Next Defenders/Crusaders Event: 'Destroyed'

Howdy all; As you might have noticed, we've got a new event planned for January 2015 at Marscon - Destroyed! Destroyed Blurb: As the world learns of a miraculous new power-source, old villains conspire to bring down the U.N.'s superhuman response team. Can an assortment of heroes from across different groups somehow stop the destruction? DESTROYED is a two-part adventure set in Mark Geary's Defenders International campaign! We're also celebrating the 29th anniversary of the DiVERSE! More shortly

Destroyed, Prelude #1

Xibola, City of Bone -

He could feel the movement of the air underneath of him as he fell towards earth. Reaching terminal velocity in seconds, he felt the freedom and exhilaration fill every part of his being, the way it always had on countless times before. It was the only part of the curse that was truly his, truly a blessing, and the one thing he missed.

He felt himself relax into the moment, realizing that it was Morpheus's visitation, a moment of pure peace before the dawn...a dream of demigods of flight, something that he missed despite the lifting of the curse. Below the land moved under the dark shadows of night, featureless amid the clouds and cool night air. For a moment, he was contented.

The sudden downdraft brought him to landfall, finding himself skipping for a moment on the eddied currents that gently deposited on the hillside. Something was different this time, something he could not quite put his fingers upon....the dream haze had him still, and yet, the lands were different, colder somehow....more ominous.

The sky erupted into light as Helios blazed above him. He instantly recognized the scene and saw the familiar faces he had come to know and call friends. All eyes were downcast, sullen, and filled with a great sadness, none speaking or making any sound. For a moment, he wondered if these dream-images were some ancient chorus, until he found himself drawn to the object of his gaze. As his eyes fell onto the sight, he felt a tightening of the muscles in his stomach...he knew instantly what the image meant, and felt the sluggishness of the waking world, pulling him backwards, back away from the moment into the cool darkness of the living world.

He felt himself fully alert and awake, rising quickly from bed, letting Eden rest nearby. The images still lingered in his mind, and he knew that such was no dream, but portent. Pulling a nearby toga on, he moved out of the bedroom and into the darkness, unable to sleep.

________________________

Eden Raines had been many things in her life - Daredevil, Adventurer, Pilot, and now Queen. It had been nearly five years since she had married the love of her life, and despite all that she and Romulus had shared, there were moments that he truly puzzled her. Her hand moved absently across the bed, surprised in its near sleep to find him gone from her side. Slowly rousing herself to full consciousness, Eden allowed her green eyes to adjust to the darkness before calling out quietly,
'Romulus?'

Taking a deep breath, Eden slowly pulled herself out of bed, covering herself in a sheer silk robe that rested across the nearby divan. Steadying herself against the bed, Eden gained her bearings and began to move through the open-aired chamber, looking outwards to the balcony and the illuminated paleness of dawn. Romulus stood impassively on the balcony, his massively muscled arms folded behind him in the way he often had when deep in contemplation. Eden moved behind him, gently brushing the tips of her fingers against his arm, before moving beside him. For a long while husband and wife said nothing, standing and looking over the ancient city as it slowly roused from another night. In the dim haze of the morning, Romulus finally spoke, his voice low and haggard.

'I need to return' he said plainly, not facing his wife. It was the stoic and patrician look that Eden had grown to accept, a sign of Romulus's stubborness.

'The dream?' Eden asked, already knowing the answer.

'Yes...' Romulus nodded, 'Again...the same dream...'

There was a prolonged silence between them as both stared outwards. For a long while, neither moved or said anything, until Eden finally spoke.

'Well....I guess I'm ready to see how much the world has changed since 1936.'

'I have to go...you don't....it will be...dangerous...' Romulus began, turning to face his wife. Although he towered above her, there was a sense of physical equality that had always been an unspoken fact.

'You are my husband, and my friend. If this is important to you....' Eden began, looking Romulus up and down, 'Then I'm going....I've said my peace and counted to three'

Romulus stared at his wife, 'These men....the men we go to face...this aren't trogs or raiders...these men are dangerous...motivated...and strong. If something happened to you....'

Eden's fingertips moved up and brushed her husband's lips, 'Then we face them together....but why now? Why is now so important...'

Romulus said nothing at first, allowing the question to linger more out of summoning the strength to answer it, 'They will burn the world if what I have seen comes to pass....I cannot abandon my teammates...my friends...to what awaits'

'Then that is enough' Eden added, 'Let's find our way home, before it's too late...'



