Episode Guide: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8, Episode 9, Episode 10, Episode 11, Episode 12, Episode 13, Episode 14

_{Note: Hiatus is officially over, despite the lack of completion of other games. Sorry, I just couldn’t wait any longer, 3 months was waaay too long. Also, the campaign is now a little over a year old!}

Recent Updates

3/24/08- Wow, long time no update. Added a page for Succubus, Fury, Lurelicker, Nashan Acetonemone, Naturally Alchemical Arkovan, Sandworm, Vampire Nettles, Dread Locust, Oracle, Subspace Predator, Umbramorph, and Vizier Umbramorph.

12/30/07- Updated Episode 12 and Episode 13. Added pages for Treasures of the Universe, Scheinwelt Emulator, Scheinwelt program, Lacamontane, Shahmeranic Key, Shahmeran, Scornkin, Old One, Noam Ruins, Scheinwelt Challenges, Xxyzzt.

12/10/07- Updated profiles for “Baby”, ASURA-03, Bonaparte, Councilman Arada Hesse, Colonel Ressa Armandag, Maxwell Demian, Colonel Astag Varda, Alice Edward, Arias Klondstein, Naar, Ambassador Finneas Soldat, Raaza “Bubble” Ma-r, and Number 3.

12/07/07- Updated profile for ASURA-04, created wiki entry for orexisite (finally), Rebus, Scorn, Dread, Dreadtouch, updated wiki entry for Adams, Lachesis.

12/06/07- Updated profile for Tesla Soldat, Major Jack Jennison, Dove Units, Grand Marshall Pistis, The Ahriman, and Karen Croft.

12/03/07- Added Episode 11.

11/30/07- Added wiki entries for McLintlock (district), Macada System, Celdine, and Toros.

to be completed and added today

Well, it’s been a long time since I’ve updated this or any of my campaigns. It’s been a bit of a time consuming month, and I just haven’t had time to play this or any of the other games, not to mention update. To top it all off, my computer use has been even more limited lately due to having to share my laptop 4 ways with my boyfriend and siblings (desktop still out of commision), and with a neck injury that has made sitting at the computer more than a little uncomfortable.

However, I’m hoping to be back here more regularly as of now, updating my pages, featured campaigns, and just hanging around in general! We’re hoping to pick this back up this weekend, and the other games later.

After establishing themselves on Delsidia, the team worked together like a well oiled machine to drive back the Lacrymans.

On the afternoon of December 31st, 935 PF, Lacryman hold on a former Coalition base upon Delsidia III was unexpectedly interrupted. Despite use of potent psionic shields, the base was infiltrated, and quickly overwhelmed by Coalition forces. In the control center, the operatives scrambled to find a solution. How had the Coalition managed to break through their psionic barriers and attack them so secretly?

As they pondered this question and panicked to find a way to suppress the assault, a bolt of lightning raced through the command center and killed an officer. The shadowy figure of Mauta emerged through the door, standing before the Lacrymans not as just the stranded Arkovan refugee, but as the wrathful god he had come to be known as by the Chirotrani. Mauta continued to strike down the frenzied Lacrymans with his bolts of death. Soon after, Arro and ASURA-04 emerged, and joined in the bedlam. Within minutes, only one Lacryman remained alive, held fast in a thrall by Mauta’s power. Arro sent a communication to Janet, who had lead a force into the lower sectors of the base and wiped out the Lacrymans within. Janet reported taking four prisoners. Gathering up the survivors, the crew established new authority on the base, and then returned back to Arro’s appointed vessel, the CS Whiteking.

Aboard the Whiteking, Arro made report to Colonel Ressa Armandag. In the weeks that had passed since the group emerged from Mayan space and joined the new alliance, Arro had managed to lead several successful strikes against Lacryman forces on Delsidia. His most recent victory marked the official removal of Lacryman presence in the Delsidia System, but he was still wary of assault. He and Ressa discussed trying to create a fool-proof defense against them, so that regardless of what tactics they used, they would not be able to make a strike against the Coalition’s new core.

It was eventually proposed that they attempt to combine use of alchemy with technology, and research a barrier composed of minute dimensional disturbances- a fine mesh of tiny, normally harmless anomalies wrapping the circumference of the system. Mauta stated such a device would require an inexplicable amount of energy, but Rachael proposed a lure engine and a powerful computer network could allow the process to be replicated millions of times over again and distributed through a subspace network that would ultimately require them to use only a fraction of the energy to maintain it. The result would be a field of disruption that would block all Lacryman entry into the system without doing any significant damage to the spatial fabric surrounding Delsidia.

Arro asked Janet and Mauta to take ASURA-04 and head back to Maya, to see if Ahriman couldn’t help them find a suitable alchemical frequency that could be used in such a device. Meanwhile, Arro and his science staff set in to begin research immediately. Many on his crew protested, stating there was no immediate rush, and that it was New Year’s Eve. Arro felt it was more important to attend to the task at hand than to be worried about honoring any silly holiday traditions, but after being lambasted by Tesla, he agreed to allow the crew an evening off- although he fully intended to do as much research as possible on his own.

Meanwhile, Chesed received a message from his parents saying they might show up at their glamorous seaside estate on Delsidia III that evening, and that he should come and see them. Chesed invited the rest of the group along, stating it would be more fun than hanging around the ship and waiting for Arro to change his mind.

Chesed, Tuona, Tesla, Kolibri, and Roth all took a shuttle to the planet, and went to Chesed’s family’s Delsidian home. Even Tesla was impressed at the size and luxury of the estate, which was complete with many facilities- indoors pools, large gardens, sports facilities, and even a private Scheinwelt Emulator. As they walked about the property, they were greeted by one of Chesed’s family servants, Woolburry. Woolburry saw that everyone in the party received a suite of their own, stocked with plenty of food and clothing, and prepared a wonderful dinner for everyone.

While enjoying themselves in the manor, Tesla received a message from, strangely enough, Maxwell Demian. He told Tesla that he was wanting to test a certain section of a recently released Scheinwelt program, and given her prowess back at the tournament, he was wondering if she and her friends would be interested. He told her that he was willing to compensate her for her efforts. Given that the Dhozra’s had their own Emulator, Tesla agreed.

She gathered up Tuona, Roth, and Kolibri, and they fired up the emulator, where they helped Demian test the current adversity settings on a certain program entity that had received complaints for being too problematic. After successfully resolving the issue, Demian agreed to send a package of rare goods to Tesla the next day, and the group retired to Chesed’s apartment, where they sat on the veranda and snacked and drank throughout the evening. Everyone shared their own New Year’s traditions, and the Arkovans were educated on the significance of the passing of the new year, a tradition honored by most of the different worlds but not honored by the Chirotrani.

