A Pact of Monsters [Garden of Monsters Civ/Rp/Council game] [Ended]

A PACT OF MONSTERS​

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Born of the Mother Mind to repopulate and render service to the garden, you are the creation of a deranged but powerful mind seeking to tame all that threatens the beloved creators and to learn all that you can of your ‘Path’ in life as assigned by the Mother. Every Vorid is a beast unto itself of untold potential growing from metal and magic into a powerful guardian of the Garden. You must venture out, weak but unlimited in potential for power, to navigate amoung the wild things... and the ever more treacherous none so wild things too.

Compete, Devour, Conquer.


They are born.

By the mother’s will they begin.

Taught and forged, crafted in every form imaginable. They are Vorid, the children of the Garden. Created by the Mother Mind to defend, to examine, to become ever more than they were.

To learn and grow.

Hungry beasts, with hungry minds waiting to be filled. Only the fittest of them survive, thrive, prosper.

Unity is not the natural state of the ravening beast. It is not the rule by which the mighty have prospered... only lone strength, power shaped though personal realization and acquisition have yet proven themselves to work. And even the few lines for whom the power of cooperation have proven true, are ultimately selfish beast, merely being of one will spread across many bodies.

It is a strange fate which has befallen, monsters raging and willful, demons of metal like flesh, in a meeting of minds. It started all with a single spark... and now smolders, waiting to flare.

You are Vorid. Bio-mechanical creatures of every form, every intricate design... first generation, you have been hand crafted by the Mother Mind herself. Your mind shaped and taught in every format which could be. You are her hope, her hands, and her blade.

And you have done the impossible.

Breeds of Vorid, living in relative harmony, working together to achieve their goals. A community of beings who have adopted each other, you learn to accept the presence of those who are not akin to self and with your disparate capabilities...

You Experiment.​

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You Prosper.​

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You Conquer.​

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You are the Pact of Monsters. And You Will BECOME.​

 

CHARACTER SHEET BUILDER

Name:

Character Description: What kind of monster are you? Give a full description of your character and relevant personal details.

Initial Path: This is a one or two word summery of your character capabilities, around which your character conceptually operates and excels. Example - Ambush: You are quick, you are unseen. Sudden force and high mobility allow you to bleed your foes. They never saw you coming... and they cannot keep you from coming again, and again, and again.

Ideal: Choose an ‘Ideal’ around which your magical and technical progression will begin. Each ideal will give you access to different spells and abilities around which the character will be designed. (Fire, Ice, Dominion, Blood, Ect..)

Body Type: Choose a body type. Each type has its advantages and disadvantages. (Humaniod, Reptiliod, Avian, Other[describe], ect...)

Operational Philosophy: This will be a description of how you envision your character’s body type, Ideal, and Path working together with your minds set in achieving your goals.

Efficiency Ratings: You will have 15 points which can be spent in any of the 4 areas. Each one affects activity rolls related to each of the four adding the points to the rolls in order to increase your chances of success.
Intellectual Pursuit – Scholarship
Combat Proficiency – Combat
Sensory Dedication – Hiding and Tracking
Arcane Manipulation – Magic use

Ability Modifiers: You are allowed to create 3 abilities which are always on which affect how your character interacts with the world and can cause changes to rolls which you participate in accordingly. All abilities must be listed as an offensive, defensive or tactical adaptation. Here are 3 examples of such modifiers.
Burn Cutter – Offensive – causes cutting surfaces on your body to burn and cauterize their way though surfaces which you attack
Dynamic Armour – Defense – every attack received from a target causes the outer layers of your skin to rearrange itself to better defend against the next strike.
Infiltrators eyes – Tactical – Creates a secondary processor which handles identifying how to best proceed though an environment with minimal physical impact allowing far more efficiency in stealth.

Spells: You are also allowed to create 1 spell which your character can freely use, it must relate to your Ideal. Spells open up additional options of exploitation which can add to rolls being made and allow you options otherwise unavailable in your environment.




GAMEPLAY AND GOALS
This game is somewhere between an RP Council and a Civ game. Initially there will be a number of players ( Max 8 ) who will participate directly in the affairs of the Pack. The goal of this game being to make the entire concept of ‘Pack grouping’ a successful one. As such each player can take a Personal Action marked with a [P], and all comers can make votes on a Pack action [X]. Each update will encompass a month’s worth of activity.

You are playing as a Vorid, a biomechanical being and a natural mage capable of actively adapting your body and evolving as you compete with other beings in your environment, itself a biomechanical jungle of insane hostility, but there is hope for success in all forms, all looks, all type, all paths. Humaniod, Draconic, Insectile, flying jellyfish, shaggoth, diplomat, mind bender, stealth hunter, living power station. You are capable of being almost anything you can think of. Private actions are also allowed by sending me your instructions away from the prying eyes of your fellow packmates. Political intrigues, resources wars, and contact with the world outside of Garden... there will be much to do.

There are 3 main type of resources which will be absolutely necessary for the survival of your clan. Biometal, Cores, and Blood metal.
Biometal is the flesh of the Vorid, around which all Vorid technologies are based. As such each week barring injury your Vorids will make use of collected biometal in minor repairs. It can also be used in making upgrades in character size and physical capabilities as well as in the creation of progeny, shelters, ect so long as the a Vorid has the relevant skills for manipulating it.
Cores are the heart of the Vorid, in more ways than one. Each core is a reactor capable of great feats of power generation from cold fusion. But they are limited in time of operation and need to be recharged ever so often to continue high output uses, such as intelligent thought. Cores are also used by most Vorid as a kind of storage facility for their design ethic, the path which they took to create their current form and the reasonings behind the changes at every level, as well as a chart of their growth decisions. Cores contain both the seeds of continuation and improvement at the mental scale. Secrets of Magic are also sometimes stored on them.
Blood metal is rare resource, but a potent one. A single shard of blood metal can double the operational power of magic utilized by a being at the cost of both physical and mental damage. All the races of the world are hungry for it, for it is the easy path to be coming a powerful mage, and its effects of despair of debilitation can easily be weaponized. Vorids do not feel despair, at least not to a crippling degree, and thus are massively resistant to the mentally corruptive aspects of the Blood metal. It is ALWAYS useful for trade and can be used for quick boosts in untenable situations.


The roll table I blatantly stole from Chibi-Reaper’s Oni civ game... I might also steal Chibi’s Dice rolls... be warned.

>Any Doubles: YOU WIN, RAWR. SO STRONG.
>101+: You win twice (Take your stupid success and DOUBLE IT!)
>90-100: Stupidly Successful
>60-90: Successful
>40-60: Neutral
>10-40: Not So Good
>1-10: Terrible (Actively horrible things will happen to you)


Further information on this game is Available Here, and Here

 

Vorid Players SB
Silver Sun 17
Murder Hobo of Nod
Mr.Gazzer
Lost Egos
ReinZero

 

reserved

 

Is this just a Lag Mirror Thread, or do you have any other plans for it?

 

Its just a Lag mirror mainly. Especially since all the slots are being filled so quickly on SB.






[X] Starter Pack...



It starts with but a spark.

Or in this case a roar.

It is stuck, its body being slowly encased by the Resin which leaks forth from the maw of its would be predator. The Silver blue Hivayi-form Vorid frowns in its own neigh imperceptible way. This was not the way which it had envisioned its first few days of birth from the mother’s nurturing womb, from the comforting gibber of her many, many voices as they spoke secrets and lullabies of venomous love.

Wisdom, led it astray. The very mind which it’d cultivated in the cavernous stretch of seconds within the mother’s tutelage had proven its undoing. A mind which had let it to attempt to communicate with its fellow Vorid after realizing that it was also a prime generation Vorid.

This how ever did not turn out to be the wisest of ideas ever had, despite its affinity for the mental ideal. The beast with which it sought to converse was little better than feral, for all its intellect it wished nothing of such pursuit. Struck before it could bring itself to defend, the beast slid out, a slug like body, with a ravenous maw and from every surface of its body it oozed rezin and blasted the ‘wise Vorid’. Trapped and being prepared for consumption.

But this fate was not to be.

From the sky lightning struck, breaking away the resin, and laying low the Vorid which held it. A draconic vorid descending to save the ‘progenitor’ trapped. And though it would be disappointed to find not a progenitor female as it had taken the figure to be, the two would begin to converse... and converse.

In the hours which would pass, something odd had begun. A strange friendship had started to form, and an idea.

It would not be for several weeks after this that the two would meet again, their separate hungers for intellectual interaction and something to protect, would provide the catalyst for them joining together once more to hunt together. Fantastically more successful than they had been alone, they would chance against another Vorid, this time of scorpion design. It read them perfectly, itself in awe that other Vorid might be open to the idea of hunting together for mutual benefit, and it joined them, intrigued.

The rest would follow on. The rampaging brute, all power and conflict... culled by curiosity, the powerful bear, the eldritch horror, the mishmash beast, humanoid fighter... and the two creatures of shadow who each one just suddenly showed up one day, and began to help.

They are Vorid, and it is a volatile path. Their instincts rage against the presence of others of their kind, demanding battle, and conflict. Some revel in this, others worry. But the benefits of hunting, learning, and building together have begun to show fruit. And here in the Garden of monsters... the Pack makes its Pact.
There is much to be done.


Current Resources:
Biometal stores – 100 units.
(Every Vorid uses 1 unit of Biometal per month, 10 if injured, 30 if critically injured)
Cores – 10 units
(Vorid cores are used by Vorid doing energy intensive work. One core is used up if a unit is critically injured)
Bloodmetal stores – 1 unit
(Bloodmetal is precious, it will not be used up without group agreement.)

Camp status: Crude Clearing
Pack capabilities: None learned
Pack Fame: Completely unknown
Pack comfort level: Low, uneasy truce.
Pack Size: 10 members (Founders)




Pack action:
[] Write in. What do you wish to do first?

Personal action:
[]Write in. What do you wish to do?

 

Pack Action:
1d100-40 → [85,-40] = (45)


Hunting Action:
1d100+39+12+1d20+25+22+31+24-60 → [34,39,12,5,25,22,31,24,-60] = (132)


Construction action:
1d100+4+20+8-30 → [21,4,20,8,-30] = (23)


Morale action [Amistad]:
1d100+33 → [100,33] = (133)

 

[X] Month 1


Construction:
It is a long month as the three struggle to further clear and construct a safe haven amoung the towering Seeder Paths which dominate the Garden landscape. With Wulder’s titanic strengths and the toxic blades of Umbra the act of clearing should have been a simple one... or at least that is what they thought.

Instead it becomes an arduous chore, as each attempt to penetrate the powerful hides of the tree-like Vorid irritates them immensely. It is soon that Wulder and Umbra come to find that the ‘Trees’ are themselves each equipped with powerful weaponry, to be deployed against those creatures actually capable of damaging them. Combat tendrils and storms of lightning abound as the Seeder path Vorid retaliate against the attempts at uprooting them, eventually driving back the tenacious pair from their attempts.

