Gurth - User contributions [en]

Wu Sau

2016-10-31T05:09:27Z

Brantdanger:

Wizened warrior and party collector played by [[User:Brantdanger|Brant]] in [[TBA - John]].

Last known whereabouts (at conclusion of [[Dragonslayers]]):

Raised by a brutally stern father and loving mother, a young Wu Sau was burdened with the knowledge and responsibility of the [[Chun-Ki]] monks.

A lifetime of study, training, and shunning of childish games, saw Wu Sau grow into humourless and strict servant of the eastern gods. He possessed an arrogance and tactlessness of one who knows he has been chosen to help save the planet. Wu Sau generally viewed others as undisciplined creatures with which he was forced to interact.

Equally capable of rudeness, wise decision making or swift violence, he gained a reputation for successfully completing a mission- regardless of the cost of life- amoung allies or enemies.

He spent his adult years traveling the globe, attaining the knowledge necessary to locate and mentor the coming Dragonslayer. After the successful mission against the Ur-Dragon, Wu Sau returned to his childhood home to offer further service to the monastery.

[[image:wusau.jpg|right]]

[[Category:Characters]]

Wu Sau

2016-10-31T05:00:44Z

Brantdanger:

Wizened warrior and party collector played by [[User:Brantdanger|Brant]] in [[TBA - John]].

Last known whereabouts (at conclusion of [[Dragonslayers]]):

Raised by a brutally stern father and loving mother, a young Wu Sau was burdened with the knowledge and responsibility of the [[Chun-Ki]] monks.

A lifetime of study, training, and shunning of childsih games, saw Wu Sau grow into humourless and strict servant. Amoung the monestary's disciples, Wu Sau gained a reputation for successfully completing a mission- regardless of the cost of life- amoung allies or enemies. Capable of both wise decision making and swift violence, Wu Sau generally viewed others as undisciplined creatures with which he was forced to interact.

He spent his adult years traveling the globe, attaining the knowledge necessary to locate and mentor the coming Dragonslayer. After the successful mission against the Ur-Dragon, Wu Sau returned to his childhood home to offer further service to the monestary.

[[image:wusau.jpg|right]]

[[Category:Characters]]

N3

2016-10-31T00:31:38Z

Brantdanger: /* Characters */

[[Category:Campaigns]] [[Category:Novel-N3]]

''Workspace page for [[User:Johnm]]'s 2017 novel.''

In which Kemble Coyote, seeking opportunity and avoiding justice, treks south towards Talathese, joined by Esme Harrington and her cohort. The journey is hard, adventures are had, and ancient darkness discovered.

== Characters ==

* [[Kemble Coyote]]
** [[Manoko]]
* [[Esme Harrington]]
** [[Ricardo]]
** [[Hana]]
** [[Erik]]
** [[Wu Sau]]

* [[Selena Meriwether]]

* [[Saul]] ?
* [[Kojax]] ?

== Chapter List ==

# shaman summoning demon
# Kemble hires [[Manoko]] and departs Cormire
# Esme dines with Vasker
# Kemble hates camping in the [[Bandit Wastes]]
# Vasker introduces Esme to Selena
# Esme reflects on the journey ahead, and her crew, departs
# Kemble really hates camping, and the journey south begins
# Esme & company traveling

File:SashaL.jpg

2009-12-27T00:04:24Z

Brantdanger:

Sascha Lutsenko

2009-12-27T00:04:02Z

Brantdanger: /* Background */

[[Category:Characters]]

In [[HotZone]], Brant's Russian shooter.

== Background ==
[[image:SashaL.jpg]]

Member of Россия Cначала (Roosiya Snachala "Russia First"), an
anti-Kremlin paramilitary and political organization designed to bring
about another Russian revolution to overthrow the insidious and
powerful state control over all aspects of Russian life.

After orchestrating a whole-sale slaughter of government anti-riot
police during a demonstration in Saint Petersburg in 2011, Sascha
became known to, and was directly targeted by, the newly reformed KGB.

He escaped to Estonia, where contacts arranged for his asylum to the
United States. The US government took delivery of him and began a
debriefing/interrogation process. He gave the government what they
wanted to hear in order to placate them. A sympathetic black program
director took pity on Sascha and gave him clearance to join the
program.

In exchange for Sascha's services in American black programs, he
received assurances that'd he'd have the opportunity to one day return
to Russia (with America's backing) when the push for revolution
commenced. Sascha figured they were lying, but decided he would split
anyway when the time came. He has no loyalty to the American
government, and views it only as a necessary inconvenience.

Sascha's experiences have made him proficient at wire-tapping,
poisoning, small explosives, sniper rifle, leadership and tactical
ambush. He is prepared to give his life at any moment for the
destruction of dictatorial rule.

Sascha Lutsenko

2009-12-27T00:03:06Z

Brantdanger: /* Background */

[[Category:Characters]]

In [[HotZone]], Brant's Russian shooter.

== Background ==
[[image:Sasha.jpg]]

Member of Россия Cначала (Roosiya Snachala "Russia First"), an
anti-Kremlin paramilitary and political organization designed to bring
about another Russian revolution to overthrow the insidious and
powerful state control over all aspects of Russian life.

After orchestrating a whole-sale slaughter of government anti-riot
police during a demonstration in Saint Petersburg in 2011, Sascha
became known to, and was directly targeted by, the newly reformed KGB.

He escaped to Estonia, where contacts arranged for his asylum to the
United States. The US government took delivery of him and began a
debriefing/interrogation process. He gave the government what they
wanted to hear in order to placate them. A sympathetic black program
director took pity on Sascha and gave him clearance to join the
program.

In exchange for Sascha's services in American black programs, he
received assurances that'd he'd have the opportunity to one day return
to Russia (with America's backing) when the push for revolution
commenced. Sascha figured they were lying, but decided he would split
anyway when the time came. He has no loyalty to the American
government, and views it only as a necessary inconvenience.

Sascha's experiences have made him proficient at wire-tapping,
poisoning, small explosives, sniper rifle, leadership and tactical
ambush. He is prepared to give his life at any moment for the
destruction of dictatorial rule.

Blood on the Snow

2009-01-05T01:10:35Z

Brantdanger: /* Departure */

[[Category:Campaigns]]

== Intro ==

In the northeastern reaches of [[Darkwood]], 50 miles from the coast of the [[Frozen Sea]], a community of 400 hardy souls scrapes out an existence in the forested valleys along the edge of the [[Ozgarn Mountains]]. They call themselves the '''[[Nord]]''', descendants of seagoing explorers from [[Icelund]].

You are of these people.

The village of your birth is in a thickly-treed valley bottom and protected by a ring of 10' thick thorn bushes and sharpened spear-like stakes pointing outwards. This mostly keeps the wolves and trolls away.

A trout-filled creek, which surges up to 5' deep, 30' across in spring, runs through middle of village, requiring a simple wooden bridge. Your huts are built of mud and branches and hides, though one squat stone building houses King [[Valgard]] and his family.

Domesticated dairy goats and sheep wander around in the village, and daily foraging trips into the forest bring back berries, nuts, and venison. A dozen horses are used for occasional heavy labor.

The elevation is 7000', and snow remains on the ground well into early summer.

Late most summers, tax collectors from [[Nottingham]] pay a visit, and an uneasy negotiation takes place over several days. They often bring spices, fabrics, small tools, and trinkets to soften their demands for what little gold and gems the village has pried from the ground over the previous year. Some in the village question the value of compliance, but Valgard says it is necessary as long as the Nord inhabit these lowland valleys.

It was not always so; the Nord lived among the rocky crags of the Ozgarns for generations. It is a sad tale, known to you all, that brought your people down from those heights.

One summer morning, instead of tax collectors, a different Nottingham group arrives: Bishop [[Salvatore]], three soldiers ([[Rolf Draxen|Rolf]], [[Mads Draxen|Mads]], and [[Erik Draxen|Erik]]), and a half-elven ranger ([[Quillian]]), all on horseback.

They meet with [[Valgard]] and his advisers all day. At the outdoor firelit feast that night, King [[Valgard]], flanked by the newcomers and Elder [[Einar]], makes the following statement:
<pre>
We are the Nord.

100 years ago, ours was a proud people. We worked high in the mountains,
the mighty Ozgarns. We worked the land, the harsh and frozen crags, along
side the dwarves and hobgoblins and stone giants in a fragile peace. We
hunted caribou and musk ox and wolves and mammoths, and mined precious
metals from the mountains, and drank joyously in great mead-halls constructed
among the cliffs of timbers as thick as a man is tall.

Our forge, Brannjern, turned out weapons of steel that never broke,
never dulled. Our smiths were legendary in their prowess, and to this day,
Nord Steel, forged in Brannjern, knows no equal.

Our king in those days, our sovereign leader Asgrim, a mighty warrior,
Asgrim Whitebeard, Asgrim Bloodletter, father to a dozen sons, led our
men to victory in countless battles with beasts of the mountains – orcs,
ogres, formorians, worg, and ice trolls.

Some said it was Asgrim's greatsword that made him undefeatable on the battlefield;
others said it was his great ruby ring. Both had been passed down over 16 generations,
since even before our people crossed the Great Water to this land.

But Asgrim was to be defeated, and our people nearly destroyed. The ring and sword
of Asgrim were not enough to save us.

One dark afternoon in January, Asgrim led our strongest fathers and brothers and
sons into a new valley beyond a deep blue glacier.

What befell them is unknown, but all were slain and left to freeze on the ice.
Our strongest bloodlines were extinguished that afternoon, and we Nord have
been struggling to regain our former stature since that day.

You all know Elder Einar. He is the last survivor of that tragic event on the
ice. As he approaches the dimming of this life, he has made his wishes known to
me. The Nord must reclaim the Sword and Ring of Asgrim from the battlefield in
the valley of his doom.

And now the opportunity is upon us.

We have transferred treasures to the tax collectors of Nottingham since I was
a child. Many have asked me, and before me, my father, King Fromund, why we do
so. And the answer is here, today.

These men of Nottingham, Bishop Salvatore and his soldiers and guide, have come
to us today to help regain our ancestral treasures.

They will accompany a group of our strongest Nord on an expedition to the
Valley of Doom to find our fallen fathers, put their bones to rest, and bring
home Asgrim's greatsword, ring, and the rest of the Nord Steel.
</pre>

King Valgard himself suffers from asthma, and doesn't do well at high elevations. He knows he cannot lead the party, and so must choose a representative to lead the group, preferably a blood relative.

== Character Creation ==
=== Background Knowledge ===

''Historical Knowledge''

You know the story of the reason the Nord came down from the mead-halls in the high country. There is a cultural thread of ''return to the homeland'', which comes up frequently, wistfully. There are some who say that your leaders, [[Valgard]] and his father before him, have been simply too weak to lead the people back. There is occasional talk of a split of some kind. But that would be foolish. The Nord are one people.

It is said that the Nord once traded with tribes of thick-bodied hobgoblins, and stone-skinned giants of the mountains. Some say that the retreat after the loss of the king and his top Nord warriors was an emotional, panic reaction. Others say it was strategic -- that either the hobgoblins or giants planned an attack, knowing that after their great loss, the Nord were weakened and vulnerable to defeat.

Who knows the truth? The decision was made to come down from the mountains to this green valley, in the days of your grandmothers' youth.

----
''Cultural, Area Knowledge''

These lowland forests are rich in forage, relatively temperate, but plagued by trolls and orcs, who occasionally cause problems for the Nord.

You certainly know some basic woodsman skills. You might even specialize (4+ points) in Tracking or Survival (Forest), if your story explains it. Or, maybe you're the Nord in charge of fish-drying, or arrow fletching, or forge operation, or cooking for the community.

The Nord believe strongly in the family unit, and many are married (for life) before their 20th summer. Fur-clad blond-haired children, possibly yours, scamper cheerfully underfoot.

The [[Nord]] only occasionally ride horses. You consider horses beasts of burden, like others might consider oxen. Here in the forage-rich lowlands, with its trout and deer and wild mint and onion and various berries, there's little reason to ride more than a dozen miles in any direction. So you can ride, but rarely do. In the high crags of the Ozgarns, it is said, horses are useless.

----

''Threats in the Forest''

When hunting and forage parties (of usually 6-10 Nord) encounter orcs, both sides do a quick calculation: the smaller party retreats or changes direction. When it's not clear, the orcs usually seem to issue a challenge in their own incomprehensible tongue, and if a quick retreat is not begun, they attack. However, these skirmishes usually break off once two or three from either side fall. It is usually a near-even match, and neither the Nord nor the orcs seek to slaughter the other. There is enough forage for all.

[[Troll|Trolls]] are another story. Trolls are fueled by something other than nature, and are built through-and-through of a tough spongy substance that gives them some sort of super-healing ability. They fight to the death with a great hunger, and no fear, and can only be truly killed by fire. They devour their kills entirely, hair and entrails and even clothing. They are 9' tall, ferocious, and horrible. Nobody ever leaves the village alone. A single man would stand no chance against a hungry troll.

Happily, encounters with these creatures are rare. In a typical year, there might be six orc hunting party encounters, resulting in one or two Nord slain. Every 2-3 years, a troll encounter kills a half dozen. You have all lost friends and/or family to trolls at some point.

Because these violent encounters are regular (though infrequent), the Nord have built the thorn-wall defenses, and kept up their longstanding tradition in training all youngsters in the use of the spear, the spear, the bow, and the shield, as well as hand-to-hand techniques (Wrestling). All are prepared to defend the Nord.

However, these near-continuous losses have kept the Nord from growing. [[Einar]] claims that the original migration down from the mountains was of 500 souls, after [[Asgrim]]'s Defeat. Today, there are 400.

----

''The Quest''

As for the location of the Valley of Doom -- none of you is sure, having never been more than a dozen miles from the village. But [[Einar]] knows, and will only tell his [[Nord]] kin of landmarks and passages deep into the mountains beyond the snow-capped horizon.

You have no good reason to trust the Bishop, but if he and his warriors can assist in retrieving any of the ancestral artifacts, it could be the beginning of a reinvigoration of the Nord, and a first step towards returning to your family homes in the mountains.

=== Why You're on the Team ===

Each PC is a known as the best at something, hence the reason for your selection by the king. Possibilities include:

* orc slayer ("everyone wants him in their foraging group")
* healer (magic or firstaid/physician/diagnosis)
* tracker
* archer ("wins the contest every year")
* hunter ("brought back 4 elk the dry winter we almost starved")
* orienteer
* climber ("she scales boulders like a mountain goat!")
* wood-chopping / axe-wielder
* strongest ("picked up that fallen tree off little Greta!")
* toughest / best wrestler ("Korak the Iron-Limbed")

You might even have nicknames. ''Bjorn Orcslayer, Freya Dead-arrows''

=== Points and Equipment ===

One character should be [[Valgard]]'s representative and lead the group (and roleplay it). A cousin, or nephew, or daughter-in-law, or some such. That individual must put 5 points into Status. They must take a 5 point Duty (to Valgard) as well.
To be effective, this character might also choose some Charisma or Leadership, but this is not required. Alternately, the king's representative could appoint a Leader who could be more effective in day-to-day tactics/management, and play more of a background role, a symbol of the king, consulted only in dire circumstances.

150 points to spend
max 100 on attributes
max 50 disadvantages
max 50 advantages

Skill Template for all:
Tracking - minimum 1 pt
Survival (Woodlands) - minimum 1 pt
Wrestling (a Nord pastime) - minimum 1 pt

Advantage template for all:
Patron (King Valgard & the Nord) (10)

Disadvantage template for all (this cancels out the advantage points, net zero):
Duty (Nord) (-10)

'''Recommended attributes:''' ST, HT (gene pool)

'''Recommended advantages''': Fit (Nord are a hardy people, lots of high-altitude genetics)

'''Recommended disadvantages''': Code of Honor (Soldier's) -- not because you ''are'' soldiers, but because this set of values is admired among the Nord and particularly desirable on a small group's hazardous quest.

'''Appearance''': The Nord are a big-boned Scandinavian-type people. Think Vikings.

'''Magic''': The Nord rely on axes, leather, and spears more than magic. But, combined with a 5-point Unusual Background Advantage, one level of Magery is permitted, as are spells from the following colleges:
* Plant
* Weather
* Earth
* Fire
* Food
* Healing
* Making & Breaking
* Protection

'''Equipment:'''
Nord Steel, forged in ''[[Brannjern]]'', is not present in the village; it was all lost with the decimation of the warriors beyond the glacier in the valley of doom. One exception: the king's own blade, ''Ulvtand'', which he will lend to his personal representative. It is a Thrusting Bastard Sword, and imbued with special characteristics typical of Nord Steel:
armor divisor: 3
+2 to skill
+2 to damage
''Shatterproof''

* Armor is generally limited to furs and leather; metal shields, helms, and mail shirts are rarely used. Winter clothing is required for this journey.
* Weapons: spears and axes are typical, bows and broadswords less so.

== Characters ==

* [[Udyr Hjemta|Udyr "Orc Thrower" Hjemta]] : Chosen because he is the mightiest warrior.

* [[Hjordis |Hjordis]] : Valgard's daughter, the princess, carrying ''Ulvtand''.

* [[The Eldur|The Eldur]] : Chosen for his ways with fire; it is believed he will be able to relight ''[[Brannjern]]''.

* [[Kjetl]] : An herbalist and healer.

== What Happened ==

=== Departure ===

King [[Valgard]] assembles the entire village near the entrance to the thorn wall. Just outside it, Bishop [[Salvatore]], three soldiers ([[Rolf Draxen|Rolf]], [[Mads Draxen|Mads]], and [[Erik Draxen|Erik]]), and a part-elven ranger ([[Quillian]]), await on horseback.

The king gives a short speech to the intrepid party, reminding them of the gravity of their quest -- the salvation of the Nord via the reclamation of both the ancestral relics of [[Asgrim]], and the Nord homeland in the high country.

The two younger Draxen brothers prove to be boisterous and unruly, and [[Mads Draxen|Mads]] in particular makes advances on [[Valgard]]'s daughter [[Hjordis]], leading to a series of confrontations with [[Udyr Hjemta|Udyr]] over the next few days. The Bishop is a charismatic storyteller, and regales the party with compelling parables.

The second night up the river, in increasingly unfamiliar territory, an injured doe rushes through the underbrush to within ten yards of the campsite, and collapses. [[Mads Draxen]] comments, "''Well, that's convenient''," and prepares to butcher the creature. As [[Kjetl]] and [[Udyr Hjemta|Udyr]] euthanize the doe, its hunters surround the camp: a band of eight orcs.

[[Mads Draxen]] shouts at them in Orcish, and they all raise their weapons and shout back. The other brothers draw their weapons and start planning tactics, but Udyr forcefully advises that the deer be simply handed over to the orcs.

Mads objects, hungry for a fight, but the Bishop agrees with Udyr, and the orcs slink back into the forest with their meal. Mads commented that he's never backed down from a fight and that his honor was tarnished, to which Udyr replied, "you know nothing of honor." Mads grabbed Udyr as he walked past, but the struggle ceased abruptly with Udyr's shield smashing Mads' face.

Another day of upriver travel through the pines, and another campsite, with the Bishop in his personal tent, and the rest of the party outside -- in the rain. The cold rain falls continuously throughout the night, turning the camp into slippery mud as Mads and Erik get blindingly drunk, again.

Just before dawn, the trolls attack. They first target the horses, but then several others move into the camp. The younger Draxens protect the Bishop, who has fallen into the mud in some sort of seizure. [[Quillian]] rains arrows down upon the trolls, and Udyr deals them mighty blows, but 10 seconds later, Udyr and [[Hjordis]] lie in the mud, rendered unconscious by their grievous wounds.

The Draxens tend to the recovering Bishop while Kjetl dazes the remaining two trolls, enabling the Draxens to finish them off. He then casts magicks to stop the Nords' bleeding, gropes the unconscious Hjordis' bared breasts, and single-handedly prepares breakfast.

As the gray light of dawn arrives, the only sounds are that of weary travelers devouring venison and squash mush.

Blood on the Snow

2009-01-05T01:07:43Z

Brantdanger:

[[Category:Campaigns]]

== Intro ==

In the northeastern reaches of [[Darkwood]], 50 miles from the coast of the [[Frozen Sea]], a community of 400 hardy souls scrapes out an existence in the forested valleys along the edge of the [[Ozgarn Mountains]]. They call themselves the '''[[Nord]]''', descendants of seagoing explorers from [[Icelund]].

You are of these people.

The village of your birth is in a thickly-treed valley bottom and protected by a ring of 10' thick thorn bushes and sharpened spear-like stakes pointing outwards. This mostly keeps the wolves and trolls away.

A trout-filled creek, which surges up to 5' deep, 30' across in spring, runs through middle of village, requiring a simple wooden bridge. Your huts are built of mud and branches and hides, though one squat stone building houses King [[Valgard]] and his family.

Domesticated dairy goats and sheep wander around in the village, and daily foraging trips into the forest bring back berries, nuts, and venison. A dozen horses are used for occasional heavy labor.

The elevation is 7000', and snow remains on the ground well into early summer.

Late most summers, tax collectors from [[Nottingham]] pay a visit, and an uneasy negotiation takes place over several days. They often bring spices, fabrics, small tools, and trinkets to soften their demands for what little gold and gems the village has pried from the ground over the previous year. Some in the village question the value of compliance, but Valgard says it is necessary as long as the Nord inhabit these lowland valleys.

It was not always so; the Nord lived among the rocky crags of the Ozgarns for generations. It is a sad tale, known to you all, that brought your people down from those heights.

One summer morning, instead of tax collectors, a different Nottingham group arrives: Bishop [[Salvatore]], three soldiers ([[Rolf Draxen|Rolf]], [[Mads Draxen|Mads]], and [[Erik Draxen|Erik]]), and a half-elven ranger ([[Quillian]]), all on horseback.

They meet with [[Valgard]] and his advisers all day. At the outdoor firelit feast that night, King [[Valgard]], flanked by the newcomers and Elder [[Einar]], makes the following statement:
<pre>
We are the Nord.

100 years ago, ours was a proud people. We worked high in the mountains,
the mighty Ozgarns. We worked the land, the harsh and frozen crags, along
side the dwarves and hobgoblins and stone giants in a fragile peace. We
hunted caribou and musk ox and wolves and mammoths, and mined precious
metals from the mountains, and drank joyously in great mead-halls constructed
among the cliffs of timbers as thick as a man is tall.

Our forge, Brannjern, turned out weapons of steel that never broke,
never dulled. Our smiths were legendary in their prowess, and to this day,
Nord Steel, forged in Brannjern, knows no equal.

Our king in those days, our sovereign leader Asgrim, a mighty warrior,
Asgrim Whitebeard, Asgrim Bloodletter, father to a dozen sons, led our
men to victory in countless battles with beasts of the mountains – orcs,
ogres, formorians, worg, and ice trolls.

Some said it was Asgrim's greatsword that made him undefeatable on the battlefield;
others said it was his great ruby ring. Both had been passed down over 16 generations,
since even before our people crossed the Great Water to this land.

But Asgrim was to be defeated, and our people nearly destroyed. The ring and sword
of Asgrim were not enough to save us.

One dark afternoon in January, Asgrim led our strongest fathers and brothers and
sons into a new valley beyond a deep blue glacier.

What befell them is unknown, but all were slain and left to freeze on the ice.
Our strongest bloodlines were extinguished that afternoon, and we Nord have
been struggling to regain our former stature since that day.

You all know Elder Einar. He is the last survivor of that tragic event on the
ice. As he approaches the dimming of this life, he has made his wishes known to
me. The Nord must reclaim the Sword and Ring of Asgrim from the battlefield in
the valley of his doom.

And now the opportunity is upon us.

We have transferred treasures to the tax collectors of Nottingham since I was
a child. Many have asked me, and before me, my father, King Fromund, why we do
so. And the answer is here, today.

These men of Nottingham, Bishop Salvatore and his soldiers and guide, have come
to us today to help regain our ancestral treasures.

They will accompany a group of our strongest Nord on an expedition to the
Valley of Doom to find our fallen fathers, put their bones to rest, and bring
home Asgrim's greatsword, ring, and the rest of the Nord Steel.
</pre>

King Valgard himself suffers from asthma, and doesn't do well at high elevations. He knows he cannot lead the party, and so must choose a representative to lead the group, preferably a blood relative.

== Character Creation ==
=== Background Knowledge ===

''Historical Knowledge''

You know the story of the reason the Nord came down from the mead-halls in the high country. There is a cultural thread of ''return to the homeland'', which comes up frequently, wistfully. There are some who say that your leaders, [[Valgard]] and his father before him, have been simply too weak to lead the people back. There is occasional talk of a split of some kind. But that would be foolish. The Nord are one people.

