[CHAR] V I L E

[Rhymer]

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Places

• Hecates Tower
• New Blightsburg (New-Blight)
• The Blood Marsh
• Phaetas
• The Lamprey Fields (on the coast)
• Lost Ygal
• Scaablin
  • The Skin Warrens
• Slaughter Plains

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Races

• Automata Automota vary greatly, only sharing the common trait of containing some sort of motorized components. The power sources vary wildly from eldritch power to bio-meddling. Automota are often isolated from one another, but often ingratiated with locals for their skills as tinkerers and knowledge.
• Geists Geists are manifestations of Psychic energy created when many people/things/creatures perish at the same time in a horrible way. Geists inhabit host bodies and control them. They inherit the memories and traits of the host, and retain that information when they switch hosts. Hellgeists are the most powerful type of Geist, a collection of a millenia of suffering souls.
• Graveborn A broad category of races, Zombies being the most common Graveborn, those creatures classified as deceased. The result of an ancient viral infection, Zombies can be found in every corner of the world. Docile and even capable of crude forms of communication, zombies make for excellent labor-force.
• Grubs The Chthonic Grub-folk are common-place in the frontier. They hail from the sunken plains and very probably from beneath the earth itself. Virulent and impish, the Grub-folk are nonetheless hardy settlers. Those that abandon the traditional Grub communals are outcasts, traitors (as the Elders would say) and often killed on sight by other Grubs. Many of these outcasts resort to banditry and vigilantism along the frontier.
• Medusae Creatures found in the Blood Marsh, The Cnidarian Hegemony encompasses a wide variety of tentacled and cephalapoidal creature ruled by the highest caste-the Medusa. Grey skinned, permanently pustuled and vicious, the Medusa rule the Blood Marsh with an insatiable thirst for sacrifice and flesh.
• Leechfolk Leechfolk are the distant cousins of the Grub, probably originating in the vast network of caves and canyons beneath the earth. Leechfolk are varied in appearance and physiology. From the humanoid jawless Leechfolk, (which have no external suckers, but rather a sort of fleshy straw that extends from their torso) to the 'Gnaths', mounds of segmented flesh with sharp teeth with which they latch onto prey. All Leechfolk are haemotophagus, getting sustenance from various blood-sources. They can survive on haemolymph pills, a pharmeceutical made from insect ichor.

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Companies/Factions

• The Cynners, Boomtown
• The Stained Coven
• Winifred Oil, New Blightsburg

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Characters

• Carnifex, Geist Mercenary
• Gak, Grub Vigilante, in employ of Winifred Oil
• Murphiben Yates, Mechanic, Winifred Oil
• Progeny Bolt, Automaton
• Stitch Vittle, Leechkin Vagabond

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[gorgenmast]

Name: Gak

Race: Grub

Inventory: Ratty duster coat, tri-barrel firearm, satchel containing maps, spyglass, magic artifacts and gizmos, ammunition, crude explosives, and rations that even Grubs find unpalatable.

Powers: Gak has no understanding of the Eldritch magics, and has no formal training in much of anything. However, he has honed his resourcefulness and survival techniques by practice from his employment experience. Gak is quite the marksman, and as everyone knows, Grubs can see much better in the dark than men.

Background: Even by Grub standards, Gak is an unsociable fellow. When he arrived in New Blightsburg and solicited work from Winfred Oil seven years ago, Gak never volunteered his life's story and Mr. Pratt didn't care enough to ask. Grubs often lived in the wilderness as highwaymen and bandits, but every once in a while a Grub would wander into town looking for a more stable living. Mr. Pratt assumed Gak was just another Grub tired of digging old trinkets out of the dirt and boiling vagabond bones for soup. Mr. Pratt charged Gak with defending the well fields from thieves and oil rustlers.

