The planet Paradeisos (Greek for "paradise"), located in the Milky Way galaxy, was first colonized by eager travelers who saw its lush fields and rich soil as favorable living conditions. The hopeful group found living on the planet very laborious, however, as winter strikes four times a year. At this point, the summer monsoons translate into heavy snow storms, and, while most of the wildlife goes into hibernation, the worst of the worst come out to hunt. For years, colonists attempted to tame this wild planet, but when they sent for the aide of corporations and governments the planet was deemed too much of a liability; there were plenty of perfectly habitable planets elsewhere. After many years of abandon, a penal colony on Paradeisos was established, and it is treated much like ancient Australia: its entirety is used to hold captive people that galactic law has deemed irrecoverable. Monitored only by the military outpost positioned on Paradesios' sister planet, Atelos, the planets inhabitants are allowed to live within whatever means they would like. This comes with certain limitations, however, as the planets inhabitants have developed their own hierarchies. The prisoners, who are initially dropped off in pods, are given a few choices: join one of the already established factions, fight their way through the initial wave of scavengers and looters and brave the wilderness on their own, or die. Hahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahhzhahahahahahmuahw hahahahah The drop sites for newcomers are warred over by the three competing factions, and each have their own distinct leader. Yore, an alpha male who hails from a barbaric society, often wins any direct conflict as his people are well trained and militant. His imprisonment was for murdering his people's "president" during peace negotiations, and claimed the reason for this slaughter was "cowardice." However, Raphe, an intellectual scientist, imprisoned for genocide, develops the most useful technology with scraps from the pods. He is cunning, deceptive, and motivated. More than the other two, he has his sights set on one day escaping this prison and developing a fleet to rain vengeance upon the Galactic Alliance. The last leader, Arterus Mancini, serves as a mediator. He facilitates trade between the two, and even can provide them with man power, raw materials, or provisions, but never without its own price. Though his men are combat capable, Arterus was a mafia don in his freedom, so he prefers a more peaceful solution, but isn't afraid to apply force. For the most part, there is a unspoken peace between these factions. Arterus has even established a pseudo town for folks to trade, socialize, and gossip. In the center there is usually a bonfire, which is protected from the heavy winds and monsoons, where the people can come to warm up during winter, drink (Raphe relies heavily on agriculture for this and the food), and dance. This is an unexpected pleasantry as when tensions get heated they explode. Our space odyssey starts in the distant future (3000 A.D.) and with each player being confined to this planet. I don't care whether you have been established here or not, but for whatever crime that condemned you here you are guilty (i.e. you have not been wrongfully accused) barring one stipulation: you were born here. This doesn't mean I want a slough of villainous creeps. The goal right now is to survive, and bring peace to the planet, or utterly decimate your opponents. ================================================== ================ Quick rules for character generation: Read all previous posts First post: Character Template Posts should be between 100-1000 words and follow the story. No innocents unless you are born here (which means you're roughly 12 years old) Characters somehow seeking redemption is preferable. If you want to be a villain pm the GM and await approval. I will only allow a few innovative candidates. Alien races OK with a synopsis of your race and GM approval. No magic. No godmoding. No one is invincible. Do not kill other players without their consent. OOC content should be PMed to the GM, or on the thread. GMs word is law. No flaming or harassment. No spam posting. Have some courtesy. Allow others to post and catch up. Post your template, then await my first post before we begin. Late joiners welcome! ================================================== ================ Sample Character Template: Name: Jack Bombas Age: 31 Species: Homō sapiēn Gender: Male Previous Occupation(s): Captain of the Galactic Alliance Warship "Xiphos" Description: He stands above most, and carries himself with an upright stance, one of either a military man, or an aristocrat. His wavy brown hair shades a pair dark green eyes that regard his surroundings always on alert, and lead into a narrow, dented nose that looks as though he might have been a brawler despite his proper posture. His jaw is broad and square, and complements the rest of his athletic physique. Charges: Desertion, High Treason, Murder
Jack Bombas =============== The jarring sensation from being shot from the prisoner transport was not unlike that of an abrupt malfunction in a anti-grav engine; it was nearly second nature. Also, he had experienced the sweltering heat from atmosphere entry more times than he could count, and enjoyed the familiar red glow of burning oxygen through the little window in front of his face. He even found it fun when the 'chute deployed and nearly jerked his last real meal out through his bowels. However, when the flames died, he saw something that legitimately startled him. Outside he could see a few dozen other tiny little pods, just like his, falling to the planets surface. Some were in the graceful fall, parachutes grasping the open sky, but others malfunctioned, and Jack watched in silent horror as they plunged to their deaths. So, this is how a progressive society does it, he thought, I'm not sure which is more cruel. But as this thought crossed his head, his eyes gazed upon his new home with a mild sense of satisfaction. The planet was incredible, and populated with lush, green, rolling hills with beautiful, exotic hughes of purple and orange (which he assumed were wild flowers), and the ocean! My what a beautiful body of sparkling blue water; it outstretched as far as his vision allowed. As the pod drew rapidly closer to the ground he could make out a group of ingenious, horned, herd animals on a hillside, and a warm feeling flooded his heart. Perhaps this was paradise... He quickly began to second guess this emotion as the dropsite became clearer. Around the crashed pods there the several groups of men, some glanced up like vultures regarding prey, while the others pulled apart the parachutes, and ripped the heat shields from the pods. When he witnessed the one of these men place a heavy stomp down upon the necks of the survivors as he crawled to safety, then stripped of his shoes, Jack knew he was a fool to believe that this place could be good. Jack's pod touched the earth with a loud clunk of metal, and the impact nearly buckled his knees. He gripped the sides of the small chamber to keep from falling, and brought himself back to equilibrium. As his fingers curled around the release lever of the front hatch, he noticed, through the window, two men charging directly at him with eager eyes. He patiently waited for the first to come within proximity, then at the precise moment, twisted the lever, kicked the hatch open and into the scavenger's head with a loud, wet crack, and stepped out of the pod. The other man, who wielded a club like object with a long blade along its side, swung hard at Jack's neck. Reflexively, he hopped back into the pod, and the blow bounced off the metal exterior. Quickly after Jack popped back out, and deployed a spartan kick into the mans solarplex, topping him backwards, and followed him forward, placed a food behind his, pressed his palm against the scavenger's sternum, and shoved the man hard to the ground. His assailant was relentless, though, and began to pull himself to to his feet. Jack stomped down on his hand with one foot, and kicked the club from it with the other, however after the man give his arms a quick yank, it set Jack off balance, and he comically had his legs thrown from underneath him to land straight on his rear. The now riled scavenger glared at him with intense eyes, and came at his throat, gripping his larynx with his thumbs to crush his windpipe. Jack sputtered out a breathless yell as and twisted his shoulders, applying a crushing blow with his elbow to the assailants ear, and then another, and another, until the man was so dazed that he could no longer maintain his grip, then forced himself up, and out from underneath the man. Reversing the roles, he gripped the man's by the neck, his finger nails cutting into his flesh, pulled the nearby club into his hand, and brought it down, blade first, to split the surprised expression into two halves.
