Hexaflexagon

Dungeon Punks

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The Crown Jewel of Storia was buzzing with an unusually high level of activity. For the past two weeks ships have been arriving from across the sea dropping passengers of all ships and sizes, at the same time the great caravans have moved across the sand seas moving in towards the capital with them travelers forging a path across the unforgiving sun blasted scape towards the fabled "crossroads of civilization". They all come for the same reason, The Crown Princess of Stoira Ariannona Escaphant Mylene Rosberg was to come of age this day and following old tradition the capital will be filled with revelry and festivities for five days and five nights, and in this short time Dasma will be the greatest shining beacon of civilization in all of Austry. The festivity and joy that comes with them, come at a much needed time for the Kingdom of Storia. The last several years have been hard on the small kingdom caught in the middle of a long and terrible cold war between the Elladein and Arashan Empires. Storia has been the theatre for this play of intrigue serving as the staging ground for a new war between these old foes. But even as the night of the Royal Ball draws close to mark the start of these festivities, a shadow looms over the city. In the dark, a plot brews incited by forces unknown. An assassination has been planned which will drag.... a mixed group of individuals on a rather interesting adventure.

Prologue: A Royal Engagement

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The Royal Palace is an ornate affair, a remnant of the old times when Dasma was one of the many Ur'akrathian Imperial Estates, completed in the last days of the fallen empire. Located at the center of the city in the aptly named Palace District it easily towered over any building in the city a brilliant structure made of shining white stone. A testament to the will and reach of the Ur'akrtah Empire having dragged the stone from quarries far across the sea and in the inland of what would become the Arashan Empire. The sheer logistical planning of it all easily dwarfed any "grand monument" built in the modern era. In the current midday sun, the coastal rays bounced across the white surface making the white stone and gold glitter in the light.

An air of excitement mixed with a very real sense of growing hysteria to the point of being almost palatable. All through the past several weeks servants have been coming in and out of the palace at rapid rates carrying large parcels and directing in carriages filled with foreign dignitaries and wagons filled with supplies for the upcoming festivities. Huge galleons pulled into the ports dropping off people and items from afar as the docking spires in the city were constantly filled with airships coming in from across the lands, so many at some points that not even the fierce desert sun could break through at certain locations. The royal guards were working in double overtime, with watch sizes increased and patrols paths doubled over the last few weeks to help maintain order. The Palace District itself was under heavy guard with guards stationed at each of the four main gates only allowing in those with the proper papers to enter be they nobles, workers, servants etc.

The Merchants flocked down the King's Row setting up their stalls and shops filling the air with the sounds of many different tongues, languages and tones. They were all trying to make a quick sum off of the large influx of new visitors to the city and the King's Row being the main path through Dasma was where these congregation would be the highest. They sold "exotict wonders", panceas, potions, and pots of ornate metals. All yelling to be atop of one another in the sea of noise, all boasting the "best prices in all of Austry" and all with the hungry hint of greed upon their eyes.

From above in the Royal Palace looking out through a small viewing window all this chaos and activity looked mute and tiny from so high above to the Princess. Little shapes moving across rows upon rows of streets that looked like the rows of a great vineyard stretching out into the distance. Of course it was hard for her to even focus on the events of the world outside her window due to the swarm of activity around her. She was currently standing on a small elevated platform as five servants moved up about her. It had been like that for the past hour or so, as they continued putting on and taking off gown after dress, after ornate display. Ari found the entire thing to be rather dreadful really, five different dresses for each day of the festival seemed like a rather large amount when she could just wear one, adding in with the fact that well she was a grown woman, she really didn't need the servants to be dressing her still.

"It's all just so much." She spoke to her companion standing next to her observing the chaos as it circled around her. Grunda had been with the Rosberg Family since before Ari's father had been born. A giantess almost eight feet in height, once upon a time she had been the Captain of the Royal Guard but as her age progressed she moved onto a less physically demanding role as the caretaker of the children of the King having done so with Ari, her father and her father's father before him. A moving mountain her face was kind and old hardened over the years and with long white hair braided together and reaching the small of her back. A body of strong muscle and still able to handle any knight in a duel she was a woman of great wisdom and experience. At Ari's voice breaking through the giantess chuckled and put a strong calloused hand upon her shoulder.

