Multiple Settings Fractal Realities In Character Thread

[Auriel Maza]

Madam Maura Demonsmoke, self-professed Witch and our Narrator.
​

Hello everyone, welcome to the in-character thread. This is where the actions of characters and the orders to their respective factions will go. Below, I will give an example of actions and orders, but the sky is the limit for what you want your people to do. Do you want them to build watchtowers? Gather berries? Combat drills? It's all up to you. I will interpret and process how your various actions affect the world and your faction. I will also tell you how well your construction and crafting goes. Many of these actions have mechanics behind them that help us all conceptually understand our game much better. The reference page will be the one-stop-shop for all your mechanical needs. As of this post, it is still in process. However, have no fear, it will be done before the game begins.

Now, allow me to introduce our Narrator, Madam Maura. She is not a player in any sense. She is a narrative tool that helps me explain mechanics and other important information in a narrative-friendly way. She will show up in your adventures to help you or to harm you, but she does tend to help more than hurt. She will be the narrative device that allows defractalling to occur, and she will guide you on your journey through the fractals. Giving hints, explaining scenes, and giving her thoughts on the present situation that you're in. Of course, there will be my impartial GM narration as well, so there will be a hybrid style for my responses. I will make clear that her thoughts will not be my own. I will be your impartial GM. So while Maura may judge you for your actions, I will not. You be as evil as you like, and I will not work against you for it. However, Maura does not have the obligation of impartiality. And she will be one of the few (if any more) NPCs that will be with you throughout your adventures through the Fractals. So garnering her favor may prove wise... or not. That is up to you to decide.

The next post after this one will be the reveal of Fractal 1, the next the opening scene!

​

PatriasLover

​

 

[Auriel Maza]

Fractal 1 Reveal
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The Island of Nosér
Technological Age: Medieval - Early Dark Ages
Fractal 1 Theme

​

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Average Temperature: 40 Degrees F
Climate: Boreal Forest, Tundra, Glacier, etc. (Cold as Crap)
Threats: Undead, Corruption, Medieval Town-States.
Notes: Huge Creatures detected.
Objective Type: Defense
Magic Presence: Moderate
Foreign Objects Scattered Across Fractal
Quirks: 3
Overall Danger Level: Medium - 4 (1-10 Scale)
Food Abundance: Low
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A large portal shows in the Edge of Creation. Maura appears from above in purple waters. She waves in, "Now now, if you want to get out of this wild place, you'll have to brave it and tunnel out. Now let me tell you a thing or two." She clarifies the image of the portal.

"Winter has come dears. The shine of stars barely reach this place, and damn if nothing stays dead here. This world is in broken shape. Lords and Ladies reign over towns huddling over primitive fires within their hovels. Children disappearing in the night and returning to town to nibble on heads and hands with a new skeleton makeover. You can still see palm trees and the signs of a once tropical place here, if you can spot centuries of change. This place is cursed. Locked away by the King of Tolar to rot in Hell for all he cared. The high priestess of whatever religion he follows told him that this place was to be punishment for sinners and dark ones. A Hundred years ago in local time, the final spots of the barrier locked away this land. So, he damn thousands of his people to live here without any aid or sympathy. I always had the theory that the King had an affair with the priestess, but that isn't important. He obviously hasn't existed for generations. And he's never existed here, but no one knows that.

In the beginnings, many races entered this island. Now, many are only seen in the corpses that walk the island. Humanity seems to be rare here, but most of the dead are them. Circles of white fire shimmer out of the towns. Aww how cute. But, it does keep the dead at bay. And inside those fire circles, many voices chant each twilight speaking something about salvation and love of the divine. I hate to break it to them. I've never heard of their gods. And with the state of things... Yeah...

But with all of that, it be easy to tell a sweet thing to these people. I mean. What else they have to lose? Oh, and before you dive in, I'll let you in on a little secret I know. Someone down there is supposedly some god touched. Could be useful. Maybe, they be a good friend.

Ta ta for now "

She drops a sticky note with some other things to note.

This little Fractal has some funnies about it. I'll tell you these ones since I'm so benevolent.

1. Every time you cut down a tree, 20 or 30 eggs fall from the sky. Hope you like omelets.

2. Fires sing Happy Birthday instead of their normal crackling. The locals haven't noticed.

3. All of the birds on the Fractal are Ducks. Peace was never an option. The zombies seem to avoid them though, or anything that looks like them.

 

[PatriasLover]

Little food? Feudal town? Cold as the heart of the tzar, may his name be a curse? sounds so very much like home. well-... no... not that home. that one didn't exist. nor her real home, that one was in the city... she could never come back. Mira was dead, damned to wander this multiverse. stability was what she truly wanted, not like that was ever going to happen. besides, this proves that you lose everyone. do what must be done and keep moving on.

turning to the people traveling with her, mira gave a slight sigh, picking up the poster note and surveying those here, before beginning to speak. "here is the plan. those of us with some semblance of military prowess are to focus on protecting both the rest of us and the townsfolk. mostly, we need to focus on saving these people. I recommend those of us who are more gifted..." she sighed "magically... work on finding a cure to this." this line was directed towards Noah, Gasem, and Klein (who Mira regarded with suspicion, though not the outright hostility she viewed another member of the party with)

"now, I intend to seek out these tyrants and end their reign. we are going to want the support of the people. Reginald and I will handle the revolution bits, but Ukemin... you are good with food, are you not? obviously, these people suffer from malnutrition." I would know this, Mira held back. she had no need to sob dramatically over any tragic backstory. what is done is done. "if we are going to free the people from the curse put upon them by a tyrant and a promoter of superstition, we ought to rid the... fractal... of all the last traces of these corrupt institutions."

"now, for the rest of you... please, avoid being quick to jump to violence. these are... or were people... so there must be a way to restore their humanity." to be honest, Mira had no idea if any of this would work. but, one thing is certain. never underestimate the power of propaganda. some of these people could be comrades, but others.... at least one of them wanted her dead, one fancied herself a god, one worshiped a god (both of those things were foolish. no gods, no masters)... nonetheless... her plan wasn't perfect. she would have to trust them.

"so, do any of you have better ideas? if not, then I suggest we take a vote" every time she used direct democracy, that idiot khamsin was shown that he was utterly wrong about politics. but, far more importantly, it is the right thing to do.

speaking to: ERode SilverFeathers Laszalet Kent Trektek
Mentioning: Scatterbrain Lazaro1505 Twist Misuteeku Cosmo

sorry this took so long to post.

 

[Cosmo]

≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡

'Lady, I beg thee hear me.
For yet the night is long,
I fear the coming of the dawn.
Stay with me as I rest'

Sigismund stood encased in his ethereal armor, the burning blade of his lady crackled before his helm, casting shadows over himself as he gave prayer to his Lady. This was a realm he did not understand, could not comprehend. Metal that floated and moved around him, guided by unseen hands. Stars that blinked in the distance, so close he could almost reach out to touch them yet one wrong slip would send him sprawling into the abyss they floated above. The great 'eye' spun and moved before them to be opened to this 'Fractal'. This other world where the people suffered. Where they lived in small towns and cities, building walls of pale flame to ward off the hordes of the dead that bayed for their flesh. Somewhere out there, among the infinite 'realities' lay his home, lay his people, lay his world, but even here, the Lady was with him, this he knew. With the blade of the Lady, reignited and made whole, in his hands, despite being lost in this new universe of possibilities, Sigismund felt whole and ready for the first time since his arrival... Or perhaps it was because of the armor. Layered in blessed steel, divided from those around him, he was once more comfortable. He was not a 'man', he was Sigismund, Paladin of the Lady and that was all he could be. He did not have to worry about 'interacting', of showing his flesh, of being human, finally, he could return to what he knew how to do. What he was trained to do. What he was born to do.

'Lady, I beg thee hear me.
For though my travel is long,
I fear where I shall tread.
Stay with me as I walk.'​

As Sigismund prayed, he was vaguely aware of one of the others speaking. A woman, Mira, if he recalled the name that had been given. He did not know her. He did not know where she came from or what she desired. He preferred to keep to himself especially as he had been deprived the comforting shell of steel. A world suffering from a curse, hordes of undead and unknown monstrosities and she was fretting about 'Tyrants'. He was unsure if the woman truly cared about the people, or only for what she desired to make a reality, but there were other's he considered to be less trustworthy then the woman. The dead would be put to rest, the dead were dead, his duty was to protect the living. He would grant the creatures the peace of oblivion, purged in the holy flames of the Lady so that they may join whatever gods they worshiped in the heavens, or seek atonement in whatever underworld they belonged in, as the case may be. He would quest through the realm, find those that needed help, and help. As was his sacred duty. He would not rest on his laurels, allowing others to do his duty for him. He would not sleep in the same spot twice as people in this world huddled together for warmth, praying for salvation from the undead. He would not decide the course of this world for its people. He would destroy the corruption, slay the monsters that plagued the land, but the people of this land would pick their own destiny, forge their own paths, with the Lady, or with their own gods. Sigismund was a Paladin, the guardian of civilization, the warden of the light. He was not a shepherd nor a king. To rule over his fellow man was not his duty, was not his burden to bear. Bask in the Lady's Light or do not, she would love them just the same.

'Lady, I beg thee hear me.
For my end is near,
And I fear the void.
Stay with me as I pass.'

Slowly, Sigismund sunk to one knee, the metal of his armor clanked against the hard material of the pedestal as he gazed into the flickering flame of the blade, "No," Sigismund said, his voice carried an almost metallic tang as his voice echoed against the ethereal metal, "I will do the Lady's work, as is my sacred charge. Corrupted, I shall slay. The people, I shall protect. Do as you wish, build what you wish, chase your ambitions to your peril. If your ambitions leads to corruption, you I will come for next," his voice was stiff and coarse as if it was unused to being used. The conviction it carried was unmistakable. Sigismund would help when needed, he would slay the dragons of the world when called upon, but he would not aid others in their personal pursuits and should they become akin to the monsters they sought to destroy, he would deliver upon them the Lady's Judgement and pray that she forgave them of their transgression.

'Stay with me as I journey to your realm.
Stay with me as I dine at your side.
Stay with me as I have stayed with you.'

He rose once more to his feet and sheathed his blade, the flames flickering and dying as the steel vanished into the sheath, he locked his green eyes on the center and waited for it to open.

PatriasLover [Interaction] ​

 

[Lazaro1505]

“What a load of bullshit you spittin out of your mouth…”

A voice had called out from amongst the small group of people. Although, the voice it belonged to, was none other than the tallest and stronger individuals here… an individual the size of a building, with most of his body being made of entirely metal instead of flesh. Many tools and items held onto the back of the mech, but within the arms of the mech was a large two-handed chainsaw like axe, held prime and ready for swinging, although he wasn’t gonna start swinging just yet. However, there was a half a human torso controlling the mech, who currently had his arms away from the control of his mech and had a smug look on his face.

This was none other than the Desert Wind, Khamsin. Now, Khamsin definitely enjoyed a good strategy, especially if it brought them the chance at bringing them closer to victory far easier. However, there was one thing that was peeving him about, and he was about to point out those important ‘key details’ in just a bit. However, first things first… just how Khamsin got here. To which, he doesn’t know a single damn clue about that. One minute he was fighting that damn mutt, getting ripped to shreds before his brain eventually shut off, the next, he was standing here, perfectly fine in a healthy condition with both his axe and some other items within his possession as well. Seriously… what could he do with a ‘duck costume’… well, until he read the part on a sticky note in which it said “zombies avoid ducks”. What a weird fever Dream all of this is… but it sure beats dyin.

“So missy, I got a couple of questions regarding your ‘oh so perfect plan’ now… number one…”

Khamsin said, as he approaches Mira.

“How exactly we gonna do avoidin killing those zombies without having the proper equipment. I don’t think a large axe meant for ripping through flesh is the perfect tool for sparin those zed heads. And I sure as hell know that everyone else’s gear isn’t meant for non-lethal either. Number 2, just how do ya know it’s a tyrant doin all of this? Now, I do like spreading freedom around, especially if it’s to remove someone like a Tyrant who is removing the freedom of others… but you sure as hell that they are the cause of this…?”

Khamsin finished, eventually walking up to Mira, stopping just a couple of feet away from them. Only beginning to crouch down and be more face to face with the commie, Khamsin still had his signature smile on his face as he continued with.

“And point three… who the hell made you leader around here? I don’t see anyone votin on ya to lead us, or, better yet, what makes you agree that all of us would go along with your merry little plan like good little doggies”

​

Khamsin had pointed towards Mira towards the end of his argument, looking off to the side as the knightly fella nearby basically rejected to helping them (or better yet, Mira) out. Only giving a amused chuckle, Khamsin said

“See, even the cosplayer got the idea of doin shit on their own. Now, before you prattle on about ‘oh how we should all pull our weight in and help each other’… we gotta remember the mission first, which is defendin some location America knows where, and making sure it doesn’t fall. Helpin the locals out is just somethin we have to do while on the move towards our location. After all, we can’t fail at the main objective we are supposed to be doing… and as much as I want to spread some lil ole Freedom around to the unenlightened masses past beyond modern times, we have a mission to do. And I intend on finishing it, with or without you. Do I make myself clear?”


Khamsin finished speaking to Mira, eventually standing back up to full height and relaxing his posture now. He swore that this commie thought that everyone could ‘get along just fine’ and began working together as if they hadn’t met each other for one singular hour. Heh, things are already shaping up to be a interesting experience. He doesn’t care if he goes alone or goes with a buddy… he will get that mission done. After all, all good soldiers follow orders.

Interaction: PatriasLover
Mentioned: Cosmo

 

[Kent]

Klein Moretti, the Fool


Klein chuckled while playfully swinging his legs at the mention of researching a cure for the undead. "Well, good luck to you, Miss. You're very boring but go communism!...umm... Sieg Heil?!"

Klein was pretty sure he botched the last part, he doesn't recall if that was a phrase for the communist or some other ideological group. He doesn't care anyway. The woman would be dreaming if he could get Klein to work for her. A cure for the zombies and bringing peace to the world? Boring! Zombies eating humans but scared of ducks? Exciting!

He then jumped down and the makeshift chair that he made with his mote of creation dissolved into specks of light. He appeared in Sigismund vision and waved his hand. "Hellooo! Amen, brother. I have heard of your lady and I respect her very well. You look very strong and I am obviously someone weak, I heard the lady whisper that I should follow you because you are strong and can protect me. Yes, the Lady definitely said this and she even appeared in my dream being so... lady-like... She was giving me hints and pointing me to you! Oh, what a blessing from the Lady! You shouldn't doubt me, you do believe the lady, yes?"

Interaction: PatriasLover Cosmo ​

 

[PatriasLover]

Klein had better be glad that mira died before Hitler started being a dick... or mira would actually kill him. she (like me) has a no-tolerance policy for fascists. in other news, heyyyy, khamsin, would you do me a favor and explain to mira what nazis are? or... honestly, anyone can explain nazis.))


the man in medieval armor spoke first, taking a knee with the clucking rattle of plate armor crashing to the ground, making mira wince slightly. declaring first that his allegiance was to his Lady (mira had yet to decipher if she was a paramour or a deity. truly, she hoped it was the former. his name... Sigismund, if she recalled rightly. sounded... German, perhaps? or English. Mira was not as familiar with either language as she would like to be. it wasn't a Cyrillic name or a biblical one. despite being an atheist, it made perfect sense she would know... she was born a member of the faith of the Book, as the gentiles called it... well, certainly a better name than most.) before stating that he was here only to protect people. that was why they were all here. perhaps they all misunderstood. mira only meant that, if these... zombies? mira was unfamiliar with the word. these... undead... were once people. so they should be able to revert to their human state. however, if there was no trace of humanity left, and they were merely dead, corrupted shells... then mira would not object to bringing them painless peace. no more villages would be slaughtered.

Just as she was about to speak, the night said something that gave her pause. he would not hesitate to end any of them if they were corrupt... he does so in the name of his lady. so then... he was a holy night. and... while he may not be corrupt in the same way that this fractal is, he is... ignorant at best, and monstrous at worst. if he proselytized... pogromed... a shiver ran down her spine. well, Mira would return the favor. for both corruptions are bad, but one is the result of human-made constructs. power corrupts, and if in that man's crusade, he harmed others?... well, he would pay.

yet again, just as the woman opened her mouth to reply, the American spoke, voice rough and crude, condescending (like most folks from America. of course, she had never been, but comrades Berkman and Goldman had spoken of the prison system, and the police. and this man fit the mold.). first, he cursed out her plan, before asking his question, his objection the same as Sigismund, only far coarser, with much more cursing. (not that mira wasn't a curser herself, but one had to use those words sparingly, or they lost all impact. she could go off on a tangent about the nature of swear words, and how silly they were. after all, they were just synonyms for things society deemed improper, such as sex and bodily functions. but the meta-linguistics behind it were so very interesting. you know, how societal constructs like religion have impacted language. oy, mira was getting off-topic again.)

the man crouched down in front of her, a condescending look on his smug face. "who the hell made you leader around here? I don’t see anyone votin on ya to lead us, or, better yet, what makes you agree that all of us would go along with your merry little plan like good little doggies"
this son of a Bonapartist really wanted to play that card? really? women got the right to vote in his country... what, seven years ago? people of color can't vote in many states. America has colonies (even today, it still does)! and he wants to claim that she is assuming the role of dictator, while he is a paragon of enlightenment when he probably doesn't know the difference between Locke and Hobbes. and besides, mira had made no claim to be a leader, merely proposing a plan, one that he outright dismissed.

"we have a mission to do. And I intend on finishing it, with or without you. Do I make myself clear?”

now, that was utter stupidity. their mission was to free the town from corruption. both kinds. protecting the people could only happen if both the undead stopped attacking and if the tyrants lost their hold. the cause of this was created by a corrupt institution. so, this fractal must be purged of that institution. a look of anger briefly flashed across her face, before composing herself as the next person spoke, yet again condescending and rude... though she was rather confused as to why he gave a german sulute, when she was russian. there germans were not communist. they had a republic, but a capitalist one. they had murdered comrade Luxembourg. it was strange.

taking in a deep breath, mira then began to speak. think of this as negotiating a treaty of independence between three parts. they all want something, but they all want peace most of all. find the shared goal. "Sigismund, to answer your question, i simply mean we find out wether or not these undead beings are still sentient. if not, than death is on the table, if there is no other way to revert them back. but, if these undead have even the slightest bit of consciousness left, then they are still people, and we must do all that we can to help."

pivoting to face the hulcking metal brute, mira locked eyes with him, an angry look in her own. "now, i did not in any way insulate that i wanted to be the leader. i do not believe this group needs one. i was simply proposing the plan. any critesism or suggestions you have are good, but do not waste our time with your repetitive questions."
Then, addressing the group as a whole, the rebel continued "so, i will keep this breife. but our goal, our aim, our mission here is to free these people, and protect them. i do not know where we are, or why we are here, but we have a duty to protect others."

