Current Affairs for Steam Age Arcanus Campaign

Yamazaki: When I run Steam Age Arcanus, this is how it starts...

How many years has it been? Five years now?

It's insane to think that this ridiculous war has continued for so long. I guess that's as good of a starting point for this story as any will be. To be honest, however, I don't know all the details. Just rumors and hearsay.

About 11 years ago, the previous Emperor of Tannish passed away. Most said it was from an illness, but the whispers said it was poison. So Emperor Basle III took the throne, the second son of Emperor Jacob. Basle was a cunning man, to say the least, and increased the power of the Inquisition within years of his rule. But things get messier after a few years. That's when the war started.

Peace is something that Tannish is not particularly familiar with, you see. Before the current war, we had only 17 years of peace since ending the war with the Barbarian Tribes to the Northwest. Basle took part of that war and proved himself an able general. Maybe that's why he started this war... But who knows? There's many rumors surrounding the Emperor, with few facts to back it up. Either way, Basle's family was entertaining some Altzan dignitaries one fine summer evening. The 'official story' goes like this - apparently, one of the dignitaries, a young elven man, fell for the eldest daughter of Basle. I'll admit, even I thought she was looker, so who can blame the man? But that's besides the point here. What happened, supposedly, is that this particular dignitary began a courtship of this wonderful daughter. This went on for a few months, and a few people were talking of an alliance in marriage, found in true love. Sounds awesome, right?

But then something happened. Something very bloody.

While the exact details are a mystery, we do know that this daughter was found dead with a knife in her chest in the young elf's room. The knife was identified as his. Witnesses had seen the young elven man the night before the murder, and he was found 2 days later on the way out of the country. A month later, Tannish had him executed and war was declared upon Altza. That was 5 years ago, to this day.

Sure, we can speculate what exactly happened, but that changes little. This war has been going strong, and a new push is being made this week. A convoy of airship just left for the forward camp of Wyrmfang just past the coast of Altza. And something more sinister is in the works as we speak, involving the Ancients and their legendary MysTek.

Thus begins our story...

Historical Lesson of Arcanus

[ excerpt from Isaac Forland's book: Mysteries of MysTek ]

There are a lot of origin stories of our world out there. Most say it was created by the gods. Not my realm of expertise nor the concern of this book. But what we need to cover is the Ancients.

They were a race of superior intelligence, magic, and technology. They created what is known as Mystical Technology, or MysTek – an amalgamation of magic and technology. The secrets of their creation have been lost to the ages, sadly. But we do know this – they are insanely powerful. One can blow away a target with ease with just a bit of magical power. Golems can be constructed in mere seconds. Wounds healed in an instant. Death can be prevented if applied correctly.

This is why everyone is interested in the Ancient Ruins. They hold the secrets of MysTek. Or at least the various Artifacts that were left behind by the Ancients.

So what happened to the Ancients? If they created such a great power, how did they disappear?

There are a handful of stories of what exactly happened, but nothing is certain. Many say the Gods punished them for their arrogance. I say they blew themselves up.

What we do know for certain is this – all of the mana (the stuff that magic is made of) was drawn from the Leylines (the near invisible paths of mana that cover the world) and focused on the southern polar cap. All this magic in one place caused the polar cap to melt insanely quickly and flooded the world. While the Ancients could deal with this disaster, they could not cope without the power of magic. With the Leylines drained of all their mana, there was no way to recharge the Ancients' mighty MysTek Artifacts. And the mana didn't return to the Leylines until 500 years ago...

You can imagine what happened after the Leylines were bled dry – War over what mana was left. This 50 year war is called the Mana Wars, and what was left after that was the dark age of magic and technology – the Age of Darkness. Eventually, this gave birth the the various races that make up the world today: the Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, and Beastmen.

During this thousand year dark age, the dragons made their move. They took over the world and quietly ruled over all. This was called the Age of Dragons. Towards the end of this age, the mighty Imperial Dragon appeared and forcefully rose to power. He took the Crimson Moon as his throne to rule over all from above.

At some point, the power of magic returned to the Leylines, quietly and subtly. Nobody knows exactly when everyone realized that magic had resurfaced... But we know it changed everything when that realization hit. Especially when they realized that MysTek Artifacts were usable again.

Eventually the races began to chafe under the rule of the Imperial Dragon. Heroes started to gather, armed with the power of magic and Mystek Artifacts. The First Emperor of Humanity and the Black Witch gathered an army, aided by the Lance of the Elves and the Anvil of the Dwarves. These heroes fought the Imperial Dragon until it was weakened. Some say it was slain, others say it was sealed within the Crimson Moon.

After the Great Dragon Wars, the Heroes went their separate ways and created the Nations and Factions we are familiar with today. The First Emperor of Humanity formed the Tannishian Empire and ruled well until he was slain by his former lover and general, the Black Witch. The Guardian Lance of the Elves still protects the Kingdom of Altza, her spear still striking true against the foes that threaten her homelands. The Anvil of the Dwarves forged the Dwarven Merchant Guilds and then vanished from the world. From the ashes of the dragon's servants rose two other factions – the Dragon Knights, sworn to protect the world from both the dragons and the darkness; and the Council of the Undying – a group of undead who quietly watch over the world and making subtle effects upon it.

Today, the search for the Truth of MysTek is one of the main goals of the Mage's Association. We seek the answers that nobody knows of the Ancients and of their Artifacts. We're also the only ones crazy enough to delve into these ruins that are full of traps and dangerous golems...

[/ exerpt from Isaac's book ]

Isaac Forland is the world's renowned archaeological expert in the field of the Ancient Ruins.  His knowledge would be second to very few.  He has written a handful of books on the topic, and continues exploring the Ruins of the Ancients to this day, and usually does it alone...

[It's about bloody time I added to the Arcanus campaign info...  I have more coming soon!  Again.]

