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Burning Empires: Boldaq
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<blockquote data-quote="LostSoul" data-source="post: 4025226" data-attributes="member: 386"><p><strong>Phase Goals:</strong> </p><p><em>Human:</em> Eliminate FON Duke von Zágaš - reduce his influence on Boldaq</p><p><em>Vaylen:</em> Change government to Rebel Line - Kofer Pyatt will rule</p><p></p><p><strong>Human Prequel:</strong> Pali Suren Vachir Edrene (9 successes)</p><p></p><p>Boldaq, within the Podala Palace. The Pali meditates in his psychohistory chamber. A blue glow covers him. He reaches out with his mind, scanning Boldaq for hidden allies and enemies. Landscapes and faces flash by: marsh rats stalking their prey in the flood plain; children in the streets hearing the word of the Prophet; a scarred man, sitting in a cave, speaking out against the weakness the Pali is spreading; and Kofer Pyatt, the Pali's herald, deep within the Vaylen cave...</p><p></p><p><strong>Vaylen Prequel:</strong> Kofer Pyatt (1 success)</p><p></p><p>Kofer Pyatt stands surrounded by marsh rats and genetically engineered Vaylen experiments. He lets loose with his PaC and vaporizes scores of them. The beasts retreat into shadow. Red eyes watch the warrior psychologist from the darkness.</p><p></p><p>Kofer Pyatt opens a door. A green light floods over him. He sees the Vaylen Controller - a creature with ten arms, each ending in sixteen fingers - performing surgery on a wide-eyed human victim. The Controller turns to face Kofer Pyatt. Its compound eyes scan him.</p><p></p><p>"I am here for your secrets, Worm," Kofer Pyatt says.</p><p></p><p>A small humanoid creature walks over to the Controller. The Controller opens its slit mouth and screeches into the back of the humanoid, who translates the whine into language. "Not many who seek the secrets of the Vaylen survive," the Controller says through its translator. </p><p></p><p>A marsh rat leaps from the darkness, only to be cut down by Pyatt's PaC. Another comes from his flank and knocks the PaC out of his hands. Pyatt breaks its neck and reaches for the PaC, but more pile on top of him, pinning him against a wall.</p><p></p><p>The Controller approaches him and caresses his face with its sixteen-fingered hand. "Now I will discover your secrets."</p><p></p><p><strong>Scene. Kaeli, Building.</strong></p><p></p><p>A grav sled speeds over the surface of Boldaq, kicking up red dust in its wake.</p><p></p><p>Inside the cockpit: Kaeli scans the planet through her macrobinoculars. </p><p></p><p>"Any sign, Wedge?" she asks the pilot.</p><p></p><p>"No, sir," Wedge replies. "The signal's too old and weak - two men don't leave much trace. We were lucky to pick up any trail at all."</p><p></p><p>"Put us down over there."</p><p></p><p>The grav sled lands in a small basin. Kaeli gets out and scans the terrain.</p><p></p><p>She does not find any trace of her love, Kofer Pyatt. Nor does she see the marsh rats spying on her from above.</p><p></p><p><strong>Scene. Pali, Building.</strong></p><p></p><p>In the streets of Ahoydia. A group of kids are sitting in a circle. Bezun the Unmasker, the 9-year old who tore the mask from the old Archcotare Sibil, preaches to them. All listen, even the older kids.</p><p></p><p>A runner with the Pali's painted blue Taab Assar cuts across the circle. He whispers into the ear of Bezun.</p><p></p><p>"The Pali needs me again!" He runs through the streets. The other kids are hushed in awe.</p><p></p><p>Bezun arrives in a cramped square. Men are crowded in, watching a tightrope walker try to make his way from one rooftop to the next on a thin wire. They shout and scream: "Fall! Fall!" "Hang on! Hang on!"</p><p></p><p>The man falls, and everyone screams. Money changes hands as wagers are resolved. No one notices an old beggar approach the fallen man.</p><p></p><p>Bezun runs to the beggar's side. He looks at the fallen man, wheezing and gasping for breath. The beggar places a wizened hand on the injured man. "Be well, my son," he says.</p><p></p><p>A blue light erputs from under the beggar's hood. The whole square is bathed in it. Men turn and stare, forgetting about their winnings.</p><p></p><p>Bezun leaps on a crate. "Witness the blessing of the Pali!" he says. The fallen tightrope walker stands, healed. "Come, and accept his blessing!"</p><p></p><p>Men crowd around the Pali, who stains each one's face with the blue Taab Assar.</p><p></p><p>"Go forth, and serve your Pali!" Bezun cries.