R.T. which makes the team's day for sure. Budget and the like to be worked out. Borris was also due to inspect a 'sample' that Eris promised him from the crates delivered by the General and co. back in her home dimension.
The Agreement with the Black Market
- BM gets first dibs on new tech/toys.
- D.A.R.T. gets 15% of the sale on said tech/toys. -OR- a 10% discount and first dibs on buying the tech once reverse engineered and mass-marketed.
FINAL STANDING
Plato - pro-DART
Dominus - anti-DART, will whisper into people's ears to point out flaws, plant suspicions concerning resources, threats, etc. Ultimately foiled in his attempt to deadlock the vote using his political influence. Recording of his speech fragment is presented here: “At this time it would be unwise to vote on a matter concerning a group of individuals we know little, or nothing, about. They are strangers to us, and are asking us to share the bounty of our fair city. And why? To begin an organization that could very well provoke other regional powers, such as the Coalition at Iron Heart, Free Quebec or Chitown, into destroying us. And so I call for a pause in the proceedings, to give our Congress ample time to examine the truth of the matter from every angle, as well as the willingness of these strangers to co-operate, and make themselves known to us.”
Head Councilor Thomm - Pro-DART
Borris Reeve - Pro-Dart, business dealings initiated
- April 6th: Dominus came visiting, eliciting great suspicion from the group [except for Klem]. Mouse ran to fetch Law and Justice, and Eris and Jase returned. Some hooligans were reported in Lazlo, and after a brief but intense chase scene, crashed into the warehouse and exploded. [The group very much blames Dominus, but no evidence has yet been found.] Eris had a bit of a pet project in mind, Casa-Loma [a castle] and the group agreed to move in there, once it was fixed up, in about 6 weeks.
- May 11th: The group receives a message from General Xarl as well as a mission dossier detailing the specifics of a large Gallery that appeared about five miles outside of Lazlo. They go to see Xarl who has a letter for them which turns out to be an invitation to the gallery from “The Quintet of Artists.” Xarl also shows them a video detailing a village [to the south-west, west of Dweomer] being destroyed as a strange shadowy figure passes through, burning a line in the ground. It is speculated that it COULD be the Shadowman, and he appears to be drawing an enormous circle in the ground. Eris decides that, with her team effectively down to Legion and Mouse at present, they would be better suited to investigating the gallery, leaving the circle-drawer to his business for the time being. Upon arrival at the gallery, they are greeted by a medieval-dressed messenger on a balcony, who gives them a sort of welcome speech.
"Welcome to our gallery, honoured guests! Today you are critic, spectator and participant in this, our gala premier! The sights and sounds we have prepared for you will dazzle your eyes, serenade your ears and baffle your minds! So come on in, don't be shy, and above all...try not to die too quickly."
Understandably, the trio are less than thrilled with this address, but decide to take the Quintet's challenge. [They had little choice, the doors had turned into 2D images and slid across the floor to become the doors leading INTO the gallery.] They narrowly avoided a tripwire activated bomb attached to the door [which Eris disarmed], and were very clearly given the impression that this challenge was indeed a matter of life or death. They proceeded very cautiously, and thanks to Eris' sharp eyes and steady thinking they found the correct statue to place on a pressure-sensitive plate to open the door to move on. The other statues in the room also came to life and began pursuing them, but they managed to escape through the door. The next challenge was that of the Geirmeister, but first they saw and stepped over another tripwire. Unfortunately, the wire was a fake, and the pressure-sensitive plate on the other side of it was the real trap, triggering a small army of clockwork automatons to appear to confront the trio. Mouse, however, spotted a weak point in their construction, a master gear that could be targeted. Armed with this knowledge, the three made a strong stand and managed to identify the clockwork automaton that possessed the key to the room, and again Mouse proved her worth by stealing the key from the steampunk soldier's neck. Moving on, they entered The Hallway of the Painter and Puppeteer. With sharp eyes and sharper wit, the group managed to navigate the Hallway, with Eris using the rafters to get a bird's eye view of the challenge and guide the others through the illusion-confusion, as well as saving Mouse from burning in a fire lit by a vengeful puppeeter. Clearing that challenge, they were confronted by 3 puppets in the next room, which were beaten soundly. [Mouse took their mace, Legion a sword.]
May 14th: Leaving, the gallery simply vanished behind them. A messenger arrived in short order, informing them that they had been gone for THREE DAYS. Eris and Legion quickly gave General Xarl the run down of their experiences in the gallery. Xarl agreed that posting the Gallery's description, as well as that of the automatons within it, to the patrols and scouts was a good course of action, and plans made to counter them should they return. They then received a live video feed from a scout sent to check out the Shadowman's circle drawing to the south-west, and found him activating it. Eris was rather ashen-faced at the display of magical power, and suggested that Xarl convene the Council. The wolfen readily agreed, giving Eris and Co. a 48 hour guaranteed rest-period to gather the team and organize while the Council debates what to do and the likely outcomes of the Shadowman's vast circle spell.
A letter for Eris was also received: *The letter is a simple envelope, sealed with...a sticker. The sticker reads "Do not open before Christmas", and just below it is a tiny, printed note reading "Today's only the 23rd." There is no return address, as you may expect.*
May 16th: The group [everyone but Klem] are shunted to an alternate world and begin trying to decide what to do. Plato and roughly 100 of Lazlo's citizens join them, having also been shunted to this new place. As things progress, Law becomes transparent and nearly fades out when Justice and Eris get too far from him, and it is decided that they must function as his anchors in this world, keeping him from being dragged away. Eris receives the prophecy via the Christmas letter [mentioned previously] and the group and Plato begin trying to puzzle it out. They decide to get some rest, and move towards the large energy signature beneath the cloud of darkness to the west. [The realm of the damned?] Plato puts out a broadcast for those from their world to meet with them.
The Prophecy
Read and understand, lest you proceed in ignorance to your own destruction.
And lo, the Wild-Shadow did ascend through the heavens and strike for the crimson celestial, hearing the distant roar of St. George's foe. Whilst the awakening goes unfulfilled, neither shade nor nemesis shall spare an eye for Terra. And so, let begin the upheaval, trial to the chosen whom memory serves. None may sit idly while aspirations of attaining their world remain. The King shall be cast down from his gilded hall, made to stand beside the common he professes to love, a revealed Conqueror to those who see, striving to reclaim his lost throne and all within his sight. The Puppet dances on its strings, prancing and twirling to the whims of its master, awaiting chance to deliver opportunity into its reach so favor may similarly be heaped upon it, through cunning going unseen 'til the last. The Elder speaks wisdom to masses unled, wary to mirror the Conqueror-King, moored to the path deemed best by free thinking. Unled and without guardian or champion, the masses will perish in darkly reflected lands half-known as theirs, lest found be the Source and the mirror reflect the ideals of the victor.
The Paradox Engine awaits in the realm of the damned.
May 17th: Plato's radio message has been responded to, and Eris and Co. are sent to rendezvous with those who responded. Along the way they pass a demon-controlled town and see that the monsters have dozens of human slaves. Unable to ignore the thought of humans under demonic oppression, they decide to help. Mouse goes back first, intending to scout, while Eris holds a brief pow-wow with Law and Justice, deciding to sneak back and help. Legion gets in contact with the approaching allies [as of yet unknown] before circling around on the grav-bike and raining an 8 missile salvo down upon the demons, which had been clumped together to investigate a flash of light caused by a spell from Eris. Moving into action the group quickly put down the remaining guards and freed the slaves, rendezvoused with their allies, who turned out to be Verkot and the remains of Dweomer, and returned to camp.

[taalismn]

Wow...gonna have to 'Save File' and read this at leisure...looks pretty good...

[DhAkael]

Much better Cytr. Now you can truly say you are a "poster"

[Cytibor]

Wow...gonna have to 'Save File' and read this at leisure...looks pretty good...

Much better Cytr. Now you can truly say you are a "poster"

Thanks guys, glad you like it.
One of these days when 'the facade' is dropped I can start putting in more details about other stuff that not all of the group knows. Dhak knows what I mean.

[taalismn]

Ah, the GM Screen...the veil of secrecy that keeps the players in suspense, not knowing that the giant 900+ MDC monster with the innate magical abilities and resurrection capabilities can actually be slain once and for all with lily pollen....

[Cytibor]

Ah, the GM Screen...the veil of secrecy that keeps the players in suspense, not knowing that the giant 900+ MDC monster with the innate magical abilities and resurrection capabilities can actually be slain once and for all with lily pollen....

