Sundown, The outer Defences, Ambrosia.
The sun was slowly dipping down towards the horizon. Ambrosia was startin to slumber. The city of hope, the west coast bastion of civilization in a world of monsters and magic. The triumph of human engineering and resiliance. Ambrosia, the city that rose from the ashes. Home to many of the new worlds most influential people. With the odd barking dog, the odd drunken straggler or raving loon being heard from within the city core, outside the walls the quiet was almost oppressing. Even this close to the walls, dangers lurked in the dark. Nightbiters, bat like, child sized and solitary predators could very well hide in the darkness of the woods. Somewhere along the road, a Clanner likely sat under a provisional shelter, hoping to ambush some poor lonesome traveler. All these dangers, and humanity still forced itself to go on.
”This world, Will we ever tame it? Is it even meant to be tamed?” The voice was tinged with the bitterness and cynicism of old age, yet the man speaking appeared no older then his early forties. His scruffy, bushy mustache and well kept goatee had not a speck of white or gray in it. The mans clothes were as weather bitten and worn as shoe leather, yet very little of that wear showed on his skin. Aside from the odd scar here and there, he seemed almost untouched by time. Yet for the first time since the two met, Omega thought Banjo looked worn out. The adventurous luster she once fell in love with was gone from his eyes, replaced with haunted look. He sat upon the very roof of one of Ambrosias outer watchtowers, staring at the blood red sun slowly sinking below the horizon. The crimson light staining the thick green forests before it would leave the darkness of night to claim the hemisphere for the next ten hours. The man known only as Mr Banjo, stared off in the distance. His namesake lying next to him, he plucked at one of the strings absentmindedly.
”You need not be so restless old friend” Her voice was opposite him, warm and gentle. Unlike the cynic and set voice of her companion, Omega spoke with a lofty sense of compassion and grace. Her skin seemed unblemished and porcelain like, her full red lips curled in a smile that seemed sincere only around her friend. Her eyes were hidden by the shadows of her cloak and the long bangs hanging in front of her face ”The mystery of the Magic is yet to be understood. My own pupil walk the wastes a renegade, seeking the means of dominating common folk. Yet we prosper. Yet we stand. Humanity persevere. It is what we do. It is the reality, the truth of our very being.” She brushed a strand of hair from the mans forehead, watching him intently. ”Even as the Clan raid and attack our caravans, men and women fight back. The ADF root them out at the cost of their own lives, driving the savages way from our city. Is that not a sign that civilization prevails?” Her voice softened, her eyes sparkled with something akin to affection beneath her messy hair.
”But at the same time we discriminate and mistreat our own because the magic has changed them slightly? Where is the civility in that?” Banjo shot back, raising a eyebrow.
”That is why I helped creat the Pledge. People fear what they do not undertand. But in time, I will make them see.”
”You are right my sweet Omega. You are right.” Banjo sighed and allowed himself to affix that lazy grin people always saw on his face. ”We still need to urge the Ambrosian leadership to act. ” He made a face insinuating how difficult a task this would be.” The old geezers are quite content with the status qou at the moment. They fear a new shift. A radical change. Unless they can directly benefit from it they will fight it with teeth and claw.” He stared in the direction the massive mountain out of sight of them. The great and crimson crystal formation where once Los Angeles existed before the fall. ”If only they got their heads in the game.”
”Forward as ever my dear Banjo.” Omega mused. ”But I feel it. Like a great wind pulling a tree from its root, change threaten to cast us adrift unless we grow our roots deeper. They will see this if you show them what you found..” She described a circle with tree in it using her finger and white sparks of danced from each digit, remaining visible even as she put her hand back in her robes.
”A new trick?” Banjo asked, curious. He watched as the light slowly faded back into nothing.
”A sign that things are changing. The engineers are saying the same thing. Crystals powers are increasing marginally day by day now. The other mages are generally to weak to feel the change. But those of us with time to harness the connection, We feel it.” She pluck up the two crystals she wore around her neck. One that shone like a miniature star, the other seemingly eating the light around it. ”I shall talk to the elders of the pledge, convince them to dedicate their mages to our cause. Even If I have to punch the old man in the face... Again.” The two shared a moment of silence. There was more said between them within that silence then most people could relay with words over a days worth of dialogue. It was Banjo who finally broke the spell. Clearing his throat.
”Meanwhile I shall ask the others to start securing Ambrosias immidiete problems.” He said as Omega turned to leave.
Before the Mage left she said one last thing. ”I will make them see the light of our actions. You just do what you do best.”