It is said that the Nord once traded with tribes of thick-bodied hobgoblins, and stone-skinned giants of the mountains. Some say that the retreat after the loss of the king and his top Nord warriors was an emotional, panic reaction. Others say it was strategic -- that either the hobgoblins or giants planned an attack, knowing that after their great loss, the Nord were weakened and vulnerable to defeat.

Who knows the truth? The decision was made to come down from the mountains to this green valley, in the days of your grandmothers' youth.

----
''Cultural, Area Knowledge''

These lowland forests are rich in forage, relatively temperate, but plagued by trolls and orcs, who occasionally cause problems for the Nord.

You certainly know some basic woodsman skills. You might even specialize (4+ points) in Tracking or Survival (Forest), if your story explains it. Or, maybe you're the Nord in charge of fish-drying, or arrow fletching, or forge operation, or cooking for the community.

The Nord believe strongly in the family unit, and many are married (for life) before their 20th summer. Fur-clad blond-haired children, possibly yours, scamper cheerfully underfoot.

The [[Nord]] only occasionally ride horses. You consider horses beasts of burden, like others might consider oxen. Here in the forage-rich lowlands, with its trout and deer and wild mint and onion and various berries, there's little reason to ride more than a dozen miles in any direction. So you can ride, but rarely do. In the high crags of the Ozgarns, it is said, horses are useless.

----

''Threats in the Forest''

When hunting and forage parties (of usually 6-10 Nord) encounter orcs, both sides do a quick calculation: the smaller party retreats or changes direction. When it's not clear, the orcs usually seem to issue a challenge in their own incomprehensible tongue, and if a quick retreat is not begun, they attack. However, these skirmishes usually break off once two or three from either side fall. It is usually a near-even match, and neither the Nord nor the orcs seek to slaughter the other. There is enough forage for all.

[[Troll|Trolls]] are another story. Trolls are fueled by something other than nature, and are built through-and-through of a tough spongy substance that gives them some sort of super-healing ability. They fight to the death with a great hunger, and no fear, and can only be truly killed by fire. They devour their kills entirely, hair and entrails and even clothing. They are 9' tall, ferocious, and horrible. Nobody ever leaves the village alone. A single man would stand no chance against a hungry troll.

Happily, encounters with these creatures are rare. In a typical year, there might be six orc hunting party encounters, resulting in one or two Nord slain. Every 2-3 years, a troll encounter kills a half dozen. You have all lost friends and/or family to trolls at some point.

Because these violent encounters are regular (though infrequent), the Nord have built the thorn-wall defenses, and kept up their longstanding tradition in training all youngsters in the use of the spear, the spear, the bow, and the shield, as well as hand-to-hand techniques (Wrestling). All are prepared to defend the Nord.

However, these near-continuous losses have kept the Nord from growing. [[Einar]] claims that the original migration down from the mountains was of 500 souls, after [[Asgrim]]'s Defeat. Today, there are 400.

----

''The Quest''

As for the location of the Valley of Doom -- none of you is sure, having never been more than a dozen miles from the village. But [[Einar]] knows, and will only tell his [[Nord]] kin of landmarks and passages deep into the mountains beyond the snow-capped horizon.

You have no good reason to trust the Bishop, but if he and his warriors can assist in retrieving any of the ancestral artifacts, it could be the beginning of a reinvigoration of the Nord, and a first step towards returning to your family homes in the mountains.

=== Why You're on the Team ===

Each PC is a known as the best at something, hence the reason for your selection by the king. Possibilities include:

* orc slayer ("everyone wants him in their foraging group")
* healer (magic or firstaid/physician/diagnosis)
* tracker
* archer ("wins the contest every year")
* hunter ("brought back 4 elk the dry winter we almost starved")
* orienteer
* climber ("she scales boulders like a mountain goat!")
* wood-chopping / axe-wielder
* strongest ("picked up that fallen tree off little Greta!")
* toughest / best wrestler ("Korak the Iron-Limbed")

You might even have nicknames. ''Bjorn Orcslayer, Freya Dead-arrows''

=== Points and Equipment ===

One character should be [[Valgard]]'s representative and lead the group (and roleplay it). A cousin, or nephew, or daughter-in-law, or some such. That individual must put 5 points into Status. They must take a 5 point Duty (to Valgard) as well.
To be effective, this character might also choose some Charisma or Leadership, but this is not required. Alternately, the king's representative could appoint a Leader who could be more effective in day-to-day tactics/management, and play more of a background role, a symbol of the king, consulted only in dire circumstances.

150 points to spend
max 100 on attributes
max 50 disadvantages
max 50 advantages

Skill Template for all:
Tracking - minimum 1 pt
Survival (Woodlands) - minimum 1 pt
Wrestling (a Nord pastime) - minimum 1 pt

Advantage template for all:
Patron (King Valgard & the Nord) (10)

Disadvantage template for all (this cancels out the advantage points, net zero):
Duty (Nord) (-10)

'''Recommended attributes:''' ST, HT (gene pool)

'''Recommended advantages''': Fit (Nord are a hardy people, lots of high-altitude genetics)

'''Recommended disadvantages''': Code of Honor (Soldier's) -- not because you ''are'' soldiers, but because this set of values is admired among the Nord and particularly desirable on a small group's hazardous quest.

'''Appearance''': The Nord are a big-boned Scandinavian-type people. Think Vikings.

'''Magic''': The Nord rely on axes, leather, and spears more than magic. But, combined with a 5-point Unusual Background Advantage, one level of Magery is permitted, as are spells from the following colleges:
* Plant
* Weather
* Earth
* Fire
* Food
* Healing
* Making & Breaking
* Protection

'''Equipment:'''
Nord Steel, forged in ''[[Brannjern]]'', is not present in the village; it was all lost with the decimation of the warriors beyond the glacier in the valley of doom. One exception: the king's own blade, ''Ulvtand'', which he will lend to his personal representative. It is a Thrusting Bastard Sword, and imbued with special characteristics typical of Nord Steel:
armor divisor: 3
+2 to skill
+2 to damage
''Shatterproof''

* Armor is generally limited to furs and leather; metal shields, helms, and mail shirts are rarely used. Winter clothing is required for this journey.
* Weapons: spears and axes are typical, bows and broadswords less so.

== Characters ==

* [[Udyr Hjemta|Udyr "Orc Thrower" Hjemta]] : Chosen because he is the mightiest warrior.

* [[Hjordis |Hjordis]] : Valgard's daughter, the princess, carrying ''Ulvtand''.

* [[The Eldur|The Eldur]] : Chosen for his ways with fire; it is believed he will be able to relight ''[[Brannjern]]''.

* [[Kjetl]] : An herbalist and healer.

== What Happened ==

=== Departure ===

King [[Valgard]] assembles the entire village near the entrance to the thorn wall. Just outside it, Bishop [[Salvatore]], three soldiers ([[Rolf Draxen|Rolf]], [[Mads Draxen|Mads]], and [[Erik Draxen|Erik]]), and a part-elven ranger ([[Quillian]]), await on horseback.

The king gives a short speech to the intrepid party, reminding them of the gravity of their quest -- the salvation of the Nord via the reclamation of both the ancestral relics of [[Asgrim]], and the Nord homeland in the high country.

The two younger Draxen brothers prove to be boisterous and unruly, and [[Mads Draxen|Mads]] in particular makes advances on [[Valgard]]'s daughter [[Hjordis]], leading to a series of confrontations with [[Udyr Hjemta|Udyr]] over the next few days. The Bishop is a charismatic storyteller, and regales the party with compelling parables.

The second night up the river, in increasingly unfamiliar territory, an injured doe rushes through the underbrush to within ten yards of the campsite, and collapses. [[Mads Draxen]] comments, "''Well, that's convenient''," and prepares to butcher the creature. As [[Kjetl]] and [[Udyr Hjemta|Udyr]] euthanize the doe, its hunters surround the camp: a band of eight orcs.

[[Mads Draxen]] shouts at them in Orcish, and they all raise their weapons and shout back. The other brothers draw their weapons and start planning tactics, but Udyr forcefully advises that the deer be simply handed over to the orcs.

Mads objects, hungry for a fight, but the Bishop agrees with Udyr, and the orcs slink back into the forest with their meal. Mads commented that he's never backed down from a fight and that his honor was tarnished, to which Udyr replied, "you know nothing of honor." Mads grabbed Udyr as he walked past, but the struggle ceased abruptly with Udyr's shield smashing Mads' face.

Another day of upriver travel through the pines, and another campsite, with the Bishop in his personal tent, and the rest of the party outside -- in the rain. The cold rain falls continuously throughout the night, turning the camp into slippery mud as Mads and Erik get blindingly drunk, again.

Just before dawn, the trolls attack. They first target the horses, but then several others move into the camp. The younger Draxens protect the Bishop, who has fallen into the mud in some sort of seizure. [[Quillian]] rains arrows down upon the trolls, and Udyr deals them mighty blows, but 10 seconds later, Udyr and [[Hjordis]] lie in the mud, rendered unconscious by their grievous wounds.

The Draxens tend to the recovering Bishop while Kjetl dazes the remaining two trolls, enabling the Draxens to finish them off. He then casts magicks to stop the Nords' bleeding, and single-handedly prepares breakfast.

As the gray light of dawn arrives, the only sounds are that of weary travelers devouring venison and squash mush.

HotZone

2008-07-28T13:47:28Z

Brantdanger: /* Tsar Bomba */

[[Category:Campaigns]]

''A 2017 Spec-Ops campaign started in 2007.''

== Characters ==
* Initial GM: [[User:Johnm]]
* [[Tag Leonards]], the paranoid demo-man, played by [[User:Jesster]]
* [[Sascha Lutsenko]], played by [[User:Brantdanger]]
* [[Liam McGregor]], played by [[User:Jslife]]
* [[Jurgen Timonneh]] played by Tom C.
* [[Sonny Crawford]] played by [[User:Johnm]]
* [[Hugo Renaldo]], played by [[User:Johnm]]

== Background ==

It's 2017 on Gurth, and the world has changed significantly in the last 20 years. America invaded Iraq in 2003, and tensions began escalating worldwide immediately. In 2008, the sectarian violence in Iraq spread like wildfire, and War in Iraq became the War in the Middle East which became the Central Asian Crisis. Long before pundits stopped changing the label, it was a world class clusterfuck. Had Russia, China, and India not united to quell the violence through diplomatic means in 2011-2012, the crisis was on track to evolve into World War 3.

This gradual unraveling of peaceful cohabitation was apparent to military leaders in numerous countries, and in fact the United States Special Operations Command presciently predicted a change in strategy would be required way back in 2006 when they issued the following public statement:

'''“Creating conditions where people want to live peacefully is a powerful weapon against terrorism. Direct action will become increasingly restricted as the Global War on Terrorism matures. Indirect actions of Foreign Internal Defense and Civil Affairs programs are the key to winning the war on terror.”''' [http://www.socom.mil/Releases/May/20thAnniv/USSOCOM%20celebrates%20its%2020th%20anniversary.pdf 1]

Powerful governments with awesome military arsenals became increasingly aware that wielding their power was becoming politically untenable in all but the most extreme situations. United States Special Operations Command, as just one example of a trend worldwide, quadrupled in funding and personnel from 2008-2015, but forced a significant portion of their Direct Action specialists into early retirement, and instead filled their ranks with civil engineers, psy ops specialists, administrators, and diplomats.

However, focused Direct Action operations will always be required when organized groups are willing to commit violence to contravene national interests, and so outside of government military operations, a second and third tier of operatives evolved. The second tier consisted of large private security companies, with tens of thousands of employees, some tiny portion of which could be used for “wet work” of Direct Action operations.

The third tier has evolved over the past 7-8 years. Increasing public scrutiny over and demand for transparency in military expenditures in industrialized nations worldwide has made certain operations difficult to fund through the large and somewhat infamous security corporations. However, worldwide, government agencies always have funds available for classified “black” operations, and it is here that the third tier of operatives has found its niche.

This third tier, or “SubNet” is a loose affiliation of a few thousand specialists and commanders worldwide, mostly ex-military. By adopting terrorist organizations' practice of maintaining “cells” which know little about global operations, the SubNet maintains a thick veil and appears to be nothing more than disconnected gangs of shadowy figures.

Your group is one such cell.

You're based in [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=dili+east+timor&ie=UTF8&ll=-8.547358,125.54575&spn=0.056359,0.065918&t=h&z=14&om=1 Dili, East Timor], a desperately poor but relatively peaceful nation of about a million souls, 400 miles north of the coast of Australia.

You (might) come from diverse backgrounds, but have been working together the last 5 years for various governmental, quasi-governmental, and private organizations. Highlights of your activities during that period (which might give you an idea of what skills the team should possess):

In 2013, Australian Secret Intelligence Service paid your team AU$100k to blow up a warehouse in Jakarta it said contained munitions en route to terrorists in the Philippines.

In 2014, the Indonesian State Intelligence Agency paid your team US$80k to extract a political hostage imprisoned and tortured by separatist rebels for three years in the jungles of Malaysia.

In 2015, your team was paid US$200k by what was probably (you were never sure) an American CIA agent to assault a luxury yacht off the coast of Sri Lanka, and kill all aboard -- except the teenage son of a prominent local politician.

In 2016, a prince of Borneo personally paid you in emeralds worth US$100k to kidnap his own daughter, who had fallen in with a Christian doomsday cult deep in the jungle.

Throughout this time, you have also occasionally provided security for a (Contact) local entrepreneur named [[Malto Umbabo]], primarily in the business of exporting marijuana to Australia. This activity, while officially illegal, has generally been nonviolent, and your Contact within Australian intelligence has been helpful in ensuring its smooth operation. However, one event made an impact on all of you.

On your first trip to the Australian mainland on Malto's behalf in 2015, your role was to go ashore in a rubber raft at night, and ensure an Australian gang was not lying in wait to seize the shipment as was rumored. The rumor turned out to be true, and a firefight erupted between your team and over a dozen gangsters. Team member Jack Stone, a stoic and effective American, was slain in the battle, and the rest of you might have been as well, had Malto not sent his untrained men ashore in a second raft with nothing but old revolvers to provided support and firepower. You've not forgotten the risk they took in deciding not to abandon you.

Your life in Dili is generally dull, with operation opportunities coming up only every several months. (You might have hobbies or businesses to occupy your downtime.) Operation dollars go a long way in a city where a gin and tonic is 50 cents and a blow-job is three bucks. Occasional payments to the (Contact) local police ensure little scrutiny over your activities, and you are careful not to participate in or aid any operations anywhere in East Timor.

You have Contacts that can provide air and sea travel, no questions asked.

You've had the opportunity to collect whatever standard firearms and TL7 ammunition you desire, as well as body armor and other reasonable military gear. In your weapons cache, you also have one [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoulder-Launched_Multipurpose_Assault_Weapon SMAW] anti-tank weapon with 2 rockets, and one pound of C4.

You all speak English and Portuguese (primary language in East Timor) adequately, as well as your native tongue and any other languages desired, consistent with your backstories.

200 points total
max 100 attributes
max 50 disadvantages
max 50 advantages
max 5 quirks

TL7 gear, but with enhancements similar to how we played the QRT campaign. Scrambled, hands-free communication devices with satellite uplink, Google Maps, etc.

As the curtain opens, the team is grumbling about boredom, sipping cocktails at the Tiki Bar on the beach, watching as a tropical spring thunderstorm rolls in.

== What Happened ==

=== On Approach ===

As the curtain opens, the team is grumbling about boredom, sipping cocktails at the Tiki Bar on the beach, watching as a tropical spring thunderstorm rolls in.

A call from [[Hans Juergen]] comes in, [[Mambobo]] brings the phone over, and the party learns their skills are needed in a dangerous place. [[Jumbilly]] flies them to Aten, Sudan, where they are greeted in 112-degree heat by MP5-toting military police who inspect the papers and wave them on.

They meet with [[Milo Dragovich]] who explains the misdeeds of [[Solomon Mugabe]] in the context of world events, provides them with Dutch papers to get onto an oil rig off the coast of Somalia. Liam goes on a bender in the hotel that night, and after 1 hour of sleep, the party boards the leaking and overcrowded ferry to the rig.

Tag creates a disturbance in the kitchen and the party sneaks off the rig, swims to a gear-laden raft, and motors some 200 miles to the reedy shoreline of Somalia, just north of the city of Hobyo. Electing to stay hidden in the reeds until nightfall, the party languishes in the reeds, swatting sand fleas all day.

After dark, they obtain intelligence from a local about Mugabe's whereabouts, and set up a lookout across the street from a makeshift tavern surrounded by gun-toting revelers. A 3AM shooting incident brings them in contact with a contingent of [http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/ Doctors without Borders] (Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)) staff, with whom they make contact the next day.

Liam tracks down [[Candace Mason]], the intuitive MSF nurse, and they share drinks that afternoon and exchange some information. The next day, the party boards the MSF Range Rover en route to Galcayo, an inland city 120 miles away. Along the dusty way they see atrocities in progress, and African driver [[Marimba]] demands the party intervene, but in the end they continue on to Galcayo where their quarry reportedly lurks.

On the way into the sprawling crumbling city of Galcayo, the Range Rover has an mechanical problem, and after dropping off the doctor and the nurse, the party accompanies Marimba to visit the city's mechanic, [[Rocky Rhoades]]. While Marimba scavenges for the needed part, the party negotiates an intel exchange with Rocky, in the end obtaining his promise to discover when it is that Mugabe plans his next raid.

=== Guns Blazing ===

While in Rocky's garage, Mugabe's general [[John Zaid]] shows up with several thugs. Liam and Sasha take up tactical positions while Liam comes out to meet the general. Zaid inspects Liam like cattle, and when Liam exhibits defiance, Zaid attempts to fastdraw his 9mm, provoking Liam into grabbing his weapon arm and twisting him around into a painful arm lock.

Liam and Tag then drop two thugs with their silenced pistols, and Rocky checks the technical outside for additional thugs. He convinces the remaining gunman to come inside and check on his downed comrades, and gets the drop on him when he turns his back. Rocky disposes of his prisoner and interrogation of Zaid commences. Ethiopian soldiers interrupt but are easily bribed.

Zaid divulges that Mugabe intends a raid on a small community 40 miles south at dawn the day after tomorrow. The Range Rover is repaired, Marimba sent on his way, drinking begins, and sleep results.

The party leaves early the next day for the small community, befriends the locals, plays some soccer, places some explosives, and eats some fresh goat.

In the dim pre-dawn darkness, the party concludes that the village was surrounded in the night by 12 technicals, each sitting quietly in the darkness 200 yards out into the desert. Sasha effectively assassinates several drivers in the first few seconds before headlights turn on and the enemy begins moving in. A vicious firefight ensues, punctuated by Tag's explosions.

In the ensuing melee, Liam and Sasha are gravely injured, with Sasha pinned down in the center of the battle. In a quiet pause between explosions and gunfire, Rocky calls out to the party, advising them to throw down their weapons and talk. Tag hatches a plan to kill Rocky and reclaim Sasha's body using a smokescreen and a hastily constructed C4 grenade. The explosion rocks the village, blowing off Rocky's clothing and much of his skin, and when Tag emerges from the thick, oily smokescreen, Rocky is on his hands and knees, silently mouthing some curse and trying to raise his .50 to meet Tag while 3 henchman writhe on the ground behind him. Tag silences Rocky permanently, from point-blank range.

Tag then loads Sasha into a commandeered technical with the now-unconscious Liam, and races to the coast and the encouraging light of the rising sun, flat tire flapping, to seize a boat and escape the godforsaken country of Somalia.

=== Mugabe Snared ===

'''Fast forwarding 2 weeks. From campaign notes:'''

''8 hours at sea means sunburned, dehydrated, blood-bathed, shot-to-hell compatriots, and when Tag spots the green-hulled Amnesty freighter (nearly 5 miles out of position), it's all he can do to keep from screaming.''

''Aboard, the crew of eyebrow-ringed, tattooed, dreadlocked weirdos is surprisingly efficient in handling and treating the injured. A call from the 28-yr-old blond goateed Australian hippy captain (who goes by “[[Ahab]]”) causes private Yemeni medical chopper to arrive that night and 'life flight' the party back to Aten.''

''Tag collects their military gear and Liam and Sasha undergo some of the most advanced care in the middle east. Shortly after checking his compatriots in, Tag receives a phone call.
''
''[[Milo Dragovich]] (swiss/austrian/german accent): “Captain Ahab told me you were hurt, and Ethiopian military is saying they engaged Mugabe at Kagilistan and caused heavy losses but failed to take Mugabe...”
''
''Tag gives a rough outline of the truth, probably concealing some facts as is his habit, and Dragovich knowingly acknowledges the partial truth and tells Tag, “That is fine. You will succeed another time. For now, rest and heal your brothers. All will be taken care of. I have arranged for you to stay at the Desert Rose (5-star hotel with icy AC and pools and prostitutes) until you are operational again.”
''

Tag and Sasha are lounging in their 23rd floor penthouse suite, and Liam (on crutches) is downstairs drinking Guinness and watching soccer at the bar, when Liam's phone rings in the suite. Sasha takes the call when he sees [[Candace Mason]]'s phone-cam face on the screen. Candace reports that [[Marimba]] has been imploring her for a week to contact the party. Marimba has intel on where Mugabe and Zaid are going to pick up a shipment of guns and drugs, and wants the team's help to intervene.

Transportation details are worked out, with a flight from Yemen to Boosaso, a 5-seat bush plane from there to Quardo, and a taxi to Beyra (see [[http://media.maps.com/magellan/Images/SOMALI-W2.gif map]]) to meet Marimba. In the busy African market square, while Sasha spots from above and Tag (in drag) mingles with the locals, Liam meets up with a frantic Marimba driving a modified VW Bus.

After relocating to an alley, Marimba explains that Zaid forced him to lead him to Rocky's hidden war-dune-buggy. The booby trap worked flawlessly, killing 4 henchmen and knocking Zaid unconscious. Marimba was able to look in the vehicle, find Rocky's PDA and learn of an upcoming meeting with [[Colonel Gamba]] in Ethiopia. He then turned to Zaid and tried to summon the resolve to kill him, but could not. Since then, Marimba has been filled with rage (and evident self-loathing).

The team loads into the VW and heads through blistering red-sand desert towards Ethiopia, bribing the military welcoming committee along the way to get to the outskirts of the city of Warder. Spying Mugabe's technicals parked outside a small military compound on the edge of town, the team formulates a plan and takes up positions. Tag (still burka-clad) wanders around the compound identifying hostiles and enters the rear of the compound to work on disabling the armored vehicle. Marimba and Liam approach the guard house and hear a lite popping sound as Sasha terminates the guard from afar, whereupon Marimba dons the guard's uniform and takes up his position in the guard house.

Liam proceeds to the small office building and eliminates the soldier therein, and then meets Tag near the barracks, wherein at least two soldiers have been spotted. Tag and Liam step inside and quietly assassinate the four soldiers in 2 seconds flat. Liam picks up the bottle of mead while Tag watches the door and notices Marimba scampering over to join them.

With Sasha relocated to the guard house and covering the entrance to the warehouse, and Tag having disabled all but one vehicle, Tag and Liam pull open the huge sliding doors. Within are Mugabe, Zaid, four Somalian henchmen, the Ethiopian colonel, and six Ethiopian soldiers. The colonel is the first to die, courtesy of Sasha's silenced rifle. A bloody flashbang-punctuated gun battle commences, in which the hostiles are all put down, and Liam and Marimba suffer serious gunshot wounds.

The team makes off with Mugabe's $50k cash and pound of pure heroin, as well as a crate of 99 fragmentation grenades, rolls back to Galcayo to receive tenderly-delivered first aid by Nurse [[Candace Mason]].

Upon landing that night back in Yemen, Milo Dragovich gives the team their $200k balance in an aluminum briefcase and takes Mugabe into custody with the help of a huge (Dolph Lundgren lookalike) Russian assistant in a black Suburban.

The team rests at the Desert Rose for a few days, and then [[Jumbilly]] takes them home to East Timor.

Mission Accomplished.

=== Pirates ===

While [[Tag Leonards]] lounges in Kuala Lumpur, Sasha and Liam are paid a visit by fellow operative [[Jurgen Timonneh]], a German gunner. While sipping cocktails at the Tiki Bar a month after the Somalian affair, a call comes in from friend [[Malto Umbabo]], with whom the team entrusted the Ethiopian heroin. It seems that Malto successfully unloaded the junk for $200k, but was subsequently ripped off by pirates south of Singapore, losing two henchmen in the process -- a third, [[Mikey Dread]] was captured to guarantee Malto's return with 100 kilos of ganja (an arrangement which spared Malto his life).

Sasha assures Malto that all will be made well, and nudges the inebriated Liam off his bar stool and the pair begin preparing. Jurgen accompanies with a nonchalant shrug, "sure why not".

