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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Keht" data-source="post: 5616748" data-attributes="member: 6678799">OOC Thread: <a href="http://goo.gl/1NMkD" target="_blank">http://goo.gl/1NMkD</a>Start Date 07/11/2011Players1. vl.arandur   Alchemist/12. mkb152      Fighter/23. Mowgli Bard/14. NPC, Ran by GMIntroduction Eight hundred years ago, a hidden armada of ships from Taldor floated off the coast of the Isle of Kortos like a thousand locusts, waiting for the signal to invade Absalom. The plan was simple, but deadly: When the misty weather of Desnus (May) took hold, a fifth column of infiltrators known as Black Echelon would weaken strategic defense points and destroy Absalom’s warning system from within. Once their bloody mayhem was complete, the hidden saboteurs planned to signal the fleet, welcoming them to lay siege to a city now brought to its knees.  Prearranged signal lights were prepared for each phase of the offensive. A red flashing light was the sign for Black Echelon to poison Absalom’s granary. A violet light with three pulses was the signal for a prearranged team to destroy the city’s bell towers, and so on. But when the mists of Desnus descended, the prearranged signal lights never appeared. Unbeknownst to the hidden strike teams, the leaders of the Black Echelon infiltration cell were discovered and assassinated by brave heroes of Absalom.  The signal lanterns lay dark, and the rest of Black Echelon sat idle. Several hours later, the fleet’s hiding place was discovered. A quick counterattack by Absalom’s navy ambushed the would-be invasion force and Taldor’s armada was destroyed to the last mast. In the coming weeks, Absalom’s constabulary rooted out the remaining hidden members of Black Echelon and put every last one to the sword.  The failed invasion mission, called the Silent Tide, would have amounted to little more than a cautionary footnote in a textbook of naval battles save for one crucial detail: Prior to entering Absalom, each member of the Black Echelon cell swore an ancient oath, known as the Binding Word. Black Echelon pledged to fulfill their duties, no matter the barrier, no matter the cost. And as recent events have begun to demonstrate, in this case, the power of the Binding Word compels these deadly saboteurs from beyond the pale.  When an elderly military historian named Yargos Gill acquires a copy of the ancient codebook detailing the signals for the Silent Tide, he replicates them on a lark. He soon watches in horror as Black Echelon rises from the dead and begins to fulfill the tasks the spies swore to complete so very long ago. Even worse, the marines of the massive armada that now rest on the sea floor have also sworn the Binding Word. Once Black Echelon finishes its final task, the invasion force will rise and the Silent Tide will roll across the city, bringing death to all of Absalom.  Recognizing his own foolishness, Yargos tried to alert the city and avert disaster. But before he could hurl the codebook into the sea to abort the Silent Tide once and for all, a young crime lord named Nessian intervened.  Nessian has a better plan for the codebook. He intends to manipulate the undead operatives and take advantage of the disruption their sabotage wreaks. As the bearer of the codebook, Nessian alone knows the lantern signal to abort. The codebook is his chance to blackmail the populace as he wishes and finally secure his place in Absalom’s underworld.  Absalom is about to be invaded from beyond the grave. A group of intrepid Pathfinders is the only thing standing between Nessian and his lantern lights, before the launch of the Silent Tide.</blockquote>

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