Meanwhile, Ephemeral struggles valiantly against the act of summoning materials which would be suitable for a strong set of walls. And while enthusiasm for this project abounds... it seems almost superfluous on second thought. Still it works tirelessly, summoning the building materials piece by piece. Not bio-metal, as that still lies beyond its current technical skills but it tries anyway, replicating the materials in the ground to create its wall. This turns out to be a failure most spectacular as the materials it creates simply attract the attentions of a ‘gazer’ path Vorid, a living Bio-Metal generator which seeks out the various materials needed to craft biometal from within the soil. The massive creature would simply walk over to the work and rip down the walls even as they went up. The beast’s uncaring bulk and spiked defenses made a strong deterrent against outright attack even as it ate what little progress was made.

After several such attempts are simply eaten up... or crumble on their own it becomes apparent that this month’s work has been a failure.

Rewards: None.



Hunting:
There is a hush all across the grand forests of the Garden as the Pack hunts. Between baiting of the Crashing Wave, and the careful unseen herding of the Old-Crow drew out prey of all kinds, into the open.

Nrull and Skalhor wasted no time in putting to work their terrifying power of combat, even as Aserius directed the slaughter with cold clam eyes. Lighting raining from the skies would finish any beast which attempted escape while Bahamut hovered from his bird’s eye view.

It was a slaughter of almost unprecedented proportions, one which would leave the Garden quiet for quite some time. And while the focus of the slaughter had been on the lesser Vorid, second generation creatures without the benefits of the mother’s teachings to bring their minds to the fore, it is noted that such success would not be without some consequence to future patterns hunting.
A small amount of the collected Bio-metal is ruined by the heat and crushing strikes, but most of it survives intact, though only 2 cores are recovered fully intact. And as they collect their slaughtered bounty, a single creature, a scavenger path vorid it seems, crawls over to the succulent seeming leaf-like fronds which currently projected from Crashing Wave’s body. Refraining from slaying it for the moment, the Vorid finds that the creature not only bows its head before it, but when commanded actually listens. It does not take long for Crashing Wave to claim it as its own minion.

The rest are able though the efforts of Aserius, to piece together bits of code from the ruined cores of most of the creatures... and find that there in some of the salvaged cores, there are spells which can be learned.

Rewards:
120 + 30 units of Biometal.
2 Cores
1 minion (Crashing Wave – may give a 1 line description of minion and function)
1 Custom spell each (Nrull, Skalhor, Bahamut, Aserius, Old-Crow)
1 Efficiency point increase for each participant.
Group Comfort: Advance +1



Pack action/ Morale action:
In the spare time between the fervent hunts and the attempts at expanding their home to secure their biometal stores, the pack attempts to get to know each other better... or at least some of them do. Though the success of the hunt has given them a common ground to work from, they are each one utterly different beings, some of which are alien beyond even casual comprehension. These first overtures at pack integration do little to change minds and settle the natural wariness between Vorid of such widely disparate forms and mentalities. But it does provide ground under which the cold-eyed scorpi-form Vorid, Amistad, is able to learn enough of each of its new packmates.

Over the next month it slowly works its way into the good graces of each, its words customized and tailored to its observations of every beast amoung them, and slowly it draws them together, itself becoming the primary thread in the new community as its words and observations work to charm its fellows ever closer together.

Forged together like the very ideal of steel.

Rewards:
2 advances on the group comfort level
1 Efficiency point increase
Amistad is able to call in a ‘favours’ of his fellow packmates. Adding 1 of them to its actions, without interrupting their own (provided they are capable of making the effort).



Consequences
The Garden forests around the main camp have become far more quiet than before, basic hunting difficulty has increased. -5 added to hunting rolls, -20 added to Group hunting rolls.
There seems to be a very large lithovorus Vorid hanging about camp, though otherwise harmless is covered in spikes and blades of all kinds, and its body is huge and tough. It seems to be a second or third generation intellect as well... -30 to building attempts while it hangs around.
An event roll has panned out in your favour. Event not triggered.


Current Resources:
Biometal stores – 260 units.
(Every Vorid uses 1 unit of Biometal per month, 10 if injured, 30 if critically injured)
Cores – 12 units
(Vorid cores are used by Vorid doing energy intensive work. One core is used up if a unit is critically injured)
Bloodmetal stores – 1 unit
(Bloodmetal is precious, it will not be used up without group agreement.)

Camp status: Crude Clearing
Pack capabilities: None learned
Pack Fame: Local terrors
Pack comfort level: Low, uneasy truce.
Pack Size: 11 members (Founders, 1 minion)




Pack action:
[] Write in. What do you wish to do first?

Personal action:
[]Write in. What do you wish to do?

 

Pack Action:
1d100-40 → [70,-40] = (30)

Building Action:
1d100+4+29+8-45-30 → [4,4,29,8,-45,-30] = (-30)

Dominance Action:
1d100 → [51] = (51)

Scouting Action:
1d100+29 → [42,29] = (71)

Bio-Metal Study:
1d100+33 → [2,33] = (35)

Hunting Action:
1d100+28 → [19,28] = (47)

Diplomacy Action:
1d100+1+29+34-30-30 → [19,1,29,34,-30,-30] = (23)

 

EVERYBODY PANIC.

 

[X] Month 2




Construction:
Old-Crow and Wulder did their level best. Raging against the Seeder-Path Vorid which obstructed their desire to expand and fence off their corner of the hold. Again and again the Ursi-form Vorid would throw itself against the rugged bark of the powerful Vorid... until eventually it succeeded beyond its worst nightmares.

A nightmarish frenzy of electrified tendrils and thunderous discharges filled the air, breaking apart every and anything in reach. Annoyed and mature Seeder paths were powerful creatures, difficult to rouse into action... and even more deadly a force when finally made to react.

And while Old-Crow was able to escape... its companion would suffer much of the full brunt of the assault, having chunks of its hide carve out from electrified whips rending their way through flesh, and even the removal of an entire leg to cope with. And though Wulder was a resilient creature... the Seeder Path elders were not at all to be trifled with.

In the meantime Ephemeral kept on its task of building... learning, and adapting its manifestations. And every step of the way, the Lithivore Vorid ate them. It got to the point where the blasted thing would follow the humanoid Vorid about just waiting for it to put up another section of wall. It was almost as if something about the way it used its energies to condense materials into manifested forms which seemed to flavour them greatly for the Lithivores tastes. The already passive beast seemed to mellow even further, sometimes going as far as roll around its massive bulk in overtures of pleasure.

Right over whatever other successes which it had not yet demolished...

Ephemeral could only sigh in defeat at the ruin of its efforts.

Rewards:
-30 to Biometal stores and -1 core.
Ephemeral has stumbled into a formula for the lithivore equivalent of catnip.




Hunting:
This section of the Garden in the aftermath of last month’s hunt yielded little in the way of food. Fortunately for Bahamut though, there was still at least enough to scrounge up some grub with a few precision lightning strikes.

Reward:
No upkeep for this unit for this month.




Scouting:
Deciding that its time was better spent than attempting once more to move the Seeder path Vorid from their rooted rests, Umbra took to a bit of scouting.

It was a vast patch of the garden in which you have settled. North east of the blessed Mother in her endless production of new life, but not so far as to begin moving into the edges of forest. New Vorid constantly spill out from her relentless womb.

To the south west of you a jagged expanse of ancient wreckage, the ‘Darkness Reef’. A collection of the left overs from the Hivayi brought ever so suddenly over, a crumbling expanse of uniquely corroded Biometal, twisted and dead in transfer of the Ravening Cataclysm. It has been taken over by a unique Seeder Path Vorid with a fungal body form, a passive Reclaimer of the past glories, converting the dead biometal into new materials for itself. And much like the forest like Seeder Path Vorid which dominates much of the landscape with their tree like silver grey and black bodies, the fungal Reclaimer Vorid invests its body in across the Darkness Reef. Its own ideals of Space and Darkness have warped the area such that only a low level of sunlight could enter, the Reclaimer itself literally eating much of the light as it fell across its surface.

To the South east a thriving area of Vorid congregated, killing and being killed as they shared their space the way Vorid knew how to. Many of these Vorid have are strong beasts, of grave experience and with bodies well adapted to their various niches.

Worryingly Umbra runs across a colony of M’rtal near that southeastern region. They are Hivayi-form Vorid with extreme combat focus and a colony/family/hive type mentality. Each individual of this type carries a different weapon grown from a holster sheath in its back. Looks like a man in segmented armour and moves in sudden jerky puppet-like motions. Mature ones are disruptively camouflaged in the colours of their preferred environment; younger ones are always a solid gray. Having a straight up fight with even a single one of the creatures was asking for death, their entire path, ideal, and every facet of their bodies were focused on the concept of martial prowess. Coupled with a pack hunting instinct and communications relay which bound all M’rtal together in a manner closer than family ties. Voracious, territorial, and outright terrors in a straight fight, they were not particularly bright, but would be cause to keep an eye out in times to come.

To the far, far north of the Mother Mind, lay the city of progenitors in all its glory, with Vorid of intense power surrounding it, guarding it, fighting against each other around it.

It had also caught the ‘metaphorical’ whiff of Bloodmetal in its travels, but was unable to locate the exact area beyond somewhere southeast and again somewhere to the north, beyond the MotherMind. The Northern area it might need to fly out to the area, due to how far it was, if it wished to make the trip search and be able to return before the month was over. It is fairly certain though that where ever they are would be somewhere somewhat associated with its Ideal of Shadow.

Rewards:
Uncovered new locations.
General Idea of Bloodmetal deposits gained.
No upkeep costs.
GM owes you all a Map... (best of luck on getting it too soon)




Dominance:
The Thousand Crashing Waves stared deeply into the eyes of its new minion. Its own new multitude of optical sensors sharpening with intensity as it glared at its new servant... who carried on chewing the frond like outgrowths which tended to grow out from time to time on its new boss. Nestling its small body frame up to its boss the little creature buried itself under the fronds and tails, and grasping limbs of the Crashing Waves’ current manifestation, leaving its boss to frown in annoyance with over a thousand eyes... and little in the way of a face. The creature was no more or less chastened by the experience than it had been before it.

Rewards:
None either way.




Biometal Study:
Practically is the driving force behind its decision... Practicality and a healthy dose of curiosity. If there is some way in which to use the Biometal without needing to bodily process it, and then apply that to their walls... it would prove a grand boon to the defenses of their encampment. As such Aserius would find itself examining, and reexamining the intricacies of the biometal.

Already it knew that the biometal was at its base an array of intrintricate machinery which utilized their nanoscopic size to build and reinforce materials which could be considered exotic in nature. It was the foundational building block of all Hivayi technologies. Biometal materials were as varied as they were intricate, with the Biometal component itself essentially custom designing them down to the molecular structures and atomic placements. In many a material which was considered ‘biometal’ there was usually a disparagingly small amount of Metal involved.

But right now none of that mattered as Aserius scanned and attempted to pick apart the complex encoding of even a simple task to the Biometal, its own massive intellectual capability allowing it to get to the point where it should have been able to give simple directions... but something was wrong. Frustration after frustration hampered its efforts as the wisdom focused Vorid, slowly hammered and brute forced its way through codes and cyphers which should have come more naturally to it.

And while there was no progress on the actual project of getting the bio-metal to work for it... there had at least been a minor breakthrough with the process of communicating with the tiny devices and creating a suitable interface for its work.

Reward:
+10 to next attempt at Biometal Study.