Those monsters really don't want that to get out. I mean, who wants to be known as the end-dungeon boss with a lethal allergy to flower pollen?

[Cytibor]

- May 18th-20th: The group is informed that another group has responded to Plato's radio message, and that the group's leader arrived with a small group of bodyguards that morning and has requested a party be sent out to guide his forces to the camp. Eris and co. will be given the choice of being that scouting party or assisting Plato in negotiations, as Verkot refuses to do so. They opt for option B, the negotiation.
Diplomacy and Negotiations, Not All Fun and Games
The leader who has arrived is in fact Karl Prosek, who is none to enthused about being in the camp of the enemy. Law, Justice, Mouse and Legion are the first to enter the tent of the Emperor and begin 'negotiations', although at first they could hardly contain their contempt for the man across the table. Justice and Mouse were none too impressed with the Emperor's manners, and Law made a point of smiling as cheerfully as possible, never once breaking his gaze from Prosek's. Plato found Eris and sent her to the tent as quickly as he could, and she arrived before any hostilities broke out and began the negotiations proper. The first and most important part of the negotiation was, of course, the truce. Prosek and the group, after some initial haggling and tension, managed to agree to a full truce lasting up to 48 hours AFTER restoring the world to the way it should be, thus ensuring that the Coalition Forces wouldn't turn and open fire the moment the coast looked clear. Next Eris insisted on a “No-man-left-behind” clause, which Prosek agreed to on the grounds that the objective of getting home not be jeopardized by it. Prosek brought forth his own motion, to default most of any 'conventional' salvage to his forces, but the group was not pleased with this and were going to suspend the motion until further notice, when Mouse spoke up with a compromise. “75% of the regular salvage goes to you, we hang onto the rest, gotta have supplies for long battles. We need that stuff too.” Prosek, though slightly...miffed by this change in amount, agreed, as did the others present. The meeting was called as the remains of the Coalition States military [some 280 soldiers/pilots], under the command of Colonel Joseph Prosek II, had arrived and Emperor Prosek wished to meet his soldiers. Having struck the uneasy and temporary alliance, camp was broken and the caravan got moving. Traveling through the night and the entirety of the next day, they again made camp on the edge of the Realm of the Damned, a vast expanse of dead earth and perpetual twilight with a great black castle at it's heart, ruled by the being known as the Wraithking. The battle begins...next time.

[DhAkael]

Entire time Eris was having mantra going through her head, that was beaten into her (with love) from her sensei, mother & father;
"DISCIPLINE! DUTY! RESPECT!"

Otherwise stuff woulda gotten...messy; and not from HER instigation

[taalismn]

Realm of the Damned...never a good sign...

"No, actually it's a very pleasant place...seven rivers that have been closed up with beautifully landscaped earthern dams, creating seven large lakes in a fan shape...plenty of space for swimming, boating, fishing...lots of cottages and verandas on the shores, and a five-star resort.
Thing is, our manager couldn't spell, and the sign painters didn't think to correct what he paid them to put up, so we got stuck with that...and people have been avoiding us for YEARS before somebody else picked up on the mistake!
All that negative publicity, all that lost business, all because of one stupid spelling error!"

[DhAkael]

"No, actually it's a very pleasant place...seven rivers that have been closed up with beautifully landscaped earthern dams, creating seven large lakes in a fan shape...plenty of space for swimming, boating, fishing...lots of cottages and verandas on the shores, and a five-star resort.
Thing is, our manager couldn't spell, and the sign painters didn't think to correct what he paid them to put up, so we got stuck with that...and people have been avoiding us for YEARS before somebody else picked up on the mistake!
All that negative publicity, all that lost business, all because of one stupid spelling error!"

If only...

[Cytibor]

Enter the Wraithking

And the Importance of Initiative

- May 20th: The group awoke and gathered quickly to plan for the battle against the Wraithking's army. Justice unfortunately was very ill once more and Law entrusted her to the care of the few High Magi of Dweomer and those skilled in healing before returning to the group, leaving Stormbringer [Justice's horse] with her so she would have transportation, as she was in no condition to run. Mouse volunteered for a scouting mission and a CS hovercycle pilot was signed up to assist her. With some enchantments from the local mages, they made a circle of the entire area in mere minutes undetected and returned with some revealing footage of the terrain. [It was flat, empty, and dead, with the exception of the Wraithking's castle, a large black-stone fortress with four towers and a central citadel.] Eris used her magic to make her motorcycle fly and invisible, and asked Law to assist her with Legion and Mouse. Law obliged, making Legion, the grav-flyer and Mouse invisible, before sprouting wings while becoming invisible himself. The four made their way cautiously over the Wraithking's massing army of undead [row upon row of bleach-white bone warriors, with giant versions wading through their smaller brethren, and slowly building enormous reptilian constructs as well.] and around to the back door of his castle, as discovered by Mouse on her scouting run. Infiltrating the castle successfully, they quickly covered the first floor [as it had next to nothing in it] and moved upstairs to the next, where they discovered the entrance to the citadel as well as the doors leading to 2 of the corner towers [at either end of the hallway of course.] Peeking into the citadel doors [great hulking metal type] Mouse got a very good glimpse of the Wraithking himself standing guard in front of yet another door, but fortunately she wasn't noticed and managed to pull back without alerting him to their presence. Eris was able to detect some magic at the tops of the towers and they decided to go clockwise through the towers to investigate [NE>SE>SW>NW]. About halfway up the first tower the Wraithking began following them at a steady pace, and upon reaching the top of the tower [and destroying a ghoul hiding there] the group turned to face their pursuer. Despite a valiant and vigorous effort, the team's initial attacks seemed to have no effect on the WK, and after taking a dagger with many symbols on it out of a display case, the group decided to bail out the window. Eris decided, to be on the safe side, to have her and Legion trash the room, but the over-zealous robot zoomed ahead much to Eris' irritation. [I mean, the command seeking robot that ignores commands? Hoo-boy. Also, thought for today: INITIATIVE IS THERE FOR A REASON. Please remember this before you take your turn before the person before you has finished theirs. It's very annoying to said person being interrupted.] Regrouping outside in mid-air, the group moved on to the next tower, repeating the process and collecting a small carved box [about the size of a large showbox]. The third tower revealed a coat hangar with necklaces of some kind, and it was at this point that Eris' suspicions were confirmed, as one of the necklaces bore symbols similar to the dagger and the WK's sword. Moving to the 4th tower, they claimed a bow made of bone and grinning skulls with bone arrows, and Eris' reached the conclusion that perhaps the items themselves were irrelevant, it was merely the fact that they were magical that mattered, and the towers were using that to protect the WK, and that was why he couldn't be harmed. Armed with this knowledge, they turned to stop running and saw the Wraithking coming across the citadel roof, and descended to do battle with him while the larger [but no more important] battle raged below.

[taalismn]

"'Undead Minions'?! Why is it always Undead Minions?! EVERYBODY uses Undead Minions!"
"Oh come on...would you rather face another horde of Faceless Mooks or Humorless Stormtroopers? Besides, I still remember when that one Evil Overlord sprang his army of Kuddly Killer Plushies on us. If I recall correctly you woke up screaming in the middle of the night for a MONTH afterwards..."
"...oh shut up..."

[DhAkael]

Read 'Deathstalker War' by Simon R. Green
*shudder*
An entire planet of robotic killer plushies...

