Weird Wizard - Aria For My Yog Sathoth

 

Here

Memories of Yesteryear - From a Campaign I Left More than 18 years ago

 Dragons on the Tarmac

 

Weird Wizard - FILIUS TEMPESTATUM

 Here

Weird Wizard - To the Crystal Cave

Song here

Weird Wizard - The Party is Reunited

Second

 

Nappendexria Adnd - Every other night Friday

 I play in this game every other Friday night.

Weird Wizard - Aminals and Fairies

Ride the Tiger

Red Jenny

[Poem] Bojo's Prophetic Dreams - Electric Boogaloo

The worst was avoided

Only for worst than the worst to rear its ugly heads

Where in the world is Stash Sandiego?

Be assured he is not found in a striped white and red shirt

Hiding in a crowd

The hidden hand from fate of fate

Her archon and her mouth are both blind

But the smallest amongst us see

A secret mission between the cracks

For what is not must not be

Take the hour glass of Father Time

And sideways curtain frame

Step into the Pale Lodge

Which not even gods can tame

Shall we make a bargain

Or shall you spurn my knife

Tell me no upon the

I will not ask the thrice

What I tell you three times is true

But the sister rolled the dice

Now the world spins on the hidden thread

That all the eyes dont see

For what is to come shall be

Weave, and Cut and Loom it out

The tapestry is our sea.

The door of shimmering blue

The entropic hand upon shall sue

Never think what you cannot do

What is shall be at price.

Secrets of the Weird Wizard - GenAI Makes My Charsheet

 Take this with a dump truck of salt but I found the result so fascinating I couldnt not post it ;) 

╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗

║          SHADOW OF THE WEIRD WIZARD — CHARACTER SHEET                          ║

╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

NAME:         Rhombus Ticks

ANCESTRY:     Human

LEVEL:        10

SIZE:         1       SPEED: 7 (base 5 + Skirmisher +2)

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

  ATTRIBUTES

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

  Strength:    10  (+0)

  Agility:     13  (+3)    ← primary Rogue attribute

  Intellect:   20  (+10)   ← raised to 20 by Mastermind (Level 10)

  Will:        12  (+2)

  NOTE: Mastermind's "Genius Intellect" lets you substitute

        Intellect for Agility or Will rolls in combat.

        "Best Idea Ever" lets you use Intellect for ANY

        attribute roll outside of combat (1/minute).

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

  DEFENSE & HEALTH

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

  Natural Defense:    11  (Rogue base)

  Armored Defense:    13  (Leather armor: 12 or +1; Rogue base 11 → 13)

  Starting Health:    14  (Rogue base)

  Health Total (Level 10):

    Level 1  Rogue:           14

    Level 2  Rogue:          + 4  = 18

    Level 3  Bard:           + 8  = 26

    Level 4  Bard:           + 8  = 34

    Level 5  Rogue:          + 4  = 38

    Level 6  Bard:           + 8  = 46

    Level 7  Mastermind:     +12  = 58

    Level 8  Mastermind:     +12  = 70

    Level 9  Bard:           + 8  = 78  (assumed Bard 9 = +8)

    Level 10 Mastermind:     +12  = 90

  TOTAL HEALTH: ~90

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

  BONUS DAMAGE DICE

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

  Level 2  Rogue:    +1d6

  Level 3  Bard:     +1d6

  Level 5  Rogue:    +1d6

  Level 7  Mastermind: +1d6

  TOTAL BONUS DAMAGE: 4d6

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

  LANGUAGES

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

  Common          — standard tongue, birthright

  Arcane          — gained from Rogue Technique: Magic Use (Level 2)

  Archaic         — gained from Profession: Philosopher

  Old Tongue      — could be gained from Profession: Astrologer

                    (or second profession background)

  + Any Three     — from Bard Training (Level 3); suggested:

                      Kingdom  (the language of bureaucracy and governance)

                      Sylvan   (the language of faeries and the unseen)

                      Alchemical (the cipher — suits a forensic analyst)

  + Any One       — from Bard Level 4; suggested:

                      Druidic  (for understanding factions that "meddle")

  + Any One       — from Bard Level 6; suggested:

                      Secret language of your choice / thieves' cant

  ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

  TOTAL LANGUAGES KNOWN:

    Common, Arcane, Archaic, Old Tongue, Kingdom, Sylvan,

    Alchemical, Druidic, + 1 secret language of your choice

  ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

  PROFESSIONS (Background)

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

  PRIMARY:   Philosopher

             You studied the nature of reality, space, time, and ethics,

             and the question of what it means to be.

             LANGUAGE GAINED: Archaic

             EQUIPMENT: Writing kit (included in gear below)

  SECONDARY: Politician

             You know how to navigate the ins and outs of bureaucracies.

             You might have held political office or aided those who did.

             EQUIPMENT: Set of superior clothing

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

  NOVICE PATH: ROGUE (Levels 1–5)

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

  Natural Defense: 11     Starting Health: 14

  Languages: Common + one other (Archaic, from Philosopher)

  ── LEVEL 1 ──────────────────────────────────────────────

  Cunning Dodge

    When you dodge, increase boons on your Agility roll by 1

    OR increase banes on the roll made against your Defense/Agility by 1.

  Trickery

    Make any attribute roll with 1 boon. When used to attack,

    the attack deals an extra 1d6 damage.

    [In combat: recharges start of next turn. Outside: recharges in 1 min.]

  ── LEVEL 2 ──────────────────────────────────────────────

  Health: +4     Bonus Damage: +1d6

  Rogue Technique: MOCKERY

    While not injured, gain +1 action per turn — but one action

    MUST be used to hinder.

    When you hinder a creature, it makes an Intellect or Will roll

    (your choice) with 1 bane.

      • Success: target is immune to this hinder for 24 hours.

      • Failed Intellect roll: target becomes WEAKENED (luck ends).

      • Failed Will roll: target becomes VULNERABLE (luck ends).

        While vulnerable this way, it attacks targets other than you

        with 1 bane.

    At Level 5: Use a reaction to hinder a creature within 5 yards

    when it makes an attribute roll. Attacks against hindered creatures

    deal an extra 1d6 damage.

  Rogue Technique: MAGIC USE (bonus pick at level 2)

    Add Arcane to your languages.

    Discover one tradition. Learn two novice spells.

    At Level 5: Learn one expert spell.

  ── LEVEL 5 ──────────────────────────────────────────────

  Health: +4     Bonus Damage: +1d6

  Combat Opportunist

    When you get a success on any roll in combat, move up to

    half your Speed (with Slippery trait) OR cause one enemy in

    reach to take 1d6 damage. [Luck ends after use.]

  Mockery Upgrade (see Level 2 above)

  Magic Use Upgrade: +1 expert spell

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

  EXPERT PATH: BARD (Levels 3–6, +9)

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

  ── LEVEL 3 ──────────────────────────────────────────────

  Health: +8     Bonus Damage: +1d6

  Languages: Any three (see Languages section above)

  Bard Training (Magical)

    You can play any instrument, sing, dance, act, juggle, or

    perform in any style. Rolls related to performing: 1 boon.

    If you perform for 10+ minutes, every non-friendly creature

    present makes a Will roll. On a failure, it becomes friendly

    to you and counts as your ally (until you or an ally harms it).

    [Success: immune for 24 hours.]

  Legends and Lore

    Ask the Sage one question about a legend, magic, history,

    a people, or a place. Make a luck roll.

      • Success: Sage tells you one fact.

      • Failure: lose access until after you rest.

  ── LEVEL 4 ──────────────────────────────────────────────

  Health: +8

  Language: Any one (see Languages section)

  Tradition: One     Spells: One novice

  Manipulating Music (Magical)

    Use an action to perform magical music (with or without

    an instrument). Lasts until end of your next turn; extend

    by spending your action each turn (max 1 minute).