The night passed with much conversation, laughing, and talking. At some point, Tesla received another message, this time from her father. He said he had missed her over Christmas, while she had been working to help remove the Lacryman influence from Delsidia. He sent her a video file that was a recording of an old Christmas when her mother was alive, which brought back all sorts of memories to the girl, both sad and happy. The evening went on, and eventually the group fell asleep, still out on the veranda.

Meanwhile, on Maya, Janet and the others were settling in for the evening in the Alma Nostra headquarters. As the sun set, she started to feel a bit nostalgic for old New Year’s celebrations, and in a moment of free-spiritedness, she and Mauta set off “fireworks”, by way of the sorcerer’s talents, and imbibed in some champagne Janet had smuggled off the ship earlier.

On the Whiteking, Arro sat alone, diligently going over files and trying to find places to obtain components for the proposed dimensional barrier. Ressa entered his chamber unannounced, and the two of them talked for a while, resolving their previous fight. Ressa said she felt horrible for what had happened, and told Arro that she had to confess something. She said that up until now, her allegiance had always laid with the Coalition- she owed her livelihood to it, and she was now responsible for the lives of countless others. Both she and Arro had responsibilities they couldn’t afford to take lightly, but she said she felt as if she had somehow gone too far. She had allowed her adherence to duty to let her compromise how she really felt, and if proposed with that dilemma again, she would not hesitate to throw aside her responsibilities. Arro told her that she would need to consider what that meant, and really scrutinize how she felt. She said she had been doing that for some time, and she knew that is how it would have to be for her to be able to live with the mistake she made when she chose to follow orders and let him be arrested and condemned to death. She confessed that for years, she had hoped that she and Arro could have been more than what they were, but she had managed to kill that possibility when she allowed her ambitions to overshadow her own real desires. She apologized, and got up to leave, but before she did, she told Arro he could trust her, and that in the future, she would always honor those close to her over anything else.

As she walked out of the room, Arro stopped her, and told her she was endangering everything she had stood for, and compromising her position as an officer of the Coalition. Ressa looked a little ashamed, and quietly stated she knew what she was doing, and turned to walk out a third time. However, Arro stopped her once more, pulling Ressa in and embracing her. The two kissed, and for the first time, they allowed themselves to be honest with each other.

The next morning, the group on Delsida woke up to the rising sun. They had been up most of the night, talking and sharing, and also doing a bit of drinking. Tuona said it was one of the best nights of her life, and she looked forward to the next year so they could do it again. She asked them all to help her make sure she could have her own tradition, and told them they would all have to make sure they would be there next year to do the same thing. The group made a promise as they gathered themselves together, and then scurried down to the kitchen for some breakfast.

Several days had passed, and during this time, Rachael had managed to get the Disa fully operational again. It was discovered that, while the vessel could fly without any problems, it was impossible for it to pierce the border of the subspace to gain access to the rest of the galaxy.

In order to try and figure out a solution, Chesed and Mauta met with The Alma, who called a meeting of the order’s leaders to discuss the problem. Although the off-worlders had proven they meant no harm, there was still much distrust of them due to the order’s previous complications involving beings from other worlds. Arriving late in the conference came two of the original Nine Saints, who had been with the first Alma at the time of Scorn and Dread. The first of these two was Tyler Oberon, a user of sorcery who allied himself with Alma to save the world. Tyler remained alive due to his unique heritage and talents, which caused him to age at a much slower rate than his companions. The other was The Ahriman, the immortal nomad and reincarnated Old One who had with his own power erected the Veil that separated Maya from the rest of the universe.

Ahriman and Tyler were both distrustful of the off-worlders, and wished them to leave as soon as possible. However, Ahriman explained it would be very difficult to remove the Veil without destroying Maya itself, as the integrity of the subspace was maintained by connecting it to the life-force of the planet itself- and this was yet another reason why use of sorcery was so greatly condemned.

However, there was a possible solution. Tyler suggested that the team investigate a certain ruin to the north of Lacamontane, where it was rumored that a legendary artifact that could allow for dimensional travel existed. Alma, recognizing the tale, chided Tyler for trying to send their guests into peril. Curious, Chesed and Mauta asked for more information.

As it was explained to them, the ruins of Noam were a place shunned by much of the world because of the stories of great evil that had once occurred there. It was said that long ago, a religious sect had made erected the ruins as a monastery for their holy women, but something terrible had happened that caused most of the inhabitants to die off. Later, the ruins disappeared for several hundred years, until they were rediscovered unceremoniously by travelers. It was said that the monastery itself was pulled outside of space and time, into a private dimension where the spirits that guided the sect tormented those that dared to catch their interest.

Many scholars believed there may have been some truth to the rumors, but the ruins themselves proved too daunting to the average explorer to verify much of anything. It was believed that the leaders of the sect had managed to move the monastery through use of a device called the Shahmeranic Key, named so for their goddess, Shahmeran. Tyler insisted that the Key had be within the ruins somewhere, and Ahriman confirmed that he believed the use of such a device would allow the travelers to remove themselves from Mayan space without disrupting the stability of the planet.

Chesed seemed to think this would be the only way to get back home, and went to relay the information to the rest of the group. Meanwhile, Mauta stayed behind a bit, and he and the Alma continued a previous conversation about responsibility and the powers that are given to those that bear it. Alma expressed a desire to leave behind her position and live on her own, something with which Mauta himself seemed all too familiar.

Back at the Disa, the team located the position of the Noam Ruins on the charts and maps they had been given, and set a course for Lacamontane. While flying there, they formulated a course of action. Kolibri would lead a team into the ruins, and Tuona would accompany to provide support and heal the injured in case of a mishap. Roth would also assist, given his skill with infiltration and stealth. Meanwhile, the rest of the group would stay aboard the ship and be on standby.

The team set down in the woods outside the ruins, and began to explore. They quickly found an entrance through a broken down gate in the monastery walls, and investigated the courtyard. The outside of the monastery was beautifully landscaped, with a lush garden surrounding the main structure. Tuona noted that it was a very unnatural place- noting that the location had been abandoned for many years, but the garden managed to maintain a perfectly manicured appearance despite the passing of time. She pointed out that the place didn’t feel like a real garden, but felt artificial and controlled, as if by some sort of supernatural force. While exploring, they heard a soft sound coming from an oddly placed mausoleum in the right wing of the garden.

Within the mausoleum, they met a strange young woman, who was singing alone in the crypt. She introduced herself as Lora, and said she was waiting for her sister, who had gone into the ruins several days ago looking for the Shahmeranic Key. The team explained they were looking for the Key as well, and Lora seemed to be very pleased. She said she had grown worried for her sister over the past few days, and was hoping someone would come along that could help her find her.

So, Lora led the group into the monastery, which was run down and incredibly eerie. Much like in Votum before it, it seemed the ruins housed the displaced essences of its unfortunate inhabitants. They also encountered a type of creature that Lora only referred to as “The Oracles”, which were humanoid creatures that crept about in darkness and seemed to thrive on blood and carnage.

