LMAO! Our first combat and we have already been rejected by this reality?!
Crossin this here Jordan: A Coalition Soldier Quest
- Thread starter VagrantHero
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Nah its no big deal. I was reading about the faction and they are kind of dicks. Like very neo fascists. So glad to be rid of them.
That is not correct in the time period we are in however. They are currently one of the only good factions in the setting it is not until later that they become a villainous faction.
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My write-up for the Coalition differs greatly from the write-up the source material gives for them. I'll have to go into greater detail at some point, but they are not neo-fascists to say the least. I mentioned it way early on in this thread somewhere, but I didn't like that they were a caricature for Nazi Germany in the source material, and yet the writers flipped and tried to make them out to be heroes of humanity. Very disappointing.
Sure, but they weren't cyber cowboys so i wasn't really attached. Multiverseal travel time baby. Going to hunt the enemies of humanity on our terms.
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Did we just get super hard countered in our first big combat encounter? That's... frustrating.
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Less rejected and more like forcibly escorted to someplace where you'll be less bothersome to the Crypt Knights while they use basically the same plan as your command did, but better.
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Yes. By 1 point on a perception check no less.
Actually i have a question about our power. Can we use telekinesis to split atoms. Seems like we should be able to do it.
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Haven't thought about that before. No one's stopping you from trying. Well, some people would try to stop you if they knew that is what you intended, but that's besides the point.
Was thinking like a sucide stirke. But not sucide since we will be through the portal. So a giant fuck you, block that lightning punk
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If successful, that would be a pretty big fuck you, indeed. That's a pretty big if given that has never been attempted before, and you have no specializations in Precision for generic Telekinesis.
See i would be deterred by that, but i don't understand the system so i am just winging this. Anyway its just an idea.
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You all saw Stormbreaker, a long seax with special Elemental Water (Mastery) and Elemental Earth magic.
Stormbolt, a bolt-action rifle with Elemental Fire, Elemental Air, and traditional Invocation magic, whose bearer was knocked the fuck out by the lightning strike.
And The Pale Green Rider, a heavy old-school Revolver with control over Life and Death Magic, Traditional Invocation magic, and Dimensional Travel.
Other Rune Weapons on the field were:
Temperance, a twohanded Longsword with Elemental Water, Elemental Fire, and traditional Invocation magic (whose bearer got bodied last chapter and had to be healed from death's door).
Riverwarden, a sickle-shaped sword, whose bearer was actually killed by the lightning strike but was resurrected, Elemental Water and Life and Death (Mastery) magic.
And finally, Striker, javelin with Elemental Fire, Water and traditional Invocation magic.
I was fully expecting the plan to not go well at all, but you just had to get almost max damage and no one to notice except the guy who hard countered you. For those who were wondering.
Anyway, will get the next part of this up in a couple of days.
Stormbolt, a bolt-action rifle with Elemental Fire, Elemental Air, and traditional Invocation magic, whose bearer was knocked the fuck out by the lightning strike.
And The Pale Green Rider, a heavy old-school Revolver with control over Life and Death Magic, Traditional Invocation magic, and Dimensional Travel.
Other Rune Weapons on the field were:
Temperance, a twohanded Longsword with Elemental Water, Elemental Fire, and traditional Invocation magic (whose bearer got bodied last chapter and had to be healed from death's door).
Riverwarden, a sickle-shaped sword, whose bearer was actually killed by the lightning strike but was resurrected, Elemental Water and Life and Death (Mastery) magic.
And finally, Striker, javelin with Elemental Fire, Water and traditional Invocation magic.
I was fully expecting the plan to not go well at all, but you just had to get almost max damage and no one to notice except the guy who hard countered you. For those who were wondering.
Anyway, will get the next part of this up in a couple of days.
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Pyrokinesis: Extinguish Fire Invocation, Water to turn it to steam, Earth to smother it, (And technically Air to starve it from oxygen, only partially successful and he stopped doing this one because Psionic Fires are fed by Psionic energy as well). He needed all three because a Master Class Pyrokinetic makes a lot of fire.
Geokinesis: Part of Stormbreaker's domain, every test was opposed and lost.
Aerokinesis: Part of Stormbreaker's domain, every test was opposed and lost.
Ferrokinesis and Telekinesis: Force field that prevented him from being grabbed directly.