[Cytibor]

The Final Battles

Versus the Wraithking and Over the Paradox Engine

- May 20th (cont'd): Down below, Justice had recovered from her spontaneous illness [oh the joys of being pregnant ] and a young sapphire-scaled dragon by the name of Sershyn offered to give her a lift up to the roof of the citadel to join in the battle against the Wraithking. Gratefully accepting, Justice and Sershyn soon joined their comrades [and husband in Justice's case] atop the roof, and the battle began. The fighting was intense, with many blows struck both ways, but ultimately the Wraithking was struck down, where he promptly dissolved into a shadowy ooze-like substance which slipped off the roof to the ground below. Peering over the edge in search of their melted(?) enemy, the D.A.R.T. crew [and dragon ally] saw the skeletal army below collapse without their general, as well as a Coalition transport and a lone mage making a beeline for the castle, presumably the others mentioned in the prophecy coming to claim the Paradox Engine for their own. Booking it down below, Sershyn plowed a hole in the wall and the others [using hover vehicles or magic to attain flight] went inside in a hurry and set about trying to find the Engine before the oncoming adversaries could. Law and Justice, utilizing their powerful mental link, detected the Engine's approximate location and the group wasted no time in reaching the Engine's chamber. Once there they discovered that the Paradox Engine was indeed aptly named, as it defied any and all explanation, classification, measurement or rationalization. It was simply not possible for them to grasp it, yet they could not deny that it was there. A paradox through and through, a non-existent source of immeasurable power. After attempting to reach the Engine themselves, and being frustrated by the Engine's defenses, namely an energy field that seemed to bend space within itself, the group sat to consider their options. However, they were interrupted by the arrival of Emperor Prosek and a hooded man who claimed that the Engine was for them to compete over, and only one of them would come to possess the Engine as their own. Eris and the group flatly refused the pair access to the Engine, and conflict seemed inevitable until, quite unexpectedly, the pair agreed to wait for Plato [the “Elder” named in the prophecy.] Once arrived, the three moved to engage the Engine, but Prosek and the hooded man joined forces to begin overpowering the good Councilor. At this point, a voice had begun speaking through Law and Justice's mental link, offering advice, and very suddenly Justice leapt into action, instructing every mage and soldier present to join hands [or grip shoulders, some manner of physical contact] and think about their homes, their families, everything that made their world their world. Once done, the voice manifested itself as a man-shaped silhouette, with the diamond Justice carries on her person for a right eye. He referred to Justice as 'Daughter' and Law as 'Son', and temporarily possessed Law, with Justice using their mental link to channel the collected men and women's grasp of their world through her possessed husband and into Plato, bolstering the dragon's efforts and winning his control over the Engine. The Engine became an orb-like looking glass, and it showed all of the places that those present called home, before sending them where they should be for some much needed rest.

[Cytibor]

Hop, Skip and a Jump Table

I've been browsing through various books and a question continually jumped out at me: how far or high can your average human being jump? After quite some time of forgetting to ask Dhak, I finally remembered and brought it to his attention, and he did some digging and found a forum entry on the matter which mentioned several books. While these entries were appreciated, Dhak offered a suggestion and I took it and made a few tweaks of my own, resulting in the following.

Note: I've condensed the actual list/table into Spoilers so this post doesn't become insanely long.

Those with 'normal' strength begin at 4 feet up and 4 feet across, +2 feet per level. Those with supernatural strength begin at 4 feet up and 4 feet across, +3 per level. Physical strength increases the distance as shown below, and +20% to length with a running start.

"Normal" PS Chart as it pertains to jumping

Spoiler:

16/17 = +0
18/19 = +2
20/21 = +4
22/23 = +6
24/25 = +8
26/27 = +10
28/29 = +12
30/31 = +14
32/33 = +16
34/35 = +18
36/37 = +20
38/39 = +22
40/41 = +24
42/43 = +26
44/45 = +28
46/47 = +30
48/49 = +32
50/51 = +34
52/53 = +36
54/55 = +38
56/57 = +40
58/59 = +42
60/61 = +44
62/63 = +46
64/65 = +48
66/67 = +50
68/69 = +52
70/71 = +54
72/73 = +56
74/75 = +58
76/77 = +60
78/79 = +62
80/81 = +64
82/83 = +66
84/85 = +68
86/87 = +70
88/89 = +72
90/91 = +74
92/93 = +76
94/95 = +78
96/97 = +80
98/99 = +82

Super PS Chart as it pertains to jumping

Spoiler:

16/17 = +0
18/19 = +3
20/21 = +6
22/23 = +9
24/25 = +12
26/27 = +15
28/29 = +18
30/31 = +21
32/33 = +24
34/35 = +27
36/37 = +30
38/39 = +33
40/41 = +36
42/43 = +39
44/45 = +42
46/47 = +45
48/49 = +48
50/51 = +51
52/53 = +54
54/55 = +57
56/57 = +60
58/59 = +63
60/61 = +66
62/63 = +69
64/65 = +72
66/67 = +75
68/69 = +78
70/71 = +81
72/73 = +84
74/75 = +87
76/77 = +90
78/79 = +93
80/81 = +96
82/83 = +99
84/85 = +102
86/87 = +105
88/89 = +108
90/91 = +111
92/93 = +114
94/95 = +117
96/97 = +120
98/99 = +123

[My game session is tomorrow for those interested, so the next chapter of the story will be along soon enough. ]

[taalismn]

Very nice and very useful.

[Cytibor]

Very nice and very useful.

The credit's mostly Dhak's for the formula and per level for the jump tables, but glad to make a useful contribution.

And due to schedule's not meshing the game's been called this week, but the story shall resume next week when we pick up. Sit tight folks.

[DhAkael]

Very nice and very useful.

The credit's mostly Dhak's for the formula and per level for the jump tables, but glad to make a useful contribution.

And due to schedule's not meshing the game's been called this week, but the story shall resume next week when we pick up. Sit tight folks.

Kevin Siembiada ONLY printed rules for human jumping distance in BTS first edition under (get this) Gymnastics
Um... little KIDS jum over and across things all the time and belive you me, they are NOT gymnasts.

[Cytibor]

A Masterfully Devious Feint by the Sinister Dominus Maeryth

- June 3rd: The morning of June 3rd dawned bright, clear and beautiful. It was, to the casual observer, a perfect day. But in reality, it was much, much darker. But our band of comrades had no knowledge of the plot unfolding behind the scenes, and were enjoying the first 2 weeks of their month long leave from duty. Mouse had been learning to operate a jetpack, Legion has spent time with his kitten and upgrading the D.A.R.T. Castle's servers and assisting Eris with the creation of her Templar battle suits, while Law and Justice spent a great deal of time together, and of course going to the schedule doctor's appointments to make sure all was proceeding smoothly with their little one on the way. Convening in the castle kitchen, Legion exercised his constructive skills by creating a small-scale space carrier out of Lego, Mouse was in top culinary form and produced some cakes, lasagna and some delicious cookies, and Law and Justice had dropped in to say hello (further enticed by the tantalizing smell of the cookies. ) Eris emerged, drained but satisfied, from finishing the Templar suits, and had some of Legion's “Godfee”, a particular revitalizing brew of coffee with a frankly legendary capacity to revive those who drink from it's heavenly black depths. [So, y'know, some really damn good coffee. ] After some minor repair work on some cracks in the castle walls, the group headed down to appreciate Eris' handiwork, stopping to pick up a package delivered by some of Mouse's associates at her request. While the group oo'd and aww'd over the fine work done on the Templar suits, Justice felt a little sick and Law helped her to the guest room to sleep it off. Meanwhile, Eris opened the package and was greeted by the sight of a day-planner. But not just any day planner, oh no. This one belonged to Dominus Maeryth, D.A.R.T.'s most hated of foes. Up until now they had been unable to show the rest of Lazlo the charlatan's true colors, but surely within this, his personal day planner, the evidence they needed would be there. And so with high hopes and great expectations Eris had Legion set to work on recording the planner's files and exposing Dominus for the evil sociopath he was. Perusing through the calendar and personal notes uncovered little, and the group became anxious. What if what they wanted wasn't here? No, it had to be. So they pressed on. Legion discovered an encrypted entry on the 16th of May, the day they were all sent to the alternate world created by the Paradox Engine, “My master has alerted me to the activation of a device that can alter the very fabric of reality and create a world to the liking of the one who wields it. I must obtain it.” At last! This was exactly what they needed. A clear sign of Dominus' subservience to an evil master with nothing but dark intentions for the people of Lazlo. However, their celebration was cut short, as Legion discovered a second layer of encryption beneath the first. The message there made the room silent and the hopes of those present sink like a lead balloon. “That would be what you would expect me to have written, wouldn't it? A pity. Such a pity. You and your friends can be quite clever, Commander, but at times you can be quite blind. You thought you had me trapped, under surveillance and powerless. Quite incorrect, I'm afraid. After all...Allow your enemy to believe you have overstepped yourself and been beaten, and they will provide you the means to secure victory. I have included a dictionary excerpt to further elucidate on this. Oh, and I trust you are wise enough to realize that I have already reported this device stolen and trying to bring any of this to the attention of the authorities will only implicate you and your precious D.A.R.T. Do the smart thing and keep this to yourself unless you want to become the ones trapped and powerless. The law's on my side, after all.”
Dictionary Excerpt
feint
noun
1. a mock attack or movement designed to distract an adversary, as in a military manoeuvre or in boxing, fencing, etc.
2. a misleading action or appearance
At this mockery [and blackmail besides] Eris sent the others from the room and took a moment to calm herself. Loudly and with many dents in the walls. She was met by Law in the hall, who, while worried about her, wasted no time in gathering the others, save for his ill wife, at Eris' request for an emergency meeting in the study. There they sat and brainstormed, and could not come up with a way to beat Dominus. They had no way of revealing their information, their evidence, of his intentions without first confessing to having stolen his property and being labelled criminals. There was nothing they could do...until Mouse made a tentative suggestion. “Well...there was this doctor, or scientist, and he took me across the lake to his lab. He saved my life...and well, maybe he could help?” Law immediately knew the man she referred to: Gaphion, a Gene-Splicer from Law's past that he had thought he would never see again. Certainly not a man most would trust, but their situation was a dire one indeed, so Law made a proposal. Gaphion had been after Law for over twenty years because he needed a blood or tissue sample in order to obtain the young man's genetic code. If a vial of blood was the Gene Splicer's payment, he would likely agree to do ANYTHING for them. Reluctantly, Eris agreed to chat with the 'Splicer, and even went so far as to call him out. “You hear that Professor? Our boy's willing to chat with you!” And even as she spoke, a minion of the 'Splicer appeared, a disgusting creature the size of a bird, with an eyeball on a stalk attached to a tiny body with the wings of a bat and two oversized arms with clawed hands. It deposited a communicator on the windowsill, and the raspy, sneering voice of the Gene Splicer could be heard. “I would like nothing better than to chat with you, Commander. Shall we do lunch as well?” Eris, to her credit, took it in stride and replied calmly, “Meet you around the front, then?” Agreeing, Gaphion assured them he would be there within the hour, and recalled his unpleasant servant to his ship, leaving the group in stunned silence, with only Eris' spoken thought of “He's good.” showing just how effective the 'Splicer's methods of information gathered were.

