Eyes In The Dark

[ArlEammon]

From the year 1600, magic began to return to Earth after 150 years of non-existence. . . By 1900, there were Masters of Magic beginning to return to the world one by one.

Finally, the year is now 2100. . . Technology has allowed us to colonize Mars, and we have recovered from World War III, 2020. With no threat of over population in sight, and nothing but prosperity for Earth's restored population, terraform efforts going underway, and massive wealth, good times are what most people can see ahead.

But there is another story. . . .beneath all of the Science and Technology, Magic has returned, and so has the age of myths. Vampires, were-wolves, and others thought to be laughable fairy tales lurk behind the shadows for good or for bad, and they are preparing to show their face to the world for all to see.

All players find themselves face to face with a strange operative. . . Each operative has informed them that someone out there, a government of some kind, has discovered the existence of magical beings. . .

[Viera Champion]

Alisaire Reprase nods as the news reaches him.
"Well then we will just have to move our plans along a little faster won't we? Have one of the telepaths send a message to New Order Industries, and ask when the cext shipment of weapons is coming."
A soldier nods an rushes off to carry out the orders.
"Now if you don't mind I'm going to take a small test flight with my girl Lunira."
He pats the side of his Pegasus/unicorn hybrid, whose name is Lunira. He then jumps on her and she gallops a little before launching her and her rider into the air.

One of the telepaths recieves it's orders, and immediately sends the mental message to NOI.
"Next weapon shipment needed earlier than usual. Whn can you send them?"

[Grim ranger]

New Order Industries HQ, New York, USA

Alexander Miller sat in front of his large desk and looked at the data flowing into screen in front of him. Being a CEO of large arms manufacturer was not easy task, but he had grown used to it. What he never did grow used to were the demands of clients. Expecially ones delivered through telepathic, and so impossible-to-trace channels.

Take this group for example. They had contacted him secretly a good while ago, interested in buying weapons. That in itself was nothing unusual: NOI handled under-the-table weapon shipments almost more regularly than perfectly legal ones, but he could not find them as easily as he would have liked to. Even the special teams of New Order had been in for long search to find even one of these reclusive buyers. In a word, they made him suspicious, but the bargain was always a bargain, even with someone who could fry your brains inside out. Luckily the science team had already been assigned to counter-project.

He opened up the schedules of the weapon shipments and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. It would take some maneuvering to get those weapons there ahead of schedule, but it would work...as long as NOI was paid extra. Good services did not come free, after all. Tapping his return message to the screen, he sent it to operative who would deliver it through his contacts to Alisaire Reprase.



"I can arrange pickup at London, if your people can get there. Other options are New Orleans or Las Vegas... But delivery at such short notice will incur some extra costs. I am sure we can get into agreement about suitable payment and the pickup location.

Yours Truly
Alexander Miller, CEO of New Order Industries"


Tapping the button, he sent the message and rose up from his chair, walking out of the room and onto the roof, where his chopper was already waiting for him. The international nature of the company meant he had to travel quite a bit, and he had meeting due in Berlin in seven hours.

[Viera Champion]

As Alisaire returned from his flight there was already the large group of people who have all the things he needed to attend to. One man walked up to him.
"Sir, the training of the new recruits is going well. Two of the girls have already been matched and bonded with their steeds."

Alisaire nods.
"Good. Make sure they keep the good work up."
The man rushes off and is replaced by a blonde haired female.
"Ah. Serena darling, has our good friend Alexander Miller responded yet?"

"Yes, he wants to know about extra pay and where to meet up."

"Tell him London will be fine. And we can meet him there as soon as we can. And tell give him my humblest honor in the form of an extra fifty percent to the original cost."

The girl, Selena, nods and rushed off to send the message.


Return message to Alexander Miller CEO of New Order Industries

London sounds great. Just give a time and we'll be there. Does an extra 50% pay sound good? I can only go so high.

Sincerest wishes,
Alisaire Reprase, no fancy titles necessary.

[Grim ranger]

Message back to Alisaire:


"Yes, it sounds like very reasonable price. Sadly, I have a meeting in Berlin that cannot be delayed, so I will be unaviable for new twelve hours or so. I will send couple of middlemen to deliver you the weapons...of course, they will also have usual security with them. You must understand, a buisnessman in my position cannot take any risks.

I have also taken the liberty to supply you with advanced hollow point ammunition, still prototype from the labs. We need it to be field-tested, and initial tests in controlled enviroment have been a success. Hopefully they will be of some use to you.

Your Truly,
Alexander Miller"


The CEO is on his way to Germany in private jet to discuss a weapons shipment with disclosed party. The jet is protected at all times by fighters, just in case of an attack.

NOI is most active at middle east at present moment, having hired men and equipment to different factions involved in wars constantly wracking the place.

[Viera Champion]

Alisaire got the return message. He immediately began calling out orders.
"I need 3 transporters, 2 defenders, 3 telekenetics, and 7 element welders in here stat. And you soldiers get the bars from the vault."
How nice it would be to pay in checks instead of gold bars. But checks are trackable so you have to be careful.
"And you man. Bring Selena up here. I'm gonna show her how simple it is to make a deal. I mean she has to know if she's gonna take my place some day.

Eventually 16 women came up. One was Selena, the one from earlier. Seven of the other women were dressed in green and blue robes with lightning streaks on them. Another two were dressed in armor. The next three were dressed in dark hooded cloaks, and the final three were dressed in plain clothing. The gold was brought up behind them.
All the women mounted the pegasi they led up, and Alisaire did so too. He began to give orders again.
"You all know what to do."

They all nodded. The three women in dark robes held they palms out toward the gold an it floated up in the air, surrounded by a black aura. Then the three women dressed in plain clothes closed their eyes, put their hands together, and began chanting.

The next instant the women, Alisaire, their pegasi, and the gold dissapeared. And reappeared at the pick up point in London.

[Grim ranger]

The point was in deserted park near the edge of London, far from city proper. Ten men in bulletproof vests and closed helmets guarded four large containers that were very out of place. The men carried automatic rifles which they held in ready but not threatening posture: obviously ready to react if things got started up.

One more man in black suit was leaning on one of the containers, smoking a cigarette. When he saw the women approach, he dropped his smoke and extinguished it under his boot, walking to meet the newcomers.

"Here is our part of the bargain. I trust you will be paying in gold again? Well, let us just get this over with before someone wanders into here and we have to put them down. Mr. Miller wants no witnesses for our little agreement, after all."

[Viera Champion]

Alisaire nodded.
"Of course. Here is the pay. Feel free to have us stay if you want to couture it first."
He motioned at the women in the black cloaks and the gold floated over to the man and gently dropped to the ground, the black aura vanishing. The containers than are surrounded by the aura and float over to the women, to replace the gold. Alisaire will wait.

[Grim ranger]

The man made nonchlant motion with his hand, shaking his head.

"No, I think it is pretty safe bet to assume that this is real gold...if it is not, at least we would know to whom we would not sell to anymore, and could fool someone else with those. It is pretty safe to say those are the real deal."

The coated man nodded to the NOI troopers, who began to collect the gold bars for transportation.