Mira fell silent, locking eyes with each member of the group, one hand fidgeting slightly with the bottom hem of her uniform. yes, she was somehow in uniform, even though she had last been in plainclothes. she still had her coat,at least.

(alright so uh is this something i need to role for? i put points into orating and tact...)

Interactis with Cosmo Lazaro1505
Mentions Kent
wait is there a turn order?

 

[Laszalet]

Gasem

Ah... Conflict. The start of the story, or so it seemed. All unfolding directly before him. And just as expected! Excitement, Actual interaction! Such a refreshing change compared to the untold number of books and stories he had read through. Despite evidently not differing too much.

At least the setup for the begin of this story seemed somewhat unqiue, albeit only a combination of the undead and a medieval setting, he had only come across very few iterations who actually walked such a direction at all. The direct conflict seemed inevitable with such a diverse cast differing strongly in time and personal philosophy.

And watching it, already provided, for now, a peak feeling of excitement, he hadn't felt in a long time. Yet, he was still only observing, while these entities which were most likely forced together, including him, bickered among themselves. Although, sometimes bickering was important to introduce important elements into a story. He'd have to partake anyway sooner or later, and the previously gained rush of excitement, should now serve well of pushing him towards actually interacting with a few of the other characters.

Gasem turned his face directly towards Klein, hopefully Gasem's words would be clear enough for Klein to notice that he was meant, by the rather sporadically created nickname.

"Sir umm... Raven? Pardon me, for I lack the knowledge about yours truly and therefore do not know how to call you. I hope you do not feel offended, regardless I apologize. To extend the courtesy you provide by listening, I will glady provide you with an introduction of my own. That which you may call my by would be Gasem. Now to that which I wished to inform you of, for I fear the expression you used, is not one commonly used by anyone proclaiming to follow the ideology one refers to as communism, at least according to my information. Instead it mostly was used as far as what I've read, only in a country called germany when greeting one another. Though these days, at last once more if my information does not prove itself to be false, it is quite uncommon, near extinct one may say, and quite offensive even, to use it.
I am deeply sorry, if my words have in turn offended you, Sir Raven."

Was he too agressive? Shouldn't he rather just sat still and not interfered? But such a blatantly false staement... couldn't be left standing. He couldn't leave it standing at least. Gasem was truly hoping not too have offended any of his fellow cast yet. His experiences certainly would prove to be more and more lackluster, if he were to displease all of the cast. At least, one assumption, presumption, had confirmed itself. Directly interacting, it was, even more exciting! His breathing was getting faster, and his heart was already taking up speed. This nervousness, all these different feelings, they were just so extremely refreshing, after the repetituous and identical ones he had gone trhough before again and again.

But why stop there? He had already spoken up, not even providing his expertise on the proposal of the dear lady, would most certainly not be seen in a positive light. However, he had to first calm down, otherwise, there wouldn't be much he could say, at least in singular senteces and without constant repetition to stall for time. Something that would be extremely unbefitting of any kind fo story in most scenarios, the one he was in included.

"Miss communist? Once more my aopologize, for I lack any name of the present characters. And once more, if you did not hear what I've said, my name or at least what you may refer or call me by, is Gasem. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. As to not sour our first meeting, I'd like to give you my opinion on your previous mentioned suggestions as you've called them yourself. I do find your attempt at the very least commendable, after all some kind of force needs to set this story into motion. And albeit likely that the others would likely act on their own, increasing the likelihood of actions being taken quickly and evne organized at that... once more it is commendable. Not that you would need my praise, I am certain that your words are fully supported by your beliefs. I fear however, and that si where our relationship certainly will sour sadly, that you are mistaken in your belief, that there exists a duty for everyone present to protect others. It is commendable to call others to protect those who cannot protect themselves, but claiming there exists a duty, is certainly to much."

*pant* *pant* *pant*

Had speaking alway been this difficult and taxing? Supposedly, not speaking for what could have very well been at least milennia, didn't help. It wasn't a problem with his mentality, no. It just felt very exhausting. Had he forgotten to breath? That had to be it. In all of his excitement, he mus have had forgotten.

"And while I actually do not see myself duty-bound to protect others, it would most definitely prove to be advantageous to help out the local populace. If you wish to criticize my notion because of a matter of opinion and intention, then I understand. I myself am aware, that I am somewhat fickle with my words. Regardless, as I've hopefully sufficiently hinted at, I do intend if further information aligns, to help out the local populace more or less directly. As such I would not mind travelling and working with anyone present, for there should still lie strength in numbers, even under the current circumstances."

Interaction: Kent PatriasLover

 

[ERode]

It had been novel at first, inhabiting a world of perpetual night, where gargantuan metal structures reached out for a star that mimicked the concentric rings of a camera’s lens. The Edge of Creation, their cone-hatted hostess had named it, a wasteland of astral dust and African vegetation, a world incomplete and without sense of time or need.

It had been novel at first, but by now, Ukemin had more or less tired of it. After all, for all the large-scale wonders of her new-found situation, of becoming a world-saving, world-hopping warrioress against the forces of eldritch corruption all that was…basically old shit. Regressed as she was, she had still been a goddess during the mythological age, where landmasses were formed by the whims of her father and mother, where demons roamed the lands and deities protected the people. To do so again, and right after she really got into the whole ‘singing and partying while enjoying the conveniences and entertainment of human innovation’ deal was sorta a bummer! Doubly so, of course, when everyone else that wandered the desolation of the Edge of Creation was, put kindly, not the type of people she’d go out to a Shibuya pub crawl with.

Well, Trixie might not be too bad, though it looked as if little Demonsmoke was holding back the Beastkin for the time being. The rest though? So full of big ideals, wild devotions, grand ambitions, and hot air that they’d give the Michelin Man a run for his money! Indeed, if the freedom-raving cyborg man didn’t even rank in the Top 3 of unsettling weirdos mucking about the shattered multiverse, it was undoubtedly clear that there were some problems at hand.

Problems that naturally presented themselves exactly four and two-eighths of a second after Demonsmoke introduced them all to the Island of Noser, as egoists began trading monologues back and forth. Freakish and godless as the island sounded, the whole idea of eggs falling out of the sky was a charming little thing.

“Eggs from the sky, yet no food in sight

This scarcity’s artifice, ‘lest shells cause aller…gize?”

While Mira pressed for a vote, Sigismund prayed, Khamsin bitched, Klein lied, and Gasem vomited, Ukemin cringed. Yeah, that was definitely a dead-end of a rhyme. It really was different, not having three shots of tequila in her stomach and a crowd of energetic children to egg her freestyling juices on. The regressed deity sighed, her azure eyes naturally sliding towards Shadow Android, that weird animal-robot-thing that acted just about as genocidal as it looked. What was its input to all this? Or what about that strangely fragile hunk who went around with three names? Based off feel alone, they’d probably have the strongest thoughts on cooperation versus individualism. Or maybe they’d just act on it.

Ah, whatever. Might as well get her licks in before it turned into a proper shitfest.

Hopping off her cajon, Ukemin brushed her fluorescent hair back and tied it into a ponytail, before stepping up behind Gasem and slapping the masked man in the back in a friendly manner. And yet, the words she spoke next were far-removed from the youthful vibrance displayed with every inch of her vessel. “Thine proclamations are doubtlessly made with clear mind and sound logic, Gasem, though this revered self must remind thee of a singular fact: facing another’s lived experience with knowledge drawn from analects of a mismatched dimension is naught more than a scholar’s arrogance. As one who will soon travel to a myriad of realities far-removed from the branch of your own history, understand that such a perspective could cloud your erudite faculties with an unintentional ignorance. It may very well be the case that many truths exist parallel to each other, and that this ‘Sir Raven’s’ gesture is a genuine expression of his world’s communism.”

Ukemin smiled, a saintly, all-forgiving smile. And once more, her tone contrasted with her countenance, adopting a matter-of-fact heft.

“Though really, he’s just being a jackass.”

Springing off the masked scholar, the goddess turned her attention back to Mira, snapping her fingers in the uniformed woman’s direction. “And that goes doubly for you, kiddo! If you want us to make nice with zombies and shit, you’ll have to go make nice with those lords and ladies, first, least ‘til we can all vote on whether they’re assholes or not, yeah? Super obvious, but whatever folks you axed back in your world aren’t the same folks that live in this upcoming world, so check yourself before you wreck yourself~”

Good grief. She was monologuing just as hard as the rest of them now. It truly was a contagious practice, wasn’t it? Ah, what she’d give for a snappy exchange of quips instead. Maybe she ought construct a unit, specifically to have a conversation partner…

“Ah, but of course, if you wanna just do your glorious revolution on your terms, that’s totally fine. Sigi there’s already paved the road for that, after all! Don’t take this the wrong way though, I’ll be feeding people no matter what you choose. Comes being the goddess of good eats.”

 

[Scatterbrain]

SHADOW ANDROID
The Ultimate Battle Life Form

"Pathetic." Shadow Android muttered to himself. "I don't have time for these simpletons."

The ultimate battle life form stood away from the rest of the group, in the shade of one of the trees that littered the area, his feet apart and arms crossed in front of his chest, as some of the others began bickering amongst themselves about their next course of action. His growing frustration with their shared confinement at the Edge of Creation would of been obvious to everyone around him by the unrelenting scowl that dominated his face.

Shadow Android closed his eyes for a moment and his mind wandered back to a time before...



Then, in a blinding flash, everything that he had fought so hard to achieve was snatched away from him and he found himself stranded here, a strange metal island in a sea of seemingly infinite nothing. Escape was impossible, that much was certain, the black and yellow hedgehog had run the entire breadth of their perplexing prison at unbelievable speeds and had seen no signs of an exit.

He had gone from having the world at his fingertips to little more than a rat in a cage.

And yet, his sour mood had begun to soften considerably after learning more about this place. The ability to create things by sheer thought, access to the multiverse, with this information in hand, Shadow Android's dreams of conquest began to grow considerably larger. Why should he settle for one measly world when he could rule over the entirety of creation?

The android flicked his head to the side and snorted in contempt as the incessant prattle from the others finally become too much.

He was the ultimate battle life form! These people had nothing to offer him.

"I take orders from no one. I do only what I decide." Shadow Android proclaimed to nobody in particular.

These humans and glorified Badniks were all beneath his notice anyway...
​

 

[Twist]

"They said this way led to damnation, Pa"

"Have a little faith in your old man!"

Clark opened his eyes once more, his father still absent and no trace of his presence. They had entered the doorway together in their return from the afterlife but it was only Clark that now stood in this strange place.

Or maybe more fittingly, Superman.

Clad in the red and blue of his costume, the proud sigil of the House of El emblazoned on his chest, the last son of Krypton had followed his adopted father Johnathan's lead as he pulled him back from deaths door but he had not arrived in the land of the living, rather somewhere on the edge of life and death.

And he was not the only one, as a strange assemblage of beings debated and argued plans and goals, each of them gathered together by an even stranger, more powerful being. Kal El had decided to leave the others to their discussion and listen rather than engage himself within the conversation. In his early days of his career he had met others with distrust and even violence, his rash actions almost costing the Earth the chance of having it's most prominent heroes unite in it's service, a group he was often part of.

In reserve capacity however.

Perhaps he would not be in this situation if he had chosen to be a more permanent member of the Justice League, a sobering notion for the Man of Tomorrow. Though maybe it would have led to even more loss and destruction if he had not gone it alone against the creature 'Doomsday'. There had been enough close calls as it was in that pitch encounter, Superman's thoughts turning to those gathered almost with a sense of deja vu.

Listening to these people speak, Kal El couldn't help but draw parallels to people he had only recently fought with and died for. Khamsin reminded him of the blustery Guy Gardener, the knight had the cold temperament of Bloodwynd and the 'goddess', a vague similarity to Ice. Was this perhaps a dream, was he in actual fact alive?

Maybe he was in a coma, his friends talking to him by his bedside and these were all jumbled phantoms produced by his addled brain. Kal El looked around at the others gathered, scanning for any familiar features or similarities.

He narrowed his gaze as another thought came to him, a more disturbing one. He had already been lulled into a trap by demons of the afterlife posing as Kryptonian's on a funeral march, with him as their honoured dead.

And their sacrifice.

They too bore a distracting similarity to his own people and even his biological father but it had all proven a sham. Was this another trap by demonic forces?

He had been a clear head and decisive voice for the newest iteration of the Justice League, one he was not part of but still greatly respected by. Perhaps these tempestuous simulacrums wanted him to insert himself within their debate, a guiding voice to lead them and in doing so spring their trap as he once again fell under their thrall....

With that creeping notion Kal El remained quiet, content to observe for now, his hand unconsciously drawn to his house's emblem atop his chest, and hope.

Hope he would be reunited with all those he held dear soon.​

 

[Auriel Maza]

The Island of Nosér
Opening Scene

​

• Opening Scene
• Order Actions & Example

• 
  
  As the great plunge into the portal began, the feeling of dread like a rat biting toes, fingers, arms became clear. Was it physical? Was it metaphorical? Was it the Fractal warping the feelings of one's own body? From blackness, to a snowy landscape with a view of taiga forests, snow all around. Not a bird to be seen, but that is to be expected. Only ducks exist here. Below your feet laid thick columns of ice, a glacier. As the blinding light subsided from vision, you looked down through the ice seeing the ground faintly below. Wind howled viciously on the plains of the massive glacier. Over the edge, it appeared that the glacier stood on pillars of ice. Mist of ice flowed every which way in a soothing way. In a flash, a faint hiss and a massive boulder flies over you in volcanic fire. To your southeast, a raging volcano spitted out lava and rock over the landscape, and the noise it generated gather larges amount of dead on its northern side. Thankfully the glacier's ramp to the surface formed far away. The landscape looked peaceful, calm. No animal tracks, no chirps of birds, no bodies; almost deathly calm. Only trees marked the side of life here. Before you laid a camp with a recently extinguished fire, an indent of a tent, and a path of boot marks, all around them laid waste rock like limestone and sandstone as if it was cleaned from ore. Strange. The pieces looked incredibly fine and almost unnatural, as if molded by hand. Nothing was left behind otherwise. You looked down the ramp to see a cloaked, black-haired human sliding down the glacier. They were just a dot, but the hair seemed distinct. The human headed due northwest, tossing a rock in hand. They looked back at you as your arrived, and they picked up pace, as if in a panic. A blizzard began to move through the lower ground and it became impossible to see them further.
  
  In the distance, there was a town almost dead west with a multitude of towers. A road became clear as you scan the landscape, it stretched all throughout the horizon. Could be paths to civilization. Caves and other terrain oddities laid south of you towards the volcano. Of course, they were swarmed with dead. Another rock came clashing through the mist and landed northward, its flames melting snow into water. To the northeast, it looked warmer and habitable. Was that your eyesight or something playing a trick? To the far north west, you could see a massive indent in the earth. It was faint, as its distance from you was massive. What could be there? A dry lake? A canyon? A massive mine? Who's to say.
  
  But, as you began to move, a purple collage of smoke appeared before you.
  
  "Poor cutie didn't even realize I was here. Ole well... Welcome. Finally, you rabble stepped through." She yawned, "I was thinking you take forever. But, welcome to Nosér. I hope you brought a jacket! But besides idiot proofing you, this should be a cake walk. I mean. Dumb zombies, medieval peasants everywhere; not like these forgettable cannon fodder will be an issue. Of course, food will be a problem for most of you. But, I'm sure you have the technology to handle that. Of course, the volcano could be a place to hide out, get some plants growing. But, you'll figure it out. Or I'll laugh at you for it."
  
  Maura chuckled, "Okay that's probably what's going to happen. But, hey, let me give you guys a tip. You should probably dig in a little bit as if you try to rush this, you'll find out how screwed you are. This place is slow, but I think you know why. Oh, and don't starve together." Maura made a heart with her hands before disappearing in a puff of smoke.
  
• 
  
  Order actions are the ways you communicate with me on what you and your faction is doing each turn. While you may expect me to list out all of the things you can do, we would be here all day. As order actions are for literally anything from gathering food to building structures to performing a heist, you have great freedom to do what you please. The mechanics I have created are meant to interface with your actions and create fairness. Do not let them limit what you can do. There are many things you can do! The important thing is to list it at the beginning or the end of your post in a list so I can see it clearly. While I love reading posts, it can bog me down trying to determine what I need to do to process everything. It is also important to note how you write it. How you phrase and things you state in them will influence how I process these actions.
  
  Of course, if you want me to give you an idea on how things may go, I'd be happy to assist.
  
  One note: Your movement each turn is not an order action. Its free each turn.
  
  Examples of Order Actions:
  
  
  1. Gathering food from the local area, using extra caution and checking for poisonous plants before bringing it back.​
  2. Clearing the area of zombies by leading them to a pitfall trap and lighting it on fire.​
  3. Chopping trees to make a clearing​
  4. Setting up palisade walls​
  5. Confronting a NPC​
  6. Attacking another party​
  The list goes on. The big thing to remember that mechanics are not the limit, and that you should think like if you were doing this? What might you do RL? What might you worry about? Don't worry if it takes time to get the hang of. You have a week each turn to think. Take your time. I am easing everyone into this as we have many newcomers to the genre.
  
  
  Now, an example will explain this easier. This example will use a dear friend, Beckoncall's, current game Untamed Archipelago as I basically use the same order system, just different mechanics around it. No point to reinvent the wheel.
  
  So here's a link to it. Take a look at player responses (I'm playing in that game too, so you'll see me ) and look at Beck's (as he's the GM). This will give an idea on how things will flow. Now, I'm a different GM than he is. My games are always blessed by the Lords of Chaos, who somehow took me in as their disciple while I unaware. Fractal Realities will simply be far wilder than probably most NRPs as a result. So feel free to get whacky .
  
  

  Fantasy - UNTAMED ARCHIPELAGO: IC

  Where IC flavor and orders go for the turns of @Beckoncall's nation building roleplay go. At first, only one move (from cluster to cluster of islands) and 1-2 actions a turn are allowed.

  www.rpnation.com
  
  

 

[Cosmo]

≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡ ≡≡≡≡≡

The journey had been disorientating. Sigismund clutched his sheathed blade as he tried to steady himself and his mind as the world stopped spinning and his eyes were finally able to take in the surroundings. Snow almost as far as he could see, a large volcano that spat fire into the sky, a recent campsite and a figure that disappeared into a blizzard... He was able to make out a town in the distance along with a series of roads, would the blizzard move to swallow them? Had the figure been moving towards that town? If they were, why were they going north west instead of to it? Was something blocking the path? Was the town infested? Would the person be fine on their own? Pursuing them into the blizzard would achieve nothing besides getting lost, a regrettable shame. Something large was in the distance, and he had no idea as to what it could be.. But he would find out in time, of that he was certain.​

Right before Sigismund could begin to travel, a pillar of purple smoke startled him and he nearly drew his blade but relaxed when their 'host' arrived.. to berate them and this world for awhile. He listened as best he could as his green eyes continued to take in the surroundings, and pointedly ignore the fact that the large, oddly shaped metal man was in a weird duck outfit. Her advice was sound, but he would not be following it. He would not camp out and wait, twiddling his thumbs, while the people of this world suffered. He would quest, fight, and if need be, die for that was his charge. Besides, alone with just his blade against innumerable enemies and large monsters? This place was starting to feel like home.