And so next week, it's time to have lunch with a Gene Splicer. And of course, the real question is, “Just how badly does the group want Dominus put down? How far are they willing to go to see it accomplished? What will they offer Gaphion to ensure he does the job, and does it right?”
Deal with the devil, anyone?

[DhAkael]

Though gene splicers are Pikers in comparrison to Davros...
Yeah, this guy IS good.

[ZINO]

WOW LOVE IT MAN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!N1

[taalismn]

Oh...Lunch with a GeneSplicer...
Will frankenfoods be served, or is the GeneSplicer strictly an organic veggan?

[DhAkael]

2 new secondary PC's have also been intro'd now (as of Sept 4th. 2010).
A Silhouette with FAAAAABULOUS fashion sense , and a catgirl medic ...

[Cytibor]

Two Meetings With Monsters [of Varying Size]

- June 3rd and 4th: During the interim between calling out the Gene Splicer and his arrival, the group was graced with the return of a familiar companion, Jase. With him came two new faces, one a mask wearing Silhouette by the name of Tahlor, and the other a feline doctor by the name of Persia. [Who made herself very welcome by checking up on the still-ill Justice and reassuring Law and Justice with her medical knowledge. A useful companion to have around to be sure.] Shortly after their arrival, promptly at noon in fact, the doorbell [yes the castle has a doorbell ] was rung. Upon answering it, Eris discovered a quadrupedal mechanical platform accompanied by several floating metal orbs with lenses for eyes. It seemed that Gaphion had decided not to come in person, but instead sent a holographic projection of himself facilitated by the platform. Taking this in stride, Eris allowed the mechanical procession inside to begin the meeting. Gaphion's 'arrival' received a fairly cold reception, with Law and Justice mostly boring holes into the hologram of the Gene Splicer with their eyes, while Mouse and Jase watched with no small amount of apprehension. After ascertaining the exactly situation [more like explaining it, the Gene Splicer seemed to know nearly everything] Gaphion proposed his plan: Dominus would be appointed High Councilor in short order due to his skilled manipulations, granting him great power, but also a lot of responsibility. Therefor, the easiest way to expose him would be to rob him of said power by proving him unworthy of the responsibility. Gaphion's plan was simple: he would return to his ship, release some of his experiments in Lazlo's general direction from the lake to the north, said creatures would encounter the DART HQ first, where the DART's would tidy them up quickly and efficiently, this giving them full credit for cleaning up the incident while the new “High Councilor” sat by and did nothing. To add to the plan's effectiveness was the fact that Dominus' dislike for the DART's was no secret, and a lack of action on his part would clearly show others that he was so negligent to his duties as to allow those he wasn't fond of to risk their lives unaided. Despite the risk to civilians, Eris grudgingly accepted the Gene Splicer's plan [but not before Gaphion received a very stern warning from Justice, who spoke as though there was a third party involved who Gaphion was running the risk of upsetting greatly should he stab them in the back], as with Dominus wielding the highest power in Lazlo it was entirely possible, even likely, that a great many more would die. Of course, this then led to the inevitable discussion of payment, for Gaphion was not going to go to all this trouble for nothing. All present knew for a fact that what Gaphion truly wanted was a blood sample from Law [who the 'Splicer continually referred to as “Kyros”] but Eris presented him with an alternative: three long, silver strands of hair kept inside a locket on her person, promising Gaphion that it would be worth his while. Gaphion, reluctantly and clearly not entirely satisfied, accepted the offer, having his mechanical stand-ins collect his payment before making their exit. The time of the creature's arrival was set for the next morning. Left with some time on their hands, the group set about preparing, including Justice taking a look at the suit Eris made for her and completing the ritual of making it her own, Persia and Tahlor going to see about collecting some of Persia's things, and Eris spending some sorely needed time with Jase. The next morning [the 4th] saw the group up early and ready to go, when the security council began to post alerts on something detected in the lake. Taking this as their cue, the group readied themselves to head up north to combat the threat, only to be informed that the single creature seen had made landfall to the south from Lake Ontario and was currently making a mess in the docks district. Agitated that the Gene Splicer had indeed found some way to betray them, the group made their way into the heart of the city, catching glimpses of the creature as they proceeded, and hearing it's bellow as they came near to it. [http://kaiju.boomcoach.com/gallery/godzilla2.au] And even those that were not shaken by it's thundering roar were not prepared them for what came next. Coming around a corner, they came face to shadow with the monster itself, a two hundred foot reptile of dark gray scales, bony plates on it's back, sides, and head, two rows of almost spire-like spikes running down it's back, and six gleaming yellow eyes. After a moment of staring at one another, Eris attempted to bait the creature into chasing them, but when it didn't produce any immediate results Mouse took it upon herself to be the bait, using her jetpack to fly up and use her custom sub-machine gun to pepper the monster's face. Her attack proved successful in getting the enormous reptile's attention, but rather than chase after her to try to bite her, it countered by exhaling a torrent of blue fire crackling with similarly hued energy, which Mouse managed to avoid [much to the chagrin of the building it did hit, which had a section of it blown away, causing it to topple like an oversized domino.] Those sensitive to magic felt their senses come to life at the fire attack, giving Jase a headache and Eris a migraine so intense it caused her to miss her footing and collapse on the ground, clutching at her head.
The group is in the heart of Lazlo, with office blocks and buildings full of civilians in every direction, being pursued by a two hundred foot reptile able to breathe magic fire so intense it feels like a ley line storm.
It's going to be a long day.

[Cytibor]

A Series of Frustrated Attempts Leading to Triumph Only to Nearly be Foiled at a Crucial Moment Before Success was Restored Just in Time for the Villain to Appear on the Scene to Pull Political Strings and Very Nearly Cause Irreparable Damage Thankfully Avoided Due to the Party's Swift Response and Culminating in a Mass Declaration of Treason on the Members of the Dimensional Anomaly Response Team.

-pant- -pant- -pant-

OR

Why Everyone HATES Dominus Maeryth
(The slimy, treasonous, conniving, untrustworthy, serpent-tongued git.)

