Gurth - User contributions [en]

Jinx

2010-05-08T20:34:49Z

Brownt01: /* Background */

[[Category:Characters]]

[[User:Brownt01|Traci's]] curious gnome in [[Bones of the Naga]].
[[Image:Jinx.png|thumb|400px|right]]

== Background ==

Jinx is a free spirit that enjoys going on adventures. When she was young she enjoyed playing games, climbing trees, and was always known to be a bit of a class clown. She can have quite an imagination, and loves to explore new things, though this can get her into trouble from time to time. Jinx never means to do wrong, but is immensely attracted to small interesting items that may or may not always belong to her. She loves to hide them in her coat because you never know when they might come in handy.

When Jinx was older the circus came to town. Jinx showed off her acrobatic skills that she obtained from all the years of climbing trees and was allowed to join them. Jinx told her family she was leaving them to join the circus and to her surprise they didn’t seem to mind, they even encouraged her to go. Jinx has been traveling with the circus for a few months now, and has so far been having wonderful adventures.

== Traits ==
Clueless

Curious

Easy to Read

Impulsive

Short Attention Span

Overconfident

Jinx

2010-05-08T20:34:14Z

Brownt01: /* Background */

[[Category:Characters]]

[[User:Brownt01|Traci's]] curious gnome in [[Bones of the Naga]].
[[Image:Jinx.png|thumb|400px|right]]

== Background ==

Jinx is a free spirit that enjoys going on adventures. When she was young she enjoyed playing games, climbing trees, and was always known to be a bit of a class clown. She can have quite an imagination, and loves to explore new things, though this can get her into some trouble from time to time. Jinx never means to do wrong, but is immensely attracted to small interesting items that may or may not always belong to her. She loves to hide them in her coat because you never know when they might come in handy.

When Jinx was older the circus came to town. Jinx showed off her acrobatic skills that she obtained from all the years of climbing trees and was allowed to join them. Jinx told her family she was leaving them to join the circus and to her surprise they didn’t seem to mind, they even encouraged her to go. Jinx has been traveling with the circus for a few months now, and has so far been having wonderful adventures.

== Traits ==
Clueless

Curious

Easy to Read

Impulsive

Short Attention Span

Overconfident

Jinx

2010-05-08T20:32:51Z

Brownt01:

[[Category:Characters]]

[[User:Brownt01|Traci's]] curious gnome in [[Bones of the Naga]].
[[Image:Jinx.png|thumb|400px|right]]

== Background ==

Jinx is a free spirit that enjoys going on adventures. When she was young she enjoyed playing games, climbing trees, and was always known to be a bit of a class clown. She can have quite an imagination, and loves to explore new things, though this can get her into some trouble from time to time. Jinx never means to do wrong, but is immensely attracted to small interesting items that may or may not always belong to her. She loves to hide them in her coat because you never know when they might come in handy.

When Jinx was older the circus came to town. Jinx showed off her acrobatic skills that she obtained from all the years of climbing trees and was allowed to join them. Jinx told her family she was leaving them to join the circus and to her surprise they didn’t seem to mind, they even encouraged her to go. Jinx has been traveling with the circus for a few months now, and so far having wonderful adventures.

== Traits ==
Clueless

Curious

Easy to Read

Impulsive

Short Attention Span

Overconfident

Jinx

2010-05-08T20:32:17Z

Brownt01:

[[Category:Characters]]

[[User:Brownt01|Traci's]] curious gnome [[Bones of the Naga]].
[[Image:Jinx.png|thumb|400px|right]]

== Background ==

Jinx is a free spirit that enjoys going on adventures. When she was young she enjoyed playing games, climbing trees, and was always known to be a bit of a class clown. She can have quite an imagination, and loves to explore new things, though this can get her into some trouble from time to time. Jinx never means to do wrong, but is immensely attracted to small interesting items that may or may not always belong to her. She loves to hide them in her coat because you never know when they might come in handy.

When Jinx was older the circus came to town. Jinx showed off her acrobatic skills that she obtained from all the years of climbing trees and was allowed to join them. Jinx told her family she was leaving them to join the circus and to her surprise they didn’t seem to mind, they even encouraged her to go. Jinx has been traveling with the circus for a few months now, and so far having wonderful adventures.

== Traits ==
Clueless

Curious

Easy to Read

Impulsive

Short Attention Span

Overconfident

Jinx

2010-05-08T20:31:32Z

Brownt01: Created page with 'Category:Characters Traci's curious gnome Bones of the Naga. right == Background == Jinx is a free spirit that enjoy…'

[[Category:Characters]]

[[User:Brownt01|Traci's]] curious gnome [[Bones of the Naga]].
[[Image:Jinks.png|thumb|400px|right]]

== Background ==

Jinx is a free spirit that enjoys going on adventures. When she was young she enjoyed playing games, climbing trees, and was always known to be a bit of a class clown. She can have quite an imagination, and loves to explore new things, though this can get her into some trouble from time to time. Jinx never means to do wrong, but is immensely attracted to small interesting items that may or may not always belong to her. She loves to hide them in her coat because you never know when they might come in handy.

When Jinx was older the circus came to town. Jinx showed off her acrobatic skills that she obtained from all the years of climbing trees and was allowed to join them. Jinx told her family she was leaving them to join the circus and to her surprise they didn’t seem to mind, they even encouraged her to go. Jinx has been traveling with the circus for a few months now, and so far having wonderful adventures.

== Traits ==
Clueless

Curious

Easy to Read

Impulsive

Short Attention Span

Overconfident

File:Jinx.png

2010-05-08T20:25:27Z

Brownt01:

Bones of the Naga

2010-05-08T20:23:38Z

Brownt01: /* The Party: */

GMed by [[User:Jesster|Jess]], starting the 1st of May 2010.

This will be a high fantasy campaign starting in the formerly plague-ridden city of [[Serenton|Serenton]].  Characters will be starting with moderate point values, and I'm planning on growing them fairly rapidly through the use of character points awarded for excellent role playing and in-character or movie-worthy actions or words as well as through loot and possible advantages and disadvantage development, based on role-playing.  My goal is to simulate, in a fashion, the more rapid and powerful character progression of other games such as Dungeons and Dragons.  However, there will still be role-playing required and I do not intend this to be exclusively a hack'n'slash tactical combat session. 

 

== Characters: ==

 From Fantasy book: 

''In low fantasy, and in fantasy based on folklore and fairy tales, point values below 100 often work well. An ordinary man thrown into adventure can be a 50-point character. In higher fantasy, characters built on 100-200 points work better; the added points can represent the Rank, Status, and Wealth of aristocrats, or the skills of veteran adventurers such as the heroes of sword and sorcery. In a dark fantasy setting, PCs may need the added points just for survival! Still higher point values are possible, but move the campaign to the level of epic, with heroes who can contend with the gods or challenge fate. This chapter assumes that the base for typical characters is 100 or 150 points, with up to 50 or 75 points in disadvantages. '' 

 

Characters should have diverse but realistic skill sets. That is if you've been a baker's assistant your whole life, you're probably not an expert rider and swordsman, but you may have high manual dexterity, a good cooking skill, some herb lore, and perhaps be strong from lugging around bags of flour and making deliveries or such. In that example you may also be overweight for gorging on your own tasty sweet specialties.

I expect role-playing, not just hack'n slash dice rolling. I will be awarding extra character points for playing your character and for good role-playing.

Party will start in the now recovering [[Serenton|Serenton]]. Serenton was plagued some two years back and many died. More left. The city was wholly evacuated and the Serentonian guard barricaded the outer walls, keeping the refugees who camped nearby from sneaking back in until the plague was dealt with. 

You are likely all young adventurers or perhaps elder citizens who've never risen to heroics previously.   At 100 points you are not likely complete novices. It is possible you are [[Serentonian Guards|Serentonian Guards]], mage apprentices, devout religious followers, wandering tradespeople or mercenaries. I would like interesting back stories perhaps to use to enhance the campaign. It is also altogether possible you have spent the entirety of your life in Serenton or any other city for that matter coming into Serenton only recently. It's possible you are not an experienced adventurer, but then it would be unlikely that you have a 15 riding skill and a 18 broadsword skill, for example. Your points might be invested into trade skills or "book learning".

Regardless of your origin and past you have to have some reason to be involved in the campaign. That means you have some affiliation with [[Abacaneeser|Abacaneeser]] the alchemist in Serenton. Perhaps you are his niece or nephew or have ran errands (sometimes adventurous) for him in the past. I would like it if at least some members of the party were familiar with each other prior to this. In any case, Abacaneeser has summoned you together for an errand that he trusts your skills will be valuable to accomplishing.

As there are primarily only humans native around Serenton, if you desire to be another race, you can use the following templates:

[[Elf Template|Elf ]]- -5 pt unusual background

[[Dwarf Template|Dwarf ]]- -5 pt unusual background

[[Half-elf Template|Half-elf]] - no cost

[[Half-orc Template|Half-orc]] - -2 pt unusual background

[[Gnome Template|Gnome]] - -5 pt unusual background

Other race - with DM consultation

Characters will have '''100 points''' to start with and up to '''-50 points''' in disadvantages with an optional additional -10 points to be used specifically for '''Enemies, Reputation or Debt '''disadvantages, but these must be a tangible part of your back story and your character during role-play.

Characters will be illiterate by default.  Being semi-literate (B p24) in the Common tongue will cost 1 pt, literate 2 pts.

=== '''Character outlines must be presented to the GM by the 16th of April in order to be in the outset of the campaign.''' ===

=== Equipment ===

*Characters will start with the TL3 starting wealth of $1000.00 which in Gurth recently has been one-thousand silver pieces. This can be modified by choosing the ''Wealth'' advantage or disadvantage accordingly. Clothing, weapons, armor and gear should be purchased at base cost in the Characters book from starting wealth. If you have $1000.00, you have nothing and are naked walking the streets of Gurth. A gold piece is ten silver pieces.

*Specialized adventure gear and magical items from [http://books.gurpthink.com/GURPS%20-%204th%20Edition%20-%20Dungeon%20Fantasy%201%20-%20Adventurers.pdf Dungeon Fantasy - Adventurers] are fine. Magic items must be purchased with character points, at a cost of 1 point per $1000 cost. * You may buy power stone(s) by spending 2 character points per power level, with a maximum of 12 power level total in all stones/items. Spending 20 points gets you a single 10 point powerstone, or two 5-point stones, etc. 

== The Party: ==

* [[Kemble Coyote]], played by [[User:Johnm|John]]
* [[Una Laing]], played by [[User:Niki|Niki]]
* [[Ferona]], played by [[User:Mel|Melissa]]
* [[Jinx]], played by [[User:Brownt01|Traci]]

== What Happened ==

=== Departure ===

Kemble and Ferona convened at [[Abacaneeser]]'s request, and agreed to fetch certain goods from a tower in [[Troll Wood]] 

{| width="943" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" border="1" style=""
|-
|
''I have called you both here to run an errand for me. There is an abandoned logging operation in the Trollwood. At the heart of this operation is an abandoned tower. Somewhere in that tower it is rumored there are the bones of a great serpent and I would very much like to have as many of those bones as possible. If you can procure me the head and teeth of that beast I will double your reward. Also, keep your eyes peeled for any other oddities. Amulets, baubles, flagons of strange brew. It could be a curious place, tred with caution and beware. The tower lies in the Trollwood, so Ferona's woodland knowledge should help you find it safely. It is said there were strange goblin-kin enslaved as the laborers of the operation and they may yet remain at the tower.''
|}
 He then gave each a potion and 5 gold coins to send them on their way.

Ferona gathered supplies and Kemble parlayed with a miserly stable-owner named Cleed for horse-transport. [[Image:Cleed.jpg|thumb|right]]

[[Una Laing|Una]], Abacaneezer's nosy and untrusting servant, haphazardly gathered some supplies and followed behind the pair secretly. She drank old wine in order to stay hydrated while trying to keep up with the horses as they left Serenton on Joseph's Road, heading southeast.

A night was spent in a kindly old farm woman's farmhouse. Una was discovered and embraced as a compatriot. Kemble swayed his way into sharing a bed with Ferona while the heavily fatigued Una passed out on the floor.

Along the way, they met an old [[Balkar The Golden|hunter]] who gave them a warning about Troll Wood.

{| width="940" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" border="1" style=""
|-
|
''"What news from Serenton?" ''

''"Going to visit a friend of mine who's keeping an eye on Serenton." "That's Trollwood you know? You'd best be cautious there. If'n you run into trolls, be sure to burn them. Otherwise, you'll run into 'em again." (regarding tower)"The old logging operation? A mess that was. Killed the druid in these parts they did. Had a hydra for pulling down trees as I recollect. Ah, gone now, mostly." "Ah to be young and full a piss'n vinegar again. Reckon I'd best be on my way." "Oh, them spitting gobs are round there. Mind yer eyes if you cross paths with them. They're fierce as hell, but old Dohbbart seems to have them mostly rangled."''

|}

The party entered Troll Wood with trepidation and gathered deadfall for a fire for dinner.

A troll snuck up in the night awakening Una who roused the others. Kemble was nearly eviscerated by the monster and narrowly escaped with his life. After Una threw a flurry of hasty hexes and Ferona tried to coax the forest into binding the beast, they eventually chased the beast off with burning sticks.

Then as they approached where they'd seen the bloodied Kemble fall, they were bound and drug rapidly through the darkness in nets. The local population of [[Slig|Sligs]] had captured the entire party and dragged them off to a fate yet unknown. The women awoke to look upon a clothed yellow goblinoid holding a small sword. With a spark of keen intelligence in his eye he peered at them wondering while other such creatures clad only in crude furs lurked about the early morning shadows of the deep TrollWood.

[[Category:Campaigns]]

File:Clock Necklace.jpg

2010-04-24T02:15:08Z

Brownt01:

File:Saber tooth.jpg

2010-04-24T01:31:49Z

Brownt01:

File:Pterodactyl.jpg

2010-04-24T01:31:29Z

Brownt01:

File:Damien.png

2010-04-24T01:31:08Z

Brownt01:

Tara.

2010-03-13T17:46:16Z

Brownt01:

[[Category:Characters]]

[[Image:Tara..jpg|thumb|right|400px]]

In [[Warlocks]], Tara, an ice sword wielding hottie, played by [[User:Nate]].

Tara.

2010-03-13T17:45:34Z

Brownt01:

[[Category:Characters]]

[[Image:Tara..jpg|thumb|right|400px]]

In [[Warlocks]], Ice sword wielding hottie, played by [[User:Nate]].

Tara.

2010-03-13T17:45:23Z

Brownt01: Created page with 'Category:Characters 400px In Warlocks, Ice sword wielding hottie, played by User:Nate.'

[[Category:Characters]]

[[Image:Tara.jpg|thumb|right|400px]]

In [[Warlocks]], Ice sword wielding hottie, played by [[User:Nate]].

File:Tara..jpg

2010-03-13T17:13:01Z

Brownt01:

Warlocks

2010-03-13T17:11:12Z

Brownt01: /* Characters */

[[Category:Campaigns]]
''An episodic campaign alternative to [[HotZone]].''

== Setting ==

In the remote high country of [[Sorcerers Isle]], the [[Iron Circle]] retrieves powerful artifacts from the hands of those unfit to understand them, usually by force, but sometimes through guile.

You are members of an elite team in service to the Iron Circle, responsible for seizing artifacts desired by the organization.

== Characters ==

* [[Aslar Ambrose]], - [[User:Melissa|Mel]]
* [[Óðinn]], - [[User:Daniel.bowling|Dan]]
* [[Cloch Mearog]], - [[User:Jesster|Jess]]
* [[Shota]], - [[User:BrownT|Traci]]
* [[Amanda Mordred]], - [[User:Johnm|John]]
* [[Tara.]], - [[User:Nate]]

== Character Creation ==
=== Points ===

* 350 points to spend
* max 50 in disadvantages
* max 150 in primary attributes

=== Race ===

You may be human or elven, using the following template (from [http://books.gurpthink.com/GURPS%20-%204th%20Edition%20-%20Fantasy.pdf GURPS Fantasy]):
<pre>
Attribute Modifiers: ST-1 [-10]; DX+1
[20].
Secondary Characteristic Modifiers:
Per+1 [5].
Advantages: Appearance (Attractive)
[4]; Magery 0 [5]; Perfect Balance
[15]; Telescopic Vision 1 [5];
Unaging [15]; Voice [10].
</pre>

=== Background ===
You have all been working in the service of the Iron Circle for a decade or more. Prior to that, your backgrounds can be as diverse and mundane or fantastic as desired. What draws you together is a shared profound belief in the mission of the organization: that magic belongs in the hands of mages, and must be collected from those unfit to wield or understand it. This isn't "good" or "evil", so you are probably not a black-hearted demon nor a cherubic do-gooder.

The Iron Circle has little respect for individuals lacking significant magical awareness, and so everyone should have a minimum of '''2 levels of Magery'''. You also should know at least a couple spells, but can focus your points on brawn and gear if desired.

By taking a 10-point Unusual Background and having a backstory for it, you may also each have '''one Exotic/Supernatural advantage''', ''subject to GM approval''. These all have the little lightning and alien icons next to their titles in the Characters book.

=== Spells ===

Spells can get complicated fast. Limit your spells to one or two colleges. Be familiar with your arsenal, and be ready with a 'standard operating procedure' of how you use your favorite spells (maybe just one or two) so we don't get too bogged down with spell mechanics.

=== Equipment ===

* Consider having a Wizard's Staff as describe in [http://books.gurpthink.com/GURPS%20-%204th%20Edition%20-%20Magic.pdf Magic] on p 13.
* Specialized adventure gear and magical items from [http://books.gurpthink.com/GURPS%20-%204th%20Edition%20-%20Dungeon%20Fantasy%201%20-%20Adventurers.pdf Dungeon Fantasy - Adventurers] are fine. Magic items ''must be purchased with character points'', at a cost of 1 point per $1000 cost.
* You may buy power stone(s) by ''spending 1 character point per power level'', with no maximum. Spending 20 points gets you a single 20 point powerstone, or two 10-point stones, etc.

== Episodes ==

=== Thendar's Belt ===
An afternoon on a broad stone balcony overlooking the rocky peaks of [[Sorcerers Isle]], sipping green aloe wine and enjoying a pyrotechnics display by [[Grazik Mordred]], is interrupted with word that the location of an artifact has been discovered. Gravik leads the team to the [[Iron Gate]] and provides a quick overview:
[[Image:Ooinn.gif|150px|thumb|right|[[Óðinn]]]]
Intelligence has been received from a dwarven mystic that a band of warring orcs in the [[Forbidden Steppes]] now has giants among their ranks, and there's reason to believe that [[Thendar's Belt]], an ancient artifact that gives the wearer the power to dominate giants, explains the "alliance". The team is to interview the mystic, approach the orcs, and seize the belt. Each team member is (as per usual) given an iron ring to wear upon their middle finger that, if twisted to and fro in a complex pattern, will transport the wearer back to the Iron Gate.
[[Image:Cloch2.jpg|150px|thumb|right|[[Cloch Mearog]]]]
Grazik drones a few words and the gate begins to resonate with harmonic readiness. One by one, the team leaps through, dissolving into mist and leaving a scent of rainstorm ozone in the room.
[[Image:Wizard.jpg|150px|thumb|right|[[Aslar Ambrose]]]]
They emerge near sunset fatigued and dehydrated (as usual) atop a 40' high round boulder at the bottom of a sparsely treed rocky slope and adjoining a broad and dusty plain. A few hundred yards up the hill, a narrow wisp of smoke snakes up from the trees.
[[Image:Elrid.jpg|150px|thumb|right|[[Elrid Grimhak]]]]
[[Shota]] sends her floating crystal eyeball up to inspect the smoke. It comes from a small cooking fire in a shallow cave. A bald dwarf lies face down in the back, and two orcs are laughing at a third who appears entangled in a raspberry bush.

After some discussion, [[Cloch Mearog]] magically bends the stone to his will, creating a narrow trough and chute that nearly reaches the ground. After he and [[Óðinn]] descend, [[Aslar Ambrose]] tumbles down it but is unhurt, and [[Shota]] levitates herself down.

The two young warriors begin charging up the hill. Cloch arrives first, and subdues the laughing orcs with ease. Óðinn arrives shortly afterwards and beheads the one in the bush

Meanwhile, the elders have stopped to provide aid to an elderly white wolf with a spear wound.

Once everyone has convened in the cave, the beaten [[Elrid Grimhak|dwarf]] is awakened, and [[Shota]] interrogates a blinded orc while Aslar discusses spruce-raspberry-honey brandy production with the dwarf. It is learned that the orc encampment is two miles south. The orcs are dispatched by a bloodthirsty Óðinn.

Rejuvenated by magical raspberries and a few minutes rest, the team marches south along the boulder strewn plain as sky darkens into night. Upon setting up camp, Cloch runs recon and discovers the orc encampment, complete with a 15' tall giant. He returns, and all sleep until a bit past dawn.

The orcs are on the move, creating a dust cloud visible a mile away. The young warriors begin a direct intercept course, while the elders take a more cautious approach, intending to come upon the war party from behind.

Some minutes later, at a range of just a few dozen yards, Óðinn and Cloch are spotted, and the orcs attack. Aslar and Shota break into a run to try and catch up while the battle rages. Cloch turns to stone, and wooden spear tips bounces uselessly off him. Óðinn has the questionable privilege of engaging the enslaved giant, and is nearly killed after grievously wounding the towering foe.

Shota arrives and fires ice daggers into multiple combatants as the orcs' morale is broken and they begin to scatter.

Cloch strips the [[Slog|orc leader]] and finds the fabled belt, worn ignorantly by the primitive subhuman.

The team twists their iron rings to return to base, leaving the two dozen bloodied orcs and nearly slain [[Tuatha Dudannon|giant]] behind on dusty plain. Mission accomplished.

Warlocks

2010-03-13T17:10:00Z

Brownt01: /* Characters */

[[Category:Campaigns]]
''An episodic campaign alternative to [[HotZone]].''

== Setting ==

In the remote high country of [[Sorcerers Isle]], the [[Iron Circle]] retrieves powerful artifacts from the hands of those unfit to understand them, usually by force, but sometimes through guile.

You are members of an elite team in service to the Iron Circle, responsible for seizing artifacts desired by the organization.

== Characters ==

* [[Aslar Ambrose]], - [[User:Melissa|Mel]]
* [[Óðinn]], - [[User:Daniel.bowling|Dan]]
* [[Cloch Mearog]], - [[User:Jesster|Jess]]
* [[Shota]], - [[User:BrownT|Traci]]
* [[Amanda Mordred]], - [[User:Johnm|John]]
* [[Tara]], - [[User:Nate]]

== Character Creation ==
=== Points ===

* 350 points to spend
* max 50 in disadvantages
* max 150 in primary attributes

=== Race ===

You may be human or elven, using the following template (from [http://books.gurpthink.com/GURPS%20-%204th%20Edition%20-%20Fantasy.pdf GURPS Fantasy]):
<pre>
Attribute Modifiers: ST-1 [-10]; DX+1
[20].
Secondary Characteristic Modifiers:
Per+1 [5].
Advantages: Appearance (Attractive)
[4]; Magery 0 [5]; Perfect Balance
[15]; Telescopic Vision 1 [5];
Unaging [15]; Voice [10].
</pre>

=== Background ===
You have all been working in the service of the Iron Circle for a decade or more. Prior to that, your backgrounds can be as diverse and mundane or fantastic as desired. What draws you together is a shared profound belief in the mission of the organization: that magic belongs in the hands of mages, and must be collected from those unfit to wield or understand it. This isn't "good" or "evil", so you are probably not a black-hearted demon nor a cherubic do-gooder.

The Iron Circle has little respect for individuals lacking significant magical awareness, and so everyone should have a minimum of '''2 levels of Magery'''. You also should know at least a couple spells, but can focus your points on brawn and gear if desired.

By taking a 10-point Unusual Background and having a backstory for it, you may also each have '''one Exotic/Supernatural advantage''', ''subject to GM approval''. These all have the little lightning and alien icons next to their titles in the Characters book.

=== Spells ===

Spells can get complicated fast. Limit your spells to one or two colleges. Be familiar with your arsenal, and be ready with a 'standard operating procedure' of how you use your favorite spells (maybe just one or two) so we don't get too bogged down with spell mechanics.

=== Equipment ===

* Consider having a Wizard's Staff as describe in [http://books.gurpthink.com/GURPS%20-%204th%20Edition%20-%20Magic.pdf Magic] on p 13.
* Specialized adventure gear and magical items from [http://books.gurpthink.com/GURPS%20-%204th%20Edition%20-%20Dungeon%20Fantasy%201%20-%20Adventurers.pdf Dungeon Fantasy - Adventurers] are fine. Magic items ''must be purchased with character points'', at a cost of 1 point per $1000 cost.
* You may buy power stone(s) by ''spending 1 character point per power level'', with no maximum. Spending 20 points gets you a single 20 point powerstone, or two 10-point stones, etc.

== Episodes ==

=== Thendar's Belt ===
An afternoon on a broad stone balcony overlooking the rocky peaks of [[Sorcerers Isle]], sipping green aloe wine and enjoying a pyrotechnics display by [[Grazik Mordred]], is interrupted with word that the location of an artifact has been discovered. Gravik leads the team to the [[Iron Gate]] and provides a quick overview:
[[Image:Ooinn.gif|150px|thumb|right|[[Óðinn]]]]
Intelligence has been received from a dwarven mystic that a band of warring orcs in the [[Forbidden Steppes]] now has giants among their ranks, and there's reason to believe that [[Thendar's Belt]], an ancient artifact that gives the wearer the power to dominate giants, explains the "alliance". The team is to interview the mystic, approach the orcs, and seize the belt. Each team member is (as per usual) given an iron ring to wear upon their middle finger that, if twisted to and fro in a complex pattern, will transport the wearer back to the Iron Gate.
[[Image:Cloch2.jpg|150px|thumb|right|[[Cloch Mearog]]]]
Grazik drones a few words and the gate begins to resonate with harmonic readiness. One by one, the team leaps through, dissolving into mist and leaving a scent of rainstorm ozone in the room.
[[Image:Wizard.jpg|150px|thumb|right|[[Aslar Ambrose]]]]
They emerge near sunset fatigued and dehydrated (as usual) atop a 40' high round boulder at the bottom of a sparsely treed rocky slope and adjoining a broad and dusty plain. A few hundred yards up the hill, a narrow wisp of smoke snakes up from the trees.
[[Image:Elrid.jpg|150px|thumb|right|[[Elrid Grimhak]]]]
[[Shota]] sends her floating crystal eyeball up to inspect the smoke. It comes from a small cooking fire in a shallow cave. A bald dwarf lies face down in the back, and two orcs are laughing at a third who appears entangled in a raspberry bush.

After some discussion, [[Cloch Mearog]] magically bends the stone to his will, creating a narrow trough and chute that nearly reaches the ground. After he and [[Óðinn]] descend, [[Aslar Ambrose]] tumbles down it but is unhurt, and [[Shota]] levitates herself down.

The two young warriors begin charging up the hill. Cloch arrives first, and subdues the laughing orcs with ease. Óðinn arrives shortly afterwards and beheads the one in the bush

Meanwhile, the elders have stopped to provide aid to an elderly white wolf with a spear wound.

Once everyone has convened in the cave, the beaten [[Elrid Grimhak|dwarf]] is awakened, and [[Shota]] interrogates a blinded orc while Aslar discusses spruce-raspberry-honey brandy production with the dwarf. It is learned that the orc encampment is two miles south. The orcs are dispatched by a bloodthirsty Óðinn.

Rejuvenated by magical raspberries and a few minutes rest, the team marches south along the boulder strewn plain as sky darkens into night. Upon setting up camp, Cloch runs recon and discovers the orc encampment, complete with a 15' tall giant. He returns, and all sleep until a bit past dawn.

The orcs are on the move, creating a dust cloud visible a mile away. The young warriors begin a direct intercept course, while the elders take a more cautious approach, intending to come upon the war party from behind.

Some minutes later, at a range of just a few dozen yards, Óðinn and Cloch are spotted, and the orcs attack. Aslar and Shota break into a run to try and catch up while the battle rages. Cloch turns to stone, and wooden spear tips bounces uselessly off him. Óðinn has the questionable privilege of engaging the enslaved giant, and is nearly killed after grievously wounding the towering foe.

Shota arrives and fires ice daggers into multiple combatants as the orcs' morale is broken and they begin to scatter.

Cloch strips the [[Slog|orc leader]] and finds the fabled belt, worn ignorantly by the primitive subhuman.

The team twists their iron rings to return to base, leaving the two dozen bloodied orcs and nearly slain [[Tuatha Dudannon|giant]] behind on dusty plain. Mission accomplished.

Shota

2010-03-13T17:08:19Z

Brownt01:

[[Category:Characters]]

In [[Warlocks]], Traci's blind crone.

[[Image:Shota.png|thumb|right|400px]]

== Background ==

Shota’s parents were both Mages at the [[Iron Circle]] when she was born. At a young age Shota showed a strong adeptness for magic. While Shota’s parents both excelled in fire spells, Shota seemed to enjoy working with water. Shota’s parents decided that she should explore this talent more and sent Shota to live with her Grandfather by the sea. There Shota began to learn the basics of water magic, but she was unsatisfied with even what her grandfather could teach her so she left on a pilgrimage to the Island of [[Aquagon]] which lore told was inhabited by many water spirits. There Shota was able to commune with the water spirits and learn more than any human would have been able to teach her. After a number of years she became a master or her magic. Shota not only learned how to create a water spirit no matter where she was in the world but even turn herself into water if the need arose. Eventually Shota decided that she should leave the island so that her talents could be put to good use.

Shota went back to her parents at the Iron Circle and began to work for them. After working for the Iron Circle for a number of years Shota discovered another mage, [[Zander]], who was attempting to hoard newly discovered magical items for himself. When she went to retrieve these stolen items Shota was taken prisoner and interrogated by the wizard to give up information on the magical items at the Iron Circle as well as giving up secrets of her own magical talents. Shota never gave in but was unable to escape from the prison she was being kept in. Eventually the Iron Circle sent several mages to free Shota from Zander. A battle ensued afterward between Shota, the other mages and Zander. Zander was eventually defeated but not before he blinded Shota with a powerful spell.

Shota went back to the Iron Circle and with the help with a number of wizards there was eventually able to learn a spell that would allow her to see by creating a wizards eye. Shota is now beginning to feel confident with her ability to again work for the Iron Circle despite being blinded and is going to start joining other wizards on missions again.

Shota

2010-03-13T17:07:40Z

Brownt01:

[[Category:Characters]]

In [[Warlocks]], Traci's blind crone.

[[Image:Shota.jpg|thumb|right|400px]]

== Background ==

Shota’s parents were both Mages at the [[Iron Circle]] when she was born. At a young age Shota showed a strong adeptness for magic. While Shota’s parents both excelled in fire spells, Shota seemed to enjoy working with water. Shota’s parents decided that she should explore this talent more and sent Shota to live with her Grandfather by the sea. There Shota began to learn the basics of water magic, but she was unsatisfied with even what her grandfather could teach her so she left on a pilgrimage to the Island of [[Aquagon]] which lore told was inhabited by many water spirits. There Shota was able to commune with the water spirits and learn more than any human would have been able to teach her. After a number of years she became a master or her magic. Shota not only learned how to create a water spirit no matter where she was in the world but even turn herself into water if the need arose. Eventually Shota decided that she should leave the island so that her talents could be put to good use.

Shota went back to her parents at the Iron Circle and began to work for them. After working for the Iron Circle for a number of years Shota discovered another mage, [[Zander]], who was attempting to hoard newly discovered magical items for himself. When she went to retrieve these stolen items Shota was taken prisoner and interrogated by the wizard to give up information on the magical items at the Iron Circle as well as giving up secrets of her own magical talents. Shota never gave in but was unable to escape from the prison she was being kept in. Eventually the Iron Circle sent several mages to free Shota from Zander. A battle ensued afterward between Shota, the other mages and Zander. Zander was eventually defeated but not before he blinded Shota with a powerful spell.

Shota went back to the Iron Circle and with the help with a number of wizards there was eventually able to learn a spell that would allow her to see by creating a wizards eye. Shota is now beginning to feel confident with her ability to again work for the Iron Circle despite being blinded and is going to start joining other wizards on missions again.

File:Shota.png

2010-03-13T17:05:59Z

Brownt01:

Aryia

2009-12-06T06:22:27Z

Brownt01: /* Background */

[[Category:Characters]]

Played by Traci in [[Darkness Rising]].

= Background =
[[File:Healer.jpg]]

Aryia grew up in a small town in The Spine among hard working people trying to subsist in a harsh mountainous environment. The town often had to deal with creatures like ogres, orcs, and goblins coming out of the mountains and attacking them so everyone in the town was trained to flight off such monsters.

Aryia’s father was the local healer, and taught her the trade as she was growing up. Her father always wanted more for her and when she was older he convinced her to travel to a small monastery called The [[Priory of Luna]] so she could further advance her skills.

Aryia studied at the prior for 10 years before it was razed by ogres in 06’. During the attack she did her part to keep the ogres at bay and helped save many lives in doing so. Even so, several died in the attack including her beloved teacher at the monastery [[Aquillo]]. Though many told Aryia there was nothing she could have done to save her teacher she vowed never to let anything like this happen to those she loved again. In order to keep her vow she moved to [[Talathese]] and began to practice with a wizard, [[Alban]], who taught her spells to keep away and fight evil.

[[Alban]] was notified about the wave and was able to protect himself and Aryia while it was hitting the city. After the wave hit Aryia did all she could to help those who had been injured by the wave. While doing so she ran into [[Saul]], an old friend of hers from the monastery. Saul told her of a ship sailing southward that was going to try to prevent a recurrence of another disaster like this one. When Aryia heard this she knew she had to be on that ship and immediately went to seek audience with [[Brad]] to gain passage on the ship.
[[File:Example.jpg]]

= Traits =

File:Healer.jpg

2009-12-06T06:20:55Z

Brownt01: Aryia

Aryia

HotZone

2009-11-07T04:10:38Z

Brownt01: /* Characters */

[[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]], the Russian sniper, played by [[User:Brantdanger]]
* [[Liam McGregor]], the Irish handgunner played by [[User:Jslife]]
* [[Jurgen Timonneh]] the German machinegunner played by Tom C.
* [[Sonny Crawford]] the redneck brawler played by [[User:Johnm]]
* [[Hugo Renaldo]], the Brazilian thug played by [[User:Johnm]]
* [[Johnny Tam]], Asian shooter, played by Antony
* [[Mr Wax]], ex-Vatican operative, played by Clay
* [[Annika Petrov]], [[Mr. Black]]'s apprentice, played by Melissa
* [[Alex]], Hot tempered Shotgun Wielding Aussie played by [[User:Brownt01]]

== Background ==

=== Global Context===
It's ten years in the future 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 Team ===

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.

== Character Creation ==

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 with old contact [[Hugo Renaldo]] 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...

=== Pirates and the Princess ===

The winter rains don't stop the team from whiling away the days at the tiki bar. The call comes in from [[Brad Feld]].

It seems that [[Roger Austin]], an Australian media mogul and billionaire, developed an online relationship with the daughter of a high-level Chinese diplomat. She decided to defect and was smuggled away from a Hong Kong shopping trip to his [http://www.powerboat-world.com/index.cfm?nid=40409 Seafaris] yacht, which was in the city to pick up a fine art purchase and some cutting edge security equipment destined for Austin's plantation outside Manila.

Eighteen hours ago, as the ship coasted to a halt so the crew could get some sleep, pirates in a speedboat apprehended the yacht and gained control of it. Before being taken, the crew sent an international distress call indicating the attackers were armed, and the Chinese military is mobilizing in response, though details are unknown.

'''The Mission''': rescue the girl, the crew, the art, the ship, and security equipment, in that order, by any means feasible, and get into Filipino waters 100 miles east before the Chinese military gets there and makes a mess of things.

'''The Offer''': $500k per man, per objective.

The team flew towards the South China Sea and heard additional intel from co-pilot [[Arana Aramoana]], who says the only way to approach the yacht is via parachute from 40 miles away. The group suits up with helmets and oxygen masks and reloads weapons with frangible rounds, and prepares to jump. Just then [[James Stirling]] calls, and tells them that his friend and fellow MI6 undercover operative [[Elizabeth Diamond]] is also on board. Before the conversation goes further, the aircraft's communications are scrambled by Chinese satellites and the call ends.
[[Image:Lizzy4.jpg|200px|thumb|right|[[Elizabeth Diamond]]]]
A peaceful high altitude parasailing journey commences, and as the group approaches the well-lit craft, [[Mr Wax]] aims and fires, missing with his first six rounds and then finally dropping the shirtless pirate on the back of the boat. Unfortunately, Wax then overshoots the deck and drops into the sea as the rest of the team alights upon the craft.

[[Johnny Tam]] wastes no time at all, and slays 3 pirates mere seconds after landing. A frenzied gun battle commences, but the malnourished pirates put up little resistance and soon the walls are streaked with blood, a bit of which is from Johnny's crippled left arm.

Back on board, [[Mr Wax]] kicks in a 5' circular window and introduces himself to [[Elizabeth Diamond]] and the crew of the Mr. Austin's vessel. Donned in a white bikini, she asks for a weapon, and Mr Wax produces one. She begins hunting as well, with [[Tag Leonards]] at her side.

Outmatched and outgunned, the pirates begin to jump overboard and start swimming for their speedboat, but not before the leader unloads his [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaXylb7suxI& Skorpion] into the engine compartment. With [[Sascha Lutsenko]] and [[Mr Wax]] picking off stragglers, Tag inspects the damage, which is catastrophic. He adds C4 to the mix.

[[Elizabeth Diamond|Lizzy]] finds the girl, [[Mimi Zho]], hiding in a kitchen cupboard, and Sascha announces that a helicopter and navy ship are approaching, and begins assembling his sniper rifle.

The team decides to escape on the speedboat, and so begins consolidating the art and security equipment cargo while [[Mr Wax]] eliminates the last of its owners and then rows the dinghy out to the escape vehicle. He throws the bodies overboard and spins the craft around while Sascha assassinates the co-pilot and pilot of the circling chopper.

As the helicopter crashes into the sea, the Chinese navy gunship then issues a stern warning, translated by Johnny, and the team knows time is short. Clamoring into the speedboat and hurling the last of the cargo onboard, the team speeds off as the Chinese anti-aircraft guns begin ripping the yacht to shreds and Tag's C4 detonates. The enormity of the explosion masks the speedboat's escape.

Before reaching Philippine waters though, the speedboat runs out of fuel. Tag converts a pair of white phosphorus grenades into makeshift jetpacks, and the gets the craft surging forward again, far enough to be spotted the Aussie navy vessel awaiting them a few miles away.

On shore in Manila, [[Elizabeth Diamond]] nods to the team gratefully and makes an elegant exit. Young [[Mimi Zho]] pledges to visit [[Johnny Tam]] at the [[Hall of Justice]] one of these days.

[[Brad Feld]] checks in, expresses [[Roger Austin]]'s gratitude, and confirms final details on the transfer of funds to each team member.

Mission Accomplished.

=== Stealing Back the Loot ===

The scene opens with [[Tag Leonards]] and [[Sascha Lutsenko]] sitting at the Tiki Bar, nursing mild hangovers with fresh drinks, and idly watching some tourist girls apply sunscreen to one another. [[Image:beach-girls.jpg|150px|thumb|right|Beach girls outside the Tiki Bar]] Bartender [[Mambobo]] is just bringing a second round when a battered red taxi pulls up in the gravelly parking lot.

A [[Bobby Blakely|white man in his early thirties wearing a beige sport jacket]] jumps out and walks briskly toward the team smiling and waving. This is [[Bobby Blakely]], who says he works for the American State Department, and that his boss, a "[[Mr. Black]]", is wanting to hire the team for some work well suited to their skills.

Once on board his private plane, [[Mr. Black]] introduces the team to his apprentice, [[Annika Petrov]], who shows the team the weapons cache to choose from. Mr. Black proceeds to explain the need for the team's involvement.

[[Abdul Tabir]], an up-and-coming drug warlord in Afghanistan and Pakistan, doublecrossed a massive CIA-arranged heroin deal, and with the help of Russian snipers, decimated the Blackwater-run entourage; a sole survivor, [[Karl Marvin]], was shot in the eye but escaped to tell the tale.

[[Image:Abdul-tabir.jpg|150px|thumb|right|Abdul Tabir, Drug warlord, Entrepreneur]]

The military pursued the aggressors as far as the Tajikistan border, but then stopped, due to concerns about recent Russian involvement in the country. Hence, an off-the-books team is needed.

Mr. Black's plane flies the team to Kabul, Afghanistan, where they switch to a military helicopter transport after meeting up with their translator (and bodyguard, she quips), [[Kali Sira]]. The chopper takes them to a remote village near the border, where an Army captain provides an armored Suburban, recently taken from a regional warlord.

[[Image:suburban.jpg|150px|thumb|right|Bulletproof Afghan Suburban]]

The team drives through what remains of the night and crosses the border easily with [[Annika Petrov|Annika's]] silently delivered bribe, and drives for a long day into the remote high country.

The next day, as they crest a mountain pass, they see a jeep half in a ditch on the side of the road, and four Russian soldiers. Annika stops short, but one of the soldiers waves them forward. Not suspecting the team can speak Russian, the soldiers spill the beans that they intend to seize the vehicle. Annika throws the Suburban in reverse, [[Tag Leonards|Tag]] tosses a frag grenade out the window at them, and the soldiers dive for cover.

Annika loses a headlight to a roadside boulder, but positions the Suburban so that [[Sascha Lutsenko|Sascha]] can get a clean shot. [[Kali Sira|Kali]], weaponless, buries her head in Annika's lap, while Tag prepares a rocket launcher.

Moments later, the soldiers and an unfortunate Tajik tribesman are dead, and a Russian cellphone full of text messages provides the intel that the jeep was en route to a rendezvous at a dead end where they were to confirm [[Abdul Tabir]]'s claim of possessing a massive load of heroin and cash. And, that they had two European hostages, just in case.

The team drives on into the high country, and after dark it begins to snow. Five miles from the rendezvous, they park the truck and proceed on foot, Tag obsessively stopping every 15 yards to scan the road ahead and mountainsides above for enemies. His caution pays off, and he spots a sniper at 800 yards. As the team discusses tactics, a shot rings out and narrowly misses them.

Tag identifies a cliff face that will keep him concealed and put him within 100 yards of the sniper, and so he starts climbing while the rest of the team hides out in the gully below. As Tag reaches the top, he breaks a sturdy branch, slips, and finds himself wedged between two rocks. He also spots three trucks coming down the road towards his compatriots below.

[[Sascha Lutsenko|Sascha]] takes up a position back down the road a ways, where the team's footprints in the fresh snow veer off into the gully. The trucks stop there (having a minor fender-bender in the process), and then the firefight begins. [[Tag Leonards|Tag's]] well-placed frag grenade blows up two of the vehicles, sending Afghan militiamen scattering, easy targets for Sascha and Annika.

Meanwhile, two foes the sniper and his spotter, fall to another of Tag's well-placed grenades.

[[Kali Sira|Kali]] and [[Sascha Lutsenko|Sascha]] both answer Tabir's calls for status reports to the convoy and sniper respectively, with adequately convincing aplomb.

At the rendezvous site, [[Annika Petrov|Annika]] sneaks in and sizes op the opposition while Tag prepares the rocket launcher. One cabin, and a large carport with two flatbed trucks piled high with cargo, between which fifteen militiamen stand around a barrel fire.

A moment later, blonde hostage [[Elsa Danube]] is led from the cabin to the outhouse on the far side, and then it's on:

[[Image:Elsa-Danube2.jpg|150px|thumb|right|Elsa Danube]]

Tag blows one SUV atop the other, sending a wave of concussive force, debris, and flames into the main contingent of militiamen, sending them flying. Annika mops up survivors with her new [http://sas.guidespot.com/bundles/guides_7w/assets/widget_bhLKWNZ3nboj8ep-zznHOn.jpg Desert Eagle].

Sascha and Kali, who can barely see in the dark, take up a position atop the grated helipad, and Sascha begins sniping exposed heads and sternums. Tag fires his last rocket, but it sails high, clearing the slanted roof of the cabin and exploding dramatically on the mountain wall beyond.

Sascha and Kali take advantage of a brief moment of silence to get to know one another better. In the dark. On the helipad.

Tag drops the launcher and sprints through the snow towards the melee, but sprains his ankle in the dark.

[[Annika Petrov|Annika]] ducks into the cabin and lays waste to a remaining Russian, and then to [[Abdul Tabir]] himself with a grenade, but not before she hears him speaking on a radio: "They are attacking right now! Bring the helicopter, we need air support!"

With all foes dead and a shaken [[Elsa Danube]] collected, the team prepares for the helicopter's arrival. Tag booby traps the helipad with a colection of frag grenades, and the rest of the team hides out. The [http://images.google.com/images?q=hind+24 Hind 24] arrives, turns on the floodlights, and circles the base for a minute, looking for targets, and then lands on the helipad.

Tag triggers the trap just as 7 armored soldiers pour out, sending them flying. Sascha ends the pilot's life, and begins the task of loading up a few tons of heroin onto the damaged chopper. The cash is in a pair of Toyota Sequoias, and so some time later, the team rolls out, with Sascha and Annika flying the chopper, and an injured Tag and Kali driving the cash trucks.

After a long drive they are greeted at the border by 6 Apache helicopters who ascertain the team's mission and guide them on back to Kabul.

After a couple days of R&R, [[Sascha Lutsenko]] and [[Kali Sira]] head for Nepal for some sightseeing, [[Annika Petrov]] rejoins [[Mr. Black]] (somewhere), and [[Tag Leonards]] heads to Bombay for ankle surgery, followed by some weeks of recuperation, tended to by [[Sara Cho]], [[Annalise]], and [[Natasha]] back at the [[Hall of Justice]].

Alex

2009-11-07T04:07:26Z

Brownt01:

[[Category:Characters]]

In [[HotZone]], Hot tempered Shotgun Wielding Aussie played by Traci.

[[Image:Alex.jpg|right]]

Alex was born in Australia, she grew up hunting large game in the Australian outback with her 6 older brothers. She became just another one of the boys in the family; Alex learned how to shoot and fight with the rest of them. Since she came from such a large family she learned how to take control of situations, and not let anyone take advantage of her. She carried these skills with her after she left the nest, and continues to be a force to be reckoned with.

Alex

2009-11-07T04:05:27Z

Brownt01:

[[Image:Alex.jpg|right]]

Alex was born in Australia, she grew up hunting large game in the Australian outback with her 6 older brothers. She became just another one of the boys in the family; Alex learned how to shoot and fight with the rest of them. Since she came from such a large family she learned how to take control of situations, and not let anyone take advantage of her. She carried these skills with her after she left the nest, and continues to be a force to be reckoned with.

File:Alex.jpg

2009-11-07T03:54:21Z

Brownt01:

Alex

2009-11-07T03:52:21Z

Brownt01: Created page with 'right'

[[Image:Alex.jpg|right]]

Shadow of the Colossus

2009-10-10T20:06:04Z

Brownt01: /* Characters */

==Setting==
This campaign takes place in the the lands of [[Nouchi]] and the [[Empire of the Clouds]]. [[User:Jesster|Jesster]] will be GM.

Current status is that the Empire still rules and protects it citizens beneath the gray sky, while a rebellion stirs at the fringes and in secrecy beneath the clouds. The lumbering silver-backed mountain known as the colossus, still ambles about the countryside leaving wreckage in it's wake.

==Intro==
This campaign will start in [[Eigyou]], a trade city dealing mostly with agricultural goods traveling to the imperial capital of [[Shuto]] across a narrow channel called Dogleg Straight. Eigyou is near the heart of the Empire of the Clouds and therefor, weapons and armor are strictly controlled by the Empire.

==Character Guidelines==
Characters will be random adventurers in Eigyou whom [[Teernan]] has recruited.

If you are an outlander, you will likely have to register with Imperial guard who you are, what your business is in the empire and what armaments you carry. Depending on how you entered the country and what your business is, I'm willing to entertain the possibility of avoiding such a bureaucratic legitimization of your visit, if your backstory warrants it.

Possible character threads:
* Any of a plethora of basic adventurers not tied to the setting. These could be fortune seekers, pirates, information brokers, con artists, traveling entertainers, ancient sages seeking lore from the imperial libraries, aimless youths soul-searching, ex-convicts seeking refuge and redemption with the southern monks, rich nobles in seek of real estate ventures or countless others.
* Someone from [[Kara-Tur]] sent by the [[Emerald Emir]] on an urgent quest.
* An Imperial Gray Coat on business for the Empire.
* A player could be one of the [[Dark Templars]] carrying out Imperial orders.
A player could be sided with the rebels or the Empire or neither. If you have ideas for the Rebellion, let me know. It is far from developed. It has been shown in one small instance that the rebels were dealing at some level with the western barbarians for combat training, weapons and armor of their great western steel.

===Points===
Characters will start with 200 points with the following specifications. No more than -100 in Disadvantages, dropped attributes, dependents, wealth and so on. No more than a score of 14 on an Attribute without supporting back-story, as a 15 is immediately apparent and draws constant comment as per description on pg 14. Tech level = 4.

I would also like to recommend that characters think of a handful of skills that help define your character and how they act in a given situation. These should be your ''primary skills'' and should have a skill level of at least 14. Then you should have another handful of ''secondary skills'' that it wouldn't make sense for your character not to have and have at least a level of 11. You can then add other background skills to flesh out your character.

An example would be if I were a pirate, I would probably have at least, the following ''primary skills'': fencing (rapier), crewman, swimming. Then I may have the following ''secondary skills'': boating, knife, gambling, intimidation, detect lies. And maybe some background skills that help define my character, like fishing and cooking because I used to be a fisherman and maybe slight of hand (for gambling) and brawling because sometimes the gambling doesn't go so well.

==Characters==
[[Vasker Raiden]] played by [[User:Johnm]]

[[Bridget]] played by [[User:Brownt01]]

[[Esme Harrington]] played by [[User:Mel]]

Character played by Dan

Character played by Antony

==What Happened==
Stuff will happen.

[[Category:Campaigns]]

Shadow of the Colossus

2009-10-09T18:51:38Z

Brownt01: /* Characters */

==Setting==
This campaign takes place in the the lands of [[Nouchi]] and the [[Empire of the Clouds]]. [[User:Jesster|Jesster]] will be GM.

Current status is that the Empire still rules and protects it citizens beneath the gray sky, while a rebellion stirs at the fringes and in secrecy beneath the clouds. The lumbering silver-backed mountain known as the colossus, still ambles about the countryside leaving wreckage in it's wake.

==Intro==
This campaign will start in [[Eigyou]], a trade city dealing mostly with agricultural goods traveling to the imperial capital of [[Shuto]] across a narrow channel called Dogleg Straight. Eigyou is near the heart of the Empire of the Clouds and therefor, weapons and armor are strictly controlled by the Empire.

==Character Guidelines==
Characters will be random adventurers in Eigyou whom [[Teernan]] has recruited.

If you are an outlander, you will likely have to register with Imperial guard who you are, what your business is in the empire and what armaments you carry. Depending on how you entered the country and what your business is, I'm willing to entertain the possibility of avoiding such a bureaucratic legitimization of your visit, if your backstory warrants it.

Possible character threads:
* Any of a plethora of basic adventurers not tied to the setting. These could be fortune seekers, pirates, information brokers, con artists, traveling entertainers, ancient sages seeking lore from the imperial libraries, aimless youths soul-searching, ex-convicts seeking refuge and redemption with the southern monks, rich nobles in seek of real estate ventures or countless others.
* Someone from [[Kara-Tur]] sent by the [[Emerald Emir]] on an urgent quest.
* An Imperial Gray Coat on business for the Empire.
* A player could be one of the [[Dark Templars]] carrying out Imperial orders.
A player could be sided with the rebels or the Empire or neither. If you have ideas for the Rebellion, let me know. It is far from developed. It has been shown in one small instance that the rebels were dealing at some level with the western barbarians for combat training, weapons and armor of their great western steel.

===Points===
Characters will start with 200 points with the following specifications. No more than -100 in Disadvantages, dropped attributes, dependents, wealth and so on. No more than a score of 14 on an Attribute without supporting back-story, as a 15 is immediately apparent and draws constant comment as per description on pg 14.

I would also like to recommend that characters think of a handful of skills that help define your character and how they act in a given situation. These should be your ''primary skills'' and should have a skill level of at least 14. Then you should have another handful of ''secondary skills'' that it wouldn't make sense for your character not to have and have at least a level of 11. You can then add other background skills to flesh out your character.

An example would be if I were a pirate, I would probably have at least, the following ''primary skills'': fencing (rapier), crewman, swimming. Then I may have the following ''secondary skills'': boating, knife, gambling, intimidation, detect lies. And maybe some background skills that help define my character, like fishing and cooking because I used to be a fisherman and maybe slight of hand (for gambling) and brawling because sometimes the gambling doesn't go so well.

==Characters==
[[Vasker Raiden]] played by [[User:Johnm]]

[[Brigett]] played by [[User:Brownt01]]

[[Esme Harrington]] played by [[User:Mel]]

==What Happened==
Stuff will happen.

[[Category:Campaigns]]

Brigett

2009-10-09T18:50:55Z

Brownt01:

[[file:ugly_woman.gif]]

Brigett is the daughter of the wealthy Duke Aringnus. She was born under unfortunate circumstances, which set the pace for the rest of her life. When Brigett’s mother, Lady Isabella, went into labor the midwife knew the hours ahead were going to be difficult. She wasn’t sure if the baby or mother were going to make it. The labor lasted for three days and much to the midwife’s surprise Isabella gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Exhausted but overjoyed Isabella held the baby in her arms and told the midwife she wanted to name her Brigett after her own mother. Soon after naming her first child Lady Isabella passed out from exhaustion and passed away later that night.

When the Duke heard this he was both saddened and enraged. He blamed his wife’s death on their newly born daughter. His first-born was supposed to be a son and the heir of all of Aringus's estates. On Brigett's first day in the world she had already disappointed her father in many ways. His disappointment only grew as she aged. Unlike her fair mother Brigett was one of the most hideous girls Aringus had ever laid eyes upon. Not only was she the ugliest girl he had ever seen but she was also the largest. Everyday she seemed to grow bigger; by her 13th year she was already the size of most full-grown men.

Regardless of what she looked like or what she had done Aringus realized she was his only heir and he had to prepare her properly so that she could one day take his place. Aringus knew he could not let her out in public in fear that Brigett would disgrace him further so he hired private tutors for all of her studies.

As Brigett grew older she began to resent her father nearly as much as he resented her. She hated being cooped up in the castle all of the time and made a plan to sneak out of the castle to see the people of the town. Once she was out of the castle she noticed most of the townspeople shied away from her. They were put off not only by her massive size but also her gruesome appearance. Eventually a group of young boys got up enough courage to go out and mock her while throwing rotten fruit in her direction. Brigett was horrified and ran back to the castle. That night she decided she could no longer live in this place where everyone hated and feared her. She cut her hair and put on her fathers old armor and took his prized greatsword. When she looked in the mirror she was surprised how well she was able to pass as a man.

She again snuck out of the castle and rode her horse south as hard and as fast as she could. There she was able to join the army and spent a year training with them. She learned how to use her fathers greatsword and was able to fit in with the other men well. Brigett was happier than she ever had been in her life and was finally feeling like she had found somewhere that she belonged.
One day one of the men she had been training with walked in on her changing. Brigett told him the story of her father and how she had run away and begged the man to tell no one about who she really was. The man agreed to keep her secret and Brigett thought she was safe.

One week later trumpets sounded at the break of dawn; someone special was in the camp. As Brigett got up to see who it was she was shocked to see that it was her father riding in on his horse. Her father stopped in front of her as the man, who had found out she was a woman, came up to her father. Aringus tossed the man a bag of coins and thanked him for finding his daughter. Brigett felt a deep sadness wash over her body. She could not believe a man she had grown so close to in the past year had betrayed her.

Aringus forced Brigett into a dress and drug her back to the castle. There her father made her meet suitable matches for a wedding that would occur on her 18th birthday. The men who did not immediately run away after seeing Brigett were still able to make it painfully obvious that they would never be interested in such a marriage no matter how noble her status.

Brigett had hit a new low in her life. She knew she would not be able to endure much longer unless there was a drastic change in her life. Brigett resolutely decided that she must run away again. This time she knew she had to go somewhere her father would never be able to find her.

One night, when her father had gotten particularly drunk and passed out, Brigett was able to steal his keys. With the keys she was able to steal back the armor and greatsword as well as a few coffers full of coins. She left the castle in the dead of night taking the back roads so no one would see her. She decided she would head towards the sea in order to gain passage on a ship to a distant land.

She eventually made it to the Sri, and located a ship that was to set sail for the Empire of the Clouds. Despite her appearance and size she was able to get passage on the ship with her own cabin and few questions asked once she showed the captain how much she had in her coffers.

Brigett

2009-10-09T06:33:28Z

Brownt01:

[[file:ugly_woman.gif]]

Brigett is the daughter of the wealthy Duke Aringnus. She was born under unfortunate circumstances, which set the pace for the rest of her life. When Brigett’s mother, Lady Isabella, went into labor the midwife knew it was going to be difficult labor. She wasn’t sure if the baby or the mother were going to make it. The labor lasted for three days and much to the midwife’s surprise Isabella gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Exhausted but overjoyed Isabella held the baby in her arms and told the midwife she wanted to name her Brigett after her own mother. Soon after naming her first child Isabella fell asleep but sadly it was a sleep that she would never wake from.

When the Duke heard this he was both saddened and enraged. He blamed his wife’s death on their newly born daughter. His first-born was supposed to be a son so Brigett had already disappointed him in many ways. His disappointment only grew as she aged. Unlike her fair mother Brigett was one of the most hideous girls Aringus had ever laid eyes upon. Not only was she the ugliest girl he had ever seen but she was also the largest. Everyday she seemed to grow bigger; by her 13th year she was already the size of most full-grown men.

Regardless of what she looked like or what she had done Aringus realized she was his only heir and he had to prepare her properly so that she could one day take his place. Aringus knew he could not let her out in public in fear that Brigett would disgrace him further so he hired private tutors for all of her studies.

As Brigett grew older she began to resent her father nearly as much as he resented her. She hated being cooped up in the castle all of the time and made a plan to sneak out of the castle to see the people of the town. Once she was out of the castle she noticed most of the townspeople shied away from her. They were put off not only by her massive size but also her gruesome appearance. Eventually a group of young boys got up enough courage to go out and mock her while throwing rotten fruit in her direction. Brigett was horrified and ran back to the castle. That night she decided she could no longer live in this place where everyone hated and feared her. She cut her hair and put on her fathers old armor and took his prized great sword. When she looked in the mirror she was surprised how well she was able to pass as a man.

She again snuck out of the castle and rode her horse south as hard and as fast as she could. There she was able to join the army and spent a year training with them. She learned how to use her great sword and was able to fit in with the other men well. Brigett was happier than she ever had been in her life and was finally feeling like she had found somewhere that she belonged.
One day one of the men she had been training with walked in on her changing. She begged him to tell no one who she really was as she told him the story of her father and how she had run away. The man agreed to keep her secret and Brigett thought she was safe.
One week later trumpets sounded at the break of dawn, someone special was in the camp. As Brigett got up to see who it was she was shocked to see that it was her father riding in on his horse. Her father stopped in front of her as the man, who had found out she was a woman, came up to her father. Aringus tossed the man a bag of coins and thanked him for finding his daughter. Brigett felt a deep sadness wash over her body. She could not believe a man she had grown so close to in the past year had betrayed her.

Aringus forced Brigett into a dress and drug her back to the castle. There her father made her meet suitable matches for a wedding that would occur on her 18th birthday. The men who did not immediately run away after seeing Brigett were still able to make it painfully obvious that they would never be interested in such a marriage no matter how noble her status.

Brigett had hit a new low in her life. She knew she would not be able to endure much longer unless something drastic was to change. Brigett resolutely decided that she must run away again. This time she knew she had to go somewhere her father would never be able to find her.

One night, when her father had gotten particularly drunk and passed out, Brigett was able to steal his keys. With the keys she was able to steal back the armor and great sword as well as a few coffers full of coins. She left the castle in the dead of night taking the back roads so no one would see her. She decided she would head towards the sea in order to gain passage on a ship to a distant land.

She eventually made it to the Sri, and located a ship that was to set sail for the Empire of the Clouds. Despite her appearance and size she was able to get passage on the ship with her own cabin and few questions asked once she showed the captain how much she had in her coffers.

File:Ugly woman.gif

2009-10-09T06:31:13Z

Brownt01:

Brigett

2009-10-09T06:27:03Z

Brownt01: Created page with 'Brigett is the daughter of the wealthy Duke Aringnus. She was born under unfortunate circumstances, which set the pace for the rest of her life. When Brigett’s mother, Lady …'

Brigett is the daughter of the wealthy Duke Aringnus. She was born under unfortunate circumstances, which set the pace for the rest of her life. When Brigett’s mother, Lady Isabella, went into labor the midwife knew it was going to be difficult labor. She wasn’t sure if the baby or the mother were going to make it. The labor lasted for three days and much to the midwife’s surprise Isabella gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Exhausted but overjoyed Isabella held the baby in her arms and told the midwife she wanted to name her Brigett after her own mother. Soon after naming her first child Isabella fell asleep but sadly it was a sleep that she would never wake from.

When the Duke heard this he was both saddened and enraged. He blamed his wife’s death on their newly born daughter. His first-born was supposed to be a son so Brigett had already disappointed him in many ways. His disappointment only grew as she aged. Unlike her fair mother Brigett was one of the most hideous girls Aringus had ever laid eyes upon. Not only was she the ugliest girl he had ever seen but she was also the largest. Everyday she seemed to grow bigger; by her 13th year she was already the size of most full-grown men.

Regardless of what she looked like or what she had done Aringus realized she was his only heir and he had to prepare her properly so that she could one day take his place. Aringus knew he could not let her out in public in fear that Brigett would disgrace him further so he hired private tutors for all of her studies.

As Brigett grew older she began to resent her father nearly as much as he resented her. She hated being cooped up in the castle all of the time and made a plan to sneak out of the castle to see the people of the town. Once she was out of the castle she noticed most of the townspeople shied away from her. They were put off not only by her massive size but also her gruesome appearance. Eventually a group of young boys got up enough courage to go out and mock her while throwing rotten fruit in her direction. Brigett was horrified and ran back to the castle. That night she decided she could no longer live in this place where everyone hated and feared her. She cut her hair and put on her fathers old armor and took his prized great sword. When she looked in the mirror she was surprised how well she was able to pass as a man.

She again snuck out of the castle and rode her horse south as hard and as fast as she could. There she was able to join the army and spent a year training with them. She learned how to use her great sword and was able to fit in with the other men well. Brigett was happier than she ever had been in her life and was finally feeling like she had found somewhere that she belonged.
One day one of the men she had been training with walked in on her changing. She begged him to tell no one who she really was as she told him the story of her father and how she had run away. The man agreed to keep her secret and Brigett thought she was safe.
One week later trumpets sounded at the break of dawn, someone special was in the camp. As Brigett got up to see who it was she was shocked to see that it was her father riding in on his horse. Her father stopped in front of her as the man, who had found out she was a woman, came up to her father. Aringus tossed the man a bag of coins and thanked him for finding his daughter. Brigett felt a deep sadness wash over her body. She could not believe a man she had grown so close to in the past year had betrayed her.

Aringus forced Brigett into a dress and drug her back to the castle. There her father made her meet suitable matches for a wedding that would occur on her 18th birthday. The men who did not immediately run away after seeing Brigett were still able to make it painfully obvious that they would never be interested in such a marriage no matter how noble her status.

Brigett had hit a new low in her life. She knew she would not be able to endure much longer unless something drastic was to change. Brigett resolutely decided that she must run away again. This time she knew she had to go somewhere her father would never be able to find her.

One night, when her father had gotten particularly drunk and passed out, Brigett was able to steal his keys. With the keys she was able to steal back the armor and great sword as well as a few coffers full of coins. She left the castle in the dead of night taking the back roads so no one would see her. She decided she would head towards the sea in order to gain passage on a ship to a distant land.

She eventually made it to the Sri, and located a ship that was to set sail for the Empire of the Clouds. Despite her appearance and size she was able to get passage on the ship with her own cabin and few questions asked once she showed the captain how much she had in her coffers.

Darkness Rising

2009-09-15T16:07:47Z

Brownt01: /* To the Castle */

[[Category:Campaigns]]

== Setting ==

This is a mid/high-fantasy campaign with elements of horror.

It is two years after the conclusion of the [[Ur]] campaign. [[Kojax]] occupies his time hunting for evil in the [[Plains of Ur]] with a small squad of [[Wolves]], leaving the governance of [[Talathees]] to [[Brad]] and the elected civilian [[Talathesian Council]].

It is a time of peace and prosperity along nearly the entire south coast of [[Kara-Tur]], and in the fall of '09, as another rich harvest of grains is being wheeled into Talathesian granaries, ambassadors from several faraway lands have convened at [[Brad]]'s invitation to discuss topics of mutual economic interest and security.

== Intro ==

The foreign dignitaries include:
* Lord [[Camthalion]] representing Elven Queen [[Wendella]] of [[Alatyth]]
* Trade Minister [[Kamuzu]], representing the interests of [[King Abdullah]] of [[Osiris]]
* Exalted Priestess [[Zaliki]], representing the Pharaoh of [[Ra]]
* Commander [[Aishani]] of [[Sri]]
* Ambassador [[Vaselios]], representing the loose federation of islands southwest of [[Talathees]]

Each is accompanied by an entourage of bodyguards, negotiators, tacticians, priests, servants, stylists, publicists, and other unspecified "assistants" to ensure their respective leader's interests are looked after.

'''You are part of one such entourage.'''

Seven days into the proceedings, which take place on the third floor of the recently rebuilt grand white marble halls of the administrative buildings of downtown Talathees, [[Brad]] makes an urgent announcement:

Hear ye, my distinguished friends. I bear this message with a heavy heart. In a short time,
a disaster will befall my fair city, and likely yours as well. My sages tell me an ocean wave
of great proportions will soon strike our shores, and I trust this warning. We have begun to
plan for its arrival; there is no time to move 15,000 souls to high ground.

I ask that you and your people remain in these upper meeting halls; do not attempt to return to
your lodging or your ships. There is no time, and me and my staff trust that this Talathesian
marble and our Talathesian architects will keep us safe.

The room breaks out in distinguished chaos, with murmurings of treachery and debates among the tacticians and bodyguards of whether to take violent action, or flee.

Minutes later, the wave hits, and the deep thundering of its arrival draws the assembled dignitaries and their councilors to the open-air windows on the south side of the hall. Several great wooden docks of Talathees are upended and splintered like kindling, many boats flipped over and crushed against the fortified seawalls, and millions of gallons of seawater plummets over the stone defenses and gush through the streets of the city, bowling crowds over like beetles in a river.

Scores of people and livestock drown, winter stores are ruined by the seawater, and half of all the Talthesian navy ships are destroyed. A gray-bearded man called [[Saul]] wades through the flood, pulling injured children out of the debris-littered water.

Late that evening, as the immediate effects of the crisis are ascertained and addressed, Brad and all the visiting leaders convene in a private meeting. The leaders emerge shaken, ashen-faced, but resolute.

Each leader then convenes their entourage to explain what must be done:

The tsunami was not a natural phenomenon. A ship must sail south towards the source of the great wave and prevent a recurrence. [[Aishani]] will provide a swift man-o-war vessel and crew, [[Brad]] will provide a small squad of [[Wolves]], and each leader will send a representative along if desired.

'''You are those representatives.'''

== Character Creation ==

This is likely to be treacherous journey, and so the leaders probably won't select their concubines or stylists for this mission.

Non-humans (except for elves representing Elven Lands) need to take a 10-point unusual background and develop a story that explains their position of trust and influence. Non-human races include elf, dwarf, goblin, orc, ogre, and halfbreeds thereof.

Since you are serving the interests of a political/religious/military regime, be sure to select appropriate traits like: Patron, Duty, Sense of Duty, Status, Military Rank, Police Powers, etc.

250 point max
80 points in advantages
60 points in disadvantages
15 max attribute

Check with the GM about any cinematic or supernatural traits. Some will be accepted.

== Characters ==

* [[Kriger Hellig]], appointed by [[Aishani]], played by [[User:Jesster]]
* [[Sanura]], appointed by [[Kamuzu]], played by [[User:Mel]]
* [[Aryia]], an acquaintance of [[Saul]], played by Traci
* [[Damon]], appointed by Exalted Priestess [[Zaliki]], played by Dan

* [[Nienna]], appointed by [[Camthalion]], NPC
* [[Gaius Oberon]], appointed by Ambassador [[Vaselios]], NPC

== What Happened ==

=== Departure ===

[[Image:Aishani-in-white.jpg|right|thumb|150px|Commander Aishani]]

[[Image:Verunas_crown.jpg|right|thumb|150px|Sri's finest, "Varuna's Crown"]]

The appointed, and [[Aryia|one volunteer]], convene on an intact pier along the [[Talathese]] harbor, board Veruna's Crown, a sailing vessel and its crew provided by Commander [[Aishani]] of [[Sri]], and are addressed by [[Aishani]] herself, looking radiant in a flowing ruby-red skirt and billowy white blouse and bedecked with gold and jewels:

''Ladies and gentlemen, we are grateful for your service. We do not know what caused the great wave, but we believe that the dark forces that created it were unsuccessful in their goal, and will attempt it again soon. We can only guess what new disasters that will bring about.''

The crew hops to it, commanded by Captain [[Haresh Vindra]], as the party observes the debris and livestock floating in the harbor and a cloud of flies buzz.

[[Image:Skirros.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Skirros]]

Late the next day, guided by [[Gaius Oberon]], the island of [[Skirros]] is spotted and appears relatively intact. The ship docks at the sole deepwater pier of the town of [[Soronikos]] as dozens of small fishing vessels enter the aquamarine lagoon with nets full of fish.

[[Gaius Oberon|Gaius]], [[Kriger Hellig|Kriger]], [[Aryia]], [[Sanura]], and [[Damon]] disembark to find a cool drink and warm meal at the [[Salty Bow]], where licorice liqueur, local wines and ales, and a variety of seafood specialties are available. They learn that the wave did damage to their eastern shores, and locals wonder about the fate of their friends in [[Lemnos]] to the southeast.

Unfortunately, [[Argos the Butcher]] interrupts the meal, and demands a "roll in the hay" with "slave" [[Sanura]]. Sanura attempts to defuse the conflict by offering a dance, which Argos seems to enjoy, but his appetite is not sated. Tensions rise when Argos grabs her again, Kriger rises from his seat, and [[Damon]] climb up on the table to give a short speech. [[Aryia]] ''dazes'' one of Argos' crew after he draws a dagger.

Meanwhile, [[Sanura|Sanura's]] companion [[Sanura#Babu|Babu]] enjoys a delectable pan-seared tuna steak under the table.

[[Image:Babu.jpg|right|thumb|150px|Babu]]

Just as the conflict is about to boil over, [[Damon]] urges the crowd to prevent any bloodshed, and the crowd responds by calling out to Argos to simmer down. No longer admired by the masses, Argos stomps out into the warm night to find another quarry.

The next morning, the party disembarks for [[Lemnos]]. In open waters several hours later, dolphins swim alongside the vessel, and soon the crew spots an object several hundred yards ahead, which turns out to be a large section of ship's hull, piled with 22 human corpses, and propelled by a dozen [[Merfolk]].

As Veruna's Crown slows, several of the party disembark on the sole lifeboat to get a closer look and speak with the merfolk. They learn that the merfolk know that humans prefer to be buried on land, and have collected these people of [[Lemnos]] so that they may be put to rest. They have no knowledge of the source of the great wave.

The party volunteers to finish the transfer of the deceased, and cause the platform to be rigged to the back of the ship.

On arrival in the village of [[Kalamatos]] on [[Lemnos]], the wave's destruction is evident. The pier is tilted thirty degrees, pools of water are evident high on the rocks, what remains of entire town appears drenched in mud, and mud-caked hungry-looking people come wandering out on the pier, peering morosely at the stack of bodies.

[[Aryia]] begins tending the the wounds of the injured while Kriger, [[Damon]], and [[Sanura]] meet with the village elder and start a tremendous pot of rice cooking. The elder has no idea where the wave came from, but admits that its arrival coincides of a series of disappearances of young women and girls recently, causing some rumors that the village is being punished for some unknown sin. However, even [[Eminiscu]] the sage knows not what that sin may be.

That night, Kriger and Sanura's makeshift soup kitchen serves hundreds, while [[Aryia]] wanders among the wounded, helping all she can, and [[Damon]] rounds up a pack of children to collect sulfurous deposits from a nearby valley.

The next morning, the party travels twelve miles through the jungle to the cave of [[Eminiscu]], with [[Damon]] experiencing many disconcerting spider encounters along the way.

As the elder warned, [[Eminiscu]] tests the party with her [[troll]] servant, which is dispatched with some difficulty. [[Aryia]]'s magical firelight proves invaluable, while [[Damon]]'s peaches seem not to help. [[Sanura]] is injured in the melee, and falls to the beetle-crunchy floor of the cave, but [[Kriger Hellig]] smashes the beasts skull a second later.

Eminiscu, in her riddle-riddled lilting style, says the party, whether they know it or not, seek [[Batzharikahn]], as well as the "Unspeakable", which Batzharikahn himself also seeks. How ironic, she muses. She says the [[Black Ether]] is rising again, reconsituting on the isle of [[Kythria]] to the southeast.

Of Batzharikahn, she mutters:

''He has a library of dark works bound in skin flayed from living human victims, and he traffics in the powers of darkness, trading screaming slave girls for unholy secrets.''

[[Image:Kythria.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Kythria, prior to the great wave]]

Patched up by [[Aryia]]'s healing incantations, the party treks back to [[Kalamatos]], arriving after dark, exhausted. There, [[Damon]] begins a promised fireworks display while [[Sanura]] starts another pot of rice and [[Kriger Hellig|Kriger]] and [[Aryia]] rescue a sulfur-collecting child left behind in the jungle, bitten by a cobra. They save the wee lad's life.

The next morning, [[Nienna]] stalks into the village and finds Kriger just waking up. Unaware of the party's trek to [[Eminiscu]] the previous day, she demands to know just what the group is doing in this demolished little village. Kriger assures her of forward progress, and the ship disembarks as soon as [[Damon]] believes he has the raw materials to fashion new explosives.

The approach to [[Kythria]] is harrowing, with many sandbars, reefs, and atolls. Gauis hangs overboard from a rope, to be closer to the water for a better view. Kriger shares and gathers intel with the wolves before practicing spear and swordplay with them as the lizardmen are rumored to use spears. Damon fashions grenades and dons armor.

=== Kythria ===

In the late afternoon on approach to the west coast of [[Kythria]], Veruna's Crown runs aground on a sandbar 500 yards from the shore. The Captain begins shouting orders, the crew scrambles, and soon it is ascertained that it will take many men many hours to get the craft floating again.
[[Image:Nienna2.jpg|right|thumb|150px|Elven Archer [[Nienna]]]]

The party loads into the rowboat with [[Nienna]] and the [[Wolves]] and starts rowing towards shore. Just before landing, they spot a slender waft of smoke coming from an inlet along the beach 100 yards away. They land and scout it out.

Two lizardmen and five black-robed men have apparently kidnapped two young women and have landed their black-sailed boat here on the beach. One of the women is being mistreated.

Just after sunset, the Wolves fan out silently into the jungle to take up positions surrounding the tormentors while the party creeps noisily along the rocky beach.

[[Aryia]] cannot tolerate listening to the woman's screams without taking action, and hustles her petite frame down the beach to assist. The black-robed acolytes spot her and demand to know who she is, just as [[Nienna]] pierces the arm of the man holding the victim's head under water. [[Aryia]] responds with a fireball, the Wolves fire at targets, and melee ensues.

[[Image:Kriger3.jpg|right|thumb|150px|[[Kriger Hellig]]]]

Seconds later, the lizardmen have been slain by bolts and slashes and bashes, and three injured priests have been captured. [[Aryia]] kills one captor with multiple stabs of her small knife, a Wolf beheads the next, and [[Kriger Hellig]] interrogates the third, who resists stoically but foolishly.

[[Image:Natalia3.jpg|right|thumb|150px|[[Natalia Modesta]]]]

One of the Wolves, Agrippa, was selected to sail the women back to the ship as the party debated their next actions.

Then Kriger noticed the remaining captive peering into the jungle expectantly. Danger crackled in the air and several in the group readied weapons for an impending attack. [[Damon]] prepares a grenade.

Finally the captive shouts into the jungle, "ATTACK, YOU FOOLS!" Kriger face-planted the black robed prisoner.

Spears hurdle through the darkness at the group, injuring several people and piercing the brain of the unfortunate Florian who was caught unaware. Damon hurls a grenade into the trees.

The lizardmen rush out of the darkness, surrounding the beachside camp. In a panic, Damon drops his second grenade into the campfire as the murderous foes approach with their spears. [[Aryia]] hurls a grenade into the jungle as well.

Brutal firelit battle ensues, and when the grenades go off, friends and foes are knocked to the ground, shards of ceramic shrapnel embedded in arms, legs, chests, and groins. Kriger alone, encased in steel, escapes their effect.

Mop-up is savage, with injured allies fighting from the ground, [[Kriger Hellig]] swinging his mighty maul through the ribcages of attackers in the darkness, and [[Aryia]] crawling from injury to injury trying to assist. [[Sanura]], gravely injured, swings her mighty scimitar towards victory, while [[Natalia Modesta]] cradles her spear-shattered hand and applied pressure to her shrapnel-torn leg.

In the aftermath, an earthquake shakes the now-quiet battleground, causing the injured captive to assert that the summoning must now be complete.

After chaining the cultist to the tree where they had the young woman secured, the wretched party sleeps on the beach, wondering whether more lizardmen will attack in the night.

[[Image:Batzharikhan.jpg|right|thumb|150px|Demonmaster [[Batzharikahn]]]]
[[Image:Katrina.jpg|right|thumb|150px|[[Katrina]]]]

In the morning, Agrippa returns in the sailboat, ready to assist. Florian's armor was given to [[Damon]]. The injured Cato and deceased Florian stay with the boat and the chained captive. Babu identifies a path, and the remaining party marches for hours through the jungle, swatting mosquitoes.

They wade through a snake-infested bog and enter a huge natural cavern with many bedrolls and extinguished cooking fires. A bruised and battered woman, chained to the wall, is healed and set free, sent with a torch back to Cato. With some trepidation she agrees to hike down through the jungle alone to find the waiting sailboat.

The party lights torches and starts ascending an ancient lava tube that twists and turns up into the heart of the mountain. The earth shakes again, leading [[Kriger Hellig]] to joke that it sure would be tragic if this tunnel collapsed.

An hour of ascent later, the tunnel ends with some hastily constructed wooden stairs leading up to a great stone door. Babu scouts, and then Kriger pushes the door open, to reveal the forgotten monkey temple within. Ancient columns hold up a high ceiling, and beyond a giant monkey statue is a snoozing [[lizardman]] guarding a door. He awakens and begins to rise, but is too late. Kriger's spear soaring across the room, pierces his torso and he slumps to the stone floor.

Drumming from outside echoes through the dimly lit temple as the party approaches the other door. [[Sanura#Babu|Babu]] reports that the drumming is coming from further down a forest path outside the temple, and that beyond the stone door are steps leading up. Believing this to be the way to the demonmaster's chambers, the party takes the door and the stairs.

At the top of the stairs, they can now hear the drumming both in front of and behind them, but they also hear the sounds of a woman in ecstasy. Around the next corner, Babu takes a peek and reports there's a young woman atop an old man, and they are not wearing any clothes, and the woman is moving wildly, and they are possibly procreating.

[[Kriger Hellig]] confirms this perception when he rounds the corner and catches [[Batzharikahn]] and [[Katrina]] (in human form) in the act.

=== Through the Portal ===

Kriger prepares a grenade to toss at the fornicators, and hurls it down the passageway. It strikes a mirror halfway to his target, and drops to the ground before exploding.

Moments afterward, a loud buzzing sound fills the hall, and a swarm of locusts rushes through the party, confusing and slowing them for several seconds, while [[Batz]] and [[Katrina]] make their escape.

Picking locusts from their hair and backpacks, the party comes into the room. GM Notes:

<pre>
Flickering braziers sprinkled with incense, thundering drums, screams of the girl below,
rumbling ground, salty breeze, tinged with brimstone.

A jade pedestal at the center of a magic circle (pentagram). Other trappings of demonology.
Torture tools, books made of human skin, curved daggers inscribed with runes and embedded with
jewels, pens made of slender arm bones, a 10-point powerstone, a potion of fatigue renewal and
several empty bottles of unknown stinking fluids and slimes.

In the room is a naked body, hanging by her ankles covered in arcane glyphs cut into her
flesh, dead, her throat slit from ear to ear, face crimson, her long dark hair trailing down
into a ceramic amphora, covered in mystic runes and half-filled with a gallon of blood.
Two silver goblets sit nearby, wet with blood.
</pre>

There are also two other young women apparently intended for sacrifice, and a ''fleshy wound portal'' on the wall.
Calling for Aryia to help the injured, Kriger overturns tables full of arcane paraphernalia and tips shelves of occult books into burning braziers. Sacrificing the dark tools in the name of great justice.

The savage scene is too much, and several succumb to their '''fright checks'''. But then it gets worse.

GM Notes:

<pre>
At first, a rocky island appears to be rising in the center of the broad, boiling lagoon.
No, it is the head of a reptilian beast. The head must be 150 yards wide.

It continues to rise. The broad scaled shoulders, covered in yards-long snake-like writhing
tendrils, are 500 yards wide. The water of the lagoon bursts in great thunderous fountains
against the coasts of the lagoon, sending spray high in their air. The island shakes, and
great waves roll out to the north.
</pre>

Party members faint, retch, and curl into fetal positions, shaken.

[[Kriger Hellig]] and Marcus Marinus of the [[Wolves]] keep their feet, and Kriger watches the drumming acolytes below the balcony of the demonmaster's chambers scatter in panic as the mile-tall demigod rises from the boiling lagoon ominously and a bank of swirling clouds forms above the island.

Minutes later, Kriger convinces the core of the group to pursue the [[Batz]] and [[Katrina]] through the slowly shrinking wound portal. Shaken and sickened, Natalia and Agrippa are ordered to stay behind and collect the surviving women and take them back to the shore. Marcus alone accompanies the core group, diving into the bloody wound. The elven archer, [[Nienna]], was the last to follow, and failed to accompany the party through the boiling blood.

On the other side of the gory portal, the group finds themselves within a meaty tunnel, huge arteries pulsing, web-like tendons holding out the walls, and occasional pools of burning fat casting scant light.

Further along, they find emaciated children, one of whom reports he grew up in [[Argyle]] 120 years ago. [[Aryia]] discovers that normal food causes their skin to melt off their flesh. Another warns of the "devil dogs", and soon the beasts make their appearance.

[[Image:Hellhound4.jpg|right|thumb|200px|[[Hellhound]]]]

Two of them rush down the tunnel out of the darkness, and with considerable difficulty are defeated, but not before one of them devours 75% of the boy from [[Argyle]].

The tunnel eventually emerges from a great blackrock cliff, and skull-sized black rocks lead 100 yards down to a red river over which a narrow band of black rock traverses. The far side features a similar slope and blackrock cliff. The "sky" above roils with flames.

Standing at the bridge atop his faceless, hairless black steed is [[Abigor]]. The man, in gleaming silvery armor, has two faces, one of a handsome man, one of a beautiful woman. In his right hand, a writhing viper. In his left, a pointed lance, oozing florescent venom from its tip.

After some introductory dialog, Abigor says, "Ah, Countess [[Katrina|Anir-tak]], you seek. Woe to you, children, for she hath great appetites, and great furies, and great incantations. "

[[Image:Phelan_thelastwarrior.jpg|right|thumb|200px|[[Sanura]], skeleton basher]]

Marcus and [[Aryia]], further back from the monstrous demon-baron, become aware of an amassing crowd of [[Hellhound|hellhounds]] behind them, and start running. Tragically, Aryia misses a step and crashes to the rocks, unconscious. Marcus picks her up while [[Kriger Hellig]] edges forward to the flank of the smiling [[Abigor]], whose female face remarks occasionally, "you toy with them, get it over with."

[[Abigor]] steps aside, allowing [[Sanura]] to start making her way across the bridge, but now she can see that the river is not merely of blood, but slaughtered men and women, some of whom reach out to drag passers-by into the gory soup.

Abigor gives a signal, and 20 [[Hellhound|hellhounds]] start racing down the rocks. [[Kriger Hellig]] goes back towards them to help Marcus carry [[Aryia]], and the entire party ends up on the bridge with Kriger guarding their rear flank as the devil dogs attack. Meanwhile, six skeletons have risen from the scattered bones on the far side of the river and are approaching Sanura at the midpoint of the narrow bridge.

[[Abigor]] laughs in glee at the bridge battle. After sending three into the gore below, Kriger is toppled by a 600-lb hellhound and sustains tearing bites to his face, Sanura smashes skeletons from the bridge, [[Damon]] fades in and out of awareness while lighting and dropping grenades, and Marcus does his best to keep [[Aryia]] from being dragged into the gore by blood-slick hands from below.

Finally, [[Damon]] hurls a grenade into the midst of the pack of dogs, scattering them (but felling none). Spooked by the explosion, the dogs do not resume their attack, and a grinning [[Abigor]] calls them off.

[[Sanura]] slays the last of the skeletons, and the bloodied shaken party makes their way across the bridge to find a place to rest.

=== Mountains of Hell ===
[[Image:spider_eyes.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Baby spiders]]
The exhausted party rests for twelve hours at the base of the cliff, catching some sleep while Babu sips from the river.

Rejuvenated, they begin the ascent up the steep cliffside switchbacks. At the halfway point, [[Kriger Hellig]] reports a cave entrance ahead, and tosses in a grenade to clear it of foes. In the dusty aftermath, he steps into the cave and instructs the rest of the group to file past. Baby spiders, a foot wide, stream out under his feet, causing [[Damon]] some consternation.

Then mama appears, the size of an ox, and a precarious cliffside battle ensues, leaving [[Sanura]] paralyzed, full of spider venom, before Kriger manages to mash the beast's head in. [[Image:Kaldor.jpg|right|thumb|200px|[[Kaldor]] the Konqueror]]

[[Aryia]] strips [[Sanura]] and sucks the neurotoxin from the wound, and after the curious Babu reports there's a man within the cave, Kriger and Marcus go in to investigate. Sure enough, the remains of well-armored paladin (but for his fang-pierced chain leggings) lies within, long since depleted of spider-nourishing juices. The armor and weapons are of fine quality, and are divvied up among the party.

With a ''Numb'' [[Sanura]] back on her feet, the group ascends the cliff, arriving atop a broad plateau of jagged black rock beneath a heaving, smoky sky. A lone dead tree stands a mile away.

On approach, a petite red humanoid is spotted, as well as the fact that there's a man chained to the tree. This is [[Kaldor]] (the Konqueror), and he reports he has been chained to this tree for a very long time, to have his entrails periodically devoured by all manner of beasts.
[[Image:Devil-babies.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Devil babies]]

He's a lusty lad, and immediately begins making advances on [[Sanura]] and [[Aryia]], despite his incapacitating bonds. [[Aryia]] alone is convinced he must be rescued, and the rest of the party departs to investigate the red-skinned humanoid.
[[Image:Red-devil.jpeg|right|thumb|200px|Fire [[Mephit]] ]]

And so Aryia is alone with Kaldor at the tree when his next tormentors arrive: pale-skinned, bat-winged, black-eyed, yellow-clawed infants, screeching with hunger. They begin their work on [[Kaldor]]'s abdomen, and he shouts out in pain as [[Aryia]] blasts the babies away with fireballs.

Aryia rejoins the group and they descend into a nearby ravine in search of the humanoid. In a rocky hole filled with stinking vapors, they find it, and dozens more. These are [[Mephit|fire mephits]], cowardly red-skinned devils, and they recoil from Kriger's demands, but offer a trade of their information about [[Katrina]] in return for meat.

The party informs the little devils about the charred babies back at the tree, and in no time they have sent a scavenging party to seize the meat without providing information. Kriger attacks and slays many before withdrawing.

The group goes back to [[Kaldor]], who asserts one must be trapped. Grudgingly, [[Kriger Hellig]] and [[Damon]] use armory tools to free the barbaric warrior, and begin work on a trap, with [[Aryia]] as bait. Damon expertly fashions the chains from the tree, combined with a leather bag and a length of rope to make a crafty snare. Using Aryia as bait, the snare is successful in capturing a mephit for Kriger to interrogate. Kriger also pierced the leg of a fleeing mephit and pointed it out for [[Kaldor]] to take out his rage upon.

=== To the Castle ===
The little mephit is coerced to lead the party to the [[Katrina|Countess']] castle. Hours later, as the group approaches the edge of the great rocky plateau, mephits are everywhere, leading Kaldor to challenge them in his manner.

[[Kriger Hellig]] pauses to speak with [[Donblas]], and his holy incantations summon another [[Gortegag|assassin demon]]. The beast is dispatched, but Kriger's shield will never be the same, and [[Kaldor]] is overcome by the creature's scorpion venom.

Only through miraculous mastery of her craft does [[Aryia]] bring the hunky barbarian back from the brink of death, and he shows his gratitude with lusty enthusiasm.

The mephit locates a way down the cliff, and towards the great swap, beyond which a swirling maelstrom of smoke and fire surrounds a 5-spired castle.

After traversing it, the party rests, and Babu brings large toads in from the swamp for a quick roasted meal.
[[Image:Gulubgrump.jpg|right|thumb|200px|[[Gulubgrump]] ]]
On approach to the castle, with the water-fearing mephit on a chain between them, the party encounters [[Gulubgrump]], a house-sized toad-demon who speaks in a language they do not understand at first. It then switches, and inquiries whether the party is in fact food, or whether they have any flies to eat.

Politely declining, the party passes on, into the perimeter of the swirling smoke and flames. Sensing its inherent hazards, the party sends their mephit guide, motivated by a fake head-exploder device fashioned by [[Damon]]. The mephit tells of giant iron men with axes and whips and long faces, and then also of a mephit slave within who divulges that [[Katrina]] is below the castle in the lava pits.

[[Kaldor]] volunteers to make a run through the fire, and is nearly roasted alive. [[Aryia]] nurses him tenderly upon his staggering return, and the party ponders their next steps.

Aryia

2009-09-01T18:57:56Z

Brownt01: /* Background */

[[Category:Characters]]

Played by Traci in [[Darkness Rising]]

= Background =
Aryia grew up in a small town in the spine among hard working people trying to subsist in a harsh mountainous environment. The town often had to deal with creatures like ogres, orcs, and goblins coming out of the mountains and attacking them so everyone in the town was trained to flight off such monsters.

Aryia’s father was the local healer, and taught her the trade as she was growing up. Her father always wanted more for her and when she was older he convinced her to travel to a small monastery called The Prior of Luna so she could further advance her skills.

Aryia studied at the prior for 10 years before it was razed by ogres in 06’. During the attack she did her part to keep the ogres at bay and helped save many lives in doing so. Even so, several died in the attack including her beloved teacher at the monastery Aquillo. Though many told Aryia there was nothing she could have done to save her teacher she vowed never to let anything like this happen to those she loved again. In order to keep her vow she moved to Talathese and began to practice with a wizard, Alban, who taught her spells to keep away and fight evil.

Alban was notified about the wave and was able to protect himself and Aryia while it was hitting the city. After the wave hit Aryia did all she could to help those who had been injured by the wave. While doing so she ran into Saul, an old friend of hers from the monastery. Saul told her of a ship sailing southward that was going to try to prevent a recurrence of another disaster like this one. When Aryia heard this she knew she had to be on that ship and immediately went to seek audience with Brad to gain passage on the ship.

= Traits =

Aryia

2009-09-01T18:57:10Z

Brownt01: /* Background */

[[Category:Characters]]

Played by Traci in [[Darkness Rising]]

= Background =
Aryia grew up in a small town in the spine among hard working people trying to subsist in a harsh mountainous environment. The town often had to deal with creatures like ogres, orcs, and goblins coming out of the mountains and attacking them so everyone in the town was trained to flight off such monsters.
Aryia’s father was the local healer, and taught her the trade as she was growing up. Her father always wanted more for her and when she was older he convinced her to travel to a small monastery called The Prior of Luna so she could further advance her skills.
Aryia studied at the prior for 10 years before it was razed by ogres in 06’. During the attack she did her part to keep the ogres at bay and helped save many lives in doing so. Even so, several died in the attack including her beloved teacher at the monastery Aquillo. Though many told Aryia there was nothing she could have done to save her teacher she vowed never to let anything like this happen to those she loved again. In order to keep her vow she moved to Talathese and began to practice with a wizard, Alban, who taught her spells to keep away and fight evil.
Alban was notified about the wave and was able to protect himself and Aryia while it was hitting the city. After the wave hit Aryia did all she could to help those who had been injured by the wave. While doing so she ran into Saul, an old friend of hers from the monastery. Saul told her of a ship sailing southward that was going to try to prevent a recurrence of another disaster like this one. When Aryia heard this she knew she had to be on that ship and immediately went to seek audience with Brad to gain passage on the ship.

= Traits =

Aryia

2009-09-01T18:56:44Z

Brownt01: /* Background */

[[Category:Characters]]

Played by Traci in [[Darkness Rising]]

= Background =
Aryia grew up in a small town in the spine among hard working people trying to subsist in a harsh mountainous environment. The town often had to deal with creatures like ogres, orcs, and goblins coming out of the mountains and attacking them so everyone in the town was trained to flight off such monsters.
Aryia’s father was the local healer, and taught her the trade as she was growing up. Her father always wanted more for her and when she was older he convinced her to travel to a small monastery called The Prior of Luna so she could further advance her skills.
Aryia studied at the prior for 10 years before it was razed by ogres in 06’. During the attack she did her part to keep the ogres at bay and helped save many lives in doing so. Even so, several died in the attack including her beloved teacher at the monastery Aquillo. Though many told Aryia there was nothing she could have done to save her teacher she vowed never to let anything like this happen to those she loved again. In order to keep her vow she moved to Talathese and began to practice with a wizard, Alban, who taught her spells to keep away and fight evil.
Alban was notified about the wave and was able to protect himself and Aryia while it was hitting the city. After the wave hit Aryia did all she could to help those who had been injured by the wave. While doing so she ran into Saul, an old friend of hers from the monastery. Saul told her of a ship sailing southward that was going to try to prevent a recurrence of another disaster like this one. When Aryia heard this she knew she had to be on that ship and immediately went to seek audience with Brad to gain passage on the ship.

= Traits =