"My name is Michael Archnon, or Michael to my friends and business partners. I will be one interracting with you most from now on. Mr. Miller himself has tight schedule these days, and he thought that I could serve as his voice in the matters concerning your business with NOI. Rest assured, though, this should not change the situation in any way...exept that you will be seeing more of dear old me. And isn't that just nice?"

Michael smiled at his own joke and took a cellphone from his pocket, flipping it open and speaking some silent words before flipping it shut again and holding out a standard NOI businesscard with phone number.

"You will reach me from this number, if you have need for more gear or just want to ask something. Something that is within my power to say, of course. Nearly everything in my office is rather hush-hush, if you get my drift."

[Viera Champion]

"Well it was a pleasure doing business with you Michael. Please give my dearest wishes to Alexander."

And with that, they disappear. They teleport back to the base. Alisaire has all the containers emty and there contents removed.

[The_JJ]

Dreyfus Sufe smiles condecendingly at the man in front of him. The Cult was no stranger to persucution. Anyone shouting 'the Cultists can do magic' would do little but either make himself sound crazy or confirm Cult dogma. Congratulations, welcome to the party. Has this shaken your worldview enough to make you want to change your religion? I can introduce you to an Enlightenment Master now if you'd like.

[Fireball.Man.Guy.]

Deep in the Siberian wilderness

Yuri strode whistling through the door of his cabin, a whole deer draped across his massive shoulders. A deer which he promptly dropped in response to the stranger sitting in his favorite chair, the one facing the massive bank of computer and radio equipment he used to stay in touch with the brotherhood. He leaped towards the man, who deftly rolled his chair out of the way of the charging half-bear. When Yuri looked back, the man pointed a slim laser pistol between his eyes from across the room.
"You are fast," Yuri says, when a massive revolver appeared in his hand, seemingly instantaneously,"But I am fast too, and I too have a big gun. What say you we put down our weapons and speak like civilized men?"

After hearing the news, Yuri nods gravely, "That is an interesting story, certainly. If I believed you, and I'm not saying I do, I would like to know how you know who I am, and how you found me. Unfortunately, there are matters I must attend to. Sit, eat, I will work. And if you were thinking about trying to escape, I cut the fuel lines on your snowmobile. I could smell the gas a quarter mile out.

While the operative begins to make some tea, Yuri turns to his comm center and opens his email. One is marked urgent, and he sees it is a message from Kiernan, the werefox investigating New Order Industries. It reads:

Dear Yuri,

I found evidence of a huge weapon shipment leaving post-haste for London. It seemed normal, but I dug, and it turns out that the buyer doesn't actually exist, and no payments have been made ahead of time, which is weird. I wanted to let you know. I hope you get this in time, and you aren't out on one of your crazy hunting trips. I worry about you, you know, you aren't invincible and you're so far away from everyone, what if you dissapeared? You...

He didn't read the rest. It was obvious the girl cared, but he had a more pressing matter to attend to. He sent a message to London, then turned around in his chair."So, I believe we should start at who sent you..."

A deserted park just outside London
Geoffrey Houser sat sipping coffee outside of a deserted warehouse that was one of five being staked out for drug activity. A new drug, Sorc, was making its victims more than a little dangerous, but site two had been reporting suspicious activity for an hour, so Geoffery knew his stakeout was unnecessary. Yet he sat, staring at an empty warehouse. His phone buzzed and he looked at it, then did a double take because the message was from Yuri.

Heavy weapons being shipped rush to London for secret transaction. You are ranking Brother in the area, keep your eyes open.

Geoffrey sighed, he'd been doing nothing but keeping his eyes open for hours. He suddenly smelled the acrid aroma of powerful magic nearby. His hair stood on edge, and out of his rearview mirror he say several heavily armed men leaving the park. "Speak of the devil" he said, then began to follow them discreetly.

[TheDarkDM]

Michael Eden's personal assistant Gianna Weiss received the message in person, explaining that Mr. Eden was too ill for personal appointments. She was an impressive woman, tall and thin with deep red hair, though her face was more severe than beautiful, and her fifty years were beginning to show. When the visitor had finished, she smiled, "Thank you for the information. We at Eden always prefer to be aware of world changing events. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a great deal of work to do."

After the messenger had been escorted from the office, Gianna's smile widened, and a strange predatory gleam came into her eye. Turning, she entered a massive set of circular steel doors engraved with Eden's logo. Past the doors lay Michale Eden's personal apartments, the left wall given over entirely to twenty foot tall windows overlooking the valley of the Tibetan Arcology. Passing through rooms of understated opulence, Gianna eventually reached Eden's bedchamber. Even the bright Himalayan sun could not disguise the bright blue glow coming from behind the curtained confines of the bed.

"Mr. Eden, we have confirmation of another sighting in Northern New Jersey, strain unknown. Should we initiate containment protocol?" As she finished, Eden's voice rang through the chamber, at once synthesized yet also full of life, "We cannot squander an opportunity to study a new strain. Send an Ascended team to capture the creature if possible. Have them bring back its corpse if necessary."

"Yes, Mr. Eden."

Ascended Teams (GM's eyes only unless you have sufficient explanation to have survived an encounter)

A grouping of former military operatives from around the world, the Ascended are the military arm of Eden Arcologies. Numbering no more than a few thousand, each Ascended has undergone extensive cybernetic and genetic enhancement. Vat grown organs laced with cybernetic redundancy and healing systems have replaced all natural organs, and synthetic spidersilk ballistic armor has been inserted sub-dermally, along with crude but effective ceramic bone grafts. A full sensor suite is implanted in the eyes, causing the pupils to glow blue. Sunglasses are worn to counter the unsettling effect. Beneath a clean black business suit, Ascended wear a skin tight blue conductor suit, specifically designed to deliver electric charges ranging from 50,000 to 500,000 volts on contact, with a power supply located in an armored pocket in the lower back. Groups of four are deployed as Teams, and are additionally armed with the finest NOI pistols.

[ArlEammon]

(If everyone has finished one full post today and has finished communicating, then we need to stop, my head is reeling!)

[DrakebloodIV]

One of the guards inside the plane peers around silently, his stern face not unlike those of his allies. A short refueling stop was occurring in a private Paris airstrip after the long intercontinental flight. Each of his fellow guards inside the plane peers in a different direction for a nanosecond, and he snaps away from sight. One of them walks over to see what caused his disappearance, and is immediately grabbed from behind in a triangle choke. An invisible force holds him back as a chemical inhalant is forced into his face. Part tranquilizer- part hallucinogen this puts him into a hypnotic state as the guard continues to the other two. Each is stunned in the same fashion and a whisper is heard from the cloaked spy.

"Each of you was performing your duties as normal, and no strange events will be remembered by any of you. If anyone asks you about the disappearance of the fourth guard you will avoid their questions, and should they persist you will commit physical violence against them and yourself."

A shallow nod is seen from each of them as they rise and return to their stations. The agent withdraws a tiny bronze envelope from his pocket. He drops it on the chair of Alex Miller. The envelope snaps into visibility as he lets it go. Having successfully done his task, he leaves the plane through now open pilots hatch as the pilot prepares to warm the engines for Mr. Millers departure.

