2.0 [Q1-2022] Black Company — Part Two — Rakis
111 P.A. (2398 A.D.)
- Things are not always as they seem; the first appearance deceives many; the intelligence of a few perceives what has been carefully hidden.
- Phaedrus [Written by Plato]
After you read the following post you will be posting RP posts here. There will also be a link at the bottom for where you will be posting an Interlude (worth Conviction).
Part One (… a month later. Info Dump)
- The air conditioner was groaning again. Struggling to counteract the desert heat of Rakis. Annoyingly loud the cooling air suddenly shut off, like a screaming body burning at the stake who finally passes from the land of the living, consumed by the heat of the flames. Silence descended across the briefing room and would undoubtedly soon be followed by the heat of the outside vast desert.
Action Stan along with Clips, Humble, Hans (Gargamel was outside patroling on the eastern walls), Tula, Charon (Flint and the zombies also stood guard on the wall), and Ducky sat or stood, waiting in the briefing room.
Inside the Legendary Castle Refuge, built by dwarves of Shaintar in Arkansas and used by the Tomorrow Legion as their main headquarts... now sitting in a vast desert on the dwarf planet under a red sun called Rakis — thanks to a strange device called a Rift Dominator that Victoria Geist had used on the castle.
Each member of the Black Company waited, lost momentarily in their own thoughts. The last month had been a strange and busy ride. All in all, they had learned from members of the Future Brigade and members of the Rakis Nomads several crazy tidbits of information, while helping the people of Paragould get settled in the castle.
The brigade members, the former Shock Dogs, the townsfolk, and the Nomads had each helped getting the castle set up and livable.
Defense of the castle, which sat directly over a underground Ley Line, trade of unused goods for food and water with the Nomads who were also teaching the townsfolk how and what to hunt and ways to pull water from under the sand. In fact the dozen Nomads were definitely giving more than what they were getting. As it turned out the brigade members had been here less than a month longer than you. The Nomads had salvaged the goods out of the BC APC and the TW train about a year ago. The dozen Nomads hanging out with you were only a small scouting party and part of a nomadic tribe of many hundreds spread across the desert.
The members of the brigade informed you, Rakis was an alternate dimension to the dimension of Earth that the Black Company members were from. It was millions of light years away from the alternate Earth of their own. However, there was no Earth anymore in this version of reality. The planet had been blown up into a million bits of rock around three hundred years ago. Roughly the same time as when the Coming of the Rifts had arrived on the Earth the BC members were from.
Rakis was a mineral rich world, originally located by the Arcane Company based out of Gloom on Earth. After several decades several different towns (small cities) sprouted up. There were traveling nomads, who had a main home called Drake Town, there were the barbarians of Felltown, there was Fissure, the town run by the Arcane Company that mined the planet and had a tech-based dimensional portal, and there was a city called New Troker. New Troker had the only known nexus point on Rakis and was called the dimensional city of New Troker, run by a Splugourth alien intelligence called Ashcrythen and acting much like a miniature Splynn d-market.
The members of the Future Brigade (FB) claimed to be the last surviving members of the FB in the known universes. Their organization had been targeted by Victoria Geist and her master, Abraxlidone (an intelligence). It seemed that the Brigade was basically a Megaversal version of the Legion.
Commander Gleba of the Future Brigade (Shifter) had been very kind to the Black Company and offered assistance as he could. Karl Gleba and his last surviving members of the Brigade (30 members in total) had come to Rakis in search of their HQ and their other team members. Thus far the 30 had been on Rakis for near a month and not located any of their brigade, however they had located the Castle and taken up home in it, trading with the Nomads. Gleba stated that his own HQ was a dimensional pyramid and he had no idea where it was, but he presumed it was here on Rakis somewhere as Geist was dumping every stolen place, vehicle and item here on Rakis. Gleba disparagingly explained he had no idea where the people of the Legion or the Brigade might be but suspected not here on Rakis.