Pack Action/ Diplomatic attempt:

It was the general consensus that the Lithivorus grazer would indeed make a better ally than enemy, and while its mind was not as developed as a first generation’s would be, it was in theory possible to communicate with it and gain its trust and assistance... rather than simply having its enormous bulk moving about camp and crushing every delicate thing underfoot.

Ephemeral resented the allegations of delicacy.

It had been a good idea really, but one that no one who agreed to it seemed to have much of a plan on how to implement beyond, talk at the things until it caves, a tactic which was essentially ignored in totality.

Well, that is to say no one save for Amistad. The diplomatically inclined Vorid scorpion did all that it could, pouring on the charm and examining the creature from every angle which it could. And while some of it seemed to get through to the beast and unfortunate language barrier, from the fact of its heritage being not of the mother directly, only compounded the already problematic routes. Luckily for them the constant treats which it had been receiving from the Hivayi form Ephemeral, left it in what was for the most part a highly mellow mood, causing it to ignore the constant overtures of these creatures which buzzed about annoying it mildly.

It was well until two of the more aggressive camp members decided that they would instead try to scare it into good doing what everyone wanted... this however turned out to be a bad idea... for while the creature seemed to have endless patience elsewise... it was quick to assert its own defense in the face of threatening forces.

Reward:
Event triggered - Nrull, Skalhor, Ephemeral, and Amistad face off with Ankilo-form Lithivore.
Nrull has used his favour for Ephemeral. All others remain 1 favour.




Consequences
The Garden forests around the main camp have become far more quiet than before, basic hunting difficulty has increased. -5 added to hunting rolls, -20 added to Group hunting rolls.
Lithivore is Enraged. Event triggered.


Current Resources:
Biometal stores – 242 units.
(Every Vorid uses 1 unit of Biometal per month, 10 if injured, 30 if critically injured)
Cores – 11 units
(Vorid cores are used by Vorid doing energy intensive work. One core is used up if a unit is critically injured)
Bloodmetal stores – 1 unit
(Bloodmetal is precious, it will not be used up without group agreement.)

Camp status: Crude Clearing
Pack capabilities: None learned
Pack Fame: Local terrors
Pack comfort level: Low, uneasy truce.
Pack Size: 11 members (10 Founders+1 minion)




Event Action: Nrull, Skalhor, Ephemeral, and Amistad post your plans.
[X] Write in. Make a plan, the more complete and better it covers your bases the less rolling I have to do for you to HOPE for good luck. A good plan is always superior to a bad roll.

 

[X] Cutting the Deck



Event:
The beast was not pleased. Annoying creatures, challenging it, assaulting it... such things were not to be tolerated. Though long ago it had been born to its sedimentary life, the creature remembered the lessons of its progenitors, those who were successful enough that the mother mind saw fit to allow them the next stage in Vorid development.

Reproduction.

As such, its strain of Vorid were hardy beasts, with traits which had ensured their survival in the hellish haven of the Garden. And it had just been challenged to prove this.

One heavy hoofed foot fell in dire anticipation, as the beasts mouth split, running down the sides of its massive body, almost cleaving it in two distinct halves, and a forest of knife sharp spikes extended out from its stocky form. Dirt eater or no... The beast would not be an easy kill.

The beast of many maws, stared down unto its prey... its teeth sensing the motions of existence itself around its body, as it examined the situation... for the moment the creature was angry at being threatened... and like any vorid which thought itself powerful, would not tolerated shows of threat from any which it thought might be strong enough to do undue harm to it.

It was a hard calculation, but for all that its instincts told it to attack, to rend, to shred this thing before it in the gibbering mouths of insanity, as it had learned from the mother herself... other priorities spoke to it... the this attempt at simply cowing it into submission had failed, and with the tamer’s still trying to get the job done... a retreat might be in order to better gauge the situation... after all they could still come back if the creature attacked.

Grabbing the Hydra, Nrull, Skalhor dragged its companion at arms off in a teleport a short distance away.

It was a brief moment of confusion for the creature... and then satisfaction. Yet another foe had been driven off from its comfortable area. The tasty earth spiked with the concept of actualization was nearby... and it was still hungry.

1d100+29+30 → [36,29,30] = (95)

Realizing that there was a sudden lull in the perspective combat, Ephemeral seized the chance. It did not waste any time in beginning once more to build, tuning its construction formulae to the type which had caused the creature to mellow before. And as such it was no shock to see the beast waddle over and begin, once again, to eat his work.

1d100+34+33-15 → [10,34,33,-15] = (62)

Once more the beast rumbled and rolled about the ground, clearly enjoying its treat, giving Amistad a chance to settle itself and seek out a favour from another suitable party. Aserius would prove a powerful ally in the attempt once more to persuade the creature into compliance. This time, without the barrier of language between it and the lithivore, as well as the added benefits of Aserius’ anecdotes and insights, the smooth talking scorpion managed to at least broker a rudimentary deal with the creature. Already in quite a good mood from the summoned materials, the creature would come to be intrigued by the concept of comradery and so many disparately skilled Vorid working together.

It did not take much to convince the creature to contribute Biometal it could produce and to act as a passive guardian of the group’s biometal stores.
Reward:
The Lithivore, which calls itself “Heavy” has joined the pack. Heavy has learned the signaling codes needed to speak to the rest of the pack.
Heavy eats huge amounts of dirt and converts this into biometal, 50% of which it has agreed to share with the Pack per month. Heavy creates 100 biometal per month.

Consequences:
All rolls involving base defense now include heavy as a combatant.
-30 to all building rolls from Ephemeral will continue to be applied... but in exchange Heavy will be useable (bribable) by it for any task without consideration of Pack Comfort.


Current Resources:
Biometal stores – 242 units.
(Every Vorid uses 1 unit of Biometal per month, 10 if injured, 30 if critically injured)
Cores – 11 units
(Vorid cores are used by Vorid doing energy intensive work. One core is used up if a unit is critically injured)
Bloodmetal stores – 1 unit
(Bloodmetal is precious; it will not be used up without group agreement.)

Camp status: Crude Clearing
Pack capabilities: None learned
Pack Fame: Local terrors
Pack comfort level: Low, uneasy truce.
Pack Size: 12 members (10 Founders+ 1 minion + 1 Full Pack member)



Pack action:
[] Write in. What do you wish to do first?

Personal action:
[]Write in. What do you wish to do?

 

Pack Action:
1d100-40 → [24,-40] = (-16)


Hunting Action (A worthy Challenge):
1d100+40-30 → [11,40,-30] = (21)


Biometal Study:
1d100+33 → [37,33] = (70)


Building Action:
1d100+34+7-20-30 → [31,34,7,-20,-30] = (22)


Contemplation:
Bahamut - 1d100+10 → [40,10] = (50)
Skalhor - 1d100+12 → [7,12] = (19)
Crashing Waves - 1d100+13+5 → [55,13,5] = (73)


Bloodmetal hunt:
Bloodmetal - 1d100+29+12-20-30+10 → [46,29,12,-20,-30,10] = (47)
?Event? (1d3 roll altered due to dual stealth) - 1d100+27 → [92,27] = (119)


Morale Action [Amistad]:
1d100+34 → [85,34] = (119)

 

[X] Month 3





Hunt:

Nrull, the thousand Tyrant, beast of war... was bored.

While it was true that with its combat prowess it could easily best many a creature, the Tyrant was feeling the need to test itself against something which it could consider an equal. For while the other creatures of the Pact were indeed strong, they were... familiar... and it found that it had no desire to rend them asunder as it would any other creatures. It was a strange realization for the beast of war and savage conflict... to not desire conflict seemed almost... wrong.

Still it was with this idea that it set off into the wilds. Searching for a challenge.

When such a challenge finally did show itself, Nrull found that IT was the one being challenged.

Once, twice, three times it was hit with the speeding body of something fast yet heavy set ripped its way across the mighty beast’s scales. Again and again it struck, scraping long razor sharp ebony flowers across its foe as it ran, scoring welts along the Many headed Vorid’s body which sealed themselves near instantly. And while the Tyrant did not have the ability to supply itself with ready amounts of active Bio-metal in order to truly heal its hurts, the Bio-metal structures of its body would shift and rearrange themselves ensuring continued structural integrity... The Tyrant would never fall or be completely incapacitated until the moment that it could no longer struggle at all.

Whipping out one eager head, Nrull snarled defiance at the black bird-cat thing, savagely grasping at where its body had just been.

Again and again the creature would hit and run, it lithe feline form twisting and turning to avoid being struck by the Vorid which it was attempting to assault. Nrull could feel the potent strength of its ideal, the pulse of an Inferno, as its body pressed close for the assault, as he could feel that it too understood his own ideal vigour.

As such it came as little surprise to the battle hardened Vorid of Conflict when at the moment that it finally managed to corner its elusive predatory prey, that the creature’s black body would begin to vibrate and literally cause the air around it to burst into an intense flame, as it scratched clawed and burned at anything it could in order to secure its release.

The few hits which the combat powerhouse had managed, had been vital areas, as befitting the combat sense of the beast as it beat the creature from off of its body. Finally tearing free, the wingless griffin-form Vorid seemed to explode in a wash of brilliance, the last glimpse of it with one leg bent and twisted, but not at the joint, as it retreated from its endevour.

It too but a moment more of confusion to find the wingless griffon beast long gone... The only remnant of the battle being its depleted stores of Biometal as it burned though the active Biometal to repair its body... and a small number of stiff feather-like black blades sticking out of its skin. And now Nrull knew its scent.
Rewards:
-10 Biometal
+10 to Nrull if hunting the creature which attacked it.





Construction:

In what had seemed at first a comedy of errors, the Lumbering ursine form of Wulder would find itself moving around the camp, moving heavy clumps of earth into position to make the small comfortable clearing which the Pack held into a much more defensible position... Unfortunately the somewhat clumsy and powerful creature would often find itself getting in the way of progress just as much as it was helping things along.

And it didn’t help poor Ephemeral the continued devouring of its layer of walls...

Thus it was a happy accident when the unfortunate Vorid figured out a formule for wall building which even the voracious appetite of their newest member of the pack would do little to make a dent in the construction effors, and the time to apply it from the blunders and well-meaning attempts at helping from Wulder. It was in fact the bear which managed to obstruct the powerful lithivore from its quest to devour the wall as it was being made long enough for Ephemeral to finish. And the finished product was indeed a wonder to behold... and quite a bit tougher that it seemed. And while Heavy was displeased that that much of its favourite flavour was now not only tainted by Ephemeral’s eventual answer to its walls being eaten, it was still receiving constant treats from its favoured member of the pack.

Still along with the wall the Humaniod Summoner had managed to build a kind of bunker, bribing its companion into eating out an underground chamber, and then plating it with solid metallic materials. Even the bear was looking pleased as they stored the group’s mostly exposed Biometal underground and away from prying eyes.
Reward:
Campsite status [Upgrade]: Walled off clearing. Secured pantry.
An event roll has now been changed to reflect new difficulty. In your favour.
Ephemeral of Existence, Wulder the Behemoth have gained +1 to Arcane Manipulation





Biometal Study:
The last time Aserius had attempted to interface with the biometal and get it to work with it, it’d hit a stumbling block, but now as it returned once again to the task of working its way through the ways in which the biometal would allow communication, it was struck by the bolt of inspiration.