Their host left as quickly as she came, and Sigismund turned to face the group, he bowed his head slightly, "Lady be with you," he said as he touched the top of his helm and the center of his chest. They could take the blessing, or not, but still he would offer it as his Lady would want.

He turned on his heel and began to head west, to deliver final rites to the hordes of undead and to reach the town to offer his aid, if it still stood, or avenge it, if it had fallen.

EDIT
Sigismund had barely left when the sounds of crunching snow arose from behind him, he half turned to spot more then a few people trailing after him. Were they like the liar and were afraid? Did they have some business in the town as well? Seemed to make sense, gathering information or supplies in the town would be a sound strategy. He would do his best to ensure they arrived safely so long as they were nearby and under his vigil. He considered slowing his pace, to walk alongside them but decided against it. He wasn't particularly skilled at communication and would have nothing to offer them, worse, he risked insulting them when he was slow to respond or had nothing of value to supply. Sigismund was a recluse, but he was not a fool, he knew he was not good at 'relationships' nor was he the most pleasant of men to be around, he could be rigid and stern.

The Paladin had barely taken a few more steps before the ground started to rumble, his hand fell to the hilt of his blade as he bent at the knees and prepared, relaxing only when the large mechanical man, from before, arrived. Sigismund eyed the large creature as it introduced itself, although he wasn't sure what sort of family name 'Desert Wind' was. Perhaps he was a bastard child and his culture had a habit of assigning local weather conditions to the babes? It would be somewhat similar to how he came upon his own 'birth' name. "Sigismund," he responded as he touched his gauntlet to his breastplate.

His eyes widened as an image projected into the air. So real, he could almost.. Sigismund reached out a gauntleted hand to touch the floating imagine, but his hand passed right through, clear air. How was such a thing possible? Magic? Some mechanical wonder he was unaware of? His green eyes narrowed at the large gathering of zombies, of the blood and viscera, of the great feathered creature almost pulsing at the center as it grew, "Abomination," he growled, how many had died to feed that monster's bloodthirst? To fuel its growth? How many souls had been claimed by the dead and the damned, shackle to it like puppets to fulfill its purpose? It could not be allowed to exist, it was an affront to all that was right in the world, it seethed with death and corruption. One of them would die this day, either the beast, or himself, that he swore to the Lady.

"I will come," Sigismund said to the large... duck.. painted mechincal man-creature-thing, Khamsin.

Orders
Movement: Sigismund will go west to the hamlet with Khamsin
1. Sigismund will aid Khamsin in setting up the large zombie trap at the Hamlet [See Laz's post]
2. Sigismund fight the zombies and the feathered beast along with Khamsin.
​

 

[Kent]

Klein Moretti, the Fool


Movement: Follow the Knight, to the West

Spoiler: Fool's Journey

Klein along with his escorts appeared for the first time in the fractal. He looked around before spreading his hands and inhaling the cold air of this god-forsaken place. "Ah, a new world full of dread and despair. How fun this world is, we'll have to see!"

He looks forward to what this world as well as his peers could offer him. It would certainly be fun and excitement. The guide-lady appeared and explained some details to them which Klein intently listened to. He may just be here for the thrill but he also has to work for it no matter how boring it is at the start. After all, every grand event requires meticulous preparation and planning.

To the west seemed to be signs of civilization. Klein intended to head there simply because fun is where the people are and also where he can fool a lot of them. He can't really fool trees and rocks now, can he?

"Lady be with you, Ser." Klein redirected his attention to Sigismund and replied to him with the same gestures. The knight then turned around and began heading west. Klein didn't follow him immediately and was just staring at his back with a smile. After a couple of seconds, he abruptly clapped his hands and looked at his minions. "Let's start moving now, shall we? We don't want to get left behind."

He reached for the empty space in front of him and pulled out a black umbrella from thin air. He opened it and gestured for his minions to stay near him. "The weather is not too bad. Come, let's depart."

Order 1: Start of the Play

Spoiler: Order 1 Details

Klein will follow Sigismund and let him scout the town ahead of them. If it is dangerous, then surely the Lady's Knight can handle them while Klein cheers him from the back. If it's safe, Klein will attempt to meet up with the Lord. All the time, he has his umbrella opened and to anyone who can notice him despite that, they would still be befuddled by his presence and mote. As to how a stranger like him can reach the lord, if his mere presence as a total stranger with weird clothing is not enough, surely mental suggestions to soldiers and stewards as they climb up the ladder would be enough, yes?

He tossed the mask of many faces to the Dmitri and ordered him to assume the appearance of a random peasant and to stay within the Umbrella. This emotion-speaking unit should be able to help Klein feeding their subjects with the necessary emotions to make his endeavors a success. The 2 Scarred Humans were also gonna follow him while the Vyritiz was to split from the group. It will hide and pick a random peasant to observe before using the mirror blessing and spending the turn to assume the appearance of that peasant. If need be, the Vyritiz will utilize the life of the party blessing to aid him in his endeavor.

Now, as to why he is heading straight to the leader of the town... Wouldn't it be more exciting that way? He needs some side actors for his great play, not some extras or props like those poor peasants.

Order 2: Scholars and the Supernatural

Spoiler: Order 2 Details

Lord Fro will make an announcement that the town will be hiring anyone that has potential for magic or even use magic, scholars, or civilians that are good at useful jobs such as blacksmithing, construction, mining, etc. Not only that but the town will also be buying anything related to magic or the supernatural, it could be a magical stone, or perhaps a sword that glows, or even scrolls that could provide information regarding such. Everyone may present their items to Lord Fro and he will evaluate whether it is really what they are looking for and then he will offer a price. Credits or Food could be offered.

Communication: A letter to the Twin Princes
​

Spoiler: Message

Dear Little Prince,

The Lord and the guards have been subdued. While they might still be seen out and about, do believe me when I said they are subdued. When you encounter them, don't be surprised when they don't act how you expect them to act.

Now, you didn't have to run from the town. I did promise I was going to save you. The outside is dangerous, filled with undead and demons. Not to mention that a massive death explosion just happened. I suggest you return to the town at the soonest and we can investigate together the intrigue that your Father has sown and where your brothers could possibly be. Your belongings could be returned. We have the full resources of this town at our disposal.

As for who I am, you will know when you return to town. I mean no ill intentions towards both of you but clearly someone does. I may be your best bet at surviving this cruel world.

Sincerely,
Your Savior K

​

​

 

[Trektek]

Reginald Pensbrooke

Reginald had been caught off guard, to be sure. One moment, he had been having a delightful teatime with his good friend Yvonne, in her favorite spot among the gardens on the World Train, when suddenly, he was surrounded by all sorts of strange and unusual people. They were all sorts of different shapes, sizes and genders from what he could gather. He decided at that moment that it was more useful as a Clockwork Doll to just wait patiently and take in all the important information so that he would not make a misstep. If he was to be trapped in such an odd location with a bunch of different individuals, it was best to absorb it all as important. It was how he managed to help so many people in his short time in existence and how he ended up as one of three leaders of the Resistance to overthrow the ruling class of the World Train in order to bring about equality for those left to the shadows.

Right away, there was one young woman who seemed to speak the same language as him, so to speak. She spoke of Freedom and Liberty, of working together to free the people from Tyranny. If there was Tyranny, he would certainly fight it for the benefit of the people.

The large Mechanical Man, seemed like another of his friends, Magnus, the Hulking Brute of a Creature. With Rage and Anger that could be directed towards proper targets, he could be a valuable assest. Especially seeing as he was mostly mechanical? He could enact repairs on him, as best as he could to keep him going.

The Holy man. He seemed to want to help people, but his blind devotion to this, LADY, could be problematic, especially with that other man attempting to glom onto the idea. He would have to watch out for him.

The others didn't seem to present themselves enough for him to make any judgement, but he would of course be friendly to all as is his nature. The War had not taken that from him, only gave him a better perspective of the World at large and those who would take advantage of those who had no choice but to follow.


----------------------------------

They all traveled through the portal to the first, "Fractal" as it was called. A piece of the puzzle, to be sure. There must be many of these such small worlds. Perhaps his was among the ones that they would visit. But for now, it was important to move that out of mind and towards the future. This winter wonderland must be dealt with first.

Reginald approached the young woman who spoke earlier. "I do so believe that if there are any tyrants to overthrow in this world, that it would be best for us to dethrone them. For the good of the people. Since this is a world filled with peasants, by the nature of the term, there must be those that rule them. And if this place is as filled with the undead, a despot might arise from having too tight a control on the food or defenses. We must be ready to help those in need."


Move Action: Move Towards Town

Action 1: Reginald will approach the town and attempt to gain entry, asking to speak with the leader.

Action 2: Reginald will use Inspiring Orator in a main square or Tavern and attempt to recruit people to his cause​

 

[PatriasLover]

being pulled through another portal was disorientating as ever, worse than the first time, as mira was not awake to feel it. yet, after one moment, the world thankfully settled into place, leaving mira standing in the snow. at least she had her coat on. letting out a soft sigh, the woman glanced around, first sporting the town, then the volcano? that was... certainly unexpected.

one of the other members of the group approached her, some metal creation wearing a victorian waistcoat and tophat. the man? thing? person spoke, stating that he too would be ready to assist in the Cause if tyrants arose. at the second to last sentence though, mira shook her head. "no... there are already tyrants. a king and a member of the clergy were the ones who imprisoned this town, both of whom are the leaders of corrupt institutions. besides, comrade, there are nobles who rule as well." turning once again towards the village, mira continued to speak "however, if we can utilize the volcano as a source of heat for long term farms, and in the short term, we use the eggs... we can set up a commune for these people if taking them out of this fractal is possible." her eyes seemed distant slightly, not focused on anything that was happening in front of her, but rather, her mind showing how the future should be.


move action: head to the town with Reginald.

action one: walk the borders of this town, look for both any defences as well as if the nobles were here

action two: catforge has isolated itself. if that is where we are to go, than mira may as well speak. (mira is going to use her recruitment ability) ( Auriel Maza is it ok that i changed it? )

 

[Misuteeku]

Mercurius​

"How interesting..." Mercurius whispered to himself.

How long has it been since the last time Mercurius had last talked to another sentient being? A few decades or so? The concept of time was long lost to Mercurius that he could not tell, and the idea of socializing as he watched from a distance everyone getting to know each other. He had remained relatively silent, not even introducing himself as others did before him. Others may have seen him as stand-offish or cold because of this, but in truth, he was still reeling because he was meeting people. The dialogue skill had been left alone for so long that he had almost forgotten how to talk. Though, it would seem that the skill would be dusted off now that it was needed.

The frigid cold didn't bother Mercurius all too much. After all, the isolated landmass he lived on was subjected to abnormal weather. Looking to his side, there were two figures by his side. Unlike him, who was bestowed with a name, these two were nameless. Perhaps, it was due to the savage behavior that they the concept of names. Then there was another companion that lay on top of his name. "Quack." A duck that was lying on top of his head. Mercurius didn't know why the avian used his head as a resting place, but he didn't complain.

Everyone seemed to split off in different directions. Four of people that were in that strong room before were heading the opposite direction. The blue hair girl seemed to go off alone with her subordinates. Seeing that she was alone if you ignored the four subordinates, Mercurius decided to follow her. Since everyone went off in pairs, he guessed he should follow her. Other than that, there was no particular reason.

The mission he was given didn't matter much to him, but if the opportunity, he would help. For now, he wanted to explore the land. There was only simple curiosity in being in a whole world for once. "Let us go!" Mercurius said as he got up. With the wild-born armed with longswords, they decided to follow after the blue-haired goddess.

Spoiler: Actions

Move Action: Follow Ukemin
Order Action: Gather Food Along The Way
Order Action: Utilize Exploration part of Loss Mote if Mercurius encounters a town.

ERode

 

[Lazaro1505]

Khamsin’s Journey:
Episode 1:

Haha, man, he was sure as fuck happy as others began joining in with him, talking to Mira about how little she actually knows about this world. Serves her right assumin all of this was as easy as figurin out like trying to walk when you are only a day old. He was bettin a good sum that the commie just wanted to put in some communism to the people of the continent… heh, he’ll make sure they’ll never go far if he has something to say about that.

In fact, he was having a bit too much fun watching others speak to her, that he decided to continue watching from his spot without interrupting. That kid makin fun of Mira by doing those damned nazi fuck’s greeting made him actually laugh out loud. Now this was his type of ‘Fever dream’ if he ever had one before. But he was already spending too much daylight by standing around and laughing at things… especially when the lady from earlier came back and reminded them of what to do. He still had a mission to do… no matter what happens. Even when he isn’t sure he’ll just ‘wake up’ sooner or later and return to reality, or this fever dream of folk that look like they come from Japanese comics and walking black hedgehogs.

Moving ahead to begin activating his scanner systems, Khamsin was already setting to work on scanning the local area for potential locations of interest. Actually… Khamsin did begin to wonder how he not only had a scanner system not there before as part of his mech’s original systems, but the lack of satellites within this ‘world’ due to its medieval setting. Maybe it was after the apocalypse or something… could explain the zombies. Eh, it’s not like he was in the business to care about such. However, what his scanners did reveal, was certainly something interesting. It started off normal at first, detailing multiple different surface ores such as iron, but what caught his attention was the sky cam view of what appears to be some cult shit happening over there.

Live Khamsin Reaction:



Well, that was certainly was the most fucked thing he had seen today. Luckily enough, he was already used to the sight of blood and death… although what made him a bit ‘worried’, was that big bastard formin in the middle of it all. Now that looked like it would be a hassle to deal with… especially if it finishes whatever the hell it was doin over there. And the horde of undead certainly made him think that this would become a fuckfest later on if left unchecked. And well, he certainly want to let off some pent up steam after getting sawed open like a fish being gutted by that damn mutt. So, with a plan to walk on right over there… Khamsin actually stopped a bit. That horde over there certainly looked like a hassle to deal with, especially on his lonesome. Perhaps it’s time for this marine to buddy up now.

Looking around for any potential targets, Khamsin recalled about a certain lil cosplayer that was the first to head off on their own. Only moving ahead to quickly catch up with the knight, the large mech had no trouble of matching the pace of the person he wanted to speak to (alongside their stalker). Only giving a amused smirk on his face, Khamsin walked with the two as he casually mentioned

“Names Khamsin, aka, the Desert Wind… and I got something interesting to show to you now…”

Khamsin introduced himself, before showing a holographic screen that showed the bird eye’s view of the hamlet in front of the duo. Merely pointing towards the screen, Khamsin said.

“…you see, I found this lil bugger and his ‘toys’ hidin out in the ruins of some hamlet after scanning the place. Now, I heard you were bout willin to slice any poor bugger to pieces if it looked at any civie funny, and so, I got a lil idea. How about we move on over and make a lil trek detour there, and curb stomp that thing before it gets a chance to finish growing. It’s a good idea too, take it out now and we don’t gotta worry about it runnin around setting fires everywhere, alongside a decent chunk of those things being removed. So… waddya say? Up for a ‘boy’s night out’ now?”

Khamsin mentioned… he certainly must have pressed the right buttons now. No matter the response, Khamsin already prepared putting on his “Anti-Zombie camouflage”… which just applied a duck esque paint job over his armor alongside giving him a duck costume for his human half. This was embarrassing enough… but if it deters undead, he wouldn’t overlook something as useful as this.

​

Khamsin Turn 1:
1. Move directly over to that Hamlet in the distance

Actions:

1. Begin making a trap (along with Sigi) for the ole zombies in the hamlet, trap description by Cosmo right here:
“Alright, Ferb, we need to lure them away so we can wreck that demon. So I was thinking..

We dig a trap. A long trench with some timber and grass on the inside, cover it in a thin layer of wood to mask it [from the officers]. Make some sound, lure them in then Sigismund lights the trench [ranged fire sword] after they start falling in.

Using the flames and chaos as a distraction, Sigismund jumps on Khamsin who books it around so they can gank the demon before the zombies can gather and reform.”

2. (May change) prepare for a good ole fight within the Hamlet… make sure to get the ole duck suit up and runnin.

 

[Laszalet]

Gasem

• Roleplay
• Mechanics

• Ignorance! How could she!
  .....
  
  She... was right.
  
  An untold amount of lifetimes reading books, nothing else, was what stood behind his thoughts and assumptions. And he had even claimed, that he was sorry for his words offending Sir Raven! Yet he had dared to presume, to think, based on information from just a single side of a literal story. Books only ever held so much information, and of all he had read, nothing ever contradicted with one another. At least of the books that presented themselves as having stored history of untold and long forgotten ages. Of times and places beyond that which he could have ever seen himself.
  
  Yet he dared to presume. To presume. That all he had read, apllied to all of existence! He was alive, that in and of itself already defied what most would considered fundamental concepts. His very existence, could be said to contradict most of what he had read in history books. He should have known better! He should have! Such a lapse of judgement... it was... embarassing. Ukemine, was it? Gasem would do well, to remember. The first name, he would have to note down on a list, which he hoped not to grow too long.
  
  He still needed time however. Thinking about his... mistakes. He knew, his ignorance, wouldn't magically subside, just because he was made aware of it. Gasem would have to fully acknowledge it, that for the time being, his decisions lacked that which he craved for so endlessely. Experience. Real experience. But at least, he now had the opportunity to learn! He was finally free, to experience reality. Gasem could not imagine, what awaited him, yet considering how great his ignorance appeared, for all that possessed at least some experience, it was clear, the ongoing journey, was an arduous one.
  
  The others moved out, in different directions, with different goals. Yet Gasem was still standing, contemplating. Contemplating, which direction to take. Contemplating, whether to follow any one group. On one hand, learning from others, despite him having not done so for eons, should prove to be safe and a sure way, to reduce his naivety and in turn his ignorance. Or would it? How was he so certian, that he actually was willing to listen? He wasn't, his very first thought, of calling him ignorant, was to deflect, to reject the thought altogether. The only reason he didn't do so, was because he was at least at the time forced to think about what was said. He couldn't just move away, leave and ignore that which he stamped false. But now, there was no real barrier preventing from doing so, should whoever he accompanied, if there were even any willing to travel with him, make him aware of his faults. Or to even call them directly out.
  
  Would he not just try to flee form such a situation? Would he not just reject it without thought? While there was only one way to find out, it would cost precious time, time he could at least try to think about his mistakes and reduce his lack of so many things. He had to travel alone! At least for the time being. Even if it was just to properly organise his thoughts. If he moved without any or anyone, surely there would arise opportunities at a later date to travel with others? It didn't matter, he had already decided. At the very beginning of his thought even, he had just tried to justify, doing so, for the dangers were quite evident. He wasn't strong, nor agile, nor cunning and clearly not experienced either. All he had was his brain and even that, was evidently not shielded from inexperience.
  