"Aye, lass but of course yeh must remember. The festival is more of a display for the foreign powers and the people then it is for the likes of you and I. We are just the puppets playing the show for them." She was right of course, sure was her coming of age an important moment in her life? Yes but did it require such extravagance? Well that was certainly debateable. But it did show those nobles from across the lands and seas the wealth and power of Storia maybe possibly enticing them to either renew trade contracts or sign military agreements. And it was a moral boost to the people of the kingdom allowing them for the first time in many moons to actually relax and have fun at least.

"Yes, I know of course. It just feels like everything is changing and I don't know how to feel about that." She told Grunda as she was turned the other way by the servants to view herself in a mirror almost as tall as her companion.

"Oh little one.... Of course things change. They always change."

Dungeon Punks

Alright so it looks like I'm a terrible liar. Work decided to kick me in the ass and prevent me from finishing the introductory post which is about half done right now. It should be done today though since I have no consulting visits to do or anything like that to deal with . Meaning that I should get home at a reasonable enough hour to actually finish this damn thing.

Falling Skies: PMC

@vietmyke
Sounds like a plan. First step. Terin has to learn the greatest weapon to ever save the galaxy. The Shepherd Shuffle.

Falling Skies: PMC

That being said, we could give all the pilots small personal quarters, and stick all the soldiers in barracks. Idk

@vietmyke

Everybody gets their own highly customizable and spacious broom closet? xD

Falling Skies: PMC

@Athinar


@Oxenfree
Well beggers can't be choosers when you are responsible for maintaining a warship and your own small army. lol

Falling Skies: PMC

@Alfhedil

Oh hey, a question while I'm trying to wrap things up here, that may or may not have already been addressed. Do the pilots share a barracks, or do they have personal rooms on the Sirius?

@Alfhedil

Amongst these include the crew bunks separated by gender.

@Hexaflexagon

The Sirus isn't the biggest ship in the world so they don't have a "barracks" per say. They barely have enough room to fit all the essiental systems actually as they had to make room for the specialized MAS hangar. So they share the crew/sleeping quarters with the rest of the crew and these quarters are separated based upon gender to keep things civil. Terin gets his own room though because it also functions as his office and also because he is ze captain.

Falling Skies: PMC

The hype was real, Myke.

@Whoami

Hype has no bounds.

Dungeon Punks

Alright guys, IC should be up later today! Any character sheets should be completed by then. ^-^

Falling Skies: PMC

> Arias, Ellos II.
> Low Orbit
> The Light Cruiser Sirus

"No Mister Kreshaw, my problem does not arise from that fact. It arises from the simple truth of the matter that when one man makes a deal with another of similar virtue, the intended transaction should be completed in full. What should not occur is for one party to rather ungraciously turn back on the good fortune and business the other partner has shown to him over the years and delay his shipment."

Executive Officer Lila Kota sighed as she walked through the empty winding halls of the Sirus. Most of the crew was either at their ready stations or already deployed planetside leaving the comparatively sparse ship when filled strangely hollow. Well almost everybody was at their respective stations, one person in particular was nowhere to be found in such a critical moment. Of course it was not like she was to expect anything less from him though. Lila had been working with the Steel Hunters since their founding almost nine years ago by this point, having been working as a logistics intern with central command at Lsysus Station when it was attacked. Lila had been instrumental in helping the Captain mount a successful defense and the pair had been working together ever since. If Prowler was Terin's sword then Kota was his shield. Personal assistant, confidant, XO, and as it seemed more often than not as the case would be personal wrangler.

He had said that he would be gone for a minute, ten at the most. That was close to thirty minutes ago and now with the ground team approaching the hot zone it would be best if their "fearless leader" was actually present in the CIC. Honestly, she wondered sometimes how somebody as good as he is could be so absent minded all the time. She rounded a corner and found herself walking down a short hallway with one door on the far end and none of either side. The Captain's Quarters were at least partially isolated from the rest of the ship to give a merger sense of privacy but the hastily patched together mixture of office and living quarters were nothing to really feel envious about. From beyond the thin metal door she could hear a familiar slow and rich baritone speaking beyond. Well at least he was in there. She walked up to the door and knocked once, she heard something akin to a come in from somewhere beyond. Shaking her head trying to hid the small grin on her face she pressed the switch making the thin piece of metal slide to the left and granting her entrance.