Pursued by the Oracles, the group made their way through the commons of the monastery, working their way up into the music hall, through the great gallery, and up into the Oracle-saturated guest house. There, they encountered apparitions of former tenants, who were both hostile and benevolent. Oddly, when ambushed by Oracles, Tuona noticed something disturbing. In order to drive off the creatures, Tuona let loose a blast of sacred flame, which caused the Oracles to recoil, but also caused Lora to react very strangely, almost as if in fear. This was noted again when the group discovered a sacred statue that had been altered through alchemy to produce alchemically perfect water. In the presence of the water, Lora seemed to be almost a different person altogether.

Finally, the group made it up through the guest house, into the rooftop gardens, and into the central tower of the ruins, where Lora claimed her sister and the Key would likely be. Within the tower, they encountered deadly traps, but also met with Daphnala, Lora’s sister. Daphnala explained she had found the Key higher up, but she requested some aid in retrieving it, since it was surrounded by more Oracles than she could handle.

Winding their way to the top of the tower, Tuona’s suspicions grew even more insistent as they emerged to find no Oracles at the pinnacle, only what appeared to be the Key and a large platform surrounded by alchemical symbols. Inside the room, they were surprised when both Lora and Daphnala began to behave strangely. Lora said she was so very glad to finally be able to get away from the “filthy Temple”, and Daphnala said she thought they would have to wait forever for the “primates” of Maya to develop their first star ship. Confused, the team began to realize that the women were not who they seemed.

Both women transformed into supernatural beings, or Scornkin. Lora took the form of a alluring winged female, and Daphnala took the form of a fiery angel. They explained they had been subservients of Scorn and Dread under the Silver Beast, Naar, and that they had been trapped in these “avatar bodies” since the time of the cultivation. Later, when the monastery had been moved into a separate space, they became trapped, and by the time it returned to Maya, the world had been placed within the Veil. They stated they would do anything they could to return back to their home world and migrate to Seid, but first they would need a star ship to move through space once they activated the Key again. From within the tower, they had scryed and witnessed the arrival of the off-worlders, and had been waiting for them to come seeking the Key since that time, assuming their current forms as a means of luring the group into a sense of security, only to betray them and steal their ship.

Lora drew the whip Androphage from a pocket space, and told them they would have to kill them, and assume their forms aboard the Disa. Once they managed to escape Mayan space, they would kill the rest of the crew and return back to their home planet where they could finally merge with their Seid halves and abandon their limiting avatar forms and live in perfection for the rest of time.

Obviously not keen on cooperating, the group engaged the two beings in combat. The powers the Nashans had were powerful, despite their complaints of being so limited. Lora managed to turn Roth against the team with her telepathic skills, and Daphnala mortally wounded Tuona, leaving her bloodied and on the brink of death. Fortunately, Kolibri was there, and assumed a form that had many potent healing abilities, with which she was able to save Tuona’s life. Roth broke free from the compulsion, and killed Lora, driving Daphnala into a rage. She assaulted the team with an unrelenting fervor, until Tuona’s companion, Orsa ripped her apart. As she lay dying, she cursed the name of Naar and stated she only wanted to return to her native body once more before passing on. Unfortunately, this was impossible, and as the forms of the creatures perished, their bodies dissolved into dust. Kolibri noted that their forms were not real bodies, but merely shells of matter that housed their psionic essences, much like the bodies of the Lacrymans. The group claimed the Key, and returned to the ship to report.

The group was both relieved and troubled. Were the strange creatures really Nashans? Communications with Alma revealed that it was believed that advocates of the Silver Dragon had taken on the forms of demons and angels while working on Maya, in order to command the respect of the people. Ahriman confirmed this, stating that while he existed as a servant of the Beast, he had taken the form of a winged being of tremendous power, but once he was placed in human form, he lost his powers and most of his memories from his previous life. Tesla pointed out that the Nashans seemed to have the ability to exist outside of their bodies as an independent essence, which is how ASURA-04 came to be. It could very well be possible that Nashans moved from body to body on a regular basis as part of their culture. Still, even with this information, why were there Nashans on Maya? And could Naar really be the Silver Beast? If so, was he also the reason humans appeared on Arkova IV? As more information came to light, the more the mysteries surrounding Votum and the other worlds became harder to navigate.

However, there were more pressing matters. Ahriman showed Rachael how to utilize the Key, and explained that once outside Mayan space, they could use the Key at any place where the dimensions were weaker than normal to return back to Mayan space. He asked they they keep contact with them and try and help them develop a means to lower the Veil without endangering Maya any further, as he knew that it would only be a matter of centuries before the planet’s resources were entirely depleted. The group agreed, and bid a farewell to the people of the order.

Once leaving the subspace, the Disa was immediately confronted by a fleet of Coalition vessels. Rachael took evasive maneuvers, but she was outmatched by one particularly persistent vessel. They received a hail from the ship, which was being manned by Colonel Ressa Armandag. She asked to hold conference with Rachael and her current guests, to which the Mendel grudgingly agreed.

Within the Disa’s conference chamber, Ressa and several Coalition soldiers met with the group. Ressa explained that in the two weeks they had been within the subspace, the condition of the Coalition and the galaxy at large had changed significantly. Following the attack on Macada II, Lacryma had seceded from the Coalition, and declared war. They stated that they could no longer tolerate the waste of vital resources committed by other systems, and claimed they would make themselves the regent of the galaxy, doling out resources where needed and making the decisions regarding development of orexisite mining. Macada was the first system to fall, followed soon by the Solar System and the Rovano System. Using Macada’s vast lure supply, and Rovano’s advanced psi-tech weaponry, Lacryma seemed to be quite capable of taking over the rest of the galaxy. With total control of the lure supply, no one else could make a move against them.

Ressa explained that it was at this time that the remains of the Coalition were contacted by Arias Klondstein of Mendel Race. She stated that Klondstein had sought to ally with the Coalition to oust the Lacrymans from Macada and terminate their ambitions, even if they had previous been bitter enemies. Rachael found this hard to believe, but Ressa provided an official communication from Klondstein himself to verify her claims. She stated that while they were very limited on resources with Macada in Lacryman hands, they still had plenty of financial resources. It seems that Kodotama, lead by Maxwell Demian, had provided several million credits worth of weaponry. It seems that Demian, who was Klondstein’s half-brother, had been backing Mendel Race financially for years, and had now turned the full resources of his multi-billion dollar empire over to the Coalition in support of the war effort.