Commander Gleba said he knew Lord Coake (whom he was quite fond of as friends and intrigued by, as in all the infinite dimensions Lord Coake had no alternate identities, he was uniquely one of a kind). He also knew several of the members of the Legion's council. He informed the Black Company that he unfortunately suspected Elle of Owls might have been corrupted by Abraxlidone and might not have the Legions welfare in mind any longer. Gleba told of how Geist and her master, an alien intelligence simular to a Sploogurth, had nearly destroyed reality several times but the Legion and the Brigade had stopped her time after time. He was also aware that the Black Company and its founder Hudson Blackwell had most recently stopped Geist in a city called Gloom on Earth.
Now Gleba informed you all, the intelligence and Geist were actively working to destroy both organizations. Where the intelliegnce was, Gleba did not know, but he was aware that Geist was holed up here on Rakis in the AC mining town called Fissure.
Commander Gleba has offered to assign help to the Black Company if they are headed to Fissure to take down Geist. He embarrassingly admits that two thirds of his 30 are not combat ready.
Additionally the Brigade Commander has informed you that Sir Redheart and his cutthroat mercenary band, called the Crimson Guard, are in league with Geist, working for her. Gleba says, if Lord Coake called upon Redheart to put together a new Black Company to hunt down Geist and stop her murderous rampage the Cyber Knight must not know that Redheart is a traitor.
Regauardless, Geist must be stopped, finding the people of both organizations is top priority and stopping Abraxlidone from doing futher damage a must. Commander Gleba suggests you head to Fissure and find and stop Geist. Maybe there is a way to get her device and use it to return the castle, pyramid, etc to where they belong. He and his brigade members will split up and half will stay here in the castle with the former Shock Dogs (now BC members) and protect the townsfolk of Paragoud, and the other half will hunt down Sir Redheart who is looking for Daxon Fell. In other words, Gleba will open a portal and take some of his FB members and go after Daxon and Sir Redheart.
Commander Karl Gleba informs you that Daxon Fell is a Dragon and a brother to Hudson Blackwell (also a dragon, who Lord Coake is looking for). Gleba tells you, both Daxon and Hudson are somehow strangely connected to each other. Daxon Fell is the commander of the Crimson Guard and Sir Redheart. They for some reason are working for Geist. Gleba and his crew will go after them and end them.
Regardless of exactly what is going on, Geist must be stopped and the device (Rift Dominator) that she has be taken from her and destroyed (after you use it?).
Earlier today Commander Gleba requested the core six members of the Black Company meet him here in this briefing room to discuss options and then set out with a few of his personnel and go to Fissure to get Geist and her device.
After several minutes the room has indeed noticeably warmed up and finally Gleba arrives.....
”Commander Humble! Everyone else! Thank you for meeting with me…”
Ever since you all have been with Commander Karl Gleba of the Future Brigade he and his fellow troops have referred to Humble as Commander. Gleba explained that in several parallel dimensions Humble was the commander of the Black Company.
(SEE PART THREE BELOW)
Part Two (Black Company Information, mostly FYI)
The Black Company
Founder:- Hudson Blackwell
- Humble - Current Member
- Hans - Current Member
- Thrudh Zebrem — Dead
- Sammy — MIA (Missing in Action, & recently talked to Humble while at Castle Refuge)
- Zed - Dead
- Carlos - MIA
- Iron Tic - Dead
- Karchev - Dead
- Aiden - Dead
- Gargamel - Dead
- Ember - Dead
- Kasey - Dead
- Samson Malach - MIA
- Alecto - MIA & a Tomorrow Legion member
- Commander Humble
- Humble
- Hans
- Stan
- Charon
- Ducky
- Tula
- Wormy - MIA
- The former TW Train Crew (6 people)
- Sheriff of Newport (Black Dawn) and his deputies (12 people)
- Former Shock Dogs (94)
- Founder — Hudson Blackwell (dead? MIA?)
- Commander / Top Manager — Humble
- Assistant Managers
- Hans
- Wormy
- Tula
- Stan
- Ducky
- Charon
- Broker
- Anson (Cosmo Knight of the Future Brigade — you have not met him yet but Gleba explained he was hired by Blackwell to seek out jobs for the BC)
- Lord Coake (Cyber Knight — Again Gleba says the knight has always been a job finder for the BC, it was Coake and Blackwell who came up with the BC)
- Crew Leader
- Sheriff White (Glitter Boy pilot) in Newport
- Silas (Ley Line Walker) from the TW Train now in the Castle
- Flint (Risen Zombie (Runs the Death Crew)
- Glitter Boy assigned to Newport with the Sheriff
- Newport Bunker (Black Dawn)
- Castle Refuge on Rakis (both BC and FB are using it)
- Originally Lord Coake and Sir Redheart rebuilt the Black Company to track down Geist and stop her. The original BC was put together by Hudson Blackwell himself with Lord Coake. The new lineup was put together by Redheart.
