Iron Stars - calidorious

The temple of the knotted wheel is quiet this morning as cal awakens

"The travellers from up north should be getting here at about midday" Cal thinks to himself. "Since we got in contact with them last week it's been nothing but a constant barrage of information. I'm excited". He finally slugs himself out of bed, dons his robes, and heads for morning meditation out on the temple parapets

The air is cold, but not to the point where youre too uncomfortable to focus

2:21 PM

the wind makes a pleasant white noise, allowing you to block out all other distraction.

After meditation Cal goes to breakfast and takes a seat next to knight commander Lancaster. "So I'm going to try and get the envoys from the North to take me with them. It seems like that's the best place to start earning money so we can get the temple rebuilt"

His spoon rests in the bowl for a moment as he mentally chews over what you’re saying. “If I say no you’re just going to run away and do it anyway, aren’t you”

"More than likely" he says with a smile. "I'm not sure how well my hammer will do against a bullet, but I'm sure I'll be fine."

“If anyone will find a way, it will be you. Please be safe. See what you can do.” Not normally given to sentiment he seems to be for just a moment. “To see this place rebuilt....”

"It would be a great task, but one I'm sure we will accomplish in time" Calidorius says before finishing his meal. "I'm going to do some training before they arrive." he nods defferentialy to his superior before going to the training hall until the delegation arrives

The delegation from Miriam arrives a few hours later, their tracked snowcat idling outside while a dignitary and two guards emerge. They stand outside, cautious

(I imagine the temple looking a lot like cloud ruler temple from oblivion) Calidorius waits at the bottom of the stairs to the temple, dressed in his ceremonial regalia, Frostwind, his divine hammer, strapped to his back. His stance is non threatening and inviting to the strangers

“We come seeking the masters of the temple of the knotted wheel. We come from the hub, as representatives of the new leadership.”

"The temple has no master anymore" Calidorius says with a respectful bow. "There are only a handful of us left. I shall have to suffice as your host. Calidorius Odenburg, Knight of Vidarrs Justice, Shaori Warrior, and hopefully soon to be ally of yourselves"

They move up from their Parked vehicle to stand close to you. “Thank you for your warm welcome. Shall we continue on inside?”

"Come on in. You're the first visitors we've had here since I was born." Cal says climbing the stairs. "The temple might not be as grand as stories might say, but the foundations are there for us to build on". At the top of the steps the temple grounds are visible. One building, the main building, stands strong, but the others are all in varying states of disrepair, some being reduced nothing more than rubble. The gardens are all ruined from the perpetual winter and the courtyard could use some tlc

"i can see already you'd benefit from a large pressure dome. You'd actually be able to have plants in here again" one of the guards says

"Not if it would take away the view" Cal says looking out over the mountains. "I'll take that view over the cold any day of the week". He continues with the tour, which doesn't last long given the state of the temple, before saying "We want to rebuild the order, but to do that we need money. It used to be that we Shaori would offer our services to good people in need, in return for money. If you'd be willing to take me, I'd love to come to the hub with you and offer my services about there"

"And your temple masters..ah you said you have none now. you're at liberty to make this choice yourself?"

"I am. Think of it as a pilgrimage. An opportunity to challenge my faith"

“Alright. Grab your things and throw them in the back of the snowcat. We will be out shortly”

Cal goes and grabs his daily robes, a few days worth of rations, says his goodbyes and meets back at the snowcat 15 minutes later

The vehicle pulls away from the temple without much ceremony. The dignitaries seem in a pleasant mood, some type of deal evidently struck. “We will be at the hub in a few hours”

"What can I expect from there. I only know the stories of the old world. We know barely anything of this new world"

2:40 PM

Calidorius is clearly very uncomfortable with the vibrations of the snow cat, having never travelled by vehicle before

"Everything you've heard is true That I can guarantee. The Hub is a wonderful place, and its getting better by the day. You're not doing this alone though, your employers, if they're worth their salt, will show you the ropes and help you get by"

"Who should I talk to about employment?" Calidorius asks. "Is a government, or some kind of police force"

We will be meeting with another UNW representative. They’ll tell you about Gudrun, the political seat, and the challenges it’s facing. From there you’re free to pick your path

"I look forward to it" Calidorius says before settling in for the journey

The snowcat pushes through the frozen tundra. Occasionally clusters of empty sky scrapers have their top floors poking though the snow that now covers everything. Finally, the large domed city of the hub comes into view. Two spacecraft sit parked outside

"Who do those spaceships belong to" Calidorius asks, staring at them in wonder

"The UNW, likely your new employer. That's actually where we are heading" the snow cat turns, heading on a high speed course toward the ships. A man with a curled mustache smokes a pipe in the shadow of one of the shuttles, a four strong bodyguard detail around him, combat rifles held loose

"I take it he's the one in charge" Cal says to his escort, gesturing to the mustached man

"He is indeed" The snowcat rumbles up to the ships and parks, the heavy gear thrown into park. "Ready to start your new life?"

"If its somewhere warmer I won't complain" Cal says as he climbs out of the snowcat. He approaches the mustached man."Calidorius Odenburg, I hear your the man to meet about making some money around here"

“Franz Herzegov. Vice President Of the UNW. Nice to meet you. I understand you’re interested in bringing your unique skills into government service”

"It is a tradition of my order to serve the people of good, which I am led to believe your government represents, so yes I'd be honoured to offer my services"

He smiles and shakes your hand. “Hop aboard we will go to Gudrun first, get you acquainted, from there you’ll be free to choose your path”

"I've never travelled off world before. Should be quite the adventure. I hope you haven't come all this way just for me"

“You have a special set of skills” Franz Says, showing you up the ramp to the interior of the ship. It’s larger than the snowcat. Maybe three times the size of your meditation room back home. “When youre settled we’ll be off!” The pilot calls down

"Ready when you are" Calidorius shouts back as he settles in for the journey, going into a meditative state

You hardly feel the translation into spike space a short while later. Miraim stretches out, and incomprehensible distance behind you. A day passes in this quiet, the only noise is the gentle rumble of the spike drive, and the howl of the solar wind outside

7:08 AM

The shuttle powers down over Gudrun a week later, approaching a giant space platform

"You live in space?" Calidorius asks Franz as the craft nears the space platform

"We do have a space station, but no, most of us live down there" Almost on queue, the shuttle banks gently port, and you see the beautiful blue/green planet below. "We're going to head down to the surface now, our approach has been cleared"

"Well it definitely looks warmer than home. What kind of jobs do you have lined up for me down there"

he sits back in his captains chair, and takes a long drag of his pipe. "Tell me about The Brothers of Fenrir"

Calidorius takes a step back, clearly caught unawares by that name being used. "I don't know a lot, only what the elders told us. They used to be part of my order, but as we gained more power they wanted to use it for personal gain, which was against our creed. It eventually came to bloodshed and the slaughter of our temple. Killing them is both personal, they killed my family, and the honourable thing to do"

"What if I told you that you may have an opportunity to make some headway on settling this score"

"Then you and your nation would have a pledge of service from my order before this ship landed on the surface"

"Very good. They've been a destabilizing element from Miriam from even before the freeze, and I think quietly, if the right moves are made, we may be free of an agitating actor, and your personal vendetta will be fulfilled. " The shuttle lands in the colonial air/space port, amid a bustling amount of traffic (edited)

"So where do we go from here?" Calidorius asks stepping off the ship

"Well, we're heading to admin, our central capital building. I'll get you the right documents, and we can review what the UNW has come to find out about the brotherhood"

2:16 PM

"I think you're going to be very interested"

"I'll follow you then" Calidorius says falling into step behind Franz, using the opportunity to admire as much of the new land as possible

Franz brings you through a bustling market, to the walled Admin complex, undergoing yet another round of expansion. Inside, youre taken to an elevator, and down into a secure level of the building, where a holotable projects a map of known space

8:12 AM

one of the worlds, Craytulus, is highlighted

"It's all very secretive and secure down here. What's going on with Craytulus? I've never even heard of the place"

"As you may be aware, the Brothers made it off miriam to cause trouble somewhere else. We think we may have found that somewhere else"

"What have they been doing out there? I can't imagine it's been particularly good but rushing in without information will just get me killed"

"Of course, of course. I had to tell you why it was relevant first. Well, we believe they were working with some kind of science enclave on Craytulus. Whatever they were working on, its maltech, or worse. Something happened to all the people there"

Calidorius takes a moment to consider what he's heard. "So the people have died? Been moved? Been enslaved? Doesn't matter which I suppose, they're all as bad as each other in their own ways"

11:43 AM

"So what's the plan"

"Well, something happened to them that's made them mindless thralls, as far as the orbital imagery and the little comm traffic intercepted can tell us. The Brothers were hired as security for this project, apparently in need of money. Now they're defending a research outpost there against these thralls. (the populace is zombified)

(Oh dayum!!!!)

1:11 PM

"I'm not sure my powers will be powerful enough to save the entire planet, not yet anyway. But I can do some scouting for you, and hopefully show the Brothers that the order is back and not to be dismissed"

"That's all we want. Just some eyes, and if you see an opportunity to hurt them that you want to take, that's up to you:

1:18 PM

"But we felt someone with some skin in the game, as it were, would be less likely to blanch at the assignment"

"If you can get me there, and ideally back, then I'd gladly take this mission" Calidorius says with the traditional bow

"Transport will be provided, feel free to visit the market

2:21 PM

and grab what you need"

"This is slightly embarrassing but I don't really have any money. It was never something we needed at the temple and our reserves were looted by the brothers decades ago. I won't need much though, just some basic scouting equipment your army should have to hand. Binoculars and the like"

“Ah not a problem.” He fishes around in a cabinet and pulls out a chit for 500 credits.

5:35 AM

“This should be enough to get started. Naturally whatever you find on the mission is yours by military salvage rights”

"Thank you very much for this Mr Vice President. Your faith in me will not be misplaced" Cal says before heading to the market to purchase binoculars, a pressure tent, 2 weeks worth of rations, and an atmofilter

The gear is all clean, and military surplus. The craftsmanship looks well enough to make it through the journey ahead of you. Passage is booked on a free merchant belonging to Red Sangha. A handful of their men will also be making the drop, off to follow their own objectives in the city.

Calidorius will dutifully report to the red sangha ship, introducing himself to the captain of the ship and the leader of the ground team

The Captain, Prai., is one of the enlightened, as all Red Sangha are, having achieved nirvana in lifetime due to a mix of chemicals. He is pushing 50, nearing the age of mandatory retirement, as most enlightened do not survive much longer , their mind altering treatment making them horrifically vulnerable to all sorts of cancer. Their homeworld was likewise devastated, riven again by an internal dispute, recently put down. His men seem grim, and all walk with the gait of those who are no strangers to a combat environment

10:08 AM

On Craytulus, they hope to find resources, or technology that can be used to supply food and water to their homeworld.

"You and your men seem to have a goal similar to mine. I do not remember the destruction of my home, only the constant loss on the faces of those who did. It is a look I see on yours" Calidorius muses to Prai during the course of the journey. "Is your goal to return and live in your home, or do you merely wish to build it for future generations"

"My time is almost over" Prai says "and something terrible has happened on our home-world. A crisis of faith. I'm sure by now your employer has mentioned a bit about who we are, and what we do- and how we have attained enlightenment. There was a rogue element at home, that sought to....accelerate....the time we spend in contemplation"

"Rogue elements are familiar to me too. I know the hate that they can cause. I promise if you can help me with mine on Craytulus, I will help you with yours"

"So pledged" he almost smiles. almost. (So its a few days of spike, a probe ruttered the route already, plans for the jump?)

(Cal will spend the few days reading scout reports and planning his recon mission. Trying to get the lay of the land, knowing where on the planet he will land and then where the enemy are based)

REading the scouting report, you see franz may have had some inaccuracies in his reporting, but the allegations of the brotherhood of Fenris was indeed true. They are based out of the ruins of Iyonglow. Nearly the entire planet is a scoured wasteland, but there is one section, surrounded by green, called Halcyon- which is where your REd Sangha cohorts are dropping. Someone there has the technology to make the wasteland bloom

Calidorius' plan, if it seems reasonable, is to drop into lyonglow solo, do some scouting on the ruins and maybe get involved in some fighting if it looks like he could win. Then he'll make his way to Halcyon to regroup with the red sangha before returning to Gudrun

The ship is fitted with a Wraith shuttle, and you're brought to it for your covert drop. Once you are in place, it is going to lift skyward to get the Red Sangha troops deployed elsewhere, while your ride hides in the edge of system space

Calidorius enters the shuttle with a respectful nod to the red sangha around. "See you on the other side" he says solemnly as the doors close

The doors close and there is an almost silent hiss of air as the droid pilot takes you out of the small drop hangar. "We'll be setting down outside Iyonglow. If there are surface defenses they only have a 1.7% chance of detection." the automated pilot cheerfully informs you

"And if they detect us?" Cal asks, already knowing the answer but not wanting to say it himself

2:14 PM

(I hope its not a d100 roll to decide whether I get blasted out of the sky or not)

(nope! haha)

2:27 PM

"You won't be alive to remember it" the pilot says, before inverting the nose down violently toward the ground

Cal unsheathes his hammer from his back and stands ready at the door, incase it opens to hostiles

The shuttle hits the ground softly despite the stomach dislocating dive. The door opens softly, at the skirts of Iyonglow. The city is more of a small town, built around a large keep like area, made of stone, and wood.

Calidorius jumps out of the shuttle, rushing for the nearest cover and hunkering down while the shuttle returns to orbit

4:26 PM

He will then pop his head up, take out his new binoculars and looks to see if there are any people moving about inside lyonglow

the small village looks inhabited. Two pyres have the bodies of scavengers, killed in some kind of failed raid, slowly smouldering away. The bodies are blackened though some heads, still wearing gas masks, are impaled on wooden stakes. Runes and wards are painted on foreheads in blood, facing outward, to keep evil spirits at bay

"What has become of the people who did this" Calidorius mutters as he moves forward. He will keep his head down moving between cover points, checking again at each time to see if he can locate the central building

The keep looks inhabited and as you get to the town outskirts you can see that this building was once a modern lab with a second skin of stone built over it. Two sentries look out over the area, both of them in brothers of fenris regalia

Cal looks for other entryways into the building, and looks for something that could burn well and easily, like a dilapidated wooden building

Most of the buildings here are simply made, already pre scavenged from the bones of what came before. There is a knot of three buildings at the edge town, to the west that are old and wooden. They do not seem inhabited

Cal will head over to the western buildings and start a small fire that will eventually catch and make a bigger fire, drawing attention away from the main building (do you want a roll for that)

(Nah you have enough stuff on you to get a blaze going. I’d say you have about 10-15 minutes to make any other arrangements before it’s big enough to get attention)

The plan is to look for a back door that he can head into when the brothers rush out the front

Two pages from the order see the fire, and are sent out to investigate, you spot a postern gate, at the base of the keep, that they use to enter and exit

Calidorius will approach the gate, hammer drawn, and peer inside to see if there is anyone in there

The inner gateway is a stone arch, leading deeper into the bottom floors of the keep. The immediate entryway appears empty.

11:18 AM

To the left, there is an open storage room, and further down the hall is a winding set of stairs up

There is a clatter as something falls in the storage room, and a terrified page looks into the hallway

Cal rushes forward and tackles the page back into the storage room, putting his hand over the pages mouth to stop him screaming. "Quiet now. I just want some information from you and I will let you go"

He goes quiet, and nods slowly, so you can feel his affirmation. His eyes are still showing his fear

"How many brothers are currently in the keep" Cal says slightly lifting his hand to allow the page to answer

"Ten, twice as many squires"

"All are upstairs, the fire. Did you see the fire?" he hisses

1:43 PM

youre not sure if you, or the blaze , has him more afraid

"What are you doing on this planet?" Cal hisses back

“Protecting research for a patron”

"Where is the rest of your order. This can't be all of them"

“Around the sector. Protecting patrons on a few worlds”

The page is trying to keep his explanations short, and quiet, afraid of giving away too much, or being too loud- either one means his head is going to promptly leave his shoulders

"I'm just here for information. I don't want to hurt anyone. What's the best way for me to clear the building without killing your friends" Cal asks

“Toxin alarm” he says, his eyes dart to a red control box on the wall

"And what am I going to do with you to make sure that you don't talk"

“Take me with you. I hate working for them. They beat us all the time”

Calidorius considers this for a minute. "Wait for the alarm to go off and everyone to leave then go and pack your things." Cal then describes where the shuttle landed. "Wait for me there". He let's go of the boy and walks to the toxin alarm, still alert and ready to attack if the boy does anything hostile

The boy is looking out the door, up the stairwell to keep an eye on things for you, he is tense, waiting to bolt at the sound of the toxin alert

Calidorius pulls the alarm then drags the boy and himself back into the storage room and waits until he hears footsteps going past

The alarm is pulled and you hear booted footsteps smashing into the stone as the brothers rush to pile out of the suspected compromised building

“They’re worried about the stain” the page says when the brothers have evacuated. “Even light exposure can leave you debilitated”

(Sorry I've been quiet busy couple of days. Will update tonight)

(all good bud, i figured)

"What do you mean by the stain" Calidorius asks after peeking out of the storage room door to see if the corridor is clear

“It’s an alien toxin. That’s why the world is pretty much an ash field”

6:08 PM

“There was this alien race here, the zadak. Like mantis people things. They went crazy a couple years ago and blew the place to hell with their toxin and left. Then we moved in”

6:08 PM

“Whoever hired us wanted samples of it”

"Sounds pretty terrifying to be honest. Alright you're safe to move, head out to where I showed you earlier. Oh and point me in the direction of the facilities operation control room" Cal says holding the door open for the kid

“Top level, in the heart of the castle. It’s the only room with electricity just follow the wires on the wall”

"Great, see you in a bit." Calidorius says as he sets out cautiously following the wires along the hallway, looking for any signs of trouble or any possible places to steal intelligence from

The rooms you pass are austere living spaces, prayer rooms, a feasting hall, where a large meal has been left on the table in the hurry to (falsely) evacuate, and finally, the command room, with the adjoining commander's office

Calidorius will search the command room for anything about locations of other chapters of the brotherhood, as well as things like their employers, potential leads on jobs

What is found is the following: The Brothers have an outpost on most worlds in this sector, minus Acastus, Leda, and Jivinka. Most of the work is securing sensitive research, VIP protection, and an assortment of other small contracts around the sector. Almost all of the money coming in is from dozens of different small corporations

The names are unfamiliar to you, but finally, at the bottom of the stack, there is one name that stands out "Greystar Combine"

Calidorius copies all of this down, remembering to ask unw people about it later. He then moves to check the commanders office

the commanders office looks like it was once the catholic chapel in this building, the pews removed to make room for the desk. A large stained glass cross is positioned behind the chair.