And then she was gone. Banjo watched her leave then took up his old, beaten instrument. Starting to play, he strummed along its strings and sang to the world that he barely knew or understood, He hoped the future would be less cold to his people.
Outskirts of Ambrosia, The Pledges retreat.
Four men and four women watched Omega as she held court. There was a great hush and the tension was palpable. These were people that actively trained mages. She herself was the sole representive of the Pledge at this meeting. This little gathering was as hush hush as they came. The general populace had no idea that the mages outside the Pledge worked together. And now they were talking to the strongest Pledge member there was. Omega smiled upon the others. They sat on chairs arranged in a half circle around her. Her face was mask of serenity and understanding. Underneath she was a boiling cauldron of frustration. For two hours had she argued her point. These old geezers all wanted to sit back. They were more concerned of retaining their followers then pushing humanity forward.
”We need to show them that Mages are integral to the future going forward. And we need to keep ourselves from stagnating.” She urged them. They were all old, as old as her. But unlike her, they aged more or less normally and were far less spry or easy on the eyes. One of them, a man with a big gray mane for hair, spoke. His name was Lou Wong, a light mage like her.
”Encouraging our students to mingle and join the caravans? Magic is volatile Omega. People fear it, they look at us and only see the shard heads who blow themselves up. Not to mention those that are mutants.” His voice was calm, but the edge in it was sharp and unrelenting as a knife to the throat. Again they aimed to shut her down. But she saw her chance. She seized it like a honey badger clamping its jaws around a snakes head. They would not squirm out of it.
”We pick our brightest and most talented. Those most hardy and resilient. We show the settlements once and for all that they need us. I have talked to Banjo. He is getting the old boys on the other side of the fence to kick things into gear. The time is upon us. We will stagnate if we don't move. And we will be forgotten if we do not speak” She breathed out slowly as one of them got out of her chair to counter her point.
Another voice spoke up to shut down the ageless mutant. ”I am a mutant. So are you. Do you know what they have done to people like us in the past. The world is still to scared. The wounds are still to damn raw from the crystal fall.” Her name was Elena. Her red hair was like a unruly nest of snakes the way it writhed on its own. Her frustration was palpable. One of the few people to own and master a actual gravity crystal. But Omega was not to be fettered by their stubborn refusal. She was older them them. More powerfull.
”You feel the magic like I do Elena. You all do. You know it is changing once more. And so must we. The time has come my friends. The time to reclaim our world. Banjo is going to get them out there. They are gonna brave the beasts and monsters. They are gonna wage war on a world that wants us dead.” Elena sat back, watching Omega as she grew more passionate. There were some upset muttering, but each of them were hanging on to every word now.
”The are going to forcefully carve their name into the annals of history while you are content of becoming a sidenote. The people with power to control the elements. To create light out of darkness and move earth and rock with a thought, becoming second class citizens because they refuse to TRY!” Her last words were delivered with such force and punch that some of them grew mute. Then, slowly, it began to dawn on them. The had no choice. It was time to adapt. Omega smiled.
Ambrosian Merchant Hall.
Talbot stared at Banjo. The Guildmaster was staring at his oldest friend like he had gone and proclaimed himself king of the west coast. There was not a speck of sense. Banjo must have finally lost it. There was no way he could expect all these rich and powerful men to do what he said. Around him men and women of differing ages and position in society stared at Banjo in much the same way.
”You want us to do what?” Maria asked. Her face was one of shocked and confused outrage. She was a business woman and one of the shrewdest investors in this brave new world. And even she saw the insanity in this. This wasn't venture capitalism. This was Adventure Capitalism.
”Invest twenty percent of your capital into a reclamation campaign south. Dedicate your resources into a one for all push towards former LA.” Banjo said, not at all phased by the others apparent issues with his plan. He knew this was the only way forward. Before the gathered men and women lay massive blueprints of what seemed like a railroad and very imposing looking train.
”That's a lot of money, people and time.” Elizabeth Bosh spoke as she leaned in to admire the sheer incredulity of the project. She would love to take a crack at building the thing. But this was a project that screamed problems before it even started. They were gonna have to lay track across hostile territory, deal with all manners of beasts and Clanners aplenty.
”Not to mention, a lot of risk.” Goldstein, the major of Alabaster Station said, staring down with incredulity at the massive rolls of bluprints laying before him. The undertaking Banjo was expecting them to agree to was beyond anything they ever done before. But Goldsteins ambitions were resonating with Banjos on a level neither man could really explain. ”Don't get me wrong. I'll be willing to take it. Alberta Station is on the way there. I would demand we be the first to connect to ambrosia via rail.” He shot Banjo a grin that was returned in kind.
