The Grey Dust

Table of Monsters

actually I rolled a 20. Not sure if I should have or not but I consulted the oracle bones. Which required me to go climb mountain and find a still practicing seer so...

Starfire

CY doesn't tend to talk much to others.

Table of Monsters

Can I roll for a search check to raid the goblin village for supplies?

Starfire

Space, the void between worlds.
The ancients may have foresaw this very age.
Where the planes were brought together.
The cosmos united as one world.
And there they would divide up the heavens.
Casting lots and waging wars.
The Skies, Seas and Underground.

Just outside of the cabin, past the precipice of metal and technology, was infinity. A view into the depths of the universe, onwards to the ends of visibility as far as the light could reach. Looking into the past as you journey into the future, a strange paradox, but the FTL drives had made the universe a much smaller place as the distant galaxies were suddenly neighbors. Beings suddenly awakened from their fugue state, contact made, species eradicated and information exchanged. Evolution took them far enough to becoming the dominant species on their own planets, now Revolutions shall see which alien race will control the universe. But certainly not these. For just outside the view of eternity, the bodies floated amongst the wreckage. Neither as countless as the stars, nor as a beautiful, but in the same swallowing void all the same. There they drifted past, cold and lifeless, expended.

In stark contrast to the grim and somber tragic waste of life, there was another which died upon this very vessel and caused great upheavals. The Coffee machine. To which someone was cursing at it and tinkering with it to produce some black liquid of some nutritional value for these organics. Was this black fluid so important to them? Could they not function without it? Such strange creatures who consume not what they need to survive, but need to perform. But who was Cy to judge them, he was made with everything he required to survive, an electrical yolk which would be consumed every moment of his existence. And when it was no more, he too would return to the universe and become like these organics nothing more than a victim of the void. One day this crew would join those floating outside, but today the coffee machine shall join them first, jettisoned in the lock as rubbish.

Looking around, they were an odd bunch. A human, an alien, and more humans or rather perhaps mostly humans. One asked of how the rest of them fared in these early moments, seemingly just woken from a deep slumber. Yet again Cy had no responses for this as the Valis do not sleep, nor eat, nor reproduce. Lacking a true biology, the physical needs for the cosmic energy being was simple: Energy. To infuse his core with additional electricity was to extend his existence from which he has maintained a stable working agreement with the Company. The extreme amounts of energy required to survive another hundred cycles was ludicrous and as such mercenary work footed the bill and kept the lights on at home. Both figuratively and literally.

Speaking of which, the assignments made their announcements known as the Valis continued to watch the organics in their affairs. He had gone unnoticed so far, sitting alone at the table, watching the celestial bodies move. A silent sentry who spoke as little as four words every few hours of the day. Actions however, spoke louder than words, and as such, Cy cast his vote for the second mission.

Starfire

Cy

Name: Subject #00FFFF, “Cy”

Appearance:

Appearnace

Race:
Valis

Gender: Blue/Negative (“Male”)
Age: 2891 Cycles, approximately 29 earth years.

Background: The 65,535th of the artificially generated Valis, out of the dozen or billions his elders attempted to create, only a hundred or so were stable enough to survive longer than hundred Cycles, fewer still made it to their first thousand, and only a handful remain in a state of slow starvation. “Cy,” as the humans called him for less than obvious reasons, is a Valis driven by a hunger to sustain itself. Thus beyond absorb the energies of his own kind, in an usual aggression demonstrated by the energy beings, Cy caught the attention of both the Starfire Company and the elder Valis. To which, the Valis had signed a contract with the Starfire Company to remove the fratricidal Cy from their Planet for the benefit of preserving their lives. To which the Starfire Company mad a subcontract with Cy to serve as a mercenary for them and be given ample amounts of electrical feed to sustain himself. The power of business then netted the Starfire Company an electrocuting Mercenary, and being paid to recruit him was just an added bonus. And years later, “Cy” as he goes by, works for the company, silently giving some presence by an intimidating yet mysterious suit. While some would mistake him for a battlemech, the removable projection sphere embedded within the chest of his suit would suggest otherwise.

Personality: Quiet. Cy does not tend to speak much, a byproduct of his racial tendencies as most Valis dwell in the realm of cosmic consciousness, barely communicating amongst themselves or other species. That being said, do not mistake silence for stupidity as beneath the cold shoulder lies a calculating mind which estimates how much energy is to be expended against what is to be gained. As such with the least amount of effort Cy capitalizes on taking actions rather than words.