Contents of the envelope

Mr. Miller, my associates and myself have become increasingly impressed with your weapons and defense systems as of late. Not to mention your quiet dealings with the magical underground, an underground in which we are a very powerful group. It has come to our attention that you may be in need of our services. We, The Sevenfold Cavaliers, are a group incredibly well specialized in bribery, theft, assassination, illicit transport, and other forms of espionage. If you haven't heard the name, then I'll write that down as proof of skill, but if you have then you've most likely heard some very interesting stories. We know that you would kill for information on your competitors, and that you have been selling to some very interesting characters. You want information, schematics, drugs, magic. We have them, for sale, for a reasonable price. If you want to buy, send a representative to Warehouse 9-4B in the New Orleans west dock. Pay whatever you wish, but rest assured that you will get equal to what you give, and also be aware that we will know if you try and stiff us, we do read your files, after all.


Yours truly,
The Cavaliers

PS: Don't ask the guards how this got here, look at the cameras instead.

[Viera Champion]

Alisaire is atill rushing around making sure everything is under way.

"Food supplies are full sir."

"Troops are prepared for whenever necessary sir."

"Telepaths are prepared for your proposals to some of the other organizations."

"Great. Tell them I'll be down soon."

[Dersess]

Gebhard Amsel, a wiry, bony man with short, graying hair, nods politely to the agent and escorts him out of his office. After he descends the elevator, Amsel heads back to his office and hits a small, red button on his desk. Within moments, a bear of a man, wearing crisp, brown fatigues and carrying a small pistol at his side.

"Ah, gut. Glad you've arrived. I trust you'f seen ze man zat just left. I vant him followed. I don't really zink zat he vas here to just pass along a bit off gossip. He may haf an idea of some off our operations. I don't zink we are ze only ones vit wisitors today."

The man in fatigues nods, and pulls out a small comm and barks some muddled orders into its mouthpiece. The man hurriedly exits the office, as Amsel flips on the small television behind his desk. He switches the channel over to the BBC, where a pretty young woman reads off the latest news.

"And finally, CEO Alexander Miller of New Order Industires, the American arms manufacturer and private military company is expected in Berlin today to meet with a potential client. What client would prompt Mr. Miller to come to Germany personally is unknown, but analysts-"

Amsel switchs off the television, and turns to hit another button on his desk module. This one is a link to his secretary, who he relays orders to.

"Anne, our gut friend Herr Miller is in the country...do call his people and see if zey vould be interested in scheduling a lunch between him and I, vould you? Danke."

[Greystone]

Zeus stood in his office and looked out across a simulated panorama of a mountain. He was alone in the complex, defended by solitude and a high tech security system. From Elysium he could contact any Hades cell anywhere in the world. He sighed and keyed a signal on his desk "Begin Project Dawn"

"Right away sir"

Armin
Project Dawn is where several cells (specifically the Chiron in Greece, the Hydra in New York, and the Medusa in Jerusalam) send agents out to capture psychics, magicians, and other enhanced humans. They are then given a choice, either be inducted into the program ordon't. Any who refuse are used as test subjects for HADES scientists who are attempting to replicate their powers in normal humans.

Ossuary
A note is directed to whoever is in charge of your nation:

Greetings from HADES. We want to work out a deal with you, if you are interested meet an agent at a neutral territory- the El Marnego in Brazil, as soon as possible. We'll be waiting.

Hyperion
A note to the companies CEO;s, through secure channels:

We wish to discuss a clandestine meeting. We shall await you at a diner in New York known as Kenny's Trainyard, it's the only one- so you can find it.

NOI
a note found in a terminal your agents stumbled across:

We wish to meet with you. You can find an agent in Athens, at the Old Temple district. Sit on the bench at the junction at 4th and 2nd

[storybookknight]

Hong Kong

Jamuqa sprawled bonelessly across the armrests of the Barren Throne, snickering to himself as the assorted vampires and jiangshi of the Baralescu Crypt snarled impotently. Today, Chimera met in Hong Kong; the Tepeshov clan that made its lair there was the charter family most closely related to Europe. For years, the vampires of the Tepeshov had cemented one political alliance after another with the triad of the region by marrying the young heirs of the local tongs to the eternally-young vampires that still served as its head. As such, the sea of faces surrounding Jamuqa all had a certain family resemblance; personally, Jamuqa thought they were rather inbred. Though his lovely wife Saiyuki was also related to the clan, she was descended from the branch that had mixed with the local chi vampires during the Boxer Rebellion, a lot that Jamuqa (though admittedly prejudiced) deemed overall smarter than the rest.

After making his point to the assemblage, Jamuqa stood to address them. "I have sent messengers to all of the organizations, friend and foe, that we are currently in contact with. The message regards the recent U.N. announcement that they are forming a task force to monitor and regulate MacroQuantum Entities and Activities- for those of you not familiar with the modern scientific lingo, that means magical creatures and practitioners. That is us, and our clients, including those who use 'purely scientific' means to achieve their ends. Certain branches of scientific inquiry, even, are being assigned the metanormal label now by this organization. The slew of simultaneous reports worldwide means that the formation of this group is already fait accompli - they're not forming a group, it's already been formed, and they're telling us now. Whoever or whatever is behind it, gaining UN sanction means that they have the potential to make life very difficult for a number of people, including ourselves. I urge you all to find out as soon as possible exactly what this group is and what its motives are, and to collaborate as much as possible with your pools of contacts, even if it means doing them a favor they can't currently adequately return. If we're right about this, we may need that goodwill before this is all over."

New York City

The UN building is chaos, mobbed with reporters and journalists trying to find answers. The average world citizen has just been made aware that the supernatural does, in fact, exist - and everyone wants to know more. The closemouthedness of the South African General Alackai McQueen nominally commanding the MQC (Macro-Quantum Commission) only serves to exacerbate the growing sense of global fear. Telling the populace that magic exists, but not the details, is sort of like telling someone that there is a rat's nest on their property - somewhere. Is it in the yard? In the garage? The basement? Their infant's bedroom? Similarly, the anxiety over the possibility of curses, of vampires, of supernatural predation, is enormous.

Behind the scenes at the U.N., however, there is at least one person who remains perfectly calm. Though out in plain sight, dressed conspicuously in a tuxedo more appropriate for a gala event than a government function, no one quite seems to notice the blonde-haired man. Associated with no known diplomatic party, news agency, or military group, he is in no accessible government database, and he is remembered later by no one who was there. His presence is captured only on camera, and the photo of him sitting and smiling while a chaos of questions erupts all around him is an internet legend overnight.

[Falconer]

The Sepulcher Tower
The Republic of Ossuary
Luna

Every nation has it's own odd brand of humor. In the city of Ossuary, this manifested as an odd sort of in-joke about who might be "the world's most powerful sorcerer". You would always say it was some unlikely person, such as the janitor whose name nobody knew, or the boss nobody really respected. At, say, an office, two average persons would lean by the water cooler.
"You know Jack Rithford?"
"The accountant? Yeah."
The joker would lean in, and say, in a deep, dramatic voice, "I hear he's actually the world's most powerful sorcerer."
The other person would grin, and, say "I knew it."