Trina Smith- Yore's Territory Trina's pod hit the ground harder than it should have as one of the parachutes gave way in the last few yards of descent. The straps that held her in nearly broke her ribs as they stopped her from flying around pod. She groaned and unbuckled the straps knowing she was going to have some painful bruises. This had to be the worst day of her life. Though the land had looked pretty from above she knew about the condemned on the surface. Never before had she been so glad to have training in fencing and some hand to hand combat. She tugged the latch on the door and she heard it unlock. Trina pushed against the hatch only to find it had been damaged upon her landing. "Great, just great." She got on her back and placed her feet on the hatch. *Boom!* One kick. *Boom!* Another kick. *Boom!* *Boom!* *Clang!* The metal finally released it's hold on the hatch and it flew open sunlight pouring into the dark cramped pod. Trina straightend and peered out the pod carefully ready for almost anything. She was a clump of trees about 200 feet from what seemed to be a large clearing. She heard gruff shouts and and pained crys all around her. Where was a fencing sword when she really needed it? Seeing no one in the immediate vicinity she climbed out the pod and ran over to a clump of bushes at the edge of the clearing. Another pod fell almost 100 feet in front of her. She saw two gruff looking men run straight for it. One had a make shift club with knife attached to it. She felt sorry for whoever was in that pod. Suddenly the hatch flew open sending one the men flying. He hit the ground and didn't get back up. The 2nd, the one with the club, attacked the man who was in the pod. They fought for a bit, the one in the pod obviously being the better of the two. The man who came out of the pod, managed to get hold of the club and swung it. Knowing what was coming next Trina averted her eyes and tried not to be sick everywhere. She no longer felt sorry for him. Everyone here was not afraid to fight to the death for their survival. She didn't know how she was going to survive. Trina figured she'd live a week then get killed by a wild animal or protecting herself from some wild man. She sat with her back against a skinny tree. Her hands longed for the familiar feeling of hammer and unfinished steel. Oh for the days when she was able to make swords in peace and not have to worry if she was about to be killed or worse. She couldn't believe she was stuck here for the rest of her life. Though it seemed like paradise now...she knew the reason this planet hadn't been inhabitaed in the first place. This was definetly the worst day of her life.
Mira Pellios --------------- Mira Pellios let the wind whip her long pale hair into her face as she watched the sky over the drop zone. At first the pods were beautiful, their atmospheric friction creating long thin streaks of fire across the sky. For a second she felt the elation that seeing them always caused in her. A desire for freedom and beauty that lifted her heart and made her long for other worlds. Then as the pods dropped further and their chutes deployed her heart sank. She remembered well enough from her own drop three years ago what waited for those inside them. Perhaps someday it would be different, perhaps someday a pod would land and violence would not be the first thing the people saw when they left the small metal contraptions, but she knew it would not be today. There were always groups of scavengers, bullies, and psycho's waiting for the drops. The materials the pods offered were far to valuable for the locals to even look at the new inmates before they ripped apart the delivery method. Everyone had a stake and defended it viciously because, here, they had to. The shoddy craftsmanship showed itself when a few chutes did not deploy and the first of these slammed into the ground with a earth shivering crack more than 50 yards away from her hilltop. She watched the flames impassively, offering a silent word to the skies. In a way those that never even had the chance to set a foot on the planet were the lucky ones. There were good things about this planet, but they were few and far between, and even more easily ruined. Too much of it was anger and violence, it wasn't hard to find protection, not if you sided with one of the big factions, but sometimes the price you paid for that protection wasn't worth it. A scream from the landed pods sounded in her ears, forcing her attention from the holes made by the faulty ones. Scavengers were already swarming towards the drops. Mira placed a finger to her lips, wondering if anyone who was not psychotically deranged or criminally insane would survive, then she turned her back and left her hilltop. She had business to attend and she would not let the deaths delay her.