Gear:
“Custom“ Mechsuit (as above in appearance) with properties similar to standard contemporary suits save for the removable projection sphere and increased servomotors to compensate for the lack of a body inside it.

Prefered: The Archcasters I,II,III,IV, and V

An array of five weapons used for specific reasons. The I, II, and III models use Cy’s own energy to blast out electric shocks. The Mark I is a close range weapon, similar to a pistol and is supplemented by a large energy pack beneath the barrel to quickly release short burst shot after shot. The Mark II is an assault-rifle-class gun delivering slightly more punishing rounds by arching the lighting off of the three pins before the barrel for increased range. Finally the Mark III is a sniper weapon with multiple pins to generate the distance and power needed for a single deadly shot. The Mark IV is a melee weapon, a lighting whip if one will, that generates a constant stream of electrical discharge, which requires its own power system as it would highly tax Cy in prolonged use. The Mark V is unique in that instead of outputting power, it is used to absorb electricity to depower computerized targets or for later use such as in the Mark IV.

Personal Ship: (Optional)

Personal Ship: The Stormwarden

A simple ship typical of his home world, the Stormwarden is fitted with electrical flux shielding and electromagnetic pulse generators for weapons. There is no easy method to control the ship without being a Valis and taking control of the ship itself. Furthermore, the lack of life-support systems implies most organics will be unable to withstand the unsealed cabin. Consider it little more than a method of getting around the galaxy.

Starfire

Name: Subject #00FFFF, “Cy”

Appearance:

Appearnace

Race:
Valis

Gender: Blue/Negative (“Male”)
Age: 2891 Cycles, approximately 29 earth years.

Background: The 65,535th of the artificially generated Valis, out of the dozen or billions his elders attempted to create, only a hundred or so were stable enough to survive longer than hundred Cycles, fewer still made it to their first thousand, and only a handful remain in a state of slow starvation. “Cy,” as the humans called him for less than obvious reasons, is a Valis driven by a hunger to sustain itself. Thus beyond absorb the energies of his own kind, in an usual aggression demonstrated by the energy beings, Cy caught the attention of both the Starfire Company and the elder Valis. To which, the Valis had signed a contract with the Starfire Company to remove the fratricidal Cy from their Planet for the benefit of preserving their lives. To which the Starfire Company mad a subcontract with Cy to serve as a mercenary for them and be given ample amounts of electrical feed to sustain himself. The power of business then netted the Starfire Company an electrocuting Mercenary, and being paid to recruit him was just an added bonus. And years later, “Cy” as he goes by, works for the company, silently giving some presence by an intimidating yet mysterious suit. While some would mistake him for a battlemech, the removable projection sphere embedded within the chest of his suit would suggest otherwise.

Personality: Quiet. Cy does not tend to speak much, a byproduct of his racial tendencies as most Valis dwell in the realm of cosmic consciousness, barely communicating amongst themselves or other species. That being said, do not mistake silence for stupidity as beneath the cold shoulder lies a calculating mind which estimates how much energy is to be expended against what is to be gained. As such with the least amount of effort Cy capitalizes on taking actions rather than words.

Gear:
“Custom“ Mechsuit (as above in appearance) with properties similar to standard contemporary suits save for the removable projection sphere and increased servomotors to compensate for the lack of a body inside it.

Prefered: The Archcasters I,II,III,IV, and V

An array of five weapons used for specific reasons. The I, II, and III models use Cy’s own energy to blast out electric shocks. The Mark I is a close range weapon, similar to a pistol and is supplemented by a large energy pack beneath the barrel to quickly release short burst shot after shot. The Mark II is an assault-rifle-class gun delivering slightly more punishing rounds by arching the lighting off of the three pins before the barrel for increased range. Finally the Mark III is a sniper weapon with multiple pins to generate the distance and power needed for a single deadly shot. The Mark IV is a melee weapon, a lighting whip if one will, that generates a constant stream of electrical discharge, which requires its own power system as it would highly tax Cy in prolonged use. The Mark V is unique in that instead of outputting power, it is used to absorb electricity to depower computerized targets or for later use such as in the Mark IV.