But the thing no ordinary person knew was that the world's most powerful sorcerer was actually at the Sepulcher, a large, impressive building an American tourist would compare to the White House, or a British one possibly Buckingham Palace or Parliament. The world's most powerful sorcerer was sitting at the head of a long meeting table made out of some kind of absurdly expensive wood. His name and title, the embodiment of Ossuary's eccentric naming practices, was Alerio (just "Alerio"), the "Arch-Lich" of the Republic-City of Ossuary.

There were six other people at the table, the "Lich-Lords" of Ossuary. Each one was obscenely rich, highly intelligent, well-educated, and between them they were the most powerful people on Luna. And Alerio was their leader. But Ossuary's best-kept secret was that each man at this table was also a magician, a practitioner of strange and ancient sorceries. Each could cast beams of light from their eyes, or spit fire from their mouths. They could change shape into whatever animal they wanted, or enchant objects to live and move on their own. They could fly like birds, or turn invisible, or kill with a single touch if they wanted to.

Needless to say, this was a very important meeting.

"Gentlemen," Alerio said, "I call this meeting of the Lich-Lords of Ossuary to order. The subject for this evening's meeting is a grave matter, if you'll pardon the pun. We have received an anonymous transmission from Earth. We don't know what continent, much less what country. It contained but one message, and I quote: 'I know what you are.'"

The Lich-Lords began to look at each other with concern. The Lich-Lord Janus spoke up.
"My lord Arch-Lich, surely this could be interpreted in any number of ways. We have more than enough secrets hidden away here in the Sepulcher alone that could merit such a message. Not to get started on the conspiracy theorists on Earth. I mean really, even if a spy managed to find out such a thing, they'd call him mad."

Another lord, Argus, shot back. "I think our master's concern is justified. I've heard from my contacts on Earth that other factions with secrets so…'unique' as ours have received messages of a similar nature. All anonymous, all untraceable. Combine that with all this 'macro-quantum' business at the United Nations, and I think we have a situation."
"This is indeed cause for concern and caution." said a third lich, Abraham.
"Indeed it is. Which is why, gentlemen, we must accelerate our plans."


HADES


Very well. We'll send an agent. What sort of deal did you have in mind?



Lunar Brotherhood


Given the recent fiasco at the UN and several other factors that threaten our small nation's integrity, we would like to contract your services in order to keep order and justice on fair Luna. Would you be willing to negotiate terms?



Armin


Ossuary is beefing up its internal security with "listener" statues.That is, normal statues that are enchanted to listen to nearby conversations. If any of the myriad state secrets of the Ossuarian government come up, such as, for example, the fact that they're secretly a cabal of mages, a telepathic message is sent to local secret police who haul in the speaker for a bit of questioning.

Secondly, Ossuary is creating a network of fifth columnists throughout the moon, placed in strategic places in other colonies and cities. Designated "Black Symphony", this spy network is working to generate a positive public image of Ossuary. They will receive further orders later.

Thirdly, the Lich-Lords use every resource at their disposal to bring the local magical creatures to heel. They use intimidation, bribery, enchantments, brainwashing, whatever is required. Discipline must be maintained if the charade, as well as the power of the Ossuarian government, is to remain intact.

And lastly, Ossuary is using its firm control of the local media to reassure the public that Ossuary has nothing to do with this "Macro-quantum" business.

[Greystone]

Ossuary
You'll see.

(PM me)

[Viera Champion]

Alisaire bursts into Selena's room as she is doing her hair.
"Selena I need a- Are you brushing your hair?! You know how important this whole thing is?! Time is runnig out for our plans, and your brushing your hair!"

"Well sorry! I don't like having knots in my hair."

Alisaire sighs.
"Never mind. Anyway, I need a telepath to send another message."

Selena nods and heads off to get a telepath, still brushing her hair. When she finds one, she has her send the message to the recipient, The Sevenfold Cavalier.

The Sevenfold Cavalier
Dear Cavalier leader,

Am I to assume correctly, that you also have recieved a messenger, stating that someone knows about your organization. We know about your groups skill in magic, and would therefore like to come to an alliance. You help us when we need it and we'll help you. What do you say?

Dearest wishes,
Alisaire Repraise, leader of Operation Winged Rebirth

[TheDarkDM]

Thirty minutes after the words had been sent, a single black hovercraft rose from a hangar in the Appalachian Arcology. Sliding across the night sky without a sound, reaching Warren County in less than thirty minutes. Circling the area where the MQ Strain had made itself painfully aware to the public, the hovercraft spotted half a dozen state troopers surrounding a demolished camper. The remains of the slain family had since been removed for autopsy, the results of which were being fed into the hovercraft's displays.

Dr. Thomas Belkin conducting autopsy, three victims, one male, two female...[STATIC]...victims appear to have been partially eaten. Soft tissue of the torso reveals severe trauma...[STATIC]...appears to be some form of animal attack. Claw size suggests a bear, but number and strength of marks disprove...

In the cargo area of the hovercraft, four men sat in black suits, the only hint of color being their blue ties and gloves. Once the transmission had ceased, the oldest among them stood. "Alright men, we have a confirmed Macro-Quantum in the area. There is a strong possibility that this is a new strain, so our mission is containment and capture. All non-Arcology personnel are expendable, and we cannot compromise security. Pilot, prepare to drop."

The hovercraft came to a stop directly above the crime scene. Not fifty feet below the state troopers remained oblivious, more intent on watching the surrounding woods than the sky. Silently, the four men leaped from the rear hatch, dropping the distance in silence and landing with dull thumps. The state troopers failed to act for merely a second, but that was enough. Without a word, the four Ascended drew silenced pistols, firing in tandem and dropping the troopers. Moving from body to body and firing a round into their heads to ensure termination, the four regrouped. The oldest drew a device from his jacked pocket, thin and metallic with a blue display. "We have a reading. North, over 20 KMa." The Ascended plunged into the wood as the gunship dropped a small metal cannister on a cable. Minutes after the four were out of sight, the cannister released a thin grey gas that seemed to spread instinctively towards the corpses. In minutes, the bodies were gone, clothing and all, and the gas had dissipated.

[DrakebloodIV]

Operation: Winged Rebirth

The return message bursts out in a puff of smoke in front of one of the mages. A brass letter with a red seal flutters down with this inside it:


To Whom it may concern,

The Sevenfold Cavaliers do not make agreements lightly, we trade in favors and secrets more valuable than the simple gold bars one would use to buy... outdated machine guns... We cannot simply say "you scratch our back, we'll scratch yours", should back scratching be discussed agreements around stroke length, pressure of scratch, scratch location and duration, as well as the technical definition of 'back' would be just among the preliminary agreements. That said, the illusionists of the Cavaliers do not seem to be your greatest need. Several elements of the magical underground have expressed significant intrust in capturing and slaying the pegases contained in Winged Rebirth stables. Based on alchemical analysis of the magical drug known as 'Sorc', several of our leading philosophers believe it to be made primarily from a base of Pegasus blood. Wild pegases are incredibly rare, and though this substance is believed to only require a few drops per kilo, the increasing consumption and military value of this substance could become a serious threat to your Operation. The Fold would gladly staunch the magical crime around these animals and seize the substance from dealers in exchange for one of the following:

-A Contract of unlimited access to the enchanters of the Operation, signed in blood and magically sealed
-1 (one) Male Pegasus and 3 (three) Female Pegases, all of good health and breeding age.
-1 (one) Permanent nonviolence agreement by your leader, signed in blood and magically sealed
-1 (one) Contract, agreeing to utterly destroy one target, declared at a later date by the Sevenfold. Singed and sealed.
-1,000,000 g (one metric tonne) of Gold, pure

Should none of these prices be appropriate than another agreement can be made. Either way we wish you best of luck with this problem. Enclosed is a vial containing aforementioned substance for your own alchemists to verify.