Out of mistrust of Grubkind, Mr. Pratt ensured that Gak had at least human partner with him at all times to ensure Gak didn't cause trouble out among the wells. The past three "chaperones" Mr. Pratt had appointed to join Gak out in the well fields were mercenaries on company payroll, the last of which had recently been killed by a magical trap while on patrol with Gak. Short-handed and with no notice, Mr. Pratt had no other option but to assign Murphiben Yates - a pudgy mechanic with no combat experience - to join Gak on his nightly patrols.

It has proved to be poor timing for Gak to be paired with such a timid oaf. The wells have been raided in a big way and Boss Winfred suspects a rival oil outfit is trying to force his company out of the area. While the Boss is considering whether or not to spend a fortune and call in a mercenary army to stamp out the thieves, Mr. Pratt has put Gak and Murphiben on alert. If they see these rustlers, they are to capture one of them and ascertain who they are working with.

Recent Travels: Gak and Murphiben have spent the past three days out in the wilderness outside of town, hunting for any sign of the oil thieves. They are just under a day's hike outside of New Blightsburg.

Current Location/Profession: Vigilante in the employ of Winifred Oil.

[KabenSaal]

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[Rhymer]

Name: Carnifex
Race: Graveborn,Geist
Inventory: Two Old Revolvers, Bullets, Leather Belt, Travelers clothes, Wide brimmed hat and cloak, Matches, Gas Lantern (called a bullseye)
Appearance: The most recent host of Carnifex was from the Skin Warrens, in Scaablin, and as such is a tall, lithe and dark skinned human. He bears the scars of the Rouge Witches Curse and a slight limp. His skin hangs in tatters from the witches curse. Carnifex is dressed in a black leather tunic, black pants and a bloodstained black cloak, from which protrudes a third arm, a typical augmentation of a gunfighter. He wears a wide brimmed hat adorned with the bleached bones of a human child.

Powers: Psychic possession. Carnifex can transfer (and must! from time to time) transfer himself into a host body, or risk dispersion into the Greater Astral Plane. Although not a particularly powerful Geist, Carnifex is capable of minor Psychic Powers, hearing thoughts and suggesting ideas to other creatures.
Carnifex is also an extremely talented gunfighter, having possessed dozens of fighters over the decades.

Background: Carnifex is a relatively new Geist, only 130 years old or so. His Psyche was melded from a Prince of Lost Ygal and the flayed priests of the White Mausoleum. Carnifex was trapped for the first 38 years of his colloid phase in pools of collecting blood in the ruins of the mausoleum. This angered him to no end. During the Scavenger Years, Baron Bartholomew Brodd excavated the Mausoleum and unknowingly released Carnifex who immediately found a corporeal host. He fought for Baron Brodd in his Witch Wars on the Frontier until Brodd was killed and his corpse dried and hung from Sister Hecates Tower. Carnifex escaped to the coast and worked the Lamprey Fields, where he passed through a dozen hosts in quick succession. (Lamprey work is hard...)

Recent Travels: He spent a few years in New Blightsburg before heading south to the Skin Warrens. He heard rumor of a powerful Hellgeist gathering disciples and claiming to have killed the last Prince of Ygal-Who may have provided the dying scream for Carnifexs' manifestation. (Geists psyches are materializations of horrible deaths)
But on the way his host body died, leaving him stranded in the Greater Blight. A passing caravan provided him with a new and current host, the man from Skin Warrens.

Current Location/Profession: Carnifex is camped outside New Blightsburg near Pacifists Ridge, plotting his expedition to the Skin Warrens. He is unemployed but would take work as a hired gun/bodyguard/hitman.

