Grace's voice is merciless and cold as she speaks, her voice is filled with cold logic.
"Take positions at the top of the canyon walls, incinerate any and all enemies. We have no resources to take care of prisoners."
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Grace also looks for cover... perception
Grace's tone is not exactly disdainful of Vera but anyone can sense that she isn't really interested in money... "The sashes don't interest me Vera, I am not the most money obsessed creature around... I am not say monk of the Eastern church who lives in austerity but wealth is not an all consuming lust for me..." "Besides their paying us in "paper"! Why can't these people use gold old fashioned gold like the society does..."
Grace halts her mount abruptly as Vera speaks, as Vera finishes Grace speaks... "They cannot be allowed to report back and in doing so strengthen their leader at his stronghold. We should take the initiative here, leave nothing save for ash upon the wind."
perception survival
Stamps the Occult Seal of "ludum dominus" upon the GM's armor...
"Sorry if I appear...overzealous companions. How long until we reach the enemy's doorstep?"
Alright revising Grace's chapter to be more in line with campaign... Tutores mortis, the Deathguard: Chapter: Tutores mortis or Deathguard in the common tongue. Motto: Victoria cognoscant viventes mortui scient vindictam. (translation=The living shall know victory, the dead shall know vengeance.) Colors: Somber black with emerald green trim. Symbol: A silver skulled superimposed upon a black ankh. Location: Hallows. Lord Commander: Mortimer the "deathless" (LN Thaumaturge level 20) Lords: Valerie Angelos (known by veterans of the Theology War as the "Brimstone Angel", LE level 15 Kinectist), Kyras the "blessed" (LN level 15 Reliquarian) and Cortez Torquemada (LN level 15 Fighter or Warlord). Numbers: 300 Initiates, 1500 Templars, 30 Duty Bound, 100 librarians, 75 punishers, 200 Templar Chaplains and 50 Psychics. Personality: Grim, determined and militant. History: The Deathguard was founded just over a 100 years ago, although their name only came about recently due to the causalities taken in the war... Amounting to 1/3 of the Chapter's members. The Deathguard as a result is a grim chapter, however they are not broken by any stretch. They shall be a chapter to make the Society proud.
@Relik,"little other then that your authority ends at the Hallows, while you may be treated as a guest within it's confines a different set of rules apply..." Grace gazes into the distance and then speaks again, her focus on the battle ahead. "We need to settle the question of how to deal with this "renegade" or I suspect runaway... While we find virtually all who possess the "gift" in the old countries our net in the Territories is far easier to slip through... I will be able to tell which if we can capture her alive, if she is a renegade she will speak the Gothic tongue. If not she will think my speech to be gibberish. While I think it best to catch her while she sleeps I am open to other alternatives..."
Grace replies bluntly to the Marshall, "I do not have that luxury, I do have my duty however." With that Grace mounts a horse and prepares for your the journey ahead.
Grace's tone is brisk and hard as stone, she will brook no argument on this matter. "Before we go I must note something Marshall, another prisoner may well be brought here. That prisoner if she is captured alive will be brought here for temporary imprisonment but she is not in any way under your jurisdiction. She is a Society matter who will be if captured alive transported to the Hallows with all possible haste."
@Relik "That remains to be seen, I do not even know if she is a Society renegade... Some people do slip the net at it were. As for crimes that will require an interrogation..."
Grace's voice is analytical but in the last few lines you can detect a faint pique of emotion from her... "The Mesmer would most certainly be the largest threat, her abilities are those of manipulation and deception... However I am opposed to killing her if it can be avoided, if she is someone who slipped through the cracks it is my responsibility to bring her to the Hollows..." Grace's tone is realistic as she describes the options available. "Note however that while I would prefer to take her alive that doesn't mean she has to completely "pristine", bruises and broken bones can heal given enough time. I do not ask you however to take suicidal risks in this regard, as much as I hate to admit it killing her may be unavoidable...
Grace stands before the elderly Reliquarian and speaks in a respectful tone, "fellow member of the Society would you cast a spell on my behalf?" The old Reliquarian responded, his tone questioning... "What is the name the of spell my good Templar?" Grace not missing a beat responded, "post haste."
Grace's tone is disapproving as she looks at Vera, although one can sense that has more to do with the halfling being drunk last night then anything else... "There is a concern Vera, you were drunk but we may have a society renegade on our hands. Or someone who slipped through our fingers in the first place..." You can feel a sense of foreboding in Grace as she pauses...her voice is filled with you think pity... "Hope that she is the latter, the punishment for society renegades is... You do not want to know."
Ready, although Grace does want to do some investigation concerning the so called "bandit princess"... Grace's question is basically this, is she a society renegade or someone who slipped through the Society's fingers? This will influence how Grace deals with her greatly...
"I am not concerned as how the Marshal perceives me, Deputy. I will obey the laws established by the Compact within reason..." Grace herself lowers her voice, "another matter needs to be dealt with...that of the mesmer who fancies herself to be James's paramour..."
Grace looks Relik dead in the eye, her gaze isn't like what she pulled off with Dek and his "mentor" but still it is clearly a sign of the occult... "I know this quite well, intimately you might say. As for my intentions I will do as the Templar code demands, I will defend the occult, I shall immolate those who would kill innocent children for just being born with the gift and if required I will lay down my life to perform my sacred charge."
@Cogs, "I don't know what it was but I felt something... It was like the gaze of hatred bore into my back... We would do well to take one room and set watches." With that Grace will retire with Vera to a room. "A Society renegade... This needs to be handled delicately...and I don't do delicate."
"We need a room in which to inter this halfling... By the eastern Saints she does not handle her liquor well..." Grace hearing of the secret room speaks, "I would take the room below." Grace then decides that speaking to the bartender might reveal valuable information about the feeling she felt as she surveyed the town on her walk... "I need some information if you would oblige me barkeep, I seek the Black Abbot and the supposed "renegade" congregations he leads... An hour ago I walked this town to seek out anyone who possessed the "gift". I found no one but I felt eyes upon me...and the not the eyes of those frightened by the Occult... What I felt was the gaze of hatred, I wonder if any of the Abbot's cults have a presence in this town... You are the barkeep, you pick things up. Have you seen anything or anyone who you felt was just wrong?"
Let's keep things moving people...
Grace would probably take a 100 dollars out of the loot (70+the sashes), suspect I should save up for the hoped for "goodies" in the Occult Adventures release.
Grace attempts to lift Vera onto her shoulders rather like a sack of grain... strength If she succeeds Grace will then proceed to the Inn and chat up the Ogreth for a room to put the inebriated halfling in...
Considering Relik's advice Grace thoughtfully "hums"... "Hmmm...good point." Grace's tone is reserved mostly but you can see a glimmer of wicked humor in her eyes... "Deliver Dek to the Marshall my good deputy, while your at it arrange a room at the Inn for Vera. By the time that is done she should hopefully be comatose..."
Grace's hands firmly attached to Vera's shoulders she tersely instructs
Grace calmly takes a chair and will attempt to put Vera into it... Her voice is clear and firm. "Sit" strength check
Grace looks at Vera and sighs... "I swore off whiskey a long time ago, when this one gets drunk it's harmless... When I get drunk I breath fire..."
This Templar is busy performing her duties (finding the gifted and sending them back to the old countries for education and safety)... @GM: With speeches I advise taking historical speeches (especially Winston and Roosevelt) for inspiration... Both knew what they were doing.
Pretty much although admittedly the Eastern Church is something akin to a morality pet for the Society... Also I have been thinking of a way to make something between Mass Combat and "normal" PC operations... Would you be interested in collaborating on such a system?
Oh they are, admittedly though Templars think the world would truly be a better place if the Church was destroyed (or at least they effectively all became the Eastern Divinity Church). Did the teleportation magic get nixed at the beginning or just now? (personally I think teleportation magic should be limited to rare "gates" and perhaps the dimension door spell) I would also note that Grace does believe (she isn't alone in this belief) that the Black Abbot is nothing more then a minion of the Church who was "conveniently" excommunicated... To say that her bias runs strong is an understatement, also a question of note. Do hot air balloons and zeppelins exist in this setting (I know that balloons were use during the civil war)?