The Sevenfold Cavaliers



Hyperon, Eden and NOI

An auction of an illicit magical compound known as 'sorc' among the magical underground will be held next Sunday on the top of the Burj Khalifa Tower at 12:00 A.M. The representatives of Hyperon, Eden Industires and New Order International are both cordially invited to attend and may bring along representatives from any other company of their choosing. Attempts to steal the vial, force the auction, or assault any other bidders will be met with the destruction of the tower and evidence planted to blame it on whomever disobeyed the rules of the auction.

[Grim ranger]

Miller makes the rest of the travel to Berlin in relative peace, but immidiately upon exiting the plane on airport, he is assailed by reporters.

"Mr. Miller, why have you come to Germany yours-"
"Who do you intend to m-"
"Are the rumours that you might have contact with numerous criminal organizations tr-"
"How well you would say your company adheres to human right in their w-"

Alexander stood calmly as the cameras flashed around him and asked for silence.

"I am in Berlin on official NOI business, which is, I am sad to inform, classified. As what comes to lies and slander directed towards my organization, you might want to take it up with our lawyers. Thank you, no more comments."

With that, he walked to waiting APC, flanked by four NOI troopers who ushered the reporters away. Immidiately after he was inside his personal transport, Miller began to answer multitude of messages he had received as the small convoy of NOI vehicles started to drive towards their destination. The life of CEO was busy one, no doulbt.

The Cavaliers
Miller sends Michael to New Orleans, as the chance is just too good to pass up. However, a detachment of NOI shocktroopers will move into the city at the same time as precaution, ready to provide support if needed.

Also, representative from the company will be sent to auction, but if he is harmed or extorted in any way NOI detachment in Dubai will be forced to intervene.


Hyperion

A return message finds it's way quickly back to Hyperion HQ.

Good mister Amsel

I would be delighted to meet you today at 18:00 in place of your choosing. I am sure that this meeting would give both of us chance to talk some valuable business and perhaps enjoy some lunch while at it. You know how a life of CEO is, too much airline meals by half. Looking forwards to hearing from you.

Yours Truly,
Alexander Miller


Hades

Although NOI is not very active in Athens, they will send two operatives there, who will be in place in quickly thanks to having jet at their disposal. They will reach the meeting spot in approcimetly five hours.


The London agents (who are being tailed)
The NOI troopers load the gold into waiting black humvees, and climb aboard, out of sight. Michael takes one bar with him and leaves in white Cadillac CTS, driving to the airport without particular rush.

[Viera Champion]

Alisaire is fuming.
"God dammit! What could these people possible want with four pegasi, immediately after informing us that they are being used to make this Sorc, whatever it is?! I mean really. How unreasonable are those demands. We don't even know if they'll uphold their part of the deal. Selena send another message back."

"I'm not your slave you know."

"Just do it!"

She head off again to get another telepath.

Sevenfold Cavaliers
We would like to hold on your offer for now. Though we may change our minds at a later date. If the deal is still valid then, that is. We currently are still trying to save all wild Pegasi from poaching and have set up our own breeding program to rejuvenate their populations. If anyone is caught hiring pegasi on our land they will be dealt with swiftly. All I ask for now is that neither of us meddle in eachothers affairs until a better arrangement can be made.

Best wishes, Alisaire Represe

[Greystone]

NOI
We know. Call it neutral territory.
(PM me)

[Dersess]

Amsel sits at his desk, pouring over financial forecasts and logistic reports when a harsh buzz emanates from the speaker on his desk. With a heavy sigh, he hits the reply button and shifts to speak into the comm.

"Ja, vat ist? I am wery busy, so--"

"Sir, we got one. Was a b*tch to capture, but we got her. And she's still alive."

Amsel's disposition suddenly changes, and a hurried, sinister smile spreads from ear to ear. He rushes out of his office to the elevator, and taps the "B7" button repeatedly until the doors shut. The car zooms down, several floors below the surface, and its doors open to a completely white, eerily sterile room, with assorted instruments and monitors lining every wall. Grabbing an airtight suit and mask, Amsel turns a corner to see a small girl, bound, gagged, and punishingly tethered to a black table, rattling and flailing her arms as much as she can, making muffled screams. Several men in similar suits surround her, and at the sounds of footsteps, turn to meet their employer. The tallest one nods at Amsel's approach, and begins speaking in a Vader-esque manner due to the mask. His voice is distinctly not German, instead sounding more at home in the US.

"Acquisitions just brought her in; she's not reacting to the barbiturates we gave her, but hopefully she'll calm down soon enough."

"She von't. Can't particularly say I can blame her. Vhere'd ve find this one?"

"London. Tore some of her friends apart during a sleepover. We think she's afflicted; that is, not a purebreed."

"Hmmm...maybe ve can set her free of zis curse, ja? Please, someone remowe one off her socks."

Another man does as ordered, leaving her right foot exposed. Amsle pulls a small black cylinder out of his pocket with a small bulb at one end. He hits a button on the side, and a pale, sickly yellow light shines from the bulb. Amsel bends over and shines it on the exposed flesh. Where he does, coarse brown hair springs forth, and the nail on the closest toe begins to grow substantially. Confident in the empirical evidence, Amsel motions for the sock to be put back on.

"Lunar radiation. Gets zem every time. Good vork, everyone. Now, get started. I have a lunch meeting."

All but one of the men go to the walls, grabbing several tools and begin to wheel the table into an adjacent room. Amsel notes the man's hesitance, and stops for a moment.

"You're new here, I'm guessing? Listen to me: zat girl is not human. Do you hear me? As much as she may scream, as much as she may shout, she is not human. She is a monster, and a menace. But she can help others. Her curse may be someone else's salvation, and I vill not valk away from zat potential. Do you hear me?"

The man sheepishly nods, and makes his way to the next room.

"Gut."

HadesWe'll have an operative meet you there at the time specified.

NOI
Vunderbar! Looking forward to it. I vill meet you in Berlin.

--G. Amsel

SevenfoldHyperion will have an operative attend.

[Greystone]

Lunar Brotherhood
Excellent.

(PM me)

[Viera Champion]

"Sir one of the Pegasus females has given birth."

"Great, I'll be down later to check on the newcomer to this world."

"Sir, the telepath you requested is ready to send the message to the leader of Chimera."