Trina Smith -------------- Trina sat with her back again against a tree...dreaming of what had been and worrying about what was to come. Her memory took her back to her last week on planet Earth. She remembered standing on the accused platform. Her hands restrained behind her back with electro cuffs that zapped you if you struggled. "Trina Smith; is hereby found guilty of the pre-meditated murder of Senator Garrison. Her punishment...to be sent to the planet of Paradeisos for the remainder of her life." She could almost see the judge saying, "Your short life." Her mother had wailed like only a mother could. Her brother, three years older than her, tried to comfort their mother. Then he had put a fist against his chest...a reminder to be strong, as he walked their wailing mother out of the room. Trina wanted nothing more than to collapse to her knees and scream for mercy. But for the sake of her family, she accepted her punishment. The guards pulled her off the platform and put her in a cell where she would spend the next 6 days in misery waiting for the transport. She was sort of sorry for killing Garrison. It wasn't because he was a senator, thought thats what the news liked to say. It was because he had beat her mother...too many times to count. But he never left a mark. Trina had begged her mother to testify against him, but she was too afraid. She was sorry that what she had done was causing her family so much grief, that she was stuck here with a bunch of truly cold hearted criminals. But she wasn't sorry her mother was safe. In that she could take comfort. A heavy foot fall and snapping branch pulled her out her memories. She heard the chuckle of one of the convicts behind her. He came a step closer, Trina grabbed a nearby branch and jumped up as fast as she could. She felt the painful connection of her head against the man's jaw. He cried out in pain, and staggered backwards. Trina's head felt light and throbbed heavly at the same time, but she used her hard earned strength and swung the branch against the convicts head. It connected with a crack, the branch breaking in half and the convict collapsing to the ground. In his hand was a crudely made knife. She thought briefly of how much she could have improved it before grabbing it and staggering into the forest. Her head throbbed as she half ran half staggered deeper into the saftey of the trees. Finally exhausted and unable to bear the pain in her head anymore she collapsed at the base of a bunch of bolders. She thought it curious that a bunch of bolders would be there in the middle of the forest but the thought was fleeting. Trina managed to hide the knife in the folds of her cloth belt (which doubled as a shawl) before passing out with her back against what she thought were a pile of boulders.
Eere Crash The noise reached into Eere's mind disturbing his slumber. What was it? Crash Another noise. Jarring Eere from his sleep. How long had he been dreaming? He had been back on his home planet. Swimming through the ocean before diving down into the deeps. He went as deep as he could, the creatures getting bigger and weirder as he went. Then he was in Eye standing on a balcony looking out into the distance as the sun slowly set over the city. Another crash stirred Eeres memory bringing him back to the present. Slowly he remembered where he was. Paradeisos. Imprisoned on a supposed paradise filled with criminals. He had been here so long; But how long had he slept for? It had been winter when he went away, tired of the cold. He couldn't feel any cold now though, winter must be over. More noises now, closer aswell. It was like people fighting. Slowly Eere began to stir. The noises drew closer before Eere felt something touch his back. Trees shook and the ground rumbled as he stood. He turned around to look for the thing that had touched his back. It looked like a small human female that had passed out. A few shouts from the trees caught Eeres attention. He could see a pair of Skir, humanoid lizards with large fangs. With a growl Eere reared to his full height and lumbered towards them bashing trees left and right. He reached the first Skir watching his face contort at the sight of a 11ft earth giant bearing down upon him. Eere wiped the look from his face with a rocky fist before turning and back handing the second. They weren't dead but Eere doubted they'd be fighting or chasing anyone for a while. Finished Eere turned around and walked back to the human.
Trina Smith ------------- Trina came to only to feel the ground the quake around her. An earthquake? Trina opened her eyes. Another set of bolders that she hadn't seen before was piled infront of her. The pile moved. "Oh crap!" She thought rolling backwards out of the way. She jumped to her feet ready to run away from the rockslide. Only it wasn't a rock slide. She looked up the pile and saw a face, and arms, and legs. "I must have hit my head harder than I thought. This has got to be a hallucination." Trina stepped back and tripped over a giant lizard like creature. It stirred and let out a puff of air. Trina jumped away from the creature and thought, that defintly wasn't there before. She saw another creature behind the rock giant which was swaying back and forth as if waiting for her to do something. "Hi." Was all she managed to squeak out.
Pathos Another day in paradise, Pathos thought to himself as he looked up to the orange streaks of entry pods breaking the otherwise cerulean sky. He pulled himself up from the place where he sat on the cliff. Well, it wasn't a cliff: it was the edge of a shallow arroyo. What this planet lacked in mountains it more than made up for in waterways. Both the overflowing streams and rivers and dry beds where once the water did run. The glaciers that came through in the second winter made sure the landscape stayed flat. One such riverbed provided Pathos with shelter. He had dug into one of the walls making about a 2 square meter void and now all he had left to do was find a piece of metal to cover the entrance with. The falling pods would provide such a door for him. He had arrived at last seasons new drops late and everything had been taken already. The scene was already chaos by the time he got there. Pathos stood out on the fringe and waited for the riot to die down. Blood was spilled and people died, it was the same every time, the new drops were always violent. It didn't help that the first thing they came in contact with was an onslaught to scavengers. Having been here so long he had kind of lost touch with what those first days were like but having to come here for this part brought it all back. As he understood it the tribes were less barbaric, not by a lot but at least some homages to society, trading existed hell even a city was built. After a short time of watching almost everything was gone but a door that had been kicked off a pod was laying under a bush that had been passed over. This will be prefect, he thought but as he reached down to grab it a loud sound came from from behind him.
Jack Bombas =============== After slaughtering the man he jumped to his feet, scanned around him with his back hunched, and a feral look in his eyes, like that of a caged animal, ready for an attack at all angles. The other scavengers either paid no mind, or were too involved in another mugging, except one, who regarded him with a tilted glance and a furrowed brow. He let out a roar, and feigned a lunge, which sent the mouse like man scurrying away. After this he was granted a moments peace, and as his breath became more steady his eyes dropped toward the blood soiled weapon in his hands. Perhaps a minute, possibly less, had passed and he had already murdered again. And a plunging feeling gripped his stomach with a tight, quick twist; he deserved to be in this place. With that, he let out a long, slow breath to quell the surge of adrenaline one experiences after a fight. Not too far away more men approached the landing sight, bigger ones than the scrawny scavengers, carrying large axes and blades. An unscrupulous eye would consider them warriors, with brute strength, broad shoulders, and clad in wooden armours, or fur, but Jack recognized their unorganized attack pattern akin to a barbaric tribe rushing to war. From the top of one of the pods called the skinny man Jack had scared off from before, extending a long finger toward the men, "Oi! Yore's men approaching! Eyes to the east, gents! Two packs of doughnuts and boy do they look hungry!" The scavengers all snapped into prairie dog positions, and turned to face the approaching men in unison. Then they scattered like roaches do after you've unveiled their home, into all different directions. Jack clutched the club in his hands, and his eyes darted about to find a good place to escape. The south appeared to have some smoke in the distance, the tell tale sign of a fire, and off to the west he saw nothing but forest. Except... Oh, how very odd. He watched in genuine fascination as what appeared to be a large tree with rocklike arms rushed through the forest. And lifted interested brows as the life form came down upon a lizardoid creature, and nearly broke its head from its neck. In no time at all, he destroyed another with such a devastating blow that it made even Jack shiver. Unfortunately, his attention to this fight took just enough time away that the he had forgotten about his escape. A pointed end of a long spear greeted him as he turned to leave, followed by a dark pair of cold eyes and a solemn, dirty face. He wore the green skin of one the afore mentioned lizards, and its long snout with dead eyes was the attire's head dress. The scales were adorned with blood stains, slash marks, and down each side was a row of human teeth. Trophies. The brute bore a long, braided blonde fumanchu, with streaks of grey, and the tanned, leathery skin across his face was that of a middle aged man. He regarded Jack's bloodied club with the wary expression of a soldier, and Jack knew that if a fight broke out between them he would not be as fortunate as last time; the warriors had overtaken the landing site. "Drop it, scum," the soldier ordered in a guttural growl. Jack obliged reluctantly because he knew he was in no such place to apply resistance. He lifted his hands in surrender. A few others came behind him and shoved him to the ground. "Bind him. He will work for us or he will become winter rations." The other folks followed his directions so quickly that Jack knew this was some sort of leader among them. They roughly yanked him to his feet, and began to drag him to the east.