[[Jumbilly]] fires up the seaplane and the team is en route, arriving near sunset at Malto's anchored boat. After dark, the team rows the dinghy to the pirates' island, and approaches stealthily in a steady tropical rain, arriving a half mile inland at a modest cinder-block house. Liam goes around back, Sasha prepares a grenade, while Jurgen watches the front door. Sasha leads with a frag grenade (which gets stuck in the screen/windowsill but still does massive damage) and a flashbang while Liam slips in through the back door and assassinates the pirate watching over the ensnared Mikey Dread.

Jurgen stows the minigun and approaches with his shotgun, and engages in a vicious firefight with four pirates coming out the front door, eventually being pinned down and clipped in the leg while Liam and Sasha clear the house. One pirate escapes, a second is crippled and captured and divulges that a Singaporean called [[Kumar]] hired them to attack the boat and seize the cash, and that Kumar would visit in the morning to claim it (less 10% commission). Malto claims that Kumar is the representative of the Singaporean crime syndicate to whom he sold the heroin the day before!

=== Singapore Slaughter ===

The team resolves to await [[Kumar]]'s arrival to negotiate. Mikey Dread takes one of the waterski boats to rendezvous with Malto and Jumbilly at the other island. Sasha and Jurgen set up their respective heavy weapons in the jungle, while Liam sips brandy near the beach. Eventually a huge cigarette-style boat [[http://www.travelizmo.com/archives/2006-formula-271-fastech-power-boat.jpg (img)]] approaches, piloted by four stylish Singaporeans. But then Sasha spots a pirate on the beach, apparently attempting to flag down the boat. The boat slows and turns towards the pirate. Before they have a chance to communicate, Sasha terminates the pirate.

When the pirate's face explodes, the boat accelerates and turns away. Jurgen opens up with the minigun, spraying the craft from 240 yards with 60 bullets in one second. Sunlight and fiberglass and flesh and bone and saltwater and lead mingle in midair, and the boat begins sinking rapidly. Liam drives the ski-boat out and hauls one body aboard, but it's too late. All four are dead and being fed upon by tropical sharks.

During mop-up, Sasha's wisecrack about Ireland is not well received by the bad-tempered and half-drunk Liam, and the subsequent conflict results in Sasha's split lip and bullet wound to the knee.

The team re-groups and heads back to East Timor, Mikey Dread, Malto, and Jurgen by sea, and the rest by air. Sasha spends a night in the hospital to put his knee back together, while Liam and Tag collaborate virtually to research Kumar and his crew. The next day Jumbilly flies Sasha and Liam to Singapore. They stride confidently past the huge sign at the pier which reads "ALL FOREIGN NATIONALS WITHOUT VISAS MUST CHECK IN WITH SECURITY" and check into a nearby hotel in the midst of the Singaporean metropolis.

After a day getting their bearings (and changing Sasha's leg bandages), the team makes their way to the [[Elephant]], the seedy bar owned and operated by Malto's old friend [[Chung Luck]]. After some small talk, and becoming acquainted with local escort [[Annalise]], they ask Chung Luck about Kumar and request that the bartender call him in. With some surprise, Chung reports that Kumar is on his way over straightaway.

Suspicions aroused, Liam decides to break away from Annalise's scintillating conversation and head back to the hotel to retrieve equipment. Sasha takes on the task of entertaining Annalise and engaging Kumar's crew in business banter upon their arrival.

After Liam deposits Sasha's rifle on the roof across the street, he approaches the front of the bar just as two huge black SUVs race up and screech to a halt outside the bar. Four stylish goons emerge from each and race into the bar, but Sasha has relocated to the ladies' room, so they spread out and start asking questions. Annalise intervenes and explains that the businessmen who want to see them have stepped out but will return, which Chung Luck confirms nervously.

Meanwhile, Liam approaches the two henchmen outside the door, fast-draws, and silently assassinates both with shots to the brain. Sasha tells Liam to wait a few seconds for some civilians to exit the back door, and then Liam tosses a flash-bang into the center of the room. A firefight commences thereafter, with Kumar raking the wall near Sasha's head and Annalise being caught in the crossfire. Her leg crippled, she hysterically calls for help as she bleeds out onto the bathroom floor.

Liam methodically picks off targets while Sasha staunches the wound on Annalise's blood-slick thigh. Sasha emerges from the bathroom, sneaks up on the final hostile, and shoots him twice in the face. Chung Luck recovers from the stun grenade at this point, and grabs a shotgun from under the counter, but Liam talks him down.

Liam picks up Kumar's Glock-18s, Sasha picks up [[Annalise]], and the threesome heads back to the hotel.

=== Halls of Justice ===
''(new name for the beach house in Dili)...''

Liam and Sasha collect their gear and load [[Annalise]] into [[Jumbilly]]'s plane and head back to East Timor. Over the next few days, Annalise receives medical attention, Sasha heals and works out, and Liam collaborates with Tag to develop a partial dossier on the Singaporean syndicate run by [[Charles Gok Tong]], including names and photos of 37 individuals (9 of which the party knows to have been killed recently).

Annalise returns from hospital to find Sasha in the gym and Liam on the phone with Malto in Jamaica, who reports that his lieutenant [[Tommy Cho]] called him asking about his white mercenary friends and also where exactly Malto was staying. Malto found it odd, and disconcerting - but it could have been the ganja.

Sasha and Liam pay a visit to Tommy's apartment, and bribe the building manager to let them in (with a failed Fast-talk roll). Hours go by, and beer and leftovers are requisitioned from the fridge by the elite team.

Malto calls and is clearly being hunted by assassins, but gets cut off before any conclusion is reached.

Finally, Tommy arrives, enters the apartment, and is quickly disabled and disarmed. However, moments later the front windows explode and automatic weapons fire fills the room with splintered wood, chards of linoleum, and powdered wallboard. Sasha squeezes off a few rounds at one attacker, causing him to duck; Liam slays one of the goons and awaits the other's assault after Sasha dives to safety.

On a gamble, the attacker dumps 16 rounds in a 4-yard arc along the kitchen wall, but only one bullet manages to graze Liam's face, causing a bloody but superficial wound. The attacker is slain efficiently thereafter.

After collecting the Singaporean attackers' cell phones, weapons ([[http://dnd.johnmasterson.com/dreambird/pistols.htm HK PDW]]), and wallets, the team compels Tommy to accompany them back to the [[Hall of Justice]], where a stern interrogation ensues. It is learned that [[Sajeev Makesh]] leads a Singaporean contingent of 8, 4 of which are already en route to Australia for a planned sabotage of Malto-initiated and Tommy-led drug deal. The other 4 were intended to help Tommy take Malto's 'throne' by any means necessary during the Australian deal.

[[Annalise]] heads down to the interrogation basement/utility room with grilled PB&J sandwiches for everyone during the interrogation. What a sweetie.

The team decides to allow Tommy and Sajeev to meet. Tommy is rigged with a wire, dropped off and followed. After a 25 minute detour into a live-sex club, Tommy emerges, visibly drunk, and walks 8 blocks into an industrial zone. He sits at a bus stop and waits while Liam and Sasha get into position.

Sajeev's black Lexus pulls up, and Liam and Sasha assassinate the drive simultaneously. Tommy leaps from the vehcle and draws his .357 snub-nose; Sajeev, in the back seat, opens the passenger-side door but does not emerge. Liam approaches cautiously and tosses a fragmentation grenade along side the Lexus. The vehicle rocks violently, its windows evacuated. Seconds later, a flashbang in the back seat renders Sajeev both wounded and stunned. While Sasha covers the scene, Liam takes both into custody...

=== Assault on Gok Tong ===

Back at the [[Hall of Justice]], Liam installs Sajeev in the basement torture chair and prepares for the interrogation (with a pipe wrench and blow torch). Sajeev quickly breaks and confirms Tommy's story that the Singaporeans sent an assassin to take care of [[Malto Umbabo]] and sent Sajeev's team to ensure a (relatively) orderly transfer of control of Malto's mini-empire.

[[Tommy Cho]], [[Sascha Lutsenko]], and [[Annalise]] watch Paris Hilton's new reality show.

After the team goes through some aborted electronics work and strategic considerations, [[Charles Gok Tong]] calls Sajeev's phone and Liam answers. Gok Tong knows everyone's names, but also mentions [[Jack Stone]]. Gok Tong explains that the only way to ease tensions will be to undertake two missions; the first is the Australian sabotage, and the second is to be executed in Kuala Lumpur.

At 5:45 AM, Liam blindfolds Tommy and drops him at the docks where he is to join the crew and the merchandise for the Australia deal. Tommy is instructed to call the Australians' gang leader [[Fletcher Drake]] and arrange for a change in location, but to do the deal as normal, with no betrayals. A shaken Tommy is thankful for his life.

Upon Liam's return, [[Annalise]] is making coffee wearing nothing but one of Sasha's t-shirts. What a sweetie.

The team calls [[Jumbilly]] and prepares their gear for a trip to Singapore. Sajeev is left in the basement with a gallon of water and a warning that the entire house is rigged with C4 and that to leave the basement would result in his instant disintegration.

Aboard Jumbilly's seaplane and 15,000' over the sparkling blue Savu Sea, Liam calls [[Brad Feld]], the team's Contact within Australian intelligence. Feld begins researching Gok Tong and promises to be back in touch soon.

Gok Tong calls at 7AM, Sasha answers, and asks how the seas are. Sasha insists the seas are calm, and that Tommy is not available to come to the phone right now. Sasha taunts and frustrates Gok Tong, but leaves it strategically ambiguous whether the team is following instructions or not.

On approach to Singapore near noon, Feld calls again and says he's learned that Britain's MI5 intelligence agency has recently taken an interest in Gok Tong due to some profiteering in British arms, and has recently sent one of their agents to deal with the situation. That agent is [[James Stirling]], and he's staying at [[Pangkor Island]] near Kuala Lumpur.

The team unloads at the Singaporean docks while [[Jumbilly]] puts on his headphones, lights a joint, and kicks back to read Maxim.

The team checks in to a seedy motel to plan next moves, and instructs [[Annalise]] to get herself a different hotel and some nice clothes. Another tense call from Gok Tong leads the party to believe their location has been traced, and they immediately board, taxies, buses, and bikes to a different low-end hotel 5 miles away, just outside the downtown business district.

From the $1k/night Ritz Carlton, [[Annalise]] calls to report she's ordered champagne and is in the middle of a foot massage.

The team calls the [[Pangkor Island]] resort to leave a message for [[James Stirling]]. The receptionist mentions he's part of the Gok Tong party, which raises the team's collective eyebrow, but they nevertheless leave a message concerning an alliance based on a mutual enemy.

The team instructs [[Annalise]] to get herself a date organized with one of Gok Tong's henchman, which she does with expertise and elegance, and is able to report back quickly the security code needed to exit the elevator on the 55th floor of the 95-floor Gok Tong Tower, the location of ''Fire and Ice'', Gok Tong's exclusive discotheque/restaurant. She also reports that the henchman mentioned that Gok Tong himself is going to be in for cocktails early that evening, and that the entire security regiment is on high alert. What a sweetie!

[[James Stirling]] calls at 4:30, confirms the party's [[SubNet]] affiliation, and says he can contribute some resources to an assault: he can jam the video monitoring system for up to 12 minutes just after 5PM, and he can arrange for a British satellite to disrupt all wireless transmissions in the building, but he won't have time to additionally organize a power shutdown. Tag requests building schematics and ascertains that he has enough C4 to take out both the main power array for the building, and the diesel generator below it.

The team loads up and heads for Gok Tong Tower, with a brief detour to Walmart for business attire and briefcases. Tag walks down the ramp of the parking garage, where the power equipment is located, and bribes his way past the guard to place his charge. At 5:02, Sasha and Liam enter the building lobby as hundreds of office workers pour out onto the street. Confirming that the video surveillance equipment is jammed, they board an elevator and push the button for floor 52 to buy some time for Tag to complete his mission.

The doors open and 40 office drones try to board. Liam raises a hand and explains they're still going up, drawing moans of frustration from the overworked button-pushers.

The doors close and Liam hits 54. The doors open and two henchmen with shoulder holsters are outside. Again, Liam politely explains they're going up. The doors close. He hits 55.

The elevator stops and a recording plays: "Restricted floor, please enter security code." And again. And again. And again.

Finally, as Tag's charge is ready, wireless devices go dark, Liam punches in the code, and the building rocks and lights flicker as the elevator doors open. The first two henchman are quickly dispatched by Liam's silenced Beretta as he and Sasha exit the elevator. Sasha tests the service entrance and then prepares a frag grenade as Liam tosses a flashbang into the disco. Despite the power outage, the thumping music plays on, powered by the paranoid sound engineer's backup batteries.

A vicious firefight ensues (exactly where the team is most at home), resulting in the deaths of over 20 henchmen and Liam catching a bullet through his boot. Curvaceous [[Jasmine Angeline]] narrowly avoids being mutilated in the crossfire, and [[Charles Gok Tong]] is critically shot in brain, but not killed.

Meanwhile, Tag has chosen to steal the 4-door Toyota hybrid instead of the Lambo rocket-car, and sits in panic traffic in the parking garage.

Liam and Sasha lift Gok Tong to his feet and limp down 55 flights of pitch-black stairwell, knocking screeching civilians out of the way as necessary. Wireless networks come back online, and a meeting place is arranged with Tag.

As emergency vehicles approach, the team rendezvous at the Toyota and race back towards the docks by way of the Ritz Carlton to collect [[Annalise]]. Jumbilly fires up the props, and the plane taxis away from the dock and takes off. Once aloft, Liam calls [[James Stirling]] and a transfer is negotiated and meeting place arranged.

The team arrives at the uninhabited tropical jungle island first, and Sasha takes up a sniping position 30 yards from the beach. Tag and Liam drop the limp Gok Tong in the sand while [[Jumbilly]] lights a joint to share with [[Annalise]].

Minutes later, a luxury yacht approaches, with [[James Stirling]] and [[Mai-Lynn]] Gok Tong (daughter of Charles and ex-wife [[Esmerelda]], daughter of the King of Thailand) sitting on the deck sipping champagne in the golden light of sunset. Stirling boards a mini-jetboat and glides ashore gracefully, looking dashing in his white tuxedo and sunglasses.

Stirling looks to [[Mai-Lynn]] for guidance. Looking somber yet lovely in her multi-color sarong and white bikini top in the glistening evening sun, [[Mai-Lynn]] gives her assent, and Stirling slowly produces his Walther PPK. Liam expresses an interest in interrogating (or at least humiliating) Gok Tong, and Tag produces smelling salts to bring the injured crime lord to consciousness. His eyes lolling independently of one another, Gok Tong calls out for Kumar, his previous security chief slain by the party a few days earlier. Liam squeezes out a single silenced 9mm round into Gok Tong's eye, and the man's life is extinguished.

'''Afterword:'''

The explosion and shootout at Gok Tong Tower makes international headlines, and media accounts report that controversial businessman [[Charles Gok Tong]] had been trafficking in illegal guns for some time, and that an arms deal gone sour had resulted in a Anarchist insurgents in Jakarta sending the hit squad which caused the havoc. In addition to over 20 of Gok Tong's henchmen, the entire hit squad was also slain in the bloody mêlée. Singaporean leaders are careful to thank British embassy officials for providing logistical support in the aftermath of this grievous terrorist attack. Media accounts further report that while it could take months or years to sort out which pieces of the complex Gok Tong business empire are legitimate and which are criminal, Charles' sole heir [[Mai-Lynn]] Gok Tong will likely inherit something more than $450 million in assets.

Two days later, back at the [[Hall of Justice]], while [[Annalise]] does aerobics by the pool to 80s-era Madonna, a scrawny and tired-looking [[Malto Umbabo]] shows up at the door. He explains that during a midnight shootout in the resort, he boarded a jet-ski and fled out to sea. Fifty yards from shore, the assassin's explosive crossbow bolt hit the engine, causing an explosion that threw Malto from the craft and knocked him unconscious. Miraculously, he awoke a mile down the beach with second-degree burns, broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder. Afraid of alerting anyone to his survival, he stowed away on a cruise ship to the Bahamas, and then cashed out one of his anonymous Swiss accounts to charter a plane back to Dili.

Later that afternoon, [[James Stirling]] calls to inform the party that Gok Tong's assassin had gotten in touch with [[Mai-Lynn]] to arrange for payment now that Charles was dead. Under Stirling's guidance, Mai-Lynn set up the meeting, and Stirling was there to neutralize the assassin. The plan went flawlessly, and Gok Tong's assassin is no more.

=== Columbian Adventure ===

Months after the Gok Tong affair, Sascha is contacted by an American contact called "Smith", who requests Sascha come to Houston, Texas, to meet up with another [[SubNet]] operative, [[Sonny Crawford]].

The three meet in an airport cafe and eat donuts while Smith informs them of their mission: the destruction of a Columbian drug lord's jungle compound. The two charter a plane to Panama City and head immediately for the docks, where they requisition a purple speedboat and, with the help of local dock worker [[Reuben]], jet out across the water towards Columbia.

Out of sight of shore, it comes to light that there's not nearly enough fuel on the boat, and so two stops are made. First, at an elaborate mansion where Sonny breaks into the boathouse for fuel (but leaves cash payment), and next at a village further along the coast.

Upon reaching their destination, the team forages for mangoes and chinchillas before pulling some beers out of the cooler and heading inland towards the compound. Reuben is left behind.

The compound is fenced and well guarded. The team decides to split up, with Sonny assaulting the guard house and Sascha making his way to to the watchtower. Sonny successfully blasts his way in, but a bullet finds its way into his skull, leaving him swooning and wild-eyed for the rest of the adventure.

Meanwhile, Sascha ascends the watchtower and begins dropping targets at will, but a foe with a grenade launcher forces him to come back down. On the ground, more violent explosions cause a piece of shrapnel to sever Sascha's leg and leave him unconscious and bleeding.

Sonny staggers to the helicopter which is preparing to depart and ends the pilot and clambers on board. A foe within opens fire from point blank range with an AK-47, and Sonny narrowly escapes death by dropping to his stomach in the cargo hold of the chopper. Then, he lunges forward and lands two devastating punches in the shooter's groin, knocking him out cold.

Sonny proceeds to vandalize and destroy various buildings, still staggering and covered in blood, before collecting Sascha and escaping in the chopper. They seek medical help in a coastal village and then make haste back to Panama City and the US of A.

Mission Accomplished.

=== Turning the Tide in Penang ===

Again, bored at the Tiki Bar, watching the palm trees on the beach, lazily sipping cocktails, when the call comes in. It's [[Brad Feld]], and he advises a call to a contact in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penang Penang]. [[Sascha Lutsenko]] makes the call to [[Anil Bok]], and is asked to hold for the [[Zaki Zain|Deputy Minister]].

Hours later, Sascha and [[Tag Leonards|Tag]] sit at [[Zaki Zain]]'s private residence in the mountains of Penang Island along with his Special Assistant, [[Julie Thai]]. A Japanese gang, the [[Bleeding Sun]], has overtaken the Chinese sector of the metropolis, and threatens to expand its bloody reach. The government's hands are tied due to political and corruption reasons, and so Minister Zain has taken the extraordinary measure of hiring the team to take care of this messy business.

After securing a cash advance, a vehicle, and explosives, Sascha and Tag decide to check out the Chinese district, in particular the headquarters complex of apartment buildings, right away. [[Sascha Lutsenko|Sascha]] invites [[Julie Thai|Julie]] to come along, but she declines, instead offering to meet for dinner and drinks tomorrow night.

Near the headquarters, they wander into a live sex club badly translated to 'Youth Theater', bribing the bouncer on the way in to waive the pat-down & search requirement. When a meeting with the owner is postponed, Sascha enthusiastically observes the boa constrictor show and receives a lap dance from a young woman while Tag sits in the back and sips a cheap beer.

After negotiating a bloodless passage with the armed bodyguards upstairs, the team learns from the owner that a [[Bleeding Sun]] lieutenant will be dropping by in the morning to collect "protection money", and that the owner resents this fact, wishing that [[Ping Li]] and his men would rise up and throw out the Japanese. The team decides to seek out [[Ping Li]] but needs a translator to navigate Old Town, and hence they rent [[Sara Cho]] for the night. Sascha and [[Sara Cho|Sara]] head back to the car and get to know each other, while Tag confirms his suspicions that they're being followed. Tag turns the tables and sneaks up behind the follower, a [[Bleeding Sun]] goon, and ends him quickly and quietly, subsequently using his victim's own tie to rig a fuse on the bad guy's SUV gas tank.

The team heads back to the island hotel and checks [[Sara Cho|Sara]] her into her own room as Sascha's niece, catching a few hours of shut-eye before driving back to the mainland to find [[Ping Li]].

[[Sara Cho|Sara]], sporting jeans and a modest blouse (instead of the 'naughty schoolgirl' outfit from the previous night), works the crowd in the Old Town farmers market, and finally the team locates [[Ping Li]] in a dirt-floored basement beneath the market. Sascha has deduced that the next reasonable action for [[Bleeding Sun]] will be to expand in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bumiputra Bumiputra] sector, which Ping claims will result in inevitable defeat for the weak Bumiputra faction and a substantial territorial expansion for the savage mobsters.

Back in the market, Tag spots [[Bleeding Sun]] goons, and minutes later, all three of them are bleeding out an alleyway as the market erupts in chaos and Sascha re-holsters his weapons.

After stopping by the Youth Theater to slay more mobsters and transition Sara's one-day-rental to a $1000 permanent transaction, the team heads into Bumiputra territory and enters their headquarters, convincing the leadership that an attack is imminent. [[Julie Thai|Julie]] checks in from a helicopter at 22,000 feet and reports that a convoy of [[Bleeding Sun]] SUVs is approaching through the tangled city traffic, and Tag and Sascha take up firing positions in empty apartment rooms.

At 1000 yards, the convoy stops, blocking all traffic behind it, and a red-scarfed [[Bleeding Sun]] general steps out and looks up at the speck that is Julie's helicopter. A moment later, Julie begins frantically reporting that the helicopter is going down, and she continues to provide frantic updates throughout the subsequent firefight.

The convoy approaches within a reasonable range, and Sascha begins blasting SUV targets, causing disarray and panic; more than a dozen goons scatter from the vehicles, and Tag and Sascha methodically hit them with various grenades and gun them down as necessary. As the gun battle winds down, [[Anil Bok]] calls, and asks that the team blow up the center SUV, as a government chopper is now in position to video the event. Tag helpfully uses a massive chunk of C4 (expertly applied), and blows the SUV 50' in the air, a spinning fireball of twisted metal.

Victorious, the team returns to their hotel to get cleaned up, and dines poolside with [[Sara Cho|Sara]] and [[Julie Thai|Julie]], who reveals that she killed the traitorous helicopter pilot and was able to (barely) land the craft herself. Julie spends the night with Sascha in the executive suite, and Tag hacks the cable box in Sara's room to get Nickelodeon (and 1000 other channels, some of are not appropriate for children). If they'd watched the news, they'd have seen that the government had finally listened, and really done something positive about the violent crime problems in the Bumiputra sector.

In the morning, Julie is off to work, and so Sascha orders up two new companions from the front desk, and both he and Tag decide to spend an extra day relaxing in the hotel before flying back home to Dili and the [[Hall of Justice]] -- [[Sara Cho|Sara]]'s first airplane ride!

=== Tsar Bomba ===

A typical evening of cocktails on the beach is interrupted by a call from [[Annalise]] claiming that there is someone waiting for the team at the [[Hall of Justice]]. Frustrated with Analise's lack of intel on the situation, Sasha and Tag head back and pass their beach house(drive-by style with weapons hanging out the window) to discover two black SUV's and a group of six sturdy, blond-haired fellows all wearing black suits and sunglasses awaiting them at the front gate.

The two drive around back to the “secret entrance” and Sasha gets on the intercom while [[Tag Leonards|Tag]] dons a hoodie, black sunglasses, arms himself with his shotgun, and takes position on a balcony. The men outside specifically ask for [[Sascha Lutsenko|Mr. Lutsenko]], setting Sasha back on his heels for a moment, and inform him that his services are needed for a mission of the utmost urgency. To show their good faith, the men leave their sidearms on the pavement outside the front gate. They then proceed to carefully pick their way across the driveway avoiding every third brick along the way (which they had been erroneously lead to believe to be booby trapped by Sasha).

Sasha opens the front door and immediately recognizes the musclebound Russian standing in the doorway as one of [[Milo Dragovich|Milo Dragovich's]] bodyguards. The man introduces himself as [[Taras Belova]], a former “employee” of Mr Dragovich. Taras explains that he is now working for his uncle, [[Kirill Belova]] (a seemingly important military official), and quickly gets to the point: Russian “rebels” have taken over a Cold War nuclear weapon silo that secretly houses the world's largest thermonuclear warhead. He believes that the rebel forces intend to detonate the bomb in or just outside of the facility, causing catastrophic damage to several newly established military bases in the area, not to mention hundreds of heavily populated cities that would easily reside in the nearly 200-400km blast radius. The after-effects would also devastate numerous populaces around the world, as tsunamis from the shock-wave rocked shorelines for hundreds of miles.