  Yet his decision remained. He'd march north, as far as he'd come. Not necessarily to avoid, but to not force an interaction with others. If he'd meet or even be followed by any one, then so be it. He would have to concentrate on more pressing and important matters. One such matter, revealed itself, quite quickly, since he cut himself practically immediately upon the start of his planned journey.
  
  A first realization already! His decision, seemed to have already proven advantageous to forced forward his flaws. This injury, while nothing that wouldn't heal on it's own, showed what he lacked. He hadn't been injured or even thought about any such thing, for a long time, despite having being bedridden and ill for most of his normal life. Yet despite that, he had never once learned how to take care of his own injuries. His parents had always tended to them.
  
  Something they couldn't do any more for him. Gasem would have to learn to take care of them himself, even if he only learned the basics. Anything, was endlessely more, than what he currently was capable to do. Luckily, his march to the north, should take some time. Time in which he would absolutely be forced to endure greater injuries, and therefore time, in which he could learn, how to properly tend to them.
  
  "Hopefully, there actually will be something left of myself, to be tended to."
  
  
  What was that? Ukemine's... voice? And a... melody? Had he fallen victim to some kind of magic? Or the surrounding nature? Despite both seeming logical, instinctively he knew, it was neither illusion nor hallucination. But why was he contacted? What was it, that this melody carried with it?
  ...
  
  Interesting. So corruption, was more akin to an infection of the mind, rather than the body? And it was even capable to warp and twist the minds of common animals to give them sentience comparable to that of a human! Stranger though, that they were not hostile, for Ukemine had clearly according to the message spoken with the infected. Yet there was only so much a single message could convey, and just as she requested his presence, it certainly couldn't be a bad idea to take a closer look more or less in person and inspect these corrupted entities directly, albeit their reaction most likely won't be as kind as to Ukemine.
  
  Physical presence however was not only risky, but also quite... difficult, since he was by now potentially as far away as he could have possibly been from the siege mentioned in the message. It would take long to reach. Too long. But was his physical presence really required? Maybe. But at least, he could acquire some additional information before actually rushing towards Ukemine. Since she had sent the message, she should be able to identify his attempts to create an avatar at her current location. Albeit it far from a real physicial presence and quite dwindling, it should suffice to infiltrate this siege and get enough information to determine, whether he actually had to go or not.
  
• 
  
  > Moving along the marked down path.
  > Using the 1st Order action to work on learning Skill: Medicine
  > Ordering Orbi to research: Foundations of Magic
  > Activating combat ability and creating a doppelganger at Ukemine's position
  > Using the 2nd Order action to activate the exploration ability at the location of the doppelganger
  

 

[Auriel Maza]

Cosmo Lazaro1505

• IC Scene Transcript
• Scene Rendition
• After-Scene Response
• Loot Descriptions

• 
  In the forests of Harrow, Khamsin and Sigismund prepare a trap and plan to eliminate the fountain's profanity. They have set a trap to kill the dead and isolate the creature within. Scene: Evening began to arrive as the duo finished their trench and trap. Let's see how that went:
  
  As the sunlight faded and work couldn't be done safely anymore, (Straight) Sigismund and Khamsin completed what appeared to be a 15ft deep and 60ft long trench with a girth of 15ft. Something Khamsin will jump easily. However... it appears that in rush to complete the trench, the ground did appear to be unstable. How many dead that can be held within it before it collapses remains to be seen, but that will be determined shortly.
  
  Firewood was plentiful. The trench was filled with Forest Fire waiting to happen tender and fuel. It looked like a mini ecological disaster waiting to happen. Hopefully the snow can keep that from happening....
  
  While mini ecological disaster awaited the dead below. Khamsin and Sigismund's fervor had little wood for actually concealing the trap. Hopefully, the dead could not see in the dark. (edited)
  
  There were some open parts that they covered with grasses and some dusts of snow to help it blend, hoping it would work...
  
  Now with the trap set... we await for Cosmo or Lazaro1505 to attract the dead. How will you do it? Where will you stand? To each side appears to be flat with a hill behind you and the trench.
  
  Laz: Rev up the ole chainsaw axe to get their attention… before running to as much cover as Khamsin can
  
  Khamsin revved his chainsaw, creating a ruckus, as was typical for a giant mech in a silent and deathly forest. With absolutely no noise what so ever... Hope that isn't foreshadowing or anything.
  
  The dead came at their shambling pace somewhat quickly, it came clear that the horde had arrived. The stench reinforced what Khamsin had sensed. How many came? Hard to say, but in the background, you could only hear one thing. A massive scream built from the marriage of two sounds: Hurricane winds and cactus barbs slicing metal. It sounded awful and radianted out into the forest, causing massive amounts of pine needles to fall to the ground. Some of the trees near the fountain turned to ash almost instantly as the creature howled. Thankfully, it was not complete and could not come for the duo, for now...
  
  As the scream subsided, Khamsin's sensors gave him an estimate:
  
  About 800 dead appeared to be coming, with a handful of officers leading the charge.
  
  Decision Point: A) Stay or... B) Leave?
  
  You began to see the greys of their eyes as they approached, twitching and gnawing on their own teeth. You felt a temor from the ground as the officers held their hands high. A streak of ghastly white energy bursted from their hands to the dead. A tremendous chorus of screams echoed from the 800 as they went what felt like super sonic speed towards Khamsin. Based on his sensors, the dead will reach Khamsin in 2 rounds. The longer he stays in front of the trench, the more dead will fall in and be fooled. However, if he moves behind it, the officers may be privy to their ruse. How long will he take point on this onslaught?
  
  While Khamsin's insults were quite vulgar, the officers seemed not to care. They not understand what you are, but they care not.
  
  A wind began to pick up across the forest and began to encircle the battlefield, a streak of blue echoed from it and Khamsin noticed the air began to chill. It was about to snow. How... unlucky timing. They had enough time to light the blaze and lead the dead into it, but Khamsin began to grow a little concerned if the snow would rain on their parade.
  
  Sigismund is going to pull his blade and ignite it, channeling its holy powers as he swirled it through the air leaving trails of Happy Birthday in its wake, "Hurry, dead things, we do not have all night," Sigismund said under his breath.
  
  Sigismund is going to wait until the get into range and launch flames at them to better draw them in.
  
  Khamsin, while your sensors cannot make sense of whatever this is, they have alerted you to something strange in some of the dead. It appears that some of them have started to glow from their chests and the heart that lays dormant in most of them are beating in them. You're unsure what this could mean, but probably bad things.
  
  Khamsin: “Ah shite, these undead fuckers are Glowin…. Should probably stay away from them in case they are suicide bombers”
  
  As he finishes, his mech body begins beeping to him as the horde comes within strikin distance of his axe. They began to reach like witches for him. And in the back, you notice the officers began to charge some ball of energy. May you strike the first for ray of dead?
  
  Khamsin strikes with his massive, comically lethal axe at the horde. He destroys a swathe of them as his axe deletes most of the horde. However, some do survive heavily damaged but are naturally immune to bleeds. The more important bit is the purple explosions that khamsin unleashed.
  
  Khamsin, expertly dodges out of the way of the blast (Crit that distance roll), causing a shockwave as his mech body dug into the hill behind them. A massive chain reaction in the dead occurs causing... 83 dead to blow up into bits. Their black masses create a mist that obscures our duo from the officers. An occurrence that could prove handy.
  
  As he does so, Sigismund lights the fuse of the trench causing the tender to ignite like a fire tornado and it spread almost instantly over the trench. The dead began to pile in as the wood used t0 cover the trap was disintegrated by the flame strike. Screams and shrieks filled the forest as the horder began to filter into the trap.
  
  The trap goes off perfectly as immediately after Khamsin reaches the safety beyond the trench, 249 zombies crashed into the flames and burned to purification. A smell of roses filled the air as a strong "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" rang out in the forest. You could see the officers attempt to redirect the horde as their bolts of energy fling harmlessly to the sides of you. But, the massive sound of HAPPY BIRTHDAY prevented the idiot dead from hearing them. It was likely more would perish to the trap.
  
  The first attack slams against 40 undead, causing their bodies to twirl in the air and land amongst the crowd. The second swing, you could feel a jolt of energy as another 40 jumped up at you and you plunked them back down like pinballs, shattering the horde's line and demolishing 64 zombies. (in total)
  
  Sigismund unleashes a dash of fire into the smoke, seeing the officer clearly with his glowing white hands. He shrieks as the holy flame burn him good. But just as Sigismund pulled his sword back to strike again. Tendrils of the creature pierced through each of the 4 officers and they slumped into ash. It screamed once more and it appeared that it slowly began to stand up from the fountain. The zombies appear to be running from the massive duck suit in disgust as the officers no longer force them to strike. "Trespassers of the master's will shall be punished. Dollies should run. Dollies should hide." The final officer uttered that line as what awaited both of the duo gathered it strength.
  
  The creature casts a purple light into the forest, causing the holy flame to cease immediately. Unsettling... No demon should be able to do that. Sigismund had a gut feeling this wasn't a demon. No... it was worse. (Rolling Will for world knowledge)
  
  Khamsin: *Slowly prepares drones with explosive intent*
  
  As Sigismund adjusted his eyes to the new light level, he began to remember his teachings by the nuns. While foreign to his lands, the Lady spoke of things made by other gods. You began to see black feathered wings appear along its back, with its alien body slowly rising up out of the fountain. A scythe formed along its back and an Eagle print formed along its front. It flew and landed in front of the duo. It landed hard but unharmed. Too weak to fly, the creature stumbled to its feet and readied its scythe. Sigismund knew now. He and Khamsin faced an Angel of Death, an angel formed by a God of Death.
  
  Laz: Khamsin just gave an amused chuckle at the sight of such a thing. Really, that thing wanted to fight at such a state? It looked like it could fall down any second with a well placed hit. But no matter what… Khamsin wasn’t letting down his guard, he kept his distance (he walked up to about 50 ft away), as he decided to do one thing only… send out some drones to deal with the problem for him
  
  Cosmo: Sigismund took a step back, his blade lowering for but a moment, the loud happy birthdays blending in with the roaring HAPPY BIRTHDAY raging inferno, an angel of death... How.. why was it here? Sigismund closed his eyes and sent a prayer up to the lady, whatever this thing could have been, it had to be removed. Before he could step forward, strange missiles that he could not name flew at the weakened creature. If it did not finish it, Sigismund would step up to cleanse the creature.
  The Angel of Death survived the initial blow of the drones, barely as it stammered. As the drones fired their lasers, you could see the energetic dermis of the creature dim to almost nothing. It would need more to die.
  
  Sigismund struck forth with his Holy blade, lashing fire at the creature as he finished his prayers.
  
  The flames strike the creature and its purple energy fades completely, causing the black mass of the body to collapse within itself. Sigismund understood that sometimes when this creature dies, it can create an explosion spanning miles. Thankfully, the rigidity of earth blocked the blast.
  
  Both of our duo swiftly entered the trench as they awaited to see if this death bomb would go off or not.
  
  Thankfully, the blast can't kill any animals due to the angel being killed before it could fully form. Sadly however...
  
  
  The island of Nosér already faced ecological disaster. Now it was ramped up to 11 as the forest in the entire region was destroyed entirely. Not a single shrub survived. However, countless eggs began to rain from the sky, sending tremors through the ground.
  
  
• 
  [Harrow Forest - Now Harrow Desert]
  The breeze was still, the snow stilled the sounds of whatever remained in the forest and whatever monsters awaited our strange duo... The Paladin of the Lady, Sigismund, and Freedom Lover, Khamsin, the Desert Wind, had traveled down the glacier to the strange fountain that Khamsin's robotic sensors had found. Human blood? Fresh blood? Khamsin could not make sense of it, but his sensors filled his mind with the prospect of danger and ridding the world of a monster. Khamsin had relayed his findings to the others as they made their separate ways. Only finding that Sigismund wished to join him.
  
  They trekked down the glacier, following the boot tracks until they turned left at the surface into the Taiga forest. Ruffles of the leaves morphed into quacks as ducks flew about, cleaning themselves and watching down as the duo made their way towards the fountain. The dead within the area appeared to be nowhere to be found, but many footprints of bare feet, and open graves told our duo what they needed to know. The fountain seemed to be congregating dead, and as you approached the fountain, all you could hear was sobbing, yelling, and pleading of a young man. His voice crashed into your minds as you moved towards the fountain. It sounded young, around 15 years old. You couldn't make much sense of what was being said, only that the voice was speaking. After what seemed an hour of speaking, as you made it to your ideal trap location, you heard the clang of a dagger and gargling of a mouth. Then it stopped with a clash of a body to the ground. Silence, dreadful silence. Neither of you could make sense of what it meant. Only that whatever the fountain made, made a meal out of this tragedy, and Sigismund felt a conviction in his chest as he and Khamsin finished their planning for their trap.
  
  On the outskirts of the burned hamlet, Khamsin and Sigismund began digging a trench spanning 60ft, 15ft deep, and 15ft across. A sizable feat of moving earth, but a giant mech and a faithful man made short work of it. But, they did rush a bit and the earth was unstable. Hopefully, it would hold up in the onslaught tonight. The long exposure to water made the soil sort of mushy, and while it held its own for now, its mushiness could cause it to collapse later.
  
  And as they placed their final touches on the trench, the light of the sun began to fade. More than it usually does. It's orb of light dipping beneath the horizon. The last rays for the massive pile of tender and wood that they would ever see. And there was a lot. Turns out that when the dead rise, no one bothers curbing forest fires anymore. So the trench was primed and ready for a beautiful fire. However, in their work, Khamsin and Sigismund left little to cover the trench. The trench had a couple branches over it, but nothing major. Hopefully the more intelligent dead would be fooled, or at least not see in time.
  
  As the trap completed, Khamsin raised his axe high and began revving its blades. The sound of the engine filled the air as nothing could stop it from being heard. As the blades sang its solo, a myriad of groans and growls accompanied it and the horde approached. The smell of rotten flesh snuffed out the sweet smell of pine needles and fresh snow. A scream made of the marriage of a hurricane and cactus barbs slicing metal rang out from the fountain. Trees turned to ash, but the screamer did not come for our duo, not yet...
  
  As the horde started to make their charge, Khamsin dug in his metal heels and braced for there charge... It would be a thrilling, but shockingly short fight...
  
• 
  After defeating the Angel of Death, Khamsin and Sigismund meandered through the center of the hamlet, investigating what had happened. They searched for any signs of the young man, only to find that he was nowhere to be found. The only indication they had was a blood print of his body on the ground. From that print, Khamsin and Sigismund concluded that the young man stood about 6'0" and had a thinner, but muscular build. Some tuffs of black hair scattered around. Some curly like facial hair, others more on the top of the head. They led to the northwest with bootprints that look slightly older than the one's on the glacier, but eerily similar. Did he become one of the dead? Did he survive? Did he make a dark deal for power?
  
  Many of these questions swirled in Sigismund's mind. Why would anyone deal with a God of Death? Sigismund remembers the teachings that they are not to be trusted as making deals with them is like wheat making a deal with a hungry farmer. Its never honest. Sigismund prayed that the Lady would help such a troubled man. He also pondered why a God of Death would receive such requests? Why would they care? The young man seemed bent to reap himself.
  
  But as Sigismund pondered these questions, Khamsin investigated what appeared to be an egg in one of the burned down hovels. A white and pearly egg about the size of Sigismund's torso. Your sensors could not make sense of it, but it did look somethin akin to a dragon egg. Maybe that is what it is? Of course, if it is. Then it will probably be a very long time before it hatches.
  
  The fountain sprayed water again with a vial of blood set in the center. Sigismund reached for the vial. Maybe it could hold the answers he seeked? Or at the very least, it was important as he could feel the holy energy radiate from it. As he touched the vial, he could feel the Lady guide him deeper in. There appeared to be memories inside of the vial, clues that could help him understand what happened here better. But, he also felt danger, but he pressed forth, only to not dig deep enough into the vial. He gripped the vial tightly. He would need help to peer deeper and uncover whatever secrets laid within them. But, the memories had a mix complement of emotions. Joy, love, betrayal, grief, guilt; there were others too. That what seemed to be the dangerous part. Enough emotion that it could overwhelm Sigismund's mind.
  
  Where could he go for aid? He was not sure, but he felt good with his victory over the monster.
  
• 
  1 Unit of Death Angel Essence - A translucent black feather that causes the skin to darken on the touch. Could be a deadly coating on weapons.
  10 Units of Food from nearby Eggs. - Eggcellant quality.
  A Vial of Unknown Holy Blood - A vial of blood from the young man that has some strange connection with the fountain, who was used to feed the birth of the Angel of Death.
  The Scythe of the Angel - The Scythe of the Angel. Deals 4d8 Void damage and causes the affected creature to be unable to be healed or gain shieldhitpoints. When this scythe kills a creature, the user gains a burst of energy that allows them to make an extra attack as part of a quick action.
  5 Units of Gold Ingots - Sweet sweet gold
  2 Suits of Plate Armor - Standard armor.
  1 Egg which you do not know what it is. - White, pearly dragon egg looking thing.
  

 

[Twist]

Fractal 1 Assets

Spoiler: Units

3 Kameraz of the Peace - [Add 4 to cost] Kameraz that focused on more peaceful pursuits. These Kameraz use their systems to forward art and foster knowledge in other races. Kameraz of the Peace decrease crafting times by 1 turn for crafting projects they are on. (minimum 2)
Primary Stat: Will
Lowest Stat: Strength
Blessing: 1 - Creed: The unit's loyalty to you is its greatest asset. This unit cannot lose loyalty to you and will warp logic to stay loyal and believe you are good.
Unit Value 1
Cost 4/1/1 (2)= 7 x3 = 21

Small Animals - 1 shards [Birds/Mice] x2

Medium Animals - 2 shards [Dogs]

Spoiler: Gear

Nanoweave Armor[Cost: 25]: A suit of space age material that fits relatively well to the skin without feeling like spandex. The armor forms rings like platemail, using heat from the body to move and adjust to blows. If the suit is EMP'd, the bearer's movement speed is halved. This suit provides the bearer with 2 damage mitigation and absorbs energy from long falls, preventing fall damage.
Hand-held tools[Cost: 5]: A hammer, a pickaxe, a shovel, etc. for construction and harvesting resources. Units can use these tools and burn 1 energy to gather resources.

