vietmyke

The Last Embers (Dark Steampunk/Fantasy)

I-XVII (pronounced as "One-Seventeen")

The Aspect of Lord Varya that appeared to Warband Phoenix during Culmination. The visions it showed each member of the warband left a mark on them in different ways. Some were perplexed by what I-XVII showed them, others were left horrified, while others were left thinking to themselves in silence. Despite each inquisitor having their own unique experience with I-XVII, each somehow knew its name upon waking, and felt its touch upon their souls.

Like other Divine Aspects, I-XVII has no default appearance, but is perceived differently depending on the individual who sees it.

Rodion

Rodeon was brought to a place shrouded in darkness, where he felt the enormity of the world itself stretching endlessly around him, but found himself completely and utterly alone. The land beneath him was hard iron and his footsteps seemed to echo into eternity. As Rodeon traversed through the darkness, he could glimpse stars steadily coming into view. The stars grew myriad and beautiful until they exploded in an aurora of light and color. There, canvassing the darkness, he watched as they coalesced into a grand constellation of a massive dragon-like creature. When the dragon spoke to him, Rodion heard a woman's voice echoing in his mind.

"Remember me," it said.

Tatiana

Tatiana was back on the darkened ice surrounding the Black Glacier, on the day of her unsuccessful hunt. All was as it was, her father standing there watching, the bitter unnatural wind that manifested around the Black Glacier lashing at her angrily. When the demon closed in on her with fangs bared, ready to tear her apart, she reached out to it, and just as she did on that day, ordered the demon to stop.

Only this time, the entire world stopped. Even the wind ceased. She glanced at her father and saw him frozen in mid-step, rushing to her aid.

It was then that she heard it. The voice of the Black Glacier itself, speaking directly into her soul. When she turned to face it, she found herself standing directly in front of it, close enough to gaze upon her own reflection in the mirrored darkness of the Glacier's shell.

Her reflection spoke back to her, but not in her own voice, but in the language of the Black Glacier-- that mournful rumbling that was as apparent to every Lanostran child as the howling of the winter wind. Somehow, she understood it.

"Love," it repeated. Over and over again, until Tatiana woke from her vision.

Ziotea

Ziotea opened her eyes and found herself... exactly where she had been kneeling in the moments before closing them. When she looked around, she saw all of her companions on their knees with their eyes closed before the colossal doors of the Red Shrine, no doubt experiencing their own visions. Unsure as to what was happening, or if something had gone wrong, she rose to her feet. It was then that she heard the thunderous noise of a million voices crying out together.

Leaving her companions, she turned around and approached the edge of the great platform where the entrance to the Red Shrine stood. Beyond, the surface of the city of Magnagrad stretched onward and from its depths, the roar of a million voices rose up in mechanical unison. With the cacophonous ocean of sound ringing in her ears, Ziotea made her way down the steps of the Shrine to investigate.

When she was halfway down the massive stairwell, she finally saw the source of the sound. Looking upon the streets, she saw them choked with legions of people. All of them stood shoulder to shoulder, every child, man and woman in all the empire seemed to have gathered in every conceivable space-- every street, rooftop, plaza and alley was filled to capacity. She could see the dark azure eyes of native Varyans, the pale blue eyes of T'saraens, the deep emerald of Lanostrans, the cold indigo of Muraadans and the burning gold of Omestrians. Each of those eyes was fixated on her.

"Destroyer," the crowd of millions chanted. Over, and over, and over again. Suddenly, a great explosion of... something encompassed the city and the endless crowds of people disappeared as the maelstrom of golden light washed over them. She felt burning heat begin to cook her alive, it was pain unlike anything she'd felt before. The tempest of golden fire began to swallow her whole when suddenly, a blue circle of light manifested around her, and she felt the burning sensation begin to cease.

At that moment, she woke up.

Astraea

Astraea found herself waking up in what appeared to be a ruined war hospital. She was lying on a filthy old hospital bed, and the ceiling above her was heavily damaged by what she assumed to be mortar fire. Beyond the crumbling stones, she could glimpse a pale sky-- stark in its emptiness-- the kind of sky that only exists above Varya. When she sat up, she ccaught sight of the rest of the hospital, and to her horror, discovered that the ward seemed to stretch onward to a distant point in the horizon. Thousands of hospital beds were lined up in front of her, unending as they disappeared into eternity, all of them empty but hers.