Grenades: A spell that specifically disables grenades (which only delayed them in this case). The grenades also all rolled low damage, which disappointed me.
Rifle fire: Targeted Deflection Invocation.
Any damage in general: Invincible Armor Invocation (not actually Invincible but equivalent to Heavy RPAs at this Sorcerer's power level).
The Crpyt Knights also had a ton of elemental resistances, but even with them Dorete was powerful enough to kill one of them anyway and render two of them unconscious. The spell that redirected the Lightning was a variant of the Protection from Lightning Invocation, which he used Stormbreaker to cast as soon as he realized he was about to be dunked on via lightning.
He got very lucky a couple of times, and I think Dorete probably could have beat him if it stayed a 1v1 situation as that disarm would remove 2/5ths of his elemental defenses. Hard to say for sure as he still had a few tricks left.
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Rifts Sorcery and World of Darkness Magic: Brief and General Introduction
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Those who are uninitiated may think that Sorcery and True Magic are one and the same, and to a certain extent, that is true, as magic in general is simply life, an expression of natural law to effect one's will on the universe. However, this definition proves to be too expansive to meaningfully understand and breakdown what is meant by the two aforementioned terms. All living things perform magic on a day to day basis. The common conception of wizards throwing fireballs and lightning bolts belie the truth of existence, that every word is a prayer, every action a spell. The many Occult traditions (not referring to The Traditions, to be discussed at another time) believe and practice ritualism and symbology and other magics to differing degrees. What is a Mass at church? What is a military parade? What do the symbols on the Old American dollar bill represent? The word occult itself refers to that which is hidden. Runes are secrets. The hidden meanings of all things. By knowing and understanding the universe, natural law, and so forth, one becomes aware of "coincidences," the coinciding of unseen forces that result in a specific effect. How often have you gone through your day and realized only later that a craving that you had for some food or another was due to a family member leaving their leftovers somewhere that your unconscious mind noticed and received? How often do your thoughts and preconceptions color your experiences and come true? The possibilities for self-sabotage and empowerment are endless, for those who aren't mindful of their thoughts. Many strange statements and axioms can be found in Occult literature, that on the face of them, may not make sense. Much time could be spent discussing the bare bones basics, which evolved independently in many cultures throughout the world.
Reading the above, one might ponder the possibility that everyone is a Sorcerer or a Wizard or a Witch or whatnot, these words simply being labels meant to categorize and describe patterns for ease of understanding. A Sorcerer, as understood in setting, can be the result of a myriad of possible origins. Take for example, the mystic Tattoos of the Splugorth. Can someone bearing these markings without any knowledge of the Occult, truly be said to be a man of magic? Again, to a certain extent, yes, but they lack conscious power of their own, making them little different from those who form Pacts with greater powers for magic, or a man who uses a firearm without understanding the mechanical principles by which they operate. They all utilize powers beyond their understanding without any conscious knowledge of how they operate, and without sufficient insight to innovate or expand upon them outside the limits of that which they can perform (better accuracy, faster draw, creative thinking).
Many terms have had their meanings changed through colloquial usage over time. Take, for example, the besmirched Necromancer. On its own, all Necromancy is, is communication with the spirits of the dead. In that context, there are many, many people in our modern day to whom this label would apply. But in common parlance, we do not take a Necromancer to be something as relatively innocent as this. This word forming element, mancy, is of Greek origin, and refers to the means by which something is divined, divination of course usually used in magical contexts, but as stated previously, could be as mundane as divining today's weather by listening to a radio broadcast. Thusly, the care one must take regarding the words used and the contexts in which they are received.
So what, then, is a Sorcerer? For the purposes of this discussion, Sorcery shall be defined as, "the harnessing of occult forces to produce esoteric effects via supernatural means," referring to that which exists outside of the day-to-day common magic utilized by all living things. A Sorcerer, therefore, begins to resemble very closely one who harnesses the Ley Lines of the Earth, known as Blue Zones by the Coalition Government, to facillitate transportation, communication, binding, warding, and other types of magic. So yes, in theory, anyone can learn Occult mysteries. We all observe the same natural world, after all. But would they understand them? Would they believe them? To some degree, perhaps. That is, after all, the origin of the Sorcerer, someone who has attained limited insight into the universe but without fail relies upon the crutches of instruments, rituals, and overwhelming power of the natural world to carry out their will.