Spoiler: Resources

2 Unit of Steel [Cost: 30]

Spoiler: Unique

Pistol Taser[Cost: 10]: A taser typical of police forces across the world. Deals torpor damage equal to 3d4. If the target's health is less than the amount of torpor damage they have, they are knocked out. At the end of each round, creatures with torpor lose 1d4 + a quarter of their essence score. The pistol also deals 1 point of electric damage. Range: Short, (penalty) Long
Grappling Hook[Cost:5]: A hook that allows you to scale tall cliffs or buildings. It has a range of 60ft. (x2)

"Come back to us son"

Clark took in a long breath, the cool feel of air rushing into his lung a strange yet reassuring experience for the mighty Kryptonian as he opened his eyes to the soft glow of the Sun emanating from amid the trees. Though he felt weak, it at least seemed he was alive.

The clearing seemed to sway, as a bout of dizziness overcame him, Kal El staggering to one side as his legs turned to jelly. An invisible hand caught him, steadying him as the nausea and vertigo swept over him.

Kal El tried to focus, staring down at his midsection to centre himself, the red and blue of his costume now a funereal black and his shield, once prominent and bright, now glistened a sterile silver.

The sudden change proved an apt distraction from his malady as Clark's inquisitive mind pondered suitable answers to how and why, as he looked up to the invisible entity that caught him, the wispy hair and weathered face of his adopted father looking back at him. Still dressed in his combat fatigues, his steely expression could not hide the warmth in his eyes as he held his son.

"Pa?" murmured Superman

The spirit answered with only a smile as it helped Clark back to his feet, pushing it's glasses back towards his eyes, the spectacles falling down his nose as he caught his son. With his ailment passing, Kal El looked around the clearing and his fellow travellers. While it seemed the weakened Superman was the only one to suffer by passing through the portal, it seemed the group had grown larger with their arrival with some of his companions already huddled together with other alien beings. Kal El himself had garnered the attention of a few others, the phantom persons passing, unnoticed, through the others to reach him.

As they got closer, their features and clothing became more apparent, with Kal El quickly identifying one of them as Kryptonian in origin by his black bodysuit and green tabard while the other remained vague, a shrivelled husk of a person. It wasn't too long before Kal El recognised the soft features of the Kryptonian behind his open mask as his biological father Jor El, the spirit much like the holographic guide that had imparted his father's wisdom to him back in both form and visage at the Fortress of Solitude.

As the phantoms came to stand by him, Clark's mind had found an answer to his current situation, the most obvious and fitting being his arrival through the portal and his own perception of himself.

Unsure whether he was alive or dead as he entered into this new world, his mind and this world's magics must have pulled from him this perception and crafted him for this attire of black and silver, and formed for him guides as he thought of his father Johnathon, with one in his image. As Pa had manifested the shovel from the ether in their escape, so had Clark manifested the necessary people and tools in this new world. Already others began to form around him, their shadowy whispers rising from the ground as they came to life.

Watching as the spirits communed with each other, Superman couldn't help but feel strengthened in their presence, their familiar faces giving him much needed hope. Kal El knew these were not demons, but friends.

As the spirit of Johnathon beckoned the unformed ghost to his son's side, the two parental phantoms went forth to scout out the surroundings. Manifesting a rifle, Johnathon went Northeast while Jor El travelled to the Northwest, into the blizzard, his hands gently grasped behind his back as he went. Taking a moment, Superman looked at what remained of the campsite, his phantom protector looking on with big eyes and an innocent smile as he went on with his business, scouring the area.

Maybe Clark Kent wasn't gone, like he had so brazenly stated before when beckoned by the light of the afterlife. Looking around the campsite, the reporter in him couldn't help but ask questions; Who had been here? What had they been doing? Where were they now? Though the biggest question, and the one that would shed the most light, was Why?

If he could find out that, then the whole story might just be blown wide open....

Orders

Paid Actions: Superman explores current tile, with guardian spirit, with current focus on the remnants of the camp and clues (Perception (1)/ World Knowledge (2) traits applied)

3 3 Kameraz of the Peace gather wood/eggs from the nearby trees using hand held tools.

Free Actions: The remaining spirits go Northeast and Northwest respectively to scout

[/font]

 

[ERode]

• Header
• Units
• Items
• Resources
• Movement

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  Kani [Wildborn Human - Prowess/Glamour - Enduring] + [Unit Value 2]
  Energy: 4/4
  Loyalty: 100
  A cool-looking middle-aged man with the affectations of a cynical, world-weary uncle, Kani has a thin shell that he uses to hide his otherwise sensitive and empathetic heart. He strikes a solitary silhouette against the sunset, but is the first to recommend cooperation amongst others.
  
  
  

  

  
  

  
  Kume [Wildborn Human - Prowess/Glamour - Enduring] + [Unit Value 2]
  Energy: 4/4
  Loyalty: 100
  Calculating and methodological, Kume is a youth with a chip on his shoulder and an outlook on life that's quite utilitarian in nature. He makes for a good tracker and trapper, seeing such activities as practical and efficient, while largely disdaining the 'run-and-gun' hunting style of his more-savage peers.
  
  
  

  

  
  

  
  Mafuno [Wildborn Human - Prowess/Glamour - Enduring] + [Unit Value 2]
  Energy: 4/4
  Loyalty: 100
  A child mute and still, Mafuno is possessed of a thousand-yard stare that bores past the soul and a complexion belonging to either a vampire or a serial killer. There is a repressed, bestial frenzy within her, one that she releases with every draw and shot of her bow.
  
  
  

  

  
  

  
  Nakaya [Wildborn Human - Prowess/Glamour - Enduring] + [Unit Value 2]
  Energy: 4/4
  Loyalty: 100
  Valiant and honorable, the young woman strikes an inspiring figure no matter the circumstance, possessing a beauty and wisdom forged not just by the laws of nature. Ever sharp-minded, Nakaya speaks with a confidence and resolve founded in her mixed heritage, and has a peculiar knack with animals.
  
  
  

  

  
  

  
  LOCK [Kameraz of the Peace - Will/Essence - Skilled (Material Science, World-Knowledge), Artist] + [Unit Value 6]
  Energy: 3/3
  Loyalty: 100
  Forgoing the clinical destruction that delights its peers, LOCK seeks the acme of sentience, the artistic creativity that was once thought to be unachievable by those bound by binary code. LOCK has a rather wry sense of humor, though it has trouble communicating comedy when its intonation is so flat.
  
• 
  1x Basic Clothing
  1x Steel Knife [Quality: 10]
  
  1x Hand-Held Tools
  1x Cooking Supplies
  1x Water Purifier
  
  1x FL Studio 64
  1x Instrument Morpher
  
  1x Duustas Terrain Bike [Energy: 2/2] [HP: 70/70]
  
• 
  Food: 8 + x
  Water: 0
  Electricity: 0
  
  Wood: 0 + x
  Steel: 0
  Granite: 0
  
  Copper: 0
  Gold: 0
  Silver: 0
  
  Medical Supplies: 0
  Ammunition: 0
  
• 
  
  

It was a shock to the system, but it was a pleasant one after the mundane, unchanging landscape of the Edge of Creation. The dread of dimensional traversal meant little to the former Goddess, and more immediate concerns of cold pulled her to her surroundings a beat faster than those around her. It truly was a tundra, replete with glaciers and icy bluffs, grand vistas of stone and ice that were contrasted by the sheer, unsustainable insanity that was a volcano in a constant state of eruption, flames that sang a single, monotonous song. The wind howled, carrying away the chilled ashes of an abandoned campfire, and Ukemin drew her coat closer to her, body tensing and untensing to pump blood through her vessel at a faster pace. In the distance, a silhouette blinked out from view, swallowed by a blizzard. They had good reason to panic; caught out on ice and drowned in a storm, their chances of survival were minimal.

From the vantage point of the glacier, at least, she could spot the coast and the woodlands, the greener pastures in the northeast and the depression within the terrain of the northwest. All curious little things, all possible avenues of pursuit. But before any of that could be considered, there was a tenseness in the air. Maura was unaffected of course, the ‘god’ of this domain that she was, but at that very first step into a new world, there was always the concern that a frenzy of violence would erupt between those around her, as passions suppressed by the immortality grafted unto them at Creation’s Edge released itself in a flurry of blade and bullet, fists cracking bone.

The moment did not come pass. Sigismund departed with a prayer, only to be drawn by the proclamations of a demon by Khasim. Klein followed after the two, seeking shelter beneath the weaponry the two men had invested in. Mira and Reginald, as if seeing that same opportunity, followed after as well, while only Gasem broke off to head northwards, the deathless scholar seeking something more concrete than book-knowledge alone. The one who proclaimed himself as a trinity, meanwhile, remained, drawing forth vestiges of past humanity to aid in his own exploration. A twisted thing indeed, the witchcraft of this Occidental man. But no matter. It was time to depart…as well as probably time to introduce herself to the lives she had given birth to.

“Well,” she began, pushing her Terrain Bike with her, “the lot of you can call me Ukemin. Let’s get along and get gone!”

---

Sea level was a marvel, if only because her thighs could finally stop burning from the slow, careful descent down the glacier. Halfway through, that brat Kume had the gall to tell her off and shoved Ukemin away from the steel steed, tasking himself with carefully bringing it down. It sorta pissed her off to see a boy a head shorter than her do what she had sought to do with ease, but Nakaya, ever gallant, ever valiant, gave the goddess a distraction from her wounded pride...by pointing out that LOCK, its processes still adjusting to the severe temperatures, was on the brink of shutting down. All its technical capabilities mattered little when environmental effects could easily lay waste to its wiring, and the smooth-faced Kameraz had to be strapped onto the bike as well, carried down the rest of the way.

Kani was the first to point out though, that this did not bide well for their robotic companion's tenure within the cursed island of Noser. He stalked ahead of the rest of the group as he did so, his thin silhouette a blade of black against the white snow and the overcast skies. Perhaps such omens were indeed dark and dastardly. Their numbers were too great for one to take advantage of the Terrain Bike, which would likely just become a clumsy, overtly-expensive battery for their Kameraz friend. Mafuno too, without any weapons other than the steel knife that Ukemin entrusted her with, looked to be in a hyper-aware state of mind, eyes bloodshot and tearing from forcing them wide open despite the weather. Indeed, their main weapon was truly the guns mounted on the front wheel of the bike, but they didn't have enough ammunition to last for that long either. Many concerns then, and many short-term worries.

But each step brought them closer and closer to sea-level, and there, between the shriveled forests and the roaring tides, Ukemin decided that it was going to be alright. She started the engine of her bike, using the ambient heat to rouse LOCK, and after some lines that were either meant to be intensely nihilistic or weirdly comedic, the Kameraz was quick to demonstrate its restored mobility by taking it unto itself to perform a handstand of...middling precision. Ukemin was just happy that it didn't break its joints while doing that. She seriously didn't have the spare parts for that.

Still, mishaps aside, once she drew in the knowledge of the nature around her and found some renewed hope in restoring the abundance of this world, Ukemin was quick to adopt the hunter-gatherer lifestyle of the four Wildborns. They picked through the shoreline and the forest with varying levels of success while the goddess herself tended to the singing flames, utilizing her cooking tools to whip up a vegetarian hotpot that mixed seaweed and edible roots with mushrooms and blanched leaves. It wasn't tasty in the traditional sense, considering how the six of them only had a single knife to go around, and, to Kume's exasperation, they weren't going to stick around in any one area long enough to set up traps, but the food warmed the stomachs, and LOCK, during this, began to put its own faculties towards analyzing the edible vegetation on this island, searching for the ones that looked to be most promising for mass proliferation. After all, the soil quality of the island was amazing. What Ukemin wanted, then, were crops that could survive the cold and grow in places with little light. Fungi were the most promising here, but perhaps there were weeds that surpassed mushrooms in that regard? While Nakaya, Kuni, and Kume slept, the goddess and the machine talked long into the night of such topics as interdimensional agriculture, the productivity of the surrounding coast, and most importantly, what electricity tasted like to robots.

But when Mafuno emerged from the brush, her abyssal eyes beckoning them forth, the conversation ended, and the others were roused.

Off in the distance, thousands of flames screamed into the night, casting light enough to outshine the winter stars.

There was an army, resting in the shadow of a mountain.

---

Spoiler: General Hagustus and the Harefolk Army

On the Outskirts of Winkhampton Ukemin approaches an army awaiting to siege the Dwarven hold only to discover yet another oddity.

Ukemin approaches from the coastline, minding the dead bonking the boulders and stones of the volcano. They seem to ignore her, or at the very least, attempt to boop her snout. Which she probably cares not for. As she continued walking, she gained a reprieve from the smell of rotten flesh for smoked rabbit and rabbit squeaks. Concerning... As she approached the army, she noticed that each solder was a rabbit. A humanoid rabbit flailing about as they prepared to siege. As she looks through the lines Ukemin noticed what appeared to be an army of 10k, with pikes, swords and more ready to charge. It appeared tha Ukemin arrive just some hours before the siege. As she approached, a rabbit in a red tunic holding up a shield with an eagle print on it stopped her.

"Oi, you there. You are entering the camp of his Majesty's army. State your business!"

An army of rabbits who ate their own? Or was the smell of smoked rabbit simply owing to a couple unlucky fellows being blasted to bits by the exhalations of little Sengen? No matter cannibalism (gotta be delicious cannibalism, looking at the meatiness of those thighs) or her sister snoring a bit too loudly, Ukemin was good to take things into stride, and smiled serenely at the well-dressed rabbitfolk who stepped up to her.

"Me and mine," she spoke, gesturing towards the small following of humans behind her, "are wanderers by necessity, and artists by trade. A desire for inspiration drew us to your army, and if his Majesty wishes it, this humble self would like to trade a song or two for the stories of his men."

The guard looks side to side, rubbing his rabbit chin, "If ye be a dwarf, I'd suspect. But from a fellow human, I could see. Hear me. Follow me, I shall take ye to General Hagustus."

Fascinating! Did these rabbits believe themselves to be humans, despite the marked difference between them and herself? Or was it the charm of this 'General Hagustus', who granted rabbits, far more capable of repopulating than humans, the capabilities of the kami's progeny?

"I will be glad for it. You may introduce me as Ukemin, leader of the Sunblossom Troupe. Could I have the pleasure of thine name as well?"

You notice there to be a shimmering effect all around the guard's body. It felt weird, and you can't quite make out what it is.

As the guard guides you through the camp, you see rabbits with beards and mustaches. Some of the younger ones with boyish haircuts. None of them appeared to be in armor, and a couple were still trying to get in it, despite that their rabbit form wouldn't fit in human plate armor. Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed some tears in the world that only one of your status would be able to see. Something was clearly not right here. The rabbits didn't even realize they're rabbits...

As you approached a red tent, you see a normal human man busy looking over drawings of the mountain fortress with rabbit men standing guard. The guard who welcomed you spoke to them, "Hear ye, I have come with a bard who seeks to sing for us and tell the stories of our men!"

The tent guards shuffled briefly before the tent flapped opened and the normal man walked out.

"Really? Well, come in then."

What mattered, then, was what this 'normal' human's involvement with the form of his men were. Beyond looking tasty, after all, what tactical advantage did the mere 'appearance' of a rabbit have to offer? Ukemin glanced at the other four who she deigned to accompany her, ascertaining that they still appeared human to her, before stepping into the tent.

"You must be the valiant General Hagustus then. I am Ukemin, far-travelled but a stranger to this part of the world nonetheless. Pray tell, whom do you wish to vanquish upon this fire-spitting mount, General? I've heard tale of dwarves, but my own experience has been limited to humans, rabbits, and the ever-plentiful undead."

As Ukemin paid close attention to the general, he paid no notice to rabbits, but undead however, he was much more intrigued by undead. His hands touched his nose before he responded, "I am. These Dwarves have came from the south and have invaded the sacred lands of our god Axulux. We intend to drive them from this peak and restore the sacred shrine within to its glory! Of course, it must be a hot day. Would you like a drink?"

As one of the guards poured a glass of wine for Ukemin, the General continued, "And what about undead? That's a child's fairy tale. Undead don't exist. Our god would never allow such defiers of his scythe exist."

"Such temperatures feel cold to me, from whence I came. But I will indulge in a sip, thank you." Taking the glass of wine, she swirled it once, breathing in the fermented aroma, before tilting it back and giving it a taste. The oddities of this particular area was misaligned with all the knowledge that Maura had deemed fit to share with them. Could this be what 'corruption' was then? Not just something strictly evil, but more of an illogical fusion of universes?

Sounded fascinating!

"Perhaps then," Ukemin giggled, "me and mine were simply accosted by ruffians in very poor garb. You must forgive me for my flights of fancy. On another topic, however, do you intend to strike against the Dwarves soon then, General? I'm not a woman accustomed to violence, but the opportunity to witness the restoration of Axulux's sacred shrine would be undoubtedly a charmed moment."

Hagustus smiled, "You are pardoned miss. Why yes, if my guards tell me well, you are a bard. And by Axulux will this siege be remembered! My king is a well-intentioned man, but he is quite the... attention seeker. I shall allow you to join us, maybe enjoy some biscuits, if you can prove to me that you can sing! For I am a man in need of a voice. How does that fare madam?"

"So long as you regale me with the stories of your campaigns and the valor of your men in return," Ukemin responded, dipping her head down slightly. She turned her face slightly towards the shore, closing her eyes briefly. The ebb and the flow. The bubbling of seafoam and the whispers of the under tide. Jagged rocks resolute, whistling in the boreal winds. Good weather for a rouser, less so for a banger.

"If you could spare my troupe a moment then, to set up by the shoreline?"

Hagustus stretched out his arm, "You have plenty of time madam. These dwarves never sally out. Course, they dare not with our banner."

The woman bowed once more, then stepped out of the tent. With the quartet that she brought with her, she drew them to the shoreline. A song for an army, out by the sea, prepared for a siege, was it? And these people saw this wintry day as a summer one. But they recognized the presence of the shoreline and the mountain, at the very least, so when it came to large landmarks, those were altered, but not wholly erased.

That was fine then.

"Mafuno, Nakaya," she spoke, dropping the liquid-steel ball that was the 'default' variation of her Instrument Morpher onto the ground. "I'll leave the percussions to you. When I make this sign, strike the gong in four beats. Otherwise, keep with the rhythm I taught you." And from the ground rose an orchestral percussion set, brass gleaming dully in the overcast day. "And Kume, Kani? You two can provide backup vocals where you feel appropriate. The throughline here is 'Golden age will return again', so where appropriate, echo me. Otherwise, move how you feel, ok?"

The four humans nodded, some with more certainty than others. It was a shame that LOCK was still outside this encampment, keeping quick alongside the Terrain Bike. That robot's skills would truly be appreciated right now, but Ukemin was fine with winging it. Back when she was still doing guerilla performances outside train stations, she didn't even have a backing track, after all.

So this was good. This was great. This was going to be fun!

After a couple warm-ups and last-minute checks, she caught the eye of a younger (?) rabbit-human footsoldier and said, “Could you tell the General that we are now ready to perform?”

To perform the first song of this new world, to make her true interdimensional debut! She pulled the string that tied her hair back and shook her head out, neon locks fanning out like the unceasing currents behind her. Salt stung the air and the voices of the flames sparked all around, but those were background sensory details compared to the artistry of her performance, the rigor of her discipline. She waited, allowed whatever crowd to form to gather, her assistants standing behind her.

