S2 Week 1 (Part 1) - "It's a mad, mad world"

(Only Cysero, Artix, and Dumoose were able to make it for the kick off to season 2. Alina, Galanoth, and Rolith were all working away from the office for various reasons.)

It was another day in post-apocalyptic Thalassia, same as it had been for the past three months.

Morale was low in Erwise's base of operations, the now derelict Dawn's Grasp Chapel, which had avoided destruction from marauding Deepforged thanks to its inconspicuous location, nestled on a hill in the shadows of two barren rock faces.

Xavier's next supply pod was set to land in a matter of hours, but before Erwise (played by Cysero) and Fernal (played by Artix) could prepare themselves for the landing, a mysterious, seemingly deranged hermit burst into the chapel, spewing nonsense about his patron moose god, Godai. This shaman, Mootan (played by Dumoose) fervently explained to our heroes that he was a prophet, over a thousand years old, and was convinced that Fernal was actually part of a prophecy.

The group was suspicious of this fellow, but decided to trust him for the time being. Mootan was content with following Fernal where ever the Genasi Swordmage would go.

Meanwhile, a far off orange glow illuminated the stormy skies over the coast. The supply pod was incoming, and Erwise eagerly anticipated its landing at his doorstep!

Suddenly, an eldritch blast of green energy rocketed forth from the smoldering ruins of the town of Brineshire; the focused beam intercepted the pod, sending it spiraling miles off coarse into the west, toward a foul region called the Rimebog. It would seem the Deepforged menace had concocted an aerial defense!

With little option but to race to the pod before it fell into the wrong hands, Erwise, Fernal, and Mootan set off into the driving rain, sticking to the muddy hill line instead of risking the poisonous machine exhaust which lingered in the valleys below...

Meanwhile, Book and Thrand held down "the fort," ever vigilant against machine invaders.

(To be continued...)

Season 2 Intro

It’s been three months since the Chivillian heroes first set foot on the shores of the enemy nation of Thalassia, and much has changed since their journey first began.

Just as they first step foot off of their spy ship, the Nonamia, a fiery blast ripped the hull apart, sinking the vessel in a smoldering wake of destruction. Clearly, the ship they had previously sunk in a daring naval battle had called for backup. Upon finding nothing of their allied scout ship but a smoking oil spot on the water, a Thalassian distress signal was sent out, and all surrounding naval bases were set on high alert.

Pursued on to dry land by a legion of highly trained Thalassian soldiers, our heroes were hopelessly lost in an unfamiliar land filled with foes at every turn. Although they were originally able to remain undetected thanks to some impromptu disguises, the Chivillian heroes were eventually discovered while trying to make contact with their informant in the seaside town of Brineshire. All seemed lost, with the would-be spies held at gunpoint, when suddenly the ground began to violently quake as jagged fissures, hissing with a foul green smoke, ripped the very city asunder. In the ensuing chaos, our heroes escaped. It soon became apparent, however, that this was not a blessing, but a curse.

In the past decades, many scientific advances were made by the humanoid races on the surface world, and many nations were on the brink of industrial revolution. Unannounced to mankind, however, an ancient race not seen above ground in centuries had advanced far more quickly. The warring nations threw down their arms and trembled in fear as lumbering machines lurched forth from the ground itself, and foul constructs spewed an acrid green smoke into the air, blotting out the sun and poisoning both flora and fauna. Entire cities were wiped off the map, as these horrible contraptions summoned portals to the Elemental Chaos directly above any humanoid settlement; the sheer size of these magical gateways simply swallowed the cities en masse. Clearly, this mysterious machine race valued one thing only: a world wiped clean of both the life-giving sun, and of any “lesser” races.

Quinn was the first to fall when the Chivillian heroes were confronted by the mechanical menace; he was crushed in the very outhouse where he hid by one of the machine creature’s gargantuan limbs. Mochi was next, as sheer bad luck claimed her life; she was sent spiraling into a gaping chasm that had suddenly opened in the ground. Finally, the party lost contact with Wolfrend and Leia during a chaotic battle with scores of mechanical drones; their fate is still unknown.

However, all hope is not lost! Erwise has etched out a meager resistance in a derelict chapel with the remnants of the Thalassian Thieves Guild. Joining him is the unpredictable Thrand Redfist, serving as the devious arcane “muscle” of the guild. A fiery Genasi, Fernal, has also joined his cause (as it turns out, Genasi and Elementals don’t take too kindly to entire cities being carelessly flung into their realm). Finally, a radio in the chapel’s bell tower was able to make contact with the surviving members of the Chivillian military: the ever-practical General Octavius and the ever-paranoid Engineer Xavier. The last supply package that Xavier sent contained a surprise, Book, the loyal Warforged warrior. The accopanying communiqué fortold that Xavier’s next care package would be arriving on this very day…