    While performing:

      • Your attacks deal an extra 1d6 damage.

      • Each ENEMY within 5 yards makes a Will roll. On failure:

        becomes VULNERABLE until the performance ends.

        [Immune for 24 hours on success.]

      • Each ALLY within 5 yards makes attribute rolls with 1 boon.

        [Ends if they cannot hear you.]

    Uses per rest: equal to your level (10 at Level 10).

  ── LEVEL 6 ──────────────────────────────────────────────

  Health: +8

  Language: Any one (see Languages section)

  Spells: One expert

  Inspiring Note (Magical)

    [Partial text in source — when an ally under Manipulating Music

    gets a success on a roll to attack, you can trigger a bonus effect.]

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

  MASTER PATH: MASTERMIND (Levels 7–10)

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

  ── LEVEL 7 ──────────────────────────────────────────────

  Attributes: +1 to three attributes (applied: Agility +1, Will +1,

              Intellect +1 — already reflected in scores above)

  Health: +12     Bonus Damage: +1d6

  Language: Any one

  Genius Intellect

    Make Intellect rolls with 1 boon.

    Impose 1 bane on rolls against your Intellect.

    In COMBAT: may substitute Intellect for Agility or Will rolls.

    At Level 10: 3 boons on Intellect rolls; 3 banes on rolls against it.

  Best Idea Ever

    Outside of combat: substitute Intellect for any attribute roll.

    [Once per minute.]

  Intimidating Intellect

    When a creature fails an attribute roll against your Intellect,

    it becomes FRIGHTENED of you (until it succeeds on a Will roll).

  ── LEVEL 8 ──────────────────────────────────────────────

  Health: +12

  Stratagems

    Each of the following can be used ONCE per combat. Regain

    all uses when you use them all.

    [1] REDIRECT: When a creature rolls to attack you or rolls

        against your Strength, Agility, or Will — it must use

        your INTELLECT SCORE as the target number instead.

    [2] REACTION BANK: When you use a reaction, gain one

        additional reaction (use before end of round or lose it).

    [3] PRECISION STRIKE: When you get a success on a roll

        to attack, the target takes an extra 3d6 damage.

        [At Level 10: 6d6 instead.]

    [4] CLEAR HEAD: When you gain an affliction, the affliction ends.

    [5] UNTOUCHABLE: When you take damage, you take no damage instead.

  ── LEVEL 10 ──────────────────────────────────────────────

  Health: +12

  Staggering Intelligence

    Your Intellect score increases to 20.

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

  EQUIPMENT & GEAR

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

  ── WEAPONS ──────────────────────────────────────────────

  Rapier (main hand)

    Damage: 2d6     Traits: Nimble, Piercing

    Req: Agility 12     Price: 1 gp

    [Precision and reach — the weapon of someone who waits

    for the right moment and then commits absolutely.]

  Dagger x2 (off-hand / concealed)

    Damage: 1d6     Traits: Light, Nimble, Thrown 5

    [One on the belt. One in the boot. Standard operational kit.]

  ── ARMOR ─────────────────────────────────────────────────

  Leather Armor

    Defense: 12 or +1     Price: 2 sp

    [Light enough to move in. Heavy enough to matter.]

  ── TRINKETS ──────────────────────────────────────────────

  Circlet of Thought

    While worn: your Intellect is 15 if normally lower than 15.

    [Superseded at Level 10 by Staggering Intelligence, but worn

    from Levels 1–9 as the engine of everything you are.]

  Mask of Tongues

    While worn: anyone who hears you and knows at least one

    language understands what you say. No shared tongue required.

    [The forensic analyst's greatest tool. Every lecture lands.

    Every accusation is comprehensible. No one can claim they

    didn't understand.]

  Chameleon Cloak

    While hidden AND wearing this cloak: you are also INVISIBLE

    until you are no longer hidden.

    [You document from the shadows. You publish from the shadows.

    You are only visible when you choose to be.]

  Skeleton Key (carried, not worn)

    Fits into any lock. One action to lock or unlock.

    After first use: make a luck roll each time. Failure = key breaks.

    [Every institution has a door. You have the key.]

  Apotropaic Brooch

    While worn:

      • Take half damage from magical sources.

      • Impose 1 bane on magical rolls made against you.

      • Make rolls to resist magical effects with 1 boon.

    [Your philosophical framework is your ward against

    institutional enchantment. You've been inoculated.]

  ── OTHER GEAR ───────────────────────────────────────────

  Writing Kit

    Ink, quills, parchment. For the work. Always the work.

    [From Philosopher profession.]

  Set of Superior Clothing

    Well-made. Presentable in any boardroom, court, or hearing.

    [From Politician profession. The armor you wear to meetings.]

  Occultist's Kit

    For understanding things others deem forbidden.

    [Acquired. You know how this works by now.]

  Star Charts (bundle)

    Useful for navigation, divination, and establishing

    that you've been watching longer than anyone realized.

  A Musical Instrument

    Your choice. Suitable for Bard Training.

    [Suggested: a lap harp. Portable. Intimate. Disarming.]

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

  SPELLS & TRADITIONS

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

  Traditions Known:

    — One from Rogue: Magic Use (Level 2) — suggest: Illusion or Telepathy

    — One from Bard (Level 4) — suggest: Enchantment or Divination

  Spells Known:

    — 2 novice spells (Rogue Level 2)

    — 1 expert spell (Rogue Level 5)

    — 1 novice spell (Bard Level 4)

    — 1 expert spell (Bard Level 6)

  NOTE: Spell selection left open — choose traditions and spells that

  fit your Mastermind + Bard + Rogue configuration. Divination and

  Enchantment traditions are the most thematically consistent.

  Telepathy works if you want to lean into the surveillance angle.

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

  PERSONALITY (Optional Flavor)

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

  Affability:       Warm, but deliberate. You choose whom to trust.

  Dependability:    Relentless. You finish what you document.

  Outlook:          Realistic. You see systems for what they are.

  Receptiveness:    High for genuine argument. Zero for bad faith.

  Sociability:      Present in groups; operates most clearly alone.

  Religious Belief: Christoicism — kindness as the arbiter of necessity.

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

  BACKGROUND (Rolled or Chosen)

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

  Rogue Background (your choice of d6):

    "You honed your abilities observing the contradictions of those

    in power — what they said versus what they did. You don't steal

    gold. You steal credibility and return it to the record."

  Bard Calling:

    "You did not choose to perform. You chose to document. The

    performance was what happened when documentation became

    undeniable."

  Mastermind Origin:

    "You simply kept asking the same question — what is actually

    happening here — until the answer arrived and nobody else

    could refute it."

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

  QUICK REFERENCE: CORE MECHANICS AT LEVEL 10

═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

  Defense:          13 (leather armor)

  Health:           ~90

  Bonus Damage:     4d6

  Speed:            7 yards

  Attributes:

    STR 10 (+0) | AGI 13 (+3) | INT 20 (+10) | WIL 12 (+2)

  In combat:

    — Trickery: any roll with 1 boon

    — Mockery: +1 action, must hinder; hinder causes Weakened or Vulnerable

    — Manipulating Music: enemies Vulnerable, allies roll with boon

    — Cunning Dodge: extra boon or bane when dodging

    — Combat Opportunist: on any success, move or deal 1d6 extra

    — Stratagems (5 options, reset when all used): redirect, extra reaction,

      +6d6 damage, clear affliction, negate damage

    — Genius Intellect: Intellect in place of Agility/Will

    — Intimidating Intellect: failed rolls against INT → Frightened

  Outside combat:

    — Best Idea Ever: Intellect for any roll (1/min)

    — Legends and Lore: ask the Sage a question (luck roll for answer)

    — Bard Training: 10-min performance makes creatures friendly

    — Mask of Tongues: universal comprehension, always

    — Skeleton Key: any lock

  Intellect rolls: with 3 boons (Level 10 Genius Intellect)

  Rolls against your Intellect: 3 banes imposed on attacker

══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

  RHOMBUS TICKS | HUMAN ROGUE 5 / BARD 6 / MASTERMIND 10 | LEVEL 10

  "The institution always reveals its contradictions. I simply hold the pen."