Arro was curious about the attack on Macada, and asked for more details. Ressa explained that Lacryma had hoped their last conference would open the Macadans up to allowing compromised mining rights, but had prepared themselves to take the planet by force if diplomacy failed. In order to do so, they contacted Major Jack Jennison, who had previously expressed a desire to become a Lacryman himself. They offered him a new body in exchange for vital information that would allow them to exercise a coup over the Coalition vessels stationed around Macada, and then infused him with a nano-treatment that allowed him to derive power from the white lure discovered on Votum during the arrest of the team to Arkova. After the attack, he was commissioned to use his new power to kill off the surviving Arkovans and their companions, to remove any trace of opposition that could use alchemy without lure. He was also told to kidnap Tesla Soldat and bring her to Lacryma VI, where she would have her Lachesis functionality restored by The Last and be forced to help the Last abandon their battered old bodies for new bodies, in the form of ASURA series bioreplicas.

A little overwhelmed by all the information, the group asked Ressa was she proposed. She told them that they were prepared to offer Arro a position as Colonel, with his own vessel and command over a small fleet of ships. Janet was offered an honorary rank of Major, and would be granted similar benefits in return for her aid. Meanwhile, both Janet and Arro could request the aid of anyone they wished on their vessel. They immediately asked to gain the aid of Tesla and the Arkovans. Rachael and Kolibri were assigned by Klondstein to aid Arro, and Chesed tagged along, hoping to make himself useful, and not wanting to return to the superficial life of a performer in light of the dangers facing the galaxy.

Ressa then explained that Lacryma was currently trying to occupy the Delsidia System, but they hadn’t been able to take it over entirely. Coalition forces, along with aid provided by Mendel Race and the refugees from Earth, Mars, and Rovano system, were able to keep the Lacrymans from taking the Delsidian homeworld, and Ressa requested Arro’s aid in cementing Delsidia as a stronghold of the new alliance.

Arro agreed, but was a little overwhelmed. In a matter of months, he had gone from Coalition soldier to traitor, and now had been installed as a hero of the Coalition. The group prepared themselves, and headed towards Delsidia.

Everyone was very anxious and didn’t know what to expect, entirely. Chesed confided in Janet that he felt very useless in contrast to the rest of them, and asked if she felt it would be better if he just went home. Janet didn’t seem to think so, and said that without his negotiating skills and quick mind, they would probably be in a dungeon somewhere on Maya.

Meanwhile, Arro and Ressa confronted each other over the events of the past few months. Ressa had hoped Arro would understand why she had been forced to arrest him on Votum, and why she couldn’t do anything to save him back on Arzin, but Arro would hear none of it. A huge argument broke out between them, and Ressa stormed off, infuriated.

The next morning, the team gathered on the bridge of the Disa to quickly go over their plan of action. Rachael explained that she could probably get the Disa flight-capable within a few hours, with assistance. However, without access to some key resources, they may not be able to regain interplanetary capabilities, so it would be very important to make contact with the planet’s natives to establish some sort of trade relationship.

Chesed, although somewhat reluctant to do so, would be the face of the diplomatic party, because of his speaking skills and his telepathic abilities. Janet would accompany because her background would make her a nice contrast to Chesed and would allow the team to keep a more discerning eye open. ASURA-04 would be sent as a bodyguard.

As they planned, Arro showed up on the bridge, late. He was unshaved and more than a little surly, and after several minutes, he left the bridge in a sour mood and returned to his chambers. Tuona was concerned for him, stating she had never seen him act like that before. Janet advised everyone to leave him alone for a bit- the gravity of what had happened was probably going to make it difficult for him to quickly adapt to the changes, and with the current situation, he could afford the luxury of being depressed.

Just then, Number 3 detected something approaching the vessel. She could detect three signatures, all of which were highly unusual. Two were clearly intelligent, but not organic in the least. They didn’t register as being a synthetic lifeform, like a bioreplica or robot would, but showed clear life signs despite the lack of a identifiable physiology. The third presence was equally baffling- a warm-blooded, humanoid presence that appeared to be identical to the signature of a human. Number 3 felt this was most likely due to a registration error, as it was clearly implausible for humans to exist on a planet so isolated. However, the rest of the group was not so easy to write it off, after having witnessed the Arkovans.

Chesed told everyone the being from yesterday had stated it would return with reinforcements. Rachael suggested they meet the approaching party mid-way, and attempt to smooth over any difficulties. Chesed, Janet, and ASURA-04 left the ship, and encountered two beings who were apparently crafted from a glittering metal and cast in the form of human women. Neither being seemed to be truly mechanical, but rather like a humanoid being crafted from meticulously sculpted fibers and plates of metal and held together by some sort of psionic essence.

The “women”, both of whom were heavily armed, informed the party that they would be placed under arrest for violation of the laws of the “Holy Order”. When asked what the charges were, it was explained that they were guilty of practicing sorcery without proper license in a restricted area. Chesed attempted to explain that they were not from that region, and as such they were in ignorance of any laws, but they would be more than willing to abide by them if they could speak with someone who would explain them.

At this point, a third woman approached, this one clearly human. She was a tall figure, armed with twin archaic pistols, who informed the party that they would be taken into custody for violating the laws of the Holy Order. Further conversation continued, with Chesed attempting to explain the situation in such a way as to make their plight clear without revealing too much information. Ultimately, he and the human woman opened a telepathic bond, and he showed her images of Major Jack Jennison and the assault on Delmont City, as well as showing her the fate and current condition of Tesla. He explained that they had been forced into their current location because of this, and that their companion was in need of some sort of healer.

The woman became concerned at what she had been shown, and stated that while they were still in violation of the laws, the circumstances and intent would change the verdict considerably. She introduced herself as Grand Marshall Pistis, and explained that her companions were among the Dove Units, a series of special Order soldiers. Pistis then asked that they accompany her into the city of Rebus to speak with The Alma, the leader of her order. After conferring with the others, Chesed felt this would be the best action, diplomatically, and Janet agreed. They went with Pistis over a few dunes, where she showed them her sandcraft. They all climbed aboard the vessel, and began to trek across the vast deserts.

During the trip, Pistis answered many of their questions, although she had come to the conclusion that they had arrived from a far off land known as Lacamontane to the far north. She explained that the desert they were in was known as the Sorcery Wastes, and it was once a vast sea until the actions of reckless sorcerers caused it to become a wasteland devoid of life. She pointed out larges rifts of silver colored sand among the dunes, which she called areas of Dreadtouch, where no life or force of power could survive.

She also began to explain stories of how their world, called Maya, came to be. She cited that many years ago, great beings known as Scorn and Dread came from their sun and nearly destroyed the land, but their influence was severed when nine saints came to exemplify the teachings of the Alma and defeat the wicked beings. However, in order to do so, one of the saints had to fold their world into a veil of time and space, removing it forever from the reach of Scorn and Dread. Janet reasoned that must be how the system had been shifted inside the anomaly.