One hand on her neck, feeling for the scar hidden behind the collar.

One hand outstretched, grasping for the substance of fractured reality.

“I thank you for coming today, warriors. My voice has serenaded the lost and celebrated the merry, but on this day, bright with faith, allow me to grant you a strength neither physical nor spiritual.”

And both hands closed in, pulling off her coat in a single movement to reveal the ample, graceful body beneath, brimming with a strength drawn from the very nature of the world.

“Hit it, Nakaya!”

Drums thrummed, and with the crash of brass, Ukemin sang from the depths of her chest, a booming voice that matched the war drums of the conflicting factions as they sought to unify the lands bathed by sunrise.

Remember when the days were young​

Nation’s future, bright as the sun​

We whisper as the steel is drawn​

The Golden Age will return again.​

​

The morning sky warns of threatening seas​

Years go by, don’t forget our belief​

And the storm we must endure, my friend​

Before the Golden Age will return again.​

​

The Golden Age, returns again!​

As the music came to a close, Ukemin could hear clapping in the background. The soldiers seemed starstruck as Ukemin and her merry band could play music they never heard before. Ukemin's voice carried over them like a Renaissance and they looked visibly uplifted from her performance.

Hagustus stopped clapping and held up his fist. The soldiers died down and when they did, the general spoke, "So, not only a bard, but also a competent mage. Excellent. It appears you have upheld your end. Now it is time to uphold mine. Come with me, we have some time yet before we drive these dwarves out. Thought, might I ask, would such a mage as yourself be willing to join us?" Hagustus jiggles a bag of coins in an offer to pay you.

Ukemin let out a long breath, pushing the strands of hair stuck to her face back. Behind her, Kani in particular looked enthused, the red-eyed man's body still thrumming with a desire to move, to dance, as the last echoes of the song reverberated through his bones. It was a short one, but a good one. She would have more opportunity to perform, more chances to show them the wonders that could only exist within the vibrato of the life-molded wind.

"It is a tempting proposition, General," Ukemin spoke. "But me and mine are wanderers by necessity, and, as you can see, do not possess much in terms of arms. I am willing, nonetheless, to assist you fellows from the backlines, as we have some understanding of the life-preserving arts. In exchange..."

She paused. A feigned hesitance. An artful contemplation. The goddess knew what she wanted, and money was merely a middleman that bridged her desires.

"...the roads are long, and we are few. Rather than coinage, could you spare some food, as well as a carriage to transport it and some simple weapons to protect it?"

General Hagustus sighed deeply, "The Kingdom of Xoltan Tolar once had deep pockets, but that was before she made great gains overseas and mountains in faraway lands. Madam Ukemin, I sadly cannot provide you with weapons or transportation. But, these bountiful lands do boast fine harvests." Hagustus claps his hands three times, and you see soldiers deliver Ukemin 8 units of food. Hagustus waits until they finish before he speaks again, "Now, the dwarves have carriages themselves though I seldomly do not recognize them. If you can use them oh sorceress, then they are yours to take. Oh, even better, my King has instructed me not to take any of the Dwarvin machinations with me. They are to be destroyed. However, you may take your pick of the Dwarve's wares, as Axulux instructs chastity to waste. Even those machines have their purpose."

"To have a pick of the spoils of your upcoming conquest is a kindness rarely afforded upon wanderers like ourselves. I shall receive this gratefully, General."

Hefty as the load of food was, Ukemin and her cadre managed to split the load, and she put her coat back on as well, tying her hair into the ponytail it had been before the performance began. The percussions too, morphed back into a ball of fluid silver, sliding deep into her pockets, before her gaze settled back on the military man.

"Now, let us speak of the mythos of Xoltan Tolar and of legends being woven still. It will be a pleasure to add a new set of heroic tales to my compositions."

General Hagustus smiled, "Well then a wanderer like yourself should know the greatest prophecy that rocks the land. It goes simply:

The Seeds of the Reaper will be planted in seven​

Each shall grow in life, but soon they shall fall cold from its waters.​

As their father, the Reaper, reaps them in his savagery.​

They shall walk once more, bound to hell where life and death mean nothing.​

The seventh seed born of stone will shatter.​

The first and second seeds born of fire will suffocate.​

The third and fourth seeds born of air will be discarded.​

The fifth and sixth seeds born of light will be chained in shadow.​

But they shall prevail, facing the shadow of the reaper.​

And deliver us from his savage ways.​

And with that General Hagustus guided Ukemin back to his tent.

"And that," Ukemin clapped her hands together, "is about the sum of it."

Kani spit out the seeds of an orange, looking up at her with an evaluating stare. "Didn't try nothing after?"

The goddess shook her head, eliciting a grunt from the red-eyed man.

LOCK turned its own 'gaze' from Kume struggling to prevent Mafuno from stealing a rabbit (the animal, not the human) from one of the army's smoking tents, and clicked its tongue. "Too humble, Ukemin. Your qualities surpass mere song and first aid."

A pale figure emerged from the woods, Nakaya's stately mien illuminated by the glowing embers. "Though a clever hawk hides their talons. You spoke, Goddess, of the fabric of reality being teased apart, and the shimmering glow that surrounded the soldiers."

"Yup. Super weird, but maybe that's the way of the world."

Kani grunted once more, folding his arms over his chest. "Those 'dwarves' may not be dwarves either."

"Or a matter of mismatched definitions." LOCK clicked and whirred. "Matters of magic escape my grasp still, unfortunately."

Ukemin bobbed her head. There were definitely more than a couple worries that had arose during and after conversation with General Hagustus. The differing perceptions was already a concern, but beyond even that, the Kingdom of Xoltan Tolar should have sealed this island off a century ago, rendering it a cursed land that none would be willing to enter. The winter that has grasped these lands too, brought forth questions to mind regarding how summer fruits and vegetables could even be procured. All this presented a wealth of supply utterly at odds with what she had experienced during her first few days of travel. Indeed, this incongruity...

...could it be a difference in time?

The blue-haired diva looked at the pomegranate she grasped in her hand, and with a smile, imparted the unseasonable fruit with a sliver of her divine grace.

Kani looked up. He was oddly sensitive at times like these. "Your orders, Ukemin."

Nakaya moved to wrestle both Kume and Mafuno over, while LOCK's 'gaze' centered upon reality once more.

"Gather wood, please, as well as any eggs you can snag. LOCK, I'll task you with making bows and arrows for our hunters. A little offense is better than none, and I want the bike to see as little action as possible." She placed a curled finger below her lips, the very picture of an all-knowing, yet unspeaking goddess. "I will be preoccupied with some messages, so forgive me for my absence here."

Nakaya gave a look, the sympathy in her dull blue eyes reserved for those she held no particular loyalty to. "Few words may do in the steed of many."

"But," Ukemin winked, "where's the fun in that?"

---

Movement Action: Meandering along the southwest coastline.
Order Action: 4 Wildborn gather food, Ukemin cooks, and 1 Kameraz studies agricultural possibilities. Focused especially on how thriving the ocean is, as well as how productive root vegetables and fungi are.
Free Action: Bless one unit of food [Pomegranate].
Order Action: 4 Wildborn gather wood, 1 Kameraz uses wood to craft ranged weaponry. Ukemin practices composition.
Free Action: Ukemin uses FL Studio 64 and sends separate messages to Gasem ( Laszalet )and Sigismund ( Cosmo ).

Spoiler: For Gasem

Yeah, yeah, let’s go!​

​

There’s some real whack shit going down the south​

I’m talking time twists, colonists, and a siege cracking down​

Dwarf machines and rabbit soldiers sounds like fairy tale fun​

But lemme be real, those rabbits think they’re humans, son!​

Lead by an actual guy, Hagustus, a General,​

Men camping out in the wild, seasons abnormal, temporal​

Cause I’m here snacking on grapes and fresh bread​

So, use your brain and look outside your head!​

Corruption could totally not be all doom n gloom​

In this case, buddy, it’d be tossing clocks down the tomb.​

​

Now, I’m not saying you gotta come here n get investigating​

But really, if you don’t, I’mma maybe get demeaning.​

Spoiler: For Sigismund

From yonder the southerly coasts,​

Within the army does a general boast,​

Of Axulux, the Scythe and the Sacred​

Of Dwarvenkind, the Shrine Desecrated,​

For war brews from holy contempt​

As the Goddess watches amongst emptied tents.​

Mulling over wine​

Over prophetic lines.​

​

'The Reaper and the Seven Seeds​

Saplings to Breed a Harvest to Reap​

Yet upon the Seventh, Steel Be Tarnished​

And Salvation Comes, Children No Longer Famished.'​

​

Southwest she lies, the Mountain and the Vault​

The Goddess Awaits, But She Can Do Without.​

 

[Scatterbrain]

SHADOW ANDROID
The Ultimate Battle Life Form

Items

Decayed Chaos Crystal: 100 Shards [Crystal, Legendary, Quality: 250] This crystal is not what it was. The corruption has taken away most of its power. But, there is still a little left. What remains of its power gives Shadow Android a significant boost. Whenever he uses his chaos blast ability, his allies around him gains Minor Chaos that grant them either positive or negative chaos energy (pick one). With positive energy, allies project a shield that pushes Medium or smaller creatures away by 25ft. With negative energy, allies throw a spear that deals 2d6 chaos damage and destroys terrain underneath where lands, creating 10ft craters.
Basic Clothes
1 Steel Knife [Melee Weapon, Quality 10].

Resources

2 food

As Shadow Android fell through the portal, he could feel a sense of dread building in his extremities but he swiftly pushed it aside. Emotion, a remnant of a time before, was a weakness that belonged solely to biological beings not an all powerful android such as himself. Now certain of his identity and the truth surrounding his past, he was free of those chains forever. Soon the darkness of the void gave way to light and the ultimate battle life form found himself in some frozen medieval landscape. With his arms crossed in front of himself, Shadow Android surveyed his new surroundings with a feeling of disdain. Not exactly an ideal location for the burgeoning Shadow Empire but, then again, with his newfound powers, maybe he could change that?

Raising one hand into the air, Shadow Android concentrated and a familiar gemstone immediately appeared in the empty space above him. As it fell to the ground, he snatched it out of the air and looked it over. It was obvious from first glance that there was something off about it because the crystal was devoid of all colour. It was as if someone or something had drained it of the majority of its power and left only a trace amount behind. Shadow Android let out an irritated growl. His conquest of this world wasn't going to be as easy as he initially thought. With the Chaos Crystal in such a decayed state, he would be unable to use his chaos abilities to their fullest. He would have to use it sparingly for now until he could find some means to restore it's energies.

Shadow Android dematerialised the crystal with a thought, returning it to whatever space he had drawn it from in the first place, when the witch from the Edge of Creation appeared in front of the group in a puff of purple smoke. In a rather vague and vexing fashion, she provided them with titbits of advice before vanishing almost as quickly as she arrived. With little information to go on about this place, like it or not, he had to believe what the witch had told them was the truth. If she said the volcano would be a good place to hide out then that would be were he established a stronghold. In addition, with this place being as backward as it was, he suspected there was little chance of him finding a power source adequate enough to suit his needs anywhere around here and properly utilized the volcano should do perfectly.

Shadow Android extended his hand out in front on him, and, like he had done previously with the Chaos Crystal, concentrated. A small floating pod, identical to the Egg Monitors used previously by the doctor during the Black Arms Incident, sporting the same gyrating telecommunication dishes and TV screen, appeared a few feet in front of him.

Everything that was once Eggman's would now serve Shadow Android.

The robotic hedgehog sent the "Shadow" Monitor out ahead of himself to scout out the volcano and report back to him with anything of interest whilst he began making his way there at ultimate speed. The battle life form could see the hordes of undead that gathered around the volcano's north side but remained unfazed, even with his chaos powers weakened, he was certain that, should he run into any of them, they would be a nuisance and nothing more.

Actions/Orders

Free Actions
1. Send Scout (Shadow Monitor) to investigate the cell containing the Volcano.
2. Move Southeast towards the Volcano using Mote (Exploration).

Orders
1. If Shadow Android encounters any undead, he will engage them in combat with his Steel Knife, using his superior speed/Mote (Exploration) to catch them off guard and separate them/pick them off individually where possible. However, should he become surrounded, he will use his Mote (Combat) if available.
2. If Shadow Android defeats the appropriate amount of enemies, he will use his Mote (Recruitment) to generate additional units.

​

 

[Auriel Maza]

Cosmo Lazaro1505

Scene Transcript

Digging a hole out in the middle of nowhere in the looks for a young man, our explosive duo begins digging in the rolling hills of Harrow Aera.

Scene:

Our intrepid friends begin digging, using their massive size and... religion in what appears to them to be a lead. Oddly, the earth is unnaturally smooth and tightly packed, like water has never ran through it before.

While they are digging, Sigismund and Khansim don't hear anything below, but they kept digging. And suspiciously, the dirt kept coming. You'd look away, only to see more dirt in the spot. Smooth and tightly packed like the rest of the patch.

The dead seemed to be everywhere around them. Seemed to be about 4000 zombies hanging around.

And it looked to be slowly rising from the commotion.

Sigismund stuck his shovel into the sand, sweat dripping from his brow as he studied the sand. He is going to close his eyes, tap his chest softly and whisper a prayer to the Lady to see if she had an answer for this riddle.

Khamsin taps the dirt in suspicion. It doesn't move immediately, but he begins to notice that the dirt moves on its own.

Almost like it wanted for him to look away.

Khamsin gave an amused huff at the sight of such a thing, hearing Sigismund making a prayer nearby but to be frak, he doesn’t give a shit. Right now, something has gotta be controlling the dirt, as Khamsin gave a simple couple of words out.

“It’s much better if ya just up and get out of there instead of having us force you out. You wanna continue with this game…?”
“We promise we won’t punch ya if you do come out”

Sigismund took a deep breath and called upon the lady to guide him. Some of her ancient wisdom began to flow, and Sigismund gained new clarity. Dirt doesn't move on its own. No... something must be controlling it, causing it to move. As he continued his prayer, he noticed Khamsin talking to the dirt like someone was down there. That was likely the most reasonable option. Sigismund knows there is magic here, and the Lady's wisdom pointed in the direction that magic was involved. Was it necessarily a caster? No. But, someone put this here more likely than not.

Sigismund in some unconventional, but plausible way, strikes the blade down into the earth, causing the holy bits of the blade to seize the ground up. You're not sure how long it would last, but you're confident the earth would stop reforming.

"Dig, fast," Sigismund said as he held onto the blade.

Khamsin goes to work on digging as quickly as he can.

After some speed digging, Khamsin digs out 10 feet of earth. His sensors start to flash red as it tells him there is not a lot of earth left for him to stand on if he steps onto the patch. (under 5 ft)

After some homestretch digging, the patch collapses into a room of some kind. Sigismund falls down into the patch due to the unstable earth all around him. As he gathers his bearings, he notices it to be a good carved-out room with stone tables, a forge, a bed full of animal skins, and a couple of leather bags with dirt tied into them. Looks like someone was living down here. It was really nice looking at it. Every wall and the floor was incredibly smooth, but there were no light fixtures whatsoever. Only through his faithful blade and its flaming glow could he see.

“So, what do you see down there… anything that needs a couple hits to the head…” Khamsin’s voice can be heard from the hole in the roof.

"A room of some sort," Sigismund called up to Khamsin who likely couldn't fit, Sigismund moved around the room to see if there were any doors that led elsewhere, failing that, he would search the containers for any notes or clues for the location of its former occupant.

Scanning across the room, Sigismund noticed a tunnel leading down deeper into the earth. A staircase of some sort leading down. On the table, there were a bunch of wooden slabs with stone inserts, looked like granite was sandwiched between the wood. Some brail of some kind that he couldn't quite understand. In the corner, a sword with half of the blade drenched in blood, dried and deep maroon. The hilt carried a sapphire at the crest of it. It looked to be more of a ceremonial blade, but some residual dark aura came from it that made Sigismund deeply concerned. Some lost power of some kind. Other than that, a massive open closet with stacks and stacks of metals and ores. Similar pieces of rock and stone as to the camp back on the glacier. Sigismund had the feeling that this was the home of whoever they were after. Assuming both the figure at the glacier and the young man were the same person.

Does Sigismund feel a similar aura from the ceremonial sword as he does from the fallen angel essence? The magical essence he felt with the Lady's help, is it in this room or down below?

It does feel the same, but you could feel that it was on a much greater magnitude. The magic looked to be on the roof of the place only. The rest of the room feels inert.

Sigismund is going to take the sword for safe keeping with the intent to destroy it later and proceeds deeper below, keeping an eye out for traps.

The tunnel was naturally completely smooth, incredibly stable, and clearly made with some thought to construction. Someone with some education made this. Of course, no lights either. It looked like a death sentence going down these steps as if you start falling, you'd roll a far way down. As you went down, you began seeing tunnels that lead in various different directions. Some of the walls had chunks taken out of them while others appeared to have large clearings. Pillars crafted out of stone to hold up the roof. It looked like the excavation was done with honesty and integrity as the tunnels became a shrine to honest work ethic. Eventually, as the temperatures started to drop more, you came across a large room that appeared to have some insulation and a bright, sky blue gem inside. Meats, vegetables, and other assorted food inside. Not the biggest stock, but it looked to last a single person a while. On the other side of the stairwell, you could faintly see what looked like to be lava, underneath all of the leather drapes that kept the heat from spreading. The gem seemed to be magical and making the nearby air much colder.

Sigismund is going to try and move the leather drapes a bit to see if there is anything beyond the lava.

Traveling through the drapes, Sigismund comes to what looks like to be an open stream of lava and judging by how its flowing. It must be coming from the volcano nearby (Fasington). Some of the streams were being siphoned into some finely made iron buckets with thick shells. On the handles looked to be gauntlets made completely from stone. As Sigismund took a look around, he noticed there to be a set of stone hangers with what looked like some metal plates suspended on a mesh of fabric. The first readable sign was there as Experimental and Probably not Practical. Smelt

Trying to use lava to smelt ore? Seemed excessive, but what did he know, he was no craftsmen. Sigismund is going to walk down some of the tunnels to see if they lead anywhere, still keeping an eye out for traps and an ear out for any noise.

Further down the staircase, Sigismund began to hear some sort of talking. It was what felt like another 40 steps. Thankfully, his armor was ethereal as to metal plate mail. Would have been an absolute sore. He couldn't quite make sense of the words. But, the voice sounded rather lonely and ashamed. And it also seemed to be talking to itself. There were many more tunnels into the ground, but eventually, Sigismund started to see the bottom of the staircase. There was no light, and what appeared to be a clearing to the right.

Sigismund is going to push on, holding his flaming blade over his head to provide light and do his best to ignore the constant, echoing, happy birthdays it gave off as he entered the clearing to try and find the source of the voice.