- June 4th [cont'd]: The group reacted quickly to their new [and fairly unexpected] guest, with Mouse seeking to lead the creature out of the buildings, and Justice [with Law also aboard] riding ahead to clear the street of civilians. Unfortunately, the enormous reptile had other ideas, and almost immediately turned down a different street towards the Eaton's Center and surrounding market district, causing some fairly severe property damage, and a hail of rubble, en route. Fortunately, those in harm's way had fast reflexes and managed to disprove an old adage. [Rocks fell, but nobody died. This time.] Recovering quickly, Eris instructed Law [who was again referred to, briefly, as Kyros] to head down to the old exhibition grounds and create an enormous quicksand trap. Should all else fail, they would attempt to lure the monstrous reptile into the pit and contain it that way. After a brief moment to wish the others good luck, he pushed off the back of Justice's horse and made his way on foot out of sight between the buildings.

At around this point, Tahlor presented a theoretical idea to Persia, asking her if she could use sounds from her 'baby' dragon [A miniature species of dragon, virtually harmless.] to communicate, specifically citing the sounds for “food” and “come here”. Persia thought about it and agreed, immediately setting to work and coming up with a looped recording of the two sounds and began playing them through the radios to the rest of the team. Using these sounds, Justice was able to attract the reptile's attention, but instead of following her, as the group expected, it seemed to respond with similar noises, and continued to sniff the Eaton's Center's open windows. Persia was rather excited about this behavioral display and concluded that the creature was intelligent, at least to an extent, and therefor should not be destroyed. Deciding the best way to get it's attention would be to go in person, Persia asked for Tahlor's assistance, and while he was uncomfortable with the idea of leaving the DART HQ unguarded, he immediately readied his hover vehicle. [Persia brought her dragonette along as well.]

General Xarl made contact on the radio, checking in with Eris' and co.'s plans and agreeing to try his best to arrange for some food to be delivered down to the waterfront after a quick conversation. Meanwhile, the giant reptile had begun digging into the roof of the Eaton's Center in pursuit of the food it had scented, causing more rubble to fly and property damage to soar yet higher. It was around this time that Legion, with the methodical thinking of a machine, decided on a different course of action. After confirming that they intended to bring the reptile to the waterfront, he promptly took out his sniper rifle and shot the creature in the knee, penetrating the scaly skin. [Crits, what can I say.] While this did not significantly harm the creature, the pain triggered an aggressive reaction and it promptly gave chase, ignoring attempts from the rest of the team to recapture it's attention and calm it or slow it down. Legion's circuitry served him well, and he dodged a bite from the colossal maw of the beast, a breath of it's blue energy-charged flames, and a second burst of it's flames that blaster a crater in the ground with such force that even the robot's well-timed diving dodge couldn't prevent all damage. Tahlor, driving like a Formula 5000 racer, managed to make it onto the scene with Persia and her dragonette already rolling the window down and beginning to play a new medley of sounds she had been working on en route, hoping that a combination of happy/calming noises and Empathic Transmission would get through and calm the reptile [which the group had begun to refer to as “Goji.”] After a moment, the combination began to work. Goji calmed and, after a quick sniff to make sure the 'baby' was safe, began to follow Tahlor's hover vehicle.

Things seemed to be going well and falling into place, with Goji appeased and Xarl checking in to inform them that he had commandeered a small fleet of trucks to transport a supply of meats and fish. Mouse used her jetpack to find another truck to add to the fleet, directing it to join up with Tahlor's hover vehicle in leading Goji out of the city. Unfortunately, it was exactly then that the one man who could louse it all up decided to make his appearance. In a sudden move, Dominus used his new authority [and likely his trademark intimidation] to overrule Xarl's authority and order a firing squad [consisting of 3 heavy weapon teams and 2 light tanks] to just south of the position of the giant reptile. Persia insisted that Tahlor lead Goji north, towards the castle, to get him out of the line of fire, while Justice changed direction to head for the firing squad to try to stop them any way she could. Over the radio, an exchange took place between a very much angered Eris and a calm, cold Dominus. Eris led off with an open declaration that anyone who fired on Goji would be personally dealt with [“executed” was the word used] by herself, and that extended to Dominus. Dominus calmly responded by declaring that if the members of DART harmed any soldier under his command [or himself], or threatened to do so again, they would be charged with treason. Eris retorted angrily, and in no uncertain terms stated that the DARTs would not be allowing the soldiers to fire on the now-appeased and quite peaceful reptile, and that should Dominus give the order for the squad to fire, she would “feed him to his own Prophallus.” Dominus, finally seeming to lose some of his composure, gave the order to fire at will, and instructed the men to ignore any order from anyone other than himself. He then accused Xarl of pandering to favoritism in his support of the DARTs, and openly declared that the members of DART were traitors to Lazlo, and any who disobeyed his orders would be seen as in league with said traitors and suffer the same consequences.

At the moment of truth, however, the first of the tanks ready to fire...didn't, giving Eris enough time to run up to to Goji and, expending some magic, make the titanic lizard vanish from sight. However, it could still be betrayed by it's footprints in the pavement, and the weapons teams and tank still preparing to fire were still potentially a risk, and needed to be dealt with. A streak of silver fire made it's way onto the scene, launching itself into one of the buildings the weapons' teams were set up on, and in a few moments burst from the top, calling up several small dust storms around the weapon's teams, blinding them. Jase ended the threat of the final tank by projecting a psionic forcefield around it, simply stating “If you fire, you destroy yourselves.”

Back on the home front, the Goji-convoy had made it to the castle and the group was congregating around their new friend, with Tahlor and Persia rigging up their reptile sounds to assist them in communicating with the creature, who seemed to respond after a fashion, and between mouthfuls of food supplied by the truck Mouse brought. Mouse also informed Eris that she had been in contact with some of her Black Market friends and some assistance was on it's way down to the combat zone to lend a hand. So the situation stands thus: Law, Justice, and Jase are back in the 'combat-zone', along with the effectively incapacitated firing squad, and their backup is due any minute. Goji, the titan-lizard, is happily at the castle and seems content with his company and food. And Dominus is on the radio again.: "Security forces: the members of DART are traitors to Lazlo. Organize a detail to bring them to justice, I will lead the effort to apprehend them personally. Such traitors will NOT be allowed in Lazlo, not now, not EVER. As your new High Councilor, I swear to you, I will wipe the corruption hidden in the cracks of the city from this place, and we will build a new and greater Lazlo than ever before! Stand with me and build a future brighter than any ever seen or dreamed!”

Our arch-nemesis has Lazlo's reins of power in an iron grip, he has branded the DARTs as traitors, and is organizing as many of the Security Forces as can be bullied into listening to his orders to lay siege to the DART HQ. And even if that's a quarter of the total, DART is outnumbered and outgunned. To make matters worse, if half of what Eris has told the others about Dominus himself is true, then he has more than magic to bring to bear, courtesy of whatever dark agreement he has struck with his “master.”

...At least we've got the 200 foot lizard on our side.

[DhAkael]

My only response?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6qAIaqK3_Q&fmt=18

[taalismn]

"Oh nooo....there goes Tokyo! Go, go, Godzilla....!!!"

[Cytibor]

Sorry for the delay folks, will [hopefully] return to posting up the weekly chapters next week.

[Cytibor]

Will have the next chapter up in the next few days, and it's going to be a big one. A very significant battle has been fought. How did it turn out? Well that'd be telling, wait and see.

[taalismn]

You tease, you! Now we pitch our yurts on your front yard and wait, we unwashed, uncouth, barbarian hordes in search of entertainment! Curse you with yak fleas if you disappoint!