Suddenly, from somewhere deeper in that eternal corridors, she heard the howling of a wolf. Astraea tried to get up from her bed, but for some reason, her body was heavy like a stone. Something was wrong. It's as if she had woken up from a long period of sleep. Nevertheless, she hobbled to the where the sound was emanating from, and soon enough, she found him. A cyan wolf with golden eyes, lying bloody on the tiles before her.

She could still hear its feint whimpering after she awoke.

Ragnar

Ragnar didn't see anything. When he closed his eyes, the next time he opened them was when Hassan roused him awake. There was no vision, no sound, nothing at all. This lack of any sort of vision weighs on him heavily, and when asked about what he experienced, he makes up a lie about the Aspect transporting him back to Muraad and seeing his family again.

***

I'll get to describing Hassan, Stina and Ilya's visions tomorrow, along with info on I-XIX (Leviathan's guardian aspect), and what it showed the inquisitors from that group. I'll also have that that stuff I promised you today @shylarah. I would've finished it tonight but it's late and I have work tomorrow!

@Lovejoy

don forget Galahad? :D

@shylarah
Ziotea: Galahad regards Ziotea with some amount of aloofness. They're not particularly close, nor do they particularly detest one another. As far as either of them are concerned, the other is just, there. She's standoffish and cynical, much like Galahad, and while he doesn't mind, or even occasionally appreciates these traits, it doesn't really do much to lead to interaction between the two of them. He recalls her fiery temperament and her relatively confrontational manner about receiving criticism, but doesn't necessarily hold it against her. His telekinetic spells- IE Thunderclap and TK projectile are most likely revised, refined and safer versions of her concussive attacks. Tactically, he views Ziotea as a wildcard, potentially dangerous to the group, but capable of wreaking major destruction- and most importantly nullifying other mages on the battlefield.

Star Wars - Lawless Galaxy

collab with @Alias

Kast's droid managed to land the freighter in the wide hangars of the Paradise with little difficulty. A close call with a particularly erratic flying cargo freighter had ended in some choice words being exchanged, but otherwise, the short trip from the surface of Ilos to the orbiting Paradise was uneventful. Throughout the entire trip, Kast had kept his eye on the Jedi. He'd left the man alone to do his meditating, but didn't trust the Jedi enough to leave him alone on his ship- especially with Koren's daughter so close by as well. He doubted the Jedi would try to hurt the girl, but the last thing Kast needed so close towards the end of a job was getting the girl's head- or his own cut off by a Jedi and his lightsaber.

"OOM, watch the ship." Kast said as he stood up. "Jedi, lets go."

Tez exhaled as he lifted himself up onto his feet. The meditation provided a nice reset from the events today, but Tez had this feeling that they would not quite add up to the events altogether. He walked down the boarding ramp beside the Mandalorian and the metaphorical Princess of Paradise.

"Please lead the way, bounty hunter. I think you can tell a place like this doesn't really house... my kind of crowd." The Jedi requested in his calm voice.

As they approached the main entrance by the hangar, a trio of droids approached them, a BX Commando droid flanked by a pair of B2 Super battledroids. The BX raised its hand to stop them and began its typical commands to stop and disarm. Kast glanced at the Jedi, and gestured towards one of the B2 Battledroids with his head. Their blaster hand was locked up in safe position, their other holding an open bin for the jedi and bounty hunter to put their belongings in.

"The boss wants you here, but no one brings weapons onto Paradise." Kast said, gesturing to Tez's lightsaber.

Tez studied the three droid security guards. At first, he was taken aback as they approached with guns. The thought that this was instantly a trap intially flashed across his mind until the Commando spoke it's probably usual spiel and Kast explained the situation. Tez took out the lightsaber hilt and looked at it for a few moments. Bad idea for a Jedi to head into a hive of scoundrels and criminals without his lightsaber.