══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

[Poem] Bojo's Prophetic Dreams (3 of 3)

 by Emmit Other

Have you ever been

Enchanted

When your mind is not your own

The best case of case of cases

Is when your will is almost there

It is at the tip of your breath

It is less than not being free

Because even the most enslaved slave

Might have luck upon escape

But if you are enchanted

Your will is not your own

Even if it is but a single compulsion

Those who have been enchanted

Will know

Of the geasa

The compulsion

The weight in your mind

Like an overbending knee

Moving your mind with an Elephant hook

Except The Hook is in Your Brain

You are the Elephant

And its purpose is to train

There have been four missions

That the bones have done so far

The first was a gas station

A way station and an inn

The jibb of rot was betrayal

We met our rival and our foe

We found the ancient tatue

And stood our own toe to toe

We gained two allies

Who with us on our journey went

And then we parted ways for a while....

The secound chorus of our stanza

Was the journey to the cult town

A quiet peaceful villagien

With somethingr rottin underground

This wa when Lord Death

Became moret han a distant shadow

He tapped me on the shoulder

And moved melike a widow

The wound in the world was healed

Good work done means more work

Thats the reward

To work for the right to work

Is that how the song goes?

And goes

And goes again....

And then we parted ways for a while....

And the third mission was through the looking glass

To the world of upside down

Where I could hear the whispers

To sometimes not make a sound

A whisper of the pulse

At the edge of the universe

Told me to keep my mouth shut

And I learned some wisdom

I am not smart

But if I take my time to think

I can be wise

And hat is better than nothing

And we found new friends and old

And wounds  were healed

And miracles bestowed

We hit every mark

And hade earned a rightful win

But then the world turned sidewase

And one roll ended it all

And so from the Blue Rook's tap

The clock was turned upside down

And I prereemmbered to make a deal

With the Archivist Below

And so I am enchanted

For a year and so I know

Once a day I check the scroll

To keep the burning at bay

And still also do the will of Death

And just try to live my day

And the universe was made right

except of course for me

For a year anda. day

I must listen

And obey

The fourth mission was special

And four doors we received

One of Strife in dungeon crawl

To an anicent viking tomb

Except somehow that was Death

So the pattern double blinds

One of mystery

And sorceryLikely the echoed orc plague

The ghoul cult seems but simpel strife

But either way the flame is clear

Fate has paid a mission

And the price you paid twice now dear

Or is it all the prophet

The rela one not you fool

Or is it the Knight errant

Or one of the crew

The Bearer of the Horn

As Roland's Tower of old

Or is it the shadow of the mystery

Of the final door of death

the roughe bleoved by death

tolerated and amused

watching aptiently

for a final lien to be crossed

ticking clocks

shooting star

will you soon be lost?

The gadgeteer triumpant

With her cat and snake a blaze

The shadow knight you do not see

Some save his name is 

The Knight of Fate is bound no lessAnd then

Kung Fu Anastasia 

Is tied to humanity's bane

A surce is a cusrse for a reason

a violation of a law

humanity has hubris

the land is the ing

the king is the land

Someone killed the royal line

The horn th ehorn th ehorn is more

than you think it is and not

Soon the necromancer

May revenant a death

To avoid a vital contract

That which fate has weft

a shotgun is a shadow

but the point of this is t his

four towers

for doors of fate

four has turned to five

is there then a final door

that we ahve not contrived

but when you are enchanted

you cannot say some things

for if you choose a certain door

obligations it will bring

But the one who spins the balance 

is the shadow fae that was a human

that is something more that leads the group

even though that is acussin

for thereis no one officially

who captains our motley band

But I lend an ear to the ground that says

You should listen to understand

 The Rhythm of the World

[Poem] Bojo's Prophetic Dreams (2 of 3)

 by Emmit Other

Hop to the hip to the bip to the bop do the rhythm to the world

there's a rhyhtm to the world.

There's beauty in chaos

That is true 

But when a shovel hits you in the face

You forget about 

The Rhythm of the World.

Time.

Time was the one thing there was never enough of.   You were not dumb.

Not really.

You just didnt't think quikly.  

You felt the world go by

Like you were the slowest of turtles

But smarter than other people thought

And so you never got a break

And so you made your way in the world

And you became Grave Robber

And you made a pact

And the pact you made as

To repay the descration of Death

With the Sanctifaction of Death

But it took a few days

For you to understand the word Santication

But once you had it

You had it and mastered with the strength of the Eearth itself

You dug into the deeper truths

Where once you dug into thought

Then you dug into mystery 

But you do not understand this when you are awake

And you only dream it when you are asleep

And hear whipsers of voices

Vices of deep

Deep and powerful things

You hear the Dreamer

And the Dreamer is in your mind

And your mind is not built like the others

For you are the judge who refuses to call himself a Judge

But it is not a verb but. noun

And sometimes there were times

When Jstice

Was only a thing oyu could do yourself

Sometimes Kings Failed

Sometimes Churches or Priests broke their word

And in those times

The Only Justice That You Had

Was the Justice You Carried

Witin Yourself.

[Poem] Bojo's Prophetic Dreams (1 of 3)

 by Emmit Other

Dreams are where the metadata of infinity

Lives, dies and lives again

When everything is true

And a thought away

It isnt about what is real

So much as

How it connects

Turtles all the way down

Turtles all the way up

Roshomon the halls of dream

Every dreamer a lord

The Dreamer dreams the walls that stay

The Four Towers

And the Four Corners of the Earth

Cair Paravel had four thrones

Each a tower of the compass roles

Numbers are a higher octave than dream

But even dreams can have math

Even if it uses dream math 

Bojo the digger connected to a tree

Kississing Mississippi to try and be

Something other than history

Child Roland to the Dark Tower Came

A field in a million roses for each world

A golden brick road

Or was it Silver?

We're off to see the wizard

We're not in Kansas are we

Through the looking glass

And The Cults the thing

Ease on down the road

Through the Mirror

Straight on and to the second closet on the left

Till morning

The deep magic

Woudln't it be Lucky if there was a layer

On a layer 

On a layer

Its not the loop of time this time

But recursion of the infinite iteration

When you seek revenge

Dig two graves

Both of them for your enenmy

Even when your enemy

Is the Peculiar Purlple Pyram

of Porcupine Geek

Bite the head of a chicken 

Don't be so dramatic

Prestochango rearrango

The blue haze appears

And obscures the yellow sign

Hitch a ride on the Star Twin's magic carpet

And turn that frown to the Upside Down

One Shot: Debt For Life

This is a Funnel Game run by Josh that is based on the game Mothership.   Our characters are chemically induced to Amnesia.  This covers a trailer followed by actual play and is amazing.   So far we have played two of three sessions and it is reminscent of Hellraiser+Cube+Saw.   Not for the feint of heart but with music from Paul Mercer and several other amazing sources it is one of the best limited games I have ever played.

Debt For Life

The Empty Chair

 The Empty Chair

by Emmit Other

There is an empty chair at our gaming table

For our friend

That we knew was in dire straights

Wasnt getting out like we thought

But getting out into the final checkout

In 

The

Sky

only to find out from his beloved

That there will be no more adventures

No more jaunts into the unknown

No dragons slain

No rogues careened with of a questional gangreen variety

We raise a glass in our home hallowed halls

We raise a glass in our hearts

And we raise a glass for the iron company

We will put a place of honor in his memorial

And every time we face impossible odds

Every time we would back down when logic would dictate

We ask ourselves

What would Jon do

And go a little bit farther

And track a little more wonder

And live a little bit more free as a result.