The desk is abandoned, like the rest of the room. you can see he left his sidearm behind, along with the report he was reading

9:57 AM

which is a set of orders, asking them to hold this settlement until corporate investigation teams can arrive. Greystar is very interested in the world scouring chemicals used here, and they are also interested in the alien Zadak, whom they do not seem to have had prior interactions with.

Calidorius will again copy this information into his compad (im assuming his compad can take pictures) before inspecting the side arm to see if it is special in any way

(yeah ive always pictured it as still at its core, a smart phone, just with more space related stuff)

The sidearm is a laser pistol, it looks fairly mundane aside from the grips, which are a polished hardwood

Cal will leave the sidearm where it is, before trying to put everything back in its place and heading down to meet with the page, signalling the shuttle on the way for a pick up

The shuttle slips through the clouds a few moments later, black, against a dimming sky. (3xp, 5000 credits)

Once they're back up in space, Calidorius will message the red sangha mission to check on their progress and if they need any support

Red Sangha's mission went well, for a small service contract they were given some of the information they needed to try to make their own ravaged wasteland planet a little easier for life

(Have we discovered the red sangha planet yet? Or is it in a different sector)

(you have, its the same row as acastus, on the eastern edge of 1E

(Cool) Once back aboard the ship Cal will open a transmission to Franz. "I'm sending through the information we've found. Have a look and let me know what you think. This graystar combine seems like a good lead to follow"

"Them again" he says under his breath. "this is excellent work. I knew we made a good decision in bringing you aboard"

"Glad to hear it. Is there anything you want me to be doing while I'm out here? Any leads to follow?"

"These Zadak...these...aliens....I'm not sure what conditions are like out there, so I need you to advise me. Do you think you might be able to find some evidence of their culture or technology there?"

(Did Cal see anything that looked like alien ruins when he was down on the planet)

(There were some by halcyon

8:18 PM

(The red Sangha would have found them)

"I can head down to their ruins near halcyon and have a look around, see what I can dig up. I've also found a squire for the brothers that wanted to escape. How do you want me to handle him?"

“He’s your prisoner and you’ve a score to settle. If he’s of no value to you, well, Gudrun is at war. You won’t be prosecuted for doing what you have to”

6:38 AM

“On the other hand if he’s expressed a desire to change, upon proving himself he can be offered citizenship”

"I'll speak to him and see what he says. I'll let you know when I return from the ruins. Goodbye Franz." Cal says before hanging up and going searching for the squire

The squire is under guard by two Red Sangha shock troopers. They are expressionless even without helmets.

7:30 AM

The squire is sitting in a chair, with his modest gear out of reach

"So you've escaped the brothers, what do you plan on doing now." Calidorius asks the squire from across the room

"I never wanted to work for them in the first place. My parent's were very poor, and sold me to them"

"So way I see it is you've got three options right now. Prove yourself worthy of working for me, prove yourself worthy of working for the red sangha and they take you on, or sit here and wait to be transported back to the unw and see what they do with you. Any of those sound particularly appealing" Cal asks, twizzling his hammer as if it weighed a tenth of its weight

"I'd rather work with you, if you'll let me squire for you, sir"

9:29 AM

He looks with a small measure of fear at the Red Sangha troopers, and the idea of being made into something like that

Calidorius stops twirling his hammer. "OK then youve got one chance to prove yourself to me. I'm heading back down to the planet to investigate some alien ruins. You will accompany me. Do you have a name?"

"Aiden" he says "I lost my last name when my family gave me up, its our tradition":

"Maybe you'll earn yourself a last name Aiden. Do you have weapons or armour?"

"We weren't permitted to carry any in brotherhood service. Weapon ownership was just for them, but I think we passed a ship armory on my way back here"

"These Red Sangha guards will escort you, then meet me at the shuttle. We drop immediately"

He makes his way to the armory under escort

5:03 PM

Half an hour later he is back in the launch bay for the wraith shuttle ready to deploy

5:03 PM

He’s acquired a combat rifle and some woven armor for himself

"Looks a bit too big for you son. It'll have to do. Come on lets get going. When were down there watch where youre stepping and dont touch anything unless i tell you to" Calidorius says climbing into the craft

He climbs in behind you, sitting at the back of the craft with his head down. He's still trying to adjust to his change in circumstances

"You'll be fine." Calidorius says patting him on the back, clearly thinking that the statement would have a bigger effect than it does

There is a gentle bump, as the craft releases from its stealthed housing on the ship, and it plummets through the atmopshere, toward the Zadak ruins. From the air, the ruins are simple, a fane circle of stones, around some kind of a central, flat platform slightly raised off the ground. Errie, yellow tendrils of a fog like substance bubble up from the ground around the site's exterior

"Put your atmofilter on" Cal advises, "that stuff doesn't look pleasant to breathe" he says as he dons his own

"That's the stain" he says through the filter. "try to be careful and not walk directly through it"

11:50 AM

The shuttle sets down, as close to the circle-stones as it can

Cal jumps out of the shuttle, hammer at the ready, and looks for movement around the ruins, seeing if they are alone

The site looks stripped of life save for you but there are ochre bleached bones, a trio of bodies around the north end of the site, two human, one zadak

12:54 PM

“Must have come here trying to get protection” aiden says

"They didn't get far enough" Calidorius laughs laconically. He kneels by the Zadak bones and looks for anything like a zadak compad

“They’re a curious bunch from what I’ve been able to tell” aiden says. There is a compad in reach of the fallen zadak but it looks human manufactured, just changed for their proportions

Calidorius picks it up and accesses it, looking for information about the ruin that they're in. "This place looks like a temple of sorts, but i want to know more about it before we go stomping round in there"

It looks like a mix between an auction stage and a temple. There are three crates stamped with iyonglow labs on the central raised stage area

3:15 PM

In the middle of the Stone circle

Cal will approach the crates. "Keep an eye out" he orders Aiden. He uses his hammer to chisel in a thin bit of stone to use as a crowbar and open the crates (edited)

Inside the first crate there are endless boxes packed with compads of the same slightly alien design. These were very clearly manufactured for the aliens by human hands

4:01 PM

The second has projectile weapons along the same design philosophy and the third has a segmented, elongated suit of combat field uniform meant to enclose the differently proportioned zadak

"What do you know about Iyonglow labs" Cal asks Aiden. "They seem to be producing and selling modified items for the Zadak"

"Ah, well, I can tell you what I know, which comes a bit after their heyday"

4:37 PM

"The Zadak have a very peculiar set of beleifs, one of which, is that they cannot themselves develop beyond a certain technological threshold, which they seemed to be at or near- BUT, they're allowed to use found technology that might be more advanced than their own, since they didnt make it"

4:38 PM

"So, these temple places, humans would come out here, and 'lose' cargo, and in return, the zadak would leave behind precious minerals, gems, whatver was a fair price"

“I....I was snooping in the commanders book” he says sheepishly

"Interesting. It's a good work around for their tech problems. I wonder how long these crates have been here then, and if the dead zadak outside was coming to collect them. Come on let's keep looking around" Cal says as he begins to search the ruins more closely

This was once a temple and it appears to celebrate this type of commerce. Depictions of humans and zadak trading as such are on each of the pillars. The accounting tool known as an abacus is also repeated over and over in the design

"So these Zadak clearly have very close links with humans. I guess that's something the UNW could work with." Calidorius says, as he takes pictures of the site to send to franz

12:28 PM

(Did you say there were no more Zadak on this world anymore, or am i misremembering?)

(They fled galactic south in their own version of an exodus ship)

“They did with the people that used to be here yeah. Lots of trade

"Maybe we can use some of the information on these compads to try and locate the Zadak, or at least find out a bit more about this planet" Cal says as he boots one of the Zadak compads up

The characters are angular and harsh to look at, but there are a handful of shared letters, curiously enough. The Zadak appear to have hoped to also share this planet with the humans, and the logs devolve into digital corrpution

2:38 PM

when sense is made of the writing again, a plan has been detailed to drop the toxic 'stain' on the planet, to make it uninhabitable for everyone, human and Zadak alike

You notice as well that the garbled messages began the same day that the scream swept across the universe

"Weird how they went from hoping for a happy coexisting future to biological warfare as quickly as they did. Something bad must have happened." To Aiden he asks "How many other humans were on this planet, and would any of them have been around at the time this all went south"

"This planet was populated. It still is. Did you see the green belt, from space? on the southern landmass?"

"I didn't no. Maybe that's worth checking out, we might find better answers there"

"Indeed we might. There was another drop out that way wasn't there? your friends? we tracked some pods coming down before we ran into each other"

"I'll call down the shuttle, we'll see if we can catch up with them. Come on let's get these crates ready for transport"

The wraith shuttle returns, the insides cleared to take on the bit of cargo you found. Franz reports reception of the data, and is pleased (where do you want the RP generated sent to?)

(Send it to the rebirth one. They don't get as many points as the others)

The data begins transmitting from the Red Sangha ship. The shuttle redirects toward the settlement of Halcyon, which is currently under Sangha occupation. Whatever people live here, have secrets that will help their own ruined world live again. The shuttle lands in the courtyard of a white marble palace, flattening bushes and setting a rosebed aflame with its engines, the droid pilot evidently caring nothing fro aesthetics.

"A beautiful place" Cal says jumping out of the shuttle "Let's pray it finds the serenity it once possessed." Looking around he takes in the courtyard, looking for the any signs of the red sangha

The troopers are everywhere in the streets of the rustic looking town. The streets are cobbled stone and the homes Victorian. They seem to be based out of a very large mansion turned parliament building in the city center

5:54 PM

You can see it’s domed ceiling is far newer than the rest of the construction. It hasn’t aged enough for the white to turn cream

Heading inside the parliament building, with aiden in tow, Calidorius will approach one of the red sangha men. "I'm looking for the captain, would you mind directing me his way?"

“Abbot hinley is inside meeting with the ministers. What can we aid you with?” One of the chamber guards asks, he himself is a junior officer judging by his rank markings

"I'm hoping to learn about the inhabitants of this place, either by looking at archives or speaking to one of the residents"

"Most of the residents have gone to ground in their homes. The library is in this building though, no one will stop you from looking through it"

"Thank you. I'd appreciate the opportunity to speak to the Abbot once he is done with the meeting. I will wait for him in the library"

The library is intact, it appears the settlement was taken without violence, for the most part. Books printed on paper, and bound in leather line the shelves, broken down by subject. The library is a decent size and the books are well kept.

Calidorius will search for the history section of the library. Are the books in a language he can read?

There are books in English, French, Japanese, and German in this library. Depending on the subject matter, it seemed like they tried to compile information from cultures who were regarded as the 'masters of it'

7:45 AM

(think like the engineers from germany, warriors from america bit from last samurai)

"Do you read any of these languages" cal asks aiden as he searches the shelves for a tome on the history of the planet or the zadak

"I can read German" aiden says "most people at home spoke it at least at home, even if english was the official language"

11:02 AM

"Get a couple ales in me and I can soapbox all about how wrong that was" he says, sounding like much more of an adult, and much more of a child, that he really is

Calidorius laughs softly, "maybe when we're back in friendly country. Do you see anything in German that might help us in finding out exactly what went on here"

He looks through the books. "Hmm. This one, I think" It is titled "the life and times of Halcyon, and the glorious rain-maker"

"The rain maker? Is that something to do with how they're maintaining this green belt?" Cal asks indicating for Aiden to read the book

“It sounds like it. Some kind of cloud seeding technology”

5:08 PM

He points to a few passages and diagrams that seem to confirm this

"Find any information you can on the device and copy it. Both my home world and the red sangha one will find use for it"

He has a small datapad, the screen cracked from the violence of his former life, and begins taking pictures of the pages. There is a small cough, as Abbot Hinley enters the library. "Blessings upon you, travelers."

"Abbot Hinley I presume," Calidorius says approaching the abbot. "Calidorius Odenburg. I'm investigating what happened to the planet here and was hoping you'd be able to provide some answers, or at least point me in the direction of those who can"

"I'd be happy to provide what enlightenment I can. My soldiers did not give you much trouble I hope"

"None at all they were perfectly pleseant. I'm curious why the zadak left here and where they went. If they had the capabilities to rebuild their planet I don't see why they wouldnt try"

"The Zadak were not native to this world. Their own cluster of planets is further galactic south, from here. This was at the furthest edge of their expansion"

"I see, and the people who live here now? Humans I take it?"

“Humans. They’ve been confined to their homes while we speak with the local government.”

"So I will be open with you as far as our motivations here. I understand you've been a model passenger among our troopers. Many years ago, there was an ideological movement on our planet, called The Right Hand of Enlightenment. Many of us have achieved nirvana in lifetime, as you have seen. It takes many, many years off our mortal lives- which is of little consequence to those who will be reincarnated in paradise, but - it is difficult to provide for future generations of believers when you die at 50"

11:27 AM

"This group, sought to introduce enlightenment from birth, by introducing a new chemical and nanotech treatment into our world water supply. It devastated our world, killing plants, ruining soil, making animals wander as though in a haze, their minds and instincts stripped by the false enlightenment"

11:27 AM

"The people here have the technology to make our world bloom again

"I support your intentions, but your actions cause me concern. The old saying is the pen is mightier than the sword, and perhaps that is relevant to this situation. Simply talking to the people here, rather than invading them, might have given you better results. Nevertheless what is done is done, but perhaps this is a learning point for the future" Cal ushers Aiden forward. "My squire here has found some information on this rainmaker that might be of use to you. Show him boy"

He gingerly takes the books from Aiden, afraid of damaging it, for it looks a bit frail. He spends a few moments looking over the diagrams. "This....This could work. You have given us much to reflect on" Abbot Hinley says- he is perhaps the most human of the Red Sangha you've encountered thus far

"You and I share a quest of holy warriors looking to rebuild our home. If you ever need my help in your quest, I hope you know that you can rely on me, and I hope that I can rely on you in the same way"

"Where men and women of faith are being oppressed, Red Sangha will stand with them" he agrees. (3xp, 5000 credits, and you've made friends with the merc group)

(As much as you can really make friends with people who don't feel anything?)

(Yeah. You’ve got their attention more or less. You fit with their ideals)

"Thank you for your help. Your ship in orbit, will it be able to return me to to Gudrun, I want to share this information with the unw"

“Yes. The least we can do is drop you off” Returning to the ship, it’s a few days In spike before your journey comes to an end, once again over the skies of Gudrun

Cal will set up an appointment with Franz for later that day. He goes and visits aiden. "So you've had a few days to think about your options. You proved yourself capable of learning from me, but if you'd rather take your life down a different path then now is the time to say"

“I’d like to stay. The brothers made me do a lot of things I’ve come to regret. I’d like to give back”

"Good, then your first job is to find us somewhere to stay on Gudrun. Take 100 credits and come back to me if you need more"

8:32 AM

"Then once you're done with that do some digging. I want to know everything I can about this place"

Franz has a message for you, a highly classified one, and would like to meet as soon as you are able

Cal will go and meet with Franz as soon as they have landed, taking with him all of the information gathered on the zadak, ionglow, and the rainmaker

Your reports are taken and franz is pleased. He invites you into his office and shuts the door.

10:58 AM

“You’ve done us a great service. And I’d like to do the same in kind for you?”

Calidorius looks slightly taken aback. "I need all the help I can get these days. Anything you can do for me will be greatly appreciated"

He opens a cherrywood box and places it on the desk in front of you. Inside, on a black velvet cushion is a crystal, corded in silver thread and thin but tough chain. The crystal itself is a very pale blue, almost white

Calidorius takes the crystal out by the chain and dangles it in front of him. "It's quite beautiful. I've never seen a crystal like it. Where did it come from"

"The very first underhill queen we killed, these were growing in her laid. They're psionically active, and this one is encoded with a teleport spell, to somewhere that I think will be of great significance to the Knotted Wheel"

"Psionics aren't really something I have much experience with, so what are the chances of this teleporting me to the bottom of a the sea or into a volcano or something"

"It goes to the entrance of the temple. It's been tested by others, and they've all come back. It is going to sting for a moment when you first put it on though"

10:49 AM

"I've heard that more than once"

"Well it seems worth a try" Cal says hesitantly as he dons the necklace

It stings, like an icy wind on bare skin, and there is a distortion of Franz's office. Your vision returns, a few seconds later, on the peak of a very peaceful desert mountain, looking out over the endless sands. A very large, circular temple door is before you, the small keyhole in the very center, the perfect size and shape of the crystal around your neck

11:08 AM

the entire area radiates serenity

Cal takes out his compad and sends Franz a message saying "Didn't die." then wonders how the hell he's supposed to get back to Central. Having no solution he approaches the door and inserts the crystal

The crystal turns slowly, and the large, grinding door opens, allowing you entry to Shangra-La, sanctuary of those who need it. (the handout is very descriptive and probably a better guide for you ATM, its been many real life actual months since anyone's been here)

12:51 PM

(and I know the handout was done when the iron was hot)

(Cool cool. Just a couple of questions about it. How long has it been since somebody was last here in game? What did the psi academy use it for, like are there still students learning there?)