Mr. Belova requests the team's immediate assistance in regaining control of the facility by eliminating all hostiles before they hack the somewhat dated security systems which, Taras believes, will be within the next 10-12 hours. Due to the secrecy of the weapon, direct military intervention is not currently an option - most government and military officials do not even know of its existence and too many questions would be raised. And based on past successes, Mr. Belova believes that the team will handle the mission with discretion.

After a somewhat awkward parlay between Sasha (who would just assume let the Russian military blow itself up) Taras convinces him that the greater good will be served with their intervention – the offer of one million Euros for each participating team member seals the deal, and the team is whisked away via private Leer to Dikson on the northern coast of Russia. Stewardesses are violated, the silo schematics are reviewed, and supply lists for the team are phoned ahead on the plane ride, then there is a brief 45 minute stop in Dikson before all the necessary equipment is acquired. The team immediately proceeds to the red-light district, where Hugo and Sasha partake of the local delicacies while Tag diligently works on his homework.

Unmoved by the abusive conditions in the brothels, the team heads back to the airstrip where Sasha mentions to Taras that he would like to “acquire” one of the local girls ([[Natasha]]), and a deal is struck between the two. The team is then flown via Mi-24 Hind within a few hundred meters of the underground facility and dropped off with their new gear.

Their freezing night-time trek toward the snow-covered pyramidal structure soon reveals a single entrance: two large blast doors that have been completely blown asunder. Inside, they discover four slain facility guards, flashing red security lights, and all of the electrical equipment in the security checkpoint destroyed. The team moves deeper in to find the utility elevator, fully powered and operational, waiting at their current level. Sensing the apparent danger of riding a potentially loud and slow-moving open platform to an ambush, the team instead attempts to use a maintenance shaft below the elevator. Tag successfully picks one of the shaft's exit points, only for Hugo to discover that the entire rail assembly beneath the platform elevator is coated in a thick layer of gear grease.

The opts to move down to the final maintenance exit point to avoid a 70m slip-n-slide on grease and gears, and manages to carefully navigate the remaining way through the assembly to the elevator landing room, lit only by flashing red security lights. Before they are ambushed, Hugo spots something moving amongst the crates ahead, and when Tag goes to investigate, gunfire erupts from hidden rebel soldier. Four concealed rebels in total armed with AK-47s enter the fray, and the team manages to easily kill them all (though Hugo has a narrow miss with a frag-grenade at his feet).

The remaining security doors in the facility have all been hacked, and lead the team to the control room on the 2nd floor per the schematics they reviewed earlier. The sealed control room door is remedied easily by some of Tag's high grade explosives. Playing a tactical advantage, the team simply lobs several grenades into the room, killing and/or stunning most of the rebels within. Sasha single handedly dispatches those that remain after the grenade assault while Hugo and Tag take a moment in the hallway to consider standing farther back the next time they throw a flash bang.

All seems well until a final sneak attack by a single, over-muscled rebel wielding a mini-gun dismembers Miron and sends a wall of fiery, hot lead toward a stunned Hugo and Tag. Fortunately, Sasha saves the day with a single burst from his weapon, tearing the unarmored rebel to shreds.

Hugo and Tag come out of their delirium to find that Miron is not completely dead, and usher him into the control room while tournequeting his wounds. They quickly learn that the rebels had not successfully hacked the security systems and the warhead had not yet been armed.

Taras is contacted and the team is flown back to Dikson to gather their payment: one million Euros each and a teary-eyed, hopeful Natasha wearing only a bright pink bow. On their return flight, Taras video conferences in from clean-up proceedings at the facility and praises the team's overall success; especially their cleverness for avoiding the utility elevator which was rigged with enough explosives to decimate the entire entry level of the facility...

Into The Black

2008-05-31T21:37:11Z

Brantdanger: /* Onwards and Upwards */

[[Category:Campaigns]]

==Campaign Background==

=== Overview ===

The campaign starts in the year 2433 in [[New London]], a large city on a planet 11 light years from Earth. Humankind has colonized another solar system, the Epsilon Eridani system. The party consists of a group of government employees who have volunteered for a rescue mission that will take at least 30 years to complete.

=== Tech Level ===

This will be a mix of TL 9 & 10. 4th edition Ultra-Tech rates technologies and equipment based on both TL and whether the item is considered 'superscience'; we'll be skipping the superscience items as a general rule but there will be some exceptions (such as gravity manipulation).

=== Recent History ===

2099: Limited nuclear war in Middle East. Jerusalem & Mecca are utterly demolished in one night, and 14 million people die from radiation in the 6 months following the blasts. United Nations granted much greater authority and control in the following years.

2150: Identification of the habitability of Epsilon Eridani's planets, 11 light years from Earth.

2220: Invention of reactionless space drive, enabling space travel at fast enough speeds to be worthwhile. The technology improves over the next hundred years from 0.4 light speed to 0.99 light speed.

2260: Explorers land on Eridani Prime. Full-scale colonization begins shortly thereafter. This is coordinated, overseen, and largely funded by the United Nations, to whom all Earth countries have ceded governance of space colonization.

=== The Eridani planetary system ===

[[Eridani Prime]], the most Earth-like of the four habitable planets, has been the focus of human activities, and this is where the campaign starts out. The other three planets (officially known as Eridani Beta, Gamma, and Delta) have more inhospitable conditions, but already are home to thousands of frontier settlers. Moons of each planet, despite having harsh conditions and very thin atmospheres, are also being developed by settlers in anticipation of future environmental manipulation technology.

No intelligent species have been encountered on any planets thus far. Flora and Fauna discovered on various planets largely comply with biological principles developed and understood on Earth. Fish, birds, reptiles, insects, and mammals are different than Earth-evolved species, but their configurations are still generally familiar to humans.

=== Politics and Society ===

Nationality (such as American or Russian) has been forgotten, except among the residents of increasingly abandoned Earth (still home to 12 billion souls). The United Nations runs the bureaucracy of governance on all civilized planets to a greater or lesser degree. Frontier worlds are left to their own devices and provided neither support nor oversight. However, once a colony is established and fruitful, the UN sends in troops to establish government infrastructure, with varying degrees of acceptance.

A growing faction within the UN leadership believes it is inevitable that hostile and sophisticated species will eventually be encountered, and the past 20 years have seen a gradual buildup of military technology, arsenal, and personnel.

To maintain control of an organically growing and far-flung civilization, in which basic communication can take years to conduct, the UN has become increasingly authoritarian and invasive over the past 50 years, requiring regular dispatches from local technocrats and developing a strictly defined chain of command. Laser weapons are completely illegal (excepting military), and other weapons are strictly regulated on [[Eridani Prime]]. These laws apply on other settlements but are rarely enforced unless UN security forces are present.

Inevitably this has resulted in factions that resent UN rule, and seeds of discontent are gradually brewing outside Eridani Prime. Civil unrest and rebellion are not uncommon on recently (<50 years) established human settlements, while older colonies are generally peaceful and civilized. However, no group or rebellion seriously threatens UN hegemony.

=== Cyberpunk ===

A rash of excessive “enhancement” in the 2200s has led to the outlaw of most cybernetic implants. Bionic limb and organ replacement to save a life is universally accepted and commonly practiced, but voluntary unnecessary bionic enhancement is illegal and culturally frowned upon. However certain elite units of the security forces are known enhance their troops, causing endless societal debate.

An underground market for enhancement or “chroming” exists. Costs listed in Cyberpunk book are doubled.

=== Space Travel ===

Space travel speed has “maxed out” at the speed of light. However, “jump points” have been mathematically proven and identified in the galaxy. Scientists have been laboring for decades to work out a way to use them to “skip” huge distances in space. It is anticipated that the technology is within a few years of actual testing (transferring small amounts of inanimate matter is the first test); governments and corporations are spending vast sums of money and resources to do it.

Recently, enthusiasm abounds for further space travel because of the development of stasis chambers. When engulfed in one of these gel-filled “cocoons”, humans age 90% slower, allowing a 20-year journey to have little effect on the perceived age of the traveler. This is a far cry from the initial journey to the Eridani system, during which babies were born and grew to adulthood on the transport vessels, only setting foot on a planet well into their thirties.

However, the cocoon technology is imperfect, and the risks associated with long ”hibernation” periods is still substantial. To minimize this, travelers are brought out of stasis for a few weeks of each traveling year to recuperate. There's a trade-off though, because the special biomatter gel is bulky and expensive, and must be entirely replaced before re-entering stasis.

=== Colonization ===

The settling of the Eridani planets has led to a thriving human population, which, when combined with rapid advances in technology, has resulted in the planning of additional colonization of surrounding star systems. First is the twin system of Sirius A &B 16 light years away, which are orbited by at least two planets. Data from exploration drones indicates both may be habitable, and human exploration teams are en route.

The UN has decreed hundreds of planets within 100 light years as “fair game” for settlement, and future colonists are organizing resources for the land rush. These groups of adventurous souls generally consist of two types, profiteers or idealists, and those founders' attributes will inevitably leave their mark on the culture that will develop in each colony.

Over the past 75 years, numerous aspiring colonists of like-mind have launched massive 5,000-person superliners in the direction of various theoretically habitable worlds, and have not been heard from again; their status is unknown.

Additionally, “terraforming” technology is being developed. This will involve massive machines capable of producing air and water from local elements. On smaller planets and moons, optimistic technocrats are estimating 10-20 years to turn a barren rock to a habitable but harsh home for humans. Such deployments are already underway on moons in the Eridani system.

=== "Science" ===

* We're re-imagining the Milky Way as having numerous stars with habitable planets within a few dozen light years of Earth.
* We're ignoring Einsteinian time dilation. If you travel at the speed of light for 15 years, then 15 years pass for the departure point, travelers, and at the destination.
* Gravity Manipulation: We're generally adopting the Firefly-esque concept of standard on-board gravity in space – as long as the ship is pressurized with breathable air, normal gravity is present. However there are some nuances:
** Internal artificial gravitational field generators are common on all space-faring craft. These generators are rated on the Gs they can override, so even if your reactionless drive can accelerate/maneuver faster, the Gs might crush you if the internal compensator can't keep up.
** In the upper ranges of acceleration for which a gravity generator can compensate, gravity is experienced as palpably 'off'. Eddies of spurious anti-grav can cause nausea, dizziness, headaches, fatigue, euphoria and localized earthquake-like tremors. (see B434, "Space Sickness" and "High Acceleration" for some ideas)
** New technology has been developed (and trademarked under the name Grav-Right) that overcome all these limitations, and provide a perfect experience of 1G within a craft, but it is only available on very high end small (< 5 passenger) luxury craft and one-man military attack craft, neither of which is capable of long distance travel.

== Campaign Intro ==

=== Plot Setup ===
You are inhabitants of [[New London]], a tightly compacted city of silvery towers on the Earth-like planet [[Eridani Prime]], home to three million souls. Beyond the city, another two million inhabit the mild, fertile planet. You have lived here all your life.

You have been brought together by volunteering for an expedition organized and funded by the Advanced Research Division of the United Nations' Galactic Exploration Agency.

Thirty-five years ago, concentrated Tylium was discovered on [[GD-66b]], a small mineral-rich but inhospitable planet in a neighboring star system 15 light years away. A key ingredient in cutting-edge star drives, and widely believed to be the key to faster-than-light speed as well as jump drives, Tylium's presence on GD-66b ensured rapid mining development and research.

This went well for three decades, until communications with the research station and colony suddenly ceased. Messages take 15 years to traverse the distance, and so the final communication (which was entirely routine in nature) had been sent 15 years previously. The most popular theory was that the station had been utterly wiped out by a meteor, common in the system, but a deep space drone telescope revealed no such evidence. The buildings and mining structures appeared intact.

So, this expedition has been organized to investigate and rescue any survivors.

Because it is a thirty-year round trip, the expedition accepted only volunteers, provided they met certain physical and training criteria. Specially-qualified individuals were also be allowed to bring their spouses, again, provided the spouse met the same physical criteria.

Estimated population of the research station is 200, accounting for probable deaths and births. The craft selected to make the trip is a [[Valeria IV]], a military troop transport with modest defensive capabilities and 250 recently-developed stasis chambers.

The chosen breakdown of volunteers is as follows:

* Ship's crew -- essential personnel required to operate the craft, consisting of a captain plus seven crew members with various engineering specialties.

* Security Forces: Sixteen UN "Peacekeepers" are assigned to the mission in case the facility has been overtaken by hostile forces, consisting of a captain and three sergeants to whom four-man squads report. This contingent of military force will double as fields medics and heavy physical labor in the event that the facility is in need of significant construction repairs.

* Scientists and support staff: A handful of prominent and accomplished scientists accompany the mission to provide engineering, medical, and other deep expertise.

=== Character Requirements ===

These apply to all:

* Because of the dangers of spending 15 years in a stasis chamber, all volunteers must have an effective HT of 12 or more. (Fit or Very Fit applies.)
* All PCs must have a Sense of Duty (optionally: Fanatic) to the UN and the mission, unless you take a GM-approved Unusual Background.
* All have at least 3 points in electronics operation (various types as desired) & computer operation unless you take a GM-approved Unusual Background.
* Cultural Familiarity: Eridani Prime
* At least 1 point in Area Knowledge: New London
* At least 1 point in Area Knowledge: Eridani Prime

=== Character Templates ===

This mission will need a variety of specialists. ''Killing everything will not be an effective strategy. Well maybe sometimes.''

'''The character types/templates proposed are:'''

* Security Forces Sergeant: The Captain is an NPC, but you can choose to be a Sergeant, with four Corporals reporting to you:

150 point max
Rank: 3 (15 points)
Skill guidelines: Reports to the captain, four men report to you. Well armed and well trained.
Very good at killing people and breaking things but not much else. 6 points in Soldier, 2+
points in Leadership, 2+ points in Military Savoir Faire, 2+ points in Tactics. Beam weapons.
Other than that, no more than 6 non-combat skills. You have been trained in controlling and
destroying enemy forces.

Optional Advantage: Optional neural interface to weapons is a 20-point implant, and gives +4
to skill with properly equipped weapons (laser assault rifles are on board).

* Ship's Crew: The Captain is an NPC, but you can invent your own crew position, such as co-pilot, ship's medic, navigator, propulsion engineer, and so on.

150 point max
Skill guidelines: Plenty of zero-grav experience, astrogation & piloting, some light military
training, mathematics and engineering talents, a steady demeanor (Cool/Collected recommended).
While a specialist in something on the ship, you are a practical engineering generalist with
many talents. No more than 12 points in combat skills.

* Scientist: You can be a specialist or a generalist.

200 point max
Status: 5 (25 points)
Other guidelines: Well-experienced Genius (IQ15+), with broad and deep scientific and/or
medical skills, theoretical and practical problem solver. No more than 8 points in combat skills.
Bionics feasible if consistent with story and not combat-focused.

=== Characters ===

* Initial GM: [[User:Johnm]]
* [[Sergeant Todd]]
* [[Mudd]]
* Dr [[Mergan Thaler]]

== What Happened ==

=== Adventurous and Valiant Volunteers ===

When the UN's [[GEA]] put out a call for volunteers for a 30-year-long rescue mission, 300 individuals stepped up to serve. After 2 weeks of mental and physical tests, only the most qualified were assigned to the mission. After a 24-hour ride up the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_elevator space elevator] to the massive space station nicknamed [[Searchlight]] above [[New London]], the crew receives final mission briefings, a moving farewell speech from [[Director Skinner]] and then boards the freshly fueled and tuned [[Valeria IV]] troop transport destined for [[GD-66b]].

For 14 years, they awaken from their stasis pods once a year for a week to exercise and become reacquainted with solid food. During the 15th year, just as deceleration begins, the ship receives a garbled signal on a channel reserved for distress calls. Unable to either descramble the signal nor change course in any event, Captain [[Rod Reynolds]] opts to maintain course and prepare for arrival. Just before he gives the order to start bringing everyone out of stasis, however, serious problems are encountered with the gravity stabilizer drives, and the Captain and his two waking crew are forced to choose between two unattractive options:
* Bypass [[GD-66b]], get slung deeper into unexplored space by its gravity, and try to sort out the problems. Problem is there won't be enough fuel to get home, so they'll need a rescue mission of their own.
* Belly-land the Valeria at 20km/second on a 1000km-long stretch of what appears to be sand not far from the mining facility. They anticipate the ship will be 75-90% demolished, but some sleepers may make it, unless the ship goes into an end-over-end tumble, in which case certainly everyone will be killed. Captain Reynolds instructs all his crew to got into stasis; they decline, despite knowing their chances are better in the shock-absorbent gel.

Upon regaining consciousness, [[Sergeant Todd]] emerges from the stasis-gel and discovers he is in a small portion of ship along a several-hundred kilometer stretch of crash site. He collects whatever survivors and gear can be found, and pushes the group onwards towards the mining facility, trudging through soft sand below a huge red sun. Besides the PCs, survivors are marines [[Dirk Harmon]] and [[Faraz Habeeb]], and ship's engineer [[Waylon Greer]]. Strangely, the adjoining stasis pods of [[Cynthia McKinney]] and [[Kaya Rotterdam]] are opened, but their bodies are nowhere to be found.

On arrival, they discover the facility has been apparently ransacked many years ago. Of the dozen or so buildings near the mine entrance at the base of a 350m cliff, only one appears to have power and be intact-- the science lab near the center of the compound.

Within, Dr. [[Maximillius Alphonso]], a miner named [[Riggins]] and a dozen research scientists and assistants, all over age 55 tell their story, boiled down to these facts:

* More than 15 years ago, mining operations punctured an underground reservoir, causing many to be drowned.
* Within hours, creatures emerged from the aperture and indiscriminately destroyed men and machines nearby; most of the workers were killed that day.
* For the next several years, to survivors' horror, the creatures, dubbed [[Xiph|xiphs]], would visit the aquagen device and drink from its spigots.
* One night, the aquagen malfunctioned, and the creatures smashed any remaining buildings, killed many, and abducted women and girls.
* Since then, the scientists were able to partially repair the aquagen, and the xiphs now return, roughly weekly, always at night.
* Dr Alphonso has been working for eight years now on converting their exploration shuttle to a jump ship. But without a redundant petawatt laser array, such as the one used for drilling deep in the mine, it will not fly.
* The scientists watched the 'comet' of the Valeria IV's descent and crash and assumed all were lost. Good news though -- another rescue mission is within days of arrival, according to recent communications from a [[Zettacorp]] ship (relatively) nearby.

Todd identifies the location of the laboratory's optical drives, 8 paperback-sized muti-petabyte storage devices, Mudd hands over the black box from the Valeria IV to the research scientists for analysis of the garbled distress call, and Dr. Thaler begins working with combat engineer Corporal [[Faraz Habeeb|Habeeb]] on a plan to trap a Xiph.

Dr Alphonso concludes that an approach by the ziphs is likely that night, and so the party scrambles down the sandy slopes near the mine entrance and fans out to cover the aperture with fire; Habeeb and Dr. Thaler rig up the tensile steel netting and cargo crate trap. Todd riggs a submachine gun to the small scout robot, and sends it into the cave, where it soon detects multiple radar blips deeper into the mountain. The scout backs up, and one blip breaks way to investigate the little robot.

Eventually, one xiph emerges, and the trap is sprung, lifting the beast into the air. Dr Thaler rushes forward with the big cargo crate on a hovercart as the clicking creature spins and kicks at the cliff wall. It breaks free of the netting, lands sideways on the cargo crate, and everything tumbles to the ground, nearly crushing Dr. Thaler. The marines open fire and Dr. Thaler backs off, and then turns and runs back towards safety.

The scout robot is instructed to open fire, emptying its clip over the next 10 seconds down the mine tunnel and causing a terrific racket.

Once illuminated by the scout robot's flashlight, the full horror of the bug-thing is revealed, causing Mudd to double over, retching food pellet residue and concentrated bile. Seemingly attracted by Mudd's helmet-mounted flashlight, the beast diverts from chasing Dr Thaler and moves to attack Mudd, all the while marines showering the area with bullets and laser fire. Mudd narrowly misses being pulverized, punctured, and dismembered, and the 850lb beast comes to fall upon him, draining 30 liters of cool blue blood.

The party drags the carcass back to the science lab for analysis-- the first xiph to be killed by men on GD-66b.

=== Autopsy and Spelunking ===

Dr. Thaler and company dissect the creature until past dawn, and learn several things:

* The only soft targets on the creature are its eyes and mouth
* It has a powerful stink gland
* They communicate by rubbing two barbed appendages together, similar to crickets

They go on to pursue two defensive tactics:

* A sound device intended to confuse or irritate the creatures
* A chemical repellent

The full staff of scientists and lab assistants proceed with production, with a small group continuing to unravel the mystery of the distress signal that preceded the Valeria's catastrophe.

By the end of the day, 12 ounces of repellent have been produced, which Dr. Thaler loads into old shotgun shells, the sound device is working, and the network analysts conclude that the distrss signal came from the [[Zettacorp]] vessel.

Mudd and [[Faraz Habeeb]] collect info using the scout robot about the interior of the mine, and go so far as to extract a 2' long husk of a trilobyte-like creature -- lab analysis later concludes this is the same species as the [[Xiph]], in some pre-metamorphosis form.

Mudd and Alfonso also lift off the '[[Epcot]]' and do some exploration of the surrounding desert.

The next morning the full group enters the mine, with [[Riggins]] and [[Waylon Greer]] driving Bobcat-like earth-movers in case excavation is required, as indicated by Mudd's scouting. More than a kilometer deep into the mine, the tunnel ceiling seemed to have collapsed, opening up into a huge underground chamber, covered in dusty silt and fragile trilobyte husks. At the far side of the chamber, a massive mother-xiph is found reclining in a stone throne, long dead, and the party concludes this must have been some sort of birthing chamber, which the mining activity drained catastrophically.

The mining drill and its redundant petawatt laser array is found deep in a side-shaft, extracted using a Bobcat, and sent immediately with marine escort back to Dr Alphonso to begin the alterations needed on the experimental craft while the curious Mudd and Dr. Thaler proceed deeper into the caverns. They come upon a chamber filled with scores of Xiphs engaging in ritualistic combat, or possibly training, and back off to explore a different tunnel.

The alternate route leads them into a chamber filled with hundreds of huge stalagmites, creating a forest-like maze of rock, in which clicking xiph noises echo confusingly. A beast soon shows itself, and combat ensues, with body-armor saving the lives of the humans. Dr. Thaler experiments with his sound device and finds two frequencies that seem to have an effect. When the returning marines arrive and take firing positions, the xiph turns and rumbles off into the maze.

=== Getting Out of Dodge ===

Seeing no mission-critical reason to continue into the caves, [[Sergeant Todd]] and his marines head back to the surface, while [[Mudd]], [[Riggins]], and [[Mergan Thaler]] succumb to their curiosity and spelunk further.

Upon ascent, Todd hears from the researchers that the [[Zettacorp]] rescue shuttle has been launched from the orbiting deep space cruiser [[Mammon's Hammer]], and assigns [[Dirk Harmon]] to take up a position in the hangar while scientists produce dummy copies of the optical drives containing more than two decades of [[Maximillius Alphonso|Dr. Alphonso's]] research data, a task the scientists approach with some skepticism and anxiety.

Meanwhile, the spelunkers encounter chambers filled with dozens of xiphs and wisely avoid them, until the doctor hears a faint woman's cry within a rift in the wall of a yellow-fungused huge cavern. A hundred yards into the narrow crevice, faint green light emanates from a porthole into a smaller room, in which three xiphs and four women, including [[Cynthia McKinney]] and [[Kaya Rotterdam]], are seen. [[Mudd]] barely contains his emotions as one of the Xiphs cuts into the apparently-pregnant belly of a scrawny blonde girl while a darker-haired woman tries to sooth her. The Xiph extracts a writhing trilobyte and hands it off to a second Xiph, which immediately scurries down a tunnel with the wriggling bug. The surgeon-xiph then spits a glob of snot-like saliva onto the gaping wound, communicates briefly with the third xiph, and then also makes its exit.

The spelunkers need rope to effect a rescue through the porthole, and [[Mudd]] is selected (after [[Riggins]] divulges that the dark-haired woman is his half-sister [[Alice Walker]]) to sprint back topside to gather needed supplies and reinforcements.

[[Sergeant Todd]] explains to [[Mudd]] that time is of the essence, and the rescue shuttle will be leaving them behind if they don't make it out in time. Nevertheless, [[Faraz Habeeb]], convinced by [[Mudd]], [[Alex Marsh]], and [[Waylon Greer]] volunteer to go along to help with the rescue of the women. Corporal Habeeb brings along the explosive materials necessary to collapse the tunnel if needed.