To Jon. To Quix. To our musical departed Finnigan the Rogue.

in his wake we mourn his dust.

See you on the other side of that second star at morning.

Dnd Blog

 This blog belongs to a friend of mine in a game I am in, more to come links for that plus notes on dungeon delving and former logs from mushes

https://fantasticwargameswmass.blogspot.com/

Pericuolo Narr by Pryzal

 

Sardonia Online - Character

Name: Whiplash Decree

Race: Human

Alignment: Lawful Good

Class: Warlock (Undying)

Clan: Original: Unknown, Current: Snow Shepards

Background: Crinimal (sp)

Str: 12 +1

Dex: 13 +1

Con: 15 +2

Int: 10

Wis: 8 -1

Char: 16 +3

Proficiency Bonus: +2

Feat: Prodigy

Skills: Stealth (Criminal), Deception (Criminal),  Intimidation (Warlock), Investigation (Warlock), Sleight of Hand (Prodigy)

Tools: Thieves Tools (Expert/Prodigy, Criminal), Forgery Kit (Prodigy), Cards (Criminal)

HP 10

Cantrips: Spare the Undying, Eldritch Blast, Minor Illusion

Spells: Charm Person, Puppet, False Life, Ray of Sickness

Desired Uncommon Magic Item: Bag of Holding

Background: Whiplash was born on the first tier with early memories of ties to another clan but no idea which.  His earliest memory was being buried alive in a tomb by his mother, Iladria, and spared by a ghostly spectral light that promised great things for him as he scrambled out into daylight.  He spent his formative years acting as a Champion for weaker children in the warrens of the first tier.  He used his gifts from the unknown patron to equalize the bigger bullies who used physical force having acquired such warlock powers at an extremely young age.  

His gifts caught the notice of the authorities, who formally adopted him into the clan and he was reborn in the third tier.  However, what he thought was supposed to be an education was nothing of the kind.  He was put to work immediately acting as a liaison for the school with the criminal elements of the first and second tier to smuggle contraband in and out.  He grew to hate the life forced upon him as a criminal, but he felt he was under the thumb of Korlash, procurer for the school.

Over time, he became very good at his job, making contacts all over the first three tiers and learning how to forge documents to go wherever and whenever he was needed.  As he grew in proficiency, offers to join other organizations grew until finally he took one up on their offer and left the Academy.  Korlash wasn't happy but with the protection of the Amber Knives, there was little he could do.   Things worked out well at first.

However, the Amber Knives were a little too dark for Whiplash's taste.  At first, he tried to look the other way but then they kept asking him to do things he simply found unacceptable.   As it was, he arranged for all of them to end up caught and imprisoned by the watch.  Word got around.  On the one hand, he has a reputation of someone not to be messed with; on the other, many suspect he was responsible somehow for their incarceration since he is the only member of the gang that got away.  Either way, he is now a free agent, but in need of resources in a harsh world.

[LARP] Barony of the Winds - Session 0

 Pericuolo Narr writes a provisional charter for the Barony 

[Online LARP for Baronies of Daytona on Discord]

TLDR If Not in the Mood to Read: These are the rules we, the Anarchs of Daytona agree to for the Federated Baronies of Daytona.

Fancier Preamble: We the Anarchs of Daytona hereby commit the charter document of the Parliament of Daytona.  By our liberty do we remain free; by our union do we the movement remain strong.  We as free thinking individuals demand our rights and are prepared to defend them by force of arms in sacred union that the Fires of Revolution never rescind from our collective memory.  

Article 1 - Baronies

1. It is the fundamental right of Anarchs to establish Baronies as they see fit, when they see fit how they see fit.  This charter supercedes none of their rights as such; with certain caveats (See below)

2. The Baronies of Daytona will be Federated and work jointly for the greater purpose of the cause at large.

3. The office of Baron shall be exclusive to the territory of each component barony.

4. The offices of Constable, Architect and Ambassador shall be reserved for the federation at large (Reference Article 3)

5. Each Baron shall have all rights and responsibilities pertaining to their office not the least of which shall include the right of Mandate and Authority as understood write large by the Movement on a global basis; to whit the Baron shall enforce justice, territorial integrity and the rights of the members of each barony within the movement or federation.

6. Any anarch may only be considered a resident or voting member of one barony in the Federation.

7. Charter members of the Federation consist of the Barony of the Winds and the Barony of Halifax.

8. Additional Baronies may be added per majority vote of the Assembly (See Below.)

9. Baronies may retain their own charters and laws but while members of the Daytona Federation rules and regs listed by this charter supersede all Barony laws except the authority of the Baron to execute their Mandate and Authority as duly elected by their office.

Article 2 - The Assembly

1. The Assembly is to consist of all members of the Baronies of the Federation.

2. The Assembly is understood to be the supreme body of the federation since the Federation exists by the free will and power of all anarchs and may amend this charter by majority vote at any time except as agreed to by the federation.

3. Residency requirements for a Barony are to be decided by each individual barony.

4. The assembly shall meet no less than once every ninety days.  No necessity of war or officers may deny the right of the assembly to assemble.

5. Outside of barony borders as enforced by elected Barons, members of the Assembly have the following rights

-The Right to Speech-Any time, anywhere except by Rules of Order constituted by this Charter.

-The Right to free movement to anywhere but the borders of Baronies as dictated by said Barony.

-The Right to free movement outside of Daytona or within Daytona except as dictated by Ratified treaty.

-The Right to Bear Arms anywhere they damn well please except in the havens of others or Free Zones dictated by this Charter or Local Barony.

6. The Assembly is to elect a speaker who maintains the rules and order of the Assembly following rational debate and timely motion of the order of the day since we all have better things to do than just sit around talking.

7. If the Assembly does not elect a Speaker, the Speaker shall default to the Senior Baron (one with the most elected time) in the Federation.  The Assembly is encouraged to elect a speaker that is one an existing Federation officer.

Article 3 - The Parliament

1. The Parliament shall consist of the following

-All Barons of the Federation

-All Officers of the Federation As Designated by the Assembly including:

-Architect at Large (or as subdivided)

-Constable of Defense

-Constable of Offense

-Ambassador At Large (or as subdivided)

-Speaker of the Assembly

2. It is the purview of the Parliament to perform the following

-Ratify plans of War that involve more than the routine actions of the Constable of Offense.

-Ratify Treaties by majority before put at large before the Assembly

-Ratify changes to the Charter as ratified by the Assembly (A change ratified by the Assembly not ratified by the Parliament will not be enacted unless Ratified by the Assembly for 3 sessions no less than 30 days apart)

-Resolve disputes between Baronies as the highest court of the Federation (Barons in such a dispute do not get a vote)

-Conduct initial negotiations for the admissions of new baronies to the federation (but may NOT determine additions of Baronies to the federation which is for the assembly alone)

-Veto the election of officer candidates by the Assembly by Majority (ties always go to the assembly)

-Vote proposals by the Assembly (ties always go to the Assembly)

-Have the right to Declare war by Majority (Ties go to the Assembly at large for vote)

-Have the right to end a Declaration of War (ties go to the Assembly at large for a vote)

3. The Office of the Architect at Large shall

-Provide for the well being of the Federation at large

-Have the ability to leverage a tax of time, resources or other activities as deemed needful and ratified by the Parliament for a duration of less than 30 days and the Assembly if longer than 30 days

-Provide for the spirit of Libertas for the Federation at large

-Provide for the sanctity and preservation of Mortals in the Federation at large and determine violations by Assembly Members of the same

-Facility the economy of the movement within the Federation

-Provide materials for the sustainment of the war effort such as required

-Shall be elected at large by the Assembly, whose term shall not exceed two years on election without confirmation by the Assembly.

-May be put up for election or confirmation by the majority of Parliament for the consideration of the Assembly at any time.

