Gisk

Technomancy: Magic and Metal

"There's some bruising on her ribs that we assume is related," Scarver gestured vaguely at the stretcher as it was being carried away, "She might have been dragged in by force. As to why she was walking down the street at that time... we'll have to hope she wakes up to tell us. We'll let you know as soon as she does.

"That's the weird thing, though. It doesn't seem targeted, but it's such a clean job it's hard to say that it was unprofessional. We're not sure what to make of it, yet."

~~~

"Well," Gideon mused as he started setting tools aside. "I rather think your father will never quite get that sort of business. Anyone of, pardon my arrogance, my level of skill simply doesn't need someone like your father to be a middle man. It is my own professional opinion that the highest levels of the industry will always be private contractors. Hold still," he didn't skip a beat as he began to work. On a subject as complex as Felix, it was more like surgery than mere mechanical repair.

The first thing he used was a little cylinder with an iron hemisphere on the end. There were two dials on the other side, and he fiddled with them for a second, then held the iron side to Felix and started running it around his body. Felix could feel as the iron's selective magnetism attracted only the mercury in his body, making it flow through the vessels to follow the strange device.

He ran it down Felix's arm and said, "Here, hold that for me," placing the iron side in Felix's palm. It held the mercury there in his arm, so that it wouldn't start to seal up the pieces that Gideon had to cut.

"If I were in a position to advise him," Gideon said, obviously about to offer that advice anyway, "I'd say it would be best to cut his losses in that sector."

LF Dragon RPers

That was just a character and a land I made up, I made it under the assumption that there were many other lands, and this was just my dragon's domain.

I'm not sure the GM is still around.

LF Dragon RPers

Has everyone abandoned the idea? I was excited for it.

LF Dragon RPers

I'm either making assumptions or building lore. Take your pick.

Holecia, the Soul Shepherd
She is sleek and black, with feathered wings and a white belly. Her body is lithe, with a long neck and four legs. Her front claws are opposable like hands. She has a pair of white antlers that sprout from the top of her head and curve forward. Her antlers shed every year, and she has taken to keeping them through the years. To her, they are like discarded fingernail clippings, but to the people who live around her roost they are quite valuable and she likes to give them as rewards for great deeds.

Her breath is white soulfire. It burns not flesh and hair, but one's very soul, growing as it leeches the spirit of whoever touches it. After the fire has spread, Holecia can inhale it to absorb the stolen energy back into herself.

She roosts atop a plateau in a savanna populated mainly by more literal sheep herders and the like. The sheer walls of the rock formation are pockmarked with holes bored in by the surrounding people, each just big enough for a mummified body to be placed in. The spirits of those entombed here are bound to Holecia, and she draws strength from them. In return, she ensures their rest, and protects both their spirits and their bodies from looters or necromancers.

Holecia is a generally benevolent force. She is soft spoken and compassionate to those she meets, though she doesn't seek out the needy. Just as she protects her people, she draws power from them, and her strength is directly proportional to their population.

The Holecian Clans: A motley and varied collection of families and peoples who inhabit the plains surrounding Holecia's roost. They have their own governance, and are not always on friendly terms with each other, but they all share the protection of Holecia. They range in size from nomadic shepherd groups, to grand cities.

The Soul Brand: No matter what culture, all clans in Holecia's domain go through a rite of passage in which they travel to her roost, scale the tomb-embedded cliff face, and pay homage to the Soul Shepherd. She brands them with her soulfire, leaving a mark somewhere on their body and taking in some of their essence. With this imbibed essence, she recognizes their spirit, and makes an accord to protect it in death, after their mortal time has come. In return, the mortal in question loans her a small portion of their living vitality, contributing to her strength. It is a minuscule amount, but the essence given by all of her people combine to a great power.

Children who die before receiving the brand are mourned for doubly, and are buried at home with whatever protections for their spirit the family can muster. For this reason, sick or weak children are often pushed to take the rite of passage early. Some die on the journey, and some are consumed by the soulfire. Holecia will personally inform the families of the latter cases. It is truly horrifying to see the Dragon Lord Holecia descend upon your clan stead after sending a youth to her.

Ancestor Bells: Each clan has a great wrought iron bell in their clan stead, engraved with the names of all of their dead, and enchanted by Holecia. The bells make no sound unless rang by a member of the clan they belong to. When rang, it summons the spirits of those whose names are writ upon it, who will rush to the aid of their clan in times of need.
The ancestors use the living vitality of the ringer to assume a quasi-corporeal form. The ringer is almost always killed.
How the one to ring the bell is chosen is different between clans.

Technomancy: Magic and Metal

"Sorry about the mess," Gideon said dryly as Felix glanced around the place. He led Felix through the bridge to the workshop where many of his body parts had been created. He casually, but deliberately, threw a nearby sheet over the bust of the queen.

"I imagine," Gideon began, "That it's nothing more serious than stress warping in the metal. Sit, take off your jacket," he swiped some papers and scrap metal haphazardly from one of the workbenches lining the room. They fluttered or clattered to the ground, but Gideon paid them no mind.

As Felix disrobed, Gideon questioned him, almost as a long time doctor seeing a patient. "How's business? I haven't seen your father in a long time."

LF Dragon RPers

Alright, that's cool. Just means we get to play out our own stories.

Can you tell us much about the world?

Technomancy: Magic and Metal

Still around, sorry for delays. Hope everyone's still about.

LF Dragon RPers

Depends a lot on the world.

I've been wanting to do a dragon based on for a long time. Do you actually have a plot in mind, or would it be largely sandboxy?

Scourge of the Gray Quarter

I'm pretty interested, I kind of want to brush up on lore first, though.

Technomancy: Magic and Metal

Automata Corps Officer Second Degree Marvin Long(AKA "Marv") and Officer Third Degree Aidan Scarver

Officer Long was still dealing with a nosy civilian, and so he waved Crowley back to where Scarver was directing the medical attention to the victim. She had had mercury applied to her stump, and her breathing was more regular. Her whole arm and her legs were elevated on the stretcher as a pair of emergency workers lifted her up to take her to the floating ambulance that was parked on the street.

"Crowley, good," Scarver began, taking a note pad from his gray uniform pocket. "Young woman was attacked," he was rattling off, "We have no identity as of yet. Her arm was removed from the elbow. Safe assumption is she had a Technomancy arm, and was beset by a scavver. If that's the case, it'll show up in the black market, hence us calling you. She is alive, but not conscious. We hope she recovers soon, she might be able to give us a description.

"In the mean time we have approximate measurements for her arm, to help find it if it surfaces," he tore a piece of paper from the notepad and handed it to Crowley. The paper had a series of measurements including overall length, diameter, and lengths and widths of various parts.

"Those were all taken from her intact arm. Depending on the level of craftsmanship they could very well all be wrong. We're kind of hoping your... Er... Rapport with some of the black marketeers we have in custody will help extract some answers."