[[Alice Walker|Alice]] sees the rescuers approach, and begins taunting the guard-xiph with loud obscenities, diverting its attention as [[Alex Marsh]] is the first to enter. The plan collapses when Alex succumbs to emotion and rushes to his daughter Tabitha rather then lure the guard down the tunnel. Combat ensues, resulting in [[Riggins]] getting his right arm broken in nine places and [[Mudd]] first blinding, and then killing the guard-xiph. The doctor's sound device miraculously keeps three xiph reinforcements at bay while the group escapes. However, [[Alex Marsh]] is slaughtered before escaping.

Meanwhile, a tense standoff has emerged in the science lab. The rescue shuttle has landed, and from it emerge three medics in crew coveralls, and three "consultants", black-clad men of obvious thuggery. [[Sergeant Todd]], in full marine gear with helmet visor closed, asks (or perhaps demands) that the leader, [[Jack Wade]], to help ensure the (fake) optical drives make it aboard, and Wade instructs henchman [[Guido Siffredi]] to "validate the authenticity" of the drives. Moments later, Wade turns his back to speak to [[Zero]], giving [[Sergeant Todd|Todd]] the opportunity to blast a bolt of laser through the leader's head. Guido draws and fires a guass machine pistol at Todd, and projectiles ricochet off the Sergeant's visor. Todd dispatches Guido with a gauss shotgun blast through the lab bench, and moments later, Corporal [[Dirk Harmon|Harmon]] enters and [[Zero]] is captured. To the medics' horror, Todd kills the still-breathing Wade with his commando knife and breaks Zero's arm with a heavy kick. Zero divulges that if the landing team does not report in, [[Mammon's Hammer]] will simply nuke the facility. Todd later ends Zero with a point blank laser shot to the vitals.

The rescue party emerges after blowing the tunnel, and a debate ensues about the feasibility of departing in the [[Zettacorp]] shuttle, or trying to make the [[Epcot]] jump drive work. After [[Maximillius Alphonso|Dr. Alphonso's]] coy ambiguity leads [[Sergeant Todd]] to believe the situation is futile, the Sergeant shatters the optical drives with a spray of bullets. Dr. Alphonso's research data is gone, but he is energized by the prospect of conducting a live experiment with the [[Epcot]].

The research scientists are split as to whether to participate in the historic jump drive experiment, or depart in the [[Zettacorp]] shuttle, and the decision is forced when an incoming missile is detected. The medics carry [[Tabitha Marsh]] to the shuttle, and most of the research scientists go with them.

With the conventional reactionless thrusters of the [[Epcot]] disabled, the only prospect for departure is the experimental jump drive. Dr. Alphonso warns that proximity to any large gravitational pull renders navigation unpredictable at best, but all agree that departing prior to the missile's arrival is desirable.

After a mathematical glitch is overcome, and seconds before the missile's arrival, the group is suddenly 7,000 light years away.

=== Land of the Lost ===

'''Sit-rep''': The [[Epcot]] is hurdling through space as 33% light speed, 7000 light years from home, and with air and heat for 30 days max. First priority is to find somewhere to land to avoid suffocating and/or freezing to death. And that means a planet with breathable air, and ideally, a source of Tylium to fuel further travels.

That planet (later named [[Alphonso Alpha]]), is found, but requires 7 days of hard acceleration to adjust the current vector. [[Waylon Greer]] and [[Mudd]], using his mad vacc suit skills, repair the reactionless drives, as Jones deciphers the "distress call from the Zettacorp ship, Mammon's Hammer, Todd and marines train, and Thaler inspects the infested female. After the ship is ready, everyone straps in for the crushing ride. All lose consciousness a few days in -- [[Bill Smith]] and [[Dave Jones]] suffer serious health consequences, and [[Maximillius Alphonso]] does not survive.

[[Mudd]] miraculously lands the [[Epcot]] as the last drop of fuel is expended, and the group finds themselves on a prehistoric jungle planet with no evidence of civilization.

New species are encountered, including the [[Dopey Joe]], [[Crazy Vine]] and the [[Iguanaboon]] (terms coined by [[Waylon Greer]]).

[[Alice Walker]] and [[Riggins]] both suffer the effects of the [[Crazy Vine]]; [[Riggins]] reacts poorly and fires his shotgun into [[Sergeant Todd]]'s helmet visor at point blank range. The marines skewer him with laser fire, and drag the fallen miner into the bushes before heading back to the [[Epcot]]. An iguanaboon is encountered on the return trip; Mudd and the marines fire and the beast retreats.

=== Plotting the Escape ===

Dr Thaler brings [[Bill Smith]] to consciousness with a cocktail of stimulants and nutrients to begin planning the mining operation required to extract the Tylium that the [[Epcot]] needs to leave this planet. That process underway, he turns his Aattention to [[Cynthia McKinney]] and apptempts to puersuade her that the alien species parasitically growing in her body is more like a child in her womb, helpless and possibly the last of its species. [[Kaya Rotterdam]] is especially skeptical and defensive but they tacitly resolve to take no drastic action at least for a few days.

It rains throughout the day, and [[Bill Smith]] sets to work sending out sensor drones and running geological analysis of the surrounding jungle. When two drones get caught in the jungle canopy, [[Mudd]] convinces [[Alice Walker|Alice]] to join him on an expedition the next morning if there's no better plan on the table. [[Mudd]] also flies the 'dragonfly' microbot over miles of lush jungle to discover that only the foot and boot of Riggins remains of his corpse. He also finds two apparently dinosaur species, groups of brontosaurus and velociraptors and some long armed spider-monkeyish creatures some miles away.

That night, 6' long reptilian flying creatures that a terrified [[Waylon Greer]] later calls "[[Batpecker]]s" descend upon the [[Epcot]] and begin hammering the hull with their bony beaks. The marines learn the creatures are nearly immune to laser fire, and after ensuring [[Alice Walker|Alice]] is safe, [[Mudd]] downs one and scatters the rest with a burst of bullets from his PDW. Dr. Thaler causes the marines to drag the 60kg body inside the ship for dissection and inspection.

At dawn, [[Bill Smith]] reports that the [[Epcot]] has miraculously been landed upon and is sitting upon a mountain filled with Tylium. An excited [[Alice Walker|Alice]] awakens [[Mudd]] to tell him plans have changed. Smith then directs the team to desired mine site. The redundant petawatt laser array is extracted from the engine room, and the marines, Mudd, and Alice head down the mountain to begin mining while the rest of the group stays in the [[Epcot]] to construct a mini Tylium refinery.

At the mine site, a pristine orchid-draped pond with a cascading waterfall sprinkling mistily, Mudd flirts with Alice with modest success before the laser array violently blasts a 10-meter hole into the mountain behind the waterfall. Using the dragonfly mircrobot as a 'handicam' to show [[Bill Smith]] the details of their progress, gradually the team loads up 500lb of rich Tylium ore onto the hovercart and Mudd, [[Dirk Harmon]], and [[Alice Walker|Alice]] begin back up the mountain, leaving [[Sergeant Todd]] and [[Faraz Habeeb]] to guard the equipment.

An hour later, as the ore-carrying team approaches the [[Epcot]], five howling [[iguanaboon]]s rush out of the foliage to attack them, just as four of the beasts emerge from the trees to attack the mine site. [[Faraz Habeeb]] is thrown in the pond and [[Dirk Harmon]], after sprinting to the opening hatch and calling for [[Mudd]] and [[Alice Walker|Alice]] to follow, is knocked down by an iguanaboon, and then has his arm twisted from its socket. Alice shoot a beast in the leg, then hits the deck and misfires once as [[Mudd]] unloads a shower of bullets on multiple beasts, felling two of the colossal monstrosities. [[Sergeant Todd]] riddles one beast with bullets before being slammed to the ground and grappled as a second iguanaboon raises a huge club to crush his tactical helmet.

Suddenly, all the iguanaboons pause and look off in one direction, into the jungle. The marines all take the opportunity to break free and recover weapons, and [[Mudd]] checks on Alice, then trains his weapon on a club wielding iguanaboon nearby. Then, all the beasts lope off into the jungle, though Mudd's target, perceiving the pilot as an obstacle, smashes the sturdy helmet visor into [[Mudd]]'s surprised face, sending him sprawling and angering him into retaliation, dooming the club-wielding beast to die from an exploded throat and leg.

A few dazed seconds pass, and then a herd of [[Dopey Joe]]s plod purposefully through the mine site, where [[Sergeant Todd]] and [[Faraz Habeeb]] have taken cover behind the waterfall. The Joes are followed by an [[Allosaurus]], 15 meters and 8 tons of flesh-eating monster. It easily slays 6 joes with a sidelong hatchet head-motion, gulps them down after a single grinding gnash, and then gazes at the marines briefly before wandering off into the jungle, apparently sated.

Mudd then helped Alice up and the two of them tried to aid the angry, frustrated, injured marine into the cargo bay to seek Thaler's assistance. The episode begins to end as Todd scolds Habeeb for poor soldiering, then the screen fades as the ramp to the Epcot closes with Greer and Smith peering confusedly from behind a workbench in the background upon Alice looking out at the dead iguanaboons, Mudd standing very close to her, cleaning his glasses with his bruised and bloodied face peering out through a shattered visor, and Harmon holding a destroyed arm and barking a status report to his commanding officer.

=== Onwards and Upwards ===

The entire team reconvenes aboard the [[Epcot]] to plot next moves. [[Mudd]] and [[Dirk Harmon]] receive much needed medical care from Dr. [[Mergan Thaler]]. The hovercart is brought aboard and [[Bill Smith]] and [[Waylon Greer]] go to work refining the tylium ore into usable fuel, concluding that one more load of ore will be required to both escape the plant's gravitational pull and use the jump drive.

[[Sergeant Todd]] seeks medical care in the upstairs lab as well, and while being treated, [[Kaya Rotterdam]] asks to speak with him. She extends her elbow, waiting for him to interlock his arm with hers- ignorant of civilian customs, he simply stares at her until she begins moving towards the room- then he follows.

The pair steps into [[Cynthia McKinney]]'s bunk room where the blonde reclines in a vacant stupor. Kaya explains that an alien [[xiph]] is on board -- within Cynthia -- and that Dr. Thaler has refused to extract the creature. Todd asks Kaya where the insect is, and she responds by pulling the covers off Cynthia McKinney. Todd looks at the obviously impregnated woman, and asks again where the insect is. Kaya grabs Todd's wrist (to which Todd stiffens and prepares for combat), then places his hand on Cynthia's stomach. Todd can feel the insect's legs moving within, and puts two and two together.

Todd walks back to the medical lab and tells the Doctor he needs to remove the insect (not suspecting the Doctor had prior knowledge of the impregnation). The Doctor explains the delay is necessary to ensure the survival of both the creature, possibly the last of its species, and its host, Cynthia. This response makes no sense to Todd, who returns to Cynthia's room to remove the insect (considered by him to be a future enemy of humans, thus an enemy of himself).

He returns to Cynthia's bedchamber, tells Kaya to retrieve some bandaging, then draws his marine combat knife, and slashes open her abdomen with a single quick slice, miraculously avoiding the stomach and intestines. Cynthia emits a series of blood-curdling shrieks and goes into a feral rage, kicking and swinging her limbs, and falling from the bed to the floor. Blood splatters the bed and floor and walls, as she convulses on the cold metal floor.

Kaya is next on the scene and tries to control Cynthia's convulsions. [[Alice Walker|Alice]] enters next, discerns what happened, and grapples Todd's knife-arm. Todd pulls Alice forward with his arm and tells her to hold down Cynthia. Meanwhile, [[Dirk Harmon]] attempts to approach but swoons with shock and medication associated with repairing his shattered arm.

The Doctor and [[Mudd]] race toward the cacophonous bunkroom and Mudd is surprised when the Doctor lunges to the floor of the hallway and curls into a fetal position. When Mudd steps into the bed chamber and absorbs the situation, he concludes that the trilobyte scurried out in the chaos, and the Doctor has captured it; Mudd informs Todd.

Cynthia continues to howl and bleed profusely, and as Todd turns towards the Doctor, Kaya, Alice, and Mudd attempt to save her life.

Todd's left hand grabs the still-prone Doctor by the shoulder and flips him over on his back. He sees the Doctor does indeed clutch a wriggling, blood covered trilobyte close to his chest. While keeping his hold on the doctor, Todd plunges his knife into the insect- avoiding damage to the Doctor. The Doctor is stunned by the violent attack and continues to hold the creature tightly. (Upon learning at a later point the Doctor has plans to preserve and store the body of the insect, Todd seizes the creature from the Doctor's grip, and disposes of it, leaving the Doctor holding a single translucent multi-jointed leg).

With Cynthia stabilized in an adjoining room, Mudd and Alice clean up the gory scene and finally, exhausted, exchange lingering good-nights and retire to their respective bunks.

The next morning, [[Bill Smith]] participates in the mining expedition to ensure efficient ore extraction. Alice learns a thing or two about piloting the dragonfly microbot with Mudd's help while the laser drill is positioned and recalibrated, then fired. The hovercart is loaded up with the best chunks of ore, and the entire team makes their way back up the mountain to the [[Epcot]].

In the early evening sun, as plans to retrieve the laser are being discussed, [[Waylon Greer]] and [[Mudd]] run a life-form sensor sweep, and ascertain that hundreds of [[iguanaboon]]s seem to be surrounding the ship in a strategic pattern to ambush an expedition to the laser. The microbot is sent out and confirms that intelligent tactical coordination -- and that one iguanaboon is 50% larger than the rest, with bright red neck markings.

[[Mudd]] realizes that the [[Epcot]] can be made to fly, but not jump, with existing onboard refined fuel, and a plan is hatched to fly the [[Epcot]] to the laser, and send the marines down to retrieve it. He and [[Waylon Greer]] work together to patch up the engine room, and the Epcot lifts off.

Sensors indicate the iguanaboons are convening on the laser, and so the extraction scheme is accelerated. [[Dirk Harmon]] positions himself at the entrance of the open hatch with the sniper railgun as [[Mudd]] and [[Faraz Habeeb]] free fall into the jungle canopy attached by cargo cables. [[Mudd]] maneuvers the [[Epcot]] closer to the treetops and adjusts the craft's position based on Todd's feedback. The laser is attached and ascent begins as the iguanaboons rush into the mine site.

Once the laser and all are aboard and the hatch closed, [[Mudd]] blasts the [[Epcot]] away from the planet, and the recently setted sun re-emerges on the horizon above the vast expanse of jungle.

During the two days of movement away from the planet, mangoes are consumed and the laser array re-integrated in the engine room. Todd, heading a faint urge to see the woman who had the insect inside her, enters Cynthia's room and stares at her. He then says, "I cut the insect out of you, sir." She motions for him to come closer, she takes his hand and says, "Call me Cynthia." Todd replies, "Yes sir... Cynthia". She takes his hand and rubs it all over her face. Soon, she takes his other hand, and Todd decides to sit next to her on the bed. At that moment, Mudd makes the the jump into hyperspace, which causes the gravity controls to turn off for a few seconds, then engage again. This weightless hiccup causes Cynthia and Todd to float off the bed, then come crashing to the floor with a completely nude Cynthia atop Todd (with her bedsheet between them). She clutches Todd quite forcefully with both arms, and Todd holds on to her.

The never-before-used pleasure center within Todd's brain begins firing and turning out signals for the first time in his life. He is unable to make sense of what he is experiencing. He's never touched a woman before, or embraced anyone he didn't kill, but at this moment he's simply intoxicated by the feel and smell of Cynthia. His hands explore her body, like a blind child given a toy for the first time.

Back on the ship's bridge; despite [[Dave Jones]]' calculations, the arrival point is still 70 light years from [[Eridani Prime]], near an orange-red giant, [[Arcturus]], which features a habitable planet, [[Arcturus Beta]], supposedly settled by Eridani colonists decades ago.

After [[Mudd]] maneuvers the [[Epcot]] towards the planet, a communication is received:

''“United Nations research vessel Epcot, Welcome to Utopia. Please adjust your vector to 8192m/s, 234 degrees to rendezvous.”''

=== Descent to Utopia ===

Mudd navigates the Epcot to the rendezvous coordinates, an empty spot in the uppoer atmosphere of an arid planet, directly above a 20-mile-wide mirrored dome. An aperture in the center of the dome appears, and three tractor beams begin drawing the ship within the dome. The city within is green and lush, with mirrored pyramidal buildings and aquamarine waterways snaking among the foliage.

The tractor beam deposits the Epcot on a 100-yard-wide white circular marble landing pad decorated flanked by three 10-yard-high towers, apparently the sources of the tractor beams.

A greeting party approaches: Chancellor [[Noah]], his escort [[Venus]], and six well-armed [[Pantherman|panthermen]].

[[Noah]] greets the group as they come down the landing ramp, [[Mudd]] and [[Alice Walker|Alice]] and Dr. [[Mergan Thaler]] followed by the three marines in full combat gear. They address Alice as the group leader, tentatively. On [[Utopia]], Noah reports, the motto is "Be all that is possible."

He next provides two basic rules for visitors -- no intermingling DNA with ''homo superioris'', and all visitors must be fitted with a 1024-molecule tracker device in their spinal column, to be installed by [[Venus]].

Dr Thaler begins explaining that [[Sergeant Todd]] is a homicidal maniac; Noah wonders aloud if the opposite isn't true, and that Dr is simply ingratiating himself with the Utopians. [[Venus]] smiles serenely and injects the tracker device into the Doctor's spine.

Tensions gradually rise, and the panthermen fire their sonic stun rifles at [[Faraz Habeeb]] and [[Dirk Harmon]], felling them. Todd manages an improbable laser blast into the unprotected eye of one pantherman, killing him instantly, before he is riddled with bullets and nearly killed, over [[Noah]]'s objections.

The Utopians decide to seize the [[Epcot]] and send all the visitors out to live among the "defects". The party is loaded onto an unmanned hovercart and sent across the greenery to the edge of the city, where they are sent out into the desert.

Approaching a decrepit mining apparatus a few hundred yards from the edge of the dome, they are accosted by a rag-wrapped, goggle-wearing native with some sort of laser-spotting device and told to wait for the Mayor of Rockville.

The Mayor, called [[Voight]], emerges (with a scimitar-wielding bodyguard) from a dirt-covered iron trap door amid the mining equipment, and bids the party to come within for a drink. When he mentions that the elevator has been broken for years, [[Waylon Greer]] and [[Mudd]] fix it, with oversight consulting provided by [[Bill Smith]].

Once underground, in a dimly lit, low ceilinged distillery, stone mugs of outrageously strong liquor are provided to all. [[Alice Walker]] in particular seems consume it voraciously; all three women seem a bit anxious at being underground.

[[Voight]] summons medicine for Todd, and explains that the "jugger match" is in just two days, and the Rockville team is in no shape to compete. Voight goes on to introduce the party to [[Shade]] as her new team members, and a discussion ensues of the rules of [[Jugging]].

Sergeant Todd

2008-03-31T04:44:33Z

Brantdanger:

[[Image:Todd.jpg]]

A product of extreme mental and physical training which included: military propaganda conditioning, weapons training, tactics, survival, wrestling, boxing, distance running,and desensitization to violence and pain, Sergeant Todd rose through the ranks to command his own squad.

While functioning as an outstanding soldier, Sgt Todd cannot relate to life outside the military.

File:Todd.jpg

2008-03-31T04:43:11Z

Brantdanger:

Sergeant Todd

2008-03-31T04:28:01Z

Brantdanger:

A product of extreme mental and physical training which included: military propaganda conditioning, weapons training, tactics, survival, wrestling, boxing, distance running,and desensitization to violence and pain, Sergeant Todd rose through the ranks to command his own squad.

While functioning as an outstanding soldier, Sgt Todd cannot relate to life outside the military.

Sergeant Todd

2008-03-31T04:22:03Z

Brantdanger:

A product of extreme mental and physical training which included military propaganda conditioning, running, weapons training, tactics, survival, wrestling, boxing, and desensitization to violence, Sergeant Todd rose through the ranks to command his own squad.

While functioning as an outstanding soldier, Sgt Todd possesses an inability to relate to civilians or understand their lack of focus while carrying out a mission.

Ur

2007-03-26T17:31:09Z

Brantdanger: /* An Elf Repaired, The Fall of the King */

[[Category:Campaigns]]

For some backstory, see also [[Talathees#Original_Ur_Campaign_Notes]]

==Characters==

[[Saul]], the barrel chested monk/bard, played by John.

[[Kojax]], the humorless and disciplined swordmaster, by Jacob.

[[Academis]], the wizened historian and dabbler in mysterious magics, played by Jess.

[[Andrew]] the enthusiastic engineer, played by Omega.

[[Fabian Maximillus]] the hanky-wielding aristocrat, played by Brant.

[[Treewalker]] the Pathfinder-Ranger elf, played by Brant.

[[Darnell Armand]] the oversized brawler from Zareph, played by John.

==Story==

===To the Caskets===
The party trekked east, acquired certain caskets, toured [[Osiris]], and then came back to pursue their quarry, the legions of Branok who had previous sacked Talathees and then turned their attention north.

===Pursuing Branok===

With a group of dedicated sailors-turned-soldiers dubbed the [[Wolves]], Kojax led the force on the trail of Branok's army after hearing that an ancient mountaintop alert system had been triggered for the first time in generations.

The Wolves passed through the [[Broken Lands]] en route to [[Druid Grove]] where they found hundreds of orc corpses stung by wasps, some also speared. There they met [[Faunus McClavie]] who told them of his master [[Rasha]]'s successful attempt to repel Brokan's forces, and advised the party that the army now travels south, back towards [[Talathees]] to obtain passage by sea to [[Alathyth]] where Branok believes the [[Breastplate of Ahkad]] resides.

===Pursued by Branok===

The Wolves traveled back through the Broken Lands (on a much smooth route advised by Faunus), had costly skirmishes with Branok's forces, and fled south towards Talathees.

After another costly skirmish and a week of travel across the cold brown hills, the party encountered the [[Cooper]] family, who had fled Talathees during the attack and were only now, some 7 weeks later, returning to the city.

=== Defense of Talathees ===
Upon arrival in Talathees, the party found General [[Veronus]] to have taken firm control of the city and was proceeding quickly with repairs, improvements, and fortifications.

As Branok's army approaches, Veronus is assassinated, Kojax skewers the half-orc known as Red with a crossbow bolt through the eye socket, and Colonel Flavius has a nervous breakdown, turning over his family treasure to Kojax.

Saul gives tells a powerful tale of heroism and vengeance from the city wall as a prelude to Brad's announcement of Veronus' death, Kojax's new role as commander of the city, and his own rank of executive officer (XO) to the Commander. The citizen soldiers accept the changes with renewed hope and pride, and preare for the onslaught.

A bloody battle follows, with the casketed warriors striking down orcs like so much cordwood, falling only to angry ogres. Andrew races from ballista to ballista offering guidance and repairs while Kojax and the Wolves hack through orcflesh and Academus causes disruptions, delays, and illusions to foil the enemies' operations.

In the end, Branok himself enters the blood-slick city, is injured badly by Brad's charging lance, unhelmeted by Academus' sorcery, and finally cut down by Commander Kojax. Branok's final words, though, are haunting:

<pre>
He that deceiveth The Master,
He that shall cause the blood of the Loyal to spill,
This wretched soul shall perish in fire,

The Master maketh great wonders,
And maketh fire come down from the heavens in the sight of men,
And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever,
For the Master's power is complete,

And they that deceiveth the Master shall perish in flames.

Academus... shall... suffer...
</pre>

=== Abduction of Saul ===

For 17 days, the party engaged in the rebuilding of Talathees:
* Academus studied and pondered the recent events (and Branok's final words).
* Andrew advised the defense forces on additional defense preparations.
* Kojax brooded, planned, and signed paperwork occasionally, growing restless.
* Saul tended to the dead, and the bereaved.
* Brad took over all operational details of running and rebuilding the city.
* [[Fabian Maximillus]] negotiated government support for rebuilding his shipyard.

Then one brisk January morning, as Academus and Fabian made their way towards Kojax's simple apartment, a mad priest, foaming at the mouth, clawing his own chest raw, and dragging a diseased dog along, ran up to Academus and said, in a trance:

<pre>
THE END DAYS HATH COME
WHEN THE MOON SHALL BE AS BLOOD
AND WATER AS THE VENOM OF THE ASP
AND THE SEA DOTH BOIL,
AND DOGS BLEED INTO THE EARTH,
WHILE THE NEW MASTER STALKS,
OUT OF HIS MOUTH A SHARP SWORD GOETH,
THAT WITH HE SHOULD SMITE DOWN THE UNFAITHFUL,
AND HE SHOULD RULE THE NATIONS WITH A ROD OF IRON.....
</pre>

The priest then spontaneously ignites from the inside out -- a sequence of events Academus recognizes as a sign of demons.