Tom Wilde Not the first time I’ve been in a drop pod. That was a long time ago. It tore through the air, at speeds he barely comprehended; it shuddered and cracked against the atmospheric pressures. If this is how I die at least it will be in a blaze of glory. He clutched the handles, angry more than anything at no manual override. No care went into this. It wasn’t built to sustain a life. It is a prison within itself. And I’m the prisoner. I may as well have been executed. He watched from the glass window, as pod after pod slammed into the ground below, like meteors. Very few would survive, and those who did certainly wouldn’t spend their last days living in paradise. He did a silent prayer as his pod shifted direction once again, gravity inviting him to the sweet earth below. Home at last. There was darkness. Although brief, there was a sickening crack as the pod hit the ground, the bottom half of it impaling itself into the solid ground. He felt fortunate that it hadn’t gone further. Otherwise the pod would have quickly become his coffin. The hatch disengaged and flew off, the light shone in him, on his dry ashen skin. He felt sharp pains in his limbs and took a few deep breaths, savouring the air. From his pod, he saw some kind of commotion, although difficult to make out. --- Drop it, scum," the soldier ordered in a guttural growl. Jack obliged reluctantly because he knew he was in no such place to apply resistance. He lifted his hands in surrender. A few others came behind him and shoved him to the ground. "Bind him. He will work for us or he will become winter rations." The other folks followed his directions so quickly that Jack knew this was some sort of leader among them. They roughly yanked him to his feet, and began to drag him to the east. --- From what he saw, the man had been in a pod, and was now prisoner. Damn it, this place is no doubt like the earth during her early years. Humanity reduced to instinct is a human ready to die for every breath. God help us. He loosened the strap on his wrist, freeing an arm and hand. It moved fluidly although aching if he bent it. It would heal in time, if he survived. With one hand free he freed the rest of his body from this prison. He fell out of the pod, landing on his feet that then buckled slightly. Wobbling Tom Wilde remained poised, easing himself onto the balls of his feet. Welcome to Paradise Tom. He took a few cautious steps. Hoping, more to stumble onto someone who would either capture him, or take him somewhere we he could eat, his stomach was starved. And then if I survive that, then I have some fun with these people.
Isabella 'Izzi' Hester The sound of the air lashing against the pod tore through Isabella's eardrums, the safety belt that kept her in place digging into her rib cage. She had never felt so terrified before and not knowing when she would hit the ground was even worse. She stared through the small, slightly cracked pane in front of her, the pod shaking violently. She could see streaks of smoke and fire darting across the sky, some of them igniting into a blister of flames as pieces of the pod fell silently down to the ground below. She shuddered at the thought of her own pod exploding like that. Suddenly, the pod jolted upwards and she could feel the wind whirring past. Sweat dotted her forehead and her hair matted with caked dirt flew backwards. The crack in the pane started to become even larger and wider, until.. A deafening crack as the pod burrowed into the ground and the splinters of glass spilled around the seat like a hurricane. Izzi grasped the sides of her safety harness and prepared for the stop. The pod turned thrice and finally came to a stop with a thud. Izzi's head was throbbing with pain and she was so dazed she could barely see through her blurred vision. My head.. it feels as if I've been run over by a ship. I'm definitely alive, that's for sure. But where have I landed? I can't even remember why I'm here. Isabella thought. A small burst of coughs escaped her dry throat and she noticed something. The way her pod had turned, the handle of the door to get out had lodged itself under Isabella. She had to rock from side to side to turn the pod back on it's side or on it's front as it was the only means of escape. Slowly, she unbuckled herself from the safety harness and gripped the sides of the pod. Shaking it vigorously, she could feel it shift under the amount of dirt outside the pod. "Just a little bit more.." she grumbled, panting. With a small groan and one shoulder charge, she knocked the pod loose and it tilted onto it's back. But as she did so, a jagged piece of glass from the cracked pane pierced the skin on her arm and ripped through some of the flesh. She gasped in pain as blood poured from the open wound. With one kick she loosened the hinges of the door of the pod and clambered out. She took off her bandanna and looked at the wound. A small splinter of glass had lodged itself in the cut and she removed it quickly. She swore in Spanish before wrapping the bandanna around the wound. Blood seeped into the fabric and she sighed heavily. What have I gotten myself into.. she wondered as she looked around her surroundings. Hundreds of pod laid scattered across the plains with well over 100 people rushing around with weapons, grunting and screaming in the distance. She hopped out of the pod and finally had her feet on the ground. Dust and dirt was smeared across her clothes and the smell of burning attacked her nostrils. Stepping out with a slight limp as her foot was asleep, Izzi noticed a woman in dark leather clothing coming straight towards her. The look in her eyes detailed more than her actions. This woman was going to attack Isabella. Izzi's quick reflexes helped her greatly as she reached for the broken door of the pod, raising it in front of her just as the woman's axe clashed against it. "Screw off!" Izzi growled, bashing the shield against the attacker's chest, knocking her back with a stunned expression upon her face. The woman raised her axe again, Izzi stepped out of the way. The axe caught the back of Izzi's tank-top, shredding into the cotton. While the attacker's axe was fixated in the sweeping position, Isabella thought it was a good time for a dirty tactic. She give an unsportsmanlike kick to the woman's back. The woman tripped, the axe flailed and she landed straight on the jagged edge. Izzi grimaced in pain as the axe lodged itself in the attacker's chest. "Not too elegant, but it'll do." Izzi chuckled, grasping the axe with her fingers. She looked at the detail on the axe. It looked to be made of refined stone though still quite jagged. It had vines tied around the hilt, which was made of some sort of bark. Isabella smiled and slid the axe into her holster pocket. She took off into a run towards some sort of clearing, not necessarily knowing where it would take her. What she did know, was that it was time she used her survivalist abilities.