The Jedi obliged with a final sigh, dropping the saber away. [b"I best be getting that back..."[/b] He specified, shooting a look to Kast to ensure this happened. While he did feel uneasy about not being armed, he reminded himself that he was well trained to fight without it by his old master, and that was without the Force being added to the equation.

Kast specifically waited for the superbattle droid with Tez's lightsaber to walk away before he started disarming himself. 2 blaster pistols, one rifle, half a dozen blades, wrist gauntlets, and a belt of detonators later the two were sitting on a turbolift heading to the upper levels of Paradise, Koren's daughter and her Magnaguards in tow. The daughter of the Golden exchange led them to a suite on the upper floors, where she gestured the two to enter.

"My father will be with us soon." Loretta explained, as the group entered the suite. It was a relatively large room, with high quality amenities, as expected of a upper level suite. The bed was large and cushy, and it featured a desk made of fine wood. A half kitchen and minibar was on the opposite side of the room next to a washroom, and the entire room was lit by a single lamp, bathing them in a warm, orange light.

"Now all's left to do is to wait for the old man and get paid." Kast muttered aloud, mostly to himself.

Tez looked around the room, seeing all of the first class features to the room. It wasn't very often he was surrounded by so many facilities. He instantly went to the washroom and used the sink, using the cool, flowing water from the tap to clean himself up a little, washing away the dirt that was on his face. He came back and saw Kast and his female accomplice. Tez wasn't sure about Koren's inner fold of Paradise but it was safe to assume she was one of them. He walked over on the bed and pressed into it. The way it squished down, he couldn't help but lay on it. This level of comfort hadn't been experienced for years as he sunk into the bed. He could see how Paradise got it's name.

Telecommunications

I assume he's referring to story and plot. Are there set key points we're going to be hitting or are we going to sandbox it? Or some combination of the two.

The Last Embers (Dark Steampunk/Fantasy)

Just a heads up, I'll be gone most of saturday and sunday, going up to philly for a rather impromptu weekend trip.

The Last Embers (Dark Steampunk/Fantasy)

Here's what I'm thinking for Galahad. Let me know if there's anything you're feeling or not feeling.

Galahad's relationships

@Drakey Rodion: Galahad views Rodion fairly neutrally. He prefers Rodion's quieter show rather than tell attitude, and the Inquisitor's unique inventions are intriguing. Galahad finds Rodion's lack of martial skill compared to the others to be a major weakness amongst the group, but wouldn't consider it the group's weak link. However, the man is tactically sound and Galahad trusts him not to put himself in situations that would danger himself or his group.

@Sisyphus Hassan: At a first glance one would think Galahad and Hassan wouldn't get along- Hassan's friendly and goofy attitude compared to Galahad's colder, more cynical attitude. To an extent they would be correct, Galahad would find Hassan's joking attitude grating and often times annoying. However Galahad, no matter how serious he portrays himself is not without a sense of humor, and can occasionally be found cracking a smile at one of Hassan's comments, only to quickly solemn up and double down on his seriousness upon being caught.

Galahad regards Hassan's etheric abilities as the least conventional of their peers. While not particularly useful against demons and monsters, their uses against the peoples of other nations makes Hassan incredibly useful for their end goals.

@deathbringer Astraea: Even to this day, Galahad is unsure how he feels about Astraea. On the one hand, she is a Lanostran like himself, and a R'hea to add. She possesses martial skill and healing abilities, and is disciplined in most respects. Oh the other, her emotions run freely and her ability to read the private emotions of others is as unnerving as it is useful. Her company is not unwelcome, and that is the only way Galahad knows how to describe her.

@The Angry Goat Stina: There are few individuals in the order that commands Galahad's utmost respect. Stina is one of these individuals. Stina's steadfast attitude and combat acumen, combined with his sense of honor and loyalty creates a caliber of man Galahad believes should exemplify the standard that other Inquisitors are compared to. In combat the two make a deadly combination, Stina in the frontlines, and Galahad just behind him.