Chronicles of a Pathfinder GM, part 1

Gods, it's been a long time since I posted here.  But I'm in a writer-y mood, so I shall post a bit of stories as a GM.

For the past year, I have been running Pathfinder for my group of players, which consist of my wife, my brother, my brother-in-law, and a friend or two.  We have had 3 campaigns during this time-frame: 2 of which were Pathfinder, and one attempt at Shadowrun (that didn't go so well...)

The original run of Pathfinder used a few different modules.  My players were all newbies, save one, so this made things... interesting.  The party included a ninja, a magus, a paladin, a rogue, and my wife playing a ranger by the name of Paul Jourgensen (he was a lumberjack, too).  The best stories of this campaign involved Paul.

So the party were traveling to a small mock-up dungeon for the newbie adventurers (a dungeon that by terrible plot twist was infested with undead), and during their first night camping out, they were attacked by wolves.  Nothing special - combat ended almost as quickly as it started.  But Paul surprised me with his actions afterwards.  "Can I skin the wolf?"  I have my wife roll it, which ends in a crap roll.  It was her response after that that was surprising: "Is the head alright?"  "Yeah...?"  "I put the head on my head.  It's a hat now!"

So envision, if you will, a lumberjack with a chopped off wolf head as a hat.  This became a running joke...

This campaign brought many firsts for me, including running my first dragon encounter.  And it was a random encounter one.  My friend from work, playing the magus, figured it'd be a great idea to wander off on his own.  Mind you, he had been doing a lot of stupid things recently, and had a bit of odd sense of humor, so half of the party had no problem of him going off on his own.  But the ninja figured it'd be wise to follow him.  So I rolled for a random encounter, and got a young green dragon.  I giggled to myself as the magus failed his perception checks to see the dragon.  And before he knew it - the two of them were running as fast as they could back to the rest of the party with a small dragon chasing them.  Eventually, the party killed the dragon (using Paul's falcon companion, Scruffledink Fogglesworth).


Later in the campaign, I had my first player kill ever.  While this wasn't my first time running, I usually do not try to kill off characters.  The party were fighting a golden golem that radiated heat - had concealment, spell resistance, damage reduction, everything that a GM would want to fuck up a party.  The party surrounded the golem and whittled away at it HP, as it wailed back upon them.  This was already entertaining for me.  The magus drops below 0 and hits the dirt.  The ninja gets him back up with a potion, bringing him to 0 HP and staggered.

Now, I don't know about you, but my first plan of action normally would be retreat and heal.  But our magus player wasn't particularly bright.  No - he attacks!  And he drops again into negatives.  Whatever, I think - but it gets better.  Thankfully, he stabilizes on his own, and they all think he'll survive the fight.  Until they destroy the golem and it self-destructs.  Paladin drops into the negatives and the magus dies right out.

What followed this was the magus's player running a few sessions, to give me a break.  These were referred to by my players as 'Whore Island'.  Because that's exactly what it was.  With demons.  And devils.  And I'm sure there would've been a Kyton or three, if he knew what those were.  I still face palm about the whole thing to this day.  Barely had a chance to enjoy playing my gunslinging alchemist...

More next time, on my current campaign.  Maybe.  Not too many good stories there.

Building the Megadungeon...

So, I will be starting a new section of posts here over the next few weeks.  Yes yes, I know.  I have posted much in a long while.  Screw you too.  But it's time to put some ideas down on digital paper for the world to see.  So what am I doing?  Building a megadungeon!

Minor story segway time!
For the past 2 months, I have been running a Pathfinder game for some friends and family.  All of them newbies.  While this is fine and dandy, most of them are foreign to role-playing and crafting characters (unlike us geeks in the D&D field).  So they've become the fightery fighters of fightingness, or FFF as I will refer to them from here on out.  There is only a half caster in the group, a magus (who's archtypes has diminished his spellcasting even further...), so they're kinda very screwed in the future.  I will indeed punish them for that by killing at least one of them during the megadungeon.

Right, the reason I segway'd - since my players don't care much for story or role-playing, I'm building them a megadungeon so they can explore and kill and loot all they want.  I have a few more weeks of buffer time to work with, between crappy work scheduling, a few more seasons of their current adventure, and my friend running for a few seasons for me.
(end segway)

So, I am recording the whole ordeal of making this dungeon for the world to see.  Mostly because this will get interesting.  As well as try to record how my players roll with the whole thing.

So, the first step was research and concepts.
Since this was my first foray into the megadungeon, I searched the internets for advice.  This link gave me a great deal of info for the whole thing.  Thank the gods for the internet.  Meanwhile, I scoured Pathfinder books for ideas to cement the whole thing into the world.  I have a great deal of flexibility here, given that my players haven't read anything into the world (lazy bastards) or they don't care (ie, my wife).  Eventually, I came across the Rise of the Runelords adventure path, and used that as a stepping stone.  For those who never played it/read it, it details the rise of one particular Runelord (ancient Super-Evil Mega-Wizards), but also suggests others return to the world.

The concept was simple enough - a mountain with a tower on top.  Eventually, I explaned the idea to making the tower go through the whole mountain, making it a hub of sorts for the various sections.  The players would start out by clearing out mines full of orcs, but then stumble upon the tower's hub at the end of the mines.  The door into the tower already opened by the orcs (as they came from another end of the tower hub).  Throw in some awesome plotting and scheming by a wizard or two, some ulterior motives, and a possible cataclysm ending, and this might just turn out epicly.

Taking the advice I found, I drew up a side view sketch of the whole dungeon.  We have the mountain contain everything, with the tower right down the middle.  Then I added various locations: the mines, the Crypt (gotta have undead somewhere), the Forgotten City (for those mindflayers and other fuckers that can fuck up your day), the Underground Lake (gotta have some water here), and the Pit (for the demons and other crazy monsters).  There is also the Orc tribe camp, which connects via a set of tunnels to the tower hub.  Speaking of the tower, that is also divied up - the Summit at the top, the Spiral below, the Tower Climb next (right around where the mountain peak is), the Cathedral (just above the main Hub), the Tower Hub (where most of the connecting areas meet up), the Tower Base (which connects to the Pit and the Lake), and the Cage (which can be only accessed by going through the Pit, and you have to be very high level for that shit).