Simultaneously, an inn owner runs up to Academus from the other direction to announce that Saul was kidnapped in the night.

=== Pursuit of Saul's Captors ===

The party fans out to collect evidence, and is soon on the trail of [[Ace Braylee]] and his crew, whom they track to [[Camp Argent]] 30 miles outside the city. A violent altercation follows, but all combatants survive after Ace and others are gravely wounded throws in the towel.

Ace explains that his crew was hired by a woman named [[Katrina]] to kidnap Saul. Ace and his crew are carried back to Talathees to be imprisoned (but not before Fabian nearly burns the prisoners and the tavern down).

The party comes to learn that Katrina left (with a large wooden box) recently for the islands of the southwest aboard a trading vessel, and the party pursues aboard Fabian's pleasurecraft.

As they approach, the water seems to boil as they traverse a huge school of fish.

Academus summons himself a vision of Saul's whereabouts, and sees him crucified in a cave on an island.

At the first island encountered, the party learns that the merchant vessel belongs to one [[Ovid Battista]], a shrewd and obese merchant with a penchant for pretty girls, who travels with a 4 huge lizardman bodyguards. His crew unloaded the planned shipment of tools and grains, and left with just one passenger, a beautiful scarlet-haired woman, and her cargo.

The next day, the party's pleasurecraft was boarded and inspected (and taxed) by [[Valenti Monrovia]]'s men and informed that Battista travels west, towards the Isles of the [[Black Ether]].

The next day, the party spots Battista's anchored ship and goes ashore to search for Saul. With no firm leads evident, the party is advised to consult the wise old hag [[Eminscu]] (accompanied by her [[troll]] servant [[Maleluca]]). After testing the party by telling her troll to slay them (and the troll being handily cut down), the hag informs Academus that he is both '''marked''' and '''warded''' ("''some irony, yes?''"), and provides directions to the Temple of the Cobra, where Saul is supposedly held.

The night, the party witnesses a group of 50-dark robed men standing in a 50-yard pentagram formation, black candles in hand, and chanting:

By those four animals that hold up the world itself,
And by the light and the earth and all its creeping things,
By the gates of Paradise,
By the six golden candlesticks,
''Audi ergo et time ergo'',
Hear me now and be afraid,
Oh noxious spirit,
Oh destroyer of worlds,
Oh grand dragon of the underworld,
For it is I that summon and command thee....

In a short while, the chanting ends, and the acolytes progress in an orderly and silent fashion out of the clearing and the party moves in to investigate.

=== An Assassin Cometh ===

While scrounging, a fireball approaches, revealing itself to be a flaming demon of the [[Gortegag]] (assassin) variety. Both accompanying Wolves are seized with terror. Wielding a nine foot flaming scythe, it sets Kojax as its target, while four small gibbering 3-armed minor demons pursue Academus. Kojax defends with expert parries while Academus draws a magic circle to keep the beasts at bay.

In the end though, one Wolf is pierced through and subsequently beheaded, Kojax is felled by a mighty chop across the chest, and Academus' attempt to banish the assassin is too costly for his mortal frame to withstand, and he falls unconscious. The beasts make off with the Helm but do not harm the old man.

=== Assault on the Black Ether ===

The party rests the night and uses some of [[Terreth]]'s powerful elven herbs to heal their wounds enough to push forward towards the Temple. The entry tunnel, 200 yards deep, slithers serpentine into the mountain, lit by slowly pulsating, humming blue stones every 10 yards, allowing mosaics and carvings of snake worship and human sacrifice to be seen.

An inner chamber, similarly lit, contains four priests, four lizard men, two podiums, an altar, a pit, a kettle suspended over crimson coals, a weapons rack, and a crucified monk.

The priests begin a lecture and issue their demands to [[Academis]], to give up his knowledge concerning the summoning of a certain demon. The party opens fire with crossbows and the priests send in the lizardmen to slay the warriors. Bloody combat ensues; the party emerges victorious, though barely so, and sails back to Talathees, taking [[Ovid Battista]]'s ship along with them.

=== Homecoming ===

Saul begins rebuilding the monastery and giving public performances of "The Rise of the Swordmaster and Defense of Talathees". Andrew works on a pistola-style crossbow with some success and romance with none. Kojax trains, broods, signs paperwork for Brad. Fabian attends to his business interests and shacks up with Penelope, the 16-yr-old daughter of a laborer. Academus heads to the Library of Leng to research next steps. All is quiet for several months, and Talathees is stable, growing, rejuvenated, optimistic.

=== Call for Help ===

Academus summons the party to [[Zogby]] via his Swift Tern [[Fredrick]]. On the way, they stop in [[Osiris]], get directions from [[Jamar]] the dockmaster, some intelligence from [[Damus]] concerning the proclivities of [[Abdul Mezetlan]], who is a wealthy merchant with whom Talathees has some financing deals in the works. They dine at the royal palace of [[King Abdullah]] as diplomatic guests. Fabian dances the night away with various noblewomen, and finally gets along well with a servant girl [[Akila]]. Andrew disappears that night to the mansion of a noblewoman [[Febi Ebonique]] and her husband [[Zahur Ebonique]].

The next morning, the heads to Zogby and arrives a week later, locates Academus and bodyguard Vulso, to learn that Academus has been advised that the only appropriate help for the Katrina-Helm situation must be had from a Demon Master, and that one resides in [[Sri]]. The party presses on to that great and mysterious city.

=== Exploration of Sri ===

A week later, on approach to Sri, they are surrounded by six war brigs and boarded by Captain [[Aishani]] and her men. [[Swami Kashyap]] is brought aboard, carried on a small platform as he chants and waves incense sticks during the ship inspection. The Swami pauses silently and gazes into Academus' eyes, but then moves along. The ship passes inspection and Aishani welcomes them warmly on behalf of [[Emperor Krishnashandra]] to the great city.

After a misstep into the rough part of town, the party makes their way to the palace and its 20' walls and is directed to the administration office to set up an appointment. Fabian schmoozes his way in, describes the situation, and an appointment is set with the Minister of State [[Yafeu Wamukoto]] in a marble outbuilding within the palace walls.

The Minister allows Academus (accompanied by 3 palace guards) to go visit the Demon Master Arch-Mage [[Batzharikahn]], deep within a horrific labyrinthine dungeon, despite the mage having been declared an enemy of the state six months previous. Batzharikahn says he'd consider helping the party if they were to bring him the melon-sized ruby possessed by the dragon [[Methusela]] in the [[Hammu Range]].

=== DragonQuest ===

Not so easily convinced, the party fans out to gather intelligence.

Academis devours knowledge at the Grand Library of Sri and sends a request for guidance back to the Mad Elders via Fredrick. Kojax develops a concealed weapon and then visits the Black Lotus Inn to speak with [[Darpak]], a footsoldier of the criminal underworld of Sri. There (after a few judiciously placed gold pieces), he learns that word on the street is that the Emperor had ambitions to raise an army and invade the [[Suijeng Basin]] and conquer the capital [[Vishnu]]. To that end, Arch-Mage [[Batzharikahn]] was developing potions that would allegedly create undying and perfectly loyal colonels for such an army and needed royal infant blood to do so.

Academis reports back the legend of [[Karunasindhu]] and an approximate location to begin searching for the dragon. Fabian spends some time at the Temple of the Eternal Flame and then meets with the Minister of State again, and then gathers corroborating information from [[Darmesh]], a wealthy merchant.

Kojax and Fabian have a brief meeting with Captain [[Aishani]]. She reacts coldly to a question about operational plans of the army or any suggestion that [[Batzharikahn]] should be helped, and then with apparent bemusement to Fabian's whirlwind summary of the party's quest.

Meanwhile, Andrew studies at the Temple of Rati (goddess of pleasure).

Finally, Academis consults with [[Vanita]] in the deserted Temple of the Monkey and resolves that the trek north to go dragon-hunting is the best option. Kojax and company are skeptical but defer to Academis. Andrew is extracted from the Temple of Pleasure and the party rides north with haste.

Seven days on horseback into primeval rainforest on a well-traveled trade route along the banks of the great [[Nesratu River]], the party is (incompetently) ambushed by [[Zemar Ajani]] and his crew of blowgun toting natives. A crossbow bolt from Kojax cripples the foolhardy bandit, and a perfect illusion of a giant cobra scatters the natives.

The party arrives in the village [[Jabalpur]] referenced both by [[Vanita]] and [[Darmesh]] and sure enough a statue to [[Karunasindhu]] is present. The local merchant/guide [[Debashish]] is quickly located, and hired to take the party across the river and into the Hammu Range to seek the dragon-worshiping tribes of the high country.

Five days ensue of close calls with forest creatures such as a bull elephant, a huge colony of 12" scorpions, an enraged tiger, and a 30' python, but the party eventually arrives at the primitive village in the cool mists of the cloud forest. From campaign notes:

Primitive village, dragon-headed totem pole, feathered headdresses, penis-gourds,
eating grubs and leeches, topless native women, big nose-rings, toucans in twig cages,
yummy dried iguanas hanging, naked children playing, spears and blowpipes.

Academis meets with the village elder, and, through Debashish as interpreter, convinces the elder that the party has come to worship. Two native guides are assigned, and late that afternoon, the party arrives on the pebbly banks of a cool and misty mountain lake. Rounding the bank, they discover a cliff wall with a cave entrance in the lake. Academis, Kojax, and a Wolf wade in, neck deep, and enter the cave.

Within, they discover a huge internal cavern; Academis creates light, and they find three 3' broken eggshells, and the massive skeleton of an ancient dragon, apparently coveting a moss-covered melon-sized ruby. The 25' baby dragons now make their presence known, slithering and splashing in the water menacingly, and there is some debate about how to escape the cavern unscathed.

Meanwhile, out on the bank, Andrew and Debashish try to quell the concerns of the two native guides who now are objecting strenuously to the foray into the cavern, while Fabian heroically wades part way into the water, crossbow in hand.

Academis then casts magics which allow the group to incredibly ''walk on the ceiling''. Intrigued, the three serpents emerge to observe, three great toothy heads gazing up at the upside-down party. Kojax approaches, lies prone, and aims carefully at the great unblinking eye of one of the beasts. His expert shot appears to strike true, and all three disappear into the deep with a startled thrashing splash. The party makes haste and exits the cave with ruby in hand, defying gravity.

The native guides have run off, with Debasish following, and the party rides like the wind down off the mountain and back towards Sri.

=== "Complicated Politics" ===

Upon return to Sri, the party is met by Captain [[Aishani]] at the gates, and escorted to the Security Ministry, past a civilian rabble-rouser calling for war upon Vishnu. Within the Ministry, Deputy Minister of Internal Security [[Bhanu Balachandra]] explains that the quest to seize the helm back from demonkind is shared by the government of Sri. He requests that the party turn over the ruby for transfer to the demon master.

The party refuses and dances on thin ice within the Ministry for over an hour, finally leaving with only a single spell and punch thrown -- combined with some tricky verbal convincing by Academis.

The party cogitates on the situation for a while, corroborates parts of the government story with [[Vanita]], witnesses a woman being carried away by guards crying "My baby!", and finally resolves to continue the negotiations, this time with weapons bared. A tense standoff follows, with the government finally allowing Academis to personally deliver the ruby to the demon master.

After doing so, the government then proposes that the party go on a diplomatic mission to [[Vishnu]] on their behalf to quell rumors of war and ensure continued peaceful trade. The party agrees and leaves immediately.

The following dawn, the ship captain calls the passengers to the deck, where the 14-man crew now wield swords, and announces, "It gives me no great pleasure to do this, but I must insist that you disembark immediately." The ship is out of the sight of land, and the orange sky of dawn provides little warmth.

=== ''Coup d'état'' ===

The party engages Captain [[Taranga]] in a brief conversation in which the Taranga claims that his assassination orders are directly from [[Emperor Krishnashandra]]. Finally, Kojax can tolerate the disrespect no longer, fastdraws a throwing axe, and cripples the captain's right arm in a flash. Butchery ensues, Academus is gravely injured, and [[Andrew]] is '''beheaded''' in the mêlée.

In the aftermath, as next steps are being discussed, Captain [[Aishani]]'s ship is spotted, and the deck is cleared of carnage in preparation for being boarded. A half-truth is concocted and Taranga stumbles through his role in the ruse while [[Kojax]] prepares for any additional blade-work needed. Aishani expresses her skepticism about the stated mission and the results of its execution while [[Habib]] professes his love for her in the background.

Aishani says she has two captives aboard and they turn out to be [[Craylock]] and [[Majesto]], with whom Academis is allowed to meet. Craylock claims the Emperor already possesses the [[Helm of Akhad]]!

Academis meets with Aishani and they review the recent goings-on, including:
* Emperor's multi-year history of growing ambition for power and conquest
* Massive build-up of Sri's military resources, including R&D into a [[Sataghni]] (huge cannon)
* Demonmaster [[Batzharikahn]]'s royal-infant-sacrifice activities
* Aishani's own infant's death 8 years ago
* Academis' observance of the arch-mage's comfortable quarters
* Aishani's observance of the emperor's new helm
* Aishani's skepticism that a just emperor would assassinate a foreign head of state unprovoked
* The emperor's sudden interest in the [[Emerald Emir]], which is dedicated to locating [[Akhad's armor]], and the emperor's recent acquisition thereof
* The fact that demons love war, chaos, and suffering (and hence would favor a Sri-Vishnu war)

They resolve to ally and consult with Minister of State [[Yafeu Wamukoto]] at his retreat 2 miles outside the city. Craylock and Majesto are released and the other ship sent on to [[Vishnu]] with a message composed by [[Aishani]].

Wamukoto, Craylock, Majesto, and the party secretly plot a coup, in which Craylock and Majesto will assassinate the Minister of Security and his [[Bhanu Balachandra|Deputy]], while Aishani and the party infiltrate the palace in search of the [[Emperor Krishnashandra|Emperor]]. With Wamukoto's assistance in disguises, intelligence, and protocols, and Aishani's familiarity and recognizability within the palace, the party gets all the way to the threshold of the Emperor's quarters, guarded by two massive ogres.

Aishani attempts to persuade the brutes without success. Academis dazes one with a spell, and Kojax instantly slays the other with multiple blinding brain-scrambling stabs.

Aishani quietly enters, and after Academis casts a spell, the party is able to observe through the closed doors.

She says a few quiet words to the two human guards within, who then allow her to approach the Emperor's bed. Two concubines are curled up at the foot of the oversized bed, and Aishani convinces one to leave the room, but the other resists and Aishani pummels her into unconsciousness, awakening the emperor and amusing the two guards.

The party enters at this point -- the guards advise they wait a moment for the "cat fight" to conclude. The emperor blinks sleepily, unaware of his fate. Academis dazes both guards and approaches the helm. Kojax approaches the emperor and says (something like):

On behalf of people of Talathees, it is time for you to pay for Andrew's death!

Aishani plunges a knife into the shocked emperor's jugular, Fabian buries a crossbow bolt in his vitals, and then Aishani straddles him and plunges the blade into his face three more times. The emperor dies quietly, without any fuss or struggle. Academis grabs the helm and an expensive necklace and Kojax requisitions a magical broadsword from the weapons rack before the new [[Yafeu Wamukoto|Prime Minister]] enters the room and advises the party as to the best exit route.

Execution of the tactical part of the coup is complete; the Prime Minister next addresses the political part with great apparent success. The party (including Craylock and Majesto) are afforded proper foreign dignitary status once again, and [[Aishani]] herself (now '''Commander''' Aishani) offers to provide transport for the group back to Zogby.

=== ''The Helm's Promise/Hrothgar's already dead...he just doesn't know it yet.'' ===

The party went and attained council from the Mad Elders. They spoke of a way to rid the helm of evil, and that to guide them the party should find "One of brute, and one of grace," back in Talathees. Captain [[Aishani]] accompanied the crew back to Talathees on a Sri - Man 'o War ship.

Back in Talathees, the crew came upon an elf and a human on the docks. The elf, [[Treewalker]], (and his brute henchman [[Darnell Armand]]), was looking for a man named [[Hrothgar]]. As he was asking for Hrothgar's whereabouts, he went into a daze and spoke of the [[Helm of Akhad]], and vaguely about how its evil may be banished.

After settling administrative matters with [[Brad]], the party forged north in pursuit of Hrothgar, who held both another piece of [[Akhad's armor]] and perhaps the key to removing the evil from the [[Helm of Akhad]].

After more than a week at sea and a brief encounter with a sea monster (the party wisely fled), they docked in [[Argyle]] to re-supply.

Shortly after arriving, [[Treewalker]] spotted a vessel of [[Icelund]], and while the rest of the party proceeded to acquiring supplies and finding a hot meal, he and Darnell approached... and attacked. Darnell was grievously wounded in the encounter, but Treewalker dropped the three Icelundic warriors and subsequently slit their throats and carved a "DEATH TO HROTHGAR" message on a table top within the lower deck.

The overt bloodshed summoned the flying gnome police of [[Argyle]], who deftly took the survivors into custody.

Hours later, with the rest of the party pondering Academis' stomach-troubles in the [[Green Bean]] tavern, the accused were questioned by a mysterious cat-eyed legless mage. Treewalker claimed that his acts were not murder, but rather the opening volley of a war between elven [[Glimmorwood]] and the barbarians of [[Icelund]]. The mage was convinced, and offered the aid of Argyle once the military campaign begins in earnest. (Whether he speaks for the whole of [[Durkin]] is unknown.)

Seeking out Icelunders without their throats slit, the party ended up in front of a popular brothel, just in time to have a chat with a swaggering drunken Norseman. The party persuaded him (violently) to accompany them to the docks, whereupon they requisitioned the Icelundic vessel and sent their Talathesian vessel home and continued north.

After a brief stop in [[Saint Germaine]] to acquire Icelundic blond wigs and furs, the party pressed on to [[Saint Vincent]], where the locals had no ill will for the Icelundic raiders, leading some to suspect collusion with the barbarians. A guide was hired, and the party continued north.

Upon docking in Icelund as their guide advised, and approaching a small village of primitive mud huts, the party was called upon to halt by the village leader and his burly guards. Niceties degenerated rapidly after one of the guards was inadvertently kicked unconscious by a party member's horse.

A brief argument ended when the village leader drew his 6' sword and threatened Treewalker's life. Darnell quickly attacked from behind with his closed fists, knocking the leader unconscious. This act provoked the guards into a berserker rage, and immediately committed them to slaughtering the party. Grievous bloodshed followed. Treewalker lost his left leg at the knee, and one of the [[Wolves]] was nearly killed. All the village guards were killed or incapacitated, and as Darnell looked up from the blood-spattered mud in which he sat, and a now-recovered Academis rode up to help, a village elder began applauding the slaughter. ...

=== An Elf Repaired, The Fall of the King ===

The village elder explains that Hrothgar, once a benevolent and wise leader, had become the 'Ice King', and the brutes with which the party tangled were a group of his enforcers who had claimed control of the village. With Darnell raging and moping in the background about Treewalker's severed leg, Kojax and Academis learn that druids in the forest may be able to help.

Across thawed and barren tundra, and then into the hills, the party journeys for half a day to the edge of a great conifer forest, peacefully blanketed by powdery white snow. Within, the 50 druids are met, including their powerful leader, [[Hundarwurt]], and assistance to the injured is offered without obligation.

Hundarwurt and the druids completely regenerated Treewalker's severed leg, then begin the process of regrowing a left hand for Kojax.

The party also learns that this is where pregnant women are taken to give birth, and they are allowed to visit the womb-like cradle of soft fir boughs where 5 such women recline peacefully. One is recognized by Kojax from a prophetic dream he'd earlier experienced, and the party resolves to stay and await the child's birth.

During this respite, Treewalker attempts to teach Darnell the virtues of physical fitness, Darnell snarls impetuously at Kojax on several occasions, and Academis maintains magical wards to protect the child. When the babe is born (and its mother dies), Academis and Kojax place the [[Helm of Akhad]] upon its soft little head, causing both the helm and the child's eyes to become white. The child is blinded, and the evil is extinguished from the helm. The party offers to take this magical child into their care, and the druids agree.

As the party makes its way to the edge of the forest, [[Hrothgar]] and a force of 150 barbarians stand in a line outside the trees. The party (on horseback) debates their next move, and Treewalker insists that this is his chance to kill Hrothgar. He dons the ring of invisibility given to him by the mysterious mage of [[Argyle]], approaches quietly, and begins a volley of arrows that causes the horde to rush forward roaring.

Academis summons an illusory great bear, which scatters half the horde, while Treewalker simply walks forward, out of sight. Several more arrows deal grievous injuries to Hrothgar and his bodyguards, until finally Treewalker is able to grab hold of his blond mane and hack his head from his body. Darnell races in pick up the triumphant elven warrior as the rest of the party moves back further into the forest on the druids' advice.

The druids' claim that the forest would prevent the barbarians from entering proves true, and as Darnell and Treewalker return to the rest of the party back in the forest, they witness barbarians torn limb from limb by the great trees themselves.

Ur

2007-03-26T01:28:35Z

Brantdanger: /* An Elf Repaired, The Fall of the King */

[[Category:Campaigns]]

For some backstory, see also [[Talathees#Original_Ur_Campaign_Notes]]

==Characters==

[[Saul]], the barrel chested monk/bard, played by John.

[[Kojax]], the humorless and disciplined swordmaster, by Jacob.

[[Academis]], the wizened historian and dabbler in mysterious magics, played by Jess.

[[Andrew]] the enthusiastic engineer, played by Omega.

[[Fabian Maximillus]] the hanky-wielding aristocrat, played by Brant.

[[Treewalker]] the Pathfinder-Ranger elf, played by Brant.

[[Darnell Armand]] the oversized brawler from Zareph, played by John.

==Story==

===To the Caskets===
The party trekked east, acquired certain caskets, toured [[Osiris]], and then came back to pursue their quarry, the legions of Branok who had previous sacked Talathees and then turned their attention north.

===Pursuing Branok===

With a group of dedicated sailors-turned-soldiers dubbed the [[Wolves]], Kojax led the force on the trail of Branok's army after hearing that an ancient mountaintop alert system had been triggered for the first time in generations.

The Wolves passed through the [[Broken Lands]] en route to [[Druid Grove]] where they found hundreds of orc corpses stung by wasps, some also speared. There they met [[Faunus McClavie]] who told them of his master [[Rasha]]'s successful attempt to repel Brokan's forces, and advised the party that the army now travels south, back towards [[Talathees]] to obtain passage by sea to [[Alathyth]] where Branok believes the [[Breastplate of Ahkad]] resides.

===Pursued by Branok===

The Wolves traveled back through the Broken Lands (on a much smooth route advised by Faunus), had costly skirmishes with Branok's forces, and fled south towards Talathees.

After another costly skirmish and a week of travel across the cold brown hills, the party encountered the [[Cooper]] family, who had fled Talathees during the attack and were only now, some 7 weeks later, returning to the city.

=== Defense of Talathees ===
Upon arrival in Talathees, the party found General [[Veronus]] to have taken firm control of the city and was proceeding quickly with repairs, improvements, and fortifications.

As Branok's army approaches, Veronus is assassinated, Kojax skewers the half-orc known as Red with a crossbow bolt through the eye socket, and Colonel Flavius has a nervous breakdown, turning over his family treasure to Kojax.

Saul gives tells a powerful tale of heroism and vengeance from the city wall as a prelude to Brad's announcement of Veronus' death, Kojax's new role as commander of the city, and his own rank of executive officer (XO) to the Commander. The citizen soldiers accept the changes with renewed hope and pride, and preare for the onslaught.

A bloody battle follows, with the casketed warriors striking down orcs like so much cordwood, falling only to angry ogres. Andrew races from ballista to ballista offering guidance and repairs while Kojax and the Wolves hack through orcflesh and Academus causes disruptions, delays, and illusions to foil the enemies' operations.

In the end, Branok himself enters the blood-slick city, is injured badly by Brad's charging lance, unhelmeted by Academus' sorcery, and finally cut down by Commander Kojax. Branok's final words, though, are haunting:

<pre>
He that deceiveth The Master,
He that shall cause the blood of the Loyal to spill,
This wretched soul shall perish in fire,

The Master maketh great wonders,
And maketh fire come down from the heavens in the sight of men,
And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever,
For the Master's power is complete,

And they that deceiveth the Master shall perish in flames.

Academus... shall... suffer...
</pre>

=== Abduction of Saul ===

For 17 days, the party engaged in the rebuilding of Talathees:
* Academus studied and pondered the recent events (and Branok's final words).
* Andrew advised the defense forces on additional defense preparations.
* Kojax brooded, planned, and signed paperwork occasionally, growing restless.
* Saul tended to the dead, and the bereaved.
* Brad took over all operational details of running and rebuilding the city.
* [[Fabian Maximillus]] negotiated government support for rebuilding his shipyard.