[Cytibor]

The Showdown with Dominus Maeryth and a Prophallus Demon,
and the Arrival of the Doppelganger

- June 4th [con'td some more]: After defending Goji and being branded traitors, the DARTs readied themselves for the inevitable attack from Dominus and confused members of the Security Forces. As the soldiers who felt it was their duty to do as ordered by their High Councilor lined up outside the DART's castle headquarters, several of the DARTs were yet to return from the earlier confrontation. As they slipped past the troops to join up with their comrades, Reeve and his “girls” [a pair of female-styled Naruni Repo-Bots] showed up along with a handful of Black Market employees to support the group, with only a quick “Dominus is bad for business.” as explanation.
After a brief shouting match [of sorts, Dominus used a loudspeaker] between the DARTs and Dominus as he tried to talk them into surrendering and they suggested exactly where he go with his suggestions, the remaining DARTs returned, and battle was joined. Law, his aura visible as tongues of crimson and silver fire, focused his impending Limit Break on Dominus and gathered his aura into a powerful scorching attack, but Dominus' magic protection held strong. At the same time, a flurry of gunfire and activity from the rest of the group and their allies [including Goji with his deadly breath attack] had the already demoralized and confused soldiers fleeing in short order, leaving Dominus alone. Rather than surrender, however, the treacherous Councilor gathered a sphere of dark energy in his hands, and, despite the group's best efforts to intervene, hurled it at Law, drained from his attempt at destroying Dominus. Unable to escape the sphere, he was struck in the chest, where the orb abruptly expanded outwards to a 10 foot 'explosion' of antimatter. Law was rendered unconscious immediately, and nearly killed outright.
Immediately after this, Dominus snapped his fingers and somehow enclosed the city within some manner of time-lock, isolating the DARTs from their allies and anyone else on their way to help. Goji, Reeve and the friends and allies that had come to help, all were still as statues as Dominus prepared to engage the group himself. Well, not quite himself. As he approached, a darkness gathered above him, and soon a terrible demonic apparition had appeared, a hulking humanoid figure with wide shoulders, chitinous armor, clawed hands and glaring eyes with no legs below the pelvic girdle. A Prophallus demon. The battle erupted again, with the group valiantly holding their ground against the pair as both Dominus and the Prophallus unleashed their powers against them, with torrents of magical fire, lightning and barrages of antimatter were brought to bear. And to put the icing on the cake, shortly into the battle Prophallus began to show an aptitude for horror tactics, radiating fear and unwholesome evil to rattle the DARTs further, and even going so far as to use it's dark magic to warp the battlefield with the World Bizarre spell.
Despite their best efforts [and some fancy moves from Eris and others], the group was finding it hard to maintain their optimism. All had taken damage, particularly Legion after taking hits from Dominus' magic barrages, and Prophallus' fear-inducing powers were taking their toll. Even after managing to shatter all the layers of Dominus' mystic protection, their moment of victory was spoiled, as Dominus invoked a previously unseen spell that covered himself in a black aura that seemed to make him invulnerable. Things were looking grim, though not one of the group was ready to quit.
As the group continued to fight, targeting Prophallus now in the hopes that defeating the demon would rob Dominus of his protection, Justice made her way to Law's side, finding him battered and broken. She needed no equipment to tell her that he was dying, and promptly sent a plea to Persia to attend to Law with all haste. While Persia hurried to their location from her previous spot atop the frozen Goji's head, Justice stood tall and drew her pistols, glaring at Dominus as white mist gathered around her. With the sound of howling wolves, she fired at Prophallus, her silver bullet enclosed by the white mist in the shape of a running wolf. The shot struck home, and with a long, wailing shriek Prophallus' body was rent and burst apart, it's fragments burning away into black smoke. Dominus was robbed of his dark aura at the same time, and Tahlor, down below the battlefield, completed his task of removing the load-bearing supports in the tunnel beneath Dominus' feet. The ground gave way, and Dominus began to fall. It looked like the DARTs had pulled victory from the jaws of defeat. Until...
With a strange pulsing of the air, Dominus appeared at the edge of the collapsed tunnel, safe and sound. And strolling onto the battlefield nonchalantly was...a SECOND DOMINUS?!? After a brief exchange with Dominus suggesting that this copy and Dominus' master had some manner of agreement [now being fulfilled], the doppelganger hushed the Councilor and turned to the group, his face a smug smile of supreme confidence. After refusing Eris' challenge to battle, he began a rather insulting monologue, expressing how amusing and entertaining watching the DARTs struggle had been, and that it was in fact HE that had planted Dominus' PDA and the messages on it, as well as created the Paradox Engine weeks ago. He also spoke to each of the group with their full names [Cloud Silver Eris, Teresa “Mouse” McKenna, Geth Platform Legion, Princess Persia of Fyrn, Jase Taggart, Imala “Justice” Sebhest and Kyros “Law” Sebhest.] and seemed readily able to confuse the group with everything he did, from seeming to know everything that had occurred to copying himself to speak to them all at once. Even when Eris' anger boiled over and she lashed out at him, she seemed unable to harm the doppelganger, who would merely vanish a scant second before her blade or hand reached him to reappear beside or behind her. Finally, he concluded their brief meeting with a warning: "Cloud Silver Eris. Teresa Mouse McKenna. Geth Platform Legion. Jase Taggart. Persia, Princess of Fyrn. Imala Justice Sebhest. Kyros Law Sebhest. It has been entertaining meeting you in person at last. But I must take my leave. Before I do, however...A warning. Many powerful foes will arise to destroy you, and soon. Do try to live through them and make a good performance of it." Just before vanishing, taking Dominus with him, he looked at Legion. "And don't think I don't see you in there. You have never caught me before, nor shall you."
With Dominus and the mysterious doppelganger gone, the group took a moment to catch their breath, save Persia and Justice who were with Law, doctoring and anxiously watching over respectively. In a few moments, the time-lock [which was revealed to have been the doppelganger's work as well] began to wear off, and in short order Plato arrived to take stock of the situation. He, Reeve and the DARTs went inside the castle to calm down and discuss what had been learned and what was to be done. Persia, having saved Law from near-death, followed the group inside before finding a comfortable place to nap and recuperate, while Law and Justice remained outside for a time.

Who was the doppelganger who seemed to know everything about Dominus and the DARTs? What other powers does he have at his disposal, and how will he use them in future? What did he mean by what he said to Legion?
Only time will tell, but for now the group needs to sit down at the table and share what they know to reach what conclusions they can. All this and more next time.

[taalismn]

I HATE it when the bad guy tags in a stunt double! It just ain't fair!
Right...I know; villains are allowed to not play fair, but STILL!

[DhAkael]

ARRGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...now I know how MY players feel when the big-bad deus-ex machina's out of the well deserved asp-whupping they're about to recieve.
Oh well.
Karma.

[Cytibor]