4. The Office of the Constable of Offense shall

-Be in charge of prosecution of war against the Sabbat or other enemies of the movement in times of war.

-Be the supreme commander in the field outside of Baronies (or as delegated by Barons within their territories) in times of war.

-Be allowed to designate special squads for the purpose of war and to create sub ranks that are to be obeyed by participants so long as the rank shall not exceed the length of the 30 days.

-Be allowed to propose sub ranks as needed to the Parliament who must ratify their nomination for any period longer than 30 days.

-Shall be elected at large by the Assembly, whose term shall not exceed two years on election without confirmation by the Assembly.

-May be put up for election or confirmation by the majority of Parliament for the consideration of the Assembly at any time.

5. The Office of the Constable of the Defense shall

-Be in charge of preservation of the peace and goodwill of Anarchy in the Federation writ large.

-May not be banished or subjected to a Call to Arms by the Barons of the Federation without the confirmation by the Assembly 

-Is supreme commander in the field within the baronies unless unusual circumstances force a Baron within their own Barony to take charge.  The default is always to the Constable of the defense.

-Be in charge of preserving the Masquerade

-Be allowed to designate special squads for purpose of war and to create sub ranks that are to obeyed by participants so long as the rank shall not exceed the length of the 30 days.

-Be allowed to propose sub ranks as needed to the Parliament who must ratify their nomination for any period longer than 30 days.

-Shall be elected at large by the Assembly, whose term shall not exceed two years on election without confirmation by the Assembly.

-May be put up for election or confirmation by the majority of Parliament for the consideration of the Assembly at any time.

6. The Office of the Ambassador

--Shall be elected at large by the Assembly, whose term shall not exceed two years on election without confirmation by the Assembly.

-May be put up for election or confirmation by the majority of Parliament for the consideration of the Assembly at any time.

-May be appointed by the Parliament for periods of less than 30 days if unfilled.

-Should not be a joint office held by any Baron or other Parliament officer.  

-Has full negotiating power for treaties and represents the interests of the Federation outside of the Federation.

-Must have decorum, sanity and moral character and wisdom more outstanding any other officer of the federation; suicidal militarism, fanaticism to their private dogma independent of the welfare of the federation, reckless or emberrasing behavior of office will not be tolerated and charges of such can be brought up by the assembly for the dismissal of this office at any time since the Ambassador is the voice and the image of the Federation outside of the Federation.

Article 4

1. The Federation may create other offices or amend this charter by majority vote at any time.  Ratification of such changes must take place in three successive meetings of the assembly or by 2/3rds of the assembly to be considered binding.

2. This Charter is considered ratified if everyone present in the Initial assembly agrees to by majority.

3. A barony may leave at any time by majority vote of the assembly members of its inhabitants but a BARON may not unilaterally do so.  If done in time of war, the remainder of the assembly may decide at will if this action constitutes a declaration of war on the rest of the Federation.

 

[Heroes Assembled] Groot Fan Fiction - The Lost Branch World - Part 2

 

Groot has posed:
(Radio Announcer Voice) When last we left the Guardians of the Galaxy, they had agreed to perform a dastardly deed on Thoote, a snooty galoot whose ideas would not take root on The Lost Branch world. This world, moved from Planet X's orbit centuries ago by a powerful alien force stopped being an aristocracy and became the Republic of Branches; and they get along with their local mammelian helpers. Both ideas are total anathema to Planet X, so Groot knew if Thoote returned, Planet X wouldn't give a hoot; and would send an armada to kill them all to boot. The only question is; how dastardly will the deed be, and can the group keep Peter occupied while they blow a bad guy up for great Justice!

Rocket has posed:
(Previously)

"If I told any of you what I was gonna do, you'd either wanna help me or try to stop me, so I ain't telling you a thing 'cept to say I can be discreet when I need to be, and I ain't doing nothin' that'll get back to the rest of you," Rocket says, keeping his voice low so only those in his circle, namely the other Guardians, can hear. "And if he objects," he adds, noting Peter, "tie him down, knock him out, get him drunk, all of that in whatever order it takes. But I'm doing a good thing here and you're just gonna have to trust me."

He walks past Groot, patting him on the leg. "Don't worry. I got this. The rest of you just enjoy yourselves. I ain't afraid of getting my hands dirty. Just remembered something back on the ship I need. In fact, keep that guy busy a while." He indicates Thoote. Like a generic mechanic's jumpsuit. And a bomb. And something to do a little rewiring with. It will be grand, and nobody will know any better.

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora leans back into her seat very slowly. "... My concerns have not abated." She states plainly, then looks over her shoulder at Throote thoughtfully "... How does one distract a tree man whose language you do not speak?" She ponders. "Without violence, I mean." Gamora looks forward again and wrings her gloved hands on top of the table, brow furrowed with thought. "... Who among us is the most seductive?"

    Eject! Eject!

Nebula has posed:
    That she is starting to realised she can understand a bit of what Groot and Thoote are saying is besides the point. The point is Gamora just gave her the easiest win of the trip so far. "Then it's settled. I will distract Quill while you distract Thoote," she says. Check and mate. Of course, that does mean getting very drunk. The sacrifices she makes for Gamora's little spaceship adventure time.

    Nebula's demeanour changes and she pats Peter on the shoulder, "The next round is on me.. Captain." She lifts up two fingers for the orange stuff since he's decided to get in to it even though he clearly doesn't like it. It must be a human trait to drink terrible things. She lifts up a class and *tinks* it to his, "To Groot finding his lost planet." Even when she's trying to be nice there's a dark edginess to her voice like she's hiding something. Which she is.

Peter Quill has posed:
Peter clinks glasses with Nebula but only makes a show of drinking the foul orange liquid in his glass. "To Groot," he agrees but looks back at Rocket. "Yeah, gotta agree with Gamora, my concerns are not abated or whatever, seriously Rocket, what gives?" he asks brows raising as he looks back at him from the bar.

Groot has posed:
Groot raises his glass and blinks in confusion but in the interest in going along with the flow he says, "I am Groot!" It has the distinct tone of 'sure sure of course sure' He drinks some but there is some genuineness to it as well.

Rocket has posed:
"Don't /worry/ about it, Quill. Just sit back and take a load off. Stay." Rocket points. It works on earth canines, he's found. In some cases.

As he approaches Thoote on the way out, he stops and sizes the thing up before saying, "Hey, big guy. Why don't you take a load off and go hang out with my pals over there? Drinks and snacks are on them. Knock yourself out. They'll cover it. It's our way of sayin' we're all friends here."

Then, he leaves while muttering under his breath, "Gotta do this all myself, otherwise at least one of them would try to stop me. But it's for everyone's own good." It's a fortunate thing that most of the ships are docked in the vicinity of each other, and Rocket ducks into the Milano to collect a few things and swap out his more familiar jumpsuit for one he keeps for special occasions like this, one that's much more basic and unassuming. There are a lot of mechanics and ship repair types that look abnormal in space. What's one more?

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora nods her head firmly as Nebula speaks. "Yes. Make sure that Quill does not..." Gamora looks confused. She tilts her head. She looks at Quill. She looks at Nebula! She looks at the orange substance she has imbibed. She looks at Nebula again.

    She squints. She keeps on squinting as she clinks her glass with everyone else's.

    "Very well, then." Gamora says, and stands up, leaving her cloak behind and moving towards Thoote.

    Gamora stands next to Thoote, facing the bar.

    She turns and props one elbow on the bar.

    She turns her back to it and puts both elbows on the bar.

    She removes her elbows from the bar.

    She frowns.

    How does this work? How does she start? What part of the standard bipedal mammal formation would a tree find attractive? ... What part of that does ANYTHING traditionally find attractive?! It's never really come up! One time one guy told her her hands were pretty, right before she plucked his eyeball out! That was just bad timing, but...