He moved until the bottom of the staircase. As he stepped all the way down, he noticed his feet start to sink into the ground and the voice stopped. It looked like perfectly normal granite, but he was failing like quicksand.

Sigismund's mouth tightened to a line, magic. Annoying magic. If it worked once, it may work again, he is going to plunge Her blade into the ground to try and disrupt it so he can climb out.

As you stab the sword into the ground, you notice the walls begin collasping on you, almost violently. They starting reaching for your hands.

Sigismund reacted to the walls reaching for his hands, but he was surprised and the earth moved quite quickly. They clasped around his hands and arms, but he managed to hold onto the blade. He began to hear footsteps, but they seemed a tad bit away. Whoever the caster was, they were not in the immediate vicinity (30 or so feet).

Sigismund is going to let go of his blade, dispelling the armor that the walls are holding onto and try to, quickly, slip out of their hold before they retighten their grip and catch his blade.

Sigismund's gambit pulled off. As he let go of the blade, the armor disappeared, but the earth stayed put, as it wasn't squeezing whatsoever. More formed to hold water than to crush anything. The earth began to liquify again, but it sunk into the ground. And the footsteps grew much louder.

Sigismund is going to hold the flaming blade high, recall his armor and walk forward again, undaunted, unbowed, as straightforward as ever, "Enough games, I will not give you another chance."

The footsteps continued. A torch was lit, and as Sigismund looked down the hallway. He could see a black-haired, what looked to be, teenager approaching him calmly. Amber eyes, about 6'2" in stature, and a muscular-thin build. Leather tunic, fabric trousers, and a gold locket around the neck. The kid looked at you briefly, sighing in relief before rising up a chair a safe distance away from you. He made you one as well, and he sat down. "Calm down. Did Lord Fro send you here to find me? Do Prince Sho?"

"No," Sigismund replied, "They did not." He looked to the seat prepared for him and ignored it, the walls and ground had a way of attacking him and he was not about to trust a chair to do the same, "I am Sigismund, Paladin of the Lady," he said in way of introduction, of course, if there was a 'Lady' worshiped or not in this world or if a 'Paladin' was even a thing in this reality did not seem to bother Sigismund. "We came to banish the Angel of Death back to the darkness from which it spawned," Sigismund is going to pull the ceremonial sword out and drop it on the chair, "Why did you call it? What madness drove you to do such a thing?"

The kid looked at you in confusion, seemingly rummaging around in his head for a bit. As you waited for him to finish, you noticed what looked to be a faint, purple scar on the front portion of his neck. It was slowly fading. In his tunic, you could just barely see another one punching directly in his chest. This one looked more like a string of freckles, and it appeared to have been healing for quite a while. As he continued to think, you noticed that he looked quite princely, like a poster boy for you would expect from royalty. Squarish chin, wide forehead, large dimples, and crimson as rose lips that were a little bit thin but visible quite clearly. His skin was fairly olive with a little bit of paleness. As you pulled out the sword, he looked away in fear, in sadness, in guilt, in many of the emotions you felt in that voice by the fountain. "I... I didn't realize that I could do that. I thought.... Nevermind. I didn't mean to make that Angel, and... I wanted to die. I know that sounds stupid. Why would you want to kill yourself? And if you would have been following me around, you know that would have gotten me nowhere. But, those angels generally aren't too bad. Well, if someone could guide them. Which I feel better about now that you clearly told me that it didn't." He paused with his eyes tearing up. He started to look completely overwhelmed, "I...I'm sorry for whatever trouble it caused. I just went there for guidance, for any idea of anything really. And I didn't hear anything. And I was...very vulnerable. So well, you can probably guess what happened."

"I have no idea who you are," Sigismund answered simply. They had not been following the princely youth, and frankly, he was quite certain neither he nor Khamsin had any idea as to whom he was. They had gotten onto his track from the consequence of his actions rather then on the trail of a mad child with a bomb. He contemplated the scrambled bits of information offered, the teenager was young, but he did not have the body of a laborer, of someone who spent long time in the sun, clearly some form of nobility, yet why would a noble live in a hole in the ground and wish to take their own life? Exile. The purple wounds reminded him vaguely of the Angel, "You tried to take your own life, with that blade, and summoned the creature?" Sigismund questioned as he tried to make sense of what was being said. 'Those angels generally aren't too bad'. This boy had summoned them before? Or were the people in this world all gripped by madness and thought summoning the servants of a God of Death was a good idea? "How many other angels have you summoned? How many others walk this land? Who 'guides' them?.. And what guidance could you possibly hope to gain from the Gods of Death?"

"Fair point. I'm Maureen, youngest son of King Karn, Swindler of Death. And naturally, I'm a prince of the local kingdom, at least what was remade. And yes, I suppose I still have enough in me to incubate those things." He coughed, "I know you're not from here. I've never felt the divine presence of the Lady before, and with that armor of yours, I could not see what you were through the ground. Just some bipedal vibrations through the ground. Pardon me for attacking you, I had no idea what you were and with the demons about, I couldn't take too much of a chance. I doubt I've summoned anymore. They generally need divine blessed water to begin forming, and I doubt any more leftover power survived until now. None should be around as Gatford would definitely be a graveyard if there was. Guided or not." "The God of Death, Axulux, is what it seems to be akin to your Lady. He watched over these lands and culled the evil from the living. He guided his Angels of Death away from the nature of Death and towards love and justice. However, he went mad sometime before this place was created a long time ago originally. And I didn't try to get guidance from him... I have a somewhat personal relationship with him. And we didn't end on good terms. I looked for guidance from Horéne, his sister who I hoped would have still been around. But, I think she's gone, dead to whatever the demons did to her as I suspect they did to Axulux."

Sigismund doubted any being, above or below, this realm was akin to his Lady, but he would take it as a generalization, an easy way to express the idea. A God of Death concerning itself with love and justice was.. peculiar. It had gone against its own nature? Admirable, if true. Gatford would a graveyard.. Was that the name of the kingdom they were in? Seemed possible, although from what Sigismund had seen, this place could never be a graveyard. The dead had the good sense to stay underground in those. A... personal relationship with a deity? Certainly not like his Lady then. He could not imagine the Lady doing anything of the kind, but this God of Death had been odd.. A corrupted God of Death, demons, apparently, being capable of corrupting such a being. If the boy spoke truth, this was dangerous. "What are these demons? Is the corruption of your 'Axulux' the reason the dead walk the lands?" Sigismund asked

You looked deep into Maureen's eyes. He looked hurt and scared, and he definitely was holding things back. But not maliciously. You also felt a deep joy in him like his heart was on his sleeve. He must have been alone for so long that he enjoyed talking to anyone. You felt a deep calm come over you. You were sure Maureen had no intention of hurting you, but it all felt conflicted. All of these dark auras on a seemingly innocent kid? It didn't make much sense. "I... I don't know their official name, but they came long ago, foreigners to the world. All the priests seemed to constantly babble about disease and sickness within the world itself. That didn't seem to make much sense, and I saw one out in the distance one time, and I couldn't feel anything from it as I could with the more garden variety so-to-speak." "Probably. He went mad and stopped caring. No one heard from him, and suddenly feats at cheating death that weren't possible for the longest time started working again."

Sigismund moved the ceremonial sword off the chair and sat down, his own blade still held out. The soft happy birthdays still crackled off of it as even if the boy, Maureen, did not need light to see, Sigismund certainly did. It was odd. His own blade gave off warmth, hope, the whispers of strength that would encourage those that followed, that he could understand, but the dark aura of this God of Death... It felt cold, cruel, wrong, yet he insisted it had been 'good'. A man could go against their nature, but could a God? Sigismund had always assumed free will was the domain of mortals, mortals were blank canvases that could twist and forge their own destinies, a deity simply was. A pure, rare incarnation. But what did he truly know of Divinity? Nothing save for what was written down by mortals in his own world. Visitors had come to this world... Were there more people like Maura out there? Only instead of trying to save worlds, save these 'fractals' they were trying to destabilize and destroy them? Was there some cosmic game that they were just bit players in? Had Maura been keeping secrets from them? Almost assuredly. Was she even aware or was she just as small a player as them? A blind mouse leading ants? Was she watching them, even now? "These.. visitors, are they still here? Or have they left?" Sigismund asked as if he could find one, and beat the answers out of them, it would likely speed this process up considerably. "How old are you?" Sigismund asked as he leant forward. This child spoke of 'long ago', of cheating death.. A failed suicide attempt, was the royal family of this kingdom outside of death's touch? Their goal was to 'defend'. Defend what? Defend whom? The God had already fallen, unless there was a way to free it? Were they to defend this boy who could try to save it? Maura had given frustratingly vague goals.

"Oh, they're here. That's why I'm hiding. The last thing my father told me was to hide. I didn't know why, but I felt like I could trust him. So, I hid from the rest of the world. Mining and doing whatever. All that." "When this all went down, I was 14. I probably still am."

Sigismund leaned back in his chair as he processed the information, or, well, tried to. He felt like someone tossed into the ocean and given bits and pieces of rope to try and stick them together before he drowned. He was walking in the dark waiting to smash into something, but, this child had made a bad decision, but it seemed no one but them had been hurt and they had limited the damage as best they could. "As you have guessed, we are visitors to your world and have been sent to save it. I cannot speak of the integrity or intentions of the rest, for I do not know them," he said as he leant forward in the chair, glad for his ethereal armor that made such movements easy and comfortable, "You know this world. You can help us find these demons and put them into the ground. Or you can stay here. Hiding from the world and waiting for someone else to save it. The choice is yours."

Maureen nodded, "I know it well. And, I think with nothing to guide the Angel. I think it's time for me to come out. At least the big problem is gone. So, I'll help you. But, if you don't mind, I need to head to Gatford, a town not too far from here. I want to see if Lord Fro has the guts to try imprisoning my eldest brothers or not. At least see if he got turned to ash or not."

"That is acceptable," Sigismund said with a nod. He had already intended to circle back to the town if only to gather supplies and a horse, so he had no qualms and this 'Lord Fro' had seemingly wanted Maureen dead. The sooner they closed that loose end the better. Sigismund reached behind him into one of the small bags and pulled out the feather, the essence of the fallen angel, "This belonged to the angel of your lord, so I shall return to you it. Do not misuse it," Sigismund held it up so the youth could claim it.

Maureen hesitated at the sight of it; he practically froze. But he calmed down and he gently took it from Sigismund's hand, "Thank you. I'll seal up things here, in case it could be useful."

Maureen waited at the bottom of the steps for you, "Here, steps doesn't seem to be your forte."

"Apparently not," Sigismund agreed as he moved past Maureen to go up the steps in his large, ethereal boots that made the small, steep steps a challenge.

Maureen sighed, slowly placing a hand on your shoulder. You felt the earth tremble underneath you until it raised up and zoomed quickly up the steps. What took you a couple of minutes going down only took thirty seconds up. And you arrived back to the surface with what seemed like Khamsin having a blast.

Khamsin was currently chasing after a group of zombies, the duo coming up to the surface would have seen the blood coating both his axe and the legs of his mech esque armor. He had been spending a couple of minutes just slicing away and chasing down the nearby horde of undead fucks just to kill time. And it was like shooting fish a barrel… those things couldn’t even fight back with him wearing his duck camo. In fact, he was so caught up with said process, he didn’t notice the two coming back up to the surface.

“Oh yeah, and another one of ya undead bastards bites the dust! Now, let’s see the current tally for the Desert Wind’s game of ‘whack the zombie’!”

A whopping 426! You notice that zombies like to run around in packs. Hilariously, that works wonders for you! Its like their groupthink nature is just calling your name!

Khamsin could only give a laugh into the air, as he yelled out “426! New record for ‘solo mode’!” As Khamsin just raised his arms into the air in some kind of victory. Man, he sure does love his computer systems, makes keeping track of things far more easier, especially if it’s numbers wise on how many kills he had so far. The duo would be left seeing the mess of bodies all around the hole, as Khamsin got ready to continue killing even more zombies if they didn’t plan on getting his attention.

"Khamsin!" Sigismund barked as he sheathed his blade to try and get the large machine creature's attention, but he did seem to be doing good work, so it was almost a shame to stop it. The more undead he removed, the safer he made the area for the people, but they had introductions to do... then they could return to the removal of the undead.

Maureen raised up a pillar of Earth in view of Khamsin, pointing towards himself. Hopefully, to attract his attention.

Only stopping from immediately charging back into the undead and turning to face who tells out his name. Khamsin rested his axe on the shoulder of his mech, as he gave out one of his signature smirks. “Ah, Sigismun, been wonderin you would be coming back out from the hole, I thought you went on to live a new life as a mole now.” Khamsin said, as he approached the duo. He also noticed the other individual next to him… small lookin fella, pretty strange find down there, but this could be the lad they are looking for. “So, this the lad we looking for? Thought they would be a bit more… intimidatin if they summoned that ‘creature’ back there. Sure hope you didn’t give the kid a rough time.” Khamsin said as he laughed for a bit, before continue with “The name is Khamsin, codename, the Desert Wind. And uh… don’t mind the paint job, apparently, the brainless fucks around here don’t like a specific type of birdie around these parts… know anything about that” oh, and the small pillar of Earth… Khamsin just walked through it, probably shattering it to pieces.

"I am. Maureen. Nice to meet you Khamsin. I'm not sure why they don't like ducks. I've never figured that out. They pretend like I don't exist. But, I do love ducks though."

Desert Wind was a 'Codename?' Sigismund furrowed his brow as he looked at the carnage around them, he had.. assumed that was his last name.. But it was some sort of title? Was a bit foolish, in retrospect, to believe 'Desert Wind' was a name, but there were odder names out there and he had never met a man-machine thing before, so what did he know of their culture and naming conventions? "We must go to the town we passed on the way to the ruins," Sigismund said, "To see the lord and Maureen's brothers," this all would have been considerably easier if they could just ask Maura if they were on the right path, but that didn't seem to be an option.

Khamsin merely gave a sigh, as he heard Sigismund mention about the town they need to go to in order to see Maureen’s brothers and the lord there. Well, looks like they are gonna walk far more than usual today. “Well, what are we waitin for? Let’s get the show on the road while we still have some daylight.”

"Certainly, do you know the way?" As he says this, he starts walking, only to have one random zombie Khamsin didn't catch bump into him like he was invisible. Maureen rolled his eyes, making a hand of earth that dragged the zombie down. You could hear the crackle of bones. Soon the hand came back up and flinged the dead away. It splattered all across the snow. Maureen gave a smile. "We'll have some stops if you are inclined."

"Vaguely," Sigismund said as the hand pulled the undead creature under the ground and crushed it. His fate could have been that if he lacked the protection of the Lady and the blade's ability to interrupt whatever sorcery was being used. "If these stops bring us closer to our goal, I am not opposed," he said as he started heading in the direction he recalled the town to be in.

 

[Auriel Maza]

Kent

• Scene Transcript
• Spoils of Scene
• Order 2
• Message Results

• 
  
  Entering into the flame-walled town of Gatford, Klein and his devious bunch start infiltrating and disguising amongst the townsfolk in the hope to gain an audience with the local lord. Lord Fro
  
  Scene:
  
  We enter on as Klein dispatches his minions to their posts. Let's see how noticed that was. The Dimitri used the mask and posed itself as one of the local serpents, looking into who might be the target for some emotional manipulation. But, it stayed underneath the umbrella, staying out of the eyes of most of the locals. The Vyritiz followed its natural inclinations early and broke away from Klein, hiding amongst the twilight and observing what appeared to be some peasants and two seemingly prominent figures. Guards stood around them and the squire for the lord made himself clear. The Squire bowed to them and began talking with them. Should the Vyritiz move closer to hear what they are saying?
  
  So far, it appears that the guards have been enraptured in the conversation that the Vyritiz has not been noticed. They can begin observing or move closer to listen in.
  
  The Vyr stays hidden, observing from a distance. Klein continued to enter town, noticing the commotion building in the middle of town where 3 roads met. It looked to appear seven guards, the squire, some commonfolk, and the two figures standing in the middle of the road. The two figures looked almost identical, with one being quite quiet and subservient to the other. The talkative one bellowed at the squire, seemingly shooting flames from the creases of his fingers. "What do you mean he's busy?! How damn long does it take to take a damn bath?" "Your grace, his lordship takes a six-hour bath every day. Surely you would know this; your father gave you a tour of the kingdom only a couple of months ago." "So? I specifically came in today for him to tell me why he dared arrest my brother for treason when he failed to bother finding the truth. I want him out here NOW."
  
  The talkative one looked to be human, with black hair and a herculean build. He wore what looked like to be tattered royal clothes, but it looked too dirty to care.
  
  Klein looked at the drama unfolding in the middle of the town with interest. Princes in the town? One of them got arrested? Intrigue and drama? Exciting! More cute little pawns in his game. He continued to listen to see if he can get more information.
  
  "Your grace, it was a misunderstanding. Your brother was disguised as a commoner and he gave a brutal remark to his lordship. It was only natural we teach these people their place. Just like you did for your brother." The black-haired prince snarled, "Don't you dare talk to him like that. And he's not the one you arrested."
  
  "HE'S NOT?! I swore he was. Who do you mean?" The prince facepalmed, "How do you not take names when you arrest people. HOW. You don't even know who I'm talking about!"
  
  The squire slithered his tongue out, coiling his tail, "Your Grace, pardon my incompetence, who is it that we arrested?"
  
  The prince gave a stare at the snake that Klein recognized as a "look". Some sort of internal message he didn't seem to know about yet. The squire stood up straight, "Oh no, not the King's favorite son." The Prince's eyes water at the Squire mentioning that before his skin sparked into fire, "YOU FUCKING IDIOT."
  
  He continued, "My baby brother is not the most stable person. Never has been. So, I have one question. Under who's orders was the arrest made?"
  
  The other prince uncurled a scroll, reading the name, "Crown Prince Sho."
  
  The entire square lit up in orange flame as the talkative one of the pair looked to have an absolute meltdown.
  
  For what seemed to be five minutes, they all stood in silence as Sho calmed down. Once he reached his composure, it looked like Lord Fro had exited his manor and slithered out onto the street. "Your grace, you appear quite energetic today."
  
  Sho snarled for what appeared to be the millionth time based on the fear in the guard's eyes, "Yes, because someone could not be bothered to follow his oath to the crown."
  
  Lord Fro waved his hand, "Oh my prince, you jump to conclusions too quickly. Your brother committed heinous crimes against Gatford, so as per your previous instructions, I locked him up in jail and gave him the prescribed punishment."
  
  "Which is?"
  
  "Oh, branding of course."
  
  "You got to be fucking kidding me. Saun, he's truly testing my patience."
  
  "Sho, you know father loved him."
  
  "Yes, yes, because father loved to brand criminals with whatever symbol fancied him. But, this is to our own flesh and blood."
  
  "Yes and Lord Fro better have a good crime to deliver such a punishment."
  