(they used it for training at the beginning when people were still wary of psychics. It's been about 6 months, if not more. Doona has a teleport key too)

Calidorius spends a few hours exploring the Temple, cleaning up some of the dust and debris that has gathered after months of disuse. He spends an hour or so performing a ritual of sanctuary in the reflection room, purifying its energies to match with those he is accustomed to. After all this is done he will try and use the stone to return to central

You feel a bit tired, but you appear in Arimoto park, at the feet of the three war monuments

(So how does the teleport crystal work? Can it just teleport to the temple and back or can it send me anywhere from the temple)

(Temple and back, Sil encoded it, but, if you use the teleport room in the temple, you can go anywhere on planet)

2:42 PM

(the crystal is like witchgate before witchgate was a thing in the game)

(So we defintely need to get a set of witchgates between Shangrila and the Temple on Miriam. One temple in arctic conditions, the other in the desert)

(I think so, I believe at base value, its same hex, but i have to reconfirm, and we can always homebrew something in later)

(yeah its a long way off happening anyway!)

2:55 PM

Charles will message Aiden to come and meet him at the park

Aiden arrives about 20 minutes later, hopping off one of the city busses

3:10 PM

he looks even more slight and childlike without the armor and rifle

"Cause much trouble while I was gone" Cal asks without even opening his eyes, sat meditating at the foot of the monuments

3:22 PM

(Also what is the three war monument? Is it an underhill/helldiver thing)

(Masquerade war, helldiver was and underhill war)

“Not really. One of the street vendors yelled at me for my order taking too long though”

Cal chuckles, opening his eyes and standing up. "We've been gifted a disused temple up in the desert, as well as a teleportation device to get us there. It seems like a good a place as any to get your training started"

“I’d like that. Proper training. Not forcing me to fight my friends I hope.

"There are enough baddies out there for you to fight. You dont have to fight your old friends. But first there is some interest in exploring an old tower on my home planet. I feel it is only proper that I join the expedition. You can either accompany me there or get our temple back in order. The choice is yours"

"I'll get the temple cleaned out. Some time with my thoughts would be good for me" he says (I think PC'

7:27 AM

s are going to make the mission interesting enough)

"I'll be back in a week or so imagine" Calidorius says before heading off to find transport back to Miriam

(I'll set up a thread)

(For reference after the battle Cal sends 25,000 to aiden for use in the desert temple and the rest to the Miriam temple for rebuilding materials)

2:05 PM

(Just so I don't forget)

(works for me!)

Freshly returned home from glorious battle, Calidorius is deposited back on the orbital platform as the ships come in for repairs.

(How long has Cal been gone since he last left Gudrun for the Miriam mission?)

(its been 3 weeks between the miriam mission and space battle, ish)

(Does the teleport stone work from this far away)

(it works from anywhere in the local system)

(Woo) Calidorius will, with the lowest of expectations, teleport to his temple, both eager and dreading to see the carnage he suspects Aiden to have caused in his absence

Aiden has done well, surprisingly, sweeping out the dust, getting the water and electricity from their hidden sources deep within the mountain working again, and he has even left food out in the rookery. Two Venus crows caw happily as they devour some seed past its prime for planting

"Well this is most certainly not what I was expecting Aiden. You've done well. How have you managed over the past few weeks?"

"Its been quiet, just me and the birds since you brought me here:

"That's good to hear. What's with the birds? Did you buy them and bring them here?"

"No, they were hanging around up there already. They weren't scared of me either

"Hmm well it will be nice to have some more company around here. Now, I promised you training before I had to leave. Is that still something you wish to pursue?"

"it is. The brothers were not interested in teaching. Their way was not why I became a warrior"

"Good. Follow me." Calidorius leads Aiden out to the courtyard at the top of the stairs. He turns to face him before sweeping his legs out from under him and adopting a fighting stance. "Might as well start at the start. Fight me"

Aiden groans and rolls onto his side. Looking up, he nods, and rescues himself

5:29 AM

(6 on Initiative for him)

(7 woo)

5:39 AM

(Do you want me roll a basic attack or do a punch skill)

5:44 AM

(dm found the punch attack button)

5:45 AM

(8 attack for 2 damage)

(yeah punch mod is used for the attack but you're still smackin him)

He doubles over again as a follow up attack hits him directly

"You wont get sympathy in battle. Don't give any either" Cal goads

(16/2)

7:56 AM

He swings back, fist connecting but unsure if the force has actually made you even notice

(Damn 16 was my armour class). Calidorius is slightly taken aback that he managed to connect. "Good, good. Show some passion but dont let it get to your head" Cal says as he darts forward and delivers a strong blow to Aiden's chest. (17/2)

Aiden is knocked onto his back, groaning "No more. Thats..."he wheezes hard "that's enough"

"You have to be ready at all times for battle." Cal says pulling aiden off the floor. "You hit me though. That's so much than I was expecting. Come on" he says with a smile "let's go get something to eat"

He nods, and pulls himself up on sore joints.

2:38 PM

The temple kitchen is an efficient space, and it does not take long to get a meal together

"So I'll be honest aiden. You're the first I've trained. How you want to be trained is up to you. You can come with me on missions or I can train you when I'm not out working. Of course you're welcome to choose on a case by case basis, but I thought I'd make you aware"

"I'd like to go on missions. Seeing and helping, it's how I learn best"

2:48 PM

"I made the mistake of telling that to the brothers, and you saw how that turned out"

"I'll find us something to do then that will further your training." Cal says over his meal as he messages Franz to see if there is any work available

(Anything off the endeavor board striking your fancy?)

(I'd like to put an end to the war on sumati but haven't really been following developments with that planet. What is the war looking like down there?)

(Seung got tondam freehold in on the side of Usea and The Balak League. COST is fighting alone, barely hanging on to their last two strategic points.

7:09 AM

(There will be a mission before the war turn to help allies or hurt enemies. , since we are close to month end if we want to do that now we can)

(Yeah that sounds like a pretty fun mission. I've never really done war stuff before)

Word comes from Sumati that there is a disagreement between Balak League forces and Tondam Freehold forces. They've been sharing a billet, camped outside the central processing plants (theyre besieging, so on the outside of the complex) Vital gear has gone missing, stopped working, or otherwise failed when needed ever since Tondam forces arrived. Their quartermasters have been unable to offer decent explanation thus far.

Calidorius tells Franz to leave the problem in his hands. As long as he can get him to sumati Cal can take care of the problem

A shuttle can take you there and will await in local space for you to report mission success, or not. The People are suspcious of the outside galaxy, so your lack of technological trappings is a good benefit to you during this

12:03 PM

(cal's aestetic is actually pretty rocking for this)

Before he goes Cal wants to look over the pistol he took from the brother on Miriam to see if he was capable of fixing it

1:27 PM

(Was it a mechanical problem or a spiritual one?)

(its mechanical, but you know how to fix it since youre familiar with the arcane energy involved, so its heat will go from warm, to cold, and no longer cause system strain per use)

While waiting for the shuttle to Sumati Calidorius will try to fix the gun, before presenting it to Aiden. "Here, were about to go somewhere dangerous so you will need a proper weapon. When the time comes you'll have the opportunity to forge your own weapon, but for now use this"

He nods respectfully, and even at his young age knows trigger discipline. He tucks it into his belt

Cal waits patiently in the spaceport for the shuttle transport to arrive, ready to begin the trip to sumati with aiden

it is not a long wait, and before long you see the vulcanized docking arm connect, allowing you to board

On the journey to Sumati, Calidorius will continue training aiden, hopefully teaching him some basic battles skills that will keep him alive in a war zone. Not that Cal has much experience with these skills himself, but he delivers his instruction with great confidence

The shuttle arrives after two days in spike. THe Balak League is one of the two parties involved in the dispute, and is the only one with space approach protocols given to you. Knowledge of space and the wider sector is prohibited, and special care needs to be taken to not fly over population centers. You land in a cove, a number of miles outside the Balak League' only major city, and are met by a young looking communications squad

"Hello there, I am Calidorius Odenburg, I've been sent by the unw to assist in some problems you're having."

"I'll bring you to the general, and she can assist you with the necessaries. I'm glad someone is taking this seriously"

8:05 AM

The small armored convoy brings you into the city. It is very modern, and has the look and feel of a very long lived in city. It si very clean, and you notice handfuls of grey carapace armored troopers standing on street corners.

"You all seem on high alert. Has there been trouble recently" Cal asks the soldiers

"Some trouble. I'll let the general explain it to you. She'd be mad if we did it first."

9:16 AM

The vehicles pull up to a concrete skirt before the government palace. , where dozens of soldiers stand by on guard duty, on PT runs, and a few simply are outside smoking, keeping an eye on things

"Thanks for the ride." Cal says getting out of the vehicle. "Which way to the general"

"Inside" one of the points to an officer at the palace doors, at the top of the stairs "the chap up there with the gold frogging, thats her second. He will bring you in"

Calidorius heads that way and introduces himself and aiden to the second

"General Evra is inside, keep your weapons in their holsters, and we should have a smooth audience" he says, not giving his own name or rank in return. You see a very active command center inside, and an aged woman in a crisp dress uniform looking over a number of monitors showing troop concentrations

Cal thanks him and approaches the general. "General Evra, I presume. I've been sent to assist you from the UNW. My name is Calidorius Odenburg. Please let me know how I can help"

“Well calidorious I’ll give it to you plainly , we think the Tondam freehold forces might not be as invested in the coalition as the rest of us. We think perhaps they may even be playing both sides of the field. We need someone to confirm some findings”

Cal taps the head of his warhammer strapped to his back. "Luckily subtlety is one of my specialties" he jokes. "Have you got a plan of how you want me to go about this or should I just go rooting around"

"Our forces are encamped alongside theirs outside the Central Processing plants. Demolition charges used for undermining the complex walls keep detonating prematurely, but only for us. Their own digs have gone according to plan. We need someone to look into it:

"That is suspicious, although I must confess that demolitions is not my strong point. Do you perhaps have somebody that could accompany me and help me with that issue"

"There is a chief sapper on site, he should be able to fill you in on the specifics and the problems they're experiencing. We would appreciate discretion as to your origins. To that end, we have uniforms for you"

2:25 PM

"It'll help you blend in a bit, though youre free to carry your personal effects"

2:26 PM

pattern looks like this)

"Thank you for being so hospitable. I know your people have a complicated relationship with those from off world so it is good to see us working together. I will return when I have more information" Cal says taking the uniforms

A transport helicopter lands in the courtyard outside, empty save for the pilot, crew chief, and with plenty of space for the both of you

"What do you make of all this so far?" Cal quietly asks aiden when they're seated on the helicopter

11:22 AM

(Also they would have changed into the uniforms at some point)

(yeah , i didnty want to make you waste a post on that lol) "Wheels within wheels. How do they expect to keep space hidden? and how have they already done it for so long?"

"I've got no idea, and realistically they're going to have to bring it up at some point. But I'm not about to cause an international crisis by bringing it up with them"

"no. Its just so weird" aiden says, idly drumming his fingers on the pistol's grip

"When we're down there," Cal says as the helicopter nears it's destination "I want you to keep a focus on everything going on around us and alert me to anything unusual or out of place"

"I will" he promises. | The rotorcraft sets down, inside the main Balak League combined encampment- outside the central processing nodes. The siege lines are well established, and a nearby forest lays cut to the stumps to provide the reinforcements needed for trench walls and gangways

7:59 PM

potshots from the facility walls, and the trench lines are exchanged back and forth.

"It is brutal combat down here. Worse than anything we've seen elsewhere" Cal says to Aiden. He approaches one of the nearby guards and asks for the location of the chief sapper

"Eh? He's over by the dig!" he shouts over the sound of shellfire, to a bucket gang with wooden pails, emptying earth into sandbags, to disguise the products of their undermining effort.

Cal will thank him and head over to the dig site, looking for the chief, trying not to appear unnerved by the shell fire

You're helped into the dugout, as is aiden, by two other sappers. The gaping dig entrance before you looks like an old style mine, wooden tressels and lanterns providing support for the earthworks, and light. "Welcome to the processing plants!" one calls from just inside the dig entrance. He is gray, with weather beaten tan skin and a long stemmed pipe. A sawn off shotgun sits on a hip holster, and a notched entrenching tool sits on his back

"Quite a place you've got yourself down here" Cal calls back approaching him. When he is closer he will say "I have been sent by the general to help with your problems and suspicions down here"

"Ah I see, well, we are working side by side with Tondam Freehold's engineers down you'll see some once we head down. Whenever their shifts are complete, we are finding small issues- blasting caps mysteriously missing. Fuses cut. That sort of thing, but they're accusing us of doing it to their undermines as well"

9:43 AM

"Its come to blows a few times, a beloved foreman was killed by a premature detonation"

"So what makes you think it's them as a group, rather than just one or two problem causers"

"Well, the trouble didn't start until they started sharing the earthworks with us, we can't prove anything either way, which I expect is why you're here"

12:00 PM

"People know just enough to get quick to resort to infighting"

"Fair enough, you're the expert so I'll defer to your judgement. So how and why do they have access to your demolitions? Surely you can just create separate working areas and this problem will go away"

"This is delicate work. Working with two different sets of triggers, two differnt types of charges, and working from different command structures is going to bring this whole dig to a halt, or worse. They're also trying to sap our tunnels from within the facility walls too, if there's a breach, or they gain access, there's greater strength in numbers

"That all makes sense. Well we can try and grab one of their men and pull them in for interrogation. I can't see any other way to get information from them without going undercover and that might take too long"

There is a boom from one of the tunnels, muffled, but you hear men screaming

"That doesn't sound so good. I'd suggest pulling your men out of the tunnels chief. But you're in charge and we're here to help"

Three wounded come out, dragging half of a dead soldier, in a Tondam uniform. "This is your fault! Your fucking faulty triggers!" one of them levels a squat bladed shovel at the Balak chief sapper you're talking with, and begins to slowly advance

Calidorius draws his own weapon and points it at the Tondam aggressor. "Easy there boy. There doesn't need to be any more dead today" he says in a calm, yet threatening tone

(initiative)

2

(also 2, your'e first)

Cal is going to try and disarm the attacker

8:14 AM

(disarm rules for you)

8:15 AM

(Attack 10)

(That hits he’s just in clothes. So let’s make stab checks. Dex or strength as the ability mod)

(Strength for me. How do we do a straight stat roll?)

(It’s stab/str

9:44 AM

(It’s whatever skill the weapon uses)

(Ah cool, for me it's sunblade then)

11:20 AM

(14, good roll)

(10, you won by more than a factor of 3, so you can take his entrenching tool or knock it away)

Cal rips the entrenching tool out of the hands of the soldier and shouts "Stop this. Now"

Disarmed, he puts his hands up, and begins moving back

11:53 AM

"Alright. Alright. I'm unarmed now"

"Good. Now why don't we all calmly talk about what's just happened. What did you see in there"

The sapper is in a tondam uniform. "Two of your guys were just in the tunnel, fiddling with something. I came back to check on it, with our foreman, and the charges just blew"

"OK and you blamed this on faulty triggers, why not faulty explosives? And secondly what makes you think this isn't an accident"

"The explosives we worked on together, perfectly blended and balanced"

"I want each of you to bring me triggers that the other is using" Cal says to the chief and Tondam sapper. "We need to get this sorted out"

They both arrive a few moments later with the det triggers they're using

9:59 AM

(notice/int)

(7)

Both triggers brought to you have been tampered with. You can see parts from an unknown, third manufacuterer inside

"You see this," Cal points out, "both of your triggers have been tampered with. So why don't you both cool down and put your heads towards working out who did it." Cal asks the chief to take them to a room where they can discuss this without being overheard

They leave the dig, ordering a work stop for now and retiring to a small officers dugout. The room is empty

"If I were a betting man I'd say that these triggers have been manipulated by COST infiltrators. Can either of you think of people that you would suspect to be spies? Maybe a group that showed up slightly before the malfunctions started"

They both think for a moment. "There was a group that came here a few days before Tondam arrived. They said they were a special forces group, were real interested in the stocks. "

"Well that sounds like our ticket. Do you have any idea what has happened to them since then"

"Billeted in...primary sapper barracks..I think" the balak league chief sapper says

2:14 PM

"they sort of go as they please"

"OK let's not do anything too hasty. We don't want to scare them away. I want both of you to assemble groups of your most trusted men. I want half of them to come with me and half of them to begin fixing the triggers. The ones coming with me will follow me to the barracks, but won't follow me in. Chief I'd like for you to accompany me and point them out. Once we've confirmed they're there we'll move in to arrest them. Any questions "

"No, lets go" he begins getting his men organized into the needed formations

Taking aiden aside he says "I want you to oversee the checking of the triggers. If you've got any problems message me. And remember they don't know how unimportant we are. Just pretend like you're in charge and they'll treat you that way"

He nods, and heads off with the inspection team

"Let's get moving" Cal says to the chief

He brings you over to a pre-fab semi hardened tent area, the building big enough to house 18 sappers. The walls are meant to protect the inhabitants from sharpened, and can be zipped closed and sealed against chemicals.