@Lovejoy Ragnar: Along with Titiana, Ragnar is among those that Galahad has spent the most time with, studying together and training with one another. He views Ragnar similarly to a brother, though the two posses an unspoken, almost bitter rivalry. Though comparable in their abilities, Galahad views himself as generally the better mage between the two of them, due to his maturity, skill and control over his ether. However, Galahad is well aware that Ragnar easily has the deepest ether pool of them all, and is quite intimidated by the younger mage's full potential. As a result, Galahad trains tirelessly in order to keep ahead of the younger mage. Despite their similar ability levels, Galahad is rather protective of Ragnar, and will readily spring to his aid, even if he throws in a critical word here or there.

@OppositionJ Tatiana: Along with Ragnar, Tatiana is among those that Galahad has spent the most time with, studying together are training with one another. While Galahad is typical stoic, cynical and cold, around Tatiana, Galahad is slightly less so. In comparison to his attitude towards others, the way Galahad acts towards Tatiana could almost be considered doting or warm. He views Tatiana as much like a younger sister, and is fiercely protective of her, even if she posseses a powerful demon to defend her from harm. Though occasionally using tough love on the younger Inquisitor, Galahad would readily throw himself in front of Tatiana to protect her.

Thats all for now, will be taking a quick break before cracking into the rest of them

The Last Embers (Dark Steampunk/Fantasy)

Working on Galahad's relationships now.

As I work on these relationships, I have come to the realization that Galahad is essentially a tsundere.

The Last Embers (Dark Steampunk/Fantasy)

Wah, super sorry about being quiet these past few days. Will be going through all the characters tonight and possibly sending people pms regarding backgrounds with Galahad, though I think a good number of people have put up some good ideas for backgrounds with him already

Star Wars - Lawless Galaxy

Collaboration with @Heat

Paradise
Upper-Level, The Observatory - Lounge and Observation Deck

The forward observation deck of the Paradise had long since been refitted during the Golden Exchange's ownership of the ship. Most of the already sparse interior had been stripped from the ship and replaced with a relatively open floor plan lounge. Overlooking the nose of the ship, and granting an impressive view of surrounding space, the observation deck had been converted into a sort of luxury lounge and vista. Fine tiled flooring along with stricter bouncers and increased security meant that this place was relatively devoid of the scummier forms of life in Hutt Space. A single bar in the center of the lounge, along with long couches and low tables kept the sightlines clear and open, and one could see from the any point in the lounge through the large windows that were the walls of the observatory. Likewise, the lighting on the lounge was minimal, centered around the bar and few tables, allowing the glow of the nearby star and planet to illuminate the lounge with its view.

The lounge was populated with only a small number of people, most of them either diplomats passing through Hutt Space, or other well-to-do sort of folk. Here, Captain Victor Tarick spent his leave, feeling quite at home standing at one of the windows, hands clasped behind his back, staring into the black empty. Unlike most Imperial personnel, who wore imperial uniforms, those of the special operations sector weren't supposed to openly display their allegiences. Of course it was easy enough to assume one was an imperial, but it was a security risk to allow onlookers to know the extent of his position. Instead of the grey and black of the standard imperial uniform, Victor wore a bespoke suit of deep blue, impeccably tailored to his form. His hair and beard were well groomed, nails clean and manicured, and his skin, short of the long jagged scar running down the left half of his face, was smooth and umblemished. At a waist chest high counter that ringed the outer wall of the observatory sat a cigar, leaning against an ashtray, its tip smoldering a deep orange, as small wisps of smoke wafted upwards towards the vents above.

At his place at the window, Victor stared lovingly at the Star Destroyer sitting just ahead of the Paradise. Though Victor had spent much time aboard Star Destroyers, and staring at them through the viewscreens of various imperial craft or from the bridge of another Star Destroyer, there was something different, awe inspiring, about viewing them from as spectacular a view as the Paradise's. The ISD Adamant had been Victor's home since a year after the destruction of the Death Star II, and was aptly named, for it was one of the few vessels Victor truly felt safe on. Even the Paradise, for all of its security features, didn't feel quite as secure as several meters of durasteel backed by advanced turbolasers and shielding.