To keep things easy to understand for myself, I created a small 3D sketch of where thing where in relation to the tower.  I will scan this page and post it later when I get to a scanner...

Plotting
I like to believe I'm decent at making an over-arcing plot.  So I created a basic job to bring the players in - a wizard in charge of a mining business hires the players to clear the orcs out.  After the boss orc, party FFF (or what's left of them after that fight) discover the door to the Hub.  Hopefully, at this point, they head back to town to get some answers from their employer, who then explains that the miners dug up the door, but left it untouched (in fear of any nasties that'd come out of it).  The wizard will offer more gold to secure the Hub, hoping to prevent any more monsters from coming up from the woodwork.  Of course, the party being the money grubbing fighters that they are, will dig deeper into the tower and it's related dungeons and kill off major monsters, guardians of the Tower....  And I will stop there in case my players find this post.

Mythic or Not?
At this point of my plots and schemes, I discovered the Pathfinder book, Mythic Adventures.  It's pretty cool stuff, and I am tempted to use it with my players.  They need all the power they can get during this thing.  Unless someone re-rolls a real mage.  Gotta kill someone soon...

Next time...?  I dunno what I will duscuss next.  Encounters?

MysTek Artifacts

Now for the post you really weren't waiting for, but should have been ('cause this is the cool stuff):

Mystical Technology Artifacts!

Nobody knows how the Ancients created these Artifacts, or how they work, or how they seem to evolve and unlock new abilities over time as it's user gains experience.  That's a secret that may forever remain in the past.  But really, most people could care less about that stuff.


What are Artifacts?

These items, which have strange angular lines etched along and around, have unique magic circuits.  Unlike the circuits that normal creatures possess, these seem to be ambiguous, and not hard-coded.  It's possible to alter and change how these magic circuits behave and do.  In fact, one can add extra abilities to Artifacts, with the right materials and tools (which have only been found in the Ancient Ruins) and skills.

Often times, most Artifacts have a core ability, one that cannot be changed entirely.  A fire sword Artifact will always be a fire sword.  However, if it has an extra ability to, say, shoot fire balls, or something, this feature could be changed to be a fire shield instead, if you had the tools and know-how.  You could even go so far to add a transformation ability so it become a fire gun, but such Artifacts capable of this are few and far between.  So far, only the Mage's Association has this knowledge, and they guard it fiercely.


Who can use Artifacts?

Thankfully, anyone can.  You just have to be able to use Mana.  That's it.


What kind of Artifacts exist?

The most common ones fall into one of three categories: Offensive, Defensive, and Utility.  Offensive Artifacts come in weapon varieties, like guns or swords.  They inflict damage, as one would assume.  Some even allow the user to take control of Ancient Golems (these are dubbed 'Director Artifacts').  Defensive ones usually appear to be belts, bracers, or pendants, and grant protection - either from damage, or secondary effects (like heat or cold).  Utility Artifacts are the most common, and often do things that normal items shouldn't be able to, like greater storage, communications, sensors, and other handy gadgets.  It should be noted that some Artifacts fall between two different categories.  The really powerful ones will have abilities in all three.

More info coming soon!

The Legions of Tannish

The military of Tannish is expansive and a little more complex than it really should be.  There are a handful of divisions within the Legion, including the Legionnaires (the ground troops), the Sea and Sky Corps, the Engineering Department, the Battle Wizards, and the Inquisition.


The Legionaires: they cover the whole ground forces, including land vehicles.  Almost everyone in the Legion ends up here.  Occasionally, rising to the other divisions happens (and it's not uncommon), especially if you show promise.  There's not a lot of choice when enlisting...  And draftee's have no choice at all.
 * Steam Knights are exclusive to the Legionaries.  It's often considered unwise to pilot one on an airship or boat.

the Sea and Sky Corps: the carriers and battleships that dot the waters and air belong to this division.  The air forces are fairly new, only becoming prominent in the current war against the Elves.
*Dragoons are units that possess special dual propler jump packs that allow them to hop from one ship to the next.  These are some of the bravest and skilled soldiers in the Legion, as it takes balls of steel to jump from a ship thousands of feet in the air onto another one that may be a few hundred feet away.

Engineering is in charge of repairing and developing new technology.  These folks are pulled from factory jobs to go up behind the frontlines to insure that tanks, steam knights, and ships are operating.  They receive some combat training to defend themselves in the worst case.
*Artificers are the rare engineer who delves into something stranger than normal.  Telsa weapons are their domain.

The Battle Wizards are the unlucky few went to the Mage's Association who claim Tannish home.  As part of a pact when a Tannishian joins the Association, they must serve the Empire when called upon.  While few in numbers (often times a unit only consists of 2-5 mages), their power is enough to support most war efforts.
*Alchemists, while not full mages, have proven themselves quite adept at battle.  Their bombs and alchemical shells more than compensate for their lack of spells, and doesn't interfere with guns.

The dreaded Inquisition keeps the entire Legion in line and serves as the Emperor's hidden agents.  They rarely operate in the open, and worst yet, they are armed with Artifacts, making them incredibly dangerous.  Deserters and traitors are often put down within days by these Inquisitors. The very fear of Inquisitors is just enough to keep most of the Legion serving the Emperor.

Steam-Age Arcanus: Magic

One would think magic is simple, but it is not.  It's not just waving your hands in a funny fashion with a few silly words to make a fireball.  No, this is mostly mental control and formulas.  Occasionally there's a verbal command involved, but very few somatic or material components, unlike D&D.

