Knightfall's Realmsian Dragonstar (Updated: Jan 4/09)

[Mahtave]

Heh, This story has me hooked. If it were up to me, I would like to see what you have done already. If only to keep the story going. But I can wait if you want to post all of Part Four together.

Great story!

[Knightfall]

Originally Posted by Mahtave

Heh, This story has me hooked. If it were up to me, I would like to see what you have done already. If only to keep the story going. But I can wait if you want to post all of Part Four together.

Great story!

Well, I wouldn't post it ALL together but I want to get back into it before posting any more. If you want to read more about Arcanum of the Stars then you should check out this page on my Wiki. That has some other roleplaying tidbits, plus a better overview of the whole campaign concept.

The star map of the Aegis Region might be of interest, as well as the details on the various power groups for my Dragonstar universe.

[Knightfall]

Part Four – Freedom calls its Heroes

Anauroch:
Disan and the Imperial ground-pounders spent the first half the night fighting off monster attacks, and the second half evading large bands of desert nomads. Normally, they wouldn’t be concerned about primitive, medieval humanoids, but these desert dwellers traveled in large groups and the Imperials had used up most of their energy resources fighting back the constant desert monster attacks.

It was like the entire world of Toril was against them.

“This place is full of things I would expect only in nightmares,” Sergeant Fielder was trying not to throw up, as Corporal Brett Thunder dragged away the flying creature that had eaten Private Shanks. “How can anyone survive here?”

His question was directed at no one, and Disan decided it best not to speak a sarcastic answer. He was finding that these soldiers were not the Empire’s best. They were bloodthirsty and inexperienced. They were perfect fodder for the wild things and magical monsters of this Anauroch, as the bedine girl had called it.

Disan had learned the desert’s name and the name of the girl’s people from her, but little else. They only spoke when the others were out of earshot, and even then Disan found her to be insular and unwilling to trust him. When he had asked her why the world has risen up against the Dragon Empire she only looked at him quizzically.

Disan wasn’t sure whether or not she was some sort of freedom fighter or environmental activist. Her behavior defied logic. It was almost like she’d never heard of the Dragon Empire before. If he’d been marooned on an Outlands world without ties to the Empire then her anger and distrust would be reasonable. But this was a new Imperial colony, not a free world.

Disan had seen the documentation himself. The world of Toril was affiliated with the Domain of Golion, and had been so for nearly a century.

Disan looked at the bedine girl with curiosity, while Sergeant Fielder helped Corporeal Thunder retrieve Shanks body. There wasn’t much left, as the creature’s digestive juices had already done its work. His armor and weapons were still intact, but they were covered in slimy acid.

“We should bury him. He was a jerk, but he deserves at least a burial.” Fielder sighed.

“Even if you bury him, he won’t stay that way. The desert’s winds will just unbury and rebury him, flailing off his flesh in the process.” Disan had grown up on a desert world and was finding Anauroch to be a lot like home, except for the bitter cold.

The bedine girl seemed to sense his innate knowledge of the desert, and it was likely the only reason she had talked to him at all. Disan found that he was becoming completely captivated by her exotic beauty, and she seemed drawn to him as well. Especially his perfect green eyes, at least, that what an elven exotic dancer told him once. However, it was more likely that she was baiting him, waiting for the right time to escape or slit his throat.

“You need to gather as many large stones as you can. We will bury him under a rock cairn somewhere where the ground is less windswept. Wrap his body in this,” Disan handed the soldiers a magical tarp that he always carried. The tarp was roughly the size and weight of a small piece of cloth when folded, but unfolded into a tough, leather tarp roughly large enough to cover yourself in. “We’ll carry him up to that ridge.”

“Hmm, can’t we just bury him here, Sarge? He was a real pain in the ass, not worth the effort.” Brett groaned.

“Do what the Lieutenant says, Corporeal. He’s in charge.” Fielder snapped. Besides, he’s gotten us this far.”

“Yeah, tell that to Shanks.” Brett would never have admitted that he’d liked the man.

“No back talk, solider! Wrap the body, that’s an order. And if you don’t feel like carrying Shanks then I’ll do it and you can take point.”

“Sir yes, I’ll do it sir.”

“Good. We'll gather some rocks along the way. Follow me.”

Disan wondered how long he would be able to control these men. They were ready to start shooting at anything.

* * *

[Knightfall]

Shadowdale:
“We can’t hold them off much longer!” Arassil yelled over the sound of plasma fire and swords striking metal armor. Elminster heard her only because they fought back-to-back.

The battle was not going well for Arassil, her freedom fighters, and the dalesfolk. The Imperial Legions were proving to be impossible to hurt let alone kill with swords and bows, and even the freedom fighters’ plasma blasters weren’t taking down very many. The Zhents fought with only normal weapons, so many of them had fallen. The Imperials had sent them in first to soften up the dalesfolk.