Custodes Mortem:
Lord Commander: Ahriman Commanders: Kyras the "blessed", Cassandra the "archangel" and Thule the "shadow" Knights: over 200 Duty bound: 100 Templars: 3000 Initiates: 500 History: The Custodes Mortem (deathguard) earned their name in the brutal Theology war, during this war they lost over half of their entire army. As a result the Chaplains of all the Occult forces in the Custodes Mortem hold the most sway, Lord Commander Ahriman himself is a powerful Thaumaturge. The Custodes Mortem also possess a massive number of Duty bound, nearly ten times what most Chapters would have. The Custodes Mortem rely heavily on not just the Duty bound but often the dead who truly perished in the Theology war, several times in brief flareups across the West the ghosts of dead Templars have arisen to fight alongside their living brethren... While the Custodes did not deliberately summon back the spirits of their fallen brethern they have taken advantage of the situation and numerous Templar Chaplains run across the west on "mysterious" errands... Theology War, an overview:
The Theology war while a broad conflict can be summarized as follows. The Custodes Mortem started off at the disadvantage, while capable of moving their forces with ease via teleportation and maintaining communication via astropathy they simply could not stem the tide of the Church... Mid way in the war however the tide turned in the favor of the Custodes Mortem, for while the Church had over ten times the number of Templars this was essentially a conscript army. Poor training, poor equipment, bad supply lines and faith that could just as easily be crushed as stoked. The Templars however were disciplined, well equipped and well versed in the ways of the occult. Furthermore those Templars that had survived by the turning point of the war were battle hardened veterans. Worse however was the fact that the number of Duty bound effectively quadrupled due to causalities and the efforts of the Chaplains... The war turned brutally at the battle of the Spirit's run, the run once the sight of the Templars greatest defeat in the war (1000 causalities) was turned into a bloodbath for the Church. Thanks to the efforts of the Ahriman and his fellow Chaplains every Templar who died at the battle rose once again. The battle of Spirit's run would result in over five thousand Church causalities and a routed army. From the on the war would turn progressively worse for the church, as the Templars pressed further south the weaknesses of the Church's army were not exposed...they were laid open like a carcass at the butcher's shop. Worse yet for the Church was the fact that the Templars who had just heard rumors previously now saw the full extent of the Church's crimes... The Templars now seeing their enemies as below even rabid animals now viewed the war as nothing more then a massive cleansing, entire towns burned to the ground and once fertile fields became nothing save ash. The Templars were as merciless to the Church as the Church was to gifted children, both the innocent and guilty perished in the flames of war. Ultimately the war would be stopped by the Silver Stars, for the Templars despite enormous gains simply didn't have the numbers to defend them and the Church had exhausted both the faith and resources of it's people. Peace was brokered and a shadow conflict began... Thoughts GM?
Part of the problem was that Pathfinder wasn't designed to handle science fiction (the rules for automatics just don't make sense)... But I did find this, yes it is what you think it is... http://masseffectd20.freeforums.org/med20-pdf-links-t512.html
I personally recommend going with a non prison setting next time, players need to "move around" as it is. A campaign spanning the galaxy should be the ultimate sandbox.
To play in but if you aren't interested I won't press it, what went wrong with the sc-fi one?
Question of note Warhawk are you looking for a game yourself? Will rework Grace's chapter in time...