Then one brisk January morning, as Academus and Fabian made their way towards Kojax's simple apartment, a mad priest, foaming at the mouth, clawing his own chest raw, and dragging a diseased dog along, ran up to Academus and said, in a trance:

<pre>
THE END DAYS HATH COME
WHEN THE MOON SHALL BE AS BLOOD
AND WATER AS THE VENOM OF THE ASP
AND THE SEA DOTH BOIL,
AND DOGS BLEED INTO THE EARTH,
WHILE THE NEW MASTER STALKS,
OUT OF HIS MOUTH A SHARP SWORD GOETH,
THAT WITH HE SHOULD SMITE DOWN THE UNFAITHFUL,
AND HE SHOULD RULE THE NATIONS WITH A ROD OF IRON.....
</pre>

The priest then spontaneously ignites from the inside out -- a sequence of events Academus recognizes as a sign of demons.

Simultaneously, an inn owner runs up to Academus from the other direction to announce that Saul was kidnapped in the night.

=== Pursuit of Saul's Captors ===

The party fans out to collect evidence, and is soon on the trail of [[Ace Braylee]] and his crew, whom they track to [[Camp Argent]] 30 miles outside the city. A violent altercation follows, but all combatants survive after Ace and others are gravely wounded throws in the towel.

Ace explains that his crew was hired by a woman named [[Katrina]] to kidnap Saul. Ace and his crew are carried back to Talathees to be imprisoned (but not before Fabian nearly burns the prisoners and the tavern down).

The party comes to learn that Katrina left (with a large wooden box) recently for the islands of the southwest aboard a trading vessel, and the party pursues aboard Fabian's pleasurecraft.

As they approach, the water seems to boil as they traverse a huge school of fish.

Academus summons himself a vision of Saul's whereabouts, and sees him crucified in a cave on an island.

At the first island encountered, the party learns that the merchant vessel belongs to one [[Ovid Battista]], a shrewd and obese merchant with a penchant for pretty girls, who travels with a 4 huge lizardman bodyguards. His crew unloaded the planned shipment of tools and grains, and left with just one passenger, a beautiful scarlet-haired woman, and her cargo.

The next day, the party's pleasurecraft was boarded and inspected (and taxed) by [[Valenti Monrovia]]'s men and informed that Battista travels west, towards the Isles of the [[Black Ether]].

The next day, the party spots Battista's anchored ship and goes ashore to search for Saul. With no firm leads evident, the party is advised to consult the wise old hag [[Eminscu]] (accompanied by her [[troll]] servant [[Maleluca]]). After testing the party by telling her troll to slay them (and the troll being handily cut down), the hag informs Academus that he is both '''marked''' and '''warded''' ("''some irony, yes?''"), and provides directions to the Temple of the Cobra, where Saul is supposedly held.

The night, the party witnesses a group of 50-dark robed men standing in a 50-yard pentagram formation, black candles in hand, and chanting:

By those four animals that hold up the world itself,
And by the light and the earth and all its creeping things,
By the gates of Paradise,
By the six golden candlesticks,
''Audi ergo et time ergo'',
Hear me now and be afraid,
Oh noxious spirit,
Oh destroyer of worlds,
Oh grand dragon of the underworld,
For it is I that summon and command thee....

In a short while, the chanting ends, and the acolytes progress in an orderly and silent fashion out of the clearing and the party moves in to investigate.

=== An Assassin Cometh ===

While scrounging, a fireball approaches, revealing itself to be a flaming demon of the [[Gortegag]] (assassin) variety. Both accompanying Wolves are seized with terror. Wielding a nine foot flaming scythe, it sets Kojax as its target, while four small gibbering 3-armed minor demons pursue Academus. Kojax defends with expert parries while Academus draws a magic circle to keep the beasts at bay.

In the end though, one Wolf is pierced through and subsequently beheaded, Kojax is felled by a mighty chop across the chest, and Academus' attempt to banish the assassin is too costly for his mortal frame to withstand, and he falls unconscious. The beasts make off with the Helm but do not harm the old man.

=== Assault on the Black Ether ===

The party rests the night and uses some of [[Terreth]]'s powerful elven herbs to heal their wounds enough to push forward towards the Temple. The entry tunnel, 200 yards deep, slithers serpentine into the mountain, lit by slowly pulsating, humming blue stones every 10 yards, allowing mosaics and carvings of snake worship and human sacrifice to be seen.

An inner chamber, similarly lit, contains four priests, four lizard men, two podiums, an altar, a pit, a kettle suspended over crimson coals, a weapons rack, and a crucified monk.

The priests begin a lecture and issue their demands to [[Academis]], to give up his knowledge concerning the summoning of a certain demon. The party opens fire with crossbows and the priests send in the lizardmen to slay the warriors. Bloody combat ensues; the party emerges victorious, though barely so, and sails back to Talathees, taking [[Ovid Battista]]'s ship along with them.

=== Homecoming ===

Saul begins rebuilding the monastery and giving public performances of "The Rise of the Swordmaster and Defense of Talathees". Andrew works on a pistola-style crossbow with some success and romance with none. Kojax trains, broods, signs paperwork for Brad. Fabian attends to his business interests and shacks up with Penelope, the 16-yr-old daughter of a laborer. Academus heads to the Library of Leng to research next steps. All is quiet for several months, and Talathees is stable, growing, rejuvenated, optimistic.

=== Call for Help ===

Academus summons the party to [[Zogby]] via his Swift Tern [[Fredrick]]. On the way, they stop in [[Osiris]], get directions from [[Jamar]] the dockmaster, some intelligence from [[Damus]] concerning the proclivities of [[Abdul Mezetlan]], who is a wealthy merchant with whom Talathees has some financing deals in the works. They dine at the royal palace of [[King Abdullah]] as diplomatic guests. Fabian dances the night away with various noblewomen, and finally gets along well with a servant girl [[Akila]]. Andrew disappears that night to the mansion of a noblewoman [[Febi Ebonique]] and her husband [[Zahur Ebonique]].

The next morning, the heads to Zogby and arrives a week later, locates Academus and bodyguard Vulso, to learn that Academus has been advised that the only appropriate help for the Katrina-Helm situation must be had from a Demon Master, and that one resides in [[Sri]]. The party presses on to that great and mysterious city.

=== Exploration of Sri ===

A week later, on approach to Sri, they are surrounded by six war brigs and boarded by Captain [[Aishani]] and her men. [[Swami Kashyap]] is brought aboard, carried on a small platform as he chants and waves incense sticks during the ship inspection. The Swami pauses silently and gazes into Academus' eyes, but then moves along. The ship passes inspection and Aishani welcomes them warmly on behalf of [[Emperor Krishnashandra]] to the great city.

After a misstep into the rough part of town, the party makes their way to the palace and its 20' walls and is directed to the administration office to set up an appointment. Fabian schmoozes his way in, describes the situation, and an appointment is set with the Minister of State [[Yafeu Wamukoto]] in a marble outbuilding within the palace walls.

The Minister allows Academus (accompanied by 3 palace guards) to go visit the Demon Master Arch-Mage [[Batzharikahn]], deep within a horrific labyrinthine dungeon, despite the mage having been declared an enemy of the state six months previous. Batzharikahn says he'd consider helping the party if they were to bring him the melon-sized ruby possessed by the dragon [[Methusela]] in the [[Hammu Range]].

=== DragonQuest ===

Not so easily convinced, the party fans out to gather intelligence.

Academis devours knowledge at the Grand Library of Sri and sends a request for guidance back to the Mad Elders via Fredrick. Kojax develops a concealed weapon and then visits the Black Lotus Inn to speak with [[Darpak]], a footsoldier of the criminal underworld of Sri. There (after a few judiciously placed gold pieces), he learns that word on the street is that the Emperor had ambitions to raise an army and invade the [[Suijeng Basin]] and conquer the capital [[Vishnu]]. To that end, Arch-Mage [[Batzharikahn]] was developing potions that would allegedly create undying and perfectly loyal colonels for such an army and needed royal infant blood to do so.

Academis reports back the legend of [[Karunasindhu]] and an approximate location to begin searching for the dragon. Fabian spends some time at the Temple of the Eternal Flame and then meets with the Minister of State again, and then gathers corroborating information from [[Darmesh]], a wealthy merchant.

Kojax and Fabian have a brief meeting with Captain [[Aishani]]. She reacts coldly to a question about operational plans of the army or any suggestion that [[Batzharikahn]] should be helped, and then with apparent bemusement to Fabian's whirlwind summary of the party's quest.

Meanwhile, Andrew studies at the Temple of Rati (goddess of pleasure).

Finally, Academis consults with [[Vanita]] in the deserted Temple of the Monkey and resolves that the trek north to go dragon-hunting is the best option. Kojax and company are skeptical but defer to Academis. Andrew is extracted from the Temple of Pleasure and the party rides north with haste.

Seven days on horseback into primeval rainforest on a well-traveled trade route along the banks of the great [[Nesratu River]], the party is (incompetently) ambushed by [[Zemar Ajani]] and his crew of blowgun toting natives. A crossbow bolt from Kojax cripples the foolhardy bandit, and a perfect illusion of a giant cobra scatters the natives.

The party arrives in the village [[Jabalpur]] referenced both by [[Vanita]] and [[Darmesh]] and sure enough a statue to [[Karunasindhu]] is present. The local merchant/guide [[Debashish]] is quickly located, and hired to take the party across the river and into the Hammu Range to seek the dragon-worshiping tribes of the high country.

Five days ensue of close calls with forest creatures such as a bull elephant, a huge colony of 12" scorpions, an enraged tiger, and a 30' python, but the party eventually arrives at the primitive village in the cool mists of the cloud forest. From campaign notes:

Primitive village, dragon-headed totem pole, feathered headdresses, penis-gourds,
eating grubs and leeches, topless native women, big nose-rings, toucans in twig cages,
yummy dried iguanas hanging, naked children playing, spears and blowpipes.

Academis meets with the village elder, and, through Debashish as interpreter, convinces the elder that the party has come to worship. Two native guides are assigned, and late that afternoon, the party arrives on the pebbly banks of a cool and misty mountain lake. Rounding the bank, they discover a cliff wall with a cave entrance in the lake. Academis, Kojax, and a Wolf wade in, neck deep, and enter the cave.

Within, they discover a huge internal cavern; Academis creates light, and they find three 3' broken eggshells, and the massive skeleton of an ancient dragon, apparently coveting a moss-covered melon-sized ruby. The 25' baby dragons now make their presence known, slithering and splashing in the water menacingly, and there is some debate about how to escape the cavern unscathed.

Meanwhile, out on the bank, Andrew and Debashish try to quell the concerns of the two native guides who now are objecting strenuously to the foray into the cavern, while Fabian heroically wades part way into the water, crossbow in hand.

Academis then casts magics which allow the group to incredibly ''walk on the ceiling''. Intrigued, the three serpents emerge to observe, three great toothy heads gazing up at the upside-down party. Kojax approaches, lies prone, and aims carefully at the great unblinking eye of one of the beasts. His expert shot appears to strike true, and all three disappear into the deep with a startled thrashing splash. The party makes haste and exits the cave with ruby in hand, defying gravity.

The native guides have run off, with Debasish following, and the party rides like the wind down off the mountain and back towards Sri.

=== "Complicated Politics" ===

Upon return to Sri, the party is met by Captain [[Aishani]] at the gates, and escorted to the Security Ministry, past a civilian rabble-rouser calling for war upon Vishnu. Within the Ministry, Deputy Minister of Internal Security [[Bhanu Balachandra]] explains that the quest to seize the helm back from demonkind is shared by the government of Sri. He requests that the party turn over the ruby for transfer to the demon master.

The party refuses and dances on thin ice within the Ministry for over an hour, finally leaving with only a single spell and punch thrown -- combined with some tricky verbal convincing by Academis.

The party cogitates on the situation for a while, corroborates parts of the government story with [[Vanita]], witnesses a woman being carried away by guards crying "My baby!", and finally resolves to continue the negotiations, this time with weapons bared. A tense standoff follows, with the government finally allowing Academis to personally deliver the ruby to the demon master.

After doing so, the government then proposes that the party go on a diplomatic mission to [[Vishnu]] on their behalf to quell rumors of war and ensure continued peaceful trade. The party agrees and leaves immediately.

The following dawn, the ship captain calls the passengers to the deck, where the 14-man crew now wield swords, and announces, "It gives me no great pleasure to do this, but I must insist that you disembark immediately." The ship is out of the sight of land, and the orange sky of dawn provides little warmth.

=== ''Coup d'état'' ===

The party engages Captain [[Taranga]] in a brief conversation in which the Taranga claims that his assassination orders are directly from [[Emperor Krishnashandra]]. Finally, Kojax can tolerate the disrespect no longer, fastdraws a throwing axe, and cripples the captain's right arm in a flash. Butchery ensues, Academus is gravely injured, and [[Andrew]] is '''beheaded''' in the mêlée.

In the aftermath, as next steps are being discussed, Captain [[Aishani]]'s ship is spotted, and the deck is cleared of carnage in preparation for being boarded. A half-truth is concocted and Taranga stumbles through his role in the ruse while [[Kojax]] prepares for any additional blade-work needed. Aishani expresses her skepticism about the stated mission and the results of its execution while [[Habib]] professes his love for her in the background.

Aishani says she has two captives aboard and they turn out to be [[Craylock]] and [[Majesto]], with whom Academis is allowed to meet. Craylock claims the Emperor already possesses the [[Helm of Akhad]]!

Academis meets with Aishani and they review the recent goings-on, including:
* Emperor's multi-year history of growing ambition for power and conquest
* Massive build-up of Sri's military resources, including R&D into a [[Sataghni]] (huge cannon)
* Demonmaster [[Batzharikahn]]'s royal-infant-sacrifice activities
* Aishani's own infant's death 8 years ago
* Academis' observance of the arch-mage's comfortable quarters
* Aishani's observance of the emperor's new helm
* Aishani's skepticism that a just emperor would assassinate a foreign head of state unprovoked
* The emperor's sudden interest in the [[Emerald Emir]], which is dedicated to locating [[Akhad's armor]], and the emperor's recent acquisition thereof
* The fact that demons love war, chaos, and suffering (and hence would favor a Sri-Vishnu war)

They resolve to ally and consult with Minister of State [[Yafeu Wamukoto]] at his retreat 2 miles outside the city. Craylock and Majesto are released and the other ship sent on to [[Vishnu]] with a message composed by [[Aishani]].

Wamukoto, Craylock, Majesto, and the party secretly plot a coup, in which Craylock and Majesto will assassinate the Minister of Security and his [[Bhanu Balachandra|Deputy]], while Aishani and the party infiltrate the palace in search of the [[Emperor Krishnashandra|Emperor]]. With Wamukoto's assistance in disguises, intelligence, and protocols, and Aishani's familiarity and recognizability within the palace, the party gets all the way to the threshold of the Emperor's quarters, guarded by two massive ogres.

Aishani attempts to persuade the brutes without success. Academis dazes one with a spell, and Kojax instantly slays the other with multiple blinding brain-scrambling stabs.

Aishani quietly enters, and after Academis casts a spell, the party is able to observe through the closed doors.

She says a few quiet words to the two human guards within, who then allow her to approach the Emperor's bed. Two concubines are curled up at the foot of the oversized bed, and Aishani convinces one to leave the room, but the other resists and Aishani pummels her into unconsciousness, awakening the emperor and amusing the two guards.

The party enters at this point -- the guards advise they wait a moment for the "cat fight" to conclude. The emperor blinks sleepily, unaware of his fate. Academis dazes both guards and approaches the helm. Kojax approaches the emperor and says (something like):

On behalf of people of Talathees, it is time for you to pay for Andrew's death!

Aishani plunges a knife into the shocked emperor's jugular, Fabian buries a crossbow bolt in his vitals, and then Aishani straddles him and plunges the blade into his face three more times. The emperor dies quietly, without any fuss or struggle. Academis grabs the helm and an expensive necklace and Kojax requisitions a magical broadsword from the weapons rack before the new [[Yafeu Wamukoto|Prime Minister]] enters the room and advises the party as to the best exit route.

Execution of the tactical part of the coup is complete; the Prime Minister next addresses the political part with great apparent success. The party (including Craylock and Majesto) are afforded proper foreign dignitary status once again, and [[Aishani]] herself (now '''Commander''' Aishani) offers to provide transport for the group back to Zogby.

=== ''The Helm's Promise/Hrothgar's already dead...he just doesn't know it yet.'' ===

The party went and attained council from the Mad Elders. They spoke of a way to rid the helm of evil, and that to guide them the party should find "One of brute, and one of grace," back in Talathees. Captain [[Aishani]] accompanied the crew back to Talathees on a Sri - Man 'o War ship.

Back in Talathees, the crew came upon an elf and a human on the docks. The elf, [[Treewalker]], (and his brute henchman [[Darnell Armand]]), was looking for a man named [[Hrothgar]]. As he was asking for Hrothgar's whereabouts, he went into a daze and spoke of the [[Helm of Akhad]], and vaguely about how its evil may be banished.

After settling administrative matters with [[Brad]], the party forged north in pursuit of Hrothgar, who held both another piece of [[Akhad's armor]] and perhaps the key to removing the evil from the [[Helm of Akhad]].

After more than a week at sea and a brief encounter with a sea monster (the party wisely fled), they docked in [[Argyle]] to re-supply.

Shortly after arriving, [[Treewalker]] spotted a vessel of [[Icelund]], and while the rest of the party proceeded to acquiring supplies and finding a hot meal, he and Darnell approached... and attacked. Darnell was grievously wounded in the encounter, but Treewalker dropped the three Icelundic warriors and subsequently slit their throats and carved a "DEATH TO HROTHGAR" message on a table top within the lower deck.

The overt bloodshed summoned the flying gnome police of [[Argyle]], who deftly took the survivors into custody.

Hours later, with the rest of the party pondering Academis' stomach-troubles in the [[Green Bean]] tavern, the accused were questioned by a mysterious cat-eyed legless mage. Treewalker claimed that his acts were not murder, but rather the opening volley of a war between elven [[Glimmorwood]] and the barbarians of [[Icelund]]. The mage was convinced, and offered the aid of Argyle once the military campaign begins in earnest. (Whether he speaks for the whole of [[Durkin]] is unknown.)

Seeking out Icelunders without their throats slit, the party ended up in front of a popular brothel, just in time to have a chat with a swaggering drunken Norseman. The party persuaded him (violently) to accompany them to the docks, whereupon they requisitioned the Icelundic vessel and sent their Talathesian vessel home and continued north.

After a brief stop in [[Saint Germaine]] to acquire Icelundic blond wigs and furs, the party pressed on to [[Saint Vincent]], where the locals had no ill will for the Icelundic raiders, leading some to suspect collusion with the barbarians. A guide was hired, and the party continued north.

Upon docking in Icelund as their guide advised, and approaching a small village of primitive mud huts, the party was called upon to halt by the village leader and his burly guards. Niceties degenerated rapidly after one of the guards was inadvertently kicked unconscious by a party member's horse.

A brief argument ended when the village leader drew his 6' sword and threatened Treewalker's life. Darnell quickly attacked from behind with his closed fists, knocking the leader unconscious. This act provoked the guards into a berserker rage, and immediately committed them to slaughtering the party. Grievous bloodshed followed. Treewalker lost his left leg at the knee, and one of the [[Wolves]] was nearly killed. All the village guards were killed or incapacitated, and as Darnell looked up from the blood-spattered mud in which he sat, and a now-recovered Academis rode up to help, a village elder began applauding the slaughter. ...

=== An Elf Repaired, The Fall of the King ===

The village elder explains that Hrothgar, once a benevolent and wise leader, had become the 'Ice King', and the brutes with which the party tangled were a group of his enforcers who had claimed control of the village. With Darnell raging and moping in the background about Treewalker's severed leg, Kojax and Academis learn that druids in the forest may be able to help.

Across thawed and barren tundra, and then into the hills, the party journeys for half a day to the edge of a great conifer forest, peacefully blanketed by powdery white snow. Within, the 50 druids are met, including their powerful leader, Hundarwurt, and assistance to the injured is offered without obligation.

[[Hundarwurt and the druids completely regenerated Treewalker's severed leg, then begin the process of regrowing a left hand for Kojax.]]

The party also learns that this is where pregnant women are taken to give birth, and they are allowed to visit the womb-like cradle of soft fir boughs where 5 such women recline peacefully. One is recognized by Kojax from a prophetic dream he'd earlier experienced, and the party resolves to stay and await the child's birth.

During this respite, Treewalker attempts to teach Darnell the virtues of physical fitness, Darnell snarls impetuously at Kojax on several occasions, and Academis maintains magical wards to protect the child. When the babe is born (and its mother dies), Academis and Kojax place the [[Helm of Akhad]] upon its soft little head, causing both the helm and the child's eyes to become white. The child is blinded, and the evil is extinguished from the helm. The party offers to take this magical child into their care, and the druids agree.

As the party makes its way to the edge of the forest, [[Hrothgar]] and a force of 150 barbarians stand in a line outside the trees. The party (on horseback) debates their next move, and Treewalker insists that this is his chance to kill Hrothgar. He dons the ring of invisibility given to him by the mysterious mage of [[Argyle]], approaches quietly, and begins a volley of arrows that cause the horde to rush forward roaring.

Academis summons an illusory great bear, which scatters half the horde, while Treewalker simply walks forward, out of sight. Several more arrows deal grievous injuries to Hrothgar and his bodyguards, until finally Treewalker is able to grab hold of his blond mane and hack his head from his body. Darnell races in pick up the triumphant elven warrior as the rest of the party moves back further into the forest on the druids' advice.

The druids' claim that the forest would prevent the barbarians from entering proves true, and as Darnell and Treewalker return to the rest of the party back in the forest, they witness barbarians torn limb from limb by the great trees themselves.

Treewalker

2007-03-24T15:13:40Z

Brantdanger:

[[Category:Characters]]
(played by Brant)

Treewalker, a Pathfinder-Ranger elf, was one of the original four characters that started the adventures (along with [[Rallthier]], [[Forensia]] and [[Feng]]). Became a two handed dicing machine with his magical swords, including the long sword [[Wyrmsbane]]. Was killed during a sword fight against the mighty Hrothgar (play by Sir Allen of Lee). Was later resurrected by [[The Org]] in [[Lowenport]], as a much humbler Treewalker.

Was last seen leaving [[Lowenport]] in a wagon with the emotional and unpredictable elf maiden, [[Forensia]].

Three years later, Treewalker emerged in the [[Ur]] campaign.

Ur

2007-03-24T15:11:57Z

Brantdanger: /* ''The Helm's Promise/Hrothgar's already dead...he just doesn't know it yet.'' */

Ur

2007-03-24T15:08:03Z

Brantdanger: /* ''The Helm's Promise/Hrothgar's already dead...he just doesn't know it yet.'' */

[[Category:Campaigns]]

For some backstory, see also [[Talathees#Original_Ur_Campaign_Notes]]

==Characters==

[[Saul]], the barrel chested monk/bard, played by John.

[[Kojax]], the humorless and disciplined swordmaster, by Jacob.

[[Academis]], the wizened historian and dabbler in mysterious magics, played by Jess.

[[Andrew]] the enthusiastic engineer, played by Omega.

[[Fabian Maximillus]] the hanky-wielding aristocrat, played by Brant.

[[Treewalker]] the Pathfinder-Ranger elf, played by Brant.

[[Darnell Armand]] the oversized brawler from Zareph, played by John.

==Story==

===To the Caskets===
The party trekked east, acquired certain caskets, toured [[Osiris]], and then came back to pursue their quarry, the legions of Branok who had previous sacked Talathees and then turned their attention north.

===Pursuing Branok===

With a group of dedicated sailors-turned-soldiers dubbed the [[Wolves]], Kojax led the force on the trail of Branok's army after hearing that an ancient mountaintop alert system had been triggered for the first time in generations.

The Wolves passed through the [[Broken Lands]] en route to [[Druid Grove]] where they found hundreds of orc corpses stung by wasps, some also speared. There they met [[Faunus McClavie]] who told them of his master [[Rasha]]'s successful attempt to repel Brokan's forces, and advised the party that the army now travels south, back towards [[Talathees]] to obtain passage by sea to [[Alathyth]] where Branok believes the [[Breastplate of Ahkad]] resides.

===Pursued by Branok===

The Wolves traveled back through the Broken Lands (on a much smooth route advised by Faunus), had costly skirmishes with Branok's forces, and fled south towards Talathees.

After another costly skirmish and a week of travel across the cold brown hills, the party encountered the [[Cooper]] family, who had fled Talathees during the attack and were only now, some 7 weeks later, returning to the city.