”But the rewards far outweighs the risk. We need everyone on this. The hunters are gonna be needed to track down the big nasties. The ADF and the Yellow Vest are gonna be needed to head of raiders. This is the new wild west ladies and gentlemen. We are going to make history.”
The last to speak out was Melinda Choi.
”If we do this. We do it on my terms. The ADF is already dealing with a outright war against the Clanners. I cannot guarantee the projects safety with my boys and girls alone. The Clanners gonna be pissed we are planning on cutting trough their ”territory” with a goddamn railroad track. Not to mention all the workers that are gonna be displaced over this.”
”Oh. Don't worry. I asked a mutual friend to get her people in on this to.” Banjo said. ”The differnt mage organizations will work alongside us. They are aching to prove they function along side normal society. All the nasties, elemental mischief and violent men in the world won't be enough” This earned him a whistle from Goldstein.
”Well then...” Elizabeth sighed. ”Lets get this show on the road.”
The Great Reclemation begins -
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Saturday Morning: Ambrosia Western Gates.
There was a commotion. A great noisy commotion. The kind of commotion that was attractive to merchants and adventerous types. Unbeknowst to most, Banjo had managed in kicking his associates into high gear and now the spirit of pioneering was at sudden and scary heights it had not seen in years. Now the great men and women who made Ambrosia work were all pitching in to push its people to help the city expand its influence. On the Ambrosian Plaza, formerly known as the Union Square, a large podium was erected. Hustling back forth like little ants were the many workers who had helped erect the podium. Now they were rigging all manners of lights and sound systems. Amplifying sonic crystals rigged to relay the speakers every word.
On the podium stood ”The Jarl”. Janne Gustavsen was a slightly pudgy but sturdy man with years as a soldier behind him. Beloved and well respected by most, he now braced himself. He breathed in slowly, then leaned into the mic. As he spoke, not a corner of Ambrosia could escape his voice. The Jarl as he was called, was well liked. A mercenary who turned his crew of motley men and women into caravan guards for the most part, he was a jolly sort who loved his city and who had been integral in the citys survival.
”Men and Women of Ambrosia. Today, I am happy to say a new era is beginning. As of today, I, along with The Bosh Sisters, My wife Gunhildr, Guildmaster Talbot and many others of Ambrosias wealthiest and most influential people have decided to put a large chunk of our resources into a common project. As of today, we begin laying the foundation of a united west coast. We are happy to announce the great RECLEMATION PROJECT!” People who weren't already dedicating their time listening now did. When a simple man such as Jarl started to use big words, big things were bound to follow. Men and women broke their conversations and put down their coffees for a few seconds.
”As of today, we are invoking the "Ambrosian Conscription Rule". Every Hunter is drafted to the project as per Guild Standard 2.15, Every engineer with a contract with any of the major corporations are being assigned secondary tasks. The ADF has of course lent their support to the Cause as well." He spoke with a stern, no nonsense tone now. A natural leader in his element. "But this is not so say you are to abandon your livelihood. No. As of today, we are opening our checkbooks to those who will undertake any of the many tasks that lay ahead." This got some people to start moving. The allure of money already gripping a some. "Many of you will be called upon specifically for tasks best suited to your talents. This is your duty as citizens of Ambrosia. The Signups have already been opened up by the Ambrosian Plaza. God Day, and may god bless you all."
The transmission ended. Elsewhere, The Varius authorities within the mage communities have sent out their own message of support. Pledgers and other sect members being sent to sign up and prepare themselves for the outside world. All over, Hunters and Explorers. soldiers and engineers began to meet up and discuss this new development as other rushed to sign up. Adventure was afoot, you could practically taste it.
Player Info:
All players will find themselves for various reasons around or at the plaza. Any Hunter who wishes to do business is pretty much drafted into service. Engineers are being assigned new places by their bosses or otherwise given the chance to make a fat payday. Adventurers and Explorers of all kind have been given the chance to become legendary frontiersmen if they survive. Especially skilled Soldiers, Mercs and other thugs are worth there weight in cold.
Mages, even who do not belong to a organization has to show up. They are integral to the project and refusal may just lead to exile as none of the big Mage sects will allow a freeloader inside the walls sullying the name of their fellow mages. In short, It's a draft.
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