But before we describe spell casting, we should discuss mana, the source of magic.  Mana is everywhere.  Some would describe it as the source of life, but this is not true.  Otherwise everyone would be dead after the Mana Wars when magic all but vanished from the world (thank you cataclysmic events for that one).  However, mana is a source of energy that is prominet throughout the world, but some areas have more than others, and while a few rare locations are void of it.  The former surplus is the result of Leylines, walls of pure mana the criss-cross throughout the world.  They are visible during the night, appearing not unlike the Aurora Borealis.  The later is refered to a Dead Zone: an area with no magic and where magic cannot be used.  Nobody knows why.

The next important thing to go over is how mana interacts with people.  All humanoids (humans, elves, dwarves, orcs, etc) have magic circuits - a special nervous system just for using mana.  Now, the average human only has a few (we're talking low single digits here), while elves have more (low 10's).  Mages have a great deal of magic circuits (anywhere from 20-50), while certain creatures have even more (some of the ancient golems have been discovered with over a hundred circuits).  In game system terms, a character with a high Energy Point pool will have more magic circuits than one with a low EP.  Regardless, to use magic or even magic items, one must have mana.  By drawing from those magic circuits while applying certain magical programs, one can cast spells.

The tricky part about spell casting is that they're actually just magical programs.  You have to 'teach' your magic circuits to use this spell before you can actually use it.  Which is harder than you'd hope.  This can take months, if not years, depending on the spell.  The more complex and powerful, the more time it takes for your circuits to learn the spell.  Afterwards, it's a matter of recalling the correct mental commands and directing mana through the right circuits, and the spell is cast.

This is where magic items, especially MysTek Artifacts, come into play.  These items have spells already programed into them, thus you just have to supply the mana to cast them.  Even constant effects may only require the essence of mana to be powered.  This is also how Dragonite is used - it possesses magic circuits that can only produce heat.

In all reality, most mages only know a dozen spells or so.  Only Archmages will know a lot.  It really comes down to the use of the spells, not the number, that's important.  Spells don't always have a singular use.  For example, a telekinesis type spell can be used to move something, or converted into a barrier to use against attacks.

Questions?

Arcanus Briefing

UPDATE 12/24/14 - Adjusted to suit the various runs.

The sound of engines reverberate through the airship.  No matter where you go, you cannot get true silence from these engines, but after a few days of constant flying, you have gotten used to it.  When you look out the windows, you can see the other 3 airships in the fleet heading for Altza territory.  The deck is insanely windy and the air is thin.  You are now only 2 days away from your destination - Camp Wyrmlock.

You, and your party (minus Prisoner) have been gathered for a particular team. You are under the command of Legate [PC Name Here], for one task - to escort the captive [Prisoner Character] (he needs to be alive) to a particular Ancient Ruin 50 miles west of the Altza capital.  You will be operating separate from the Imperial Legion, and most of the Legion is unaware of your mission.  And this mission came from the upper ranks of the Legion and the Inquisition.

What you know about your captive: [Prisoner] is not exactly human.  You have been informed during your briefing that he has some form of MysTek imbued into him. You have not been told why you need to take him to the ruins, but you have been told you will meet up with an agent of the Inquisition at the ruins.

Steampunk Campaign is a GO! (maybe)

Okay, so I'm getting the ball rolling here with my campaign. Slowly. I've cleaned up my old forums, since nobody uses them anymore. Hopefully, with the new forums and with some of the newer functions that proboards have FINALLY added (like sub-forums), things will be a little nicer. Each game, if and when other games are added, can have its own sub-forum. But for now, Steam-Age Arcanius will have full reign of the main RP room. Like you guys care though...

Anyways, linkage to the resurrected forums!

EDIT: Okay, I should record the character creation rules here, before I forget again -.-

300 character points
No Dynamic Powers
Power Flux under GM approval only
Mythic benchmarks: most attributes cap at 5; except for toughness, extra energy, combat techniques, special defense, special movement, and anything else that might make sense (talk to me if you're unsure)
Steam-Punk skill costs

Questions? Ask 'em. You can get ahold of me via forums, facebook if you've friend'd me and some point, or texting my cell.

-Locke Alexander, building his Steam-Punk Mecha Throne from which he shall rule Arcanius from!

Steam-Punk: Technology

Hop on Wiki and search Steam Punk and you'll have a good idea of the tech. But I do have particular examples for this world. Enjoy.

Weapons:

Impact Hammer

This massive hammer, normally used by Steam Knights (although stronger people have been known to wield these two handed), possess a large revolver ammo chamber filled with tank shells. Because of a pressure plate, this hammer will fire a shell upon impact, dealing massive damage. Originally intended as an anti-tank weapon, but it's proven itself to be effective against many different targets. However, it's large size and weight, along with the decreasing weight as shells are fired, it's an inaccurate weapon against smaller targets.

stats:

Weapon lv 3 (hammer): muscle, inaccurate, hands

Weapon lv 3 (shell): linked (hammer), backblast, ammo 1, unreliable

item cost: 1/2([2*3+1-2]+1/2[2*3+1-3])= 3 points

Steam Knight

These 10-12 foot tall steam-powered mechanical armor are the newest and greatest advancement in steam-powered warfare. Because of the dragonite core that helps the armor produce steam, these are somewhat rare (until alchemical sciences have created a stable artificial dragonite). Most units have about a dozen or two. Unlike tanks, these are far more flexible when it comes to mobility and terrain it can cross.

These are the stats for the standard issue Steam Knight with a shield/arm cannon and power claw. More advanced ones will use actual hands and weapons.

stats:

Armor lv 4 (8)

Jumping lv 1 (2)

Super Strength lv 1 (8)

Weapon lv 4 (arm cannon): range 2, area 1, ammo 2, activation 1 (7)

Weapon lv 3 (power claw): muscle, penetrate 1, inaccurate 1 (3)
Shield lv 2, lv 4 armor (8+4)

Awkward Size lv 1 (12 feet tall) (-4)
Impaired Manipulation lv 1 and lv 2 (one usable arm; claw hand) (-3 and -6)
Sensory Impairment lv 1: reduced visibility and hearing (-3)
total item cost: 1/2(8+2+8+7+3+12-4-3-6-3)= 12 points

Next time, we eat clown shoes.
Not really, character creation next time

Steam Age: Factions

UPDATE 12/24/14 - updated the various factions.  Fixed Council of Undying, added Cataclysm Society.

