From the Ashes of The Great Convergence
A LOT has happened since my last post, so lets summarize… Almost two years ago The Second Great Expeditionary Force of Shrike’s Perch dissappeared into the Balefire Gate at the center of the world in the Plane of Fire in order to seek power from the Dragon King of Destruction – Dokkaeon.
Before their Journey into the Realm of Flames, the Team recovered Hector from Deep Cover and Captured a potent Biological Weapon of Mass destruction from a deep-cover research alliance between The Absolutes and The House Kanceru of House Devourer. The Weapon, and the Prisoners (A Beholder, Three Absolute Heros, and a pair of Ice Troll Half-Dragons) were left in the Care of Mani Vortex at the Temple of Fire.
Upon the Plain of Fire, they were greeted by the Zeleous Magmin, fellow Servants of the Fire Dragon King. Two of their Acolytes pledged to follow Feuer on his pilgramage ot meet their master. At the Shore of the Fire Lake they met the Mega Magama Dragon known as Tritoch the Renewer. Megadragons are to their lesser kin what Giant-Kind is to Man and Alfar; immense beings of terrible power and legend. Tritoch flew them into Low Orbit and created a floating island of volcanic rock from his Breath as a place for Sonya and Feuer to address The Fire Dragon King; before retreating to a safe distance with the rest of the Expedition… They watched in awe as the entire Cosmos rearranged itself into the semblance of a Great Draconic Being whose body spanned billions of lightyears, and upon whose form trillions of stars shown as individual scales! Despite their awe at his eternal magesty, the Priest and the Sorceress did their ancestors proud: Securing the Fire Lord’s blessing and his guidance to The Balefire Gate. Three Sky Guardians were summoned from General Zaxxon by Crucius of the Shrike’s Guard to take them on the 5000 mile journey to the gate, and protect them from the dangers of the Negative Energy Plane.
On their journey they became aware of the true scope of the Dragon Kings as being the Souls of entire Universes made up of their defining element! At the Balefire Gate they faced one of the most harrowing and dangerous battles of their carreers – The Guardian Nightshades… A pair of Collossal Nightwaves Summoned their Nightwing Brethern to battle, as the Eight Nightwalkers of the gate brought forth an army of Greater Shadows that quite nearly slew the Expedition outright… A desparate assault from Author and Rune, followed by a lucky resonance caused by Interference with the Nightwalkers’ Magickal defenses transformed Sonya’s powerful “Olethro’s Dragon Slayer” into a 240’ killzone of reality-rending Balefire that evened the odds! Crucius allowed himself to be swallowed by one of the Nightwaves, and destroyed it from within even as it’s deadly gullet quickly began to delete him from the face of reality. Feuer, Zel, and The Warlord fought a deadly battle within the belly of their ailing Sky Guardian and fended off the remains of the Shadow Army. Though it cost them two of their three powerful Sky Guardians, they were able to overcome a force known to have ended the temporal existance of entire solar systems!!! Rubicaon blessed them with gifts of Balefire and Powerful Infusions to Author’s Lance and Crucius’ Armor before allowing the Expedition to make it’s way to Dokkaeon.
Only the guiding light of Rubicaeon was able to bring the Expedition safely to their fateful meeting with The Dragon of Destruction. One tiny step off the path would have meant an agonizing eternity trapped between time and oblivion. At a mystic Le Grange Point high above the dark violet crystal world of pure entropy below, Sonya came to meet her destiny. The sky was full of dark voids and maelstroms filled with shearing crystaline teeth the size of whole galaxies; and in place of stars a Trillion upon Trillion draconian eyes opened in the Void. The eyes themselves being torn to flaming jelly by the swirling maws of the Dragon Kings Eternal Hunger. There she swore herself to his service, and He in retrun granted unto her a symbol of his Power in the form of a Talisman; and a infintesmilly tiny fraction of his power in the form of a Sphere of Annihilation… The Sphere, which can only be moved by the power of Will, had enough strength to destroy not just the Expedition’s enemies, but the entire world upon which they lived…
The Expedition returned to the Void to find that almost Two Years had passed since the beginning of their journey. The War against the Absolutes was Going Well, but the time of Sonya’s alliance with Seafang and Aeron was nearing a close.
War Report: The Coalition have driven the Absolutes from the bottom of Lake Swan and into their Lakebottom Bunker City – Cyclopea. Coalition forces have already begun to raze the upper levels of the City, but their leaders fear that a confrontation with The Absolute Council is immenent. Many powerful leaders among the Coalition now prowl the Front Line, ready to meet Eddore and his Council head on. mong them number: Princess of Darkmoon and High Priestess of The Fire Dragon King Mani Vortex as leader of Darkmoon’s armies; The Rage Prophet of Tier’Ted; General Zaxxon of Port; Nymar Bladesinger of Shrikes Perch who has acted as commander of the Shrike Guard in Crucius’ Absence; Sarin Half-Dragon of Frostwyrm; The High Priestess of Orb; Alloysius Sorjourn and Doomsight from Mootfort; and Berzerker Bill of Shrike’s Perch handling Tech Support. The Battle has even been joined by The Avatar of The Devourer himself, who many feel is the Coalitions’ only chance againt Eddore… Shrike’s Perch ahs been destroyed by The ROOT as they finally succeeded in creating a stable EMP field over all of the surface of Mount Norad. Fortunately the majority of the population of Shrike’s Perch was relocated to Dragoon City surrounding Mootfort.
The Succession Games: The playing field has significantly narrowed since the Expedition Left. Prince Nemoid the half-Absolute Sorcerer from House Kanceru fell to Prince Aeron the Enforcer’s Knife. Prince Ikasu Ando The Inquisitor General was defeated on the high Seas, and his Elemental Power Node Taken by Prince Seafang’s Pirates. Prince Onsdag Baron, the Seer on Obsidian Skies was torn apart by his own Flame-Spawned Umbral dragons when Princess Mani Vortex High Priestess of The Fire Dragon King (and Scion of House Arache) ordered them to rip him to shreds… Prince Setanus of House Zurai was slain in an “honorable duel” by Princess Sonya Vortex of Shrike’s Perch, and his body and soul crafted into her new War banner by The Warlord. Executioner Geneneral Prince Oriter of House Malveaux, and High Priest of The Dark Pantheon and Prince Lampre Mateur of House Matuer have been revealed as contenders; and former allies of house Baron’s late Seer.
Marvel Role Playing Basic Game: There has been some discussion about switching over to the System from margaret Weis Productions in order to streamline high-level game play. I am all for this as the system appears to be solid. We will likely use Dennis’s renditions of your characters as a basis for the Epic Level Characters. In order to assist in my ability to understand and run in this new system I would like to get together with some of you and run the introductory adventure from the game manual in an open style where you also get to see the nuts and bolts of what is going on. To this end I want you all thinking of a fun character from the Marvel (or even DC, I am not proprietary) universe for play. Thoughts? Talk to me on the Discussion Page.
General Info for the Curious:
Statement of Intent
Town of Shrike’s Perch
And a bit of history from regarding our fair party: The Second Great Expeditionary Team Ballad