    Gamora takes off her gloves, and frowns.

    Just do what comes naturally, Gamora.

    Gamora pounds her fist on the bar and demands, "How often do you come to this place?!"

Nebula has posed:
    "Ignore the small fur monster. He is harmless today. We must talk about your choice of music. I am concerned for you Quill," she says in tones never before heard from her by the crew of the Milano. "You have been repeating your favourite songs more than usual. It's like you're stuck in a loop ever since the Kryptonians left," a small head tilt. She learnt how to ingratiate herself with her target just like Gamora did.

    Gamora did it 'naturally' (ahem *cough* ahem). Nebula.. has analytical software, which is currently working hard trying to second guess Peter's next moves and emotions. It's hard because he's human. She'd been saving this for a special occasion, a time when she really needed to flaw Peter, to take him off of his game and confuse him. This is not that time but it's a great play and she is curious to see how he'll react.

    She takes out a small disc and places it on the bar in front of him. "While on Earth, I hacked in to their planetary music repository titled 'Pandora'. I opened this box and copied all of their tonal constructs. This is all of Earth's most recent music. For you."

    She stares at Groot for a long moment and says, "This will only end in strong negative emotions Groot." Her look darkens as she considers the last time she ran in to people from her home planet and how badly that went for her.

Peter Quill has posed:
Peter looks at Nebula then looks at his drink. "Is this stronger than I thought it was or are you being nice to me?" he asks her brow furrowed deep with confusion. That confusion doesn not preclude him from quickly grabbing the offered disk. "Wait, you;re saying this has ./all/ recent Earth music?" he asks her. "How recent are we talking here?" he asks.

Rocket? Who's Rocket? There's only Peter and the disc right now.

Groot has posed:
Groot says, "I am Groot," he nods to Nebula, he raises his glass to Peter and says, "I am Groot" holding up his finger. One could IMAGINE it said something like "I will be right back." Maybe?

"I am Thoote." Thoote looks with disdaine at Rocket and only seems to have more disdaine for Gamora as Groot slides up as casual as you please, deftly placing a flower in Gamora's hair. Suddenly, the attitude of all of the individuals at the table except one of them who looks at Groot with a look of utter shock and a little bit of disgust. At that point, Thoote crosses his arms and then opens them wide, speaking just like every two bit aliens with gold chains on their chest in every space bar the Guardians have ever been to, as he says, "I am Thoote."

Rocket has posed:
While the party is going on, Rocket gets to work doing the dirty work. Once the jumpsuit is swapped out for a basic dirty green, complete with authentic oil spots and other stains, he tucks a cloth into the back pocket that trails behind him much like a second tail. "A little of that, and a little of this..." he hums to himself, slipping on a pair of thick glasses that serve no purpose whatsoever, yet oddly enough they fit and cause his eyes to seem like they're bugging out. A worn baseball cap is added, turned backwards.

Grabbing a tool bag, he stuffs various and sundry items in it, the purposes of which will soon become clear - but not too soon - and he surveys the mental checklist in his mind. "Feels like I'm forgettin' someth...ahh, right." Trotting back to his quarters, he finds and affixes a fake mustache at his nose. "Perfect."

Off he goes, acting like he's having some trouble seeing where he's going, which is partly true as he calls out to another mechanic-looking being, "Yo! Which one'a these heaps is Thoote's? They sent me out here fer some tune-ups! Said somethin' was goin' 'whrrrr' when it should be goin' 'wheee' an' another thing was goin' 'ah-wooooga' when it was s'posed to be goin' 'beep-beep!' So whatcha got fer me?"

The poor guy looks utterly clueless as he merely points. "Uh..that one over there."

Rocket squints again. "Dat hunk of junk? Well, sheeeeeit, I better roll these sleeves up an' get crack-a-lackin'!"

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora's eyes peer up and to the side in the general direction of her new ornament, one eye narrowing with confusion, before the entire atmosphere of the bar appears to change.

    ... Oh! Okay...!

    This seduction crack's easy!

    "Yes, well. Hmm." Gamora leans against the bar, hesitates for a moment, and then flips her long nearly-black-dark-green hair back over her shoulder. "... I am Gamora."

Nebula has posed:
    She has him. It was easy. She could stab him in the spleen right now. She also downloaded wikipedia pages about the anatomy of humans because learning to kill different species isn't just a hobby, it's her profession.

    There is a nod and she says, "Yes Peter. Including what are referred to as 'mashups' of popular Earth noise and a significant number of what are termed 'remix' which I believe is a polite way of saying 'stolen'. Next time Rocket steals from the collector, we can simply claim it is a remix."

    Being conspiratorial with Nebula is not the usual kind of interaction one gets unless their name starts with a G and ends with amora. "Most human music appears to be small variations on similar themes, their primitive compression algorithms were easily optimised by our superior technology," she explains, "But I have kept it in its original format so your machines can play it." Yep she just called human music 'basic'.

    "I took the liberty of arranging the music based on organ fixation as most modern Earth music seems to describe wealth and body parts. You might find the section on the rear end of particular interest. It seems to be of interest to Terrans as that contains the most music."

Peter Quill has posed:
Yep. Totally won over, even if he can detect a hint of shade being thrown. Okay more than a hint, but ALL THE MUSIC. It was more than enough to let that slide and Peter's expression doesn't shift for but a moment from his wide-eyed appreciation for the gift. "Wow Nebula this is really amazing," a beat. "And it's butts right?" he asks about the body part before getting back on track. Especially for you, no offense. I didn't think you did gifts..." a frown forms on his lips. "Wait a minute, who did you kill I'm going to be mad about?" that had to be the reason right?

Groot has posed:
The small beaver creature is easily fooled by Rocket's disguise and is guileless. Indeed, were the guardians to stay here TOO long, the explotation potential might be frightening on at least half the population. The ship is mostly unlocked though there is a security system. For Rocket, of course, this is merely chuckle worthy to bypass.

Thoote is all eyes on Gamora and smiles, "I am Thoote."

The one who say Groot do what he did said, "I am Berry!" She looks disgusted.

"I am Spatula!" The person right next to her says and stands between Berry and Gamora, several others declare their names and Thoote looks at Berry, his eyes cold and hard, "I am Thoote."

Groot, looking worried looks back and forth and steps back, raising his hand, "I am Groot."

"I am Berry."

Thoote takes off a glove and slaps Berry acroos the face, "I am Thoote."

Rocket has posed:
Such a shame Rocket is missing the shenanigans in the bar, but he has a higher calling, which comes in the form of lyrics he begins to sing to himself, from a song he heard while on Earth:

I can't stand it, I know you planned it
I'm gonna set it straight, this Watergate
I can't stand rocking when I'm in here
'Cause your crystal ball ain't so crystal clear
So while you sit back and wonder why
I got this fucking thorn in my side
Oh my God, it's a mirage
I'm tellin' y'all, it's a sabotage

So, so, so, so listen up 'cause you can't say nothin'
You'll shut me down with a push of your button?
But you, I'm out and I'm gone
I'll tell you now, I keep it on and on

'Cause what you see you might not get
And we can bet, so don't you get souped yet
You're scheming on a thing that's a mirage
I'm trying to tell you now, it's sabotage

What kind of sabotage? For starters, poking the smallest of holes into parts of the fuel lines once he's disabled the ship's security through a little hacking tool of his. Nothing that would cause an immediate problem, but once the ship's taken off and the fuel is circulating...

Fraying a few wires near some of those openings he created ought to help with sparks to set off an explosion. It pays to have a backup plan.

Yet another backup plan comes in the form of a small bomb he affixes to the ship's engine core once he's inside. It's set to start its countdown in tandem with the engine firing up, so it won't blow prematurely if Thoote is enjoying himself too much with the Guardians.

Last, but certainly not least, he fiddles with the lines that circulate whatever Thoote breathes in here, carbon dioxide perhaps, and replaces it with some herbicides. And more fuel. And more spots that could spark and touch off a conflagration.