The Zhents had thrown themselves fanatically at the dalesfolk and the defenders of Shadowdale had fought back with as much enthusiasm. Then the Imperial Legions soldiers had moved in while the hovertanks’ plasma cannons and the dragon walker’s single ion cannon demolished the dalesfolk cavalry that had rode in to meet the Imperials. Only Elminster’s powerful magicks was holding the Imperials off.

The Imperials had sent only a few sorcerers and they’d hadn’t been a match versus the Sage of Shadowdale. The Zhents had sent more wizards but they too had been ill equipped against Elminster’s knowledge of galactic arcane magic. Elminster decimated a whole stand of Imperial legionaries with a radioactive-based fireball spell. The effects had been devastating to the Imperials and the landscape, but Elminster had been desperate.

Then the hovertanks and dragon walker had moved forward and things had begun to get out of hand. Arassil and her freedom fighters set off some displacement mines that had been placed in the Ethereal Plane just as the hovertanks reached the spot. The mines shifted to the Material Plane and detonated. The explosion had destroyed the first phalanx of hovertanks, but the dragon walker was left unscathed.

It then opened fire with its ion cannon at point blank range, right into the middle of the melee between the Zhents and the dalesfolk. The Imperials cared nothing for the Zhents and used them as fodder. The legionaries advanced on the dalesfolk and the rout was on. Not even the freedom fighters’ hidden sonic charges and portable, dimensional rocket mount was making a difference. Elminster had watched helplessly as Lord Mourngrym and his best men died in a blaze of ion and plasma fire.

Another ion blast came down on top of the heroes and only Elminster’s energy shield save the bulk of the men and women fighting around him. The Zhents panicked running every which way, while the Imperials began shoot down anyone not wearing their colors.

“Retreat, retreat into Cormanthor!” Elminster’s voice rose over the battlefield, but only his allies heard his actual words. His voice sounded like the roar of an angry dragon in the Imperial’s ears but they kept coming forward, unimpressed.

Zhents died in dishonor, dalesfolk ran before the onslaught they had no chance against, and the Imperials took Shadowdale as their prize. The Imperial legionaries razed everything left too nothingness, while their scouts pursued the Faerûnians into Cormanthor on foot and speeder bikes.

* * *

[Mahtave]

Knightfall,

I'm just glad to see that there is still life to this thread. The story you have here has me captivated. I eagerly wait for more!

[Archus]

I've been following this story on and off since 02 and it is great. Just recently got the bug to run the Dragonstar/Mutants and Masterminds game I've had in mind for years and looked up this story again.

Great work.

[Broccli_Head]

all of a sudden a resurgence in Dragonstar interest? What does it mean?

[Ed]

It's weird but after four or five years of not messing with it, I found my old DS books in a box in the garage. Now, I'm thundering along in a Dragonstar game using the Mutants and Masterminds system.

It really was a great setting! Props to FFG for their hard work on it.

[Knightfall]

In the Sky:
Breakwater tried desperately to restart his interceptor's engines. He struggled in vain to keep the ship stable. The controls were jammed as the interceptor spun out of control. Somewhere on the edge of his consciousness he could hear Freddy voice.

“Cousin, what's wrong? Pull up! Pull up! Breakwater!”

All Breakwater could think was 'Not now, Freddy. I'm kind of busy.' The interceptor was spinning like a top as the sky buffeted its frame back and forth. Lights were flashing before his eyes and he couldn't tell if it was the console in front of him or his mind's eye playing tricks on him.

“Come on! Come on! Turn over you piece of crap!” Breakwater gasped. He was barely getting any oxygen but he knew better than to take his mask off. If he didn't get control in the next few seconds then it wouldn't matter.

He would blackout.

Breakwater reached for the ejection lever but couldn't reach it. His hand was frozen less than a foot from the lever. His world began to swim and he heard his cousin's voice again.

“Eject! Eject!”

* * *

[Reveille]

Holy canoli, an update!

[Knightfall]

Two actually...

Faerûn Cities Burning:
Across Faerûn, city after city fell into flames. The Imperial soldiers were relentless in their destruction. They suppressed all revolts with an uncanny ferocity.

Beluir's resistance movement had been crushed with the death of its leaders including Finkel Sunbottle. Those freedom fighters unfortunate enough to have been captured were sent to detention camps southwest of the city. The situation was the same in Estagund. The Imperials wiped out the citizens of Chavyondat without mercy. Halaruaa was hard pressed on all sides not only from the Imperials but also from the half-drow rulers of Dambrath who quickly aligned themselves with the Imperials and the drow agents of the ISPD. In Halarahh, the magic of its citizens was the only thing that evened the odds against the laser blasters of the Imperials. Still, the outlook was grim without the Weave and many Halruaans committed suicide after Mystra's sudden death.