Jack Bombas ===== "Hey now, gentlemen... I'm sure we can talk about this like civilized men. Why don't you say we loosen these bindings and have a chat, I'm willing to compromise after all," Jack explained to deaf ears. No concern was tossed to him except a half turn from the larger man, the one who had ordered his capture initially, in front of him. He regarded him with a grimace that said, "Shut it or I'll gut you." The one of the men behind him gave him nothing more than a grunt and a shove, which he nearly made him lose balance, and even prodded him with the end of his axe as he did so. "A game of chess, then?" "Yore, I think we should slice his tongue out. This one thinks he has permission to speak." " Perhaps, " Yore turned again slightly to reply, a sinister grin spread across his large lips, "Such a thing will teach this maggot his place." The four continued their pace through the grassy fields of Paradeisos, and Jack was glad to have the opportunity to get a moment to have a look at his new home. It was as beautiful as it was from the sky. Knee-length, thick, green grass, gorgeous wild flowers, sparse trees whose arms extended to infinity, and long, rolling hills covered its crust. At a closer glance the purple and orange flowers were actually of the same species; the cup petals were wide, bowed, and either purple or orange, and the inner ones were held tightly together, like fingers reaching into a hole, and coloured the opposite. He would have loved to take a closer glance, but the men kept marching him onward. "So, no chess, then?" Something lurking through the grass caught his eye. He wasn't able to make it out, but there was most certainly something there; he could tell by the way the grass bowed. The soldier, Yore, whipped around at that moment, and unsheathed a long, jagged dagger. "Listen, peon," he barked, but was cut short. The creature, which now Jack noticed were several, skittered across the field with lightening speed. It lifted itself skyward in a snake-like fasion, instantly, and drew its long, clawed fingers backward for a slash. Jack pressed a hard shoulder into the barrel chested man, who was caught unaware, and the two tumbled to the ground. Yore's men were not as lucky, and one caught a claw deeply in the back, but his wood armour absorbed most of the impact. The other one wore fur, and took a gigantic bite to his neck; the wound pierced deeply and burgundy red poured down his chest. "Skir!" cried the standing man as he gave his axe a mighty swing a the creatures torso. The one after Yore had not given up completely, and in an flash it was upon Jack. He held the creature back with bound hands, but as the creature's thick globs of drool dipped onto his face he knew those sharp teeth would be upon his face soon... ===== Meanwhile, back at the dropsite... Yore's men overtook the area, shooing away the scavanger's with the pointed ends of weapons, and attempting to capture all newcomers. Hawke, the mousy man Jack had encounter before, watched as they did so. His beady eyes peered from person. Raphe needed more men, he knew, and he could do himself a big favor by rescuing a few of these people. He scampered around the site again, sneaking around the warrior's vision, and to the cautious looking man who had just fallen from the pod. He remained in the shadows of the trees and let out a loud hiss for attention. When the man noticed he beckoned him closer and called, "Come with me if you want to live! These men will eat you alive if you stay here."
Eere The human female stirred as Eere walked back towards her, jumping into the air and backing away. Eere continued to approach the female freezing as he reached her. Hi. The female squeaked. Eere paused, she hadn't attacked. Mabye she was peaceful, although no one on this planet could be that peaceful. Anybody here was here because they'd done something wrong; even Eere. It didn't bother Eere to much, he didn't regret his actions and at some point they would send down a creature capable of flying. Then Eere would be able to leave this lie of a paradise and return to his home to take revenge. He bent down peering at her. She wasn't very tall but her body looked reasonably muscled, mabye she was a fighter. Although she'd have to be pretty strong to stop one of Eere's rubbley fists. Eere decided to talk to her. If she calls me an ent god help her "What do you want human? I was happy sleeping, away from all this trouble."
Trina Smith -------------- All Trina could think of was, "Please don't eat me." But she didn't say it and a sense of relief flooded over her as the creature spoke, "What do you want human? I was happy sleeping, away from all this trouble." "Uh, nothing." She stared up at him. She wondered if this was how an ant felt when looking up at her. "I just wish was able to camoflauge myself as you do. Then maybe I'd be safe from those...mad men out there. I'm sincerly sorry for disturbing your sleep." Trina hoped it wasn't mad. Give her a guy with a sword anyday, but a giant with a rock fist the size of her head...she doubted she could survive the encounter. Thankfully it looked more annoyed than anything, though it was hard to tell considering it had a rock as a face. Trina turned as she heard grunting and heavy footsteps. Then out of the foliage staggered a very angry man. His jaw was turning purple from where she had clobbered him with her head and his eye was black from where she had hit him with the branch. His eyes screamed murder, and it wasn't going to be a pleasant death. The convict was so focused on Trina he didn't even see the rock giant towering behind her. She backed up to where she was almost on top of the giant's "foot and pulled out the make shift dagger hoping she didn't have to use it. "I don't suppose I can convince you to scare that guy back to where ever he came from?" Trina asked her voice full of desperation.