The Golden Empire of Tannishpopulation: 3 million (70% human, 20% half-human, 10% other)
Current leader: Basle Tarnis (17th Emperor since Empire's creation)
Tech status: heavily industrialized
Magic status: strictly controlled

The Empire used to be viewed as what humanity could achieve with hard work and perseverance. But since Emperor Basle took the the throne 10 years ago, the whole country has fallen into decay. His demand for power has brought ruin to the Empire. Only 5 years ago did he declare war upon the elves and began his invasion. Some progress has been made, but the Imperial Legion has been pushed back more times than they'd care to admit.

Industralization started about 25 years ago, and while the Dwarves have the jump on them, the humans are quickly becoming the strongest in steam-tech. Advances in firearms have been lead by the humans, and they are only second to the Dwarves in Steam Knight tech (the Dwarves do tend to keep the best stuff for themselves...)

Astetics: The Empire has a WW1 German fashion to them. However, weaponry has a industralized version of the Roman Empire (IE: gladius, sword and gun legions, etc). Artechure also follows this style.

The Altza Kingdom
Population: 1.5 million (75% elves, 15% half-elves, 5% humans, 5% other)
Current leader: Queen Eyrian
Tech status: light industrialization
Magic status: very prevalent

The long-lived elves have always been patient, but when Emperor Basle began his invasion of Altza territory, the elves quickly proved to be a greater opponent than the humans expected.

The elves were slow to take up steam-tech, but after seeing the Empire's general success with it, they followed suit after a decade. They still don't use much steam-tech for war, as mages fill up the majority of their siege methods. Fire arms are quickly becoming very common amongst the half-elves and the occasional Steam Knight appears on the battlefield on the elven side.

Ascetics: Altza are heavily influenced by Ancient China. They like to use chinese long swords, bows, spears, etc. Guns are still at a flintlock rifle style at the moment.

Dwarven Merchant Guilds
Population: unsure (primarily Dwarven, but other races have joined)
Leader: varies from guild to guild
Tech: Heavily industralized
Magic: very little (dwarves make for terrible spellcasters, but they have mages in their employ)

The Merchant Guilds have done a great job of staying out of the war between the elves and the Empire. They've done such a great job that they're supplying both sides with weapons and equipment and profiting heavily. Thankfully, they have done nothing the egg on the conflict, but only stand to profit from it.

The Dwarves invented most of steam-tech. While the humans have improved upon the designed greatly, the Dwarves have learned to reverse engineer this improvements and further enhance their tech. As it stands, they possess the most advanced Steam Knights and have even created giant Steam Titans.


Barbarian Tribes
Population: varies from tribe to tribe (primarily beastmen, orcs, and humans)
Tech: low
Magic: low

The barbarian tribes are dispersed throughout the world. While they've stayed out of the war for the most part, a few tribes have hired themselves out as mercenaries. Some raid towns and villages for resources, while some are nomadic and avoid society at large. 


Bandits, Raiders, and other Outlaws
Population: mostly human or half human
tech: low-mid (varies from one gang to the next)
magic: very low

Bandit gangs exist everywhere throughout the Empire and the world. Usually it's just rebelous folk who are fed up with the Empire, or those who can't make a living otherwise. What little Steam-Tech they use has been pilfered from their victims. 


Council of the Undying
Population: unknown (99% immortal)
Leader: Four Lords who rule the Court
Tech: mid
Magic: high

A tiny faction formed to watch over the world with undying eyes.  Despite their name, most of their members are not undead, but rather immortal.  Four Lords rule the Council at any one time, although no one knows their identities.  Or their goals.  Or even how they affect the world.  But people suspect they do so from the shadows...



Druidic Circle
Population: less than a thousad
Leader: various druids and dryads
tech: none
magic: very high

If anyone will be backing up the elves (and they have in small ways already), it would be the druids. However, they have been staying out of the fray for the most part. They've defended their own territories from the Empire, but never gone on the offensive.


Dragon Knights
Population: barely over a hundred
Leader: Supreme Paladin Shunaka
Tech: low
Magic: low

There are few organizations that are more powerful than the Dragon Knights. Their skills are second to none. They don't need tech or magic to do what they do - it's all spirital powers. They exist to deal with the world greatest threats, such as the Revenants and rogue Dragons. Because of this purpose, they have stayed completely out of the war. However, a select few have left the Knights to join their homeland in this war.

Asetics: Samurai style bad-ass-ness.


Cataclysm Society
Population: a few hundrew
Leader: the Gatekeeper
Tech: high
Magic: high

The secretive Cataclysm Society exists for one purpose - to discover what caused the end of the Ancients.  To this end, they have infiltrated the various other factions, as well as explored the Ruins as best as they can.  While they have no interest in the outcome of the current war, individual members have their own plots and schemes...

The leader of this group, known only as the Gatekeeper, has appeared from time to time throughout history.  It is unknown if it is the same person every time, or if the title is passed down.  Either way, his influence and power is extraordinary.

Steam Age Arcanium

MysTek hasn't been my only campaign project. Over the past few weeks, I have been rolling over a new idea - a Steam-Punk/Fantasy campaign. Here's a little bit of the story for this campaign

You, and your party, were a part of the invading Legion for the Golden Empire of Tarnis. The Imperial Legion's conquest was cut short, as they were pushed back by the Elven Kingdom. During the Legion's retreat through a valley, you were ambushed and seperated from your unit. For some of you, this is a blessing in disguise - you were drafted into the Legion and at this point, you'll be recorded as MIA, which means you can leave the army and return home. For a small select few, this is a chance to prove yourself to the Empire and fight your way back to your unit.