[Rhymer]

Name: Progeny Bolt
Race: Automata
Inventory: Tool satchel, wrench, keys, screwdriver etc.
Powers: Highly adaptable. Mechanically saavy. Immense strength. Knowledge of basic technomancy (building other automata, gearwork and general tinkering)
Appearance: A humanoid model, assembled from verdigris caked parts. Innards are exposed, revealing a working human heart, lungs and intestines in a brass and steel skeleton. Bolts head is round, polished brass, with empty eyeholes and a mouth. He speaks in deep raspy voice, and prefers instead to print statements from a slot in his chest. He rarely wears human clothing, prefering to appear as he was created.
Background: Bolt is unsure of his origins, although his design is reminiscient of the technomancers of Old Ygal. His frame was salvaged in Phaetas, and organs installed in New Blightsburg by a Leechfolk Thaumaturge.
Recent Travels: Progeny Bolt spent the last few years as an engineer for Chimaera Rail & Fuel, only recently discharged due to a quarrel with some Grub-folk. Bolt ended up in New Blightsburg looking for more permanent work.
Current Location/Profession: Progeny Bolt is lodged at Skinflint Jacks in Greater New Blightsburg. He has been appraising salvage by appointment for the past few months, but work is beginning to dry up.

[Rhymer]

Name: Stitch Vittle
Race: Leechkin
Inventory: Worn travelors clothes, satchel with a few odd trinkets, a jagged glass knife, Lamprey food, haemolymph pills, jug of water
Powers: Besides being haemotophagus, Stitch is particularly good at stealth and hiding.
Appearance: Stitch is a jawless Leechkin, meaning instead of a mouth, he has a sucker that protrudes from his torso. This is how he feeds. Otherwise he appears as a dark, slick skinned humanoid with boyish features. (and no mouth) His eyes are clear, without pupil or iris.
Background:
Stitch fancied himself a Hag-man. A real Barons Boy; a hired killer. But the thin and gaunt Leechboy was ridiculed by the real mercenaries. Grimjaw once stuffed him in a box bound for disposal in the Tallow Lands-much to Stitchs' chagrin. But Stitch found his way back to Phaetas and resumed his lechery for killer-work. A Baron, Son of Brodd hired him to strangle a prostitute who owed him money in the Mourning Quarter. The Leechkin neophyte made it all the way to the gates before fear overtook him, and he fled the city. Brodd didn't even bother to come collect his payment.
Recent Travels: The boy wandered the Greater Blight for a few months, making a haphazard attempt at excavating trinkets from the wasteland. Weary and tired he finally fell in with a caravan who needed a boy to feed the Lampreys they were transporting to New Blightsburg. Ater the Lampreys escaped one night (someone forgot to close the padlock) and devoured the Merchants, Stitch ran off into the wilderness.
Current Location/Profession: Stitch is alone in the Wilderness looking for New Blightsburg

[Opposition]

The Cynners

Boss:

Ren Necro

Underbosses:

Jack Steele
Tlatanni

Underlings Worth Mention:

An assortment of Graveborn prisoners.

Business Assets:

The Cynners are often considered a mercenary group, as they pledge protection and except work for pay. The Cynners themselves, consider the group more of an enlightened following of like minded individuals.

Current Status:

Protecting and building up the city of Boomton

Allies:

None as of now

Enemies:

(Anyone who wants to make a Graveborn Faction can take this slot)

The Premise of The Cynners:

The Cynners are a self proclaimed group of like-minded individuals following the teachings of Cynn. Those inside of the organization hold themselves higher than any outsiders. Cynners are seen as the most enlightened men and women, wishing to snuff out those that do not abide by Cynn. Most consider The Cynners a gang, others call them a cult.

The Tenants Of Cynn:

1. Wherein a Cynner remains loyal until their death.
2. Wherein a Cynner acknowledges their past sin.
3. Wherein a Cynner takes on a new name to proclaim their rebirth.
4. Wherein a Cynner obeys his superiors.

