Sound of Trumpets - Plot Missions 2014 Winter

swaswj · Dec 14, 2014

Sound of Trumpets

Plot Missions 2014 Winter

On Umbra 1st, 500 P.C., at the height of the Nocte Nils celebrations, Magister Eximium made a rare public appearance. He first announced the winners of the various holiday events:

HAL, winner of Gavelock's Hunt
Lilliane Mactea, winner of Cortina's Cornucopia
Jareth Perarro, winner of Trames' Expedition
Harper Laureate, winner of Harper's Conquest
Penny Saliet, winner of Lucror's Sport

However, there was a more important function the Magister had been brought out for. In preparation for the five hundredth anniversary of the Cataclysm, the greatest leaders of Araevis had been secretly putting together a treaty, the Pactum Quingenti, one which the Magister claimed would usher in a new era of heightened peace and prosperity as the various countries worked together as one. It had already been signed by leaders from various city-states and countries:

Emperor Thadal Neptunum et Pelagius - Ruler of Velen Empire, Pelagium
King Valen Septen - Ruler of Laicar Kingdom, Excelsus
Queen Lucida Fortuna - Ruler of Laicar Kingdom, Prendere
Decurio Virens - Counselor of Enlil City, Zephii
Decurio Audacia - Counselor of Enlil City, Lignum
Decurio Polus - Counselor of Enlil City, Astrum
Modus Abiciere est Nil - Voice of Demvir Community, Terminus
Modus Sonos vei Causa - Voice of Demvir Community, Cursus
Modus Cines de Excol - Voice of Demvir Community, Eleutheria
Modus Duros Veteribus - Voice of Demvir Community, Eruditio

The last signature needed was Magister Eximium's. When the magister went to sign the document with the specially-prepared pen, the pen exploded, felling the magister and ultimately destroying the treaty. Amidst the ensuing panic, a message was broadcast throughout Terminus, with the radical group Astra non Obligant taking credit for the assassination, it's unnamed speaker claiming that the treaty was a falsehood, created only to increase the power held by the Arcanum.

The three prophets, Saints Vexus, Deimar, and Adria, calmed the crowd to the best of their abilities. Those who fled from the square are being treated as persons of interest, with bounties out for their capture. Other suspicious parties are being held for interrogation.

A standing bounty for the unnamed speaker, dubbed 'Orator,' has been issued, offering 5,000 exa alive or dead. The Arcanum is determined to flush out the other members of the Astra non Obligant before they strike again, while the radicals themselves seem prepared to throw Terminus into civil war to get the equality they seek.

Related Reading:

Week 016 - Magister
Week 018 - Five Hundred Years

Missions and Bounties:

5000 Exa - Orator
1000 Exa - Amgine of the Commercium
1000 Exa - Unknown Enlil
1000 Exa - Keydis Lysistrata
1000 Exa - Annora Caestrum

swaswj · Feb 4, 2015

The three prophets held several individuals for questioning. While some cooperated and assisted to the best of their ability, others acted suspiciously, refused to speak, or otherwise disrupted the proceedings. Those who failed to cooperate were to be detained overnight so that the prophets could attempt to speak with them the following day.

In the dead of night, members of the ANO unleashed a deadly dire bear near the Sapientia Coetus, an Arcanum-sponsored center of higher learning. With Conexus guards scattered following the attack, and a sizable contingent following Saint Vexus to the Jactatio District on his hunch, the bear seemed free to rampage, with only a handful of professors, students, and passersby there to distract it.

Without warning, an ANO operative known as 'Rapax' assaulted the Conexus detention cells where the interviewees were being held. After blasting a hole in the outer walls, he gunned down the remaining guards, ultimately killing five of them. While one survived long enough to retaliate and injure Rapax, he was subsequently knocked out by the demvir, HAL. The injured Rapax extended an offer of freedom, and a further offer to join the ANO. With the sole exception of Duilius Kincaid, the suspects accepted his offer, following him to a hidden ANO base. Kincaid instead worked to stabilize the surviving guard and earned his freedom by offering information about the attack to the Conexus.

Rapax and the five who joined him -- HAL, Aelflead, Aeria Luxus, Ignis Animi, and Deniisis Perfide -- are now wanted in connection with the jailbreak and the death of the five guards. The head of the Conexus, Auspex Zephyrus, put Terminus in a state of lockdown, stationing guards at all exits, with special fortification around the western gate (leading to the port city Avelyn) and the southern gate (leading to the Elata Spiritus airship port).

The ANO members who met the escapees now find themselves in a predicament. With Saint Vexus separated from the other two prophets, in the Jactatio District, he makes a tempting target. However, the fear of Auspex Zephyrus is very real: the ANO can't remain hidden and so must flee the city. The mountains in the north and east are difficult to pass through, while the west and south exits are well-guarded. Those gathered together must decide whether to go for the assassination, try to escape, or somehow manage both.

Related Reading:

The Magister's Fall
Week 016 - Magister
Week 018 - Five Hundred Years
Week 017 - Astra non Obligant

The Prophets' Interrogation
Week 020 - That Greatest Vice
Week 020 - Shadow of a Doubt
Week 020 - Until Proven

Seeking Bounties
Week 024 - Hounds on the Trail
Week 025 - Right Place, Wrong Time

Cicely Akvavit's Operation Triple Sic
Week 019 - Secret Operation: The Code Name is...
Week 020 - Static Shock
Week 021 - Death in the Afternoon
Week 022 - UnReDeEncoded

The Attack on Innovo
Open - Betwixt Fangs and Terror

The Jailbreak
Week 022 - The Holding Block
Open - Out of the Frying Pan

Zephyrus' Response
Open - Nobody Shoots the Sheriff
Open - Cease and Desist

Missions and Bounties:

Because of the pressing need to bring an end to the violence as quickly as possible, the Conexus is offering a deal: should any current suspect affect the capture of another bounty target, their own bounty will also be pardoned.

5000 Exa - Orator
2000 Exa - Rapax
1000 Exa - Amgine of the Commercium
1000 Exa - Unknown Enlil
1000 Exa - Keydis Lysistrata
1000 Exa - Annora Caestrum
1000 Exa - Aeria Luxus
1000 Exa - Aelflead
1000 Exa - Ignis Animi
1000 Exa - HAL
1000 Exa - Deniisis Perfide

swaswj · Feb 15, 2015

Following a rushed meeting in an undisclosed location, members of the ANO decided that it was time to retreat from Terminus. Following the death of five guards, the head of the Conexus, Auspex Zephyrus, was determined to see the uprising put down, and the perpetrators held accountable for their actions. The ANO was not ready to face the full might of the Conexus and the Arcanum at once.

To facilitate their escape, though, they needed a distraction. Those who were just broken out of jail surprisingly volunteered, along with Rapax and his sister. Upon the suggestion of the more senior members, their distraction also doubled as an assassination attempt on Saint Vexus: separated from his peers, in the Jactatio District, he was to inviting a target not to try for. The man dubbed as 'Orator' by the Arcanum, who spoke for the ANO in their broadcast, offered to serve as a second distraction at Terminus' west gate, where it was believed Zephyrus herself would be waiting. The rest of the ANO, led by Amgine and Aureax, planned to break through the southern gate, and break away west across the open wilderness -- a dangerous environment at that time of year, especially for extended periods.

However, when the members of the ANO reached the southern gate, Zephyrus was there to block their route. At the western gate, Orator met with an entire platoon of guards led by one of her lieutenants. Meanwhile, in the Triumphare stadium in the Jactatio District, Vexus seemed to be waiting for an attempt on his life, with a dozen guards there to protect him, as well as two civilians fresh from the attack on Innovo.

This is the finale of the Sounding Trumpets PMs. All three threads are set to finish on Saturday, 2/28/15 by 11:59 PM EST.

You may join any thread as a PC or NPC. All threads need ANO NPCs and Conexus guard NPCs; Arcanum members, bounty hunters, or other civilians are also welcome. You may join any or all three threads, but please only put one character per thread.

If you join a thread and are inactive, your turns will be skipped, and your character may be wounded or die if left inactive in a dangerous situation. Please notify the GMs if you need to withdraw from the thread entirely, regardless of the circumstances; your character will be written out without penalty.

The West Gate - Cease and Desist
'Orator' set out here to confront Zephyrus as a distraction, only to discover she is not there. Instead, he is faced with her lieutenant, Nise Sine.

The South Gate - Nobody Shoots the Sheriff
Led by Aureax, the bulk of the ANO is headed to the southern gates, to break through and make a dangerous trek to safety. However, it's discovered that Auspex Zephyrus is there waiting for them.

The Assassination - The Prophet of Inlustrovis
Saint Vexus separated from the other prophets, expecting an attack on the Jactatio District following the ominous promise that the ANO would not spare innocent lives. Considering this to be his moment of greatest vulnerability, those who were broken out of jail the night before volunteered to stage an attack on Vexus, both as a distraction to draw attention away from the gates, and an attempt to strike a mighty blow against the Arcanum.

Related Reading:

The Magister's Fall
Week 016 - Magister
Week 018 - Five Hundred Years
Week 017 - Astra non Obligant

The Prophets' Interrogation
Week 020 - That Greatest Vice
Week 020 - Shadow of a Doubt
Week 020 - Until Proven

Seeking Bounties
Week 024 - Hounds on the Trail
Week 025 - Right Place, Wrong Time

Cicely Akvavit's Operation Triple Sic
Week 019 - Secret Operation: The Code Name is...
Week 020 - Static Shock
Week 021 - Death in the Afternoon
Week 022 - UnReDeEncoded

The Attack on Innovo
Week 026 - Betwixt Fangs and Terror

The Jailbreak
Week 022 - The Holding Block
Week 025 - Out of the Frying Pan

Finale
Open - Nobody Shoots the Sheriff
Open - Cease and Desist
Open - The Prophet of Inlustrovis

Missions and Bounties:

Because of the pressing need to bring an end to the violence as quickly as possible, the Conexus is offering a deal: should any current suspect affect the capture of another bounty target, their own bounty will also be pardoned.

5000 Exa - Orator
2000 Exa - Rapax
1000 Exa - Amgine of the Commercium
1000 Exa - Unknown Enlil
1000 Exa - Keydis Lysistrata
1000 Exa - Annora Caestrum
1000 Exa - Aeria Luxus
1000 Exa - Aelflead
1000 Exa - Ignis Animi
1000 Exa - HAL
1000 Exa - Deniisis Perfide

K3 · Mar 1, 2015

"It is forbidden to kill; therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets."

- Voltaire

After a long and desperate battle, the Astra Non Obligant sounded their surrender and retreat. Pending a confrontation with two former bounty targets, Orator surrendered to police custody, and now awaits trial in prison. Those assisting in the capture, Annora Caestrum and Keydis Lysistrata, receive the full sum of the bounty for the 'voice' of the Astra Non Obligant.

Those who attempted to assault the Southern Gate of Terminus have been arrested, including their lieutenant Aureaux. Zephyrus sustained moderate injuries, but is all the more eager to put those captured to task for it.

The attempted assassination of Saint Vexus failed, due largely in part to the interference of two upstanding citizens of Terminus. Those who made the attempt have been arrested, save one who remains at large. Ignis Animi is presumed to remain at large and in corroboration with Astra Non Obligant until such a time as she can be absolved. The two citizens: Phorcys Nerites, and Urias Medardo, enjoy the full sum of the bounty entailed to those captured: Rapax, Aeria Luxus, Aelflaed, Deniisis Perfide.

Multiple known accomplices to Astra Non Obligant remain at large, including the once-employee of the Commercium, Amgine. The fight has not been taken out of ANO, but steeled. Orator's final promise before being imprisoned was that, "This is only the beginning."

Great job on these Plot Missions everyone! We're proud to have finished these ones on time, and though we understand there were rough spots, we hope that there were at least highlights for those who participated. So, to sum things up, let's get the bounty payouts out of the way:

Phorcys Nerites & Urias Medardo: 5000 Exa (Rapax, Deniisis, Aelflead, Aeria)
Annora Caestrum & Keydis Lysistrata: 5000 Exa (Orator)

Those captured in the final threads: you are presently imprisoned for various crimes ranging from assault to attempted murder to conspiracy to murder. You are assumed to be held until further notice, unless you escape.

All participants in the final three threads are counting as having completed a C-Rank Mission, for which the payout is 500 Exa. Everyone who participated in Sound of Trumpets also receives a C-Tier mission loot roll.

Finally, we have Unique Feat Slots. The original plan for these seemed a bit poorly received, so we're trying something different here. A poll thread will go up shortly with two people who are receiving slots according to the GM's own choices. These two slots will always be given after PMs regardless, but we still want you guys to have a say as the community. So, the thread will be given the purpose of allowing you guys to nominate and choose a third person to receive a Unique Feat Slot. This little "People's Choice" round will have about two weeks to resolve, and won't necessarily be awarded if there's not a general consensus who deserves the slot.

Thanks again for a great Plot Mission guys!

Ready to join Post Terminus?

Sound of Trumpets - Plot Missions 2014 Winter

swaswj

Administrator

swaswj

Administrator

swaswj

Administrator

K3

The Angry One

Current Date in Araevis