Theatricality, Lazlo-Style. Plenty of Lights, Smoke and Mirrors

- June 4th [It just keeps going and going and... ]: Gathering inside, the group [except for Persia, exhausted from psychic surgery and Tahlor who was washing off sewer-stink] reviewed Legion's footage of the events that transpired during the battle with Plato and Reeve. Needless to say, both were shown precisely why Eris' determination to thwart Dominus had bordered on the paranoid, and Plato was quick to assure that whatever dregs of Dominus' [mercifully brief] stint as High Councilor were dealt with. After shedding her battle armor and stretching out some ligaments [getting Jase somewhat hot under the collar in the process, as per the overall plan ], Eris stipulated that an apology [a written one, specifically] from those Security personnel who stood with Dominus, as well as a hazard bonus, would also be greatly appreciated.
Plato promised to see what he could do, and asked the team if there was anything they wished to discuss, to which Justice spoke up on Persia's behalf: “What is to become of Goji?” Plato, initially needing an explanation as to who 'Goji' was, smiled and reassured the Justice Ranger and the group that, since Goji had demonstrated intelligence and compassion and so long as the large reptile remained outside of the city and refrained from taking any more strolls downtown, Goji could remain in the lake peacefully and would be perfectly safe.
Seeing that things were looking like they would be settling down, Law decided to bring up something he had on his mind: If Eris would be alright if he and Justice took a leave of absence to go on a journey. Being laid low by Dominus' magic so easily had made him realize that there was much he still had to learn, and he felt a long journey to foreign lands would be the best way to start. Of course Justice wouldn't hear of being left behind, and fully intended to go with him. Eris, after considering things for a moment, agreed. Law thanked her, but had one more thing to trouble her for: a crash-course in Japanese to assist them in their journey westward across the ocean. After a little initial surprise, Eris agreed to that as well, and set their lesson for that very evening.
With the segment of the talks concerning Plato and Reeve dealt with, the pair excused themselves to tend to re-purposing Dominus' house and belongings [a suggestion brought forward by Mouse, though Eris made sure to remind the Councilor and Black Marketeer to destroy anything that looked even remotely suspicious. Just to be safe.] The group began to disperse to attend to their various tasks [such as Eris buffing out the dents in Legion's armor and Mouse going to pay Raphael a visit], but Law had an idea and asked the group to gather outside of the castle that evening after their other business was dealt with. After a moment or two of curiosity, the group was treated to a show of swirling points of light, and the northern lights themselves, even using the many hued rainbow of colors to draw pictures across the sky, drawing many of Lazlo's residents from their beds to gaze up at the sky in wonder.
- June 5th [HA! The calendar DOES work.] After a restful night's sleep [some still out on the lawn], a messenger arrived for the group during breakfast requesting the group's presence at 12:30 sharp, offering little in the way of explanation. Eris, somewhat disappointed that their rest was being interrupted so soon, told Law and Justice that they didn't have to come as they were preparing for their trip, which the two were appreciative of and headed for home shortly thereafter while the rest of the team got showered, dressed, and readied for their briefing. Mouse slipped out to check things out, as is her custom, and met the group at the doors to Security HQ. Proceeding inside, the group met with Xarl, while Persia and Tahlor remained behind for some friendly [perhaps more than? ] conversation while working on her ship [having crashed on arrival]. At first, the Wolfen general attempted a different approach from his usual, asking Eris and co. for what sort of mission they would place as highest priority, giving them the choice between a diplomatic mission [though he withheld specifics] and investigating some strange readings closer to home, though a detail to go investigate was already being formed for the second mission should the DARTs choose to don their diplomacy caps.
After ensuring that the team understood the diplomatic mission's details were top secret, Xarl revealed that it was in fact a mission to the Orbital Community around Earth to secure peaceful communication with the ultimate goal of trade, but also to allow the DARTs [and future exploratory missions] through the orbital defenses and hazards. For the DARTs, this meant pursuing the Shadowman who had escaped into space through the use of a magic ritual [see the entry for May 14th] and who had not been seen since then, though he was mentioned in the prophecy received in the world created by the Paradox Engine, but even that revealed only that he was probably headed to Mars. His agenda remains a mystery, but no one have a doubt that it's bad news and should be stopped. Xarl then revealed that Lazlo had access to a, and indeed had built their own, space vessel for the DARTs to use on their mission. While Jase, being uncomfortable with technology, and Eris, being uncomfortable with flying, were originally a little put off by this, they were assured that every attempt would be made to ensure safety and stability.
Suddenly standing and looking at the clock, Xarl apologized and told the group he had forgotten something important he had to do that he was late for, and invited them to walk with him to his car. As they exited the building, they found themselves climbing a set of stairs that hadn't been there before. Law and Justice joined the procession, keeping Mouse from sneaking away with broad smiles, steering her, and the others, up onto the platform where Plato was waiting for them. Most of the on-duty Security Officers were present, and standing at attention below the platform as Plato made his speech:
"These men, women and, ah, sentient machine of the Dimensional Anomaly Response Team are here today in recognition of their outstanding service to Lazlo. Despite being politically campaigned against, having events manipulated against them, and being outright branded traitors by the most wicked one we have ever had the displeasure of being fooled by, these individuals have done their duty. It is with complete sincerity that I say that without them, we could all be under the rule of a mad worshiper of dark powers. And so today, we offer them our deepest apologies for raising arms against them, and wish to present them with decorations to commemorate their vigilance and loyalty." *Turns to the assembled DARTs, in order from left to right: Eris, Justice, Law, Mouse, Legion and Jase.* "That is, if they can stop refusing to be thanked long enough to accept them?"
Eris tried her level best to keep from smiling, but just couldn't contain herself, and spoke for the whole team [albeit in a Japanese fashion ] when she replied.
"Hai! Plato-dono. Domo Arigato!"
And so it was that the founding members of DART, even Mouse [despite her initial attempts to escape ], received medals for their bravery, each one personalized to the one receiving it. After the awarding of their decorations, Xarl informed them that they in fact had the week off, and the Security Officers cleared the way for them to make their way to a limousine to take them home to their castle.

All's well that ends well, the good guys won, and got some recognition to boot. Not bad, huh? And they all lived happily ever after.
...At least until next week's session. I mean, c'mon folks, negotiating has it's place, but d'you really think the party will sit still for a whole session? Oh, and the villains of course. THEY have a schedule to keep too y'know.

[DhAkael]

"And in this corner, weighing in at 2500 metric tonnes..."

[taalismn]

"Heading for Mars"...oh, NOT a good thing...
Getting rewarded and apologized to publicly...okay, that just means by the time you're on your third bottle of celebratory libations, the asteroid with your name on it is making terminal approach....

[Cytibor]

A New Foe, A New Face, A New Ride

- June 12th: With their week of relaxation over and two of their number [Justice and Law] seen off for their journey abroad, the DART's woke to the pleasant surprise of Legion making them breakfast. Pleasant, that is, except for Mouse, who felt that she had been kicked out of her kitchen initially, though the misunderstanding was cleared up afterward. Eris expressed her concerns over some irregularities she had been noticing in Legion of late to Persia, who assured her she would look into it in due course, as she had planned physicals for the entire team that morning, beginning with Eris since she was there. Jase followed, while Tahlor expressed some curiosity over how he should refer to Legion in place of his name [should it be necessary], settling on 'Android' [as 'Geth' was also the name given to Legion's kitten, and could cause confusion.] Mouse could be seen outside the castle, occasionally poking her head in to ask where she could find this or that to assist her in her work.

Once Jase had finished, Legion was called up for his check-up, Persia using her hand-held computer to plug into the robot's systems. After a quick sweep, most of Legion's systems checked out green, but a particular section drew her attention. A partitioned section of data so completely separated from the remainder of the system that it was undetectable to internal diagnostic. Attempting to access this section, Persia easily maneuvered past the encryption present and was presented with a troubling warning: [Tread no further, lest you risk the Dragon's wrath.] After asking Legion if this meant anything to him, and hearing of a piece of artifact-like hardware used by 'heretic' Geth, the Dragon's Tooth, that could transform organic lifeforms into little more than cybernetic shells devoid of will, Persia proceeded cautiously. She checked his main systems over very thoroughly, while asking Legion further questions, and ultimately decided that he was not equipped with such a device, though she was still unsure what lay within the encrypted area beyond the warning. Continuing into the encrypted area, her computer encountered an unknown form of encryption, though she could still detect the partition, and her screen began to glow a sickly green. Deciding to treat this as a viral infection, Persia did her stuff and the partition was soon falling like so many dominoes.

Meanwhile, downstairs, the rest of the group were experiencing some very strange phenomena indeed. The jukebox, which had been playing a very Irish tune up to that point, seemed to be suffering a very bad case of the jitters, with the music gone staccato. The lights, too, began to flicker as though a major thunderstorm was rolling by, and even the doorbell took up a spontaneous chime. Upstairs, as the partition crumbled, Persia's screen returned to normal and a mist of the same sickly green rose into the air before dissipating, though a distinct presence [though one difficult to describe. It was similar to a photo-negative in that you felt what wasn't there rather than what was. Almost no presence at all, yet a bad feeling you can't shake. Etc, etc.] remained. Below, the group was scrambling to see what was the matter, but was cut short by a booming, and distinctly mechanical, voice reverberating through the entire building:
YOU DARE CHALLENGE THE WILL OF THE DRAGON? YOU WILL SUFFER FOR YOUR INSOLENCE AS I FEAST ON YOUR ESSENCE!

And with that, a din rose up in the workshop before a metal monstrosity of spare parts and tools scraped it's way through the doorway and into the halls, meeting with Eris and Jase first. Eris, despite being unarmed at the time, fought the thing head on with her Chi-Gung skin-hardening technique and boost of supernatural strength, with Jase providing fire support with his TW Firebolt pistol. [Old flintlock style, acceptably low-tech. ] The rest of the group came as fast as they could, with Legion shattering the machine's joints with several well-placed bursts from his assault rifle. Unfortunately, the walking scrap-pile wasn't ready to throw in the grease rag and, with sparks of the same sickly green energy, began to pull itself back together through a remarkable self-repair process. The group, however, didn't have time to marvel at it and, after a tip from Tahlor suggesting an energy being as the culprit, Eris launched an Energy Bolt at the still reforming amalgam, managing to drive the energy-core away from the parts. Away from it's body, it began to dissipate slowly, but with a timely slice of Mouse's knife [the black, rune-inscribed one found in the Wraithking's castle] the core dispersed before it could make it into the security systems to recover.