Contemplation held the key. For when a Vorid went into the hibernative state of hyperthought and metamorphosis, they would literally reshape every bit of Bio-metal within their bodies into powerful computational devices capable of creating and running vast scenario’s and then designing down to intricate detail the exact kind of body which the Vorid in question desired. And to do all of this, one small thing was a necessity... a way to interact with the Biometal of their bodies at an instinctual level.

Thus instead of attempting to Brute force the process, Aserius did what was almost counter intuitive to itself... and simply allowed itself to drift on an endless sea of neural commands. It didn’t even take it a few minitues to fall into an almost contemplative state... the work its way into securing the keys to the biometal as its own.

Aserius’ eyes opened abruptly. It had gained the key and with but a simple access encode found that the lump of active biometal which it had been experimenting with followed simple commands and could form simple structures based upon what it could be instructed. And while even after weeks of practice with it the Silver blue humanoid Vorid realized that there were limits to what IT could currently do with the biometal... there would be things which it could already create which would greatly benefit camp.
Rewards:
Biometal Command skill [Aserius] – Any Biometal not currently activated to another Vorid’s unique codes can be manipulated at relatively slow rate.

New structures available:
Create Simple Biometal structures: -100 Biometal
Integrate Biometal with existing structures: -50 Biometal per structure
Sacrifice minion for biometal structure upgrade (Minion becomes part of structure, runs defenses): Cost -1 minion per structure.
Biometal defenses (Spike tendril, saw blade tendrils, Gatling spikes, writein): Cost -100 Bio-metal per defense instance





Contemplations:
The mood of the camp all round has been one of focus and contemplation. The intensity of minds homing upon their own ideals and impressing these into the world.

One such creature, Bahamut the dragon King found itself curled about a tree. Its mind reeling as it thought of the nature of its ideal.

The storm.

The power and the fury of the storm was it to possess. Lazily it let its ideal run wild, as the air about it crackled and surged... their powers building to a crescendo as it began to cause eddies of twirling wind to rush out. For many days it mediated alone, curled about that tree and soaking in the brilliance of the storm swept breeze.

Power, Freedom, Destruction, Cleansing... each one of these were aspects which could be focused upon to narrow its meditation, each one an aspect of its ideal which would need to be embraced if it were to create a new spell... and maybe an idea of what it wanted from said spell would help to narrow the field.

Near by the sleeping dragon an eldritch horror watched and listened without intervening...

And even as it tried to think hard upon its own truly ‘alien’ ideal... it would get little more than a headache from the experience... maybe it should narrow down what it desired to do... and maybe it might try again another month.

On the other hand, a third beast shifted and changed itself as it worked in anticipation of creation. While its body had already undergone a near complete transformation, leaving the vorid with a completely new form, that of a near feline body with the vestiges of clawed limbs and leaf like fronds which it suspected that its Minion’s constant attentions had caused its body to keep, the variable vorid had been hard at work with its own ideal of Growth.

Though unlike the other two, it had a much closer idea of what it desired the end result of its experimentation to be.

From its ideal the vorid would begin... its Biometal beginning to work in overdrive in tandem with its ideal, to create to press more material into service faster and in the process grow new components which would not last long with their unstable encodings. But for this trick, it did not need long to pull it off.

Instinct guided the Crashing Waves, instinct and desire. And from those two and the clear understanding of just what it desired to do... it would awake from its demi-contemplative state anew... having created a whole new spell for itself.
Reward:
+10 to Skalhor for next attempt at spell crafting
+10 to Bahamut for next attempt at spell crafting
Crashing Waves learns new Spell - Overgrowth buster: Causes Crashing Waves to begin to grow a temporary reactor organ... which then goes critical, funneling the resultant energy released into a singular particle beam.





Bloodmetal Hunting:

It had been an interesting day for the two shadow flickering Vorid. Certainly it had not turned out quiet as they had anticipated upon setting out.

For while they did know the general location of two pieces, one of those pieces was too far away to reach without aerial assistance to get them there and back before the month was out. Thus the two took to searching the closer flickers of bloodmetal which they could both feel thought the shadows themselves.

But for all their searching they found naught... still at least narrowing down where the deposit of the precious metal was not.

Even as they searched, the two wordless creatures startled almost as one, ducking back into the shadows, and flitting between the dark shade and the light to know what had almost caught them by surprise.

M’Rtal. A small pack of 7 fanned out, searching for food. Individually and physically, they were not really much to look at, merely humanoid Vorid which seemed... blank... of all else by the needs of their clan. But it was their teamwork and incredible martial prowess which made them dangerous in the extreme... and this was a juvenile hunting party which would grow and eventually attempt to expand into Pack territory... without so much as a word, both shadowy Vorid agreed... they should be exterminated with all due prejudice.

Old-Crow would begin the slaughter from the shadows, its natural ability of causing damage and destruction from the shadows, paying off perfectly as it utilized its new corrosive spell upon every one of the marionette like Vorid, their bodies softening an slowing without the creatures notice.

Umbra worked from the shadows, slipping in between their formations, where their shadows overlapped just enough to slip out. Corroded as they were, it did not take any real effort to finish its 5. Each one it slipped in, ripping its way through the chest and head to ensure rapid destruction, then moving on to the next before they realized just what was happening.

The last two of them died never knowing what brought them down.
Rewards:
+10 to next Bloodmetal hunt involving Umbra and Old-Crow
+1 efficiency point to Umbra, and Old-Crow
+1 Advance to Team Comfort
+60 Biometal
+2 cores
Impressive performance has enticed 1 minion (Umbra – may give a 1 line description of minion and function)
On the body of a young M’Rtal Old-Crow finds + Bloodmetal shard (When applied to a roll, bloodmetal shard will double roll result must be applied in declaration in action)





Pact Action/ Morale Action:

While the attempts to get more comfortable with each other are an outright disaster... they do leave way for the savy scorpion vorid to figure out just in what ways the team’s coherence is worst and allows it to go about once more fixing the damage to their social structure.

It would not take long to for the smooth talking scorpion to gather together the disparate units of this strange family which they had gathered... and with one final gesture, forge them all into a far better understanding of each other... it is almost a miracle that it and the has managed to achieve, from what would have been a nasty back step... the seeds of new outlook in the pack would begin.
Reward:
+2 Advances to Team Comfort
Team Comfort level upgraded
+ 1 Efficiency point Amistad
Amistad’s diplomacy bonus has advanced (Ambassador’s Eye [II])





Consequences
Camp Conditions have improved, and your stored biometal is far safer than it had been until now.
The location of the bloodmetal deposit [South] has been narrowed down further.
M’rtal have become much more active with the death of their juvenile scout band. (A New event roll has been implemented)
The Garden forests around the main camp have become far quieter than before, basic hunting difficulty has increased. -5 added to hunting rolls, -20 added to Group hunting rolls. (Event ongoing)
Pact unity level increased.
New construction options.



Current Resources:
Biometal stores – 352 units.
(Every Vorid uses 1 unit of Biometal per month, 10 if injured, 30 if critically injured)
Cores – 13 units
(Vorid cores are used by Vorid doing energy intensive work. One core is used up if a unit is critically injured)
Bloodmetal stores – 1 unit
(Bloodmetal is precious; it will not be used up without group agreement.)

Camp status: Walled off clearing. Secured pantry.
Pack capabilities: None learned
Pack Fame: Local terrors
Pack comfort level: Beginnings of trust.
Pack Size: 13 members (10 Founders+ 2 minion + 1 Full Pack member)


Biometal Construction Options:
Create Simple Biometal structures: -100 Biometal
Integrate Biometal with existing structures: -50 Biometal per structure
Sacrifice minion for biometal structure upgrade (Minion becomes part of structure, runs defenses): Cost -1 minion per structure.
Biometal defenses (Spike tendril, saw blade tendrils, Gatling spikes, writein): Cost -100 Bio-metal per defense instance



Pack action:
[] Write in. What do you wish to do first?

Personal action:
[]Write in. What do you wish to do?

 

[X] Month 4





Hunting:

The Tyrant was angry.

Thwarted of its intended prey, the many headed dragon yearned to sink its fang into the flesh of the dark bird-cat beast which had assaulted it, to feel its circulatory fluids gush and soak the mighty wyrm’s teeth and claws, and to chew its way into the biometal chest of its succulent prey.

This time it would be Nrull which found its prey first. The wingless griffin creature preening its long feather blades would be caught unawares as the mighty vorid lashed out from above. Its grasping mouths rent their way into biometal flesh, breaking blades in teeth tougher than steel.

Combat was a struggle as the two battled bitter and hard, the wingless blade gryphon and the draconic hydra ripping, rending and tearing into each other’s bodies with sinuous savagery, but in such a battle of savage attrition, there could be only one winner, as bone snaps, and vital organs are exposed and rent asunder.

In the end, it was only the hungry hunting Tyrant left with the strewn flesh of its broken foe, each head licking the excess of fluid and strings of spongy flesh from each other’s maws. And in the cleaning, the tyrant finds a shard of precious blood metal.
Rewards:
+40 Biometal
+3 core
+1 Bloodmetal shard (When applied to a roll, bloodmetal shard will double roll result must be applied in declaration in action)
+2 Efficiency Points awarded.
+1 Custom spell




Idle Ideal Thinking:

While once again the beast Skalhor lay curled in a corner due to an intense processor error, its fellow pack mates were both enjoying a bout of success.

Indeed the powerful Bahamut had been experimenting with its ideal, the intense swirl of the storm and how nothing could stand before it... on that principle it began to think and in the process it found that if it collected the stormy eddies of its ideal and let them flood out across a target it could essentially wipe the target clean of influences, even from particularly persistent and powerful sources. Beneficial and Detrimental energies both would be swept away by the tide of its cleansing, scouring might.

And the Old-crow lurked about the group enclosure, on occasion it would appear to run and flit from place to place, while being in more than one place at a time...
Rewards:
[Old-Crow] Dark Master – Makes your shadows come to life, shaping and making weapons and puppets with them.
[Old-Crow] Shadowplay – Allows you to become a living shadow.
+1 Efficiency point [Old-Crow]
[Bahamut] Purge – A storm of ideal force washes over a target, sweeping aside all changes which deviate from the target’s base form.
+1 Efficiency point [Bahamut]




Building:

With the Silo built where Ephemeral could create all the treats that its continued nescience of a partner, Heavy, could eat its sweetened product to its heart’s content, and in the process stay away from the walls of the burgeoning compound. It had not taken very much time for it to finally build a gate and entrances onto the strong walls which they had already erected, and then extend said walls to greater heights.

On the other hand the Aserius examined and inspected every exposed measure of the wall, taking critical measurements and occasionally nodding to itself. And when it was done, it disappeared down into the bio-metal pantry which had been as much devised as it had been a happy accident. And in its through investigations was able to make pointers to the diligently building Ephemeral.

All went well as the two managed and directed the strengthening and positioning of the walls and its potential defenses before Aserius finally deemed the structure ready to be infused with a colony of bio-metal.

And thus sang the Vorid of wisdom, unworldly melodies piercing the world, drawing forth the song of the Living Metal... Black deposits warped twisted and heaved, separating themselves into tiny threads then piecing the walls of the compound.