A door came open on the opposite side of the observation deck, through it stepped a single dark haired woman. As Talina entered into the luxury location on he upper level of Paradise, she smirked. A bouncer eyed her for a moment, as did a bartender before she walked towards the center of the open floored lounge. She was not as finely dressed as the other people in this part of the ship. She didn't really care about that, she hated dresses, they were near impossible to move in during a fight or sprint. She was just her to find her fellow Imperial Special Forces soldier, and this is where he was said to be.

She stood in front of the bar, one hand on her hip as she glanced around the room. The lounge was sparsely filled and devoid of the trash that wandered other part of Paradise. After a brief second, she spotted the man she was here for. He was clad in a fine blue suit towards the back of the lounge, stargazing out a window. A trail of smoke hung overhead, he seemed content with where he was at the moment. She'd be with him in a moment. She looked at the bartender and ordered the same drink she asked for in the other, less classy establishment. The man's hands danced expertly as he quickly forged her order. Then he placed it down in front of her with a nod, she scooped it up with a smile and strolled away.

"Breathtaking isn't it?" She asked Tarrick, appearing to his side, martini in hand. Talina stared out the window, a confident smile on her face. Something about the sight of an Imperial Star Destroyer sitting silently in space just stirred up the most patriotic of feelings within her. It was one of the most majestic, awe inspiring things she could set her eyes upon.

"Quite so." Tarick replied, his voice soft, longing even, a far cry from the hard edge and steely bite his voice normally carried while on duty. His eyes remained locked on the Star Destroyer in the distance, as though he was trying to etch its form permanently into his brain; as though if he averted his eyes for but a moment, it would disappear. "Truth be told, when the second Death Star fell, I felt lost. I'm not a thinker like you. I'm not smart, at least not incredibly so. I'm just a soldier- I was, just a soldier. I fought and shot and did whatever I was told, until there was no one left to tell me what to do."

"My men and I were aimless, soldiers without a cause, drifing like common mercs, filth." Tarick continued, his amber eyes hardening and his voice growing cold and bitter, almost spitting out those last shame filled words as though they were poison on his tongue. "Once proud soldiers of the Empire, forced to struggle for survival, to choose between the allegiances of petty warmongers and ordered to shoot my own brothers."

"But now," Victor's voice returned to its original softness, pride swelling in both his tone and chest, his eyes releasing their lock on the destroyer, and finally turning to look at the Imperial spy, gesturing subtly with an outstretched arm towards the Adamant, hand slowly clasping into a proud fist. "Now, we are home. Now, we have purpose. Now, we are strong."

"You're damn right we are. The Empire never fell, we are the backbone of the galaxy. Any man that can look upon a stunning sight as that and not feel a single chill is one without a soul." Talina extended a hand and placed it upon Tarrick's shoulder, looking the fierce soldier in the eyes with a look of pure determination.

Tarick offered Talina a slight, almost noble nod of his head, a sign of respect to his superior. She was a well respected and powerful member of the Special Operations sector. While many troopers regarded Imperial spies with some degree of caution- Talina included- for their seeming willingness to sacrifice even other special operations lives for the sake of their missions, Tarick trusted Talina to at least sacrifice his life for something worthwhile.

"But I'm sure you didn't come to whinge and reminisce about days past." Victor said as he reached out for the cigar on the counter and took a puff from it. "So, Miss Eriston, how might I serve?"

He referred to her not by rank, as they were in public, and those in special operations avoided naming one another by rank if only for the sake of security. Even if there was no one within earshot, inside the confines of Paradise, someone was always listening.

"Orders directly from Moff Orro." Talina replied, speaking softly as the moff's name exited her mouth.

"Top secret, he told me to not speak of it until we are inside of a shuttle awaiting us in the docking bay. He was very direct about no one else knowing, I don't blame him, you never know what wandering ears are around you. Especially in a place like this. You've seen how those spacer slime glare at any uniformed Imperial in this station." Talina said, the digust obvious in her words at how her fellow Imperials tended to be treated here.

The last thing she'd do is go against the words of a moff, even if she doubted any Rebel scum were in this high class lounge. It wasn't their kind of hangout, too fancy. They were in the dirty cantinas all around Paradise, fratenizing with all of the shifty aliens that filled their ill motivated alliance. She refused to recognize the so called, 'New Republic', they were violent usurpers with no respect for law and order. She took a long sip of her martini then glanced back towards the Adamant, calming her nerves.