Mira Pellios ---------------- Mira walked the semi familiar path to her destination. Her walking staff thumping in time with her footsteps and free hand trailing in the feathered heads of the tall grass. The faint feeling of the grass calmed her and for a moment she closed her eyes in pleasure. That was one very nice thing about this planet, the vegetation. On her home world she had only ever seen plants when there had been a holiday or a ceremony, they were fragile creations and never survived well in a world made of ice . As it was she had never seen grass until her incarceration here. For a moment the light brushes of the grass against her skin and the scent of earth and sun blotted the screams of the drop zone out of her head. "Skir!" Screeched through her moment of peace and shattered her concentration. The scream had come from the west, an area that dipped from the rolling hills slightly and lay directly between the drop zone and the local base used by Yore. Without a thought Mira hefted her top heavy walking stick and sped for the noise. Skir were vicious bastards, and at this time of year they would be preparing for mating. That meant pack feeding frenzies that would decimate anything they fell upon. Should they devour the victims of this latest attack they would find her in short order and alone she didn't stand much of a chance. Much better to aid these victims and hope that the beasties could be defeated than to risk things on her own. She pounded towards the scream, within seconds she broke though some grass and saw the attack before her. Several men struggled with the strong humanoid beasts, wielding weapons in fierce warfare with the creatures. Closest to here were two men, one, wearing a Skir skin, face down on the ground but moving, the other, with brown hair and no head protection, was on his back across the first man's legs and struggling with bound hands to keep one of the lizards mouth away from his throat. Not even slowing Mira raised her walking stick and swung at the creature. The hard knob that usually sat in her hand met it's jaw with a loud crack, but the blow only seemed to stun. The man struggling with the attacker took this opportunity to place is feet on it's chest and shove it away, but Mira did not stop to watch. To stop moving was to die. Instead she moved on to the standing man in wooden armor just beyond the two on the ground. He was raising an ax at second attacker and the wounded body of a third lay at his feet. This one she hit in their equivalent of the knee joint, throwing it off balance enough that the standing man managed to land his axe in the things shoulder. Behind her she heard a scream of rage as the bound man launched himself at the Skir he had kicked away, obviously going for the throat. The two, attacker and attacked, tumbled once or twice then it was over. The victor was the brown haired human, holding a jagged dagger dripping blood onto the once living Skir. For several tense seconds they waited, ready for another attack. Then the man in the lizard skin hit the brown haired one from behind and grabbed the knife. "This is my knife peon, understand? Mine." He drew the blade across some grass to clean it as the third man dispatched the still breathing Skir at his feet with one blow of his axe. Mira repositioned her staff and stood up straight, meeting the eyes of the man in Skir skin. He grinned back at her and grabbed the bound man by the shoulder pulling him to his feet. "Ice Witch, it's been a while since you've been through my territory." Mira simply inclined her head to him slightly and gave a slight smile. "Chieftain Yore."
Meanwhile, back the dropsite... Yore's men overtook the area, shooing away the scavanger's with the pointed ends of weapons, and attempting to capture all newcomers. Hawke, the mousy man Jack had encounter before, watched as they did so. His beady eyes peered from person. Raphe needed more men, he knew, and he could do himself a big favor by rescuing a few of these people. He scampered around the site again, sneaking around the warrior's vision, and to the cautious looking man who had just fallen from the pod. He remained in the shadows of the trees and let out a loud hiss for attention. When the man noticed he beckoned him closer and called, "Come with me if you want to live! These men will eat you alive if you stay here." --- “I take it you consider them to be animals. Cannibals, I’ve seen worse,” said Tom as he strode over to the man’s position. The man himself looked like a sneak, and that was most likely how Tom had been caught almost unawares by the man’s presence. He looked back at the scavengers scattering, there was clearly a hierarchy on this planet. No matter how uncivilized it appeared to be, the stronger always dominates its weaker kin. He was finally close enough to determine how trustworthy this man was, the eyes read of a need, something that surprised Tom at first, but it didn’t take long for Tom to work out why the man wanted him. Soldier. “Just so you know,” said Tom, “I’ve been stabbed in the back once in my life, I would rather it not happen again, for your sake” he then quickly added, “well mostly my sake. In this state I'm no threat to anyone.”
Isabella 'Izzi' Hester Weaving her way through the small clearing and ducking under vines and other assortments of fauna, Isabella tried to get away from the drop site where her pod had crashed. She barely had time to breath due to the fact of survival. She looked back a couple of times before collapsing against a large bush dotted with red hue berries. She sighed heavily before grasping the axe's hilt with her left hand. She felt the rivets and grooves in the wood and the curve on the back edge of the axe. It didn't seem much like a blunt object but more like a blade. At least I have a weapon to defend myself.. but where am I heading? The clearing seemed a good pla- Isabella was snapped out of her own thoughts when a loud thud echoed beyond the bushes behind her. Making a small opening in the branches, she peered out to see what had made such a defiant noise. Izzi clasped a hand across her mouth, her eyes wide opened in shock. What the hell? she thought watching this large figure. It seemed like some sort of giant with some sort of earthen fist. Moving slowly out of the bush and into the shadow of a large tree, she could see another figure emerging in her vision. It was a woman and she was leaning against this large creature with a desperate look in her eyes. Izzi then noticed what they had both been staring at. A man rubbing his bruised jaw, his eyes gleaming with certain evil. His hands were balled into fists and he looked like he was seeing red. Izzi didn't want to just rush in and become a hero, that'd end in her death most likely. Instead she clambered over a few vines and other shrubbery, her hands digging into the mossy stones below her until she reached the edge of the clearing. She took out the curved axe and placed it high above her head. She crouched slightly before flinging the axe into the air. A loud swash noise escaped the axe as it plonked itself right into the forehead on the man like some sort of tomahawk. Isabella watched with a slight grimace as the man fell down slowly, blood oozing from his head down onto his clothes. She hadn't really meant to kill the man but the axe had arced just slightly above where she wanted to hit him. The giant and the woman turned to her with confused expressions. "I'm guessing I spoiled the fun?" Izzi grinned.