Because you can never really have too much fire, can you?

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora's eyes bounce around the room from one declaration of a tree person's name to another, back and forth as the repeated introductions grow more and more agitated, and she winces as one of them strikes the other.

    Maybe she should try to stop this.

    She crosses her arms and stays silent.

    ... Is it weird that having men fight over her is kind of exhilarating?

Nebula has posed:
    "Yes Peter. All the songs about Terran butts ordered by popularity. The top two songs about rear ends are Baby got back, and Fat Bottomed girls," she says but then starts to notice his suspicions rising. Possibly, her software suggests, due to the tensions being created by her sister.

    With a tsk of annoyance, blaming Gamora for ruining her perfect manipulation of Peter, she says to him. "There is no one you would care that much about that I would _apologise_ to _you_ for killing them Quill," she snaps back and then glances past him at the confused mess Gamora has managed to generate.. by slamming a fist down and demanding to know if they come here often.

    Her eyes narrow in annoyance at how easy it is for her to do _everything_. "Ridiculous," is her description of what she's seeing to Peter. Then again, she can probably keep Peter occupied if he's vying for Gamora's attentions, "Soon she will mate with one of them." There, that should do it.

Peter Quill has posed:
Yep. Nebula's not wrong. At her words he turns to the various tree people around Gamora and lets out a whistle as he gets up on the bar both blasters in hand. "Nice of you all to introduce yourselves like a million times over, so let me get my turn. I am Star Lord, and these are my quadblasters, and you see these fingers here," he wiggles his index fingers where they hover over the main trigger of his guns. "Are not on the stun triggers, so how about you guys move it on down the road before you need to call Smokey the bear to put your asses out."

Groot has posed:
Groot holds up his hands calmly, "I am Groot"

Thoote looks at Groot and sneers, "I am THOOTE."

A large (the largest local yet seen) with some kind of armor and a large wide brimmed hat and two blasters comes in and says, "I am Avarite."

Thoote sneers wider, "I am Thoote."

Berry looks from Starlord to Gamora to Groote and then Nebula and says, sighing, "I am Berry."

"I am Avarite." He snaps his fingers and suddenly lots of people in the bar, including Thoote and Berry start filing out with purpose.

The Mischief on Thoote's Ship is most thoroughly managed.

Rocket has posed:
Blissfully unaware of what's taking place back at the bar, Rocket checks and double-checks his arrangement inside the ship, then he runs a line from a datapad he's got in his possession, hooking it up to a universal port on the side of the cockpit's main display. "Just a little something extra.."

Tapping his screen, he watches as a cartoonish headshot 'logo' of himself materializes and makes a show of chortling laughter. It's silent, but it's animated. Then it flashes a message a few times: 'BLAM! MURDERED YA! KABLOOEY IN YER FACE!'

It's not something he really says that much, but special occasions call for a little extra effort. It'll probably be the last thing Thoote sees, as it's set to display just as the ship's integrity begins to fail.

"What else.." he wonders, the mustache having fallen off and become forgotten along the way. He heads over to the area Thoote keeps his food, to see /what/ he considers edible.

Gamora has posed:
    Blushing very slightly, Gamora gently says, "Peter, I have this under control." Only to immediately watch as the gathered crowd shuffles out of the bar with a confused look on her face. She's left standing somewhat awkwardly for a long moment before she retrieves her gloves. "... I must learn their language posthaste, to have better context for how fearsome they find you." she says to Quill.

    It could be important!

Nebula has posed:
    Nebula watches with amusement as Peter gets guns out and is ready to throw down with the plant people. This would be most amusing to watch.. if the sheriff didn't just waltz in and break it all up. Too bad. They could have ended Thoote right here and now in a duel with none the wiser.

    <Rocket, you have run out of time> she says in to her comms quietly and slips off the stool. It only cost her the ultimate 'distract Peter' trick she had up her sleeve though. She doubts Rocket will appreciate her efforts.

    Nebula approaches and folds her arms glaring at Gamora. "As I said. Ridiculous. Even in a bar full of foliage..." she shakes her head and turns to the bartender, "Your drink is atrocious and you should feel ashamed for serving it."

Peter Quill has posed:
Peter puts away his blasters as the sheriff comes into the bar. "I have no idea if you're Ava dude," he replies to the introduction hearing as I am Ava right? "But not going to start any trouble here." His weapons are secured and he holds up his hands. "See, nothing to worry about."

Groot has posed:
The Barkeep, one of the beaver people grunts and says, "What's wrong with it?" He looks at it and sips, "It tastes great, and we even made it less filling. It's the holy grail ale! Less great and more...I mean tastes great and more filling..is that it?"

All the plant people (except Groot) and a lot of the beaver people and some aliens file out, but if not followed by the Guardians, no one bothers them.

From the ship, Rocket would see a bizarre procession from one side of the station (the food court) while people were going to the far end, which looked like some kind of a large...park?

The message is set without problem.

Rocket has posed:
<Ain't no such thing as out of time, sweetcheeks, just less time than before> is Rocket's reply to Nebula over their comms. Did he just call her..? Yep. <But, good lookin' out. I just left a little personal touch, something to remember us by> he adds, before closing up shop, resetting the security systems, and bailing out. After finding the fake mustache during his final sweep.

Just in case, he takes a side route back to the Milano to ensure his path doesn't cross Thoote's, and the glasses are stuffed back in his tool kit. That act is over. Time to change back on the Milano. <There still a party goin' on back there for me to get into, or you wanna bring me something for later? Gonna be some fireworks at some point. I saw a bunch of the not-Groots headed to a big park-type place.>

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora furrows her brow at Nebula's comment, but then, somewhat uncharacteristically, shrugs her shoulders with a dismissive "Hmph." as she grabs her cloak from the back of her chair and slings it over her shoulder, holding onto it with one hand as she says, "Jealousy does not become you, Sister." With absolutely zero irony. "Perhaps you would fare better with sugar, rather than salt."

    Oh dear god, she's proud of herself.

Nebula has posed:
    Nebula cuts off her communications and forms a fist in both hands. "I'm going to kill that stupid rodent," she says with violence in her voice. She draws her blaster instead and starts storming out of the space tree tavern with intention to maim or possibly kill Rocket.

    She spins the gun in her hand in agitation, "I'll show you a _personal_ touch." The posture and set shoulders of Nebula and the way she tilts her neck to crack it is all common visuals for Gamora. She knows when her sister is out for blood. It might also be the slightly twitching eye or the fact that she didn't respond to Gamora's jab back at her.

    She peers out the windows and gets an infrared overlay to track his movements.. back the Milano. Good, she can murder him there and not get in too much trouble with the local authorities. The hanger door to the Milano snaps open and she lifts up her gun, "Rocket! NO body calls me 'sweetcheeks'."

Groot has posed:
Elsewhere in the station, the tree people move to the dueling ground. They take positions where Thoote chuckles. He is master of the Flame Wand and will burn...

"I AM THOOTE!" . o O "What is this?"

He looks down at the boffer larper weapon in his hand.

The Sherrif looks at him, "I am Avarite." . o O ("You didnt think we still used the ancient barbaric ways did you?"

"Barbarian!" Thoote reaches out and strangles the sherrif right in front of him, causing him to shrivel up and die.

The locals all frown at him, and Thoote backs away in fear, running back to his ship.

Groot puts his hand on Gamora's shoulder, casually hiding what, among his people is considered Not Good and reabsorbing the bloom into himself.

Rocket has posed:
When Nebula comes in all anger and aggression, she finds Rocket turning toward her with a sizable gun of his own pointed her way. "I'd think twice about that, Nebula. If you want to play the 'call someone names they ain't gonna like' game, I've heard it all. If I went off an' blasted someone every time they called me a rodent or a rat or a trash panda or vermin, there wouldn't be a lot of you left."