And though the process takes a great deal of time, almost 3 days worth infact, by the time the entire process is over the walls are well invested with the Bio-Metal offerings which they have absorbed. Already Aserius begins to receive simple input from various simple their sensory apparatus, and easy control over the gates which Ephemeral had not too long installed.
Rewards:
-50 Biometal
Biometal Walls gained [increased structural integrity, +10 advantage on defensive event rolls. Accommodations for defensive structures added.]
Gated structure integrated.




Sad Flowers:

It seemed that the Crashing wave had run into an unforeseen problem in its plan to fuse with its minion... a distinct lack of desire from the creature to do so. In fact it was so very hostile to the idea that it might be several months before it would even consider speaking of the idea again.

It infact did not wish to end its current existence as a singular being.
Reward:
Ongoing no sell on fusion plans with Tyrel. (7 turn lock)





Scout and Defend:

Worried about the looming threat of the M’Rtal enemies, the shadowy Vorid stalked out into the wild, in search of the foes of the pack.

And while it did manage to forage up its month’s supply of biometal in the process, it managed to do little more than give a short preemptive call on a small pack which it seemed had been sent to test their defenses.

But even with the short warning, the guarding team of Wulder and Heavy are quickly prepared for the eventuality.

The resulting battle was an absurdly one sided, as the Ursiform Vorid charged into the midst of the Marionette like Vorid, mauling and rending its way into the crowd even as they slashed and stabbed at its body, unprepared for the sudden bout of ferocity to throw itself their way. And while this did not completely disrupt their movements, It did distract them for vital moments until a huge wad of heavy material slammed itself straight into the crowd of M’Rtal, crushing 2 and severely injuring 2 more. And with the flying buzz saw of metal clad spikes which the Lithivorous pact mate brought to bear, the work of cleaning up the last of the attackers was swift and brutal.
Rewards:
+30 Biometal
+2 core
+1 Efficiency Point [Wulder]
Impressive performance has enticed 1 minion (Wulder – may give a 1 line description of minion and function)
No Upkeep cost on Umbra this turn.






Pack/Social:

Once more the smooth talking scorpion-vorid made its rounds though the heart of the camp, visiting each of the inhabitants of the camp in an attempt to council and reconciles their problems with each other... unfortunately tiny grievances which festered and became nits to pick against each other were hard to dislodge... and charming as Amistad was... it was not a miracle worker at interpersonal relationships.

On the other hand, the creature was not without its own resources, and soon had managed to amass quite the following of OTHER Vorid as they heard it speak... wondering about the very nature of the Pack. Even as the eloquent vorid twisted words and charmed others about its will, it kept watch, examining and understanding the vorid which comprised its pack and how they all fit together... or at least could potentially.

And even as it made its way through the pack, it found that it had inadvertently begun to gather OTHER vorid with its honeyed words from outside of the pact. Eagerly a small number of vorid have joined the pact, numbering twenty in total... and some amoung them have fallen before its social might.
Reward:
+2 Advances in group comfort level.

1d20 → [7] = (7) Minions have joined Amistad (1 line descriptions and function for each)
13 New Vorid have joined the Pack
1 Efficiency Point [Amistad]





Consequences
Due to the wipe out of 2 different packs of their progeny, the Elder beasts of the M’Rtal have begun to mobilize themselves to war. New event roll has been implemented to your detriment.
Home is well defended against any half-hearted attacks brought against it next turn. The enemy knows this and is planning accordingly.
You have all gained even more notoriety and popularity. Increased pack numbers increases pack upkeep.





Current Resources:
Biometal stores – 407 units.
(Every Vorid uses 1 unit of Biometal per month, 10 if injured, 30 if critically injured)
Cores – 18 units
(Vorid cores are used by Vorid doing energy intensive work. One core is used up if a unit is critically injured)
Bloodmetal stores – 1 unit
(Bloodmetal is precious; it will not be used up without group agreement.)

Camp status: Walled off clearing. Secured pantry. Well defended.
Pack capabilities: None learned
Pack Fame: Local terrors
Pack comfort level: Beginnings of trust. (2/10)
Pack Size: 35 members (10 Founders+ 11 minion + 14 Full Pack member)


Biometal Construction Options:
Create Simple Biometal structures: -100 Biometal
Integrate Biometal with existing structures: -50 Biometal per structure
Sacrifice minion for biometal structure upgrade (Minion becomes part of structure, runs defenses): Cost -1 minion per structure.
Biometal defenses (Spike tendril, saw blade tendrils, Gatling spikes, writein): Cost -100 Bio-metal per defense instance



Pack action:
[] Write in. What do you wish to do first?

Personal action:
[]Write in. What do you wish to do?

 

Month 5 rolls


Hunting Action:
1d100+40+31+31+1d20-40-15-20 → [24,40,31,31,13,-40,-15,-20] = (64)


Spell Crafting Action:
1d100+12+30 → [99,12,30] = (141)


Scouting Action:
1d100+8+31-10 → [53,8,31,-10] = (82)


Construction Action:
1d100+33+50-10-30 → [49,33,50,-10,-30] = (92)


Defensive Action:
1d100++60+20+38+26+8+15-25-100 → [33,60,20,38,26,8,15,-25,-100] = (75)


Pack Action:
1d100-25 → [63,-25] = (38)

 

[X] Month 5





Hunting:

It began in silence, shadows... and blood.

It was something that the Old-Crow was growing ever more efficient at.

The art of stealthy murder.

One, two, three, they fell. Smaller Vorid taking advantage of scavenger and herbivore niches and Smaller more mobile body types. After all, even a tiny Vorid could become a titan of magic if they manage to refine their ideal for long enough. Though there were a growing pile of many for whom time had run out. The condensing scent of their collective slaughter was beginning to fill the air as the Crashing waves drowned its ever changing body beneath the corpses, its own adapting to become akin to them... to hide in wait amoung them and slaughter anything else which came close.

Five larger specimens would wonder their way into the killing ground, only to find themselves overpowered and rent asunder by the combined might and tactics of the 3... as the mighty Tyrant Nrull ripped into the biometal flesh of all who were lured close. This would carry on for a while longer till the most curious and incautious creatures in the area had been slain, bodies lying within the pile.

Unfortunately for as much of a success as their plan had been, it would prove to be biting off a bit more than they could swallow as elder Vorid, a glistening black reptiloid centaur with no visible mouth and eyes plastered all across its body, Its lower body something like that of a turtle and its more birdlike upper torso ending in what looked like wings modified with spikes where feathers should be. Every one of its multitudes of eyes glowed a shifting liquid red with the fire of its ideals, Ceaselessness and Space. Shell fragments and feather like spikes projected from its body everywhere even on the lower shelled body. And a huge thick tail encrusted with shell and spikes trailed behind it.

Imperiously the creature simply walked across the clearing, taking a moment to scan the pile of biometal which had grown to quite the size, then with eyes aglow allowed a sizeable chunk of your biometal collected to form a ball before it, then with a warm glow about the ball began to spin and compress it within its glowing aura... smaller and smalled the thing spun, light streaming its way into every eye on the elder.

And when it was done, the beastial powerhouse simply walked away.

Not one of the three could bring themselves to move from their places of hiding until long after they’d felt the strength of its ideals wane from distance. The beast had been beyond them they could feel... the force represented by the three Voird packmates... not one of them though that it might be enough to challenge the monster which had just walked from before them.
Reward:
+55 Biometal (Loot increased due to roll difficulty)
+4 Cores (Loot increased due to roll difficulty)
Elder Vorid scouted. Primarily non-hostile to lesser Vorid. Combat challenge penalty -300 (Many Eyed Bird-Turtletaur)





Ideal Work:

The Eldritch, that which is strange and outside of the system. That which does not act as logic should dictate, and in defiance of all rule, all sensibilities save its own, should be far beyond the comprehension of those who lock themselves within the confines of that which IS.

From the moment of its crafting in the tender womb of the Mother, that which would come to be known as Skalhor Juwelhartr had long known itself to be... strange. The uncanny whispers of the mother, their sweet song of silken sultry silence mixed with the unwavering noise of blinding world yet uncrafted would shape and twist it, molding its thoughts, motions and ideals towards the bizarre, that which is utterly defiance to the established order.

And while the alien thoughts which have been plaguing the powerful vorid, have finally found in themselves a new measure of understanding, it is in their implementation that it has come to truly know that which has fascinated it for so long.

And now it’s many hungry maw’s drip with anticipation, it crafts familiarity from that which is Eldritch.
Reward:
Strange Echos: That which is self is other, and that which is other is exchanged for self without self becoming other in return. That which should harm self finds that other is the destination, cracks in the order of the world. (Enchant one, nearby hostiles receive damage done instead of target.)
Mouth of Madness: Eldritch whispers from another world leak though, and in their presence the world itself becomes something strange. Can only be cast by and on Skalhor or something similarly attuned to the eldritch, creates eldritch zones where the world works according to the insane mechanics which Skalhor believes to be true. As such all spells and abilities are drastically increased until the zone effect should break.
+1 to Arcane Manipulation





Scouting:

Flight was the nature of the winged beast. And it was in flight that the draconic Vorid, Bahamut, would indulge as I scanned for danger. Though it was indeed a powerful hunter, Bahamut was not exactly the most subtle of Vorid, its gleaming platinum scales glinting in the brilliant sun as it flew above the tree tops in search of problematic Vorid.

Unfortunately, such would find it, before it found them.

A small band of M’Rtal stalked the powerful dragon, their hands filled with various weapons ment for ranged engagement while one of their band seemed to hum with its ideal, heavy pulses of it disturbing the brush as they moved with distinct purpose.

One of them with a strange weapon in its hand, a woomera... spear launcher... would heave its arm, leaving a powerful spear bolt to fly into the shadowy underbrush, and almost pin something to the ground... something which rapidly fled, flitting from shadow to shadow. It did not take the powerful vorid much to realize that this was its own packmate being hunted... and intervene.

The sudden strikes of lighting, and the weird cloud formation would momentarily redirect the focus of the team of marionette type Vorid, a redirection which would be punctuated by the explosive force of unleashed thunders and lighting. The perfect setup for the shadowy Vorid to double back, and from the shadows, manage to incapacitate then flee their strange sensor...right in time for a healthy bolt of lightning to finish it off as they scrambled to escape.

There was news to be given to home. The M’Rtal were on the prowl now, looking for the Pack’s encampment...

They would need to prepare.
Reward:
Main M’Rtal force contacted and assessed (Combat challenge penalty -150, -200 if defensive)
Lesser scouting force evaded.
No signs of nearby Lithivores so close to Garden’s heart.
+20 Biometal scavenged while scouting for the month.





Construction:

The thin humanoid vorid stared on at its accomplishment as it continuously continued. It had taken some serious energy to get going but with the application of its ever growing skills of construction, there now existed a strong outer wall which surrounded the inner wall of what was slowly shaping up to be quite the strong hold.

Traps and tricks of all kinds lay within the construction of the place, carefully placed to maximize pressure on any invading force. And on occasion Heavy would help, by digging deep into the areas it was instructed and creating trenches and further underground structures with its appetite and ability to flash synthesize heavy metallic substances.

It would be thanks to the help of Aserius that the more technical aspects of the snares and traps, and a few suggestions which would bring the entire thing to a fore.