Chesed asked why they viewed alchemy, or sorcery, so unfavorably. Pistis explained that sorcery was a gift of Scorn and Dread, and that the use of it was what lead their world to be so badly scarred. Furthermore, since the world was now tucked away in the Veil, every use of sorcery depleted that much more of the world’s resources, which caused the great deserts to expand ever more, beyond the wastes and into the life-giving land.

The group speculated for a bit, and it seemed like a reasonable concern. They were all too familiar with the impact alchemy had created on their lives- and the avarice it created for vital alchemical resources. They could only imagine the potential for havoc it could cause on a world where the resource pool was limited to a sole planet and the very understanding of the process was shaky at best. Arkova had been different- it had large amounts of lure used to aid its sorcerers, and the use of sorcery was limited to some esoteric practices rather than the once ubiquitous phenomenon suggested by Pistis’ stories.

Just then, however, the Doves detected a strange disturbance in the desert- but before any more could be discovered, a massive sandworm burst forth from the sea of sand and attacked the ship. The Doves tried to maneuver the vessel safely away from the beast, but it was very persistent. Meanwhile, Pistis and Janet launched ranged attacks on the worm, but they were unable to slow it down. The creature bit through the hull of the vessel and destroyed the lift coil, causing the sandcraft to crash and everyone aboard to be tossed into the desert sands.

As they attempted to scramble out of the worm’s range, the creature turned its attention on the ship, under the assumption it was some sort of large, wounded creature. It engulfed the vessel, and caused the ground to yawn open as it pulled it underground. The team and the Order operatives were separated and disappeared beneath the swirling sands.

Several hours later, Janet woke up, parched and a little beaten up in the cavity created by the worm’s tunneling. Nearby, she found Chesed and ASURA-04, as well as the lifeless form of one of the Doves. Chesed panicked a bit, but Janet kept her cool.

Over the next few hours, Janet’s keen tracking skills and savvy wit helped to guide the party out of the tunnels and through the relentless desert. They encountered strange creatures, such as bloodsucking plants and enormous mutant locusts. It was a harsh trek, contending with poisonous creatures and cunning predators who had evolved in such an unforgiving environment. Janet lead the group along a path she believed belonged to Pistis, taking them from desert grotto to desert grotto. They found many strange things, including the rusted remains of other Doves, a mysterious axe, and a pair of crystal goggles at the bottom of a desert well.

Within a few hours, they had made their way into the outskirts of a massive city on the border of the desert. While seeking medical attention, they encountered Pistis, who was leading a party back into the desert to search for survivors. Relieved they had survived, she took them to the central city of Rebus, where they were to meet with the Alma. When asked if they would return to find the other Doves, Pistis explained that the Doves were no great concern- they were manufactured lifeforms created specifically to live and die for the Order, and would not be worth the effort and resources to recover. ASURA-04 seemed a little bothered by this, showing more emotion than he typically would.

They met with the Alma, a slender woman in opulent attire. She asked them how they managed to pierce the Veil, clearly able to tell they were not of her world. She explained that she had an ally who was able to see beyond the Veil, and that he had seen a disturbance shortly before their craft was discovered. She also explained much of the history of their world. Scorn and Dread were said to have been envoys from a great society far beyond the stars, and they were said to be missives of something known only as the Silver Beast. After the Silver Beast turned his back on the world of Maya several thousand years ago, Scorn and Dread began to behave in such a way as to earn their names, and the great conflicts that lead to the current state of Maya began.

Janet was intrigued- the stories of the Silver Beast bore remarkable similarities to those of the Silver Dragon of Arkova. Additionally, both planets were rich with natural alchemical activity and human life. Certainly, there could be no coincidence. Meanwhile, Chesed charmed the Alma, and gained her favor. She dismissed all charges against them, and awarded their group a special license to permit those in the group with alchemical talents to use their abilities judiciously. She also commissioned a psychic healer to attend to Tesla, and granted the crew a stipend of funds to acquire the necessary materials to repair their vessel. In exchange, the Alma asked that she be allowed to travel on the Disa at least once, and that if they could find a way to remove Maya from the Veil that they rescue the planet and restore it to its original location. Janet explained that they had hoped to do the same for another world (Arkova), so they would be more than willing to aid them.

Back on the ship, the team regrouped, and Rachael had restored the Disa to flight capability. She bright the vessel just outside of Rebus, and they allowed Pistis and the Order healer to enter. The healer explained that whoever had harmed Tesla had done in such a way that she could be restored at a later point- in order words, Jack had done this to Tesla not to destroy her, but to keep her subjugated for some purpose. The healer also detected some heavy scarring on Tesla’s psyche, but it was much older in origin than Jack’s assault. It appeared that long ago, someone had scarred her mind to hide something. He said that with a little concentration, he should be able to restore her to her old functionality without any great harm.

Meanwhile, as he worked his psionic powers on her, Tesla began to regain her awareness little by little. Deep within her subconscious, she became aware of another presence- a long forgotten part of herself that had only recently come out.

This other presence took the form of a young girl. The girl asked Tesla what she could remember of her mother, and Tesla was unable to produce much in terms of actual memories. The girl then took Tesla on a journey through her own past, exposing many long lost secrets.

Tesla’s actual parents were not her own parents. They adopted her from a woman known as Dr. Caroline Algladios, a notable engineer working for House Axolotl. Dr. Algladios had worked on the Milano Project, but she was most well known for her controversial work on the Weaver Project. As Tesla journeyed through all of this, she had to question the relevance of it.

She found that when she had visited Votum, she had done something highly unusual. While journeying through the ruins on Votum, she had been assaulted by a machine carrying the psionic essence of a Nashan. Ultimately, the Nashan’s essence tried to assume control of her weaponry and her robot Bonaparte, so she isolated the presence by converting the mental signature into a contained program.

Although she thought nothing of this, she was informed that no one had ever been able to do this- and that researchers attempting to create Hermits have been trying to do just that for years, with no success. How had Tesla gained the ability to do that, and why did she not realize that she could?

Furthermore, she came to find that this program was later incorporated into the body of an ASURA unit- ASURA-04 to be precise. The Adam had come to find her because it felt thankful for being restored to an actual body after years of inhabiting inanimate objects in the aftermath of the Nashan migration. However, once isolated in a new body, its awareness changed significantly.

Tesla had created the first actual Hermit, and it was a Hermit containing the mind of a race long since dead. But how did she come across this ability?

As she delved deeper, she came to find she had two siblings- an older brother named Michael Algladios, and an older sister named Crystal Algladios. Dr. Algladios had performed neurological augmentations on her three children in order to create humans with minds that could bridge the gap between data and the innate psionic essence.