</p><p></p><p><strong>Scene. Duke von Zágaš, Color.</strong></p><p></p><p>On Zágaš. The Duke stands at the top of a long stair, dressed in ceremonial iron. His black cape with gold trim whips in the wind. He looks down the stair to the long processional path, bounded on either side by throngs of cheering peasants.</p><p></p><p>Hammer shuttles scream by overhead. One shuttle, marked with Tovol's flag, breaks away and lands. The hatch opens and Tovol steps out in his ceremonial uniform.</p><p></p><p>The sky is torn open by explosions of colour and sound. Red and gold petals fall from the sky like rain. The crowd cheers.</p><p></p><p><strong>Scene. Duke von Zágaš, Building.</strong></p><p></p><p>Lord Tovol ascends to the top of stair and kneels before his father.</p><p></p><p>"I have come as ordered, your Majesty," Lord Tovol says.</p><p></p><p>The Duke draws his sword. "Do you swear to serve me in all things?"</p><p></p><p>"I so swear."</p><p></p><p>"Though it may cost you your life?"</p><p></p><p>"Yet, I swear."</p><p></p><p>"Then rise, Lord Tovol von Zágaš, Forged Lord."</p><p></p><p>"I swear to execute your every will on Boldaq - to return and rid it of all dangers."</p><p></p><p>The Duke's subjects 'round the world see, on their liege lord, no sign of discontent with his son's improvised words.</p><p></p><p>"Lord Tovol, I have a gift for you." He waves his hand, and a hologram appears in the sky above them, showing rows of soldiers standing at attention. They bear Tovol's standard.</p><p></p><p>"Your first Anvil. Taken from Lord Goss. May you manage these troops better than he."</p><p></p><p>"Thank you, father."</p><p></p><p>"I have also had all the paperwork necessary for your new command delivered to your chambers." He smiles. "Do not overly enjoy yourself at the fete tonight! You will find the responsibilities of a Forged Lord demanding. I will make myself available to guide you through your new duties."</p><p></p><p>"I am in your debt, your Majesty."</p><p></p><p><strong>Scene. Lord Tovol, Building.</strong></p><p></p><p>In the massive dining hall of Duke von Zágaš. Court Lords and courtiers gossip about politics. Lord Tovol's bare head stands out among the crowd of powdered and wigged men.</p><p></p><p>"Ah hmmm, Lord Tovol, your Grace. Let me congratulate you on your new promotion. Lord Goss won't - seeing as how you've taken his beloved Anvil!"</p><p></p><p>"Lord Goss is a fool and a coward. If he was any sort of leader his Anvil would still be with him."</p><p></p><p>"Ah yes, hmmm hah hmmm. I do fear that you have made yourself an enemy for life!"</p><p></p><p>"If only all my enemies were as capable as Lord Goss."</p><p></p><p>"Hah hah, yes, quite! Lord Tovol, you have the cutting wit that befits a man of your position. Ah, look who it is - Lord Goss!"</p><p></p><p>Lord Goss - in the formal dress of an Inquisitor, the scar of the Bright Mark clearly visible on his face - pushes his way past the effeminate courtiers. </p><p></p><p>"Lord Tovol, your Grace. I hope you can hold onto your new title longer than you did your title of Cotar Fomas. We all know how you executed the Church's will on Boldaq, chasing after pirates."</p><p></p><p>"Where is Fat Chaz now? Boldaq is safe, thanks to me. More than you can say, having your Anvil decimated on Gordin's Reach. And where were you? Commanding from the rear?"</p><p></p><p>"Lies! Gossip spread to defame me."</p><p></p><p>"Ask your fallen soldiers if it's just gossip."</p><p></p><p>Lord Goss storms away.</p><p></p><p>"Hmmm hah hah hah! Well done, Lord Tovol, well done!"</p><p></p><p><strong>Scene. Lord Tovol, Building.</strong></p><p></p><p>Lord Tovol enters his chambers, bare of any comfort. Months worth of paperwork lie in stacks on his desk.</p><p></p><p>He sits down and turns on a computer. Scanning through the personnel database, he finds an accountant who can deal with all this work for him. The price, though - his funds are being sorely tapped. He rubs his eyes.</p><p></p><p><strong>Scene. Lady Neer Krishmurly, Building (Pali).</strong></p><p></p><p>A knock at the door. Lord Tovol answers and finds a servant there, who hands him a card. A card marked with the blue eye of the Pali. He reads it:</p><p></p><p>"Lord Tovol, I am Lady Neer Krishmurly. I believe that you are familiar with a distant cousin of mine - Suren Vachir Edrene? He has spoken to me of you, and has nothing but good to say. The Duke's court can be intimidating at times, so know that you have a friend who can guide you."