Time and Time Again

I’ve always told everyone that real life comes first but I never had much of a real life to contend with before. I can’t say that I’m familiar with balancing my time the way I have had to recently. Along that vein I’m not able to keep up with my obligations as the head of the various story lines that we have going on. As such, I am officially handing the reigns for all ongoing / upcoming story lines to our SysOps, @jumpingscript and @ks0908 who will coordinate with our Moderators and Founders in order to get our role play back into swing. I will likely give advise and ideas, the primary approval and focus for RP will be our collective Staff.

First off I’d like to apologize to everyone for my limited time over the last few months. School this semester has been brutal and especially demanding on my time, I’m spending roughly 70 or so hours a week on classes, class requirements (in class room experience), homework, and actual work (paychecks are nice). Even before my personal life got more complicated, the demands on my time were significant. As most of you know I have also become involved with someone, this person has quickly become very special to me and thus most of my free time (what little we can line up together) goes to her.

I’ve always told everyone that real life comes first but I never had much of a real life to contend with before. I can’t say that I’m familiar with balancing my time the way I have had to recently. Along that vein I’m not able to keep up with my obligations as the head of the various story lines that we have going on. As such, I am officially handing the reigns for all ongoing / upcoming story lines to our SysOps, @jumpingscript and @ks0908 who will coordinate with our Moderators and Founders in order to get our role play back into swing. I will likely give advise and ideas, the primary approval and focus for RP will be our collective Staff.

What to do about unfinished stories…

We have many unfinished and ongoing story lines, what I have documented is all contained in the following OneNote Notebook, this link is a view-only link and shows everything I have gathered that has yet to be posted for the game. I know a lot of people don’t care for Microsoft products but OneNote is entirely free, has apps for Android, Windows Phone, iOS, Windows, Mac, and web. The server staff has been given an editable link to allow them to make changes to all notes and read all content.

For those players who are in RP-Lock with my characters and given storylines. Overall, we can put those RPs on hold and continue them later (likely after my semester ends) when I have more time. The time-frame on that is mid-May, since finals week is the end of April / start of May. For anyone with specific concerns on how to deal with ongoing storyline issues due to my absence, I encourage you to contact me directly and we can work out specifics of how to deal with it. A few people I am going to contact privately myself.

For those wondering some of the details for things; I have compiled a rough list of who is where of the important figures…

Blazing Umbra

  • Sal D’Amico has been recalled to Markab Prime to oversee Solas Tempus operations from HQ.
  • Asher / Rosary have been ordered to stay on ready-alert during the Zone exploration from the Continuum in orbit and monitoring the situations / providing intel.
  • Lance Thomas is still listed as deceased, overall the general population does not know anything different and his passing has been mourned slowly and operations have really gotten back to normal. There are rumors throughout the station and abroad that he is still alive, most of these focus on some urgent mission that is revealed would do some horrible thing, the horrible things varies of course. Of course the core of our playable characters within Blue Team of Solas Tempus know the truth, that he is alive and being searched for.
  • Drem Confuscho has been assigned to assist with the Solerian people at the bottom of the Soterian ocean to rebuild their society. The USS Drakon has been largely left to Emily Damion to command.
  • The STV Galatine is commanded commanded by Siv Quinn who has been promoted to Admiral and made the head of Blue Team / Temporal Operations. The Galatine has been placed on a classified mission and has not been seen in the Schatten System in some time, neither has Siv.
  • Amber Cross herself is still in the system and active, she can be played as an NPC if necessary by staff but please read up on her character before playing her.

Command Structure in Schatten System

  • Nimbus Station remains the command outpost for the system and oversees all operations within the system under its current command structure.
  • The Civilian Government still maintains its primary offices on Nimbus Station for the time being, Andrea Maddox is a Human (female) and is Governor of the system while a Romulan (female) is the Senator of the system. These are both NPC’s so they can be played by anyone.
  • Sal D’Amico is largely unable to be reached at any given time, but if his orders are needed they probably take a few days to a week (real time) to get as the players in question will have to drop me a line and I can write up orders or some such. He does have a secretary and aids who can be NPC’d if necessary — I’ll leave any names up to everyone playing.

Angelic Sins

This is much easier to untangle. Lance Thomas himself has been heavily reprimanded for his behavior and for the moment is mostly working out of the Ad Undas base near Los Angeles and is investigating the supernatural occurrences that happened recently, he is essentially unreachable. My other characters there are just not present right going on other jobs, in the case of Trevor Arnell he is most likely unavailable because of having just gotten married and now has to learn the history and culture of Erica Larsson who is not human and has a significant amount of stuff that Trevor has to learn.

I will leave it up to the staff and players about the murder mystery that has been going on for a really long time, notes on that should be in the notebook linked above.

Embers of Soteria

The main story here should hold but can be used. Notes on the story are in the above mentioned notebook. Lisa Thomson herself has been leading the Souls Templar across the countryside seeking to defend the kingdoms against the horrors that are starting to come through the veil as the Peace of Ages dissolves. This plot element will remain static for the time being and can also be used by players as needed to conflicts, storylines and anything else.

