[This is text from the book that's consider the bible of MysTek ruins. A renowned raider himself, Issac Forland is currently the leader of the Frost Bite team. Sadly, his writing skills aren't so hot. With that said, it is one of the few actual guides to surviving the most dangerous professions in the world.]
Issac talks about:
MysTek:
This is where it's all at. If you want any chance to survive the ruins, you need to get your hands on some of these wonderful items. Ironically enough, the primary way to get MysTek is to search the ruins. The conundrum is not lost to anyone. For the sake of ease, I'll refer to MysTek as 'MT'.
These items come in many different forms. From weapons, to armor, to silly jewelry, to vehicles - MysTek has many functions. All items are covered in glowing lines called Magic Circuits. Thankfully, a MT user can dim these glowing lines for the sake of concealment with a small effort of will. Many items draw power from the source of all Mana, the Leylines. However, some gain power from their users' pool of Mana. The average Raider has 3-4 MT items. Usually a weapon, armor, and some sort of support item. It should also be noted that there is a small selection of reproduction MysTek items. Most of these are communication devices and shield belts. There's also the newer Air Ship engines, but those are pretty pricey. Older Alchemical engines are easier to get a hold of.
The Gatekeepers Guild:The Guild is the one thing that unifies every single MysTeam in the world. They keep the teams in check and prevents the rookies from doing something truly stupid. Ages ago, these guys sealed the ruins during the Mana Wars, in hopes of stopping the Wars altogether.
The GK Guild has laid down some ground rules for the Teams:
1) only enter the ruins you have access to. Do so with caution and report to the local branch before entering.
2) Do not attack other Teams.
3) Report any irregularities discovered within the ruins (such as Revenants).
4) Check in all salvaged items from the ruins for inspection.
There are many many branches throughout the world. They all keep contact with the main HQ, which sits upon the largest land-bound ruin of the world, the Black Citadel.
MysTeams:While a select few scour the ruins alone, the majority of the raiders are smart enough to work as teams. Someone in the Gatekeepers came up with the cheesy name of MysTeams. It stuck. To form a team, and thus gain access to the ruins, you must register yourself and your team with the Gatekeepers. They do a few tests, mostly to make sure you won't get killed right off the bat in the ruins. Each team also has an air ship to call their own. Without one, it'd be impossible to reach most of the ruins. The GK does not supply any of the equipment or air ships a team needs, but will point a prospective raider in the right direction on how to acquire such items.
The Ruins:The remnants of the Golden Age of Magic. For being from such a glorious age, you would have thought they would aged better. Regardless, this is the biggest source of MysTek items, and thus a raider's income and equipment. Within these ruins lie many dangers. Actualizers, Revenants, traps, decomposing structure, etc.
Actualizers:Also known as Actors for short (sometimes even Acts), these mechanical golems defend the ruins. Every one has a purpose, and every one can be a threat to raiders.
There are 4 known classes: Worker, Guardian, Monster, and Seraph.
Workers:These come in animal and insectiod forms. Generally not a great threat except in numbers. They perform various menial tasks. They vary from the Scarabs to the Bears to the Wasps.
Guardians:The primary threat in the ruins are the guardians. They come in humanoid form, and often times armed to the teeth. Assume that each one can kill you and approach with caution. Each one is named based on armaments and tactics.
Monsters:Large and powerful, these are few and far between. Thank god for their rarity. They are incredibly difficult to kill and if you ever face more than one at a time, you will likely be killed. Some of the known Monsters are the Hydra and the Titan.
Seraphs:Even rarer and nothing short of insanely powerful are the Seraphs. Records show that there were only a handful produced, but to reflect this, they are fully sentient, highly intelligent, extremely dangerous, and worse yet, could pass for a normal human with ease. In all likelihood, the Seraphs rule the other Actualizers. Few humans have ever met one and lived to tell the tale. No one has ever destroyed one, but it may be for the best not to even attempt it.
Revenants:No one knows much about these abominations, but we do know that they are a strange fusion of living and MysTek. Unlike the occasional person with implanted MysTek (dangerous stuff that is, but it is handy if you can deal with it), Revenants are no longer human in both mind and body. They are fully intelligent, but work as a swarm. Some believe that their minds are connected and their combat tactics can confirm something to that nature.
Regardless of their origin, they are considered the greatest risk you can encounter in the ruins. Thankfully, they are rare. They travel in small packs and are heavily armed, and worst yet, they can adapt their weapons to suit their needs. They will switch between energy weapons to solid ammo weapons to giant meat cleavers in mere seconds to take advantage of whatever weakness you may have. Avoid combat with them at all costs.
Traps:If Actors and Revenants weren't enough, there are also traps designed into these ruins. You must keep your wits about you as you venture into these ruins. These vary between different ruins - some have gun turrents that pop out of the walls, spiky pits, crush plates, and some ruins are set to self-destruct if you push the wrong button. Be careful in there.
[more coming soon]