The True Mage needs none of these things. A Sorcerer without his instruments, outside of his element, would be able to do very little, so reliant has he become on the power of the Ley Lines. The True Mage is someone whose insight is greater in all measures than the Sorcerer. Yes, they may use all the same methods, because it is easier. But even without them, they are a force to be reckoned with. The True Mage has Awakened some shard or aspect within themselves, a reflection of God or the Universe or whatever you want to call it, that enables them to make it conform to their will, and additionally has a symbolic guide, an Avatar, to aide their conscious mind. And so we come to the final distinction between the Sorcerer and the Mage. Paradox. It is one of the great mysteries that Reality is ruled by Consensus, which of course brings up a host of other questions, such as how it came to resemble its current form if it is so mutable, the starting point, the origin, a question which has, of course, no certain answer. The Sorcerer doesn't fear Paradox, for all that he does is in accordance with Reality. The Mage, however, can push these boundaries. Push them too far, and they reap what they sow.
Anyone can, potentially, become a Sorcerer, a Magician, a Witch, a Warlock, or whatever petty term or label or classification you want to slap on them. Modern life is easy for them, in a certain sense. There are numberless entities interfering with the Earth that can grant Joe Normal power. There are thousands of places of power, Magic Zones, and entire Planes of Existence that can be reached through the Rift Network of Earth, for those bold enough to seek them out. Many are those that say that this is the future for humanity, a great awakening. Time will tell how true that statement is.
Reading the above, one might ponder the possibility that everyone is a Sorcerer or a Wizard or a Witch or whatnot, these words simply being labels meant to categorize and describe patterns for ease of understanding. A Sorcerer, as understood in setting, can be the result of a myriad of possible origins. Take for example, the mystic Tattoos of the Splugorth. Can someone bearing these markings without any knowledge of the Occult, truly be said to be a man of magic? Again, to a certain extent, yes, but they lack conscious power of their own, making them little different from those who form Pacts with greater powers for magic, or a man who uses a firearm without understanding the mechanical principles by which they operate. They all utilize powers beyond their understanding without any conscious knowledge of how they operate, and without sufficient insight to innovate or expand upon them outside the limits of that which they can perform (better accuracy, faster draw, creative thinking).
Many terms have had their meanings changed through colloquial usage over time. Take, for example, the besmirched Necromancer. On its own, all Necromancy is, is communication with the spirits of the dead. In that context, there are many, many people in our modern day to whom this label would apply. But in common parlance, we do not take a Necromancer to be something as relatively innocent as this. This word forming element, mancy, is of Greek origin, and refers to the means by which something is divined, divination of course usually used in magical contexts, but as stated previously, could be as mundane as divining today's weather by listening to a radio broadcast. Thusly, the care one must take regarding the words used and the contexts in which they are received.
So what, then, is a Sorcerer? For the purposes of this discussion, Sorcery shall be defined as, "the harnessing of occult forces to produce esoteric effects via supernatural means," referring to that which exists outside of the day-to-day common magic utilized by all living things. A Sorcerer, therefore, begins to resemble very closely one who harnesses the Ley Lines of the Earth, known as Blue Zones by the Coalition Government, to facillitate transportation, communication, binding, warding, and other types of magic. So yes, in theory, anyone can learn Occult mysteries. We all observe the same natural world, after all. But would they understand them? Would they believe them? To some degree, perhaps. That is, after all, the origin of the Sorcerer, someone who has attained limited insight into the universe but without fail relies upon the crutches of instruments, rituals, and overwhelming power of the natural world to carry out their will.
The True Mage needs none of these things. A Sorcerer without his instruments, outside of his element, would be able to do very little, so reliant has he become on the power of the Ley Lines. The True Mage is someone whose insight is greater in all measures than the Sorcerer. Yes, they may use all the same methods, because it is easier. But even without them, they are a force to be reckoned with. The True Mage has Awakened some shard or aspect within themselves, a reflection of God or the Universe or whatever you want to call it, that enables them to make it conform to their will, and additionally has a symbolic guide, an Avatar, to aide their conscious mind. And so we come to the final distinction between the Sorcerer and the Mage. Paradox. It is one of the great mysteries that Reality is ruled by Consensus, which of course brings up a host of other questions, such as how it came to resemble its current form if it is so mutable, the starting point, the origin, a question which has, of course, no certain answer. The Sorcerer doesn't fear Paradox, for all that he does is in accordance with Reality. The Mage, however, can push these boundaries. Push them too far, and they reap what they sow.