This was the secret objective of the Weaver Project. Unfortunately, the children used in the Project fell to unfortunate circumstances. Michael, also called the Atropos, died after his mental functions ceased as a side effect of the augmentations. This happened in 920 PF, when he was only 6 years old. Several months later, Crystal Algladios, codenamed Clotho, went into a coma when her higher brain functions suddenly stopped as a result of the experimentation.

This left only one more child- Tesla Algladios, also called the Lachesis. At the age of 2, she was taken from her mother’s custody and adopted by the Soldats. Meanwhile, Dr. Algladios was tried for the death of Michael Gladios, and convicted for it. She was executed later that year, the galactic community branding her as a monster for butchering her own children in the name of science.

House Axolotl took custody of Crystal, but they allowed the since-neutered third Algladios child to be adopted, under one condition- they would retain the patent on the Lachesis functionality, and at any time, if they sought to make use of that patent, they could request Tesla’s aid and her parents could not interfere. It was by this clause that Tesla came to be part of the party sent to Arkova, despite her father’s wishes. House Axolotl had hoped to cultivate the Lachesis functionality by exposing the girl to extreme situations, but they had been reluctant to do so in an environment in which she might be acquired by those seeking to use the functionality for their own means. As such, their “experiment”, as it were, could only be executed in a location in which no one would ever be aware of the truth of the Weaver Project, and the mission to Arkova provided a perfect opportunity.

But, in light of the Lachesis awakening, why had Tesla not lost mental function like her siblings? Ultimately, she discovered that before Crystal went comatose, she used her abilities to seal away the Lachesis augmentations so that her sister may live.

However, when the great recalibration occurred on Arkova IV, Tesla and the others were quite literally removed from existence and recalibrated entirely upon Votum. When this happened, it restored part of her Lachesis functionality, and with it, her ability to convert mental essences into an isolated collection of data.

And in a strange twist of fate, Jack Jennison had saved her, but for all the wrong reasons. When he kidnapped her, he crushed her mind in order to quiet her and keep her from causing any trouble, but it actually prevented her Lachesis functionality from resurfacing entirely. If the Lachesis had come entirely to actualization, Tesla would have died much like her brother Michael. Now, however, that she had been treated by a talented psychic healer, though, she and her Lachesis functionality could co-exist and the neurological damages could be avoided.

The girl who guided her then introduced herself as Lachesis. She told Tesla she had a choice- embrace her and become Tesla the Lachesis, the one who could revolutionize the world and allow mankind to cheat death forever. Or, she could honor her sister’s wishes, and abandon Lachesis. Tesla embraced Lachesis, albeit reluctantly, and began to rise back to true consciousness. As the healer worked his art, she felt a warm pair of arms around her- but it was not those of the Lachesis, but rather those of her adoptive mother, Maria Soldat. She comforted Tesla, and told her to be brave in the face of this discovery.

Tesla came back to consciousness, still in a pair of warm arms. She looked up, not to find her mother, but ASURA-04 holding her. Gathered around her were Tuona, Chesed, Janet, Roth, and the healer. Everyone was happy to see her awake again, and very eager to talk to her, but Tesla was feeling somewhat disturbed in light of her new awareness. She asked to be alone for a bit.

A few days passed on Maya, and the team gathered resources and explored Rebus while waiting on Rachael’s repairs. Mauta even came to be friendly with the Alma, with the two of them bonding over several things- Mauta’s “godhood”, and the Alma’s perceived position of divinity.

Meanwhile, outside the anomaly, trouble brewed. Jack lead an assault on a Coalition archival facility, and gained access to restricted files on the Weaver Project. He then went to Ireland on Earth, to an isolated military hospital. He went in, killing as many people as he encountered, until he found a single comatose patient within a well guarded facility. He took the woman from her bed, and stormed out of the hospital with her in tow…

Two weeks following the incident at the Scheinwelt Emulator, the team was becoming accustomed to life on Macada II, and as the attention surrounding their pursuit began to decline, a strange sort of comfort fell over the crew. During a particularly beautiful day, Tuona, Tesla, and a few of the others started to grow a little restless. Janet suggested they go out for coffee and lunch, which was an idea that was pretty popular given the taste of Rachael’s cooking. Chesed agreed to take everyone out on his treat. Mauta, Tesla, and Tuona eagerly accepted, and Janet was able to be convinced once drinks were offered. Arro decided to stay below with Rachael, and survey the activities of some Coalition vessels orbiting Macadan space.

Meanwhile, in the McLintlock district, members of the Macadan Senate were collaborating with representatives from both the Coalition and the Lacryman Consulate. As a standard investigation, Rachael sent Kolibri in to investigate. Kolibri assumed the guise of a political journalist.

The other group went to the Franklin district where Chesed treated them to lunch at one of the most popular restaurants in Delmont, The Eleanor in the Paulownia Mall. They discussed a bit of their adventures, their feelings on the current situation, and a bit about their respective cultures and tastes in food. At one point, Tesla made a little faux pas with Chesed, but it was quickly smoothed over with a round of cake and fine teas. When it was time to pay, Chesed found his card was denied. At first, the group suspected something questionable, but the waitress explained that the restaurant’s computers had gone down temporarily due to a network failure that had been causing problems throughout the district. Tesla took a look at the console, and found that there was a large amount of disturbance that was preventing the computer from accessing the city’s central network, which would cause some issues when trying to access a remote account like Chesed’s alternate account.

Tesla managed to get the system back online, and the group paid for their meal and decided to visit the Paulownia Air Gardens at the top of the mall. Meanwhile, back in McLintlock district, Kolibri infiltrated the Lacryman Embassy, where the delegates of the various diplomatic parties were meeting. Kolibri suspected that it was just another conference to try and negotiate off-planet mining rights on Macada, a perennial issue that was often brought to the table in times when the Last were seeming noticeably malcontent. The debate was becoming heated, with representatives of various systems voicing their positions on the issue. Delsidia was pointedly against mining rights on Macada being granted to other systems, but it was quickly noted that this was most likely just a position born of anti-Lacryman sentiment. Rovano’s representatives put forth a proposal that would allow for orexisite mining on Macada’s moons, but the Macadan Senate was quick to point out that such an action would be directly compromising Macadan political autonomy. The discussion continued, growing more and more heated, until it became an all-out argument. Finally, in a shocking turn of events, the representative from Lacryma stated that it would go against the greater will of the Last to allow such a resource to be squandered, and that if a peaceful agreement could not be reached, Lacryma would colonize Macada by force.

Just then, the starships orbiting Macada II were overrun by Lacryman operatives who had been lurking aboard the ship, and they took out the city’s teleportation, communication, and computer networks, leaving Delmont in a panicked darkness. Lacryman carriers entered the atmosphere, and Kolibri desperately began to try and escape the Embassy and get word back to Rachael before it was too late. Unfortunately, the Embassy had already been staffed with soldiers in a preemptive measure, and all access was completely restricted. Kolibri was trapped, but she was pretty confident she would be able to make use of her unique gifts to make her way out.