5:18 PM

It is full, and he motions with his eyes to eight soldiers int he corner playing cards

Cal indicates for the men to circle the exists to the pre fab. "I'm going to try and draw them out. You guys be ready to jump them when they come out. If it looks like it's going wrong come in and save me." Cal says as he walks in and approaches the table. He pulls a nearby chair up to the table and sits on it next to them."Act calm." he says in a hushed voice"I'm not going to mess about. You've been compromised. We need to extract you now. Grab your shit were leaving" (edited)

(Talk/cha, but very good)

(4. Shit)

"There's a problem, with your accent" one of the saboteurs says , with a bit of a lilt over the E's of his words. You can tell he is not even COST, but a very cunning Remnant infiltrator, as are his squad

9:12 AM

(initiative)

(4 again. Double shit)

(5)

1:11 PM

The engineers whom you've tried to quietly get to fall for the ruse stand up, but loudly. You're hoping the allied sappers out in the hallway heard the commotion. The 10 in the tent who haven't been identified as COST operatives also stand, unsure what is happening but knowing they do not want to be in the way of a tussle just yet. The quarters are too cramped for firearms, but they lay in with fists

1:11 PM

(4 hits, 2 crits, damage incoming)

1:12 PM

(12 damage, rolled a shitload of 1's)

Calidorius, knowing that he is outnumbered and in danger will being panicking for a way to flee, when suddenly he finds himself inexplicably 10 meters away at the doorway to the tent. He backs out and takes a defensive position outside the doorway with the other troops

6:06 PM

(Wild psychic foci y'all! Used teleport for the first time!)

1

They rush in, entrenching tools, trench clubs, and fists flying, as they work to subdue the saboteurs.

6:09 PM

The other 10 soldiers who had not been getting involved finally pile in, realizing what is happening

Calidorius will watch mostly from the sidelines, waiting to see whether he needs to intervene or not

The situation is under control, and the saboteurs arrested quickly Outside, there is a blast, and a number of shouts and yells. Tondam engineers have completed the dig, now knowing to check the triggers, and the assault is underway

Cal approaches the chief. "Glad that's all taken care of. Do you think they'll need me up in the main assault?"

"It will be incredibly dangerous. They've had a month or more to dig in- but if you feel strongly about it, you're welcome to take a spot in the next assault company heading through"

"I think my skills might be better suited to interrogation of these new prisoners. Good luck with the rest of the war chief, I hope victory comes soon" Cal says as he messages aiden to meet him back at the helipad

Aiden meets you there, as the rotorcraft begins to spin. A heavier transport is coming for the prisoners, and they'll be transported back to holding in The Balak League later. (3xp, 10000 credits)

"Sounds like the war is wrapping up with this assault. We did good here today. We should speak to the general again, see if there is anything more we can do to contribute"

Three hours later, the craft is powering down in the courtyard of the Balak League's capital palace, General Evra coming out to meet you, along with six of her bodyguards

"Sounds like things are going well at the main assault" Cal calls out over the noise of the slowing rotors

"We have victory" she smiles, she looks relaxed, finally, as if tension built up over years of needing to hold her people together through wartime have finally released

"I'm glad to hear that. Hopefully we can get some normality restored to this planet. I am here to assist further if you need me, but if not I shall return and report this to the unw"

"Prisoners are being rounded up, but there will be negotiations next month. You and your UNW are welcome to return then, and we will determine the future of COST, and of Sumati.

"I know it is not my place to say, but it might be worth considering the role of sumati in the interstellar community, and allowing your citizens access to the truth. As you rebuild you will need help, we can provide that but not if you refuse to acknowledge us"

"It's something we privately will need to discuss among ourselves, but we won't be able to hide the truth forever. These things have a way of coming out"

"They do." Cal replies before pausing. "It sounds as if I have done all I can here, good luck with the future and don't be afraid to get in touch if you need help again"

She nods to both of you "Thank you for saving so many of my men." The helicopter spools up, bringing you back to the coast, where your shuttle is waiting to bring you home

Cal will ask the shuttle to take him back to Gudrun, ideally dropping him off at the temple

(you can use the crystal to teleport to the temple once your on the cloud, if you like, since it is hidden)

8:27 AM

The shuttle returns after a quick stop at Aslief, before heading home. Things seem lively on Gudrun, news coverage scrolling by with a report of a recent minor crime wave at the port, but the perpetrator has been apprehended

(Thanks I'll always keep forgetting about that haha) Cal uses his teleporter from the cloud to arrive at the temple. There are a couple of things he wants to accomplish over the coming days. He would like to spend some time familiarising himself with the temple, experimenting to see if it can amplify his power as it does psychics. He'd also like to spend some time training aiden. He'd also like to reach out to the psi academy to discuss this wild psychic talent for teleporting he has developed

8:59 AM

(I was planning on taking the skill that let's you teleport ten feet as a move action next time I get a foci, and was going to rp that as Cal learning how to control his talent from the academy)

(awesome!! yeah you can for sure do that, and I think at rank 2 you get a second technique as well, so further opportunities there)

(Regulus would be the contact at the psi academy right?)

(yes, and Crane or Doona, NPC's, when he's off world, which he is right now)

Cal will send a message to doona, asking to schedule a meeting for the next couple of days

(do you want her to come there, she can)

(Ooh yeah I didn't realise she could. That's a better idea)

Doona appears a few minutes later, her own crystal glowing softly, and fading as it begins recharging

8:18 AM

"Calidorious. It's good to see you. I haven't been here in quite some time"

"And you. I'm glad you've come. It's quite an exquisite temple, although it has taken some fixing up from the state we found it in. The reason I asked you to come is that I'm starting to show some strange uncontrollable psychic talents. More specifically I'm able to teleport, only short distances, but would still prefer an understanding of it "

"I see. So the weave and MES have combined in you. We know little of the weave, but we do know it is similar to MES, another force woven into the background of the universe. Have you been exerting your sunblade powers more often lately?"

"Yes I have. Thing in the sector are not quite as peaceful as they were in my temple in Miriam,so I've been forced to fight a lot more. My sunblade powers have been growing stronger as well, but this teleporting is different"

"Well, I have a theory on why that might have happened"

"Please, enlighten me" Cal says taking a seat on one of the benches in the courtyard

"Invoking a power, or drawing on it, it channels current, from the Weave, or MES. The two powers are so closely aligned, your mind might have created the necessary mental channels"

"That's an interesting theory. Have others been experiencing this phenomenon"

"A few. There's a professor I was speaking with a couple months ago that had something similar happen, though she was precognitive, not a teleporter"

6:52 PM

"so your'e not the first."

"Interesting. Would training in psychic arts help,or is this something that I should just let develop on my own"

“It might. You’re not in danger of torching. I can feel that on you. More training might allow you to expand the existing channels in your mind to be able to accomplish more with teleportation (the second rank of this focus lets you pick another technique)

"That's good to know. Well thank you for your time. I don't know if you are keeping tabs on the other you mentioned but I am happy to keep you updated with any developments with these powers"

“I have been. He’s here, actually. I gave him the other Crystal this morning.

11:26 AM

“He can teleport like you can”

11:27 AM

(Dax just got here in his thread)

Almost as if on cue, Dax rounds the corner, looking around at the sudden change in scenery

"Teleporting?" Dax teleports to right in front with a hand extended to shake Calidorious's hand

12:10 PM

"Hi there, I'm Dax."

Calidorius shakes his hand back. "Dax, I think I've read your name cropping up in various unw reports. You were in the alcibides assault if I remember. The names Calidorius, pleasure to meet you"

"So.... what is this place? What do I need to know?"

"I know very little about it myself. It's seems to have originally been a piggen monastery that was gifted to whoever set up the psychic academy, but it has fallen into disrepair until the Vice President directed me here. We've been occupying it for about a month now "

"I had no clue what I was walking into when Doona handed me this crystal thing. So you've been occupying it for a month.... how do you get back out?"

Cal points to the wide expanse of desert. "You start walking". After a moment Cal makes a big laugh "Just joking with you. While you're in the temple it let's you teleport to most of the planet. This place seems to boost psychic powers" (edited)

"Oh... but... mine isn't psychic. I wonder how that's going to work."

(it works for you too, there's a teleport crystal in the rookery)

(Yay I'm not stuck forever)

1:08 PM

"So... this is a spot for training? I haven't been doing much of that recently."

"It is. I come from an order of knights based on Miriam. This is our home on Gudrun. You're welcome to stay spar with us if you wish"

Dax gives a cheeky grin "I would love to."

Cal takes his hammer off his back and leans it against a wall. "Wouldn't want to really hurt you." He says taking up position in the centre of the courtyard, fists raised

"You sure?" Dax says with a smile. "I guess so..." Dax mimics Cal by pulling a purple arcane replica of his hammer off his back and pretends to lean it against the wall before letting it dissipate.

2:24 PM

(Are we actually doing a PvP roll for attacks kind of spar? Or just RP?)

(That depends on how different our levels are. I'm 6)

(Level 8 warrior)

(if you guys want to actually spar we can, just assume 'death; is the battle ending

2:29 PM

(and not actually finishing the other person off)

(If he isn't a warrior then I have an unfair amount of health comparatively.)

2:36 PM

(I'm happy to RP it out)

(Yeah your attack bonus would be much larger than mine as well, which I think is bs but whatevs. Yeah happy to rp!)

2:45 PM

Calidorius stands in the centre of the courtyard, fists raised in a boxing style, waiting defensively for Dax to make the first move

(your call on if you want to. You two should be the ones to say yes or no)

Dax begins a sweeping motion with one of his legs before teleporting right into Cal's face and sweeping his legs out from underneath him. "Is this allowed?"

2

(When do you go to bed Cal? I don't want to get stuck in your thread while you sleep lol)

Cal uses his own teleport to put him back on his feet behind Dax before delivering a strong punch to the side. "Yeah I'd say its fair"

3:39 PM

(next couple of hours, but I'm not bothered if this bleeds into tomorrow)

Dax grabs Cal's arm after the blow and attempts to throw him around and to the ground, fully expecting Cal to teleport away before falling completely.

Not having that much control over his teleport Cal is slammed into the ground and groans heavily for a moment before grabbing Dax by the ankles and pulling them out from under him slamming Dax onto the floor alongside him

Instead of getting to his feet or trying to throw a punch from the ground, Dax throws his energy into the ground to leap vertically about 5m into the air (giving you ample time to get up) before landing a couple meters away in a readied stance.

Seeing that they're starting to flex their powers Cal starts channelling his energy into his fists. He darts forward and lands a punch into Dax's chest, unleashing a wave of cold elemental energy from his fist before stepping back and drawing his foot in a semicircle in front of him frosting the ground in his foots wake

(I'm not sure Dax would've let you do that so easily lol... but MarkdownContext { Depth = 1 } )

5:52 PM

Knocked back a step, and surprised at the blast, Dax says, "Hey! I thought this was a fist fight!" And summons a staff out of nothing to shove Cal back with before jumping over him to smack him lightly on the back while landing behind him.

"I'm still using my fists" Cal says with a wink before moving in to engage again trying to land a few blows

(I feel like we should finish this with some sort of contested dice roll)

(Just a straight d20 winner takes all?)

(Sure why not)

(10. Literally 50/50 at this point hahaha)

(15

)

The fight was a good exercise for the both of you. (Both Of you get a re roll token) Dax ends with the upper hand, for now

Dax deftly dodges back and back, waiting for his opening. Cal overextended himself only once, but it was enough to give Dax the moment he needed to get inside his defences and knock him down. Dax immediately followed the strike by teleporting on top of Cal with a knee on his chest.

8:42 AM

"That was good! You put up a great fight."

8:42 AM

Dax stands and offers a hand up to Cal.

Cal takes the offered hand "You did too. I'll get you next time though. So what are your plans now? Of course you're welcome to stay and train more but I figured you'd have things you needed to do"

"Well... I'm new around here. What else is there to do? I have business I can get back to, but it might be worth my while to stay a bit."

"Around the temple? Not much, we're fairly isolated. There's a lot of the temple itself we haven't explored, you're welcome to look around and see if there's anything that takes your interest in the library or any of the towers"

"I think I'll do just that. See if anything strikes my interest. Thanks for your help, I'll see you around, I'm sure."

12:12 PM

(Back to my thread to explore?)

(Sure we can)

After leaving Dax to wander the temple Cal turns to aiden and says "See, there is no shame in losing to a stronger opponent, as long as you fight with all your strength. Sometimes you're beaten and its about recovering from that. Anyway, go busy yourself, I have some things I need to do"

2:03 PM

(Can you remind me the link between greystar and the brotherhood. It's been a while so i can't remember exactly what was discovered)

(Greystar was helping to shuttle them along to some various objectives. Their presence on Craytulus was one such job, they were working to figure out how to weaponize and treat 'The Stain' )

Cal is going to search the records he recovered to see what kind of objectives the brothers were being sent to achieve, looking for the most interesting one, or the one that would cause the most disruption if it was hit

There are some mentions of an upcoming deployment to Eaiphyle, a grave world. There is mention of something, some object the brothers are very interested in resting in a mausoleum there

Does it sound as though they know where the item is or is the there the chance Cal can beat them to it

It does not mention where they're deploying from, and the planet is not prohibitively far from Gudrun. You can use currently ruttered routes to get you there, as probes have charted stable courses already

Cal will message Franz to try and arrange transport

There are a number of shuttles ready for use, though if you'd like something with a bit more punch, he will authorize the deployment of one of the UNW corvettes for your mission

(Going to stick a message in the lfp chat to see if anyone wants to join)

(Sounds good! let me know when you're satisfied and we can move along)

(I'll give until tomorrow morning then we can proceed. Let everyone who wants to weigh in)

Sounds good!)

Calidorius will message @Hailey Clements (Mylonite) "Good to hear from you again Hailey. I'm arranging transport for my mission, should I meet you on the cloud later today?"

Looking forward to joining you Cal. Somethings come up and I may be a little late, but I should still be able to join you later today.

"Great I'll start loading up the shuttle and meet you up there"

(Sorry, should have clarified) Cal finished up at the temple, leaving aiden there, and heads up to the cloud to wait for Hailey

(All good! We should be able to kick this off tomorrow at the latest!)

Hailey and Calidorius meet on the orbital platform, where a shuttle has been set aside for their use

"This should be good fun Hailey. I'm expecting to run into the same groups as we did on Miriam. The brotherhood are apparently after something on this planet and I want to beat them to it"

“Hey Cal, sorry I’m late. Ok sounds good. I’ll follow your lead on this.”

outside, the last of the cargo is being transferred aboard, mostly food and a refill for the ships locker

After making sure her stuff gets loaded alright, Hailey boards the ship.

(It's a shuttle, so the mech isnt going to fit, it needs 50 tons of space(

11:09 AM

(the free merchant is being used by another group right now)

(Ok, i figured )

Eaiphyle is a few days worth of jumps away, an entire planet given over to remembrance of the deceased from all across the adjoining sectors. A small order of anchorite monks watches the world, doing their best to chronicle the life and times of all those interred there. Based on intercepted data, the dead were buried with more than just their funeral clothing, and a device, or artifact the Brothers of Fenris are interested in is there

(is the shuttle able to scan the planet to try and find the main source of power or life?)

11:21 AM

(If not can Cal look out the window and try to see where the most lights are on)

(the shuttle has survey scanners yes)

11:23 AM

Down below, aside from some stretches of trees and peaceful lakes, the world is an endless garden of neatly manicured lawn, where the headstones for sectors of dead from all around are neatly laid out.

11:23 AM

There is a small compound in the exact center of the planet, consisting of ten large buildings, and a small landing area.

"I think that is where we should head first" Cal says. "Take us down" he says to the pilots

As you enter atmosphere, you see large flocks of doves flying below, many concentrated around the lake. the comm terminal begins flashing, signaling a waiting message

“Wow this place is beautiful, if a little creepy.”

Cal activates the message terminal

There is a very mannered English voice on the intercomm "Good morning unidentified vessel. This is Monsignor Edwards, head of the Order of Quiet Oblivion. We wish to know your intentions and make appropriate arrangements"

(The Order of Quiet Oblivion?!?! That's the coolest name ever I wish I'd thought of that)

11:36 AM

Before replying Cal says to Hailey "Do you think we should be upfront about our intentions here or hide them?"

(That’s dope)

11:41 AM

“Um, yeah I’d say so. But, maybe twist it a little so they get the point that we’re the good guys”

Cal nods and begins recording his own message back "Good morning, Monsignor Edwards, my name is Calidorius Odenburg and I come from the United Nation of Worlds. We've received intelligence some undesirable figures are enroute to your planet and we've come to beat them to whatever they are looking for, or stop them getting away with it, whatever it is"

"We find most of the living are undesirable figures to be around Mr. Odenburg. Please proceed to landing, we will discuss further when you are on the ground."

"They sound fun" Cal says to Hailey

“Oh yeah totally. Really party people”

11:49 AM

“Alright then, let’s land and ‘discuss further’”

The landing strip is hard to miss, and you land expertly in the middle of a concrete pad set aside for that use. Three monks are waiting for you in simple black shifts, one trimmed with a crimson border, and crimson cord around his waist. He wears a small prayer cap.

11:51 AM

He is middle aged, but the acolytes with him are barely out of their teens

Cal will approach the elder man and bow. "Apologies for our arriving unannounced, but time was of the essence in this issue. Allow me to introduce my ally, Hailey Clements"

"Mr. Odenburg, Ms. Clements" he gives a shallow bow, and you can smell the cloying musk of incense coming off of him. "Welcome to Eaiphyle"

Hailey waves after her introduction. “hey.”

"Thank you for having us, it's quite the beautiful world you've got here"

"It is peaceful. The dead deserve their rest, and mourners traveling here appreciate the serenity their loved ones lie in. The Order is bound by our tenants to offer aid to travelers,

"Were glad for it. Now onto why we are here. Have you heard of the brothers of fenris?"

"We have not. Though I know my mythology. Fenris is the wolf that will come to eat the world at the end times, if I recall"

"Well they idealise themselves on that idea, and so with them coming to your world does not spell good fortune for you. As far as we can tell they are hunting some kind of object or artifact"

"I see. Something we possess? or something lying among our resting?"