</p><p></p><p><strong>Scene. Interstitial, Kofer Pyatt.</strong></p><p></p><p>Deep within the Vaylen caves. Kofer Pyatt is strapped to a surgical table, the Vaylen Controller working on him. He screams. His bright mark flares.</p><p></p><p>"Let me free, Worm!"</p><p></p><p>The Controller stops. "We have experience with your kind," he says through the translator. "We will not waste any Naiven on you. But we want to make a deal with you."</p><p></p><p>"What do you want?"</p><p></p><p>"We want to be free! Off this dangerous rock, away from those with the burning scar. We want to rejoin with our brothers in space, to tell them what we have learned of your kind - you psychologists. They must know!</p><p></p><p>"You have allies in space. Get us off-world and we will teach you all our secrets."</p><p></p><p>Kofer Pyatt thinks it over. His bright mark dies down, goes out. "You have a deal, Worm."</p><p></p><p><strong>Scene. Interstitial, Draz Tolo (Fat Chaz).</strong></p><p></p><p>A square in the streets of Ahoydia. The Pali sits cross-legged in the centre of a circle of children. They listen to his holy words with reverence.</p><p></p><p>Draz Tolo watches, smoking a cheroot in an alley. He throws the cheroot to the ground and breaks through the circle.</p><p></p><p>He draws his pistol and places it on the Pali's temple. The Pali remains calm.</p><p></p><p>"I know you work with Tovol," Draz says, spitting at the Forged Lord's name. "I want you to bring him to me."</p><p></p><p>"It will take time - space is vast."</p><p></p><p>"You'll find a way." Draz Tolo grabs one of the children and leaves for his ship. "Or else."</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Scene. Colour, Fat Chaz.</strong></p><p></p><p>We see a vat of thick green ooze. Fat Chaz's head is just above it. His eyes flash open - one glowing red with a mechanical light - and he screams in agony.</p><p></p><p><strong>Maneuver. </strong> Vaylen Flak vs. Human Assess (factions). 0s defense/2s offense vs. 4s. Human success.</p><p></p><p>The Pali Suren Vachir Edrene sits in his psychohistory chambers, mentally computing reports from all over Boldaq and those sent from his agents on Zágaš. Important groups on Boldaq reveal themselves: Draz Tolo and the pirates, feuding among themselves. Lord Tovol's Hammer waiting restlessly without their leader. Cotars on Boldaq teaching the ways of the Mundus Humanitus to new converts, and the old native priests that stubbornly resist. The destitute among the streets of Ahoydia and the peasants of the flood plains and marshes, the backbone of Boldaq. The old warlords in the hills and plains, Kofer Pyatt foremost among them, chafing under the rule of their new masters. The Pakthas among the mountains, listening to the words of Petrus Shir Dil and the new teachings of the Pali. The marsh rats and the worm that moves within them.</p><p></p><p>And from Zágaš, the Duke's own forces and his levies and the lines of friction between them.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="LostSoul, post: 4025226, member: 386"] [b]Phase Goals:[/b] [i]Human:[/i] Eliminate FON Duke von Zágaš - reduce his influence on Boldaq [i]Vaylen:[/i] Change government to Rebel Line - Kofer Pyatt will rule [b]Human Prequel:[/b] Pali Suren Vachir Edrene (9 successes) Boldaq, within the Podala Palace. The Pali meditates in his psychohistory chamber. A blue glow covers him. He reaches out with his mind, scanning Boldaq for hidden allies and enemies. Landscapes and faces flash by: marsh rats stalking their prey in the flood plain; children in the streets hearing the word of the Prophet; a scarred man, sitting in a cave, speaking out against the weakness the Pali is spreading; and Kofer Pyatt, the Pali's herald, deep within the Vaylen cave... [b]Vaylen Prequel:[/b] Kofer Pyatt (1 success) Kofer Pyatt stands surrounded by marsh rats and genetically engineered Vaylen experiments. He lets loose with his PaC and vaporizes scores of them. The beasts retreat into shadow. Red eyes watch the warrior psychologist from the darkness. Kofer Pyatt opens a door. A green light floods over him. He sees the Vaylen Controller - a creature with ten arms, each ending in sixteen fingers - performing surgery on a wide-eyed human victim. The Controller turns to face Kofer Pyatt. Its compound eyes scan him. "I am here for your secrets, Worm," Kofer Pyatt says. A small humanoid creature walks over to the Controller. The Controller opens its slit mouth and screeches into the back of the humanoid, who translates the whine into language. "Not many who seek the secrets of the Vaylen survive," the Controller says through its translator. A marsh rat leaps from the darkness, only to be cut down by Pyatt's PaC. Another comes from his flank and knocks the PaC out of his hands. Pyatt breaks its neck and reaches for the PaC, but more pile on top of him, pinning him against a wall. The Controller approaches him and caresses his face with its sixteen-fingered hand. "Now I will discover your secrets." [b]Scene. Kaeli, Building.