With the crowning achievement, a tower of biometal, which loomed at the centre of the encampment, its tentacle fronds each ending in rows of spikes.

A simple machine, yet much more, it would took some time to set up and calibrate. Still it would track and recognize camp vorid, and any strange vorid which attempted to enter would bet targeted and showered in a rain of spikes. With Aserius around however... or the addition of a minion Vorid to run the place the Gatling Spike turret, could be directed.
Reward:
Outer walls created.
Traps set within the outer perimeter
-100 Biometal Gattling spike tower created. (+20 in defensive combat)
Aserius combat rolls within camp +20





Pack Action... Defensive interrupt:

While it was in theory a sound investment, the idea of hunting together as a pack was somewhat lost on some of the new recruits... much less the idea of forming a defensive unit. For some, like the floating Ball like Vorid and its protrusion of insectile claws in every direction, the very concept held a certain amount of disgust... certainly the communal exercise of sharing kills and ensuring mutual safety though numbers was fine... but to be forced to hunt in tandem with the others vorid...

Distasteful was the only word which came to mind.

And many others in the crowd seemed to agree, all but ignoring the better evidence of combined combat capability, which lay within the biometal pantry.

This grumbling disagreement would come to dominate the conversations held for much of the month, with some amount of fracturing of good will, but at least none who had become part of the pack would go so far as to disagree with the sharing of kills... except that none was currently doing much more than sticking around and enjoying the additional safety in numbers and allotments of biometal.

At least until the moment that the walls began to sing in alarm.

The M’Rtal were nothing if not ruthless fighters, and relentless hunters, their multitudes of techniques and capabilities all geared towards differing aspects of martial combat, and every one of their hunters were specialized and honed in their craft. The initial infiltration would have been swift if not for the placement of the new wall, forcing them to move to a less stealthy arboreal mode of travel, one with far lower likely hood to of surprise, after all, Vorid which lived for any longer than a few days, developed a tendency to look up for danger... the arboreal nature of their originators having been an instinct transferred across worlds and paradigm shifts.

This alone however was not enough to make the attackers withdraw, but they would find that with the song of the walls, the other vorid would scrable to the base’s defense.

It would be in this that Amistad would take charge, using the momentum of confusion to its advantage and begin directing each Vorid with which it came into contact towards the threat. And while they had no real training to work as a group, it could not be denied the individual excellence of the 13 matured Vorid which had joined your cause. An excellence which might not have been enough against the skillful teamwork and combat maneuvers of their foes.

Almost as one the vicious bastards fought, their graceful movements and unwavering dedication to finding and exploiting martial weakness would viciously multiply the force they brought to bear. Their more powerful members would be surrounded and systematically taken down or used against each other. Heavy for all the power which it brought the table was systematically doing more harm than good, as the most powerful amoug the M’Rtal raiding party simply used its enraged attacks as its own deadly yoyo in breaking up any who seemed as if they might be able to put up a serious fight against the oncoming assault.

In the midst of everything the juggernaut of an ursiform Vorid, Wulder, would stand. Its regenerating flesh and constant forward push, would force the enemy to attempt to move circles about it in an attempt to negate its powerful defense with multitudes of small wounds. Unfortunately for the enemy, those who strayed too close would find themselves to come down with a terminal case of Ripped in half, as the Vorid powerhouse got its paws and teeth upon them. Its spell would be used to save more than one vorid that day, their structures regenerating enough to work even without the fresh biometal which they would soon need... but even with this the fight still looked on the edge of grim.

That was of course until the Aserius and Amistad could properly take to the fields, using biometal song, an eye for detail, and an innate understanding of the minds with whom they dealt, to rally the defenses. That and the power of the biometal Spike Gatling now being explicitly directed by its creator would slowly turn the tide of combat. Even with the strength of the raiding party the invaders would be driven back, their powerful leader, an elder amoung them would give an almost imperceptible signal, and like ghosts the raiders would melt away back to whence they came...

Like shadows in the light of day.

And while the defenders would manage to repel their attackers with no fatalities of their own... it would almost certainly leave a drain upon their coffers as the damage both to Vorid and defenses would need to mend. Luckily the dead and damaged bodies of those M’Rtal who’d found themselves impaled, would definitely be of assistance.

But at least it seemed some of the new Vorid were now more willing to listen.
Reward:
(Collateral damage roll) 1d100+25 → [9,25] = (34) [-34 Biometal]
+20 to any attempt at Organizing Vorid for group defense or Hunting tactics
+20 to next biometal experiments.
+1 Bloodmetal shard [Wulder].





Consequences:
You now have 2 month’s reprieve from M’Rtal encounters as they with draw to martial their forces against the threat which you have turned out to be. For each month they will be gathering -50 to their Combat challenge penalty.)
All hunting rolls have been increased in difficulty due to the presence of a roaming elder for the next 3 months. [-15 to all hunts]


Current Resources:
Biometal stores – 383 units.
(Every Vorid uses 1 unit of Biometal per month, 10 if injured, 30 if critically injured)
Cores – 18 units
(Vorid cores are used by Vorid doing energy intensive work. One core is used up if a unit is critically injured)
Bloodmetal stores – 1 unit
(Bloodmetal is precious; it will not be used up without group agreement.)


Camp status: Walled off clearing. Secured pantry. Well defended. [+10 to defensive actions from all base defences]
Camp Defenses: Gatling Spike tower [+20 to defensive actions]
Pack capabilities: None learned
Pack Fame: Local terrors
Pack comfort level: Beginnings of trust. (2/10)
Pack Size: 35 members (10 Founders+ 11 minion + 14 Full Pack member)


Biometal Construction Options:
Create Simple Biometal structures: -100 Biometal
Integrate Biometal with existing structures: -50 Biometal per structure
Sacrifice minion for biometal structure upgrade (Minion becomes part of structure, runs defenses): Cost -1 minion per structure.
Biometal defenses (Spike tendril, saw blade tendrils, Gatling spikes, writein): Cost -100 Bio-metal per defense instance



Pack action:
[] Write in. What do you wish to do first?

Personal action:
[]Write in. What do you wish to do?

 

Hunting Action: [Bahamut, Old-Crow, Skalhor]
1d100+33+34+29-15+20-10 → [31,33,34,29,-15,20,-10] = (122)


Building Action: [Aserius, Ephemeral of Existence]
1d100+50+33-10+5 → [51,50,33,-10,5] = (129)


Defense Training Action: [Wulder, Amistad]
1d100+46+24-10+20-30 → [19,46,24,-10,20,-30] = (69)


Training action: [Nrull / Umbra / Crashing Waves]
[Crashing Waves] 1d100+16+1d20+10 → [66,16,19,10] = (111) *Special Crit*

[Umbra] 1d100+10+20 → [28,10,20] = (58)


[Nrull]
(Contemplation Beginning)

Pack Action:
1d100-25+20 → [34,-25,20] = (29)

 

[X] Month 6





Hunting:

The hunt went well.

This was undeniable as the Platinum dragon took fight, scanning from the heavens for potential prey. Already they had made inroads into the local population of lesser Vorid. Already they were starting to deplete the lesser creatures of this area, and any of those which were a match for any one of them would fall rapidly to their combined might. Constantly the lightings would come down and the shadows would shift and break, ripping into targets while they screamed in agony from the eldritch music...

And in between the easy cleanup, the three would look for new born Vorid of interesting and unique characteristics. An easy prospect in truth, with the help of shadowy Old-Crow and strange Skalhor, they wouldn’t even encounter the ponderous guardians of the place... but still it would be escalating risky to try this too often. If the elder caretakers of the place realized that older stronger Vorid were coming back to prey on the young instead of the natural cycle of the young competing against each other to see which got out into the wider world... not one of you yet believed that your entire cadre of fighters could do anything about it. Save being wiped out, utterly.

Even so, several healthy and interesting youngsters would join the pact this day... and with enough biometal to spare, you could easily grow a few into stronger forms of Vorid... or have them adjust themselves as minions.
Rewards:
+90 Biometal
+6 cores
+Vorid infants [3d20 → [13,15,10] = (38)]
+1 Efficiency Point [Old-Crow, Bahamut, Skalhor]
+2 Advances to group comfort level





Building:

Once the constructive Vorid busied themselves with the study and creation of structures and weapons, Aserius and Ephemeral each one working on their own project separately... that is for a short while as the Ephemeral summoner attempted to create weaponry suitable for defending the home clearing.

Though trial and error the humanoid summoner tried over and over and over again to build and replicate the mechanisms of the gattling tower. And while it was starting to get some results with the attempts which were piling up, it remained clear that gaining the correct skills to build it would take time... unless it could get the wise Aserius to share its designs with it.

On the other hand Aserious was set upon studying the Biometal with deep intent. This machinery which gave and sustained life in vorid kind was complex, incredibly complex, head spinningly so. The Aserius could not help but marvel more as it continued to peruse and examine the shards of biometal. Already, it could see possibilities as it worked, Imagining more and more complicated mechanics as it picked apart the language of interaction and the basic physical principles by which the biometal must form. Like biological cells the active biometal was arranged into discreet units.

It was when the summoner and the wise-one finally spoke of each other’s endeavors that the two begin to truly see some progress. Easily the wise Vorid would begin to guide its counterpart into making the needed shapes, and parts for its own project, while itself advancing its agenda. Slowly the two worked. Ephemeral summoning up its materials into the correct configurations as Aserius continually infused and corrected its work via biometal, soon the two would begin to create mobile structures and figure out how to slave the psudo-brains of the machinery which they had created to make something more. It seemed that working with the Actualized material, the biometal began to pick up the ideal which the summoner extruded and along side of their own imprinted ideal of ‘wisdom’ would begin to form the requisite organs and map the best fit configurations to take.

It would be long into nearly the end of the month when the two would finally finish their products. Another tower stood proudly, this time of a different design, using singularly powerful explosive spikes which would penetrate beneath the armour of defensively inclined vorid... then rip them open from the inside out.

And in their constant zeal to improve... they would build a mobile, somewhat insectile version of the Gatling turret, its mind too simple to be vorid... but capable of following and executing basic commands, as well as being directly controlled by Aserius. This catches the attention of a few of the Tinkering type infant Vorid which the others have been bringing along... some of which were excitedly crawling across the surface of the newly moulded machinery.
Rewards:
-100 to biometal
-2 Core
Armour Buster Spike Tower is now active [+20 to defensive actions, +40 if enemy includes heavy armour units]
Portable Spike Gatling created [+20 to defensive actions; can be used as an asset in offensive group actions.]
+1 Efficiency Point [Aserius, Ephemeral of Existence]
+1 Advances to Group comfort level
Aserius has gained a deeper understanding of Biometal and can now ‘hijack’ active biometal. Bonus skill Upgraded
Ephemeral has begun to develop an innate sense of constructive intuition. Bonus Skill Upgraded.





Defensive training... Pack action:

It is quiet around the walls for the most part all month, the enemy having withdrawn its forces as it prepared for conflict to come. This however left Wulder, who had taken the task upon itself to guard the base, with little more to do than wonder about. And on occasion join in the training regimen of the newly joined Voird in the Pack. On occasion keeping the smaller Minions and infants from being eaten by larger more aggressive vorid.