"Hmm. I hadn't considered it lay among the dead. Do you yourselves have anything that would draw their attention"

"we do charge a fee for interment , and we get many donations. Not so much the last few years though. The galaxy has gone rather quiet"

She turns to Cal. “Then I’m thinking it’s gotta be something with the dead. I don’t think they’d have too much reason the be hiding something.”

(yeah hes saying they get money, but they dont usually get like actual items. ect)

"That makes sense" Cal says to Hailey. "I'm guessing youve got too many records for us to search to get an idea of what they're after" he says to the monk

“You can narrow it down to the mausoleums. Those are the richest of our patrons

“That sounds like a good place to start” she says to Cal.

“Can you take us to the records so we can check it out?”

“Of course. We keep many records. Whole buildings. You’d like to see what, the richest of our patrons?”

"Yes please, seems like the right place to start"

He brings you into their simply built living space. "Fenris is the wolf that brings about the end of the world...." edwards says, contemplating. "Perhaps there is a connection to their aim, and someone buried here. A weapons maker, or warlord, or military leader perhaps..."

7:55 AM

He stops in front of a longhouse styled building, even through its windows you can see stacks of papers and archive slates within "Anyone by that description would be recorded here:

"So how do we go about finding one item on a planet full of dead people? I'm open to suggestions on this one because I'm all out of ideas"

(the narrowing it down to a few professions was sort of the tip to make the haystack smaller)

(I think I've entirely missed the bit about professions sorry, not sure what you mean)

"The Brothers aim to bring about the end of the world, or worlds, or the end of something. If they're looking for an object here, it would be some kind of implement to help with that aim. A warrior, or general, or someone involved in weaponry would probably be buried with something like that. It's a pretty common practice on some worlds, being buried with an item you hold dear"

(Ah sorry my discord has been acting up I'd missed all the messages since last night. Ignore me)

10:26 AM

"Can we go inside and have a look around, or is access restricted" Cal asks (edited)

"The archive and stories within are of course open to any who wish to learn about those who came before. This is the reason for our order. I will have a meal sent to you when luncheon hour approaches. You are of course free to stay as long as you'd like"

“Thank you for your hospitality.” Hailey leads the way inside.

The room has several small work tables in it with glowbugs adhered to the ceiling. It is cozy, and the furniture is warm.

12:03 PM

there are several archive stacks, all devoted to various war leaders, and weapons moguls.

12:04 PM

(gotta see if the skill im thinking of is still in this version)

12:04 PM

(administer wis, it is)

(11)

(Can i Have Pete scan through while I help?)

12:23 PM

(If so, 10)

(yes)

12:43 PM

(you got it by 1) You find a record of a General Solar, who fought in the Sol system, very early in the first wave of expansion. He led armies beyond the sol system to alpha centruai and beyond, bringing the might of humanity to the stars. This sector was as far as his armies had taken him, 80 years later. Nannite treatments kept him alive for a very long time, but in the end, all bodies fail, and his army interred him on this world ,along with the war dead they carried with them. He is rumored to have been buried with his finery, and several battle trophies

"Do we have any way of finding out where on planet he was buried?"

There is a mausoleum 30km away, among a cluster of other first wave war dead officers

"We could definitely beat the brothers to it if we move now" Cal says to Hailey

"I agree. Let's go." She starts towards the mausoleum.

(Hailey your bike would fit on the shuttle, it’s not an impossibly distance by foot but it’s over a day if not walking or flying

(can Cal ride too? I mean I know its says one passenger, but maybe? I dont see any other way without one person getting left behind)

(Yeah he can. I’m sure there’s space for a short trip like that)

(oh ok then) I drive to the mausoleum with Cal on the back.

You pass endless graves. Some are simple headstones with a name, others are elaborate monuments with reapers, angels, and hourglasses in prominent display

"It's a bit morbid round here" Cal shouts over the noise of the bike "But as long as they don't all turn into zombies I think we're good"

Nothing springs out of the ground but for a few of the doves. Arriving at the mausoleum complex, you see a squat, ram nosed shuttle craft has caved the wall of one of them in, and three brothers, with their squires (also 3) are hard at work, picking through the rubble

"We can't let them escape with whatever they've come for" Cal shouts to Hailey as he leaps of the back of the bike and charges towards the brothers

(initiative)

(That's a big fat 1)

(FAT 9s for both me and Pete lol)

(Hailey, Pete, Brothers, Cal)

Hailey leaps off the bike at them, firing with Sparky at the brothers, the lightning also hitting one of the squires. (28/16,11,8,10) Pete follows her lead and bursts spikes at one of the unhit squires (10/13) (edited)

Two of the squires drop, flash fried by lighting or shot to pieces by the spike thrower. The brothers are singed but standing. (ill roll for them once im in from lunch)

The brothers draw their frost pistols, the weapon of their perverted sect of the Knotted Wheel, and fire, twice at hailey, and once at peter sparker, trying to pay them back for the deaths of the squires (18/15 , 24/16 on hailey and 16/8 on Peter, not sure what hits, and Cal is up)

12:51 PM

(targets are 20m away)

Cal dashes towards the closest warrior (not aiming for the squires) and slams his hammer towards the enemy (14/8)

He staggers back as the killing head strikes his chest. you hear something give way under the armor

3:04 PM

(Hailey and peter)

(I’m afk, so same thing as last turn. Sparky and spike gun)

3:07 PM

(If you could roll for me plz)

(Actually I got it now)

3:49 PM

(26/14,12,12,10 for Hailey and 11/10 for Pete)

(Thanks. I left work and driving home was forever taking )

5:15 PM

The last squire is fried by the electric weapon and the bolts stop the heart of the brother calidorious wounded. The two remaining put their hands up in surrender (edited)

(Ugh tell me about, the freeway near me is just about always awful.)

5:22 PM

Hailey keeps her weapon trained on then, and Peter scurries closer, glaring at them. “Glad we got here when we did.”

"Indeed." Cal turns to one of the survivors. "Tell us about this weapon you were looking for. Have you found it yet?

“We believe it’s inside. We have not found it yet”

She gestures for Peter to keep his spike thrower on the survivors as she steps closer to get a look at what they'd cleared and found.

Cal joins hailey in searching the inside

(I'll get a map up)

6:34 PM

“There’s a complex below. We haven’t dug into it yet”

“Right, well thanks.” (Any reason you don’t wanna kill em now Cal?)

(I’m just gonna push ahead.) Hailey fires the weapon again to finish the two. (30/15,10) (which is a nat20 / crit. Idk if we’ve talked about this Neko, but since it doubles on a crit, will it double all the hits Neko, or just the first?)

(Just the first. The shot will kill them all anyway with what they had left)

(Ok. It was more of a question for the future than anything)

8:51 PM

Peter drops the observation drone outside to keep watch, just in case, and we head down inside. I check the first room we pass.

(Any of the ones that naturally crit will crit, it’s already aoe which is rare in this game)

(Ok gotcha gotcha)

9:00 PM

(Thanks)

Cal follows Hailey, being very aware that a monument such as this might be protected with automated security

Nekosmash 3/31/2019 7:04 AM

The inside of the crushed mausoleum is half standing, and you see a staircase heading down into almost complete darkness. A slightly less black doorframe to the right indicates a room at the bottom of the short staircase down.

"Want to check that room on the right first" Cal says to Hailey in a hushed whisper

“For sure.” She tosses a glowbug in then starts down, trying to get an idea of the inside.

The room is small and filled with masonry tools and various small picks for fine stonework

"This must have been the workmen's room. I'm expecting we'll find some intricate designs further down"

“Yeah, let’s keep moving.” She turns to keep heading down.

At the split where there are rooms both to the left and right, she'll check the right first.

Cal will back her up rather than check the other room

The chamber's solid wooden door opens, four small shelves are dug into the walls, where based on the plaques low ranking officers were buried. Each of them is a hero in their own right based on the stories of life inscribed into the wood

"I'd love to read on these guys, but I don't think we have the time. Let's keep moving."

"We can come back when we've secured the artifcat. Come on let's check the other room"

The door to this room is stuck. It opens enough to get an arm through but little beyond that. It wobbles, whatever is behind it is not an immovable force

"You wanna hit it with the hammer? Probably the easiest way to get it open"

"Might as well" Cal says before taking a strike

5:02 PM

(22 to hit, 15 damage)

"Nice hit"

The door caves in under the hammerblow. Inside, a pillar, or an obelisk is illuminated by a shaft of sunlight from above, angled into the chamber by carefully positioned mirrors

"This looks a bit more promising." Hailey moves in to examine both the obelisk and lighting closer. (edited)

and so General Solar gathered his great armies about him, and set his sights on the home system. His gaze did not stop at Terra, or Luna, but beyond, though even in the Sol system herself, humanity was challenged The pillar is carved with images of pre-first wave human soldiers battling various alien and deviant human races, driving them away from important places in the sol system and eventually planting the earliest of the Terran Mandate flags there.

"This is the guy they mentioned, right?" (as far as we can tell, is the grave actually in this room, or is it just a fancy tribute pillar?)

(It;s not the room, its a tribute pillar, but its setting up kind of some clues as to why the mcguffin is worth the trouble)

(Cool, thanks)

6:55 PM

“I’m good to keep moving if you are Cal”

An Engineers message pings on Hailey's com. "Oh shoot I'm gonna be late if I don't leave. Hey sorry Cal, but I'm gonna have to dip. Something with the Engineers and the new planet. Sorry to leave so suddenly." ( @sutpour ) (edited)

"No worries Hailey I'll finish up here." Cal says as he moves back out into the hallway and begins descending further into the chamber

The stairs continue going down, starting to be lit by glowbugs hidden in wall alcoves

THere is a shallow landing ahead, before another set of stairs opens up into what looks to be a brightly lit chamber above

Cal listens ahead before ascending the next set of stairs to see if he can hear anything in that room

(notice/int)

(8)

There are two low voices talking up ahead, and you hear the sharp accent of the Fenris

Cal wants to try and sneak forward to hear what they're saying

(Sneak+Dex was 7)

You're sure it's in here? Only have a couple cells left for the hammer

2:15 PM

I think so. Just hurry up and do it. I'm going to go check on the surface. THey're not answering their comms

Cal wants to hide out of the way and let the guy heading back to the surface pass so that he can attack the other alone

(they didnt pass their notice so he won't detect you_ He continues walking by, pistol drawn, and a short gladius in the other, making his way to the mausoleum floor

Knowing how long it would take him to get outside Cal waits until he would be approaching the first set of stairs and then dashes up into the main room

There is one other brother inside looking at some kind of large sarcophagus in the middle of the room. He doesn’t hear you approaching

Cal sneaks up behind him before delivering a crushing blow with his hammer (13 for 6)

6:17 AM

(And a premptive 6 on initiative)

(You've got another strike then)

(6 attack 7 damage)

7:10 AM

(Also, I know weve never paid much attention to it but are you counting shock damage?)

(yeah, its been a lot of cases of being over AC 15 though)

7:21 AM

(16 has become sort of the standard, not so much because of shock but average party strength)

(Yeah that's what i thought was the case, just checking it anyway)

Staggering and with a leg that's clearly broken, he backs up a step and draws the magipistol from his belt, firing off two shots

7:34 AM

(21/10, critical hit/8)

(Is the 8 already doubled?)

7:52 AM

Cal rushes up to him and delivers another blow, trying to ignore his significant injuries

(yeah, i got a 5 and a 3 for the damage dice, pretty sad critical)

(Oh dont worry its did more than enough to me )

8:02 AM

(11 to attack 9 damage)

He laughs "Temple of the Knotted Wheel eh? Looks like our reach is growing" He tries a quick shot (19/1)

"It's going to stop growing soon enough. The universe has enough evil without you in it" Cal growls back before striking out with his hammer again (21/8) (edited)

He falls backwards, head crushed by the blow

8:56 AM

the gun skitters from his hand, and a spreading pool of blood darkens the brightly polished stone

Cal quickly scans the room, specifically looking for somewhere to hide near the entryway where he can ambush the other Brother

Around the central rising staircase are 8 grottos where the bodies of the General Solar's most senior officers were buried (his coffin isnt on the map but its in the middle of the room at near the top of the stairs)

10:26 AM

It looks like there is a slight recess before each grotto, where petitioners and mourners can pray with some privacy

Cal ducks into one of the recesses and prepares to rush the returning Brother as he returns from the outside

He rushes back in, breathless, yelling about how everyone outside is dead, and we need to get out of here now.

11:00 AM

he looks for his friend and freezes upon seeing the body, hand sliding down to the gun at his waist

Cal darts forward and delivers a slamming blow to the back of the mans head (21/12)

He falls forward, draped across his comrade's body

(I really thought I was going to die there. If he got a decent round on me I'd have been gone. I'd started considering new character options)

3

Cal shrinks to the floor and breaths heavily. "That one was close". After a couple of minutes he stands up and goes to check out Solar's grave

The grave is a polished white coffin, inlaid with lightning bolt patterns of gold, representing the suns rays. The coffin itself is simple in design, but the chamber is complex and richly decorated. Scenes from every campaign of the mans life adorn the walls, the murals changing to those depicting his sub-officers when near the grottos where they too were buried. Art is everywhere, jars from the swamp campaigns of venus, water from neptune, a creeping vine brought back from the first habitable planet in alpha centurai, and the list goes on.

8:21 PM

There is a smaller coffin where the regimental mascot, his great dane, Mars, is interred

From what the brothers were doing when he came in can Cal discern which bit of the room they were trying to access? As in which coffin or part of the walls

They were accessing the coffin of the General for any kind of trap or some danger that was not easily seen

7:06 AM

(basically they wanted to open it but they were making sure it wasnt going to indiana jones them)

"Should have at least let them set off the trap first" Cal says to himself in the creepy room. He will then try to find the traps they were looking for

(notice.int, +2 since you're forewarned)

(10)

the lid feels off, more dense in the wrong areas

12:55 PM

Since you're thinking of traps, it's likely some kind of pressure sensor

Cal searches the brothers for a rope, or for something that he can use to move the lid from a distance

One of them has an extendable pole, currently collapsed into its billyclub length form

Cal will take that, extend it, and try to push the lid off from a distance

There is a focused blast, shattering the lid of the coffin as its lifted, blowing chunks of white/gold stained marble everywhere

Ducking out of the way of debris Calidorius approaches the coffin and looks inside it

Lying in state, a bronze gold hammer, two handed, with a wrapped black leather haft, and pommel spike, lies in state next to the body of General Solar. The hammer, called 'The Sunderhead' has been mythosized to have been able to crack planets in the General's capable hands. It's rear spike is a long talon, and the head is ridged, giving it an additional bite against armored surfaces. You feel the hands of another sunblade order on this weapon, one far more ancient and learned than the Temple of the Knotted Wheel, embarrassing as that might be to say. The Shaori themselves would likely never have made such a weapon, their teachings have no need for such devices of raw force.

2:11 PM

The weapon is dull, in its power now, like the last embers of a fire before it finally goes out. Perhaps there is a way to re-stoke it

(I got such a funny look for making the noises I made reading that)

2:14 PM

Cal eagerly grabs the hammer and stows it on his back. He continues searching for anything like a journal or a history of General Solar

2:15 PM

If he finds nothing he will look around the room to see if the other coffins have anything that might give him a bit more background on this general

The tomb itself is the journal, this world being the last one he came to when conquering the galaxy on behalf of first wave humanity. The borders would later contract, as administration of the conquered zones was a burden too heavy for the early mandate to overcome, but this world was spared the horrors of alien expansion. The general believed in fighting wars from the front, refusing to put lives in danger on anything he wouldn't do himself. The hammer is renowned, and many images show him knocking foes aside with ease, 3 and 4 at a time.

(Cal, and the population as a whole, dont have a whole lot of information on the first wave of expansion do they?)

(Not really, Second wave was more recent, and some of that stuff would be legend right now, but First wave is mythical)

(Cool thought as much. But the monks here mentioned having records for all that were interred right?)

(yes, that is correct, so if you're looking for a journal, it would more likely be there)

2:46 PM

(they'd have recrords relating to the people here, but not the age of expansion as a whole. just a small slice of life of it)

(Gotcha). Taking the hammer and leaving the bodies of the brothers Cal will begin the long walk back to the monk's temple, no longer having Hailey's bike to travel on

The world is peaceful, and you don't feel tired as you begin walking south. You find the darkness doesn't trouble you much either, the world locked in a strange perma-twilight between sun-up hours. Here and there, various Iconoplast drones, fashioned in crucifixes, eight spokes prayer wheels, the knife worn by sikhs, and other religious symbols float through the air, chanting prayers and blessings for the deceased

"A peaceful yet sombre place to live" Cal says to himself to make himself feel less alone on the planet

Two monks are lovingly trimming a bush three hours into your walk, their cart festooned with all manner of gardening tools

"Good Afternoon to you" Calidorius calls out to them

"Good afternoon mourner! May we assist you?"

"Yes I'm afraid I bring some bad news. One of the mausoleums near here was attacked by bandits looking to make off with a powerful weapon. I've had to kill them but have been unable to tend to their bodies. I would hope that your order would provide these services "

they both grow quite serious at the news of defilers in the crypt. "You will of course remain on world until we can corroborate your story"

"That's fine with me. I'd like to access your archives in that time though, if that would be permissable"

"Of course, please use our vehicle, we shall make the journey to the gravesite and assess"

"Thank you for your hospitality" Cal says taking their vehicle and heading back towards the archives

The complex is quiet when you return. Monsignor Edwards and two other abbots are deep into a chant, broadcast over the loudspeakers everywhere, one that is very old, and meant to calm those gone to their rest. Their song is unbroken as you pull up

Cal will make his way to the archive he was shown earlier, not wanting to disturb the praying

There is a small meal waiting for you inside, and a second plate meant for hailey, It seems they have not noticed her leave. There are some fresh glowbugs laid out for you, flames are extremely prohibited inside the dwelling

Can Cal slowly pour over the archives for any sign of general solar?