Meanwhile, back at the Paulownia Mall, Lacryman soldiers stormed the facility. In the gardens, the fugitives were taken by surprise when an airborne mech burst through the canopy and assaulted them. They scrambled for safety, and managed to rescue a few of the surviving guests in the garden by guiding them out. The elevators were down, but Tesla managed to override the security and get everyone to the ground floor. Unfortunately, the entrance was blocked and a few patrolling soldiers armed in URSUS tanks were able to intercept the group, which was slowed down by the civilians. Mauta and Tuona took the forces out with their alchemical talents, and the group was then regrouped. They had two choices- try to get to the first basement and use the (most likely nonoperational) teleporter to escape, or they could try and get down into the service basement and break into the long since abandoned sonic monorail beneath the structure. Unable to make telepathic contact with Rachael or Kolibri due to a dampening field that had been placed over the area, the team couldn’t rely on their previous rescuers to help them. Matters had to be taken into their own hands. They decided it would be more difficult, but probably more effective, to try and get into the monorail, so they could get outside undetected and make their way back to the base.

The path across the structure was dangerous, pocked with militant, trigger-happy Lacryman soldiers, fiery ruin, and all varieties of battlefield perils. At one point, Tuona stepped on a land-mine and was badly hurt, but once the team got into the basement, they were able to lock themselves up long enough to treat her wounds with a regen wand. Once she had her bearings, she was able to invoke her powers again, and she healed everyone up before they broke into the monorail.

In the monorail, they found a massive map of the city’s tunnels. The base was roughly 2 kilometers from the mall, which would be a pretty lengthy trek along what could be some pretty perilous terrain. Instead, Tesla decided she would try and see if there were any shuttles that were still functional within the system, and use that to escape. As she worked, Kolibri killed and maimed her way out of the embassy, stealing forms and shedding blood in a manner that would seem to contradict her otherwise cheerful demeanor. She finally escaped the building, when she encountered Roth darting through the fire-scarred skies, trying to take on a squad of soldiers. At first, he didn’t recognize the shapeshifter, but before he could shoot her down, she dispatched of his foes and revealed her true form to them. The two of them made their way back to base. Meanwhile, Rachael’s surveillance systems managed to regain access to the central network. Although the network was just barely operational, she was able to get a basic scan of the city. It was then she noticed activity within the monorail system, and sent a message to the only active console. It ended up being Tesla at the other end. Between Tesla’s communications and Kolibri’s telepathy, the three separate groups were able to make a plan to convene. Rachael sent a functional shuttle in Tesla’s direction by overriding the security and directing one from a secondary access point beneath the base towards the mall station.

Within twenty minutes, the group had gathered again, and Rachael explained that they would need to escape Macadan space. Unfortunately, it seems Tesla’s communication had been intercepted, alerting the location of the base to the Lacryman intelligence. As the group prepared for departure, something insidious slipped through an alchemical gateway and kidnapped Tesla. It was Jack Jennison, who was working with Lacryma for unknown reasons. He ordered Arro, Rachael, and Kolibri to stay on the planet, and corralled the others on to the Disa on threat of Tesla’s life. Once everyone was in position, he explained that he would be taking Tesla back to his superiors. The young cyberneticist struggled against him, but the augmented soldier was too strong for her. Out of a vindicative spite, he assaulted her mind with a brutal telepathic intrusion, and destroyed her consciousness entirely, leaving Tesla as a catatonic shell.

Just then, ASURA-04 burst forth from the containment area on the ship, and in a feat of amazing strength, he tossed Jack aside like a rag doll and gathered the crumpled Tesla in his arms. Jack arose, angered and seething. He activated an injector pack on the side of his throat, and caused his own body to become amped up on concentrated lure. The result was that Jack’s augmentations were made triply potent, his body metabolizing the lure in order to create extreme alchemical reactions capable of surpassing those of even the most refined alchemical weaponry. A terrible battle broke out in the hangar. Jack was far too powerful in his current state. Rachael’s cybernetic arm was ripped off, Kolibri was stabbed and left in a pool of her own blood to die, and Arro was knocked unconscious after just a few seconds in battle with his old friend. The only one capable of withstanding the assault was ASURA-04, who was able to hold his own but otherwise couldn’t put a dent in Jennison’s armors. Just then, Janet let loose with a blast of photonic rays from the ship’s cannons, just barely piercing Jack’s alchemical barrier. The enraged Jack lost interest in his other toys, and turned his sights on the Disa. Although he was nearly able to destroy the ship’s shields, even in his state he was not able to stand up to the assaults of a starship. ASURA-04 collected his fallen comrades, and took them aboard. Jack got in his way as he collected Tesla, but as he tried to grab at the girl, there was a mysterious reaction. The piece of lure she had obtained on Votum began to let off a white hot radiation that seemed to harm only Jennison. As he recoiled in the brilliance, Janet launched a final attack on him, and ASURA-04 got safely inside while Jennison was left in the flaming ruins of the base. The Disa tore out of Macadan space, only to be surrounded by the fire of the overthrown Coalition vessels.

Janet and Rachael struggled to evade the enemy fire, while Tuona desperately focused on saving the lives of Kolibri and Tesla in the infirmary. She was able to stabilize Kolibri only seconds before she slipped into death, but she was not able to repair the damage Jack had done to Tesla’s mind. The pursuit of the enemy vessels was becoming more than the Disa could handle, particularly after using so much power struggling with Jennison. Number 3 detected a high intensity quantum anomaly within a reasonable distance. She suggested that they try and gain cover from it, as the Lacrymans on the pursuing vessels couldn’t approach such a powerful dimensional disturbance without compromising their own safety significantly. Janet set a quick course, and using the last bit of the power reserves, they jumped to the coordinates.

However, as they approached, the anomaly proved to be more than just a mere disturbance. It was, in actuality, a dimensional wormhole that caught the Disa in it’s gravitational field and sucked it within. After a few minutes, the Disa stabilized and found itself in a place far stranger than they had ever expected to be- the wormhole was the gateway to a self contained star system, which had apparently been drawn into the vortex in its entirety several hundred years ago. They located an M-class planet capable of sustaining life. Initial surveys showed that the planet was civilized, but only to a level of technology matching that of Earth during the 1800s, AD. Having already committed far greater crimes, Janet reasoned it was probably not an option to respect the PTEA and suggested they make a stop on the planet to gather some resources and take a bit to dodge the heat of their pursuers.