More stuff... Onto the role of some Thunderscape classes in the game. Golemoids:
Golemoids came about during the Theology war, they were the result of Relicquarian experimentation. The Templars by far the least numerous faction in the war needed to both minimize causalities and bolster their own ranks. The result was Occult implants and then golemoids, the first implants were simply prosthetics but the Relicquarium, emboldened by their successes soon became vastly more ambitious. Soon enough they had their chance, the Templar soldier, Cortez Torquemada had been eviscerated by canister shot. On the brink of death Cortez was brought to the Relicquarium in a desperate, last ditch effort to save him. The Relicquarium succeeded and Cortez would not only survive but continue campaigning as a Templar, rising to the rank of Knight Commander in the Theology War. While the Society tightly controls knowledge concerning implants it does allow anyone with the coin to buy prosthetics. More valuable implants or indeed outright golemization is reserved for Society members exclusively and especially Templars. Mechamages:
Mechamages began to arise during the industrial revolution but it was only during the Theology war that they truly rose to prominence. The dual innovation of implants and vehicles propelled them to notice within the Society. The Society being the only faction truly positioned to combine the occult with technology gained a powerful (but not critical) advantage over their Church foes. As while vehicles were powerful they were also prone to mechanical (and occult) failures, they were powerful but cumbersome. Now that the war is over however the Mechamages are beginning to refine their designs... Thunderscouts:
Thunderscouts arose from those Templar vehicle operators that survived the Theology war, and it must be admitted their own vehicles. Thunderscouts are in Templar ranks seen as exceptionally brave beings who willingly utilize some of the most dangerous and experimental technology in the world. Needless to say their numbers are few but their names are legends across the territories, anyone capable of surviving both the perils of the Theology war and the temperamental whims of the occult vehicles (some of them even have "spirits", yay!) is truly worthy of respect. Next up Grace's own Chapter... And the rise of the Mechanus. The Legio mechanus:
Lord Commander: Cortez Torquemada Lord Templars: Alexis the "red knight", Kyras the "blessed" and Fenris the "hound". Knights: over 200 Templar forces: over 3000 (excluding Initiates) History: A Chapter typically earns it's name from the battles it wages and the Legio mechanus is no exception. During the Theology war the Templar forces suffered heavy losses initially forcing them to resort to new (and desperate) measures to succeed. So the Legio mechanus turned to it's aspiring innovators to design both implants and vehicles which proved absolutely crucial to surviving and indeed reversing the war. It was at the battle of the Howling Plains that the war was reversed, the wide open plains once the favorite battleground of the Church were turned into a slaughterhouse. The Templars employed their Steam Transports to lethal effect, the bullets glanced off the armor of the transports and delivered the Templars right into the middle of the enemy army. And so was revealed the greatest weakness of the Church's army, bayonets were no match for Templar swords and armor. The battle would witness virtually no Templar causalities and nearly half of the church's army was either dead or injured, the rest fled into the foothills. From then on the Templars continued to press southwards over a dozen battles which they won, eventually however the Templars were stopped when they came to the massive stretch (500 miles) of foothills and forests that encircled the South Peaks. So began the peace negotiations at the behest of the Silver Star... Mechanus Rising:
The Mechanus is a thus far "theoretical" new faction within the Society, many believe the fusion of magic and machine is so important that the enterprise needs it's own dedicated faction. So far the Mechanus is too young and lacking of numbers to truly become a new faction and is far removed from possessing a council seat. Still however they bare watching and it is not entirely impossible nor indeed improbable for them to achieve council status in the coming decades... Your thoughts GM?