[/b] A grav sled speeds over the surface of Boldaq, kicking up red dust in its wake. Inside the cockpit: Kaeli scans the planet through her macrobinoculars. "Any sign, Wedge?" she asks the pilot. "No, sir," Wedge replies. "The signal's too old and weak - two men don't leave much trace. We were lucky to pick up any trail at all." "Put us down over there." The grav sled lands in a small basin. Kaeli gets out and scans the terrain. She does not find any trace of her love, Kofer Pyatt. Nor does she see the marsh rats spying on her from above. [b]Scene. Pali, Building.[/b] In the streets of Ahoydia. A group of kids are sitting in a circle. Bezun the Unmasker, the 9-year old who tore the mask from the old Archcotare Sibil, preaches to them. All listen, even the older kids. A runner with the Pali's painted blue Taab Assar cuts across the circle. He whispers into the ear of Bezun. "The Pali needs me again!" He runs through the streets. The other kids are hushed in awe. Bezun arrives in a cramped square. Men are crowded in, watching a tightrope walker try to make his way from one rooftop to the next on a thin wire. They shout and scream: "Fall! Fall!" "Hang on! Hang on!" The man falls, and everyone screams. Money changes hands as wagers are resolved. No one notices an old beggar approach the fallen man. Bezun runs to the beggar's side. He looks at the fallen man, wheezing and gasping for breath. The beggar places a wizened hand on the injured man. "Be well, my son," he says. A blue light erputs from under the beggar's hood. The whole square is bathed in it. Men turn and stare, forgetting about their winnings. Bezun leaps on a crate. "Witness the blessing of the Pali!" he says. The fallen tightrope walker stands, healed. "Come, and accept his blessing!" Men crowd around the Pali, who stains each one's face with the blue Taab Assar. "Go forth, and serve your Pali!" Bezun cries. [b]Scene. Duke von Zágaš, Color.[/b] On Zágaš. The Duke stands at the top of a long stair, dressed in ceremonial iron. His black cape with gold trim whips in the wind. He looks down the stair to the long processional path, bounded on either side by throngs of cheering peasants. Hammer shuttles scream by overhead. One shuttle, marked with Tovol's flag, breaks away and lands. The hatch opens and Tovol steps out in his ceremonial uniform. The sky is torn open by explosions of colour and sound. Red and gold petals fall from the sky like rain. The crowd cheers. [b]Scene. Duke von Zágaš, Building.[/b] Lord Tovol ascends to the top of stair and kneels before his father. "I have come as ordered, your Majesty," Lord Tovol says. The Duke draws his sword. "Do you swear to serve me in all things?" "I so swear." "Though it may cost you your life?" "Yet, I swear." "Then rise, Lord Tovol von Zágaš, Forged Lord." "I swear to execute your every will on Boldaq - to return and rid it of all dangers." The Duke's subjects 'round the world see, on their liege lord, no sign of discontent with his son's improvised words. "Lord Tovol, I have a gift for you." He waves his hand, and a hologram appears in the sky above them, showing rows of soldiers standing at attention. They bear Tovol's standard. "Your first Anvil. Taken from Lord Goss. May you manage these troops better than he." "Thank you, father." "I have also had all the paperwork necessary for your new command delivered to your chambers." He smiles. "Do not overly enjoy yourself at the fete tonight! You will find the responsibilities of a Forged Lord demanding. I will make myself available to guide you through your new duties." "I am in your debt, your Majesty." [b]Scene. Lord Tovol, Building.