A meeting at Attleson

I was researching the Etrudians, recent emergent’s onto the galactic when I came across a very interesting couple. They were at the back of an alien bar on Attleson Nosferatu trade gate. An unusually rowdy alien bar outside the usual hunting rules practiced by the Nosferatu, and so safe for the unconsecrated.

They were both wearing long hooded robes - faded red, quite warn, with varying sigils on the cuffs and down the center of the sleeves. I had not seen this kind of garment before, which is why I approached them, perhaps they would be Etrudians, or know of them? After buying a drink or two I had them talking and learnt of their history.

They were not Edrudians, and didn’t know of that race, but were Magefolk and had recent direct experience of battle. One was an ex-commander, and the other a Magefolk sorcerer, but with mutilated hands so as not to be able to cast complex enchantments. Over the course of that evening I learnt how they came to be travelling from station to station, never settling, never allowed to return home.

Eventually the commander brought out a small device, and the ex-sorcerer moved his arms, unlocking it. From it they produced a data crystal - ship logs from their past. I present them here for your enjoyment.

It all started in Elogh, when both were in positions of importance. The Commander was of the Magefolk vessel Meteor Storm II.

Go 18595

The Goblin 1 has claimed the trade goods from the Shaman Gate. The Shaman quake and fear the colour and depth of our magic. Their pitiful hedge magic cannot match our spells, and they no doubt know their betters are in Elogh to claim their wealth.

Go 18596

Shaman reinforcements appear far to the south. With them comes the magical Epic Bloom. Our DarkLight's shine brighter, and the high wizard of the Meteor Storm II informs the captain to move and claim it. No Shaman cruiser can hurt our great ship.

Go 18597

The Meteor Storm II rotates it's weapon racks, and the demons are summoned to fire off the first powerful attack drones. These Shaman cruisers will be shattered and their life force spread among the Elogh system.

Go 18598

Our captain orders the High Wizard to cast glamour's upon the distant Shaman ships. Their effect is immediate; you can see the Shaman scatter from our attack drone's path. Their pitiful cruisers confused by magic and panicked by the single approaching drone.

Go 18599

Our Goblin near the trade gate is too small to destroy the Shaman gate, and from astrogation we can tell that there are three Shaman cruisers in the system, so the third has been hidden all this time and may be approaching.

The Meteor Storm II's crew cheer as our first mighty drone smashes into the enemy 'Law of Earth'. Named after some pagan association with an feeble Earth Spirit no doubt. Our single drone, with demon's riding upon it will have stripped most of it's armour with a single hit.

The Meteor has no active Shaman targets and so starts to lay a protective mine field.

Go 18600

Finally enemy cruisers open fire. The Law of Earth's damage is revealed - all from our single drone hit!

Our wizards confer and decide that the Epic Bloom is yet young. The Meteor's massive in system drives fire up and we glide out of the visibility zone. We also recall the Goblin before the hidden enemy cruiser can engage - if that is their plan.

The Meteor also detect an enemy mine coming to deploy near the Meteor, another incentive to move away. Our own mines are invisible due to glitch in the scanners. We have been promised that this will be fixed by the technicians.

Go 18601

The Meteor continues to move off, while the Shaman drones are about to run into our mines as our scryers predicted.

Our tactical supremacy is proven again by the hidden Shaman cruiser appearing where the Goblin used to be. The Goblin is now under silent running orders, and cannot be seen.

Go 18602

The Shaman are hiding from us, so a quick augury and consolation with helm gives us a good idea where the Shaman cruisers are lurking. So, at the small cost of revealing our position we send off a beholder to light them up.

Go 18603

We were spot on. Both cruisers exactly where we predicted. Now to send another ship buster at them.

To the North the Shaman try and detect the Goblin with beholders of their own, they have no hope. In every way we are controlling this conflict, and yet again we prove the worth of higher magic above that of the elemental weak magic of the Shaman.

Go 18604

Our turn to hide, lurking in the shadows while the Shaman think they own the system.

Go 18605

A hugely lucky hit from the Shaman onto the Meteor. Their attack drone drove right through two other damaged units and placed it's payload in the very heart of our vessel. The Captain calmly ordered seals to close and the crew briefly prey for those unlucky crew caught in the nano storm within the hab.

Then we retaliate! Another drone sent to decimate the cruisers.

Go 18606

We now reveal our Blizz1, together with the Meteor we will inflict death on the cruisers.

It is unfortunate that the Shaman killed the hab, but repairs are underway and we are inflicting damage on the Shaman fleet.

It is also worth noting how the Epic Bloom is maturing, and that the time to reclaim the center of the conflict is upon us.

Go 18607

The Law of Fire takes a Magefolk hit, and it's armour is decimated. The Captain of the Meteor is aware that the Cruiser armour and fast repair rate is actually paying off for the Shaman. The Meteor storm can deliver vast damage, but itself takes damage it finds harder to repair. Things are possibly swinging towards the hedge wizards and away from the Magefolk. The next few tides will be crucial.

Go 18608

The Bloom is almost enlivened! The Shaman land more hits upon the Meteor, and although we retaliate we cannot take down enough of their armour fast enough!

Go 18609

Yet again the Shaman reveal the Blizz with a beholder. The Epic is enlivened next tide and the Magefolk can do nothing to intervene. Even so the Captain orders the dizzies to carry the Meteor to the center of the combat, a risky thing for a large ship to do.

A communique from high command is asking for progress, and the captain of the mighty Meteor for the first time lets them know that all is not going to plan. His wizards again cast auguries and say that fate has turned against them. Some elder magic undermining their own glorious spells. These Shaman have the low cunning of animals!

Go 18610

Not only have the Shaman claimed the Epic, another bloom has appeared! The Meteor is exposed to close combat amid the enemy cruisers and is carrying more damage. Not only that, but the mad Shaman cruiser engages the Blizz north of the Sun.

With rising anger and fear of what high command might say the Meteor captain fires upon the cruisers and holds his ground. The next Epic shall be his, and not be taken by mere Shamans.

Go 18611

The Blizz is off scan - that same sensor glitch which means the Epic scan field is not working. Our attack drone ran right into a Shaman mine and failed to do any damage. The Shaman in turn have managed to fire two attack drones which will impact any second.

Comms patch the captain through to the command sensorium, the upper echelon from fleet command. "Captain, you must hold the Epic Bloom, no other outcome is acceptable! Only when that is done can you bring the Meteor to safety. Command out". The sensorium greyed back out of his view.

A fine order from distant commanders, but how to achieve this?

Go 18612

Alarms ring out across the ship, more multiple enemy impacts. The captain angrily slaps then silent from his command console and considers his options.

The only answer to high command is to hold the center, protect it with mines, and repair as fast as possible. At least that is the captains choice. The high mage shakes his head slightly, within the Veneficus Zotheca, his own private chamber. He sent a minor imp to summon his brothers and prepared a portal spell.

Go 18613

With the portal prepared and the brethren gathered the High Mage opened a channel to the captain. "Sir, as high mage I must argue against standing here. The Shaman continue to chip at us, and you have yet to score any significant damage upon them! We must move out of this gravity bottle, and with space and the chance to retreat we can continue the fight."

The captain was silent for some minutes. He knew things were bad, he knew he had to hold the Epic Bloom. But he also had a high mage on record telling him not to. A very valuable thing. "I accept your council," was all he said. And the Meteor pulled out from the Epic center of battle, out of the scan zone and into shadow.

Go 18614

This left the Blizz and Goblin stuck in the center, and only now aware of the new battle plan. The Goblin had taken an age to secretly manoeuvre into battle formation. The Blizz had managed to remain unscathed, but with orders to run, and fight only in the outer system their time had been wasted. Both vessels spun up their dizzies and shot away from the bloom.

In the Zotheca the wizards consulted again. There was still a long shadow on the ship, both from this conflict and from high command. The high mage opened the portal and the first junior mages stepped through, and away from the Meteor.

Go 18615

"Another alien detected," came the excited shout from astrogation, "and she is firing on the Shaman." The captain could hear the excitement in the young mans voice. This could be good, and he summoned the high mage to ask for confirmation and new auguries. There was no answer.

"We are hit, we have multiple hits", came from the Blizz. The Meteor may be safe in shadow, but the Blizz had taken huge punishment from the Shaman cruiser fleet. The captain thought to draw fire, it was all they could do, respond to the enemy, and not control the battle as they had been.

"Scan here, we have another Shaman vessel approaching from the outer system." The captain rubbed his brow, thinking for some way to retake command of the battle.

Go 18616

"Meteor Storm II, we relieve you of fleet command", a new presence in the sensorium. "This is the Bold II here, and we will win this battle, no matter the mess you have made of it!"

In many ways the captain was releaved. He had tried and failed, the Shaman cruisers with their armour and higher fire rates simply out matched his fleet. He continued thinking this way, little knowing that the his own High Mage was already aboard the Bolt II spinning a different tale to the new fleet commander.

Both the Blizz and the Meteor were now hidden, repairing. The Shaman started to lay down a beholder field, trying to find the damaged ships.

Go 18617

The Shaman found the Blizz. It was still suffering from the last Shaman salvoes, nano eating towards it's heart. Without any pity or remorse the Shaman fired upon it again, no mines or gravwell between it and approaching death.

The alien Dragonia remained silent, but fired again on the Shaman. Perhaps an ally, perhaps not. Not that it mattered much to the captain of the Meteor. His vessel was stricken, and he could do nothing unless given orders from the Bolt.

The new fleet commander was strangely silent, his own vessel now damaged was fleeing North, and it's attack drones had been outrun as the Shaman spun away. The Meteor captain could not smile at their fate, but could get some cold satisfaction that the new fleet commander was now taking Shaman punishment.