Personal Ship: (Optional)

Personal Ship: The Stormwarden

A simple ship typical of his home world, the Stormwarden is fitted with electrical flux shielding and electromagnetic pulse generators for weapons. There is no easy method to control the ship without being a Valis and taking control of the ship itself. Furthermore, the lack of life-support systems implies most organics will be unable to withstand the unsealed cabin. Consider it little more than a method of getting around the galaxy.

Blood Compact (Open!)

The Night Falls,
And with it, Humanity.
Awakened from his dreams,
the knight stirs and thirst.
He shall come like the Tenth,
And upon every door...
Blood.

"Lord Shane." The unfettered fiend rose from what appeared to be a growing mud puddle at the bottom of the hill where Magnus stood. Clad not in the formal attire of a charming English gentleman, but perhaps one from the days of yore. With the clinking of his boots, did Bedivere walk up those grassy steps, crushing the muddied grass beneath his heel. The rain pitter-pattered against his ancient regalia, the arms of the knight as the metal plates surround his form stopped the rain from striking upon him. A scabbard at his side, with an all too familiar blade sheathed as the darkness trailed behind the vampire lord with every dominating power stride. He wore no helm, he had no need to hide beneath a mask in battle as his white hair draping over his shoulders and back as his brows furrowed into a terrible scowl. And in his hand, no clenched fist, a standard: a battle flag of Camelot. With full commitment in his approach, the flash of red against white in the darkness of the night and wind and rain, marked the end of the beginning.

Magnus could sense it, feel it almost overloading his mental telepathy. The burning rage which Bedivere carried as powerful as the flag he bore. And more, much more than this, was the intent behind the Knight, and his flag as by now Magnus was far too late to flee from Bedivere's ire. This was the end for Magnus, as an expression of disbelief drained his face of the smile he once bore. Yet it was only perhaps for but a moment as he feigned confidence again to present himself to the elder vampire. "Heh, Bedi did you think I woul-"

That was all he had to say before a metal knee-plate floored him. It was safe to assume where precisely Bedivere hit was not the most pleasant of locations for a man to be struck by the pitiful position he found Magnus in now cast at the feet of his boots. Mercilessly cornered now, as those heels dug into a sore spot barely recovering from the sudden blow. Magnus was fast, but Bedivere was something else in the growing darkness around them. "So it seems you did have a pair, and yet you fled this battle. Most Unacceptable." The collected knight bothered not to even look at the pathetic creature beneath him, and still beneath him as he gazed into the darkness of the wind and rain. Sure Magnus was the heartless one between the two of them, but Bedivere spared no rod against incompetence. The excuse that Lady Mo had fled too was quickly dismissed with a cutting comment as he shifted his heavy weight towards his forward foot.

"So she too will gain her comeuppance, but you will go ahead of her." Whatever last smart remark Magnus had as a man was wasted on Bedivere and now whatever curses he had left were for naught as the Knight above him impaled the empty chest with the battle standard of Camelot, burying the pole inside of Magnus and tethering him to the hill they stood upon. Armageddon comes early for those who fail Bedivere, and here upon this barrow, shall Lord Magnus Shane be entombed. With a quick draw of Excalibur and an execution of the final blade stroke the Head of Magnus rolled down the hill to taste the mud from which Bedivere rose out of moments ago. So ends the unlife of a useless cur.

The lone knight upon the hill,
standard fluttering behind his hair,
And all the time he had to kill,
those beneath him should beware,
It was time to reclaim the night,
a thousand dead before first light.

Starfire

<Snipped quote by The Grey Dust>

I don't know if you read my CS or not but my character had an accident aboard a space station and some experimental medical nanites repaired his brain using pieces of a damaged computer they found in the debris. So his brain is organic but is laced throughout with bio neural computer components that keep his mind functioning. How would the Valis affect that?

@Prince of Seraphs

That is a grey area. He might have a dual personality maybe if they appear? Who knows.

Starfire

<Snipped quote by Guess Who>

I don't know about scientific accuracy as a whole (mostly I'm going to be making up a lot of technical mumbo jumbo) with regards to the lasers, they would be invisible in space but that is only one type of energy weapon. Other weapons that use different kinds of energy propelled in a beam could be visible even in space.

Also with regard to the Valis, my character's a cyborg does that mean these energy creatures could possess him? One more thing, how long have the Valis been in contact with humans?

@Prince of Seraphs

Cyborg as a whole entity? No. The mechanical parts of the Cyborg? Yes. They work on electronics, thus if you have a firearm or machinery which does not use any computerized or electrical system behind it, then they cannot control the electrical impulses as they "posses" it. So while perhaps they could tap into his cyberimplants, his brain is thus far out of the question due to the biochemical signals supplementing the electromechanical ones. Else they'd probably be called "Brainjackers" rather than "Stormwratihs"

Relatively recent I'd assume. Perhaps within a few decades.

Starfire

My Idea for a New Race.

Valis

Home World: Galvatrius Major and Galvatrius Minor

Tucked quietly away in the lifeless Quintus System drifts the gaseous planet of Galvatrius Major and its moon: Galvatrius Minor. The larger of the two, Galvatrius Major is cesspool of energized gasses as it releases and absorbs the nebulae around itself. No organic matter can withstand the constant tides of electrical energies surging through the atmosphere of the planet, of which such powerful storms can be observed breaking the planet’s surface. Oftentimes stray bolts of high-energy particles are released and find their way across the system resulting in the utter annihilation of all other viable planets which have accumulated the attractive opposite charge within the sector, which explains the lifeless state of Quintus. Interplanetary travel through the sector requires energy shielding and charge repulsion to avoid attracting a loose electrical flare. Ship instruments passing by the planet must also face the considerable electromagnetic force which may cause power fluxes and be dampen appropriately. Thus the Quintus sector is generally avoided for such reasons.

However it is the same volatile nature of Galvatrius Major which had created sentience upon its moon. For eons, the storms raged on and with each exhale of super-charged gaseous nebula some plasmic gases managed to be caught within the gravitational pull of Galvatrius Minor. Despite sharing the same base electrical charge as the planet, which keeps the smaller satellite from being destroyed like others in the system, Galvatrius Minor is locked in the gravitational pull of its larger neighbor and the electrical repulsion just barely keeps the pair from colliding into each other. Only a few hundred thousand kilometers are between the two titans, but that is enough of a distance for the nebula clouds to form around the moon and create a pseudo-atmosphere. Eventually the accumulated nebula began to discharge into isolate spots on the moon which attracted the energy. And from these strikes of cosmic lightening: the Valis were born.

The Valis

The Valis or “Stormwraiths” are a cosmic mystery in the form of a mote of sentient electrical energy. Though they lack true definite physical forms, they possess an inner core of energy from which they extend themselves. They are not quite necessarily alive in the sense of organic creatures, though should one expend all the energy they were born with from its core, it will cease to exist. They can sustain themselves by feeding on electrical energy to prolong their pseudo-lifespan of which generally last for a human millennia or a million Galvatrian Cycles without supplementation. While they retain a “Charge Trace” which splits the species into either blue or purple energy as an analogous property “gender”, the race is unable to procreate as two Valis of opposite traces would eventually destroy each other as their cores exchange energy and explode. Thus they have turned to the manufacture of new generations of Valis. The Valis can collect nebula and coax the storms to strike the moon on which they live on in an attempt to create new Valis, however there is no certainty any would be produced or those produced would survive longer than a few decades without supplemental electrical energy.

Despite their inability to spawn using artificial means, their technological advances tend to surpass those of other races due to their quiet existence in needing nothing such as food, water or rest to sustain themselves. They were able to construct vast cities which moved through the moon. Although they did get a jumpstart from the wreckage of past galactic races, which were caught off-guard by Galvatrius Major and the Valis were able to use the ancient technological treasures. The Valis have the innate ability to “Possess,” as the humans call it, electronics. From the most basic of holodisplays to the most advanced starship systems, the Valis are able to enter their energy-bodies into them and quickly learn how to control them. This was especially useful for robots as this allowed them to gain physical forms to change their lunar home and create more advanced “hosts.” Upon a first contact with humans, the Valis were thought to be advanced robots until they encountered the Valis outside of their Hosts.

Robotic Host

After which, the Valis created Projection Sphere, technology which allowed the Valis to house their cores within an encasement which produced an electromagnetic field and as the name suggests, allow the Valis project their electrical energy into human-like forms. The Valis have also introduced the concept of energy dual-phase shielding to make travel slightly safer in the Quintus sector, as well as advance electromagnetism technology. Although some racial tension does exist on the grounds of humans abducting Valis to harvest their energy cores, the Valis have so far been on good standing terms with the rest of the intergalactic community. Perhaps it is because they had thought no other life exists outside of their sector, or maybe because they still believe in a cosmic peace which can be established.

Projection Spheres