They landed in a great desert on the third planet of the system. That night, Tuona stayed up, relentlessly trying to save Tesla. Roth eventually persuaded her to give up, and the two of them tearfully retired to their chambers while ASURA-04 and Tesla’s robotic sidekick Bonaparte looked over the lifeless form of the girl. Meanwhile, Arro struggled with some insecurities of his own- Jack was a direct subordinate to Ressa. He was wracked with doubt and questions- had Ressa been involved in the events of the day? Why had Jack been interested in obtaining Tesla? How would he explain to Tesla’s father that he had allowed such a terrible fate to befall his daughter? Furthermore, how had everything gotten so screwed up in such a short amount of time. While he pondered, Kolibri’s mind began to wander, and she created a telepathic connection with Arro. In a lucid dream, she and Arro exchanged insecurities. It seemed that Kolibri had not been entirely aware of what had happened, but she kept reaching out for Tesla and couldn’t find her, causing much panic. Kolibri and Arro communicated in this bizarre fashion for some time, their memories and emotions passing back and forth between them as fluidly as possible. However, when Kolibri took the visage of Ressa and advanced on the soldier, Arro became angry and severed the connection.

This severance caused Kolibri to spring back to consciousness. She was filled in on what had happened by the computer, and she immediately attempted to tend to Tesla. Tuona came back in, and told her that she was unable to aid her. Kolibri said they would need a psychic healer to repair the girl’s mind. They asked Chesed if he knew of any way, and he related a story of some old Horan traditions in which one could reach into the minds of others and restore them to a state of balance and functionality. He said he himself wasn’t strong enough, but perhaps an older Horan would have such an ability.

Meanwhile, Mauta and Janet had detected a strange occurrence outside the ship- a strange, metallic being was beating relentlessly on the hull. Chesed was called to the bridge to make telepathic contact. The being was alive, but entirely artificial in its construction. It accused the ship of bearing “sorcerers”, and ordered that they exit and surrender to investigation immediately, Chesed attempted to communicate further, but the being was apparently only intelligent enough to perform basic tasks. It began to retreat, but stated it would come with reinforcements in the morning, and that they would have until sunrise to comply with the law. It was apparent that the natives would require a delicate touch to win over. Rachael decided it would be best to send a diplomatic party out into the desert with the strange being the next day, with hopes of making contact with the native lifeforms and gaining some aid. Chesed was chosen to lead the party, because of his way with words and his telepathic talents. Janet was also selected to go as a bodyguard and because of her survival skills, and ASURA-04 was ordered to accompany as a bodyguard- a particularly efficient choice due to his ability to operate without regular sustenance.

The team rested up that night, but their own anxieties and concerns made sleep all but impossible- even for Tesla. As she lie comatose, the form of a spectral child watched over her…

Meanwhile, on the command vessel of the Coalition fleet, the Last surrounded the badly burned form of Jack Jennison, alive but permanently disfigured. He pleaded with them to preserve him and make him in their image, to grant him a perfect Lacryman body in return for his services. The Last met his demand with spite, saying he was not worthy of eternity because of his innumerable vices. However, contrary to these statements, they turned him into a Lacryman, stating his body was an unstable one. They told him he would have six months before his form dissipated. In that time, he would have to make sure that he would completely accomplish their goals. They told him to seek “the Lachesis”, or else he would fade away entirely, dying while still aware and living. Jack agreed, his heart overcome with pain, fear, and greed…

Extras

Character Vignette 1: Trains for Monsters (Arro Ceid)

The following is a summary of the events of the first 9 chapters of the campaign, which occurred between early March 2007 and early October 2007.

I’m going to try and get this all updated over the course of a few days, but bear with me, as it is a bit difficult to go back mid-campaign and document everything that occurred over a seven month span.

Update: 11/05/07- Finally complete! I’ll be posting the 10th episode as a separate entry, as well as all future episodes. Over the next week or so, I hope to also make all those little red links turn blue for all of you. It’s starting to look better, but there are still, many, many pages left to fill in, so bear with me!

Episode 1: Mission to Arkova

Episode 2: The Valley of the Chirotrani

Episode 3: The Earth Sister

Episode 4: The Serpent at the Scepter

Episode 5: The Culmination at Crystal Spire

Episode 6: The People, Cicada

Episode 7: Awakening

Episode 8: The Last Song of the Desert

Episode 9: Scheinwelt Emulator

• 2430 AD- Earth first makes contact with life on Mars, and the two species begin to form tenuous diplomatic relationships
• 2652 AD- Earth and Martian efforts create the first machinery capable of leaving the Solar System while supporting living passengers. Expeditions to far off systems begin, and a new era begins.
• 32 PF (Post Flight)- Solar settlers discover the star system Macada. Macada II serves to be a suitable planet for colonization, rich with untouched natural resources. However, it proves to be a savage planet with a severe environment due to a violently active weather phenomenon triggered by intense undersea volcanic action. Dr. James Kazehara begins working on genetic augmentations to allow pioneers on Macada to adapt to their environment.
• 221 PF- Genetically augmented humans living on Macada, called “Mendels” begin to form their own autonomous sub-species while living on Macada
• 312 PF- Macada wages war with Earth and Mars for independence, “Mendels” begin to seek freedom from their parent race
• 340 PF- Macada becomes an independent star system, becoming politically and legally distinct from both Earth and Mars.
• 363 PF- Earth and Martian forces “discover” the system of Delsidia. Earth emissaries make contact with the Delsidians, and relations begin. Earth begins to help Delsidia develop interstellar technology.
• 365 PF- Earth and Mars fall under attack from citizens of the planet Lacryma IV in the Lacryma system. The Lacrymans feel they are the rightful owners of the Delsidian system, and they are angry that they have given the Delsidians the ability to travel beyond their own star system.
• 366 PF- Mars, Delsidia, Earth, and Lacryma engage in what is known as the Galactic War.
• 395 PF- Lacryma is defeated when Coalition receives aid from a new ally in the Rovano system
• 450 PF- Rovano, the Solar system, Delsidia, Macada, and Lacryma begin communications to begin the Galactic Coalition, although there is still much resentment from the Lacrymans and hostility between them, Earth, and the Delsidians, as well as latent hostilities between Macada and Earth.
• 461 PF- The Horas system makes contact with the Coalition quite by accident, after Coalition scouts came across a Horan vessel while surveying the star system. Horas had only recently pioneered rudimentary interplanetary technology, but after it’s encounter with the Coalition, they were eager to receive advanced technology from their new friends.
• 465 PF- A grand civil war erupts across Horas, most of which is commonly blamed on the introduction of new technology offered by the Coalition. Coalition forces suffered great casualty in trying to contain the devastating war.
• 466 PF- The Preservation of Technological Evolution Act (or the PTEA) was enacted by the Coalition
• 526 PF- Alchemical technology discovered
• 645 PF- A great dispute over alchemical resources creates galactic tension
• 785 PF- Orexisite discovered on Macada
• 850 PF- Orexisite alchemy perfected, Macada quickly becomes the galactic superpower among the Coalition due to it’s abundance of the material
• 935 PF- Present day