Just to illustrate the GM's point about the Templars... Three units, one LG, one LN and one LE. @Brandon, depends on the sect of the church. She hates the Western Church but is relatively friendly towards the Eastern Church (think of the Catholic/Orthodox divide but much more severe). The Lightbringers:
The Casvanian Lightbringers are the legendary Casvanian chapter of the Templar order. They are dedicated vampire hunters who are absolutely ruthless in their charge, the eradication of all vampires. Yet they are also a gleaming beacon of light for the people of Casvania, the Lightbringers have brought schools, hospitials and roads to even the most far off villages of this nation. The Lightbringers symbolize everything good about the Templar Order, even the Western Divinity Church avoids castigating them, knowing the backlash this would bring... "We are the shining light, we are the holy ones. We stand against darkness and savagery from both within and without." -Knight commander Cassandra- The Grey Templar:
The Grey Templar arose during the End Times, for what most often forget (especially at the behest of the Western Church) is that the Occult Society fought not only the Church and it's rampant, corrupt Inquisition but also the demonic hordes that threatened all of civilization. The Grey Templar are put through what is arguably the most brutal training regime in the entire order, against the ravages of the planes only the strong and loyal can prevail. Grey Templars are anathema to the supernatural, the aura of a Grey Templar literally weakens outsiders around him. His blade is capable of cleaving through both angel and demon alike and often has. "Suffer neither the ravaging demon nor the meddling archangel to live, slay them all." -Grey Templar Ossus- The Purifiers: The Purifiers are one of the most feared Templar chapters, unlike most chapters (they and the Grey Templars are the exception) the Purifiers are not bound to one specific territory or country. Rather they are called in when the Inquisition deems an area as beyond "redemption" (mass executions of Occultists, concentration camps etc). The Purifiers are specially trained in the dreaded rites of Exterminatus, a dread ritual that has only been performed three times (in recorded) history. Exterminatus calls forth fire from the heavens, causes the earth to shake, unleashes horrific supernatural plagues and worst of all summons the spirits of the vengeful dead to take their revenge... In all three instances a 100 mile swath of land became a wasteland, a wasteland that would never again bare life. The threat of Exterminatus was what caused the Theology War to end so abruptly... "We are purification, by our will all in this wretched hell shall be obliterated. Occultist and non Occultist alike shall perish alongside the innocent and the corrupt." -Lord Commander Remus, upon the eve of the "1st" exterminatus-
Grace herself departed from the group just before the Doctor's office, deciding to take a stroll around town, her eyes peeled for signs of occult activity ()... perception
Grace cedes the point to Vera but makes it damn clear that if something like this ever occurs with Legitimate Templar business that the consequences will be...severe. "As it stands I cede control of the boy to you Vera, understand this however. Should you ever interfere with legitimate Templar duties by aiding, abetting or in any other way assisting the Black Abbot, his cult, minions or for that matter anyone else who interferes with my duties that you will find no mercy at my hands..."
Grace's voice is commanding and harsh, she knows that this boy is easily broken... "Tell me everything about the hideout, layout, defenses, watches, armament, equipment and so forth. As for your fate that depends on how forthcoming you are."
"As it stands he may have other uses... We need to thin the numbers of this bandit gang, fifty is too many to take on at once. As such he can be used to plant rumors with the bandit gang, rumors which could play right into our hands..."
"As the sheriff himself pointed out the law does not hold sway beyond his jurisdiction. Effectively we are in no man's land when it comes to legality, if a duel is not illegal outside the limits of the town then I doubt the conscription of a bandit is either." Grace calmly pursues this line of reasoning, reckoning that if Vera thought the alternative was worse she would choose Grace's option. "Besides we both know that what the boy would get if he were tried under the law... The noose. What I offer is merciful compared to the former option. Would you prefer that he be tried under the auspices of a judge and jury who are no doubt unsympathetic to bandits?"
Grace walks back and hears what Vera is planning and speaks, her voice is stern and uncompromising. "He shall be given his chance at redemption in the Templar Order. If his desire for redemption is so great then he should have no trouble becoming a Templar, if his desire for redemption is an act he will find himself in the mines for life. Keep him bound, I will have to arrange for his transport to the Hallows."
Charging forward like lightning Grace calmly raises the shotgun over the prostrate form of the escapee and finishes the job... attack
Waiting on Relik's actions here.
Grace charges after the bandit and draws her shotgun and fires it into the woods knowing that the pellets might well hit him... attack damage
Grace responds to Relik's question concerning the fate of the younger prisoner... "The younger one will be given a chance at redemption, he shall be put through Templar training. If he becomes a Templar he shall live, if he fails training then it will be hard labor for life."
Grace calmly delivers a simple ultimatum, it's not a particularly kind one by any measure but she is giving the more "squeamish" party members a chance... "A compromise then, Vera shall take a trip to the sheriff's. IF he says that he will throw them in shackles and put them in a prison cell then the older one gets to live... If he will not jail them however execution remains the only option for the elder one, the younger one represents no flight risk..."
Grace doesn't mind taking the loot, just a notice though that if the party ever comes across something "occult" (not a magic gun or sword but something like an artifact) she'll first want to send it to the Hollow's for appropriate "screening" (e.g is this damn thing cursed)...
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