5:11 PM

(I don't know how big they are and how difficult that will be to find)

(Admin/wis for +2)

(10)

1:35 AM

(I'm getting some really good rolls at the minute)

1:35 AM

(apart from that last fight)

(With That roll I think it would be easier to directly answer your questions than to give you paragraphs of exposition)

(Cool I mainly wanted to know about the history of the hammer? Where it was from, where solar got it, anything about repowering it (

The hammer is strongly rumored to draw its strength from its wielder, growing in might as its owner does. The hammer was forged with stellar steel, fallen to earth in a meteor. It is inlaid with brass and gold from the deepest parts of the pacific ocean. It was forged for him by the most skilled mandate smiths, in the ural mountains. It was rumored those smiths possessed forging techniques that date back to before recorded time

Cal slowly sighs, having failed to come up with any concrete leads for restoring the power of the hammer he decides to spend some time outside practicing with it

(it grows stronger as you do, so have some loose references to General Solar being a sunblade)

(Yeah I was just hoping to get an idea of what the hammer could do in its current state. Is it still better than my other one)

(2d10 right now)

7:12 AM

(On a critical hit the foe is mortally wounded no matter how much health is left)

(Ooooh that's very cool)

The hammer feels like it was made for you. The weight is a bit heavier than you’re used to toward the top but it’s constructed out of older materials, before the space and weight saving techniques of later forging were known

9:53 AM

It whistles quietly as it cuts the air, rear spike gleaming in the dawn

After a bit of time practicing with the hammer Cal will go for a bit of a wander around the area to see what else is there. On the way he will look out for any monks that might no about the investigation into the brothers death

10:33 AM

(Did Cal discover if the hammer had a name in the research)

(Sunderhead. It was on the murals and stuff too)

12:43 PM

There is a small cart with the other monks you’d run into that pulls up, along with another driver, and the monks disembark. One of them runs inside with a sheaf of photos

(That's a really cool name. You're rocking it with the names recently!)

1:23 PM

Cal follows the monk inside, smilling at the ones who stayed outside as he passes

(Thank you!)

1:49 PM

The inside monk is mid way through discussing what he had found at the broken mausoleum with pictures of the wrecked brotherhood shuttle, used as a ram

"I apologise for interrupting" Cal says stepping into the room, "I also apologise for the inconvenience of the bodies at the mausoleum"

“Can you tell us anything about what happened there?”

"I can tell you everything I know. The brothers of Fenris have been employed by an organisation I dont know much about to steal the weapon found in General Solar's tomb. Obviously with organisation being a potential threat we wanted to try and stop them getting to it, but by the time we arrived they had already broken into the mausoleum." Cal stops to take a breath. "Sadly they had to be killed to stop them carrying out their mission. It is a regrettable circumstance but better than the alternative"

"You did us a service by stopping the grave robbers. Was anything else in the tomb taken?"

"This weapon seems to be what they were after" Cal says indicating to Sunderhead, "I took it as I dont want you to be considered a target anymore, and would rather have the proverbial bullseye on my back than yours"

“Sunderhead” one whispers. “The fact you’re not a pile of ash right now means it’s chosen you”

Cal raises an eyebrow "Chosen me?" he asks suspiciously

"It takes a sunblade to channel the background energies of the weapon safely, more than that, it requires a powerful sunblade to bring out its full potential

"Well it is certainly a weapon that is better in my hands than theirs. Have you any more need of me on this planet or am I free to go?"

"Youre free to go, but you may be called upon to give a statement as we investigate"

1:07 PM

"Our order will have some explaining to do, as the graves have been opened"

"Yes I can imagine it not reflecting well on you. If there is anything more I can do then let me know." Cal says as he says his goodbyes and signals the shuttle for a pickup

The ship comes in, lowering its ramp only long enough for you to get aboard. "Everything alright sir?" the pilot asks, as he makes the checks needed for space flight, and spike

"Yes all went, not as planned, but better than expected. No trouble on the horizon"

"That might be" He pilot points, to a brothers of Fenris corvette, charging in from system edge

3:19 PM

its interior lights are still coming on, and its systems are powering up, aside from engines and the minimum to keep the crew alive

"I take it we dont stand much of a chance of engaging it?"

“They’ll catch up close to the jump point. If we can keep this thing flying for a couple minutes I should be able to get us clear”

"Let's get moving then. Signal the monks and tell them there's danger in the system and see if the unw has anything in the area that can deploy to engage this ship"

The pilot spends a few moments going through comm channels "Nothing here fast enough. It's not our turf"

12:59 PM

You hear him warning the ground of the ship in system, but aside from some bunker spaces for themselves to hide in, the monks have nothing hitting space. Defiling a grave world is an atrocity even the most foul hearted polity could not overlook, and the monks rely on that fact for their protection

"We can try and draw them away but if the brothers decide to go for the monks there's nothing we can do about it. Let's hope their neutrality keeps them safe. Come on, let's get out of here"

The hours click down and a few moments before jump the pilot calls back. “Any good with computers?”

"I've never used one in my life" Cal calls back

"Hmm. Alright, well, be ready, do what you can over there. just press buttons. We need to throw off their aim long enough for me to jump"

"Alright ill try my best" Cal says heading over there to follow instructions

11:39 AM

(Program with int?)

(yessir!()

11:39 AM

(he's doing one of the electronic stations attacks to boost your AC,)

(That would be a 4)

He can't help but laugh mirthlessly as the two plasma beams of the oncoming ship fire

(the pilot is laughing or the dm?)

(def the pilot lmao)

The beams hit the shuttle (he’s taking a hull breach crisis for one)

5:27 AM

Sparks and fire engulf the rear of the vessel. “We gotta get that out or the jump will rip us apart! (edited)

Cal grabs the fire extinguisher and springs towards the flames "Don't worry about it just get us out of here"

The rear safety compartment seals, preventing the breach from getting worse, but the fire rages across the living space

11:46 AM

you can hear the howl of the void outside

Cal takes a deep breath before heading towards the fire and unleashing the fire extinguisher towards the fire

the ship lurches into spike, as the fire begins being dampened out. You hear the pilot give an exhausted sigh from the cockpit

12:44 PM

"Hows it looking back there?"

"Hot and grim, how's it looking up there" Cal shouts back

“We made it to spike. We just missed another volley”

5:21 PM

(6xp, 15000 credits)

"Do we know if they're going to try and follow us" Cal asks

“They won’t be able to track our spike wake. It would be long odds for them to find us not knowing our destination”

"Let's get back to friendly space anyway, not give them the chance to follow us"

The ship emerges a few days later back in Gudrun space, and you were not followed by the brotherhood ship

"Seems were safe. Thanks for the ride my friend. I hope to see you again" says as he activates his crystal and ports to the temple, looking for aiden when he arrives "

Aiden is training by himself in the main courtyard, startled by your sudden arrival

"You're getting better aiden. Have things gone well while I have been away?" Cal asks taking a meditative seat in the courtyard

"Fine enough I suppose. It's been busy here, a few parties going in and out"

"No trouble with any of them I hope. On my mission I discovered this hammer" Cal says showing off sunderhead. "The ancient name for it seems to have been Sunderhead. Do you know anything about it"

"The brothers have been looking for it for a long time. A weapon for the grandmaster"

"Well hopefully they don't have some way of tracking it otherwise they're coming for us. I suppose now that I've got sunderhead, I won't be needing frostwind anymore" Cal says taking his old hammer off his back "Do you think you can take care of it?"

“I’m. I’m honored. I’ll try to be worthy of it”

(I'm struggling with some ideas on where to go from here. Got any ideas)

(What about heading back to the temple and working on restoring some of it?)

(The one on Miriam? Yeah that sounds like a good idea thank you!)

11:19 AM

"So aiden, I think it's time for you to meet the rest of our order. We're only few in number, but powerful none the less"

11:19 AM

(The teleport enhancments of this temple and the crystals, would they be able to be replicated on the Miriam temple or do we not know enough about them yet)

(Not enough about them is known yet but I’m absolutely open to delving into that)

12:42 PM

“I’d like that. I’d only ever been with the brothers. I’m standing here with you now in this temple and well, they were wrong. Wrong about the knotted wheel, and about what you stand for.”

(Coolio, I'll make it a personal goal)

12:49 PM

"What was it that they told you we stood for?"

"Well, they said you'd perverted what the temple stood for, and were hiding away on Miriam until it looked safe to pick the bones of the sectors around here to try to make yourself a dominant power. I think thats sort of what we were doing though"

"They were right about what we were doing but not why we were doing it. The knotted wheel stands for equality and protection, whereas the brothers are about domination. Though keeping your mind open and critiquing what I teach you is a smart move. Those sorts of ideas will keep you alive. Come now. We should find passage to Miriam. We can discuss this more once you've met the others "

Ad-Astra has generously donated several shuttles for UWN personnel to use, to go from planet to planet, and one is quickly booked for you (they operate kind of like an airline)

9:31 AM

A few others, including a dignitary, are also making use of the shuttle flight to either get home, or conduct business on the ice world

Is there anybody who would strike Calidorius as of particular interest on this flight

The dignitary is of note, the UNW has a strong friendship in Governor Trivedi, and he's largely been left to handle business on his own.

1:25 PM

A government representative here does not seem like bad news, necessarily, but it is odd.

At some point during the flight Cal will approach the dignitary. "Mind if I sit" Cal asks indicating to one of the adjoining seats

He slides over one, now against the window in the short passenger row

2:57 PM

"Not at all. Need something?"

"It's unusual to see someone from the diplomatic service heading out to Miriam. I was under the impression that the Governor had been ruling more or less independently of the unw. I don't mean to pry but has that situation changed"

“It hasn’t. I’m heading to the Agricollective there to help speed the process of them joining with Miriam, and the UNW”

7:01 AM

“There May even be more uncontacted survivors there”

"The Agricollective? I've never even heard of them. Are they new to Miriam?"

“Other survivors who have emerged from the frost. They’ve got quite a network of farm domes going up”

"Farm domes? That sounds very useful to somewhere like Miriam. What are you planning to bring them on side"

"They've already signed an agreement with Governor Trivedi. I'm just heading there to hold some seminars on what we know of the disaster a few years ago, and what has happened since, so everyone has the same information

"I can't imagine it will be easy to integrate them into the UNW as quickly as we need to. Are you having any issues with that"

“Nothing violent. People just need some tangible examples of the good we are doing. Thankfully there are many”

"That is indeed true" Cal will sit and make small talk for a little bit before excusing himself and returning to his own seat for the rest of the journey (edited)

The shuttle arrives at Miriam’s on planet starport, recently stabilized and dug out of the ice and snow.

"Hope you brought your coat" Cal says to aiden stepping off the shuttle "Let's try and find some passage back to the temple". Is the spaceport got people in it like taxi vendors or is it empty?

It is mostly empty, only because the density of people here is low, but you see several Trivedi snowcat drivers have decided to be enterprising businessmen and make taxi services of themselves

Approaching one of them he asks if transit is available to the temple of the Knotted wheel

"200 credits, and I'll take you there, fair price?"

(Is that a fair price? Haha)

(yeah, given the distance)

1:06 PM

(its still a most- of the day drive)

(Coolio thanks)

4:13 PM

"Sounds like a deal. What are the roads like heading down there? Have the governors people reached out to the temple yet?"

“Not since the first of you left. It’s a big change. You emerge from the frost to a totally different world out there”

"Yeah it's a bit of a strange one. Hopefully we can develop a better relationship going forward. Come on, let's get going"

THe snowcat spends a day moving across the plains, coming to rest in front of the pressure dome keeping the temple apart from the environment that evening, backlit by a brilliant pink/orange sunset

"Thank you very much" Cal says to the driver. "Would I be able to take your contact information in case I need transport back to the space port"

He passes a comm frequency to you, before taking the electronic card back "I'm actually usually out this way. Let me know if you need me"

"I will thank you. Come on aiden it's a trek up this mountain we better get started if we want to make it there before dark"

You arrive at the temple before dark, just before dark, and the remaining staff is assembled outside to welcome you home

"It's good to see you all again" Cal says going and embracing each of them one by one. "I have much to tell you but first and foremost this is aiden, the newest of our order"

There is an uneven chorus of "Welcome, brother aiden" from everyone, and the young squire smiles

"you must both be very tired, please, come in, rest, and tell us what has been happening beyond our walls"

"Thank you very much. It's quite hectic out there. The old governments have gone and been replaced entirely. Miriam is now part of something known as the UNW with a couple of nearby planets. They are engaged in a war with a remnant offshoot of the Tenebrian Emprie. Its all kicking off. The perfect time for us to make our triumphant return "

"You've returned, and with a new member. Are there others like us out there? other sensitives?"

"The brothers of Fenrir still exist out there, in fact that's where I found aiden. Luckily their indoctrination didn't seem to have taken hold yet"

"Not with me at least" he adds

"See, ever seen another brother say that many words at once"

1:06 PM

Cal hopes the room will laugh but humour has never been his strong suit

They do. "Your hammer. You no longer carry Frostwind?"

"Frostwind has been passed down to my squire, I now carry sunderhead, an ancient hammer from the first wave"

“I know that name..” elder Kenmore begins. He races off to his study to get something with surprising speed

"I have something i want to discuss with you both, what you said upon arriving has some wheels in my mind turning"

7:29 AM

the surviving grandmaster says, looking pensive

"Do tell" Calidorius replies, curious and trying to remember what he said on arrival

"A triumphant return, with the Knotted Wheel as one of the UNW's strongest partners, maybe not in number, but in skill. Commander Dagget will notice. The brothers will want to act, and when we come together, we destroy them

11:38 AM

"Partnered with our new allies. We will root out this apostasy....this....heresy" his eyes burn with anger, and pride, something you have not seen in him since that horrible, black night, so many years ago.

(You just had to use the word heresy didn't you)

(I couldn't pass up a chance to use it in a way where it actually made sense hahaha)

"It is definitely something we should aspire to do, but, as powerful as we are, what good can half a dozen of us do. We need to expand first, become strong again. We live in a crumbling ruin for crying out loud"

"Maybe that is our first step, we put our house in order, literally"

"Exactly, then when we have somewhere worthy to train our new knights we can finally focus on expansion"

(I think the sanctum rules from the codex would serve what you're trying to do better than the holdings stuff)

(I'll have a re read of them!)

"A restored temple. This place has reflected our souls for far too long. Faded, a relic of a better age. We need to repair ourselves, just like the home we have neglected for too long"

"I think we should focus on making it a home first. There is much we could add to improve it but first we'll need somewhere for our new recruits to live and train"

1:55 PM

(I was just thinking 3 living quarters so we can house up to 18 people and then a recreational area like an outside garden or something)

(Works for me. When Cal was first picked up there were some ruins of that stuff the UNW diplomats were standing near, so the cost will be repairing it all)

1:59 PM

(Is the temple one building? or a campus?, or maybe eventually expanding into a campus?)

(I'd say it was originally a big campus but only one building is currently inhabitable)

2:13 PM

(So maybe the first thing to do is get a couple more buildings habitable and then find people to inhabit them)

(Sounds in line with talks so far)

2:46 PM

"Well, we can buy whatever we need from the hub, now that theres trade goods coming in regularly. We just need the money to be able to procure it"

"I've gained some funds from my work with the unw, I've already sent some through to you for reconstruction. It's enough to get us started" (I sent them 50k a while back)

"I'll speak with Kelmore about it then. "

"He's been a while, do you think I should go check on him?"

"You know how he is, probably checked a passage in something and got caught up reading"

"I'll go and find him. I'm sure he will have found something interesting." Cal says rising from the table. He makes his way back to the elders study

Elder Kenmore has about a dozen books opened to different pages, and is spinning a pan-sector orrey in his study, trying to get a reading on something. He moves with an excited energy you've not seen in him in so very long

7:20 AM

He then runs to a ladder, sliding it down a wall to reach a second level of bookshelves

"Anything I can help with elder" Cal says after observing from the doorway for a few moments

As you look the books are all open to pages detailing other orders of sunblades

12:16 PM

“I heard what you called that weapon and I couldn’t help myself. I knew I heard it somewhere before”

12:17 PM

“That weapon was from the very first sunblades order. The praetorians Of sol. “

"Wielded by General Solar or Solace or something yes. I discovered it in his tomb. Well technically the brothers discovered it and I took it off them"

“He was their grandmaster. We might be on to something then”.

"On to what exactly?"

“Well, general solar hoped as a side effect of his conquests he would form a grand sunblade Alliance, even sought out the knotted wheel a while ago.

"Does it say why we didn't join, I imagine it was to do with all the conquering and killing he did"

“That’s exactly it. We were interested in knowledge of our fellow orders but at that time to our order, he was seen as an extremist. I’d think even today, he might look like that”

"It was a valuable goal though. I'm not sure how many sunblade orders are left for us to unite. Does it say much about his hammer and unlocking its potential"

“Nothing more than what you know for right now. That’s what I came in search of. I think it’s going to be learn by doing” he sighs. “Not the answer I wanted to give you”

"I expected as much. Is there any mention of artifacts like this one that might be worth hunting"

“There’s a few mentions. Various relics of other orders. We have to go west to find the first, through Remnant territory”

4:54 PM

“It’s actually one of ours”

"What do you mean one of ours? Ive never heard of any relics from our order?"