He's got her completely lined up in his sights, too. "Thing is, an' I kinda hate to admit it, I'm seein' a little bit of you in me an' I dunno if I like that or if it weirds me out a little. We all got some fucked up stuff in our pasts we gotta deal with, an' I'm actually starting to like most of you in a tiny way. I just set that idiot's ship to blow after he takes off because I didn't want to get the rest of you in the middle of a bigger mess by killing him in front of everybody else. I know what he was gonna come back to do here. I'd hate to see that all fall apart over stupid shit like this. Right?"

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora's air of pride diminishes when she notices the flower disappear, casting a confused look at Groot, before Nebula's reaction causes her some alarm. "NebulaaaaaaaAAAAA!" She calls, her voice rising in a warning tone as she quickly follows after the blue woman. "There is no outcome to this that favors us! Consider a minimal beating! Or perhaps a flesh wound!"

    Talking it out still doesn't occur to her as an option very often.

    Gamora is given tremendous pause when Rocket points a gun at her sister.

    "... Rocket..." Gamora begins to speak tersely, "Nebula is not stupid enough to actually attack you..." at least she doesn't think so, "... and you will not benefit from pointing that gun at her very much longer. I have NOT been trained to fight non-lethally, and there are *limits* to what I will endure for peace on this ship. So everyone would do well to calm down very quickly."

Nebula has posed:
    The look of desire to pull the trigger on Nebula's face is evident. The anger is palpable. But he's making sense and the truth is.. she kinda sees it too. They are more similar than the others on the ship in some very specific and scary ways.

    "I used my best Quill distraction today.. for you," she sneers as if somehow he had betrayed her by calling her sweetcheeks. In a way. Then again, learning she was a daughter of Thanos was perhaps a worse betrayal from her.

    She lowers her weapon and puts it back in on to her belt and stares at him. "I call you Rocket and you call me Nebula and we figure the rest out later. Deal?" she frowns deeply and says, "Also.. I know where Halfworld is. I stumbled across it in the computers on Oa. If you want to go there." There, olive branch. There's time enough to murder them all later when it matters.

    Her angry look turns on Gamora as somehow she gets her way.. Gamora always wins. "I'm going to enjoy dragging your lifeless body across the floors of the Milano, sister," she says with an oddly specific threat.

Groot has posed:
Groot follows the others to the ship. Peter follows as well.

He looks at the others and says, "I am Groot." He looks at Rocket and smiles, "I am Groot."

Speaking of Stupid, Thoote runs into his ship with a mob of locals after him, shots firing in the hanger with local mammals scrambling around trying to put it out. He enters his ship and guns the engines, trying to leave in a hurry.

Rocket has posed:
Rocket explains to Gamora, after she shows up on Nebula's heels, "We're havin' a moment here." Those beady raccoon eyes flit her way just enough to note everything about her in an instant, then they return to Nebula herself.

"Did you? What was it? A knee between the legs? Tell me you got a recording of it. I wanna see," he says, his tail briefly dancing with interest and anticipation before they both start to put their weapons away from each other at roughly the same time. "I like being called Rocket," he affirms.

However, the mention of Halfworld turns his expression to a more troubled one. "I know where Halfworld is. There's a reason I ain't told you guys about it, because there's a bunch of stuff I don't remember and I didn't want to go back there." The fact Nebula knows about it and where it is...he takes in a deep breath and lets it back out, looking away from them all of a sudden as if he's trying to hide a sort of vulnerability from them.

To Groot, he merely adds quietly, "Yeah, yeah. You're welcome." It's all he can bring himself to say.

That is, until a beeping sound emanates from that personal device of his. He didn't even get the chance to swap out of the generic jumpsuit before Nebula came seeking him out. "Who wants to see a show? Follow me to the cockpit, fast."

Gamora has posed:
    As Rocket walks away, Gamora releases a heavy breath she didn't realize she'd been holding in a sigh of relief. That worked out about as well as could be hoped for. Threat of murder aside. She glares at Nebula out of the corner of her eye, "... Not if you get yourself shot with a temper tantrum first." Says Gamora icily; the lady who has eviscerated men for even implying her strength was lacking. But there are different rules out here; and sometimes they even sort of make sense to Gamora.

    Without further word, Gamora silently follows Rocket, to watch.

Nebula has posed:
    Nebula has a recording alright. But Rocket wouldn't appreciate it. Not enough physical violence. Still seething that Rocket managed to push one of her buttons. Usually it's Gamora doing that. The worst part about it is.. she almost did it. She almost pulled the trigger.

    Rocket is not the mission. Gamora is. She has to stay focused. She has to stay -plausible-. Though, she caught that strange little expression after she mentioned Halfworld. A weakness, a real one, not just the usual weaknesses that sentient men have.

    A small shrug is given to Groot in response to his tree-language which it is evident she seems to understand some of now. She moves in to the cockpit to watch what she hopes will be a glorious explosion. "This better be good," she warns. It might be the only thing that'll salvage the day for her.

Groot has posed:
Thoote flies his ship out of the hanger at maximum speed. Planet X's tech is MUCH more advanced than the locals or most galactic standard, and gets out rather fast, its shields making short work of the tractor beams that try to latch on to the ship but slide off it like oil.

Thoote mocks the station, "I am Thoote" it is oiled and arrogant and extremely noble" and then, he calls back in a panic, "I am Thoote!" There are unusual sensor readings on the ship which then lights up like a candle and the death star explosion.

Inside Thoote's ship, he is briefly helped by a surge of carbon dioxide, except that Rocket actually KNOWS what Groot breathes and so the oxygen count goes way up, which incidently helps the ship go boom even MORE as the last thing he sees is Rocket's chuckling face, "I am Thoote" . o O "No, not a MAMMAL!!!!!"

"I am Groot." Groot crosses his arms and shakes his head, and looks at Gamora, "I am Groot.

Rocket has posed:
Rocket leads the way, getting to the cockpit before anyone else so he can set up a couple things, which includes one-way visual and audio feeds he established, tapping into the ship's controls in order to allow the Guardians to see that much. "Show's just getting started."

They can see smoke beginning to form in the cockpit of the other ship, and a fire suppression system kicks in. Meant to spray water everywhere, instead it showers Thoote with a mixture of the herbicides and fuel. So /that's/ what Rocket was doing there. Or did he just add more as a backup to the other lines? He's nothing if not thorough.

They can see another bit from the outside as the ship soars away. Sparks are visible there as exposed wiring touches, causing some power fluctuations in other systems. The fuel lines that run nearby begin to leak more fluid as the holes expand.

Suddenly, the grand finale. Thoote flailing inside, the toonish Rocket on the screen, and from within and without a massive fireball lights up the screens before they all see beyond the cockpit windows the explosion of Thoote's ship, followed a split second later by an even bigger one. The bomb, Rocket's final touch.

"Oh, what a shame," Rocket lies. "Guess he ain't coming back to destroy everyone after all. And Gamora, I ain't repeating the last part Groot just said." He looks pleased enough with himself for the big boom, but the Halfworld part has him...quieter.

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora crosses her arms as the light show takes place in front of her. "... Well." She says softly, and smiles just a little. "... That wasn't so bad." She looks at Groot sidelong as she's addressed, and ventures a guess at his intentions and says, "... Thanks." And just has to hope for the best that that was an appropriate response.

    Gamora looks at Rocket for a moment, and nods her head. Then a moment later she looks at him again, "Wait, why not?"

    Several silent seconds pass in peace.

    "... Why not?"

Nebula has posed:
    Nebula folds her arms and watches with a slightly tilted head at Rocket's master piece of death. Truly monsterous. She nods in approval and says, "Most satisfying." She narrows her eyes a little and sniffs the air roughly in Gamora's direction, then shrugs.