"Just so you know," said Tom, "I've been stabbed in the back once in my life. I would rather it not happen again, for your sake," he then quickly added, "Well, mostly for my sake. In this state I'm no threat to anyone." ===== Hawke gave a squeak of a chuckle and shook his head, and beckoned him with a quick jerk of his head to follow deeper into the woods. "Now, why would I go through all this trouble of savin' yer life if alls I was gonna do is go about stabbin' your back. Ain't really an intelligent thing to do, mate." Hawke pondered a moment. "Relax," he added with a reassuring smile, "I'm takin' ya somewhere safe." He pushed aside some tall grass for the man to get through before shooting a glance around to make sure no one had seen them. Briskly, he took the lead once again, pushing his way through dense vegetation that grew here in the forests. The scents of pollen and wildlife were enough to set the senses wild, but the sounds of chirping, croaking, and the occasional distanced growl all sang a sweet melody that engorged one with joy. The scene was ended short, however, by a large cracking sound from above them, and tree branches and leaves covered their heads as they descended from the sky. Hawke held his hand over his face and shot his attention upwards. A pod came quickly down atop them; neither had time to jump from the way. Hawke swallowed hard with the sinking feeling one gets before some incredibly bad happens. But the pod did not crush them to death, as expected. Instead it dangled there, swinging violently to and fro on the cables of its parachute not but three meters above their heads. "Holy mothera-" Hawke exhaled. Thats when they noticed another scavenger a few meters ahead, and the man, who carried a large door from one of the pods, looked just as started as they did. ===== "Just going to borrow this a moment," Jack offered, as he swiped up the jagged dagger; the tribal leader was having some trouble of his own with the lizard beast who subdued the first warrior. With no time to cut his bindings from his wrists, he jumped to his feet because the skir he faced began to rise once again for another attack. He readied himself with one foot behind him, and the other pointed toward his attacker, and the blade of the dagger clutched in both palms, turned toward the ground. The skir wasted no time, and lunged at him as sooner than it had its bearings. Jack easily jumped back out of the way, and then replied with his own jump, whipping his arms backward for a mighty blow to the creatures neck. The skir stepped into this attack, and the two tumbled to the ground together, rapidly rolling one over the other, then came to a stop; Jack had slayed the beast. He pulled himself once again to his feet and watched the green blood drip from the edge of the dagger onto his victim. A blow came to the back of his head and he nearly whipped around for another kill, but saw it was the tribal leader, and relaxed as the dagger was snatched from his grasp. "This is my knife, peon. Understand? Mine." Some gratitude. I save your life and... Thinking of saving lives, he saw the two soldiers, one huddled over the other, inspecting his wounds. There was not a moment to waste. Jack hurried over to them, and dropped to his knees, but he couldn't get a good view with the blood drenched fur coat the barbarian was wearing. "Cut me loose," Jack demanded. The other man stared blankly at him. "Do you want your friend to die!? Cut me loose, damn you!" The warrior checked his leader for confirmation. Yore passed a glance between them, the Ice Witch, and back. "Witch. Can you mend this man's wounds?" Ice witch, Jack pondered to himself as he took a long look at the woman. Never had Jack met a woman with no pigment to her hair, or eyes, and such tanned skin. She looked like a character he had read about in comics. There was no time for it. Jack didn't bother getting a response. With bound hands he pulled the coat back to reveal the fleshy wound. It had gone deep, to the bone, and Jack knew they would need much more than a miracle to save this mans life. Despite the dismal futility, he applied pressure to the wound with the blood stained coat.
Pathos Pathos spun around and noticed that he was almost face to face with a man he knew as Hawke before seeing one of the pods carefully suspended in one of the trees. Hawke seemed to be startled by the loud sound the pod made as it shifted, soon the branch holding it would give out and come crashing to the earth. The pod weight is 213.188414 kgs fully loaded so assume a weight of around 210. The branch should hold until about... he calculated in a split seconds time. A loud crack rang through the air as the branch gave way now The pod plummeted to the ground like a lead brick, Pathos positioned himself under it and as soon as it hit the palms of his hands he pushed it away falling harmlessly to the side. I miss calculated 213.188412, Damn Hawke gave him a confused but sharp look, Pathos picked up the steel door he had been caring and continued along his way. “I am going to take is door home, but would either of you care for tea?”
Myr water shimmered and rippled as the underwater geysers warmed the water depths. Geanos stones thrusted upwards from the sands causing the water as to shine in brilliant purples, pale blues and softer pinks. stuck in the side of cliff formations were houses and buildings made up of a highly reflective minerals. Myr would be swimming as she had always done on her planet of Druska. she weaved effortlessly between the coraled pillars, her hair flowed behind her, she quickly made for the waters surface.however Her face would soon grow serious as it would seem she couldn't get there, this was strange , seeing as she had made trips to the surface numerous times before and it had never taken this long . Feeling a heaviness she decided to turn back towards her home city . though as she turned she was stunned to find that the once shining city was now a black void that pulsed and grew. Myr would swim as fast as she could to get away but the emptiness eventually swallowed her , as she spiraled floundering about in the pitch of nothingness. she felt a breeze and awoke... opening her opal eyes she looked around upon her now home, the scent of rain always misted the air in this season on this planet. she would adjust her breather slightly before unraveling her ribbon and throwing her hair into a ponytail. she sat there thinking gazing off into the distance. she would watch pods as they fell onto the earth poor saps she thought.Myr never really like interfering with newcomers for fear they would attach themselves to her as a guide to help them survive. scoffing at the idea of having others to look after. It was hard enough to survive on your own let alone for others. she continued to watch as the pods fell though it seemed the recent inhabitants were making quite a stir. Myr would continue to sit on the river bed the water gave her a sort of comfort, she was usually found there thinking.