The History of The Cynners

The beginning of The Cynners ideology was created by a small group of associates: Edward Lunas, Illucia Lunas, Diana Cadeva, and Jack Steele. With the idea that Graveborn and similar races were a scourge upon their home settlement, the four companions created a militia for the Boomton as it was constructed. They would kill the lesser raiders and Graveborn that wanted to sack Boomton while it was weak. From there, this small operation grew into a larger organization. The boss of The Cynners, Edward Lunas soon became the Robber Baron of Boomton's industry, focusing on mining and producing rails. The Cynners' focus had changed. They sat atop riches and ate like kings. Unfortunately (A yet to be named rival group of Graveborn) managed to assassinate Edward while the Cynners focused on their life of luxury, leaving his romantically involved partner Diana Cadeva, now known as Ren Necro, in charge of the Cynners. Her reign continued to present day in which The Cynners keep a close and cautious guard on Boomton.

[Opposition]

Boomton

Population:

Mainly Humans with the addition of a few others.

Leadership:

Boomton is considered to be in anarchy, but the citizens often listen to the word of the 'Mayor': Ren Necro for she is backed by The Cynners, whom protect the town and squash those who challenge them.

Other Major Power Brokers:

None at the moment. The settlement of Boomton remains fairly new and undeveloped.

Description:

Boomton is settled on a flat and grassy plain, but to the North is a large, rocky outcropping used for blast mining, and not far to the east is a swamp riddled with lurking Graveborn. Within Boomton lies a rather large wooden building deemed the Mayor's office which also acts as a guild hall for The Cynners. Surrounding the Mayor's office are numerous scattered wooden buildings. Infrastructure in Boomton is very scarce. Most of the 'roads' are just trampled patches of grass. Boomton is currently undertaking a large construction project in which The Cynners wish to connect other cities with theirs via rails. Outsiders are always welcome in Boomton, but rarely kept out of sight. The Cynners are very weary of travelers.

Military:

There is no true military in Boomton due to its anarchistic government. The Cynners protect their citizens as if they were a militia, but they worry only about themselves. It seems that The Cynners are only protecting Boomton because of all the industry they have set up within the settlement.

Religious Entities:

'Cynn' as it is called is more of an ideology than a religious entity, but its worship is the main focus in terms of religious beliefs within Boomton. The Mayor allows free practice of any religion that she has approved.

[Rhymer]

Name: Hecates' Tower
Population: Predominately populated by Humans, Leechkin, Graveborn. A Hellgeist has taken over a section of the catacombs beneath the city.
Leadership: The Tower is ruled by the Red Witches, led by Hecate herself. Her cabal of sorcerers oversea the operation of the oil refinery and the skin farms. They also give protection to a fledgling church that reveres Bahpst, the God of Profanity.
Other Major Power Brokers: The Dead Boys Rail Gang, Titus Exegesis, leader of the Bahphest movement.
Description: "Hecates" Tower stood long before any mortal thing laid eyes upon it. It is of the time of the Star-Gods, a basalt and onyx free-standing structure, thousands of feet high, chambers of which are still yet to be explored. Hecates Coven took over the first few levels after slaying the handful of mechano-horrors that had made nest there. Worshippers of the Witches discovered oil and the city began to grow.
Military: The Witches make use of the Dead-Boy Rail Gangs and other Mercenary troops.
Religious Entities: Titus Exegesis has formed a small congregation devoted to the God of Profanity, Bapst.

[Rhymer]

Name: The Stained Coven
Leader: Hecate Herself; The Rouge Witch
Underlings Worth Mention: Clara Borrow, Skin-Haunt Witch ; Titus Exegesis, Bahphest Acolyte
Business Assets: The Coven rule Hecates' Tower, a single city-tower of ancient origin straddling an oil derricks and skin farm. The Skin Farm (consisting mostly of human vagabonds, condemned and slaves) provide bodies to replenish Graveborn populations, slaves for murder-sport in Phaetas and certain...carnal necessities for the Vampyre Barons in Phaetas.
The refinery provides oil and fuel for the Dead Boys Rail-Gang and other Mercenaries.
Current Status: N/A
Allies: Dead Boys Rail Gang, various Barons in Phaetas
Enemies: also various Barons in Phaetas