"Also, good. Have him send the message right away. I'm heading out with Selena. There has been a wild Pegasus sighting in the Himalayas. Were going for a catch and return. I just hope we can get to this poor fellow before any of those Sorc making bastards find him, or her as the case may be."

"Very good sir. We will be awaiting your return. Should I get a transporter to accompany you?"

"No. Frankly my girl here could use the exercise. And I can always do the teleporting on the way back."

Selena trots up next to Alisaire on her Pegasus as the man scurries off.

"Lets go."

They pegasus gallop right out of the building and off the cliff then launch off into the air. They begin the flight to the Himalayas as fast as they can.

Chimera
To whom it may concern,

This message is sent to ask if the shipment of magic enhancing weapons is still being sent. If so payment will be ready when it arrives at the pick up point.

Sincerest wishes,
Alisaire Reprase

[Fireball.Man.Guy.]

London
After some hesitation, Geoffrey decides to follow the armored car, while contacting a Brother PI to follow the sedan. Usually he would worry about its being lost in the traffic, but such an antique would be hard to miss.

A radioed report comes in:

We have a confirmed domestic disturbance, seems to be some sort of animal attack. Three adolescent girls dead and one reported missing.

This piqued Geoffrey's interest. It sounded like a werewolf attack, but that made no sense. Werewolves can control when and if they shift, and retain most of their senses when they do. He radioed in to send a Brother, Christine Briggs, to investigate.

Uh, sir, Mrs. Briggs is here sir. The missing girl-well, uh,- its Shelley Briggs.

Geoffrey swore and popped his seatbelt before he controlled his shifting. He sent word to a patrol car to follow the truck, knowing it was probably lost, and sped off to the crime scene.

Appalachia

Martin Scorworst walked out of the Port-a-potty, zippering as he did so. He shouldn't have left the line, but with six other officers, a call of nature was permitted. He Almost screamed when he reached th camper to see the bodies, slowly being eaten by the green mist. He shifted, ran to his car to radio for backup, and then took off into the forest, following the scent of the team and waiting for revenge on his friends' slayers.

Crime Scene

Geoffrey Arrives and is immediately the highest ranking person in the room. He sees the bodies, strewn across the small apartment and the forensic scientists already picking over the remains. He finds Christine, sobbing in the corner, and pulls her aside into a small room to console her.

Oh god, Shelley, my puppy. This was her first night away from home, alone, you know. She wasn't even old enough to shift yet! But here, there's so much blood, and her friends, and she isn't here! I'm so afraid, and what if she did do it, you know? What would happen then? Oh, my puppy!

Shh...shh... They'll be no talking of that, okay? We'll find what did this, and we'll take care of it okay? When we find Shelley, Yuri will move you somewhere where this will all blow over. Look at me- your puppy is fine.

Geoffrey knew this was probably far from the truth. Just then, an officer comes in with an evidence bag holding a smaller plastic bag filled with a strange white powder. It's marked "Howler"

Siberia
Yuri continues his interrogation, pausing to let the operative sleep. He reads the Ossuary's message, then replies.

Armin/Storybookknight
What does Yuri learn from his interrogation? Who sent the operative, how does he know about the Brotherhood, etc...

Ossuary
We would be happy to help. Though you may not know it, we have several brothers already in your peacekeeping force. I will tell them to make themselves known to you if you want to reassign them. We would help your operations on principle alone, but if you would like to donate to help our operations, you can wire money to this bank account. One small question, how exactly did you come to know about me and my Brotherhood? We seem to be having several security breaches today.

[Falconer]

Lunar Brotherhood



OoC: I'm afraid I assumed all of our factions knew about each other. Was I wrong? Nonetheless...

We are delighted at your willingness to help. While we have little money to spare, perhaps we can trade in favors, instead. We have some of the world's greatest magi here at Ossuary, and having allies such as us never hurts.

As to our knowledge of your organization, we pride ourselves on knowing such things, especially in our own little neck of the woods.

But now, for your men's assignment: We would like you to

a) Act as general security forces. The macro-quantum fiasco at the United Nations has many people on edge, both civilians and governments as a whole. Should there be warfare, or violence, or even a general disorder resulting from that event, we would like your help in quelling it.

b) Help us bring the local magical inhabitants of Luna to recognize us, the Magi of Ossuary, as their leaders. We, the "hidden" community, need to be organized, disciplined, and united if we are to survive. And we at Ossuary are concerned that, now with magic's existence being known, it's only a matter of time.

We, the Arcane Order of the Sepulcher, are more than willing to negotiate terms. Name what you'd like us to do in return, and we'll talk.

Regards,
Arch-Lich Alerio of Ossuary

[Viera Champion]

"Is Sir Alisaire back yet."
A girl says to one of the soldiers.

"Nope he is still out getting that wild Pegasus. He may have run into trouble with some people who wanted to make Sorc."

"Oh. Well when he gets back, tell him I took the liberty of sending his message to the Republic of Ossuary."

Suddenly, Alisaire and Selena appear on their steeds. Selena is holding a rope tied around the neck of a third Pegasus.
"I heard. Take this boy down to the stables, and get him some oats. And someone turn on the news. NOW!"

Someone flips on the television.
The news woman begins to speak.
"In other news, a large wild herd of the rare pegasus has been spotted in the northern parts of the Appalacian Mountains. Hunters from all over are already flocking there, hoping to make large profits on the creatures.
*click*
Alisaire turns the set off.

"We can deal with the hunters easily. But some of the criminal organizations have definitely heard of this and will for sure be trying to get the profits off of these creatures for Sorc production. I want a team assembled fast. Twenty foot soldiers. And a quarter of our Pegasus riders. Hurry!"

OOC note to all players:
You can have your organizations hear this news broadcast and try to get to the Pegasus first if you want. If so Winged Rebirth will probably only end up with a few of the Pegasus and the rest will probably be captured by whichever of your organizations get there.

Message to Capital of The Repiblic of Ossuary:
You may or may not have heard of our organization. But we have heard of your nation's magical prowess, and would like to request the training of your mages. You can name your price, and we will negotiate. If you would like to negotiate in person just name where and when.

Dearest wishes,
Alisaire Reprase

[TheDarkDM]

As Martin Scorworst rushed to follow the four, the silent gunship's sensors picked up his magical nature. As soon as he began to move, the team of four received a message: "Ground team this is Gunship Alpha, we have a Macro-Quantum at the incident site, Lycan Strain. Looks to have been part of the guard detail. It's coming your way, ETA three minutes."

Further into the woods, the Ascended team stopped in their tracks. Silently, they spread out amongst the trees, readying weapons, as their leader stepped into plain sight. In his hand, a new reading began to flash across the slim metal sensor, coming from their previous location. For a moment, an arc of electricity traveled along his gloves before fading into darkness once again. "Roger Alpha, we have confirmation on portable sensors. Prepare cargo hold for a secondary acquisition." Then tucking the sensor into an inside pocket, the Ascended leader crossed his arms and waited.

[Falconer]

Winged Rebirth



You would like us to train a few mages for your organization? Of course. I'm sure you understand that won't teach them everything-trade secrets, and all that. But we can certainly teach them a few formulas to boost their magical ability, and increase their potential as magicians.

In return, we would like you to hinder Eden Arcologies for us. We're not saying you have to outright attack them, or destroy them. But the things they get up to...are dangerous. To both of us. We're not asking you to do anything specific, just...make things unpleasant for them. Make their lives difficult. Use your imagination.

On another note, we would like your permission to acquire pegasus blood from the herds in the Appalachians. Please do not misunderstand-we're certainly not animals here in Ossuary. We would merely like a few small, non-fatally acquired samples of blood. A single vial from five different specimens is all we require.

Regards,
Alerio, Arch-Lich of Ossuary, and Grand Master of the Arcane Order of the Sepulcher

[Viera Champion]

The entire squadron is teleported to the Apalacian mountains.

Ossuary
We will do our best to hinder Eden Arcologies. However, they are quite hostile towards us whenever we approach there bases. So we may have to wait a while before we get a good plan going.

Also, about the pegasus. They are very important to us. And an entire squadron consisting of half our Pegasus riders and a fair amount of foot soldiers is being sent to retrieve them right now. Would it be acceptable if we merely sent you the samples, using a transporter maven to teleport them to you?

Again dearest wishes,
Alisaire Reprase

[girtleaf]

this is a recoded message meant for all members of children of metal
greetings i am James king brother of the council of metal the council has met recently and decided that for us to prosper we require to find new people that is why the council have began a plan to help all brothers on mars or people seeking to go to mars this will include several members of the council going to mars to help in this new growth

[ArlEammon]

(I"ve missed something important and I don't know what it is, can the one who has a member being interrogated please PM me)?

[DrakebloodIV]

As the Winged Rebirth troops teleport in they find the area in disarray. Hundreds of groups of private citizens and minor gangs firing upon the herd. Each person praying to fell and take the corpse for their own use. The mob of flying horses would be easy to deal with if calm, but the cacophony has each of them stirred up into a fury. In the middle of the chaos is the Sevenfold Cavaliers, using rubberized bullets and flash bangs to split the herd into three groups. Seeing the Winged Rebirth group port in, one of the cavaliers flew towards them, throwing a radio headset and subvocalizer to the lead Pegasus Rider.

Welcome to the party, OWR, we were wondering when you'd decide to port. Sorry that we got ahead of you, but one of our main HQ's is right close by. ****s really hit the fan here though. Groups Beta and Alpha, split the herd through the middle, meet up with Tango on the east side.

"State your business, Cavalier."

"Mix of things, really. Our best bet was that you would be getting here first, and offering assistance in capturing the Pegases, and we were hoping to either get several specimins as a royalty for preventing more severe damage. If that was impossible, we were going to use our anti-mob weapons to clear out the hunters down below, live capute and induce flee to as many beasts as possible, and harvest the corpses already in the forest below."

"Poaching, then?"

"No. Recycling and doing damage control for your absentee army. Now quit bickering, we have to get these guys out of here. Your squad name is now Charon. From the looks of things the smallest group is going to be the one furthest downward facing, group A. Tango and Beta will be able to get them over that sheer cliff and away from the hunters so long as our luck holds out. Group B is the higher up large group, I think that Alpha should join up with Sigma and force them to scatter upwards. Odds are none will be captured, but much fewer will be dead. The big group further downward, C, is our biggest problem, their only escape route is through a valley filled with hunters, we need to get through there, and group Charon should be invaluable in that."

Having barked out his orders, the Cavalier rides his way towards his designated group, waving toward the Operation troops to say they should follow. A pale faced cadet brings his foal up beside the squad leader.

"Well, sir. Do we trust them?"

[Viera Champion]

Alisaire leads his troops and Pegasus riders.
"Group C seems to be in the most imminent danger, it looks like we won't be able to bring back all of these poor creatures today, but by god we will do our best."
He motions to the women on the pegasi, and the footsoldiers.
"You know what to do. Distract and kill the hunters, then round up and teleport the pegasi in group C back to base. We will try to deal with the rest of the hunters and get as many Pegasus back as possible. And don't kill any of the Cavalier troops. They will understand that we want them to get as few pegasi as possible, but we can't risk startig a war with them. They are still possible allies."

[The_JJ]

Alfred sits behind his desk. A man dressed, as he is, in a plain brown cassock hands him a thick folder. The day's report. Alfred slids it directly into his open briefcase. It'll do well as nighttime reading. For now all he needed was... Pertinate facts?

Ruckus in Pennsylvania. OWR is running... a terribly unsubtle intervention. A smaller file is passed across.

You'll have to forgive them, it's their dogma.

Yeah, I know. Anyway, some other problems in London... Another file.

Huh. Brotherhood problem. Let them deal. But send that on to Sanny, he'll want to see that.

[Viera Champion]

Untraceable Telepathic Message Sent to all Organizations
A new drug has been discovered. It's name is Sorc. One of it's main ingredients is Pegasus blood. The hunting of pegasi for the creation of Sorc will not be tolerated. So stop. Thank you.

[DrakebloodIV]

The sun is setting as the successful mission is continuing, group A has been moved out and group B has been scattered enough to not be at significant risk. The danger to group C has been greatly reduced. Illusion spells and ground warriors from Operation: Winged Rebirth have scattered the majority of the hunters. Several diehards and lucky shooters have stayed and inflicted minor casualties on the Operation's ground forces, but things are going better than expected. A final squad of group A hovercyclers swoops in overhead, preparing to aid with the movement of the winged horses to a final landing point. Suddenly, the Head of the OWR's forces in this mission gets a message on his headset.

"I'm sorry it came to this. We were hired. We offered to you first, but the price was too high."

With that, and a painful burst of sound, the earpieces of the headset exploded in his ears, shattering his eardrums. The size of the herd they were moving suddenly became a quarter the size, the majority of them illusions, and the Cavaliers overhead swooped down, firing with mounted machine guns. They no longer used rubber bullets, hollowpoint was their favored projectile now. On the ground the Operations troops found themselves ambushed by ghilie suited Cavaliers, half invisible in the forest.

The battle had begun.

[Viera Champion]

Alisaire barely grips on to his steed as the piercing pain scorched though his ear. Shields go up immediately around both the troops and the wild pegasus. The foot soldiers however suffice o hide behind rocks so that they can still fire back. A barrage of laser fire is returne to the cavalier. And a womans voice can be heard over the noise. It's Selena.
"Sir Alisaire has been hurt! Transporters, get the wild Pegasus back to base. Time controllers slow time outside the shield on my word! We aren't fleeing but by gods we are gonna use that time to get very single one of our forces down here! Now!"
Time will begin to slow with in a 100 yard radius of the shield. It should affect the Cavalier troops too, but to avoid godmodding, I'll let you decide that.

Off to the side, the transporters, are trying to round up the wild pegasus, and transport them back to base. It will be difficult to stop them with the time stop and the shield and all, but I assume it is possible. Try are also going to get reinforcements.

I can't do anything more until I know how the time stop and the shield worked and whether or not the transporters got themselves and the wild Pegasus back to base.