Eere "Uh, nothing." She staring up at him. "I just wish was able to camoflauge myself as you do. Then maybe I'd be safe from those...mad men out there. I'm sincerly sorry for disturbing your sleep." There was a noise from behind the human as a figure staggered out. Great. Another human. The female moved towards him until she was almost standing on his foot and pulled out a small blade. "I don't suppose I can convince you to scare that guy back to where ever he came from?" Eere was about to give her an answer when an axe appeared in the figures skull. The figure crumpled as another female came out of the woods. "I'm guessing I spoiled the fun?" Izzi grinned. "Well you saved me the trouble." Eere rumbled. He didn't want any more people ariving so mabye it was time to leave. "More people will be appearing soon. You two don't seem so bad, climbg onto my shoulders and I'll take you to the mountain."
Trina Smith Trina watched as the angry man began to charged towards her only to see him go down with an axe in his head. Trina closed her eyes, unable to bear the sight and yet so grateful that her life had just been spared. "I'm guessing I spoiled the fun?" Trina looked up to see who had save her. A young woman about her age stepped out of the foliage. She had a red bandanna tied around her arm. Blood had stained the fabric of her sleeve indicating a large cut. Trina was just about to ask if she was alright when the rock giant spoke, "Well you saved me the trouble. More people will be appearing soon. You two don't seem so bad, climb onto my shoulders and I'll take you to the mountain." Climb onto his shoulders!? Go to a mountain with a creature she didn't know anything about? Trina then heard the rapidly growing sounds of men yelling and fighting. "Sure, go to a mountain away from killer men. I like that plan!" She replied. The giant stooped and his legs, hip, and arm made a perfect stairway for them to climb on. Trina used her hardened muscles to pull her self up the creature's side and sat in the crook on his shoulder. It was almost comfortable. She grabbed a stub of a rock that protruded out of his head and as he stood Trina remembered she was scared of hights. Oh goodness!! She thought. People were never meant to be more the a foot off the ground and here I am eleven feet of the ground. Great, just great. She closed her eyes tightly and replayed the events of the morning in her mind. Within the course of half-an-hour, she had landed on a criminal planet, been attacked by convicts, saved by a fellow convict, seen two, no three, people killed, and met a rock giant who was giving them a ride to saftey. Or so she hoped. What else could possibly happen?
Mira Pellios ---------------------- Yore opened his mouth, as if to respond but before he could the bound man interrupted him. "Cut me loose.” He caught the attention of both Mira and the big barbarian. She stared at him. He was older than her but not by much and had an athletic build complemented by wavy brown hair in a short cut. He was already kneeling over a downed warrior that she hadn't noticed in the earlier chaos. "Do you want your friend to die!? Cut me loose, damn you" He demanded holding his bound hands out towards the grunt in wooden armor. The Grunt looked to Yore and Yore narrowed his eyes looking at her. "Witch. Can you mend this man's wounds?" For a second all three of them stared at her while she struggled to keep her face impassive; the the new prisoner gave them an angry look and ripped the fur off the fallen warrior's wound. Mira bit the inside of her lip for a second then joined the two men. "I shall do what I can," She told Yore over her shoulder and knelt to inspect the wound. It was deep, very deep, and the man's breath was already gurgling in his throat. That was a bad sign, but she knew some healing and had discovered a few indigenous herbs that sometimes soothed coughs or helped break fevers, but she was a priest, not a healer. However, Yore was a very superstitious man who firmly believed she had powers of a different sort and her room and board for the next several weeks depended on him continuing to think that. The bound man was already using what remained of the fur coat to apply pressure to the wound so she busied herself with her satchel, pulling out some dried grass that would help dull the pain. They worked quickly, the man easily understanding the use for the herbs and keeping the pressure firm. They bound the fur tight to his body with several stems of the long grass. She looked to Yore, "It’s bad," She stated quietly as the wounded man groaned, "I need bandages, fire and clean water. He needs to be back at your camp and the sooner the better." Yore frowned for a moment then gave a curt nod, "Let's go then." He leaned over and using the still blood-spotted knife cut through the bonds on the man who had been helping her. "You're a lot less incompetent than you look, you'd be better serving in my army than working my fields. Join me.” For a moment the man hesitated, Mira watched his face and turned so that Yore couldn't see her lips. "There are a lot of worse fates here. It's worth the protection, at least for a while." She whispered.
"Now, why would I go through all this trouble of savin' yer life if alls I was gonna do is go about stabbin' your back. Ain't really an intelligent thing to do, mate." Hawke pondered a moment. "Relax," he added with a reassuring smile, "I'm takin' ya somewhere safe." Tom Wilde gave a sullen nod, "True I guess..." They had been walking through the forest, a thing that was as alive as the rest of the people on planet, everywhere birds chirped, animals howled. It was in its own way beautiful, he noticed the man's expression and knew he would agree. Tom then realised that as civilisation grew on this planet, then the paradise they had fallen into, would be washed away. It happened to Earth, and humans relied on resource, even if it meant killing anything to get to it. This place is our second chance. And in the hands of former - no - they are still crims, then this second chance at live may not end with a handshake, and acceptance. But then what do I know about being civilised. His thoughts were cut short, as something above them, met the tree they were under. For a breath moment he thought they were finished but fortunately the parachute's cables held it in place. The man looked frozen almost, it made Tom chuckle a little to himself. They eyes then fell on a man removing by force a pod door. Tom folded his arms and looked at the man he was accompanying, "So, this scavenging, I'm surprised it doesn't bring business. I just thought that... well with... you know what I'm just making conversation here, I couldn't honestly care less. " Then the pod fell, and suddenly, Tom's smile was gone in an instant. He was soon surprised by the scavengers strength, as he balanced it above them. Then the next question, left him wide eyed. “I am going to take is door home, but would either of you care for tea?” "Best thing I heard all day. I'm thirsty. I'm just going to love it here. No body to stab me in the back, no bossy loudmouthed superior, just complete freedom. Maybe living ain't so bad after all," said Tom. I'm going insane....