Good People, Good Writers

We have a lot of good people here and good writers. I hope that everyone can continue to role play and have fun even when I’m not around. Please, create new stories, have fun, alter things, nothing would please me more than having to learn new lore and new things that happened. Don’t be afraid to break things, don’t be afraid that I’m not going to approve, run it past the staff and so long as they give the OK, then you have my blessing.

I’ll be around to chat and such periodically and I might RP now and again.

Until then. Happy plotting.

Souls Templar Regroups

There is talk that the cataclysm is a result of the Mistress’s liaison with a demonic creature, which has rendered her unholy.

The Souls Templar have begun to regroup after the insanity brought forth from the simultaneous eruptions of four peeks bordering the valley where the Rose Palace was located. What is clear is that they have suffered an incredible number of losses. What is unclear yet, however, is why there were not more losses. The palace was entirely covered in the molten rock from the bowels of Elder Soteria. There is much talk throughout the 10 Kingdoms that such an events indicates the Old Gods are upset with the Templar in some way. The Grand Mistress of the Templar has not indicated how so many did survive, tales from within the palace when the eruptions happened tell that most were unable to get out fast enough, those outside were killed instantly. The only thing to protect the inside were powerful wards of protection put on the palace long ago. The vast majority of those from the palace suffocated as the air ran too thin.

The Grand Mistress still has not identified the creature which rescued so many of them;While we are of course grateful to the gracious help provided us, if they wished to be known to the public, surely it is clear they would have made themselves known. I myself did speak to them in person, however, I feel that after being done such an honor it would be the height of treachery to speak of them with such familiarity without knowing why they wished to not be known. Rest assured we give this brave soul thanks for the efforts which has saved so many, even in the light of such loss, the Gods provide hope.

Grand Mistress Lisa Thompson

Those close to the Mistress report that she may have even known this person for some time, described as part demon and part woman. There is talk that the cataclysm is a result of the Mistress’s liaison with a demonic creature, which has rendered her unholy. Growing unrest among the monarchs at such an idea has driven some to wonder if a woman is really the best choice to lead the group during such troubling times.

Daemoni Attack

Hunters and others moving through the Eras Forest and beheld rips in the air sending forth ghosts in droves, all throughout the woods these things appeared seeking out anyone and everyone who was alive, even larger animals were attacked. No one has yet come up with an answer for this tragic loss of life, several dozen hunters are reported as dead along with a group of young children, gathering firewood and berries to bring home to their mothers waiting arms. The things would encircle their pray once threatened or attacked themselves, circling faster and faster around the person would slowly die, loosing the essence of life itself!

Mistress of the Souls Templar, Lisa Thompson, was herself attacked and some two dozen of her soldiers were killed leaving her alone alive when a woman came to her aid and saved her. Mistress Thompson would not explain how, but she did say;

There are no things that cannot be bested, no things that cannot be killed, and if these creatures of evil wish to fight we will oblige them and they will know our resolve either burning to dust with our magic or a sword sticking out from their guts. We will prevail, there is no question, that is a promise upon the Old Gods.

While the Mistress’s words have comforted many, others still wonder about the details. Stories tell of the things simply stopping their attack for no reason and moving off to the north. Scouts have been send out from a few different towns, but so far none have reported seeing them again. Certainly it is a thought that chills to the bone, what could cause such creatures to stop and why then did they not vanish but instead moved North? There are no answers today, but perhaps tomorrow some will be found.

Dwarven Horns

On a fateful morning, a young dwarf appeared in the hamlet of Whiterage blowing a horn, waking almost everyone in the town who was not already stirring. Shortly after, she fell into into unconsciousness from significant wounds on her body. The local healer in the town along with two newer arrivals to the town; Mauve and Eadan. While folks of Whiterage have grown quite familiar with Eadan, who is very open and honest. Some are more cautious of Sunn, wishing to know more about him and why he seems to want very little to do with them or anyone else. Even among those cautious souls, it is known that he befriended a lost young girl and has been steadily paying for her stay at the Inn, which has left many with a warm though that his past should remain the past. Commonly it is said that had he evil intent, the girl would have been left to die in the woods or even worse fates would have befallen her.

The young dwarves name is Gwynnyl and tells that she and her people were attacked in their fortress and formed them to flee – by demons. It is clear that trouble is spreading throughout the land and without intervention it may even envelop the small peaceful homes of Whiterage. It is said that the Grand Mistress of the Souls Templar will be coming to Whiterage to speak to this Gwynnyl in an attempt to get answers from her.

Souls Templar Looking for Dangers

The Souls Templar has made it clear that it will not continue to sit idle while the countryside is under threat. Grand Mistress Lisa Thomson has made it crystal clear that her knights have been sent out to look for whatever is causing the recent problems and find a solution to it.

In her own words…

Our countryside shall always be safe, even if it means we must make it safe at the point of a sword. The people shall not be made to tremble at the idea of traveling, the world is at stake and we will rid it of such filth as we have seen. Nothing shall stand in our way!

The Grand Mistress is known far and wide for her skill with a sword and with magic as well, the Knights themselves are known to be good to their words and promises. Many rulers cheer this news that the Souls Templar will take charge in the fight to win back the land from what plagues it.