In Amn and Tethyr, the situation had gone from dire to nearly hopeless. The Imperials moved from city to city unchecked burning and looting. In Amn, only Athkatla still stood due to the intervention of Bane. Every city in Tethyr burned under the relentless assault of Imperial plasma blasters. The elves and fey of the Wealdath came to the Tethyrians aid but to no avail. Instead, the Tethyrians were forced to retreat into the forest. The Imperials, in response, buzz the forest from above firing into the canopy. They don't care what they hit. Many of the forests denizens have retreated to the plane of the lythari but the elven shapechangers refuse to take all comers.

In Calimshan, the situation is somewhat better. Shar refused to give an inch to the Imperials and her followers fought with a ferocity and zeal that impressed even their enemies. The city's were aflame but they remained free from Imperials for the most part. It was turning into the bloodiest conflict on the continent. As a result, the Imperials quicklyrecruited the evil goblinoids and giants of the Forest of Mir with promises of gold and glory. The ISPD found new recruits amongst the Vhaeraunian drow of the forest as well.

In the Unapproachable East, the Imperials attacks forced the Aglarond, Rashemen, and Thay to work together. The uneasy treaty between the three countries has forced the Imperials to deal with the combined magical might of the witches of Rashemen, the Red Wizards, and the Simbul. However, they are fighting on two fronts. First, there are the Imperials attacking from the North with the help of the worst of the Moonsea and the Sea of the Fallen Stars. Second, there are the Mulhorandi attacking from the south with the help of the power of the new Imperial-Mulhorandi Aspects of the Unification Church.

The Witch-Queen was heard to say the following quote after viewing the ruins of Dilpur in Impiltur: “So much destruction. So much death. These invaders must be stopped or Faerûn is lost.”

With Elminster's departure from Waterdeep, that city quickly found itself hard pressed. Then the Avatar of Kelemvor protecting the city fell. The momentary distraction it felt due to the pain inflicted by the Aspect of the Reaper far to the East was just the chance that Cyric had been waiting for. He destroyed the Avatar and pushed City of Splendors into chaos. He left them to Fate. The battle that rage outside the walls of the city soon spilled into the city. Imperials and Waterdhavians slaughtered each other in those streets and the citizens of the city gave as good as they got. They fought with sword, daggers, maces, clubs, bottles, and anything else in reach. Yet, the Imperials marched forward firing into the mass of resistance. For every Imperial soldier that fell, five Waterdhavians died. The Lords of the City revealed themselves and fought from the front. Halaster Blackcloak fought beside them and did his life proud before a blaster cannon from a dragon walker incinerated him.

The Gods of Faerûn could no longer help the city. It was only one of many that burned.

* * *

More to come... I hope.

[Blackrat]

Haven't got the time to read more just now, but I just got to the end of Book One, and all I can say wow... It's like, like Star Wars and Stargate together in Forgotten Realms . I love it I hope I can get more reading tomorrow.

[PhoenixDarkDirk]

This story is pretty impressive. I've always been interested in Dragonstar. It's the closest thing to my ideal setting that I've seen published. Just the other day I got a copy of the Player's Companion, thus completing my collection of the FFG books for the setting.

[Knightfall]

Originally Posted by Blackrat

Haven't got the time to read more just now, but I just got to the end of Book One, and all I can say wow... It's like, like Star Wars and Stargate together in Forgotten Realms . I love it I hope I can get more reading tomorrow.

Originally Posted by PhoenixDarkDirk

This story is pretty impressive. I've always been interested in Dragonstar. It's the closest thing to my ideal setting that I've seen published. Just the other day I got a copy of the Player's Companion, thus completing my collection of the FFG books for the setting.

Thank guys, I'm in the process of outlining the next few updates in my head before I try to tackle writing them. I'm re-reading parts of the FRCS and Lords of Darkness, regarding The North and City of Shade, in order to refresh my memory.

[Salthorae]

Originally Posted by Knightfall

Thank guys, I'm in the process of outlining the next few updates in my head before I try to tackle writing them. I'm re-reading parts of the FRCS and Lords of Darkness, regarding The North and City of Shade, in order to refresh my memory.

<-- my reaction at having caught up on all the updates!

Loved it in 2002 and love it right now!

[Knightfall]

Originally Posted by Salthorae

<-- my reaction at having caught up on all the updates!

Loved it in 2002 and love it right now!

Thanks.

I just bought a copy of Silver Marches, so I'm hoping to get some additional Realmsian Dragonstar inspiration from that book.