-----

Destroyed

January 16 - 18 2015

Project: EPIC is go!

I wanted to thank everyone who turned out to support our events at 1d4Con and the first of several launches for Project: EPIC. Keep your eyes peeled on this site and our FB page for upcoming events. More announcements on our schedule are pending. The next event we have planned is during BALTICON (www.balticon.org) More coming!

Gearing up for the Summer Campaign Schedule

Good Morning all; Just touching base after a brief hiatus that we're beginning the Summer Schedule this weekend with the debut of a new campaign - Project: EPIC! Project: EPIC is an open-source campaign, debuting on Saturday 26 April 2014 at 1d4con in Winchester, VA. Additionally, I'll be putting the summer schedule and updates for the various campaigns on this site. Look forward to seeing you at 1d4con!

Thank You!

Lord Eclipse is defeated, the multiverse is safe, and the heroes are having a most deserved rest. Thank you all for both a wonderful campaign and a great Marscon 2014. I'll be making announcements shortly about our future, what comes next after this meta-campaign, a synopsis of 'Eclipsed', and some photos. - The CC

Eclipsed Prelude #7 - A shadow over Calan

336 hours until Penumbra

Calan, homeworld of the Trillinian Imperium

Now.

Panic had seized the capital as its defenders had fallen. The High Guard lay broken amid the ruins of the gleaming spires of the capital city. Smoke issued from dozens of craters where galleries of art and science had once been. Devastation was complete.

Above amid the zenith of battle, the enemy swarmed across the shipyards. Great ships of the Imperium's stellar navy drifted free of moorings, ruinous wrecks that told the all-too familiar story of what had happened. Paling the debris and destruction was the great sun of the Imperium's core system...a pale yellow giant that provided life-giving warmth to the worlds that made up the ruling worlds. The once welcoming sight had turned a sickly blue - A light that existed only in the vague sense of the notion. Where once the sun had been the source of life, it had been transformed into a parody of itself...and always the great shadow of *something* moved in dark silhouette across the surface.

The evacuation had long-since ended, as there were no ships that could escape the utter and complete capture of the world. The crystalline palace where the Starchild Empress ruled her Imperium sat untouched to bear witness, the towers untouched...a still-gleaming example of a mighty empire...a last example in which the enemy had yet to advance. Within the core of the tower remaining generals, admirals, and nobility sought some strategy despite the growing hopelessness that had begun to overwhelm them. The armored form of the Starchild Empress paced, directing as she could, serving for a moment as an example of resistance, but with little left to resist with, her frenetic fear had begun to grow, as did the shadow of instability.

Silently the advance began. The converted soldiers, now husks of themselves moved forward with the efficient manner in which they had been created to do. The elite personal guard of the Empress, including the children of Starion, fought valiantly to stop the waves of enemies, each falling to the swarms of former comrades until the path to the inner sanctum was cleared. The powerful feral General of the enemy appeared, the twin blades cutting threw large swaths of defenders, the pack of 'hounds' following closely. The final advancement took no less than three minutes.

When the massive doors were opened, the enemy paused waiting. The Empress and her council stood silently, preparing for the worst. Some of the council had opted to fight, their crumpled forms still smoking from the response, as the 'Generals' of the enemy entered without fanfare or the usual frivolous actions of conquerors...in fact, it was almost solemn, as if the enemy was being proceeded by a mass of some sort.

The Empress thought for a moment she could see something just outside the range of lights in the long corridor leading to the command room...a darkness that wasn't simply shadow - it was an absence of light. The darkness with wraith-like quickness down the hallway, entering the room and absorbing the light from it. The council attempted a last-ditch defense, but silently as it had entered, the shadow simply passed over the council. The council disappeared into the inky darkness, growing quiet as finally the shadow hovered just in front of the Empress. In that moment, the Starchild Empress felt real fear as wispy tendrils of darkness moved over her in an almost caressing way. The Empress struggled, pulling herself away and falling back against the rear wall. The shadow hovered, then spread out in all directions, and as the Empress watched, she could make out the figure in the center of the shadow, moving towards her. The madness which had claimed her in her youth and young adult life washed over her again, along with the pain, despair, sadness, rage, and other darker, damaging emotions.

The Imperium had fallen.The Starchild Empress was eclipsed.

GAME EFFECT:

Any character with connections to the Trillinian Imperium or related contacts in *ANY* campaign will have a result at the beginning of Eclipsed.

Eclipsed Graphic Promo 3