=== Defense of Talathees ===
Upon arrival in Talathees, the party found General [[Veronus]] to have taken firm control of the city and was proceeding quickly with repairs, improvements, and fortifications.

As Branok's army approaches, Veronus is assassinated, Kojax skewers the half-orc known as Red with a crossbow bolt through the eye socket, and Colonel Flavius has a nervous breakdown, turning over his family treasure to Kojax.

Saul gives tells a powerful tale of heroism and vengeance from the city wall as a prelude to Brad's announcement of Veronus' death, Kojax's new role as commander of the city, and his own rank of executive officer (XO) to the Commander. The citizen soldiers accept the changes with renewed hope and pride, and preare for the onslaught.

A bloody battle follows, with the casketed warriors striking down orcs like so much cordwood, falling only to angry ogres. Andrew races from ballista to ballista offering guidance and repairs while Kojax and the Wolves hack through orcflesh and Academus causes disruptions, delays, and illusions to foil the enemies' operations.

In the end, Branok himself enters the blood-slick city, is injured badly by Brad's charging lance, unhelmeted by Academus' sorcery, and finally cut down by Commander Kojax. Branok's final words, though, are haunting:

<pre>
He that deceiveth The Master,
He that shall cause the blood of the Loyal to spill,
This wretched soul shall perish in fire,

The Master maketh great wonders,
And maketh fire come down from the heavens in the sight of men,
And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever,
For the Master's power is complete,

And they that deceiveth the Master shall perish in flames.

Academus... shall... suffer...
</pre>

=== Abduction of Saul ===

For 17 days, the party engaged in the rebuilding of Talathees:
* Academus studied and pondered the recent events (and Branok's final words).
* Andrew advised the defense forces on additional defense preparations.
* Kojax brooded, planned, and signed paperwork occasionally, growing restless.
* Saul tended to the dead, and the bereaved.
* Brad took over all operational details of running and rebuilding the city.
* [[Fabian Maximillus]] negotiated government support for rebuilding his shipyard.

Then one brisk January morning, as Academus and Fabian made their way towards Kojax's simple apartment, a mad priest, foaming at the mouth, clawing his own chest raw, and dragging a diseased dog along, ran up to Academus and said, in a trance:

<pre>
THE END DAYS HATH COME
WHEN THE MOON SHALL BE AS BLOOD
AND WATER AS THE VENOM OF THE ASP
AND THE SEA DOTH BOIL,
AND DOGS BLEED INTO THE EARTH,
WHILE THE NEW MASTER STALKS,
OUT OF HIS MOUTH A SHARP SWORD GOETH,
THAT WITH HE SHOULD SMITE DOWN THE UNFAITHFUL,
AND HE SHOULD RULE THE NATIONS WITH A ROD OF IRON.....
</pre>

The priest then spontaneously ignites from the inside out -- a sequence of events Academus recognizes as a sign of demons.

Simultaneously, an inn owner runs up to Academus from the other direction to announce that Saul was kidnapped in the night.

=== Pursuit of Saul's Captors ===

The party fans out to collect evidence, and is soon on the trail of [[Ace Braylee]] and his crew, whom they track to [[Camp Argent]] 30 miles outside the city. A violent altercation follows, but all combatants survive after Ace and others are gravely wounded throws in the towel.

Ace explains that his crew was hired by a woman named [[Katrina]] to kidnap Saul. Ace and his crew are carried back to Talathees to be imprisoned (but not before Fabian nearly burns the prisoners and the tavern down).

The party comes to learn that Katrina left (with a large wooden box) recently for the islands of the southwest aboard a trading vessel, and the party pursues aboard Fabian's pleasurecraft.

As they approach, the water seems to boil as they traverse a huge school of fish.

Academus summons himself a vision of Saul's whereabouts, and sees him crucified in a cave on an island.

At the first island encountered, the party learns that the merchant vessel belongs to one [[Ovid Battista]], a shrewd and obese merchant with a penchant for pretty girls, who travels with a 4 huge lizardman bodyguards. His crew unloaded the planned shipment of tools and grains, and left with just one passenger, a beautiful scarlet-haired woman, and her cargo.

The next day, the party's pleasurecraft was boarded and inspected (and taxed) by [[Valenti Monrovia]]'s men and informed that Battista travels west, towards the Isles of the [[Black Ether]].

The next day, the party spots Battista's anchored ship and goes ashore to search for Saul. With no firm leads evident, the party is advised to consult the wise old hag [[Eminscu]] (accompanied by her [[troll]] servant [[Maleluca]]). After testing the party by telling her troll to slay them (and the troll being handily cut down), the hag informs Academus that he is both '''marked''' and '''warded''' ("''some irony, yes?''"), and provides directions to the Temple of the Cobra, where Saul is supposedly held.

The night, the party witnesses a group of 50-dark robed men standing in a 50-yard pentagram formation, black candles in hand, and chanting:

By those four animals that hold up the world itself,
And by the light and the earth and all its creeping things,
By the gates of Paradise,
By the six golden candlesticks,
''Audi ergo et time ergo'',
Hear me now and be afraid,
Oh noxious spirit,
Oh destroyer of worlds,
Oh grand dragon of the underworld,
For it is I that summon and command thee....

In a short while, the chanting ends, and the acolytes progress in an orderly and silent fashion out of the clearing and the party moves in to investigate.

=== An Assassin Cometh ===

While scrounging, a fireball approaches, revealing itself to be a flaming demon of the [[Gortegag]] (assassin) variety. Both accompanying Wolves are seized with terror. Wielding a nine foot flaming scythe, it sets Kojax as its target, while four small gibbering 3-armed minor demons pursue Academus. Kojax defends with expert parries while Academus draws a magic circle to keep the beasts at bay.

In the end though, one Wolf is pierced through and subsequently beheaded, Kojax is felled by a mighty chop across the chest, and Academus' attempt to banish the assassin is too costly for his mortal frame to withstand, and he falls unconscious. The beasts make off with the Helm but do not harm the old man.

=== Assault on the Black Ether ===

The party rests the night and uses some of [[Terreth]]'s powerful elven herbs to heal their wounds enough to push forward towards the Temple. The entry tunnel, 200 yards deep, slithers serpentine into the mountain, lit by slowly pulsating, humming blue stones every 10 yards, allowing mosaics and carvings of snake worship and human sacrifice to be seen.

An inner chamber, similarly lit, contains four priests, four lizard men, two podiums, an altar, a pit, a kettle suspended over crimson coals, a weapons rack, and a crucified monk.

The priests begin a lecture and issue their demands to [[Academis]], to give up his knowledge concerning the summoning of a certain demon. The party opens fire with crossbows and the priests send in the lizardmen to slay the warriors. Bloody combat ensues; the party emerges victorious, though barely so, and sails back to Talathees, taking [[Ovid Battista]]'s ship along with them.

=== Homecoming ===

Saul begins rebuilding the monastery and giving public performances of "The Rise of the Swordmaster and Defense of Talathees". Andrew works on a pistola-style crossbow with some success and romance with none. Kojax trains, broods, signs paperwork for Brad. Fabian attends to his business interests and shacks up with Penelope, the 16-yr-old daughter of a laborer. Academus heads to the Library of Leng to research next steps. All is quiet for several months, and Talathees is stable, growing, rejuvenated, optimistic.

=== Call for Help ===

Academus summons the party to [[Zogby]] via his Swift Tern [[Fredrick]]. On the way, they stop in [[Osiris]], get directions from [[Jamar]] the dockmaster, some intelligence from [[Damus]] concerning the proclivities of [[Abdul Mezetlan]], who is a wealthy merchant with whom Talathees has some financing deals in the works. They dine at the royal palace of [[King Abdullah]] as diplomatic guests. Fabian dances the night away with various noblewomen, and finally gets along well with a servant girl [[Akila]]. Andrew disappears that night to the mansion of a noblewoman [[Febi Ebonique]] and her husband [[Zahur Ebonique]].

The next morning, the heads to Zogby and arrives a week later, locates Academus and bodyguard Vulso, to learn that Academus has been advised that the only appropriate help for the Katrina-Helm situation must be had from a Demon Master, and that one resides in [[Sri]]. The party presses on to that great and mysterious city.

=== Exploration of Sri ===

A week later, on approach to Sri, they are surrounded by six war brigs and boarded by Captain [[Aishani]] and her men. [[Swami Kashyap]] is brought aboard, carried on a small platform as he chants and waves incense sticks during the ship inspection. The Swami pauses silently and gazes into Academus' eyes, but then moves along. The ship passes inspection and Aishani welcomes them warmly on behalf of [[Emperor Krishnashandra]] to the great city.

After a misstep into the rough part of town, the party makes their way to the palace and its 20' walls and is directed to the administration office to set up an appointment. Fabian schmoozes his way in, describes the situation, and an appointment is set with the Minister of State [[Yafeu Wamukoto]] in a marble outbuilding within the palace walls.

The Minister allows Academus (accompanied by 3 palace guards) to go visit the Demon Master Arch-Mage [[Batzharikahn]], deep within a horrific labyrinthine dungeon, despite the mage having been declared an enemy of the state six months previous. Batzharikahn says he'd consider helping the party if they were to bring him the melon-sized ruby possessed by the dragon [[Methusela]] in the [[Hammu Range]].

=== DragonQuest ===

Not so easily convinced, the party fans out to gather intelligence.

Academis devours knowledge at the Grand Library of Sri and sends a request for guidance back to the Mad Elders via Fredrick. Kojax develops a concealed weapon and then visits the Black Lotus Inn to speak with [[Darpak]], a footsoldier of the criminal underworld of Sri. There (after a few judiciously placed gold pieces), he learns that word on the street is that the Emperor had ambitions to raise an army and invade the [[Suijeng Basin]] and conquer the capital [[Vishnu]]. To that end, Arch-Mage [[Batzharikahn]] was developing potions that would allegedly create undying and perfectly loyal colonels for such an army and needed royal infant blood to do so.

Academis reports back the legend of [[Karunasindhu]] and an approximate location to begin searching for the dragon. Fabian spends some time at the Temple of the Eternal Flame and then meets with the Minister of State again, and then gathers corroborating information from [[Darmesh]], a wealthy merchant.

Kojax and Fabian have a brief meeting with Captain [[Aishani]]. She reacts coldly to a question about operational plans of the army or any suggestion that [[Batzharikahn]] should be helped, and then with apparent bemusement to Fabian's whirlwind summary of the party's quest.

Meanwhile, Andrew studies at the Temple of Rati (goddess of pleasure).

Finally, Academis consults with [[Vanita]] in the deserted Temple of the Monkey and resolves that the trek north to go dragon-hunting is the best option. Kojax and company are skeptical but defer to Academis. Andrew is extracted from the Temple of Pleasure and the party rides north with haste.

Seven days on horseback into primeval rainforest on a well-traveled trade route along the banks of the great [[Nesratu River]], the party is (incompetently) ambushed by [[Zemar Ajani]] and his crew of blowgun toting natives. A crossbow bolt from Kojax cripples the foolhardy bandit, and a perfect illusion of a giant cobra scatters the natives.

The party arrives in the village [[Jabalpur]] referenced both by [[Vanita]] and [[Darmesh]] and sure enough a statue to [[Karunasindhu]] is present. The local merchant/guide [[Debashish]] is quickly located, and hired to take the party across the river and into the Hammu Range to seek the dragon-worshiping tribes of the high country.

Five days ensue of close calls with forest creatures such as a bull elephant, a huge colony of 12" scorpions, an enraged tiger, and a 30' python, but the party eventually arrives at the primitive village in the cool mists of the cloud forest. From campaign notes:

Primitive village, dragon-headed totem pole, feathered headdresses, penis-gourds,
eating grubs and leeches, topless native women, big nose-rings, toucans in twig cages,
yummy dried iguanas hanging, naked children playing, spears and blowpipes.

Academis meets with the village elder, and, through Debashish as interpreter, convinces the elder that the party has come to worship. Two native guides are assigned, and late that afternoon, the party arrives on the pebbly banks of a cool and misty mountain lake. Rounding the bank, they discover a cliff wall with a cave entrance in the lake. Academis, Kojax, and a Wolf wade in, neck deep, and enter the cave.

Within, they discover a huge internal cavern; Academis creates light, and they find three 3' broken eggshells, and the massive skeleton of an ancient dragon, apparently coveting a moss-covered melon-sized ruby. The 25' baby dragons now make their presence known, slithering and splashing in the water menacingly, and there is some debate about how to escape the cavern unscathed.

Meanwhile, out on the bank, Andrew and Debashish try to quell the concerns of the two native guides who now are objecting strenuously to the foray into the cavern, while Fabian heroically wades part way into the water, crossbow in hand.

Academis then casts magics which allow the group to incredibly ''walk on the ceiling''. Intrigued, the three serpents emerge to observe, three great toothy heads gazing up at the upside-down party. Kojax approaches, lies prone, and aims carefully at the great unblinking eye of one of the beasts. His expert shot appears to strike true, and all three disappear into the deep with a startled thrashing splash. The party makes haste and exits the cave with ruby in hand, defying gravity.

The native guides have run off, with Debasish following, and the party rides like the wind down off the mountain and back towards Sri.

=== "Complicated Politics" ===

Upon return to Sri, the party is met by Captain [[Aishani]] at the gates, and escorted to the Security Ministry, past a civilian rabble-rouser calling for war upon Vishnu. Within the Ministry, Deputy Minister of Internal Security [[Bhanu Balachandra]] explains that the quest to seize the helm back from demonkind is shared by the government of Sri. He requests that the party turn over the ruby for transfer to the demon master.

The party refuses and dances on thin ice within the Ministry for over an hour, finally leaving with only a single spell and punch thrown -- combined with some tricky verbal convincing by Academis.

The party cogitates on the situation for a while, corroborates parts of the government story with [[Vanita]], witnesses a woman being carried away by guards crying "My baby!", and finally resolves to continue the negotiations, this time with weapons bared. A tense standoff follows, with the government finally allowing Academis to personally deliver the ruby to the demon master.

After doing so, the government then proposes that the party go on a diplomatic mission to [[Vishnu]] on their behalf to quell rumors of war and ensure continued peaceful trade. The party agrees and leaves immediately.

The following dawn, the ship captain calls the passengers to the deck, where the 14-man crew now wield swords, and announces, "It gives me no great pleasure to do this, but I must insist that you disembark immediately." The ship is out of the sight of land, and the orange sky of dawn provides little warmth.

=== ''Coup d'état'' ===

The party engages Captain [[Taranga]] in a brief conversation in which the Taranga claims that his assassination orders are directly from [[Emperor Krishnashandra]]. Finally, Kojax can tolerate the disrespect no longer, fastdraws a throwing axe, and cripples the captain's right arm in a flash. Butchery ensues, Academus is gravely injured, and [[Andrew]] is '''beheaded''' in the mêlée.

In the aftermath, as next steps are being discussed, Captain [[Aishani]]'s ship is spotted, and the deck is cleared of carnage in preparation for being boarded. A half-truth is concocted and Taranga stumbles through his role in the ruse while [[Kojax]] prepares for any additional blade-work needed. Aishani expresses her skepticism about the stated mission and the results of its execution while [[Habib]] professes his love for her in the background.

Aishani says she has two captives aboard and they turn out to be [[Craylock]] and [[Majesto]], with whom Academis is allowed to meet. Craylock claims the Emperor already possesses the [[Helm of Akhad]]!

Academis meets with Aishani and they review the recent goings-on, including:
* Emperor's multi-year history of growing ambition for power and conquest
* Massive build-up of Sri's military resources, including R&D into a [[Sataghni]] (huge cannon)
* Demonmaster [[Batzharikahn]]'s royal-infant-sacrifice activities
* Aishani's own infant's death 8 years ago
* Academis' observance of the arch-mage's comfortable quarters
* Aishani's observance of the emperor's new helm
* Aishani's skepticism that a just emperor would assassinate a foreign head of state unprovoked
* The emperor's sudden interest in the [[Emerald Emir]], which is dedicated to locating [[Akhad's armor]], and the emperor's recent acquisition thereof
* The fact that demons love war, chaos, and suffering (and hence would favor a Sri-Vishnu war)

They resolve to ally and consult with Minister of State [[Yafeu Wamukoto]] at his retreat 2 miles outside the city. Craylock and Majesto are released and the other ship sent on to [[Vishnu]] with a message composed by [[Aishani]].

Wamukoto, Craylock, Majesto, and the party secretly plot a coup, in which Craylock and Majesto will assassinate the Minister of Security and his [[Bhanu Balachandra|Deputy]], while Aishani and the party infiltrate the palace in search of the [[Emperor Krishnashandra|Emperor]]. With Wamukoto's assistance in disguises, intelligence, and protocols, and Aishani's familiarity and recognizability within the palace, the party gets all the way to the threshold of the Emperor's quarters, guarded by two massive ogres.

Aishani attempts to persuade the brutes without success. Academis dazes one with a spell, and Kojax instantly slays the other with multiple blinding brain-scrambling stabs.

Aishani quietly enters, and after Academis casts a spell, the party is able to observe through the closed doors.

She says a few quiet words to the two human guards within, who then allow her to approach the Emperor's bed. Two concubines are curled up at the foot of the oversized bed, and Aishani convinces one to leave the room, but the other resists and Aishani pummels her into unconsciousness, awakening the emperor and amusing the two guards.

The party enters at this point -- the guards advise they wait a moment for the "cat fight" to conclude. The emperor blinks sleepily, unaware of his fate. Academis dazes both guards and approaches the helm. Kojax approaches the emperor and says (something like):

On behalf of people of Talathees, it is time for you to pay for Andrew's death!

Aishani plunges a knife into the shocked emperor's jugular, Fabian buries a crossbow bolt in his vitals, and then Aishani straddles him and plunges the blade into his face three more times. The emperor dies quietly, without any fuss or struggle. Academis grabs the helm and an expensive necklace and Kojax requisitions a magical broadsword from the weapons rack before the new [[Yafeu Wamukoto|Prime Minister]] enters the room and advises the party as to the best exit route.

Execution of the tactical part of the coup is complete; the Prime Minister next addresses the political part with great apparent success. The party (including Craylock and Majesto) are afforded proper foreign dignitary status once again, and [[Aishani]] herself (now '''Commander''' Aishani) offers to provide transport for the group back to Zogby.

=== ''The Helm's Promise/Hrothgar's already dead...he just doesn't know it yet.'' ===

The party went and attained council from the Mad Elders. They spoke of a way to rid the helm of evil, and that to guide them the party should find "One of brute, and one of grace," back in Talathees. Captain [[Aishani]] accompanied the crew back to Talathees on a Sri - Man 'o War ship.

Back in Talathees, the crew came upon an elf and a human on the docks. The elf, [[Treewalker]], (and his brute henchman [[Darnell Armand]]), was looking for a man named [[Hrothgar]]. As he was asking for Hrothgar's whereabouts, he went into a daze and spoke of the [[Helm of Akhad]], and vaguely about how its evil may be banished.

After settling administrative matters with [[Brad]], the party forged north in pursuit of Hrothgar, who held both another piece of [[Akhad's armor]] and perhaps the key to removing the evil from the [[Helm of Akhad]].

After more than a week at sea and a brief encounter with a sea monster (the party wisely fled), they docked in [[Argyle]] to re-supply.

Shortly after arriving, [[Treewalker]] spotted a vessel of [[Icelund]], and while the rest of the party proceeded to acquiring supplies and finding a hot meal, he and Darnell approached... and attacked. Darnell was grievously wounded in the encounter, but Treewalker dropped the three Icelundic warriors and subsequently slit their throats and carved a "DEATH TO HROTHGAR" message on a table top within the lower deck.

The overt bloodshed summoned the flying gnome police of [[Argyle]], who deftly took the survivors into custody.

Hours later, with the rest of the party pondering Academis' stomach-troubles in the [[Green Bean]] tavern, the accused were questioned by a mysterious cat-eyed legless mage. Treewalker claimed that his acts were not murder, but rather the opening volley of a war between elven [[Glimmorwood]] and the barbarians of [[Icelund]]. The mage was convinced, and offered the aid of Argyle once the military campaign begins in earnest. (Whether he speaks for the whole of [[Durkin]] is unknown.)

Seeking out Icelunders without their throats slit, the party ended up in front of a popular brothel, just in time to have a chat with a swaggering drunken Norseman. The party persuaded him (violently) to accompany them to the docs, whereupon they requisitioned the Icelundic vessel and sent their Talathesian vessel home and continued north.

After a brief stop in [[Saint Germaine]] to acquire Icelundic blond wigs and furs, the party pressed on to [[Saint Vincent]], where the locals had no ill will for the Icelundic raiders, leading some to suspect collusion with the barbarians. A guide was hired, and the party continued north.

Upon docking in Icelund as their guide advised, and approaching a small village of primitive mud huts, the party was called upon to halt by the village leader and his burly guards. Niceties degenerated rapidly after one of the guards was inadvertently kicked unconscious by Treewalker's horse.

A brief argument ended when the village leader drew his 6' sword and threatened Treewalker's life. Darnell quickly attacked from behind with his closed fists, knocking the leader unconscious. This act provoked the guards into a berserker rage, and immediately committed them to slaughtering the party. Grievous bloodshed followed. Treewalker lost his left leg at the knee, and one of the [[Wolves]] was nearly killed. All the village guards were killed or incapacitated, and as Darnell looked up from the blood-spattered mud in which he sat, and a now-recovered Academis rode up to help, a village elder began applauding the slaughter. ...

Treewalker

2007-01-18T18:49:17Z

Brantdanger:

Treewalker, a Pathfinder-Ranger elf, was one of the original four characters that started the adventures (along with Rallthier, Forensia and Feng). Became a two handed dicing machine with his magical swords, including the long sword Wyrmsbane. Was killed during a sword fight against the mighty Hrothgar (Allen). Was later ressurected by The Org in Lowenport, as a much humbler Treewalker. Was last seen leaving Lowenport in a wagon with the emotional and unpredictable elf maiden, Forensia.

played by Brant

Junge

2007-01-18T18:01:19Z

Brantdanger:

The large and extremely robust barbarian. Was rescued from the sea by Xane, thereafter obligating himself to a life-debt towards Xane. His strength, courage and resistance to magic proved valuable early in the campaign. However, his skills become obsolete as his companions progressively adorned themselves with magical items and progressed in spell casting.

played by Brant

Superheroes

2007-01-18T17:55:04Z

Brantdanger:

[[Ralthier]] was there at the beginning but got turned into a dwarf. [[Xane]] replaced him. (Jess)

[[Treewalker]] was there at the beginning but left with Forensia (Tzeidle) after being resurrected. [[Junge]] replaced him. (Brant).

[[Illythic]] - Jacob.

[[Sly Winkelman]] was an early party member, then [[Rasha]]. (John)

[[Feng]] (Alpha)

[[Clooney]] joined late. (Vandal)

[[Gorin]] the red haired, prior to be toasted by a dragon's breath TWICE, and black skinned, part of the curse placed upon the party, dwarf who was hurled at dragons of most makes and drank profusely. He joined after Clooney left. (Omega)

This was a grand epic culminating in the quest to obtain -- and destroy -- the [[Luma Stones]] before other factions did so which would cause Bad Things to happen.

[[Category:Campaigns]]

Treewalker

2007-01-18T17:52:10Z

Brantdanger:

Treewalker, a Pathfinder-Ranger elf, was one of the original four characters that started the adventures (along with Rallthier, Forensia and Feng). Became a two handed dicing machine with his magical swords, including the long sword Wyrmsbane. Was killed during a sword fight against the mighty Hrothgar (Allen). Was later ressurected as a much humbler Treewalker. Was last seen riding off in a carriage with his emotional elf maiden, Forensia.

played by Brant

Treewalker

2007-01-18T17:50:52Z

Brantdanger:

Treewalker, a Pathfinder-Ranger elf, was one of the original four characters that started the adventures (along with Rallthier, Forensia and Feng). Became a two handed dicing machine with his magical swords, including the long sword Wyrmsbane. Was killed during a sword fight against the mighty Hrothgar (Allen). Was later ressurected as a much humble Treewalker. Was last seen riding off in a carriage with his emotional elf maiden, Forensia.

played by Brant

Nigel

2007-01-18T17:37:28Z

Brantdanger:

"Charismatic" cleric of the order of Nuada (of the silver fist). Rose from obscurity to pre-eminence (in his own mind) through becoming the self-proclaimed leader of the Nigelites. Outstanding luck in the turning of undead early in his adventures lead quickly to his overconfidence. Took umbrage at the lack of respect paid to him by Capt Jimmy Claybourne, and cast a decaying spell upon him. The spell was later reversed.

----
played by Brant in summer 03

Nigel

2007-01-18T17:35:10Z

Brantdanger: