Duvors

"I don't need you to be a healer, I just need someone who can use a potion and help carry an injured man." Sam poked one of the bodies with his foot, before stomping on it's hand to see if it reacts. "To be honest," he said, "I don't think there are any living townspeople." Sam shifted uneasily for a moment, before leaning towards Yelana slightly. "You're right," he whispers, "but let's make him think we'll fight. Now get yourself and that man behind me!" this last sentence was delivered in his normal speaking voice.

@Kristel @Darkdragon @Pandora Grace gives the various people asking for her identification an askance look, somewhat annoyed at this rampant paranoia. With a slight grimace she reaches into one of her pockets and brings out her badge to show everyone. "There," she says, "I also have my driver's license on me if you need further proof I'm who you say I am, though if my badge doesn't convince you I don't see how that would help. If you need further proof I'm a real policewoman then you'll have to call headquarters." "So Peck was killed in front of you all? 'cause that's the only way I can make sense of what you've said. And who is Alfie Peck? And who's Ezra Parry and how was he injured? In fact, who are you people?" "Oh, uh, thank you miss...?" Grace says, a little embarrassed by the compliment. "That's very nice of you to offer, but I'm afraid that hairdo wouldn't survive a pilot's hemet. And no, sorry, I have no experience with coding." "Okay, thank you sir. That's the most helpful description I've been given so far. Tell me, when did you find mister Parry? And when was the FTL deactivated? Oh, and some coffee would be nice, I prefer it black if you've got any." Although she doesn't say it, Grace is fine with Arthur's suggestion for where to search next. "Oh, the pot was broken after Peck was killed. That makes more sense." She hesitates, 'I don't have a fingerprinting kit exactly, but I've got this bicorder I can analyze things with." "Oh, right, sorry. I got a bit distracted with the shouting. Officer Grace Jones, from Pluto, currently on interstellar patrol duty. And I could call an ambulance and a proper forensics team if you want, but I don't see any reason you can't do that yourselves. And I should warn you that they'll probably take just as long as me to arrive. You're kinda far out here." "Well I'm sorry I disappoint you, but the message I got only said that something had happened on this ship and I was to check it out. I was expecting someone's priceless antique paperweight to have been stolen but nope! It's murder."

Grace gives the man an odd look. She can easily guess what really happened from what was said, but the man relaying the information seems a bit... addled. She'll have to keep her eye on him. "Breaking things? What exactly did she break, was it important? 'cause that's the impression I'm getting here."

"No, she was a surprisingly good ventriloquist though." "Normally I'd agree, but from what this man says this... this MONAD is the thing starving my people. And if he's this powerful a necromancer then taking him while he's worn out from fighting may be our only chance." Sam's voice was full of grim determination as he spoke, enough to make anyone listening just a tiny bit nervous. "Well if you feel that way then take your position Angor." @Lind Whisperer Should Sam be successful in getting the party to form up as he describes, he will gesture them to slowly circle around MONAD as a group until they reach the far side of him. Both to block off any potential escape in that direction, and to allow the party to easily flee towards their objective if things should take a turn for the worse.

Grace holds her hands in from of her to signal everyone to stop. "Okay okay, please, I know this is a trying experience for all of you but please calm down. I can't really do my job if everyone's yelling in my face can I?" Trying to recover from the sudden barrage of sounds she turns to the person who sounded the more coherent of the two. "Miss, you say someone's dead and someone else is injured? How did this happen and who are they? Full names please." She pauses trying to remember what else was said. "A ship?" she says, "no, I didn't receive any transmissions, but I did spot a ship I couldn't identify. I didn't check on it myself but I radioed it in to command so they should've dispatched someone to check it out. Why, do you know what ship it is? Do you think it has anything to do with what happened here?" It is at this point that Grace notices something odd about the woman she's speaking to. "And, ahh, why are you wearing handcuffs miss...? Did I arrive in the middle of something or..."

"You just said that your gun has a blade attached to it. Sounds pretty stabby." "Nope." Sam said without the slightest hint of hesitation. "Never heard the term before. There was this lady I met once who you might call a 'death-priest', wore a cow skull on her head and everything, but that was about a hundred years back." "Oh." said Sam, "I see." In an instant Sam's sword was drawn and held in a two-handed grip, pointing towards MONAD. "Mags, to the right. I'll go left. Angor, take the middle. Yelana, Okooid, get behind us. See to the man in green if you can."

Upon arriving at the scene Sam's hand immediately moved to his side, his fingers playing along the hilt of the sword. "Alright," he said, "what's going on here? And do we have to kill you or will you not bother us?"

(Understandable, have a nice day.)

(OOC: If no-one has anything they want to do here, shall we move on to the next location?) @Lind Whisperer @samurai-turtle @Classic_Spaceman @Peppermint_M @Darkdragon

Sam looked down at his feet, suddenly seeming a little abashed. He'd never really thought of himself as a leader, but more a sort of 'universal grandfather'. Still, that was probably more-or-less the same thing. "Oh very well." he said. "But Mags," he looked them in the eyes, "if anything does happen me, promise me you'll see my tribe is saved. Out of all the people here, I trust you the most to see it through."

"No, I've never been here before. Just being this close to those mountains make my skin crawl." He paused for a moment before continuing "If I still had any that is. And the name's Bones, Old Bones. But you can call me Sam." Although there was no way of telling, everyone somehow knew Sam was grimacing. "Wizards," he said, "trying to kill each other. And right in our path too." "Well, to be honest everything I know about Cold Night was told to me by traders who came around the mountains." He shrugged. "I only know it's a straight shot through because one of them showed me a map once. But it's seems a big town, so there's got to be someone educated enough to cure this... malaise there." He looked at Mags and 'she' knew he'd be smiling right now if he could. "Still, thank you for the vote of confidence." he said. "Well sounds like you normally talk like us, so I'd say we're not from that far away." he moved his hand away from the hilt, letting it hang at his side. "If you came to us seeking answers I'm afraid you won't find them here. We're just as mystified as you are." he shrugged. "Still," he said, "we're off to find someone who might know a cure. If you wish you can follow along, just don't stab us in the back and we'll do fine." @Darkdragon @Lind Whisperer Having said that he gestured in the direction of the wizard spat. "Well if that's settled, I suggest we take a closer look at that like Angor said." Sam cocked his head to one side, something Mags would know was his equivalent of a raised eyebrow. He'd seen people who could talk to birds before, but he'd never seen someone who needed a translator. Strange.

No. There are several metaphysical concepts regarding this setting that are going to directly tie into the character's relation to it that I don't think allow for characters from alternate universes. I might be wrong on that front but I'll need confirmation. And I strongly dislike the idea of it being 'just a simulation'. That automatically renders the stakes of the adventure meaningless and runs right into the player dictating the nature of the setting to the QM. Especially as having it be a training simulation Yelana is undergoing would make the story ultimately about her instead of the entire party. You are interacting with other people here. @Lind Whisperer?

@Lind Whisperer Old Bones ('Sam' to his friends) held up one hand to his hat, as if shading his eyes to get a better look at the flashing lights despite not having any. "Well Mags," he said, "we can't tell who's the oldest one here, so we can't base it off that." he laughed a little to himself as he spoke. "Seriously though, I think it's a tossup between you and me. You're the most experienced survivalist here, and I know a bit about our des-" As he was interrupted by the sudden appearance of the stranger, Bones stopped talking and dropped his left hand to his belt, using it to slide his sword a little way out while his right hand hovered over the hilt. "That depends stranger," he said "what answers do you seek?" As he spoke he turned his head slightly towards Magnhildr, a gesture 'she' knew was his equivalent of an aside glance and a raised eyebrow, as if to say 'Do we trust this weirdo'? His own first instinct was to trust them, but his second instinct was, as always, be careful. Bones shifted his head toward the mage, keeping one... socket? on the strange woman he'd just been speaking to. "Unfortunately no. The Mountains we have to pass through are quite literally a maze, and no-one has ever managed to reach the other end. Something happened here long ago that twisted the landscape into impossible shapes and even I'm uncertain what lives in that place." A sigh escaped the old skeleton's teeth. "If I were making this journey in more forgiving circumstances I might try to make my way around the mountains. Unfortunately that journey would take months, time we do not have if my tribe is to be saved from starvation. The truth is it will be faster to find a path through this way, dangerous as it is."

Thanks! I'll get back to you soon. I think Elves/Dwarves/Humans would be the primary species, but immigration would've lead to significant populations of other species. This is probably heightened due to them being members of the League. Emigration would've also lead to the three species being distributed throughout other nations. The former territory of the Ancient Empire is meant to be their ultimate origin, not the place they all live.

That's perfectly valid! There are probably a few out there created with a specific gender in mind, but that's definitely not universal. I'm going to be blunt; nothing from this game is cannon to the 2.0 setting. This is meant to be a separate universe altogether. While I don't mind oblique references to Mission 0 I don't think directly referencing the Heroica organization really fits here. @Lind Whisperer might have a different opinion though and this is ultimately his project, so I'll go with whatever he says.

Look, you don't need to delete it entirely. You can leave it as it was, it's just you need to pace yourself and the story. In future try to give people time to get to know their characters and each other's before throwing them into the action. 24/48 hours perhaps? Ultimately don't rush it and don't put too much stress on yourself and things will work out fine!

I think that's mostly due to the use of the term 'colonies' (something I fully admit to stealing from Battlestar Galactica). They aren't really colonies in any sense, as their inhabitants have lived there since recorded history began. I honestly think of them as being politically more like an equivalent to post-independence India. I did conceive the idea that relics from the Ancient Empire would be just as common there as Arcadian space to emphasize that they're just as 'legitimate' a representation of the three species as the Union. On that point, I have some elements of the Ancient Empire (and some other things) that I'd like to talk to you about in private if you don't mind.

@Waterbrick Down @Endgame @Goliath @samurai-turtle @Kintobor @Classic_Spaceman I've been a bit unsatisfied with my writeup for Arcadia, so I thought I'd revise it a little. See what you think: The Arcadian Union The Arcadian Union is one of the larger and more influential nations of the League. It was born from the unification of several planets primarily occupied by humans, elves, and dwarfs centered around the three species' supposed homeworld of Arcadia. The exact history of the three species spread to the stars is unclear however, as populations are known to have been present on most inhabited planets back to the beginning of recorded history. The only reason Arcadia is known to be their homeworld (and the surmised reason for their diaspora) is the relics of the mysterious Ancient Empire scattered throughout Arcadian space. While most of the writing on these objects remains untranslated, what little can be gleaned suggests Arcadia as being a sort of 'center' around which the empire formed. During the war, the Union was chosen to be the staging ground for the League's combined militaries due to it's proximity to the enemy. The war was not kind to Arcadia however, aside from losing the most territory out of any League member several worlds that were disgruntled with the Union's leadership took advantage of the situation to secede, forming the Colonial Alliance. This series of events has left the population of the Union very dissatisfied with the war's outcome, with some demanding the government seek the return of lost territory and re-annexation of the Alliance. The Colonial Alliance The Alliance (formally known as The Alliance of the Seven Colonies) were until recently part of the Arcadian Union. Unlike most members of the Union they did not join at it's founding but instead much later. This was due to the fact that there exists no direct connection between the Colonies and Arcadia via Jump Gate, leaving them completely isolated from one another for most of their history. Due to this isolation the colonies formed a distinct culture from the rest of the Union despite consisting mainly of the same species. While the Colonies acceded to the Union entirely willingly, much of their population later became convinced that their relative isolation was leading to them being disregarded by the Arcadian government. This feeling only grew in strength as the Union repeatedly refused to hold any referendums on independence. Feeling deprived of any other options, the Colonies took advantage of the outbreak of war to secede from Arcadia. While Arcadia wished to reconquer them as quickly as possible, those plans were shot down by the League's Assembly in order to prevent any resources being taken away from the main front. In the postwar era The Colonies remain independent from any major power, a state of affairs enshrined in the Drandora Accords. How successful they will be remains to be seen.