(if im taking too many liberties with the lore here let me know, the current stuff was great but I'd imagine they werent just jamming out in their temple all this time) "We created it, as a gift to a visiting grandmaster from another order. It was lost in the confusion as the second wave of expansion came to an end, and borders were drawn, and then redrawn during the recent civil war. The year before Dagget's treachery we had some evidence the Armor of Scorpio had been unearthed, and we were attacked before it could be recovered. (edited)

(No your lore is always super cool!) "I expect if that's the case then Dagget has been looking for it as well. He was looking for sunderhead when we got to it. Maybe we should see if we can find the brothers that are looking for it, rather than try to find it ourselves"

He sits down in a chair that creaks when he puts pressure on it, despite his relative lack of weight. "It's a much bigger needle in a much smaller haystack. That may be a more prudent course of action"

1:04 PM

"I dislike the idea of taking a gift back, but if their order is gone, I think Vindarr will forgive us for regaining a tool that will keep the order alive:"

"I agree. Between that and the hammer we have symbols which will attract others to our banners. Maybe even some of the less radicalised brothers will convert." Cal pulls out the list of current Brothers deployments. "Do any of these places have links to the order we gifted the armour to"

"Majidi, that's to the west of us. A sector west. You'd have to pass through Remnant territory, or go around. Either of those options are long, and dangerous'

(how far through remnant territory is it? I can't see it on the map)

(western sector isn't added yet)

2:40 PM

(but you'd have to pass through the middle, You'd need to stop somewhere in it if you decided to pass through)

(I miss that spike drive 6)

12:16 PM

"It's something we should definitely consider. Maybe there is someone in the unw that would be willing to help"

"Maybe the governor could provide transportation. A well ordered sunblade group on his planet stands to benefit him a lot as well"

"That it does. Have we had much interaction with him while I've been off planet"

"He sent that same dignitary by to just see how things were going out here. , they came with that first load of supplies you sent the money for. Viola handled that meeting"

1:37 PM

"She said it went well, they offered to send some workers to help speed things along but the Lord Commander was hesitant."

"What do you think caused the hesitance? Fear of letting outsiders into our home? That sort of reclusiveness will not help us in rebuilding"

(he rolled a talk/wis here) "Alright. I'm going to give you the truth. (13) "

1:54 PM

"I think our lord commander, though still doing a job keeping this place running, is developing a serious case of paranoia"

1:55 PM

"He has dreams about the betrayal. That night of battle, its almost every night. I don't tihnk he's truly slept since it happened. He started talking about Brotherhood spies mixed in with the workers, and them coming back to finish what they began. I'm asking you, now, since you have been off world. Do you think that's even a possibility? "

"I've seen no evidence that the brotherhood operates like that, but then again if they did it would be super secretive and I doubt I would know." Cal pauses in contemplation "I have seen strange things out there. Heard of even stranger. Could it be possible that someone is influencing his dreams to keep him and us weak"

He sits back in his chair. "Now that is something I didn't consider, but I suppose a telepath could do that. Someone would have need to have come into contact with him, it would have been recently for him to be talking about spies now too...."

"I don't know enough about that but there is an academy on Gudrun that we can talk to about it. I can talk to my contacts in the unw and try to get somebody that might be able to help us"

"Right, let's confirm this theory first before we go accusing people. You're correct. LEt's get back to dinner for now, and as soon as you can, get to your friends and lets sort this"

"Of course" Cal says with a solemn nod. (Was it doona who Cal had interacted with from the academy?)

(Yeah, she is a metapsion too, so she could help)

On the walk back to the dining hall Cal will shoot off a quick message to Doona. "Hi doona, is Cal Odenburg, we spoke at the Shangri-la temple. I'm having some trouble with a close friend of mine and suspect psychic influence. Would you be able to get out to Miriam any time soon? I can pay you for your troubles"

i can be there in two days if I catch the next flight. How’s that?

"That's going to be perfect. I'll send directions to where we are when you land"

She affirms, and the link closes. Two days, and answers will come. (we can fast forward, or if you had things you wanted to do while here, we can do that too)

(It was mostly just the building stuff that would have been going on I think)

Cal, Aiden, and violet bend their backs to their labors for the two days, the lord commander remains shut in. By the end of the second day, one of the dormitories are ready for painting and the finishing touches, light enough work that anyone left behind, even the elderly Kenmore, can handle it themselves. The old man is excited about it even, already planning out vast murals for the space.

1:10 PM

Finally late on the second night, the compad silently lights up. I landed safely. Tell me what to do

In the lead up to that day Cal would have contacted his driver and asked him to wait at the spaceport for a woman coming in from Gudrun. He will provide doona with a description of the driver and will message her saying "speak to him and he'll bring you here. I'll cover the costs when you arrive"

She affirms, and that night, the snowcat makes its way into the complex. It's pink headlights highlight the snow, and Doona steps out, backlit by the powerful lights. Doona's semi musical laughter carries over the sound of the heavy idling engine, and she pays the driver herself, as ever is her way. She throws her arms open wide as she sees you. (edited)

Returning the hug Cal let's out a small sigh of relief. "Doona, I am so thankful you've come. Before we can go in from the cold I need to brief you on the problem. The grandmaster of my order, my family essentially. She's not well. She's been having dark dreams and paranoid thoughts. We're worried it's been caused by a telepath"

"I'll be able to tell once I see her. I've got a question for you in return though, what's your plan for if it is caused by a telepath"

"I'm not sure yet. Can you do anything to block it? Or if not that could you trace it to the source"

"I could trace it, not stop it, interestingly though, we may have...you know what. I'm rambling. Lets do this first"

1:21 PM

she takes your arm, allowing herself to be helped through the courtyard, into the main hall

Cal will lead doona straight for the grandmaster. "Grandmaster Lancaster, I'd like for you, and the others of course, to meet a close friend of mine. Doona," Cal says indicating at doona, "Helped me understand some of the powers I will never truly understand. She is a trusted ally and here to help us in whatever was she can"

“Welcome Doona. So welcome to Miriam.” Lancaster says. Doona does not answer right away and you feel her hand gently tighten on your arm

7:14 PM

“A pleasure to be here grandmaster” she replies. “You’re very busy I am sure. I can hear your mind racing from here

"Apologies Grandmaster we should let doona rest. I imagine it has been a long trip. Perfect time for the new dormitories" Cal says with a masking smile before leading doona back out

Doona goes with you back to the dormitories, confident that you have at least a moment to yourselves. “There is a telepathic link open. Something is preying on her.

"Did you get a trace on it?" Cal asks worriedly

"Open space, system edge."

"Open space? How is that even possible? The only way is if they're on a ship and if that's the case we're in real trouble"

"A shuttle might evade planetary sensors, or even a life capsule"

"That's a pretty intense commitment even for the brothers. If we drove it far enough away would it break the link with the grandmaster "

"That, or breaking their concentration."

1:08 PM

"we have some options"

"Such as firing a great big missile at them?"

"that is...one option" she agrees

"Have you got any thoughts that might involve not firing missiles"

“We should board it. Bind them with numeralum shackles. The academy has a few pairs. For an eventuality like this

4:42 PM

“I brought a pair with me in case it did end up being true”

"How do we get near it without alerting them though?

“I have been learning an ability. It came to use from the still lady. A fragment of her own power. I can mask our presence. I can make us invisible to the mind”

5:14 PM

(She’s got a couple levels in nullified

"Yeah that'll do it. Do you have any contacts at the governors office that might be able to get us a ship?"

“I do. Even if it’s just for a short in system flight. We should go together though. If I come here to pick you up they’ll know somethings going on”

"Absolutely. Get in touch with your contacts, we'll try and leave in the middle of the night so the grandmaster won't notice"

She leaves to head into her private room and begins making the proper calls.

Cal uses this opportunity to go and inform elder Kenmore that his assumptions were correct. "We're planning on disrupting the connection, hopefully capturing some of the brothers so that we can find out what they were up to"

Doona returns a short while later. “We’re going to leave from the space port. Less suspicion but in going to mentally shield us while aboard. It’ll just look like light cargo and they won’t engage

"Sounds like a plan. I'll have the driver return. If we leave late in the night we can hopefully be well on our way before the grandmaster notices were gone"

The driver was not far by time you called, your quick action saving some time. You're both ; loaded up, late in the night, and off to the spaceport. There are a number of small shuttles coming in and out, along with some in system cargo ferries

"Do you know which one we're looking for" Cal asks when they're looking at all the ships

"I do, he's over here" Donna heads to the shuttle in the hangar that looks to be in the worst shape. Several burns and scrapes riddle the outside, and it looks like someone has been firing buckshot into the sides of it for whole days

9:30 AM

A grizzled looking pilot sits in front of it on some cargo crates, smoking a cigar from a hand that ends in a clamp

"I'm taking this to mean they've got so little faith in us that they're providing a ship they don't mind losing"

"This ship is the most anonymous of anything in the gravity well right now. No one's going to expect a tramp shuttle to try to carry out a boarding operation

"Is that because nobody is crazy enough to do it?" Cal retorts sarcastically. "Come on if we're going to die anyway we might as well get on with it." he says approaching the ship

She smiles and the pilot watches, and then follows, as both of you board the ship. The air around you is cold, Doona likely conversing with him telepathically

"So how do you know this pilot" Cal asks quietly once they're in the air

“He was one of the command crew of the pillar of salt before the repairs. He’s a good friend of Irene’s so I trust him

"That's good enough for me. So can you psychically feel any sort of idea how many people will be on the ship"

"Once we close in" she says, as the ramp closes behind you and the grizzled pilot heads up front

8:15 AM

she calmly takes her seat, and closes her eyes, beginning to meditate

Cal will try to make as little sound as possible, mentally preparing himself for the fight ahead, and letting Doona meditate in peace

The shuttle lifts off, and six hours pass in near silence before the scanning panel lights up. Doona opens her eyes, looking drained already. "There. Shuttle, small one, I think its a wraith shuttle"

"That'll be why the planet hasn't done anything about it. I didn't even know they had wraith shuttles. That's some pretty high tech right?"

"Exactly that. They're more capable than you thought. They're not moving though., I don't think they've noticed us:

She concentrates again "Just two aboard, but one is a psychic. We should prepare for a tough fight"

"Is there anything you can do to lock down their psychics powers?"

11:58 AM

"Even the fight up a little bit"

“I can suppress their psychic but I’ll be helpless while we mentally fight. You’ve got to put down anyone else quick

"If there is only one then it shouldn't be a problem" Cal says twirling his hammer, ready for a fight

The shadow of the other vessel falls over you, a shuttle similar in size to your own, but matte black and powered down. If not for Doona's metapsionic trace, you'd never have found it out here, at system edge. The two vessels prepare to come abeam of one another, to dock.

Cal stands by the docking Bay door, readying his entire body to spring at a moments notice into action

The airlocks begin to cycle as the seal is connected and the pressure equalizes after several long minutes. Doona is repeating some kind of Korean mantra over and over again and she and the other psychic mentally do battle

9:39 PM

Finally, the hatches on both vessels open

Cal releases like a coiled spring at the earliest available opportunity and rushes into the other vessel, sunderhead whirling above him hoping to strike something, regardless of what it is

1:49 AM

(premetive 4 on initiative)

(I'll consider it a readied action, so you;ll go first) A hulking brother, on bodyguard detail, recoils with surprise as you launch out of the shuttle airlock

Cal strikes the bodyguard hard on the side of the head, hoping to finish him in one move (14/9)

He rides out the blow (you'll get shock damage on him)

1:05 PM

and recovers, twisting around and laying in with a mono edged machette, not a pact weapon, you notice

1:06 PM

(15/ 2 21/10)

Cal staggers back having taken a hard hit and swings wildly just hoping to connect (7/15)

(He'll take shock again)

1:17 PM

Bruised and battered from your wild assault, he goes into a defensive position "Rals! Help me damn it!" he yells to the psychic, who is not responding. Blood trickles from his nose and ears Realizing something is happening, he adopts a defensive posture (total defense, your swing again)

"He can't help you now, surrender and you'll be treated fairly." Cal states holding his strike to await the response

"Alright....Alright" The psychic collapses, a pink froth bubbling out his ears, that looks a little too much like brain

"Great. Drop the sword and kick it over to me" Cal says without breaking eye contact

He looks down at the blade, and kicks it over

7:12 PM

he winces, as the fine piece of weaponry is scratched to all hell sliding across the floor

"Doona are you ok?" Cal calls back into the other vessel while he snatches up the sword

You hear some wet coughing before she replies “Ye—-Yes. I’m alright”

7:58 AM

The corners of her mouth are likewise crimson as she meets you at the hatch

7:59 AM

“It was just like you thought. Notice anything about him?” She flips the body over, and it’s the face of the dignitary that picked you up all those months ago

7:59 AM

“I think this was a long game by those brotherhood thugs. Must have made telepathic contact with your grandmaster when he arrived to pick you up

(Oh shit!!!!!)

9:00 AM

Cal takes a moment to compose himself on hearing this news. "We don't know how deep and wide their network runs. This could be a major problem. Were you in his mind? did you gain any information about their plans? "

“That was all I saw. I had to shut him down before he could do anything rash. We may need to take this to CIS”

9:05 AM

“Their resources would make uncovering some leads easier”

"I agree. I'd like to check back in at the temple before heading for Gudrun first. Let's tie up this survivor anyway. Don't want him causing trouble"

"I agree" Doona says. "We can keep him secure at the academy until you're back from Cruesa. There are other nullifiers there who can keep him from causing trouble. "

1:53 PM

(3xp, 10,000 credits)

"I thank you greatly for your help doona. If I can ever repay the favour my hammer is yours. For now though I must hurry. The summons for the crusea attack has come through. War must come soon"

2:11 PM

With that Cal heads to the crusea briefing

+Encrypted Message - Svenka Vilnovha+
I was pleased to fight alongside you, Calidorious, and I am happy we were able to accomplish our tasks with minimal violence. If you have need of an engineer, please let me know. I would be happy to work as part of your team in future. Regarding Deron - If it would be of help, I would be happy to have him and his guard stay on the island I am currently working in the North East - They could perhaps find some solace in the coming months, awaiting what comes next.
- Svenka

Cal replies to the message "Fighting with you was an honour. And likewise if you ever find yourself in need of a warrior just call. I thank you for the offer but I plan on having them remain at my temple on Miriam where they may be able to shed some light on other temples that might need help "

1:52 AM

Cals plan now is to go back to his temple on Miriam and check on the grandmaster since losing the psychic link and then head to Gudrun to the psychic academy to talk with the captured brother

The elder is improving; her color has returned and she is eating again. Kenmore and viola both mention she’s slept through several days as her mind and body heal from the telepathic attacks

Cal will have sent a message ahead from crusea to start preparing holding cells for Deron and his team. (what sort of cost am I looking at for that)

( think its 10k in the sanctum book, let me double check)

6:54 AM

(50k, my bad, but it can indefinitely house 10 occupants)

6:54 AM

Secure Holding Block: A civilized but austere jail for up to ten human-sized occupants. Each cell is equipped with minimal but adequate facilities for indefinite containment of the occupant.

They won't be uncomfortable for the occupants but they'll be a place where the temple won't have to worry about looking after them. Cal will approach Deron himself. "Back on crusea it sounded as though you wanted to make up for the things you did for the Remnant. Is that the case?"

"I did not do much that needs making up for- why I was assigned to be a garrison commander, but yes. The Temple of Oaths has a reputation that must be repaired, and upheld"

"Does the temple still exist?"

"Maybe. It's been a few years, and I don't know what happened to everyone else after I was taken"

"What planet was it based on, can you remember? If its near enough we might be able to visit it?"

"Khulk. The Remnant were very invested in my world, for a long time"

1:41 PM

"Their shipyard used to be there"

"Khulk. I think I remember it from the news records. Not really sure what the state of the world is now but we've got to go to Gudrun first so we can check in on the way"

“You’ll want to stock up. It’s a dangerous planet on the surface. The hazards are extreme for the unwary”

"Dangerous is what I do" Cal says slightly satirically, slightly with a sobering realisation. "Come on, we'll be able to stock up on provisions on Gudrun. They've been to Khulk so they should be able to help"

1:10 PM

(What's the current situation on khulk after are last attack? Has anyone been to check?)

(The shipyard moved to Alcibiades after you as Charles, Arimoto and Silvano infiltrated it. It’s unclear if it’s still in orbit over Alcibiades or not)

1:56 PM

(Khulks surface was abandoned of Remnant activity when the shipyard moved)

(Coolio, so shouldn't expect too much resistance) Cal catches a ride to gudrun, Deron in tow and messages doona to say that he's coming to see the prisoner

Doona has the prisoner under guard of the highly trained security personnel here. He is kept in a cell with numetalum threaded through the walls

"Has he said anything since we last spoke" Cal asks doona after catching up and giving her all the crusea gossip

"He's asked for water a couple times, and wanted to know if he could read some scripture, which we allowed, but otherwise, he's kept to himself"

"What scripture is he reading? Do you have it?" Cal asks inquisitively

“He went through the Talmud earlier today. He’s working on the King James Bible right now. Doesn’t seem like there’s any real order to it”

"Something to pass the time I suppose. Alright I think I should talk to him. Hopefully he's more informed about their operations than the others I've spoken to"

The cell door is opened and you hear the sharp snap of the leather bound tome being closed, though he does not turn to face you, back to the door

Cal stands in the middle of the room, door closed behind him, arms clasped by behind his back. "What is your name?"

"Marcius" he says, breathing out heavily. You can hear he is still wheezing slightly from the hammerblow you gave him as a parting gift back over Mariam

"And do you know who I am Marcius?" Cal asks with a dead tone

"I do. " he lets the statement hang. "So where does this leave us?"