Amistad mainly attempted to get the idea of ‘teamwork’ and formations into the generally uncaring processors of multiple Vorid, and while it had not really been able to well integrate them into a properly functional group... they were at least beginning to see the ideals of teamwork and becoming more familiar with each other as being virtue rather than unneeded nonsense.

There was that at least... but the pack was beginning to get restless... as a whole they were beginning to tire at the constant attempts to get them to get along... and maybe some more productive use of the organization as a whole could be made in order to SHOW the vorid involved that there was more to the Pact than a place of refuge.
Rewards:
+10 to next Pack Action...
-30 to next pack action that is more learning to get along.
Thanks to Amistad you have now organized the Vorid in camp according to their capabilities and aptitudes.





Contemplation and thought:

Umbra would make its attempts at the creation of a new spell, as it played with its shadowy magics... but there was little that would come to mind for the shady humanoid leaving somewhat stuck on how to move beyond the simplest expression of its shadow laden ideal.

On the other hand the Crashing Wave would find itself enjoying far greater success as it worked its way though figuring out how to make itself more offensive spells to work with. Amusingly that same Offensive train of thought would lead it to creating a far more tactical tool. The Crashing Wave was pleased, even as its minion once again nibbled absently upon its small frond of leafy appendages... for some reason the creature’s presence always caused those to grow out.

Nrull on the other hand would decide it to be the perfect time to settle in and begin its Contemplation, its body curled up within the pantry as it leeched biometal into itself... better preparing for the time that it could face the foes which have ignored it, made it suffer the indignity of caution, and burn their worlds.
Rewards:
+10 to next attempt at spell crafting [Umbra]
[Crashing Wave] Swarm Stinger – Stimulates the growth of a multitude of small expendable missiles launchable enmass at enemy units and fortifications.
[Crashing Wave] Swarm Host – Allows the user to grow a swarm of tiny lesser selves which serve as transmission towers and sensory extenders.
+ 1 Efficiency Point [Crashing Wave]
Nrull undergoes Contemplation
+10 Efficiency Points [Nrull]
-100 Biometal
-10 core
+ One Spell of choice [Nrull]
May choose to go up 1 size class [Alters Rp potentially, and may cause changes to bonus skills]
-1 turn [Nrull – Returns to play month 8]





Consequences:
The Pack population has almost doubled much of it now consists of hungry infant grade Vorid. Solutions will be need to be made as many of these Infant Vorid will need to go though contemplation soon. First contemplation is -50 biometal per infant. Solutions will need to be made to provide before the little monsters begin to whittle away at their own numbers on instinct.

M’Rtal forces continue to gather. [Current Strength: Combat challenge penalty -200, -225 if defensive]

The pack will likely rebel against further internally focused pack activity...




Current Resources:
Biometal stores – 270 units.
(Every Vorid uses 1 unit of Biometal per month, 10 if injured, 30 if critically injured)
Cores – 12 units
(Vorid cores are used by Vorid doing energy intensive work. One core is used up if a unit is critically injured)
Bloodmetal stores – 1 unit
(Bloodmetal is precious; it will not be used up without group agreement.)


Camp status: Walled off clearing. Secured pantry. Well defended. [+10 to defensive actions from all base defences]
Camp Defenses: Gatling Spike tower , Armour Piecing Spike tower, Mobile Gatling Spike Gunner[+60 to defensive actions,+ 20 if fighting Heavy Armour Opponents in camp]
Pack capabilities: None learned
Pack Fame: Local terrors
Pack comfort level: Beginnings of trust. (5/10)
Pack Size: 73 members (10 Founders+ 11 Minions + 14 Full Pack member+ 38 Infant Vorid)


Biometal Construction Options:
Create Simple Biometal structures: -100 Biometal
Integrate Biometal with existing structures: -50 Biometal per structure
Sacrifice minion for biometal structure upgrade (Minion becomes part of structure, runs defenses): Cost -1 minion per structure.
Biometal defenses (Spike tendril, saw blade tendrils, Gatling spikes, writein): Cost -100 Bio-metal per defense instance
Integrate Biometal with existing defensive structure: -50 Biometal per defensive instance.



Pack action:
[] Write in. What do you wish to do first?

Personal action:
[]Write in. What do you wish to do?

 

Rolls Month 7

Harrying the Enemy:
1d100+31+32+35+38+34+28+30-175+60-30 → [13,31,32,35,38,34,28,30,-175,60,-30] = (96)


Base... De-Fence?:
1d100+22+60 → [68,22,60] = (150)


Hunting:
1d100+51+1d30-5 → [30,51,13,-5] = (89)


Pack Action [Hunt]:
1d100-25+25 → [64,-25,25] = (64)

 

[X] Month 7




Harrying the Enemy:

The idea was simple, though spread across a wide cross section of the camp. They would begin a campaign of harassment upon their foes which would at the very least slow their military buildup. To this end, more than half of the pack founders decided to take a direct hand in shaping the coming conflict with proactive measures.

The scouting duo of Umbra and Old-Crow would once again begin their reign of terror, ducking bobbing and weaving across the shadows of the enemy territory, and running raids as their patrols tried to hunt, scout or gather, sometimes even leading the enemy astray thanks to the trickery of Old-Crow’s living shadows. This would provide Aserius and Amistad the perfect opportunities to create ambush situations and direct the pack into the best places to strike, watching the flow of battle and setting traps.

In the mean time the Platinum dragon Vorid and its eldritch companion at arms would provide a highly visible front of hit and run assault, using the power of flight and teleportation to lead the assaults, on key points of transit, as the enemy’ forces gathered. Of all the assaulter’s these two would suffer the most close calls, even more than once almost being caught as they rattled the metaphorical hive.

Still with the repeated and highly successful raids, traps, and harassment which would be incurred, the M’Rtal would find a fair section of their combat forces reduced, as much as a quarter would suffer from this unexpectedly passive aggression, having prepared for either a more extensive... or moderate... response.

And while this would distinctly lower the combat potential of the M’Rtal troope, it would drive them together in tighter formations, taking cues from their tormentors, and eventually driving back the Pack’s careful offensive with their own superior numbers, and knowledge of the terrain. And while some of the participating Vorid were damaged, it was nothing next to the recoup of resources which they’d gained from the raids.

[Roll 1d20 win on 6 or higher] 1d20 → [11] = (11)
On the other hand the M’Rtal, now seeking some way to retain their military edge would search and eventually stumble across the deposit of Biometal, narrowly defending it against the predation of the Pact.
Rewards:
+ 1 Group Comfort Level
The Pack has severely damaged both total combat potential and force build up by the M’Rtal and have set them back a month, [Combat challenge penalty reduced to -155 offensive and 200 defensive, Force build up reduced to -35 per turn.]
In response however the M’Rtal have gone searching for and successfully gathered the deposit of Bloodmetal which was in their territory 2 units worth, in order to regain some combat advantage. (Combat with the M’Rtal has now become a 1d100 challenge roll... if lost then the roll will revert to an event.)





Base... De-fence?:

While fiddling with concepts for inner defenses, the Vorid summoner would begin attempting to mould its design concepts learned from building both the walls and the intricate mechanisms of the turrets towards thinking of ways to improve the capabilities of the inner walls for repelling assault. And while it did lack the ability to manipulate and reshape Biometal, it could however still build purely mechanical constructions.

But for all this, it lacked a single Vital factor to really push its designed work to the boundaries of its current capabilities. A guinea pig.

And fortunately just such a creature turned out to be available for the job... considering that Heavy flat out refused in a defensive curl full of very jagged edges... Ephemeral decided it would be better to recruit a more familiar teammate.

After blithely agreeing to be the summoner’s primary test subject, and not quite realizing the extent to which it was going to go, Wulder would find itself testing all manner of bizarre riggings and blades, as it crossed over the wall, back and forth to give inspiration and correction to the builder’s designs. All manner of device would be made, not to mention a further set of lesser turrets which would line the inner wall... Ephemeral figuring that they could be managed and directed by the various minions around camp.

Amusingly it was Wulder which would end up making a final vital connection as once more it would find itself battered and bruised, up against a resting seeder path. After an... unfortunate... altercation the seeder would end up uprooting itself only to rip its way into the biometal wall... then deciding to settle there for some inexplicable reason... on the one hand annoying Ephemeral at the need to once again fix its walls... but on the other hand the biometal in the walls would make the connection with the powerful immobile vorid... leaving it in control of the wall based defenses... and while this leaves poor Wulder of having to weather an almost constant stream of light attacks, it does give their base a much stronger defensive capability.

But then, Wulder never did have much luck when it came to trees.
Rewards:
The home base has gained a defensive upgrade [+40 to defensive actions in base]
+1 Efficiency Point [Wulder, Ephemeral of Existence]
+1 Group Comfort Level
A fully mature seeder path Vorid has begun a demi-antagonistic relationship with the Pack.





Hunting:

Having lately made an incredible breakthrough the Crashing Waves would seek to test itself in the hunt. Gingerly it would settle into an insectiod form, with far more legs than it should have ever had, and began to grow a bee hive like structure all along its back. From its sides other ports would open, allowing it to ooze out activated biometal, the primary catalyst to its new spell work. And with an arcane chant the extruded biometal would begin to warp and shape itself, gathering materials from all around itself, inflating the blob of biometal into something far more useful. While these would not be true vorid in many ways, they would serve their function equally. Each one a small amount of BioMetal, ‘Grown’ around a shell of biological mechanisms and powered by the energy put into the spellwork. They wouldn’t be particularly smart, or capable of functioning for a particularly long time... but they would bring with them the power of numbers, and temporarily they could serve as a small army for their creator. All of this seemed to well from the combination of skills which it had acquired, including its ability to product biometal at will. Unfortunately, it was a set of skills which exposed the user to ever greater danger in a manner... every one of its constructs was an investment in current biometal... to lose them would be to lose a functional portion of its operational capabilities and ability to heal from damage done. So while they afforded it greater potential rewards... there were risks of losing out on biometal from their destruction, which would need to be undertaken every time they were made.

Its creation began to grow about the bones of its ideal. The resultant four legged beast would resemble a reptilian wolf, smooth spikes projecting all across its body as combat surfaces. This and 7 others like it would be used as guardians and later collectors.

And then its productions shifted, as dragonfly-spider like creatures began to crawl out of the hive which it had created from its back, their emergence causing the leaf enshrouded hive structures to shudder and quake as they swarm host was released into the wild to seek prey.

And finally it would again begin to extrude materials, this time in the form of its Swarm Stingers, almost humming bird like creatures, with barbed mouths and what seemed to be tiny rocket propulsion systems embedded in their backs, akin to insect spiracles, each one carrying a payload of explosives which would ‘grow’ on impact with a target.

And thus the swarms were loosed upon the forest.

And thus the Thousand Crashing Waves would pull down prey, one by one small things, then big things would fall, as the malleable vorid would spy them out then bombard and surround them with Swarm Host until the final moment when it would send in one of its melee fighters to finish the prey, and drag it back home.

Along the way it would keep an eye on the hunting infants, retrieving those which attempted to just run away.
Reward:
+90 Biometal [bonus from plan and capabilities]
+6 Cores [bonus from plan and capabilities]
+ 1 Custom spell
+ 1 Efficiency Point





Pack Action:

It was the first time that the pack had actually decided to DO anything together as a pack, beyond trying to train each other in unaccustomed togetherness... but it would not be without benefit. The Powerful founders would find time to do some extra hunting in between their waging guerilla combat against the M’Rtal troupe, as the other Vorid who had joined the camp also began their program of hunting for every bit of biometal which they could gather.