I was about to mention that last bit. And yes, I think @Lind Whisperer has thrown that confrontation at everyone a little suddenly.

Well, I actually envision the elves and dwarves as being fairly involved in the war, just not as their own factions. You'll remember that I had elves, dwarves, and humans all come from the same planet, a planet that was part of the league. I think the elves and the dwarves would have distinct cultural elements compared to humanity and have planets where they're the majority population, but all three groups would occupy the same space and be considered part of the same political entity. I am familiar with the Last War, but to be honest the similarities didn't occur to me until after I'd already written the history. To be honest one of the main reasons I wrote the history that way is because I've recently been reading The Golden History of the Mongols and I wanted to emulate the idea of disunited nomadic clans unifying and forming a major empire. They don't have to be orcs though, you're right about that. But what I want is something to contrast the 'space NATO/EU' of the League and the 'aliens with 19th century politics' of the Empire. To be honest I think the main reasons they come off as overtly antagonistic during the war is that they attack without distinct provocation and both other factions unify in response instead of continuing to fight each other. If I gave the orcs a clear reason to attack beyond 'conquest' and removed the unified counterattack altogether they'd probably come off as less antagonistic.

Well, as circumstances have conspired to prevent me from taking a picture of my character for Lind's quest until tomorrow I'm going to simply post the sheet now and try to add the picture later. Edit: Done! Old Bones ('Sam') ??? years old male Undead Cyborg Rouge Level, 1 Power, 4 (1+3) Health, 7/7 Gold, 10 Equipped; Black Sword (WP: 3, longsword). Inventory; Potion, Venom. Theme. Old Bones has been with the tribe as long as anyone can remember, including himself. The origin of his skills is unknown even to him, seemingly having them ever since he and the black sword he carries were dug up out of the ice many years ago. Due to being the oldest member of the tribe by far, he has found himself filling the role of lorekeeper for them, a task aided by the fact that he has live through most of the events he recounts. It is uncertain how his cybernetic limbs continue to function after the muscle and sinew they once attached to has gone (possibly animated by the same magic that keeps the rest of him together). Similarly mysterious is the origins of the nickname 'Sam'. He seems to know, but he's not telling.

Good, glad to see we're on the same wavelength there. Maybe, but it seems wrong to say they're a major part of the setting and then not have them be involved with the war somehow. The setup I had in mind was that none of the major powers are exactly allies or enemies at the moment, and maybe that can be preserved if one of them was neutral? The war was meant to be recent enough that even if someone never fought in it they'll still have encountered it's consequences. Very impressive!

I see no problem with that. What do you think, @Lind Whisperer?

Very interesting! If that's the case then perhaps we can make Piloting a magical Proficiency, spells and all? Something to think about anyway. I should mention that I did envision most ships having their own FTL drives, largely so that inter-system travel (for systems that have no Gates) doesn't take years to accomplish. The main difference would be that they aren't instantaneous like the Gates and can only be fitted into larger ships, meaning personal craft need carriers or Gate access in order to achieve such distances. Well it's as much a reference to the board game as the RPG. I feel that some similarity needs to be maintained there if we continue to use the name. There's also the fact they're a distinctly fantasy faction compared to the very sci-fi League and Empire. I understand your worries about it being too similar, and maybe it is. But I think that having them as a major part of the setting from the outset instead of having them off to one side and out of focus would make them fairly distinct. Ultimately though we can remove them if you feel it's too much.

I all honesty I've just been treating it as a separate setting entirely. That's my preference and it doesn't matter anyway.