"Well, I suppose we should get going then." Victor concluded, pulling a silver container out from within his jacket. Flicking the top open with his thumb, he took the still burning cigar and slid it into the container before shutting the container and extinguishing the tobacco with lack of oxygen. Sliding the container back into his jacket, he gestured for Talina to lead them. "Just as well, leave was getting boring anyway."

"Frederick told me about what happened at the dive bar," Victor commented idly as they made their way through the corridors of Paradise and towards the hangar. His otherwise even voice had a hint of teasing and amusement. "Interesting predicament, I'll have to hear about it later."

"Two drunken spacers messed with the wrong girl. I didn't kill either of them, just kicked one between the legs and shattered a wrist. They'll live, then can tell everyone they got their asses kicked by a girl," Talina replied with a smile, holding back laughter t remembering the incident. She didn't even realize a stormtrooper was in the bar when the 'fight' broke out.

As they entered the hangar their designated transport was there waiting for them. Other Imperial personal were spread around it, talking amonst themselves. Talina pressed a button and the the ship's ramp descended for Victor and her. As they both entered it, the ramp closed up and she took a seat across from him, finally able to inform him of the mission.

"Now that we're in a secure place I can finally tell you about the mission. Moff Orro has put us in charge for an intriguing operation. The rebels, in their usual brillance crash landed a corvette on Dirna, an otherwise unremarkable rock within the system. We have been ordered to secure anything of importance from the corvette, eliminate anyone that survived the crash then make it back in one piece. The Moff has put his faith in us and afforded us any amount of backup for the mission." Talina said, hitting on all the key points.

"You and I will personally be investigating the crash site, along with a squad of your finest soldiers. If we do this to the very best of our remarkable abilities, which I am most certain we will, then the rebels will not even know what hit them. They'll be corpses in the dust and we'll be in and out with no problem," She said with another confident smile, then a more serious expression appeared on her face. "Though we shouldn't try to take any unnecessary risks, I believe strongly in the intel that Orro gave us but we should properly scout the world before landing on it. Never can be too sure, those rebels can be tricky, they may know their marooned and that the Empire is in the system with them."

"As lowly as I regard rebel scum, the last thing I would do is underestimate them." Victor agreed, as their shuttle pilot took off and began ferrying them back to the Adamant. The last time the Empire underestimated the rebels, they lost the death star and two of their key leaders. Victor would not allow such a fate to befall his current commanders. He would strike his foes with sudden and overwhelming force, minimizing the chance of casualties while maximizing any possible gains from his mission. "I shall prepare probe droids to be loaded onto our vessel, they will launch shortly before we land to prevent anyone from acertaining our intentions."

"Excellent, I want a wide area around the crash site surveyed. If any unusual sights are observed by the probe then I want to know right away." Talina replied with a nod as the shuttle rose up and made its way towards the glorious Adamant. She was highly confident about the mission, as she often seemed to be when doing anything. Tarrick was at the top of his game as well, which further rose her confidence.

With that, Victor began running through a mental list of his current special operations squads. While the Ultmara sector posessed some 20,000 stormtrooper, and the remnants of Victors 322nd Legion made up some 2,000 of that number, Victor's special operations troopers numbered less than 50, each and every one handpicked by Victor for their skill and tenacity. If it were his choice, he'd call on every single one of his troopers for such a mission, but he didn't have that luxury. Not only would it be tactically unsound to deploy the entirety of his elites on one mission, many of them were in use elsewhere in the sector.

"Dagger Squad." Victor commanded, speaking into his comm-link, his voice taking on his usual steel, "Adamant Armory, 20 minutes."

"As you command, Captain."

Telecommunications

@Monochromatic Rainbow Jack is running with the plasmatic equivalent of a .50 AE. What's gritty cyberpunk without noise cops and handcannons?

The Last Embers (Dark Steampunk/Fantasy)

@shylarah Ziotea has killed people during sparring matches? I don't imagine that'd make her very well liked, especially if it was one her own class