Go 18618

The Blizz shuddered on scan, multiple explosions rent her skin as she suffered more impacts. Her captain came online, a grim visage, "It has been an honour serving," he turned away from the screen, and when he turned back he was smiling, "The aliens may have given us a reprieve, they have just taken out the beholder, I'll let you know our status soon".

Go 18619

With the capital ships in hiding the Goblin took it's chance, firing out from the gravity well they targeted the Shaman cruiser holding station by the bloom. A brave thing to do considering their size and existing damage.

Shame eating at him, and no orders from the Bolt made the captain of the Meteor joined the fray, firing upon the same cruiser and giving away his location by this action.

Go 18620

That brief exchange of fire damages the Shaman vessel, landing nano near their hab. But the Goblin runs further into the safety of the gravwell to avoid retribution, and the Meteor captain again focuses on repair, desperate to get engine back online. No news comes from either the Blizz or the Bolt, and the captain wishes that the traitorous mages had remained aboard. He had never heard of mages fleeing any vessel that survived, and yet the Meteor was actually regaining integrity and was almost fighting fit again.

The targeted Shaman cruiser responds against the Meteor, leaving the tiny Goblin safe. Elsewhere the aliens are acting for themselves, seeding beholders, and moving off. They refuse all contact.

Go 18621

With no orders the Meteor repairs again, and moves to the gravity free channel between the planets and away from the conflict.

The Shaman vessel "Law of Space" finally has a hab breach! The Meteors curse screens briefly light up - no doubt a death curse from the Shaman. Nothing that the Meteor should be afraid of, but more effective than it should be without mages aboard.

The two other Shaman cruisers appear - one fires upon the Alien Dragonia. The other is very close to the Meteor, and it's attack drone screams towards the Magefolk vessel.

Go 18622

All three fleets take damage. But it is the Meteor that fares the worst. Not only that, but at the mouth of the channel she is caught in a cruiser cross fire, and can do nothing but crawl into the channel, hoping to bog down the attack drones in the surrounding gravity well.

The Epic is also nearing enlivenment, and there is no sign of the Bolt to enforce high commands dictate. In every way the Magefolk fleet have failed.

Go 18623

Fearing the curse, fearing the departure of the wizards, fearing fate is against the Meteor, the captain pauses to save some crew, and colonise a planet. It is a desperate ploy, and uncalled for given the relative worthiness of his ship. Perhaps the Shaman death curse did get through and make him command this action. Who can say, except the delay caused to the Meteors escape could prove disastrous. Also, without a trade gate the fledgling colony will fail and the colonists all perish.

The entire Shaman fleet is gathering, coming towards the Epic Bloom and the fleeing Meteor.

"Captain, engineering reports that the engines are being subsumed, if we are to flee it must be now". This seems to briefly galvanise the captain, and the Meteor dives into the channel.

Go 18624

The Shaman take position to fire clear down the channel. Their previous salvos still eat into the Meteor's heart, and her captain sinks into despair, even as the crew demand he rise and destroy the foe.

Go 18625

This tide is one of woe. The second officer, ignoring the captain, commands full retreat on his own. The engineers gratefully punch the spin dizzies and the vessel shoots along the escape channel and into free space beyond the planets. Although this is the right manoeuvre she is greatly damaged and chased by an attack drone swarm. Attack nano is subsuming systems right next to the living quarters at the heart of the great vessel.

Seeing his second take command, the captain suddenly stands, then strides silently from the bridge, towards the deserted Veneficus Zotheca.

Unnoticed by the Magefolk, the Shaman fleet again claims the Epic Bloom. And, with fate on their side, another bloom comes into life, right in the middle of their fleet and starts to mature.

Go 18626

The first officer stares at the screen, even as nano eats through the bridge head, dissolving the screen, the consoles and then the crew. Screams sound out and only a single hab remains intact.

It is here, in the last remaining hab, that the captain enters the High Mages domain, and finds the portal fading, but still open. Without a seconds delay the captain strides forwards and into the portal, and out of the doomed Meteor.

Go 18627

The Meteor lies dead in space. Her remaining crew cower in the single hab, all systems are dead. There are distant sounds of explosions, and then nearby sounds of metal tearing as the superstructure fails. Deadly and without mercy the nano storm sweeps through the ship.

At the heart of the system the Shaman gather about the new bloom. Their ships gaining in power and confidence, they glory in the death of the Meteor.

Go 18628

One last tide, a time for farewells and then brief strife and fear before the Meteor collapses, space twists and the tides pull it from real space forever.

Hunting time ends

It was early morning by the time I was given the data crystals holding the ship logs. The bar was quiet and full of slumped and sleeping forms waiting for the all clear to signal so that we could venture out into the public spaces. I thanked the pair and waved farewell, wanting to get my notes organised, and this report filed.

When the all clear signalled I went to find them again, to ask more on the Magefolk. Neither was anywhere to be found in the bar, so perhaps the sorcerer was not as maimed as he appeared. Either way, an interesting tale, worthy of this reporter.