"That depends on how cooperative you're going to be. Your life with the brothers is over. Depending on how you help me out your life here can go several different ways. How deep is the brothers infiltration of the unw"

“We have contracted with a few individuals for aid. They’re not motivated by ideals , but our money is as gold as yours”

"And what is your aim with that? How can infiltrating the unw further your goals"

“A powerful state patron with eyes we can look through and ears we can hear through. Don’t need to be a strategist to see the advantage there”

"Who are the ones that are working for you"

11:43 AM

Cal asks with no hope of success but not showing that on his face

He laughs "I can't give you that. You know that"

1

11:53 AM

"Not without sometihng in return

"What do you want it return" Cal says (Premptively moving his hands to unzip his pants)

1:28 PM

(Jk)

"Release. Let me leave with my life and I won't go back to the brothers. I'll even tell you where my forward base is"

"You are a prisoner of the unw, not of mine. That is not something I can bestow. Allow me to converse with those who hold the keys to your freedom and I shall return" Cal says banging on the door for it to be opened

1:34 PM

(What sort of vibe was I getting from the guy?)

(Just a total merc. Anything hes doing is because it benefits him)

1:37 PM

The door opens and two psi-academy security troopers point weapons at the prisoner until youre up and out of the room

"What do you make of him" Cal asks Doona once the door is closed again "Do you think we can trust him?"

"Well, He's self interested. I was telepathically sensing his emotions, and he seems earnest enough"

"Good enough. But I'm worried about what he'll do if released. Him going back to the brothers might actually be less evil than other things he could get up to"

"True as well. Maybe he'll settle for confinement to planet?"

"Yes but then we've got him stuck on the planet. I doubt he'll transition to the peaceful life of a farmer. I know little of the worlds around here. Are there any where a man such as him will be no threat?"

3:43 PM

(How would the red sangha take to him?)

(Their warriors are enlightened down to the last man and woman. He would have to undergo their personality flaying chem treatments)

5:16 PM

“Nothing lives on the moon” she ventures

"He seemed to have been trapped in that shuttle for months with only one other person. Isolation does not seem to concern him. Yes I think that is a good option. I take it the unw will have no problems with our releasing him into exile"

"Not if it means we get some information about brotherhood activities, especially if it concerns our growing territories

"Then let's get to it." Cal says. Going back into the room Cal says to the prisoner. "You are to be released onto exile on this planets moon, there to live out the rest of your day's in peace. Does this offer suffice you?"

"I'd like some survival gear to start with, and something to plant"

"Of course. We'd not leave you to die. You will be given ample means to start a new life there"

"Alright, then what would you like to know"

"Who among the unw are allied with the brothers "

"I can't give you that, but I can give you a bas

7:16 PM

A base, where we deployed from"

"That'll do me. Where is it"

“Lohitzune. There’s an outpost there. Nestled in the mountains. Six brothers. 100 tech thralls”

(Does Cal know what Lohitzune is? Because I don't)

(Its in home sector, one of the worlds a probe was sent to, but no actual ships have been there yet)

"What are these tech thralls? Sounds like some perversion of your order" (edited)

"Slaves, lobotomized skilled labor"

"I take it they're not going to turn against their masters if they've been lobotomized"

"I think if a brother is not around to tell them to do something they sort of just..rest"

1:26 PM

"They get all quiet and curl up out of the way somewhere:

"Then hopefully we can take the base without causing any harm to them. I'll need you to provide me with as much information as you have on it. A layout, descriptions of the brothers, things like that. Then we'll get you started on your new life"

1:38 PM

(You don't actually have to give them to me ic but just a more general idea of what I'd be heading into)

"There's a pilgrimage site there, the locals flock to it in the hundreds every change of the seasons. You'll need armor if you're walking near the temple, wirestorms there can flay a man to the bone in moments"

"I feel ill regret asking but what exactly is a wirestorm"

"Lots of former industrial slag, and byproduct near the temple. Windstorms whip up the aluminum scrap. Hair fine particles, like swimming inside a shotgun"

"Sounds charming. I shall have arrangements made for your new life. Here's hoping we never meet again" Cal says as he exits the room again and approaches doona. "Can I leave getting him moved to the moon to you? I have a planet to go and get flayed by"

“I’ll handle the back end yes. I’d talk to pops. See if he can get you something to use for the duration”

"That would be great. I'll try and arrange transport" Cal says as they part ways, messaging Franz at the same time to ask if there are any available ships for the mission

There are a few shuttles available, that can bring you to the destination with little trouble (shriven made like 50 of them haha)

Franz is also approving any gear you may need. The brotherhood infiltration is an issue few are paying attention to at the moment

Cal is going to stock up on survival gear (atmo filters, vac suits, armour from pops) and surveillance equipment from the unw armoury before heading to the shuttle. He wants enough equipment for himself and Deron, as well as for doona if she wanted to join

(This is from the original book but an Argus web is 1000 credits. 360 degree video and audio coverage that you can replay at the end of the day)

(I was thinking like the spy eye thing that would allow you to observe from a distance)

(Sure. Anything)

With his stock from the armoury Cal will wait at the starport for doona and the armour from pops that she said she was looking into

Doona is available and arrives with another suit of slim line power armor. “Hey cal. Good to see you”

"And you." Cal says with a smile "How did you get on with getting rid of our prisoner"

"No issues. I think we were both glad to be rid of one another. He's got everything he needs to have a fighting chance. Either way, he's not a problem now"

"Good. Hopefully we can put all that behind us and move on to the next one. Have you got the armour you mentioned? And while I think about it will you be accompanying us"

"I've got my own special armor, but yes, I am coming with you. I've got a suit of something that will protect you too, the wire storms sound. intense, to say the least"

"Glad to have the company and somebody else to listen to Deron whinge about the storms" Cal says as they prepare to embark the shuttle

The three of you board the shuttle, and the gear is stowed with you. "Heard they're upgrading these to some proper liners soon. If we're going to be going all over, may as well do it in comfort"

"I'm hoping to gain access to my own ship sooner or later. I'd like some guns on a ship if we're going to keep hunting the brothers. Getting my temple out of ruins is my first aim though"

“I’ll see what I can do as far as the ship” she says. “Let’s be off then”

5:22 PM

(Any downtime projects for spike?)

(Cal is going to spend time training his psychic ability with doona)

1:17 PM

(I'm only 3 xp away from upgrading my teleport to a move action)

(take the 3)

1:31 PM

(I probably should have assigned XP midway through that last miriam arc)

1:31 PM

(for solving the mstery and then acting on it)

(is Cal low-key trying to become Dax?)

(woop woop teleport man here I come)

1:46 PM

(Cal is Dax from the past before the amnesia kicked in. That's actually written in my backstory neko can confirm)

(Can confirm)

9:40 PM

The ship survey scanners return data for the world below as you enter local space , several days later

"Set us down near that town in the middle (blackthorne). We need to find some more information about where we're headed"

The town of Blackthorne sits near the coast, and is a farming village like many of the others on planet. Even from this great distance you can see the shadows of the enormous solar farm that once powered the planet. Conditions here seem to have deteriorated into a feudal style of living

"Set us down a couple of miles outside of the city. We don't know how they're going to react to a spaceship nevermind us. Deron I think you should stay with the ship. We don't need two big scary looking men wandering into town. Not that you're not scary looking of course doona "

She laughs to herself about that "Alright." Deron says "I'll keep an eye on our home away from home"

(What's the climate like on this planet?)

1:20 PM

(Not really sure why it matters I'm just curious)

1:24 PM

After setting down on the planet Cal checks for the metal storms before disembarking

(I'd say like, permaspring)

1:25 PM

(the planet doesnt wobble on its axis to make seasons, so its just always this semi-temperate lushscape)

1:25 PM

(and the fact they always know how much light they're going to get per day is why they made such massive solar collectors)

Cal disembarks into the relatively warm weather, basking in the sunlight after having spent so long on ships and stations

The air smells of fresh thatch, and you can hear the braying animals, and smell the fields from where your landing site is nestled

"A nice place." Cal notes "Certainly compared to the other places we have been recently"

“So how do we want to start canvassing?”

"I think maybe starting with the marketplace, or the church in town, see if anyone passed through

"the marketplace should be our first stop. We don't know the religious state of this planet but I doubt the church would have been of much interest to the brothers"

2:24 PM

Cal says as he slings on his gear from the shuttle and prepares to set out walking

She nods and the two of you begin moving out to the busy marketplace, which is full of peddlers and people being peddled to

Cal moves from stall to stall inspecting the wares as he goes

11:57 AM

(Does it seem like a particularly affluent market or do they seem to be struggling)

Certain stalls look a bit pathetic with only a few trinkets or scraps of food for sale , while others who can bring more to market seem to be doing better. Many of those more affluent ones seem to be branded with some type of guildmark

Cal will find the most prosperous looking of the stalls and approach its owner. "Quite the collection of wares you've got here" he says "how is it that you've done so well when others seem to struggle"

“The guild ensures we have enough to stay supplied and it’s generous in its bounty. Can I interest you in anything traveler?”

"It's information I'm after. Are you the right person to supply it"

He seems to perk up at this. “Ah I see. I will tell you what you’re after if it’s something known to me”

"There is supposedly a temple near here. A pilgrimage site. I want to find it"

"Al the Queen of Victory solar station. It's become something of a pilgrimage site since the disaster. Telekinetics worked there to adjust panels, raise and lower the solar masts when needed for repairs, and in general just took good care of the grounds. When that....whatever that was...happened, the whole planet went dark. "The guild has restored one of the arrays, there is a small amount of power, that goes right into farming- the source of my bounty, as you so put it. A lot of people do travel to the collector farm though. It's a vast complex. '

(Dammit Charles would have loved this place)

8:52 AM

"How has it become a pilgrimage site? What do people go there to worship?"

(Charles can always make a visit!)

9:13 AM

“A group calling itself the brotherhood of light has made a home there and promised to bring the machines back to life if they get enough offerings to support their small convent there. I dare say, they live better than many guildsmen”

"And this brotherhood of light, how successful have they been in repairing these machines"

“They’ve brought back a little power. It’s gone to the irrigation machines, which is why we haven’t starved”

"I see" Cal says carefully. "And if one wished to go and give homage to this brotherhood, how would one go about it"

"You simply show up. Their cloister is hard to miss, and some do watch the roads leading up to it, to assist travelers and the like"

"Your generosity has been much appreciated friend" Cal says quickly glancing at the man's actual wares to see if there would be anything worth buying

He has some exotic looking vegetables that might yield some interesting bioscan results, and doona is admiring a turquoise , pink and brown dyed scarf. It is light, and you've seen a few other women using them to keep their hair back

Cal puts 500 credits on the stall. "For the scarf, and the information" he says. "You've helped well this day friend"

He looks on at the credit stick in awe. "Thank you sir!"

"I hope this will also buy your silence on the matter" Cal says before releasing his grip on the credits

'It will. I have no desire to end up on the wrong side of you, or anyone else. It's bad for business"

"Perfect. May your business prosper"

4:24 PM

Cal leads doona away from the stall to discuss what they've just heard

"Thinly veiled, but it sounds like maybe thats what we're after"

"It's worth checking out at the least. If it's not them it's definitely someone worth speaking to. So what do you think, walk or take the shuttle?"

"If pilgrims are able to approach without trouble, let us approach as pilgrims do"

"That is a good plan, although our current clothing might give us away. Perhaps we should find something more fitting with the citizens of this planet"

"Maybe another talk with our friend over there? see if he's got any traveling clothes?"

"Smart. This is why I brought you." Cal approaches the merchant again. "Would you be able to supply any travelling clothes for my companion and I. I feel we stand out a bit much around here"

"After such a generous purchase providing them is the least I can do, please, on the house

7:14 AM

The clothes are roughspun but look durable

"I thank you for this" Cal says as he heads down a nearby alley to change

The both of you look like any single one of the many itenerant pilgrims that comb the area once you're done, and indeed you see a horse drawn wagon of what look to be offerings, and about 20 other pilgrims with it.

4:45 PM

a few others have horses, and have wide brimmed hats with primitive rifles on their backs

Cal approaches the person he deems to be the most likely to be the leader and asks them "We wish to travel to the pilgrimage site with you. Would you object to our company"

"The pilgrimage is for all, please, you are most welcome"

"Thank you, how long does the journey usually take?"

He looks out over the group. "Hmm. Well, no one too hold, no one crippled. We only have the one wagon....I'd say five days. Six if we break a wheel"

"I'm willing to contribute by funding another wagon. It's a long way for some of the weaker people to go on foot"

"It's not the funding, its none are available. THey're off trying to get the season's seed ration out to the different hamlets"

"That is fair enough, we should not stop people from eating for our own comfort. Come, we should be off before it gets too dark"

(The wagon has their offerings for the brothers in it. The slow pace is because everyone’s walking minus security)

4:59 PM

The small convoy heads off at a slow pace , the horses at a trot ahead and behind

(Notice wis)

(5)

The convoy halts a few times throughout the day, and the security takes advantage of the fixed location to make some wider loops of the immediate area. Evening of the first day arrives, and some tents are pulled from rolls on the sides of the wagon

1:24 PM

Someone makes a small fire, but dirt is kicked over it. "Better not" the caravan overseer says, "Bandits"

"Are bandits a common problem in this area?" Cal asks hoping he doesnt have to give himself away by fighting

"They can be. Last season was an abundant harvest, things tend to drop off a little in better years, but it never hurts to be safe"

"Perhaps then I should take first watch. We have another heavy few days of travel ahead of us. You will need your sleep"

He looks wearily at you in gratitude. "Some rations in the saddlebag on my horse. Help yourself. I'm going to make sure everyone's alright for the night, and ill take second"

Cal takes a small amount of rations, smaller than an observer would expect a man of his size to need, and takes vigil at the outskirts of the camp, looking onto the road

Night falls, and in the pale blue cast by the last rays of sun, you see two shadowy figures who think they're creeping up on the camp

Cal attempts to stealthily position himself somewhere along their route into camp, so that he would have the element of surprise on them

3:05 PM

(Thats a 4 on sneak if you wanted it)

One of them raises a hand to his companion, and it looks like they've made out that there are watchers in the camp tonight. They begin to slowly sink back into the shadowier woods

Cal returns to his post. If there were more guards he would try to follow the attackers but he wont leave the camp unguarded

(theres a few other guards, the security folk, but only maybe one additional would be on watch with you right now, up to you on following)

(No Cal doesn't want to risk leaving the camp. The next night he'll prepare for them to return though)

They do not return tonight, though you believe you see a lantern or two bobbing in the forest far from you once they think they're out of range, confirming it was not a trick of the eyes

In the morning Cal will discuss this with the leaders of the pilgrimage and Doona. "We should step up security," he says "I plan on following them if they show up again but dont want to leave the camp undefended"

"I appreciate you putting our security first." he points to the watchman that fell asleep on duty, and should have been with you. "Off your horse. You're fired"

"Is he with the pilgrimage or a private guard?"

"Private guard, I hired him and provided the horse, so they'd keep watch over the travelers. He's not going to be cast out, but he's not going to be paid for the remainder of the trip"

"Good, and the horse can go to someone who needs it more than him" cal says. "Come on now. We best be away from this place"

"You were the only one who noticed them, why dont you take the horse just in case. Saves some time that way"

"I have no need for a horse.My legs work perfectly well. Some of the people in this caravan do not have the same luxury"

"Your generosity will be noted traveler. Well everyones up, lets be off"

The convoy advances another day closed and close to the evening hours, while you still walk, you can make out the two figures tailing you once again.

As they're walking Cal asks doona to reach out psychically and see if she can read anything off them

"It's like there's nothing there at all" she whispers to you. "I saw them, you pointed them out, but I can't feel anything"

(So they’re either metapsionically shielded somehow or nullified, or doing this through technical means

(--- will resume soon---)

(Back. We can pick up with deckard and cal)

3

Deckard and Calidorious sit playing some sort of chess like game, pieces carved over time from assortments of building materials and other odds and ends found as the Temple of the Knotted Wheel has returned to something like its former glory. The halls are still largely empty, save for just the few of you here. Violet comes running into the large mess room with a leaflet in her hand, out of breath and panting

Calidorius holds up his hand as she enters, indicating for her silence. He moves a chess piece, smirks at Deckard, and turns to face violet. "Apologies please continue"

"The CIS" she coughs , still trying to regain her composure. "They know where the Brotherhood has been hiding. They know where Dagget is. Have to meet them at Lohizune"

Deckard's food stops its incessant tapping as he knocks over his King piece and looks up to Violet, "Finally. I'm surprised it took them so long to go check it out once we left. Now we'll get to leave this godsforsaken frozen planet. No offense Cal." Deckard gives Cal a wry grin, "Ready to kick some evil wolf bro ass?" The young merlon you've come to know over the past months has an excited energy to him at the prospect of something new after being cooped up for so long. His perpetual need to move and stay active has made him a rather grumpy companion as of late despite his charming if a bit arrogant demeanor.

"Peace young one, this is not a fight we can fight alone. Impatience is often fatal when dealing with the brothers" He turns to face violet "did the CIS say what support they were sending?"

Deckard rolls his eyes with a smile, turning back towards Violet to hear her response.

“There’s some heavy hitters there already. The CIS is reinforcing with their full fleet to ensure we have a run at the planet. Whitaker solutions may also be lending support outside Seung himself I was going to see what you thought about asking them to send their Titan”

"I only worry about prematurely alerting the brothers to our presence. It has been a while since I've had a proper fight though. Perhaps some support will be necessary."

"As long as they don't get in our way some extra hands wouldn't hurt. They'll know pretty quickly if they lost Lohitzune, so it may be easier to have a large force assault their main base or whatever and then a few of us can try to take out Dagget."

"A solid strategy Deckard. Keep thinking like that and you might beat me at chess one day" Cal says, only half joking

(Deckard might know someone who knows a thing or two about extra hands

)

"Ugh, I'll stick to dueling and fighting and leave the leading of troops to you. Let's head out, I'm ready!" Deckard grabs the harpoon lying next to him, spinning it and watching the small arcs of electricity sparking from its blade.

(going to use the Lohizune landing thread to plan the assault, group threads are up, should be rolling shortly)