Regardless of your choices, it's going to be a long trip home...

Coming soon: races and factions

MysTek: Character Gen - Skills

I should've put this online sooner...

Skill costs for MysTek

Acrobatics 3
administration 1
animal training 1
architecture 3
area knowledge 2
artisan 1
bio science 1
boating 2
burglary 1
climbing 3
computers 4
controlled breathing 1
cultural arts 1
demolitions 3
disguise 2
domestic arts 1
driving 2
electronics 4
etiquette 1
foreign culture 1
forgery 1
gaming 1
interrogation 2
intimidation 2
languages 1
law 1
mechanics 4
medical 2
military sciences 2
navigation 3
occult 3
performing arts 1
physical sciences 2
Piloting 4
poison 1
police science 1
powerlifting 2
riding 1
seduction 2
sleight of hand 2
social sciences 1
sports 1
stealth 3
street sense 1
swimming 2
urban tracking 1
visual arts 1
wilderness tracking 1
wilderness survival 2
writing 1


Notes:
Computers - this covers computers, programing, and other ditigal applications. This does include Actualizer programing

Electronics - beyond the usual, this also covers the nature of Magical Circuitry within MysTek. Understanding how magic circuits work is very helpful. Useful for repairing MysTek equipment.

Mechanics - this covers the mechanical end of actualizers and MysTek. Also useful for repairing MysTek equipment.

Occult - new specialization: magic arts. this covers spell casting and magecraft. Theoretical knowledge of MysTek is also covered in the occult skill.

Note again: these are not finalized skill costs. I may drop them some.

Mystek: Character Generation

So, we're finally at the point where we're making characters. About bloody time. Been itching to get to this point for a while. Anyways, here's the run down:

200 character points
Use Heroic Benchmarks (pg 10), but do not worry too much about point allocation percentages
Double cap for the following Attributes: Toughness, Combat Techniques, Energy Bonus, Features, and Special Defense (when it makes sense)
Extra Actions has half cap (level 2 at this point)
Banned is Dynamic Powers and Power Surge requires GM approvial
Skill cost list will be generated a little later.
Item has a cap: 40 points total, and no one item can cost more than 20 points.

About the Weapon attribute, in particular with the vampiric customization: you cannot combine the second rank with Stat Drain. If you do, I will not allow you to surpass your normal Stats. This was a minor confusing issue with the previous run of the game and I'd much rather avoid that issue right out.

If you have questions, ask away.

Mystic Technology 101

Somewhere, I read a quote that basicly went like this: when technology advances fair enough, it will be like magic. I took this to heart for this setting.

MysTek is, dispite what you may think, technology at its core. No matter how much magic is involved, it's still science and technology. Admittedly, it's at the super-science level of tech and kind of ignores normal conventions, but that's not the point. The magic part is really the power source for this tech and allows for unusual abilities.

MysTek is very different from the rest of the tech in the world. Where alchemy-based tech is very steam-punk in style and appearance, MysTek is shiny, glowy, and generally pretty awesome looking. You can always tell what is MysTek from the glowing magic circuits that cover them like an inorganic nervous system. This can be easily compared to the glowing lines seen in games such as Zone of the Enders, Too Human, or even the movie Tron.

Although unofficial, there are 3 main catagories for personal MysTek gear: offense, defense, and utility. That said, many of these items fall under more than one catagory.

Let us give some examples of MysTek gear...

Twin Bee Enforcers
This pair of pistols fire magically created bullets. They work as a pair, and parting the two pistols makes them both useless. They're favored by gunslingers. The Barrage special attack allows the user to effectively empty the clips of both pistols into a target.

[stats] total cost: 10 character points
Weapon (pistol right) level 3: range 2 (2*3/2+2=5)
Weapon (pistol left) level 3: range 2 (2*3/2+2=5)
Weapon (Barrage attack) level 4: range 1, auto-fire (3), deplete 1 (10 ep), activation 1 (2*4+1+3-1-2=10)

Astral Armor
This belt, when activated, bestows a ethereal suit of armor and wings. While it's great for those who wish to travel light, activating the armor costs a considerable amount of energy.

[stats] total cost: 10 character points
Armor lvl 5 (10 armor): deplete 5 (1 EP/round) (2*5-5=5)
Flight lvl 2 (30 kph): dependent 1 (on armor) (8*2-1=15)

Cloud Stomper Boots
These heavy boots are prized by those who need a little extra hop in their step. They grant their user the ability to leap higher and to bounce off walls.

[stats] total cost: 3 character points
Jumping lvl 2 (10x normal) (2*2=4)
Special movement lvl 1 (wall bouncing) (1*2=2)

[more coming soon]

The Raider's Guide to the MysTek Ruins (pt 2)

[More clips from Issac Forland's book! ]

Pirates:
Bastards. Pricks. All around assholes. Nothing is more annoying than being attacked by Pirates on your way home from a ruin run. Chances of it, they don't have the nice gear you and your team will have, but they make up for it in numbers. The various Pirate Clans are scattered throughout the world, and most exist to take everything you have. If you can talk your way out of an attack, props to you. But that doesn't really ever happen. Unless you have some really big guns on your air ship.

Hunters:
The only thing more irrating than Pirates are the Hunters. They are few in numbers and are poorly armed, but what they can do instead is what makes them a major threat. These guys are fanaticals who believe that magic and MysTek is pure evil and seek to destroy all of it. So of course, Raiders are a prime target for them.

You would think a bunch of crazies wouldn't pose that much of a threat, but they do. They have figured out how to disable and nulify magic. Be prepared to use a crossbow or something on them, because really, that laser blaster is useless against them. Avoid them whenever possible. They're not worth the trouble to fight.

Governmental Pricks:
Not all of the government officials will be nice. Many will seek to take advantage of you, and it's no surprise. You gather some of the greatest loot in the world and they want a piece of it. Never sell to them - they should be getting their MysTek through the Guild. However, don't be surprised if you have to bribe your way past them to get to ruins or whatnot.