Captain Terin was sitting at his desk pulling off the surprising appearance of looking incredibly frustrated while maintaining a composed facade. He barely looked up at the XO as she walked in his eyes concentrated on the face projected on the computer in front of him. The face and the one he was having said argument with happened to be one Kristoph Kreshaw. Mister Kreshaw was a "war profiterer" of sorts, though he would prefer the term conflict restructure and long time supplier of the Steel Hunters in terms of arms and ammunition for their ground troops. Mister Kreshaw had recently run into problems with the "processing" of his monthly shipment to the Hunters, which of course Captain Terin could not have. If only for the principal of the thing. Kota caught the Captain's eye tapping on an imaginary watch upon her wrist, mouthing that they had to go. Nodding, the Captain raised one finger towards her as he turned his attention back towards Mister Kreshaw who was busy explaining the dirty of semantics of his business and why things like this happen sometimes. At a moment of pause, Terin jumped in interrupting him.

"I'm terribly sorry Mister Kreshaw, but unlike some individuals of lesser moral fiber. I keep to my word and I currently have a job to attend, a job mind which would be considerably easier if somebody had actually sent out his shipments. So for now, I must end this call. We will continue this conversation at a latter date." Before his associate had a chance to respond, the Captain pressed a button on the communication console disconnecting the call. Shaking his head he ran a tired hand through his hair as Lila was already approaching him to go drag him off to the next beck and call "Oh why do I subjugate myself to such torture Officer Kota?"

"Because you secretly love it sir." The XO replied as she was already moving behind the Captain straightened his jacket and making sure his coat tails were not sticking out as he fixed his hair, like some sort of mother. Once he looked pristine and presentable, the pair moved out of the Captain's Quarters and down the halls towards the elevator that would lead them up to the Bridge. As they reached the elevator doors and Terin reached out hitting the up button with a light press of the finger he spoke.

"So what's our current status?" The Elevator doors opened and the pair stepped inside. The door closed a second later and this time Kota pressed the up button before stepping back.

"Mister Prowler and the ground team are successfully in position. They are currently still undetected." The Elevator door slowed to halt as they arrived at the bridge, the door silently sliding open.

"Alright then. Let's proceed with the operation ahead of us then shall we? "

---

The sounds of the Große Fuge filled the Sirus' bridge - an old habit from Terin's days in the Coalition. The bridge crew barely noticed the pair's arrival, full focus directed towards several glowing screens all sending out constant readout data about the status of the ground team. The Sirus itself was currently hanging in a holding pattern 160 kilometers above ground level. High enough so that any SAM sight was out of range and that any aircraft coming in for intercept would be dected with ample time. At the same time the Cruiser was close enough for fast deployment as the need may come.

"Radar is the Composite Map ready yet?" Terin asked aloud as he moved towards the center of the room. His hands grasping the edge of a large holo projector.

"Yes sir, it's finishing compiling now. Transferring it to the display." Replied a scarecrow-like figure with sun beaten hair in the left corner. The composite map was constructed from video feeds transmitted by the MASs units and pictures taken from hull mounted high focused camera lens pointed planet side.Using these it creates a 3D display upon which Terin could view over like a god on high.


"Rambler, send a message down to Zulu-Niner. Tell him to be prepped and ready for drop in five. As soon as those SAM sites are down I want close air support in the village." He called out to his communications officer as he paced about the display watching as the little ticks progressed slowly on the village. Opening a secure line of communication with Prowler he began to speak.

"Miles this is Exodous watching from above. Top priority are those SAM sites. We need established air superiority before we can worry about routing those Rebles in case of a counter-attack. How do you read?"

Dungeon Punks

@Sombrero
Yeah that sounds totally fine. Sometimes the internet just does not have the desired golem butler drawings you need. xD

@Merlinimue
Hmmmm, after reading through the final verdict is.... Accepted! As long as you don't have any more edits to make right? lol I would hate to review an unfinished product.