[/b] In the massive dining hall of Duke von Zágaš. Court Lords and courtiers gossip about politics. Lord Tovol's bare head stands out among the crowd of powdered and wigged men. "Ah hmmm, Lord Tovol, your Grace. Let me congratulate you on your new promotion. Lord Goss won't - seeing as how you've taken his beloved Anvil!" "Lord Goss is a fool and a coward. If he was any sort of leader his Anvil would still be with him." "Ah yes, hmmm hah hmmm. I do fear that you have made yourself an enemy for life!" "If only all my enemies were as capable as Lord Goss." "Hah hah, yes, quite! Lord Tovol, you have the cutting wit that befits a man of your position. Ah, look who it is - Lord Goss!" Lord Goss - in the formal dress of an Inquisitor, the scar of the Bright Mark clearly visible on his face - pushes his way past the effeminate courtiers. "Lord Tovol, your Grace. I hope you can hold onto your new title longer than you did your title of Cotar Fomas. We all know how you executed the Church's will on Boldaq, chasing after pirates." "Where is Fat Chaz now? Boldaq is safe, thanks to me. More than you can say, having your Anvil decimated on Gordin's Reach. And where were you? Commanding from the rear?" "Lies! Gossip spread to defame me." "Ask your fallen soldiers if it's just gossip." Lord Goss storms away. "Hmmm hah hah hah! Well done, Lord Tovol, well done!" [b]Scene. Lord Tovol, Building.[/b] Lord Tovol enters his chambers, bare of any comfort. Months worth of paperwork lie in stacks on his desk. He sits down and turns on a computer. Scanning through the personnel database, he finds an accountant who can deal with all this work for him. The price, though - his funds are being sorely tapped. He rubs his eyes. [b]Scene. Lady Neer Krishmurly, Building (Pali).[/b] A knock at the door. Lord Tovol answers and finds a servant there, who hands him a card. A card marked with the blue eye of the Pali. He reads it: "Lord Tovol, I am Lady Neer Krishmurly. I believe that you are familiar with a distant cousin of mine - Suren Vachir Edrene? He has spoken to me of you, and has nothing but good to say. The Duke's court can be intimidating at times, so know that you have a friend who can guide you." [b]Scene. Interstitial, Kofer Pyatt.[/b] Deep within the Vaylen caves. Kofer Pyatt is strapped to a surgical table, the Vaylen Controller working on him. He screams. His bright mark flares. "Let me free, Worm!" The Controller stops. "We have experience with your kind," he says through the translator. "We will not waste any Naiven on you. But we want to make a deal with you." "What do you want?" "We want to be free! Off this dangerous rock, away from those with the burning scar. We want to rejoin with our brothers in space, to tell them what we have learned of your kind - you psychologists. They must know! "You have allies in space. Get us off-world and we will teach you all our secrets." Kofer Pyatt thinks it over. His bright mark dies down, goes out. "You have a deal, Worm." [b]Scene. Interstitial, Draz Tolo (Fat Chaz).[/b] A square in the streets of Ahoydia. The Pali sits cross-legged in the centre of a circle of children. They listen to his holy words with reverence. Draz Tolo watches, smoking a cheroot in an alley. He throws the cheroot to the ground and breaks through the circle. He draws his pistol and places it on the Pali's temple. The Pali remains calm. "I know you work with Tovol," Draz says, spitting at the Forged Lord's name. "I want you to bring him to me." "It will take time - space is vast." "You'll find a way." Draz Tolo grabs one of the children and leaves for his ship. "Or else." [b]Scene. Colour, Fat Chaz.[/b] We see a vat of thick green ooze. Fat Chaz's head is just above it. His eyes flash open - one glowing red with a mechanical light - and he screams in agony. [b]Maneuver. [/b] Vaylen Flak vs. Human Assess (factions). 0s defense/2s offense vs. 4s. Human success. The Pali Suren Vachir Edrene sits in his psychohistory chambers, mentally computing reports from all over Boldaq and those sent from his agents on Zágaš. Important groups on Boldaq reveal themselves: Draz Tolo and the pirates, feuding among themselves. Lord Tovol's Hammer waiting restlessly without their leader. Cotars on Boldaq teaching the ways of the Mundus Humanitus to new converts, and the old native priests that stubbornly resist. The destitute among the streets of Ahoydia and the peasants of the flood plains and marshes, the backbone of Boldaq. The old warlords in the hills and plains, Kofer Pyatt foremost among them, chafing under the rule of their new masters. The Pakthas among the mountains, listening to the words of Petrus Shir Dil and the new teachings of the Pali. The marsh rats and the worm that moves within them. And from Zágaš, the Duke's own forces and his levies and the lines of friction between them. [/QUOTE]
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