  Lord Fro bowed, handing out a scroll. Saun took the scroll and read it as Sho glared into the Lord's eyes.
  
  "Supposedly, the crime as charged is perjury towards a Lord. Supposedly, Maureen lied to Lord Fro about his belongings..."
  
  Saun continued, "Also, it appears there's a burglary charge for a sack. Lord Fro, may we see this sack?"
  
  One of the guards held out a hand-knitted bag filled with some of the best metalwork Klein had seen in his life. The interior of the bag looked to have rocks tied into it. Odd... Sho and Saun looked through the bag; scrolls, a ruby ring, an open letter bearing what Klein could conclude to be the King's seal, and a steel sword with its broken parts molded back together with a vibrant gold. After looking through everything and Saun reading the letter, they gave each other a look, and Klein once again saw Sho be mere millimeters away from yet another meltdown.
  
  "You charged him for stealing his own bag? Are you mad?"
  
  Lord Fro seemed perfectly calm, "My princes, he disguised himself as a commoner. Clearly, no commoner should have these things."
  
  "But, I'm suspicious that you may not be my princes."
  
  You could see some sort of inflection in Lord's Fro face as he began to ponder. It seemed like some sort of nervous twitch, but you couldn't be sure. But as you were scanning his face, Lord Fro outstretched his hands and said, "You see, my princes should not be here. Aren't you to be at Taraselles with your mother? And might I add, aren't you always with your father? At least, he should be around?"
  
  Sho rolled his eyes, "As you can tell," Gesturing to himself, "I am a fully grown man now. We do not need our parents watching over us now."
  
  "Then where are your body guards? For that matter, where is all your servants and adoring fans? My Prince, you are quite popular. Where are the princesses from other lands?"
  
  Sho responded to Lord Fro with a shard of distrust in his voice, "For we have trust both in the loyalty of your kind to the crown when we saved you from the elves, and I have faith in my abilities to defend myself."
  
  Lord Fro nodded, "Hmm, those seem to be decent answers, but my prince, you have never been one for confidence. None of you have been. Of course, you father had little confidence in all of you other than Prince Maureen. Of course, I've heard that your father left him behind too. Why would he need children when he intends to live forever? Did you never see him regain his youth?"
  
  Sho stuttered, "What do you mean?"
  
  "What I mean to say my prince, that I have little confidence you are who you say you are, and I have even lesser confidence that your father would even care if I disposed of you. Now... We can do this the hard way, you can fight and die as you know you will... Or, you can accept your execution at once. Truly, if I would have known what you have told me, I would have killed Maureen myself."
  
  "Ah, that's not good." Klein clicked his tongue. These princes are good pawns and should not die!
  
  "Don't react, my little prince but it seems that you seem to have gotten yourself in some trouble. Shall this humble servant help you? Both of us know you will die, even if you kill some of the guards. Ah, that would be a pity. Very well, I am feeling kind today so I will help you! Remember, your life is the most important so do not resist. If they throw you in the dungeon then so be it! Well, I gotta go now! Good luck to the both of us." Klein chuckled after he sent his message and moved back. He ordered the Dimitri to calm the prince down with its powers, it's quite common for pyromancers to have a fiery personality. Klein then moved away from the town center and approached one of the patrolling guards and allowed him to perceive Klein.
  
  "Hello there, guard! I am a mage and I have an important message for your lord. Take me to see him." Klein smiled and subtlety influenced the guard. The message was simple and direct, what's the use of flowery words for a mere grunt?
  
  The guard seemed startled, "Oh, are you here on the King's business? Oh, please right this way."
  
  "King? Partially true, I represent another authority but then it still ends up being connected to the Crown one way or another, yes?" Klein followed the guard. "Quick, this is of the highest urgency."
  
  "Ooooh, yes. Right, this way. Shouldn't be far. Are you Magnus by chance?"
  
  "Name's familiar, who is he? I'm K- Sigismund."
  
  "Why he's a master wizard, visits the kingdom often... Oh, I've never heard of you. Welcome to Xaltan Tolar Sigismund." You walk a couple more blocks before reaching the town square. Nothing has appeared to happen more than a staring contest as Lord Fro sharpens his claws.
  
  "I see." Klein subtlety influenced the guard again to make him forget he ever asked the question.
  
  "Oh, what were we talking about?"
  
  "Shut your trap, can't you see I'm busy." Lord Fro barked, then he turned to Klein, "So who are you?"
  
  Klein's aura suddenly changes to that of mysteriousness and authority. "Lord Fro, perhaps? What a party you have here, but I must unfortunately disrupt it. If they're criminals, just throw them in the dungeons and execute them afterwards. You have a more pressing issue at hand."
  
  He looked at the two princes with disdain as if he's looking at criminals. "You may address me as Sigismund. I hunt demons, witches, undead, and everything supernatural that makes our shitty life in this shitty place shittier - a living hell. You already know which organization I come from."
  
  "You do know, right?" Klein looks at the lord with a questioning face, expecting him to know which organization he came from. Klein also wants to know which organization he came from....
  
  Lord Fro coughed, cleared his throat, "Yes, I more pressing affairs. These two dimwits can be dealt with later as their father has prescribed." He unfolded the last scroll under his arm. Showing a signed and sealed document seemingly providing so. Sho and Saun seem to be marinaded in misery and rage as they scanned the scroll as the guards restrained them in iron chains. As they were taken away, you notice Sho cough out a puff of fire while no one else is looking. Lord Fro looks down at his paper notes, "Ah yes, you must be from the Slayer's Guild from Britannia. Clearly, the tosh rumor of a barrier around the island is preposterous. Oh the commoners."
  
  Klein with a serious face just nodded because he absolutely has no idea what the Slayer's Guild or Britannia is. "Shall we continue at your office or some place less...open. You don't want the commoners hearing this information."
  
  "Oh yes, they'll make a fuss about something when they can't even read." (edited)
  
  "Fix, allow our esteemed guest to enter." One of the guards open the door to the manor and waved you inside. As you entered, Lord Fro followed behind and guided you up the stairs to his office. It was... decadent for sure. The medieval equivalent of a hot tub with wine and fruit laid everywhere. Books, a gold cane, and even what appears to be a crown. Lord Fro laughs as you notice the crown, "Oh, what a trophy that will be soon enough."
  
  "Quite an office you have here. I would love to talk with you about trophies and all that but it wouldn't matter if we're all dead. Can't enjoy riches and glory in the underworld." Klein took out a map and placed it at the Lord's table. He pointed at the spot where the burned down hamlet was located. "Do you know what this place is?"
  
  "Hmm, that fountain is an ancient marker of Horéne. Goddess of Love. It is said that those that consult it will tell them about their true love. Many commoners go there to find love. I'd prefer gold. But, commoners are commoners. The fountain used to be a place for nuns and monks until the treasonous Master Monk sheltered fugitives of the law. Then, I sent my men to burn the place to the ground a couple years ago. What about it?"
  
  Klein opened his palms and conjured the image of what was on Khasmin's scanner. A demon rising and a horde of undead. Of course, he also exaggerated it. Adding a couple more hundred undead and the demon looking more well... demonic. Of course, to add on to his performance, Klein was also subtlety influencing the Lord's mind. The Dimitri was slowly communicating fear, dread, and shock to the Lord while his other attendants are playing music that cannot be heard but yet still invokes certain despair and horror to those who hear it. This is a party! Albeit a more somber one... Klein's face was solemn as he looked at the lord. "Tell me what you see, Lord Fro. Then, tell me after that demon forms and the undead falls under its command. Where do you think it will head to next?"
  
  Lord Fro hissed in fear, "By Horéne, this is an emergency. They will surely come here!"
  
  "The wall of fire won't stop them. The commoners will die, not that either of us care of. They will tear down everything in this town! Your riches gone! And that crown! The demon would be wearing that crown and not you or anyone else! As for you, my lord... Are you confident in stopping this threat?"
  
  "By the stars no, the damn youngest prince escaped from prison because those idiots put him in a dirt cell. What morons! What will you do to help me." Lord Fro leaned forward.
  
  "I have come to offer... insurance! A health and life insurance!... I have come here with some colleagues, some of them are already heading to the hamlet, perhaps already even fighting the threat. We are risking our lives and wellbeing..." Klein then somberly placed a contract at the Lord's table. "We will fight this demon for you. We will ensure that you and the crown will be safe from this demonic threat. In exchange, we only want you to treat us with some of your vintage wines! Sign the contract and the demon and the undead horde shall be gone by the end of the day. This will mark an official collaboration between us."
  
  The contract reads: Sigismund and his peers will fight and eliminate the demon and undead horde around the fountain in {hamlet name} within the day. In exchange, Lord Fro will let the party drink from his wine collection.
  
  Lord Fro nods his head, drinking a sip of wine that a servant poured for him. As he signs the contract, you can feel the excitement as his mind seems warped by your mote's powers. As you bring "Lord Fro" into the fold, you notice a blue gem lodged in his back neck scales fall out in a flash of Klein's energy. As soon as the gem leaves, Lord Fro falls onto the desk, only to return enthralled by you.
  
  "Huh. What's the gem?"
  
  "Where am I? Who are you! But, thanks master."
  
  Klein looked at Lord Fro and placed a new contract on the desk. "Call the guards and have them sign a contract as well. They don't have to read it, if they can read in the first place." As the Lord does that, he picks up the blue gem and investigates. Perhaps the Lord was previously enthralled as well? If so, by who? The King?
  
  Lord Fro yawns, "Yeah, sure. Fix. Gather the men and have them sign these papers. It'll work out." The guard leaves to gather the men. The gem seems to have lost its power rapidly since it left. You're not sure what it could be. Maybe it makes the target more suggestive to the gem's master? You're unsure.
  
  Klein rubs his chin with interest and kept the gem in his pockets. "Fro, to the dungeon, with me. Let me see those little princes."
  
  Lord Fro nodded and started guiding Klein down to the dungeons. Suspiciously, Klein noticed none of the guards, and he knows that none of them have signed anything. Does Klein continue into the dungeon?
  
  Hmmm... Fro will go back and ensure his men signs the papers. The contract reads that they will be promoted shortly for their service. As to what promotion... Promotion to be Klein's minions, of course! But the contract doesn't exactly say that.
  
  You see none of the guards ANYWHERE. Looks like the whole town has been cleared out of guards. Hopefully there are no dead nearby as things could get messy. The guards maintaining the firewall have disappeared. And just as you take in the gravity of the situation... WHAM, Khansim and Sigismund has slain the Angel of Death.
  
  "AH, SON OF THE BITCH. WHAT DID THOSE IDIOTS DO? I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED!" Klein shouted in his mind as his escorts formed a circle around him.
  
  "Little Prince, as promised, I have come to rescue you~~~" Klein and his party enters the dungeon.
  
  You notice that the iron bars of what appears to have been their cell have been heated immensely before being punched through. A burnt corpse of a guard lay nearby with his sword and bow missing. In the middle of the cell, you notice what appears to be charred clothes and slightly melted chains. Appears that both of the princes were pyromancers and together managed to set each other free before letting themselves out. You can just feel the incompetence in the air. You also notice in the cell next door that the floor is suspiciously lower than normal.
  
  "Ah, I technically expected this." Klein looks at the Lord with a smile that could kill.
  
  Lord Fro returns, "My master, my guards cannot sign the contracts as they have lost their ability to use their hands. They cannot move their hands sir."
  
  Klein grows very suspicious. Someone is not happy that he joined the party and he feels distinctly aware that someone is on to him.
  
  Klein took out the blue gem and smiled. "My name is Sigismund and I am a Knight of the Lady!" He then crushes the gem as precaution.
  
  The gem is crushed quite easily, even for Klein. It shattered into multiple pieces before he felt a presence behind him... A psionic presence and he could guess only one... Maura. "No, you had to ruin my little plan. Of course you had to."
  
  Klein sweats a bit. "Hello there! Dear guide!" Klein smiles as he grips the umbrella tightly. Immediately after you stopped sweating, you could tell she was joking.
  
  "Oh the look on your face!"
  
  "I just wanted to pop in, you know big blast and all."
  
  "Honey, you fooled yourself. A true mark of mastery. But, I wanted to give you a little heads up. You see, there are some elves to the south that were trying to get some men close to the king. Naturally, with Lord Fro as a good contact, they had set him up to be the liaison as it were. So, be careful, as the elves seemingly don't like whoever f'd up their plans."
  
  "Elves!" Klein mutters in disgust. They're harder to trick compared to these stupid humans. He then looked back at Maura and asked, "Do you know where the princes are?"
  
  "No idea honey. Their minds are poison to me. All I know is that one of them is separate from the rest."
  
  "Well, dear guide. Is there anything else you have to say to me?"
  
  "No dear, good luck and good job." And with that, she leaves. After she leaves, you notice a large commotion outside as the townsfolk begin to grow uneasy. It seems the guards have gone back to their places and the firewall is being maintained.
  
  Can Klein use his powers to attempt to track the Prince? He did connect with them before and there aren't a lot of mages in this town...
  
  Uh... Is the Vytiriz a good tracker? Otherwise... Klein looks at the Lord. "You're a mage, yes? Do some magic and find where our princes are."
  
  The Vyr had noticed that the princes fled Northeast. Apparently back towards the fountain.
  
  "You know what? Nevermind. Go back, gather the guards, and let them sign the contract. Then calm down the people, tell them of the threat and that a certain duo - Sigismund and Khasmin has dealt with it. Then, lead the men and collect the eggs outside. That explosion was big as fuck and I assume lots of eggs dropped down from the sky."
  
• 
  
  2 Units of Wine
  1 Crown: Made of Platinum and has a sapphire on its apex.
  1 Unit of books.
  1000 Credits
  2 Units of Spices
  5 Units of Wood
  20 Units of Food
  3 sets of manacles
  15 Longbows - 1d6 piercing damage
  15 shortswords - 2d4 slashing damage
  
  Structures:
  
  Lord Fro's Manor [Fancy House, Level: 2] A noble estate with some comforts, but it could be improved. Has a leaky roof and the locks are easy to pick. (Gives 100 shards at the end of the Fractal: mats: 3 units of wood, 1 unit of glass, 1 unit of granite, and 1 unit of paint, and 2 additional units of wood made into various fixtures in the manor.)
  
  Gatford jail and barracks [Multi-Purpose Barracks, Level: 1] A place to sleep 25 men and provide a place for up to 5 prisoners. Two cells are broken and will need some work to fix up and 2 units of iron ingots to repair the bars. (Gives 50 Shards: Mats: 5 units of granite, 4 units of Iron Ingots, 2 units of wood.)
  
  Young Prince's Belongings:
  Miscellaneous scrolls on geology.
  A portrait of the Queen.
  1 Ruby ring that humms with some inhibiting power of some sort.
  A letter from the King, dated about 2 years back
  A gold-infused sword that seems to cut through earth-like air.
  About two units of iron from the scrap.
  
  The Older, Twin Princes: (You noticed they didn't have a lot.)
  A super hot gem that seems to hold its temperature very well.
  Some makeshift stone tools.
  1 Unit of Food in the form of Deer Jerky
  
• 
  -Lord Fro will make an announcement that the town will be hiring anyone that has potential for magic or even use magic, scholars, or civilians that are good at useful jobs such as blacksmithing, construction, mining, etc. Not only that but the town will also be buying anything related to magic or the supernatural, it could be a magical stone, or perhaps a sword that glows, or even scrolls that could provide information regarding such. Everyone may present their items to Lord Fro and he will evaluate whether it is really what they are looking for and then he will offer a price. Credits or Food could be offered.-
  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  [Credit Balance: 1000] - [Food Balance: 21 Units] - [Town Unrest: 20ish, Neutral] <-- For your reference.
  
  [ Trektek PatriasLover ] - [Will go over with my response to you, but since you are arriving in town. You would generally notice this too. Since its relevant, I have tagged you.]
  
  A brisk amount of snow started to descend on the streets. The alleys grew colder by the minute as snow clouds magnified the lack of warming sun rays by blocking the sun. The air already sat at 34 Degrees F, but it lowered to around 15 Degrees. For reptiles with not the warmest blood, the cold become almost unbearable for the townsfolk. Even with many layers, they could barely stay warm. Meaning, they often did not leave their homes, much less town. Lord Fro and the guards seemed to have iron rings that kept them warm. On the thought of it, they seemingly remembered they had them. Klein felt a roll in his eyes. You wondered how Lord Fro held onto power. I suppose the damnation of the land did that for him.
  
  But I digress. The desperation in the populace has created two camps within Gatford. With so many people and only a few guards, it took the entire week to realize that the northern part of town, Catforge, had walled itself off completely, blocking off the road to the west and a side road leading pure northwards. The amount of eggs in the area closest to the northwest diminished as well. There wasn't any violence of any kind. It was relatively quiet. Like a peaceful divorce of some kind. The townsfolk seemed neutral with their governance, so you're not sure why they decided to do this. There's definitely some grumbling and some concerns from the mass contract signing, but Klein knows well that people can definitely put up with some funny business if things will stay stable. Hopefully, this was some reaction to the dead starting to crowd around the town, and less to removing Lord Fro from power. Though, it could if pushed. Especially since this shows how few guards there are. The rumors on the Death Angel blast started to spread, but it would take the whole week before anything came of the blast in terms of impressions.
  
  From the other camp, only 9 came to Lord Fro's manor with items. Most of them looked to be trinkets and fakes. But... however, there was one item that Lord Fro spotted to be real. It looked to be a flask that could take a drop of water or a mixture and fill the rest of the flask with whatever the user wanted. Medicine, drinks, poisons. Any sort of liquid seemed to due. The serpent came from the East Quarter, the newest part of town, and asked for 10 units of food and 500 credits for it.
  
  Your human followers and yourself scanned the items as well. Disguising yourselves as consultants for the lord. It appeared that Lord Fro had accurately surmised the items correctly.
  
  The flask is bought for 250 credits and 10 food after negotiations with Klein. And the commoner signed an agreement on its value and magical nature. Naturally, the commoner joins Klein along with the Squire.
  
  [-250 credits and 10 food]
  
  
• 
  
  Dear Little Prince,
  
  The Lord and the guards have been subdued. While they might still be seen out and about, do believe me when I said they are subdued. When you encounter them, don't be surprised when they don't act how you expect them to act.
  
  Now, you didn't have to run from the town. I did promise I was going to save you. The outside is dangerous, filled with undead and demons. Not to mention that a massive death explosion just happened. I suggest you return to the town at the soonest and we can investigate together the intrigue that your Father has sown and where your brothers could possibly be. Your belongings could be returned. We have the full resources of this town at our disposal.
  
  As for who I am, you will know when you return to town. I mean no ill intentions towards both of you but clearly someone does. I may be your best bet at surviving this cruel world.
  
  Sincerely,
  Your Savior K
  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  
  The princes were at fountain as you suspected they were. And the Vyr reports to you that they agreed to come back to Gatford after finishing whatever they were doing there.