Lord Coake doesn’t belong to the company in any official capacity, however often acts as a go between for the company and the Legion.
Castle Refuge is on Rakis currently.
The Black Company currently is:
6 Ley Line Walkers
94 former Shock Dog Professional Soldiers
7 core BC members (Wormy is MIA)
Total: 107
Allies: 30 Future Brigade members
Part Three (Whats next)
- Commander Gleba enters the rapidly warming briefing room in the castle and smiles.
”Commander Humble! Everyone else! Thank you for meeting with me…”
With the commander is one other man. Late fourties’, long grey black hair shaved bald on the left side, dark flint eyes, wearing high tech armor under a dark cloak, with a hip blaster and a rifle strapped to his chest rig. He isn’t hiding the scent of arcana that might be detected on him. At least one of his weapons look techno wizard in design.
Gleba states: ”This is Craven. You might have met him already. He’s one of the Nomads. He will join you. I am short on men and women but he has offered to escort you to Fissure. I and my team are going to open a portal and be leaving today in an hour. We will hunt down Daxon and Redheart and his Crimson Guard. I have also sent one of my crew to Earth to find Lord Coake and update him, he’s on Earth no doubt, looking for Hudson Blackwell who probably is in South America. We’ll need Blackwell to take on Daxon for sure.”
Looking around at the six BC and the man introduced as Craven, Commander Gleba takes a deep breath and continues.
”If you find a pyramid out there — that’s mine, heh. I cannot order you to do anything but I humbly ask you to go to Fissure, find Geist there. Capture or kill her. Obtain her device that she’s been using to snatch and grab things and people. If you can get her to tell you where our people are all the better! Craven here has transportation for you all to get across the desert to the Arcane Company mining town of Fissure. Again, I’m not ordering you in anyway but I’d appreciate it if your force of mercenaries stayed here to protect the former people of Paragould. Protecting others is very important to me and my organization. The … zombies … and your golem … what you think is best as far as them is up to you. I just mention, they’ve done a great job fighting off the nightly attacks from the Sand Wraiths. Any questions?”
RP Plan Questions
You can interact with Craven the Nomad and/or the commander of the Future Brigade, Gleba. RP here. I (Lars) will keep an eye open for any questions you have and will respond asap. You might ask Craven for details on the trip or the town of Fissure or …? You might have questions for the Commander… you might want to plan who you are leaving here in the Rakis Castle Refuge.
Will the six of you alone head to Fissure or take along NPC’s? If you do you’ll be running them, naming them etc. So RP, plan and such in this thread please.
Additionally:
Please write an Interlude about what your character has been doing for the past month. You all arrive at Castle Refuge a month ago.
Include an interaction with someone from either the Future Brigade, the townsfolk, former Shock Dog, or a Rakis Nomad. You may use one of my NPC’s from this post and expand upon who they are or come up with your own NPC from one of the groups.
As far as Craven, he’s a Rakis Nomad (Basically a Shadow Combat Mage type of guy, born and raised on Rakis) who I plan on NPCing and using for the trip from Castle Refuge to Fissure.
Try and have fun with it, any made up NPC’s will definitely become canon in our game (the PLV*) and reappear in our story.
*Pender Lars Verse
- So RP and other interaction in the briefing room goes here in this Post.
- Your Interlude goes here
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Thanks for reading this loooong post, and thanks for playing! Welcome to 2022! Don’t forget to level up with this new quarter upon us (see below).
- Dan (Lars)
January 1st 2022 Rewards —
- You each earn 1 Advance for playing October - December
- Bonus mini advance (for four great weeks in September) - you can each add a +1 to any one Skill you have!)
- Bennies reset (you might still have your Christmas Zombie bennie, it carries over between quarters)
- TW devices “reset”
- EP will be awarded as soon as I get it from Admin
- The Interlude reward is Conviction which carries over between quarters also.