[more coming soon]

The Raider's Guide to the MysTek Ruins

[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]

Return of Project MysTek

A few people may know this, those who used to go to my (now dead) forums, I ran a game dubbed 'MysTek'. The game ended in failure because of my own issues, but now I'm bringing it back. Hopefully, I can run it in RL this time. Anyways, if someone wishes to make use of the campaign setting for their own game, you are welcome to. Just give me credit for it.

Project MysTek Campaign setting

Summery of setting:

About 2000 years ago was the end of the Golden Age of Technology. Back then, there was a form of tech that was powered by mana. However, a terrible cataclysm stripped the world of the laylines, the source of mana. And melted the north polar cap, which flooded much of the world. Nobody knows how or why such an event occurred, but it changed everything.

Shortly after the great Cataclysm, war broke out for what remaining mana was left in the world. This was known as the Mana Wars. Eventually, the world entered a Dark Age. This lasted well over a thousand years.

Humanity began to rebuild the old world, using the remaining science of Alchemy to create the world that is today. The leylines had returned to the world. And then 75 years ago, everything changed again - the ancient technology resurfaced.

Mystic Technology, or MysTek, it was called. The ruins of the Golden Age were discovered and with that, their technology. Soon the world scrabbled to get what they could, but it wasn't long before they realized that most of the ruins were sealed.

The Gatekeepers appeared before mankind at this point, revealing that they had sealed the ruins during the Mana Wars to prevent their misuse. And that they were willing to open up the old ruins so that mankind could regain their former glory. The Gatekeepers formed a guild that would regulate the distribution of MysTek, and gathering it. Teams of Raiders gathered to enter the ruins, and retrieve the technology to restore the world.

You are a member of one of these Raider teams. You venture into the ruins in search of MysTek. Be it for fame and glory, riches, knowledge, or to even escape your past - no matter what your ultimate goal is, you must survive the ruins.

More stuff coming soon.

*Sigh* Times are Tough...

I should post more often...

Since I know no one will read this, I can rant to my heart's content. I've been bothered with a lot of things lately, most of which is family.

Now, my non-existant readers, before you start assuming this is some angsty teenage (which I happen to fulfill neither of) rant, allow me to explain. In June, I'm getting married. This should be a happy occasion, and I am indeed looking forward to it. My parents are not.

Well, really, I think there has been a lot of miss-communication between me and my parents. I tend to do a piss-poor job of explaining myself. I get put on the spot and I panic. I love my social anxieties...

My parents think that I'm being forced to marry by my girlfriend and her family. This is not true at all. I was given a choice, and had the choice all along. Now, I may be at the point that backing out will make me an ass, which is why I don't plan on backing out. But this is without a doubt, my own choice. At the time when things went into motion, I just went with it. But as time passed, I began to get excited about the whole thing. I went through my period of cold feet, and despite that, I realized that I love my soon-to-be wife very much.

Very few people really understand me. Even less can put up with my whole cocktail of social ineptitude and neurotic psychological problems. I used to believe I was just ADD and bad with people. College really helped bring to light that I'm a lot more fucked up as a person that I originally believed. But this information is good. I learned that I'm not the only person with issues. And that I'm slowly (very slowly) trying to resolve my crap ton of psyche problems. I realized that there's only one person out there who really tries to get me and help me through my problems.

Back when I flunked out of college, I suffered from depression. It was fairly crippling at that. It wasn't the sort that could be solved quickly, or easily. I went through a lot of self-exploration. I scoured my own psyche for the reasons for my problems, believing that finding the source may provide some insight in fixing the issue. There were times that I just cried like a baby. When I realized that I had very little going for me; when I realized that I had very few friends anymore; when I realized that I just sucked at a lot of things that I thought I was good at; When I realized that life was far harsher that I believed it to be... I even considered suicide on a few occasions (and I should note that I take suicide to be a very serious topic). I had thought of hanging myself from the break room balcony at work with bungee cords. I had considered throwing myself off a roof, head first. And I cried every time.

The worst part about all of that depression is that no one noticed. Well, almost no one. My family sure as hell didn't really pick up on it. My friends were too busy with their own crap to figure it out. But my girlfriend did. And she was my saving grace during those days. Even when I was scared out of my mind from the depression, she was there for me. When I considered drinking myself to oblivion and slicing my wrists into pieces, she was there, when no one else was.

I'm a lot to put up with. I get anxious and worked up really easy. Especially dealing with people. I can be wishy-washy at times. I space out or focus on things that don't really matter. I have a horde of geeky hobbies, and not much else. I can be really stubborn about really stupid shit. I'm a picky eater. I have little drive to do anything. I'm missing some common sense. I'm awkward to be around most of the time. I have troubles understanding my own emotions. I have issues.

It's amazing that anyone is willing to put up with all of that. Gods know I wouldn't want to. But my girlfriend does. She loves being with me, every second of the day. She never forces her own decisions onto me, but allows me to choose my own fate and future. I love her.

For once in my life, I feel drive. For once, I actually want to do something other than play video games. For once, I'm willing to stand up for myself and tell everyone to put up with MY shit, and not the other way around. For once, I'm moving towards a future. For once, I may actually be truly happy for the first time in years.

My parents, from what I can tell, do not want me to get married because I'm not done with college yet. To me, it doesn't matter. I will finish college, regardless. It may take a little while longer, but so be it. I don't mind.

I'm being put into a situation that I may be pissed at my family regardless of my choice. I back out of the wedding now, I'll be pissed at them for forcing me to do so, and I own my girlfriend's parents the money they put down on the wedding. If I go through with plans, I may be cut off from my family and I'll be pissed at them for it.

I gave them a chance to cancel this wedding before things got too serious. They didn't understand that, though, and avoided meeting with my g/f's family to discuss things. And now they want to stop it when the money's been put down. I'm not backing down at this point. Too late now, in my book.