And while not exactly a glowing success, as a few of the Infants attempt to escape, only to be gathered back up by the now many watchful eyes of the Crashing Waves, the hunting manages to satisfy the entire Pack, a familiar activity if a bit cramped due to doing it alongside of others. Even some of the Trap layers find themselves happier than they might have been hunting completely alone, as prey is chased into their traps and cornered by them.

It would be several weeks of this interspersing the campaign against the M’Rtal, but some of the infants would truly begin to shine from amoung the current pack, though a few unfortunates would be lost to bad choices and the selection pressures of the Garden... though it is notable that this the numbers of such are a lot lower than would normally be outside of the guidance of the pack.
Rewards:
+175 Biometal
+12 Cores
6 Infants have distinguished themselves immensely. They yet remain nameless but their paths and ideals have been discerned by the pack.
- 13 infants were lost in the course of their hunts, the remaining are the fittest and strongest.
+1 to pack comfort level.
Pack Skill gained: Far Hunter [+5 to hunting actions taken by the pack], goes up By +5 on Pack roll success.





Consequences:
The M’Rtal military buildup has been set back, and its current combat capabilities damaged. This has set them back by 2 months. Imminent attack set back to Month 9. However due to the collection of Bloodmetal, they may well still decide to attack before Month 9.

The pack is still wary of internally focused activities.

Hunting around the pack home clearing has become more difficult. -20 to all hunts due to lower number of easier to kill Vorid. Special difficulty hunts unaffected by this.





Current Resources:
Biometal stores – 585 units.
(Every Vorid uses 1 unit of Biometal per month, 10 if injured, 30 if critically injured)
Cores – 30 units
(Vorid cores are used by Vorid doing energy intensive work. One core is used up if a unit is critically injured)
Bloodmetal stores – 1 unit
(Bloodmetal is precious; it will not be used up without group agreement.)


Camp status: Walled off clearing. Secured pantry. Well defended. [+50 to defensive actions from all base defenses]
Camp Defenses: Gatling Spike tower , Armour Piecing Spike tower, Mobile Gatling Spike Gunner[+60 to defensive actions,+ 20 if fighting Heavy Armour Opponents in camp]
Pack capabilities: Far Hunter [+5 to hunting actions taken by the pack]
Pack Fame: Local terrors
Pack comfort level: Beginnings of trust. (8/10)
Pack Size: 60 members (10 Founders+ 11 Minions + 14 Full Pack member+ 25 Infant Vorid)


Biometal Construction Options:
Create Simple Biometal structures: -100 Biometal
Integrate Biometal with existing structures: -50 Biometal per structure
Sacrifice minion for biometal structure upgrade (Minion becomes part of structure, runs defenses): Cost -1 minion per structure.
Biometal defenses (Spike tendril, saw blade tendrils, Gatling spikes, writein): Cost -100 Bio-metal per defense instance
Integrate Biometal with existing defensive structure: -50 Biometal per defensive instance.



Pack action:
[] Write in. What do you wish to do first?

Personal action:
[]Write in. What do you wish to do?

 

Oh. Nice to get away from the lag: since we got 30 cores now I'm going to poke my head into a true contemption and get some upgrades.

Pack action:
[X] Spend 300 Bio on upgrading those promising younglings. after that we got 200 left over to use at upgrading ourselves.

Personal action:
[X] True Contemption: Dream and shape your body into becoming stronger, faster and deadlier. -10 cores and 100 biometal.

 

Pack Action:
Pack Roll - 1d100-25+15 → [14,-25,15] = (4)


Bloodmetal Raid:
Pack Roll total - 1d100+184 → [58,184] = (242)
Counter Roll M'Rtal - 1d100+235 → [30,235] = (265)
Challenge total: 248-265 = -17
War Roll: 1d100-17 → [66,-17] = (49)



Seeder Diplomacy: Aserius, Ephemeral
1d100+36+65-50 → [77,36,65,-50] = (128)


Hunting: Wulder
1d100+33+5-5-20 → [83,33,5,-5,-20] = (96)

 

[X] Month 8





Hunting:

The indomitable Wulder would decide after months of sticking to the main campsite, that it would be best for it to go out this time to do a bit of hunting... it of course had NOTHING at ALL to do with the belligerent seeder which had parked itself upon the encampment wall... nope... not a thing...

And so as the mighty ursiform vorid ventured out into the wilderness in search of food. What Wulder did not expect was that the food which it would search for would come to it.

The attack was abrupt, and savage. The sudden rustle of undergrowth... the few non-vorid lifeforms which thrived in their ecosystem being a kind of particularly tenacious shrub which constituted the lower levels of foliage within the jungle of Vorid. A tangle of sea urchin like vorid would burst from the undergrowth, their motions driven by the movement of multitudes of blade-like spikes powering a rapid rolling motion.

Five horned mouths gaped with tongue a lolling in anticipation of a feast on each of the 7 Vorid, their sword-like offensive-defense cutting a swath of destruction in their wake.

But the Wulder was unperturbed.

The hunters pounced upon their ursine prey, believing themselves to have stumbled across a quick and easy meal.

But the Wulder was unperturbed.

The beasts came at the ursine powerhouse, their blades whirring in anticipation as they charged the uncaring bear...

But the Wulder was unperturbed.

One, two, one, two the creature’s came, their vorpal blades a churning. One, two, one, two and through and though... they chopped and sliced with yearning.

But the Wulder was unperturbed.

And with but a mighty swing of its heavy paw, one foe, then two... then three then more would find itself rent, its contents of life spilling upon the forest floor. The lucky 3 left would turn, their courage fled... as the grand bear settled the score.

And while its body had been thus scared, already they healed in glee.
The beast then took its rightful prize... but never hurriedly.

For even in the heat of the moment, or the end of excitement’s delay.

The great Bear of Vorid might... stayed unperturbed that day.
Rewards:
+60 biometal
+4 cores





Seeder Diplomacy:

To say that it had been easy... would have been a downright dirty lie.

Already the pair of Vorid builders had come under siege, and been battered and bruised... just to begin approaching the tree-like elder which had taken up residence against their wall. And while the fact that they could no longer go near their walls without some level of duress did make their home a bit less comfortable... it did add an undeniable extra layer of security as the elder Vorid’s potent ideal force circulated the energy throughout their walls to an extent where the uncareful would find themselves damaged with ideal energies which caused glitching in their bodies.

No, first contact with the evil tree had not proven at all pleasant.

But after some misadventures, and a few scorched skins... Aserius would figure out a manner of proper communication with the other, and even learn how from it how to safely harness the energies which it constantly produced to integrate them with the more mobile base defenses.

On the other hand, Ephemeral would find itself struggling to come up with a compound suitable to the Seeder’s tastes until contact had been properly established. But the powerful seeder knew just what it desired, suggesting a particularly strange maneuver where it would hook itself up to the other Vorid and utilizing its own unique energy form in tandem with Ephemeral’s Actualization summoning...

This would result in the creation of multiple cores, each one specialized to summoning and creating structures of their own... essentially allowing the wall to exhibit its own energetic properties of combat, while linking it to the elder more completely. All along the wall, thorny vines would extend outward, stretching and skewing as if in anticipation of something to grasp... And while they seem to have replaced the humanoid voirid’s attempts at trap laying and preparation... they were undeniably the better more reactive defense. And with the multiple cores which were invested in creating the motile force of the overgrowth.

And thus the Seeder, which named itself Taker, would become one with the pack.

And promise not to skewer Wulder...

Anymore than needed...

Most of the time...

Maybe.
Rewards:
The camp now produces +4 cores per month.
All camp based immobile defenses have been converted into ‘Elder Vorid’
All camp based defenses exhibit ‘corruption’ ideal effects including glitching biometal, paralysis, and ‘short circuit’ damage.
+1 Efficiency Point [Ephemeral of Existence, Aserius]
+1 Custom Spell [Ephemeral of Existence, Aserius]
+1 Group Comfort Level
Ephemeral of Existence has gained basic exposure to ‘Corruption’ ideal. This may be developed with time and activity.





Biometal Raid/ Pack Action:

It was a disaster... though they had tried a style of loose organization which left Vorid to get together in groups which could in theory best get along and thus fulfill their respective duties in the raid... it proved to be insufficient to counter the home ground advantage of the M’Rtal as they attempted to take from their foes the newly discovered biometal.

But it was a trap, the elders of the M’Rtal would not take kindly to the way in which the Pack had been preying upon its juniors, and having ensured that their foes discovered the powerful resource, would not be on the back foot as the powerful contingent of curiously varied Vorid closed in.

The trap would be sprung with cunning brutality, as the outlying skirmisher groups would end up being forced into booby trapped areas, to do battle forcing them in to combat by attrition, as they fought both their counterpart Vorid and the traps which sprung even as they fought.

Worse where the traps sprung in response to the theft teams as they closed in on the Bloodmetal... only to find the waiting elders.

Powerful, Proud... and Pissed.
Reward:
Multiple wounded – heavily damaged. (which amoung them will be determined at the end of the Event)





Consequences:
Event triggered. “The Cards Dealt” [Nrull, Umbra, Old-Crow, Crashing Waves, Amistad, Skalhor] (Make plans based on your positions within the previous plan, and your reaction to the traps being sprung... this event could make or break the clan.)
Clan has gained new resource. +4 Cores per turn.



Current Resources:
Biometal stores – 694 units.
(Every Vorid uses 1 unit of Biometal per month x Life-stage, 10 if injured, 30 if critically injured)
Cores – 38 units
(Vorid cores are used by Vorid doing energy intensive work. One core is used up if a unit is critically injured)
Bloodmetal stores – 1 unit
(Bloodmetal is precious; it will not be used up without group agreement.)


Camp status: Walled off clearing integrated with Elder Seeder. [+70 to defensive actions from all base defenses]
Camp Defenses: Thorn-grasp tendrils, Gatling Spike tower , Armour Piecing Spike tower, Mobile Gatling Spike Gunner[+80 to defensive actions,+ 20 if fighting Heavy Armour Opponents in camp] (All based defensive now allow for ‘Corruption’ ideal energy expenditure, +10 to all defences)
Pack capabilities: Far Hunter [+5 to hunting actions taken by the pack]
Pack Fame: Local terrors
Pack comfort level: Beginnings of trust. (9/10)
Pack Size: 60 members (10 Founders+ 11 Minions + 14 Full Pack member+ 25 Infant Vorid)


Biometal Construction Options:
Create Simple Biometal structures: -100 Biometal
Integrate Biometal with existing structures: -50 Biometal per structure
Sacrifice minion for biometal structure upgrade (Minion becomes part of structure, runs defenses): Cost -1 minion per structure.
Biometal defenses (Spike tendril, saw blade tendrils, Gatling spikes, writein): Cost -100 Bio-metal per defense instance
Integrate Biometal with existing defensive structure: -50 Biometal per defensive instance.



Pack action:
[] Write in. What do you wish to do first?

Personal action:
[]Write in. What do you wish to do?

 

Awww yeah, Wulder is awesome.