Anyone can, potentially, become a Sorcerer, a Magician, a Witch, a Warlock, or whatever petty term or label or classification you want to slap on them. Modern life is easy for them, in a certain sense. There are numberless entities interfering with the Earth that can grant Joe Normal power. There are thousands of places of power, Magic Zones, and entire Planes of Existence that can be reached through the Rift Network of Earth, for those bold enough to seek them out. Many are those that say that this is the future for humanity, a great awakening. Time will tell how true that statement is.
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Indeed.
The Siege of Monterrey, 1.4
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Spinning and spiraling uncontrolled, Dorete was ejected through the portal and into the astral realm beyond. As suddenly as it had come, the powerful force that held her let go, and the portal disappeared like it had never existed. With the hold over her relinquished, she quickly stabilized herself and - the impact of the multi-ton APC into her spine was certainly jarring. Adding to the confusion, her comms erupted into sound, filled with yells and panicked cries. Stabilizing herself again to cease the disorienting rotation, she realized that she wasn't the only thing that had come through. How'd you come to that conclusion, sister? Her electroreception identified over a dozen other soldiers had been sent through, as well as a SAMAS and the APC that hit her. She maneuvered herself along the vehicle and saw a dozen or so grunts, a few Rangers and a SAMAS - Savage's morale patch - all drifting wildly in different directions, as well as dozens of firearms, munitions, and shredded vehicle parts. They must have been caught by the same grasping force. With her Telekinesis, she could at the very least collect all their equipment and drag them over to the APC, stop them all from dying alone in this void between stars. Already, her mind was running rapidly, thinking of what plan could see them all through this situation. Her HUD wasn't displaying any atmospheric data, which only confirmed her senses that there wasn't sufficient breathable air, or indeed, any atmosphere to speak of. All of them only had a limited oxygen supply, which could only be extended so far through lowered metabolic rates. If she was going to be expending energy directing the movement of an entire APC full of infantry and equipment, she'd be the first to run out of air from the exertion, assuming no one else's supply was compromised by the fighting. The APC would definitely have more pressurized oxygen for resupply. And, as morbid as it was, a lot of the soldiers that came through the portal were probably KIA as well, either by her duel with the Crypt Knight or from the ambush before. All of their corpses could be scavenged for more air. She needed to think on this, but she also needed to rescue the others before they wasted their oxygen supplies or went too far, beyond her reach.
"All Locals, I'm going to guide you to the APC, settle down and save your damn oxygen." She grabbed each of the soldiers and all of the spare equipment, and over several minutes they were steered in her direction. The first couple of men were obviously displeased about being shunted through a portal, to where God only knows. Some were thankful not to be left drifting through this void to die on their own, others were clearly angry and in denial of their circumstances. Half of them did not show any response, either dead or unconscious. Finally, surprising her, the SAMAS fired its jets and moved to her under its own power. Savage was alive, then. "What happened, Eight Bravo? Last I recalled, we were in Mexico, and then there was a lake, and now we're here." His clear, smooth Midwestern accent came through their squad's channel, sounding about as concerned as if he'd been tapped for extra duties by the sergeants. Which is to say, not very. "We can discuss our present circumstances as soon as we get everybody inside, Five Bravo," she replied. No reply came for a long moment. Slowly, the great armored fist of the SAMAS pilot tapped his C-40R, and the RPAP jetted back to circle around the APC a few times before hovering above it. She levitated to the gunner's turret, a quick burst of ferrokinesis opening the sealed compartment. Empty. She closed the compartment behind her as she entered, making her way through the internals and through to the pilot's compartment. Electromagnetic pulses guided her way in the darkness, lit only by emergency lighting strips. The salt plug must have dropped, she'd have to get the reactor running again if she wanted access to more of the onboard functions. Simple enough. She stashed her armaments in one of the empty containers before unsealing the pilot's compartment.