[ArlEammon]

New Turn

I still have hardly touched the IC thread myself, assume that all Organizations achieve minor success at the start of the game at the moment until I finish reading.

[DrakebloodIV]

The cavaliers above the OWR forces immediately notice the shield going into effect, their hail of bullets slowing to a stop. They cease-fire and begin getting as close in around the shield as possible. The Chief Cavalier leers at Alisare through the barrier, planning his next move.

On the ground the cavalier troops continue their barrage. The OWR forces are only able to hide behind small rock formations, and they’re surrounded. The camoflague that the Cavaliers use makes it nearly impossible to tell if you just struck one of them or shot wildly into the forest. Over the radio the Cavalier troops hear the order.

“Switch to Banshee rounds”

The Operation forces hear swift, silent reloading sequences. The Cavaliers appear to be falling back, though it’s near impossible to tell for sure. A single shot is heard coming from their troops. It misses, but a burst of smoke comes from it, and a hideous wailing sound. The acrid smoke forms itself into a hellish looking beast and flies through the bulk of the Operation, who look on with terror. As it passes it dissolves away and its wail fades, but the disgusting smoke leaves the Operation coughing.

Suddenly, the Cavaliers open fire in bulk, hundreds of bursts of smoke and banshees shooting out of their rounds. The direct hits are even worse, the banshees ripping their way out of the seizing troops. Terror is running through the troops, death and fear forming a dreadful cocktail of emotions.

Up overhead the Cavaliers are testing the shield. It’s clearly immune to physical attack, but they test simple spells on it as well as some of their antimagic abilities. The Chief Cavalier continues to leer, but he reaches into his saddlebags, pulling out a small titanium ball bearing. The Sanskrit symbol for ‘Speak’ is etched on it, and he whispers a word into it.

In the shield Alisare feels strangely, the ringing in his ears fades, but the sights of the battle fade too, the face of the Chief Cavalier consumes his hearing and vision. The helmeted head manages to look smug, in spite of the lack of features.

“You’re probably wondering why you see me right now, and, if you’re anything other than an idiot, you probably relate it to the earphones that shattered in your ears recently. Inside those eardrums was a magic item, which allows one user to make the other scry on them if a command word is given. I have the other one, and as you can no doubt guess gave the command word. So you have to listen to what I say till I end it. You’re no doubt planning to regroup and reform while this magical protection continues, and you’re probably planning on escorting the pegases out of here, as well as summoning the bulk of your forces. I don’t doubt that if you did that we would be at significant risk, but I doubt that it would be valuable to you, for several reasons: One, we were hired and neither want nor need to do any more damage to you. Two: the pegases that we have acquired are long gone, being transported to an area you can’t dream of reaching. Three: even in a large scale attack we have enough of a tactical advantage in this location to force large casualties on you. Five: we will engage in large scale retaliatory combat with you should you decide to attack. But all of these logistical and logical reasons against attacking us are pointless, you have been offended and I assume you’ll retaliate violently against all logic. I have one last offer for you: Leave now, and not only will I allow you to leave with the pegases you have shielded, I will let the ones we have live. We want a breeding stock of Pegases, but if you go to war with us I will torture and kill the beasts painfully, and I will make you watch. The piece of metal in your ear will take hours of dangerous major surgery to remove, if it even can be, plenty of time to make you savor the genocide of a species you have devoted your life to. I will break the enchantment now, and give you twenty minutes to teleport out of here with your troops and horses. If you don’t you will regret it."

[ArlEammon]

Report End Turn 1

All PC Factions discover themselves financially stable after the first turn. It seems the warning given to them by Operatives was only an ackowledgement of their existence.

The television seems to hint at this. . . Many people are being suspiciously recorded by computer by the world's governments and "registered" without their knowledge. The news reporter states that government reports have been found in a dead man's office. The body was discovered, apparently with the suspect barely managing to escape through unknown means

Also. . .

Pegasi have begun to grow horns on their heads. What effect this will have is unknown.

[Viera Champion]

Alisaire hears the voice he is very weak. After the message is over, he knows what he must do.
"Selena... Teleport everyone out of here... The wild Pegasus too."

"But sir!"

"Now! And leave a little gift for our Cavalier friends."

Selena nods and gives the orders. After a couple minutes the group will teleport out. Assuming no one stops them.

They leave behind a samll floating ball of light in the center of the Cavalier troops.

[DrakebloodIV]

The Cavaliers immediately flee from the glowing orb, forming a perimeter at one hundred and fifty yards. Snipers are pointed at the orb and mages are at the ready to counterspell. A single soldier is sent up in heavy armor, and covered in defensive abjurations, and touches the glowing orb.

[Viera Champion]

The orb shrinks away. Though really, it just turned invisible. It will follow the soldier wherever he goes. It's essentially a tracking device.

Back at base Alisaire punches the wall.
"DAMMIT!! Why didn't we see this coming? From now on I went our telepaths to do a motive sensing before we make contact with people."

"Sir, you need to go downstairs for the surgery to remove that device from your ear."

He sighs.
"Alright. Let's go."

He heads downstairs and the surgery begins.

[storybookknight]

Jamuqa steps out of the darkness cast by one of the trees in the forests recently abandoned by Winged Rebirth. "That went rather well, don't you think?" He holds up a hand, and a few tattooed men and women step out from a shimmering veil behind him. An interplay of mirages and colors wash over the troops provided by the Sevenfold Cavaliers. "Bag your prizes up and bring them to the agreed upon location, and we'll make sure that you weren't tracked. Don't worry - Chimera's mastery of illusions and misdirection is second to none."

[DrakebloodIV]

The ground forces clean up the remaining OWR troops, taking prisoners when able, and begin the arudious task of drawing blood from the dead pegases on the ground and searching the dead Operation forces. Up above the suspicious Fold agents perform a standard search on him.

"Magic Sight, Greater"

"Honestly?" says the Mage observing "A simple scrying sensor? Our standard abjurations would probably have stopped it, what a waste."

"Dispel Magic, Greater"


...


The Pegases are taken to a hidden base known as the Pike compound. They are mildly sedated during the ride.


...


The prisoners are rounded up, taken to a hidden prison complex.


...


Allisare recieves one final message before he is sedated:

"Keep in mind, that these shards are titainium. Your eardrums will heal around them with relative ease, most likely back to full hearing within a week. But if you perform surgery there are good odds that you will be permanently deafend. Ask yourself, do you really want to risk being deaf just to remove an, admittedly mandatory, free communication link between yourself and the Sevenfold Cavaliers."

[Viera Champion]

Alisaire puts a hand up to halt the beginning of the procedure.
"First off, I don't speak to people I can't trust. Now maybe just maybe if you will tell me who had you do this and maybe just maybe I will consider to remain this annoying connection with your organization. But I would like to remind you that I founded this operation, and therefore know all the magics all the women here know. So telepathy will easily replace my need to hear. But I will hold the surgery for only twenty minutes, and if I don't have your answer by then, the surgery will begin."

[Grim ranger]

(OOC: is this game dead for good? I think it would be real shame... it has such potential :smallfrown:)

[Viera Champion]

I agree. I don't even know what happened to it. It just stopped all of a sudden.