Well, if my dad fights me on this tonight, I may have to cut them off. I don't want to, but it feels like I may have to. By the gods I hope that an understanding can be reached...

-Locke

Isaac's Intro

[Warning - I typed this up for a free form RP, since I'm returning to my Gaia-fag days. Ah how I missed free form RPing... And yes, Isaac is indeed self-narrating.]

In case of the end of the world via demons, vampires, werewolves, and other creatures of the night, there are many means of survival. Most of which include running the hell away from it all and letting the professionals, like the Belmonts, deal with the problem. All in all, this is a good idea.

What I do is not a good idea.

Anyone actually trying to survive the Eternal Night knows that going on the offensive will only get you killed. What I am doing is considered suicide. But this is the way it's got to be for me. Don't ask, please.

So, if you actually plan on going on the offensive, there's some guide lines to remember, especially if you're just a normal guy like me...

Isaac found himself running in the rain, outside of the massive wall that protected Fort Vlahia. The plague that the rain brought didn't bother the man, as the wonders of alchemy and minor magicks kept him mostly healthy. He wasn't sure what he was running from, but he knew he needed to put some space between it and him. At least enough that he can figure out what he was about to fire shotgun shells into. Nothing sucked more than wasting ammo on something that can't die by shotgun shells.

Cardio: when the shit storm hit, it was the fat and lazy guys who went down first. Admittedly, it's not easy to run from a werewolf that's barreling down an alley with you in its sights, but it can be done if you play your cards right. That's why being able to run fast is not enough, but jumping, climbing, and generally awesome acrobatics can save your ass.

The survivor saw a dumpster next to a fire escape. Chance! He leaped onto the dumpster and took a dive for the fire escape ladder, grabbing the side bar and spinning around to the other side of the ladder. Whatever that was chasing Isaac face planted hard into the metal ladder bars and bounced off. Isaac climbed up, noting that he was being chased by a werewolf.

Double Tap: always make sure what you've just killed is dead. No matter how much I may preach about conserving ammo, it never hurts to put another shell in its skull. Especially if its a vampire. Or just about anything, really. And even then, be prepared to keep moving.

The wolf-man scrambled to its feet and jumped onto the fire escape, grabbing the railings and climbing up. Isaac, who was barely up a flight of stairs, drew his sawed-off shotgun and spun around. He didn't have time to aim, so he just pulled the lever out and back and fired from his hip. The blast hit the werewolf in the shoulder and its eyes flared up in pain, teeth gritting. It was the opening the survivor needed – he pulled the lever out again and as it was snapping back into place, Isaac took a quick aim for the head. He pulled the trigger and blasted the wolf-man off the fire escape with a head shot. It crashed into the dumpster below. The soul energy that Isaac's gauntlet drew out of the monster confirmed the kill, but he wasn't paying attention that - he just booked it up the fire escape.

Alchemy: what, were you expecting something else? Right, alchemy. Never ever forget the wonders of alchemy. Specially bullets? Check. Explosives? Check. Healing salve? Double check. Although they don't do the same damage as magic does, the effects can make the difference between a few scratches or a vampire turning you into his next drink.

Isaac holstered the sawed-off, noting that he had to reload it later. He pulled his hunting rifle from his back and clicked off the safety. One werewolf meant more were likely to come. He checked the ammo – silver bullets. Once he got to the top of the fire escape, he broke a window and hoped inside the building. He grabbed a few vials off his belt as he kicked open a door and ran down a hallway. It didn't take long for him to find the door out of the apartment he had just broken into. He heard movement following behind him. Isaac turned around a corner, put some more distance and spun around.

Not even a minute later, another werewolf spun around the corner of the hallway, only to meet a silver bullet in its head. Its head flew back as the feet flew forward and landed on its back, dead. It's soul energy leaped from its chest and sped to Isaac's gauntlet. A second one leaped over the corpse and bounced off the wall towards the survivor. Isaac tossed one of the vials at it. The wolf-man slapped it away and then realized the folly of its instinctive move. The vial exploded in a silver mist and burned the werewolf's arm and face on one side. It howled in pain, and then was shot in the face. It was dead before it hit the ground, it's soul energy already within the gauntlet.

Melee: never go into it willingly, but remember to have options. A good alchemical blade will go a long way. Something small so you can use it if your pinned down. You do not want to be trying to swing that oversized sword around when something is on top of you and wants to go 'om nom nom' on your face.

Isaac didn't get the chance to see it coming, as the wall next to him burst and a greater werewolf came charging at him. He only had time to put his arms in front of him before the monster could slash at him with its claws, and barely at that. The survivor was thrown off his feet and onto his back. The wolf pounced on him, snarling loudly. Isaac reached at his left hip and drew his blade. He could tell that the monster was smiling at him, the type of smile that meant that it was going to eat him in a moment. But the human had no intention of dying there, so he plunged the blade into the creature's side. It howled in pain as Isaac wiggled out of the monsters grip. He grabbed the two vials he had dropped to get his blade and jammed them into the werewolf's mouth. “Eat this!” Isaac kneed the monster's jaw shut. It didn't get a chance to scream in pain as it fell and died. More soul energy was drawn to his gauntlet. The survivor pulled his blade out from the corpse and stabbed in the neck for good measure. He pulled the blade out one last time, cleaned it real quick and sheathed it.

He ruffled through his pockets really quick and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. A quick glance once again reminded him of his bad luck with anything beyond his survival – he was out of smokes. Again. He sighed. “Second time this week.” He opened one of the apartment doors and scoured the living room, finding a pack within a few minutes with a few death sticks. “Bleh, Camel. Oh well, can't be that picky.” Isaac lit up and sat next to a window, watching the rain. He kept his rifle close at hand. Once he finished his smoke break, the man began to head for the ground floor and hoped he could make it to the city gate within the next hour or two.