The driver's seat was empty, as was the commander's seat. No bodies. No one in the vehicle at all. The reactor was shut down, the crew couldn't access their heavy weapon systems. They must have all dismounted via the belly hatch shortly after they came under attack. She quickly checked the interface and controls for other damage, but nothing became apparent after a couple of minutes. Okay. She set to work. The reactor came back online under her guidance, as did sensors, comms, and the targeting computer. No major structural damage. Good, good. She switched back to general comms, in which a conversation had begun to take place between the soldiers. She interrupted them without fanfare. "Get inside, men." The rear access of the vehicle opened up, and soldiers began to make their way inside with whatever armaments they'd collected. She focused on keeping the air inside the compartment as they entered, waiting.
"We're all in, close it up," came the voice of one of the regulars, a couple of minutes after. She closed the rear access, making her way back to where they'd entered. She saw Savage's RPA was crouched inside the space, a half dozen men attending to those that weren't moving at all. "Whose rank is highest," she queried. They all looked at each other briefly, before one of the soldiers spoke up. "Technically, the Rangers are, since they're all sergeants, but the other two are dead and we don't know if this guy's gonna make it." He punctuated this by pointing down at the Ranger in question. Several spikes were penetrating the frontal plating of his body armor, going all the way to the back of his armor but not penetrating. She wasn't a medic, but multiple spikes in the chest didn't seem particularly survivable, lots of important organs that don't really appreciate being perforated. "Are any of you medics?" A different soldier nodded, slowly. "Can we treat him," she asked? He didn't respond for a long moment. Some of the soldiers were turning to look at him, now. "Will you treat him, soldier?" Again, the medic didn't respond for a longer moment, before finally, he replied, "No point to it, we're all gonna die out here." Everyone turned to face him, but none spoke. He continued. "I'm just sayin what every one of us is thinkin. Y'all saw what was out there, nothin but stars and dust. No air, no water, no food. Every man's time on Earth is limited, but for us that's a little bit more than a quaint truism, aight? We'll be crossin this here Jordan, soon, I think. Off to that destination which all life's intended. Born to die, as they say. What's a little more time gonna do?"
She had plans and ideas, could extend their lives a little longer. This realm appeared like a distorted version of space, and she was already exerting an EM field to try to handle the exotic radiation, with some success. There were comets around. If she could find one, she could render it into its components, convert water into hydrogen and oxygen. It would be a matter of luck, but possible, and would potentially solve their oxygen situation and water situation for the short term, when combined with the filters and recycling already present in their armors. Air wasn't the issue, in that case. The problem was food, and there was nothing to eat out here. If asphyxiation didn't do it, if dehydration didn't do it, or radiation, starvation would. There was no hope for even medium-term survival out here. And now that the stress of the fighting was done, she felt a bone deep exhaustion. Like nothing else, she wanted to just stop moving. Stop struggling to exist. The medic, however, hadn't stopped speaking. "I can see your anger, your sorrows, the swirls of your immortal soul. I see you. And I see the Sorcerer's mark. By bein here with us, you're markin us, as well. That curse wasn't no metaphor. You're doomed, woman. Doomed to misery and bloody strife. Depressin, I know, but more time won't do nothin. Say, by some miracle, I save this man. What then? That's all I'm askin. What. Then? And it isn't like we could send you away, like that would solve the problem. You're honorable enough, you might even do it if we asked. We're still adrift in the firmament, with no tether to return us to shore. So you see? I say make your peace." With that, he began to pray over the dying Ranger.
Condition changes:
Curse of Doom (Unknown effect)
Curse of Exhaustion (Unknown effect)
-24 MHP = Agitated (-2 to Intelligence skills)
Exhausted (-3 to all skills)
Equipment changes:
Used all grenades.
Curse of Doom (Unknown effect)
Curse of Exhaustion (Unknown effect)
-24 MHP = Agitated (-2 to Intelligence skills)
Exhausted (-3 to all skills)
Equipment changes:
Used all grenades.
AN: Voting time. Lots of options, but most of them are bad ones. I strongly encourage questions be asked. Reminder that failure is a legitimate outcome.
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And would you be doing that before or after dealing with the air supply?
Presumably, full disclosure it was a joke about the rift system. But i have no solution to this problem
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Perhaps another look over the Rifts Sorcery and WoD Magic Informational will prove to be inspirational.