With things quietening down, Legion set to tidying up the pile of fallen scrap all over the hallway as Tahlor accompanied Persia back to her room for his turn being examined, and a banging was heard at the front door. Mouse answered it to find a blond girl of approximately her own age [~16-18] in business-like vest and pants with a duffel bag waiting at the door. Expressing interest in the DART's, the girl was escorted up to the Solarium by Mouse to wait for Eris, making conversation on the way. The newcomer was impressed by what she had heard of the DART's victory over Dominus and the Prophallus demon [or “that big-ass demon and it's handler” in her words ] and upon Eris' arrival [and Mouse's departure for her turn in the examining room] she made it very clear she wanted to join up in the hopes of some more action. Introducing herself [at last ] as Annabelle Nicole Krios, she and Eris quickly came to an acceptable agreement [regular pay like the rest of the team.] With her division badge and security clearance to come later, the group readied themselves to ship out for their mission, getting driven to Security HQ in style via a black limousine. Their expectations of what they were to see on arrival [since their mission was one destined for the Orbital Community] were momentarily disappointed as they came to a stop in the Security HQ's parking garage. General Xarl was there to meet them, and led the team through an unused portion of the complex to a locked and very rusty maintenance door. Unlocking it with a key hidden on his person, Xarl led them inside to a broom closet, albeit one large enough for all with some space to spare.

After a moment's awkward waiting, the group began to express their curiosity over where this was going, though Mouse had a guess of her own, that it was a “drop-room”, or elevator in non-street lingo. Proving her correct, Xarl twisted some loose piping and they descended down, down, down, deep under Lazlo. Coming to a stop at last, the group exited the elevator and found themselves in a spotlessly clean and well-lit hallway. Breezing past security with Xarl at the head, they continued past at least a dozen hallways marked with signs stating various research departments or testing rooms before reaching a set of double-doors proclaiming the Lazlo Aerospace Program. Entering, they beheld the newest addition to their team, a sleek and styled space vessel, christened the 'Void-Wolf' in honor of the DART's successes and nearly-mascot. [Ship is one of the Runner vessels from Phaseworld, though sporting a blue and gold/bronze paint scheme and running wolf decals on the wings.] They were also introduced to their pilot, Caesar Jorandus, who had also helped to build the ship and had arrived in Lazlo 20 years previous after being aboard a ship that had fallen through a Rift and crash-landed north of Lazlo. [For those with keen eyes, Caesar raised an eyebrow or two, as he looked no older than about 25.] With introductions made, Xarl gave Eris a key to the maintenance door back into the parking garage and left to attend to other business while the group, plus one pilot, made their way onto the Void-Wolf to prepare for takeoff.

A brand new ship made right at home in Lazlo, a pilot who comes highly recommended, a Commander with knowledge of how best to navigate the debris field, and a plan to circumvent the killer satellites: Good preparation. Certainly will be a shame if that snazzy paint job gets scorched, battered and blasted full of holes.

[DhAkael]

Certainly will be a shame if that snazzy paint job gets scorched, battered and blasted full of holes.

That's why we use enemy mooks as ablative plating
Just duct-tape a few dozen onto the outer hull and viola; at least two armour ranks better!

[taalismn]

Certainly will be a shame if that snazzy paint job gets scorched, battered and blasted full of holes.

That's why we use enemy mooks as ablative plating
Just duct-tape a few dozen onto the outer hull and viola; at least two armour ranks better!

And they laughed at me when I specified I wanted a velcro covering on my ship's hull.

[Cytibor]

Please Keep Your Seatbelts Fastened
and
Your Seats and Tray Tables in the Locked and Upright Position.

- June 12 [cont'd]: Boarding the Void-Wolf for the first time was a novel experience for many of the DART members, though Jase, and his golden eagle companion Arkell, was not as impressed and more concerned with keeping his distrust of technology from overwhelming him. Eris, jittery with her own worries of flying, was assisted by a quick shot of a relaxant provided by Persia to help the Commander shake most of her anxiety. Her clarity of mind restored, Eris set about assigning the team to their stations: Mouse and Legion on electronic warfare and responsible for baffling the killer satellites, while Persia acted as co-pilot to Caesar and Annabelle manned one of the ship's laser weapons. [And was very enthusiastic about the video game-like joystick controls, commenting she wanted a score counter.] Caesar ran tests over the ship's systems while Eris assigns duties, and Lazlo Aerospace Control is ready for their launch by the time both tests and assigning are complete.

The launch was nearly as memorable as boarding their new ship. Piloting the Void-Wolf through an airlock of sorts, a long [and vast, easily accommodating the Void-Wolf] tunnel was revealed before them. Being informed that the tunnel entrance had been opened, Caesar accelerated, piloting the ship through an oncoming rush of water and emerging out into the lake south of Lazlo. [Lake Ontario for you Pre-Rifts scholars out there. ] Cruising for a moment through the water as the sun sparkled down on them, Caesar angled the ship up and they were soon among the clouds and heading towards their destination of Earth's orbit. With some expert piloting, Caesar slipped into the counter-synchronous orbit of the debris field, weaving the ship through the dense collection of rock, frozen waste and scrap metal. So far so good. But the killer satellites began to make themselves known as they proceeded, fortunately baffled by Mouse and Legion's electronic countermeasures. Continuing past this first hint at what was to come, they found themselves being targeted by automated rockets as well as several more of the killer satellites. With Mouse and Legion scrambling to jam as many as they could, Eris came up with a clever plan. Using the TW knowledge she had picked up to create her specialized blades, she channeled an Invisibility spell and hid the Void-Wolf from sight. The rockets collided with one another and the satellites lost their target and ceased trying to acquire them.

Given a moment's peace, the group attempted to locate a station that they could dock at, Eris remembering Freedom Station as being the most open to outside visitation. Persia quickly scanned local communication chatter and established a radio link to it, while Mouse used her ECM to track the signal back to it's source and give the DARTs an idea of where they were looking. Making contact with Freedom Station, the group explained they were speaking on behalf of the free city-state of Lazlo and wanted only to talk. After a moment to confer with their superiors, Freedom Station Control acknowledged the group's request to land and let them do so. After some initial semi-suspicious planning en route, the Void-Wolf landed without incident, and the group was informed they could expect a guide to accompany them to meet the station's leader in short order, as well as a few ground rules, such as not being allowed to carry weapons, much to Annabelle's distaste. Eris supported the rule, however, as gunfire in a space station often has very dramatic and unpleasant results. Annabelle opted to stay behind with Caesar to mind the ship, while the rest, unarmed as requested, went out to meet their guide.

Their guide, one Nathaniel Renko, escorted them quickly through the station after introductions were made, using a curious conveyor belt sporting handholds as transportation through the reduced gravity. Along the way he expressed the President's [of the United North American Government] curiosity and eagerness to meet with them, being the first visitors from the planet below since before the Cataclysm nearly 300 years before. Eris expressed their curiosity to meet with the people of the orbital stations as well, and also why their satellites made a habit of automatically blowing anything that came near them out of the sky. Renko could only say that Freedom Station preferred to differentiate between friend and foe, but the other stations [particularly the hated CAN Republic on the moon] were more fanatic about their containment of the world. He was rather pleased to hear that the DARTs knew the CAN Republic were the least likely to open negotiations and that was why they chose Freedom Station to approach first.

Finally reaching their destination, a conference room type affair sporting a semi-circular table with it's straight edge facing a large video screen set into the wall. Renko motioned for them to sit in the provided seats, and shortly thereafter the President [one Arthur C. Winters] appeared on the video screen. After a quick introduction, they got down to business, President Winters asking what their objective was on Freedom Station. Eris got to the point quickly, saying that while they were there to open negotiations between Lazlo and Freedom Station, their real interest was in asking about a pillar of darkness and what may have come from it. [The Shadowman escaping Earth's orbit some time ago, in previous entry.] After a moment's thought, President Winters said he did in fact remember that occurrence, and provided the team with the calculated destination of their quarry: Mars. He went on to mention that the CAN Republic maintained a small base on Deimos, one of the Martian moons, and that the DARTs could encounter some resistance from them given the CAN Republic's usual xenophobic attitude.

Eris thanked President Winters for this information and proceeded to give the necessary information to contact Lazlo and Xarl to open negotiations proper, as well as request permission to investigate the happenings on Mars. President Winters granted the request, and assured them he would open negotiations with Lazlo with all speed. He also said the DARTs could rest on-station for as long as they needed before setting out, and left Renko to be their guide for the duration of their stay. After conveying the group back to the Void-Wolf, Mouse and Persia expressed an interest in the station and Renko agreed to take them on a tour.

Unfortunately, the tour was cut short as red lights began to flash and a recorded message broadcast throughout the station, directing civilians back to their homes, security forces to their stations, and all guests back to their vessels. Back on the Void-Wolf, the team waits to hear more about the current situation, while outside, an attack force of mechanical humanoid figures approach, eyes glowing a sickly green...

Sickly green...Now why does that sound familiar?